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E-Coli in the Golden Arches

McDonald’s is perhaps America’s favourite fast-food brand, with over 13,000 locations in all 50 states, and a pervasive culture icon appearing everywhere from movies to billboards in Times Square. This makes it all the more surprising that the company has had a significant dip in sales, and then an outbreak of E-coli linked to the Quarter Pounder burger kills one person and hospitalises dozens others. This outbreak has understandably further pushed sales down, so it begs the question, why is America’s favourite brand faltering?

McDonald’s CEO has hypothesised that the decrease in revenue is possibly due to the squeeze on the western world’s wallets, saying that customers “continue to be mindful of their spending”. It is also possible that some of the loss in money is due to the genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza, as Mcdonald’s famously offered free meals to IDF soldiers during days immediately following October 7th, leading to boycotts of the corporation around the world.

This leads into the recent E-coli outbreak which was due to onions all linked to a single source, Taylor’s Farms. The bacteria itself was mostly centred in Colorado but was found as west as Oregon and as east as Michigan.

Both of these instances could show that Mcdonald’s as a brand image is perhaps slipping throughout the world. Then again, Mcdonald’s is not the only fast food chain to be subject to boycotts, and is not the only food brand to have an E-coli outbreak recently. Perhaps Mcdonald’s may recuperate sales soon, and restore its image as a place where you’re lovin’ it. 

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100 years of Southern Charm and Peanut Farms

Two weeks ago, Jimmy Carter, the 38th President of the United States had his 100th birthday, becoming the first president in history to do so. On this historic occasion, we will look back on his legacy from a somewhat troubled presidency, to a national treasure.

Jimmy Carter rode the 1976 election as an outsider democrat candidate coming from Georgia with a southern charm. This calmer appeal and a background from a peanut farm led to him having a stronghold in the deep south and the industrial northeast. 

Carter’s presidency is one most easily defined by its foreign policy, and perhaps within that his handling of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. Carter was the first president to provide aid to the Afghan Mujahideen, an action which now has contentious history as this may have contributed to the arming of the taliban.

Despite the rocky foreign policy from Carter during his presidency, he has gained a valuable reputation from his legacy. A good example of his humanitarian goals in his post-presidency was forming the Carter Center as part of his presidential library, meaning he and his wife Rosalyn have been able to continue their humanitarian works long into the 21st century.

From this, and the mere fact of his age playing into his calm and friendly persona, Carter has perhaps gained as much fame and public support from his post-presidency as his presidency, and the many celebrations for his 100th birthday show just that.

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Stories from Asheville: A Calamity and a Community

First, it started off the coast of Cancun. Then it made landfall in northern Florida with wind speeds of up to 140mph. Then it kept moving north. Hurricane Helene was the 9th strongest Hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. History, and the deadliest hurricane since 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. What is perhaps most notable about the effects of Helene was its devastating impact on the otherwise inland region of western North Carolina, and the mountain city of Asheville. Over 90 people had died from the storm within the state, making it the deadliest natural disaster in North Carolina’s history. Of this total, 61 of them came from Buncombe County, the county where Asheville is situated. Asheville itself, being a relatively isolated, medium-sized Appalachian city, was specifically much more worse off than the rest of the region from this disaster. It also saw the lengths people went to to protect what they cared about. Many people flew illegal independent helicopter resupply missions, getting in the way of federal aid. Along with this, police officers blockaded grocery stores, stopping people from looting when they had nothing else. This disaster, its impacts and the response, is a stark lesson about what the future might hold for America, with the ever-intensifying climate crisis. Looking closely at Asheville, we will find out if there are glimmers of hope for the nation, among the rubble of what has been lost.

Hurricane Helene was first spotted on September 17th, 2024, as a potential storm off the coast of Nicaragua. As the storm continued north towards Yucatan, it was steadily upgraded to a tropical depression.

Path of Hurricane Helene across North America, 17-29/09/2024.

