by David Steven | Apr 26, 2007 | North America
Laurie David and Sheryl Crowe question Karl Rove about climate change…
We felt compelled to remind him that the research is done and the results are in (www.IPCC.ch). Mr. Rove exploded with even more venom. Like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum, Mr. Rove launched into a series of illogical arguments regarding China not doing enough thus neither should we. (Since when do we follow China’s lead?)
At some point during his ramblings, we became heartbroken to think that the President of the United States and his top advisers have partially built a career on global warming not being real… In his attempt to dismiss us, Mr. Rove turned to head toward his table, but as soon as he did so, Sheryl reached out to touch his arm. Karl swung around and spat, “Don’t touch me.”
by Alex Evans | Apr 26, 2007 | Economics and development, Influence and networks
Fed up with just paying your Oxfam subscription and never seeing where it goes? Help is at hand! Kiva.org uses partnerships with micro-credit lenders all over the world to allow you to browse specific micro-loan applications, and choose which ones you want to lend money to.
Every credit applicant has submitted a photo and a business plan, and you can lend direct from your credit card. Then, during the life of the loan (usually 6-12 months) you get email updates on how the business is faring. And when your funds are returned to you, you can either withdraw them or re-loan them. Neat, huh?
But the site also sends an important message to people in the aid industry: proof of aid effectiveness is increasingly going to shift from a ‘trust us’ to a ‘show me’ model. Kiva’s key selling point, after all, is its transparency – it’s no accident that one of the strap lines is “we show you where your money goes”.
