Without a second's hesitation, almost before I've finished talking, he says, "Veggie sandwich."

Ok. Let me pause here and say that I don't really like sandwiches. Most of them have too much bread and not enough filling. When I order a sandwich, I generally take off one of the pieces of bread to eat it. (And then if it's good bread, I eat the un-sandwiched piece by itself, so clearly this isn't for dieting reasons)

Back to Jo's. I take the guy's word, sub in whole wheat bread, and am good to go. I carry the sandwich around for an hour or so before I get a chance to eat it, but it's a "cold" sandwich anyway (that they still pressed in the griller thing), so no worries. I sit down at my desk, unwrap the sandwich, and take a bite.

AMAZING!

This effing sandwich knocked my teeth off. It was so damn good I stuffed almost the entire half in my mouth at once before realizing that if I did that, I wouldn't get to spend as much time with the sandwich. So I tried nibbles, though I was fairly ineffective at it, as I wanted more more more of this veggie sandwich.

The wheat bread had those little nubby berries in it and was toasty on the outside but squishy on the inside. It was slathered in bright green pesto sauce. Thinly-sliced grilled zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant were piled high. And havarti cheese--havarti! I love you!--was smushed into the mix. I couldn't even take the top off, the ratio of filling to bread was so perfect. The pesto + havarti + grilled veggies were perfect. The whole thing was perfect.

Sigh. I'm so full. Talking about it has brought it back and made me full again.

Jo's on Second Street. You are my new friend. And thank you tall nameless counter guy, for recommending the veggie sandwich. You too are my new friend.

Think about the verse in the bible where He instructs us to choose this day whom we will serve. 

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24: 15

From there, think about how He gives us many choices such as, choosing to praise, worship, or even study His word.

Think about choosing to follow after hope, finding freedom, and choosing to receive a double portion. 

"As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you. Zech. 9:11, 12"

Sure He is definitely the provider of these and all things, but He has also placed within each of us the ability to choose them.

What will you choose today?  Choose this day not only to serve Him, but to serve Him with a heart of worship.  Praise him with sacrifice even when you don’t even feel like it.

Choose to trust Him and know He has the answer.  Join me today and choose the message of the cross.  Choose to receive healing and all that He has for you.  He is our deliverer who desires that receive all that He is.

Will you choose Him today?

The time: The heat of the late afternoon

The reason: The rest of this crazy town is immobilized by the Austin City Limits Music Festival and the Texas-Arkansas football game. I needed to get as close to the office as possible without  actually going there, as yesterday's trip to work from home (distance: 8 miles, give or take) took approximately an hour. This shop is outdoors, always frequented by interesting characters, and has good coffee.

The drink: A large, iced Belgian Bomber,  a semi-sweet super-cold coffee

The book: "Against Nature" by Joris-Karl Huysmans ("A Rebours" in French). If the translator's note is any indication, it's going to be a tough tale to swallow. I do like the epigraph:

"I must rejoice beyond the bounds of time ... though the world may shudder at my joy, and in its coarsness know not what I mean."

- Jan Van Ruysbroeck

The cast of characters:

