tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69475412709228217572011-07-07T19:48:05.819-05:00This blog will be, mostly, about my travels on Earthwatch expeditions with occasional detours around the world.Hank.Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13250153113013948582noreply@blogger.comBlogger101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947541270922821757.post-63010463177743352602010-03-18T00:53:00.001-05:002010-03-18T01:04:10.425-05:00

Driving over 4000 miles from Chicago to Lake Havasu City and back proves one important thing.  It restores one's belief in god.  The reason is that the only thing you can get on the radio is religious broadcasts.  From howling, pounding hell fire screamers to "Christian Rock"--now that's an oxymoron if there ever was one.Moreover, one is convinced that god is Hispanic--especially if travel is to

Hank.Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13250153113013948582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947541270922821757.post-49672085402518893632009-12-04T08:49:00.003-06:002009-12-05T21:49:18.342-06:00

So maybe if I start before the trip starts this blog can get moving along. Perhaps the better thing to do is to begin at the beginning instead of the end.Here begins a trip that was supposed to happen five years ago or more. Instead we got hooked up to Earthwatch, mostly. First Samburu in Kenya working on plant base lines and Grevy Zebra. The former took place in Wamba, the latter in Lewa.

Hank.Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13250153113013948582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947541270922821757.post-15550500318791240232009-04-01T10:11:00.004-05:002009-04-01T12:58:46.095-05:00

Kalimera.Although we have just returned from Greece, I still have not posted thoughts and pictures from the trip to South Africa.  Until then, let's start with an article on the Jackass Penguins that we saw prior to our meerkat Earthwatch expedition in the Kalahari Desert.This article may disappear, but if you hurry it may still be there.  It is intersting to note that these penguins are a unique

Hank.Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13250153113013948582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947541270922821757.post-3455366963198027782008-05-16T13:05:00.004-05:002008-05-18T08:38:53.152-05:00

A few more thoughts: it is quite amazing how steeped in symbolism the Chinese are. Let's talk numbers. Note the 2008 Olympics begin on August 8, 2008. Apparently numbers are huge in China. Thus, the lucky number 8-8-8 was chosen for the beginning of the games; they had to get a waiver to start the games on that date. The number eight is extremely prized, with a wealthy Chinese businessman

Hank.Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13250153113013948582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947541270922821757.post-27138701384268432972008-05-02T19:49:00.014-05:002008-11-13T01:32:43.720-06:00

Chinalogue, April 2008Ni Hao everyone.We arrived home on Sunday night, April 27; we were en route, door-to-door, for about 30 hours. Perhaps all trips home are more painful than the reverse. We flew from San Francisco to Beijing, then to Xian and ended up in Shanghai.BEIJINGThe new air terminal was finished in April and it is beautiful. There is a vast system of freeways, but never mind, at

Hank.Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13250153113013948582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947541270922821757.post-33298908112019240152008-01-08T08:20:00.000-06:002008-01-08T08:28:29.267-06:00

Odinga and Kibaki seem to have toned down their rhetoric and seem to have agreed to some sort of accommodation after the elections on December 27, 2007. Now, after 12 days dislocation and fear of violence is still very real.A friend received this message from a Kenyan artist who deals with her in African art:Dear N...., Thanks for praying for us. My family was in Nairobi, I was in Kitale near

Hank.Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13250153113013948582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947541270922821757.post-84501737357111643712008-01-05T00:52:00.000-06:002008-01-07T00:31:36.279-06:00

Earthwatch Press Release:"There are no Earthwatch volunteers in the field at this time, although research is due to commence in mid-February. The safety of our volunteers is paramount and so we will be watching the situation very closely and making a decision over the next couple of weeks about how to proceed."http://www.earthwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=dsJSK6PFJnH&b=692025&ct=4894225

Hank.Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13250153113013948582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947541270922821757.post-60034656315010709122008-01-04T23:58:00.000-06:002008-01-07T00:38:07.160-06:00

So much has happened since my first post here. First there were the elections in Kenya. The State Department had warned about going to Kenya during the election season, but we had gone in September--and there were no problems. Kenyans spoke about the impending elections but calmly and confidently, and we offered no opinions.Unfortunately, a quick inauguration of Kibaki for a second term caused

Hank.Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13250153113013948582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947541270922821757.post-51881291455544063402007-12-25T23:11:00.000-06:002007-12-25T23:14:36.699-06:00

I knew I could not restrain myself. Check out this link to Seymour Hersh's article about how the administration downplayed the scandal of torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo:http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/06/25/070625fa_fact_hersh

Hank.Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13250153113013948582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6947541270922821757.post-60307242172648713822007-12-25T11:56:00.000-06:002008-01-07T00:30:42.130-06:00

Because of overwhelming demands (at least two or three people), I have had to create this blog. Forgive me when I say that I perceive blogs to be somewhat self indulgent, thus my delay and reticence since I started on my grand tours in 2002.Friends: I will send an email after I have uploaded text and photos. Others: feel free to complain.

Hank.Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13250153113013948582noreply@blogger.com0