Anna Sale here on the dayshift.

This week marks five years since Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast, and all this week we'll be looking at how communities and culture have changed in its aftermath. We talked this morning about how the shortcomings of the federal government response still loom large in political debates. Tomorrow, we'll hear voices from Biloxi, Miss. about quietly rebuilding and reorienting, with the media spotlight turned  the other way.

We also continue to monitor the debate and response to plans to build a Muslim cultural center and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero. There were protests on both sides this weekend near the planned site in Lower Manhattan, and the issue continues to elicit strong reactions — in New York and around the world. We're reaching out to young American Muslims to see what they're making of this cultural moment.

Finally, we're teaming up all week with Scientific American to talk about things that come to an end. We talk tomorrow about cultures facing extinction, and we want to know from you: What traditions or wisdom that you share do you think is worth saving? And what do you do to preserve them?