THE ASSASSINATION RAG

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AUSTRALIAN NAZI MEDIA MOGUL CALLS FOR OBAMA'S MURDER

RIGHT-WING MOUTHPIECE TAKES ANOTHER STEP IN HILLARY'S DIRECTION

Fuxsnooze Outdoes Itself With Open Call to "Shoot The Nigger"

"and now we have what ... uh...some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama ...uh..um..Obama [after being prompted by the FNC anchor]....well both if we could [laughing]" LIZ TROTTA, FOX NEWS

In all fairness, I felt it was important to investigate this quote, and its' author. A longer version of the video is available on KOS's site.

"FoxNews Jokes About Obama Being Assassinated"

The quote was taken out of context. But she did say it. So, did she mean it? How do we determine that?

Well, Ms. Trotta is a public figure, with a traceable record. She's a veteran journalist, beginning on the streets of Chicago when female reporters were relegated to the "Women's Page" (as in much of TV news today): Kinder, kuche, kirche, fashion, fab folk, fat farms, etc.But she fought her way to NYC, onto the local TV news, thence to the Network, and on to Vietnam, where her reporting won awards, and the respect of arch "anti-Republican" Dan Rather at CBS. So, the girl's not a complete fool.

Yet, here's her take on women in the news biz. Well, women who disagree with her politics, anyway:
"Fox's Liz Trotta wrong: More watched networks' election night coverage than Fox's"

"TROTTA: We have also seen what no grown male has the courage to admit, the feminization of news. I mean, we had our -- pardon me for being so graphic -- a little gynecological segment every night where every bloody women's problem, real or imagined, is trotted out on all three networks. Why? Because that's part of the leftist ideology, be nice to feminists every night. "

She's a professional wordsmith with 50 years in the field. She's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism, where they pick the Pulitzers. She has taught Journalism at Yeshiva University. She headed the NY news bureau at the arch-conservative Moony paper The Washington Times. If nothing else, she should know how to choose her words.

She actually covered the Kennedy assassination. She went on to cover the Vietnam War, about which she wrote:
"BATTLE LINES"

"As a conservative, Trotta was especially adrift, uncomfortable with what she perceived as the growing liberal bias of her colleagues against the war. She is disdainful of journalistic and civilian opponents of the Vietnam War, dismissing them as woolly-headed poseurs, suggesting that the military -- many of whom she befriended and admired -- could have won the war if not for interfering politicians, liberal journalists, and raunchy hippies."

So, she knows how to hew to a Party Line when she hears one. You be the judge. Personally, I think she meant it, and she's hoping to get her own show out of it on Fuxsnooze. Bill O'Reilly with boobs. Bigger boobs. It's Boob Central on the Boob Tube.

OK, maybe she was just being "funny." Not "ha-hah" funny. Shoot somebody funny. "Oh, I AMUSE you? [BANG]" funny. NRA funny. Who sez the Cons got no sensa 'umah? Hanh? Bet she knows some crackerjack Holocaust jokes, too.

Lovely Lizzie's Biography On Fuxsnooze:
"Liz Trotta Bio"
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THE SEVEN PILLARS OF ISLAM

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JUSTICE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE

OUR FRIENDS DESERVE JUSTICE

The Turks Have Always Been Our Friends. Let's Stick With That.

I deplore the oppression of any human being or perceived group, especially when violence is involved. I also deplore the mindless, ignorant Islamophobia expressed by some of the posts & commenters even on the more civilized sites. I'm sure most of you have never been to Turkey, or known any Turks. I doubt you know anything much about them, or Turkish history & culture.

Allow me the presumption of enlightening you. Hollywood and the rest of our corporate media would like you to believe that Islam is one great monolithic enemy, a billion savage fanatics all violently opposed to the American way of life, and ready to end it by violence. Obviously, since it is usually us attacking them, this view might be a little backwards, don't you think?

There are indeed over a billion Muslims in the world, a number which has only recently surpassed the number of Catholics in the world. There are also almost another one billion Protestants, so Islam is barely half the size of Christianity. There are more Buddhists, Shintoists, Taoists & Confucians worldwide, and almost as many Hindu's as there are Muslims. But Islam is hardly monolithic.

There is no one central authority in Islam: No Pope, no Archbishop of Canterbury. There once was a Caliphate, and a Sultan, in Turkey, but that ended almost a hundred years ago. Today there are thousands of Islamic organisations, purely religious or mostly secular, hundreds of thousands of individual mosques, and any number of sects and offshoots, from Druze to Sufi's, Sikh's to Baha'i. The majority of Muslims now live outside of the Middle East, in Asia (800+ million), in Africa (400+ million), Europe (50+ million), North & South America (12+ million), in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Russia, America. In the Mid-East itself, Muslims are split between Sunni, orthodox followers of a direct line of succession from the prophet Mohammad; and Shi'a, followers of an alternate line of succession. There are doctrinal differences, but the real differences tend to come down to political struggles between one group and another, in what is often referred to in the US media as "tribal warfare." Not so different from the struggles among the people of the former Yugoslavia or Northern Ireland; having very little to do with the actual practise of religion.

