Neoliberalism is about abandoning people. As Marie Antoinette allegedly put it, "Let them eat cake". What's happening with disaster relief is an example. Rather than governments or the UN taking the lead in such relief, it is shunted off to volunteer organizations. Such organizations don't have the planes, helicopters, and other heavy equipment that are needed to do an effective job in such endeavors. rkm -------------------------------------------------------- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4329012.stm Aid agencies make earthquake plea Aid agencies have set out what people in Scotland can do to help those affected by the South Asia earthquake. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) in Scotland held a media conference in Glasgow to outline the nature of the crisis. It launched an emergency phone line on 0870 6060900 for donations. Meanwhile, the organisers of the Asian Earthquake Appeal in Glasgow said they expected Tuesday to be their busiest day. More than £50,000 was donated to the Glasgow the Caring City charity, which is working with a number of Pakistani causes to buy supplies for the affected areas, without any advertising. It predicted that the number of calls to its hotline would soar after the number was released on Monday. TELEPHONE NUMBERS Glasgow the Caring City 0800 6126612 Islamic Relief 0141 423 3929 Sciaf 0800 0279005 Foreign Office information line 0207 008 1500 People can also make donations to its appeal in banks, quoting Royal Bank of Scotland account number 00716965, or by sending cheques to the Glasgow the Caring City Asian Earthquake Appeal at 119 Carmunnock Road, Glasgow, G44 5UW. Islamic Relief, one of the charities to benefit, said it had been overwhelmed by generous donations from people of all communities living in Glasgow. Its Scotland area manager, Habib Malik, and River City actress Lorraine Mcintosh were among those attending the DEC media conference on Tuesday. Mr Malik said: "Half of the Asian community living in Scotland are from these areas that have been affected. 'Scottish generosity' "I am getting calls all the time from people in Scotland who are looking for their loved ones. "I have seen the Scottish generosity and it is recognised throughout Europe. "Pakistan, India and Kashmir and Britain all have a history together and we are a family." Ms Mcintosh said she had been watching the pictures on television and felt as though she wanted to turn away from the screen. But she added: "You cannot afford to turn away. The best we can do is give money. "We can all give something, we have to support each other, especially in Scotland, especially in Glasgow, which has links with that part of the world." Peter Chirnside, chair of the DEC in Scotland, said there was no target figure for the appeal but the group had plans for all money pledged, which would go directly to where it was most needed. Scottish aid agency Sciaf has pledged £100,000 to help communities hit by the disaster, which is thought to have killed at least 20,000 people. Teams from the International Rescue Corps at Grangemouth and Grampian Fire and Rescue are among those providing assistance in the quake zone. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/scotland/4329012.stm Published: 2005/10/11 12:18:17 GMT © BBC MMV -- http://cyberjournal.org "Apocalypse Now and the Brave New World" http://www.cyberjournal.org/cj/rkm/Apocalypse_and_NWO.html List archives: http://cyberjournal.org/cj/show_archives/?lists=newslog Subscribe to low-traffic list: •••@••.•••
