Radio telescope tour

June 15

The Socceroos have a day off and so no media availability. I went on a fascinating tour of the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory, about 30 minutes from Apricot Hill. The original 26-meter antenna was built by NASA to track satellites, especially the early lunar probes. It’s in an ideal location, high altitude, dry climate and outside the tropical zones of the Earth. It’s used now for various astronomical research and also as a type of GPS with other radio telescopes to accurately detect movement of the continents.

I missed the monthly Saturday public tour so I emailed their Science Awareness Programme and actually got a reply. So Marion West, one of the resident astronomers, agreed to give me a private tour. Her specialty is the shell of expanding gas around an exploded star, something that will happen in “5,000 million years” she says.

The Hart RAO is a fairly basic facility in a relatively quiet area northwest of Johannesburg. The centerpiece is the big 26-meter antenna and there are several smaller antenna, all doing ‘radio’ astronomy- looking at objects in the sky by detecting their radio wave emissions. So they can do observing 24 hours a day, since light and usually weather doesn’t affect their observing.

But many things do affect the telescopes, mainly anything that emits any kind of frequency, like cell phones and microwaves. So they can’t have any of those at the site. Marion said often a car starting up can cause a ‘glitch’ in their data. The creeping suburban sprawl of Johannesburg will have an effect in a few years, the astronomers say.

Marion rummaged around in a storage room of educational things and found a small dish antenna, an electronic box, a lamp and extension cord. So we took all of this outside where she demonstrated how various items emit radiation in the form of radio waves. It was fairly low tech but effective. A school group happened to be there at the same time, they have a pretty big visitor center with all sorts of hands-on displays.

In the control room for the big telescope, she showed me the various instruments that looked like they were out of an old NASA film of the 60’s space program. Marion explained they did date from the 60’s when NASA built the telescope. Finding parts is difficult, tiny pens for the graph paper and real bulbs for the control panel lights.

Look Clean

June 14

Here’s the best slogan so far:

Well, our Socceroos were “mauled” by Germany last night, as the Sydney Morning Herald put it, 4-0. The lads had a rough time against a much more organized team. Adam, the Socceroos main media guy said the Germans just seemed bigger and taller. But he also said, that’s soccer, and is looking forward to the next game.

AFP has about 45-50 photographers in South Africa covering all the teams and games, I remained in Muldersdrift outside of Johannesburg for the weekend. There were already a couple photographers in Durban, where the Australians played as well as a one of 4 traveling ‘photo teams’ of 3 photographers who cover every game.

Training was subdued today, many members of the team stayed behind at the hotel to work out or stretch. The ones who came seemed up beat, not discouraged by the loss. It was much earlier than in the past, 12:15 pm start at the nearby Ruimsig Stadium. We shot photos for about an hour, then sat in the shade of a fence to send the photos.

Technical-wise, we are provided with all the tools. The cell system in South Africa seems fairly advanced, I can be way out in the country side somewhere and still get a signal, my blackberry works with email practically anywhere. And we are given a 3G wireless card for our computer, with that we can send photos from anywhere, as long as we can get a signal. Unless it doesn’t work, like today. I’ve been having an intermittent problem that the computer doesn’t recognize the device in the USB slot, usually happens when I really need to use it. I called the AFP technicians in the Johannesburg bureau, 2 Frenchmen helped me. Or rather it seemed like they were shrugging a lot when I described the problem, not really knowing the solution. Eventually, the card began working and pictures got out.

Just saw this amazing sight in the western sky, the crescent moon and Venus after sunset. Double click on the picture to see Venus better.

At Maropeng

Maropeng is located in a county called Magaliesberg, outside of Johannesburg and their slogan on the area map is: “A whole lot of living where life began!” Maropeng is like a science center, a family oriented museum. Lots of interactive displays and a tour that begins with an odd ‘boat’ ride supposively showing the beginnings of earth. The main exhibits talked about the earth’s creation over billions of years and detailed explanations of human evolution. I was wondering what the religious fundamentalists would think. Wendy at Apricot Hill said there were plenty of fundamentalists in South Africa that didn’t like Maropeng. The exhibits seemed to talk separately about continent formation on one side, then fossil finds on the other. At the end it made sense, they talked about the effect humans have on the earth’s environment and showed interesting figures about food production and who gets to eat. Also the advantages/disadvantages of living together, how big cities affect the earth. Fairly political in some parts. Most of the museum is underground, you enter through a visitor center that has grasses on one side of the structure and looks very futuristic on the other side. There’s a nice restaurant with a view of the area where I had lunch.

