As Katrina approached

something's amiss with bloggerbot/hello this morning so I'm testing it out

I have to share...

I've mentioned it before in this blog, but I need to again. If you shop for cheese or meat in the Buffalo area, you need to go to the Sloan Supermarket. It's like being in a time warp. I can go there and get 2 lbs ground beef, 2 lbs boneless chicken breast, lunch meat, cheese, bacon, eggs and milk and the bill comes to like 15.00$. Incredible . If you haven't already, go soon.

But this clinched it

NO-ONE got too far folks. Money or not. This is the kind of crap that keeps legitimate complaints conveniently buried. It's like the "global warming created Katrina who deliberately attacked the poor city of New Orleans and George Bush doesn't like black people, midgets or gay rodeo clowns" theory. One message is clear: haves and have-nots alike are equally marginalized and abandoned when it comes to dependence on the federal government.

No Way Out: Many Poor Stuck in Houston

HOUSTON(AP) - Wilma Skinner would like to scream at the officials of this city. If only someone would pick up their phone.

With Hurricane Rita breathing down Houston‘s neck, those with cars were stuck in gridlock trying to get out. Those like Skinner — poor, and with a broken-down car — were simply stuck, and fuming at being abandoned, they say.

Some of those who did have money, and did try to get out, didn‘t get very far.

"This is the worst planning I‘ve ever seen," she said. "They say, ‘We‘ve learned a lot from Hurricane Katrina.‘ Well, you couldn‘t prove it by me."

Her daughter, who appeared to be about 9, whispered in English, "We‘re from Mexico."

Eddie McKinney, 64, who had no home, no teeth and a torn shirt, stood outside the EZ Pawn shop, drinking a beer under a sign that said, "No Loitering."

Where will he stay?

In Deer Park, a working-class suburb of refineries south of Houston, Stacy and Troy Curtis, waited for help outside the police station. Less than three weeks ago, the couple left New Orleans after it was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

But most businesses had shut down because the neighborhood will likely flood if the hurricane hits Galveston Bay. The streets were empty Thursday afternoon.

An emergency official eventually sent a van to take the couple to a shelter at a recreation center.

Monica Holmes, who has debilitating lupus, sat in her car at a Houston gas station that had no gas. "We can‘t go nowhere," she said, tapping a fingernail against the dashboard fuel gauge. "Look here," she said. "I‘m right on E."

Her husband, a security guard, had a paycheck, but no way to cash it.

"We were going to try to go to Nacogdoches" in east Texas, not far from the Louisiana border, she said. "But even if we could get on the road, we‘re not going to get out. These people that left yesterday, they‘re still on the beltway. They haven‘t even got out of Houston."

So she and her husband will hunker down in their Missouri City home, just to the south. "We‘ll be fine," she said. "You can‘t be scared of what God can do. I‘m covered."

As always, there were those who chose to stay, no matter how dire the warnings.

John Benson, a 47-year-old surfer and lifelong Galveston resident, said he thinks his town "is going to take on a lot of water. But as far as the winds, I think here on the island, it will be a little bit less than they anticipated."

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued Wednesday for the area.

Benson said he planned to use his surfboard as transportation after the hurricane. "The main thing is you have a contingency plan," he said, and thumped his board. "You got buoyancy."

Skinner, accompanied by her 6-year-old grandson, Dageneral Bellard, would settle for a bus.

"They got them for the outlying areas, for the Gulf and Galveston, but they ain‘t made no preparations for us in the city, for the poor people here. There ain‘t no (evacuation) buses here. I got nowhere to go."

2 Banana trees

That's all they lost. Winds 50-60 mph, about an inch of rain. They L-U-C-K-E-D and they know it.

Noon Houston-still waiting and watching

Encouraged by news that Rita has taken a turn, they are still at home in Houston. According to the SIL it's a beautiful sunny day but the breeze is starting to pick up. Projected now are 75 mph winds which is better than 100mph so they sound upbeat at the moment. The traffic has eased considerably so if escape becomes imminent, it shouldn't be as slow. There are alot of people still stranded and wandering so they have more pressing concerns at the moment than people who stayed home. Anyhow the B&SIL have a generator hooked up to their fuse box, plenty of wine and much higher hopes than they did last night. I'm feeling relieved.