This timeline of events shows the path and intensity of Helene from when it started on September 17th to when it dissipated over Tennessee by September 29th. The first yellow dot, just off the coast of Cancun, was when Helene was first reported as a category 1 Hurricane, at 15:00 UTC on September the 25th. What is truly remarkable about Helene is the sheer rapidity it increased in intensity as a storm. Hurricane Helene was first classified as a Category 4 Hurricane, the strongest of 2024 by that point, by 01:00 UTC on September the 27th, around 2 hours before it would make landfall in Florida. This meant that the storm grew in winspeeds from 74 mph to 130 mph, almost doubling, in 32 hours. Not only this, but Hurricane Helene was also unusually large for a Category 4 hurricane. At around 400 miles across, Helene was among the largest Hurricanes to make landfall in the United States, being a similar size to the Category 5 Katrina in 2005. This record growth has largely been attributed to excellent conditions for Hurricanes being present within the Gulf of Mexico. Exceptionally high sea temperatures were present, along with this, mid level wind shear was low, which is often a current that can break up a storm's growth. This level of rapid growth and intense storms has been attributed to climate change, as the warming planet and ocean temperatures make more violent tropical storms like this one more common.

Hurricane Helene from ISS, 26/09/2024.

By September 24th, when the hurricane’s forecast showed it heading towards the Big Bend, evacuations started occurring in Citrus County and Wakulla County Florida, near to where the hurricane would make landfall. September 25th, the day where Helene grew from a Category 1 to a Category 4 storm, was the day when preparations inland truly began. Both Georgia and North Carolina declared states of emergency on this day, and Georgia began to set up emergency shelters with the help of the National Guard. Along with this, several schools and public attractions were closed, such as North Carolina’s Mount Mitchell State Park. 

The Hurricane made landfall in the late hours of the 26th of September, and slowly started heading north across the state of Florida and into Georgia. As communication lines broke down, the best way to follow the effects of the hurricane became the infamous Waffle House Index, tracking where the famously stalwart fast-food chain closed stores became a good indicator for the movement and intensity of the storm. As the storm moved north into Georgia, it weakened back to a category 1 hurricane, but still had devastating effects, with the city of Atlanta having to issue a flash-flood warning for the first time in its history. Pushing further north still, the hurricane weakened further to a tropical storm, as it crossed north over Atlanta and headed into North Carolina.

Amount of precipitation from Hurricane Helene over Mexico and the United States.

This map, created by Imperial College London within a report of the effects of Hurricane Helene, shows where the worst rainfall from the storm fell. As per this map, it shows that the area in the hills around Asheville, NC, experienced a similar amount of rainfall as those in South Florida when the storm first made landfall. However, due to the hilly nature of the terrain in western North Carolina, this rainfall was channelled into devastating storm surges that wiped out many buildings and even some towns. Asheville itself experienced just under 10 inches of rainfall in two days, breaking its previous record. Chimney Rock and Lake Lure, two small towns just to the southeast of Asheville, experienced almost 11 inches of rainfall, and much of the main street of the towns were swept away. By the 29th, the storm had left the state, and 72 people were found dead within Asheville alone, with that number rising throughout the day. Former NOAA Chief Scientist Ryan Maue estimated around 41 trillion gallons of rainwater had fallen on the Southeast over the course of the 4 days since landfall, with Associated Press’s fact-checker Ed Clark calling it an “accurate, if anything conservative” figure. After this total calamity and destruction, all that was left was the repair, rescue, and recovery efforts.

Within hours of the storm passing through, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (or FEMA) were boots on the ground in North Carolina. Around 129 million dollars was sent to the state to help with the rescue efforts, and outside of pure money, around 3000 military personnel were also present in the hills in and around Asheville helping remove people from rubble, and setting up emergency food shelters. Some of the most notable things to happen as part of immediate aid to the state was the abundance of air dropping supplies. Due to Asheville’s position deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, and the fact that various storm surges had cut key transport and communication links in and out of the city, much of the support was provided by helicopters the air dropped supplies, and airlifted individuals to safety. ‘Operation Helo’ was an unofficial portion of the search-and-rescue efforts which recruited private helicopter pilots in order to use their own vehicles for varying aid work. At its height - around October 3rd, a week after the hurricane - Up to 100 helicopters were flying 400 rescue missions a day, and the charity itself gained over half a million dollars from local donations.

Motorsports personality Garrett Mitchell uses his private helicopter to provide aid in North Carolina, 29/09/2024.

