December 28, 2004

• Check you're URL...and then give money to the Cats Protection League. Surely if we stopped making bombs for 20 mins we could sort this out. [realises he's being simplistic...]
• linkee goodness here
• sorry - that looks really bad. Of course I think it's terrible, but surely inter-governmental aid relief shoudn't rely on us poor drones. like you say, if they can spend that much on aparty, there must be enough sloshing around to save a few lives?
• No, kitfisto. I'd say you were right on target the first time. We do spend rather a lot on ways to kill people, and rather not enough on helping them out. I don't see that it's going to improve over the next four years either.
• WASHINGTON Dec 28, 2004
• After the scandal while Elizabeth Dole was head of the Red Cross, and there`s always this little tidbit http://www.konformist.com/skolnick/1999/ss050999.htm and since you are probably lucky if %10 of your donation actually is applied to helping out those in need(after paying the high dollar salaries of the corporate infrastucture), I hesitate to donate any money to charities, and the Red Cross tops my list.
• Yeah, the red cross is the worst goddamned charity I can think of to donate to. Go find one that actually gets the money where it's needed.
• here's a blog with more links to places to donate to.
• The death toll is steadily approaching the half a million mark.
• That number sounds about ten times to high; you have a link (50,000 is still catastrophic)?
• I noticed a reference to this tidal tragedy as a seismic holocaust, somewhere in the Yahoo slideshow captions.
• Charity Navigator is a good website to find out if your charity of choice makes the cut. You can search by name or category. There are many charities that are seeking donations with overhead as less as 3 cents per dollar that is donated (rest goes for relief). If you are in India, you can donate online through The Hindu (a national newspaper). Do you monkeys know any other donation centers where you can donate with local greens and preferably online? This will be helpful to everyone across the pond.
• I made an error, no where near that mark. Apologies. Never trust Oz tv newsreaders.
• when my dad came home from his station in korea after world war 2, the red cross had promised a warm homecoming for all soldiers --- food, drink, music, the whole shebangebang. when he and the other sodliers arrived, not even coffee awaited them. my point: they were then, and i believe they still are now, liars and cheats. thanks for the links to alternative charities.
• Liars, cheats, worst goddamn charity, whatever. I understand people's hesitation with certain organizations. But the key is to find a charity you're comfortable with and donate. I hope all the Monkeys do just that. It's important. Very important.
• I hesitate to donate any money to charities, and the Red Cross tops my list. Wow. If you dont want to give, dont give, that is your right. But dont use these flimsy justifications to make yourself a hero. "I choose not to" or "I cant afford it" will do.
• It's likely not fair to judge someone's reluctance so hastily.
• and since you are probably lucky if %10 of your donation actually is applied to helping out those in need you are correct in a way, however I feel that so many people just use this as an excuse to ease their own conscience, after all how on earth do you expect 100% of your money to be distributed to relief efforts on the other side of the world?? The distribution of aid requires administrative functions to be in place.
• I hope all the Monkeys do just that. It's important. Very important. why? because you say so?
• because you say so? Could it be to exercise some small amelorating influence on the indiscriminate human suffering caused by a natural disaster? I dunno, I'm clueless here.
• If you don't (understandably) feel comfortable giving through the Red Cross, there are many other venues.
• Bugger. My first post on this thing and I screw the linky thing up. Sorry, all. I'll be sure to be good next time, if I don't get booted. Yes, the U.S. has added to its initial funding for disaster relief. Yes, not everyone wants to give to the Red Cross. Thanks all of you who posted links to "alternative" charities.
• why? because you say so? Yes, you got it! Exactly! After all, it's about making myself feel good. And if someone else happens to benefit--like a person who has lost his home, his livelihood, his belongings, his wife, his four kids, his parents, and 20 members of his extended family--then that's just an added bonus. Whee!
• get a load of this!!!! at pleasegivenow.com, some guy says: "I am not a registered charity or a multinational company, just an individual like you looking to make a difference in this almost insurmountable task. I would like to give the International Red Cross Three Million Dollars, but for me this is impossible. So I decided to create a website. ... If you would like to give, please be assured I will give ALL Net DONATIONS to the International Red Cross/Crescent." yeah, right.
• You will never regret the help that you gave, only the help you did not but could have.
• Jesus Christ
• Some days I really hate humans with a fiery passion. Why is every blog and news organization making so much noise about who is 'stingy' or whatever? What the fuck does it matter? The 'moral' majority will soon start crowing that the victims should be greatful that the US is giving even $35M. Yes, they should forever hold the US as a shining beacon of hope and aspire to one day be worthy of the aid they have received. Fucking ridiculous! I hope they refuse the $35M. The Americans can totally fuck the hell off.
• s/greatful/grateful
• The Americans I know are giving left and right, fuyugare. Please don't confuse governments with people; it's shortsighted.