The Chronicles of Carl

Scuba Diving in Cozume Mexico - overview

2011-03-17T08:57:00.000-04:00

This post and then next few lower down in this blog are of my scuba diving trip in March 2011 to Cozumel Mexico. It is a beautiful island with a large reef just off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula. I got my open water PADI scuba certification this fall in Massachusetts and had been thinking about a trip to the south this spring after we arrived in Southern Pines NC for the spring. During our first breakfast in Aspen Snowmass this winter I met a Mexican couple who had built a dive hotel in Cozumel. It seemed that fate was directing me so I contacted the Blue Angel Resort and made a reservation. It turned out that the couple I had met in Aspen lived across the street from the hotel they had built and once owned and I met them again.

If you wondered what happened to the Maya, they are alive and well in Cozumel.

My hotel and dive service, Blue Angel Resort, overlooks the Villa Blanca dive site near the town of San Miguel. Each dive site listed usually has two portions, one is a wall that goes into the deep blue at over 1,000 feet and the other is closer to the shore with a bottom at 60 - 40 ft. The wall portion has deep canyons going up the face and swim thoughts or small caves open at both ends. It is like flying through a beautiful garden. I did over 20 dives during my two week stay.

Scuba Diving in Cozume Mexico

2011-03-16T12:06:00.000-04:00

I spent two weeks diving at the Blue Angel Resort and obtained my Open Water Advanced certification from PADI. The views were fantastic and the staff very professional, especially my instructor Mathew Atkins.

Blue Angel pool and one of the dive boats

Carnival on Cozumel

Me on a deep dive

Blue Angel Restaurant

Transparent Shrimp on Coral

Diving Progress

2011-03-09T14:42:00.002-05:00

I have done about 16 dives to this point in a week and a half. During this trip I have taken the PADI avvanced open water course from the Blue Angel resident instructor, Mathew. This course has included lessons on buoyancy (some very useful stuff), deep diving to 100 feet, fish identification, underwater navigation and tonight night diving. In addition I have done a number of boat dives. These dives include two tanks. In the first dive we usually go deeper than the second. The deeper you go the less time you have on the dive and the more nitrogen accumulates in your blood. The second dive after a wait on the boat to partually degas, have a fruit lunch and rest, is at a shallower depth to give one more dive time and continue the degassing process.

I use a dive computer that is like a fat wristwatch that monitors your time and depth to ensure you don't stay down too long. It also monitors your ascent rate to ensure you don't go up too fast. The dives we do don't require a decompression step but we always hold at 15 ft. For 3 minutes as a safety factor.

I have seen many very beautiful and colorful fish as well as some really big spiny lobsters. Many of the reefs raise like pillars out of the ocean floor with numerous caves, arches, short swim-throughs and large crevasses one can swim up along the reef wall. This is especially true at the ledge which descends over 1,000 ft. Into a dark blue abyss. It is at times like flying through a forest or being in the movie Avitar.

More from Cozumel - Underwater Navigation Class

2011-03-03T18:31:00.001-05:00

This morning I studied for my course and this afternoon I did the underwater navigation segment. I learned that I do 28 kicks in 100 feet, to navigate by bottom features and to measure distance by walking along the bottom on my hands and counting the hand strides ( also 28 per 100 feet). Tomorrow I do a deep water dive and follow that with a fish identification dive. More studying.

March 2nd scuba diving in Cozumel

2011-03-02T18:12:00.000-05:00

More from my Scuba vacation in Cozumel at the Blue Angel Resort
Today I did two dives in the morning one at Las Palmas ref and a second at Paradise reef. It is amazing how many very colorful fish are here. We saw one large shark and a Morey eel. Many of the fish were unfamiliar to me. I am getting more confident. The bottom was sandy at about 40 feet with corals rising about 20 feet from the sea floor. Our dive master took us through tight channels between close reefs with fish on either side. We also went under arches of coral and short tunnels. There were four of us on these dives, a photographer from Quebec and a mother an college age daughter. Dominique made me a friend on Facebook so that we can see the video of the dive he uploaded.

I didn't have any lessons today but will have two tomorrow. One is on underwater navigation and the other is a night dive. I am getting tired of studying but am learning a number of new techniques.

Coffee at the Blue Angle

2011-02-28T08:06:00.003-05:00

I am sitting under a thatched roof looking at a vibrant blue Caribbean and can almost see the Mexico mainland. Breakfast should be ready soon. Today I may just snorkel or do a shore dive with the real stuff starting tomorrow. I am thinking about taking another course to get my advanced open water certification but it includes classwork and tests in addition to a number of dives to practice additional skills.

At RDU airport waiting for flight to Atlanta and then to Cozumel

2011-02-27T07:21:00.001-05:00

Backs and coffee

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Scuba Diving Cozumel Mexico

2011-02-26T09:11:00.000-05:00

I am getting ready for two weeks in Cozumel Mexico scub diving. I have signed up for 18 dives with Blue Angle Resort and Dive Center. I am not sure how this will go for a guy who will go through his 68th brithday during the trip.
http://www.blueangelresort.com/

Scuba Diving in Cozumel Mexico

2011-02-25T20:41:00.000-05:00

I am getting ready for two weeks in Cozumel Mexico scub diving. I have signed up for 18 dives but I am not sure how this will go for a guy who will go through his 68th brithday during the trip.

Snow in Groton MA

2011-02-02T09:45:00.002-05:00

Our front door. I wonder how long it will take for this to melt.

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Return from Aspen Snowmass

2011-02-02T09:24:00.000-05:00

We are back home for a while after a wonderful Trip to Aspen Snowmass. This was about our 20th trip to Aspen and the Mountain Chalet that included visits with old friends who also seem to show up at about the same time. In addition to the skiing we went to a talk on Superconducting materials at the Aspen Opera House. We heard about the talk from a women physicist on a ski lift to the top of the Burn.

A new member of the human family

2011-01-05T12:31:00.001-05:00

Click on the title for a link to a discussion about a third member of the human family, the Denisovans. They were more closely related to the Neanderthals than us but did contribute to the genome of some humans, primarily ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanesia) Melanesians. It is interesting that only non-Africans seem to share a few genes with Neanderthals and Melanesians.

Scuba Dive at Pampano Beach FL

2011-01-03T15:42:00.001-05:00

Click on the title to follow the link to more informaion.

Carl's first Skydive

2010-08-01T16:43:00.002-04:00

Carl Good This morning after breakfast at Johnson's I drove my can-Am Spyder 4 miles from home to SkyDive Pepperell and did a tandem jump. They are very professional. The scariest part wast the pre flight video that empathises that you can be really hurt or killed doing this. The rest of the process was fantastic.

Can-Am Spyder riding in Vermont

2010-07-16T15:46:00.001-04:00

Last weekend I drove my Can-Am Spyder motorcycle to see friends in VT. They live on a 90 acre farm with panoramic views of the mountains. Wendy drove our Prius and she and Linda rode horses the next day. John and I drove our cycles 160 miles through the green and lush mountains of VT. We returned on Tue. All in all I put about 360 miles on the Spyder.

Rotary Paul Harris award

2010-06-02T16:05:00.001-04:00

I was received a Paul Harris PHF+1 award by Rotary International for my contributions to The Rotary Foundation relating to the Center for Children with Special needs in Bangladesh. http://www.ccsnbangladesh.org/

Sky Diving in a wind tunnel

2010-04-22T11:40:00.002-04:00

While returning to our Southern Pines vacation home from the Fayetteville airport with my mother-in-law I saw this strange tall building in Raeford called Sky Venture. On the web I found out that it was a wind tunnel to practice sky diving. Eventually I returned to check out the facility and took a lesson for about $100. It was great and the staff very professional. Part of the deal is a CD of your flights. They have another facility in Nashua NH near our home. I will have to try it again.

update from Carl in the middle east 3-26

2010-03-26T12:56:00.000-04:00

Last night we had a native dress party including our Jordanian guide and his wife. Today we had breakfast at a reasonable hour and headed out to Karnack. It is a very large temple complex and other than the Pyramids the largest we have visited. It is a series of pylon temples with the famous hypostyle hall composed of a large number of gigantic columns. No mater who a temple is dedicated to there are three deities, a father, wife and son. The amazing thing is that the ancient Egyptians put so much effort into such a useless thing. They are impressive especially considering the primitive tools available but a general waste of resources. After Karnack we visited --- which is very near the boat dock and is much larger in reality than the small area excavated. I say small but just in comparison to the other sites we have visited. We returned to the ship for lunch and I was greeted by toilet paper headed man and his two creators. After a lunch on the ship we headed out to the valley of the kings and the temple of the feamale pharos Hatshepsut. She was one of five female pharos and eventually killed by her son. This is near the valley of the kings on the west side of the Nile. I visited three tombs, the third of which was high up on a wall, deep and very hot. It was good to get outside and cool off. No pictures were allowed in the whole site. Tonight after supper we have a belly dance show and then have to get up at 3:45 am to catch a plane to Cairo. These early flights and the incessant and aggressive street vendors are the only negatives of this trip.

update from Carl in the middle east 3-25

2010-03-26T01:23:00.000-04:00

The ship MS Concerto motored overnight from Aswan to Kom Ombo. I lied in bed looking out my floor to ceiling and wall to wall window watching the lighted shore and boats pass in the night. Our wake up call was at 5:45 for breakfast with a very groggy group after our long day yesterday. We were the outside ship so to go to Kom Ombo which was next door our group had to cross through the reception hall of two other ships. Some of these reception halls were three stories high. It was a short walk to the Greek Ptolemaic temple (~200 BC) built on top of an earlier Egyptian one. The temple looked very Egyptian with a few subtle differences in columns and carvings. The temple was to both Horus and Sobek the crocodile god. Sobek was a rather nasty fellow while Horus was nice. It was also a hospital with carvings of medical instruments on the walls and reliefs on the floor of people waiting for treatment. The floor carvings included board games and other ways to pass the time. No magazines but otherwise not much different from today. As before our Egyptologist guide uses a whisperer device that transmits his voice to a receiver each of us wears. This avoids interference from other guides. When I got back to my cabin there was a camel on my bed.

