Dear Subscribers:
We're uploading a day early this extraordinary week because,
despite all the information that keeps coming in, we feel it's time to connect
with all of you. Other Americans on this list must be as thankful as we are
for the support and prayers that the United States has received since the terrorist
attacks Tuesday.
As wise commentators have been saying, not just the
US but the world is a different place now (here's an eloquent example - dispatched
from Bogota today - in The
Independent of London). But contrary to what we understand of terrorists'
intentions, whatever good anyone is trying to accomplish each day, great or
small, must continue. It's helping to rescue all of us, worldwide,
from this assault on humanity.
Here's our lineup for this second week of September:
- Counter-terrorism: Your emails, the news,
helping children, helping relief efforts, links, prayers across the Net
- Going forward: Enter the Childnet Awards!
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Counter-terrorism: Your emails, the news, relief, links, prayers across
the Net
One of the extraordinary things about the Internet
is the immediacy with which it makes diverse information and support available
to millions of people - whether they need information about events and loved
ones or want to contribute services, funds, blood, or prayers.
- Defeating hate, finding comfort
"Chat is where people were," Lynne Bundesen, founder
of OurFaiths.org, told us when
we talked with her about how this international, ecumenical nonprofit
Web site dealt with spiritual fallout from the terrorist attacks on the
US Tuesday. Lynne was referring to the spontaneity of online chat and
how it met the needs of many for immediate discussion and fellowship,
as well as requests for prayer. Although many emails, mostly from churches
and religious organizations, were posted on the site's discussion boards,
by far the bulk of OurFaith's traffic was in chat, she said. The site's
chat traffic more than quadrupled on Tuesday, and the average length of
time each person spent in chat was 5 hours.
"At about 8:50 a.m., Tuesday, [chat moderator]
Steven instant-messaged me from Vermont that a plane had crashed into
the World Trade Center," Lynne said. "I turned on the TV and watched the
second plane crash. The chat rooms are always open, so Steven and I went
in as moderators and just stayed there all day long and into the night"
- about 14 hours, with other moderators soon joining them. "We had people
there from all faiths holding hands - Bahai, every kind of Christian,
Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, Hindu, and Pagan." She added that there was lots
of "Here's what I just heard..." but there was also the kind of fellowship
and support that addressed specific concerns.
One regular OurFaiths participant in the United
Arab Emirates was worried about what people would think of Islam. By cutting
and pasting from Microsoft Network religion forums, he started to illustrate
for OurFaiths participants some of the terrible things being said of Muslims."
Despite his legitimate concern, Lynne told us, OurFaiths decided that,
even as negative examples, inflammatory statements couldn't be allowed
on the site (see "Blame Game Dominates Chat Rooms" at Wired
News). "We felt we needed to have a place on the Internet where people
could be spared of inflammatory comments. As if in confirmation, another
chatter later said Microsoft Network had restricted those chats to one
room with seven moderators, Lynne told us, because they'd become "unmanageable
- very violent."
Later in the day a mother and Islamic woman in
Wisconsin came into the chat room and stayed about four hours, Lynne said.
"Somebody threw trash at her front door, so she was very afraid and needed
someone to talk to.... Her husband had just left the night before for
the Middle East." In response, an Evangelical Christian in Texas who saw
that call for help sent out a prayer request for "Divine Protection" for
the Wisconsin woman, the UAE man, and their families. "I was so touched,"
Lynne told us. "I thought, 'that was a turn of heart.' That would not
have happened a few months ago."
Editor's Note: For a wide-angle view
of the Web's role this week as "a virtual balm for a global crisis," do
read the Associated Press's story on this at Yahoo
News. And email had its own vital role - informing and connecting
when phones didn't work, and getting information through when news Web
sites were gridlocked, according to MSNBC's
"So thank God for email". For more on the Internet's role in the crisis,
there was a CNET
report on Tuesday and a Gartner analysts' commentary on the "The
Day the Internet Grew Up," also at CNET.
