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September 2, 2005

News links; computers at Astrodome; updates on musicians, museums, housing, pets, Garden District; 'Fats' Domino OK

12.55 a.m.
An opportunity to help turn lives around: Phones, computers coming to Astrodome refugees reads the headline on a story at the Miami Herald bylined, "MATT SLAGLE, null" (Sounds like a nice gig.):

...Corporations, volunteers and nonprofit agencies were working Thursday to install telephones and Internet-enabled computers inside the sprawling former sports stadium....

Technology For All, a Houston nonprofit, was coordinating with authorities to set up a center in the Astrodome with 40 desktop computers loaded with Internet connections and office productivity software.

San Antonio-based SBC Communications, Inc. said it planned to install about 1,000 telephone lines in the dome, as well as free high speed Internet service.

SBC was considering providing Wi-Fi to help out authorities and media at the site....

This is an opportunity to give helpless people a window on their futures, hope and information. The Astrodome's overhead screens (or sheets?) could display the Web, the offers of help to them -- homes and jobs and donations to help them get started again.

Surely more wi-fi enabled computers, guides and teachers could help the refugees pursue opportunities like those they've all seen scrolling on the big screens.

Some will have online experience, others will learn quickly; these folks can do searches and help families say who they are and what they'll need. We can respond.

Here's how to volunteer -- "additional computers (Pentium 4 or faster), software, volunteers, $'s and organizational capacity" -- at Technology For All CEO Will Read's blog.

How about it, Texas?

Related: DomeBlog
Blogging the evacuees at the Reliant Astrodome

12.02 a.m.
My original blog post crashed just before I saved it. Here's the scaffolding, links only.

ArtsJournal's Terry Teachout reports: "Ben Jaffe, manager (and bass player) at Preservation Hall, has announced a fund to help support New Orleans musicians who have been left destitute by the storm. For information, go here. "Here" is Preservation Hall, hosting a link to the Preservation Hall Hurricane Relief Fund.

Teachout also links to the Katrina damage reports from the American Association of Museums

Use this link for Teachout's latest links to area bloggers and links.

Tyler Green's Modern Art Notes has a post (Katrina and the arts) full of other arts links, including the Craft Emergency Relief Fund and a Drew McManus's Dedicated Louisiana Philharmonic Relief Page brokering temporary work and homes for the orchestra's musicians and managers.

NYT: A Sad Day, Too, for Architecture

Fats Domino found, OK. CNN, photo at the link.

Katrina Housing: People all over the country are opening their homes. If you think you can live with a stranger indefinitely, describe here what you can offer and what you can live with.

Major Update from Uptown/Garden District

Pets: Several organizations are poised to rescue stranded pets.

Ears.org
Noah's Wish.com
The Humane Society of the United States

Comments

Your coverage has been among the best. You've obviously worked very hard on it. Thank you and congratulations on what you've done.

Posted by: Alan Fraser on September 3, 2005 12:11 AM

Thanks, Alan. I feel like everybody else sitting in the living room, just watching: It's not enough.

Posted by: Sheila on September 3, 2005 2:40 PM