The Little Thread Which Grew - the Apollo '73 to Everything But

[Hatshepsut]

Originally posted by afaceinthecrowd

One of my Daughters spends her vacations in "zee bad neighborhoods" of Capetown as a volunteer worker in the nursery of an Orphanage for children with aids. For her Grad School internship this fall, she's going to Johannesburg.

Kid's got real Moxie and a big, big Heart.

Face

Your daughter has a lot of courage Facey. I am transfixed about what goes on over in that part of the world. I like the journalism that gets presented on Vanguard TV. I hate that the new upsurge of the cocaine trade into Europe is now swinging up to the west coast of Africa. The crime that Miami and Florida had as its distribution point to other distributors was horrendous and ruined lives for decades to come.

I am impressed with some of the progress over there. I saw a few interviews in Sept where large industries were being turned back over to the blacks in their native countries. The first time I've seen them making 6 digits a year running their own oil and helping their own villages.
I guess the Dutch had to pull out gradually off some of the land and give the opportunity to make money off of it back to its rightful owners.
I saw pride in those faces.

http://www.un.org/en/events/tenstories/08/westafrica.shtml

http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/2010/nyc060110.html

Beautiful and treacherous places. TIA ya?

 

[Hatshepsut]

There are great whites off the coast of california also.

As to rumors being scary, that what rumors are, reports of peoples fears. Humans scare each other & themselves then act out irrationally from their self-created fear. Yes, sharks are predators and potentially dangerous, but if you want to be really scared, hang out with humans.


Mark A. Baker

So sharks are an ideal solution for any misanthrope.


And T'aint mere rumors!

The YouTube vids of attacks off the coast of Africa are lined up one after another on and on. They even jump on sailing vessels carrying tourists. Jump right out of the water and plop themselves on deck. The one I had was in Dutch so I deleted it. Never saw that while I was living in Calif.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2v9XDBFR6g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSsZr1agCyY

 

[CarmeloOrchards]

So sharks are an ideal solution for any misanthrope.


And T'aint mere rumors!

The YouTube vids of attacks off the coast of Africa are lined up one after another on and on. They even jump on sailing vessels carrying tourists. Jump right out of the water and plop themselves on deck. The one I had was in Dutch so I deleted it. Never saw that while I was living in Calif.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSsZr1agCyY

omg!

 

[RogerB]

Yes, but the sharks off shore are BIGGER. I can't believe Roger went surfing out there with the great whites! The rumors about those sharks are scarey.

Yes, well, in 1976 they weren't as well trained to eat human offerings as they are now

I hired a surfboard through the hotel Concierge . . . that because I knew of Durban's shark scene. Bloody thing was 6', I was used to 10' (I learned and raced on 16').

The shorter board meant I had to lay to paddle instead of kneel as I was used to. Screwed up the center of gravity, and is much harder work. My arms got so tired by the time I got things figured out after a two attempts at adjusting to the shorter board (paddling out through a heavy surf break is hard work!) that, when the time came to lift my body to get my feet under my hips to stand to ride the wave the arms did NOT work! Roger's arms refused to comply with his request! They were totally wonked

But on the shark thing, we grew up with 'em in Sydney. I bumped into one in 1950 . . . the experience taught me how to perform the miracle of walking on water! I am believed to be the second person in history to do so!

Rog

 

[Hatshepsut]

Hey Hats, you're a treasure.

I went to to Gadwin here: http://www.gadwin.com/download/, and found some yummy stuff.

snipped

Rog

I have TechSmith's Snagit program which I love. It does everything. Its the best 25 bucks I ever spent in my life! It even snags video presentations happening live on screen and saves it to your movie files. I just don't have it downloaded to mom's PC here..its on my own downstairs.

Oh the tech wonders of these modern years.

 

[RogerB]

There are great whites off the coast of california also.

As to rumors being scary, that what rumors are, reports of peoples fears. Humans scare each other & themselves then act out irrationally from their self-created fear. Yes, sharks are predators and potentially dangerous, but if you want to be really scared, hang out with humans.


Mark A. Baker

Hmmm, spoken like a true intellectual, ivory tower expert.

In 1936, on one beach in Sydney, Coogee, six people were taken by sharks during a period of a couple of months at the height of the surfing season.

I won't get into details, but Coogee is a beach that has slightly stiller water than other Sydney beaches.

But the thing to know is, that in those days (and until about 1956) the beaches of Sydney were the thing to do at weekends for the thronging masses . . . . they didn't have cars and there were not many alternatives in the hot summer (no airconditioning) for recreation. I remember floods of people coming by tram to my old beach in the early '50's, floods of people.

Well, the shark attacks actually moved the government to do something, and they started meshing the beaches to prevent sharks from doing their thing of yum-yumming on we out-of-element types.

