The Cyber Scene in Denver ~ by Suzanne Lainson

The only pre-tragedy event of the fall season that I attended was the Colorado Internet Keiretsu (http://www.cik.org) Apres Work event in Boulder. These are held in a private room at Triana and are a very casual get-together. Average attendance seems to be about 20....The food and atmosphere were great, as usual. Triana, picked by Westword as the best new restaurant of 2001 in the Denver/Boulder area, is always full....

All events were canceled the week of the World Trade Center tragedy. The following week, on Monday September 17, I stopped in at the Coors Event Center for the Boulder Software Club (http://www.bouldersoftware.org) VC presentation panel....

On September 19, the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (http://www.yeo.org) held a social event at Triana. By the time I got there, everyone was already seated, so I grabbed the first available chair, which turned out to be next to David Hieb of Namewise (http://www.namewise.com). He's part owner of Triana....

While the event was billed as tapas and wine-tasting, it was really a sit-down dinner. Five courses, five wines. The food was wonderful and included oysters, arugula salad, salmon, lamb and lentils, and poached pears. I had to go light on the alcohol since I had an all-nighter ahead of me to finish up two articles for eMileHigh (http://www.emilehigh.com).

On Thursday September 20, I went to an outdoor party in Boulder thrown by KPMG (http://www. kpmg.com), Silicon Valley Bank (http://www.svb.com), and Sequel Venture Partners (http://www.sequelvc.com). It was an island theme. There was a steel drum band playing and we got tropical drinks in souvenir mugs. I spent time talking to Mark Weakley of Holme Roberts & Owen (http://www.hro.com) and Dave DuPont of LeftHand Networks (http://www. lefthandnetworks.com) about recent events and about music. I also spotted Catharine Merigold of Vista Ventures (http://www.vistavc.com). Adding to the pleasant atmosphere was a charming little red-headed girl in a long dress displaying her considerable dancing skills. It was a nice touch after a long two weeks.

ADV ~ NYNMA SuperCyberSuds

NYNMA's 7th Annual Super CyberSuds(TM) is being true to its roots! No hype, no insanity - just quality and community. The exhibitors ARE the show, and we're highlighting the best of New York's high tech and new media stars. If your company is driving tomorrow's trends and you want to market your brand to over 4000 professionals, meet potential clients, recruit top talent, and gain media exposure, get involved in Super CyberSuds now! Attendees: Join www.nynma.org today and save on registration! To exhibit, - contact Brian. To sponsor, - contact Rich For more information: http://www.supercybersuds.org

ADV ~ Bouchard for City Council

* Benefit for Michelle Bouchard, running for City Council, 3rd District
* Monday, October 1 at the China Club from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.
* More Info/ Reserve your spot today!

The tragic events of September 11 have changed forever the landscape of our great city. But we have emerged more unified, more determined, and with a renewed sense of what is important. We have also emerged with a better appreciation of how important our city government is at this critical moment. It is the next Mayor and City Council that will be charged with making decisions that will affect us all for decades to come. However, we can no longer afford to have a Do-Nothing City Council. For years, the City Council has been New York's greatest undeveloped resource, squandering its power and potential on marginal issues that don't affect the vast majority of us. Time and again the Council has failed to fully exercise its authority to make the city run efficiently and responsibly. We need a City Council with new skills and new perspectives. Unlike my opponent, I don't have big contributions from special interests - just mostly small contributions and the $150 ticket donation will be used to fund outreach to all the constituents in the 3rd District. In good times, the Council's shortcoming didn't matter as much. The Council could avoid tough decisions and simply pass larger and larger budgets, knowing that it could rely on rising tax revenues that came from economic expansion. They could cater to special interests and let the rest of us fend for ourselves. We no longer have that luxury. It must have members who have the responsibility, experience and fortitude to make hard choices - and make them wisely.
* More Info/ Reserve your spot today!

ADV ~ Masur and Filler Offer Services

Masur and Associates (www.masurlaw.com) and the Law Offices of Stephen Filler (www.nylawline.com) are offering free legal consultations to businesses affected by the WTC tragedy. Contact Stephen Filler, Esq. at sfiller@nylawline.com, Cell 917-213-0303 or Steven Masur, Esq. at smasur@masurlaw.com, Cell: 917-613-8321.

Publisher's Note ~ I Believe

Apologies for the garbled message you received Friday. We've worked out the snafu with our provider. Here is the newsletter again for your reading pleasure.

Amidst a city of devastation, physically and emotionally, there are pockets of inspiration and beauty. Thursday night I walked past Rockefeller Center and was struck by the stillness, calm and magnificence surrounding this historic midtown location. The air was soft, temperate, sweet. The Rene Chambellan-designed fountains of bronze fish being ridden by either a mermaid or merman spouted a steady stream of water into shallow pools in the Channel Gardens. They stilled the nerves and soothed the senses aurally and visually. At the other end, Rockefeller Plaza was glittering in the reflection of the pastel-lit waterfall fountain with Prometheus. We were encircled in a copse of at least a hundred American flags that gently swayed in the occasional breeze. Awash in the peacefulness of the setting, I read John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s credo, which felt even more dear, more patriotic, more appropriate, gentle and true than perhaps when he wrote it over fifty years ago. I felt it so beautiful that I've included it in its entirety:

"I BELIEVE IN THE SUPREME WORTH OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND IN HIS RIGHT TO LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

I Believe
That every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession a duty

