order, power, and the importance of history – hitler in india

here's a topic i've discussed in passing for the past five years and now i suppose it is time to write on it. this article just came out, covering, roughly, hitler, gandhi, and bal thackarey in indian political discussion. i am not entirely certain of article's claims on the extent to which admiration of hitler and dissatisfaction withContinue reading "order, power, and the importance of history – hitler in india"

diwali and drugs – lessons from drug sales in india

as, you know, possibly from watching The Colbert Report, it's dwali. as stephan and wikipedia note, diwali is the festival of lights or lamps.  being in india - or at least chennai - however, one might be hard-pressed to think that it was not the festival of sound (also, sweet pongal).  firecrackers - or 'crackers' - playContinue reading "diwali and drugs – lessons from drug sales in india"

AMFm post over at CGD – a few thoughts on the conversation

here's the series: http://blogs.cgdev.org/globalhealth/2012/09/what-the-pre-post-evaluation-of-amfm-can-tell-us.php http://blogs.cgdev.org/globalhealth/2012/11/the-future-of-amfm-making-sense-from-all-the-noise.php http://blogs.cgdev.org/globalhealth/2012/11/the-future-of-amfm-realpolitik-and-realistic-options-part-ii.php @altmandaniel pointed out that our position on what the Board should decide in the final post was not entirely clear. this is true - our goal was to lay out the positions and process rather than take a strong stance on the outcome. with regard to outcomes, the matching-basedContinue reading "AMFm post over at CGD – a few thoughts on the conversation"

getting out the vote in columbus

I made a very last-minute decision to go to Columbus, Ohio for the get-out-the-vote effort for the few days before the election and while I am still in a zombie-like, sleep-deprived and fast-food filled state, I am very glad I did. Our ‘turf’ was in Franklin County and we worked in predominantly African-American, low-income areas.Continue reading "getting out the vote in columbus"

mo money, mo pirates

most of the pirate attacks appear to be the work of Nigerian crime syndicates that have been operating in their own oil-rich country for years. the rest of the story is here.    

somali pirates convicted in german court

full article here. arguments about being forced into piracy by a leader rejected arguments about being forced into piracy (or not actually committing piracy) because of desperation also not dismissed, although taken into account in sentencing 7 years for adults, 3 years for minors

why avon and not tupperware? among other questions on micro-franchises for health (& beauty) commodities in low-income settings

sometimes there are things that you say about work-related topics that you think you should only say with friends at the bar and then it turns out other people are thinking about it. like, 'why can't haiti be part of africa?' and then this happens. my growing feeling is that there shouldn't be such aContinue reading "why avon and not tupperware? among other questions on micro-franchises for health (& beauty) commodities in low-income settings"

kenyan courts can start trying somali (and other) pirates caught in international waters

full story here. follow[ing] a 2010 Kenyan High Court judgement [that] courts could only deal with offenses carried out within the country's territory... Kenya's Court of Appeal rules the country's courts have jurisdiction to try pirates caught in international waters.    

magic bullets are bad and silver bullets are hard to come by (agenda for approaching resistance to malaria treatments)

i have previously discussed the bizarre origin of 'magic bullets' as a phrase used positively and aspirationally in public health - as well as the folly it represents: relying on a single approach to a public health problem rather than doing multiple, hopefully coordinated, activities.* my feeling is that something silver-bullety is going on right now in discussionsContinue reading "magic bullets are bad and silver bullets are hard to come by (agenda for approaching resistance to malaria treatments)"

presentation tricks & tips from the US presidential & VP debates

presidential 1: "no, i wouldn't have gone over the time limit if you hadn't interrupted me to point out the limit. VP: "no, i can't give you more specifics but i can repeat the same thing, slower and with hand gestures. (or try link here.) presidential 2: don't do this while other people are talking. the slower, non-defensiveContinue reading "presentation tricks & tips from the US presidential & VP debates"