Africa's mobile-phone connector: using simple SMS to network a continent

This article was taken from the July 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.

Gustav Praekelt believes SMS can change Africa. "Often, people try to build complicated solutions to big problems," says the founder of the South Africa-based non-profit Praekelt Foundation. "We build simple solutions." Praekelt's company creates mobile platforms to deliver free messages that bring a social benefit.

Out of a billion Africans, 650 million have active mobile connections. Tap into all these, says Praekelt, and you have your finger on the pulse of the continent. His first product, TxtAlert, launched in 2006, sends texts to 50,000 HIV patients in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania telling them to take their medication and go to their doctors' appointments. The rate of appointment no-shows fell from 29 percent to four percent over three years. It also allows people to send a "please call me" message free of charge.

Next up: providing access to Wikipedia -- without the internet. "In Africa, only one percent have smartphones," he says. Taking advantage of the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) protocol, Praekelt is working with network providers to let users search Wikipedia offline. "You can do this with a Nokia 1110," he explains, "and it's free." Good call.

Praekelt's ideas
MAMA: parenting information via text for expectant mothers
YoungAfrica Live: a social platform for young people to hold discussions
Ummeli: an African LinkedIn for the young and unemployed

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What did President Obama get for Father's Day? (+video)

There?s no word yet on whether Sasha and Malia got him any new ties. But President Obama did get to play a round of golf and released a new Father's Day campaign video.

By Peter Grier / June 18, 2012

President Barack Obama waves while boarding Air Force One before leaving O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, June 17.

Paul Beaty/AP

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What did President Obama get for Father?s Day? Well, we know he received two things at least: dispensation from Michelle to play a round of golf, and a new Father?s Day campaign video. There?s no word yet on whether Sasha and Malia got him any new ties.

Skip to next paragraph Peter Grier

Washington Editor

Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.

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As to the tour around the links, it occurred at Beverly Country Club in Chicago. The Obamas had traveled home to attend the wedding of a daughter of a family friend.

?Obama played 18 holes ? his usual. His foursome included pals Marty Nesbitt, Eric Whitaker and director of advance Marvin Nicholson,? wrote Chicago Sun-Times political columnist Lynn Sweet on her blog.

The round of golf was the 100th of his presidency, according to CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller, the indispensable national chronicler of presidential activities.

?Pres Obama has played golf 47 times at Joint Base Andrews, 21 at Ft Belvoir, once at Army-Navy, 17 on Martha?s Vineyard & 13 in Hawaii,? tweeted Mr. Knoller on Sunday.

As Knoller noted, Mr. Obama has said golf helps him relax and gets him outdoors. He?s far from the only US chief executive to feel this way, of course ? Bill Clinton golfed. George H.W. Bush perfected ?speed golf,? leaving reporters in his dust. Dwight D. Eisenhower left cleat marks from his golf shoes in the floor of the Oval Office.

But Knoller got a fair number of negative comments on his report, to the point where he felt compelled to tweet back, ?It?s just a game of golf. Why are critics so angry and supporters so defensive? Encountered same on GWBush visits to ranch.?

Well, yes, but in the midst of an election campaign, both sides will seize upon any activities of their opponents that they feel symbolize why they should lose. To Republicans, ?golf? means ?out of touch,? in this context. Just like ?Romney dressage horse? means ?out of touch? to Democrats.

Thus the conservative website RedState put up a sarcastic salute to Obama for his 100th golf round. Maybe he is losing so many balls he will have to buy new ones, boosting the golf ball industry, writes contributor Dan Spencer.

?Maybe golf has been Obama?s secret economic plan all along. Who knew?? Mr. Spencer writes.

Personally, we found the Father?s Day video more politically revealing than Obama?s decision to club a small ball with a stick. It?s slick, more than three minutes long, and organized as a dad?s day message from first lady Michelle Obama.

In it, Mrs. Obama praises her husband?s parenting skills. She says that he?s successful at giving Sasha and Malia the kind of stability and continuity he didn?t have as a child, because of his absent father.

?I don?t think he?s missed a parent-teacher conference their entire lives,? Mrs. Obama says.

What we think is interesting here is that the video centers on the first lady?s words. She?s posted it on her Facebook page and on her new Pinterest account.

As we?ve noted before, Michelle?s favorability ratings are much higher than her husband?s. Plus, focus-group results have indicated that female voters in particular respond warmly to Mrs. Obama and her depiction of the White House as a family endeavor. That?s a key demographic for Obama: He needs to keep his lead over Mitt Romney among women to offset weakness among white working-class males.

Mr. Romney?s Father?s Day video, in contrast, was centered on comments from his sons, not wife Ann Romney. They stress their father?s human, jokester side. It?s all about Mitt Romney the unstiff.

?He was a goofball. He loved to horse around,? says son Tagg in the video.

