THE TALE SPINNER
Vol. XVI, No. 42
October 16, 2010
IN THIS ISSUE:Vol. XVI, No. 42
October 16, 2010
Zvonko Springer begins a story about another African safari
Carol Hansen writes about cockroaches
Carol Dilworth has been counting chimney swifts
Tom Telfer sends some examples of ways people steal identities
Pat Moore forwards a handy guide to men
Carol Hansen sends details of an unexpected hazard of cell phone use
The editor tells of her experience with biodegradable garbage bags
Sites are suggested by Carol Hansen, Pat Moore, and Stan French
Zvonko Springer writes about their second safari while he was working in Africa:
THE JOURNEY ACROSS UGANDA IN 1966
We have not expected that our second grand safari in East Africa would become dramatic. With our experience from the first safari in 1965 it was easier for us to prepare the necessary equipment and provisions for a three-week safari. We started the trip on August 13th and returned sound and safe on September 4th. In the old VW 1961 "Beatle" we drove almost 5000 km and used about 90 gallons of gas. It was an economic trip for an old car, considering that it had already driven some 100,000 km on African roads.
The engine of the car ran well throughout the whole trip, but we got one flat tire. We drove at a good speed, averaging 65km/h compared to 55km/h used in our planning. The speed was achieved probably due to being able to drive long straight road stretches that we came across in Uganda.
The tumultuous political situation seemed to have calmed down by the time we started our safari. Uganda had achieved its independence on October 9, 1962. The Kabaka of Buganda, Sir Edward Mutesa II, had become the first president of Uganda, being the king of the largest and most influential tribe in the new state. Yet on May 24, 1966, the federal Ugandan army attacked the royal compound in Mmengo by shelling the palace with the king trapped inside. He fought his way out of the burning building and escaped from Uganda to exile in London, where he died in mysterious circumstances. The monarchy of Buganda and much of its autonomy was revoked, along with that of other four Ugandan kingdoms soon after. Subsequently, Prime Minister Milton Obote changed the old constitution, turning the state into a republic in 1967.
The safari started without a hitch this time. We drove fast for the first 270km on a tarmac road up to Mtito Andei. Roadwork started from Kibwezi so we drove on the old road, the worst part of it through Emali and Sultan Hamud. At first we thought that drivers were greeting us, holding a hand on the front windows of cars coming toward us. Instead of a greeting it was a warning sign that the road section had loose murram and stones flying through the air, smashing against car windows. This became clear to us the moment we saw the first car with a cracked glass pane. From then on Ljiljana kept her hand against the front window when we saw an approaching car. We saw quite a lot of broken glass along the road so I had to slow down as cars passed. A real hazard was to drive behind a slow lorry or to overtake one, which could result in a cracked window at the very beginning of the safari.
Fortunately we arrived in Nairobi safely and got to the Fair-View hotel, where we stayed a year ago, being happy with the accommodation and the food. The next morning we thought we would visit the Nairobi National Park some 10km out of town. For an hour or so we cruised on the established earthen pathway, yet we saw only a few antelopes and giraffes. Frustrated, I turned off the regular road onto a dry river bed, and we soon found a rhino calmly chewing at a distance of about 25m. Superb! Some time later Vesna thought she saw lions in the shade of a tree, but when we got closer the "lion pride" turned into a group of warthogs that we disturbed with our approach. So we gave up searching for lions at midday and returned to the exit to visit the animal orphanage there before starting back to town.
After lunch Ljiljana and I yielded to Vesna’s longing to visit the Ngong Race Course to watch the horse racing. Ngong Course was situated in a pleasant area west of the town, and It looked almost like a park with a lot of flower beds all around the race track. The grandstand was full of visitors but we paid less for the open stand, where hundreds of people were moving freely around. Of course there were the betting booths, a few below the grandstand and others in a barrack next to the horses display fields. We stayed through six of the seven races but we did not bet. I was interested in the people and the racing procedures, whereas Ljiljana paid more attention to the ladies' fashion show. 
Vesna ran to and fro between the horse display fields and the race track, commenting excitedly on the horse's chances in the races. It remained a mystery to us how she could know about each horse's genealogy and its racing achievements.On the way back to town we wanted to view the milking of venom from poisonous snakes. One should not believe what is written in tourist guides, but first put a call to the station.
I had to make an official visit early on Monday so Ljiljana and Vesna went window shopping until we met at the Thorn Tree coffee bar of the New Stanley Hotel. At Vesna’s insistence, we took a taxi to the Coryndon Memorial Museum, where we spent a few hours. Joy Adamson’s aquarelles of some 100 indigenous peoples’ portraits interested us very much, and we ordered her most motivating book with these attractive portraits. Vesna was more attracted by the bird showcases with the excellent and fascinating collection that the museum held.
