It is said that Xerxes the Great, when he wasn't fighting the Greeks or putting down internal dissent, tried to extend absolute control over all his considerable lands. It is said that he sent his army down to the sea armed with whips and chains with the intent of extending his control even to the beating of the waves. Needless to say he was unsuccessful. When we say that water is powerful and the source or contributor to multifold disasters around the world, it always seems to be an understatement. To add the proper emphasis, it seems as though we should have James Earl Jones or Don LaFontaine communicating the point in a booming voiceover. Many of these water disasters are "natural disasters," events that are the result of humans and our built environment coming violently into conflict with natural phenomena. Some of these are human caused, such as cascading waters coming out of a failed dam or a drought that is made worse by water diversion. Ironically, we often end up calling any of these disasters "Acts of God." (If I were God, I'd be suing somebody right about now!)
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机译：据说，薛西斯大帝（Xerxes the Great）在不与希腊人作战或不放内政异议的情况下，试图扩大对他所有土地的绝对控制。据说，他用鞭子和链条将其军队下放到海中，目的是将自己的控制力甚至扩大到海浪拍打。不用说他没有成功。当我们说水是强大的水，是世界各地多重灾难的源头或贡献者时，它似乎总是轻描淡写。为了增加适当的强调，似乎我们应该让James Earl Jones或Don LaFontaine在蓬勃发展的画外音中传达观点。这些水灾中的许多都是“自然灾害”，是人类和我们的建筑环境与自然现象发生剧烈冲突的结果。其中一些是人为造成的，例如大坝失灵导致的级联水流或因调水而加剧的干旱。具有讽刺意味的是，我们常常最终把这些灾难称为“上帝的作为”。 （如果我是上帝，我现在将起诉某人！）
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