Earlier today, I posted a message asking for info on what people had heard about any international relief efforts that may be underway in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Since then, I’ve been reading some posts both in the blogosphere and message boards which are discussing whether or not the international community will offer assistance to the US in light of the Hurricane Katrina devastation along the Gulf Coast, where entire cities are entirely devastated. Well, the first answer to that is yes they are but I want to talk about it a little bit more.

The comments I’ve read that some on the left have been posting read something like this: "Well, considering all the name-calling the US did to other countries during the run up to, and after, the Iraq war, it’s understandable why they wouldn’t want to contribute."

(Cross-posted at BlogsForBush)

Linking up with OTB’s Traffic Jam

Update: Michelle Malkin has the latest on aid efforts here at home.

Update II: Here’s a list of Katrina charities.

Figured I’d post something a bit on the lighter side this evening to try and lift spirits a little bit.

Do any of you watch the Weather Channel? I usually watch it in the morning before I get ready for work and shortly before I go to bed.  I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a single blooper when I’ve watched.  But this link will take you to some Weather Channel bloopers, some of which are pretty funny.  Make sure you scroll down and click on the different images to view the different videos.  Each video is about a minute or so long.  Enjoy!

…. coming to a neighborhood near you? 

Matt Margolis at Blogs4Bush has the details, including where the three separate bus tours will be headed and a link from the FReepers who are trying to organize counter protests in the cities the pro-Sheehan crowd will be visiting.

They aren’t coming here to Charlotte, but for anyone interested in travelling to Raleigh, the "Sheehan supporters" will be there Thursday September 15th through Sunday the 18th.    Anyone who attends the counter-protests there, or anywhere else for that matter - please send photos to me and I’ll post some of them here.   Here is the most up to date listing for the tour dates:

Central Tour

Dallas, TX:   Wed, Aug. 31st
3:00pm, Tour meets with representatives from Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson’s office. 5:00pm – 7:00pm, Media Availability 7:30pm, Speakers Program

Little Rock, AR:   Thu, Sep. 1st - Fri, Sep. 2nd

Memphis, TN:   Fri, Sep. 2nd - Sat, Sep. 3rd
Air America Radio interview; interfaith service.

