Warning!

Hi everyone, I thought I would warn all of you of what is happening in our neighbourhoods. Yesterday morning at around 10:15 am, our gate intercom rang, the maid answered it and a gentleman said that he wanted to see her. So she went to the gate, but fortunately for us all, she did not open the gate, she peeped through the letterbox to see who it was. To her amazement she saw two gentlemen wearing leather jackets, balaclava’s,


sun hats and she saw the one putting a gun in his jacket. At this stage she asked what they wanted again and they said that they wanted

to see the gardener this time. So she told them to wait whilst she called the gardener. She ran and found the gardener and they both

alerted the neighbours on either side of our property. They all converged on our gate but the robbers had fled. When reporting to the

police shortly afterwards, they were informed that we were the third report that morning!!!!! Please, please be aware of this, tell your domestics not to let anyone onto the premises, do not open the gate until they have made 100% sure of who is outside the gate.

Thankfully to a switched on domestic team, all our belongings are safe!! Be alert and in turn be safe Regards Mel Smith
Personal Assistant Kingdom Meikles Limited 7th Floor, 99 Jason Moyo Ave HARARE Tel: 252068-78. Direct Line: 252064

Comet Hartley 2

My first observation though binoculars was a few nights ago. The comet is difficult but will be easier to see as the month progresses.


Comet Hartley 2 is said to be large and diffuse, meaning its light is spread out over a wide area. You will definitely need a dark, country sky - free of city lights - (well, Harare has very few street lights and constant power-cuts, so your chances are good!) to see it. Also, when searching for the comet, remember to use averted vision. That's the technique of looking to one side of the faint object you seek on the sky's dome, instead of directly at it. This comet might become faintly visible to the unaided eye in October 2010. Only time will tell if this will happen.

To find the comet, first find the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. This constellation is easy to spot in the northeast in the evening now. Cassiopeia is shaped like the letter M or W. This comet will sweep next to Cassiopeia in late September and early October 2010.



Just remember . Cassiopeia always appears in the northeastern sky at nightfall on October evenings. It swings low in the northern sky - above Polaris, the North Star - in the wee hours after midnight in October. Then, as night progresses toward dawn, you'll find Cassiopeia in the northwestern sky before dawn. Just look in the locations mentioned above for a W or M-shaped star pattern.



What will the comet look like?

Comets are surprising objects in many ways. They are mysterious visitors - loosely bound balls of ices - from the outer solar system. Sometimes, comets appear without warning. Comet Hartley 2 has been expected for many years, however. Officially designated 103P/Hartley, it is a periodic comet, which returns again and again near our sun and Earth. Its orbital period is thought to be 6.46 years.

Even so, the brightness and appearance of this comet - or any comet - never follows an ironclad forecast. Don't be surprised if Comet Hartley 2 exceeds or falls shy of expectation. Through your binoculars in October, it should look like a smudge of light against the dark sky background. Comet Hartley 2 may look like a faint, fuzzy star. Or it might exhibit a discernible tail. We'll have to wait and see.

The element of suspense always accompanies the return of a comet to Earth's sky. That's one reason they are fun to see!

How to find Comet Hartley 2 with binoculars

A typical binocular field covers about 5 degrees of sky. Sometimes the field of view (F.O.V.) is listed right on your binoculars. For handy reference, the distance between the Cassiopeia stars Caph and Schedar measures about 5 degrees. Remember this, as it will serve you well on your hunt for Comet Hartley 2.



After October 10, finding the comet gets tricky, because the moon will be returning to the evening sky. The moon's glare will make the comet harder to see. It will probably be best to observe Comet Hartley 2 after moonset from October 11 to October 20.

By the way, the Deep Impact spacecraft - which was launched by NASA in 2005 and successfully sent a collider into Comet 9P/Tempel - had its orbit around the sun tweaked in May of 2010 with the goal of sending it close to Comet Hartley 2. This mission has now been re-designated EPOXI. The craft will pass most closely to the comet in early November, 2010. Mission overseers are provided status updates for EPOXI's impending sweep past Hartley 2.

All in all, it will be an interesting autumn season for comets, thanks to Comet Hartley 2. Be sure to make friends with Cassiopeia, your tour guide to the comet. The trick to comet hunting is to know right where to look for its place in the starry sky, and Cassiopeia will help. Comet Hartley 2 has now been spotted under dark skies by people using binoculars, and it might reach naked-eye visibility in October.
Mike Begbie

SkyOptic

The Drums

The drums are calling, old man, and they are louder by the day.

