4,000 Trapped In The Ocean As Wildfire Approaches Australian Coastal Town

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/more-than-4000-people-trapped-on-a-beach-are-ordered-to-shelter-in-the-ocean-as-bushfires-close-in-and-turn-the-sky-red-after-blaze-destroys-multiple-homes-and-leaves-four-people-missing/ar-BBYthbo?ocid=sf

The Curious Case Of Carlos Ghosn's Escape From Japan

Then came the bizarre story of Carlos Ghosn. To my Brasilian readers, he is a Brasilian who made good on a grand scale. If you are curious, here is his life story:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Ghosn

        Carlos ended up in Japan as CEO of Nissan. If the Japanese authorities are to be believed, he literally used Nissan bank accounts as his personal ATM. He allegedly lived a grand lifestyle at the expense of Nissan shareholders. He also failed to report his massive income and pay taxes on it in Japan.

         Carlos was arrested and stayed in a Japanese jail for a while. He used his public relations apparatus to gain sympathy for him around the world. Bail is not a right in Japan. Finally the Japanese authorities allowed him to post bail of roughly $13,800,000 US. He had to surrender all passports (French, Lebanese and Brasilian). He had to stay in his apartment under electronic monitoring wearing an ankle bracelet. He was guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by agents from the prosecutor's office, Tokyo Metropolitan Police, and an elite private security agency.

        If Carlos is to be believed, he outwitted the electronic monitoring. He evaded three law enforcement agencies and made his way to some private airport where he flew out of Japan in a corporate jet that took him to Lebanon after one or two refueling stops. Japanese can be rigid and bureaucratic. On the other hand, their equivalent of the US Federal Aviation Administration is very efficient. Any flight by a corporate jet would have received scrutiny. If he had made it to some jet aircraft and lifted off, Japanese jet fighters would have been scrambled. If this failed, his course would have been plotted. Airports where he stopped for refueling would be asked to detain the plane and him.

     Those of you who know me well know that I am quite familiar with matters relating to international escapes. In 1984 I made legal history both in the US and Australia. I accomplished something that had not been accomplished in 140 years.

          The first problem with this escape story is that a number of people would be needed to help him including staff at the Lebanese Embassy in Tokyo. In the process of putting together such a daring and well-funded plan, someone would slip-up on social media or with a close person in their life and say something about the plan. If by some miracle this did not happen, the second major problem is the electronic monitoring device. The minute someone tampers with it, an alarm goes off. (Forget all the television shows where crooks outwit electronic monitoring.) Did he bribe Japanese officials to escape? I doubt it.

      A more plausible explanation is that the Japanese authorities tired of the case. A financial settlement was made including payment of all back taxes. (Elena believes that large financial penalties are a better solution to white collar crime, as opposed to massive prison sentences given in the US and Britain.) Then, as the saying goes, Japanese authorities "looked the other way" while Ghosn made his getaway.

Seven-Eleven Has Been A Japansese Company Since 1991

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/30/business/7-eleven-japan-work.html

In Praise Of General David H. Berger, Commandant Of The US Marine Corps

       I am so proud of the fact that a graduate of Tulane, General David H. Berger, is now Commandant of the US Marine Corps. He is the commanding officer of some 186,000 active-duty marines and another 38,500 marine corps reservists.

        Anna long ago I introduced you to "Jack's 2% Rule." In simple language only 2% make it to the top in their profession.

        General Berger passed a 4-year training program to become a US Navy officer while at Tulane. When he decided to be a US Marine officer, he was sent to Marine Corps OCS at Quantico, Virginia. It is rougher than US Marine Corps boot camp and with a high failure rate.

         Once he graduated, he became a second lieutenant in the US Marine Corps. He ended up getting combat tours in the first Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq. Statistically some 5% of marines are killed or seriously wounded in combat. He survived this. Much to the surprise of many, far more marines die or are severely injured in helicopter or aircraft crashes, training accidents, etc. General Berger survived this also.

