Your mileage may vary, but it took me forty-three hours to get from Jerusalem to Somerville.

Of course there was the little matter of a blizzard . . .

It would have taken even longer if I hadn't managed to get the last seat on the only train that actually made it in real time (i.e. less than twelve hours) from New York to Boston yesterday.

And I walked into my home last night to find football on the tube and Adam Vinatieri setting the ball on the tee for the opening kickoff. Whew!

Sometimes one question opens up a whole world.

I'll scream:

If I hear or read one more report that describes a village as completely bereft because "their livelihood was fishing - and now they have no boats" . . .

If I hear one more appeal to buy people boats because "their sole livelihood was fishing - and now they have no hope" . . .

If I endure one more paean to the nobility and harshness and difficulty of having to gather one's livelihood from the sea . . .

What will I scream?

"What do the women do?"

Man does not live by fish alone. Somewhere in their diet is a vegetable and a starch. And, more than likely, it is women who are responsible for putting them - and the fish for that matter - on the table.

The seaside communities across the Indian Ocean were devastated and many of them need assistance, but there remain capacities for survival and recovery that were not washed away with the fishing fleets.

What do the women do? Just ask them.

I really should have weighed in before last week's games. I couldn't believe that people were picking the Colts. Sheesh.

Good news for me: this year I'll actually be in the US to watch the Conference Championships (though I'm in Jerusalem right now).

It's the playoffs. That means there is one simple rule: Defense wins - but it doesn't cover the spread. The problem with using that as a predictor this week is that all four defenses are pretty good.

Falcons and Eagles

Falcons have the better overall defense, but the Eagles are good at confusing quarterbacks. McNabb is better than Vick. I think the Eagles will hold on at home.

Patriots at Steelers

The Steelers have the league's best defense. The Patriots are the best big game team of our time. I think this one comes down to special teams and the Patriots are better. You didn't expect me to go against my own team, did you?

Give money.

Don't donate anything else. Money is the only thing you have that other people don't.

Let's step away from the current disaster and remember another request that made the rounds:

Remember when pens and pencils were being collected for school kids in Afghanistan?

That drove me up the wall. It still does.

I happen to know that China and Pakistan make pens and pencils (and notebooks and desks - and probably school lockers). Iran likely does too. Those countries border Afghanistan. Simply, it is much cheaper to buy the pencils there than here. Further, buying Chinese or Pakistani pencils creates markets and trade - and jobs. If demand rises high enough, some entrepreneur will start a pencil factory in Afghanistan.

Sending pencils all the way from the US undercuts local capacities and local opportunities. Shipping pencils from here to there hurts the very people we claim to be helping.

The one thing Afghanistan does not have or have ready access to is money. Send that instead.

Read this.

" This may seem an inappropriate moment to question the world's response mechanism for international emergencies, but it is, in fact, one of the few times when ordinary citizens have an opportunity to consider the bigger picture and to make personal decisions about how they might assist. "

" The message of this holiday: We cannot be comfortable, given the work that must still be done. "

Don't be "happy" today. Organize.

There are three books I reached for the moment I got back to my office after the holidays.

Rising from the Ashes: Development Strategies in Times of Disaster, Mary B. Anderson and Peter Woodrow

Why? Because it rocks and no one should even begin thinking about disaster response without reading it.

U.S. Military/NGO Relations During Humanitarian Interventions, Chris Seiple

Why? Because it very clearly outlines the issues of military interaction with NGOs. In the case of a disaster like the tsunami, these issues will be on the very top of the table. And because nobody else will be giving this interaction the serious thought it needs.

The SPHERE Handbook (online here)

Why? Because it's crucial. From the Forward:

" In a remarkable international initiative aimed at improving the effectiveness and accountability of disaster response, the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response sets out for the first time what people affected by disasters have a right to expect from humanitarian assistance. The aim of the Project is to improve the quality of assistance provided to people affected by disasters, and to enhance the accountability of the humanitarian system in disaster response. "

Among the "Ten Myths About Disaster Relief":

" 7. Relief needs are so intense that almost anyone can fly to the scene to offer help

Professionals with specialized skills and overseas disaster experience are often deployed to disaster sites. Volunteers without those skills can do more harm than good, and siphon off critical logistics and translations services. Hiring disaster survivors is much more cost efficient and provides much needed employment. "

Relief professionals have skills. They know about food distribution, sanitation, construction, and trauma. Some of the other things they know how to do include needs assessment, gender analysis, environmental impact assessment, mapping social dynamics, and conflict impact assessment. If you can't do those, stay at home and send money.

OK, in all honesty, most relief professionals can't do all of those things. But there is a bottom line: if you've never heard of the SPHERE Standards, then no matter what skills you have you really shouldn't be there getting in the way of the professionals.

If you feel you really must help, physically, on the ground, then check out the International Rescue Committee. In general, they take volunteers. But not for the tsunami relief effort!

" If you are interested in volunteering with our relief efforts for the Asian tsunami disaster, please understand that although we appreciate your generous interest, because of the nature of the crisis, we are unable to accept volunteers.

You can best support the life-saving aid we are providing by making a donation. "

They suggest you donate. Make sure you select "Where Most Needed"!

Every morning, as we listen to reports about the tsunami relief and I sigh, grimace, and then begin to rail at the radio, Mrs Martial tells me "blog that".

Knowledge is funny. It can be like air, unnoticed because obvious - to us.

