price of security

from worldwatch institute (support them, they rule):

In this month’s special issue, “Katrina: The Failures of Success,” World Watch takes an in-depth look at the political, economic, social, and environmental factors that exacerbated the impact of Hurricane Katrina. Among the dozen guest authors are former Times-Picayune reporter John McQuaid; Louisiana State University geographer Craig E. Colten; George Woodwell of the Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts; poet, essayist, and long-time New Orleans resident Andrei Codrescu; science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson; and civil rights activist Eric Mann.

• Groundwork: Universe Bounded
• Matters of Scale: THE PRICE OF SECURITY
  

Vital Signs Online: Surging Oil Production, Storms
World oil use increased by 1.3 percent in 2005, a significant slowdown after a record-breaking rise of 3.4 percent in 2004. The International Energy Agency estimates that oil demand reached 3.8 billion tons in 2005, or 83.3 million barrels a day.

Meanwhile, the carbon dioxide released during the combustion of all this oil is contributing to climate change, which many scientists worry is producing more extreme weather events. Economic damages from weather-related disasters hit an unprecedented $204 billion in 2005, nearly doubling the previous record of $112 billion set in 1998 and reflecting the high number of disasters affecting built-up areas. Three of the 10 strongest hurricanes ever recorded occurred in 2005.

"Fossil Fuel Use Continues to Grow"
"Weather-related Disasters Affect Millions"

e2 - Eye on Earth:

Krispy Kreme Joins Global Fast Food Brands in China; Global Obesity Pandemic Worsening

Suspected Soft Drink Contamination Raises Broader Questions About Food Safety in India

United Nations Unveils Action Plan to Clean Up Lebanon Oil Spill

As Public Opinion Battle Heats Up, Corporations Outpace Government in Fostering Social and Environmental Responsibility

Disasters & Peacemaking:

Worldwatch Presentation at US Institute for Peace

Surge of Katrina Evacuees Strains nearby Baton Rouge

Almost 40,000 Sri Lankans Displaced by Violence Since April 2006

CHINA WATCH

"Other than bungling the capture of Bin Laden, wrecking the economy, breaking the Army in Iraq, and fucking up the Katrina recovery, he’s doing a GREAT job!" @ feministe

some picks from alternet:

WILL THE END OF OIL BE THE END OF FOOD?
American agriculture is fatally dependent on oil. A few forward-thinking farmers are trying to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

THE BUSH-IS-AN-IDIOT CAMP GROWS
It is getting harder for conservatives to ignore the president's intellectual shallowness.

TWO GIRLS BLEED, ONLY ONE LEADS
We all remember Jon Benet and Elizabeth Smart. But what happens to the memory of a murdered girl like Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi?

HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BUS
A mom in middle America attempts to survive a month without a car. Did we mention she has two small children?

DON'T LET INSURERS SHIRK THEIR DUTY
New laws must prevent abuse by companies that are squirming out of paying Katrina victims.

CLINTON ENDED WELFARE, NOT POVERTY
You'd think Bill Clinton doesn't know the difference between getting single mothers off the welfare rolls and getting them out of poverty.

TALK OF 'END TIMES' HITS THE PRIMETIME
With the Bush admin's earthly policies in shambles, Karl Rove and co. may be flirting with selling the same thing cult leaders throughout history have sold their followers: the afterlife. Cable news is already on the job.