Author Archives: SD USA

Strong Communities in Times of Disaster

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In the face of the hurricanes, tropical cyclones and earthquakes and now wildfires that have devastated so many communities in the past two months it is easy to allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by human suffering. But, there is not only darkness; we find hope as we witness an upwelling of the latent nobility of the human spirit.

Seasonal fires occur in Kalimantan each year, peaking in the dry season of late summer and early fall. Slash-and-burn deforestation to clear land for farming or other agriculture still takes place, and fires escape from already cleared land into adjacent forest. The swampy forests of the low-lying parts of these islands sit on thick layers of peat (un-decayed vegetation), which is extremely flammable when it dries out. The peat is exceptionally smoky when it burns.

Seasonal forest fires occur in Kalimantan each year, peaking in the dry season of late summer and early fall. Slash-and-burn deforestation to clear land for farming or other agriculture still takes place, and fires escape from already cleared land into adjacent forest. The swampy forests of the low-lying parts of these islands sit on thick layers of peat (un-decayed vegetation), which is extremely flammable when it dries out. The peat is exceptionally smoky when it burns.

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Disaster Relief Agencies for Hurricane Harvey

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Many people have been contacting us to find out whether we are doing anything to send aid to those made homeless by Hurricane Harvey. SD USA is not a disaster relief organization,  but we are very happy to refer our members to organizations that do this work much more efficiently than we would be able to. Here are some links to disaster relief organizations now active in Texas and Louisiana.

You can see an updated list of organizations accepting monetary donations here.

Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website for a list of vetted disaster relief organizations.

American Red Cross – You can donate directly to the American Red Cross to assist hurricane victims. Minimum online donation is $10. To donate visit redcross.org, call 1- 800-RED CROSS or text the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Salvation Army – Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY, go to the donate online or send your contribution, earmarked “Disaster Relief,” to The Salvation Army, 10755 Burt St, Omaha, NE 68114.

Catholic Charities USA – Donated funds go to support recovery efforts, including direct assistance, rebuilding and health care services. You can donate here.

Here is an excellent article by Episcopal Relief & Development on how we can help and what kind contribution is most helpful.

trina frometi dance article

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Trina Frometa

Trina Frometa

Trina Frometa, a Venuzuelan dancer in California on a  scholarship, danced a story of violence and chaos for the benefit of her Subud brothers and sisters, including her own family, who are starving in Caracas. The collapse of justice and the takeover of the government by the totalitarian leftist regime of Nicolás Maduro, coupled with economic chaos and inflation rates as high as 800 percent resulting from the plummeting price of petroleum, Venezuela’s only only big foreign trade commodity, has left more than 80 percent of the people, educated and uneducated alike, in the grip of grueling poverty

Trina offered her dance at Subud California’s congress earlier this month to benefit a project started recently by Henrietta Haines, Office Manager of Subud California, to bring relief to those suffering—and in just one evening was able to bring in around a thousand dollars, which is being used to send food.