Fridays are for signal-boosting

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Description: "You've probably heard by now, twelve million people are facing a hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa, and they are in desperate need of help. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went on record saying is the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world today and the worst that East Africa has seen in several decades. The United Nations declared a famine in parts of southern Somalia, calling for a widespread international response to end the suffering.

Thousands of Somalis have been fleeing the country each week in search of food, water and shelter. The lucky may find their way to refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. However, even with these refugee camps nearly half a million children are at risk of dying from malnutrition and disease.

helpsomalia hopes to raise funds to help provide relief organizations with funds via a fandom charity auction, much like help_japan, helpthesouth, and other similar communities."

Auctions close on Saturday, 8 October 2011 at approximately 17:00 (5pm) GMT.

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boundbooks has a post on why you shouldn't earmark your charity donations. I'd agree; the best way to make sure that your money will go to help people is to do some research beforehand and pick an organization with a proven track record of using money effectively, rather than trying to dictate how an organization should use your donation.

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Dept. of Frivolity
It's no secret that I think that Alex Ross is one of the best writers on music today, bar none. I was terribly amused by his recent review of Paul McCartney's Ocean's Kingdom.

This one goes out to (autumn in) New York

Billy Joel, "A Matter of Trust," 1986.