Is it true that the Gates Foundation’s dominance in malaria research will stifle the diversity of views of many scientists? There has been written objection that the newly created Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington will mirror the core tasks of the World Health organization.

I agree with the mirroring of the tasks but with one exception. The pressure of members’ countries will not influence it. It is an independent Institute free from a country’s financial control.

Control and influence is dependent upon the amount of outside financing.

The Gates Foundation’s 105 million grant very much allows for the setting of the standard without the politics.

The Federal government is spending mega hours and money to have the right to deport 134 plus individuals whom were the wives of men who have died. These women would have become citizens had their husbands not died and they are not a risk to the USA. In one case they have said they will abide by the ninth district courts decision not to deport a specific women. For a government agency on principal to be fighting for the right to deport the individuals is such a waste of time and money. This group of women and their families that would otherwise have become citizens except for the fact the husbands died before the process was completed.

The money would be better spent on processing the thousands of pending delayed requested for citizenship. Individuals, organizations and foundations should voice their support of an immigration policy that is fair, efficient and meets unmet needs of the USA. Remember it is an election year. While you can not campaign for a candidate, you can certainly public what is good immigration policy.

Dancing is something that you don’t think about. It’s some form of self expression that no one can ever take away from you.

Help kids to dance, its not violent.

Health is important because it can save your life. Even the earth if you be nice to it. Grow carrots, tomatoes or a vegetable. I grow vegetables. Everyone needs water and food.

Support teaching kids how to grow food.

Helping is important because you just don’t help yourself. You help other people and the earth. You should help when you see garbage on the ground or when someone says help!!!!.

Getting involved is a great way to be socially responsible.

Individuals in the financial markets are trying to blame the inaccuracy of credit scores as the reason for the losses incurred by the financial industry. They need a scapegoat!!!

Credit scores do not take into consideration when credit companies change their rules. For instance American Express allows many customers to carry balances, but can discontinue said benefit without notice.

Credit scores do not take into consideration interest rates increases.

Credit scores do not take into consideration medical bills

Credit scores do not take into consideration the increase in fuel costs.

Credit scores do not take into consideration a car accident and that insurance does not pay for its replacement.

Credit scores do not take into consideration health premiums increasing.

Credit scores do not take into consideration the cost of childcare.

Credit Scores do not take into consideration being laid off.

Credit scores do not take into consideration the costs of having another child.

A Credit score is a picture of the past.Financial verification of income and certain expenses of today is their choice.The financial entity decides if the risk is worth it, not the score.

The financial meltdown of the credit market has presented a picture that is disturbing. It looks like the industry was bent on squeezing every dime from individuals and passing the risk to another. Fairest and honesty seems to be missing from the investment instrument. The lacking elements of risk has many features of being fraudulent. The fiscal mess will take awhile to resolve itself.

The nonprofit community has an opportunity to take advantage of the mess to replace some of these inappropriate ways of financing for their employees and community. Most nonprofits are use to being transparent. The involvement of nonprofits in stabilizing the financial markets with Micro lending as well as sponsoring the creation of jobs and housing will go a long way. Invest in the future of your employees and community.

Service Employers International (a unit of KBR) employing 20,000 workers in Iraq and Overseas Administrative Services employing 1,020 workers in Iraq are just two examples of tax haven companies.

KBR from 2004-2006 earns $16,059,282,020 according to the Boston Globe.  What they did not pay was social security, unemployment, Medicare, or workers comp on any USA citizens whom worked for them.  A large segment of the payroll expenses are for USA citizens.  This resulted in about $500,000,0000 is lost taxes to the USA.  KBR has said the savings were passed on to the military.  We all know what that means.  The honest taxpayer is paying for those benefits that the employee will need in the future.  KBR is incorporated in the Cayman Islands.  This is considered a tax haven for companies to avoid paying taxes.   It is important that the IRS fully vent whether the company is a shell corporation and bring all punish to bear.  There has been lots of publicity of the IRS investigating nonprofits and their appropriate use of their status and self-dealing.  I have not read of any investigation by the IRS on these companies in the tax havens.  There are millions to recover.

