Here is a tour of Niger using Google Earth.

Below is the written transcript:

Basics

Niger, officially known as the Republic of Niger, is the largest country in Western Africa. It is a landlocked country, bordered by Nigeria, Benin, Burkina, Faso, Mali, Algeria, Libya, and Chad. Niger was named after the Niger River, and over 80 percent of the country is covered by the Sahara desert.

The capital city of Niger is Niamey, which is located in the far southwest corner of Niger. It is an administrative, cultural, and economic center. Its major industries are manufacturing bricks, ceramic goods, cement, and woven goods.

Politics

As far as the government goes, Niger has gone through multiple reforms since gaining its independence in August of 1960. For its first fourteen years as an independent state, Niger was run by a single-party civilian regime under the presidency of Hamani Diori. However, in 1974, a combination of devastating droughts and accusations of corruption resulted in a coup that overthrew the Diori regime. The system of government that followed became known as the Second Republic, which was under single-party military rule and a new constitution overseen by Seyni Kountché and later Ali Saibou. However, demands to institute a multi-party democratic system led to a national peace conference that was convened in July of 1991 to prepare a way for the adoption of a new constitution and the holding of free and fair elections. The institutions of the Third Republic were put into place in April of 1993. Unfortunately, the election in January of 1995 resulted in a rival president and prime minister, which led to governmental paralysis. Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara overthrew the Third Republic the following year and a second military rule was implemented. During this time a new constitution for a Fourth Republic was written and elections were held in July of 1996, where Baré was declared the winner. In his efforts to hold onto his position of power, basic civil liberties were violated and opposing leaders and journalists were often imprisoned. In April of 1999, Baré was killed in a coup led by Daouda Malam Wanké, who established a transitional National Reconciliation Council to oversee the drafting of a constitution for a Fifth Republic with a French style semi-presidential system of government. This new constitution was approved in July of 1999 and presidential elections were held in October and November of the same year. Mamadou Tandja was declared the winner, and was re-elected in December of 2004.

Globalization 2.0

Despite political unrest within Niger, the country maintains friendly relations with both East and West Africa, as well as several other nations. Niger has maintained close ties with France, its former colonial power. Following Niger’s independence in 1960, France maintained sever hundred advisers at all levels of Niger’s government and military. The French government is also almost entirely dependent upon Niger for the Uranium, which fuels its extensive Nuclear Power system. Niger maintains especially close relations with its bordering countries as well, specifically Nigeria, Mali, and Benin. Niger and Niger share a large Hausa minority on each side of their border, and have formed the Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission of Cooperation, the NNJC. Niger and Mali has established large-scale trade links and sizable population movement between the two nations. Niger and Benin are both former French subjects of French West Africa, and each rely on the port at Cotonou as their main route to overseas trade.

Niger also enjoys foreign aid from several sources, primarily France, the European Union, the World Bank, the IMF and other United Nations agencies. Other principal donors include Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and, while the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, does not have an office in Niger, the United States is a major donor, contributing nearly $10 million each year to Niger’s development. The United States is also a major partner in policy coordination in such areas as food security and combating HIV and AIDS. The importance of external support for Niger’s development is demonstrated by the fact that about 45% of the government’s budget—including 80% of its capital budget—derives from donor resources. Because of this, Niger is not as advanced along the globalization scale as it could be.

Most Relevant Problems

As far as Niger’s progress where the Millennium Development Goals are concerned, the country is, again, not as far along as it could be. Due to numerous governmental reforms, certain issues have become lost in the chaos, and progress relies solely on foreign aid. While all of the Millennium Development Goals need to be worked toward, the most immediate are combating HIV, AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases, and ensuring environmental sustainability. Niger is one of the countries that form the Sahel Region, which has seen recurring drought, food insecurity, and increased desertification over the last 30 years. Currently, Niger is in the middle of a drought, which has led to the worst famine that the country has seen since 1973. Unfortunately, malnourished individuals are at a much higher risk of contracting malaria, and those who are already suffering from it become extremely vulnerable as a result of the combination. Malaria further reduces appetite among its victims, weakening them even more as they will not eat what little food is offered to them. In Niger, malaria outbreaks flare during the rainy season when stagnant pools of water become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and although Niger is in the middle of a drought, seasonal flooding has left behind pools of water that are not fit to drink, but allow mosquitoes to breed.

