Monkeyfister

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It sounds so familiar.

via Memphis Commercial Appeal

LAFAYETTE, Tenn. -- President Bush, dispensing hugs freely as he comforted tornado survivors Friday, acknowledged the "incredible sadness and worry" he saw in their eyes and said the nation stood ready to help.

"I have no doubt in my mind this community will come back better than before," Bush told residents of the poor, tobacco-farming area near the Kentucky border. "Macon County people are down-to-earth, hardworking, God-fearing people, who if just given a little help, will come back stronger."

The county suffered the heaviest death toll from the dozens of tornadoes that tore across Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky and Alabama on Tuesday.

Bush walked to the home of Phil and June Spears to visit with shattered residents, urging them to take solace in the people who have flocked to the area to help the community recover.

"We're sorry you're going through what you're going through," the president said. "Life sometimes is unfair, but there's help."

Even before Bush landed, he declared major disasters in Tennessee and Arkansas, a move that opens the spigot of federal funding to cover some costs, shared with local governments, for debris removal and protective measures and to help individuals.

The declaration covers five counties in Tennessee: Shelby, Hardin, Madison, Macon and Sumner.

Even as search operations continue, the death count from the barrage of tornadoes has reached nearly 60 in the five states hardest-hit. Macon County's toll rose to 14 on Thursday.

Think Local. Beat the FEMA Failboat.

American Red Cross
Mid-South Chapter
1400 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
901-726-1690

And:
United Way of the Mid-South
6775 Lenox Center Court
Suite 200
Memphis, TN 38115
901-433-4300

There is a point, however, when FEMA becomes part of the process by necessity. Follow the link. Their Toll-Free number is: 1-800-621-3362




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Labels: Mid-South Storms

I wrote this as an introduction to the nature of a "Blog Swarm." Few people or organizations have the knowledge of being at the POSITIVE end of a Blog Swarm. Folks don't know it's happening to them, until they are neck-deep in it. I felt that I needed to really explain it, so they'll appreciate it the next time.

My name is Monkeyfister, I work for a noted local employer.

I got a bit irked at the fact that the Major Media Outlets were too busy discussing Super Tuesday politics to notice that our Region was devastated by storms on Tuesday night, and only noticed when they ran out of political news Wednesday afternoon. So I started an Online Fund and Awareness Raiser-- otherwise known as a "Blog Swarm" to provide Relief for my community.

Here is what I wrote, and spread around the "Blogosphere:"


Text of My Plea

I hyper-linked to the donation pages of your site and to that of ARC M-S.

By Thursday evening over 100 weblogs had joined in. Some of the Major-Nationals, with over 100,000 daily readers, joined in. Across the Internet, now, my appeal is spreading. There is a Blogger in London, England posting your link, as well as a Blogger in Antarctica. I am humbled and bowed by the response.

I hope and pray that we've helped to fill your coffers to help those who need it most.

I never imagined that my little blog (average daily readership-- 100) could ever make such an impact, but, over 4800 people have dropped by over the past 48 hours, and I can only assume that it is to hit the two links to donate to ARC-MS and UW M-S. Not including those who posted your links directly to their sites.

I also met with my local Kroger Food Store and asked them to consider sending either a food or money donation to you in this emergency time.

I'm just a guy who got uppity, and decided to help in a way that a I could. I DO hope that I have helped to provide noticeable aid to your good organization.

I would like to get some feedback on the fund raising efforts for the storm relief. A simple Google search on "monkeyfister tornado" (honest-- it's my nickname-- old Navy term) will prove that I am telling you the truth about my efforts. The pages go on and on. Hundreds of Bloggers.

My readers, and those who are participating in this Blog Swarm of Kindness would appreciate some sort of "Progress Report." Even if it is of the general "snapshot" sort. We'd like to know that we're making a difference. I've tried calling a few times over the past few days, but the lines have been busy, which I take as a fairly good sign. So I'm sending this letter.

If there is a better link for donations, please let me know, I'll get the word out. It seems that the Blog-World is coming to me, as the first person to say, "HEY! Look over here! Help!" I'm here for the duration.

Consider me an active participant for this relief effort. I am here for you, and a whole lot of others are standing by. Let me know your material needs, money needs; how to BEST help the efforts; WHERE to direct funds or food, and I will get it out there. Literally THOUSANDS of people, and HUNDREDS of Bloggers are standing by to help further. Just let me know what to tell them. Is there a Best UW Chapter set up for Arkansas relief? Mississippi? Kentucky? Missouri? I'll post all of their links to spread the aid where it is needed.

We're all disgusted with the continuing failures of FEMA's Katrina and Rita efforts, and we really, really want this relief effort to succeed. With or without them. We see LOCAL Chapter focus as the best remedy for success. It starts with YOU and ARC M-S, for me.

This is getting long, and so I thank you for being here to help so many, and hope that my/our efforts have made a positive impact. PLEASE let me know how I can be of continued service. You have a small online "army" of good people at your call right now.

