The year begins with armed conflict in Asia and Africa. A mys-terious Muslim cleric exhorts his followers to wage a religious war against all infidels. In the United States, trouble along the Mexican border prompts a call for the US Army to intervene. A deadly gunfight in a small town makes national headlines, as does a bloody jailbreak that rallies lawmen everywhere. In Washington, D.C., it is business as usual—politics, scandal, charges of corruption, and tragedy. People march in the streets protesting the lack of government attention to health care, veterans' assistance programs, and urban decay. Water utility managers are concerned about rising power costs, water loss, lead contamination, expanding populations, and source pollution. They call for information on how to improve operational efficiency and maintain reasonable water rates. They wonder how technology will help them and how they can evaluate new products.
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