I’m a little too busy with work to write today, so here is some of what I’ve been reading:

Puppy mills face greater scrutiny [USA Today]

The Humane Society estimates that at least 10,000 U.S. puppy mills, most of them unlicensed and unmonitored, are producing up to 4 million puppies a year. “That’s about twice as many as in the mid-’90s,” says the ASPCA’s Bob Baker, who has investigated such mills since 1980.

White Guilt, White Resentment [Rachel's Tavern]

Why do white people believe that people of color are conspiring to make them feel guilty? Personally, I prefer a world where white people are guiltless, proud of who they are and free of petulant resentfulness of an invisible enemy. But “they’re trying to make me feel guilty” is such an incredibly popular meme. Below is my attempt to explain why it’s so popular. What kind of appeal does it hold, and when do white people start believing it and incorporating it into their worldview?

A veg movement [AnimalBlawg]

What we need is a strong, nonhierarchical, informal set of structures that connect closely knit cells of activists. This structure fosters innovation and creates the possibility for real and lasting change. I’m not going to gripe from the sidelines, and neither should you. We are going to do our part to build that cell of activists right now, wherever we are.

Easy ways to cut your energy use, one day at a time [Grist]
This is a list of seven things that really are easy and doable on a regular basis (and most of them also save you money).

18 Years on and Exxon Still Won’t Pay $2.5 Billion for Valdez Oil Spill [AlterNet]

The Supreme Court’s recent decision to hear ExxonMobil’s reasons to void the $2.5 billion punitive award in the Exxon Valdez case hit the town of Cordova, Alaska, hard. This small coastal fishing community — my hometown — along with the Alaska Native villages in Prince William Sound have borne the brunt of the largest crude oil spill in America’s waters; a spill that took place more than 18 years ago, but one that continues to hold the region hostage.

Carbon Offsets: The New Cure for Enviroguilt [AlterNet]

Carbon offset fees may be new, but the underlying notion goes back to the Middle Ages, when the Catholic Church sold wealthy people indulgences to offset the spiritual cost of their sins.

NICARAGUA: At-Risk Pregnancy Means Death or Prison [IPS]

Nearly 90 women have died in Nicaragua as a direct or indirect result of the repeal, one year ago, of the legislation permitting abortion in cases of risk to the mother’s health, according to women’s and human rights groups.

Why Detention Conditions for Immgirants Should Concern All Americans [NIJC]

An inmate died last week in a Minnesota county jail that contracts with the U.S. government to hold immigrant detainees. Family members say the death was the result of medical neglect. A group that has campaigned for justice for an immigrant woman who died at the jail last year say the jail is violating international standards of human rights.

Plan Mexico [Foreign Policy in Focus]

According to the terms of the security aid package, there is virtually no difference between an international terrorist, a migrant farmworker, a political protestor, and a drug trafficker. The most unexpected and pernicious feature of Plan Mexico is that it targets all these groups indiscriminately. Lumping together all “transnational threats” and stripping them of any social or historical context creates a broad definition of security in the region and justifies a blanket regional security strategy.

Save Arctic habitat from drilling [The Action Blog]

The Bush Administration wants to sacrifice one of the world’s most important ecosystems in Arctic Alaska to the oil industry. We need your help to stop this shortsighted plan.