My 3-year-old was the first in our group to die.. we buried her and kept on walking.

[Forkboy]

Hawa Muya cradles her baby boy while her daughter shelters from the sand and flies against her mum’s black robe.

The 28-year-old is sitting patiently in a long line as she keeps a close eye on Hussein, who is 10 months, and Fatma, aged one

Describing her exhausting journey across Somalia to get here, she mentions in passing that her other daughter Amina, three, died from starvation on the way.

There’s no hysteria in Hawa’s voice as she quietly describes watching Amina drop dead in front of her. It is disturbingly matter-of-fact as she says: “There were a large group of us travelling together. We had no food and had to rely on begging whenever we got to a village. But those people had nothing as well.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/07/12/somalia-famine-crisis-my-3-year-old-was-the-first-in-our-group-to-die-we-buried-her-and-kept-on-walking-115875-23264991/

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. I heard that on the BBC World Service. It's fucking heart breaking. nt

[murphyj87]

9. It is equally heartbreaking...

It is equally heartbreaking to know that 45,000 Americans die because of inadequate access to health care, and would likely be still alive if they were Canadians, or citizens of one of the advanced nations that has universal health care (the United States is the only advanced - supposedly - nation which does not have universal health care.

The US health care system is the Somalia of health care systems in the developed world.

When are you Americans going to get as upset about 45,000 Americans a year dying from lack of health care as they are of people dying in Somalia?

[Forkboy]

15. This isn't a contest.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

17. Damn, I was going to use that same line but you beat me to it.

:evilgrin:

[midnight]

32. No it's not.. It's hoarding by the elite. And their tax cuts, and unfair

wealth distribution put the rest of us at risk....

[murphyj87]

38. No, but...

No, but it shows that Americans are quick to see the faults in other nations but are totally blind to the equal faults of the United States. The United States has a Somalia-like health care system, and the United States has more in common with Somalia than with an advanced nation in many ways other than health care as well.

[Forkboy]

46. All nations are quick to see other's faults, including your own.

And plenty of Americans are not blind to this at all. Put away the broad brush.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

16. First, you don't know dick about me. If you did. You'd know the countless threads

that I've participated in, discussing the dismal state of the US healthcare system. So relax. Second, I am from Puerto Rico which now has a reformed health care system. In spite of its many many problems. This much improved access to health care saved my brother from cancer and it didn't cost him a dime. Third my empathy for others is not limited to geography or situation. So, it's not all about us.

I am perfectly capable of walking and chewing gum. So I can point point out tragedy in different parts of the world as well as our own here. Many, if not most of our problems are self inflicted. Either by total apathy when it comes to voting, or by voting for the same corrupt clowns posturing on non issues. I doubt this lady and her family in Somalia have any power to change their situation given the hand they've been dealt.

Now, do you feel better about your sanctimonious ass reply?

[murphyj87]

37. You are...

You definitely a small minority if you speak out against the American insurance run health care system, the Somalia of health care systems in the developed world. To be truthful, we in Canada consider the United States to be Somalia in many more ways than just health care.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

41. A minority where? Not on this site. You either signed up the day before

yesterday or you're very selective in your reading. Perhaps the thousands of threads dealing with our shitty health care system, infrastructure, crumbling education system, xenophobia, jingoism, corpuratism, government of open bribery, corrupt judiciary, oligarchy, media consolidation, propaganda and just overall idiocy aren't enough for you. That you feel the need to get completely off topic in a a thread discussing one particular instance of human tragedy. Like the poster said above this isn't a competition.
By the way I'm yet to read one just one post on this thread that brags about how much better the US is than Somalia. If somehow you interpret that from "oh what a tragedy" or "I feel so awful for that woman" etc etc. I may have been misled about the excellence in Canadian education. But I'm not gonna go into simplistic generalizations based on one instance. It's also beyond idiotic to compare the US with Somalia. That country has been devastated and fucked over so many times that we're fucking Sweden compared to them. It is insulting to the people of Somalia to make asinine comments like that. We're straight up spoiled when compare dto what they actually go through.
Also be careful how cocky you get. Given that you all keep giving a majority to an ignorant clown like Stephen Harper. As impressed (and even jealous) as I've been by Canadians. It's easy to recognize that we all can make dumb ass decisions
Is this off topic enough for you? Or should we discuss the environment, maybe astrology or the hermit crab's mating habits next?

[Forkboy]

47. Are you the representative for all Canadians?

Ego much?

