Winter fundraising drive for rabble!

33 posts / 0 new

Thu, 2009-12-17 22:36

Michelle

Hey all, it's that time of year again...fundraising drive time!

Here's the link to the fundraising page (although I'm sure you've been seeing the ad lots) - please consider clicking on it and donating to the site if you can afford to do so.

I think you all know that I consider the time you spend here and the stuff you write to be amazing contributions to rabble as well, so if you can't afford to give money, please don't feel bad about it - I'm really glad you're here.

But if you can afford it - we can really use it. We operate on a shoestring budget, and we're always struggling from month to month and fundraising campaign to fundraising campaign - so every little bit really helps. If you go to the link above, you can read what we've been doing with that tiny budget so far.

Also, there is an option this time around to identify yourself as a babbler along with your donation. (Don't worry, you won't be "outed" - it's just a way of showing that financial support is coming from our community as well.)

Please donate if you can. Thanks!

Thu, 2009-12-17 22:42

Fidel

Alright, alright. I guess if we wanna pay, then we should play. Err...Yeah!

Fri, 2009-12-18 08:56

Caissa

I give monthly by credit card. It's painless and best of all supports Canadian alternative media.

Fri, 2009-12-18 09:30

Michelle

Thanks for doing that, Caissa. Much appreciated.

We have two campaigns per year - a membership campaign, and a donation campaign. This one is the donation campaign, but thanks, Caissa, for reminding folks that they can sign up as a member and donate pretty painlessly once per month as well. If you don't have a credit card, you can do a direct debit from your bank account too - that's how I do it.

Thanks again to everyone who considers either giving a one-time donation or becoming a member.

Fri, 2009-12-18 09:36

Caissa

OOPS! Just followed the link and saw my hometowm misspelled "St. John".

Tue, 2009-12-22 13:35

kim elliott kim elliott's picture

Hi Caissa, It St. John, New Brunswick, isn't it?

Tue, 2009-12-22 13:47

RevolutionPlease RevolutionPlease's picture

No Kim, unfortunately it's not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John,_New_Brunswick

Quote:
The "Saint" in Saint John is not normally abbreviated in order to distinguish it from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, whose name features the abbreviation.

Thu, 2009-12-24 09:57

E.Tamaran

Michelle wrote:

Hey all, it's that time of year again...fundraising drive time!

Here's the link to the fundraising page

It says that you could win a Flip phone if you donate $50.00. Unfortunately the flip phone is made by Cisco Systems

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10199960-93.html

and they aren't treating their world headquarters janitors very well:

A delegation of janitors appealed to San Jose City Council members to reach out to profitable high-tech company Cisco Systems on behalf of the more than 75 vulnerable, low-wage janitors - more than 40% of the total workforce - who were recently laid off by Cisco's contractor. Over the past several months, the janitors and hundreds of Silicon Valley community supporters have participated in a series of escalating mobilizations pointing to Cisco's enormous profitability, including than $34 billion in cash assets, and urging the company to be a responsible corporate citizen by reinstating the janitors.

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/27/18598687.php
Pretty shameful in my view. You can learn more about these incredible people at http://www.justiceatcisco.com/ , they even went on a hunger strike.

Thu, 2009-12-24 09:59

Unionist

Yeah, rabble should boycott every object and service that is connected with capitalist exploitation - like computers and the internet.

And food.

Thu, 2009-12-24 10:36

#10

oldgoat

Just send us the 50 bucks then E. Tamaran, and we'll ensure you don't get the phone.

Thu, 2009-12-24 10:55

#11

WilderMore

I'm in Korea teaching English and I like to keep up with Canadian news from a Progressive perspective. It's pains me to see Rabble.ca ignore the suffering of people of colour by supporting their oppressors. There will be no donation from me at this time.

Thu, 2009-12-24 12:02

#12

E.Tamaran

Well you can donate because the Rabble flip camera is probably no more than .0001% of Cisco's sales. Just be aware is all I'm saying and maybe support the janotors instead?

