Life, Nature, Society

*Update*

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heavy rain in Europe In late May and early June 2016 flooding began after several days of heavy rain in Europe, mostly Germany and France, but also Austria, Belgium, Romania, Moldova, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Among others, the German states of Bavaria, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, and North Rhine-Westphalia were affected. There was also severe flooding in France. Beginning at the river Neckar, also the Danube, Rhine, Seine and their tributaries were affected by high water and flooding along their banks.

Germany - The Baden-Württemberg village of Braunsbach was most heavily affected by the floods. After flash floods on 29 May 2016, small tributaries of the river Kocher flooded the streets of the village within minutes, and the roadways were buried under rocks, trees and car wrecks.

France - the river Seine burst its banks and one town was evacuated. Four people died in the floods. (Compare Flood level of the Seine in Paris 2016 against the flood height of 1910). Flooding in Paris was expected to peak at around 6.30 m above normal, higher than 6.18 m high seen in 1982, but below the 1955 flood level of 7.12 m, and the 1910 Paris flood which saw levels at 8.62 m above normal.

June 2, 2016 Louvre and Musée d’Orsay have shut their doors amid Paris floods  read more »

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The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km), three-mile-long (4.8 km) channel between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It opened in 1937 and was, until 1964, the longest suspension bridge main span in the world, at 4,200 feet (1,300 m). It has been declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Construction began on January 5, 1933. The project was finished and opened May 27, 1937. The bridge-opening celebration began on May 27, 1937 and lasted for one week. The day before vehicle traffic was allowed, 200,000 people crossed either on foot or on roller skates.

CNN May 27, 2016 Nearly 60,000 bridges across the country are in desperate need of repair. One example is just down the street from the White House and Capitol Hill. In the nation's capital, 68,000 vehicles cross the Arlington Memorial Bridge between Washington and Virginia every day. CNN was granted rare access to go inside the crumbling bridge. "It's just eroding and concrete is falling off," said National Park Service spokeswoman Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles as she showed how the original support beams from 1932 are corroding. The beams have never been replaced, and the bridge could be closed to vehicle traffic within five years if it isn't fixed. It'll cost $250 million.  read more »

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bmj.com 03 May 2016 Medical error - the 3rd leading cause of death in the US

Washington Post “medical errors” incredibly common
Nightmare stories of nurses giving potent drugs meant for one patient to another and surgeons removing the wrong body parts have dominated recent headlines about medical care. Lest you assume those cases are the exceptions, a new study by patient-safety researchers provides some context. Their analysis, published in the BMJ on Tuesday, shows that “medical errors” in hospitals and other health-care facilities are incredibly common and may now be the third-leading cause of death in the United States — claiming 251,000 lives every year, more than respiratory disease, accidents, stroke and Alzheimer’s.  read more »

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2016/05/14 Foxnews Ohio Mayor takes a 50% pay cut in my wage to help city’s projected $130,000 deficit. His pay will drop by $34,000. He said he wanted to set an example for other employees because “everybody’s got to help” cut the deficit.

The mayor of a small Ohio city is cutting his salary in half in an effort to solve the city's budget woes. “From now until probably January 1st, I am going to take a 50 percent pay cut in my wage,” Niles Mayor Tom Scarnecchia said after a meeting on how to rescue the city from fiscal emergency.

The state requires that the city balance its budget, as Niles faces a projected $130,000 deficit. With the move, Scarnecchia’s annual salary will drop by $34,000, according to WKBN.

He said he wanted to set an example for other employees because “everybody’s got to help” cut the deficit.

“I think that him making that personal sacrifice should show the citizens that he’s doing the very best he can. He loves Niles,” Councilman Barry Steffey said.

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Image courtesy WKBN, TownMapsUSA, and TribToday.com

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05/11/2016 HuffingtonPost chosen by instinct, prayed to God: 40 days digging a well during drought
After his wife was denied water, man spent 40 days digging a well during drought http://huff.to/1YsMIsn
the spot for the well was chosen by instinct.
"I prayed fervently to God before starting the job."
Once he found water, he invited everyone to drink from the well, despite making fun of him. "The ones who ridiculed my efforts now come to my well to fetch water," Tajne told Asian News International.

A man in India broke new ground in his village. Bapurao Tajne spent 40 days digging a well after his wife attempted to draw water from the well of someone of a higher caste and was denied — and humiliated — in a drought-affected region of Maharashtra, India.

“I came home that day in March and almost cried,” Tajne told The Times of India. “I resolved never to beg for water from anybody. I went to Malegaon (the closest town) and bought tools and within an hour I started digging.”

Tajne is a poor laborer, and could not quit his job to dig the well, so he would wake up early and dig for four hours before work and then shovel for another two once he got home. He said the spot for the well was chosen by instinct.

“I prayed fervently to God before starting the job,” he told TOI. “I am thankful that my effort has been rewarded.”  read more »

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Apr 12, 2016 - ABC News Report: Data Breaches Bigger, Worse Than You Think In addition to 9 “mega-breaches” of personal data in 2015, tens of millions of personal records were likely exposed or stolen the same year but went unreported because the companies or entities involved chose to keep the size of the breach a secret, The report from California-based Symantec said that the number of companies that refused to report the scope of a data breach jumped by 85 percent last year, what one senior Symantec officer said was a “disturbing trend.” Some 429 million personal records were exposed in 2015 -- many of them through mega-breaches like the Office of Personnel Management hack and one that reportedly hit a huge voter database -- but that number is only based on entities that shared the scope of the breach. Symantec estimates that the real number of exposed or stolen records, including those that went unreported, likely tops half a billion. Senior Vice President at Symantec told ABC News that the research shows cyber-crime has moved on from its “start-up phase.” “As a growth business, these guys have figured out how to make money,”

Growing business has moved on from its “start-up phase.”
A “disturbing trend - a market has evolved to meet demand.”  read more »

Waste less, Earth’s Angel. Happy Earth Day, to everyone, everyday!