[murphyj87]

53. Not all, just the majority and a super majority of those aged 35 to 65

Anti-Americanism is very common, in fact rampant, in Canada, especially among those of us who saw the US through the eyes of US draft dodgers when we went to university with them in the late 60's.

[Forkboy]

54. America has plenty of flaws.

And plenty of good things as well. If you only see one side and can't see the other more's the pity. Your view seems rather simplistic to me, very black and white, and just reflects a bias on your part. Nothing else.

[murphyj87]

56. Americans flaws including...

Pathetic health care... 91% of Canadians and 45% of Americans believe that Canadian health care is far better than American health care.

Pathetic economy ..... Canada has an unemployment rate of 7.4% and falling fast while the US has an unemployment rate of 9.2% and rising .. the Canadian dollar is worth 95.85 cents US

Pathetic government .. the government in Canada is responsible to the people ... government in the US is responsible to corporations, millionaires, and the military, just like in a Banana Republic.

Without Canadians, the entertainment industry in the US would not exist.

Without Canadians there would be little discovery or innovation, because many thing Americans figure must be American were actually discovered or developed in Canada. The pacemaker, lumpectomy, surgical intervention from drug resistant epilepsy, radiation treatment for cancer, total body cooling for cardiac surgery, discovery of the stem cell ... are just a handful of thousands of Canadian innovations and discoveries that Americans deceive themselves into thinking they must be.

The US failed it's Allies as Canada and Britain fought Germany for three years while Americans sat back an twiddled their thumbs .. it is the children of veterans, as I am, who were educated by our veteran parents, both mother and father in my case, not to ever trust or respect the US. This was the seed of anti-Americanism in Canada, American betrayal of Canada and Britain during WWII.

And that's just a start .......

Just what "advantages" does the US have that can't be found and are probably better in Canada than they are in the US.

[kick-ass-bob]

57. This is too good to pass up:

"Pathetic health care... 91% of Canadians and 45% of Americans believe that Canadian health care is far better than American health care."

I'm curious how a survey of people determines the quality of health care. This is very interesting to me. And what exactly are the characteristics of health care? My father had his aorta shredded in 3 places, yet lives today, 10 years after the fact. Is this part of the pathetic?

"Pathetic economy ..... Canada has an unemployment rate of 7.4% and falling fast while the US has an unemployment rate of 9.2% and rising .. the Canadian dollar is worth 95.85 cents US"

July 8 2011 - Statistics Canada reported that the unemployment rate remained at 7.4% in June as employment grew by 28,000 jobs but so did the number of people in the job market.

http://www.hrmguide.net/canada/jobmarket/canadian-unemployment.htm

Yep, that's "falling fast" :eyes:
And exchange rates are complicated with many factors deciding what these exchange rates are. It is by no means a final indicator of the state of an economy.

"Pathetic government .. the government in Canada is responsible to the people ... government in the US is responsible to corporations, millionaires, and the military, just like in a Banana Republic."

As one of my Canadian friends recently said "I think its awesome that we riot over important things like hockey games and ignore re-elections of governments found in contempt of parliament. Yup, so glad we got our priorities straight."
and
"Let me get thus straight: the only Prime Minister in the history of Canada to be found in contempt of parliament and we hand him a fucking majority?!?! Canadians are fucking retarded!!!"

Sounds good up there.

"Without Canadians, the entertainment industry in the US would not exist."
Um, OK. Thanks for Bryan Adams and Celine Dion? I'm not sure how this even makes sense in your head.

"Without Canadians there would be little discovery or innovation, because many thing Americans figure must be American were actually discovered or developed in Canada. The pacemaker, lumpectomy, surgical intervention from drug resistant epilepsy, radiation treatment for cancer, total body cooling for cardiac surgery, discovery of the stem cell ... are just a handful of thousands of Canadian innovations and discoveries that Americans deceive themselves into thinking they must be. "

I'm not even going to fact check this, but assume that you are 100% correct. These are all innovations in medicine, with no mention of any other field of science whatsoever. That is telling in and of itself.

"The US failed it's Allies as Canada and Britain fought Germany for three years while Americans sat back an twiddled their thumbs .. it is the children of veterans, as I am, who were educated by our veteran parents, both mother and father in my case, not to ever trust or respect the US. This was the seed of anti-Americanism in Canada, American betrayal of Canada and Britain during WWII."

