That is part of the reason why my parents have just been to Sri Lanka. They took clothing and cash with them that had been donated by people around where my dad works, and they distributed the clothing and bought and distributed food directly to the people in need in the villages of southern Sri Lanka. They wanted to cut out the middleman and make sure that the aid that they and others were giving went to people in need

 

It's amazing how quickly this tragedy dropped off the radar of the popular media...

 

Amazing, perhaps, but hardly surprising.

 

Quite true...

 

It is still pretty much in the media all the time here, but than I guess it is a lot closer to home for us than for you guys .....

 

Too true.

Clinton and Bush need to get their acts together and put this back on the small screen.

 

I finally heard from HR confirming my donation (and company matching). I wonder if UNICEF still needs the money.

 

Jack,

The situation in the worst hit areas is still very bad. They have got clean water supplies and some form of sanitation in to most of the areas, but they are still a long way from rebuilding the hundreds of thousands of houses that were destroyed. UNICEF are going to need the money for years to come, not just weeks or months.

 

I know James. I was just complaining about how slow my company handled this.

I have been a UNICEF "member" for about a year now, which is to say I have been making a (small, perhaps it's time to bump it up a little) monthly donation to them all this time. So hopefully the money has been put to good use (actually I'm pretty sure it is, unlike a certain Texan, I still have some faith in the UN).

 

Just heard on the radio that an earthquake of mag 8.2 struck off the coast of Indonesia. No word of tsunamis yet.


Also Kaiser Permanente Healthcare recalled it's Dr's due to civil unrest creating a situation too dangerous to stay.