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UN Recommends WiFi for Poor Countries
amerinese writes "UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is now advocating that third-world countries be given funds to implement WiFi technology and 'leapfrog into the future.'"
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Since these countries don't already have ancient, pre-existing infrastructure, they can roll out wireless faster than if they had a bunch of copper lines to every home.
look at estonia; ten years ago they were communist bloc peasants, now they're the fastest growing tech sector in eastern europe.
It would be much more realistic to establish real industries first and then create an environment that would support an information infrastructure. If an high tech infrasture is put in place before industrial, educational, and commercial infrastructures are put in place then it would essential just go to waste. For example, there is no reason to have IT in Africa when they don't even have a textile industry in place that could benefit from more efficient practices.
3rd world countries don't need food, they need an economy where they get fair prices for their goods, so they can take care of themselves and don't have to rely on foreign aid.
Making internet available to them allows them to be at least somewhat competitive on the global market.
In most 'poor' countries the problem in not the amount of food, but the distribution of it.
These so called poor countries often have large money making industries to buy food, or food is being donated to the country. Perhaps a better way to put it is. Food is being donated to the people, but often does not reach the people, but only the rich. (The seem to own all the weapons).
Money made from industries, such as diamonds, oile, timber and others goes in the pockets of the few in power, again the army is a prime candidate.
There are exceptions like North Corea, where stupidity and nature makes up a crule reality.
Look at your own country. (I asume USA). There _is_ food to go around, yet some goes hungry.
Distribution of wealth is the real problem.
I only read slash. for the articles...
"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day, teach a man how to fish..." well, you know the rest.
Sending food to needy nations accomplishes nothing besides feeding those people for a day or two. That may be all well and good if they're hit by a draught or locusts, but it's not a long term solution. In fact,
- Food aid helps local warlords, with bribes paid to them to let the shipments pass. Ever wonder why the warlords' jeeps with machine guns are called 'technicals'? Because they are paid for with UN bribe money, the outlay of which is entered into the ledgers as local 'technical assistance'.
- Food aid sometimes puts local farmers out of business. If the local market is flooded with free food, how are they going to compete with that?
Does that mean we should stop sending food? No... but we should be more careful about how, where and when we send it. We can just keep sending them food and they'll be in the same mess a hundred years from now.
The thing to do is help them develop their industry, infrastructure, in other words helping them help themselves. I don't know if Internet infrastructure is on top of the list of things they need, but it sure is a better idea than just sending them more food and going back to sleep.
As to the idea that the 3rd world doesn't even have an industry and so has no need for an IT infrastructure: look again. There might even be room for their own IT industry, look at India where one region built the infrastructure, education and business climate from the ground up, resulting in thousands of IT firms in a multimillion dollar business. That business helps the rest of the region, creating demand for other goods and services, thereby creating more jobs and improving the overall standard of living there. This might just be what the rest of the 3rd world needs.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
This fscking shit argument of food for third world countries instead of technology is the most ignorant oppressive crap I see consistently being spouted on slashdot (of all places).
/serial killer dictators
.. yours or theirs.
I am (originally) from a "third world" aka developing country. I grew up in the "third world" let me tell you this with authority. THEY DO NOT NEED DONATIONS OF FOOD. What they need is (in order of importance)
a) get rid of corruption
c) roads
b) capital to buy equipment (farming/industry)
c) cheap communications (internet, cell phones) e) free trade so their people can buy technology cheaper
d) reforms in education system (no memorization)
f) health care
g) security
h) Snoop Doggy Dogg
i) food
Donating food is the worst thing you can do to a country (except when there is an actual emergency/disaster)
Also what I hate is people running around claiming the govt. donates so much to the third world and now they dont have jobs/medicare etc. here. That's plain BS. The ultra miniscule drop of your tax that goes to "foreign aid" is not having any effect on any economy