        As a career marine officer, it is possible to earn the rank of Lt. Colonel or Colonel. Only 2% of officers at this level advance to general. The stereotype of a general is someone who is cigar-smoking, hard-drinking, vile-mouthed, and a right-wing extremist. In reality, a general is someone who is a great conceptual thinker and has extraordinary leadership capabilities. Once one makes 2-star general, it gets very competitive to get a third star or the fourth star of the Commandant of the US Marine Corps. General Berger passed through all these filters to make it to the top.

My Incredible Cousin Robert N. Bruce, Jr, PhD

My cousin Robert Bruce used to be professor of civil engineering at Tulane. His former students include:

1)    General David Berger, Commandant of the USMC and the highest- ranking officer ever to graduate from Tulane (E-’81).

2)    John Dane III E-’72 and E-’75; Olympic sailor.

3)    Doug Hurley, astronaut E-‘88.

4)    Katherine Raymond   E-‘99 and E-‘07, Tulane biomedical engineer.

5)    Robert S. Boh, E-‘80 and ‘81 prominent New Orleans businessman active in Carnival.

The Humane Way That Greeks Often Treat Migrant Children

THE HOME PROJECT

Saving Thursday’s Child

ATHENS – In 2016, 15-year-old Asma from Afghanistan boarded one of the thousands of dinghies leaving the Turkish shores for Greece.

She was six months pregnant.

Asma’s family fled Afghanistan for Iran out of fear for their lives, and could only afford to send one person even further, to Europe: They sent Asma.

“What we did was very difficult,” Asma recalled of the journey from Iran to Greece with Hamid, also 15, the son of another refugee family and the father of her child. “But we had to do this.”

Arriving on the island of Lesbos, Asma was one of the millions of people from Africa, the Middle East and Asia to cross borders into Europe during the continent’s so-called Refugee Crisis in 2015 and 2016. Sixty percent of the new arrivals entered through Greece.

The numbers have dwindled in the years since. Even so, migration flows are on the rise once again, with a 35 percent spike in arrivals over 2018 to reach 120,000 this year, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency.

And thousands of those – more than 63,000 in 2015-2016 – are children who arrive alone.

Due to her pregnancy, Asma and Hamid were both immediately sent by the National Center for Social Solidarity, in charge of assigning shelter spots to unaccompanied minors, to the HOME Project, a nonprofit in Greece serving these children.

The nonprofit was created after the leadership of the social responsibility program of the Libra Group – an international conglomerate operating in numerous sectors, including aviation and energy – noticed how three-quarters of these unaccompanied children ended up in detention centers and refugee camps, or on the streets.

The organization wanted to help.

ATHENS, GREECE – Maria Kaldani, a social worker with the Home Project, works with refugee children like Asma who have arrived in Greece alone.

At the HOME Project, they gave children a bed, but also access to legal, health and social services and assistance with enrollment in school. The aim is to either support these children until they reunify with their families living in other EU counties or integrate them into Greek society.

Out of 5,200 unaccompanied minors in Greece today, Asma is one of the luckier ones.

That’s because in Greece, living conditions for refugees are appalling, and that doesn’t exclude children.

A report from the European Court of Auditors last month described the conditions in a refugee camp on Samos island: “The capacity of each container was for 8 to 10 boys, but 16 were staying in each, and even sleeping on the ground.” The report also notes how 78 children were sleeping in tents or in abandoned, derelict houses outside the camp even during winter, and nine girls were sleeping on the floor in a 100-square-foot container next to the police station, with no bathroom or shower.

“This country needs to turn a page on how this (refugee) movement is handled,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who visited Greece last month.

Even with decent care, these children face big obstacles.

For example, about 80 percent of those at the HOME Project shelters don’t have asylum yet – they’re either waiting anxiously for the decision or have been rejected already.

At the same time, the conservative government of the New Democracy party, elected in July, has recently tightened the country’s asylum laws. Now, all unaccompanied minors over 15 arriving from countries deemed “safe” – such as Pakistan; parts of Afghanistan; Bangladesh and Egypt – won’t be considered vulnerable and are subject to deportation.

The new provision will affect the status of the majority of unaccompanied minors in Greece today as they hail from countries deemed “safe” and 93 percent of them are now over 15.

“The fact that a country might not have a war doesn’t mean it’s safe (for these children),” said Maria Kaldani, a social worker at the HOME Project who works with Asma. “But we’re still waiting to see how the new law will be implemented.”

