Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Season's Givings?

Posted by Cliff on from the tis-the-season dept.

DevanJedi asks: "Many people around the world plan their charitable giving around this time of the year, for religious, tax or other similarly benevolent reasons. As a geek who spends an inordinate amount of time around his computer, I have compiled a list of entities that have made my geek life easier, in the past year. Which other projects does Slashdot believe to be worthy of praise, money, recognition, developer time or general applause?"

52 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. I gave all my money to Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm thinking that might've been a bad idea since I now realize they're not a charity.

    1. Re:I gave all my money to Slashdot by Amezick · · Score: 2, Informative

      Please validate the charity you are giving money to. There is a non-profit organization that posts the yearly IRS filing of all NPO's. It's website is at http://www.guidestar.org/ (registration required)

  2. here's an idea . . . by hcetSJ · · Score: 2, Funny

    Slashdot my bank account . . .

    Just deposit to account 1241234234 . . .

    --

    This side up.
    1. Re:here's an idea . . . by HappyMeal · · Score: 3, Interesting
      :)

      How about the OpenBSD Project? I know, some folks have issues with Theo deRaadt himself -- and I must admit to some mutterings, myself.

      But in the realm of technical computing, they've raised the bar higher for everybody. Kudos to them.

      http://www.openbsd.org/donations.html

    2. Re:here's an idea . . . by Geoffreyerffoeg · · Score: 3, Funny

      account 1241234234

      That's the kind of combination an idiot has on his bank account!

  3. I'd love to read this list but by butters+the+odd · · Score: 4, Informative

    Apparently your server wasn't quite ready for the Slashdot effect.

    1. Re:I'd love to read this list but by gaveawaymyname · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Sorry Timmy, there won't be a Christmas this year... Santa's list got Slashdotted."

  4. Food banks by Barkley44 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I find food banks are the best place to donate, especially in food form (instead of cash). Canned foods last well into the new year and many people benefit from the meals they provide - either peopel directly getting the food, or food banks preparing the food. We try to run such events every few months around our area. One time we went to make a large donation and the food bank had just 1 can of food left (for a city of 18,000 people). A lot of people don't realize how much a few $$ worth of food can go towards helping other people out.

    --
    KeepTrackOfIt.com - Find the lowest gas prices in your area graphically
    1. Re:Food banks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I know in my area, most people forget the food bank collects money. There's always a lot of "Free with food donation" concerts and such, or food drives at the gorcery stores, even on busses, but it never gets mentioned that the food banks need money too.

      In addition to the reasons for cash you mentioned above, food banks are often needting to by perishables , such as milk, eggs, bread, meat, cheese and so on, in addition to whatever it's short of at any given time. Money is often invaluable to a food bank.

      My annual donation to the food bank is always in cash.

    2. Re:Food banks by SleepyHappyDoc · · Score: 2, Informative

      Bear in mind, if you donate 'nice' foods, as in anything nicer than cheap canned stuff and pasta, it usually will not make it's way to the poor served by the food bank, but will most likely go home with whomever works at the food bank. Not to impugne the services food banks offer, but if you want to help a hungry person or family, do it directly. Find a low-income/subsidized housing area, take some food with you, and give it away to those who need it. Or else, buy gift certificates for grocery stores, and give those away directly.

      Having worked at a food bank in the past, the volunteers (who are not always poor or in need of food) get first pick on what is donated.

      --
      Stasis is death. Embrace change.
    3. Re:Food banks by Myself · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And if they're reasonably large, they probably have options with local food stores to buy things at quantity discount. Why would you buy a few cans of food at the per-can price, when they could combine cash donations and get it at the per-pallet price? Furthermore, cash is easily converted into whatever type of food they need at the moment. Giving them specific types means they have to store them up until they have enough of whatever to make a batch of something.

      Of course, if you work for a food producer of some sort, it would be huge if you could help arrange a deal with your local food bank.

    4. Re:Food banks by akamoe · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Probably just the scum of the earth.

      Where I live, there are 2 food banks: one is staffed by volunteers, with a part-time (4hx5d/wk) co-ordinator. They will accept food happily, but have volume discounts with local retailers and wholesalers for cash donations. The cash helps tho, because they still have rent to pay, and lights to keep on.