I Believe
That the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master

I Believe
In the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living

I Believe
That thrift is essential to well ordered living and that economy is a prime requisite of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs

I Believe
That truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order

I Believe
In the sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond; that character- not wealth or power or position- is of supreme worth

I Believe
That the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free

I Believe
In an all-wise and all-loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individual's highest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with his will

I Believe
That love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate: that right can and will triumph over might" - John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

I also felt this quote was particularly apt for New York during this time: "New York is not a completed city. … It is a city in the process of becoming. Today it belongs to the world. Without anyone expecting it, it has become the jewel in the crown of universal cities. … New York is a great diamond, hard and dry, sparkling, triumphant!" -Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret), 1947

Terrorism and Venture Capital ~ the tenuous dance

In quick response to the times and the industry, the New York Venture Group hosted a breakfast on Wednesday, September 26th on "How Terrorism will affect VC" at the New York Athletic Club. As if the technology industry didn't have a tough enough year, it's hard to imagine such a topic also being pertinent, and yet this is what it's come to. So here we are, networking, listening and discussing how something like terrorism will affect venture capital in the technology-related fields.

National Venture Capital Association president Mark Heeson spoke to the gathered group of attendees on the clear, crisp morn on a few different points. He began with a brief perspective. The industry was not in the best of times prior to September 11th. The mergers and acquisitions and IPO markets were not so great. And now, according to Heeson, September 11th extended the period where the IPO market will remain shut. Furthermore, corporations that were aggressively buying companies are becoming more conservative for the short term. Thus, Heeson surmised, if venture capitalists can't exit any of their companies soon, they'll have to hold onto them for a longer amount of time, which in turn means they can't invest in new companies. The issue gets more complicated and distressing because this is a good time to invest in new companies, Heeson reasons, because the entrepreneurs out there are really good. For the most part, the entrepreneurs that are out trying to get VC right now are serious entrepreneurs, they have a good business plan, have good management and the companies are being offered at great deals to the VC. It becomes a question of Time: entrepreneurs don't have much of it to stay afloat, and VCs now have to grapple with time management between old investments and new potential ones.

Heeson has been at the helm of the NVCA for two years but has been within its corridors for eleven doing public policy. Before that he gained experience as a tax attorney and lobbyist with the Texas State legislature and a former governor of Pennsylvania. The 28-year-old Arlington, VA-based organization represents 430 venture capital firms in the US, which is 90% of the industry. From this perspective, they can see what's going on in a national level and also keep their fingers on the pulse internationally. Heeson noted that European investors have paused with their investing in US venture capital deals. "It's not the best time for VC investing." However, he points out that "they were so dramatic. They pulled out thinking they won't invest in US deals, but rethought their decision because they saw us regroup quickly." The fact that we got our markets back up to speed and resumed business so efficiently gave a strong vote of confidence to European investors.

There's more good news too. This year the amount of money raised and the amount of money put in companies will be the third best year ever for VC nationwide, despite the number being half that of last year. Heeson rounds up "we'll continue to have our ups and downs, but we're not going away. This is an asset class that's not going away." And there are some new investing opportunities as a result of the terrorist attacks. There's increased attention on wireless technologies beyond just cell phones. And the stuff they make James Bond movies out of--voice recognition, digital fingerprinting-are coming center stage as viable investments. Good ol' industries like energy, too, are looking like attractive investments and important markets to focus on.

One thing is for sure: life has not and will not be the same after September 11th. And the reverberations in the investment community are just beginning to ripple. There will be many more for a long time, each with an interesting play associated with it.

The Cyber Scene in San Diego ~ by Lilia Phleger Benjamin

It appears that things are moving forward again after such a tragic past few weeks. While initially the talk was of the horrific events, now conversations at networking events and business meetings seem to be focused on how we are going to keep afloat in the economy. As can be expected, entrepreneurs with start-ups and those employed in the tech fields are most concerned.

It was a topic I discussed with Jeffrey Starr of Mission Ventures, whom I met at a recent TiE San Diego meeting in La Jolla. According to Jeffrey, Mission Ventures http://www.missionventures.com is still looking for the next great thing, despite the economy; however, they seem to be doing a lot of "hand-holding and refocusing right now." We spoke too of the trend to take advantage of this downtime by attending programs designed to assist the entrepreneur and technology worker - programs like the TechNetEd series at the San Diego Regional Technology Alliance (SDRTA) http://www.sdrta.org/, the eSeries by the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) http://www.fwe.org/socal/, the SCORE programs, and university based programs like the SDSU College of Extended Studies http://www.ces.sdsu.edu/. When all is said and done, San Diego should have one of the most educated and well-prepared workforces at the ready!

Speaking of TiE San Diego http://www.tiesandiego.org/, I was once again struck by what a great group this is when I attended their September 25th chapter meeting. All proceeds from the event went directly into a Red Cross relief fund, and the meeting itself of over 60 people began with a full minute of silence. Chapter president Suren Dutia also made mention of one of their members who had moved to New York City just days before the attack in order to begin his job at the WTC on September 10th. The loss of this young man, newly married, deeply affected Dutia and TiE San Diego.

The speaker of the evening was Arjun Malhotra, chairman and CEO of TechSpan http://www.techspan.com/ on the topic The Current Economic Slowdown: Threat or Opportunity for Entrepreneurs? I had the opportunity to speak to Malhotra prior to the presentation, which gave me a chance to hear about how he and five of his friends started the first "garage computer company" in India in 1975. Armed with pooled finances of about $17,500 and working in his grandmother's attic (the Indian version of garage), the team started Hindustan Computing Ltd (HCL)-which is now the largest IT company in India worth billions of dollars and employing 8,000 worldwide.