I'm glad we got the jingoism into this thread. It wouldn't be a closeminded bash session without it. Maybe I should just say that Canada failed its ally by not doing a good job in defending them. But that would be just as ridiculous as what you have spouted above. Do you still hate Germany and Italy too? Because they were the "bad guys"? Or are you just pissed that you didn't get a German zone to watch over after the war?


-----

With all that said, I have no issues with other countries being better than my own at things, and never will. I wish that a healthy competition will spur all of us to be better tomorrow than we are today, and it is statements like yours that keep us locked down and beneath our potential as brothers and sisters.

[murphyj87]

60. This is too good to pass up:

I'm curious how a survey of people determines the quality of health care. This is very interesting to me. And what exactly are the characteristics of health care? My father had his aorta shredded in 3 places, yet lives today, 10 years after the fact. Is this part of the pathetic?

It is pathetic because 38% of Americans (17% uninsured, 21% underinsured) can't even see a physician let alone have the treatment that your father had. 45,000 Americans a year die in from lack of access to health care for far less serious issues than your father's situation. My mother had bypass surgery within 4 hours of being admitted through emergency and every single Canadian could receive the same treatment, but not in the US, she and most couldn't afford the treatment in the US, received as a matter of course in Canada, which is what is pathetic about the United States system.

"Pathetic economy ..... Canada has an unemployment rate of 7.4% and falling fast while the US has an unemployment rate of 9.2% and rising .. the Canadian dollar is worth 95.85 cents US"

July 8 2011 - Statistics Canada reported that the unemployment rate remained at 7.4% in June as employment grew by 28,000 jobs but so did the number of people in the job market.

http://www.hrmguide.net/canada/jobmarket/canadian-unemp...

Yep, that's "falling fast" :eyes:

-------------------------------------------------Jobs 2011

---------Unemployment rate-------Jobs Created----Jobs Created per million pop----Month---Population-----Job Creation Ratio CAN:US
Canada--------7.80----------------69200------------2050.98---------------------January---33.7399-------------17.491 : 1
United States--9.00----------------36000-------------117.26---------------------January--307.0066

---------Unemployment rate-------Jobs Created-----Jobs Created per million pop---Month----Population-----Job Creation Ratio CAN:US
Canada--------7.80--------------156000-------------4623.61---------------------February--33.7399--------------7.393 : 1
United States--8.90--------------192000--------------625.39---------------------February-307.0066


--------Unemployment rate--------Jobs Created------Jobs Created per million pop-Month-----Population-----Job Creation Ratio CAN:US
Canada--------7.70---------------91000-------------2697.10----------------------March----33.7399--------------3.833 : 1
United States--8.90--------------216000--------------703.57----------------------March---307.0066

--------Unemployment rate--------Jobs Created------Jobs Created per million pop-Month-----Population-----Job Creation Ratio CAN:US
Canada--------7.60---------------58300-------------1727.92-----------------------April----33.7399--------------2.174 : 1
United States--9.00--------------244000--------------794.77-----------------------April---307.0066

-------Unemployment rate--------Jobs Created------Jobs Created per million pop-Month-----Population-----Job Creation Ratio CAN:USN:US
Canada--------7.40---------------22300--------------660.94------------------------May-----33.7399---------------8.116 : 1
United States--9.10---------------25000---------------81.43------------------------May----307.0066

--------Unemployment rate--------Jobs Created------Jobs Created per million pop-Month-----Population-----Job Creation Ratio CAN:US
Canada--------7.40---------------28000--------------829.88-----------------------June-----33.7399--------------14.154 : 1
United States--9.20---------------18000---------------58.63-----------------------June----307.0066

Apparently the Canadian unemployment rate dropping from 7.8% in January to 7.4% in June (delta= -.4% in 6 months) doesn't sound like dropping fast to you, but it does to me, especially when compared to that of the US rising from 9.0% in January to 9.2% in June (delta= +.2% in 6 months).

The gap between Canadian and US unemployment went from 1.2% in January to 1.8% in June (delta= +.6% in six months), sounds like a pretty fast change to me.

"Let me get thus straight: the only Prime Minister in the history of Canada to be found in contempt of parliament and we hand him a fucking majority?!?! Canadians are fucking retarded!!!"

Which is the reason why 60.6% of Canadian voters did not vote for him. The truth is, if a party or government in the United States did what Harper did, no one would bat an eyelash, let alone find them in contempt. The fact that Harper's government was found in contempt demonstrates the transparency in Canada that is totally lacking in the United States. Bush did things much worse than Harper did and Bush didn't even get a slap on the wrist in the United States.

