The victims of the tsunami pay the price of war on Iraq
US and British aid is dwarfed by the billions both spend on slaughter
By George Monbiot 01/04/05 " The Guardian "
Over the past few months, reviewing the complete lack of public
interest in what is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
and the failure, in the west, to mobilise effective protests against
the continuing atrocities in Iraq, I had begun to wonder whether we
had lost our ability to stand in other people's shoes. I have now
stopped wondering.
[...]
But one obvious question recurs. Why must the relief of suffering, in
this unprecedentedly prosperous world, rely on the whims of citizens
and the appeals of pop stars and comedians? Why, when extreme poverty
could be made history with a minor redeployment of public finances,
must the poor world still wait for homeless people in the rich world
to empty their pockets?
The obvious answer is that governments have other priorities. And the
one that leaps to mind is war. If the money they have promised to the
victims of the tsunami still falls far short of the amounts required,
it is partly because the contingency fund upon which they draw in
times of crisis has been spent on blowing people to bits in Iraq.
The US government has so far pledged $350m to the victims of the
tsunami, and the UK government £50m ($96m). The US has spent $148
billion on the Iraq war and the UK £6bn ($11.5bn). The war has been
running for 656 days. This means that the money pledged for the
tsunami disaster by the United States is the equivalent of one and a
half day's spending in Iraq. The money the UK has given equates to
five and a half days of our involvement in the war.
[full story at]
http://207.44.245.159/article7617.htm
===
Congress expects $100 billion war request:
Congress expects the White House to request as much as $100 billion
this year for war and related costs in Iraq and Afghanistan,
congressional officials say.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2005-01-03-iraq-costs_x.htm?POE=click-refer
http://snipurl.com/brsu
===
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Tsunami of Kindness: Adopt a Village
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2005 14:08:07 -0800
To: justice@pej.ca
From: Alan Rycroft
Subject: Justice.int-- Dauncey: Tsunami of Kindness: Adopt a Village
Tsunami of Kindness: Adopt a Village
Posted by: rycroft on http://PEJ.org Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 02:08 PM
Can you pass this around? This "adopt a village" idea is beginning to get
legs, and the timing is very urgent. In particular, it needs to reach
people in the key aid agencies.
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2005 13:37:15 -0800From: Guy Dauncey
Subject: Tsunami of Kindness: Adopt a
VillageThis was published in today's Vancouver Sun, Globe & Mail, Tyee
andStraight Goods. Here's the Tyee's
version:http://www.thetyee.ca/Views/current/ATsunamiKindness.htm
A Tsunami of Kindness: Adopt a Village
By Guy Dauncey
The images tell it all.
All down the coastlines of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and so man yother
places, we see the same heart-wrenching images of loss and destruction. The
survivors not only have to cope with losing their families and neighbours;
their homes, boats, jobs and local economies have also been washed away.
The world is organizing a massive relief mission, but the recovery effort
will need to go on for months, perhaps years.
We are already writing cheques, and clicking the electronic button to send
money to the agencies which are racing to get supplies to the people who
need it. But quietly in the sidelines, waiting to become properly organized,
lies a whole new movement which could radically affect the way we respond to
disasters of this kind.
ItÂ’s called "adopt a village".
In the small town of Nelson, BC, the Kootenay Christian Fellowship is asking
residents to raise $10,000 to adopt a small fishing village near
Mamallapuram, on the disaster-stricken coast of India.
In Vancouver, the lounge and events club Campoverde wants Vancouver to adopt
a village devastated by the tsunami, and is holding a silent auction on
January 20th to get their efforts started. "By focusing on one particular
village," they say, "our community can focus our resources to make a viable
contribution." They are inviting other communities in Canada and around the
world to do the same.
In Upper Township, New Jersey, the Catholic Church of the Resurrection has
adopted the fishing village of Colachel, on the southern tip of India, where
hundreds were killed in the deadly tsunami.