The short Primer on how to work with the Blogging World: We WANT to help restore our Region, and help our fellow Americans. I'm the default conduit to them. Others will stand up. Act quickly, and we can help you meet your Relief goals. There is no time for "Disaster by Committee." Just tell us what you NEED, right now, and we'll try and see to getting it. As much as possible. I've got a wide variety of Professionals/Bloggers asking me what is needed. From Engineers, to Farmers, to Financial Specialists, to Crane Operators.

Give me a short list of:

What is Needed--
Materiel/Money

Where the need IS per Location.

Where to direct those efforts.

Points of Contact-- Name- Phone-- Email.

It doesn't need to be a FINAL list-- dribs and drabs are actually preferred in the Blog-World. With us, it's about immediate action. "We need a Crane Operator at such and such on Tuesday." I'll put the word out immediately, and I'll do my best to have a Crane Operator on Tuesday. I have good Navy Sea Bee connections, as well as Web friends.

Bottom line: Quick. What's needed now. How much. By when.

Short lists of immediate needs.

We can do that.

People WILL rise to the call for you.

I thank you for taking your time with this letter, and I hope that you not only take it seriously, but respond as soon as possible.

Please send a fundraising report as soon as possible. Even if it is just a snapshot.

Sincerely yours,

Monkeyfister
--Progressive Blogger, Local Concerned Citizen, Former Boy Scout, Disabled Navy Veteran

Time for bed. Gawd I'm tired. Damn NTodd and my deal to fast with him today. Curses my Catholic Guilt and Lenten Fridays. Actually, I love NTodd, his/our fast is for a good cause, and the occasional fast is good for the body. He's pledged for the duration... I'm a skinny guy, and ummmmm... Catholic!

He got a day and a half out of me, and I totally support his cause.



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Labels: Mid-South Storms

I am assuming that they came here to donate money to Mid-South American Red Cross and the United Way Mid-South. We can probably add another $7,000 to the tally.


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Labels: Mid-South Storms

Our good friend, Azul, sends along this information for those looking to lend a helping hand in the stricken communities in Arkansas.


via KABZ-FM

If you want to lend a hand, here are the command post numbers you need to call. This is very important: Please call these posts before heading up to these areas.

Atkins: 479-641-2289 (this post is located at the Fire Dept)

Clinton: 501-745-9995 (this post is located in the Wal Mart parking lot)

Mountain View: 870-213-5521 (located at the Sheriffs Dept)

KABZ-FM is doing some excellent Relief Outreach. Bravo Zulu, KABZ!

Thank you, Azul. If I recall correctly, you DO have the keys to this joint, and you are ALWAYS welcome to post anything that you would like to post here. All my love to you!

If anyone in Missouri, Kentucky, Mississippi, or the Jackson, TN area have similar information, I would LOVE to get it up here, and out on the nets. Email me at the address at the top of my Sidebar.


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Labels: Mid-South Storms

Tinged with sadness...




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Labels: Mid-South Storms

My dealings with my Local Kroger Food Store went pretty well this afternoon. I gave the Store Manager all the contact information for the United Way Mid-South, and their Corporate In-Kind Donations information. They were receptive.

Right now, I'm just trying to put people together to cause positive change.

I just realized on the way home, that I am very, very tired. I've been running four days on ~3 hours of sleep per night. I'm going to take a hot bath, and rest tonight, so I can get back to thank yous, and better blogging. And before I get ill. Some sort of wicked sickness is going around work.

I really wish that I could find a good proxy that would get me around my workplace block on Blogger, so that I could properly post a bit through the day in my down time.

In the meantime, keep passing these around:

American Red Cross
Mid-South Chapter
1400 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
901-726-1690

And:
United Way of the Mid-South
6775 Lenox Center Court
Suite 200
Memphis, TN 38115
901-433-4300


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Labels: Mid-South Storms

My friend, Josh, lives just a couple of miles away from me. He handed me this disk of pics from Tuesday, today, when I told him, Wednesday, that I was planning on doing a fundraiser for Storm Relief. This tornado missed me by a few miles (I could see the top of the dark clouds, and the bright explosions of lines and transformers blowing), but, as you can see, it passed within a few thousand YARDS of his house. This is one of the first cells to go on to wreak hell on Jackson, TN. The time was just about 5:15pmCST. As you can clearly see, this particular cell spawned two or three tornadoes in a matter of a few minutes. From Chris's Storm Zen video, below, you can really appreciate the power and energy in these storms.

Click each picture for HUGE.






























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Labels: Mid-South Storms, Storm Pr0n

I'll start Blogrolling all of you whom I need to add over the weekend. I've got days of thanks to come. My link love for this Blog Swarm DWARFS Blogroll Amnesty Day, folks.

Y'all-- THESE people are the types of bloggers that you SHOULD be reading. Damn they're good.

Listed in no particular order. They were the FIRST to rise to teh call this morning.

Linkmeister
Vagabond Scholar
Brilliant At Breakfast
Fallenmonk
Home Of The Brave
Buelahman's Red State Revolt

Mockingbird's Medley
Undeniable Liberal
Proctoring Congress
Blue Girl, Red State
The Carpetbagger Report

Virtual Pus
No Fish, No Nuts
Raw Dawg Buffalo
Pine Belt Progressive
Slobber and Spittle
the Political Cat

And especially to the CARING Big Bloggers for lending their massive readership. THIS is the charge of the Big Bloggers:

Steve Benen's "The Blog Report". Dude-- Thank you for the power of Salon.com!

And--

Mike Finnigan at Crooks & Liars. I rarely ask for much, but, you are always there for me, Mike.

And--

Diane at The Raw Story. Diane, you REALLY helped make a big difference in the early hours of this Blog Swarm of Kindness.

I'd be remiss without also thanking, right out of the chocks, my two dear friends of over a decade, now (has it really been 12 years???) from the Bartcop Forum:

Digby's Hullaballoo. You were posting before I hit send in your comments. Thank you!

And--

Avedon Carol's The Sideshow. Avedon, you have ALWAYS been there for me-- even in my bad times of seizural freak-out. Your support of the Small Blogs is LEGION. We all owe you our deepest thanks.

Speaking of the Bartcop Forum--

Thank you to everyone at the Bartcop Forum. I've got plenty of thank yous to go, you all.

Sadly:
Still waiting for you to notice the devastated Mid-South: Atrios, FDL, Kos. Everything that you need to send tons of money to the region, while garnering FAT hits for your ad revenue is right here, waiting for you. Awesome Leadership, y'all. We're all behind you! You can do it! Blogging Is HARD WORK! <-- HIT THAT LINK. (watch your blood pressure.)

Funny... After nine hours of full-time work at my place of employment, blogging is a pleasure to me. Maybe it becomes work when one quits the day job. I don't know.

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Labels: Mid-South Storms, Thank You

I'm shocked, awed, and overwhelmed tonight!

At least a HUNDRED blogs from every aspect of the political spectrum have taken part in this swarm of goodness. I want to take a moment to thank Chuck Adkins, a blogger at the Town Hall Blog Community and other places for picking up my plea, and spreading it far and wide through the Conservative 'sphere. He's right-- this isn't about politics, but I had to start somewhere.

It will be days before I get everyone thanked properly. But, I'm starting right now, and every day, I will post another set of Thank Yous, until either my fingers fall off and my eyes go blind, or I get to the end of the list. Let's hope for the latter.


OK. Let's toss around some numbers:

2,600 people visited this place over the last two days. I average ~90 on a normal day.

If 1/2 of those visitors donated $10 to the Mid-South Red Cross or the Mid-South United Way, we raised $13,000 from this site alone. TODAY.

If everyone came to make a $10 donation, we raised $26,000.

If everyone who came by made an average donation of $15, we raised $39,000.

If everyone came by and gave $20, then we raised $52,000.


--NOW.--

I'm still trying to sift out repeats in the Technorati site, perhaps others who use Technorati more than I do, can help me get down to the actual number of unique participants, I sure would be thankful.

Wandering around, I have noticed that many of the posts look sorta like this (Blogger's abstract interpretation):

Monkeyfister lives in Memphis, says the storms were terrible. Here's where to donate:

American Red Cross
Mid-South Chapter
1400 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
901-726-1690

And:
United Way of the Mid-South phone in a donation at (901) 433-4300.

I'm going to make an assumption, and figure at least another 2,000 people (considering the readership numbers of some of the bigger blogs that linked in, and the sheer volume of small-bloggers) hit those links directly from those pages, instead of coming here to do that. I noticed the storm coverage was pretty heavy on CNN, today, and that many people understand the situation enough, now. Applying the same formula as above, we get:

2,000 x 10= $20,000
2,000 x 15= $$30,000
2,000 x 20= $40,000

For thumbnail totals of:

$39,000
$46,000
$69,000
$92,000

That is one hell of a spread.

In my heart, I think that these are safe minimums. All I can say is this far exceeds my humble expectations, and I'm calling this a smashing success.

You statistics geeks might want to put the calipers on my assumptions, but I think that I may be low-balling that 2,000. Digby's 26,000 readers, C&L;'s 62,000 readers, The Raw Story's readership... Even IF every single person who made a donation actually came to this blog to make their donation(s), and the first set of numbers are it, it's still a fat sack of cash getting out to people in need. I'm not even counting in that percentage that might have donated more than $20. I think that I am definitely in the ballpark.

I am completely in love with every single one of you right now. I asked-- you answered. Many dollars were raised. Many PEOPLE are getting help. BRAVO ZULU If there is ANYTHING that I can do to help you in a similar stead, I'm here to be tapped.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

It's time for me to get down to linking, and Blogrolling.

OH! I'll have some pics, shortly, of the tornado that passed about a mile from my place, taken by a co-worker who lives nearby. Storm Pr0n.


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Labels: Mid-South Storms

I deeply appreciate the fast response from SO many of you wonderful souls.

Here's what I sent out...

Whilst we're waiting for George's Promised Prayers to roll in, down here in the Tornado-Stricken Mid-South, I might recommend some DIRECT HUMAN INTERACTION.

This Is My Best First Start To Help My Region.

As Scout Prime is to NOLA, I am, suddenly, to the Mid-South area (I LIVE here, and was Live-Blogging these horrible storms all night), and have started to get the help-ball rolling down here. Some of you know where I work. I started a Food Drive there today for the Mid-South United Way Food Bank.

As the area affected is so broad and detached, and everyone in the Country was distracted by politics last night, as yet, there is no central assistance hub set-up. So, at the link, above, you'll find the two agencies with the broadest radius to help the area right now. Both take DIRECT donations.

A small-blog swarm on that post (or this comment) would be greatly appreciated by more people than just me. I can't describe how wide-spread the damage is down here. It's enormous. The Media, per usual, is only just now waking up to the situation, after their Super-Duper-Let's-All-Wet-Our-Pants-Together- Tuesday Political Hangover. Like NOLA, these are REALLY poor folks down here, and have nothing, and nowhere to go.

A short post about this at YOUR Blog, linking either to my post, above, or directly to the two Orgs mentioned in the post above, would sure be a big help, and would be greatly appreciated by many people who are relying on help. They are all that we have right now.

I just donated a deer's worth of ground venison, along with the 100 pounds of rice and quart-sized ziplock bags that they said that they needed at the United Way Mid-South Food Bank, when I phoned them this morning. Their pantry is BARE, and I'll be loading them up with all the potatoes, rice, veggies, bags, and other staples that I can fit in my truck tomorrow.

This is serious Red State country, and a flood of help from the DFH Left would REALLY make a big difference in a number of good ways.

I thank you all in advance.

Click Here for more about what's going on down here. It's all that I am writing about right now. Help is needed.

Your humble peer,

Monkeyfister

Use any bit or piece, or as much of any of this blog that you need in your post. If you're not already on my Blogroll, let me know that you're helping out, and I'll link you up immediately.

Thank you to Pygalgia, Hoffmania!, and those wonderful Scrutiny Hooligans who were practically posting while I was typing to them. Excellent Bloggers, excellent Human Beings.

Thank you to Digby and Crooks & Liars, The Newshoggers, and fellow Memphian-- LeftWingCracker for hearing my pleas.

Diane has posted this plea to the Blogs/Media section of The Raw Story, and Will at Moue Magazine posted a very nice piece. So di Susie Madrak at Suburban Guerrilla.Bless you all!

A special thank you to Scout Prime at First Draft. Scout has done so much for keeping awareness of the Katrina devastation alive.

skippy, you wonderful bush kangaroo-- not only do you rule blogtopia (y,yctp!), but, you also rock my world! And another thank you to Cernig for putting out the alerts.

Petulant, one of the citizens of Shakesville, most fine post!

Well. I do owe a special shout out to Thers at Whiskey Fire for putting up a short piece at Eschaton. Deeply appreciated, Buddy! Cheers!




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Labels: Mid-South Storms

Ol' George is sending us PRAYERS! That'll get people into shelter and food... sure.


via The Mighty First Draft


Full Transcript Here

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. Before we begin the ceremony today, we turn our thoughts to those suffering from yesterday's tornados.

This is a bad storm that affected a lot of people in a variety of states. Our administration is reaching out to state officials. I just called the governors of the affected states. I wanted them to know that this government will help them; but more importantly, I wanted them to be able to tell the people in their states that the American people hold them up and -- hold those who suffer up in prayer. Loss of life, a lot of loss of property -- prayers can help and so can the government. And so today before we begin this important ceremony, I do want the people in those states to know the American people are standing with them.

How sweet. Bless him. We're touched. Now-- less talk, more REAL assistance, George.

I left a good comment at the First Draft Link. It's a bit of repitition of what I've written here, already, but, I summed things up pretty well there, please give it a read.


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Labels: Mid-South Storms

My friend, Chris, is a pretty remarkable person. He's a genius computer geek, a volunteer fire-fighter, and a bit of a storm chaser. Chris lives only a few miles away from me. He went outside last night, and took a bit over ten minutes of footage of the storms. His narration sums it all up pretty well. Note the constant lightning and thunder.

They say that a tornado sounds like a locomotive barreling down on you. Well, problem was that with the constant roar of thunder, there was no real way of listening for anything special. You had to LOOK, and keep an ear on the NOAA radio at the same time.

There are no funnel clouds in this footage, but, it IS the cell that destroyed the Union University dorms, and killed too many people up in Jackson, TN, only a bit later. This storm was moving at ~60 miles per hour-- incredible power.


Video: via Danger Collie

Thank you, Chris. I'm glad that you and Sandy are safe.


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Labels: Storms

Tragic. I pray that peace, kindness and hope can find each and every one of those touched families.

I've been looking around for some local centralized relief group/agency... Someplace.

Right now, I recommend the:

American Red Cross
Mid-South Chapter
1400 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
901-726-1690

And:
United Way of the Mid-South phone in a donation at (901) 433-4300.

They take DIRECT donations, so you can skip all the National-level waste and delay, AND they serve nearly every community in the effected radius.

I don't ask for much from my readers, but I sure would appreciate some link love on this post-- or better yet-- if you'd work-up something of your own linking to the Mid-South Red Cross Chapter to help this area get back on it's feet, re-building, and healing. It'd mean an awful lot to many. A bit of a small-blog swarm would be a mighty thing.

Thanks in advance.

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Labels: Storms

Now that the sun is rising, I noticed that AmericaBlog, HuffPo, and TPM are only just now noticing the storms. Writing like they own the story. Thanks for finally noticing. WEV. The toll keeps rising down here. We just had an "All Hands" meeting here at work, to make sure everyone is accounted for, and to help address any needs for those affected by the storms.  Our uber-boss is pretty cool like that.

A great big THANK YOU to all of you who sent such nice words in comments. Hoff!, Mam, Jill, Jennifer-- all of you...

Time to give the Food Bank a call, and see what I can donate.

While everyone else was busy watching the Primaries, or "American Idol," the storms that ripped through Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee were busy killing.


via Reuters

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - Tornadoes and thunderstorms ravaged several states in the American South overnight, killing at least 26 people, injuring dozens and causing widespread damage, emergency services and local media said.

The violent storms swept across Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi, overturning trucks, trapping people, ripping up houses, smashing cars, and uprooting trees. By early Wednesday morning, the city of New Orleans and the states of Alabama and Georgia were also under tornado warning.

Two of the states hit by the tornadoes -- Arkansas and Tennessee -- were involved in "Super Tuesday" as a total of 24 states across the country held nominating contests ahead of November's presidential election.

Several candidates expressed condolences to the victims as they addressed supporters and there were media reports that at least four polling stations in western Tennessee were closed because of the storm.

At least 12 people were killed in Tennessee, according to the Nashville Tennessean newspaper's online edition.

The roof of a warehouse collapsed in Memphis, killing at least three, while northeast of Nashville, a massive fire erupted at a gas station with flames shooting up 500 feet (152 meters) in the air, the paper said on its Web site.

In Arkansas, emergency services reported 11 dead after tornadoes hit as many as eight counties.

I'm still a bit surprised that this is still just a media footnote.


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Labels: Storms

Oh, man. I will NEVER get used to these Southern tornadic storms that come at night. I'm still trying to get my grip back.

I'll tell you right now, folks, that these storms were HUGE, and ferocious. I really do believe that when the SUPERDUPEROHMYGODLETSALLWETOURPANTSTOGETHER Tuesday Primaries hysteria calms down, and the sun rises in the morning, that these storms will sober the Political Pundits, and dampen the mood. Terrible. Wide-spread. Destruction.



MyFOX13 Memphis

ATKINS, Ark. -- Tornadoes tore across Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi on Tuesday, killing at least three people and injuring several others in a rare midwinter outbreak of violent weather.

A couple and a child were killed in Atkins, the Pope County Sheriff's Office said.

• Video: Storm Rips Apart Tennessee Mall (MyFoxMemphis)

Emergency crews went door to door seeking possible victims, authorities said. Power lines blocked traffic to the community of 3,000 along the Arkansas River in the central part of the state.

At least six tornadoes touched down between Oxford, Miss., and Jackson, Tenn., said Richard Okulski of the National Weather Service in Memphis.

One storm tore a large part of the north wall off Hickory Ridge Mall in Memphis. Steve Cole of the Memphis Police Department said a few people north of the mall took shelter under a bridge and were washed away, but were pulled out of the Wolf River with only scrapes.

Later, the same system damaged a dormitory at Union University in Jackson. Eight students were trapped but weren't seriously injured, school spokesman Tim Ellsworth said.

Twisters in northern Mississippi tore through buildings and ripped down power lines. The National Weather Service said it had received reports of injuries in the area, but the extent of those injuries was not immediately available.

A tornado shredded warehouses in an industrial park in Southaven, said Desoto County Sheriff's Department Cmdr. Steve Atkinson.

"It ripped the warehouses apart. The best way to describe it is it looks like a bomb went off," Atkinson said. "A lot of fire departments are here and we're searching each warehouse to see if there was anybody in there. It's going to be a time consuming thing and we'll probably be searching into the morning."

More coverage to follow. Probably in the morning. I don't know if work will be open tomorrow. If it's not, I'll take a drive around for some pictures.

Our local FOX Station was fantastic covering the event.



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Labels: Global Warming, Nature, Storms

I am SO NOT a happy Monkeyfister right now. It's starting to get dark, and I really don't like these tornado-laden storms that come at night. Power is spotty, up and down. Sirens are blaring. Light posting, tonight.

TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 443 PM CST TUE FEB 5 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR... EASTERN SHELBY COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE... EASTERN TIPTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE...

* UNTIL 530 600PM 645PM 730PM CST

* AT 443 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR BARTLETT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

Bigassed tornado just 4-5 miles north of me. I HATE this shit. Sirens blaring constantly.

Very little scares me. THIS terrifies me.

UPDATE: 6:24PM. A tornado has touched down on top of the Hickory Ridge Mall in Northeast Memphis. Reports are saying the damage was VERY heavy. Plenty of people inside. Multiple injuries being reported.

Widespread power outages. Several houses destroyed. This will be going on until midnight. This will make national news in the morning. Reports of explosions. Terrible. Our local newscasters are doing a hell of a good job.

UPDATE 7:11PM-- Sears building hit with people inside. Debris from that hit spread miles away. A Sharp manufacturing plant was flattened. Reports of injuries. Every time a reporter gets to a scene, the newscaster asks, "Has Memphis Police or Firefighters set up any sort of Command Post anywhere?" The reports are always "NO,"

The STUPID Southerners are calling in and complaining that they can't watch "House" and "American Idol." The News guy is literally yelling at them that this is a real emergency, and it is not over. I only have rabbit ears, and so all I can get out here is the Local FOX affiliate. I have to say that they are doing a fantastic job covering this situation.

Is this making the National/Cable News ANYWHERE???

Why the hell is it still 70 fucking degrees here?!?

UPDATE 7:30pm: A Taco Bell was flattened with people inside. Search is on for survivors. US Marshal's have been activated and are on the way to the area to assist.
The next wave of storms is producing baseball-sized hail, and tornadoes, and is about a 1/2 hour away.

MadSat says that our county closed the polls early because of the storms.

UPDATE 8:00pm-- Heavy injuries at the Sharp Plant. A triage Unit has been set up. Reports of 18-wheelers getting picked up and thrown around. Gunshots and looting reported at the Mall.

20,000+ people without power. I can hear the front edge of the next wave thundering in. It's just getting to the Mississippi River right now.

Look Stoopid Southerners. QUIT complaining about your fucking American fucking Idol. Replay last year's goddamned shows-- put on the fucking NASCAR channel, and shut your damned PIEHOLES. Leave the news channel's phone lines OPEN, and go brush your fucking tooth. You people make me sick.

UPDATE 8:22pm-- National Guard is showing up. Don't know if they've been activated, or whether they are just doing their civic duty alone. Bless them if that is the case.

UPDATE 9:00pm-- Wave two has just cleared the River, and the sirens are going off again. Rain is just beginning.

Reports of a few deaths are beginning to roll in. The roofs of the Mall/Sears and Sharp Plant were completely torn off. Surprisingly, no deaths yet reported from those sites.

UPDATE 9:30pm-- Seven students trapped in dorm wreckage at union University in Jackson, TN. Just got another tornado warning in my county until 10:15.

UPDATE 10:15pm-- Seems like the worst is over. We had the local sirens, and I hid under the stairs. Something lit up the sky the strangest shade of bright blue while I was getting into my cubby. No power outage here, which is really quite surprising.

Due to the mouthbreathers screaming for their damned American Idol, local coverage was suspended.

Monkeyfister Manor was spared, and for that I'm thankful.

I hope others around me are OK. The NOAA weather radio is still reporting tornadoes just to the west. Right now, it is raining like hell, very windy, and the temperature has dropped at least 10 degrees.



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My most excellent boss let us out of work a bit early to get to the polling place before the storms hit us, and the power-outages take out the voting machines.

Every Democratic Candidate was still on our ballot, and I sat there staring at the screen, wonder which button to push. Then I heard Edwards' voice in my head saying, "I am therefore SUSPENDING my campaign."

I voted my conscience, and voted for Edwards.

There. I've declared my Candidate of choice, Bob Cesca.

I have a feeling that Huckabee is going to make a surprisingly strong showing here in Tennessee. The Democratic winner is a total mystery to me.


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Labels: Democratic Presidential Candidates 2008, Democratic Primaries

Stranger at Blah3.com has exclusive pics and coverage.


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Labels: Ohio Republicans

If your State is having a Primary Election or Caucus, go and be a part of it. You'll be thankful you did it.


















Image borrowed from Scrutiny Hooligans. Click for larger view.



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Labels: Democratic Primaries, Vote

PLUS another ~$200 Billion OFF-BOOK "emergency" funding for George's Pet Wars.

I'm so old, I remember when Bill Clinton proposed, for his final year, a REAL balanced budget of $1 Trillion, which continued our surplus and reduced the deficits, and the Republicans derided him for excessive spending. But, to them, $3.11 Trillion and expanded deficits, while the economy falls into oblivion, and and the US Dollar spirals into irredeemable irrelevance is just fine, because George has tucked into his BIG PLAN a few Easter eggs just for their rich, loyalist selves. Fucking Tories.

via WaPo

President Bush today unveiled a tough-minded, $3 trillion budget proposal for fiscal 2009 that would slice $14.2 billion from the growth of federal health-care programs, eliminate scores of programs and virtually freeze domestic spending -- but would still record a $407 billion budget deficit.

The president's final budget is a sharp contrast to the priorities of the Democratic-controlled Congress, which is likely to wait out Bush's presidency rather than accede to many of his demands. The Bush budget plan would continue his first-term tax cuts beyond their 2011 expiration date, at a cost to the Treasury of $635 billion through 2013, extend abstinence education programs, create elementary and secondary education vouchers and guard other White House initiatives.

The president also takes aim at programs that Congress has guarded zealously -- and is likely to continue protecting. Among the programs Bush would eliminate are commodity price supports for farmers, research assistance to manufacturers, career and technical education grants, weatherization assistance, community development grants, graduate medical education at children's hospitals and a public housing revitalization program that the House just overwhelmingly reauthorized.

Watching the video attached to the article made my fists ball up involuntarily.

And $400 billion? Make that at least $600 Billion, because his wars are strictly OFF-BOOK. Man. He's SUCH a gall-filled prick.

Can we just tear off the next 10 months from our calendars, and just call it November, already?



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Labels: Defense Of Privilege, Deficits, George W Bush, Idiot Son Of An Asshole

Wonderful.




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Our new friend, One Fly, at Outta The Cornfield, pointed me to this:




B.A.D. has been, and continues to be a rich and rewarding experience. There are SO MANY excellent blogs out there. This year's Golden Monkeyfist Awards are likely to last the full Twelve Days Of Christmas! As a matter of fact, I've already started my lists.



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Labels: Republican Values, St. John McCain

eRobin at Fact-esque reminds us of this important day, and how far we still need to go, even here in the 21st Century. Perhaps especially in the 21st Century.



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Labels: Civil Rights, Human Rights, Rosa Parks

Shades of 1929, indeed.


via WTOP

MARLTON, N.J. (AP) - An executive of a collapsed subprime mortgage lender jumped to his death from a bridge Friday, shortly after his wife's body was found inside their New Jersey home, authorities said.

The deaths of Walter Buczynski, 59, and his wife, Marci, 37 _ the parents of two boys _ were being investigated as a murder-suicide, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

Prosecutor Robert Bernardi said Evesham Township police went to the couple's home in the Marlton section of the township around noon after a male caller asked them to check on Marci Buczynski. Her body was found in a bedroom.

Authorities would not provide further details on her death, saying only that she was pronounced dead at the scene and that the county medical examiner's office would perform an autopsy Saturday.

About 20 minutes after her body was found, officers from the Delaware River and Bay Authority Police Department received reports that a man _ later identified as Walter Buczynski _ had parked his car on Delaware Memorial Bridge and jumped from the span.

Crews were searching for his body Friday night.

A sad, but true reflection of the state of the nation.


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Labels: Collapse, Sub-Prime Crash, US Economy, Wall Street

This is all perfectly normal for early February-- or so Michelle Malkin and George Bush tell me, anyway...

From the National Weather Service:

...A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK IS LIKELY TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND TUESDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE MID- SOUTH...

A WARM...MOIST...AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS THE MID-SOUTH AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT THAT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE OVER THE REGION TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND RESULT IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND TORNADOES. THE POTENTIAL WILL ALSO EXIST FOR A FEW STRONG TORNADOES. AN ADDITIONAL LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP ALONG AND IMMEDIATELY IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING.

THE PRIMARY TIME FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE BETWEEN NOON CST AND 10 PM CST TUESDAY FOR AREAS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND BETWEEN 4 PM CST TUESDAY AND 2 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP EAST OF THE AREA AFTER 2 AM CST WEDNESDAY MORNING BRINGING AN END TO THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.

It's nearly 7pm, here in West Tennessee, and it's 70-degrees. Whoo-boy.


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Labels: Global Warming

It's Monday, and time for the weekly Kunstler...


via Clusterfuck Nation

Eric Janszen of iTuilip.com has made a splash in the mainstream media with his Harper's Magazine cover story on the "The Next Bubble." His thesis is that a new tidal wave of investment will shortly roll toward "infrastructure and alternative energy." By this Janszen means a revived nuclear power push, refurbishing highways, bridges, and tunnels, "high-speed rail," solar and wind power, and alternative liquid fuels. This coming boom, he says, would be driven by political fear about energy security.

On the face of it, Janszen's proposition seems more promising and intelligent than the previous engineered boom in suburban houses. But it raises a lot of questions and flags.

For one thing, the term "bubble" suggests something more like a financial Chinese fire drill than actual productive activity. It would be an excellent thing if Americans invested in a restored passenger rail system. But if it were merely a scheme for big banks to issue innovative new securities for gigantic fees without actually getting any trains running -- well that would be in the nature of just another old-fashioned swindle, as the bundling of mortgages into securitized debt paper has proven to be.

In other words, does Janszen make a distinction between a boom and a "bubble?" He seems to understand that the previous two bubbles in dot-coms and houses were essentially frauds that generated imaginary wealth, which sooner later evaporated off the balance sheets and out of the financial system. A boom, it seems to me, is not the same as a "bubble." While perhaps wasteful and messy, booms at least produce something of value beyond the fees paid to bankers for arranging the deployment of capital. A boom that resulted in citizens being able to take a train from Boston to Albany would produce a substantial public good. The creation by Goldman Sachs of a company on paper that never accomplished anything would be something else. This, of course, leads to a deeper question as to whether the USA is actually a serious society or just a nation of hopeless, greedy clowns? Are we even capable anymore of distinguishing between purposeful activity and the art of the grift?

More at the link.


