#naples insurance agency

[rentacarnaples]

Why Choose Car Rental Services in Naples?

Naples, or Neapolis, stands as a prominent cultural hub within Italian Campania, boasting numerous attractions. From the ancient ruins of Pompeii buried under volcanic ash to the vibrant Amalfi coast and historical landmarks of the ancient empire, Naples offers a wealth of sights to explore. To fully immerse yourself in this beauty, opting for rent a car Naples long term is essential.

Acting as a fitting starting point for exploring Italy, Naples offers access to various directions, allowing travelers to culminate their journey amidst the vineyards of Sicily. Enhance your experience by securing a car rental from Naples airport in advance, ensuring uninterrupted freedom of movement at competitive rates.

What Types of Cars Are Available for Rent in Naples?

The sprawling cities of the ancient Roman Empire present remarkable options in terms of tourist services, including an array of vehicle choices. Your Naples car hire may include:

SUVs: Offering premium features, quality, and ample space. Convertibles: Ideal for exploring sunny coastal cities. Sedans: Providing optimal comfort and affordability for long-distance travel. Economy Cars: Budget-friendly options for solo or small group travel. Minivans: Accommodating up to seven passengers and luggage comfortably. Consider your destination preferences before selecting a vehicle type, whether it's a beachside retreat, a visit to Pompeii, or a journey across Italy's landscapes.

Naples Car Rental Prices

Your dream journey shouldn't break the bank. With Naples car rental prices, you can enjoy a fulfilling adventure without compromising your budget. For as little as $20, you can unlock the freedom to explore Campania. Doubling your budget opens doors to premium mid-size models, which remain affordable compared to other European resort destinations.

Here are some tips to save on your car rental:

Opt for compact Economy segment vehicles. Consider long-term rental options. Book in advance (preferably 7-14 days ahead). Avoid unnecessary add-ons that don't align with your travel plans.

Additional Rental Options in Naples

Enhance your travel experience with supplementary options available through car rental services in Naples. These may include:

Additional drivers. Child seats for young passengers. Mobile internet (WiFi hotspot) and navigation packages. Vehicle insurance coverage and other add-ons.

Check the rental offer details for pricing and a comprehensive list of extras. Enjoy flexibility with no deposit requirements, card payments (credit or debit), free cancellations, and other convenient options available for online bookings.

Rental Companies Operating in Naples

Renowned brands such as Budget, Avis, Noleggiare, Ecovia, Alamo, Dollar, Maggiore, and Autovia, among others, are at your service in Naples. Whether you seek short-term or long-term rentals, these companies ensure maximum convenience throughout your transaction.

Considering Alternatives

While major rental brands offer reliability and convenience, private owners and local agencies can provide cost-effective alternatives. However, be prepared for potential trade-offs in terms of vehicle quality and service standards.

Naples Car Rental Reviews

Glean insights from fellow travelers through Naples car rental reviews. Pros include transparent pricing, extensive vehicle options, and hassle-free payment methods. However, some travelers note challenges in securing models without a deposit and high daily rental costs.

Documents Required for Car Rental in Naples

Most rental companies mandate standard documents, including a passport and driver's license, for car hire in Naples, including at the airport. While some may request an International Driver's Permit, the standard documents suffice for most transactions. Therefore, if you possess these documents, proceed with your booking to receive discounts and a booking certificate, facilitating exploration across Campania and beyond.

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Hire the Bathroom Remodeling Agency in Cape Coral, FL

We are Cape Coral, Fort Myers and the Naples area’s choice for bathroom remodeling in Cape Coral, fl. If you live in Southwest Florida, we can help you build and remodel beautiful bathrooms custom-designed for each homeowner. We are licensed and insured contractor specializing in home remodeling, clean outs, roofing, and flooring. Serving Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and Southwest Florida with integrity and professionalism. Call us (239) 299-7902 for more help.

[carrentalnaplesfl]

Why You Should Rent a Car: Exploring the Benefits for Local Business Audience

As a local business owner in Naples, FL, you understand the importance of having reliable transportation. In this section, we'll provide an overview of the benefits of renting a car and how it can significantly impact your business operations. Let's delve into the advantages that car rental offers for local businesses.

2. Flexibility and Convenience

When it comes to business operations, flexibility is key. Renting a car provides you with the freedom to travel whenever and wherever you need to. Unlike relying on public transportation or ride-hailing services, having your own rental car allows you to set your own schedule and eliminate potential delays or inconveniences. Whether you have meetings with clients, need to visit multiple locations in a day, or require transportation for business events, a rental car offers the flexibility and convenience that cater specifically to your needs.

3. Cost-Effectiveness

Running a business involves managing expenses effectively. Renting a car can be a cost-effective solution compared to maintaining a fleet of vehicles or reimbursing employees for their personal mileage. With car rental naples fl, you have access to a well-maintained vehicle without the burden of upfront costs, insurance, registration, and other associated expenses. You only pay for the duration you require the vehicle, making it a more budget-friendly option for local businesses.

4. Wide Selection and Vehicle Options

Car rental companies offer a diverse range of vehicles to suit your specific requirements. Whether you need a compact car for solo travel or a spacious van for group outings, there is a wide selection of vehicles available to choose from. By selecting the right vehicle, you can optimize your business operations and ensure a comfortable and convenient experience for yourself, employees, or clients.

5. Customized Rental Plans

Car rental agencies understand that every business has unique needs. Therefore, they offer customized rental plans tailored to your specific requirements. Whether you need a car for a few hours, a day, a week, or even months, you can find a rental plan that fits your schedule and budget. Additionally, some companies provide loyalty programs or corporate discounts, allowing you to save even more on your rental expenses.

6. Maintenance and Service Responsibilities

Renting a car relieves you from the burden of maintenance and service responsibilities that come with owning a vehicle. The rental company takes care of routine maintenance, inspections, and necessary repairs, ensuring that you have a reliable and well-maintained vehicle at all times. This not only saves you time but also eliminates unexpected expenses and the hassle of arranging maintenance services for your own vehicles.

7. Local Knowledge and Expertise

Car rental companies often have extensive knowledge of the local area. Their staff can provide valuable insights and recommendations about the best routes, popular attractions, and local business hotspots. By renting a car, you gain access to this expertise, allowing you to navigate Naples, FL, with ease and make informed decisions about your business operations.

8. Enhancing Professional Image

First impressions matter in the business world. Arriving at meetings or events in a clean, well-maintained rental car exudes professionalism and can positively impact how your business is perceived. Renting a car gives you the opportunity to choose a vehicle that aligns with your brand image, leaving a lasting impression on clients, partners, and stakeholders.

9. Temporary or Seasonal Needs

There may be instances when your business experiences temporary or seasonal fluctuations in transportation demands. Instead of committing to long-term vehicle leases or purchases, renting a car offers a flexible solution. Whether you require additional vehicles for a specific project, busy season, or event, car rental allows you to scale your transportation needs accordingly, without long-term financial commitments.

10. Insurance Coverage

One of the major advantages of renting a car is the insurance coverage provided by rental companies. Typically, rental cars come with comprehensive insurance, reducing the liability and potential costs in case of accidents or damages. Before renting, make sure to review the insurance terms and conditions with the rental agency to ensure you have adequate coverage during your rental period.

