Thank you for your time and please forgive this interruption.

Many of us have had a few stressful days and have more ahead worrying about family members in New Orleans that have not been heard from.  We have been mixing in time coordinating with family members and friends that got out of New Orleans and matching them with others in surrounding cities to get food and just to clean up. Unfortunately more is needed to ease the suffering of those in New Olreans and Mississippi that have been left with nothing.

Phoenix-based Louisiana themed restaurant "Baby Kays" is contributing 10% of their profits thru Saturday to the relief efforts, this was announced on TV news and radio this morning. The "Friends of New Orleans", an informal group, is asking you to join us at Baby Kays this Saturday at noon to show your support and contribute to the relief effort by enjoying good food and meeting some good people.

Friends of New Orleans is a social group of friends that is not affiliated with Baby Kay's, we just really enjoy their food...and cold beer.   So, come join us we will be there till..., well, until yall stop coming.  

Till then, keep the victims of  Katrina in your prayers.

Location:  Baby Kay's Cajun Kitchen
  2119 E. Camelback Rd.
  Phoenix, AZ
  602.955.011

When:     Saturday, Sept. 3, 2005
  Noon-....


Take care and God Bless

And I'm scheduled to donate blood on Tuesday. Please don't forget to donate blood if you can as well. There are going to be many, many sick people who will be in need of transfusions. A little can mean a lot!

I'll try to make it tomorrow to Baby Kay's.

Megan

I don't usually like to push charities or particular relief efforts. Any money that is applied directly to help relieve the horrors experienced in our Gulf region are meaningful. However, with the current situation, drinkable water is an urgent problem. A company called Wisconsin Pharmacal makes a water purification tablet called Potable Aqua. Many of you who are hikers or backpackers are likely familiar with it. In keeping with the company's tradition during disasters, Wisconsin Pharmacal is leading a relief effort to deliver the tablets to aid in purifying local water resources. It has dropped the price per bottle to $1.75 for the relief effort and will increase the amount of donated product by 20 percent on orders of 10 or more bottles.

To give you some idea of its effectiveness, a single bottle of tablets ($1.75) can purify up to 25 quarts or 6.25 gallons of water. So for an order of 10 bottles ($17.50), Wisconsin Pharmacal will add two additional bottles to the donation. That's 75 gallons of drinkable water.

It's a worthwhile and needed effort that I thought I would share. To learn more, please see the link below.

That is an excellent idea. I gave blood and money already, but this is really something the people in New Orleans and Biloxi need.

 I personally have been frantic this past week trying to find family members, but I realized that getting in my car and driving down there to search for them was pointless as there are no phones, gas, hotels, and possible way of tracking down those who have been pushed from their homes.

 My prayers have been answered and some of my family showed up in Beaumont, TX just 2 days ago. My family also had a reunion outside of Biloxi just 2 1/2 weeks ago. So needless to say I have been quite concerned trying to track everyone down. Several friends and family are still unaccounted for.

 I wish everyone the best of luck finding your family and friends. I have said a lot of prayers over the last few days, I remembered to include everything I am thankful for. The "little luxuries" we take for granted are no longer luxuries to those in need. Clean water, a dry place to sleep, transportation, safety in our homes are neccesities to those in the gulf area. Please be generous with your mind, body, and soul, as well as your time, money, and efforts.

 I will never forget those nameless folks who saved my family. My prayers and thoughts are with everyone.

I have never been to Las Vegas, because frankly, New Orleans is just as sinful and far more interesting.  I've been there 6 times in the last 12 years, the first few to partake in the hedonoism that is Mardi Gras, and the last few to kick back and take in the tastes, sounds, and smells of March - the ideal time (too late for the winter rains, too early for the summer humidity).  It is easily the most culturally relevant city in America . . . yes, even over New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.

I have 4-5 friends in New Orleans.  Two are a 10-year committed couple of gay men who keep me updated in their Christmas email on their quest to adopt a baby and and who run a bed-and-breakfast in French quarter which I saw a picture of while keeping my eyes peeled to news channels and ears on news radio over the last week.

I really don't want to sound like a prude or lightweight, but I had an appointment with a really great indie provider Thursday evening, and she had on CNN when I got there, and man, I really could not concentrate.  Call me a light-weight, but I cannot do something this endulgent for a few weeks - I put a hefty sum to a check (enough to cut my disposable spending for the next 5-6 weeks) with Red Cross.

I get alot of questions regardng my name"katrina" but here is something that I have started to do....Out of every meeting that I get I am donating 30% to the redcross katrina fund... There will be documents through my accountant for anyone that questions my sencerity..  There are MANY people that need our assistance and this is the only way that I can help at this time...