We then left port on our way to Edfu which has the second largest pylon based temple. Again a very impressive edifice built by the Ptolemys which were Greek dynasties that came into poser after Alexander the Great invaded Egypt. Early Christians lived in the temple and defaced many of the carvings as they did in a number of other temples. It is interesting that the chiseled out the faces but left all the hieroglyphics. It was pretty hot so I went for a swim in the pool on the top deck of the ship. Afterwards we had tea and then another lecture on Egyptology in the lounge. Our ship negotiated a lock in the Nile with very little room to spare. As were leaving the lock I visited the pilot house and met the captain who drove the ship in a very comfortable position. I didn't see a GPS and there are almost no aids to navigation or channel buoys. A night I think that he navigates by the lights of minarets in the distance. After dinner there was a costume party where a number of us wore native dress. The picture is of me, our Jordanian guide and his wife.

update from Carl in the middle east 3-24-10

2010-03-25T06:30:00.000-04:00

I am sitting next to the picture window of my stateroom watching the Nile go by on our way from Aswan to Luxor in Egypt. It is 900 pm local time so I see mainly the lights on shore and other cruise ships motoring past us in the opposite direction. The desert night is cool after a warm day. Across from the town of Aswan is a hill with ancient caves cut into the rock that is artfully lighted creating a spectacular view. The ship is four decks topped by an open air lounge area and swimming pool.

Today we got a wake up call at 2:00 am. After coffee and a box breakfast we boarded a bus for the airport to catch a 5:00 am flight from Cairo to Aswan. * (We are passing under a bridge with lighted suspension cables similar to the new one that crosses the Charles river in Boston. It looks something like an Egyptian headdress. It seems like every few minutes another lighted cruise ship passes us in the other direction. ) While on a major freeway driving toward the airport our bus stopped. Numerous attempts to get it restarted failed but another bus arrived and we transferred luggage and people from one to another. We made the airport, were rushed through security and made the one hour flight to Aswan.

On leaving the airport we crossed and viewed the Aswan high dam built by Russians at the request of Nasser. The Americans refused to build it at the time but the original Russian turbines have been replaced by more efficient American ones. This dam provides 80% of the electricity used in Egypt. The next stop was the temple of Isis that like Abu Simbel was rescued from the rising waters of lake Nasser. This large edifice was dissembled and moved to a nearby island. This temple has the classic form of two large pylons in front with additional pylons decreasing in size to the holy of holies.

We next drove to the gigantic unfinished stella resting in it's granite quarry and heard about the ancient techniques used to remove such large structures from the living rock. (The line of cruise ships passing us has ceased. It seems that they travel in herds). After the granite quary we drove along the Nile to Aswan and to our ship. They park three abreast with connections through the center of each ship so we enter one ship next to the dock and then keep going from ship to ship until we reach our vessel. After a couple of hours of free time that included a walk around town and some rest we had a talk on the area from a Yale Ph.D. Egyptologist who is accompanying us on this part of the trip. She is an excellent speaker and provides much human color to the history.

update from Carl in the middle east 3-21 to 3-22

2010-03-23T12:50:00.000-04:00

Hi,

I missed the email yesterday as we arrived at the Movenpick Pyramids hotel in

Cairo after 10:00 pm local time. It is very close to Giza. In the morning we left Petra for a drive North to the Dead Sea with beautiful views of the valley than goes from the Dead Sea to Aquaba on the Red Sea. We were at 5,000 feet and descended to -1,500 feet at the Dead Sea down a very steep curvy road. I could smell the hot breaks on the bus. At the Dead Sea we stopped for lunch and a swim in the sea at a beautiful hotel. The salt level is so high and buoyancy so great that you can just stand up straight without touching the bottom.

We then drove to Amman and flew to Cairo going through a large number of passport checks. I should mention that in both Jordan and Egypt we have an armed guard on the bus. On the 23^rd we visited the pyramids at Giza, the artifacts at Memphis and the first or Stepped Pyramid at Saqqara. The pyramids are really big and even though there were thousands of people visiting them there was plenty of room. One of my favorite things was the royal barge that had been excavated and was on display. There isn't much at Memphis but the Saqqara site is very impressive and contains a number of large pyramids including the first one. While the ruins were impressive, They were not presented very well except at Saqqara which had a good museum and explanatory video. We have two professional archeologists supporting the tour that make up for the poor explanatory facilities at the sites. Also, each of us has a radio receiver to listen to the archeologists at the sites which can be noisy. The system works rather well.

Tomorrow we get up at 2:00 am to catch a plane to Aswan in the South. They say that this is to ensure that we are first at the sites. Also, this is the high season and it is difficult to get plane seats to Aswan.

update from Carl in the middle east 3-21-10

2010-03-21T14:13:00.000-04:00

Today we experienced the >2,000 year old site of Petra in Jordan mostly on foot. The weather was cool so I started out with a jacket and a backpack. This ancient area was primarily built by an Arab civilization from 400 BC to 150 AD. It was a major stop on the caravan root from Arabia to the rest of the world. Petra is a very narrow long gully or wadi hundreds of feet deep. It is so narrow and deep that along much of its length my GPS could not see enough satellites to give an accurate position. When Petra is mentioned the "treasury" is usually shown. This is a very impressive tomb several stories high was carved into the native rock. However, it is only a small part of the total site. The natural erosion in this narrow channel is beautiful and impressive in its own right. One walks a couple of miles past ancient Nabataean, Greek and Roman structures. After this walk a couple of us continued on to the "monastery" which we were told required traversing 600 steps up the mountain. While there were 600 steps there were also extensive steep sections with no steps. It was a substantial climb with the reward of incredible views to the Sinai in the distance and cliffs dropping steeply hundreds of feet with nothing in the way of safety fences or restraints. It is no place for people with a fear of heights. On the way back I did a couple of miles on a camel. Although the camel is walking , it is sort of like riding a cantering horse with similar stresses on one's pelvis. Who know what pains tomorrow will bring. My muscles were treated by an hours immersion in a warm pool at the hotel with a little therapeutic wine. This is an amazing site that combines great natural beauty with amazing gigantic stone structures.

Tomorrow we go for a swim in the Dead Sea and take a flight to Egypt.

Carl

update from Carl in the middle east 3-20-10

2010-03-20T15:20:00.000-04:00

Hi,

I am now in Petra Jordan between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea. Today we left Amman Jordan passing through the suburbs on our way south. For the whole trip I have seen nothing equivalent to the slums seen on trips to Bangladesh and Kenya. The whole area including Jordan seems relatively prosperous including Palestinian areas of Israel (I did not go to the Gaza strip) and Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan.

First we visited the Roman site of the Citadel with more impressive ruins of a major Roman town. Our second stop was Madaba Jordan where there 3,500 year old ceramic representations of people and a church with a mosaic map of ancient Palestine that has been used to identify previously un-located archeological sites. We then drove to Mt. Nebo where Moses looked across to the land of milk and hone but was not allowed to visit. The view was magnificent across the green Jordan valley with white Jericho in the distance. On clearer days high building in Jerusalem can be seen and some say that even the Mediterranean comes into view. The group visited a modern mosaic factory employing physically challenged people. One couple ordered a $1,000 mosaic table to be shipped back to the US. We then headed south with the topography becoming more and more arid. It was not a desert of sand dunes but a rolling plateau of brown with the occasional flock of sheep and camels. We descended from 5,000 feet to 3,400 feet by my GPS to Petra and a five star Crown Plaza hotel for the night. The temperature is still cool.

Carl

update from Carl in the middle east 3-19-10

2010-03-19T15:29:00.000-04:00

Hi,

I am now in Amman Jordan again surprised at the greenness of the land we traveled through. Only 8% of Jordan is arable land and we seem to have traveled through most of it. One hilly section is high enough to have a couple feet of snow in the winter. From now on as we head to Petra and then Egypt it will be a different thing with mainly arid land.

We left the Kibbutz in Capernaum in cool weather which continued all day. Our first stop was at Bethshean beside the Jordan creek that had extensive Roman ruins with bathhouses and all the usual stuff. The ruins were impressive but we didn't have enough time to see it all. There is a rather large hill or Tel next to the Roman city whose bottom layer dates to 4,500 BC. It seems that they just built one town after another in the same place.

We then spent two hours leaving Israel and entering Jordan by crossing the creek. We took our bus through an Israeli passport check then over to an area where we unloaded the bus and went through another passport check. Then the group loaded up on another bus after a long wait and drove ½ mile to Jordan security. We unloaded from that bus, went through another passport check and carried our luggage through a baggage check. Once through this we loaded our baggage and ourselves on the bus that would take us through Jordan. we also changed guides and I think that the new one will do better than the first.

After an hours trip through green hills and fields of wheat we arrived at an excellent lunch at about 2:00 in the afternoon. It was great middle eastern food with the ability to rent a hooka water pipe for $5.00 for an after lunch smoke. None of us took advantage of this opportunity although they must have had twenty of the things for rent so a fair number of people must use them.