      Then, there's a food "bank", where the execuitve director and manager are husband and wife, and between them get $120,000/yr salary. If you try to donate food to them, they freak out, but if there's a nickle of charity money to be had, they will literally knock you down to get it (they knocked a fireman over one time who was involved in a fundraising effort for the other food-bank, because he wouldn't give up 1/2 the money).

      Choose your favorite. ;)

    5. Re:Food banks by twiddlingbits · · Score: 4, Informative

      I have a close friend who works on the Board of our food bank here in N. Texas. She says give MONEY. As they can buy food for around 17 cents/pound in bulk from the mfgs and/or the Regional Food Bank. I can't think of anything in the Grocery store you can buy at that price. The list you provided is good, but add in Infant Formula/Baby Food, Powdered Milk, Hot Cereals (Oatmeal, Grits, Cream of Wheat), Salt/Pepper, Sugar, Condiments. Frozen Meats (such as those on-sale frozen Turkeys) are also good as they can feed a family for a week with one of those!

  5. Charitable giving by ucblockhead · · Score: 4, Informative
    I prefer to give my charitable dollars to the poor and infirm.

    I sometimes also give money to middle-class white geeks running software projects that benefit other middle-class white geeks because I want those projects to continue to exist. (I am, after all, a middle-class white geek.) But I don't delude myself into thinking that this is "charity" because when I give money to these projects, I benefit in that the project that produces something that I use is going to be able to advance faster.

    For example, giving money to the gnome people isn't "charity" unless you do not use gnome yourself.

    --
    The cake is a pie
    1. Re:Charitable giving by quizteamer · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I prefer to give my charitable dollars to the poor and infirm.

      Its great to give money around Christmas to the poor and infirm, but if you don't have the extra cash (like me), another option is volunteering (and not just around the holidays).
      I spend 4-8 hours a week helping students with math and science at the "poor" high school in my city. I also play guitar in a band that goes to the local hospitals a few times a month.
      Giving money is good but its not your only option.

      --
      Live Long and Prosper
    2. Re:Charitable giving by ucblockhead · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Agreed! In fact, I'd say that giving money is the worst option. When you give time, you help directly, with nothing skimmed off the top.

      --
      The cake is a pie
    3. Re:Charitable giving by penguin121 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      >Agreed! In fact, I'd say that giving money is the worst option. When you give time, you help directly, with nothing skimmed off the top.

      While giving money certainly isn't the only option or the best option necessarily, that doesn't make it the worst option. Many charities require a combination of material donations, such as money, as well as donations of time through volunteering to be sucessful. Consider something like a soup kitchen. Its true that if it only gets material donations, it won't be effective without volunteers to prepare and distribute them. However, it won't be effective either if it only has volunteers without any food to distribute. The point of charity is to give what you can to help those in need. A person lacking free time that gives money is not exercising a worse option than someone else lacking money that gives their time, and neither is the reverse true. To try and form a pecking order out of the different types of charitable giving is to lose sight of the bigger picture.

  6. Be unselfish by ishmalius · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Maybe you address this in your article, but the server has turned to molten metal. So ignore this if I have it wrong, but: They made your life better? Whatever happened to altruism?

    I, for one, am giving to the Salvation Army. During the hurricanes, they did an enormous amount of thankless work. They did not receive the publicity of the Red Cross, but as is typical, they are the first to arrive and the last to leave. They work endless hours, seemingly tirelessly, and never lose their smiles. They shun self-promotion. These are truly wonderful people.

    1. Re:Be unselfish by Caspian · · Score: 3, Informative
      [Salvation Army members] work endless hours, seemingly tirelessly, and never lose their smiles.

      Of course they don't. They're there to look happy and smiley so they can convert you. What did you think "salvation" referred to?

      If you aren't interested in giving significant sums of money to further one of the cause of Jesusism, may I suggest CARE, Goodwill, or another secular charity?
      --
      With spending like this, exactly what are "conservatives" conserving?
    2. Re:Be unselfish by TheFlyingGoat · · Score: 2, Informative

      The Salvation Army is an excellent charitable organization. I donate to them every year instead of the Red Cross, not because I don't like the Red Cross, but because I feel the Salvation Army is more efficient with how they spend the money.

