Hurricane Sandy Hits New York

Hurricane Sandy

It all started last weekend when my wife, diligent as ever, did preparatory shopping on Saturday (water, canned food, candles: all the necessary items to get through the unknown dangers of "Frankenstorm" as it was dubbed.) She also started clearing the terrace, so no lose objects would become hapless victims to the winds and fly into the streets. 
Sunday afternoon we heard that the Mayor had decided that the subways and buses would stop running at 7pm in New York City, as that's where we live. I was a bit skeptical: "why close tonight already? Sandy, the hurricane, is not expected to hit New York till Monday night, isn't it?" Little did I know. Later that Sunday afternoon, the streets of New York started emptying: visitors left town, residents prepared for the upcoming super storm and tourists returned to their hotels. Sunday night was quiet: no taxis honking, no rain drops and no wind worth mentioning.  Monday seemed even quieter, even fewer people on the streets, almost all stores and restaurants closed - with the exception of  a few Irish pubs in our Turtle Bay neighborhood -. Even though the weather didn't seem that bad, I had closed my office in Chelsea - in downtown Manhattan -, mainly due to the lack of public transportation, the lifeline for commuters and New York residents alike in order to get around in this, usually, busy and bustling city.

Monday night the wind started picking up:

Alternatives to the Polling Frenzy

The U.S. airwaves are filled with the latest polling numbers: Obama is up, Obama is down. Romney is behind, Romney is catching up. As many polls there are, as many differing results. For example, according to polling firm Rasmussen, Obama and Romney are even both at 48%; IDB/TIPP say Barack is ahead 47% to 45%; and according Gallup, Romney is ahead 51% to 45%.

Although, I'd wish the mainstream media spend more (or any) time on the important issues, and what the candidates'  campaigns actually stand for. I guess that's too much to expect in this time of media hype, and it's easier and more exciting to show the viewers and readers a horse race is going on than discuss a candidate's views on something more complex as climate change and how that might affect this country in the years to come.

Still, there are other and better ways of forecasting the outcome of the elections, than being distracted by the polling frenzy. One option is offered by Intrade, “the world’s leading prediction market": individual wagers can make a bet on who will be the next U.S. President.  A few weeks ago Obama was given a 79% chance for re-election and Romney 21% for an upset. After the first debate the numbers moved towards Romney, although the chances are still favorable  for a Obama win, now at 60%.  Intrade's track record has been pretty good: it predicted George W. Bush' win and the outcome of the electoral votes in 2004, and Obama's win in 2008.

Another alternative source of forecasting is...............

9/11 Explosive Evidence

As we just remembered the tragedy of 9/11,  a new 9/11 documentary aired on PBS and has become one of the most shared of all PBS documentaries.  The documentary "9/11: Explosive Evidence - Experts Speak Out' was produced by Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, a group of over 1,500 architects and engineers which asks hard questions about 9/11 and presents disturbing evidence. They come to the conclusion that the World Trade Center building 7 collapse must have been a controlled demolition. The makers of this documentary are experts and seem credible. Does that make their documentary credible: judge for yourself and click here for full viewing of this documentary. To watch a 15 minute summary click here .  If you want to know more, then review this collection of media reports and articles which shed more light on what happened on 9/11. For the official 9/11 Commission Report click here

The Upcoming Dutch Election: Move Towards the Left and Against Europe?

The Netherlands/Wikimedia Commons

In less than a week from now, on September 12, the Dutch parliamentary elections will be held. This will be a crucial election for the Netherlands, as Europe is in the middle of a Euro crisis, and the Netherlands itself - although with Germany, Finland, and Austria still among the stronger economies and with a AAA credit rating - is facing increasingly economic headwinds. The key question for Holland and Europe will therefore be: will this election result in a shift to the left, being more protective of the Dutch social welfare system and less supportive of the European South in their struggle out of the Euro-crisis, or will the right remain in power following an apparent German oriented, stern but responsible approach to the European Union and the Dutch welfare state?

It's not always easy to explain Dutch politics to those used to "winner takes all"- politics and a two party system, such as in the U.S.: "If you're not for us, you're against us", if that sounds familiar to you. Although this is not the place for an extensive explanation of Dutch politics, I'll  try to summarize some of the key issues........

The Netherlands is governed through a parliamentary representative domocracy , ....................

Geert Wilders Among Europe’s Most Dangerous Politicians

(European Politicians, Robin Hood Tax/Flickr)

German weekly Der Spiegel has presented their list of Europe’s 10 most dangerous politicans. According to Der Spiegel, these politicians are part of a growing group of populist politicians, who are becoming “more aggressive…...and whipping up sentiment and worsening the Euro crisis.” Among those top 10, are media tycoon and former Italian prime minister Sylvio Berlusconi, whose newspaper Il Giornale recently printed the headline "Fourth Reich" above an article about the euro crisis alongside a picture of Angela Merkel raising her right arm; Marine Le Pen, the French leader of the far right Front National in France, who in the recent French presidential election campaign said:”Frau Merkel and her friends, ...........

Noise Pollution Hits New York

(iProzac/Flickr)

“My job is to put my hand deeply in your pocket as I can for as long as you like. It’s a manipulative business.” This quote is from Jon Taffer, a restaurant and night life consultant and host of the reality show “Bar Rescue” speaking about designing music programs for restaurants, bars and hotels in a recent New York Times article “Working or Playing Indoors, NewYorkers Face an Unabated Roar" Thanks to The New York Times we know that the noise levels in one-third of its researched 37 restaurants, bars, stores, and gyms in New York City are bordering on dangerous. Examples are given from Beaumarchais, a brasserie which averaged 99 decibels, a spin class at Crunch gym averaging 100 decibels, and an Abercrombie & Fitch store with music hitting 88 decibels. Just to compare: normal conversation is between 60-65 decibel and The Occupational Safety andHealth Administration requires that workers exposed to an average of 90 decibels for eight hours wear hearing protection. “ …repeated exposure to loud noise often damages.........

America's Heartland Turning into Ghosttowns

Gary,Indiana (Zachary Perlinski/Flickr)

"Once the centre of the country's booming steel industry and known as the City of the Century, Gary, Indiana now lies in ruins as a sad example of American industrial decline. Founded in 1906 by the US Steel Corporation, Gary's heyday was in the post-war boom of the 1950s when almost 200,000 people lived and worked in the bustling city, 25 miles from Chicago...". That's the start of an article in the British Daily Mail describing the.....