Match it for Pratchett

March 18, 2008 6:18 PM

Match It For Pratchett is a campaign to match Terry Pratchett's donation of $1 million (half a million pounds) to the UK charity, the Alzheimer’s Research Trust. Since they started on March 15, they've raised over $34k.

SF writer Jay Lake has organized a matching campaign to raise $2k at Norwescon. Several people are organizing charity auctions. And of course, there's a Facebook group, from which I've stolen this list of Alzheimer's charities:

UK: http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/
US: http://www.alz.org/index.asp
Canada: http://www.alzheimer.ca/english/help/intro.htm
Alzheimer Europe: http://www.dementia-in-europe.eu/?lm2=XTDPPCTCMHWD
Australia: http://www.alzheimers.org.au/
Australia: http://www.alzheimers.com.au/donate/
France: http://www.francealzheimer.com/

posted by joannemerriam (11 comments total)

Cool deal
posted by monkee at 6:26 PM on March 18, 2008

I find the tailoring of his donation so that it makes a million in someone elses currency a bit odd.

Still. money is money.
posted by Artw at 6:27 PM on March 18, 2008

Speaking of Pratchett: He has a bit of a cameo as an astrozoologist in the upcoming (Easter) Sky One adaptation of the first two Discworld novels, The Colour of Magic.
posted by ErWenn at 6:31 PM on March 18, 2008

I find the tailoring of his donation so that it makes a million in someone elses currency a bit odd.

Clearly you haven't read his Tiffany Aching books yet, or you'd know all about boffo.
posted by Zinger at 8:17 PM on March 18, 2008

For those of us not in the UK, how would we go about getting to see The Colour of Magic? (having already donated to the Alzheimer's Research Trust)
posted by Peach at 8:36 PM on March 18, 2008

With a callous disregard for copyright laws.
posted by Pope Guilty at 8:38 PM on March 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

Away From Her

Excellent film.
posted by acro at 8:45 PM on March 18, 2008

Peach, one word: yarrr.

I hope and pray that these donations have an effect. I'm so tired of this disease ravaging the minds of my loved ones.
posted by JeremyT at 9:43 PM on March 18, 2008

Small correction: it's not $34,000, it's £34,000, which is roughly twice as much.
posted by flashboy at 1:20 AM on March 19, 2008

For those of us not in the UK, how would we go about getting to see The Colour of Magic?

It presumably will come out in the USA on DVD at some point. Might be while though, Hogfather took ages.

Thanks for the post, count me in.
posted by tomcooke at 3:59 AM on March 19, 2008

I find the tailoring of his donation so that it makes a million in someone elses currency a bit odd.

He donated £500,000. It's an artifact of the exchange rate that put it near $1 million USD, it was reporting that declared it "about one million." As of right now, at interbank rates, the pound is $1.98295 USD, and his donation would be $991,297.21 (minus fees, shipping and handling.)

When we match it, it'll be £1,000,000 -- which comes up nine times out of ten. I haven't given yet -- I'm going over the pond tomorrow, and I'll plunk down honest pounds when I get there.
posted by eriko at 12:27 PM on March 19, 2008