Ayn Rand
(February 2, 1905–March 6, 1982; first name pronounced (IPA) /aɪn/ (rhymes with 'mine')), born Alissa "Alice" Zinovievna Rosenbaum, was best known for her philosophy of Objectivism and her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Her philosophy and her fiction both emphasize, above all, her concepts of individualism, rational egoism ("rational self-interest"), and capitalism. Believing government has a legitimate but relatively minimal role in a free society, she was not an anarchist, but a minarchist. Her novels were based upon the archetype of the Randian hero, a man whose ability and independence causes conflict with the masses, but who perseveres nevertheless to achieve his values. Rand viewed this hero as the ideal and made it the express goal of her literature to showcase such heroes. She believed:

1. That man must choose his values and actions by reason;
2. That the individual has a right to exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing self to others nor others to self; and
3. That no one has the right to seek values from others by physical force, or impose ideas on others by physical force.

(via Wikipedia)

Bombs over Baghdad.

i should be at the anti war rally today, but as much as in my heart im a hippy, the only reason i would really wanna go down there is to have lunch at the pantry afterwards

and thats no reason to yell out a few fuck bushes.

fuck bush

there we are.

(via Tony Pierce)

Perhaps President Bush will consider signing the Kyoto Treaty now that a hurricane is headed for his father's airport (George H. W. Bush Intercontinental Airport) 

National Debt.

It frustrates me when people say that a "lag" in the economic effect of President Clinton's actions caused today's poor marketplace.

Do you care about future Americans? National Debt is a tax on our future.
--------------------------------
"Still Broke? Things getting worse? Well you should follow your own advice!"

(via MetaFilter)

business statistics.

Jets meet-up suggest that George Bush really does not like black people. A post over at Grabthar's Hammer analyses a recent photo-op of the President with the New York Jets, and figures out that the probability of the black players having been kept out of the immediate vicinity of Dubya (as you can see is the case in the photos supplied on the post) was 0.4%.

(via Metafilter)

It's a Christian world.

Bush's War on Condoms "... the Bush administration's policy of emphasizing abstinence-only prevention programs and cutting federal funding for condoms have contributed to an alleged condom shortage in Uganda." Meanwhile, people desperate to prevent HIV infection have begun using garbage bags as condom substitutes.

LSU is Site of Largest Acute-Care Field Hospital in U.S. History

Statistics and information provided below

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 6, 2005

BATON ROUGE – LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center is serving as a field hospital for thousands of evacuees from New Orleans and other areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The medical operation has been characterized by incredible teamwork, heroism and cooperation, allowing the patients to receive the highest quality of emergency care in as timely a manner as possible. The medical team and facility are highly flexible and can adjust the patient-care focus in as little as one hour, depending on patient needs.

Currently, the PMAC medical operations are transitioning from providing trauma care and stabilization to addressing more acute illnesses. The number of intensive care beds is decreasing. The facility is now restructuring operations to treat new types of illnesses, and includes an isolation unit to treat conditions such as skin infections and dysentery.

"I am so proud of LSU, and its employees and students," said LSU Chancellor Sean O'Keefe. "The campus and the LSU community are helping to save lives and provide comfort to those who have been through terrible trauma. Everyone at LSU has risen to this challenge and has been working around the clock to help in any way they can. The student volunteers, the Facility Services staff and the LSU Police are keeping the shelters running, the admissions officers and residential life staff are admitting students from affected universities and finding them places to live, staff members from across campus are manning the emergency hotline number – it's amazing. And I cannot say enough about the medical professionals from all over the country who have volunteered to be here. This willingness to help in the face of adversity is a tribute to the human spirit."

One of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's primary goals is immunization, and the CDC is in the process of providing immunizations for health care workers and evacuees.

Volunteers are accepting and organizing donated clothing at tables outside the PMAC facility. Medical volunteers – doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and technicians – are also registering at tables on the exterior of the facility. Other tables contain laptop computers equipped with wireless access, which are available to hurricane victims so that they can send e-mail messages to loved ones. Food and water are also available to evacuees.

The outside perimeter of the PMAC has a large central supply zone, where food and medical supplies are delivered and then distributed to the appropriate zones.

The following are important facts related to the medical evacuation effort.

Medical Evacuation Facts as of 3 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 6

The medical evacuation effort in LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center began Tuesday, Aug. 30. Initial agencies involved included, but are not limited to, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals; Federal Emergency Management Agency; U.S. Public Health Service; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Illinois and New Mexico Medical Emergency Response Teams; LSU Health Sciences Center; Strategic National Stockpile; LSU Athletic Department medical personnel; U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, National Guard, Navy, Marines and other military organizations; and Disaster Medical Assistance Teams.

The medical evacuation effort for Hurricane Katrina represents the largest deployment of public health officials in U.S. history.

According to medical director Chris Trevino, M.D., the 800-bed medical facility at LSU is the largest acute-care field hospital ever created in U.S. history and is currently the largest acute-care hospital in Louisiana.

Approximately 6,000 patients affected by Hurricane Katrina have been cared for in LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC).

