This sentence was too good to pass up:

“Local governments at all levels have cudgeled their brains trying to solve the problem of water shortage.”

First, it implies that governments have brains.

Second, it implies that there are multiple layers of government at the local level — a dizzying amount of bureaucracy indeed! Just think about how many more levels there are within the regional and state levels!

Third, it conjures a vision of a rather beastly fratricidal scene involving clubs with spikes and cavemen and grunting. Lots of grunting.