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Scuba Forum / General / April 2004Chamber Challeneg Update
And . . . they're off!!!!!! Chamber Day/Eve is exactly four weeks from today (May 5) and the Catalina Chamber Challenge is already off to a good start, with a total of $6850 as of today. (In case you're wondering, last year at this timed we were at $7500.) However, we've got a long way to go, especially if we'd like to exceed last year's total of $18,825. But it's doable, especially if you pitch in to help. As you hopefully know, a hyperbaric chamber is the only way to treat diving pressure injuries and our Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber stands as a needed emergency lifeline for SoCal divers on a 24/7/366 (don't forget that this is a Leap Year) basis. Unfortunately, the Chamber is not self-sustaining and relies partially on a grant from Los Angeles County (which covers about one-thrird of the yearly expenses) and must raise the rest of their own. That's where Chamber Day, and specifically the Chamber Challenge, come in. The monies raised here represent unrestricted funds for running the Chamber and keeping it up-to-date with the latest technology. Your contributions will have a direct impact not only on diver safety, but also in gaining a better understanding of what happens to us when we go underwater and - more importantly - how we can be better treated when something goes wrong. We suggest a $100 donation but we're always happy to take more. Many stores are giving $500 (Sport Chalet has made a $1000 donation) and many clubs are dipping into their treasuries to donate as well. But whatever you can afford is appreciated. We'd like to take a moment to single out Kendall Raine and Sport Chalet for each donating $1000. And we'd also like to mention Karl Huggins, Reef Seekers Dive Co., Jim Krasne, Scuba Schools of America (Montclair), Scuba Haus, & Mom's the Word for each kicking in $500. The complete list of names is posted below and we encourage you to add your name (and contribution) to the number of caring divers in SoCal who are willing to give a bit back to make sure that we all have the Chamber as a safety net. Call us at 310/652-4990 or do it through the secure server on our website. So . . . WHO'S NEXT??????? Ken Kurtis Chairman, Chamber Day/Eve 2004 www.chamberday.org ---------------------------------------------------------- CHAMBER CHALLENGE 2004 (Updated as of April 7, 2004 @ 2:30PM) TOTAL TO DATE: $6850 GOLD SPONSORS ($1000 & UP) Kendall Raine Sport Chalet SILVER SPONSORS ($500-999) Karl Huggins Reef Seekers Dive Co. Jim Krasne Scuba Schools of America (Montclair) Scuba Haus Mom’s the Word BRONZE SPONSORS ($100-499) Tony Hanna Diver.net Frank O’Donnell Joe Takahashi Douglas Dive Club Scott Cox Gary Romanik Hollywoodivers Sarasue Essenpries Burbank Dive Club Jeanne B. Sleeper Marylou Quinn & JP Pylkannen Dr. Robert Davidson Ocean Adventures OTHERS Dr. Hal Frankl Can you tell us, please, how the chamber has been used, and how many divers have been treated in it? > Can you tell us, please, how the chamber has been used, and how many divers > have been treated in it? "The Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber is only used for diving accidents. Most other medical hyperbaric chambers in this country are used for other hyperbaric therapies and treatments such as wound healing, burns, carbon monoxide poisoning, and other clinical applications. These clinical treatments are the bread and butter for most chambers since diving accidents are sporadic and, luckily, not that common." http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/fundinfo.htm "Right off I should tell you that dive accidents are not legion here (or anywhere else, for that matter). Last year 20 divers arrived at the Catalina chamber and of those, 10 were treated. On the average the chamber sees 25 to 35 divers a year and treats about half of them." http://www.skin-diver.com/departments/environment/diverscando.asp?theID=179 > > Can you tell us, please, how the chamber has been used, and how many > divers > > have been treated in it? 2 things; 1) I wasn't talking to you. I want the sales pitch from Ken. 2) Your credibility here, with me, is suspect at best. > 1) I wasn't talking to you. I want the sales pitch from Ken. You posted here, you were talking to me. > 2) Your credibility here, with me, is suspect at best. I wasn't talking to you. Others may really care about the answer and overlook your cheap trolling. But I agree that the constant updates become annoying. Once a year should suffice. Still, it is a public service announcement, not spam. No one gets any commercial benefit from the chamber. >Can you tell us, please, how the chamber has been used, and how many divers >have been treated in