Things that aren't fair

[Q.]

Famine to be declared in Horn of Africa unless more food is sent to area

A combination of failed rains and soaring global food prices has left more than 12 million people living in remote areas across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia facing hunger, according to aid agencies. Oxfam has launched its largest ever appeal to try and stop famine.

Save the Children say that more than a quarter of children in the worst-hit parts of Kenya are now dangerously malnourished.

In the world biggest refugee camp in Dadaab in Northern Kenya, designed for 90,000 people, there are fears the population could reach 500,000.

More than 1,300 new are arriving every day needing food and shelter. Most are from Somalia, where there has been 20 years of conflict and 2 years of drought and it is estimated 40 per cent of population “in crisis”.

Speaking from Dadaab, David Orr, of the World Food Programme, said the area has seen the second lowest rainfall in 60 years.

He said the Famine Early Warning System Network or FEWSNET, set up to help aid agencies prepare for situations like the Ethiopian drought, is currently carrying out surveys to ascertain the needs of the area.

“It is an extremely severe drought situation,” he said. “It is certainly at critical level.”

Sonia Zambakides, of Save the Children in Somalia, said the area is experiencing the "most severe" food crisis in the world today.

The charity say they have half the funds needed to help.

“It is very close to a famine,” she said. “There are very specific markers that are used globally to declare a famine. At the moment those have not been reached. But a nutritional and food security survey being carried out in Somalia at the moment. Results of that will be in within two or three weeks and we will know if it is a famine then,” she told the BBC.

Oxfam are appealing for £50 million to reach 3 million people in dire need of clean water, food and basic sanitation.

Jane Cocking, Humanitarian Director at the charity, said more aid is needed.

“This is the worst food crisis of the 21st Century and we are seriously concerned that large numbers of lives could soon be lost,” she said. “Two successive poor rains, entrenched poverty and lack of investment in affected areas have pushed 12 million people into a fight for survival. People have already lost virtually everything and the crisis is only going to get worse over the coming months.

:: The European commission is to give €10m (£9m) in urgent food aid to North Koreans on the brink of starvation, after negotiating for "unprecedented access" to ensure that the food goes straight to those most in need.

The money will be used to buy food, through the World Food Programme and Save the Children, which will be directed to 650,000 children in hospitals and care homes, breastfeeding women, hospital patients and the elderly.

[White Line Fever]

how does this happen in todays day and age.
needs more publicity.
whole world should get together on this one.
FFS i throw out food it just isn't right.

[CENTURION]

because the majority of people that are in this predicament keep reproducing. lack of education about birth control.

[Q.]

because the majority of people that are in this predicament keep reproducing. lack of education about birth control.

Christianity has a lot to answer for there.

The problem is complex. That it is a forgotten continent doesn't help.

[CENTURION]

Wilbur Wilson's legs.

[Gingernuts]

because the majority of people that are in this predicament keep reproducing. lack of education about birth control.

Christianity has a lot to answer for there.

The problem is complex. That it is a forgotten continent doesn't help.

Catholicism you mean. The Pope doesn't speak for all Christians, it's only one denomination that preaches against birth control.

Not wanting to get into a religious debate - but as far as the African problems at the moment, I think you'll find much of the aid being provided to those areas comes from Christian charities and/or Christian volunteers.

[Sky Pilot]

that I was forced to learn Pythagoras theorem at school and I have never once used it in my adult professional life. It doesn't even help me player better golf or bowls and it certainly doesn't help me work out how to program the dvd recorder or change the time on the microwave or electric stove

[White Line Fever]

that I was forced to learn Pythagoras theorem at school and I have never once used it in my adult professional life. It doesn't even help me player better golf or bowls and it certainly doesn't help me work out how to program the dvd recorder or change the time on the microwave or electric stove

Become an electrcian it will help then

[fisho mcspaz]

that I was forced to learn Pythagoras theorem at school and I have never once used it in my adult professional life. It doesn't even help me player better golf or bowls and it certainly doesn't help me work out how to program the dvd recorder or change the time on the microwave or electric stove

Is that a squared + b squared = c squared?

[fisho mcspaz]

in a triangle?

[Pag]

That's the one.

[heater31]

that I was forced to learn Pythagoras theorem at school and I have never once used it in my adult professional life. It doesn't even help me player better golf or bowls and it certainly doesn't help me work out how to program the dvd recorder or change the time on the microwave or electric stove

Become an electrcian it will help then

Or the construction industry in general it comes in handy every now and then....

[fisho mcspaz]

woohoo! I remembered it. Yeah, I've never needed to use it either. Maybe one day I will need it to help the boys with their maths homework, although that is unlikely because Mr McSpaz is a mathematician and if they've got any sense they'll ask him, not me!

Damn. Now I'm finding myself unnecessarily annoyed with Pythagoras.

[Sky Pilot]

now let me get this right...
In a right angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides. So when a sparky is installing a power point in the tool shed at $200 an hour he can draw a triangle on the wall before he aims the cable at the metre box 20 metres away. Or does he draw the triangle IN the meter box so he knows how to get the circuit breaker to click in and out if a possum p1sses on it?
Now I can see why it was soooooooo freakin' important to struggle with trying to understand this most useless piece of information on the planet

[Ron Burgundy]

You should go and spend a day in a University Mathematics lecture SP. And then you will probably feel happy having learnt your useless piece of pythagoras.

Some of the maths floating around in my head is far more ****** up than Pythagoras.

[Sky Pilot]

You should go and spend a day in a University Mathematics lecture SP. And then you will probably feel happy having learnt your useless piece of pythagoras.

Some of the maths floating around in my head is far more ****** up than Pythagoras.

I'll be busy that day!

[Ron Burgundy]

You should go and spend a day in a University Mathematics lecture SP. And then you will probably feel happy having learnt your useless piece of pythagoras.

Some of the maths floating around in my head is far more ****** up than Pythagoras.

I'll be busy that day!

Haha. FWIW I used Pythagoras once when measuring out squares for a cow pat night, to check it was square in shape.

[Bum Crack]

Getting the silent treatment from my other half because I'm going to catch up with a mate tonight and get on the gas. Sure, I did tell her I was off it for a month, but a week is still a good effort for me. Some people just need to learn to chill

[Pseudo]

You should go and spend a day in a University Mathematics lecture SP. And then you will probably feel happy having learnt your useless piece of pythagoras.

Some of the maths floating around in my head is far more ****** up than Pythagoras.

Heh. I have spent the day deriving Fourier transforms of functions of raised cosines for the purposes of correcting sampling-rate error when demodulating pulse-coded comms signals.

Pythagoras' theorem is a doddle.

[Footy Chick]

You should go and spend a day in a University Mathematics lecture SP. And then you will probably feel happy having learnt your useless piece of pythagoras.

Some of the maths floating around in my head is far more ****** up than Pythagoras.

Heh. I have spent the day deriving Fourier transforms of functions of raised cosines for the purposes of correcting sampling-rate error when demodulating pulse-coded comms signals.

Pythagoras' theorem is a doddle.

Thanks Marvin