In case you didn't know...

1. We need Tents!

Yesterday during the Crisis Camp in Chile ( techies trying to help organize disaster relief ) there was one "critical issue" being raised over and over again. Displaced people living in camps won't be able to cope with the winter. Epidemics, social unrest and mayhem are guaranteed unless we provide them with sufficiently good tents. And keep in mind that winters here are cold as hell, people are poor and given that we were barely able to manage the first crisis, nothing makes me think we will do better with this one. If a baby gets sick, that's life sentence. We need tents.

2. The Tsunami was of cinematographical proportions

I saw pictures of the tsunami affected regions taken by regular folks like you and me. Journalists or simply travelers that went to the zone of the disaster driven by a very understandable mix of both curiousity and desire to help. They were impressed. And I can see why: One of the pictures showed a refrigerator cliging from a tree. No, we don't usually put refrigerators on trees. That 400lb piece of metal was most probably part of someone's kitchen. And now it is laying feet away from a ship, which also used to be miles away anchored somewhere. The point is: WTF!!! is this real?

3. It rained in Haiti

I just saw someone trying to desperately raise awareness about how the camp he is now managing, which serves as home for 45.000 displaced haitians, will be brutally washed away when the rain season starts and how he also needs thousands of tents.

When you see someone that desperate trying to get the message across: "PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE NOW!!! PLEASE DO SOMETHING!!". The appropriate advice is: Hey, why don't you go live on CNN?

And he did of course, talking a full 10 minutes to Anderson Cooper. But he was totally frustrated, because he's obviously been saying this for quite a while and nothing happens. Then you think to yourself: jesus, if he already made it to CNN and he still can't get those tents, what's left for the poor people in the south of Chile?

Ah. And did I mention that this person was Sean Penn!!?

And People are stupid.

They are stupid-er than you think. Trust me. They keep on talking about being good and helping others, but when the "others" are actually dying, then everyone has something else to do.

Personally I don't really care about Sean Penn so I don't expect you to care either. I've seen him everywhere. But a Ship in the middle of the highway? that's something I need to see. Seriously. Guilty confession. I want to see that at least once in my life. Another thing I like is when people talk great things about me. Specially if I actually deserve it ( otherwise it feels a bit awkward, although you learn to live with the feeling ).

So, here's the idea: Incentivize filthy rich people from Chile to go down and see this. Give them a tour, let them take pictures, film them. Then make them sign up as "sponsors" for a family and take care of them. Of course they won't have to do much. Just sign a couple of checks. They will come back shocked, sensibilized, and with a real, concrete story to brag about other than playing golf or going to a tropical island.

Also, give those who participated a Copper Pin so they can put it in their flag when they go out on September 18th ( National Holiday ).

I am not kidding BTW. I would really bow at all those with pins in their flags and hug them with sincere admiration. No matter why they did what they did, there is someone who is infinitely thankful for their efforts and that's all that matters. They were brave enough to challenge the status quo and that's more than enough for me.

And those who don't have pins in their flags. Well, I have plans for those as well.

Now, this may sound funny. But the real question is: Why can't we make things like these work?
This is a market. The market of Tourism and Philantropy in times of crisis. It's just not explicitly defined but this is a good moment to start.

I imagine a lot of people are thinking: but what happens with all the money that has been raised?
Isn't that the way it works? I comfortably donate from my home?

No! This is obsolete, rooted in earlier days where the cost of information transport was too high and it breaks the value flow in both directions: Firstly, the giver does not get personal credit for his donation.

And second... well. Let me paraphrase Sean Penn: "Politics! politics will kill them!!"
There is simply too much administrative overhead and the "ad hoc", headless organization that assembles itself around a crisis is everything but efficient.

That's what he means by politics. There is just too much overhead and nothing "smart" about the decisions being made. Keep in mind that the guy is a terrific actor, but even he can't fake the discontempt when he talks about what's going on. And I know how it feels...