Thursday, August 31, 2023
Labor Day Travel
148 Million Americans are expected
to travel across the United States this Labor Day Weekend.
Stay safe.
Pumpkin Spice
Tomorrow, every place will be filled with nothing but Pumpkin Spice from now until the end of November. I have to say I'm not a fan of it (come on all of you Trolls working for the Pumpkin Spice Industrial Complex.)
I prefer Maple (Maple
Candies, Maple Syrup, Maple Butter, Maple Ice Cream, etc.) and Apple Cider
(cold Apple Cider Drink, Hot Apple Cider Drink, Apple Cider Doughnuts, etc.) I
get my Maple products and Apple Cider products from places down the road from
me. I can literally smell them being made.
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Hurricane
From the BBC:
“The latest on Tropical Storm Idalia”
After hitting the Florida coast on Wednesday morning as a
category 3 hurricane, Idalia has weakened to a tropical storm - but still poses
a threat to the US south-east
A major storm surge triggered by Idalia has led to widespread
flooding along Florida's Gulf Coast
Some 440,000 people in Florida and Georgia still have no
electricity, according to Poweroutages.us
There have been no confirmed deaths from the storm, but
Florida Highway Patrol reported the deaths of two drivers in crashes caused by
rainy conditions
Teams from the federal government and other states have been
helping local authorities conduct rescues and remove debris
Flash and river flooding is likely across Georgia and the
eastern Carolinas through Thursday, the National Hurricane Center warns.
^ This is sad. ^
6 Oblast Blasts
From EuroMaiden:
“Largest-yet drone attack on Russia: military airfield hit,
four aircraft reportedly damaged”
On the night of 30 August, drones attacked six Russian
oblasts, hitting an airfield in Pskov and damaging at least four aircraft,
Russian media outlets reported. A series of explosions followed by a
large-scale fire have occurred near the Pskov airport, which is jointly used by
Russian civil and military aviation. The governor of the Pskov Oblast, Mikhail
Vedernikov, reported an attack on his Telegram channel. Vedernikov also
mentioned that the airport will be closed on 30 August, while the extent of the
damage will be assessed. Four IL-76 aircraft were damaged at the airfield, a
Russian TASS propaganda media outlet reported, citing emergency service. “As a
result of the drone attack, four IL-76 aircraft were damaged.
(Fire in the area of the airfield in Russia’s Pskov following
a drone attack on the night of 30 Aug.)
A fire started, and
two aircraft were caught in flames,” TASS wrote. Later, explosions occurred in
Bryansk Oblast. According to the governor, Alexander Bogomaz, Russian air
defense forces shot down three drones. One of the downed UAVs fell on the
Kremniy EL plant, one of Russia’s largest microelectronics companies, Baza Telegram
channel reported.
In addition, two UAVs attacked a TV tower in the Bryansk
Oblast, according to Baza. “Two drones also attempted to attack a TV tower in
the Bryansk Oblast. In total, at least six drones were detected in the region
overnight,” Baza said. Almost at the same time, explosions occurred in Oryol
Oblast. The governor of Oryol Oblast, Andrey Klychkov, said two drones were
shot down at night. At night, explosions were also reported in Ryazan Oblast.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the downing of two drones. Explosions
were also reported in Kaluga Oblast. Three drones were reportedly shot down by
air defense; two of them fell on the grounds of a petrochemical plant, causing
a fire, according to Baza TG channel. Moscow Governor Sergei Sobyanin reported
that one of the drones was shot down on the approach to the capital in the Ruza
district of Moscow Oblast. No casualties have been reported.
^ Good Job! ^
2: Last Soldier
Written on August 30, 2021:
The last American Combat Solider has now left Kabul. The Fall
of Afghanistan is now complete.
Every single person all over the world now needs to mourn our
dead and remember the men, women and children we ALL abandoned to the
Terrorists (the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and ISIS.)
Every single person also needs to remember the men and women
of the US Military who worked tirelessly around the clock for the past 17 days
- until the very last day of Biden’s Deadline - to bring 150,000 American,
Canadian, British, French, Polish, Spanish Dutch, Australian, Belgian, Azeri,
Austrian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Latvian,
Lithuanian, Luxembourgish, Mexican, New Zealander, Pakistani, Indian, Nepali,
Russian, Filipino, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Singaporean,
South Korean, Swedish, Turkish, Swiss, Ukrainian and Afghani Men, Women and
Children to safety.
We especially need to remember those 13 men and women of the
US Military who gave their lives during the Evacuation (as well as every
American Solider who fought to protect us over the past 20 years.)
As we hold our heads down in shame for what the Politicians
have done in our name it is now time to hold those responsible for the
disorganization, chaos and deaths accountable for their actions (and
inactions.)
Biden, as the Commander-In Failure, is at the top of that
list. His words: “We will get you out!” ring as hollow as all his other
promises (made to our Western Allies, our Afghani Allies and to us - the
American people.)
Only after we hold all those responsible for all of this
(Biden, his Advisors, etc.) can we ever hope to one day hold our heads high
again and have others take our words and actions as serious promises and not
merely lies.
We also need to help the men, women and children that fled
for their lives with only the clothes on their backs (their only crime being
that they helped us over the past 20 years.)
The already tired and heroic men and women of the US Military
– who worked countless hours to bring people to safety and freedom – now have
to work even more countless hours to also feed and house these hundreds of
thousands of people.
^ Sadly, in the past 2 years (since the Last American Soldier
left Afghanistan and the Taliban retook control) the World - including the
United States - have forgotten those still left in Refugee Camps across the
World and those still left behind in Afghanistan - especially those who worked
for the US and the West and helped us and who are now being hunted down,
tortured and killed by the Taliban. ^
Bohdan Kupts
From Stand With Ukraine’s Facebook:
This photo touched more than one person.
It shows a Father remembering his Son - Bohdan Serhiyovych
Kupts - who was killed by the Russians.
War Coming Home
From Moscow Times:
“Drone Attacks on Moscow Pressure Russia Far From the
Frontlines”
(A woman looks at a damaged building of the Moscow
International Business Center (Moskva City) following a drone attack in Moscow
on August 23, 2023.)
Repeated drone attacks on Moscow and its surrounding areas
reflect a shift in Ukraine’s war strategy to chip away at Russia away from the
frontlines, experts have told The Moscow Times. Russia’s capital, located some
450 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, has been targeted by drones nearly
every night for the past several weeks, damaging buildings and forcing airports
to temporarily close. The once-unthinkable attacks on Moscow have now become a
routine part of the war for many.
As Kyiv’s summer counteroffensive in the east and south has
so far failed to make a major breakthrough, it is looking for other tactics to
change the course of the war, analysts say. “Ukraine is in a difficult
position,” political risk analyst and GeopoLytics founder Jozef Hrabina told
The Moscow Times. “It has been fighting against Goliath since the beginning,
but now it fights a well-fortified Goliath that outnumbers it in every measurable
aspect.” “A larger-scale deployment of drones to weaken Russian defense lines
would make sense in this regard.” Russian authorities say that Ukraine is
behind the attacks on Moscow, but Kyiv has not acknowledged involvement. Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelensky said last month that the war was “gradually
returning to the territory of Russia — to its symbolic centers and military
bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.” While
Russian air defense systems have usually been successful in downing the drones,
their wreckage often crashes into civilian buildings and infrastructure.
(A view of a damaged office block in the Moscow City
financial district following a reported drone attack on July 30.)
With the attacks on Moscow, Kyiv aims to demonstrate that it
can bring the war home to Russians, who for 19 months have mostly lived
detached from the grim realities of the conflict, including alleged war crimes
and the wholesale destruction of Ukrainian cities by their country’s military. In doing so, Ukraine hopes that it can sway
attitudes inside Russia, leading to movements that would push for an end to the
war. But Ukraine manages a delicate balancing act: the drone attacks risk
further boosting pro-war sentiment inside Russia, as well as alienating
anti-war Russians. “The impact [of the drone attacks] is deeply contradictory,”
said Tatiana Stanovaya, a Carnegie Eurasia fellow and the founder of R.Politik.
“On one hand, it reinforces pro-war sentiments among ordinary Russians. This
prompts them to trust that only their government can shield them from a
‘hostile’ Ukraine and the West. It simultaneously amplifies anti-Ukrainian
sentiments, leaving little space for any pro-peace aspirations.” Kyiv also risks friction with its Western
allies, some of whom question whether the arms they supply to Ukraine should be
used for non-defensive purposes. At the same time, the attacks on Russian
territory have dealt a blow to Putin’s strongman image and undermined the
Kremlin’s “red lines” rhetoric, which warned that any incursions into Russia
would be met with a fierce response.
(Emergency services at the Moscow City tower, which was hit
by a drone on Aug. 23.)
Russian officials “find themselves handcuffed in addressing
such attacks, often having to tolerate them despite calls from the patriotic
faction to take a more aggressive stance against Ukraine,” Stanovaya said. Putin
“aims to steer clear of any escalation that he doesn't control, wary of losing
the initiative and being ensnared in resource-draining conflicts without
tangible benefits.” “In Putin's
perspective, Kyiv will eventually concede without Russia having to seize
control of a bigger part of Ukrainian territory — a move Russia can’t afford,
not to mention the risks of nuclear escalation,” she added. Given the restrained response to its attacks,
Ukraine is likely to feel emboldened to take its actions further. “It is likely
that Ukraine is testing its potential for a large-scale drone deployment on
Russian soil,” Hrabina said. Kyiv hopes
that the continued attacks will, over time, drive war fatigue inside Russia and
potentially weaken morale, both among the civilian population and among
soldiers fighting in trenches in Ukraine and watching the attacks on central
Moscow. But drone strikes in Russia also
have a practical purpose, namely severing the Russian military’s supply lines
with attacks on critical infrastructure, such as the Crimea bridge and roads in
the occupied southeastern Ukrainian territories. These attacks have for the
most part avoided civilian casualties. In order to prevent escalation and the
alienation of its Western donors, Ukraine will likely prioritize strategic
military targets and government buildings.
^ It’s important that the Ordinary Russian understands that the
Russian War in Ukraine is killing real people and damaging real buildings. By
showing Moscow is constantly under threat the same way that every Ukrainian
City is from Russian Bombs helps bring the War to the Russians. Putin can’t
hide these attacks like he has Russia’s War Crimes in Ukraine. ^
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Warning About US Laws
From the CBC:
“Ottawa warns LGBTQ travellers they could be hit by U.S.
state laws”
Global Affairs Canada has updated its travel advisory for the
United States by warning LGBTQ people that some state laws may affect them on
their travels. "Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect
2SLGBTQI+ persons. Check relevant state and local laws," said the new
advisory, posted Tuesday morning. The advisory sends visitors to a government
web page providing broad information on how members of the community could be
targeted while travelling to foreign countries. That advice tells travellers to
beware of laws that criminalize same-sex activities and relationships, or
target people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. That advice
also warns travellers that laws to curb vagrancy and public nuisance incidents
could also be used to target them in an effort "to criminalize 2SLGBTQI+
people." The updated advice does not mention any specific law or state
policy, nor does it suggest staying away from a particular state. CBC News has
asked the department for clarification but has not yet received a response.
Speaking in Moncton, N.B. on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister
Chrystia Freeland said she supported the decision to update the travel advice
but would not comment on whether U.S. President Joe Biden was informed before
the update was made. "Every Canadian government, very much including our
government, needs to put at the centre of everything we do the interests and
the safety of every single Canadian, and of every single group of
Canadians," she said. "That's what we're doing now. That's what we're
always going to do." Freeland said that as a former foreign affairs
minister, she's confident that travel advisories appearing on the Global
Affairs Canada website are "done very professionally." "We have
professionals in the government whose job is to look carefully around the world
and to monitor whether there are particular dangers to particular groups of
Canadians," she said. "That's their job and it's the right thing to
do."
A growing number of anti-LGBT laws The American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) says it is tracking 494 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S. that are working
their way through state legislatures. Of those bills, the ACLU says 230
will affect schools and education policies, 130 affect the provision of health
care, 40 affect civil rights — such as equal treatment under the law — and
eight affect public washrooms and other shared facilities. Other bills at the state level being
tracked by the ACLU would ban or censor drag shows, prohibit gender information
from being included on government identity documents or limit access to books
about LGBTQ people and issues. The updated travel advice comes after the
largest LGBT rights organization in the U.S., the Human Rights Campaign (HRC),
joined other civil rights organizations in issuing a travel advisory for
Florida in May. That warning said
newly passed laws and policies might pose risks to minorities, immigrants and
LGBTQ travellers in the state. HRC was joined by the NAACP, the League of
United Latin American Citizens, the Florida Immigrant Coalition and Equality
Florida in issuing travel or relocation warnings for the Sunshine State, one of
the most popular U.S. states for tourists. The HRC notes that Florida's
recently passed bathroom law could subject transgender people to criminal
penalties for refusing to leave a bathroom when asked, if the bathroom is in a
publicly owned or leased building.
^ 494 Bills targeting Homosexuals across the United States.
This is a sad reality for not only Canadians and other
foreigners coming to the US, but also for all Americans inside the country.
Why do I care? (and why should you care?)
I'm not Gay, but I still believe in equal rights for
Homosexuals the same way I believe in equal rights for Women (even though I am
a Man) and equal rights for Blacks/Hispanics/Asians (even though I am White)
the same way I believe in equal rights for Interracial Couples (even though I'm
not in an Interracial Relationship.)
Those who easily discriminate against one group now can
easily discriminate against every group later. ^
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/global-affairs-lgbt-unitedstates-warning-1.6950833
Fitting End
From Moscow Times:
“Memorial for Wagner Chief Held in Private”
(The grave of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at the
Porokhovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.)
A private ceremony was held to commemorate Russian mercenary
chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, his press service said Tuesday, urging mourners to pay
their respects at a cemetery in his native city St. Petersburg. Prigozhin — a
Kremlin confidant turned "traitor" — was killed last Wednesday, two
months after ordering his troops to topple Russia's military leadership. "Yevgeny
Viktorovich's farewell was held in a closed setting. Those wishing to say
goodbye can visit the Porokhovskoye cemetery," it said in a statement,
without specifying whether the mercenary chief killed in a plane crash had been
buried. Observers said the decision by the founder of the Wagner private
fighting force to turn his troops on Moscow was the most significant direct
challenge to President Vladimir Putin's authority since he came to power. The
Kremlin said earlier Tuesday that the Russian leader would not attend
Prigozhin's funeral. "The president's presence is not envisaged,"
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. There were no public
announcements of when or where Prigozhin, who was 62, would be buried. Putin
last week described Prigozhin as a man who had made "serious mistakes in
his life, but he achieved the right results." The Kremlin has dismissed
speculation that it orchestrated the crash in revenge for Wagner's march on
Moscow in June.
^ A fitting end to an evil man. ^
Idalia Prep
From the Weather Channel:
“Idalia Expected To Strengthen As It Heads Toward Florida
Landfall On Wednesday”
Idalia may rapidly intensify into a major hurricane by the
time it makes landfall in Florida on Wednesday. Life-threatening storm surge,
damaging winds and flooding rain are all expected in parts of Florida later
Tuesday through Wednesday, spreading to the Southeast coast by Wednesday and
Thursday. If you live in an area prone to storm surge, be sure to follow the
advice of local officials if evacuations are ordered.
Idalia should move northward through the Gulf of Mexico and
then turn northeast toward Florida on Tuesday and Tuesday night. Plenty of warm
water and increasingly favorable upper-level winds will make rapid
intensification possible. Idalia could be at Category 3 hurricane strength when
it makes landfall Wednesday morning, most likely in Florida's Big Bend region. After
that, it will track near south Georgia and the coastal Carolinas through
Thursday while weakening to a tropical storm.
Hurricane and tropical storm alerts: A hurricane warning is in effect
from the middle of Longboat Key to Indian Pass, including Tampa Bay. A
hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions (74+ mph winds) are expected
somewhere in this area within 24 hours. Hurricane warnings are also in effect
for some inland areas of northern Florida and south Georgia.
(A watch is issued when tropical storm or hurricane
conditions are possible within 48 hours. A warning is issued when those
conditions are expected within 36 hours.)
Storm surge is a major danger in Florida: A storm surge warning is in effect
for Englewood to Indian Pass, including Tampa Bay. This means there is a danger
of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the
shoreline within the specified area, generally within 36 hours. Storm surge
watches are in effect for other parts of the Florida coast to southeast Georgia
and South Carolina.
Water levels could reach the following heights if the peak
surge coincides with high tide:
-Aucilla River, Florida, to Chassahowitzka, Florida: 8-12
feet
-Chassahowitzka, Florida, to Anclote River, Florida: 6-9
feet
-Ochlockonee River, Florida, to Aucilla River, Florida: 5-8
feet
-Anclote River, Florida, to middle of Longboat Key, Florida:
4-7 feet
-Tampa Bay: 4-7 feet
-Middle of Longboat Key, Florida, to Englewood, Florida: 3-5
feet
Storm Surge Forecast
Flooding rain is expected in Florida and the Southeast:
Heavier rain appears to begin sometime Tuesday, continuing into Thursday from
Florida into parts of Georgia and the Carolinas. That will likely trigger flash
flooding in some areas. Parts of the west coast of Florida, the Florida
Panhandle, southeast Georgia and the eastern Carolinas may receive 4 to 8
inches of rainfall, with isolated higher amounts of 12 inches possible,
primarily near landfall in northern Florida, according to the National
Hurricane Center. Damaging winds will reach far from the center: Locations
where hurricane warnings are in effect could have numerous power outages and
downed trees. Those more numerous outages may extend far inland to northeast
Florida and southeast Georgia. Elsewhere, at least scattered power outages and
some tree damage can be expected from other parts of Florida to the coastal
Carolinas.
Tropical storm force winds will reach areas of Florida in the
hurricane warning on Tuesday with hurricane force winds expected by late
Tuesday or Wednesday. Tornadoes are also a threat midweek. Isolated tornadoes
may develop ahead of Idalia on Tuesday along the west-central Florida coast and
will spread into the Big Bend area by Tuesday night. The threat for a few
tornadoes may persist across parts of northern Florida Wednesday morning and
will spread along the Southeast coast later Wednesday.
^ I hope my Family and Friends in Florida, Georgia, South
Carolina and North Carolina stay safe. ^
https://weather.com/safety/hurricane/news/2023-08-27-tropical-storm-idalia-hurricane-watches-florida
Yellowknife Update
From the CBC:
“N.W.T. reveals phased return plan for wildfire evacuees as
Yellowknife blaze 'being held'”
Firefighting efforts have halted the spread of a wildfire
near Yellowknife, but N.W.T. officials said Monday the city is still not ready
for evacuees to return and that they will be implementing a phased re-entry
plan. N.W.T. Fire posted on Facebook
that the wildfire near the capital is classified as "being held,"
meaning it was not likely to to spread beyond its current boundaries, but noted
the status does not mean it's safe yet for residents to return. "I must stress that we are still under an
evacuation order and this is not a call for people to return to
Yellowknife," Mayor Rebecca Alty said in a statement on Monday. "I
know that it's been a stressful and difficult time, and we look forward to
welcoming everyone home soon. Until then, please stay where you have settled
and take care."
Wildfires in the Northwest Territories have triggered
evacuation orders in the capital Yellowknife along with the communities of
Ndilǫ, Dettah, Fort Smith, Enterprise, Hay River, Kátł'odeeche First Nation,
Kakisa and Jean Marie River. Nearly 70 per cent of N.W.T. residents are
displaced. Also on Monday, N.W.T. officials announced a five-phase re-entry
plan for residents to return home. N.W.T. minister slams MLA's decision to
return to Yellowknife despite evacuation order; RCMP investigating
The phases, in order, are:
Making sure the community is safe from wildfire (i.e. the
wildfire is under control and air quality is acceptable).
Checking the community for damage (i.e. making sure buildings
and infrastructure are structurally sound).
Returning essential personnel (e.g. health-care and municipal
workers) to communities.
Re-establishing basic services to communities (e.g. grocery
stores and gas stations).
Returning displaced residents to communities.
"We don't have a date for when the fires will be
declared under control [or] when it will be safe for community governments and
the territory to welcome their residents," said Jay Boast, spokesperson
for the territorial department of Municipal and Community Affairs. "It was
a monumental task to get everyone out and it's going to require a thoughtful
and staged approach to bring everyone back."
^ Yellowknife (the Capital of the Canadian Territory of the
Northwest Territories) is still evacuated - since August 19th - and under
threat from Wildfires there.
70% of the Population of the Northwest Territories are
currently evacuated because of Wildfires there.
Hopefully, the Wildfires will be put out soon and the
Residents can return to their homes or what’s left of their homes. ^
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/northwest-territories-wildfires-update-1.6949996
Monday, August 28, 2023
Allowing Citizens In
From the DW:
“North Korea reopens borders to citizens living abroad”
North Korea has moved to further open up from strict COVID-19
pandemic-era isolation, allowing the return of its citizens who were stranded
abroad, state media KCNA reported Sunday. The move marks a significant shift
after years of stringent border controls imposed during the global health
crisis. According to a statement released by the State Emergency Epidemic
Prevention Headquarters and reported by KCNA, this decision aligns with the
country's revised approach to managing the epidemic, prompted by the
"eased worldwide pandemic situation." "Those returned will be put under proper
medical observation at quarantine wards for a week," the statement said.
Gradual reopening post pandemic North Korea shut its borders in early
2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but there have been increasing
signals the country has moved towards reopening. Chinese and Russian
officials attended a military parade in Pyongyang last month — the first
foreign dignitaries to visit the country in years. Last week, a
delegation of athletes was allowed to attend a taekwondo competition in
Kazakhstan, while state-run Air Koryo made its first international commercial
flight in three years. China's Foreign Ministry said it had approved
restarting commercial air travel between Beijing and Pyongyang. Cargo
train and ship traffic has also slowly increased over the past year.
^ I’m sure the majority of North Koreans who were allowed to leave before Covid do not want to return to North Korea – unless they are forced to. ^
More Bans
From the BBC:
“Afghanistan: Taliban ban women from visiting popular
national park”
(Band-e-Amir, seen here in May this year, was Afghanistan's
first national park)
The Taliban government have banned women from visiting the
Band-e-Amir national park in Bamiyan province. Afghanistan's acting minister of
virtue and vice, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, said women had not been observing
hijab inside the park. He called on religious clerics and security agencies to
forbid women from entering until a solution was found. Band-e-Amir is a
significant tourist attraction, becoming Afghanistan's first national park in
2009.
It is a popular destination for families and the ban on women
attending will prevent many from being able to enjoy the park. Unesco describes
the park as a "naturally created group of lakes with special geological
formations and structure, as well as natural and unique beauty". However,
Mr Hanafi said going to the park to sightsee "was not obligatory",
Afghan agency Tolo News reported. Religious clerics in Bamiyan said the women
who were visiting the park and not following the rules were visitors to the
area. "There are complaints about lack of hijab or bad hijab, these are
not Bamiyan residents. They come here from other places," Sayed Nasrullah
Waezi, head of the Bamiyan Shia Ulema Council told Tolo news. Afghan former MP
Mariam Solaimankhil shared a poem she had written on X, formerly known as
Twitter, about the ban and wrote "we'll return, I'm sure of it". Fereshta
Abbasi, of Human Rights Watch, noted women had been banned from visiting the
park on Women's Equality Day and wrote it was a "total disrespect to the
women of Afghanistan".
(Band-e-Amir, seen here last year, was popular with female
visitors, who have been banned from most education and work)
Meanwhile Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human
rights in Afghanistan, asked why stopping women from visiting Band-e-Amir
"is necessary to comply with Sharia and Afghan culture?". The Taliban
have a history of implementing bans on women doing certain activities on what
it insists is a temporary basis, including preventing them from attending
schools in December 2022. The ban on visiting the Band-E-Amir national park is
the latest in a long list of activities that women have been prevented from
doing since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Most recently, the
Taliban ordered hair and beauty salons in Afghanistan to shut and in mid-July
stopped women from sitting the national university entrance exams.
^ Again the Taliban focus on stupid rules that discriminate
against Women rather than focusing on improving the lives of all Afghans (Men
and Women) who need food, security, jobs, etc. ^
Sunday, August 27, 2023
Eeyomagoo!
Eeyore or Mr. Magoo?
Sometimes I’m an Eeyore and sometimes I’m a Mr. Magoo.
I’m an Eeyomagoo!
A Moment's Notice
From the CBC:
“Answering at a moment's notice: How volunteer firefighting
works in Canada”
(Firefighters in Kelowna, B.C., head out to work on the
McDougall Creek wildfire on Tuesday from a camp set up at UBC Okanagan by the
Salvation Army emergency services. As wildfires increase in Canada, fire chiefs
are worried about a shortage of volunteer firefighters.)
Summer 2023 in Canada has been marked by out-of-control fires
from coast to coast to coast, making it the worst wildfire season on record.
One line of defence against these worsening climate events is a network of
volunteers that is shrinking each year, say fire chiefs. According to a 2022
report from the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC), an estimated 90,000
out of 126,000 firefighters across the country are volunteers, making up over
70 per cent. A similar census in 2016 counted 126,650 volunteers out of a total
152,650. This year, over 13.6 million hectares have burned in Canada as of Aug.
16, blowing far past the 10-year average of 2.2 million hectares, with more
fires continuing to threaten parts of Northwest Territories and British
Columbia. With the shortage of
firefighters making an impact from New Brunswick to N.W.T., we spoke to fire
chiefs who discussed how volunteer firefighting works in Canada and ways they
envision addressing these gaps.
What does a volunteer firefighter do? Volunteer firefighters are typically
on-call at municipal fire departments, answering calls for service in their
region where structures are threatened. While some on-call firefighters are
truly volunteers — and not paid wages or expenses — others classified as volunteers
may be paid wages, on-call time, honoraria or expenses, depending on the
department. Wildfires that originate in forested areas are handled by
separate wildland teams that are hired and managed provincially. A Reuters
report found about 5,500 wildland firefighters are employed across Canada.
