Happy 4th of July

To all my American readers, happy Independence Day. I hope the fireworks and grilling provide an enjoyable day for all. I think there is probably some sort of celebration at the American embassy, but I'll be spending my night at church (Wednesday night service).

There are two topics I'd like to draw your attention to today. The first is one that you've probably heard of, and I've even mentioned in my blog (back in March). Last week the AFP ran a story about the forces tasked with opposing Joseph Kony. The story (found here) mentions that about 5,000 African troops have been pledged to track down Kony in an area the size of France. Their chances would be much better if they had boots, uniforms, rations, etc. But despite 91,000,000 YouTube viewings of the "Kony 2012" video, there is no funding for properly equipping the troops. I know this is the age of the internet and social media, but I think it's clear that liking a facebook status has very little real power. So, if you feel the urge to do something, I would urge you to quickly email or phone your congressperson (see info at the bottom). The African Union representatives for this mission are meeting with the UN today and will be talking to American officials tomorrow.

The other topic is an article by Nicholas Kristof, a writer for the New York Times who I have found to have some interesting things today. His article (found here) talks about balancing our view of Africa. He recognizes that most of what we hear of of Africa is negative, and he claims that our warped view is hindering many of the good things going on here. He points to an article in the Economist (found here) that shows that six of the ten fastest growing economies are in Africa. Personally, I think both articles are mistaken to not predict that Zimbabwe will become the powerhouse of Africa in the next decade, but they are very interesting nonetheless.

Representatives:
Gwen Moore - Wisconsin 4th District (incl. Milwaukee)
James Sensenbrenner - Wisconsin 5th District (Milwaukee area suburbs)
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