- Helping children deal with the news and images
in the media
First Lady Laura Bush was on national television
this morning speaking of the need to help our children deal with the attacks
and the media coverage. On Tuesday SafeKids.com
posted advice on how to talk with children about tragedy both at home
and in the classroom. The Public Broadcasting Service decided to provide
"a safe haven for children by continuing to broadcast a daytime schedule
of PBS Kids programming" this week, but put special resource pages for
parents
and teachers
in its Web site. ConnectforKids.org Wednesday uploaded a special edition
of its newsletter ,
linking to advice from eight expert sources on helping children deal with
terrorism, trauma, violence, grief, and stress. FamilyEducation.com's
family therapist Carleton Kendrick has advice on appropriate ways to work
with kids by grade levels, and ParentsEdge.com's
Dr. Kyle Pruett suggests that listening is every bit as important and
talking. And here are some suggestions for working with kids from BabagaNewz.com
for Jewish students. A Wednesday editorial in the Christian
Science Monitor put children's concerns and the "mental aftereffects"
of the attacks at the top of the priority list this week.
Prayers so often seem to be written for grownups.
Well, here's one specifically for children, "In
Honor of National Prayer Day, September 14, 2001" - written by subscriber
Carol Goodrow, elementary teacher and Webmaster of KidsRunning.com.
(We were notified of this after uploaded the email edition of this newsletter
this week, so we'll include it in next week's email.)
- Disaster relief resources on the Web
For more, very useful relief and rescue information, see the links from
a special edition of the eContext newsletter ("d." below).
- Thoughtful email
a. From Childnet International in England
"RE: You are in our thoughts and prayers today."
"We have been devastated here by the unfolding
events in the USA. All of us at Childnet just want to say how much we
grieve for what has happened to your fellow citizens. We hope you personally,
your family and friends are OK, but we know that you will have been profoundly
affected by this in many ways."
b. From NetKids.gr in Greece
"Dear All American friends, The people at NOUS
S.A. and NetKids.gr would like to send our heartfelt sorrow to Those that
perished in the attacks and our sympathies for that unbelievable disaster.
May God bless us all."
c. Emailed call to action in the US
"Friday Night at 7:00 p.m. EST step out your door,
stop your car, or step out of your establishment and light a candle. We
will show the world that Americans are strong and united together against
terrorism. Please pass this to everyone on your e-mail list. We need to
reach everyone across the United States quickly.
"The message: WE STAND UNITED - WE WILL NOT TOLERATE
TERRORISM.
"We need press to cover this-- we need the world
to see."
d. From an Internet business to its contacts:
"In view of the tragic events of yesterday, The
Kelsey Group has decided to postpone publication of our eContext newsletter,
otherwise scheduled for today.
"The Kelsey Group is headquartered in Princeton,
NJ, and has several employees and many friends who live and work in New
York City. We were all stunned by what happened and hope that your family,
friends and colleagues are all safe.
"The following is a partial list of news and information
resources:
* * * *
Going forward: Enter the Childnet Awards!
"Are you using the Internet to link up with other
children around the world?" Childnet International asks in French, Spanish,
and English. If your answer is "yes" in any language, consider entering your
Internet project in the 2002 Cable
& Wireless Childnet Awards. The entry deadline is October 31st.
The awards - honoring children (and those working
with them) who are developing innovative Internet projects that benefit other
children - are given in three main categories: Individuals, Schools, and Nonprofit
organizations. And there is a special category for innovators this year. The
awards Web site includes examples of previous winners. This year's winning
sites will receive, among other things, two free tickets to Paris for the
awards ceremony next April!
SafeKids.com's
Larry Magid, a Childnet Awards judge, wrote about the "dot-hope" focus of
the awards in his Family
Tech column last April. This week has certainly confirmed the importance
of Childnet's message.
* * * *
Share with a Friend!! If you find the newsletter
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Net Family News, Inc.
P.O. Box 1283
Madison, CT 06443
Sincerely,
Anne Collier, Editor
Net Family News
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