It has been raining at our Hillsdale, NY headquarters for days and days and days - with a few minutes of occasional sunshine.

Now we know how our friends in Seattle feel.

BTW, "Here Comes The Rain Again" by The Eurythmics - Annie Lennox and David Stewart are fantastic in this video - equating falling rain with love.

Here is what the wikipedia page says ...

Here Comes the Rain Again" is a song by British pop duo Eurythmics. It was written by group members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart. The song was released as the third single in the UK from the album Touch and in the United States as the first single. It became Eurythmics' second Top 10 U.S. hit, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. "Here Comes the Rain Again" hit number eight in the UK singles chart, becoming their fifth consecutive Top 10 single in that country.

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From the obviously good news department - the great state of Oregon has just passed a law proclaiming the legality of reusing bath and kitchen water on gardens.

Reusing bath, laundry and sink water used to be illegal in eco-friendly Oregon, but no more.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed a bill today that makes it OK to replumb your house to capture so-called "gray water" as a way to save water and dollars.

"This will allow us to water our garden with our bath water. It's very simple," said Brenna Bell, a citizen activist working to change state codes that block environmental practices. 

While some people might be concerned about the discussion of sewage in water - please note that poopy diapers in the water classify the water as blackwater - this bill is for greywater.

To jump in to Greywater see - here - and - here. Then see the greywater "How To" flick from the great Greywater Guerillas.

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So what does the WaterMan do when in Crystal City, VA - he looks for water fountains - and I found an awesome one in the Crystal City Water Park. Here are some shots I took with my trusty i-Phone.

Hey, if Adrian Cronauer - the guy made famous in "Good Morning Vietnam" - starts off his walking tour of Crystal City at the Crystal City Water Park - then this fountain has to be good.

It actually makes for a great interlude in this shiny, friendly prefab corporate community in Arlington, VA - just a 10 minute cab ride from the big memorials of historic Washington, DC.

Just walk to Crystal Drive and 18th Street - and get ready for a peaceful respite amidst the concrete jungle.

Just 5 minutes and your mind and soul will be refreshed ...

Wanna see where it is - gust go to the map. Here are some more pics. If you gotta minute - check it out. 

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Dreamy, somber, conflicted and passionate at the same time, Blue October uses water in a way that touches our common humanity. I especially liked this live video.

They made a huge splash on the music scene with "Into The Ocean" - which they played during an opener for The Rolling Stones on November 14, 2006, in Boise, Idaho.

The music video for the song debuted at number three on VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown during the show's final week of 2006 and reached the number one spot in mid-February 2007.

From Blue October's Wikipedia page ...

Blue October is a rock band originally from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and currently consists of Justin Furstenfeld (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Jeremy Furstenfeld (drums, percussion), Ryan Delahoussaye (violin/viola, mandolin, piano, backing vocals), C.B. Hudson (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Matt Noveskey (bass guitar, backing vocals).

Some lyrics ...

I'm just a normal boy
That sank when I fell overboard
My ship would leave the country
But I'd rather swim ashore

Without a life vest I'd be stuck again
Wish I was much more masculine
Maybe then I could learn to swim
Like 'fourteen miles away'

Now floating up and down
I spin, colliding into sound
Like whales beneath me diving down
I'm sinking to the bottom of my
Everything that freaks me out
The lighthouse beam has just run out
I'm cold as cold as cold can be 

I want to swim away but don't know how
Sometimes it feels just like I'm falling in the ocean
Let the waves up take me down
Let the hurricane set in motion... yeah
Let the rain of what I feel right now...come down
Let the rain come down

For all the lyrics go here ...

Don't end it all ... Its just the beginning.

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South Africa's move creates millions of happy campers. Oooh, how cute. FYI, hat tip to my friends at The Good News Network - who tipped us off to this great news.

South Africa has proclaimed a vast new marine protected area, spanning 180,000 square kilometres, around the Prince Edward Islands in the Southern Ocean. This has paved the way for increased conservation and protection of vulnerable species such as albatrosses, penguins, seals, and killer whales.

Minister of Environmental Affairs Marthinus van Schalkwyk gazetted the proposal in early May 2009. This followed a five-year planning process during which the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (Deat) worked closely with the local chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to establish the framework for the valuable area.

Nothing beyond amazing, especially for the islands' inhabitants - including albatrosses, penguins, killer whales and seals. The area being protected is the size of Oklahoma in the USA - wow.

This will be South Africa's first off shore preserve - Prince Edward Islands - made up of the smaller Prince Edward Island and the larger Marion Island - is about 1,770 kilometers or about 950 nautical miles from mainland South Africa.

The preserve will be working closely with the WWF - The World Wildlife Fund and the South African counterpart - WWF - Sanlam Living Waters Partnership.

