Pakistan floods

[danny_galaga]

It's pretty bad. I just made a small donation to Red Cross. If you have something to spare, even 5 bucks, why not donate online? Every bit helps (",)

[shateredsoul]

thanks for the heads up

[Malenko]

I misread the title as pakistan foods. I was like "gross" 

donated to red cross in your name "Danny Galaga"

[danny_galaga]

Time to bump this, it's now worse than Haiti and the asian tsunami combined. I'm giving another donation to red cross and one to medicine sans frontier. I urge those that haven't to do the same. If you select a specific appeal at red cross (Pakistan monsoon floods in this case) you can donate any amount online. If you are reading this now, you can send 5 bucks their way. It will take you two minutes.  Every bit helps  

[saint]

I donated a few days ago, bad bad situation.

[danny_galaga]

I donated a few days ago, bad bad situation.

You truly deserve your moniker (",)

An update form red Cross I got:

Hi Dan

Thank you for your generous donation to the people of Pakistan.
Australian Red Cross is responding as part of the international Red Cross movement with specialist aid workers from around the world supporting local efforts in Pakistan.
With your support, Red Cross has already assisted an estimated 350,000 people, providing food and clean water, hygiene kits, medical treatment and shelter kits to communities in flood-affected regions. We have also sent five Australian aid workers, experts in communication, logistics, shelter, water and sanitation. Read more about the floods including information of those affected, and the Red Cross relief effort.
Your support is making a real difference. I look forward to updating you further in the coming weeks about the many ways your donation is helping.
Thank you once again for your generosity in the face of this unimaginable disaster.
Robert Tickner
Chief Executive Officer

the other day the Australian government sent a plane load of doctors and nurses over as well. Seems to me to be a pretty slow reaction, but better late than never

[danny_galaga]

More updates:

comprehensive news story from AFP

Canada government is matching donations dollar for dollar, but is due to finish this month

Angelina Jolie visits Pakistan as good will ambassador


That last one I have to grudgingly admit impressed me, because in general there's something I just don't like about her! She's doing the right thing though, which is important.

[saint]

I donated a few days ago, bad bad situation.

You truly deserve your moniker (",)

Meh, writing a check is easy. saint's are people who go somewhere and actually help out.

[danny_galaga]

I donated a few days ago, bad bad situation.

You truly deserve your moniker (",)

Meh, writing a check is easy. saint's are people who go somewhere and actually help out.

Damn, Angelina Jolie is a saint now?

[danny_galaga]

Even if you have not a skerrick of compassion for these poor people (and I feel sad for you if you don't), consider this news item:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67Q0QA20100827

Donate, if not for them, then for yourself further down the track.

Donate here:

International Red Cross

Or



A click or two, and a minutes worth of your time. I can't find the figures right now, but I remember reading somewhere that it costs something like a buck per person to vaccinate against diphtheria or something like that. Whatever it is, people like the Red Cross get a lot of your donation to where it's needed. It circumvents corrupt officials etc. So don't ever think the $5 or whatever you donate is wasted. That five bucks could be saving the lives of five children (",)

[danny_galaga]

A blog from an Australian field doctor

excerpt:

"Yesterday the international staff midwife, Mimansa, and I were involved in a very difficult delivery - premature twins. The woman came to us so late, and the first twin was delivered within minutes of her arriving. The baby was so, so tiny, but amazingly it was doing pretty well. I was resuscitating the first twin with the premature baby-size oxygen mask, but even that was too big for this baby. This tiny little thing was opening its eyes and clutching my finger while I was giving it oxygen.  The second twin, who in a best-case scenario, would have followed the first very quickly, did not come out. Mimansa examined the woman to find out what was wrong and found, instead of a head, a hand. We were faced with a worst-case scenario, the second twin being in a transverse position, which means it was lying horizontally instead of with its head facing down. Mimansa was amazing.  It felt like an eternity had passed, and she was pulling so hard, and the mother was pushing so hard and trying not to show how much pain she was in.

We were pretty sure the second twin was already dead by this stage, but then she finally got hold of a foot and pulled some more, and then a second foot, and then at last the baby was out. It was so tiny and floppy, and it was purple. We brought it over to the newborn table, and I put a stethoscope on this baby's chest and heard a heartbeat. It was slow, but there. I said, 'Mimansa, there's a heartbeat,' and we started ventilating and the baby became pink, the heartbeat increased, and she started trying to breathe. It was amazing – the resilience of these tiny human beings is incredible. "