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Old 09-06-2005, 11:19 AM   #61
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Quote:
there are government loans, state grants, and scholarships. thats how i got my degree. everyone can go to college if they really want to.
Not necessarily true. You still have to have a diploma/GED and get accepted into a college. Anyhow, lets not turn this into a social welfare debate. That wasn't the point of the original topic.
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Old 09-06-2005, 11:24 AM   #62
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Oh yeah, there if anyone's looking for another way to help, there is a website called Hurricane Housing courtesy of MoveOn.org where you can volunteer to house people if you have the space.
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Old 09-06-2005, 12:54 PM   #63
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Question

Quote:
Originally posted by kingcrazylegs@Aug 30 2005, 11:51 PM
Here is a good LINK of places to doante to help with the hurricanne relief.


[snapback]75384[/snapback]
Wow, it appears that UNITED WAY and perhaps FOOD BANK may be the most trustworthy and true charities of these...and the RED CROSS is very miserly at best and extremely shady at worst! :greenguy:

OTOH, this charity rater gives the RED CROSS 5 stars and UNITED WAY N.O. Chapter only 2...

Ehh, who knows?
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Old 09-06-2005, 12:56 PM   #64
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The government is still a Federal Republic Governement with a capitalstic econmony. Some things that have been mentioned so far go into farther degrees of Soicialism.

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Old 09-06-2005, 12:58 PM   #65
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I know we are trying to keep this topic from being over run with Politics, but I think this thread is a good example of politically active the disasters has become and that you cant talk about the NO disaster without going into heavy Politics as well.
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Old 09-07-2005, 03:16 PM   #66
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Unfortunatley this was an example of how fragile civilization is and how quickly it can degenerate into chaos and savagry.
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Old 09-08-2005, 09:37 AM   #67
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Originally posted by Somnambulation@Sep 7 2005, 04:16 PM
Unfortunatley this was an example of how fragile civilization is and how quickly it can degenerate into chaos and savagry.
[snapback]76184[/snapback]
A harsh look, but this journalist does make some good points:

An Unnatural Disaster: A Hurricane Exposes the Man-Made Disaster of the Welfare State

"The man-made disaster we are now witnessing in New Orleans did not happen over four days last week. It happened over the past four decades. Hurricane Katrina merely exposed it to public view."

I'd have to agree that this was already a city on the verge, and the hurricane kinda just pushed it over the edge... The problem was a looong time in the making - due to little fault from the Feds. So, to finger the Feds while turning a blind eye to the locals is frankly, only enabling and furthering that problem to worsen in the future...

That said, now is not the time to point fingers (ahem Nagin ), but simply to administer immediate aid. The political analysis is merely for the longterm in order to learn from this disaster and prevent more like it in the future...
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Old 09-08-2005, 10:05 AM   #68
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That said, now is not the time to point fingers (ahem Nagin* ), but simply to administer immediate aid. The political analysis is merely for the longterm in order to learn from this disaster and prevent more like it in the future...
Touche. My thoughts exactly.
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Old 09-14-2005, 03:33 AM   #69
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if anybody was registered for a university in a state that was affected by katrina you may be interested in this article

Quote:
UK universities offer places to Katrina students

Polly Curtis, education correspondent
Wednesday September 14, 2005


More than 50 universities in the United Kingdom are offering discounts on fees and accommodation to students displaced from the 24 American universities affected by hurricane Katrina.
The British Council in America is coordinating the offers to thousands of students who have lost their places at universities in the southern states affected by the storms earlier this month.

Some UK institutions are offering reduced accommodation fees or additional scholarships. Others are relaxing their deadlines to allow more flexibility for students seeking admission.

So far, British Council USA has received more than 50 responses from UK institutions willing to accept displaced US students. A few are also willing to accept displaced international students that were in the US on an English as a Second Language programme.

The University of Newcastle says it will reduce fees to the level charged by their home institution to any students who transfers to Newcastle, and are also offering to return a portion of that fee to the home institution to help offset their loss of business.

Bath Spa University is offering a travel bursary (up to £820 - approximately $1,400) to students who can prove that they had a place at a university that now cannot take them.

