"Flying Ants" of Nigeria

Termites as Flying Ants?
The termites above were referred to by some colleagues as "flying ants" so as to sound less disturbing when eating these protein-filled insects (the termites were being set out to dry during our OT workshop in Nigeria).  These colleagues said they would prepare termites for consumption by crushing them up and adding them to the batter for making cookies!  Yum, yum, now there's a recipe to try out on the kids!

Termites are NOT Flying Ants
The danger, however, is that flying ants do not get their real due, since there really is such a thing as flying ants (and they are not termites).  We dare not confuse the two!

Differences between Termites and Flying Ants
Orkin lists some of the primary differences between the two insects:

Winged termites have a straight waist and straight antennae. Their wings are equal in size and are shed soon after they emerge from their nest, or swarm. Winged termites usually swarm in the early spring when it is warm and rainy.

Flying ants have pinched waists and bent antennae and are often mistaken for swarming termites. They have two sets of wings, one larger than the other. Depending on their species, flying ants may swarm at different times of the year.

Question of the Day
So the question naturally becomes, could we taste the difference between a termite cookie and flying ant cookie?

Jupiter and the Moon: Optimal Illusion on Christmas

Which is the bigger celestial object, the moon or Jupiter (11 o'clock from the moon)?

Toph pointed up to the sky and said "Moon" (but he doesn't know the word for Jupiter, yet, and "moon" is his favorite word right now! :-)

Jupiter is about 1,321 times larger in volume than the Earth's which is larger than the Moon's. Can you tell in this picture?

Merry Christmas!

The heavens are telling the glory of God!

Tomoca Cafe: from Ethiopia

OK. So another post about coffee...

When we were in Ethiopia, we visited Tomoca Cafe's shop and were quite impressed with it and their coffee. According to their website:

TO.MO.CA. Coffee Pvt. Ltd. Co. a family owned coffee-roasing company was established in 1953 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The company name is abbreviated from the Italian Torrefazione Moderna Café, which directly translates modern coffee roasting. TO.MO.CA Coffee is the leading and the first coffee company based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Lost Parakeet Piko Tells Police Its Own Address

Talking animals are linguistically intriguing. Here's a story from Japan about a talking parakeet found and returned to its owner because it told the police its address!

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

(HT: Dad)

Rainy Season Exclusive

Rainy Season Video
To glimpse a rainy season view from the front and back porch, watch our short video.

Some Implications of the Rainy Season

• Even with umbrella, getting completely soaked & soiled by red mud in 5 min 
• Cancellation or delay of meetings and lessons (yesterday being most recent)
• Reduction of traffic during the rain followed by traffic jams afterwards
• Peaceful rest for us when it rains at night because neighbor dogs are quiet
• Hanging clothes to dry indoors on clothes lines installed in the closet 
• Green foliage as far as the eye can see
• New types of insects and flies are awakened and invade the home
• Stores downtown running out of stock on their umbrellas!
• October the most intense month of rain, we are told
• Cooler temperatures frequent (e.g. in the 60s sometimes like at present)

How Much Can You Carry?

I have not stopped being amazed at how skilled Africans are at carrying things on their heads and on vehicles (though the latter can be very perilous to those on the road!).  I am sure this will be one post of many to come...

Our Rainy Season and the West Coast's Hurricanes

If we are interpreting the weather pattern correctly, this is the math for our rainy season:

Africa's torrential rain storms today = East Coast's hurricanes tomorrow

Note the 'tropical wave' (now off the west coast of Africa) that had passed through our region in Central Africa as a rain storm a few days ago.  We assume the same for Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Katia (NW of the tropical wave) bordering the US.

(discovered via my sister)

Rapid Diagnotic Test of Malaria

CareStart released a product that allows the patient to do an in-home test to find out within 5-20 minutes if he has malaria, and even to identify which of the 4 main strands of malaria it is (treatment is different for the different strands). The market for these Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) is booming according to medical personnel.

An example of the results tested for CareStart, showing it to be quite precise:

Overall sensitivity for the detection of the P.falciparum [the malaria that is cerebral and deadly] was 88.8%, increasing to 94.3% and 99.3% at parasite densities above 100/μl and 1000/μl respectively.

25 Year Anniversary of Lake Nyos

Northwest Region of Cameroon, 25th Anniversary of the Lake Nyos CO2 catastrophe that killed 1,746 people recently passed on August 21st (NB: this 1986 event killed not only people but all sorts of animals as well, as the gas exploded suddenly from under the lake and all in lower-lying areas were killed). To prevent this from occurring again, authorities have installed a pipe to slowly leak the CO2 into the air.

Growing and Fermenting Things

We now have dozens of solid shoots of Moringa Trees (explained here and here) which we planted today and a container full of home-made, fermented sauerkraut some of which we ate for lunch today!

Guest Post by Elizabeth's Father: The Neem Tree in Western Africa

History and Background
These beautiful, hearty, evergreen trees (see image below) were introduced to Africa from India in the early 1900s. They were widely established throughout western Africa providing shade, soil stability, and a veritable pharmacy of natural beneficial ingredients.