8 PM Houston time

I just spoke with my brother and sister-in-law. They can't even get out of their subdivision due to the parking lot that has become of the roads leading out of there. People are stalled all over the place and it's like a sci-fi movie.100 deg, around 110 on the pavement today. The westerly routes are closed, preventing travel to Brownsville or places south and west which I think sucks. They still want to make a break for it tomorrow morning, some of their neighbors who've lived there for years have decided to stay and ride it out. Not a good scenario for two WNYers used to a little cold and snow. A lot can change in the next 24 hours and I hope this thing shifts... I don't wish anyone harm but hell, N.O. is already pretty much cleared of people and basically trashed anyway. There are alot of people still in Houston.

It's not enough

to merely name a hurricane. The appropriate cultural icon is needed to accompany the storm and it's destruction as well. I feel this should start at once especially after hearing twisted Beatles lyrics..."lovely Rita, meter maid, Galveston lies between us...". I vote Ms. Hayworth for this mangler.

My brother's stuck in Houston

He's in Cypress. He was home over the weekend and left Buffalo Tuesday afternoon. He didn't fly because he picked up a couple of cases of wine and decided to drive back. Yesterday morning he called his wife in Houston while en route and told her to leave and they'd meet somewhere. She refused and said she wanted him to come home and they'd leave together. Now they are watching the traffic scenes and don't dare make a move. They are hoping it de-congests by tomorrow so they can get out with their cat and dog. I'm a little worried. Just thought I'd share.

Countdown to Fall

Mayer Brothers Cider Mill, West Seneca. Baked good capital of the universe. Although things are unseasonably green out there, we are approaching the official Last Day of Summer. Thursday marks the beginning of my favorite season and I'm relieved to see it arrive. For those of us who are the tragically un-hip in WNY i.e., life near Elmwood Ave. is a fond but pleasantly distant memory, it's best to get out for a pumpkin hunt, corn-maze, cider cruise and the foilage gazing that is here every September through November. I'm fortunate to live right now in the little town I grew up in, where the locals refer to it as "God's country" (;_;) It's not boring, life's never been fuller and there isn't a better place to take in all of the beauty that is Western NY. Especially these days. You don't even have to set aside extra time to do it. Just look outside.

Galveston memory

Galveston, Texas on September 9,1900. With voluntary evacuation being ordered today on the residents of Galveston,Texas, there lives in the collective memory of people there no doubt, a time in September 1900 when their world was blown apart... "We heard soon the blinds and windows break in the rooms upstairs... It sounded as if the room were filled with a thousand little devils, shrieking and whistling... We all prayed. " ~ Louisa Hansen Rollfing, Galveston resident There were some brave people then, including a few nuns and kids from a local orphanage: Have you ever heard the story of that fateful day in Galveston, Texas?. A category 4 hurricane hit that peaceful Texas gulf town during September, 1900. The seaport of Galveston was a blessing that helped the town's economy but some predicted that one day it might also be its curse. A historical marker is placed on the beach where once stood Saint Mary's Orphanage Asylum. This was placed in remembrance of 10 Sisters and 90 orphan children who died in that storm. The death toll from the hurricane, with no name, would rise to over 8,000 men, women and children. The population of Galveston, Texas was about 36, 000. One sixth of the people would perish in the storm. There were no TV, radio, Satellites or Doppler radar in 1900. There was, however, the "United States Weather Bureau." The USWB sent an urgent message on Friday, September 7, 1900, calling the people of Galveston to evacuate toward higher ground. This message was, however, mostly ignored and some vacationers still continued to swim in the gulf waters. The heavy rains came on Saturday. It has been written that Sister Elizabeth Ryan, one of the 10 Sisters at Saint Mary's, went into town for food supplies on Saturday, September 8, 1900. Mother Gabriel, of Saint Mary's Infirmary, pleaded with her to stay until the storm passed. She told her that the children had to have their supper. Time ran out for the people of Galveston. By 6:00PM that evening of September 8, the winds began to gust to near 130 miles an hour and the sea waters surged to near 15 feet. It is written that the winds may have reached as high as 150 miles an hour. No home was standing. It was estimated that nearly 15,000 homes were destroyed. Those who ventured outdoors risked death by the flying debris. One of the three children of the orphanage, who survived, told of how the children were afraid but the Sisters were brave. Even with death knocking at the door the Sisters led the children in songs that included, "Queen of the Waves." There was a centennial memorial on September 8, 2000, on the spot of Galveston, Texas that was Saint Mary's Orphanage.

cool idea

Stefhan Caddick is using existing electronic road signage to display messages to motorists, replacing formal useful information with more plaintive information sent by SMS messaging. MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES is Cardiff’s inaugural Festival of Creative Technology - a three-day programme of events being held across the capital. The festival is being developed between Chapter and Bloc (Creative Technology Wales) and includes a two-day conference, new commissions, residencies, screenings, and artists’ projects in public sites across the city.

