According to Ed Waugh, who designed the electronics for the water sampling device, the trials are "a useful way of getting a feel for the task".

BBC: Key tests in search for life in frozen Antarctic lake

The Center for Y2K and Society suggests that Americans who do feel the need to prepare use this guideline: store one gallon of water per person, per day, for 10 days.

CNN: Y2K fears open flood of bottled water sales

The reason for Al Ain's oasis-like feel is its natural water supply.

BBC: Al Ain: The desert��s oasis

Both coalition partners feel the need to create some clear blue water between them by redefining what they stand for.

ECONOMIST: Germany

The question is for some of these tactics like water boarding, where a detainee may feel as though he's being made to drown, or hypothermia or sleeping deprivation, these other things that in some cases may not be defined as torture by the people who are actually doing it.

NPR: U.S. Detention Policy Remains Cloudy