Dana, my thoughts are with you.

In completely shallow and hopefully distracting news, Apple is apparently partnering with Motorola to create an iPod cellphone.

The development marks a melding of two of the digital era's most popular devices, the cellphone and the iPod, which has become largely synonymous with the concept of downloading songs from the Internet or transferring them from compact discs.

Roger Entner, a telecommunications analyst with Ovum, a market research firm, said he had been told by an industry executive that the new phone, to be made by Motorola, would be marketed by Cingular Wireless. Mr. Entner said it would include iTunes software, which helps power the iPod.

The software will allow people to transfer songs from a personal computer to the mobile phone, then listen to the songs, presumably through headphones. "It's a deluxe music player now on your cellphone," he said of the device.

I feel sorry for New Orleans. It was first like, "Whew, we dodged the bullet" , but it turns out there was a second one.

The breach in the levee on Lake Ponchatrain is now 200 feet wide, and the feds and military are trying to get huge sandbags airlifted in.

Unfortunately, they're expecting that the flooding will continue until the lake and city find their level.

Press conference:

• 700 people rescued during the night.
• All available boats are engaged in search and rescue.
• "tragedy of great proportions, greater than we've seen in our lifetimes"
• "We have no counts, but we know that many lives have been lost."

Dana, which area is your family's home in?

The NOLA news is just terrible.

And the idea that this is just the beginning of the most active part of hurricane season. . . mind-blowing.

On the map that I posted earlier, they are slightly south of the number 8.

[link]

But, on the bright side:

President Bush returning to Washington two days ahead of schedule to help oversee Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, White House announces.

eta: Do you suppose he'll try faith-based recovery efforts? I mean, we already know that humans can part water with God's help....

[link]

This picture is freaking me out.

WWL is now blogging any updates they get here.