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As you open your pockets for the next natural disaster, please keep these facts in mind: The American Red Cross President and CEO Marsha J. Evans' salary for the year was $651,957 plus expenses The United Way President Brian Gallagher receives a $375,000 base salary along with numerous expense benefits UNICEF CEO Caryl M. Stern receives $1,200,000 per year (100k per month) plus all expenses including a ROLLS ROYCE Less than 5 cents of your donated dollar goes to the cause The Salvation Army's Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this...

Melinda Smith of Murfreesboro divorced her husband in 2007. Not long after, she received a bill for $30,000 in unpaid taxes related to her ex-husband’s business. Smith thought she would have no trouble qualifying for innocent-spouse relief — freedom from responsibility even if the couple filed jointly — but she was wrong. The IRS denied her application and advised her to sue her ex-husband in civil court for the money. Fearful that she would lose her home, Smith sought help from the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee. Her attorney, Robert Nadler, appealed the IRS ruling, and in the spring...

The Obama administration has decided to provide about $1 billion in debt relief for Egypt, a senior official said Saturday, in the boldest U.S. effort yet to shore up a key Middle East ally as it attempts a democratic transition.

General: Military taking precautions to protect troops from radiation By Seth Robson Stars and Stripes Published: March 29, 2011 TOKYO, Japan — The U.S. military constantly is monitoring radiation levels in Sendai to ensure its troops are not receiving dangerous doses of radiation from the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, the commander of the American military effort said Monday night. There are no U.S. ground forces operating in the city of Fukushima. Instead, the bulk of U.S. forces are based at Camp Sendai, about 58 miles to the north, just outside the U.S. government-ordered exclusion zone. Radiation readings are...

Here is the place for news about the RECOVERY and RELIEF efforts going on in JAPAN....please post info for all to see here... Here is the last thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2691847/posts

Post news of Recovery and Relief in Japan....and ways to help.....HERE Here is previous thread.... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2691038/posts?page=20#20

The latest on Navy support to Japan 10:20 p.m. Saturday, Tokyo time U.S. 7th Fleet has 12,750 personnel, 20 ships, and 140 aircraft participating in Operation Tomodachi. Seventh Fleet forces have delivered 81 tons of relief supplies to date. USS Tortuga is in the vicinity of Hachinohe where she will serve as an afloat forward service base for helicopter operations. CH-53 Sea Stallion aircraft from attached to Tortuga delivered 13 tons of humanitarian aid cargo on Friday, including 5,000 pounds of water and 5,000 MREs, to Yamada Station, 80 miles south of Misawa. USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry and USS...

An 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan March 11 and the ensuing Tsunami wave delivered a devastating blow to the people, resources and economy of the U.S. ally. At this writing, a nuclear power plant there is on the verge of meltdown. As can be expected, it took a few days for the world and the American media to comprehend the complexity and gravity of the situation. But two things were very predictable in the aftermath of a natural disaster. First, Americans have responded generously, having rallied financial, physical, emotional and spiritual support for the Japanese. Second, the network news refuses...

Should American forces be in Japan aiding with relief efforts? Absolutely. We need to stand with our Japanese friends as long as we are needed. No. We are facing a budget crisis - we need to look inward before looking outward. Not sure.

<p>Sarah Palin arrived in Haiti on Saturday. Whether or not the earthquake-ravaged nation will throw her a tea party remains unknown. The former Alaska governor and one-time GOP vice presidential candidate is visiting Haiti as a part of Rev. Franklin Graham's charity mission.</p>

The one needed 12 stitches in his lip after being hit by an elbow while playing basketball with friends. Poor baby.

Relief agencies are having trouble obtaining funds to help millions of Pakistan flood victims as the country suffers from an "image deficit", a UN spokeswoman said on Monday. "We note often an image deficit with regards to Pakistan among Western public opinion," said Elizabeth Byrs, spokeswoman of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. "As a result, Pakistan is among countries that are poorly financed, like Yemen," she added. The Unied Nations has been struggling to obtain $460 million to provide emergency aid to six million victims of the country ravaged by heavy flooding. Only a fifth of...