Read more: 7 Reasons Why You Should Hire a 7-Seater Car for Your Next Road Trip

Conclusion

Renting a car provides a host of benefits for local businesses in Naples, FL. From flexibility and convenience to cost-effectiveness and a wide selection of vehicles, car rental offers a practical solution for meeting your transportation needs. By opting for car rental, you can enhance your professional image, streamline your operations, and focus on the growth and success of your business.

Read more: Rent a Car in Naples, FL: Seven Considerations to Make While Searching for a Car Rental

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I rent a car for a short duration, such as a few hours or a day?

Yes, car rental companies offer flexible rental plans that can be customized to your specific needs, including short-term rentals for a few hours or a day.

What documents do I need to rent a car?

Generally, you will need a valid driver's license, proof of insurance, and a credit card for the rental deposit. Some companies may have additional requirements, so it's best to check with the rental agency beforehand.

Are there any age restrictions for renting a car?

Yes, most car rental companies require renters to be at least 21 years old. However, some companies may have a minimum age requirement of 25 or may charge an additional fee for renters under 25.

Can I rent a car for business purposes if I don't own a business?

Absolutely! Car rental services are available for both individuals and businesses, regardless of business ownership. You can enjoy the benefits of car rental even if you don't own a business.

What should I do if the rental car breaks down or has an issue during my rental period?

In case of any issues with the rental car, contact the rental agency immediately. They will provide instructions on how to proceed and assist you in resolving the problem promptly.

Renting a car in Naples, FL, is a wise choice for local businesses. It offers the flexibility, convenience, and cost-effectiveness needed to thrive in today's competitive business environment. Consider car rental for your transportation needs and experience the advantages it brings to your business operations.

Follow more: sitejabber.com askmap.ne dealerbaba.com

[ackermaninsurance]

In the little city of Naples, organizations are confronted with a blend of regular and fake calamities and the vast risks of day-to-day existence. So whether you make long drives or like to remain nearer to home, talk with one of our accident protection specialists in Naples to choose the best inclusion for your arrangement. Ackerman Insurance Services offer protection inclusion for your vehicle, house, business, flood, inhabitant, and boat protection. The actual vehicle might be modest, yet the cost doesn't make a strong buy if the cover doesn't safeguard you and your loved ones.

The joint property hurt, off-site robbery, and property twisted happened because of the theft and thievery. Kindly complete the Home Insurance Form for additional information on Naples' home confirmation and business security decisions. Our insurance agency Naples FL covers a broad level of home and business affirmation approaches for property holders and business visionaries in the Naples area.

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Global defense spending (Foreign Policy) Global defense spending increased in 2020, despite a sharp downturn in the global economy, according to an annual report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Overall spending reached nearly $2 trillion, a 2.6 percent increase from the 2019 figure. Defense budgets in the Middle East fell by 6.5 percent, helped by a 10 percent cut by Saudi Arabia. The five biggest spenders—the United States, China, India, Russia, and the United Kingdom—all increased their defense spending in 2020.

Canadians avoiding hotel quarantines for air travellers fuel taxi boom on U.S. border (Reuters) U.S. taxi and limousine services are seeing a boom in business from customers seeking to enter Canada by land to avoid a restriction on international travel that applies only to air traffic. While both Canadian land and air travellers are required to take a test within three days of departure, and again on arrival, only those flying to Canada must spend up to three days of the country’s 14-day required quarantine period in a hotel. That has led to a surge of calls for taxi and limousine services from Canadians who fly through U.S. airports in states like New York and then cross over the land border. A taxi trip across the border can cost around $200 or $250 compared with a three-day hotel stay of more than C$1,200 ($961), Canadian travel insurance broker Martin Firestone said. With the Canada-U.S. land border mostly closed for more than a year due to the pandemic, and overall tourism down, the recent surge in business has come as a relief to some struggling taxi operators. Some Canadians ask to be driven home, while others take rides to the border, cross on foot and get another ride in Canada, drivers said.

Armed Groups Step Into Venezuela as Lawlessness Grows (NYT) They bring drinking water to residents in the arid scrublands, teach farming workshops and offer medical checkups. They mediate land disputes, fine cattle rustlers, settle divorces, investigate crimes and punish thieves. They’re not police officers, civil servants or members of the Venezuela government, which has all but disappeared from this impoverished part of the country. Quite the opposite: They belong to one of Latin America’s most notorious rebel groups, considered terrorists by the United States and the European Union for carrying out bombings and kidnappings over decades of violence. Venezuela’s economic collapse has so thoroughly gutted the country that insurgents have embedded themselves across large stretches of its territory, seizing upon the nation’s undoing to establish mini-states of their own. And far from fleeing in fear or demanding to be rescued by the authorities, many residents here in Venezuela’s borderlands—hungry, hunted by local drug gangs and long complaining of being abandoned by their government—have welcomed the terrorist group for the kind of protection and basic services the state is failing to provide. The insurgents “are the ones who brought stability here,” said Ober Hernández, an Indigenous leader on the Guajira peninsula next to Colombia. “They brought peace.”

Peru’s election (Foreign Policy) Left-wing candidate Pedro Castillo is heavily favored by Peru’s electorate ahead of the country’s June 6 presidential runoff, according to a recent poll; 41.5 percent of respondents backed Castillo in the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos survey, with his challenger Keiko Fujimori receiving only 21.5 percent support. Decisions surrounding the economy seemed to drive support for Castillo, with more than half of those expressing support for him saying they would support a total change to the country’s economic system. There is still a chance that the vote could be competitive: 34.7 percent of those surveyed wanted neither candidate or were undecided.

E.U. Set to Let Vaccinated U.S. Tourists Visit This Summer (NYT) American tourists who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be able to visit the European Union over the summer, the head of the bloc’s executive body said in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday, more than a year after shutting down nonessential travel from most countries to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The fast pace of vaccination in the United States, and advanced talks between authorities there and the European Union over how to make vaccine certificates acceptable as proof of immunity for visitors, will enable the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, to recommend a switch in policy that could see trans-Atlantic leisure travel restored. “The Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said Sunday in an interview with The Times in Brussels. “This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union. She added that resumption of travel would depend “on the epidemiological situation, but the situation is improving in the United States, as it is, hopefully, also improving in the European Union.”

Italy’s Problem With School Dropouts Goes From Bad to Worse in Pandemic (NYT) Even before the pandemic, Italy had among the worst dropout rates in the European Union, and the southern city of Naples was particularly troubled by high numbers. When the coronavirus hit, Italy shuttered its schools more than just about all the other European Union member states, with especially long closures in the Naples region, pushing students out in even higher numbers. While it is too early for reliable statistics, principals, advocates and social workers say they have seen a sharp increase in the number of students falling out of the system. The impact on an entire generation may be one of the pandemic’s lasting tolls. Italy closed its schools—fully or in part—for 35 weeks in the first year of the pandemic—three times longer than France, and more than Spain or Germany. And experts say that by doing so, the country, which has Europe’s oldest population and was already lagging behind in critical educational indicators, has risked leaving behind its youth, its greatest and rarest resource for a strong post-pandemic recovery.