What Next?

Luckily the Malaria Foundation International (MFI) has recently joined forces with the Niger Educational System Associates (NESA) to work towards fighting malaria in Niger. According to NESA, which is led by a group of volunteer professionals from Niger, in order to fight malaria, it is critical to work towards achieving improved living conditions. Ensuring the development of functional health clinics and the proper diagnosis and treatment of the disease was also regarded as particularly important. Currently, the foundation Doctors Without Borders is working on a pilot project with the Integrated Health Centers seeking to improve access to health care. The organization’s community workers are educating the populations at risk and are fanning out to villages to conduct rapid diagnostic tests for malaria so that early treatment can be provided.

As far as environmental sustainability goes, during the last two years, food insecurity and drought have reached abnormally high levels, prompting a response from the international community and an intensive food security operation undertaken by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. These two foundations are joining up with 15 other large-scale water, sanitation, and hygiene promotion projects that have been established by the Federation Global Water and Sanitation Initiative, and more than 250,000 people in some of Niger’s poorest communities will benefit from it.

Here Comes 2015…

But what of the rest of the Millennium Development Goals? When they were established in the year 2000, following the Millennium Summit, the United Nations as well as 23 other international organizations agreed to achieve them by the year 2015. In Niger’s case, 14 specific targets pertaining to each goal were set as well.

·      Target 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day.

·      Target 2: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

·      Target 3: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

·      Target 4: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and to all levels of education no later than 2015.

·      Target 5: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate.

·      Target 6: Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio.

·      Target 7: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS.

·      Target 8: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

·      Target 9: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources.

·      Target 10: Halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.

·      Target 11: By 2020 to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.

·      Target 12: Address the special needs of landlocked countries and small island developing States.

·      Target 13: Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term.

·      Target 14: In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications.

These specific targets allow Niger to work at achieving each Millennium Development Goal in feasible way that is specific to its own needs. The deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals—the year 2015—is right around the corner, and these targets will allow Niger to measure its success and re-evaluate its plan. Niger will be able to mark what it achieved and did not achieve and make changes where necessary. Niger, and many other developing countries, will not have achieved all of the Millennium Development Goals fully by the year 2015, but they were an excellent starting point. They forced developing countries to make a plan for change, and drew other nations’ attentions toward issues that they may have been ignorant to before. When 2015 arrives, Niger will have a plan of action and be equipped with the knowledge and the allies to achieve it.

Millennium Development Goals 1 & 2

I'm not sure why I failed to post this report in the beginning, but better late than never, right? Anyway, here is my report on Millennium Development Goals 1 and 2: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, and achieving universal primary education.

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to present solutions to problems related to extreme poverty and hunger and primary education in Niger. Niger, officially the Republic of Niger, is the largest country in West Africa (Background Note: Niger). Despite its size, it is ranked number 186—second to last—on the Human Development Index (Human Development Index (HDI) -2011 Rankings). Millennium Development Goals numbers one and two aim to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and achieve universal primary education, respectively (un.org). These goals are of particular importance to Niger because of its rank on the Human Development Index. Poverty, hunger, and lack of education are all connected to each other; work on solving one, and it helps improve the others. I will elaborate further throughout this essay, and toward the end explain what steps I feel need to be taken in order for Niger to achieve its goals.

Country Background Information Related to Goal 1 and Goal 2

Niger is the poorest country in the world, according to the Human Development Multidimensional Poverty Index, with about 91 percent of the population living well below the poverty line (Major problems facing Niger today). The country suffers from harsh and unpredictable weather conditions. Only a few months ago Niger suffered a severe drought immediately followed by major flooding that destroyed the farmlands that were not completely ruined by the drought. This left the population with nothing to eat at all (Major problems facing Niger today). With poverty affecting the population and with the new threat of starvation, education took a back seat. Most school-age children are out of school and the illiteracy rate in Niger is at an all time high (Major problems facing Niger today). As I stated above, poverty, hunger, and education are all tightly woven, each one greatly affecting the other.

