Archive for April, 2010
One Million Jasons
Friday, April 30th, 2010
The roundtable meeting with Jason, the founder of 1million shirts, was an elaborate version of similar conversations I’ve had with scores of people just like Jason. Each Jason is completely unaware of the harm that can be done…
Why do Aid Bloggers get Snarky
Thursday, April 29th, 2010
I will admit to having an occasional snarky post and a few uber-snarky tweets that I usually end up regretting and deleting later (unfortunately now they’re immortalized in the Library of Congress). Yet in real life I’m not a particularly…
What aid workers think of the 1 Million Shirts campaign
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
Within the past few days there has been a torrent of blog posts and tweets about yet another organization shipping donated goods overseas. Donated goods are, in general, bad aid. I’ve written numerous posts on the problems with…
Even Dogs Get Culture Shock
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
Upon returning to the states after living in Thailand for four years I expected a little reverse culture shock. What I hadn’t expected was that my Thai dog would experience culture shock. After 1 1/2 years in the states she…
CDC Cautions Volunteers to Haiti
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
While researching which immunizations I might need before I head to Haiti for an upcoming consultancy, I was surprised to find the Center for Disease Control cautioning people against going to Haiti to volunteer. Here is what they…
To Help the Most, Cash is Best – PSA Contest
Monday, April 19th, 2010
All regular readers of my blog will be familiar with all the problems that can be caused by in-kind donations. If you’re new to this blog it’s worth taking a few minutes to read The Worst In-kind Donations…
Interesting debates, articles, and guidelines – early April
Saturday, April 17th, 2010
Development blogs you should read - Owen Abroad – happy to note that this blog is included in the list
Reality Check 'Extreme Makeover' Show Downsizes its Dreams – Wall Street Journal – talks about…
Good Intentions 1 Year Blogiversary!
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
One year ago yesterday I wrote my first blog post. I never intended to become a blogger and rarely spent any time in the blogosphere let alone on twitter. I wouldn’t be writing this post today if it weren’t for…
Today’s Podcast – Earmarking Donations
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
This week’s podcast on Think Before You Give discusses the problems associated with earmarking or restricting donations.
Based on the feedback we’ve received we’ve shortened the length of the podcast to just under 10 minutes. We’d…
My Take on the Conflict in Thailand
Sunday, April 11th, 2010
For anyone not familiar with Thai politics the current situation can be confusing. Here’s my perspective based on what I learned during my six years living in rural Thailand.
The struggle between remaining a democracy or consolidating power
I believe…