We then stopped at the ruins of the city of Jerash which are immense. This Roman city is includes over two miles of collinated streets with a hippodrome for chariot races, an amphitheater theater and various temples. This was as good as anything I had seen in Greece but is not well known. We then drove through more green hills to Amman to stay at the excellent Amman Cham Palace Hotel where I have a small suite.

Tomorrow we head off for Mt. Nebo where Moses viewed the promised land in the south of Jordan ending up in Petra for the night.

Considering everything that is going on, it is good to be out of Israel.

Carl

update from Carl in the middle east 3-18-10

2010-03-18T13:57:00.000-04:00

Today we toured the sea of Galilee with its green hills and banana plantations. The Kibbutz we are staying at is about 650 ft below sea level and has a warm micro climate in general although today the temperatures were in the 70s. About thirty miles away at mt. Hermon in the Golan Heights there is a ski area. The hills are green and the valleys are filled with agriculture from olive and mango trees to wheat and vegetables. There is a lot of good grazing for horses but only a few to be found. The area is populated by Palestinians (Moslem and Christian) and Israelies with no walls between the areas as there is in the west bank.

We headed north around the sea of Galilee which seems about the size of the Quabin reservoir but with a more rounded shape. The Jordon river entering the sea is the size of a small stream. Even it's exit from the southern end isn't much bigger. It probably should be called the Jordon creek. Our first stop was at Capernaum a couple of miles north of our Kibbutz. We saw St. Peters home and the mount of the Beatitudes with their respective churches. The excavations at Capernaum provided a good feel of a tightly packed town of small stone houses with a large synagogue. It is all nicely done but the facilities are not as informative as those I encounter in Greece. Our guide just sort of recites the bible stories with little additional background so it is best to read up on your own before such a trip.

We continued around the sea of Galilee with the beautiful contrast between the green hills and blue sea. At the south end we visited the first Kibbutz which is about 100 years old. These were socialist communes but this one become more capitalist in the last 10 years with members responsible for most of their own finances. We had lunch at the Kibbutz which was consistent with dedicated suffering. Our next stop was the purported site of Christ's baptism by John the Baptist. A number of people (none from our group) took off their clothes and enter the water. The facility sold baptism robes but not all used them.

Nazareth was our next stop after another trip through the beautiful hills and valleys. The whole area is much nicer than I had expected. Nazareth was a very busy city and other than the church of the annunciation over what is purported to be Mary's home was just a crowed city. The church which is relatively new was beautiful with many nations providing impressive mosaics on the walls of the courtyard. It is built over the excavations of Mary's house with the lower level showing the excavations and the upper eve being an impressive church with a hole in the floor showing the excavations.

Tomorrow we head for Jordon.

Carl

update Carl

2010-03-17T15:42:00.000-04:00

Things were tense in Jerusalem but they opened up the wailing wall at the temple so that was back on our schedule. It was our first stop before leaving Jerusalem for the Mediterranean coast. There were guards all over with machine guns but I wearing a complementary yarmulke made it to the wall to pay my respects. We then hoped on the bus and headed out of town to the west. As one leaves Jerusalem in the central mountains the land gets better and greener. In general this is a green time of year in Israel. It is obvious to me that the Canaanites and Philistines on the coast had much better land than the Israelites in the hills. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin who had Jerusalem south had the worst land. The other tribes who were north of Jerusalem had much better land even if it was in the hills. Our first stop was at Caesarea where Harrod the great built a very advanced port city and palace. It included a race track where I was able to practice my chariot driving. We then drove to the very beautiful Haifa on the sea and had lunch at a restaurant high on a hill overlooking the harbor. It is the best place in Israel to live. After lunch we traveled to Akko also on the coast to visit an extensive fort that was the headquarters for the Knights Templar and the Hospitaliers during the crusades. Our guide took us through a bunch of vendors in an alley where a portly native American lady in our group purchased a belly dancing outfit. I hope she doesn't feel inclined to model it. Later I encountered an Arabian horse that is the only one I have seen in Israel. Then we headed back across Israel through the green Karmiel valley with mountains on either side. We descended to the sea of Gaililee to the Nof Ginosar Kibbutz near the city of Tiberias. The Kibbutz is 670 feet below sea level per my Garmin Oregon 300 GPS. I knew that the dead sea was below sea level but didn't realize that the upstream sea of Galilee was also so far below sea level. This means that it is warmer here than in Jerusalem.

Carl

update from Carl in the middle east 3-16-10

2010-03-16T13:28:00.000-04:00

Today in the morning we were to see the wailing wall and the Al Aqsa Mosque where the temple once stood in the old city. However, Jerusalem is in lock down, especially the religious sites. I have heard that this is because of the issues with the new settlement in the West Bank announced during the vice president's visit and a new synagogue in the west bank that was to be dedicated. I haven't heard of any trouble so I assume they are just being careful. Therefore, we went with plan B, a trip to Bethlehem that was not on the original agenda. Bethlehem is less than 7 miles from Jerusalem and is totally enclosed with a 9 meter wall. You go through security similar to a border crossing and it is very difficult for Palestinians to get out. As a result there are few jobs and many empty shops. In general Israel is taking the West Bank area piece by piece (through settlements which are all over the place and very large) and squeezing out the Palestinians. We had a talk by a liberal Israeli who explained the strategy. It is like there would be a 9 meter (~27 ft) wall around Groton MA and one would have to go through security to get to Ayer MA next door. Also, for example, if you weren't Irish it would be very difficult to leave Groton.

We visited the church over the accepted birthplace of Christ and visited another church where the sheppards attended their flocks in the nativity story. They were singing Christmas carols (holy night) in a newer section of the church. The area though hilly does have some green grass growing. I have been impressed with the cleanliness of all the areas we have visited both Israeli and Palestinian. We had lunch in a Palestinian restaurant that included a talk on Israeli politics which is complex to say the least. The speaker was originally from the US and had to return to marry his Israeli bride because the conservative Jewish groups wouldn't approve his marriage because he and his parents were reform Jews in the US. There is no such thing as a civil marriage in Israel. The conservative groups have to approve each one. The population of Jerusalem is actually decreasing as many of the more secular people both Jewish and Palestinian are leaving resulting in a concentration of the radial right of both ethnic groups in the city. Also, it is a rather expensive place to live.

After the talk and lunch we went to the holocaust museum outside the western edge of Jerusalem. The west side of Jerusalem is very different with treed hills and much less exposed rock. The museum was very impressive and packed, perhaps because so much of the rest of Jerusalem was closed.

Our guide had more trouble keeping us together exclaiming that we are the worst group he has ever guided, young or old.

Tomorrow we go to Caesarea and the sea of Galilee.

Carl

Update from Carl in the middle east 3-15-10

2010-03-15T15:39:00.000-04:00

Today we did our first tour which included the Mount of Olives, the Dolo Rosa in the old city and then the Israel Museum on the other side of town. This is a city of thin natives on motor scooters and fat tourists on in buses.

Our guide got rather exasperated trying to keep the group together. We did loose one or two ladies in the mornig who turned up later in the day. He has to realize that this is an old group that doesn't see or hear well. One guy has a hearing aid with a transmitter that he hangs around his neck. He stuck the transmitter in his wife's pocket and could hear everything going on around her. Fortunately she didn't say anything bad about him.

The Mount of Olives gives you a view across the Kidron valley to old walled Jerusalem providing a great perspective of the area. While there I took a short ride on a camel for $5. The camel seems to eat and work at the same time. We and a few million other people slowly walked through the narrow streets of old Jerusalem on the supposed path of Christ to his crucifixion. The group ended up at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which also encloses Golgotha. Golgotha is much smaller than I expected. There would hardly have been room for three crosses on top. We had an excellent lunch at an Armenian restaurant in the old city and left for the Israel museum on the other side of the city. In addition to the dead sea scrolls on the inside; the outside had 1/50 scale model of Jerusalem at the time of Christ. It is about half the size of a football field and would be a great place for a model train. The natural stone display was something that provided a great perspective on the area and time. Tonight we have a lecture on the Palestinian view of things and the next night one from the Jewish perspective.

Carl

Middle East trip update from Carl 3-14-10

2010-03-14T15:02:00.000-04:00

Hi,

I have spent another day walking around Jerusalem waiting for the tour to start. The other participants get in this afternoon with an orientation at 6:00 PM. The weather is delightful with temperatures in the 70's under a hazy sun. My hotel is on a ridge overlooking the walled old city of Jerusalem. I walked around some of the local shopping areas in the morning which are upscale in new and clean in this region of the city. The people in general are slim with only the ocasional fatty. Perhaps it's is th Kosher food but I did see a McDonalds. I wonder if they have cheezeburgers? In the afternoon I walked down the slope and across the valley to the walled old city that contains the via delarosa, dome of the rock and wailing wall. While walking along the city wall I encountered Zedekiah's cave which may have been begun by Solomon. It is under the streets of the old town and is rather large having been found in 1854 when a bible scholar went chaising after his dog which had just disappeared. I entered through the Damascus gate and wandered through the narrow streets and endless series of shops with very agressive shopkeepers. During this walk I avoided most of the important sites assuming that we would visit them in the next few days. I exitied and followed the wall all the way around. It was hilly and long so I was pretty beat by the time the hotel was in sight.

