Heh heh... had my share of pro bono and fundraising accounts, too. <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>No if only I coulda had a little Cher bono... <br><br>

Hmmmm... you would know, eh? That's a bit like me saying I believe everything you post, I would know, I can read.<br><br>(:->P)<br><br><br>Anyway, it's something of a dead-end argument. One hears this kind of justification too often - the system must be rigged, the execs at the top make off with most of the dough, it's a scam, it's fixed and it relies on suckers born every minute, etc. - to rationalize not making a charitable donation at all. What an exercise in cynicism. It's fine to suspect new and/or unheard-of charity organizations, but most of them are on the up and up... they need your faith in them, not your cheap skepticism.<br><br>max<br><br>Fresh Diversions

But you're looking at a single layer. 92 cents of every dollar given to the PMC makes it through the PMC into the DFCI. How much of that goes to "real" research and is not part of OC? I would be afraid to tell you. But the researcher down in the trench doesn't see 92 cents.<br><br>Next time, give it directly to me. <br><br><br><br><br>

Yeah... if only the kids saw the whole .92. <br>But at least it's better than only .52 making it to the front door. I may do the So. Fla MS 150 this April, and they only pass on .30-something on the dollar.<br><br>

Maybe I shouldn't have said "I know"...<br><br>There are great charities out there. Such as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. The ones I am not too happy about are the ones you see on TV "Sponsor a child" or "sponsor an animal", lol, yeh, sponsor an animal. I know someone I work with who is sponsoring a tiger. Those sponsor charities are the ones I believe most rigged. Then again, even 10% is better than nothing.<br><br>But my way of charity is when I go to any country where I see "kids of the streets", I buy them food, and give them some $$.<br><br>_________________________________________<br>Just a different kinda geek...

Just my frustration of watching a new dime from every dollar going to this monstrosity of a software package the Institute replaced the JDEdwards system with this past year. Something called PeopleSoft which may eventually suck the soul (and all the dough) out of this place by inefficiency. Talk about OC!<br><br><br><br>

I just checked out Give.org, which gives reports on charities. Found it in Google. <br><br>For instance, with the American Red Cross, 82% of donations go directly to programs. Other charities have even less overhead, with AmeriCares dedicating 98% to programs, with 1% going to fundraising and 1% to administrative expenses. <br><br>Lots of info out there to be had before people part with their hard-earned cash.

I want to apologise to you all whom may have been offended by this .. but today we had a service for my friend and a great friend of my whole family whose body has still not yet been found. Probably will never be found.<br><br><br><br>and go on .. assume whatever you want.<br>just don't dare try and blame me for your your assumptions.<br>but where will we be when the future comes?

Apology accepted, and returned (at least on my part). And my condolences as well. I went through it in NYC on Sept. 11, '01. Lost a few friends, too. Grief can twist you inside out. Multiply that by uncertainty and the powerlessness to undo the event, and it gets worse. But honestly, as amazing as the web is, it's sometimes impossible to accurately convey what you feel. Things can easily be taken literally, and misinterpreted, an then blown out of proportion.<br><br>I guess you were in the wrong place at the wrong time — through no fault of your own. A sentiment misrepresented. A small brush fire ignited. Emotional polarization in a gasoline can. More flames. Allies and detractors alike over-reacting, and boom! Major conflagration.<br><br>Anyway, I hope you've gained at least some closure. Although I know that hurt and the anger will always be there under the surface. Life, as they say, goes on. Just not the same way for everyone.<br><br>Peace.<br><br>

Sorry for your loss TB. Apologies noted and accepted, though I wasn't offended. I hope that you and your family + friends can celebrate the lost one's life sometime.<br><br>