His words of advice to the attendees were short but sweet:
-Recruit people who are smarter than you
-Listen to the people you hire
-Train your sales force to be business consultants, selling the solution and not the product

I also met Ajay Shah, the CEO of Hindunet http://www.hindunet.org/ which is now based in San Diego. In 1998 and 1999 Hindunet, a portal for Indian websites, gained attention for being one of the top 100 sites in the world.

One of the greatest things about the Tie San Diego meetings is the food. A full dinner and happy hour appetizers are catered by the famous Star of India restaurant http://www.starofindia.com/, and I happen to know that the food is one of the reasons that these meetings are so popular!

I also spoke briefly with Shabnam Miglani, who with her husband recently sold Softprose, Inc., a company creating software for the digital television industry. Now they are bootstrapping a new company that will provide digital engineering services for the same industry.

If you want to get a full dose of TiE (The Ind-US Entrepreneurs), plan on attending their upcoming annual conference called TiECON 2001, taking place on Saturday October 27th. It looks to be a very interesting and well-attended event!

I got a call the other day from Nancy Clark, CEO of WomensMedia.com http://www.womensmedia.com/. They are in the process of finalizing plans with Coaching.com, part of the Ken Blanchard group of companies, to collaborate on online training programs…a great market to get into now that business travel is cutting back. Clark has assembled a strong team of advisors and strategic partners, and is now seeking additional funding to complete the software development.

Another woman making waves here in San Diego is Carol Fuller, CEO of start-up Celyx, a an optical communications company creating optical and electronic interfaces for computer networks. Over the last three years the company has built a strong patent portfolio with nine in total (7 pending), and they are now in the beginning stages of formalizing advisors, engaging customers and raising funds. Fuller can be reached via email at mailto:cefullerceyx@cs.com

Clearly, good things are happening in San Diego!

Until next time!

Lilia Phleger Benjamin is the owner of digitElle, a small public relations agency providing market research, online strategies, and media planning. She is also the co-founder and managing director of Techniquelle, a networking organization for creative and tech-savvy people. Lilia can be reached by email at lilia@digitelle.net.

WWWAC Rocks wacky relief

Some might say it was comedy with a "k." Some might say it was a NY-version of an unofficial Burning Man. Some might say it was a wonderful attempt at community in the face of some real hurdles. However you looked at it, the WWWAC Rocks benefit on Tuesday, September 25th at the Luna Lounge brought together about 50 WWWAC-ies for a night of wacky music and community effort to raise funds for the UFA Widow's & Children's Fund.

Among the more colorful WWWAC list members were the vivacious "Mrs. J. Hart" (with her husband, who's not Mr. Hart), Paul Dube and Jen Runne. Larry Aronson made an appearance and board member Scott Bowling worked the door, collecting the donations, which he said "grew into the three figures."

The very fun and arty show was kicked off by board member Gary "Grimmwerks" Schafer who has an excellent voice and did a very good job singing four songs with a guitar. Board member Bob Frankel spoke for a bit on what WWWAC is doing regarding the crisis in New York and for relief efforts after the terrorist attacks. Bob then introduced the emcee for the evening, comedian Dan Cronin, who worked the cold crowd as best he could. When they heckled too much, he grabbed the hecklers and grilled them on stage. That'll show 'em!

"Pro Choice for Mental Health" was the first band up-when they finally got there. After being AWOL for about 45 minutes, their first "number" was a scripted play that the band members and people from the audience read off notepads in a stilted manner. When they finished this, the guitar player couldn't find his guitar (not hard to believe since there was an enormous amount of gear on the stage). So, over a microphone, he accused an audience member of stealing his guitar. Finally, they played for about five minutes and were quite upset when they were kicked off the stage. Harrumph!

"German Cars vs. American Homes" was up next and their exciting and fun act was seriously weird. The seven band members approached stage as crabs (walking sideways, arms akimbo) and with the exception of the bass player they all played keyboard guitars. As their documentary "guy" filmed everything they did, but wouldn't tell anyone what he was doing or what was going on, the band rapped, screamed and did call/response type antics for their set.

Board member Steve Masur's band "Noisy Le Grand" played next. Their set was characterized by heavy punk rock and the typical screeching that accompanies. It was punctuated when fellow band member Lars asked someone to "beer" him and Steve sprayed him with a cold brewsky. The evening ended with a resounding success to many hoots and hollers. The success of this night was in the community-development department. With a bit more notice and planning, WWWAC Rocks 2.0 will surely be a bigger and badder benefit.

More benefits - past and future

As reported above, most every event this week took on a new purpose and raised money for the various funds set up to assist in efforts after the disaster on Tuesday.
The Grimaldi Group, a private equity consultancy specialized in operations management, announced plans to launch an international rescue fund to facilitate the recovery of businesses ravaged in the terrorist attack on New York City. They are involving large and small institutions, including banking groups, large corporations, and governments to finance small businesses of New York that need assistance. http://www.rescuenewyork.com/

The members of America's movie theatre industry have identified Tuesday, September 25th, 2001 as "Victims' Benefit Day at the Movies." On this day, 100% of ticket and concession sales at participating movie theatres nationwide will be donated to the September 11th Fund of the United Way, and the American Red Cross for this disaster and the emerging needs resulting from this tragedy. 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross and 50% will be donated to the United Way. A list of participating theatre companies is at: the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) website.

