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Wednesday, June 17, 2015

THE WORLD IS RUNNING OUT OF WATER and other uplifting news



The world’s largest underground aquifers

 – a source of fresh water for hundreds of millions of people — 

are being depleted at alarming rates, 

according to new NASA satellite data 

that provides the most detailed picture yet of vital water reserves hidden under the Earth’s surface.

The Dust Bowl of 1933

 Underground aquifers supply 35 percent of the water used by humans worldwide. 

Demand is even greater in times of drought.

 Rain-starved California is currently tapping aquifers for 60 percent of its water use 

as its rivers and above-ground reservoirs dry up, a steep increase from the usual 40 percent.

 Aquifers can take thousands of years to fill up and only slowly recharge with water from snowmelt and rains. 




At least Americans are drinking under a cup of coffee a day.  

Scandinavians, on the other hand, drink over 2 and a half cups a day!  Speaking of which ... I miss Siv Maria


But why do we love the smell of coffee? 

According to science, it’s because coffee contains molecules for almost every attractive scent, 

including sweet, spicy, fruity, floral, smoky and apparently even rotten cabbage 

(for those who are into that).




The last time a black bear was spotted in Indiana was in 1877!   

But paw prints left behind indicated that one had traveled through the state recently.

Did you know that bears tie with sharks and alligators for the number of people killed a year?  

The number is ONE by the way.

The animal most likely to kill you?


That's right:  
cows kill twenty humans a year!


Oops!!  Elephant's Child was right:

Bees kill 58 humans a year!!  Ouch!



Do you know why you hate the sound of your own voice?

Your voice as you hear it when you speak out loud is very different from the voice the rest of the world perceives. 

That's because it comes to you via a different channel than everyone else.

Your body is better at carrying low, rich tones than the air is. 

So when those two sources of sound get combined into one perception of your own voice, it sounds lower and richer. 


Something similar is going on when we see a photo of ourselves.

We think of ourselves as who we see in mirrors, but in mirror images our bodies are flipped. 

Because most faces are pretty asymmetrical (under close observation, anyway), 

a flip can create really jarring changes. 

That's why you might wince at photos that show the real you instead of a mirror image.

Looking at yourself in the mirror becomes a firm impression. 

You have that familiarity. Familiarity breeds liking. 

You’ve established a preference for that look of your face.

So it should come as no surprise that being reminded that our faces 

-- and voices -- 

are slightly different than we think them to be can be a bit unnerving.

Now, don't you feel more informed? 
:-)

16 comments:

  1. I'm not liking that water thing. As it's currently raining here. Sometimes, if someone makes coffee before I'm awake, in my drowsy state it smells sort of like poop. Like, one of my dogs took a dump. But then I'll still drink the coffee black haha

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    1. Yes, that water wold shortage is a bit unnerving when you think it takes thousands of years to fill those water bins!

      I say that if coffee tasted as good as it smells (obviously it does not smell like poop to me!) I would drink it. I drink hot tea by the way. :-)

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    2. It IS unnerving! :(

      It only smells like that for a little while as I adjust to being awake. It's unfortunate. Otherwise, it smells awesome! Typically, I'm a hot tea drinker though too. Right now, I'm on my second cup of honeyed green tea. Last night I had several cups of Irish breakfast tea, a little milk & a little sugar. Good stuff!

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  2. The water issue is something that is building and building, but no one wan't to do without their swimming pools, lawn watering, etc. You'd think food and people watering would be important. Water is used for so much, that I wince when I see someone washing their paved driveways. . .so much is wasted using our modern conveniences: pools, pressure washing, etc. I'd miss my coffee and daily drinking water most of all. And don't forget the ice caps are melting somewhat too, as a result of more of man's carelessness.

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  3. Living in a dry country I am well aware just how precious water is. We have just had some very welcome rain, but the dry times will come again. And again.
    I suspect that bees kill even more people than cows do. And people kill yet more... Many of us are afraid of sharks and bears. Not enough of us are afraid of our own species.

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    1. Water is so very precious and may soon be the new gold ... it is hard to drink gold!

      You are right! Bees kill 58 humans a year and dogs kill 28. Down, Fido!

      You are right again in that it is Man who kills his own in bloody masses. :-(

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  4. Living in the West, I can tell you that water has always been an issue. But it's not just about misusing water, it's too many people living in bone-dry places like Nevada or southern Arizona or parts of California.

    Me, I've always been a tea drinker and don't care for coffee, but then I'm a weirdo.

    I also believe the fact about cows, having once been chased out of a field by a bull.

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    1. Man lives where it is unwise and wonders why he gets into trouble! Hey! I drink tea, and I am unique not a weirdo -- :-)

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  5. I don't drink coffee, but I do drink six to eight bottles of water a day.
    I also miss Siv.
    I think the shark off our coast is trying to up the count.

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    1. Drinking that much water is good for you, seeing as we are 3/4 water!! I think I will drop SiV Maria a note.

      And yes, that particular shark is trying to catch up with those cows!!

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  6. Oh I love this little set of trivia you have here. Man, Michigan has had Way more than enough water this spring. I wish there was a way to funnel it directly into those aquifers and bypass the basements.

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    1. Wouldn't it be nice to funnel Michigan's and Louisiana's rain fall into those aquifers?

      I try to make each post a bit different but still entertaining -- I am happy you liked this one. :-)

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  7. Another reason my landlord needs to fix our leaky shower head.

    And revenge of the cows! As a vegetarian I find it entertaining that they come in second.

    Self perception is a very strange thing and almost never correlates with how others perceive us. Lesson? Stop caring

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  8. Great post! Out west our bridges cover dry beds - in anticipation of our hundred year floods - I love coffee in the morning and am unashamed to admit I have two cups! Then it's water all day - hey, I live in the desert! :-) Speaking of gazing in the mirror, there's a saying that goes "Familiarity breeds contempt" - ha! I was shocked to hear my own voice when I recorded "Goodnight Moon" for my grandson. I wanted to destroy it but my daughter wasn't having it :-)

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    1. Those bridges must look eerie ... until they are needed! Hot tea for me. :-) Of course your daughter wanted to keep the recording of your voice -- it was what she grew up with. Thanks for visiting. Have a great weekend. Me? I will be working solo all weekend. Ugh!!

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  9. Hi Roland .. the earth and humanity is in a sorry state.

    Cows - strange, but these be a co-incidence today ... funny old life .. but water is much more important for us all.

    Cheers Hilary

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