Trouble the Water brings Katrina survivors' story to big screen

Sunday night I went to the theatre to see Trouble the Water, a new film by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. Lessin and Deal produced Bowling for Columbine, and directed and produced Fahrenheit 9/11. But Trouble the Water is different from both of these: It spends more time zoomed in on the subjects of the film--Kimberly and Scott Roberts, a young, married black couple, and their neighbors and family--and doesn't worry as much about hitting the audience over the head with the political implications of each setback they experience. And Kimberly and Scott do experience a number of setbacks.

The film begins with footage recorded by Kimberly before and directly after Hurricane Katrina hit. A lot of the shots gave me the same queasy feeling that watching The Blair Witch Project from the front row gave me a decade ago.

Through the bumpiness and the blurriness, the movie gives insight into what people were feeling when Katrina landed. Kimberly interviews her neighbors before the storm hits, and later records the water rising. She turns the camera on when she and her family are trapped in the attic, and later films a neighbor setting out to rescue folks from their houses.

Some reviewers felt that the rest of the movie paled in comparison to the storm at the beginning. But it was the story of putting life back together afterwards that, for me, was the most thought-provoking.

After the storm, someone else takes over filming, and we see the Roberts at a Red Cross shelter, trying to track down their relief money to start over. I won't give away what happens from there, but I will say that the ending is a little more sweet than it is bitter--but just barely. You wind up feeling pretty confident that Kimberly and Scott are going to make it, but the amount of injustice surrounding their experience is almost overwhelming.

The film is an excellent piece to spark conversations on poverty, race, the media, family, the criminal justice system, government responsibility . . . the list goes on. With a running time just around an hour and a half, this is a great movie to spend an evening watching and discussing in a group.

Trouble the Water's website also offers a great assembly of organizations rebuilding and offering relief in the Gulf. For some behind-the-scenes information, check out an August 22nd Democracy Now interview with producers Lessin and Deal, by Amy Goodman.

Youtube videos teach how to call Congress

Check out these cute Youtube videos below by Aquifer Media, made with the support of Homies Unidos. They're easy to follow, and kid-friendly!

The first video teaches how to call your Representative, and the second shows how to call your Senator. Video creator Will Coley suggests following the first video to urge your representative to support HR 1176, the Child Citizen Protection Act, a bill the UUA has been actively supporting for several months. You can find more info about CCPA here, and the UUA action page here.

UU Holdeen India Program News

The mission of the UU Holdeen India Program (UUHIP) is to:

to work with organizations of India's most excluded and oppressed peoples: women; dalits, so-called "untouchables" who fall outside the caste system; and the adivasis or tribals who are India's indigenous peoples, especially migrant, bonded and landless agricultural laborers. UUHIP supports their efforts to participate fully in the social, economic and political life of India.

But, it doesn't end there...

UUHIP Executive Director Kathy Sreedhar's efforts to assist in locating 5 Indian citizens in the wake of Hurricane Ike were described in Loksatta, India's daily newspaper. The author of the article is Jayant Dhulap and a translation of the article (originally in Marathi, with permission) follows:

A father of one of the students lost in cyclone affected area of USA comes to the office of journalist in Alibaug. A central minister in Delhi is contacted for getting information but the result was zero. At last a Director of human right organization in USA is contacted via Vidhayak Sansad's office at Usgaon in Thane. The lady keeps aside all her important works and she actively works with US police and disaster management cell to search the youths. Six volunteers of her organization and police find out the youths by helicopter and personally meet them and within 4 hours the first phone call is received confining all five youths are safe and secure. In next one and half-hour students themselves talk to their parents through special telecommunication system of disaster management cell.

