4Basra

As readers will notice, the 4Basra logo is now on the site.

I have to apologise for the lack of recent updates, as I had a cold for several days and have also been busy with writing work. I hope the experience and new contacts made in the course of this will be useful – it might well be essential – to the 4Basra project.

If you ever need a logo designed for your website, organisation or business, I thoroughly recommend my design volunteer, who is a genius!

I attempted a design right at the beginning of the process, and I think three other volunteers made valiant attempts, for which I am also thankful.

If I can resize them, I’ll try to put one or two of the other attempts on here.

It proves the old adage: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

The website now needs a little bit more work – initially links need adding and some of the posts and other content needs editing and reposting.

And that is on top of the long list of other tasks ahead of me. Doing anything worthwhile takes time, but I also have the pressing date for the next consignment of medicine and other supplies – February or March 2007 – in mind.

My patience and occasional disorganisation – combined with the need to spend time on other work – do not make this easy, and so I need to recruit one or two more volunteers who might share this workload.

 

 

BBC Films are currently in Dublin filming The Baker Street Irregulars, a Sherlock Holmes mystery for BBC One and Children’s BBC. 

The exterior of the building which houses the 4Basra office (which was perhaps a sitting room or dining room once upon a time) is being used in the film. 

However, the crew have also hung blinds and curtains in the front window and left a bit of a mess in the office after filming yesterday. 

As they are due back next Sunday, on the very slim chance that you’re reading guys, could you please leave the room as you found it next weekend?

Consumer tastes are notoriously fickle, changing at an ever-faster pace.  

Nonetheless, contributions from the ubiquitous ‘Red’ campaign – Motorola mobile phones, The Independent newspaper, Ipods, credit cards, etc. – recently topped $10 million. 

As yesterday’s Sunday Times reported, Ali Hewson’s Edun ethical fashion range is another recent example. 

Closer to home, Oxfam Ireland launched The Cake Sale: a 9-song CD by a loose and expansive collection of well-known musicians and writers. 

As the trend continues, it seems that like any other business, the companies and charities co-operating in these ventures will have to be both leaders and followers: shaping the direction of campaigns while at the same time adapting to consumer tastes.