Hurricane Dorian: Triggers a Familiar Routine in Nags Head, NC

On By peanutgallerynhIn Environment,, Local Interest,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

In the Outer Banks, hurricane preparations are a ritual, a way of life. The storms bring the threat of destruction and here, especially, of permanent change — of washed-away roads and inlets carved into places that used to be land.

…He directed a staff of workers who’d arrived around 9 a.m. at the Outer Banks Fishing Pier. They’d come to help board up Fish Heads, a popular restaurant and bar built into the beginning of the pier.

…They’ve boarded up Fish Heads so often that for some it’d become routine. The letters spray-painted on the wood offered guidance of where to place them: “E” for on the east side of the restaurant, facing the ocean, and “S” for the south.

If all went well, they’d be back on Saturday to take the boards off and re-open. But that was three days away, and there was no way to know what Dorian might bring.

…In Nags Head, a big Food Lion a few blocks from the beach, was absent the kind of rush that storm preparation might bring elsewhere, farther inland. There were no crowds, but plenty of milk, bread and water. Outside, customers traded jokes about stocking up on beer.

…In 2003, Hurricane Isabel …[destroyed huge parts] two revered fishing piers in Nags Head.

..The pier that Oliver’s father owns lost about 400 feet, Oliver said.

…“They ended up building back Jennette’s as a concrete pier,” Oliver said. …“Since we just got beach nourishment, …and then this last fall, we replaced nine pilings on the pier. So we’re feeling a little bit better …structure-wise.”

…While the workers sawed wood and attached boards to the side of the building, others stood by and watched and cracked open bottles of Corona. 

…“We spent a lot of time boarding up. Everybody gets their houses ready, everybody’s prepared, and then at the end if you want to sit down and have a cocktail, it definitely happens for sure.”

…Nags Heard town officials on Wednesday handed out fliers …titled “If You Choose to Stay During Hurricane Dorian.” 

…“At the least, we are expecting significant soundside storm surge, rainfall, high surf and the damage associated with these impacts.”

The town wrote that at the height of the storm, public safety personnel “may not be able to respond in the event of an emergency.” It warned people who stayed to be prepared to lose power and water, and advised gathering enough supplies to last for at least three days.

Hurricane Dorian: Storm threat makes Nags Head a ghost town | Raleigh News & Observer

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Residents of North Carolina’s Outer Banks brace for Dorian

On By peanutgallerynhIn Environment,, Local Interest,Leave a comment

Overnight winds were expected to cause trees and branches to fall on power lines, and debris could block repair crews from accessing damaged lines, said Mike Burnette senior vice president of Electric Cooperatives, a utility provider in North Carolina. Customers should prepare for prolonged power outages, he said.

“We have a long night ahead of us. Everyone needs to stay in a safe place and off the roads until the storm passes,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said.

About 150 evacuees were camped out at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina, speedway spokesman Scott Cooper said.

Residents of North Carolina’s Outer Banks brace for Dorian – CBS 17.com

hmmmm

 

Pentagon pulls funds for military schools to pay for Trump’s border wall

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Military,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Race,Leave a comment

The Pentagon said on Wednesday it would pull funding from 127 Defense Department projects, including schools and daycare centers for military families, as it diverts $3.6 billion to fund President Donald Trump’s wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.

…Trump declared a national emergency earlier this year to access the funds from the military construction budget.

…A Pentagon official said in a briefing that the department was given a “lawful order” by Trump to divert the funds. She said the Pentagon is working closely with Congress and its allies abroad to find funding to replace money diverted for the wall, but that there are not any guarantees that those funds will come.

…Pelosi said in a call with fellow Democrats on Tuesday that the diversion of military funds “will undermine our national security, quality of life and morale of our troops, and that indeed makes America less safe.” 

Pentagon pulls funds for military schools to pay for Trump’s border wall

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‘The Daily Show’s’ Trevor Noah Nails Trump for Doctoring Hurricane Dorian Map

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Trump warned in a tweet that Alabama could be in Hurricane Dorian’s path. Then, the National Weather Service had to correct the president, tweeting that the state “will NOT see any impacts” from the storm.

…[Trump]  show[ed] reporters a doctored map that displayed the hurricane reaching the corner of Alabama.

‘The Daily Show’s’ Trevor Noah Nails Trump for Doctoring Hurricane Dorian Map

His people really need to stop indulging him.