Carl

Update from Carl 3-13

2010-03-13T09:40:00.000-05:00

Hi,

After 36 hours without much if any sleep I have made it to Jerusalem and the hotel Prima Kings Hotel. I was amazed that the driver actually was at the airport at 4:00 am. It was a thrilling ride through thick fog from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. To use frequent flyer miles I arrived a day ahead of the Exploritas group and so am sort of here on my own. The hotel does not seem to be near a retail district but as this is Saturday, most things are closed anyway. I tried lunch at the hotel but they wanted to charge me $50.00 for a buffet. I had a candy bar that was transported all the way from the US instead. My group rate starts tomorrow and meals are included. The attached pictures are of the hotel and a stone windmill that is next door. It was built by the Jewish English Baronet Moses Montefiore in the 1800's to promote industry in Israel.

All the best

Carl

Carl's trip to the middle east

2010-03-08T12:10:00.002-05:00

Hi,

I am about to leave for a trip to the middle east http://www.exploritas.org/programs/programdetail.asp?RowId=1%2D41ABUV and will be sending a few electronic postcards. Hopefully I will be able to determine if the pyramids were really built by aliens.

All the best.

Carl

test of Email posting

2010-03-08T11:50:00.001-05:00

test of email posting

Trip to Costa Rica - 5 Villa Caletas and Pacific Ocean

2009-12-10T08:39:00.000-05:00

We have made it back to Massachusetts after a wonderful trip that included an avoidance of Montezuma’s revenge. Our last stay was on the Pacific coast in my favorite hotel / resort of all time. The Villa Caletas, www.villacaletas.com was opened in 1992 and resembles an ancient Spanish Villa perched on a high ridge with stone work and buildings climbing up, down and along the ridge. It overlooks a rain forest that drops precipitously to the blue waters of the Pacific. Each room has a different motif with most being individual villas, some with their own Jacuzzis. Ours was one of four in the main building. Coming back from a hike we found two elephants on our bed with red flowers everywhere.

The plantings of flowers, bushes and trees wrapped the buildings in a colorful blanket. There were many steps, twists and turns on the paths that wandered around the resort. This is no place for physically challenged individuals. Our room had a spectacular view with trees nearby than housed Toucans, scarlet Macaws , hummingbirds, butterflies, bromeliads, and a slow moving iguana that hung out on a dead branch just beyond the edge of our balcony. I never figured out whether it was looking for lunch or just getting a few rays. Other wildlife observed during this section of the trip included crocodiles, Agoutis, howler and spider monkeys, two toed sloths, leaf cutter ants, really big spiders, kingfishers, herons, spoonbills and many other birds.

This part of the trip included yet another personally guided hike through the rain forest with one section containing a plant that put me in a sneezing fit on the way out and on the way back. I never figured out which vile plant caused this distress. In the afternoon I took an ATV excursion on back roads, main highways, deep streams and the beach. We actually saw some wildlife that included two Toucans in a one Toucan tree. There was quite a kerfuffle. These vehicles can go through very rough terrain with our having to put our feet on the fenders so that when crossing deep water the steam from the partially submerged engines would not burn our legs. We used only 4^th and 5^th gears. The road to the hotel was very narrow and winding. Although it was sad to leave the Villa Caletas, I was happy to have made it down the road again without tumbling a thousand feet down the side of the ridge.

Our drive back to San Jose was over narrow mountain roads that provided spectacular views and some white knuckle driving. Next year the interstate that avoids this should be completed. I think I would take the old route.

On the way to the Villas Caletas we stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant and encountered the following: http://www.youtube.com/user/ericson35#p/u/0/me8L9Hs38QA

All the best

Carl

We encountered these Xylophone players at a restaurant / bar near Bahia de Caldera / Bahia de Barranca Costa Rica. Their bar included saddles to help you stay upright after too may margaritas.

(more)

Costa Rica - 4 Areal volcano and Tabacon resort

2009-12-10T08:34:00.002-05:00

Costa Rica has one of the world’s most active volcanoes, Areal. We stayed at the 5 star Tabacon hotel and Spa that included a 42 inch flat screen in our room. The Spa was something very special. It was a garden filled with tropical plants and two streams that wandered down the hill through the foliage. One was warm and the other hot with numerous pools for soaking and several waterfalls for sitting under. They ended in a large pool with a bar and water flowing into additional smaller pools. A very good restaurant overlooked the pool. We were in the water until we wrinkled. Tropical plants were everywhere.

We also enjoyed a hike up the mountain to through a rain forest to a lava field. We could almost see the top and did hear it erupt. This volcano seems to throw out a lot a rocks in addition to lava. In the evening we ate at a restaurant with a panoramic view of the mountain and the man- made lake Areal. It is a major source of hydroelectric power and reminded me of lake Como in Italy as it was long and nestled between the mountains. The next day was bright and clear and as we drove south to the Villas Caletes on the Pacific ocean we had a very clear view of the mountain with steam emanating from the caldera.

More later.

Trip to Costa Rica - 3

2009-12-10T08:14:00.002-05:00

We are now at the Tabacon resort near the Areal active volcano about to hike the rain forest in the rain.

I have posted a video of our horseback riding, zip lining, swimming and butterfly watching at the Sueno Azul resort two days ago on YouTube at the link listed below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diWNutnwWEA

Trip to Costa Rica - 2 Sueno Azul resort in Costa Rica

2009-12-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

Hi,

Yesterday we took a 2 hr boat ride on a river that paralleled the carribean shore and then turned inland to a dock where we loaded into a bus. It was another ride on a bumpy road through farms and banana plantations to a main road. We then had lunch and left the bus for our rental car. I signed a lot of papers and hopefully none will come back to bite me. The Costa Rica chip for my Garmin GPS worked well and took us right to the Sueno Azul resort. The final mile of this journey was over two rickety suspension bridges that were just wide enough for the shoe sized care we rented to fit through. The resort is in the jungle boarded on one side and by the juncture of two rivers on the other side. Our room looks into the jungle across a pond with many bird and one large brown Iguana on top of a tree. This resort was recommended by the horse trainer Paul Stirberry of Southern Pines. He gives clinics here in February. This morning we rode horses through the jungle to a Zip Line area and zipped through the tree tops on eight different lines. You sort of zip from one platform to another. Then we walked a short distance to a series of waterfalls that end in a very large pool with a water slide. After an hour’s swim we went to a butterfly garden with then flying all around us. In Costa Rica they have a large butterfly with bright blue wings and others whose wings look like a owl or snake to dissuade predators. After the butterfly exhibit Wendy road back and Carl because of hip problems road back in a truck with the crew. The horse was a lot smoother. Wendy and a worker who didn’t speak English seemed to gallop most of the way back. We had a great lunch overlooking the pool and rivers followed by a lot of just lounging about.

Trip to Costa Rica - 1

2009-12-09T16:34:00.002-05:00

We have made it to Costa Rica flying in on Nov 22nd. We had to catch a bus for a trip from the capital over the continental divide through the impressive mountain rain forest to the plain leading to the Caribbean. We toured a banana plantation and saw a lot of small farms including those with horses. Then we boarded an open boat for a trip to the shore and the Hotel Pachira Lodge near the Tortuguero national park for the preservation of sea turtles among other wildlife. The only way to this lodge is by boat or plane. We have taken a couple of boat tours into the jungle seeing much wildlife since being here. On the shore Wendy protected a young turtle hatchling from a local dog and we all watched it scamper to the shore and into the water. Good luck turtle. Only 2% survive. We also took a walk through the jungle that required rubber boots supplied by the lodge. They were needed but we saw a number of monkeys (howler and spider) among other wildlife. There also has been significant swimming, drinking and eating. Tomorrow we hop in the boat again for a two hour ride to a bus and then to a rental car office. I brought my GPS with special maps for Costa Rica and hopefully it will all work. None of the resorts we are visiting have a street address. That makes sense for the current resort as there are no roads anyway. We will drive to Hotel Hacienda Sueño Azul Resort, in Sarapiquí. a friend of ours Paul Striberry from Southern Pines gives riding clinics at this resort but will probably not be there during our stay.

Rotary Grant for CCSN Bangladesh

2009-10-28T17:57:00.004-04:00

We have a new chance to get this grant done before the end of the year. It seems that our district has enough money if we can jump through some additional hurdles. Next year Rotary will require that grants be larger and it will be much more difficult for small clubs like ours to make this happen. They say that the larger grants will be more able to justify the overhead required for management.

The Windchaser has been sold

2009-10-03T09:52:00.002-04:00

Measuring brain pathways by tensor analysis of MRI data

2009-08-13T10:35:00.005-04:00

MRI does it again. Using advanced mathematical analysis scientists have developed a way to take pictures of water diffusing along nerve axons. This provides a picture of how the nerves are connected or the connectome. Different pathologies will result in incorrect neural connections in the human brain. This is different from all the studies one hears about today showing which areas of the brain are active under certain conditions. This technique doesn't show directly which areas of the brain are active how they are connected.

Maintenance on a Can-Am Spyder motorcycle

2009-08-03T12:41:00.002-04:00

Today I finally read the manual and found out how to check the fluids including oil, coolant, and brake fluid. All are easily accessible except the oil level which requires the removal of a side panel. Fortunately there are a couple of quick release things and you can bend the panel back enough to reach the filler cap without having to remove the remaining screw. The other level checks are more accessible but the levels are not easy to see. A flashlight is recommended.

Windsurfer for sale on Craigs list

2009-07-27T09:01:00.002-04:00

My Mistral Pandera windsurfer is for sale on the MA Craigs List.

