Category: Uncategorized

Food experiment Jul 9, 2009 The Waffle 3 Comments I was in Conakry for 8 days at the beginning of July, at the invitation of NDI for a Retraite Politique, ahead of the scheduled Fall election. I figured I couldn’t blog much while in Guinea, and wouldn’t be able to write about everything. So I decided I would do a photo-blog. Every picture below is clickable and you can have a closer look at the food. Generally, the Guinean food is either from the sea or spicy. Lots of stews. Generally, they have a plate of hot crushed peppers available to increase the heat. Perfect. You can also find skewers and all sorts of food stands while wandering the streets of Conakry, as everybody tries to sell some food for a bit of money. But I decided to stick with restaurants, except for the food cooked in the little shack…

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Airplane Food Jul 1, 2009 The Waffle No Comments So I was invited by NDI to participate in their Retraite Politique in Conakry, Guinea. They wanted me to give some classes on campaign, share my experiences, hold workshops and participate on a youth panel. They also wanted me to be available to assist as needed in one-on-one consultations. I have agreed to go, of course, but since it was a bit last minute, I had to scramble to get the green light from my boss, get the visa, get the vaccines and make all the other arrangements. But I was happy to go, despite the unstable political situation, and hopefully will be able to help. To get to Conakry, one doesn’t get a direct flight.  My itinerary was as follows: Ottawa-Chicago-Brussels-Dakar-Conakry.  19 hours of flying time, plus the layovers. So my first layover was in O’Hare, where I had 3 hours to grab some lunch…

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Restaurant Jun 16, 2009 The Waffle 3 Comments Now, this is the kind of birthday I like.   For their 50th anniversary, Harvey’s has decided to celebrate by giving to its customers The Gift Burger!       Buy any burger and get a free original burger at your next visit!     FREE!   Now, that is…  A beautiful thing!   What they’ll do is give you a Gift Burger Coupon when you buy one of their burgers.  So avoid the hot dogs or the salads, and stick with what Harvey’s does best!   The great thing about Harvey’s is the freshness of the burger, and they customize it to your liking. The original burger is Harvey’s best seller, and a plain version contains only 16g of fat.      .

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Airplane Food Jun 5, 2009 The Waffle No Comments I completed my journey in the US of A by waiting for my plane at the Delta Crown Room Club of the Ronald Reagan Washington National airport.  As an Air Canada Elite member, I have Gold status with the Star Alliance network and therefore, I had access to the amenities located above Gate 15 in Terminal B. This lounge has very good views of the airport, and the seats are quite comfortable.  It is meant for the business crowd, there are conference facilities available, with full workstations and fax machines. And a practice green.  That’s right. Delta is an official sponsor of the PGA, and this lounge provides the equipment necessary to relax on the green.  Sorta.  I grabbed a putter at the front desk, two Nike balls, and I have got to admit, even though the green is very short, it…

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General Jun 4, 2009 The Waffle No Comments I am not a big fan of coffee.  In fact, I never drink it.  I’ll have an Iced Capuccino or something similar from time to time, but that is it. I cannot understand people’s obsession with the drink, and how so many businesses have flourished over the years by selling that steaming concoction, which is one of the less politically correct produce in the world. Politicians and reporters are hooked on the stuff.  So, quite often, appointments, interviews and meetings of all sorts are held in coffee shops, and it is as true in Ottawa as it is in Washington, where we were set to meet with the White House Communications Director at the Caribou Coffee at the corner of Pennsylvania and 17th avenue, right across from the White House. As apparently usually is the case, the place was buzzing with tourists,…

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