We had a rather dry spring, and so only last weekend we finally found an opportunity to engage in our annual post-solstice ritual of burning our yuletide tree. After getting two inches (52mm) of rain on Saturday last weekend, Sunday evening was calm and cool and it was pretty safe to torch the bone-dry Frasier […]

Yesterday, like every day, my daughter on the way home from afterschool told me about her day at school. She was upset because one of her teachers had told her to throw away one of her favorite books, “The Marvelous Land of Oz” because it contains “witchcraft and superstition.” Julia said she felt humiliated and […]

The Story is a syndicated radio show produced at WUNC in Chapel Hill. The show is hosted by Dick Gordon, who interviews people who have an interesting story to tell. Today, they aired the segment where Laura and Agbessi get to tell the story of the library in Yikpa, and the impact it had on […]

“Bush moves to counter gas emissions” the headlines read all over the place. He moved? Bush signed an executive order directing federal agencies to craft regulations that will “cut gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.” He ordered the agencies _ the departments of Transportation, Agriculture and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency […]

The parliamentary elections in Togo have been postponed to August 5. This is probably a good thing because it give the parties in Togo time to prepare, but it also means that the RPT has more time to rig the vote. Ouagadougou – Togo’s general election will be postponed from June 24 until August 5 […]

The Gulf of Aden separates the Horn of Africa from the Arabian Peninsula. Due to the desperate conditions, politically and economically, in Somalia and in Ethiopia, thousands of people from that region attempt to cross the Gulf of Aden to search for a better life in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Callous human traffickers exploit the […]

Germany’s President Köhler made the right decision. He apparently carefully considered the petition for a pardon for Christian Klar and then decided to deny it. The political right in Germany was all in a huff over the fact that he even as much as considered the request, especially after it became public that he met […]

Francophones – faites attention! This is a hillarious story by a Belgian writer, DDL: The Great Satan and the paralyzed man. During a recent visit to Togo, DDL was apparently inspired by a story in the news about an incident between Satan and a pastor who was trying to destroy him (it?). Kagni Alem, a […]

… and the Maibock is in the house! Satisfaction got a keg of Foothills brewery’s newest masterpiece – the Gruffmeister Maibock. It’s a heady eight-percenter with a solid nose and a nice punchline. It won’t keep a head, but who cares?! This is a very drinkable beer – a lot less hoppy than the IPAs […]