VIDEO HERE.

In and apparent attempt to reassure the American people that the government is helping the right people Democrat Paul Kanjorski made this statement: You see its perfectly acceptable that we give government hand outs to people so long as they are “average, good American people” and not those danged “defectives”. Oh, and these “defectives” apparently include “minorities”. Wow. Lets look at the last part of what Rep Kanjorski said again (h/t Washington Times): We’re giving relief to people that I deal with in my office every day now unfortunately. But because of the longevity of this recession, these are people...

BP has released an infographic showing the current state of the Relief Well, the “final solution” in resolving the Gulf Oil leak caused by the Deepwater Horizon, that shows the current progress (As of yesterday) as well as the proposed design of how they plan to intersect the previous pipe.

Words Eye View February 26, 2010 By Dr. Greg Dixon, Pastor Emeritus Indianapolis Baptist Temple Missionary Providentially Protected From Earthquake Gets Food to Her Relatives in Haiti Wannicka Fox (31) [Native of Haiti; wife of U.S. missionary], flew out of Albuquerque, NM Tuesday evening January 12, expecting to arrive in Port-au-Prince the next day after a stop over in Ft. Lauderdale. She didn’t realize until her friends met her in Florida, that if she had left a day earlier, she might have never seen her missionary husband David and their six children again, because she could have very well been...

“Crandall flew to Haiti Saturday, Jan. 23, with Julius Hunter, a Baton Rouge, La., pastor, pilot Bruce Case and 1,200 pounds of medical supplies as part of a six-day mission aided by King's Wings, a West Palm Beach-based charity,” wrote Rogers. “There, while attending to Haitians wounded by the Jan. 12 earthquake, Crandall witnessed the chaos, confusion, suffering and hope that emerged.

The former president of the United States, Bill Clinton, with Haitian workers during the quake relief effort in Port-au-Prince in January 2010. Clinton is to travel to Haiti on Friday to coordinate aid efforts and meet with leaders of the country devastated in an earthquake last month. (AFP/File/Olivier Laban Mattei)

I do not know if what I’m about to write makes me a monster. I do know that it makes me a part of a miniscule minority, if Internet trends and news stories of the past weeks are any guide. “It”, is this: I haven’t donated a cent to the Haitian relief effort. And I probably will not. I haven’t donated to the Haitian relief effort for the same reason that I don’t give money to homeless men on the street. Based on past experiences, I don’t think the guy with the sign that reads “Need You’re Help” is going...

The truck was scheduled to arrive in Davie, FL. Tuesday afternoon, where all the items are to be transferred to a shipping container and loaded onto a boat for shipping on Feb. 1. Once there, folks from Cross Intl. and the Orphan Grain Train will make sure it gets into the hands of those who need it most. Many, many people will be blessed through the collective efforts of the people of Cypress.

...To date, Venezuela has donated absolutely nothing to the relief efforts in Haiti, while the Unites States has made the largest contribution in money, food, supplies and military support. The military support is for the sole purpose of helping to provide security in the stricken area where desperation has caused people to resort to unspeakable brutality on each other as they scramble for food, shelter and aid... You can see the entire source list here. If you do look at the list, don’t bother looking for Venezuela. You won’t find it. Hugo Chavez hasn’t lifted a finger in the effort...

SYDNEY — Australia said on Saturday it would deploy a specialist air traffic control team to quake-ravaged Haiti following a US request to help restore order at the nation's jammed airports. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said a group of specially-trained military air traffic marshals would leave next week for the devastated Caribbean nation in a bid to improve the flow of aid and supplies. There are over 1,400 flights waiting to get into the country as tens of thousands of desperate people struggle to meet even the most basic needs. "Making Haiti's airspace and airports effective, safe and useable is...