To be continued.
CORRESPONDENCE
I received so many warnings about bedbugs that I looked up the subject on Snopes. That site (http://arunaurl.com/411l) had some interesting information, which I forwarded to some of those who had originally sent me warnings.
Carol Hansen replied that she had not received any warnings "but this is good to know in case I do. Of course, we've been reading a lot about bedbugs in the local papers and elsewhere. I'm glad I haven't travelled lately and have no plans to.
This reminds me of when I was a teen and my mother's best friend lived across the street from our house. She was a notoriously bad housekeeper and there was no question but that her house was loaded with cockroaches. When she came to have coffee with my mother, my mother made her jump up and down and shake her clothing before she let her in the house! And if she brought anything with her - books, etc., my mother left them outside for a few days before bringing them inside. Must have worked as we never had a cockroach in our house.
Growing up, one of my sons had a good friend whose father worked in a supermarket, and that house also was loaded with roaches, brought home by the dad. Not knowing this at the time, my son lent his friend a stereo for a few weeks. It was returned, and my son put it back into his bedroom. After we went to bed that night, suddenly we heard him in his room stomping and yelling, "Bugs! Bugs! Bugs all over the place!" Seems roaches were in the stereo and when he turned it on and it heated up, they jumped ship. It was a long night, cleaning and spraying his room. He slept on the couch that night.
Carol Dilworth is one of the volunteers who monitor
CHIMNEY SWIFTS
Every Wednesday evening from June until September I counted chimney swifts. A lot of the birds in this article in the Guelph Mercury relocated to my site. Lucky birds - they've already left for their winter holiday! (Their insurance premiums must be something else....)
Tom Telfer forwards these
WAYS PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO DECEIVE YOU
A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, "Funny - I thought I locked the locker."
He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked okay - all cards were in place.
A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whopping bill for $14,000!
He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions. Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the bill and asked if his card had been stolen.
"No," he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yes - you guessed it - a switch had been made. An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet. The thief had broken into his locker at the gym and switched cards.
The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them. How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? $9,000!
Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? Small amounts rarely trigger a warning bell with some credit card companies. It just so happened that all the small amounts added up to big one!
A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded the receipt and passed back the credit card.
Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Oddly enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person.
He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man.
All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card. No exchange of words - nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.
Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time. Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, assuming that it has to be theirs.
Develop the habit of checking your credit card every time it is returned to you after a transaction!
Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I had called in. I paid by using my Visa check card which, of course, is linked directly to my chequing account.
The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure. While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialling.
I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a picture.
He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons. Meanwhile, I was wondering what he was taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on. Then it dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I was paying close attention to what he was doing.
He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved. Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy had just taken a picture of my credit card.
Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened.
Needless to say, I immediately cancelled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor.
Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever you are using your credit card, use caution and don't be careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card.
Be aware of phones, because many have a camera phone these days. Never let your card out of your sight ... check and check again!
Pat Moore forwards this handy
WOMAN'S GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING MEN
A good place to meet a man is at the dry cleaner. These men usually have jobs and bathe.
All men hate to hear, "We need to talk about our relationship." These seven words strike fear in the heart of even retired generals.
Men like phones with lots of buttons. It makes them feel important.
Men like to barbecue. Men will cook if danger is involved.
Most men hate to shop. That's why the men's department is usually on the first floor of a department store, two inches from the door.
Men forget everything; women remember everything. Think about it: how many women's sports use something called an "instant replay"?
Men are self-confident because they grow up identifying with super-heroes. Women have bad self-images because they grow up identifying with Barbie.
No man is charming all of the time. Even Cary Grant is on record saying he wished he could be Cary Grant.
Women take clothing much more seriously than men. I've never seen a man walk into a party and say, "Oh no, I'm so embarrassed; I've got to get out of here. There's another man wearing a black tuxedo."
Men have higher body temperatures than women. If your heating goes out in winter, I recommend sleeping next to a man. Men are like portable heaters that snore.
Carol Hansen sends the results of a study of
CELL PHONE USE
Never mind driving while talking on a cellphone - new U.S. research shows people have a hard time even walking while talking on a mobile.
In a study out of Western Washington University, researchers planted a polka-dot-dressed clown with a big red nose riding a unicycle around a campus square and measured those who noticed the clown and those who didn't.
Just 25 per cent of people talking on their cellphones saw the unicycling clown, compared to 50 per cent of people walking alone, in pairs and even those listening to portable music players.
"We asked, 'Did you notice anything unusual today?' And if they didn't volunteer the clown, we asked them directly, 'Did you see the unicycling clown?'" psychology professor and lead researcher Ira Hyman said in an interview on CBC Radio's As It Happens.
