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How Socialism Destroyed Africa

How Socialism Destroyed Africa George B N Ayittey, PhD

(Presentation at the Heritage Foundation on March 11, 2019 in Washington DC).

A. Introduction

I would like to thank David Burton for the invitation to speak at the Heritage Foundation and I would also like to thank you for finding some time to come and listen to this lecture.

It may interest to know that exactly 30 years ago I was a Bradley Scholar here at the Heritage Foundation. I was on loan from Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA and was supposed to return after a year. I chose not to return. I am sure you would like to know why but let me just say that it was because the intellectual environment was extremely hostile. Even today, I still meet a hostile reaction when I say African leaders failed and betrayed their people.

One must always make a distinction between African leaders and the African people. The two are not synonymous. The leaders have been the problem, not the people. There have been exactly 309 African heads of state since independence in 1960. I will challenge anyone to name me just 20 good leaders out of the lot. Nobody has been able to do so, meaning that the vast majority – over 90% – were utter failures.

Africans are angry – angry at the condition of Africa. When Africans fought for independence, they expected to have freedom and development. But true freedom never came to much of Africa after independence. All we did was to trade one set of masters (white colonialists) for another set of masters (black neo-colonialists) and the oppression and exploitation of the African people continued unabated.

In 1990, only 4 African countries – Botswana, Gambia, Mauritius and Senegal – were democratic. In January 2017, only 17 out of 54 countries are democratic – Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde Islands, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles Islands, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. At this rate – 12 democracies in 27 years – it will take Africa exactly 94.5 years to become fully democratic, other things being equal.

Where is our freedom? The truth about postcolonial Africa is ugly, embarrassing and not politically correct, which is why some people in the West do not want to hear it. But we can’t sweep it under the rug.

“Free at last!” was the euphoric freedom chant that rang across Africa in the 1960s. Africa had won its independence from white colonial rule. New national flags were unfurled to the sounds of new national anthems. Leaders who fought gallantly and won independence were hailed as heroes and deified. Their pictures were hung in every government building. Currencies bore their portraits. Statues were erected for them. Then they settled down to develop Africa in its own image, not to satisfy the dictates of European metropolitan centers. But with what model? The challenge was daunting.

After independence, the first generation of African leaders launched a frontal assault on what they perceive to be Western institutions. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, for example, rejected democracy as an “imperialist dogma” while others dismissed it as “luxury Africa could not afford.” Capitalism was rejected as a Western colonial ideology in one monumental syllogistic error. Colonialism was evil and since the colonialists were capitalists, it too was evil. Socialism, the antithesis of capitalism, was adopted by nearly every African leader and was advocated as the only road to Africa's prosperity. Nkrumah surmised that "socialist transformation would eradicate completely the colonial structure of our economy" (Nkrumah 1973; p.189). Additionally, Nkrumah believed "Capitalism is too complicated for a newly independent state; hence, the need for a socialist society" (Nkrumah,1957; p.9).

A wave of socialist ideologies swept across the continent as almost all the new African leaders succumbed to the contagious ideology, copied from the East. The proliferation of socialist ideologies that emerged in Africa, ranged from the "Ujamaa" (familyhood or socialism in Swahili) of Julius Nyerere of Tanzania; the vague amalgam of Marxism, Christian socialism, humanitarianism and "Negritude" of Leopold Senghor of Senegal; humanism of Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia; scientific socialism of Marien N'Gouabi of Congo (Brazzaville); Arab Islamic socialism of Ghaddafi of Libya; "Nkrumaism" (consciencism) of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana; and "Mobutuism" of Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire. Only a few African countries such as Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Kenya were pragmatic enough to eschew doctrinaire socialism.

Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, generally regarded as the "father of African socialism," was convinced that "only the socialist form of society can assure Ghana of a rapid rate of economic progress without destroying that social justice, that freedom and equality, which are a central feature of our traditional way of life" (Seven Year Development Plan. Accra: Government of Ghana, 1963; p.1).

Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, on the other hand, misread the communalism of African traditional society as readiness for socialism, which he was first exposed to during his schooling in Scotland. He castigated capitalism or the money economy, which in his view, "encourages individual acquisitiveness and economic competition." The money economy was, in his purview, foreign to Africa and it "can be catastrophic as regards the African family social unit." As an alternative to "the relentless pursuit of individual advancement", Nyerere insisted that Tanzania be transformed into a nation of small scale communalists ("Ujamaa") (Nyerere, 1962).

Accordingly, the Tanzania African National Union Constitution acknowledged as the first socialist principle "that all human beings are equal" and pledged that the government would give "equal opportunity to all men and women”, and would eradicate "all types of exploitation" so as to "prevent the accumulation of wealth which is inconsistent with the existence of a classless society" (Republic of Tanzania, 1967, p.1). Tanzania’s Second Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development laid emphasis on the fact that "considerable benefit will accrue in the long run from the expansion of public ownership because (a) it will be possible to create a genuine Tanzanian industrial know-how faster than under conditions of unrestricted private enterprise; (b) it will be possible to pursue a more effective industrial strategy than is possible under private enterprise; (c) the profits made in industry will be re-invested in United Republic of Tanzania". Thus, the Government as the representative of the people regarded ownership of the means of production by Tanzanians as an "antidote to capitalist exploitation" (Second Five-Year Development Plan 1964-69; p.iix).

B. The Socialist Transformation

Under Nkrumah, socialism as a domestic policy in his Seven-Year Development Plan was to be pursued toward "a complete ownership of the economy by the state." A bewildering array of legislative controls and regulations were imposed on imports, capital transfers, industry, minimum wages, the rights and powers of trade unions, prices, rents, and interest rates. Some of the controls were introduced by the colonialists but they were retained and expanded by Nkrumah. By 1970, nearly 6,000 prices, relating to more than 700 product groups, were controlled in Ghana (World Bank, 1989; p.114). Private businesses were taken over by the Nkrumah government and nationalized. Numerous state enterprises were established.

In 1967, Tanzania's ruling party’s Arusha Declaration established a socialist state where the workers and peasants controlled and owned the means of production. The Arusha Declaration sought to encourage self reliance primarily through an expansion of agricultural production for domestic consumption.

Banks, insurance companies, and foreign trading companies were nationalized. A "villagization" program was adopted to encourage the communal production, marketing, and distribution of farm crops. In 1973, Tanzania undertook massive resettlement programs under "Operation Dodoma", "Operation Sogeza", "Operation Kigoma" and many others. Peasants were loaded into trucks, often forcibly, and moved to new locations. Many lost their lives in the process and to prevent a return to their old habitats, abandoned buildings were destroyed by bulldozers. By 1976, some 13 million peasants had been forced into 8,000 cooperative villages and by the end of the 1970s, about 91 percent of the entire rural population had been moved into government villages (Zinsmeister, 1987). All crops were to be bought and distributed by the government. It was illegal for the peasants to sell their own produce.

Ethiopia adopted a similar program  forced resettlements on government farms. In Mozambique, the Mozambican Liberation Front (FRELIMO) sought to establish a socialist state replete with collectivized agriculture, crop growing schemes and village political committees. According to Libby (1987):

The centerpiece of Frelimo's rural social program for Mozambique was the collectivization of agriculture into communal villages and cooperative farms. Agricultural cooperatives were intended to provide an integrated production base for the communal villages. Hence, villagization was designed to increase food and cash crop production and to make available common facilities for farming as well as provide social services such as education and health comparable with Ujamaa villages in Tanzania (p.216).

In the rest of Africa, planned socialist transformation of Africa meant the institution of a battery of legislative instruments and controls. All unoccupied land was appropriated by the government. Roadblocks, passbook systems were employed to control the movement of Africans. Marketing Boards and export regulations were tightened to fleece the cash crop producers. Price controls were imposed on peasant farmers and traders to render food cheap for the urban elites. Under Sekou Toure of Guinea's program of "Marxism in African Clothes,"

"Unauthorized trading became a crime. Police roadblocks were set up around the country to control internal trade. The state set up a monopoly on foreign trade and smuggling became punishable by death. Currency trafficking was punishable by 15 to 20 years in prison. Many farms were collectivized. Food prices were fixed at low levels. Private farmers were forced to deliver annual harvest quotas to `Local Revolutionary Powers.' State Companies monopolized industrial production" (The New York Times, Dec 28, 1987; p.28).

In Francophone Africa, industries were nationalized, tariff barriers erected and the state assumed near-total control of the national economy (Africa Analysis, Oct 2000). Rather interestingly, the World Bank, US AID, the State Department and even development experts from Harvard University supported these policies and channeled much aid resources to African governments (Bandow, 1986).

In Guinea, a state dominated socialist economy was set up beginning with independence in 1958, in Congo Brazzaville, a similar decision was taken in 1967, and in Benin, a socialist state was proclaimed in 1975. Even in avowedly capitalist countries like Ivory Coast, Kenya and Nigeria, the result became the same: government ownership of most enterprises, and a distrust of private-sector initiative and foreign investment, state controls as well as increasing state intervention in the economy.

In Nigeria, the state, in April 1971, acquired 40 percent of the largest commercial banks, and the Nigerian National Oil Company (NNOC) was established, with the government keeping a majority participation. Four years later the government acquired 55 percent of the petroleum industry and 40 percent of National Insurance Company of Nigeria (NICON). The following year the acquisition was extended to other insurance companies when the government took 49 percent of their shares.

Nigeria's Second Development Plan (1970 74) was unequivocal, declaring that: The interests of foreign private investors in the Nigerian economy cannot be expected to coincide at all times and in every respect with national aspirations. A truly independent nation cannot allow its objectives and priorities to be distorted or frustrated by the manipulation of powerful foreign investors. It is vital therefore for Government to acquire and control on behalf of the Nigerian society the greater proportion of the productive assets of the country. To this end, the Government will seek to acquire, by law if necessary, equity participation in a number of strategic industries that will be specified from time to time" (The Second National Development Plan, 1970 74: Program of Post War Reconstruction and Development, 1970, p.289).

C. The Results

Problems emerged soon after independence. State controls created artificial shortages and black markets. State-owned enterprises could not deliver, achieving very low rates of capacity utilization. Most of them were inefficiently run and unprofitable. At the time of the coup in Ghana in 1966, which overthrew Nkrumah, only 3 or 4 of the 64 state enterprises were paying their way (Garlick 1971; p.141). Consider the performance of these enterprises taken over by the state:

• In 1972, the government took over the African Timber and Plywood Company. Before the take over, "production was 75 percent of installed capacity but this has fallen to a woeful 13 percent" (West Africa Oct 12, 1981; p.2422).

• In 1976, the government of Ghana took over R. T. Briscoe, a foreign company. "Before the take over, the company was producing 241 buses in 1974. After the take over, production was 12 buses in 1977 and only 6 buses in 1978" (Daily Graphic, Jan 18, 1979; p.1).

In 1982, the Kenyan Government estimated the annual average rate of return on the $1.4 billion (1981 dollars) invested in SOEs since independence, in 1963, to be 0.2 percent——a return greatly less than what could have been obtained by depositing the sum in an interest-bearing account (World Bank, 2005).

In Tunisia, the government ran the airline, the steel mill, the phosphate mines, and 150 factories, employing a third of Tunisian workers. After 1990, the government sold off 35 companies and, Private businessman Afif Kilani bought one such company called Comfort, a featherbed for 1,200 workers who built 15,000 refrigerators a year. Mr. Kilani paid $3.3 million for the place in 1990. Five years later, he had whittled the workforce down to 600 workers who made 200,000 refrigerators a year. "Like all state companies, its point had been to support the maximum number of jobs”, he said. "It was social work. A sort of welfare”. (The Wall Street Journal June 22, 1995; p.A11).

