I had the good fortune to have lunch with a few Maconites and the Israeli Consul General for the Southeast United States , Reda Mansour. I learned more information about the situation in the middle east from him in 40 minutes than I could learn from the press and media in six months. There is so much that is not covered that sheds so much illumination on this region that you begin to doubt the value of modern journalism.

But Reda was there to build business relations and to discuss the Israeli companies (33 of them) building plants and offices in the Atlanta area and the new technologies they are producing in the high and low tech sectors. The Israelis have modernized textile technology. Could this help revive this nearly dead southern industry? The Israelis have also made terrific advances in agricultural and husbandry technology.

Reda has a Masters from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a PhD from Haifa University. He speaks five languages. Read more about him at http://www.memjfed.org/page.html?ArticleID=112024

Tips and thanks to Chip Cherry, head of our local Chamber and Max Wood for bringing Reda to Macon and including me for lunch.
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