(If you double click on the photo it enlarges)

Here’s the futuristic side of the visitor center with a bird perched on a pole.

A recreation of various hominids, some don’t look too happy to be fenced in.

A display of teeth on an exhibit of food- how fire, tools allowed humans to evolve.

A message about poverty and the environment.

Go Hominids!

June 12

Even early hominids are supporting the World Cup. This display at Maropeng, a center that explains creation of the earth and evolution of humans (in standard scientific terms), part of the “Cradle of Humankind” theme. Their slogan: “Welcome Home, Discover Your Human Heritage”.

Part of that evolution might be the mirror covers displayed on many cars now, this one with the South African flag colors. Adds another dimension to fandom from the usual flag flying from the antenna.

BAFANA BAFANA!!!

At the Pick 'N Pay in Roodenpoort

June 11

(Forgot to mention if you double click on the photos, they become larger.

And to see more photos, go to www.gettyimages.com and search under my name, for the last 7 or 30 days- be sure to check Editorial Images.)

I find myself in the local Pick ‘N Pay grocery store with store workers decked out in yellow South Africa shirts, hats and waving flags as they watch the opening game of the World Cup- South Africa vs. Mexico. The store is equally decked out with flags of all the World Cup nations up and down the aisles and a solid row of South African flags over the entrance to the store. Several customers decided not to go home immediately. I made it with less than 20 minutes to go in the game, SA leading 1-0.

Australia had an ill-timed practice at nearby Ruimsig Stadium which started at 5pm, the opening game had a 4pm start. Fortunately media were allowed for only 15 minutes so we got our photos and headed out. We seemed to have missed a SA goal, having heard the blaring of the vuvuzela horns even louder than usual. Forgetting my soccer lingo, I asked a policeman at the stadium entrance if there was “still no score?” (about 4:30pm as I entered for the practice)—“Yes, still nil-nil.”

Tension was high in the Pick ‘N Pay, then Mexico scored a goal with about 10 minutes left. The deflated crowd suddenly erupts with a few minutes left in the game, only to collapse, disappointed. A South African player was mere yards from the goal and hit the goalpost with his shot. Replays only caused the crowd to erupt again, only to be again disappointed. The game ends 1-1, a good result for South Africa against the more powerful Mexico.

Women wave their SA flags afterwards, singing, “Fly your flag”, I think the official WC song. So we’re off, World Cup month has started. The tv is tuned to the France-Uruguay game now, the stadium sounds like its full of bees from the constant blaring of the vuvuzela horns. It really seems like the whole nation is enthralled by the tournament. Blacks, whites, waving flags, decorating cars, wearing the yellow shirt of the team, nicknamed Bafana Bafana. Even painting the SA flag on faces, foreheads. It does seem something that unites the people. The SA media is portraying this as “Africas’” World Cup, I think putting enormous pressure on the poor lads with the team to win or at least do well.

John Travolta visited the Socceroos this morning. He apparently has a connection with Quantas, the main sponsor of the team. It seemed an odd pairing. Our reporter said he flew the team jet to Germany for the last world cup and an AP photographer said he was on a plane returning to Australia with Travolta as pilot. The Socceroos are staying at a very nice lodge, the Kloofzicht, which is also on a game reserve. It’s nearby the Apricot Hill so convenient for me.

On the drive to the Kloofzicht, I see this sign. This whole area of the Guateng provence is labled “Cradle of Humankind”. It has several major human fossil sites, dating to 3 to 3.5 million years old, which had the oldest finds until discoveries in Kenya and Tanzania. Also many parks and reserves with the big African animals here. It’s a big draw for tourism.

So this is where it all began. Makes all the 'old' European and Asian history seem very young by comparison.

As i write this, halftime score is Uruguay- nil, France- nil.

Ostrich: not like chicken

Our lads kicking the ball around

June 10

Last night went to the Post & Nail, the local pub and restaurant. Very rustic and roomy place with a great menu. Since ostrich was on the menu, I had to try it. They described it as “free range ostrich’ as if there could be any other kind. Some how you don’t picture ostriches sitting around in a ostrich coop. Very nice presentation with a baked potato and green beans sauted. It doesn’t taste like chicken. More like red meat, probably with out much fat since ostriches seem to be running around constantly.

