To Brian and Davy:
I don't want to sound cynical, but while I was in Zimbabwe, I played tennis daily, and swam in the swimming pool of the director of the biggest of African Charities. He had 5 servants, who were not there when he hosted a party for leading political and charity figures. Every morning there was a stream of Mercedes from the directors of various charities on their way to downtown Harare. The director, BTW, was quite effective at what he did, but I still became cynical at the number of people I met from charities who simply attended various conferences, mainly on dealing with AIDS. When I asked what they did to curb the AIDS, there was simply a discussion of how good the last conference was. Yet one person, John Wilson, who was well funded was running a tremendous program from the Psychology Department.
When I sent a bunch of books to the library of the University of Z., they were held up in customs and it required a major effort for them to get released without paying bribes. It became more trouble than it was worth.
I visited people in India and I was appalled by the degree of corruption that was accepted as normal. Both parents of one of my graduate students were professors in a medical school, and they also told stories of how graft is rampant. I am therefore reluctant to give to India, although the need was clearly demonstrable.
We may never agree of a designated target and that's fine. Brian, you inspired me and my wife to give to the library at the University of Asmara in Eritrea. Read the State Department report, or the Time Magazine article of a couple of years ago before Clinton visited Africa. Their assessments are in line with my experience of no corruption, no crime, no begging, a hard-working and resourceful people with a per-capita income of $250 per year.
IMO, giving to their library will be more like giving the fishing pole than providing fish.
If people find this too off topic, let's keep it private. My hope is that we give other beneficiaries of the huge gains in the market some food for thought.
fred |
