[Printer Friendly Version]

News for September 2005

29 September 2005

Streaming Grantmaker Knowledge

When the W.K. Kellogg Foundation released their revised website at the beginning of this year, there was a distribution medium in use. The foundation is now using RSS to syndicate content from various streams of information, including program news and new grants made. In Streaming Grantmaker Knowledge, I describe a step by step, six part procedure for assessing your online content and making it available in RSS, so that it can be subscribed to by people using newsreaders and built upon by online aggregators. Posted: 9/29/05; 10:24:41 PM #

27 September 2005

The Now Habit

I have worked with a lot of procrastinators over the years and from time to time I have fallen into the pattern myself. Niel Fiore's The Now Habit describes a deceptively simple formula for overcoming this problem. In pat, it involves: focusing on your Done list rather than your To Do list and recording how you actually spend your time, scheduling pleasurable activities so they immediately follow a small block of effective work, and reversing the power relationships we map out in our mind about large projects. Very good stuff. Posted: 9/27/05; 11:12:14 AM #

Getting Things Done

David Allen's Getting Things Done is incredibly popular these days. I can see why. He takes an honest approach to the workflow issues that keep people from being clearheaded enough to focus. He is weak on the big picture, but I agree with his central assertion that it's very hard to get a handle on the big picture, when we are struggling with hundreds of little tasks that, in essence, have no place to go. When I was teaching time management, I used to do this little exercise about focus. I asked people to look around their work station and count how many messages were coming at them with some kind of call to action, including their calendar and to do lists, post it notes, in boxes, random pieces of paper, project plans on the wall, and so forth. Allen's techniques tackle this confusion head on. Posted: 9/27/05; 11:07:45 AM #

Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge

I first read Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge, by Geoffrey Bellman, back when I was teaching Time Management and Burnout workshops at an agency I founded called GoodWorks. My approach to time management had grown to be fairly radical at this point, with a strong emphasis on the power relationships behind so-called time management issues. I had discovered that most people's issues were a kind of internalization of external disempowerment. In other words, managers will often send people to take a workshop when there are really more systemic problems to address. Bellman's book is full of great little tips and techniques, set firmly in the context of the person who is not fully in charge of their work life. Posted: 9/27/05; 11:01:19 AM #

26 September 2005

Hurricane Katrina: Getting Home Before It's Gone

In Getting Home Before It's Gone, Jeff Chang, Thenmozhi Soundararajan, and Anita Johnson take a very close look at what is happening on the ground and how it will affect displaced communities. Their article completely confirms my sense that reconstruction should be solidly in the hands of local communities, local nonprofits, and local citizens, not corporate profiteers. Posted: 9/26/05; 12:11:17 PM #

Nonviolent Activists Placed on Terrorist List in FBI Notes

Freedom of Information Act requests have revealed that nonviolent activist organizations have been placed on terrorist lists by the FBI. Combine this with other stories, if you will, such as the Utah police attacking young people at a dance with a paramilitary raid or recent federal court rulings that allow indefinite detention of American citizens without having to charge them with a crime. If your work is even remotely outside the mainstream, I would sincerely hope that you are discussing these threats at the highest levels of your organization's leadership. Posted: 9/26/05; 12:07:20 PM #

Stark Raving Mad

You may recall my recent mention of a police attack on a legal rave in Utah. As the story unfolds, it has been getting some main stream attention. In Stark Raving Mad, Farhad Manjoo looks at how the local community is circling the wagons. A local judge refused to prevent further actions like this and local political leaders are supporting the police. It was particularly interesting to realize that the excuses offered by the police apply just as well to NASCAR races, but I doubt we'll see SWAT teams shutting those down any time soon. This feels like a cultural war to me and if they can shut down legal dances this way, they can shut down your meetings and events too, especially if they involve youth. Posted: 9/26/05; 12:02:57 PM #

Retrospective Disaster Recovery
	Compumentor is putting a lot of work into developing their Retrospective Disaster Recovery guide (52 page PDF). It's being revised even now, so the document you download today could be much improved in the coming weeks. But if you're directly affected by recent disasters, you might want this information immediately. Posted: 9/26/05; 11:58:10 AM #

