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kleinboet

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John. I agree that AIDS is a major issue and the figures for HIV infection in Africa are sobering.

The only logical responce would be to educate people and make condoms widely available. Instead, the west allows Africa to produce antiretrovirals so that those already infected live longer but continue to infect others and the catholic church (another western influence) continues to preach that people protecting themselves with condoms is a sin.

 

Don't underestimate the effect of war though. in DR Congo alone, the death toll from war is 2500 per day.

 

Diseases other than AIDS kill too.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, Malaria kills a child every thirty seconds.

 

Millions face starvation right now but it will get worse.

The young and healthy who would previously farmed the land are sucombing to AIDS and unable to bring in a harvest.

The economic downturn and increasing demand fror grain from India and China mean that there is likely to be a decrease in food aid.

Blights like UG99 stand ready to decimate global food suplies even further.

 

So, with war, pestilence and hunger, we have three horsemen - and as we've already established, there's no shortage of death.

 

Is ther a cure ?

Well, I agree with you that aid isn't the answer.

Removal of trade bariers with the EU would help - but we continue in our protectionist ways.

Removal of American subsidies for its sugar and cotton farmers would help - but they persist with policies that make them self suficient in sugar etc but which undermine the global price of comodities and render Africans unable to find a paying market for their agricultural products.

Dismantaling of export credit gurantee schemes would help. These schemes allow western arms firms to profit from death in Africa knowing that the tax payer will pick up the tab (adding it to africa's mountain of debt) when the African governments default on payments.

Edited by Ken L

Species caught in 2020: Barbel. European Eel. Bleak. Perch. Pike.

Species caught in 2019: Pike. Bream. Tench. Chub. Common Carp. European Eel. Barbel. Bleak. Dace.

Species caught in 2018: Perch. Bream. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Chub. Roach. Carp. European Eel.

Species caught in 2017: Siamese carp. Striped catfish. Rohu. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Black Minnow Shark. Perch. Chub. Brown Trout. Pike. Bream. Roach. Rudd. Bleak. Common Carp.

Species caught in 2016: Siamese carp. Jullien's golden carp. Striped catfish. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Alligator gar. Rohu. Black Minnow Shark. Roach, Bream, Perch, Ballan Wrasse. Rudd. Common Carp. Pike. Zander. Chub. Bleak.

Species caught in 2015: Brown Trout. Roach. Bream. Terrapin. Eel. Barbel. Pike. Chub.

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Ken - There is only one thing causing the depopulation of Africa - AIDS!!!

 

If the African nations got together (not this OAE rubbish) and WORKED together, those with arable land could work with those who don't. There are people who could farm large scale, but they are way up north, so why don't the countries with the land allow the "northeners" to farm their land. In turn the countries that are not so lucky as to have arable land, could start manufacture (they have the manpower!!!) and start to trade with the farmers. Just think - happy Africans!!

 

 

A similar arrangement in Europe barely works is heavely subsidised and you in the past have been a very viocifouras opponant of it the EU! If we struggel with it in the light of residual nationalistic Ideals how would fiecly tribal and Clan based sociatys deal with it, Educate the masses and adress the corruption a hundred yaer plan similar to Chinas could be a soulution.

Someone once said to me "Dont worry It could be worse." So I didn't, and It was!

 

 

 

 

انا آكل كل الفطائر

 

I made a vow today, to never again argue with an Idiot they have more expieriance at it than I so I always seem to lose!

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I disagree with the notion of giving financial aid to countries in general. By all means inward investment is a good idea... on the proviso that it is managed by the investor who can also get a positive return for it.

 

If international charities have to involve thmselves, their projects should be aimed at generating self-sufficiency rather than fostering the begging culture.

 

If countries appeal for foreign aid, it should be offered with regime change as a mandatory conditon (the present incumbents obviously couldn't manage properly) and it should be charged by the taking of collateral - much of which was taken back forcibly in the case of Zimbabwe. It is unreasonable to ask for the present day generation to pay 'guilt money' for what our forebears did.

This is a signature, there are many signatures like it but this one is mine

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I disagree with the notion of giving financial aid to countries in general. By all means inward investment is a good idea... on the proviso that it is managed by the investor who can also get a positive return for it.

 

If international charities have to involve thmselves, their projects should be aimed at generating self-sufficiency rather than fostering the begging culture.