In India, the Rotary ClubÂ’s District 3000 in Tamil Nadu is planning to adopt
a village or two, and to take responsibility for all the reconstruction
efforts. The Indian Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi has adopted a village in
the Nagapattinam region of Tamil Nadu, and is supporting it with medicines,
fishing nets, and food packages.
Two years ago, in India, members of the India Gospel League adopted villages
in the stricken earthquake area of Gujarat, knowing that most relief
agencies would withdraw after the initial stage of relief was over. They are
now planning to use the same strategy to help peoplere build their homes,
provide them with basic amenities, utensils and supplies, and provide
micro-credit of $500 each to 100 families to help them restart their fishing
businesses. The former Indian prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has
asked each of his partyÂ’s MPs to adopt a village.
Still in India, the non-profit, non-religious social service organization
Udavum Karangal, based in Chennai (Madras), is adopting villages near
Chidambaram and Cuddalore. They plan to provide low cost housing for 500
families, at a cost of 15,000 to 20,000 rupees per house ($415 to $520 CAN,
totalling $250,000).
In Hyderabad, India, the Andhra Pradesh Real Estate Developers'Association
has offered to adopt a village hit by the tsunami, and construct at least 50
houses to rehabilitate the worst affected people.
Back in Canada, the community of Squamish, British Columbia also wants to
adopt a village. Councillor Jeff Dawson, who is spearheading the project,
remembers that Squamish received a lot of help when it was hit by floods
just over a year ago, and he wants to return the generosity, hoping that
Squamish will raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.
So letÂ’s pause, and look at this globally.
There are five million people who need help, as they struggle to rebuild
their lives and their villages. Can we respond to the cruelty of the tsunami
with a tsunami of kindness?
There are millions of people who live in the worldÂ’s wealthy
nations,however, and many people in India, Thailand and elsewhere who
also want to help.
Using the Internet, it is possible to visualize someone creating a website
which would list every village that needed help, from the beach resorts of
Thailand to the fishing villages of India and Sr iLanka. Cities, villages,
Rotary Clubs, churches, businesses, and community groups could then step
forward and say "weÂ’ll sponsor that village".
We could include the Haitian town of Gonaives, still in shock after the
disastrous flooding it received from Hurricane Jeanne this summer,and the
Caribbean island of Grenada, savaged by Hurricane Ivan, along with other
small communities which have been hit hard by natural disasters.
It is also possible to believe that global and local aid agencies would
welcome this kind of participation. The biggest challenge they face is how
to sustain their fund-raising efforts once the global media has moved on to
other things.
By putting down roots at the village level, where individuals feel they can
make a difference, we could stabilize the flow of aid, while building
long-term relationships which would enrich peopleÂ’s lives for years. The
agencies could guide the movement by setting up partnerships with the
sponsoring communities, and the personal connections which would make it
come alive.
The Internet allows us to think, plan and organize in totally new ways, as
we address the challenges of the 21st century. It also allows ordinary
people to share in huge global undertakings.
The tsunami is the biggest natural disaster that has hit us in modern times,
aside from wars and famines. If the agencies can help the fledgling adopt a
villageÂ’ movement to find its legs, using the Internet to its fullest
capacity, they may be surprised how fast it an run.
