Mike Terry wrote:
Saturday 2nd July 2005 from 1400 CET

Every single day, 30,000 children die needlessly, of extreme poverty. On
July 6th, we finally have the opportunity to stop that shameful statistic. 8
world leaders, will gather in Scotland for the G8 summit, and will be
presented with a workable plan to double aid, drop the debt and make the
trade laws fair. If these 8 men agree, then we will become the generation
that made poverty history. But they'll only do it if enough people tell them
to.
That's where Live 8 comes in. Ten concerts, 100 artists, a million
spectators, 2 billion viewers, and 1 message... To get those 8 men, in that
1 room, to stop 30,000 children dying, every single day, of extreme poverty.


OK I'm going to be a real cranky devil's advocate here. Does
anyone have any statistics as to how many children were spared an early
death SPECIFICALLY because of Live 8 or Live Aid or "Do They Know It's
Christmas" or "We Are The World"? Where do you get that 30,000 figure
from? Do you audit the death figures? That sounds like a conveniently
rounded number.
Obviously the event organizers want to do the right thing and
their hearts are in the right place. But any sociologist can tell you
that poverty and disease are not eradicated merely by throwing money at
them. You have to have a plan for what to do *after* the big shows are
over and the stars go back to their limousines and mansions. That's
when the REAL work starts.
Much of the food relief supplies purchased with money from the
earlier events wound up rotting on the docks or was stolen by corrupt
governments. What safeguards are in place to prevent a repeat
performance? How many of those G8 world leaders were even aware the
concerts were happening? Will it affect whatever decisions they make?
How much of the Live 8 money will be going for EDUCATION in the
poverty-stricken areas of the world? One of the best weapons against
poverty is teaching the affected people how to raise themselves out of it.

Poverty will continue to exist in spite of every well-meant effort
to eradicate it. Live 8 might make life a little better for them for a
while, but poverty will always exist in the world. It sucks, for sure,
but that's the way the world works.

GTTyson (who wishes the Live 8 shows really could make a dent in the
poverty statistics)