This addresses a Romney electoral need: He needs to humanize himself, and appear more empathetic, to counter Obama?s advantage in favorability numbers.

Yes, Father?s Day can be political. Get used to it. We can?t wait for the dueling July 4th campaign messages.

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Militants infiltrate Israel from Egypt; 2 reported dead

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Obama: 'Tensions' with Russia can be worked out

AAA??Jun. 18, 2012?3:01 PM ET
Obama: 'Tensions' with Russia can be worked out
By ANNE GEARANBy ANNE GEARAN, AP National Security Writer??

FILE - In this July 7, 2009 file photo, President Barack Obama shakes hands with then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow. With global anxiety rising, President Barack Obama is searching for bolder, swifter signals from Europe that it will contain its fiscal mess and keep it from torpedoing the U.S. economy and his re-election chances along with it. Yet as he prepares to plunge into summit talks with the other world leaders, Obama is down to the power of persuasion and little else. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

FILE - In this July 7, 2009 file photo, President Barack Obama shakes hands with then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow. With global anxiety rising, President Barack Obama is searching for bolder, swifter signals from Europe that it will contain its fiscal mess and keep it from torpedoing the U.S. economy and his re-election chances along with it. Yet as he prepares to plunge into summit talks with the other world leaders, Obama is down to the power of persuasion and little else. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with the military top brass while visiting a military airbase in the city of Korenovsk, about 1200 kilometers (750 miles) south of Moscow, Thursday, June 14, 2012. President Vladimir Putin says Russia needs a new strategic bomber and will develop it despite high costs. Speaking Thursday at a meeting with the military top brass after visiting a base in southern Russia, Putin said the project would be expensive and technologically challenging. He added that the job needs to be done despite high costs, according to Russian news agencies. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press Service)

Russian President Vladimir Putin attaches a Russian military medal to an air regiment banner during an award ceremony at a military airbase in the city of Korenovsk, about 1200 kilometers (750 miles) south of Moscow, Thursday, June 14, 2012. President Vladimir Putin says Russia needs a new strategic bomber and will develop it despite high costs. Speaking Thursday at a meeting with the military top brass after visiting a base in southern Russia, Putin said the project would be expensive and technologically challenging. He added that the job needs to be done despite high costs, according to Russian news agencies. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press Service)

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a signing ceremony of an agreement between state-controlled Russian oil company Rosneft and Exxon Mobil corporation at the Black Sea port of Tuapse, southern Russia, Friday, June 15, 2012. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press Service)

LOS CABOS, Mexico (AP) ? President Barack Obama says he's confident that "tensions" between the United States and Russia can be worked out.

Following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Obama says the two leaders agreed on the need to build on areas where they have had success "even though there are areas of disagreement."

Obama has been seeking Russia's help in resolving the urgent crisis in Syria. Obama says the U.S. and Russia agree that a political process needs to be created in Syria in order to "prevent civil war."

Putin says he and Obama found "many commonalities" on Syria.

Associated Press

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Caregivers Taking A Break ? Making Alternate ... - Home Health Care

Caring for the elderly family member is a enormous responsibility that few people are willing to accept. The role of a caregiver is one of sacrifice in terms of their own health, family and work. When a person accepts the role of the primary caregiver to the ageing parents, he or she has no idea how long the commitment will last. It could be weeks, months or years and in that time, you as the caregiver will be mentally worn out within just a few weeks of beginning your role as the primary caregiver.

The task of the caregiver is all consuming and it will take over the control of your life very quickly, this is unavoidable. You may find it difficult to cope with the daily stress and will want to take a break very often. Either you can go away for a few days or take a break at your own home. Just like a fulltime job, this also needs recharging of your batteries.

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Before thinking of respite for yourself, you have to make arrangements for the elderly in your care. Some options are available for such an eventuality. The first alternative is respite placements in a retirement home. Many retirement homes have rooms for only respite cases, so that the family members can take some rest. Before reserving a place, you can verify the home in question, by visiting the place. All the local authority offices will have details regarding such places or you can read up on the Internet.

You can opt for the home help or home care services, for the time of your absence. Home help pays visits to the elderly 3 times a day for about an hour, for washing .dressing and feeding the elderly. They do not remain with the elders throughout the day. Home care provides assistance for a longer time, but the attendant does not stay with the elderly round the clock. This may not be a good option for elders requiring constant care.

Another option is to get a family member to help out with the eldercare for the few days you will be away. This might prove to be the best choice because your mind is at ease with a familiar person looking after your elderly parent. The relatives are easily reachable at a moment?s notice, to ensure proper communication. However, there must be a volunteer for this job.

Depending on your financial status, you can combine two or more options, although money is not a concern where an elders well being is involved. You must take a break as often as possible for your own health and mental peace. As a primary caregiver, you owe it to yourself and your family to take a break from the task of eldercare.