Fri, 2009-12-25 13:20

#13

thanks_but_no_thanks

Hi Kim Elliott, Duncan Cameron and Diane Touchette,

In your Holiday fundraising letter, you invite me to "make something happen." I guess it's difficult to be less controversial than that! But I must admit I want more. When you non-committally describe Rabblers as "the rest of us," I tend to wonder in regard to whom? Who is missing from this happy picture?

This Christmas, I know it's Infosaturated and Martin Dufresne, two long-time participants in the Babble forum who were summarily expelled six weeks back when they dared challenge someone who had described a 9-yr old and a 12-yr old girls as "sex workers" and justified not calling child protection. Their challenge was polite but persistent, extending to the rest of the progressive community. Some of us believe in children's rights and try to make those happen, over and above what seems to be a sacred cow at rabble.ca, i.e. the sex industry. Infosaturated and Martin's banning were brutal and permanent.

That is when Rabble.ca's claim of "shaping debate, raising awareness, promoting alternative voices, learning about essential issues" lost all credibility for me. I am not giving up seeing you correct this grievous miscarriage of justice and freedom of expression, but I am neither holding my breath nor sending you money. Go canvass a pimp or something.

Thanks but no thanks

Fri, 2009-12-25 13:40

#14

G. Muffin

What is a good donation? I'm on a limited income yet I am very fond of babble and would like to see it continue. Just give me a range, say, $10 to $100, and I'll do my best. Unfortunately, it can't happen until I'm released from the hospital as I doubt very much you can legally enter into a contract with someone who is certified insane.

By way of comparison, www.furiousseasons.com runs four fundraisers per year. I tend to donate $50 each time.

The United Way gets nothing. Fuck the United Way!

Fri, 2009-12-25 20:40

#15

oldgoat

Thanks-but-etc.. You have either been lied to or are lying. Your recount of events serves someones agenda, but did not happen as you describe.

I note from the users list it took you went to the trouble of setting up three seperate accounts, so I'll be closing all of them.

Fri, 2009-12-25 22:13

#16

N.Beltov

I'm in for $50.

Sat, 2009-12-26 12:04

#17

justifymylove

Oldgoat: "You have either been lied to or are lying."

Tough words... that might be more convincing if dialogue was not suppressed.

In fact, my assertions can be verified by anyone here and here.

Sayonara, folks, and back to my usual handle. Until Rabble justifies my love, it won't receive my hard-earned dollars.

Sat, 2009-12-26 13:34

#18

RevolutionPlease RevolutionPlease's picture

Thanks for motivating me to increase mine.

Sun, 2009-12-27 14:27

#19

G. Muffin

justifymylove wrote:
Oldgoat: "You have either been lied to or are lying."

Tough words... that might be more convincing if dialogue was not suppressed.

In fact, my assertions can be verified by anyone here and here.

Sayonara, folks, and back to my usual handle. Until Rabble justifies my love, it won't receive my hard-earned dollars.

Uh, okay. Thanks for checking in.

Oh, hey, just so we know that you're the real deal, list the forums that you have contributed to. Here are mine:

Furious Seasons

SPCA

Quest (New York)

Gallery Gachet (Vancouver)

West Coast Mental Health Network

MindFreedom International

MindFreedomBC

KCTS Station 9 Television

Street people.

Mental patients.

Sun, 2009-12-27 14:36

#20

G. Muffin

Michelle wrote:
Thanks for doing that, Caissa. Much appreciated.

I'll do the same but I have to get discharged from the lunatic asylum first.

Wish I was kidding.

Sun, 2009-12-27 14:37

#21

G. Muffin

N.Beltov wrote:
I'm in for $50.

Put me down for $51.00 Cdn.

Sun, 2009-12-27 23:36

#22

G. Muffin

G. Pie wrote:

N.Beltov wrote:
I'm in for $50.

Put me down for $51.00 Cdn.

Maybe tomorrow. I'm sure rabble would be more comfortable accepting my donation after they (the powers that be) release me from the local lunatic asylum. Informed consent and all that.

Mon, 2009-12-28 10:18

#23

N.Beltov

That's the second time I've seen efforts to disrupt a simple thread on donating to rabble. We've got some seriously unfriendly lurkers, eh?