Though all this seems very fancy and imaginary the sense of humanity and human values behind all this happening has been felt by us.
On Tuesday afternoon, one of my friends Laxman Mahajik was waiting for me in my office. When I reached office and saw him I could felt there was something wrong. He immediately informed me that his son Rohan & his four classmates are in Galvastone city of Texas in USA. "They are undergoing training on catering management since 1^st june. But the whole Galvastone city is submerged due to recent cyclone. I am trying to contact Rohan but he cannot be contacted."
Parents of all five students had no clue about their children and they were worrying aboutr their children's safety. Two students were girls. Then I started to find information of these students. First I tried to contact 'San Lui Resort' where students were staying but I could not contact them because all the infrastructure and telecommunication was disturbed due to cyclone. Then I tried to contact one of the Central ministers in Delhi. But he was in Mumbai. So I contacted at his home in Mumbai but he was not available. All my hopes were dying. And suddenly I realized that Mrs. Kathy Sreedhar, human rights activist is in USA. Kathy has great respect and love for Indians. She is a senior official of Unitarian Universalist Association in USA and she is also active in US Democratic Party. She is associated with Vidhayak Sansad and Shramjeevi Sanghatana in Thane district founded by Vivek and Vidyullata Pandit.

I got her email ID and phone number from Vidhayak Sansad's office at Usgaon. I sent her an email giving names & information of students. Mr. Vivek Pandittalked to her directly on phone and immediately Kathy kept aside all her work and under her guidance, five volunteers of her organization started search operation with the help of American police & disaster management cell. Kathy was informed about students at 5.30 in the evening and she called us black at 9.30 informing us, " all five students are safe and secure. Her volunteers have found out them and met them on the spot. They have been shifted to safe place. please ask their parents not to worry. We are here to take care of them." After few hours Rohan himself called his Parents and confirmed that they are safe and secure and they also are helping those who are affected by cyclone.

Because of Kathy, parents in Raigad in India could find out their children who were lost in cyclone in America and talked to them within four hours. So for parents and relatives of these students, Kathy Shreedhar has become an ambassador of humanity and love.

In the interest of full disclosure, Kathy reports that the article isn't entirely factual. She describes her involvement as "caring, persevering", and working the telephones to help these young people reconnect with their families. But. whatever the details, Kathy's constant commitment to the assisting people in "harms way" shines through the experience.

Click here to find out more about UUHIP program partners

One of UUHIP's closest partnerships has been with SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association). On September 25, 2008 the founder of SEWA - Ela Bhatt - is speaking to the United Nations General Assembly about what women and the poor can do to overcome poverty.

The full text of Ela Bhatt's speech is available as a Google document.


Additional resources for learning about UUHIP and its program partners include discussion guides for two books:

• Empowering the Oppressed, by UUHIP advisory board president, John G. Summer
• Fearless Minds, by Vivek Pandit

And, see an article from the UUWorld about a UUA delegation to UUHIP partners in 2001.

A DVD about UUHIP and its partners will be available in early 2009. Please contact the UUA's Office of International Resources for Additional Information.

International LGBT Advocacy at the United Nations

Bruce Knotts, Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO), recently attended the United Nation's 60th anniversary conference - "Human Rights for All: the Universal Declaration at 60" at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.

In preparing for the conference and during the conference the UU-UNO took the lead on advocating for LGBT rights internationally. Among the UU-UNO's accomplishments were hosting the first LGBT workshop of its kind in the 61-year history of the UN's Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organizations. The workshop focused on the Yogyakarta Principles.

For a full description of the UU-UNO's important work, please see a report on the conference from Bruce Knotts.

To celebrate the work of the UU-UNO and the importance of the United Nations, congregations are invited to schedule a UN Sunday service on or around the 26th of October. The UU-UNO has excellent materials that can assist your congregation to create a UN Sunday service. And, the UUA's International Resources Office has UN Sunday materials designed for "Faith Without Borders" congregations.

What exactly is Comprehensive Sexuality Education?

Recently, there have been questions in the media about what comprehensive sexuality education is. What is it that we are teaching our youth in Unitarian Universalist and United Church of Christ churches across the country?

The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) defines sex education as “a lifelong process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs, and values that encompasses sexual development, sexual and reproductive health, interpersonal relationships, affection, intimacy, body image, and gender roles.”

The “lifelong process” means that comprehensive sexuality education is age-appropriate. The curriculum for Kindergartners will be different than that of 5th graders and that of high school students.

The UU and UCC comprehensive sexuality education curriculum, Our Whole Lives (OWL) , teaches grade K-1 students about respect for others, how each of us is unique and wonderful, that our bodies are private and that if someone tries to hurt them or touch them inappropriately that they should immediately yell and run to tell an adult they trust. It also discusses families and what to expect when your parents have or adopt another baby.