St. Louis, MO:   Sat, Sep. 3rd - Mon, Sep. 5th

Indianapolis, IN:   Mon, Sep. 5th - Wed, Sep. 7th

Columbus, OH:   Thu, Sep. 8th - Fri, Sep. 9th

Cleveland, OH:   Fri, Sep. 9th - Sun, Sep. 11th

Pittsburgh, PA:   Sun, Sep. 11th - Wed, Sep. 14th

Philadelphia, PA:   Wed, Sep. 14th - Sun, Sep. 18th

Baltimore, MD:   Sun, Sep. 18th - Wed, Sep. 21st

Northern Tour

Wichita, KS:   Wed, Aug. 31st - Thu, Sep. 1st

Kansas City, MO:   Thu, Sep. 1st

Des Moines, IA:   Thu, Sep. 1st - Fri, Sep. 2nd

Minneapolis, MN:   Fri, Sep. 2nd - Sat, Sep. 3rd

Madison, WI:   Sat, Sep. 3rd - Mon, Sep. 5th

Chicago, IL:   Mon, Sep. 5th - Thu, Sep. 8th

Toledo, OH:   Thu, Sep. 8th - Fri, Sep. 9th

Detroit, MI:   Fri, Sep. 9th - Sun, Sep. 11th

Buffalo, NY:   Sun, Sep. 11th - Tue, Sep. 13th

Syracuse, NY:   Tue, Sep. 13th

Albany, NY:   Tue, Sep. 13th - Wed, Sep. 14th

Amherst, MA:   Wed, Sep. 14th - Thu, Sep. 15th

Boston, MA:   Thu, Sep. 15th - Sun, Sep. 18th

New Haven, CT:   Sun, Sep. 18th

New York City, NY:   Sun, Sep. 18th - Tue, Sep. 20th

Southern Tour

Austin, TX:   Wed, Aug. 31st - Thu, Sep. 1st

Houston, TX:   Thu, Sep. 1st - Fri, Sep. 2nd
Congressional visit; Rally

Shreveport, LA:   Fri, Sep. 2nd - Sat, Sep. 3rd

Montgomery, AL:   Mon, Sep. 5th - Tue, Sep. 6th

Tallahassee, FL:   Tue, Sep. 6th - Thu, Sep. 8th

Atlanta, GA:   Thu, Sep. 8th - Mon, Sep. 12th

Savannah, GA:   Mon, Sep. 12th - Tue, Sep. 13th

Columbia, SC:   Tue, Sep. 13th - Thu, Sep. 15th

Raleigh-Durham, NC:   Thu, Sep. 15th - Sun, Sep. 18th

Richmond, VA:   Sun, Sep. 18th - Tue, Sep. 20th

…. to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina - anyone heard of any such effort(s) underway outside of the US?  Just curious.

PM Update: Just read this AP story over at FoxNews:

VIENNA, Austria  — From papal prayers to telegrams from China, the world reacted with an outpouring of compassion Wednesday for the victims of Hurricane Katrina messages tinged by shock that a disaster of this scale could occur in the United States.

Islamic extremists rejoiced in America’s misfortune, giving the storm a military rank and declaring in Internet chatter that "Private" Katrina had joined the global jihad, or holy war. With "God’s help," they declared, oil prices would hit $100 a barrel this year.

Venezuela’s government, which has had tense relations with Washington, offered humanitarian aid and fuel if requested.

The storm was seen as an equalizer — proof that any country, weak or strong, can be victimized by a natural disaster. Images of flood-ravaged New Orleans earned particular sympathy in central Europe, where dozens died in raging floodwaters only days ago.

"Nature proved that no matter how rich and economically developed you are, you can’t fight it," says Danut Afasei, a local official in Romania’s Harghita county, where flooding killed 13 people last week.

Throughout Europe, concerned citizens lamented the loss of life and the damage caused to New Orleans, often described as one of North America’s most "European" cities.

French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sent messages of sympathy to President Bush. Chirac, who has famously quarreled with Bush over the Iraq war, addressed this letter, "Dear George."

Pope Benedict XVI said he was praying for victims of the "tragic" hurricane while China’s President Hu Jintao expressed his "belief that that the American people will definitely overcome the natural disaster and rebuild their beautiful homeland."

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II also sent a message to Bush saying she was "deeply shocked and saddened" at the devastation caused by the hurricane and expressing her condolences, "especially to the families of those who have lost their lives, to the injured and to all who have been affected by this terrible disaster."

The U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland — a capital at the foot of the Alps hit by flooding last week — said calls were rushing in from Swiss individuals and institutions looking for a way to donate to relief efforts.

"We are getting calls from the Swiss public looking to express their condolences, (and) people are also asking for an account number where they can make donations," said spokesman Daniel Wendell.

The Internet-edition Vienna daily Der Standard had recorded 820 postings commenting on a front-page story on the hurricane. In one of the postings, signature "Emerald" asked where money could be donated to the victims, but the question sparked a debate about whether a rich country like the United States needed such aid.

Meanwhile, on the homefront:

Artists with ties to America’s Gulf Coast will participate in a live benefit special, "A Concert for Hurricane Relief," to air on Sept. 2 on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC.

(MSNBC is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC.)

Musicians appearing will include Tim McGraw, Harry Connick Jr., and Wynton Marsalis. Non-musical artists, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and others, will also participate. The hour-long music-driven special will air at 8 p.m. ET live on the East Coast, tape-delayed on the West.

"Today" show host Matt Lauer will host the telethon portion of the programming from NBC’s studios in New York. All viewers will be encouraged to donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund in support of hurricane relief through its Web site and donation hotline (www.redcross.org or 1-800-HELP NOW). 

The fund helps the Red Cross provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those suffering from the hurricane and other disasters.

Greyhawk at the Mudville Gazette has a roundup of links. 

