Michael Sieburg

The NY Times is reporting that Leona Helmsley has left most of her estate of billions to her dog and other dogs:

Sure, the hotelier and real estate magnate Leona Helmsley left $12 million in her will to her dog, Trouble. But that, it turns out, is nothing much compared with what other dogs may receive from the charitable trust of Mrs. Helmsley, who died last August.

Her instructions, specified in a two-page “mission statement,” are that the entire trust, valued at $5 billion to $8 billion and amounting to virtually all her estate, be used for the care and welfare of dogs, according to two people who have seen the document and who described it on condition of anonymity.

Contrast that with Warren Buffett who has already given the bulk of his wealth to the Gates Foundation, with his will directing even more of his fortune to charitable causes.

The former ensured that her dog will get up to $100,000 worth of security each year. The latter has made a generous contribution to very worthwhile causes, including global public health, that will benefit countless number of people for years to come.

Andy Mukherjee has published an interesting and in-depth opinion piece at Bloomberg about recent moves by Vietnam’s central bank to deal with currency concerns; specifically the disparity between the exchange rate on the parallel market and the official rate.

There are times that I grow tired of essays from Op-Ed writers who only offer loud declarations about situations without suggesting concrete solutions to the problems. The calls to intervene in Burma following the cyclone illustrates this tendency well. I read again and again about the need to intervene but rarely did anyone address what the intervention would consist of. I think that too often writers and thinkers feel the need to address an issue, whether it is Burma or Zimbabwe or another high profile situation, without feeling any accompanying need to address the complexity of it.

That’s why I want to comment on Nicholas Kristof’s weekend piece on Zimbabwe. I was pleased to see that he offers more than just the simplistic, “South Africa needs to do more” or “Mbeki is not doing enough”. When I read those declarations, I think, What exactly does South Africa need to do? What is Mbeki not doing enough of? It’s not that I don’t agree with the underlying thesis but I want to read what types of concrete solutions might be out there. Fortunately, Kristof proposes several solutions to the tragedy in Zimbabwe, and even lays out how South Africa can play a role by going beyond the tired cries that they simply “do more”.

Kristof writes:

One option would be for him to “retire” honorably — “for health reasons” after some face-saving claims of heart trouble — at a lovely estate in South Africa, taking top aides with him. He would be received respectfully and awarded a $5 million bank account to assure his comfort for the remainder of his days.

The other alternative is that he could dig in his heels and cling to power. African leaders should make clear that in that case, they will back an indictment of him and his aides in the International Criminal Court. Led by the Southern African Development Community, the world will also impose sanctions against Mr. Mugabe’s circle and cut off all military supplies and spare parts. Mozambique, South Africa and Congo will also cut off the electricity they provide to Zimbabwe. (More)

Those are interesting ideas, especially the first. I am in no position to comment on how realistic sending Mugabe into exile is. I imagine he’d be reluctant to go but I would also imagine that the South African government could hold some sway in convincing him to retire to South Africa.

It’s refreshing to read opinion articles like this in newspapers. Offering a more nuanced analysis as well as addressing concrete actions makes for more interesting and insightful articles.

A couple of weeks ago a friend of a friend emailed me to ask for advice about how to find work with international development organizations (ngo’s, foundations, int’l orgs, etc). She is a recent college graduate and is currently looking for a position in NYC. I gave her the usual job websites but I think the only really useful piece of advice I gave her was to pack her bags and move abroad. I think it’s understandably difficult to break into the field if you’ve never lived and worked abroad. That’s all I tell people any more when the subjects of what to do post-graduation or how to strengthen your resume are raised. Just go. A year, two, three- whatever. But go abroad, volunteer, intern, work, study. You’ll gain so much out of it and you’ll have advantages that your peers who stayed home do not.

The reason I write this post is because yesterday I received word that the girl I gave advice to is leaving soon for East Africa to work with an NGO there.

Update: On this note, I am happy to see that Neil Blumenthal of VisionSpring (formerly Scojo Foundation) gave similar advice to a group of young professionals looking to get involved with social entrepreneurship… “Finally, Neil laid it on the line, telling the audience to get out and work in the sector, even if it means taking risks – as he did when he hopped on a plane to El Salvador to work for Scojo Foundation (now VisionSpring) a few years back.”