*
Guy Dauncey is author of Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate
Change (New Society Publishers, 2001) and President of the BC Sustainable
Energy Association (http://www.bcsea.org).He lives in Victoria, B.C.,
Canada. http://www.earthfuture.com
Links:Campoverde, Vancouver: http://www.campoverde.caHyderabad
Realtors:http://www.hindu.com/2005/01/01/stories/2005010103400500.htmNelson,
BC: http://www.nelsonbc.ca/adopt_a_village.htmlRotary
Club:http://www.rotary.org/programs/wcs/disaster/reliefefforts.htmlUdavum
Karangal: http://www.udavumkarangal.org/default.aspUpper Township, New
Jersey:http://www.nbc10.com/news/4030554/detail.html
Canadian Red Cross: http://www.redcross.caCARE Canada:
http://www.carecanada.caMédecins Sans Frontières: http://www.msf.caOxfam
Canada: http://www.oxfam.caUNICEF Canada: http://www.unicef.ca
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Alan Rycroft, Sunshine Communications
Public Relations and Fundraising Consultant
250.592.8307 Canada
Box 8307, Victoria, BC, V8W 3R9
rycroft@SunshineCommunications.ca
http://SunshineCommunications.ca
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace, Earth & Justice News - http://PEJ.org
Subscriptions . Information . Links . Toolkit - http://pej.ca
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--
GEORGE LESSARD
Information & Media Specialist
Home E-mail
Alternate e-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com
MSN: mediamentor@canada.com (video cam & audio capable)
ICQ: 8501081
P2PNetPhone: themediamentor
Home Pages
Online Activities:
Photos:
To: justice@pej.ca
From: Alan Rycroft
Subject: Justice.int-- Dauncey: Tsunami of Kindness: Adopt a Village
Tsunami of Kindness: Adopt a Village
Posted by: rycroft on http://PEJ.org Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 02:08 PM
Can you pass this around? This "adopt a village" idea is beginning to get
legs, and the timing is very urgent. In particular, it needs to reach
people in the key aid agencies.
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2005 13:37:15 -0800From: Guy Dauncey
VillageThis was published in today's Vancouver Sun, Globe & Mail, Tyee
andStraight Goods. Here's the Tyee's
version:http://www.thetyee.ca/Views/current/ATsunamiKindness.htm
A Tsunami of Kindness: Adopt a Village
By Guy Dauncey
The images tell it all.
All down the coastlines of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and so man yother
places, we see the same heart-wrenching images of loss and destruction. The
survivors not only have to cope with losing their families and neighbours;
their homes, boats, jobs and local economies have also been washed away.
The world is organizing a massive relief mission, but the recovery effort
will need to go on for months, perhaps years.
We are already writing cheques, and clicking the electronic button to send
money to the agencies which are racing to get supplies to the people who
need it. But quietly in the sidelines, waiting to become properly organized,
lies a whole new movement which could radically affect the way we respond to
disasters of this kind.
ItÂ’s called "adopt a village".
In the small town of Nelson, BC, the Kootenay Christian Fellowship is asking
residents to raise $10,000 to adopt a small fishing village near
Mamallapuram, on the disaster-stricken coast of India.
In Vancouver, the lounge and events club Campoverde wants Vancouver to adopt
a village devastated by the tsunami, and is holding a silent auction on
January 20th to get their efforts started. "By focusing on one particular
village," they say, "our community can focus our resources to make a viable
contribution." They are inviting other communities in Canada and around the
world to do the same.
In Upper Township, New Jersey, the Catholic Church of the Resurrection has
adopted the fishing village of Colachel, on the southern tip of India, where
hundreds were killed in the deadly tsunami.
In India, the Rotary ClubÂ’s District 3000 in Tamil Nadu is planning to adopt
a village or two, and to take responsibility for all the reconstruction
efforts. The Indian Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi has adopted a village in
the Nagapattinam region of Tamil Nadu, and is supporting it with medicines,
fishing nets, and food packages.
Two years ago, in India, members of the India Gospel League adopted villages
in the stricken earthquake area of Gujarat, knowing that most relief
agencies would withdraw after the initial stage of relief was over. They are
now planning to use the same strategy to help peoplere build their homes,
provide them with basic amenities, utensils and supplies, and provide
micro-credit of $500 each to 100 families to help them restart their fishing
businesses. The former Indian prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has
asked each of his partyÂ’s MPs to adopt a village.
Still in India, the non-profit, non-religious social service organization
Udavum Karangal, based in Chennai (Madras), is adopting villages near
Chidambaram and Cuddalore. They plan to provide low cost housing for 500
families, at a cost of 15,000 to 20,000 rupees per house ($415 to $520 CAN,
totalling $250,000).