Funding the Right Wing Machine with Government Money

Joshua Micah Marshall takes a really close look at the political machine fed by Republican government spending, with a special emphasis on the money being funneled to the right wing propaganda infrastructure. This is happening everywhere these days, on a large scale in Iraq and now, again, with so-called relief and reconstruction work in the Gulf. Scroll down to the phrase "look at the pattern" to get to some recent specifics. Posted: 9/26/05; 11:54:41 AM #

Help People Stay Connected to the Communities They Love
	I am very pleased to note the philosophy of the New Orleans Network. They are focusing on rebuilding the community connections that have been stretched thin by the government supported diaspora of citizens. I'm not sure what programs they have running yet to do this, other than some online discussion forums, but this is really the right idea. Posted: 9/26/05; 11:51:47 AM #

23 September 2005

Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents

Reporters Without Borders has published a truly fantastic Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents (46 page PDF). The contributors are top notch thinkers on the subject of grassroots communication and technology. I highly recommend this handbook to organizations that are considering blogging and more importantly, to any organization that has a stake in promoting open communication and truth telling about its issues. Posted: 9/23/05; 5:30:18 PM #

Groundspring.org merges with Network for Good

You have probably already heard that Groundspring and Network for Good are merging. There are thousands of organizations directly affect by this and many more so indirectly, but the FAQ about the merger is very reassuring. My first reaction was that there is a mismatch between the two organization's missions and values. As a Tides project, Groundspring has always had a clear progressive agenda, whereas Network for Good has been far more conservative. You can see this right now, by comparing the kinds of organizations Tides is supporting in the wake of Hurricane Katrina versus the kinds being featured by Network for Good. But I've learned that all the Groundspring staff plus several board members will be part of the merged organization, which is reassuring. This will be interesting to watch. Posted: 9/23/05; 5:24:44 PM #

Is the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector Doing Enough?

Rob Johnston asks if the Independent Sector's Panel on the Nonprofit Sector is Doing Enough and answers in the negative. He argues that stronger, more centralized oversight of the sector is needed. I have to say that I'm not well enough informed to make a judgment about this, but with a government in place that is not exactly a friend to the nonprofits that I support, increased centralization and sanctions worry me a little. Posted: 9/23/05; 5:18:05 PM #

The European Approach to Financing ICT for Development

After my trip to South Africa earlier this year, I have found myself increasingly interested in development issues as they relate to ICT. Although I have a background in both the research and the practice, especially by NGOs, I have very little knowledge of the funding and political issues involved. I did not know, for example, that the European Union is the largest donor in the world, of any kind. I learned that and a lot else in this short report on Financing ICT for Development: the EU Approach (12 page PDF). Posted: 9/23/05; 4:55:56 PM #

The Real Reasons You're Working So Hard

With far less corporate naivete than I would have expected from Business Week, Michael Mandel and others look for The Real Reasons You're Working So Hard. They take a big picture perspective to the very real issue of professional overwork, a dysfunction that plagues for profits and nonprofits alike. The authors explore the mismatch between classic organizational bureaucracies and the new communication environments in which we are expected to succeed. Dedicated professionals have to live in both worlds. The authors make some very meaningful suggestions on how to get beyond this impasse. Posted: 9/23/05; 4:29:05 PM #

22 September 2005

Understanding E-Relationships

My research and consulting colleague Michael Soper has written a great piece called Understanding E-Relationships. It could also easily be called by either of its two subheadings: Real Relationships are Rich in Options and Beyond the Unsubscribe Link. If you do any kind of email relationship building with your stakeholders, you'll find Michael's thinking to be the source of many good ideas. Posted: 9/22/05; 6:56:50 PM #

21 September 2005

N-TEN's Katrina ICT Webinar
	N-TEN will host a free Katrina ICT Webinar on Tuesday, September 27. I'm not sure how practical it will be, since it's basically a show and tell by some of the ICT related nonprofits that have responded to the hurricane's consequences. But I'm familiar with the folks presenting and it will be interesting to learn how they frame their work. Posted: 9/21/05; 12:20:14 PM #

Post-Katrina Environmental Catastrophe: A Diary of Toxic Injustice

The federal government uses Katrina as an opportunity for attacking environmental groups (there is evidence that they're looking for cases where flood control projects may have been held up by environmental concerns, rather than by lack of federal funding) and as a chance to practice the withholding of public environmental data, its quickly becoming clear that we have an environmental catastrophe on our hands. People on the Gulf Coast live near some of the most toxic sites in the world. Just as Katrina breached our poorly constructed levies and shattered the delicate social barriers that separate rich and poor, so has it destroyed the containment of these toxic sites and made clear to us how vast are the poisons we have as neighbors. Posted: 9/21/05; 12:16:03 PM #