Hotjobs's director of Public Relations, Fianna Sogomonyan, sent out an email announcing a Web site some of her friends created: http://remember-wtc.org/. Their hopes are that it will serve as a growing memorial to the survivors, the missing and the deceased, and also provide forensic clues for identifying the dead. The site is similar to other sites in that it provides the names of victims, but it gives users the opportunity to enter detailed information about their loved ones and upload a photo. It also enables users to search the database by name, enabling people to hopefully find their loved ones. This site has no affiliation to HotJobs and for more information about this site, please e-mail its creator, Allen Murabayashi, at: allen3@aya.yale.edu.

Laurel Touby, of Media Bistro fame, is hosting her next cocktail party for media types as a voluntary Red Cross fund-raising drive Tuesday night, September 25th.

The New York eComm set up a donation section on their site for the American Red Cross. NYNMA has a list of helpful resources and information.

NYSIA's nice actions

Always one quick to action, NYSIA's president, Bruce Bernstein, spoke with me on Friday about the efforts they've undertaken to assist companies affected by the tragedy on Tuesday, September 11th. Their "clicks and bricks strategy" to offer emergency business assistance to companies that have been dislocated and are suffering from after-effects is several-fold. There are forms for people to offer assistance ranging from supplies, equipment, services and office space. If your firm has been affected by the disaster, you can also fill out a form explaining your needs and requesting these items or services. Currently they have had 70 offers of equipment, services and supplies and 65 offers of space available for companies to use. Also quite efficient and effective is their relocated company directory. List yourself here so other firms and people can find you!

Following Senator Charles Schumer's call for all New Yorkers to fly the flag, NYSIA is asking all New York City companies, in all industries, to put one of the twelve flag banner designs on their Web site home pages. The banner was created by board member Michael Pinto (CEO, Vanguard Media). Going forward, Bruce and NYSIA will be working hard to see that some disaster relief money coming into New York will be earmarked for technology companies. Additionally, their big annual event, the Software Summit, has been moved to January and has changed themes to be about "Rebuilding New York." In the meantime, their community meeting on Monday, October 1st will be a chance for people to gather and discuss how to rebuild their businesses, the industry and the city. Co-sponsored by The Cyber Scene you can find out more details at www.nysia.org.

The Three R's: Rescue, relief, repair

It is said that sleep is restorative but for the city that never sleeps, there's been a flurry of activity to rebuild and rejuvenate physically and psychically from last week's atrocious attacks.

For the obvious reasons most every event scheduled for last week was either cancelled or postponed. This week, however, at the encouragement from Mayor Giuliani and President Bush, New Yorkers began resuming their lives by going back to work and getting out. Like a pebble tossed into a pond, so many ripples of effect are still reverberating from last Tuesday's nightmare. And one of those sad effects is the imminent closing of many Broadway productions. Again, Giuliani, with the interests of the city, its residents and visitors at heart, spoke passionately about the importance to try and resume our lives and go do things: go to the restaurants, attend theater and other cultural performances, visit the landmarks, go to the parks and stadiums. Live our lives. By doing this, we show the world and the terrorists that we are not and will not be ultimately defeated. And while we may feel defeated and deflated by what happened last Tuesday, Giuliani and Bush are correct and appropriate in their gentle prodding.

Silicon Alley rallied and almost every scheduled event this week (and a few new ones) added a benefit angle to them. Most every Web site for local (and national) businesses had mention of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, condolences to the victims' families and some demonstration of support with links to leading funds for donations.

EuroCircle circles in Europeans support

Man-about-town Bernardo was leading the charge, as is his typical charming nature. And on Thursday, September 20th he rallied folks from my cocktail party (me included) to stop by the EuroCircle event across the street on the spectacular 42nd floor Estrala Penthouse atop the Le Parker Meridien hotel.

Founded in January 1999 by Kaisa Kokkonen the EuroCircle is an informal network of European professionals where ideas, thoughts and information are exchanged between European and non-European individuals, companies and other institutions. There is an on-line community at EuroCircle.com and an off-line community via it's events. With over 65 countries represented, and with events in thirteen cities, they are quickly becoming one of the de facto networking organizations for Europeans.

After the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Centers, which had people from 80 other countries, in addition to the United States, in the towers, the EuroCircle began getting hundreds of emails from other chapters expressing their sadness, sympathy and solidarity with New Yorkers. Some hoped the EuroCircle could help them locate missing loved ones. Many wanted to contribute to the relief efforts but didn't know which funds were reputable. As a result, the EuroCircle's event became a fundraiser as well. They collected donations from people and will send them on to one of the four leading established charities.

From the pretty views Central Park and midtown on the terrace, I chatted with some of the guests and EuroCircle director of logistics Victor Voloshin. He was quick to point out that they felt having the event as a benefit was very important. He also mentioned that religious and ethnic tolerance is a guiding principle of EuroCircle and now, more than ever, we must be vigilant about prejudices and not blindly attack Arab Americans, Middle Easterners or members of the Islamic faith. They will continue to provide a community and support network for Europeans and based on the strength in numbers last Thursday night, it seems they'll be going strong for a while.

