I've been casting about for ways of reframing our language relating to the health care system, and come up with "Disease Industrial Complex." If we look at things from this perspective, the DIC is a very efficient process, efficiently absorbing an ever increasing percentage of our gross national product. This industry has little to do with health - its all about disease, how to categorize it, and how to sell things to fix it.

I'm holding a workshop on the Good Ancestor Principle at my home in San Diego Feb 19-20, 2008, a successor to last year's workshop. This year's theme will focus on various perspectives of Resilience, as well as some theoretical notions of retro information.

Videos from 2007 Good Ancestor Workshop:
Good Ancestor Workshop Summary

I'm planning to hold a workshop at my home on Micro philanthropy and Really Simple Social Actions (RSSA) sometime in mid March, 2008. Details to follow.

I have nominated Ethan Zohn, the winner of Survivor Africa who used his $1 million winnings to help start Grassroot Soccer, for the 2008 Charles Bronfman Prize.

I am collecting the many innovative ideas about improving the philanthropic process over the years into a theme I am calling "Smart Philanthropy". The thrust of modern philanthropy tends to focus on fundraising - an organization's ability to attract attention and money from donors. Unfortunately, what happens with that money - the program activities that it supports - is not as visible.

Peter Deitz has done some interesting work around the notion of syndicating donor activity for micro philanthropy. Here is an image of what he envisions, and here is a working mockup.

Alcoholics Anonymous is a real-world example of network abundance. It is based on a notion that members can help maintain their sobriety by helping others stay sober. The more members it has, the greater its capacity to help even more members. Over time, it has evolved to address other addictive problems as well. It charges no dues, takes no names, generates no transactions, so it is flies completely "under the radar" of the transactional model of health care.

Thomas Dichter has another book out What's Wrong with Microfinance? (Edited with Malcolm Harper) And here is his paper Rethinking Microfinance. Here is a video of a dinner conversation in a Paris with Marcia Odell

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB6RkNVuhCE

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This is the closing presentation of Frederick Turner at the Good Ancestors Principle Workshop in San Diego, Feb 4-5, 2007

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwwFQwOVu6M

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Fred is Founders Professor of Arts and Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas and an Uplift Academy Fellow.

This is an [interesting story | http://purplemotes.net/2006/03/19/innovative-broadband-project-in-india/] about broadband access to remote villages in India.