& then there's this problem called aid-with-strings-attached... this is just rumours for now but i think it may become apparent soon; some countries are trying to get some contract out of the inflicted countries so that rebuilding effort will include the said donors should they accept the aid... can't they just give whole-heartedly?
... the free publicity isn't enough for some donors, eh? It really is getting to be quite the media circus, with corporations and governments bragging about how much aid they are pledging. I just hope the U.N.'s fears that pledges won't be honoured turns out to be unfounded...
We're also starting to hear about fund-raising scams; people are being warned to deal only with recognized organizations like Red Cross / Red Crescent or MSF, and not to respond to email and telephone solicitations. There always seem to be a few bits of human scum floating around trying to turn someone else's disaster into their own get-rich-quick scheme. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />
Thanks for the updates from over there, janggut.
