I was more a fan of Gerrie Coetzee, our heavy weight boxing champion, who won the world title. Remember going to a bar with friends to watch him … lose against the American. Sad. We so rooted for him.

You can perhaps use this quote to sum up what the American people know about the rest of the world, hell, the rest of the country right outside their own neighborhood, and that includes the people in our State Department. That doesn’t stop us from butting in everywhere.

I first learned there was this fascinating place at the tip of Africa in the late Sixties because I followed Formula One racing back then and for a long time thereafter (how much I wanted to go see my heroes run at Kyalami Ranch). Saw Jody Scheckter race in America. Gary Player was like one of the family to American sports fans. Later, I read James Michener’s middlebrow novel “The Source,” because my curiosity was piqued. I dare say most of my contemporaries knew nothing about SA until someone in college was handing them a protest sign, to “Divest Now.”

It’s always good to see one of Ilana’s updates from SA, because, of course, she’s earned our trust. Love her personal touch. I think I recall her mentioning her favorite pizza joint in Capetown! Good to hear from good guy Dan Roodt too. I’m just wondering if you have anything new on the situation in Orania (I think that’s it). Read a fascinating article on it a few years back.

I’ve always been fascinated by South Africa, the “old” S.A. especially.