it? I'm really more interested in why the poor people of Kalifornia cannot afford to fund their chamber. There are chambers everywhere. Why does this one come begging EVERY YEAR? safe diving, bullshark > >Can you tell us, please, how the chamber has been used, and how many divers > >have been treated in it? [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > There are chambers everywhere. Why does this one come begging > EVERY YEAR? OK, just come bustin' on through and ruin a perfectly good set up. > I'm really more interested in why the poor people of Kalifornia > cannot afford to fund their chamber. I suppose you haven't seen the sorry economic state of affairs Kali is in even with the new Guv. > There are chambers everywhere. Why does this one come begging > EVERY YEAR? Well, methinks that the Kalifornia one just has a very very good organizer doing the fundraising. P.S. Ken, I fixed your Subject line spelling of "Challenge". P.P.S. "Check is in the mail" for the Flying Dutchman. However, I looked all over the Chamber Day and Chamber web pages, but did not see who to make the check out to. Finally, after downloading the PDF donor file, it says "USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber". Ken, please confirm this is correct before I send my check. Also, for the Flying Dutchman, why don't you sell the extra T-shirts on Ebay? Any additional money would help...  SignatureMatt matt@gol.com Ken Kurtis kindly replied via e-mail to me directly, so I am posting a followup to my own post. Here are his answers: > P.P.S. "Check is in the mail" for the Flying Dutchman. However, I > looked all over the Chamber Day and Chamber web pages, but did not see > who to make the check out to. Finally, after downloading the PDF donor > file, it says "USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber". Ken, please confirm > this is correct before I send my check. "USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber" is correct. > Also, for the Flying Dutchman, why don't you sell the extra T-shirts on > Ebay? Any additional money would help... Ken says that the t-shirts are exclusive to Flying Dutchman crew only, so all you rec.scuba divers be sure to donate and get yours soon! SignatureMatt matt@gol.com Hi Matt, I am still waiting for someone to explain to me why I should donate my hard earned money to a chamber on an island of well to do people in Southern Kalifornia, to the exclusion of other facilities, especially those located in less affluent and remote area's. Additionally, I am waiting to hear how many divers were treated in said chamber in the past year. > I am still waiting for someone to explain to me why I should donate my hard > earned money to a chamber on an island of well > to do people in Southern Kalifornia, to the exclusion of other facilities, > especially those located in less affluent and remote area's. No one asked you for money. They asked people with money for money. And some people in Southern California are as poor as some people in Washington. If you want to start a fund-raiser for your chamber in well-off Washington, go right ahead. > Additionally, I am waiting to hear how many divers were treated in said > chamber in the past year. I already told you. Open your ears and close your mouth. Information will stick better that way. > No one asked you for money. Really? Then why the f.ck is it posted here? > They asked people with money for money. You are an arrogant cocksucker. My money is different green than yours? Again, why should I aor anyone else who desont support Kens shop or dive Catalina island support this endeavour? > And some people in Southern California are as poor as some people in Washington. > If you want to start a fund-raiser for your chamber in well-off Washington, > go right ahead. I dont see anyone from Washington posting a "Chamber Challenge" every year to draw business and free bucks. We take care of our own, and we dont have to beg to do it, shitbag. > > Additionally, I am waiting to hear how many divers were treated in said > > chamber in the past year. > > I already told you. Open your ears and close your mouth. Information will > stick better that way. Thats funny, since 99% of what you post is either a bald faced lie or a self serving lie. *You* can kiss my a.s. If you really want to help the chamber, you will disassociate yourself from it. Piss ant. >And some people in Southern California are as poor as some people in Washington. None of them scuba dive, and none of them live on Catalina. safe diving, bullshark > >And some people in Southern California are as poor as some people in Washington. > > None of them scuba dive, and none of them live on Catalina. I know plenty of poor scuba divers - they beach dive. And there are literal shanties on Catalina