How Africa Became Black

Discover Magazine ^ | 2-1994 | Jared Diamond

[chesley]

Exactly what you think it does.

[wardaddy]

There were Horses and Camels in North America up till 10-8000 BC....that we know of as of now

Were they eaten?

[cyborg]

Those are just as biased, biased the other way.

[wardaddy]

I wish someone did objective research on the story of humans.....it seems research only exists to prove preconcieved notions that the researcher is comfotable with.

[cyborg]

It's going to be very hard to do that, find an objective researcher. I don't think humans are given to objectivity.

[wardaddy]

quite right

[Cheburashka]

Eaten? (to extinction)?
Maybe.
Domesticated?
If they were domesticated, they probably wouldn't have gone extinct.
If a species is domesticated and used by man, man has an interest in making sure they don't go extinct.

[wardaddy]

I never meant to imply they were domesticated.

I don't know but they were here along with humans...allegedly and then disappeared

supposedly eaten

some claim there were never any draft style animals capable for domestication and wheels in North America but others disagree

which is another leak in Diamond's geography and environment logic

[wyattearp]

It looks like the zebra would have been a great 'beast-of-burden.'

Waaaayyyy too mean for that.

[A Longer Name]

In the case of the zebra, it's been tried and that it isn't do-able. Very skittish, bad dispositions and they get nastier the older they get.

Yes, but what could've be done with them if you give them a thousand years? I am sure the ancestors of the domestic horse were no picnic either.

[humblegunner]

Why Japanese and Korean men have little wee wees

Racist.

You left out the Vietnamese.

[Little Bill]

A very convincing thought problem can be constructed by looking at the axis of entry into Africa, Nile valley, as that, rather than an axis of egress.

A this Diamond person pointed out that the most primitive people in Africa are found at the periphery of the continent, as in most other places. Herodotus reported that the Pygmies lived in the area of lake Niger in Historic times.

[blam]

"Racist. You left out the Vietnamese."

Believe it or not, I did read a study on penis size. Blacks have the largest and Koreans the smallest according to that study.

[wintertime]

in the 19th Century English nobleman tried to train zebras to be used to pull his carriage.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I would think that the humans in the area would have chosen the more docile animals and mated them. Eventually, a fully domesticated animal would have emerged from the matings.

[humblegunner]

Believe it or not, I did read a study on penis size.

Dude! Don't even go there, OK?"

[wardaddy]

actually my anthroplogist pal at UT-Knox claims that North American Plains Indians have the largest.

They are all lying....I know for a fact that I do.

[FrogMom]

And Wardaddy belongs to what tribe?

[wardaddy]

i'm just plain ol Southern peckerwood and was joking...about me

my buddy does make that claim about the Plains Indians

[rcocean]

The best thing was granting them independence.

After 40 years, the Africans have no one blame but themselves.

Moreover, having been to Africa, my personal observation is that its not as bad as people think. Just because everyone don't have a car or a 3 bedroom ranch house, doesn't mean they're unhappy.

[eleni121]

I agree with most of what you say about happiness being relative...except you have not visited the "hellholes"

The comments I hear about the benefits of mainly British colonialism come mostly from refugees who have escaped those hellholes...and do quite well here in the US...among the most ambitious students I have. Funny I have yet to hear anything positive about French or Belgian colonialism.