Like almost everybody else, after being busy at work (sometimes during), I keep staying glued to the horrid news from the Gulf coast, watching the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Monica and I spent Labor Day weekend near Washington, DC, and I eventually ran out of cash after stopping at various intersections where firefighters were collecting donations. Combined with some all too easy online gifts, I can't wait for payday to roll around (that or a case of Kraft mac'n'cheese to magically appear on my doorstep).

Thus - out of my own cashlessness yet still remaining desire to help the victims of the hurricane - was born my grassroots Tablet Relief campaign and online store. Right now the first item available is a t-shirt with the following logo:

It's all hand-drawn on my vintage Toshiba M200, considered terribly witty by 34% of my readers (all of 1.5 of them), and printed on a plain white t-shirt. I currently have one on order to see exactly how scary it will look in person, so I will post an update with a real life picture as soon as I have it. All kidding aside, I realize it is not professional art hand stitched on a designer garment, but $11.01 of the selling price of $20 will go to organizations trying to help the victims of Katrina (the production cost is $8.99). I picked the following three agencies to receive an even split of the proceeds:

• American Red Cross - for the general help, and hopefully best use of the money
• Salvation Army - for the food and basic supplies
• Noah's Wish (site may be down due to high load) - to help with the pet rescues, because seeing all the abandoned animals rubs me (as a pet owner) the wrong way

These organizations may or may not be on your own list of deserving benefactors, but I personally think they are pretty good choices, and I am sticking with them. You can always leave me a note suggesting somebody else.

The obvious issue here is the whole "intent" of what will be done with the proceeds. I can't really convince you that the money won't go into my personal Xbox 360 fund (currently stuck at $2.67), so you'll have to give me the benefit of the doubt here. CafePress - the company behind the store - seems to imply that they pay commissions to storekeepers within 45 days of sales (apparently to account for return periods and such), so it might take a while, but I'll even take pictures of the checks for you and put up copies of any donation confirmation letters/e-mails I can get. Obviously, I can only go so far here, so if you don't wish to wear a copy of my late-night art, please at least consider donating to these organizations, or many others accepting donations. (CNN maintains a long list.)

As usual, send any ideas or comments my way. Thanks for your attention.