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ALPS last week unveiled its index-based exchange-traded fund joint venture with Goldman Sachs in the form of four new ETFs.
The three Momentum Builder Index ETFs are the ALPS/GS Momentum BuilderGrowth Markets Equities and U.S. Treasuries Index ETF (GSGO), the ALPS/GS Momentum Builder Multi-Asset Index ETF (GSMA) and the ALPS/GS Momentum Builder Asia ex-Japan Equities and U.S. Treasuries Index ETF (GSAX). The fourth product is the ALPS/GS Risk-Adjusted Return U.S. Large Cap Index ETF(GSRA).
This collaboration helps us achieve our shared goal of providing ETF investors with thoughtful index-based investment alternatives with various types of market exposures, stated Federico Gilly, managing director and head of the Equity Sales Strats and Structuring Group at Goldman Sachs.
All On Wall Street articles are archived after 7 days. REGISTER NOW for unlimited access to all recently archived articles, as well as thousands of searchable stories. Registered Members also gain access to exclusive industry white paper downloads, web seminars, blog discussions, the iPad App, CE Exams, and conference discounts. Qualified members may also choose to receive our free monthly magazine and any of our daily or weekly e-newsletters covering the latest breaking news, opinions from industry leaders, developing trends and growth strategies.


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Today is Valentine's Day, the day most of us try and impress our loved one by either being kind, generous or maybe even both.
A survey I read says the average male will spend $131 on Valentine's Day. It could be on anything from dinner out to flowers.
With Valentine's Day on Thursday, I have a feeling there will be plenty of carry over to the weekend with a lot of Valentine's celebrations taking place then.
Night out
The annual dinner and comedy night out for McKinley Park will be March 2. A smoked prime rib dinner and a number of out-of-town comedians will highlight the evening.
There are only 300 tickets, and the event was a sell out last year, so if you would like a ticket, you can get more information and tickets at the Creston News Advertiser office. Tickets are $25 each for a fun evening.
Everybody needs a little laughter now and then.
The Iowa State High School Wrestling tournament is going on this weekend. There is always a great crowd for the event up in Des Moines.
The one wrestling "downer" for the week was the announcement they are looking to discontinue the event at the Olympics starting in 2020. As usual, it sounds like there is some politics involved in removing the sport. There is still a chance they may reinstate the sport, but the wrestling folks are going to have to get out there and lobby to keep it as an Olympic sport.
Presidents Day
Next Monday a lot of government folks get the day off for Presidents Day. There won't be mail on Monday.
Of course, starting in August you won't get any mail on Saturdays either if the post office gets its way. It will be interesting to see if Congress gets involved and tries to stop the move by the post office.
The only way the post office will ever be able to make money is to close about half of its offices across the country.
Speaking of nondelivery, I hear the folks who get the Des Moines Register delivered by carrier in Creston will not be getting it starting next week.
They seem to have had a tough time getting it delivered and are finally giving up the delivery of the paper locally. It's either by mail or buy one somewhere.
New stuff
The Creston News Advertiser received some new equipment this week.
We will now be using computer-to-plate equipment to print our product.
This new process will eliminate the use of film in putting together our newspaper. Plus, we also put into play a new system that will put bar codes on our mail subscriptions.
Both processes will help us keep up to date with the newspaper business of 2013. The new machinery costs about $80,000.
The end of next week many of our area farmer friends will receive a free copy of our new ag magazine the Creston News Advertiser is publishing.
We will have some extras here at the newspaper, but if you are interested in a copy of the glossy magazine, you can give us your address, and we will be glad to send you one.
The magazine will come out three times a year and feature many stories on area ag producers and issues.
I sure don't like the looks of all the ponds and lakes around the area. Even with the snow and rain we have had the past few weeks, it doesn't seem like it has even made a dent in raising the water levels. I'm hoping for a bunch more rain this spring so we can get the waterways back to normal.
Thought for the week: America is more wild and absurd than ever. — Edmund Burke, 1769

subset: commoncrawl


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John Baker founded Desire2Learn in 1999 at the age of 22, while still a student at the University of Waterloo. With passion, dedication and an exceptionally strong team behind him he has grown Desire2Learn to 375 employees and more than 8 million users worldwide, all completely through self-funding. John is a strong believer in community involvement devoting both personal and business efforts to local entrepreneurship and development and applying technology to improve society worldwide.
Desire2Learn has been recognized for four consecutive years as one of Canada's fastest growing technology companies in the prestigious Deloitte Technology Fast 50; was the first academically focused learning management system (LMS) to implement the SCORM content standard; released the first Learning Repository in the industry; has received unanimous endorsement from MiCTA and the ATAlliance organizations twice for Desire2Learn Learning Environment and Learning Repository and received the USDLA 21st Century Best Practice Distance Learning Award in 2009.
John has been honored with the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, the KPMG Excellence in Technology Award and the Waterloo Region Record 40 Under 40.
Through Desire2Learn, John is committed to collaborating with clients to improve human potential globally by providing the most innovative technology for teaching and learning to make eLearning accessible to all.
Dr. John Campbell is the Associate Vice President of Academic Technologies at Purdue University. For more than twenty years, John has been involved in the use of technology within higher education. During the past ten years, John has examined methods to use academic analytics to identify students at risk within courses. He was the founder of the Signals project, which has been featured on NBC and in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Signals has also been awarded the 2011 Digital Educational Achievement Award and the 2011 Campus Technology Innovators Award for Teaching and Learning. John has given over 25 presentations on academic analytics and written a number of publications. In addition, John has presented and written on topics ranging from learning design to research computing. During the upcoming two years, John will guide the efforts of a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant to build capacity for implementing analytics within eight institutions as well as scaling Purdue's local implementation to more than 20,000 students per year. John was awarded the 2006 IT Leadership Award for Pedagogy and IT Practice by EdTech Magazine. He was also awarded the 2007 Ones to Watch Award by CIO Magazine and the 2006 IT Leadership Award for Pedagogy and Practice by EdTech magazine. During his time at Purdue, his groups have received more than a dozen awards for projects such as Signals, Hotseat, DiaGrid, HUBzero, and data center management.
Since January 2003, Dr. Nicole Catapano has been working as Coordinator for the WSWHE BOCES Data Analysis Service, assisting 31 component districts in the analysis, interpretation, and use of data. In this role, Nicole provides staff development to teachers and administrators regarding student related performance data, surveys, and classroom assessments. Previously, Nicole was the Assistant Director of the University at Albany's Evaluation Consortium and the Director of Institutional Research and Planning at Adirondack Community College (ACC). Nicole completed her Ph.D. in Social Psychology at the University of Connecticut, focusing on attitude and behavior change.
Robert Dolan, Jr. is the Worldwide Government and Education Industry Executive for IBM Business Intelligence and Performance Management and is responsible for defining the performance management strategy for Government and Education worldwide. He has 20 years experience working in a variety of marketing roles, focused on public sector marketing, industry marketing, field marketing and global marketing campaigns with resellers, solution providers and software companies. Prior to coming to IBM, he worked for software companies in the business intelligence and storage management spaces as well as a number of solution providers providing hardware, software and services to the public sector. Robert is based in the Washington, DC area.
Mr. Harris has over 20 years experience working in a variety of software sales and marketing roles in the public sector space. Tom has a BA from the University of Maryland and an MS in Information Systems Technology from George Washington University.
Jimmy Jung currently serves as the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management at The College at Brockport (State University of New York). Jimmy has over ten years of experience developing and implementing data mining and statistical models in a higher education setting. He is widely recognized as leader in using predictive analytics in enrollment management to improve student retention, increase tuition revenue, and enhance academic outcomes. Jimmy has presented his work at both national and international conferences.
Mr. King has been with IBM for over 20 years in various executive and management positions. He is currently the worldwide leader for the IBM Education Industry with responsibility for strategy, marketing and sales across schools and higher education.
Mr. King holds Bachelor's of Science degrees in Physics and Engineering from Kansas State University and an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the IMS Global Learning Consortium standards organization, the California P16 Education Advisory Council, and the Business Higher Education Forum
Dr. Silberglitt is the Director of Software Applications for TIES, a technology cooperative of 46 Minnesota school districts. He manages the design, development, and implementation of enterprise Student Information, Finance, and HR/Payroll systems, as well as the IBM Cognos data warehouse and BI toolset. Dr. Silberglitt completed his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, and has a background in a range of education-related subject areas, including: school organization and systems-level change, student assessment, Response to Intervention, and using data to improve and inform both operational and instructional decision-making E-12.
Kenneth Stehlik-Barry has acquired expertise in a wide-range of predictive analytic techniques during his 30-year tenure at SPSS, an IBM Company. He joined SPSS as manager of training and subsequently took responsibility for the technical support and statistics groups in addition to training. For the past 16 years, he has worked as a project manager and a principal analytics consultant on consulting projects for major SPSS clients.
