"He trimmed the trees away from his house, and covered his yard in gravel to stop flames rushing in from the forest near his property. In case that buffer zone failed, he sheathed his house in fire-resistant stucco, and topped it with a noncombustible steel roof. None of it mattered." While certain politicians and their followers continue to deny the threat of climate change, for many Americans its stark reality lands too close to home to ignore. If it doesn't arrive via fire or flood, it comes via a letter. These unwelcome messages sent to millions of homeowners in recent years come from their home insurance companies and inform them that their insurance contracts have been nonrenewed. That's insurance-speak that roughly translates to: Sorry, you're f--ked. "Without insurance, you can’t get a mortgage; without a mortgage, most Americans can’t buy a home. Communities that are deemed too dangerous to insure face the risk of falling property values, which means less tax revenue for schools, police and other basic services. As insurers pull back, they can destabilize the communities left behind, making their decisions a predictor of the disruption to come." NYT (Gift Article): Insurers Are Deserting Homeowners as Climate Shocks Worsen. Insurance companies that rely on math and science to secure their bottom lines don't have time for climate change denial. They know where there's smoke, there's fire. 2Mission Creep"The new police chief quickly impressed the small Texas community he’d sworn to protect. He started a Christmas charity event. He checked on elderly neighbors. He seemed especially good, residents noted, with troubled teenagers. The people of Maypearl trusted Police Chief Kevin Coffey. Few were aware that Maypearl was the eighth law enforcement agency that Coffey had worked at in 11 years. Fewer knew that there was a trail of accusations and secrets in his past. And none could have predicted the destruction he would wreak in their town." A WaPo(Gift Article) investigation: The ‘Perfect’ Predator. "The kids would eventually call him The Creeper. The adults would denounce him as a monster. The prosecutors who put him away for child sexual abuse would describe him as a master manipulator 'who groomed the community.'" 3Stick to the Vax"Globally, there were 20 percent more measles cases in 2023 than in the year before, according to the World Health Organization, for a total of 10.3 million, and more than 107,000 people died. Fifty-seven countries had 'large or disruptive' outbreaks, the W.H.O. said, nearly 60 percent more than in 2022." The outbreaks come in two kinds of places. Those that can't get enough vaccine no matter how desperately they want it. And those that turn down vaccines even though they are readily available. The latter group really should learn the terrible lessons from the former group's plight. NYT (Gift Article): Tiny Coffins: Measles Is Killing Thousands of Children in Congo. "President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice for federal health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has fought vaccine mandates and said parents should have the right to choose not to vaccinate their children." 4Map TrapYou'd think it would be easier to get away with murder in a tiny town. And you'd likely be right. But timing is everything. Google Street View catches Spanish murder suspect moving body. "As the man bent down to put a large bundle, thought to be a body, in the boot of his car the Google Maps vehicle passed by — for the first time in 15 years." 5Extra, ExtraPhoto Finish: From devastating war scenes to Swift/Kelce midfield hugs, the NYT (Gift Article) captures the year that was. 2024 The Year in Pictures. 6Bottom of the News"'Has anyone ever told you that you have a Jesus look to you?' the man asked, according to Sagers, a 25-year-old who works as a cheesemonger at a grocery store. It wasn’t a pickup line—the man’s wife was an artist looking for religious models. 'I didn’t really get that a lot,' says Sagers, who is 6-foot-5 with dirty-blonde, shoulder-length hair and a beard he says gives Irish and Scandinavian vibes. 'I make for a pretty tall Jesus.' And so it was that Sagers began a side hustle as a savior." (That sounds a hell of lot less stressful than a side hustle as a news curator.) It Pays to Have Long Hair and a Beard in Utah—Jesus Models Are in Demand.
|