      We also donate to can drives, Toys for Tots (local charity), and the Humane Society. Food and clothing drives are the most important charities this time of year, since 100% of what you donate goes to people that really need those things. Donating to the Humane Society is just something we've always done, and as such is a family tradition. No reason it has to be done during the holidays, though.

      Just for kicks, here's an annoying story about how a local school wasn't allowed to have their students volunteer for the Salvation Army, since it's a religious organization. The complaints of a few unreasonable people ruined what would have been a very good lesson for those kids.

      --
      You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. --Winston Churchill
    3. Re:Be unselfish by ishmalius · · Score: 2, Informative
      Yes, I forgot to mention that part, that they have very low operating costs, so almost all of the donations go the the needy.

      By the way, the cynics might want to know that in all of our dealings with the Salvation Army this summer, I did not see them proseletyzing even a single time. Helping the people in distress seemed to be the only mission at hand. Here is a nice humorous article from a few weeks ago about another group, which I think actually gets the spirit of the relief effort fairly accurately.

      Another thing to which people might be interested in contributing, are the various holiday feasts that your local community organizations are holding for the poor and homeless in your area. I have volunteered for these several times, and I absolutely love doing it. I have discovered that what homeless people need the most is merely someone to talk to, since they are so totally alone on the streets. When you ask someone "How are you doing?" and he blurts out his entire life's story, the best thing you can do is listen.

      I must admit, giving your own time to help people directly can't really be considered totally altruistic. Guiltily, you will almost certainly benefit in your heart as much as anything you might be doing for them. Cynicism will fall by the wayside.

    4. Re:Be unselfish by Stephen+Williams · · Score: 3, Informative

      Of course they want to spread the Gospel. They're a church. They're not trying to hide it, either; it's not as if they're converting people at the point of a sword, or being dishonest about their motives. And why should they not tell people about something they consider vitally important? Whether or not you believe their message to be true, they do, and they sincerely believe that everyone needs to hear it. And if it falls on deaf ears, they'll help you anyway. Their mission isn't "repent, or we won't give you assistance".

      -Stephen

    5. Re:Be unselfish by StarboardTack · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm sorry to hear that you garner no sense on pleasure or self satisfaction from your seemingly altruistic activities. I'm really not into doing things that I don't want to do, and I don't want to do things that make me feel bad, or even indifferent.

      I'm frightened of those who are ashamed to admit that they enjoy helping others or feel that somehow enjoying benevolent acts degrades those acts into not being 'true altruism.'

      By that definition, only someone with mental or emotional issues could commit acts of altruism (without regard to their own happiness).

      Please admit that it does make your life better by adding some value, be it pleasure, or purpose, or just a warm fuzzy feeling.

    6. Re:Be unselfish by Secrity · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Would you feel the same way if the public school wanted it's students to volunteer for the Westboro Baptist Church, the Black Ministerial Alliance, or Focus on the Family instead of the Salvation Army?

    7. Re:Be unselfish by Caspian · · Score: 3, Insightful

      A lot of people who would never knowingly help a church are unaware that the SA is, in fact, one.

      --
      With spending like this, exactly what are "conservatives" conserving?
    8. Re:Be unselfish by mj2k · · Score: 2, Insightful

      it is individuals such as yourself that give agnostics/atheists a bad name... the salvation army, just like the red cross, does a lot of good, and helps many people. I don't see any athiest organizations on the scale of the salvation army that exist, if so, please correct me. The salvation army doesn't walk up to you after a disaster and devise some "proselytise for aid" scheme, where you either convert or they walk away... They go out there, help people, and tell people why they are doing that(i.e. spreading the gospel or something of that nature), if the people they help are positively impressed by this, and drawn to go to church after this, is this dishonest? in what way does this put them in the wrong?

    9. Re:Be unselfish by inkey+string · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And I don't give a damn. If more churches acted like the SA (shunning promotion, attempting to illustrate the benefit of religion through selfless acts rather than shameless guilting) I would be a lot less leery of organized religion in general.

      Don't hate religion. There isn't anything terribly wrong with believing in a power beyond one's self and brotherhood with your fellow man. Hate the corruption and human fallibility that has wound tight over the millenia with the threads of innocent belief.

  7. Glad to see... by IANAAC · · Score: 2, Funny

    that taxes are a benevolent reason to give.

    1. Re:Glad to see... by sid+crimson · · Score: 3, Informative

      Well... ...by giving a tax deductable donation your money goes farther. I prefer to see good organizations like your local Salvation Army, church, or food bank get 100% of my donation than to keep 60% of it for myself.

      Uncle Sam needs to figure out how to do more with less. After all, he keeps counting on me to do the same.....

      -sid

    2. Re:Glad to see... by Guuge · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Well... ...by giving a tax deductable donation your money goes farther.

      Yes, but the point is that the motivation behind your donation isn't all that benevolent if you're doing it just for the tax break.

      Uncle Sam needs to figure out how to do more with less.

      Good news! Uncle Sam is doing more and more, and has less in the bank than ever before!

  8. EFF by wyldeone · · Score: 4, Informative

    The site's dead, so I can't tell if this was on the list, but defintely everyone should consider donating to the eff. They have done so much good work protecting our digital rights and hopefully they'll be able to continue in the future.

    --
    In the beginning the universe was created. This made a lot of people very angry and is widely considered as a bad move.
  9. Documentation projects by Mostly+a+lurker · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I tried to RTFA, but the /. effect struck before I had a chance.

    An area, often forgotten, that has a huge impact on whether open source products are easily useable is documentation. In this respect, kudos to the OOo documentation project who have done a great job this year.

    Useful to a smaller group, but very useful to me this year, has been the excellent Linux Terminal Server Project Wiki.

    The usefulness of the above resources is in sad contrast to the documentation available for most open source application software. I am very keen to make more use of some of these products, but a lack of good documentation is pretty much a show stopper.

  10. Here's the article by Trip+Ericson · · Score: 5, Informative

    Season's Givings

    Many people around the world plan their charitable giving around this time of the year, for religious, tax or other similarly benevolent reasons. As a geek who spends an inordinate amount of time with around his computer, these are the entities that have made my life easier in the past year and deserve all the recognition, money and general fulfillment of all Amazon Wish List desires:

    * Firefox : This has undoubtedly been the year of Firefox. If you aren't using it yet... what are you waiting for? With plugins, extensions, tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking and the fact that it's free and open for all make it the IE-killer that we've all been waiting for.
    Get FireFox | Get Involved | Donate

    * Wikipedia If this year was the year of Firefox, then Wikipedia was a close second. This is the largest single resource of information ever created by men. They are having their quarterly fund drive; please give generously. Become a contributor; and editor. Many people believe they don't know enough or need to be an expert in order to contribute meaningfully. You don't have to be. I'm no expert and I've written about my home town, my college, my favorite sports team, and other random stuff I find errors or omissions in. Give it a try and enjoy.

    * OpenOffice.org : By providing a viable, free and open option to the over-priced monopoly of MS Office, OO.o has shown us a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible.
    Contribute

    * Fedora : The low-hassle Linux distribution that I've been using for a year or so; a worthy successor to the Red Hat name; easy to get up and running in addition to or in place of that MS OS of yesterday. Contribute

    * Gnucash : This year, there was life before Gnucash and then there was life after Gnucash. And life after has been undoubtedly better. This is a smash free and open source personal (and small business) financial accounting tool that blows everything else out of the water- mainly because it's free and extensible to do what you want it to. Gnucash, you've changed my life for the better. I may not save more money than I used to, but at least I know what I'm not saving money on.
    Contribute

    * Emacs : Emacs, you complete me. 'nuff said.
    Contribute

    * Adium : There was a time when I would have multiple messenger applications running at the same time. Then came Gaim. There was a time when Gaim was ugly; then came Adium, a tremendous messenger client for the Mac OS that looks great, is extensible (has great plugins) and is free/open.
    Donate (donate link at bottom of page)

    * NetNewsWire : This piece of software is one of the great RSS readers of the world (for the Mac). In the new year, I will be buying the full version. Easy to use, great to look at and powerful under the hood; this is the app that made turned me into an RSS junky.