Minnesotan’s in Bahamas comment on Hurricane Dorian relief efforts

On By peanutgallerynhIn Caribbean,, Environment,Leave a comment

“It’s total devastation,” said Basil Christie, a graduate of St John’s University in Minnesota who is now the hurricane relief coordinator for the Archdiocese of Nassau. “This one is going to be a serious challenge because you can’t get to the islands. Both airports are underwater, so we can’t travel there.”

Basil Christie: “That’s completely destroyed, and school was to have been opened this week. There’s no school. There’s no building there.”

Kent Erdahl: “Are those students accounted for?”

Basil Christie: “Only some of them. We’re still trying. The difficulty is we have no communication.”

…The number of confirmed deaths …[is now] 20.

“We are certain that there are considerably more than that,” he said. “There are whole families that are missing; [that] we can’t find.”

…Building code on the islands required buildings to withstand winds of 150 miles per hour, but Dorian packed 185 mile per hour winds that were sustained for a day and a half.

Minnesotan’s in Bahamas comment on Hurricane Dorian relief efforts | kare11.com

Bahamas PM laments ‘generational devastation’ as Dorian toll mounts

On By peanutgallerynhIn Caribbean,, Military,Leave a comment

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis on Wednesday lamented the “generational devastation” wrought by Hurricane Dorian, as he confirmed the storm’s death toll had risen to at least 20.

…He also issued a warning to looters, saying they will be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law” and announced the deployment of additional police and defence force officers.

Shelter, safe drinking water, food and medicine were urgently needed for some 50,000 people on Grand Bahama and between 15,000 and 20,000 on Abaco, UN emergency relief coordinator Mark Lowcock said after a meeting with Minnis.

…People on Grand Bahama island were using jet skis and boats to pluck victims from homes flooded and pulverized by heavy rain and lashing winds from the monster storm.

US Coast Guard and Royal Navy helicopters were conducting medical evacuations, aerial assessments to help coordinate relief efforts, and reconnaissance flights to assess damage.

Bahamas PM laments ‘generational devastation’ as Dorian toll mounts – Daily Nation

Jeezus…

A rescue, a reunion and a rush to help in Dorian’s aftermath

On By peanutgallerynhIn Caribbean,, Environment,Leave a comment

The fearsome Category 5 storm blew out the supposedly hurricane-proof windows, turning the glass into razor-sharp shrapnel that opened a wide gash on her knee.

Then the 89-year-old woman and her caretaker settled in to wait for help, and conditions soon worsened.

…The Bahamian government sent hundreds of police and marines into the stricken islands, along with doctors, nurses and other health care workers. The U.S. Coast Guard, Britain’s Royal Navy and relief organizations including the United Nations and the Red Cross joined the burgeoning effort to rush food and medicine to survivors and lift the most desperate people to safety by helicopter.

…At Cottis’ home, the two women heard helicopters overhead and cars driving past, but the weather and massive flooding prevented any assistance.

…Help finally arrived in the form of neighbor Ben Allen, a 40-year-old construction worker and maintenance man, who showed up with a minivan to take Cottis to get medical attention. Cottis …struggled to stand up and nearly fell over when the group tried to get her into the vehicle, which had a partially collapsed roof and was filled with wet cardboard.

…All of a sudden, Cartwright screamed, “That’s my son! That’s my son!”

She hustled out of the car and swept the 29-year-old marine welder and father of two into her arms as she cried. She had not known until that moment if he was alive. 

A rescue, a reunion and a rush to help in Dorian’s aftermath – ABC News

sigh…

After Dorian’s destruction in Bahamas, relief efforts start trickling in

On By peanutgallerynhIn Caribbean,Leave a comment

At least 20 deaths [have been] attributed to Dorian [so far]as it battered the Bahamas for several days with winds up to 185 mph and torrential rain.

…“We are in the midst of one of the greatest national crises in our country’s history,” said Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis. “It is going to require a massive coordinated effort to rebuild.”

…“The things people need very quickly are medicines for chronic illness like diabetes, asthma and hypertension that were wiped out in the hurricane,” he said.

Initial assessments show that nearly 75,000 people may be in need of medical aid.

…Dorian wiped out much of the island’s water supply, leaving 62,000 people on Abaco and Grand Bahama islands without clean water.

…“We got a kitchen set up and ready to respond and started delivering meals for folks in clinics and shelters around the island right away,” said Nate Mook, World Central Kitchen executive director. “But the logistics are really unlike anything we’ve experienced before.”

Instead of bringing in their own food, which would take a long time to continuously ship to the island, the organization began using local sources for groceries and supplies to start as quickly as possible, he said.

