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Archive through January 06, 2005

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2005 Mar. ~ 2005 May: The Tsunami Tragedy: ARCHIVES: Archive through January 06, 2005 users admin

Author Message
Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 1:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Just a quick message to everyone to be careful of scam emails. It sucks to say it, but there ARE people already looking to profit from this tragedy, and I think I've already received an email that was fishy. It SAID it was OxFam, but the sender address, and the link to pay were both to a different website. I'm not sure if OxFam has a company handling this donation campaign, but I'm not comfortable donating to a website whose name is not the same as the company my money is SUPPOSEDLY going to.

Just wanted to warn everyone to be careful.

Zachsmom
Moderator

07-13-2000

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 1:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Can you post the email Eeyore? Just so others can be aware?

Schoolmarm
Member

02-18-2001

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 1:42 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Did you all have three minutes of silence in the USA or Canada? Over here in Munich (and the rest of Europe) they had three minutes of silence. The trains and trams and buses even stopped. Donations are being collected at all the train stations in Germany.

There was a BBC news reporter who was really skewering (is that a word? Gads, I'm having trouble with both English and German) the head of the UN relief agency. Tonight he's skewering two British ladies.

I'm just sick about the situation with the children.

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 1:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I found out that the hygiene bags my church kids made in November are headed over to Southeast Asia along with all the others in the storehouse. Our church also did a special collection.

Zachsmom
Moderator

07-13-2000

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 1:58 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
What are hygiene bags Ladytex? I think that's awesome that your church is donating them (whatever they are) and what a wonderful feeling of helping that will be for the kids :-)

Karuuna
Member

08-31-2000

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 2:34 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
As far as I know, we didn't have three minutes of silence altho today I would pay big bucks for that opportunity.

The flags in the US were ordered to be flown at half mast however.

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 2:41 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
In November we had a service project with the teenagers from our area. The hygiene bags we made up contained soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs, hand towels and something else I'm forgetting. The church purchased the items and Sam's and Dollar Tree gave us breaks on the cost. We also got some community donations. We spent a Saturday evening making up the bags. It was awesome seeing these kids doing something for unknown others, just knowing that they would be needed. Our church makes these up and stores them for disasters.

Zachsmom
Moderator

07-13-2000

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 2:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
That is a really great idea LadyT!

Do the kids know that their bags were sent?

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 2:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Some of them found out last night at their weekly mutual activity and the others will find out tonight.

Zachsmom
Moderator

07-13-2000

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 3:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
You know what is really sad? Some of the people who are going to recieve the bags, this will be the first time they have ever recieved/used soap, toothpaste etc. They are so poor they cannot afford the basic neccessites. I think that is a wonderful idea that your church has.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 4:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Zachsmom and all: Here is the email I received. The email info is as follows. I'm sure it COULD be a good email, but the fact that the reply and from addresses, and none of the links were to a World Vision site concerned me. I'm too lazy to go searching around for info on "thindataworks". At the bottom, it said I received the email because I visited a site, which doesn't seem like a normal m.o. for a charity.

==========================================================

From : World Vision Canada <ems@thindataworks.com>
Reply-To : 247gold@thindataworks.com
Sent : December 30, 2004 2:03:41 PM

Hello/Bonjour,

Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia and other countries have been devastated by the tsunamis (tidal waves) resulting from massive earthquakes on December 26th.

Le 26 d écembre, un puissant s éisme a généré une s érie de gigantesques tsunamis (raz-de-marée) qui ont dévasté le Sri Lanka, l’Inde, l’Indon ésie, la Thaïlande et la Malaisie et plusieurs autres pays.

More than 100,000 people are reported dead and more than 2 million people are homeless. The number of casualties is expected increase as many remote villages have yet to be reached. And the number of deaths due to lack of clean water and disease in the weeks ahead could potentially exceed those caused by the initial disaster. The situation is desperate. Your help is urgently needed. Click here to help rush emergency supplies to the victims of this crisis.

On dénombre actuellement plus de 100 000 morts et plus de deux millions de personnes sont sans-abris. On s’attend à ce que le nombre de morts et de blessés s’intensifie car plusieurs autres villages isolés n’ont pas encore été atteints. En raison du manque d'eau propre et de la maladie, le nombre de morts dans les semaines prochaines pourrait potentiellement excéder ceux causés par le désastre initial. La situation est désespérée. Nous avons besoin de votre aide immédiatement. Cliquez ici pour aider à expédier d’urgence! des fournitures aux victimes de cette terrible crise.

Sri Lanka and Indonesia, the worst affected, have already requested international assistance. India and Thailand have also been severely affected.

The first days after a crisis are the most critical. We urgently need your help today to deliver emergency supplies to children and their families in need. Please click here to send your gift today.

