Hurricane Harvey and the inevitable question of climate change

Hurricane Harvey and the inevitable question of climate change

It’s been more than three days since Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, but the record-shattering deluge it unleashed still isn’t over. Houston, America’s fourth-largest city, and parts of southeastern Texas are being pounded by continuing rains, and the storm has triggered a new emergency in the neighboring state of Louisiana. At least nine deaths related to the storm have been reported, tens of thousands have been driven from their homes, and federal authorities estimate that close to half a million people will seek disaster assistance.

Various U.S. government officials described the impact of Hurricane Harvey with apocalyptic superlatives. “We are seeing catastrophic flooding,” said Louis W. Uccellini, the director of the National Weather Service, who warned that the waters would be slow to recede. His agency’s models showed the Brazos River, which runs southwest of Houston, rising some 59 feet by Tuesday.

“A flood of this magnitude is an 800-year event, and it exceeds the design specification of our levees,” said Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert in a statement Monday.  William “Brock” Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, had similar comments: “We have not seen an event like this,” he said on Monday. “You could not draw this forecast up. You could not dream this forecast up.”

Right now, the focus is on ongoing relief and recovery efforts, boosted in part by a heartwarming mobilization of civilian volunteers. But the specter of climate change can’t be ignored. Climate change may not have “caused” Hurricane Harvey, but it seems likely that warming temperatures — the consequence of man-made greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere — exacerbated the storm conditions.

My colleague Chris Mooney outlined a number of ways in which this happens: Warmer temperatures in the ocean created an increase in atmospheric moisture, leading to the massive rainfall currently hitting southeastern Texas; rising sea levels contributed to a stronger storm surge that flooded Houston; a warmer climate makes storms more intense before they make landfall…

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Harvey kills at least 9, Trump to visit Texas

US President Donald Trump is set to visit Texas to survey the response to devastating Tropical Storm Harvey which has catastrophic flooding and killed at least nine people.

Trump will visit Texas – and possibly Louisiana – on Tuesday after declaring a federal state of emergency in both states, a move that triggers the release of emergency government funding and other assistance..

“My administration is co-ordinating closely with state and local authorities in Texas and Louisiana to save lives, and we thank our first responders and all of those involved in their efforts,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.

Forecasters could only draw on a few comparisons to the storm, recalling Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and killed 1,800 people in 2005.

The administration of then-President George W. Bush faced accusations that his response was slow and inadequate – criticism that dealt a serious blow to his presidency.

Flood damage in Texas from Hurricane Harvey may equal that from Katrina, one of the costliest natural disaster in US history, an insurance research group said on Sunday.

In Texas, thousands of National Guard troops, police officers, rescue workers and civilians raced in helicopters, boats and high-water trucks to rescue the thousands stranded in the flooding, which turned streets into rivers and caused chest-high water build-ups in scores of neighbourhoods.

The last Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Texas since Harvey was Carla in 1961. It packed winds and rains that destroyed about 1,900 homes and nearly 1,000 businesses, the National Weather Service said.

The centre of Harvey is likely to remain just off the coast of Texas through Tuesday night before moving inland over the northwestern Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.

Among the most recent fatalities from Harvey was a family of two adults and four children who were believed to have drowned after the van they were in was swept away by floodwaters in Houston, authorities said.

A man drowned on Monday night trying to swim across flooded Houston-area roads, the Houston Chronicle reported the Montgomery County Constable’s Office as saying.

Since coming ashore, Harvey has virtually stalled along the Texas coast, picking up warm water from the Gulf of Mexico and dumping torrential rain from San Antonio to Louisiana.

The Houston metro area has suffered some of the worst precipitation with certain areas expected to receive more than 127cm of rain in a week, more than it typically receives for a year.

Harvey is expected to produce up to 30cm of rain through Thursday over parts of the upper Texas coast into southwestern Louisiana, the National Weather Service said.

Schools and office buildings were closed throughout the Houston metropolitan area, where 6.8 million people live.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency director, Brock Long, estimated that 30,000 people would eventually be housed temporarily in shelters.

Houston and Dallas have set up shelters in convention centres and Austin was preparing to house as many as 7,000 evacuees.

Hundreds of Houston-area roads were blocked by high water. The city’s two main airports were shut as the floods turned runways into ponds and more than a quarter million customers were without power as of Tuesday morning.

Source: Harvey kills nine, Trump to visit Texas | Perth Now

Barry Cable slammed decision to allow NRL to be 1st code to use #Perth’s new stadium

One of the AFL's biggest names has slammed a decision to allow Rugby League to be the first football code to headline Perth's new stadium http://pic.twitter.com/ViNLSPuab5

— 7 News Perth (@7NewsPerth) August 29, 2017

Workers at Trump’s golf course in Dubai make $200 a month, money that frequently comes weeks or months late

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — They are not inclined to complain, not about the merciless sun or the 110-degree heat, as they labor to transform the pale sands of the Arabian desert into verdant fairways. They accept with resignation that their families are far away, in India, Pakistan or Nepal.

