	Generational Dynamics
	Forecasting America's Destiny ... and the World's

\| HOME \| WEB LOG \| COUNTRY WIKI \| COMMENT \| FORUM \| DOWNLOADS \| ABOUT \|

Generational Dynamics Web Log for 7-Mar-2010
7-Mar-10 News - 1985 Live-Aid concert for famine relief may have been a scam

Web Log - March, 2010

7-Mar-10 News - 1985 Live-Aid concert for famine relief may have been a scam

U.S. budget defict grows again -- by $1.2 trillion.

BBC investigation: Money from Bob Geldof's 1985 Live-Aid concert went for weapons

The BBC claims credit for bringing the 1985 Ethiopian famine to the world's attention in the first place. He provided on-the-spot coverage of a famine "of biblical proportions," and galvanized public opinion for a massive aid effort, including internationally televised concerts, led by Bob Geldof, with rock stars from around the world. Geldof raised $144 million in the Live Aid concert in 1985.

Now, 25 years later, the BBC says that after a year of investigation, it turns out that most of the money went for weapons, not for food.

That's because there was a war going on between Ethiopia's Russian-backed government and an American-backed rebel group, the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF). And the famine was taking place in an area controlled by the TPLF.

And so, Geldof and all those nice folks collected millions of dollars, and turned it over to the TPLF, after getting them to promise that they'll spend it on food for the starving masses. Instead, they spent 5% of the money on food, and 95% of the money on support for military and political campaigns, according to the BBC report. (To listen to the full 25 minute report, click here or here.)

As I do so many times when I read the news these days, I just have to shake my head in incredulous disbelief. It really took them 25 years to figure this out??? The TPLF were rebels fighting a civil war. OF COURSE they were going to spend the money on weapons. OF COURSE they were going to take your money and lie to you. Wouldn't you do the same if you were in that position? What kind of moron do you have to be to think otherwise?

Well, no matter. According to Sky News, Bob Geldof and his Band Aid trust are going to make an official complaint to the BBC, and other international aid organizations will be joining in, claiming that the new claims are based on "dubious sources and rumour," without "a shred of credible evidence."

Well, who cares? It's no crazier than anything else going on in the world today, is it?

Additional Links

President Barack Obama’s budget proposal would create bigger deficits than advertised every year of the next decade, with the shortfalls totaling $1.2 trillion more than projected, according to the Congressional Budget Office. This announcement was made late on Friday, the slowest news period of the week. Bloomberg

As expected, Iceland voters have rejected the referendum paying $5.3 billion to Britain and the Netherlands over the failed IceSave bank. NY Times. My expectation is that the debt will never be paid. But my expectation is also that America's debts will also never be paid. How can they be, when the deficit keeps growing?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the September 11 attacks on the United States were a "big fabrication" that was used to justify the U.S. war on terrorism. Reuters

News you can use: Idle chit-chat can make you depressed. Telegraph

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 7-Mar-10 News - 1985 Live-Aid concert for famine relief may have been a scam thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (7-Mar-2010) Permanent Link
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Donate to Generational Dynamics via PayPal

Web Log Pages

Current Web Log

Generational Dynamics Web Log for 7-Mar-2010 7-Mar-10 News - 1985 Live-Aid concert for famine relief may have been a scam

BBC investigation: Money from Bob Geldof's 1985 Live-Aid concert went for weapons

Additional Links

Web Log Pages

Generational Dynamics Web Log for 7-Mar-2010
7-Mar-10 News - 1985 Live-Aid concert for famine relief may have been a scam