Katrina—Resource Management vs. Disaster Management

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, inadequate response has brought to light grave deficiencies in our emergency response. Almost two weeks later things are starting to work out. Good leadership will emerge as bad ones are exposed. Proper command will recognize the resources and utilize them properly. But I have yet to hear news reports of the primary resource being rightly deployed.

With all catastrophic events there is drastic change, and in every change there is opportunity. Katrina has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands. And the greatest resource now being mismanaged are those affected. Human resources, our greatest potential advantage, is currently being wasted. Those displaced can turn from victim to relief worker. They, of all, have the greatest motivation.

Good leadership and proper business management will recognize this. Those who lost their homes and their jobs have the world to work for, to reclaim, to repair. Leaders in resource management will take right advantage of this force and channel it into the power that manipulates the material resources of recovery. There are billions of federal dollars as well as private donations that are at the disposal of the recovery effort. Volunteer work crews, if recruited from the victims themselves, would be those with the most to gain from the effort. And this voluntary work force will be the base of the thousands needed as industry takes up the rebuilding of the infrastructure, site-built homes and manufactured housing, schools, casinos, distribution and communications systems, etc.

Good leadership in human resource management will affect the best possible outcome. That which is now misdirected will be reapplied. Resource management will replace disaster management.

How long will it take? Leaders, Entrepreneurs, step forward.

Katrina: Search and Rescue--What a Concept

Finally the troops are arriving. It's about time.

Wouldn't it be something if our military was as proficient at search and rescue as search and destroy?

Wouldn't it be great if the Marines, the Army, the Air Force, and Navy were saving lives, instead of spending them?

Oh, isn't that what the military was established for -- defense?? Let's defend against the enemies that would kill our people, all people. Right now it is the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Not a country whose oil may benefit our bottom line.

Whose bottom line? How many years of Middle East destruction and killing will it take to get us all the fuel we can pour down our SUV gullets? And at such a reasonable cost.

Who's got it backwards? W.who?

Is it time that we, the people recall or learn again that the government works for us?

Who da boss? W.who?

Not!

Did you vote last election?

As a whole, maybe we deserve what we got. We are only victims when we let our civil servants act as masters. Isn't it obvious now that they are not? Simple, common sense tells me that when we take back control of our lives, recognizing respect for all life, we will all live a little better.

I could go on. But it all comes down to respect for life. All life. Recognize the benefits of diversity. Don't cut off your feet because they are not hands.

Search and rescue -- a worthy cause. We all need a little saving. Who is your God? Did It create all life? If so, then guess what? That's mine too.

“Help Those in Need”

All Your Worth

Does it seems like you don't make enough to get by? Are you working too hard and not enjoying the fruits of your labor?

Here's a book that tells the truth about how to get ahead. Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Tyagi lay out the new rules of money in an easy-to-understand way. All Your Worth - The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan affirms your common sense about living better with what you have, as well as not doing without the enjoyment in life you need. It is a joy to read, even though the subject of economics, and most books on it, are all too often boring. This one is not. You'll want to keep reading and put the new rules to work.

Best Pie I've Ever Eaten

Thanks for sharing it with the world. I'm sure your efforts at Mom's Most Wonderful Blueberry Pie recipe is as good as hers. Yes, it is good for breakfast--especially with plain, organic, cream-on-top yogurt. -d

Health and Consciousness

Who is the healer?
There are many viepoints worth considering. Here's mine:


We enter this plane of existence at birth, screaming with fright of conditions extreme. With luck and love we gain acceptance of the environment to the point of serenity in the protective arms of mother. Soft, warm. Sweet and safe.

At a frequency consistent, or in cycles that vary by conditions unknown, we are reminded of the harsh reality here. We adjust, we grow, we cope. Sooner or later we have chosen a system of beliefs that explain the place and provide a means of moving within it and through it.

This works for a good portion of life. For many it is accepted as the one, the only way to pass the years from birth to death. The change of cycles bring great joy and new life, varying degrees of challenge, as well as some devastating disasters. And through all the change there is a recognition surfacing, sooner to some than others, that the journey of life on this planet may be peaking in performance, well-being, and fulfillment (or may have already peaked) and will eventually be reduced to a graveside lament.

The continuum of birth, life and death is all so simple. For many it is so sad. Live life to fullest, for too soon we die.

For others there is a view beyond the constraints of this physical being. Beliefs that lift the anchor of fear in the earthbound vehicle give rise to mission and vision of life after death. Fulfillment beyond the cycles of biological life on this planet.

It could be said that there are three states of consciousness in this species:

1. Animal, the biological life-form, concerned with survival and physical health;

2. Humankind, a social being, who develops relationships and may strive for social cause; and

3. Soul, a spiritual agent in a hierarchy of spiritual intent.

Too often those who have come to the later realization forget the importance of the first. Should we not, instead, view our body as a gift from the Divine Universal Cause, a tool to use in our spiritual mission—health and survival being our base of operation on this plane.

We are spiritual beings, we live in environments of material substance and social reality.

Move ahead with consciousness. Health on all levels is what we choose.

What you may need to know, but had no idea...

Here's a blog that gives perspective on web use for those of us who are not as techy as the world of web may require.

Why and how be on the Web?

Check it out.