What these migrant workers cannot abide is how frequently their employer, a local construction company, pays them late, delaying the money they send home and forcing their families to borrow. They are especially frustrated given where they have been dispatched to work — the Trump International Golf Club, part of President Trump’s global array of business interests.

“He has countless amounts of money!” fumed a 24-year-old Pakistani who works as a driver for the local construction company that has a contract at the course, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job. “We are very far away from our houses, from our children, our families. It hurts us.”

The Trump International Golf Club, which officially opened in February, is the centerpiece of Damac Hills, a gated complex of 4,000 luxury villas and 7,500 condos selling for up to $4 million each. Sixteen miles to the east, a second Trump-branded course is being built inside an even larger resort, Akoya Oxygen, where a recent promotion beckoned: Buy two villas and get two Mercedes-Benzes.

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Ford and Domino’s to deliver pizza using self-driving cars in new test

Ford and Domino’s are teaming up on a research trial that will see Ford cars equipped with self-driving tech delivering pizzas to regular consumers, as a way of figuring out how everyday people will react to, and interact with, autonomous service vehicles in the future.

Ford Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Cars will be used in the test, outfitted with pizza containers created by Domino’s partner Roush Enterprises designed to keep the pizzas warm en route, and to unlock when a customer types in their unique delivery code. The vehicles will be available to randomly selected Domino’s customers who order pizza in the Ann Arbor area, with the ability on the customer end to opt in to receiving a delivery via AV when they’re selected.

Both Ford and Domino’s will be using the test to see how people react to receiving pizzas via self-driving vehicles. Ford considers the customer and user experience aspects of autonomous driving technology a core part of the overall platform it’s developing, Ford Autonomous and Electric Vehicles VP Sherif Marakby tells me, and it’s using this real-world trial to test its assumptions and help it develop that aspect of the product it hopes to commercialize in just a few years’ time.

Source: Ford and Domino’s to deliver pizza using self-driving cars in new test | TechCrunch

Honey Birdette ad banned from lingerie stores due to highly sexual nature

IT’S fair to say that Eloise Monaghan has had a gutful.

For 10 years the creator of the Honey Birdette lingerie range has been battling people who complain about the appearance of women’s breasts in her advertising campaigns.

One year she had an image banned because it showed too much “side cleavage”.

Today, it’s the image above that has caused all the fuss.

After receiving a complaint, the image has been banned by the Australian Ad Standards Bureau for breaching Section 2.4 of the Code which states that “Advertising or Marketing Communications shall treat sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience”.

It’s one of seven pictures that appears on digital billboards in Honey Birdette lingerie stores around Australia. But this particular shot that shows the “Issy” range, has been deemed too racy because it exposes minors to “inappropriate marketing” by using “highly sexual images”.

The big problem with this particular shot? You can see the models’ nipples.

Source: Honey Birdette ad banned from lingerie stores due to highly sexual nature

Canberra man Graham Dillon confesses to murdering his 8yo son Bradyn in 2016

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Rivers, Katies owner Specialty Fashion results 2017 reveal $8.39m loss

KATIES, Rivers and Miller owner Specialty Fashion says store closures and asset impairments have led to its annual loss nearly quadrupling to $8.4 million.

Shares in the troubled retail group plunged 23 per cent on Tuesday after news broke of the disastrous result, which have all but killed its chances of a potential $135 million takeover by Al Alfia Holdings, an investment company controlled by the Qatari royal family, hoped to revive its fortunes.

Heavy discounting and weak consumer spending hurt Specialty Fashion’s revenue, which fell 2.1 per cent to $808.9 million for the 12 months to June 30 with comparable sales down two per cent compared to a year ago.

Solid sales growth from Rivers and City Chic were offset by declines at Millers, Crossroads, Autograph and Katies, which were hurt by promotional activity.

The group closed its stand-alone City Chic stores in the United States, which its key brands including Millers and Katies have struggled to grow sales.

It will close more than 40 stores this year, most of them loss-making, and attempt to lure customers to nearby bricks and mortar stores and online stores…

Source: Rivers, Katies owner Specialty Fashion results 2017 reveal $8.39m loss

Crane falls into Sydney Harbour at Milsons Point near Luna Park – “huge bang”

A CRANE has toppled into Sydney Harbour close to amusement park Luna Park as witnesses describe hearing a “huge bang”.

Luke Bayly described how he was sitting on the opposite side of Sydney Harbour when he saw the crane collapse at around 1:00pm.

The crane was operating around Milsons Point, an affluent suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney.

“It was a huge bang, it startled me, I thought a bomb had gone off,” he told ABC News.

Luna Park, located in Milsons Point, is on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour where the crane fell. It said it had no comment on the incident.

Witnesses say they could hear a loud splash as the giant structure toppled into the water.