Project Censored 2006

Every year Project Censored identifies the top stories that didn't really make the news. This year's list is mind boggling. For me, one of the side effects of reading these stories is discovering just how out of touch I am with the news (or the lack of news) that reaches most of my fellow citizens. I despair sometimes of how we can truly make a democracy when there are such disparities of knowledge. Posted: 9/21/05; 12:07:20 PM #

A Misplaced Emphasis on Charity

I'm pleased to read Rick Cohen's analysis of the Disaster Relief Bill. He points out its emphasis on long sought after corporate giveaways and how it further burdens private nonprofits without adequately providing for the collective civil infrastructure which nonprofits require to succeed. And I agree with his central point that the role of many nonprofits at this time is to force the government to do its job, not try to do some fragmented pieces of that job in its place. Posted: 9/21/05; 12:02:10 PM #

It's Time to Mobilize!

In It's Time to Mobilize!, Kenneth Bailey and Najma Nazy’at emphasize collaboration and grassroots participation in our responses to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This closely mirrors my own thinking on the subject and I encourage you to look to this article for ideas on how we might step outside our programmatic silos and make some lasting change in these difficult times. Posted: 9/21/05; 11:56:40 AM #

International Day of Peace - September 21

Today is the 23rd International Day of Peace. There is so much work to be done, so much violence to grieve, but as Thich Nhat Hanh says, peace is every step. In every moment and every decision, we can call upon ourselves to be peacemakers. And whether you tend to the sick, advocate for the poor, or defend the environment, peacemaking is your common bond. To honor that fact and this occasion, I'll be observing a minute of silence at noon (and perhaps at other times over the course of the day). Maybe you can join me? Posted: 9/21/05; 11:51:50 AM #

Third Party Technique - SourceWatch

Source Watch describes the Third Party Technique, whereby corporations develop and support mouthpiece organizations to support their causes, because corporations themselves are too blatantly self-interested to advocate publicly. I understand why they do this. I led a local growth control initiative many years ago that we won, because the more money developers poured into opposing it, the more support they lost. That's how little credibility they had with most people and so it is with corporations at large. What makes me sad is when otherwise legitimate nonprofit organizations get sucked into playing the third party role. Posted: 9/21/05; 11:43:09 AM #

20 September 2005

Frictionless Fundraising Workshops on Oct 25 - 27, 2005

Our most popular online briefing series -- Frictionless Fundraising -- has been revised and expanded to include new material on converting web site visitors into prospects, developing metrics that matter, low cost cultivation techniques, and methods for revising your newsletter. This is on top of the major themes of conversion of donors to email, online stewardship, and the use of email for fundraising. We've just scheduled the series for October 25 - 27, 2005. Posted: 9/20/05; 4:25:43 PM #

19 September 2005

Original Blessing

For several years as a child, my bedroom was also my father's library. I think this might account for the fact that, to this day, there are a thousand books or so in my bedroom. I can also trace key components of my philosophy of social change to the years I spent among my father's books. One of the authors to influence me the most was a thirteenth century Christian mystic named Meister Eckhart. The core of his theology was a four fold path: the via positiva or path of joy, the via negativa or path of loss, the via transformativa or path of inner change, and the via creativa or path of external change. Often, when I see dysfunction in an organization, it is because they have invested in one path at the expense of others, such as when an organization cannot deal wisely with failure and will only speak of their successes or when an organization focuses only on making change in the world and not on changing themselves. My favorite modern interpretation of Meister Eckhart's work can be found in a book by Matthew Fox called Original Blessing. Frankly, from my frame of reference, this is the best balanced scorecard anyone has come up with yet. Posted: 9/19/05; 2:05:09 PM #

The Active Life

I am a long time fan of the theologian Parker Palmer and his 1990 classic, The Active Life, continues to help ground and inspire me in my work. Too many people see contemplation and action as being in opposition to each other and this book is both a critique of completely private or monastic spirituality and a celebration of a life of active engagement. For nonprofits, I particularly recommend the chapter entitled "Loaves and Fishes" which tackles our culture of scarcity head on. Posted: 9/19/05; 2:04:59 PM #

