Makes one think | ***Dave Does the Blog

Got an email from a coworker (names scrubbed) …

Sunday morning 2/7/09, at around 3:00 am, the Smith family house was completely destroyed in a devestating fire. Thankfully, all family members made it out in time. Rick is still in the hospital with some broken bones and the youngest is being treated for smoke inhalation.
I have had several requests for information so that friends and coworkers may send flowers or cards and asking for other ways that we can help. Rick’s daughters and his wife are busy working to begin rebuilding their lives. To help with this, I’ve set up a site to submit donations to the family to help with the cost. Any money you decide to send will be used towards purchasing new clothes, toys, items for personal hygiene and anything else they need.
I would also like to ask any of you with photos or mementos you may have to share to send them my way. While we can easily help with the necessecities, nothing can replace the personal items.
Whatever you can do to help is greatly appreciated. Click on the link below to submit your donation via Paypal or with any credit/debit card.

First off, it’s amazing that you can throw up a PayPal thing so quickly to gather up donations for a worthy cause like this. Second — it’s amazing how quickly a family’s life can be changed. Yes, it’s something you know … but you doesn’t know it until you’ve actually encountered it with friends, family, or yourself.

The story is described here. It does make me think of all the fire safety things we should be doing at home — getting more documents into the fire safe, drills, making sure alarm batteries are up to date, getting (more) disposable ladders for second floor evacuations …

Just a scosh scary.

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4 thoughts on “Makes one think”

Unrelated to the tragedy, but a comment on the US health system. The youngest is in hospital for smoke inhalation. How quick was this posted? Treatment for smoke inhalation is 90 minutes on pure oxygen, then a (painful) arterial blood test to check blood O2 levels.

Either this was A) a LOT worse than the message lets on or B) a hospital adding on all sorts to make extra money ‘just to be sure’.

There may have been more to her treatment than just smoke inhalation. Jumping from a second story window, even if there are no broken bones (as with “Rick”), might lead one to being further observed.

Or you could be right. Hard to say.

Not a comment on this in particular, but please be aware of scams that can be set up just as fast as these charitable donation sites.

We hada gal within the last year here in Wisconsin who claimed to have cancer, had several fund raisers and a donation site and then absconded with the funds.

Oh, certainly. I know the folks involved (and there was a news story related to it), so I felt pretty confident about it.

A new story (with the “real names”) here: http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=9822379&nav=menu552_1_1

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***Dave Does the Mastodon

1 day ago

The City Council of #Tulsa, OK, has decided to swap out pre-meeting invocation #prayer for pre-meeting moments of silence, after an invocation prayer by a #pagan made many of them really, really uncomfortable, which got them wondering what non-Christians felt like when #Christian prayers were forced on them.

So, yay, Tulsa. At least for the moment.

https://www.wonkette.com/p/godless-libs-of-tulsa-ok-city-council

1 day ago

Seems to me that being condemned as "nasty" and "Radical Left hard line Trump hater" by #Trump himself is ... well, a pretty good endorsement of the target's virtue. cf. Matt. 5:11-12

Bravo to fellow Episcopalian Bp. #Budde for speaking truth to power.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/22/trump-bishop-mariann-edgar-budde

4 days ago

There are all sorts of reasons to think that a lot of #Trump's first-day executive orders are illegal and will be struck down by the courts.

Unfortunately, that requires (a) the courts to actually do so, all the way up to (presumably) #SCOTUS, and (b) him and/or his appointed lackeys to pay any attention to what the courts, vs the #DearLeader, say.

https://reason.com/volokh/2025/01/20/trumps-illegal-first-day-executive-actions/

4 days ago

I left out, of course, #pettiness, #racism, and #nationalism

4 days ago

#Trump doesn't miss a second for #rudeness, #revanchism, and #PerformativeImperialism.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-rename-gulf-of-mexico-denali/

4 days ago

#Donald, #Melania, and #crypto... a match made in Zany Town.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-meme-coin-immediately-crashes-after-melanias-cryptocurrency-launch/

1 week ago

German industrialists and captains of industry didn't like, let alone trust, Hitler. But they worked with him because he was the guy in charge, they figured they could control him, and it gave them an advantage over their peers who didn't.

They eventually learned who was managing whom. But by then it was too late.

https://www.semafor.com/article/01/15/2025/trump-musk-dined-with-microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-at-mar-a-lago

2 weeks ago

Racist MAGA idiots ranting

Four *decades* ago, I was working with my company's HR to track race among job applicants. Because you know great way to show you are being racist in your hiring efforts? By documenting a racially diverse applicant and hiring pool.

Remarkably, you can even do that even while accomplishing your mission statement, just like you can provide insurance, or remove snow from walkways.

Suggesting LAFD's #DEI program has killed people is (typically) disgusting.

2 weeks ago

The GOP won't cut Medicare and Social Security...

... but other programs are on the chopping block.
... but qualifications will be made stricter.
... but they won't be increased, either.
... until #Donald decides they should.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/johnson-cuts-social-security-medicare-fund-trumps-agenda/story?id=117420630

2 weeks ago

I saw someone make a reference to this, and #Greenland, and, especially, the whole #GulfOfMexico / #GulfOfAmerica thing, calling it "Performative Imperialism": #Trump gets most of what he wants (donations, accolades) through sheer bullying bluster or acts that cost him nothing.

2 weeks ago

#Trump 's spitballing about #Canada is just that: random bloviating that (a) irritates his opponents, (b) excites his knee-jerk supporters, (c) costs him nothing, (d) lets him bully people, and (e) holds the prospect of, should some infernal twist of fate cause it to happen, making him famous for something other than his criminal record.

There's also probably some hidden way it makes him money, too. Like selling signed USA+Canada maps to the yokels for US$ 250 a pop.

3 weeks ago

Californians who were trying to follow up on an Amber Alert issued by the CHP were blocked when it turned out the CHP alert linked to the agency's #Xitter account for full details, and to see the alert people would need to sign into Xitter.

Completely predictable, if infuriating. Public agencies depending on #ElonMusk 's Xitter platform are doing the public a disservice.

https://www.wired.com/story/amber-alert-paywall-california/

3 weeks ago

TIL The name "Dante" (as in the guy who wrote "Inferno" etc.) is short for "Durante," meaning "enduring", "lasting," or "durable."

3 weeks ago

A low-key New Years Eve this year at our house -- fewer people over than usual, and a lot of fatigue and low spirits, not to mention an utter lack of good expectations for 2025.

Hoping the reality turns out less dire than the fear.

#HappyNewYear

3 weeks ago

For those who can't get enough Holiday Letters this time of year, here's ours (with color commentary). Because what else is the Internet for?

https://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2024/12/31/2024-in-review.html

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