Here’s a picture chart from Seth Godin representing the number of deaths per watt attributed to different sources of power: Data here, and in case you need me to spell it out for you: many, many more people die on a per watt basis from oil and coal than nuclear energy. (And this is only [...]
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Why is the knee-jerk response to tragedy to ask: What can I do? Why do we see the victims of something entirely out of anyone’s control and say: Where can I give? Tragedy is a looming reminder of our mortality, a derisive snort to the belief in our own free will, a billboard message that [...]
Tags:Japan
There has been much wonderful discussion in the blogosphere addressing the issue of how to give in response to the crisis in Japan, led by Saundra as she continues to round up the latest news on whether Japan is even accepting help from other governments or NGOs. Then there’s these headlines: Japan Doesn’t Need Your [...]
The earthquake/tsunami/nuclear explosion/economic meltdown in Japan is horrifying. And it’s sparking a wave of giving around the world. Saundra Schimmelpfennig rightly points out that giving in response to a tragedy is fraught with potential pitfalls, from donors over-restricting funds to lack of coordination to poor workmanship to whether the country even wants your stuff at all. [...]
Today”s the third day of Lent. This time last year, I’d have set aside 30 bones for some philanthropic purpose. The third day of 40, the beginning of this blog, the beginning of a public commitment to giving. If I were a better blogger, I’d have done a whole thing around Lent again this year. [...]
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On Deep Social Impact’s blog, Cynthia Gibson tells of a conference where professional grantmakers and funders were asked to talk about their own personal giving. Their response? ”Dead silence.” Finally, a few people spoke up and described their personal giving as such: Most of the organizations to which the panelists [i.e. grantmakers] said they wrote personal [...]
Next time, don’t put the onus on the recipient. Take charge as a giver. Just start helping.
Tags:Cook's Illustrated