Cocktails with Courtney Firefighter's benefit

It took a shock to our stock market, a decline in the tech industry, thousands of layoffs, a slow summer and then the greatest national tragedy our country has ever experienced, but this month's Cocktails with Courtney event was actually one of the nicer ones. One of the original goals I had for my party series was to create an event to get together with friends in the industry. And on Thursday, September 20th I held the cocktail party as a benefit for the New York Firefighter's 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund. From 6:30 PM till about 9:00 PM, a little over thirty friends came by to have a Bombay martini cocktail and some hors d'oeuvres, compliments of the Carnegie Club. The group was small but strong in their support of each other and the fund and all together raised over $700 for the fund. My sincere thanks to all those who came. Please note that we will be planning our holiday benefit, which will have ties to raising money for relief associated with the September 11th tragedy. If you are interested in participating, please email me: courtney@pulitzer.com.

Pink Slip Party Establishes New Cause

Allison Hemming is used to taking advantage of a negative situation and rallying a cause to support it. With her popular Pink Slip Parties she created a venue for those out of work to commiserate, drink and network. This week, she shifted gears and established, with the assistance of Webgrrls' NYC Chapter Leader Eileen Shulock, the SiliconAlleyCares.org Web site and benefit. When Eileen and she kept getting hundreds of email requests asking "how can I help?" they got together to build a site and organize volunteers. Eileen coined "Silicon Alley Cares" and the site aims to be a command central for Silicon Alley-ites who wish to volunteer. The site is a consortium of individuals, companies, and organizations committed to channeling the care and generosity of our industry and city into tangible effort that makes a difference.

Held on Wednesday, September 19th at Hush, the benefit's goal was to raise funds for the United Way's September 11th Fund. While at press time we don't know how much funds they raised, they have been busy coordinating volunteers. Thus far Eileen reports that "for the past eight days nonstop [she has] sent 70+ data entry and IT volunteers to various Red Cross projects." With an offer of 4,000 Webgrrls at their service, they began getting to work organizing shifts of 20 at a time around the clock. They've placed over 400 people thus far. Eileen also commented that "in the end, the Internet works for its original intended use, as I was able to rally a group of volunteers by email when nothing else was working... and there are so many tech people who want to help...It's a good thing. They have done wonders, those volunteers." For more information and to register to volunteer, please go to http://www.SiliconAlleyCares.org.

Courtney’s Compilation of Helpful Numbers, Resources and Action Items

Useful websites with more links than listed here:

NYC Government: http://home.nyc.gov/portal/index.jsp?pageID=nyc_home

NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/national/WTC-NAVIGATOR.html?pagewanted=all#relief

MediaMap: http://www.mediamap.com/Sept11.asp



Report to the FBI any information about the tragic acts of terrorism upon the United States: www.ifccfbi.gov.



Donate/Volunteer
American Red Cross, cash donations - (800) HELP-NOW
American Red Cross, blood donations - (800) 448-3543
Salvation Army, cash donations - (800) SAL-ARMY
Doctors willing to volunteer their help should call (518) 431-7600
Blood donors in upstate New York may call (800) 448-3543 or (800) 272-4543; donors in the New York City region may call (800) 692-5663 or (800) 933-2566



Amazon.com is enabling people to support relief efforts by making a donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. You can contribute from $1 to $100--any donation is greatly appreciated. ALL donated money will go to the Red Cross to help victims of this and other tragedies--Amazon.com is waiving its usual fees. http://www.amazon.com/paypage/PKAXFNQH7EKCX



* The United Way of New York City and the New York Community Trust have established a fund to help the victims of the attacks and their families. The September 11th Fund has been set up to provide immediate support to emergency assistance agencies. Contributions will be used to respond to the urgent needs of victims and their families. Donations should be sent care of United Way of New York City, 2 Park Ave, New York, New York, 10016, or call 212-251-4035. Donations are also being accepted on United Way of New York City's Web site: http://www.uwnyc.org/



Webgrrls is arranging for tech support and data entry for the Red Cross at their location on Amsterdam Avenue. Contact Eileen Shulock for more information: 212-260-7882. nyc@WEBGRRLS.COM



Information
U.S. State Department Task Force - (703) 302-6851
Justice Dept. Office of Victims of Crime (national clearinghouse for victims and family members) - (800) 331-0075

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - (202) 646-4600



Information on Employees/People within the WTC’s/Pentagon/Airplanes during the time of the attack

American Airlines - (800) 245-0999
United Airlines - (800) 932-8555
Morgan Stanley (World Trade Center tragedy hotline) - (888) 883-4391, visit www.morganstanley.com or e-mail status@discoverfinancial.com.
Bear Stearns - (877) 826-2327
Oppenheimer - http://oppenheimer.com/
Deutsche Bank - (410) 895-2029
Cantor Fitzgerald Crisis Center — (212) 940-8162; (212) 940-8482; (212) 940-8492; (212) 893-6073
eSpeed — (866) 326-3188
Empire Blue Cross — (866) 761-8265
Carr Futures — (800)-755-7620
Lee Hecht Harrison — (201) 782-3704
Securities and Exchange Commission (employees) — (877) 404-3222
Port Authority (employees) — (973) 565-5501
Aon Corporation — (866) 256-4154
Weatherly Securities (employees and clients) — (800) 835-3015
Pentagon personnel - (877) 663-6772
Empire Blue Cross employees - (866) 761-8265



St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center (NYC) Patients' Hotline - (212) 604-7285
Marriott Assistance Center - (866)-866-9928 (from outside the U.S. and Canada, call collect at (941)-541-1725


NY.com -http://www.ny.com/wtclist.html contains updated list of survivors, along with their condition when appropriate.



