Dunk Malaria

Dunk Malaria is organizing a Malaria Action Day on March 19th, to raise awareness of malaria. The idea is that people net a basketball to symbolize the insecticide treated netting that is the best weapon against malaria. Good. Except that number 2 on their list of charities is the execrable Africa Fighting Malaria, who are trying to prevent bednets from being used to fight malaria.

I think that we here at Deltoid can, right now, do more to fight malaria than Africa Fighting Malaria has ever done. I will match, up to a total of $300, donations to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Leave your pledges in comments.

Comments

#1 John Cross
March 15, 2006

OK, as a regular reader I feel obligated to take you up. Count me in for $25 (Canadian, US or Au – whatever your preference). How do we proceed from here? Donate at the Global Fund site?
#2 jre
March 15, 2006

Great idea!
The address immediately before the secure donation page is here.
I’ve donated $50US, specified that the gift is “In Honor of” Tim Lambert (the only other choice was “In Memory of”), and requested that the acknowledgment card go to Tim at UNSW.
Future donors may want to leave the card option unclicked to save the cost of postage for unfoundation.org; I just wanted to see if it would work, and I figured one card wouldn’t kill ‘em.
#3 John Cross
March 15, 2006

Good idea JRE. I followed his link and made a donation. Just to be different I didn’t make it in Tim’s honor but instead sent him a screen capture of the thank you page.

Tim: I know that we are all men (and women) of honor but now you have a choice of how to receive confirmation. Please advise how you want to be informed.
#4 hank
March 15, 2006

$50 donated, I think, but no proof! all the ‘thank you’ page shows is this:
“Thank You

“Thank you for your donation to the United Nations Foundation.
We greatly appreciate your generous contribution.”

I was expecting something a bit more specific, guess I should have used the ‘in memory of’ checkbox to verify this? Tim, when I find a confirmation in my credit card record I’ll send it to you.
#5 hank
March 15, 2006

PS — there’s an Excel spreadsheet with an interesting footnote — did the Larouche/21stCenturyScience people actually get their way with the US Congress? This “direct bilateral technical” phrase sounds like Larouche’s idea got written into the law.

Footnote found at the bottom of this Excel doc:
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/files/pledges&contributions.xls

“2 The United States contribution to the Global Fund is subject to certain U.S. legislative restrictions, including that, during 2004-2008, no U.S. government contribution may cause the total amount of U.S. government funds contributed to exceed 33% of total contributions. Furthermore, at the donor’s discretion, up to 5 percent of this funding may be applied in the form of direct bilateral technical assistance to activities related to Global Fund grant implementation, and the contribution to the Global Fund reduced correspondingly.”
#6 Bill Hooker
March 15, 2006

The Fund will send you an acknowledgement email, so I forwarded mine on by way of proof. You’re up for another $10, Tim.
#7 John Cross
March 15, 2006

Bill is correct, the Fund will send an e-mail. But take care, my spam filter put it in my junk mail so I had to go looking for it.

Tim, I am forwarding it to you.
#8 Tara C. Smith
March 15, 2006

Very cool, Tim. I mentioned this on my blog and kicked in $20. I saved the screenshot like John.
#9 Tara C. Smith
March 15, 2006

Very cool, Tim. I mentioned this on my blog and kicked in $20. I saved the screenshot like John.
#10 Tara C. Smith
March 15, 2006

Very cool, Tim. I mentioned this on my blog and kicked in $20. I saved the screenshot like John.
#11 Tara C. Smith
March 15, 2006

Very cool, Tim. I mentioned this on my blog and kicked in $20. I saved the screenshot like John.
#12 Krusty
March 15, 2006

US$25 from here, thanks Tim
#13 David Heidelberg
March 16, 2006

$10 from me Tim (poor)

I wonder if JF Beck will contribute? Or perhaps his interest in DDT extends only to using it as an apparatus for (attempted) political point scoring?
#14 lance laifer
March 16, 2006

Dear Tim,

First of all thank you for your endorsement of dunk malaria.
The world is fortunate that there are people like you out who care passionately about the ten to twenty million poor children of the world who are scheduled to be put to their death by mosquito over the next ten years.

