Not Victims But Warriors

David Kirp, a public policy professor at Berkeley, writes in a NYT op-ed about an anti-poverty program in Houston where they did something quite rarely done: They asked people in some neighborhoods with high poverty rate, what they needed. That he points out has not been Continue reading “Not Victims But Warriors”

A Moral Undertone

While reading about the warm water bidet toilet seat which cleanses way better than the softest bathroom tissue, I couldn’t help but think of the millions who are forced into open defecation, the millions without bathrooms or those who maybe only have an outdoor privy. The luxury bidet starts at $250 and goes up to $1700. That’s the income of several months or perhaps several years for the multitude who live on $1.25 a day. For those who can afford the warm water bidet toilet seat, however, the article’s author vouches for not being able to do without it once you’ve tried it.
The world is full of inequalities, some more striking than others, some more vital than others. According to a new study in the Lancet, five billion Continue reading “A Moral Undertone”

Hope For The Planet

A recently released report by several UN agencies shows that the number of hungry people has declined despite rise in population. It was one billion about 25 years ago and is about 795 million today. In the developing world 23.3% of the population was hungry 25 years ago. Today it is 12.9%. Progress is more pronounced in East Asia, Southeast and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The reasons for the success are attributed to stable political conditions and economic growth. The report does not omit failures, mainly in Africa where in some areas Continue reading “Hope For The Planet”