With the Katrina destruction and the resulting spike in gas prices, I briefly thought about cancelling my Bay Area mini-vacation. But in the end, I decided that I was just too self-indulgent to cancel something I had so meticulously planned. The trip will be a go, no matter what.
Nevertheless, I couldn't justify spending money only on myself, when people are suffering and dying in New Orleans and elsewhere in that part of the country.
In the end, I decided to make a contribution to Brother's Brother Foundation. It is a worthy charity, based in Pittsburgh, which I got to know through Karen Nichols at Democracy Cell Project (where she is known as tutterfly). I had established contact with them by making a small contribution last year in the aftermath of the Southeast Asian tsunami, and this time I made a larger, though still modest, contribution, and specifically earmarked it for Katrina relief efforts. I will make further contributions based on how dire things continue to be in the New Orleans area.