A friend of mine works at an IT company in Vietnam. She recently posted some statistics on the employees at her firm (no link- private posting). Of all the stats, I found the info on higher education most intriguing. Nearly a third of the graduates majored in English, with a quarter majoring in business. 69% are pursuing a second degree or have already completed grad school- and English language is the second most popular second degree among staff. Add up first and second degrees, and 60% of the staff pursued at least one degree in English. If you include those taking non-degree courses, 70% of the staff study English in a formal class setting. These statistics are revealing (anecdotally, sure) of the importance of English language capabilities in improving an individual’s competitiveness in the job market. It’s therefore no surprise that Hong Kong recently eased Cantonese language requirements and will now allow schools to teach in English (More).

If the tomatoes at the top of my screen didn’t give it away, I love food. All cuisines and all kinds. Each time I eat at a new restaurant in New York, I try to add it to my Google food map. It’s proven useful in remembering good spots in different neighborhoods and in recommending friends where to eat.

Have a look-

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Another mobile technology story from Kenya– M-PESA is taking off. M-PESA is a mobile technology service that allows subscribers to make money transfers. It is proving popular among urban migrants who use the service to transfer money to their families in the countryside. Previously, money transfers required villagers to travel to banks which was a costly and time-consuming trip. Now they can visit the M-PESA agent in their or a nearby village to pick up money. It is cheaper and more timely than traditional means of making money transfers. One additional benefit of this service is that it increases the penetration of new technology into rural areas.

On this note, I’m reminded and not surprised that Safaraicom has been Kenya’s most successful IPO to date. (More- Kenyan mobile IPO may mark market’s zenith)

Last night I ate at Nyonya, a wonderful little Malaysian restuarant in Little Italy (figure that one out). I found it humurous that numerous items on the menu came with the warning, “Please ask server for advice before ordering.” I ordered Laksa, a dish that came with just such warning. When I didn’t ask the waitress her advice, she distressingly responded, “Do you know what Laksa is?” I replied that yes I did but I resisted the urge to be snarky and comment that I had indeed been to Malaysia and eaten the dish on the island of Penang. She then proceeded to explain that it’s fishy and spicey. I nodded and she said, “Do you want it normal?” And I said, “Yes.” It reminded me of the time I ate at a reasonably upscale Indian restaurant and the waiter warned me that my chicken came on the bone, as if that would come as a huge shock.

I’m not criticizing either server. I understand that stuffy diners probably don’t like chicken served on the bone and that the taste of Laksa can be overpowering to those not accustomed to its taste but it illustrates how picky some diners can be and how insecure restaurants have to be in order to cater to their tastes. I have little patience for picky and unadventurous eaters (except for religious and moral justifications), so I was heartened to read the great NY Times piece last week titled, “Down with Picky Eating: A Parent’s Tale from Beijing“.

Vo Van Kiet, the former Prime Minister of Vietnam, passed away earlier this week. He was instrumental in normalizing relations with the U.S. and a leading force in implementing the Doi Moi reforms. He was a reformist who helped to move the Vietnamese Communist Party in a more pragmatic direction. Reading through his obituary, I was not surprised to see that during his time as PM, he had great interest in the story of Singapore. It’s fair to that say he admired the island’s economic success while also hoping to emulate the PAP’s success in holding on to power.

On this note, I was not surprised to see this recent article about Laos turning to Singapore for advice on attracting foreign investment. Like Vietnam, Laos is a one party, nominally communist state. There might very well be political motivations in looking at Singapore as a model of development but I think it’s unwise to be overly cynical on this matter. Many countries look to Singapore (and East Asia) as effective models of development. Singapore went from small trading post to global economic powerhouse in the matter of a couple decades. While it is an extraordinarily unique country in many ways, developing countries would be foolish not to study its practices in good governance, investment in human capital, and pragmatism.

Ethan Zuckerman has an interesting post about a new text messaging service in Kenya that alerts blue collar workers to job opportunities. Zuckerman writes, “If you’re a laborer, you can spend an amazing amount of your time wandering from one worksite to another, looking for opportunities. With Kazi560, workers can register via mobile phones and receive text messages, letting them know about job opportunities.”

People are getting very creative with mobile technology.