A Key Problem Related to Extreme Poverty and Hunger and Primary Education

            

The extent of the poverty facing Niger is due to a number of reasons, the most significant of which being Niger’s geographical location. In addition to numerous natural challenges, its landlocked position makes trade difficult. The most detrimental natural challenge is desertification, or the spreading of the Sahara Desert. The Sahara Desert already covers over 80 percent of Niger’s land area, and is now taking over what is left of the fertile farming lands, forcing farmers to abandon their trade (Major problems facing Niger today). As for trade, in order to import or export what little goods Niger offers, they must be shipped through the surrounding countries. This means that anything coming in or out of Niger is taxed—a major problem for an already severely impoverished country.

A Solution That Helps Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger and Achieve Universal Primary Education

Specific goals, in Niger’s case, will have to be made once the government becomes more stable. Niger has recently undergone yet another governmental reform. Since then, the country has set several goals for itself and taken steps to achieve them. Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries in 2000, and made an agreement with the organization on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (an arm of the International Monetary Fund which lends to the world’s poorest countries). Niger's new government (elections were held in 2011 following a military coup in 2010) has devised a poverty Reduction Strategy Plan that focuses on improving health, primary education, rural infrastructure, and judicial restructuring. They have also pursued economic restructuring by privatization of water distribution and telecommunications and the removal of price protections for petroleum products. Further privatizations of public enterprises are in the works and the government is taking actions to reduce corruption (Niger). Niger is on the right track, and remaining diligent to their goals will go a long way in terms of development.

Regional Impact

A stable, involved government will only serve to benefit the neighboring countries of Niger. In fact, this ties into Millennium Development Goal 8: Establish a Global Partnership for Development. The first and foremost aim of this goal is to develop an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system (Millennium Development Goals). Again, because of Niger’s landlocked position, trade is a major issue. Cooperation of the governments of Niger and its surrounding countries can eradicate corruption and establish a fair trade system that will benefit all parties involved.

Global Impact

The global impact here is very similar, if not the same, as the regional impact. A strong government will only benefit those that have a relationship with Niger. Trade and alliances will become stronger when two stable governments are able to work together. A strong government will also be conducive to alliances that will benefit Niger. If other countries can trust the Niger’s government, they will be more willing to help with major problems pertaining to poverty, hunger, education, and other issues.

Conclusion

While this essay does not directly state how to solve poverty, hunger, and educational issues within Niger, I have discussed the steps that are imperative to and must come before those problems. Outside help is crucial, but real change comes from within the country that is struggling: they have to want to change. However, change is impossible with a government that is in a constant state of reform, as Niger’s has been (Niger). Niger’s government has recently stabilized and set goals for the country; goals that must happen before others are set, let alone met. Niger is on the right track, and I am confidant that the issues of poverty, hunger, and primary education will be addressed once more fundamental goals are accomplished. 

Millennium Development Goals 6 & 7

Here is my video concerning disease and environmental sustainability in my adopted country of Niger.

Below is the written transcript.

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to present solutions to problems related to disease and environmental sustainability in my adopted country of Niger. Niger is the largest country in West Africa, bordered by Algeria, Libya, Chad, Nigeria, and Mali. These two developmental goals deal with eradicating diseases, specifically HIV, AIDS, and malaria, and ensuring environmental sustainability, which includes sustaining fertile farm land and water sources. These two goals are possibly the most important for Niger to meet, as they are major problems for the country. During this report, I will explain why. I will also give background information on these goals, key problems related to them, what I believe the solution to be, and the regional and global impact these solutions will have. I will conclude this report with specific actions to be taken in order to reach these solutions.