In 1958, when Guinea gained its independence from France, it was considered to have the richest potential of Francophone Africa. It had one quarter of the world's bauxite as well as copious reserves of gold and diamonds. Prior to independence, Guinea was exporting food to neighboring French colonies, thanks largely to its fertile land. In addition, thousands of tons of bananas, pineapples, and coffee were shipped to Europe.

Proclaiming a doctrine of "Marxism in African clothes”, the first president, Ahmed Sekou Toure, set the country on a rigid course of state planning and controls. Recall that unauthorized trading became a crime. Private farmers were forced to deliver annual harvest quotas to "Local Revolutionary Powers”. Thousands of Guineans, who protested Toure's dictatorial rule, were imprisoned or executed. By 1984, at the time of Toure's death after 26 years of tyrannical rule, Guinea, once a food exporter, was spending a third of its foreign exchange earnings from bauxite on food. Further, saying “Nyet!” to Toure’s crass revolution, as many as two million Guineans fled to neighboring countries and Europe to live as voluntary exiles.

Study after study produced a damning indictment of SOE performance continent-wide. For example, in twelve West African countries, 62 percent of surveyed SOEs showed net losses, and 36 percent were in a state of negative net worth. By the end of the 1970s, cumulative SOE losses in Mali amounted to 6 percent of GDP. A 1980 study of eight Togolese SOEs revealed that losses in this group alone equaled 4 percent of GDP. In Benin, more than 60 percent of SOEs had net losses; more than three-fourths had debt/equity ratios greater than 5 to 1; close to half had negative net worth, and more than half had negative net working capital (World Bank, 2005).

In Tanzania, the agricultural economy was left devastated by state controls. Production of most crops showed a steady decline after 1974. Overall output of food crops rose only 2.1 percent between 1970 and 1982, well below the population growth of 3.5 percent. By 1981, a food crisis had gripped the nation, turning it into a net importer of basic foodstuffs. The country had to import one million tons of grain to avert population starvation. The towns and cities had to be supplied with imports of grain costing as estimated 2,000 million shillings (Libby 1987; p.254). In 1971/72, grain imports were 135,000 tons, including 90,000 tons of maize. In 1972—73, grain imports dropped to 90,000 tons, of which 80,000 tons were maize. However, during the next year from August 1973 to July 1974, Tanzania was forced to import over 500,000 tons of maize alone (African Business 1979; p.21). For eight years (1974-1982), Tanzania’s income per capita had remained stagnant at $210 (World Bank 2000; p.35). Exports of agricultural produce were similarly affected Exports of cotton have fallen to pre independent volumes and sisal output is less than a third of its 1961 total. In the last ten years, the annual cashew exports fell from 140,000 to 30,000 tons. The total tonnage of all export crops was 20 percent less in 1984 than it had been in 1970. Production of basic food crops, such as maize, rice and wheat, have also declined to half their 1972 levels. And, as could be expected, food imports have doubled" (Zinsmeister, 1987; p.33).

In Zimbabwe, the devastation was almost total. Upon independence in 1980, President Robert Mugabe openly stated his determination to make Zimbabwe a one party nation and his Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) party "a truly Marxist Leninist party to ensure the charting of an irreversible social course and create a socialist ideology”. Indeed, in December 1982 all 57 ministers and deputy ministers in Mugabe's cabinet arrived at the Harare airport to greet visiting Ethiopian leader Mengistu Haile Mariam—black Africa's arch-apostle of Marxism-Leninism. Inheriting an economy that was hobbled by racial inequalities under the former white-minority regime, there was a strong need for statism, to correct injustices committed by white colonialists.

The country was the bread basket of the region. But state controls, state regulations and forcible seizures of white commercial farmlands without compensation destroyed agriculture and turned the country into a net food importer.

The economy declined progressively. Corn production dropped sharply from 2 million tons in 1981 to 620,000 in 1983. Shortages of commodities and foreign exchange were rampant. The cost of living rose astronomically. By 2008, things had gotten progressively worse. Inflation was raging at 2 million% and unemployment was at 80%. In 2009, the currency collapsed and the US dollar was adopted. About 4 million fled to neighboring countries. In October 2017, Mugabe was driven out of office and was succeeded by Emmerson Mnangagwa, his former security chief.

D. Reasons for Failure

1. Exploitation and Oppression

Many governments not only nationalized European companies, ostensibly to prevent "foreign exploitation", but also vented their rage against the natives. In many other countries, the natives were squeezed out of industry, trade, and commerce, and the state emerged as the domineering, if not the only, player. Indigenous operators were not tolerated. Indeed, there was a time when the director of the Club du Sahel, Anne de Lattre, would begin her meetings with the frightening remark, "Well, there is one thing we all agree on: that private traders should be shot" (West Africa, Jan 26, 1987; p.154).

Unbelievable brutalities were heaped upon peasant farmers and traders under Ghana inane price controls (1982-1983). Ghanaian cocoa farmers in 1983 were paid less than 10 percent of the world market price for their produce. In Gambia, peanut producers received about 20 percent for their produce in the same year. According to West Africa (Feb 15, 1989):

“On the average, between 1964/65 and 1984/85, the peasants of Gambia were robbed of 60 percent of the international price of their groundnuts! For 20 years, the Jawara Government `officially' took, free of charge, 3 out of every 5 bags, leaving the peasant with a gross of 2. With deductions for subsistence credit fertilizer, seeds, etc., the peasant would end up with a net one bag out of five . . . With these facts, it is simply wrong to say that the poverty of the peasant derives from the defects of nature drought, over population, laziness, and so on (p.250).

In 1981, the Government of Tanzania paid peasant maize farmers only 20 percent of the free market price for their produce. "Studies by the International Labor Organization have indicated that taxation levels in the agricultural sector in Sierra Leone averaged between 30 and 60 percent of gross income" (West Africa, 15 Feb 1982; p. 446).

In Zambia, when traders refused to sell their produce at government dictated prices, authorities raided markets in May 1988. They arrested hundreds of people, took their money, and tore down market stalls, seizing sugar, detergents, salt, maize meal, soft drinks, candles, flour, and clothing. Back in 1984 in Ghana, “some unidentified soldiers who made brief stopovers at Swedru to check prices, robbed innocent traders” (West Africa, July 23, 1984; p.1511).

In this way, the peasantry was systematically robbed of considerable resources. For example, in a January 1989 New Year's address, President Houphouet-Boigny of Ivory Coast admitted that, over the years, peasant cash crop producers "have over the years parted with four-fifths of the value of what they produced to enable the government to finance development" (West Africa, May 1-7, 1989; p.677). But development for whom? About 70% of Ivory Coast’s development was concentrated around Abidjan, capital, for the elite -- not the farmers.

Eventually, the peasantry rebelled. Farmers decided that they would no longer produce surpluses for the state to expropriate. Beginning in the 1980s, production of food and cash crops began to decline across Africa.

2. Administrative Ineptitude

State owned enterprises were acquired haphazardly with little planning, resulting in grotesque blunders and mismanagement. There is extensive evidence for these, but suffice it here to give a few dramatic examples. • In Ghana, two tomato canneries were built in different parts of the country. The capacity of either one of them would have met the total domestic demand (Killick 1978; p.229).

• It took six years to complete Ghana's state footwear corporation factory and by the time it was ready to go into production much of its equipment was obsolete (Killick 1978; p.231).

• The Ghana government owned sugar factory at Komenda, after completion, stood idle for more than a year because it lacked a water supply system (Killick 1978; p.231).

• In Uganda and Angola, some high rises lacked glass panes and running water. In Mali, a Soviet built cement factory at Diamou was designed for a capacity of 50,000 tons a year. Beset by regular breakdowns, it produced only 5 tons in 1983 (Time, Jan 16, 1984; p.27).

• Ghana's State Meat Factory at Bolgatanga, which produces the VOLTA corned beef, was closed for 9 months. Yet, employees received full pay (West Africa, Nov 30 1981; p.2884).

• A Yugoslav company built a mango processing plant in Ghana with a capacity exceeding the entire world's trade in canned mangoes. When the factory was commissioned in 1964, it was discovered that the supply of mangoes came from a few trees scattered in the bush (Killick 1978; p.229).

Western governments and development agencies failed to exercise prudence in granting aid and loans to African governments. Much Western aid to Africa was used to finance grandiose projects of little economic value and to underwrite economically ruinous policies. There are many horrifying blunders. In the 1980s, Canada funded a fully-automated modern bakery in Tanzania but there was no flour to bake bread. In Somalia, the Italian funded a banana-boxing plant but the production capacity needed to make the plant break even exceeded the country’s entire output of bananas. And in northern Kenya, Norwegian aid officials built fish-freezing plant to help the Turkana people in 1971 at a cost $21 million. The only problem was the Turkana people do not fish; they raise goats (The Associated Press, Dec 23, 2007). According to The Wall Street Journal (July 29, 1985): The U.S. built 50 crop storage depots in 1983 in Senegal and placed them in locations the peasants never visited. In Uganda, a railroad expert discovered to his amazement that a repair shop built with foreign aid was seven times as large as the one he ran in Germany. A fifth of Ivory Coast's foreign borrowing went to build two sugar mills that started production just four years ago and now are closed. In Sudan, the Soviets built a milk bottling plant at Babanusa. Babanusa's Baggara tribesmen drink their milk straight from the cow and there aren't any facilities to ship milk out of Babanusa. The 20 year old plant hasn't produced a single bottle of milk. (p.18)

But the mother of all state-owned enterprises can be found in Nigeria – the Ajaokuta Steel Mill. In 1975, Nigeria purchased a Russian made steel-making furnace. But it was built on a site so remote from iron and coal mines as to render it useless. Subsequently, Russian, German and French technicians spent billions of naira to make it operational. They did not work. Known as the Ajaokuta steel mill, the government made fruitless efforts over the decades to resurrect it. By 2017, “The Ajaokuta steel that had reached 98 per cent completion as far back as 1994 had not produced a single steel till date . . . The federal government had spent over $10 billion over 34 years and would require another $2 billion to complete the remaining two per cent of the plant” (Premium Times, Dec 26, 2017).

By 2019, it had attracted $8 billion in additional government subsidies without producing a single beam of steel. Yet, over 100,000 workers were on the payroll drawing pension (The Economist, Feb 8, 2019).

3. Venal Tendencies/Corruption

State controls created artificial shortages, providing rich opportunities for rent-seeking activities and illicit enrichment. Import and exchange controls were the most lucrative. Ministers demanded 10 percent commission before issuing an import license. Everyone was chasing scarce commodities to buy at government-controlled prices and resell on the black market to make a profit – a process known in Ghana as “kalabule.”

More perniciously, the ruling elites discovered that they could not only use state controls to enrich themselves but also to punish the political rivals. For example, they would deny import license to import newsprint to newspapers that were critical of them.

More annoying was the out and out betrayal and theft by many of the first generation of leaders. “Only socialism will save Africa!” they chanted in the 1960s. But the socialism they practiced was a peculiar type of “Swiss-bank socialism,” which allowed the head of state and a cohort of ministers to rape and plunder state treasuries for private accounts in Swiss and other foreign banks. Askeed to define socialism, a Zimbabwean official said, “Here in Zimbabwe, socialism means what’s mine is mine, but what’s yours we share!”

Indeed, in Zimbabwe, $15 billion of revenue from the Marange diamond fields was plundered by the ruling elite in 2015 (New Zimbabwe, March 5, 2015). In Mozambique, $2 billion in loan proceeds simply vanished in 2018. Ndambi Guebuza, “he oldest son of former president Armando Guebuza was arrested on that debt scandal” (Daily Nation, Jan 17, 2019). A 2011 report commissioned by the United Nations Development Fund “said that between 1990 and 2008, $34 billion disappeared from Angola’s public coffers” (The Wall Street Journal, Oct 15-16, 2011; p.A10). Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of former president, Eduardo, who ruled for 38 years, is the richest woman in Africa with a net worth of $2.2 billion (Forbes, March 8, 2019). Her father, Jose Eduardo, was worth $20 billion (The Citizen, Oct 4, 2017). Meanwhile, some 65% of Angolans remain poor and lack access to clean water, electricity and sanitation.

