The Republic of Zimbabwe gained its independence in 1980, carved from the former British colony that the imperialists called Southern Rhodesia. The Rhodesian dollar was replaced by the Zimbabwe dollar at par, and at the time was actually worth slightly more that the US dollar. For the first ten years things went pretty smoothly. Crops were good, the tobacco industry was thriving, and economic predictors were strong. In the 1990s, the Zimbabwe economy began a sharp downward sp

The Texas Water Safari is billed as the “World’s Toughest Boat Race.” It’s been held every year since 1963, beginning at the headwaters of the San Marcos River on the second Saturday in June, and winding up a hundred hours later in San Antonio Bay. That’s 260 miles. That’s also completely insane. The boats have to be powered exclusively by human muscle, and participants must pack in everything they need. They can get water, ice and medical supplies along the way, but that’s i