Comments on: Helping Haiti & The Reasons Why?

By: Dubliner

Dubliner — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:42:11 +0000

Start locally, clean up your own house first ? Total selfishness in my opinion, we are a nation of whingers who have so much and just want more and more. Can you, just for a moment, contemplate any of our cities in ruins after an earthquake and how it would effect you ?
Flooding, roads not iced, burst pipes, cuts in this, taxes on that, we should be grateful for what most of us have in this country, a roof over our heads and food to eat, hospitals to go to if we are ill (albeit badly managed) . Please donate as much as you possibly can afford to help these people, by next week Haiti will be old news but rebuilding the country could take up to 10 years, Do what you can to help .

By: rocket

rocket — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:05:29 +0000

Great Article Eamonn,
What i wouldnt give for a government that represented my views! All in good time I hope. Think global, act local. Ya got’ta start somewhere.
Ta
Rocket

By: Cesca

Cesca — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:59:24 +0000

Well spake Mr Decorator,

Not wishing to detract from the great works being done by aid workers abroad and even the efforts of the odd Scientologist (all going the right direction).

It is of paramount importance to get ones own house in order as well as or before we look too far afield,

Our service systems from health and social to water for gods sake came very close to complete failure with the onset of a 3 week cold snap. Imagine how good old Ireland would be if we suffered a natural disaster such as the Haitians are going through.

We were a third world country in the not too distant past and have become complacent. Enough so to turn a blind eye to our own citizens sidelined by our “affluent” society. Just listen to the radio any day of the week.

I’m not sure too much information is frustrating. It may thicken our skin somewhat but I’m with you on getting it right locally, then nationally and yeah, who knows!

By: Peter Fry

Peter Fry — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:55:07 +0000

Advertising, Billions of Dollars, Euros, Pounds, Yen etc etc are spent daily on the creation and placement of TV ads. They get shown and people switch them off. What if people agreed to view these ads targeted to them knowing the money wasn’t going to a TV station but to a Global charity? Would you watch max 3 ads a day knowing you are giving of your time and your time is money to a Global charity. Now multiply that by millions of people a day doing that. Isn’t that food (pardon the pun) for thought. I’m living with this thing hanging over me for years, I can make this scenario happen with the right people and about €200,000 is all it’ll take. I know where the technology is, I know who can put it together (two great guys based in Illinois- personal friends)—its not patented so thats why we have to live with this, terrible isn’t it?

By: Decorator

Decorator — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:36:05 +0000

“Penny for the black babies”
Back in the day, not much older than a baby myself we heard of a place called Biafra and through the Catholic Church grapevine we gave our pennies to help the warthorn region feed its children. Of course our aid was delivered via the Catholic Church missionaries and a sence of satisfaction in helping the poor unfortunate peoples in far off lands was born. Another indulgence bought, but if you are starving or ill you dont care where the aid comes from wether from Catholic missionaries or flown in by film stars with a scientology leaflet wrapped around your survival biscuit. These days educated/interested people have the worlds media at their finger tips and they can pick any conflict, disaster, despot etc etc and read/learn all about that situation, extract the truth from the propaganda, listen to all the alternative theories, read the histories and form an opinion. Again back in the day the Dunnes workers did exactly that and from further investigation I learned about Nelson Mandela’s plight but these days I think people in general are overdosed with all the global ills so sticking a few bob in a bucket or direct debiting to your well chosen, non religous, NGO seems to absolve the soul and its back to Eastenders or the match. To much knowledge can lead to even more fustration and we all cannot carry the woes of the world on our shoulders.The place to start is locally. Get that right and we can move onto the Nation and then well who Knows!