NEWS: World Bank: World poverty is in retreat

According to the World Bank, developing countries, mostly located in the Asian peninsula, will enjoy a "spectacular" drop in poverty in 2004, in spite of prevailing Middle East tensions between U.S. and Iraq and increasing oil price levels. The good news wasn't confined just to Asia, but also other countries around the world, with the notable exception of Africa.



The news isn't all good. Sub Saharan Africa continues to lag behind its European and Asian counterparts thanks to European colonization of the continent in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

Not only that, the countries seems to be creating regional trade agreements, rather than multilateral trade deals, which could possibly start another wave of cold war.


[edit on 16-11-2004 by Banshee]

thanks to European colonization of the continent in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

I peronsally dont believe that but..

It's good to hear things are getting better across the globe.

But I doubt africa will pull out of it this century.. maybe the next. Africa should be controlled by western countries to prevent corruption and the bs that repeatly happens to them because theres no control...

Vorta

Originally posted by Vorta

thanks to European colonization of the continent in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

I peronsally dont believe that but..

You mean you don't believe that Africa is in the state it is because Africa screwed them up for so long? They took up their resources, enslaved the people, craved countries as they like.

Same thing happened with India, China and many other countries.

Surf

That's good to hear, though, it's sadder to hear that as these countries get a 'bit' richer, countries in the west are getting 'alot' richer.

news.bbc.co.uk...

The head of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, says he is worried that while attention is focused on Iraq, the "other war" against global poverty will be ignored.

The Bank projects that the number of people living in absolute poverty will only decline slowly in the next 15 years, with 800 million having an income of below $1 per day in 2015, compared to 1.1bn in 1999.

But in sub-Saharan Africa, the numbers in poverty will rise from 315m to 404m in the same period, making it the region with the most poor people.

Maybe if the World Bank and the IMF "let go" of some of the payments owed by many of these countries, it would help releive the all the tension and burden of the already indebted government -- to the WORLD BANK AND THE IMF -- and help pay for more essential social services..

Deep

Originally posted by ZeroDeep
Maybe if the World Bank and the IMF "let go" of some of the payments owed by many of these countries, it would help releive the all the tension and burden of the already indebted government -- to the WORLD BANK AND THE IMF -- and help pay for more essential social services..

That would be great, but other countries would never allow such thing to happen.

Surf

Originally posted by Vorta

thanks to European colonization of the continent in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

I peronsally dont believe that but..
.....

So you reject that the Slave Trade ever existed? OK. All the major naval powers of the old world are the primary reason africa is in the state it is today. The English, French, Portugese etc etc. All of em had thier way with Africa and let her out to dry up and die....figuratively speaking of course Africa was supposedly turned into a desert/savanna climate by the Nuke war Atlatis had with Greece or whatever

Africa should be controlled by western countries to prevent corruption and the bs that repeatly happens to them because theres no control...

And you actually believe this will help? More of the same? HAHAHAH Excuse me while I *rofl* Seroiusly now what makes you believe that western countries CARE about africa? I seroiusly doubt the US cares about africa(unless said african country has oil or some other vital economic consumable.)

I can agree with you on one thing and that is that it will take 100 years of stead economic and politically stable growth to crawl up from the gutter.

Originally posted by sardion2000
So you reject that the Slave Trade ever existed?

OK. All the major naval powers of the old world are the primary reason africa is in the state it is today.

Apparently he doesn't believe in slave trade. I guess according him, Africa was born to be screwed up.

And you actually believe this will help? More of the same? HAHAHAH Excuse me while I *rofl*

Seroiusly now what makes you believe that western countries CARE about africa? I seroiusly doubt the US cares about africa(unless said african country has oil or some other vital economic consumable.)

Ofcourse Bush cares about South Africa when they find out that it has unliminted diamond supply.

Surf

That would be great, but other countries would never allow such thing to happen.

Not when the World Bank is owned by the U.S...

Lol.

This is an interesting article, take a look.

www.tompaine.com...

According to Bond, almost a million jobs have been lost to GEAR. South Africa's unemployment rate is now conservatively estimated at 25 percent -- and may be as high as 40 percent. Twenty-two million South Africans, out of a population of 42 million, still live in absolute poverty, according to widely reported estimates.

Recent research showed that GEAR has led to 10 million South Africans having their water cut off, 10 million having their electricity cut off, and 2 million being evicted from their homes -- all for non-payment of bills which, in a country in which half the population gets by on around $2 a day, they simply cannot pay, according to a March 2002 report by the Municipal Services Project, a Canadian-based research group that studies municipal services in South Africa.

Deep

Ofcourse Bush cares about South Africa when they find out that it has unliminted diamond supply

OK getting serous now... That wont be much of an issue for much longer, because I have heard of techniques to cheaply grow diamonds, and the only way to tell it is artificial is through a very expensive sub-micron microscope. I'll try to find the link.

And here it is www.wired.com...

EDIT FOR PIC



Quote from Gem Dealer in Belgum and reply by wired interviewer

"This is very rare stone," he says, almost to himself, in thickly accented English. "Yellow diamonds of this color are very hard to find. It is probably worth 10, maybe 15 thousand dollars."

"I have two more exactly like it in my pocket," I tell him.

He puts the diamond down and looks at me seriously for the first time. I place the other two stones on the table. They are all the same color and size. To find three nearly identical yellow diamonds is like flipping a coin 10,000 times and never seeing tails.

"These are cubic zirconium?" Weingarten says without much hope.

"No, they're real," I tell him. "But they were made by a machine in Florida for less than a hundred dollars."

