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☆ How to find water when you're lost in the desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Containers can help collect moisture that forms overnight. That's why it's important to know, ahead of time, where the most likely water sources in a desert may be hiding. Prickly pear Opuntia basilaris in bloom in spring in the desert in Joshua Tree National Park California. Education Images/UIG via Getty ImagesThe University of Nevada, Reno, suggests wearing leather or rubber gloves and using tongs to harvest a prickly pear cactus. In reality, you're probably not in a situation where you're going to go through all that work, so if you find a prickly pear just be extra careful while harvesting and peeling the skin.

Organizations: Service, Phoenix, Getty, The, of Nevada, Independent Locations: Wall, Silicon, Joshua Tree, Park California, Reno

Multiple sea drone attack carried out on Russian assets in Crimea and the Black Sea have grabbed recent headlines, with dramatic videos posted online. These sea drones are targeting the Russians in the Black Sea. “The speed of these drones exceeds any sea craft in the Black Sea region at the moment.”The speed and difficulties in detection may go some way to explaining how the drones that attacked the bridge traveled undetected in the dark across the Black Sea to the bridge. Especially since the Admiral Makarov was newly installed as the Black Sea flagship after the Moskva was famously sunk by Ukrainian forces in April 2022. Russia claimed it was responding to an area it says was housing sea drones.

Persons: Makarov, Putin, ”, menacingly, Admiral Makarov, “ Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Boston Whaler, CNN, “, UNESCO, Heritage Locations: Ukraine, Boston, Crimean, Russia, Crimea, Kerch, Crimea’s Sevastopol, Sevastopol, Moskva, Russian

☆ A Montana couple spent $20,000 building a 2-bedroom house, and now they're debt-free. There's just one catch: The house is made of clay, sand, and straw.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Daniel Ray, the owner, estimates that they spent less than $20,000 on the entire construction. Daniel Ray/Spiritwood Natural BuildingBut it wasn't until a couple of years later that the couple finally had a chance to turn it into reality. They saw their first cob house as practice for the new space they had in mind. "We both had full-time jobs and then would also work about 40 hours a week on building the house," Ray said. It's also going to reduce the amount of effort that you have to put into building the house," Ray said.

Persons: Daniel Ray, Daniel, Katherine Ray, Ray, they'd, that's, it's, didn't, It's, Katherine Organizations: Service Locations: Montana, Wall, Silicon, Wales, Vancouver, British Columbia, Bitterroot, Victor , Montana, Mexico, India, Moroccan, Victor

We pay nearly $2,600 a year for homeowners insurance, flood insurance, and an umbrella policy. See Insider's picks for the best homeowners insurance companies »Our insurance coverageYou might be wondering what kind of hurricane insurance we have. You can get flood insurance, windstorm insurance, and homeowners insurance. And when someone, especially a Floridian, talks about hurricane insurance, they're usually talking about a combination of these policies. We have a combination of homeowners insurance and federally-backed flood insurance through FEMA.

Persons: —, I'd, I've Organizations: Service, FEMA, The Florida Department of Health Locations: Florida, Northeast, United States

☆ With Pandemic Aid Ending, Vermont’s Homeless Are Forced From Hotels
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Jenna Russell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As his few remaining hours with a place to live ticked by last Thursday, Scott Alexander panhandled near a McDonald’s in Brattleboro, in southern Vermont, while running through a mental checklist of the supplies he would need for a move back into the woods nearby. He had a tent and sleeping bags for himself and his wife, a propane stove and a heater. But he needed tarps and propane, and in two hours of holding his battered cardboard sign — “Any Act of Kind Greatly Appreciate” — he had made only $3. “It feels like a countdown,” Mr. Alexander, 41, said as he eyed the storm clouds gathering overhead. “I’ll be up all night, trying to get ready.”In the progressive bastion of Vermont, it was a point of pride that the state moved most of its homeless residents into hotel rooms during the coronavirus pandemic, giving vulnerable people a better chance of avoiding the virus.

Persons: Scott Alexander panhandled, ”, Mr, Alexander, I’ll Locations: Brattleboro, Vermont

☆ How to build a cheap DIY underground bunker to protect you from nuclear fallout, in 6 steps
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Adam Barnes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In a pinch, this DIY fallout shelter would be better than an above-ground building, an expert said. Turns out, if a nuclear attack is imminent, you can build your own DIY fallout shelter for relatively cheap. Equipment you'll need for a DIY fallout shelterPhoto taken in 1961 of a 77-year-old man who built his own fallout shelter in his backyard. How to build a DIY fallout shelter for cheap in 6 stepsFirst, scout out a location for your fallout shelter. How this DIY fallout shelter would protect youSoil is a great shield from radioactive fallout.

