True Ease in Writing comes from Art, not Chance, As those move easiest who have learned to dance. - Alexander Pope

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Dec 07, 2012

Red Black Nonsense - And then I married another

Posted by lat | Tags: Lat's Thoughts , Essays, Istanbul, Iran, Bakau Fire Station, Paradise Suites Hotel, Pencha Mi Hall, Disaster, Divorce, fireman, food, judge, Mohammed Bello Abubakar, policewoman, Polygamy, professor, Religion, Social Issues, tackle, US Federal Reserve, War | 0 Comments

We all had dreams growing up. I can remember once telling my parents that I wanted to be a “fireman”. As fate would have it, when I got myself lost as a child, I was picked up by a kind policewoman and taken to the Bakau Fire Station where I munched on some memorable “gerrteh saaf” as I waited for my parents to pick me up in the old red LADA. I met a young man aged thirteen a while ago and I asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up. The young man looked at me dead in the eye and told me he wanted to be a “rich man” with four wives and many children. At first I thought he was joking and then as I looked at him even closer, I could see the excitement swell up in his ears as if he had just won the lottery. This young man wanted to be a “career polygamist”!

It took me three weeks to finally start writing about this.

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Aug 27, 2012

On Executions - My View before the GRTS announcement on the execution of 9 death row convicts

Posted by lat | Tags: Lat's Thoughts , Essays, Gambia, Conviction, Person Career, Person Location, Edward Anthony Gomez, Force, forward, Light value, Minister of Justice, Minister of Justice Edward Anthony Gomez, oil, Politics, President, Punctuation, Social Issues, Tabara Samba, tackle, Technology, The Printed Blog | 0 Comments

We are not in unprecedented territory for we have been here before even on the issue of the death penalty. Overtaken by numerous drug-related offences, the government of The Gambia through the powers of The National Assembly and under the office of then Minister of Justice Edward Anthony Gomez, amended the Drug Control Act in 2010 making it possible for persons found in the possession of over 250 grams of cocaine or heroin to receive the death penalty. This however received immediate condemnation from the Bar Association and various Human Rights groups citing its conflict with another clause in our constitution, 18(2), which stated clearly that only “offences involving violence or the administration of any toxic substance, resulting in the death of another person” could legally carry the death sentence.

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Apr 13, 2012

Red Black Nonsense - Yal na sutura yaaga

Posted by lat | Tags: Lat's Thoughts , Essays, Gambia, Saudi Arabia, Bertil Harding highway, Entertainment, food, Law, Nikon D5000 Digital Camera, Punctuation, Social Issues, tackle, Typography | 0 Comments

A week ago I spoke of the power of silence and the obvious necessity to claim “dumbness” when one is forced to speak out of turn. Unfortunately, my words fell on deaf ears, for barely a week later, the progress this country has made over the years in the emancipation of our women from the slavery of ignorance was deleted when a certain “Religious leader” decided it was time to attack the success stories we have found in our women. How the Standard newspaper has found a “prophet” in him is at best shocking. His words were filled with much folly and as I read through them, I was overtaken with grief instead of anger, for I had come to realize that education is certainly not for everyone. Now my words may seem naïve but they come long hours after I have forced myself to accept that some people are more equal than others.

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Mar 22, 2012

Red Black Nonsense - A Layman's Economy

Posted by lat | Tags: Lat's Thoughts , Essays, Gambia, Business, businessmen, Donald Knuth, Economist, food, Labor, MIX, Private, Punctuation, Quotation mark, non-English usage, Social Issues, tackle, Technology, Typography, World Bank | 0 Comments

I was comfortably seated with three beautiful young ladies over bowls of very delicious ebbeh the other day as i watched the growing traffic on Kairaba Avenue, when I noticed something rather peculiar. Two of them when they spoke had “strain veins” – I think they fall under the “varicose vein” category but medicine not being my profession, I’d go with the former. I have not spoken to myself in front of the mirror, so I am yet to confirm whether or not I have visible veins on my neck when I speak. However, before I lose myself in this piece which is certainly not about visible veins or beautiful women, or ebbeh – come to think of it, ebbeh might fall into place either way – something else happened which has happened to me so frequently over the last few months that it scares me to mush; A man old enough to be my father walked in with a young girl asking for alms.

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Benachini Jain with Ranha Out!

By Yann, Binta, Oumie in Food, Asian cuisine, Cajun cuisine, Cuisine, Greek cuisine, oil, tackle, Vietnamese cuisine

INGREDIENTS

Tilapia Fish, Shrimps, Basmati rice, Cabbage, Carrots, Hot Peppers, Garlic, Parsley, Cassava, Onions, Spinach, 'Daharr'(Tamarind), Tomatoes and seasoning (maggi, jumbo, salt, pepper and black pepper). 
 
PREPPING
Clean fish, marinade in lemon,vinegar, salt, garlic and pepper; then blend parsley,garlic,hot peppers and maggi. After, stuff fish with blended ingredients and let it sit overnight in a fridge. This way all the ingredients you marinated it with would seep into the fish, making it tastier.
- When preparing to cook either finely chop onions,garlic, tomatoes and peppers or blend it if you have one. 
- Peel carrots and cassava and cut cabbage in half or reasonable sizes.
 
COOKING
-Fry fish in very hot oil or else it will stick.Then when brown, take it out of the hot pan and let it settle.

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