Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
On Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:01:06 -0500 Rich Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > *Seriously, y'all, there is another important topic to consider -- this > hurricane thing is significantly huge.* This event is unparallelled in > our US history. You are most certainly right. How to help, other than prayer, is uncertain at the present time. > Oh, and hurricane season is not yet over! Check out the central > Atlantic right now. Best done at http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/atlantic/2005/index.html Craig
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
Yes, a very serious topic indeed. The thought that those people have absolutely nothing to come back to has been on my mind since yesterday. MB content: I'm considering, much more seriously, the "veggie-mobile" idea. Man, I should have taken the aux. tank out of the trunk of Ingrid (white 78 300d) before I sold her! Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon 1978 300CD 200K+ miles, Vinnie
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
Been watching the news here about whats going on there. Was told my former Guard unit may be on ready alert to assist in the evac and help with food and water. Some have already volenteered to go on their own. Considering whats going on in the middle east it just makes you wonder who will be there for us Rich Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Somehow a lot of the listers just have their priorities all out of >whack. I mean, I look here for info about BEER! But with all the idle >chatter about guns, dogs, email clients, and other random trivialities, >we are missing something extremely important. > >*Seriously, y'all, there is another important topic to consider -- this >hurricane thing is significantly huge.* This event is unparallelled in >our US history. Here in Htown we got lots and lots of folks who left >home a few days ago, now there is no home left. There are 2 hotels >walking distance from the house, packed full of LA license plates. I >don't even know how they would get back if there was anywhere to go, as >the roads are gone. GONE. Blown away, washed away. > >All of NOLA is a nasty toxic fetid swamp (not counting Bourbon Street, I >think it is actually cleaner now). A lot of the rest of region is not a >lot better, some even worse. > >Tomorrow the Astrodome is going to be the staging point for evacuees who >are left there and being pulled out, including lots and lots of very >sick people coming from hospitals all over the devastated area (which is >HUGE). Many arriving will be very very sick, no medical records, no >meds, no money, no jobs, no insurance records, minimal care for the last >few days. The Texas Med Ctr is being mobilized to help. My wife will >be triaging patients who make it, trying to figure out how to keep them >alive and where to park them. I saw some flights of mil helos headed >east yesterday, not sure if that is the evac method or what, but the >roads are gone 'tween here and there so I am sure that will be >happening. I hate to think what is festering in the area, no clean >water or sanitation, lots of dead stuff baking in the hot sun. > >We signed up to be a host family for girls who are coming to my >daughter's school, theirs in LA is gone. GONE. It ain't there no >more. Neither are their homes, jobs, neighbors, family, friends...I >can't even begin to comprehend. > >Refinery capacity just dropped by a very large percentage, and the main >pipeline from here to the NE is shut down right now. A lot of Gulf >production is off line, and even if/when it comes back there are fewer >places to refine it. That means much less gasoline, diesel, or heating >oil coming from down here for some time. Y'all up in New England might >have to turn down the thermostats a bit in a few weeks, get out the old >Schwinns again. > > From a friend in the industry yesterday: > >"Gasoline hit a record high today, settling at $2.47/gal (up */42 >cents/* from yesterday) on the New York Mercantile Exchange. > >In a nutshell, gas (and diesel) at the pumps will be up at least 42 >cents from where they are now. Probably within days. Katrina was a >monster." > >(Benz content) I filled up the TD yesterday for $2.43, tonight it was >$2.53 at the same station. I am driving it now exclusively instead of >my truck, better fuel mileage and diesel is now a bit lower than >gasoline. While it will probably be available here for the foreseeable >future (the next week?) at a much higher price, I expect that it will be >in very short supply in other parts of the country, if at all in some >days...Time to get them veggie-mobiles going, diesel folks. > >Carry on rants about about guns, dogs, email, girly men, Canadians, >taxes, politics (don't forget it /must /be Bush's fault!), and all that >on the Benz list, full of text and fury signifying nothing, but please >do not lose sight of what is turning out to be, probably, the largest >natural disaster to hit the US, ever, both in terms of immediate damage >and ongoing problems. It really is way way way beyond the locals' >ability to deal with it (it now appears they did very little even to >prepare for it -- that is a whole 'nuther topic), umclear just how TO >deal with it even with national help. > >Oh well, it's bedtime. Whatever your politics or views on other topics, >there's a lot of folks who need a lot of help, and it is getting worse >daily for them. Please think about them, try to do something to help, >put some (all?) of the useless bitching about other random stuff in >perspective. > >Oh, and hurricane season is not yet over! Check out the central >Atlantic right now. > >--R > -- 69 280 SEL 120,000 Miles 72 350SL 108,000 Miles 2004 VW Passat 4 Motion 1999 Mazda Miata __ Switch to Netscape Internet Service. As low as $9.95 a month -- Sign up today at http://isp.netscape.com/register Netsca