Municipal career and volunteer firefighters join the fight only when it
encroaches on a populated area. "The
rural teams are more [made up of] volunteers," said Brian Starkell,
president of the Canadian Volunteer Fire Services Association and former fire
chief in Nipawin, Sask. "They also have a full time job that they work at
and usually it's about half time that you're dedicating towards firefighting
and training." Increasingly, they are also called upon to respond
to medical emergencies as well. The CAFC report showed out of the two million
calls firefighters responded to last year, 44 per cent were medical
emergencies.
How does training and volunteering work when you also have a
day job?
(An aerial view of the wildfire threatening the Yellowknife
area from Aug. 17.)
The exact amount of training depends on the municipality, and
according to Starkell, volunteers receive the same amount as career
firefighters in the same department and it takes several years to complete. "A
lot of it is by correspondence and then there are scenarios that you have to do
to pass the course, so it's pretty intense," he said. Ken McMullen, chief
of emergency services in Red Deer, Alta., and president of the Canadian
Association of Fire Chiefs, said departments do not have enough younger people,
in the 18 to 25 year age group, joining as volunteers in recent years. Those who have jobs outside of volunteering
take time off to respond, answering calls at a moment's notice. McMullen and
Starkell both said this system has mostly worked well so far. "Where we're seeing struggles right now
is a fire season like this particular year, where people are gone for 30, 40,
[or] 80 days at a time," McMullen said, foreseeing challenges in the
future. "It's just not sustainable." The Assembly of First Nations is
calling for an immediate increase in support for communities and individuals
affected by the wildfires still raging across the country. AFN B.C. Regional
Chief Terry Teegee and AFN Northwest Territories Regional Chief Gerarld Antoine
tell CBC's Power & Politics what their communities need.
Why is there a shortage of volunteer firefighters?
(Motorcycle riders watch as the McDougall Creek wildfire
burns in West Kelowna, B.C., on Aug. 18.)
Retirement, family commitments, and people moving to
different municipalities that may have less need of firefighting, are all
reasons the fire chiefs cited, along with slower uptake from young people. "When we lose firefighters, we're
typically aging out, which means in a lot of municipalities, volunteers are not
covered by their insurance policy after the age of 60," McMullen said.
"That population that holds a large group of volunteer firefighters in
Canada, we're starting to lose at that end, and we can't recruit fast enough at
the other end." Both discussed an urgent need for better federal and
municipal support and compensation for firefighters, to help recruit with
wildfire seasons worsening.
What solutions are on the table? The national associations for
volunteer firefighters, fire chiefs, and search and rescue members, have all
lobbied to the federal government to increase the tax credit for volunteering
as a firefighter or search and rescue member. It currently stands at $3,000,
and they are seeking an increase to $10,000. The CAFC has made three other
recommendations as well, according to McMullen: provide volunteer firefighters
with better mental health support, hire a national fire advisor to coordinate
emergency teams at the federal level, and bring back a program that used to
give fire departments more training and equipment. "The joint
emergency preparedness plan allowed fire departments to apply for specialty
training and equipment in order to support different things that we don't do
regularly — and wildfire is not something that municipal firefighters do on a
regular occurrence," McMullen said. "That ended in 2013, and we've
advocated for that to come back." Some in B.C. have floated the
idea of having a national wildfire-fighting force in Canada, following models
like Australia. Currently the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre helps
provinces co-ordinate wildfire response and training. According to Starkell, municipalities
should be funding fire departments better. "A lot of firefighters are raising
funds themselves in their organizations to help buy equipment," he said.
"The RCMP don't raise money to buy bullets, so the firefighters shouldn't
have to raise money to buy equipment." Depending on the
municipality, a volunteer firefighter gets paid either hourly or with an annual
cheque, according to Starkell. Neither he nor McMullen could say how
much volunteers are paid on average. "The biggest thing that we can
say is that we're helping people," Starkell said, echoing a sense of pride
in the work. "We don't know these folks, they're complete strangers, but
we're out helping them at the worst time of their lives."
^ Firefighters are very important because they risk their
lives to save People, Animals and Property. Volunteer Firefighters do all of
that and aren’t paid. Canada (and the World) should pay and give more benefits to
all Firefighters (Volunteers and Professionals.) ^
https://www.cbc.ca/news/climate/volunteer-firefighting-1.6947097
32,000 Claims Delayed
From News Nation:
“Thousands of veterans’ disability claims delayed, some for
years”
About 32,000 veterans have had disability claims submitted
through the Veterans Affairs website delayed because of a technical issue. A
spokesperson for the Department of Veterans Affairs told NewsNation that some
of these claims go back to 2018. “Specifically, these claims were not
automatically routed for processing once submitted, leading to a delay for
these veterans,” Terrence Hayes, VA press secretary, said in an emailed
statement to NewsNation. Claims were delayed after a technical issue with the
integration of two systems on the VA.gov website. Hayes said this affected
about one-half of 1% of all claims submitted. According to Hayes, the
Department of Veterans Affairs implemented a solution in February “shortly
after” the issue was discovered.
