Water Resources: A Concern For Us?

According to Water Partners International, approximately 1 billion people lack potable drinking water. The result is disease, illness and in cases death. When we go to our faucets we fully expect that the water will run freely and it will be safe to drink. However, there are practices in the United States that may change that expectation for some. The link I have provided is a NY Times article about "water banking" where farmers negotiate with city or county governments for the rights to siphon off water to reserve in case of drought etc. In some areas this means that local residents may find that the water tables are adversely impacted and they could find themselves with out water. So what does this mean for you? With climate change, early melts, rapidly moving water sources and the like, this kind of water banking may become more and more prevalent, which means that we have put a proprietary cost on drinking water. It is important that we think about the long term impacts of such practices and how we might fortify our infrastructures to be able to provide clean drinking water to citizens while preserving the agricultural industry.

Swampland | Political insight from the Beltway and beyond

Swampland | Political insight from the Beltway and beyond

Stories of the debt crisis have saturated headlines for days. While it is easy to get desensitized to the issue, the sense of urgency with which this topic is being reported is not unwarranted. As a twenty-something student, discussions of entitlement spending, Medicare, military expenditures and the like may not seem to strike a resonant chord with you, but it should. Education has been the subject of much debate during this crisis, most specifically subsidized student loans, which most of you receive, may be on the chopping block. Such a move could save the government a considerable sum, but it means that students would accumulate a great deal more debt over the course of four years. Decisions made at the federal level do not happen in a vacuum, regardless of the outcome between now and August 2, cuts will eventually have to be made. Inform yourselves, decide what is important to continue to fund and be an advocate for your cause. For additional reading click on the heading (it is a link to a story that is one of many that outline the debt crisis).

Things You Should Care About

So many of my students have suggested I "get with it" and blog on a regular basis. Well I intend to do just that! But, of course, it will have an educational bent. Beginning with the school year I will begin to blog on "Things You Should Care About" where I will pick a news story of the day and articulate why you, as students (and anyone else for that matter) should care about the story!