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
Saw this response to a "what can we do" question - I don't know who submitted it, but it makes sense. Just watch out for the scammers. People want to help. That's good. The problem is they often can, but they think they can. And, in the end, all they really do is get in the way. The single best thing Joe Geek can do is give cash. Not stuff, cash. Cash is portable, fast, and useful. Everything else has problems -- even if it is something they really and truly need, because it isn't there, and people and resources are needed to get it there. The canonical example: Bottled water. Something otherwise useless that is critical in this sort of emergency. So you give a few flats to the ARC. Well, you bought them at retail, and now, the ARC has to put them on a truck (which costs money) and ship them down there (which cost money, and time.) Let's say you give them $20 instead. The ARC notes that they need water. So, they call a bottler in a city close to, but not affected by, the storm. They get wholesale or cost prices, as opposed to retail. For the same amount of money, they get far more water, far closer to where they need to be. In six hours, you're delivering your flats to the local ARC office. In six hours with cash, they're handing water to people who desperately need it. Finally, of course, if what they really need is food, your flats of water aren't helpful, but your cash is. So, the lesson: 1) Give cash. That's the best thing you can do from your home. 2) Stay the hell away from New Orleans. Seriously. They're ordering everyone out, that includes you. Do not go. 3) If you are trained to do rescue work, they have almost certainly called you by now. If not, check in with your local org -- records and such get lost, and they may have missed you. 4) If you really insist, go to your *local* American Red Cross office and talk to them. If, in fact, they do need a skill you have, they'll put you with the people you need to know, and start the wheels moving. The single biggest thing the ARC does in disasters is routing solutions to problems. 5) If you have supplies, not cash, you can talk to the local office, but realize that the cost of shipping your supplies may make them worse off then just buying them closer. If you have supplies *and* shipping -- and we're talking trucks, not FedEx, -- then call the local ARC, and talk to them, and if they need what they have, they'll put you in touch with the people who need it, who can arrange how to get it to them. In general, when they need something, they need lots of it, either in one place or put into one place so they can easily distribute at need. One satellite phone isn't that helpful, esp. if they have to figure out how to make it work. A thousand phones, ready to go, however, is. 6) If they really need what you have to offer, and you are one of the few who can provided it, they've probably called you by now. 7) If you want to help in the future, start working with rescue orgs now. If you haven't been trained in general rescue procedures, your not nearly as helpful. Think of it as backups -- you can't help New Orleans now, but there will be other bad days, and if you've done the classwork and drills, and kept in touch, then you will be one of the people they need -- and they'll call you when they need you. It may not be as elegant as network support -- but right now, they don't care about TCP/IP. They care about getting people out of the floodwaters, and plugging the holes in the levees. -- OK Don, KD5NRO Norman, OK '87 300SDL '81 240D '78 450SLC The FSM created the Diesel Benz http://www.venganza.org/
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
I am going to pee on LT Don's parade and at the same time be politically incorrect. From my EXPERIENCE (note that I did not say hearsay evidence) the American Red Cross will get about 10-20 percent (if that) of your donations to anyone who needs it. I suggest that you do some research on the ARC before donating ANYTHING to them. If you want my LONG story, e-mail me. There are many truly charitable organizations that you can support with some confidence that your donations are going where they were meant. There are many overwhelmed facilities/organizations in or near New Orleans that truly NEED your help. Adopt one of them and donate to it. Sorry for the off-topic e-mail, but I got tired of everyone holding the ARC up as some sort of beacon of hope. Thomas E. Potter Telephone: (713) 215-2877 Fax: (713) 215-2551 Mobile: (832) 794-0536 -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of OK Don Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 8:25 AM To: Mercedes mailing list Subject: Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients,taxes, and bad dogs Saw this response to a "what can we do" question - I don't know who submitted it, but it makes sense. Just watch out for the scammers. People want to help. That's good. The problem is they often can, but they think they can. And, in the end, all they really do is get in the way. The single best thing Joe Geek can do is give cash. Not stuff, cash. Cash is portable, fast, and useful. Everything else has problems -- even if it is something they really and truly need, because it isn't there, and people and resources are needed to get it there. The canonical example: Bottled water. Something otherwise useless that is critical in this sort of emergency. So you give a few flats to the ARC. Well, you bought them at