Month: January 2025

Eritrea

~ joannerambling ~ 3 Comments

This week we are still in Africa, and this is a country I only recently heard of while watching something on YouTube about modern day slavery.  

So, we are looking at the country of Eritrea.

Eritrea is a northeast African country on the Red Sea coast. It shares borders with Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti. The capital city, Asmara, is known for its Italian colonial buildings, like St. Joseph’s Cathedral, as well as art deco structures. Italian, Egyptian and Turkish architecture in Massawa reflect the port city’s colourful history. Notable buildings here include St. Mariam Cathedral and the Imperial Palace.

It has a population of 3.7 million and has no official language, as it is a multilingual country, and as the Constitution establishes the “equality of all Eritrean languages”. Tigrinya, Arabic, and English serve as de facto working languages, with English used in university education and many technical fields.

The flag of Eritrea is made up of a red triangle, a green triangle, and a blue triangle, with a yellow olive branch and wreath in the centre. The first Eritrean flag was adopted in 1952, but was replaced by Ethiopia in 1958, The Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) adopted a flag in 1977, the current flag was adopted on December 5, 1995.

The country’s official religions are Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Christianity, Sunni Islam, Roman Catholicism, and Evangelical Protestantism. However, the government restricts the activities of these religions and persecutes members of unregistered religious groups. 

What does this mean? Well, the government’s constitution and laws prohibit discrimination based on religion. However, the government restricts the activities of the officially recognized religions. The government intimidates and prosecutes people who practice unregistered religions, it also prevents unregistered religions from building houses of worship or practicing their religion. Also, the government detains people for their religious beliefs, including minors.

The currency is the nakfa and was introduced on 15 November 1997 to replace the Ethiopian birr at par. It takes it name from then place of Nakfa were the first victory in their war of independence took place.

Like many other African countries, it is not a safe place to visit.

The country’s education system includes basic, secondary, and tertiary education. The government has been working to improve the quality of education and increase access to schools. Due to the country’s geography which include remote areas education is difficult.

Other problems are the amount of poverty, and many children living in nomadic areas also children with disabilities have difficulty accessing education.

In fact, many children are unable to read and understand what they are reading, and it is not unusual for as much as 48% of primary school-aged children to not attend school.

Eritrea has been involved in several wars and conflicts, including the Eritrean–Ethiopian War, the Djiboutian–Eritrean conflict, and the Tigray War. 

Eritrean–Ethiopian War lasted from 1998 to 2000 and was between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The war resulted in the Algiers Agreement, tens of thousands lost their lives on both sides. The war resulted in minor changes to the border between the two countries. 

Eritrean–Ethiopian border conflict this was a violent standoff and proxy conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia that lasted from 1998 to 2018. In 2018, Ethiopia agreed to cede Badme to Eritrea.

Eritrean War of Independence as armed conflict that lasted from 1961 to 1991 this war ended in 1991 with the fall of the Derg regime.

Djiboutian–Eritrean conflict occurred in 2008 between Eritrea and Djibouti it lasted only three days of indecisive fighting.

Lastly there was the Tigray War a conflict that occurred from 2020 to 2022 between Ethiopia and Eritrea it ended with the Ethiopia–Tigray peace agreement.

Week 3 of 2025

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Another good night and nice morning it’s 20 degrees, my BGL is 5.3

Tim and I went over to Lake Fair, he wanted to cash in empty bottles, and I wanted to go to the dollar store to see what cheap Christmas things they had.

I only found a couple of things but that’s ok.

By the time we got home it was stinking hot.

Steps:6,499

I had a decent enough sleep, up at 5, showered and dressed, I have to see the neurologist is Sydney at 12.40pm so we will leave here around 9.30am

It is currently 18 degrees, but it is expected to reach 30 degrees today. My BGL was 5.1

When I saw the neurologist, she was pleased with how I am doing and isn’t making any change to my medication. The only thing that annoyed me was that she was running 70 minutes late.

We arrived home around 5pm, to a stinking hot house, we should have asked one of the girls to come and turn the air con around 4.30, that was the first thing I did after walking into the house.

