9to5Mac reports that Apple has donated $2.5 million to the American Red Cross for the Hurricane Sandy relief effort.

Here’s what Apple CEO Tim Cook had to say in an email to employees:

For the past week, our thoughts have been with those affected by Hurricane Sandy an its aftermath. and Apple employees and customers the world over have raised million of dollars toward the relief effort so far. But we can always do more.

That’s why, on behalf of all our employees, Apple is making a donation of $2.5 million to the American Red Cross to benefit Hurricane Sandy relief. We hope this contribution will help families, businesses, and communities recover and rebuild.

The millions of dollars already raised part refers to Apple’s previous effort to help by installing a donations gateway on the iTunes homepage, which they did a few days after the storm hit.

According to the American Red Cross, they have dispatched over 5,900 workers all along the east coast to help with the recovery. They say that they have hosted 61,000 people in overnight shelters and served 3.2 million meals and snacks to those affected. They’ve also donated more the 121,000 other items like hygiene kits.

If you want to make a donation directly to the Red Cross, you can do so here.

[Image via American Red Cross]

And now you can help with the relief effort using eBay and PayPal.

eBay has set up a dedicated Hurricane Sandy page where users can browse items that benefits Sandy-related charities. Here’s how it works, according to a blog post:

“EBay Giving Works has launched a dedicated Hurricane Sandy site, where shoppers can buy products marked with a yellow-and-blue ribbon. The icon indicates that anywhere from 10% to 100% of that item’s final sale price, as designated by the seller, will go to one of a dozen charities or organizations working in the affected areas, such as the American Red Cross. EBay will credit seller fees in proportion to the amount the seller donates per completed transaction, with 100% of proceeds delivered to designated nonprofits.”

On the relief page, featured items are marked with exactly how much of the price will go to charity and each item details which charity will be receiving the funds. As of right now, the American Red Cross has the most listings benefitting them, with over 10,000. Other charities like The Humane Society, WorldVision, and the Salvation Army also have thousands of listings.

If you’re not interested in making a purchase or selling an item for charity and you simply want to make a donation, you can do so on the hub using PayPal.

“First and foremost, our thoughts are with those that have felt the devastation caused by this storm, including our employees, our users and our partners,” says Sean Miliken, eBay Inc. Director of Nonprofits Strategy. “We are continuously inspired and humbled by the generosity of the eBay and PayPal communities. When the need is greatest, they have proven time-and-again that individual acts of kindness of many can be a powerful force for good.”

Starting today, you can also make a donation using iTunes.

From the iTunes homepage, you can access the donation page via a new button just under the new music box.

The donation page allows you give in six different denominations – $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, and $200. In order to donate, you must be logged in to your Apple account and the donation will be charged to whatever card you’ve linked to it. As always, 100% of your donation goes directly to the American Red Cross.

It’s important to note that you can’t use iTunes Store credit to make your donation.

Of course, this is not the first time that Apple has allowed iTunes to be a hub for donations following a natural disaster – but it’s nice to know that there’s another method out there to help those in need. You can access the page directly here.

It seems that he used his time at the recording studio to create an original rap that slams New Zealand MP John Banks. The song references a scandal that Banks is currently embroiled in where he claims that he never received money from Dotcom, while Dotcom claims that he gave Banks two checks totaling $50,000 so they could be kept anonymous.

I’m a big fan of rap and hip-hop so getting a chance to hear a Dotcom performance was pretty exciting. The actual song, however, is pretty bland. It’s mostly samples taken from interviews with Banks while Dotcom serenades us with a repetitive chorus. It gets the point across, but it doesn’t accomplish much else.

From my coverage so far, it’s pretty obvious that I’m supportive of Dotcom, but I don’t think he should be using his free time and money this way. He has way bigger fish to fry than a dispute with a local politician. He should be putting his money and resources towards his upcoming extradition fight. Even if the judge rules against the U.S. (and it’s looking likely), Dotcom still has to contend with his personal battle.