All Sydney beaches had, when I left, a net "out the back" beyond the break that was baited to capture any sharks that threatened the swimmers.

Fact is, records I had seen when there, the catch was on average, one shark per beach per week during the height of the surfing season. I used to watch the "shark boat" weekly do its job 100 yards from the pool I trained in each morning.

But the fact is, there was still on average, one shark attack somewhere on the east cost of Oz each year because folks swam in insecure locations . . . like in the harbor or in Botany Bay and its tributary, Georges River.

The Florida Tourist Board does not like to publicize the number of annual shark attacks on its beaches . . . obviously bad for business. Last year or the year before it was five that I am aware of. They have Bull Sharks down there . . . different to the GW variety.

We Ozzie surf-lifesavers paid attention to the shark attack scene as a matter of course . . . hence the Durban shark scene being made known to us . . . this also because we competed against them in international competition.

Recently (last few years) there was a girl who lost an arm to a shark in Hawaii, and shark action against humans where the seal population is prolific, is well recorded around San Francisco and north from there.

Anyone who surfs or swims in known shark frequented waters without protection is really asking for trouble. You may as well walk blindfolded down a freeway.

R

 

[purple haze]

pics

Nice pics, Lakey. Thanks for posting them. It's a pleasure to see them.

for those of us camer-shy, all those pictures didn't come out half bad. there're heaps more... see if you can get Gary to post them!

 

[purple haze]

pcs

Here are the first of my new pictures. Hat's instructions worked like a charm!

[/IMG]

This is a picture of Candy, Edey and me at the Mission Inn

Next is a picture of Candy and Edey

Next is a picture of me giving Candy some accupressure on her head.

Lakey

We had so much fun that day, especially with our personal escort who took the photos!

 

[Hatshepsut]

Originally posted by RogerB

snipped

The Florida Tourist Board does not like to publicize the number of annual shark attacks on its beaches . . . obviously bad for business. Last year or the year before it was five that I am aware of. They have Bull Sharks down there . . . different to the GW variety.

snip

Yeah, I remember the sharks coming up to the Fla panhandle by Panama City. The strange thing is that there are inlets with shoals there where the water is warm....and its also quite shallow at times. It's unusual for sharks to venture in there. The guess is that they somehow got stuck in that area and couldn't get back out easily.
But people are preyed upon by a host of other treacheries not reported for want of protecting commerce and tourism in Florida. There's all kinds of 'sharks' in this world.

 

[RogerB]

I have TechSmith's Snagit program which I love. It does everything. Its the best 25 bucks I ever spent in my life! It even snags video presentations happening live on screen and saves it to your movie files. I just don't have it downloaded to mom's PC here..its on my own downstairs.

Oh the tech wonders of these modern years.

Neat! I run FireFox, and there is a free app called Download Helper that captures all the videos and such.

I find FF much superior and easier to use than IE. I have Safari also, but don't use it much, only if there is a apparent glitch affecting FF.

Rog

 

[purple haze]

pics

Lakey, good picture! Thank you for posting it.

Mission Inn in Riverside is so very gorgeous! Gary, you have lots more photos. why not post them before we leave for up north, so they don't get stale dated. LOL old words still work, yay!

 

[purple haze]

hey cats, let's play whilst the mice are away!

Ted, thanks for your ack of my first Missiion Inn picture above. I added a couple more.

A group of us met in mid January at "El Coyote" restaurant in Hollywood. The goal was to start a 3rd dynamic activity by holding regular monthly workshops with a facilitator and a group of people discussing a specific topic.

[/IMG]

The first picture above is the Magic Man, Johnny, with Candy and Ken A.

The second picture is Lynn Fountain Campbell plus Don Keeler and his wife. Note, I talked to Keeler and he does not remember anything about me as an auditor at CCLA. He remembers me only as a staff member in Treasury. I decided to move on and be friends with him. He definitely is not at all suppressive and his life since leaving CC staff has been exemplary.

The third picture ought to bring a glimmer of recognition to Leon. Yours truly is shown with a Kiwi from New Zealand who has received considerable processing from his counrtyman, Leon.
Lakey

Gary, that's not Don Keeler's wife, but Ken Aaron's wife! LO

since there were 16 people, can't you post some more pics, Gary? For the folks that couldn't come? 2 people did not want to be photo'd, so we didn't.

 

[purple haze]

pics

The first picture shown is of a group of attendees:

We have Dave, Joe, my lovely friend LH, and Ken. Candy's profile is visible in the foreground.

This one has LH, yours truly and Joe

This last one is of me and I thought it was a very good shot. Lose some weight and I would really look great!
Lakey

Gary, great shots. what about some of the others? the first group one and the one in the kitchen without me looking like a witch? Wish I had the pics on my computer, here.

