"Is Africa Selling the Farm?" - by TPO

Today, the Christian Science Monitor has on its front page a lengthy but very interesting article by Scott Baldauf titled: "Hunger and food security: Is Africa selling the farm?"

Although the article is detailed and somewhat thorough, I have not quite found the whole of it satisfying and/or helpful in getting to the core issues (national sovereignty and security, imperialism and international exploitation, etc.) Furthermore, I think readers may mistakenly be led to believe that with due care and diligence, Africans may actually benefit from leasing or renting pieces of their land to foreigners for agricultural, mining, and other ventures. It would be very easy to conclude that if Africans go about it smartly, there may be a win-win situation here for everybody involved.

Here is my take on the whole matter ....

It does not matter how much wealthy countries or giant conglomerates offer the poor African countries for a piece of their land. It will still be a steal! And there is no guarantee that in the future these leases or rents won't be turned to outright purchases. There is something sinister about all of this. 

Forbearance - by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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Forbearance
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by Samuel Taylor Coleridge



Gently I took that which ungently came,
And without scorn forgave:--Do thou the same.
A wrong done to thee think a cat's-eye spark
Thou wouldst not see, were not thine own heart dark.
Thine own keen sense of wrong that thirsts for sin,
Fear that--the spark self-kindled from within,
Which blown upon will blind thee with its glare,
Or smother'd stifle thee with noisome air.
Clap on the extinguisher, pull up the blinds,
And soon the ventilated spirit finds
Its natural daylight. If a foe have kenn'd,
Or worse than foe, an alienated friend,
A rib of dry rot in thy ship's stout side,
Think it God's message, and in humble pride
With heart of oak replace it;--thine the gains--
Give him the rotten timber for his pains! ____________________________________________________
** Painting: "Portrait of Patience Escalier" by Vincent Van Gogh