Islam itself is doctrinally descended from Judaism and Christianity: True Moslems revere the Hebrew Prophets and Books of the Bible, and respect Jesus Christ as a great man and prophet, if not actually God. They believe that Muhammed was the last and the greatest of the prophets in this line, the man who brought the Word to the former unbelievers of the Near East and beyond.

Truly devout believers in Judaism and Christianity would find little to disagree with, and much to embrace in the basic tenets of Mohametanism. The Seven Pillars of Islam are quite simple and straightforward:

1. Love and devotion for God, an entirely inward sign of faith.
And these outward signs of faith:
2. Purity and cleanliness.
3. Prayer.
4. Tithing.
5. Fasting.
6. Pilgrimage.
7. Struggle for Justice.

Most Muslims are like most people everywhere. They tend to be more observant in the breach than in the actual doing of what is required by their faith. Like most people everywhere, they go about their daily lives simply trying to survive, and to do no harm. There are fanatics in every country, some even running their countries, as in the United States today. But 99% of all people everywhere simply do not fall into this category. That includes most Muslims.

The Turkish people, in particular, have an historical reputation for tolerance. If anything, they have always been regarded as among the least fanatical, the least religious, the most secular of Muslims. When they were running the Muslim world, other religions were protected. Jews and Christians were entrusted with the financial and security concerns of the Sultan. Everyone in the Ottoman Empire (1299-1923), stretching from Austria to Somalia, Morocco to Turkmenistan, Italy to Afghanistan, at one time or another, was free to worship as he pleased, for the most part, so long as he obeyed the law and payed his taxes.

The Ottoman Turks made the fatal error of siding with the Germans, who had built their railroads, in WWI. For this sin, their Empire was broken up by the post-war League of Nations. By League Mandate, Britain got Iraq and Palestine Trans-Jordan (Israel & Jordan today); and access to the oil in those countries now known as Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. The US, though not a member of the League (thanks to the corrupt Republicans' xenophobia), somehow came to dominate much of the oil fields, perhaps by superior oil-finding & drilling technology, and control of distribution. The French got screwed: They got Lebanon and Syria, to their enduring regret: No oil at all.

Faced with this defeat and the theft of most of their territories, the Turks had themselves a revolution. Pro-Western nationalist Kemal Ataturk established a secular republic supported by a strong military, which remains their bulwark against Islamist factions. Alone among Mid-East nations, Turkey has remained committed to democraticization and Westernization, outright outlawing any attempt at a religious coup. Until Bush.

Professed Christian crusader George "W." Bush has helped to push even Turkey into the Islamist camp. Since Dubya's coup in Florida, a completely new opposition to American and European influences and policies in the Mid-East has arisen in Ankara, and taken over the government by full, free and fair elections in Turkey (no hanging chads, no paperless voting, no Supreme Court interference). The largest land Army in NATO, historical bulwark against the ancient Russian enemy's southern flank, is now under Islamist command. Of course, they're rather busy with the new Kurdish nation that Dubya has unwittingly (?) created on THEIR southern flank, in Iraq.

Not to worry: The right-wing Turkish military still stands as a bulwark against any too-Islamist or anti-Western action. Most Turks do want to be a part of NATO, and a part of Europe, which they are, territorially; as well as ethnically, in Germany, Austria and other "gastwerker" economies, going back to the 1950s. But then there's this anti-Muslim backlash in Europe: Not so different from their previous campaigns against Jews, Gypsies, and other ethnic and religious minorities; and fueled by the same evil spirit. The Turkish people are very much aware of this. They don't like it, especially after a century of turning West, and over sixty years of doing the West's bidding in Eastern Europe and the Orient, near and far; and around the world (including Korea, the Congo, Lebanon, Haiti, Yugoslavia, Sudan, Liberia & Afghanistan) with the UN.

The Turks are not Arabs. They are not Persians. They are not Uigurs or Moghuls, Kossacks or Mongols, Moors or Tatars. They are Turks, a modern nation in southeastern Europe and northwestern Asia. They are teetering on a knife's tip of radical Islamism never before seen there, right-wing miltary dictatorship too often seen there, and liberal Western values once favored by much of the population. If idiot redneck American and European policies drive them away, the cornerstone of a new Middle East, and a Janissary against radical Islamisim may be destroyed, and lost forever. So, before you judge our least-appreciated friends in the world, take a look at yourself, at how bloody ignorant and prejudiced you are, and think of a future without these friends. Better to have as many friends as possible, or, at least, as Turkic poet Nazim Hicmet said, "To be alone, like single tree, in the brotherhood of the forest."

