On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 16:18:04 -0000, "Miss L. Toe"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >> >Maybe G-d is punishing those who didnt celebrate in the proper way ???
    >> How come he missed you? :-)
    >Maybe celebrating with Misletoe is the right way ? :-)

Doing SFA seems to work too.

Final count in Bam was around 27,000 apparently.

--
Martin

"The Reids" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Following up to Miss L. Toe
    > >> How the hell can anybody answer that? They don't even know how
    > >> many are dead. If the Red Cross finds itself with two much money
    > >> for the work on hand, i'll be very surprised.
    > >> But i can tell you one thing, without donations they *will* run
    > >> out of money.
    > >
    > >How can you say that ?
    > simple logic
    > >Do you know how much cash the Red Cross (and other charities) has in its
    > >coffers ?
    > Of course not and not knowing the funds of various charities is
    > not going to stop me giving.

I have had a long suspicion of the established charity groups, having seen
many of them at work. All too often, it is very worthy people on the ground
frustrated by lack of funds, supplies and facilities from above.
We're helping in this instance by giving requested goods, clothing etc. to
Sri Lankan (in our case) friends locally who are organising their own
despatches to specific people over there.
The best chance of what is needed getting where it should.

Surreyman

"a.spencer3" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:%[email protected]...
    > "The Reids" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > Following up to Miss L. Toe
    > >
    > > >> How the hell can anybody answer that? They don't even know how
    > > >> many are dead. If the Red Cross finds itself with two much money
    > > >> for the work on hand, i'll be very surprised.
    > > >> But i can tell you one thing, without donations they *will* run
    > > >> out of money.
    > > >
    > > >How can you say that ?
    > >
    > > simple logic
    > >
    > > >Do you know how much cash the Red Cross (and other charities) has in
its
    > > >coffers ?
    > >
    > > Of course not and not knowing the funds of various charities is
    > > not going to stop me giving.
    > I have had a long suspicion of the established charity groups, having seen
    > many of them at work. All too often, it is very worthy people on the
ground
    > frustrated by lack of funds, supplies and facilities from above.
    > We're helping in this instance by giving requested goods, clothing etc. to
    > Sri Lankan (in our case) friends locally who are organising their own
    > despatches to specific people over there.
    > The best chance of what is needed getting where it should.
    > Surreyman

An excellent idea IMO.

On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 16:19:31 -0000, "Miss L. Toe"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Just out of interest - does anyone here know anyone directly affect by the
    >Tsunami ?

Yes. Our Thai exchange student of two years ago was working at her
uncles hotel across the road from the beach on Phuket that morning.
The hotel on the beach was destroyed but acted as a breakwater to the
one she was in. Only some lower floor water damage there. She called
us yesterday to let us know she and her family was ok. "Everyone is
helping, everyone is very sad."

Gordon

On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 17:09:25 +0100, nitram <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>The 1990 Iran earthquake killed 50,000.
    >as did the 2003 Iran earthquake.

Not actually according to any figures I can find, under 30,000 as far
as i can find.

One of the relevant parts that people are missing is that funds needed
aren't actually proportional to deaths, more funds are needed for the
larger areas, and larger numbers of displaced or impacted people.
Those who die regretably need little money.

Widely dispersed across thousands of small islands is a lot more
expensive to deliver aid to than a limited area inland that have good
road links from major ports and airports surviving.

Jim.

"Miss L. Toe" <[email protected]> skrev i meddelandet
news:[email protected]...
    > >
    >> I can't begin to imagine what it must be like to be homeless with no
    >> proper water or food,
    > Have you never been hungry ?
    > Try flying these days.
-----------------------------------
There are airports of size without proper water and food available ?
I've never been hungry at an airport as i can afford to buy food.
If you can afford to fly you can always afford to buy food.
Otherwise stay at home as an alternative.

    > Never been left sleeping at an airport ?
No ,and if so how does it compare ?
After all an airport is quite comfortable in comparison.
And near always there are hotels close to big airports.

    >>P.S. for the uninformed many charities keep huge cash balances and spend
    >>off
    >>the income not the capital thus ensuring they have long term funds.

Endowments. And these exist to make sure the organization exists into the
future. If they cut into the principle of the endowment each time there is a
disaster, there may be no help for anyone in the future.

Many large charities also have disaster funds you can contribute to
directly -- all of those funds should go directly to the disaster (with the
operating funds of the organization paying for salaries, etc.)

Nothing is black and white; you'd really have to examine each organization's
financial statements to determine if their administrative costs are not
acceptable to you.

"Mxsmanic" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > The Reids writes:
    >> please list similar natural disasters that didn't get extensive
    >> media coverage.
    > Just about every long-lasting disaster gets only light media coverage.
    > Famines and droughts and other long-term weather disasters are in this
    > category, and they kill millions.

There is no disaster -- natural or man-made -- that provides less pain than
any other. Wars, caused by man, create a cobweb of obstacles, making
immediate aid difficult to deliver. We can do the most by trying to get the
fighting parties to stop, and then developing a relief plan.

