Hurricanes are on a Decrease — And That’s the Problem

Stephan:  This is a very interesting paper that reveals a new insight about hurricanes

Credit: Tara Pande

It is evident that hurricanes cause tremendous damage. For starters, the Balance concluded, “Over one-third of its [America’s] gross domestic product is from states along the Gulf and Atlantic coastline.” And, hurricanes cause increases in unemployment rates and depressions in the stock market. For example, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina damaged 19% of the oil production in the United States. Even though it was only a CAT level 3 cyclone when it hit land, about 125 billion dollars were spent in repair, and 15 million people were affected.

Out of the 20 most destructive hurricanes in history, 17 of them have occurred since 2000. But why have hurricanes become more destructive now? (emphasis added)

Hurricanes in the Future

Global warming is what you’d expect considering all the things it has caused. But global warming has a weak correlation to the surge of hurricanes. Their increasing […]

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A majority of Republicans now say “media is the enemy of the people”

Stephan:  All authoritarian governments are corrupt, and all wish to discredit the free press and bring it to heel by claiming it is "fake news." Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Mao, Pol Pot, and  Trump have all played this card. In the United States it has proven very effective with Republicans because, like all such authoritarian movements, they value power more than facts.

President Donald Trump may not be convincing most Americans that they should trust him over former FBI Director James Comey and the media, but he has definitely persuaded one group — his fellow Republicans.

Overall Americans believe Comey more than Trump by a whopping margin of 54 percent to 35 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. That said, among Republicans Trump is believed over Comey by 76 percent to 13 percent. White men are also more inclined to believe Trump by a margin of 47 percent to 39 percent, while white voters without any college degree are more likely to believe Trump by a margin of 47 percent to 40 percent. Aside from these groups, Comey is believed by most of the poll respondents within every other partisan, gender, racial, education and age group.

Not all of the news in the poll is good for Trump when it comes to his standing among Republicans. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans believe that Trump should not fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel who was appointed to investigate potential […]

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Autism prevalence increases: 1 in 59 US children

Stephan:  There is something seriously wrong in the United States for the autism rate to be at this level. When you add that to the gun deaths, and the million plus opioid death rate, it should be very clear that our social policies are literally killing and maiming us. And where is the social outcry? Where is the citizen pressure that this be changed? What is your answer to that? What can you do to foster wellbeing? Or is this all okay?

One in 59 US children has autism, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (emphasis added)

The new estimate is a prevalence rate of 1.7%, up from one in every 68 children (1.5%) in the 2016 report, which was based on data from 2012. The new figure was derived from 2014 estimates for 8-year-olds diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in 11 communities across the nation.
The new estimate represents a 15% increase from two years prior and a 150% increase since 2000.
Autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disability, is characterized by problems with communication and social interaction with accompanying repetitive behavior patterns.
“Parents know their child best,” said Daisy Christensen, co-author of the new report and surveillance team lead in the developmental disabilities branch of the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. “We want to encourage parents to be aware of their child’s development, to be aware of the milestones that […]

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North Korea’s leader steps across border for a historic summit

Stephan:  Here is some excellent news. However, I don't think what you see and the story line is the full picture. This is what I think is going on: North and South Korea have both decided, although for very different reasons, that it is in their national interest to reach a peace treaty. It has nothing to do with Trump, in fact they are playing him like a violin. They want the U.S. not to interfere. So through the North's nuclear program they got Trump on board. For them it was geopolitical theater. They know Trump will try to take the credit, and they don't care. The South wants to demilitarize, and create trade with their  neighbor encouraging the growth of a North Korean middle class, who will spend billions in the south, and generate millions of job. The North, which is to say Kim, wants to be assured that he will stay in power, and there will be two countries. The only thing I can think of in the West that is roughly analogous is  the Irish border. The good news for the world is that tensions go down, and wellbeing increases.

Kim took those few historic steps ahead of a major summit with South Korean president Moon Jae-in. Kim and Moon both crossed over into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the North and South for a handshake — broadcast live — before their official meeting at the Peace House, in the South Korean border village of Panmunjom.

Kim Jong Un walked across the border into South Korean-controlled territory on Friday, the first time a North Korean leader has stepped foot on South Korean soil since the end of the Korean War more than a half-century ago.

Kim took those few historic steps ahead of a major summit with South Korean president Moon Jae-in. Kim and Moon both crossed over into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the North and South for a handshake — broadcast live — before their official meeting at the Peace House, in the South Korean border village of Panmunjom.

The ceremonial handshake presages a much more monumental announcement that could come out of the summit:

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The Risk Of Sea Level Rise Is Chipping Away At Miami Home Values, New Research Shows

Stephan:  I have been predicting for several years that sea rise was going to cause a collapse of coastal real estate starting in places like Miami. Here is first evidence that is correct and now measurably underway in its early stages.

 

King tide brought high waters that flooded several low-lying streets on Normandy Isle in North Beach on Oct. 5, 2017. New research shows that lower elevation single family homes, which are more vulnerable to sea level rise, gain value slower than their higher elevation peers. Credit: Joey Flechas/miamiherald

Creeping flood waters driven by sea rise have yet to reach the doors of most homes in Miami-Dade, but research shows the looming threat from climate change is already affecting their value. And not in a good way.

New data from Harvard University and the University of Colorado suggests that homes in lower elevations are selling for less and gaining value slower than similar ones at higher elevations. Researchers see that as sign that some buyers are factoring climate risks into their offers and investments — a trend that could have major implications for a state with more coastal real estate at risk than any other.

Miami’s real estate professionals, however, are skeptical of the climate ripple effect, pointing out the […]

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