retail, and now, the ARC has to put them on a truck (which costs money) and ship them down there (which cost money, and time.) Let's say you give them $20 instead. The ARC notes that they need water. So, they call a bottler in a city close to, but not affected by, the storm. They get wholesale or cost prices, as opposed to retail. For the same amount of money, they get far more water, far closer to where they need to be. In six hours, you're delivering your flats to the local ARC office. In six hours with cash, they're handing water to people who desperately need it. Finally, of course, if what they really need is food, your flats of water aren't helpful, but your cash is. So, the lesson: 1) Give cash. That's the best thing you can do from your home. 2) Stay the hell away from New Orleans. Seriously. They're ordering everyone out, that includes you. Do not go. 3) If you are trained to do rescue work, they have almost certainly called you by now. If not, check in with your local org -- records and such get lost, and they may have missed you. 4) If you really insist, go to your *local* American Red Cross office and talk to them. If, in fact, they do need a skill you have, they'll put you with the people you need to know, and start the wheels moving. The single biggest thing the ARC does in disasters is routing solutions to problems. 5) If you have supplies, not cash, you can talk to the local office, but realize that the cost of shipping your supplies may make them worse off then just buying them closer. If you have supplies *and* shipping -- and we're talking trucks, not FedEx, -- then call the local ARC, and talk to them, and if they need what they have, they'll put you in touch with the people who need it, who can arrange how to get it to them. In general, when they need something, they need lots of it, either in one place or put into one place so they can easily distribute at need. One satellite phone isn't that helpful, esp. if they have to figure out how to make it work. A thousand phones, ready to go, however, is. 6) If they really need what you have to offer, and you are one of the few who can provided it, they've probably called you by now. 7) If you want to help in the future, start working with rescue orgs now. If you haven't been trained in general rescue procedures, your not nearly as helpful. Think of it as backups -- you can't help New Orleans now, but there will be other bad days, and if you've done the classwork and drills, and kept in touch, then you will be one of the people they need -- and they'll call you when they need you. It may not be as elegant as network support -- but right now, they don't care about TCP/IP. They care about getting people out of the floodwaters, and plugging the holes in the levees. -- OK Don, KD5NRO Norman, OK '87 300SDL '81 240D '78 450SLC The FSM created the Diesel Benz http://www.venganza.org/ ___ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
That was OK Don, not LT Don. On 9/1/05, Potter, Tom E <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I am going to pee on LT Don's parade > -- 1977 240D 1972 Honda CB-500K motorcycle http://www.airamericaradio.com/listen
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
I seem to recall a recent news story that "exposed" the finances of the Red Cross and that only a small portion of donations actually went to the needy. Most was used to support the RC itself... Tim 1982 300TD Moby On 9/1/05, Potter, Tom E <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I am going to pee on LT Don's parade and at the same time be politically > incorrect. From my EXPERIENCE (note that I did not say hearsay evidence) > the American Red Cross will get about 10-20 percent (if that) of your > donations to anyone who needs it. I suggest that you do some research on > the ARC before donating ANYTHING to them. If you want my LONG story, > e-mail me. There are many truly charitable organizations that you can > support with some confidence that your donations are going where they > were meant. There are many overwhelmed facilities/organizations in or > near New Orleans that truly NEED your help. Adopt one of them and donate > to it. > > Sorry for the off-topic e-mail, but I got tired of everyone holding the > ARC up as some sort of beacon of hope. > > Thomas E. Potter > Telephone: (713) 215-2877 > Fax: (713) 215-2551 > Mobile: (832) 794-0536 > > > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of OK Don > Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 8:25 AM > To: Mercedes mailing list > Subject: Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email > clients,taxes, and bad dogs > > > Saw this response to a "what can we do" question - I don't know who > submitted it, but it makes sense. Just watch out for the scammers. > > > People want to help. That's good. The problem is they often can, but > they think they can. And, in the end, all they really do is get in the > way. > The single best thing Joe Geek can do is give cash. Not stuff, cash. > Cash is portable, fast, and useful. Everything else has problems -- > even if it is something they really and truly need, because it isn't > there, and people and resources are needed to get it there. > > The canonical example: Bottled water. Something otherwise useless that > is critical in this sort of emergency. So you give a few flats to the > ARC. Well, you bought them at retail, and now, the ARC has to put them > on a truck (which costs money) and ship them down there (which cost > money, and time.) > > Let's say you give them $20 instead. The ARC notes that they need > water. So, they call a bottler in a city close to, but not affected > by, the storm. They get wholesale or cost prices, as opposed to > retail. For the same amount of money, they get far more water, far > closer to where they need to be. In six hours, you're delivering your > flats to the local ARC office. In six hours with cash, they're handing > water to people who desperately need it. > > Finally, of course, if what they really need is food, your flats of > water aren't helpful, but your cash is. So, the lesson: > > 1) Give cash. That's the best thing you can do from your home. > > 2) Stay the hell away from New Orleans. Seriously. They're ordering > everyone out, that includes you. Do not go. > > 3) If you are trained to do rescue work, they have almost certainly > called you by now. If not, check in with your local org -- records and > such get lost, and they may have missed you. > > 4) If you really insist, go to your *local* American Red Cross office > and talk to them. If, in fact, they do need a skill you have, they'll > put you with the people you need to know, and start the wheels moving. > The single biggest thing the ARC does in disasters is routing > solutions to problems. > > 5) If you have supplies, not cash, you can talk to the local office, > but realize that the cost of shipping your supplies may make them > worse off then just buying them closer. If you have supplies *and* > shipping -- and we're talking trucks, not FedEx, -- then call the > local ARC, and talk to them, and if they need what they have, they'll > put you in touch with the people who need it, who can arrange how to > get it to them. > > In general, when they need something, they need lots of it, either in > one place or put into one place so they can easily distribute at need. > One satellite phone isn't that helpful, esp. if they have to figure > out how to make it work. A thousand phones, ready to go, however, is. > > 6) If they really need what you have to offer, and you are one of the > few who can provided it, they've probably called you by now. > > 7) If you want to help in the future, start working with rescue orgs > now. If you haven't been trained in general rescue procedures, your &g
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
TimothyPilgrim wrote: > > I seem to recall a recent news story that "exposed" the finances of > the Red Cross and that only a small portion of donations actually went > to the needy. Most was used to support the RC itself... Try the Salvation Army. Not exactly a top-heavy organization chart. They usually arrive at a disaster before the RC does. If you could get money to a Mennonite relief group it would probably be even more effective, I don't think they have any paid staff.
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
I'd prefer to donate through a secular organization. The SA is off my radar. Tim 1982 300TD Moby On 9/1/05, Mitch Haley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > TimothyPilgrim wrote: > > > > I seem to recall a recent news story that "exposed" the finances of > > the Red Cross and that only a small portion of donations actually went > > to the needy. Most was used to support the RC itself... > > Try the Salvation Army. Not exactly a top-heavy organization chart. > They usually arrive at a disaster before the RC does. > > If you could get money to a Mennonite relief group it would probably be > even more effective, I don't think they have any paid staff. > > ___ > For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net >
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
TimothyPilgrim wrote: > > I'd prefer to donate through a secular organization. The SA is off my radar. > What about the Mennonites? (think Amish w/o the beards) In my experience (I've worked alongside them when the destroyed buildings belonged to my family and the Mennonites were there because somebody needed help) they just want to help. Incredibly hard workers, with nary a syllable of proselytizing coming from their mouths. I'd think any funds you could get to them to help with fuel, food, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
I just found this list of charities helping out the New Orlean's relief effort: http://www.deadlykatrina.com/?p=54 Tim 1982 300TD Moby On 9/1/05, Mitch Haley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > TimothyPilgrim wrote: > > > > I'd prefer to donate through a secular organization. The SA is off my radar. > > > > What about the Mennonites? (think Amish w/o the beards) > In my experience (I've worked alongside them when the destroyed buildings > belonged > to my family and the Mennonites were there because somebody needed help) they > just > want to help. Incredibly hard workers, with nary a syllable of proselytizing > coming > from their mouths. I'd think any funds you could get to them to help with > fuel, food, > etc. would be greatly appreciated. > > ___ > For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net >
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
Thin veneer of civilization with all the looting and such. Not standard behavior in US disasters, unless you reside in Detroit. I would love to help out, but at this point will be a greater hinderance than help. When they figure out what needs I am able to meet, will be feeling less "stuck" and able to do good. MB content. Lots of cars for Kaleb to salvage and part in his back yard. Going to be a bunch of stay the hell away from cars hitting eBay in coming months. I wonder how far the water logged cars will travel from the Gulf coast before they end up on eBay On Thursday, September 1, 2005, at 12:16 AM, kevin kraly wrote: Yes, a very serious topic indeed. The thought that those people have absolutely nothing to come back to has been on my mind since yesterday. MB content: I'm considering, much more seriously, the "veggie-mobile" idea. Man, I should have taken the aux. tank out of the trunk of Ingrid (white 78 300d) before I sold her! Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon 1978 300CD 200K+ miles, Vinnie ___ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net -- Clay Seattle Bioburner 1972 220D - Gump 1995 E300D - Cleo 1987 300SDL - POS - DOA The FSM would drive a Diesel Benz