The British Council USA has set up a website for enquiries from UK institutions and The American Council on Education and the National Association of College and University Business Officers have created a site to coordinate efforts (see useful links).

Andy Mackay, head of British Council USA, said: "Institutions across the United Kingdom have responded very generously to the crisis in the southern United States, and we are delighted to be able to play an active role in helping universities and students affected by Hurricane Katrina.

"In addition to channelling the many offers pouring in from UK colleges and universities, our team in Washington is also providing guidance to the institutions who have offered university places to the US students whose academic institutions will not be able to open for the autumn semester."

The 24 universities affected include: Southern University at New Orleans, Loyola University, New Orleans, Tulane University, Dillard University, New Orleans, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Mississippi Gulf Coat University, Southeastern Louisiana University, University of New Orleans.

Immediately after the storm, in a statement to students, Tim Ryan, chancellor of the University of New Orleans wrote: "Aerial views indicate that approximately two-thirds of our lakefront campus remained above water... We plan to make electronic classes available in October, and we will open the main and satellite campuses as soon as possible."

In America a massive relief operation to find affected students new places at universities has begun with US state officials have promised to make sure that red tape does not prevent affected students from transferring to new universities.

American universities have also been involved in wider efforts to help the refugees created by the hurricane and flooding aftermath. The University of Michigan school of information has set up a computer programme to provide a search function for homeless people to use to find shelter.

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Old 09-21-2005, 03:10 PM   #70
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Red face

And now for liberal rebuttals to claims blaming Nagin/exonerating Bush...
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Old 09-21-2005, 03:51 PM   #71
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who to believe?

"A SAD STATE OF CORRUPT LOCAL GOVERNMENT LOOKING FOR A HAND OUT.

Politics over duty


This is a post from a fellow over in Merritt Is, FL, a reporter who's been researching what went on before the storm hit

I think all of Nagin's pomp and posturing is going to bite him hard in the near future as the lies and distortions of his interviews are coming to light.

On Friday night before the storm hit Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center took the unprecedented action of calling Nagin and Blanco personally to plead with them to begin MANDATORY evacuation of New Orleans and they said they'd take it under consideration. This was after the NOAA buoy 240 miles south had recorded 68' waves before it was destroyed.

President Bush spent Friday afternoon and evening in meetings with his advisors and administrators drafting all of the paperwork required for a state to request federal assistance (and not be in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act or having to enact the Insurgency Act).

Just before midnight Friday evening the President called Governor Blanco and pleaded with her to sign the request papers so the federal government and the military could legally begin mobilization and call up.

He was told that they didn't think it necessary for the federal government to be involved yet. After the President's final call to the governor she held meetings with her staff to discuss the political ramifications of bringing federal forces. It was decided that if they allowed federal assistance it would make it look as if they had failed so it was agreed upon that the feds would not be invited in.

Saturday before the storm hit the President again called Blanco and Nagin requesting they please sign the papers requesting federal assistance, that they declare the state an emergency area, and begin mandatory evacuation.

After a personal plea from the President, Mayor Nagin agreed to order an evacuation, but it would not be a full mandatory evacuation, and the governor still refused to sign the papers requesting and authorizing federal action.

In frustration the President declared the area a national disaster area before the state of Louisiana did so he could legally begin some advanced preparations. Rumor has it that the President's legal advisers were looking into the ramifications of using the insurgency act to bypass the Constitutional requirement that a state request federal aid before the federal government can move into state with troops - but that had not been done since 1906 and the Constitutionality of it was called into question to use before the disaster.

Throw in that over half the federal aid of the past decade to New Orleans for levee construction, maintenance, and repair was diverted to fund a marina and support the gambling ships.

Toss in the investigation that will look into why the emergency preparedness plan submitted to the federal government for funding and published on the city's website was never implemented and in fact may have been bogus for the purpose of gaining additional federal funding as we now learn that the organizations identified in the plan were never contacted or coordinating into any planning - though the document implies that they were.