…Frankel, who initiated private aid efforts in hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017, said the first phase is usually the most chaotic, but several relief organization have begun to trickle in and coordinate with one another.

“People need to now understand that is a really bad situation,” she said. “This is not crying wolf, this is the wolf and we’ve got a long way to go.”

After Dorian’s destruction in Bahamas, relief efforts start trickling in

Jeezus….

Also, why aren’t they planing on using local sources for groceries and supplies anyways? If it’s quicker, then why doesn’t every group do that, every single time???!

Pence lands in controversy with stay at Trump hotel

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Pence stayed at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg on Ireland’s west coast despite his meetings the same day in Dublin, which is on Ireland’s east side and 182 miles away.

The curious decision also came with a shifting story about why Pence ended up at Trump’s property in Doonbeg.

The vice president’s chief of staff said Trump had suggested Pence stay at the Doonbeg golf club.

…“This may not technically be illegal, but it’s an atrocious abuse of power to line the president’s pockets, and it’s a continuation of two years of profiteering by President Trump,” said Walter Shaub, a former director of the Office of Government Ethics who resigned in July 2017.

…Critics questioned the logistics of utilizing the Trump property given it necessitated a roughly 90-minute commute via plane to Dublin for meetings with Ireland’s president and prime minister when Pence could have stayed in the Irish capital.

Pence lands in controversy with stay at Trump hotel | TheHill

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Trump administration, military officials at odds over CIA’s Afghanistan role

On By peanutgallerynhIn Middle East,, Military,Leave a comment

The Times reports that some White House advisers have proposed secretly expanding the agency’s presence in the nation — a move that some current and former officials have expressed skepticism about. 

…Some officials told the paper they want CIA-backed forces in the country as part of a counterterrorism force. They claim it could quell worries that the U.S. will be left with little ability to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a base of operations if the U.S. pulls troops, as [Trump] suggested will happen last week.

But others, such as Seth G. Jones, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former adviser to the commanding general of American Special Operations forces in Afghanistan, tell the Times they are skeptical of the plan, which they said could be impractical and ineffective.

Trump administration, military officials at odds over CIA’s Afghanistan role: report | TheHill

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Just two Diet Cokes a day ‘increases your risk of deadly heart attack or stroke by 50%’ – The Sun

On By peanutgallerynhIn Media and Culture,, Science and Stuff,, UncategorizedLeave a comment

The World Health Organisation research found the dangers from guzzling artificially sweetened pop were up to three times greater than regular sugary drinks.

…It found chances of early death went up by eight per cent for those who consumed sugary drinks twice daily.

But for those glugging two glasses of diet pop each day, the risk went up by 26 per cent.

This group also saw their chance of being killed by cardiovascular disease rise by 52 per cent.

…Previous research suggests sweeteners may affect blood vessel health, dementia risk and also trigger weight gain.

One theory is that it affects the body’s sugar levels and key hormones, such as insulin.

But others claim unhealthy adults are more likely to turn to diet drinks, which may explain the findings.

Just two Diet Cokes a day ‘increases your risk of deadly heart attack or stroke by 50%’ – The Sun

hmmmm

Boris Johnson urged to apologise for ‘derogatory and racist’ letterboxes article

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Europe,, Media and Culture,, Race,, Religion,Leave a comment

Addressing the prime minister, Singh said: “For those of us who from a young age have had to endure and face up to being called names such as towel-head, or Taliban, or coming from bongo-bongo land, we can fully appreciate the hurt and pain of already vulnerable Muslim women when they are described as looking like bank robbers and letterboxes.

“Rather than hide behind sham and whitewash investigations, when will the prime minister finally apologise for his derogatory and racist remarks?”

He asked when Johnson was going to order an inquiry into Islamophobia within the Conservative party, adding it was “something he and his chancellor promised on national television”.

The MP for Slough, 41, was cheered by Labour colleagues shouting: “Go on Tan” during his passionate address and applauded after his question, a rare move by MPs who by convention are not supposed to clap in the Commons.

…Earlier this week, the monitoring organisation Tell Mama found that the number of incidents of anti-Muslim hate crime rose by 375% in the week after Johnson compared Muslim women who wear burqas to letterboxes.

Boris Johnson urged to apologise for ‘derogatory and racist’ letterboxes article | Politics | The Guardian

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‘Straight Pride Parade’: Andrea Campbell wants Boston to review permitting

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Boston,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

While the parade itself went without major incident, some protesters clashed after the event with the hundreds of police officers. The event resulted in 36 arrests and criticism of officers’ use of force, including pepper spray, to disperse the crowd. 