Amphetamine nation

It wasn't enough to have 20-40% of the nation's kids on behavioral medication, now this pharmaceutical cash cow has engulfed their parents too. And you thought nothing could replace coffee. Use of prescription drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is growing at a faster rate among adults than children, new research shows. Between 2000 and 2004, use of drugs that help keep ADHD patients focused doubled among adults aged 20 to 44, but rose only 56 percent among children, according to data compiled by Medco Health Solutions, one of the country's largest prescription benefit managers.

:-(

With 90% of precincts reporting, it looks like SOSDY in Buffalo.

Write-in voting

I don't live in the city so I can't vote in the mayoral Dem primary but I am waiting and hoping that Kevin Gaughan pulls this rabbit out of the hat. As they say though- "I've been burned before" with regard to watching and participating in Buffalo politics in years past, so I truly hope that a NEW Buffalo emerges tonight. In my little corner of the universe, we are doing write-in votes for County Comptroller. It went like this: walk in and register, take a blue card with a number written on it and a folded white paper, go behind a cardboard screen stamped" please return to board of elections", sit down, unfold the paper and ~ what?? Fill in a bubble? Yep that was all. Drop card and filled-out bubble into metal locked box and away it goes at the end of the night under the guard of a sheriff. Sheesh. I don't know what I expected really but -it was pretty anti-climatic anyway.Not a total wash though, where I vote is near a beautiful park and it was a grand night for a walk so we did just that.

What's your story?

The hurricane coverage this week with all of the stories of survival and death has given me the opportunity to reflect on the closest experience I've had to perishing (or so I thought) at the hands of Mother Nature. I was a high school freshman in 1977 when a *snowstorm* hit the area. There had been a snowday from school that Friday and a few of us were hanging out at a friend's house about 1/2 mile away from where I lived. Sometime during the afternoon it began to look nasty outside and after a while I decided to head home. The distance home was normally a 5-10 minute walk, and I was used to outdoor activities in wind, snow and cold, so I thought nothing of walking down the road alongside wide open fields. Halfway home I realized the mistake I'd made when I had to grab onto a street sign to keep from falling over in the wind, and wound up crawling most of the way home not being able to see my hand in front of me and with no sensation in my exposed face. I didn't realize I had crawled into a field instead of being on the road until I heard a neighbor's snowblower in the distance behind me (he was the only one around who had such a gadget and he played with it night and day). I was able to correct my path according to sound. I somehow made it home. Lots of people around here have similar memories. Every time late January rolls around, I am exhausted to the bone by cold temps and snow. Buffalo native and UPI writer Alex Cukan has recently written about natural disasters, government response and the Blizzard of '77. Here are a few words : "I have lived through a few disasters and covered several more, and the lesson I have learned is, for the most part people are on their own. To this day, any forecast of a snowstorm gets me stocking up on milk, eggs and toilet paper. I grew up in Buffalo, which is accustomed to snow, but this was no ordinary snowstorm. For at least a week, workers were stranded at work, students were stranded in schools, and people sought refuge in police stations, fire halls, bars and factories. Motorists were taken in by strangers. Cars on New York`s main highway were buried in snowdrifts and high winds buried some one-story homes and some second-story homes disappeared in 30-foot drifts. Some died in their cars. Windows blew out, trees fell, women gave birth alone at home, parents had no idea if their children were safe, phone service was sporadic because of the heavy volume, people died alone at home and one house fire spread to five other homes because the roads were impassable for firefighters. Volunteers with snowmobiles and four-wheel-drive vehicles delivered medical supplies, but many just did without. Looting was a small problem, about 100 were arrested. Traffic was banned for more than a week, and it took about 10 days for the city to return to normal. Some 500 New York National Guard troops with more called in from Fort Bragg, N.C., arrived with snow plows attached to tanks. The guard stayed for a month clearing snow." Part One Part Two

Buffalo Housing Offers

- here's a link to the HurricaneHousing.org site with offers of folks from Buffalo and lots of cities to house evacuees.