Meanwhile, Greece remains overwhelmed with processing the newcomers. Most refugees applying for legal status now receive their first appointments in 2022 or even in 2023. That’s impacting the children.

“Staying in Greece for three years in transit, children often end up living eight years of their lives as a refugee,” said Kaldani. “That’s just not healthy for any minor or adult.”

As a result of the uncertainty, some children feel they can’t move ahead or plan for the future. Many run away before they turn 18 in the hopes of getting asylum in another EU country.

Meanwhile, the government has also banned all asylum seekers from access to primary healthcare. The staff at the HOME Project spends a large portion of their budget getting the children medical care.

“Many of the children arriving in Greece suffer from chronic conditions like scoliosis or kidney disease,” said Kaldani. “At the same time, most of the children that have had traumatic experiences in their home countries or even spent six months in refugee camps in Greece may need expensive psychiatric drugs.”

ATHENS, GREECE – Vassilis Michailidis, chief of staff of the Home Project, is working with one of the refugee children that arrived in Greece alone.

The lack of access to public healthcare prevents many of these children from enrolling in school because they lack the documents proving they have had the required vaccines.

“We’ve spent money from our budget and also work with other NGOs to get our children vaccinated,” said Fotis Parthenides, a social worker who oversees all HOME Project shelters.

Some vaccines, though, cost as much as 400 euros.

Also, the lack of teachers available to offer prep classes is hindering refugee children from effective learning. During the last school year, substitute teachers were hired six months after classes started, leaving refugee students who spoke no Greek unsupported.

As a result of that and the lack of documents proving vaccinations, just a quarter of all refugee children went to class in the last school year. This year, even fewer schools have prep classes.

“From the 14 different public schools our children attend, only two have prep classes for the kids that don’t speak Greek,” said Parthenides.

Meanwhile, the anti-immigrant sentiment that has risen in Greece over the past few years is having an effect, he added.

“There are teachers in the public school that don’t want refugee children in their class and threaten to kick them out of school with the excuse that their Greek is bad,” he said.

For Asma, however, because of the HOME Project and other aid, life has some regularity.

She takes the subway to the American Community Schools (ACS), a private international school in Athens, where she works toward getting an American high school diploma, courtesy of a scholarship by the Massachusetts-based Shapiro Foundation.

She’s changed, say those who know her.

“Asma has grown and is now a confident, strong, young woman,” said Julia Tokatlidou, director of ACS’s social integration program. “Now, she walks with her head high.”

“The HOME Project has a great holistic approach to dealing with children, is well-organized, and we’ve been working with them since their beginning in 2016,” she added.

Tokatlidou says if Asma continues to go to school, she will graduate in three years.

Even then, she and others reaching the age of maturity can still receive care from the HOME Project: Since the organization doesn’t depend on public funding, it doesn’t have to force those who turn 18 to leave.

“Three of our former kids are now working inside the shelter,” said Vassilis Michailidis, chief of staff at the HOME Project. “Another 30 have found jobs through our contacts.”

Back at the shelter, Parthenides is playing with Asma’s toddler as Asma looks into the future.

“I’d like to study math,” said Asma, who is now 17. “When I’m 18, I need to find a job and make some money for my baby. Maybe I’ll find a job here at the Home Project.”

Parthenides turns to her and says, “We’re keeping you here, Asma, with your baby.”

Reporter: Nikolia Apostolou
Editor: Jabeen Bhatti

Editor’s note: Asma and Hamid’s names have been changed and certain details about them withheld to protect their identity because they are minors.

My Christmas Story For 2019

     After surviving over seven decades over seven decades, it is good to stop and reflect on what one has learned. We all have had people who broke our hearts, took advantage of us, betrayed us, etc. It is best to reflect on the lessons learned. It is not good to be hateful or bitter toward these people. What one should always treasure are the memories of people who were kind to you when you were helpless and in bad circumstances.

      My mind goes back 36 years. It is Christmas, 1983. I was living in the small town of Albany, West Australia. I had lost my wife Maria. I was facing a huge legal battle with the full power of the US government (By the way, I won that battle in 1984 and went into the legal history books in two countries.) I was broke and friendless.

