Category Archives: Bodhisattva Action Alert

New York Times photo by Patrick Fallon

The photos show a devastating reality — last night, the tornado that hit Joplin, MO, was the deadliest one in the U.S. since 1953. In a city with a population of about 48,000, nearly 100 people are dead so far with many more injured.

I picked up the following information from this page on the MSNBC website… it seems to be the most comprehensive list so far on how to help:

Donations

• The American Red Cross has set up a page for Missouri tornado and flood relief.
• The Joplin Red Cross could use some donations. You can contact it at (417) 624-4411 or info@redcross-ozarks.org in order to find out what supplies are most necessary.
• The Missouri SEMA has set up a donation page.
• A list of major non-profits that operate regularly in Missouri can be found on the National Donations Management Network website. You can also call (800) 427-4626 for further information.
• The Missouri Interfaith Disaster Response Organization is taking donations for longterm recovery efforts.
• The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks is in need of blood — particularly type O. A list of donation sites can be found here.

Volunteering

• 211 Missouri is helping organize volunteers in the affected areas. More information can be found by calling (800) 427-462.
  
• Nurses or doctors looking to help can call (417) 832-9500 for the Greater Ozarks chapter of the Red Cross.
• Health professionals can register to volunteer through the Show-Me Response website.

Animal rescue

• For those in the Joplin area: Emergency Pet Center of the Four States at 7th & Illinois near the Sonic is OPEN and accepting found/injured animals. Its phones are down at this time.
• The “Animals Lost & Found from the Joplin, Mo tornado” Facebook page is tracking lost and found pets.

Safety Information

• The National Americorp Volunteers are setting up a national hotline for residents to call to check on loved ones. The number is (417) 659-5464 and should be active later today.
• The American Red Cross has set up a site on which you can check in, report on the safety of others, or look for information on loved ones.
• The “Joplin people accounted for after the storm” Facebook page is helping people track loved ones who fell out of touch during the storm.
• The St. John’s Health System has been updating its Facebook page regularly with information relevant to the aftermath of the storm.

Related articles

• Joplin, Mo., tornado: How you can help (cbsnews.com)

I received a message from Sean Young, a Tibetan Buddhist friend in Idaho, asking if I could pass this along to readers of The Jizo Chronicles. The letter below speaks for itself, for the most part — the town of Crestone, Colorado, is the home of a number of Buddhist temples and sanghas as well as other spiritual communities. Please note that the deadline for comments on this issue is November 15.

—————

Dear Noble Sangha and Friends,

The Air Force is proposing to use the mountains of Crestone as practice grounds for the war in Afghanistan. We are requesting you to send an email to the Air Force strongly urging them to not allow the Low Altitude Technical Navigation program to be allowed to fly in the San Luis Valley, home to our retreat center, Samten Ling (along with other Buddhist retreat centers).

If allowed to proceed, they would fly low altitude (200 ft.) “sorties” (groups of big, loud military planes) per night, 5 hours in duration each, half of that at low altitude.
The emails need to include what would be the significant impacts that would occur if this program is allowed to be implemented in Crestone. These can include spiritual practice, wilderness, quietude, enjoyment of the night sky, air quality, peace of mind, heart and body, health, economy, wildlife, agriculture, recreation. Here are some ideas for the main points, but the letters need to be individually composed:

1. Ask for an Environmental Impact Statement or EIS to be performed. This should be done rather than an EA (Environmental Assessment), which has much lower parameters.
2. Ask for an extended comments period, because many people who would be affected have not yet heard about it.
3. The level of noise could have extremely negative impacts on the economy here, which is based on spiritual retreats, [tourism, etc.]
4. We certainly want our pilots well-trained, but the bulk of this can be done by simulations.
5. In the not-so-unlikely event of a plane crash, the Air Force has stated that they would not be able to help fight any possible fires that could result.
6. Air pollution can come from many of the activities that they are planning– not just the act of their flying over the valley but also the pilots practicing mid-air fueling.
7. Wildlife would be negatively affected by the noise and the pollution. We have some unique ecosystems here that would be vulnerable. The Code of Federal Regulations (50 CFR part 27.34 Aircraft) prohibits unauthorized operation of aircraft at altitudes resulting in harassment of wildlife, and the LATN proposal falls within these prohibited altitude levels.

Please address these emails to 27SOWpublicaffairs@cannon.af.mil.

They need to hear from as many of us as possible, and we need to highlight for them as many issues as possible, because what we express has to be recorded, acknowledged and addressed in the EIS or EA. The deadline for comments is November 15th. The preferred method of communication would be email; however, communications can be made by phone (575-784-4131), fax (575-784-7412), or mail (Cannon AFB Public Affairs, 110 E Sextant, Suite 1150, Cannon AFB, NM 88103). We urge you to take the time to write in the next few days in order to protect our sacred land as well as those of other spiritual communities.

Yours in the Dharma,
MSB Administration

Image via marlasinger333 on Flickr.com

This post is primarily for readers from the San Francisco Bay Area. If you want to help people who were affected by the terrible explosions in San Bruno, CA, here’s a list put together by Laura Mason of the website 7×7. At least four people were killed in the blast, caused by a gas line leak, and dozens have been left homeless.

Save San Bruno, Get A Haircut! On Wednesday, September 22nd, band together and help our neighbors by attending Save San Bruno: A Cut for Charity, an all-day hair-cutting extravaganza hosted by Johnny Bueno and his stylists Jeremy Jenks and Guf Gufler. Starting at 9am until 7pm, Johnny Bueno Color Studio will donate $75 or 100% of any haircut to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s efforts to help the San Bruno explosion’s victims. Clients can expect to be fully pampered with a new ‘do, along with helpings of Blue Bottle coffee and mini cupcakes from Miette. @ 166 Geary St., Suite 1005. (415)362-2668.

The SF Giants have big hearts. They’re dedicating tomorrow’s home game against the LA Dodgers to the victims of the San Bruno fire, and are donating $3 of every ticket to relief efforts. They will also be accepting donations from fans at that came to donate to the cause. Click here for details.

The Salvation Army got a head start on their relief efforts by sending out mobile kitchens to offer cold drinks and food for those fighting the San Bruno fires while providing counseling for displaced families. To keep their relief going strong, donate money so they can buy supplies most necessary for those in crisis. Needless to say, 100% of these Salvation Army San Bruno Disaster Relief Fund proceeds go to help those affected. Click here for ways to pledge money.

Wells Fargo and Safeway, both of whom have already contributed thousands of their own money, are accepting donations to give to the American Red Cross’ efforts to help affected families. Through the end of September, you can donate money to San Bruno’s families at all Wells Fargo ATMs in San Mateo County. To help out while grocery shopping, you can donate money at any Safeway checkout stand in one of their 80 participating stores around the Bay Area.

The Jewish Community Federation is also on the front lines of relief efforts with financial and volunteer assistance. They are accepting donations, all of which will go to the most effective service providers in the area. Click here to make a donation. If you live in the area and would like to donate supplies, bring diapers, blankets, shoes, towels, kid’s clothing to the San Bruno Recreation Center at 251 City Park Way in San Bruno.

If you want to donate blood, Blood Centers of the Pacific are accepting donations this weekend and in the following weeks for victims. They’ve extended their hours to accomodate the outpouring of recent donations. Two of their donation centers in the city are at Irwin Center at 270 Masonic Ave., and at Downtown Center at 250 Bush St. For additional donation centers and their hours around the peninsula and in the East Bay, click here.