MICHAEL VEENSTRA'S 60-berth marina at Goolwa has room for only 30 boats: half the moorings are now on dry land. Over the past 18 months, the water level has dropped and its salt content has risen. Goolwa faces the mouth of the Murray River. Yet drought, climate change and more than 100 years of irrigation have left the Murray in one of its worst crises.

The Murray and its main tributary, the Darling, are Australia's longest river-system and the lifeblood of its crop farms. It supplies four of the country's six states. The picture at the Murray's source, 2,500km (1,550 miles) east of Goolwa, is more refreshing, as it bubbles out of a clear spring in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales (NSW). But it grows steadily worse from there. In the past two years, the volume of water flowing into the Murray from the rivers that feed it in NSW and Queensland was the lowest since records began in 1892.

Circus denies its use of animals is ‘cruel’

Maz, if you asked I am sure you would be allowed to see Tom Roberts training his lovely horses, there is nothing to hide! The winterquarters is set in the countryside with big paddocks for them to use. And by the way, I bet you have never seen race horses, greyhounds, guide dogs, police dogs or horses trained either... Don't pick on circuses, when you only beleive the animal rights untrue propoganda, all produced to encourage people to donate to them! .

Samsung Digimax GX-10 Digital SLR Camera

Can changing the name on a camera save you money? Yes, when you take thePentax K10Dand call it the Samsung GX-10 Digital SLR Camera. The former, with a 27-83mm (35mm equivalent) zoom lens sells for $800, more or less, while the latter--virtually identical camera body and same lens--sells for $750. Given the GX-10's features, it's a bargain.

Are Designers The Enemy Of Design?

Skip your next trip to Milan or Miami and head, instead, for the reservation. Visit the Navajo and Hopi, the Pueblo Indians, the Souix and the Cheyenne. These folks lived a sustainable lifestyle long before it became both fashionable and necessary. There's a lot left to their eco-culture. Learn from them—their contemporary artists in weaving, pottery, painting and jewelry are among the most innovative and creative in the world. Take the Navajo Hogan, a simple six-sided building. Hogans sit lightly on the land—no 10,000 or 20,000 square foot McMansions for the Navajo. Hogan are easy to assemble, use little energy to keep people warm, and have strong spiritual meaning to the families who inhabit them. Today's modern hogans are trailors and they are all over the rez. Now think about trailors.

Outta the box

I discovered Jonathan Milo Leal's sauces several years ago and was impressed with the products, from their packaging to their contents. I still am.

A chunky substantial sauce, the sauce is great on pasta, as a sauce for homemade pizza or atop bruschetta.

Transcript from Goodell's news conference

"Good morning. Welcome to Arizona and Super Bowl XLII. I hope that all of you are enjoying the hospitality of this wonderful community. Before I take your questions - and I assume you have some questions - I'd like to make a few comments. First, thank you to all of you for your extraordinary interest and coverage of the NFL this season. We appreciate it. If numbers are any indication, by the number of credentials we have issued this week, it certainly is one of the games that has the most interest in our history. So, thank you for being here and thank you for your coverage over the season.

"Also, let me thank the two teams - the New England Patriots and New York Giants. I congratulate them on a tremendous season. They have played terrific football and they have gotten here in two different ways, but nonetheless, both with records.