Support the Blog — Buy This Book!
For Kindle and with free ePub version. Only $9.49 Great reading.
Here is what Gary Shapiro CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) said: Dvorak's writing sings with insight and clarity. Whether or not you agree with John's views, he will get you thinking and is never boring. These essays are worth the read!
Put this ad on your blog!
Syndicate
Subscribe to Main Blog feed here:
Subscribe to Comments too (below):
Junk Email Filter
For another perspective, the ENTIRE continent of Africa has a GDP about the same size as Australia alone.
And Australia has approximately the same population as the New York City metro area.
or North America is about 80% the size of Africa and Asia is even bigger than Africa whats the point?
Any why did they omit Alaska on the map?
Africa is a continent.
Did you know that the city of Illinois is 30 times the size of the city of Los Angeles.
Also, the state of Canada is much bigger than the state of Alaska.
true story.
#37 smart ass, show off. The benefit of an American edumacational system.
Reminds me of the SCTV skit, “what fits in to Russia”
“we’d put it in perspective by transposing as many of the world’s other countries over it..”
Their use of the word “other” doesn’t make any sense. It implies that they’re comparing similar things (ie, countries to countries). But it’s not, it’s comparing a continent to countries.
Or maybe they think Africa is a country.
#17 – I guess this is why you always see pictures of the natives carrying shit on their head.
# 41 Special Ed said,”natives carrying shit on their head.”
Nah. I’ve lived in several African countries and it’s usually food or water or fire wood or other mundane things.
Then again why not put Russia ( or the former USSR) in comparison
Who cares about insignificant morally impotent western Europe anyways ?
What will really blow your mind is that everybody alive on the planet right now can fit within just the state of Texas and have a 1070 square foot box to stand in, that’s a box a little over 100 feet long by 100 feet wide.
Assume 7 billion people on the planet, Texas is 268,820 square miles, a square mile is 5280 feet by 5280 feet = 2,7878,400 square feet, times Texas’s 268820 square miles = 7,494,271,488,000 square feet, divided by 7 billion people = 1070.61 square feet per person. Really.
“Why is Africa so screwed up?”
Europeans raping the sh** out of the continent and now the recent introduction of Islam.
Doesn’t Africa have everything that they need to prosper? Why didn’t it industrialize like the rest of the world?
Who cares?
If (when) Greece falls, and takes some European banks with it, we could be sucked into an economic black hole that could lower out living standards to that of the average African’s.
Where is Canada in comparison?
Canada is HUGE and supplies The United States most of the oil we get.
Much to the detriment of the environment of upper Alberta.
Go Pens!
But bless them Loonies.
#45: Why blame just the Europeans? The Arabs took more slaves out of Africa, and for a longer period of time, than the Atlantic slave trade (European plus North and South American).
#45 Europe also raped North America as well and with the exception of Mexico, it’s done quite well.
Africa – It’s so big that it takes Europe and North America to feed it.
#44 Conrack – Yes, we’ve all seen that tired old statistic. The point is it leaves out all thoughts of support infrastructure and quality of life. Hell, Americans (the US variety) would need another area the same size just to build our walk-in closets and two bathrooms per person!
Ah c’mon. Doesn’t EVERYONE aspire to 2 toilets and walk-ins?
Besides, Texas SUCKS.
So, nobody wants to touch the obvious joke with a 10″ pole….
And you thought Africans were big below the equator!
You owe me.
Apparently, it is also the richest ‘continent’ by natural resources.
I think the reason we are surprised by the extent of the land mass here is because of the Mercator projection used for most world maps we see. Africa is at the equator and the other examples are more less in the middle to high latitudes. The MP distorts their apparent size.
#44 – Ummm 1070 square feet is NOT 100 by 100 =10,000 but rather 32.6 by 32.6 – moves it from Mansion size to one room cottage.
The problem could be the indigenous populous, that is an awful lot of n-n-n-n-n-n black folks!
Cursor_
On little mistake in your original postulation…
The US was not a colonizer of either the South American or African continents. Or even the Caribbean for that matter.
Europe alone was the evil colonizer and imperialistic region of the world that literally took over the lands and transplanted their peoples there so as to take all the resources possible to then feed the home country.
The US is indeed guilty of interfering in the politics of many countries after those countries became independent but besides perhaps the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico, Colonialism was never an issue with the USA. If anything the US colonized the US and nothing more.
List of Colonial Empires:
Spanish Empire
Portuguese Empire
Russian Empire
British Empire
Danish Empire
Swedish Empire
Dutch Empire
French Empire
German Empire
Italian Empire
Belgian Empire
That is where the large fault of the modern issues of Africa lie.
The continued issues are the fault of corporate colonialism at the hands of massive multinationals like Coke, Pepsi, Monsanto, Nestle, Shell, BP, Exxon, De Beers etc…
# 59
W-w-w-w-anker.
That’s why the term “African American” is stupid. The people of Africa are as diverse in genetics and culture as Europe & Asia are from each other, but the so called racially sensitive people insist on lumping them all together in a single group because to them, they all look the same.
Africa can easily be summed up as a sh*th*le. Once you begin south of the Sahara you are for the most part entering the most backyard and brutal area on earth. Groups of highly uneducated people with great divides between tribes, religion, and overall culture.
I’ve been there with the military and with aid groups. I will never go back. Large blocks of the populace are downright lazy, this may sound mean but until you’ve been there you have NO idea.
%63 cloewe – you, sir are either blind or bigoted or stupid. And you are falling afoul of what has been mentioned several times above: Africa is a continent. Mozambique is beautiful with wonderful people. Nambibia? Botswana? Terrific places to visit and live, smart, industrious people. Lesotho? I had a great time there. Madagascar? Some very beautiful and friendly people and some very interesting wildlife. And get away from JoBurg and most of South Africa is wonderful. I’d bet I put on ten pounds one winter I toured the wine country. Zimbabwe was great until the politicians ruined it.
I suspect you were in a country like Liberia or Angola or DRC or Nigeria where conditions often are awful and the wars can be brutal. So try not to lump your limited experience into a condemnation of the entire continent.