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Hurricane Irene Evacuations Underway Across Eastern US (includes maps + links)

August 27, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet

Across the eastern seaboard of the United States, from South Carolina to Maine, there is an intense and well-ordered preparation underway to brace against and limit the fallout from Hurricane Irene. In North Carolina, 300,000 people have been ordered to evacuate the Outer Banks and low-lying coastal areas. The mayor of New York City, Michael [...]

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Japan Government Concealed Evidence of Radiation Fallout

August 9, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet

As early as one day after the March 11 tsunami sparked the (still ongoing) nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, Japan’s government had advanced radiation fallout and atmospheric modeling showing the area most likely to be hit by fallout from the explosions and the ongoing seepage. The government allegedly concealed this information, to prevent [...]

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Radiation at Fukushima Plant 100,000 Times Normal

March 27, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off

Reports from Tokyo today have authorities telling residents water is now safe for infant consumption, even as reports from Fukushima show radiation levels may have surged to 10 million times the normal level. Readings taken 30 miles out to sea have found radiation levels in seawater at 1,850 times the normal level. More nations around the Pacific Ocean are expressing concern about the handling of the disaster.

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US Not Prepared for Major Nuclear Crisis

March 16, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off

A report from the American Medical Association finds the US is not prepared to deal with the public health crisis that would ensue from a major nuclear accident. There is also evidence suggesting that aging nuclear plants are less stable and less secure than the public is led to believe. Indeed, radiation releases are surprisingly and disturbingly common.

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Workers at Fukushima Reactor 4 Forced to Leave due to Radiation Risk

March 15, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off

As the four troubled nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex continue to deteriorate, the news is breaking this evening that workers at Reactor #4 are being forced to abandon the site, due to the risk of extreme radiation contamination. The evacuation means that at least one of the failing reactors will not have any one in place to manage it; at this hour, it is not clear whether the entire Fukushima complex is being evacuated.

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Lamar Alexander Shames Himself, Comparing Nuclear Disaster to Bridge Collapse

March 15, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off

Nuclear power plants, like the one at Fukushima Daiichi, contain 1,000 times more radioactivity to leak than the Hiroshima bomb. Nuclear scientists estimate 1,000,000 people would be killed or injured in a major accident, were one to occur at the San Onofre plant in southern California. But Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) on Monday compared the [...]

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Fourth Reactor on Fire; Fukushima now 2nd Worst Nuclear Disaster

March 15, 2011 :: staff :: 2 Comments

A fourth reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has now reportedly lost its cooling system and is on fire, while a third of the troubled reactors has suffered an explosion. The exclusion zone has been expanded to 19 miles, and international monitors now say the Fukushima nuclear emergency is officially the second worst [...]

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2 Reactors at Fukushima in Meltdown; 2 other Plants at Risk

March 13, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off

Japanese authorities are reporting, just after 3:00 am EDT, that two of the reactor cores at the Fukushima nuclear plant may have begun meltdown. At least nine people are reported to have been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. A 20km exclusion zone is being established, and authorities say they are evacuating an estimated 200,000 [...]

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Concern over Explosion, Possible Leak at Fukushima Reactor (video)

March 12, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off

The Fukushima nuclear plant contains 5 nuclear reactors, which combine to produce the world’s largest concentrated power generation. At least one of the reactors is reported to have radiation levels 1,000 times normal inside one of its control rooms. Today, RussiaToday is reporting that white smoke seen rising from the plant may be due to an explosion. Authorities have warned that some radioactive material may have seeped out into the environment already. There is an ongoing concern that the plant may be vulnerable to meltdown, as plant operators have not been able to resume cooling of nuclear fuel.

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Google Launches Person Finder for Japan Tsunami Crisis (video)

March 12, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off

Google yesterday launched a “person finder” for Japan, to help people looking for relatives and loved ones who may be lost in a communications outage or in physical danger, due to the earthquake and tsunami. Facebook also has a disaster relief service at facebook.com/DisasterRelief. There is also a surge in information on Twitter at hash-tags like #tsunami or #sendai or Fukushima.

