1. SPS Accounts:
    Do you find yourself coming back time after time? Do you appreciate the ongoing hard work to keep this community focused and successful in its mission? Please consider supporting us by upgrading to an SPS Account. Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting a good cause, you'll also get a significant number of ever-expanding perks and benefits on the site and the forums. Click here to find out more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
You are currently viewing Boards o' Magick as a guest, but you can register an account here. Registration is fast, easy and free. Once registered you will have access to search the forums, create and respond to threads, PM other members, upload screenshots and access many other features unavailable to guests.

BoM cultivates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We have been aiming for quality over quantity with our forums from their inception, and believe that this distinction is truly tangible and valued by our members. We'd love to have you join us today!

(If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you've forgotten your username or password, click here.)

Rome Thanksgiving Party: Minimum Calories You Require

Discussion in 'Alley of Dangerous Angles' started by chevalier, Nov 27, 2004.

  1. chevalier

    chevalier Knight of Everfull Chalice ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2002
    Messages:
    16,815
    Media:
    11
    Likes Received:
    58
    Gender:
    Male
    Here's a piece of news about the Thanksgiving party thrown in Rome by the US ambassador, Tony Hall:

    Copied off Telegraph, here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/11/26/wrome26.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/11/26/ixportal.html

    I must say, I'm pretty appreciative of this initiative. Sounds harsh and probably it had to take a superpower representative to pull that one off, but the officials gathered at the party will surely remember the lesson. Question is, for how long?
     
  2. Jesper898 Gems: 21/31
    Latest gem: Pearl


    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2001
    Messages:
    1,356
    Likes Received:
    0
    Woah, that was a pretty good idea he got.
     
  3. Rednik Gems: 21/31
    Latest gem: Pearl


    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2004
    Messages:
    1,340
    Likes Received:
    0
    The answer is, not very.
     
  4. Arabwel

    Arabwel Screaming towards Apotheosis Veteran

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2001
    Messages:
    7,965
    Media:
    2
    Likes Received:
    16
    Gender:
    Female
    Question: How long till he gets fired?
     
  5. Arahar

    Arahar Hmm, it's a dwarf. Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2002
    Messages:
    681
    Likes Received:
    5
    Hah, he probably won't get fired. All he'll get is a memo saying don't do it again. But I think that he got his point across.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 15, 2012
  6. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2003
    Messages:
    8,252
    Media:
    82
    Likes Received:
    238
    Gender:
    Male
    That was quite a profound deed. Who is this Tony Hall guy?
     
  7. chevalier

    chevalier Knight of Everfull Chalice ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2002
    Messages:
    16,815
    Media:
    11
    Likes Received:
    58
    Gender:
    Male
    Former Democrat congressman.
     
  8. Gavin de Valge Gems: 3/31
    Latest gem: Lynx Eye


    Joined:
    May 28, 2003
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    0
    At my old church's youth group, we did this activity...twice. The first time, I was a person in a second world country; that was probably four years ago. The second time, about two years ago, I was in a third world country. It was very enlightening. However, the sad things was that, after a month or two, it left most of the group's minds.

    Some people may not have trusted it, though, considering one of the leaders was a self-identified Canadian socialist. Americans tend to have difficulty with both Canadians and socialists (although I am not sure that most Americans can identify the policies of socialism...), so this makes some degree of sense.
     
  9. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2003
    Messages:
    8,252
    Media:
    82
    Likes Received:
    238
    Gender:
    Male
    Thanks, Chev. And thanks for posting this story, which otherwise would have gone under the radar screen here. A quick search of both CNN and MSNBC turned up no results. But I found this on Fox (of all places). But it is a year old story.

    http://www.peacecorpsonline.org/messages/messages/2629/2017579.html

    [ November 28, 2004, 04:32: Message edited by: Chandos the Red ]
     
  10. Gnarfflinger

    Gnarfflinger Wiseguy in Training

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Messages:
    5,423
    Likes Received:
    30
    There are problems with trying to help the people in third world countries.

    First is the Corruption on our end. I heard somewhere that there's a guy in that program that sponsors starving kids that gets 2 cents a day out of that money to each child. Couldn't those administrative costs be better used to help the people we donate to help?

    The second is corruption on the other end. Are the governments or local warlords taking a cut off the top for themselves while the people still starve. Money won't solve the problems, perhaps military force is required or international law to be looked at more closely...