• The overly upbeat conservative mom, full of platitudes about the joys of sending your children to schools that are 'not full of white kids,' while extolling the need to keep your children around 'good people, like yourselves' and the importance of having one night a week in which your entitled, spoiled daughter gets to 'choose exactly what she wants to do, like picking out a movie or a restaurant for dinner.' It helps the child feel important, a sentiment with which she finds agreement from ...
• Said daughter, who apparently is still living with mom and joyfully picking out movies once a week, despite being on the tail-end of her teens and expressing complete disinterest in college or employment, all while wearing clothing and jewelry that costs a minimum of $200 an item. She's happy to make mom happy, and joins in on the celebration of conservative values with ...
• A young, tattooed, makeup-coated mother, toting a designer leather and hand-printed fabric diaper bag, who nods her head at the notion that Austin is full of problems because its population is 'shaped like an hourglass -- tons of poor and rich, and no middle class. It's why burglaries are rampant, simply rampant, around here.' She's learning the ways of the upper-class housewife from the mom, absorbed in the tale of the devolution of our great city that's now full of 'perpetual wannabe teenagers' and lacking in adorable ...
• Toddlers. The young mother's own, a 2-year-old named Mena, is quite cute in her fresh, hip bob haircut and miniature version of her mom's duds. She toddles away with mom in tow and is replaced by ...
• A youngish man, blonde, bearded, with a thin cotton shirt, open to the hairy belly button and covered in a splash of tiny yellow daisies. He takes off a huge-brimmed floppy straw hat and his portable neck-ornament-cum-jewelry display case, improvised out of rope and pieces of wood that he's been toting around for a couple hours now. He pulls a notebook out of a worn canvas sack and begins scribbling away at what look like calculations but could be anything. After a long engagement with a harsh-smelling cigarette and a cup of dark, iced coffee, he rises to go to the bathroom, leaving me alone at the table with ...
• An older couple, though probably not as old as they appear. They're drinking Lone Star longnecks, munching chips and sandwiches and not talking. She's got a toussled bleach-blonde short haircut, rhinestone-rimmed, purple-lensed aviator glasses, bracelets of mah-johng tiles and others of ecclectic, colorful trinkets, a tight Buddha T-shirt and a profusion of wrinkles around her pale pink, puffy lips. He's more classically attired, in a white T-shirt, pale denim boot-cut jeans and worn brown cowboy boots, with a longish, messy salt-and-pepper haircut and sporty Sketchers sunglasses. They barely speak, but when they do, their voices are gravelly and low.
• The other tables aree home to an assortment of hipster types in their late 20s and older, in groups of two, three or more, many of them ready to move on to the music festival soon, others just absorbing the heat and enjoying their beverages. Few have been here long. Their dogs are leashed, thankfully, but most are too exhausted by this heat to muster the energy to bark or leap, anyway.
• And then there's me. Starting from the ground (it's asphalt, as we're set up on a parking lot under a thin, white awning),  I'm wearing my polka-dot shoes, I've got a black laptop bag, handles mostly broken, boot-cut dark Gap jeans, cuffs starting to wear. No socks. a green faux-leather purse I refuse to take off in public for frea that someone might be motivated to nab it, despite its relatively pitiful contents (purple quilted Marc Jacobs wallet with a couple 20s, Alka-Seltzer packet, grape Chapstik, pink lipgloss tin, work ID badge, black pen, half-broken cell phone, Trident White in spearmint). Loose, flowing grey tank over white undershirt (a slight, greyish ink stain is on the front -- this was not an undershirt before); Starfish necklace; oversized sunglasses perched on top of a head of mechanically straightened hair. Dark brown eyeshadow, lash-lengthening mascara. Open book in my lap, half a drink by my side, laptop in front. So hot I could faint.

I fit right in, but for one important exception: I'm by myself. I'm not about to get philosophical about that, but it is interesting how often I'm in public places where I'm the only one alone.  (And truthfully, I'm not the only one alone here -- there's a woman in athletic clothes, short over-highlighted hair spiked and a notebook in her lap, newspapers and a book on her table. But for whatever reason, she looks far more self-assured than I feel!)

Incercare fara precedent a magicianului David Blaine, considerat cel mai bun iluzionist al timpurilor noastre. Incepand de maine, Blaine va sta atarnat, timp de trei zile, cu capul in jos, deasupra uriasei cladiri Trump Tower, care are nu mai putin de 58 de etaje.

Magicianul va fi incaltat cu bocanci electromagnetici, care au aderenta puternica la cablul de otel de care el va fi agatat. Nu a mai mancat deloc saptamana trecuta, astfel incat metabolismul lui sa nu mai 'lucreze'.

-------------------

sursa: libertatea.ro

Asta care vorbea aiurea era mama baiatului. Si explica ea frumos ca la varsta asta ea nu facea asa ceva. Pai de ce nu faceai femeie? Erai urata? Proasta? Ambele? Lasa dracu copchii sa faca sex. Da-le o mana de prezervative si fa-le instructie, inchide usa pe dinafara si dispari 2-3 ore. Mai mult, le dadea exemple de activitati distractive: plimbari in parc, ascultat muzica, invatat...

Pai cum dreq sa le stea gandul la invatat si plimbari in parc daca hormonii fierb in ei ca intr-un vas sub presiune? Daca nu stiam ca emisiunea e regizata o cautam pe femeia aia si ii comunicam personal cum stau lucrurile.

Deci, conclulzia este urmatoarea: parinti, inarmati-va copiii cu cele necesare si faceti-va de lucru. Jos textila!

Well, I'm not sure about that, but as it's not yet possible to download programs from iPlayer has anyone downloaded anything fun/interesting/useful yet? Are there any apps you'd like to have on your mobile (not just iPhones) that aren't available at the minute?

Noooooooooooooooooooo!

I don't want to be sat next to the Dom Jolly character with their unreasonably loud "Hello? yeah. I'm on a plane. It's rubbish, the wings aren't attached properly" conversation which will immediately throw the flight into chaos.

Really. Do we need to use mobiles on planes? When did everything in our lives become so urgent that it can't wait for a couple of hours? Surely, catching up with our voicemail is what kills time while we're standing around waiting for our baggage to be kicked into the terminal?

I have a horrible image of a plane full of 2-300 people sitting on the plane as it crosses international boundaries. That's 2-300 phones that will all start beeping, buzzing and pinging at once as they receive the "welcome" messages from their new host network operator. For that reason alone mobiles should remain banned from being used in flight. Personally, I'm happy to stick to the ferry and driving to my destination with my phone safely out of charge and stashed in the glove box!

"I hadn't considered that event organising would be such a big part of the job when I first got into PR, but I think it's actually the biggest thing we do. They take such a huge investment of time, money and effort from the client, so it is important to get them right. They are definitely hard work, whatever the scale, but they have such a big pay off when they go well, in terms of having a happy customer. It's usually the more interesting products that we go on tour with, so the journalists are quite receptive to the news and I think they usually like to meet the company representatives to have a 'real' conversation - especially if they are based in a different country. Press tours are a great way to build the momentum of a campaign; they can be the keystone if they're done right. It can really help to build relationships with the journalists by taking the time to go and meet them face to face.

I quite often get involved in organising press tours covering upwards of nine different countries, which can be a bit of a logistical headache! I've come to know what problems are likely to come up now though, which helps me to plan ahead to avoid them, or at least prepare the client for the inevitable lack of taxi at the airport, or loss of phone charger, or late journalist. There is a huge amount of planning that takes place before a press event - especially if there are other agencies involved. In those cases, you need to make sure you're giving them the information as soon as possible, helping them understand the messaging, getting dates in the diary, checking for regional holidays and so on.

My top tips for planning a successful press tour would be:

1) Start very early! You can't leave an event to the last minute and get the results you are hoping for. Simple things like venues getting booked up and journalists having other plans will ruin your plans at the best of times, but especially if you don't give yourself and your PR teams enough time.
2) Make sure, if you are working with multiple agencies, that they all start early and are kept up to speed with the lead agency.
3) Make sure your pitch is right and that the product is right. There is no point touring the World and talking to people if you are just launching version two of what wasn't an interesting/well received product in the first place. That is part of our job as a consultancy; to advise clients what will or won't work for a press tour - what will be of interest to the press.
4) Manage expectations with your business group. Sometimes journalists forget, sometimes they get lost or stuck in traffic or have better offers. Your PR team should be in touch with the press regularly, but even a call to a journalist the day before an event will not guarantee they will arrive at your event on time, or at all.

It can be hard work pulling a press tour together, but it is all worth while when it works to plan and you see the coverage rolling in over the following months."

This blogger is off on summer holidays next week, but when I'm back, we'll be talking to EML's resident Asia expert to find out how the approach to PR changes as you head East. In the mean time, if you'd like to see Ben in his sombrero from our summer party last week, leave us a comment, we'll see what can be done...