If you want to understand why America is rich in Africa is poor, ask yourself this question: H ow do the rich in both places make their wealth? Here in America, the richest person is Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com. He created it and has something to show for it. In fact, 80% of US billionaires are problem-solvers. Now let’s go to Africa. Who are the richest? The richest in Africa heads of state and ministers. Quite often, the chief bandit is the head of state himself. How did they make their money? By raking it off the backs of their suffering people. What did they create? Nothing. In fact, none of Africa’s billionaire presidents made their wealth in the private sector. So, how do they teach the youth about wealth creation?

Here is a list of Africa’s billionaire presidents:

NAME LOOT

Mobutu Sese Seko $1 - $5 billion (Forbes, Nov 8, 2011) (Zaire, now Congo DR)

Charles Taylor (Liberia) $5 billion (BBC News, May 2, 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7379536.stm)

The late Gen Sani Abacha (Nigeria) $5 billion (Sunday Times, Dec 17, 2000. and $1 - $5 billion (Forbes, Nov 8, 2011)

Omar al-Bashir (Sudan) $9 Billion (BBC News Africa, Dec 18, 2010)

Gen Ibrahim Babangida (Nigeria) $12 billion (Forbes, Nov 8, 2011)

Ben Ali (Tunisia) $13 billion (The Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2011)

Hosni Mubarak (Egypt) $40 billion (The Sun, Jan 11, 2011)

Muammar Khaddafi (Libya)i $200 billion (Los Angeles Times. Oct 21, 2011: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/21/world/la-fg-kadafi-money-20111022\

“Every military regime is a fraud. Anybody who heads a military regime subverts the wishes of the people” – said General I.B. Babangida (rtd), former head of state of Nigeria (The African Observer, Jan 18-31, 1999; p.6). He should know; he stole $12 billion.

The Atlantic Monthly (May 20, 2010) provided an analysis of the net worth of all 43 U.S. presidents – from Washington to Obama – and found the combined net worth to be $2.7 billion in 2010 dollars. Evidently, Abacha, Babangida, Bashir, Houphouet-Boigny, and Mobutu each [stole more than the net worth of all U.S. presidents combined!

4. Alien ideology

Socialism can never be justified upon the basis of African tradition. The basic economic and social unit in the West is the individual. The American says “I am because I am and I can do anything I want at any time.” The emphasis is on the “I,“ the individual. In Africa, a person says ”I am because we are.” The “we” connotes the extended family, group or community. Land, for example, is owned by the extended family, so the African would say that “the land belongs to us.” The early Europeans misinterpreted that to mean land belonging to every Tom Dick and Harry in the village, which gave rise to the myth of communal ownership. The extended family pools is resources together and may share them among its members but the extended family is a private entity, not the tribal government. Many of the leaders and scholars mistook these aspects of African cultural heritage – helping one another, community awareness, sharing of resources, and so on – as a justification for African socialism. They were wrong.

In traditional Africa, one does not have to line up before a chief‘s palace to seek permission to engage in trade or some occupation. There were free markets, free enterprise and free-trade in Africa before the colonialists arrived. Perhaps, this was the most singular reason why socialism failed miserably in Africa because it is an alien ideology.

E. Aftermath

Nkrumah was overthrown in a military coup in 1966. But his statist experiment did not end then. Successive Ghanaian governments retained, and in some cases expanded, the state interventionist behemoth Nkrumah had erected. Foreign mining companies were subsequently nationalized. More state enterprises were set up and a denser maze of controls were placed on prices, rents, interest, foreign exchange exports, and imports. “The Ghana government owns nearly 90 percent of the companies doing business in the country. There are nearly 340 plus state-owned enterprises. Out of this number, only 17 have posted improved figures to date” (Ghana Drum Oct 1992; p.17).

The socialist ideology has left two pernicious legacies that will hold Africa back for some time to come. The first is socialist mentality – the tendency to look up to the government or the belief that government must solve every problem. This can be discerned from the following instances:

• Ask them to trim their bloated bureaucracies and cut government spending and they will establish a “Ministry of Less Government Spending” (Mali). • Ask them to establish a market-based economy and place more emphasis on the private sector and they will create a “Ministry of Private Enterprise,” as Ghana did in 2002. • Ask them to establish good governance and they will set up a “Ministry of Good Governance” (Tanzania). Don’t ask them to improve transparency!

Second, the state machinery and infrastructure that were erected in the 1960s to give effect to socialism were not dismantled. This has led to a phenomenal growth in the public sector that is now packed with cronies, relatives and party hacks in a multiplicity of parallel institutions and ministries with overlapping functions. Ghana, for example, has Ministry of Aviation, Ministry of Roads and Highways, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Roads and Transport, Ministry of Ports and Railways. Why not just one Ministry of Transportation?

Bloated bureaucracies are riddled with willful dissipation of public funds, financial irregularities and profligacy. Ghost workers abound:

• In Ghana, there were over 6,000 ghost workers on government payrolls and their salaries collected by living workers in Ghana (Ghana Web, Dec 13, 2014). • In Nigeria, 62,893 ghost workers were nabbed and hopefully reburied (African Leadership, Feb 18, 2015). • Of the 1.2 million civil servants in Congo DR, an astonishing 500,000 were found to be ghost workers (Der Spiegel, June 5, 2017).

In 2009, Kenya had 94 ministers and deputy ministers; Zimbabwe had 82. Angola checked in with 88. Ghana, with a population of 25 million, had 97 cabinet and regional ministers plus their deputies in 2009. By 2017, the number had grown to 110 -- the largest in Africa.

In addition, there are ministers of state at the presidency, presidential staffers and advisors. At each ministry, there are a principal secretaries, deputy principal secretaries, assistant deputy principal secretaries, etc. The next batch comprise governors or regional ministers and their deputies. Then there is the legislature – Senators and MPs, all feeding off the government trough.

Then each Minister must have a government bungalow (house), a Pajero (SUV), a saloon car for Madam, a garden boy, a cook, a day watchman, a night watchman and a security guard to accompany the official. Then each senior government officer is entitled to a house loan, furniture loan, fridge loan and even an education loan for the children. These perks were offered by the colonial masters to their subjects to entice them to serve in the colonies, but hardly made sense to retain them after independence. Nigerian legislators are highest paid in the world. Its Senators enjoy an obscene smorgasbord of perks and allowances that take their salaries to a cool $2 million each when 60% of the population earn less than $2 a day. An outrageous perk is "hardship" allowance.

The huge government workforce consumes 70 percent of Ghana’s budget; 80% in Zimbabwe. This means that the government has little savings left for capital expenditures for development.

South Africa

Strange as it might sound, the ruling elites in South Africa are poised to repeat the catastrophic mistakes we made in sub-Saharan Africa. Some senior members of the ruling ANC seek constitutional amendment to seize white-owned land without compensation and a breakaway faction, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) seek to nationalize the central bank and all new discoveries of oil and gas – all this in the teeth of the disastrous socialist experiment right next door in Zimbabwe.

It needs to be emphasized that one of the cruelest jokes perpetrated on a gullible world was the misconception that the South African economy under apartheid was a "capitalist and free market”.

Under apartheid, the South African economy was characterized by severe state interventionism: where blacks could live and work, and what type of jobs they could take, were all determined by the state. The fictional link of apartheid to capitalism remained well into the 1990s, even though the National Party government operated a horrendous array of programs to maintain a heavy presence in the economy.

Apartheid must be repudiated but it was not capitalism. Colonialism needed to be repudiated but it was not capitalism. Albert Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. Lunacy may be defined as doing the same stupid thing again and again and expecting the same stupid results.

Thank you.

REFERENCES

Government Publications

Seven Year Development Plan, 1963 -1970. Accra: Government of Ghana, 1963.

"African Socialism and its Application to Planning in Kenya”. Sessional Paper No. 10. Nairobi: Republic of Kenya, 1965.

Tanzania’s Second Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development. Dar-es-Salaam: Republic of Tanzania, 1967.

The Five-Year Development Plan, 1990-1995. Harare, Zimbabwe. Government Printer.

Other Sources

Ayittey, George B.N. Africa Betrayed. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1992.

___________ (2005) Africa Unchained. New York, NY: Palgrave/McMillan.

___________ (2018) Applied Economics for Africa. Washington, DC: Atlas Network.

Bandow, Doug (1986). "The First World's Misbegotten Economic Legacy to the Third World", Journal of Economic Growth, Vol. l, No.4: l7.

Garlick, Peter (1971). African Traders and Economic Development. Oxford: Clarendon.

Killick, Tony (1978). Development Economics In Action: A Study of Economic Policies in Ghana. London: Heinemann.

Libby, Ronald T. (1987). The Politics of Economic Power in Southern Africa. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Manning, Patrick (1988). Francophone Sub Saharan Africa l880 1985. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Nkrumah, Kwame (1957). Ghana; An Autobiography. London: Nelson.

_____ _________ (1973). Revolutionary Path. New York: International Publishers.

Nyerere, Julius K. (1962). Ujamaa: The Basis Of African Socialism. Dar es Salaam: Government Printer.

World Bank (1989). Sub-Saharan Africa: From Crisis to Self-Sustainable Growth. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.

___________ (2000). Can Africa Claim the 21st Century? Washington, DC: World Bank publication.

World Bank, 2005. The Evolution of Enterprise Reform in Africa: From State-Owned Enterprises to Private Participation in Infrastructure—and Back. Technical Paper Series; No.84. Washington, DC.

Zinsmeister, Karl (1987). "East African Experiment: Kenyan Prosperity and Tanzanian Decline," Journal of Economic Growth, Vol.2. No.2:28.

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tvsmovies · 2 years ago

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Watch Free Full 10,000 BC

Release Date : 03/05/2008 (US)Category : Adventure, Action, Drama, FantasyProduction : Country : USRate : Cast : Steven Strait,Camilla Belle,Cliff Curtis,Nathanael Baring,Mo Zinal,Affif Ben Badra,Mona Hammond,Marco Khan,Reece Ritchie,A prehistoric epic that follows a young mammoth hunter's journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe.A prehistoric epic that follows a young mammoth hunter's journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe.“10,000 BC” does not deserve its bad rap.It is not the worse reviewed film in director Roland Emmerich’s oeuvre (that distinction belongs to “Moon 44”), but it is perhaps his most infamous. “Boring” is a word that I often hear from casual moviegoers who have watched this flick. Indeed, I hear that adjective so frequently that “10,000 BC” has quickly become something even sadder than a guilty pleasure. I am sincerely ashamed of my affinity for this motion picture. If virtually everyone I know regards it as dull, what does it say about my taste that I enjoy it?A quick summary: “10,000 BC” is an action-adventure epic set in the prehistoric era. It centers the story on a tribe of hunter-gatherers known as the Yagahl and a brave warrior, D’Leh (Steven Strait), who seeks the hand of a lovely woman believed to be destined for greatness, Evolet (Camilla Belle). In a plot that twists and turns more than the film’s convoluted geography (more on that in a moment), D’Leh is forced to travel the world so he can rescue Evolet and many other Yagahl from evil horse-raiders. The subsequent journey is packed with the kinds of encounters one would expect in the most riveting B-movie fare, from needing to overthrow the imperial cult of an enigmatic enrobed Atlantean known as The Almighty (Tim Barlow) to attacks by velociraptor-like phorusrhacidae.How can a movie like this be regarded as boring?Stupid, I absolutely agree. Like most of Emmerich’s movies, “!0,000 BC” is an amalgamation of conspiracy theories, from the aforementioned idea that Atlantis was a real continent (it was actually a thought experiment from Plato’s “Critias”) to the belief that a single lost civilization was the progenitor to the known influential ancient ones (Egypt, Greece, Persia, etc.) Its narrative takes the protagonists from the Ural Mountains to the tropics of Southeast Asia to the pre-construction pyramids in Egypt. Nothing about the story makes any sense to any viewer with a passing knowledge of geography, climatology, history or even common sense. Then again, it is worth noting that most of Emmerich’s movies are absurd; this does not diminish one’s ability to enjoy, say, the Area 51-conspiracy theories underpinning “Independence Day.”The difference here, though, is that the

oining D’Leh and Evolet on a sweeping melodrama. I am not here to argue that “10,000 BC” should be anyone’s favorite movie. It certainly isn’t mine. (That distinction belongs to “Unbreakable.”) But it is a solidly good movie, a sincere Valentine to the best Stone Age fantasy fiction (Emmerich was inspired largely by his love of Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Quest for Fire”) and a captivating travelogue. It is the reason why, on a four-star critics’ scale, the three-star review must exist. Watch free movies and tvshows on VidooTv

