pricer01

Hi Folks

Its been some while since I've posted here but a new job and a busy schedule have kept me away. For those who don't know me, I've actually had 2 RX8s (look for a previous post of mine) and I've even had th3 fortune to fit Hymee enhancements.

Anyhow, at the time I posted heaps, there was another busy poster named Dez. He , as I recall, recorded the fastest 50 posts and 100 posts in forum history so he was a very keen paricpant too. I've had the pleasure of meeting Dez a few times , he is a top bloke, loves his 8 and drives like he enjoys it ....He also runs a web search business as a part time distraction from his main IT business (relevance later I promise)

Having established some cred .. ( I hope ) may I ask you to please read on ......

I received an email from Dez this morning that I will reproduce here, and would ask you all to consider.

We in Oz have the fortune to have only suffered lightly in the wake of the Tsunamis. Dez, like me (and most of you I'd guess) felt somewhat helpless but he has made the effort to assemble some very useful info as to how we can help.

Please take the time to consider doing whatever you can.

many thanks

Rob

------------------------------------DEZ'S EMAIL -------------------------------------------

Hi all,

I've compiled a short set of links to how you can help the Tsunami relief effort, and ask that you take a moment to visit the following URL and choose one or more of the linked efforts to support and donate online:


http://www.WebSearch.COM.AU/tsunami.html


Yes, I've emailed every single friend, associate, partner, client, family member, in fact almost every email contact I have, and then some. If this has offended you I'm sorry, but I'm on a mission for a good cause.

Dig deep folks, this is a most needy time. If each of the folk I personally emailed today gave $10 we would raise around AUD$428,000+ so it does all count, and it does all add up!

Cheers,

Dez


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dez Blanchfield
Chief Executive Officer
Cradle Technologies Corporation

I.T. Professional Services | Hosting Solutions Provider

Office : +61 2 9956 5633

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

A good idea to post this here, Pricer.

I too got the email from Dez. I feel I might send it on to all my work colleagues, and shoot any of them who complain about spam.

Cheers,
Mark.

Wildcard

Good work Dez (& Rob).

As easy as paying your phone bill!

rpm_pwr

Done and bump for a good cause. Though I am a little worried about the security of some of those online forms (I used CARE Aust). Am I just paranoid?

Gomez

World Vision for me. Thanks for the post pricer.....and for the links Dez. I've been flat out, and it's just so easy to say we're too busy or too flat broke after Xmas.

We all drive expensive cars, we can all afford to donate and we can spare the two minutes it takes online. Three responses from 95 views is **** poor. Donate now, or I'll unleash my wrath. Those of you who have seen my Shinka posts will know what venom awaits those who fail to heed the call.

Be afraid, very afraid....

Gomez .

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

I hope I am not cheap... The house of Hymee just gave $100 to World Vision, reference number 133361.


If all the 111 views of this post did the same, we would be up over $10,000 just from our little bunch.

And if you make a false claim on here of a donation, you will be found out and publicly shunned! And after that, I'll unleash Gomez on you. And then I'll give Lock your phone number!

Cheers,
Hymee.

Gomez

Oh ****, you're an evil *****, you are....

J/K, Lock.... :p

takahashi

I emptied my wallet in the bucket that goes around the office. The money has been deposited to an donation account set up by the ANZ bank.

I think we raised $400!? I contributed 5% of that?! ....

rpm_pwr

I just found out that MBF as well as giving $100k are matching its employees donations dollar for dollar. That would be the best way to donate.

BVD

Whoops! I viewed but didn't respond to the thread......

I can't really think of anything appropriate to say in the face of such disasters. :o And I don't use credit cards, so can't usually donate online. I do tend to make it to a post box, bank or collection tin though. (Don't shoot Gomez... don't shoot! You're right - if we can afford our cars, we can afford to help...)

It does make me proud to be an Aussie, when I see how incredibly quickly we tend to respond to these appeals. Many millions raised already from private donations, and the government upping their commitments daily as the full story emerges.

I wonder how much the rich of the countries involved are putting in, and how efficient the responses are from their own governments, armed forces etc?? Our press don't seem to be so good at reporting that side of things. Most of the countries involved have very rich and powerful elites of their own, plus substantial armies who can be mobilised to help, but do they tend to respond quickly, efficently or generously to this kind of thing? I have no experience of how Asian countries and customs work. Anyone have any knowledge?

(And, yes, I did cough up myself... Our bank is handling the appeal for Oxfam Community Aid Abroad's Tsunmai appeal, so my wife and I popped in $500 over the counter. Come tax return time Mr Costello will give us half of it back again, so not so much really...).

AMG

BVD, $500 that's excellent of both you and your wife, I gave $100 via CBA.

I have a friend who is a professional charity collector, he makes a fortune out of skimming a large % of collections so I am a dubious of professionally run charity functions.

AFAIK the Aussie govt has been numero uno in it's aid as compared to other countries. The US govt is copping some flak for it's miserly efforts.

I'll probably get shot for this but I wonder what the muslim extremists will think of Australia and the help it is providing, and if the coin was turned the other way, would Indonesia help Australia?

BVD

Yes, I don't remember much of a rush to help us when Darwin got flattened by Cyclone Tracey. But then we are a wealthy country and we do have a tradition of pulling the finger out and helping anyone who needs it.

Most major charities have at least tried to clean up their act when it comes to skimming, and spending too big a percentage on infrastructure and not enough at the actual disaster sites. The big ones now have tables on their web pages showing what percentage goes where (or is supposed to!)

