Archuleta Stands Up 2 cancer

Those who voted for David Archuleta on American Idol are coming through again, in an even bigger way.

David is one of thousands of people throughout the country who have joined Stand Up 2 Cancer and formed teams to raise funds for cancer research. It's an unprecedented joint effort from cancer survivors, celebrities and the t.v. networks. How often do ABC, CBS and NBC collaborate on their programming? Well, they did for the Stand Up 2 Cancer Telethon, and so far have raised more than 100 million dollars.

You can do your part at http://www.standup2cancer.org/.

Is your car safe?

With gas prices climbing for the past couple of years, most drivers are looking for cars that get good gas mileage. But if safety is also important to you, there's a new resource available from the government.

A new public database can be accessed that lets you see how many alleged deaths, injuries and cases of property damage involve specific passenger vehicles. The availability of the information is a direct result of a massive tire recall in 2000.

You can see the 'early warning' data at http://www.safercar.gov.

Ike's Caribbean devastation

We got really lucky when Hurricane Ike stayed further south, keeping the category 4 storm far away from us. Our neighbors in the Caribbean have not been so lucky. The islands have been doused by Fay and Hanna, and Ike has just added more disaster to an already desparate situation.

Hundreds of people, including children, were killed in Haiti; homes are destroyed, towns are flooded.

While we breathe a sigh of relief, we can also offer relief to the islands:

The American Red Cross is acception donations of cash and supplies.
Also accepting donations:
Feed the Children
Food for the Poor
United Way of Miami Dade

While we don't yet know what the final damage to Cuba will be, when you see waves that are - literally - 5 stories high crashing into buildings, you can be sure aid will be necessary. Catholic Relief Services is legally able to provide relief.

Serena goes all the way

Well, not only did Serena Williams beat big sister, Venus in the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open, she went on to beat Russia's Dinara Safina in the semi-finals, and then won the entire Championship, defeating Serbian Jelena Jankovic. Serena gets the trophy (and the big bucks), but perhaps more exciting - she reclaims her ranking as the #1 female tennis player in the world. Heady stuff ... and well-deserved!