Sit back and watch this BBC video from one of the protected area's island's - Marion Island ... (For the faint of heart - please note - there is some fighting between seals and penguins)

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We were at a party ... Dancing to water music and that awesome cowbell.

What makes this video so cool is that it was filmed before the B52's got famous. They were stil a cult band. Check out the prehistoric mosh pit.

From Wikipedia ...

"Rock Lobster" is The B-52's' first single, released in 1978 and in a longer version placed on the band's self-titled debut album, The B-52's, one year later. It has become one of their signature tunes, and it helped launch the band's success.

Can you think of a more fun way to learn about water? - well not really. But funny, funky sounds anyway.

OK kids, its true this is what your parent's danced to in the 80's. Don't think too much ... just shake it baby. Be real, you love it too.

And remember, old rock bands never die, they just get better.

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What were they thinking? The village officials of Crestwood, IL have some splaining to do.

The Chicago Tribune covered the story ...

Like every town across the nation, south suburban Crestwood tucks a notice into utility bills each summer reassuring residents their drinking water is safe. Village leaders also trumpet the claim in their monthly newsletter, while boasting they offer the cheapest water rates in Cook County.

Pinching pennies makes for bad water policy.

As village officials were building a national reputation for pinching pennies, and sending out fliers proclaiming Crestwood water was "Good to taste but not to waste!," state and village records obtained by the newspaper show they secretly were drawing water from a contaminated well, apparently to save money.

But those pronouncements hide a troubling reality: For more than two decades, the 11,000 or so residents in this working-class community unknowingly drank tap water contaminated with toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other health problems, a Tribune investigation found.

What were these chemicals?

The well water is polluted with two chemicals related to perchloroethylene, or PCE, a dry-cleaning solvent linked to cancer, liver damage and neurological problems.

But no worries, my friends - Crestwood Mayor hired a PR company to clean up the mess - Oh, really?

In response to a Tribune investigation that revealed Crestwood's secret use of a well polluted with cancer-causing chemicals, Mayor Robert Stranczek has hired a public relations firm and prepared to send letters to every village resident and business.

Will the public relations consultants dress in hazmat uniforms? ... read on ...

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As a public service, I will be posting important water quotes from world leaders. Here is the first...

"Every human should have the idea of taking care of the environment, of nature, of water. So using too much or wasting water should have some kind of feeling or sense of concern. Some sort of responsibility and with that, a sense of discipline".

- The 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso

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Harry Belefonte - aka "The King Of Calypso" - sings his most famous water related song - this time with the not so helpful Muppets. Watch the vid to see what I mean.

Can you believe it?

The first time, Harry Belafonte chose to sing "Banana Boat Song" - aka "Day-O" - for the television audience was on Sesame Street - don't you love the intro by Kermit The Frog.

What really is telling, is how Harry interacts with the Muppets - explainig a little about the life of the banana boat man and the tally man. I assert that Harry is displaying his great love for civil rights and humanitarian causes.

Here is a little bio from wikipedia ...

Harold George Belafonte, Jr. (born March 1, 1927) is a Jamaican American musician, actor and social activist. One of the most successful popular singers in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso," a title which he was very reluctant to accept (according to the documentary Calypso Dreams) for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". Throughout his career, he has been an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes.

Daylights gone and I wanna go home - actually - I am going jogging.

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Oh My God.

Millions of people in Mexico's capital city cut off from water supplies, due to historic drought and pipeline leaks.

According to BBC News ...

Mexico City officials have shut down a main pipeline providing fresh water to millions of residents because reserves have fallen to record low levels.

The closure, due to last 36 hours, will affect five million people, or a quarter of the city's population. Unusually low rainfall last year and major leakage are blamed for leaving reservoirs less than half full. Hundreds of water trucks have been deployed in the areas worst affected by the cuts.

The local government says it will carry out emergency repairs to the water supply network. 

Emergency repairs, it is about time. Did you know that 50% of the water that runs through the water infrastructure of Mexico City is lost to leakage.

More than 50% of the water carried by the pipeline leaks out before it reaches its destination.

This is the third time the capital has faced such a drastic form of water rationing this year, the BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Mexico City reports.

According to BBC reports the water cutoff and the coinciding emergency repairs has been deliberately timed to coincide with Easter weekend. when many residents, or at least those who can afford to, leave the city.

But the sad truth is ...

Mexico City was once a floating city, built on a spectacular chain of volcanic lakes, and flooding used to be its main environmental threat.

But since the lakes were finally drained in the 1960s, the city has been struggling with its water supply.

At least they will get the water back after 36 hours, Saturday April 11, 2009 - they hope.

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