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Nuclear Emergency in Japan, Radiation Venting Reported (video)

March 11, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off

Two nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, are now reported to be unable to cool the nuclear fuel in their cores, and radioactive materials may have seeped into the environment. The reactors reportedly suffered service interruption after the worst earthquake in Japanese history. The magnitude 8.9 quake unleashed a massive tsunami the pushed far inland at Sendai, northeast of Tokyo.

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Climate Destabilization & Cold Winter Weather

December 27, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: 8 Comments

Climate change means “global warming”, so how can severe winter storms and excessively cold breezes be evidence of a warming climate? The key is in the word “global”: the warming of the overall global average temperature need not manifest in all places at all times as warmer weather. Throughout the history of human civilization, the Earth’s climate has remained relatively stable, due to optimal global average temperatures; as global average temperatures slip outside that optimal range, the warmer air makes the interaction between climate systems more inconsistent and more severe.

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Tropical Storm Leaves Central America Underwater

May 31, 2010 :: Carmen Visna :: Comments Off

Tropical Storm Agatha has become one of the top ten deadliest tropical storm systems on record, behind 6 full-force hurricanes, dropping nearly two feet of rain on central America in two days, flooding multiple nations’ low-lying areas and creating havoc across the region. At least 142 people have been killed, mostly in flooding and landslides, and coffee growers and farmers are preparing for potential long-term impact on agriculture across the region.

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Haiti Refugees Facing Catastrophic Rains

March 11, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

Even as Haiti grapples with the deep and lasting devastation of the earthquake that left tens of millions dead, millions homeless and destroyed vital infrastructure needed to maintain routine food distribution and medical care, hundreds of thousands of people are now vulnerable to catastrophic flooding expected to hit the low-lying camps where they are struggling to maintain makeshift tent cities. As many as one million people need to be relocated and/or given viable shelter, to avoid the rapid spread of infectious disease.

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Magnitude 8.8 Quake Strikes Central Chile

February 27, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake has hit central Chile, the epicenter estimated about 200 miles southwest of the capital Santiago, roughly 70 miles from the city of Concepción, the nation’s second most populous city. The tremor lasted about 90 seconds and caused serious damage to roads and bridges. 122 people are confirmed dead, according to Chilean authorities, and a tsunami warning has been issued for the entire Pacific Ocean basin (including Hawai’i, Japan and the Philippines).

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Snow-storms & Cold Weather DO NOT Disprove Global Warming

February 16, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: 7 Comments

Climate-science skeptics have been gleeful in their assault on climate change theory, the hard research and tens of thousands of scientists behind it and the very concept of human responsibility to the environment, because there has been snowfall. In a stunning display of ignorance, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) openly claimed the record snows that hit Washington, DC, were evidence there was in fact no climate change, that the whole idea is just a myth.

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Haiti Aid Bottleneck: Diversify Distribution Routes, Targets

January 18, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off

The bottleneck problem is center stage, as the volume of aid appears to outpace the remaining transport infrastructure for getting it where it needs to go. Today, Haitian authorities have complained there may be too exclusive a focus on the capital Port-au-Prince, causing some heavily devastated population centers to be left unattended, by comparison.

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Apple Using iTunes to Collect Red Cross Donations for Haiti

January 18, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

Apple has set up a special section of its iTunes Music Store to allow users to donate directly to the Red Cross. The funds are charged through the user’s iTunes account, billed to the same bank account or credit card on file, and use the same process as for buying a song, video or iPhone app. The move is the latest in a series of high-profile actions designed to help expedite the delivery of charitable donations to the Haiti relief effort.

