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Post Info TOPIC: Celebrity activism CAN and DOES work


Loudmouth

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Celebrity activism CAN and DOES work
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Part of an article from the Irish Independent.


IRISH stars Bono and Bob Geldof were yesterday credited with forcing US President George Bush to treble the amount of aid to Africa.


Statistics just compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reveal that since taking over the Oval Office, Mr Bush, partly under pressure from his Christian supporters as well as Bono and Bob Geldof, has dramatically increased US aid to Africa.


Indeed, African nations have seen both development and direct humanitarian aid from the US jump from a total of $1.4bn (€1.06bn) in 2001 to $4bn (€3.03bn) a year today. Over the same period, trade between the US and the continent has more than doubled.


And in what has become his largest health initiative - the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) - Mr Bush has pledged $15bn (€11.4bn) over five years to fight HIV and AIDS in Africa.


It is a record that has not been widely noticed in the US, particularly by critics of Bush who prefer to play up his world image as narrowly focused on Iraq and war. Nor is there any obvious domestic political dividend for him. President Bush also signed a law just before Christmas pledging $52m (€39m) annually for fiscal years 2006 and 2007 to the Democratic Republic of Congo following elections. As with aid to other countries, it comes with strings attached, including a requirement that the government open up to trade and foreign investors



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A Hold of Me

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Thats great to see. Pity Mr. Bush won't listen to reason over Iraq..

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Regards, Musicmania... “To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.” Aaron Copland.


House on Fire

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Could we hire Bob to promote the Gyurcsany package?

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