Salon - - The news from Zimbabwe - Page 2

Sam · #16 10-18-2001, 09:46 AM

Hee, hee - I had to giggle ...

Just to clear up a little confusion - I am Sam, as in Samantha, not as in Samuel!!! My *husband* Peter is a farmer!

Kathleen, you're right about the poverty - it's awful. In fact, I still haven't quite come to terms with it (and probably never will).

The point about capitalism vs. what we have in Africa (supposedly some form of socialism, but I just call it chaos) is so, so true. Every African is a capitalist at heart anyway. Mugabe's latest game is to apply price controls on everything, so now we're running out of basics like bread, meat, cooking oil, sugar - business was bad before, but now that's put the lid on it.

I used to go back to Scotland to see my family every year or so, but with things as they are now (financially) that's stopped for now. And why my email is so vital to me - at least I can keep in touch with everyone, even if I can't see them!

But next year, come election time, I'm outta here!

Sam · #17 10-18-2001, 10:41 AM

Just had to share with you this little gem I just picked up from today's news - it comes from the Financial Gazette, or main business paper:

"... the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Namibia are helping Zimbabwe circumvent an international arms embargo to buy huge quantities of guns and bullets for next year's ballot. "

Still want that ele ride, Chris?

kathleen · #18 10-18-2001, 11:23 AM

sam

you aren't the first poster about whose gender i have made assumptions and later been

shown in error. it's always startling, embarassing, amusing in turn.

bullet box vs ballot box?

post a lot before the rainy season gets here, ok?

chris h · #19 10-18-2001, 11:31 AM

Sam,

Read your posts with interest as regards the situation in Zimbabwe. The reporter who wrote for our 'Daily Telegraph' (UK) was deported a few weeks ago after a lively meeting with whoever does the kicking out but came out 'intact' Is Mugabe's support now a minority ?

Cheers

DJ Dubovsky · #20 10-18-2001, 12:37 PM

Sam or should I say Samantha

you're not the only one to surprise the forum on your sex. DJ stands for Debbie and that blew a few people away too.

I have to laugh because I too thought Sam was a Samuel. I remember thinking you must have hired help for the farm if you could be online that often. I know farming is a sun up to sun down exhausting job.
DJ

CJ Swartz · #21 10-18-2001, 12:48 PM

It's easy to see from your photos why you would love it there (especially adding in your husband

).

I've always wanted to visit the African continent -- to see the wildlife, the vast expanses of natural habitat, but I'd rather watch out for dangerous wildlife than dangerous humans. Your courage and tenacity are to be admired.

Do the elephants help with the work, or are they companion animals?

Checked out your website (THANKS for the kind words about the Sept. 11 attack) - very nice photo restoration/retouch work in your examples, and your website design page is very clear and helpful. Looking at your rates almost made me faint

I haven't looked up the exchange rate between US and Zimbabwe currency, but I'll hope that you get paid well for good work. Also hope your economy (and ours) will improve so you can expand.

Ed_L · #22 10-18-2001, 01:06 PM

Sam's a she?

Thanks for such a great thread Sam. It's been very interesting to say the least. And I'm sure we all enjoyed the photos.

Ed (as in Edwina) (NOT!)

paulette conlan · #23 10-18-2001, 03:19 PM

Sam-Thank you for sharing the pictures.The house looks like the styles we have here in South Florida! Nice giraffe looking at the elephants.How very small this world seems sometimes.Paulette

Sam · #24 10-19-2001, 12:11 AM

Friday morning (yawn! - how do you get the right smilie in your post? as opposed to at the top?) Gosh, what a lot of replies ... Thanks everyone.

Kathleen - No need for embarassment! (where do you get that blushing smilie?) I noticed that there was no slot in "profiles" for indicating one's gender!! Yeah, these guys like to boast that they have "degrees in violence". If you come to power through the barrel of gun, I guess you use it to stay there too.

Chris - I met your Telegraph reporter a couple of times - he was in hiding at the house of a friend of mine and for some time before he was kicked out, he was followed, had his phone bugged, etc. His reports were very good. Yes, I'd say Mugabe's supporters are in the minority, which is why he's behaving like a cornered animal.

CJ - the elephants are pets, but they are also used to make a bit of foreign currency - giving rides to tourists, etc. They are absolutely gorgeous, so gentle and intelligent.

Hope your fainting over my rates wasn't because they were high! The current "official" exchange rate is 55:1 (unofficial - 300:1!!). No-one can even get US$ over here these days - if you ask the bank for some, they just laugh at you!

I've got to whizz off now to a school open day - will be back later ...

Thanks again, everyone, for your kind comments and interest.

Cheers,

Sam

CJ Swartz · #25 10-19-2001, 01:47 AM

Sam,

There should be a bunch of smilies on your left side when you post a reply - at the bottom of the Smilies Chart, there is a link to [Get More] -- click that and there are a bunch to choose from. If you click on one of those (instead of the Smilies at the top of the page - they'll insert right where you are typing. If you want to insert one after you have finished writing BUT before you post your reply, it will be added at the end of your text -- just select it with your cursor and cut/paste to where you want it.

Sam · #26 10-19-2001, 03:20 AM

I don't see them on the left ... only at the top.

I've even tried pinching them from someone else's post, but that doesn't work either!

Doug Nelson · #27 10-19-2001, 03:43 AM

What browser are you using? Do you have Java enabled?

You should see a little display of the various smilies available to the left of the typing area when you reply. At the bottom of the box containing 15 smilies is a link marked 'Get More' that will display all 64 currently available smilies.

But if you're using an older browser, or a specialized browser, or don't have Java enabled, you might not see them.

You can add them manually if you know the typing code (they're replaced automatically). For instance, the traditional text smilie of a colon and right parenthesis will display this

Typing a colon, the word 'cool' and another colon will display this

Feel free to experiment in the testing area off the main forums page.

Sam · #28 10-19-2001, 06:41 AM

I'm using IE 5 with Java enabled.

Not that it's of life-and-death importance ... I was just curious.

Has anyone started the "where I live" thread yet? Who's going to be first???

kathleen · #29 10-19-2001, 07:28 AM

hey sam

how reliable is the snail mail.

i could send you u.s. dollar so you could be first on your block.

Sam · #30 10-19-2001, 11:45 PM

Well, to give you an idea, if I post something to my next door neighbour, he'd be lucky to get it within two weeks. If I post something to someone in South Africa, they might get it in six weeks. I suspect your US dollar would be held up to the light, then quietly slipped into someone's back pocket!!! Kind thought, though!