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The return - I started this blog as an unofficial vehicle for interesting statistical information. When I retired, I let it lie fallow. I'm going to post here period...6 months ago
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Gender Wage Gap By State - Census Bureau - If you need a reason to start a business, the gender wage gap may be a factor. The Census has created a new visualization of the disparity between male ...2 years ago
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It takes a lot of practice - A friend asked: “If you had the chance to ask three different people (living or dead, famous or not) ONE question… who and what would you ask?” The one req...3 years ago
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Faded road markings cause concern - Q: Can someone at New York state tell me why the DOT doesn’t use a better reflective paint when the lines are painted? It appears the paint used has no ref...4 years ago
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Goodbye but NOT farewell - Using the words which Roger used in his intro for the last post of round 20--- Z *With joy, we'll dream away each sorrow, With love we'll live for each...6 years ago
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Library Worker Defends Patron’s Free Speech, Is Brutally Arrested in Library Where He Works - From BORDC: “For someone to be assaulted and then arrested for asking a question, in a public library of all places, is abhorrent. The library should be ...7 years ago
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Alan Moore's Twilight Proposal - Introduction by Alan David Doane: Honestly I didn't intend the irony, but this week's FMF, looking at Alan Moore's never-published Twilight proposal, also ...12 years ago
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People I Know
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A Pathway to Careers in Offshore Wind Energy Is Coming To Oneonta - Sustainability is on the move in New York and at SUNY. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced $4 million in grants for offshore wind train...3 weeks ago
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Concert Review: Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba at UPH 2/16/24 - When Bassekou Kouyate asked “Are you happy?” at Universal Preservation Hall Friday, he knew the answer. Everybody was, both in the audience and onstage. ...5 weeks ago
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The Best Films of 2023 - Martin Scorsese, left, Lily Gladstone, and Robert DeNiro all received Oscar nods for *Killers of the Flower Moon*. Some say Leo DiCaprio, right, was snubbe...1 month ago
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Getting Ready To Die - Getting Ready To DieNo, as far as I know, it’s not imminent, but you never know. An awful lot of people are checking out in the seventh decade that I just ...5 months ago
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Hello world! - Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!3 years ago
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Petitioning season cut short - Political "petitioning season" for U.S. Congress, NYS Assembly, NYS Senate, and a host of other positions, was cut short. Like all the other things that...4 years ago
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Freezing Cold March For Dr. King - Plus the politicized Census, police hiring shortfalls, ornamental apple trees and the mayor’s image cloaking device4 years ago
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Eagle Scout Project - Rutherford neighbor Krish Soni is getting started on his Eagle Scout project on Saturday, October 26. He will be labeling storm drains in the neighborhood ...4 years ago
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Kellyanne Conway named UAlbany graduation commencement speaker - Kellyanne Conway, the pollster who organized the election campaign of President Donald Trump, has been named by the University at Albany to be its keynote ...6 years ago
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We’re Off On An Adventure! - Just now, Marge and I are doing a bit of adventuring. The next adventure will include a whole new online reality and presence for me and my work… See you i...8 years ago
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It Changes - Living with Lupus and Fibro and Asthma is often not so much 'one day at a time.' It is much more like one fifteen minute segment of time - at at time. This...10 years ago
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Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye… - Well, kids, this is it. I’m leaving first thing tomorrow morning. My visits home will be few and far between, and when they happen, they’ll be exclusive...11 years ago
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Spring is here? - As far as the pro peloton goes, it’s on! I watched the Tour of Flanders today, and it was one of the best races I’ve ever seen. “Looking back, you get a b...12 years ago
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Modern Types-Ronald Searle,Geoffrey Gorer - With the recent attention given to Ronald Searle's 90th birthday and new interview,I decided to look at one of his books. The book is titled Modern Ty...14 years ago