Unidentified woman cries as she view the loss of her home in Sri Lanka

Le Sri Lanka et l’Inde, les pays les plus affect é s, ont d é j à demand é l’aide internationale. L’Indonésie et la Thailande ont également été sérieusement affectés. Les premiers jours suivant une telle catastrophe sont toujours les plus critiques. Nous avons besoin de votre générosité aujourd’hui afin de nous permettre de distribuer de l’aide de façon urgente aux enfants et à leurs familles qui en ont besoin. S’il vous plait, cliquez ici pour envoyer votre don aujourd! ’hui.

World Vision is responding. World Vision is already distributing emergency food in India and teams have been dispatched to assess the damage in other countries. Our goal is to raise $4 million to help the victims of this crisis. Please click here to help children and their families today.

Vision Mondiale répond déjà à cette catastrophe. Vision Mondiale est en train de distribuer des rations alimentaires en Inde et nos équipes sont sur le terrain afin d’évaluer la situation dans les autres pays qui ont été affectés. Nous demandons aux Canadiens de contribuer 4 million de $ pour aider les victimes de cette catastrophe. S’il vous plait, cliquez ici afin de nous permettre d’aider les enfants et leurs familles.

Sincerely/Sincèrement,

Dave Toycen
President/Le président,
World Vision Canada/ Vision Mondiale

p.s. Please pass this email along to your friends and family who will want to assist the victims of this disaster or who may want to do even more by sponsoring a child in Sri Lanka, India or one of the other affected countries.

P.-S. Merci de partager cet email avec d’autres membres de vos familles ainsi que vos amis qui eux aussi voudront assister les victimes de cette catastrophe ou même parrainer un enfant.

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization reaching out to a hurting world. In cases where donations exceed what is needed, or where local conditions prevent program implementation, World Vision will redirect funds to similar activities to help needy people.

Vision Mondiale est un organisme humanitaire chrétien portant assistance aux démunis du monde. Lorsque la somme des dons dépasse les besoins ou que la situation sur place nous empêche de mener un projet à bien, Vision Mondiale affecte les fonds à des opérations humanitaires similaires.

==================================================
You are receiving this email message, because when you visited a Gold List partner web site you opted in to receive special offers,discounts and information via email. If you no longer wish to receive email offers, please click on this link and follow the instructions: http://207.139.69.24/247media/unsubscribe.html

=============Désabonnement.
Vous recevez ce courriel car lorsque vous avez visité un site partenaire de la Liste Or vous avez acceptez de recevoir des offres speciales ou rabais de nos commanditaires. Si vous ne désirez plus recevoir nos envois dans le futur, veuillez cliquer sur le lien ci-dessous pour vous désabonner: http://207.139.69.24/247media/unsubscribe.html


Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 5:28 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Online scams emerge in tsunami's wake

Published: January 5, 2005, 4:15 PM PST
By Reuters

Scam artists are posing as tsunami victims on the Internet in a bid to divert some of the millions of dollars flowing to relief efforts, security experts warned on Wednesday.

Crudely written appeals for help have begun to appear in e-mail inboxes, asking for donations through a Web site or an offshore bank account, the analysts said.

"It's only a matter of time before...we have fully fledged Web sites that spoof well-known charities, for example," said Paul Wood, chief information security analyst at MessageLabs, an Internet security company.

Aid organizations have collected millions of dollars through the Internet since a tsunami claimed an estimated 150,000 lives from Indonesia to Africa on Dec. 26. Online retailer Amazon.com alone has collected $14.4 million for the American Red Cross through its Web site.

Similar scam attempts surfaced after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

"It's a good opportunity for the criminals out for a quick buck, and it's something that people are going to respond to," said Forrester Research analyst Jonathan Penn.

The fraudulent appeals are patterned after two existing scams: "phishing " attacks that direct people to legitimate-looking Web sites in order to trick them into giving up their credit card numbers, and 419 scams, messages that promise great riches in exchange for a bank account number.

One message provided to Reuters asks for help freeing up a bank account in the Netherlands, a common 419 tactic. Another claims to be from a small village in Indonesia but asks recipients to route donations through a bank account in Malta.

"We have been rendered homeless and have lost all we have in life...We will be very grateful if you can assist us with any amount of money to enable us to start a new lease of life," the message says.

Ken Dunham, malicious code intelligence manager for the Internet security company iDefense, said such scams can be very effective.

"It's a get-rich-quick thing, and it makes perfect sense in light of the disaster. Everybody's heard of it, they all know lots of people have died off, maybe whole families have died off, and monies truly are available," Dunham said.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said it has received no complaints about tsunami relief scams so far. The agency urged donors to contact legitimate aid organizations and disregard phone and e-mail solicitations.

Zachsmom
Moderator

07-13-2000

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 6:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I think you should forward that email to this addy



email:
info@worldvision.ca



Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 6:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Consider it done, zmom. Hopefully they read it. I'm sure they are inundated with emails right now. Thank you for searching for the address, as I was too lazy to.

Sunshyne4u
Member

06-17-2003

Thursday, January 06, 2005 - 4:48 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I find it interesting that it is WORLD VISION since this company has been taking out whole page ads in Newspapers and TV commercials begging for money. It is horrifyingly expensive buying primetime tv slots....This disaster situation is just too tempting of a manipulation tool for legitimate organizations AND unsavory types.

