It's not my problem

SarahMs

I rarely use myspace and logged on to delete my account and had a request from an organisation asking me to support them in their fight to stop 'Foie gras' (duck liver) production. As I would never have eaten liver before I was like whats so wrong with foie gras? looked it up, apparently in ducks are force fed up to 7lbs of corn a day to fatten up their liver..... cruel in my opinion.

just made me think........ how many of us know of know about these cruel things
eg: foie gras production, art in the name of starving a dog, child mutilation etc and think O someone else will do something about?

I have to admit and I thought, well the poor duck ducks have an organisation, they will be ok..........

are you part of any charity/ awareness group etc? is it your problem? are you doing something to help?

I donate to a few different charities, but this got me thinking that it isn't always about money

MJOR

I think that if you thought about it for too long you could direct debit your entire wages to good causes.

Sometimes a bit of the charity begins at home I think. Donating your time and effort to raise awareness can help.

I have moral issues with Foie Gras... i think it's very cruel.

Mental health is something that is quite close to my heart as is oesophagael cancer and cancer in general, these issues I would do mini marathons for and try to raise awareness.

I am gobsmacked by how little resources / supports there are for depression. I think it's maybe not as well reported as other cases.

SeekUp

I know that for me, it isn't a case of thinking "It's not my problem, someone else will do something about it"; it's that there are a LOT of issues that matter to me. I find that I've had to just focus on a handful that I care most about or that I can relate to most. It's not that I don't care about the others -- I can, and do, still have opinions -- but it can get overwhelming trying to keep a hand in many different things.

It's kind of like knowing how to do a lot of things but not really being good at any of them versus picking one thing to really educate yourself about and be a good advocate for.

princess-lala

I would be the same in thinking its not always about the money but where it goes to. I donate money to cancer research, The Irish Heart foundation, SADS being the three main ones

I dont agree with cruelty to animals but with the way things are these days imo charity begins at home!

SarahMs

Just makes me sad, that no matter how much money or how much awareness or how much publicity has.... it never makes things any better.

Just got word too that where I do voluntary work is being closed down, lack of funding ....... government has taken it away :eek:

lil'bug

i give to animal charity's like LAWS because i know the money is really needed, i don't really give to big charity's mainly because most of the money goes on admin cost. i give to MS Limerick as well

Whispered

Where cruelty is plainly used while producing something, I will avoid that product as much as I can. So my diet does not involve meat and rarely dairy. I try use vegan products (I'm not vegan though). I suppose it makes no difference in reality, but I know that I'm personally not supporting something I disagree with.

But it's easy to avoid things isn't it. It's where people are proactive in doing things that really gets results. In those cases I support causes I feel strongly for, but, I'm ashamed to admit, I'm usually just the support as opposed to the driving force (except for in a small way in my own locality).

I donate to a few charities for various different causes and while I know it's encouraging them, I can rarely pass a homeless person. Even if it's just a few cent and a smile, to acknowledge there is a person there. But no, I don't do as much as I can I suppose and I do think that there are organisations there to "do" that. Making excuses for my own lack of action.

Pythia

I refuse to give money to homeless people. I don't give any money to charities in general but will buy a sticker from the sellers in the shopping centres as long as it's an illness or dog charity. Yeah, I'm heartless.

Stheno

I was brought up in a family with a very strong ethos of giving back to others, be that in your community or more broadly based.

So from a young age I was involved in charitable/volunteer work of my parents choice initially, anything from collecting at the county GAA final for a charity to serving Christmas lunch at the annual Pensioners lunch in the town, to packing food parcels for families at Xmas for Vincent de Paul.

When I got older, I chose my charities/causes, and spent years volunteering in animal rescue, doing everything from cleaning kennels, to fostering dogs, to homechecks on possible homes. I also had a couple of charities that I donated to regularly (I got great joy out of them getting my tax money rather than the government )

The past two years I've cut back somewhat, I run a small board that provides animal rescues an outlet to fundraise/home animals, and I donate to one or two charities regularly.

To me it's never my problem, it's everyone's problem, and I think we all have a duty to make some effort, however small towards contributing be it financial or in terms of time. If we all made a small effort, it might make a huge difference.

