Today, there is a 12 hour long Saskatchewan pledge drive on Rawlco Radio for tsunami relief. The number to call is 866-363-4483.. At time of writing, they've already raised over $40,000, which will be matched by federal government tax dollars.
(update- final total for the 12 hours sets a "radio-thon" record for the province - $401,161 $442,000 for the Canadian Red Cross)
That is not the only way to support the afflicted countries - as I argued on the Murray Wood Show a couple of days ago, the criticism of tourists who continue to arrive in the area is misplaced. While relief is necessary to help people immediately affected by the crisis, it's not going to solve their greater problem - long term employment, the devastating hit to the overall economy. The media isn't helping either - the inbred urge to sensationalize paints a picture that may be worse than it is.
This item by way of Instapundit, from a diving/cruise company in the region;
Much to our dismay there are many unsubstantiated news stories about "total destruction" of Phuket's coral reefs. Even our own effort to bring a CBS team to the Similans for a first hand look turned into a nightmare when they broke their promise and turned it into yet another "spectacular disaster" story. Our crew and passengers were quoted out of context and our underwater video footage used incorrectly. Never again!
The page goes on to list areas only slightly or unaffected by tsunami damage.
Those who call this callous fail to see that last thing Phuket needs right now is an economic meltdown caused by tourists staying away as a result of inaccurate news coverage. Thousands of ordinary Thais are employed in the resorts that are now damaged and closed. Mass cancellations would destroy what is left of the island's fragile economy. If you are booked for a Thailand holiday, please do not cancel.
If you're one of those individuals who planned to donate in the four figures, it may be more constructive to book a holiday.
Meanwhile, the UN does what it does best - add new levels of beaurocracy, fly to meetings in 5 star hotels and maneuver for power. Canada's DART team is scheduled to leave CFB Trenton today (courtesy of rented Russian transport planes).
The US and Australians continue to do the heavy lifting. The Canadian media tallies up contributions from the various western countries now trying to outdo each other, while scrupulously avoiding mention of the costs to the respective militaries of those two countries, and the troops and equipment that have been arriving since the early hours of the disaster. Television coverage a couple of nights ago showed glimpses of soldiers in fatigues handing out supplies to surviviors over reports of "international giving". That there was US military insignia on them went unmentioned.
As worthy as the fund raising drives of the Red Cross and other NGO's are here, I'm starting to think that the best place to send donations may be to the United States Department of Defense.
