#this is all based on living in florida through all kinds of hurricanes and storms my whole life but im also an art student and not a | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

abalonetea · 3 years ago

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Just Keep Breathing: Chapter One

I was partnered with @the-dot for the @originalfictionbigbang! Thank you for working with me, Dot!

Here is the first chapter! I’ve split the first 10k words between four chapters, and will be posting them all in a masterpost in just a moment!

Summary: It’s the height of storm season and everyone in Hi-Banks, Florida is getting ready for the bad weather. It should be a year like any other - but on the tails of a national pandemic, a new disaster strikes. More than one new disasters. So many disasters that Eddie Carver would like to put some of them back, thanks. He’s just a down on his luck guy living in the local trailer park with his boyfriend. He’s not interested in dealing with the revival of an old murder case - which he knows nothing about, thanks -, the storm season of the century, or…zombies?

Yeah. Absolutely not interested in the zombies.

This black-comedy follows the inner workings of a small town as they band together to survive, and the young man - reckless, mean, angry, written off b the big city folk come to look into a cold case - that might hold all of societies survival in his hands.

Forget about society. Eddie’s only interested in keeping his friends alive.

Chapter One – Hi Banks Florida

“ - increased reports of unprecedented aggression all across New York City. This is following in the wake of Mayor Alex Grand’s assault on his wife. These attacks have increased nearly ten fold in the wake of the recent vaccine’s release, prompting many to wonder if the vaccine was released too soon – should more tests have been done? Could this be a side effect of it? We have reached out to the head of the FDA, Doctor - “

The television goes to pure static, a hissing crackle of black and white fuzz. Eddie groans. “Seriously? I was watchin’ that!”

“Guess you ain’t watching it now,” says Carson, draping himself over the back of the couch. He curls an arm around Eddie’s chest, pinning him against the back of the couch. “You should be at work, anyway.”

“Penny don’t got work for me today.”

“Then you should be out working on the truck. I’m sick of walking to the docks.”

Eddie rolls his eyes. He shifts, leaning up and wrapping his own arms around Carson’s neck, tugging until his boyfriend is leaning down enough that Eddie can kiss him. “I can’t fix the truck ‘till we get a part mailed in. Penny let me use the work account.”

“Bullshit,” says Carson. “You just don’t want too.”

“It ain’t bullshit. It’s, uh, truth shit.”

“Wow.” Carson shakes off Eddie’s grip. “You worked hard on that one, huh? Whatever, don’t work on the truck. I’ve got actual work to get too.”

Eddie twists, pulling himself up so he can drape over the back of the couch. “Gonna rain today. Take an extra shirt.”

Carson says, “sure, I’ll put it in the truck so it stays dry. Oh, wait.”

And, okay, so Eddie kind of deserves that one. The truck hasn’t been running for almost a week now. This isn’t the first time that it’s stopped working. Carson bought it straight out of the local junkyard five years back, and it’s pretty much held together with duck tape – literally – and chewing gum – which might be the next step.

Eddie really is waiting on the part to come in.

The problem is that he sort of forgot to order it until yesterday.

Drooping, Eddie makes a disgruntled sound. “I’ll see if I can’t fudge it, okay? Just, I dunno, don’t get hit by lightning. The storm’s supposed to be nasty.”

“Great.” Carson shoves on one boot, then the other. “So we’re going to have no power tonight.”

“I’ll fill the tub.”

“Summer sucks ass.”

“Florida sucks ass,” corrects Eddie.

Carson thinks on it, then bobs his head in agreement. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go with that one.”

“You gonna be home for - “ The television bursts back into being with a crackle of too loud sound. Eddie swears.

The woman on TV reads off, “ - no official links between the two. Gerald Harbrinks has been arrested today for the most bizarre case of armed robbery the county has ever seen, in which he dropped his gun and instead chose to bite the cashier - “

Eddie mutes it. “Sorry. One’a these days we need to get actual cable.”

“Yeah, when toads fly,” says Carson. “You doing dinner?”

Eddie thinks about what they have in the pantry. Not much, but probably enough to throw at least half a meal together. He’s better at cooking and coming up with things than Carson is. “Yeah. You going to be back before dark?”

Carson shrugs. “How should I know? They never tell me anything. I might not even have to stay if it rains.”

“Babe, if it rains, they’re gonna make you stay out of spite, and you know it,” says Eddie, because the guy who runs the docks is kind of an ass.

Carson grunts. “Thanks for the reassurance.”

“No problem.” Eddie shuts the TV off all the way and finally pries himself up off of the couch. “So, dinner, unless we lose power. We’ll have to hit up Red’s. He’s got that grill or whatever.”

He sways his way over to his boyfriend, plasters himself against Carson’s front and schmoozes his way in for a kiss. Carson curls an arm around him for a moment, then makes a face. “Come on, man. I gotta at least get down there before the rain starts or I won’t make shit.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” says Eddie. “Get outta here. Don’t get drowned or nothing.”

* * *

Hi Banks, Florida is the sort of place you’re born into, you slog through, and then you die in. And mostly, the people are okay with that. Why leave a good thing, right? Or maybe it’s more that the people born into Hi Banks just have a hard time getting together the chance to leave.

The trailer park is on the backside of town, filled up with old mobile homes and trailers parked up on cinder blocks. The paths between homes flood any time it rains and Eddie makes a point of sloshing his way through the puddles until the inside of his sneakers are soaked and his stained up jeans are covered in mud. Splash! Slosh! Splat!

The Calloway’s have added a new pick up truck to the collection of cars sitting out front. Eddie would bet it’s like the rest of their vehicles and the engine doesn’t actually roll over. Not that he can say too much on that front, considering his own truck.

If there’s any chance that he can trick the thing into running, he needs another quart of oil and – well, it is his fault that Carson’s going to have to walk home in the rain later, so Eddie figures he’ll pick up a box of swiss rolls while he’s out. Swiss rolls are Carson’s favorite.

Sweets in general are his favorite, but whatever.

So he sloshes his way through the trailer park and out onto the long, main road that cuts through the center of town. If you keep going long enough in one direction, it will take you to the highway. Keep going long enough in the other, you’ll hit the swamps.

There’s just the one commercially owned grocery store in the whole town. The parking lot is mostly empty, which isn’t a surprise considering it’s the middle of a Monday, and also about to cut loose. The wind’s started to pick up and everything, clouds dark and violent overhead. Eddie scurries into the shop, muttering a brief ‘hey’ to Annie Green when he passes her counter and heads towards the back.

Fitz is curled over the meat case muttering under his breath to himself, which is less unusual than it sounds. Eddie opts not to wave at him, and instead just goes for the cake aisle. It’s so picked over that it’s ridiculous. There aren’t any swiss rolls so he grabs the oatmeal cookies instead.

No doubt that the milk and bread aisles are already empty, to go with the alarmingly small amount of paper product. Up at the check out, he asks Anne, “you seen Roy come in yet today? He owes me ten bucks.”

“Nope.” The machine beeps when Anne scans the box of cookies. “Is Ftiz still back at the meat? I swear, he’s been in here for an hour.”

“Yeah. Maybe he’s stocking up on it.”

“Even Fitz isn’t stupid enough to stock up on meat right before we’re due for hurricane season.” Anne holds out her hand and Eddie fishes a crumpled five from his back pocket to pass over. “You talk to him?”

“Nope.”

Anne heaves out a sigh. “Great. Guess I can walk back and deal with it. If he’s drunk - “

“If he’s drunk, call his wife. She’ll have his ass for drinking that much this early in the day.”

Anne snorts. “Yeah, she will.”

Eddie shifts from one foot to the next, peering out the glass front doors. It’s still raining hard outside. “You think this is gonna light up any time soon?”

“Supposed to rain all evening. I’m surprised that they haven’t canceled work at the docks,” says Anne.

“Ugh. Great. Just, double bag them, I guess. I have to walk back in this.”

Anne doubles the bag and Eddie steps back out into the deluge. He’s soaked in a matter of minutes.

* * *

“Fucking Hell!” Eddie shakes himself off as he steps into the trailer. He fumbles around in the dark for the first few minutes, stripping out of his sodden clothes and down to his equally sodden boxers. Still swearing, he drops the bag of soaked oatmeal cookies onto the counter and flips on the light switch for the kitchen.

Nothing happens.

Eddie swears louder.

There’s the sound of something shuffling about from the bedroom. Eddie grabs the natty tea towel off the front of the stove handle and uses it to wipe off his face. “That you, babe?”

No answer. The shuffling sound gets closer. Eddie rolls his eyes and attempts to pat himself dry with the hand towel. It has a mixed amount of success in actually accomplishing anything.

“I got you cookies. They should be dry. Cause of the plastic and stuff?”

Still no answer. Eddie mutters under his breath. Fine, he’ll just have the cookies himself.

He pops open the plastic wrapper and pulls out a handful of them, carrying them over to the couch – where he finds Carson stretched out, massive headphones in, and a blanket pulled down over him.

“What the Hell, man.” Eddie kicks the couch base. “Move your legs.”

Carson grumbles and slides his headphones out. “When did you get back?”

“Like, five minutes ago. I went to get you cakes, but they didn’t have none.” He passes Carson a cookie instead. “You could’ve said something when you came out of the bedroom.”

Carson squints at him. “What are you talking about?”

Something in the bedroom is knocked over. CRASH. Eddie jerks, spinning around and squinting into the dark of the trailer. “So, uh, that’s not you.”

“Of course it ain’t me,” says Carson. He shoves the blanket onto the back of the couch, swings his legs over the cushions, and leverages himself up. There’s a bat by the front door. Eddie grabs it and passes it to Carson, because he’s tiny and Carson’s not.

“Chicken,” mutters Carson, but he doesn’t look thrilled to have to go deal with this. “We got that flashlight in the kitchen?”

“Batteries are dead,” says Eddie.

“Great. Storm season, and we’ve got bad batteries.”

“Pretty sure that’s not a hurricane breaking stuff in our bedroom, babe.”

Carson shoots Eddie an unimpressed look. “No duh.”

They make their way to the little off shooting bedroom, Eddie tucked close to Carson’s back. It’s at least still early enough in the evening that wane, yellow light creeps in through the nearby window. Carson presses a hand to the door, pulls in a deep breath, and shoves it open.

What happens next happens fast: there’s motion from the over turned bedside table. Carson swings with the bat, effectively smashing their lamp to pieces. The neighbor’s fat, orange tabby cat gives an indignant hiss and jumps onto the bed, then out through the nearby busted window. There’s glass all over everything, from the lamp and the window, and rain has blown in from the storm soaking the bed and the table in equal parts. The carpet nearby squishes loudly when Carson takes a step.

“Oh,” says Eddie. “Window’s broke.”

Carson drops the bat onto the ground. “That’s it. We’re going to Red’s.”

#wip jkb #my writing #zombies #original fiction big bang #writeblr

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noaasanctuaries · 5 years ago

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NOAA launches Mission: Iconic Reefs to save Florida Keys coral reefs

The coral reefs at the foot of Florida are legendary, making up a barrier reef that spans more than 255 continuous miles. The reefs are home to lobster, sea turtles, fish, and more, and they have protected the coastline from storm surge for thousands of years. But these coral reefs, like coral reefs across the globe, are in serious trouble.

In recent decades, the coral reefs within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary have been damaged by hurricanes, bleaching, disease, and heavy human use. The sanctuary and its partners are working diligently to protect the reefs, but our efforts have not been able to keep up with the decline. Now, NOAA and our partners are launching Restoring Seven Iconic Reefs: A Mission to Recover the Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys, one of the largest investments in reef restoration anywhere in the world. By restoring corals at seven iconic reef sites in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, we can change the trajectory of an entire ecosystem and help save one of the world’s most unique areas for future generations.

Why restore?

More than 6,000 species of plants and animals call the Keys home, and many are found on the coral reefs. Recreationally and commercially important fish species shelter and feed on the reefs, as do spiny lobster, sea turtles, and more.

In addition to supporting diverse animal and plant life, the coral reefs of the Keys are important for the survival of human communities throughout this island chain. Structurally, the corals create a barrier between the islands and the open ocean, dissipating wave energy and diminishing the impacts of storms and high tides. And they also form the basis of the Florida Keys economy: 5 million people visit each year – most of whom participate in ocean recreation and enjoy the reefs – contributing $2.4 billion in sales annually. Here, more than one out of every two jobs is connected to the marine ecosystem

But in the last 40 years, healthy coral cover in the Florida Keys reefs has declined more than 90 percent. This decline can’t be blamed on a single cause, but rather a web of interconnected problems. Misplaced boat anchors and ship groundings crush healthy reefs. Pollution makes it difficult for corals to survive, while overfishing damages the fish populations that are necessary to maintain reef health. Storms like 2017’s Hurricane Irma can rip corals from their foundations and smother those that remain with sediment. In recent years, afflictions like stony coral tissue loss disease have killed off huge percentages of once-healthy coral. And if all this wasn’t enough, the coral reefs of the Florida Keys also must contend with climate change: elevated ocean temperatures cause bleaching in corals, which can compromise their health or even kill them.

Seven iconic reefs

“Losing the reef is not an option, but that’s what could happen without action,” says Tom Moore, leader of NOAA’s Coral Reef Restoration Team. This April, NOAA gathered a group of more than 25 researchers, restoration practitioners, and members of state and federal agencies. Together, these experts created a first-of-its-kind restoration strategy that will focus on seven distinct coral reefs within the Keys.

The sites – Carysfort Reef, Horseshoe Reef, Cheeca Rocks, Sombrero Reef, Newfound Harbor, Looe Key Reef, and Eastern Dry Rocks – span the full geographic range of the region, a variety of habitats, and a diversity of human uses. Most crucially, these sites all either have a history of restoration success, or have characteristics that suggest restoration is likely to succeed.

Access regulations to these areas will not change, and the public will still be able to visit these reefs. However, during active restoration, we may temporarily reduce access to allow for the work to be completed efficiently and safely.

This NOAA-led effort is supported by partners at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Coral Restoration Foundation, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, Florida Aquarium, The Nature Conservancy, Reef Renewal, and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

How the restoration works

Corals grow slowly, and this coral restoration project will take time. Mission: Iconic Reefs uses several phases to ensure that multiple coral species and other important reef species can be restored over time.

First, we will remove nuisance and invasive species like algae and Palythoa, an invertebrate that grows in thick mats. These species compete with corals for space on the reef and prevent coral larvae from settling and growing. Removing them will let the growing corals avoid expending energy competing for reef space.

Then, Phase 1 of the plan begins. Over the first seven to 10 years of this effort, we and our partners will outplant a variety of coral species. Elkhorn corals will be outplanted first: these corals grow relatively quickly and are not susceptible to stony coral tissue loss disease. As soon as they are planted, the elkhorn corals will create habitat for other animals, and within three to five years, they will reach reproductive maturity and be able to help grow the reef.