    * Fink : Fink allows Mac OS to be more Unixey than it already is. With easy to install ports of all major UNIX/Linux packages through the command-line or GUI interface, Mac OS X without Fink is like Windows without Ctrl-Alt-Delete.

    * Brattle : The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Mass. is in trouble. If they can't put together enough funding to pay past debts and future leases, they will be closed by February 2006. This is unacceptable- the Brattle is one of few truly independent movie theatres in the country. Without Brattle I would have never seen Casablanca on the big screen and would not have the opportunity to see the 1930s Kin

  11. What about the Human Fund? by onemorechip · · Score: 2, Funny

    in the spirit of Festivus, of course!

    --
    But, I wanted socialized health insurance!
  12. Penny-Arcade - Child's Play Charity by SpyderPSU · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://www.childsplaycharity.org/

  13. My son's soccer coach by ashitaka · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You may be expecting a joke about putting up with a bunch of unruly 14-year-olds.

    Sorry, he deserves it .

    Details here.

    --
    If you don't want to repeat the past, stop living in it.
  14. Instead of stuff, give time! by PurifyYourMind · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why not volunteer at a school in a low income neighborhood? I'm sure young people would love to have an expert computer resource at their disposal. And what better audience for free/open source ideas?

  15. Ubuntu by Risen888 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Whether it's your cup of tea or not, at this moment, no one but no one is building the Linux user base like these guys. The inroads they've been making into what is historically a Microsoft market of end-users are phenominal, and that helps everyone.

    And don't get me wrong, they'll take your money with smiles on their faces and love in their hearts, but what they'd really love for Christmas is a little of your time and talent.

    --
    Hey, I finally got my first freak! Took you long enough!
    1. Re:Ubuntu by Risen888 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Lots of charities are funded by independently wealthy billionaires. See also: Bill Gates, George H.W. Bush.

      Furthermore, the money that Shuttleworth has put into Ubuntu, AFAIK, consisted of $10 million in startup capital. (Yeah, it's a Wikipedia number, I don't know about the accuracy, but there it is.) A significant chunk of money to be sure, but if the number is to be trusted, he's not exactly pouring his financial resources into Ubuntu.

      Further-furthermore, the man's not making a dime off it. Which is, of course, the definition of the word 'charity.'

      --
      Hey, I finally got my first freak! Took you long enough!
  16. Self-Sufficiency by turtledawn · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I really like Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org./ You're giving the gift of self-sufficiency to people that really want it: participants ask for help, and recieve training, assistance in building livestock pens and equipment, and depending on their individual and community situation at least one female livestock animal appropriate to their environment. The only thing Heifer asks from the participants in return is that they pass on an equivalent gift to another needy family, in the form of training or the first female offspring of their gift animal. Heifer works all over the world, including the poorer areas of the United States: they have a map on their site that shows current active projects. Due to the nature of their work they have to be in fairly stable areas -you don't want your newly-gifted goats to be stolen and fed to soldiers after all- but those are often the regions that seem to need the most help and that no one know s_how_ to help.

    If it helps build their credibility, Heifer has been a Motley Fool choise philanthopy for at least two years now.

    --
    Uh, "if it looks roughly mouse-shaped according to my infra-red sensitive pit, eat it"? --Chris Burke 09-08-10
  17. Another Idea by keithmo · · Score: 5, Interesting
    • Take 10 $100 bills.
    • Spend one day giving them (anonymously, if you wish) to people you see every day who make your life easier and who could really use the money. The "single mother" waitress who keeps your coffee cup filled at your favorite breakfast place. The anonymous immigrant who cleans the bathroom at your office. The teenage student who sacks your groceries when not studying for an exam. The elderly person working at the fast-food joint because they cannot survive on their retirement benefits.

    These are the faceless people who keep our society running. We all depend on them.

    No, you cannot deduct these donations from your taxes, but fuck it. Do it anyway.

  18. Better yet...! by John+Nowak · · Score: 2, Funny

    Take 100000 pennies.
    Throw one at everyone that pissed you off this year!!

