In return to handing Nigeria's agriculture industry to Monsanto;
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matte...
[2] https://www.ecowatch.com/5-million-nigerians-oppose-monsanto...
Bill and Melinda Gates Are Paying Off Nigeria's $76M Debt to Japan
111–120 of 224 posts
Re: Bill and Melinda Gates Are Paying Off Nigeria's $76M Debt to Japan
#112Nigeria loses tens of billions of dollars a year to corruption, especially in their oil industry, especially among politicians. If I was Nigerian, I would find this sort of charity to be very embarrassing.
> If I was Nigerian, I would find this sort of charity to be very embarrassing Fortunately, there are those willing to trade feeling embarrassed for making progesss towards eradicating polio.
If I were Nigerian, I think I would be both profoundly embarrassed by the need for this charity and extremely enthusiastic about taking it.
Re: Bill and Melinda Gates Are Paying Off Nigeria's $76M Debt to Japan
#113On the face of it $76m seems like a staggering amount of money. Then we learn that the foundation dedicates $3b a year, and this seems like a drop in the bucket. Amazing what massively focused resources can accomplish.
Also a drop in the bucket compared with Nigeria's oil revenue. Why do they need charity to pay off the loan? This is clearly the Gates just engaging in corruption while making it look like they're "helping out".
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Re: Bill and Melinda Gates Are Paying Off Nigeria's $76M Debt to Japan
#114A book by Jeffrey Sachs, The End of Poverty, argues in favor of this approach where, wealthy individuals or nations help write off debt of poorer countries. The cost of servicing this debt is often crushing enough that no meaningful uplifit is possible from their current poverty.
Re: Bill and Melinda Gates Are Paying Off Nigeria's $76M Debt to Japan
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Reddit style Just as much HN style, where top comments frequently bring up old discussions completely unrelated to the article's content (e.g. js article -> js is a mess, blockchain article -> blockchain is a bubble, megacorp article -> this is why i never use megacorp's products)
I've noticed what you pointed out is fairly common especially recently, but it wasn't always the case. Moreover, it's incumbent on us to be better than that so to reverse the trend.
It's not a new problem. The term TFA is at least 18 years old; predates reddit, digg, and maybe even slashdot itself.
Re: Bill and Melinda Gates Are Paying Off Nigeria's $76M Debt to Japan
#116It is amazing to see how Bill Gates immersed himself in his nonprofit work. I hope he stays rich so he can do more of these.
No worries. Thomas Piketty [1] presents a convincing case that Bill will continue to have resources to fund activities he thinks are helpful. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Piketty#Capital_in_the_...
As someone who has read that book, that's an amusingly broad reference you've just cited!
Re: Bill and Melinda Gates Are Paying Off Nigeria's $76M Debt to Japan
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
Gates is worshipped by most millennials, including the techies. For those of us who've been around for a while - as your reference to Slashdot points out - this can be surprising considering just how hated he was a decade or two ago when Microsoft was in a much different position than they are now. I still have a negative opinion of him, and feel his business practices were extremely negative to the world. But I will…
Microsoft did some shitty things. But really, the main thing people worry about was bundling a browser with the OS for free 20 years ago . Take a look at some of the shit companies are getting away with these days without a quarter of the hate. You think spending billions of his own money every single year is about cleaning up his image over the anti-trust case? Give me a break.
One could reasonably argue that some of "his" wealth was obtained illegally.
So what he's really doing os disposing of money that rightfully belongs to others.
That's only generous in a very perverse sensenof the word.
Re: Bill and Melinda Gates Are Paying Off Nigeria's $76M Debt to Japan
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
Look, Nigeria is swimming in money yet remains a shithole. The Gates Foundation "donation" is only a replacement for tax money that went into somebody's pocket instead of being used for what taxes are meant to be used for, whether paying loans or building a healthcare system. I never said they were in the pocket of the oil tycoons. The oil tycoons aren't the ones embezzling the country's entire national budget.
>shithole you're tipping your hand a little much
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Re: Bill and Melinda Gates Are Paying Off Nigeria's $76M Debt to Japan
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Reddit style Just as much HN style, where top comments frequently bring up old discussions completely unrelated to the article's content (e.g. js article -> js is a mess, blockchain article -> blockchain is a bubble, megacorp article -> this is why i never use megacorp's products)
I've noticed what you pointed out is fairly common especially recently, but it wasn't always the case. Moreover, it's incumbent on us to be better than that so to reverse the trend.
Just came off an 11 month involuntary HN-hiatus and noticed that the level of discourse is markedly lower. Wondering whether it could be quantified over time. Maybe a NLP expert could chime in?
Re: Bill and Melinda Gates Are Paying Off Nigeria's $76M Debt to Japan
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
as a minority immigrant from a shithole country, i find this opinion condescending and racist. please use whatever adjective you would use for any other race - i don't need my sensitive minority ears protected by an up-to-the-minute adjective whitelist, thanks.
your appeal to authority is naked
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