via the99percent.com

Nick Kristof had a piece in the NYTimes on Saturday entitled “Death by Gadget” where he pointed out the relationship between the iPhone (and other electronic devices) and the war in Congo: An ugly paradox of the 21st century is that some of our elegant symbols of modernity — smartphones, laptops and digital cameras — [...]

One of my favorite documentary series to watch online is Vanguard: Current Events. This weekend I watched their most recent episode on “Soccer’s Lost Boys” — an inside look at the exploitation and trafficking of Africa’s hopeful youth. It’s really tough to believe that this sort of crime exists in today’s world, but it illustrates the desperation [...]

I had the privilege to meet Paul Sika a few weeks ago at AfricaGathering in DC, and was instantly inspired by his charisma and vision. Paul is a photographer and emerging businessman from Cote d’Ivoire. He gave an amazing talk at the conference that not only reflected his lighthearted and energetic personality, but also a [...]

I had an opportunity recently to share an introductory presentation on social intra/entrepreneurship with a class of high school seniors at The Culver Academies on March 10, 2010. These students were sharp and did a great job of outlining the case for “Good Business” at the beginning of the presentation and asked fantastic questions throughout! Despite [...]

C.K. Prahalad, author of “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid”, spoke to the 2009 class of Acumen Fellows providing perspective and insight into working among the poorest in the world. Key points: Don’t do it for guilt or morality, do it for intellectual stimulation Leadership is about the future, change, and opportunity Thinking [...]

A couple of weeks ago I shared the above image put together by Appfrica Labs that illustrates the “conspicuous correlation” between conflict areas and mining of coltan deposits (minerals used in many of our electronic devices). I wrote this quick analysis: One of the major factors feeding genocide and violent crimes against humanity is that [...]

I’m a strong critic of our current system for US Foreign Assistance and its systemic inability to effect sustainable social change on a scale worthy of the amounts we invest. This documentary, “What Are We Doing Here?” travels to through the developing world to ask the tough questions about our foreign assistance programs. This is [...]