Section 1: Country Background Information Related to Disease and Environmental Sustainability

Malaria causes more deaths each year in Niger among children under five years of age than any other infection. In September of 2005, the World Health Organization dispatched 100,000 anti-malarial treatments to Niger when an outbreak of malaria hit as the country was in the midst of a drought and famine; a crisis the country finds itself in again. In 2005, 200,000 children were at risk of malnutrition during the peak of malaria season, and because the country is now in an identical situation, the same statistic applies (who.int).

In addition to malaria, which is an ever-looming threat, the region that Niger occupies is not conducive to environmental sustainability. Niger is one of the countries that form the Sahel Region, which has seen recurring drought, food insecurity, and increased desertification over the last 30 years (desertification.wordpress.com).

Section 2: A Key Problem Related to Disease and Environmental Sustainability

Malnourished children are at a much higher risk of contracting malaria, and those who are already suffering from it become extremely vulnerable as a result of the combination. This is currently a major problem as Niger is in the midst of the worst famine the country has seen since 1973. Malaria further reduces appetite among these children, weakening them even more as they will not eat what little food is offered to them. In Niger, malaria outbreaks flare during the rainy season when stagnant pools of water become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Although Niger is in the middle of a drought, seasonal flooding has left behind pools of water that are not fit to drink, but allow mosquitoes to breed (doctorswithoutborders.org).

This drought has also caused a food crisis. The drought has destroyed the farmers’ harvests, and seasonal flooding is hampering relief efforts. Unfortunately, international response to fund the food emergency has been less than enthusiastic, despite the fact that this crisis arose back in November. Villagers have said that the current food shortage is worse than both the famines of 2005 and 1973, when thousands of people died of starvation. Many people in the region are surviving by eating wild leaves and berries, and have had to sell their animals in order to by food stocks. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of livestock have actually starved to death. The people are becoming desperate; so much so that several international agencies have chosen to withdraw foreign aid workers for fear of kidnappings. This has only served to make a bad situation worse, both because foreign aid is almost critical at this point, and because their withdrawal has only agitated the population—and the terrorists—further (npr.org).

Section 3: A Solution That Helps Eradicate Disease and ensure Environmental Sustainability

The Malaria Foundation International (MFI) has recently joined forces with the Niger Educational System Associates (NESA) to work towards fighting malaria in Niger. According to NESA, which is led by a group of volunteer professionals from Niger, in order to fight malaria, it is critical to work towards achieving improved living conditions for the people of Niger. However, education of the children is viewed as the single most important priority towards attaining long-term sustainable success in the fight against malaria. In addition, ensuring the development of functional health clinics and the proper diagnosis and treatment of the disease was regarded as particularly important (malaria.org). Additionally, the foundation Doctors Without Borders is working on a pilot project with the Integrated Health Centers, seeking to improve access to health care. The organization’s community workers are educating the populations at risk and are fanning out to villages to conduct rapid diagnostic tests for malaria so that early treatment can be provided (doctorswithoutborders.org).

As far as environmental sustainability goes, during the last two years, food insecurity and drought have reached abnormally high levels, prompting a response from the international community and an intensive food security operation undertaken by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. These two foundations are joining up with 15 other large-scale water, sanitation, and hygiene promotion projects that have been established by the Federation Global Water and Sanitation Initiative, and more than 250,000 people in some of Niger’s poorest communities will benefit from it (desertification.wordpress.com). In order for these efforts to work, however, foreign aid must be a stable resource. As I said earlier, several relief organizations have chosen to withdraw their volunteers. While safety is definitely a concern, steps must be taken to ensure that these organizations can allow their volunteers to do their jobs safely and effectively.

Section 4: Regional Impact

Unfortunately, because of the lack of funds and now lack of volunteer efforts, the World Food Programme has had to make a tough humanitarian decision: Only children younger than 2 and their families will receive protein-rich nutrition distributions from the agency. This leaves many children vulnerable, and families more desperate (npr.org).

