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<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=center><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt"
size=4><U><B> The Power of a Truly Low Cost
Laptop for People in Need and Their Caregivers
</B></U></FONT><BR></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=center><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt"
size=4><STRONG>by </STRONG></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=center><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt"
size=4><STRONG> </STRONG></FONT><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt"
size=4><STRONG>Janine M Lodato </STRONG></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=center><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt"
size=4><STRONG><FONT size=4>~|__<BR>
Oo\_<BR></FONT> </STRONG></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=center><BR></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=center><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt"
size=4><B><A title=mailto:LodatoClan@aol.com
href="mailto:LodatoClan@aol.com">LodatoClan@aol.com</A></B></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=center><BR></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><BR></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3></FONT> </P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt" size=3>In
a recent article in www.technologyreview.com , Dr. S. Simeonov (<A
title=http://www.polarisventures.com/
href="http://www.polarisventures.com/">www.polarisventures.com</A>) eloquently
argued that if information technology (IT) is provided to people on the full
time basis then their productivity explodes. Also their quality of life
improves significantly to which, as a disabled person I can personally attest.
This is especially true for people who are on the wrong side of the digital
divide: they do not have quality IT capability. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt" size=3>A
significant size subgroup of these people without adequate IT capability are the
100 million people who are mostly homebound: the frail elderly, chronically ill
and the disabled. This population sector is the fastest growing segment due to
the aging of the baby boomer population. There are 44 million informal
caregivers (family and friends) in the USA who attend to the 100 million
people in need of care-giving. The combination of these two groups
account for roughly half the population of the USA. </FONT><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt" size=3>It is the same
ratio in the </FONT><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>populations of the group of ten developed nations. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>What these people need is a simplified version of the MIT Media Lab's
(Dr. Negroponte's lab.) 100 dollar laptop. Now called OLPC: one laptop per
child. Currently priced at 150 dollars but it will come down with volume. It
runs a very simple software called XO, offering a simple browser, email,
meshed network and the capability to automatically sign up and log into
the Internet and the Web. This simplified and easy user interface is called
Sugar developed under Linux by <A
href="http://www.redhat.com/">www.RedHat.com</A>. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>Also please look at the <A
href="http://www.laptop.org/">www.laptop.org</A> web-site for greater details of
the OLPC XO laptop capabilities..</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>While, of course, the XO laptop can connect to any server on
the Internet, it should also be supported by local community based server
portal we would like to call AbleryPortal offering the
desired applications.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>The AbleryPortal is equipped with a gesture recognition enhanced
high performance voice recognition system thus the end user could simply use
their voice and a few gestures. We call this the Signalish system and have
developed it over a period of time: details are available upon email request.
</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt" size=3>No
Windows, please, only Linux. Windows is insanely unreliable, maddeningly complex
and criminally expensive, that is what is wrong with Windows. All
applications will run in Webtop style (like <A title=http://www.youos.com/
href="http://www.youos.com/">www.youOS.com</A>) on a group of servers offered by
the local government such as the AbleryPortal. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>These Webtop server capabilities could also be offered by the
courageous companies who support Dr. Negroponte's project</FONT><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt" size=3> including AMD, Google, eBay, Red
Hat etc. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>The 144 million people mentioned above also need
a political voice and political support by any
political candidate, with courage and foresight. The XO laptop
connected to the AbleryPortal capability would allow these needy people to
voice their political needs.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>The 08 presidential election could be just perfect. A perfect
platform for the independent political group: <A title=http://www.unity08.com/
href="http://www.unity08.com/">www.unity08.com</A>.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt" size=3>Of
course the small businesses who employ caregivers would also support such
enlightened campaign supported by this very large voting block.</FONT> </P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt" size=3>We
also need a tax break for businesses, especially for small businesses,
when they hire and retain an informal caregiver as an employee. Businesses
already have a tax break when they employ a disabled person. The same or similar
tax break should be given to the business which hires informal caregivers or who
already employ such caregivers.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt" size=3>If
a politician candidate for a major office would create and
push through the legislation which would provide a tax break to the employers of
caregivers, it would assure that such politician or candidate certainly would be
supported by much of the above 144 million population segment: the combination
of the informal caregivers and the people who are in need of
care.</FONT><BR></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>What a campaign issue, indeed!</FONT><BR></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>The US Department of Labor predicts that by 2008, 54 percent of the work
force will be involved in caring just for an elderly person making doctors'
appointments, handling emergencies, giving transportation, buying and cooking
food, all the basic functions of life the elderly person has difficulties to
perform.</FONT><BR></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>But the informal caregivers who are also full time employed have a major
problem; not everyone is able to manage the conflicting demands of working and
care-giving.</FONT><BR></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt" size=3>A
MetLife study reported that 16 percent of employees who perform as caregivers
quit their jobs and 13 percent retired early in order that they could provide
care-giving to the people in need. This study found that the average life-time
loss per such person was an estimated $ 566 thousand in lost wages, $ 67
thousand in lower pension benefits plus $ 25 thousand loss of Soc. Sec.
benefits.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>Also, many of the employees who are caregivers get passed over for
promotions and are the first ones who are eliminated when a downsizing of the
business takes place. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>These problems of the employees, who are also serving as caregivers,
could be almost eradicated if the employers of caregivers would let their
care-giving employees to perform tele-work style for some or much of their
workload. About only one in four businesses offers employees who are
caregivers such advantages as flexible hours, telecommuting, paid leave in case
of emergencies and compassionate understanding.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt"
size=3>The legislation which would support the employers of the caregivers could
also include a double or increased tax break for the employer if the business
would allow the employees, who are involved in care-giving, to perform most
of their work with great degree of flexibility such as telecommuting and
flexible time. One potential use of such tax break would be to supply the
caregiver employee with a high performance Linux based, safe and reliable,
laptop so they can perform their work from anyplace including the home of the
needy person they are performing the care-giving for.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt" size=3>So
let us organize a strong campaign for the independent third party online
convention, or the convention of the democrats, followed by an
election campaign in each of the 50 states and then onto the
Presidential elections, which could include in their platforms the special tax
break for the businesses who employ and appreciate employees who are also
dedicated caregivers.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in" align=left> </P></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">Janine M.
Lodato<BR>P.O.Box 838<BR>SAN ANDREAS, CA.<BR>95249-838<BR>~|__<BR>(
o )\_<BR></FONT></DIV><BR><BR><BR><BR></DIV></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">See what's free at <A title="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" href="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" target="_blank">AOL.com</A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>