by phil | Sep 26, 2012 | Mali
Diplomats, analysts, neocons, ECOWAS, the AU, the UN, and the government of France, among others, are talking about how to best dislodge the armed Islamist groups occupying northern Mali. I have a simple 5 part plan that does not involve negotiation or the use of...
by phil | Sep 15, 2012 | Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, Stories
While waiting for a customs agent to come to an agreement with a man that had many jerry cans of palm oil on our minibus, we stood in the road and listened to Chéché Dramé on my girlfriend’s cellphone. Trucks and busses tore past, slaloming around potholes,...
by phil | Aug 30, 2012 | Cote D'Ivoire
Outside of a trip to Bassam, I have been in Abidjan for most of August. The city — one of the more energetic and nocturnal places I’ve ever spent time in — has felt a bit deflated. Ramadan, cool August weather, a proliferation of police checkpoints...
by phil | Aug 24, 2012 | USA
At the end of July, my former residence in DC ceased to be a residence. Chalk it up to disagreements with the landlord. It may become a residence once more, with new tenants and a different pricing plan, but it will likely never be the place that it was. While I...
by phil | Aug 15, 2012 | Biz, Cote D'Ivoire
6:30 AM – Starting the work day at the Toits Rouges Allocodrome We started this lunch delivery/catering business in January. We had no employees, just the three partners – me and my two former couchsurfing hosts, Faty and David – and Faty’s...