Laundry day today, I was given directions to the Palm Court Shopping Center by Wendy at Apricot Hill and some detergent by 2 Australian women who had been to the laundromat the day before.

While driving there occasionally is a sign painted on the road saying, “ROBOTS AHEAD”. I was also given directions which included, “turn right at robot at bottom offramp”. Turns out this is short for, robotic signal, an Englishism. So there are not actually robots in the road.

Today the Aussies trained about 30km from where I’m staying, in a Johannesburg suburb called Sandton. It’s fairly straightforward getting there, except for a few tricky intersections. Here’s a big right turn where one must go from the yellow X, way across a massive interchange to the other side, the left side, all while not somehow going into several lanes of traffic that can approach diagonally from the left (and might take you into the oncoming traffic if you get confused). This was helped immensely by dotted lines forming a lane (MY lane) as you can see just in front of the car. If you (meaning ME) stay in the dotted lines, it takes you clear through the intersection and into the proper lane going in the right direction. Much relief after the right turn as I head down this road to yet another right turn a few kilometers later.

One day to go before the start of the World Cup.

Le Monde

Just adding the Le Monde front page and a photo from the Australian practice that AFP is featuring on the front of their photo web service to their clients.

Had dinner of ostrich tonight, details tomorrow.

Et une « Une » pour Stan !

Sign on delivery truck: makes you long for the good old days of the 18th century France.

Me and some friends from the Mohlakano Primary School

The 'lap desks' with lots of Australia info

A group called Anuma performed a Batswana Cultural Dance

June 9

Got a nice message from a Paris AFP photo editor who said I had a picture on the front page of Le Monde, the French daily newspaper. It was of one of the flag sellers I photographed yesterday on the street corner. The editors at our WC headquarters in Johannesburg were happy.

The Football Federation of Australia planned a 10am press conference, so I planned to cover that and hopefully have the afternoon off since the Australia team practice was closed to media coverage. The Australians have been running late and I suppose nothing much runs on time in South Africa, so the combination made the event last into the afternoon. But, it was wild as things tend to be here.

The FFA was donating educational stuff to schools in this county and across South Africa and chose a school about 20 km from here. As we entered the town of Mohlakeng, people raced through the streets with horns and flags and soccer jerseys cheering the bus. I think we made a lap around the town, then found the primary school. The town seemed a mix of shacks with corregated steel roofs and ordinary middle class houses.

Hundreds of adorable children were lined up in the main school plaza, though the decorum broke when we cameramen showed up. Lots of frenzied activity until teachers got the students into neat rows again and a man led the group in a countdown- “5, 4, 3,2, 1- sshhhhh”. And quiet! This happened each time the noise level rose and was pretty successful.

The FFA and Australian sports minister gave out lap desks, basically a large oval shaped plastic disk for children to use as a desk. The top has printed on it an alphabet, numbers using soccer balls to count, rulers and lots of info about Australia. Not sure what the children thought about the Australia info. But they seemed very happy.

After the ceremonies, I pulled my car into the shade at the school to work on my computer and send photos. Oddly enough, my data card worked perfectly, much better than at the fancy private college we had been at yesterday. I made lots of friends as a small crowd gathered to watch me work. One older student took a cell phone photo of me and the group, I gave him my camera to snap a picture for me.

Finally back to the farm for lunch. I’ve got a small refrigerator so I can make sandwiches and eat here, a bit more convenient than going out.

Are you a foreigner?

The lads carry a net

Happy fan at the training

The medically unsound vuvuzela

June 8

Last night I took a look at the night sky, my first real look at the southern sky. Lots of unfamiliar constellations, plus a few I know that are only seen in the north for a few months. The sky is pretty dark here, but you can see the glow from greater Johannesburg. The Milky Way is faint, but still visible, which seems to be amazing. People complain of smog, which I think is the smoke from fires being burned on land and of trash.

On to Tuesday--Busy day. After a very full breakfast provided by Wendy at the Apricot Hill Farm, including oatmeal, cold cereal with soy milk, toast aired out in those British metal toast holders and various hot items, I set out on a walk of 5 km down the dirt road. The weather has been extremely good, sunny days in the 60’s, cold at night but clear.

After the walk I drive to a nearby big intersection where I’ve seen vendors selling large flags of the World Cup countries. They are a bit wary at first, then enjoy having their pictures taken. Two high school boys in uniforms come up and ask if I’m a foreigner. I say, definitely yes. They welcome me to South Africa and are pleased I’m here. One has visited New York. Both are rooting for the SA soccer team, but admit they aren’t very good.

