my own drum

Like many of you I have have been following the Haitian earthquake news. Every image, every story seems to magnify the scope of destruction and suffering. On Friday night, after hearing so much about how supply routes were impassable, I sent a message to CNN news asking why airdrops were not being considered. On Saturday I saw a video of a helicopter dropping boxes of supplies to people on the ground. I hope more and more of this happens.

But the story that really gripes my ass comes from the doctors and nurses who abandoned their post. On Friday night a Belgian medical team evacuated their field hospital at the direction of Belgian Chief Coordinator Geert Gijs, a doctor who was at the hospital with 60 Belgian medical personnel. His justification to leave was because U.N. Security personnel were not there, and he was afraid of rumors of nearby rioting. I think that Retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore summed it up more accurately when he said, "I find this astonishing these doctors left. People are scared of the poor."

These doctors and nurses not only left the field hospital, but they packed up all of their supplies as well. This act left the one remaining doctor, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta, and a nurse who refused to leave, alone to care for 25 patients throughout the night. They had no medication, no plasma for trauma victims, not even gas for the generator. By early morning the field hospital was in the dark as the generator ran out of fuel.

Belgian Chief Coordinator Geert Gijs, a doctor who was at the hospital with 60 Belgian medical personnel, said it was his decision to pull the team out for the night. Gijs said he requested U.N. security personnel to staff the hospital overnight, but was told that peacekeepers would only be able to evacuate the team. He said it was a "tough decision" but that he accepted the U.N. offer to evacuate after a Canadian medical team, also at the hospital with Canadian security officers, left the site Friday afternoon. The Belgian team returned Saturday morning.

I'm not God, I'm not even a judge. This is probably a good thing for Geert Gijs. If I were either I would strike him down where he stood. His action is nothing short of medical malfeasance.

I made an attempt to donate to the World Food Program (WFP) through my PayPal account, but PayPal has refused to allow me to make any transactions because there is no credit card on file (the one that was there had expired and I foolishly removed it from my account.) Fortunately, I can still help. For those of you in Atlanta, you may have heard of Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless (http://hoseafeedthehungry.com/). They have an active program already in Haiti, partnering with Christian Revival Center in Savannah, Georgia. HFTH has been involved with this ministry work in Haiti for eight years. I'll be going to HFTH this week to donate cash, 100% of last weeks gross paycheck. That only comes to $300, so I encourage all of you to make a contribution as well.

Here are some people that can put your donations to good use:

American Red Cross
The American Red Cross' primary focus during the initial response of an emergency is feeding, sheltering and supplying any other basic needs. To donate: Go to RedCross.org, hit donate now button at top and then International Response Fund. You also can text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 to the International Response Fund. The money will go directly to relief efforts in Haiti. Or call 1-800-Red-Cross.

AmeriCares
This nonprofit disaster relief organization delivers medicine, medical supplies and aid to people in crisis around the world. To donate, call 1-800-486-HELP or go to AmeriCares.org. Donations will go toward medicine and medical supplies and for expenses for providing that medical aid.

Care
This humanitarian organization's main focus is to fight global poverty, specifically by empowering marginalized women and girls. To donate to the Haiti relief fund effort, go to Care.org or call 1-800-521-CARE. Money will go toward food, water and sanitation, shelter and emergency health response.

Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services is an aid agency that works with emergency relief, micro-finance, AIDS/HIV relief, agriculture, water and sanitation, among other projects in countries around the world. To donate, go to crs.org, or call 1-877-HELP-CRS. You also can text RELIEF to 30644. You will receive a text message back with instructions on how to donate. You can send a check to Catholic Relief services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090. Write "Haiti earthquake" in memo area. The money will go toward immediate needs, which includes water, food, hygiene kits, bedding and basic cooking utensils, among other items.

Direct Relief International
Direct Relief provides medical attention to those in need on an ongoing basis and in emergencies. Monetary donations go toward medical aid, supplies and equipment in Haiti. To donate, go to directrelief.org or call 805-964-4767 and 800-676-1638, or go through Google Checkout.

Food For the Poor
The agency delivers food, medical supplies and other goods that are donated to the poor. To donate to its Haiti relief efforts, go to foodforthepoor.org, or call 1-800-487-1158. For those living in South Florida, bring donated items to the Food for the Poor headquarters office at 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073. The charity will accept canned fish, canned meat, canned milk, canned baby formula and bottled water. Monetary donations will go toward purchasing food and supplies as well as shipping costs.

International Medical Corps
This emergency response agency focuses on health in emergency situations. Monetary donations go toward purchasing medical supplies, medicine and emergency kits and transporting these supplies. Call 1-800-481-4462 or go to imcworldwide.org

International Relief Teams
The nonprofit organizes volunteer teams to provide medical and non-medical assistance to victims of disasters and poverty. To donate, go to irteams.org or call 619-284-7979. Checks can be made out to International Relief Teams, 4560 Alvarado Canyon Road, Suite 2G, San Diego, CA 92120-4309. The money will be used for medical supplies, medicine and other relief supplies, and to support volunteers heading to Haiti for relief efforts.

Mercy Corps
The organization provides humanitarian assistance and economic opportunities in the world's toughest places, specifically those dealing with poverty, conflict and instability. To donate, go to MercyCorps.org. Money will go toward immediate humanitarian needs in Haiti, which may include, food, water and temporary shelter.

