Stet » Politricks

Freedom means the right to choose your own truth

Ria — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:10:19 +0000

I love following American politics. It’s so much more fun than in other countries. I think my fascination comes down to the exceptional degree of chutzpah shown by candidates and commentators, and the almost inevitable exposure of the mismatch between what they say and what they do. Once the flaw is exposed, it is fascinating

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The limits of tolerance

Ria — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:08:02 +0000

The Dutch like to think of themselves as an exceptionally, even uniquely, tolerant people. The precedent is often cited as Amsterdam’s reception of refugees fleeing religious persecution in the 17th century, although London too hosted Huguenots and Jews, in perhaps greater numbers than Amsterdam. And to the outsider today, the Netherlands is not obviously more

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Thanks a lot, Voltaire

Ria — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 20:48:08 +0000

News just in: seven out of ten Dutch people have participated in a poll about Geert Wilders.

Whatever issue Wilders addresses becomes the discussion of the day, and in such a way that Wilders himself becomes the issue once again. I’m not usually one for conspiracy theories, but I read somewhere that someone’s brother-in-law overheard

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Mbour Mblues on the Coke Coast

Ria — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:11:15 +0000

Name that tune …

Hey Jim, Jim? Where is Jim, man? Jim, I want you to tell me somethin’ I want you to spell for me New York, Jim Come on, Jim, I want you to spell New York

These days you could ask Jim how to spell Dakar, because a whole lot, whole lot

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Whiteout

Ria — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:22:04 +0000

The reaction anticipated in my previous post was swift and effective … actually it was glossy.

I had expected a different reaction — crude spray scribble, as had been done (by the PPK sprayers?) to the “NOUVEAU PARTI” graffiti, perhaps, or a riposte in words — but this whiteout is so … thorough and professional.

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The son still rises

Ria — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:08:06 +0000

On the same day that the leader of the National Assembly, Macky Sall, was voted out of office, a rash of graffiti appeared around Dakar — just three cryptic letters: PPK.

Fortunately, one sprayer had had the time, or the couilles, to write out the meaning: Pourquoi pas Karim (why not Karim).

The Karim

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Let them eat stats

Ria — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:29:21 +0000

Back in April, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade announced his latest new plan to revitalize the country’s agricultural sector, the largest sector of activity in terms of employment and production. It was the third plan in as many years. Previous plans, Jaxaay and Reva, were announced with similar fanfare yet failed to materialize into any actual

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To the barricades, James, and don’t spare the Porsches!

Ria — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:35:19 +0000

A few days after my previous post, residents of Dakar suburbs, Castors, Derklé and Liberté 06, took to the streets to protest against the prolonged and repeated electricity cuts. Actually, what pushed them over the edge was the distribution of double invoices from the electricity company, SENELEC. Yes, we give you no power and charge

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Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

Ria — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:51:55 +0000

One of Senegal’s main newspapers, and the best known outside the country, is Le Soleil. Its most remarkable feature is that it is government-owned, which means that its editorial independence is comparable with Pravda in Soviet times. All content is filtered to be pro-government, or else is simply ignored.

The two main themes are (i)

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Click for $1.5 million – A win-win-win situation

Ria — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:31:48 +0000

In a speech to the World Economic Forum earlier this year, Bill Gates presented the concept of “Creative Capitalism” as a means of reducing poverty through free market mechanisms. Describing himself as an “impatient optimist”, Gates cited the many improvements in people’s lives in many parts of the world — improved governance, life expectancy and

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