Greg brings 25 years of experience in leading roles at 3D software and hardware companies, including established public companies and startups. Most recently he was CEO of Alibre, Inc., a developer of 3D CAD software focused on breaking down barriers to 3D. Prior to Alibre, he was vice president of marketing at Knowledge Revolution, a developer of mechanical motion simulation software acquired by MSC Software. Before KR, he co-founded AccelGraphics, Inc., a venture-funded startup that developed 3D graphics cards for CAD, animation and simulation markets that went public in 1997. He has also held various roles in marketing, sales and engineering at Autodesk and Intergraph.

Greg, welcome on board!

With over 30 clients on the books, you can be sure that a huge amount of work is done 'behind the scenes' by EML's excellent support team. The admin, filing, event support, accounts and IT are all areas which are hidden from the day to day view of the clients, but today we're talking to one of the unsung heroes, Jos Potter, our Senior PR Administrator, about what she does to keep EML running smoothly:

"I joined EML just over four years ago having worked for a number of years in events, design and various administrative roles. I've always worked in creative environments, from internet start ups to high-profile design agencies, there's something about the buzz of the people in this field that makes it more exciting and challenging than the average 9 to 5 and certainly working at EML provides me will enough challenges to keep me on my toes!

There are never two days the same here - my job is really varied in the way I support the teams and I really enjoy that. One day I could be putting press packs together, editing pitch presentations or manipulating images for clients or EML. The main part of my job though it to manage the 1000s of clippings that come through the door each month.

Each client likes their cuttings in different ways; emailed or posted, bound or loose. All of the cuttings are databased and logged and we have a great library in house now of cuttings going back several years. It seems silly to keep them all, but every now and then a client will ask for something out of the archive to form part of a presentation or board report and they're all here.

The cuttings come in from all over the globe - UK, US, Europe, Asia. We work closely with our partner agencies who make up their own reports which then get compiled into a central report at EML. The biggest accounts can vary from 80 to 200 cuttings a week and that definitely keeps me busy.

It's an interesting job, because whatever I'm working on means that I get a different view of what's happening with each client, without working directly on the activities."

We're almost half way through the series of interviews, which means I need to start thinking of some new subjects! Next week we'll be talking to Ben about how he manages the press tours that keep Jos so busy with the cuttings. Until then, I'd like to throw a random question into the mix:

What have you read recently - fiction or non-fiction - that has included an interesting technology you'd like to see developed, or that would give you nightmares?

"I studied for my journalism degree at Staffordshire University and the course required that I spend time in the industry, so I completed internships with three local newspapers in the UK, getting experience on the news desk, writing up stories and shadowing the journalists. After my degree I went traveling and also found myself on a work placement with Australia's only National broadsheet for a while. Working in the press was a great experience, even as a junior - especially as I didn't have to make a single cup of tea!

When I came back from my travels and had to find a 'proper' job, I looked around at both PR and journalism, but after weighing up the pros and cons, I decided to follow a career in PR (not least because it pays so much better) and came to EML.

I love writing and the idea of being given a blank sheet with a brief to find an interesting angle for a story and both PR and journalism let me do that. The main difference is that PR moves at a slower pace (no, really it does). If you're working on a daily newspaper, or with an online publication, you may have a matter of hours to research and write a story and get copy approval. One of the best things about PR is that you get to see a product launch developing months before a journalist even gets to hear about it - you can see how it takes shape and develops. It's also then really interesting to see how each publication or journalist you brief on a single story interprets it and finds their own angle to print.

I'd definitely recommend a journalism degree for anyone thinking about getting into PR. It's such a valuable experience to work on the 'other side', to get an understanding of the way journalism works and the pressures the editors are under. I think most journalists appreciate a good relationship with PR representatives. I don't think modern journalism could work without PR because a lot of magazines and papers are short staffed and under pressure to deliver. If a PR person can provide a regular source of relevant, high quality, accurate and well written material, journalists are always happy to receive that.