Positive, Healing, Helpful Action Items


Candlelight Vigil:

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.



Buying Stocks:

Based on an email: “No doubt you have heard dire predictions about the financial devastation that will occur when the US stock market re-opens. This will be a second devastating attack on America if we allow it to happen. We DON'T have to allow it to happen. Here's what YOU can do to help prevent it...

When the markets re-open, in a show of support and solidarity, BUY at least one share of stock in a U.S. company. Open your minds to imagine what a SLAP in the face of terrorism it would be if the American markets actually RISE instead of PLUNGE when they re-open! Can you think of a STRONGER message we could send to those who would seek to destroy our way of life? If you DON'T own stock and don't have a stock account, you can do it quickly and easily and cheaply. This e-mail is sponsored by no one, so if you also have a suggestion for people without stock accounts, please add that information before you forward this e-mail. This e-mail is started by an average citizen just like you. WE can create an unbelievably POSITIVE revolution by participating wholeheartedly in this movement to support the US economy. If we all participate in a massive stock sell off, then we are BOWING to terrorism. We do NOT have to do that. We have a choice. People by the hundreds of thousands are lining up to donate one pint of blood. Think of the effect we can have if we line up in the same way to "donate" to the American economy! For very little money you can DO something to show would-be terrorists that they will NOT win.

If you are willing to dismiss this because you are "just one person," then look at the footage that's being replayed constantly on the TV and consider the tremendous impact that just a dozen people had on our world yesterday. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Take part in this revolution and forward this e-mail to everyone on your mailing list. We can reverse the tide of the finanical carnage throughout the world just by doing that. WHEN THE US MARKETS RE-OPEN, BUY AT LEAST ONE SHARE OF STOCK IN A U.S COMPANY. Imagine the headlines we will read when we all make this happen..."US Financial Victory -- Of the People, By the People, and For the People." Respond with STRENGTH instead of FEAR when the US Markets open. In that way, and ONLY in that way, WE win!



Local Sites Around the Country
Alex Chaffee -- http://www.stinky.com/wtc/ -- updates on people in NY, stories, survivors



The Recognition Group Team – http://www.recognitiongroup.net/wtc/donated_goods.html -- coordinating office space, supplies for local companies



Business Relief Diaster Fund -- www.thecodefactory.com -- The Code Factory, working in conjunction with lending institutions and technical partners, is offering its services free and at cost for any business or organization affected by the tragedy surrounding the WTC. The Code Factory's Business Disaster Relief Effort offers flexible payment and financing terms on the hardware, software and services required in this time of need. The program is specially designed to give budgets the extra boost it deserves in the wake of this month's events.



Gaspedal offers “Stay Strong” tips: subscribe: majordomo@gaspedal.net with “subscribe
staystrong” in the body

Offices2share.com has set up their Web site to allow people to DONATE office space to
displaced WTC companies. Any revenue that we receive on those listings for donated space will be donated by us to the September 11th Fund operated by the United Way of NYC to provide aid to the victims of this horrific tragedy and their families.



Coaches from Around the Country Volunteering Their Services for those in need of experts in grief, loss, stress and trauma. If you or someone you know is in need of support due to the tragic and traumatic events on September 11, 2001 please let me know. People in need of support should email Support@CoachingCircles.com or Janice@CoachingCircles.com or call toll free 866.244.9441, 212.244.9441, 212.706.0092 or 917.969.5407. Since our offices are in NYC we are having trouble with phone lines so email works better.

Reflections on 'America the Beautiful'

Katharine Lee Bates wrote in 1893 about our beautiful country and all its God-given glory in "America the Beautiful." Ever since I was in elementary school and began learning its lyrics, it has been one of my favorite songs. Of course our national anthem is equally as grand. But to sing about the natural beauties of our country, all our goodliness, good neighborliness, greatness in liberty, law, richness of spirit and ability to be successful in enterprise-is even more inspiring for me. Below I've explored the lyrics in light of our horrific tragedy on September 11th, 2001.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

Sadly, this past week, our spacious "friendly" skies were used against us by a group of people who were jealous of all that America stands for.

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

We are a blessed nation, and are graced with a river of patriotism that runs deeper than any hot- or cold-blooded American might've ever suspected. Never has our country been so attacked. As a result, many have been witness to an outpouring of brotherly and sisterly love for friend, neighbor and stranger. American's across the country have been coming together and coming to New York to lend a hand to help, a shoulder to cry on and so many other ways in an effort to help.

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stem impassioned - stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!

Since our pilgrim heritage we are known as a nation that fought for freedom: religious freedom, freedom from over-taxation and many other personal and political freedoms. Across the wilderness, across the countryside, we are a nation that stands for and stresses freedom. Our pilgrim feet, our American feet, our citizens, are so passionate to the very core of our beings that we have fought hard and bitterly here and abroad for what our country represents. We are being told we will be doing so once again.

America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

Our great nation is one in which we believe God (whomever this is for you) mends all our nations flaws and confirms the soul of our nation in self-control (we are not out-of-control in how we deal with any issue). This is especially apparent in the thoughtful, methodical, exacting and intelligent way our leaders are proceeding with statements about the tragedy, our reaction and the actions that we'll take. Our liberty is inherent in our laws.

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self the country loved
And mercy more than life!

We are a beautiful nation because our country was founded and fought by heroes who loved their country more than their own lives. This was proven again on September 11th with the reports of the few men on the United Airlines flight 93 who apparently attacked the vicious hijackers and risked their lives to save hundreds more at a fourth target. In this selfless act they demonstrated mercy for a far greater number of Americans than their own lives.