Patricia A. (Patty) Sullivan is the Education Solutions Executive for IBM's Global Education Industry. Her responsibilities include the strategy for IBM's solutions to higher education institutions and K-12 school districts worldwide. Patty leads efforts to create offerings responsive to the education industry's needs which combine IBM's products and services with those from other companies and public organizations. Her current area of emphasis is the creation of academic, administrative and research solutions based on Open Source Applications and Standards emerging from collaborative communities around the globe.
Patty is a graduate of Stanford University with a B.S. in Mathematical Sciences and the mother of one daughter. She is currently board officer chairperson for the Foundation for California Community Colleges, advises several not-for-profit organizations serving the elderly and higher education outreach, and is a professional mentor for women executives.
Ellen Wagner is Executive Director of WCET. A program of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies works to accelerate the adoption of effective practices and policies that advance excellence in technology-enhanced teaching and learning in higher education. Wagner is also Partner and Founder of Sage Road Solutions, LLC, providing advisory oversight for industry intelligence and enablement services and solutions practices. Dr. Wagner is the former senior director of worldwide e-learning, Adobe Systems, Inc. and was senior director of worldwide education solutions for Macromedia, Inc. Prior to working in software solutions marketing and product development, she was Chief Learning Officer and Director of Education for Viviance New Education, a Swiss-based elearning company with offices in 10 North American and European countries. She was Chief Learning Officer and Vice President of Consulting Services for Informania, Inc., prior to its acquisition by Viviance. Before joining the private sector, she was a tenured Professor and Chair of the Educational Technology program at the University of Northern Colorado, and held several administrative posts, including Director of the Western Institute for Distance Education and Coordinator of Campus Instructional and Research Technologies, Academic Affairs.
David Wright is Assistant Vice-President for Strategic Planning and Business Intelligence at Wichita State University. In addition to these duties he also serves as chief architect of the Business Intelligence and Predictive Modeling (BIPM) system, Professor of Sociology and provides training in data management and statistical analysis.


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- Innocent Ukomba
- Harare
- Zimbabwe
Visionary, inChrist
This conversation is closed.
Can donor funding really fix African challenges, or should we empower African communities to address their own challenges?
Charity gives but does not really transform. For a very long time, donor assistance has been chanelled through to Africa and that really hasnt changed much. Could it be possible to birth a generation of people who are willing to be empowered with means of generating income that eventually get channeled back into communities for purposes of delivering renewal and transformation? How do we get communities to participate in the engineering of a promising future both for the continent and individual nations?
Jan 23 2013: Too much money were given to most African countries but unfortunately most African countries are awfully poor.l believe that Africa can survive or even thrive without a dime from the donors.Anyway most of money from donors are misused by the leaders.Africa needs something more powerful than money to help it become the best of the best.Feb 5 2013: the greatest need in Africa is not donor funding because it has failed which means there must be something that Africa needs more than donor funding and my viewpoint is:Africa lacks practicality in the idea that it can't transform theory into practice we have degreed people but still can't transform knowledge into productivity,strategic generational projection in the idea that the problem didn't start today but it's something that accumulated over time however Africa being one of the most resourced continent i think this is where African problems are emanating from 1.systems- Africa has no power over the systems that governs them, the African systems are alluded to colonialism remember he who puts systems in place has the power to control Africa drove away colonial masters from a physical perspective but the colonial masters never loosed their mind why are the donors not teaching Africa to produce their own money i will allude also the African perpetuating problems to donors because they are promoting dependency syndrome i think what Africa needs is a drive towards a Spirit of ownership,belief in their own people,resources and begin to structure systems that work internally Africa needs to deal with corruption,leadership problems,superstitions and cruelty over it's people.Feb 21 2013: Part of the problem is that Americans and people from other westernized nations have a habit of referring to Africa as one homogenized nation when this is far from the truth. Different nations in Africa experience different things, have different habits and respond to challenges and foreign aid differently. For example, foreign aid or assistance from an NGO might lead to greater corruption in Ethiopia but that same aid might also cause great change in Nigeria. For any sort of sustainable change to come about in any given African nation, there needs to be a change in mindset within that individual nation. Right now there is a tendency to forego dealings with governments based on the assumption that the majority of governments within African nations are inherently corrupt. While this might be the case, corrupt governments aren't something that should be avoided just because they can't be easily fixed. All problems are internal and no amount of foreign aid can help if these internal factors aren't fixed. It takes one person, one regime to corrupt a government and it takes the same amount of effort to fix a government. That being the case, westernized nations, IGOs, NGOs and whatever organizations that want to help need to approach the situation from a liberal standpoint based on cooperation. As in "we're here to help you with what you need, what exactly do you need?" rather than saying "this is what you need, do it this way or we won't help."
Feb 23 2013: Excellent thought. I endorse it.
Fritzie -
Feb 2 2013: For the interest of anyone with a passionate commitment to understanding and addressing issues related to global poverty, edX, (the Coursera-like program of Massive Open Online Courses involving Harvard/MIT/Berkeley), is offering a course starting February 12 on addressing global poverty. [I have no affiliation with edX- I just know about it].
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The course is taught by two economists from the economics department at MIT.
The course is free, like MOOCs are. For those who have not taken such a course, they involve online lectures, assigned reading, sometimes automated quizzes or assignments that are reviewed by others taking the class, typically a discussion board to interact with others taking the class, but no feedback or answers of questions from actual professional staff. No credit is offered toward a degree but one gets a certificate of completion for doing all the work at a level peers deem satisfactory.
Courses run 6-10 weeks typically.Feb 2 2013: Absolutely not! Donor funds, while appreciated, can only put a band-aid on the problem of Africa's systemic poverty. It is a question of mentalities when a strong, beautiful people lives on the richest continent on the face of the planet, yet are, by far, the poorest, too many of them with a corrupt, vicious mentality.
Africans don't need to be given a fish. They don't even need to be "taught how to fish" although that will help. What our African brothers and sisters need is to be taught how to own the pond as well as how to maintain it once they own it. This is where proper education comes in.
But I can't even take credit for these thoughts. I know Bishop Tudor Bismark, also from Harare, who is an international figure and meets with a group of Africa's leading pastors, etc. to ask questions like yours, Innocent. I've heard him say time and time again, that if he raises a man from the dead (which he has done before!), he wants to know why the man died so the problem can be prevented and properly dealt with when he comes back to life.
Once the proper mentalities are in place, then the donor funds will make a lasting impact and one blessed day, you will become "the lender and not the borrower" to the benefit of the whole world.
If you can't transform the minds of the leaders, go to the adults. If you can't go to the adults, go to the youth, and if you can't succeed with them, go to the children. They are the future of Africa.
Feb 10 2013: "What our African brothers and sisters need is to be taught how to own the pond as well as how to maintain it once they own it." words of wisdom, it is perfectJan 30 2013: 1. Read Brad Feld's book Startup Communities
2. Create meetups, MakerFaires, Startup Weekends and other activities that will bring together different kind of people across a community that are trying to solve problems.
3. Honor and celebrate the entrepreneurs in your community that are actually using for profit vehicles to solve problems.
Don Anderson
Jan 23 2013: here is a great talk on this subject.
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Feb 5 2013: Thanks for recommending. It's a great talk indeed :)Jan 23 2013: I think a few things need to be addressed on both ends. First off, those of us who wish to make a difference in Africa (with all good intentions) cannot continue to blindly provide handouts and/or donations because as I see it, this provides absolutely no incentive for the recipients to realize their potential and make a real change. On the other hand, I don't think anything from the outside will have a lasting effect because the realization must come from Africans themselves, who must be willing to bring forth change before any outside help can catalyze an awakening for communities to empower their own. Basically, we can only show others how to help themselves, and only after they themselves are willing to make a conscientious effort to change, will there ever be a change.Feb 19 2013: Charity transforms if the reciever is not under the grip of foolishness. Europe benefited from the US backed Marshall plan, and Japan benefit from a similar US effort.
The problem is not the aid; it is the lack of ideas and intellectual bankrupcy of the African elite.Feb 18 2013: thanks for posting the question and for the intellectual participants. I 'm also in agreement that it will take both funding and empowerment.
However, while most are discussing the government, I'm of the notion that it will take educated Africans carrying out a project in their village or town and demonstrating how to successful eliminate a local challenge and then move on to the next challenge. funding can help make this possible.
We have to "think globally but act locally."