By the way, I am neither Turkish nor Muslim. I am an American Irish Catholic. So I know all about religious strife. Take my weary word for it: Don't go there.
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200,000 DEAD IN MYANMAR

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CYCLONE NARGIS DISASTER RELIEF TRICKLES IN

WEEK THREE, ANOTHER STORM COMING, MILLIONS HOMELESS

Hell On Earth: Chronic Malnutrition, Disease, Dead Bodies Everywhere, Government Corruption, Diplomatic Mismanagement, Relief Stymied

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IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM YOUR BLOGGERS:

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IRRAWADDY: 150,000 MAY DIE: CAN CHINA HELP?

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MYANMAR JUNTA DELAYS CYCLONE RELIEF EFFORT

WEST THREATENS, CAJOLES, BRIBES, BARGES IN

Only One Country Has Influence With Burma Generals

Today a few hundred aid workers with the Myanmar Red Cross and the UN World Food Programme are working in the disaster areas of Burma. But a massive effort needs to be mounted to clear & repair hundreds of roads, bridges, airstrips, waterways, and get help where it is needed. Literally millions of people are homeless, hungry, dehydrated, sick and dying, a full week after the 120mph hurricane & 12-foot tidal surge swept across much of Burma. It will take thousands of experts in all fields of disaster relief years to begin to put Burma back together again. But the work has been stalled by the brutal, corrupt, incompetent government of Myanmar.

Why?

The Junta fear all the talk of regime change, and seek to profit from the relief effort: They are letting goods and money in, but few aid workers or foreign military. After years of isolating them, no one seems to have any influence with the Burmese military government. Except China. So I wrote them. You can too. Use my letter, or write your own. Chinese government & media websites and email addresses are listed below.

You can also send money online to agencies & NGOs in Burma now:
MYANMAR CYCLONE RELIEF

ONLY CHINA CAN SAVE BURMA

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT

An Appeal To The Great Chinese People

It is in times of crisis that a nation, a people, a government, a leader has an opportunity to show potential for greatness. In the long, proud history of the Chinese people, there have been many such opportunities, and China has many times over proven itself to be among the greatest nations in history.

More recently, such opportunities have been fewer. The opportunities which did present themselves were not always well handled. World opinion, which, in this Olympic year, had been turning toward China with increasing respect, is now pausing to consider a new opportunity, a new crisis.

The terrible natural disaster in Myanmar last Saturday presents the Chinese people with an opportunity to exercise their true greatness, and take their place as first among nations. By the simple act of persuading the Myanmar government to allow aid workers and relief supplies from around the world to be quickly, efficiently, and professionally brought where they are needed, most desperately, China could begin its' tenure as the world's next superpower.

What the United States, France, India and other great nations have been unable to accomplish could be done now by the Chinese. If it is not done, an opportunity will have been missed, and thousands will die needlessly. The world will not forget, and China will be seen for many many years as a nation that has failed to live up to its' promise of greatness.

Let China step up and take charge of the relief efforts. Under their aegis, the Myanmar government can feel secure, and the Burmese people can be saved. Let China bring in and supervise all foreign aid workers, and protect the Junta from any attempt at regime change. Whatever the future may bring, basic human decency demands that aid be delivered properly, right now. The world knows now that it is up to China, and China alone, to do this.

ALL WEBSITES LISTED BELOW ARE IN ENGLISH
All Email Addresses Are From Those English Websites

XINHUA: China News Agcy:
english@xinhuanet.com
Chinese Embassy, Canada:
chinaemb_ca@mfa.gov.cn
Chinese Embassy, Australia:
chinaemb_au@mfa.gov.cn
Editor, Beijing Review:
byao@cipg.org.cn
Chinese government website:
english@mail.gov.cn
Peoples Daily Newspaper:
info@peopledaily.com.cn
english@peopledaily.com.cn
Chinese Consulate, Chicago:
chinaconsul_chi_us@mfa.gov.cn
Chinese Consulate, Thailand:
CGPRCCM@LOXINFO.CO.TH
Shanghai Daily Newspaper:
editor@shanghaidaily.com

Chinese Media Website:
http://www.china.org.cn/

China Daily Newspaper BBS:
http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/forumdisplay.php?gid=2&fid=9
http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/viewthread.php?gid=2&tid=603176&extra=page%3D1

Chinese Television News Feedback:
http://www.cctv.com/english/about/index.shtml

Chinese Embassies Contact Info:
http://www.china.org.cn/embassies/node_1197333.htm

