MORNING NEWS . . .

I can't remember the last time I woke up, came to work, logged into my computer and pulled up the New York Times webpage without expecting another headline screaming at me about how many bombs went off in Turkey, Afghanistan, Iraq, Southeast Asia; how many scores of people were killed and hundreds wounded; how we should be on alert both at home and at American outposts around the world for anti-American sentiment and attacks; how Osama has made another video excoriating Westerners and Saddam has shaved his head and is hiding out in Tikrit.

I didn't think I was this susceptible -- surely, I am strong enough to avoid the emotional manipulation of the media -- but I suspect the stress is getting to me more than I am willing to admit. I mean, what kind of life is it when you wake up expecting death and destruction and turmoil to greet you in the morning? What kind of world do we live in where these headlines, once so shocking and horrifying and grief-inducing, are now simply run-of-the-mill? What kind of people have we, have I, become where we are no longer moved by war and tragedy, but are simply resigned to the way the world seems to be? And if I think it's so bad for me, so stressful for me, so sleep-depriving for me ... well, then how must it be for those people who aren't comfortably ensconced in a wealthy Western super-power, safe (for now) from bombs and sniper attacks and land mines and rebel insurgents? Trying to answer these questions makes my head ache and my brain move faster than the 120 m.p.h. it normally goes.

Once upon a time, I was told that it was futile to pray for world peace, that the uproar that exists in the world is punishment for the world's sins and is evidence of God's anger. Hearing that broke my pre-teen heart, and for almost two decades now, I've wondered if that was true. But come to think of it now, I'm not convinced. God promised a long, long time ago that He would never again destroy the world or His creation living in it. And sure, He gets angry and becomes disappointed when we don't do His will, and especially when we fail to love one another. But He is not a petty God of "well, you didn't do what I wanted you to do, so here's a swift kick in the butt ... or a bullet in the head ... or a bomb on your neighborhood." No, no. These headlines, these deaths, these hatreds that run rampant through our lives ... it's all us, and we have no one else to blame. We've really got to wise up, shape up, stop killing each other ... because you know it's bad when I read every word of the Michael Jackson arrest story just so I don't have to read about something else.

***

'TIS THE SEASON . . .

With the holidays rolling around once more, people's consciences start to tickle and charitable hearts start to warm. Y'all should be giving your money away year-round anyway (remember, you can't take it with you when you kick it), but in case you feel particularly moved this holiday season, I offer you this public service announcement. Do with it what you will ... and if you are even half as fortunate and blessed as I am, then I hope you'll do a lot.

Give.org: in association with the Better Business Bureau, this site provides evaluations of hundreds of charities, and can help you pick a worthy organization to give to.

New York Magazine Charity Guide: for those of you in the metro-New York area, New York Magazine offers a list of local charities and organizations where you can give time and/or money to help out your community.

And my personal favorites:

American Red Cross: self-explanatory.

Asian Professional Extension, Inc.: provides low-income Asian-American youth in NYC with mentors, educational programs and activities. Cheech and Wonger are involved, so give, give, give!

City Harvest: "rescues" leftover or excess food from restaurants and the like and delivers the goods to food pantries, soup kitchens, etc. in an effort to fight hunger in New York City.

Habitat for Humanity: provides homes for the poor. And you get to wield power-tools!

Henry Street Settlement: provides social service benefits to largely Asian and Hispanic communities on the Lower East Side.

Make-a-Wish Foundation: grants wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center: this place cared for one of my classmates before he died, and saved one of my friends so that she lived. Give, give, give!

Seeds of Peace: teaches teenagers, mostly from the Middle East region, conflict-resolution and leadership skills, in the hopes of creating a generation of peacemakers.

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation: the stats speak for themselves. Give, give give!

U.N. Children's Fund: health, education, equality and protection provisions for children all over the world.