sigh My response on seeing that was to post:

I’m hoping to reach a few people and not alienate any. Hoping.

That is from a Raw Story story on a Time Magazine story detailing revelations from former FBI interrogator Ali Soufan. Prisoner Abu Jandal had been held in Yemeni for over a year yielding no information before skilled FBI investigators arrived.

Time interviewed several interrogators who have worked with the U.S. military and retired intelligence service employees asking “[what works?] How does an interrogator break down a hardened terrorist without using violence?” Time reports “All agreed with Soufan: the best way to get intelligence from even the most recalcitrant subject is to apply the subtle arts of interrogation rather than the blunt instruments of torture.”

The Time article (3 pages) lists several examples of how smart interviewing succeeded. One example shows how these techniques work in a situation where time is of the essence.

That everyone who would want to know includes drug companies. The RealAge people are selling the collected data to drug companies. This NY Times report gives the details about how 27 million survey takers and 9 million members of RealAge have had their information provided to drug companies who then use the information to market products.

While few people would fill out a detailed questionnaire about their health and hand it over to a drug company looking for suggestions for new medications, that is essentially what RealAge is doing.

Who needs to keep their medical information private anyway?

This would be slimy enough if RealAge had been honest with the people visiting their website. But they weren’t. Well, actually they were in a fine print, quiet fast paced voice at the end of the commercial kind of way. In its multi-thousand word privacy policy it does say “we will share your personal data with third parties to fulfill the services that you have asked us to provide to you.” Though I doubt many people asked RealAge “please send my personal information to drug companies and have them target me for their drugs.” Recognized security expert Bruce Schneier reviews why the RealAge practice, among others, prevent consumers from making informed decisions.

Of course, companies don’t want people to make informed decisions about where to leave their personal data. RealAge wouldn’t get 27 million members if its webpage clearly stated “This information will be sold to pharmaceutical companies,”

Could be worse.

They could be selling the data to health insurance companies.

However, one of the blessings of my world status is that I can take, at least a small, action to address the dire straights of so many. If you too are among those lucky enough to be born into a comfortable life in the industrialized world I encourage you to shave off a portion of your wealth and share it with those who did not share your accident of birth.

Where? How?

If you are a Liberatarian I suggest lending money to a third world entrepaneur through Kiva. You will receive your money back after the individual puts it to use in growing their business, and the economy, in their area.

If you want to address the issue directly and without strings Oxfam is a highly respected collection of orgnizations that provide direct relief to the hungry, homeless, displaced and others.

A personal favorite is Mercy Corps. My favorite programs are disaster relief services and agricultural development programs; helping people get out of immediate danger and bootstrping small farmers and livestock keepers.

Do I participate in the programs I´ve just listed? Of course! Monthly gifts automatically deducted from my checking account fund services. My wife and I also have a growing portfolio of Kiva loans.

The small lowering of my standard of living is strongly offset by the knowledge that we have made a material difference in the life of someone struggling to do the best they can with the circumstances they were born into.

By the way, my basis for taking these actions is rooted in part in the philosophy described by Peter Singer in Practical Ethics and further explored in Writings on an Ethical Life. Before you write me off as a bleeding heart, guilt ridden liberal either read one of those books or engage in a discussion on the matter. The comment section is open.

Mr. Lessig also created this piece, 20 Minutes or so on why I am for Barack Obama. He saves the best for last.

Shakespeare is often a source of wisdom. This bit, from father to son, is oft quoted and overly broad. I encourage you to become a lender.

To who? What for? How? Why? I’ll let you answer the first two. How and why is the subject of this page.

If you’re reading this you are probably a member of the minority with the great fortune to be born into (in world terms) the affluent US. Life is easy here. Consider what would had happened if the odds had played out: you’d be a poor Chinese citizen. Or you might be one of the three billion people who live on less than two US dollars a day. That’s less than most Starbucks menu items. That’s likely much less than the cost of the gasoline you used to drive to work today. Two Bucks? That’s … I want to say “nothing”, but it is something. However it is such a small amount that no one I know would blink over paying $2.00 for something they want. To over half the people in the world however it is all they have to buy food, shelter, clothing and medical care each day.

In many impoverished areas of the world people work at whatever they can to etch a living. Selling eggs, sewing, baking bread, cutting hair, or operating a tiny store are examples of ventures people undertake to make a better life. Many of these people could expand their business and distance themselves a bit further from grinding poverty with some capital. A little bit of cash, loaned to them, less than, perhaps, you have idling about. This is called microfinance.

A wonderful element of the internet is how cheap it makes communication. In this case how it can link a small bank or investment coop in an impoverished country with people (like me, and like you?) who have money to lend. One option for the link at our end is Kiva. Kiva connects lenders with field partners who make the actual loans. A field partner must have an auditable history of providing financial services and at least 1000 clients. An example of a field partner is Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER.

For $25 you can be one of a pool of people who loan money to small business in impoverished areas of the world. You choose the person, or group, that you’ll lend your money to. The Kiva website lists applicants with a photo and description of what the capital will be used for. If you want reasonable assurance that you’ll see the money again you can restrict your loans to field partners with clients that have a strong repayment record. Overall Kiva borrowers repay loans 99.8% of the time. That’s a better default rate than credit card lending (Americans had a 4.53% default rate in early 2007) or (I know you’re sick of it) sub-prime mortgage lending in the US. Jennifer and I quickly made eight loans over the Christmas holiday.

The process is dead simple. Choose borrower and a loan amount, and check out. If none of the businesses fit your criteria you can check back in a few hours. Currently loans are fulfilled in an average of less than eight hours. Revisiting the site each day will show a new slate of businesses. When the loan is repaid you can withdraw your money or (our plan) look for more businesses and roll the loans over into new ventures. Inspired by Peter Singer’s writings we’ve ratcheted up our charitable giving. Lending through Kiva is one of the more feel good ways to share our wealth.

Some parents send their child off to face the music. They passively enlist the teacher in helping form the discipline. Others see the conflict the child has and calls on their behalf to cancel lessons, since soccer practice is more important. [no comment] Sometimes they’re unaware of the child’s responsibility and lack of follow through. The kid “forgets” and takes an empty case to the lesson. Or makes a feeble excuse about sickness.

In the worst of all cases some parents collude with their children and lie to the teacher. Consider this case where a “mother called to inform me that he had broken his left thumb and had an appointment with a doctor; he would be unable to use that hand for six weeks.” The teacher replied with condolences and suggested he could still come to lessons. There were many elements of music theory that needed learning. He would do better to come and learn those elements rather than lapsing for six weeks. The mother agreed.

Three days later teacher is at a coffee shop and sees mother and son. She goes over to ask how he’s doing.

Unbelievable. Mom is colluding and prompting her son to lie about going to church and being cured through prayer. I tried to believe that son lied to mom and mom is making the kid repeat the lie until he decides to fess up as a lesson in the effects of lying. I tried. But a broken thumb, a doctor visit and mom on the phone all add up to mom actively participating.

The story … I start to type “disgusts” or “nauseates” or another repulsed synonym and they all ring as too weak. There’s too much subtext in invoking God to lie. In a parent prompting a child to repeat such a story.

Update: reading through the comments following the story I find this bit from the teacher:

Reading comment streams for a story can be very rewarding. I found out broken thumb boy missed half of his lessons in the following months and then quit altogether.

The real reward in following the comments was this story: