Just a Lickle Water

About a third of the Marshallese have left their homes in the Marshall Islands.   Many of them have moved to various parts of the United States of America.   Here in America, they do not need a work visa to gain lawful employment.   They are legally allowed to live and work here without a visa or becoming a citizen.   Some people refer to the Marshallese living here as permanent Non Immigrants. Note: PBS https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/marshall-islands-a-third-of-the-nation-has-left-for-the-us

Malta is the only country within the European Union where abortion, under all circumstances, is illegal.  By law, a woman and anyone who assists her (not a professional) with an abortion can serve 18 months to 3 years in prison. In contrast, a medical professional can serve up to 4 years in prison. This law goes back to the 1850s. 

Mali was once and then twice named French Sudan.

In 1982, Maldives joined the Commonwealth. However, in 2016, the country left it, which was in response to the Commonwealth’s suspension warning. The Maldives’ government claimed that the Commonwealth “sought to become an active participant in the Maldives' domestic political discourse, which is contrary to the principles of the charters of the UN and the Commonwealth.” Then, on the 1st February 2020, under the Ibrahim Mohamed Solih government, the country rejoined the Commonwealth.  Note: The Commonwealth https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/maldives

On the 8 th March 2014, Malaysia flight MH370 disappeared in flight. 239 people were on this plane, 50 were Malaysia’s Nationals, and 153 were China’s Nationals.   None of the people on the plane were ever seen again.   However, a wing flap, wing fragment and flaperon from the aeroplane have been found. Additionally, on the 17 th of July 2014, flight MH17 was shot down.   All 298 people died.   42 were Malaysia’s National and 193 Dutch Nationals. Note BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28357880 CNN https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/08/asia/mh370-debris-found/index.html

Malawi was once named Nyasaland, and presently, the country’s currency is the Malawian Kwacha (MWK). In this country, over one million children have been left as orphans due to the death of their parents as a result of the HIV-Aids, disease.

Many of this country’s animals do not exist in other countries.   Some of these animals are Fossa, Panther Chameleons, Tomato Frog, Indri and Giraffe Weevil.

Mother Teresa’s birth name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, and she was born in Uskup, a town in the Ottoman Empire. Today, that town is called Skopje, and it is the capital city of North Macedonia. When she was eighteen years old, she left home and travelled to another country.  The Mother Teresa Memorial House is in her honour in Skopje. Note Noble Prize https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1979/teresa/biographical/

Luxembourg has three official languages, and they are Luxembourgish, German and French. Additionally, almost half of the country’s workforce is made up of workers who live in Belgium, France and Germany.   Yes, most of these workers boardercross, daily, to get to their jobs and then return home at the end of the workday, in another country.

In Lithuania, just outside the city of Siauliai, is a hill called the Hill of Crosses. Here, people have “hammered” and placed on top of one another, thousands upon thousands of crosses. There are also statues, rosaries and photographs here. This country was under Russia’s rule, and on more than one occasion, the Russians destroyed this site. Additionally, some people were cast into jail, and some were fined for placing a cross on this hill. Nevertheless, to this day, the hill with its crosses remains. Note BBC http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20171026-lithuanias-miraculous-hill-of-100000-crosses

Liechtenstein is the home of one of the world’s billionaires.   He is Christoph Zeller, and the name of his company is Ivoclar Vivadent.   The company deals in dental implants, and it brings in more than $800 million yearly. Note https://www.forbes.com/profile/christoph-zeller/?list=billionaires#58672dd7498b

There are 130 nationalities living in Kazakhstan.   There are Kazaki, Germans, Russians, Tatar, Ukrainians, Uzbeks.

The sale and consumption of alcohol are illegal in Libya. This law was passed by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi shortly after he became the head of the country in 1969.   However, in 2013, fifty-one (51) people died and over three hundred (300) others were poison by methanol as a result of drinking home-made alcohol. Some of the side effects of methanol poisoning are blindness, seizures, kidney failure and death.

The capital city of Libera is Monrovia.   It is named after the fifth President of the United States of America, James Monroe, 1817 – 1825.   It is the largest city in Liberia.   It was established in 1822 for free American slaves.

Do you want to go Skiing in the continent of Africa?   Well, in Lesotho, June, July and August is a good time to go skiing here.   Enjoy!

In 1932, the Lebanese took a census of the country’s population, and this census showed a mixture of religious groups. Then in 1943, the government declared independence from France. So, with the country’s unity in mind, an agreement called the National Pact was made. In this agreement, the President of the country must be a Maronite, the Prime Minister, a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of Parliament, a Shitte Muslim.  If another census occurs today, it would seriously affect the National Pact.  Note The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/lebanon-census/

Acid rain is destroying the forest, wildlife and the water supply in Latvia.   So, the government has taken some steps to combat this, and these efforts had started in the 80s.   Acid rain has high nitric, sulfuric acids and other pollutants in snow, fog and other precipitation.

