7106 - 10 Lords A-leaping. On a Monday? PSA

I figured it was time to put my paypal donation button to some good use. If folks have any dribs and drabs kicking around in paypal (I imagine most people with a paypal account do. This is an extra easy way to send 'em someplace useful (and it should take other forms of payment, if desired.)

Click to make a donation to help tsunami victims.

It will be divided across Asha for Education, an extremely efficient spending org (98% to programs); usually focuses on education and long-term socioeconomic change, but responding to the disaster and AmeriCares, an extremely efficient (99% to programs) nonprofit specialized in international disasters.

If you prefer to go right to the source, check out a number of excellent Relief Organizations here.

There's also eBay's Tsunami Disaster Relief Page allows you to sell things on eBay and automatically donate 10-100% of the proceeds to one of eight charities.

Charity Navigator, AIP, and BBB all help to check up on accountability of charities.

1) A charity should spend at least 60% of its budget on program services.
2) Charities should spend no more than $35 to raise $100.

Contact your favorite charities to find out if they provide the specific types of aid that you would like to fund, e.g., emergency relief, health care, infrastructure development, education, etc.

(edit- I've just added this to my userinfo page, too, in case of journal "scroll off".

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I saw pigeons eating a discarded McDonald's hamburger patty recently. Something about pigeons eating meat is vaguely disturbing to me. I always picture them nibbling bread crumbs... somehow, I can picture them grabbing little wheat kernels more readily than taking down and eating a cow.

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Mel's Gramma Installed yesterday, but I still managed to steal a little time with her... going to hit lunch with her today, too. Yesterday, much time was spent watching COPS, Anger Management, researching more wholesalers on the net, and having general snugglage.

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( Misc Newt Pics for the start of the year )

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"Prosperity Gospel" is a curious teaching method... some churches teach that if you tithe 10% and have faith, you'll see *financial* reward as a result.

All of that "God wants to bless his children financially" stuff goes down the tubes when you start talking about believers who live in impoverished countries, or who live in persecution. Doesn't God wish to bless them just as much? Why aren't overseas missionaries living in penthouses? Why do Christians in third-world countries still lack clean drinking water? Shouldn't they be driving Cadillacs through the slums while their unsaved neighbors pick through garbage to find food?

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1 year ago - outing review, saw Val & Rhonnie, google specific search, Bollywhat, missing the big mob poll answerers

2 years ago - linky linky, one word,

3 years ago - rumors, comparing haunted house stories, smudge sticks (note to self, get more stuff to make more), defleshing (another news article gone...inspires me to put all my news articles behind lj-cuts for future ref) and naptime (naptime pix overwritten by other archive images)

4 years ago - dead phone, feeling love grow, Viet beer at the mall, lj & IM trouble