    [ November 29, 2004, 05:42: Message edited by: Gnarfflinger ]
     
  11. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2003
    Messages:
    8,252
    Media:
    82
    Likes Received:
    238
    Gender:
    Male
    Yeah, yeah, yeah, - spare the cynicism. I guess that's another good reason to "send the fleet" everytime something happens that some don't agree with. It's become the solution of choice: If we can't help feed them, let's just blow them up. :rolleyes:
     
  12. AMaster Gems: 26/31
    Latest gem: Diamond


    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2000
    Messages:
    2,495
    Media:
    1
    Likes Received:
    50
    Makes sense to me--either way, their problems are solved!

    ...why are you looking at me like that? Stop it!
     
  13. NonSequitur Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    May 27, 2004
    Messages:
    1,152
    Likes Received:
    0
    Nice idea. You don't really appreciate how much help some people could benefit from until you've lost everything, even if it's just for a few hours. If you have a roof over your head and food in your belly, you're doing better than most.

    @ Chandos: I wouldn't dismiss Gnarfflinger's comments automatically - corruption and misdirection of aid monies are a serious issue in assisting developing nations, although I don't think the use of force should ever be the first and primary option for "assistance".
     
  14. Gnarfflinger

    Gnarfflinger Wiseguy in Training

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Messages:
    5,423
    Likes Received:
    30
    What I mean is that we need to make sure that if we are going to help these people, then we need to make sure that they get the aid, and not some rich fat cat or a local bully. I'd get pissed off if i went to give a kid $100 for clothes only to have a friend scoop $50 off the top as "his cut" and have the kid get beaten up for the other $50...
     
  15. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2003
    Messages:
    8,252
    Media:
    82
    Likes Received:
    238
    Gender:
    Male
    The problems of corruption and local bully-boys are well-known and documented. That does not mean that we should stop making an attempt to help in places like the Sudan. And that is not my main complaint. This started out as a very postitive thread about Tony Hall and his attempt to call attention to world hunger. Most everyone already knows about the problems associated with the attempts of trying to get aid to those who are in need of it. But we don't hear very much about the positive attempts to help.

    But, I did think that sending the military is a poor solution. Look at what happened in Somalia -what did they call it? Operation Hope, or something? And I don't think that the local warlords have much respect for international law either.
     
  16. Gnarfflinger

    Gnarfflinger Wiseguy in Training

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Messages:
    5,423
    Likes Received:
    30
    Then these warlords need to be ousted and replaced with those who can do something about it. Send in peacekeepers and make sure that the local warlords know that any actions against the aid workers or peacekeepers will be a declaration of war...
     
  17. chevalier

    chevalier Knight of Everfull Chalice ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2002
    Messages:
    16,815
    Media:
    11
    Likes Received:
    58
    Gender:
    Male
    Speaking of bullies, aid funds and "his cut", sometimes when you take a closer look on a charity, you will notice more management benefits than you like. That's the part they don't tell you: how much the organisation's cut is.
     
  18. Carcaroth

    Carcaroth I call on the priests, saints and dancin' girls ★ SPS Account Holder

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2004
    Messages:
    1,655
    Likes Received:
    5
    Yes, there were some frightening figures about fifteen years ago for the British "Help the Aged" (I think) where only about 10% of donations actually made it to the elderly. I understand it's got a lot better now though.
     
  19. Gnarfflinger

    Gnarfflinger Wiseguy in Training

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Messages:
    5,423
    Likes Received:
    30
    And that's where the Law needs to step in. Some of that money would be needed to maintain the organization, but if it gets too much, then isn't that fraud?
     
  20. Aldeth the Foppish Idiot

    Aldeth the Foppish Idiot Armed with My Mallet O' Thinking Veteran

    Joined:
    May 15, 2003
    Messages:
    12,434
    Media:
    46
    Likes Received:
    250
    Gender:
    Male
    The organization almost always has to pay its workers a fair salary, or at the very least (as in the case with the Peace Corps) provide for living arrangements and food. All of these things cost money, and it is rare for any organization to not spend at least 10% of its donation on its work force. Now, 90% as Carcaroth says is extreme, but you never see a situation where 100% of donations go towards aid.
     
Sorcerer's Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you!

Sorcerers.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.