Virus ‘swallowing’ people in India; crematoriums overwhelmed (AP) With life-saving oxygen in short supply, families are left on their own to ferry people sick with COVID-19 from hospital to hospital in search of treatment as India is engulfed in a devastating surge of infections. Too often, their efforts end in mourning. On social media and in television footage, desperate relatives plead for oxygen outside hospitals or weep in the street for loved ones who died waiting for treatment. For the fourth straight day, India on Sunday set a global daily record of new coronavirus infections, spurred by an insidious new variant that emerged here. The surge has undermined the government’s premature claims of victory over the pandemic. The unfolding crisis is most visceral in India’s overwhelmed graveyards and crematoriums, and in heartbreaking images of gasping patients dying on their way to hospitals due to lack of oxygen. Burial grounds in the capital New Delhi are running out of space. Bright, glowing funeral pyres light up the night sky in other badly hit cities.

In leaked audio, Iran’s foreign minister laments interference by Revolutionary Guards (Washington Post) In leaked audio recordings made public Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister complained about interference by the Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran’s diplomatic affairs, including efforts to undermine the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The audio, which was released by the London-based Iran International news channel, came from a three-hour interview with the foreign minister, Mohammed Javad Zarif, that the channel said was conducted in March. Taken together, Zarif’s unvarnished comments and the fact the audio had leaked, highlighted the sharpening public rivalries within Iran’s political circles, as Tehran engages with global powers in a fresh attempt to revive the nuclear deal, and as Iranian elections approach. The leaked conversation was the latest salvo in what has become an increasingly caustic domestic Iranian debate over the nuclear deal, pitting “pragmatists” represented by Rouhani against a conservative camp wary of any engagement with the West. The factional fights are not a secret in Iran, which hosts political debates that are more expansive and vigorous than most countries in the Middle East.

[iol247]

Opinionista • Ismail Lagardien • 15 March 2021

Fifteen years along the road to nowhere, and the worst is yet to come

We are at a point, now, where instead of pointing to the perversity of misguided distribution, corruption, theft, maladministration, tenderpreneurs, and State Capture, discussions are deflected – and the spectrum of opinion has been narrowed.

In 2015, Justice Malala published his book We Have Now Begun Our Descent. Without having read the book I sat down to consider South Africa’s future, and concluded that there was little to no hope for the country. I was in Bonn, Germany, at the time, after four or more years in the secretariat of the National Planning Commission. Although the Covid-19 pandemic has had a dreadful impact on South Africa’s political economy and society – as it has on almost every country in the world – the country’s problems took a turn for the worse at Nasrec at the end of 2017, and Malala’s “descent” gained momentum. 

I want to break with orthodoxy, and say that it is the politics, not “the economy,” as the old canard goes. Homo economicus might believe that the economy is everything, and everything is the economy, but “the economy” is those millions of transactions that humans make every minute of every day, and the personal and public political decisions that enable or disable those people (from making those transactions).

A collapse that preceded democracy

Before I continue, I want to share a passage I wrote between 1991 and 1993, when I was the southern African correspondent for the New Straits Times of Malaysia. I don’t have the exact date of publication, because the person who decided to make a “portfolio” of my work neatly trimmed my reports and columns but failed to include the date. I was going to save it for my memoir, but here it is – written at a time when the apartheid government was losing its grip on power and state institutions in the early 1990s:

“It is as if a villainous character had every day, over the years, gone to the Union Buildings, the seat of government in the capital, Pretoria, and methodologically and systematically undone every single screw, bolt, nut and nail of government. Every day, now, for months on end, a section of government in South Africa is coming apart. It is difficult, now, after a spate of scandalous exposes in recent months to say exactly when the disintegration first started, or when the first door, window or desk in the Union Buildings collapsed. What has become evident, however, is that the state is collapsing bit by bit, in slow motion, while its powers of rehabilitation [are] dissipating with its political might.”

It has been reported, over and again, that the democratic government inherited a state that was on its knees. As the Afrikaner historian Herman Giliomee wrote, a decade ago, March 1985 marked, “the day apartheid started dying”. 

Wrote Giliomee: “Pik Botha recalls: ‘I will never forget the night of July 31 when [Minister of Finance] Barend du Plessis phoned me… [He said]: ‘Pik, I must tell you that the country is facing inevitable bankruptcy … The process has started.’”

We had growth, and increased social spending, but the thieves saw opportunities

The first democratic government of South Africa, led by Nelson Mandela, was fully aware of the terrible state of the economy. They managed, within a decade or more, to provide utilities and access to public goods and services (including social grants) to millions of people across the country (all necessary for a stable, progressive social democracy), while managing the country’s finances, avoiding profligacy – and through it all, produced growth and a Budget surplus. 

This demonstrated that you can reduce poverty, provide social services, deliver public goods and services, as well as manage the country’s finances. The problem that emerged, after the first 12-15 years was not lack of growth, or a contraction of the economy, it was about distribution – much of the growth did, indeed go to social spending, but a lot more began to go into the wrong pockets. Corruption, maladministration, cronyism, nepotism and prebendalism took root – what good was the ANC-led state, if it did not line the pockets of its leaders, and members who were deployed to state agencies, and boards across the country?

Fast-forward to a few years later, and we are at a point, now, where instead of pointing to the perversity of misguided distribution, corruption, theft, maladministration, tenderpreneurs, and State Capture, discussions are deflected – and the spectrum of opinion has been narrowed. Somewhat simultaneously rose the politics of identity (the ugly version), and instead of policies focusing on social problems, they focused on contortions of language, the politics of revenge, populism, scapegoating, and the speeches and statements of leaders were increasingly laced with words like “bloodshed,” and all the while xenophobia, aimed mainly at Africans and Asians, has spread. 

A careful read of Carl Niehaus’s eight-page submission on likely policies of the ruling alliance, suggests we are expected to choose between Radical Economic Transformation by policy (ANC), or Radical Economic Transformation by force (EFF). At what point do the ANC’s radical forces join the EFF? Impossible, but not improbable. 

Are we there yet?

Let’s take stock, briefly, of where we are. We know that “the economy” is in the pits. But what makes an economy stable, expansive, progressive and able to secure social justice? Don’t ask an economist. To them it’s all cost-benefits, assumptions, laws and models which they mistake for truth. And anyway, people who are so sure of their own predictive powers belong on the beachfront with fortune tellers. What makes an economy work is everything else: the people, the institutions, the policies, ethics, food, water, shelter, clothing and, well, energy. If we start just with energy, consider the fact that we may have load shedding  for at least the next five years. 

This week, Eskom’s Chief Executive Officer, André de Ruyter, confirmed that “there will be a shortfall in supply of electricity of approximately 4,000 megawatts over the next five years as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa. We welcome further interventions announced by the president, which will include a further request for proposals for a further 2,600 megawatts from wind and solar energy.” 

Using non-economic rationalist orthodoxy, us ordinary citizens know, intuitively, that you cannot run a shop, a workshop or any heavy industry without a stable source of electricity. We also know that you cannot get to work without commuter trains running. We also know that we place our lives in danger with every taxi ride. While us mere mortals don’t travel abroad much, if at all, we know that planes belong in the air; that the public broadcaster is meant to serve as, well, a public broadcaster; the police are meant to serve and protect; our military personnel should be able to march in straight lines, and its hardware has to be up to date (you can’t have stockpiles of ammunition that is outdated); along with the police and military, the state security system ought to make us sleep better at night, and criminals need to be prosecuted – even if they are among the highest office-bearers in the ruling alliance. 

