Recent comments by Philip Palij

• Farewell Hillary, For Now

  It is difficult to overstate the disastrous consequences of her policies, influence and activities on the souls of the people she has come into contact by drones, proxy armies, proxy wars, funding the very people they are sending their armies to fight.
  
  It is difficult to understand the warmth Yuriko Koike shows to a woman who has participated in the most deadly and hypocritical demonstration of double standards driving American foreign policy in recent times.
  
  Beyond the law, beyond accountability, the American version of Democracy in a nutshell.

• The End of Hunger and Malnutrition

  We all know the eradication of the worlds hunger and malnutrition should be an overriding priority. Indeed this is the aspiration of choice for many well fed and relatively wealthy members of western AND eastern Societies. So why hasn't it happened?
  
  In order to eliminate the scourge of hunger and malnutrition you also have to eliminate their causes so lets look at just a few taken from the list developed at Global Concerns Classroom by Elizabeth Stolz - http://gccblogs.concernusa.org/2011/10/21/top-5-causes-of-hunger/
  
  
  Below is a list of the top five causes of world hunger:
  1. War and Conflict – It’s no coincidence that many of the world’s “conflict hot spots” are also the regions most ravaged by hunger. Imagine how difficult it is for a community stressed by violence, crumbling infrastructure, and fleeing refugees to support stable food systems. In many cases, a family whose life has been interrupted by war will see a drop in income and access to arable land. War and conflict drastically impact food supply and security.
  
  2. Weather and Climate Change – Natural disasters leave dramatic impact on the production of arable land. Between droughts, floods, and tropical storms, weather can be unpredictable and devastating. Although a natural disaster may strike quickly, its long-term damage can be unimaginable. In many developing countries, farmers depend on one small plot of land. If this land is destroyed by natural disaster, their source of food and livelihood is washed away with it.
  
  3. Agricultural Practices – In recent years, farmers have seen an increase in deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, and drought. Combined with overgrazing, over-cropping, and deforestation, the impact of poor agricultural practices can destroy arable land. By improving farming practices and increasing access to quality infrastructure, we can make huge strides in eliminating hunger.
  
  4. Population Growth – As the populations of countries rise, so too does the demand for food. Population growth has hit developing countries especially hard. Compounded with rising food prices, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to match food production rates with population growth rates.
  
  5. Poverty – Like hunger, poverty is often a cyclical, structural crisis. In most cases, poverty and hunger go hand-in-hand. As a family sinks into poverty, they are forced to stretch their meagre income. As more money is spent on food, less money is available to spend on health care, savings, and education. Farmers may find themselves unable to purchase seeds, tools, or farming equipment. Poverty is a cause of hunger, but it is an effect as well.
  
  
  Getting to grips with these is a mammoth complex task and until you get the profiteers, war-mongers, arms-dealers, hoarders, greedy and corrupt politicians to adopt eradication of hunger and malnutrition as their motivating force as opposed to money, influence and power then you must deal with the symptoms and as we all know this is a never ending gravy train for politicians and professional office bound aid workers to make a career out of.
  
  My imperfect solution would be to create stability by educating at risk individuals and communities out of their poverty wherever possible. Teach communities self-help and kiss goodbye to vast addictive UN/US aid programs that deal with symptoms only.
  
  Recognising the total eradication of hunger and malnutrition as utopian pipe dream it is.

• A Global Platform for Global Issues

  We ordinary mortals have had a good look at the effects of economic and geopolitical globalisation and to say the least we are cynical. While cooing bands of billionaires pontificate on their role as self-appointed global trustees at Davos, others of their ilk are buying up futures in grain causing mass starvation through increased prices.
  
  We watch in ever increasing contempt vast mighty corporations avoiding taxes by exploiting weaknesses in the global fabric of the law, beyond it, deliberately so.
  
  We watch the US and its giant corporations despoil the world unchecked, we watch its version of democracy imposed around the globe sick as it is, failing as it is a shell operated by its over mighty financial and corporate institutions.
  
  It is possible you mean well Herr Schawb, your task is a hard one, you and your billionaires will not be able to stop drones murdering innocent civilians in lands few of us can even name.
  
  Globalisation without laws to regulate it or where they are selectively enforced where they already exist makes it a sham.
  
  Globalisation that destroys a nations industry and agriculture such that it cannot feed or clothe itself in times of hardship. That leaves a nations economic decisions in the hands of suited directors in lands far far away, divorced from the cultures they destroy.
  
  No wonder you find the global vision of happy economic families an increasingly difficult sell. To many flaws for we mortals.
  
  You might just have to persuade you delegates to consider a somewhat modified path to enlightenment and a guilt free conscience.
  
  Sincerely

• Britain’s European Home

  "essentially political navel-gazing" indeed.
  
  May I remind you of the fraudulent entry of Greece into the Eurozone. May I remind you of the incompetent handling of the Eurozone crisis. May I remind you of the EU to spend within its budget.
  
  If you regard Britain seeking to preserve its democracy, economy and sovereignty as navel gazing then you truly represent why Britain should re-negotiate at the very least and exit if at all possible.
  
  Then you can find some other foolish country to spend billion upon billion on useless wasteful pet projects all unnacountably.
  
  No home fore Britain in that madness Mr Shulz. Think again