"Without Canadians there would be little discovery or innovation, because many thing Americans figure must be American were actually discovered or developed in Canada. The pacemaker, lumpectomy, surgical intervention from drug resistant epilepsy, radiation treatment for cancer, total body cooling for cardiac surgery, discovery of the stem cell ... are just a handful of thousands of Canadian innovations and discoveries that Americans deceive themselves into thinking they must be. "

I'm not even going to fact check this, but assume that you are 100% correct. These are all innovations in medicine, with no mention of any other field of science whatsoever. That is telling in and of itself.

Oh, you mean like Willard Boyle, Noble prize winner in 2009 from Nova Scotia who invented the ruby laser (cd players) and the charge coupled device (digital cameras etc)?

Just to excerpt:

1950 Introduction of lumpectomy for treatment of breast cancer. Lumpectomy is a surgical procedure designed to remove a discrete lump (usually a tumour, benign or otherwise) from an affected woman or man’s breast. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

1950 Use of total body cooling as a method of making heart surgery safer. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

1950 First neuro-surgical treatment of epilepsy performed. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1951 First use worldwide of calibrated cobalt-60 for cancer radiotherapy treatment. (Saskatoon Health Region — Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)

1961 Discovery of blood-forming stem cells enabling bone marrow transplants. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

1987 World’s first pacemaker cardioverter defibrillator is implanted. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)

2004 World’s first use of beads of palladium, a low-dose radioactive material, to treat women with breast cancer on an outpatient basis. This therapy holds the promise of eliminating anguishing side effects and considerably enhancing the women’s quality of life. (Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute — Toronto, Ontario)

The full article is here:

http://www.canadianmedicinenews.com/2007/11/canadas-greatest-medical-research.html

As I said, the lack of participation by the US in WWII only planted the seeds, draft dodgers having to come to Canada, and revelations of how advanced nations lead the US in every way that counts caused those seeds to take root and grow.

Just as couple of examples of something else:

Canada ranks 7th in science education, the US ranks 35th in science education.

Canada ranks 6th in math education, the US ranks 26th in science education.

[Forkboy]

58. I guess your displeasure is just a burden we'll have to bear down here.

We get it already, you're still angry at America. Your post is so full of stupid I don't even know where to begin, and I'm not up for typing in crayon to dumb it down for you anyways.

[proud2BlibKansan]

39. +1

[yardwork]

43. The cause is the same for both. We are facing a worldwide starvation and killing.

the powerful elite, the 1% who control most of the world's resources, are starving and killing the rest of us. The problem is one problem, a global problem.

[murphyj87]

59. Obesity?

[JonTheGreat]

2. Terrible.

It's a tradgety this is going on in the world when we spend billions on war and kids here complain when they don't get the new xbox game.

I pray someday this is no longer an issue.

[gateley]

5. It is just so wrong. It makes my heart heart and want to

help everyone who is hurting. :cry:

Welcome to DU, JonTheGreat.

[The Doctor.]

10. Thank you, JonTheGrate.

But plenty of kids here complain that they are hungry as well. In the meanwhile, we throw out more food than much of the rest of the world consumes.

It's not just a tragedy, it's an abombinashun.

Great to have you hear!

:hi:

[Vehl]

28. true

I hate it whenever I see people throwing food out...Every-time I see that I'm reminded of people both here and abroad who have nothing to eat at all..period. Those who throw away/waste food are prime examples of the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality plaguing many.

[Maru Kitteh]

34. Uh, I think you mean "Grate to have you hear."

:evilgrin:

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Leading edge in my view of the crisis we are facing

this feels different than the one a generation ago...

[Skittles]

4. ...

:cry:

[2Design]

6. where is our lynch mob media on this story?

[Glimmer of Hope]

24. Sad that you really have to dig for this story.

[Cereal Kyller]

7. Testament

It's all we can leave behind. Maybe someday someone will pay attention. Recced.

[mzmolly]

8. Horrible

beyond words. :cry:

[AtomicKitten]

11. The constant horror of that mother's life is beyond my comprehension.

How can the rest of the world allow this? :cry:

[Forkboy]

14. Been trying to figure out the answer to that question for 25 years now.

I don't understand humans, and I'm not sure I want to. :(

[CoffeeCat]

18. I hear you...

...and it pains me to reveal this secret--but sometimes I feel like I just don't
belong here.

We have such a great planet--so beautiful, so rich in resources and so full of
opportunity. However, our planet is filled with people that I just don't seem
to understand.