Chinese News Radio Comments:
http://encom.chinabroadcast.cn/netvote/viewmessage.aspx?id=61

http://english.cri.cn/

Chinese Consulates Contact Info:
http://www.visarite.com/chnConsulate.htm?gclid=CMeFtOTKnpMCFQuYggodxwvdoA

Beijing Review, Forum:
http://www.bjreview.com.cn/forum/node_10089.htm

Shanghai Daily Newspaper Online, Contacts:
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/contact.asp

Chinese Government Website:
http://english.gov.cn/

Chinese English Newspapers:
http://www.world-newspapers.com/china.html

Hong Kong South China Morning Post:
http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/
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CYLONE NARGIS DESTRUCTION IN PHOTOS

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MYANMAR HIT HARD BY 200k WINDS, 4-METER STORM SURGE

100,000 BURMESE KILLED, MILLIONS HUNGRY, SICK, HOMELESS

International Community Dithers While Junta Stalls Relief






























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MYANMAR CYCLONE DAY THREE: RELIEF AGCYS

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A JUMBLE OF INFORMATION:

MYANMAR HURRICANE RELIEF AGENCIES & NGOs

Currently Under Vetting Process: Help If You Can

Burma death toll 'likely to hit 80,000'
An aid official in Burma says the death toll from Cyclone Nargis may be 80,000 or more.
Kyi Minn is health adviser for World Vision in Burma and he says that on top of the 22,000 the military regime has admitted have died, there are another 60,000 missing - presumed dead.


Myanmar lifts fuel import ban after storm-diplomat
BANGKOK, May 7 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government has lifted a ban on private companies importing fuel to try to ease a chronic energy shortage in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, a Yangon-based diplomat said on Wednesday.


Aid groups confront numerous challenges
BANGKOK: International aid agencies began distributing food in the Burmese commercial capital of Yangon on Tuesday, amid uncertainty that assistance would reach people stranded without shelter in the remote reaches of the country's vast Irrawaddy Delta.
The delta was only sparsely inhabited until the 1900s, but by the early 20th century it had been transformed into what became known as "the rice bowl of Asia." Rice grown in the delta fed large swaths of the British empire, and colonial Burma was for several decades the world's leading exporter of rice.
The clearing of mangrove swamps and the destruction of dense primary jungle removed natural barriers and may have left populations more vulnerable.
"Obviously nobody thought of the environmental consequences of all this," said Michael Adas, a professor of history at Rutgers University and the author of "The Burma Delta," a book about the region's transformation into a rice-growing center.
Among the most vulnerable people in Myanmar are those who have moved onto the islands and peninsulas jutting out into the Andaman Sea. "They build their lives around water," said Aung Din, a Burmese dissident living in the United States who has family in the delta. "Now water is flooding them."
Turnell estimated the total population of the delta at 15 million to 20 million people. But given the crumbling infrastructure and the large number of isolated villages, he said, the full extent of the damage may never emerge.
"We'll never know how many died," he said. "This a country that hasn't had a full census since 1937."


CHARITY NAVIGATOR: 10 Most Frequently Reviewed Charities
Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,300 of America's largest charities.
Rank Charity Page Views
1 Save the Children 11608
2 American Red Cross 10847
3 CARE 8459
4 American Cancer Society 6576
5 World Vision 5165
6 Feed the Children 4091
7 Doctors Without Borders, USA 4045
8 Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust 3738
9 Samaritan's Purse 3713
10 PATH 3585
In Myanmar (also known as Burma) a devastating cyclone has left more than 22,000 people dead, with an additional 41,000 missing. In addition, the storm has left upwards of one million people homeless in what is the worst natural disaster since the Asian tsunami in December 2004. The U.S.-based charities World Vision, CARE, MAP International, Save the Children, Church World Service, ActionAid International USA, International Rescue Committee, International Medical Corps, ADRA, Direct Relief International, and Rescue Task Force are all participating in the relief effort. Each of these organizations receives a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. If you would like to assist in the aid effort you can click on each charities name above to view their Charity Navigator ratings report and then click on the “Donate Now” button to make a contribution through Network For Good. Continue to check Charity Navigator for up-to-date information on which charities are involved in the relief effort and how you can help. Also, consult our “Tips for Giving in Times of Crisis” for more information about maximizing the impact of your donation.


Each of these organizations receives a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.
Help the Victims of the Deadly Cyclone in Myanmar
In Myanmar (also known as Burma) a devastating cyclone has left more than 22,000 people dead, with an additional 41,000 missing. In addition, the storm has left upwards of one million people homeless in what is the worst natural disaster since the Asian tsunami in December 2004. The U.S.-based charities World Vision, CARE, MAP International, Save the Children, Church World Service, ActionAid International USA, International Rescue Committee, International Medical Corps, ADRA, Direct Relief International, and Rescue Task Force are all participating in the relief effort. Each of these organizations receives a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. If you would like to assist in the aid effort you can click on each charities name above to view their Charity Navigator ratings report and then click on the “Donate Now” button to make a contribution through Network For Good. Continue to check Charity Navigator for up-to-date information on which charities are involved in the relief effort and how you can help. Also, consult our “Tips for Giving in Times of Crisis” for more information about maximizing the impact of your donation.

