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Im just wondering why the media contiues to portray africa the way it does even in 2008. Alot of people including one's who claimed to be educated have the wrong impression about africa. I was talking to a older white gentelman in his 40's not to long ago. The man said when visting africa he thought he was going to be chased by lions and tigers. But stated he ended up staying in a five star hotel during his time there. He went to diffrent casinos and even went partying in a few clubs on some nights. What's sad is this man graduated from college and his opinion was tigers and lions. Imagine people who have never visited and only get their image from the media. South Africa has turned itself into a first world country.
I think Africa does a pretty good job of portraying its self in a negative light. Read the news about Sudan lately? Kenya? Sierra Leone? South Africa is for all intents and purposes is a European country. There is also Five-star hotels in Ethiopia, but that doesn't make it a nice country deserving of a positive light.
Im just wondering why the media contiues to portray africa the way it does even in 2008. Alot of people including one's who claimed to be educated have the wrong impression about africa. I was talking to a older white gentelman in his 40's not to long ago. The man said when visting africa he thought he was going to be chased by lions and tigers. But stated he ended up staying in a five star hotel during his time there. He went to diffrent casinos and even went partying in a few clubs on some nights. What's sad is this man graduated from college and his opinion was tigers and lions. Imagine people who have never visited and only get their image from the media. South Africa has turned itself into a first world country.
With the ongoing genocide against the Boers I wouldn't call SA First world
The older white gent with the "lions and tigers" fetish is nothing more than just shockingly ignorant, but I've met LOTS of people like this. Americans have never been "big" on geography or "foreign" studies, and I've met more than one person who comes up with the most OUTLANDISH ideas-- They can't seem to FATHOM the fact that:
*Polar bears don't live in Antarctica..
*Some Texans don't work on cattle ranches OR in oilfields...
*Jamaica has higher elevations than most US states...
*Palm trees live in Ireland..
*Indianapolis is closer to Mexico City than LA is...
*Some Indians live in houses and ride in cars...
*Washington State contains some VERY dry desert areas...
*Many Californians do NOT live by the beach, and are NOT wealthy...
The list of "silliness" goes on and on...but SOME big game DOES live in Africa.
However, I'm not sure how the old guy's silly ideas equate to "negative press'. Africa has huge, overwhelming problems, massive coruption, and very SERIOUS human rights issues. It IS a whole continent, don't forget, and has vastly different populations in different parts. But offhand, I'm not sure it gets much 'negative press'--I think it has a pretty 'negative reality' and the 'press' just reflects this reality.
I'm also not sure I'd use South Africa as an example of a "First World" nation, either. It has some pretty serious social problems and massive crime. It got rid of Apartheid, but now, somewhat like the "former" Soviet Union, it seems to have traded a draconian state rule for a "wide-open" lawlessness. Segregation and oppression have been traded for skyrocketing crime..
With the ongoing genocide against the Boers I wouldn't call SA First world
Thank you for pointing that out. The whites in S.Africa (and Zimbabwe) are having their farms taken from them by the new government, and many are being assaulted and murdered. What these countries don't realize is that after these people are murdered or drove away they will have no dependable supply of food. Many African counties insist on shooting themselves in the foot, yet they can't figure out why they are impoverished.
Really? Prove it. I'm not doubting you, just intrigued.
SEveral species of palm do quite well in such cool rainy marine climates--among them "Trachycarpus Fortunei" (the 'windmill palm'), and a number of others.
The coast of Oregon has a number of large old palms in Coos Bay, Coquille, Reedsport, Seaside, and other locations, and I saw a real "beaut" in Edmonds, Washington (at least a 30-footer). They're not 'prominent' like in California, but they're there. On the East Coast, palms can be found at LEAST as far north as Norfolk, VA. There are even a few on Vancouver Island-it's pretty 'mild', you may know...
I'm a Palm Grower and 'know a little'. Ireland is entirely "mild' enough for MANY palm species...in its Southwest 'fringes', freezing temperatures are pretty rare. There are EVEN apparently areas of southern Switzerland where they grow, also...(such as "Lugano")
Surprises a LOT of people.... (you can "google" several sites on this info--photos, etc.)...
PS Did you know palms are just about the TOUGHEST plant around, in some ways? If I'm not mistaken, the all-time world record for a temperature change in 24 hours occurred some years ago at an oasis in Libya. The temp went from something like 24 degrees before dawn, to 126 that afternoon. Few plants could survive this, but the oasis is in a date grove. (Some palms, of course' like the coconut, can't take ANY freeze at all...so we don't have them here in CAL.)
Thank you for pointing that out. The whites in S.Africa (and Zimbabwe) are having their farms taken from them by the new government, and many are being assaulted and murdered. What these countries don't realize is that after these people are murdered or drove away they will have no dependable supply of food. Many African counties insist on shooting themselves in the foot, yet they can't figure out why they are impoverished.
Most of this wasn't a problem until white folks decided to take it over; strip the country of its resources and add to problems.
Most of this wasn't a problem until white folks decided to take it over; strip the country of its resources and add to problems.
It really is foolish to live in the past though isn't it? Let's look at this in today's persepective.
White man grow food.
Food good.
Black man kill white man who grow food.
Dead white man no grow food good.
Black man no want to grow food.
Why black man hungry?
No good food make black man hungry.
Black man starve.
White man in America take pity on starving black man and send tax dollars to feed starving blackman.
The point is, don't kill your farmers stupid.
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. But stated he ended up staying in a five star hotel during his time there. He went to diffrent casinos and even went partying in a few clubs on some nights. What's sad is this man graduated from college and his opinion was tigers and lions. Imagine people who have never visited and only get their image from the media. South Africa has turned itself into a first world country.