The other thing I love about both PR and Journalism is that I get to be the one telling the news - not waiting to hear it from someone else!"

EML is glad Darren crossed over to join us and swell the PR ranks. Strong in the force, he is. Next time I'll be talking to EML's Sales and Marketing Director to get an update on what new clients she's going to be bringing our way.

Let us know how you got onto your career path. Does it have any relation to your degree or studies, or did you study baking in order to end up as a tailor? (Yes, I know, another food reference. We're obsessed).

Pentru ca toti imi recomanda experienta calatoriei cu trenul, trec prin lungul proces de obtinere de bilet, si apoi.. iata-ma in tren! Las in urma Cochin si ma indrept spre Goa. In stanga- o vegetatie exotica luxurianta, palmieri mai galbeni decat in Emirate, cocotieri, flori rosi, galbene, roz, mov. Tocmai am vazut o maimuta. Nu! De fapt e un om care se catara intr-un copac...

In dreapta mea este familia mea de astazi. Daca cea de ieri era compusa numai din oameni cu par blond, in cea de astazi, dimpotriva. Sunt mai mult pusti, localnici, 16-23 ani, care se uita curios spre mine si ma studiaza amanuntit. Pana acum am vorbit despre Goa cu un tip care este chiar politist pe plaja, in politia turistica.

Unul din tineri vine si se aseaza pe patul meu pentru ca la mine e mai mult curent. Trenul indian are 7 clase si am ales un vagon de dormit cel mai simplu pentru ca vreau sa experimentez ceea ce experimenteaza indianul de rand. Este multa murdarie in jur, dar oricum sacul de dormit nu m-ar proteja de microbi in vreun fel.

Pustiul din fata mea schimba locul, moment in care imi ia si ghidul Lonely Planet si il rasfoieste. Nimeni nu intreaba, nu cere, pur si simplu ia. Este doar o chestiune de educatie, in care poti imprumuta orice se afla in raza ta vizuala. E un adevarat spectacol cum oameni saraci, care nu se cunosc, se ajuta si impart ceea ce au.

Toata lumea face pur si simplu ceea ce are chef si nimeni nu este deranjat de prezenta celuilalt. Exista aceasta ingaduinta de a fi si de a-i lasa pe ceilalti sa fie. Cu exceptia celor care vor sa faca profit de pe urma turistilor, nu am intalnit pana acum decat oameni misto. Zambesc larg si verifica daca iti place, ce iti place, daca esti fericit. Iar atunci cand vorbesc cu tine pana si comerciantii sunt interesati de tine, de cine esti tu ca persoana si se simt bine in timpul acela in care iti vorbesc. E un timp pe care il fructifica, dar nu doar pentru o directie comerciala, ci ca pe o relatie vie intre 2 persoane.

Cand cobor in gara am o mare surpriza: zeci de oameni care dorm. Cum? Pe jos, peste tot, aliniati unul langa celalalt, fara nimic sub ei. Dorm un somn dulce si adanc, de parca ar fi in paturi de puf, in siguranta si fara grija zilei de maine.

In gara pana si cainii stiu cine sunt turistii: un caine slab vine, se aseaza langa mine, iar cand plec se muta langa turisti englezi.

În timp ce fracţiunea Partidului Liberal din Consiliul municipal Chişinău (CMC) anunţă că trece în opoziţie faţă de noua coaliţie formată din consilieri ai PCRM, PPCD, PSD şi PCUM, Serafim Urecheam cheamă la înţelegere şi la restabilirea Coaliţiei Democrate. PL susţine că guvernarea comunistă a uzurpat puterea în consiliul municipal şi că va ataca în judecată demiterea lui Mihai Ghimpu din funcţia de preşedinte CMC şi de alegere în locul acestuia a lui Eduard Muşuc. Paralel, Serafim Urechean a expediat presei o declaraţie în care optează pentru păstrarea Coaliţiei Democratice, pentru a demonstra că forţele democratice sunt capabile să coopereze în perspectiva alegerilor parlamentare din 2009.