Creating dialogue with five and six year olds about respect and families is a great way to increase self-confidence and develop close relationships among parents and children. The topics and questions brought up in the curriculum are common questions many young children have.

In contrast, teenagers in the OWL Grades 10-12 curriculum discuss body image, STDs, contraception, gender roles, sexual orientation, healthy relationships and communication. These topics are appropriate for teenagers who are exploring their sexual identity and entering relationships. These topics are not taught in the K-1 curriculum.

Parents are strongly encouraged to be involved in their child’s sexuality education. The primary teacher is always the parent. Comprehensive sexuality education gives tools to both the parents and children to talk about important sexual health issues that are age appropriate.

Comprehensive sexuality education gives us the tools we need to be in communication with each other and how to respect ourselves and others. It also helps us make healthy sexual decisions when we decide we are ready to do so.

Five Reasons to Be A Poll Worker

The United States of America is facing a shortage of poll workers. It is in desperate need of people--particularly younger people--to help people vote this year. Working the polls for an election is a concrete way to ensure your local race goes smoothly.

And with the historic turnout in the primary elections this previous spring, working the polls will be more important than ever before.

All of following facts are examples of why you should register to work the polls this November. If you need more reasons for why you need to work the polls, please read my reflections on working the polls last February.

1. A New York Times editorial from two weeks ago read: "No One Should Have to Stand in Line for 10 Hours to Vote". In it, the author writes about the usual complaints we hear about voting lately: long lines, voter intimidation, and confusing or out-of-date voting machines. He looks to the 2004 elections in Ohio and shows how understaffed voting precincts coincided with the largest number of voter irregularities.

2. The Virginia Pilot reports how the state of Virginia--destined to be a battleground this election--is short some 2,000 poll workers this year.

3. Minnesota, also classified as a swing state this year, is scrambling to find enough poll workers.

4. Jackson County, Missouri has a shortage of 500 workers for their 250 polling locations. That is an additional two people per polling place in order to be fully staffed.

5. The progressive news source, AlterNet.org, lists a shortage of poll workers as one of the "Seven Ways Your Vote Might Not Count This November". Along with voting machine allocations and voter purges, alternet fears that a shortage of poll workers can result in flawed ballots and slow lines.

And don't forget to get our election preparation resources called Faithful Democracy.

New Native American Justice Pages on UUA.org

We have posted new webpages on Native American Justice to UUA.org!

http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/issues/nativeamerican/index.shtml

Click on the above link for the main page, and look in the left-hand sidebar for sub-links to background information, UUA policy, and ways to take action.

The background information section includes pages on Violence Against Native American Women, Sacred Sites & Religious Liberty, the Cobell Indian Trust Fund Case, and lots more.

Please note that we will be adding to these pages over the coming months, including information about relevant federal legislation, tribal sovereignty & federal recognition, and immigration issues for Native Americans.

Below is an excerpt from the pages with three ways to get involved--check the Take Action page for more!

1. Potential Unitarian Universalist (UU) Initiatives for Action About American Indians at the Congregational Level—Excellent resource by James W. Loewen (author of Lies My Teacher Told Me and Sundown Towns) which provides background information and suggests ways for UU congregations to carry out social justice work regarding American Indian social justice issues.
   


2. Cradle Club through the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office—The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office is working with the Southwest Indian Relief Council's Cradle Club to provide supplies for baskets to be given to Native American mothers of newborn babies in need. Includes links to a step-by-step guide and proposal for UU congregations.


3. Subscribe to the Friends Committee on National Legislation's Native American Legislative Update—The Friends Committee on National Legislation runs an excellent listserv which keeps activists informed about current issues and lets them know about online actioncampaigns in which they can take part.

Photos show the arrival of the Longest Walk II in Washington, D.C. on July 11, 2008.

Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Whole Foods announce agreement

A week ago, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and Whole Foods reached an agreement to work together to provide fair wages for the tomato pickers of Immokalee, Florida.

The agreement was announced on September 9th, but I was en route to Columbus for the Midwest Interfaith Immigration Summit that day. So we are a week late with this bit of news, but it is truly a cause for celebrating!

