books books books

I want to read more books. Like Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, kindly lent to me by Kajsa. I enjoyed it so much, very interesting, superbly written and I learnt a lot I didnt know before.
I've always wanted to read more books by contemporary African authors but haven't had much luck in finding them in Norway. Maybe I just dont know where to look, or who to look for. So... please, suggestions and recommendations greatly appreciated.

Something wonderful is about to happen

Sharia law in Community 2?

Barika da Salah

Welcome holiday. But what do they really do? I just see this day as a day when all the Muslims become much more visible. Drove through Accra yesterday and the town was quite calm, apart from people in their nicest clothes on their way to celebrate Eid-Ul-Fitr and eat eat eat. Usually you don’t see SO many Muslims, they don’t stand out so much in the crowd really. But today Accra was their town, and seeing them all young and old, children and adults dressed up and on their way to some celebration made me think of how Norway looks on the National Day, people in their nicest outfits, all united, all going to the same place, and so many actually WALKING on the streets. (If the weather is nice….)

women and other women

Something just happened to me that hasnt happened often, maybe never. I was walking along in my "church" dress, and a woman stopped me and said she really likes my style, it fits me and I look nice. Women I know have given me compliments before, but you have to admit its rare that women compliment other women on the street they dont know. Women are more... trying to look better than the others, or am I lying? I dont know if my point is coming out clearly here. Anyway. It was nice and new.

Intergrated science class, courtesy of Joy FM

So we learned something new today, thanks to the interesting guests on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM. There was a scientist on air, Mr. Joris Wattenberg, with a new theory. The theory on when the world would end. I got into it while he had been talking for a while but the bottom line is in 2012 the world will end, because the earth will stop rotating and it will turn upside down. He had a loooong equation to explain it, it had a bunch of numbers which nobody can remember. And he claimed that Einstein had got it all wrong. Which of Einstein's thoughts he didnt mention. Maybe all of them.

But then he had another theory. Which was supposed to explain why Europe is more advanced than Africa. And the simple reason is: heat.
Heat is a form of energy, and in Africa its very hot. So people get tired. And energy has a black colour (?). In Europe its cold. That means that white people radiates HEAT, meaning they radiate energy, meaning they have more energy to make their countries advanced. While black people are already so hot they cant radiate heat.

You are what you radiate, he concluded, before the radio host relieved could announce that it was time for the news.

More here: http://news.myjoyonline.com/technology/200809/20624.asp

The law is the law (no matter how senseless it is..)

Yesterday at work, we could witness an unfolding drama through the big panoramic windows of the shop. Before I was explained the situation I saw the following: a car, with its hood opened, 2 men in blue overalls with their head stuck under the hood, two men in white shirts, one old, one young, the old one screaming at someone on the phone, the young one looking a bit distressed, a policeman, and two uniformed parking control officers... and a bike and a yellow parking control car (and the car had that light on top of the car like ambulances and police cars have, do the parking control people often have to use that, in emergency illegal parking incidents maybe?).

It seemed the parking control people were a bit eager, since they had clamped the car that had obviously broken down, unfortunately right outside a building where it isnt allowed to park. So. If you park where there is a no parking sign, the result is a clamped car and a fine to pay to get your wheel free from its yellow prison. BUT. It was broken down, mechanics were there to fix it, and the driver had been nice enough to actually get his broken down car off the road, while very often cars which break down are the cause of traffic when the drivers leave it exactly there. And I dont blame them if trying to be nice to your fellow drivers means getting punished by uniformed, and therefore drunk with power, guys who cant connect the dots, but only see the fact that a car is standing where it is not allowed. They were fighting and shouting, but because of the glass separating us, we missed all the insults and arguments...

In the end, logic won (hurray!). The policeman crawled back into the parking control car, the parking control guys went to remove the clamp with bowed heads in defeat, and inside we clapped our hands. I hope it wasnt a bribe or paying the fine that made that happen though.