This is a nice segment by Susan Hay of Global News on Story Planet. It goes a bit into not just what it is and how the programs are delivered, but also WHY the program is important.

Story Planet on Global from Story Planet on Vimeo.

I’m reading this book.  For fifteen years, the authors have worked with the poor in dozens of countries spanning 5 continents, trying to understand the specific problems that come with poverty and to find proven solutions.

They posit that the reason why so many anti-poverty policies have failed is because of an inadequate understanding of poverty and the related problems.  So far, I’m finding their pragmatism hopeful and their thoughtfulness refreshing.

 

Why would a man in Morocco who doesn’t have enough to eat buy a television?

Why is it so hard for children in poor areas to learn even when they attend school?

Why do the poorest people in the Indian state of Maharashtra spend 7 percent of their food budget on sugar?

Does having lots of children actually make you poorer?

via Poor Economics | Poor Economics.

I’m deeply saddened by the events in Haiti. My thoughts are with those who are suffering and those who are aiding the struggling nation.

Please help out by giving generously to your local Red Cross, or my perennial charity of choice, Médecins Sans Frontières.

Médecins Sans Frontières is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural or man-made disasters.

Please support me by making a donation by clicking through the link to my fundraising page here..

THANK YOU!

Despite mounting evidence that climate change is real, there are still people that disregard science and call it a hoax. There is NO credible evidence that climate change is not real. The issue is whether scientists can explain it with bulletproof precision. No, absolutely not. This isn’t how science works.

I blame science illiteracy and poor fact checking by the mass media for why the the general public is more confused and doubtful than ever. For instance, what’s the deal with quoting “experts” that are bankrolled by the fossil fuel industry?

Regardless, we all need to work to lessen the human foot print on earth. Climate change is only one way how our abuse of our planet is being manifested. Anyone that closes their eyes to the devastation to our environment is delusional!