BuzzMachine

Glenn Reynolds has a good roundup of charities working in Katrina’s wake.

In response to a call from Hugh Hewitt, Truth Laid Bear put up a great resource to direct bloggers’ and blog readers’ charity here. This is aimed at a big push tomorrow. Keep an eye on those sites.

And also, here’s the Red Cross.

My old friends and colleagues at Nola.com redesigned overnight.

Between terrorism, never-ending unrest in the Middle East, Iraq, and now Katrina, you’d think that finally — finally — politicians would take the strategic energy issue by the horns. You’d think that someone would be getting on TV with a man-on-the-moon-sized, project-Manhattan-prioritized initiative on oil: incentives to develop alternative sources and find new efficiencies. Start with that guy who built the 250 mpg Prius and take him to Detroit and Toyko and tell them all: If he can do it, you can do it.

But we’re not hearing a peep. Is it just because they are incapable of thinking strategically. Is it because they’re too embarrassed at how current events show their lack of leadership? Is it because they’re stupid or think we are?

I saw regular at $2.99 last night. All arguments that Americans don’t really care about energy will fade quickly and energy will become a political opportunity. Let’s see who jumps on and rides.

: And in the meantime, rebuilding Iraq’s oil infrastructure wouldn’t exactly hurt, giving us oil (isn’t that what we’re fighting for?) and giving them the money to build their nation and tell the terrorists to go suck an exhaust pipe.

It’s an indelicate question but one that needs to be asked: Should New Orleans be rebuilt? Or how much of it should be?

At a press conference with the governor and legislators just now, vows were made: “We’re going to be reinventing New Orleans…. Can and will New Orleans be rebuilt? Absolutely!”

But… Having visited the city often in my last job, I was always struck by its poverty and its lack of a workable economy. Tourism is pretty much the only industry. The food is great. The attitude is fun. But big companies had left.

And… Does it make sense to rebuild homes and offices in a place that can be destroyed all too easily, putting thousands of lives at risk? Is that the right thing to do?

And… Is that the best use of our tax and insurance dollars? Everytime the Mississippi floods up river, there are those who say that we should stop paying to rebuild that which has been destroyed before. And, in fact, we have invested government money in moving people away from certain danger so we can stop paying to rebuild. It’s an investment in their safety.

I’m not suggesting that what’s left of New Orleans should be bulldozed and abandoned. But I will suggest that, indeed, the city may need to be reinvented. How?

Perhaps it should go with its strengths and be rebuilt as a tourist destination before all its restaurants have branches in Vegas. Perhaps it should be smaller and rather than investing in rebuilding, the money should in some cases be spent on relocation.

What should become of New Orleans?

Beware the big company that tries to venture into this, the small world owned by its individuals, without proper respect and perspective. Consider:

* Flickr natives are planning a revolt against Yahoo for consolidating identities.

* Look at the comments under my interview with CBS blogger Vaughn Ververs. I tried to warn CBS that objective blogging wouldn’t work and, sure enough, bloggers threw tomatoes.

* MySpace folks fretted at the purchase of their world by News Corp.

* Though hardly a major media conglomerate — yet — Weblogs Inc. found itself the target of a few snowballs over its contract. A company’s a company, a contract’s a contract, money’s money, that’s life, and I’m not sure there’s a thing they should have done differently. But even this is illustration that this is a newly delicate dance.

The issue is that we, the people, believe we own this space — not just blogs, not just online, but anyplace where we put our effort and trust and money. And isn’t it modern corporate nirvana to be a “we company” instead of a “they company”? But you have to mean it.

Jay Rosen says people confuse us all the time. And we don’t even look alike. Michael Barone did it and here’s his amusing correction:

My former colleagues at Nola.com and the Times-Picayune have evacuated the hurricane bunker in the newspaper’s building.

: So the TV reports were wrong twice: They said this was going to be catastrophic. Then they said it wasn’t. Now it is.

On WWL’s stream, they just had on scientists from LSU’s hurricane center showing computer models that demonstrate just how the water from a breached levee will take over the city.

They also quoted a tourist from Philadelphia who watched looting comparing New Orleans to Baghdad (which means it won’t be long before someone compares it to Saigon).

: LATER: I’m watching incredible live coverage right now of helicopter rescues inside New Orleans on the WDSU stream.

WWL is reporting martial law in Jefferson Parish; people will be allowed back into their homes only to get essentials in a week and then will not be allowed back in again for at least another week.

