I have been waiting to write about Spike Lee's documentary about Hurricane Katrina because I thought I would have something prolific to say about it. I don't. The documentary says it all. It's four hours long, but after sitting through the four hours, I felt like there were still so many other stories to hear. What stuck with me the most about the film was when someone — I forget who — is talking about the lack of governmental response and all the red tape that prevented people from getting help, etc. He says something like, "When the government wants to do something, we find a way to pay for it. We want to put a man on the moon, we find the money. We want to start a war in Iraq, we find the money." So true. I think this is true on an individual level as well. I never really have any extra money. I would never, for example, make plans to visit my best friend or my sister in San Francisco, because I can't afford it. But if either of them got in an accident or really needed me in some way, I would put the flight on a credit card and figure out how to pay for it later. Because people that I love are that important. The people that I don't know are important, too, and I have not prioritized them very highly. Like many people, I give small charitible donations every month (I sponsor a child in Chile), and I make sure to kick in larger donations after a major disaster. Then, I keep living my life. This month, I took a bunch of cash that I would normally spend on things that are not necessities and donating it to causes that benefit residents of the Gulf Coast. It still seems rather trivial, but it is a start.

The first thing I did was throw in a couple of extra books for The Dewey Donation System while I was buying my school books. This is an absolutely great way to help Gulf Coast libraries rebuild their collections. Just browse their Amazon wishlists and send a few books their way. For every book that's ordered this way, a small donation is sent to the Dewey Donation System. It's a cool way to know exactly what you're sending.

Say what you will about Oprah (and I have a lot to say about her) she really put her money where her mouth is this time. Her online registry has lots of fun choices for the houses her Angel Network is building.

I never heard of global green.org until I saw Brad Pitt talking about it on TV the other night, so I guess there is something to say about star power. I thought it was worth $50 to join and try to bring sustainable development to the Gulf Coast.

I didn't give to Habitat for Humanity this time, but I would strongly recommend other people to do so. I worked with Habitat in the past building houses in Hartford, CT, and the experience really taught me that everyone can do something. I have no carpentry experience (and questionable motor skills in every sense) yet I was able to help with all kinds of tasks, like sanding, dusting, and serving food to other volunteers. I know faith-based charities turn a lot of people off, but I have had first hand experience with Habitat as a non-organized religion person and it's an organization that I recommend supporting.