Some concepts to help other involve start up giving. So, involve teaching to let people help themselves. Then some do both. That is where Kiva comes in.
What is a Kiva
A Kiva is a web site that brings small business loans (micro loans) to 3rd world countries in order to help others help themselves.
The concept is quite simple and yet it has such a potent impact on the lives of others that they were on the Oprah Winfrey Show, has a place in Bill Clinton's book "Giving" and much more reach that you can see here on their Press Release Page
With the holidays approaching us, I thought that I would spread the word about such a cool program. I only wish that there was one for the US as well. Many people around the world are in need of help, and that does include the US. But, this is a great start.
How does it work
There a profiles of people who want to open their own business so they can feed and roof their families. You browse through the profiles and see who wants to do what. Then you can place a donation towards that person's business. You donate $25.00 and up. You stay updated on the progress and the loans are paid back (97% of 10 Million so far) and they go into your account so you help another.
So, if giving to others this season is on your menu, maybe instead giving away a coat or a toy give away the chance of survival. You may even know someone who need a loan to start a business in the third world, then direct them to their site so they can seek some help.
Here is a chance to make a person feel whole, and self serving, here is a chance to give away some pride.
KIVA.org
Welcome To The News Maze
I opened this blog...
so I could get off my chest shit that racks my nerves in the news. Between the media, the politicians, local sports, and public servant bullshit issues.
We have been handed nothing but lies about the war, September 11th 2001, Katrina, the oil take over, the cell phone radiation, and the heroin deals this government has made over the past administration's takeover.
The body count has been astronomical, and the attention it gets is always in bits and pieces. Some focus on the war, some 9-11, some on the victims of Katrina and some on the edges of the reality that we are getting screwed big time.
Here we will focus on it all! No free rides and no hidden agendas. We want answers, we'll ask for them, we'll share them and we'll plead for them as well.
September 11th 2001 I think is a good place for me to start. So many people had died, and so many questions had risen from the flesh infested dust, yet we let it pass without as much as a legal commitment. Justice was blinded by headlines of anthrax, Eron, the Church and it's sex scandals and anything else the people were willing to let blind them.
Normally, here in New York, we take pride in how we approach a crime scene. We look at details and we piece together what could be the cause of the crime. But this crime, had no crime scene, no investigation, no evidence turned over to the DA's office. What we got was full line of bullshit, that people wanted to believe, for people to keep the faith, while all along, being lied to. Sometimes, a lie, can be swallowed and digested just so it will pass through us.
First with all crimes, we have to look at who had the means, the motive and the opportunity. Within that frame work most crime investigations are conducted. We never had that chance, that chance was taken away from us before September 11, 2001. Now, in 2007, the crime scene still sits with human ash and more people paying the price because of this ash. A crime that has been killing for over seven years, and yet we still have no investigation? What we have is a war, deflecting our deepest desire to ask a simple question. What really happened on September 11th 2001?
