This is not a very good picture for a PAD, but my PADs for the rest of June will have to be shots taken during my latest African trip. This was taken at the Omdurman Emergency and Trauma Hospital in Omdurman, the city across the White Nile from Khartoum that was used as the Mahdi's camp and capital after he sacked Khartoum in 18885.

I don't recall this man's problem, but like most hospitals, even in Khartoum, the facilities are spare and marginally equipped. No doubt, a good part of this is due to the US sanctions on Sudan over the Darfur problem. Even money that might get through under humanitarian classification often never gets where it's intended, but is held back or diverted by the government. And then there's graft. "nuf said.

This promises to be an interesting, even exciting trip, but it will also involve a lot of frustrations at what can't be done because of lack of resources, initiative, or care. It's already clear to me from a mere three trips that Africa is unique in more ways than just it's wildlife.

PS: Nothing done, which shows, I'm afraid. I shoot raw almost entirely now, and I usually need to spend some time optimizing color and other stuff. (If it weren't for Lightroom, I don't think I'd ever bother with RAW, but now I seem to be able to get great results quickly (current photo notwithstanding).

For other shots from today, see www.pbase.com/dds/sudan2_daily_0613