"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink..."
It's from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - when the Ancient Mariner is stuck in the middle of the sea.
Planet Earth has a total surface area of close to 197 million square miles. Most of this surface is covered by water. Most of this water is salty or in the form of ice and thus is not directly usable by humans. About 97% of the total water on earth is in the oceans or salt lakes. Another 2% of the total amount is locked up in the form of ice; so that is to say that we humans only have ONE per cent of the water to use and re-use over and over again!! And, of this 1%, agriculture takes seventy per cent; thus leaving for the population on the globe just 30 per cent (of that one per cent) of the water to 'indulge' in!
It is estimated that at any given time only about 1/3 of 1% of the total water on earth can be used by humans for agriculture or human consumption!!(pages.prodigy.net/jhonig..)
Did you know that more than five million people die from waterborne diseases each year - 10 times the number killed in wars around the globe. (BBC online on article, Water scarcity: A looming crisis?) Here is a Quiz:World Water crisis. Go on, have a go and see how you will do on it. Intriguing information methinks. '
Another rather amusing article I read in a newspaper about a scientifically made testing about some of the bottled waters on the market versus the tap water in Helsinki. Guess which one came on top as the best? Tap water in Helsinki, believe it or not! Certainly tis true that the water on tap here in Finland is both very tasty and very clean – so far, so good, that is.
Fabulous pic as usual, Rii. Can we get Helsinki water here? I've searched through my supermarket. Maybe you should market it? Or are you trying to keep it all for yourself?
Great shots Rii as ive grown to expect from you...and the rain drop that you taste on your tongue took how long to complet its cycle from the moment it fell last? jgh
amazing information eye blaring photograph excellent i cannot match with your expressions but i have to do justice being your friend in the comment portion. u and i are not going to perhaps see this. if last century was fight for petrol this century is said to be a fight for water a master of masters has predicted that "people shall kill each other for want of that drop of that water" yes your first sentence holds good in the light of the environmental upkeep as u blogged naturally i am happy to learn that Finnish capital maintains the very best tap water to the public.
Such a peaceful and engaging photo you've posted, along with (as always) something informative and "newsy"! I took the water quiz, and managed just half of the answers correct -- but I learned something along the way. Thanks, Rii!
Water is indeed so very important to us all and only a small percentage of the available water can be used for consumption. Thanks for your explanation about water with the lovely serene photo!
wow, I was not aware of those statistics - ty for sharing !! I for one am going to be a lot more careful re water usage from now on ! great photo , very peaceful and serene
at first I didn't find these pictures all that fascinating but with the added info I was totally speechless....the history, the boats, the stories and I couldn't help but think of another being who looked rather plain or ordinary as well.... but my what a life HE lead and how blessed we are. Thanks for sharing these photo's. I'm going to save this page to my favorites and share these with my seminary students.....WOW!........ http://celestialdragonfly13.multiply.com/journal/item/30/PICTURE_PERFECT
Wow! I guess I'll have to go see that some day. My daughter and son-in-law will be living in Jordan, and this is close by. Thank you for all the information, too! I was sure I'd see a shot of a Finnish lake, or maybe the Baltic sea! You surprised me!
Wow, brilliant Rii! as usual ;) That lake looks so peaceful... that makes me want to be in one of those boats! I didn't do the quiz, but I enjoyed the video! I can imagine you dancing there as well ;))) Thanks again for another fantastic entry!
Neat picture. Nice vacation I loved the visit... lilangelwolf... Thanks for the time you spent at my place. I posted a new picture as the river swelled over night and the Trail tree is now under water... Unbelievable what a few hours will do. lilangelwolf
Rii you made me jelous of you having such tap water as we are depriving heredue to the lack of enough snow and rain. Wonderful picture with suc information and nice videos.Thank you.
Wow, what can I say? Great blog. There is so much interesting information here. The photograph is so beautiful too. This one is quite the inspiration. Thank you for sharing it.
So much history around you in that picture Rii. Did you sing as well as dance to "Mayim Mayim"? The statistics on the water use is downright scary, I had no idea that little water is used by all of us, excluding the agriculture. And so many from water borne disease, that is mind boggling!!!
Beautiful photo with such historical richness, Rii. Thank you also for such interesting facts about water... I had a feeling that Helsinki tap water would be better. LOL
Hope you'll drop by tomorrow when mine will be ready... Friday early in the morning, California time... as usual. :-)
i cannot believe that!!! i am flabergasted!! we used to dance that when i was a kid and we would sing ''maye maye maye'' i did not know where it came from, thank you so much for sharing this video...beautiful picture of the lake...and ty again for bringning back those memories...
I have a sea of Galilee shot in my collection too. I have not been there since the 1970's. I think we danced the Mayim at a friend's wedding. This is a great share.
Not only a gorgeous photo, but also a great blog, Rii!! What a wonderful job you've done here!! Thank you very much for sharing!! Hope you have a great weekend!
The water seems to go on forever. Very interesting statistics about the rarity of water available for consumption. Many people never think about things like that. They simply think that as long as they can turn on a faucet, there's gonna be water.
Wonderful picture. And thank you for the information. Makes one realize why it's so important to stop polluting our waters, especially with so little of it availabe for our consumption.
That is one cool shot in the middle of a very nice place to be, Rii. Thanks for sharing the picture and the information of the place. Always a treat! Thanks also for visiting mine... Have a wonderful weekend up there! *hugs*
Hey Rii. Liked the picture and you were very informative. I just saw this in today's paper, (chicago suntimes), thought it might fit in with your post:
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Finding a joke about water is tougher than it seems, but the search coughed up this gem from Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary, which makes up in subtle wisdom what it lacks in humor:
OCEAN, n. A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man -- who has no gills.
Magnificent as always Rii...... I just love looking at water, I suspect because there is so little of it where I live! Interesting facts too! Thank you for visiting! :-)
It must be fascinating to walk there and know what biblical history (if you believe) this area holds. It's a very peaceful scene and interesting info on the bottled water. I think some times we're buying into a bill of goods. Super shot!! Mine is up too if you get a chance.... http://dakotabbw.multiply.com/journal/item/62/Picture_Perfect_Theme_Water
Thanks for stopping by to see my picture. I was good to hear from you after I've been off-line so long. Hope to see more of your writing and photos. This is a great post.
I guess the Golan Heights is the flat side with no foliage of any kind? I didn't realize they were so barren. What a contrast from one side of the sea to the other.
I love the dance too. They do a similar one at the Greek festival here each year.
