another impending famine in Africa ?

[anneasquith]

via bbc news < another impending famine in Africa, are the british people less generous, or more sceptical when donating to these dreadful disasters ?

[jackthehat]

My last was for cowtipper........but you got your head in the way :o)

[steg]

i don't want to grow up, why do you not grow down then we can meet in the middle

[albaqwerty]

I'm sceptical.

Loads of money, whether be pounds or dollars, has be thrown at various African countries and people are still starving.

[Barmaid]

Steg, I applaud you for finding humour in a potentially devastating human tragedy. But perhaps you will understand that others do not possess you inimitable sense of humour.

[Cowtipper]

Humor is our way of defending ourselves from life's absurdities by thinking absurdly about them.
Lewis Mumford

[jackthehat]

Thankyou, Forrest.....we've already understood your particular viewpoint on this matter.

And edifying, it ain't..........

[steg]

i do understand that barmaid, but i did have to look up what inimitable meant

[Barmaid]

Stop the stupid jokes. I don't care what some idiot once said about humour. People starving is just NOT FUNNY.

Can we get back to the original question, please.

[carmalee]

barmaid/anneasquith and JTH -can't be argued and doesn't need justifying

[albaqwerty]

one of my sensibe answers in news is completely ignored.

This is not chatterbank guys

[wolf63]

I am not a serious person. But this is a serious issue.

I volunteer in our local Oxfam bookshop twice a week - we work hard and collect money to help Oxfam in their work.

But it is like hitting your head against a brick wall - or peeing in the sea. The middle men/politicians have sticky hands (our money sticks to them) and the population that we are attempting to help just keeps growing.

It really is frightening that in the year 2011 there are so many women being ill-treated only because they are female and people starve or suffer from treatable illnesses - but I have no idea how we are going to go about it.

My cats have a better quality of life than many humans on this planet - not too sure where I stand on that point though. ;-)

[carmalee]

night guys - will go and check out my contacts in SA and see if they are pleased with the jokes provided at their expense - I'm sure another night of trying to sleep without food for days will help them - obviously, good guys on this thread are exempt from the sarcasm

[Cowtipper]

"Stop the stupid jokes. I don't care what some idiot once said about humour. People starving is just NOT FUNNY.

Can we get back to the original question, please?"

Yes. Sorry. I grew up watching starving children commercials on TV. I may be irreverent but I do find the situation appalling. I see graft at every level. I've seen video of armed men confiscating what food aid does arrive in the Horn of Africa. I'm jaded to the point where I don't believe a word of what anyone says in the news because the point of news is to generate revenue. The more sensational the story the better the bottom line. What's behind the camera is more telling than what's in front of it. I donate to local charities because I know where that money goes. Our governments decide what funds go where not based on need but on politics so I don't trust them either.

[carmalee]

and what are you doing about it cowtipper - jokes aside

[Cowtipper]

I give food to the people that beg in the street. I don't give them money. I participate in food drives. I pay taxes and vote to hopefully give those taxes a chance to do good. I don't tithe to the church anymore but I do support church supported food banks. I haven't done anything today to help the needy. Maybe I should.

The people in Africa have a tough row to hoe. If a land can't support it's people and the people can't support themselves then something has to give. What good does it do to prolong the inevitable? I don't know if its kinder to give a child a lifetime of starvation or to let them die before they know what hunger is. I don't want to make that kind of call so I do what I can where I can.

[DTCwordfan]

and what are you doing carmalee, given that CT has responded to this.

Before you question me with the same point, I used to be the site focal point for two charities into China, not for food issues mind you, but I have been out to Ethiopia and Somalia and was involved in part of the politics over Dafur in the Sudan.....

[carmalee]

dt crossword - I do a lot and am not into justifying myself to you - I've lived in Africa for years and years and have been heavily involvedin people and animal welfare for many years - honestly, in answer to <what do you do carmalee>>>> a bloo@dy lot

[anneasquith]

its no ones business what we do or not re charity contributions.