3/28/2006: Refugee camp in Somalia

[capnhowdy]

It looks like there are about ten people in the hut behind the woman. What strikes me as strange is how people in these areas always dress like it's winter, regardless of the weather.

Business opportunity alert: Tent repairman. Cash only.

[milkfish]

Originally Posted by capnhowdy

What strikes me as strange is how people in these areas always dress like it's winter, regardless of the weather.

It's probably wise when you have very few possessions to keep them as close to yourself as possible. All of your clothing, for instance.

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by milkfish

It's probably wise when you have very few possessions to keep them as close to yourself as possible. All of your clothing, for instance.

Again, no shade. You have to cover your entire body in something or you'll burn to a crisp.

[ashke]

And it's probably cold at night.

[seakdivers]

I can only speak from my own personal experience. I've been to many places in the U.S. that are known for being hot like Arizona, or Vegas (gonna be there on Thursday - sweet!) the sun is hot and it heats up your whole body. I went to Australia. It's like being in a microwave - your skin feels like it's sizzling. I guess the lack of an ozone layer really makes a difference down there.
Kagen?? Alianthe?? somebody?? lend a hand here.

[Kagen4o4]

north queensland can be like a wet oven. the air is thick and hot, just like many/all tropical locations.

down south in melbourne. the air can be hot and dry and can be compared to putting bare skin on a metal seatbelt after its been sitting in the sun for hours on a hot day

[chrisinhouston]

Originally Posted by glatt

Where do you get water?

Where do you get food?

What is in the area?

This is one of the big problems. If you follow NY Times Columist, Nicholas Kristof you can read a lot about the issues facing these poor people. Going out to get food and water is usually where the women get raped by the janjaweed militias.

Here, I quote from an article by Kristof in then NYT Sunday 3-19 paper

<I saw a lot of heartbreak on my latest visit to the fringes of Darfur: two orphan boys living under a tree after their family was murdered, a 13-year-old girl shot in the chest and a 6-year-old boy trying desperately not to cry as doctors treated shrapnel wounds to his leg.
But the face of genocide I found most searing belonged to Idris Ismael, a 32-year-old Chadian. Mr. Idris said that a Sudan-sponsored janjaweed militia had attacked his village, Damri, that very morning. He had managed to run away. But his wife, Halima, eight months pregnant, could only hobble. And so she was still in the village, along with their four children, ages 3 to 12.


''The village is surrounded by janjaweed, with civilians inside,'' Mr. Idris said. ''There's no way for people to escape. The janjaweed will kill all the men, women and children, take all our blankets and other property, and then burn our homes. They will kill every last person.''

''The janjaweed will rape and kill my family,'' Mr. Idris added. ''And there's nothing I can do.'' >

I am so heartened that our Vice P, Mr. Cheney recently said on Fox news that he is satisfied with our responce to the problems in Somalia. Too bad they don't have some oil reserves, we'd be in there in a flash!

[seakdivers]

Kagen - I'll be in Surfer's Paradise on Saturday. I'm ready to be microwaved!

[Kagen4o4]

dont forget its autumn (fall) down here

[tw]

Originally Posted by chrisinhouston

Going out to get food and water is usually where the women get raped by the janjaweed militias. ...

''The janjaweed will rape and kill my family,'' Mr. Idris added. ''And there's nothing I can do.''

Janjaweed militias are in Darfur - part of Sudan. Somolia is another nation that George Sr invaded and then Clinton wisely pulled US troops out of that 'no win' situation.

Meanwhile learn this story published in The Economist of 3 Mar 2006:

The danger of war spilling over
Two months ago, rebels hoping to depose Chad's strongman, Idriss Déby, drove through neighbouring Sudan in a convoy of brand-new Toyota jeeps and burst across Chad's eastern border near the town of Adré. Plainly egged on by the Sudanese government, they had no trouble passing through Sudan's many checkpoints, from Port Sudan on the Red Sea, a journey of some 1,600km (1,000 miles), to Chad's border. But Chadian troops loyal to Mr Déby, some of them recently trained in counter-terrorism by the Americans, beat off the rebels and chased them back into Sudan.

So far, this scrap among Chadians has not blown up into a war between Chadian and Sudanese government forces, though Mr Déby has declared a “state of belligerence” with his eastern neighbour. The battle of Adré, he suggested, was nothing less than a Sudanese plot to replace his African regime with an Arab one. His Chadian army has concentrated its forces around Adré, exposing the southern bit of Chad's border with Sudan to banditry. Despite a peace agreement signed recently under international pressure in Libya, a nasty proxy war is in the offing, with Chad upping its support for rebels in Darfur, while Sudan backs the Chadian rebels camped in Darfur who still want to overthrow Mr Déby's regime.

It's not just Somolia and Sudan (Darfur). Add to that list Chad and the recently opened petroleum pipeline what we have built from Chad, across Cameroon to the Atlantic. We make allies because we don't innovate and therefore demand more oil? And you thought the middle east was wild. Learn about the Central African Republic and Niger - or George Jr will do it for you.

[tw]

The Economist also provides this map since one cannot understand such politics without grasping the graphics. Somolia is off to the right and not on the Red Sea.

[capnhowdy]

The oil pipeline is the most prominant feature on the map. Hmmmm....

[seakdivers]

Originally Posted by Kagen4o4

dont forget its autumn (fall) down here

Yeah, but it's still hot!

It's 80 degrees in Brisbane (66 to you), and it's 43 degrees here (6 to you).

At least it's not like the last time we went, which was in the middle of your summer. Now that was hot!

[Kagen4o4]

ummm you wont find brisbane/goldcoast getting much above 30°C. and never in many or any places in the world would it get up to 66°C

80F is 26C and 43F is 6C

you would die at 66C

edit: after research highest temp ever was: Al'Aziziyah, Libya 57.7 C (135.9 F) on the 13th September, 1922 from here

[seakdivers]

Hey - I was just copying and pasting!
We are going to be spending most of our time in Surfer's Paradise & at the Bond Uni campus.

sizzle sizzle....


*edit -oooohhhh whoops.... I just went back to wunderground.com, and realized that I misunderstood what the 66 degrees meant.... gawd... I am such a dork.
Carry on people, nothing to see here..