a few blocks inland from the pretty hotels and shops of Avalon. >I know plenty of poor scuba divers - they beach dive. Seriously Greg, you need to learn what "poor" is. I don't think you know, or I missed the smiley face.... >And there are literal >shanties on Catalina a few blocks inland from the pretty hotels and shops of >Avalon. ...shanties on Catalina. Poor people indeed. You may not like the look of the property Greg, but again, you need an education in "poor". safe diving, bullshark > >I know plenty of poor scuba divers - they beach dive. > > Seriously Greg, you need to learn what "poor" is. I don't think you > know, or I missed the smiley face.... Poor is relative and vague. Are we talking below-the-poverty-line poor, or have-to-work-two-jobs-to-make-ends-meet poor, or can't-afford-to-spend-money-on-boat-diving poor? > >And there are literal > >shanties on Catalina a few blocks inland from the pretty hotels and shops of > >Avalon. > > ...shanties on Catalina. Poor people indeed. You may not like the look > of the property Greg, but again, you need an education in "poor". I've had a few seminars on poor at the graduate level, during a year-long course in Public Interest Law. I grew up in the homeless capital of the U.S. When I say shanties, I mean shanties. Just like the ones you used to see in Tijuana as you headed up the mountains on the toll road before they cleaned up the area. Not starving-in-Ethiopia poor, but pretty f.cking poor by U.S. standards. Who do you think cleans up after the tourists in their hotels and washes their dishes in the restaurants? "The median income for a household in the city [of Avalon] is $39,327, and the median income for a family is $46,406. Males have a median income of $30,789 versus $24,643 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,032. 10.4% of the population and 9.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 11.5% are under the age of 18 and 4.6% are 65 or older." One tenth of the residents live below the poverty line on an island where the cost of living is probably double that on the mainland. Where do you think they live, luxury yachts in the harbor or beachfront mansions? Get a clue. >No one asked you for money. They asked people with money for money. And I keep forgetting how new you are. They have asked here for money plenty of times in the past, and so much so and with such a tone and constancy that the "updates" as you call them are indistinguishable from a telethon begging for pledges. >some people in Southern California are as poor as some people in Washington. Almost all of them are very poor, depending on what you count. How that figures into the Catalina Chamber panhandling for support is beyond me. Where is the Alumnus? >If you want to start a fund-raiser for your chamber in well-off Washington, >go right ahead. I doubt he does, but I'm sure he would have the good sense to raise the funds in Washington and not on the Internet. >> Additionally, I am waiting to hear how many divers were treated in said >> chamber in the past year. 10. BTW Greg I'm not too keen on the site. To me it looks like a Deep Dish Apple Pie that USC keeps open so that faculty and Alumni can go there "on business" and probably stay for free. Whoever gets "the post" is certainly on to a honey teat. Who knows, if USC sold the property they could probably afford to pay their other bills, too. I don't see any advantage to operating a chamber on Catalina. Treating "only divers" is not just a disadvantage, it's a dumb waste of resources. The truth is, they treat "only divers" because the other useful applications are not very economic when the chamber is 20 miles offshore. For bent divers, treatment on the mainland is only minutes away by helicopter. safe diving bullshark > >No one asked you for money. They asked people with money for money. And > > I keep forgetting how new you are. They have asked here for money plenty of > times in the past, and so much so and with such a tone and constancy that > the "updates" as you call them are indistinguishable from a telethon begging > for pledges. I've been here long enough to see it happen six times now. That's why I suggested that one single annual post wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. > I doubt he does, but I'm sure he would have the good sense to raise the funds > in Washington and not on the Internet. That's because few outside Washington dive in Washington. You can't say the same about Southern California. > BTW Greg I'm not too keen on the site. To me it looks like a Deep Dish Apple > Pie that USC keeps open so that faculty and Alumni can go there "on business" and > probably stay for free. Whoever gets "the post" is certainly on to a honey teat. > Who knows, if USC sold the property they could probably