Regardless of my own feelings, check out the “music video” for Dotcom’s newest song called “Amnesia.” It’s certainly no Megaupload Song, but hopefully Dotcom’s other musical efforts will be more ambitious.

As an aside, it’s somewhat ironic to see the founder of Megaupload having to resort to competing file sharing services to provide free download links to his newest song. It makes me a little sad as well.

[h/t: Ars Technica]

That’s what happened to UK couple Lauren Lane and Daniel Welch when the venue they’d booked informed them-via email, 3 days before Christmas–that they would be closing permanently, leaving them with about six weeks notice and $7,000 lighter in the wallet.

“We were so upset…all our savings had gone over night, along with contributions from both families. As the venue’s debts outweighed their assets we knew we were nowhere near the top of the list for our money back,” Lauren said.

Rather than hide under the comforter with a pint of ice cream–am I the only one who takes bad news that way?–the bride-to-be took to Twitter to ask for help in pulling off the wedding with a considerably smaller budget and the reaction she got was immense and unexpected. Not only did her tweet resound with total strangers, it appealed to celebrities Davina McCall and Dannii Minogue, who retweeted the plea and used their big names for a good cause. Donation offers poured in, with everything from jewelry to a cake to the services of a wedding planner.

@TheCuriosityBox Help needed with aspects of our wedding after venue goes bust with 6 wks 2go & with our £4.5k! Pls RT like @WeddingTVKate

— Lauren Welch (Lane) (@laurenlane1984) January 7, 2012

Lauren told WebProNews that some of the items and services offered included photography, videography, wedding rings, stationery, cake, candy buffet, bridesmaid jewelry, singing waiters, wedding crèche, bridal bolero, favors, a
magician and a caricaturist.

“Contrary to what some media reports have said, we received no cash donations; only goodwill and skills from local, honest companies,” Lane said. Despite being interviewed by several media outlets, she hasn’t had a chance to thank the companies by name and would like to give a shoutout.

• Sidney Diongzon – Photography
• Paul Van – Videography
• Cake Genie of London – Wedding Cake
• Cool Jolz – Wedding Rings
• Laurel Designs – Stationery, Favor boxes & table plan
• Bravo Singing Waiters – reception entertainment
• Darren Campbell – Magician
• Demon Pen – Caricaturist
• Bridal Designs – Bridesmaid Jewelry
• Party Crechers – Wedding Creche’
• Another Little World – Make Up
• Joey Gillingham – Hair
• Cupcake Cabaret – Cakes for candy buffet
• How 2 i do – Planning
• Bristol Candy Buffet – Candy Buffet

Lane and her groom walked down the aisle on February 25th with nary a hitch as a result of the social media platform helping to spread the word.

“We got so much help from a lot of kind people and it made our day really special,” the bride told The Guardian. “So much has come from such an awful time we can’t thank all our helpers enough. It really did make it a dream wedding for us both.”

Sex Work Activists, Allies, and You are objecting to the donations by Google to groups that they’ve identified as harmful to sex workers around the world: International Justice Mission, Polaris Project, and Not for Sale. SWAAY objects not only to the amount of money being given by Google to these morality NGOs (because some of them are doing pretty good on their own) but also for how these groups harshly treat willful sex workers as victims of human trafficking.

For example, the International Justice Mission is a massive evangelical Christian group that has taken the charge to rescue slaves but SWAAY parses exactly what that mission means. For one, SWAAY argues that IJL doesn’t see any difference between willing sex workers and those people who are victims of trafficking. By projecting the image of “angelic saviors,” SWAAY says that “IJL uses its power and political connections to pressure governments to crack down on the whole sex industry as an ‘anti-trafficking’ measure.” The results are often horrible for those caught in the dragnet:

This steamroller approach blindly attacks everyone in a brothel or red light district … which leads to more violent raids from famously corrupt police forces in countries like Cambodia, the Philippines, and India. The people caught up in these raids frequently report being beaten and raped by the police who are supposedly “rescuing” them, and are detained against their will in privately-funded locked-door “rehabilitation centers” or in overcrowded, disgusting jails.