September mourn

It's that time again, the last-minute Labor Day Weekend rush to get all of the stuff on the "Grade 5 Supply List": Actually I was pleasantly surprised by this year's list. There are only 25 items on it and the only color-specific items are the 4 (1) subject notebooks (red,green,yellow,blue) and the 6(2) pocket folders with clips (red,green,yellow,blue,purple,orange). I guess my main peeve is the friggin' 4 tennis balls with an "X" cut in the center. This was on last year's Grade 4 Supply List as well. Why tennis balls you ask? Well they are for the bottom of those noisy little chairs that the students sit in while at their desks. My daughter tells of a garbage bag stuffed full of tennis balls kept in her Grade 4 teacher's room. What is the woman going to do with all of those? Why were they not sent home in June with the students? We know tennis balls come in cans of how many? Yeah. So that means you have to buy 2 cans and then ruin them by carving them up. I won't even vent-ure into the '1 box of disinfecting wipes, 1 box Ziploc sandwich bags and 2 boxes of Kleenex'. The last 5 years the sandwich bags have been on the list and I've yet to see my child come home with anything in a Ziploc sandwich bag. Chair leg covers , "disinfecting wipes" and Kleenex- shouldn't those be school MAINENTENCE supplies/ issues ? FLASHBACK 1973: yours truly is waiting at the bus stop the first day of 5th grade holding a pencil bag with 2 pencils, 2 pens, compass, ruler,protractor, and eraser (maybe crayons). Also lined looseleaf paper ( the colored variety was popular) and maybe a three ring binder. These items were not in a backpack. There were no "lists". I guess the schools left it up to the common sense of a parent to send in the needed supplies. Oh and I guess the nervous systems of teachers weren't hopelessly shot, they had to put up with us moving our chairs back and forth all day with NO tennis balls attached!

• By the way- if you haven't finished your shopping yet- Target rocks with the prices this year.

Rebuilding?

The water hasn't been cleared, bodies haven't been recovered and already talk of rebuilding. Maybe it's time to "move" New Orleans. It took the city 35+ years to build after Camille and then this. I don't like to watch people set themselves up for another hit.Especially to the tune of mega-billions. It may be better to have a more naturalized area there. My brother has been in Houston a couple of years and told me to come down and we'd go to NO- it turned out to be one of his favorite places. Damn. I wish I'd gone.

Stepping up to the plate

Americans are donating to the Katrina relief effort in record numbers: So far the Red Cross has collected $21 million, nearly $15 million of that from individual donations through its Web site. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said initial corporate donations to the relief effort could total more than $100 million, including : ~ $5 million from Chevron Corp ~ $3 million each from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup ~ $2 million from Pfizer Inc. ~ $1 million from insurer State Farm. ~The Walt Disney Co. contributed $2.5 million, $1 million of which will go to the American Red Cross and the rest for rebuilding efforts and volunteer centers helping affected communities. ~Nissan North America sent 50 trucks ~ Anheuser-Busch offered more than 825,000 cans of water ~ Sprint Nextel Corp. donated 3,000 walkie talkie-type phones for emergency personnel. ~Seven truckloads of crackers and cookies were on the way thanks to Kellogg Co. ~ Two dozen cars and trucks were offered by General Motors Corp. ~ Home Depot and Lowe's pledged cash and manpower ~Culligan International sent five truckloads of water. More than 100 tractor trailers from as far away as California and Wisconsin were on their way to aid Katrina's victims in southwest Alabama with food, water, ice and blankets. Smaller efforts have also begun: ~ At Ragin' Cajun, a popular Creole restaurant in Hermosa Beach, Calif., the Domingue family -- natives of Lafayette, La. -- collected more than $550 to help a friend's business that was wiped out by flood waters. ~Telethons reminiscent of benefits for tsunami and Sept. 11 victims were announced Wednesday featuring : ~ Wynton Marsalis ~John Mellencamp ~the Dave Matthews Band ~Green Day ~ Jerry Lewis' annual Labor Day fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association will also appeal for donations to hurricane victims. The MDA said it would contribute $1 million. The world of sports jumped in, as well: ~ the National Football League and New York Yankees each donating $1 million to the American Red Cross ~Tennis player Serena Williams offered to donate $100 for every ace she hits the rest of the year. ~In Detroit, the owners of Community Bowling Centers planned to donate 50 percent of their revenue from three counties during a Labor Day bowl-a-thon ~ Florida State University asked fans to donate during a football game Monday against rival Miami. ~ NFL quarterback Brett Favre spoke emotionally about the devastation in his boyhood home of Kiln, Miss. He said the Packers flew relief supplies to Tennessee on the team plane for distribution in Hattiesburg, Miss., and further south. "It's devastating," said Favre, who added that 50 friends and relatives were camped out at his Hattiesburg home. "The Gulf Coast is gone." (Source: AP)