To be honest, the issue for me is my lack of faith that even what does reach the needy will be of any lasting effect. Watch "Beyond Boarders" and think about what happened to each and every group they were trying to help, after that help was lost. The key is: Sustainability. What good is a Band-Aid today when there is no way to grow food in the foreseeable future? It seems to me that many aid efforts lack what any good emergency room has: Triage. Lets put our efforts into places where just a little help has a long reaching, multiplying effect. http://www.heifer.org is my preferred charity. One little chicken or pregnant cow can end up as a flock or herd in a few years and not only feed a few, today, but reproduce and feed the village down the road. Combined with education, it makes all the difference. Note that Heifer does NOT work in the middle east, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Cambodia, Afghanistan or any of the other insane parts of the earth where people are just killing each other year after year after year for no apparent reason. These places are like the guy who didn't wear a helmet and has his brains bashed in during a motorcycle accident; yes, he may still be alive right now, but should the emergency room try to save him or the guy who fell while trying to install a PV system on his house and has a broken rib and internal bleeding? We can only do so much... Let it be for those who are not mad. And let the mad ones pass from the earth on their own. --- James. -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist