Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
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Indications are that the damage from Hurricane Helene is much greater than initially hoped. Asheville NC is without power or water. Greenville, NC, the Tennessee Valley, and parts of Georgia are flooded and underwater. In Asheville NC 100,000 people will be without water for weeks. The death toll is 103, but hundreds more are unaccounted for and presumed dead. Asheville's historic Biltmore Village was submerged. The Swannanoa River reached #flood levels not seen since 1791. A few quotes from...
Just when you think you’re having a tough day, imagine this: On the afternoon of Friday, October 4, 2024, an unidentified woman experienced a close call that could have ended in disaster. Driving her SUV in Parking Structure 4 in Downtown Santa Monica, she somehow managed to bypass the wire rope barriers designed to prevent vehicles from going over the edge of the structure’s fourth floor. The SUV came dangerously close to plunging off the side, leaving it precariously perched on the edge of...
After a massive explosion at Hezbollah's Beirut Lebanon HQ, reports are coming in that Israel just neutralized Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah. The blast occurred around 9 am PST on Friday September 27, 2024. The next day, Iranian and Hezbollah sources confirmed that Supreme Leader Nasrallah had been killed in the Israeli bombing. Other IRGC and Hezbollah officials also died in the blast, possibly a 2000 pound bomb. "The IDF conducted a precise strike on the Central Headquarters of the...
22: A Los Angeles Metro bus was hijacked in a dramatic sequence of events on Wednesday morning, culminating in a tense standoff between SWAT officers and a gunman in downtown Los Angeles. The suspect, armed with a gun, shot a passenger before leading police on a slow-moving chase from Vermont Knolls in South Los Angeles to the city center, where the pursuit ended after police deployed spike strips to disable the bus. Police used a flash-bang grenade to temporarily blind and apprehend the...
On Monday, a fire broke out in a warehouse adjacent to the Staples located on Bundy Drive in West Los Angeles, causing the popular office supply store to close temporarily. The blaze, which sent flames and smoke billowing into the area, prompted emergency responders to take immediate action to prevent the fire from spreading and to ensure the safety of nearby businesses and residents. The adjoining ACE Hardware Store also closed temporarily. The incident occurred at 2052 Bundy Drive, near major...
Mayor Eric Adams is accused of accepting bribes, including $123,000 worth of free flights and luxury perks, from foreign nationals in exchange for favors, according to a federal indictment unsealed by Manhattan prosecutors on Thursday. The five-count indictment-the first ever against a sitting New York City mayor-outlines a decade-long pattern of alleged corruption by Adams, including the fraudulent acquisition of $10 million in public campaign funds. The indictment follows a grand jury's...
Ava Louise, the 26-year-old OnlyFans model notorious for her provocative antics, recently caused a stir at a Trump rally in Long Island by flashing the crowd as part of her new “T*ts for Trump” fundraising campaign. Known for her previous public stunts, including the viral “Portal” incident in New York City, Louise claims her latest move was intended to raise funds to support Donald Trump’s political endeavors. Speaking to the New York Post, Louise explained her reasoning behind the spectacle...
Santa Monica, 9.11.24 – It's not at all unusual for Starbucks employees to have to deal with unruly homeless individuals entering the store, sometimes forcing staff to ask them to leave or even call the police. However, what made today's incident particularly unusual was who responded: none other than Santa Monica's Chief of Police, Ramon Batista. The incident occurred around 1:00 pm at the Starbucks located directly across the street from Santa Monica City Hall. Witnesses say a homeless man e...
NASA announced Saturday that the decision had been made for two astronauts who got to the station on the Boeing Starliner, to return to Earth on SpaceX's Crew Dragon in January. This leaves them in orbit for over 5 months that had not initially been planned. On the way to the Station, the Starliner's steering thrusters failed repeatedly. Due to the high risk of thruster failure on the Boeing Starliner, NASA cannot risk putting astronauts in it for the return trip to earth, NASA said. The...
In a forceful 33 minutes speech, Robert F Kennedy Jr. suspended his third party candidacy to become the next US president. "I will appear on the ballot in 40 Red and Blue states. In those states, I invite you to vote for me as a protest to both parties. But voters in swing states should vote for Donald Trump, whom I endorse." RFK Jr says Donald Trump has asked him to join his administration to work with him on combatting chronic disease in America and that Donald Trump asked him to join forces...
21: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 25 bills Friday, "aimed at setting a path to reform California's criminal justice system," his office said in a press release. Among other changes, the bills made online platforms like Craigslist legally responsible for the sale of stolen goods on their platforms. California's government hopes the reforms will head off the passage of Proposition 33. On the November ballot, the bill would reverse Prop. 47, the so called "Safe Neighborhoods Act. Prop 47 made...
You've probably noticed the white SUVs with spinning radar arrays on their roofs and with no one behind the wheel. The driverless Waymo vehicles are especially common North of Wilshire Blvd and South of Montana Avenue. Waymo Inc. has been testing the Vehicles all year in Santa Monica. Waymo announced it will expand its fleet to Bay Area freeways this week, starting with employees. This will get passengers to where they need to go faster than using city streets, the Company said. For example, it...
Update, 8.15.24: Santa Monica Police say they have found a Brazilian woman, 26, Mychelle Dias Hespanhol, in a local hospital. No other details were released. Hespanhol has green eyes and brown hair, and a tattoo on her left arm that says "Itelvina." She has been missing for 3 days and was last seen in Santa Monica after spending the night at an AIRBNB. she was last seen near 4th Street and Broadway. Her broken cell phone has been found. She may be schizophrenic or bipolar. "This is a Brazilian...
