Japan earthquake relief benefit

Through the end of March, 100 percent of the proceeds from sales of this $12 maki at SushiSamba rio in River North benefit Red Cross disaster-relief efforts.

Costco is matching donations to the red cross made at the register, at least at Clybourn.

gleam wrote:Costco is matching donations to the red cross made at the register, at least at Clybourn.

Impressive.

My daughter works for the Japanese Consulate downtown and they are directing donations to the Red Cross or the Jewish Federation (yes, you read correctly)

On a positive note: the phone is ringing off the hook and donations and goods are amazing.

If you have any questions or need info on anyone you're looking for, please call her @312-280-0413, her name is Marisa Spasser and can answer questions in either English or Japanese.

(image removed)
Dogzilla

Through April, these 7-pound, locally made wienies will be on sale for $69.95, with $10 benefiting the Red Cross. Details

I'm not sure why it's necessary to illustrate the above announcement at all. Given that the cause is a serious one, humor in general wouldn't seem to be called for. I truly do appreciate knowing about the benefit; that kind of support is always welcome news. I just don't understand the thought behind the choosing to illustrate it in this way; this kind of "humor" always seems inappropriate and a little lame to me.

Gypsy Boy wrote:I'm not sure why it's necessary to illustrate the above announcement at all. Given that the cause is a serious one, humor in general wouldn't seem to be called for. I truly do appreciate knowing about the benefit; that kind of support is always welcome news. I just don't understand the thought behind the choosing to illustrate it in this way; this kind of "humor" always seems inappropriate and a little lame to me.

That happened to be the picture I had readily available of the product for sale, dating to its release in 2010. Given that people are being asked to pay 70 bucks for a hot dog, an illustration of its scale seemed fitting.

On the other hand, I don't agree that fundraising, even for the most serious causes, must be done in a grim, humorless fashion. (So I'll just mention that the photo also shows clearly that the 4-inch-diameter wiener is not a natural-casing sausage. )

I would have thought that there were other ways of illustrating scale. And re-reading my post, I don't think I said that a grim tone was required. I guess I just don't see the appropriateness of humor in a situation where there are over 10,000 people dead and at least that many more missing and presumed dead. Indeed, your initial post managed to be informational without being grim or humorous.

Gypsy Boy wrote:I would have thought that there were other ways of illustrating scale. And re-reading my post, I don't think I said that a grim tone was required. I guess I just don't see the appropriateness of humor in a situation where there are over 10,000 people dead and at least that many more missing and presumed dead. Indeed, your initial post managed to be informational without being grim or humorous.

The humor relates to the item for sale, not the situation. My initial post and this one are almost exactly the same: An announcement of the fundraising effort and a photo of the item being sold.

The giant hot dog pictured is in fact sold by a comedy producer, who is making the donation. Since it offends you, however, I have removed the photo here. Anyone who wishes to see it can click through to the link.