Bill Gates launches 'gamified' campaign to help fight poverty

Jos

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Remember those emails from Bill Gates asking you to forward an email and claim a cash prize or some other sort of gift? Yeah that turned out to be a hoax in case you’re still waiting for the check. This time, however, the tech billionaire is launching a campaign for real, and all you need to do is register with Gates Notes, read Bill Gates’ article, watch a short video, and answer one question. Don't think you will get a paltry reward in exchange, no sir.

It will be a poultry reward.

In a blog post announcing the Coop Dreams initiative, Gates said that raising and selling the birds can be efficient to tackle extreme poverty and also hedge against malnutrition. Gates argues chickens are inexpensive to take care of and one hen could potentially produce 40 chicks in a matter of months. “It’s pretty clear to me that just about anyone who’s living in extreme poverty is better off if they have chickens,” he says.

The initiative went live on Gates’s personal blog this morning. Basically al you need to do is complete three tasks and Bill Gates will donate -- on your behalf -- a flock of chickens to a family in sub-Saharan Africa. Donations are made through the Heifer International charity. Their goal is to eventually help 30 percent of the rural families in sub-Saharan Africa raise improved breeds of vaccinated chickens, up from just 5 percent now.

As you’d expect Gates lays out the numbers for his plan, saying a new farmer could start off with five hens and a rooster, and breed them to have 12 chickens within three months and 250 within a year. With a sale price of $5 per chicken -- which is typical in West Africa -- she or he can earn more than $1,000 a year, versus the extreme-poverty line of about $700 a year.

You can read more about the initiative and complete the tasks here.

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What with all the gazillions of dollars wasted....I mean spent on poverty it is still with us. I guess they are going about it wrong. Free Braunschweiger!
 
Has anyone ever seen the way chickens are slaughtered these days? Like 10,000 heads in a single voltage surge, often repeatedly.

Just so, since we are calling ourselves humanitarians...

Like the wise guys used to say - If it's good enough for you, it's good enough for me :),...yeah, we are all humanitarians, it's just the definition of it is wrong...
 
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What with all the gazillions of dollars wasted....I mean spent on poverty it is still with us. I guess they are going about it wrong. Free Braunschweiger!

Yes, it is a waste of money. The world needs education more than it needs food. Crime and overpopulation mostly come from the lack of education, not from the lack of food.

Simply feeding the needy ones does no good, it only spreads them, uncontrollably.
 
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If he were donating them to the poor in america, which he should be, it isn't worth spending the gas in the car or the gas/electricity to cook it when buying a rotisserie chicken can be $5 cooked. The rotisserie chicken actually costs less than a free one. Sometimes food pantries that I volunteer at give them to me and I just give them away. No mess.
 
This is the mush Hippocrates thing from bill, he is one of the multimillionaire corp that make poor children to work on the phone for hardly no money
 
"The world needs education more than it needs food. Crime and overpopulation mostly come from the lack of education, not from the lack of food."
"Crime comes mostly from poverty imo. From greedy poor people if that makes sense."

I must disagree, I live in Canada, there is not poverty here in the sense of most of the places in the world where you find it, free health care, homeless shelters, etc, overall Canada has a high level of education, yet the crime rate for petty street type theft, break and enter, assault (plus white collar crime) keep going up year after year. It is true the birthrate declines in countries like Canada, but I think that is due more to a societal influence to work more to get more wealth. A home without a flatscreen TV, cellphones, computers, games, vehicles, all kinds of possessions etc is a very odd one indeed. Gotta pay for those granite countertops, and coordinated bedroom furniture, vacations somehow.
From what I have read, the best way to decrease the birth rate is to give mothers a reasonable assurance that their offspring will live until adulthood. Medical care, water, stable society all helps this. When all of these are lacking people feel they NEED to have 10+ kids because most of them will die before they can make into adulthood.
I think the way we are inundated with messages that we must always have new clothes, nice vehicles, great looking living places, all manner of fine appliances, machines, toys and then if we do, advertisers tell us that we are and have shite and must upgrade to something even more expensive for self worth (consumer society) people at the lower end of the spectrum, although living lives that are the envy of most of the world feel the pressure of that message
 
AH, good ol' Bill, still desperately trying to buy his way into Heaven. Why does he need people to jump through these silly hoops? Why doesn't he just DONATE THE DAMN MONEY and be done with it? Because people like Gates need to stay in the spotlight and have others constantly tell them what good people they are. Maybe it helps to assuage the guilt he feels from being a ruthless capitalist who held back technology for thirty years as well as a huge experimental vaccine pusher. Who cares how many birth defects or immunity problems are caused, right?? We're only starting to understand the effects of all the crap their hiding in various human vaccines - God only knows what their putting in the ones they give to animals. Animals that people use for FOOD. I'm sure that the Gates Foundation has done some good over the years, but I bet its done nearly as much harm by pushing a destructive political agenda on behalf of the globalists.
 