Persons: —, Michael Ochs, Stringer, Cresson H, it's, Sun, bomba, Alex Wellerstein, MAXIM ZHURAVLEV Organizations: Service, Michael Ochs Archives, National Laboratory, Laboratory, Getty, University of Nevada, United States National Locations: Oak, Kearny, Nes, Las Vegas

LAKE CHARLES, La., May 18 (Reuters) - In Washington, Republican U.S. Representative Clay Higgins has been a vocal advocate for spending cuts. As a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, Higgins was an early advocate for dramatic spending cuts, many of which ended up in the House bill. He hopes the spending cuts backed by Higgins won't affect local efforts to provide affordable housing. When it comes to spending, Higgins has been a solid "no" in Washington. For some local residents, Higgins' push for spending cuts in the face of so much need remains incomprehensible.

☆ Phoenix Dismantles a Homeless Encampment, One Block at a Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jack Healy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

PHOENIX — Rebecca Sutton has no love for her patch of “the Zone,” a sprawling homeless camp on the edge of downtown Phoenix. There are overdoses and shootings, the sidewalk where she sleeps reeks of urine, and someone once burned down her tent. But now, moving day was looming, and Ms. Sutton did not know where else to go. In March, a judge declared the Zone a “public nuisance” and ordered Phoenix to clear out the area by mid-July. The city is planning to do so block by block, carrying out what it calls an “enhanced cleaning,” starting with Ms. Sutton’s corner at Ninth Avenue and Washington.

CNN —A large blimp developed by the Chinese military has been spotted for the first time at a remote base in the desert of northwestern China, exclusive new satellite imagery obtained by CNN shows. “You can expect because it’s available via satellite imagery that we’re tracking the object,” the official said. Military patentsAdditional satellite imagery and analysis of the site suggests that the PLA has significantly loftier goals for its site, and its airship program. Additional satellite imagery provided to CNN by BlackSky shows construction, which includes subterranean excavation and foundation pouring, is continuing. “At this site in particular, I would really want to see the big airship,” Hayes said.

☆ If You Don’t Use Your Land, These Marxists May Take It
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Jack Nicas | Maria Magdalena Arréllaga | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

They arrived just before midnight, carrying machetes and hoes, hammers and sickles, with plans to seize the land. When the 200 activists and farm workers got there, the ranch was vacant, overgrown with weeds, and the farm headquarters empty, except for a stray cow. On a recent Sunday, children rode bicycles on new dirt paths, women tilled soil for gardens and men pulled tarps onto shelters. The siblings who inherited the 370-acre ranch want the squatters gone. The new tenants say they aren’t going anywhere.

☆ Chinese spy balloon's solar panels could power sophisticated radar, Washington Post reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - A Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the U.S. in February carried solar panels that could generate enough electricity to power a type of radar that can generate images at night and through clouds, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing leaked U.S. intelligence documents. The balloon caused an uproar in Washington and damaged U.S.-China ties when it flew over the U.S. in January and February. According to the NGA document, the balloon could generate up to 10,000 watts of solar power, more than enough to operate a sophisticated surveillance system known as synthetic aperture radar, the Post said. That type of radar can return images at night and can penetrate clouds and thin materials such as tarps to show objects beneath, the newspaper reported. The balloon also had a parabolic dish measuring 1.2 meters in diameter, several unidentified sensors and a possible mast antenna, the Post said.

QADIS, Afghanistan — When the temperatures plunged far below freezing in Niaz Mohammad’s village last month, the father of three struggled to keep his family warm. One particularly cold night, he piled every stick and every shrub he had collected into their small wood stove. He scavenged for trash that might burn, covered the windows with plastic tarps and held his 2-month-old son close to his chest. Ice crept across the room: It covered the windows, then the walls, then the thick red blanket wrapped around Mr. Mohammad’s wailing son. “The cold took him,” Mr. Mohammad, 30, told visiting journalists for The New York Times, describing the details of that horrible night.

☆ Fleeing drought, Somalis face malnutrition and cholera in Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Ayenat Mersie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In a ward for severely malnourished children, Ismael said her baby's condition had not improved since arriving at Dadaab. Severe malnourishment had made the baby's head swell with liquid - a common effect of malnutrition in children. In the past two years, the drought has displaced one million Somalis and about 100,000 have fled to Kenya, according to the United Nations. In the past year, 32 children have died of malnutrition in the section of the camp run by the IRC, Ngao said. "This was the worst drought I have ever seen," he said.

☆ Death toll rises to more than 21,000, rescues dwindle in earthquake aftermath
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ahmet Izgi | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesEmergency crews made a series of dramatic rescues in Turkey on Friday, pulling several people, some almost unscathed, from the rubble, four days after a catastrophic earthquake killed more than 21,000. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the border region between Turkey and Syria, an area home to more than 13.5 million people, early Monday morning. Mustafa Turan rushed to his hometown of Adiyaman from Istanbul hours after the quake struck to check on his relatives. Aerial footage from over the earthquake zone in Turkey revealed entire neighborhoods of high-rises reduced to twisted metal, pulverized concrete and exposed wires. A woman sits next to the body of her nephew in Kahramanmaras, on February 9, 2023, three days after a 7,8-magnitude earthquake struck southeast Turkey.

