If the mad rush of buying Christmas gifts is turning you into a Grinch, the Heifer International charity wants you to give a gift that will be meaningful to both your family and families around the world, without all the hassle. In fact, it's the perfect last-minute gift since it doesn't require going out to buy it (you purchase online) and nothing needs to be shipped.

Heifer International provides animals like cows, llamas, sheep and even water buffalo to impoverished families who can then use the animal for their own nourishment and to create an income for the future. For example, if a family has a cow, the children will be able to have a glass of milk every morning for nourishment. They will also be able to go to school because the revenue earned from selling milk can pay for classes. Then, every gift multiplies. As the cow's first offspring is born, it is passed on to another family, and they agree to pass on an animal too and so on and so forth. It's quicker, cheaper and plain easier than taking a two-week voluntourism trip, and yet you'll probably feel just as good about it. ]]> cmb 2009-12-23T17:35:52-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/4/30/6445/29992

Most of us use public transportation for exactly that, transporting us from A to B. But there's an Indian-born guy in Britain who has another take on the uses of buses and airplanes: he likes to pull them along himself.

Crazy fundraiser Manjit Singh was already in the record books for pulling a double-decker bus with his teeth and pulling a Vulcan bomber with a harness around his waist. So last week he decided it was time to pull a Jetstream 41 airliner using only his ears. The plane weighed about 16,300 pounds and using an ear harness, Singh tugged it for 12 feet.

Yeah, he's trying to raise money for kids in India to get involved in sport, but can't someone just tell him there's an easier way to travel? Or is there a job for him at airports when those little tugging machines run out of batteries?

Related Stories:
· Strongman Pulls 16,300-Pound Airliner [LiveScience]
· Man Pulls Passenger Jet With Ears [Ananova]
]]> amandak 2007-04-30T10:18:44-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/8/24/154146/826
An Australian charity's got a nice deal going at the moment. Would-be travelers looking for an active adventurous holiday--trekking the Great Wall or Machu Picchu, motorbiking through or climbing in the Himalayas--can pay a bargain price for a two week trip, provided they do enough good-cause fund-raising. Mission Australia is running the Big 6 adventure program with the aim of raising about $200,000.

It works like this: participants need to pay $530 each for the trip, including flights, accommodation (often camping, of course) and a guide. Before they leave home they have to raise between four and six thousand dollars for charity, using whatever methods they want. Some suggestions are made, from the traditional pub quiz, themed evenings, or the swear box where everyone in the office or family has to make a donation every time they use a naughty word. For workplaces they have a few neat suggestions: a toll to pay every time you use the elevator instead of the stairs, auctioning off a day off work (presumably with the boss's approval) or paying to sleep in late one morning. It's kind of a nice idea, although if we're feeling cynical, it could be just a way of getting someone else to pay for your holiday.

[Image via Neil67/Flickr]

]]> amandak 2006-08-30T09:15:02-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/