Tuesday, April 26, 2011

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) maximum cards with The Red-fronted Gazelle (Eudorcas rufifrons), from Burkina Faso (= "Men of integrity from father's house")


"The Red-fronted gazelle (Eudorcas rufifrons) is a species of gazelle that is widely but unevenly distributed across the middle Africa from Senegal to north-eastern Ethiopia
It is mainly resident in the Sahel zone, a narrow cross-Africa band south of the Sahara, where it prefers arid grasslands, wooded savannas and shrubby steppes."

"The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organizationworking on issues regarding the conservationresearch and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States. 
It is the world's largest independent conservation organization with over 5 million supporters worldwide, working in more than 90 countries, supporting around 1300[4] conservation and environmental projects around the world. 
It is a charity, with approximately 60% of its funding coming from voluntary donations by private individuals. 45% of the fund's income comes from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.[3]"

"Burkina Faso (Listeni /bərˌknə ˈfɑːs/ bər-KEE-nə FAH-sohFrench: [byʁkina faso]) – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.

Its size is 274,200 square kilometres (105,900 sq mi) with an estimated population of more than 15,757,000. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Voltait was renamed on August 4, 1984, by President Thomas Sankara to mean "the land of upright people" in Mòoré and Dioula, the major native languages of the country. 
Figuratively, "Burkina" may be translated, "men of integrity," from the Mòoré language, and "Faso" means "father's house" in Dioula. The inhabitants of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabè (play /bərˈknəb/ bər-KEE-nə-bay)."

"On August 4, 1984, as a final result of President Sankara's zealous activities, the country's name was eventually changed from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, which translates to "land of honest people".[7]

[edit]Burkina Faso

On October 15, 1987 Sankara was killed by an armed gang with twelve other officials in a coup d'état organised by his former colleague, Blaise Compaoré."
"Compaoré immediately reversed the nationalizations, overturned nearly all of Sankara's policies, returned the country back under the IMF fold, and ultimately spurned most of Sankara's legacy. 
As of 2010, Compaoré is entering his 23rd year in power. 
He "has become immensely wealthy" and purchased a presidential plane to reflect his personal prestige, while landlocked Burkina Faso ranks as the third least developed country in the world."


"The median age of its inhabitants is 16.7"!!!

"According to the World Health Organization in 2005 an estimated 72.5% of Burkina Faso's girls and women have suffered female genital mutilation.[23]"
"Map: Estimated Prevalence of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in Africa. Data based on uncertain estimates."


Cruel traditions?
Don't read, if "you can't handle the truth": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_mutilation

"The United Nations Development Program Report ranks Burkina Faso as the country with the lowest level of literacy in the world, despite a concerted effort to double its literacy rate from 12.8% in 1990 to 25.3% in 2008.[34]"
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"The name Upper Volta indicated that the country contains the upper part of the Volta River system. The river's three tributaries are called the Black VoltaWhite Volta and Red Volta, and the colors of the national flag corresponded to these parts of the river system."

What else means Volta?
Alessandro Volta, for example.
He invented several things that were already invented...:) [teasing him].
Coz there's nothing new under the sun*.
--------------
*Certain exceptions apply.

"{Alessandro Volta] improved and popularized the electrophorus, a device that produces a static electric charge. His promotion of it was so extensive that he is often credited with its invention, even though a machine operating in the same principle was described in 1762 by Swedish professor Johan Wilcke.[3]"

"In announcing his discovery of the pile, Volta paid tribute to the influences of William NicholsonTiberius Cavallo and Abraham Bennet."



"Baghdad battery" does NOT refer to family violence, or any other type of violence.

"Recently there is a growing dispute over the invention of the battery. It has been suggested that the Baghdad battery discovered by Wilhelm Konig in 1938 at Khujut Rabu near Baghdad has priority. The Baghdad battery may have been used by Persians some 2000 years ago for electroplating and may be the first known chemical battery.[11][12]"

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Red-fronted gazelle, near some red trees in Burkina Faso...

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