     I went to a small church in the town. Two of my fellow worshippers were Len and Eve Lees. They knew how sad and lonely I was. They invited me to spend Christmas with them in their humble cottage.  We ate a very traditional British Christmas dinner. They gave me the one Christmas gift that I got that year. In British English it was “a tin of biscuits.” In American English, it was a metal box containing simple cookies. I was so touched by their kindness. I have never forgotten it.

    Len worked at a small printing company and did not have much money. He did have a fascinating story in life that I will now share with you. Len and Eve were from Britain. They met and married in the late 1930’s. When World War II came in 1939, Len enlisted in the British Army. He became a humble foot soldier in the infantry. Len fought with General Montgomery in North Africa.

    His next assignment was the invasion of Sicily. The US Army did something brilliant here. They filled the ranks of the invading troops with Italian Americans of Sicilian ancestry. When these troops came ashore, they met up with relatives. They were greeted with heaping plates of pasta and great Italian wine.

    After this easy assignment, Len was part of the US and British forces who invaded Italy. They came face to face with a brilliant German general named Albert Kesselring. This general made life “hell on earth” for the allies right until the end of World War II.

    Len became separated from his unit during a ferocious battle. He ran out of ammunition and food. He was sleeping on the cold ground. Someone awakened him from his sleep early one morning. When he opened his eyes, he saw a German army officer standing over him. Refexively Len raised his Sten gun and pointed it at the German officer.

     What happened next was a huge surprise to Len. The German officer spoke to Len in perfect British English with these words: “You’re not fooling anyone. We both know that you’re out of ammunition. You might as well face it old chap, the war is over for you.”

   Len surrendered and talked to the German officer. He found out that the man had been an exchange student in England in the 1930’s. Len soon realized that he was the luckiest man in the world. Any other German soldier would have shot him right on the spot when he pointed his weapon at them.

   Len was released from the prisoner of war camp in early 1945. He came home to Eve. They decided to emigrate to Australia. They ended up in the small town of Albany, West Australia.

   Small acts of kindness have a wonderful impact of the lives of others. When possible, be kind and generous.

Memories of Christmases Long Ago

Your Christmas eve briefing...let me talk about what Christmas eve and Christmases were like when I was a child. Dad had spent a lot of time in Germany and France, thanks to the US Army. He had picked up a liking for things European and the importance of Christmas eve.

   Dad would bring home a big bag with all sorts of foods and goodies from a store called European Imports. It was packed with real cheeses (not the American fakes), all sorts of crackers, and delicacies that only he liked including chocolate ants. All these goodies would be put out on the counter. A bottle of excellent bourbon would be opened. We stood around the counter eating the great food and drinking bourbon with ginger ale. (Elena finds it barbaric to eat while standing up.) Despite being under aged, I was allowed to drink "the hard stuff." My dear sister was not allowed to drink alcohol because she was "a girl." There was a lot of fun and small talk.

   We always had a large and well-decorated Christmas tree in the living room. Lots of wrapped packages could be found underneath. My sister and I were each allowed to open one package before going to bed.

    We hardly slept afterwards. We would be up at three in the morning opening packages and assembling our toys. Dad would get up early and play along side us. Mother would get up and cook a real American breakfast. Dad would then take us out to look at Christmas decorations and take in a movie.

     While we were out having fun with dad, mother would slave all day long in the kitchen cooking a big turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, vegetables and a pumpkin or pecan pie. It was all-natural ingredients.

     When we got back from spending time with dad, we found the house full of the smells of great food cooking. Later we would sit down to a grand dinner.

       Everyone go out there and make some good Christmas memories!!!! Be thankful for all the good things that you have in life!!! Be positive!!!

Christmas In Yosemite

In the decades since the Ahwanee was built, the lodge has hosted numerous dignitaries, including the Obama family in 2016. Rooms there start at $376 per night.

But back in the 1920s, in the early days of the Parks Service, it was conceived of as a way to convince travelers that they could enjoy the beauty of nature without sacrificing comfort.

Still, the hotel’s operators knew that getting visitors to the Ahwanee in winter would be a challenge. (This would have been before all-wheel drive.)