Friendly Fascism

I have been dusting off some books published during the Reagan presidency, books that helped me understand the dynamics at work in politics and civil society at the time. Those same dynamics have grown to cancerous proportions in the last few years. One of the most provocative and insightful titles of the time is a book called Friendly Fascism by Bertram Gross. As part of my ongoing quest for analyses that make sense of a great many issues at once, this book has few peers. Gross has a keen understanding of power and he doesn't let the nonprofit sector off the hook in any way. Posted: 9/19/05; 2:04:38 PM #

18 September 2005

Community Foundation Conference
	The Council on Foundations is having their annual community foundation conference here in Seattle starting tomorrow. I'm looking over their agenda and if you have feedback on what I should attend, please feel free to send it to us. I'm hoping to develop an understanding of the ways in which community foundations actually build community. Posted: 9/18/05; 10:24:18 PM #

Don't Pick the Tools First
	The smart folks at 37 Signals make the quick and compelling point that we wouldn't pick the tools ahead of the craftsman if we were building a house, but that this is exactly what we do with a great many software projects. I've been very disappointed to see this happen over and over in the nonprofit sector. Posted: 9/18/05; 10:12:40 PM #

The Red Cross Is No Substitute for Competent Government
	Echoing a point being made by many commentators, Kathryn Cramer points out that The Red Cross Is No Substitute for Competent Government. She quotes some compelling statistics from the Harvard School of Public Health and frames them in light of some issues of basic infrastructure. Posted: 9/18/05; 10:10:16 PM #

15 September 2005

Nonprofit Online News Journal: September 2005
	The September Issue of Nonprofit Online News Journal is out! Once again, it's the longest issue yet, with six fantastic articles, 48 resources, and eight book reviews, coming in at 100 pages exactly. I've written an interesting Quicksheet on the subject of deriving your web site requirements from your email strategy. Posted: 9/15/05; 3:42:08 PM #

13 September 2005

When Open Standards Really Matter - The Katrina Factor

Pamela Jones at GrokLaw has written a fantastic account of When Open Standards Really Matter, in the context of Hurrican Katrina. The short version is that, once again, in a horrific public emergency, the Internet succeeded as a communication network, where closed proprietary systems failed, and probably cost lives. Read it through to the end. There is much more, including a substantial followup discussion. Posted: 9/13/05; 10:50:27 PM #

Peace Activist May Be Black-Listed
	Scott Parkin is an American peace activist who was put in solitary confinement in Australia. He does Greenpeace style street theater and the like, and the government has presented no evidence of violence. The Sydney Morning Herald has details on how this may get him blacklisted from ever traveling out of the U.S again. Posted: 9/13/05; 10:45:06 PM #

LawHelp: Gulf State Legal Assistance Providers
	If you are with a New Orleans nonprofit that worries that FEMA is going to label your office as "debris" and bulldoze it, or you are in any Gulf state and need legal assistance, this LawHelp page is a good directory of assistance providers. Posted: 9/13/05; 10:37:52 PM #

12 September 2005

E-Platform for Citizen Engagement
	Last month, Thomas B. Riley of the Commonwealth Centre for e-Governance, presented a three part E-Platform for Citizen Engagement (9 page PDF). His three levels are politically astute and communication oriented: government, groups, and relationships of each to their constituents. It's a smart piece. Posted: 9/12/05; 10:16:45 PM #

Like Pulling Teeth

In Like Pulling Teeth, Michael Stein expresses the frustration of technology consultants and vendors everywhere: There continues to be deep resistance to conducting the kind of examination of their own business processes that would allow most nonprofits to present meaningful requirements for new tools. I explored this subject in a speaking tour I did a few years back, in which I lay the blame with impatient nonprofit leaders, slightly desperate and overly eager technologist, and funders who are unwilling to pay for planning. Posted: 9/12/05; 10:12:51 PM #

Study Finds 11 Percent of Foundation Giving Supports Social Justice

Highlights of the Foundation Center's report on trends in Social Justice Grantmaking (4 page PDF) finds that 11 percent of foundation giving supports social justice. That was about $1.8 billion in 2002. Given the vastly greater sums spent by corporations and some governments entities on distributing wealth and opportunity upward, I think the current state of this country should be utterly expected. Posted: 9/12/05; 10:09:05 PM #