As the elkhorn corals take hold, other species will be outplanted, including star, brain, pillar, and staghorn corals. We intend to supplement the reefs with sea urchins and Caribbean king crab, which eat algae that can overgrow coral reefs. Over this first phase, we aim to increase the coral cover across these seven sites from two percent (the current assessed coral cover based on 2019 observations of Iconic Reef sites) to 15 percent depending on the particular habitat zone. Coral cover is a measure of the proportion of reef surface covered by live stony coral, the primary contributors to coral reef ecosystem health. A healthy coral reef may have between 25 and 40 percent coral cover, with stony corals mixed in with sponges, soft corals, algae, and other organisms.

Phase 2 of the plan builds on this restoration. Over approximately 12 years, restoration volunteers and staff will continue to outplant elkhorn, star, brain, pillar, and staghorn corals. They will also outplant other small stony corals like finger and brain coral, helping to add diversity, function, and resiliency to the reef. By the end of this phase, we aim to increase coral cover to an average of 25 percent.

Throughout the entire restoration effort, a workforce of professional and volunteer divers will serve as “gardeners” on these reefs. They will remove marine debris, nuisance species, and species that might compete for space, and also reattach any corals that have been damaged or disconnected.

“Ten years ago, this project would be just a wild dream,” says Ken Nedimyer, Reef Renewal founder. But now, “we’re at a place in time where we have the technology to undertake a project of this size and we have a window of opportunity to do so. Not only can we think about doing it, but the need to do it is overwhelming.”

Coral nurseries

Mission: Iconic Reefs, unparalleled in scope and scale, will require nearly 500,000 stony coral colonies. That number of corals is a huge lift, but by working together, multiple partners are up to the task.

Some partners, including Reef Renewal, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, and Coral Restoration Foundation, will raise the quick-growing, Phase 1 corals in nurseries in the ocean. Mote and The Florida Aquarium will augment these farms with corals grown in laboratories: these will be slower-growing corals, corals screened for resilience, and corals bred to increase genetic diversity.

“We have been working on scaling up our restoration efforts,” says Scott Winters, CEO of Coral Restoration Foundation. “But if we want to save the Florida Reef Tract, we can be more effective if we work together. We have an opportunity to combine our expertise to have a hugely significant impact on the future of our coral reefs.”

“We are excited that Mote’s science-based coral restoration initiative will be a major component in the plan,” echoes Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium President and CEO Dr. Michael P. Crosby. “This is an unprecedented effort to respond to an unprecedented environmental emergency. Together with our partners, I am convinced we will be able to save Florida’s coral reefs.”

The Nature Conservancy, SECORE, University of Florida, University of Miami, and Nova Southeastern University will also lend scientific expertise. NOAA’s Restoration Center and the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program have awarded $5.3 million in grants for restoration over the next three years. Subsequently, the plan will be funded through many public and private funding streams, coordinated by the new Florida Keys Restoration Council.

Corals for the community

“The reefs are home to this community. They are part of our way of life,” says Sarah Fangman, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary superintendent. “We want to give people the chance to be part of healing the Keys, and we need the community’s support to make this vision a reality.”

Volunteers can assist with invasive species removal and long-term nursery and reef maintenance. Blue Star operators will be key to the continued recovery of the Florida Keys reef tract, as they are committed to responsible tourism, diving, and fishing. Mission: Iconic Reefs will also foster a new economic sector for the Florida Keys region centered around this innovative effort.

“We hope the Mission: Iconic Reefs effort can be beneficial not just in the Florida Keys,” adds Fangman, “but also in other reefs around the world. We hope we can give back and pay it forward.” Coral reefs all over the world are stressed by human use, climate change, and other global stressors. Mission: Iconic Reefs serves as a model for all these coral communities. By working together and supporting these iconic reefs, we can all create a lasting legacy and a physical and financial safety net for the Florida Keys, and help support coral restoration efforts worldwide.

[Image descriptions, from top: GIF of fish swimming above coral reef; GIF of diseased coral; GIF of coral being grown in an on-land nursery; GIF of coral being grown in an in-ocean nursery; GIF of person outplanting coral; photo of coral reef; map of seven iconic reef sites targeted by this program.]

#coral reef #coral #conservation #science #restoration #environment #stewardship #florida keys #noaa #florida

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artificialqueens · 6 years ago

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save your breath (Branjie) - PinkGrapefruit

A/N - Yo! I am back because all I ever do is write nowadays. I wrote this on a whim at 10 pm last night after a prompt someone sent in. Thanks to FreyKitten for beta-ing me and being an awesome human as per usual as i write weird lines about orchestras and carnations. It’s written to the song ‘save your breath’ by Adore Delano and is from Brookes POV. As always, all work is my own and although this is based on real people, both the characters and the story are my own interpretation and therefore fully fabricated. Enjoy! x

When you think about me

Do you remember when

You were all about me

Or am I just a myth?

Do you remember the way our hands intertwined? The fluttering of black on red that day by the tree. Do you remember that, baby? Because I do. I remember it like yesterday, my mind filled with clouds, and apple cider, and you. Because you feel like coming home and nothing will ever beat that feeling. You could give me a handjob and make it feel like a pas de deux. All graceful and elegant and shit. You could buy me a thousand purses and pumps and a goddamn planet but I would love nothing more than I love you. Because I love you like a cat loves catnip or some other analogy that I don’t have the heart to make up. You took my heart and crushed it under my own pointe shoes. You placed it prettily on the floor and watched me pirouette my way over it. If God is a woman, she is cruel and unwavering in her choices.

Do you remember that time by the beach? The one in Florida after I met the Mateos. That’s where I realised I love you. Not in some club in wherever the hell we were. Not even in Toronto when I watched you look, with so much joy, at the place I’m from. No, I realised it on a beach at 2 am when my mind was so addled by sleep that the tide was covering half my legs. When you pulled me up and made me dance with you under the stars of Tampa. Your head was heavy on my chest and your breath was warm. It smelled like Panda Express and cider and your hair of cologne and prop glitter. And then I took you to my hometown, God. We stood at the top of Church near Old Toronto and you wanted to see my old haunts so badly so I let you pull me into The Drink. Later you tugged me back out and demanded I showed you all of the touristy destinations so we hired bikes and cycled them all. We shared long, languid kisses in front of each and everyone and savoured each other like it would be our last hurrah.

Do you remember the way I took you in my arms that night? How I made you scream? How you told me you loved me in between sweaty sheets and heavy breaths. I remember the way that undeniable feeling of home swelled in me like a symphony. Like the violin solo reaching its crescendo and when we crashed back down like waves against the shore - the pitch, fuzzy in my ears. You are fortissimo, brash and loud but you can be kind when needed. Like pauses in the bar. I am mezzo-piano. I am moderately soft and though we both know I can get loud, I do not broadcast that. That is not the world’s secret to know. That is not yours to share.

I loved you hardest

Happy, just loving you

And to be honest

Sometimes I think I still do

It would take a lot for me to say that I do not love you. But the thing about love is that it is rarely enough. Love is never the sole emotion, it is always supported by others. You can have love and jealousy, love and rage, love and pure, unadulterated joy. But you never just have love. The same way that the organ supports the strings section, all other emotions support love because it is fickle. It is easy to break. It is easy to detune, destring, derail. Just like we were. And yet I love you. I love you like I am going to break if I stop. Like I will cease to exist. Loving you feels like I am constantly in the eye of the storm. The winds are swelling around me like the strings and you are the conductor. You are the maker of chaos and the ruler of the winds. The king of my goddamn world. When did I forget that you’ve always been the king of the world?

I think about you a lot. It’s mostly just me wondering if you’re thinking about me too because this feels like I’m drowning and I don’t think you can save me anymore. I need to learn to swim or find a place, high and dry, to smoke a cigarette or two before I go down. It’s awfully hard to keep your head above the water when you can’t remember why you’re there. This ocean I am stuck in, this whirlpool I cannot escape, it’s just a storm in a teacup. The hurricane’s coming. We both know it will wipe us out.

I never thought leaving would be a precautionary measure. I didn’t realise that I needed caution till I met you but now I see that I was wrong. Because leaving is the biggest precaution one can make when trying not to get hurt and Lord knows I am the master of that. You don’t spend your life as a dancer without knowing how to avoid injury. You learn how to stretch. How to feel when a muscle is straining and how to differentiate between good and bad pain. I am the master of my body, I am the master of my soul. I am not the master of you. I know when my hip is about to go out, how long I can hold an arabesque to still move my knees. I have learned when to take off my pointe shoes and when to say enough is enough. Why can I never do that with you?

You’re losing oxygen

And I can’t find the words

You’re a fire that’s losing oxygen. A powder keg about to explode. You’re running out of fuel but you’ll blow up at any second and it's dangerous but I’ve always liked dangerous. I’ve never feared getting burned. As I said, I know how to avoid getting hurt. It’s funny how we worked, how we would work if we weren’t overtired and underpaid and running on the fumes of tomorrows and good tequila. I’ve always been more of a vodka kinda gal but maybe that’s the Canadian in me. If you were here you’d make a joke a about having Canadian in me and we’d laugh and then I’d call you a hypocrite. One of us has had Canadian in him more often than the other.

I remember the way you burned on Drag Race. The way the fire within you would roar rather than just flicker. Because alcohol fuels fire, it doesn’t destroy it the same way that loneliness does. I’ve never been a fragile person but watching us again kills me a little. I long for the days when we weren’t so busy. When we had no reason not to be together. I don’t know where you found the words to impose this ban on us. I certainly don’t have any. We made our bed and now we have to lie in it but this time the bed is a single and there are two of us. Because this game shrunk the bed and I want to get out. Twitter is not a substitute for texting. It is not a substitute for love and affection and the physical closeness I crave.

This game we play is orchestrated but my feelings are not. Your fire does not control what I do or who I see or how they end up in my bed. I tell myself this in the hope that I will learn. In the hope that it will teach me not to fall in love again. Because you cannot play the violin to the tune of my soul. No drumbeat can replicate the beating of my heart when I held you in my arms and whispered love into your hair. I am someone else when I am in love, and you broke that.

The air is getting thin

Silence is all we heard

How’s the air up on your high horse? How do you feel in this atmosphere you’ve made? Are you jealous of me because I didn’t have to make the call? I was too naive to see that we couldn’t stay together. I wasn’t strong enough to fight the tide. The crashing waves of saltwater that burned all of my cuts. Every scar filled with salty tears and every painful thing I’ve felt exacerbated by the cool flow of the ocean. If you read this you’d tell me that I sounded like a Pisces and I’d be inclined to agree if that wasn’t so Libra of you. You’d say it like it’s a compliment but the context just screams insult. Isn’t that just adding insult to injury here?

We only talk online but really all that means is we haven’t spoken in months and you know how I was talking about an orchestra? Well, this newfound silence is deafening. It’s the long pause after that crash of the symbols. The day after the rain. It’s the quiet of an early morning but without you in bed with me and fuck. It hurts, baby. Your forte was always loud but I miss it now. I’ve never regretted being quiet before but I’m aching for the noise that you took away. My life has been one constant note. It never wavered until you. Then you came crashing in and it became a vibrato, technical and beautiful. And then you left. And it feels empty without the melodies. The harmonies we made were visible from the very beginning on Drag Race and whether we thank the editing for that or not, we both know it’s true. We were opposites in public but two peas in a pod alone.

When we would lay in bed, your head on my chest, my fingers grazing your tattoo and your hand in my hair: that’s the only place you were quiet. The air was heavy with love and familiarity and it pooled in my stomach like summer and home. It trickled down your neck like hot chocolate, soft and smooth and filled your lungs with flowers till you coughed up petals onto our bed. Red carnations for love. Bouvardia doubles for life. Sweet pea for departure after a good time. Now silence looks like sweet peas and sex hair and I can’t live my life in that.

You know our last goodbye

Keeps playing through my mind like

Ah ah ah

My mind feels like a compilation video these days. It’s taken every good moment we had and made a supercut. One day I will take it and splice it, titling it happiness.mov. I will watch it until I am old and haggard. When my legs are feeble and I’ve lost all muscle tone in my body. When life has drained from my eyes and my feet no longer support me en pointe. That is when I will let go of these memories. You see, in a way, they made me who I am. Every kiss you gave me, slow and soft under harsh club lights. Every green room I waited in for you and vice versa. Every dollar of tip money I’ve thrown at you - that’s part of me now. You are part of me and I will carry you in my heart like a scarlet letter.

The last time we said goodbye felt more like a hello. It was warm and quick but the way you smiled isn’t something you can fake. Neither of us can act but we are clever enough to play pretend when we need to. We are too young to know better but too old to be fooled. I was not fooled. You directed Courtney with ease, told her what to do like the producers did back then and when I looked at you, you whispered something. So soft, I didn’t hear what it was, but I got lost in you all the same. You still smelt like apple cider and dreams and when you placed your small hands on my waist - when you pulled me in as you did in Florida and in Toronto; well, I could have sworn I heard angels sing. I felt you smile into me and I know you welcomed the feeling too.

I am grateful to Courtney and Nina for suggesting we did that. I am grateful for the video that I have watched a million times. It hurts less than watching Drag Race. Maybe that’s because I know that this wasn’t in our honeymoon phase. Now we have a grip on reality and we aren’t just letting the waves pull us together. We’ve swum through the riptide and I can’t say that we’re stronger but we’re certainly still here.

I often let my mind wander when I am in the depths of despair. I question whether you have watched the video like I have. Whether you will view it with the same sliver of hope and painfully real emotion. I wonder if it stirs your heart and messes with your head to see two people look so in love. If it breaks you down a little to see us look so in love. We may be too old to be fooled but we aren’t near old enough to be blind. Nina made me promise when she sent that video, promise not to go mad. Her warning was belated. All I smell is sweet peas and apple cider and Tampa Bay - and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Love was already dead

Did you know, red carnations are common in funeral bouquets? They say the word ‘carnation’ comes from the Latin, God in the flesh, and in that case, I suppose I understand how they link to you. If you are a carnation, red like anger and love. I am a peony. Bashful and compassionate and completely indignant. I am angry because this is an injustice, I am indignant to the world and to you. I love you bashfully and with my whole self. I love you with compassion and joy and I long for the good health and prosperity that peonies symbolise. If God is a woman, let her have the heart to see that we cannot be over just yet, I am not content with being a peony. I wish to be a daffodil of new hopes and beginnings. I would like you to join me in them.

Love was already dead

What do oceans and orchestras and flowers and fires and God have in common? You. You are the fire that burns in the dead of winter, keeping the rest of the world warm even if it means you burn out. Too selfless to save yourself, too selfish to let me burn out with you. You are the ocean that swallows me whole and deposits me back on the shore when I swim too far out. You are the conductor of symphonies that all bear my name. Every piece is personal and swells and dips like the North Sea. You play gracefully although your instrument isn’t typical for a twenty-something drag queen. You are the red carnation to my peony even though I pray that one day we will both be daffodils in March, swaying in the gentle breeze with the early sun on our backs. You are the controller of my fate, the author of my destiny. With every breath I take in, I exhale blue roses. I can’t have you but I can’t stop thinking about you. That sounds about right.

Love was already dead

So save your breath

Our love isn’t dead, but you can’t just talk your way out of this one, babe.

Do you remember us?

Because I do.