Singlehanding Downeast Maine

2009-07-16T11:14:00.001-04:00

I just returned from three days single handing my 35 ft sailboat down east starting in South Freeport Maine stopping at the Sebasco Resort and Boothbay before returning. Lovely weather but light winds.

Hot air baloon in Kenya over Masi Mara

2009-07-07T11:32:00.002-04:00

While cleaning my desktop I found this picture from last years safari in Kenya. We are high over Masi Mara early in the morning viewing the wildlife. After a gentle touch down we all enjoyed a champagne breakfast.

Limulus lysate testing for pyrogens in pharmaceuticals

2009-06-29T10:47:00.004-04:00

While cleaning out some things in the basement I found this copy of the Journal of the Parenteral Drug Association that includes a lecture I gave in 1977. In this presentation I provided an overview of the Limulus (horseshoe crab blood derived test) lysate test for pyrogens (fever producing chemicals). All pharmaceuticals must be tested for these molecules that can cause fever and in some cases anaphylactic shock and death. Before the crab blood was used the test involved measuring the anal temperature of rabbits. Racks of rabbits would have temperature probes in their rear ends to see if there was a temperature increase after the pharmaceutical was injected. This chemical test was a great advance over the rabbit test although it resulted in a lot of out of work rabbits. By the way, the crabs lived through the removal of a considerable amount of their blue blood. We marked their carapaces before returning them to Barnegat Bay. We actually retrieved some the next year.

Thank you note from a Rotary Interact club

2009-06-22T19:51:00.010-04:00

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of making a presentation on service to the Rotary Interact group of the Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy. This school was recently voted the best magnet school in the U.S.

Afterwards I received this very nice thank you note.

Skeptics' Guide to the Universe

2009-06-21T12:22:00.004-04:00

I am really into podcasts on everything from the latest science to history. It is much better than the junk on radio and is always with me on my iPOD Touch. One of my favorites is the Skeptics' guide to the Universe which debunks the latest pseudoscience. Led by a neurologist this podcast not only dumps on bad stuff but provides a weekly update on aspects of real science.

Click on the Blog title to go to the SGU home page.

Other great podcasts available on iTunes and via RSS feeds are:

Dan Carlin's Hard Core History

In our time by Melvyn Bragg (BBC 4)

Archeology channel audio news

Science in Action (BBC)

Marijuana in the woods or potted pot

2009-06-12T15:50:00.003-04:00

An acquaintance of my was just acquitted of felony possession of a class D substance because someone was growing marijuana in pots in the woods near his place. His place is on state land and leased by a fox hunt for which he and his girlfriend are hound caretakers. He was acquitted after the prosecution presented it’s case because they did not establish that the plants were his. The trial was attended by about 50 middle schoolers who listened in rapt attention and the policeman on the stand described in great detail how to grow marijuana in the woods in pots. Also, a sample was sent to the State toxicology lab who never tested the samples chemically but said the dried stuff (dried by the local police force) looked to them like marijuana. They also presented that the “drug” dog didn’t give a hit on anything in the area. It turned out but was not presented at the trail that the dog was not a drug dog but just brought in to unnerve the suspect.

Beware of folks potting near your property.

ONBH fox hunt poker ride Carlisle MA

2009-06-07T18:14:00.005-04:00

Today the Old North Bridge Hounds put on a poker ride in Carslie Massachusetts. It was a beautiful day, the riding wonderful and the event a success. The Merrimack valley Rotary club http://mvrotary.blogspot.com/ provided some of the worlds best hot dogs, chips and drinks for the riders and friends.

Pam and Kathy provided refreshments half way through the ride

The Duggins cook hot dogs for the riders to support a Rotary riding program for physically challenged children in Massachusettes and a childrens clinic in Bangladesh.

Donate through rotary - 7910 District Assembly

2009-06-06T15:23:00.006-04:00

I just attended the 7910 district assembly in boxford MA. There were presentations on The Rotary Foundation and how they amplify a donation 3.5 times through the matching grants program. This is a great deal. How many other organization can provide this degree of money amplification. We are working on a matching grant with a Rotary club in Bangladesh to expand programs at the Center for Children with Special Needs that treats children with crippling diseases. Clicking on the title of this Posting will take you to the CCSN web site.

Is is Sun cooling off?

2009-05-07T11:40:00.003-04:00

Click on the title to be taken to the National Geographic article. Sun output is low and the last time this happened we went into the “little ice age” which among other things was responsible for the poor crop yields that resulted in the French Revolution. The reduction is low but is enough to have caused problems in the past. Perhaps we will have to dump CO2 into the atmosphere to warm things up.

Things are beautiful in Southern Pines NC

2009-04-20T09:34:00.003-04:00

Horse driving event CDE 5 points horse part NC

2009-04-13T15:10:00.003-04:00

We were watching the water jump at the event and saw this team do an excellent job of recovering from having their cart impaled on a jump timber. April 11, 2009

Post polio survivors group meeting in Pinehurst

2009-04-04T14:49:00.005-04:00

Today I helped Rotary Past District Governor Ray Taylor, a polio survivor, make a presentation to a local polio survivors group at a hospital in Pinehurst NC. In addition to setting up the projector I answered questions on the virology of polio. The group was older as fortunately there are few new cases in the U.S. Most had lived well with the disease overcoming many difficulties and operations. One man was over 90 and others were close. The sad thing is that the disease comes back as one ages re-crippling the individual.

Clinking on the title of this post will take you to the PSA website.

A video prepared by PSA can be seen below.

Rotarians For Fighting AIDS - VCT clinics Kenya

2009-03-29T14:09:00.005-04:00

I am a member of the Rotarians for fighting Aids group and have just received their latest newsletter. It includes a discussion of the Rotary Medical Mission to Kenya I attended last fall and the Voluntary Counseling and Testing process that is helping Kenyans to deal with the AIDS epidemic. This well designed process that can be accomplished where the people are and not just in institutions, is described in the video listed below by one of the counselors I met while on this trip.

If you click on the title to this blog you will be taken to a page that will allow you to sign up for the newsletter and hopefully join this important group.

Cold fusion - why not helium 3

2009-03-26T10:02:00.003-04:00

It may have been real! The major complaint in the original work was that they couldn’t detect neutrons from the reaction and some Navy researchers have done it using a new neutron detection technique . However, Helium 3 which is rare on Earth but abundant on the moon’s surface can fuse without the production of neutrons. A little contamination of the deuterium with helium 3 could result in the generation of heat without neutrons. So are both reactions going on?

Contact: Michael Bernsteinm_bernstein@acs.org202-872-6042American Chemical Society
'Cold fusion' rebirth? New evidence for existence of controversial energy source
Note to journalists: Please report that this research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society

IMAGE: An experimental "cold fusion " device produced this pattern of "triple tracks " (shown at right), which scientists say is caused by high-energy nuclear particles resulting from a nuclear reaction
Click here for more information.
SALT LAKE CITY, March 23, 2009 — Researchers are reporting compelling new scientific evidence for the existence of low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR), the process once called "cold fusion" that may promise a new source of energy. One group of scientists, for instance, describes what it terms the first clear visual evidence that LENR devices can produce neutrons, subatomic particles that scientists view as tell-tale signs that nuclear reactions are occurring.
Low-energy nuclear reactions could potentially provide 21st Century society a limitless and environmentally-clean energy source for generating electricity, researchers say. The report, which injects new life into this controversial field, will be presented here today at the American Chemical Society's 237th National Meeting. It is among 30 papers on the topic that will be presented during a four-day symposium, "New Energy Technology," March 22-25, in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the first description of cold fusion.
"Our finding is very significant," says study co-author and analytical chemist Pamela Mosier-Boss, Ph.D., of the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) in San Diego, Calif. "To our knowledge, this is the first scientific report of the production of highly energetic neutrons from an LENR device."

Niece and family on vacation in Bahia Mexico – Whale watch

2009-03-25T11:12:00.007-04:00

My oldest Niece and family (on right) took a camping trip to Bahia Mexico which is chronicled on their blog

http://www.winfreebajatrip.com/

The Research Channel on the Web - a new resource

2009-03-22T14:52:00.002-04:00

This Internet service provides "hard" science lectures on a large number of topics to be able to learn about subjects without the filter of the news media.

http://www.researchchannel.org/prog/

Their description:
"ResearchChannel was founded by a consortium of leading research and academic institutions to share the valuable work of their researchers with the public. ResearchChannel is now available to nearly 38 million satellite and cable television subscribers and our Web site is visited by 2 million visitors each year. The channel is also available on more than 80 university-and school-based cable systems in the United States and in other countries."

Rotarians in the Polio Survivor's Group

2009-03-20T08:56:00.004-04:00

I have been working with some Rotarians in the Polio Survivor's Association (http://www.rotarypoliosurvivors.com ). They have put together the video listed below featuring a North Carolina past district govenor who is a polio survivor.

Rotary - Stop Hunger Now

2009-03-14T14:00:00.002-04:00

Today I helped out filling food bags with Rotarians, Rotoracter and others for “Stop Hunger Now”. Each bag contains soy meal, rice, dried veggies and a “chicken flavored” pill that contains vitamins but no chicken. The meal is all vegetarian. Each packet will provide a school lunch for 6 children when boiled to rehydrate the mixture. Four people at each table add one of the four ingredients each while the fifth holds the bag under a funnel to collect the mixture. The bags are then taken to a weighting station to be adjusted in weight and then to a heat sealing station. The morning shift in which I participated filled over 25,000 lunches. The effort was headed by Dan Askins, a local realtor and Rotarian.

http://www.stophungernow.org/site/PageServer

Kenya Medical Mission presentation to the Southern Pines NC Rotary Club

2009-03-14T13:33:00.008-04:00

This Friday the 13th I gave a presentation at the Southern Pines NC Rotary club on the September 2008 Rotary Medical Mission to Kenya. This was the largest medical mission in Rotary’s history. Over 70 volunteers treated about 10,000 children in three slums in and around Nairobi during a two week period.

