Africa - the 7-year-old's solution

[mashman]

Just finished reading my eldest daughters learning portfolio. One page has a question on it. They watched a World Vision DVD.

Is It Fair?
Are all children treated the same?

"I chose no because in our country we only do a bit of some work. They work harder than we do. They don't get much money and we get more so we can buy more food." Summed up her thoughts.

In her self assessment she claims that she "can come up with ideas about how to help children in the third world countries.". I asked her what she would do. "Fire the money min, because there's niver inough money." was her response. Pretty sensible i thought. :hug:

Where we all like that at 7? If so, WTF happened?

[onearmedbandit]

At 7 our toys were bought for us, money didn't exist.
At 17 we bought our own toys. Money was freedom, independence and a ticket to a good time. Bills were something mum and dad handled.
At 27 we now pay the bills, and if there's any left over we spend a bit of it on our toys.

There goes the <s>innocence</s> ignorance of youth and money.

[puddytat]

One of my favourite mottos comes from a book called "still life with woodpecker" by Tom Robbins...
"Its never to late to have a happy childhood"
When I was young I had no money for toys, now because I owe no money I can own more toys....
If you dont owe money then youre gonna have more to go around
Cancelling some debt would certainly help some countries,but in saying that some peoples & cultures certainly need to take responsibilty for thier own actions....
Africa...what a fucking basket case.

[mashman]

True. A group of countries wrote off about US40 billion of debt about 5 years ago from what I remember. And they still can't make ends meet... pffft, what do they do with it all...

[pzkpfw]

Less food, more condoms.

Seriously.

People who are never born, are not going to complain about being hungry.

[Dave Lobster]

Easiest way would be to remove the 'war lords' that take 95% of the aid that is sent.
Remove the church.
Remove the myth that shagging virgins cures aids.
Remove the 'kill everyone that isn't from our tribe' mentality (good luck with that..)
Remove the locals from any position that could be open to bribery/corruption.

[Swoop]

And they still can't make ends meet... pffft, what do they do with it all...
A dictatorship requires a lot of money to run. Private jets, bling, etc, etc does not buy itself.

Basic human greed in action.

[Dave Lobster]

A dictatorship requires a lot of money to run. Private jets, bling, etc, etc does not buy itself.

Basic human greed in action.

That sounds like Tony Bliar. It's not just dictatorships. Even democracy has its fair share of wankers.

[avgas]

If you bend over - a fucking is all you get.
I know of many a man, whom has not, and has died for not bending over.
But if they did bend over - aren't they better off dead?

There is a metaphor in there.

[Bounce001]

That sounds like Tony Bliar. It's not just dictatorships. Even democracy has its fair share of wankers.

Just look at the Supercity candidates... :tugger:

[avgas]

That sounds like Tony Bliar. It's not just dictatorships. Even democracy has its fair share of wankers.
Actually democracy has more. And they have more power.

Your vote is just as important as any of these wankers.
Your vote is just as useless.

[EJK]

Why can't the world be as simple as the Teletubbies?
Wake up when the sun rise and sleep when the sun goes down.
Eat food that automatically pops out from a magical toaster.
Watch TV all day.
Run around a peaceful garden, dancing with the butterflies.

Life is not fair :-(

[Banditbandit]

True. A group of countries wrote off about US40 billion of debt about 5 years ago from what I remember. And they still can't make ends meet... pffft, what do they do with it all...

Just have a look at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and see what they require these countries to do .. and the effect it has ...

http://rainbowwarrior2005.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/the-world-bank-and-imf-in-africa/

http://www.ethiosun.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Africa.pdf

http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/22258

[onearmedbandit]

Why can't the world be as simple as the Teletubbies?
Wake up when the sun rise and sleep when the sun goes down.
Eat food that automatically pops out from a magical toaster.
Watch TV all day.
Run around a peaceful garden, dancing with the butterflies.

Life is not fair :-(

It is if you are a cat. Food magically appears, sleep all day, play all night, watch the inside of your elelids all day, chase butterflies, stalk people around the garden.

[Banditbandit]

Why can't the world be as simple as the Teletubbies?
Wake up when the sun rise and sleep when the sun goes down.
Eat food that automatically pops out from a magical toaster.
Watch TV all day.
Run around a peaceful garden, dancing with the butterflies.

Life is not fair :-(


It is if you are a cat. Food magically appears, sleep all day, play all night, watch the inside of your elelids all day, chase butterflies, stalk people around the garden.