Photo #1, 16 January 2010: 3507 x 1872 pixels  Photo #2, 16 January 2010: 3005 x 2000 pixels, 4256 x 2832 pixels  Photo #3, C-130 Hercules aircraft makes a final approach into Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport, 16 January 2010: 3005 x 2000 pixels, 4256 x 2832 pixels  Photo #4, 15 January 2010: 3005 x 2000 pixels, 4256 x 2832 pixels  The Photographers: Airman 1st Class Perry Aston (photos #1, #2, and #3) and Technical Sgt. James L. Harper Jr. (photo #4) of the United States Air Force The Must-See Via: http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-201001.htm (photos 23, 24, 25, and 26) 

FRiends, this is an appeal for thoughts and information on effective ways to help the people of Haiti with money. Please post your thoughts/experiences, and post your questions, too, so that others may answer. Here are mine: EXPERIENCE: I learned today that the "Samaritan's Purse" organization, which is connected with the Billy / Franklin Graham evangelical group, was on the ground in Haiti some 20 hours after the quake, and presently has about 50 doctors and relief workers there. I called them through www.samaritan.org and, after learning that I wasn't reaching some anonymous call center, and determining that I could...

VIDEO HERE A national police officer throws a tear gas grenade during riots Sunday in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. UN peacekeepers patrolling the capital said violence is increasing. (RAMON ESPINOSA/Associated Press)

There are a myriad of missionaries and ministries on the ground in Haiti doing work in the name of Christ. Many have been there for years while others have arrived in the past few days and are still arriving. Here are some of their observations on the devastation, death and hope in Haiti.

The once seemingly immovable white pillars of Haiti's presidential palace are strewn across the streets. The central towers of what locals nicknamed the "Little White House" have crumbled like a kicked-in sandcastle, one of the more dramatic casualties in the wake of the Jan. 12 earthquake. It is symbolic of the power of the Haitian state, which is itself in ruins. The absence of any effective authority in the five days since the tremor has led hungry and desperate residents to loot and fight over the crumbs to survive. On Monday, the U.S. is sending troops in to help restore...

Why Is The Haiti Disaster Response So Screwed Up: Is Another Katrina Relief Effort In The Making? Politics / Social Issues Jan 17, 2010 - 04:50 AM By: Danny Schechter Every disaster plan is built to some degree around the idea of triage—deciding who can and cannot be saved. The worst cases are often separated and allowed to perish so that others who are considered more survivable can be treated. There is a tragic triage underway in Haiti thanks to screw-ups on the part of the US and western response, and in part because of the objectively tough conditions in...

Desperate Haitians scrambled Sunday to find food and water and guarded their meager possessions against the advance of looters as the U.S. and other nations struggled to jump-start a sluggish relief effort. Even as Navy and Coast Guard ships arrived offshore, a round-the-clock airlift intensified and additional dignitaries appeared, the frantic victims of last Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake were growing more fearful as they pleaded for help and security in a lawless city. *** "We need the Haitian forces to protect us," said Cledanor Sully, owner of a small Port-au-Prince hotel called the Seven Stars. Sully sleeps in a park across...

WASHINGTON — The top U.S. military officer is leaving open the possibility of a growing security role for U.S. forces if desperation turns to violence in Haiti, a risky undertaking in a country that was chaotic even before this week’s devastating earthquake. U.S. forces sent to Haiti to help relief efforts are operating under what two military officials said Friday is an adaptation of standard military rules of engagement that allows for self-defense even though the Pentagon does not expect a need for it. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to characterize the confidential rules. The Pentagon is planning...

Vatican Asks US Agency to Lead Haiti Effort Catholic Relief Services Coordinating Earthquake Aid PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, JAN. 14, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Catholic Relief Services, the international humanitarian agency of the U.S. bishops' conference, was asked by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum to coordinate aid for earthquake victims in Haiti.The country's capital, Port-au-Prince, was destroyed Tuesday in an earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter scale.Although the number of casualties is unknown, it is estimated that 50,000 were killed, and 3 million others injured or homeless.The country, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, is having trouble responding to the needs on...