Because of my experience in the development of HIV test I visited several Voluntary Testing and Counseling clinics during this trip. These efforts are supported by Rotarians for Fighting Aids and the US government among others.

http://www.rffa.org/

More information is at http://kenyaaidscarl.blogspot.com/

A kitten I met in Kenya

2009-03-05T11:38:00.004-05:00

It is always good to take a nap after eating a GNU. Too bad it wasn't a hedge fund manager.

Joined Rotarians for Fighting AIDS

2009-02-25T11:26:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I received my lifetime membership pin for RFFA. Marion Bunch introduced me to this organization during the Rotary Medical Mission to Kenya this September. It is of special interest because of my involvement in the development of HIV tests that are used around the world. I encourage others to join.

Please check out their web page: http://www.rffa.org/ and join.

New polio video from Rotary and DNA vaccines

2009-02-21T10:37:00.003-05:00

I am currently listening to a podcast on DNA vaccines. The advantage of such vaccines is that new vaccines can be made by changing the DNA sequence rather than developing new growth and processing technology for each new vaccine. However, they are not yet working well. These could be better than the current vaccines for polio once the technology is perfected.

http://www.genengnews.com/gencasts.aspx

Attended three Rotary meetings in the Southern Pines NC area

2009-02-19T07:02:00.006-05:00

We are in Southern Pines with our horse and dog. There are three large Rotary clubs in the area: Southern Pines, Pinehurst and Sandhills.. I attended all three this week.

It was good to renew acquaintances from last year. I will probably make presentations on the Rotary medical missions to Kenya I participated in last year.

The Sandhills club meets at the Carolina hotel that includes a great breakfast buffet with music

http://www.southernpinesrotary.org/

http://www.pinehurstrotaryclub.org/

http://www.furniturelandrotary.org/Clubs/WhereClubsMeet/Sandhills.shtm

ONBH Traning Fox Hounds in MA

2009-02-05T19:55:00.004-05:00

In memory of a great horse, Kahlua

2009-02-05T11:00:00.003-05:00

We had to put down Kahlua this monday. She was a great horse but the time had come to stop the suffering from an infection secondary to Cushings disease. We will miss her.

More powder at Aspen Snowmass

2009-01-27T10:13:00.002-05:00

The snow continues to provide great powder but the overcast sky makes some runs challenging as there is very little definition of the bumps. The gondola is a great way to ride up during a snowstorm. A there are always after ski parties.

skiing Aspen Snowmass Colorado

2009-01-25T09:24:00.001-05:00

We are at Aspen Snowmass for a winter vacation. Our first day included new powder with snow flying up as one carves gentle curves down the slope. However, the snow did not stop with daylight. Skiing during a blizzard requires using “the force” rather than vision to guide one’s progress. We made it without falling but not without some sore muscles. For Apri Ski we Went to the Silvertree to listen to Twrp Anderson and his group do country ballads

Center for Children with Special Needs - Bangladesh

2009-01-20T17:34:00.003-05:00

I would like to thank you and the Rotary club for your continued hospitality and allowing me to talk about the progress of our matching grant application for the Centre for Children with Special Needs in Dhaka Bangladesh (http://www.ccsnbangladesh.org/ ) . Things are looking good and we hope to have an approved grant in the not too distant future.

The lead club for this matching grant is the Merrimack Valley regional club in Chelmsford. Other clubs and individuals will be able to contribute to this effort once we have approval and a grant number. This effort will multiply $3,500.00 in donations to over $11,000.00 to help a group of crippled children that have few other alternatives for a better life in one of the poorest countries in the world.

It would be great if the Your club would consider a donation of $500.00 or whatever you think possible. Also, individuals who are planning to contribute to the foundation will be able to do so using the grant number when it is available and get Paul Harris credit. It was great to hear that the club matches contributions to the foundation by club members. Unfortunately, as I understand it, once they have made their foundation donation they cannot go back and designate this project. Therefore, designating CCSN can only be done after the grant is approved and a number obtained.

Thanks very much for your help and consideration.

Winter snow in Groton MA

2009-01-18T11:25:00.004-05:00

It is another snowy day. As we are in the 20’s but it seems warm compared to the last few days with temps below zero. Yesterday we walked hounds with a group from ONBH on the cranberry bog in Carlisle MA followed by a great breakfast of bacon, eggs and ham in the house at the kennel. About 10 members participated. After that I took Gidget on a walk in the tree farm which was easy as trees have been harvested and someone ran a snowmobile over the trail. So much for walks in the cold but if one dressed well it is not so bad.

Dolphins jumping wake in Naples Fl Christmass 2008

2008-12-31T22:13:00.003-05:00

We are spending Christmas in Naples FL with Wendy's mother. I took a fishing trip out of the harbor and encountered these dolphins jumping the wake of the Lady Brett.

Rotary Polio Immunization trip to Nigeria

2008-12-30T09:33:00.004-05:00

Last December I participated in a Polio National Immunization day in Bangladesh as part of a Rotary group. Another trip but this time to Nigeria was attended by some on the Bangladesh trip and organized by Ann Lee Hussey. Dino from Quebec Canada was on both trips and sent me the pictures below. Dino said:

HELLO and Happy New Years. I was(with my friend SERGE,Ann Lee and 10 Rotarians of the USA) in Nigeria from 23 nov to 05 dec 2008(Kano,Joes and Kaduna)for a SNID.We gave the polio’S vaccine to 7000 children in 5 days.If YOU MEET THE Kano’s Rotary’s Club(or Kaduna’s or Joe’s);tell them that you are A FRIEND OF ANN LEE.You will receive a lot of smile…Dino

Christmas in Naples Fl

2008-12-26T21:02:00.003-05:00

Life is Good in Naples Fl

We are spending Christmas in Naples with Wendy's mom escaping from the weather in New England.

Thanksgiving Day Hunt ONBH

2008-12-02T20:11:00.002-05:00

The Old North Bridge Hounds on Thanksgiving Day.

Take a look at : (click on the following link) http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/6690387_8GKZr/1/427100521_3kUUf#427044491_fBQN8

The Thanksgiving fox hunt and dinner

2008-11-27T18:37:00.002-05:00

I started out the day with coffee at Dunking Doughnuts followed by laying the drag for the ONBH fox hunt in Concord MA with Pam, Stu, Dan and chief Fox Kathy. Two hounds followed the drag and nine went the other way after deer. A little while later the deer went running by followed by the errant hounds. Eventually the pack got back together and the hunt continued. Jinny Z. fell off with three fire trucks coming to the rescue. It looks like she will be OK. There was a black tie stirrup cup with grilled sausages. Latter we had an Indian princess over for Thanksgiving.

Obama HIV testing poster Nairobi Kenya

2008-11-13T22:14:00.001-05:00

While on a Rotary International medical mission to Nairobi Kenya I found this poster featuring President Elect Obama and his wife Michelle encouraging people to be tested for HIV infection in the hall outside a Voluntary Counseling and Testing clinic in the Mathare slum.

Barack and Michelle in Kenya - AIDS poster

2008-10-31T18:06:00.006-04:00

While at a Voluntary Counseling and Testing clinic in Nairobi Kenya I saw this poster on the wall. They visited Kenya last year or the year before. It is interesting that Bush's push on AIDS is a major source of funds for these clinics but it is Obama who gets the press.

Rotary Medical Mission to Kenya and Safari

2008-10-10T01:46:00.002-04:00

The medical portion of this trip is chronicled on my blog

http://kenyaaidscarl.blogspot.com/

Leaving Masi Mara and Kenya

2008-10-09T19:31:00.001-04:00

Exploring the Masi Mara by baloon

2008-10-09T19:21:00.003-04:00

Today I got up at 4:30 and coffee and cookies were brought to my room at 4:45. They have a guard walk with you from your tent to the lodge so that nothing attacks you. We left for the balloon ride at 5:15 to meet at a near by Lodge. Bob and Kay went with me. After all the people had arrived we walked a distance through the woods to a clearing where they were blowing air into a couple of giant balloons. The balloons were attached to very large wicker baskets that could hold about 12 people. After the balloons were partially inflated the captain ( there was one for each balloon) turned on the flame and the gas bag began to rise to the vertical. The basket had foot holds and using them we all climbed over the top and into one of eight sections on the basket. The bottom of each section had a cylindrical inflated pillow that we were to sit on upon landing. Additional flame caused the balloon to rise and we were off. The Masi Mara is flat to slightly rolling with several rivers (dry in some places) flowing through it. The Mara is mostly grassland with trees along the river. We saw a fantastic sunrise as we rose. There were hundreds of wildebeest (Gnu), zebra and many different antelope. We also saw a heard of elephants and some hippos in the river. Giraffes were in many places starting their day of munching. In addition to our sister balloon, there were several more in the distance. Our captain was a great guide pointing out the various herds of animals as we passed over. He didn’t have much control of direction but could raise or lower the balloon and using vents on the side, rotate the basket so all could see and our landing was in the proper orientation. The landing was very gentle and we did not tip over. About 8 workers in red uniforms controlled the balloon on lift off and landing. We were then driven a short way, (we aren’t allowed to walk in the Masi Mara to protect ourselves and the animals) to a champagne breakfast on a small rise. It was a large breakfast with egges and pancakes cooked to order in the open.

