WATER WE WAITING FOR?

The news broke this week that 36 states in the United States could see a water shortage within five years. More intensively, Atlanta is now dealing with a real-world, right-now water shortage, and one Tennessee town has already run out of water, having to restrict its availability to 3 hours a day.

It's clear that there is an overall water emergency, although its effects will be felt by different people in different localities at different times. But once it hits a community, measures such as not washing your car for a while will only stave off the inevitable for a tiny bit. Meanwhile, there's one long-term, nationwide measure that gets zero news coverage, even though it would, by the most meat-industry-friendly estimate, triple the availability of freshwater (more realistic assessments put the ratio between 20 and 100 to 1): STOP EATING ANIMALS.

Oh noes! Not that! Our precious habits! Such a radical solution!

Fine... call me back when you're ready to admit there's an emergency.