November 2019

In Cuba, Old Havana saw a new addition to its Plaza de San Francisco de Asís in May 2012. The bronze abstract statue seen in the September mystery photo portrays two people having a conversation. Mounted on a marble slab, “La Conversación” was created by French sculptor Etienne and donated to the city by Havana's French ambassador, Vittorio Perrota.

The missing portions of the bodies are said to represent the need to “read between the lines” when talking with others, not to mention the importance of communicating face to face instead of through social media or texting.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo set out to vaccinate more than 800,000 children in September in order to curtail what the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling this year’s largest measles outbreak. During the current outbreak, more than 3,500 people have died of measles complications, more than have died of ebola in the country this year.

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Dear Globetrotter:

The essays submitted on the topic “Georgia on My Mind” left the ITN staff with some clear impressions of what a visitor might see and experience in this republic along the Caucasus Mountains and Black Sea. The essay by SALLY SCHNITGER was judged to be the best, and she wins a 2-year extension to her subscription to ITN (or she can pass her prize along to a friend). The second-place winner, earning a year’s extension, was CAROLE SALOWICH.