The Good American in Haiti

[Hardy]

Is there a back-away-slowly emoticon?

[Denn Forever]

Just listening to the news about Bill Gates giving 10 Billion yes 10 BILLION over the next 10 years to improve Vaccination rates (Malawi was mentioned but I don't know if its only Africa).

Now thats what money is for and good on you Bill.

[magickingdom]

well done bill gates, provides fantastic products at fantastic prices and then donates large chunks of the profits. individual americans donate more money than any other race on earth. the other thing about living in the states is the amount of voluntary work that gets done, i never knew anyone who volunteered for anything in ireland (maybe that says more about me!).

[Zapatista]

well done bill gates, provides fantastic products at fantastic prices and then donates large chunks of the profits. individual americans donate more money than any other race on earth. the other thing about living in the states is the amount of voluntary work that gets done, i never knew anyone who volunteered for anything in ireland (maybe that says more about me!).

The GAA

[give her dixie]

Magickingdom, keep on digging holes for yourself with your silly uninformed opinions. To suggest that no one in Ireland volunteers for anything is just as stupid as your support for the US killing machine in anything it does.

Fair play to Bill Gates for his generous donation, however, Bill is not known for donating to poor countries without a massive return for himself or Microsoft. Below is an example of his donation to India 8 years ago. Microsoft definetly benefitted from this donation all right.......

http://www.globalissues.org/article/35/us-and-foreign-aid-assistance#Privatedonationsandphilanthropy

As another example, Bill Gates announced in November 2002 a massive donation of $100 million to India over ten years to fight AIDS there. It was big news and very welcome by many. Yet, at the same time he made that donation, he was making another larger donation—over $400 million, over three years—to increase support for Microsoft's software development suite of applications and its platform, in competition with Linux and other rivals. Thomas Green, in a somewhat cynical article, questions who really benefits, saying "And being a monster MS [Microsoft] shareholder himself, a 'Big Win' in India will enrich him [Bill Gates] personally, perhaps well in excess of the $100 million he's donating to the AIDS problem. Makes you wonder who the real beneficiary of charity is here." (Emphasis is original.)

India has potentially one tenth of the world's software developers, so capturing the market there of software development platforms is seen as crucial. This is just one amongst many examples of what appears extremely welcome philanthropy and charity also having other motives. It might be seen as horrible to criticize such charity, especially on a crucial issue such as AIDS, but that is not the issue. The concern is that while it is welcome that this charity is being provided, at a systemmic level, such charity is unsustainable and shows ulteria motives. Would Bill Gates have donated that much had there not been additional interests for the company that he had founded?

In addition, as award-winning investigative reporter and author Greg Palast also notes, the World Trade Organization's Trade-Related Intellectural Property Rights (TRIPS), "the rule which helps Gates rule, also bars African governments from buying AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis medicine at cheap market prices." He also adds that it is killing more people than the philanthropy saving. What Palast is hinting towards is the unequal rules of trade and economics that are part of the world system, that has contributed to countries such as most in Africa being unable to address the scourge of AIDS and other problems, even when they want to. See for example, the sections on free trade, poverty and corporations on this web site for more.

The LA Times has also found that the Gates Foundation has been investing in questionable companies that are often involved in environmental pollution, even child labor, and more.

In addition to private contributions, when it comes to government aid, these concerns can multiply as it may affect the economic and political direction of an entire nation if such government aid is also tied into political objectives that benefit the donor.

[magickingdom]

well done bill gates, provides fantastic products at fantastic prices and then donates large chunks of the profits. individual americans donate more money than any other race on earth. the other thing about living in the states is the amount of voluntary work that gets done, i never knew anyone who volunteered for anything in ireland (maybe that says more about me!).

The GAA

absolutely zap and there are plenty organisations in ireland who rely on volunteers and get them. i'm not saying there is no volunteering done in ireland but there seems to be a culture of it in the states. i worked with about 15 other accountants in the states and every weekend  2 or 3 of them were doing some voluntary work. .

[magickingdom]

Magickingdom, keep on digging holes for yourself with your silly uninformed opinions. To suggest that no one in Ireland volunteers for anything is just as stupid as your support for the US killing machine in anything it does.

touchy touchy, why are you so intolerant of other peoples views? are you even reading my posts? i never said any of the above but you have a problem with facts throughout your posts 

[Denn Forever]

There are many areas in you community that you can volunteer.

I am involved is a play and the local hall commitee opens up and take money at the door.  Local people help build the set, do stage management, prompting and of course people who act in the play.  The people who are in charge of the local Foroige are organising the raffle.

We will be playing about 10 -12 times in the locality for charities in our area and for charities in the area that the play is on.

So there are lots of avenues for charity/volunteer work in your area so get out their and get involved.

[give her dixie]

Uncomfortable?  Not at all, I'm extremely proud of our hero's that are in Haiti distributing aid and pulling survivors from rubble, aren't you?

Hey I never had a problem with that, if you look back I said I would give Obama a chance.

Would ye ever make up your mind, you want to give Obama a chance but yet have nothing but disparaging comments
for the US military whom he heads up *shakes head in bewilderment at how for such a sharp fella, you wouldn't get the
irony in that*

Obama hasn't started any wars unlike his predecessor and his cronies. The US military is still involved in those wars and are fair game for criticism of their fcuk ups IMHO.