LIARNA’S BIRTHDAY SHE IS 15 TODAY

I had a good night didn’t wake at all, it is 21 degrees this morning and my BGL was 5.1, we are headed for a top temp of 29 degrees.

Kathy will be dropping Summer off for the day, Summer would rather stay home alone like she did yesterday, but her mum said no.

Ok in the last how the temp has dropped to 19 degrees.

Thankfully I remember this morning that the water will be cut off from 8am to 3pm and made sure the kettle was filled as well as a jug of water.

As it turned out we didn’t have the water cut off.

There was an incident out the front, Tim was walking over to Jess’s place and the woman in unit 14 was driving out and Tim said she made like she was going to run him over. I watched the video caught on the door-bell camera, but I didn’t notice anything. I am not saying she didn’t do something just that I couldn’t see it. Anyway, he rang the cops to report it, and they came out to talk to him at 10.30pm.

Another mostly good night.

The temp is 25 degrees and my GL is 5.1. We are in for another hot day it reached a top of 33 degrees.

So, I went and had my care plan reviewed and then I went and had an Xray of my elbow done as well as the CT scan done of my left knee. Sue drove me.

I was glad that Tim turned the air con on before he went to work, as that meant I came home to a cool house.

Tim is working today; he should be home around 3pm. 

I managed to walk up and check the mail without my cane or my walker, I felt exhausted by the time I got back inside the house.

I am having a very restless night; I just can’t settle.

Steps:8,346

After a restless start to the night, I ended up sleeping good enough, I got up at 5am, showered and dressed for the day.

It is a nice 20 degrees, only looking at a top of 22 degrees today.

Around 11am it started raining and has been raining on and off all day. It has also been very windy and cold.

Steps:6,502

Another good night woke twice to pee.

It is a coldish 18 degrees and have long pants on, so I can have the sliding doors open. My BGL was 5.1

Damn it is a cold day feels more like winter then summer today. In fact, after Tim left for work, I turned the heater on for about an hour to warm the room up.

This afternoon I started to feel off, headache and aching chest and back area and just not feeling right.

Steps:4,510

Another good night woke only once to pee, it is another cool and wet morning raining as I write this. I still don’t feel great but I’m ok. It is only 19 degrees and my BGL was 4.8

It stopped raining around 12.45pm and warmed up some, but around 5pm it started raining.

I went to bed at 8.30pm but woke at 10.22, tossing and turning so I got up for an hour and half.

Tim is working he left before I got up, I think he left around 4.15am.

Steps:10, 509

National Anthem of the Republic of Congo

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This week’s national anthem is “La Congolaise” which is the national anthem of the Republic of the Congo.

It was adopted in 1959 after the country’s independence from France, it was replaced in 1969 by “Les Trois Glorieuses” only to be reinstated in 1991. The lyrics were written by Jacques Tondra and Georges Kibanghi, and the music was composed by Jean Royer and Joseph Spadilière.

I
En ce jour le soleil se lève
Et notre Congo resplendit.
Une longue nuit s’achève,
Un grand bonheur a surgi.
Chantons tous avec ivresse
Le chant de la liberté.

Refrain :
Congolais, debout fièrement partout,
Proclamons l’union de notre nation,
Oublions ce qui nous divise,
Soyons plus unis que jamais,
Vivons pour notre devise:
Unité, travail, progrès,
Vivons pour notre devise:
Unité, travail, progrès!

II
Des forêts jusqu’à la savanne,
Des savannes jusqu’à la mer,
Un seul peuple, une seule âme,
Un seul cœur, ardent et fier,
Luttons tous, tant que nous sommes,
Pour notre vieux pays noir.

Refrain

III
Et s’il nous faut mourir, en somme
Qu’importe puisque nos enfants,
Partout, pourront dire comme
On triomphe en combattant,
Et dans le moindre village
Chantent sous nos trois couleurs.

Refrain		I
On this day the sun rises
And our Congo stands resplendent.
A long night is ended,
A great happiness has come.
Let us all, with wild joyfulness, sing
The song of freedom.