Our driver then met us and took us on another game viewing drive. We had seen everything except at leopard. We drove and drove in leopard friendly areas without seeing one. Eventually we spotted a BBC video crew that had left a monitor van to keep an eye on the leopard. After a time taking video and pictures we moved on back to the Masa Mari Intrepid tent camp for lunch. The have had the best food of all the lodges we visited. After a pleasant lunch with Bob and Kay I said good by and finished packing and went to wait on the bus to the airport. There was some confusion about who would take me to the airport but I was finally driven to the dirt strip about half a mile away. While waiting for the plane a guy drove out next to the strip to shoo zebras off the runway. Zebras on the runway are a unique problem that comes with the territory. The flight allowed great viewing of the great rift valley and we landed at Wilson airport without incident. This is a small plane airport and I had to be transferred to the Kenyatta International airport. The head of the tour company, Michael, met me and took me and my baggage to the big airport. As the small planes couldn’t take much luggage he had kept my large bag from the day before and brought it with him. I got to the airport at 5:00 to wait until my 11:00 departure. I was able to get on the Internet which has not been available for the last couple of days and work on these notes.

Exploring the Masai Mari

2008-10-08T19:42:00.002-04:00

Exploring the Samburu preserve in Kenya

2008-10-07T19:10:00.002-04:00

Today we had to get an early start. A lodge employee brought coffee and cookies to my tent door at 6:00 am. We then got up and went to the safari van for another trek. The usual animals were sited and part way through we ate our box breakfast provided by the lodge. This area is plains interspersed among mountains and is very beautiful. A river with crocodiles runs next to the lodge and can be seen from my tent.

After the animal run I went on a nature walk that was excellent. The same naturalist as talked last night in the bar was the leader. We were accompanied by an armed guard in case we were attacked by the local fauna. I was the only customer. We are never allowed out of the van on game drives but the three of us headed out of the bush. The walk included descriptions of local plants and animals and there use in tribal society. One bush is for making tooth brushes and Francis my guide made one for me. It worked rather well. The animals were more afraid of us on foot than in the van so it was difficult to get close to them. I approached a heard of giraffes, most of whom stared at me intently. As I approached I noticed that there was no one with me. This was a little concerning as earlier in the day we had great difficulty seeing lions in the bush because of the way their brown coat color blended in with the dead grass. One could be there and I would never have seen it. I went a little further and the giraffes took off so I head back. Francis said that they didn’t come with me because if there were three of us the giraffes would never have let us get so close. Hopefully the guard was at the ready in case I was attacked. This walk was one of the better parts of the trip.

Back at the hotel I had lunch and then a dip in the pool before starting to pack for the next part of the trip. Tomorrow we fly out of Samboro for the famous Massai Mara preserve. The plane has severs baggage restrictions so our driver Paul will have to drive my luggage to Nairobi for pick up by me on Thursday on my way from the local Wilson airport to Jomo Kenyatta international airport from my trip home. I will have to carry a set of clothes and other essentials in my back pack.

In the afternoon we had another game drive on the far side of the river but didn’t see much. We returned to another talk by Francis in the bar on the animals of Samboro before another elegant dinner and to bed.

trip from Mt. Kenya to Samburu in the North

2008-10-06T18:27:00.001-04:00

There was no night alert for the animals I had designated so while this was a very interesting rain forest site, we didn’t see many animals. It would be a very good place to hike from on one of their organized hikes.
After a very good breakfast we headed around the mountain and North across the equator to Samburu and the Intrepids tent lodge. Part of the road was very good but then there was more road construction and very rough pavement. We stopped a couple of times for rest and to fill the tires with air. It took several stops to find a gas station with a air supply that worked. When we stopped for a rest stop it was always at some type of souvenir shop. I believe that our driver was paid off. I did find some things I liked. There was always a lot of bargaining and for on transcatrion I was able to get a reduced price by throwing in a Red Socks tea shirt.

Our new Lodge was very interesting. It is on the banks of the brown (really brown) river and consists of some wooden buildings that while rustic are elegant and rooms that are a type of tent. They have a wood base and roof with wooden pillars connecting the two. There is a tent built inside the structure that provides the walls. In the back is a ceramic area that houses the shower, sinks and toilet in separate areas. It s very nicely done. The main part of the tent contains two poster beds with mosquito netting hanging down the sides. The front has a screen portion and a tent portion. To get in you must unzip both and tie the sippers at the bottom when leaving to keep the monkeys out.

After getting our rooms we went on a game drive in which we saw a mother and to cheetah (?) cubs on the hunt. Later we followed a couple of lions around but they didn’t seem hungry at the time. There was other wildlife such as giraffes, impalas, long necked gerounds (?), baboons, and many birds.

In the evening there was a talk by a Sanboro naturalist, Francis, about tribal culture that was excellent. The was followed by an elegant dinner in the tented dining room.

Amboseli at Kilimanjaro and trip to Mt. Kenya

2008-10-05T18:19:00.000-04:00

In the morning there was an extensive spread of fantastic food. I usually start with a custom omelet made to order in the dining room. After packing I headed for the van with Paul our driver. We needed an early start as we were going back to Nairobi for lunch. Our drive started back through the animal filled swamp we had toured yesterday. However, we ran into a pride of three lions and a fresh wildebeest kill. Two lions were on one side of the road and a third was on the other side eating its kill. There were many other safari vans around but it didn’t seem to bother the lions. They may just think that the vans are a strange type of elephant. We have now seen all the big five animals (elephant, rhinoceros, hippo, lion and leopard) except that we saw cheetah rather than leopards. After the lions we saw a group of hyenas at their den or holes in the ground.

We drove across the dry Amboseli lake to get to a main road for the trip back to Nairobi. However, the van started making a lot of noise on the very bumpy road and it turned out that a metal plate that shields the transmission had come loose and was dragging. Our driver Paul did an amazing repair job. Lacking a lift he drove the left front tire up onto a rock Bob provided and used his jack to raise the metal plate. It seems that a bolt had sheared off. Paul was able to remove the stub and steal a bolt from a seat with which to replace the one that had broken. While we were there a group of Maasi came up from a nearby village to watch the proceedings. The adults were in traditional garb but some of the children were in school uniforms. I don’t think it will be too long until the Maasi give up their traditional ways completely. They are the last tribe to stay natural but technology is coming.

After the fix we headed for Nairobi over a combination of really bad and fair roads. There is a lot of road construction going on in Kenya so there are many detours. At a rest stop with a caring shop I asked where the carvings were made fearing that they were made in China or Malaysia. They took me around back and there were two guys making some new carvings. I assume that they also purchase carvings from villagers in the area.

In Nairobi we had lunch at the elegant Safari hotel that included beautiful gardens and a wooden roof with beams that reminded me of the hotel at Yellowstone. They had a good local instrumental group to play during lunch. We then headed out for Mt. Kenya (the second largest in Africa that has 5 glaciers) and the Mt. Kenya lodge. The roads were the best I have seen in Kenya with the start being dual lane. As we proceeded north the environment changed becoming much greener and wetter. More farms and plots with all sorts of vegetables and bananas were along the road. The guide book says the Mt. Kenya lodge is actually in a rain forest but a cooler one. The hotel is wooden and different than any we have been at. It is all wood with each room looking out onto a water hole. When I looked out my window there were about 30 Cape buffalo lounging around the water. A little while later they got up and ambled off. The hotel will ring your room during the night to alert you to the animals that are currently at the water hole.

More pictures from Amboseli at Kilimanjaro Kenya

2008-10-04T18:10:00.002-04:00

2008-10-04T18:04:00.002-04:00

Today I was up at 6:00 to get ready for a 7:30 departure to Amboseli national park at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. The Japanese dentist was up early watching the water holes from the veranda of the hotel and had spotted a hippopotamus in the water. All I could see were a couple of nostrils and occasionally a back. He never got further out of the water while we were there. Previously we had seen many hippopotamuses in other wet locations but this is the only one at the lodge and he or she was alone.

Bob, Kay, Julie and I then set off with our driver Paul through the Massai village we had visited before onward to Amboseli park and Kilimanjaro. The road was very dusty with a stop at a village were I purchased a mask. Julie helped me bargain with the vendors. We purchased some things as there is no middleman as in the markets in Nairobi. The difference between the asking price and the final price is amazing. We went from a volcanic higher area down into the plains and then up again as we approached the mountain. The land changed for bush to basic farming as we rose in altitude. Coming out on another plain we approached a gigantic grass swamp with thousands of animals. It was spring fed and was a band around the base of Kilimanjaro. All the usual animals were there but in vast numbers. However, while we saw a number of kills we did not encounter any lions or leopards.

We then proceeded to Amboseli Serena Lodge in a small forest on the edge of the treeless swamp. It has somewhat nicer accommodations than our last hotel but without the amazing veranda overlooking the water holes. We could have seen every animal just by sitting on the veranda at the last lodge. However, this lodge is on the side of a game trail the animals use at night so again one can sit on the veranda and watch the animals go by as one sips one’s gin and tonic.

After a swim in a beautiful pool we went out again in the safari van in search of lion and leopard. The start was slow but we saw thousands of animal next to and in the shallow swamp. We even saw more hippos grazing while semi submerged in the grass. This is not a typical swamp but a wet area without trees that is mainly mud and short plants. Zebras and Gnus stay on the hard ground next to the swamp so that they can run if attacked. Elephants and hippos wade right in.

