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A federal court recently ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to maintain a navigation channel in New Orleans.

A resulting levee breach caused devastating floods during Hurricane Katrina.
That court case highlights what some engineers would call a human conceit.....the belief that we can indefinitely control something as powerful as water.

In fact, some scientists believe that all the engineering behind building levees and dams only exacerbates the problem it was meant to solve.

New Hampshire Public Radio's Amy Quinton reports on the unconventional techniques scientists are using to reduce flooding along the state's rivers.

They call this the Great Recession - and it could have been a great depression without a massive infusion of cash. Technically speaking the recession is over - after 21 months and 7 million fewer jobs. Most economists predict a long slow recovery is ahead.

All this week we've been asking if we're making different choices because we're wiser or because the economy limits our choices. In our second monthly live program, we'll hear about the lessons we've learned - or not learned - from this recession and what it means for the future.
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Caller Related Links:

The kitchen designer who works with low overhead and adapts to lower budgets

The caller who sees risk playing a larger role than preparation and hard work in today's economy

Paul in Bedford who would rather not retire but might need to.

Officials in Seabrook, New Hampshire broke ground today on construction of a new drinking water treatment plant.

Five million dollars in federal stimulus funds are helping to pay for the project.

As New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton reports, it’s the largest amount of Recovery Act funds any town in the state has received to improve drinking water.

Every morning we wake up, brush our teeth, wash our hair, make a cup of coffee, and ingest thousands of chemicals. From the flame retardants on our bed sheets to the plastic tube surrounding our toothpaste, items we use each day are laden with chemicals. And if you think the Centers for Disease Control weeds out the bad ones, think again.

The FDA requires pharmaceuticals to be tested and the cosmetic industry has a voluntary system for making sure that new eye cream won’t give you a rash, but the chemicals found in many household products are never tested. So, how do we know which chemicals we take in? And what are their long-term effects?

Arianne Cohen is a freelance journalist who describes herself as a “paranoid and curious person.” She decided to have every man-made substance in her body tested through biomonitoring technology. She wrote about the process for Popular Science, and she joins us for a closer look at the chemicals we carry with us.

Popular Science: My Quest To Analyze Every Man-Made Chemical In My Body

New York Times: Chemicals in Our Food, and Bodies

Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database

(Photo courtesy Francisca Ulloa via Flickr/CreativeCommons)