Well, it's about time! For once the Nobel Committee has chosen someone who is actually deserving of the prize. Although he could have won the prize for Economics also.
Micro-enterprise loans are a fabulous tool!
If you are not aware of what this is all about, check out their website at www.grameen-info.org.
Fantastic. P.J. O'Rourke talked about this guy in his book "All the Trouble in the World". Seems the banker realizes that the backward strictness of islamic culture is part of what keeps people in his country poor.
The Grameen Bank has done stellar work in reducing poverty among deserving people in Asia. This is a well-deserved award.
Psst....what's happenning to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee? Weren't they able to find a suitable despot this time around? /sarc
I guess Cindy Sheahans dream just went pffffft
While I like these microloans when they are manged properly, what does this have to do with Peace.
I suppose it is possible that these little loans help get a free-enterprise economy working and when it snowballs, the economic development generated keeps people working and trying to make money rather than starting wars and causing trouble.
But Bush should have really gotten the Peace Prize.
Eliminating poverty has worked so well for peaceful Saudi Arabians that they're exporting Wahabbism world-wide.
Latest news out of Bangladesh: 65,000 Saudi-Funded Madrassahs are churning out the students. Look forward to one of their graduates making an impact near you!
Last year my church ran a presentation about this "micro-lending" work. It is way cool. It doesn't take much money to set someone up in a small business in much of the "third world". Shoe makers, vendors, artisans - these were the people who would borrow a couple of thousand $ or so and get themselves started. Had a good success rate and was making money on the loans (the rates are quite low). I remember thinking at the time I saw this that the person who thought this up and then had the courage to actually try it ought to get some real recognition for doing good in the world. I guess he has.
Bravo to the Nobel Committee!!
The worthiness of this recipient is proven by the kudos coming from Freepers in support of this award to a MUSLIM!!
Puts a big hole in the theory of some that Freepers are a bunch of mindless bigots and haters. Fact is that we will always applaud people who make their own success and add to the world instead of take from it.
I am guessing Bangladesh has no minimum wage laws. This is probably advantageous in that it doesn't price out of the market individuals who could work but whose productivity is less than the minimum wage at that time. Minimum wage laws are another way of telling the poor that they can't have a chance to start low and work their way up because they are unable to start at some low point that is arbitrarily higher than they can manage. Minimum wage laws are just another form of protectionism, which those who have minimum wage jobs or above are protected from competition by those who would accept lesser wages for the same work.
Wait!!!!! This was supposed to go to Cindy Sheehan! Where is Tanya Harding's entourage when you need it? Did the Moveon.org thugs not get to the committee in time?
ITS NOT CINDY SHEEGOAT ... I AM SHOCKED I TELL YOU ... SHOCKED
Now that is a much better choice than the socialist elite blow-hards who do nothing for 'ordinary' people.
Didn't Amadeo Giannini- founder of the modern day Bank of America- do the same thing?