Maui’s emergency sirens didn’t go off as wildfires tore through island

 Blaring warning sirens throughout Maui failed to activate as the apocalyptic wildfires swept through the island, officials said Friday.

The Hawaii Emergency Services Administration confirmed that the emergency system it tests every month in preparation for a crisis was not turned on as the flames raced toward residents.

Instead, HI-EMA sent out alerts via mobile devices. radio and television, and the county’s opt-in resident alert system — which may have never arrived due to widespread power and cellular outages across Maui.

“Neither Maui nor HI-EMA activated warning sirens on Maui during the wildfire incident,” the agency said in a statement.

“The sirens are used to alert the public to seek additional information; they do not necessarily indicate an evacuation.”

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said it wasn’t clear why the sirens weren’t activated, but that the fire destroyed much of the equipment.

Many survivors who didn’t receive or notice the alerts said they didn’t realize the danger they were in until they saw the inferno or heard explosions nearby.

Maui officials confirmed that its emergency sirens were not activated during the deadly wildfires.

Jayson Duque via Storyful

“There was no warning. There was absolutely none. Nobody came around. We didn’t see a fire truck or anybody,” said Lynn Robinson, who lost her home in the fire.

At least 80 people were killed in the disaster, though officials expect the death toll to climb in the next few days.

About 1,000 people are still missing.

A man walks through wildfire wreckage in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 11, 2023.

AP

Residents of Lahaina were allowed to view their properties Friday, most of which were decimated.

via REUTERS

Survivors searched for their belongings, though many discovered that they only escaped with their lives.

ZUMAPRESS.com

Residents of Lahaina were being allowed back home on Friday for the first time since they fled the wildfires — only to find that the historic community was flattened into a hellscape of ashen rubble.

Survivors were seen wandering through the skeletal remains of centuries-old buildings and landmarks that made the tropical island a popular tourist destination.

A traffic jam of incinerated cars that couldn’t outpace the fire lay destroyed in the street where they were consumed by the intense flames.

Some palm trees managed to remain erect but were completely torched, and boats in the harbor were burned nearly to a crisp.

The fires were so intense in Lahaina that survivors were forced to flee into the ocean to escape the extreme heat.

Many survivors returned to find that their lives were their only belongings that survived the inferno.

At least 55 people were killed in the disaster, though more than 1,000 people are still missing.

Kevin Foley via Storyful

At least three wildfires erupted on Maui this week, fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane.

It is projected to be the second deadliest disaster in Hawaii’s history, behind only Hurricane Iniki in 1992, according to calculations by Karen Clark & Company, a prominent disaster and risk modeling company.

On Friday, Lauren Sánchez announced that she and her fiance Jeff Bezos were committing $100 million to the island’s recovery efforts.

“Jeff and I are heartbroken by what’s happening in Maui,” Sánchez wrote on Instagram.

“We are thinking of all the families that have lost so much and a community that has been left devastated. The immediate needs are important, and so is the longer term rebuilding that will have to happen — even after much of the attention has subsided.”

The couple are the latest celebrities to lend a hand in the wake of the tragedy — part-time Maui resident Oprah Winfrey was spotted volunteering at a makeshift shelter Thursday and pro-golfer Collin Morikawa announced he’d be donating $1,000 for every birdie he makes during the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The fires were so intense in Lahaina that survivors were forced to flee into the ocean to escape the extreme heat.

AP
The federal government released food and water to support 5,000 people for five days after President Biden issued a federal disaster declaration for the islands on Thursday.

Maui residents are under a strict curfew from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Saturday.

https://nypost.com/2023/08/11/mauis-emergency-sirens-didnt-go-off-as-wildfires-ravaged-island-officials/

Heart disease mortality rates have fallen more than 60% over 30 years

 Deaths from coronary heart disease have declined by 68 percent in females and 64 percent in the last three decades, according to new research published in the American Heart Journal.