ActionAid International USA
Cyclone Nargis: Emergency in Myanmar
ActionAid is currently working in the worst affected area of Irrawaddy, where we are identifying the key needs of the affected population along with our local partner KDN.

Adventist Development and Relief Agency
Myanmar is caught in crisis. ADRA is responding.
ADRA is onsite assessing critical needs and implementing an immediate response. Once the current urgent needs of shelter, clean drinking water, and basic food are met, the long-term effects of the storm on family livelihoods will also need to be addressed.

AmeriCares
Responding to Myanmar Disaster
AmeriCares has assembled life-saving medical and other humanitarian supplies at our Stamford, CT and Amsterdam warehouses to be shipped immediately to our partners on the ground in Myanmar. AmeriCares staff are also en route to the region.
AmeriCares is an international relief organization whose passion to help is matched by an ability to deliver. Whether it's an epic disaster or a daily struggle, AmeriCares goes to extraordinary lengths to ensure that medicines, medical supplies and aid reaches individuals in need wherever they are, whenever they need it. In a quarter of a century, we have delivered more than $7 billion of aid to 137 countries. AmeriCares is an I.R.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
Uncompromising security procedures assure that the assistance is distributed to the designated beneficiaries and not diverted-for example, all-inclusive tracking of medicine by lot number and thorough follow-ups.

CARE
CARE to Respond to Myanmar Cyclone Disaster
Cyclone Nargis caused serious damage to CARE’s offices in Yangon, although none of CARE’s staff in the office were hurt. However, CARE has resources in Myanmar, and is ready to help provide emergency food aid, along with emergency shelter materials and household equipment.
About CARE: CARE has been working in Myanmar for more than 14 years, with nearly 500 staff engaged in projects in 120 townships. Much of CARE’s work has focused on food security, health, HIV/AIDS prevention and water and sanitation projects.
CARE is one of the world's largest private international humanitarian organizations, committed to helping families in poor communities improve their lives and achieve lasting victories over poverty. Founded in 1945 to provide relief to survivors of World War II, CARE quickly became a trusted vehicle for the compassion and generosity of millions.

CARITAS
Caritas Internationalis is coordinating the operations of its 162 members in seeking to respond to the humanitarian disaster.
Caritas works before, during and after an emergency, supporting people to rebuild their own lives.
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organisations working to build a better world, especially for the poor and oppressed, in over 200 countries and territories.
Caritas works without regard to creed, race, gender, or ethnicity, and is one of the world’s largest humanitarian networks.

Church World Service
CWS appeal: Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone Nargis response
RESPONSE: Immediate relief operations are underway with a comprehensive assessment on-going. The CWS Asia Regional Office is in direct contact with the Myanmar Council of Churches and in coming days this initial appeal will be expanded to reflect needed support for longer-term recovery efforts of the Myanmar Council of Churches and its members.
Founded in 1946, Church World Service is a cooperative ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations, providing sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance in some 80 countries.

Direct Relief
Direct Relief to Support Medical Team Headed for Myanmar
In response to Cyclone Nargis, which has killed an estimated 22,500 people and displaced approximately 1 million more, Direct Relief has committed financial assistance to support Australian Aid International’s emergency medical team. AAI, a long-time trusted partner, is dispatching an experienced five-person medical team to Myanmar this week. The team consists of physicians, paramedics, and a logisitician.


Doctors Without Borders/ Medecins Sans Frontieres
MSF Response to Aid Myanmar Cyclone Victims
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams have so far been able to assess all areas in the townships of Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, and are in the process of trying to assess areas outside of Yangon that we suspect may have been harder hit. For humanitarian actors it is essential to have unrestricted and immediate access to all affected populations and regions in order to assess needs and react accordingly.
MSF also has four long running clinics in other townships of Yangon, focusing on maternal and child healthcare, sexually transmitted diseases (ST
Is) and HIV/AIDS, and has made all of these clinics available for anyone with health needs related to the cyclone.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters, or exclusion from health care in nearly 60 countries.