 

If countries appeal for foreign aid, it should be offered with regime change as a mandatory conditon (the present incumbents obviously couldn't manage properly) and it should be charged by the taking of collateral - much of which was taken back forcibly in the case of Zimbabwe. It is unreasonable to ask for the present day generation to pay 'guilt money' for what our forebears did.

 

 

Using that rational when the UK was banckrupt in the seventies and had to go Cap in hand to the IMF they should have refused Aid untill our democraticaly elected goverment was replaced with somthing more atuned to thier liking?

 

or does this condition only apply to third world countries, Also most of the aid raised by charities is distributed By NGOs would this also be stopped to prevent Dieing Children and the Elderly begging as it is obviously there fault that they are in that situation.

Edited by five bellies

Someone once said to me "Dont worry It could be worse." So I didn't, and It was!

 

 

 

 

انا آكل كل الفطائر

 

I made a vow today, to never again argue with an Idiot they have more expieriance at it than I so I always seem to lose!

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If not Africa (all the third world) then where? I suppose here in the US we could generate more economy by making more guns, we're quite good at it. Real wealth, natural resourses and economic wealth, are not the same. We TAKE (buy?) a lot of natural resources from Africa.

 

In the US we can't give away (aid) - worldwide - enough "stuff" to sustain economic growth as it is. Why not Africa?

 

I don't miss the point that Africa should do SOMETHING for themselves - even a token would look nice.

 

Phone

 

A recent big news story here in the US goes as follows: a company in Alabama is crying there eyes out because 300 American workers are loosing their jobs. The US State Dept has elected to buy cheap condoms for Africa from China. Now if we are going to supply Africa with condoms I do believe we should use an American manufacturer. The Alabama Company is justified IMO

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Educate the masses

 

Yes, something Norma and I believed in, so we put up money for a school in an African village we had spent time in.

 

Having done that, we discovered their idea of "education" was not literacy and numeracy, but simply to teach male children to chant the Qu'ran by heart. OK as an extracurricular activity in a free society, but no substitute for core subjects.

 

We also knew personally two black Africans, who against all the odds, made it to UK universities and finished top of their graduation year. One was a brilliant geologist, the other an analytical chemist. We had the privilege of working with both these able scientists. Both became scientific advisors to their respective governments, both came up against the problem of being better qualified and more able than their "boss". Both died young in what can only be described as suspicious circumstances.

 

We also both acted as consultants on a project run under the auspices of the British Council to train Africans as farm managers and grain store managers for large scale agriculture. Initially it seemed to work, but Mugabe's regime soon put a stop to that.

 

That is our personal experience, - not just opinion. If you want an opinion, it is that all such attempts will fail until the cultural and social perception of Africa itself changes. Some say tribalism is the problem, maybe true, but the real problem is that piratical, bullying, corrupt politicians are not just feared, but admired. Until they are feared and loathed (and ousted) there will be no way forward.

 

 

RNLI Governor

 

World species 471 : UK species 105 : English species 95 .

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Eclectic "husband and wife combined" world species 501

 

"Nothing matters very much, few things matter at all" - Plato

...only things like fresh bait and cold beer...

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I will not argue that it is a tough nut to crack, The main problem is that they have had aid for so long, they now believe the hype that they can no longer work! They have always subsist-farmed, providing enough food fo the family, but this is open to a number of disasters - Drought, floods, crop failure etc. will cause them hardship although they are very tribal and will help one another where possible.

If the nations down South entered into barter agreements with the manufacture/industrial areas of Africa, it would be a food for neccesities country, each helping the other.

5460c629-1c4a-480e-b4a4-8faa59fff7d.jpg

 

fishing is nature's medical prescription

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There is no such country as "Africa". We are far closer to Germany than most countries in Africa are to each other and yet we have a fairly recent history of going to war with them. Why should African countries be expected to behave better towards each other than us, so called, first world countries?

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i was in hospital with a missionary who had a very sad tale to tell.

to cut a long story short he vowed never to go back to africa (he'd been missionaryising? for 30 years in africa)

not only is the state corrupt the peoples mindset cannot be broken from tribalism to democratic thinking ,women are and always be second to the animals the person owns in rural life and no western education will change that.

i felt sorry for the old guy he was having not only problems with his outlook on africa but africas outlook itself.

 

you can educate all of them but it wont help the majority.

africa is full of cheap labour ,now chinas pricing itself out of the market africa could have an opening but will the occupants be bothered to grab the chance of a bit of short time wealth until they price themselves to high?

Edited by chesters1

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

Life insurance? you wont enjoy a penny!

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

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