However, this overwhelming support from the public did not always go down well with official law enforcement and emergency service responders. One notable story is that of the individual Jordan Seidhom, a volunteer helicopter pilot who flew several rescue missions in the especially hard hit town of Lake Lure. However, on October 1st, Seidhom recounted a story where he was flying a rescue mission to save a couple stranded after their house was washed away. After picking up the wife and leaving his son behind due to his worries about weight on the aircraft, he was accosted by a member of the Lake Lure fire department for flying in a “restricted area”, and was threatened with arrest if he flew again. Seidhom ignored him and went back to rescue his son, but it did lead to the husband, Michael Coffey, being abandoned and having to find his own way to safety. Indeed, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had put up strict restrictions and flight paths over North Carolina in the days following Helene, as the first day of rescue efforts (September 28th) had 30 mid-air close calls reported as FEMA aircraft jostled space with charity and volunteer support. Whether or not Seidhom was following regulations or not, this story speaks to the confusion that followed in the wake of Helene. Despite the overwhelming support for volunteer rescuers by both the public and the National Guard, it is clear that systems like FEMA are still necessary to be put in place in order to make sure these organisations work in harmony together, to avoid mid-air collisions or conflicting interests. Even taking Seidhom’s unfortunate story into account, it is clear that in the days following a major disaster, many Americans are willing to help and save each other, even without an overarching organisation calling the shots.

Elsewhere in Asheville, the new reality facing thousands of Americans came with new challenges itself. Many individuals had lost power, running water and heating, and some had even lost valuable property and homes. Various communities around the city such as Fairvew reported an uptick in looting immediately after the hurricane, due to lack of basic necessities driving people to be desperate. Power to all aspects of the city had shut down, from basic heating and lighting out to even traffic lights going out, and the lack of widespread refrigeration and kitchen heating meant that gas supplies and ice bags became valuable items for many individuals. Along with the lack of power and connection for card readers and cash machines for several days, many individuals also lacked the funds for their needs, with most shops being cash only. However, it was not just the lack of necessities that stopped some locals from what they needed. A post that went viral on the website formerly known as twitter on the 29th September detailed how police officers in Black Mountain, a town just east of Asheville, blocked entry to the supermarket Ingles for hours at a time, despite many people at the doors who needed supplies. Suggestions about whether the store was flooded or empty were quickly dissuaded and the customers standing outside could see the fully stocked shelves. This post, which now stands at 20,000 likes and 10 million views, led to a lot of criticism of the Black Mountain Police Department and the supermarket chain Ingles, which has since privated its social media platform. Critics who focused their fire on the BMPD discussed anti-police rhetoric, such as their role to protect property over the safety of individuals, and some even called for them to overpower the officers and raid the store for what they needed. While this is fairly drastic action, it is difficult to understand what Ingles and the BMPD wanted out of barricading the store, especially at a time when need for the people outside was higher than ever before. The BMPD itself has not responded to the incident since it occurred.

Police officers outside the Black Mountain Ingles, 29/09/2024.

Zooming back out from Asheville, it seems only right to conclude on Hurricane Helene from a global perspective. Looking at the damage in total, Helene is almost hard to quantify. Looking at pure facts and figures, Helene is one of the strongest, most costly, and most deadly Hurricanes in American history. On a more personal level, Helene has destroyed countless homes and lives. Unfortunately, events like these are only going to become more common in America’s future. Several reports have detailed how Hurricane Helene was intensified and is largely a result of the climate crisis, and even without the report, the existence of Hurricane Milton, another category 5 hurricane hitting the U.S. within a month, showcases that these events are now far from once in a lifetime. However, events from Asheville have showcased a possible portent to how the U.S. might cope with future climate disasters. Those who can help, do, as evidenced by the hundreds of volunteer helicopter pilots who helped bring many people to safety, and gave many others life-saving supplies. It is also possible that some of the established order might begin to break down, as shown by the officers outside of Ingles. Yes, they held the blockade then, but it is not unreasonable to think that people will be more and more negative towards the police the more desperate they become, and anti-police sentiment in the U.S. grows year on year. However, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Some locals in North Carolina took the opportunity of simplified needs to reform and restructure their lives, and benefitted from the lessons this moment of vulnerability had taught them. Also, it is clear that community volunteering and support systems are in place to protect and support those in need. In this way, we can see Helene as maybe the start of the future. Helene was and remains a tragedy, an immense loss of human life, and an incalculable loss of human property. It was a natural disaster, in the truest sense of those words. But, out of the rubble and the floodwater, there was help. There was support from neighbours, communities, and volunteers. And yes, there was support from the Federal government too, a great deal of it in fact, but that’s not the surprising part of what happened in Asheville. What happened in Asheville was a natural disaster, but a human achievement. It was people coming together to support each other, give what they could, and support with what they had. Hurricane Helene may be a sign of the future coming for America, the destructive and deadly climate crisis. But perhaps the stories from Asheville are also a sign of the future coming for America. That of the community overcoming adversity, That of support through disaster. That’s what Asheville should be remembered for.