Cats and Tellytubbies don't get to ride bikes ... and Telly Tubbies don't get any sex ...

Kill Telly tubbies

http://www.owensworld.com/flashgames/play.php?id=199

[Swoop]

That sounds like Tony Bliar. It's not just dictatorships. Even democracy has its fair share of wankers.
Quite true, but even in "democratic" parts of Africa there is the diversion of money/backhanders and all other forms of corruption that takes funds away from "the people".

No wonder aid charities are withdrawing from certain countries (Somalia for instance) because their aid never reaches those who need it.

[mashman]

Why can't the world be as simple as the Teletubbies?
Wake up when the sun rise and sleep when the sun goes down.
Eat food that automatically pops out from a magical toaster.
Watch TV all day.
Run around a peaceful garden, dancing with the butterflies.

Life is not fair :-(

I'd buy that for a $. Shame that TPTB believe that money is the only way to galvanise a society, do your fair share whilst you don't get remunerated for that fair share and you wonder why people are unhappy... Have a look around, it just doesn't work, never has, never will, even the banks have failed (but they're private and don't have to give a shit, which they really really don't)... to the point where even a 7 year old can see it.

We only have ourselves to blame if we can't AFFORD a life? bullshit. The ONLY reason we have ourselves to blame, is because we allow money to run our lives, both personal and professional and that's at all ends of the social scale (PAH one human is worth more than another, blind, sovery very blind and ignorant and stupid). Deny it all you like, but that's EXACTLY what's happening in this day and age. Imagine what could be achieved if we didn't have financial constraints, think in terms of Cancer research, Social Development, Education, Healthcare, Science and Technology, Infrastructure etc... but people won't think about it, because that's not how it works... Like i say, OUR own fault... that or you're all incapable of free thought anymore :shifty:

The dipshits at the top spend all of their time focussing on why their financial, social and economic policies aren't working... GO FIGURE... and the only solutions they can muster are, get loans from financial institutions, cut funding for services, streamline departments til there's no knowledge left, become more efficient, do better, be like them :rofl:... b o l l o c k s!!!

My 7 year old daughter can see this, 1 down, 2 to go lol... Africa just being 1 example of financial failing... and then they have the gaul to blame the people... waaaaa ha ha haaaaaa...

[EJK]

Oh here is Richard Branson's idea.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/africa/4149766/Branson-urges-investment-in-Zimbabwe




Invest in Mugabe?



Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...............

[mashman]

Oh here is Richard Branson's idea.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/africa/4149766/Branson-urges-investment-in-Zimbabwe

Invest in Mugabe?


Don't they realise there's a recession on? So they want to rebuild Rhodesia eh! Why wouldn't you want to rebuild a country that was flattened by it's own elected officials, whilst leaving those same officials in power... ethnic cleansing I think they called it. But they've gotta have a fundraiser first WTF!!!

When you measure humanity in $$$ value, then you've kinda missed the point... Mugabe would be the last person i'd want to give my business to.

[puddytat]

Most of the countries that are on the brink of ,or already in a state of chaos seem to be countries that do most of thier deals via Baksheesh or bribes....seems to be a cultural thing. I agree with Mashman that money only makes this practice easier,a bit difficult to stick a goat or a sheep or a child in you back pocket.
Often I see a good example of this in the Police forces, usually a ramshackle mob,sloppy & weilding sticks.
Personally as callous as it seems, Id leave 'em to it....its thier responsibility to ensure the survival of thier culture & state & if theyre too fucking ignorant to wear a rubber on thier willy,or so fucking stupid to risk thier survival because of some 2000 year old religion,well isnt that Darwinism?Or is it Karma?

Let us not forget the minerals.....

[avgas]

Oh here is Richard Branson's idea.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/africa/4149766/Branson-urges-investment-in-Zimbabwe
Invest in Mugabe?
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...............
But investment properties are so cheap there.
Not to mention the hookers.

[admenk]

That sounds like Tony Bliar. It's not just dictatorships. Even democracy has its fair share of wankers.

There I was having a nice day, and you go and mention Tony Blair.......

[mashman]

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/7985540/better-aid-co-ordination-needed-mccully-tells-un-meeting/

ha ha haaaaa, someone might wanna look into the timeframes for the delivery of the MDG's, the goal posts may, just may, have shifted... :rofl: I don't think these guys really have a clue what to do, but I do hop they're having fun spending the money they receive...

