In a recent opinion piece in the Sunday SLTrib, a mother described her problems in a store when some children started to mock her disabled child. When she attempted to correct the offending children, their mother stepped in and aggresively defended them.
I think many LDS Church members would like to believe that historic Church teachings about afro-Americans didn’t impact individual behavior. These members might want to consider the following:
It’s long been an axiom of global economics that having bountiful natural resources can be as much of a curse as a blessing. Globally traded natural resources can distort prices in a developing nation, divert investment from other sectors that need capital and, above all, provide a tempting target for corrupt political officials who want to get their hands on easily monetizable assets.
The following article written by Belinda Luscombe appeared in Time Magazine (14 Jun 2010):
“Twesigye Jackson Kaguri’s American Dream was motoring along quite nicely until he was besieged by grandmothers. Born in a remote part of western Uganda, he’s studied hard enough to get to college in the capital Kampala, and then to the U.S. He had an American job, and American wife and the beginnings of a down payment to buy a house.
The following was written by Alex Perry and published in Time Magazine (June 21, 2010):
“To reach the most malarial town on earth, head north from Kampala (Uganda) across the Victoria Nile and, just before you come to the refugee camps that mark the southern edge of Uganda’s 20-year civil war, turn east to Lake Kwania. Africa’s other Great Lakes are known for freshwater beaches and cool evenings, but Kwania is more of a giant swamp: shallow, full of crocodiles and choked with lily, papyrus and hyacinth. The malaria parasite loves it here.
I recently watched this Reed Cowen documentary. But I don’t think that documentary is right word here. It is more of a personal polemic. It seems like the word documentary is frequently misused.
Having said that, I enjoyed Reed’s film. It resulted in a great deal of personal introspection. I agree with Sean Means that “it’s unfortunate that the response by an LDS Church spokesman . . . was to label Cowan’s film sight unseen, ‘obviously biased.’”
Last week, while in Gulu Uganda, we needed gravel (aggregate) for our concrete mix. We had rented a truck and our driver took us to the local supplier. The source was a large rock (probably granite) outcrop. All around women, children, and a few men were breaking large chunks of granite into a smaller size appropriate for concrete and other uses. This was accomplished using small metal hammers. The day was an inferno and the humidity was high. Some quarry workers had found a little shade; some just worked in the hot blazing sun.
I was recently in Gulu, Uganda, an area that has only recently become safe. At a village about 70 kilometers north of the city, a friend and I installed a swing set at a primary school that the parents are working hard to keep going. The nearest school is over 5 kilometers away. So a village school would be a definite plus.
I arrived in Uganda a little over 2 weeks ago. I love the country, the people are very friendly and the landscape is very green. The problem is that Uganda is a comparatively small, landlocked country located in the heart of Africa. It has a population approaching 30 million; and the population is continuing to explode. To make matters even more congested, most Ugandans live in a narrow north-south corridor around Kampala. Big families and poverty are the norm.
The following appears on page 32 of the 2009 Lonely Planet “The Netherlands:
“The 1960s were a breeding ground for discontent and anti-establishment activity, and in the Netherlands this underground movement led to the formation of the Provos. This small group of anarchic individuals staged street “happening” or creative, playful provocation (hence the name).