There are going to be some long and difficult days ahead, but as always the US military is up to the challenge.  Our men and women in the armed forces are second to none when it comes to doing what’s necessary to help and protect us both abroad, and right here at home. 

On the blogging homefront, La Shawn Barber has a list of links on blogger commentary and offers some donation suggestions as well.  And requests the most important thing of all: prayers for the victims.

Thursday, bloggers from across the world will unite in a day of blogging  - focused on bringing attention to the problems they are facing and will continue to face for months in the Gulf Coast area - and asking readers to give  the charity of that respective blogger’s choosing.  I will be participating in this and requesting donations be given to the American Red Cross (1-800-HELP-NOW). I will be putting up a permanent link to the American Red Cross on this blog later today.

Those who would like to donate to another charity instead of the Red Cross should visit here and scroll down past the list of bloggers participating as there is a list of charities there including links.  There are plenty of them.  Our fellow citizens need our help in their hour of need and not just with donations but prayers as well.  Some cities have been completely devastated.  This is a national tragedy that deserves a national response from all of us.

Update: Fellow blogger Paul at Wizbang is out of work and no longer has a home due to the devastation from Katrina.  Click here to find out how you can help him.  Hat tip to Michelle Malkin, who has the latest news and information on how to help the victims.

Late evening update: Jim at bRight and Early has created a Red Cross banner you can display at your site.  He’s got the CSS coding all written out for anyone interested.

This is disgusting:

Late Tuesday, Gov. Blanco spokeswoman Denise Bottcher described a disturbing scene unfolding in uptown New Orleans, where looters were trying to break into Children’s Hospital.

Bottcher said the director of the hospital fears for the safety of the staff and the 100 kids inside the hospital. The director said the hospital is locked, but that the looters were trying to break in and had gathered outside the facility.

The director has sought help from the police, but, due to rising flood waters, police have not been able to respond.

Even some New Orleans police officers are getting in on the looting at local stores:

At the Wal-Mart on Tchoupitoulas Street, an initial effort to hand out provisions to stranded citizens quickly disintegrated into mass looting. Authorities at the scene said bedlam erupted after the giveaway was announced over the radio.

While many people carried out food and essential supplies, others cleared out jewelry racks and carted out computers, TVs and appliances on handtrucks.

Some officers joined in taking whatever they could, including one New Orleans cop who loaded a shopping cart with a compact computer and a 27-inch flat screen television.

(Hat tip Brian Collier at Vodkapundit) 

Unbelievable.   The city of New Orleans has descended into chaos as, unfortunately, natural disasters sometimes tend to bring out the worst in people.   It’s difficult to get them all the help they need seeing as that the roads, bridges, and highways leading into NO are mostly impassable.

Louisiana’s governor has declared today a day of prayer.

Related:

• My Tuesday evening and Katrina updates
• Gulf Coast areas: Devastated
• Hurricane Katrina slams the La. and Miss. coasts
• Katrina getting ready to slam NO

Afternoon update: Jason at Generation Why? has some suggestions for what to do with the looters.

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" and insured for $1 million is missing from a Grand Rapids museum.

Police Chief Leigh Serfling said the slippers were stolen late Saturday or early Sunday. Someone entered the museum through a window and broke into the small display case holding the slippers.

"There’s not a whole lot of evidence," Serfling said. "We’re hoping that someone in the community has seen something."

Children’s Discovery Museum director John Kelsch said the slippers belong to a Los Angeles man who loaned them to the museum for several weeks this summer.

The children’s museum houses the Judy Garland museum, which displayed the same pair of slippers last year. Garland was born in Grand Rapids in 1922.

"The slippers are a major attraction at our museum," Kelsch said in a news release Monday. "It is our hope that the slippers can be recovered immediately."

To the person(s) who has these slippers: you can return them to me anonymously.  I promise I won’t tell a soul who you are!  I assure you, they will be in good  hands, and I will return them safe and sound to the owners once a substantial dollar amount for compensation is agreed upon 

Hat tip: Brian at Iowa Voice

This evening after I left work, I made a trip to the emergency room up the street from the house.  It wasn’t actually an "emergency" but I didn’t have time to go to the doctor during the day, so I went to the emergency room with my problem.  Seems *something* (ant, spider - don’t know) got a hold of my left foot Saturday.  I didn’t feel anything when it happened, but I noticed by Saturday evening there were three small bites on my left foot that I knew were not mosquito bites.  I told myself if it didn’t look much different by Tuesday that I would go to the doctor, and so I did.  I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t something that potentially could be serious.

