Its one year to the day that I found Louie, a white Curious George kind of monkey, on the shoulder of I-40 westbound in the pouring rain. Since then he's become the nucleus of a series of stories about leaving New Orleans and Mandi, the little girl who owned him in the Lower Ninth Ward. Those stories are now podcasts as well.

Meanwhile, the world doesn't seem to have much improved. Like Louie, many from New Orleans have not returned or can not return. Iraq continues its civil war, Korea continues to snub us, Iran merrily continues its nuclear program, Bin Laden is still at large, our debt to China increases, large-scale terrorist plots continue to come to light, Darfur (and all the rest of Africa) continues to be ignored, Bolton is being pushed forward for confirmation as UN Ambassador, my real wages are not keeping up with the cost of living, health insurance is more expensive but less effective, the WMD-in-Iraq debacle unfolds with Plame and the Downing Street memo, key republicans and lobbyists are criminally indicted, Cheney shoots a man in the face and there is a 24-hour cover-up... the list keeps going on and on.

With all that in mind, this November -- vote.