G8 to discuss world debt while Scots lack basic financial understanding.

Written by Richard Green


Continued from page 1

Withrepparttar amount of help already inrepparttar 142848 public arena fromrepparttar 142849 likes of Which? ( http://www.which.net/ ), andrepparttar 142850 growth in financial comparison web sites like Moneynet ( http://www.moneynet.co.uk ). This move should hopefully go some way to overcomingrepparttar 142851 fear and financial inertia experienced by many people over their own personal finance.

Additional reference material fromrepparttar 142852 Scottish Executive ( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2005/06/06103036 )

Richard works in Edinburgh for a media company, occasionally writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla, and drinking too much coffee.


African Aid

Written by William Cate


Continued from page 1

Today, Prime Minister Blair wants to make another attempt at saving African Swiss-Bank Socialism. His plan is to forgiverepparttar debt ofrepparttar 142793 poorest African countries. I'd agree, since this debt will never be repaid. Tying it to countries "onrepparttar 142794 road to economic reform" is nonsense. Mr. Blair's plan is to double aid from rich nations' taxpayers to US$25 billion each year and US$50 billion annually starting in 2015. The Gnomes in Switzerland must be licking their chops. . Mr. Blair's proposal confirms thatrepparttar 142795 Swiss banks can keep their African clients' accounts and expect to see those accounts grow annually by billions of dollars.

Thanks torepparttar 142796 Prime Minister, President Bush has added US$674 million for humanitarian assistance of which US$414 million will go to food aid inrepparttar 142797 Horn of Africa. Certainly everyone realizes that starvation is a terrible way to slowly die. Unfortunately, due to Global Warming,repparttar 142798 21st Century epitaph forrepparttar 142799 Horn of Africa will be pending starvation.

Sending money to NGOs (Non-Government Agencies) does see some of that money converted into help forrepparttar 142800 local people. However,repparttar 142801 taxpayer rarely gets fair value forrepparttar 142802 money sent to any third party. I think fundingrepparttar 142803 eradication of assorted African diseases is in everyone's best interests. >From riddingrepparttar 142804 continent of River Blindness to finding a way to remove schistosomiasis from Africa's waterways, without damagingrepparttar 142805 environment, is everyone's social obligation. The West has started to addressrepparttar 142806 issue of African AIDs. We are finding ways to ensure that everyone who is HIV positive has access to modern drugs. Better health for everyone in Africa is a key to allowing a large middle class to evolve.

Mr. Blair andrepparttar 142807 G8 leaders should realize that trickle down aid isrepparttar 142808 source of African Swiss-Bank Socialism. Ifrepparttar 142809 Prime Minister wants to helprepparttar 142810 honest, intelligent and hardworking people of Africa, he should take his lead fromrepparttar 142811 women of West Africa. A group of women each put some money into a pot. Then one ofrepparttar 142812 women usesrepparttar 142813 collected funds to buy something to start a business. As her business prospers, she repays her debt andrepparttar 142814 next woman, usingrepparttar 142815 same risk capital, starts her business. Eventually, allrepparttar 142816 women are in business. Usually, about this time along comes a local bureaucrat seeking bribes to allowrepparttar 142817 women to remain in business. What ifrepparttar 142818 West suppliedrepparttar 142819 local pots of loan capital? What ifrepparttar 142820 local tribal elders hadrepparttar 142821 power to expose corrupt officials seeking bribes? What ifrepparttar 142822 G8 required laws to protectrepparttar 142823 small businesspersons so that they could prosper? Sadly, none of these options needs to be considered as long asrepparttar 142824 West thinks African Swiss-Bank Socialism isrepparttar 142825 way to African Economic Growth. It isn't.

Given African reality, if I were an African businessperson, I'd followrepparttar 142826 lead of African politicians and move my money offshore. My family would soon follow.

He has been the Managing Director of Beowulf Investments [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/] since 1981 and is the Executive Director of the Global Village Investment Club [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/globalvillageinvestmentclubwelcome/]


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