IRC
International Rescue Committee Sending Emergency Team to Myanmar
05 May 2008 - The International Rescue Committee is dispatching an emergency team to Myanmar to rapidly assess needs and lay the groundwork for urgent assistance for people made homeless by the weekend's devastating cyclone.
The IRC team will begin to assemble in Yangon Tuesday.
"The communities hit by the cyclone and the government face enormous challenges in responding to a disaster of this scale," says Greg Beck, the IRC's Asia regional director, speaking from Chiang Mai, Thailand. "With our years of emergency experience, we're hopeful that we can help bring critical assistance to the people of Myanmar."
The IRC has been working in the region for 27 years, providing health care, water, sanitation, education and other assistance for tens of thousands of Myanmar refugees living along the border in Thailand.
American Branch Formed to Aid Work Headed by Einstein.
IRC HISTORY
Monday, July 24, 1933
NEW GERMAN RELIEF UNIT
At the request of the International Relief Association, headed by Albert Einstein, an American committee has been formed to assist Germans suffering from the policies of the Hitler regime.

IMC
International Medical Corps Mobilizes for Victims of Myanmar Cyclone
Los Angeles, Calif. – International Medical Corps (IMC) is mobilizing resources to respond with emergency relief to the survivors of Cyclone Nargis that hit Myanmar on Saturday, May 2nd. The government has raised its death toll, estimating that 22,500 were killed in the storm and over 40,000 are still missing. That figure would make this cyclone the worst natural disaster in Asia since the 2004 tsunami. The U.N. World Food Program estimates that up to one million people could have lost their homes. With thousands more lacking vital resources, like clean water and food, IMC is identifying the most immediate needs of the cyclone victims and how best to get the emergency supplies to them.
Since its inception nearly 25 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance. For more information visit our website at www.imcworldwide.org.

MAP
MAP International will provide medical aid to devastated Myanmar
MAP is working with partner organizations on the ground in Myanmar as well as with other international agencies in order to assess the situation and respond. MAP is coordinating its effort with other members of the Global Relief Alliance, the same consortium MAP is working with in both Darfur and Chad.
Among the many human needs, we are called to focus on a ministry of Total Health. We define Total Health as the capacity of individuals, families and communities to work together to transform the conditions that promote, in a sustainable way, their physical, emotional, social, economical, environmental and spiritual well being.

Mercy Corps
Myanmar Cyclone Leaves Up to 1 Million Homeless
Mercy Corps is currently working through an international partner to assist rural families in Burma, and has a robust presence throughout South Asia. The agency operates economic-development programs in neighboring India and nearby Nepal, and last November helped raise money for colleague agencies to deliver humanitarian aid when a cyclone displaced millions in Bangladesh.
Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.
Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.5 billion in assistance to people in 106 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America and Europe, the agency's unified global programs employ 3,500 staff worldwide and reach nearly 16.4 million people in more than 35 countries.

OXFAM
Oxfam commits up to $500,000 for Myanmar cyclone
Oxfam currently does not run operational programs in Myanmar, and so its aid effort will be channeled through partner organizations with a mixture of cash funding, technical expertise and equipment where required.
Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 organizations working together with over 3,000 partners in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice.

Red Cross & Red Crescent
Response to the Myanmar Cyclone
Immediately following the storm, the Myanmar Red Cross began assessing the damage as well as caring for survivors’ needs by distributing family kits, containing clothing, blankets, cookware and hygiene supplies, and drinking water to the schools and pagodas serving as emergency shelters. The International Federation has deployed its regional disaster management coordinator to Myanmar from Bangkok to coordinate the International Red Cross response.
Overall Rating
(69.40)
Organizational Efficiency
Program Expenses 94.0%
Administrative Expenses 3.3%
Fundraising Expenses 2.5%
Fundraising Efficiency $0.04
Efficiency Rating
(39.40)
Organizational Capacity
Primary Revenue Growth 25.2%
Program Expenses Growth 19.0%
Working Capital Ratio (years) 0.45
Capacity Rating
(30.00)

Relief Web
Myanmar: Tropical Cyclone Nargis - May 2008
Updates on Myanmar, Thailand affected by the Myanmar: Tropical Cyclone Nargis - May 2008 emergency. GLIDE No. TC-2008-000057-MMR

Rescue Task Force
May 5,2008
Responding to Burma Crises
Rescue Task Force’s Director of Programs, Benyapa Becks, departs tomorrow for Myanmar (Burma) on behalf of Rescue Task Force and Carlsbad based World Emergency Relief in a joint effort reminiscent of their work for regional Tsunami victims in January 2005

Save the Children
Save the Children Provides Assistance to Thousands Left Homeless by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar
Authorities have declared five regions with an estimated total population of 24 million to be in a state of emergency, including Yangon (Rangoon) Division, Pegu Division, Mon State, Karen State and the Irrawaddy Division. This delta is considered to be the country's rice basket and already, the cost of food has doubled in many markets.
Save the Children currently operates programs in all five of the affected regions and has worked in Myanmar since 1995. As one of the largest nongovernmental organizations at work in Myanmar, the agency implements programs focused on early childhood care and development, child survival and child protection.
Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. It is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, comprising 28 national Save the Children organizations working in more than 110 countries to ensure the well-being of children.
In March 2008, the independent evaluator released its "10 of the Best Charities Everyone’s Heard Of" list for 2008. Save the Children has ranked on this list for the past three years.