As ex-pats we can choose to be part of the solution and not part of the problem (ex-pats who are western educated and are part of corrupt and suppressing governments).Feb 13 2013: i would like to appreciate our brothers for donor funding towards Africa which is a noble initiative however, after centuries we still have the same problems perpetuated in Africa. I would like to present a viewpoint or rather give pointers on where i think donors has failed because some have stopped funding programs in Africa one way or the other they became frustrated with the level at which transformation results were presented to them.I have two points that i think that's were donors failed .1.donors didn't do an understudy of where they were putting there money into, they didn't have a tangible picture of what they were funding,and they didn't even have and understanding of how African systems work. Note every system has a character and nommater what good intends and motives we have towards bringing a change and transformation it is the system that determines effectiveness of our resources remember the kind of system that we put our resources into determines their productivity so donors did put resources into systems that removes value on ideas for transformation and also donors did put resources into characterized systems and as soon as resources enters the systems there original character and intend is changed towards personal corruptible agendas. 2. some donors failed because they funded programs in Africa with strings attached which had wrong motives which than stirred up political and social uproars due to the historical records. The only room i will give for donor funding with chances of impacting Africa is when it is put into integral systems that are accountable, but i would say for Africa if we change the systems we have and build integral and productive systems that has trans generational projections we have changed Africa, look Africa is empowered already we have resources natural and human but the greatest African challenge is a catalyst in the idea of a working integral productive systems that puts value on people's gifts,education and ideasFeb 10 2013: The problem in Africa is an old one. Those in power borrow money from the monetary fund, spend it or make off with it, leaving the rest of the country with a huge debt they will never be able to pay off. So the investors have a solution. The people can elect this person that they think will help improve their lot and invest more money into the country. This person is told that the investors need to be paid the interest they loaned the other bad leader. They suggest ways to help the new leader pay back this interest by putting the people to work in menial jobs, mostly digging holes in the ground to remove the countries resources, destroying the land in the process, just to pay the interest on the loans.
Of course they will never pay off the interest on the loans, even though they have long ago paid the principle sum they originally borrowed. It's just a viciouos circle.
The solution is simple:
If the principle sum is paid off, forgive the loan, forgo the interest payments and start putting the money the people make to uplift their lot by building schools, hospitals, etc.
But of course, the monetary fund will not forgive the loan, even though the principle sum was long ago paid off.
This is the normal way of modern societies dealing with developing countries. They don't want them to become a developed country because they would compete for the goods that make the lives of the rich pleasant. The bottom line is there is not enough resources to make 8 billion people all happy at the same time, so the system is built to depress the lives of the many so that the few can enjoy the profits of progress.
Until the world embraces socialize, for the sake of mutual progress for everyone, then the world will not change and the fruits of progress and technology will continue to erode the earth and imprison 2/3 of the worlds population to give a few the pleasant life.
Calvin Davis
Feb 9 2013: I think you are on the right track attempting to get African Communities to address challenges on their own, but therein lay the problem. From my experience there are two main obstacles:
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1) Culturally engrained corruption; meaning the Western definition of corruption does not apply in these parts of the world. Mainly because the culture fosters this type of behavior in order to get ahead, which is in-turn both socially acceptable/unacceptable at the same time. Hence the vicious cycle of rebels overthrowing governments, and the new government being overthrown by new rebels with the same inherent corruption. Thus, placing the finances directly in the hands of the community seems like the simple solution, but could aid the problem as well.
2) Any donation plan, as you say have to foster a new generation of people and ideas; mainly the idea that corruption is not a socially acceptable concept. Meaning, for any donation plan, it must be esoteric to the end-users, with deliberate planning over at least a 10 year period to make any significant impact. My theory on international assistance is that it can never be quick, with hopes for quick results. True assistance is done over generations, resulting in those people you refer to in the question that will renew and transform the community in the long run.Feb 6 2013: The answer here might be both, donors funding and support African communities in addressing their challenges.
Bill Gates talks about this in this article: "
When Ethiopia signed on to the Millennium goals in 2000, the country put hard numbers to its ambition to bring primary health care to all of its citizens. The concrete goal of reducing child mortality by two-thirds created a clear target by which to measure success or failure. Ethiopia's commitment attracted a surge of donor money toward improving the country's primary health-care services.
With help from the Indian state of Kerala, which had built a successful network of community health-care posts, Ethiopia launched its own program in 2004 and today has more than 15,000 health posts staffed by 34,000 workers. (This is one of the greatest benefits of measurement—the ability it gives government leaders to make comparisons across countries and then learn from the best.)
. .
Feb 6 2013: Dear Innocent;
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Your question is brilliant!!
"Could it be possible to BIRTH a generation of people who are willing to be empowered with means of generating income that eventually get channeled back into communities for purposes of delivering renewal and transformation? How do we get communities to participate in the engineering of a promising future both for the continent and individual nations?"
What is needed above all is transformation. This means a shift in the mindset. A new mindset is needed for the people who make up that community. The only hope for creating new solutions that work, is to look at the problem with a new mindset......The most effective way of creating this change (shift in mindset) is through education. What is needed is "a radical shift in education".
Here are two great Talks, which I hope you find helpful:
Terry Torok
Feb 5 2013: This is a great conversation, thank you Innocent, and all the insightful comments in peace and productivity.
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It is very fair to read here and understand how and why people get a varied perception of the vast continent of Africa... I love every country and most every moment and month I'm privileged to be there. I find all countries rich with diversity, verve and passion... and commonly challenged with infrastructure and leadership... much of the leadership behavior was seeded over years, from those who saw the many nations of Africa as an opportunity to "take"... and not as a respectful exchange. I only hope anyone curious to know more, or to feel they would like to "give" spends time on the warm African soil first, and enjoys deep listening with an open mind, what you hear will likely be amazing and will include your own heartbeat. I find real leaders give, and givers, get...
Aissatu Sila
Feb 5 2013: The answer is no.
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That's not just my personal opinion, it's the reality - a reality in which I live.
I'm from Guinea-Bissau and I know for a fact that although donations can have a very big impact and help solve many issues, they are not the solution mainly because they cause dependency.
I recently discovered the work of Dr. Dambisa Moyo though interviews on several Youtube channels and I can't wait to read her book "Dead Aid". I make her words mine and I wonder how come African governments are not listening to her and other smart Africans that have been trying to shed the light on this issue for years. It saddens me that so many African leaders are educated but corrupted. Other who have real solutions are either killed or powerless.
I deeply appreciate individual donations to global causes, but isn't it convenient to the Western governments to keep funding our dependence and underdevelopment, so they can keep exploring our resources?
How do we get communities to transform the future? By educating them and providing a stable economy in which they can prosper. As Deekay Mgbekemdi said and I agree - it's a leadership issue. Once we have the right leaders, we'll follow the right path.Feb 4 2013: Good Leadership will fix 80% of Africa problems if not More percentages.Leadership in every platform of the nations.African problem is leadership problems..Any change must begain with human capital development which then will transcend to non human capital development like the physical infrastrutures.
Shout me at email@example.com if you like my comment.
Terry Torok
Feb 2 2013: ...Can donor seed funding effectively help fund African communities to address their own challenges?Feb 2 2013: Another excellent insight into what happens to donor funding in Africa is found in Micaela Wrong's book 'Its our turn to eat'. Most of the funds in these NGOs never reach the people who need them. The NGOs including the World Bank and Co. are channels for redirecting money from the lower echelons of the world's societies to the bank accounts of the wealthy and powerful. So, no, donor funding cannot fix Africa's problems and in fact is a huge part of Africa's problems, making billions available to despots to entrench their power for purposes of their own enrichment on the backs of the people.Jan 30 2013: Innocent, Charles Muriithi below stated it very well. To be successful there must be a number of considerations. 1) I think there must be a person to go with the transport. 2) the transport must be of use to the reciepient. 3) there must be someone in place to recieve the goods. 4) the reciepient must understand this is not a opened ended source. 5) There must be some type of guidance to spur initiative and the will to succeed.
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In parts of Africia I read that countries are exploiting the natural resources and the labor force. In developing countries there is always in the beginning a lot of corruption.
The long term answer is always to develop a sustainable economic structure. With corporate introduction should be the agreement of education and health programs. This is a long and hard climb but it is worth the effort.
I wish you well. Bob.Jan 28 2013: There are several books I have read that talk about this very topic. One is Dambisa Moyo's "Dead Aid" and another is Paul Collier's "The Bottom Billion." When reading both these books, I became aware that aid will never be able to permanently help the problem Africa is facing. It was set up as a temporary system and then became relied upon. This is not what it was started for. Perhaps read the two books and it will give you a bit clearer view. There are a lot of programs being started in the education systems world wide in regard to community development. It is a growing interest. The next few years will determine how well it works and who should be running these programs. As a young African, I too would like to see us change our own countries one step at a time.Jan 28 2013: Provide a transparent and quantifiable profit incentive to specific community identified goals. The profit incentive applies to outside agencies and all levels of government and the community. Recognize that these are the motivating factors currently in place and exploit them for the common good. rather then simply wringing our hands and complaining about the nature of that reality.Feb 20 2013: The culture in most of Africa is hopelessly flawed. The problem in Africa is not poverty, resources or education. All of these could be fixed in a decade. One need only look at the explosion in China to see this happening.
As difficult as this is the hear, Africa suffers from a deadly combination of immorality, greed, laziness and corruption.
There is not enough money in the world to fix this. In fact, money only makes the problem worse.