Because of this agreement, workers in the fields of Immokalee will receive a penny more per pound of tomatoes picked. A penny more per pound doesn't only mark the difference between a low wage and a living wage--it marks the difference between taking advantage of workers and honoring their dignity.

According to the press release, Karen Christensen, Global Produce Coordinator for Whole Foods Market, said, “After carefully evaluating the situation in Florida, we felt that an agreement of this nature was in line with our core values and was in the best interest of the workers.”

Congratulations, Immokalee workers and allies! Hopefully, holdouts Chipotle and Subway will get on board with the CIW soon.

For more information . . . .

Read the press release and related articles

Check out CIW's homepage

Tour of the Faithful - People of Faith for Immigration Reform

Scroll to the bottom of this post for links to event schedules.

Pro-immigrant media organization America's Voice is facilitating a national month of action called Tour of the Faithful. 17 events organized by local religious groups will take place in cities across the nation over the next month, calling for reform to the United States' broken immigration system.

The first event on the Tour was an interfaith prayer vigil held at the Ohio State House in Columbus on Wednesday, Sept. 10th. I attended together with 75 others from a diverse array of faith traditions.

Rev. Mark Belletini of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus offered a prayer, along with twelve other faith leaders, including Cantor Jack Chomsky of Congregation Tifereth Israel, Dr. Asma Mobin-Udin of CAIR Ohio, and Rev. Steve Hammond of the American Baptist Church. Standing under a banner that read, "Moral Voices Unite for Immigration Reform," prayer leaders called for humane, just immigration reform and an end to raids and deportations.

For me, the vigil was an extremely powerful experience. English, Spanish, and Arabic were spoken, and faith leaders often began their prayers without identifying either the God to whom they were praying or the faith they represented.

Many vigil attendees also took part in a two-day Summit which taught tools and techniques for immigration reform advocacy. The Summit, which First UU Church of Columbus and the UUA Washington Office helped organize in conjunction with the Interfaith Immigration Coalition and local Midwest groups, exceeded my expectations. As the Summit drew to a close, participants shared their impressions. Many voiced a feeling that they were inspired and well-equipped to return to their communities to begin organizing and taking action.

The Prayer Vigil and Summit were two of the most amazing and effective experiences I have had during my time at the Washington Office.

Check out the Tour of the Faithful Schedule to see if any events are taking place near you. Or, see locations of all events at a glance on the event map.

Faithful Democracy and the 2008 Elections

Why Registering People to Vote Matters

It takes a lot of ongoing engagement to keep democracy vibrant and working. Our fifth principle commitment to democracy and our anti-oppression commitment to strengthen the voices of historically marginalized groups provide solid religious grounding for congregational efforts to register people to vote.

Only 64% of voting age citizens in the US voted in the last federal election. However, 89% of registered voters did vote. According to the US Department of the Census Report: Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004 the key to voter turnout is voter registration. Once people are registered they are on the rolls and are contacted by the campaigns, political parties and non-partisan Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts.

There are still 55-60 million unregistered voters in our country. Youth and young adults account for 21 million of them and African Americans, Latinos and low-income women also constitute a large portion of the unregistered.

There is still time to reach out to these disenfranchised communities and get them registered. Most state voter registration deadlines are in early to mid-October. New Hampshire, Wyoming and Idaho have same day registration. See VoteSmart for your state’s deadline.

The UU Funding Panel has Voter Registration/ Get Out the Vote (GOTV) grants -- $500 to $1500 grants for congregations now through October 15, 2008!

According to the same report many people didn’t register because they missed the registration deadlines and/or had a conflict with work and school schedules. It was not because they didn’t care.

So, let’s do all we can to increase participation in the democratic process, especially by helping ensure that the voices of our most oppressed communities are heard in this high stakes election.

In 2004, hundreds of UU congregations registered over 80,000 new voters. Our efforts were most successful when we did this in partnership with community group voter registration projects.

One of our partners, ACORN’s Project Vote, registered over 1.15 million new voters in 2004. This year their goal is to register 1.2 million voters in underrepresented communities -- African American, Latino and low-income neighborhoods. Additionally, they plan to reach 2.8 million new and infrequent voters in GOTV campaigns.

• Project Vote is working in 26 states including Colorado, Ohio and PA. For a listing of states and contact information see their website.

