August 5 – Independence Day in Burkina Faso

Posted on August 5, 2015

Way back in 2010, I wrote about Burkina Faso's Republic Day. 

At that point, the Republic of Burkina Faso wasn't as much of a republic as its name suggested. A republic is a nation in which the power of governance is held by the people and their elected representatives. However, Burkina Faso had at that time a leader who had ousted the former president through military force – what is called a coup d'état. And the new president, Blaise Compaoré ruled non-stop from 1987 until 2014 – that's 27 years of unbroken power!

I'm not positive if there were truly free elections during all these 27 years, but I did read that it was widespread protests, not a peaceful election, that finally drove Compaoré out of office.

Less than a year ago, in October of 2014, demonstrations and riots broke out in protest over changing a law about term limits so that President Compaoré could continue in office. After protestors burned government buildings, Compaoré decided to dissolve the government and declared a state of emergency. He even fled to a neighboring country, Ivory Coast.

But he refused to resign the presidency.

At the end of the month (10/31/14), Compaoré finally bowed to the pressure and resigned. Now there is a transition government, and there are plans for an election this October – actually, on my birthday, October 11, 2015!

By the way...

A scene from the capital
  • Today is considered Burkina Faso's Independence Day because, on this date in 1960, the Republic of Upper Volta won its full independence from France. Almost exactly 24 years later, the nation changed its name from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso.
  • The name for the people of this nation is Burkinabé.
  • The capital city, Ouagadougou, means literally “You are welcome here at home with us.”



Here are some wonderful sights to see in Burkina Faso:

The stone tours of Sindou Peaks



Bobo Diolasso Grand Mosque



Hopefully this lake / tower / housing / offices complex is being built. It is called the Tena Tower Project, and it is a really environmentally-forward-thinking design by architect Manuelle Gautrand.




Banfora Natural Waterfall



Houses of the Gourounsi people





  

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August 4 – Happy Birthday, William Rowan Hamilton

Posted on August 4, 2015

To this day, mathematicians pay homage to today's famous birthday, William Rowan Hamilton, by walking from Dunsink Observatory to Broom Bridge, in Dublin, Ireland.

And there they reach the spot where Hamilton was struck by a brilliant thought.

This is where he carved an equation into the side of the bridge with his pen knife. This equation is the most famous of Hamilton's mathematical contributions: an equation for quaternions.

Actually, mathematicians and other tourists cannot see even a remnant of Hamilton's equation carving, but there is a stone plaque under the bridge to commemorate the discovery of quaternions .

You are probably wondering what quaternions are. They are a number system that doesn't work the same way as our more familiar number system. (To give an example of a difference, multiplication isn't commutative. You know how, in our familiar number system, 3 time 6 equals 6 time 3? Well, in quaternions, that kind of turn-around doesn't always work.)

It seems like a theoretical, pure-mathematical number system would have no practical applications, but in actual fact, quaternions are used in 3-D computer graphics, crystal analysis, and other modern scientific applications.

Hamilton, born on this date in 1805, was more than just a mathematician – he was also a physicist and an astronomer. He made important contributions to mechanics, optics, and algebra, and people utilized his work in theories on electromagnetism and quantum physics.

Apparently he showed his talent early. Astronomer Bishop Dr. John Brinkley said of 18-year-old Hamilton, “This young man, I do not say will be, but is, the first mathematician of his age.” 




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August 3 – Independence Day in Niger



Posted on August 3, 2015

Ever since 1960, August 3 has been Independence Day, a day to celebrate the African nation's independence from France.

Ever since 1975, August 3 has also been Arbor Day, a day to plant trees and thus fight against desertification.

Desertification, as you might realize, is the natural process when rather dry land becomes increasingly drier and drier. This is usually accompanied by fewer plants and animals living in the habitat (or some species being replaced by hardier species that can live in a desert).

Most of the nation (more than 80%) is already covered by the Sahara Desert. This land wasn't always a desert, and it can be very concerning to see more and more land change from fertile to desert!

Here are some other problems (just a few of many) that Niger has to deal with:

  • The literacy rate is one of the lowest in the world. Less than 30% of the population can read – and that includes the shocking statistic that only about 15% of women and girls can read!
  • This young woman wears
    ankle bracelets that show
    she is enslaved.
    Up to 870,000 people (nearly 8% of the total population) in Niger are enslaved. This shocking statistic needs to change! Apparently, when the French were colonial rulers over Niger, they largely ignored the problem, and some of the major slave owners are the ones who are wealthy and powerful enough to become political leaders.

