(this is annie)

I visited my friend Mike the other night. He's one of my favorite people in Chicago. We call each other by our last names, which makes me happy. We talked about the sadness of the tsunami, and how we're worried that the survivors will be ignored or forgotten or underfunded. The United States' initial pledge of $15 million angered me. I never thought I'd say this, but $15 million is nothing. $35 million, our current pledge, is an improvement — but it's still less than what's being spent on Bush's inauguration ($40 million, not including security). I feel helpless and confused by the nation's slow reaction (officially, anyway). We can and should do better. I hope we will. I keep thinking that if every American gave a dollar — and I'm idealistic enough to believe that if it were put into the context of saving a person's life, most Americans would — we could create a collective swell of help.

For what it's worth, I gave to the Red Cross, and there are more ways to help if you're so inclined.