afford to pay their other > bills, too. I don't know about faculty and alumni staying there "on business". Believe me, the habitations are kind of dorm-like, not the usual Four Seasons where the alumni and faculty stay. They're better suited to the marine biology students and chamber volunteers. It's hardly a "honey teat". But that's the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center, not the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. > For bent divers, treatment on the mainland is only minutes away by helicopter. Maybe. But not 18 minutes away. "Due to its proximity to the Los Angeles area, and to its excellent dive sites, Catalina Island attracts a large number of divers each year. On any given summer weekend day, one can look out along the coast towards the west end of the island and see up to ten dive boats anchored. If each boat carries 20-30 divers and each diver does 2-3 dives a day, then in a single summer day there is the potential of 400-900 dives being done within sight of the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. Some of the dive boats bring Check-Out Dive trips to Isthmus Reef because the chamber is just minutes away (the fastest response time from the time the diver hit the surface until they were being compressed in the chamber is 18 minutes). The proximity of the chamber to this heavy concentration of diving makes it a valuable resource to the diving community." Not only is the Catalina Chamber closer, which may make a difference in saving lives, but it's staffed 24x7 by specialists in diving injuries. >Not only is the Catalina Chamber closer, which may make a difference in >saving lives, but it's staffed 24x7 by specialists in diving injuries. Greg, According to the helicopter service flies to Catalina, Catalina is only 15 minutes away from the mainland. That's 3 minutes closer than the Chamber on Catalina. I am unimpressed with "the possibility" of your quoted, unbelievably exaggerated numbers that assume all boats carry 30 divers doing 3 dives from ten boats all filled to capacity. Apparently when it comes to CATTLE BOATS, Catalina wrote the book. I am equally unimpressed with the quality of Scuba Instruction and supervision in California which is apparently so poor that the instructors fear to let their students dive unless they are within sight of a Chamber. I'm just funnin with ya, Greg. I think you are way overblown on the dangers of DCS, and certainly on any life-threatening aspect of it. That hyperbole you quoted off the chamber brochure is for idiots, er, marks, um, donors to believe in. It's not that important. For the TEN divers that were treated, it would be far more economical to fly them by chopper to the mainland than to staff and maintain a chamber 24/7. Anyone with fiscal sense would shut that thing down in a NY minute if it came to choosing between 10 helicopter rides or salaries and maintenance for a chamber that isn't suitable or positioned for economic use. If you want a chamber on Catalina I couldn't't care less. Pay for it yourself. Ever since Prop 13, California has been at the root of financial catastrophes throughout the country, again and again. In terms of California budget the funding for a little chamber is minuscule and evidently the state thinks it unnecessary. Sinecures are part and parcel of educational institutions. It is a silly luxury for somebody, I don't know who, but not a necessity. safe diving, bullshark > According to the helicopter service flies to Catalina, Catalina is only > 15 minutes away from the mainland. That's 3 minutes closer than the > Chamber on Catalina. It's not just the flight. The helipad at the Chamber is a hundred feet away. The Chamber operators are on permanent standby for dive-related injuries and their training is up to date. I'd hate to be dying at some local emergency room while the hyperbaric tech is furiously thumbing through his manual looking for the scuba section. > I am unimpressed with "the possibility" of your quoted, unbelievably > exaggerated numbers that assume all boats carry 30 divers doing 3 dives > from ten boats all filled to capacity. > Apparently when it comes to CATTLE BOATS, Catalina wrote the book. Oh yeah. Some of our boats carry 40. And they are often filled to capacity. Lately I've been diving off the Psalty V, a "six pac" even though it's 50' long and has two heads and bunks and hot food for lunch. It cruises at 17 knots. Downside is $125 for the trip, versus cattleboats which get you (slowly) to and from the island for $80. > I am equally unimpressed with the quality of Scuba Instruction and > supervision in California which is apparently so poor that the instructors > fear to let their students dive unless they are within sight of a Chamber. Obviously it's a bit more