The Neem Tree as Pharmacy

India considers these trees the local pharmacy. Anecdotal claims include:

• insect repellency
• insecticide
• antiseptic
• anti-viral benefits
• anti-inflammatory benefits.

Evidence and Commercialization

The extracts from the leaves and the nuts of the trees are under more disciplined study with clear evidence of mosquito control potential due to eradication of the larvae and decreased propagation. There are a variety of effects on a whole host of insects. Neem oil is now widely sold in the U.S. as an organic gardening main stay to protect plants from insects.

Guest Post on Neem Trees

Because Neem Trees are so important, healthy, and useful in Africa, we have "branched out" and asked Elizabeth's father to compose a guest post for us concerning them (see subsequent post).

While assisting an agricultural company with biochemical research, he analyzed the effects of Neem Trees which brought him to Africa where the trees grow without cultivation.  The company was interested in harvesting the Neem nut in order to manufacture an organic insecticide.

We are thrilled that we have an "in-house expert" to tell us more about these versatile plants!

Looking for Seeds

A huge cultural difference here from the Midwest, North America is that vegetation grows here year-round, which is why we saw in France bananas from Cameroon sold in the supermarket throughout the entire year. Nevertheless, there still are peak seasons for harvesting of certain plants, when their production particularly increases, which in turn reduces their market prices (law of supply and demand!).

Today, Elizabeth goes with some friends to a nearby market that specializes in items from the Extreme North Region to look for the Moringa and Neem Tree seeds, so we can grow them on our patio!  Below: a full-grown Neem Tree.

Moringa: the Miracle Plant

We discovered this plant today from some friends via one of the Cameroonian gardeners. The Moringa's benefits are manifest:

• Virtually all of the plant/tree is edible
• Remedy for tumors, dropsy, aches and pains, digestion, diabetes
• Water purifier
• Antibiotic properties (as Pterygospermin, if you are interested)
• Healing of skin: cuts, scraps, sores, etc
• Lowers blood pressure
• Sleep aid
• Requires little water

It is also well-known in Africa for its vitamin content, gram for gram:

• 7x the vitamin C in oranges
• 4x the calcium in milk
• 4x the vitamin A in carrots
• 2x the protein in milk
• 3x the potassium in bananas

Partial View from Back Porch...

Hike Up the Mountain...

...Yesterday with some dear friends.

No, that is not us in the red suits, but in normal weather we would have been able to climb behind this waterfall.  Because of the recent rains, the rocks were way too slippery and the water level much higher than normal.

Bells, bells, and more bells (but no cowbell please)

Time Aid
In our town, the bells at the town hall and the Catholic church adjoining our roof help us keep track of time, really. They strike their respective time at 7 AM, Noon, and 7 PM everyday, with some exceptions (e.g. the days leading up to Easter where all the Catholic church bells fell silent until Notre Dame in Paris tolled their bells).

Bell Discussion
One day this week, we had this discussion between class and tutoring sessions while preparing for lunch.
E: What time is it?
C: Noon (it was actually 11:59 AM)
E: (As the bells chime the Noon hour at the end of my sentence, and with a laugh) Hmm. What time is it again?

Our Carillon
Regularly, the carillon at the town's central chateau near us plays their 70 bells (the largest weighs 5 tons), enabling the bell player to ring out complete songs, sometimes hymns we recognize.

This 3 minute video gives you an inside glimpse and listen to our town's carillon: 

Le grand carillon de Chambéry par Savoie-actu

Cannes Film Festival

May 11-22, Cannes, France, along the southern coastline near the Italien border:

• Officially began in 1946, and this year makes the 64th festival
• First festival (1939) with Wizard of Oz, aborted first day because of WWII 
• The prize given by the 'jury' is the palm d'or

Why should Christians be interested? 3 Reasons...

1. Universal good and bad. 
International gathering of film-makers, films, etc allows for us to note themes common to man, displaying the image of God stamp upon their logic, sense of justice, etc, as well as the depravity of man in the movies' twisted plot-lines; the actors/directors/writers sensuality, gratification of self, and love for gaudiness; etc.

2. Evangelism
Evangelical groups canvas the festival and witness of the sufficiency of Christ. Let's pray for them.

3. Christ-centered culture changers
Occasionally, quality, clean movies with Christian themes run at festivals like these and are used by God to make cultural and spiritual impact (e.g. Bella which won at the Toronto Film Festival - NB: it involves adoption, one of the many reasons to like this film!).

le Muguet de Mai

Today in France, May 1st, is

• the only day of the year the Muguet de Mai (the Lily of the Valley) can be picked in the wild, sold by anyone free of tax and report to the government, and is said to bring good luck as a symbol of spring
• officially Labor Day since 1948
• a day for manifestations

This woman is selling le Muguet de Mai next to our house, which most French people consider a good thing for the poor since they are able to work (pick flowers legally) and earn some income (sell flowers tax-free) with dignity.

Rock Climbing Excursion

Today (many thanks to M. for the instruction, equipment, and the fun times!):