Here we go again....more money to the wrong people !!

[hech54]

LONDON - The founders of Band Aid, the 1984 charity effort that raised millions for Ethiopian famine relief, plan a new version of the single "Do They Know It's Christmas," a British newspaper reported.


The Sun tabloid said Wednesday that Bob Geldof and Midge Ure had approached top British acts including Coldplay, The Darkness, Robbie Williams and Dido to appear on the single, which would be released before Christmas.


"It's definitely going to happen. I'm very excited," Ure was quoted as saying. "This project is not just about raising money. It's about putting the focus back on Africa and the problem of famine which has not gone away."


The original single, which featured musicians including Bono, Boy George, Phil Collins and Sting, sold 3 million copies and raised $9.4 million for Ethiopia. It was followed by the 1985 Live Aid concert, which raised more than $47 million. A U.S. single, "We Are the World," featured a lineup of 43 artists including Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross.

Where did all of the money go from the initial song? Who benefitted from the money from the original song if the problem still exists?

Nice suits....and well fed too....Hmmm.

[Capmaster]

They don't look like they're scratching in the sand for their next meal :P

[northcat_8]

Ya know.....<rant to follow>

I'm sure there is more to it than meets the eye but.....

It seems to me that if the people there are starving to death, why don't those people go somewhere else where food is more abundant? There are some skinny ass people in South America but you don't hear about them starving to death. Hell no, they live in the rain forrest...where there is FOOD.
That's just like those fuckers from India who have to walk 2 days to get water for their village. Call me crazy but that is a trip that I would make exaclty .5 times, then Mahrijah Northcat would be living by the ******* water and I would learn how to fish.
I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for Ethiopia and their hunger problems. Move to an area with more foliage. Make a spear, kill a rabbit, learn to fish for god's sake. I mean give me a freakin break. Also, if you don't have enough food to feed yourselves, quit *******, that leads to kids which is more mouths to feed with food you don't have. I get so ******* sick of seeing those supposedly sad ass commercials on TV about the starving children in some 3rd world country.
Give money for food and medicine get the **** out of here. Go talk to Canada, they have free healthcare. Down here in the US we have to pay for medicine and healthcare, I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll send my $1.00 a week to adopt a child, but send him over here, where I can send him to our family doctor and get him all the treatment in the world for a $5.00 co-pay, then take him to McDonalds and get him a ******* happy meal for $3.00.
How much medicine and food can you fuckers buy for a ******* $1.00 anyway??? If you can feed a child for $30.00 a month, then move over Mohanned, Northcat is coming to Etheopia.
Maybe it is just not a good place to live. You know why you don't see advertisements requesting money for the starving people of Antarctica or Arctic Circle?? Because no one ******* lives there. They are smart enough to know that without food and water you will die. And depending on a seal to show up occasionally isn't going to cut it. Just because it's a good climate in ethiopia does not make it a good place to live. The Sahara Desert has a nice climate too, but I don't recall Sahara County in Africa being over populated.
I hate pathetic fucks who try to play the sympathy card on people or society in general. Look MFers, here it is in black and white: Everyone on this earth was dealt a different hand. Some better than others, but everyone's hand is different and you have to play it or fold it. If you don't like the way your life is going then ******* change it. Who else can change it but you? I can feel bad for you, I can sympathize with you but at the end of the day you are the one living it. If you are starving to death and you choose to stay there and continue to starve waiting on people thousands of miles away, whom you've never met and will never meet, to help you...then I choose to standby and let you starve to death. Maybe your next generation will finally decide to do something on their own to change their circumstances.

<end rant>

[zzyzzx]

They need to be sending birth control to Africa instead. Sending them food only makes their overpopulation worse. Disease and starvation are the only readily available forms fo birth conteol in most parts of Africa, and we'd be harming them greatly if we took that away from them.

[ViRaL1]

Am I the only one who can come across a photo of someone accepting a check for the Lighthouse for the Blind and not say 'HE CAN SEE!!! WHAT A ******* SCAM!!!'??? Next are they going to tell me that the US has no homeless problem?

[tekkieman]

Another Hallmark moment brought to you by Northcat!

[Dr. DOS]

Of that 47 million I would venture to guess that less than 1/4 actually made it. Some had to pay the production costs, duplication, etc. For every dollar probably $0.20 made it to Africa were it was probalby used to pay more administrative staff, etc... before the f'in food finally rolled out the door.

I would love to see the actual P&L for the Live Aid Concert to see how the money was divided up.