SWAAY isn’t trying to diminish the actual genuine good that IJL does in rescuing legitimate sex slaves, but the nature of these “aggressive sweeps” tends to create more abuse for those rescued.

Another fact that SWAAY points out is that the IJL isn’t exactly hurting for money: their 990 tax form from 2009 shows they brought in almost $23 million that year. That the IJL is so well funded already raises speculation over whether Google seriously vetted some of the NGOs benefiting from Gives Back and whether other organizations in need would have been better candidates for the donations. Not quite in the same league as the IJL, the Polaris Project, another group targeted by SWAAY, raised a little under $4 million in 2009. (Note: I accessed the tax forms for both organizations through GuideStar, database of information about nonprofits. You can view these tax forms through that website but you will need to register for a free account first.)

SWAAY makes similar charges against Polaris Project, who participated in the campaign against craigslist for allowing sex workers to safely advertise on the site. By removing these reliable outlets for safe commerce, SWAAY accuses Polaris Project of limiting the options sex workers have in maintaining their own safety:

The ability to advertise and do business online has been important to the safety of independent sex workers in the developed world. It allows us to screen potential clients for warning signs of danger (such as checking sex offender databases or local “bad date lists”), and it creates a digital paper trail.

Due to Google’s selection of these three NGOs as beneficiaries to the Gives Back program, SWAAY has organized protests at Google’s offices today in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chapel Hill. Additionally, they have issued a list of demands that they hope Google will accept that include Google’s immediate cessation to funding NGOs that crusade against sex workers’ rights and safety, a full disclosure of how much money Google has already donated to organizations like IJL and Polaris Project and – perhaps most important – an apology from Google in the form of similar donations to local non-profits.

A few supporters took to Twitter today and professed their outrage at Google’s actions:

I recommend readers visit SWAAY’s very thoughtful and persuasive statement about Google Gives Back on their website. Also, what do you think about Google donating to faith-based NGOs? How do you feel about organizations like IJL impacting sex workers? Add your piece in the comments below.

They plan to deliver 380 Xbox Kinect gaming systems to bases around the globe. Forty-two USO facilities will be getting the systems. These USO facilities provide soldiers services like phones, PCs, Wi-Fi, TVs and gaming stations. The 42 facilities that are receiving the 380 Kinect bundles support over 5 million troops and their families.

Of course, the system will be used for gaming – but Microsoft explains that the Kinect provides an opportunity for other worthwhile activities – like rehabilitation and diagnosis.

What’s more, U.S. soldiers are starting to see the benefits of the explosion of creativity we’ve seen since releasing the Kinect Software Development Kit. Four Wounded Warrior Facilities in Afghanistan will use Kinect in rehabilitative programs in forward bases where medical equipment is scarce. New Kinect applications will help medical staff determine when troops who have suffered from brain injuries, such as concussions, are able to go back into the field. The USO will work with the local groups to develop an analysis of the results from using Kinect as a tool for cognitive and memory reinforcement.

In Fort Campbell, KY, a brand new 8,500 sq. ft. USO center just opened with one particularly impressive feature: The giant UH-1 Huey helicopter sitting right in the middle of the space. They turned this old vehicle into a gaming center – equipped with three flat screens, Xbox 360s, and gaming chairs (pictured above).

The Kinects will arrive as part of their annual “Christmas Convoys,” which contain things like beanbag chairs, snacks, phone cards, and other essentials. The Kinect system’s practical use for military bases can be seen in some frames of the video below – mainly the hands free x-ray browsing and the rehabilitation games.

Just ask the Internet Archive.

Much like Wikipedia, the folks at Archive.org are also looking for funding, but they aren’t going about it with creepy images of editors that stare at you for the duration of your visit. Sure, there are prompts over at the Internet Archive asking people to donate, but the manner in which they go about asking isn’t anywhere near as intrusive as other sites. To put it another way, the way in which the Internet Archive is asking for donations has not become a Reddit meme where people poke fun at the monetary requests.

