Latest Posts

by James Murren 29 February 2008 2
MTB Poetry

To Climb is to Descend

  The quads, the calves, the region below the chamois, but not excluding the chamois area, and including the feet,Continue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Libations MTB

Beer Guide to the Trails of Michaux

We are a fickle lot, the mountain bike ridin’ tribe of society’s flotsam and jetsam.  Sitting around talking shop andContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Say Something

The Bridge between Brown and White Hands

The National Apple Harvest Festival in Arendtsville takes place over the next two weekends, October 7-8 and October 14-15.  ManyContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Brazil

Watching the World Cup in Brazil

Today at 1:30 France and Italy will contend for the World Cup championship.  If you’re not familiar with the WorldContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Brazil

Chicken Hearts and St. Anthony’s Party

“Here, try this?”  “What is it?”  Little, plump, brown and sort-of grayish, the bite size morsels came to a narrowContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Tea

Caffeine, Saints’ Rhythms, and an Arctic Bird

They say that caffeine stimulates the brain and can bring alertness, increased firing of synapses and creativity to an otherwiseContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia Nigeria

“Updates on the Goings On in Ethiopia and Nigeria”

I am taking this column space to update y’all on what has been going on in Ethiopia and Nigeria sinceContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 1
Ethiopia

Gathering Water in Denan in a Time of Drought—part 3 of 3

  Two little girls are gathering water on the far side of the oversized puddle-of-a-pond on the outskirts of DenanContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 1
Ethiopia

A Passage to True Manhood in a place called Denan (Part 2 of 3)

The moon is rising over the thatched roof and mud-walled homes that sit idly in a cluster along the dirtContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 1
Ethiopia

“A Place Called Denan, Ethiopia–part 1 of 3”

I went to a place called Denan. Prior to going I thought I was just a man. Upon leaving IContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 1
Ethiopia

“Gondar’s Angel Eyes–A Pathway to Peace”

  Walking the mile and a half or so from our hotel to the Debre Berhan Selassie Church, the townContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 2
Ethiopia

Searching for Holiness in Lalibela’s 11 Magnificent Rock-Hewn Churches

Sitting in what was a tomb dug into the side of the wall sat an elderly monk wrapped in aContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 6
Ethiopia

An Afternoon in Axum , Great African Empire 2000 Years Ago

  Axum is a dusty little town in the north of Ethiopia , one of four stops along the country’sContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 6
Ethiopia

Maybe the “Best” Refugee Camp in the World—Shimelba

In the far north of Ethiopia, along the border with Eritrea, sits the Shimelba refugee camp.  The camp is occupiedContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia Nigeria

A New Year’s Resolution for the American Spirit

Rummy tells the troops in Iraq that because they are there doing what they are doing there hasn’t been aContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia

When and What is Christmas? The Gift of Togetherness

So it is Christmas. In Ethiopia, it is not. The Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church believes that Jesus was born onContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia

Our Return to the Land of Enchantment

After spending a little over a month in Nigeria, we returned to Ethiopia. We had a lot of work waitingContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Nigeria

Bikeloads of Wood: A Visit to the Niger Delta

The towns of Abraka and Warri are located in the Niger Delta, and are two of the sites of ourContinue Reading