[northcat_8]

If they need food, they why don't they ask for non-parishable items?
When Florida is raped by hurricanes they get sent canned food and bottled water. Not money.

Oh how I wish I could be left alone with those bureaucratic fuckers for 1 hour and not have to face any consiquences for it.

[Capmaster]

I think it was George Carlin who did a monologue about the people who live in the middle of nowhere surrounded by sand. The gist of it was "Starving?...then move, ********. Go where the food is" Hilarious

[Cobra]

[jimmalenko]

I agree with northcat to a degree.

The first step is to stop the population growth - is it Japan that have 1 child per family limits ???

I appreciate and applaud the work that many volunteers and World Vision and people like that do, but I also sleep easy at night knowing my $35 per month is going towards improving my quality of life. There's plenty millions more in the world who are better off than I am. Tax them more instead of playing on the emotions of Joe Sixpack - the rich won't miss $35 per month in extra taxes.

Anyway ...

[northcat_8]

I agree with northcat to a degree.

The first step is to stop the population growth - is it Japan that have 1 child per family limits ???

I appreciate and applaud the work that many volunteers and World Vision and people like that do, but I also sleep easy at night knowing my $35 per month is going towards improving my quality of life. There's plenty millions more in the world who are better off than I am. Tax them more instead of playing on the emotions of Joe Sixpack - the rich won't miss $35 per month in extra taxes.

Anyway ...

I believe that is China with the child limits.

China People Population: 6 billion
China Cat Population: 4 (and they are hiding)

[VCDHunter]

Of that 47 million I would venture to guess that less than 1/4 actually made it. Some had to pay the production costs, duplication, etc. For every dollar probably $0.20 made it to Africa were it was probalby used to pay more administrative staff, etc... before the f'in food finally rolled out the door.

I would love to see the actual P&L for the Live Aid Concert to see how the money was divided up.

The record was pretty much made for nowt. The largest chunk was taken by Thatcher in VAT because, as much as hungry, starving children need food, "governments need to get tax from somewhere". God, will I dance a jig when she, hopefully slowly, finally croaks.

[SquirrelDip]

First off let me say that it is sad, in a modern world, to see anyone suffer for lack of food, water or medical attention.

However…

Whatever happened to natural selection? Left alone, equilibrium will be reached – given a certain amount of food, water and other systems the population in any society will eventually reach a balance. Outside cultures throwing “help” into the mix will totally **** up the balance or force it to never balance. Maybe cruel but shouldn’t they really be left alone?

How about the morons living on flood plains who bitch every time their house gets washed away?

How about all the morons who live in tornado belts who bitch every time their house gets blown away?

How about all the morons living in coastal fishing villages who bitch because they can’t fish all winter?

How about the moron who bought a house at the end of a runway who bitches every summer with all the water bombers flying over his house?

… Sorry…

Next…

[adam]

Are you being serious? First off, this is the Sun Tabloid so you can probably count on the numbers being off by at least 10 million dollars or so. They are a tabloid, this ad probably ran next to the 2 ton baby.

Secondly, 47 million dollars is not that much money in the grand scheme of things. Considering that we spend this kind of dough on disaster relief just for one of our states, it doesn't suprise me at all that it didn't completely solve an entire country's problems.

I will admit that those guys do look pretty well fed. But knowing the Sun, they probably took that picture in their parking lot using members of their staff.

[VCDHunter]

Are you being serious? First off, this is the Sun Tabloid so you can probably count on the numbers being off by at least 10 million dollars or so.

I didn't realise it was the Sun - just discount the article completely.

[housepig]

on the initial point, the original single and the Live Aid concerts raised an assload of money, but organizing a benefit concert to raise money and being able to manage the money effectively are two different things.

Geldolf did a great job on the first point, and a disaterous job on the second - from the bit that I remember reading about, the money was mismanaged almost all the way down the line, due to the inexperience of some major players and corruption on the part of others.

remember that in many countries, including the US, the government doesn't always put the best interest of it's people first - what aid did manage to get on the ground from the Live Aid money was in some cases diverted, and in others left to rot on the pier.

[smearbrick1]

quit *******, that leads to kids which is more mouths to feed with food you don't have.

You can see this in the US all the time. Some holy-roller family cranking out 6 freakin' kids with an income that barely only supports 2 adults!

You know, so many people love those human interest pieces about a woman in Arkansas giving birth to 8 children. I ******* hate them. The family is always some back hills, poor as **** family. All of these companies clamor to give them donations of food and diapers and all that crap... after a year... the donations dry up and the family is strapped for cash. Then, you see them on the Discovery channel bitching about how the husband is losing his job due to cutbacks and the worthless cow of wife just can't go back to her lucrative nursing job because her 11 year old children "need her." Give me a ******* break!!!