I have spent the last eight months researching and fighting malaria (almost full time and learning as much as I can – though admittedly I am limited by a lack of scientific background – and low iq- My university chemistry teacher will attest to this fact) and I have not found one person or group doing more than Africa Fighting Malaria to combat this emergency, which I firmly believe requires bednets, medications, insecticides and other transformative ecological measures such as swamp draining (not to mention the long term need to make up for the dearth of health professionals in Africa).

Thank you so much for your efforts to raise money to buy bednets. Unfortunately there is a critical supply problem for bednets in Africa. The theoretical demand for bednets is at least 600 million bednets (the population of sub-saharan Africa in malaria infested regions – not to mention places like India and Haiti – btw even the long lasting nets only last around three to five years so a replacement cycle would be around 150 million per year ). Annual production capacity is a small fraction of that number. Of course please buy all the bednets you can – the malaria free zone projects that we at hedge funds vs. malaria and dunk malaria initiated with the free africa foundation http://www.freeafrica.org provides bednets, insecticides and medications to each person in the village and we list among others the acumen fund (which financed the A-Z bednet manufacturing plant in Arusha Tanzania – not just the only long lasting bednet manufacturing facility in Africa, which is ramping bednet manufacturing capacity to 8 million as we speak from around 3 million last year – but is also the largest employer in Arusha). I think you should note that most of the other charities on the list are also utilizing bednets as a first line of defense, but we need to do many more thinks like worry about transportation of people in rural places to hospitals – please see riders.org for more on this issue.

At this point there is no such thing as a bad defense against malaria – the biggest problem lies with the governments of the world that are only allocating a fraction of the amount of money that this disease requires – It needs a one time infusion of at least $10 billion and it is getting approximately five percent of that amount (which is about 25% of what it requires annually), which means that the problems are only getting worse not better. Once again thank you for all that you are doing and may we all figure out a way to work together (or apart – as long as we are working) to save the lives of these poor kids (and adults).

Best,

Lance Laifer
Founder
Dunk Malaria & Hedge Funds vs. Malaria
vs.malaria@gmail.com
http://www.dunkmalaria.org
#15 z
March 16, 2006

$25 (US) from here, but confirmatory email yet to come.
#16 coturnix
March 16, 2006

$10 only – still unemployed….
#17 J F Beck
March 16, 2006

[Beck's comment was abusive. I have deleted it and banned him for 24 hours. I'll lift the ban immediately if he makes a donation to the Global Fund. Tim]
#18 wronwright
March 17, 2006

Tim, I read Beck’s comment at his blog, referred to by a post on Tim Blair’s blog. I did not find it abusive in the least. I have to agree with a commenter at Tim Blair’s site that you do not seem to tolerate constructive criticism. To be honest, I find that par for the course on leftwing blogs.
#19 jre
March 17, 2006

Dear wronwright:

Bravo to you, my boy!
Far too many people these days consider “toadies” to be a pejorative!

Yrs,

Bufo
#20 Bill Posters
March 17, 2006

You mean the post on Beck’s blog that accuses Tim L of being autistic?
#21 Michael
March 17, 2006

Here is Becks comment, minus the ‘insult’. Perhaps now you can respond?

Mr Lambert,

Dunk Malaria’s Lance Laifer thinks Africa Fighting Malaria is doing a great job – see comment above.

Richard Tren has issued the following statement:

Africa Fighting Malaria fully recognises that bednets are an important, valuable and effective tool against malaria and should be supported by aid agencies, donors, the private sector and governments. We are not ‘anti-bednet’ in any way. We are against the recent trend in malaria funding which has promoted bednets ahead of and to the exclusion of other interventions that are also effective, such as indoor residual spraying with insecticides, like DDT. The reality of the last two decades is that donor agencies have not funded indoor residual spraying in any significant way and the result has been a steady increase in malaria incidence. We are working to redress that balance and most crucially we hope to give malaria scientists and experts in the countries affected a greater say in how to fight malaria in their own countries and to determine the best possible tools for their circumstances.