Watch Free Full 10,000 BC

script seems to turn people off. All of the characters are two-dimensional and the dialogue is purely functional. Most will acknowledge that “10,000 BC” has a moving score (composed by Thomas Wander and Harold Kloser, the latter of whom also co-wrote the film with Emmerich) and lush cinematography (Ueli Steiger) filmed in Namibia, South Africa, Thailand and New Zealand. But how can one care about the pretty visuals when the underlying story is so blah?The key, I believe, is to not go into “10,000 BC” expecting sparkle. This is a somber epic, a tribute to the B-quality sword-and-sandal epics of the mid-20th century. Emmerich believes that this story has meaning, and as such levity is almost entirely scrubbed. (If you look closely, you will notice a brief testicular injury gag.) In a way, he isn’t wrong about that; the rudimentary narrative, told by a diverse cast and based on a number of cultures, is accessible to virtually everyone. The message is a noble one and broadly applicable, preaching the kind of universalist empathy that human beings should never do without. Along the way, the story keeps the action coming — mammoth hunts, navigating treacherous terrain, chucking spears at ominous baddies — and the viewer feels like they are j

#movies #streaming #tv-Shows #Watch Free Full 10 #000 BC

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miskiett · 6 years ago

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Tag game

Thank you @delyth88 for tagging me :D

What name/nickname would you like people to call you here on Tumblr? Miskiett - which funnily enough sort of means mosquito.

Gender: Female

Height: 171cm

Are you on the older or younger end of the spectrum on Tumblr? Probably on the younger, mid twenties.

Can you think in both metric and imperial? Na dude, metric

What time is it where you are now? 10.58pm CAT/GMT+2

Do you use AM/PM or 24 hour clock? AM/PM I hate the 24 hour one, always have to work it out and never know what it’s actually saying.

Are you usually early or late? Usually early for stuff that is important, late for stuff that is less important.

Favourite band: oh wooow... uhm, I don’t have a favourite because the music I listen to drastically changes with who I’m feeling like, my mood, or what I’m daydreaming about, and I don’t have a “favourite” out of all that.

What is your favourite unusual genre of music to listen to? I love old Norse/Germanic/proto Germanic revival stuff, like Heilung.

Last movie I saw: I watched Toy Story 2 with my cousin and was bored out of my mind.

Last TV show I watched: 7de laan lol, it was just on while I made supper

Did you last read a book or fan fic? Book. Bought Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology. I’ve been reading the mythology online but it’s nice to have a book.

What sort of fan fic do you like to read? Idk but I have a lot of turn offs. If the characters are not in character, I leave very quickly. If the AU is too far from my ideas or conflicts with them, then I leave, but I don’t mind AU. There are quite a few characters which I don’t like to ship, so I often avoid ship fics, which reeeeally narrows the pool of fics to read. I tend to avoid shipping with Loki almost to 100% because I find it to often be full of unresolved or fetishized dysfunction, which is not fine with me. I really don’t like x reader AT ALL lol, but if an OC is not lame then I don’t mind that.

What do I post on this blog? This blog was originally made to be a sad, saad place where I sit and scream into the void about my disappointment in Thor Ragnarok. I complain about TR, the treatment of Loki in that film, as well as the problems I have with the “growth” seen in TR version of Thor. I also just tend to reblog cool gifs etc of Loki because it’s cool; I don’t reblog much Thor because TR ruined Thor for me a bit and I just have to deal with that first. I really love the Loki Helason theory so I reblog stuff about that. Occasionally I make my own posts, which are normally kind of salty as this is a bit of a vent blog. I like to “ramble” on other people’s posts just to express my thoughts, which isn’t always that coherent.

If you could live in another country which one would it be? Namibia but only if I have aircon in my house. Also would like to live in Europe, but I haven’t been there so I don’t know if I would like it. I would struggle to leave the southern African countries though as my heart lies here.

Do you consider yourself adventurous? Na not really. I get very anxious and manage that with consistency and routine. I find one interesting thing and then obsess over it and dissect it a million ways; I don’t go looking for many things.

What hobby would you get into if time and money weren’t an issue? I would get into horse riding again. I would properly kit up my camping equipment and go to nature reserves to camp. I pick up a bigger lens for my camera and do bird and wildlife photography. I would get macro flashes for my macro setup. Hmm, I’d buy a better PC to improve my photo and video editing, and then also get more into gaming. And I’d get a million pets. I want a budgie, and a snake. I would also set up a low-tech but automated planted aquarium.

What would be your first question after waking up from being cryogenically frozen for 100 years? Are there any surviving descendants of my family? And then I’d want to know if South Africa still exists or if crazy political people destroyed it yet.

What superpower would you like to have? Shape shifting and the ability to talk to animals. It would mean I could do anything and everything I ever wanted. It would be a perfect superpower.

If you are following me you are auto tagged. @ me in your response so I can learn about you :D

@seiramili7 @motherhela @nox-th-lk-sf @shadowassassin32 @trickster-grrrl @lasimo74allmyworld @miharu87

#tag game #tag

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gingermeisie · 5 years ago

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white girl’s tears

Today it hit me. When I asked my boss about upcoming projects, she sent me a message on Skype saying that she isn’t sure how many hours they will be able to “give” me in April. At first, I didn’t open the message and mentally prepared for what I want to respond. When I opened the Skype conversation, I saw that she had sent me a long text. She explained that 80% of the staff in Cape Town had to be retrenched. That she was downgraded to a 50% position. That she was still waiting for confirmation about my future from the boss-boss. I was shook. After I read the message, I got a call. It was her.

She said that she saw how I had just read the message and thought it’d be good to speak personally. She revealed that the last week’s been crazy, and that she never thought that the company could be close to ruin in such a short amount of time. I work for a tour operator, we are in South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania and Kenya. The tourism industry has completely crashed, and with that many, many people have lost their jobs. I had just started writing for the company and was invited to their Year End Function. We were taken on a nice day in Franschhoek. Most of my colleagues have families. And now no job anymore.

I could feel my boss’ stress over the phone. I said to her that I understand. She said that she hopes things will start picking up again, that maybe people will so get bored while isolating that they will start planning their trip for 2021. She said she isn’t even sure whether the company will make it. And it’s the big bosses’ baby, their lifetime project. And not only tour guides, also people who take care of the vehicles, staff at lodges, rangers in national parks, all of them will lose their jobs. And many have families. And what will happen with wildlife conservation? I read somewhere, that travel & tourism accounts for 10% of the global GDP and constitutes 10% of the global employment.

She added hopeful, that at least there is kind of a time period, something to work with. Lockdown ends on 17th of April. I could hear that she had thought about this a lot, she had a lot of different scenarios planned out in her head. Ultimately, she mentioned how she wasn’t even sure whether she will be able to keep her job. I had some encouraging words for her and told her that I had been anticipating something like this, that I just didn’t want to bother her before. I was waiting for her to tell me in her own time. The short amount of time I was at this company, she’s been a great boss.

It’s so funny, that with this job I was really trying to become a proper adult. Make a professional commitment, sort out my visa, be somewhere long-term. And now, the whole world just crashes. Who would’ve seen this coming. A few weeks earlier during dinner at my friend’s place, she asked everyone to say what the highlight of their year so far was. Their highlights were art related, I declared that I’m happy to finally have a job that gives me financial independence. Last year was tough. Having the feeling that I can’t live somewhere by myself in case shit hits the fan, is not nice. Even though, of course, these are still white girl’s tears. Yet, I have so much more money than so many people in this country.

I cried later, and I still don’t completely understand why. Before I took the job, I was doubting if it’s “good enough”, if it gets me where I want to go. But I guess for that, I should know where I want to go. My boyfriend said that it’s good to craft a skill, and crafting my writing seems like a good idea. Maybe it hit me that life and the world really are changing with all of this - whatever that means.

The company I work for also has an office in Germany. These employees could be shifted to short-time work, like so many other people in Germany. My sister works for Lufthansa, the same happened to her. Germany has money and can cushion the crash. There is no such safety net in South Africa. But I knew that before coming here. And I’m glad that I’m not here for a beach and a mountain. If that would’ve been the case, how would I survive, locked down inside my apartment with the view of a bread factory and train tracks? The moon looks beautiful from my window tonight, though.

#lockdown #southafrica #coronavirus #feelings #thoughts #1thoughtstories

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julzealejandre · 7 years ago

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Up in the hills of Cymru

It has been more than a month since I started #MyCheveningJourney here in Wales and I think I already fell in love with the city and my university. I would say that my first month in Bangor is one of the most fantastic months of my life, and I couldn’t believe that time is ticking really fast. A mixture of excitement, joy, and enthusiasm fill me up every single day. There are new things to discover – from the Welsh cakes, the lovespoons, the challenging Welsh language, and the stunning landscape and seascape of the countryside.

All about the city and the university

The inner facade of Bangor University

Bangor is one of the smallest cities in the UK, located in the county of Gwynedd in North Wales, just a couple of hours away from Liverpool and Manchester in England. The Welsh culture is dominant in the city, especially the high proportion of Welsh speaking people. Everywhere you go, you can hear interesting words like “Diolch”, “Croeso”, “Bore da” and much more. And oh! Just few minutes away, you can visit the city with the longest name in the world – “Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch”. Bangor is also known for its longest High Street (in Wales), it has become the dwelling place for locals and students. Bangor University (aka College on the Hill) makes the city even more vibrant. Aside from the century old “Hogwarts-ish” Main Arts Building, the student demography adds up to the lively atmosphere of Bangor. The university offers almost all kinds of support a student needs to succeed, academically and professionally. From the well-rounded tutors, to facilities, international support, study skills, student unions, societies, and whatnots. Just at the Welcome Week, we were overwhelmed by more than a hundred societies handing us freebies and uni stuff. Not to mention the International Education Centre and the Campus Life’s effort to make living and studying in Bangor more enjoyable through their trips, workshops, volunteering activities, etc. Serendipity, Diwali, De-Stresstival, and the Pumpkin Carving at the Halloween Night are some fun activities that Bangor University stored for its students. Another thing I like the most in the university is the distinct international student community. Just in my programme, we share first-hand knowledge of healthcare systems of countries in Africa, Saudi Arabia, Canada, China, United Kingdom, and Greece. It’s like having a trip around the world!