Food and water trickled to the stricken people of Haiti on Saturday, as a global aid operation struggled with frictions and confusion over who was in charge to bring relief to this crumbled, earthquake-ravaged city. Four days after the 7.0-magnitude quake brought much of Port-au-Prince down on its residents Tuesday, a few signs of national survival flickered, even as some Haitians began an exodus out of the devastated capital and into the countryside. But there were growing tensions over which country's planes were allowed to land here first, with each nation insisting its aid flight was a priority, according to...

The giant gray Hueys came from the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. There was no sign from below of their intention: Were they delivering relief, or Marines? The crowd began to run, but not away. Hundreds poured across the highway and down a rutted dirt road to a rocky field along the shore, where a collapsed blue sloop listed in the surf. The prop wash from the landing choppers kicked up grit and small rocks. The people kept running. They piled up at each copter door as the rotors wound down, grabbing and shouting words that the crews surely didn't understand....

And so, church, with Tuesday's quake in Haiti dominating the news-cycle, "your help urgently needed" in this weekend's second collection nationwide and, indeed, "calling for every human being who has a human heart to pray, and to help them to stand again," we'd be remiss to not pass along the following memento, circulated by the Apostleship of Prayer:God of all creation, as we weep with our family in Haiti, console us. In this time of crisis, open our eyes to look beyond the disaster to see Christ in our brothers and sisters in Haiti, as Christ sees us. Be...

Alexandria, VA (January 13, 2010) – The Salvation Army is mobilizing resources and personnel to assist with the international relief effort in Haiti following a severe earthquake Tuesday that damaged much of the country’s infrastructure, housing and commercial buildings. The Salvation Army has had a presence in Haiti since 1950 and currently operates schools, clinics, a hospital, feeding programs, children's homes and church-related activities spread across two major facilities in Port au Prince, close to the epicenter of the earthquake and at other locations in the country. One of the facilities, or compounds as it is referred to, includes a...

As the island mobilized to help Haiti, Interim Gov. Kenneth McClintock sent three military helicopters and two C-130 cargo airplanes from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard filled with emergency personnel and equipment to aid the neighboring Caribbean nation, which was devastated by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake Tuesday evening. “Since this morning I have been in contact with United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton and Haitian Consul General in Miami Ralph Latourtude to put Puerto Rico at Haiti’s service,” McClintock said during a news conference to announce various collection centers where local residents can make donations of water,...

Less than an hour after a massive earthquake turned Haiti into an unimaginable hell of death and devastation, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued an extraordinary call to action, remarkably putting the first Canadian rescue team on the stricken island by the next afternoon. By all accounts, the launch of Operation Hestia (goddess of the hearth) was vintage Harper: No nonsense; no excuses. It all started Tuesday evening, minutes after word of the Haitian catastrophe reached Harper’s office. The PM was briefed aboard his jet as he arrived in Ottawa from a day-trip to Quebec, and immediately issued two clear orders...

The first Samaritan’s Purse cargo plane arrived in Haiti Wednesday with emergency relief supplies for victims of the massive earthquake that rocked the country on Tuesday. The initial shipment included shelter material, hygiene kits, and water purification kits, as well as members of our disaster response team. Our team is comprised of veterans of many disaster responses, but even they were shocked by what they encountered when they arrived. “The streets are full of people that have no home to go back to,” said Dr. David Gettle, medical advisor. “They’re running out of food, fuel, and water. The situation is...

Watching the ongoing relief efforst on TV, it is frustrating to know that people deserately need the basics and will probably not get them for days. The officials are offloading everything at the airport andit is stacking up. I am no expert, but IMO we need to be doing a 2 pronged approach to this disaster, and airstyle-type drop of World War II combined with the precise relief we are seeing set up on television. But why they are not doing the airdrops is beyond me. The peeople need the basics such as water and crackers and these could beeasily...

Islamic Relief USA officials announced Wednesday they were flying $1 million of aid to Haiti in cooperation with the LDS Church.

Helping out those affected by earthquake in Haiti via Catholic Relief Services.