But now, in Asia, there is an immediate need. There are no rebels stopping
shipments or shooting workers. There is no government or politics getting in
the way (yet). We can save thousands of lives by getting water, food, and
medicines to these people as fast as possible; and prevent many future
political and economic and social problems by helping them get back on their
feet.

Stop arguing about this stuff and send money to whoever you believe can be
the most helpful.

Sarah

    >>Do you know how much cash the Red Cross (and other charities) has in its
    >>coffers ?
    > Well it's not too difficult to find out, they publish annual accounts,
    > of course it won't be up to date, but it'll give you a pretty good
    > idea.
    > ICRC seemed to have about 20million to hand at the end of 2003, or
    > roughly 2 months outgoings.

At least in the U.S., all of that information is readily available, includng
the top salaries.

But remember, most nonprofits use fund accounting. Just because someone has
$100 million in their bank account doesn't mean it can be spent. Donors are
allowed to designate gifts, which means huge sums of money must be spent for
predetermined purposes (i.e. special programs, scholarships, building
funds).

Miss L. Toe <[email protected]> wrote:
    > Actually less than 100 times in terms of suffering (of those left behind),
    > because loosing 3 friends or family members is not 3 times as bad as loosing
    > one.

Tell that to the little boy who loses his mother, father, and only brother.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

Mxsmanic <[email protected]> wrote:
    > Miss L. Toe writes:
    >> Hopefully it will get sufficient media attention in the USA to finally put
    >> 11/9 into its proper perspective.
    > Don't hold your breath. In the few years since 9/11, earthquakes alone
    > have already killed 100 times as many people as died during that
    > terrorist attack.

More people were killed by cars than by terrorists on September 11, 2001.
And it happens every day.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

Mxsmanic <[email protected]> wrote:
    > JohnT writes:
    >> Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not natural disasters.
    > True. They were deliberate murders. Does that make the deaths they
    > caused any less significant? How many people donated to help the
    > Japanese then?

So your argument is that it is inappropriate to donate to help the victims
of this week's tsunami because we did not give money to the victims of two
bombings in Japan 60 years ago?

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

"Markku Grönroos" <[email protected]> skrev i meddelandet
news:[email protected]...
    > In 1980's in Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia alone millions of people starved
    > to
    > death due to persistent drought in the region. This way of dying is
    > naturally much more painful and horrendous than drowning which kills fast.
But that was mostly because of political reasons.
To a part because of the local powers and to a part because of the outside
missing to provide help. It's said that there have never been a big
famine in a real democracy and it's probably true.
And furthermore there's generally no lack of food in the world, there's lack
of means to rise crops.
Fertilizers, machine equipments up to sometimes planting seed all missing.

"Lennart Petersen" <[email protected]> kirjoitti viestissä
news:[email protected]...
    > "Markku Grönroos" <[email protected]> skrev i meddelandet
    > news:[email protected]...
    > >>
    > > In 1980's in Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia alone millions of people
starved
    > > to
    > > death due to persistent drought in the region. This way of dying is
    > > naturally much more painful and horrendous than drowning which kills
fast.
    > But that was mostly because of political reasons.
    > To a part because of the local powers and to a part because of the outside
    > missing to provide help. It's said that there have never been a
big
    > famine in a real democracy and it's probably true.
    > And furthermore there's generally no lack of food in the world, there's
lack
    > of means to rise crops.
    > Fertilizers, machine equipments up to sometimes planting seed all missing.
Okay, okay. There is no need to reside nearby beaches. There is no need to
build anything - houses, roads and so worth along the shorelines of the
oceans. If man just had adapted practices to stay a good deal away and above
from seas in any case, nothing like what happend on the Boxing Day, would
have not happened. It is all politics.

On Sat, 1 Jan 2005 00:04:29 +0200, "Markku Grönroos"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >"Lennart Petersen" <[email protected]> kirjoitti viestissä
    >news:[email protected]...
    >> "Markku Grönroos" <[email protected]> skrev i meddelandet
    >> news:[email protected]...
    >> >>
    >> > In 1980's in Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia alone millions of people
    >starved
    >> > to
    >> > death due to persistent drought in the region. This way of dying is
    >> > naturally much more painful and horrendous than drowning which kills
    >fast.
    >> But that was mostly because of political reasons.
    >> To a part because of the local powers and to a part because of the outside
    >> missing to provide help. It's said that there have never been a
    >big
    >> famine in a real democracy and it's probably true.
    >> And furthermore there's generally no lack of food in the world, there's
    >lack
    >> of means to rise crops.
    >> Fertilizers, machine equipments up to sometimes planting seed all missing.
    >Okay, okay. There is no need to reside nearby beaches. There is no need to
    >build anything - houses, roads and so worth along the shorelines of the
    >oceans. If man just had adapted practices to stay a good deal away and above
    >from seas in any case, nothing like what happend on the Boxing Day, would
    >have not happened. It is all politics.

Monday's expert.

No-one was lobbying against it before.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--