(no subject)

Satellite pictures: before and after Katrina.

Articles are disappearing as they update the URL, so here's one you need to read before they change it. ( New Orleans Mayor Issues 'Desperate SOS' )

An email forwarded from my mother. I have withheld the contact information, and I would prefer not to give it since I don't have direct permission to repost this, but--the email starts off with "This is a devastating report that needs to be publicized," so... I can do that. My point is, I can provide verifying/contact information if necessary. ( Subject: FW: Neonatal Evacuation report from New Orleans )

Charities

Thank you so much for all the links and suggestions--I may try to compile them in a laundry list later, but right now, crickets_lj has been collecting the legwork of several other people, and we're discussing some kind of "top four or five basic can't-go-wrong" donation links. I'm giving you the link so you can go through what other people have come up with as well, which include:

oulangi's entry on making sure you get a reputable charity. More on her journal.

(While we're here: why you should donate money instead of goods. Short version: by the time they've spent money to ship the goods down there, they could have spent the money more efficiently on goods in bulk more locally.)

Charity Navigator: "America's premier independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities."

Several good, reputable charity links at dark_christian, a link I just got in my email. Notable: they list charities of different religions and denominations (Lutheran, Mennonite, and Tzu Chi were among the ones I saw).


Major charities, in no particular order:

1. ( The Red Cross )

2. Second Harvest: "America’s Second Harvest—The Nation’s Food Bank Network, the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization has activated its disaster mode in response to Hurricane Katrina. Learn more about how we work ..."

3. United Way: "100% of your gift will be used for Hurricane Katrina long-term recovery efforts. United Way and its partners will cover all associated fees regarding processing of credit cards and other administrative costs."

4. The Salvation Army: You may have issues with the "salvation" part, as I'm hearing they push that a bit. I'm also hearing that they're very good in crises, though. This being the South, the "salvation" part may not be as intrusive an issue as it might be elsewhere.

5. The Humane Society: I hadn't realized this before, but you can't take pets to shelters. People either had to abandon pets and just pray for the best, or stay and face the hurricane with them. There's no telling if some of these pets will ever see home or their owners again, and no telling how many owners have been separated from their pets--by evacuation, or literally by flood waters pulling them away. In the same vein: Noah's Wish: A not-for-profit animal welfare organization that keeps animals alive during disasters.


I want to do something towards raising funds, but I don't know what yet. It may be more useful to do something later, when the initial wave of generosity has been exhausted but there's still need out there.

(no subject)

Thoughts? See, this is why a Cafe Press store never got off the ground last year--how much do you add to the base price? Which quotes do people actually want? Who do we send the proceeds to--do we vote on a single charity or split the money up among, say, the four or five charities I listed in the previous entry? Will someone actually bitch about the idea in an "anonymous hate" meme again? (/slightly bitter)

If there's anything you would like to see--I'd be willing to use anything in the Lost recaps or the Fifteen Minutes, as long as the quote does not refer to something under trademark (Harry Potter character names are right out, for example). I see no reason why we couldn't use something like "OMGWTFPOLARBEAR!," however.