AH, good ol' Bill, still desperately trying to buy his way into Heaven. Why does he need people to jump through these silly hoops? Why doesn't he just DONATE THE DAMN MONEY and be done with it? Because people like Gates need to stay in the spotlight and have others constantly tell them what good people they are. Maybe it helps to assuage the guilt he feels from being a ruthless capitalist who held back technology for thirty years as well as a huge experimental vaccine pusher. Who cares how many birth defects or immunity problems are caused, right?? We're only starting to understand the effects of all the crap their hiding in various human vaccines - God only knows what their putting in the ones they give to animals. Animals that people use for FOOD. I'm sure that the Gates Foundation has done some good over the years, but I bet its done nearly as much harm by pushing a destructive political agenda on behalf of the globalists.
Have you heard the old adage, "Feed a man for a day, and he's fed for a day. Teach him to feed himself, and he's fed for a lifetime". Sure we could splice up good ol' Bill's fortune and give it away, but people don't respect free stuff, and even less so free money. A person who's had nothing and is given a sum of money will be poor again in no time, why I hear you ask, well it's simple, he doesn't know how to look after it as he's never had it before. He'll simply go on a spending spree.
I agree however that Education is more critical than feeding people. Yes that's a cruel perspective to take due to the high number of starving people out there. I live in Africa, so I know that first hand, but hand outs never NEVER end up helping the root cause, which is over population and corruption at government level, which is directly due to poor education. Do you honestly think a well educated person would have children if he knew he could not provide sufficiently for them?
Bill Gates is trying to treat the symptom and not the cause. I applaud him for at least trying (yes, he has greater means to do so than most). The world see's malnourished children on TV and their sensibilities go out the window. We must feed that child, and yeah, great, he's fed, but he'll be a dependant for the rest of his life because why should I work if I get a meal everyday. Some do however aspire to greater things but the majority don't because of the poor state of education and extreme corruption happening in these African states. I would know.
Don't tell him to just, "DONATE THE DAMN MONEY" when you haven't given any thought to it sitting in your ivory tower.
 
AH, good ol' Bill, still desperately trying to buy his way into Heaven. Why does he need people to jump through these silly hoops? Why doesn't he just DONATE THE DAMN MONEY and be done with it? Because people like Gates need to stay in the spotlight and have others constantly tell them what good people they are. Maybe it helps to assuage the guilt he feels from being a ruthless capitalist who held back technology for thirty years as well as a huge experimental vaccine pusher. Who cares how many birth defects or immunity problems are caused, right?? We're only starting to understand the effects of all the crap their hiding in various human vaccines - God only knows what their putting in the ones they give to animals. Animals that people use for FOOD. I'm sure that the Gates Foundation has done some good over the years, but I bet its done nearly as much harm by pushing a destructive political agenda on behalf of the globalists.
Why doesn't he just give the money?
1. "Jumping through the silly hops" is a way of raising awarness of the problem. It's not perfect, but it is worth trying - and it might be at least partially effective. People go to the website, spend a couple of minutes there, read a bit about the action... Chances are they will not forget about it within 15 minutes.
2. Like AvalonMD said, just giving the money doesn't actually teach people anything. It just makes them less eager to do anything on their own. Giving the poor means to start their own little breeding farm might make them more self-sufficient. It's worth trying. Especially since someone already agreed to pay for it. It may not solve the main cause, but hey! You need to treat both causes and symptoms simultaneously. And Gates Foundation has programs addresing the educational issues, too.
 
Why doesn't he just give the money?
1. "Jumping through the silly hops" is a way of raising awarness of the problem. It's not perfect, but it is worth trying - and it might be at least partially effective. People go to the website, spend a couple of minutes there, read a bit about the action... Chances are they will not forget about it within 15 minutes.
This was my feeling too, to raise awareness.
 
