Monday, August 22: Drought in Europe
Temperatures are getting high, water levels are getting low
The ongoing heat wave and drought plaguing Europe has resulted in more than just massive forest fires and rolling blackouts. It has also contributed to lowering water levels in many of the major rivers throughout the continent. In a comedic bit of irony, the water level of the Danube River between Romania and Serbia has gotten so low that it has exposed dozens of Nazi warships that were scuttled there at the end of World War II.
On the other side of the continent, in Spain, the Valdecanas reservoir is located in the central province of Caceres where local authorities say the water level has dropped to 28 percent of its capacity. Lowered water level has exposed a Stonehenge-esque rock formation, officially known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal, which excited archaeologists, but obviously signifies a shortage of available water.
Finally, the mighty Rhine River, once a powerful method of transporting goods and people, has sunk to the point of revealing Hungersteines or “hunger stones”. Historically, these rocks have been used to interpret warning signs of drought and famine, as they’re only visible when the water level has sunk extremely low. In 2018 the water level on the Rhine was low enough to require closing the waterway for the transport of goods for 132 days. It may soon reach similar levels, which will only further complicate the transport of millions of tons of cargo.
Side Items
In a continuation of violent attacks targeting Russian officials and sympathizers, a car bomb killed a 29-year old woman in a suburb of Moscow yesterday. Daria Dugina was a political commentator and daughter of a prominent Putin supporter and influential Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin. The location of the attack was especially bold, taking place in an affluent suburb nowhere near the front lines of war
Shoutout to Michael Heizer for finally completing his sculpture after 50 years of work! The piece, called “City” is a megasculpture sitting in the Nevada desert, spread over almost two miles. It definitely strikes me as something a Bond villain would use, and even the artist knows it’ll probably soon be exploited and capitalized, saying, “I’m a fool, alone, helplessly watching as they wait for me to die so they can turn my ranch into a gift shop and motel.” The cost of the sculpture is estimated to be around $40 million, so be on the lookout for Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos turning it into a sandbox for their robot offspring
Matchweek 3 wraps up today in the Premier League, with Liverpool taking on the struggling Manchester United. Arsenal currently sit atop the table with three wins as the Gunners are the only team with a perfect record thus far. Defending champs Manchester City could only muster a draw yesterday at St. James’ Park against Newcastle in the famed ‘Oil Derby’ pitting Saudi money against that of the United Arab Emirates