I don't understand why we cause and tolerate the suffering of our fellow human
beings. From allowing children to starve to the backstabbers at PTA meetings. I just don't
get the scope of bad human behavior sometimes.

And it seems to be getting worse.

[Forkboy]

19. Your post could have been pulled right from my brain.

I learned about the Holocaust when I was 16, and it had a massive effect on how I see human beings. I'm not religious, so I couldn't just chalk it up to "evil". It was us. Human beings did that to other human beings. We're a highly neurotic, and often psychotic, species. If it wasn't for people such as the woman in my OP I'd just give in to my nihilistic feelings and watch the rest of humanity destroy itself. Then I'd dance a jig on it's collective grave.

[freshwest]

36. +1000

[Delphinus]

40. That sums it up quite well ---

"sometimes I feel like I just don't belong here". :hug:

[aquart]

12. They have about 400,000 starving people in that camp.

I follow the refugee bulletins on Twitter.

[Forkboy]

13. That is insane.

This whole thing is just a nightmare.

[aquart]

42. Climate change causes political upheaval which causes migration.

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

[Forkboy]

45. I know. That's why it's the topic I start threads on the most.

We haven't seen anything yet. :(

[aquart]

49. Keep it up. We find it too easy to ignore. So far.

[Forkboy]

51. I will.

Thank you for the encouragement, and for caring about this.

[Bluerthanblue]

20. oh,....

how painfully sad.

This is so heartbreaking.

rec'd.

[avebury]

21. K&R

[Historic NY]

22. Where are those rich MF'ing Muslims & Muslim countries? ....

you know the ones with the oil and royal titles. Sure makes you wonder. I'm totally shocked this is a country where the poorest of the poor suffer not because of religion but because the government is in chaos.

[Springer9]

29. Maybe they're to busy working their people up about the existance

of the evil Jews in the occupied territories to notice.

[Historic NY]

30. Its in their neighborhood.....& its says lots about mans inhumanity to man.

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. Oh, god!

:cry:

[KoKo]

25. The Terrible drought in Somalia, Kenya and S. Africa..gets little attention these days..

Thanks for this post.

What happened to all those folks who used to do Big Concerts...for AID TO AFRICA.? Probably tapped out with the devastation that's still in Haiti and elsewhere...but, it's so hard to know how to help. Giving money to most causes...it goes to the Dictators...or gangs.

I wonder why World Leaders aren't trying to do something about this with their resources or even the Hedge Funds and Wall Street folks who give liberally to charities and build wings of hospitals and give to our great Museums so freely.

Gates Foundation? WHERE ARE YOU?

[BOHICA12]

26. How do you change the mindset that .....

...makes this a possibility: tribalism and bigotry in Somalia, indifference elsewhere? I have no idea. Zealotry is such a foreign concept.

[McCamy Taylor]

27. ...and the U.S. burns corn in its gas tanks.

I wonder what starving people in other countries think about that?

[tclambert]

31. How long has this drought been going on? Why have we heard nothing before?

There ought to be organizations in America that spread information around. We could call it "news." WTF?

[muriel_volestrangler]

55. We have been trying, but American media has paid little attention to it

April 21st (IRIN - UN news agency): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x289668
May 21st (BBC): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4858547
June 29th (BBC): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4899880
July 5th (Evening Standard - UK): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4907517
July 5th (Independent - UK): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4907457&mesg_id=4907503
July 6th (BBC): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1423757
July 10th (Huffington Post): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4914214

In Britain, we'd had an appeal from the Disasters Emergency Committee - which is when the leading charities join together for an appeal, and get given 5 minute slots at the end of news bulletins to make the appeal. It's raised £15 million in a week. I am surprised how little coverage this seems to have got in the US.

[Hubert Flottz]

33. And America can't help out, because we've spent everything and

more killing people who were never really a threat to this country in Iraq.

Beacon of Bullshit.

[KamaAina]

48. Besides, they don't have any oil

or even pipeline routes. :eyes:

[ZombieHorde]

35. Holy fucking shit. I'm a spoiled brat compared to them. nt

[closeupready]

44. Yes indeed. It's not how it would happen in an ideal world, of course, but

stories like this help not only inform the general public but serve as reminders that no matter how hard you think you have it, no matter how much you feel you suffer, there are millions more who have it worse.

[NNN0LHI]

50. Error: you can only recommend threads which were started in the past 24 hours

This story makes me cry.

Don

[Forkboy]

52. Me too, Don.

Thanks for trying to give it a rec. :pals: