Donate to Hospital Albert Schweitzer and Get 1 Year of Outstanding Investments

Whiskey & Gunpowder
By Addison Wiggin
January 17, 2010
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.


Haiti: An Urgent Appeal

Dear Reader,

"The Haiti earthquake could not have been worse,” according to our Byron King — who has a close friend in the middle of it all.

“A shallow fault zone gave way, almost directly below Port au Prince. The full force of the shock — at least 7.0 magnitude — transmitted directly into the foundations of a city that lacks even the rudiments of good building practices.”

At last word, up to 50,000 people may be dead… and another 300,000 homeless.

The UN hasn’t even calculated the number of injured, but the need is undoubtedly immense… and the quake destroyed many of the nation’s hospitals within seconds.

That means the burden on the few remaining is overwhelming — including the Hospital Albert Schweitzer (HAS).

“HAS,” says Byron, “was founded in 1954 as a joint project of the Mellon family in Pittsburgh and the legendary humanitarian Albert Schweitzer.” Byron’s friend Ian Rawson is manager at HAS. He writes:

“We are far from the epicenter, but overnight [Wednesday into Thursday] we began to see more patients from areas outside of the valley, where two and three-story buildings are more common.”

“The influx of patients is straining our resources, but has been handled calmly and efficiently by the all-Haitian medical and nursing staff. All available gurneys and benches are in use, our trauma protocol triage system has been implemented, and there is a steady flow of patients to the diagnostic center and the operating suite.”

“The lack of communications has been a large psychological problem. All of our professional staff have families in Port au Prince, and all cell systems have collapsed, so people wait anxiously for news of relatives.”

“Haiti has a long history of natural disasters; floods, mudslides, hurricanes, and more. Each one reinforces our awareness of the limitations of the formal infrastructure and the resilience of the informal system of family and community support.”

Byron adds this: “Note the comment about ‘trauma protocol triage system.’ That means, they're picking and choosing who gets treatment and lives, versus who does not get treatment and dies.”

So that gives you a picture of how urgent the situation is.

Usually you turn to us for investment ideas — helping you sort through a bewildering array of choices.

Likewise, maybe you’ve wanted to donate to the relief effort in Haiti, but you have no idea which organization is worthy of your dollars: After all, many of them waste huge amounts of money on overhead. You want to donate to folks who will put your dollars to work actually helping people.

Byron assures us, “I can vouch for the dedication of the staff, and their effective use of resources” at HAS.

"If you are looking for a good cause that can help relieve the suffering in Haiti, there is none more worthy than Hospital Albert Schweitzer.”

Here’s a link to the HAS homepage, where you can donate.

It’s this simple: The need is immense. The time is limited. And these are the people doing the most good in a horrific situation.

Sincerely,
Addison Wiggin
Executive Publisher, Agora Financial

P.S.: If you need a little kick in the rear to get moving on this, I’ll make you a proposition: Email us confirmation of your donation, here at customerservice@agorafinancial.com, and we’ll credit you a year’s worth of Byron’s Outstanding Investments.

But do it now. Every little bit will help, and the sooner the better.

Haiti needs our help

The earthquake in Haiti has been catastrophic. More than three million people have been affected, and estimates are that over 50,000 have died. The human suffering is unimaginable.

That's why I'd like to pause from our usual conversation and ask for your help.
How to Help Haiti- An International Red Cross spokesman warned that up to 3 million people may have been affected by Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 85% of Haitians already living in desperate poverty. Now, with hospitals in ruin, dire shortages of even basic necessities like fresh water, and no way to find out whether family members are alive, the Haitian people urgently need our help.


A number of organizations are already engaged in critical relief efforts, and I urge you to support as many of them as you can. One of them, Oxfam America, has an emergency response team of more than 200 people already on the ground. The need for clean water and critical public health services is massive and immediate -- and our donations can help save lives.

Make a donation to Oxfam's earthquake relief effort in Haiti.

Or, for a list of other organizations to donate to and ways to make a difference, see See
White House List of Haiti Donation Organizations

There are moments when we, as human beings, must come together as a global community and as stewards of each others' health and welfare. It is that sense of interconnectedness that brought each of us to the climate movement, and it is moments like this that bring out the best in us -- as individuals, as a nation, and as a movement.
Make a donation to Oxfam's earthquake relief effort in Haiti.
Let's make sure the people of Haiti do not face this disaster alone. Thank you for taking action in the face of this tragedy.

Al Gore
Chairman
Alliance for Climate Protection

Save Lives In Haiti -- Give Now

The pictures and stories coming out of Port-au-Prince, Haiti are truly heart wrenching. Fortunately, CARE is on the ground in Haiti, and they are in a position to help. CARE needs your support however. Please read the message below and give generously.

CARE - EMERGENCY ALERT
Donate to CARE's relief efforts in Haiti -- Donate Now

Dear Friend,

You've seen the misery and devastation following this week's 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. As many as 100,000 are feared dead and thousands more have been left homeless -- their lives destroyed.

You can help the survivors by making a tax-deductible donation to CARE now.

As you probably know, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We place special focus on working alongside poor women because when they're equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to help their entire family and communities escape poverty.

During times of natural disasters, like this week's earthquake in Haiti, CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors. In all our work, we focus on women, because they have the greatest leverage for change in their communities and their societies. Haiti is already one of the poorest countries in the world, and this earthquake will make things even worse for impoverished men, women and children there.

Please help us rush lifesaving aid to Haiti by making a gift to CARE now.
Donate to CARE's relief efforts in Haiti -- Donate Now
Thank you for your generosity at this critical time.

Sincerely,

Helene D. Gayle, MD, MPH
President and CEO, CARE