I had the day off today. I spent it hanging out in my apartment, drinking coffee, doing laundry and being open-mouthed in horrified amazement at the sheer scope and depth of the devastation in Southeast Asia.

My god, 60,000 people are dead. I know people who live in counties with populations lower than that. If you were to round up all the children under age 5 in Milwaukee County and drown them, you'd have killed around 60,000 people.

And this is just the toll from the initial damage. Death on this scale, especially when caused by flooding, is sure to bring disease with it. I hate to think of the final toll, by the time this is all said and done.

Oh, one thing: www.redcross.org. Check the International Response Fund.

That is all.