Any help or donation, no matter how small, will be deeply appreciated and is much needed.

It's about identity, really. Do we want everybody to dress the same and look the same and listen to the same music? That's a disaster. Every place has it's 'best' product -- an artichoke or whatever. Why have uniformity instead of preserving local things?

When Katrina hit, I had only one thing in my mind as a Slow Food leader: finding a direct way to help small farmers, artisans and fisherman get back to work and sustain themselves and their families.

What we are designed to do is outreach services and activities to help young people either go to college or go to work.

In his case, because of the lack of innings, I think it might help him. I don't think it will hurt him. If anybody needs winter ball, it would be him. We want to make sure he's healthy going into the season next year, too, so if that means rest after he goes through all this rehab, that could be the best way to go, too.

The city will need to make sure that they are there to help those businesses relocate. It's in their economic self-interest to keep those businesses located within the city.