johnb
11-04-2012, 01:04 AM
from the front page:
"There are things that can be done. Portapotties can be set up so that people don’t have to crap in their hallways. Distribution points can be set up for food and water.I'm a real wanker for saying this. With cold weather coming, there is enough time to set up some shelters, perhaps with some of the generators that were to have been used for the race. Lives can be saved. But somehow, there isn’t a sufficient sense of urgency. How can this be? How can people fall to this moral blindness?
Not everyone is succumbing. Among others, Dwyane Wade, rich beyond most people’s dreams, comfortable in Florida and flying above it all to get to work when he’s on the road, said this, according to USAToday:
“It’s my favorite place to play. But just knowing a lot of people here and knowing what they’ve been going through with no power, no water, no food … to me, it just seems like there’s bigger things to be concerned about than a basketball game. Even though I know life goes on and you still have to do certain things, I just felt that they canceled the game in Brooklyn, then this one would be canceled as well. … The game tonight shouldn’t be played.”
Kudos to Wade, who, along with some teammates, will donate his check for the evening (around $210,000) to charity.
As good as he is in this situation – and we’ve seen some suggestions that he may be a better man than we can know from the cheap seats – it is kind of pitiful that our leaders aren’t matching his standard. There are lives at stake."
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I live in NYC. It's been rough. Recovery is ongoing, and many people have had a hard time. Much of the city is functioning fine, but there's a huge sense of attention and urgency throughout the region, including in the offices of our elected officials.
I get irritated when I read assertions that Wade is more civic minded than, say, Bloomberg. I'm not a huge fan of the mayor, but he is much, much richer than Wade, yet he spends most of his time on civic duties. The marathon decision was more complicated than you led on. For one thing, the marathon engine would potentially have led to significant clean up, significant donations, and a strong sense of comraderie. With all the negative flack, it was cancelled, but I'm unconvinced it wouldnt have helped the region.
It's nice that Wade donated a day's salary to the Red Cross, but as a doctor (and hence a professional service provider), most of my colleagues regularly donate time and effort without fanfare. It's akin to a basketball team visiting a Ronald McDonald house for an afternoon. Nice, and I hope the players got something out of it, but excuse me for not seeing it as a heroic gesture.
"There are things that can be done. Portapotties can be set up so that people don’t have to crap in their hallways. Distribution points can be set up for food and water.I'm a real wanker for saying this. With cold weather coming, there is enough time to set up some shelters, perhaps with some of the generators that were to have been used for the race. Lives can be saved. But somehow, there isn’t a sufficient sense of urgency. How can this be? How can people fall to this moral blindness?
Not everyone is succumbing. Among others, Dwyane Wade, rich beyond most people’s dreams, comfortable in Florida and flying above it all to get to work when he’s on the road, said this, according to USAToday:
“It’s my favorite place to play. But just knowing a lot of people here and knowing what they’ve been going through with no power, no water, no food … to me, it just seems like there’s bigger things to be concerned about than a basketball game. Even though I know life goes on and you still have to do certain things, I just felt that they canceled the game in Brooklyn, then this one would be canceled as well. … The game tonight shouldn’t be played.”
Kudos to Wade, who, along with some teammates, will donate his check for the evening (around $210,000) to charity.
As good as he is in this situation – and we’ve seen some suggestions that he may be a better man than we can know from the cheap seats – it is kind of pitiful that our leaders aren’t matching his standard. There are lives at stake."
***************
I live in NYC. It's been rough. Recovery is ongoing, and many people have had a hard time. Much of the city is functioning fine, but there's a huge sense of attention and urgency throughout the region, including in the offices of our elected officials.
I get irritated when I read assertions that Wade is more civic minded than, say, Bloomberg. I'm not a huge fan of the mayor, but he is much, much richer than Wade, yet he spends most of his time on civic duties. The marathon decision was more complicated than you led on. For one thing, the marathon engine would potentially have led to significant clean up, significant donations, and a strong sense of comraderie. With all the negative flack, it was cancelled, but I'm unconvinced it wouldnt have helped the region.
It's nice that Wade donated a day's salary to the Red Cross, but as a doctor (and hence a professional service provider), most of my colleagues regularly donate time and effort without fanfare. It's akin to a basketball team visiting a Ronald McDonald house for an afternoon. Nice, and I hope the players got something out of it, but excuse me for not seeing it as a heroic gesture.