if anyone has art, desserts or services to donate, or wants to attend the zimbags auction on world aids day, read this

Interesting idea. I'm not sure I completely agree with it.

Quoted: The presidential candidates should look to reform our system of foreign aid by modeling it on the successful programs the U.S. has used to reduce domestic poverty.

This is really cool. I'm so glad to hear they're trying this

Quoted: U.S. Members of Congress to Live on a Food Stamp Budget from May 15-21.

A great article on poverty by the CGD's Nancy Birdsall.

Also relevant to our book club's latest selection (see Eric's dot on Vollman's book)

Quoted: An article by Nancy Birdsall from Boston Review, March/April 2007

this article is from last week but i just saw it.
there's a similar, but more detailed, article in Washington CEO magazine.

This is really exciting - a Bangladesh microcredit anti-poverty group, the Grameen Bank - won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Quoted: Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank are awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.

BeadforLife is an incredible program helping poor women - refugees from the civil war in the north - in Uganda. It was started by a grad school classmate and her mother. They are having a fund/awareness raising party this Sunday on the waterfront in Seattle. The beaded jewelry is really nice - I have some, and I plan to go to the party. You should check it out.

Hilarious spoof on Gates Foundation's international efforts.

Quoted: WASHINGTON, D.C.—Tankers carrying millions of vials of the AIDS virus departed for Africa today as part of an effort to stop the charitable organization's onslaught of relief.

interesting article on how little is tracked and how little we know about what works in terms of foreign development aid and assistance. Throwing money at problems alone doesn't fix them, and despite the G8 pledges to throw more money, which is good, problems are getting worse.