United Nations Children's Emergency Fund
UNICEF sends first pre-stocked relief supplies as Cyclone Nargis toll climbs
UNICEF staff members on the ground report widespread devastation and a dire need for water, food and shelter. UNICEF has provided Laputta township, one of the most severely hit, with essential drugs, first-aid kits and oral rehydration tablets to treat diarrhoeal dehydration. The supplies were airlifted via government helicopter.

UN World Food Programme
Bangkok, 6 May 2008 - The World Food Programme has begun distributing food in cyclone-damaged areas of Yangon as it ramped up efforts to respond to the looming humanitarian needs in the southern coastal regions of Myanmar hardest hit by the powerful Cyclone Nargis three days ago.
WFP: How To Help

UN World Health Organization
WHO, partners provide relief in Myanmar
6 May 2008 -- The WHO Country Office in Myanmar is working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF and other partners to provide emergency help to people affected by Cyclone Nargis. Critical needs at the moment include water purification tablets, drinking water, essential medicines and emergency health kits. The cyclone has left more than 21 000 people dead and about 2 million homeless.
Latest situation in Myanmar

World Vision
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.
In 2007, 86 percent of World Vision’s total revenue was used to directly benefit the poor. For more information, visit the World Vision website at www.worldvision.org.
World Vision is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and a member of the Better Business Bureau.
"It will be a big problem but we cannot wait for the international aid to come. We have to rely also on the local communities," he said.
"So what we are also doing is we also mobilise the local communities there and nearby villages and there's a very high spirit of voluntarism, so they are also helping each other.
"They bring in food and water supply to the affected area wherever they could - so we are working together with the local communities there."
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BURMESE HURRICANE DEATH TOLL HITS 10,000

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CYCLONE NARGIS DEVASTATES MYANMAR

U.S. DOES NOTHING

You Can Help Now: Donate Online & Contact Your Representatives In Congress

Bush will do little or nothing until it is too late. Why don't YOU do something now? Disaster-relief donations online, linked below.

VIDEO:
Cyclone Devastates Myanmar


"Myanmar believes cyclone killed at least 10,000: diplomat"

"By Aung Hla Tun

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's military junta believes at least 10,000 people died in a cyclone that ripped through the Irrawaddy delta, triggering a massive international aid response for the pariah southeast Asian nation.

'The basic message was that they believe the provisional death toll was about 10,000 with 3,000 missing,' a Yangon-based diplomat told Reuters in Bangkok, summarizing a briefing from Foreign Minister Nyan Win. 'It's a very serious toll.'

The scale of the disaster from Saturday's devastating cyclone drew a rare acceptance of outside help from the diplomatically isolated generals, who spurned such approaches in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The secretive military, which has ruled the former Burma for 46 years, has moved even further into the shadows in the last six months due to the widespread outrage at its bloody crackdown on protests led by Buddhist monks in September.

The official toll on state media stands at 3,394 dead and 2,879 missing, although those figures only cover two of the five declared disaster zones, where U.N. officials say hundreds of thousands are without shelter or drinking water.

The casualty count has been rising quickly as authorities reach hard-hit islands and villages in the Irrawaddy delta, the former 'rice bowl of Asia' which bore the brunt of Cyclone Nargis's 190 km (120 miles) per hour winds."

"States, aid agencies offer to help storm-hit Myanmar"

"WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN SCOTT STANZEL

'We are concerned about the reports coming out of Burma and mourn the loss of life. The U.S. embassy is in touch with Burmese authorities. The ambassador there has released some assistance funds under her authority and that money will go through the World Food Program and other aid entities. It doesn't necessarily go directly to the government. But we're in the process of assessing what more we can do.' "

Meanwhile, U.S. President George W. Bush excoriates Asians for eating too much, driving up the price of ethanol.

FUEL FOR THOUGHT: 'LET THEM EAT ETHANOL,' DUBYA


DISASTER RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS
donate online:

"RED CROSS RED CRESCENT"

"WORLD VISION"

"CARITAS INTERNATIONALIS"

"Relief Web"

"CARE INTERNATIONAL"

"OXFAM UK & IRELAND"

"UNICEF"

"OXFAM CANADA"

"MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES"

"SAVE THE CHILDREN"

"MERCY CORPS"


POLITICAL ACTION:

EMAIL YOUR PRESIDENT

FIND & EMAIL YOUR SENATORS & CONGRESSMAN/WOMAN




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SUPPORT OUR TROOPS: BRING THEM ALL HOME ALIVE, NOW!