I propose that any recovery from these companies be set in a trust fund for the future use of the military service men and women to help them with job training, college tuition, and medical expenses.  There are tens of thousands of them and they need to have the US government’s long-term commitment.  The equal access of standard of treatment for all of the returning soldiers requires this and it must be placed on the backs of those corporations that have used the war to profit illegally.

Many farmers are finding that the competition between feeding America and fueling America is increasing their cash take.

Federal Subsidies still exist. It would be better for the government to buy the small farmers’ commodity for a set price, then to have the subsidy and having them sell it on the open market. The government can decide based on need whether feeding the hungry or reducing the USA’s dependence on oil is more important.

The current system makes the voter pay taxes for the subsidy, pay increased costs for food and increased costs for fuel. Systems of making voters pay more for less are not good policy. The problem is that the subsidy was not created to support what has expanded into a diversifying of a business to use their products for more than one thing.

The farmer was the main source many years ago for making sure that the USA could be food independent and supporting the farmer was the right thing to do. However, the USA’s dependence on foreign fuel has created a need to use food stock and convert it into fuel. The price of foreign fuel has only created an increase demand on the food commodities.

There are many resources that people do not consume to survive, such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, nuclear, wave motion, etc. and therefore, do not impact the price of food.

Alternative energy should not result in a policy that makes it a choice between food and fuel. Organizations who deal with feeding those in need of food and those who are supporting alternative energy initiatives should work together to make sure a policy of fuel independence does not create other harms.

Cartoons by Speartoons

Food, Housing, Clothing, Jobs and the Environment are the basic elements for survival.

Food:  access to sufficient foods to have a balance diet and access to sufficient water.

Housing: affordable housing stock at a cost that is 30% of individual’s income.  A living wage standard is critical to make this happen.

Clothing:  protection from the environment and supportive role for individual

Jobs: training our youth, training the hard to place, and retraining.

Environment:  Whether it is global warming or safe drinking water, or the poisoning of children and adults by the environment or violence, it is a critical element for the survival of individuals.  This area should include equal access to any service, which should include music, arts, sports, and education.

To more adequately serve a community the nonprofits, government, donors and business partners need to be committed to sharing and distributing the wealth of the USA to provide equal access to services.  Geo coding of all available resources and needs will create a priority map and percent of need for every community.  While each nonprofit cannot be held responsible to create such a database, it does not stop an organization from strategically producing a sub set of the information for their organization.  This should be the blue print for an organization to think about for what services to provide and where to provide it.

In converting to a geo coding way to allocate resources, one other factor needs to be taken into consideration.  What is a reasonable distance for an individual to travel to have equal access?  I advocate that if access is within a 20 minute drive that access has been provided.  However, if the access is for individuals that do not drive then the next measure is what transportation options provide the 20minute access.  An exception should be made for specifically accessing youth programs.  It requires adapting the geo coding to an ability to walk to and from the program safely.

The main obstacle to GEO coding is that it documents why a community should or should not get resources. Who should be prioritized and makes it harder politically to allocate resources based on personal preference.

“Behavior is important for the reason that you may introduce yourself to someone you don’t know. You might be mean, but they might be tougher. It is important because you may destroy the world but if we don’t want the earth to destroy it’s self we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness. Talking first is better than fighting with fists. We should be more like Dr. Martin Luther King.”

He also wrote “What is a Best friend?”

I asked him why he was thinking about this. He was watching the news with me and said that it sounded like people were just being mean. Why do people not talk?

I raise this as an important aspect of human interaction since people always think the worse of someone base on assumptions. Therefore, organizations need to always be prepared to clearly respond to any misrepresentation of their brand, mission or services.