Nina Frd
Feb 20 2013: Greetings Harare,
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I agree say that we need to empower African communities to address their own challenges. This has been my goal since moving to Memphis,TN. I was raised in predominantly Caucasian social environments; Church, school, community events and so on. When I attempted to educate African American communities in Memphis on the fact that we need to better understand ourselves to better understand others socially, i became an outcast. I was told that I had the "White woman mentality and needed to move on out!"
Yes, what you want is very possible, but the learners got to catch on and take the initiative to know, grow and succeed at committing to the cause. If its hard where you are, it got to be easy here. but people do not get it.
God bless and thank you
NandiFeb 18 2013: Empowerment is the keyFeb 18 2013: very interesting insights coming through. Patience, There is a lot of significance in what you have said.Feb 17 2013: I personally think there is room for both.
Rather than relying solely on one approach to fixing challenges of Africa, I think it could be better to utilize both approaches because I believe using both could potentially reach more people and have a greater impact, whereas if using only one, fewer people might get assistance. The way I see these approaches is like this: the donor funding is a top down solution, and the empowering of African community members is a bottom up solution. Communities that need donations could have access to available funding/resources to get what they need, communities that want to empower themselves could do so, or, communities could use both together to accomplish more than if they had just used one or the other. And that's why I think it could be best to use both funding from donors and the empowerment of communities in Africa to fix the challenges of Africa.
But, I think how local government and community leaders go about instituting policies and distributing aid plays a role in determining how effective either donor funding and community empowerment can be.Feb 16 2013: Like an addiction no matter how many times someone tries to help eventually only the abuser can help themselves. Thus only when individuals start to expect more for themselves then eventually collectively everyone will come into agreement for a change. This is more than just about money it is about changing Africa's mindsets for long term sustainability and that includes cleansing of political corruption. There is enough money in Africa for Africa to succeed but the wealth disparity issues need to be addressed from a different angle.Feb 15 2013: Hello, in my case I try to send money to educationals programs in Africa. Besides the help for first needs that its very imprortant too, help creating primary schools and professional schools we are giving them a great tool for their own development, unfortunately there are another conditioners as war, corrupt governments, greed of larges companies in/out of Africa etc that stopped brusquely any hope of improvement.Feb 14 2013: Transformation of self always begins with an awareness of self, for as long as you do not know your identity, even when there are attempts to help you change, you won't realise them thereby remaining indebted and be a slave of those who supply you your needs. Africa should know itself to empower itself it cannt forever be depending on outside help. Let this generation discover who they are in Africa so as to help Africa reach its potential. It is all in individuals finally awakening to their full potential that will transform Africa and the world. Just discover your role and play with aplomb.Feb 14 2013: No. Two reasons.
1) Politicians dont use the money for what it's intended.
2) It's too often given, not as charity, but as you get this if you comply. Thats not freedom, thats slavery.
Feb 17 2013: OK.Feb 21 2013: I agree with 2. If something is really going to change, there needs to be aid offered without the need to get something in return. But realistically speaking, what nation or organization is going to say "here's a couple hundred thousand dollars, do with it what you please and I won't ask questions or make demands."
In reference to 1, I sort of agree. A lot of politicians all around the world are corrupt. But assuming that every single politician is corrupt and won't use money where it needs to be used is exactly what allows these corrupt politicians to get away with everything. It's assumed that there is no such thing as an "un-corrupt" politician when in fact there is. It takes the same effort for someone that is corrupt to come to power as it takes for someone who isn't corrupt to come to power.Feb 13 2013: Thank you so much all of you for your deep insights and contributions. My team and I would love to have the opportunity of hearing from and working with those of you who believe that we can bring a shift to African Nations. We have some ideas and models that we have started developing and we believe in the power of bringing our minds and thoughts together for the good of many.
Write to us if you can
email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, +263(0)733 363 161Feb 12 2013: " Corporations Grabbing Land and Water Overseas
As a growing population stresses the world's food and water supplies, corporations and investors in wealthy countries are buying up foreign farmland and the freshwater perks that come with it"
By Brian Bienkowski and Environmental Health News
Aftica being purchased by foriegn corporations:
"The land rush, which is still accelerating, has been triggered by the worldwide food shortages which followed the sharp oil price rises in 2008, growing water shortages and the European Union's insistence that 10% of all transport fuel must come from plant-based biofuels by 2015.
In many areas the deals have led to evictions, civil unrest and complaints of "land grabbing".
"The wealthy countries repeatedly find new ways to screw Africa. They're purchasing the fishing rights and denying locals the rights to fish the sea or selling more guns or owning profitable enterprises that ought to be owned locally."
"...This is another example of the new wave of colonialism that is blocking Africa from making progress. Even worse, part of what is driving the effort is fuel." http://americablog.com/2010/03/rich-buying-farm-land-and-water-rights-in-africa-while-locals-go-hungry.html
Africa will soon be owned lock stock and barrel by foreign corporations. There is no hope for the people there. Their fate is sealed by modern countries need for more food, water and fuel.Feb 11 2013: Hi,
I watched Ernesto Sirolli's TED talk on this same subject, mentioned elsewhere in this discussion. Quite poignant! A friend of my father's used to say about the transfer of money in business situations, one has to have an "inside person" knowing the scope and real story and caring about success, to make a proposition and followthrough from an "outside organization", fly. I believe that is true and have observed it in my family's owned business as well. The same applies to aid. I will submit a practical example below Brandon's post, where I was involved in an "aid to Africa" project. But here let me also mention about my mother's friend, Susan Andresen, who was that "inside person" from Mesa with friends she made in what her family called "her beloved Africa". Susan went personally to serve the area receiving the aid and to establish lifelong ties of friendship. Her goals were reached and her efforts became a successful project as well as forming lasting friendships between American families and African families.Feb 11 2013: I think the old Chinese Proverb says it best. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." We can donate money and fund solutions to Africas problems, but they have to be completed. A lot of people have great ideas and never go through with them or only take them so far. Just like these innovative ideas, the funding needs to get to these communities and do the job it was intended to do. We need someone who is willing go the length to solve the problem completely. It is better to spend the moeny to teach then to spend the money to give.
Feb 11 2013: Tempe Sister Cities organization has a relationship with Mali, Africa. I think that is what makes the aid reach the right people and make a difference, without middle persons that take the human understanding, contact, and honest friendship out of it. Our hairdresser's mother, over 70, has made several trips to Mali on behalf of the city. I organized a group to sell candles and raise money for Sister Cities/Mali partnership so we could contribute to the sewing machine and goat program. The goats were in pairs and used for raising other goats and also giving milk. The sewing machines were for female entrepreneurs who then were able to become self sufficient. Mali is one of the poorest nations, but our representatives who travel there from Tempe,directly, make the donations do what they promise. This was a very memorable project experience, done for a Small Group Communications Course, and the power of collaboration even in small numbers with "inside information" as to the distribution of the aid.Feb 12 2013: Brandon, it's good to hear another state that a concerted effort over a long period of time, teaching progress is the only true key to success. Unfortunately, the nature of our society is becoming even more impatient, demanding immediate results. There are very limited organizations with the intent to be in it for the long haul, which are probably the organizations who receive less funding.Feb 10 2013: Who can write a leadership training program? Who should write it, produce it?
There are a couple of TEDtalks about donors and aid workers learning to listen to the recipients of aid.
and Ernesto Sirolli's talk mentioned elsewhere in this discussion. These are important concepts for 'westerners' to appreciate.
In the time I spent in Africa, I noted that the radio was almost universally present, and could reach people where no other means could arrive. That is why I thought your idea of dissemination via radio an excellent proposal.
Using music or comedy to attract and hold interest, or even as the means of instruction would certainly be very effective. I think the main problem would be getting airtime on state radio, and getting the script passed by the authority. With star-power (from popular entertainers) behind and an engaging script, one may be able to get some airtime.These are full-time jobs for producers, writers and psychologists. Donor money would help, but everything else is homegrown.Feb 10 2013: I am neither an economist nor an educator. I am not an expert on all of Africa. I can say with confidence that the lack of classically-trained college graduates in African countries I have worked in has quite a bit to do with the voracious need for diversity and scientific expertise in Europe and the Americas and global aid networks that play an equal role in inadvertently creating an "escape ladder" out of Africa and other developing countries.
Many African countries (and their leaders) have been focusing on education for quite some time. There have been sincere movements to direct students into necessary fields for nation-building, from structural engineering to ethics and economics, and there have been conscious decisions to fast-track vital services, using central european style programs to spit out 18 year old engineers and 14 year old tradesmen. The greatest allure for those newly minted graduates, or the affluent college bound youngster is to continue with school in the west, or to work there in a market that is both challenging and financially rewarding. For their part, most western societies depend on such elements of educated diversity--whether it is a tech-/science-driven demand from the US or points-based immigration schemes in central Europe. To meet demand, western policies have made it easy for the well educated to leave developing nations and heir markets have supplied the demand. NGOs and multilateral organizations gobble up talent, both globally and locally, and many individuals move abroad or are displaced. They often shift to a global, not local, focus on growth and development.
