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    <title><![CDATA[Discussion on Documenting the undocumented: How one company counts the 'invisible poor' ]]></title>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[RE: Documenting the undocumented: How one company counts the 'invisible poor']]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13657]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Wow, Hiraghm, that was an extremely xenophobic and mean-spirited diatribe you posted.  I'm disgusted by your contention that Americans are somehow superior to all others.On a more positive note, I think this is a great idea.  When I was in Peace Corps in Niger, I worked with the Carter Center on Guinea Worm Eradication, and we had a very similar model of collecting information.  Young people were trained as community health agents in every village in endemic guinea work areas.  They would go door to door, collecting information, which was filtered up through the local public health system.  I would then compile all this information into a very detailed spreadsheet, which had the village location and population numbers, including ages, gender, water source information, and such.  It wouldn't have been a stretch to collect more data using the same system.  This could be repeated for a very low cost all over the world, and the added benefit of cell-phones could make the data useful in real time.  I would recommend connecting with an org like Ushahidi, who collects information in a more crowd-sourcing manner.  The combination of real-time data overlapped/mashed-up with more stable demographic info could be a powerful tool.  Best of luck to Melanie.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13657]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[souleysdw]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Wed, 14 Apr 2010 08:25:07 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Information is power]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13600]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[So the ability to keep information secret is the first step towards controlling a population.Want to avoid it?Set the information free.A couple years ago the Chinese took a couple terabytes of data from US military labs. This gives them an advantage over other countries, and decreases the advantage of the US.To negate that advantage, the US should have published the stolen data for everyone, thus the new Chinese advantage disappears--though, of course, so does part of the US advantage--but that advantage was already lost.Information per se is not the culprit, it is the gap between those who know and those who don't.This kind of gap is routinely found in the US when companies locate plants and operations, as they play one municipality against another. In general, such battles consist of a well-informed company project against an ill-informed municipal government.Thus while the company may threaten not to come without some sort of concessions (often such that the company itself pays nothing to the municipality, leaving the only advantage to the city being the employment, and the disadvantage of providing infra-structure.But the company may be bluffing, because you may be the BEST location despite other locations concessions...but the government seldom seems to investigate anywhere near as well as the companies do...and they often provide a net gain to the company at a net loss to the community.  This isn't helped by most small community's idea that a million dollars is a lot of money, when they face corporations which can and do waste hundreds of millions on projects that don't pay.We spend billions on anti-terrorist operations when terrorists kill less people than lightening.Meanwhile, medical expenditures are criticised though heart attacks alone kill far more people.Worse, we have people bitterly complaining that keeping people healthy (which while reducing healthcare contributions to the GDP, increase the ability of people to work,) whilst totally ignoring the orders of magnitude larger expenses involved in fighting wars, paying interest for fighting wars and cleaning up after war.No modern war has had major positive results for the people of the countries involved, though many individuals and groups have become extremeIt is amazing that the idea of basing government expenditures upon facts rather than rhetoric is still, in this age, a novelty.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13600]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[wizoddg]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:55:19 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[RE: Documenting the undocumented: How one company counts the 'invisible poor']]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13609]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[It's amusing, but I'm getting a little tired of those left wing activists posting transparent parodies like the &quot;Wall Street Retards&quot; one from hiraghm. I'm sure there hasn't really been anyone like hiraghm for a century or so.And if ther ereally was a hiraghm, I'm sure that she would be congratulating Johnson&amp;Johnson on their efforts to expand their bottom line, and bring a few much-needed export dollars back to the USA.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13609]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[pfperry@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:51:49 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[deceptive head-line]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13594]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[It should have been &quot;Violating the Privacy of Everyone&quot;.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13594]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Professor8]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:24:22 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[How many retards do we have on Wall Street?]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13553]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[This opening phrase: &quot;Melanie Edwards knew there was a problem when market researchers had more information on the video game habits of American teenagers than on the populations of African nations.