Military.com, which first reported on this story, said that
affected veterans began receiving letters this month notifying them their
claims may not have been reviewed. In the letters, according to Military.com,
the Department of Veterans Affairs wrote that it was conducting a thorough
review and that the veterans themselves did not need to take any action. They
were advised to pay attention to their mail for more information, Military.com
reported.
Hayes said the VA has identified all the affected veterans,
and their claims are being processed. Once veterans were identified, the
Department of Veterans Affairs worked on a new way to take these delayed claims
and transfer them to the correct system for processing. “We are processing these
claims with the utmost urgency, and we will ensure that the effective date for
every one of these veterans is preserved,” Hayes said. That means if the claims
are granted, the benefits a veteran received will be backdated to the original
date they filed it, or sooner, if applicable by law. “We deeply apologize to
these veterans for the delay, and we will ensure they receive the benefits
they’ve earned as quickly as possible,” Hayes said. “We will also continue to
review our technology, processes and systems to prevent such technical issues from
impacting veterans in the future.” This includes creating new operational and
technological measures to flag delayed claims as soon as they are not processed
correctly, Hayes said.
More than 1.7 million disability compensation and pension
claims were processed in 2022. The number of pending claims was 1,043,961 in
early August, according to Military.com. Of these, 274,148 are older than 125
days. Aging information technology infrastructure has long plagued the
Department of Veterans Affairs, Military.com wrote. In its 2024 fiscal year
budget request, the VA is proposing $6.4 billion for the Office of Information
Technology to continue to upgrade this infrastructure and $1.9 billion to
convert to a new electronic health records system, according to the outlet.
^ Once again the VA continues to fail the Veterans. ^
https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/military/veterans-disability-claims-glitch/
Micro-Houses
From the BBC:
“São Paulo's micro-houses keeping homeless families off the
streets”
(Rows of tents have sprung up underneath the elevated highway
in São Paulo)
The minhocão is one of São Paulo's most famous landmarks. An
elevated highway that snakes its way through the centre of the city, it weaves
through the tightly packed apartment buildings to connect the east to the west.
The road's official name is the Elevado Presidente João Goulart. But people
here prefer to call it by its nickname, the minhocão, a reference to a giant
mythical beast that roamed the forests of South America. As much as it
dominates the city with its sheer size, the minhocão also provides shelter for
a growing number of people. For underneath the elevated road, more and more
homeless families are erecting tents, driven out of their homes by rising rent
and having to sleep rough. Many others have to make do with blankets handed to
them by the city council. And every day gets harder as the winter sets in.
São Paulo's authorities estimate around 34,000 people are
sleeping rough on the streets this year while figures from the Federal
University of Minas Gerais put the number closer to 50,000. The homeless
population has soared more than 31% since the pandemic, and the number of
families sleeping rough has risen 111% in the same time period, according to
the city council. With growing numbers of people needing help, the traditional
strategies of soup kitchens and shelters are falling short. So this year the
city has come up with a new temporary solution: the micro-house.
(Blue container houses arranged in a square with a playground
in the middle)
The first village of micro-houses was built close to the
banks of the Tiete River, in the neighbourhood of Canindé. Home to one of São
Paulo's original favelas, today the site houses 20 or so families, each living
in a little box that looks similar to a shipping container and measures 18 sq
m. A square with a playground gives the area a community feel. Children are
playing with toys, their parents sitting on benches and watching on. The aim is
to build a total of 1,000 such houses across the city by the end of the year,
housing 4,000 people. "It's a way of looking after people based on the
well-known international concept of Housing First, offering housing as the
first step in helping to get them back on their feet," explains Carlos
Bezerra Junior, who is the social welfare secretary at São Paulo City Hall,
which is in charge of the project.
(Daniela and Rafael share their 18 sq m house with their two
young children)
She shares a double bed with her husband Rafael, 32, and
their four-year-old daughter Sofia. On the opposite wall, there's a cot for
three-month-old baby Henri. The corner kitchen has a small stove, a sink and a
fridge, and next to it is a simple bathroom. The Covid-19 pandemic hit the
family hard. Rafael lost his job as a sales assistant and Daniela's work as a
cleaner dried up. They lived in a shelter for eight months before this
opportunity came up. "This is a place where we are trying to get back to
living in society, to be human again, you know?" explains Rafael. "We
just want a normal life - so many employers think that people who live in a
shelter are bad people." The stigma that comes with losing a home makes
getting back on your feet that much harder, say experts from homeless
charities. "Traditionally, those who are living on the streets are mostly
male with some mental problems and issues with their families," says
Raquel Rolnik, professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of
the University of São Paulo. "Now we are talking about entire families
living on the street. So clearly the issue is housing - the idea that the city
administration is mobilising to address the topic of housing is good
news." But, she says, the micro-houses are not a perfect solution. "There
is a lot of criticism about the format, the concentration of tiny homes grouped
together in the same place, forming ghettos," she explains. She criticises
the lack of urban planning and thinks better use could be made of existing,
often abandoned, housing to make that habitable too.
Brazil is a country infamous for its inequality and immense
favelas. But even these least desirable spaces - large areas of makeshift
housing built by squatters - have become unaffordable for many. "Of course
it's free for the first ones who squat, but not free for the second, for the
third or for the 10th," says Raquel Rolnik. "They are also based on
business activities - an activity of providing what is not provided in the
formal market. And this in the context of a total absence of a housing
policy."