But we always get some version of this, each time there's a disaster. From Sky News just now:

"Hundreds of tonnes of essential emergency supplies have poured into Asia, but little is reaching the victims. Tarpaulins, water purification systems, food and medicines are stockpiling at airports of affected countries but it's having trouble getting through to the injured, sick and hungry tsunami survivors. "

This could be a bit of an exaggeration, to make a good story, but there's often a certain rip-off factor in many countries. Not sure what's the hold-up is? The areas hit are mostly coastal strips - in some cases only a few hundred metres in from the shore. So there should be intact roads, communities, etc between the airports and many of the sites? Much harder for some of the islands close in to the quake probably.

Not sure what's the deal? Lack of transport? Lack of effort from local agencies, transporters overstretched? Maybe I just have an unrealistic picture of what the local resources and infrastructures are like even in the good times?

It's always a bit of a ****-up initially in these situations I suppose.

EDIT: Pleased to see that recent news items have reported that some of the initial logistics problems have been partly overcome and that both the aid agencies and the local militaries are starting to have a positive impact.

jax8

We too have felt proud of our nation and government's response.

Care Australia have two hundred of our smackeroos, and our teenage daughters who travelled to Sydney to celebrate NYE have a similar amount to throw in the hat when it goes around. (keep a lookout for a muddy titanium 8 if you are at McMahons Point tonight.)

Touch wood, it appears the drought is over for us, 'cos there's no way we could have committed this time last year.

Seasons Greetings to all... and dig deep!
jack

AMG

Unfortunately it is too much government beaurocracy and red tape which holds things ups.

Just look at the way our govt cocked up with Ansett employees. They instituted an ansett levy on all air travellers too take care of ansett employee entitlements. When they reached their target amounts they changed their minds on the beneficiaries of the levy and instead put it into tourism.

lets hope this doesn't happen with the tsunami victims

Lock & Load

**** with all you guys donating , i suppose i better get on the aid band wagon before all the spots in HEAVEN are taken j/k :p

I already donate money on a regular basis to other charitable organisations overseas .

Israel is in constant threat of survival and its not from natural disasters but out of the hatred of other so called humans towards Jews .

cheers
michael

BVD

You're right Michael, at our age we need all the Karma stash we can get! I try to keep my Pearly Gate entrance insurance paid up these days.. :p

Like you, we try to shell out a wee bit on a semi-regular basis, so we've focused on this for the moment instead of some other poor buggers (the house is all paid off, no debts, and a bit in the bank, so it's easier now than when younger...). And the only other thing I was going to spend money on in the next couple of weeks was some dental work, and those Fang Farriers are rich enough already... :p (friendly dig at AMG here.. :D ). I'll just have to drink more and eat less for a bit longer.

Seriously though, I often re-read that thing you (Lock and Load) posted here a few months back about the population of the world, if shrunk to 100. It showed that a huge percentage are underfed and underhoused, many can't read etc. It reminds me how damn lucky I am, and how small my petty troubles really are.

Have a good New Years.

takahashi

I have no doubt money will get there but I fear the problem is so huge that it will be a crisis there for decades. Poverity, inhabitable land. It will be years before some kind of order is resolved.

There are so much to be done. Some of the money has been mispend due to the goods needs to be as quick as possible.

I wish to go back to the Maldives for another honeymoon... damn

pricer01

I hope its just that the vast majority of the 249 viewers are SHY to share their confirmed donations ...
Come on guys ... as has been suggested , we all drive expensive cars and there is real suffering that we can help soften...
Dig Deep!

Thanks

PS I realised I've not fessed up ... I donated to OXFAM (100% of donation goes to offshore aid operations) $500 ref 58593

PPS my 14 year old daughter (who works part time after school) has donated 2 weeks of her pay (uprompted by me too!!!)

Gomez

Ten of us have replied on this thread.....nearly 300 views. Hmmm, time to unclip the holster....

This is apparently the biggest natural disaster in terms of loss of life in recorded human history.............thousands more will die of disease in the coming weeks.

Gomez

Here's a pic of the destruction and death.....WARNING, don't enlarge it if you're sensitive to pictures of corpses.

This shows an example of what the aid and rescue workers are facing. Urgent support is needed. You can provide some of that support. Dig deep, they need our help.

kiwimeat

Hopefully more than the just the respondants in this thread will have donated already. Generally the response around the world has been very humbling (especially places like Beslan donating despite their recent trauma) and reassuring in terms of our shared humanity.

For the record my family have donated $500.00 to the Red Cross as well as cash donations to collectors.

Currently investigating what we can do for an ongoing contribution to specifically help the region in long term.

AMG

Heard on the radio today that red cross would also accept clothing as donations. That way the money received can go into medicines and essential foods.

I'll be cleaning out my wardrobe today.

Wildcard

Relax guys! Each time you check this thread to read the latest posts, it counts as another view. 5 of the views are mine, even though I've only donated once...

I'm sure everyone is doing what they can within their means. We're not all doctors and dentists you know! j/k

Gomez

I know, man. My point was that even if the ten of us had viewed ten times, there were still 200 views without posts....

I'm aware that folks from O/S also view this thread and that they won't donate to the Oz branches of Red Cross or Care Australia etc. So I now appeal to the forums unregistered guests....Dig deep, sign up and post!! :D It's amazing, the number of people who view this forum who aren't members.....

I did post the holster thing at 5am, I was tired.....that's my defence, Your Honour .

Jaycee

Guys,

Don't get hung up on how many people have posted to the thread saying how much they've donated. I think we all know where our obligations lie and I'm confident that anyone who's smart enough (and rich enough) to buy an RX/8 will be contributing.

I've donated through work - my company (as well as giving $200K) matches employee donations 2 for 1 - so every $500 I donate turns into $1,500.

Cheers,
Jim