The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army's mission is to provide food, shelter, clothing and spiritual comfort during disasters. To donate money, go to salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Make sure you designate the donation for "Haiti Earthquake." Money will go to the Salvation Army in Haiti, which will determine the country's immediate needs, including water, food, medicine and transportation.

World Food Programme
The food assistance agency's main focus is to fight hunger worldwide. The organization is working to bring food to Haiti. To donate, go to wfp.org.

World Water Relief
The agency's main focus is bringing clean water to developing countries. To donate, go to worldwaterrelief.org or mail checks to 8343 Roswell Road, Suite 455 Atlanta, GA 30350-2810 or call 404-242-1601 or 214-500-9417. Money will go directly to water filtration systems that will be installed in Haiti.

Hosea Feed The Hungry and Homeless
International Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 4672
Atlanta, GA 30302
Please mark your donation for Haiti Earthquake relief

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
... Forgive them anyway!

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
... Be kind anyway!

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
... Succeed anyway!

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
... Be honest and frank anyway!

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
... Build anyway!

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
... Be happy anyway!

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
... Do good anyway!

Give he world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
... Give the world the best you've got anyway!

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Author: Mother Theresa

I'll get to the bad news first. I live in a ghetto, owned by the largest single slumlord in the nation. That's right, I live on Boulevard in Atlanta, in the Old Fourth Ward. I've lived there for just over a year now in relative safety. I have been robbed only once, and that was over on Glen Iris and Ralph McGill, not on Boulevard. But there are parts of Boulevard that I avoid - day or night. Pretty much anything south of North Ave all the way to the medical center is off limits. When I ride through that section of Boulevard with anyone I urge them to make sure their doors are locked and windows are rolled up.

The bulk of the property in that area is owned by a single entity, Boston-based Continental Wingate. They are located at 1925 Commonwealth Ave, Brighton, MA 02135 and their telephone is 617-783-1525‎. They own approximately 700 federally subsidized rental units on and near Boulevard, and they don't want to sell. And that brings me to the good news.

I am the current caretaker of the Boulevard Community Garden at 663 Boulevard (across the street from Wendy's) and I've been concerned with the gentrification that is going on all around me. Can the garden survive in a gentrified area? My thoughts are that the property is too valuable and will be sold to the highest paying developer, errr, bidder. But since Wingate won't sell, there is little chance of anyone building a $300,000 condo next to a slummy apartment. Whew!

There is some other good news from the garden. The police on the beat have driven the dope dealers all the way back to the Killer Kroger parking lot - at least on some days. Killer Kroger is the one next to City Hall East, on Ponce. So there has been a lot less drug trade this spring. It isn't gone, believe me, but it is greatly reduced. And I found a way to keep the late night noise down from my rowdy neighbors at 3:00am. It's true, they can't hold a job and our tax dollars pay their rent, but they can get the loudest auto boom box for their cars. And they love to drive in the tiny parking lot behind the apartment at 657 Boulevard, bumping and vibrating everything within two blocks. So what did I do to stop all that? It was simple. I put my camera up against the window screen, made sure the flash was ON, and 'took' a couple of pictures. Punks and creeps don't like being photographed. Sure enough these particular punks have moved on to some else's parking lot. My apologies, whoever you are - but I can sleep at night.

This rambling tirade is nearly done. I'll wrap it up with this: If you are tired of the trash, the dope dealers, the crack heads, having to lock your car doors when you drive through and general nuisances associated with low rent no-gooders, please contact Wingate with the info provided in this article. You can also contact Kwanza Hall, Council Member for Council District 2 at (404) 330-6038 or fax him at (404) 658-7164 or email him at khall@atlantaga.gov

It's up to all of us to instill a change.

It's cold out - freezing cold here in Atlanta. I had a hard time debraiding my beard this morning while waiting for the bus, my fingers were numb from the cold. But really, what does my beard have to do with anything...

Spring will be here before you know it, and if you're among those smart gardeners then you'll already have your season planned and quite possibly you may even have some seedlings started. If you are a gardener then I may have some good news for you - The Boulevard Community Garden will have a few plots open this year. There are at least 4 available right now, and possibly others as we await to see how many of last years gardeners want to return.

These are nice sized garden plots suitable for vegetables or flowers, or both. Each plot is different but the average size is approximately 6 feet by 20 feet - give or take a little. The price of a plot for the year will go up this year - mainly because the cost of water has increased so dramatically. We are offering plots for $35.00 for the year.

Some garden tools are available, and we have some mulch too. But generally each gardener is responsible for providing whatever is necessary - we provide the space. There is water available on the site - stored in 2 tanks, each holding 750 gallons when full. One of the tanks collects rainwater, when we get rain. Otherwise we depend upon the kindness of neighbors to refill the tanks. Your garden fee is provided to those neighbors. Individual gardeners are encouraged to bring a few gallons of their own water to help conserve our meager resources.

If you are interested in a plot this year at the Boulevard Community Garden, please send an email to boulevardcommunitygarden@gmail.com

See you when it gets warm.

The Back Pockets performed again, this time at Eye Drum in Atlanta, Georgia. They also performed some new material. James Truax brought his video gear and got some nice footage. Visit James on YouTube to see a complete portfolio of his work.

Ugly Faces

Sorrows

Foolers

This last video is actually from the November 22, 2008 performance at Wonder Root.
Enjoy it again

The Story Song (Fun with Friends)

Also, The Back Pockets now have their own page on YouTube, which is located at youtube.com/TheBackPockets.

Check out their MySpace page as well, at MySpace.com/thebackpockets