There are 70 patients now being treated inside both the PMAC and the Maddox Fieldhouse.

Approximately 5,700 patients have been discharged since the hospital began operations.

Some 1,400 prescriptions have been filled for evacuees.

More than 1,700 volunteer medical personnel have come from Louisiana; Washington, D.C.; Georgia; Arkansas; Mississippi; Florida; Texas; Utah; Arizona; Illinois; and Washington.

More than 2,000 faculty, students and staff on the LSU campus have volunteered in assisting evacuees, by donating time and providing accommodations for evacuees and emergency workers. LSU Student Government is connecting volunteers to tasks.

LSU has sheltered 365 emergency relief/public safety personnel, providing them meals and a place to stay.

As of Tuesday, Sept. 6, the LSU Hurricane Information Center hotline has taken almost 6,000 calls since its inception Wednesday, Aug. 31.

There have been 857,135 page views of the LSU Hurricane Information Web site on the lsu.edu homepage as of Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Media organizations from around the world, including the Washington Post, New York Times, NBC News, Good Morning America, and international media from Europe and Asia have visited the campus to learn about the medical evacuation efforts and report on the status of the medical operation.

As of close of business Monday, Sept. 5, LSU had registered an additional 1,454 students from the hurricane-affected areas. Four hundred more students have been admitted, but have not yet registered for classes. Some 700 faculty members from universities and colleges in the affected areas have responded to requests from LSU to help with instructional support for the fall semester.

Hurricane update # 2

Family and friends,

It has been a couple of days since I last wrote. The situation here in Louisiana is what I would call stabilized but dire. The Federal government has moved in swiftly, but I'd also like to remind people (and the public) that it's important to continue to keep the Katrina aftermath in the spotlight. I think the action of our government after the hurricane hit should remind us that we the people are the government and we should continue to speak up for the victims of this tragedy, many of which now cannot represent themselves.

Today I again walked down to the PMAC to volunteer. This time I had knew what to do and walked straight to the table to sign in and I was immediately put into the volunteer pool. It wasn't long before someone came and picked out "6 guys". We then all jammed into 2 huge golf carts and proceeded to drive around the PMAC, from which I could see helicopters landing on the track field. It turns out our destination was across Nicholson rd. which separates the football stadium, PMAC, and the baseball field. If you know Nicholson rd. then you know never in your wildest dreams would you take a golf cart up and down this 5 lane rd, but we did. It was our job to pickup supplies from a drop-off point and deliver them back to the PMAC via golf cart. While much more organized it still goes to show the chaos when perhaps 2 truck loads would have worked, we had to make an hour's worth of trips in the golf carts to move all the supplies. Today there were National Guardsmen _everywhere_ even guarding the supplies we were moving. After a few trips back and forth I hooked up with a volunteer firefighter who was driving a 'cart full of water, I jumped on the back and held on as we "drove" across Nicholson. Let me tell you this vol. firefighter could not _drive_ by any sense of the word! I can still feel my heart pounding hours later :-) and thank god that the only thing we ran into out of 3 trips was a rotating fan.

After my work was done with supplies I switched gears and became an escort for people going into the PMAC. They must have gotten alot more organized because now it takes a special clearance to get in. As I was taking people in and out of the PMAC I was glad to see that everything seemed to be far more organized than ever before. Most doctors were now military doctors or FEMA personnel. Lately many public figures have pointed out the obvious division of class and race still present in America. There are many people who would like to believe that finally America has achieved absolute equality, while endearing it's unfortunately not true. At one point I was asked to escort 4 middle age white women down into the PMAC to talk to FEMA. I think everyone assumed they were volunteers or something, but either way they were just allowed down in. Once we got down on the floor I found them a FEMA agent, who they then subsequently pestered about insurance numbers for their house and belongings. I couldn't help but get a sick feeling as I stood by watching this go on. These women, all obviously affluent white Americans had the audacity to pull strings just to get down on the floor and stop a medical FEMA agent to talk about getting their jewelry replaced. The division of race was an obvious theme throughout the day for me as many of the hardest hit were poor and now sick African Americans.

My third job was to sort clothing and help people find clothes at make-shift clothing tables right under the PMAC's giant ramps. During this part it was nice to see several of my friends working along side of me. As I was folding clothes I met a girl who was also a sophomore but had flown down from Harvard and was helping volunteer. Apparently she worked for Harvard's Crimson school newspaper and was looking to go back and write some articles based on her experience. I folded clothes for around an hour or so. I was happy to be removed from the blood and guts, at one point I ran across a tuxedo shirt which made me laugh (who donates a tux shirt? really?). I helped many people find clothes and shoes at one point I picked out a couple of outfits for an older man. About 15 minutes later I saw him far off stripping and changing right under the ramp wing, which was out of sight for most but it really strung a chord with me and made me empathize with him.

