Momodou Sidibeh posted a very thought provoking article, which I am sure he wanted people to discuss and make suggestions as to how it may apply to our country.  Yus asked many sarcastic and idiotic questions which I could have easily ignored, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and answered to the best of my ability. I wasted a lot of my precious time trying to explain what is on the ground here and now. He started moving back and forth over very trivial things that have very little or no benefit for anyone and now what? You also come with such silly arguements? Geez, what can I say? I just give up. If all that two of you can contribute are these silly diatribes, then I give up. I wish both of you the best of luck.

Have a good day, Gassa.

>From: Ngorr Ciise <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Internet use for rural development in The Gambia. >Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 08:46:35 +0000 > >Gassa, > >The useful point that Yus continues to make, which BTW you >conveniently >ignore, is that Internet access for poor rural folks without food in >their >bellies - who are in fact owed millions by the gov't because their >groundnut >produces were taken from them and money in lieu is not readily >forthcoming >from the gov't - is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek. The point is NOT >that >internet access is a rarefied thing for affluent urban folks only; >and rural >folks shouldn't have access to it. The point, however, IS that when >you live >in "abject poverty" - as you readily admitted in one of your >correspondences >- without access to good food, clean water and good electricity >supply, >internet access becomes something of a privilege. For you and this >silly >gov't to start drafting daft policies on how to make the internet >readily >accessible to the rural poor, you have to do the basics first, i.e., >good >and ameliorative policies that lessen and even help eradicate >widespread >poverty that is the stuff of rural life and engage in projects that >will >over time help in rural electrification. For you to ignore these >basics and >start bugabooing about internet access for powervty stricken rural >dwellers >is just akin to a mother upping the ante on her baby driving a car >when he >has yet to crawl. > >Further to your dishonest proclamations on this ghastly and medieval >regime's "achievements", you observed: > ><< Finally Yus, you don't have to believe all that you here or read >on the L >about the situation up country. The available statistics does not >support a >lot of the allegations about how our rural folks are faring. I would >be the >first to admit that there is abject poverty in the country. However, >it is >absolute rubbish for anyone to suggest that these cases are confined >to the >rural areas alone. For your information, from the commissioning of >Gamcel to >date, we have sold over ten thousand mobile phones in the provinces. >This is >about 25 % of all phones sold by Gamcel. Before you ask me how they >are >charging their sets I will tell you. As most of the sets sold there >can go >on for up to three or four days, they normally buy an extra battery >or two. >Some enterprising people have found a way of making a living from >charging >cellular phone batteries. They start by buying a couple of car >batteries, >have them fully charged, get a few car chargers for the most common >sets and >charge D5.00 to charge a mobile set. When one car battery is fully >discharged, you give it to a driver to have it charged in the >nearest town >with electricity for D15.00 and meanwhile continue your charging >business >using your second battery. Sometimes someone manages to get a small >generator and starts charging car batteries. Soon after, everyone is >happily >talking to everyone else and THEY ALL LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER. >> >Emphasis >mine. > >Live happily ever after? Like in a fairy tale? Do we need further >evidence >that you live in cloud-cuckoo land? That you are some dishonest, >self-deluding and inebriated moron who would gladly write bended >knee >encomium on behalf of this ghastly and medieval regime - even if it >means >covering up the ugly realities of present day Gambia. > > > > >_________________________________________________________________ >MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: >http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the >Gambia-L Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~