Weingarten shifts uncomfortably in his chair and stares at the glittering gems on his dining room table. "Unless they can be detected," he says, "these stones will bankrupt the industry."

[edit on 17-11-2004 by sardion2000]

sardion2000 Debeers the people that pretty much conered the Diamond market have already planned for these diamonds.

They have begun engraving their diamonds with a laser. They control over 80 percent of the market and they arent going to loose that without a fight.

[edit on 17-11-2004 by ShadowXIX]

Originally posted by sardion2000
OK getting serous now... That wont be much of an issue for much longer, because I have heard of techniques to cheaply grow diamonds, and the only way to tell it is artificial is through a very expensive sub-micron microscope. I'll try to find the link.

I guess we are back to square one now. Looks like Bush will look into Africa only if we institute slave trade back there.

Surf

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
sardion2000 Debeers the people that pretty much conered the Diamond market have already planned for these diamonds.

They have begun engraving their diamonds with a laser. The control over 80 percent of the market and they arent going to loose that without a fight.

Yeah they wont go down without a fight, but they will go down because face it, we are entering an age of technology where alot of our products and well just about everything will be made of carbon. Maybe even diamond. The processes to grow these Diamonds will just get more and more sophisticated until there will be no way to tell a natural diamond from an artificial one. Not saying its imminent or anything just that it is coming.

Europe's greatest crime against Africa was leaving it the way it did. Most of those powers left without leaving the groundwork for a national government. They left millions of people to fend for themselves, which isn't usually a good idea.

Originally posted by Vorta

thanks to European colonization of the continent in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

I peronsally dont believe that but..

It's good to hear things are getting better across the globe.

But I doubt africa will pull out of it this century.. maybe the next. Africa should be controlled by western countries to prevent corruption and the bs that repeatly happens to them because theres no control...

Vorta

Wow! Trying to revive the "White Man's Burden" are we? I think it's a little racist to think that they are unable to govern themselves. A good call on colonialism being a partial cause of the current problems. These countries need to be economically integrated with the rest of the world. Asia is doing well because they have embraced globalization. Most of the world simply doesn't trade a lot with Sub Saharan Africa. There are many reasons for this but I won't get into it now.

I'm still shocked at "White Man's Burden" rearing its ugly head again.

[edit on 17-11-2004 by Soldier]

Originally posted by Esoterica
Europe's greatest crime against Africa was leaving it the way it did. Most of those powers left without leaving the groundwork for a national government. They left millions of people to fend for themselves, which isn't usually a good idea.

If you ask me, Europe's first crime was being in Africa the first time. I mean they didn't have to leave it the way they did, if they weren't in the place in the first time.

Surf

Originally posted by sardion2000


Yeah they wont go down without a fight, but they will go down because face it, we are entering an age of technology where alot of our products and well just about everything will be made of carbon. Maybe even diamond. The processes to grow these Diamonds will just get more and more sophisticated until there will be no way to tell a natural diamond from an artificial one. Not saying its imminent or anything just that it is coming.

I hope Debeers goes down for too long have the had their little monopoly on Diamonds. So much so they set the price where ever they want by just changing the amount of diamonds they release.

Emeralds are atleast 20 times more rare then Diamonds and Diamonds cost more Only the finest most perfect grade emeralds can have the same per-carat price as diamonds.

That from the world bank... yeah right.

For capitalists the mere idea of distributing wealth is pure anathema, meaning poverty will ALLWAYS prevail in that kind of system. No buts, ifs, or whatever.. profit makes loosers (poor people).

Note that the article mentions "sub-Saharan Africa" which is almost unhabitable these days. I find it funny that only one person so far has pointed that out, although I'm not sure about the whole atlantis nuke idea. That region is mostly desert and savannah, so crops won't grow. It's also not one of the more gem rich regions in Africa either, although I think that they have oil. Those northern African nations have many, many problems... most of which have little if anything to do with colonialism. I'm not arguing that oppression is alright, but come on... I don't think that they want our pity or apologies. They just need a little help out of a very bad situation.

I knew my comments would stair up some discussion ..


What i meant was, is things are pretty rough out there.

There stuck in famine, disease, very corrupt goverments, HIV... there getting it all.

Simply my suggestion is that we mediate. To a point it would mean a certain level of control of there goverments. But control out there would probabley be welcomed compared the the control faced here. They are slowly setting up a better way of life but consistant charity and hand-outs isn't going to solve this soon. It's about time we cleared up our mess.

Make Africa great. All im trying to say is the way things are, yeah africa is progressing but something more needs doing. And the way to stabalise africa is control, major western powers need todo something. The spread of HIV will get worse untill theres a massive population shortage and whole countries are not capable of operating and/or the sick and the well are split into different groups, causing a very big rift. It wouldn't be good...

And I know not all of Africa but certainly the countries facing the worst. Need help.
There just some observations. On why, Africa needs change.

Vorta


[edit on 17-11-2004 by Vorta]

Originally posted by Soldier

These countries need to be economically integrated with the rest of the world. Asia is doing well because they have embraced globalization. Most of the world simply doesn't trade a lot with Sub Saharan Africa.

[edit on 17-11-2004 by Soldier]

Totally agree with you, it's because they don't really have anything to trade or offer, or because its complicated because of there situation. There are many reasons why it wouldn't work, exactly why setting them up with something to offer might be better? They need an industry.. hey even sweat shops would be a start! *did i just say that out loud?*. Anything to get things rolling .

Controversially yours,
Vorta

[edit on 17-11-2004 by Vorta]