More on Charities, Plus a Little Satire

If you didn't notice the glaring link at the top of the page, and missed the diatribe Sunday morning, I've posted a list of charities I and others have found to be sound, for those of you who decide to be a little extra-charitable because of the season. Salvation Army in particular could use some extra help this Christmas since the evil that is Target has banned them from its stores.

Murdoc, of Murdoc Online fame, has been kind enough to vouch his support for the entire list! He also recommended the Spirit of America Challenge, of which he is a participant. It is setup as sort of a pseudo-contest, so feel free to make donations under the name of his blog.

Behind the scenes, I have been emailing bloggers whose sites I occasionally traffic asking that they either support one or two charities from this list or endorse another charity they personally believe to be worthwile. Murdoc has posted the email I sent him, so those of you interested in joining me in the harassment of other poor unsuspecting bloggers can use it as a template, if you like.

Murdoc was having a bit of a difficulty getting the formatting to work and ended up just linking to my post here, but for those of you can get it all worked out alright without too much trouble, please do not link to my site--I really oughtn't get linkage out of what is supposed to be a selfless undertaking.

So keep your blasted web traffic to yourself!

If you have any other charities you would like to recommend, please post them in the comments section and I will add them to the list. Remember, even if you are financially unable to donate yourself, you can still encourage others!

Now, on to something entirely more interesting. . . .

I unfortunately lost my 'funny' for today because the evil that is Mambo digested my whole entry when it disovered that I was trying to post without being logged in. So I'm posting an article I wrote a little while ago for a newspaper at my old high school:

Homelessness on the rise in the humanities hall

This election year, candidates have been hitting hard on domestic policy, foreign policy, and any other kinds of policies.

No candidate, however, has addressed the issue most important to Eldorado's English students, and that is the drastic rise of homelessness in the humanities hall.

Studies show that homelessness has risen over 280% since we last made up a statistic about homelessness. With the cold New Mexico winter looming, many are asking if the new homeless will be adequately prepared to deal with the freezing linoleum. Do they need sweaters? Blankets? Coats? The key to the thermometer box?

No doubt, it will be tough making it through January. Hobos generally do not have enough money to afford winter clothes?they make only slightly more money than teachers. However, students are taking action.

Ashley We-better-not-say-your-last-name-so-we-don't-get-sued-for-libel said she has been saving up gum to help Eldorado's homeless community make it through the winter.

"Every time I have a stick of gum, well, I don't suck all of the flavor out of it. I only chew it, you know, half way. Then I stick it under the desk, because I figure that is probably where the hobos sleep at night. So it's kind of like splitting it with them."

Other students were less concerned:

"No, I don't want to be interviewed for your stupid article. Leave me alone!"

Despite the variety of opinions expressed on campus, many students agree that their own opinions are correct. Could presidential candidates possibly play off this consensus among voters to their advantage? Perhaps; but first, to show compassion, they should buy Al Gore a sweater. It's not easy not having a job.

Ryan Shea is a school-wide syndicated journalist. You can contact him by emailing <>, or by sending him a poisoned cookie and channeling his spirit.

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