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Headlines, Links for Haiti Relief Efforts

January 16, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

The following is a list of updates on the situation in Haiti, including resources for people searching for missing loved ones: List of Disaster Relief Efforts for Haiti … Haiti plans massive evacuation of quake-hit homeless – Xinhua … Sec. of State Clinton reviews Haiti relief efforts – Washington Post … UN: Haiti quake catastrophe poses unprecedented relief problems – Monsters & Critics … Haiti Earthquake : Photos (Some very graphic images) – CNN … Canada to speed up immigration requests from Haiti – Washington Post … L’aide internationale se déploie dans un climat tendu en Haïti – Le Monde … A l’appel d’Obama, Bush rejoint Clinton pour aider Haïti – Le Monde … Google lance un outil de recherche des victimes – Le Monde … Haïti. J+4 Distribution d’eau potable pour 35000 personnes – Ouest-France … Le Sénégal octroie un soutien de 500.000 dollars à Haïti – Agence de Presse Africaine …

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Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund to Help Organize Relief Effort

January 15, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

Pres. Obama has asked former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to join together to help oversee the administration of the massive relief effort now descending on Haiti. The Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund is now online at ClintonBushHaitiFund.org, with a mission to ensure that funds coming in are directed to where they are most needed.

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Bodies in the Streets & Mass Graves in Haiti

January 15, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

Fully three days after the catastrophic earthquake that struck the region of the Haitian capital, the bodies of thousands of dead are reported to be arrayed in the streets and being moved into mass graves, with likely no way to trace who is buried there. While massive amounts of international aid are moving into the disaster zone, and the Haitian government continues to function and is meeting every morning and afternoon to coordinate relief efforts, the sheer scale of the destruction is hampering the delivery of aid to neighborhoods blocked off by rubble and filled with dead and injured.

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Pres. Obama Outlines Massive US Response to Haiti Earthquake (video)

January 14, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

Pres. Obama outlined today a wide array of search and rescue, relief aid and security efforts his administration is sending to Haiti to assist the Haitian people in dealing with the worst recorded earthquake to strike their nation. The US president promised Haiti’s people that the US will not forget the victims of the Haitian quake and that “more search and rescue teams” are on their way. He also said his administration will invest an initial amount of $100 million to support its relief efforts in Haiti, and that this investment will grow.

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Medicine, Water, Blood, Food & Shelter Urgently Needed in Haiti

January 14, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off

The disaster response for the Haitian earthquake has been swift and coordinated, channeling massive international resources to the affected area. But the logistics of deploying the resources, personnel and technology needed to deliver comprehensive disaster assistance, are beyond complicated, with roads and transport overwhelmed, and means of contacting the wounded almost non-existent.

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Disaster Response for Haiti Earthquake — A New Paradigm? (discussion)

January 14, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti two days ago has left an unknown number of thousands of people dead or missing, destroyed the service infrastructure in the capital and left a precarious situation for millions of survivors. The disaster response effort has been swift and international, with rescue and relief teams scrambling from across the world to get to Haiti.

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List of Disaster Relief Efforts for Haiti

January 14, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

Red Cross (ICRC) relief & rescue efforts in Haiti
Haïti : le CICR intensifie ses efforts pour venir en aide aux victimes du séisme
UNICEF Emergency Relief Effort for Haiti
L’UNICEF déploie son aide d’urgence après le tremblement de terre
Doctors without Borders: Setting up clinics to serve the wounded
MSF: Haïti: des centaines de blessés reçoivent les premiers soins
USAID Haiti Earthquake Disaster Response …

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Obama Remarks on U.S. Disaster Relief Efforts for Haiti (transcript)

January 13, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives. The people of Haiti will have the full support of the United States in the urgent effort to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble, and to deliver the humanitarian relief — the food, water and medicine — that Haitians will need in the coming days. In that effort, our government, especially USAID and the Departments of State and Defense are working closely together and with our partners in Haiti, the region, and around the world.

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Haitian President Says Focus is Rescue; Tens of Thousands Feared Dead

January 13, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

The president of the island nation of Haiti, René Preval, has told CNN’s Sanjay Gupta in an interview conducted on the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince that the situation on the ground is “incredible”, adding that “you have to see it to believe it”. The destruction is widespread and the human suffering inestimable. Small health clinics are overwhelmed by massive numbers of casualties, as public health infrastructure has collapsed.

