Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Smartest Woman I Know


Ever hear somone talking, whether in person or on televison or radio, and it dawns on you just how smart the person is? Kinda makes you wonder if your own intelligence quotient might be lower than you'd proudly thought, maybe closer to the level of a let's say........ Fredo Corleone of The Godfather fame? Well I had one of those moments while listening to international economist Dr. Dambisa Moyo.

A former consultant for the World Bank and former emerging markets investment banker at Goldman Sachs, Moyo was named by Time Magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World

Dr. Moyo was born in Zambia and educated abroad in the West. Her accent and look almost resemble what I thought that of entertainer Mary J. Blige. She's hip and has a sleek feminine body that can wear out a taut fitting dress or business suit. Yes, Dr. Moyo's got style. But unlike so many of our stylish covergirls of today its her Intelligence, not her looks, that she is known and praised for.

Now and then while up early in the AM hours I'll listen to a radio broadcast of the San Francisco Common wealth club's guest speaker for the evening. Yeah, I know, what's the commonwealth got to do with sports? Nadda! But for us Fredo's of the world we don't come up short for lack of effort. We can sometimes hear "Smaart."

I tuned in this morning and heard this Brooklyn-British accented woman break down the state of global economics along with the past, present and future of Western economies. Though she used some words we may only find in a mathamatician's dictionary, her delivery was down to earth and decipherable to the most challenged of Fredo's tuning in. Okay, maybe not all of it.

A New York Times Best Selling author, Dr. Moyo was in San Francisco in Feb. 2011, to discuss the content of her second book; "How The West Was Lost." She points out how China has become a manufacturing colossus and their products are admired and welcomed throughout Africa. She's a great teacher and breaks it all down. She's also been on the inside of the financial institutions.

I'm sure there are many smart and beautiful women in the world doing their parts to bring awareness and new ideas to the masses, but Dr. Dambisa Moyo appeals to that Fredo Corleone part of me, who when not throwing down shots and chasing skirts in Las Vegas with Mo Green, enjoys listening to a good early morning radio talk on current events and issues.



A Fredo Moment!

Click on links below to listen to Flora.TV broadcast of Dr. Dambisa Moyo:


Dead Aid (highlights of the hoover institution series)Dr. Moyo argues that foreign aid has harmed Africa and that it should be phased out. The book offers proposals for developing countries to finance development, instead of relying on foreign aid. She argues that foreign aid helps perpetuate the cycle of poverty and hinders economic growth in Africa

How The West Was Lost (Commonwealth club)Moyo daringly claims that the West can no longer afford to simply regard global up-and-comers as menacing gatecrashers. In a world where Western economies hover on the brink of recession while emerging economies post double-digit growth rates, Moyo calls out the economic myopia of the West and the radical solutions that it needs to adopt to salvage its global economic power

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