[puddytat]

Aaaah man....all those gazillions spent & the problems just seem to get worse. I do tend to agree that we might want to focus a bit closer to home though.
I do get the feeling that Politicians & the U.N are good at coming up with plans & press releases, but do they honestly think they'll work? Much easier to open youre mouth & sound like youre going to do something, but I struggle to remember when they had a result.
But its oh so easy to criticise ....as I sit warm, dry & with a full tummy.:msn-wink:

[jonbuoy]

True. A group of countries wrote off about US40 billion of debt about 5 years ago from what I remember. And they still can't make ends meet... pffft, what do they do with it all...

Swiss bank accounts. They could be as rich as America was huge natural resources and tourism, problem is so much gets sent offshore by the people in charge. They know us soft headed westerners won´t see them starve to death.

[Max Preload]

Meh you'll never fix Africa.
African famine is not a visitation of fate. It is largely man-made, and the men who made it are largely Africans.

[mashman]

Swiss bank accounts. They could be as rich as America was huge natural resources and tourism, problem is so much gets sent offshore by the people in charge. They know us soft headed westerners won´t see them starve to death.

That's just global business practice isn't it :shifty:

[scissorhands]

Introduction: Why study Hegel?

"...the State 'has the supreme right against the individual, whose supreme duty is to be a member of the State... for the right of the world spirit is above all special privileges.'" Author/historian William Shirer, quoting Georg Hegel in his The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1959, page 144)

In 1847 the London Communist League (Karl Marx and Frederick Engels) used Hegel's theory of the dialectic to back up their economic theory of communism. Now, in the 21st century, Hegelian-Marxist thinking affects our entire social and political structure. The Hegelian dialectic is the framework for guiding our thoughts and actions into conflicts that lead us to a predetermined solution. If we do not understand how the Hegelian dialectic shapes our perceptions of the world, then we do not know how we are helping to implement the vision. When we remain locked into dialectical thinking, we cannot see out of the box.

Hegel's dialectic is the tool which manipulates us into a frenzied circular pattern of thought and action. Every time we fight for or defend against an ideology we are playing a necessary role in Marx and Engels' grand design to advance humanity into a dictatorship of the proletariat. The synthetic Hegelian solution to all these conflicts can't be introduced unless we all take a side that will advance the agenda. The Marxist's global agenda is moving along at breakneck speed. The only way to completely stop the privacy invasions, expanding domestic police powers, land grabs, insane wars against inanimate objects (and transient verbs), covert actions, and outright assaults on individual liberty, is to step outside the dialectic. This releases us from the limitations of controlled and guided thought.

When we understand what motivated Hegel, we can see his influence on all of our destinies. ... Hegelian conflicts steer every political arena on the planet, from the United Nations to the major American political parties, all the way down to local school boards and community councils. Dialogues and consensus-building are primary tools of the dialectic, and terror and intimidation are also acceptable formats for obtaining the goal. The ultimate Third Way agenda is world government. Once we get what's really going on, we can cut the strings and move our lives in original directions outside the confines of the dialectical madness. Focusing on Hegel's and Engel's ultimate agenda, and avoiding getting caught up in their impenetrable theories of social evolution, gives us the opportunity to think and act our way toward freedom, justice, and genuine liberty for all.

Today the dialectic is active in every political issue that encourages taking sides. We can see it in environmentalists instigating conflicts against private property owners, in democrats against republicans, in greens against libertarians, in communists against socialists, in neo-cons against traditional conservatives, in community activists against individuals, in pro-choice versus pro-life, in Christians against Muslims, in isolationists versus interventionists, in peace activists against war hawks. No matter what the issue, the invisible dialectic aims to control both the conflict and the resolution of differences, and leads everyone involved into a new cycle of conflicts.

We're definitely not in Kansas anymore Dorothy.

[puddytat]

So we're damned if we do & damned if we dont

[rustyrobot]

External debt of different countries of the world, measured in US$ (from CIA World Factbook via Wikipedia). Suddenly Africa is not looking so bad. One day, someone (China) is going to want that money back...
219370

[puddytat]

And like all good banks, if you cant pay them what you owe they can send in the recievers & sieze assets...dont even need to invade.

[mashman]

External debt of different countries of the world, measured in US$ (from CIA World Factbook via Wikipedia). Suddenly Africa is not looking so bad. One day, someone (China) is going to want that money back...
219370

betcha if they hadn't written off $40 bill 5 years ago that Africa would be Black :shifty:

[slowpoke]

Jaysus, what an ignorant, short sighted, pack of "Morning Show" experts we are, all cosseted up in our comfy lil' First World lives.