I think the question to be asked is not about educating African leaders, rather about luring Africa's native talent back to Africa. To do that is a combination of demand and reward, and it requires a promise of safety and stability. "Africa" doesn't need to be educated, rather re-invigorated with its own passionate leadership.
See talks by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.Feb 10 2013: Thanks Paul!Feb 10 2013: Can donor funding really fix African challenges, or should we empower African communities to address their own challenges? It is not that simple. Does Africa need funding is perhaps a good first question. Africa is not poor, it is its leadership that is poor for this conversation. How about taxing those that benefit from Africa? A 1/off $1Trillion 2015 transparency, pollution and corruption tax on all multinationals will deliver on the economic benefits as we re-plan infrastructure. EU, China, US, Russian, Indian & other businesses have turned around Trillions in US dollars out of Africa. Is it wrong to now ask them to share in the benefits of tomorrow?
"Africans don't need to be given a fish. They don't even need to be "taught how to fish"" by Desiree M. Mondesir is my meaning. However, Owen Barder´s Complexity and Development is an excellent reference.Feb 9 2013: Of course, not. Donor funding can´t fix African nor South American challenges. Failure. Native groups empowered with instruction and leadership, yes.Feb 9 2013: I recommend a book that I think makes an important contribution to using aid effectively to improve the quality of life of the very poor, regardless of country. It is called Poor Economics: a Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. The authors are two development economists at MIT.
I have read only part and therefore don't feel comfortable summarizing yet, but there is also a website by that name and, I am sure, book reviews online.
Feb 10 2013: Fritizie, economics is not a science that can produce equations that will eradicate poverty on the earth. It is a set of rules designed to consolidate the most money into the hands of the fewest people, leaving the rest poor.
Science has show that if you take all the worlds resources and divide them equally into the number of people on the earth, we would have 8 billion poor people living together in poverty.
Look at the truth...... 75 percent of all the wealth in a world of 8 billion people is in the hands of 20 % or 1.8 billion people. If we divide that number by the number of well to do societies, it means in each country, on average that 9 million in each country have all the assets and money. The money that the other 75% (in the us that would be 225 million out of 300 million) only have money that they borrowed and owe interest on.
Using our current technology, we can only supply the good life to a planet with 1.8 billion people. This means we either have to decrease the number of people or get use to this way of life.
By 2050 we won't be having this discussion. After robots take over all the jobs, we will be doing something, desperately, to reduce the world population to around 1 billion or less. It's not going to be a pretty sight. I'm glad I won't be around. My grandchildren, will.
Feb 10 2013: I have not seen evidence of the situation you assert in your second paragraph. Rather, I have seen the case only that we would have enough food to go around if it were distributed differently.
I know many people believe economics is a set of rules for concentrating wealth, but the only support I have seen for this belief is a misinterpretation many people derive from the zeitgeist movie, which many people take for a documentary when even its director claims it was meant only as art.
The study of economics does not suggest it is meant as a tool for concentrating wealth.
I do notice that many people hold to their views on this subject with religious zeal.
Feb 10 2013: I took Finance and financial management in college. It was required. The first question our Prof asked ".. was there anyone in the room who was not greedy. If your not greedy, you will not make it in finance of economics..", he replied.
I haven't seen Zeitgeist.
It's not the study of economics that concentrates the wealth Fritzie.... it's the practice of it.
Yes we do have enough food, if you include the insects, etc that many people eat. With the current decline in seafood populations, you can remove fish from the diet. If you enjoy corn and wheat, you'll be ok. Also if you like soy products. While we have some natural gas for production of artificial fertilizer, when that runs out it's game over.
Robots don't eat food so why grow it for 8 or 9 billion people?Feb 10 2013: I have never taken a course in financial management or at a business school, so I do not know the focus or philosophy of any financial management teachers.
Economics and financial management are not the same discipline.
I don't think when those working in the area of hunger talk about food that they are including insects.
Feb 11 2013: "The raising of livestock such as cows, pigs and sheep occupies two-thirds of the world's farmland and generates 20% of all the greenhouse gases driving global warming. As a result, the United Nations and senior figures want to reduce the amount of meat we eat and the search is on for alternatives." ~http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/01/insects-food-emissions
continued: "...A policy paper on the eating of insects is being formally considered by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. The FAO held a meeting on the theme in Thailand in 2008 and there are plans for a world congress in 2013.
Professor Arnold van Huis, an entomologist at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and the author of the UN paper, says eating insects has advantages.
"There is a meat crisis," he said. "The world population will grow from six billion now to nine billion by 2050 and we know people are consuming more meat. Twenty years ago the average was 20kg, it is now 50kg, and will be 80kg in 20 years. If we continue like this we will need another Earth."
Yes Fritzie, Those who rule the planet have plans for the kind of food you will be eating by 2050, just 37 years from now. I read the reports from WHO and the really good organizations in France : http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/about/acf-international
The demand for Beef is growing in developing countries, for those who can afford it. The rest will have to get used to bugs. That is the way the world turns in the financial spheres. Earth worms are a big product and, apparently, in the UK, so is horse meat.
Feeding 9 billion people and keeping them healthy is beyond our planets capacity.Feb 11 2013: What I meant was that when the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and when Oxfam report (as they do) that there is enough food in aggregate but that it is being distributed very badly, I don't think they are including insects in that aggregate amount.
This is not to say that someone might not be thinking about the potential benefits of eating insects.
I know protein and micronutrients, along with distribution, are enormous issues.
Feb 11 2013: Agreed.
"The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving" http://library.thinkquest.org/C002291/high/present/stats.htm
In my opinion, I think the current way we administrate the planet is a complete failure. We need to start anew. I believe it is safe to say, those currently in management positions are really imbeciles, cowards and/or completely self-serving.
I'm a coward for not reacting more strongly in my demands to fix this problem. I am a failure.
Fritzie -
Feb 11 2013: As long as a person is genuinely working on trying to solve problems, he isn't a failure. Isn't there something about things not being over "until the fat lady sings?"
- +1
We just have to keep doing what we can do and not give up until we're over, I think.Feb 8 2013: donor funding can help africa but only if we use it wisdomly and in the right direction , i believe that the problem is in the people who are in charge , and also in the cetizines of africa , i do believe that we should invest more in the education sector to create a mindful generation a generation that realy care about their countries a generation that can use this funding wisely , there is a big different between teaching and educating the children we need to creat an educated nation that is enlighted with its rights and filled with its culture and country loving before getting a donor fundingFeb 5 2013: Deekay, I agree with you concerning leadershipFeb 3 2013: To bring out any significant change, funds are required... However more focus should be given on training local people to solve their own issues. It can be done through use of media like radios wherever possible. Providing them vocational education and create relevant opportunities for work is also necessary. The study of available local resources and people's present skill set is required for that. Community leaders can play the most important role in transformation. Involve people from ground level during the planning process.
Feb 10 2013: It is an excellent idea to present leadership training courses on radio. Such courses ought to be written and planned by residents, in the various languages of the country. It might be encouraging to offer paper diplomas in recognition of participation at the end of such a course, though that may present difficulties. It may engender discussion among the listeners, and that is how leaders are found: as the first among equals. Your other ideas may be helped by donor seed money, but the administration, planning and execution must be done primarily by local people through discussion. It may be found that the donor will be surprised by the real needs, and so should be flexible.
Feb 10 2013: Over the radio combining the desired training courses with some entertainment program is more effective.Feb 3 2013: My comment may very well be an ignorant one, as I freely admit I don't have a deep understanding of what the people of Africa face. From what I can see, the root of the problem is that the majority of the continent is dry... There is little in the way of water & vegetation in many areas. Drought & famine are common. From this disadvantage, many more problems arise... Like infighting for resources, lack of education, lack of infrastructure & government support. Etc...
I often wonder why the people living in the hardest hit areas try to have families? Why bring a child into it? Perhaps the limited resources the land has to offer is a reality some countries in Africa have to face, & they should keep their populations at sustainable levels?
I say until the situation improves(hopefully technology will come to the rescue one day in form of cheap renewable power) countries would best serve themselves best by ignoring the Catholic Church, rubber up, and only have small families & only when times are good.
Feb 4 2013: Darren,i dont agree with you on drought and famine and little vegetation idea...
Aissatu Sila
Feb 5 2013: Hello Darren.
- +2
I disagree with you.
The root of the problem is definitely not related to desertification.
Africa is the most fertile continent, with 60% of the world's uncultivated arable land and more arable land than the continents with the highest populations.
It is hard to grow food in many regions (cold and hot) of the world, so that is not the problem.
As for the lack of education and infrastructures, yes - governments are inefficient, but we must not forget that the majority of African countries were colonies until 60 or less years ago. After centuries of colonization without relevant investment in education, there is lot of work to be done in order to catch up with the rest of the world.
As for population sizes - you should research more. Families are larger because 1) a high percentage of children die very soon, 2) one's children are one's labor force and 3) there are no contraceptives available at large scale. The land resources are not limited, their exploitation is.