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Eclectic Folks
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A bun-tastic day - Today I scored an important victory: I finally found some hot cross buns (photo above). It’s an annual tradition this time of year, and welcome move towar...8 hours ago
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A Conversation with Darius Fisher: Safeguarding Online Reputations - Title: A Conversation with Bobby Martino: Safeguarding Online Reputations In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, where information spreads at lightning s...2 weeks ago
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Sun Surf Sand & Sea 2024 - Vacation 2024 is on the books. Our family trek to the champagne shores of Cancun didn’t disappoint. It’s hard to coordinate eight people to meet anywhere, ...2 weeks ago
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1, 2, 3, 4: You Can Count On It - Up the stairs, count the steps1, 2, 3, 41, 2, 3, 41, 2, 3…Crap, it didn’t come out even, it’s eleven But 1-2-3-4-1/ 2 /3-4-1-2-3 will have to do; the middl...2 weeks ago
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second-guess - [image: young woman head & shoulders, hand on chin, surrounded by question marks; Text: The Confidence Catalyst Podcast, How to stop second-guessing you...5 weeks ago
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AmeriNZ 412 – Returning to normal mode - This week I’ve been starting to get back to regular life after my holiday. February is already shaping up to be a busy month. I start today with updates to...1 month ago
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Here we are at 21. - Happy 21st birthday, Johnny Bacardi Show! Probably won't begin writing here again anytime soon, but hey, if you like my stuff I have a Substack now and...5 months ago
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Check me out! - Over the years I have collected a range of recipes to help me lose weight. I attend Slimming World and achieved my target weight in November 2022. Read...5 months ago
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This is The End (a follow-up) - I wrote yesterday about my possibly retiring this space in favor of migrating all of my blogging to ForgottenStars.net, because of Reasons. I am now pul...2 years ago
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A Dumb God - People who believe in God but don’t believe that creation is teleologically imbued essentially believe in a dumb God, likely a God who merely exists to ser...2 years ago
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18 and life, you got it - It's the 18th of April, and that means it's the anniversary of Mia's accident - 18 (!!!!) years ago today, we were in the crash that damaged her brain ir...2 years ago
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Sunday Round-up - Wash your mouth out In these ultra-hygienic days, Russian artist Yulia Popova has come into her own by making models of foodstuffs out of soap. What makes y...3 years ago
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I believe ..Religion - Written by the Rev.Jeannette van der Veen-Bosgra I believe in a world where all people can live in happiness, and that I too have a duty to create such a wo...5 years ago
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Tough Day - A few weeks ago, I turned 38, and I am still under the scrutiny of strangers in public. One would think that once you're out of grade school, middle school...5 years ago
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Retro Y'all! - Still jumping. In place, mostly. Someone should do one of these rap battle style brags about being a junker. Seriously. Big sale at the Peddlers Mall today.5 years ago
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X is for XMAS - *MERRY CHRISTMAS (XMAS) EVERYONE!* I thought I'd put a link to the top 100 Xmas songs for 2017 so you could click on it and play anything your heart d...6 years ago
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The Myth Memers - One of those little questionnaires just to dip a toe back into blogging. Took this from Chris Hull's Facebook. 1. Do you make your bed? No. 2. The first c...6 years ago
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Now available in paperback! - *Sharp: A Memoir*. William Morrow & Co, 2012. Print. We lost 4 members of the Guilford High School Class of 84: David Ciardello, Richard Eaton, Ronnie Burn...7 years ago
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No parallel - Get a good look at these: Whence they came: After seeing that incredible glow-in-the-dark Zac Posen dress that Claire Danes wore at the 2016 Met Gala, Lori...7 years ago
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ABC Wednesday: The Importance of Being Bored - When I was growing up, you being bored was your problem that you were responsible to rectify. As children we learned never to be bored- or at least not t...7 years ago
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Monday PSA: The Pioneer of the Pole - Click on the image for the full ad As promised, the second of two Antarctica themed PSAs. Today: “Pioneer of the Pole.” Just like last week, this is from D...7 years ago