You should retract your assertion that Africa Fighting Malaria is “execrable” because it endeavours to “prevent bednets from being used to fight malaria,” should you not?
#22 Tim Lambert
March 17, 2006

I’ve deleted a couple more abusive comments left by commenters who seem to have been directed here by Tim Blair. You guys obviously don’t like me, so here’s your chance to cost me money! Donate to the Global Fund (or MFI if your prefer). How about it?

Michael, try clicking on the link to Africa Fighting Malaria in my post.
#23 E Burrows
March 17, 2006

Yes, but are you going to withdraw the “execrable” comment and your allegation that they are “trying to prevent bednets from being used to fight malaria” ?
#24 anthony
March 18, 2006

Nice work Tim. US$20.

Forwarded confirmation email on the way.
#25 Tim Lambert
March 18, 2006

Mr Burrows, did you bother to click on the link to find out why I think they execrable and how they are trying to prevent bednet use? And how about donating some money to help fight malaria? The Blair folk aren’t looking too good here.
#26 J F Beck
March 18, 2006

Mr Lambert,

If you are a man of your word, I should once again be allowed to comment as my 24 hours naughtiness suspension should now be lapsed.

As you refuse to answer my emails, could you please elaborate here on those aspects of my earlier comment deemed by you to be abusive. You have a problem with the word “toady”, do you?

In comments above Bill Posters says I accused you of having autism. Yes, I’m real big on accusing: in 1982 I accused my father of having cancer; I now accuse him of being dead. (Buy a dictionary, Bill.)

Yes Mr Lambert, I followed your internal link to an earlier post on the execrable Africa Fighting Malaria – � title: Petition to Kill African Children Now! – which attacks Africa Fighting Malaria for having different funding priorities to yours. You, on the other hand, having the special insights that can only be gained while sitting behind your desk reading about malaria, have actively attempted to damage the fundraising activities of Dunk Malaria � do you not understand that readers who might otherwise have been inclined to donate to Dunk Malaria might decide after reading your hyperbolic nonsense not to give at all? Such behaviour on your part is irresponsible to say the least.

Richard Tren has clearly stated, on behalf of Africa Fighting Malaria, his position regarding bednets. You really should retract your accusation that Africa Fighting Malaria is “trying to prevent bednets from being used to fight malaria”. Such an accusation is tantamount to saying Africa Fighting Malaria is trying to ensure that Africans die of malaria. Do you really believe this?
#27 Toady
March 18, 2006

The Blair folk aren’t looking too good here.

Charity vaunteth not itself… etc.
#28 Tim Lambert
March 18, 2006

Yes, Mr Beck, I have a problem with you calling the kind and generous people who have donated money to help fight malaria, “toadies”. I note further that although you were eager to post here you chose to wait out the 24 hour ban rather than donate money to fight malaria and be able to post immediately.

As my post makes perfectly clear, AFM’s petition would prevent US government funds being spent, directly or indirectly, on bednets. That is, in fact, “trying to prevent bednets from being used to fight malaria”. But you knew that.
#29 J F Beck
March 18, 2006

Mr Lambert,

As usual you haven’t got your “facts” quite right; I donated US$100.00 = AU$143.70 to MFI yesterday (Receipt Number: 0244-4958-3900-1102, confirmed by PayPal email at 3:01:09 PM AWST). My apologies for not keeping you informed of my charitable donations. In any event, why would I be eager to post here immediately when my comments disappear into moderation holding for hours on end.

Your earlier post is far from clear. Are you now claiming that AFM’s petition would result in all US funds for bednets being cut off or that a formula would be put in place that might reduce the funds available for bednets? Can you quote some figures on this?

