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“La vie, la vie à un sou le petit verre!” The early modern Parisian water-carrier’s cry did not mention water at all. “Life, life, but a sou a glass!” He bought and sold “life,” and “life” sold well. In seventeenth and eighteenth century Paris it was forbidden to draw water from the Seine. The river was the depository of all manner of human, animal, and industrial waste, and as a result long since declared unfit for drinking or bathing. In the Dutch cities to the north it was common to have a well in your own courtyard. By contrast, Paris’s 700,000 residents had to share a rather small number of public fountains. Queuing was guaranteed. Enter the “Parisian water-carrier.” The “ porteur d’eau ” began at dawn. Thanks to eighteenth century French sculptor Edmé Bouchardon, we have a clear picture of what the Parisian water-carrier looked like. The tools of his trade were in his uniform. For a small investment—two buckets, a strap, a hoop, and a licence—an able-bodied man could claim the ...

Torrential rains caused historic flooding in the Kansas City area Tuesday , leaving one man dead in Kansas and others stranded for hours by high water. Water rescues and evacuations kept police and firefighters busy with hundreds of calls after as much as 9 inches of rain fell starting Monday night . Flooding made many roads impassable, trapping people at homes and businesses along the Blue River and Indian Creek, which set a new record of 28.22 feet overnight and topped its banks after record flooding last month. Water spilling out of Indian Creek inundated bridges , businesses, apartments and houses. For just the second time ever, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency alert for the entire Kansas City area . The first time was last August. Johnson County declared a state of local disaster, and an American Red Cross shelter in south Kansas City took in nearly 20 people by Tuesday afternoon , when flood waters started to recede. Early Tuesday in Miami Coun...

Torrential rains caused historic flooding in the Kansas City area Tuesday , leaving one man dead in Kansas and others stranded for hours by high water. Water rescues and evacuations kept police and firefighters busy with hundreds of calls after as much as 9 inches of rain fell starting Monday night . Flooding made many roads impassable, trapping people at homes and businesses along the Blue River and Indian Creek, which set a new record of 28.22 feet overnight and topped its banks after record flooding last month. Water spilling out of Indian Creek inundated bridges , businesses, apartments and houses. For just the second time ever, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency alert for the entire Kansas City area . The first time was last August. Johnson County declared a state of local disaster, and an American Red Cross shelter in south Kansas City took in nearly 20 people by Tuesday afternoon , when flood waters started to recede. Early Tuesday in Miami Coun...

BRIT tourists are experiencing a Europe-wide backlash against their boozy antics as party hotspots across the continent crack down on drunken debauchery . Thousands jet off from UK airports every year to destinations on the Mediterranean to blow off steam and enjoy the summer sunshine . Boozy Brits have been accused of wreaking havoc across southern Europe But some are better behaved than others and despite the amount of cash they bring in, their presence is not always welcomed by locals. Many residents take offence at seeing their streets filled with foreigners fighting, vomiting, urinating and getting frisky. Some also complain of holidaymakers driving locals out by either pushing prices up or making their towns and cities unbearable to live in. To add to the trouble, tourism to resorts in southern Europe has skyrocketed this year amid security concerns in other destinations like Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey. The sudden spike in numbers has sparked a backlash against visitors – man...