The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by Barry Newton:

We went to Worldcon at the Hague a number of years ago, and took a
tourister bus trip around the country. Conversing with the guide was
very educational:

(1) The Dutch have devolved responsibility for dike and drainage
maintenance to the very local level. IIRC, failure to maintain drainage
passing over your property would result in your village fining you
heavily. I expect that any citizen could converse knowledgeably on
hydrology. . .

(2) There is apparently an agricultural protocol for reclaiming land
that was once seabottom--a series of specific plants sown for specific
periods--that pull the salt out of the soil. I asked about this after
remembering that the Romans salted the site of Carthage to prevent
anyone rebuilding. It would be fascinating to know how that was worked
out. Strikes me as right up there with the discovery of fire.

Michael W. brought several copies to WSFA Friday night. They sold out before the meeting started. I was really happy to see this book, and so, apparently, are a lot of other people.

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