Not all of the side effects of relief efforts are negative, however. Many foundations are working hard to ensure that everyone is taken care of. The challenge with all of these current projects, such as efforts to increase water availability, is to ensure that they will not increase desertification, but carefully use existing resources wisely and to their best advantage while increasing sustainability. Existing water points should be rehabilitated to ensure that already established water sources are used as much as possible, preserving unused sources for the future. Also, appropriate and simple technologies should be used, so that communities can operate and maintain water supplies at village levels and at low costs (desertification.wordpress.com).

Section 5: Global Impact

As far as I can tell, though there may be a few negative side-effects on the regional scale, the impact these solutions will have on a global scale are all positive. Niger is not the only country that suffers these issues—far from it. If the organizations that are at work in Niger can find a way to treat malaria on a large scale and ensure stable water sources, that knowledge can be passed on to other developing countries, especially those that border Niger that face very similar situations. Doing this will not only help other countries, but establish a positive relationship between Niger and those countries.

Conclusion

I have now covered the steps being taken and the steps to be taken in eliminating disease and ensuring environmental sustainability in my adopted country of Niger. The relief efforts are definitely on the right track and I am pleased to see that many of their plans are already in effect. The only thing that I would change is the communication between these organizations. There are so many independent volunteer efforts in place. If they were to all combine their efforts and work together, I believe that their goals could be reached faster and more effectively.

Top Tens

Top Ten Books About Niger:

• ·      Niger: The Bradt Travel Guide by Jolijn Geels
• ·      Adventures in Service with Peace Corps in Niger by James R. Bullington
• ·      Niger in Pictures (Visual Geography(Twenty-first Century)) by Alison Behnke
• ·      Niger (Cultures of the World) by Rabah Seffal
• ·      Niger by Ann Heinrichs
• ·      Official Report of the Niger Valley Exploring Party. by Martin Robison Delany
• ·      Fusion of the Worlds: An Ethnography of Possession among the Songhay of Niger by Paul Stoller
• ·      Nomads of Niger by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
• ·      In the Creeks of Fire: Inspired by the Fight for Justice and Freedom in the Niger Delta by Ebi Bless Asain
• ·      In Sorcery’s Shadow: A Memoir of Apprenticeship among the Songhay of Niger by Paul Stoller and Cheryl Olkes

 Top Ten Movies/Videos About Niger:

• ·      The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love
• ·      Niger: Living on the Edge of Survival
• ·      Exploring Niger
• ·      Niger
• ·      Niger’s Children Face Starvation
• ·      Famine in Africa Hits Niger’s Children Particularly Hard
• ·      Images Tell the Story of Hunger in Niger
• ·      Rays of Hope in Niger
• ·      Niger: Getting By on Leaves and Berries
• ·      Niger: Going Inland

 Top Ten Academic Articles Related to Niger

• ·      Niger by Robert B. Charlick; African Studies Review, Vol. 47, 2004
• ·      Foreign Aid and Democratization: Benin and Niger Compared by Mamoudou Gazibo; African Studies Review, Vol. 48, 2005
• ·      Economic and Cultural Prehistory of the Niger Delta by A.A. Derefaka and F.N. Anozie; African Arts, Vol. 35, 2002
• ·      Exporting Western Law to the Developing World: the Troubling Case of Niger by Thomas A. Kelley; The George Washington International Law Review, Vol. 39, 2007
• ·      Property Reckoning and Methods of Accumulating Wealth among the Ogoni of the Eastern Niger Delta by Sonpie K. Tonwe; Africa, Vol. 67, 1997
• ·      The Scorpion’s Sting: Youth, Marriage and the Struggle for Social Maturity in Niger by Adeline Masquelier; Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol. 11, 2005
• ·      Ways of the Rivers: Arts and Environment of the Niger Delta by Martha G. Anderson and Philip M. Peek; African Arts, Vol. 35, 2002: 
• ·      The Fact of Anti-blackness: Decolonization in Chiapas and the Niger River Delta by Tryon Woods; Human Architecture, Vol. 5, 2007
• ·      Creating Modernities through Conversation Groups: the Everyday Worlds of Hausa Migrants in Niamey, Niger by Scott M. Youngstedt; African Studies Review, Vol. 47, 2004
• ·      Law, Power and Politics in Niger: Land Struggles and the Rural Code by Mary Tiffen; Africa, Vol. 69, 1999 

        Top Ten Images that Best Represent Niger

Millennium Development Goals 3, 4, & 5

Here is my report on gender equality, empowering women, child mortality, and maternal health.

