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| Happy New Year!
Hope everyone had a good one.
2007 is gonna be good. Getting good vibes already!
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| It's been a while since I last posted.
South Africa is still in my heart. I wanted to have a b-day fundraiser but I didn't have the energy to put it together so I asked people to donate money in lieu of a b-day present/dinner. A friend mentioned doing a silent auction to raise even more funds. Didn't have time to organize it for my b-day, but now I'm planning to have some sort of auction/artists night to increase awareness of the needs of those in South Africa.
Artists for Africa... or something like that. But instead of re-inventing the wheel I'd like to partner with an exisiting organization. I'm sure there are some out there.
I've been meeting various species of artist...singers, musicians, actors...a lot of them love the idea so I hope to get more connections! I'm sure there are film makers who would be interested in it too. So it looks like God's opening some doors for me. All I need is a FREE venue in LA to hold it.
RANDOM THOUGHT: Asking Paul Frank to donate or design special South Africa shirts. I saw a Skurvy (skull and bones) sticker on an Explorer and thought...why not? I go to OCC, he went to OCC. Who knowz. =)
Today a friend dropped by work to tell me he's been thinking about ways to transform a community in South Africa. It can be done thru building a well, building a school, or providing a continual source of food (like buying chickens/hens for them). It would be great to see the tangible results of our fundraising.
Is God on the move? Heck yeah!
Peace out!
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| *I haven't been able to make it out there... =( But looks like there's still a lot of stuff going on.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060824/lf_afp/uskatrina1year_060824164955
NEW ORLEANS, United States (AFP) - A symphony of barks echoes through the converted warehouse acting as New Orleans' temporary animal shelter a year after Hurricane Katrina separated thousands of pets from their owners.
Most of the animals rescued after 80 percent of the city was flooded have found their way back to their owners or to new homes across the country.
But the city's only animal shelter - which operates out of an old coffee warehouse without air conditioning or drainage - is still full of hundreds of pets awaiting adoption.
Some are strays found wandering through the rubble of abandoned homes. Others were given up by owners unable to care for them because of the stress of living in tiny trailers while they rebuild their homes, among other reasons.
"People are still getting their lives together," explained Gloria Dauphin, the assistant director of the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). "Housing is a big, big issue and renting with an animal is next to impossible."
Tails wagging and tongues lagging, the dogs follow people walking by the rows of cages with bright eyes, yipping and begging for some attention. Cats meow and stick their paws through the bars, ready to play and purring at the scratch of an ear.
Between 2,000 and 3,000 animals died in the floods or in the hot, lonely days after evacuees were barred from taking their pets or returning to find them.
"So many people would not leave because the government came to rescue the people and left the pets behind," said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States.
"There was an incredible drama that played out and a recognition that an incredible bond exists between people and their animals, and if you fail to account for that bond your work is going to be undermined."
Animal rescue workers found their efforts stymied when they were barred from entering the city until a week after the storm hit. They paddled through floodwaters and broke into houses to rescue the pets of people who thought they would only be gone two or three days. Animals barred from evacuation buses were picked up on the streets as they rooted through garbage in search of food.
About 16,000 pets were rescued and shipped to shelters across the country.
Only 15 to 20 percent were eventually reunited with their owners. A lack of proper identification and technology to handle such a huge project slowed the reunion process, as did the time it took evacuees to find suitable housing.
A couple dozen families have since sued aid agencies because the new owners of their pets would not return them.
Pacelle said there a strong moral and legal case to be made that the animals should be returned to their original owners, but that the shelters could not house the pets indefinitely while waiting for owners to track them down.
Seven states and the federal government have since passed laws ensuring that evacuation plans include pets, and some of those laws have even provided funds for pet-friendly shelters.
Animal shelters across the country have contacted the Louisiana SPCA to get a copy of its evacuation plan, which managed to safely evacuate 263 animals ahead of the storm. That foresight saved their lives: when the shelter's staff was finally allowed to return they found the shelter swamped with eight feet of water, Dauphin said.
The SPCA is currently raising funds for a new 17 million dollar facility slated to open in January. | | |
| Our report night will be held at NewSong.
Date: 9/17/06
Time: 6:00p
Free food for your body AND mind.
If you would like to attend let me know!
All are welcome!
Seiko | | |
| Did you guys hear about this?
Pray for the 2nd NewSong team who will be coming back via London... scary stuff.
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BRITISH police have reportedly foiled a plot to smuggle explosive devices in airline hand luggage to blow up planes in mid-flight, according to Sky News in London.
The targets were said to have been flights between the Britain and the US.
Overnight police have arrested a number of people in London.
The BBC reports that the Department for Transport has set strict security measures at UK airports.
Passengers would not be allowed to take any hand luggage on to any flights in the UK, the department said.
Only the barest essentials - including passports and wallets - would be allowed on board in transparent plastic bags.
Sky said the Metropolitan Police arrests were the culmination of a big covert counter-terrorist operation lasting several months.
It followed a pre-planned intelligence led operation by the Met's anti-terrorist branch and security service.
Police said they believed the aim was to detonate explosive devices smuggled on board the aircraft in hand luggage.
"We would like to reassure the public that this operation was carried out with public safety uppermost in our minds," a police statement said.
"This is a major operation which inevitably will be lengthy and complex. We will provide further information as soon as possibl | | |
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