WDSU is reporting that the streets around the stadium are now flooded and without electricity or working plumbing inside, it is “fetid.” But the thousands there are not allowed to leave.

: LATER: Just saw Sen. Mary Landrieu after a ride over New Orleans begging people who’ve been evacuated to stay away as officials try to save those who are still there. She said those who are outside should “get on your knees” and thank God for being alive.

: Found this New Orleans blog sending updates while his laptop battery holds out [via Houston Chronicle tech blogger Eric Berger]:

Well. The looting is getting pretty bad here now. Almost all the grocery stores are being looted. Some kids across the street came up carring tons of stuff. I asked if they found a place open. SOrta…THey were just coming back from stealing cigarrettes and soda and beer from Roberts. GOod job scum-bags.
THey are now saying it will be about a month to two months before power is restored all over. I think I might need to leave town for a while. I’ll have to see.

Again, thanks for caring guys. It’s heart-warming. If I don’t find a way to recharge my laptop, there won’t be many updates coming. But I’m alive and in one piece. Everything else is gravy, yes?

: LATER: Here’s the demonstration that LiveJournal is, indeed, a community where people know and care for each other: Look at the updates from and about friends in the hurricane.

People can’t see TV in New Orleans because there is no power to broadcast or receive. But the stations are broadcasting on the internet, just in case someone can see.

People can’t get newspapers in New Orleans because there’s no way to distribute it. But the Times-Picayune put up its entire edition on the internet, at Nola.com, just in case someone can see.

: LATER: See Terry Heaton and Rex Hammock on WKRN’s online and blog efforts during the storm in Nashville. Says Rex:

WKRN isn’t merely using a blogging platform to format news “content” (which I would applaud even if that were all they were doing), but they are using their blogs to help do away with the concept of “on-air-personality” and to replace it with, what?, on-air human beings — The station manager is even jumping onto the weather blog to let us know when one of them has to go home to get some sleep, when one of them gets sick.

The station has spent months inviting Nashville bloggers to the station (and even giving them and their kids air time. They’ve come to wherever bloggers find themselves together. They not only talk-the-talk but walk-the-walk. In short, they’ve earned “street cred” with a community of bloggers who, when we find ourselves in the midst of breaking news, will not only blog it ourselves as citizen journalists, but will gladly volunteer to be citizen stringers to help the station get the news out.

Working with bloggers, aka viewers/users/readers/people, is enlightened self-interest.

We’re only beginning to hear the real stories of tragedy from the hurricane.

This morning on Good Morning America, a reporter stopped a man in the street just to ask how he was and she heard how his home split in half and he lost his wife when she told him to stop holding her so he could save their children and grandchildren. The reporter could not stop from crying. I don’t think anyone could.

And then a reporter — Robin; I lost her last name — went to her hometown, Gulfport, and the shock was clear. The anchor in New York asked whether he family was OK and she could not stop from crying. Who could? They were safe. She said that in other cases, she would have brought her cameas with her, but she did not; this was too private, too difficult.

Reporters are human, too.

I’m getting scores of comments and now emails from people sharing their stories of Dell hell. It’s clear they believe they have nowhere else to turn. Wish I could help, but there’s nothing I can do.

: Steve Rubel has some free advice for Dell.

: LATER: Dwight Silverman respectfully disagrees with Steve.

Adfreak finds another sad-if-it-weren’t-so-silly example of life in the age of offense:

When Starbucks started printing random quotes on its cups, as part of an initiative called “The Way I See It,” we found it awkward that they felt compelled to include a legal disclaimer that read, “This is the author’s opinion, not necessarily that of Starbucks.” It seems less silly now that one “national Christian women’s organization” is furious about the following quote from author Armistead Maupin: “My only regret about being gay is that I repressed it for so long. I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don’t make that mistake yourself. Life’s too damn short.” The group, called Concerned Women for America, isn’t calling for a boycott but does think Starbucks should steer clear of associating itself with issues like gay rights, “so that they don’t offend conservatives and people of faith,” according to one rep. Starbucks says it is not taking a political stand with the program but merely wants to promote discourse.

Yes, over coffee. If we can’t talk, this isn’t America. So to hell with the church ladies.

: Speaking of which, I’m told that this from me was a quote of the day on the Freedom Forum calendar. I love being nuggetized!

We live in an age of offense. The cardinal sin today is to offend; the clearest badge of victimhood is to be offended.

Me vs. flesh? Even with my Pam Anderson ad…..