There are plenty of reasons for us to appreciate how precious our water is and to take practical steps each day to use less of it. For one thing, there are critical shortages of this life-sustaining resource in many parts of the world.

Birmingham SHOUT Gay + Lesbian Film Festival, the only such festival in Alabama, returns to the Magic City Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 27 & 28, at various downtown locations.

NEW NUKES: The directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority announced recently that they plan to finish building the Bellefonte nuclear reactor in Hollywood, Ala. They spent mega-bucks on before dropping it in 1988 due to cost overruns and other factors, according to an Aug. 18 report by Matthew L. Wald of The New York Times (www.nytimes.com).

GETTING IT TOGETHER: University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban and Auburn University head coach Gene Chizik will serve as spokesmen for Project Rebound, a federal initiative designed to provide emotional support to people in Alabama affected by the April tornadoes, according to press accounts.

STOPPING NASTY FLATULENCE: The Alabama Wildlife Federation has recognized Calera-based Southern Lime Company as Air Conservationist of the Year, according to an August 15 report by Brad Gaskins of The Shelby County Reporter.

COMING BACK: A little more than 3 months after the April tornadoes—the worst natural disaster in Alabama history—the state is making good progress toward recovery, according to an Aug. 5 report by Marty Roney of USA Today. “Everybody is getting fed, everybody has a roof over their heads,” Jeff Byard, who is coordinating the recovery for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, told Roney.

COAL AND WATER DON’T MIX: Alabama’s waterways have been threatened on several fronts in the past year. According to the Southern Environmental Law Center, two coal mines in the Birmingham metro area— Rosa Mine and the proposed Shepherd Bend mine—would pollute the Black Warrior River and, by extension, Birmingham’s drinking water. But the Magic City isn’t the only one whose water supply may be endangered.

IT’S PARTY TIME: The non-profit Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama will host a storm-relief benefit Thursday, Aug. 11, at 6 p.m., at the Cherokee Center and Arena in Centre.

NOT SO FAST, EDDIE: Two Democratic congressmen have filed legislation to strip Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas of revenues from offshore oil drilling in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

SEEKING APPROVALS: Only 18 percent of Alabama residents who applied for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency following the April storms have gotten it so far, according to a July 21 report by Monique Fields of Reuters. But Michael Byrne, a FEMA official in Alabama, told Fields it was too soon to tell how many residents will ultimately be able to get help.