09.29.2006 16:16 GOOD WATER
Comments
PJ - 09/29/2006 16:45:46
That was beautiful.
Reporter. - 09/29/2006 17:24:48
It’s great to see that a sense of one person’s worth to the world is not lost.
W.O.( in Oblivion, OK ) - 09/29/2006 17:49:14
Twenty dollars sent directly to dig a well is definitely of more value that twenty million to a government official.
Rob - 09/29/2006 18:08:37
Excellent post. I know there are other organizations out there doing something similar, but it’s good to see at least one profiled so that we’re aware of what’s going on.
Walter Crespo - 09/29/2006 20:03:21
Very good Amanda, luv the opening nice and fun, then the um more serious issue slowly starts to reveal itself,I liked this show very much.
Francisco - 09/29/2006 21:02:38
I like what you guys are doing, you’re doing so much. I watched the past few episodes, some Andy Carvin and Jonny Goldstein installments. I would have to take notes to remember if I went the same rate as your road trip’s progress. Keep focusing on what you’re doing and don’t worry, you guys are having a great time.
rudee - 09/29/2006 21:53:00
Sorry to sound negative, but even if this manages to get all 1 billion people drinking clean water, then what happens?
They will still be desperately poor, living under tyrannical regimes with no eduction, financing or skills necessary to raise their living standards.
Not to mention that they remain likely to die of some other disease instead of those caused by bad drinking water.
While the intentions here are no doubt good, this stikes me as putting a band aid on a tumor.
The only long term solution is to introduce a system based on that despised-by-the-left word “capitalism.”
Note what regions of the world DON’T have problems with dirty water and what economic systems they have.
For those who really want to improve the situation, the discussion should be about how to develop a sustainable economy in these countries.
Do that, and all these other problems will quickly disappear.
ChrisM70 - 09/29/2006 22:05:51
rudee-
I see your point, but this guy is trying to save lives NOW.
Sure, somebody should be working towards those goals, but “putting a band-aid” on the situation is better than letting people die, and I don’t think bringing them capitalism would make them feel as good as giving them clean drinking water.
(P.S. America has problems with unclean drinking water too – just a different kind caused by corporate pollution)
Doing something has got to be better than doing nothing.
speedster - 09/29/2006 22:13:08
the feed is way too slow…it takes forever to load in quicktime…watched 5 seconds then gave up
good luck with that
steve garfield - 09/29/2006 22:47:36
Instead of watching it online, try subscribing to the feed with an aggregator like iTunes, FireAnt, Democracy or the new Xcast.
That way the whole show will be downloaded when it comes out, and then you can watch it whenever you want. It’ll be fast.
GenMark - 09/30/2006 01:44:48
Very good show. I like the mix of fun and serious. Digging wells and saving lives, that is so awesome. Thanks for sharing this with the world.
thomocracy - 09/30/2006 02:43:18
i wouldn’t say that drinking tap water is “safe” everywhere. i’ve lived in new orleans my whole life and down here — even before the storm — we’ve always frowned on drinking directly from the tap. the reason is because our “drinking water” is taken from the mississippi river. that water comes to us all the way from minnesota and is used by countless other towns on its way down towards us. the estimate i’ve always been told while growing up was that our tap water had already be used (processed, consumed, and expelled back into the river) about 5 or 6 times before reaching the mississippi delta. because of this fact, and the fact that environmental protections against chemical dumping and ground water dumping weren’t controlled very well for most of the last century, our water comes to us in a suspiciously toxic manner. there is a high rate of colon cancer in the river delta region which can be attributed to the water which we drink and cook with. i know that my family has a long history with this disease and that soon i’ll have to begin to get checkups every few years as a safeguard.
most families and household i know of now use filters on their drinking faucets. to be safe, at least, even if the water is still “drinkable”.
d henry - 09/30/2006 03:13:47
Thank you for another meaningful vlog. We can learn to listen to learn to join with one another and act to help people directly. The arguments about changing economies will go on but drinking water or treating aids is a critical NOW problem that we need to react to now.
Zacharelli - 09/30/2006 12:11:26
Excellent. Simple solutions in Africa will help Africans from deciding they need to make the dangerous & maybe futile trip to Europe or other places.
As for big charities, I read an article years ago (in the SF Guardian?) saying that in the case of many if not most of the big charities, 98% goes into somebody’s pocket here and never reaches the poor. It’s the oldest scam in the book. If you can’t find their tax form to confirm they’re on the up and up (501c3’s have a form 990), don’t giv’em money. But I’m more apt to believe a single guy can make a bigger difference than a million dollar charity.
A short poem 5-7-5:
I will remember
Amanda’s vlog interviews
Rocketboom’s I won’t
chuck - 09/30/2006 12:36:58
well hold on now, make sure you check out Nata Village piece that’s also very inspiring, and harnesses the online for direct-to-Africa charity. 
W.O.( in Oblivion, OK ) - 09/30/2006 13:44:19
You’ll forget about Africa when you see Kansas.
Doug - 09/30/2006 15:04:25
Where do I send the check? Amanda, I would like to begin my involvement with your project by sending you money.
plz - 09/30/2006 21:00:12
This guy is full of shite. I’d rather give the next guy with a gas can prop $5 for gas. Women are such saps for these kinds of schemes. What has a Somali ‘Lost Boy’ ever done for you? Cui bono, biatches.
Life of Saturdays « Jeredb.com - 10/01/2006 17:56:27
[...] When Casey and I got back, Esther was finishing up a plum tart/cake and Kristi showed up a little while after that. Trader Joe’s is apparently a destination now. Esther had been talking to Kristi about it and this weekend was finally the time that all the cosmic forces aligned and the four of us were able to go. It’s interesting to learn that our friends are a ecologically/sociologically similar to us. While we were getting in to their car, I noticed they had the first issue of Good magazine, which I had just heard about on the Amanda Across America videocast. Very interesting. [...]
Da SOB - 10/02/2006 11:40:00
Thank you for this. Thank you for Mercy and for Water. Keep up the good work!