I worked for around 6 hours today, they have plenty of volunteers and I still have many errands to run and things that got pushed aside by the storm. School starts Tuesday Sept 6, and I'm sure that will be another story within itself. I actually heard today that for some time they were considering canceling the semester at LSU and using the dorms to house people. Luckily, that idea has been discarded and the Chancellor is assuring students that the semester will go on starting Tuesday. I'm sure school won't be the same though this semester, with New Orleans flooded I know of at least 5 universities that have had to close their doors this semester. LSU is now accepting these students which should be very interesting, I've heard over 2,000 have already signed up for classes at LSU. As I was walking back three Muslim girls in a car stopped to ask if I knew where the Thomas Boyd hall was because they were University of New Orleans students looking to register.

Things are still crazy down here, but I'm confident that all will turn out right if we remain on this path. I still would like to urge y'all to donate to the Red Cross at red cross.org. I'll be writing more emails, please feel free to pass them on and spread the word. I think it's important that people get all sides of a story when judging and I hope I can be part of that.

Well I'm off for now, take care y'all

Christopher Peters

Hurricane update

Family and Friends,

The situation here at LSU has unfortunately worsened. First off let me say that I feel completely safe and taken care of by the LSU administration. While LSU did get hit by the storm it did not sustain alot of physical damage, well, not compared to New Orleans. However because of this Baton Rouge has now become the point of command for operations going into New Orleans (NOLA). Thousands of NOLA residents have been evacuated to Baton Rouge, many of which are now roaming the campus and streets. Yesterday morning I awoke to an email from Chancellor Sean O'Keefe stating that we should stay inside due to ,"civil unrest." A couple of my roommates have taken off for fear that it will get worse however I am confident in my security here.

LSU Maddox field house and LSU's Basketball Arena (PMAC) have now become makeshift hospitals. Up till yesterday I'd done just about everything I could to help without actually having to volunteer, I'd donated money, I'd donated a blankets etc...because I had a very real fear of what I might see by volunteering down at the PMAC. Eventually that feeling settled and I literally forced myself down there. Once I got down there it was complete pandemonium. I walked in and quickly asked a nurse where the volunteer check-in was. I checked in and was given an armband and put in the "volunteer pool" so people could easily identify us when they needed a volunteer. So the first guy comes up and I'm not about to sit in this 'pool' all day, so I go with him and he explains the job to me (to replace him as a volunteer).

My job ended up working in triage for the constant flow of patients. Boy! let me tell you, that was right in the middle of everything, and I can tell you I honestly haven't felt any emotion as strong as they were yesterday. It was my job to basically follow the doctor when he picked a patient coming in and ask them questions of they could respond and start a chart for them. The first woman I did was so old and frail, she kept begging me for a blanket as I wheeled her down into the PMAC (which was also part of my job). It was complete shock for a Midwest boy who has been quite sheltered towards suffering in his life. I actually saw someone die for the first time in front of me, which was horrible, but it was eerily acceptable, so many people were coming to the hospital. As part of the triage you never knew when you were going to get slammed by another bus of sick elderly NOLA refugees. Who'd have thought that in America? Refugees.

One woman I helped was writing the names of the people she was missing on the back of a piece of paper. There were seven names and DOBs in all, one including her one year old infant.

One thing I couldn't get over was the complete and utter disorganization. I mean it was understandable that the triage area I was in was out of control but you could tell that there were holes everywhere in the help. I had this one guy who when the doctor was done he [doctor] told me to rip up the paper and take him around back to the shelter pickup (the PMAC is only a hospital, and he apparently was healthy enough), this guy was born in 1926, he was so frail and I could tell even two hours out in that heat and he would have to be in the PMAC. So I wheeled him around back (outside) in his wheelchair and the only person I could find was this police officer who looked about 20 yrs old. I asked him how I could check the man in and he says, "There is no check in, it's only chaos back here, the Red Cross was picking up patients but we haven't seen them for quite a while," and he said all that as I gazed upon the rows upon rows of elderly people and crying babies (this sounds like a bad fiction novel, but I doubt any words could truly describe the suffering). So I wasn't just going to leave the man there, so I turn him around and wheel him back and ask a triage nurse and she tells me that I just have to sit him back there and there is no other way. So that's what I did, on the way I picked up some jambalaya and water for him. The disorganization is horrible, I worked there for 6 hours and in the later part of my shift I had both a doctor and FEMA person ask me what to do, I know that they hadn't been introduced to the method of triage we were using, but doesn't it seem like they should have a little more of an orientation than a non-med volunteer?

All in all it's quite crazy here, I'll leave you with a few links to some stories I thought were good as well and accurately portray the situation...I have so many more stories and things to tell but I don't want to risk writing a novel on y'all.

Christopher

Links:
DONATE! (Redcross) - I have as a poor college student and you should too!
Listen to the mayor of New Orleans
A great blog about Katrina

Hurricane Katrina: A Tale of Two Photos

Two AP photos from this past Tuesday, placed side by side, tell a story.




Here a fellow named George W. Bush is having a delightful time playing a guitar given to him by country singer Mark Wills after a visit to Naval Base Coronado in sunny southern California. It's fun to be president.








Here firefighters and rescue workers try to cope with the worst disaster to strike Americans since 9/11. It is not a good day for them.

Here's another article that interested me.