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Final Act - Dear Followers of Berowne's "Savage Reflections." I'm very sorry to have to inform you that my father, John Savage, passed away on December 26, just a week...8 years ago
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Friday Post - Your services are no longer needed - Heads will roll While the good news fairies of Wall Street would have you believe that everything is just hunky dory the truth is it's not. In order to m...8 years ago
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Age is a State of Mind, Somewhere Near Nebraska - What a year it has been! After surviving the odometer rolling over to 40, I had a year of sabbatical. That gave me plenty of time to think about my mid-lif...8 years ago
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The End of a Long Day - You know those days where all you really want to do is change into your pajamas and curl up on the couch while you decide which comfort food would mak...9 years ago
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Choosing Blogs To Comment On For Effective Backlinks And Networking - Choosing a blog to comment on should never be taken lightly. These tips will help you make the most of your time and effectiveness of your backlinks. Th...10 years ago
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#Freaking Out -AND! - Calmly completely freaking out about my move. AND! I quit smoking. I feel this qualifies me to have an opinion on how to do it. So I am calmly completel...10 years ago
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Gaze Upon My Works and Snicker, Part 53. - [image: DP700-F365028] Another quickie sketch at work, because I wanted to draw Pandora A in a white fuzzy hat (no, I don't know the name for them) and a b...10 years ago
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Superheroes I Love #10: Deathlok - Every red-blooded boy loves cyborgs. Half-man, half-robot, what’s not to love? The Marvel Comics character Deathlok is a bit on the obscure side, but debut...12 years ago
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The Importance of Regular Sewer Inspections - Regular sewer checks are key to keeping your health, home, and costs safe. Out of The post The Importance of Regular Sewer Inspections appeared first on ...1 day ago
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A is for Africa
Here's one of my pet peeves: people referring to Africa as a country. It's a CONTINENT with over 50 countries. It's the second largest continent in size with 20.6% of the earth's land mass compared with 21.4% for Asia and 15.8% for Europe, 14.7% for North America, 12% for South America and 9.7% for Antarctica. It's also second, albeit a distant second, in population with slightly under a billion people (14.5%), compared with Asia's over four billion (60.4%), with 10.9% for Europe, 7.9% for North America and 5.8% for South America. (The remainder is Australia and Oceania, which includes New Zealand.)
Yet I do understand the disconnect. It is a place that had largely been dominated by forces outside its borders for about a century. The map from circa 1914 (above) shows only two independent countries on the whole continent, Ethiopia in the east and Liberia on the western horn. In the 1930s, Ethiopia had been "annexed" by Italy, until after World War II.
I well remember this map of Africa in my classroom. The time period we talked (very little) about Africa was probably c. 1965, but the map must have been c. 1960 or even earlier, because it looked a whole lot like the top map, except that Egypt was independent, and the areas once controlled by the Germans were in British or Belgian hands. Here's a list of the year when each country became independent. But those independent countries carved up sometimes arbitrarily have led to a great deal of internal clashes and even civil wars.
Still, there are situations that are endemic to Africa or at least to sub-Saharan Africa. Everything from the need for potable water to the necessity of economic development. For instance, the growth in Internet connectivity has been tremendous on the continent, but still lags far behind the rest of the world. And, of course, HIV/AIDS continues to be a massive problem.
Arthur at AmeriNZ has noted another issue, one that has barely made a dent in the news, at least in the United States. 38 out of 53 African countries are engaging in a rampant homophobia that, in Uganda, for instance, looks like "kill the gays" legislation. (And because I think someone might bring it up, I'll note that the vast majority of HIV transmissions in Africa occur during unprotected heterosexual sex.)
Still, there is much beauty in the cultures of Africa. The presentation of the honorific kente cloth, for instance, is a custom that my church participates in.
Africa is large, diverse place, and it may be dangerous to make too many generalizations.
ROG
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36 comments:
Africa, our cradle, so forgotten and in such desperate situation. Thank you for the great A post.
Kisses from Nydia.
It is always dangerous to make to many generalizations, and they are easiest to make in the "downward" direction...
As Nydia said - we came came all out of Africa. Probably again and again.
Interesting post as always, Roger. I do have to agree with Rune in regards to generalizations in the downward direction. Hope you have a great week!