Crumble Froo

SarahMs wrote: »

I rarely use myspace and logged on to delete my account and had a request from an organisation asking me to support them in their fight to stop 'Foie gras' (duck liver) production. As I would never have eaten liver before I was like whats so wrong with foie gras? looked it up, apparently in ducks are force fed up to 7lbs of corn a day to fatten up their liver..... cruel in my opinion.

force/overfeeding animals inappropriate food in the name of fattening them and keeping the feed cheap is quite a common thing in most animal products these days, not just ducks

just made me think........ how many of us know of know about these cruel things
eg: foie gras production, art in the name of starving a dog, child mutilation etc and think O someone else will do something about?

i think some things, i have to just accept i can't do anything about. i will wear ribbons on awareness days and donate a couple of dollars their way, but nothing major and yeah, i do feel bad about that.

are you part of any charity/ awareness group etc? is it your problem? are you doing something to help?

I donate to a few different charities, but this got me thinking that it isn't always about money

though i am part of a couple of charities and organisations. i dont really have the money to donate, but i do donate time to two particular charities close to my heart - an animal one and a mental health one. i volunteer with SAFE (save animals from exploitation) and help with office work and help out at stalls and am active in writing letters to MPs etc when relevant, just the whole awareness raising thing, and help with fundraising too. and i volunteer no a mental health phone peer support service as well, which is usually about 3-4 times a month, for 6 hours a night (the line's open from 7pm-1am).

Snowie

SarahMs wrote: »

I rarely use myspace and logged on to delete my account and had a request from an organisation asking me to support them in their fight to stop 'Foie gras' (duck liver) production. As I would never have eaten liver before I was like whats so wrong with foie gras? looked it up, apparently in ducks are force fed up to 7lbs of corn a day to fatten up their liver..... cruel in my opinion.

just made me think........ how many of us know of know about these cruel things
eg: foie gras production, art in the name of starving a dog, child mutilation etc and think O someone else will do something about?

I have to admit and I thought, well the poor duck ducks have an organisation, they will be ok..........

are you part of any charity/ awareness group etc? is it your problem? are you doing something to help?

I donate to a few different charities, but this got me thinking that it isn't always about money

What about Veal my friuends turned a vegi into a meet eater with that stuff :pac:


I dunno I dont like overly farmmed food where they go out for one thing sheer profit, treating animals like crap makes them taste worse.

i eat organic food and free range.....

But in fairness fois gras aint nothing with out a few shvenings of these beutifull babys
http://www.caviar.co.uk/truffle.shtml

You know this

If youve ever had scrambeled eggs with an nicely smoked salmon with truffel shavings youd die. its devine.

amz5

Children are being put in prison after stealing fish and other relatively harmless things in the Philippines. Girls are working in brothels after their parents have got into a debt bond to feed their families or get medication. I got involved with PREDA in Galway which supports the freeing/housing/education/therapy of these abused children. I'm in the Philippines at the moment helping out (I'm a teacher when I'm at home in Ireland and I'm on a career break). I saw a CNN news report about the boys being kept in prisons with adult paedophiles and I couldn't forget it...

I set up a PREDA Galway facebook page a week or two ago to help people in Ireland become more aware of the situation. I think that when people become aware of the problems/unfair policies in countries like the Philippines it puts pressure on the goverment to pass laws to ensure that children get their basic human rights. It will also help people to become aware of events in their area. Don't worry, signing up won't lead to you getting loads of mail, at the moment I'm in charge of it, so at the moment it's more about creating an awareness than raising money (which is also helpful of course!).

Anyway, hope I'm allowed link to the PREDA Galway site here...linking up will help spread information about this worthy cause and putting the worldwide spotlight on the Philippines has "helped" the government to develop a conscience in the past...

http://www.facebook.com/search/?post_form_id=87f02f51fc63ef0873884d68a9b95e94&q=&init=quick&ref=search_loaded#!/pages/PREDA-Galway/119307421426203?ref=ts

Larianne

amz5 wrote: »

Children are being put in prison after stealing fish and other relatively harmless things in the Philippines. Girls are working in brothels after their parents have got into a debt bond to feed their families or get medication. I got involved with PREDA in Galway which supports the freeing/housing/education/therapy of these abused children. I'm in the Philippines at the moment helping out (I'm a teacher when I'm at home in Ireland and I'm on a career break). I saw a CNN news report about the boys being kept in prisons with adult paedophiles and I couldn't forget it...