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Labels: James Kunstler

Celente is sending out the warnings again. Even "Screamin'" Jim Cramer is coming 'round to Reality-Based Reality.


via Atlantic Free Press

Futurist and trends forecaster Gerald Celente, director of the Trends Research Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, predicted the 1987 stock market crash, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, the Asian economic implosion of ‘97, the decline of the dollar beginning in 2005, the meteoric rise in gold prices in an age of currency volatility, and the turn of events that may be the blessing of our era, the subprime mortgage crisis. Because of this habit of prescience, Celente has appeared regularly on CNN and Fox and MSNBC, his “Trends Reports” widely quoted in newsprint, on Oprah Winfrey, on Good Morning America.

Now in his Report for 2008, issued in mid-December, he carried the news every thinking American already knows. “The United States of America,” Celente pronounced, “has gone from first class to third rate.” It’s a “nation on the skids and heading down.” Celente projects economic and political crisis in the coming year. “In 2008, Americans will wake up to the worst economic times that anyone alive has ever seen,” he wrote on December 17. “Just as they didn’t see 9/11 coming and were frozen in shock when terror struck, [Americans] will be frozen in shock when terror strikes again.” He predicts “failing banks, busted brokerages, toppled corporate giants, bankrupt cities, states in default, foreign creditors cashing out of US securities…the stage is set, the big one is on its way.”

A similar wake-up call was issued last summer in a report by none other than the chief investigator for the US Government Accountability Office, comptroller general David Walker, who warned that US policy on energy, education, the environment, health care, immigration, Iraq – pretty much the gamut – was on an “unsustainable” course, bound for a maelstrom of insolvency that could threaten to sink the ship. According to the GAO chief, the fall of Rome seemed an apt historical comparison: “[D]eclining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands, and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government. Sound familiar? I’m trying to sound an alarm.”

---

So is the subprime mortgage mess the catalyst for the Big One, what Celente calls the Panic of ‘08? Stock guru Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s Mad Money and co-founder of TheStreet.com, seems to think so. “There are a group of insurance companies that insure all these bad mortgages,” he told Chris Matthews on Jan. 18. “And I think they’re all about to go belly up. And that will cause the Dow Jones to decline 2,000 points. They have got to be shut down. This is going to happen in maybe two, three weeks, Chris. It’s going to be on the front of every paper. And no one in Washington is even willing to admit it. I am telling you these companies do not have the capital to make good. And, when they do fall – I believe it is when – if the government doesn’t have a plan in action, you will not be able to open the stock market when they collapse…No one is even talking about it.”

From panic, offers Gerald Celente, will arise almost overnight an era of social and political upheaval and plain awfulness. Self storage will finally “live up to the meaning of its name. Down and out, thrown onto the streets, homeless Americans will empty out storage lockers of useless junk…to store themselves.” He predicts wage riots and anti-government street protests and intensified anti-immigration movements looking to scapegoat the “aliens” among us. Toward the 1 percent of Americans who received 50 percent of all income gains in recent years – those same 1 percenters, roughly 3 million people, who took in 22 percent of all income in 2005 – there will be growing rage. “Kidnappings for ransom will become common, as they were in the Depression and as the poor strike out against the rich,” Celente predicts. Lawlessness will be met, as in most third rate nations, with violence from an increasingly sophisticated and brutal police state. A different type of violence from the ground up, tax revolts, will also develop in strength, targeting a tax-ravenous federal government that Celente charges has failed “to protect food, win wars, clean the environment, upgrade infrastructure, improve living standards, provide health services or advance education.”

And George has plenty more of those last bits for us in his US$3 Trillion FY09 Budget-- not including his US$200 Billion OFF-BUDGET "emergency" war expenditures, already scheduled for FY09.


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Labels: Collapse, US Economy, Wall Street

Testing the "email a post" feature of Blogger.

This concludes the test.

Heh.



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How adamantly the Blog Nobility are ignoring the massive revolt and mass-cooperation of those of us "down here," this weekend. Especially the two who brought on the Blogroll Amnesty in the first place. One used to be a dear friend at the Bartcop Forum. Apparently, they did nothing wrong, in their Noble minds, nor do they feel that they inspired a cascade of similar actions amongst the rest of the Nobility, thus shutting out the majority of Lesser Blogtopia (y,sctp!) from being an active and visible part of the Progressive movement. Consolidating their linkage to only amongst there own, very serious selves, guaranteed a limited Media focus. They had BIG MEDIA plans on their minds, and couldn't be tarnished by links to our unwashed masses, now could they?

Indeed.

Not a word from them this weekend. Not a peep. Not a single recognition that we're not only networking, but laughing our asses off at them. Amazing their insular world view.

I sort of pity their inbred, in-linked ignorance.

I'm sure the money is good, but, BOY are they really missing the real stories, as they happen. They just jump on in when it is monetarily and politically expedient, and pick up the story as THEY see the narrative. Usually on the back of our hard-dredging work. And they'll never understand our ire. It must suck to be so tied to BIG Political and Media strings. All that money, all that power, and so little Freedom.

Well-- bully for them, those silver-spooned Nobles. May they forever live in interesting times, and may the Fates forever hold them in their hands.

I'm sure that their means will always justify their ends.

Yeah.

With or without us.

There ya go.



HERE'S TO US!



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Labels: Blog Incivility, Blog Nobility