"As you can imagine, cellphone users were the most oblivious," he said.
Almost always, cellphone users were shocked when their lack of awareness was pointed out. "They're surprised they could have missed that," said Hyman, adding this lack of awareness is one of the "real hazards" of using a mobile.
"When you're on a cellphone you may feel like you're aware of the world around you and it seems that you're connected, but you're unaware of the things you've missed, and this is a problem because most people may think, 'I do just fine. I'm aware of what's going on around me.'
"But when you actually show them things they've missed, they can be utterly surprised and wonder how it is that I could have missed such things."
Study after study has shown drivers are less reactive and notice fewer events when talking on a cellphone. As of September 2010, eight provinces have banned all handheld cell phone use while driving. Text messaging is also illegal if you drive in these provinces. Two additional provinces, Alberta and New Brunswick, will debate distracted driving laws in late 2010.
People often make the argument that talking on a cellphone is no less distracting than listening to a radio or talking to a passenger. Not so, said Hyman.
In a second part of his study, researchers simply observed people talking on mobiles as they walked through crowds.
"Compared to people who were just walking by themselves or walking while listening to their iPhone, or even walking in pairs, cellphone users are slower, they change directions more frequently, they weave. and they're much less likely to acknowledge any other people around them."
Ultimately, "it's something about the cellphone conversation which is disrupting," he said. "Walking is a heck of a lot easier than driving a car. It's something people have been doing their whole lives, and if you can't manage to walk effectively and keep track of the world around you, how much harder is it going to be with the task of driving, which is a much more demanding task."
FUNNY TRUTHS
Marriage is like taking a hot bath. After you've been in it for awhile ... it isn't so hot.
I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and think, "Well, that's not going to happen."
If you're playing a poker game and you look around the table and can't tell who the sucker is ... it's you.
Health freaks are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
I asked Mom if I was a gifted child.... She said they certainly wouldn't have paid for me.
Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?
According to a recent survey, men say the first thing they notice about a woman is their eyes. And women say the first thing they notice about men is they're a bunch of liars.
Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut save you thirty cents?
In the 60s people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take prozac to make it normal.
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.
How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a barbecue?
Doctors can be frustrating. You wait a month-and-a-half for an appointment, and he says, "I wish you'd come to me sooner."
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESKTOP
You may remember my search for an alternative to plastic bags for my garbage, and that I finally found biodegradable bags at London Drugs. They were very large - about the size of a large pillowcase - and bunched up and doubled over the outside of my kitchen garbage pail - but I stuffed one in as neatly as possible and closed the lid.
Living alone as I do and cooking as little as possible, I do not generate much garbage. I used the bag for about a week, and it was not even as full as the can, let alone the overhang. I decided I had better empty it anyway, and began lifting it out of the pail. The bottom fell out! The bag was much more biodegradable than I had thought!
Fortunately, I had not lifted it out entirely, and I grabbed one of the few Safeway plastic bags I still had and turned the pail upside down and slid the contents into it. The bio bag was much larger than the ordinary plastic bag, but the outer bag wasn't full so I stuffed the whole thing in and tied the top. So much for bio kitchen bags!
I did put another one into the pail, but told myself sternly to remember to empty it in about four days, regardless of how little garbage was in it. It is a great waste of time and money and effort to put bio bags inside non-bio bags.
Now I'm left with a dilemma: do I give up and put my garbage into ordinary plastic bags, or do I find some smaller bio bags meant for compost and use them, keeping another bag for non-organic waste? I guess that after the large bio bags are gone I will go back to scrounging plastic bags....
In the same vein, I have been using clumpable kitty litter. It is easy to use but the table of contents says: "Clay". The clumps are the consistency of rocks and the clay sends dust flying all over the apartment. Not biodegradable, obviously, and a doggoned nuisance as well.
I was told of a product called Nature's Miracle, which is made of corn cobs, and clumps. It is expensive - the cheapest price I found was $18 for 10 pounds, which is said to last three weeks. I found another post which claimed that the same formula, made by the same company, can be found at Wal-Mart for about $6. The hyphen indicates that this branch is in the US because in Canada the store is called Walmart. I don't know if the cheaper product, called Fresh Results, is available here but I am going to enquire.
It is claimed that it is easy to go green, but I am finding that is not always true.
SUGGESTED WEBSITES
Carol Hansen sends this link to a video of a "big red wagon":
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http://arunaurl.com/4121
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If you use Craigslist for buying or selling, you should be aware of the many scams the popular site has attracted. In order to protect you, Craigslist has published a list of precautions you should follow if you are using their site: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams
You may also read this newsletter online at:
http://nw-seniors.org/stories.html
"It wasn't until late in life that I discovered how easy it is to say 'I don't know'." - W. Somerset Maugham
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