BAD NEWS… I have been along the Gulf coast of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama many times, when I lived in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, just a few hours away. Beginning with New Orleans and including places like Biloxi and Mobile, we’re talking about big hospitality towns. New Orleans is the first city of partying in this country and will always hold the title. That means thousands of hospitality employees.

I’m sure, as with hospitality workers everywhere, most of them had no insurance and not a great deal of money. So we have a situation where good, loving folks who spent most of their lives giving to and serving others are stranded with no places to live or work and nothing to fall back on. Among the countless stories of sadness and tragedy within that dramatic situation, there’s one with a double dose of unfairness.

As we go to press, we had begun the process of creating a benefit for the folks affected by Hurricane Katrina. TODD FISHER of Hullaballoo, along with TONY BAKER of Montrio and JEFF JAKE from Pebble Beach got the ball rolling for us all to help along. Tentatively, we’re looking at Sept. 21 at the Steinbeck Center. Pass the word along to family and friends. We need donations of auction items, straight up money donations, mostly an open heart and willingness to generate as many dollars as possible from our area. Please contact me at ray@mcweekly.com or call me at 632-2167. Please keep your calendar open and be ready to go.

The other notable story is the behavior of the disenfranchised, mostly poor and black, looting and wreaking havoc throughout the remains of New Orleans. There is a microcosmic lesson here in our own backyard about the effects of generation after generation of ostracizing, and the resultant defiance of any law or societally installed attempts at behavior control by those ostracized factions.

Just spend a few moments and try to look at things from another perspective. I’m not justifying, rationalizing or condoning the behavior—it’s deplorable—but it might be a natural human reaction to oppression. Just might.

Stop over at NELL’S, on Fremont, a few blocks from the Fairgrounds. The folks there are from New Orleans and are probably feeling like their guts were ripped out. Let ’em know they have friends up here. 641-0713.

SOME GOOD STUFF… Got the lowdown from MARCI “THE GODMOTHER” BRACCO about DON CICCIO’S in San Juan Bautista. She suggests it for good, down-home Italian food plus friendly people, always a wonderful combination.

My man MAC GREGORY, Food and Beverage Director for the Hyatt Regency here in Monterey, dragged me into Knuckles Sports Bar the other day (alright, I walked in under my own power) to tell me about the sweet new beer draft system he’s getting in there. He was ranting and raving about glycol and 10 taps on each tower with six glycol this and some other stuff. What I found amazing was that he actually got two major beer distributors, Couch and Elyxir, to collaborate on this thing—now that’s news.

Usually, competing distributors work very hard at keeping separate lives, trying to corral as much of the business for themselves as possible. Well this is like a scene out of Miracle on 34th Street, when Kris Kringle is telling folks they can find items across the street at the competitor’s store—next thing you know, people were so happy, his store’s sales climbed. As my darling daughter once said when she was just a tiny tot: “Where there’s hope, there’s life.” Think about it. Oh yeah, almost forgot. Mac will be serving Delerium Tremens on draft for one dollar an ounce. Knuckles will have the most expensive draft beer (and one of the tastiest) with that bad boy.

GOOD TIMES… If you like football, and sexy girls (duh), every Sunday during the season Knuckles will have the Coors Light Girls and every Monday night the Sierra Nevada Girls—or was that vice-versa. Guess you’ll just have to go and find out for yourself.

JESSICA CHEZEM, local hospitality professional, wife, mother and all around raconteuse (that’s another one of those words I sometimes use that I’m not really sure about and might not apply whatsoever, but it sounds right), is helping her friend CHRIS MUELLER raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He’s running the Honolulu Marathon to raise cash, plus Zeph’s One-Stop in Salinas is helping by hosting a wine tasting and silent auction on Oct. 1. Help out. Contact jchezem@gmail.com, chris@topherpages.com or stop in to Zeph’s and find out directly.

And don’t forget Friday, Sept. 23 at Paraiso Vineyards. It’s the first Poker Charity Tournament, a benefit for CASA of Monterey County, a great organization that helps prevent abused, neglected and abandoned kids from being eaten up in the Juvenile Dependency system. This is important, so call or e-mail Jennifer at 678-0300 or visit www.paraisovineyards.com to find out how to go and how to help.

A GOOD FRIEND… Hey, my beer guzzling partner in crime JEFF MOSES is launching a new beer. Coast Range Brewing is dropping the fabulous duo of Monterey Blonde Ale and Monterey Blonde Pale Ale on stores and in joints around these parts real soon. It will come in both bottles and on draft and features great taste (won all kinds of awards throughout the industry beer judgings) plus a great logo and graphics.

Ole Jeff knows his beer and promises that you’ll absolutely love these two beauties. Look for a launch party at the Mucky Duck or some other place coming up fast. Meanwhile, look for the beer.

GOOD FOOD… Montrio Bistro is combining with Tantara Winery (great producer from Santa Maria) for a Harvest Feast Celebration. On Saturday, Oct. 1, Tantara’s wines, including the sold out Pisoni and Gary’s Vineyard Pinots, will be combined with delicious treats from Montrio’s Chef TONY “COOL HAND” BAKER. It’s a great chance to meet BILL CATES from Tantara, “Cool Hand” from Montrio, as well as local producers like Serendipity Farms, Fulton Valley Farms and Blue Horizon Organic Seafood, who will have representatives talking about their products. Wine retailer Rancho Cellars will have someone on hand to accept orders for the Tantara Wines you might want to have for your home. The cost is $95 per person, not inclusive and you can book it at 648-8880.

BE GOOD… Just a note of apology…I have been almost a week without Internet service (don’t ask), and much of that without a working computer either. I may have not received notices some of you may have sent me. If that is the case, I apologize. I hate to miss out on giving someone the space to get out the word. Word.