1. If you are strapped for cash as two... don't make one more.

2. If you want children, keep the number realistic.

3. If you want children but can't successfully procreate, ADOPT!!!!

4. If you don't decide to adopt, remember: if you decide to use fertility drugs, there is a good chance you will have multiple births... refer to number 2.

The number of children you have should be directly proportional to your income.

I'm tired of feeding everyone else's kids.

[JohnnyCNote]

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" Boy I wish I could be so lucky not to know. I was seeing Xmas ornaments in August!

I spent a fall in Moscow in '93, and returned home on Dec. 21. It was most refreshing. Don't forget, after the election, the Xmas ads are going to take over....

[Tommyknocker]

I really enjoy interacting with you all, but here's where we part on ideological grounds. And since the moderators have given free license to a politcical topic by chiming in with there own two cents, let me toss a religious log on top of this political inferno.

"There but by the grace of God, go you and I." the old saying goes. Jesus said we will always have the poor with us, and we can help them whenever we will. So if I want to help them because my biggest problem with hunger in my own life (thanks to the Grace of the Almighty) is what do I want to eat for dinner, it really shouldn't bother you, as I was like everyone else, given permission and power to do so.

If you do decide to move them to where Sam Kennison thought they should go, where would that be? How many more will die along the way? How many people do you think you can move to where this imaginary food is, and who is going to pay the fare for the the tens of millions in this state? I understand we can count you out. You may hate it when people ask other people to be charitable, I hate it when well fed, highly educated people start throwing some of the most inane wisdow at a a problem that will not go away overnight. So when they pass the hat at my unit, we throw in till we fill it to the brim, and go about our business. And I am so glad I work around people who were raised that way, as I know I also do my family proud when the world sees they raised a good son with a heart to match.

[Will Hay]

move?
stop *******?
durex?
**** me, what is wrong with you people?
do you really think it's that simple?
the problem is greed and corruption, nothing more.
**** me, I'd hate to be standing next to some of you guys on judgement day.
God knows I wouldn't want to be too close to the blast radius.
Will Hay

EDIT: Northcat, I've just re-read your post again because for the first time I don't think I could have possible read it properly.
Now I've re-read it at this very moment I ******* despise you for having that simplistic, sickening, niaive, **** of an opinion.
Guess I had you down all wrong.
Will


EDIT2: Now I've calmed a little I have to say it's quite disappointing to read such views from someone I had respect for.

[hech54]

I think it was George Carlin who did a monologue about the people who live in the middle of nowhere surrounded by sand. The gist of it was "Starving?...then move, ********. Go where the food is" Hilarious

I'm almost 99% sure Sam Kinison was "guilty" of that bit of genuis...

It started off that he had a cure for world hunger....don't send tham any more food....send them U-Hauls.
"We have deserts here too...we just don't live in them *******!!!!!"

[Tommyknocker]

Genius? I already gave Sam Kenison the props for that lunacy. Did any think for a moment that a comedian said that as a sick joke and not as the solution to one of most terrible afflictions known to man?

Hech54, you really think world hunger and poverty is funny?

[Will Hay]

Seems to me any topic in comedy is fair game.
Over here we even had Billy Connelly commenting on the Brit Ken Bigley being killed, and how the terrorists take far too time in actually taking this poor bastards head off.
This twat doesn't get taken to task for this disgusting 'joke' yet the shadow culture minister/editor of the spectator, Boris Johnson, travels to Liverpool for making what are deemed as offensive comments in his magazine.
Not bad thing but where's the balance?
Will

[flaninacupboard]

Third world aid is a weird issue. before we had televison or boats, the rest of the population were unaware of the millions dying every year from starvation. over the course of history hundreds of billions must have died from starvation. thus is the world, why change it? unless you can feed, clothe, house and spay every person in these areas you will only cause more suffering by offering aid. if curing the problem was feasible at a reasonable cost, i would support it. it's not, i don't.

[Tommyknocker]

If you choose not to help, that's your choice. I cannot believe God told us to feed the poor, knowing I would cause even more damage. I cannot subscribe to that school of thought. When all is said and done, regardless of whether hunger and poverty was ever wiped from the face of the Earth, I want to stand before my Lord and said I did help feed and clothe them, the least of these, His brethren, because in so doing, we did it unto Him.

[Capmaster]

OK. We've all chimed in with our views. And this has gotten religious - a no-no here