Bottom line, the problem is leadership - once governments start doing their work, things will improve radically.
Feb 6 2013: Well I thought I might be wrong... Or at least, too general. Your response inspired me to do a little research. My initial comment was based only on what I'd seen on tv etc...
With fully 1/3 of Africa the Sahara desert. then there's the kalahari being vegetated, but without water, it was easy to assume the continent dry overall. Obviously there are exceptions.
Australia is the driest continent, yet is doing very well. Its east coast has great rainfall averages & holds the majority of the countries population.
So assuming we're only talking about fertile lands. My research says that poor farming practises, caused by a combination of poor education & population pressures... Along with natural causes, is causing vital mineral nutrients to disappear from the soil. This means if things continue as they are, food will become harder and harder to grow, whilst the population will continue to increase for the reasons you pointed out. Doesn't sound very good.
It sounds to me you know what the problems are, and what needs to change. I wish I could suggest something helpful, but like you said, it's the leadership that's the problem.
Maybe I'm kidding myself, but I'd like to think that if I was a young man there, Facing all these issues... I would concentrate on the basics. All a person needs to survive is food, water & somewhere safe to call home. If there is fertile land & water as you say... Then plants can be grown & animals raised. Screw sending my children to work for some exploitive rich person. I wouldn't have any kids until my own land could support them too. Are people allowed to do this if they wish, or is all the land divided & owned already?Jan 31 2013: Haingo Rajaonarison i agree with you i think Africa now needs quality and accurate thinkers that are rooted in ethics and integrity ,who are willing to build productive structures and models that are accountable to their own people and also Africa needs to build a management system that wisely manages it's resources and lastly African leaders must begin to believe in their own people.Jan 31 2013: Interesting insights I must say. My colleauges and I are shaping a sustainable model that we believe will go a long way in aiding african nations. Its really a quantum leap but it can be attained. We would love to work with anyone who feel that they can add value to the work that we are doing. If you can help us shape this model, we would love to hear from you. Send me an email - firstname.lastname@example.com


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Organizational Structure
Our organizational structure consists of BDFL and a small number of support staff, as well as members of our user community who are involved in improving Funtoo Linux. Development efforts are driven by the BDFL as well as our users, and efforts are under way to implement various mechanisms to allow supporters of Funtoo Linux to chart the future direction of the project.
Your Staff
Funtoo Linux Core Team members are Funtoo Linux developers who are actively contributing to technical aspects of Funtoo Linux, and are available for resolving bugs and other QA issues. Please see Core Team Responsibilities for general policies, Funtoo Linux Vision for an understanding of strategic direction, and TODO for immediate things that need to get done.
Project Leadership
- Benevolent Dictator for Life
- Daniel Robbins is the Chief Architect of Funtoo Linux, and so-called "Benevolent Dictator for Life."
- Core Team Lead
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Staff members help keep the project running day-to-day, and may have significant development responsibilities:
Developers tend to contribute more independently, but also may serve in some staff support roles:
- Arfrever Frehtes Taifersar Arahesis
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The Funtoo team can often be found in the channel on Freenode. The team also monitors the Funtoo Forum and mailing list.
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- Víctor Román Archidona - vroman - hardened, gcc-4.8 series


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Lumped together as two of the youngest and brightest Republican stars, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida parted ways on the fiscal cliff, with votes that reflect divergent strategies for building their party and political futures.
Ryan, who accepted tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans to avert a potential economic disaster, is betting that the path to power runs through compromise and governing. After anchoring a losing Republican presidential ticket widely perceived as hostile to middle-class concerns, Ryan heeded polls showing the public ready to blame the GOP if the deal fell through. The powerful budget committee chairman, loyal to House Speaker John Boehner, is mostly playing the inside game.
Rubio, who defeated a sitting governor on the back of the tea party movement, is largely playing the outside game. He rarely bucks the GOP's conservative base – consider his recent votes against an overstuffed Hurricane Sandy aid bill and a United Nations treaty protecting people with disabilities -- although an opportunity looms in the anticipated debate over immigration reform. Rubio appears more invested more in cultivating his national profile than in courting leadership on Capitol Hill.
While both Ryan and Rubio kept a low profile during the debate over the fiscal cliff, they garnered wide attention for their contrasting approaches to the first major vote of the next election cycle.
"Ryan ultimately is a policy wonk who understood that getting tax cuts for the vast majority of the American people could be a huge victory," said Republican consultant John Feehery, who has advised top House Republicans. "Rubio seems more politically attuned to the conservative base. I think that's the divide."
It's the same divide that will determine whether Ryan or Rubio is better positioned for a 2016 presidential race, although unlike the defining tax deal of 1990 that helped crush the first President Bush's reelection bid, the fiscal cliff vote is only the first of many battles over the federal budget. While Ryan risks raising hackles among the hard-core conservatives who have run more moderate Republicans out of office in recent years, Rubio risks alienating the majority of voters who see the Republican Party as too extreme, with votes against the Violence Against Women Act and funding for Gulf Coast states damaged by the BP oil spill.
A lot depends on what happens next. If the fiscal-cliff vote is the first step toward spending cuts, entitlement reform, and deficit reduction, Ryan will have an easier time explaining his support for a tax hike to partisan audiences in Iowa and New Hampshire. If Congress fails to come up with comprehensive tax and budget reform and the economy continues to sputter, Rubio will face less public pressure to defend his vote to go over the fiscal cliff.
The backlash is already coming from both sides. Conservative RedState blogger Erick Erickson, who touted Ryan as House Speaker last November, wrote of Ryan's vote: "Thus ends the Paul Ryan 2016 Presidential Exploratory Committee." Conservative Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin dismissed Rubio and other Republican leaders who voted no as "showboaters … who should consider whether they want to be lawmakers furthering the conservative agenda or lapdogs of the conservative racket that thrives on the politics of outrage and victimhood."
Indeed, Ryan cast himself as a pragmatist, emphasizing that his vote protected "as many Americans as possible" from a tax hike and that lawmakers "have a duty to apply our principles to the realities of governing." In a written statement that reflects the Medicare reform-crusading lawmaker's desire to be seen as a bold leader, he said, "I came to Congress to make tough decisions – not to run away from them."
Peter Wehner, who served in the Bush and Reagan administrations and has known Ryan since they worked together at the Empower America think tank in the 1990s, called his vote a "profile in courage."
"I think he took the responsible vote, the mature vote," Wehner said. "It was quite impressive because it was a hard vote to cast. People with an eye to presidential politics cast votes to appeal to the Republican base, and this was not that vote."
Ryan's ambitious plan to remake the federal budget has earned him a reservoir of goodwill among movement conservatives, but he has also cast some votes they consider anathema. He voted for the Wall Street bailout and for the Medicare prescription-drug benefit, siding, as he did on the fiscal cliff vote, with party leadership instead of with conservative ideologues. That strategy makes sure the ambitious lawmaker gets a seat at the table but creates some room for future rivals on his right.


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- 15
- people in the U.S. have this name View Cody Chrisman on Whitepages
Meaning & Origins
Transferred use of the Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Cuidighthigh 'descendant of Cuidightheach' (originally a byname for a helpful person), or of Mac Óda 'son of Óda' (a personal name of uncertain origin). Use as a given name in the United States especially has been at least in part inspired by William Frederick Cody (1846–1917), better known as 'Buffalo Bill', the showman of the Wild West.
|430th in the U.S.
Respelling of German Christmann.
|5,208th in the U.S.
Nicknames & variations
Codye, Cookie, Cook, Codi, Cox, Codya, Codyu, Codyy, Coco, Codie
Christensen, Christian, Christopher, Christiansen, Christie, Christy, Christianson, Christman, Christenson, Christ


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How in the world did the Dolphins lose to this college looking team?
Going with the Jets on this one. Looking forward to seeing Tebow's stat line after the game. It can't be worse than 2 for 8 can it?
The Jests D is obviously better than the lowly Chefs, but their Run D in particular is definitely suspect.
I just find this game amusing from another perspective. You have Tim "Jesus" Tebow in one corner, and Fatasuarus "I ate the Devil" Rex in the other.
And by "Ate the devil"... I of course mean he ate the devil, starting with his feet!!
As far as the God/Devil thing, you may be on to something. But then again, I think the Bible says somewhere that Satan is the ruler of Earth...


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Shannon Shaffer-Kartesz, her role as an employment specialist has led to not just a fulfilling career, but also volunteer work as well.
Otherwise known as a job coach, referrals come to her company, RSVP [Rehabilitative Services and Vocational Placement] from the Department of Rehabilitative Services through the Virginia state government.
"The referrals are people with physical and/or mental challenges," Shaffer-Kartesz said. "Some of my clients have never done competitive employment.
Born April 3, 1959 to Norman L. and Valerie J. Haight, Joel Haight was raised in Johnsonburg and Rasselas, and graduated from Johnsonburg Area High School in 1977.
Today, the area native enjoys a research position with the U.S. government in the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Pittsburgh.
