Our New Answer to World Hunger in 3rd World Countries!

As I got up this morning at 4 am and started getting my-self ready for another day at my now home office as well as to fix my loved ones their lunches I heard in passing by the news on TV. It stated that we are now requested to give an ethical Christmas gift. Yes, you heard me correctly. Yes, OLPC has a Product aiming to provide a wonderful gift that would not only give the joy to our very own young but also every child in underdeveloped Countries.

Before you go and make the Eye Doctor Appointment or go sign up for a hearing aid, let me explain to you how this fantastic Idea is going to work. You will be able to purchase a laptop for your child which is a lovely shade of green and white and looks like the Leapfrog version you purchase for your 4 Year olds. It is a real laptop so and works very well. You pay $399.00 for this wi-fi marvel and get a buy one, get one free. You get one for your kid and the second one goes to a child in Cambodia, Afghanistan, Rwanda or Haiti. They then in turn can communicate wirelessly like everyone else.

That isn't all however, this is only the beginning. According to the New York Times some youngsters who were used for research even believed that this would help us all with global warming. Yes folks, not only are we now helping to fight hunger and destitution, stop wars but by purchasing those leap frog looking laptops we are now also fixing the global warming problem.

Is this for real or are we once again being led around by our invisible nose rings who seem to be firmly attached to us by our bleeding hearts for the world? Just incase you wish to participate in this wonderful new Christmas tradition of giving children in the above mentioned countries a brand new laptop you can do so starting November 12^th 2007. It is advised that you purchase them as close to that date as possible in order to receive them for Christmas.

Oh and before I forget it, for those of you who will follow that new trend, don't forget that you can write half of it off as tax deductible. Yes, the government is generous and lets you get a little extra joy for yourself.

The question that may come eventually up is actually twofold. Part one would consist of what American or Canadian Children are supposed to be doing with those less then up to speed computers and Part two would concern those Children in the other half of the world. Do you suppose they would rather have the everyday needs met or a toy that they may or may not be able to use. Not to mention that their internet connections really aren't the best.

Just throwing it out there, maybe I am just hard hearted. I leave to choice and opinion up to you. This won't be the first time nor will it be the last time, that a "well meaning" organization will attempt to hoodwink the good hearted people of the US and Canada. By the way there are no plans on trying this in Europe as of yet. This somehow reminds me of those "Food for Children" drives that we always see round around the Holiday Season, with always the photos of the same kids and they never seem to get any better.

I agree that world hunger is horrible. I agree that all children deserve a hand up. But do you ever think about it on this level? If you know that what you are doing isn't working, would you not try something else? If the place you live in can not support you, wouldn't you try to look for other places? The Statement give a person a fish and you will feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime, maybe should be altered to go like: let them fish the way that worked for them before and you feed them for a lifetime. Strangely enough too, before we all got involved and tried to push our beliefs and religions on them, I am sorry I meant enlightened them. As well as blackmailed those 'heathens" into our way of thinking and doing on them, they survived. Now, instead of having it made better, we have just made them more dependent on us. But maybe that was exactly what some of us wanted.

In the meantime, I wish everyone a happy Holiday Season.