I suppose it is a kind of unintended compliment to rabble and babble. Hah!

Mon, 2009-12-28 10:38

#24

Michelle

Well, if you've been around for almost 9 years, as we have, and you have an acceptable use policy that is enforced, you're going to disgruntle a few people along the way. But for the most part, I'm really happy with our participants and lurkers (we do occasionally get nice e-mails from lurkers), and heck, one of the great things about babble is the fact that we have an audience that regularly engages in critical thinking, including about rabble and babble itself. :)

G. Pie, hope you're doing all right. Thinking about you.

Mon, 2009-12-28 10:55

#25

G. Muffin

Michelle wrote:
G. Pie, hope you're doing all right. Thinking about you.

Doing fine, Michelle. Minor disappointment this morning when I found out that the doctors aren't coming in due to the way Christmas/Boxing Day fell this calendar year.

My mother is picking me up at 12:30 and we'll go work some more on my apartment which looks like a tornado came through. That was the G. Pie Freaks Out episode. I can't believe you missed it. It had swear words and all kinds of insanity.

BTW, I left a complimentary note regarding the female police officer and her way of going (as we say in the horse business). Can I rest assured that the particular police officer received it? The whole thing interested me because it had some similarities with Robert D. at the Vancouver Airport. You know I'm very distressed by David Foster Wallace and I search for something I have that he didn't, something I can rely on to see me through. I was distressed far more by the debacle at YVR. The reason it happened to him and not to me is I had one, and only one, advantage. I spoke the same language as the police.

Ha, ha, I think of you, too, Michelle. Do you have freckles and brown and gold hair and have an affinity for hair clips and usually wear corduroy pants? Are you very quick to smile? Do you make eye contact with street people? That's my visual impression of you. If anybody else wants to know theirs, they'll have to PM me.

Mon, 2009-12-28 11:05

#26

N.Beltov

Yea, I've been here since 2001 myself. There was a previous persona, mind you. Anyway, it seemed like thread derailment to me; what is the connection between debates about sex workers and donating to rabble anyway? Time for breakky.

Mon, 2009-12-28 11:12

#27

G. Muffin

N.Beltov, are you meaning me? I was just kidding around. I'll donate $51 just like I said I would.

Mon, 2009-12-28 12:16

#28

RosaL

N.Beltov wrote:

Yea, I've been here since 2001 myself. There was a previous persona, mind you. Anyway, it seemed like thread derailment to me; what is the connection between debates about sex workers and donating to rabble anyway? Time for breakky.

Of course there's a connection. It has to do with what is and is not allowed on babble and the ideological slant of the place - those are relevant considerations if they ask you for money. But it's a connection there's little point in discussing. Best to leave it lie ....

Mon, 2009-12-28 14:45

#29

N.Beltov

I didn't follow any of the discussion on "sex workers". However, bringing it up in this thread - and I don't mean you G.Pie - is just thread derailment.

Mon, 2009-12-28 14:56

#30

RosaL

N.Beltov wrote:

I didn't follow any of the discussion on "sex workers". However, bringing it up in this thread - and I don't mean you G.Pie - is just thread derailment.

Well, I don't think so and i gave some reasons but I really see no point whatsoever in discussing it. Let's just agree that thread derailment is a great evil and we all need to be vigilant

Mon, 2009-12-28 15:21

#31

N.Beltov

k. I've got other things to remark on anyway. Have a great New Year, Rosa.

Mon, 2009-12-28 15:22

#32

RosaL

N.Beltov wrote:

k. I've got other things to remark on anyway. Have a great New Year, Rosa.

You too, Beltov. I'm a bit crabby. I'm sorry. (I'm having a hard week.)

Mon, 2009-12-28 22:55

#33

G. Muffin

RosaL wrote:
N.Beltov wrote:
k. I've got other things to remark on anyway. Have a great New Year, Rosa.

You too, Beltov. I'm a bit crabby. I'm sorry. (I'm having a hard week.)

Me two. I can't wait until 2010 when I won't be so cranky and all will be revealed.