Write for Japan

Six winters back, a tsunami hit the coast of India for the first time in recorded history. The land my forefathers had lived in for centuries went under water till the sea decided to return where it belongs. The death and destruction was unprecedented, the army was pressed into service, aid-workers camped in the area for months.


India called for experts, but never asked for financial assistance. Japan is a much more developed economy; it doesn't need your dollars.

But the people of Japan need to know that people care. Here are some ways you can help- Write for Japan.

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A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.


And here's a great news story on why it doesn't really make sense to donate dollars - Charities rush with little direction

Photo Credit - Cruella Collett, taken in Tokyo a week before disaster struck.

Smile.

Do Smiles translate over the phone, I wondered last week. Yes they do, you all replied. But me being an eternal skeptic, I had to check it out. It was easy enough to do, since I share office space with a bunch of people I do not know.

Everytime anyone made a call, I tried to guess if they were smiling or not. I guessed right every single time. Strangely, or perhaps not, the ones who seemed to be having more successful conversations were the ones who started off the call with a smile.

Smile. What's your excuse not to?

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A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

To put a SMILE back on the faces of some of those affected by the recent earthquake in New Zealand, and to have a chance to win some great books, do visit Margot Kinberg's "Do the Write Thing". 

Do the Write Thing

When I wrote about women being forced to give birth at home because they didn't have a lock on their front door, so many of you offered to send locks. The problem is not of locks. If they had locks, they would not have doors to put them on. And if they had doors, they would not have walls to hook those to. The problem is Poverty. And the solution is as simple as alleviating Poverty.  Sending locks may not be a solution, but the offer to send locks means all of you care enough to make a tangible difference in whichever way you can. Enough such people can, I believe, make a difference.


But while we look for solutions to Poverty, let us not forget the immediate suffering of people hit by man-made or natural disasters. People affected by political wars. People who are victims of terrorism. People in places hit by earthquakes, cyclones and volcanoes.

Margot Kinberg is putting together an effort called "Do the Write Thing" to help the victims of the recent earthquake that devastated huge parts of New Zealand. She putting together "book packages" of original works autographed by their authors, which would be raffle prizes for people donating to the New Zealand Red Cross. If you are an author who would like to donate a book, could you get in touch with MargotKinberg (at) gmail (dot) com. If you would like to enter your name in the raffle by making a donation to the New Zealand Red Cross, stay tuned to "Do the Write Thing". I know we are all as generous as we can afford to be- now is the time to show it.
 
Thank you!