My thoughts about the tsunami reporting have been somewhat disjointed because what I know is called up in pieces in response to particular items that I hear or see. Well, blogging as a medium does lend itself to the piecemeal. For the next few days, and as it comes up in the future, I will blog about the issues that arise around a disaster as they arise in my thoughts.

. . .

A combination of attending a conference, then returning to the office to find our internet down has kept me off the airwaves for a few days.

And, yes, I've been invited to Aceh. Unfortunately, I have obligations that prevent me from going until March. I'm trying to find someone else.

CARE Nepal has established a "Robin Needham Memorial Trust Fund" in the name of their country director who, tragiclly, was killed by the tsunami. The fund will help to continue Robin's work in Nepal.

To contribute contact Meeta Sainju Pradhan (meeta - at -carenepal - dot - org) or Deepak Kumar Upadhyay (deepak - at -carenepal - dot - org).

The above is the one piece of advice about contributing to a charitable organization that everybody should have tattooed to the inside of their eyelids.

Always contribute to an organization's general fund. Always. You don't get quite the endorphin rush as you do when you write "for tsunami relief" on the check, but you're actually contributing to a much greater, longer term good.

The simple reason for this is that organizations really do spend the money wherever you tell them to. Their auditors demand it. And all too often too much money is raised for one particular disaster while others go underfunded - and under reported.

"When you sell out . . ."

I'm not going to sell out!

"Ahem. When you sell out, make sure you get a good price."

I often find myself discouraged by responses to humanitarian crises because they are the wrong responses. People don't like being told that their compassion leads to more harm than good - even though it can and does. People assume any help is good and so don't bother to learn what constitutes real assistance. Poor people cannot afford our mistakes.

Part of this is our fault, those of us who are professionals in the field of humanitarian response. We don't educate the public as well as we could. We don't teach the lessons we've learned - usually the hard way - over the past half-century.

WorldVision, an organization which knows what it's doing, offers a short primer on the myths surrounding disaster relief. I'm just going to print the whole thing:

" 1. Americans can help by collecting blankets, shoes and clothing

The cost of shipping these items -- let alone the time it takes to sort, pack and ship them -- is prohibitive. Often, those items are manufactured for export to the U.S. from these same countries. It is far more efficient to purchase them locally.

2. Helping the living always has priority over burying the dead

In refugee camps and epidemic situations where people die of diseases, it is essential to dispose of the bodies within a short period of time. If they died of other causes such as drowning, they are less of a health risk but pose an impediment to relief efforts and delay the mourning process.

3. The United States must airlift food and medicines to the disaster site

Food is virtually always available within a day's drive of the disaster site. Purchasing the food locally is more cost-efficient, and it ensures that the food is appropriate to local residents' tastes and religious requirements. Medicines are often available within the country, too. India, for example, has a large pharmaceutical industry. Because medicines are high-value, low-weight commodities, in some cases they can and must be airlifted in to save lives.

4. If I send cash, my help won't get there

Reputable agencies send 80 percent or more of cash donations to the disaster site; the rest goes for administration, operating expenses and monitoring the efficiency of their own operations. Donors have a right and a responsibility to ask aid groups how they will be using those donations, and what will be done with donations raised in excess of the need.

5. Once someone survives the immediate disaster, he or she is safe

The immediate catastrophe kills quickly; survivors can face a slower death from hunger, disease and even criminal predators. While emergency medical teams certainly are needed for people injured in a disaster, the best way to keep survivors healthy is to provide clean water and adequate sanitation. Cholera and dysentery can result from drinking contaminated water; malaria-spreading mosquitoes breed in standing water.

6. Developing countries depend on foreign expertise

While specialized assistance is always welcome, most relief and recovery efforts are accomplished by local aid groups, police, firefighters and neighbors before international teams arrive. Also, in recent years most governments have established disaster preparedness plans.

7. Relief needs are so intense that almost anyone can fly to the scene to offer help

Professionals with specialized skills and overseas disaster experience are often deployed to disaster sites. Volunteers without those skills can do more harm than good, and siphon off critical logistics and translations services. Hiring disaster survivors is much more cost efficient and provides much needed employment.

8. Survivors feel lucky to be alive

Shock, trauma and the mourning for loved ones who died are common among disaster survivors. Often, they wish it was they who died instead of their loved ones. Treating these emotional needs is an essential component of relief efforts.

9. Insurance and governments can cover losses

The vast majority of the world's population has never heard of an insurance policy, let alone are able to purchase one. Further, governments of poor countries can barely meet ongoing social service needs, let alone provide a safety net like FEMA. Disaster survivors must bear these costs alone.

10. People are helpless in the face of natural disasters

The United States is proof that tougher building codes, early warning and disaster preparedness can save lives. Even in poor countries, communities are taking steps to mitigate the loss of life in future emergencies. "

Robin was CARE's Country Director in Nepal. He was a good friend and a great colleague. I was looking forward to seeing him later this year.

He and his family were vacationing in Thailand over the Christmas holiday and Robin was killed by the tsunami. His family, fortunately, is safe, but my heart breaks for them.

Robin touched a lot of people in a tireless life dedicated to humanitarianism. I loved him for his compassionate and sparkling intelligence, his indefatigable sense of purpose, his utter lack of cynicism in his actions, and his complete faith that tomorrow can offer a better world. I will miss Robin terribly.

CARE Nepal's statement.

AND:

CARE Nepal has established a "Robin Needham Memorial Trust Fund" to continue Robin's work, particularly with disadvantaged children.

To contribute contact Meeta Sainju Pradhan (meeta - at -carenepal - dot - org) or Deepak Kumar Upadhyay (deepak - at -carenepal - dot - org).