So the hotel’s operators came up with an idea.

Why not stage a holiday pageant? Guests could dress up in their finery, stay at the hotel, and, in a glowing banquet hall with soaring views of Yosemite Valley, watch some light, Yuletide-themed performances and listen to carols.

And that, Andrea Fulton told me recently, is how the “Bracebridge Dinner” was born.

“It’s a four-hour, totally captivating theatrical holiday experience,” Ms. Fulton said. “It’s about the warmth and the spirit of the season.”

She’d know: Ms. Fulton’s father, Eugene Fulton, a choral conductor in San Francisco, was brought on to be the production’s musical director in 1934. Ms. Fulton’s mother worked as the chorus’s accompanist.

Ms. Fulton made her debut as a villager at age 5, in 1950.

Their boss in the endeavor? Ansel Adams, who helped write the script, starred in the show each year and ran the pageant from 1929 to 1973.

Andrea Fulton on Christmas Eve in 1950.Ansel Adams

“We used to rehearse at my home, so Ansel would come to my house,” she said. He was a larger than life persona, sure, but Ms. Fulton recalled being “entranced” by the photographer’s full beard.

In 1979, after her father died of a heart attack, Ms. Fulton took over as producer and director.

Like any millennial girl who enjoyed reading, I had seen the “Gilmore Girls” episode “The Bracebridge Dinner,” but I had no idea that it was a real tradition, let alone rooted in California — not some tiny New England town.

So just before her 40th season as the production’s leader and her 69th year as a performer, I talked with Ms. Fulton about how the tradition has shifted over the years.

And a little while ago, a photographer and I drove up to Yosemite for a behind-the-scenes look, which we’ll share with you tomorrow.

Widelux F6 (mechanical Panorama Camera) Review, Tutorial and Sample Images

NEW Top Gun 2 EXTENDED Trailer

The India Rape Epidemic

INDIA

Made In India

Indian opposition politician Rahul Gandhi is facing sedition charges for a small rhyme that refers to a big problem.

Speaking at a campaign event, the Congress Party honcho said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Made in India” slogan should be “Rape in India” due to the spate of protests and high-profile cases involving sexual assaults on women, the Times of India reported.

Gandhi is refusing to the apologize perhaps because he knows a large segment of the Indian public believes he’s calling attention to an important problem.

In late November, four men gang-raped and killed a veterinarian, set her body on fire and left it under a bridge near the southern city of Hyderabad, reported the Guardian. Video footage suggested the men had plotted the attack, deflating her scooter tires and then offering to help her. Hundreds of women took to the streets to demand justice.

“Unfortunately, we need something like this (the rape) to shake us to seek change,” one demonstrator told Al Jazeera. “No one addresses the basic issues that are a threat to women’s safety on streets on a daily basis.”

Days later, a second woman, a teenager in Uttar Pradesh was raped and over 90 percent of her body was burned, the Independent reported.

Indian police reported more than 32,500 rape cases in 2017, according to Reuters. That’s around 90 a day. Courts disposed of around 18,300 cases in the same year. Almost 128,000 cases remained pending at the time.

The Hyderabad incident especially touched a nerve because it recalled an attack in Delhi in 2012, when six men raped a 23-year-old student on a bus. The woman later died from her injuries. That incident led Indian lawmakers to strengthen rape laws.

The Delhi student’s convicted assailants don’t appear particularly contrite, however. One recently asked officials not to carry out his death sentence because air pollution was already killing him. CNN wrote that the court is likely to reject his request.

Police arrested the four men accused of the Hyderabad rape. But the alleged rapists never answered for their crimes, at least not in court. Instead, officers shot all four dead under the bridge where they left their victim, saying the men tried to grab their guns when they were taken to the scene of the attack, reported the New York Times.

Some Indians celebrated the suspects’ deaths. Others worried about the rise of vigilantism in India.

Some girls have been taking matters into their own hands since the 2012 incident, forming a vigilante group called the Red Brigades.

Still, a sense of justice being denied happened again recently when an alleged gang-rape victim was attacked and critically burned as she headed to court to testify against her attacker in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, wrote Reuters. Her village was divided over whether the perpetrators should be punished, mostly over caste lines.