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
WA Gov is going to activate 600 Guards to go help out. I hope she has enough left over to activate for the wild fires and still have the boys who just got back from the sand box some time to get their heads back together. On Thursday, September 1, 2005, at 04:37 AM, Harry M. wrote: Been watching the news here about whats going on there. Was told my former Guard unit may be on ready alert to assist in the evac and help with food and water. Some have already volenteered to go on their own. Considering whats going on in the middle east it just makes you wonder who will be there for us Rich Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Somehow a lot of the listers just have their priorities all out of whack. I mean, I look here for info about BEER! But with all the idle chatter about guns, dogs, email clients, and other random trivialities, we are missing something extremely important. *Seriously, y'all, there is another important topic to consider -- this hurricane thing is significantly huge.* This event is unparallelled in our US history. Here in Htown we got lots and lots of folks who left home a few days ago, now there is no home left. There are 2 hotels walking distance from the house, packed full of LA license plates. I don't even know how they would get back if there was anywhere to go, as the roads are gone. GONE. Blown away, washed away. All of NOLA is a nasty toxic fetid swamp (not counting Bourbon Street, I think it is actually cleaner now). A lot of the rest of region is not a lot better, some even worse. Tomorrow the Astrodome is going to be the staging point for evacuees who are left there and being pulled out, including lots and lots of very sick people coming from hospitals all over the devastated area (which is HUGE). Many arriving will be very very sick, no medical records, no meds, no money, no jobs, no insurance records, minimal care for the last few days. The Texas Med Ctr is being mobilized to help. My wife will be triaging patients who make it, trying to figure out how to keep them alive and where to park them. I saw some flights of mil helos headed east yesterday, not sure if that is the evac method or what, but the roads are gone 'tween here and there so I am sure that will be happening. I hate to think what is festering in the area, no clean water or sanitation, lots of dead stuff baking in the hot sun. We signed up to be a host family for girls who are coming to my daughter's school, theirs in LA is gone. GONE. It ain't there no more. Neither are their homes, jobs, neighbors, family, friends...I can't even begin to comprehend. Refinery capacity just dropped by a very large percentage, and the main pipeline from here to the NE is shut down right now. A lot of Gulf production is off line, and even if/when it comes back there are fewer places to refine it. That means much less gasoline, diesel, or heating oil coming from down here for some time. Y'all up in New England might have to turn down the thermostats a bit in a few weeks, get out the old Schwinns again. From a friend in the industry yesterday: "Gasoline hit a record high today, settling at $2.47/gal (up */42 cents/* from yesterday) on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In a nutshell, gas (and diesel) at the pumps will be up at least 42 cents from where they are now. Probably within days. Katrina was a monster." (Benz content) I filled up the TD yesterday for $2.43, tonight it was $2.53 at the same station. I am driving it now exclusively instead of my truck, better fuel mileage and diesel is now a bit lower than gasoline. While it will probably be available here for the foreseeable future (the next week?) at a much higher price, I expect that it will be in very short supply in other parts of the country, if at all in some days...Time to get them veggie-mobiles going, diesel folks. Carry on rants about about guns, dogs, email, girly men, Canadians, taxes, politics (don't forget it /must /be Bush's fault!), and all that on the Benz list, full of text and fury signifying nothing, but please do not lose sight of what is turning out to be, probably, the largest natural disaster to hit the US, ever, both in terms of immediate damage and ongoing problems. It really is way way way beyond the locals' ability to deal with it (it now appears they did very little even to prepare for it -- that is a whole 'nuther topic), umclear just how TO deal with it even with national help. Oh well, it's bedtime. Whatever your politics or views on other topics, there's a lot of folks who need a lot of help, and it is getting worse daily for them. Please think about them, try to do something to help, put some (all?) of the useless bitching about other random stuff in perspective. Oh, and hurricane season is not yet over! Check out the central Atlantic right now. --R -- 69 280 SEL 120,000 Miles 72 350SL 108,000 Miles 2004 VW Passat 4 Motion 1999 Mazda Miata _
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
redghost wrote: > I wonder how far the water logged cars will travel > from the Gulf coast before they end up on eBay I've seen 'repairable' cars in salvage yards in Indiana with Houston dealer stickers on them and flood damage titles several months after a tropical storm. Creeps usually want 50-60% of loan value for the cars, too.
