Author: Alexia Gilmore

Mercy Corps is a reputable aid agency that has swiftly begun providing assistance to Tsunami-damaged areas in Asia, and accepts online donations (I just donated and they acknowledged immediately and it was painless). Here is some info on what they are doing now, from Care2.com:

Mercy Corps’ emergency team is on the ground, assessing damage and beginning a lifesaving response. They’ve started rushing shelter materials and other essential items to children and families who survived the earthquake. In the critical days ahead, Mercy Corps staff will work with local governments and other organizations to ensure that the greatest needs are being met.

Mercy Corps has the experience and expertise to effectively and efficiently respond to this disaster. They have operated in many areas of Southeast Asia for many years. They were the first U.S. agency to respond to the devastating earthquake in Bam, Iran last December. This year, they served over 6 million people in 35 countries.

Today, Mercy Corps need your generous, timely donations to help the thousands of survivors who will need shelter, food and medicine. Please give what you can now.

In a segue: looking at a map of the affected countries in Asia, and the numbers of casualties each country suffered, it was apparent that Myanmar (Burma) has been, somehow, miraculously spared — 90 People Killed in Burma – or at least this is all the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the country’s ruling military junta is admitting to. What a pity that speaking what must be the truth is seen as weakness and will result in the people in that country not getting aid they so clearly could use.

I’ve got to admit it — RAWA has always had the most respect from me as a group of women who, at the risk of their own lives, did what they could to bring education and medicine to the children and women of Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban. Now, since the demise of the Taliban (more or less), they have focused efforts on opening and maintaining a hospital for women and kids and this effort is now imperiled through lack of funding. If you want to do a truly good deed this holiday season, consider making a donation to them; any amount would be greatly appreciated.

Here is their email discussing the need to scale down their so-vital efforts in the future:

Dear supporters of Afghan women and children,

A few weeks ago we made a direct appeal to you to help us keep Malalai Hospital open. You responded generously and helped us raise over $6000! This money will save many lives and we are truly grateful. But, it is still only a fraction of what we were raising a year ago. Can you help us make a goal of $10,000 before the end of the year? http://www.afghanwomensmission.org/help_us/

After our first appeal, we got a letter from RAWA on December 18th which said, “We have decided to scale down the hospital next year due to lack of funds. This is really a very hard and painful decision because the hospital is needed as much as it was needed few years ago.”

$10,000 is only half of what is needed each month to keep the hospital functioning to its capacity. If we can raise at least that this December, we have some hope of keeping the hospital running at a scaled down level. We only need $4000 more.

If you can spare $50 this month, you can help provide a monthly visit to Malalai Hospital for 5 women and their children! http://www.afghanwomensmission.org/help_us/

Please remember RAWA and Malalai Hospital, when you’re writing those year-end checks to charities. Make a donation in the name of someone you love this holiday season – it will be the most meaningful gift you can give.

RAWA does great things to empower Afghan women: these brave women run schools, administer hospitals, house children in orphanages, hold peaceful demonstrations, and raise awareness throughout the world.

http://www.afghanwomensmission.org/help_us/

The holiday season reminds us that it’s the time to reach out, the time to remember those in need, the time to give back. And we can help you too: your donation is deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Afghan women will be better off for your help. Please visit the website of Afghan Women’s Mission to find out the latest ways your donation is working for Afghan women.

Many thanks,
Sonali Kolhatkar
Co-Director, Afghan Women’s Mission

P.S. You can also mail us your checks directly to: 2460 North Lake Avenue, PMB 207, Altadena, CA 91001, USA. Make checks out to IHC/AWM.

"Heroes are essential to the improvement of society" – and the 20^thCentury had such a hero in Andrei Sakharov, famed Soviet physicist and much, much more – fighter for human rights and democracy in the midst of that lethally minded and cold-souled tyrant, the former Soviet Union. December 14^th was the 15^th anniversary of his death. I suppose the need to wish that the 21^st Century give rise to more heroes like Sakharaov speaks grimly about the underlying world situation, but for the sake of us all, I heartily hope others of equally strong intellect, courage, and moral conviction will be there when needed. Here and here are more about Sakharov.

Once again Ron Paul is totally on the mark re the lurid, uncivil possibilities posed by the potential imposition of a US ID card – and called to mind the battle already going on in Japan over Juki Net, launched in 2003, and causing a ruckus there (e.g, Japanese Government Bans Security Researcher’s Speech.) God knowswhat we in the US would do if an ID card were implemented, lots of chaos, civil actions, law suits, breakdown of much we currently hold dear – privacy, freedom, liberty of our persons!

War photographers have added much immediate, undeniable information to our understanding of the way wars are promulgated. Carl Mydans was one such dedicated soul. He died Monday. His are some of the most famous WWII photos, including McArthur in ’45, and many, many other historic photos, which largely appeared in the pages of Life magazine.

Virtually all long-time Libertarians in the Bay Area knew Mike — I knew him for, good lord, almost 20 years, starting with working on the Russell Means’ libertarian presidential campaign, of all things. What I loved about Mike was how endlessly enthusiastic he was: “If people really understood, they’d certainly be for freedom.” “If people thought a little harder, they’d be more self-empowered.” “If people were a little more educated, they’d throw off the shackles of group think.” And he pretty much worked contstantly in support of these beliefs, even to the extent of writing a book on how to take charge of your own welfare in the emergency room when his health became more problematic. And I’ll greatly miss his humor and sense of other people: I had to laugh when I just reread the email he sent me on Justin’s birthday this past fall, reminding me of that fact: “I think Justin turns 52 today, (like me, Justin is finally playing with a full deck:-)). Justin shares his Birthday with Mickey Mouse who turned 75 today….” We’ll miss you, Mayakis! Who else do we have to help us keep things in perspective?