Tales from the Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is not a bad place to be in the wintertime. That is, when it is wintertime in the Northern Hemisphere. By the time the chilly winds from Baltimore reach the southern tip of Africa they have been warmed by the South Atlantic. Flowers bloom. The sun shines. Gentle breezes glide over the fields and parking lots.
As near as we can tell, South Africa is booming. Driving along the freeways, you’d scarcely know you weren’t in Southern Californiaor Texas. Except that it seems newer and more modern in Johannesburg than it does in LA. Most of the roadsshopsand offices you see in Jo’burg were put up only in the last couple of years. Those in LA date back decades.
But there are a lot of poor people in Africa, more than in California. And some of them are not very good neighbors. At intersections that are particularly favored by hijackers, for example, signs warn motorists to watch out. Razor wire, stretched generously and lazily on the top of walls, reminds the visitor that this is no paradise.
Melbourne, Australia, is equally sun-washed this time of year. But i