Saturday, December 21

Tag: water

Would You Drink ‘Waste Water’ Made Beer?
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IN OTHER NEWS

Would You Drink ‘Waste Water’ Made Beer?

As the Earth’s population grows and approaches a projected 9.7 billion by 2050, the world’s freshwaters will face mounting pressure to supply the needs of population growth. Approximately 33 per cent of people do not have access to safe drinking water and a similar number do not have access to proper sanitation — numbers that will increase as populations grow. In addition, climate change is predicted to increase the severity of floods and droughts, which in some places will limit water availability and reduce water quality. In some Canadian watersheds, like the South Saskatchewan River Basin in southern Alberta, licences for new water withdrawals — for municipal, agricultural, industrial or other uses — have reached their limit. To continue to sustain or grow populations — and economies —...
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The Water Dancer: A Potent Book About America’s Most Disgraceful Sin
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BOOKS

The Water Dancer: A Potent Book About America’s Most Disgraceful Sin

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • From the National Book Award–winning author of Between the World and Me, a boldly conjured debut novel about a magical gift, a devastating loss, and an underground war for freedom. “This potent book about America’s most disgraceful sin establishes [Ta-Nehisi Coates] as a first-rate novelist.”—San Francisco Chronicle NOMINATED FOR THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD • NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST NOVELS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • NPR • The Washington Post • Chicago Tribune • Vanity Fair • Esquire • Good Housekeeping • Paste • Town & Country • The New York Public Library • Kirkus Reviews • Library Journal “Nearly every paragraph is laced through with dense, gorgeously evocative descriptions of a vanished wor...
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The Sweetness Of Water – An Instant New York Times Bestseller
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BOOKS

The Sweetness Of Water – An Instant New York Times Bestseller

Nathan Harris - The Sweetness of Water AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER / AN OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK​ PRESIDENT OBAMA’S SUMMER 2021 READING LIST Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize In the spirit of The Known World and The Underground Railroad, “a miraculous debut” (Washington Post)​ and “a towering achievement of imagination” (CBS This Morning)about the unlikely bond between two freedmen who are brothers and the Georgia farmer whose alliance will alter their lives, and his, forever—from “a storyteller with bountiful insight and assurance” (Kirkus) A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice A July Indie Next Pick In the waning days of the Civil War, brothers Prentiss and Landry—freed by the Emancipation Proclamation—seek refuge on the homestead of George Walker and his wife, Isabe...
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Who May Be In Hot Water With The SEC – Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg
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IN OTHER NEWS

Who May Be In Hot Water With The SEC – Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg

Jena Martin, West Virginia University The Wall Street Journal recently revealed that Facebook treats users’ posts differently depending on their wealth, privilege and status. That and other findings based on internal Facebook documents may be troubling enough, but the social network’s bigger problem could be the Securities and Exchange Commission. The documents suggest Facebook presented different, contradictory versions of these policies in public and private. From a securities regulation standpoint, any big lie could potentially defraud investors and invite an investigation – especially when the company involved is Facebook. I’m a legal scholar who spent five years as an enforcement attorney at the SEC, the agency that protects investors and regulates securities. Let me explain secur...
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Yielding Water, Land, Air And Climate Payoffs By Installing Solar Panels Over California’s Canals
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ENVIRONMENT

Yielding Water, Land, Air And Climate Payoffs By Installing Solar Panels Over California’s Canals

Climate change and water scarcity are front and center in the western U.S. The region’s climate is warming, a severe multi-year drought is underway and groundwater supplies are being overpumped in many locations. Western states are pursuing many strategies to adapt to these stresses and prepare for the future. These include measures to promote renewable energy development, conserve water, and manage natural and working lands more sustainably. As engineers working on climate-smart solutions, we’ve found an easy win-win for both water and climate in California with what we call the “solar canal solution.” About 4,000 miles of canals transport water to some 35 million Californians and 5.7 million acres of farmland across the state. Covering these canals with solar panels would reduce evapor...
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Unlikely To Work Anyway But Why Wall Street Investors’ Trading California Water Futures Is Nothing To Fear
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LIFESTYLE

Unlikely To Work Anyway But Why Wall Street Investors’ Trading California Water Futures Is Nothing To Fear

Water is one of the world’s most vital resources. So is there reason to freak out now that profit-hungry hedge funds and other investors can trade it like a barrel of oil or shares of Apple? That’s exactly what CME Group recently did in California when it launched the world’s first futures market for water in December 2020. Put simply, a futures market lets people place bets on the future price of water. Some people worry Wall Street’s involvement in trading water will disenfranchise the water rights of rural communities and lead to more scarcity of an already dwindling resource, thus driving up the price everyone pays. As researchers who study commodity markets and the economics of water resources, we believe there are many benefits of a well-functioning water futures market, especial...
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As The Climate Warms Two-Thirds Of Earth’s Land Is On Pace To Lose Water – That’s A Problem For The People, Crops And Forests
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ENVIRONMENT

As The Climate Warms Two-Thirds Of Earth’s Land Is On Pace To Lose Water – That’s A Problem For The People, Crops And Forests

The world watched with a sense of dread in 2018 as Cape Town, South Africa, counted down the days until the city would run out of water. The region’s surface reservoirs were going dry amid its worst drought on record, and the public countdown was a plea for help. By drastically cutting their water use, Cape Town residents and farmers were able to push back “Day Zero” until the rain came, but the close call showed just how precarious water security can be. California also faced severe water restrictions during its recent multiyear drought. And Mexico City is now facing water restrictions after a year with little rain. There are growing concerns that many regions of the world will face water crises like these in the coming decades as rising temperatures exacerbate drought conditions. Unde...
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After Wildfires Plastic Pipes Are Polluting Drinking Water Systems – It’s A Risk In Urban Fires, Too
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ENVIRONMENT

After Wildfires Plastic Pipes Are Polluting Drinking Water Systems – It’s A Risk In Urban Fires, Too

When wildfires swept through the hills near Santa Cruz, California, in 2020, they released toxic chemicals into the water supplies of at least two communities. One sample found benzene, a carcinogen, at 40 times the state’s drinking water standard. Our testing has now confirmed a source of these chemicals, and it’s clear that wildfires aren’t the only blazes that put drinking water systems at risk. In a new study, we heated plastic water pipes commonly used in buildings and water systems to test how they would respond to nearby fires. The results, released Dec. 14, show how easily wildfires could trigger widespread drinking water contamination. They also show the risks when only part of a building catches fire and the rest remains in use. In some of our tests, heat exposure caused more ...
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Several schools find harmful bacteria in water systems, reminding all reopening buildings to check the pipes
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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Several schools find harmful bacteria in water systems, reminding all reopening buildings to check the pipes

As schools cautiously reopen for the fall semester, several have discovered potentially harmful bacteria in their water systems. Parents are likely concerned about what this means for their children, and other districts may be checking their own water’s safety. Schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania have already found Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, in their water systems. Andrew Whelton/Purdue University, CC BY-ND As researchers who investigate water quality in buildings, we warned earlier this year that the pandemic stay-at-home orders could allow bacteria and harmful metals to accumulate in water as it sat unused in buildings’ pipes. Some building managers looked for those problems as they reopened and found them. More than 10 schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania hav...
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