Still, also in Uttar Pradesh state, a lawmaker expelled from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was tried in a separate rape and kidnapping case. A Delhi court found him guilty Monday, Press Trust India reported.

But as many women in India say in spite of the small victories, the larger one remains elusive.

“Nobody wants to invest in changing the system,” said Sunitha Krishnan, an activist and gang-rape survivor in Hyderabad, told the Associated Press. “You’ve just done some instant justice, closure, everybody’s moved on. And for most people, this is finished. But life doesn’t move on for hundreds of thousands of victims who are languishing for justice. And that’s the pathetic reality of this country.”

Planes That Never Flew - America's First Jet Fighter

Some Thoughts On The Battle of the Bulge 75 Years Later

This week 75 years ago the Battle of the Bulge began on the German border. It was Hitler's last attempt to stop the Americans and British from crashing into West Germany. The US had 610,000 troops fighting in this battle. 89,000 became casualties and 19,000 died. I feel that the real figure with soldiers missing in action was closer to 100,000. The Germans lost 80,000 to 100,000 men. My father fought in that battle and was never wounded.

       All these losses and the losses in the last 4 months of the war including over 300,000 Red Army troops killed taking Berlin might not have been necessary. Sir Winston Churchill is a fascinating man. He was a great political leader. He was a great writer. He was a great painter. He had served in the British Army as an officer both in the Boer War (South Africa) and in World War I as a major fighting in the trenches. He was a brilliant historian. He relied on his knowledge of the Romans and how they fought wars to come up with an unconventional idea. He calmly pointed out to Stalin and Franklin Roosevelt that when Roman armies knew that their victory was inevitable, they became magnanimous toward their opponent. They offered generous peace terms and a chance for the opponent to save face. Before this battle began, he suggested that the Germans be offered a generous deal to quit fighting. Stalin blocked this move. At the end, he was "hell bent" on grabbing as much territory as possible. Stalin was a psychopath of the highest order and the worst murderer in the history of the human race (67,000,000 deaths). He once made this comment:

    "One death is a tragedy. Millions of deaths are just numbers on a piece of paper."

Jack's Pearl of Wisdom For Sunday 15 December, 2019

https://33w44ft.tumblr.com/post/189682264013/movemequotes-more-advice-here

Greenland's Rapid Melt Will Mean More Flooding

Greenland's Rapid Melt Will Mean More Flooding: A new study finds the Greenland Ice Sheet is melting at a rate that matches the worst-case climate models, which project that flooding will affect millions of people by 2100.

A Forgotten Battle in Siberia Between Japan And The Soviet Union Convinced The Japanese To Attack The USA

https://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-soviet-and-japanese-forces-battle-at-khalkhin-gol.htm

A Nice Surprise On A Cold And Rainy Day

As some of you know, a 385 lb generator sits in front of our house. Its final resting place will be in the back yard near the kitchen. A 100-foot crane will come one Saturday and lift it into the back yard. Now we are in the middle of a very nasty storm. There is rain and high winds. I put a plastic cover over the generator. I secured it with logs and heavy stones. The high wind blew the cover off. As i slept this afternoon, someone put the cover back in place and properly secured it. To this unknown and kind person, a special thanks.

A Wonderful Surprise After 21 Years

21 years ago in 1998 I was broke and homeless. I slept on a concrete floor in a church each night. In those dark days, a non-profit agency helping the homeless bought me a black suit. The idea was to give me some nice clothes to go for job interviews. The suit has stayed with me all these years. I have not worn the suit for 8 years. I tried it on last night as my wife and I were going to a Christmas party. Much to my pleasant surprise, it still fit perfectly. How sweet it is!!! How many people can wear their clothes from 21 years ago? My daily 1.5 hours of swimming and walking 3-5 miles paid off!

HOW TO EAT HOT POT! (Chinese Hot Pot 101) - Fung Bros Food

Iran: Losing Friends

IRAN

Losing Friends

Russia’s state-owned nuclear fuel company announced Thursday that it has suspended operations in Iran’s Fordo nuclear facility because of Tehran’s decision last month to resume uranium enrichment, the Associated Press reported.