Potrivit Info-Prim Neo, preşedintele PL, Mihai Ghimpu, a declarat marţi, 14 iunie, în cadrul unei conferinţe de presă că după multiplele ilegalităţi care au avut loc în CMC, scenariul guvernării comuniste a dus la uzurparea puterii în consiliul municipal. Potrivit sursei citate, partidele care formează noua „coaliţie monstruoasă” s-au împotrivit de la bun început ca CMC să activeze corect şi în favoarea cetăţenilor. Mihai Ghimpu a anunţat că PL va ataca în judecată decizia de demitere a domniei sale şi de alegere a lui Eduard Muşuc în calitate de preşedinte al CMC.

„De fiecare dată când vom şti că anumite proiecte sunt promovate în interesele unor grupări sau sunt ilegale, ne vom sesiza pentru ca acest lucru să nu se întâmple”, a declarat primarul de Chişinău, Dorin Chirtoacă, vicepreşedintele al PL, citat de Info-Prim Neo.

Primarul anticipează că activitatea CMC pe viitor va fi caracterizată de o aparentă linişte şi colaborare între membrii noii coaliţii. „Se vor adopta aceleaşi proiecte pe care le-a propus şi PL, dar acum vor fi aprobate de noua coaliţie. În aceste condiţii, oamenilor li se va spune că fosta coaliţie a fost ineficientă, iar actuala grupare este capabilă să adopte proiecte fără scandal”, a subliniat Dorin Chirtoacă, precizând că sub pretinsa linişte se va încerca promovarea tacită a unor proiecte de decizie dictate de interesele unor consilieri.

Corina Fusu, preşedintele fracţiunii PL în CMC, spune că „acţiunea de trădare” a PSD a adus mai multă claritate asupra adevăratei feţe a conducerii acestui partid care, în campania din alegerile locale din 2007, se declara anticomunistă. „PSD a fost folosit drept o unealtă pentru a distruge coaliţia democratică ”, a declarat Fusu, citată de Info-Prim Neo. Potrivit sursei citate, PCRM apelează la metode de acest gen din cauză slăbiciunii şi a fricii de a pierde alegerile din 2009.

Liberalii susţin că „migrarea” PSD în tabăra comunistă confirmă o dată în plus că partidele democrate nu trebuie să facă alianţe cu partidele conduse de persoane ce au făcut parte din nomenclatura comunistă sau care au colaborat în trecut şi în prezent cu regimul comunist.

Referitor la acelaşi subiect, Serafim Urechean, preşedinte AMN, declară că “deşi Consiliul municipal Chişinău este în impas, consider posibilă şi necesară deblocarea situaţiei prin refacerea coaliţiei democratice”. “Optăm pentru păstrarea coaliţiei, deoarece trebuie să îndreptăţim aşteptările chişinăuienilor, să soluţionăm problemele oraşului şi ale cetăţenilor lui, dar şi să demonstrăm că forţele democratice sunt capabile să coopereze în perspectiva alegerilor parlamentare. Actualele mişcări din consiliul municipal fac parte din strategia de menţinere la Putere şi după 2009 a clanului corupt, aflat acum la guvernare”, mai subliniază Urechean.

“Criza administraţiei municipale, ca şi cea din unele raioane, în mod evident, este opera distructivă a lui Vladimir Voronin şi a anturajului său, care urmăreşte interese meschine, economice şi politice. Invitarea consilierului Eduard Muşuc la Preşedinţie sfidează bunul simţ, dar şi justiţia, constituind o presiune a şeful statului asupra instanţei ce încă examinează legalitatea deciziilor controversate din cadrul consiliului municipal. În general, conlucrarea autorităţilor locale cu cele centrale ar trebui să vizeze Guvernul, care nu-şi îndeplineşte aceste obligaţii. Iar ultima imixtiune a Preşedintelui este încă o dovadă a uzurpării puterii de stat şi a utilizării ei în interesul politic al Partidului Comuniştilor”, se mai precizează în declaraţia citată.

