h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, I haven't been outside yet--Be right back...









It feels like somewhere in the 40s (fahrenheit--no idea about what that'd be celcius) It's overcast and everything's wet--it rained all day (pretty much) Friday and yesterday.

Forty degrees fahrenheit is about five degrees Centigrade. That would be really really cold, if it was the temperature around here! It only gets that cold on a few nights every winter over here.

So, what else would you like to know? I'm in an informative mood this evening!

Um... I'm really bad at coming up with questions (Ask Tom--I never was much help with coming up with sample test questions whenever we'd try to sttudy together!)

Just assume complete ignorance on my part, and tell away!

Right, okay ... South Africa is about a million square kilometres in size. That works out to ... around four hundred thousand square miles. We have a population of between thirty five and forty million. About 90% of the population are black people, the rest are mainly white, coloured and Indian (from India). The average precipitation of the country is around 500 mm per year ... twenty inches of rain. Over 90% of the country is in the summer rainfal area, which receives almost all rain over a few months in summer. The bottom southwestern corner of the country is a winter rainfall area.

Right ... anything interesting about that?

OK... Now how about stuff that's not in an encyclopedia?

Okay, not in an encyclopedia: I am afraid that we may be headed for disaster. A very large proportion of the people in this country are infected with the HIV virus and will probably sooner or later die of AIDS. This will cause incredible human suffering and probably ruin us economically ... we just don't have the kind of resources we need to treat all those sick people. We don't have the resources we need to take care of all the children that are going to be orphaned. I have no idea what's going to become of us ... Many affluent and educated people are leaving the country. I don't want to leave ... I love this country too much ... but staying will probably entail facing some really extreme troubles.

Well ... I think things on this continent are going to become really, really bad ... I think the rest of the world will just about forget that we exist. I would like here on h2g2 to remind people that we exist, and that we are human too.

(I know that doesn't 'fix' anything, but I don't know what else to do...)

Well, it would help if you learned a bit more about this continent, so at least *you* would be more aware of its existence!

I'm aware of its existance... I just don't know much about it (though I know more now)

There's degrees of awareness ... for instance, You're *very* aware of your immediate environment ... you know what is where and what is going on where. You're less aware of some other things. Some things you are only very dimly aware of, and some things you aren't aware of at all.

Consider> you know of the existence of the continent of Africa, but you don't think of it a lot. You think more of the North American continent, or maybe of Europe. I, in contrast, think a lot about the African continent. I know what is where, and what is going on where, to a bigger extent than you.

For instance: are you aware at all of the group of beautiful birds that are confined to Africa, called turacos? I am very aware of turacos ... I know which species there are and, more or less at least, where each species is found. That is part of my own awareness of Africa. I know the names of all the countries in Africa, I know in which of them there are wars going on, and in many cases what those wars are about ... I know, roughly, which kinds of people live where. I know which countries are mainly French-speaking, which Portugese, which English, which Arabic, and which have indigenous official languages. I know a huge amount about the geography of Africa ... which mountains are where, which rivers are where, where there are forests, where deserts, where savannahs, and also where there is vast environmental destruction. I know the majority of the mammal species found here, and also the majority of the bird species, a large number of reptile species and amphibians, and a large number of tree and other plant species too. I am also aware of the main kinds of native fish found here, and in which lakes the greatest variety occurs. I know about the prehistoric past of Africa as well ... as far back as 300 million years! I have very good ideas of the human problems Africa faces right now, and the many crises that loom ahead that we all together as a continent shall need to overcome if there is to be any hope for a happy future for us.

You're much more aware of your surroundings than I am of mine... I tend to stay in my shell...

I am also in fact a person who's inside a shell most of the time ... but I have this awareness always, a sense of being in touch with my surroundings, a sense of community.

It's a weird kind of spiritual sensation ... a feeling of community with all people and living beings of the planet.

Ah, that explains it then... I've never felt anything spiritually...

That's strange?!

Hey Amy! Come in please! How are you doing today?

Oops, I somehow missed your post of 6 days ago... Sorry... Yeah, it may sound but I think it's true...

I'm fine, as usual How're you doing? Feeling better now that you've been able to return to your routine?

I'm doing very well thank you! It is indeed nice to be back on all my usual regimens. If you like you can check out my website (Willem's WebWorld 2) and see the last three entries for an idea what I've been up to.