The company, TVEL, said it would be impossible to convert the facility in order to produce radioactive isotopes for medical purposes, despite previous assurances by Russian officials that the project would continue after Iran’s controversial decision.

The suspension is a sign that Moscow is trying to distance itself from Iran’s nuclear activities that violate the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran agreed to stop uranium enrichment under the deal but restarted the process after the United States withdrew from the pact last year and imposed new sanctions.

Last month, Tehran announced it was recommencing its nuclear enrichment at the fortified Fordo facility, adding that it would reverse its decision if European signatories of the deal help Iran bypass US sanctions.

Earlier this week, three European ambassadors warned the United Nations that Iran is developing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in violation of a UN Security Council resolution.

The letter was dismissed by Iran’s foreign minister, Reuters reported.

DI

A Cautionary Tale About Global Warming-You Can Spend Billions And Still Not Hold Back The Sea

ITALY

Selfies and Tears

There was a poignant irony to a viral video of a tourist falling into the water in Venice while taking a selfie.

The “Queen of the Adriatic” – one of the Italian city’s nicknames – is sinking. High tides and winds caused the November deluges that covered 80 percent of the city during a so-called “acqua alta,” or “high water,” that was six feet higher than usual. But the city was especially vulnerable. As the Conversation explained, its ancient foundations are collapsing slowly while the sea levels are rising steadily due to climate change.

Venice already had been working on a massive sea barrier to halt the onslaughts of water, but the Art Newspaper noted that the city hasn’t completed the project even after spending $6.6 billion on it over the past 16 years.

Accordingly, Italians terrified over their city disappearing under the waves understandably blame government negligence, incompetence, corruption and inaction for their woes, the Local wrote. “Venetians have just endured a deep wound,” an activist told Agence France-Presse. “The flooding … brought this city to its knees and revealed its extreme fragility to the world.”

Other locals worried about how flooding would push out the few remaining residents of central Venice. Life on the lagoon and amid the canals can be hard enough in normal times. Natural disasters make some want to give up entirely. NBC News wrote about how only 53,000 people live in the city now, compared to more than 120,000 in 1966, when another big flood struck.

A particular target of some Venetians’ ire were the cruise ships that they say have been eroding their buildings’ foundations. The Telegraph dismissed that idea. But the cruise ships do unleash millions of visitors – 32,000 a day – that critics quoted by CNN said have contributed to “overtourism” that has driven up the cost of living and indirectly forced natives out.

Venice has already taken some steps to restrict tourism by instituting an ‘entrance fee’ to the city, restricting the numbers of visitors on certain days and diverting some cruise ships to a nearby port. But millions still come.

The Weather Channel had some nice footage of life amid the flooding. It strikes one immediately how the tourist industry perseveres in Venice despite the natural disaster, with travelers walking on ramps above the waterline. St. Mark’s Square is a lake, the water smells of sewage, yet folks are sightseeing in rubber boots.

The Washington Post contrasted the tourists taking selfies with the residents in tears. “The toll of repeated inundation is mounting. … Life in one of the world’s most improbable and spellbinding cities is becoming unviable,” wrote the newspaper.

Desperately beautiful, Venice hopefully won’t turn out to be too precious to save.

W

Russia And China: The Contract Of The Century

RUSSIA

The Contract of the Century

Russian and Chinese leaders oversaw the launch of the Power of Siberia pipeline on Monday, Russia’s most significant energy project in almost three decades and a symbol of Moscow’s shifting diplomacy toward Beijing, the Financial Times reported.

The $55 billion project will provide China with 38 billion cubic meters in annual gas supplies via the 1,864 mile pipeline that crosses Siberia to the Chinese border in the southeast.

Dubbed “the contract of the century,” the deal will allow Russia’s Gazprom to increase gas exports amid declining demand from the traditional markets of Europe and Turkey.

Work on the pipeline began shortly after the United States and the European Union instituted sanctions on Russia following its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The project will also increase China’s energy security and help combat air pollution in the coal-dependent northeastern regions.

China has become heavily involved in Russian gas projects in recent years and it’s currently in talks with Gazprom on two additional pipelines.