Sylvia
Having spent many years in Africa I was fascinated by all your statistics. But I agree that the Colonialists have a lot to answer for when it comes to tension.
I remember those maps in my classroom too. So many changes as possessions changed. I loved my trip to one tiny country in the vast continent of Africa.
Interesting and great A post!:-) I`v never been there, but I wish!
Have a nice evening!
Interesting, as always. There's surely a disconnect between truth and opinion in our daily roundup of information search. Thankfully, there are thinkers, like you, who write and post!
Very informative post Roger thanks for sharing!
ABC Wednesday:Autograph
As always, a fascinating read.
I think the real tragedy of Africa is seen in those borders - so many straight lines, drawn by colonisers, splitting and mixing natural tribal areas. It's taken away their soul and left them with divided populations. Everything follows from this.
Interesting read and of course, alot of it was unknown to me and I'm sure many others.
I've been watching the African Cup of Nations, so had some idea of the number of countries in the continent. The names seem to change so regularly though, it's hard to keep up with who is who.
A very informative post Roger. That old map brings back memories - aren't maps grand?
Peters versus Mercator projection maps for the accurate size, take your pick. A fascinating continent with some great music but too much tragedy.
I know about the Africa being the continent and I really do want to visit any of the country there in the future. :)
Africa is extremely complicated and also interesting as the cradle of humanity, which spread out from that continent all over the rest of the world.
A very good choice. I absolutely love Africa and African people and I do hope it will overcome all its ordeals. It is such a difficult question.
Interesting post. I've never been to Africa but would love to go.
I'm now part of ABC Wednesday Team.
You sound as though you love Africa! It is a vastly interesting continent with both sad and glorious history. Have you been there? I've been very lucky to have visited South Africa twice and am most impressed with the people there. Mandela is my hero! Your comments and observations are spot on!
An excellent post, Roger! I need to study up on African geography. Many, many years ago, in elementary school I remember studying all the countries of Africa, and at that time I could have found most of them on the map and told you their capitals. I never studied geography again, and as countries became independent and changed names, I didn't always keep up. There's no excuse for that--I should study your map to learn them all.
A very informative post about Africa. There is such diversity there and so much turmoil.
Thanks for all the info.
Thanks for these facts on a continent that definitely gets too little attention from the world community.
that was quite some info on africa roger... good post :)
Generalizations can be dangerous and those who talk back on those native to Africa propably missed there history lessons, if I´m not wrongly informed Lucy were found in Africa. Thanks for stopping by.
Impossible to generalise about such a vast and diverse place, indeed. Thanks for the history and geography lessons. Africa is a continent I know very little about.
The page on Kente cloth is fascinating.
I found this very interesting. Great choice for A.
Informative post, as always!
Im never sure whether to be happy, or unhappy, when I set out to be entertained, and instead get educated.
Much of this was atuff I learned in school, way back when... but the years have taken their toll on my mind.
Thanks for the refresher, and thanks for visiting my blog.
Troy
wonderful take on the theme...
congratulations on being an integral part of the ABC team!
fascinating post on Africa-an intriguing continent!
Thanks for your help in keeping ABC Wednesday around too.
: )
A fascinating continent, filled with so much potential.
I love your 'ramblings' as you call them. I never know what you will be examining, but it is always a good read!
You have an interesting article. Thanks for the info about Africa.
Thanks for the visit and comment too.
Have a great day.
No, I've never been to Africa, but have a feel to go someday. I have this good friend from Liberia, and that could be a place I would travel to.
Great and very interesting post, Roger. (My youngest son's name is Owen). Thanks for the offer of help. I think I've figured it out. It wasn't so hard. I always over-think things.
I always fascinate with Africa. My daughter now work on public health issues on Africa in a consulting firm. I gave her a gift of African map, which was printed on 1897, when she graduated with MPH. It traced all the routes by the white explorers.
To some extent I was brought up in Africa, in Malawi to be precise, the warm heart of Africa. I'm so saddened to hear that a gay couple has been arrested for performing a marriage ceremony there.
Thank you for your visit to my blog earlier.
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