#rpdr fanfiction #branjie #brooke lynn hytes #vanessa vanjie mateo #angst #pinkgrapefruit #concrit welcome #submission #canon compliant

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luckyspike · 5 years ago

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Adventures in America, Ch. 9 - Jackson County, Missouri

In which we learn about Rachael and Noel

Adam and Lucky bond over mutual interests that aren’t weather

And Aziraphale and Crowley share a soft moment at the edge of a corn field

Read the previous chapters here (not on AO3 yet!): ch 1 | ch 2 | ch 3 | ch 4 | ch 5 | ch 6 | ch 7 | ch 8

or just check out my fanfiction tag

The next day brought a trip to the great state of Missouri, and more tornadoes. Bigger, this time, longer-lived. Adam and Lucky watched with great enthusiasm as the powerlines flashed when the tornado tore through them, and then with dread as they watched the biggest tornado of the day lift a barn entirely up off the ground and hurl it, in pieces, hundreds of yards to either side. When the danger had passed, Rachael drove the truck toward the property, the students taking in the destruction as they drove past the bits of barn on the way up the farm road. Noel and Rachael led the way to the farmhouse, where they knocked on the door and checked on the homeowner and were assured that it was just hay in the barn, thanks for checking but we’re fine, appreciate the stop.

“It should be a compulsory part of storm chasing,” Noel told the boys solemnly as they piled back into the truck. “Lots of chasers do it, and that’s great, but I’ve seen vans and trucks blow past a trashed building just to keep following the storm.” He shook his head. “No excuse for that, not really.”

There wasn’t as much lightning with that system, so Rachael didn’t bother throwing the probes out. After they checked on the farm house, they drove after the storm for a little while longer, but it fell apart near the capitol, and they called it a night. Noel was driving by then, and when the group decided a diner sounded just perfect for a quick bite before bed, he somehow managed to navigate to a greasy spoon on the side of the road that promised some of the best burgers in the midwest. Adam wasn’t typically a fan of burgers, but when faced with a claim like that, he felt it was fairly mandatory to at least give them a try.

They chatted idly about the storms of the day while the waited, Adam nursing a Pepsi and Lucky working on a black-and-white milkshake. “So what are we thinking about tomorrow?” Noel asked, over the rim of his coffee cup.

Rachael had the laptop out, and she didn’t look particularly happy. “Not … not looking good. Not for the next few days, as much as I can estimate.” She sighed. “I can look again in the morning, for sure, but if there’s anything, it’s going to be little, and it’ll be all the way up in South Dakota, probably.”

Noel winced. “Worth the drive?”

“Well … I mean, I’ll check tomorrow, but if you want my money on it … no. Sorry. There’s a few little system set-ups in the works, but nothing I can forsee producing anything worthwhile. Probably a bust day.”

Lucky and Adam exchanged a look. “So what do we do on bust days?” Adam asked, over the slurping of the milkshake. Although this was supposed to be an educational trip, he was sort of desperately hoping the answer wasn’t going to be studying. Certainly, if he was in America, there would be something to do besides sit around and study.

“Well, Noel has some textbooks in the truck that you two can share, and -” Rachael caught their expressions and stopped to laugh. “Nah, just kidding. I mean, you can if you want to, but doesn’t sound very fun, does it?” They shook their heads slowly. “Noel and I have a lot of photos and video to edit, so we’re gonna be pretty tied up with that most of the day, but since we won’t be traveling anywhere, might make sense for us to head back to Kansas City tonight and stay there, and you guys can explore around tomorrow if you want. There’s museums and stuff there, and it’s not even a two-hour drive, so not too bad to head to tonight.”

Lucky nodded. “Kansas City’s good with me. I’ve never been there.”

“I have once,” Adam said, as the waitress set his food down in front of him. Regardless of the quality of the burger, it was certainly one of the biggest burgers he’d ever seen. Next to him, Lucky made a confused noise that reminded him, a little, of Crowley, and made something that felt a little like homesickness twist in his gut, although that might have just been hunger at the sight of the burger and fries. “Nah, just kidding.” He picked up a fry and smirked at the other boy. “I’m game though.”

“I was so confused for a minute.” The waitress set down Lucky’s meal: an enormous plate of fried chicken. “Oh man, oh yes.”

“You really gonna eat all that?”

“Or die trying.”

Noel sighed wistfully. “I wish I could still eat like that without needing a handful of antacids afterwards.” He’d ordered a BLT for himself, and Rachael had chosen a tuna melt.

“You can have a piece if you want?” Lucky pushed the drumstick close to Noel, who shook his head. “Sure?”

“Enjoy it for me. Much as I’d like it, I’d prefer to sleep tonight.”

They ate in silence for a while. Adam considered his burger. It was certainly good, but was it one of the best? He chewed each bite thoughtfully, and tried to balance the juiciness of the meat with the sharpness of the cheese and the varied tastes - sweet, acid, umami - of the condiments. About a quarter of the way through, he settled on the conclusion that it maybe wasn’t the best he’d ever had, but it certainly was in the top five. He set it down to take a photo of it for the group, which he would include with the tornado pictures when he sent them later.

“You guys still have to show me your pictures,” Rachael said, the sight of Adam’s phone jogging her memory. “Lucky, you took a million yesterday and today - I heard your camera. Any favorites?”

“Yeah.” He swallowed his mouthful of chicken. “I’ll show you when I’m not greasy.”

“Deal.” She cocked her head, a loose lock of dark hair falling across her nose. She blew it out of the way. “How about you, Adam?”

He thought about all the photos and videos he’d taken, and considered. “I think some are pretty good,” he concluded. “My friends back home loved some of the ones from yesterday, but I think that was more because of the tornado and not as much the quality of the photography. I’ll show you when I’m done.”

“That’s fair.” She nudged Noel. “I know you have some great pictures, I heard your camera going off all day like it was going out of style.”

Noel replied, and Adam ate quietly as they bantered back and forth. He grinned a little too, around bites of burger, because for two research partners, Noel and Rachael were really very funny together. He wondered if they were more than research partners, but neither had ever said, and while he wouldn’t have thought twice about asking when he was eleven, at eighteen he liked to think he had picked up enough social graces through the years to know better than to come out with a question like that*. Besides, neither wore a ring, and neither had made any kind of overt romantic gesture toward the other, which led Adam to believe that if they were more than research partners, they probably didn’t like to discuss it with customers.

[*And if anything, Aziraphale and Crowley’s relationship had taught him that an obvious friendship and incredible chemistry didn’t always infer a relationship that any involved parties would be willing to talk about for any length of time without blushing, or turning into a gigantic serpent and escaping through a window. Although Adam also knew the latter was significantly less likely within the general population.]

“So where are you guys from?” Lucky asked, and Adam startled out of his reverie. “I mean, I read your bios online, but like - Noel, you’re from around this part of the country, aren’t you?”

“Not quite - I’m from Montana.” Noel’s expression changed when he mentioned that state, settled into something calm and peaceful. “Big Sky country. Not too many tornadoes up that way, though, but the winter storms can be something up in the mountains. That’s home base for me, when it’s not chasing season.”

“So you like snow and stuff?”

“Oh, yeah! Cross-country skiing, trapping, fishing.” He laughed. “Growing up out there, just me and my mom, it was a little wild. She’s kind of a frontier-woman type, so we grew or hunted a lot of our own food.” He shrugged. “Not that I don’t love it, obviously, nothing better than being out in nature if you ask me, but I do like being able to run to the store when I’m out of peanut butter. College domesticated me, I guess.”

“Education’ll do that,” Rachael agreed, laughing. “One minute you’re Grizzly Adams, the next you’re eating Top Ramen and yelling at the weather channel in an air-conditioned dorm because it’s kind of hot outside.”

Noel acted affronted at that. “My dorm didn’t have air conditioning, excuse you.”

“Oh, so sorry, my mistake.” Lucky and Adam were laughing, which Adam rather suspected was the intended outcome of the little show the two scientists were putting on. “Was it actually a constructed building or did you fashion your own dorm out of hewn logs?”

Noel shook his head. “They wouldn’t let me build a log cabin on campus, can you believe?” He nodded her way. “Anyway, that’s me, what about you? Where you from? The public wants to know.”

“Florida.” Rachael sighed. “Sorry to say, I am Florida Woman.” Lucky and Adam laughed again. “Fighting alligators, selling fake Superbowl tickets, finding manatees in the swimming pool … Yes, all my doing.”

Lucky looked somewhat worried, and Adam paused. “Wait, really?”

“No.” She scoffed. “Well, okay, one time a manatee did get into our pool, but that was one time. During a hurricane.” She waved a hand. “Storm surge, you know how it is. Anyway, I did not grow up on the wild plains of America - I grew up like a normal American kid in a kind-of-nice trailer park on the Gulf coast, and was already completely civilized by the time I arrived at college.”

Adam nodded. “Did you guys meet in college, or … ?” he trailed off, letting the question hang. Rachael’s mouth dropped open.

“Adam, how old do you think I am?”

Adam winced. “Sorry, I just -” but she was laughing anyway, and he relaxed and broke into a grin. “Sorry.”

“Kidding, kidding. No, we didn’t meet in college. Well,” she amended, “I was in college. He was working for OSU at the time, I think?” Noel nodded in confirmation. “Anyway, I was working with OSU’s lightning research team and he was helping with the mesonet, so that’s where we met. Then a few years later, when I was looking to do more lightning research for my PhD, he had started storm chasing, and he actually hired me on.” She shrugged. “Free research opportunities for me, and another driver for him.”

“Plus I can pay her in Dunkin coffee, which is a lot less than what the other candidates I interviewed wanted,” he joked. She made a face at him. “Alright, and money, yes. Even benefits, eventually.”

Rachael pushed her plate away, the tuna melt long gone and the fries all but eaten. She rested her face in her hands. “Yeah, that was a bigger adventure than storm chasing was that year, I think. God, getting him to do literally any amount of official paperwork is actually painful.”

“Which is why I gave her a raise and expanded her duties to include the business operations.” He snorted. “Worked out great for me - I just keep the truck and the equipment running, and don’t get us killed, she finds the storms and does taxes.”

Lucky frowned then, and Adam could almost hear what the other boy was thinking. He watched Lucky chew a french fry thoughtfully, swallow, and then open his mouth. Rachael, grinning like a shark, headed him off before he could get a word out. “If you’re about to ask if we are anything more than business partners, the answer is no. Everyone thinks so, though.” She sighed. “Alas, I’m married to a lovely woman who holds down the fort in Florida, and Noel here is married to Montana, I think.”

“Yeah, okay.” He shrugged. “Fair enough.”

“And you both just really like weather?” Adam asked, also choosing to push his plate away, although the handful of fries left were practically calling to him. “S’how you got into storm chasing?”

“I mean, I grew up in lightning country, so I guess it just carried on from there. I always liked it, wanted to know how it worked.” Rachael shrugged. “You?”

“I like road trips and tornadoes,” Noel answered, simply. “I went to college with a plan to get a business degree or something, but I actually went chasing for the first time after my freshman year, kind of fell into it, and switched my major to geology after that.”

Adam sat back. “Wicked.”

The waitress came back with the bill, and they all threw down a little cash, before wandering back out to the truck. Behind the storm, the sky was clear and dark, a few stars winking over the light pollution. Noel looked up as they crossed the parking lot and sighed. “You know that’s the thing about Montana. It really does have a sky you don’t get anywhere else. Figuratively speaking.”

“My Dad took me out to Colorado once,” Lucky said, conversationally. “We were out at some base in the middle of nowhere. The stars were insane - you could see the milky way and everything. Back home, there’s so much light pollution you’re lucky if you see enough stars to count on two hands.” He sighed, wistful. “Sometimes I think I might move out this way after school. I’m sick of DC, anyway.”

“Can’t imagine it’s a quiet place to live,” Rachael said sympathetically. “And if you’re looking to study meteorology it’s nice to have it closer to your backyard, so to speak. ‘Course, if you stay in Washington, maybe you could lobby against climate change.” Lucky made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat, and stuck out his tongue. “Or not. Just a thought.”

“No way. I’m over it. The whole DC rat-race.” He waved his arms, and then hauled the door to the back seat of the truck open. “Forget it.” Once in the truck, he looked across the back seat to Adam, who was fiddling with his seatbelt in the dark. “What about you, Adam? You think you wanna stay in England?”

“Oh, yeah,” Adam replied, without ever even having to think about it. He had, after all, made up his mind about that ages ago. “I like to travel and everything, though, so it’d be cool to find some job where you get to travel a bit. But yeah, Tadfield’ll always be home for sure.”

“That’s cool.” He rubbed his hands on his thighs, wiping the last remnants of chicken grease off on his shorts. “Is it a big place?”

Adam shook his head. “Oh, no. Few hundred people at the outside. But it’s close to Oxford, and not all that far from London, so it’s kind of the best of both worlds, I guess.” He looked out of the window, and tried to ignore the feeling of homesickness then - definitely not hunger anymore, no way it could be after that burger.

There was quiet for a minute, and then, gently, Rachael said, “Have you ever been away from home this long before?”

“No,” he answered, automatically, and then he flinched, glad for the darkness and the fact that his face was turned away from Lucky. He wasn’t ashamed that he hadn’t traveled for six weeks before, not at all, but he didn’t want the other guy to think he was some homesick little kid. “No,” he decided, going on as if he was bored with the subject, “but I’ve gone away for a couple weeks before, on holiday.”

“Six weeks is a long time,” Rachael answered, tone neutral. “I guess if we’re not going to be chasing tomorrow you’ll have time to call England at a reasonable hour, though, so there’s something, right?” She cracked the laptop open and smiled in the soft glow of the screen. “Silver lining in every cloud, right?”

“You see clouds?” Lucky leaned around the seat a little to get a better look.

“Not a one.”

When they arrived in Kansas City, the sun had long-since set, and the lights of the city illuminated the sky with a soft glow. They found a hotel on the outskirts of the city, cheap and clean, and parted ways to crash for the evening. Adam was looking forward to a quick shower and the soft embrace of a hotel mattress, but as he started to unpack for the night it appeared Lucky had other plans.

“So what do you think we should do tomorrow?”

“Huh? Oh. I dunno. What do you want to do?”

Lucky thought it over. “Dunno. We could just wander around the city, I guess. Oh, there’s an amusement park. You like rollercoasters?”

“They’re cool.” Adam shrugged. “Any museums or anything? Or like, barbecue?”

“Oh, a barbecue tour. Might be cool.” He tapped at his phone for a while, and scratched his beard thoughtfully. “What about this haunted building walking tour?”

“Oh yeah? Sounds awesome, actually. I’d be up for it.”

Lucky put his head to the side. “Yeah, I guess the Mormons were big around here for awhile? Oh, man, if we had a car we could take a day trip to the Garden of Eden, apparently.”

That drew a laugh out of Adam. “The Garden of Eden?” he asked, incredulous. “In driving distance? What is it, like a religious amusement park or something?”

“No, no, some people believe that the Garden of Eden was here in Missouri.” He giggled. “I always heard Eden was in the middle east or whatever. Like Mesopotamia area. Guess it could have been in Missouri though. Why not? No one really knows.”