It's so depressing that people are so quick to denigrate and criticise philanthropy. How many people here who've commented have actually gone through and completed the tasks?

And the repeated assertion that we shouldn't be feeding people, we should be educating them, is just a false dichotomy. Do you not think that there are the resources in the world to do both? Whinging about "overpopulation" and how we should educate people doesn't get rid of the millions of people who are starving *now*. And I don't think it's right to punish people for their parents' lack of education.

Educate AND feed those who need it, and everyone benefits in the long run.
 
"Do you honestly think a well educated person would have children if he knew he could not provide sufficiently for them?"
Yes, I live in Canada and it happens all the time here.
edit: we have 'Social Services' which is not an obscure organization, but exists to take kids away from their parents to find new homes, foster children. This has also created the term 'deadbeat dads' whose reluctance to pay spousal support or whatever it is called can be either due to issues with their ex, how the money is spent by the ex (I.e. not on the kids) or because they just don't care. Many single mom's these days as well, not many of them financially well off I would think. It is a great shame for a country as well off as Canada
 
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It's so depressing that people are so quick to denigrate and criticise philanthropy. How many people here who've commented have actually gone through and completed the tasks?

And the repeated assertion that we shouldn't be feeding people, we should be educating them, is just a false dichotomy. Do you not think that there are the resources in the world to do both? Whinging about "overpopulation" and how we should educate people doesn't get rid of the millions of people who are starving *now*. And I don't think it's right to punish people for their parents' lack of education.

Educate AND feed those who need it, and everyone benefits in the long run.

I'm going to be super double plus mean and suggest that neither one of these options solves the problem. The former reduces selective pressures that impact population growth and development. The latter is ultimately useless due to the mean IQ of the populations in question. In fact, Western philanthropic/humanitarian meddling has caused more problems in Africa that it has solved (relevant article: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123758895999200083).

If you want to reduce poverty, you have to let the situation sort itself out. Subsidizing the populations, and thereby their behavioral traits, in the name of compassion only harms the target population for the benefit of the philanthropist's feels.

If anyone would question this, kindly take a look at American blacks pre-welfare state or the changes in crime and mortality among blacks in post-Apartheid South Africa. Intervention kills.

It also does not "benefit everyone." Facilitating population booms in third world countries has resulted in mass immigration from those same places, increasing crime and labor competition in host countries. With the added bonus of setting up the majority of those immigrants for failure and ethnic conflict with the natives.

Humanitarianism and philanthropy have their place. Ending poverty isn't one of them.
 
After the reaction to @psycros post I re-read the article. I must agree with @psycros. There are many, many well established organizations with proven track records and donations to them would have gone a long way.....except Gates would get no publicity. I frankly find it disturbing that Gates is giving experimental chickens to a captive audience. If the choice is between food and dying of starvation, who is going to turn this deal down despite the fact that the offered chicken is "improved and vaccinated". I would have to look into it more, but it almost seems more like a human experiment rather than almsgiving.
In the end tho, it's still his money, he will spend it the way he wants, but I'm not going to get 'the warm fuzzies' and say "that Gates, what a man!"
 
Well after some reading (not as much as I wished though) it seems Bill's chickens are less sinister than they seemed, the amount given was quite limited, although that was likely good lest the local market go all to hell. As one poster pointed out though, why didn't he simply give them away?
Some are concerned about the direction of the foundation (GMO crops for one example), but from what I could gather he is doing some good, even if a lot of it pays back in tech and with his links to other tech companies. He certainly is enjoying his status, I don't begrudge him that although some of the posts on his webpages are positively disturbing. Some of those folks would literally kiss the ground he walks on. I always find this kind of celebrity thing disturbing though whether it is the rich, politicians or people in movies, TV, sports.....I don't get it.
 
If he were donating them to the poor in america, which he should be, it isn't worth spending the gas in the car or the gas/electricity to cook it when buying a rotisserie chicken can be $5 cooked. The rotisserie chicken actually costs less than a free one. Sometimes food pantries that I volunteer at give them to me and I just give them away. No mess.
Why should he be donating to the poor in America? As you pointed out, we have food kitchens and government welfare. Our homeless are much better off than the poor in 3rd world countries. There's nothing wrong with donating tot he poor in America, but self righteous *****s that only think domestic charity should exist sicken me. Also, are you too stupid to see the benefit of a living chicken that can produce eggs and additional chickens beyond the one meal your rotisserie chicken would provide?
 