I dont know if this has been posted..... As a Katrina survivor I will tell you that the Red Cross and The Salvation Army were heros... You can text the word Haiti to 90999 to donate $10.00 to the relief efforts. I intend to donate much more than this but I found this to be a very convenient way to do something.

Obama this morning announced that "the U.S. response to the disaster in Haiti will require 'every element of our national capacity,' including military and civilian forces, to deliver aid" as reported by Roger Runningen and Hans Nichols for Bloomberg: The president, making a statement at the White House, said he told government agency and department heads that rescue and relief efforts in Haiti "must be a top priority." The U.S. will put $100 million into relief efforts, Obama said. Spreading generosity and compassion thoughout the world is all well and good but what about making the disasterous American economy --...

As of Wednesday morning, Compassion International reports that they have not yet made contact with their Haiti office, which is near the epicenter of Tuesday’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake. The quake has produced many aftershocks, including two of significant intensity - over 5.0 in magnitude. Communication to Haiti is virtually impossible with widespread damage to cell towers and communication lines. Compassion shared on Twitter that their reach in Haiti involves 230 churches helping 65,000+ children/families, 2,200 Child Survival Program moms and babies and almost 100 leadership students. “Based on the epicenter, media reports and our center locations, we expect centers have been...

Disaster Relief: Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti was its worst since 1770, leaving the capital in ruins and a death toll that may top 100,000. But help is on its way, and it's America leading the effort. Our tiny tragic neighbor was already in bad shape when the 7.0 earthquake struck the capital of Port-au-Prince. It wasn't just any 7.0 quake, as if that were not bad enough, but a shallow one, meaning it shook harder. Worse still, it hit the most populated area of the country, where 3 million of the country's 9 million citizens live — and left thousands...

Capability One, Airfield "We are scheduled to be among the first people on the ground over there and we don't know the extent of damage done to the airfield," said Major Daniels. "Our goal is to have the airfield ready to take on full traffic by tonight. We bring our own lights and communication equipment so we are prepared." In addition to opening up the International Airport at Port-au-Prince, combat controllers are trained to survey other areas to look for potential airdrop and landing zones so other cargo and personnel can be accepted into the country if required. Capability Two,...

In the nightmare of Haiti, Americans were first to respond just as Americans have always responded, recession-bound or not. This is the giving spirit of America in action. Not waiting for anyone else, just doing what is necessary to help, without boasts, without expecting anything back. Simply America. America has always been there for others and always will be. Even a falling-in-the-polls President Obama whose conduct since election has been to belittle the spirit of America and its people is cashing in today on that generosity, promising to a shocked and grief stricken people his “unwavering support” and a “swift...

U.S. officials are laying out a massive military response to the Haiti earthquake, saying that ships, helicopters, transport planes and a 2,000-member Marine unit are either on the way or likely to begin moving soon. Gen. Douglas Fraser, head of U.S. Southern Command, said Wednesday that one of the U.S. Navy's large amphibious ships will likely head to Haiti with a Marine expeditionary unit aboard. Fraser said other U.S. military forces are on alert, including a brigade, which includes about 3,500 troops. Fraser said during a news conference with other U.S. officials that the Pentagon is "seriously looking at" sending...

PAPAL APPEAL FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI VATICAN CITY, 13 JAN 2010 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope launched an appeal "for the dramatic situation currently being experienced in Haiti". "I invite everyone to join my prayers to the Lord for the victims of this catastrophe and for those who mourn their loss. I give assurances of my spiritual closeness to people who have lost their homes and to everyone who, in various ways, has been affected by this terrible calamity, imploring God to bring them consolation and relief in...

Americans are the most generous people on earth; show us a natural disaster, and we can’t whip our checkbooks out quickly enough. We overload online servers trying to get our donations in. Note: this is true only of normal Americans. Liberals, Obama included, are notoriously stingy when it comes to charitable giving when it involves their own money. What people resent is being forced to give up their hard-earned income to support those who choose not to participate in what we refer to as work. Socialism mandates surrendering enormous control over our lives to a powerful centralized government in the...