Adam laughed. “I dunno, maybe someone does.”

“What, you know some immortals?” Lucky grinned. “Or what, wizards? Is Hogwarts real? I mean, I did move away when I was eleven, I could have missed my Hogwarts letter.”

“Never been to Hogwarts, nah. But you never know.” He shrugged. “All kinds of scholars figure it’s in the middle east. Maybe one of ‘em has an inside line, you know?”

“To who? God?”

Adam smirked. “You never know. Anyway, I’m gonna grab a shower. I’m in for the ghost tour thing tomorrow, though - sounds awesome.”

“You think they’re real?” The question stopped Adam halfway to the bathroom. “Ghosts, that is.”

Adam considered it. He could be honest**, of course, but then would Lucky think he was weird? But then the other boy had been the one to bring up the ghosts up in the first place. He chewed it over for a second, and then shrugged again. “Yeah.”

[** Not completely honest. There were things that he would always leave out. Being the actual Antichrist, for one.]

“Same.” He frowned. “I mean, I’ve never seen one, but there’s so many people that believe they exist, and that they’ve seen them, there has to be something to it, right?”

“Well …” Adam chewed his lip, and then, after a second, smiled. “Alright, maybe, yeah, but to play devil’s advocate for a minute, what if it’s not ghosts at all, but a totally natural phenomenon? Infrasound, or something?”

Lucky cocked his head. “Huh? What’s that?”

Adam looked to the shower, and then tossed his pajamas into the bathroom, haphazard on the tile floor, before he turned back around and headed to sit on his bed, legs crossed and leaned back, across from Lucky. He raised an eyebrow. “Infrasound. Supposedly can make people see and hear and thing all kinds of stuff. Hallucinations and everything.”

“I’ve never heard of it.” Lucky tossed his phone aside and fixed Adam with his full attention. “It can make people see ghosts?”

Adam grinned, wide and wicked. “You ever heard of the incident at Dyatlov Pass?”

“No. Is it weird?” Adam nodded. “Cool?” Another nod. “Mysterious?” A very affirmative nod. “Dude, tell me everything.”

Adam did. The pajamas sat, forgotten, on the bathroom floor, until the early hours of the morning, while the boys chattered on.

“Independence, Missouri.” The 4-Runner’s brakes didn’t dare squeak as it pulled to a stop. The engine hushed and shut off, and Crowley and Aziraphale sat for a long minute, staring out of the dark windshield to a field lit only by the car’s headlights. They didn’t need them, so Crowley shut them off too. “City of Zion,” Aziraphale observed, dryly. “Site of the Garden of Eden, they say.”

“I don’t remember all the corn,” Crowley said. Aziraphale didn’t respond, instead opening his door and stepping out of the car, into the humid night air. Above, the stars that managed to shine in spite of the light pollution glimmered weakly through the gaps in the clouds.

Aziraphale surveyed the field below them, and when he spoke again, it was in a language so long-dead that Crowley had to scramble to figure out what he was saying, at first. But it surprised him, eventually, how easily it came back, how it rolled off his tongue when he replied, like it had never died, never been shattered to the four corners when the Tower fell.

“It’s funny, how they think, don’t you think?” The angel chuckled a little. “Wonder what our lives would have been like if it had really been here, don’t you?”

Crowley was silent for a second, and then Aziraphale looked over, surprised, as a skinny elbow dug into his ribs. “Maybe I’d have been a corn snake.”

“Crowley,” he admonished, while the demon burst out into laughter. “You’re speaking a dead language that’s not been heard in thousands of years, and you make a pun? Have some respect.”

“I never will.” He ran his hands through his hair, still snickering. “If the Garden was actually in Missouri …” He sighed. “Well, for one, we’d have different accents.”

Aziraphale rolled his eyes. “You’re ridiculous.” He left the demon to his own devices for a minute, giggling and making terrible puns in a tongue long-forgotten, and instead looked over the cornfield, flat and stretched out across the plains. On the other side, he could just hear the sound of running water.

“Oy, angel.” Startled, Azirpahale looked to Crowley, wide-eyed. The other was watching him, and because his sunglasses were perched on his head, sending Crowley’s mess of red hair in all sorts of directions, Aziraphale could see his eyes properly. He looked amused, most of all, but somewhere in there he was watching Aziraphale carefully. Thoughtful. “What’re you thinking about?”

“The Garden. The real Garden.” He looked around, the creatures of the night crying and squeaking and chirping all around. “Do you think, Crowley, that if it had been here - really, in real life - things would have gone the same?”

Crowley puffed out a breath, thoughtful. “Deep, angel. S’a big question. You’re giving everything a whole new beginning, for a start. It’s all so big, an’ ineffable, hard to know, isn’t it?”

“The ineffable plan might have stayed the same.”

Crowley shifted uncomfortably. “It … would be different though, wouldn’t it? It’d have to be. The Garden is in a whole different place.”

“Not necessarily. What happened in the Garden probably didn’t happen just because the Garden was where it was. It happened because of the plan -”

“Oh, sod the plan,” Crowley said with a disgusted noise. “It happened because Eve wanted to know what else was out there, and Adam agreed with her. And She made it easy for them to find out, in a way.” He pointed upwards, to where the moon was trying to peek through the wispy layer of clouds left behind from the day’s storms. “Could have always put it up there.” He snorted. “She never had a plan, she just set the pieces out and let them fall where they did.”

Aziraphale scowled in the way he always did when his disagreed, and disapproved, but he didn’t say anything about it. It was an argument they had had time and time again - Aziraphale arguing that the plan is ineffable and therefore extant but not anything either he or Crowley would ever be able to understand, and Crowley arguing that there was no plan to begin with, and She was ad-libbing and rolling with the hits as they came - and he didn’t feel like having it tonight. Instead, he re-set his expression to a more neutral, thoughtful one, and slid his hand into Crowley’s. The demon, wordlessly, squeezed it. “What about us?”

Crowley looked surprised. “What about us?” He shifted nervously onto his heels, and then laced his fingers through Aziraphale’s, the better to keep his balance.

“Would we have turned out the same, do you think?”

“I …” Crowley trailed off. He thought. Aziraphale let him, and stood beside him in companionable silence, trying to corral his own ideas about that question into something he might be able to elucidate. “Depends,” Crowley decided, eventually. “I’d have still done the bit at the start of it all, but after that …” He fixed Azirpahale with a curious expression. “Would you have still given away your sword?”

It was a question Aziraphale hadn’t expected, only because the answer to it was so obvious. He blinked. “Of course.”

The demon nodded, satisfied. “Then angel, I would have followed you to the ends of the Earth to find out what you were going to do next, no matter where we started.” He squeezed Aziraphale’s hand. “So we’d probably have ended up just the same.”

The thought of it made the angel smile, and he stepped closer to Crowley, standing close enough that their shoulders bumped and settled together, close and familiar and soft in spite of Crowley’s bony joints. “With different accents.”

“Well, yeah. With different accents. Naturally.”

Now with Chapter 10!

#good omens #good omens fanfiction #good omens fanfic #adam young #warlock dowling #crowley #aziraphale #i wish i didn't enjoy fanfiction so much #the one where they go to america

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newstfionline · 6 years ago

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Hurricane Michael Leaves Florida Residents Desperate for Aid

By Richard Fausset, Audra D. S. Burch and Alan Blinder, NY Times, Oct. 12, 2018

PANAMA CITY, Fla.--It was two days after Hurricane Michael, and Eddie Foster was pushing his mother in a wheelchair down a thoroughly smashed street, his face creased with a concentrated dose of the frustration and fear that has afflicted much of the Florida Panhandle since the brutal storm turned its coast to rubble.

He was in a working-class neighborhood called Millville, where many residents said they were becoming desperate for even basic necessities. Mr. Foster, 60, and his 99-year-old mother had no car, no electricity. The food had spoiled in his refrigerator. The storm had ripped off large sections of his roof. He had no working plumbing to flush with. No water to drink. And as of Friday afternoon, he had seen no sign of government help.

“What can I do?” he said. “I’m not angry. I just want some help.”

This was the problem that government officials were racing to solve on Friday, as desperation grew in and around Panama City under a burning sun. Long lines formed for gas and food, and across the battered coastline, those who were poor, trapped and isolated sent out pleas for help.

It would take time to reach everyone. Yet the Panama City area, one of those hit hardest by Hurricane Michael, grew into a whirring hive of activity on Friday, as box trucks, military personnel, and rescue and aid workers flowed in from surrounding counties and states, struggling to fix communications and electrical systems that officials said were almost totally demolished.

The death toll from the Category 4 storm rose to 16, stretching as far north as Virginia, where five people died, and it was expected to climb higher as search-and-rescue crews fanned out through rubble that in some cases spanned entire blocks. The toll also included the potential of millions of dollars in damage to aircraft, which were left behind during the storm at Tyndall Air Force Base.

For those waiting for relief supplies or the ability to return to their homes, Brock Long, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, counseled patience. “Bottom line, it was one of the most powerful storms the country has seen since 1851,” he said. “It’s going to be a long time before they can get back.”

In Panama City, people pitched in when they could. Some even opened stores that lacked electricity: A Sonny’s barbecue restaurant fired up its smokers in the parking lot, feeding many who gathered in the late morning in a line that was at least 100 grateful residents long.

But in a city of unusable toilets and iffy cellular service--where nearly every street seemed like a set from a disaster movie--tensions were occasionally high as people waited for their first hot meal since Tuesday night. Before noon, a shouting match broke out between two men waiting for their barbecue plates. “Stop it!” a server admonished them at the top of his lungs. “Now we’re all being kind--got it?”

But the line was also full of hugs and tearful reunions, and across the broken region, residents exhibited selflessness and sweat as they began the long slog of putting it all back together. Crews had been able to clear some of the power lines and fallen trees from the main roads of Panama City, but many other areas were still choked with a riot of debris and limbs. Search-and-rescue teams continued to check neighborhoods in coastal Bay County, and Mark Bowen, the county’s emergency services chief, said that officials had estimates of the dead, but would not release them until the work was done.

“We have missing people, O.K.?” he said. “Are they missing because their loved ones can’t contact them, or are they missing because they perished in the storm? We just don’t know that.”

Shellshocked residents continued to stream from their homes, mostly focused on the first steps of rebuilding--finding help, from government assistance to shelters. But for some, the search proved frustrating: Solid answers were scarce, particularly in remote parts of the Panhandle. Some turned to word of mouth, and that was equally unreliable.

“I just keep looking for steeples and long lines, but I haven’t found much so far,” said Lynette Cordeno, 54, a retired Army sergeant who hoped to find a meal service somewhere. “We are walking around with no internet, no cell service, no way to even ask for help.”

Ms. Cordeno had gathered with others outside the Mr. Mart convenience store in nearby Callaway, one of many stores big and small that were rumored to be opening Friday. Some came barefoot and some in storm-battered cars. They came for room-temperature water and beer, charcoal and candy--and critical information.

“This is the working-class part of town. We didn’t have much before and now we have even less,” said Kevin Deeth, who lives four blocks away in a trailer missing jagged chunks of roof. “Now we need answers so we can try to start over.”

At his home, heaps of clothing and toys, now a sodden mess, are everywhere. Parts of the walls disintegrated, coating the living room like a first snow. Mr. Deeth saved some family photos and his children’s framed school awards, but not much else.

For now, Mr. Deeth, his wife and four school-age children are staying with a friend. He said Friday was his son’s 13th birthday, and then he began to cry.

“Overwhelmed. I guess that is what you would call it,” he said. “I have no idea what to do,” he said. “I am lost.”

The story and the sentiment were common, and they were not likely to abate soon. Mr. Bowen, the emergency services chief, warned on Friday that the area was in for a bout of “long-term uncomfortable, so people kind of need to get into that mind-set.”

Emergency planning experts said the government had not necessarily fallen short in its response so far.

“This is what disasters look like,” said W. Craig Fugate, a former FEMA chief. “Sit tight, help’s coming, but it’s not going to be there 12 hours after the storm passes.”

Some local officials were worried about the possibility of social unrest in the areas where the poorest residents had not stocked up with multiple days’ worth of supplies. A short drive from Mr. Foster’s home, looting had been seen Thursday at a half-wrecked dollar store, and while some people came for things they wanted, most had come for things they needed--drinks and food.

On Friday, in a sign of the change that could soon roll out across the city, the store was being guarded by military personnel in a pair of Humvees.

It came as a relief to many when a Sam’s Club opened Friday morning, under the watchful eye of National Guard troops. But like so much here, it was also a pain: On one side of the massive building, a two-hour line of sweaty shoppers pushing empty carts snaked through the parking lot. The shoppers were allowed in about 10 at a time, and had few fresh goods to choose from. Most walked out with cases of bottled water, snack food, and the occasional generator.

On the other side, the line for gas was even longer.

“I’m angry,” said Michael Chism, 30, on his third hour of waiting to fill up. “But there ain’t nothing I can do about it.”

#Hurricane Michael #Florida

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murilloautumn · 4 years ago

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homeowners insurance cover mold

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes from different companies :affordableinsurancefinder.top

homeowners insurance cover mold

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10 Things Your Homeowners Insurance Isn’t Covering Enough

10 Things Your Homeowners Insurance Isn’t Covering Enough About When Shopping for Homeowners Insurance Your home is a very precious place you want to make sure you have the proper amount of coverage for you and your valuables. Since your home is not your own, your insurance policy should cover your damage to each house, plus the additional value if any, over that of the neighbors. We can take care of all of that coverage. You don’t want to take the hassle out of getting that money-saving offer for the low price of only a dollar a month. If you are living and driving on a monthly basis, you may also be required to carry an extension of coverage called a premium of maintenance from your vehicle insurance provider. If you are a renter, a small change in vehicle or you need to purchase more than basic coverage, a homeowners policy can cover more than just your car. The cost savings for the homeowner, or.

When doesn’t homeowners insurance cover mold damage?

When doesn’t homeowners insurance cover mold damage? Your homeowners insurance policy will first take care of covering mold damage in a covered claim. Once the molds are cleaned, insurance will not be covered but may offer some additional coverage including the following: If you are in a high-risk area, you should speak with your agent to learn more. It’s good to know that your homeowners policy has coverages provided in California, Colorado, and Massachusetts. If you are concerned your health has gone out of control or you are getting high-profile lawsuits, call your insurance agent for specific information. If you’ve gone too long without checking with your agent or purchasing a new policy, have a few questions about your current car insurance policy or have questions about your coverage. Call our friendly agent for answers. If you know of a better rate available, be sure to before you choose a lower-cost option. If you’ve been in.

10 Reasons to review your homeowners insurance policy

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Homeowners insurance and mold remediation

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When mold is not covered by your insurance

When mold is not covered by your insurance policy, you will lose valuable components in the construction of your home’s roof, along with all of the exterior living space. This may lead to severe electrical damage. Some of the less expensive home insurance quotes for a home that’s newly purchased include: We offer a wide range of homeowners insurance policies. Our standard policies come bundled with the Homeowners policy and include coverage for the dwelling, personal belongings, additional living expenses, and any other items in your home listed on your policy’s policy. Homeowners insurance quotes are free. But we do recommend getting a free quote for both home insurance policies from Progressive and some of the major home insurance companies in your area, according to . The below homeowners insurance policies are available for most homeowners in the following states: However, Progressive’s homeowners insurance policies are not included in the standard policy options in most major cities that offer homes in nearly every state except Maryland. Progressive’s homeowners insurance for individual homes is not available in.