A woman walking to work is not safe. A family sitting at home watching TV is not safe. A farmer working his or her fields is not safe. The driver stopping at a red light is not safe. Do we really expect someone to invest in an existing or new industry or fund innovation if a faction of the ruling party calls for “the mass nationalisation of industries including mines, insurance companies, steel and chemical companies”? The future of work is changing, but our major union leaders, supported by barbarous professors, want our workers to stay in the bondage of assembly lines – instead of retraining them for new, more innovative means of production.

All of these represent the life world of everyday people in South Africa. Every time anyone buys a loaf of bread or a bag of oranges they comprise “the economy”. Speaking of oranges, you can return the land to “its rightful owners” and (with the help of the former white owner) farm citrus products, but if individual oranges have a fungal disease you may not be able to export your produce. That’s not a racist conspiracy. (I use this one example because I have some insights into a related domestic issues case, and about the way the World Trade Organisation works.) 

This can go on and on if we can’t guarantee: the safety of investments; a reliable stream of energy; community and personal safety; trains that run; a reliable justice system – with judges who are unimpeachable; a postal service that is functional; public servants who do the jobs they’re paid to do; teachers who teach; nurses who are paid well, and don’t sign in for one another when they want to escape parts of night duty; and if we don’t play our part, as active citizens.

The government can build schools, but parents must make sure their children attend school, and show an interest in the child’s education. The government can provide trash cans, but people must use them. Visit downtown Johannesburg and you may get a sense of how filth has built up – it’s not quite at the levels of Naples, but give it time. While we hold the state and political parties to a high standard, we need to, also, report on citizens who refuse to pay or steal electricity and water, then cry foul if they are brought to book. That, is largely, the result of ANC promises. With another election in a couple of years, do we really think the ANC, or any political party is going to tell people to pay their electricity bills or get cut off? And so, it’s not “the economy” it’s everything we do, and say, every day, that makes the economy work. 

We may have started our descent, as Malala, wrote almost six years ago; my loss of hope has deepened – helped along by #statecapture revelations. But let me turn to the observations I made in the early 1990s, with regards to the National Party:

“What has become evident, however, is that the state is collapsing bit by bit, in slow motion, while its powers of rehabilitation [are] dissipating with its political might.” 

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2021-03-15-fifteen-years-along-the-road-to-nowhere-and-the-worst-is-yet-to-come/

Submitted by TT

[wadsworth2511]

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[leetb18]

Are Tropical Storms Getting Worse?

Introduction

One of the most common things that we have had to deal with more and more is destructive weather. Many people from the younger generation assume that this is just the “normal”, when in fact it's not. Many areas around the world have seen an increase in the amount and severity of their destructive weather. The city of Naples, Florida is no different. Each and every year the city of Naples experiences tropical storms, some being very destructive. Many of the citizens have started to buy flood insurance to help protect their homes. If you are a citizen across the United States and are interested in buying flood insurance, visit FEMA’s website (1). 

Statement of Research Question(s)

As a person that lives nowhere near water, I started on a quest to learn how much more devastating these tropical storms have been now compared to the past. I will be focusing on the city of Naples for my benchmark in terms of comparison. In the past 12 years there have been two different storms that have hit Naples. The first was Tropical Storms Fay in 2008 and the second was Hurricane Irma in 2017. In 2008 Fay ultimately caused 36 deaths and $560 million in damage (2). In 2017 floods caused approximately 60.7 billion U.S. dollars worth of property and crop damage across the United States (3). Even though the 60.7 billion dollars was across the United States, it shows there has definitely been an increase in the severity and number of devastating storms in the world. 

Synthesis 

After going through many articles in the library as well as online, all of the evidence pointed to an increase in the number and severity of devastating storms in Naples, as well as the rest of the world. 

Discussion of issues

This cannot just be a coincidence that there has been an increase in tropical storms in Naples. After learning about climate change through the first part of this class, as well as all of my prior knowledge of the subject, I can confirm that this is the biggest reason why there are many more devastating storms. This is a topic that needs to be spread across the world because even though hurricanes and other devastating weather events aren't happening where a person lives, they are still being affected by them. One of the biggest problems that is going on is coming with people not fully understanding what's actually happening. To help show this I compared what Naples looked like directly after Irma and then one year later. Many people may think that it may look completely normal, but that is not the case. Directly after the hurricane Naples was devastated. As the article states, houses have significant roof damage or flooding on the ground floor (4). The article shows devastating pictures as well. Then looking a year later there is still devastation. There are some families are still struggling, living homeless or in temporary housing (5). These events may seem like they are only bad for a week, but they leave behind devastation that lasts much longer. If you are a resident of Florida looking for help or are looking for ways to help, please visit the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (6).

Conclusions 

After doing my research and learning more about climate change throughout this class I can say that there has been an increase in the amount and severity of weather related disasters across the world and more specifically in Naples, Florida. This really isn’t even up for much discussion because the data behind it is so profound. What needs to happen as a result of my research as well as many others is that the people of the world need to be deeply educated about this. They need to understand the severity of what is going on, how these events are affecting them, and that time is running out. This is a problem that isn’t going to go away and will most likely get exponentially worse. People need to be more selfless in their decision making when it comes to climate change. 

Summary of what I have learned

Coming into this class and this project I feel like I was just above the average American and their knowledge about climate change. I didn’t know a whole lot about it and honestly didn’t really care. I took the approach of thinking “it’s not my problem” and “someone else will figure it out”. Being one single person I didn’t think that I could do anything to help. Was I right in saying that someone else will figure it out? I probably was because that just isn’t my area of expertise, but do I still have a role to play? Absolutely. Ever single person can get educated and then help spread the word. This is something that isn’t going to change over night and the more people that are on board the better chance us humans have at solving the problem. I will leave anyone who is reading this with one final statement. Get educated on climate change and then educate as many people as you can to help save this world.

1 Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2020. Flood Insurance.

 https://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance

2 City of Naples, 2020, Floods, Storms & Hurricane Facts. https://www.naplesgov.com/building/page/floods-storms-hurricane-facts 

3 City of Naples, 2020, Floods, Storms & Hurricane Facts. https://www.naplesgov.com/building/page/floods-storms-hurricane-facts 

4 Keneally, M. (2017, September 10). Hurricane Irma caused sizable damage in Naples, drone footage shows. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-irma-caused-sizable-damage-naples-drone-footage/story?id=49757223

5 Naples News Daily Staff (2018, September 7). Hurricane Irma: One year later. Naples Dailey News. https://www.naplesnews.com/story/weather/hurricanes/2018/09/07/hurricane-irma-one-year-later-naples-marco-island-florida/1224427002/

6 Florida Department of Environmental Protection. 2020. DEP Hurricane Information. https://floridadep.gov/hurricane

[earthsurveyor-blog]

Survey Solutions LLC is a registered, insured and licensed professional consulting firm established in 2010. Our Firm provides professional surveying and mapping services in Collier and Lee County in the State of Florida.