Why should he be donating to the poor in America? As you pointed out, we have food kitchens and government welfare. Our homeless are much better off than the poor in 3rd world countries. There's nothing wrong with donating tot he poor in America, but self righteous *****s that only think domestic charity should exist sicken me. Also, are you too stupid to see the benefit of a living chicken that can produce eggs and additional chickens beyond the one meal your rotisserie chicken would provide?
Wow. I'll just say he's as wrong in this as he is in that charity doesn't begin at home with him as his children get very little of his estate. Are you calling me a self righteous *****s? I'm more than that in even one respect that I'm a stanford student with like a scholarship. I guess we don't want to talk about that either. I thought apple had fanbois.
 
Wow. I'll just say he's as wrong in this as he is in that charity doesn't begin at home with him as his children get very little of his estate. Are you calling me a self righteous *****s? I'm more than that in even one respect that I'm a stanford student with like a scholarship. I guess we don't want to talk about that either. I thought apple had fanbois.
I'm not a fan of Microsoft or Gates. Several people in the comments had legit gripes with Gates. Yours was *****ic.
 
I'm not a fan of Microsoft or Gates. Several people in the comments had legit gripes with Gates. Yours was *****ic.
Why don't any other countries give the us money or food? We shouldn't police the world. The poor where I live in dupage county, richest county in illinois, go to a soup kitchen that serves them a meal once a week. They either eat slop or I bring a ham on occasion and that's the only meat they seem to eat for the week. There are very few other soup kitchens or food pantries in this farm breadbasket. They usually serve them once a month. What do they do on other days? They are retarded people, or blind like me at one time, or senior citizens who can't work. Food stamps pays an average of $16 per month for groceries. Places they live in are get ruined by routies. They are skin and bones, literally starving.
 
Why don't any other countries give the us money or food?
They actual do sometimes. In times of disasters like Katrina several countries offered money, food and other disaster relief items. In the case of Katrina the U.S. government turned most of it down for various reasons sometimes inexplicably. Nonetheless...

We shouldn't police the world.
I happen to agree that we shouldn't police the world but I fail to see what that has to do with Bill Gates, a private citizen, trying to help sub-Saharan Africa.
 
They actual do sometimes. In times of disasters like Katrina several countries offered money, food and other disaster relief items. In the case of Katrina the U.S. government turned most of it down for various reasons sometimes inexplicably. Nonetheless...

I happen to agree that we shouldn't police the world but I fail to see what that has to do with Bill Gates, a private citizen, trying to help sub-Saharan Africa.
I might not like this but what they do to some in america is declare them goofy and don't let them spend their money frivolously. It might not be right but in america they have to be "of sound mind" in many cases to write a will or things like that. I don't think bill gates' will represents a person of sound mind if he treats his children so badly. People like his children can challenge this in court, and if it's money they aren't receiving from his will that he's spending on frivolous causes, they can declare him not of sound mind and incapable of writing a will.
 
I might not like this but what they do to some in america is declare them goofy and don't let them spend their money frivolously. It might not be right but in america they have to be "of sound mind" in many cases to write a will or things like that. I don't think bill gates' will represents a person of sound mind if he treats his children so badly. People like his children can challenge this in court, and if it's money they aren't receiving from his will that he's spending on frivolous causes, they can declare him not of sound mind and incapable of writing a will.
You quoted me. What does what I said have to do with what you just said?
 
You quoted me. What does what I said have to do with what you just said?
Sorry for not quoting the exact person, but that's trivial. Let's not always do the gotcha when some arguments are much more wrong. My genius isn't appreciated here, as office politics is much worse than this. I would install the most complex computer systems in the world and management at the city of la would actually say the ibm rep installed them. The ibm rep was there one hour a month. Technical people like musicians are paid 0.05 cents a stream from google. Management makes the money, and winning or losing this argument is not gonna change this. This is why so many sites are hacked and insecure, because why would a person go into the sciences when goldman sachs pays $500k a year for management of money? I just hope the world finds geniuses to say run microsoft, since the world depends on it and its october updates have rendered 1/3rd the computers to only partially work. You have to succumb sometime, and people capable of writing an os don't just fall from the sky. You aren't the person who did it, but tanstar don't call me names when hitting the wrong reply button bothers you.
 
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