Live8 Concert

[simplydamon]

Is anyone following the Live8 concert?
Do you think it will have an affect on the poverty situation in Africa?

[George]

Yea was watching the concert on AOL. Woke up late and miss going to see it live in philly. But I think watching it at home is better. You get to switch from one country to another and not have to deal with the heat.

The affect on poverty is only going to be fleeting. I say it will only be for a couple of months after the G8 meeting.

[lifesab-andthenyoudie]

After the disaster that was LiveAid where none of the money raised actually got to the people who needed it, I'm not so sure this event will make a difference. The main problems with third world poverty are so complex. Corrupt governments. Overwhelming debt service. Some of the debt service these countries are carrying exceeds their GNP. Poorly lacking infrastructure. It's going to take a lot more than some rockers entertaining us to solve this problem.

And while I'm all for charitable giving, I guess I'm a bit conservative in thinking that, in the U.S. at least, we should be concentrating a bit more on these issues that exist right inside our own borders. But I do believe there are ways to help and reducing the debt or relieving the debt service is a great one. First, it's enforceable. If a country's government will not come clean and make sure the money gets to where it's needed, then we don't take steps to reduce their debt. Second, it doesn't rely soley on the charity of a few. And third, it doesn't come directly out of the taxpayers pocket.

[SimplyDave]

i don't know if there's a reason to preference people here in the US over people in other countries... personally, i choose to take care of my family & friends first, but after that pretty much everyone in the world is considered equal as far as i'm concerned.

i agree with you that poverty issues are very complex, and in general massive amounts of aid usually end up in the pockets of corrupt governments or bureaucratic organizations. on the other hand, there are certainly areas like healthcare and agriculture that have very straightforward (though not necessarily simple) solutions and for the most part just require funding to help create broader education & awareness.

i'm a big believer in the microcredit/microfinance movement (see the Grameen Foundation for a popular example) as a better way to help alleviate poverty than direct aid or handouts. I contribute both time & money to a non-profit group called Unitus (http://www.unitus.com) that is doing great work in Africa, Latin America, and Asia (primarily India) to help select, finance, & support other microfinance institutions & organizations.

For more on this subject, you can also checkout a program on PBS sponsored by the Skoll Foundation (http://www.skollfoundation.org/) called the New Heroes (http://www.skollfoundation.org/newheroes/index.asp).

For local issues, i contribute time & money to a group called the Full Circle Fund (http://www.fullcirclefund.org) up in San Francisco that works on education, housing, and technology enablement for people in the SF bay area.

Anyway, i think that the Gates Foundation is doing some great work to help deal with AIDS prevention & education, and other health/disease related issues. That said, i'm not sure the answer to worldwide poverty is a massive aid handout that will end up in corrupt and/or bureacratic hands. I'm much more interested in using funds to empower people to help themselves.

[simplydamon]

I would highly recommend reading "World on Fire" by Amy Chua. The book has some interesting arguments against globalization and free market democracy. As always, it is good to read a wide variety of different opinions on the topics of today. I read both "conservative" and "liberal" books (the books probably end up making make me a "moderate" :D ).

[lifesab-andthenyoudie]

So either Ann Coulter or Michael Moore are ok in your book? LOL


Sounds like a good book. I'll have to search it out. Thanks for the recommendation.

[simplydamon]

To be honest, Ann Coulter & Michael Moore both drive me nuts;) ( I've read more Michael Moore to be honest).

I don't like it when people feel the need to be mean to make their point known. Ideology shouldn't blind you to the fact that there other party might have valid points:) I once had an argument with a friend of mine about being able to be both "liberal" and "conservative". They said it wasn't possible...of course it is! I would doubt that there are too many people that are 100% on the same side of the fence on every issue.

I do like Dave drawing attention to micro-finance. I think it is much better to show people the way on how to help themselves. While I don't donate a ton to charity, I do make it a point to contribute directly to an individual person that is having an issue (if that makes sense). I know that the money I give to them isn't being squandered in any way.

[lifesab-andthenyoudie]

Ann and Michael both drive me nuts too because they both misuse their positions in the media to present their opinions as facts. I have more contempt for Moore in this regard because he positions himself as an objective journalist uncovering the true story when in fact, the documentaries and movies he makes are really just one sided blather. I have the same problem with Oliver Stone. And on the other side, Rush Limbaugh.

I do like Jay Severin and Laura Ingraham though. I might not agree with everything they say, but they sure are entertaining.

[simplydamon]

There are a number of authors, ones that don't write politically, that I wish would. For example, I really enjoy books written by Jared Diamond because of their approach on seeing/resolving issues in a scientific way. Politics are rarely scientific; they tend to be rather emotional in nature.