Our company is equipped with the expertise and technology to get your job delivered in a timely matter.  Some of our clientele in the industry are real estate agencies, title insurance companies, insurance companies, engineering and architect firms and lending companies.

We specialized in the following services:

·       Boundary Surveys

·       Elevation Certificates

·       ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys

·       Topographic Surveys for architectural and engineering design

Please contact us and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

We look forward to hearing from you!

 Email: land@surveyflorida.com

7422 Meldin Court

Naples, Florida 34104

[ackermaninsurance01-blog]

Should my Spouse Have Life Insurance Too in Naples, Florida?

A married couple lives together for a symbiotic relationship, that is, to give and take to/ from each other in order to make their lives happier and comfortable. 

When a spouse opted to subscribe for life insurance, it is only right to conclude that his purpose is to help his other half overcome the financial burden to be brought about by his death. In essence, his death will provide an opportunity for his wife to get hold of the insurance claim to be utilized for the payment of a debt, mortgages, children’s support and other undertakings similar in nature. 

On the other hand, to show equal respect and performance of an obligation, your wife may likewise apply for corresponding life insurance to provide a financial aide to you and your children in case she dies. This concept will be in the form of mutual support and obligation to one another.

Having life insurance is very important to ensure that our relatives we left behind after our death will be well compensated for their hard work and love in terms of monetary claims.

That being said, life insurance is basically the preparatory act of securing the future of those who depend on you for financial support like your spouse and children. 

However, a spouse should also be vigilant and cautious about the type of insurance to be availed and to its coverage. Basically, life insurance is the monetary claim after the death of the insured and his family will be the one to enjoy it. But the law of Florida excludes other cases that are deemed unjustifiable or reasonable such as the accidental demise, death by suicide, self-infliction injuries, HIV/AIDS, Intoxication, Homicide or even the natural calamity.

As a general rule, life insurance covers the natural death or death caused by health-related issues. But the exemption expresses some exclusions that include the items at the precedent number. 

In consideration of the ideas above-mentioned, the payment for the policy premium will soar higher compared against the regular life insurance if both spouses subscribe for comprehensive life insurance. To address this concern, you need to avail of the services of an insurance company that is willing to customize the insurance policy. It is strongly advised to hire the services of  Ackerman Insurance Services. 

We offer complete insurance protection especially the life insurance coverage to your family. Moreover, we provide excellent protection possible that suits your budgetary requirements and the insurance package that fits your needs. 

For your needs about life insurance Naples fl, Naples insurance company, and Naples insurance agency, you may visit our official site to learn more at www.ackerman-insurance.com

If you are in dire need to avail the services of a professional and trusted insurance company in Naples, Florida, it is strongly recommended to avail the insurance policy coverage of Ackerman Insurance Services. 

Our courteous coordinators await your call to provide you with the utmost service for the value of your money.

Summary

The subscription for life insurance for both spouses is a must to financially support their dependents. But you should be vigilant enough to look for a proficient and reliable insurance company that will provide your dependents with a higher premium claim to a lower premium rate. It is the Ackerman Insurance Services that may provide you with a better deal of insurance coverage. 

[carrentalnaplesfl]

Find the Best Deals on Car Rentals: Your Ultimate Guide

Are you planning a trip and looking for the best deals on car rentals? Look no further! In this comprehensive guide, we will provide you with all the information you need to find the best car rental deals for your next adventure. Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, finding affordable and reliable transportation is essential. We understand the importance of convenience, cost-effectiveness, and quality service when it comes to renting a car. So let's dive in and discover how you can secure the best deals on car rentals!

Find the Best Deals on Car Rentals

When it comes to finding the best deals on car rentals, there are several factors to consider. From booking in advance to comparing prices, these tips will help you make an informed decision and save money on your car rental.

1. Plan Ahead and Book in Advance

Planning ahead is crucial when it comes to securing the best deals on car rentals. By booking in advance, you not only have a wider selection of vehicles but also increase your chances of finding discounted rates. Rental car companies often offer early bird specials or promotional discounts for customers who reserve their vehicles well in advance.

2. Compare Prices from Multiple Rental Companies

To find the best deals on car rentals, it's important to compare prices from multiple rental companies. Each company may have different rates and promotions, so it's worth taking the time to research and compare. Online travel agencies and comparison websites can be great tools for quickly comparing prices and finding the most affordable options.

3. Be Flexible with Pick-Up and Drop-Off Locations

Flexibility with pick-up and drop-off locations can significantly impact the cost of your car rental. Consider picking up your rental car from an off-airport location if it's more cost-effective. Additionally, dropping off your vehicle at a different location than the pick-up point may result in additional fees. By being flexible with these factors, you can potentially find better deals and save money.

4. Take Advantage of Membership Programs and Discounts

Many car rental companies offer membership programs and discounts that can help you save money on your rental. If you frequently rent cars, it's worth exploring loyalty programs or joining rental company memberships. Additionally, check if you qualify for any discounts such as AAA, AARP, or corporate rates. These programs and discounts can provide significant savings on your car rental expenses.

5. Consider the Duration of Your Rental

The duration of your rental can affect the overall cost. Car rental companies often offer lower daily rates for longer rental periods. If your trip allows for a more extended rental, it's worth considering booking for a week instead of a few days. This way, you can take advantage of weekly rates and potentially save money on your car rental.

Read more: Learn about Naples, FL

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I find the best deals on car rentals during peak travel seasons?

A: While it can be more challenging to find discounted rates during peak travel seasons, it's still possible to secure good deals. Booking in advance and comparing prices are essential steps to find affordable car rentals, regardless of the season.

Q: Are there any hidden fees I should be aware of when renting a car?

A: Car rental companies may have additional fees such as fuel charges, airport surcharges, and insurance coverage. It's important to carefully review the terms and conditions and ask about any potential hidden fees before making a reservation.

Q: Is it better to rent a car from an airport location or an off-airport location?

A: Airport locations tend to have higher rental rates due to additional taxes and fees. Off-airport locations often offer more competitive rates, so it's worth considering if it's convenient for your travel plans.

Q: Can I cancel or modify my car rental reservation?

A: Most car rental companies have cancellation and modification policies. Make sure to review the terms and conditions of your reservation, as some companies may charge fees for changes or cancellations.

Q: Should I purchase additional insurance coverage for my rental car?

A: It's important to review your existing auto insurance policy and credit card coverage to understand if you're already adequately insured for rental cars. If not, purchasing additional coverage from the rental company might be beneficial.

Q: What documents do I need to rent a car?

A: Typically, you will need a valid driver's license, a credit card in the renter's name, and proof of insurance if required by the rental company.

Conclusion

Finding the best deals on car rentals is essential for a budget-friendly and convenient travel experience. By planning ahead, comparing prices, and taking advantage of discounts and membership programs, you can secure affordable and reliable transportation for your next trip. Remember to be flexible with pick-up and drop-off locations, consider the duration of your rental, and review all terms and conditions before making a reservation. With these tips in mind, you'll be well-equipped to find the best car rental deals that suit your needs.

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[geek-patient-zero]

Part 1, Chapter 2

Or: McCann Reads His Mail

Blood War: Masquerade of the Red Dead Trilogy Volume 1

Dire McCann returns to his office, in “the heart of the tenderloin district.”

