A Tree Grows in 7-Eleven

Edited the post and added the pic, thanks for the great find, amdela!

Thanks for putting it up here, Alex:) I think it's a really important piece of work, and everyone should watch it, both for the heartbreaking truth, and the inspiration that can be found there.

Thanks for submitting it to the Neatorama Upcoming Queue, amdela!

The world's poor people struggle to eat and find safe shelter. America's poor are forced to choose between cable and satellite.

Yep Edward...here I was annoyed at the Cable prices today, and my internet being down for awhile, and then I look at that picture and feel like the spoiled idiot I should feel like.

I do have a cold and quite harsh point of view about this: we are too many for our planet. That's a fact. I do believe there should be a real investment in birth control measures in 3rd world countries as they exist in China, for the health of their own population and ultimately, for the survival of the entire planet. This is as important as ecological laws. We don't have enough resources to everybody.

It's a sad state of affairs when people's responses to seeing this type of stuff is "you think YOU have it bad?!" when in fact may of our poor neighborhoods are fast on their way to becoming this.

I also hate to be harsh but when we donate money and food to Third World areas of crisis and poverty, we actually increase the problem to some degree. They will then have more children, resulting in more population growth in an area that could not sustain them to begin with, and a worse crisis that needs more help.

Its a cruel truth.

Focus should be placed on population reduction to a degree that the land can sustain them (sex education, birth control, Assistance to those who participate in education programs instead of popping out more kids). When that point is reached (and yes, sadly a population decline would have to be involved) then education on agriculture and sustainablilty should be the next step.
Life is harsh, our current "feed em" band-aid solution is not working.

I often wonder if someday, should impoverished areas get access to the internet... if things will change.
Imagine websites like Etsy, where people can make a crap-load of money for their overpriced homemade items.
$100-200 for a steampunk themed lamp made from junk parts... for example.
Now imagine being in some third world area, and having access to such a site, being able to create the same thing from junk parts, sell it for dramatically less (even with shipping) , and feed your family for a very long time.
I think globalization may be the eventual equalizer of the world. Some see that as a good thing, others bad. *shrug*

This is waht i see everyday on my way to work.....I live in Caracas, just in front of that barrio they show in the slides and let me tell you with Chavez is growing more each year...

People in impoverished areas have access to internet, whenever you look up at a Favela (the Brazilian equivalent of the barrio), you see tons of illegal cables going everywhere for electricity and internet, there are plenty of internet cafes and people share acess. What people in 3rd world countries need is access to proper education, job training and opportunity to achieve their full potential. Chavez is just another paternalist, populist, big talker, in a long tradition of Latin American leaders of that sort. Somehow all the money from the largest oil reserve in South America ends up buying Russian vessels and submarines. Maybe with Obama in power Americans will open their eyes to how ridiculous this man is.

you know, the worst part is these people came from rural areas and used to have better lives there, they move to the city because they want to be part of the urban life that the media is slamming into their faces. it's just sad because when they visit their rural origins, they would never admit to their neighbors how their lives suck, thus encouraging them to do the same.

that's the case in my country.

"Imagine websites like Etsy, where people can make a crap-load of money for their overpriced homemade items.
" - Non

There is a site similar to that called Kiva. http://www.kiva.org/
Except that you yourself can donate money to that individual so they can start a business.

I'm venezuelan and I live in Caracas, fortunately in a nice middle class neighborhood. As much as it is painful to see how these people live, it's also interesting to see how they do NOT want to leave those places, it's their home, and they just want to improve in that same place that can not be improved by any means.

"Maybe with Obama in power Americans will open their eyes to how ridiculous this man is."

Obama wants the US to have similar socialist policies. Bush went after guys like this. Obama might end up waking Americans up to the idea that Big Government doesn't work because people in government have the ability to use force to accomplish their agenda. If anything, Mr. Bush and Obama failed to see that the government spending money could not and would not solve our problems. They are both failures in the libertarian view, Chaves with his full fledged anti free speech campaign along with socialist economic views take the cake. Classic dictator.

I live in Caracas and I see this every single day. Look up Caracas in Google maps and you'll see it too.