• In NH, there is a UU Action Network. (Ten other states also have UU networks – CA, FL, MA, MD, MI, MN, NY, PA, RI & WA).

• In VA, the VA Organizing Project and the Student PIRG is registering voters.

• Rock the Vote, NAACP, and the League of Women Voters are also active in many states.

In 2004 our voter work led to some lasting partnerships and raised the profile and relevance of our congregations in our communities. Wear you Standing on the Side of Love T-Shirts while registering people and/or bring congregational banners.

The UUA has excellent resources to assist congregations in their voter registration, mobilization, and education efforts.

See our voting page where you will find Faithful Democracy: UUs and the 2008 Elections and The Real Rules for IRS Guidelines.

Registering people to vote lets people know that they matter to us.
It is an act of faith.

UUA District Hosts Retreat for Young Adults

For the “first time in a long time,” the Pacific Southwest District of the UUA hosted a retreat for young adults. Entitled “Encounter the Spirit,” sixty young adults and allies met together in the woods to worship, build community, and learn about social justice issues. I was there representing the UUA and leading a workshop on peacemaking and sustainable social justice. But I was also a participant in this excellent meeting.

It was exciting to be back at Camp DeBenneville Pines, in my home state of California, with all these wonderful, passionate and compassionate people. I reconnected with old friends and made loads of new ones. My workshop on social justice for young adults was well attended and the energy was high. We talked about living our passions and performing random acts of kindness in the larger world.

We also shared worship together. We sang songs under the stars. Among the ponderosa pines, we blessed each other's hands. We did this by holding the hands of the person next to ourselves and giving prayers for strength and grace as they work for love and justice. Our covenant groups allowed us to know that there are other UUs our age who struggle with many of the same issues and share many of the same desires. And I found moments of cleansing solitude among a clear mountain stream.

We also played cards, built puzzles, danced in a late summer thunderstorm, went swimming, and allowed ourselves to be silly. We told jokes, sang songs, shared stories and made friends. We discovered people who lived in our neighborhoods and shared the same church, but never went when we went.

Most importantly we found we are not alone. Current estimates show that upward of 90% of people raised in the UU church leave the faith in their young adult years. Retreats such as these can help nurish and grow the Unitarian Universalist young adult community. The creation of space like this gives people support. It welcomes new people into our religious community, honors those who have stayed, and beckons others to return.

The myriad reasons are too vast to go into in this particular post. These could include the growth of new priorities and/or the discovery of new faith communities. But going to camp and seeing my peers was an amazing, life affirming, and empowering experience. By being together, we were able to remind each other why the Unitarian Universalist community is so wonderful. We were able to share, stretch, support and learn with one another. I came home feeling rejuvenated and empowered to work for justice knowing that there are others like me working for change.

Plans for next year’s Pacific Southwest District Young Adult Retreat are already underway. We will be gathering again at DeBenneville Pines from Sept. 4-7, 2009. For more information on next year’s event, please visit Connect UU.

(Photo Credits: Katrina Thompson and Lauren Eaton)

The Bush Administration and Birth Control Part II

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Secretary Leavitt’s proposal that broadly defined abortion to include some types of birth control. Many of you immediately responded to my request to tell Secretary Leavitt to reject the proposed regulation. Leavitt responded, and the definition of abortion was removed; however, the proposal still moved forward in its new form.

On August 26th, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed the new regulation which would allow health care providers to refuse to perform services they deem morally objectionable. Although abortion is not defined in this version, the regulation remains open to interpretation and allows employees to refuse to conduct or assist research activities. A full text of the proposal can be found here.

This regulation could severely affect a woman’s access to reproductive health care, including, but not limited to, abortions. The regulation does not include patients' rights, and federal funding can be taken away from clinics that do not comply. This is particularly damaging to low-income women who may not be able to visit multiple clinics to receive the healthcare they need.

Currently, there is a 30-day comment period for the regulation. Act now and send your comments to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt expressing your opposition to the regulation!

Religious Pluralism By Way of Web Technology

iPhones. MySpace. Viral marketing. Cell phones. No matter where we go, we are as connected as we want to be (and then some) to current technology, and through this internet medium, to one another.