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Massive 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake Devastates Haiti

January 12, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off

Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, is described tonight as in a state of disaster, with some reports suggesting there are more buildings destroyed than left standing, after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake at 4:53 this afternoon. The epicenter of the quake is reported to have been just 10 miles away from Port-au-Prince, with the most severe tremors and violent shaking felt across an area 70 miles in diameter. There are no reliable estimates so far of loss of life, but thousands are feared killed.

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Philippines Military Mobilizing to Evacuate, as Mayon Volcano Nears Eruption

December 17, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off

The government of the Philippines has deployed military forces to the vicinity of the Mayon volcano, near Legazpi City, to evacuate at least 50,000 people who live in the expected path of lava flows or ash plumes that could result from an impending eruption. Mayon is the most active of the 22 active volcanoes across the Philippines archipelago. The Philippines has failed to prevent loss of life in natural disasters like urban flooding linked to poor management of drainage systems and mudslides linked to illegal mountainside logging, and is determined to do succeed in doing so in this case.

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Obama Visits New Orleans to Push Katrina Recovery

October 16, 2009 :: Denver Lessing :: Comments Off

President Barack Obama was in New Orleans yesterday to survey Katrina recovery efforts 4 years after the hurricane ravaged the city, expelling most of its population. Obama toured the only school reopened to date in the Lower Ninth Ward, the area mist devastated by Katrina’s storm surge, and met with Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican, a persistent critic of key Obama policies, discussing the best ways to ensure effective delivery of assistance to the ongoing rebuilding efforts.

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Samoan Tsunami Kills at Least 99 People

September 30, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off

An 8.0-magnitude earthquake, off the coast of Samoa, has resulted in a tsunami that came ashore just minutes after warnings were issued. Many areas received no warning, and officials now say at least 99 people have died. They also estimate the death toll could rise steadily as remote areas are accessed and the full scale of the tsunami is better understood and a comprehensive count of missing persons can be made.

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Hurricane Gustav Heading for US Gulf Coast, New Orleans Braces on Katrina Anniversary

August 31, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off

Three years to the day after the catastrophe that was Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, Hurricane Gustav appeared to be heading for the US coast of the Gulf of Mexico, approaching category 4 status. The city of New Orleans is, as a result, actively bracing for a direct hit and possible storm surge. Mandatory evacuations officially began at 8am Saturday, with the city providing assistance to those leaving their homes.

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Volunteer’s Account of Transporting Stranded Evacuees from New Orleans, in Aftermath of Katrina

August 30, 2008 :: staff :: Comments Off

It was September 6th, 2005, just days after the Hurricane struck the Gulf Coast and flooding overtook New Orleans. At the time, I was on a job in Joplin, Missouri and had grown restless from watching helplessly as the images of the hurricane’s aftermath repeated themselves on my motel television. I went online and found a link to an organization called Katrina Caravan Rescue. I called the number and left a message. Their purpose was to find volunteers who could provide transportation to evacuees currently in Houston who secured future shelter but had no way of getting there.

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World Facing Huge New Challenge on Food Front: Business-as-Usual Not a Viable Option

June 23, 2008 :: staff :: Comments Off

A fast-unfolding food shortage is engulfing the entire world, driving food prices to record highs. Over the past half-century grain prices have spiked from time to time because of weather-related events, such as the 1972 Soviet crop failure that led to a doubling of world wheat, rice, and corn prices. The situation today is entirely different, however. The current doubling of grain prices is trend-driven, the cumulative effect of some trends that are accelerating growth in demand and other trends that are slowing the growth in supply.

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Exposición SUPERDOME en Le Palais de Tokyo, París, Explora la ‘Doctrina del Shock’

June 2, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment

Recién inaugurada en el Palais de Tokyo, en París, Francia, ‘Superdome’ explora el sufrimiento humano vinculado con situaciones donde el desastre se sigue con transformaciones socio-económicas de escala casi incomprensible. La exposición concentra su atención temática en la situación que encontraron los habitantes de Nueva Orleans, cuando el huracán “Katrina” y su consecuente desintegración cívica los desplazaron hacia un caos tormentoso, su entorno físico devastado, forzados a llevar el peso extraño de ver cómo se borró la geografía económica de su ciudad para ser reemplazada por algo desconocido.