International students under the NHS 4005 - Epidemiology class, with Dr Jaci

The "internationality" of our NHS 4003 - Health Economics class

The stunning landscape and seascape

North Wales is popular for its jaw-dropping countryside view. In 2016, it was named by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s best regions. Like most of us would say here, Mount Snowdon (the highest peak in England and in Wales) is just at our backyard! This mountain makes up Bangor’s picturesque sceneries. During sunny days, student flock to teras (my go-to place) to have the perfect taste of Wales' landscape and seascape – range of mountains gradually touching the sea.

At the 'teras' overlooking the city of Bangor

Globetrotting: exploring Snowdonia town, Manchester, Liverpool, and Conwy

Travelling around UK has been one of my major activities when I moved here. In just a month, I was able to go around Manchester, the town surrounding Mount Snowdon (Bedgelert, Betws-y-Coed, and Llanberis), Liverpool, and Conwy. All of these places have their own charms. Manchester for its world-renowned John Rylands Library, Liverpool for its music history popularised by The Beatles, Snowdonia towns for their old Welsh villages, and the walled-town of Conwy for its magnificent Conwy Castle and its festive Conwy Gwledd.

At the John Rylands Library in Manchester, England

Welsh village in Bedgelert, North Wales

The Beatles statue at Liverpool, England

In front of Conwy Castle during the Conwy Gwledd

Friends turned to family, made (literally) along the way

Living in a different country can be quite depressing. Thankfully, I am more than lucky to have such amazing friends whom I already treated like family in Bangor. From a group of only nine Chevening scholars from different parts of the world (Mexico, Palestine, Libya, Nepal, Cuba, Namibia, Mongolia, and Indonesia), we grew larger welcoming some more people whom we have met at the university. Who would have expected that a person whom I just rode with in a bus from Manchester to Bangor would be the person I will share my food with the next day? This family makes living and studying here in the United Kingdom more exciting – people whom we tagged along to our travels, movie nights, and karaoke night outs. I was also surprised by the large number of Filipino students in the university. From knowing only one Filipino student, I now celebrate ‘Adobo Nights’ and share Filipino dishes with almost 15 young Pinoys in Bangor.

At the Bangor Pier with new found friends in Bangor and fellow Cheveners

'Adobo Night' with Filipino students in Bangor University

1700 strong Chevening scholars

Both the Welcome Reception at the university and the recently concluded Chevening Orientation jumpstarted the excitement of a year-long journey here in the UK. Being with such an energetic crowd of 17 hundred strong scholars around the globe made me realised how privileged and blessed I am to be given this opportunity to be with a respected global and intellectual community. Being welcomed by the double-decker red bus and the smiles of other scholars in London were indeed the highlights of this month. It was also a great time to be with my fellow Pinoy Cheveners. Opportunities continue to knock on my door when I was given the chance to participate in the pre-Western Balkan Summit as a Chevening social media ambassador. In the meeting, I have learned and understood how the UK acknowledges the ideas of young people as fuels for regional and global development.

Chevening scholars in Bangor University after the Welcome Reception

Fellow Chevening social media ambassadors after the pre-Western Balkan Summit at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, England

Filipino Chevening scholars at the traditional red double-decker bus during the Chevening Orientation in ExCel London

Obligatory post at Bangor University's logo

I do not want to make a countdown of my remaining months here in the UK but I am pretty sure that the following days will be more exciting and be filled with new learnings as I continue to uncover and experience the greatness of United Kingdom. Learning from climbing the hills of North Wales every day, these experiences would surely help me to go up and progress as a scholar, as a person, and as a change-maker.

#mycheveningjourney #iamchevening #cheveningsma #chosenforchevening #cheveningph #chevening scholarships #bangor university #wales #northwales #united kingdom #great britain

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beedujourblog · 6 years ago

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Boulder’s is one of my favourite beaches and one of Cape Town’s most visited on the peninsula. It’s not hard to see why, as it is home to a colony of African jack-ass penguins who live off Southern Africa’s shores. I know that the penguins colony once extended all the way up to Robben Island, and sometimes you can still spot a few out there. However, these precious penguins have decided to make this warm rocky beach their home.

What is Boulders Beach?

The beach has always been popular for swimming with locals living down south of the peninsula. The beach is littered with various sized granite boulders that once belonged to the mountains that have broken off and rolled down. They have now become part of the coastal landscape and provide wonderful opportunities for basking in the sun for both penguins and humans alike.

The waters here are warm, especially in the summer as the sea spills into clear, turquoise blue rock pool inlets between the granite boulders. The strong Agulhas current carries in the warm tropical waters from the Indian Ocean, making this a beach you can enjoy swimming in. It also brings in plenty of other marine life and that are an important food source for the penguins and locals.

Where is Boulders Beach?

Boulders Beach is located between Simon’s Town harbour and Cape Point. This means it’s really far down South of the peninsula and while you can take a train until Simon’s Town and walk to this spot. I would recommend getting there by car, and is accessible via the scenic M4 or Main Road that runs along the peninsula.

The beach also forms part of the False Bay coast and you can view the arched coastline all the way round from here.

The African Penguin Colony at Boulders

The main highlight of coming to Boulders Beach is to view the penguins up close. The beach is divided into two sections. The first section is dedicated to the colony and you cannot enter this section of the beach. This area is to create a safe and natural environment for the penguins to breed peacefully.

You can view many nests on the white sands where mothers tend to their newly hatched chicks. Visitors are restricted to the walkway that leads to a nice view over the beach. This part of the beach is always full, as lots of tour buses bring in hordes of tourists daily. Many of the tourists here will elbow you to get in their prized shot.

Are the penguins bothered by people? Actually, they make even more noise and they have grown accustomed to human presence over the centuries. Just make sure you respect their territory. The African penguins can actually be found all along Southern Africa’s coastline and extend up as far as Namibia.

Swimming with the Penguins

Okay, so I am THAT lucky that this gets to be a beach I get to regularly visit and chill out on as I am from Cape Town. I can honestly say that visit to this beach is never boring and it’s just beautiful. Getting an opportunity to swim with penguins in the summer time is nothing short of awesome.

Yes, you can swim with the penguins on the beach and this area lies on the other side of the beautifully shaded walk way. You can hear the braying donkey sounds of the penguins nested in the bushy area along the walk way. There’s a reason they are also known as the jack-ass penguins, and you’ll hear it.

Boulders’ swimming beach is clean, safe and is littered with penguins! You’ll find them on the rocks, walking across the sand, passing by or basking on the rocks. While they aren’t vicious and not shy, you should always maintain a respectful distance. Taking photos here is a dream, yet the penguins don’t like you getting too close to them. I have a good lens which allows me to take those close ups. I was actually lying between two low rocks in the sand while I shot these.

As a result many penguins do not breed on this side of the beach, and simply come here to relax too. They also enjoy jumping off the rocks and diving into the water for a swim and don’t be too surprised to find one darting pass while you’re swimming. It’s almost magical.

A Day at Boulders Beach

For me, a day at Boulders means simple relaxing and taking a refreshing dip in those beautiful natural pools. As there are no shops on the beach (thankfully) I usually pack in plenty of water and some light snacks for lunch. The first beach easily accessible and nearby the bathrooms. I personally prefer the second pool, as that’s where you will find more penguins coming in and out. It’s also quieter than the first beach. This is because the second pool is a bit harder to reach as you either have to swim around the boulders separating it or climb under and over them. I don’t think it’s hard, but it can be challenging getting those umbrellas over them.

DO NOT try and feed the penguins. I saw two kids trying to feed a basking penguin Nik Nak chips! Needless to say the penguin stared unaffected and scared to move.

Just image going to for a swim in these clear waters, where you can see right to bottom. The boulders don’t only create a unique landscape, but offer shade, sunbathing and make excellent diving ‘boards’ in to the water. I have seen both humans and penguins enjoying a dive from the rocks.

This entire beach is private and you will pay a reasonable fee to enter all beaches. I find the beach safe, and you’ll find SANParks rangers around the beaches to ensure the environment is safe, clean and no harm comes to the penguins. This is the kind of beach I can come alone with a book and with friends.

10 Tips for Visiting Boulders Beach

Maintain your distance from the birds and DO NOT feed them. Don’t be stupid.

Bring a pair of well fitted sandals or shoes that allow you to climb over those big boulders. The swimming area with penguins have two areas and are divided by boulders.

Bring a back pack to explore the beach easier

Bring money, as to access the both beach areas you must pay a fee. It’s totally reasonable, don’t worry.

Pick up your litter. There are lots of trash cans to make sure you don’t leave anything behind.

There is a restaurant before the entrance at the back parking lot and souvenir shop.

There are a few really nice accommodation options near the beach front.

Do venture into Simons Town, which lies just a few Kilometres down from Boulders. It’s accessible by foot and car and there are lots of great restaurant options with a beautiful harbour.

Want to avoid the crowds? Then I recommend going before 9 am in a week day especially during the peak summer season between December – February. Either way, the week day is always best.

Want to explore further? If you’re travelling with your own transport, you can carry on down all the way to the end of the peninsula at Cape Point!

Bee

PIN IT!

Boulders Beach Boulder’s is one of my favourite beaches and one of Cape Town’s most visited on the peninsula.

#african penguin #boulders beach #boulders beach penguins #cape town #South Africa #travel blogger #wildlife photography

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eriskay · 7 years ago

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I was tagged by @russianfeya to do a thing, and I’m super late because summer got in the way but I’m still gonna do the thing!!

Always post the rules: 1. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you 2. Write 11 questions of your own 3. Tag 11 people Tag as many people as you feel like, in my case maybe like 6

1. If you could be anyone else in the world, living, dead, or fictional, who would you be?

someone people quote a lot! maybe Jane Austen, she seems really cool.

2. How’s your day been?

very okay. I had to work today which was kind of random because I have the rest of the week off, but it was an extremely decent day at work and now I’m back in vacation mode so it’s all good.

3. If you could make anything into a published book you could buy at Barnes and Noble, what would it be about?

something with a fantasy element but not high fantasy exactly, maybe urban fantasy? and definitely something whimsical and fun, like giant colorful zeppelins and certain people having power over the wind. me and my friends once thought up half the plot for a trilogy on this theme (The Purple Ribbon, The Golden Mirror, The White Lie) and to this day I still want to know how that story ends - we never decided!

4. If you were to change your name, what would you change it to?

almost literally anything but my actual name - Anna - which I find more than a little boring. maybe Annie? or Angelica. something with a bit of flair, I think.

5. What would you say to Stephenie Meyer if you could, without any consequences?

“you must really love lasagna”

6. Who do you want to be the President of the United States?

Ellen DeGeneres. or Beyoncé.

7. If you could have any pet, what would it be and what would you call it?

a chacma baboon, named Elvis!! unfortunately grown baboons don’t go very well with apartments, or with people for that matter.

8. If you could be known for anything on your Wikipedia page, what would you be known for?

saving the world sounds pretty neat.

9. Dream vacation spot?

Japan. and Namibia. also, London!

10. You get a tattoo. What is it?

so I already have one tattoo, but my next one might be something that goes all around my ankle? maybe a vine that’s drawn as though it grows all the way around.

11. Really, how are you?

very okay? it’s the end of vacations, which is always a bummer, but I think fall will be fine once it arrives. and I’m sort of looking forward to the next few years, which is nice. a lot of things in my life could potentially fall into place quite soon, and that’s both scary and kind of exciting. =)

Questions:

1. what’s the best thing that’s happened to you in 2017 so far?

2. which Harry Potter character would you like to see as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars?

3. who’s was/is your favorite teacher and why?

4. if you could live during any time in history, when would you choose?

5. if you could switch lives with one person for one day, who would it be?

6. what’s your Hogwarts house?

7. which fruit would you be if you were a fruit?

8. which month is your least favorite month of the year?

9. which celebrity would you like to have as your next-door neighbor?

10. what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten?

11. if you walked 500 miles and then 500 more, where would you actually end up?