Big, bold, black letters on the door proclaimed, D. McCann, Investigations. Beneath his name, in much smaller print, was the disclaimer Consultation by Appointment Only.

I guess even Dire knows his first name’s a little odd and abbreviated it. Who’d want to give work to a guy who looks like they’re trying to give themselves a nickname.

There’s several paragraphs describing the office. The outer office/reception area has a coffee table with old issues of Sports Illustrated and three red chairs, like a doctor’s office with an even more limited selection of outdated magazines.

It wasn’t much, but he didn’t require any better.  Recently, his only clients had been the Kindred, and none of them worried about his taste in furniture.

Not to his face, anyway. Vampires are like suburban parents that way.

The office proper, or his ”inner sanctum” as the narration calls it, is pretty standard; huge oak desk, “an elaborate telephone answering machine,” a table with a fax machine, PC, and printer on it, some metal cabinets, and more red chairs. It was also mentioned to have an “outrageous” rent that was almost worth it for the building’s cleaning lady.

The glow of a nearby streetlight gave the room an eerie, ghost-like interior.[...]No cheaply framed photos with hearty endorsements or tacky paint-by-numbers artwork hung on the walls. McCann believed in a strictly functional workplace. Besides which, it made a better impression on potential clients.

McCann sits behind his desk and reloads his submachine gun.

Considering what had happened already tonight, it seemed like good policy to stay ready for trouble.

For all the good it did him, but good thinking I guess. Proper paranoia helps in the World of Darkness.

Then he checks his answering machine. Two of the messages are for “divorce work.” That kind of stuff “didn’t interest” McCann, but there’s another detective in the building who specialized in it, and McCann trades him leads for favors, so he writes down the names and phone numbers. Another message is trying to sell him health insurance.

McCann grinned. Considering his present circumstances, he wasn’t sure he could afford the premiums.

Finally, McCann gets around to checking the mail he was carrying around during the first chapter. After separating the junk mail, he’s left with the small box, which was from Switzerland, three letters from Venice, Italy, another from Australia, and the last from Peru. He starts with the mail from Venice.

Dated approximately a week apart, the letters contained detailed records for financial deals made during the previous seven days.  The facts and figures covered hundreds of major business transactions throughout Europe and the United States. The detective scanned the documents carefully. There were no unusual expenditures or unexplained finances. Not that he expected to find any. The masterminds of the Giovanni Clan were the greatest financial wizards in the world. They kept a tight watch on their investments. McCann merely wanted to make sure no one other than him was skimming the profits.

Interesting. Despite doing work for the Camarilla, McCann also has connections to the independent Giovanni Clan, or at least is stealing money from them, and in a way that even their “financial wizards” can’t detect. There’s an even more interesting reveal at the end of the paragraph.

The longer he lived, the more cautious he became. And, though he appeared to be in his mid-thirties, Dire McCann lived a very long time.

Huh. The summary on the back cover describes him as “mortal.” Then again it also misspells his surname as McCannan, so...

Next he opens the latter from Darwin, Northern Territory Australia, which contains a newspaper clipping. Recently, “nomadic” Aborigines fled their reservation in the Tanami Desert and set up a shanty town outside the city. Officials tried to get the “troublemakers” to go back, “but with no success.”

No one could offer an explanation for the natives’ unexpected migration. Nor were the unwelcome Aboriginals willing to discuss why they had abandoned their primitive shelters and made the long trek to the coast. Their only reply was to point in the general direction of the Macdonnel Ranges and utter the word “Nuckalavee, Nuckalavee,” over and over again.

The hell’s a mythological Scottish demon doing in Australia?

Unfortunately, no one other than the natives understood what the term meant.

Have they tried asking a Scottish person? Maybe someone from the Orkney Islands? This is like Native Americans fleeing from the Loch Ness Monster or a kappa.

For those of you who’d never heard of it, or had never played The Bard’s Tale, the Nuckelavee is this big horse with the upper torso of a rider growing out of the middle of its back, and it has no skin.

The story ended with the mayor promising city residents that the shanty town would be gone shortly.

Australians being shitty to the Aboriginals. What a surprise.

I know, hypocritical coming from an American. But still.

McCann grimaced. He understood why the Aboriginals had fled. But he doubted that the government officials in Darwin would believe his answer. Or care. Mentally, McCann noted that he should request that his clipping service search for any follow-up stories. Or reports of unusual disappearances in the Northern Territories.

It’s a minor spoiler, but not an unsurprising one given the setting, but the World of Darkness version of the Nuckalavee is a vampire; a Nictuku, the name for a fourth generation Nosferatu. Father Naples mentioned them during the prologue when he was talking about the Nosferatu, remember?

“A few of their fourth-generation progeny are rumored to be grotesque monsters, known as the Nictuku.”

But whether it’s the mythological Nuckelavee or a vampire character based off of it, it’s bizarre that Weinberg took a mythological creature from one culture, transplanted it to a completely different one on a different continent, and act like it was always a part of that culture. Even in 1994, before Wikipedia, anyone familiar with Scottish folklore would know better. Hell, check that fan wiki page I linked just now. The reference used for the page came from VTM: Clanbook: Nosferatu. It came out in 1993, and it’s most likely what Robert Weinberg used for information on Nuckalavee too. If the information on the wiki is accurate to the book, then the book straight up says that the thing is Scottish. Even if the vampire migrated at some point, more people should know about it, at least as a legend, than some scared Aboriginals.

Speaking of... I’m no expert on Aboriginal cultures, living on the opposite side of the Pacific and all, but I’m sure they can communicate better than pointing at some mountains and grunting a monster’s name in fearful tones like some old Hollywood tribal character. At least enough to say “there’s something life threatening by our reservation and we’re getting away from it.” The story’s sympathetic to them at least, but that part rubs me the wrong way.

Next, McCann opens the envelope from Peru. It contains a photo and a handwritten note from a member of the Explorer’s Club. The photo makes McCann “swallow hard”. More bad news.

Scribbled in black ink around the margin of the photo were the words, “Found at entrance to huge cavern, Gran Vilaya ruins, Peru.” The picture showed a massive stone statue of a crouching demonic figure with a misshapen, bloated female body and the face of a snarling jaguar. Circling her feet in a ring were a dozen stone heads. Judging from the size of the skulls, the demon stood a least fifteen feet tall.[...]It fronted a huge network of previously unknown caves that honeycombed the Andes for miles. No one knew for certain the purpose of the underground warren. Several members of the expedition thought it might have served as a ritual burial ground for the mysterious Chachapoya civilization due to the numerous skeletons found scattered all through the tunnels. Which would therefore identify the demonic figure as the guardian of the dead.

Credit where it’s due, Robert Weinberg didn’t just make up the Chachapoya. Little’s known about their ancient civilization, and some of what we do know come from the Inca that conquered them and the Spanish, which aren’t what you’d call unbiased accounts. They even lived in the kind of “fog-shrouded region” or “cloud forests” that Gran Vilaya was described as being found in.

The writer ended his note with the hope that McCann felt his research money was being well spent.

McCann used money from a “secret Giovanni slush fund”, which of course none of the Giovanni clan elders know about, to fund the expedition. McCann feels the cost was justified, but would’ve preferred it it if they’d found nothing.

