Finally had enough. Breadline Africa sent me three mailshots in 10 days. Two days ago i sent thm an e-mail to say that i would not be giving them any more money, and explained why – waste of money buying the envelopes, waste of the planets scarce resources in the paper for the envelopes and also a waste of their volunteers’ time stuffing the envelopes. Asked to be taken off their mailing list. Whether i get a response and/or no further requests for cash is yet to be seen. Watch this space.

Had a newsletter from the International Primate Protection League today. One opens these with trepidation, fearful of seeing some horrors inflicted on our many-times removed cousins. Fortunately it was atrocity-free in terms of pictures and i shall read the pieces about prmate rights in Austria Switzerland & Belgium tomorrow on the bus. Was in a whole-food store 2 weeks back and had to have a word with the chap on the till. (I find i am increasingly prone to do things like that which is surely is sign of old age?) Anyway…reason i did so was the store sold Whole Earth Peanut Butter, yet had a collecting tin (made of plastic these days, alas) asking for cash to save the orangatans. The connection here is that the WE brand of p/b contains palm oil which is often obtained from trees grown on land which was once home to said beleagured orangatans…

Must e-mail the Red Cross too as they still ask me for dosh and i am still too cross over them looking for money for Tewkesbury when Bangladesh was under water. Anyway, RC is a real giant of a charity and i do want to give to charities big enough to be effective, yet without funds to create a high public profile. So another, longer, look at CharityWatch is
on the list too.

i must get into the habit of leaving all the newsletters i recieve on bus & tube as maybe it will inspire someone else to get the giving habit.

Next payday i will give my monthly donation (usually 5 x£10) to ActionAid alone. this is because my bro & nephew ccled from Bristol to London to raise money. Not as good as a sponsored clean (eg of waste ground or a stretch of canal) but far better than flying across the planet to increase the spoilation of the Inca Trail or Mount Kilimanjaro or suchlike.

A bientot.

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