The Lord's Resistance Army and Joseph Kony

[Minimalist]

I always thought that this painting from the tomb of Seti I was fascinating, Shell.




It depicts Nubians, Egyptians, Syrians, Berbers, and Canaanites paying tribute to the pharaoh. But note that the Nubians are portrayed in exactly the same posture as the other subject peoples of the Egyptian empire at the time ( c 1280 BC). The Egyptians did not seem to regard the Nubians as "inferior." Perhaps that idea needed the Angry Desert God and his "Curse of Ham" horseshit to get going. In any case, Africa was better off under the Egyptians.

[Shell B]

I always thought that this painting from the tomb of Seti I was fascinating, Shell.


It depicts Nubians, Egyptians, Syrians, Berbers, and Canaanites paying tribute to the pharaoh. But note that the Nubians are portrayed in exactly the same posture as the other subject peoples of the Egyptian empire at the time ( c 1280 BC). The Egyptians did not seem to regard the Nubians as "inferior." Perhaps that idea needed the Angry Desert God and his "Curse of Ham" horseshit to get going. In any case, Africa was better off under the Egyptians.

It is very interesting. It's almost hard to imagine an Africa that isn't being ripped apart and Africans that aren't being regarded as animals.

I doubt letting Egypt take over would help in this day and age. I think what would make Africa much better off now is proper education. That is the only thing that will save Africa, imo. No more superstitious bullshit. Condoms and books.

[Minimalist]

Yeah - I usually trot it out when someone tells me that dark skin is an evolutionary trait because of the hot sun. I always ask if they thought it was that much hotter on the Nubian side of the border than it was on the Egyptian?

Ah well....once a wise-ass.......


And, yeah. Egypt is no longer what it was.

[A Theist]

I think what would make Africa much better off now is proper education. That is the only thing that will save Africa, imo. No more superstitious bullshit. Condoms and books.

I think the more immediate needs for Africa would be food, clean water, medicine, and doctors.
Another problem for Africans, and many other third world countries as well, are their very own greedy, corrupt, oppressive governments. Disease, war, famine, and political corruption are the things that have to be dealt with first in Africa.

[Minimalist]

Yes but the conditions outlined in your second sentence tend to prevent the remedies in your first. Also, don't forget climate change. The Sahara has been steadily pushing south turning farmland into desert.

BTW, just to show how complex the problem truly is, consider what happens when outsiders send grain to Africa. Yes, much of it gets to the refugee camps to feed the starving (and a lot gets stolen, too) but it also depresses the price of grain which devastates the farmers who are still able to produce a crop. Its the old 'give a man a fish or teach him to fish' analogy except there are no fish. You can't grow crops in a desert without extensive irrigation which they don't have either.

The problem is overwhelming.

[everythingafter]

I fucking hate this sort of selective popular news casting. I seriously don't fucking care what celebrities are doing, unless they are donating a million dollars to the Shelly Barclay fund. Everyone seems to know what Obama had for breakfast, but have no idea what is happening in other countries.

Bono might be the only celeb I care to hear anything about since he actually, on occasion, tries to use his influence to make a difference, although I doubt his motivations are totally altruistic. I certainly think the major newscasts need more international coverage. Real domestic news is important, but it might be a good idea to know what crazies are lurking about beyond our borders as well.

[DeistPaladin]

Yeah - I usually trot it out when someone tells me that dark skin is an evolutionary trait because of the hot sun. I always ask if they thought it was that much hotter on the Nubian side of the border than it was on the Egyptian?

Ah well....once a wise-ass.......


And, yeah. Egypt is no longer what it was.

It's not the heat as much as it is the fact that areas between the tropical lines get direct sunlight. The theory is that darker skin is more resistant to sunlight, a need that people living in tropical areas would have. Lighter skin readily absorbs sunlight, which would be in scare supply close to the poles, particularly in heavily forested areas like Europe. The ancient Africans that settled in Europe lost their pigmentation as an adaptation to the climate.

Overall, the pattern seems to hold that the more tropical the environment, the darker the skin. We see this not just with Europeans and Africans but Asians and native Americans as well. Compare Eskimos to Incas.

I'm an African American as are all Americans. Some can just trace their ancestry there in fewer generations than others. Looking at race from a naturalist perspective, you can see that there's only one race, the human race. The only difference is adaptation to sunlight exposure.

[thesummerqueen]

BTW, just to show how complex the problem truly is, consider what happens when outsiders send grain to Africa. Yes, much of it gets to the refugee camps to feed the starving (and a lot gets stolen, too) but it also depresses the price of grain which devastates the farmers who are still able to produce a crop. Its the old 'give a man a fish or teach him to fish' analogy except there are no fish. You can't grow crops in a desert without extensive irrigation which they don't have either.

The problem is overwhelming.

People are trying to work on this too - crops that withstand drought and all that - genetically modified to help people. They've also been working on tweaking a few genes that help the plant absorb sunlight more efficiently. But then you get those assholes who convince these poor countries not to use these crops by scaring them with all the bullshit they say will happen if they eat them. Fish genes implanted, blah blah. Personal "major psychotic fucking hatred" of mine.

[Minimalist]

The theory is that darker skin is more resistant to sunlight,

Yes, D-P but people living in the Congo rain forest



and people living in Sudan



seem to have similar complexions. Look at the background terrain and guess which gets hit by more direct sunlight? And, again....was the sun THAT much stronger on the Nubian side of the border as opposed to the Egyptian?

The rain forest may be hot and wet but it is also well-shaded.

I don't want to start a whole paleoanthropological discussion but I think this distinction goes much further back in human history - probably to Homo Erectus which I am no longer so sure is a separate "species" as the term has been bastardized over the years.

[A Theist]

Yes but the conditions outlined in your second sentence tend to prevent the remedies in your first. Also, don't forget climate change. The Sahara has been steadily pushing south turning farmland into desert.

BTW, just to show how complex the problem truly is, consider what happens when outsiders send grain to Africa. Yes, much of it gets to the refugee camps to feed the starving (and a lot gets stolen, too) but it also depresses the price of grain which devastates the farmers who are still able to produce a crop. Its the old 'give a man a fish or teach him to fish' analogy except there are no fish. You can't grow crops in a desert without extensive irrigation which they don't have either.

The problem is overwhelming.

Agreed. Absolutely.