 

[Leon]

The sharks in Cape Town arein a very localised areawhere there are seal pups for them to eat. No one would ever go swimming there. On the whole shark attacks happen in CT about once every 10 years or so I suppose. That's just a guess. I only ever saw them once underwater when we were snorkel diving for crayfish. As you may be aware we left the water soon after and so I'm still here

 

[afaceinthecrowd]

Your daughter has a lot of courage Facey. I am transfixed about what goes on over in that part of the world. I like the journalism that gets presented on Vanguard TV. I hate that the new upsurge of the cocaine trade into Europe is now swinging up to the west coast of Africa. The crime that Miami and Florida had as its distribution point to other distributors was horrendous and ruined lives for decades to come.

I am impressed with some of the progress over there. I saw a few interviews in Sept where large industries were being turned back over to the blacks in their native countries. The first time I've seen them making 6 digits a year running their own oil and helping their own villages.
I guess the Dutch had to pull out gradually off some of the land and give the opportunity to make money off of it back to its rightful owners.
I saw pride in those faces.

http://www.un.org/en/events/tenstories/08/westafrica.shtml

http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/2010/nyc060110.html

Beautiful and treacherous places. TIA ya?

Yep, she’s quite the adventuress.

She’s traveled, mostly alone, from Tasmania, to Brisbane, to Darwin to Perth…did the Y2K “First Light” in Sydney and the Olympics; Casablanca, to Capetown, to Cairo…she loves Africa and has BA’s in African History and English; Palermo, to Dublin, to Stockholm, to Prague, to Paris…she speaks, reads, writes French fluently.

She’s run a Marathon, was a National Honors Award recipient in High School and is going to Grad School on a full Scholarship. Needless to say, I’m dad gum proud of her …as I am of all of my Children!

Oh, in all modesty and objectivity, she’s a real looker, too…auburn hair, high cheekbones, green eyes, a killer smile and is f-u-n-n-y!

Face

 

[Hatshepsut]

You, Carmelo, and Ted, fathers of the Wondergirls!!

 

[Ted]

Yep, she’s quite the adventuress.

She’s traveled, mostly alone, from Tasmania, to Brisbane, to Darwin to Perth…did the Y2K “First Light” in Sydney and the Olympics; Casablanca, to Capetown, to Cairo…she loves Africa and has BA’s in African History and English; Palermo, to Dublin, to Stockholm, to Prague, to Paris…she speaks, reads, writes French fluently.

She’s run a Marathon, was a National Honors Award recipient in High School and is going to Grad School on a full Scholarship. Needless to say, I’m dad gum proud of her …as I am of all of my Children!

Oh, in all modesty and objectivity, she’s a real looker, too…auburn hair, high cheekbones, green eyes, a killer smile and is f-u-n-n-y!

Face

Daughters are a wonderful thing in a man's life.

 

[Ted]

You, Carmelo, and Ted, fathers of the Wondergirls!!

Granddaughters, too!

My 8-year old has been riding horses since she was three. She climbs trees higher than any boy would dare; fishes with her dad, and paddles her own kayak across big water. She's also teacher's pet in school. If I ever get the gumption to read the recipe and post some pix I'll put a few up for ya.

 

[Hatshepsut]

Waiting patiently.

The Facebook page that your daughter put up since 2 weeks ago is chuck full of vacation shots that weren't there before. She really enjoys being in a family. Her 8 year old will remember those years when she is an old old lady. You can tell how very loved she is. She's a lucky little girl. Her mom and dad find the good camp sites.
Hell, Yogi Bear Campground was the only place to hang out off Wekiva Springs Rd when I was up that way. I remember those canoe rentals. You were totally on your own. No supervision. No call box for help. No monitoring of possible hazards on a daily basis. Some canoes were more stable than others, but still they weren't the greatest.
Remember the big black innertubes they used to give you to sink your butt into so the current could rocket your ass downstream?

 

[Mark A. Baker]

... But on the shark thing, we grew up with 'em in Sydney. I bumped into one in 1950 . . . the experience taught me how to perform the miracle of walking on water! I am believed to be the second person in history to do so!

Rog

Perhaps, yours is the first contemporaneously documented case though.

Hmmm, spoken like a true intellectual, ivory tower expert. ...

I'll take that as a compliment.

Actually though, given my maritime background, I've encountered a fair few piscine predators in my day. Sharks are predators, but they kill to eat & survive. They aren't malevolent psychopaths using violence as a form of entertainment.

Here's some interesting data.

Item 1
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/graphs/auspop2.jpg

Item 2
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/as-australia/cri-crime

Going by the data, the sharks, however predatory they may be, are safer and easier to avoid.


Mark A. Baker