Ethiopia's national emergancy!

pingwing · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:33

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7960850.stm

I dont normaly do this, but id consider a national inability to sell coke a serious problem!

Tom|Nbk · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:35

I also consider the lack of Coca Cola worrying. Seriously.

CrazySpeaker · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:40

Tom|Nbk said:
I also consider the lack of Coca Cola worrying. Seriously.

You might do if most the water where you lived wasn't drinkable.

Tom|Nbk · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:42

Exactly.

CrazySpeaker · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:43

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic

Tom|Nbk · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:44

Well I'm not. You make a good point and Coca Cola is win. Damn addictive stuff *runs off to get a Coke*

strudey · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:45

If people can afford coca-cola regularly they can afford purification.

source -I lived in a 3rd world village when I was a kid.

CrazySpeaker · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:45

Fair enough

V4NT0M · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:45

CrazySpeaker · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:47

strudey said:
If people can afford coca-cola regularly they can afford purification.

source -I lived in a 3rd world village when I was a kid.

I'd hazard a guess that Coca Cola is cheaper to produce than clean water over there because Coca Cola is so mass produced. I don't know how accurate that is though, I could just be spouting crap.

Tom|Nbk · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:49

strudey said:
If people can afford coca-cola regularly they can afford purification.

source -I lived in a 3rd world village when I was a kid.

Coca Cola probably costs peanuts over there litterally nothing there aren't many means to purify water easliy over there so it's probably still a fair point.

But yea I doubt most of the locals substitute Coke for water but who knows

V4NT0M · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:50

FYI it's emergency

strudey · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:51

CrazySpeaker said:
I'd hazard a guess that Coca Cola is cheaper to produce than clean water over there because Coca Cola is so mass produced. I don't know how accurate that is though, I could just be spouting crap.

It's not accurate

my dad was a water engineer, he built tap-stands to get clean water to groups of houses. I remember having coke occaisionally as a treat (in a glass bottle of course), if we found it expensive then it would have been beyond most of the locals. Who had basically no money, just enough for food and some clothing/pots etc. Houses they built themselves.

this was Nepal so things might be different in Africa: but I doubt it.

it is good that you're talking about this stuff! Poverty is an unimaginably horrible thing.

CrazySpeaker · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:54

strudey said:
It's not accurate my dad was a water engineer, he built tap-stands to get clean water to groups of houses. I remember having coke occaisionally as a treat (in a glass bottle of course), if we found it expensive then it would have been beyond most of the locals. Who had basically no money, just enough for food and some clothing/pots etc. Houses they built themselves.

this was Nepal so things might be different in Africa: but I doubt it.

it is good that you're talking about this stuff! Poverty is an unimaginably horrible thing.

I can see that a clean water tap may be cheaper long term or if a community pool resources to install one, but for an indvidual needing a drink, I'm not so sure?

strudey · 24 Mar 2009 at 23:59

CrazySpeaker said:
I can see that a clean water tap may be cheaper long term or if a community pool resources to install one, but for an indvidual needing a drink, I'm not so sure?

Yeah this was funded by the charity he worked for. there are various cheap devices available for purification in some places, such as one-use straws and tablets. If there was a cholera epidemic or something perhaps wealthier people would turn to coke though as you say

arknor · 25 Mar 2009 at 00:16

CrazySpeaker said:
I'd hazard a guess that Coca Cola is cheaper to produce than clean water over there because Coca Cola is so mass produced. I don't know how accurate that is though, I could just be spouting crap.

purification can be cheap and done yourself for less than a years supply of coca cola.

there are personal purification systems with filters that last along time and dye the water when the filter needs replacing.

CrazySpeaker · 25 Mar 2009 at 00:20

arknor said:
purification can be cheap and done yourself for less than a years supply of coca cola.

there are personal purification systems with filters that last along time and dye the water when the filter needs replacing.

People may not just be able to get a years worth of coca cola money in one go though, and if they don't have stable jobs they're not going to get a loan.

Raymond Lin · 25 Mar 2009 at 00:20

Tom|Nbk said:
Coca Cola probably costs peanuts over there litterally nothing there aren't many means to purify water easliy over there so it's probably still a fair point.

But yea I doubt most of the locals substitute Coke for water but who knows

No wonder they attract flies to their faces, must be well sticky.

arknor · 25 Mar 2009 at 00:22

CrazySpeaker said:
People may not just be able to get a years worth of coca cola money in one go though, and if they don't have stable jobs they're not going to get a loan.

i was just saying you can, there are some really really cheap ones these days from non profit companies that are designed for plebs to afford

BigglesPiP · 25 Mar 2009 at 00:43

Pepsi?