While I mention bandwidth in the article’s lede, it’s not the only reason for the donation requests, something the Internet Archive blog post reveals quite well:

In the last year, the number of people using the Internet Archive has increased to two million people every day, and our collections of free books, music, video, and web pages have also grown by twenty to twenty-five percent. This is great news, but we are doing it all on a shoestring budget.

This year we need your help.

The word “help” is linked and when clicked, visitors are taken to a donation page where you can contribute as much or as little as you can. Considering the role the Internet Archive provides, asking for a little funding is perfectly acceptable, especially for a site/service that offers this description as its primary goal:

We digitize books, collect video, music and the World Wide Web, and take contributions of digital media from anyone who would like their materials preserved.

We provide access to these vast collections to millions of people each day. All for free. {Emphaisis added]

So yeah, asking for donations to keep bringing such content to the masses is understandable, especially when the service is free. With that in mind, perhaps Archive.org could look into official sponsorship, or, who knows, maybe sell themselves to Google or Microsoft. Considering their massive amount of content, there could be some great opportunities for targeted advertisements.

If you’d like to donate to the Internet Archive’s cause, you can do so here.

"We hope the new application will simplify the donation process and help charities reach more donors," says PayPal Mobile Senior Director Laura Chambers. "We know most people want to contribute to causes near and dear to their heart, but many times the ins and outs associated with donating can get in the way of peoples’ good nature. I think Bill Gates said it best recently: The barrier to giving is not too little caring, it’s that giving is too complex. Today, we are a step closer to solving that barrier."

"As adoption of smartphones increases, donating via the mobile is also becoming more popular," she adds. "According to a study by  Pew Research Center in July 2010, 11 percent of Americans have made a charitable donation via text. By adding donations to PayPal’s iPhone app, we’re hoping to increase that percentage even more. With great new features like searching for nearby charities and the ability to post your donation to Facebook, we think it’s going to be a great boon to both local and international charities."

Sharing donations on Facebook could certainly help for spreading the word, creating a viral effect for donations. That’s great for charities.

Among the charities the app supports are: the American Cancer Society, Autism Speaks, Save the Children, UNICEF, BBC Children in Need, Cancer Research UK, and Canadian Red Cross.

PayPal says it submitted the app to the Apple App Store today, and expects to see it become available in the next few days.

Messman considers Crowdgiver a way to "engage a new generation" with charitable giving, due to its social nature. With Crowdgiver, Messman hopes to play a significant role in changing a huge marketplace that has been predominantly direct mail-based. He noted that the shift has already begun (as seen on a large scale with the disaster in Haiti earlier this year). Charitable giving is becoming more social and more are giving through texting, social media, and credit card/mobile transactions. You have to wonder how much of a role direct mail will continue to play in this space in a few more years, when compared to the convenience of these other methods. "I guarantee my nine year old boy is not going to be writing a check," says Messman.

Businesses who get involved with Crowdgiver get their own branded page on the Giveo domain where customers can engage with the charity options, vote, etc. The following screenshot will give you an idea of what it looks like. It would be customized, but you can see how Giveo’s platform is used. Businesses would have access to a dashboard with analytical information that general users will not see here.

Giveo will also help businesses do targeted marketing for their Crowdgive initiatives with email lists, widgets for blogs and Facebook, etc.

While Giveo is certainly happy to get larger brands involved, Crowdgive is aimed more at small and medium-sized businesses, who don’t necessarily have the resources for these large charity campaigns that the big corporations do.

Messman notes a trend in cause marketing. Customers are often more enthusiastic about brands when they support a cause that they are interested in. Crowdgive has the potential to be quite effective for this reason, as it allows the customers themselves to get involved. This can help target the companies donations based on specific demographics and locations, which in turn could increase customer participation.

"Relevance really drives engagement. Personalization drives engagement," says Messman.

The basic philosophy behind this product seems to be: if you’re going to donate your money to a cause in a way that markets your business, why not donate it to the cause most relevant to your customer base?

That could be quite powerful for customer loyalty.