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Clinton: Romney would be 'calamitous' for US

NEW YORK (AP) ? Former President Bill Clinton warned Monday that a Mitt Romney presidency would be "calamitous" for the nation and the world, going further than even President Barack Obama in depicting the consequences of a return to Republican rule of the White House.

With Obama standing thoughtfully to one side, Clinton slammed Romney by name, an apparent rebuttal to his own comments last week that were widely seen as flattering to Romney's background in business.

Clinton said Obama had earned a second term because of his steering of the economy through a "miserable situation" and "the alternative would be, in my opinion, calamitous for our country and the world."

Clinton's take came as he helped raise at least $3.6 million for Obama at three New York fundraisers. The two have patched over a personal rift from the 2008 campaign when Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in a bitter Democratic primary. But Clinton caused some heartburn in Obama's campaign last week by remarking that Romney had a "sterling" business record ? an assertion that undercut Democrats' criticism of Romney's decisions at the private equity firm Bain Capital.

Clinton also said at the fundraiser that Republicans and Romney have adopted Europe's economic policies. "Who would have ever thought that the Republicans who made a living for decades deriding Old Europe would embrace their economic policies," he said.

For his part, Obama said the economy had been difficult for so many voters that some could reach the point that "you're willing to try just about anything, even if you've seen it before."

Obama told donors that he was seeking re-election against a different Republican Party. "They have run from a preference for market-based solutions to an absolutism when it comes to the marketplace, a belief that all regulations are bad, that government has no role to play," he said.

Clinton's larger point in the interview last week was that Obama is the better choice to steer the economy, and the White House denied that Clinton "made news." Still, the televised remark gave Republicans campaign gold just as the government released a disappointing report saying the United States created far fewer new jobs in May than expected ? a big political blow for Obama.

Obama and Clinton also are on opposite sides of a close Democratic congressional primary contest in New Jersey. Clinton also campaigned last week for Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett. Barrett faces Republican Gov. Scott Walker in a special recall election contest on Tuesday but has seen little backing from the Democratic Party or Obama.

Still, Clinton's ability to deliver campaign dollars and his record as a sound campaign strategist make him an asset to the Obama campaign that apparently outweighs any drawbacks.

Obama campaign bundler and billionaire investor Marc Lasry held an exclusive reception Monday night, followed by a gala at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. The evening was to conclude with an event dubbed "Barack on Broadway" at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Obama will return to Manhattan next week for a fundraiser at the home of "Sex and the City" actress Sarah Jessica Parker.

Clinton and Obama were focusing their message Monday on economic opportunity. Polls show that economic trends are likely to determine the election, a development that could help Romney if the economy sags significantly. Obama and Romney were tied at 46 percent in Gallup polling last week of national election preferences.

Obama's campaign released a video of campaign manager Jim Messina urging supporters to "stay focused, work hard and ignore the ups and downs." The campaign included a map listing eight undecided states: Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Florida.

Clinton recently predicted for CNN an Obama victory in November by 5 or 6 percentage points, with the economy the determining factor. The interview also revisited the two men's different characterizations of Romney's record running Bain Capital, and the role of super-rich private investors. Clinton said such firms can do "good work" and should not be demonized across the board. He also said Romney had had a good business career.

"The real issue ought to be, what has Gov. Romney advocated in the campaign that he will do as president? What has President Obama done and what does he propose to do? How do these things stack up against each other?" Clinton said. "That's the most relevant thing."

Romney's campaign sought to exploit the differences, circulating Clinton's comments from a December 2007 interview on PBS in which he suggested that electing Obama would carry some risks. "When is the last time we elected a president based on one year of service in the Senate before he started running?" Clinton said.

Lasry, head of the hedge fund Avenue Capital, told CNBC last week that private capital investment as practiced by Bain Capital can do worthwhile things. He shrugged off as "politics" Obama's recent references to investment choices he claims have ravaged jobs for the sake of investors' profits.

About 50 people attended the $40,000-per-ticket reception at Lasry's home. Tickets to a 500-person gala at the Waldorf-Astoria began at $2,500. Those who contribute $35,800 or raise $100,000 get access to a smaller reception with Obama.

The concert at the New Amsterdam Theater was expected to draw 1,700 people. Tickets for that event started at $250, the Obama campaign said.

Three winners of an online ticket contest were attending both the gala and concert and were expected to meet Obama and Clinton.

While Obama was in New York, Romney was on the West Coast to attend fundraisers in Portland, Ore., and Seattle.

Monday night was not the first joint fundraising appearance by Obama and Clinton. The two appeared together and addressed supporters in late April at the Virginia home of Clinton adviser Terry McAuliffe.

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AboutCruises: Trevi Fountain in Rome http://t.co/EUG50eDc

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