I’m gonna tag @ofjourneysandjournals @stadyies @bubblinea and also @dadvans @lazulisong @davaisquared because I would honestly really love to read your replies if you wanna give it a go. =) have fun!

#I did the thing!!#many questions #also answers #anna talks to people

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rupertdixon-tda-blog · 8 years ago

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Tour d'Afrique 2017 - Nairobi (18th Feb) to Maun (18th Apr) - Distance - A long way!

Last year TdA felt like an epic one off challenge, this year it feels more like a way of life! Initially I was concerned about turning up half way through the tour with so many friendships and bonds already formed, last year we had a very small group which rarely got over 30 people with sectional riders, this year the group is rarely under 50 including staff. My starting point, Wildebeest camp in Nairobi was familiar and a great place to meet all the riders, new and old, I was made to feel very welcome straight away, it was also interesting to hear that many of this years riders had been reading my blog from last year! The setup has changed this year, we now have a massive articulated lorry as the main support truck and our trusty little dinner truck from last year has now been demoted to a supporting lunch truck, everything is on a bigger scale this year, it feels more like a moving circus than a bike tour! Having written lots last year (some say too much!), It's taken me two months to write anything this time around so I won't bore you with a detailed description of our day to day life but here are some of my initial highlights, firstly in Kenya. Dinner at Talisman in Nairobi with the not so thin Chris Daubney and friends, Beers with Beiber on Lake Naivasha after our first day's cycling on TdA 2017, cycling through the Kenyan highlands and the endless tea plantations, crossing the Equator and the punch party that followed! We then crossed into Uganda where we lazed about in Jinja (source of the Blue Nile), went clubbing (of sorts!) in Kampala before a 5am start the next day! Caught a ferry on lake Victoria to the beautiful Sesse Island and relaxed and recovered at the picturesque and tranquil Lake Bunyonyi. We then crossed into Rwanda, wow, what an amazing country, it was one of my favourite countries the first time I visited, It was even better this time. Very friendly people, unbelievably clean, stunning scenery and ridiculously good roads for cycling on, Rwanda has to be a must visit country for all cyclists and non cyclists alike. Unfortunately we were only there for a few days, just enough time to allow riders to visit the Mountain Gorillas, having seen them 10 years ago I opted to save the $750 permit cost and spend a few days exploring the wonderful bars and restaurants that Kigali has to offer! We then spent the next 19 days in Tanzania, the first section took in roads less travelled south of Lake Victoria from where we entered the Serengeti from the East Gate and then travelled on to the Ngorongoro Crater. Once again the vast plains did not disappoint, my favourite sightings were Elephants playing and bathing around us, watching a pride of Lions hunt and two rare daytime sightings of the Serval cats. We were also visited by a inquisitive Elephant at one of our two overnight bush camps who then cleaned out the bins before leaving us a few presents! So that brought us to Arusha which connected me back to the half way point on last years route, one month in East Africa circumnavigating Lake Victoria on a bicycle, you really can't beat it! The last 5 weeks have taken us along the same route I cycled last year but it's not felt at all repetitive, the dirt roads of Tanzania were not quite as "dirty" as last year, no trucks got stuck and most people made it to camp most evenings. Days that had been wild and wet last year had perfect weather conditions this year, most notably the decent from Mbeya down to the Malawi border, last year we couldn't see a thing, this year we had 60kms of simply stunning descending. That day alone justified my decision to repeat these sections again. To be honest I would do it all again for the bush camping alone...TdA - we need more bush camps! Having endured one of its wettest years on record Botswana looks a completely different country, dry savannah replaced by wetlands and green grass, it has been so wet than we had to get a flat bed truck across a 1.5km stretch of road which has been 3 feet under water for the last few months! The water hasn't kept the wildlife away, we have seen numerous bull Elephants on the road, often too close for comfort bringing back memories of being mocked charged last year! Other than a few stages I've not raced and as a result I've been pretty comfortable with the cycling this year however it has not all been plain sailing. After a night at "death camp" where I projectile vomited inside and outside my tent numerous times I took a day off the bike and spent my first ever day in the dog box (the small cabin on the dinner truck) which we renamed the "vomit comet". Along with 12 other riders we squeezed into a cabin designed for a maximum of 8 over the bumpy Tanzanian roads stopping with alarming frequency for emergency "relief breaks"! It was an all together traumatising experience and my efforts to cheer everyone up with a game of charades were not well received! In hindsight I actually wished I had ridden my bike that day, it certainly couldn't have been any worse! The weather has certainly been more challenging this year, Africa is stereotypically a hot continent and avoiding sunburn and heatstroke were my primary concerns last year, 2017 has proved different, it rained nearly everyday for first 6 weeks, something I should have been prepared for having known we would be cycling through East Africa during the rainy season. We have endured some absolutely torrential downpours and numerous flooded tents and it's been a daily challenge to get to camp early enough to dry out my tent before it pours with rain again! In Malawi half the riders had to be picked up on the road after showing the early signs of hypothermia having cycled through epic rain, wind and near zero visibility at nearly 2,000m altitude, in a slightly sadistic way that was actually one of my favourite riding days, in England we are used to these riding conditions! I may have found the cycling easier than last year but I'm still struggling to stay on my bike on a consistent basis! In Uganda I fell off going up a ridiculously muddy hill as 3kms an hour and then 2 hours later summersaulted over my handlebars into a bush after I lost control on a downhill stretch. In Tanzania I tried to plough through a large puddle only to sink straight into the mud below! I had a very lucky escape riding out of Lusaka when a car pulled out in front of me whilst riding on the highway at 35kms an hour, I managed to break slightly to reduce the impact but I still ended up going over the car bonnet with my bike still attached to my feet. It's the first time I've seen a car come off worse in a cyclist vs vehicle incident! I managed to brace for impact with my elbow which went through the car windscreen completely shattering and putting a hole in the screen but luckily I got away with a just a few bruises and glass cuts, thankfully I was wearing my crash bibshorts so I ruined an already ruined pair of shorts! The driver was more shaken up than me, I don't think he knew what had happened! He initially tried to claim it was my fault and asked for compensation but having been put straight by 15 local witnesses he backed down and after straightening out my handlebars I got back on my bike as quickly as possible before any confrontation could occur! Luckily I didn't hit my head so I was signed off to continue riding... So now I've made it to Maun, just two days from the scene of my first of last years crashes, these last two months have yet again been an amazing experience with many more highs than lows, I really don't think I would regret doing it again next year but I think it's probably time to try something new! West Africa is calling in 2018! Having approached TdA 2017 very differently to last year I feel so much fresher than 12 months ago and I'm really looking forward to finally cycling through Namibia and South Africa and hopefully making it to Cape Town in one piece!

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knights-of-221b-privet-drive · 8 years ago

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Tag Tag Tag

I was tagged by @theasocialqueen! Thanks ;)

Rules: Complete the survey and say who tagged you in the beginning. When you are finished tag 5 people to do this survey. Have fun and enjoy!!!

1: Are you named after someone?

Not that I know

2: When is the last time you cried?

Goh, I cried a bit from happiness and relief when I got my exam results, and I cried from sadness at the Star Trek episode ‘City on the edge of forever’, and I think that was the last time I cried, though I’m not very sure

3: Do you like your handwriting?

Meh, it’s pretty messy, though when I take my time it can be ok, so I’m indifferent

4: What is your favorite lunch meat?

Meat? Or meal? Well, my fav meat (for like on bread then?) is boterhamworst because you have to roll it in a cigarette and pretending you’re smoking meat (the kinda pun intended)

5: Do you have kids?

No, haha, and I probably never will. I see what it is like to have kids because I have two very young brothers and I don’t even have to care for them all the time, but no thanks! (I just hope I’ll meet someone who doesn’t want kids either) (I do love kids though, I just don’t want them)

6: If you were another person, would you be friends with you?

Hehe I think so, at least, if I could start a good conversation with myself because starting the conversation I find the most difficult in making friends, but when it’s clear what I can talk about I probably won’t shut up quickly whoops

7: Do you use sarcasm?

yes

8: Do you still have your tonsils?

Haha lol what a question, but yes

9: Would you bungee jump?

Depends on the situation haha, but it’s not something I’m jumping at (damn I’m on fire tonight!)

10: What is your favorite kind of cereal?

Probably just something with chocolate, so the milk turns into chocolate milk after a while, but I don’t eat much cereal

11: Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

Yes, because otherwise I can’t get them on again haha, although when I go in the garden with those dirty shoes you use for working in the garden I often tie them loosely so it is possible to take them on and off without untieing

12: Do you think you’re a strong person?

Goh, physically, depends on what I’m doing you know? Like running, no, but swimming and cycling I’m pretty good at, so those muscles are ok strong?

And mentally I’m ok I think

13: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Oh damn the ice cream shop-thing in our village has this yoghurt ice which is amazing, and also their stracciatella has these huge chunks of chocolate, it’s amazing

14: What is the first thing you notice about people?

I think hair? Idk actually…

15: Red or pink?

Red

16: What is the least favorite physical thing you like about yourself?

Probably my butt? Idk, I try not to think too much about all that haha

17: What color pants and shoes are you wearing now?

Just a regular blue jeans and no shoes

18: What was the last thing you ate?

An apple because I was hungry and I realised I hadn’t had a good piece of fruit for like the whole week

19: What are you listening to right now?

Minor Swing, originally written by Django Reinhardt, but the version of the film ‘Chocolat’ (I love that song, also his other songs are pretty good!)

20: If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

Blue? Idk, I’ve never thought about myself as a crayon

21: Favorite smell?

Wow we were in Norway last summer and we were walking in the mountains when suddenly there was this really good smell, we all were like ‘it smells like (good) male perfume here’, we think it was musk haha, we’re still not sure, but it smelled really good and subtle. Also wood fire, and freshly washed clothes (with good washing powder). And freshly baked things.

22: Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?

Apparently my sister, but I can’t remember for what?

23: Favorite sport to watch?

I don’t really like watching sports, though I kinda like cyclocross, because it’s cycling and they do amazing things there. Omg also red bull crashed ice is amazing to watch, I love those extreme sports, I don’t follow it at all but if I come across it I really like to watch it

24: Hair color?

Light brown?

25: Eye color?

Grey with some blue? It’s a mix, but more to the grey side I think

26: Do you wear contacts?

Yes, although I’m wearing my glasses more often, especially when it’s evening and in the weekend

27: Favorite food to eat?

Well, I love pizza and kebab, but also lasagna and vol-au-vent with fries and these amazing mozzarella ciabattas they have in de Moete, but if I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life it would be pizza (because you can throw almost everything on it haha)

28: Scary movies or comedy?

Depends on the moment and the film. I think I’d rather have a good comedy, but only if there aren’t too many clichés. I really like films like Liar Liar, I think that’s one of my favourite comedy films, although it’s been a very long time since I saw it, so I don’t remember all the details. I haven’t watched many scary films I think

29: Last movie you watched?

Pride and Prejudice! Again haha, I had a very strong urge to watch it again, it’s one of my favourite films! (It’s the 2005 version)

30: What color of shirt are you wearing?

A white shirt with like grey speckles? And a dark blue blazer

31: Summer or winter?

Goh, I mostly say winter, but I like the summers we have in Belgium actually: sometimes hot days, most of the time about 20-25 °C, and sometimes some good rainy days to sit inside and do nothing

32: Hugs or kisses?

Idk, I like hugs, but I think with a partner I would love kisses, but I don’t know yet

33: What book are you currently reading?

I’m reading “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Life, the universe and everything” (the 3rd book). It’s very good book to read when you don’t have much time, since it doesn’t have a real plot, but it’s like a roadtrip through the universe and it’s very absurd and funny, so great for uni life haha

34: Who do you miss right now?

