it makes my heart heavy...

im waitin for my next pay and im gonna donate what i can...im not rich so it wont be much...
but i agree...i actually wish i could do it in person, but not so much with money, but as a part of a rescue team as such...

 

they're saying that more than a third of the victems were children. and they're being buried in mass graves. this is so beyond horrible.

 

anyone can say that a large percentage of it goes to that charity, but how can you prove that money actually got there??

there are alot of people who still havent received any money from charities who had a relative that died in the world trade center.

I could go around and collect money for the effort in indonesia too, tell everyone 90 percent of its going there, send it to some drug dealers in jakarta, get some opium for my efforts, and be on my way.

 

yeah it truly is...mostly young children and elderly because they could not fight the current... it just makes you feel sick and want to cry...
the death toll is enormous

 

every time i check the death numbers, it goes up another one or two thousand. that is alot of people, we're talking the size of a town.

 

You guys don't have to travel to the other side of the globe to help out...there are people right under our noses that could use our help, but unfortunately only the big disasters get the hype and emotions boiling that the regular everyday sad cases never get.

It truely does start at home y'all. Go buy some poor cold person a nice hot meal and some long johns or something...when it's that big and that disaterous your ten dollars are just gonna buy the coffee a few of the volunteers in that area are gonna have for breakfast one morning...not to be a sourpuss, but really.

 

the homeless in my city are fed, i guess i could go volunteer (have considered before, but generally they are churchie groups - yes excuses are useless)
also our homeless numbers are a lot less..and they also have a lot of options in not being homeless..we have a god welfare system they can take advantage until they find work...i think it is choice.. but this will just spark a homeless debate - which has already been done of late!

 

millions of people could die over there if they dont have clean water. donations can help with the humanitarian efforts.

 

that's what i'm worried about. it's not a matter of being homeless or not, it's all the disease and everything that will follow in the days, weeks, months, and even years from now. we haven't even reached the tip of this iceberg let alone seen it.

 

If you don't like the churchy ones, I volunteered with the state dept. for a while down in Florida and they need alot of man power.

It's all about your own personal style i suppose, I just don't feel comfortable sending what little cash I have off to be absorbed by some huge fund. I'd rather put time in because that's what i have more of and i don't have to worry about it being misappropriated....and if it is it's my own damn fault, lol.

Or join in with a company that can actually make dent in raising the supplies needed to that big of an area. It's amazing what a few determined peole can do.

 

I know what you mean about this selective reporting, Miami. The paper here in Santa Cruz is notorious for it.

It's all like they're saying "It' didn't happen to americans so who cares? Look at this nice picture of Mertle Johnson walking here dog on the beach and stop worrying so much".

 

FOR EVERYONE INTERESTED

i think the weather channel is going to do a special report sometime tonight on tsunamis. i will be watching...

 

thats exactly what Ive been saying.

and I was attacked as some cold hearted person who cares more about people in america than people overseas.

people are buying too much into the hype of the whole deal. just like 911.

 

we are not "buying" into it thou...there is nothing to buy
and it is not hype either...this is not some trivial matter like whether you eact maccas (mcdonalds) or not

 

yeh... 24,000 people dying is such a hyped up deal...


that's the last thing i'll say about that.

 

this is especially scary for me because the area that i live in is due for a big quake like this one anytime in the next 200 years. could be tomorrow, could be in 150 years.

this is supposedly the 'season of giving'...those people over there are going to need our help. i'm proud that the canadian govt is putting 4 mill towards the relief effort.

i've heard elsewhere online that buddhist temples are taking non-cash donations, so if you dont want your money to get lost in some non-profit organization somewhere, then maybe you could donate old clothes or whatever to be sent over.

 

you gotta watch this, it's crazy...

 

It seems like with out this kind of massive drama people are'nt really affected into doing anything to help out with the regular everyday mundane needs communities have. It's just not exciting enough to help the twenty five mexicans living without heat in a rundown shiethole and being taken advantage of because they don't speak the language. Pay somebodies electric bill you know?

I realise i am teetering precariously on the edge of a crappy debate but man it's so frustrating that it takes a major event to make people feel the need to help out.

Help is always needed somewhere...

 

i was thinking that earlier...like i would like to donate food, water, clothes etc...
i think its a good good idea...
im also proud that australia is donating $10 mil and helping in many other ways

 

i don't think anyone in this thread ever said we don't want to help anyone at any other point. i try to help the homeless guy that sits in front of the gas station everyday with some change. i try to do something all the time.