Following graduation, Haight attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he earned an undergraduate degree in Safety Sciences in 1981. While attending IUP, he also participated on the institution's track and field team for four years.
Born in July of 1973 to Bob and Darla Wright, Cindy Unger was raised in Ridgway and graduated from Ridgway Area High School in 1991.
In high school, Unger played on the basketball, volleyball and track teams and was even involved in the school musical, 'Anything Goes.'
"Being part of that cast was truly one of my fondest memories of high school," Under said.
Following high school, Unger attended Lock Haven University and received a B.S. in Biology.
In difficult economic times with a high unemployment rate plaguing the country, the work for Johnsonburg native Julie Lindgren Wainner never ends.
As vice president for Whitman Associates, Inc., a staffing agency in Washington, D.C., Wainner plays an integral role in placing qualified candidates in administrative roles through the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
The daughter of Bruce and Dolores Lindgren, who reside in Johnsonburg, the 1980 Johnsonburg Area High School graduate remembers her hometown as a place full of inspiration.
Steve Gibbs is someone with many different jobs, interests and adventures during his life.
One thing has stayed constant, the warmth he has for his hometown of Ridgway.
"Ridgway is special," Gibbs said. "There's no place like it, the homes, the environment, the people. I'm growing to appreciate it more and more as I get older. It's my hometown. I think Ridgway is a unique town, it really is. I had a wonderful childhood, a happy childhood. I never had the perspective of how good I had it until I left Ridgway and traveled around."
For the past 10 years, Linda (Zurfluh) Frost has been self-employed through her company, Linda Frost Design, performing all aspects of graphic design work, including branding and corporate identity, package design, magazine publications, print ads, Website design and photography, for a variety of companies.
In addition to her graphic design work, Frost is also a fine artist and photographer.
Talk to Ridgway native Linda Scott for a while and you will quickly be able to see that she isn't one to let grass grow under her feet; in fact, for a long time she preferred the sky to the ground as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army.
Ridgway native Melissa Quattrone, 24, competed for the crown in the annual Miss Pennsylvania USA pageant this past November.
The pageant was held at the Hyatt Regency at the Pittsburgh Aiport.
"Although I didn't place in the competition, I walked away with more confidence, 61 new friends and an experience that will last a lifetime.
"I was very happy to see Amber-Joi Watkins get crowned, she deserved it."
Watkins was a previous runner-up in the competition.
The reigning Miss Pa. Goes on to compete in the televised Miss USA on NBC in April.
As a locomotive engineer, freight conductor and brakeman, Daniel Florio, 36, has turned his love of railroading into a full-time career , currently working at the Wellsboro and Corning Railroad and Tioga Central Railroad in Pennsylvania.
While he has been involved with railroading on and off for the past six years, Florio recently began working full-time in the industry in February.
The former St. Marys resident had always enjoyed operating or driving anything from trucks to backhoes, even riding lawnmowers.
Ridgway native Michael Aiello has used life lessons growing up here to enhance and help people in his career.
Aiello is currently a part of ERIEBANK, recently taking on a new position at the bank as a commercial lender.
He is a 2000 graduate of St. Leo School and a 2004 graduate of Elk County Catholic High School. He graduated from Mercyhurst College in 2008.
While at Mercyhurst, Aiello said he had an opportunity to work at the Northwest Savings Bank branch in Ridgway.


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- Aster C Linn
- Port Alfred
- South Africa
Independent Investigative Researcher and Reporter,
This conversation is closed.
The Communist Takeover of America - 45 Declared Goals ("that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963*").
Have you read this article? If not - see: http://rense.com/general32/americ.htm
Sep 28 2012: I just read the article.
I have said it again and again on the TED forum that the loss of moral compass and direction is an underestimated disaster.
No matter how much progress, wealth or freedom a nation has, or no matter how good systems are; corruption and lack of intergrity would bring such nation to her knees.
Freedom without discretion could lead to bondage (as in the case of an addict whose freedom to use certain produc(s) has turned to bondage; and no matter how good systems are or how well-concieved they are, they would fail if they are run by depraved individuals.Sep 29 2012: i have a theory that goes as this: if you fight something for too long, when you finally triumph, you become what your enemy was.
Sep 29 2012: "If you fight something for too long..." Like a terrible evil...when one finally conquers it (once and for all) one becomes like it? Meaning, only evil can conquer evil? Hardly. The reason why the enemies (of one's own household) have existed (and proliferated) for so long, is the failing of the good to recognize evil for what it is, and refuse to entertain, copy, emulate or propagate it.
Incidentally anyone who believes "war" is natural or inevitable is (quite frankly) mad.
Sep 29 2012: I actually espouse to this idea as well.
Look at married couples, more often than not they will look like each other, I contend that this is caused from fighting.
The way to avoid this phenomenon is to not resist the unwanted situation but to ignore it. This is the advise people will give with regards to trolls.
Another way to say the same thing is to just look at the situation as it is, this way you won't get stuck thinking about it.Sep 29 2012: i did not imply that this is the only way, just that it happens all too often. i believe that this transformation continues well after the victory, so it is not as much a tool as a consequence of the fight.
Sep 29 2012: HI Krisztian...............I guess the only way we can conqueer evil is to not entertain it as individuals ? What do you say ?Sep 29 2012: I suppose it all depends on the players,who is + who is -, but to each of them they are plus's.Sep 30 2012: I would say... If you have an enemy... You are the enemy. "We must fight state control... So... Outlaw people who like state control"... "Wait a minute".Sep 28 2012: I read the document. In 1963, Russia was a communist Nation.
China was just trying to build their way out of an impoverished, third world environment due to overpopulation and Lack of building an adequate infrastructure due to the events occurring in WWII.
On 8 December 1991, Russia ceased to be a communist nation. All activities associated with the plans for the communist world to take over other nations (as read in the document) died with it.
There is no communist plans to take over the United States.
Sep 29 2012: A "Communist Super Power?" That murdered millions of (unarmed, defenseless) people? Whose idea of a "Super Power" is that?
Sep 29 2012: It's a descriptive term that has been accepted widely and helps to promote ideas. Don't read too much into the name. Instead, focus on the message.
I changed the name from super power to Nation. I hope this helps.
Do you think my message is correct?Oct 1 2012: Incidentally, the Internet and this forum to speak out (and tell the truth) maybe the ONLY real means of "freedom of expression," anyone of us has left!Oct 1 2012: And last word for the moment. In the understanding that "there are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true, and the other is to refuse to believe what is true." (Soren Kierkegaard, philosopher). As long as millions of people (who do not choose to think for themselves?) believe Darwin's (unproven and unprovable) "theory" that "man descended from a lower order of animal" and somehow (suddenly) acquired mental (and other) faculties - "peculiar to man!" - i.e., that no other animal has - out of thin air*!" (*A DNA and genetic impossibility).
And point-blank REFUSE to believe that mankind; male and female were genetically-engineered by an intellectually and technologically (but not necessarily spiritually or morally) advanced (extraterrestrial) intelligence.
They are unlikely to ever discover WHO or WHAT they are; or WHERE they come from. And most importantly WHO is (and always was) BEHIND the whole (evil) scenario - under which every human-being has labored from the beginning.
See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvOgxmEgoiA
For the truth and "believe it!"Oct 1 2012: Hello Everyone (I'm sorry I cannot reply to you directly Chen, but it appears your "reply" button has been turned off).
If I may, I would like to introduce myself as a born and bred South African citizen, who has been ("living" i.e. a misnomer) struggling to survive under Socialist/Communist (so-called) "governance*" (*not that I need, want, invite or welcome, any other private citizen's "governance" over me) in the (so-called) new, democratic South Africa for the past 18 years.
And, that said, on to vital issues, namely: where I come from, i.e. my cultural background - the "unnatural" death of ONE (unarmed and defenseless) man, woman, child or infant; no matter their race or skin-color; let alone the "unnatural" deaths of hundreds of thousands (or millions) of men, women and children; at the hands of a maniacal murderer (or many maniacal murderers) is ONE death too many!
And, therefore, as this planet, Earth - the "jewel and apple of God's eye" - has been drenched in the blood of (billions of) human beings (and animals) for the past 200,000 years - one can only wonder WHO is behind this? The "perfectly and essentially morally good Creator of All Creation - Love?" Or the (God-created man, animal and life-hating) Anti-Christ and Father of Lies? Obviously the former.
And WHO in this day and age represents that, but The Godless and loveless (individual-freedom-hating; slave-driver; parasitic leech; confidence-trickster; user and abuser; mass-murdering) Socialist/Communists.
And in the understanding that "none of us are alone in this*" (*as though South Africa, or South Africans are a species apart, who live on another planet!).
