Has anyone ever explained the meaning of cost benefit analysis to you?

Answer: Sadly, No!

Read this and weep:

The number of terrorism incidents in Iraq — and resulting deaths, injuries and kidnappings — skyrocketed from 2005 to 2006, according to statistics released by U.S. counterterrorism officials yesterday.

Of the 14,338 reported terrorist attacks worldwide last year, 45 percent took place in Iraq, and 65 percent of the global fatalities stemming from terrorism occurred in Iraq. In 2005, Iraq accounted for 30 percent of the worldwide terrorist attacks.
[...]
Almost all of those incidents involved the death, injury or kidnapping of at least one person. All told, the number of people killed, injured or kidnapped as a result of terrorism in Iraq jumped 87 percent, from 20,685 to 38,713.

But here's the money quote:

The State Department’s annual report — which included an assessment of the five years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — said the invasion of Iraq has brought “measurable benefits,” including the removal of “an abusive totalitarian regime with a history of sponsoring and supporting regional terrorism.”

**headdesk**

Holy crap!

The FDA has expanded the warnings regarding vegetable protein from China:

IA #99-29, 4/27/07, IMPORT ALERT #99-29,

"DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF ALL VEGETABLE PROTEIN PRODUCTS FROM CHINA FOR ANIMAL OR HUMAN FOOD USE DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF MELAMINE AND/OR MELAMINE ANALOGS"

TYPE OF ALERT: Detention Without Physical Examination (Countrywide)[...]

PRODUCTS: Wheat Gluten Rice Gluten Rice Protein Rice Protein Concentrate Corn Gluten Corn Gluten Meal Corn By-Products Soy Protein Soy Gluten Proteins (includes amino acids and protein hydrosylates) Mung Bean Protein

PROBLEM: Poisonous or Deleterious Substance Unfit For Food Unsafe Food Additive

PAF: PES COUNTRY: China (CN) MANUFACTURER/SHIPPER: All

CHARGES: "The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to section 801(a)(3) in that it appears to bear or contain a poisonous or deleterious substance, which may render it injurious to health [Adulteration, section 402(a)(1)]"

Me and my veggie friends and relatives are so completely and utterly fucked by this I can't even begin to tell you. Oh and I wouldn't recommend getting that protein boost at Jamba if I were you either.

And on the animal front it's looking even worse, according to the Feds:

This has been one of the largest pet food recalls in history, a recall that continues to expand. Thus far, 18 firms have recalled product, 17 Class I and 1 class II, covering over 5,300 product lines. As of April 26, 2007, FDA had received over 17,000 consumer complaints relating to this outbreak, and those complaints included reports of approximately 1950 deaths of cats and 2200 deaths of dogs.

The Pet Connection blog is an excellent place to read more about this, they've been covering the story from the beginning and were predicting the much higher numbers of fatalities we're seeing today while everybody else was talking about a few deaths here and there. Scary stuff.