Returning to the farm I see people blowing the vuvuzela horns, a long plastic tube producing a very loud noise. Apparently a health hazard as AFP reports: Football fans attending the World Cup risk permanent damage to their hearing from the vuvuzela horns which are the must-have accessory at the tournament in South Africa, a study said Monday.

Later in the afternoon I head to St. Stithius College in Sandton for the Australian training, a different venue than normal. I’ve looked at a map and it seemed fairly easy but thought I would use the GPS since it’s in another town. I had put in the gps coordinates listed on the St. Stithius web site, but I may have made a mistake. The GPS had me driving around the area with no college in sight. Made a turn into a small shopping mall into the right lane, in my attempt to make a u-turn. Eventually I stop and ask a school boy in a uniform, and I found it. Used the original directions to head back to the farm and it was better.

I think I might be the only non-Aussie photographer to cover ‘the lads’. Big contingent of Australian press in general, including the AFP correspondent who, thankfully, knows a lot about the team. Training went well, we all shoot a lot since tomorrows session is closed to the media.

Where I’m staying seems to be a fairly mixed area, at least in the shops and on the roads. The shopping center I’ve been to has a mix of people, all fairly middle class. Though almost all the the workers, such as checkout women at the grocery store, the help around the Apricot Hill Farm, police, cleaning people etc appear to be black. Owners, managers look to be white. Not sure where people live or what the neighborhoods are like.

Coupe du Monde

The Socceroos in action!

The Rose farmhouse
The Civic sits at the Apricot Hill B&B

June 5
Arrived on Saturday morning in Johannesburg for the World Cup after a 15 ½ hour flight on South African Airways. Ironically saw “Invictus” on the plane (as well as Avatar). Was taken by an AFP driver to the Mercure hotel where most of the AFP editors are staying. I was handed many items: local cell phone, game tickets, instructions for various events, SIM card for the technicians to install in my computer, GPS unit, cash advance for gasoline. And a Honda Civic since I’m driving to various sites. Wouldn’t be much of a problem except they drive on the left-hand side of the road.

I meet with another photographer, Phillippe, and we take the AFP shuttle bus to the main media center to get credentials and see the bureau. I hand my computer to a technician who does all sorts of updates. Francois, the photo-technician hands me a diagram that looks like we are assembling the space shuttle. I’m to program my computer and cameras to immediately send photos to the editing desk as I take them during the actual matches. We are handed various boxes, cables, wires and try to make sense out of it all. By a miracle it all works after I’m done.

About 1pm a group of the photo people head to the barbeque for lunch. The press center is at a large convention center with a central court. An outdoor kiosk has set up grills and for RSA 80 (about $10.50) you get meal with a drink.

June 6
The adventure begins Sunday morning as I set the GPS and ease the Civie out of the hotel driveway onto a busy street, after remembering to get into the right side of the car. First action is a right (!) turn, our equivalent of a left turn into on coming traffic. Fortunately a car is in front of me and I follow into the correct (left) side of the street. I follow the Commonwealth accent of the GPS voice to the N3 highway. After a few dicey turns, I’m on the freeway going 100 (!) kilometers per hour, really only 60mph. Traffic flows and I stay way to the left going the speed limit, which most people seem to be doing. I’m headed to Muldersdrift, a town in near by Krugersdorp, looks to be about 40 miles or so from Johannesburg.

By a combination of excellent directions and the GPS I find the Apricot Hill Farm B&B, which is 3 km on a dirt road off the main road. The area is part farming, part suburbia. Wendy, one of the owners, shows me the Rose farmhouse, my 1 room abode. With the braai (barbecue) on my terrace if I want to use it. The place is very quite except for the giant guard dogs.

I’m relatively close to the Ruimsig Stadium which, fortunately, is a left turn on to the main road, then 8 km or so, then a left into the stadium road. The return back to Apricot Hill is the hard part. Team Australia, or the Quantas Socceroos, train at Ruimsig.

June 7
After many technical problems I go shopping for lunch and dinner. There is a basic kitchen in the room and late day practices mean I’m done about 7-8pm. Not too many restaurants in the area, so it seems easier to make a few meals. At today’s practice the sun is setting making long, dramatic shadows and happy photographers.