Archive for the ‘Katrina relief’ Category

Bunny Dugo

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006

Bunny DugoBunny is the woman I have called PG, for Pretty Girl, on this blog for several years. She’s 22, and a year out of college. She spent that year with AmeriCorps, working mostly in the Gulf region that was so devastated by the hurricanes last year.

After she completed her term with them, she and four of her friends decided to bike across the United States. They’re raising money for Gulf reconstruction through a project they call Ride to Rebuild. Funds raised will benefit Habitat for Humanity in Mississippi. You’ll find a link to the donation page over on the right for as long as they are riding.

Habitat is one of the best ways you and I can help with the recovery efforts in the Gulf. I’ve written in the past about the aid problems and the insurance issues. Habitat skips all that. It’s just people helping people.

These are your fellow Americans. They’ve suffered a disaster that most of us cannot imagine living through. Americans have been so generous to tsunami victims, to earthquake victims. Why not be generous and keep those dollars at home as well?

Bunny and her crew have been through Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. If you’re out in the Great Plains and you see five young people with sore butts biking along, it’s probably them. A cold drink or a soft bed might be very welcome. They’re headed for Bar Harbor Maine, so they have a lot of pedaling to do.

It would be nice if you could honor their hard work in the Gulf and their enthusiasm in this bike ride with a donation. Come on, just a few bucks.

Spike Lee’s Movie

Thursday, August 17th, 2006

The man named after a television network has made a movie about Hurrican Katrina.

Houston Chronicle

But one of the few New Orleanians to have seen the movie before Wednesday’s premiere — a Times-Picayune television critic — had issues with it. His review was on the front page of Wednesday’s newspaper, and reporters kept asking Lee to respond to it.

Lee grew angry when someone brought up the criticism that the movie focuses too much on black people in the Ninth Ward and not enough on other ethnic groups in other parts of the city.

“How many times have you criticized something on television and (complained) that there were no black people in it?” Lee said, directly addressing the critic, who was in the crowd.

“This is a very diverse film,” Lee continued. “You must’ve been sleeping for four hours.”

The writer also had criticized as irresponsible that Lee let Ninth Ward residents say on camera that they heard an explosion and that they think the levees were deliberately dynamited to save more affluent parts of the city.

“As a filmmaker, why should I edit the people who swore on a stack of Bibles that they heard an explosion?” Lee asked. “If they heard something, I’m going to put it in. You can make up your own mind.”

It’s easy to be a tortured soul when you’re rich. And Spike is so very rich and so very tortured.

Ride to Rebuild

Tuesday, August 15th, 2006

Remember Bunny? Here’s the latest on the Ride to Rebuild.

After biking 1,500 miles, we are almost done with Wyoming! And while it has been beautiful we are ready to head into Colorado. Our highest climb of 11,000 feet will be coming up in a few days.

These five young people put months in helping on the Gulf Coast with Americorps. Now they’re biking across the United States to raise money for Habitat for Humanity in Jackson Missippi. You can’t beat the cause. Building home with those who lost their homes. They’re out there sweating, or in Bunny’s case “glowing”. The least you can do is make a donation.

Ride to Rebuild – Reprint

Thursday, August 3rd, 2006

Bunny [the friend formerly known as PG] has updated me on her ride across America.

We are currently in Riggins, ID for the night. We’re taking an easy day tomorrow-about 27 miles into Whitebird. Then the next day will be a climb up to Grangeville. We’ll be in Missoula August 2nd or 3rd. Then we’ll be two states completed. I picked up a book for 25 cents at a library in Council, ID so that is a great activity to decompress after the day.

Will you include in your blog our bike trip? That will help us with publicity. I understand if you don’t want to, though.

You can track our progress whenever we can update our website. Today we have internet, but not access to certain sites, including our website. Ride to Rebuild We haven’t been able to update it since Baker City, OR. We have travelled about 660 miles. Our goal is to raise $2,500 for Habitat for Humanity in Jackson, MS. The website explains it more. Please don’t donate, as you’ve already supported the trip enough. I am sure that out of all the people that read your blog, we may get more. People at Fisher are writing press releases for me, so keep an eye on the local newpapers. I haven’t talked with her yet to provide details, so it won’t be within the next few days.

So many Americans are still in need from the destruction of last summer. All we read about these days in the national news are the criminals and the acts of fraud. There are hundreds of thousands of hard-working Americans still trying to rebuild their lives and because it isn’t a negative story, it doesn’t get printed.

Bunny described her work with Americorps in the Gulf in an article that I was lucky enough to get permission to reprint.

It’s hot and dry across the northwest, and these young people are riding to raise $2,500 for Habitat for Humanity in the Mississippi Gulf. I’d like to think that the blogging community could help that happen. Or, just maybe, do a whole lot better.

We’re talking about needy Americans, here, folks. I’m going to run this post off and on. Let’s help the people of Mississippi, and give these youngsters a pat on the back for their efforts.

Ride to Rebuild

Saturday, July 29th, 2006

Bunny [the friend formerly known as PG] has updated me on her ride across America.

We are currently in Riggins, ID for the night. We’re taking an easy day tomorrow-about 27 miles into Whitebird. Then the next day will be a climb up to Grangeville. We’ll be in Missoula August 2nd or 3rd. Then we’ll be two states completed. I picked up a book for 25 cents at a library in Council, ID so that is a great activity to decompress after the day.

Will you include in your blog our bike trip? That will help us with publicity. I understand if you don’t want to, though.

You can track our progress whenever we can update our website. Today we have internet, but not access to certain sites, including our website. Ride to Rebuild We haven’t been able to update it since Baker City, OR. We have travelled about 660 miles. Our goal is to raise $2,500 for Habitat for Humanity in Jackson, MS. The website explains it more. Please don’t donate, as you’ve already supported the trip enough. I am sure that out of all the people that read your blog, we may get more. People at Fisher are writing press releases for me, so keep an eye on the local newpapers. I haven’t talked with her yet to provide details, so it won’t be within the next few days.

So many Americans are still in need from the destruction of last summer. All we read about these days in the national news are the criminals and the acts of fraud. There are hundreds of thousands of hard-working Americans still trying to rebuild their lives and because it isn’t a negative story, it doesn’t get printed.

Bunny described her work with Americorps in the Gulf in an article that I was lucky enough to get permission to reprint.

It’s hot and dry across the northwest, and these young people are riding to raise $2,500 for Habitat for Humanity in the Mississippi Gulf. I’d like to think that the blogging community could help that happen. Or, just maybe, do a whole lot better.

We’re talking about needy Americans, here, folks. I’m going to run this post off and on. Let’s help the people of Mississippi, and give these youngsters a pat on the back for their efforts.