Something the recent hurricane Katrina-related disasters has brought into focus for us is how ill-prepared we were to deal with even the smallest disruption in the normal flow of support and services around here. Realizing there is some sort of middle-ground between full-out survivalism and complete apathy, I have picked us up some freeze-dried food and similar essentials to make us a bit-more temporarily self-reliant should the need arise. Hopefully it will never be necessary... besides, it could also come in handy should we ever decide to scale Mount Everest.

Freeze-Dried Links:	Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.
Play Time:	SUPER MARYO WORLD. Holy schmoly!
Links:	Beedogs. Thanks Hump.
Stories:	U.S. forces in Afghanistan remember September 11. In Storm's Ruins, a Rush to Rebuild and Reopen for Business (registration required). Gimme another shot of this beer...
Science:	Bats may have been source of SARS: study. Scientist disproves town's strange luck. An Experiment in A New Kind of Music.
Follow-up:	Hubble Future Is Cloudier After Katrina.