An interesting panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland:
The G8 and Africa: Rhetoric or Action?
In case you don't have the time to go through the entire 27min video, here are the locations of some important moments in the video.
12:00 min - Bill Gates
"..take the example of things that are working and really get that story out, prove that the money can be very well spent and show the impact that it has.." - Gates
16:00 min - Bono
"I don't think 6,000 Africans dying everyday of a preventable disease like AIDS is a 'cause'. I think it's an emergency. And, I don't think 3,000 Africans dying from a mosquito bite is a cause. I think it's an emergency." - Bono
19:15 min - Bill Clinton
"The President just asked for $80bn for the Iraq war for a year. For a pittance of that we could double America's international assistance in all these areas." - Clinton
"Anybody who says we shouldn't do this because there is corruption or incompetence ought to be put into a closet and not listened to again." - Clinton
23:00 min Bono
"Paint those AIDS drugs red, white and blue if you have to but they are the best advertisements for our ingenuity, our science, our capability.. " - Bono
For more WEF webcasts, go here.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Hindi-Chini bhai bhai
I just discovered a very interesting series of articles on rediff.com - The India-China War, 40 Years On
The articles are on the Indo-China war of 1962 and the articles were published in 2002 but I chanced upon them only tonight. I was reading about India and China in the CIA's "Mapping the Global Future" report and decided to google "india china", when I hit upon the rediff.com series.
The CIA's report that I mentioned above tries to predict the state of world affairs in the year 2020. The report is quite long and so I recommed the executive summary which has sufficient details and is a manageable read. If you are interested, you can also read the predictions for the year 2010 and 2015.
Now, coming back to the rediff.com series, I suggest that any Indian with even an iota of patriotism read at least a few of the articles and get to know India's history better. I strongly recommend the article on "How Nehru let us down". The history lessons we are taught in school talk only about the "greatness" of our leaders and never about their failings. This article takes a look at how a leader's foolhardiness led to animsoity between two great nations and the subsequent humiliation of several hundred million people. Will the seeds of distrust sown by Nehru ever be removed?
The articles are on the Indo-China war of 1962 and the articles were published in 2002 but I chanced upon them only tonight. I was reading about India and China in the CIA's "Mapping the Global Future" report and decided to google "india china", when I hit upon the rediff.com series.
The CIA's report that I mentioned above tries to predict the state of world affairs in the year 2020. The report is quite long and so I recommed the executive summary which has sufficient details and is a manageable read. If you are interested, you can also read the predictions for the year 2010 and 2015.
Now, coming back to the rediff.com series, I suggest that any Indian with even an iota of patriotism read at least a few of the articles and get to know India's history better. I strongly recommend the article on "How Nehru let us down". The history lessons we are taught in school talk only about the "greatness" of our leaders and never about their failings. This article takes a look at how a leader's foolhardiness led to animsoity between two great nations and the subsequent humiliation of several hundred million people. Will the seeds of distrust sown by Nehru ever be removed?
Monday, January 03, 2005
Donate Effectively!
From what I have been reading in the media, it appears to me that aid agencies have been flooded with donations and some of the donations may be going waste due to poor distribution. So, I assume that it might be safe to hold on to your donations for now and wait till the aid agencies get their logistics right.
While I suggest that you don't make any donations right away, I entreat you to decide on the amount of your donations and set aside the money NOW itself while the feeling lasts. Because six months later, when aid agencies run out of funds, when the politicians have got enough publicity and when govts have impressed enough (united) nations, your donations will be needed for the care of thousands of orphaned children and the rehabilitation of tens of thousands of people; your feelings for the afflicted then may not be as intense as they are now.
Remember, your obligation to humanity does not stop at the dotted lines on your checks. It starts there! Please donate wisely and generously, and ensure that your donations make a difference.
While I suggest that you don't make any donations right away, I entreat you to decide on the amount of your donations and set aside the money NOW itself while the feeling lasts. Because six months later, when aid agencies run out of funds, when the politicians have got enough publicity and when govts have impressed enough (united) nations, your donations will be needed for the care of thousands of orphaned children and the rehabilitation of tens of thousands of people; your feelings for the afflicted then may not be as intense as they are now.
Remember, your obligation to humanity does not stop at the dotted lines on your checks. It starts there! Please donate wisely and generously, and ensure that your donations make a difference.
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