The statue was not a representation of the spirit guardian of the dead Chachapoyas. It showed their murderer..

Not sure why the Spanish had to build underground catacombs for the Chachapoyas to die of disease and poverty in when- No, wait, he’s talking about a vampire.

A creature who abhorred all life, she was named Gorgo, the One Who Screams in Darkness. And the empty caverns in Gran Vilaya indicated that once more she walked the Earth.

Turns out she’s another Nictuku, like Nuckalavee. One with a kickass title. It looks like some very old, very powerful vampires are waking up, and McCann is not happy about it. He opens the box from Switzerland. It came from “an old friend.”

Inside were photocopies of more than three hundred pages of hand-written memos and high level classified documents. They were a mixed selection from a half-dozen different European security agencies. All were marked TOP SECRET.

But we readers don’t get to learn what they say, because McCann checks his watch and learns he’s gotta be at the Club Diabolique to meet Alexander Vargoss in half an hour.

McCann’s preparing to leave when his phone rings. Remember his “elaborate telephone answering machine?” It’s got some spiffy futuristic tech in it like a “caller ID feature” and the ability to record phone calls. Stuff that only someone secretly skimming money from the Giovanni can afford. But seriously, I enjoy reading old stuff and seeing things that are common today described as rare and amazing. Hell, I didn’t know caller ID was a thing in 1994. My family’s middle class and we didn’t get phones with caller ID until the 2000′s.

Unfortunately, none of his phone system’s features come in handy in this case. He doesn’t recognize the number, but McCann answers the phone anyway.

A man whose voice McCann didn’t recognize spoke in clear, crisp tones. “Lameth,” said the stranger, “beware of the Red Death.”

Without another sound, the man hung up, leaving a stunned McCann holding the receiver. Lameth, the speaker had called him.

Nah, Dire, despite his clear, crisp tones the mysterious caller still has a bit of a lisp. He was actually calling you “lame-ass.”

It was a name from the dawn of history, one that McCann believed long forgotten. A master schemer, the detective did not like unexpected shocks. Especially ones of this magnitude.

McCann certainly has the connections and resources to be a master schemer. Still, I’d of liked to have seen him actually scheme before the narration straight up calls him one.

He tries to listen to the recording of the phone call, but turns out it didn’t record. The caller ID screen is blank, and even the phone number it picked up earlier disappeared. This is starting to sound familiar.

Luckily, McCann memorized the number despite his previous confidence in technology. He calls the local police station, specifically a cop named Harry. He asks for a favor due to him for a bottle of wine he sent Harry for his birthday; the location where his phone call was made from. Turns out, it’s from a booth in the front lobby of his building. One that’s been out of service for months.

Let’s recap. Assassins just tried to kill McCann. Powerful vampires are waking up abroad, which is worrying for a very old schemer with an eye towards international news like him. And an untraceable magic man just called him by a very old name no one should know and warned him of a threat with an ominous name. All before he’s gotta meet with the Prince of St. Louis. Good thing McCann’s a big tough book protagonist, ‘cause I’d certainly be a little anxious.

Not a believer in coincidence, the detective knew the three events had to be linked together. But how?

The voice on the phone had warned him to “beware the Red Death.” McCann had absolutely no idea who or what the Red Death might be. He had a terrible suspicion that he would soon find out.

[financeinsurancef001]

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[newstfionline]

Monday, October 19, 2020

As the Coronavirus Surges, a New Culprit Emerges: Pandemic Fatigue (NYT) When the coronavirus began sweeping around the globe this spring, people from Seattle to Rome to London canceled weddings and vacations, cut off visits with grandparents and hunkered down in their homes for what they thought would be a brief but essential period of isolation. But summer did not extinguish the virus. And with fall has come another dangerous, uncontrolled surge of infections that in parts of the world is the worst of the pandemic so far. The virus has taken different paths as leaders have tried to tamp down the spread with a range of restrictions. Shared, though, is a public weariness and a growing tendency to risk the dangers of the coronavirus, out of desire or necessity: With no end in sight, many people are flocking to bars, family parties, bowling alleys and sporting events much as they did before the virus hit, and others must return to school or work as communities seek to resuscitate economies. And in sharp contrast to the spring, the rituals of hope and unity that helped people endure the first surge of the virus have given way to exhaustion and frustration. Researchers from the World Health Organization estimate that about half of the population is experiencing “pandemic fatigue.” One New Yorker summed it up: “I am so tired of everything. Is it going to be over? I want it to be over.”

Biden and Trump Say They’re Fighting for America’s ‘Soul.’ (NYT) It is a phrase that has been constantly invoked by Democratic and Republican leaders. It has become the clearest symbol of the mood of the country, and what people feel is at stake in November. Everyone, it seems, is fighting for it. “This campaign isn’t just about winning votes. It’s about winning the heart and, yes, the soul of America,” Joseph R. Biden Jr. said in August at the Democratic National Convention, not long after the phrase “battle for the soul of America” appeared at the top of his campaign website, right next to his name. Picking up on this, a recent Trump campaign ad spliced videos of Democrats invoking “the soul” of America, followed by images of clashes between protesters and the police and the words “Save America’s Soul,” with a request to text “SOUL” to make a campaign contribution. That the election has become a referendum on the soul of the nation, suggests that in an increasingly secular country, voting has become a reflection of one’s individual morality—and that the outcome hinges in part on spiritual and philosophical questions that transcend politics: What, exactly, is the soul of the nation? What is the state of it? And what would it mean to save it?

Spanish demonstrators call for prosecution of former king (Reuters) Waving red, purple and yellow republican flags, demonstrators in 24 Spanish cities on Sunday called for the prosecution of the former king Juan Carlos who left Spain embroiled in controversy. The 82-year-old former monarch has been living in the United Arab Emirates since leaving Spain in August to avoid further embarrassing his son, King Felipe VI. While not formally under investigation, Juan Carlos could become a target in two inquiries in Spain and Switzerland into alleged corruption associated with a 6.7-billion-euro (£6.1 billion), high-speed Saudi train contract won by Spanish firms.

Covid-19’s first wave largely missed southern Italy. The second wave is hitting it hard. (Washington Post) When northern Italy became the epicenter of the pandemic in the spring, one urgent concern was that the country’s coronavirus outbreak would quickly spread to the less-prosperous south and overwhelm under-resourced regional health systems. That fear wasn’t realized. A strict nationwide lockdown largely contained the virus in the north and brought the outbreak under control. But now the virus is raging again, through Europe and through Italy, with a spike that is again hitting the north but this time also the south. In Campania, which includes Naples, the daily number of detected new cases is five times larger than March’s peak. Compared with six months ago, there is more space to accommodate critical patients in southern Italy. There are more ventilators. Still, many hospitals in the south remain understaffed and have fewer beds per capita than those in the north. They could reach a breaking point if the number of critical patients soars.

Tens of thousands march in Belarus despite firearms threat (Reuters) Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of the Belarusian capital Minsk on Sunday to demand the resignation of veteran president Alexander Lukashenko, despite a threat by officials to use firearms against protesters. Belarus, a former Soviet republic closely allied with Russia, has been rocked by strikes and weekly street protests since authorities announced that Lukashenko, who has ruled in authoritarian fashion since 1994, had secured re-election on Aug. 9 with 80% of votes. The Interfax news agency put the number of protesters at over 30,000. It said about 50 had been detained by the police, and that the mobile broadband signal had been disrupted in parts of the city. It also said loud noises that sounded like stun grenades had been heard close to the march. A senior police official said last week that officers would reserve the right to use firearms against demonstrators.