Between 1964 – 1973 about 20,000 people made the Vieng Xai Caves in Laos their home.  The people lived in about 200 caves, and it housed a bank, school, hospital, meeting rooms and artilleries.  It was also the home of Pathet Lao members.  Presently, this location is a museum in Hoyhan Province. Note https://www.laosholidayarchitects.com/excursions/the-vieng-xai-caves-2/ https://www.travelfish.org/sights/laos/northern_laos/hua_phan/vieng_xai

The first World Nomad Games was held on 9 th Sept – 14 Sept 2014 in Kyrgyzstan, and 538 athletes and 19 countries participated.   Then the country hosted the second Games in 2016, and 1200 athletes and 62 countries participated.   The third Games were hosted here in 2018, and 3000 athletes and 77 countries were a part of it. Note World Nomad Games http://worldnomadgames.com/en/page/About-the-WNG/

Kuwait’s official currency is the Kuwait Dinar, and it is the highest and strongest currency in the world.   One Kuwait Dinar is $3.29 US dollars, while the Pound Sterling is $1.29 US dollars, and the Euro is $1.09 US dollars. Note This was the exchange rate at the time of publishing this post.

As it stands today, in South Korea, when a baby is born, he or she is automatically one year old.   Then at the beginning of the new year, the child automatically turns two years old.    Then, after one hundred (100) days old, a celebration is held for the baby.   However, Hwang Ju-hong, a National Assembly member, seeks to change this to the International Ageing System. Insider https://www.insider.com/south-korea-aging-system-bill-eliminate-2019-6

North Korea falls under the Single Party Rule of Government System. However, its official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.   Additionally, the country has a  political election every five years, and its last election was on 10 th March 2019.  The citizens must vote in these elections, and 99.9% of the registered voters, voted in the last election.  On the ballot paper (voting paper), only one name is on it, and there are two boxes for the voters to choose from.  There is a yes and a no box, and as they place the paper in a box, they have to keep in mind that the secret police are observing their choice.

Kiribati is made up of 33 islands, and in the year1999, two of these islands went overtaken by water, and they were never seen again.   The name of these islands was Tebua Tarawa and Abanuea.   Although they were uninhabited, they were often used by fishermen.   Presently, there is fear among some that Kiribati's country will completely disappear underwater or become uninhabited by the year 2100.   So, with this in mind, on 23 rd May 2014, the government of the time purchased 2200 hectares of land in Fiji to relocate its citizens.   This purchase cost US$8.77 million.   Part of the area that was purchased is called Natoavatu Estates. Note: The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/08/The-Island-Nation-That-Bought-a-Back-Up-Property/378617/

In 2018, Jack Oyugi revealed a way to use the Hyacinth plant.   This plant has been invading the fishing waters of Kenya.   Oyugi has come up with the Hyacinth Cake, and it is food for livestock.   This feed contains 50% protein, it helps the animals to produce more milk, and it even cost 30% less than what is presently sold in Kenya.   The cake process involves steaming, drying, crushing and adding minerals.   This feed comes at a time when Kenyan farmers are barely breaking even in their business. Note: https://www.kenyacic.org/news/converting-water-hyacinth-menace-animal-feed

In September of 2002, Jordan and Israel agreed to pump water into the Dead Sea from the Red Sea.   The water level of the Dead Sea has been dropping for many years.   It dropped from 1,280 feet to minus 1425 feet as of last year.   The drop in the water has affected construction, agriculture, extraction of minerals, beaches and more.   Jordan is one of the top 10 countries in the world that are faced with water scarcity The people are still waiting for the government to implement their agreement. Note The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/sinking-israel-jordan-relations-leave-dead-sea-a-natural-wonder-low-and-dry/

Over 6,800 islands make up Japan, and it is the home of over 126 million people.  There are over 2.31 million people who are 90 years old and above.  Note The Japan Times Japantimes.co.ip/news/2019/15/national/elderly.citizens-accounted-record-28

Jamaica was the fourth country in the Caribbean to gain independence.   It gained it from the British on the 6 th of August 1962.

A few mouth-watering foods that Cote is known for are Chilled Avocado Soup, Baked Yam and Melon Fingers with lime and Fufu (Boiled Cassava and Plantain).

There are 21 letters in the standard Italian alphabet, compared to the English alphabet, which has 26 letters.   Additionally, the letters J, K, W, X and Y are not in the Italian alphabet.   Nevertheless, these letters are found in some “loan or foreign” words used in Italy.