The world is on fire. This is always the case. There are forever wars and rumors of war, famine and strife, brother turning against brother -- and sometimes all of them happen at once. This week, with the floods, and the fires, and the political upheavals, my heart has been heavy. I've wanted alternately to act and to hide, to write checks and to dive under the blankets. But the blankets are no place for revolution, and if you don't at least carry the water you have been given, the flames will never dissolve.

Nordette's excelent profile of Katina Parker and the New Orleans Labor of Love project highlights the one good thing to come out of the Gulf Coast disaster -- the compassion and spirit of thousands of everyday people who have volunteered their time and treasure to help those in need. But many insist that greater government involvement is needed before the region and its people can experience a real recovery.