America's Drought of 2007

This clip is courtesy of BartendingBear on Clipmarks.

clipped from www.kansascity.com Southeast feels the agony of ongoing drought Falls Lake, the main water source for the capital of North Carolina, is 8 feet below normal and Monday had barely 100 days of usable water left for Raleigh. Similar problems persist across the South. From the shriveled cotton fields of northern Alabama to the browned lawns of suburban Atlanta, the Southeast is wilting under one of the most severe droughts in its history. •How bad is it? About 26 percent of the Southeast faces “exceptional” drought — the worst category. Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and Florida have had less rain than at any time since records began in 1894. How low are reservoirs? So low that in the Atlanta area, Lake Lanier, the water source for 3 million people, could run dry in just 90 days. South Carolina’s Lake Moultrie is the lowest in half a century. Private wells are going dry in Kentucky. In Lynchburg, Tenn., the Jack Daniel’s distillery may have to shut down because the spring is low.

Adorable Animal Photo

clipped from www.flickr.com

Retired Military Officials on Looming Water Crisis

clipped from blog.sciam.com Yet another report declares that global warming is a "serious threat to America's national security." written by six retired admirals and five retired generals unique in its focus on water shortages "Weakened and failing governments, with an already thin margin for survival, foster the conditions for internal conflicts, extremism and movement toward increased authoritarianism and radical ideologies," the report says. "The U.S. will be drawn more frequently into these situations." "We will pay for this one way or another," writes Zinni, former commander of U.S. Central Command. "We will pay to reduce greenhouse gas emissions today, and we'll have to take an economic hit of some kind. Or we will pay the price later in military terms. And that will involve human lives. There will be a human toll."

Photo of Matanuska Glacier, Alaska

clipped from www.alaska.com Matanuska Glacier in the fall Rapidly turning foliage paints a brilliant frame for Matanuska Glacier in a view from a state recreation site along the Glenn Highway. Fall colors brightened the scene for several mid-September days in the area, about 100 miles east of Anchorage along the Glenn Highway. (Erik Hill / Anchorage Daily News)