Begging adverts at Christmas.

With respect that first sentence is utter nonsense.

It is probably fair to say that the corrupt leaderships of most African nations have little interest in sharing their immense wealth with their citizens. Throwing billions of western dollars at those would do little it nothing to help as much of the aid already given is “lost”. The actual inherent wealth of many of the colonial nations was far greater than it is now following 50 years of internecine wars, corruption, oppression terror and sheer incompetence.

Capitalism’s fault?

Lack of clean water, sickness and starvation for all the children of the world would be solved by adopting another economic ideology then? What ideology, and adopted by whom: us, Africa, everybody?

Capitalist successful countries do not want to develop third world countries hence they are still living in the dark ages.
With all our wealth we could develop them but we don’t because they would become competitors.
Greed also plays a part IMHO. Greed from their own capitalist ideals (those in charge I mean).
Those in charge of third world countries seem to do quite well, drive Mercs and Rollers until ousted by some revolt or coo.

Just to cheer you up Here’s another one. 😀

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEb_epsuLqA&feature=em-share_video_user

I am sorry for them but if they stopped breeding if they could not support their offspring and practised birth control the problem would go away. The Roman Catholic Church has a lot to answer for this as well.(God rot them)

That’s not my fault, that’s societies (capitalism’s) fault.

Capitalism’s fault?

Lack of clean water, sickness and starvation for all the children of the world would be solved by adopting another economic ideology then? What ideology, and adopted by whom: us, Africa, everybody?

I too used to give a direct debit donation to Cancer Research. But when I started to receive letters that said “thanks for your donation but think what could be achieved if you gave 50, 75, 100 pounds. Just fill in the attached direct debit and send it back” I cancelled my subscription. These wern’t letter asking for a few more pounds, but considerable amounts. Talk about milking the golden goose.
I still give to charities but I choose which box to put the money in. I also make donations via their shops.
Last Saturday I spent £12 on a Pooles Flight Guide and Sidewinder Joystick (plus headphones) in a Charity Shop.
The begging ads just turn me off.
Merry Christmas to all of them but in this day and age I feel the governments of this planet just need to sort this stuff out once and for all.
I’m still amazed with all the wealth and technology we have children in Africa are still going blind, or starving, or dying for lack of clean water.
Thar’s not my fault, that’s societies (capitalism’s) fault.

It annoys me hugely that they feel the need to bombard us at Christmas time, I switch them off its a melancholic enough time for me without that. Also get fed up being jumped on in every high street to give money. I know times are hard , but its these tactics that stop me giving to certain charities.

That’s an excellent wheeze. Well done!;)

Any junk mail with a reply envelope included, gets sent back with added junk.

My answer phone is permanently on.

Done that, worked perfectly, I started receiving booklets featuring and advertising pornographic literature, claimed to be as a result of response to some ad, their particular wrinkle was to give a phone number to call should you wish to stop this mailing, which was of course a premium rate number, I managed to add two pieces of roofing slate to the package and returned, don’t know what it cost at other end but mailing ceased

Any junk mail with a reply envelope included, gets sent back with added junk.

My answer phone is permanently on.

Alternatively, as suggested earlier, never answer a caller whose number is not recognised or withheld and recycle junk mail from the front door directly to the recycling bin.

Addressed junk mail can be reduced by registering here

http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/

All the unaddressed advertising garbage the postman puts through your letterbox with your mail can be stopped here

http://www.royalmail.com/personal/help-and-support/how-do-I-stop-receiving-any-leaflets-or-unaddressed-promotional-material

Paul, go here and register, it removes you off the cold calling list, it won’t stop those from overseas but it should stop the rest, it does not matter what service you are on, as its stopping it at source.. And if they continue they can be prosecuted, I now get one or two a year maximum.

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html

We are the Telephone Preference Service
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is a free service. It is the official central opt out register on which you can record your preference not to receive unsolicited sales or marketing calls. It is a legal requirement that all organisations (including charities, voluntary organisations and political parties) do not make such calls to numbers registered on the TPS unless they have your consent to do so.
Organisations with which you have an ongoing relationship, for example those who regard you as a customer, (or in the case of charities – a donor) may well gather your consent during the early stages of your relationship with them and will therefore be entitled to call you even if your number is registered on TPS, unless you have previously told them specifically that you object to them calling you for marketing purposes.
The TPS can accept the registration of mobile telephone numbers, however it is important to note that this will prevent the receipt of marketing voice calls but not SMS (text) messages. If you wish to stop receiving SMS marketing messages, please send an ‘opt-out’ request to the company involved.
As TPS registration only prevents marketing calls, organisations will still be able to call you for the purposes of genuine market research.

As for the Salvation Army, I’d rather give my money to an organisation… …that doesn’t condemn homosexuality.

Well said, Harper. (Apologies – I altered your quote slightly!)

I do donate to a few charities (goods as well as cash); the rather pleasant young lady that accosted me in Derby recently was happy that hers was one of them.

You know you can block cold calls

Not with Virgin you can’t. You get Mickey Mouse numbers,number unavailable or a this call cannot transmit numbers. My way is I don’t answer the phone unless I recognise the number and leave it to the answerphone. Cold callers never leave a message.

You know you can block cold calls on the phone and also spam snail mail.

As for the Salvation Army, I’d rather give my money to an organisation based on helping people, not recruiting members and one that doesn’t condemn homosexuality.

Are you suggesting that the Salvation Army don’t help people ?

For many years I had a quarterly DD to a charity of my choice, then suddenly things stepped up, I was inundated with, raffle tickets, “opportunities” to purchase assorted bits of useless merchandise, extra appeals at every opportunity holidays etc, all from the same charity which I already supported.

Then I discovered that this organisation had enlisted the “help” of one of these so called promotional companies, I don’t know how successful they were over all, but they lost my regular contribution. I don’t believe that many of these companies understand “over kill”.

My sister now works for the Salvation Army in Wisc. Her first permanent job in her sixty years of life.
She works as many hours as they can give her that will not make her full time.
They gave her another few hours a week and now she has jumped up a tax level and lost a lot of items poor people get for being poor but anyway.
They help they ghetto people, no better word as that is where it is at, but the asinine gov. regulations they must now obey, or end up in court either being charged by the gov. or some “ghetto” sharpy who plays the lawyer game has drastically reduced the help they can give even in the ten years she has been there.

Dealing with the rules means employees have to put up with abuse handed out by the people, especially children who have respect of no one and no thing, they help.
The serve God by mercifully helping people attitude is totally gone in some areas, in the U.S., but often by ghetto burn out which comes by having to deal with low to zero standards of decency one finds in such societies.
My sister works there because she needs a job but she reached burn out decades before she worked there by being among them continually.

I also resent the people who come to the door asking for donations, in one week I had a cancer charity, a children’s charity and a charity raising money for tigers at the door. I have a policy of not giving money in those situations, despite their quite pushy tactics.
As for the Salvation Army, I’d rather give my money to an organisation based on helping people, not recruiting members and one that doesn’t condemn homosexuality.