FUEL FOR THOUGHT: 'LET THEM EAT ETHANOL,' DUBYA

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DUBYA: "PROBLEM IS, THEY'RE NOT STARVIN' IN INDIA"

ADMISSION AGAINST INTERESTS: INDIA SAYS, "YEAH, WE ARE"

U.S. "Family Values" Party Leader Tries To Blame Food Shortages On Hungry Asian Families

Another sterling example of your tax dollars at work: U.S. President George "Dubya" Bush has gone out of his way to infuriate and insult two billion people in China and India, in your name. It's not the voracious appetite for fuel, including biofuel, or the rapid globalization and corporatization of agriculture that is causing shortages, skyrocketing prices and food riots around the world. It's those pesky hungry people out there. Thank Gawd we all had Mr. Bush to represent our interests on this.

Here at home, the Republicans have kept wages down for forty years, while prices continue to rise. Many people cannot afford to live in the towns where they grew up, and some working people cannot even afford to feed their families on Republican wages. But we can lecture India. Gawd bless America!


Cowboys & Indians:
The Hindu, India's National Newspaper - Sunday, 4 MAY 2008

'NEW DELHI: Right across the political spectrum, parties were one in criticising the remarks attributed to U.S. President George W. Bush who suggested that prosperity in India had led to demand for more food and hence the rise in global food prices and shortages.'

'Mr. Javadekar said perhaps Mr. Bush had his eye on his domestic constituents in an election year and a time when the U.S. economy had slowed down. While BJP leader M.A. Naqvi said the remarks were “unwarranted” since the majority of Indians needed more nutrition not less, V.K. Malhotra described them as “laughable.”'
"Parties criticise Bush’s remarks"

Meanwhile, Back in the States . . .
KRNV NBC News Reno Nevada Thursday 1 MAY 2008

"From weather to world markets, gas prices are having an impact on everything you pay for. Since last March, pasta, beans and bread are up 12-17%. Milk is up nearly 20% and flour and eggs, up nearly 30%."

"More and more Northern Nevadans are asking for help. Ordinary Americans are heading to food pantries in large numbers and shelves are going bare."

"'There's a lot of us that come here and sometimes it's not enough for everybody,' Jessica Pina said.

Pina is a single mother who works full time. However, her minimum wage job doesn't offer her enough money to make ends meet.

'When I don't have anything,' Pina said. 'I come here on Mondays, they have milk sometimes and other things that help me.'"
"Supplies dwindle at area food banks"

It's the planet, man.
ReliefWeb Thursday 1 MAY 2008

"Approximately 1 billion people—or one sixth of the world’s population—subsist on less than $1 per day. Of this population, 162 million survive on less than $0.50 per day. At the household level, increasing food prices have the greatest effect on poor and food-insecure populations, who spend 50 or 60 percent or more of their income on food, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Overall, increased food prices particularly affect developing countries, and the poorest people within those countries, where populations spend a larger proportional share of income on basic food commodities."
"Global food insecurity and price increase: Situation report #1, FY 2008"

Koyanasqaatsi, anyone?
Toledo Blade Toledo, Ohio Friday 2 May 2008

"Something is seriously out of whack when one of America's major ongoing health problems is obesity while for much of the rest of the world it's malnutrition."
"The farm bill: Unseen costs"

Corn as high as an elephant's eye!
NewsBlaze.com Folsom, California Friday 2 MAY 2008

"During the same press briefing, Fratto rejected the notion that so-called ecological fuel played an important part in the current world food crisis. However, one factor being blamed for the price hikes is the use of government subsidies to promote the use of corn for ethanol production. An estimated 30% of America's corn crop now goes to fuel, not food. 'It takes around 400 pounds of corn to make 25 gallons of ethanol.'"
"Is Corn Ethanol Production to Blame for Food Crisis in America?"

Let the hoarding begin!
TradingMarkets.com Friday 2 MAY 2008

"Food price inflation, at its highest rate in the United States since 1990, presents an easy investment opportunity that almost can't go wrong

Only the weak whine and buckle during inflationary times. Smart consumers see inflation as opportunity, just as sage investors view a turbulent stock market as a time to sell high and buy back low. To the wise consumer, tomorrow's $15 peanut butter is today's $7 investment opportunity, to be stored on a pantry shelf."
"EDITORIAL: Stock up at today's price to use later"

PS
"BURMESE HURRICANE DEATH TOLL HITS 10,000"
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TO POST A COMMENT: CLICK ON "COMMENTS," "Post a Comment" or "# of COMMENTS" just below the SOCIAL BOOKMARKING LINKS (Digg, Delicious, etc), about three inches down from here. Please do comment. Thank you.

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SUPPORT OUR TROOPS: BRING THEM ALL HOME ALIVE, NOW!