My little brother because I’m with my mum now and I haven’t seen him since Monday I think.

35: What is on your mouse pad?

I just have this very old black mouse pad

36: What is the last TV program you watched?

De Mol! It was last year on tv but I didn’t have time or need to watch it, but it was so good apparently that this year I wanted to follow it, so now we record it and if I have time I can watch it! Like yesterday I got myself the first free evening of the week (lol it was a dragon of a week wtf) (I don’t know how to say it otherwise haha) and I claimed the tv to watch it!

37: What is the best sound?

Birds in spring, someone softly playing an instrument, soft lazy jazz trumpet (if you get what I mean?), rain on the roof, fire cracking softly, Star Trek intro, Hedwig’s theme on the Warner Bros logo lol

38: Rolling Stones or The Beatles?

I don’t actively know any songs by the Rolling Stones, so I guess the Beatles? But my fav ‘older’ group is definitely Dire Straits or Queen!

39: What is the furthest you have ever traveled?

Either Namibia or Bali (it’s not that we travel far each year though, those were the two times we were outside Europe, but it was amazing!)

40: Do you have a special talent?

Finding puns in the most boring things, especially during exams haha

41: Where were you born?

Leuven! Belgium

42: People you expect to participate in this survey?

I expect no one, but I kindly invite @fvfvxcvxcv, @mats-bloody-hat, @thranduilion, @thatwheezingsoundthetardismakes and everyone I’m forgetting, of course only if you want!

#me #ask game #tag game #I'm starting to say too much lol #influence of my sister and a certain friend *side eyes to theasocialqueen*#I think haha

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robertkstone · 6 years ago

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James May Talks “The Grand Tour,” His Cars, and the Best Bath of His Life

Ahead of The Grand Tour’s third-season debut on January 18, we chatted with host James May about the show’s final season in-studio, what he’s cooking up for the future, and some of his favorite moments from both Top Gear and The Grand Tour with co-hosts Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond.

Photos courtesy of Amazon

MotorTrend: Thanks for making the time for us, James. Can you tell us a bit about what we can expect for season 3 of The Grand Tour?

James May: It’s sort of the same thing but refined a bit. We’ve taken a couple of elements out and streamlined it. So … we sort of do big drives and test cars and muck about and so on, but it’s just slightly better.

MT: The biggest change this season is the elimination of celebrity guests; did you miss that?

James May: No not really, I never did that bit anyway. The thing is, you can do [studies] on them and you can analyze everything to the end [and Amazon] did. We’re not a data driven production, but we know what the fans like, we know when they’re turning off or when they’re fast-forwarding, so we have to accept that we don’t need to do the bits they don’t like, so we won’t.

MT: It actually it seems like a great advantage to have that data and feedback from Amazon available, should you want it.

James May: Well I think that’s the trick actually— it’s when we want it. We don’t make the show around data because that sort of thing is very dangerous. You end up with something a bit like a clinic-ed car; it’s neither one thing nor the other, but we will read [the data] when it suits us.

MT: What’ve been your favorite moments this season, and what’s been your favorite car?

James May: Well, of the road trips it’s going to be a toss-up between Detroit and China. I love Detroit—I’m not just saying this because you’re from MotorTrend. I love Detroit because I’ve been going there on and off for twenty or so years, so I’ve sort of witnessed the changes happening there and I think it’s become a very, very cool place.

I mean if you are a young tech start-up type person, who you know had a beard and a bicycle and a bag full of algorithms, you’d think Detroit was fabulous. If I was in my twenties and I was in that sort of field or even doing what I do now, I could look at Detroit and think “Yeah that would kind of be kind of cool place to hang about.”

So that, and then China just because China is so amazing. We went to the China that most people don’t know; we went to Chongqing. We’re still not even sure how to pronounce it. It’s sort of the Detroit of China in a way. It’s where all the car and motorcycle factories are, and it’s a massive, massive place. It has got something like twenty-five or thirty million people in it. And it’s China, which was just, amazing, because it’s so different. That was a fab experience.

I’m duty bound to say that my favorite car of the series was the Alpine A110 … I actually went out and bought one afterwards because I liked it so much.

MT: I haven’t driven that yet but it looks special.

James May: It’s tremendous! I mean if we can be car bores for a moment, they’ve done what a lot of other supercar makers have failed to. They will make a Ferrari or a Lamborghini and then make a lightweight version where they manage to strip out 30 kilograms, and usually by taking away the bits that you really want like the air conditioning or the radio or whatever.

But with the Alpine they made it small and light from the start, and it does makes an incredible difference because most supercars are too wide. I mean it’s not quite such a problem where you are, but in Europe they’re too wide to be enjoyed on the road where they ought to be fun.

But the Alpine is like—I mean I’ve got a Ferrari 458 as well—is something like 500 millimeters narrower than the Ferrari and that makes a huge difference. It’s a proper—and I don’t like people comparing new cars and old ones—Ferrari Dino.

MT: Since you brought it up, what else is currently in your garage?

James May: I have that, the 458 Speciale, I’ve got a hopeless old Ferrari 308 GTB, a Porsche 911 Carrera 2S—that’s a 997, I’ve had that for a while now, and a BMW i3 because I’m being modern. Oh and I’ve got a little beach buggy as well.

MT: Oh the one from The Grand Tour Namibia special?

James May: Yea exactly, I brought the, well let’s say “the remains” home, and I had it completely rebuilt. It had to have a new body put on it, and it all had to be dismantled because it had saltwater in it. It was a proper mess but it’s now in metal-slate red and it’s got all the shiny bits on and it’s tremendous. I love it.

MT: That was quite the trip you guys took. What will season 4 look like given you’re going to leave the studio and focus on road trip specials? Is that a hard change to make?

James May: I suppose it’s hard in that it’s the end of a very, very long process that we’ve been doing together for 17 years or so. But I think in terms of the show, it’s a good idea, because again, looking at the data and just going by hearsay and things people say to me on the streets and in pubs, it’s the big films where we go and get three interesting cars or whatever and drive about and pick each other to death—it’s the bit that we’re best at, and it’s the bit that people like the most. So as we getting a bit old and fragile we should concentrate our energies and consolidate our talents and do the bit we’re good at, so that’s what we’re doing. Plus we don’t have to keep going to [the tent in] Jeremy’s garden which was getting a bit annoying.

Photos courtesy of Amazon

MT: What’s your dream destination for next season?

James May: Ooh that’s a good one. There’s still quite a few bits of the world that we haven’t been to, although we have been to a hell of a lot of it now. I would like to do some more bits of South America, and I’d like to do more bits of America because I still haven’t seen that much of the middle; I’ve been all around the edges of the States, but not the middle. And I’ve never been anywhere sort of in Malaysia, or that whole bit between Southeast Asia and Australia, so I’d quite like to see some of that.

But you have to bear in mind we’re not actually going on holiday, we have to go where there’s a good story rather than where we fancy being, otherwise we’d just make programs in the Maldives.

MT: Past the next season, what does the future hold for you guys, and could you ever envision retiring?

James May: Well yeah, to be honest, yes, one day. I think Churchill said, “We’re nearer the end than the beginning.” We must be because I can’t possibly do it for another 17 years, but I think there’s still a bit in us left. As we won’t exhaust ourselves doing the studio, maybe that will spin us out a bit longer.

MT: Seventeen years of television with Clarkson and Hammond is a long time—what’s been your favorite moment?

James May: I think, to be honest, it’s pretty mundane, but it’s either [on Top Gear] when we went to the North Pole, or it’s the moment where we got back to the base camp. I got in the bath after however long it was–you know, covered in my own cheese, and having to sleep in a tent with Jeremy Clarkson was just f–king awful. That bath was one of the highlights of my life.

I think more recently I suppose it’s actually in the [coming] series, where there’s a big road trip in Mongolia where we all had to share the car. I’m using the word “car” rather generously, because we cobbled the thing together ourselves. Mongolia is a fascinating country but there isn’t much there, so it’s pretty medieval living when you’re on a road trip, so getting to the end of that [was memorable]. The bath wasn’t quite as good, but the sense of relief was enormous. We’re still alive, and I haven’t become a murderer so you know, that’s like a double whammy.

MT: Why do you think you guys have been so successful on Top Gear and now at The Grand Tour for so long?

James May: It’s a complete bloody mystery isn’t it? I don’t know. I mean people dismiss it, they just say, “well its such great chemistry,” or something like that. I mean that must be something to do with it, but it’s not quite as simple as that, which is why it’s so difficult to replicate. It’s actually quite a delicate, frail thing that we have. And a certain amount of it is based on a mutual loathing I think; same as it is in rock bands and the actors in long running soaps. I’ve often said that everybody on Friends probably hated each other, so there’s a bit of that in it. And I think it’s also probably because of the old adage about three people in the meeting, one of them is always redundant, and there’s a certain amount of that. One of us at any moment in the show is always actually redundant and that, that sort of fuels us in a way.

Photos courtesy of Amazon

MT: Are there any films you wish you could go back and do differently?

James May: Actually you know there’s not much; I think the way we did them is pretty good or excellent. That sounds like a totally conceited way of putting it. We did a special in India when we did Top Gear, when we look back at it, we think, “Well actually we could have done a better job than that.” You only do your best work once; everything else is always done better.

And there are some small things in my own shows. When we did Man Labs and we went to try and catch a lightning bolt, and it was so futile. I look at it and think now, “Why did we ever kid ourselves and that might work?” I mean it is quite funny when things don’t work, but that so obviously wasn’t going to work, we wasted everybody’s time.

MT: With presumably more downtime next season, would you ever do a standalone show on Amazon Prime? Maybe programing like you had on your Unemployment Tube on YouTube?

James May: It’s funny you should say that because I haven’t actually proposed food to Prime. I think they would look at me and think, of all the people that we could choose in the world, which is pretty much everybody, I don’t think they would choose me to do a cooking show. But there are some moves afoot to do something with food online, a bit like my Unemployment Tube. But there’s not going to be some fabulous glossy cookbook for you to try out but it’s going to be, let’s call it, “garage cooking.”

MT: That’s the best kind of cooking.

James May: Well I think it is. It’s one implement, one utensil, you know. You cook it and eat it with one hand ‘cause the other one is covered in Castrol oil or whatever. That’s sort of the direction I’m heading in.

MT: Are there any stories you keep pitching to The Grand Tour where you keep getting told no?

James May: Yes. There’s one about bicycles, they said no. There’s a thing I’ve got about going to the moon, but we’re not really obviously. But they’ve said no to that. There was one I proposed—not to Amazon it was actually the BBC several years ago—I pitched a program called “The Antiques Bonfire” where we set people’s antique furniture on fire, but they didn’t like that either.

I also came up with “The Pissed Olympics” because everybody was really worried about the effects of steroids and things in sports. I said, well why don’t you level the playing field by saying everybody goes to the Olympic village, they don’t have access to anything, but they have to drink eight cans of strong lager and then do the pole vault or the triple jump, it would be tremendous to watch. They didn’t like that either, it was really weird.

Photos courtesy of Amazon

MT: I think you’ve got an untapped market there. Back to cars for a moment, what coming automotive trends most excite you? Autonomous cars? EVs?