I set up a PREDA Galway facebook page a week or two ago to help people in Ireland become more aware of the situation. I think that when people become aware of the problems/unfair policies in countries like the Philippines it puts pressure on the goverment to pass laws to ensure that children get their basic human rights. It will also help people to become aware of events in their area. Don't worry, signing up won't lead to you getting loads of mail, at the moment I'm in charge of it, so at the moment it's more about creating an awareness than raising money (which is also helpful of course!).

Anyway, hope I'm allowed link to the PREDA Galway site here...linking up will help spread information about this worthy cause and putting the worldwide spotlight on the Philippines has "helped" the government to develop a conscience in the past...

http://www.facebook.com/search/?post_form_id=87f02f51fc63ef0873884d68a9b95e94&q=&init=quick&ref=search_loaded#!/pages/PREDA-Galway/119307421426203?ref=ts

Well I don't think men over the age of 35 should be allowed enter the Philippines if travelling alone. I was disgusted when I was there.

I'll definitely check your links, thanks!

liah

Larianne wrote: »

Well I don't think men over the age of 35 should be allowed enter the Philippines if travelling alone. I was disgusted when I was there.

I'll definitely check your links, thanks!

Why re: the men over 35 alone thing?

Larianne

liah wrote: »

Why re: the men over 35 alone thing?

Sex tourism. Pretty disgusting to be honest. The men go to the town Angeles which is north of Manila, used to be an old US Army base I think and they pick who they like, then bring them down to one of the islands like Puerto Galera for a week or two.

Mainly North Americans, Germen and British men from what I could gather.

miss5

That is disgusting, There should be protective measure taken especially
for the children, God knows what could happen to them alone with some
peadophile for a week.

amz5

The Philippines is one of the worst places in Asia for child prostitution and for child sexual abuse. It is illegal for girls under 18 to work in the sex bars, but forged I.D. is easily accepted. The girls are often kidnapped or their parents feel forced to send them to work there as part of a debt bond. PREDA workers go to the sex bars in Olongapo/Subic Bay (where I'm based), Manila and Angeles city. If any under age girls are spotted they report it to the police and request to take charge of the girl. She is brought to the PREDA girls home where PREDA try to contact her parents and where she is housed, educated, fed and given counselling/therapy. Sorry for sending the thread off on a tangent, but I'm glad to get the chance to raise awareness.

I'm going to a jail tomorrow to monitor the ages of the children there and to help document their cases so that PREDA can help release them into their care. There's some very interesting youtube clips on that facebook page. The girls are being very well cared for here in the girl's home at PREDA. It's the summer time now and they're gone off to a water park for the day as part of their summer camp.

Fr. Shay Cullen started PREDA in 1974 as he was horrified to find a 4 year old girl in a jail (and for other reasons relating to youth drug usage). The organisation has grown over the years and now helps children living in abused homes, in brothels, in jails, on the street...It is also involved in Fair Trade sales and drug use/HIV awareness campaigns in schools.

Fr. Shay has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on three occasions and he won the Meteor Humanitarian aware for International Person of the Year in 2008.

Many of the sex tourists are from Germany at the moment. It's horrific to see anyone working in the sex industry, but it's unbelievably cruel to rob a girl of their childhood in that manner. The girls here are being very well looked after and they have various types of therapy and counselling to help them grieve anddeal with their experiences. Some of the girls go on to do Social Work etc. in college and return to PREDA to work with the children. PREDA encourages all of the children to stay in education and provides transport/uniforms etc for children that leave the PREDA home.

Once again, sorry to have taken over the thread a bit. If anyone wants to pm me, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions (that I can answer!).

PeakOutput

Larianne wrote: »

Well I don't think men over the age of 35 should be allowed enter the Philippines if travelling alone. I was disgusted when I was there.

well thats a reasonable solution to the problem :rolleyes:

Herbal Deity

PeakOutput wrote: »

well thats a reasonable solution to the problem :rolleyes:

Indeed.

What a stupid, offensive thing to say.

Wibbs

OK lets get back to the thread at hand and less of the generalisations about gender folks.