I usually have mixed reactions to the bulk of travel articles on Africa, which too often tend to re-enforce various stereotypes and present cardboard views of the continent (does the world really need another breathless travel section article on safaris in Kanya, Tanzania, or South Africa?). But this Helene Cooper piece on surfing in Liberia (admit it — you had no idea!) takes an unexpected angle to look at that country. Cooper is a native of Liberia who writes for The New York Times and has written perceptively about her native land.