Two Friends embrace as they survey the damage to their hometown of Marshall, NC. 01/10/2024.

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The Biden’s Last Holiday Cheer

With the Biden’s moving out of the White House this January, the family, and Jill in particular, have used the holiday season to go out on a high note. The First Lady has recently announced the Christmas decorations, under the theme of “A Season of Peace and Light”.

The tradition of the First Lady decorating the White House and choosing a christmas tree was started by the Kennedy’s, with Jackie Kennedy using a Nutcracker theme on the White House in 1961. Since then, every incumbent First Lady has taken up the role of decorating America’s house, from Nancy Reagan’s “American Folk Art” tree to Michelle Obama’s “Simple Gifts” tree. The White House Account on the website formerly known as Twitter stated that the theme was meant to represent what the Biden held closest in their beliefs: “faith, family, service to our country, kindness toward our neighbors, and the power of community.”

The tree itself is from Newland, North Carolina, not far from where Hurricane Helene tore through the state just a few months ago. While this effort could be seen as an outreach project to those who struggled through the hurricane, the White House is quoted in saying its choice was due to the farm winning the Champion Grower Award in the  2024 National Christmas Tree Contest.

Overall, despite coming under virulent criticism from the right, it’s clear that the Biden’s wanted to go out on a high note, and on a message they always championed. One painfully centrist perhaps, but most certainly one on brand.

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Thou Shalt Not Break Thy Amendments

There have been many conversations within America recently revolving around the First Amendment and what it means to those who live under it. A good example of this struggle has become evident in the rural and strongly christian state of Louisiana. A new bill was introduced to the Louisiana congress advocating for the presence of a variant of the 10 commandments to be present in classrooms around the state, however this bill was blocked by District Judge John DeGravelles, under the grounds of it violating the 1st Amendment, the freedom of speech religion. This ruling has come under both support and fire. The American Civil Liberties Union, a nonprofit who supports civil rights nationwide, has supported this decision, calling it a “reality check” for members of the congress. 

However, the ruling has come under criticism. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrell has promised to appeal against the ruling, and the Governor of the state defended his decision stating, “If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.” 

This bill in Louisiana is not an isolated case either, as other red states such as Texas and Oklahoma have offered similar bills, however all have failed. Despite this, the recent landmark election of ex-president and criminal Donald Trump could mean that it is not the end for rulings like this. Earlier in June, Trump supported the Louisiana bill by advocating for it on his social media platform. So, despite this and other similar rulings failing at the state level, the new federal switch up could mean something very different for the First Amendment.

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Elon Musk, X, and Trump: A match made in heaven?

Musk has had an interesting couple weeks recently. From jumping up and down on Donald Trump’s stage in Butler, PA, to being threatened by the Justice Department for his legally dubious America PAC scheme, to being called “a dipshit” by rival VP nominee Tim Walz, it is clear that being a prominent man in the 2024 MAGA  movement has gotten him press, both positive and negative.

Musk has become a favourite of Trump recently, mostly due to his outspoken support of him and his presidential campaign on the website formerly known as Twitter, which he has been CEO of since 2022. While he was not originally in support of Trump, it is clear that since the start of his election year Musk has redoubled his efforts and has become a sort of “propagandist” for Trump and his campaign.

This is in no way more prominent than Musk’s new America PAC, which is a fund set up by Elon Musk to give 1 million dollars to an individual who has signed up to vote in a swing state every day. While this is not inherently supporting the republicans, as they do not have to register with republicans in order to win the money, it is clear it is looking to support red voters. Through this, there is some suspicion that Musk is breaking federal law.

It is clear that Elon Musk has inserted himself to become an important figure in the 2024 Presidential Campaign. What is not clear is what will become of him afterwards, whoever wins. For now however, it seems Musk will remain to try and make America great, again.