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When does homeowners insurance exclude mold damage?

When does homeowners insurance exclude mold damage? Mold coverages can be purchased separately, but can include: Mold coverage will vary based on the level of coverage and age of the roof, flooring or even the location of the mold damage, but can be bundled into a standard policy if your roof is poorly affected. Mold damage is a common problem in some homes; it can be done by flooding, breaking glass, etc. If you want your Mold coverage to cover you, you will have to pick up the roof and replace it. The best plan to choose for Mold cover is to keep a high level of Mold protection in place at home. This helps you get higher replacement cost. A standard policy covers your roof and walls, ceiling and frame, and everything in between. Some insurance companies don t typically cover mold and the plan will only cover up to 50% of the mold in the first year of use. If you are unsure about Mold cover, it s always good to start a routine check with your insurance company as soon as the mold.

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noaasanctuaries · 6 years ago

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Scientists work together to solve a coral disease mystery in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

The Florida Keys are known for their lush coral reefs and incredible biodiversity. Protected by Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Keys support more than 6,000 species of plants, fishes, and invertebrates – including more than 65 species of stony corals. But in the past few years, something has been targeting these corals.

A scientist documents stony coral tissue loss disease as it infects nearly two dozen stony coral species on the Florida Reef Tract. Photo: Nick Zachar/NOAA

In September 2014, researchers began noticing that certain stony corals along the Florida Reef Tract weren’t doing well. The Florida Reef Tract stretches approximately 360 miles in an arc along the Florida Keys and southeastern Florida. Off Virginia Key, in Miami-Dade County, corals were showing "small circular or irregular patches of white, exposed skeleton devoid of tissue," explains Dr. Andy Bruckner, research coordinator for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. From there, the tissue would slough off, leaving the stark white skeleton exposed until algae colonized it. The disease, he explains, "radiates across the colony and outward."

This spells trouble for the reefs, and for the creatures and people who depend on them. The reefs of the Florida Keys provide food and recreational opportunities for residents and vacationers alike, and they can protect coastal communities since they serve as a buffer for hurricanes and other storms. So as Joanna Walczak, southeast regional administrator at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection puts it, "this is an all hands on deck situation, requiring an unprecedented effort and response."

Partners from universities, nonprofits, and government agencies have joined Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to understand the disease and how it can be stopped. "This collaborative response effort is vitally important," says Sarah Fangman, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary superintendent. "The broad knowledge provided by all our partners working together has resulted in the development of a variety of interventions." Together, these partners hope to develop an effective treatment.

Stony coral tissue loss disease has spread quickly since it was first identified in 2014. Image: Florida Department of Environmental Protection

An unprecedented ailment

From time to time, corals – like any other animal – become susceptible to diseases and pathogens. But stony coral tissue loss disease is proving to be unprecedented in terms of its range, duration, and deadliness for corals.

Since 2014, the disease has spread over 150 square miles, and nearly half of the stony coral species found on the Florida Reef Tract have been affected. That includes the primary reef-building species in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, as well as five species that are listed under the Endangered Species Act. And this disease is often deadly, with a mortality rate of 66 to 100 percent. Once a coral begins to lose living tissue, it’s likely that the colony will die within weeks to months. The cause of the disease is still unknown, but evidence points to a bacterial pathogen that is transmitted by touch and water circulation.

Not all reef-building corals are susceptible. Two of the most-recognized and also the most endangered species – staghorn and elkhorn coral – are not impacted. Additionally, not all susceptible species within the disease zone are affected, suggesting some may be more resilient.

Stony coral tissue loss disease progresses rapidly once stony corals are infected. This coral lost 60 percent of its living tissue over the course of roughly a month. Photos: Brian Reckenbeil/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Collaboration is key

A disease like this requires a multi-pronged approach, with scientists working both to understand what the disease is and how they may be able to treat it. "NOAA scientists are working with partners to identify a pathogen that causes the tissue loss, better characterize transmission of the disease, and understand the patterns of spread throughout the reef and overall impacts of the disease," says Bruckner.

One step in the response is surveying: researchers need to know what kinds of corals are most affected by stony coral tissue loss disease and where affected corals are. Scientists are tracking where the disease is spreading, how many corals have been infected, how badly those corals are injured, and what impacts the disease is having on the broader ecosystem.

There is some good news. Coral is not a single animal, but rather a colony made up of thousands of identical, interconnected individuals. That means that if part of a colony dies, the parts that survive can continue growing.

Additionally, researchers are taking tissue samples to identify potential pathogens and how the disease is impacting corals. And by tracking environmental conditions like water temperature, water quality, and sedimentation, researchers hope to evaluate whether these factors may be influencing how susceptible to disease the Florida Keys corals are.

A science diver surveys a patch reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jim Abernethy

"Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary scientists are also working collaboratively to develop effective treatments for infected corals to prevent the most important reef-building corals from dying," says Bruckner. Using antiseptics like chlorine and broad-spectrum antibiotics, scientists have been working to halt the spread of the disease. These measures are particularly crucial for corals like pillar coral, which is near extinction in Florida. With targeted delivery systems, these treatments should not impact the broader ecosystem, and researchers are carefully monitoring treatment sites.

Scientists have also created gene banks for pillar corals, and are working to expand this effort to other species. These banks preserve key genetic individuals of these species so that later, when a treatment has been found for the disease or it has subsided naturally, the corals could be propagated and transplanted along the reef. These and other experimental techniques may help preserve the reef in the face of this disease. "Restoration of the most resilient species of corals and the strongest genetic individuals of these species will be key to the future of reefs here in Florida," says Fangman.

A scientist creates a trench filled with chlorinated epoxy to treat a colony of mountainous star coral (Orbicella faveolata) impacted by stony coral tissue loss disease. Photo: Brian Walker/Nova Southeastern University

How you can help

It’s not just trained scientists who are on the scene: citizen scientists have also been helping with data collection. Volunteers with the Southeast Florida Action Network (SEAFAN) and Community-based Observation of Coastal Ecosystems and Assessment Network (C-OCEAN) have helped track healthy and unhealthy corals throughout South Florida. Anyone diving or snorkeling in the Keys can use SEAFAN, the state’s reporting tool, to describe what they are seeing and upload images.

Although some coral species within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are suffering, the sanctuary remains an incredible place to visit and explore. The reefs still have many healthy corals and other marine life such as reef fish, sharks, turtles, and rays. When you visit, you can help corals maintain their resilience with just a few small actions. "All of us can be part of the solution and help shape a better future for the reefs of Florida," says Fangman.

When boating, use mooring buoys to avoid anchoring on and injuring coral structures. Make sure to pack out your trash: marine debris can hurt marine life and impact habitats. Using reef-friendly sunscreens that do not contain oxybenzone and avobenzone can also help. These compounds are lethal to coral reproduction even in very small amounts, so check your sunscreen’s ingredients list to make sure you’re not bringing toxins into the coral reef environment.

If you live in Florida, you can also help by reducing runoff into storm and wastewater drains. Plant rain gardens that capture runoff and allow it to filter naturally through the soil; design your yard with permeable surfaces like bricks, gravel, and mulch instead of asphalt or concrete; and consider installing a rain barrel to capture rainfall for later use. These actions keep fertilizers, pesticides, debris, and loose soil from draining into our ocean, where they can negatively impact wildlife like corals.

By reducing land-based pollution, we can increase coral reef resilience in the face of this disease. Image: NOAA

If you’re a diver, you can play a direct role in helping to control the spread of this disease. Because this disease is likely spread by touch and water flow, cleaning your gear is essential. Be sure to properly dispose of your cleaning solution; never pour it back into the ocean.

While diving, practicing proper reef etiquette can also help. Make sure you’re not dragging your gear, and keep your buoyancy in mind. Knocking against the reef or touching corals can damage them, and risks transferring the disease from one colony to another.

Want to get more involved with protecting our coral reef? Join citizen science efforts like SEAFAN and C-OCEAN to document what you see when you visit your sanctuary. With a tourism-based economy where the majority of jobs in the Florida Keys are tied to the marine ecosystem, this coral disease outbreak affects residents and visitors alike.

"I believe that once people understand the seriousness of this issue, they’ll want to be involved, whether that is participating in marine debris cleanups, using reef-safe sunscreen and reducing runoff, or reporting coral condition for investigation," says Fangman.

Hope for the corals

Since this disease was first identified in 2014, scientists have diligently worked to respond to it and protect the coral reef habitat of South Florida. Still, it will likely take years to determine the exact cause of the disease. In the meantime, addressing other known coral stressors may help the corals’ ability to recover. Poor water quality, large amounts of sediment in the water, pollution, and other factors can make it more difficult for corals to survive. Mitigating these factors gives corals a better shot at fighting this infection.

Coral reefs, like those in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, are among the most biologically-diverse, culturally-significant, and economically-valuable ecosystems on Earth. Stony coral tissue loss disease endangers industries and recreational opportunities like recreational fishing and scuba diving, and supporting the health of the Keys supports the health of these industries. By working together, we can help protect these magnificent reefs for generations to come.

Cleaner gobies swim over star coral in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Steve Miller

Partners currently involved in the response effort include Broward County, Coral Restoration Foundation, Cry of the Water, Florida Aquarium, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Florida Coastal Office, Florida Parks Service), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Fish and Wildlife Research Institute), Florida Institute of Technology, Florida International University, George Mason University, Keys Marine Laboratory, Martin County, Miami-Dade County, Mote Marine Laboratory, NOAA (Coral Reef Conservation Program, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary), National Park Service (Biscayne National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, South Florida/Caribbean Network), Nova Southeastern University/National Coral Reef Institute, Palm Beach County, Palm Beach County Reef Rescue, Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative, Smithsonian Institution, The Nature Conservancy, United States Geological Survey (National Wildlife Health Center), University of Florida, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and the University of South Florida.

#coral #florida keys #florida #coral reef #conservation #ocean #science #research #coral disease #noaa #Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

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hakelelius91 · 4 years ago

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home insurance cover water damage

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes from different companies :tipsinsurance.xyz

home insurance cover water damage

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Does homeowners insurance cover water damage from rain?

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Insurance for rental cars – do you really need it? If you can take the bus home from work and a bit before it is time to get to work, you might find a little gas at the airport. This is an alternative for when it actually isn’t cost-efficient to drive any kind of car in the UK. If you use an older car for anything in the UK, you don’t need to be over 50 years old or be an emergency driver. If you buy the car outright then you can take a car-insurance policy for any car, for any kind of vehicle. So, what if you can’t get car-insurance for any of the things you use for the car? Well, what you do with the car’s cost is up to you. Many people can save money on their car insurance by having full coverage. But if you’re paying for car, and don’t have any other kind of car insurance, then.

What type of water damage is covered by home insurance?

What type of water damage is covered by home insurance? Water damage on my porch can be covered under renters insurance if something falls on the porch. Home insurance covers all kinds of damage, all of which we will cover in this post. Also a lot of the coverage on the coverage, it is usually the best and most affordable. Homeowner’s liability coverage, homeowners’ insurance, personal umbrella, flood coverages etc. will also be covered. Our also provides renters coverages for all of the above types of coverage. Homeowners insurance protects you against financial loss because the cost was incurred on premises that you didn’t live near. Some insurance companies also offer specific coverages for these types of risks. This coverage allows you to pay for damages like a hot water line in a commercial area, even if the water is in a nearby creek. Also coverages can protect you if an employee accidentally gets into a building, while you’re working a job, while you’re commuting for work or you receive a.

What type of water damage is not covered by homeowners insurance?

What type of water damage is not covered by homeowners insurance? You probably have a basic understanding of how these types of water damage damage will affect your ability to get your house back up to normal. Unfortunately, water damage through debris could also include theft and damage to your car. While car repairs for damage that occurs from heavy rain, freezing rain, freezing rain, or hail, don’t always cover the damage caused by things like plumbing and electrical issues. You may have to purchase separate flood insurance as the cost of covering these types of water damage are generally much lower. You might be wondering if your car is worth taking on water damage for water damage that may occur from heavy rain, freezing rain, flooding, or hurricane damage. Your car, your home, and the materials that were used in insuring it is a major piece of your property you must protect if this damage occurs. You need to take into account the impact the damage during hurricane damage and the likely costs you will endure should you be in a major storm. If you own your own home.

Types of water damage covered by homeowners insurance

Types of water damage covered by homeowners insurance can also vary depending on the type of damage done to your property, especially if it involves a flood. If damaged, there are two ways in which your property will be covered in a flood: your homeowner’s insurance policy will cover your damages in the event that you are forced to evacuate. Your policy will not limit your coverage of an existing flood hazard that is not present in your home, but will cover all or some flooding as a result of a flood: floodplain, floodplain in a hotel, floodplain in a car. Most people who live in a home with a floodplain in their home will have insurance to cover the damage. Generally, a policy will cover the damage that occurs because the flooding is extreme. Even though most homes in Florida are at risk for flooding and heavy amounts of wind, it can be more costly to protect your belongings with homeowners insurance than with other types of insurance such as car, renters, home, etc. The average annual flood cost in Florida.

Homeowners Insurance, Explained

Homeowners Insurance, Explained If you do require insurance, this site will help you to give you your quotes; you’ll find details from your insurance agent, which can be much more thorough than this, so you know what your options are in terms of liability coverage and deductibles. If you are looking to get started, you should go straight to your local page to see the required forms. Or, call your insurance agent and have a free quote from them. If you find anything out of the above, a representative should be able to answer the questions. Most people find it hard to settle for the first quote they get; but if this is a bad time at all, contact your insurance agent. If you decide you’re uncomfortable with the idea of a higher premium due to a higher risk of a claim, and an insurance company is willing to cover you, we recommend that you buy homeowners insurance through the same company. In the first place, if you have a mortgage, be sure we can.

Types of water damage not covered by homeowners insurance

Types of water damage not covered by homeowners insurance. Car alarms, cruise control systems, and other types of appliances are included in the package, so it’s a little harder to tell which kinds of damage are the primary causes of your homeowners’ claims woes. Here’s a list of the items that are included in a homeowner’s insurance policy. Your policy might offer some sort of liability coverage to cover these and other types of water damage, which we’re going to break here. Homeowners insurance As mentioned above, a typical homeowners policy does not include coverage for water damage to your property. It comes at a cost, not something that’s worth the added value of having these features added. There are other things you should know about water damage when talking with an insurance representative. Here is a rundown of water damage insurance policy types: When we discussed the costs of having flood insurance, we actually said that this is not necessary or a good idea. It comes at a cost, not.