These people dont need toothbrushes they need medicine and water treatment and food. Most of what is being gathered to go overseas is NOT getting past the airport...even Firefighters Without Borders werent being given place on planes since FOOD and MEDICINE is more important than cleanup.

What bothers me the most about this natural disaster is the timing. People KNEW that the earthquake occurred...people KNEW that a tsunami would be formed....NO ONE did anything. Instead there is a feeble excuse of 'not knowing whom to call'. Un exceptable!!

There was over a TWO HOUR delay before the tsunami hit some parts of India and Africa....every one of those deaths were caused by NEGLIGENCE and I'd like to see someone held accountable.

When there are satellites in the sky which can watch you walk around in your yard, GPS units in cellphones which can track your every move, Sensors in the orbit detecting minute changes in many readings.......HOW did this get missed?? Or was it the location that caused people to Shrug and ignore the ramifications?? If this was a 8 rictor California quake you can guarantee that the alerts would have gone out eh???

and the deaths would be very similar as so much of that area is barely sea=level.



Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Thursday, January 06, 2005 - 7:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
And thank you for your support. They need hygiene bags as well as the other stuff. And yes they are getting through, we've got people on the ground there and they are begging for more. Why must people trivialize and denigrate other people for doing what they think is a good deed.

Maris
Member

03-28-2002

Thursday, January 06, 2005 - 8:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
My view is that even if it takes six months for things to get through, it will be appreciated when it gets there. There was an indian doctor on CNN a few days ago saying they had a critical need for hygiene products especially feminine hygiene products.

A friend of mine is a teacher in Indonesia and he told me his students collected money and travelled to villages to hand it out. I think people should do whatever they can. I take my hat off to you Ladytex.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Thursday, January 06, 2005 - 9:39 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
You and the kids done good, Ladytex. Just keep on keeping on.

Schoolmarm
Member

02-18-2001

Thursday, January 06, 2005 - 12:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Um, if you live in poverty in a little village, there would be NO way to have known about this. Many people in this part of the world live without TV, cell or regular phone or even electricity. News travels via word of mouth.

Of course there are very developed areas, where instant notification is possible. But even the workers at the resorts where there is all kinds of technology may not have been able to relay news back to their families.


Seamonkey
Member

09-07-2000

Thursday, January 06, 2005 - 12:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
And just because they felt an earthquake that doesn't mean that there WILL be a tsunami. When I feel an earthquake here, I have NO idea of the epicenter.. it could be an extremely strong quake far inland or a weaker one offshore.

Of course here, if the power stays on and the cable holds up, I can go online and find out quickly from the usgs where it originated. But even in developed areas, people near the actual epicenter may not have access to detailed info (after the large Landers and Big Bear quakes, in Santa Ana, our power was off for hours) (after the Northridge quake, I could watch in real time and know about fires or that they were worried about the dam.. people smack in the middle of it were less informed).

Really, after the fact, the most important short term priority is health concerns (water, food, disease), reuniting families, dealing with the dead and documenting that, and shelter.

It does seem like what is most needed is money, BUT, I'd opine that much money is being sent to scam artists, to one of the many charities where most of the money goes to administration, or to well meaning efforts that may or may not be effective.

For many people, it just works better for them to gather supplies and frankly, if they can be delivered at some point (and are not perishable, like the kits Ladytex and the group are creating) they will be needed and used. People are going to need stuff for a long time to come.

Even big ads (and I'm not vouching for World Vision here) may be donated. Don't assume that publicity for non-profits is always paid for at full price; it is very common to obtain tv, print and other publicity pro bono or for a deep discount.

Marysafan
Member

08-07-2000

Thursday, January 06, 2005 - 1:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
And then you get the situation like 9/11 where companies were divesting their inventories and writing it off as a tax donation to the relief effort. I had a friend who was in the staging area and told me about a crate of high healed shoes that arrived! They had to figure ways to store, catagorized and then eventually dispose of tons of unneeded items.

They don't have the manpower or the facilites to deal with that kind of thing.

Seamonkey
Member

09-07-2000

Thursday, January 06, 2005 - 1:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Yeah it is amazing what people will try to "donate" at times.. bleh

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Thursday, January 06, 2005 - 2:17 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Lady, it is a good deed. Your kids worked hard on those hygene bags and they will be appreciated by the people who need them. I think your kids did good, and I'm proud of them. We don't hear enough about kids doing good, it seems like all we hear is kids doing bad. Plus I think when disasters like this occur,kids are left feeling helpless to do anything and by having put together the hygeine kits and knowing they've gone to an area that desperately needs any contributions and help they can get your kids are learning that even they can contribute.



Seamonkey
Member

09-07-2000

Thursday, January 06, 2005 - 3:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Ladytex, hope you'll be sharing a picture of the kids and the kits.. love to see the proud smiles!!

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Thursday, January 06, 2005 - 3:55 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Sea, let me find some of the pics. They were in my folder in November, but they've been deleted.

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