KEITH BAIR’S GENEROUS RESPONSE TO “OUT OF ASSA”
From: Glenn Geelhoed
To: "KBair@Herc.com".IA4GW.Harper
Date: 6/25/01 1:11PM
Subject: Re: Out of Assa review
Wonderful! Thansk so much!
I shold have your review of Out of Assa posted on Amazon.com or the www.3hawks.com or the www.panetics.org page!
I am delighted tha you, quite clearly "get it!"
I have treid to send you lots of recent chpaters, and you are right‑‑‑they have all bounced. Perhaps I can sneak a "reply to your emails and send a few notes down the repsonse pipe, and will check again on the address which I thought had been correct.
I would be delighted to get some aid to people of the kind taht overpopulate the world. I have a samll fund that I am suing to seed various projects, and the eager students are even more enthusiastic; quite a number of the forwarded files had to do with them, and you may eventually be able to read more about each by the "On‑Line Journal" accessed by the Home page at http://home.gwu.edu/~gwg
I will tell youof my upcoming schedule before I try to send you reports of those that have just been done, so I enclose Jun‑C‑10 whch will tell you what has just been booked, and the last week's activites in the Jun‑B‑series which included the Ultra.
Yes, I am carrying medical and more practical supplies, (and a solar panel would be an outstanding addition) to my multiple missions to the Himalaya, Philppines and Malawi in the next several months. Have a thought about joining one of my excursions‑‑‑I would recommend the one coing up in the September Himalayan excursion to Spiti Valley and going on to Nepal.. I will put you in contact with Ravi Singh who may send you information about these and other future trips.
I am looking forward to a fall rendezvous with the usual collection of the photo albums and a lot more stories that I will try to send down the line as soon as I can escape the filter!
Thanks again for your kind and encouraging words!
GWG
>>> <KBair@Herc.com> 06/25/01 12:24PM >>>
Glenn,
First a belated thanks again for your excellent tour of Washington back in
April. Margie and I really enjoyed our weekend. During my just completed trip
to Helsingborg, Sweden, I had the opportunity to either finish an overdue report
on modified corn starches or read your book Out of Assa, Heart of the Congo.
I chose the book. I was very much moved by the descriptions of the life, tribulations
and emotions of your friends in and around Assa. Your diary format was excellent
in allowing this reader to understand the daily rituals that were needed for
their society to survive. I do not read too many books of which I talk about
to other people. However, my friends in Sweden were forced to listen to more
of your writings than they probably cared to. Also, your descriptions of the
botanical and zoological aspects of Africa were very interesting. The one thing
I did not fully grasp was the objective of the linguistic study. I have many
questions related to this study. Were you able to receive your PhD with this
work?
Glenn, for some time I have struggled with knowledge that what I do basically
is about making rich people richer. People such as yourself and Margie have
a skill which is needed world wide and gives you the opportunity to help others.
What I do is give money to organizations that I fear rarely help anyone. You
and your colleagues need to know that your work and efforts are appreciated
by many. I would be overjoyed if there were a way I could meaningfully help
your friends in Assa (or someplace of equal need), such as procuring and smuggling
a solar panel for their medical center. It sounds like that would be impossible
based on the Political situation at the time Out of Assa was written.
If you ever have need for an alchemist on one of your medical expeditions, please
let me know. I would be thrilled to try and help in some way, though I am not
sure that I have the courage of the Bwana.
Best Regards,
Keith
PS... If you have been sending out any of your mass E‑mail mailings, I have not been receiving them. Perhaps our firewall Gestapo has been intercepting them. Thanks for checking.