Raw Water anybody?

[walpurgis]

Its a bit like football. The manager gets a vote of confidence so you know he is getting sacked.. denying there is any way to do something like that means there IS A WAY

You can bet on that. It may well have been achieved. But whoever has success will be keeping quiet. The main problem would be delivering such an agent and in what form. It's the ultimate genocide weapon or population control. Bloodless, painless, and as selective as required. Probably untraceable and untrackable.

[Pigmy Pony]

Serious health Issues in the developing world, we all throw money at it, nothing seems to change, and some intelligent opinions as to where the blame lies, differ greatly.

But at least we can have laugh eh?

One of the things I love most about AoS is the slightly skewed, often childish and sometimes irreverent humour of the contributors. It doesn't mean we don't care.

[Sherwood]

I can see I am wasting my time here. I have corrected inaccuracies in postings but others continue to promote false assertions.

• Aid works: global deaths from diarrhoea have halved since 2000.
• It is just over 50 years since the UK withdrew from most of its African colonies, and just over 70 years since it left India, not over 100 years since the end of the colonial era.
• India is not a primary beneficiary of UK development assistance. Despite being the second most populous country it did not even make the top 20 in terms of DFID country spending in 2016. Current support is largely in the form of technical advice and support to improve governance and strengthen civil society.

As to the comments about genetic bullets, I am frankly speechless. Any discussion linking genocide to the problems of global poverty is one that I do not wish to participate in. I am all for a health and vigorous debate on these issues, but not one that ignores evidence and promotes zenophobic policies and ideas. I a sorry that some posters do not feel greater compassion for those in vulnerable and fragile states, nor even appreciate that it is in the developed world's interest to address these problems.

Goodbye!

[struth]

up to you geoff, but people have a right to their opinions as much as you do.

[Macca]

I can see I am wasting my time here. I have corrected inaccuracies in postings but others continue to promote false assertions.

• Aid works: global deaths from diarrhoea have halved since 2000.
• It is just over 50 years since the UK withdrew from most of its African colonies, and just over 70 years since it left India, not over 100 years since the end of the colonial era.
• India is not a primary beneficiary of UK development assistance. Despite being the second most populous country it did not even make the top 20 in terms of DFID country spending in 2016. Current support is largely in the form of technical advice and support to improve governance and strengthen civil society.

As to the comments about genetic bullets, I am frankly speechless. Any discussion linking genocide to the problems of global poverty is one that I do not wish to participate in. I am all for a health and vigorous debate on these issues, but not one that ignores evidence and promotes zenophobic policies and ideas. I a sorry that some posters do not feel greater compassion for those in vulnerable and fragile states, nor even appreciate that it is in the developed world's interest to address these problems.

Goodbye!

I think your misunderstanding of the points that others are making is almost total.

Added to that I suspect that most of us feel slightly insulted by your insinuation that we do not feel compassion. Really that assertion is absurd but given that it seems to a standard part of the 'liberal intelligentsia playbook' these days you can perhaps be forgiven for not realising the stupidity of that assertion.

It does amuse me that all types of forums seem to have people cruising them looking for ways to be offended or for ways in which they can demonstrate their inherent moral superiority. This tends to blind them to the true nature of the sentiments being expressed.

For example the comments on the girl with the bucket that first attracted you to this thread were actually an oblique, albeit humorous, criticism of the nature of such appeals, as opposed to a demonstration of hard-heartedness towards the child herself. Everyone who was contributing got that; you didn't. I suggest you ask yourself why that was.

[walpurgis]

Somebody seems to not understand context.

[walpurgis]

I think your misunderstanding of the points that others are making is almost total.

Exactly. Just because a subject is mentioned, does not mean it is being advocated.

[prestonchipfryer]

I can see I am wasting my time here. I have corrected inaccuracies in postings but others continue to promote false assertions.

• Aid works: global deaths from diarrhoea have halved since 2000.
• It is just over 50 years since the UK withdrew from most of its African colonies, and just over 70 years since it left India, not over 100 years since the end of the colonial era.
• India is not a primary beneficiary of UK development assistance. Despite being the second most populous country it did not even make the top 20 in terms of DFID country spending in 2016. Current support is largely in the form of technical advice and support to improve governance and strengthen civil society.

As to the comments about genetic bullets, I am frankly speechless. Any discussion linking genocide to the problems of global poverty is one that I do not wish to participate in. I am all for a health and vigorous debate on these issues, but not one that ignores evidence and promotes zenophobic policies and ideas. I a sorry that some posters do not feel greater compassion for those in vulnerable and fragile states, nor even appreciate that it is in the developed world's interest to address these problems.

Goodbye!

Healthy and vigorous debate includes those who do not take things so seriously. You will be amazed that all the time you are being offended the people on here really do care about what goes on in this bad world which we all live in and have to put up with. If you cannot see that then you need to ask yourself why you are so easily upset by a few light-hearted words. Sticks and stones.

[Minstrel SE]

I can understand where Geoff is coming from because its a deep and heavy subject that started off on a health fad slant but will naturally come to safe drinking water as a basic necessity all over the world.

I dont get offended (or try not to) now on forums because I know that the replies will go in any direction and with respect to the forum it probably isnt the place for a full debate about corruption, foreign aid and priorities in life.

I do understand that when you have written a page from the heart, a following comment may seem flippant, casual or too much of another tack for a flowing debate.

However the comments about the girl with the bucket and even genocide are valid in the context that its an open forum and points we shouldnt shy away from. I dont trust people in power to care about people in need and I sometimes wonder about charity appeals and if the money reaches people in need. Its a steep one to move to genocide and I can see why thats hard to handle.

I tend to avoid the heavier subjects on forums now because I dont know where to go with them. I can end up sounding flippant as I dont know what to do with the information and how to process it.

If I was debating in parliament I would probably get stuck in but that lot just seem to spout a load of hot air. I dont know if they really try to sort any of the worlds problems without vested interests getting in the way.

[walpurgis]

It doesn't help when folk jump on their soapbox and start propounding their gospel, then expect others to respond with approving respect. Or worse, ignore them. So you can't win really.