James May: Well I don’t really believe in autonomous cars—not in the way they’re popularly considered in the general press. I think the idea of IFTTT

#IFTTT #PerformanceJunk WP Feed 3

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unadulteratedtimemachinekit-blog · 7 years ago

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4 in Order To Lose Weight Faster On Weight Watchers

Slim Organix The facts are as follows. You simply cannot expect to shed those unwanted pounds rapidly. Becoming fat does not happen in a vacuum pressure. Nor does it happen instantaneous. Just as you gained that extra weight over time, you can just lose it after a large amount of time and also. The Cameroonians refer towards seeds on the fruit as "Dikka Pecans." The pills are an extract to the Irvingia Gabonensis fruit. Doctor Oz called the fruit a "super fiber" that helps burn stubborn belly fat and boosts your calorie burning. Dr. Chilkov: There are two more that I need to discuss. One is carnitine. Carnitine is essential amino acid in our muscle. It is also very of importance to our chemistry of the brain. But carnitine is required for fat metabolism. Sometimes vegetarians have trouble with weight loss because might carnitine-deficient. They've very little carnitine their own diet because carnitine primarily comes from flesh recipes.

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One of the more popular natural diet pills available today is hoodia gordonii. Hoodia is a herbal cactus like plant that grows in desert like places. Forskolin Weight Loss Via cloture . found in places in Africa, for Namibia, and Botswana. Well, spinning around getting child targets your hormones to work at weight loss for you. It seems weird. and it is WEIRD. But it's also bona fide. Without boring you out of the brain explaining the physiological functions involved. I'll just give you the considered that these spins work consequently through the endocrine system (the master controller of the hormones). Some supplements are harmless herbal remedies that don't really do much of anything. While contain ingredients that have a poor effect on our bodies. There been recently some sad news stories about people who've sustained permanent liver and kidney damage from taking a Forskolin natural diet. Others, unfortunately, have lost their everyday living. Is the pill (or its main ingredient) medically backed? - Do you might have the access to medical papers about that weight loss product? Does the company offer medical papers on their website? Also, make sure to see who endorses this slimming pill. Many times companies compensates doctors money just to create those doctors can say a few good reasons for having the product and get their picture show on company's business site. Don't trust anybody; look at second Forskolin Diet diagnosis. I got some basic workout tips anf the husband told me about a supplement that was getting hot amongst gyms and trainers that increase appetite control and weight reduction. He dug into his desk and gave me a bottle to.

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bray-inque-blog · 7 years ago

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Blyde River Canyon South Africa - Here you have to go!

If we are to name a place for our South Africa trip, you must not miss it and go to the Blyde River Canyon. The Kruger National Park really impressed us, but the personal highlight for us in South Africa was the view of and into the Blyde River Canyon. For us rightly one of the most visited places in South Africa!

From the Kruger National Park to the Blyde River Canyon When we left the Kruger National Park, we went over a part of the panoramic route to the Blyde River Canyon and the Blyde Canyon Forever Resort. Already the route to the Forever Resort was incredibly beautiful and often we caught that our eyes were fixed more on the environment, rather than on the road. So we put the one or the other stop to enjoy the view. The Blyde River Forever Resort We arrived at the Blyde Canyon Forever Resort on time, so we were amazed, because the resort of this resort is really huge. From the beginning to the end of the resort you are walking an eternity and some people even drive by car for breakfast and dinner!

The resort offers normal accommodation and the possibility to camp. Within a cooperation we were accommodated in one of the accommodations and were looking forward to a normal bed. 🙂 The accommodation was large, very spacious, with its own kitchen and as the whole area, super beautifully located.

What we missed, however, was a W-Lan connection in the own accommodation! For this it was very quiet and wild monkeys ran around in the garden!

In addition to a large shop and 2 pools you will find even a small mini golf course, horse side and many other activities offered! The food was very tasty…

.. and the view from the restaurant really terrific! Blyde Canyon Forever Resort Restaurant View The reason why we would like to recommend the resort, however, is a different one: THE 2 VIEWPOINTS! Des Forever Resort offers 2 private and private views of the Blyde River Canyon. An upper and a lower viewpoint and precisely because of these viewpoints is definitely worth the visit. Blyde Canyon Forever Resort Viewpoint The view is beautiful here! If you do not only enjoy the view, there are also wonderful hiking trails from the resort, from short to really long. There are even wild leopards, which are usually not to be seen! The Blyde River Forever Resort will definitely not get boring! A better impression of the Forever Resort you get in this video and also in the video included below. Perhaps the most beautiful view of our life So it is different and we can not say it! When we drove to Three Rondavels Viewpoint, which is only a few minutes' drive from the Forever Resort (here the map view), we did not really know what to expect. Lizard on the Blyde River Canyon

ure, we had previously seen the beautiful pictures on the internet and the view from the resort to the Blyde River Canyon was awesome, but the view from Three Rondavels Viewpoint was just magical! Beautiful view of the Blyde River Canyon Three Rondawels Viewpoint In Namibia had the Fish River Canyon very good, but the Blyde River Canyon is in our opinion a completely different house number! Blyde River Canyon Three Rondawels Viewpoint Blyde River Canyon Jessica at the Blyde River Canyon Viewpoint In contrast to the Fish River Canyon we saw plenty of water in the canyon (the Blyde River), plenty of lush green, a fresh wind blowing and the view was incredible and far. *Display* The Three Rondavels Viewpoint The entrance to the viewpoint cost us 2 people only 40 South African Rand, which was about 1.45 € and a more than fair price is! The Three Rondavels Viewpoint got its name on the basis of the 3 rocks, which look like the Rondavels of the locals. Blyde River Canyon Three Rondawels We filmed, shot photos and spent a lot of time here, because somehow we could not get rid of this incredible view! Blyde River Canyon South Africa Blyde Canyon View Unfortunately, it was late and it was just before 5pm, because at this time the barrier closes to the viewpoint! So we went back to the rental car, which we had parked easily on the street! Britz Car Hire South Africa More impressions and wonderful pictures can be found in the following video! VIDEO: Speechless - Blyde River Canyon - South Africa on World Tour VLOG # 199 Next to the Forever Resort and this awesome viewpoint, there are many more highlights, which unfortunately we had to skip. Just take a look at the network for the complete panoramic route, because all the highlights are marked. There are wonderful hiking trails, incredible waterfalls, natural pools, caves and much more! *Display* We definitely want to go back to South Africa and travel the country much more intensely! Life to go South Africa To Namibia, South Africa has also captured our hearts. We are curious about what the African continent has to offer and will certainly return!

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beedujourblog · 6 years ago

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Boulders is one of my favourite beaches and one of Cape Town’s most visited on the peninsula. It’s not hard to see why, as it is home to a colony of African Jack-ass penguins who live off Southern Africa’s shores. The penguin colonies once extended all the way up to Robben Island, and sometimes you can still spot a few out there. Today, these precious penguins have decided to make this warm boulder-strewn beach their home.

What is Boulders Beach?

The beach has always been popular for swimming with locals living down south of the peninsula. The beach is littered with various sized granite boulders that have broken off and rolled down from the the mountains. They have now become part of the coasts’ landscape and provide wonderful opportunities for basking in the sun for both penguins and humans alike.

READ about my Top 10 Fave Beaches in cape Town

Where is Boulders Beach?

Boulders Beach is located between Simon’s Town harbour and Cape Point. This means it’s really far down South of the peninsula and you can take a train until Simon’s Town and walk to this spot. I would recommend getting there by car and is accessible via the scenic Boyes Drive or M4 or Main Road that runs along the peninsula.

The scenic Boyes Drive and below the M4

The beach also forms part of the False Bay coast and you can view the arched coastline all the way round from here.

The African Penguin Colony at Boulders

Are the penguins bothered by people? They have grown accustomed to human presence over the centuries. Just make sure you respect their territory. The African penguins can actually be found all along Southern Africa’s coastline and extend up as far as Namibia. There is another colony across the bay at Stoney Point in Betty’s Bay

READ about living and travel in Cape Town

Swimming with the Penguins

Okay, so I am THAT lucky that this gets to be a beach I get to regularly visit and chill out on! I can honestly say that a visit to this beach is never boring and it’s just beautiful. Getting an opportunity to swim with penguins in the summer time is nothing short of awesome.

Boulders’ swimming beach is clean, safe and is littered with penguins! You’ll find them on the rocks, walking across the sand or simply relaxing. While they aren’t vicious and not shy, you should always maintain a respectful distance. Taking photos here is a dream, yet the penguins don’t like you getting too close to them. I have a good zoom lens which allows me to take those close ups.

Most of the penguins do not breed on this side of the beach, and simply come here to relax too. They also enjoy jumping off the rocks and diving into the water for a swim and don’t be too surprised to find one darting pass you while swimming. It’s almost magical.

A Day at Boulders Beach

For me, a day at Boulders means simply relaxing and taking a refreshing dip in those beautiful natural pools. As there are no shops on the beach (thankfully) I usually pack in plenty of water and some light snacks for lunch. The first pool easily accessible and is nearby the bathrooms. The beautiful overhanging fynbos and trees a lovely scene and backdrop for those photos!

The 1st pool

DO NOT try and feed the penguins. I saw two kids trying to feed basking penguins Nik Nak chips! These beaches are a wonderful privilege to experience, so watch you kids, clean up after you leave and be aware that these penguins do bite if you try to touch them.

I personally prefer the second pool, as that’s where you will find more penguins coming in and out. It’s also quieter than the first beach. This is because the second pool is a bit harder to reach as you either have to swim around the boulders separating it or climb under and over them. I don’t think it’s hard, but it can be challenging getting those umbrellas over them.

The 2nd Pool

Just image going to for a swim in these clear waters, where you can see right to bottom. The boulders don’t only create a unique landscape, but offer shape, sunbathing and make excellent diving platforms into the water. I have seen both humans and penguin enjoying a dive from the rocks. This entire beach is private and you will pay a reasonable fee to enter all beaches. I find the beach safe, and you’ll find SANParks rangers around the beaches to ensure the environment is safe, clean and no harm comes to the penguins.

Restaurants and Eating

Boulders Beach is down the road from Simon’s Town! You can find lots of cute little cafes all specialising in a variety of offerings such as seafood, baked goods, vegetarian and more. There are also some good restaurants on the quay on the harbour front such as the Salty Dog.

I recently had brunch at a cute little restaurant called the tasty Table in Simon’s Town. This café’s interior was charming with a rustic vibe using an array of mismatched chairs and tables. Vintage memorabilia and white washed wooden shelves decorate the walls, while the chef prepared the brunch behind the open counter.

The portions here are generous and perfect for a hot day. Check out this scrumptious brunch dishes!

READ about where to eat around Cape Town

10 Tips for visiting Boulder Beach

Maintain your distance from the birds and DO NOT feed them. Don’t be stupid.

Bring a pair of well fitted sandals or shoes that allow you to climb over those big boulders. The swimming area with penguins have two areas and are divided by boulders.

Bring a back pack to explore the beach easier

Bring money, as to access the both beach areas you must pay a fee. It’s totally reasonable, don’t worry.

Pick up your litter. There are lots of trash cans to make sure you don’t leave anything behind.

A restaurant is located before the second entrance at the back parking lot and souvenir shop.

plenty of guesthouses are located NEARBY the beach for over night stays.

Do venture into Simons Town, which lies just a few Kilometres down from Boulders. It’s accessible by foot and car and there are lots of great restaurant options with a beautiful harbour.

I recommend going before 9 am in a week day especially during the peak summer seasons between December – February. Either way, the week day is always best.

Want to explore further? If you’re travelling with your own transport, you can carry on down all the way to the end of the peninsula at Cape Point!

For more info on on visiting Boulders you can visit SAN Parks at: https://www.sanparks.org/parks/table_mountain/tourism/attractions.php

Safe Travels

Bee

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Read about the amazing Boulders Beach in Cape Town & discover more about swimming with the penguins in Cape Town! #lovecapetown #meetsouthafrica #travelchatsa #culturetrav #travel #southafrica #travelblogger #nikonphotography Boulders is one of my favourite beaches and one of Cape Town’s most visited on the peninsula.

#african penguins #boulders beach #boulders beach cape town #cape town #cape town blogger #nikon photography #south africa #south african blogger #travel blogger #travel photography

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