…“While I am a firm believer in free speech, I’m not okay with wasting tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars for a group to come into Boston from out of state to create chaos and spread hate,” the District 4 councilor wrote on social media Tuesday.

…The second-term Democrat added that she had received complaints from constituents who were “disturbed and upset by the way some officers responded” and planned to share their messages with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Police Commissioner William Gross.

‘Straight Pride Parade’: Andrea Campbell wants Boston to review permitting | Boston.com

Walsh and company played right into the hands of the parade organizers. Any use of force or waste of resources was exactly their plan/ In the end, BoPo (again!) showed its true colors as a group of lawless armed thugs and city leadership got played like a fiddle.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam withdraws extradition bill after months of protests

On By peanutgallerynhIn East Asia,Leave a comment

Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam has finally fully withdrawn a controversial bill that allowed extradition to mainland China and sparked three months of dramatic protests in the financial hub.

… Lam refused to give ground on protesters’ four other demands, including greater democracy for the city and an independent commission into police conduct, saying all investigations would be carried out by the existing Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC).

…In recent weeks, protesters’ tactics have become increasingly violent as young people felt the government was refusing to consider their demands.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Michael Tien said that Lam’s withdrawal may not stem their anger. “I believe the withdrawal of the bill … may be too late because this movement has become more than the bill,” he said.

Activist Joshua Wong, who was last week arrested in a police sweep of activists and opposition politicians, wrote on Twitter: “Carrie Lam’s repeated failure in understanding the situation has made this announcement completely out of touch – She needs to address to ALL Five Demands: STOP PROSECUTION, STOP CALLING US RIOTERS, INDEPENDENT INQUIRY OF POLICE and FREE ELECTION!”

…Many will be asking why it took three months of unprecedented unrest, violence and damage to the city’s economy for the government to upgrade the bill from “suspended” to “withdrawn,” despite repeatedly insisting that it had no future and would not be reintroduced.

Lam may be hoping that the move will put a lid on the protests ahead of October 1, when China will celebrate National Day and mark 70 years of the People’s Republic.

…”She will have to take further steps, such as setting up an independent inquiry into police conduct. If she does not take further steps, then we can expect the protests to continue.”

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam withdraws extradition bill after months of protests – CNN

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Amazon’s Next-Day Delivery System Has Brought Chaos And Carnage To America’s Streets — But The World’s Biggest Retailer Has A System To Escape The Blame

On By peanutgallerynhIn Media and Culture,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Amazon drivers say they often have to deliver upwards of 250 packages a day — and sometimes far more than that — which works out to a dizzying pace of less than two minutes per package based on an eight-hour shift.

The system sheds costs and liability, even as it grows at lightning speed, by using stand-alone-companies such as Inpax to pick up packages directly from Amazon facilities and deliver them to the consumer — covering what’s known in the industry as “the last mile.” 

Amazon still relies on UPS and the US Postal Service for many deliveries. And it has captured the public imagination with press releases about futuristic drone delivery, which does not yet exist. But it’s this homegrown network that makes it possible to offer the amazing convenience of next-day and even same-day delivery that has become a cornerstone of its market dominance. By some estimates, nearly half of Amazon’s packages in the U.S. are now delivered this way. And the Seattle-based giant dictates almost every aspect of that operation, down to what drivers wear, what vans they use, what routes they follow, and how many packages they must deliver each day.

…UPS and FedEx, the traditional powers of the logistics world, are deeply invested in safety. UPS, which spends $175 million a year on safety training alone, even has a policy prohibiting drivers from taking unnecessary left turns to reduce exposure to oncoming traffic, finish routes faster, and save fuel. Both firms are also heavily regulated by the government, and many of their trucks are subject to regular federal safety inspections and can be put out of service at any time by the Department of Transportation.

But Amazon’s ingenious system has allowed it to avoid that kind of scrutiny. There is no public listing of which firms are part of its delivery network, and the ubiquitous cargo vans their drivers use are not subject to DOT oversight. But by interviewing drivers as well as reviewing job boards, classified listings, online forums, lawsuits, and media reports, BuzzFeed News identified at least 250 companies that appear to work or have worked as contracted delivery providers for Amazon. The company said it has enabled the creation of at least 200 new delivery firms in the past year, a third of which are owned and run by military veterans. Inpax gets fully 70% of its business from Amazon; some companies depend on the retail giant for all of their income.

…Amazon denies any responsibility for the conditions in which drivers work, but it has continued to contract with at least a dozen companies that have been repeatedly sued or cited by regulators for alleged labor violations, including failing to pay overtime, denying workers breaks, discrimination, sexual harassment, and other forms of employee mistreatment.