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SUPERDOME Exhibit at Le Palais de Tokyo, Paris, Examines ‘Shock Doctrine’

May 31, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment

A new exhibit at the Palais de Tokyo, in Paris, France, examines the human suffering inherent in situations where disaster is followed by economic transformation of nearly incomprehensible proportions. ‘Superdome’ focuses its thematic attention on the situation encountered by citizens of New Orleans, displaced into chaos by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the devastation of their physical environment followed by the strange burden of seeing the economic geography of their city wiped away and replaced by something unknown to them.

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50,000+ feared dead in China quake; China invites experts, aid from several rival states; Zimbabwe opposition calls for foreign diplomatic “midwifery”; CA Court strikes down same-sex marriage ban…

May 16, 2008 :: jr3o :: One Comment

16 May :: At least 50,000 people are believed dead in China’s Sichuan province, as the rescue mission extends beyond 72 hours; the massive quake, which included 8 to 10 aftershocks of roughly 5.0 on the Richter scale, caught many small cities unprepared; Chinese authorities have been quick to respond, and civilians are helping to [...]

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The Time is Now, an Action Plan for Global Emissions Reduction

November 18, 2007 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off

Due to the science we already have, the laws we have to govern our own activity and to force government to act for the public health, we face the real possibility of being forced, in American courts, in the future, to pay for damage done to the most affected populations in other parts of the world, as a result of inaction by our government. And if not in court, then as a matter of the de facto urgencies of international political stability.

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Bhutto home surrounded by Pakistan security forces; CA sues EPA for emissions inaction; Mukasey approved by Senate as next AG…

November 9, 2007 :: The Editors :: Comments Off

9 November :: Musharraf’s forces in riot gear have surrounded home of Bhutto’s home, alleging suicide bombers are waiting to strike, no one being allowed in or out; move is aimed at preventing her holding massive rally in Rawalpindi; after she attempted to leave, she was prevented by gov’t forces, she has been placed under [...]

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Musharraf forces beat, gas attorneys calling for rule of law; US energy bill could produce massive shift in national fuel consumption, wean off oil…

November 8, 2007 :: The Editors :: Comments Off

8 November :: Musharraf forces beat and tear-gassed demosntrating lawyers before taking them into custody; reports suggest intimidation has been widespread, with int’l press reporting security forces “charged” a group of more than 1,000 lawyers chanting anti-Musharraf slogans in Lahore; deposed supreme court chief Chaudry calls on lawyers to step up demonstrations nationwide, as demands [...]

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Preventive Measures to Curb Damage from Climate Change: How Close Are They?

October 14, 2007 :: The Editors :: Comments Off

Sentido.tv :: Can the world prepare to face the potential economic fallout from increasingly intense weather phenomena, prolonged heat waves, desertification, ice-melt and flooding? While there is no clear proof Hurricane Katrina was a direct result of climate change, hurricanes of such intensity will become increasingly frequent as Gulf waters warm; the aftermath provides real [...]

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Congressional Hearing on Katrina Relief Disaster Reveals Evidence of Negligence, Racism, Class-bias

December 10, 2005 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off

In early December, the Hurricane Katrina Survivors’ General Assembly gathered in Jackson, Mississippi, saw evacuees from devastated Gulf Coast communities accuse the federal government of “criminal indifference” and demand reparations for damage resulting from government negligence. They also sought the “right to return” to their homes, even as New Orleans remains under a state of emergency, whole sections of the city still closed to residents who may seek to return, and much of Mississippi still languishing with little to no substantive federal aid.

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Against the Good Nukes / Bad Nukes Fallacy

Cynicism often lends itself to the construction of intellectually convenient, overly facile descriptions of future events, which —bolstered by the impassioned worries and self-promotion of the cynic, the anti-prophet— quickly assume an air of prophetic certainty. Buoyed by the psychological satisfaction of carrying prophetic certainty within, the cynic then commits more and more fully to the proclamation of unshakeable doctrines about the future, based on bad-faith arguments and a passion for the despairing global outlook.

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