somedaybitch

the man literally responsible for saving millions of lives has died. Norman Borlaug was 95.

Borlaug didn't moan and wail and flail his hands at the so-called impending apocalypse. he quietly went out and did something about it. winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, he spent very nearly his entire life working to literally feed the world. and he didn't do this remarkable feat from the relative comfort of a climate-controlled lab in the US; he lived in the developing countries that he worked in. for something like 50 years.

in 1997, Greg Easterbrook wrote an article on Borlaug and his work for The Atlantic. it's a compelling, and at times horrifying, read. that any group would actively work against Borlaug's goals is ~~criminal~~ stunning to me.

Sasakawa called Borlaug, who related his inability to obtain World Bank or foundation help for high-yield-agriculture initiatives in Africa. Sasakawa was dumbfounded that a Nobel Peace Prize winner couldn't get backing for a philanthropic endeavor. He offered to fund Borlaug in Africa for five years. Borlaug said, "I'm seventy-one. I'm too old to start again." Sasakawa replied, "I'm fifteen years older than you, so I guess we should have started yesterday."