Hurricane Katrina Aftermath (and other stuff I find interesting)

I've been quite busy the last few days, so the email has piled up. Google sends me summaries of articles a few times a day relating to Katrina, and here's a summary of my favorite stories in the last 21.

Geek Cavalries turn post-Katrina landscape into wireless and VOIP experiment

Just days after Katrina struck, the FCC set up a clearinghouse where offers of equipment and expertise could be coordinated with the needs of the disaster area. The agency also eased rules for some advanced technologies. When Dearman posted a call for help on an e-mail distribution list, the response exceeded his wildest expectations. "There were trucks coming from all over the United States. This restored my faith in humanity," he said. "They showed up. They came up to my house, to my farm. Their trucks were loaded down with food and wireless gear." Eventually, BellSouth donated additional bandwidth, and MCI donated a 45-megabit per second DS3 line that Dearman used to light up southern Mississippi, including Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Pearlington and Diamondhead. Trango Broadband also donated radio equipment to expand the network. "Intel has called me half a dozen times in the last two weeks asking me what I needed. Cisco has donated three routers," he said. "Everybody has stepped up to the plate."

Celebs Gather in Miss. for Katrina Concert

"We will rise again," the teary eyed Oscar winner said. "Mississippi crawled out of the rubble and helped their neighbors and got about the business of surviving."

Four officers suspended in Katrina Investigation

Acting Police Superintendent Warren Riley says he has suspened four New Orleans officers without pay and put more than a dozen others under investigation as the department looks into its officers actions during Hurricane Katrina. Riley said the investigations stem from a handful of events in which officers were accused of looting, or failing to fight looting.

Karl Malone bulldozes over FEMA red tape

"There was a lot of red tape, and I ain't got time for that," he told AP. "I found out that if you're going to do something good, just go ahead and do it. Once I get in my machine, no one is going to get me out. We just said 'the hell with it.' FEMA didn't approve, but we did it for the people."

Katrina scatters New Orleans' complex black community

"If there is power and money in maintaining the status quo, people will maintain the status quo," Gaiter said. "The black people left behind did not have power, did not have money. They're not in a position to initiate change, though they're the ones most in need of change."

Britney sheds all for Katrina relief

The 23-year-old former teen queen, famed for her provocative stage outfits, has donated a treasure trove of personal items -- including a two-piece sofa, a bikini and a jewel-encrusted brassiere -- to be auctioned off to help victims.