Procrastadabbler

One article is about the health impact of worms/parasites in African nations and how inexpensively this devastating health problem could be addressed if only some attention were turned that way. I’m sure the issues of delivering aid to the afflicted are much more complex that I could ever imagine (graft, bureaucracy, etc), but nonetheless, the message is that ofttimes solutions can be small if only we think to look.

The second article starts by talking about the filthy rich, how they get rich, and how it’s resulted in an exhorbitant cost of living in London (and soon other cities- if not already). He’s talking mainly about people who have gotten rich through hedge funds. Start with money, add water, watch it grow. However, the main point of the article is how the rest of the world is locked out. He writes:

…in the United States, fabulous wealth creation has been unmatched by
improved education. Teaching that will get you recognized in a globalized world
is denied minority kids in failing schools. The proportion of American
children not completing high school – around 25 percent – has scarcely changed
in recent decades. Hedge-fundocrats and their private equity cousins should
consider ways to pile money into ending this national failure.

He goes on to say more about how the very rich are protected, but I leave you to read the article.

Now here’s the kicker. Read the two articles juxtaposed – one pleads for 3 cents a year to cure a child of worms and the other points out how the globally rich are able to evade taxes and live in London homes costing well over $6 million dollars.

I challenge you not to be outraged.

Here are the articles. You’ll need a free subscription to NYTimes to read them.
Attack of the Worms
The Filthy Rich are Different from You and Me