Santa Monica took part in the National Night Out Against Crime Tuesday August 6 2024, with an exhibition in front of City Hall Tuesday evening, August 7th. Various equipment was on display. What does the SMPD Mobile Command Center do? "It's for when there's a critical incident over an extended duration of time," said one officer. "We utilize the Mobile Command Center for high-risk calls," said Lt. Erika Aklufi, "including search warrants, within the city where we need to set up a command post...
Like other urban departments, the SMPD could use more qualified applicants. Last Tuesday's NNO included police recruiting. A couple of booths distributed information and answered questions from those who might want to join the 222 officers of the Santa Monica Police Dept. "We are hiring entry levels and laterals," said SMPD background investigator Pardo. "Starting salary range is $85,000 to $135,000. If you'd like to become an officer, there are 4 easy steps: A written test, physical test,...
Update, 8.5.24: "U.S. stocks fell sharply on Monday as part of a global market sell-off centered around U.S. recession fears. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 951 points, or 2.4%. The Nasdaq Composite lost 3.1%, and the S&P 500 slid 2.7%. The blue-chip Dow earlier fell as much as 1,200 points. "Fears of a U.S. recession were the main culprit for the global market meltdown after Friday’s disappointing July jobs report. Investors are also concerned that the Federal Reserve is behind in c...
A 5.2 magnitude earthquake was felt as a rolling motion in Santa Monica, CA around 9:10 pm PST. The earthquake was centered 99 kilomers (about 61 miles) West of Mettler, California. It was at a depth of 6 miles. "I felt this quake for a change. A M5.2 located at the southern end of the Central Valley. It is near the White Wolf fault that produced a M7.5 in 1952 but does not appear to be on that fault." Tweeted Caltech's Dr. Lucy Jones. There were six aftershocks greater than Magnitude 3, within...
The Danish Navy rescued two men from a life raft after ditching their small plane in the North Atlantic Ocean. The HDMS Triton is an oceanic patrol frigate, about 368 feet in length. The two men were en route from Canada to Southern Greenland. The following statement is from the Danish Arctic Command's Facebook page: Monday 29 July at At 12.17 Flight Information Center Nuuk and Arctic Command received a MAYDAY call from a German-registered aircraft en route from Canada to Narsarsuaq in South...
16, 10 am PST: Israel has retaliated for the killing of 12 Israeli children playing soccer in Northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams. The target is said to have been Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah's second in command and the architect of the attack in Majdal Shams. Israel has not confirmed Fuad Shukr's death, or that he was in fact the target. Hezbollah has said that he was not, in fact, killed in the attack. Smoke is reportedly pouring from the bomb site, possibly caused by an Israeli Airstrike....
Nicolas Maduro, Socialist dictator of Venezuela, appears to be losing his grip on power. The armed forces and police are siding with tens of thousands of protestors who have taken to the streets of the capital. "The Bolivarian National Guard of Venezuela defies Nicolás Maduro's orders to suppress the protesters, and joins them in their march toward Guarenas," tweeted George, who claims to be in Caracas. "Venezuelan military units are now greeting the protestors instead of stopping them....
A group of young women are putting their feet to work, pedaling bicycles down the Pacific Coast, to raise awareness and funds for the struggle against sex trafficking. Hannah, Morgan, Tracy and Claire started in Seattle and will ride their bikes to San Diego to raise money for domestic sex trafficking prevention. We ran into them as they rose Sunday morning, after spending a night in Santa Monica. They were about to hit the road for the final leg of their ride down the Pacific Coast to San...
Wow. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran, Hamas confirmed on Wednesday morning, while claiming Israel was behind the attack. The IRGC said that an "Airborne Guided Projectile" had struck Ismail Haniyeh's house at 2 am Tehran time. It is unclear whether it was a drone or precision guided missile. In a statement, the Islamist terror group said they mourned the death of Haniyeh, who they claimed was killed in "a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran." Haniyeh, along with...
In a move that cannot really be described as surprising, Joe Biden has dropped out of the 2024 US presidential race. He said it had been his honor to serve with Kamala Harris, but stopped short of endorsing her for the Democratic presidential nomination. Nancy Pelosi among others, had lead a campaign demanding that the President not seek the Democratic nomination, which he easily won in the primary months ago. "There's a lot of fury by those who feel Joe was forced out," "If Kamala Harris is...
Video has emerged on social media showing an Atlantic humpback whale, deliberately upending a 27 foot small boat in the ocean near Portsmouth NH on Tuesday, 7.23.24. Another boater, a young man in a small boat, watches, then turns the wheel to run. Video may be seen at: https://x.com/dom_lucre/status/1815817507879399892 The whale is described as "Pissed off;" the boater who posted it suggests that small boats avoid the area. It's uncertain if any humans (or whales) were injured in the incident....
In an event likely to shake up the US election yet again, an assassin fired two or more shots at President Donald J. Trump, as he was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania. "Staged" was trending on Twitter, because the photo of Trump at the rally was too good to be true. "i wonder what the shooters pronouns are?" tweeted one person. "She, her – as in Hillary." How did a shooter get into a rally, and close enough to kill Trump? The answer is apparently he was not actually in the stadium in B...