And when one group in Michigan voted to join the teamsters in protest against shoddy conditions and punishing hours without overtime pay, Amazon officials acted swiftly to counter further unionization efforts.

…Not long after the successful unionization vote, a team of Amazon officials paid a visit to Chicago, where they gathered top management from delivery firms operating in the city at a hotel west of town, according to two people who attended the meeting. The topic: how to ensure that what happened to Silverstar would never happen to them.

“The whole purpose of the meeting was to say to you, ‘Here’s how not get unionized. Because if you do, we pretty much don’t want anything to do with a union,’” said one attendee.

…Two drivers for a different delivery company operating in the Los Angeles area said they were forced to skip meals, ordered to urinate in bottles rather than stop for bathroom breaks, and advised to speed and not wear seatbelts to ensure they delivered more packages in less time.

…Even though the Sprinter-style vans Amazon requires its delivery providers to use weigh several times more than most passenger cars, they fall just under the weight limit that would subject them and their drivers to Department of Transportation oversight, unlike most FedEx and UPS trucks.

In a sign of how business is booming, Amazon last summer bought 20,000 of these vans from Mercedes-Benz to be leased, through fleet managers, to its dedicated delivery companies around the country.

… Job postings by firms delivering Amazon packages, however, say commercial drivers licenses and prior experience aren’t necessary. Drivers are paid either a flat day rate or an hourly wage — which generally works out to between $15 and $18 an hour, with scant perks or benefits. With constant alternation between driving and loading and unloading packages, the job is physically demanding.

…Not all of Amazon’s packages are carried by its network of small providers; it continues to rely on UPS and the US Postal Service for many of its deliveries, particularly for bulky packages or for rural, harder-to-reach destinations. But with FedEx recently canceling its contract to deliver Amazon packages, a growing share of the huge delivery load is being carried by the network of tiny, lightly regulated firms in its vast national network.

Delivering billions of packages a year is by far one of the company’s top expenditures. But Amazon can better control those costs by squeezing its own delivery network. It not only can track every package, but also monitor payroll, insurance, and even van leasing costs for many of its delivery companies. That allows it to keep an eye on companies’ profit margins and adjust accordingly. Early this year, for example, Amazon stopped paying delivery companies extra money to cover the cost of a dispatcher in each delivery station, requiring the companies to pay that salary out of already thin margins or operate without them.

Amazon pays many of its delivery firms a flat fee per route, so when package volumes increase, and drivers need to be out on the road for longer, racking up more overtime, their margins are squeezed even tighter. One contract for a route in San Francisco reviewed by BuzzFeed News, for example, called for a fee of $279.50 per day. That money must cover the cost of the van, insurance, and any other overhead, plus the driver’s wages. 

…“Please take these unprofessional driver mistakes seriously,” she wrote. “They may cost you life.”

“This is about shitty driving, yes,” she added. “But this is about low-paid, inexperienced, and untrained delivery drivers operating gigantic vans they don’t know how to drive, under enormous pressure to deliver quickly. This is profit driven, corporate greed behavior without consideration for anyone else’s humanity.”

Amazon’s Next-Day Delivery System Has Brought Chaos And Carnage To America’s Streets — But The World’s Biggest Retailer Has A System To Escape The Blame

Jeezus…

The Dark Side Of Empathy: Why Women Are Blamed For Being Sexually Harassed

On By peanutgallerynhIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

In the new research, published in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly, two studies found that blaming sexual harassment victims is linked to empathy for male perpetrators. That’s right, men, in particular, are more likely to feel for the male harassers and blame the victim.

…Prior research has found that victim blaming also stems from our desire to think of the world as a good and just place. Psychologists call this the just world hypothesis, and it basically suggests that humans are biased to believe that people get what they deserve. It’s why when you hear that your neighbor’s house was burgled, you might assume they left their doors unlocked.

When we hear about sexual harassment or another crime, we don’t like to think that it could happen to us. Instead, it makes us feel more comfortable to think that the victim was somehow complicit in the crime.

… Instead of encouraging men to increase their empathy toward women, the researchers suggest that we should instead be focused on reducing empathy for male perpetrators. The authors suggest efforts should “include challenging media reports that give undue prominence to their professional accomplishments or that focus on how the man’s life will be negatively affected if there is a finding of sexual violence against him.”

The Dark Side Of Empathy: Why Women Are Blamed For Being Sexually Harassed

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