Living in this world..

a couple of days ago the power went off for about 10 hours in here. thankfully i was on my laptop so i didn't lose anything <thanks to whoever invented batteries :) > anyways that just got me back to think about this world... what have i done to help? almost nothing! that's the answer. i keep thinking about the people in other countries. we have electricity, water, money..etc while in the same time there's million of people suffering and suffering... anyways i have to ask you all what to do to help?? because i can't stop thinking about this & i can't think of anything that will make a change but hope one of you got a good idea...

p.s: if you think this is crazy then don't tell me please,ok?

I give £120 per year to Oxfam (charity dealing with third world poverty). I know it's not enough to change the world but how many other students give away that much? They generally spend that money on beer.

Well, I am at Uni, and I work loads of hours as well.

If I could give cash to Oxfam-well, I wouldnt.

I'd rather give it to the care of homeless/underpriveledged in my own country..or my favourite is the dogs home.

Did I mention I have a dog? hehe.

Anyway collegegirl, what would you like to do?

Remember the biggest power you have is that of the VOTE...Vote for some1 committed to wiping out third world debt or increasing aid etc....

Problem is you will find other things tough to accomplish...except perhaps getting a job in local Oxfam shop etc......

Another good thing to do would be to be a TOP student and figure out how to make it rain when we would like!

Hmmm - clarify a few things here...I TOO am appalled at the starvation/suffering in the third world, especially when you think of all the food wasted in the west...European food mountains etc...but its hard to help

No, you are not crazy, just considerate and I guess thoughtful


But you can't let it take over your life-you are not responsible

if you don't like the world fight to change it.

>Hmmm - clarify a few things here...I TOO am appalled at the starvation/suffering in the third world, especially when you think of all the food wasted in the west...European food mountains etc...but its hard to help<

In some areas tons more food is produced then what people can eat, yet in others tons less food is produced then what the people need. The sad thing is it is nearly imposble to get the extra food from one area, to an area that needs it.

If you live in Europe / US then the biggest prolem for the third world is your countries HUGE farming subsidies.

These keep the comodity prices artificially low. All the third world needs is an approx increase of 5% in the value of their exports to raise the standard of living above the povety level.

In the US a farmer is paid 60% of their income from subsidies, in Europe it is closer to 40% (but there are greater restrictions on what you can farm).

Stop these and the world will tend towards a more equitable level.

The western world specially, the western governments can help solve some of the major disputes (palestine, kashmir) in the third world... This would help a whole lot and provide a major boost for development..

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p.s: if you think this is crazy then don't tell me please,ok?

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not crazy at all, maybe just a little obtuse: a rolling blackout for your worries' source is a lot like apologizing to the pedestrian you just ran over.

giving money is a good place to start. just understand that on average 30% of the money is used to cover overhead expenses. most reputable charities will give their expense breakdown. large, worldwide causes (UNICEF, AI) tend to have the largest admin costs. (for the gunt in the ditches though, there's no overhead if you give time). i like to write letters myself, but that's my forte. (i just read a decent book if you interested j. shultz's "the democracy owners' manual"; it's written to the soccer moms in the suv's, but it had interesting "pr-bait" tactics and stuff).

but kindness and decency will always be worthwhile goals that visibly improve our world--lest we resort to namecalling ;)