    ARHGH!

  19. Vim/Ugandan Orphans by fyoder · · Score: 2, Informative
    If we're going to include emacs, we should include vim -- equal time and all that.

    Bram Moolenaar isn't looking for donations to himself or the project, but would prefer vim users donate to iccf, an organization that helps kids in Kibaale, Uganda. Here's a link to a copy of the readme file.

    --
    Loose lips lose spit.
    1. Re:Vim/Ugandan Orphans by HardCase · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Egads, donating to a Christian organization? This is /., after all - look at how hard the Salvation Army got smacked!

      -h-

  20. Fire! by Dachannien · · Score: 2, Informative

    The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education works to protect the free speech rights of students across the U.S., with a special focus on public colleges and universities, which are bound by Constitutional mandate to preserve freedom of speech. They are especially in need of donations from people who've already moved on to start their careers, since college students typically don't make that much money.

  21. Is the Salvation Army Bashing Gays? by Secrity · · Score: 2, Informative

    What about the Salvation Army social worker who claims that his supervisor harassed him because he is gay and Jewish and then fired him when he complained?

    Also, the Salvation Army has been lobbying to include a special provision that would allow them to discriminate against hiring homosexuals and still receive federal funding.

  22. Geeks can help Seniors by toekneeshops · · Score: 3, Informative

    There is a wonderful non-profit that is based in the U.S. but is growing worldwide called SeniorNet (see http://www.seniornet.org/ which teaches older people how to use computers. If you have a local Seniornet Learning Center, you can donate time teaching or coaching classes, you can donate useable equipment, or you can donate money. You may even be able to just donate technical advice. You would not believe the look of happiness on old folks' faces when they find pictures of their grandkids on the Internet for the first time, or they find out there is a support community for their particular painful disorders. Volunteer! It's a great help and a great feeling!

  23. Give the right amount to the right places by alphorn · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Think about how many Africans will die (malnourishment, diseases) because you use your "charity" budget on stuff that makes your life better.

    Think about exactly why you would be outraged if millions of people died of hunger or cold (think Pakistan) in your country, yet this is not such a big deal if it happens far enough away.

    Think about how much suffering could be prevented if you gave 10% of your income, how little suffering that would cause you, and why you (like most people) consider it okay to give much less than that.

    International Red Cross
    Médécins sans frontières
    UN World Food Programme

  24. Habitat for Humanity by Comatose51 · · Score: 2, Informative
    I'm a core volunteer for Habitat and it is definitely one of my favorite charities. It's very unique in that it provides housing but also makes the recipients get involved as helping themselves and their neighbors. The way it works is that the recipient must volunteer for X number of hours with Habitat and they end up either working on the home they'll move into or one of their neighbors' homes since Habitat tends to build entire neighborhoods. So they end up knowing each other from the start.

    It's also great for those who want to help but don't have the extra cash. It helps me meet some great people who I would normally never meet and I've met a few "nerds" (professors, engineers, etc). The only caveat is that Habitat is a Christian organization but they're pretty light on that and never presses anyone on religion. I'm a devout atheist and have enjoyed working with other volunteers who are often church affliated.

    It's a little late to do it now for the holiday season since a house takes some time to complete but try it for the next holiday season. One can imagine the emotion when the key is handed over to the new owners during the holiday season.

    --
    EvilCON - Made Famous by /.
  25. Medecins sans frontieres by haelduksf · · Score: 2, Informative

    http://www.msf.org/ Nobel peace prize winners helping african orphans, how much better can it get?

  26. Project Gutenberg by CaptKilljoy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Project Gutenberg is my charity of choice. What could be greater than giving the world access to the collected works of the worlds great thinkers and writers?

  27. faces... by YesIAmAScript · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So the faces you see get money, eh?

    The guy who makes sure the traffic lights on the way to work don't go green both ways and gets you killed gets nothing?

    I don't mean to sound like Mr. Pink here, but this is a great example of how baffling the rules for who gets a gratuity are.

    Perhaps you could ask yourself, if I'm only giving it to people I see and not the most deserving regardless, who am I really doing it for?

    --
    http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95