Make sure your homeowners insurance covers water damage

Make sure your homeowners insurance covers water damage; water is a serious event that may cause major physical damage to a residence such as a house or shed, home or car and also damages to your jewelry collection. A flood is the other side of the problem and is the next major threat to your homeowners insurance. As soon as the water evaporates, you’ll have to begin a new insurance policy that covers additional costs to make up the financial losses. When you are confronted to the fact that your home is unsafe, will your insurance company cover the loss and will it be up to you to figure out how to fix it? We’ve been helping people to save on premiums for nearly 30 years. We are experts in knowing the types of insurance policies that we offer to our clients for over 30 years. We can help you find the right insurance that fits your budget and you won’t be bored when you pay our rates on your home and car premiums. Our services should even give you a heads up when.

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aimee-does-things · 4 years ago

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The Big Easy Decision

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller

The whole world can change in a week. We've seen it happen over and over again in 2020. We started the year with the devastating loss of our cat Soggy. He was a stray who showed up at my doorstep when I moved into my last apartment in mid-2019. He would greet me whenever I got home, rolling over to show his belly. He was always happy, and because of the constant rain in Florida, always wet, thus the name, Soggy. When Hurricane Dorian was on the way, I got worried about the little cat that seemed to live on my front porch. I took him in, bathed him, treated him for fleas, and let him ride out the storm in my apartment. Once the storm had passed, my boyfriend George and I took him to the vet to get his shots. He stayed with us for three months. One fateful day in January of this year, I walked into the hallway and noticed a trail of feces. "These damn cats!" My first thought was to grab the paper towels and bleach. But why would they have pooped all over the floor?

I looked toward the bedroom and saw Soggy's tail twitching. "Soggy?" I said nervously as I peeked behind the door. There, curled on the floor, was Soggy. Mouth open, tongue hanging out, eyes fogged over, twitching. We were immediately in the car driving down the street to the vet. We were too late. The vet said she thought it was a stroke. We buried him in the back yard and spent the next week in tears. We had lost our baby, and the year had just started. It was devastating, but we were optimistic; it was January, and we had plenty of time to make happy memories for 2020. February and early March were sprinkled with good and bad. George lost an old friend to depression, but we got to see one of his best friends get married, and we took a trip with his Nephews and my son to the NBA Experience in Orlando, Florida, and had a fantastic time.

In mid-march, COVID-19 had become a worldwide pandemic, and we were in lockdown. George is an actor, so he was entirely out of work, and I was worried that I'd soon lose my job. The bad of 2020 certainly seemed to be taking over. In June, I tested positive for COVID-19; even though I hadn't gone out (I had even been having my groceries delivered), I was supposed to paint a sign for The Riverside Children's Arts Center, where I work. I had been delaying it because I didn't want to go to the hardware store to buy the supplies I needed. On June 24th, I decided to wear a mask and get the stuff. I walked in, stealthily dodging people, staying ten feet away from everyone I saw, went straight to the lumber section, grabbed my piece of wood, and did self-check-out. I got back to my car, doused myself in hand sanitizer, and went straight home. Later that day, I realized that I couldn't smell anything. I was hesitant to tell George because I didn't want to be locked up in a room by myself for 14 days. But I did the right thing. I quarantined myself and got tested. It took ten days for my results to get back to me, but I was sure I had it. I was coughing, had shortness of breath, going to the bathroom made me feel like I had run a marathon. I had so much resentment for that stupid sign. 2020 was totally sucking, but I am happy to say I have made a full recovery, including regaining my sense of smell.

It's been a prolonged year. It's August, and losing Soggy seems like something that happened ten years ago. Since March, George and I have started a nightly routine of drinking hot tea on the front porch in the evenings before bed. This past Friday, during our porch time, we came up with a crazy idea. What if we went on a road trip out to California and back? We talked for over an hour; I gushed about my love for California; it's my home. The next morning when I opened my eyes, George was already awake, he greeted me with his bright blue eyes and sparkling smile, "So, are we doing this?" I knew exactly what he was talking about, "Yes!"

At breakfast, we had a more serious discussion about it. Could we actually travel across the country with only a few day's notice? More importantly, could we travel across the country during a pandemic? I guess the even more important question was actually, should we travel across the country during a pandemic? I know that the most obvious answer is no, we shouldn't. But I had spent most of 2020 indoors, and our recent venture out to Americus, Georgia, had me aching to travel again. So I justified it like this: we want to go. That's it. Now, I'm not thinking that I'm immune to COVID just because I already had it, and I don't believe that a mask is going to protect me from everything, and I'm not one of those people that's like, "Fuck the coronavirus, I do what I want." But I am someone who wants to enjoy life, and see the world. So we decided that we would go, and we would be as careful as possible. As someone that's done a decent amount of traveling, I was very uncertain about how exactly we'd have a fulfilling vacation with so many things being different. So we packed our things, and plenty of hand sanitizer and face masks, and we headed out on the road.

Our first stop was New Orleans, Louisiana. While I had been to Louisiana many times, I had never been to New Orleans, and George visited last when he was eight years old. So it would be a new experience for both of us. The first day of the trip included driving through Alabama and Mississippi. When I was younger, I looked really young. I mean, when I was in 7th grade, I could have passed for seven years old. I spent nearly all junior high feeling insecure, and like I was being judged for what I was wearing because my mom would dress me in matching short sets meant for 7-year-olds. I thought those feelings had long been forgotten until I wore a face mask in Alabama. At one of our restroom stops, there was even a man that looked at me, smirked, and stood so close he was touching my shoulder as he browsed the donut case. He let out a light chuckle as I immediately stepped away, not just because of COVID, but because, ew!

We arrived in New Orleans around 3 pm, and checked into our Hotel. We had a goal to try to spend no more than $50 per night on hotels and had managed to find a Motel 6 for $47 per night taxes included. I love staying at fancy 4-star hotels, which probably goes without saying, because who really is against luxury? That said, I'm not above staying somewhere cheap, especially if it means more money for my favorite part of travel; the food. It was everything you'd expect a $47 per night motel to be, no-frills, and pretty shabby. The room itself was okay; they provided us with two towels, a tiny soap, and sheets that looked clean, minus the cigarette burns. We wiped everything in the room down with disinfectant wipes (just to make sure.) After resting awhile and getting cleaned up, we headed out to check out the French Quarter about which we'd heard so much. I was delighted with the Creole townhouses and cottages that lined the streets, New Orleans Square was always my favorite area of Disneyland as a kid, and seeing the real-life version was very exciting. We decided to go for a walk down Canal Street and Bourbon street because as tourists, that was our job. It wasn't terribly crowded, but there were still plenty of street performers out filling the air with music and a sense that everything was fine, and life is entirely normal, which is everything I would expect from Louisiana in general. The city's downside was a massive homeless population and panhandlers that ask for money seemingly every few feet. We decided to risk going inside a restaurant for dinner; we ate at Olde Nola Cookery, which we found based on online reviews. We both had catfish, which was terrific, and the restaurant staff took extra care to keep germ free. They wore masks properly, gloves when serving food, and even had digital menus so that we didn't have to touch a menu used by anyone else. After dinner, we were exhausted from our trip and returned to our rented rat's nest to sleep.

We awoke the next morning at 7 am, and by eight we were out at breakfast. We chose Two Chicks Cafe because it was highly rated for breakfast, and it didn't disappoint. We had their special eggs Benedict, with a cajun hollandaise sauce, and a croissant instead of an English muffin. The croissant was decent, not the delicate thousand-layer dream you'd get from an authentic French Bakery, but far from a Pillsbury recent roll. It was a respectable croissant. The poached eggs were really poached eggs; they didn't use any kind of egg-poaching device, someone actually poached this egg with expert skill.

After breakfast we stopped by the Metairie Cemetery, these beautiful old cemeteries are something I've always wanted to see, and I was so happy that we got to stop. We're now on our way to Dallas Texas!

#neworleans frenchquarter NOLA Cemetery roadtrip travel vacation

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newstfionline · 4 years ago

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Headlines

Wildfire resources run thin (AP) Justin Silvera came off the fire lines in Northern California after a grueling 36 straight days battling wildfires and evacuating residents ahead of the flames. Before that, he and his crew had worked for 20 days, followed by a three-day break. Silvera, a 43-year-old battalion chief with Cal Fire, California’s state firefighting agency, said he’s lost track of the blazes he’s fought this year. He and his crew have sometimes been on duty for 64 hours at a stretch, their only rest coming in 20-minute catnaps. “I’ve been at this 23 years, and by far this is the worst I’ve seen,” Silvera said before bunking down at a motel for 24 hours. “These conditions in the field, the drought, the wind, this stuff is just taking off. We can’t contain one before another erupts.” His exhaustion reflects the situation up and down the West Coast fire lines: This year’s blazes have taxed the human, mechanical and financial resources of the nation’s wildfire fighting forces to an extraordinary degree. And half of the fire season is yet to come. Heat, drought and a strategic decision to attack the flames early combined with the coronavirus to put a historically heavy burden on fire teams.

Bird die-offs in New Mexico (NYT) Huge numbers of migratory birds are dropping dead around New Mexico as scientists scramble to determine what is triggering one of the Southwest’s largest bird die-offs in recent memory. After people began finding the dead birds in recent days in locations ranging from hiking trails to suburban driveways and golf courses, the mystery of what is causing the die-off has intensified. Biologists are examining whether the wildfires on the West Coast may be a factor in the deaths, with smoke plumes potentially altering migration routes or increasing the toxins inhaled by birds.

Hurricane Sally unleashes flooding along the Gulf Coast (AP) Hurricane Sally lumbered ashore near the Florida-Alabama line Wednesday with 105 mph (165) winds and rain measured in feet, not inches, swamping homes and trapping people in high water as it crept inland. Moving at an agonizing 3 mph, or about as fast as a person can walk, the storm made landfall at 4:45 a.m. close to Gulf Shores, Alabama, battering nearby Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, two cities with a combined metropolitan-area population of almost 1 million. More than 2 feet of rain (61 centimeters) was recorded near Naval Air Station Pensacola, and nearly 3 feet (1 meter) of water covered streets in downtown Pensacola, the National Weather Service reported. Sally weakened to a tropical depression late Wednesday and picked up speed. The National Hurricane Center said the system was moving through southeast Alabama, would cross over central Georgia on Thursday and reach South Carolina on Thursday night. Flash flooding and some river flooding was possible in each state.

Militarization of U.S. police (Foreign Policy) A new report produced by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs details how the militarization of U.S. police forces has ballooned since the September 11 attacks, arguing that it should be counted as one of the long-term costs of the United States’ post-9/11 War on Terror. The attacks, the report says, provided a new justification to funnel massive amounts of military equipment, funding, and personnel to local and state law enforcement, all in the name of counterterrorism and national security. The study also argues that the intensive militarization of the police could have helped produce the current political crisis in the United States. “Visibly militaristic tactics and imagery breed fear and mistrust, particularly among poor and hyperpoliced communities of color. This can erode police legitimacy.”

Don’t click that USPS text you just got—it’s a scam (Daily Dot) Receiving USPS text messages about an unclaimed package? Don’t click the link. Text messages purporting to be from the United States Postal Service (USPS) have been hitting phones all across the country this week, asking recipients to claim a package. But the texts are not from the USPS and are part of a wide-scale phishing scam, designed to steal users’ personal information.

Maduro security forces committed crimes against humanity: U.N. (Reuters) The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has committed systematic human rights violations including killings and torture amounting to crimes against humanity, U.N. investigators said on Wednesday. Reasonable grounds existed to believe that Maduro and his interior and defence ministers ordered or contributed to the crimes documented in the report in order to silence opposition, they said. Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not respond to a request to comment on the report, which was based on more than 270 interviews with victims, witnesses, former officials and lawyers, and confidential documents. They included the former head of the National Intelligence Service, General Christopher Figuera, whose testimony was corroborated, the report said. The investigators said other national jurisdictions and the International Criminal Court (ICC), which opened a preliminary examination into Venezuela in 2018, should consider prosecutions.

In Denmark, the forest is the new classroom (Washington Post) SAMSO, Denmark—On a balmy Monday afternoon earlier this month, Sebastian Lukas, 27, watched from across a clearing as his third- and fourth-grade students wandered through a rambling woodland, lush with trees and crisscrossed by dirt tracks. As countries grapple with how and when to restore students to classrooms, a growing number of schools have embraced outdoor learning—especially in the highly regarded Nordic education systems, where the model had already begun to gain momentum. When many Danish schools reopened in April, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged teachers to allow for as much time outdoors as possible, as a precaution against the spread of the virus. In Norway, education and health officials also recommended that classes meet outside. Out of nearly 200 Norwegian schools willing to respond to a recent survey by researchers Ulrich Dettweiler and Gabriele Lauterbach, the results of which have not yet been published, more than half said they had begun to provide more outdoor classes. Researchers in Denmark said they had observed a similar trend. Some countries, including Germany, have a tradition of outdoor preschools and kindergartens, which have begun to catch on in the United States as well. The pandemic may drive more countries to experiment with the model for older students.

Even as Cases Rise, Europe Is Learning to Live With the Coronavirus (NYT) In the early days of the pandemic, President Emmanuel Macron exhorted the French to wage “war” against the coronavirus. Today, his message is to “learn how to live with the virus.” From full-fledged conflict to cold war containment, France and much of the rest of Europe have opted for coexistence as infections keep rising, summer recedes into a risk-filled autumn and the possibility of a second wave haunts the continent. Having abandoned hopes of eradicating the virus or developing a vaccine within weeks, Europeans have largely gone back to work and school, leading lives as normally as possible amid an enduring pandemic that has already killed nearly 215,000 in Europe. Europeans, for the most part, are putting to use the hard-won lessons from the pandemic’s initial phase: the need to wear masks and practice social distancing, the importance of testing and tracing, the critical advantages of reacting nimbly and locally. All of those measures, tightened or loosened as needed, are intended to prevent the kind of national lockdowns that paralyzed the continent and crippled economies early this year.

The European Parliament doesn’t want to spread the coronavirus by traveling to France. The French are furious. (Washington Post) It is one of the strangest features of the European Union: a parliament that a week out of every month travels from its seat in Brussels to Strasbourg, France. French leaders demanded the costly arrangement when the modern European Union was established. Now, with the pandemic making movement a potential health hazard, the legislature’s leaders decided to stick to Brussels as they reconvene this week—and France is outraged. The Strasbourg migration was enshrined in European treaties after French leaders successfully demanded a major European institution of their own. One goal was to prevent the 27-member political bloc from being overly centered in a single city. Many members of the European Parliament loathe the monthly journey, which requires 705 lawmakers and thousands of staffers, lobbyists and journalists to travel for at least four hours from Brussels. The circus typically arrives Monday afternoons and departs mid-Thursday. Trucks shuttle 6,000 plastic trunks of files. The operation costs European taxpayers about $130 million a year. But French leaders are so attached to it that they are demanding the process carry on even in the middle of the pandemic.