Further, how is it that you are in a better position to evaluate the value of AFM’s contribution than is Dunk Malaria’s Lance Laifer? You aren’t insinuating he’s a liar, are you? (You obviously think Mr Tren a liar.)

It’s truly amazing that you have twisted my use of the word “toady” to make it seem that I was referring to those who were donating: you know full well that “toady” was directed at the more sycophantic of your readers who inject distracting comments whenever your bacon needs to be pulled from the fire. Anyway, toady is no more a pejorative than sycophant. Do you consider sycophant abusive? And, if the tender sensibilities of your readers was your main concern, why didn’t you simply remove or disemvowel the “abusive” bit?

Here’s the bottom line: I’m going to take it that Messrs Tren and Laifer know what they’re talking about based on first hand knowledge of the situation. You on the other hand have no first hand knowledge of the fight against malaria and are doing nothing more than stating your opinions based on what you have read. And as my pappy used to say, “opinions are like a-holes; everybody has one and they all stink”. (I hope that a-hole thing didn’t give you major brain spasms, or anything.)
#30 Paul Williams
March 18, 2006

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria spends only 31% of its funds on malaria. If you donate to them, this will prevent 69% of your funds being spent, directly or indirectly, on bednets.
#31 Tim Curtin
March 18, 2006

I fail to see how the AFM Petition, weird though it is, can be construed as calling for killing of African children, since it allows for one-third of US funding to be on treated bed nets, in addition to calling for one-third to be on eradication and one-third on treatment of malarial patients. The AFM is right that bed nets protect only when one is in bed, so a petiton calling for 100% allocation of funding could be construed by Lambert logic as calling for killing all African adults and anyone else who does not spend all the hours of darkness in bed. Lambert’s map is also highly tendentious, with blue implying the whole of South Africa is now a DDT resistant area. The UN’s Millennium Project has brought out a volume “Coming to grips with malaria” (2005), with a foreword by the very PC Jeffery Sachs, which endorses bed nets for children, but also supports/proposes other measures including residual indoor spraying that implies use of DDT as well as pyrethroids. It notes South Africa’s cessation of DDT spraying in 1995, despite no evidence of resistance by a.arabiensis; notes resistance of a.funestus to pyrethroids but not DDT and resumption of DDT house spraying in 2000, and successful reduction of malaria in Kwa-Zulu Natal, with some “low-level resistance of a.arabiensis” to DDT emerging but not pyrethroids. So the picture is slightly less black and white than implied in Deltoid.
#32 Meyrick Kirby
March 19, 2006

Tim Curtin:

So the picture is slightly less black and white than implied in Deltoid.

When as anyone here said that DDT indoor spraying is out right a bad thing. It can be a bad or at least inappropriate in certain circumstances (e.g. when there is resistance), but at other times the right thing to do.

The whole problem with the AFM petition is that it is trying to shackle the efforts of those fighting malaria, probably for political reasons, when the people in the field should be free to use those tools that best suit the situation, whether that be bednets, DDT spraying indoors, spraying other insectants, etc.
#33 Meyrick Kirby
March 19, 2006

Okay, just gave $(US)25 to the UN Foundation. I’ll email the confirmation to you Tim.
#34 z
March 19, 2006

“In comments above Bill Posters says I accused you of having autism. Yes, I’m real big on accusing: in 1982 I accused my father of having cancer; I now accuse him of being dead.”

Weirdest post of the month nominee.
#35 z
March 19, 2006

I think it’s quite clear.

A single organization pushes unsuccessfully for a ban on use of DDT against malaria, this constitutes a de facto worldwide ban on DDT which has killed more people than have actually died of malaria.

Another organization pushes “against the recent trend in malaria funding which has promoted bednets ahead of and to the exclusion of other interventions that are also effective” but they “are not ‘anti-bednet’ in any way”.

I wonder if the astroturfers would therefore agree that the organizations fighting use of private automobiles rather than mass transit are not anti-automobile in any way.