Also, you are assuming my position is the same as everyone else's that criticizes the US military. It isn't as simple as that. I referred here in the past to the book 'Fiasco' which explains that there are some superb people in the US military who predicted the route the war would take as far back as 2002 and strongly advised different strategies. However the NeoCons civilians over-ruled them and we unnecessarily have the 7 years (and still counting) war.

Criticising some of the actions of the military doesn't automatically mean that they are all wrong all of the time.

this is way of topic but since you mentioned it. the US military went half way around the world into a hostile country of 30m people (to put it mildly) and so far has suffered about 4,000 causalities. in cold mathematical terms from a US perspective its hardly a fiasco whatever some in the military think. its a war that was only ever going to have one winner

Of course, 4,000 US soldiers or their families don't matter do they? Not to mention the >100,000 Iraqis dead, countless maimed & abused.

But hey, as long as Bush/Cheney won eh?

Magickingdoms identity has been rumbled. His name is Anthony from Texas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92oza2iia7E&feature=related

[give her dixie]

first of all as someone born in the bronx and whose dad served in the US army for years i have very little time for US policy on israel, the israelies should be told to fock off and live or die with the palestinians. thats their problem and one just about every american i know has little or no interest in.

that however will be the only time i criticise america, everthing else the US does around the world is done for the greater good, sometimes it works sometimes not but the motivation is always for the greater good. if one country has to be a world policeman then thank God its the US, when the brits were a world power they plundered the place, if the Chinese got half a chance they'd do the same. . guys like dixie see nothing wrong in china, cuba, venezuela and other left wing piss pots and nothing right in the US

Magickingdom/Anthony I read this, and you make it very clear that you support the US killing machine.
correct me if i'm wrong?

[magickingdom]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92oza2iia7E&feature=related

you see dixie thats your problem, your listening to too much of that shit. .

[Zapatista]

absolutely zap and there are plenty organisations in ireland who rely on volunteers and get them. i'm not saying there is no volunteering done in ireland but there seems to be a culture of it in the states. i worked with about 15 other accountants in the states and every weekend  2 or 3 of them were doing some voluntary work. .

Could be. There is a lot of it done here which I think is often unappreciated. Much of the voluntary work in Ireland is done through religious organisation such as SVP and Trocaire. I think this is often overlooked due to the religious aspect. I can say that in my family of 6, 3 regularly do volunteer work from the GAA to the AA. The other 3 often tie in.

I don't know but I think the americans have a system involving 'extra curricular' work from an early age. This could be a factor.

[magickingdom]

first of all as someone born in the bronx and whose dad served in the US army for years i have very little time for US policy on israel, the israelies should be told to fock off and live or die with the palestinians. thats their problem and one just about every american i know has little or no interest in.

that however will be the only time i criticise america, everthing else the US does around the world is done for the greater good, sometimes it works sometimes not but the motivation is always for the greater good. if one country has to be a world policeman then thank God its the US, when the brits were a world power they plundered the place, if the Chinese got half a chance they'd do the same. . guys like dixie see nothing wrong in china, cuba, venezuela and other left wing piss pots and nothing right in the US

Magickingdom/Anthony I read this, and you make it very clear that you support the US killing machine.
correct me if i'm wrong?

let me see, i said

1) dont support US policy on Israel
2) i believe the US wants to promote the greater good.
3) sometimes the US gets it wrong despite having good intensions
4) i'd rather the US be world policeman over the british or chinese
5) guys like dixie see no good in the US

you get any of that when you read my post? no, and you just proved point 5. despite what was printed in front of you you read "Magickingdom/Anthony I read this, and you make it very clear that you support the US killing machine"

i give up

[magickingdom]

There are many areas in you community that you can volunteer.

I am involved is a play and the local hall commitee opens up and take money at the door.  Local people help build the set, do stage management, prompting and of course people who act in the play.  The people who are in charge of the local Foroige are organising the raffle.

We will be playing about 10 -12 times in the locality for charities in our area and for charities in the area that the play is on.

So there are lots of avenues for charity/volunteer work in your area so get out their and get involved.

absolutely zap and there are plenty organisations in ireland who rely on volunteers and get them. i'm not saying there is no volunteering done in ireland but there seems to be a culture of it in the states. i worked with about 15 other accountants in the states and every weekend  2 or 3 of them were doing some voluntary work. .

Could be. There is a lot of it done here which I think is often unappreciated. Much of the voluntary work in Ireland is done through religious organisation such as SVP and Trocaire. I think this is often overlooked due to the religious aspect. I can say that in my family of 6, 3 regularly do volunteer work from the GAA to the AA. The other 3 often tie in.

I don't know but I think the americans have a system involving 'extra curricular' work from an early age. This could be a factor.

there good points dean/zap, my dad spent a lot of his life volunteering with the gaa. what struck me in the states was the number of younger people volunteering, maybe thats catching on here now and i just dont see it. trocaire and svp do great work

[give her dixie]

however will be the only time i criticise america, everthing else the US does around the world is done for the greater good

This line says it all Magickingdom. Oh, and has it slipped your mind that you support the illegal war in Iraq among other places?