Goolie chit

 

Goolie chit

 Korean War (1950-1953) blood chit for UN pilots in English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

‘Have I told you about my goolie chit?’ was Barry’s cheery remark to me the other day.

Chit is British slang for a note and goolie originates from the Hindustani word ‘goli’ which means marble or bullet. It was adopted by the British as a slang term for testicle.

A goolie chit, formerly, or even formally, known as a blood chit, was a document issued to service personnel. Goolie chits were first used by RAF air crew in 1917, and thereafter extensively throughout the rest of the First World War and in later conflicts. It was used as a means of protecting the bearer’s most prized and personal items.

 Addressed in several languages to civilians in a battle zone, a goolie chit identified the bearer as an Allied fighter, there to protect the local populace and overthrow enemies. It promised a monetary reward for the safe return of crashed airmen.

RAF goolie chit issued during the Gulf War, 1991
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Its history goes back further. Although it was not then called a blood chit, George Washington created the first one in 1793 for Jean-Pierre Blanchard. Blanchard was a French man who was visiting Philadelphia to exhibit his hot air balloon. As he could speak no English and had no way of directing where he would land, Washington gave him a letter guaranteeing his safety wherever he touched down.

During the Gulf War, RAF crew were issued with chits accompanied by gold sovereigns, as an incentive to civilians who discovered them to return them to their embassy or headquarters. SAS soldiers were also issued with goolie chits and told that the sovereigns must be returned unless they could justify their use.

In 1968, Barry joined the Great Abbai Expedition, led by John Blashford-Snell. (Barry prepared for his role by testing ground to air communication with an aircraft circling over our house at night.) The purpose of the expedition was to traverse and chart the entire length of the Blue Nile. This had never been achieved and vast swathes of the area had not yet been mapped.

There were fierce bands of warring tribesmen, or shiftas, in the bush, some as many as a few thousand strong, who had never seen white men and in some cases were disinclined to be friendly. They earned their living as bandits, stealing from people, and would have liked to acquire the arms and particularly the radios the men carried.

Castration of enemies was a traditional practice in Ethiopia, so the expedition members were careful to try and avoid the aggressive shiftas, though they did have a number of fire fights with them. By contrast, the friendly villages were incredibly welcoming and hospitable and shared their meagre rations. In return, the medics in the team did what they could to treat illness and injury. An aspirin was seen as a miracle cure!

The goolie chit the men carried declared them to be ‘Honoured guests of Emperor Haile Selassie.’ It was written in English and Amharic. The tribes could not read but were overjoyed to hear that the Emperor, the ‘Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah,’ was still alive. He was greatly revered by his people, but they had been told he was dead, and a foreign impostor imposed in his place. The fact that the men had met and spoken to Haile Selassie in his palace gave the expedition members added status.

It’s not really surprising that Barry’s thoughts have been concentrated on his nether regions recently. In the course of five weeks, he has had a colonography, a colonoscopy, a prostatectomy and an assortment of scans, ultrasounds, x-rays, and endless blood tests. He is on the home strait now and recovering well . . . touch wood.

Goats and coffee

 

Goats and coffee

                                        Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Coffee is grown across the world but has its origins in Ethiopia. Barry was telling me this morning about the dancing goats that devoured the berries of the coffee bush and were so energised that they could not, would not sleep.

 At least, that is the legend of the 9^th century goatherd, Kaldi, who observed the antics of his goats after they had consumed the berries of a tree unknown to him. He was so impressed that he tried them for himself and experienced the energy they gave him, though he disliked the taste.

‘Kaldi Coffee’ and ‘Dancing Goat’ are popular names worldwide for coffee shops and companies.

Kaldi watched as the goats in his herd ate the small red ‘olives’ and then kicked up their heels with apparent joy and enthusiasm. He wanted to find out what caused such behaviour and took some of the berries to the local monastery. The Abbot, declaring them to be the Devil’s work, threw them on the fire, which caused the berries to release their delectable aroma. The monks rescued them and put them in water and shared the liquid, receiving the benison of the concoction.

                                         Coffee beans ripening

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The growing and consumption of coffee became popular throughout the Islamic world and the Arabs tried unsuccessfully to control the spread of the shrubs. In the 17^th century, a coffee plantation was established in India and soon beans were transported by sailors, merchants and travellers to far-flung lands, like Central and Southern America, Hawaii and East Africa.

Coffee is now grown in such diverse places as Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

In Italy, in the 16^th century, Pope Clement VIII, was begged by the clergy to ban the drink of the ‘infidels’, but he tasted it and liked it. Some say that he banned it in public, but drank it in private, ‘baptising’ it to make it holy.

King Charles II despised it because all classes of people gathered in the coffee houses to drink it and talk between them might lead to insurrection. His sanctions were soon dropped when there was a great outcry against the ban.

The London Stock Exchange, Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses and Lloyds of London all had their humble beginnings from meetings in coffee houses.

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world and is produced in more than 50 countries. The two largest coffee growers are Brazil and Vietnam, and the two heaviest consumers are Finland and Sweden, each drinking more than 10 kg per person.

April A to Z blogging challenge Uvula

Uvula – we all have one. It’s that funny little soft bit that hangs from the roof of the mouth near the back of your throat.