“Alianţa „Moldova Noastră” propune următoarea soluţie pentru a elimina acest pericol – domnilor Ghimpu şi Muşuc, deopotrivă, le sugerăm să renunţe la pretenţiile faţă de funcţia de Preşedinte al consiliului municipal. Să fie convocată coaliţia democratică pentru ca membrii ei să convină asupra priorităţilor consiliului municipal, precum şi asupra formei de conducere a lucrărilor consiliului, eventual, chiar şi o nouă alegere a preşedintelui Consiliului municipal Chisinau”.

Amintim că Eduard Muşuc a fost ales preşedinte al CMC la 6 iunie curent cu votul a 27 consilieri ai PCRM, PPCD, PSD, PCUM şi „Ravnopravie”. Potrivit Info-Prim Neo, aceiaşi consilieri au votat şi pentru demiterea lui Mihai Ghimpu din funcţie. La 20 iunie secretarul CMC a semnat cele două decizii.

Sursa: UNIMEDIA

Abuja, as many a Nigerian would say, was built on the oil money produced in the south.  It's a nice city, with an organized grid and roads that are not pot-holed or falling apart.  Traffic downtown follows traffic lights, while away from downtown, it's more a "drive-at-own-risk" mentality.

My colleague, a man from southern Nigeria, says the people here are happier, generally speaking, than those in the south because the daily struggle is more pronounced there.  Here, there is electricity, water, good transportation and more opportunity.  Also, I think it might also have something to do with less people.  The further north you go in Nigeria, the less populated it becomes.  Put a bunch of people together, and you're bound to rub elbows one too many times.

    *********

Some highlights from the past couple of days:

Had dinner at the home of a man who writes plays.  He signed a couple of books for us, and passed them out.  I look forward to reading them.  He was the spokesperson for the previous vice president, and is now getting back to writing.  Inspiring.

Eating suya (SUE-yuh) at an abandoned lot with friends was a good time.  Suya is grilled meat.  We had beef and chicken under a tarp-like tent.  The dry pepper spice makes it all the better.  Served on newspaper.

Dancing traffic control police guy was a hoot!  Situated in the middle of many lanes of traffic coming at him, he didn't miss the beat in his head as he danced and motioned the traffic along.  My colleague threw 50 Naira, about 50 cents, out the window to him as a tip.

Major progress made with the stove project.  We were offered an office space here in Abuja by a counterpart organization.  Fully furnished.  Now we have offices in Benin City (south) and Abuja.

Through an interview connection my wife made, we had a late dinner with political leaders from Nigeria's Muslim north.  If ever I have felt peace exude from anyone's body, it was that of a man who offered to drive me across the north the next time I come back to Nigeria.  It's an offer that has me seriously considering a return to Nigeria sooner than later.  Being able to see Jos, Kano, Kaduna and parts in between would be a dream come true, especially through the eyes of a native.

The hotel staff here are great!  Godswill is a new friend of mine.  I plan to sit down and have a beer or two with him.  He makes me laugh!  And, he laughs at how I say "Wahder" and not "WAH-ter" the way a Nigerian with a British-like accent does.  

Gamji is a local food joint that serves up traditional food on the cheap.  Jollof rice is a spiced rice with veggies, not too hot on the pepper radar, but the heat is there.  Kunu is a drink made from powdered guinea corn, spices and sugar, mixed in water and served cold.   Somehow it has a citrus flavor, sort of.  Pretty refreshing.

We see many people with markings/cutting on their faces.  We are told they are from the north, towards Niger.  One woman wore a beautiful green dress while hawking items that sat on her head.  She had a long, slender frame, a narrow face with catch-scratch-type cuttings, and very dark skin.  I knew she was not from this area of Nigeria.  "She's from Niger.  Yeah...they come down to sell products, and then go back." 

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We still haven't gotten enough rest on any given night.  Most likely things won't slow down until we back to Ethiopia next Thursday.  We're hoping the weekend will be a restful one. 

Tot morgn hopelijk e
Michiel