“I was sitting on the other side of the harbour,” Mr Bayly said.

“I heard a huge bang. I looked up and I saw the crane splash into the water.”

Workers from Waterway Constructions are currently on the site.

Source: Crane falls into Sydney Harbour at Milsons Point near Luna Park: report

Students in Australia: Canoe to rescue a Koala stuck in a tree in water V/CLIP;

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What the roo?! Check out this snap one cameramen caught from the @ASBK titles

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Interpol Arrest Notice Issued for RED BULL Heir Vorayuth

Vorayuth Yoovidhya is wanted in a Bangkok hit-and-run that killed a traffic cop

Interpol has issued an international request for the arrest of the billionaire heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune, stepping up of the hunt for the fugitive Thai playboy wanted in a 2012 hit-and-run incident that left a traffic policeman dead in Bangkok.

Thai police spokesman Col. Krissana Pattanacharoen said Monday that his department had been notified by the international police network of the “Red Notice,” a worldwide request to find and provisionally arrest an individual, pending extradition.

Vorayuth Yoovidhya skipped Thailand at the end of April, just before authorities issued an arrest warrant after he repeatedly failed to meet with prosecutors since the September 2012 crash. He flew to Singapore on one of the family’s private jets. His trail has since gone cold.

“We have been informed that Interpol has issued a Red Notice on the Red Bull heir, and we now have to wait to see what kind of responses we get from member countries,” Krissana said. “We have been working on this case and pursuing it using all means, and this Red Notice is what we can do when we believe that it’s possible that he is hiding in foreign countries.”

The Red Notice goes out to all 190 Interpol member countries. Among other measures, it alerts border officials, in theory making international travel more likely to result in arrest. In May, the authorities in Bangkok cancelled Vorayuth’s Thai passport.

Vorayuth, 32, is a grandson of the Thai co-founder of the Red Bull brand, the world’s most popular energy drink…

Source: Interpol Arrest Notice Issued for Red Bull Heir Vorayuth | Time.com

Video: Underworld hit in Sydney. …survived being shot several times V/CLIP

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Australia: Serious National Gambling Problem – World’s most prolific gamblers

A national problem

Australians are the world’s most prolific gamblers, based on per capita spending.

In 2016, Australians lost more money per person — an average of US $990 — than any other developed country, according to research by consultancy H2 Gambling Capital. In comparison, runner-up Singapore lost $650 per person, and Ireland, which came third, $500.

One disadvantaged working-class Sydney suburb, Fairfield, gambled away more than AUS $8 billion from 2015-16 — or just under $40,000 per resident.

Total gambling expenditure in Australia increased by 7.7% from $21.114 billion in 2013-14 to $22.734 billion in 2014-15, according to the latest edition of the Australian Gambling Statistics, published last year. Meanwhile, per adult gambling expenditure increased from $1,171.09 to $1,241.86.

The most prevalent forms of gambling are lottery-type games (such as Powerball or Oz Lotto), with 30% reported use, but poker machines come second, with 8% of adults reporting they use pokies in a typical month, according to the 2017 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey.

Driving this national addiction are the country’s 196,000 electronic poker machines. With the exception of Western Australia, pokies are allowed not just in casinos but in pubs and social clubs, where they are plentiful…

Source: Australia has a serious gambling problem – CNN

Sharapova wows US Open crowd in first major match since doping ban – BEATS no.2 Halep

Five-time major champion Maria Sharapova made an assured return to New York’s Flushing Meadows Monday night with a 6-4, X-X win over World No. 2 Simona Halep in her first competition in 15 months. ORWorld No. 2 Simona Halep denied five-time major champion Maria Sharapova a fairytale return to New York’s Flushing Meadows Monday night with a 6-4, X-X, win over the former US Open winner.

The Russian produced a dominant display which often combined agility with sheer power and athleticism, overwhelming the Romanian in three sets, taking the final one despite Halep’s best efforts to fight back.

The 30-year-old Sharapova’s mental game was on point during the thrilling match as she stretched, screamed and powered her way to what was ultimately her competition to lose.

In what was one of the most thrilling first-round matches in recent US Open history, the Russian continued her winning streak over her opponent — she’s never lost to Halep in a half-dozen previous head-to-heads.

Halep, overpowered and outplayed for much of the two-hour, 43-minute match, refused to give up and clawed back sets beginning at 4-2 down in the second set, when she convincingly broke Sharapova’s serve.

Halep dug deep in the second set to win five straight games in a row, but it was not to be and Sharapova’s closed out the match with a tense third set in front of a strongly pro-Sharapova crowd.

Fatigue was setting in as Sharapova held her nerve in the final set, feeding off the crowd’s vocal encouragement of the Russian during her return to the Arthur Ashe Stadium…

Source: Sharapova wows US Open crowd in first major match since doping ban – CNN

Volunteers stream into Texas: Help #Harvey victims, 30,000+ Homeless V/CLIP;

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