&quot;Because American teenagers have access to more disposable income than African populations?It's left-wing idiots like this Melanie Edwards that make me question the wisdom of giving females the vote, or allowing Peace Corps volunteers back in the country.She has an activist agenda, and it ain't out to make money (although I don't imagine she's sending her net, let alone her gross income to those &quot;invisible poor&quot;.)Get this straight, sister. WE AIN'T A FAMILY. I guess it's a result of the destruction of the family unit by the philosophy and activities left wingers like Edwards that makes so many on the left to call every interaction between naked apes &quot;family&quot;, but that ain't the case. Chad-ians are NOT Americans, therefore they are NOT my family. Nor are Iraqis, Frenchmen, Chinese or Eskimos. They have their cultures they wish to pursue, as is their right. If their cultures result in massive poverty, maybe they should change cultures, perhaps imitate a culture that has comparatively little poverty? I wouldn't suggest ours in the U.S., because it's been so perverted by socialist dogma that we're about to go under ourselves.Edwards, get out of our financial system and go squat in the dirt with your Peace Corps victims. Congratulations on your financial success in our system, but curse you for using the fruits of that success to pervert us.The reality is, you're a sell-out. You're going out gathering data on tomorrow's markets, thinking (correctly, thanks to the left) that today's markets are on the decline. So international corporations, and worse, international socialists (nah, I'm not going to use the &quot;c&quot; word) can gather data on people around the world, pigeon-hole them into demographics, and A) market products to them and B) organize their communities into socialist collectives. It'll be interesting to see how this chimeric beast combining corporate avarice with socialist lust for power comes out.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13553]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[hiraghm@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:45:21 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Dubious Ventures &amp; Purposes]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13518]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[On the outside, MM purports to help the poor however there are other matters of concern. Among those, privacy and safeguard of data are prime. The use of locals seems a bit scheming to usurp the protections of wary people that have already encountered oppression and lack of opportunity.  As well, the jobs are likely those of a very temporary nature.  Why don't they survey how much relief or aid has actually gone to help people so we can know where the trillions have actually gone? Survey the governments that obtain funds, &quot;non-profits&quot; and others that collect donations, proceed to the organizers and government agencies that are supposed to distribute, and then check with the grassroots to determine the values that have trickled down if at all.  Yes, I am rightfully suspicious that charity is actually very profitable and not as effective as it should be.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13518]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[donnydo77@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:31:23 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[RE: Documenting the undocumented: How one company counts the 'invisible poor']]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13516]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[@jwlthe4thWho cares if they're being marketed to? So, in so many years from now, when the country is well on its way to becoming industrialized, the citizens recall that, a long time ago, Johnson and Johnson helped them out with their dengue fever epidemic and they choose to buy products from that company.By the way, there are several Christian groups out there bringing the message of Christ to those in need (as well as medical attention, food supplies, clean water, education facilities and supplies...) and, even though I'm not Christian, I support them fully because of the sustainable nature of the support they provide. In fact, I even support the message - I mean, why not, if it's a message of love and hope? Just because I don't believe that Jesus was the savior doesn't mean I don't see the value in many of the messages in the bible.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13516]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Caggles]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:18:02 -0700</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[RE: Documenting the undocumented: How one company counts the 'invisible poor']]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13494]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Information is a powerful tool and it can be used, as suggested here, to do a lot of good. On the other hand, it can be used to promote, coerce and manipulate. It seems that it is assumed that anyone who looks to any underclass has noble intentions, but just a thin layer under the surface will no doubt reveal an agenda that would at least be debatable. Our own census system is an obvious example of that. I use demographics on a regular basis to effectively advance my own cause and agenda and not everyone would agree with my perspectives. What makes us assume it would be so with any one else. This story itself is targeted at a specific demographic. How would it sit with the population that is reading this piece if it were about a Christian organization that has mobile information harvesters and advocates who are systematically scrutinizing and promoting to these &quot;in need&quot; populations the message of eternity and Jesus Christ?Most people are oblivious to the level that they are being marketed to, whether for good cause or not.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-2078-13494]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[jwlthe4th]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:43:45 -0700</pubDate>
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