Food for thought: Think before you bin...

Our world is packed with full of gadgets and innovative technologies. National edges, cultural differences and geographical distances no longer pose barriers to industrial revolution. They play a crucial role in affecting our environment from the process of planning & design to the use by the customers. Each & every production process plays a role in affecting the environment. Consumption of materials & energy usage leaves its unused byproducts behind & this is not restricted at this stage. Even during packaging & distribution, plastics are being used unnecessarily instead of recyclable papers and cardboards. Industries compete in complex ways, but yet to act responsibly as far as sustainability is concerned. Overall, our environment is being polluted during the entire process. So slimming our bin a little bit by recycling is the least we can do & no doubt this would surely reduce the global waste mountain growth.

"All the ants on the planet, taken together, have a biomass greater than that of humans. Yet their productiveness nourishes plants, animals and soil. Human industry has been in full swing for little over a century yet it has brought a decline in almost every ecosystem on the planet. Nature doesn't have a design problem. People do."
-From the book "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things" by Michael Braungart & William McDonough

Organ Trafficking - Chilling facts

It is heartening to know how human organ donation has saved and boosted countless lives. But, nothing can escape from the eyes of money-minded culprits. Human organ trade is illicit in most parts of the world. To be legal, organ donors must follow lawful procedures, moreover Urgency and compatibility of the recipients should be the priority. Afterall, poor people should also be able to afford life-saving organ transplants.

Low cost & availability boosted the business from around the world & has transformed India into one of the largest kidney transplant centres in the world.

Inspite of all the surveillance from the rest of the world, organs are being harvested from executed prisoners.

Lack of proper regulations against organ trade made Israel a central point for the international organ trade.

In the United States, brokers demand higher amount of money for organs from the wealthy patients and usually pay the donors far less.

Extreme poverty in some parts of Egypt led their people to sell their organs for a cheaper price tag. According to the Ministry of Health, mostly Arabs are hunting organs on the black market. In some cases, patients are being dumped on the streets from the illegal clinics while still unconscious, because of doctor's panic.

In Iran, kidney sales are regulated, which reduces their demand & some countries like Singapore, Belgium, Spain and Austria has presumed consent laws. No matter what, organ donation scandals & theft never stopped raising its heads.

Kindly have a little look at my "External Links" section for further information on this topic.

It's all different in my place!

Supporting people may be the prime motive for all the charities. However, the target groups and ways to achieve the motive differs with respect to various countries. So, focus on the key issue in your geographical location and support them.

There are some good number of charitable organisations that provide educational support for the children (especially chilren with special needs and poor children in commonwealth countries). But, the question is how many of them (who finds it hard to fulfill their basic needs) are aware of those grants. All we can do is let them know its importance and fill those application forms for them. This is not at all tough, when we know the eligible ones. Afterall, this is going to change the entire life of their family.

We will never run out of orphanages and old age homes. Visit them whenever you feel like, & celebrate your happy moments and occasions with them. Just pen them if you can't make a visit. Your little note bears a pleasant warmth & it means a lot to them.

A lot of people are daft and depressed, because they have good reason to be. A therapist session won't change that, unless they do something that unburdens their stresses. The question "HOW" always leads us in a puzzled state of mind. Hope the posts in "Good Cause" answers some of yours. Kindly have a little look at my "External Links" section for further information about the charitable organisations.

Fundraising ideas

The term Fundraising sounds Herculean, but extremely fun. We are indirectly letting others to contribute. We don't have to be a celebrity to raise funds for charities. Just be ready to break the pattern when it comes to fundraising. Think & do something different from your routine. Here are a few simple ideas that don't need much pressure.
- Fundraising events: Huge charitable organisations coordinate sports activities, that you can take part.
- Market stall: Setting up a small stall comprising of hand-made products like knitwear, wooden toys, dolls,... on various fun & village festivals.
- Selling used stuff online: Fancy term for this is Recycling. Ebay is one of the simplest & inexpensive ways to do this. People are generally interested in buying unwanted gifts, books, games, CD/DVDs & home decoration items on bargain.
- Make use of online fundraising sites such as JustGiving, FirstGiving, etc,...
- Food stall: If we can cook for our family, then we can surely do this. Just try preparing some easy peezy snacks like cookies, chips, local delicacies, muffins, cup cakes for kids & so on. This idea would never go wrong on a nice day.
All this is going to be easy and fun, when you have some like-minded souls besides you.
Last but not the least, be careful while selecting charities. Focus on really functional charitable organisations. The onus is on us to decide the best ones that needs our help.

A lot of people are daft and depressed, because they have good reason to be. A therapist session won't change that, unless they do something that unburdens their stresses. The question "HOW" always leads us in a puzzled state of mind. Hope the posts in "Good Cause" answers some of yours. Kindly have a little look at my "External Links" section for further information about the charitable organisations.

Is ideal life a question mark?

Things have become so easy these days. Luxury can be crawled on our hands in a jiffy. A normal employed person:
- Can avail Home Loan, own a house and pay his mortgage early
- Can buy a new car, bear the cost of Car Insurance (no matter if it is a Cheap auto Insurance or not)
- Can allocate some money for his family's Health Insurance/Life Insurance/Travel Insurance or whatever
- Can make use of some sophisticated services like Medical Claim, Accident Compensation, Personal Injury & so on
- Can take advantage of Student Loan for daughter's Surgean dream
& the list goes on & on...

But, is this really going to make any connection with our life. By being friendly & smiling, we'll have helped ourself to feel good inside & be in a bright frame of mind. Curiosity crackles when we think whether this would be probable.

A lot of people are daft and depressed, because they have good reason to be. A therapist session won't change that, unless they do something that unburdens their stresses. The question "HOW" always leads us in a puzzled state of mind. Hope the posts in "Good Cause" answers some of yours. Kindly have a little look at my "External Links" section for further information about the charitable organisations.

Ways to support the needy

There are several ways & means to help others. Money is not the only solution & charities rejoice more than that. I am bursting with ideas which I think would be useful for everyone.
- First familiar concept - ofcourse from your pocket.
- Time dedication is vital. A couple of hours in a week will do wonders. There are so many charitable organisations out there that needs your help. Just pop into neighbouring organisations & volunteer yourself. They would never say no to you.
- You can also visit the people at their home. For example, you can read books for blind & partially sighted people, telling stories, taking them out for a walk & so on.
- Participate & Volunteer at events with them.
- Hair donation for the cancer patients. Seems silly, but it means a lot to them. If you want to get your hair cut, just donate rather than binning them.
- Nowadays, festivals are becoming more-like business & ofcourse charitable organisations make use of it. They sell various occasional greeting cards, gift items, etc, & they get benefitted when someone buys them.
- Donating unwanted clean used stuff like clothes, shoes,... to various recycling centres. Be sensible in sorting out.
- Fund-raising can be done to raise money for various charities.
I will keep posted if something sparkles in my mind.

A lot of people are daft and depressed, because they have good reason to be. A therapist session won't change that, unless they do something that unburdens their stresses. The question "HOW" always leads us in a puzzled state of mind. Hope the posts in "Good Cause" answers some of yours. Kindly have a little look at my "External Links" section for further information about the charitable organisations.