Here’s an interesting analysis by Ed Driscoll of how charitable giving (in this case Live Aid) can run amuck. Curiously, that was the subject of an Edgar-nominated detective novel back in the eighties. The message is we should all pay attention to where our dollars go, especially after we give them.
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In general (and speaking as someone who worked in non-profit fundraising for nine years), benefit events such as dinners, concerts, etc. are more “friend-raisers” than fundraisers. Even with substantial in-kind gifts, the amount of cash you have to invest in facilities, food, security, insurance, etc. – and especially once you factor in staff time – make such special events close to a break-even proposition.
That’s for normal charity events. For one-offs like Live Aid, it’s far worse.
I hope (but don’t expect) that this story gets play, in that it may educate more people that famines today are primarily a man-made phenomenon. Nobody has to starve – unless it’s in their government’s own interest to starve their own populace. Remember that the next time some jackass NGO rep is on CNN blaming some nation’s food shortages on the U.S., or corporate agribusiness, or GMO foods, etc.
(And if you really want me to go off, let’s discuss GMO food being blocked by the Euros from shipment to Africa.)
I couldn’t help noticing on Mr. Simon’s Amazon page that someone called “T.Tucker” had posted extremely negative reviews of FIVE of Simon’s novels. I thought this was strange, since when I dislike a book I rarely seek out and read four more by the same author.
Meanwhile “Tucker” gave glowing reviews to the anti-Bush books by Kitty Kelly and Richard Clarke.
Is it just me or is “Tucker” beginning to look like a typo?
AlexV ó I dropped by and left a little love note…