Old Kinshasa (Leopoldville) Map

This old map (someone wrote "1956" on it) was of the city I knew as Kinshasa, Zaire. The country was called the Belgian Congo and the city was then Leopoldville. It is still Kinshasa today, but the country was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997, after a military coup.

The top image of the map is of the west (towards the Atlantic ocean) and the bottom is the eastern portion, including the downtown and the ports along the Congo River (seen as the grey area labeled Fleuve Congo) . The term used for the outlining shantytowns was cite indigene and this is the origin for the word cite,with an accent on the "e." All of the terrain that was blank on the map in the '50s is now occupied by the slums that stretch for miles and miles past the original borders of Kinshasa.

One landmark seen in the middle right section of the bottom map is the small airport called Sabena (for the Belgian airline). This is now the Ndolo airport which has small aircraft and cargo planes. This was also the scene of one of the most disastrous airline accidents ever, in January, 1996. On take-off, an overloaded Russian Antonov overshot the runway and plowed into a nearby market, killing roughly 300 people.

Curious Jays

This captivating photograph was taken in a free flight aviary called the "Emerald Forest"at the "Range of the Jaguar"exhibit at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. The two birds on the camera are plush-crested jays, which are South American representatives of the raven, crow, jay, rook, magpie, and jackdaw family otherwise known as "corvid."

Plush-crested jays are named for the stiff feathers on their heads. They have metallic purple-blue feathers, and light blue, wide eyebrows that give them a questioning demeanor. They are vocal and are known to mimic other birds in the wild. It is no surprise that they are bold and will investigate anything new in their environment.

Corvids are extremely intelligent, inquisitive birds that are equated to mammalian primates. However their brains do not have a complex cortex, rather another part of the brain, called the hyper-striatum, is highly developed. Larger corvids, such as ravens, are known to be able to count, up to seven!

A anecdote goes that hunters would go into a blind to shoot birds, and when this happened, the birds learned to make themselves scarce. When a hunter or two would leave the blind, the birds still wouldn't come back; they knew the number inside and wouldn't come back until ALL the men had exited the blind.

The photo was taken by Marian Brickner, who had the tables turned by the jays, who found her big lens an inviting and exciting object of exploration.

The Animals in Our Lives

These cats, from the left, are Kiki, Hurricane, Momacita, and Halloween, a mother and three daughters. They are Sphynx, a hairless breed developed from a natural mutation in a few barn kittens found in Toronto, in the 1970's. An unusual fact about felines is that their skin reflects the color of the fur, which can be easily seen in the Sphynx. In our case, we have tortoiseshells, blue (grey), and calico varieties.

Besides the felines, we have a Doberman and a mixed American bulldog that was rescued from the pound. The cats and dogs get along, and make for a happy, healthy family. Scientific studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control have shown that pets decrease the incidence and severity of depression, reduces heart disease and lowers levels of LDL ("bad" cholesterol).

The American Veterinary Medical Association has reported that the elderly in nursing homes with well-cared for resident animals have less infections, fewer hospitalizations, and 30% lower staff turnover than homes without animals.

Pets are a marvelous way for humans to build character. They increase opportunities for exercise and serve as an ice breaker for conversation. Pets teach selflessness, responsibility, love, sharing, biology, life, and death. For children, the death of a pet teaches coping skills for the loss of human life.

Pets allow us to see the world through rose colored glasses. Who is the best secret keeper, always happy to see you, and loves you unconditionally? Your pet, of course.

At times we all need a bright spot in our lives when the general outlook becomes cloudy with the demands of work, school, children, finances, and trying to hold it all together. Animals are the bright spot -- a dog cheers us up when he lays his head in our lap, and we relax when a cat curls up and purrs like a motor.

What can you do if you don't have the ability, desire, or resources to have a pet of your own? You can reap benefits by volunteering at the local shelter, interacting with a neighbor's pet, or watching animals in nature. Animals are natural teachers, and even butterflies and other insects have fascinating lives that reveal themselves with close observation.

Whether feathered, scaled, furry, slimy, or (in some cases), hairless, animals enhance our lives. If nothing else, upload an aquarium screen saver on your computer monitor and watch the fish swim.

Photo by M. Brickner

Okapi Guard Patch

This was the Zairian park guard patch. It featured a printed design of an okapi against a green outline of the country. The two brown and red designs on the side were the "fist and flame" taken from the national flag, and the material was folded over and hand-sewn on the back.

By the late nineties, I had been looking for years for this patch, probably because they were all worn out and were not being replaced. During the tumultuous years, the basics, such as uniforms for park guards, were ignored. On day, I met an official in a Bandundu Park, who offered to sell some grimy animal posters. "No," I said, "but you wouldn't happen to have a Park patch?"

"Actually, I do," he said, and he opened a dusty cabinet that contained a dozen old books and a few patches. The man said that they had been taken off of old uniforms. I gave around three dollars for the pieces above.

After the takeover by Kabila, and the renaming of the nation, everything changed. All of the old were destroyed and replaced by the new logo, featuring an okapi head. My patch has become a rare collectible.

Early Bird

This post is about Turkeys. I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow with friends and family!

Wild turkeys originated in the highlands of Mexico. They have adapted to a wide range of foods such as fruits, nuts, cactus fruits, tender plants, and insects. In agricultural areas, they will consume oats, corn, milo, and wheat. They are known for their beautiful metallic green copper plumage.

Female turkeys sometimes make communal ground nests, although only one hen at a time will incubate the eggs. The males are noted for a “horn” on the forehead, a fleshy wattle under the chin, and coarse bristles on the neck. They have wicked spurs on their feet and they are not afraid to use them.

Turkeys have dramatic courtships. The toms spread their tails and drag one wing along the ground. The stiff pinions make a scraping noise while the bird voices gobble-gobble-gobble to impress the hens, thus the word “gobbler.”

When the New World was colonized, turkeys were taken to Europe, where they were domesticated. Further taming continued in the Americas. Today there are at least a half dozen varieties of turkeys, including the Bronze, Bourbon Red, Black Spanish, Blue Slate, and Royal Palm.

The domestic turkey is genetically distinct from its wild kin. It grows larger and breeds earlier, but it cannot survive in the wild. Hens do not hide their nests, and they ignore the threat of danger. As farmers tell it, “they are such knotheads that if it storms hard, they’ll turn their beaks up in the rain and drown.”

Americans have a special relationship with the turkey. It was reported to have been part of the 1621 Pilgrim’s feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest and peace with Indian neighbors. This wasn't actually mentioned until 22 years later in the “History of the Plymouth Plantation.”

During the American Revolution in the 1770s, the Continental Congress suggested a national day of Thanksgiving. In 1817, New York State made it an annual custom.

In 1863 President Lincoln appointed Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday of November and declared it a national holiday.