What's The Thirstiest You've Ever Been? Just Askin'.

The Environmental News Network (ENN) has a story about what's happening to our water supplies. No, you won't hear about this on CNN or ABC. They're too busy discussing American Idol and which brand of BBQ sauce is best for Your! Summer! Cookout! Notwithstanind the absolute primacy of such fascintating information, you may want to be aware that: According to United Nations reports, in the past 70 years, the world’s population has tripled. During that time, global water use has increased six-fold. This huge increase in water demand means in many parts of the world the well has already run dry.

By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may be subject to moderate to high water stress. By 2050, 4 billion people may have less than the 50 liters of water per day considered necessary by the U.N. to meet basic drinking, sanitation, and cooking needs.

Let me repeat that. By 2025, two-thirds of the wold'spopulation may not have enough water. This is 2006. 2025 is, the way that Sister Mary Michael taught me to do arithmetic, only 19 years away. I'm fifty. That means that if, as many American women, I live to be 69, I'll live in that world. It means that my grandson will be entering college in that water-stressed world. How old will you be in 2025? How old will your children be?

Think that the people living in the parts of the world even now running dry are going to stay quietly in place and die of thirst? Me, either.

One final note. Guess what business Enron was buying into in the months before it went bankrupt??? Electricity? Nope. Broadband?? Nope. Guess again. Water. Private ownership of the world's water supplies and the opportunity to commoditize it. Think Enron was the only company with this notion and that now that Enron's gone bankrupt no one else will try such a thing? Me, either.