'Gulf Coast Watchers'

Majikthise today is calling attention to the new Internet project called Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch.

Through much of the Gulf Coast coast, there's now an eery silence. The hurricanes have left, the flood waters have receded, and the TV cameras are nearly all gone.

But for the people of the hurricane-ravaged South, the struggle for their region's future has just begun.

While residents are focused on picking up the pieces a handful of powerful interests -- well-connected contractors, unscrupulous developers, and ambitious politicians -- are cutting deals, making plans and seeking to capitalize on the disaster.

But who's watching them? We are.

Today, the Institute for Southern Studies and Southern Exposure have launched an urgent new project to watch-dog what's happening in the Southern Gulf, and promote a more democratic and accountable future: Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch.

It seems almost any reader can help. The Institute invites you to --

• Submit news items or personal stories;


• Offer feedback;


• Register to become a regular contributor;
  
• Recommend the site to others; or


• Subscribe to the award-winning magazine Southern Exposure, or make a financial contribution.

The Institute for Southern Studies is based in Durham, N.C.. For more than thirty years it has had an "established a national reputation as an essential resource for grassroots activists, community leaders, scholars, policy makers and others working to bring lasting social and economic change to the region."