It’s a lovely day in Durban. Sailboats dot the horizon of the Indian Ocean. Surfers enjoy the waves that have made the beaches right outside of my door a regular stop on the pro surfing circuits. In the permitted areas people are swimming, with more coming out each hour as the temperatures creep up to […]
I don’t think I’m an especially good relaxer. I like being near the ocean but find it unappealing and nearly impossible just to relax on the beach. many people find the idea of doing nothing completely appealing. I find it horrible. I need something to read, something to write, something to DO. It’s another day […]
The World Cup is taking two more days of rest after the semis were decided with Germany smacking around Argentina (obviously I did not see that one coming) and Spain struggling to take down Paraguay (I did foresee that, but given that I was one for four in predicting these quarterfinals games, too much congratulations […]
Ouch. That was painful. Ghana went out in the way you really don’t want to see anyone go out. After 90 minutes of regulation and another 30 minutes of additional time Ghana and Uruguay were drawn at 1-1, meaning the dreded penalty shootout was going to settle the game. But it was worse than that. […]
Our long international nightmare is over. The World Cup resumes today with two quarterfinals matches that are certain to pique the interest of viewers, and especially of Africans. Tonight is the Ghana-Uruguay match. Uruguay is, as I’ve been saying since early in the group stages, for real. But so is Ghana. Ghana just lost to a […]
I’m fighting off a cold, which is a bit of a bummer, as colds while travelling, even on long trips where you settle into a real life model at least a little, seem worse than colds at home. It is not bad enough to keep me from living my life (or to excuse me from […]
I crossed the border with Mark into Zeerust Wednesday. Zeerust is a medium sized town, by the standards of rural North West province a small city, that serves as the shopping and banking and service center for the larger region, including many Gabaroneans like my friend who find Zeerust to be cheaper and more abundant […]
I have made mention a few times now of the increasingly authoritarian hints coming from the Office of the President (DO NOT PHOTOGRAPH!!!) here in Botswana. Seretse Khama Ian Khama (commonly referred to simply as Ian Khama) has a long and distinguished lineage extending from when his father helped usher the country from the colonial […]
A few observations about Botswana after a day of wandering both the city center and the University of Botswana campus: Gabarone is lovely. It is small, to be sure. There are really two main access roads, one leading in from one direction and heading out, one heading in from the other direction. The center of […]
I am writing this from my friend’s office in a rather unlovely part (the locals call it “Siberia” of the otherwise lovely University of Botswana, where I will be based for the next week or so. I am staying with my friend and his family (he and I met after a conference in Pretoria four […]
I am in the Kruger-Nelspruit International Airport, which is built to resemble a game lodge, waiting to fly to Gabarone, Botswana. I will be working on a project as a fellow with University of the North-West (and possibly the university of Botswana) on resource allocation and the World Cup. I will also be able to […]
Well, the Ivorians gave it their best shot. Needing to make up a virtually insurmountable goal differential of 9 on Portugal (which they had tied, remember) Cote d’Ivoire came out and dominated the game from the outset. They won comfortably, and had two goals disallowed that could have made things interesting. The African side was […]
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