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I tend to be the collector of obscure facts.

Such as the five percent rule for drug smuggling. The rule is that you only catch five percent of all the drugs smuggled across your border. Sometimes you get more. Sometimes you get less, but generally you only get five percent.

In other countries, like Russia, it’s actually worse.

What prompted this Little stream of consciousness is a bit of BBC reporting on the IAEA’s (International Atomic Energy Agency) attempts to secure radioactive materials and suppress the smuggling of those materials.

I tend to be the collector of obscure facts.

Such as the five percent rule for drug smuggling. The rule is that you only catch five percent of all the drugs smuggled across your border. Sometimes you get more. Sometimes you get less, but generally you only get five percent.

In other countries, like Russia, it’s actually worse.

What prompted this Little stream of consciousness is a bit of BBC reporting on the IAEA’s (International Atomic Energy Agency) attempts to secure radioactive materials and suppress the smuggling of those materials.

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The desert breeds a certain kind of person.

Deserts are harsh and unforgiving. Deserts consume the weak. Deserts demand everything that you have, and then a little more.

When you live in the desert, you live by desert rules, and if you forget those rules… you die.

However, desert rules don’t apply everywhere. It’s not necessary to live by desert rules in the rain forests of Africa and Southeast Asia. Desert rules don’t make sense in the fertile plains of the American Midwest.

In fact, Desert Rules only apply… in the desert.

The desert breeds a certain kind of person.

Deserts are harsh and unforgiving. Deserts consume the weak. Deserts demand everything that you have, and then a little more.

When you live in the desert, you live by desert rules, and if you forget those rules… you die.

However, desert rules don’t apply everywhere. It’s not necessary to live by desert rules in the rain forests of Africa and Southeast Asia. Desert rules don’t make sense in the fertile plains of the American Midwest.

In fact, Desert Rules only apply… in the desert.

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Got sick again. Can you believe it?

That’s why I’ve been so spotty with my blogging. However, I should be entering a quiet patch in November which should allow me to be more consistant.

Why November?

Well, I’m running around like a crazy person, trying to get everything ready for a major trip to the US. Some things are going smoothly. Some things aren’t.

When it rains, it pours.

Of course in Israel, that is both true and a blessing.

Got sick again. Can you believe it?

That’s why I’ve been so spotty with my blogging. However, I should be entering a quiet patch in November which should allow me to be more consistant.

Why November?

Well, I’m running around like a crazy person, trying to get everything ready for a major trip to the US. Some things are going smoothly. Some things aren’t.

When it rains, it pours.

Of course in Israel, that is both true and a blessing.

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note: Well, having been dumped off of my plane, I get to write the post that I should have written yesterday morning. I will be trying again THIS morning to actually make it on a plane. We’ll see.

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I’ve made the point about the connection between water and war.

But, the point is really more about sophistication. It’s about societal development.

There are A LOT of reasons why societies don’t develop, and it seems that most of them are concentrated in the countries in our neighborhood. Egypt is one of the most corrupt countries on the planet. The Syrians are viciously repressive of their people. The Lebanese are constantly on the brink of civil war.

note: Well, having been dumped off of my plane, I get to write the post that I should have written yesterday morning. I will be trying again THIS morning to actually make it on a plane. We’ll see.

———— 

I’ve made the point about the connection between water and war.

But, the point is really more about sophistication. It’s about societal development.

There are A LOT of reasons why societies don’t develop, and it seems that most of them are concentrated in the countries in our neighborhood. Egypt is one of the most corrupt countries on the planet. The Syrians are viciously repressive of their people. The Lebanese are constantly on the brink of civil war.

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You know where water comes from. EVERYONE knows where water comes from. You turn a faucet and out it comes, delightfully crystal clear. As much as you want.

Unfortunately, 1.5 billion people in the world can’t do that – at least with anything that is clean and delightfully crystal clear.

However, drinking water isn’t the point.

It takes a thousand tons of water to produce one ton of wheat. Think about that the next time you go to the supermarket. That one pound bag of flour represents a thousand pounds of water.

You know where water comes from. EVERYONE knows where water comes from. You turn a faucet and out it comes, delightfully crystal clear. As much as you want.

Unfortunately, 1.5 billion people in the world can’t do that – at least with anything that is clean and delightfully crystal clear.

However, drinking water isn’t the point.

It takes a thousand tons of water to produce one ton of wheat. Think about that the next time you go to the supermarket. That one pound bag of flour represents a thousand pounds of water.

Read Full Post »