I have edited this post to include the written transcript of this video.

The purpose of this report is to present solutions to problems related to gender equality, empowering women, reducing child mortality, and improving maternal health in Niger.

Niger is the largest country in West Africa, bordered by Algeria, Libya, Chad, Nigeria, and Mali.

Niger is number 186 out of 187 (hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/) on the Human Development Index, so it is extremely important that these goals be met because they deal specifically with human development.

During this video I’m going to give you a little background information on Niger and then go into key problems related to gender equality, child mortality, and improving maternal health. After that I’ll talk about what I think needs to be done, and the regional and global impacts these solutions will have.

So, gender equality.

Girls from Niger can legally get married at the age of 15. Statistics have shown that over 60% girls aged 15-19 were married, divorced, or widowed, while only about 3% of boys the same age were married, divorced, or widowed (genderindex.org). This means that girls are married off to older men, which results in a lack of control in the relationship. Marriage is meant to be a partnership, but marriage in Niger is more of a trade and women have no power over their lives. The laws in Niger also does not specifically recognize rape within marriage, so these young girls are subjected to abusive and controlling older men. Ignoring this issue makes it possible to view and treat women as property; once they are married, they belong to their husband to do with as he pleases. This way of thinking is primitive and must be eliminated in order for gender equality to gain any ground.

Such a young marital age also makes it more possible for women to become pregnant at a young age. While a woman can physically have a child at the age of 15, the stress it will cause to her body and her mind makes it important to wait. However, because girls are getting married so young, waiting seems impossible. Age is not the major issue facing maternal health, however. Niger is currently in the middle of a drought, and its people are forced to find water by any means necessary. It has been reported that children are even skipping school to look for water (nst.com).  If expectant mothers had access to clean drinking water, maternal health would improve greatly. Because maternal health is so important to the child’s health later in life, focusing on this issue would go a long way in reducing child mortality.

In order to fix these problems, several things need to happen. Before any steps can be taken in the way of gender equality, the immediate issue of water must be addressed. While volunteers and organizations can offer clean drinking water for a short time, the Niger government needs to form a plan so that this will not happen again. Once this issue is out of the way, laws need to be changed: one that does not allow women to be married until they reach a proper age, and one that recognizes spousal rape a serious crime. Both of these solutions will have a cultural impact, but one that I believe will change the country for the better.

New to Niger for Newbies

I have realized that, should any of my readers be relying on me as their only source of information on the country of Niger, I should probably add something more substantial. I'm learning as I go, which means that information will be slow in coming and I will inevitably leave out things that others think is important or relevant. So! I have added new toys to Niger for Newbies for my viewers to play with and learn from while I gather enough information to actually turn into a meaningful post. Up and to the right is a list of headlines that involve Niger. It's self-updating, which means that each day new stories will be there to enjoy. Directly above is Google Earth. It is already focused in on Niger, and you may use the arrows and zoom tools in the upper left-hand corner to navigate and explore right from this blog! So, what's my advice to you? Pick a news story, read it, then come back here, hop on Google Earth and find where it happened!

A Conversation About Gender Equality

This video is in response to Sheryl WuDunn's video, Our Century's Greatest Injustice. She tells the story of a young girl from China who was denied an education because her family could not afford the $13 tuition fee. She still made the two hour journey each day to listen outside the schoolhouse doors. An article was written about her in the New York Times and soon enough her education was funded. She went on to become an accountant and was able to buy her family a house with electricity and running water--a luxury they hadn't had before. She was able to prove that women are capable of doing everything a man can do if given the opportunity.