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There is a Simpsons episode where the family goes to Australia. In the American embassy there, they are shown a toilet with a huge pump attached to it so that t
by sizzzzlerz 7y ago
There is a Simpsons episode where the family goes to Australia. In the American embassy there, they are shown a toilet with a huge pump attached to it so that the water will circulate the way it does in the northern hemisphere. A totally false assumption made for comedic effect but the amount of time and money spent by the US government to make Mother Nature behave is anything but funny. At some point, a failure or flood or some other disaster is going to release the river to flow wherever it wants and mankind is not going to stop it.
- oh_sigh 7y agoIt's not like the government is just containing the river for fun - they are containing it because huge investments have been made along its current banks, and to just let it run it's course would destroy billions of dollars of value permanently(because other groups would not invest in the new water course if it could change again after 20 years leaving them high and dry).
- dredmorbius 7y agoHydraulic debt.
- sizzzzlerz 7y agoMy point wasn't the money being spent is being wasted. It was that when nature decides it's time for change, all the money in the world isn't going to make a difference.