In Hyderabad, India, the Andhra Pradesh Real Estate Developers'Association
has offered to adopt a village hit by the tsunami, and construct at least 50
houses to rehabilitate the worst affected people.
Back in Canada, the community of Squamish, British Columbia also wants to
adopt a village. Councillor Jeff Dawson, who is spearheading the project,
remembers that Squamish received a lot of help when it was hit by floods
just over a year ago, and he wants to return the generosity, hoping that
Squamish will raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.
So letÂ’s pause, and look at this globally.
There are five million people who need help, as they struggle to rebuild
their lives and their villages. Can we respond to the cruelty of the tsunami
with a tsunami of kindness?
There are millions of people who live in the worldÂ’s wealthy
nations,however, and many people in India, Thailand and elsewhere who
also want to help.
Using the Internet, it is possible to visualize someone creating a website
which would list every village that needed help, from the beach resorts of
Thailand to the fishing villages of India and Sr iLanka. Cities, villages,
Rotary Clubs, churches, businesses, and community groups could then step
forward and say "weÂ’ll sponsor that village".
We could include the Haitian town of Gonaives, still in shock after the
disastrous flooding it received from Hurricane Jeanne this summer,and the
Caribbean island of Grenada, savaged by Hurricane Ivan, along with other
small communities which have been hit hard by natural disasters.
It is also possible to believe that global and local aid agencies would
welcome this kind of participation. The biggest challenge they face is how
to sustain their fund-raising efforts once the global media has moved on to
other things.
By putting down roots at the village level, where individuals feel they can
make a difference, we could stabilize the flow of aid, while building
long-term relationships which would enrich peopleÂ’s lives for years. The
agencies could guide the movement by setting up partnerships with the
sponsoring communities, and the personal connections which would make it
come alive.
The Internet allows us to think, plan and organize in totally new ways, as
we address the challenges of the 21st century. It also allows ordinary
people to share in huge global undertakings.
The tsunami is the biggest natural disaster that has hit us in modern times,
aside from wars and famines. If the agencies can help the fledgling adopt a
villageÂ’ movement to find its legs, using the Internet to its fullest
capacity, they may be surprised how fast it an run.
*
Guy Dauncey is author of Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate
Change (New Society Publishers, 2001) and President of the BC Sustainable
Energy Association (http://www.bcsea.org).He lives in Victoria, B.C.,
Canada. http://www.earthfuture.com
Links:Campoverde, Vancouver: http://www.campoverde.caHyderabad
Realtors:http://www.hindu.com/2005/01/01/stories/2005010103400500.htmNelson,
BC: http://www.nelsonbc.ca/adopt_a_village.htmlRotary
Club:http://www.rotary.org/programs/wcs/disaster/reliefefforts.htmlUdavum
Karangal: http://www.udavumkarangal.org/default.aspUpper Township, New
Jersey:http://www.nbc10.com/news/4030554/detail.html
Canadian Red Cross: http://www.redcross.caCARE Canada:
http://www.carecanada.caMédecins Sans Frontières: http://www.msf.caOxfam
Canada: http://www.oxfam.caUNICEF Canada: http://www.unicef.ca
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Alan Rycroft, Sunshine Communications
Public Relations and Fundraising Consultant
250.592.8307 Canada
Box 8307, Victoria, BC, V8W 3R9
rycroft@SunshineCommunications.ca
http://SunshineCommunications.ca
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace, Earth & Justice News - http://PEJ.org
Subscriptions . Information . Links . Toolkit - http://pej.ca
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--
GEORGE LESSARD
Information & Media Specialist
Home E-mail
Alternate e-mail: mediamentor@gmail.com
MSN: mediamentor@canada.com (video cam & audio capable)
ICQ: 8501081
Home Pages
Online Activities:
Photos:
Subscribe to:
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