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new dakar senegal I am always amazed at what I learn by reading just one issue of The New Yorker and the latest issue would be a great example. Thanks to an article in the December sixth issue, I finally found out what happens to a person who has cystic fibrosis. Before I read the article, I knew that people with cystic fibrosis had problems breathing, but I had no idea why. Now I know that "a defective gene causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections." I also learned how they detect the condition with a sweat test. It was all very interesting and sad at the same time. ... Once again The Amazing Race offered some quality entertainment with some real insight into how Americans view a foreign culture. Now I will readily confess that Senegal is not on my top ten list of places to see, but I would hope that I would be a little more polite if I were ever to go there. Obviously that part of the world is nowhere near the standard of living that one sees in the United States, but that has to be expected. Plus the thought of not paying a taxi driver the exact amount of the fare has never crossed my mind. I didn't know that that was a negotiable transaction. |