On this day in 1884, the "Berlin Conference" began when delegations from nearly every Western European country and the U.S. met in Germany to develop a set of protocols for the seizure and control of African resources.
The conference, which had no African representatives, was the first international conference ever on the subject of Africa, and dealt almost soley with the matter of its exploitation.
At the time, approximately 80% of African land and resources were under domestic control; the influence of Europeans was most strongly exerted on the coast. Following it, colonial powers began seizing resources further inland.
As a result of the conference, which continued into 1885, a "General Act" was signed and ratified by all but one of the 14 nations at the table, the U.S. being the sole exception. The Act's main features were the establishment of a regime of free trade stretching across the middle of Africa, the development of which became the rationale for the recognition of the short-lived "Congo Free State", the abolition of the overland slave trade, and the principle of "effective occupation".
The Conference's rapacious intentions for Africa were noted by outsiders: socialist journalist Daniel De Leon described the conference as "an event unique in the history of political science...Diplomatic in form, it was economic in fact."
Before the Conference ended, the Lagos Observer declared that "the world had, perhaps, never witnessed a robbery on so large a scale." Theodore Holly, the first black Protestant Episcopal Bishop in the U.S., condemned the delegates as having "come together to enact into law, national rapine, robbery and murder".
Berlin 1884: Remembering the conference that divided Africa
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My mom really can't cook and I think that mostly comes down to not being patient and just not giving a shit. Like yeah you need to drain the meat after you fry it in the skillet otherwise it makes the hamburger helper all runny, but that would be an extra step so nah. Or you know you have to actually cook the rice otherwise it's still kind of hard in the middle but that would take what ten fifteen minutes? Nah. Thankfully I don't live with my parents anymore but I think my mom had that same approach to more than just cooking. I think in a lot of ways I'm like a big bowl of undercooked rice.
My parents are decent cooks but the one thing they just can't do is walk away from the stove. When I go over and do the cooking cause cooking is my job and I'm really fucking good at it and they do like to learn stuff and use my advice a lot, but holy fuck if I leave the kitchen while something is on a pan or whatever they're on patrol and feel the need to yell updates, it's like, this takes 20 minutes and I only need to have a look every 5 or so. I'm not a hamburger guy cause vegan but if there's extra goo it probably should have been cooked hotter as well, that shit should reduce
i kinda get the "can't leave a lit stove unattended" thing, my parents were on the older end and when they were young shit used to just catch on fire
It's an electric range. I am however super cavalier around fire and the possibility thereof. My elbows down pretty much can't burn anymore and like. I've dealt with many a kitchen fire at work. They happen
fair