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
Tom, I am interested in your LONG story if you would be willing to share. As far as finding another charity .. I would worry about how to find a "good" one now. Scam charities and their webpages are already up and running. ARC does pretty good according to a couple of the groups that watch charities. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/3277.htm http://charityreports.give.org/Public/Report.aspx?CharityID=679 Jan (sending money and dog crates so far) "Potter, Tom E" wrote: > I am going to pee on LT Don's parade and at the same time be politically > incorrect. From my EXPERIENCE (note that I did not say hearsay evidence) > the American Red Cross will get about 10-20 percent (if that) of your > donations to anyone who needs it. I suggest that you do some research on > the ARC before donating ANYTHING to them. If you want my LONG story, > e-mail me. There are many truly charitable organizations that you can > support with some confidence that your donations are going where they > were meant. There are many overwhelmed facilities/organizations in or > near New Orleans that truly NEED your help. Adopt one of them and donate > to it. > > Sorry for the off-topic e-mail, but I got tired of everyone holding the > ARC up as some sort of beacon of hope. > > Thomas E. Potter > Telephone: (713) 215-2877 > Fax: (713) 215-2551 > Mobile: (832) 794-0536 > > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of OK Don > Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 8:25 AM > To: Mercedes mailing list > Subject: Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email > clients,taxes, and bad dogs > > Saw this response to a "what can we do" question - I don't know who > submitted it, but it makes sense. Just watch out for the scammers. > > People want to help. That's good. The problem is they often can, but > they think they can. And, in the end, all they really do is get in the > way. > The single best thing Joe Geek can do is give cash. Not stuff, cash. > Cash is portable, fast, and useful. Everything else has problems -- > even if it is something they really and truly need, because it isn't > there, and people and resources are needed to get it there. > > The canonical example: Bottled water. Something otherwise useless that > is critical in this sort of emergency. So you give a few flats to the > ARC. Well, you bought them at retail, and now, the ARC has to put them > on a truck (which costs money) and ship them down there (which cost > money, and time.) > > Let's say you give them $20 instead. The ARC notes that they need > water. So, they call a bottler in a city close to, but not affected > by, the storm. They get wholesale or cost prices, as opposed to > retail. For the same amount of money, they get far more water, far > closer to where they need to be. In six hours, you're delivering your > flats to the local ARC office. In six hours with cash, they're handing > water to people who desperately need it. > > Finally, of course, if what they really need is food, your flats of > water aren't helpful, but your cash is. So, the lesson: > > 1) Give cash. That's the best thing you can do from your home. > > 2) Stay the hell away from New Orleans. Seriously. They're ordering > everyone out, that includes you. Do not go. > > 3) If you are trained to do rescue work, they have almost certainly > called you by now. If not, check in with your local org -- records and > such get lost, and they may have missed you. > > 4) If you really insist, go to your *local* American Red Cross office > and talk to them. If, in fact, they do need a skill you have, they'll > put you with the people you need to know, and start the wheels moving. > The single biggest thing the ARC does in disasters is routing > solutions to problems. > > 5) If you have supplies, not cash, you can talk to the local office, > but realize that the cost of shipping your supplies may make them > worse off then just buying them closer. If you have supplies *and* > shipping -- and we're talking trucks, not FedEx, -- then call the > local ARC, and talk to them, and if they need what they have, they'll > put you in touch with the people who need it, who can arrange how to > get it to them. > > In general, when they need something, they need lots of it, either in > one place or put into one place so they can easily distribute at need. > One satellite phone isn't that helpful, esp. if they have to figure > out how to make it work. A thousand phones, ready to go, however, is. > > 6) If they really need what you have to offer, and you are one of
Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email clients, taxes, and bad dogs
Go to http://www.charitynavigator.org/new.htm and look up your favorite charity. You will be surprised. On 9/1/05, Potter, Tom E <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I am going to pee on LT Don's parade and at the same time be politically > incorrect. From my EXPERIENCE (note that I did not say hearsay evidence) > the American Red Cross will get about 10-20 percent (if that) of your > donations to anyone who needs it. I suggest that you do some research on > the ARC before donating ANYTHING to them. If you want my LONG story, > e-mail me. There are many truly charitable organizations that you can > support with some confidence that your donations are going where they > were meant. There are many overwhelmed facilities/organizations in or > near New Orleans that truly NEED your help. Adopt one of them and donate > to it. > > Sorry for the off-topic e-mail, but I got tired of everyone holding the > ARC up as some sort of beacon of hope. > > Thomas E. Potter > Telephone: (713) 215-2877 > Fax: (713) 215-2551 > Mobile: (832) 794-0536 > > > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of OK Don > Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 8:25 AM > To: Mercedes mailing list > Subject: Re: [MBZ] A VERY serious topic -- put away yer guns, email > clients,taxes, and bad dogs > > > Saw this response to a "what can we do" question - I don't know who > submitted it, but it makes sense. Just watch out for the scammers. > > > People want to help. That's good. The problem is they often can, but > they think they can. And, in the end, all they really do is get in the > way. > The single best thing Joe Geek can do is give cash. Not stuff, cash. > Cash is portable, fast, and useful. Everything else has problems -- > even if it is something they really and truly need, because it isn't > there, and people and resources are needed to get it there. > > The canonical example: Bottled water. Something otherwise useless that > is critical in this sort of emergency. So you give a few flats to the > ARC. Well, you bought them at retail, and now, the ARC has to put them > on a truck (which costs money) and ship them down there (which cost > money, and time.) > > Let's say you give them $20 instead. The ARC notes that they need > water. So, they call a bottler in a city close to, but not affected > by, the storm. They get wholesale or cost prices, as opposed to > retail. For the same amount of money, they get far more water, far > closer to where they need to be. In six hours, you're delivering your > flats to the local ARC office. In six hours with cash, they're handing > water to people who desperately need it. > > Finally, of course, if what they really need is food, your flats of > water aren't helpful, but your cash is. So, the lesson: > > 1) Give cash. That's the best thing you can do from your home. > > 2) Stay the hell away from New Orleans. Seriously. They're ordering > everyone out, that includes you. Do not go. > > 3) If you are trained to do rescue work, they have almost certainly > called you by now. If not, check in with your local org -- records and > such get lost, and they may have missed you. > > 4) If you really insist, go to your *local* American Red Cross office > and talk to them. If, in fact, they do need a skill you have, they'll > put you with the people you need to know, and start the wheels moving. > The single biggest thing the ARC does in disasters is routing > solutions to problems. > > 5) If you have supplies, not cash, you can talk to the local office, > but realize that the cost of shipping your supplies may make them > worse off then just buying them closer. If you have supplies *and* > shipping -- and we're talking trucks, not FedEx, -- then call the > local ARC, and talk to them, and if they need what they have, they'll > put you in touch with the people who need it, who can arrange how to > get it to them. > > In general, when they need something, they need lots of it, either in > one place or put into one place so they can easily distribute at need. > One satellite phone isn't that helpful, esp. if they have to figure > out how to make it work. A thousand phones, ready to go, however, is. > > 6) If they really need what you have to offer, and you are one of the > few who can provided it, they've probably called you by now. > > 7) If you want to help in the future, start working with rescue orgs > now. If you haven't been trained in general rescue procedures, your > not nearly as helpful. Think of it as backups -- you can't help New > Orleans now, but there will be other
