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Secret Squirrel

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
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Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
Old Man G Funk said:
Have to agree. HIV/AIDS is such a huge problem over there, as are other health issues, like malaria, etc. In order to do anything about that though, the infrastructures need to be strengthened. We can give them tons of money for these things, but if the governments squander the money or misuse it, it won't be any help, no matter how much we give.
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Totally....Bad part is, it all has to be done at once...The gov't, infrastructure, etc. has to be improved while people are getting the treatment they need (for whatever). If it's any other way, all of a sudden the scales tip the opposite way too fast and all the good that is done simply falls by the wayside.

Old Man G Funk said:
Question, are we giving enough?
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I'm with Fluff-o on this one...

Hmmm...fluffy cotton....coincidence?? I think not....
 
Changleen

Changleen

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Jan 9, 2004
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This thread is gold.

What if Africa doesn't want to play with the rest of the world? What if they just want to keep doing things their own way? Do we have the right to force big macs down their necks?
 
LordOpie

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
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fluff said:
Cotton.
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Slavery worked out very well for the descendents.

And yes, we have a right and obligation to improve Africa. Help them get to a point where they can decide their future for themselves. If they want to return to disease and famine voluntarily, then fine.
 
Changleen

Changleen

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LordOpie said:
And yes, we have a right and obligation to improve Africa. Help them get to a point where they can decide their future for themselves.
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Why? What is an 'improvement'? Living in a pristine jungle/wilderness and hunting your own dinner has a certain appeal to me.

I'm not trying to be smart. I'm just interested in your POV. It seems the west's 'interventions' in Africa have mostly served to import our bad points.
 
Changleen

Changleen

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Jan 9, 2004
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LordOpie said:
uhh, the place is rampant with disease, malnutrition, and genocide. So I guess I'm wrong. Ideal vacation spot.
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AIDS, which has help spreading thanks to the Catholic church, Malnutrition and Genocide compounded by wars whose scale has been facilitated by non-african arms companies.

I'm not saying 'it's all our fault' but you've gotta admit they'd be far better off without so many assult rifles kicking round, or the Church telling them lies about biology.

Yes I know there have recently been several really bad droughts, plus fairly nasty local diseases, but historically these have been dealt with by population migration and/or lack of migration. Once we added western ideas and weapons to the situation without western anything else we managed to fvck a lot of people's sh1t up real good.
 
LordOpie

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
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yes, I agree that any "primitive" culture that's doing fine on their own should be left alone unless they come calling.
 
Changleen

Changleen

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LordOpie said:
yes, I agree that any "primitive" culture that's doing fine on their own should be left alone unless they come calling.
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Here we go with the epithets... :rolleyes: :D j/k

Just try not to fvck them over.
 
fluff

fluff

Monkey Turbo
Sep 8, 2001
5,673
2
Feeling the lag
Old Man G Funk said:
Good idea....both of them.

Edit: So, tell me more about this cotton idea of yours.
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Well, cotton seems to have been the starting point for many industrial societies, Holland, Britain, USA, Japan. There's a vast world market and all you need to do is manufacture decent quality products cheaply. You don't necessarily need to grow the stuff yourself either.

It is not without problems, Egypt tried in the 19th century and failed, machinery must be imported and maintained and African nations may fail at that point. Cheap labour is a prerequisite that Africa has; there must be a degree of exploitation of labour to get started (Britain had the work house, the US had slaves, Japan had an astonishing work ethic).

I'm not an economist so there are certain aspects that I probably missed...
 
Old Man G Funk

Old Man G Funk

Choir Boy
Nov 21, 2005
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fluff said:
Well, cotton seems to have been the starting point for many industrial societies, Holland, Britain, USA, Japan. There's a vast world market and all you need to do is manufacture decent quality products cheaply. You don't necessarily need to grow the stuff yourself either.

It is not without problems, Egypt tried in the 19th century and failed, machinery must be imported and maintained and African nations may fail at that point. Cheap labour is a prerequisite that Africa has; there must be a degree of exploitation of labour to get started (Britain had the work house, the US had slaves, Japan had an astonishing work ethic).

I'm not an economist so there are certain aspects that I probably missed...
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Your ideas are intriguing to me. I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

What would be really cool is if we could come up with some way to use the Sahara. I mean, if we could generate an interest in Saharan sand, then they would be sitting on a gold mine!

As for exploitation of labor, we could just use the people who are forced to work the diamond mines.
 
fluff

fluff

Monkey Turbo
Sep 8, 2001
5,673
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Feeling the lag
Old Man G Funk said:
Your ideas are intriguing to me. I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

What would be really cool is if we could come up with some way to use the Sahara. I mean, if we could generate an interest in Saharan sand, then they would be sitting on a gold mine!

As for exploitation of labor, we could just use the people who are forced to work the diamond mines.
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Why not use the Sahara to store all the radioactive waste we're gonna make with our nuclear power plants?
 
DRB

DRB

unemployed bum
Oct 24, 2002
15,242
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Watchin' you. Writing it all down.
fluff said:
Why not use the Sahara to store all the radioactive waste we're gonna make with our nuclear power plants?
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Because it will leak into the groundwater, spread to a river, that will go to the ocean, and cause mutant red tides that will suck all the oxygen from the atmosphere and it will uncover the fact that Abraham Lincoln was actually captured by the Confederacy and taken to Africa where he died.
 
Old Man G Funk

Old Man G Funk

Choir Boy
Nov 21, 2005
2,864
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In a handbasket
DRB said:
Because it will leak into the groundwater, spread to a river, that will go to the ocean, and cause mutant red tides that will suck all the oxygen from the atmosphere and it will uncover the fact that Abraham Lincoln was actually captured by the Confederacy and taken to Africa where he died.
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It's like the Booth Code.
 
Old Man G Funk

Old Man G Funk

Choir Boy
Nov 21, 2005
2,864
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In a handbasket
fluff said:
Bunker-busters?
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So, now all we need is for people to build bunkers there, so that we can bust them open and deposit nuclear waste in the craters. Building bunkers could provide jobs for many people. If RM posters ran the world.....
 
fluff

fluff

Monkey Turbo
Sep 8, 2001
5,673
2
Feeling the lag
Old Man G Funk said:
So, now all we need is for people to build bunkers there, so that we can bust them open and deposit nuclear waste in the craters. Building bunkers could provide jobs for many people. If RM posters ran the world.....
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Would every day be March 21st?
 
valve bouncer

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
Old Man G Funk said:
If that is the second most disturbing thing you've seen today, I shudder to think what the most disturbing thing is.
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He opened his fridge and there was no beer.:rofl:
 
valve bouncer

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
DRB said:
Someone, who shall remain nameless fluff suggested in the Lounge a world without beer.

I'm still very upset about it all.
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What kind of twisted mind would even conceive that notion.:mumble: :rofl:
 
fluff

fluff

Monkey Turbo
Sep 8, 2001
5,673
2
Feeling the lag
Old Man G Funk said:
Still over my head.

It would be autumn in most of Africa, so it would be harvest time?
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Sheesh... 'If I ruled the world, every day would be the first day of spring'..

C'mon, you musta heard that somewhere?
 
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