The suffering people of New Orleans need to be asking some hard questions as do we all, but they better start with why Blanco refused to even sign the multi-state mutual aid pack activation documents until Wednesday which further delayed the legal deployment of National Guard from adjoining states.

Or maybe ask why Nagin keeps harping that the President should have commandeered 500 Greyhound busses to help him when according to his own emergency plan and documents he claimed to have over 500 busses at his disposal to use between the local school busses and the city transportation busses - but he never raised a finger to prepare them or activate them.



This is a sad time for all of us to see that a major city has all but been destroyed and thousands of people have died with hundreds of thousands more suffering, but it's certainly not a time for people to be pointing fingers and trying to find a bigger dog to blame for local corruption and incompetence. Pray to God for the survivors that they can start their lives anew as fast as possible and we learn from all the mistakes to avoid them in the future."





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Old 09-21-2005, 05:54 PM   #72
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When I learned that Rita hit Cat. 5, and that it was going to hit Texas, all I could think was, there's refugees there. People who went to Houston for help and protection. And this is what happens. It's just too sad
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Old 09-22-2005, 01:24 AM   #73
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^yea looks like there is about too be a round two down there
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Old 12-15-2005, 11:30 AM   #74
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Interestingly, stats indicate that Whites actually died at a greater rate than Blacks in N.O. - despite public perceptions to the contrary:

According to the 2000 census, whites make up 28 percent of the city's population...36.6 percent of the storm's fatalities in the city

African-Americans make up 67.25 percent of the population and 59.1 percent of the deceased

Other minorities constitute approximately 5 percent of the population and represented 4.3 percent of the storm's fatalities
----------------------------
Katrina crime wave?
Quote:
Police chief ties Katrina evacuees to more killings

By ROMA KHANNA
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Katrina evacuees in Houston were the victims or suspects in 23 homicides between September and December, Police Chief Harold Hurtt said today, doubling his department's earlier numbers on how many killings have been linked to people from Louisiana.

The 23 homicides account for nearly 20 percent of all homicides in the city during that period, according to Houston Police Department numbers.

HPD previously had reported that evacuees were victims or suspects in 10 homicides in that period. Hurtt offered no explanation for the discrepancy, other than to say police had reviewed their records and updated the totals.

Citywide, the homicide total rose 23 percent last year, with the largest increases coming at the end of the year.

The increase has continued in January, Hurtt said, with the city recording 21 homicides to date, compared with 14 between Jan. 1 and 18, 2005.

"It's not a good way to start the year, but we are also living in a city of more than 2 million people,'' Hurtt said.

While homicides continue at a heightened level, he said the levels of other violent crimes such as robbery also continue to be of major concern.

HPD will begin tracking whether Katrina evacuees are the victims or suspects in all crime categories, Hurtt said. That decision is partly to help secure federal funds to pay for two overtime initiatives launched last year to target hotspots for criminal activity, particularly in the Southwest, he said.

"We did a pretty good job of keeping track when they were in the Astrodome, but did not once they dispersed,'' Hurtt said.

Hurtt did not specify how many of the 23 cases are known to have involved Katrina evacuees as suspects and how many as victims, but a Chronicle review of homicides in HPD's district 17 shows that both the victims and suspects were from Louisiana in the three evacuee homicides in that area.

To date, officers working one of the overtime programs have made 169 arrests, Hurtt said, adding that he hopes to see the new programs affect the city's violent crime rate soon.
Quote:
Houston murders linked to Katrina evacuees

HOUSTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Houston police say evacuees from Hurricane Katrina were either victims or suspects in 23 homicides in the city since September.
R
Houston contends with homicide increase (January 15, 2006) -- Houston officials say a rise in homicides and renewed gang activity has turned the city's southwest side apartment complexes into battle ...

Police Chief Harold Hurrt said the killings accounted for 20 percent of the total during that time period and were twice as much as had earlier been reported.

The Houston Chronicle reports no data is available as to the breakdown of victim and suspect in the homicides.

Murder levels, as well as robbery and other violent crimes are a major concern, Hurrt said.

Homicides in January are up from last year.

Hurrt said there have been 21 since Jan. 1 compared with 14 in 2005.
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