America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

America is often seen as a promise-land, a land of milk and honey and streets paved with gold. And compared to many other countries, these stereotypes are true. Our nation is so blessed that our riches are refined and we are one of the wealthiest nations in the world. We are one of the most successful nations in the world, so successful that our success is noble-others strive for it. Our advancements in technology, science, the arts, human rights and many other areas are nearly divine compared to many other countries. Of course, we're not perfect and there are many people who would contest our actual wealth, our true success these days and argue vehemently about our "divine gains." However, coming from the perspective of how far we've come since the founding of our nation and the advancements we've made, our nation is one of true greatness in all these areas. So much so that it had struck a chord of pure evil and hatred in a man and an organization intent on trying to take it down.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!

Our patriotic dream has withstood the test of time. Since 1776 and our revolutionary break from England, between 1860 and 1865 and our internal strife with the Civil War, during the 1960s segregation disintegration and the 1970s conflict over Vietnam, we have had some strife within. Yet, ultimately and when pushed, Americans are united and stand together. This patriot dream has lasted over the years to see our nation as gleaming and sparkly with our magnificent cities. And the human tears that have been shed over the 225 years of our nation's life thus far have not dimmed the gleam of our cities and our beautiful nation. Especially this week, we've all shed many tears, and yet New York City, Washington DC and all our cities will continue to shine brightly. We will not let the inhuman destruction that we've experienced dampen our spirits nor blur our vision.

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!

In spite of, or despite, the unfair, barbaric way we had been treated, we pray to God to grace our nation until everyone is as right and fair as the earth, the air and seas are true and good. Seeing pure evil taking over our innocent, benevolent technological advancements (airplanes) and wreaking havoc in our airspace (our skies), so that our earth has become devastated (with these crashes), our nation has been in prayer for God's grace on us.

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through
wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!

More prayers have gone out asking for God (however she/he/it is embodied for you) to give us grace until the vicious thinking of terrorists be invaded and destroyed whether it by soldier on foot, hands and knees or (since we have the capabilities) machine.

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice,
for man's avail
Men lavished precious life!

For our freedom, for our tales of glory of liberation, for all the freedoms we enjoy, we've had to expend many precious lives. We're being told more lives will be lost as our nation's leaders prepare us for the first war of the 21st century. And this is the price we have and will pay for our continued freedoms. And yet many of these freedoms and conveniences we so luxuriously enjoy will be rescinded as our nation experiences a backlash into more security concerns.

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

Among the prayers called out over this past week, there have been prayers for our nation and its safety. We will continue to ask for God's grace until we no longer have selfish, inhumane barbarians staining our great flag, magnificent buildings, grand Nation and all that these represent for their petty, warped goals.

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!

Again, a prayer for God to bless us until we once again have noble leaders keeping us safe and we can experience the jubilant, heady days of prosperity, peace and love for our nation, one another and the world at large.

======================================================

To read more thoughts (personal and reflective), please visit TheCyberScene.com where we have also listed a short list of sites with more resource links.

God Bless You All. God Bless America. My deepest prayers go out to the victims of all the crashes, their families, to those still missing and their families. To the survivors I hope we can slowly heal our wounds and take this horrific tragedy to be stronger individually and as a nation. We can never forget and must always remember so we prohibit history from repeating itself.

Most of you have come to expect this newsletter on Friday's before noon, but I have been experimenting with a new distribution date-Monday mornings. If you have any opinions on which time you prefer, let me know and I'll see if I will continue as usual or try something new.

Don't forget to buy stocks and show your support for our nation and belief in its economic strength.

The Seattle CyberScene ~ by Larry Sivitz

When the going gets tough, Seattle's toughest get going to...Safeco Field?
While Microsoft stock took a beating on the Nasdaq the day before Labor Day weekend, and reports continued to circulate that the European Union was expanding its investigation against the juggernaut, were the 20,000 Microsofties who gathered at Safeco Field for the company's annual employee meeting, well, glum? Get a clue! They whooped and cheered as if they were watching the Mariners hit the ball out of the park and notch up another win in extra innings!

Making his pitch from the middle of the ball field, Chairman Bill Gates looked like...

On the simmering cyber social scene, impresario Khody Golshan of PR firm MWW Savitt continues to host the local chatterati every two weeks at Dot.tales and Cocktails...

Go Mariners!

Read the rest of correspondent Larry Sivitz's high-quality writing online!

Job Help 101 at IBM ~ by Gina Larson

Recruiting experts joined forces on Thursday to dish out advice on how to land a job in this embattled economy. The Info River Valley's latest event played to a packed house, as Dimitri Boylan, from HotJobs.com, Andy Sernovitz, CEO of Gaspedal Ventures, and Jessica Shevitz, an HR Consultant with Journey Consulting gabbed about what companies want from future employees and what tactics recruits need to take. One of the more universal concerns the crowd had was about online job databanks. Are resumes going into a vacuum? Are they really hitting the in-boxes of the HR Director? The answer: If you want to know, make a phone call. While a long groan was almost audible from the crowd, the panel insisted unanimously that following up with a call was the most important step in the application process.

Who else had helpful advice? Read all about it online!