Diagram courtesy of Wikipedia

I looked up uvula, just to make sure I’d got the right word – I always check everything, even when I’m absolutely sure I’m correct – and found out some interesting facts. It’s fairly obvious that the uvula plays an important role in speech but for some people it does not close correctly against the back of the throat. This results in nasal speech when a lot of air comes down the nose and the speaker cannot articulate some consonants.

English has no uvular consonants, though many European and African countries do. The most remarkable example of uvular consonants is in the Khoisan or click languages of Southern and Eastern Africa.

Sometimes the uvula becomes swollen, typically in children with tonsillitis. Other causes include, among other things, dehydration, infection and allergic reaction. Some children are born with a split (bifid or bifurcated) uvula. New-born babies with a cleft palate will also have a split uvula.

Do you or your partner snore? Blame it on your uvula! It will not be a problem to people born in some parts of Ethiopian and Eritrea where a traditional healer removes all or part of the uvula. Strangely, this does not seem to result in nasal speech unless the tonsils have also been removed.

In the course of my reading I discovered something unbelievable! Some people have their uvulas pierced and decorated with rings. It is an unusual piercing, since there is a strong gag reflex associated with the uvula. There is also an associated health hazard for if the jewellery should come loose and be inhaled, surgery would be necessary to locate and remove it.

Red Nose Day

Fund-raising with a difference is organised by Comic Relief biennially across the UK, the biggest and most noticeable event being Red Nose Day.

In 1985 Ethiopia was experiencing a devastating famine.  On Christmas Day, 1985, a charity organisation called Comic Relief was launched from a refugee camp in Sudan. Red Nose Day, a fundraising idea founded by the charity, took place for the first time just over two years later, on 5^th February 1988.

The aim of Red Nose Day is to raise money to help the plight of thousands of people in Africa and the UK who are suffering dreadful injustice or living in extreme poverty. On this day everyone in the UK is encouraged to overcome natural reticence, put on a Red Nose (or wear something red) and be sponsored to do something amusing or unusual or even quite mundane for money.

In the first year the red noses were shiny, hard and very uncomfortable to wear - sales amounted to 3.4 million. The red nose was so popular that it was difficult to find one, outlets like Oxfam selling out as soon as they went on sale. Twenty-five years later sales of red noses had risen to more than 50 million. It is not uncommon to see cars, lorries, trucks sporting large red noses.

The day is celebrated in diverse ways – schools, offices, pubs, hairdressers are among the institutions that participate. Anything from cake sales to sponsored silences, sitting in a bath full of baked beans to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro can take place in the lead-up to the day. People work together or individually to raise funds.

This year Red Nose Day falls today, Friday 18^th March. The biggest event of the day is a marathon telethon hosted by the BBC. It involves many celebrities and is a mix of comedy and poignant documentary films. All the money raised goes to good causes. The three main sponsors, the BBC, BT and Sainsbury’s give their services free and all of the participants waive their fees. All administrative costs are met from the interest accruing from monies raised before they are distributed to the many good causes.

The founders of Comic Relief are amazed and gratified by the success of their vision.

Richard Curtis, (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, Blackadder) Co-founder of Comic Relief, says:

‘An astonishing credit to the British people, because of their continued and remorseless generosity’

The CEO of Sainsbury’s comments:

‘The Red Nose Day campaign has become part of Sainsbury’s way of life, and we’re incredibly proud that our colleagues and customers have been able to help raise £48 million for Comic Relief over the years’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/rednoseday/

In 1988 Barry was working in London and used to go running with two others during his lunch hour through the streets and parks. On that first Red Nose Day the three men collected more than £200 for Comic Relief, the equivalent of around £800 today.

Weekend Mailbox #4 Ethiopian stamps

Barry's niece is currently living in Ethiopia and these stamps were on the envelope holding her Christmas card to us. The country is rich in wildlife.
The first two stamps show Menelik's Bushbuck and the third is of the Black Rhinoceros, described as 'Critically Endangered'.
Gemma, from 'Greyscale Territory' originated this meme and hosts it each week. To see more mailbox-related posts - and perhaps be tempted to join in - please click here.

Shadow Shot Sunday #102

Barry brought this lady back from his expedition to the Blue Nile 40 years ago. She lived with my parents and after their death came to stay at our house.
Thank you to Tracy from 'Hey Harriet' for organising and hosting this meme. To see more shadow shots - and perhaps to play along - please click here.

Face of the Week #9 A noble face

When our first child was a few months old Barry was part of a team that went on expedition with John Blashford-Snell to Ethiopia for two months. They were the first men to traverse the whole of the Upper Reaches of the Blue Nile.
The team spent their time in wild country and the people they met had never seen white men before. Though there were armed bandits in the bush the villagers they met were extremely hospitable and the team medics were able to treat some of their ailments.

On his return, complete with some unwelcome intestinal bugs, Barry brought back this lady for my parents. She lived with them until their death and now occupies one of our walls. I think she is beautiful.
Thanks go to Sistertex from 'Spacial Peepol' who organises and hosts this entertaining meme. Click here to see more - and perhaps join in?