Russia shuns tough restrictions even as infections soar (AP) It’s Friday night in Moscow, and popular bars and restaurants in the city center are packed. No one except the staff is wearing a mask or bothers to keep their distance. There is little indication at all that Russia is being swept by a resurgence of coronavirus infections. “I believe that everyone will have the disease eventually,” says Dr. Alexandra Yerofeyeva, an internal medicine specialist at an insurance company, while sipping a cocktail at The Bix bar in Moscow. She adds cheerfully: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” The outbreak in Russia this month is breaking the records set in the spring, when a lockdown to slow the spread of the virus was put in place. But, as governments across Europe move to reimpose restrictions to counter rising cases, authorities in Russia are resisting shutting down businesses again. The spring lockdown hurt the country’s already weakened economy and compounded Russians’ frustration with plummeting incomes and worsening living conditions, driving Putin’s approval rating to a historic low of 59% in April, according to the Levada Center, Russia’s top independent pollster. Analysts say his government doesn’t want to return to those darks days. “They know that people have just come to the end of their tolerance of the lockdown measures that would be hugely unpopular if they got imposed again,” said Judy Twigg, a professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, specializing in global health.

China Warns U.S. It May Detain Americans in Response to Prosecutions of Chinese Scholars (WSJ) Chinese government officials are warning their American counterparts they may detain U.S. nationals in China in response to the Justice Department’s prosecution of Chinese military-affiliated scholars, according to people familiar with the matter. The Chinese officials have issued the warnings to U.S. government representatives repeatedly and through multiple channels, the people said, including through the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. The Chinese message, the people said, has been blunt: The U.S. should drop prosecutions of the Chinese scholars in American courts, or Americans in China might find themselves in violation of Chinese law. China started issuing the warning this summer after the U.S. began arresting a series of Chinese scientists, who were visiting American universities to conduct research, and charged them with concealing from U.S. immigration authorities their active duty statuses with the People’s Liberation Army, the people said. Chinese authorities have on occasion detained foreign nationals in moves seen by their governments as baseless, or in some instances as diplomatic retaliation, a tactic that many in Washington policy circles have referred to as “hostage diplomacy.”

Thailand’s king faces trouble on two continents (Los Angeles Times) The scion of one of the world’s most privileged families, he wrapped himself in the trappings of royalty, wealth and a comfortable hideaway thousands of miles from his subjects. For Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the cocoon has come undone with remarkable speed. Last week in Berlin, the German government faced questions in Parliament over the king’s legal status in Bavaria, where he resides. Then, visiting Thailand this week to mark the fourth anniversary of his father’s death, the king’s family came face-to-face with pro-democracy protesters agitating for limits on his power. The reverence long demanded of Thailand’s monarchy is breaking down in ways big and small. Thais are refusing to stand for the royal anthem in movie theaters, lampooning the king in Facebook groups and openly questioning his immense wealth and spending. The scrutiny he is now facing in Germany is an added nuisance for a 68-year-old king who has long treated his adopted home as a playground. As the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned for 70 years, Vajiralongkorn was destined to inherit the throne. But since about 2007 he has spent most of his time in Germany, where the tabloid press has followed his exploits with relish. He was pictured wearing a tight-fitting crop top over an otherwise bare torso while getting on a ski lift, and covered in temporary tattoos during an excursion to a Munich mall.

New Zealand’s Ardern credits virus response for election win (AP) A day after winning a second term in a landside victory, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Sunday she sees the election result as an endorsement of her government’s efforts to stamp out the coronavirus and reboot the economy. In the election, Ardern’s liberal Labour Party got 49% of the vote, crushing the conservative National Party, which got 27%. Ardern said the margin of the victory exceeded their expectations. Asked what she would say to those Americans who may draw inspiration from her win ahead of the U.S. elections, Ardern said she hoped people globally could move past the partisan divisions that elections often accentuate. “That can be damaging for democracy, regardless of the side of the House that you sit on,” she said.

As lockdown eases, Israelis again gather against Netanyahu (AP) Thousands of Israelis demonstrated outside the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night, resuming the weekly protest against the Israeli leader after emergency restrictions imposed as part of a coronavirus lockdown were lifted. The protesters gathered in central Jerusalem and marched to Netanyahu’s official residence, holding banners calling on him to go and shouting “Revolution!” Many blew horns and pounded on drums, while others hoisted Israeli flags. Scores of smaller demonstrations were held across the country, and organizers claimed some 260,000 people participated nationwide. The protesters say Netanyahu must resign, calling him unfit to lead the country while he is on trial for corruption charges. They also say he has mishandled the virus crisis, which has sent unemployment soaring. Netanyahu is on trial for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes for his role in a series of scandals. He has denied the charges and said he is the victim of a conspiracy by overzealous police and prosecutors and a liberal media.

Uganda’s ‘taxi divas’ rise from COVID-19’s economic gloom (AP) Uganda’s new all-female ride-hailing service is called Diva Taxi. The taxi service, dreamed up by a local woman who lost her logistics job at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, was launched in June and has recruited over 70 drivers. They range from college students to mothers hoping to make good use of their secondhand Toyotas. “It started off as a joke, supported by close friends and family, but eventually the idea picked up,” said company spokeswoman Rebecca Makyeli. “They said, ‘Why not? As ladies, you know we can no longer slay on Instagram on the outside, so why don’t we slay as divas with a cause.’ So we called it Diva Taxi.” It’s uncommon to find women taxi drivers in Uganda, a socially conservative East African country where most women labor on farms or pursue work in the informal sector. Diva Taxi believes countless women are looking for job opportunities at a time of severe economic distress. The Diva Taxi app has been downloaded at least 500 times, and each of the company’s 72 drivers makes an average of 30 rides each week. The company expects to have 2,000 active users by the end of this year, a modest target in a city of over 3 million people where taxis and passenger motorcycles are the main means of transport for the working class. “We love what we are doing and it’s really fun,” said founder Kobusingye, an occasional driver herself. “I can’t wait to partner with every woman out there that’s willing to be part of Diva Taxi.”

Nigerian army plans nationwide exercise as protests rock country (Reuters) The Nigerian army will begin a two-month national exercise, it said on Saturday, while denying the move was part of any security response to recent widespread demonstrations against alleged police brutality. Operation Crocodile Smile would run across the country from Oct. 20 to Dec. 31, the first time the annual exercise, typically concentrated in the Delta region, will be nationwide, army spokesman Sagir Musa said. The move comes just days after the army said it was ready to step in and restore order, but Musa said in a statement that the exercise “has no relationship with any lawful protest under any guise whatsoever”. Nigerians demanding an end to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) police unit and pressing for reforms and accountability have been rallying across the country. The army had on Wednesday issued a statement warning what it termed “subversive elements and trouble makers” that it was “ready to fully support the civil authority in whatever capacity to maintain law and order and deal with any situation decisively”.

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