Chorus:
Arise, Congolese, proud every man,
Proclaim the unity of our nation.
Let us forget what divides us
And become more united than ever.
Let us live our motto:
Unity, work, progress.
Let us live our motto:
Unity, work, progress!

II
From the forest to the savannah,
From the savannah to the sea,
One people, one soul,
One heart, ardent and proud.
Let us all fight, every one of us,
For our black  country.

Chorus

III
And if we have to die,
What does it really matter? Our children
Everywhere will be able to say how
Triumph comes through battle,
And in the smallest village
Sing beneath our three colours
Chorus

Kit Fox

~ joannerambling ~ 11 Comments

Hello everyone, this week we are having a look at the Kit Fox, anyone heard of this fox before, I haven’t till now.

The kit fox is a fox species that inhabits arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern and central Mexico. These foxes are the smallest of the four species of Vulpes occurring in North America and are among the smallest of the vulpines worldwide.

It has a narrow nose and a small, slim body. The foot pads of kit foxes are small by comparison with other canids. They weigh only about three to six pounds, making them about the size of a full-grown jackrabbit, and ​​the smallest fox in North America​.

It is specially adapted for its desert habitat. Its large, close-set ears help dissipate heat, keeping it cool in the hot desert.

​They closely resemble swift foxes found on the eastern plains of Colorado but have larger ears and a more angular appearance.

They live for up to seven years in the wild, while captive animals can live up to 12 years.

Their primary food is kangaroo rats, but it also actively hunts white-footed mice, pocket mice, ground squirrels, rabbits and ground-nesting birds. During certain times of the year, kit foxes will also eat insects. They are nocturnal animals finding shelter in dens to avoid the heat of the day and hunt at night.

They rarely drink water since they get all the water and electrolyte they need from their diet. They also have a digestive tract that is super-efficient at absorbing every last millilitre of water from the food they eat.

Coyotes are the biggest predatory threat to kit foxes. Some estimates suggest that three out of four kit fox deaths can be associated with coyote attacks.

In September and October, the female will prepare a natal den, where the male will meet the female. Pair bonds last at least one breeding season. After birth, parents bring food to the dens for the pups. The pups emerge from the dens when they are about five weeks old then forage alongside the parents once they reach four months, by seven months they are ready to leave their parents. They mate for life and have intricate family situations where kits from previous years often stay with the family and help with the new pups.

The Republic of the Congo

~ joannerambling ~ 3 Comments

Hello Monday, this week we are having a look at the Republic of the Congo. The currency used is the Central African Franc and the country has a population of around 6 million. The official language is French.

The Republic of Congo, also called Congo-Brazzaville, is a central African nation with rainforest reserves that are habitats for gorillas.

The capital city is Brazzaville, it lies across the Congo River from Kinshasa, the capital of neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Yes, Congo is split in two the Republic of Congo is much smaller the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both countries are named for the Congo River, the two countries share a lot of traditions, languages ​​like Lingala and Kikongo, dishes and other things.

Brazzaville’s highlights include traditional craft markets and the mid-20th-century Basilique Sainte-Anne, with a green-tiled roof and spire. Just outside the city are the Congo Rapids. The cylindrical Nabemba Tower overlooks the river in the city centre. The marble Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza Memorial contains the remains of the city’s founder. 

The flag has a diagonal yellow stripe that separates a green triangle

on the left from a red triangle on the right. The flag’s colours and shapes have symbolic meanings, Green is for agriculture and forests, Yellow is for friendship and the nobility of the people, Red well that is unexplained.

The Republic of the Congo is a secular country with no official religion. The constitution protects freedom of religion and belief and prohibits the use of religion for political purposes. 

The majority of the population in the Republic of the Congo is Christian, with Catholicism being the largest denomination.

Other religions in the country include Traditional African religions and Islam. The country also has independent African churches, including the Kimbanguist Church, the Matsouana Church, and the Bougist Church. 

The Republic of Congo has had a multiparty political system since the early 1990’s. The voting age in the Republic of Congo is 18 years.

