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The Guttmacher Institute estimates that providing contraception to all women worldwide not now using it would cost less than $4 billion per year. Excellent op-ed by Nick Kristof | NY Times http://nyti.ms/brcweU
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Attention everyone 55+ out there: I have a message for you from my buddies on Madison Ave (and its equivalents in Chicago, L.A., San Francisco, Miami, London, etc): “You’re dead to me.” It’s true, why spend valuable ad dollars on a group that is set in its ways, has strong brand loyalty, and (let’s face it) will be dying off soon anyway? Better to try and capture the heart$ and mind$ of the twenty-somethings while convincing ourselves that our brand is young and relevant. One small problem: 50 is not the new 40, it’s more like the new 35. The fastest growing segment using social media are the 50+ crowd --- and that segment is growing fast as Baby Boomers aided by better health care and nutrition join the fold. The problem is, young mature adults (can I coin a demo phrase, YMAs?)do not want to be treated as being old, or senior for that matter. Many avoid the grandpa/grandma titles altogether as being too “old” sounding. Proposed: Social media sites that truly cater to the 50+ set that are not condescending and do not try to include 60 and 70 year olds (who should have their own social media sites). A few have tried, but ultimately none have succeeded to provide this without itself engaging in ageism. It can be done – we should be working hard to get there before we’re too old to care.
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A new iPhone app allows medical personnel to use the iPhone for translation during emergencies - certainly not perfect, but better than sign language. http://bit.ly/bjyWtj |
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Locking homeless in shelters with other homeless people doesn't help them progress. Better to let them use coffee shops into the evening, surfing the web or working online. Reason Magazine http://bit.ly/bGWs3E |
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ZMQ Software Systems offers a program in India answering prenatal care questions and providing education by SMS. On MobileActive.org http://bit.ly/aYO8Wa |
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MASSIVEGOOD organizes partners in the travel industry (airlines, hotels, travel agencies) to offer customers the option to donate $2 to global health with every purchase. This model could be applied to other industries as well. http://massivegood.org/ |
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Gardens for Health provides land, resources and training for people living with HIV in Rwanda. Dell "Social Innovations Challenge" grand winner 2009. http://bit.ly/7ACa2Y |
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Investing in institutional partnerships between US organizations - hospitals, medical schools, research laboratories - and counterparts in developing countries is the best way to provide opportunities for local healthcare professionals. A CSIS "SmartGlobalHealth" winning idea 2009. http://bit.ly/5rvDsr |
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A New York Times study of emergency room records shows a high rate of injuries of cell phone distracted pedestrians in major cities. http://bit.ly/4QDJdo |
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Turning a subway stairway exit into a piano keyboard encouraged people to take the stairs. From TheFunTheory.com. http://bit.ly/5i7nRP |
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Shouldn't we grant all humans the dignity of ending life when they choose? Switzerland does. A Wired Magazine "shocking idea" of 2009. http://bit.ly/7WlElR |
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A Gates Foundation study finds that providing fiber optic lines to 123,000 hospitals, public libraries, schools and community colleges would cost about $10 billion. http://ow.ly/tFh9 |
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"Positive Deviance" identifies individuals that succeed in difficult circumstances, and analyzes why. NYTimes "best of 2008" idea. http://bit.ly/6Qko1m |
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A device fashioned from a two-liter bottle provides hand-washing for developing countries. A NYTimes "best of 2008" selection. http://bit.ly/5EYH7w |
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Half a billion children have no birth certificate, blocking access to health care, education and welfare support. Universal Birth Registration seeks to remedy this problem. http://bit.ly/6Om2OZ |
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The Purleve Hygienic Door Handle dispenses a fresh, antimicrobial plastic sleeve with every turn. http://bit.ly/5F3806 |
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The Transmedics Organ Care System keeps organs perfused with warm blood during transport, improving quality and raising transport times from 5 to 12 hours. http://www.transmedics.com |
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New stethoscope sends data over bluetooth to computer for real-time analysis. Named Popular Science "innovation of the year 2009". http://bit.ly/6cfKls |
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MetroNaps offers busy executives the opportunity to have a quick mid-day nap in specially designed "nap pods". http://www.metronaps.com |
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Assisted care facilities for Alzheimer's patients can be depressing environments. I heard about one facility in England that opened an adjacent pub. Families come, there is laughter and frivolity -- and the patients don't need to care about drinking and driving!
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Drugs and vaccines that developing countries need are underinvested in because companies can't be sure there is a market. Guarantee a market commitment in advance so pharma will do R&D. See http://www.vaccineamc.org . |
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