Today Mary Beth and I decided to go our own ways. While Mary Beth went to the spa at the Charteston Place hotel for a mommy-to-be massage, I went for an adventure of another kind. I drove to Folley beach to take a guided kayak tour in the creeks and salt marshes of the low country. These are the kinds of adventures that make my vacations. I was the only person signed up for the tour so I got a long one-on-one tour with Dave, the tour guide. I got to see quite a few dolphins, but wasn''t able to get the camera out fast enough to take any pictures. I also saw a lot of native flora, fauna, birds, fishs and crabs. The intermingling of the fresh and saltwater make for a rich and amazing ecosystem. Pictures

Today we took a cruise to Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is where the first shots of the civil war were fired. The union garrison defending the fort surrendered after a a 34 hour bombardment. Obviously the fort sustained significant damage during the civil war and only portions of the original buildings are still standing. Pictures

Today was beach day. After breakfast we drove to Folly beach, it''s about 15 miles south of Charleston. The weather was perfect, hot enough to be comfortable but not too hot to get burned. We spent most of the day on the beach and in the ocean. Then we drove to Kiawah island for a little more sightseeing.

By the end of the day we were really looking forward to dinner at Sticky Fingers. With a name like that you know it''s got to be a great BBQ joint. Heck they even give out hand towels as napkins. Dinner was fabulous, some of the best ribs I''ve had. We ended the day swinging away at the waterfront pier.

This is turning out to be an awesome vacation. The city, the hotel, all the activites, and restaurants have been perfect. I only wish the hotel had a fitness center. I can see all this food is adding up. Pictures

On monday we drove to the Middleton plantation about 15 miles outside of Charleston. The Middleton plantation was first settled in 1675 and has survived the American revolution, the civil war, and is today a national historic landmark.

The best part of the trip was definately the wonderful three course lunch at the middleton place restaurant. We had an authentic low country lunch starting out with okra soup. I had cormeal fried catfish and corn pudding with squash casserole for the main course. Mary Beth had the pulled pork with collard greens and hoppin''john. Hoppin''john is a mixture of black-eyed beans and rice. We finished out with huguenot torte and fresh fruit. Pictures

We arrived in Charleston SC today for a week''s vacation. This is what you would call a ''babymoon''; a chance to get away before the baby arrives. Just from walking around Charleston this afternoon and evening I know we are going to have a fabulous time. This is an awesome place. We''re staying at the Harbor View Inn. It''s a great hotel right off the harbor and waterfront park. And man do they throw in a lot of extras; all you can eat M&M''s and Jelly beans all day, wine and cheese in the afternoon, cookies and milk just before you head to bed, and a complimentary breakfast delivered either to your room or enjoyed in the roof top terrace. We''re looking forward to the breakfast tomorrow morning.

For dinner this evening we went to Hyman''s . A historic restaurant specializing in, you guessed it... SEAFOOD! We had complimentary boiled peanut in salt water for starters, then Sauteed Mussels in Marinara sauce, then fried calamari and fried osyters with baked sweet potato and cole slaw.

It originated in the Low Country of South Carolina around Charleston in the early 1800s and was often used by children or couples in love. The male and female would sit at opposite ends of the board and "joggle" up and down. Because the board slopes in the middle, the couple would bounce towards each other and eventually meet in the middle.

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I came across the Fund for Peace website from Foreign Policy which itself is a great portal on global politics.

The fund for peace publishes an annual ranking of failed states in the world based on their ranking on internal strife, and internal and external social, economic and military pressures. It''s not suprising that the majority of failed states in it''s 2007 list are in Central Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

Having lived in Nigeria for over 10 years, it''s particulary distressing to watch this country blessed with an educated populate and abundant natural resources continue it''s slide into political and economic failure. The causes for all of these failed states are fairly common: rampant corruption, monopoly of power, ethnic and religious divisions, and perhaps the most agregious, a lack of leadership. Nigeria, in particular has seen more than it''s fair share of political leaders more interested in self-preservation and siphoning the country''s wealth to their foreign bank accounts than providing the kind of leadership necessary to pull the country from the brink of disaster.