☆ Revenge of the Geezer Quarterbacks: Brady, Rodgers Back From the Brink
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Like a pair of grizzled deputies in a movie Western, left for goners in a corn silo by the outlaws three scenes ago…Like a couple of vintage, chrome-bumpered pick-ups found under dusty tarps in an abandoned barn…

☆ Daughter of Baseball Hall of Famer accused of abandoning newborn baby in woods in 15-degree cold
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The daughter of a Baseball Hall of Famer has been arrested after giving birth to a baby in the woods amid freezing temperatures and misleading police about the abandoned infant’s whereabouts, officials said. Alexandra Eckersley, 26, was arrested Monday, accused of abandoning her newborn infant in a tent “without heat or proper clothing in the woods” in frigid 15-degree weather, according to charging documents. She is the daughter of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and longtime Red Sox announcer Dennis Eckersley, a representative for the baseball player confirmed to NBC Boston. Eckersley told detectives that she was in pain on Christmas Day and believed she was constipated or hemorrhaging. She was arrested Monday and charged with reckless conduct, second-degree assault by extreme indifference, falsifying physical evidence and endangering the welfare of a child, according to documents filed in Hillsborough Superior Court.

☆ Colorado governor visits shooting site as community heals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In a crowded brewery, Colorado Gov. Fierro squeezed Wyatt Kent, a drag queen whose 23rd birthday was being celebrated the night of the shooting, and chatted with his family. Club Q’s community had been a steadfast support network, said Kent, one which has continued to undergird the community’s healing since the tragedy. “If I pour myself out into others they will pour themselves out back into me,” said Kent, “and that’s what this community has always done.”The broader Colorado Springs community is pouring out support for the survivors, too. “Club Q will be back and the community will be back,” he said.

CNN —South Korean authorities are investigating the crowd surge that killed at least 154 partygoers in Seoul, as the rattled nation attempts to come to terms with one of its worst-ever disasters. Nearly all of the victims – at least 150 – have been identified; police told CNN. Three South Korean military personnel were also among those killed, a Korean defense ministry official told CNN. The South Korean government has set a national mourning period starting until the end of November 5, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in a briefing. Civil servants and employees of public institutions will wear ribbons to express their condolences during the mourning period, Han said.

☆ Amazon appears to be polling Americans on how they think it treats warehouse workers amid labor uprisings
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A poll to Americans asked about their perception of pay, safety, and benefits at Amazon warehouses. The bulk of the poll focuses on how respondents perceive Amazon's efforts to improve conditions for its warehouse employees. Market research company Survey 160, a consulting firm co-founded by Obama digital strategy alum Nate Lubin, is conducting the survey, according to a text message to a survey participant seen by Insider. Since then, Amazon has expanded a new workplace safety program, raised wages, and boosted upskilling opportunities for frontline workers. Warehouse activists have in the past two years stepped up complaints over Amazon's grueling productivity expectations, safety risks, and attitude toward organized labor.

☆ The 10 most prestigious preschools in London and how to get in, according 2 early-education consultants
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Lauren Crosmedlicott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

Finding the right early-education setting for your child in London may feel like a minefield to new parents. Nurseries aren't just evaluating children in the application process but also assessing the parents during the decision-making process, Baron said. The school emphasizes on its website that children who attend are accepted into the top selective preschools in London. "There's nothing to say they can't be moved onto more of a prep school," Smith said. The admission process: Children can start at Ducks as early as 6 months of age, but most start at 2.

☆ Puerto Ricans from town in ‘terrible destruction’ after Hurricane Fiona despair over town's initial exclusion from aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Daniella Silva | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The landslides cut off Rivera’s farm, where he still lacks power and water, until heavy machinery arrived to attempt to clear the destruction. Most of the towns excluded were in the southwestern region, where Hurricane Fiona entered and left incalculable devastation. 'Almost all lost'But residents in San Germán were frustrated at not being able to apply immediately for individual assistance. Gone were hundreds of avocados, the coffee, the eggplants, zucchini and other crops Rivera produces and sells to the community, mostly to nearby restaurants. Jorge Luis Rivera, 36, a farmer in San Germán, Puerto Rico, who lost most of his crops to Hurricane Fiona.

☆ Hurricane season forecast: Above average, spare us from another one, Louisiana resident says
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-30 | by ( Jennifer Gray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Callaghan O'Hare for the Washington Post/Getty Images“There is a literal PTSD out there in the community,” explained Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter. “We have some homes that literally have not been touched since Hurricane Laura,” Hunter noted. “Though it has taken far too long, there is over a billion dollars in federal aid that has been allocated for hurricanes Laura and Delta. Lake Charles ‘on edge’Powerful winds blew out windows in the Capitol One Bank Tower during Hurricane Laura in 2020. “Certainly, as we approach hurricane season, locals are just a bit more on edge than they were prior to 2020,” Hunter acknowledged.

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