Iconoclasts saving the world

Magnet #286 - Biloxi Beach, Mississippi

My sister and her fiance brought this back from a trip down to his hometown. I gotta be honest, I don't think I ever thought that there were dolphins in the Gulf. But now I know.

One of my favorite shows is Sundance Channel's Iconoclasts. Love it. The point behind the show, that I can tell so far, is to show celebrities in a different light, but to also highlight different good works that they do.

I'm always surprised to "get to know" the people outside their element - like how buddy-buddy Richard Branson and Tutu were, or what Madeleine Albright and Ashley Judd had in common. The latest one I caught was the Cameron Diaz (I know) and Cameron Alistair, the architect behind this really supercool nonprofit called Architecture for Humanity. Cameron Diaz surprised me, with how dedicated she seems to be to learning about how she can help out (she was a major part of Live Earth last year), while Cameron Sinclair, who happens to be my age, is out doing good works all over the globe.

I'll admit, I wanted to run out and save the world after this episode. For sure, I'm totally buying this book, Design Like You Give a Damn soon.

With projects all over the world, Architecture for Humanity helps pair building professionals (like architects and designers, etc.) with the communities in need - communities affected by natural disasters (like the Gulf region) or man-made disasters. It's quite an amazing organization - one that Cameron Diaz wanted to learn more about. So, the two Camerons actually spent a couple of days together in Biloxi, to assess the damage that had been done, and to take a look at what they were doing to help out.

Trust Robert Redford & Co. to come up with such a great idea for a show, and be able to execute it pretty well, episode after episode. Now, if they'd just pair up George Clooney with someone awesome, we'd be set. Like George Clooney and Walter Cronkite. Or George Clooney and Barack Obama. Or George Clooney and me.

Yeah, I kinda like that last one.