The Republic of Congo is a Presidential Republic whereby the President acts as both Head of State and Head of the Government. The new constitution (adopted by referendum in 2002), established a seven year presidential term and a bicameral national parliament.

Week 2 of 2025

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TEMIKA’S BIRTHDAY SHE IS 15 TODAY

I had another good night, sleeping straight through. It is a pleasant 18 degrees here although we are in for another pretty hot day.

Tim said he should be home by around 7pm, last night he thought he would be home by 10pm but it 11pm before he got home.

He arrived home at 6.15pm

Steps: 9,471

Took me a while to settle last night but once I did, I slept well. Although when I got up at 5am I still felt tired, so I went back to bed for half an hour.

It is a nice 18 degrees; it is supposed to get to 33 degrees. My BGL was 5.0

I booked in to have my hearing checked on the 28th at 9am.

I turned the air con on at 10am, it has been a hot day the temp got up to 35 degrees. 7,670

I had a good night, woke to rain and much cooler with the temp at 22 degrees, although I still had to turn the fan on. My BGL was 4.9.

Sue is taking Archi to be desexed, I did want to go with her, but Tim is working, and I have groceries coming sometime this morning.

Sue was annoyed that she had only been home 45-minutes when the vet rang, and she could pick him up in an hours’ time. So, she pretty much had to drive straight back as it is nearly an hours’ drive from her place to the vet. If they had told her that it, he would only need to be there 90-minutes she would have taken a book and went to Macca’s for a coffee and just waited.

It has been raining pretty much all day, it has also felt sticky unless I have the doors open.

Steps:4,935

SAM’S BIRTHDAY SHE IS 17 TODAY

I had a good night, woke when the alarm went off, I have both front and back doors open, however due to the wind I have the screen doors closed.

It is 20 degrees and my BGL was 5.1

It has been raining on and off all day and it is a cold day.

Sam came down and I gave her a birthday card with $20 in it, she had Bailey with her, that’s the new boyfriend.

Steps:8,264

I woke to the sound of rain again, and it is cold still. I had a hot shower. I am glad we still have the heater in the bathroom as I needed it this morning.

It is 18 degrees and raining, my BGL was 5.1

Tim has changed the position of the lounge at first, I wasn’t sure it gave us more room but after I moved a couple of things it does.

Not as cold as yesterday and it has stopped raining, I am hoping tomorrow it isn’t raining.

Steps:7,808

There was no sound of rain this morning the ground is mostly dry so that’s good and it’s not cold nor is it hot. Only supposed to reach 24 degrees today, at the moment it is 19 degrees and my BGL was 5.1.

Sue drove me the doctors, he wants me to have an Xray on my left elbow and a CT scan of my left knee.

After the doctors we went to Big W and the Reject shop I managed to get a few Chrissy things that have been put away till next Christmas.

Yet again this afternoon I am feeling sad, and I don’t know why.

Steps:6,962                   

Another good night and nice morning it’s 20 degrees, my BGL is 4.9 and my body will not stop moving.

Kathy and the girls came over around 1pm for a visit it was nice seeing them.

I asked Tim if he would go to Maccas for me, but he said he has been drinking so he can’t. So, I asked Tasha if she got my bread roll, she said she thought Tim would get it, but I didn’t ask him, so he didn’t.

This put me in a right foul mood for the rest of the day.

Steps: 4,548

Angola National Anthem

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Since a couple of you asked about Murdering Gully and because I am also interested in how it got that name, I have none some research and this is what I found out. Nothing I could find stuff about a place call Murdering Gully in Victoria but the only site that information about Murdering Gully in my area was the Newcastle Herald site and they wanted me to sign up for a paid subscription which I did not want to do. So, I do not know why it was called that.

Moving on today is Friday and that means it is time for a national anthem and since I wrote about Angola on Monday, I will share their anthem today.

“Angola Avante” was composed by Ruy Mingas. The lyrics to the song were penned by Manuel Rui Alves Monteiro, an author who studied in Huambo and is affiliated with both the country’s Writer Union and Union of Artists and Composers.