- It's our First World missionaries that fucked with their heads and mutated their culture. Hence the lack of condom use and crippling aids epidemic and unwanted pregnancies
- it's our First World companies and governments that have promoted the instability and exacerbated their crippling debt so we get virtually unfettered access to their mineral/oil and gas wealth
- it's our First World Governments and companies that have masde a fortune sold/traded them the arms to make them capable of genocide
- it's our First World governments that colonised many African countries
- it's our First World countries that manipulate/prop up governments/politicians/war lords to suit their own ends

So no, saying we should just leave them to it, and that they should sort themselves out, or it's their problem is a pretty fucked up attitude. It's our (the First World's) shit as much as anybody's and we should be helping to clean it up.....but instead we actively nurture it, and manipulate it to keep things simmering. We want the cheap oil/minerals and the last thing we need is some dude pulling his country up by the bootlaces and getting his foreign debt down. Next thing you know we'd have to pay substantial royalties on the oil/minerals, or start processing it in their country and giving them employment and a means to actually provide for themselves. Soon the whole damn place would be all happy happy joy joy and our arms sales would drop off and eventually we'd have to actually treat them like human beings instead of the desperate pawns they are now. Fuck that.......pass the cognac would you Smithers, it was a hellish drive to the Club this evening.

[scumdog]

Less food, more condoms.

Seriously.

People who are never born, are not going to complain about being hungry.

Right on.

We give 'em just enough food so they can continue to breed up to an unsustainable population level for the environment they are 'living' in..

[scumdog]

Easiest way would be to remove the 'war lords' that take 95% of the aid that is sent.
Remove the church.
Remove the myth that shagging virgins cures aids.
Remove the 'kill everyone that isn't from our tribe' mentality (good luck with that..)
Remove the locals from any position that could be open to bribery/corruption.


Pfft!

Like THAT is ever going to happen...

[schrodingers cat]

In any triibal culture the leaders exploit their own people.

In a global economy a 3rd world is required to produce cheap goods for the consumption of the 1st world.

Don't ever doubt that war/conflict is VERY good for driving consumption and so long as its only a few niggers and rag heads then no harm is done.

[puddytat]

Yeah its our fault they cut down everything, eat everything & rape every thing....
A big part of the problem & not only in Africa , is that its the men running the show.
Und Lebensraum ist sehr knapp auch.

[mashman]

A 7 year old blames the money, not the kids/people. I agree with her. If the kids are growing up in a service industry, that's most likely the only life they know. Where do you go to from there considering that there's actually nowhere to go. Especially if they've been kept away from education because they need to work. Probably never heard of a mobile phone, or Aids, or that there is such a thing as education, likely don't even know the name of the country they're living in... But you'd expect them to do something about it before helping them? Like what?

[Max Preload]

Jaysus, what an ignorant, short sighted, pack of "Morning Show" experts we are, all cosseted up in our comfy lil' First World lives.

- It's our First World missionaries that fucked with their heads and mutated their culture. Hence the lack of condom use and crippling aids epidemic and unwanted pregnancies
- it's our First World companies and governments that have promoted the instability and exacerbated their crippling debt so we get virtually unfettered access to their mineral/oil and gas wealth
- it's our First World Governments and companies that have masde a fortune sold/traded them the arms to make them capable of genocide
- it's our First World governments that colonised many African countries
- it's our First World countries that manipulate/prop up governments/politicians/war lords to suit their own ends

So no, saying we should just leave them to it, and that they should sort themselves out, or it's their problem is a pretty fucked up attitude. It's our (the First World's) shit as much as anybody's and we should be helping to clean it up.....but instead we actively nurture it, and manipulate it to keep things simmering. We want the cheap oil/minerals and the last thing we need is some dude pulling his country up by the bootlaces and getting his foreign debt down. Next thing you know we'd have to pay substantial royalties on the oil/minerals, or start processing it in their country and giving them employment and a means to actually provide for themselves. Soon the whole damn place would be all happy happy joy joy and our arms sales would drop off and eventually we'd have to actually treat them like human beings instead of the desperate pawns they are now. Fuck that.......pass the cognac would you Smithers, it was a hellish drive to the Club this evening.

Your "white man's guilt" is just a myth laid on you by lefties that you've foolishly believed to be fact.