They are calling you to judgement and now's the time to pay,
for the wrongs you've done your country and the trust betrayed.
So hear those drums swelling, hear well and be afraid.
You came to power on waves of hope that you would make your mark,
in a land that shone in Africa like diamonds in the dark.
In simple faith the people put their trust in your care,
and were repaid by the Fifth Brigade and the CIO and fear.
Twenty eight years of motorcades and lavish trips abroad
A nation's heritage is lost through patronage and fraud.
The Chiefs grow fat while people starve and famine stalks our homes.
On idle farms the weeds grow rank and cover cattle bones.
The youth are taught your slogans but even as they sing
The drums of change are beating for the truth is seeping in.
The demagogue has feet of clay and lies will not sustain
the shattered land that once seemed free and will be so again.
Too late to blame the drought, the Brits, the Whites, the MDC.
For all know where the finger points with cold finality.
So hear the drums, old man, and listen to them well,
They foretell of your end days and they have much to tell.
For he who sows the seeds of hate will reap the grapes of wrath,
so tremble in your bed at night, at the end of your sorry path.
Unknown

Hillside Dams

The Hillside Dams [mailto:webmaster@hillsidedams.com] We have relaunched the Hillside Dams Facebook page!! Archive photos, our newly launched "Visitor Cam" (have you have been snapped at Hillside Dams lately???), Boma News and much much more available all via our new Facebook profile. Share your thoughts, suggestions and upload all your photos, videos and memories onto the page as well, fully interactive. Click on the following link to open the NEW page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bulawayo-Zimbabwe/The-Hillside-Dams-Bulawayo/157013480986802


Please avoid the old Hillside Dams profile as this is not maintained and we cannot locate the Administrator. The new profile page is clearly marked "The Official Facebook Page"

THE government has banned the importation of second-hand vehicles

Sunday, 26 September 2010 10:40


THE government has banned the importation of second-hand vehicles as part of
a raft of new measures aimed at arresting the carnage on the country's
roads.

According to Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use) Regulations
published in the government gazette of September 17, the Ministry of
Transport and Infrastructural Development is also phasing out left-hand
vehicles.

The regulations that will also hit hard owners of unroadworthy vehicles and
cripple local car dealers come into effect on March 1 2011.

Vehicles older than five years will be affected and the move will push the
price of locally assembled cars beyond the reach of many.

The statutory instrument says in part: "No person shall import any vehicle
for registration and use on any road in Zimbabwe if the year of manufacture
from the country of origin is more than five years."

"Provided that this shall not apply to any motor vehicle registered in
Zimbabwe before the 31st of March, 2011."

Used Japanese cars (pictured) have become popular with Zimbabweans over the
years as they are cheaper than those assembled locally.

Previous attempts by government to raise import duty on second hand vehicles
have been met with a lot of resistance.

Last month, Environment and Natural Resources minister Francis Nhema caused
a stir when he proposed the ban on the importation of used vehicles in order
to "save lives and protect the environment."

Nhema said the majority of the cars had been banned on the roads in their countries of origin and were being dumped on Zimbabwe.

Tough regulations on emissions force Japanese car owners to replace old vehicles with newer models.

The new regulations in Zimbabwe go further to say: "No person shall drive on
a road any motor vehicle registered in terms of the Vehicle Registration
and Licensing Act (Chapter 13:14) for the first time in Zimbabwe on or
after the 31st of March, 2011, if the steering wheel of the vehicle is on
the left hand side."

However, left-hand drives are not very popular in Zimbabwe. Partson Mbiriri,
the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural
Development last month said government was considering banning the left-hand
driven vehicles because they contributed to the high carnage on the
country's roads.

"Government is considering banning all left-hand-driven vehicles because it
has become clear that they are one of the major causes of accidents on the
roads," Mbiriri said at the launch of the Global Road Safety week.

Government has also gone further to ban the use of tints on windows and tightened regulations governing the carrying of passengers.

For example owners of light vehicles other than public service vehicles will
not be allowed to carry more than five passengers "unless a seating width of
at least 380 mm and 300 mm is allowed for the driver and every passenger
respectively, measured along the rear of such a seat level."

BY KHOLWANI NYATHI

The new vehicle Laws

“Just my two cents...


Fire Ext for diesel vehicles? Not likely, as combustion factor would be slight...

Fire Ext for petrol vehicles? Who in right mind is going to stand by a vehicle full of burning petrol fuel, knowing it could explode...?? Again, not likely!

In the main the proposal is problematic and ludicrous, unless the fire ext is in the hands of an experienced individual with presence of mind to ascertain extent of danger first.

A mother with small children, using an extinguisher, or running for safety? What would any sensible person do? Of course, head for safety...

Vehicles are insured...accept your loss and keep your family safe and run.

The fire ext component of the safety proposal is not really benefitting the general public in the main. However, the two triangles and reflective vest might prove useful..”

Friends of Hwange

Friends of Hwange at this year's Kariba International Tiger Fishing Tournament (KITFT) Help us to support Zimbabwe's wildlife: Donate $20 and supply the water


needed by 500 elephants and hundreds of smaller animals for one day in Hwange National Park. Receive a FREE FOH t-shirt and Wildlife of Zimbabwe Screensaver CD (over

800 images) as a thank-you for every $20 donation. Thanks to KITFT, FUCHS and CABS for their generous support.