Russian military to drill in Belarus (Foreign Policy) The Russian defense ministry said on Tuesday that six members of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) will conduct joint military exercises in Belarus in October as the political crisis in the country continues to worsen. The announcement came as Russian and Belarusian troops began joint military drills near Belarus’s border with Poland, due to last until Sep. 25, which Russia’s defense ministry has insisted focuses on counterterrorism and are not directed against other countries. After initially dragging its feet, the Kremlin has deepened its involvement in Belarus considerably over the previous few weeks. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had formed a reserve police force that could be deployed to Belarus, and he recently committed a $1.5 billion loan to Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

India’s virus outbreak still soaring (AP) India’s confirmed coronavirus infections passed 5 million on Wednesday, still soaring and testing the feeble health care system in tens of thousands of impoverished towns and villages. The world’s second-most populous country has added more than 1 million cases this month alone and is expected to become the pandemic’s worst-hit country within weeks, surpassing the United States, where more than 6.6 million people have been infected.

China’s third aircraft carrier takes shape, with ambitions to challenge U.S. naval dominance (Washington Post) Shipbuilders in Shanghai have laid out the hull of China’s first modern aircraft carrier, which could be launched into the water in the coming months as it enters the latter phases of construction, according to new satellite images and state media reports. The vessel, which will be China’s third carrier but the first to be equipped with modern technology, is likely to be larger than the previous two that were based on outdated Soviet designs. At the waterline, the new ship will be about 1,000 feet long and 130 feet wide, the photos show. The progress of China’s third carrier has been of intense interest in rival capitals as well as inside China, where it is seen as a tangible symbol of the country’s development into a global power boasting a modern, world-class military.

Israel strikes Gaza after rocket fire during US ceremony (AP) The Israeli military struck Hamas militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday in response to rocket fire toward Israel the previous night that coincided with the signing of normalization agreements between Israel and two Arab countries at the White House. The barrage against Israel began Tuesday night just as the ceremony in Washington was getting underway to formalize the new agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Two Israelis were lightly wounded. In response, the military said it struck about 10 sites belonging to Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers, including a weapons and explosives manufacturing factory, underground infrastructure and a military training compound. The renewed exchange offered a stark reminder that the festive events in Washington would likely do little to change Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians.

#headlines #news

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thisclockworkheart · 7 years ago

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A torn ACL and an upcoming hurricaine. This week has been GREAT.

Seriously though, my heart aches for everyone about to go through Irma, and for those who have already been devastated by it. No matter where it goes, this thing is going to be bad.

We’re probably safe here on the west coast of FL, but the east coast, especially those in Miami-Dade and Broward county, pleaseplease listen to what officials are telling you. Well everyone listen to officials, but especially those who have the potential to be most heavily impacted.

I was a kid when Andrew blew through Miami in 1992. We did everything right, but it didn’t matter. Our house came apart around us when neighbor’s roof beam came through our shuttered living room window. Irma is stronger than Andrew was. It may be forecast to weaken some before landfall in Florida, but this is no joke. Structures just aren’t made to withstand this kind of thing, no matter how well battened down they may be. Add a potential storm surge to that and things get very bad, very quickly.

And literally as I’m typing this the NHC track has shifted back west, having it run up the spine of the state:

Ok, Irma? Rude. Bottom line, we have no idea exactly where this thing will go until it’s literally on our doorsteps. We had been planning to evacuate, but it looked as though we’d actually be safer staying home based on how the tracks were playing out. It still looks that way, but we may be in for more of a ride than we thought. Our preparations are mostly done, we’re stocked up on supplies. We have hurricane impact glass all over the house, and out land is built up quite a bit, but we’re on the water and don’t have shutters.

I have no idea what’s going to happen, but we may be in for a bumpy ride.

#hurricane irma #hurricane #irma #look #going through a direct hit from a cat 5 hurricane #should be a once in a lifetime experience #so I'm counting on that being a thing #ok?#ok #Irma GO AWAY

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ruminativerabbi · 7 years ago

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Guns in America

We give hurricanes and tropical storms names—or the World Meteorological Organization does—primarily to make it possible to reference them without having to remember their precise dates and where exactly they made landfall: talking about Harvey, Irma, and Maria is a lot simpler than trying to reference them as “that storm in Texas back in August…or was it September?” or “that hurricane that ended up on the other side of Florida from the one they expected it to savage.” But although naming them surely does make it easier to talk about them, it also personifies them in a strange way that makes them sound less like unavoidable natural disasters and more like unwanted visitors whose arrival could presumably have been prevented had we only thought in advance to turn off the porch lights and pull in the welcome mat. (By the way, did you know there are only six lists of names used for storms in each separate ocean region, each series repeated every six years other than when super-storm names like Katrina are permanently retired and a new name starting with that letter is chosen? Click here for a list of the names of future storms through 2022.) Still, the practice is probably more useful than wrongminded, and it is at any rate here to stay.

We don’t have a similarly adorable way to refer to the perpetrators of mass shootings, however. Partially that is because the shooters actually have names and so hardly need new ones assigned to them. And using their real names feels right for another reason as well—because it is makes it feel more natural just to blame the shooter for the shooting and be done with it than to ask if society itself bears any responsibility for these horrific acts of bloodshed. And that impetus to look no further than the shooter to explain the shooting is incredibly strong. Indeed, when the President said the other day that the massacre in that Texas church was “about” mental illness and not guns, he was merely giving voice to the siren sentiment that Sutherland Springs had nothing to do with society itself, just with some crazy person who ran amok with a Ruger AR-556 semi-automatic rifle in his hands. And what could that possibly have to do with anyone other than the shooter himself? Yes, it is true that there is the horrific mistake made by the Air Force in this specific case to take into account—an error that allowed a man with a criminal record for uncontrollable violence to purchase a gun he should have been forbidden by federal law to acquire—but that detail, for all it is truly upsetting, is also strangely re-assuring. It was just an error, you see: if the Air Force had correctly entered the shooter’s domestic violence court-martial into the proper federal government data base, then he would indeed have been barred from purchasing the weapon he used to murder all those innocents at the First Baptist Church last Sunday and his victims, including a dozen children, would still be alive. So it’s all about Devin P. Kelly, the shooter. And it’s a little bit about the Air Force. But it’s easy to insist that it’s not about anyone but the shooter…and particularly not about people who hadn’t heard of him or Sutherland Springs, Texas, until last Sunday.

That, however, is only one way to interpret things. If the President is right that this and similar crimes are all manifestations of mental instability on the part of the shooters and thus unrelated to questions of gun safety or gun control, then our nation—that had thirty times as many gun murders in 2015 than Canada, Australia, or Spain—should also have thirty times as many mentally-ill citizens. But I cannot find any survey that suggests that that is even remotely how things are. France, for example, is just behind us in terms of percentage of citizens treated for mental illness, but had one-thirtieth the number of gun murders that we did in 2007 (the last year for which I could find accurate figures)…just the same as the countries mentioned above. So, whatever these figures ultimately mean, they clearly do not mean that we have thirty times the gun murders that other countries have because we have thirty times as many deranged citizens in our midst. (For two interesting surveys comparing the prevalence of mental health issues in various countries, click here and here.) But if that is the case, then why do we have these endless mass shootings to contend with in our country?

Part of the answer does indeed have to do with craziness, but not with the craziness of the shooters. In a Pew Research Center poll conducted last March and April, a full 11% of Americans responded that they did not feel that it should be illegal for mentally ill people to purchase guns. In a Quinnipiac University National Poll conducted last month, 12% of the respondents who live in households with guns responded that they saw no reason for a nation-wide ban on the sale of guns to people convicted of violent crimes. The response from respondents who live without guns was, in a sense, even more astounding: 15% of those responders—all of them people who themselves do not own guns—agreed that there was no need for such a national ban of gun sales to violent criminals. But even harder for me personally to fathom is that 7% of people who live with guns and 4% of people who don’t feel that there is no need to subject would-be gun purchasers to any sort of background checks at all—in other words, that guns should be sold in America in roughly the same way Starbuck’s sells coffee: to whomever walks in and has the purchase price in hand. And one final statistic to ponder: when asked if they agreed with the thought that a ban on the sale of guns to people convicted of violent crimes would reduce gun violence, 39% of people who live in “gun households” disagreed, as did 25% of people who live in households without guns. (Click here to see these statistic in more detail.)

I find all of the above unfathomable. Who are these people that don’t think that keeping guns out of the hands of violent criminals would reduce gun violence? It’s a good question, too: if 25% and 39% average out at 32% of our American population, that would be about 104 million people who don’t see a clear correlation between criminals owning guns and crimes that involve the use of guns being committed. Clearly, I’m missing something here. But what could it be?

The right to bear arms is part of our national culture, part of our distinctive American ethos. The Second Amendment guarantees the right of citizens to belong to armed militias—presumably envisaged by the founders as state-wide fighting forces called into existence to defend the citizenry against outside aggression—but already in our nation’s infancy this was interpreted to guarantee the right of individual citizens to bear arms even outside the framework of organized fighting forces. And the notion that reliance on a central government to make and keep the citizenry safe is invariably going to be a good idea is not a point anyone even slightly conversant with Jewish history can or should argue as though it were a self-evident truth. And so I find myself torn in different directions here, wishing the Jews of Kovno, say, had been armed when the Germans came to take their children, but—without feeling naïve or foolish—simply not believing that kind of danger to be plausibly something we could ever encounter in America.

In my heart, I really do think that America is different…and that the foundational ideas upon which our republic rests and for which it stands really do guarantee our safety more than a Ruger AR-556 in each of our broom closets ever could. And, that being the case, I simply don’t see how anyone can read the Second Amendment to imply that every citizen, even mentally ill individuals or people convicted of violent crimes, has the right to own weapons capable of murdering fifty-eight people in a matter of minutes, as Stephen Paddock did last month in Las Vegas when he started shooting from his hotel room window at concert goers gathered below. When the President said with respect to the massacre in Texas last week that this was a “mental health issue at the highest level,” he was entirely right—but not in the way he meant. Yes, I’m sure that Devin Patrick Kelly will be posthumously diagnosed as deranged. But truly crazy is a nation in which scores of millions of citizens do not believe that making an effort, even an only partially successful one, to keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals and mentally ill individuals would reduce gun violence in our land.

Clearly, this problem is not going to be solved with one grand gesture by Congress. But small steps forward are also worth taking. Writing in the Times last week, Nicholas Kristof offered a heartening parallel by pointing out that our nation had one-ninth the deaths in automobile accidents in 2016 than in 1946, and that those seventy years of progress can be explained by the slow, incremental introduction of more and more innovative practices that simply made fatalities in cars less likely: seatbelts, air bags, child safety seats, etc. That is a dramatic change from my father’s generation (my Dad was 30 years old in 1946) to my kids’ generation (my younger son had his 30th birthday earlier this year). And it happened simply because there was a concerted, unambivalent national will to make it happen. And because scientists of various sorts were able to find ways to make cars safer without making them undrivable or unbearably slow or unwieldy. If that happened, and it did, then guns too can become safer. And the laws that govern their use can be made tighter in rational and reasonable ways…and without strangling or stunting the gun-owner’s legitimate right to bear arms. Take a look at Kristof’s article (click here), and you’ll see what I mean. Small steps are worth taking…even if they only yield truly dramatic results over decades.

If Sandy Hook wasn’t enough to bring us to our senses, it’s hard to imagine what would be. And yet…it simply doesn’t seem possible that there is no way at all to reduce gun violence in America. All that is required is some unequivocal national resolve to act…and creative, inspired leaders prepared to lead us up out of this morass into which we have sunk.

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keywestlou · 5 years ago

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I HAVE RETURNED

Amazing how some statements no matter how brief remain in our memories.

It was on October 20, 1944 that General MacArthur returned to the Philippines. He led the invasion force which landed on Leyte.

MacArthur was a bit of an actor. Which in no way diminishes his capability as a warrior. On the first day of the invasion, MacArthur came onto Leyte beach in a landing barge. The front dropped and there he was! Majestic in appearance. He walked off the barge into knee high water.

A microphone was waiting for him on the beach. He said, “People of the Philippines, I have returned!”

Dramatic. Soul striking. Especially to the Filipinos who had suffered under Japanese occupation for almost 3 years.

President Roosevelt ordered MacArthur out of the Philippines when Japan invaded. He did not want MacArthur captured. He needed him to direct the Pacific war ahead.

MacArthur was reluctant to leave. Before he got on the PT boat to begin his escape journey, he announced via radio to the people of the Philippines, “I shall return.”

A promise made. A promise kept.

Many times people do not remember as I do. Only because I have lived longer and lived through people and experiences they have not.

I will mention names and many will give me a blank look. They know not of whom I speak.

I mentioned Neville Chamberlain recently. He was Prime Minister of England in the late 1930’s. Robert Dennard wrote back that he and I might be the only ones who recall Chamberlain.

I understood.

Now comes Burt Lancaster. Many times sitting on my stool in the Chart Room, I will mention Burt Lancaster and his ties to Key West. Not one person has ever recalled him. One of the greatest actors of all time.

I write about Lancaster today because it was on this day in 1994 he died.

Lancaster has 2 Key West connections.

His first movie was The Killers in 1946. Starred with Ava Gardner. The movie was based on Ernest Hemingway’s short story of the same name.

Years later, Lancaster actually visited Key West to make a movie. The movie of Tennessee Williams’ play The Rose Tattoo.

The venue of the movie was Key West. The house they filmed it in was 2 doors from Williams’ home. Lancaster actually slept in Williams’ home and changed for scenes in the house.

The Williams home is on Duncan Street. My Lisa lives on Duncan. A mere 1 1/2 blocks away.

Anna Magnani starred in The Rose Tattoo with Lancaster. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress as a result of her performance.

Lancaster made 70 movies. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor in Elmer Gantry.

A few of his other movies include Jim Thorpe, From Here To Eternity, The Swimmer, and Sweet Smell of Success.

He starred with Kirk Douglas in Gunfight at OK Corral. Douglas and Lancaster were close friends. Always joking and going off script when appearing on some TV shows.

Lancaster’s later life was not the best. He suffered some illness. May have been a severe stroke. He ended up in a wheelchair for the rest of his life looking straight ahead and knowing no one.

Douglas visited him often. When asked how the visits were going, Douglas would respond not good and he did not want to talk about them.

Goombay last night. The second and last evening of the event. I did not make it last night either.

I was writing and the words were flowing. Does not frequently happen. Wanted to stay with it. Stopped at 9:30. Too late to shower, dress and go downtown.

I am not unhappy I missed. I have attended at least 20. All fun. All the same.

There is always next year.

Today is the first day of the for real Fantasy Fest. A calm day nudity wise, though there will be some. The events funky and fun.

A big zombie day!

The Zombie Bike Ride. A family event. Hundreds if not thousands participating. Dressed to scare.

La Trattoria Oceanside is having a Zombie Brunch. Smokin’ Tuna a Walking Dead Contest. Official Zombiefest sites following the Bike Parade include Tiki House, Bagatelle, Sloppy Joe’s, Irish Kevin’s, Mangoes, and the Green Parrot.

Key West a wonderful place to live. Doctors good. The hospital fine. However for major problems, it’s Miami. A 4 hour drive. Less than an hour by helicopter.

A very much needed and used service. Lives saved!

Few have the money or insurance to pay. Key West is in Monroe County. It was announced this week that the County had purchased its third helicopter this past week. The volume of the medical needy requiring it.

