To the Point
Barack Obama and Tough Love for Africa
Ghana is all dressed up for President Obama's first official visit to sub-Saharan Africa. Is the rest of the continent ready for tough love? Does international aid lead to dependence? Can it be structured to help countries help themselves? Also, GM emerges from bankruptcy, and rhesus monkeys and the fountain of youth.
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenGhana is all dressed up for President Obama's first official visit to sub-Saharan Africa. Is the rest of the continent ready for tough love? Does international aid lead to dependence? Can it be structured to help countries help themselves? Also, General Motors emerges from bankruptcy, and rhesus monkeys live longer when they eat fewer calories—a lot fewer. Will it work for people?
Banner image: President Barack Obama addresses the Ghanaian Parliament in Accra, Ghana July 11, 2009. Official White House Photo: Chuck Kennedy
In this episode
3 storiesGM Emerges from Bankruptcy
General Motors emerged from bankruptcy today and CEO Fritz Henderson declared that “ business as usual is over .” Acknowledging the support GM has received during its transformation, he vowed to make the intensity, decisiveness and speed “the new norm” in the company's day-to-day operations.
Read the story7 minBarack Obama and Tough Love for Africa
On his last day in Italy, the President told African diplomats the legacy of colonialism is no excuse for their lack of prosperous democracies.
Read the story35 minDo Hungry Monkeys Live Longer?
For 70 years, it's been known that the lives of yeast, flies and laboratory rats can be extended by dramatically cutting the number of calories in their diets. Now, after two decades of research, scientists in Wisconsin have done the same with rhesus monkeys, animals which are much more like human beings.
Read the story8 min