Help for Haiti

I make it a habit to avoid outright solicitations on this blog, but Haiti warrants an exception. The last I heard was that 50,000 are known dead from the earthquake that devastated the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere earlier that week. That toll could easily reach six figures when all is said and done. The capital city of Port Au Prince has been all but destroyed. The capitol palace has been destroyed. The local U.N. headquarters building has been destroyed. But more than that, thousands and thousands of Haitians have lost their homes. They have nothing to eat. Running water is hard to find.

But here's something you can do to help: If you text "HAITI" to 90999 on your mobile phone, $10 will automatically go to the Red Cross to help in its relief efforts. The $10 will be added to your next phone bill. What's more, most of the major carriers have agreed to waive the service fee they normally charge these kind of services so all the money goes to the Red Cross.

Go to this Web page, sponsored by the State Department, to learn more about the situation in Haiti and what you can do to help.