    Again, women are more vulnerable and even more likely than men to being enslaved.

    I read that slavery was outlawed in Niger in 1960, prohibited in 1999, and criminalized in 2003 - but the laws have not been adequately enforced!
  • The enormous population growth – one of the highest in the world – puts pressure on the increasingly non-fertile land. The farming practices necessary with large families on subsistence farms end up causing desertification to speed up. This feedback loop creates a deepening problem.

Of course, there are amazing beauties to be seen in Niger, as well. Deserts usually have stark beauty, and of course the precious oases are often gorgeous. The people, the Niger River, and the canyons cut by the river are some other gorgeous sights to see...


Above, dunes;
below, oasis


Above, mother and child;
below, men in a beauty contest
 

Above, the Niger River;
below, a beautiful canyon

These are salt flats seen from space!



Check out this and this other earlier posts about Niger. 


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August 2 – Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Posted on August 2, 2015


I absolutely love cookies. And just about the only thing better than really yummy cookies is rich, delicious ice cream between really yummy cookies!

Ice cream sandwiches are fun to eat, and they are also fun to make. Remember, you can mix and match brownies, cookies, wafers, waffles, graham crackers, other sorts of biscuits, or even ordinary bread! You can use traditional vanilla ice cream, other flavors of ice cream, or sherbet or other frozen treats. Have fun, experiment, or check out these recipes!



I am lucky to have a "Dripp" near me - and
they have loads of different flavors of ice
cream, plus loads of different flavors of
cookies, with which to make ice cream
sandwiches!

Above is Lucky Charms ice cream on two
different kinds of cookies! WOW!


This typical American version of an ice cream sandwich was created and patented by four fellows in 1963, but pictures from Atlantic City show that ice cream sandwiches were popular way back in the early 1900s – and cost just a penny each!

According to the book Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making, by Jeri Quinzio, the first ice cream sandwich was created in 1899 by a pushcart merchant in New York City. His first-ever version was vanilla ice cream between two thin graham wafers. Nobody seems to know the innovative peddler's name. (And of course, it is possible that someone else sold a similar treat elsewhere – this is the kind of idea that is likely to have occurred to more than one person!)

Many different nations have ice cream sandwich traditions that are not necessarily well known here. For example, in Singapore ice cream sandwiches are often made with red bean, yam, sweet corn, or honeydew melon flavors and are sandwiched between two wafers.



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August 1 – Guadalcanal Province Day

Posted on August 1, 2015


Like so many other nations of “Oceania,” Solomon Islands is made up of many islands and island groups and includes several active and dormant volcanoes.

And like so many other nations of “Oceania,” Solomon Islands was ruled by Britain for a while—from the late 1800s until 1978, in this case.

Also like many nations of “Oceania,” Solomon Islands played an important role during World War II, in U.S. / Allied forces battles against the Japanese. There was particularly fierce fighting on Guadalcanal.







Here are some interesting things about the Solomon Islands:

  • The natives of Solomon Islands were notorious among other islanders for head-hunting and cannibalism.
  • English is the official language – but only about 2% of the people speak it! Instead, there are a variety of different languages from the Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian language groups. The lingua franca (the “bridge language” with which people who speak different languages are able to talk to each other) is Solomons Pijin.
  • Blond “Afros” can be seen in about 10% of the population – the highest occurrence of blond hair outside of European-hereditary groups in the world.

  • On this date in 1943, Patrol Torpedo boat #109 (PT-109) waited near the Solomon Islands to try to torpedo Japanese destroyers that were transporting supplies to Japanese troops. Unfortunately, instead of firing its torpedoes and damaging the Japanese ship, PT-109 was struck by the much-larger ship and cut into two!

Kennedy, lower center, with
three other survivors.
This American boat was commanded by Lieutenant John F. Kennedy. He was able to rescue of several injured crew members, and his swimming prowess and leadership resulted in the rescue of all eleven survivors of the disaster (two crew members died when the ship struck the boat). Because of this incident, Kennedy became a war hero.

And, of course, eventually the President of the United States.

Here's some info about the province of Guadalcanal:

  • The largest city on the island of Guadalcanal, Honiara, is also the capital city of the nation.
  • So many Japanese and American ships and planes were sunk during WWII, nearby waters are called Ironbottom Sound. Every year a U.S. ship drops a wreath into these waters to commemorate those who lost their lives here, and many Navy sailors consider the area sacred and observe strict silence while their ships cross those particular waters.



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Lammas Day in Scotland







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