The plane used. A 2001 Sikorsky S-76C+1. Its former owner in Sweden. The helicopter cost $1.2 million. With necessary configurations came to $2.4 million.

The beauty of it all is that if you are a resident of Monroe County and in need of helicoptering services to Miami, there is no charge.

What a benefit! I have to assume present cost in the thousands. Well over $10,000. I base my assumption on what it cost to fly 2 hour old Robert to Miami Children’s’ Hospital 15 years ago. There was no County program at the time. Ten thousand dollars.

Lisa did not have that kind of money. She payed the $10,000 over a period of time.

We are all aware of the G7 meeting at the Doral which now will not be. The White House announced yesterday it will be held elsewhere. Trump blamed the crazed and irrational media and Democratic Party.

New York Times columnist Frank Bruni wrote yesterday re the Doral issue: The “…..Trump planned convening of the G7 at the National Doral Miami a gesture of such perverse defiance, such profound contempt, that it takes the breath away.” Trump believes “the Presidency…..his to use and abuse as he wants.”

Humpty Dumpty is tottering and beginning to fall off the wall.

I close with hurricanes.

If you live in the Florida keys you wake each day with a quiet feeling of fear and trepidation that this may be the day for news of a new hurricane heading our way. I sometimes believe it is a self inflicted perversion we enjoy. Otherwise, we would move.

Nestor is out there. Still a tropical storm. I mentioned yesterday it probably would hit Georgia first on the U.S. mainland. The meteorologists indicated a remote chance it would make landfall in Florida.

This morning’s news is Nesotor very early this morning made landfall on Florida’s Panhandle. It is being reported that the damage is not so much from Nestor. Rather by tornadoes which apparently were many and forceful.

Nestor next moves on to Georgia and the Carolinas.

Enjoy your Sunday!

I HAVE RETURNED was originally published on Key West Lou

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2whatcom-blog · 6 years ago

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Native Flood Forecasting Has Been Dangerously Imprecise—That’s About to Change

When Hurricane Michael barreled into the Florida Panhandle final October, the punishing waves whipped up by its winds blasted a 900-foot-wide hole within the sands of Cape San Blas, a slender peninsula only a few miles east of the place the storm made landfall. A lot of a preferred state park there was become an island in a single day. The transformation left officers with the possibly pricey dilemma of whether or not—and the way—to bridge the hole to revive entry; it additionally uncovered a weak spot within the laptop fashions that warn coastal communities about impending storms. These simulations can predict how a lot ocean water will inundate a broad space, however are lacking the small-scale particulars of coastal geography and wave physics which are wanted to foretell localized harm such because the washout of Cape San Blas. New, extra detailed information and improved computing energy are permitting scientists to revamp their fashions to offer coastal communities extra exact info on which areas shall be most susceptible throughout a storm. Past forecasts, scientists additionally wish to hyperlink fashions to an unlimited community of seaside cameras that would present real-time alerts. “This is really going to help communities understand what roads might go underwater, what bridge access could be cut off and where to stage equipment,” says Kara Doran, an oceanographer with the U.S. Geological Survey in Florida. “That’s going to help protect lives and property.” Storm surge and waves fully eroded and breached a low, slender spot on Cape San Blas, creating two new inlets and severing the one street entry to T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. The world had solely a 26 % chance of flooding, however the scale of the flood fashions probably didn't resolve the low, slender space that breached. Credit score: NOAA and USGS Lacking Items Coastal storm fashions do job of predicting how excessive storm surge shall be primarily based on the facility of the storm and the broad form of the shoreline. However as a result of a mix of an absence of detailed information, restricted funding and slower computer systems, the fashions have been lacking a number of different key items that decide extra localized flooding ranges—from particular coastal geographies to the timing of storms. One vital lacking piece is accounting for the waves that act on high of the storm surge—the rising water the storm pushes forward of it. The power of these waves can have a huge impact on coastal flooding. “It’s really important, because that’s the energy that really moves the waves up the beach” and causes main erosion, says USGS oceanographer Hilary Stockdon. The grade of the coastal seabed and the terrain of the coast—equivalent to sandy seashores, marsh or rocky cliffs—affect wave power. Marshes, for instance, attenuate waves, offering pure safety in opposition to flooding, in contrast with sandy seashores. At the moment’s fashions assume all coasts encompass sandy seashores as a result of that panorama was of most curiosity to the U.S. Navy, which supplied a lot of the funding for early mannequin improvement. Larger-resolution coastal surveys accomplished from planes have now given researchers the detailed information they should embrace extra shoreline varieties in fashions, Doran says. The information can seize even small coastal options analysis has proven could create alternatives for severe erosion. The breach at Cape San Blas occurred at a spot with a big, unpaved parking zone, the place water may rush in unimpeded. “Had that parking lot been a tall, vegetated dune, things might have been different,” Doran says. Having such fine-grained particulars in flooding fashions might need tipped officers off to the foremost flood harm that will ensue. Present fashions additionally don't account all through storms, a shortcoming that grew to become obvious within the aftermath of Hurricane Florence final September: Despite the fact that it didn't have a large storm surge, “it pounded the coast for days with large waves,” Doran says. At one spot seaside sand was moved greater than 650 toes inland by the persistent surge, rising the coast’s vulnerability to future storms. Improved fashions will search to think about storm velocity and period, utilizing Nationwide Hurricane Middle forecasts to seize this interaction. Along with the flooding risk coming from the ocean, rains and swollen rivers can add large quantities of water to a area and mix with storm surge, an occasion known as compound flooding. The deluge Florence unleashed over the Carolinas set at the very least 28 flood information there and helped preserve floodwaters elevated for days. Now scientists are including salinity readings—which present whether or not fresh- or salt-water is impacting a specific space—to the fashions to allow them to higher predict compound flooding. The USGS can be working with the Nationwide Climate Service to mix river flooding and climate fashions to higher seize the added flood influence from rain throughout a hurricane. Seeking to the Dutch and Surfers Excessive-resolution coastal fashions that function these elements exist already—pioneered within the Netherlands, a nation that has to take care of a low-lying shoreline, Doran says. “They have models that nearly track grains of sand moving in the water,” she says, and use them to proactively determine the place seawalls or flood tidal limitations are wanted. The U.S. is at the moment enjoying catch-up to that work, and should overcome a number of scientific, computing and coverage hurdles to make fashions that may be helpful as storms hit. For one factor, the extra particulars which are packed into fashions, the extra pricey and time-consuming they're by way of the computing energy wanted to run them. So though the added element may make simulations extra helpful for planning for varied forms of storms, “we can’t run them in a real-time mode for an approaching storm,” Doran says. Which means scientists have to discover a technique to steadiness the wealth of obtainable information with the necessity for fast solutions throughout storms. One technique to incorporate extra real-time info is by way of the rising community of personal surfer, seaside and climate cameras which have cropped up alongside U.S. coasts and have already generated viral clips of gnarly crashing waves across the Internet. A public–personal partnership known as SECOORA is sharing real-time info, together with video, alongside the east coast that can be utilized to, for instance, be certain that surge fashions replicate precise storm harm, says Joe Lengthy, an affiliate professor of oceanography on the College of North Carolina Wilmington. The cameras may be helpful in offering real-time warnings as they collect information on situations within the thick of storms. Lengthy envisions a system that integrates these with climate fashions throughout the subsequent 5 to 10 years. One other problem is placing all of the items collectively in a kind that native officers can use to arrange residents. “We're still in this learning period of trying to get the right information out, to the right person, at the right time,” Stockdon says. “It’s going to involve a lot of conversations between the scientists and the people in the communities who need that information.” The hope is that ultimately forecasts and warnings will enhance sufficient to anticipate—and doubtlessly even stop—harm just like the breach at Cape San Blas that has taken communities unexpectedly. Doran, for one, is optimistic: “I think there’s not really a reason that we can’t improve our models to reflect those small areas that turn into a big problem.” Read the full article

#2what #2whatcom #coastal #models #storm

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aaronbhope84 · 6 years ago

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How To: Pick the Best Asphalt Shingles

Asphalt shingles were invented in America in 1901 as a low cost and fire resistant alternative to the available roofing materials of the day. They were originally cotton rag soaked in asphalt with a variety of granules such as slate, mica, or even oyster shells added to the the surface for increased durability.

You might not give much thought to asphalt shingles since most of us don’t see our roofs up close unless there is a problem or you’re just particularly fond of heights. But you should definitely give your shingles a considerable amount of thought when it comes time to replace your roof because they are the main thing protecting your house from the weather. Even more important than keeping your house painted, the proper asphalt shingles (installed well) can make your roof last a decade longer than a poor shingle.

In this post, I’ll give you my take from experience as a general contractor of what shingles work and what are not worth your time. There are a lot of things to consider when choosing the right asphalt shingle and I’ll walk you through the things you should be paying attention to since the cost of the shingle is such a small portion of the overall cost of a new roof.

A History of Asphalt Shingles

The first shingles were originally just single shingles unlike the wide multi-shingle sheets on the market today. Over the years, the backing material, granules, and construction of asphalt shingles has changed considerably, but the basic premise has remained the same. Their resistance to wind and hail damage has been greatly increased over the years as have the styles available to create a high quality roofing material.

Like most building materials, the composition of asphalt shingles was largely natural materials at first before moving to more manmade versions later. In the 1920s, due to increasing costs, the original cotton backing soon became too expensive and other materials like wool, jute (see linoleum), and wood pulp were experimented with. In testing done around the time, most of these bases showed no significant performance differences so for the next couple decades there were a variety of backings used depending on the region and manufacturer.

The 1920s saw huge growth for asphalt shingles due to a campaign by the insurance companies to address the growing fire risks in America’s cities. Wood shingles, while popular and affordable created significant fire risks, whereas asphalt shingles provided fire resistance and affordability. With the advent of the great depression and asphalt shingles availability as an affordable roofing material, they only saw further growth through the post war building boom and following decades.

In the 1960s, fiberglass mats were introduced to further improve fire ratings of roofs and replace the asbestos containing shingles that found their way onto the market. While fiberglass shingles were too light to withstand high winds, originally they were eventually improved to the point where they surpassed asphalt shingles with natural backings popularity in 1982.

In the 1990s, manufacturers worked very hard to improve the wind resistance and impact resistance of asphalt shingles, especially following devastating hurricanes like Andrew in 1992. Today asphalt shingles have been improved so thoroughly that many receive the highest wind and impact ratings available for roofing materials.

What to Look For

Since the cost of a new roof is mainly labor, picking a more expensive shingle is not as financially painful as you might think. Doubling the cost of your shingles adds only a small increase to the total cost of a roof. So what should you be looking for in a quality shingle? Just like anything you do get what you pay for so even if a cheap shingle looks great, there should always be some skepticism about why it’s so cheap. Let me outline the important aspects of asphalt shingles here.

Wind Rating

You want a shingle to stand up to storms especially if you live in a high wind region like Florida or the plains which are subject to hurricanes or tornados. Yes, you can save a little here if you don’t live in a high wind zone, but is it really worth it since the chances or a strong storm coming through your area in the next 20 or 30 years is pretty good no matter where you live. Below is a list of wind ratings for roofing materials.

Asphalt Shingle Wind-Resistance Classifications

A 60 MPH D 90 MPH F 110 MPH G 120 MPH H 150 MPH

Impact Resistance

A beneficial feature you may want to consider is what impact rating your shingles need. There are four levels of impact resistance, which essentially measure how well the fiberglass mat will hold up to hail and other debris. The higher the rating the stronger the shingles resistance to hail hitting your roof. That’s never a bad thing. Unlike the the wind resistance, I think that paying for the highest impact rating is not a forgone conclusion. You need to think long and hard about the kind of weather your area gets before deciding which impact level is right for your house.

Asphalt Shingle Impact-Resistance Classifications

1 1 1/4″ steel ball dropped at 12 feet 2 1 1/2″ steel ball dropped at 15 feet 3 1 3/4″ steel ball dropped at 17 feet 4 2″ steel ball dropped at 20 feet

I like having a little fun with testing products and the video below is a great example of what Class 3 and 4 shingles can stand up to. Grab a soda and check it out!

youtube

Style

GAF Glenwood Adobe Clay architectural shingles

The traditional 3-tab shingle has been around for years, but in the last couple decades, the rise in popularity of architectural shingles which do a good job of replicating the texture and dimensions of wood shingles has in my mind been a big improvement. Architectural shingles tend to last longer and hold up better since they are thicker and generally built with better construction. You can find scalloped shingles, shingles made to look like wood shakes, and all kinds of other custom shapes to fit the style of your house. This is especially helpful to us old home owners who need something that matches the architectural style of a historic home.

There is no right or wrong decision here, but the style is definitely something you should be thinking about since you’ll be living with it for a long time.

Color

Color is a bigger deal than you might think. Yes, it defines the look of your house and is more difficult to change than a bad paint job, but it also plays a large role in how energy efficient your house is. When I hear people rail about how important energy efficiency is and then watch them put a black shingle roof on their house I realize that all their talk of “green living” is likely just talk.

GAF Royal Sovereign White 3-tab shingles

The lighter shade of shingle you choose greatly affects the heat generated by your roof. In northern states, a dark roof might well be desirable to capture as much heat from the elusive winter sun, but if you live in the south, then having black roof can increase your cooling bill significantly.

A study performed by Berkeley Labs which compared the different energy performance between black, white, and green roofs (a green roof is a roof covered in vegetation) found that “Both white and green roofs do a good job at cooling the building and cooling the air in the city, but white roofs are three times more effective at countering climate change than green roofs.”

I’m not saying you should go out and buy stark white shingles, but realizing the huge difference that shingle color can play should definitely weigh in on you decision of what shingle to buy. Think of it this way, on a sunny day, a black roof can be as much as 100 degrees warmer than the ambient air temp, while a white roof will only be about 20 degrees warmer. Think about not only your utility bills, but also the fact that a roof assembly that stays cooler has a longer life than shingles that are consistently overheated.

Warranty

There are a lot of warranties out there and while I’m not as focused on this aspect, it is often important to look into since your roof is a significant investment. Does the warranty cover materials only or does it cover materials and labor. Is it pro-rated or is it full coverage? How long does it last? How established is the company? If you have a 100-year warranty from a 2-year old company, that’s not quite as valuable as from an 80-year old company since your warranty is only as good as the company who honors it.

Picking the Best Asphalt Shingles

You should be armed with enough information to pick the right shingles at the right price for your house now. Don’t get too hung up and on the different manufacturers special options. The main issues are what we have discussed, and following these guidelines will help you compare apples to apples so you don’t accidentally end up with a lemon. Just like any home improvement purchase, take your time and put your hands on some shingles before making the final decision.

Do they feel significant or do they feel cheap and weak? Your gut is a good guide once you can get the product in your hands and see it in real life rather than on a computer screen. Use the facts above and trust your gut and you’ll be just fine. Happy roofing!

The post How To: Pick the Best Asphalt Shingles appeared first on The Craftsman Blog.

from Home Restoration News https://thecraftsmanblog.com/how-to-pick-the-best-asphalt-shingles/

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