I arrived in the ER around 5:30, filled out the paperwork, and went to take my seat.  I was shocked at how the number of people there waiting to see a doctor.  The room was full, with about 25 people in it.   I asked a nurse who walked by if this was an unusually busy night for them or if it was average.  She informed me that it was average and that there were some nights the numbers were even higher.  There seemed to be a revolving door of patients coming in and out of the ER.  The nurses, assistants, doctors and other staff were busting a move to make sure everyone was taken care of.  I had to wait until about 6:45 but I did get seen. Luckily, the doctor, once she took the first look at my foot, said that the bites on my foot weren’t of the poisonous variety (like a brown recluse spider bite would be, for example) but that they looked liked red ant bites.  I don’t know how that happened if it did, because when something is crawling around on your foot, you usually know it.  The only thing I can think of is that some insect bit me while I was walking around in the grass Saturday with strappy sandals looking at houses.  In any event, the doctor reassured me that everything would be just fine, and that I needed to put some Benadryl cream on it (and/or Neosporin) and that the bites should go away in a few days.    Whew.   My only complaint was that it wasn’t a male doctor because if it was I could have reported back to everyone here that I had a man at my feet earlier this evening

In any event, my hat is off to the hospital staff there at the hospital I went to.  You guys work hard around the clock to take care of people’s ailments to the best of your ability, and do your best to reassure them that everything is going to be ok.  I can’t tell you what hearing a doctor say "everything is going to be just fine" does to calm my nerves. 

And speaking of hats off, a major hat tip and big time thank you goes out to the rescue agencies and our fine men and women in the military (like the Coast Guard and National Guard) for doing an amazing job of stabilizing the areas affected and for their rescuing stranded residents.  While sitting in the waiting room of the ER, I was watching CNN on the TV there and some of the footage shown of the rescues were quite dramatic and heart-stopping.  I saw one where two small children were airlifted into a helicopter from a wire basket.  The wind was blowing steadily and the basket was not completely steady so there were some harrowing moments there.  CNN was reporting that some 1,200 citizens had been rescued in New Orleans thanks to the heroism of the US Coast Guard and other rescue teams.     Click here to see a video of the USCG rescuing people who were stranded on top of their homes.  It’s amazing.

By now, I’m sure most of you have seen the footage of how devastated La. and Miss. are right now (click here for photos of the area - hat tip: Michelle Malkin).  Those areas are going to need some major help - lots of it is coming, but they will need more.   Click here to find a relief agency you’d like to help via donations of money, food, clothing, etc.  And as always, remember the residents there in your thoughts and prayers.  So many families have lost everything.    It is so heartbreaking to see.

Update: Glenn Reynolds has more relief links.

Update II:

****ALL RESIDENTS ON THE EAST BANK OF ORLEANS AND JEFFERSON REMAINING IN THE METRO AREA ARE BEING TOLD TO EVACUATE AS EFFORTS TO SANDBAG THE LEVEE BREAK HAVE ENDED. THE PUMPS IN THAT AREA ARE EXPECTED TO FAIL SOON AND 9 FEET OF WATER IS EXPECTED IN THE ENTIRE EAST BANK. WITHIN THE NEXT 12-15 HOURS****

Jeff Parish President. Residents will probably be allowed back in town in a week, with identification only, but only to get essentials and clothing. You will then be asked to leave and not come back for one month.

FEMA numbers to begin assistance process 1-800-621-FEMA or http://www.fema.gov.

More photos of the devastation (see more here as well) 

Mr. Chrenkoff has all the latest. 

Enjoy his posts while ya can … I believe he’ll be be starting his new job soon and leaving the blogosphere.  He’s sure gonna be missed.