dangerous out here where we have real ocean water to contend with, not the Disneyworldesque warm clear coral reefs you Floridians suffer. > I'm just funnin with ya, Greg. Fun is not in my vocabulary. I take my diving seriously. Almost as seriously as I take rec.scuba. > I think you are way overblown on the dangers of DCS, and certainly on > any life-threatening aspect of it. That hyperbole you quoted off the chamber [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > it came to choosing between 10 helicopter rides or salaries and maintenance > for a chamber that isn't suitable or positioned for economic use. Thankfully it's run by a university, so fiscal sense is not an issue. How's about, the chamber looks really cool and it's nice to brag about the fact that we have one and the rest of the country, especially poor S. Floridians, are jealous. > If you want a chamber on Catalina I couldn't't care less. Pay for it yourself. > Ever since Prop 13, California has been at the root of financial catastrophes > throughout the country, again and again. In terms of California budget the > funding for a little chamber is minuscule and evidently the state thinks it > unnecessary. California is the most important state in the U.S., hands down. We deserve special treatment. Our divers deserve their own chamber. > Sinecures are part and parcel of educational institutions. > It is a silly luxury for somebody, I don't know who, but not a necessity. When it's not in use, the Chamber makes a great training tool. And did I mention that it looks really cool? >>According to the helicopter service flies to Catalina, Catalina is only >>15 minutes away from the mainland. That's 3 minutes closer than the [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Oh yeah. Some of our boats carry 40. And they are often filled to > capacity. Psalty is a good boat. Wife and i took her on a 2 day charter one time. Lot's of fun and great crew. Tell gary hi for me next time ya see him and i miss the scuba pup they had. > Lately I've been diving off the Psalty V, a "six pac" even though it's 50' > long and has two heads and bunks and hot food for lunch. It cruises at 17 [quoted text clipped - 66 lines] > When it's not in use, the Chamber makes a great training tool. And did I > mention that it looks really cool? "Scott" <scottk@localaxess.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :I am still waiting for someone to explain to me why I should donate my hard :earned money to a chamber on an island of well :to do people in Southern Kalifornia, to the exclusion of other facilities, :especially those located in less affluent and remote area's. Whether to donate to charity, how much, to which charity, and the reasons behind those descisions are entirely up to the donor, Dan Bracuk If at first you don't succeed, you run the risk of failure. The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/ > I am still waiting for someone to explain to me why I should donate my hard > earned money to a chamber on an island of well > to do people in Southern Kalifornia, to the exclusion of other facilities, > especially those located in less affluent and remote area's. Probably the reason is that the Chamber Day is an annual event and they have a well organized committee with Ken Kurtis. I think the biggest factor for me to donate started a few years ago when Mike Kane ponied up 10 grand of his own money to match contributions from our fellow rec.scuba community. Since then, I guess I just contribute when I feel like it rather than every year since I don't dive So. Kal much any more. And, it always hurts a little to give money to a crosstown rival USC... (remind me to support Reef Check at UCLA) > Additionally, I am waiting to hear how many divers were treated in said > chamber in the past year. Yes, that would be some interesting information. I think that Greg posted some info on that. Actually, Ken tends to send e-mail replies instead of posting to the newsgroup, so if you want a response from him, maybe you should send a courtesy copy via e-mail. I can't send e-mail copies due to the configuration of my mail server. SignatureMatt matt@gol.com >I think the biggest factor for me to donate started a few years ago when >Mike Kane ponied up 10 grand of his own money to match contributions What makes you think it was *his* money? Sweet child, you just don't know how things work do you? > >I think the biggest factor for me to donate started a few years ago when > >Mike Kane ponied up 10 grand of his own money to match contributions > > What makes you think it was *his* money? Ooh, details, details! > Sweet child, you just don't know how things work do you? I'm willing to be educated... SignatureMatt matt@gol.com |
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