This Is What It’s Like To Eat Dinner At The Best Restaurant In The World

Posted by Richard Daniels on May 2, 2012 in General | 0 comments

Noma, a gastronomic paradise in Copenhagen, has just been named the best restaurant in the world by San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best, compiled by Restaurantsmagazine.

It’s the third year the restaurant has taken the top spot, solidifying the reputation of executive chef René Redzepi as the king of Nordic cuisine.

One thing is for sure: a meal at Noma is completely out of the ordinary. Guests are treated to a parade of small plates, most of which bear very

How can we be expected to decide between right and wrong when we can’t even decide what to have for dinner?

Posted by Richard Daniels on Apr 15, 2012 in General | 0 comments

Answer me this; Who decides what is right or wrong? The government, tradition, religion, Queen, culture, our families, ourselves? When you are young it’s our parents, teachers and other grown-ups. They believe there decisions will make us a good person and help us get on in the world. But throughout our lives we will be put in situations, learn our own lessons and make mistake which make us question certain rules.

Later in life it’s the government, tradition & culture. But the problem is obeying rules doesn’t always work. Good people make bad choices and bad people can make good choices, no one is perfect and it’s just the way the world works. Who can say they have never done something “wrong” to satisfy others?

When it comes to the government

The AU and the Tragedy of a New Headquarters

Posted by Richard Daniels on Apr 2, 2012 in General | 2 comments

On the 28th of January, 2012 African countries collectively descend to a new low on the global index of state sovereignty, territorial integrity and actual independence of nations. On that day, Chinese President Hu Jintao was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to commission the new $124 Million African Union Headquarters built and donated to the continent by China.  Termed “China’s gift to Africa”, the edifice was constructed by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation with over 90% Chinese labor.

According to   Zeng Huacheng, a special councilor to the AU headquarters project from China’s Ministry of Commerce,

Waiting for the Minister’s Convoy

Posted by Richard Daniels on Apr 2, 2012 in General | 1 comment

Kigali, Rwanda: I stood outside the beautiful Serena Hotels conference hall lobby, chatting on my phone. At 8:35 a.m., I had arrived a little too early for the conference slated for 9.15 a.m. With the Minister of Public Service and Labor as the person giving the opening remarks, and being in Africa, I reckoned that the event will start at about 10:30 a.m; enough time to allow the busy Minister attend to other “urgent matters.”

At 9.05, an unremarkable jeep pulled up in front of me. A man dressed in a suit I would consider not too fashionable

Before I set myself on Fire

Posted by Richard Daniels on Apr 2, 2012 in General | 0 comments

Yes, I have struck the match, ready to light my cheap, blonde hair extensions.  I am waiting for my sister to buy the kerosene to pour on myself. The only problem is that the queue is long at the fuel station and the traffic is very bad around Wuse II. At least, so she said when I called her about five minutes ago. But wait a minute; is she not trying to buy time in order to make me change my mind about my chosen path of honor?

We had talked and argued all night about my decision. Imagine how the name of our family would ring in the world for centuries to come, I told her. Think Queen Amina, Queen Nzinga,  Nefertiti or even Cleopatra,

Tales from a Naija Bus Ride

Posted by Richard Daniels on Apr 2, 2012 in General | 0 comments

My sister, no vex. Abeg make you help me hold dis.” Eyes, bloodshot from excessive alcohol and untreated malaria glared at me, daring me to refuse the ‘request.’

I collected the thin raffia twine – exactly the kind used in dragging a goat to its death – and held it across my chest.

“God go bless you, my sister. Na dis Road Safety people. Dem no go gree make pesin rest.”

Don’t Take After Your Father

Posted by Richard Daniels on Mar 18, 2012 in General | 0 comments

I told my son not to take after me; break tradition chains, remove old edicts, and create new rituals. Take after Mandela, Gates, Jobs, or Einstein. Take after someone who has changed the world. You and your peers across Africa must create razor sharp focus and straighten the curvature of African history by doing something spectacular, something that will bring pride to Africans. Look at a piece of metal and bend it with the power of your will. Cast it into innovation so the world can see. You all can do it!

The World’s Most Powerful People

Posted by Richard Daniels on Feb 8, 2012 in General | 4 comments

Power has been called many things. The ultimate aphrodisiac. An absolute corrupter. A mistress. A musical instrument. But its true nature remains elusive. After all, a head of state wields a very different sort of power than a religious figure. Can onreally compare the influence of a journalist with that of a terrorist? And is power unexercised power at all?

The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women

Posted by Richard Daniels on Feb 8, 2012 in General | 6 comments

The Women Who Matter Most

They are politicians, CEOs, bankers, cultural icons, billionaires and entrepreneurs. A fresh look at power as reach and influence.

Angela Merkel

Chancellor

The World’s 100 Billionaires

Posted by Richard Daniels on Feb 7, 2012 in General | 9 comments

The Richest People On The Planet

This year’s list broke records in size (1,210 billionaires) and total net worth ($4.5 trillion). China doubled its number of 10-figure fortunes, and Moscow now has more billionaires than any other city. Mexico’s Carlos Slim widened his lead at No. 1.

1.  Carlos Slim Helu & family

You lazy intellectual African Scum!

Posted by Richard Daniels on Jan 24, 2012 in General | 32 comments

They call the Third World the lazy man’s purview; the sluggishly slothful and languorous prefecture. In this realm people are sleepy, dreamy, torpid, lethargic, and therefore indigent—totally penniless, needy, destitute, poverty-stricken, disfavored, and impoverished. In this demesne, as they call it, there are hardly any discoveries, inventions, and innovations. Africa is the trailblazer. Some still call it “the dark continent” for the light that flickers under the tunnel is not that of hope, but an approaching train.

10 Cities With The Most Beautiful Women

Posted by Richard Daniels on Jan 21, 2012 in General | 15 comments

Travelers Digest Magazine brings to your attention its own version of 10 cities with the most beautiful women.

10. Amsterdam, Holland
Of course Amsterdam must make the list. This city has women more beautiful riding past on bicycles than other cities have going by in

10 Best Places to Live for Escaping World Conflict

Posted by Richard Daniels on Jan 21, 2012 in General | 2 comments

Where would you be the safest if World War 3 broke out tomorrow? Perhaps it’s a grim subject, but safety and distance from world conflict can be a motivating factor in your choice to expatriate. At the very least, conflict around the world