11 September 2005

9/11 and Manipulation of the USA

In 9/11 and Manipulation of the USA (an excerpt from his book, War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death), Norman Solomon looks at how the tragic crime of September 11, 2001 has been used to move us dramatically in the direction of a state of perpetual fear and war. Clearly it hasn't been used to make us more capable of responding to disaster. That is a very sad way to honor the people who died in that attack. Today, I only hope that we all find room in our actions for more fitting memorials. Posted: 9/11/05; 5:56:24 PM #

Power to Detain U.S. Terror Suspect Is Upheld

In news that should give a chill to any organization that isn't fully in support of the U.S. administration's mission of messianic militarism, a federal appeals court has ruled that terror suspects may be detained indefinitely without trial. Please do stop for a moment and consider what this means -- so long as the U.S. government says you are an "enemy combatant" (without having to prove any crime in a court of law), it may imprison you and isolate you -- before you decide that this has nothing to do with your organization's mission. Posted: 9/11/05; 5:51:27 PM #

7 September 2005

Think Progress - Katrina Timeline

Think Progress is maintaining a Katrina Timeline, which can be very useful in fast based environments like we've been facing in the wake of the hurricane. They are missing the incidents such as water and fuel trucks being turned away, people trying to rescue themselves sent back into the city at gunpoint, and related events that show the magnitude of our failing, but they hit all the major points. This will help keep us oriented as the political spin starts to speed up. Posted: 9/7/05; 5:03:04 PM #

The Two Americas

Whatever your feelings are about the limits to civil liberties imposed by the Cuban government, they certainly know how to deal with a hurricane. In The Two Americas, Marjorie Cohn explains a bit about how Cuba survived a Category 5 hurricane with no loss of life and highlights the obvious class issues involved. On a related note, did you know that several days ago, Cuba offered to send 1500 doctors, trained to work in emergency situations and complete with their own medicine and supplies? Did you know they were turned down? I want to see George W Bush explain that to the people whose family members died in the Superdome. Posted: 9/7/05; 4:59:37 PM #

Katrina Information Map
	Some of the most important work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has been done by individuals, rather than government agencies or the news media, who are responding to people's specific questions about locations in New Orleans and elsewhere. One excellent example of this is the Katrina Information Map. Posted: 9/7/05; 4:51:41 PM #

WWOZ 90.7 FM New Orleans
	Betsy Harman wrote to tell me that WWOZ 90.7 FM, the New Orleans public radio station devoted to jazz and local heritage, is still broadcasting and could play an important role in maintaining the spirit and community of the city in these times. Posted: 9/7/05; 12:32:44 PM #

New Orleans Community Data Center

The New Orleans Community Data Center is a local resource whose web site is still up and running and more important than ever. The site contains extensive data from the 2000 census, broken down by neighborhood of the city. It includes things like poverty rates, car ownership, age of housing stock, and the like. In an era where common knowledge is increasingly being privatized, I deeply respect what organizations like this are doing to democratize data. In the face of a federal government that doesn't want us seeing dead bodies or making too many causal connections, this is terribly important work. Posted: 9/7/05; 12:30:34 PM #

The Modern Nonprofit Web Site: Strategies, Patterns, and Tools

On October 4 - 6, 2005, we will be presenting a series of online workshops on The Modern Nonprofit Web Site: Strategies, Patterns, and Tools. We all know now that the modern nonprofit web site is not simply an online brochure, but knowing what it's not only gets us started. That knowledge will help us avoid spending our limited budgets on pretty online boondoggles, but we still need a proactive vision. We still need to know what works and what doesn't. These workshops will give you that answer and more. Posted: 9/7/05; 11:15:23 AM #

2 September 2005

Hurricane Katrina: Blaming Bush, Being Pro-Looting and More
	In Blaming Bush, Being Pro-Looting and More, David Corn covers some of the politics of the hurricane disaster. Protecting property over people's lives is shameful. And this is a painful way to learn about the consequences of underfunding first responders in this country. Posted: 9/2/05; 12:22:38 PM #

WWLTV.com - News for New Orleans, Louisiana
	WWLTV in New Orleans has a blog that is updated every few minutes. It's mostly bland but it's very timely. Posted: 9/2/05; 12:18:52 PM #