In many ways an informational smorgasbord, the internet experience is what we make of it; whether feeding a celebrity news vice, keeping up-to-date with world events, or spending hours a day socializing via blogs, forums and chat applications, we are what we "eat" (depending on what we "byte").

Under this free-for-all pretense, it's easy to lose sight of all of the constructive (read: less-than-self-indulgent) communication possibilities with our pervasive technology. Not so for Kyohei Mikawa.

Kyohei has a vision of the future (2015, to be exact). By utilizing web technology, he proposes an unprecedented and ambitious project where 102,000 youth across the globe, across faiths, and across traditions will virtually convene to share, discuss and explore faith in an effort to promote religious pluralism.

The project, called "World Web Conference of Religions for Youth in 2015" is still in its early planning stages, and will be developed over the next seven years. In the following video clip, Kyohei explains the scope, goals and intentions of his project:


Kyohei describes "World Web Conference of Religions for Youth in 2015"

As technology continuously impacts our lives and the ways in which we interact, it's important to evaluate both the ways it is used and the ways it can be used. Luckily we have religious visionaries like Kyohei working towards bridging this gap, endeavoring to promote open discussion amongst today's youth with (today's and) tomorrow's technology.

Best of luck, Kyohei!

A member of Rissho Kosei-kai, Kyohei Mikawa hails from Japan. Currently a visiting student at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, Kyohei is studying under Eboo Patel of Interfaith Youth Core.

In July 2008, Kyohei visited the International Resources Office at the UUA to share and hear feedback about his project with our office.

Updated actions & resources for Gulf Coast justice on UUA.org

You can't wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time. ~ Pat Schroeder

As Hurricane Gustav dissipates, Hannah moves towards Haiti, and Ike gathers strength, worry & concern can be channeled through education, action, reflection, and outreach.

The Take Action and Resources pages of the Gulf Coast Social Justice section of UUA.org have been updated just this morning. Take a look for related legislation, new useful data, and ways to get involved in the continued work of rebuilding from Hurricanes Katrina & Rita.

Take Action
Resources

In case you missed last week's post, don't forget to check out the brand-new Gulf Coast Updates. Updates are a joint project of four UU organizations engaged in Gulf Coast rebuilding & recovery. Read the inaugural edition released last week, with contributions from the Greater New Orleans Unitarian Universalists (GNOUU), New Orleans Rebirth Volunteer Center, Unitarian Universalist Association, and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.

Read the first edition of Gulf Coast Updates from 8-28-08
Subscribe to receive Gulf Coast Updates

Gustav kills 107, displaces hundreds of thousands

Hurricane Gustav, though not as severe as feared in the U.S., has brought tragedy to the loved ones of 107 persons deceased, as well as trauma and uncertainty to hundreds of thousands of persons who have been displaced. Haiti has suffered the greatest number of casualties with 107 deaths, while in Cuba, 86,000 homes were damaged. In Louisiana and Mississippi, one million homes are without power.

Many of those involved in the rebuilding & recovery of New Orleans have been holding their breath as they waited to hear whether or not the levees would hold. Thus far, the levees have held, though water has splashed over the tops of some. The "topping" of levees has resulted in minor flooding of the Lower Ninth Ward— see Six inches of flooding reported in the Lower Ninth Ward, from The Times-Picayune. For now, however, it seems that the damage is less than what was feared. None of the Unitarian Universalist churches in New Orleans have been affected.

A good way to keep up with damage and recovery in various countries is by checking Wikipedia's continuously up-dated page on Hurricane Gustav's impact. You can track Gustav's path, and the paths of oncoming storms Hannah, Ike, & Josephine, at the "Hurricane Headquarters" of South Florida newspaper Sun-Sentinel.

If you live in or have family or friends in the affected areas in the United States, you can register yourself or search for loved ones at the American Red Cross's Safe and Well List. Currently, the American Red Cross is sheltering nearly 45,000 people in three states. For more information about the Red Cross work providing relief from Gustav, see Red Cross Shelters Thousands as Gustav Pounds Gulf Coast.

Best Friends, an animal rescue organization, is hard at work rescuing domestic animals left behind by evacuees. Read an update from their rapid response team: Best Friends Investigates Numerous Reports of Abandoned Pets.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those, in the U.S. and abroad, whose lives have been affected by the storm.