São Paulo's largest favela is Paraisópolis (Paradise City in
English), a name resident Eliane Carmo da Silva, who lives in a cramped room
with mould growing on the walls, finds ironic. Her home is in a little alleyway
off the main road, on the ground floor, with at least two more floors of
informally built flats above her. Eliane and her husband pay $73 (£58) a month
for a space large enough for a double bed, a cooker and a fridge but little
more. It is more than they can currently afford to pay. Their granddaughter,
Rennylly Victoria, has a heart condition and the little they earn goes on the
medication that keeps her alive. While their landlord is understanding, it is
getting harder to make ends meet, even though they receive food and aid from
local charities. "This month we had to use some rent money to buy her
medicines," Eliane explains, adding "I will never let her die." And
she will not let her ambition die either. "At the moment, paying rent
[means] we don't make ends meet. Without donations, things would be incredibly
difficult," she says. "My dream is to have my own house of course -
work to earn money and keep pushing through."
^ These micro-houses are a good, but temporary solution. More
permanent affordable housing options need to be built across Brazil and around
the World. ^
Flying
From being dressed-up and given lots of space to wearing
pajamas and double-decker seating.
I wish I could have experienced the old days of flying.
Saturday, August 26, 2023
New Flu Guidelines
From Yahoo:
“The CDC just published new flu vaccine guidelines: What you
need to know”
Flu season typically runs from October to May, making the
unofficial start just weeks away. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention has issued new guidelines for this flu season — and there's a
surprising change in the mix. Here's everything you need to know about the new
flu guidance, plus how to prepare for this tricky time of year.
What's new about the guidelines? This year's guidelines are
"pretty standard, with one big exception," Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of
infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York, tells Yahoo Life.
That's the CDC's position on which flu vaccines people with egg allergies can
use. The CDC says people with egg allergies can now get any vaccine —
egg-based or non-egg-based — that is "otherwise appropriate for their age
and health status." Previous recommendations had been that people with
severe egg allergies should avoid egg-based vaccines. "Data now
shows that people who are egg-allergic really do not have a major
contraindication to egg-based flu vaccines," Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, a senior
scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Yahoo Life. While
this is new in the U.S., it isn't in other parts of the world. "The U.S.
has now caught up to the Canadians and Europeans, who for some time have looked
at the data regarding rare but serious allergic reactions with the flu vaccine and
have come to the conclusion that eggs have almost nothing to do with it,"
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, says. Schaffner says that
"there will be a few people who are still twitchy" about getting an
egg-based vaccine, noting that egg-free vaccines will continue to be available.
What's in this year's flu vaccine? Flu vaccines for this season are
designed to target these strains, per the CDC:
Egg-based vaccines A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus, A/Darwin/9/2021
(H3N2)-like virus, B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage)-like
virus, B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage)-like virus
Cell- or recombinant-based vaccines A/Wisconsin/67/2022 (H1N1)pdm09-like
virus, A/Darwin/6/2021 (H3N2)-like virus, B/Austria/1359417/2021
(B/Victoria lineage)-like virus, B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata
lineage)-like virus
Worth noting: There is just one update to this year's flu vaccine from
last year's. As for how effective this year's vaccine will be, Russo says we'll
have to wait and see. "Sometimes we hit, sometimes we miss," he says.
"It happens every single year."
When will flu vaccines become available? They'll be available soon. Many major
pharmacies, including CVS and Walgreens, are allowing people to schedule
vaccine appointments for as early as Sept. 1. Some pharmacies may even offer
them now, along with doctor's offices — it really depends on when supplies
arrive at any given location, Russo says.
When should I get my flu vaccine? It's best to hold off a little if you
can. "Ideally, you want to get your flu vaccine at the end of September,
in October or the very first week or so in November — that's the ideal
time," Schaffner says. Timing your flu vaccine this way helps ensure you
have adequate protection through the peak of flu season, he explains. "If
you get it too early, the protection begins to wane at the end of the flu
season," he adds. There is an exception, though: Children under the
age of 8 who have never received a flu vaccine will need two doses, separated
by a month, Schaffner points out. If your child meets those criteria, he
recommends contacting your pediatrician to get an appointment scheduled now.
When is flu season at its worst? Flu season usually peaks between
December and February, per the CDC, which is why the timing of your vaccine is
important. "It doesn’t make sense to get vaccinated this early,"
Adalja says.
How can I prepare for flu season? Getting vaccinated is an important
place to start, Russo says. "Vaccination is the pillar of
protection," he says. But he also suggests that you keep
high-quality masks handy in case flu activity rises in your area and that you
remain aware of risk-benefit situations as flu cases increase. "If you're
high-risk, you may want to avoid scenarios that are indoors, with lots of
people and poor ventilation," Russo says. Schaffner says this
year's flu activity is likely to increase in October, as opposed to last year,
when it started early. "There will be flu. Will it be mild, moderate or
severe this year? We just don't know," he says. "But there will be
flu, and we should protect ourselves."
^ Hopefully, this year’s Flu Shot will be effective against
the Flu Strains. It would be nice if the
new Covid Vaccine was also approved and available soon, but they aren’t even
meeting until September. ^
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/cdc-flu-vaccine-guidelines-egg-allergy-202014909.html
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