Reflections – September 10, 2021

What I noticed this morning …

As I took my morning shower,

I had to fiddle with the faucet

to get the right water flow and temperature

gratitude struck me as the warm water

massaged an achy neck

and I wondered

“What percentage of the world population can take a warm shower in their own home?”

*

Curious, I googled the question and found an interesting list of responses. I think it’s worth sharing the first 9 to illustrate something important – at least it’s how goggle’s search engine assesses my interests. I added links for each entry below in case anyone is interested in some of these topics.

1. Which Country Showers the Most – https://www.mirashowers.co.uk/blog/trends/which-country-showers-the-most/
2. 60 percent of the world population still without toilets – https://slate.com/technology/2013/02/60-percent-of-the-world-population-still-without-toilets.html
3. Bathing Habits of the World – Soakology – https://www.soakology.co.uk/blog/bathing-habits-of-the-world/
4. How Often People in Various Countries Shower – The Atlantic – https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/how-often-people-in-various-countries-shower/385470/
5. The peculiar bathroom habits of Westerners – BBC News – https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191004-the-peculiar-bathroom-habits-of-westerners
6. Global WASH Fast Facts/Global Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene – https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/wash_statistics.html
7. See Fewer People. Take Fewer Showers – The New York Times – https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/06/health/shower-bathing-pandemic.html
8. Population and environment: a global challenge – Curious – https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/population-environment
9. 2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water at home, more than … – https://www.who.int/news/item/12-07-2017-2-1-billion-people-lack-safe-drinking-water-at-home-more-than-twice-as-many-lack-safe-sanitation

This list was surprising to me. I don’t think goggle’s search engine views me as a serious scholar even though I have been online a lot recently looking for research articles as I graded student papers and updated course materials for the undergraduate research course I teach.

I’m curious to know how google would respond to you if you ask this question. I hope you will try and let me know what you find, although it may take some time for me to respond back to you. The first class meets tomorrow via Zoom! A busy semester awaits as the students in my class craft a research proposal and actually conduct a little study. Their studies will need to be done remotely to keep them safe given the current COVID context.

Something else I noticed today:

One of the last blooms, a Coneflower or Echinacea, a North American native that is fairly deer and drought resistant