American Zoo and Aquarium Association
	The role being played by associations of civil society organizations right now is very interesting and encouraging. Take a look, for example, at the updates on the New Orleans Zoo and Aquarium at the American Zoo and Aquarium Association web site. Posted: 9/2/05; 12:14:14 PM #

New Orleans Mayor to Feds: 'Get Off Your Asses'

Everyone should read this CNN interview transcript with Mayor Nagin of New Orleans. If you're tired of reading about news conferences and federal promises, you'll find out that so is he. My favorite quote: "Well, did the tsunami victims request? Did it go through a formal process to request? You know, did the Iraqi people request that we go in there? Did they ask us to go in there? What is more important?" Let's remember how many of Louisiana's National Guard units are in Iraq. Posted: 9/2/05; 12:12:48 PM #

The Forsaken
	The American Progress Action Fund has written a resource-filled review of the social justice implications of the ongoing hurricane response crisis in The Forsaken. So much of what is happening right now is about poverty and it's important that we stare that fact in the face. Posted: 9/2/05; 12:08:40 PM #

Disaster News Network: Reporting Disaster Response
	The Disaster News Network is a service of the Village Life Company, a not-for-profit organization founded in early 1996 to create content for social justice-related web sites. You'll find stuff here that you can't find anywhere else. Posted: 9/2/05; 12:04:47 PM #

A Plan for Cooling the Planet
	Back in 2000, Ross Gelbspan wrote a short, sweet Plan for Cooling the Planet. I doubt that even Hurricane Katrina will be a wake up call to the Bush Administration, but maybe it will tip the scales enough for us to take steps to heal the planet. Posted: 9/2/05; 12:03:54 PM #

1 September 2005

Man-Made Natural Disasters?
	I agree with the assessment of some folks at Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy who, in an effort to determine what can be done beyond funding relief efforts, are observing that every natural disaster is a man-made disaster. Think about New Orleans a bit and you will see how this is true. Posted: 9/1/05; 6:17:04 PM #

Need is Vast, But So is Outpouring
	Individual and corporate donations to the hurricane relief efforts may top $1 billion. Posted: 9/1/05; 6:14:19 PM #

Waiting for a Leader
	Consistently over the past few years, I have found myself proud of the individuals and nonprofits who respond to a crisis and ashamed of our supposed leaders. In Waiting for a Leader it seems the New York Times feels the same way today. Posted: 9/1/05; 6:12:05 PM #

NOLA-Intel Katrina Wiki
	The best growing compilation of on-the-ground, real time information about what's happening in New Orleans is a classic high leverage nonprofit Internet project. If you want to get some real details, take a look at the NOLA-Intel Post-Katrina Wiki. Posted: 9/1/05; 6:10:22 PM #

Using Online Mapping Tools to Answer Critical Questions

Have you noticed how the major news agencies can't seem to give us the kind of details we want about what's happening in New Orleans? But individual bloggers like Kathryn Cramer and others have been using online mapping tools to answer critical questions: Is the home of my friend under water? What's likely to have happened to the grave of my aunt? Will a landmark that I treasure survive? Posted: 9/1/05; 6:08:05 PM #

A Hurricane of Email Solicitations

Lucy Bernholz captures my feelings about opportunistic disaster positioning in A Hurricane of Email Solicitations. I much prefer it when organizations think of their core competencies and offer help that leverages them, rather than wading into the me-tooism. I mean, United Airlines is sending out solicitations! I would think they have staff with some pretty solid crisis skills to loan out. Posted: 9/1/05; 6:04:36 PM #

Slide Show of Red Cross Shelter
	The Christian Science Monitor has a slide show of the Red Cross shelter in Baton Rouge. It looks like a giant rummage sale with people in it, which is far far better than the images that are starting to emerge from the heart of New Orleans. Posted: 9/1/05; 12:20:46 PM #

Poor People Drowning

The idea that there may be thousands of people dead of drowning because they couldn't afford to leave and they weren't rich enough to live on higher ground like the French Quarter or the Garden District is sickening. In Cuba, they bus every single person out of the area when there is a hurricane coming. Couldn't we have done the same? Must we always respond after the fact? Posted: 9/1/05; 11:15:50 AM #

The Space Where New Orleans Was
	Several times this morning, I was given a creepy reminder of the ultimate physicality of the Internet. There is a kind of empty space on the net where the servers that were located in New Orleans were. Posted: 9/1/05; 11:11:25 AM #