The Future for Couch Potatoes ~ by Gina Larson and Courtney Pulitzer

An industry that has yet to hit its stride was being discussed and celebrated on Wednesday, September 5th. About 120 people showed up to hear a panel on iTV. Digital Media Wire co-founder and CEO Ned Sherman was out from California helping to promote the event with the help of New York's own iLounge. When I caught up with him after then main event at the stylish lounge, Virot, he was helping panel-member Tim Larcombe, the regional president of Agency.com, up at the bar. The reception followed what both described as a successful discussion. Lydia Loizides, an analyst at Jupiter Media Metrix was also there at Verizon, where the panel discussion took place. She said that the biggest problems facing the industry is the same as in most emerging industries: standards. "A lot of demand is being places on the programmers right now," she said, as some unidentified gentleman retrieved us a drink so that we could talk shop.

And just who was this unidentified gentleman? Read all about it online!

Whack Job ~ by Gina Larson

The wallop that the telcom sector took on Wednesday, September 5th from Wall Street didn't end after the bell. Deutch telecom analyst, Gary Jacobi, had more doom and gloom to report to a crowd who came out after hours to MurphGuide's Telecom Industry Network event at Busker Brown's. The equity analyst didn't have too much optimism about the short-term future of the industry, but out of the 80+ attendees, I didn't see anyone crying in their beer.

Read the rest of the compelling conversations online!

A Gallant Gant Event

The red carpet and velvet ropes clearly identified the hot event of Wednesday, September 5th in New York City. Once walking past the TV crews inside the new global flagship store for GANT, I chatted with the first guest I recognized. Dr. Ruth Westheimer looked delightful in her navy blue dress with splashes of pink flowers and commented on the importance of the evening. "I wouldn't have come if it was just a store opening, but when you attach it to a good cause I'm there. I want the majestic Hudson to stay clean for my grandchildren."

And what, exactly, does GANT have to do with the mighty Hudson River pray tell? In addition to acting as a benefit and raising awareness for the Waterkeeper Alliance, partial proceeds from all September sales will go to the Alliance. As a result, their 5th Avenue and Soho store openings were with much fanfare and approval from many a celebrity.

I sampled one of the rich hors d'oeuvres as they passed by and chatted with Cool Site of the Day's Mike Corso and his wife, matrimonial attorney Donna Abrams. He introduced me to another one of the evening's stars, GANT CEO Mr. Ari Hoffman, who was very pleased to be able to give back to the environment in such a way. Bart Forbes, architect with Forbes Shey was beaming as he surveyed the results of his company's work. They worked in conjunction with Swedish firm Arkarius on the uptown store and did the entirety of the Soho store-in six months no less! Eric West, who was a key player in both projects.

Champagne was flowing and I went a bit further into the store where I chatted a bit with Bobby Kennedy Jr., who is the founder and president of the Water Keeper Alliance and chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper. He also started a bottled water business, KeeperSprings.com, to raise money and awareness for the clean water movement. Keeper Springs donates all profits, after taxes to the Water Keeper Alliance.

I also met two attorneys who work with him on various cases: Chris Seeger and Stephen Weiss of Seeger Weiss LLP. They apparently almost had a Web site, done by the infamous Rare Medium, but the site was never completed.

Andie McDowell and her adorable little girl were holding court, seated very comfortably on a low white chair sipping water. She was beaming and very gracious when she told me that she loves "Bobby and supports everything he does." Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden and her husband Thaddaeus Schell and I had an extended chat about protecting the Hudson and their work. Their down-to-earth natures and impassioned thoughts on the terrible treatment of the river are compelling and could inspire activism in anyone. Thaddaeus told me a bit about his company, Harden House Productions, and their most recent project of all the Behind-the-Scenes footage for "Pollack."

Many of Bobby's friends were there in support of his cause and the next staunch supporter I met was Citigroup Investments Private Equity partner Stephen Hartt. When the room reached critical mass Ari took the stage and spoke about his enthusiasm for the Waterkeeper Alliance and how they are thrilled to be a part of this effort. His pride was especially apparent when he chastised the other great clothing merchants for not maintaining creativity while pursuing business. Hillary Clinton couldn't make it to the event, but Ari read a letter she wrote with her support for the cause as well. Marcia Gay Harden took the stage next in a sexy red leather dress and also spoke passionately about the Alliance. She introduced the next speaker with the praising acknowledgement "that he would surely win in the Best Speaker in the Environmental Category." Without further ado, Mr. Kennedy stepped up to the platform.

Bobby spoke for about twenty minutes recounting the history of the Waterkeeper Alliance, the terrible situations that were occurring that prompted its formation and future efforts. He will be heading down to North Carolina (where Ms. McDowell resides) on Thursday to fight the Smithfield Farms farmers. Their 1600 factory farms inhuman and apparently disgusting treatment have put 22,000 pig farmers out of business. Mr. Kennedy became more impassioned as he spoke, not a bad tactic when you're dealing with typical cocktail party attendees, and ended by introducing the Peconic Bay Waterkeeper, Kevin McAllister whose toothy grin and tan indicated a life of enjoyment in his hard work of keeping the Long Island Sound waters safe and clean and Hudson River Waterkeeper, Alex Matthiessen.

When the speeches ended I chatted with Mr. Elliot Gant, founder of the corporation and fashion designer Joseph Abboud, both of whom were cutting a fine figure and looking exceptionally stylish in their finery.

The shuttle bus to Soho was about to leave, but not before all the beautiful people had a chance to swirl around the showroom's three floors, sip champagne and cocktails, enjoy the rich passed hors d'oeuvres and chat glibly about sundry topics.