Karen Lotter's Blog
Posted by Karen Lotter
Crime Story – DNA, Mortuaries and Fingerprints
The three topics of this article may well be part of a crime story.
I grew up in the brutality of apartheid South Africa and am now living in a young democracy in Africa that is finding it’s feet - violence and death are part of our everyday lives.
Don’t get me wrong, South Africa is not a war zone, but with HIV/AIDS and violent crime, we probably come much more close up with death and dying via our media and in our personal lives than most people living in the West.
So, like people who work with death everyday, death just becomes part of the cycle of life, which for me, includes a healthy does of humor, sometimes bordering on the macabre.
I wrote the Lighter Side of Forensics article and highlighted three very different; forensic-type issues which almost sound like part of a crime story;
Men of Mortuaries 2008 Calendar
I couldn’t make enough puns about grave humor and keeping a stiff upper lip and really digging this calendar, but it is for such a good cause and the guys are quite gorgeous. I think a Men of Mortuaries 2008 Calendar is the perfect item to hang on an exec’s office wall.
Flickr DNA
What will Flickr come up with next? Flickr has become so much a part of the visual web experience that one can’t ignore it, so take a look at Flickr DNA and check out the fit of your genes!
DNA 11 Art - DNA Portraits, Fingerprint Portraits, Kiss Portraits
It didn’t surprise me when I looked at this website that DNA Art would be so popular. After all we all want something unique, totally unique and what is more unique than DNA Art, Fingerprint Portraits or Kiss Portraits?
And that’s the wrap to this creative crime story.
Posted by Karen Lotter
Double Helix of DNA
Well I guess a lot of stuff begins with DNA, like humans. After all like architects’ plans are drawn for every house or building, our DNA is the blueprint for who we are and what we look like.
Many call the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA by Jim Watson and Francis Crick in 1953 - an achievement that led to their Nobel Prize in 1962, -the biggest scientific discovery of all time.
Forensic Profiling
Forensic DNA is usually used for Forensic profiling of fingerprinting. Any type of organism can be identified by examination of DNA sequences unique to that species. To identify individuals, forensic scientists scan 13 DNA regions to create a DNA profile of that individual (sometimes called a DNA fingerprint). There is an extremely small chance that another person has the same DNA profile for a particular set of regions.
Forensic DNA - More Uses than Crime Scenes
But Forensic DNA isn’t only used to identify criminals as seen on TV shows like CSI and Bones , it has many other uses like:
- the identification of victims of accidents or catastrophes
- establishing paternity and other familial relationships
- identifying endangered and protected species as an aid to wildlife conservationists
- detecting bacteria and other organisms that could pollute food, air, oil and water
- matching donor organs for transplantation
- determining pedigree for seed or livestock breeds, and
- authenticating consumables like wine and caviar.
Because Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA is in every cell of every organism, crime scene investigation has been markedly changed - some would say revolutionized. And because we're all fascinated with DNA , TV shows like CSI and Bones have become chart toppers.
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Posted by Karen Lotter
This publication was compiled by the Department of Trade and Industry (dti), in conjunction with Backpacking South Africa.
Lebo's in Soweto - Experience Township Life
Lebo's in Soweto, one of the few black-owned backpackers establishments in a black community, is becoming one of the more popular places for people wanting to experience "township" life, listen to great African jazz and visit historic Sowetan places.
Value of Backpacking and Youth Travel
Backpacking and youth travel is recognized as a valuable nice market in South Africa and to date there hasn’t been a database of information available.
This Backpacking and Youth Travel Trends publication is aimed at creating awareness about backpacking and youth travel, particularly amongst existing tourism businesses.
The travel industry in South Africa has just caught on that backpacking and youth travel is big business and that it makes a significant contribution to the global tourism economy. According to the World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation, young travelers aged 16 to 24 are the travel industry's fastest growing segment. They represent over 20 percent of all international visitors and generate over 100 billion US dollars each year.
Backpacking and Youth Travel - the South African Market
South Africa's market is estimated at about 90 000 backpacking and youth travelers each year. Despite their average daily spend being less than that of many other tourists, their total trip spend is on a par and sometimes more, because of their longer length of stay. International backpackers and youth travelers to South Africa stay an average of 42 days. Their interest in rural areas and authentic experiences directly benefits certain of the country's poorer regions and communities.
One of the favorite areas of the backpacking and youth travel community is the Wild Coast where the backpacking industry has already made a significant contribution to local economic development.
Posted by Karen Lotter
According to Reuters, travelers to Libya were recently caught unaware by a requirement that all travelers entering or leaving the country must have an Arabic transcript/translation of their passport details.
Apparently Libya dropped this requirement to have an Arabic transcript in their travel documents in 2005 in a move to boost tourist numbers, but for some reason it was recently reintroduced without anyone being informed.
Libya has many pristine and spectacular tourist attractions, from ancient Roman sites to breathtaking beaches. Its museums are being developed as its tourist trade grows
Libya requires Arabic translation/ transcript of passport details
According to a British Embassy website, the Arabic transcript /translation measure was reintroduced to all people entering and leaving Libya on 11 November 2007.
British Airways says on their website: “Effective immediately, all passengers traveling to Libya are required to have an Arabic translation of their passport details. This must be attached to their passport.”
They explain that they were informed that passengers who don’t have an Arabic translation of their passport details will be refused entry into Libya and deported.
Details are given of how it should be presented: The translation must be presented on a blank page, attached to the passport and must contain the translation of all the details on the passport photo page (i.e. the name, date of birth, issue date, expiry date, place of issue of the passport, etc)
Other Libya Visa details
Visas are required by everyone entering Libya, except nationals of Arab countries and Malta. Holders of Israeli passports or passports containing Israeli stamps (even old ones) will not be admitted.
Also read:
Traveling in Libya, North Africa
Posted by Karen Lotter
So have you made up your mind yet where you’re going to spend the Festive Season?
If you haven’t I’m sure you’ll be able to manage to find reservations at one of Africa’s resorts or game reserves.
Let me give you a quick run down of cool places in Africa to go for the Festive Season.
If you want a beach vacation with a difference, spend your Christmas and New Year in the Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar or Zanzibar. White sandy beaches, sunshine, water sports scuba and snorkeling.
Many of the resorts have special packages for Christmas vacations for couples and families.
Christmas and New Year Cruises around the islands are also popular.
North African Christmas and New Year
Maybe the hot desert and Mediterranean regions of a North African Christmas are more to your liking? Well, enjoy the Festive Season in Egypt or Morocco.
Casablanca is a great place to start a journey in Morocco. You can do it own your own on join up with one of the package tours. As one of the Festive Season tour operators says: Whilst we can't promise you a white Christmas we can promise you a Festive Season to remember.
And in Egypt you can enjoy a cruise down the Nile over Christmas and New Year or spend the Festive Season at the Red Sea and do a trip into the Sahara desert.
Southern African Christmas
The Southern African Christmas is the one I know best because I live in South Africa. There are plenty of resorts, beach cottages, game reserves, hotels and getaways in South Africa and in our neighboring countries of Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi to spend a truly memorable Festive Season.
