1. Check out TLQ, the digital magazine for thought leaders.  They asked my alter ego to produce a reflection piece on some of my earlier blog posts (Model Business, Battle of the Models, The Narrative Divide, etc).  I took my views to their logical conclusion — a look at our Achilles Heel.

Here is a link to the pdf, but their version has all the links… TLQ June 2013 Hope you enjoy it.  Pls no comments about the photo.

2. I used to think that humanitarian NGOs were like the proverbial emporor with no clothes.  You know: big talk and no action; glossy reports that do not reflect the reality of our work.  Then I realized that the problem was slightly more complicated.  In the end, the emporor is in fact an emporor.  He may not have any clothes on, but that doesn’t alter his identity.  What we have in humanitarianism is not a delusion in the nature of our clothes, but the false belief in being an emporor in the first place.  Yikes.

3. Has anybody watched the TED talk by Dan Pallotta that claims our thinking about charity is “dead wrong”?  Acknowledging that he says some interesting things, I still can’t help feeling squeamish about every facet of his talk.  Really, every single thing he says seems slickly evangelical, even by the typical standards of the temple of philanthropic elitism. Or, if not evangelical, at least infomercialesque.  Aid as a business that produces goodness the way Toyota produces cars.  More stuff in one end equals more cars out the other.  And what is his solution; his stuff to put in at the NGO end?  Money, money and more money because with more money we can do more good.  Anyone else out there frightened by the guy?  I also don’t like his shirt.