Zimbabwe

Once again, another African country shows up the true divide between the haves and the have nots.

In Zimbabwe, central bank chief Gideon Gono is willing to point the finger at those who are hoarding money in a country that are government officials. This hoarding of cash has caused major lines at banks for people who are waiting to withdraw small sums of money in order to live.

Zimbabwe's inflation rate was postulated to reach more than 100,000 percent in a July 31 article on cnn.com (http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/31/zimbabwe.prices.reut/index.html)

How can a government official, who knows about the sting of inflation affecting their country, hoard cash while millions starve?

Simply because they can.....

While the millions and millions of their own countrymen die, they are more worried about making sure they have large amounts of cash for their own use.

It's About Africa......

The Lost Boys of Sudan

My first foray into the trials and tribulations of Africa. I just got done watching a documentary on the lost boys of Sudan. First and foremost, my question goes to were there any lost girls or were they all killed as part of the process?

Transplanting a person from a war-torn area into the United States will not magically solve all the problems that have been created. While Peter and Santino flew to the United States where they felt like they would experience heaven on earth, the reality of 7 dollar an hour jobs with 570 dollar traffic tickets hit them squarely in the jaw.

I would not wish war upon anyone. But transplanting a person to another culture is not a panacea. We all should be more involved on a global level to head these things off at the pass rather be forced to be reactionary.

To the lost boys: you will not find yourself in a place. You are already found because of who you are...

It's about Africa kids....

75 whatever

Ah yes, there are days when I am sad to say that my favorite sport in the whole world is baseball. Sports-wise it will always be my favorite. My grandparents actually met at a Baltimore Orioles game way back when. That is why it pains me to watch the record for most home runs in Major League Baseball go to Barry Bonds.
While I do not know Mr. Bonds, the interviews I have seen of him have not been that informative, helpful or cordial. I don't blame him for this because I am sure the media can be a serious pain at times. But, God has reached down and given Barry talent like no other player we had seen since Willie Mays whom I still consider in the top two players to ever play the game. (Number one has to be Babe Ruth, who else could have won 300 games if he had tried and did hit more than 700 home runs.)
I would hope that Mr. Bonds would be a bit more thankful that God gave him speed in his bat, an arm to throw with, and the ability to play a game everyday for a job.
This ingratitude is what caused me to respond with a yawn when homer 756 was hit. No one's life is perfect but Barry has been given a gift.
May we all use our gifts like Barry has and may all of us be much more grateful.

What the...

In a serious departure from my usual blogging, I came across this article the other day:

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2007/08/08/
rev_al_sharpton_leads_protest_over_degra

You have GOT to be kidding me.....while I do not support music that is degrading to anyone even though I do support anyone's rights to say whatever they like, does he remember 2 Live Crew? Al, this started back in the 80's. If you are truly outraged about this ongoing problem in American society, why did it take you almost 20 years to say something about it?

Whatever happened to be on the cutting edge of what ails our society?

I guess it takes Mr. Sharpton quite a few years to find that edge....

The next few months

Over the next few months, I will be taking a look at the different countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Each week a different country's current issues and what we can do to help. Places like Zimbabwe have many things happening which might need more than one week.
If we solve what is happening in Africa, we solve the problems all over the world.
It's about Africa.

Nothing But Nets: It's About Africa Part 2

Following up on my latest post, there was a small amount of information about something called Nothing But Nets. I wanted to follow up on the subject with a bit more explanation because it is a incredibly worthy cause!

Malaria is the leading cause of death of children in Africa killing nearly one million children a year! In the poorest parts of the world, where effective window screens are lacking, insecticide treated bed nets are arguably the most cost-effective way to prevent malaria transmission. Studies have shown that the use of insecticide treated bed nets can reduce the transmission of malaria by as much as 90%!

As part of joint effort between the National Basketball Association, The United Methodist Church, Sports Illustrated and the United Nations Foundation, bed nets can be purchased for a 10 dollar donation. These nets will be delivered directly to children in need in Africa!

While 10 dollars does not seem like much to us, this amount is out of reach of those in Africa who survive on less than 1 dollar per day. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has agreed to match every 10 dollar donation so you can buy two nets for 10 dollars!

It's About Africa

Growing up in white, middle-class America, you would not expect me at 37 to say life is all about Africa. It is. There is no way to escape what is going on there even though we in the U.S. want desperately to think this doesn't affect us.
After visiting South Africa a few years ago, the images still live with me. The extreme poverty that I encountered versus the extreme fortune shocked me even more than it does here in the U.S. I expected to see this difference in my home country but the abject poverty vs. insane wealth that I experienced in Africa cannot be fathomed unless you have visited there.
If we don't put even a small part of our income toward solving the multiple problems of Africa, this will continue growing exponentially. I encourage everyone to take 10 dollars this week (one easy way to do this is bring your lunch from home one or two days extra this week!)and send it to Nothing But Nets at nothingbutnets.org. You can sponsor a treated net that will help protect sleeping children from being bitten by mosquitoes carrying malaria. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match you net for net. (No matter what we feel about Microsoft. That is a post for another time.) You could possibly save two lives for 10 dollars. What better way to start?
It's about Africa kids....