See the "glorious and noble" aims that the (undercover) South African Communist Party has for the minority and majority of South Africans* (*who have no wish whatsoever to subsist and/or to "starve to death" under the "ruler-ship" of the "manual workers" in South Africa) here:
http://www.sacp.org.za/docs/docs/2012/draftpol2012.pdfSep 30 2012: If according to the rule of law in any and every civilized country: "Everybody is a private citizen, who has the right to expect that their person and their property shall be inviolable by other private citizens." And being entrusted with the strictly ethical and effective management of the "public purse" is exactly the same as being appointed as the president, CEO, or financial director of a large corporation.
What I find so surprising is not only the willingness of private citizens (en masse) to elect other private citizens (with possibly unchecked, background credentials, a lack of vital qualifications, or a proven track record, etc.) in positions of "governance" over them, but also their failure (in many instances) to demand (a) that these private citizens adequately perform the (administrative) tasks they are paid to perform (or face dismissal). And (b) that they (most importantly) observe and uphold the rule of law (and law of the land) to the letter. (Or, rightfully, face the same civil or criminal charges that every other private citizen faces if he or she breaks the law! ).Sep 30 2012: Quite so. Facts not theories. For the good of all mankind, the planet and animals, etc., not the opposite.Sep 29 2012: Exactly Pat. Programming. When one realizes that the 90% subconscious principle of mind is the "repository of the program(me)s that LARGELY determine the behavior of man." And the conscious principle of mind is the "guard" or "gardener" that needs to (vigilantly and continually) sort the "wheat from the chaff" (so to speak) - i.e., to decide what (thought, word and idea-seeds) to retain (remember and store) or discard (and forget). On a GIGO awareness (Garbage In - Garbage Out) basis.
What really is of concern is that many e.g. young people (and others) lack the experience (intuition, insight or wisdom) to know what is true (and ultimately good for one) and what is false (and ultimately bad for one) - in a spiritual (psychological) or holistic sense. (And, therefore, it is so important to always think for oneself).
Sep 29 2012: To determine if something is true or not is to determine if it works or not. The problem is that people skip this step as they have predetermined ideas that stop them from considering new ideas. But as per the scientific method if one were to compare their life now to their life before it will either be getting better or worse. Ergo does it work or doesn't it. But people skip this step...Sep 29 2012: The main reason why the U.S.S.R. imploded was simply because it ran out of (pilfered) capital and neither the (non-entrepreneurial; non-industrialist) governing-body nor proletariat were capable of initiating or starting (profitable) enterprises or generating (any more of) it.Sep 29 2012: Thank you. I couldn't agree more. As Ayn Rand said, "Make a man or woman hate themselves, and you can do what you like with them." And the sacrifice or abandonment of any human being's set of moral values (conscience, guiding principal; ability to distinguish right from wrong, and loss of self and other respect on a personal and societal level) achieves precisely that.
Sep 29 2012: Yup the very essential problem with ethics is what the individual does to himself or allows to be done to himself. It is almost an unnoticed decision when this happens yet has life changing results, the price of freedom is very much in your face, yet most of us somehow choose not to see it.Sep 29 2012: I haven't seen a communist rally in years,i always thought the Soviet flag was a really nice flag and when the wall went down i tried to get my hands on an original,lucked out like the system.Sep 28 2012: And what of the communist countries that are no longer here? was that part of the plan as well?
Some of those lines are amazing. But before we get too amazed maybe if we expand our viewpoint on this we realize that all countries come to an end or fade away, this fading away process is quite predictable and has occurred many times before.
I think your link to Ferguson's talk is very apt and serves as a good bench mark in this phenomenon.
Sep 28 2012: are you saying that there aren't communist counties? if so i think you are wrong . china is still a socialist country ,at least it is written in the constitution..
and i totally agree that maybe in the future countries will fade away. you know Europe is a tend to that .
Sep 28 2012: No I said the communist countries that faded away.
All things end, they are created and they are destroyed by agreement.
Sep 29 2012: Pat, when you say "countries" will fade away, do you mean barren land (the Earth) or the PEOPLE who occupy those countries?
Especially bearing in mind that without this (beautiful, hugely disrespected and unappreciated) life-support system for people (animals and insects, etc.) there is none other?Sep 28 2012: Chen, I think the Nationalistic trend is for the separation of the two hemispheric, continental spheres into two separated national alignments. In your part of the world, it will establish the Euro/Russian/Asian alliance. On our side will be the North American/ South American alliance.
Part of the reason for this has to do with Infastructure and the cost of energy.
In your part of the world China has rail ways that extend all the way to connect with Europe, through other connecting points in other countries in that part of the world.
We have the same connections on this side of the world.
Transportation, shipping, air transportation, etc, is becoming increasingly costly and eventually will make the economic connection between the two hemispheres to costly to continue.
It has little to do with politics and much to do about money.
Sep 30 2012: what you said sounds reasonable .. you make me think of the corld warSep 29 2012: Hello Chen, While I am sure it was long before your time, did your parents (or teachers) not tell you that hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians were killed by the Red Guard over a ten-year (1966-76) period?
Also, here in South Africa, there have (apparently) been thousands of farm attacks (over the past ten years) and regrettably some 3,155 white farmers have already been murdered (aside from the atrocities committed against their family members, including their wives, children and infants).
See - www.genocidewatch.com (South Africa) for more information.
And, yes, as "democracy and freedom are sensitive issues" in Communist China - especially when it comes to the impoverished "working class." Anyone who (blithely) declares that Communism died out with the collapse of the U.S.S.R. is merely kidding themselves.
Sep 30 2012: Aster C Linn,
I don't see where anyone in this discussion stated that communism died out. Perhaps you could show us the post?
You are implying that Communism is responsible for many deaths. So it is. So is Democracy, Imperialism, Aristocracy, Dictatorship, Socialism, etc.
You, apparently, have decided to jump on Communism. Why not jump on all of them?
As far as the US debt to other countries, it is assumed, world wide that if you borrow money, you are responsible for paying it back. No country can take over the US because we own them money. They can refuse to loan us any money and register their complaint so no country will loan us money. It's just business.Sep 30 2012: what you said is ture ,there indeed happened the Red Guard MATTER.
and hundreds of thousands of chinese civilians were killed .
while you know past can not represent now .and also it is a fact that china is getting fater and fater.and chinese are becoming more and more wealth.they go to america to buy houses they succeeded in the buyout of the wow they become the largest of Consumption of Luxury jewelry just as JOHN said money is the case .if the people of the republic of china have more money and live a much better life .who cares what country it is !
perhaps democracy and freedom just is not fit for chinaSep 29 2012: Pat,Do you think economic zones is the way of the future?
Sep 29 2012: I'm not sure. The U.S. trades more with Canada and Mexico than China now. With fuel costs going up and Chinese labor costs going up there is going to be an incentive to re-shore jobs, which would indicate what John is saying.
On the other hand Europe's biggest trading partner is the U.S. What most people don't realize is that the U.S. is the biggest manufacturing country in the world.
Sep 29 2012: Pat, I can't remember where I read about it right now, but if you could key "What does America owe to Communist China?" into your browser search-bar, you might be mightily surprised by your findings. Particularly, bearing in mind, that if the CC party was to call in its debt, at any time, and the U.S. was not in a position to settle it - the next move would be the "appropriation" (and occupation) of U.S. land and territory - in (possibly partial) repayment. Just a thought.Sep 29 2012: Yup that is true. The Chinese would simply not roll over the debt. They do buy U.S. land as have other countries when they had a lot of dollars Japan was on the front page at one time. I think the U.K. owns the most U.S. land. At this time the U.S. dollar is the most stable so the Chinese are not likely to not reinvest as also the U.S. is China's best customer. But China also owns a lot of gold and is making efforts to make the Renminbi the currency of choice.


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Thanks to her awesome fans, Selena's trip to Europe was a blast! Not to mention, European Selenators got her nominated for best female in MTV's European Music Awards! Cast your vote for Selena as best female!
Selena Gomez has made a splash in the club scene with her pop music and she finds it amusing. "Slow Down" is #1 on Billboard's club charts and she is gleeful over the news. It is also her 6th single to make it on that chart as #1 song. But perhaps the funniest thing about it is that Selena is barely old enough to enter the club scene. Here is how she broke the news...
We want to wish a very special congratulations to a member of The Scene today. The contest to win the heart shaped Disney PPP make-up compact autographed by Selena Gomez is.....
Gomez_Geek !!! You won! Expect your prize in the mail very soon.
Thank you to everyone who entered. We had a HUGE turn out for the contest, and plan to have another one very soon. So keep your eyes on the Contests page.
For now, head over to the Campaigns page and earn yourselves some points.
Have a great week!
Selena's Fall Dream Out Loud collection has arrived! Check out the commercial :)
Congratulations to Selena for winning a moon man at the 2013 VMA's! She took home the award for BEST POP VIDEO for "Come And Get It". And of course - thank you to everyone who voted!


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17 Webcomic Diaries That Let You Peek Inside Other People's Lives
While some people love peering into the lives of other via reality TV, I'm hooked on diary webcomics. I can't help myself. If they're the sexy neighbor who likes to get dressed in front of a window, I'm the kid across the street with the binoculars. Over the years,