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Feb

21

Dambisa Moyo: Stop all aid to Africa, give your money to Kiva.org

Filed Under Business, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Social Issues, Writing | Comments Off

Before you get lost in Oscarama glamorama, read this New York Times Magazine Q&A by Deborah Solomon. In pertinent part:

As a native of Zambia with advanced degrees in public policy and economics from Harvard and Oxford, you are about to publish an attack on Western aid to Africa and its recent glamorization by celebrities. ‘‘Dead Aid,’’ as your book is called, is particularly hard on rock stars. Have you met Bono?
I have, yes, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last year. It was at a party to raise money for Africans, and there were no Africans in the room, except for me.

What do you think of him?
I’ll make a general comment about this whole dependence on “celebrities.” I object to this situation as it is right now where they have inadvertently or manipulatively become the spokespeople for the African continent.

And the plug (well-deserved) for Kiva.org:

What do you think has held back Africans?
I believe it’s largely aid. You get the corruption — historically, leaders have stolen the money without penalty — and you get the dependency, which kills entrepreneurship. You also disenfranchise African citizens, because the government is beholden to foreign donors and not accountable to its people.

If people want to help out, what do you think they should do with their money if not make donations?
Microfinance. Give people jobs.

But what if you just want to donate, say, $25?
Go to the Internet and type in Kiva.org, where you can make a loan to an African entrepreneur.

Do you have a financial interest in Kiva?
No, except that I’ve made loans through the system. I don’t own a share of Kiva.

Maybe next week Solomon will have the celebrities response. Read more about Moyo here.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:04 pm February 21st, 2009 in Business, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Social Issues, Writing | Comments Off 

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Feb

21

FORTUNE cover 3/4/09: “How Facebook is taking over our lives”

Filed Under Business, Media, social media, Tech | Comments Off

This issue obviously went to print before Monday.

President Obama used it to get elected. Dell will recruit new hires with it. Microsoft’s new operating system borrows from it. No question, Facebook has friends in high places. Can CEO Mark Zuckerberg make those connections pay off? By Jessi Hempel 

There’s no link at the site for the cover story yet.  From an editorial perspective, I’ll try to remember to look and see if the magazine adds some kind of note to the next issue regarding the TOS kerfuffle, summed up very well in this CNET article.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:49 pm February 21st, 2009 in Business, Media, social media, Tech | Comments Off 

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Feb

21

Secretary of State Candidate Sandy O’Brien

Filed Under Politics | 3 Comments

That woke me up when I saw it at this COAST post:

[photo caption] COAST fundraiser on Thursday February 19 draws 263 attendees, our largest gathering yet.

…

Also speaking were COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd, COAST founder Tom Brinkman, Jr., State Auditor Mary Taylor, Secretary of State Candidate Sandy O’Brien and war hero Dr. Brad Wenstrup.

Though I have to say, if I see a name, separated from Tom Brinkman’s? By only a comma? That too will wake me up – or at least raise one eyebrow.

Here’s Ohio Daily Blog’s post on O’Brien’s announcement (though the video is from 2006, the comment from Anastasia Pantsios is classic!).

What’s so interesting about this descriptor of O’Brien as “Secretary of State candidate” is that less than a month ago, the Columbus Dispatch reported that Ohio Republican Party chair Kevin DeWine spoke w/O’Brien about running for state treasurer.  Does this mean that they’ve cleared her out of the treasurer’s race and are instead getting behind State Rep. Josh Mandel? (O’Brien lost her 2006 race for that seat to Rich Cordray.)

Hmm O’Brien…Husted…for SOS? Clearing the way for Mandel? I’ve heard stories about what “clearing the field” and Mandel mean when they go together.

Here’s a sample of what was written about O’Brien in her race against Cordray.  And here’s a post about the power of party endorsements which in 2006 saw the ORP-endorsed Jeannette Bradley (whom I’ve met and really was impressed by) lose to O’Brien. 

Oh that crazy ORP.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:10 pm February 21st, 2009 in Politics | 3 Comments 

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Feb

21

Ohio legislature should intro media literacy education requirement

Filed Under Education, Government, leadership, Ohio, Politics | 14 Comments

While Ohio Governor Ted Strickland takes aim at wholesale education reform, here’s an idea from the New Mexico state legislature that the Ohio legislature should pursue. I’m even going to send it to my state representative with a request that he introduce and support it.

From the New Mexico Independent:

This year in the New Mexico Legislature, lawmakers plan to introduce a “media literacy in schools” bill.

Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas, D-Albuquerque, is the sponsor of House Bill 342, which states that all public middle and high schools must offer a media literacy elective. With the passage of such a bill, students can learn to think critically about the media they listen to, watch, read and create.

Young people spend an average of six and a half hours per day with some form of media, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report. This research is evidence of the critical need to empower people to negotiate the media messages in their lives.

One solution is media literacy education. Just as literacy refers to the skills related to reading and writing, media literacy refers to accessing, analyzing, evaluating and creating media.

Any state that expects that one of the demographics it’s going to attract and retain is people interested in the public schools of that state, must include media literacy in its state’s education curriculum in order to demonstrate its present day and future-thinking mindset.  The days of not having an e-mail address for communicating with others – as a baseline, minimum example – are going the way of the full service gas station.  Especially in the age of a president who uses a Blackberry.

So – how about it Ohio legislature? House Speaker Budish? Chancellor Fingerhut? Superintendent DeLisle (check out this link – did you know the ODE has a blog?)?

Media literacy as a requirement of Ohio public school education. I like it.  

Here’s the NM bill.

Major hattip to Cara Lisa Powers at By Any Media Necessary.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:11 pm February 21st, 2009 in Education, Government, leadership, Ohio, Politics | 14 Comments 

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