The song was officially designated as the country’s national anthem in 1975, when the country gained independence on 11 November that year. It is enshrined under Article 164 of Angola’s constitution.

Its lyrics refer to several key events in the history of the MPLA. However, this has been rendered “obsolete” since the end of the one-party state in 1992. As a result, there have been efforts to modify the national anthem, along with other national symbols. However, none of these have come to fruition, and the anthem remains unchanged as of 2014.

Portuguese

O Pátria, nunca mais esqueceremos
Os heróis do quatro de Fevereio.
O Pátria, nós saudamos os teus filhos
Tombados pela nossa Independência.
Honramos o passado e a nossa História,
Construindo no Trabalho o Homem novo,
Honramos o passado e a nossa História,
Construindo no Trabalho o Homem novo.

CHORUS:
Angola, avante!
Revolução, pelo Poder Popular!
Pátria Unida, Liberdade,
Um só povo, uma só Nação!
Angola, avante!
Revolução, pelo Poder Popular!
Pátria Unida, Liberdade,
Um só povo, uma só Nação!

Levantemos nossas vozes libertadas
Para glóriados povos africanos.
Marchemos, combatentes angolanos,
Solidários com os povos oprimidos.
Orgulhosos lutaremos Pela Paz
Com as forças progressistas do mundo.
Orgulhosos lutaremos Pela Paz
Com as forças progressistas do mundo.

English Translation

 O Fatherland, we shall never forget
The heroes of the Fourth of February.
O Fatherland, we salute your sons
Who died for our Independence.
We honour the past and our history
As by our work we build the New Man.
We honour the past and our history
As by our work we build the New Man.

CHORUS:
Forward, Angola!
Revolution through the power of the People!
A United Country, Freedom,
One People, one Nation!
Forward, Angola!
Revolution through the power of the People!
A United Country, Freedom,
One People, one Nation!

2. Let us raise our liberated voices
To the glory of the peoples of Africa.
We shall march, Angolan fighters,
In solidarity with oppressed peoples.
We shall fight proudly for Peace
Along with the progressive forces of the world.
We shall fight proudly for Peace
Along with the progressive forces of the world.

Bipolar Disorder Treatment

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First off there is a Hodgepodge post  here:http://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/01/its-hodgepodge-time.html

Now for today’s post

This week we are looking at the treatment for bipolar disorder. There are two major parts to managing bipolar disorder: acute management and long-term management.

Treatment needs to be ongoing and tailored for each person.   

You also need to remember that treatment for bipolar disorder needs to factor in any conditions you have such as anxiety or substance use disorder. Other medical illnesses such as hypertension, obesity and thyroid problems sometimes occur together with bipolar disorder.

Mental health practitioners need to work out your treatment according to whether you’re experiencing hypomania, mania, depression or euthymia (absence of depression or mania). A highly qualified mental health practitioner needs to prescribe your treatment. Each person needs a treatment plan tailored for their individual needs, as everyone with bipolar disorder experiences it differently.

Do not try to self-medicate or develop your own treatment plan.

Acute management aims to stabilise someone currently experiencing mania or depression.

Medications like mood stabilisers and antipsychotics are the main focus of acute management of bipolar mania and depression. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can be effective for treatment-resistant acute mood episodes, especially in people experiencing depression with psychotic features.

Long-term management involves maintenance and prevention of relapse, and optimised functional recovery socially and at work. Medications and psychological and lifestyle approaches are aimed at providing long-term prevention of relapse, building resilience, and improving quality of life.

There are specially trained mental health professionals such as psychiatrists and psychologists who can help you with bipolar disorder

You need a thorough check from a health professional before treatment is prescribed and specially prescribed medication is the most effective way to treat and manage bipolar disorder. However, psychological and lifestyle therapies can be helpful additions to your treatment.

Some may experience ‘rapid cycling’ can go between depression and mania a few times a week (some even cycle within the same day). While others might have mood changes less often and less severely.

There are also some who can have very severe episodes of mania with psychotic symptoms (hallucinating or delusions) and need hospitalisation.

Some people can experience normal moods in between their swings, though the majority of individuals experience some low-level symptoms between episodes.