Quotable Quotes

"Believe in the possibility of one another."

Jessica Jackley, co-founder KIVA - loans that change lives

rite of passage: the barber shop

Kenyon and I are spending our last couple of days in the USA in the State of Virginia visiting the Williams family. Yesterday, Kenyon and Ramone shared a Black male rite of passage - a visit to the local barber shop. I secretly snapped a photo from my cell phone. Enjoy being witness to this male rite of passage.

Is there a rite of passage in your family or culture - what is it? In my culture it is usually a quinceanera, though my immediate family doesn't really practice that tradition. What does your family have as a rite of passage to show when a child is growing up?

trade vs. aid

At the recent leadership summit a thought provoking speaker was invited. his words inspired controversy. I, personally, wanted to stand up and applaud. Andrew Regarsira is Ugandan and a business owner, running an international business in Africa. here is what he had to say:

The perspective we hold influences our response to make a difference.

No country in the world developed through handouts. Trade is the only sustainable way to develop countries.

Africa today contributes 2% of global trade merchandise. The world doesn't seem to believe we can produce a quality product on time. We want to do business, not get pity.

• Aid undermines accountability - creates chronic dependency
• Aid does not develop the local economy

Question: what is the impact of our compassion?

Answer: People have lost faith in themselves and developed a belief that the best solutions come from the outside.

The best kindness you can demonstrate is helping people help themselves, not through a hand-out.

Amen to that! Preach it, brother!

I challenge you to ask yourself, what is the impact of our compassion? it is a question I know I will be asking myself now and in to the future.

Our Town

KC is the place where Kenyon and I met. KC is where we share many fond memories. Many of our friends are here. His family is here. We love this town. It has changed quite a bit since we moved, but it just means there is more to love. Here are a few pictures of our town from our recent visit.

the addition of the Power and Light District to KC is VERY nice. I wish it had been around when we lived here. have you visited? what is your opinion?

My thoughts on health care...

Yesterday, I had the time to watch one of the President's town hall meetings selling health care reform. My thoughts are simple and succinct:

• for years I have believed that health insurance needs to be divorced from employment. Why? because for decades we (or our employer on our behalf) pays in to a system when we are mostly healthy and able bodied. As we age and retire, and most in need of the care we've been paying for, we are suddenly uninsured. That just doesn't make sense to me. This would also apply to those who were paying in to the system and then came down with a chronic illness, etc. We should get credit for the years of coverage when we didn't really use the benefit we were paying for. It is my belief that over the course of a lifetime there will be times the insurance company is making money (when we are young and healthy) and times when they are paying out (when we are older or ill)
• also, I don't know anyone who lives under a socialized system that is satisfied with their health care (Canada or Europe primarily, Australians seem to like their coverage). I like the options that our privatized system offers us. I get to choose my doctor, procedures, pharmaceutical options. I like the freedom afforded me in a privatized system. I don't want to be lumped in to a big socialized system that looses the personal touch I've become accustomed to.

Can we successfully divorce insurance from employment and still have viable private options? I believe so. I am realistic that government will have a role in this, but I don't think government is the final answer. It is my hope that we will find a reasonable solution that retains the freedoms I enjoy.

What's your opinion on health care reform?