Kumquats and rigged elections

One of the great things about living here in the RSA, besides the abundance of good cheap wine, is the produce. There are fruit and veg places everywhere. Two right near my house and one just up the street from work. The quality is generally great and frequently outstanding and the selection actually mirrors the seasons, something I view as a plus and decidedly unlike the you-can-get-shoddy-quality-of-anything-at-any-time-of-year system in the States. Since I pigged out for dinner last night whilst vegging and watching a movie, I'm not too hungry for lunch today. So I just took a quick jaunt up the street and grabbed a half kilo each of kumquats and cherry tomatos and am now happily munching away at my desk as I catch myself up on the events of the world.

I'm still torn on the whole Nigerian elections thing. Yes, I know it's a good thing as far as peace, economic growth, and general regional stability are concerned that Obasanjo's hand-picked guy is firmly in place. And it does sound like he will be a step forward and a force for good. But rigged elections (and they are broadly considered to have been badly rigged) is not democracy and real democracy is what the region needs. Yes, picking their own leaders is a heavy responsibility that some populations have not always done a good job at (Indonesia, Russia, Mauritania, the US) but it is in the end their responsibility and the people are the ones who must bear the responsibility and the consequences for picking their own leaders.