We were in search of cats and initially saw none but eventually came across a lion taking a snooze. We wanted to see some action but all he did in half and hour was to turn over. We headed back somewhat dejected. However, we soon came across 4 leopards that were stalking wildebeest. There were thousands that got out of the way of the cats. After the cats passed the wildebeest seemed to follow the cats. Strange? However, the cats did not seem to find the right beast so never connected. We returned to the Amboseli Serena lodge. After freshening up I sat on the veranda and watched hundreds of animals pass at close range as the hotel was right next to a major game path. They were mainly zebra, Gnu and various antelope. Not long after the parade stopped for the night. Bob and Kay came later and did not get to see any of the animals. We then had an elegant Swahili dinner that included goat on a spit which was very tasty. There were many other delicious dishes, some I recognized. I went to be to bed by 9:30. We have really been on the go and the extra sleep was welcome.

Climbing a hill in the bush at Kiliguni in Taso park

2008-10-03T17:49:00.002-04:00

After breakfast we had another game drive through the woods. This time we went more up into the mountains and almost saw a leopard as one other van had but it went into hiding before we got there.

After returning a group of us went on a nature hike with an armed guard and naturalist. It started off flat over the well warn paths used by the animals coming to the water holes at the lodge. Then it started up one of the five sisters hills. The path was steep at it was hot being late morning. All of the group stopped part way up with Andy, I and the naturalist continuing all the way to the top. This was no small hill but at the top there was a big pile of animal dung so something big had made it up the steep sides to the top. It was so steep that we even had trouble going down without falling. One girl fell landing in a pile of elephant dung which covered her face and pants.

In the late afternoon we went on another game drive up into the hills and saw the usual suspects but no cats.

After an excellent dinner at the hotel hundreds of cape buffalo cam to the water hole and pushed the elephants out.

Second day at Kiliguni lodge Kenya on safari

2008-10-02T17:32:00.001-04:00

I am sitting on my rooms veranda watching antelope and zebra at the waterhole n from of the hotel.. Today I got up at 5:45 for some coffee and cake before heading out for an early game drive and a champaign breakfast. We headed out at 6:15 for the bush in Van three. Our van contains Bob and Kate and Andy and Amerita(?) and me. Our hope was to see some lions but we were a little too late. We saw tracks but no cats. Many other animals were in view including various antelope, birds, hyenas, ostrich, zebras, giraffes, wart hogs, and a charging rhinoceros. It is amazing how fast such a large animal can move. Fortunately he or she stopped within ten feet of our safari bus. It has a top that pops up so we can stand inside and look out but the vans is not very substantial and would crumple with the impact of a rhino. We continued on until we reached a large rock. On top of the rock were tables and a full kitchen in the open air. We proceeded to a delightful Champaign breakfast with eggs bacon potatoes etc. as well as individually made omelets. The views were spectacular.

We returned to the lodge for a rest before a 2:30 trip to a Massai village and additional game excursion. I am not sure that it was a functioning village but was interesting with women and children jumping up and down while singing. The men were out herding cattle. I purchased a bracelet.
We had another game drive seeing a number of the animals typical of the area.

Leaving on the first safari after Rotary Medical Mission Narobi Kenya

2008-10-01T17:16:00.005-04:00

I had to get up at 4:45 to be ready to leave Darsi’s at 5:30 so that he could drop me off at the hotel for a 6:00 departure to the Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge for a three day stay. We took the main road to Mombasa which they are turning into a super highway. However, much work is to be done and in the work sections the ride was horrible, especially in a van with now shock absorbers. We stopped half way at a gas station and gift shop which had sorely needed toilets. However, the men’s portion was more or less out in the open. By this time many in the group were on lomotil which stops peristalsis. However, the shaking of the van compensated for the lack of internal movement. We continued eventually turning off on a dirt road for 39 km more to the Kilaguni Lodge. What a surprise. It is beautiful. The main section (a giraffe is walking by as I write this on my rooms veranda) having one whole 150 ft. wall completely open to the water hole where the animals congregate. It is so beautiful that it is difficult to describe. The weather is very pleasant so that no heat or air conditioning is required. All the meals on site are served in the main section so one can have this wide panoramic view of the water hole, mountains and savanna. Kilimanjaro is in the hazy distance.

In the afternoon we took a game drive to a river that had hippos and crocodiles as well as monkeys and other fauna. The river was spring fed and seemed to emerge from some rocks. It goes all the way to Mombasa. Water is taken for Mombasa upstream of the hippo area, for good reason. They are not the cleanest of animals. They live in the river during the day and go out to graze, sometimes several kilometers away, during the night. Down the stream a ways they had built a circular structure in the water with windows so one could see fish and other marine life. There were a series of circular benches each at a different level.

In the evening we had a very good dinner served individually rather than the usual buffet while looking out over the animals drinking at the water hole. There were a number of elephants then and through most of the night. During the night there was a lion but I missed it.

Nairobi to the Kilaguni lodge to start the Safari

2008-10-01T09:09:00.001-04:00

My first day in Nairobi and climbing a volcano

2008-09-21T14:31:00.006-04:00

I was very fortunate being one of a few Rotarians who was privileged to stay at the home of a local Rotarian and Doctor, Darsi and his wife Renita. He has a very interesting history and is very active in the treatment of AIDS victims.

7:30 am Darsi and I set off for a volcano in the rift valley north of Nairobi. I had arrived at 11:00 pm the night before. We met two friends that work for the U.S. Government and live in Kenya. It was a hand over hand climb near the top and I was wondering if my trip would be cut short by a coronary before it even got started. I did survive and enjoyed the spectacular views down steep foliage covered sides of the volcano from a very narrow path.
Evening

Darsi Lotai and Renita prepared a lovely dinner on their veranda of grilled or stir fried fish and salad. Earlier I had gone shopping with Darsi at a very upscale mall for Kenya to get veggies from the green grocer. These drives show the most affluent and most depressed areas of Nairobi. There is a vast difference. On our drives to the volcano and then the green grocer, Darsi gave me more of his history. He is ethnically Indian but was borne in Nairobi. His grandfather came over to Kenya as an indentured servant for 50 rupees. It took him 5 years to pay it back. This grandfather must have been very industrious as he started several businesses. Darsi’s father was able to send 4 children to college with Darsi completing medical school. He has been involved in polio and then AIDS working for the government and several companies. At one time during the genocide in Rwanda he personally drove medicines from a pharmaceutical company to Rwanda as all the usual means of conveyance were shut down.

My hosts had invited a couple to join us. The lady was an ex-BA flight attendant who was currently running a bed and breakfast in Nairobi that seemed to cater to NGO personnel. Paula was having trouble getting paid. Her companion was a very interesting African who had spent 5 years in North Korea training as an insurgent.

Kenya Rotary AIDS trip

2008-09-03T13:59:00.004-04:00

I am leaving for Kenya on September 19^th to participate in this Rotary function. We will work in AIDS clinics and stay with local Rotarians. The flyer below gives basic information about the trip.

A blog of the trip can be found at http://kenyaaidscarl.blogspot.com/

Ericson 35 Sailboat for Sale

2008-08-03T12:03:00.004-04:00

An excellent expample of the popular Ericson 35 Sailboat is offered for Sale Gulf of Maine Yacht Sales suzanne@gomys.com (207) 899-0909

Cycling on Martha's Vinyard MA Youth Hostel

2008-06-22T17:17:00.007-04:00

On June 17th three of us dropped are cars in Pocasset MA on the Cape and headed to the ferry at Woods hole on our bikes. It was $3 per person and $3 per bike. We then had a swim and cycled to the youth hostel in W. Tisbury. We took day trips from the hostel where we stayed in co-ed bunk room and cooked some of our own meals. The weather was fantastic. On of the best sites was Poly’s arboretum. On the 20th I returned and my friends stayed another day.

Ericson 35 for sale on the hard

2008-06-14T12:16:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I painted the bottom so that it is ready to launch after they complete fiberglassing the bottom of the keel. The work was to have been done this week but perhaps they will get to it next week.

fox hunt Concord MA ONBH May 2008

2008-06-06T14:37:00.009-04:00

The field rounds a beautiful pond

The hounds are ready

Can-Am Spyder

2008-06-03T15:39:00.002-04:00

There is no fool like an old fool

Me with my new spyder ready for the open road. Thanks to Steve for the picture.

CCSN Polio NID presenatation Chelmsford MA Rotary

2008-05-12T16:56:00.003-04:00

Today I gave my Polio National Immunization Day Bangladesh presentation to the Chelmsford Rotary at the Radisson Hotel in Chelmsford. It was well received and I met some very active Rotarians. While giving these presentations I don’t believe that the general membership appreciates the accomplishments of the Rotary polio program. Hopefully I helped and will prepare them for contributions to the Centre for Children with Special Needs in Dhaka Bangladesh.

Links to more on the program:

Blog: http://www.geneseeker.blogspot.com/
YouTube page, Rotary NID: http://youtube.com/group/NIDCMG
Bangladesh Centre for Children with Special Needs Web page: http://www.ccsnbangladesh.org/

CCSN display at the Rotary District 7910 conference

2008-05-04T08:47:00.006-04:00

I attended the 7910 district conference at the Holiday Inn Boxboro MA and put together a table in the freindship room describing the Centre for Children with Special Needs in Bangladesh. More information is available at the following link.
http://www.ccsnbangladesh.org/