In addition to the significant improvements in mortality rates due to the disease, researchers found that eliminating risk factors that further contribute to its severity like alcohol, smoking and obesity could have prevented half of all deaths — up to 1,726,022 females and 2,897,767 males between 1990 and 2019, the timeframe researchers examined. 

Researchers analyzed cause of death records by gender between 1990 and 2019 to draw these conclusions. They also identified a pattern indicating "a slowing of the decline"  in mortality rates among younger populations with coronary heart disease.

"The decline in [coronary heart disease] mortality is slowing among younger cohorts," they wrote of their findings. "The complex dynamics of risk factors appear to shape mortality rates, underscoring the importance of targeted strategies to reduce modifiable risk factors that contribute to [coronary heart disease] mortality."

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/cardiology/heart-disease-mortality-rates-have-fallen-more-than-60-over-30-years.html

NYC judge kills Eric Adams’ bid to overhaul Medicare for 250K retired workers

 A judge’s ruling Friday put the kibosh on Mayor Eric Adams’ bid to move 250,000 city retirees off their traditional Medicare insurance plan and into a trimmed, privately managed version of the program.

City Hall immediately vowed to appeal.

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Lyle Frank wrote that the city is “permanently enjoined from requiring any city retirees, and their dependents from being removed from their current health insurance plan(s).”

The order added the city also cannot require retirees “to either enroll in an Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan or seek their own health coverage.”

City workers faced the reality of having their traditional Medicare cut in favor of Aetna’s cost-saving option Medicare Advantage Plan.

“We are extremely disappointed in this ruling, and intend to appeal,” City Hall spokesman Jonah Allon said in a statement.

A judge’s ruling killed Adams’ bid to move 250,000 city retirees off their traditional Medicare insurance plan and into a trimmed, privately managed version.

Matthew McDermott

“This Medicare Advantage plan, which was negotiated closely with and supported by the Municipal Labor Committee, would improve upon retirees’ current plans, including offering a lower deductible, a cap on out-of-pocket expenses, and new benefits, like transportation, fitness programs, and wellness incentives. In addition, it would save $600 million annually, especially critical at a time when we are already facing significant fiscal and economic challenges.”

“This decision only creates confusion and uncertainty among our retirees,” the statement ended.

The move to switch over was first proposed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio — and was designed to allow the city to tap into an estimated $600 million in federal subsidies available to Medicare Advantage plans, potentially lowering New York City’s costs to provide healthcare for its retired public workers.

And while Adams advanced the program with changes that were approved by the Municipal Labor Committee — comprised of union leaders coalitions representing workers and retirees — it faced bitter criticism from retirees and New York’s Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who called the program a “cash cow” for private insurers.

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Lyle Frank wrote that NYC is “permanently enjoined from requiring any city retirees, and their dependents from being removed from their current health insurance plan(s).”

Getty Images

The lawsuit, brought by retired municipal workers and the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, was introduced in May after retired city government workers sued Adams and the city for $55 million over $15 copays for doctor visits.

On June 5, Frank issued a preliminary injunction blocking the transition just days before it would go into effect.

Jake Gardener, lawyer for the retirees, said in a statement that ““We are grateful to Justice Frank for again recognizing the multiple ways in which the health and healthcare rights of retired City workers would be imperiled by the City’s new Medicare Advantage plan.  Because of Justice Frank’s well-reasoned decision, hundreds of thousands of senior citizens and disabled first responders will be able to continue receiving the medical care they desperately need and to which they are entitled.”

Marianne Pizzitola, president of the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees — one of the lead plaintiffs — was also elated.

“This is now the third time in the last two years that courts have had to step in and stop the City from violating retirees’ healthcare rights,” her statement said.

“We once again call on the City and the Municipal Labor Committee to end their ruthless and unlawful campaign to deprive retired municipal workers of the healthcare benefits they earned. Knowing after every win, the City has found a way to go around the Judge’s decision, the City Council should support Intro 1099 sponsored by Councilman Charles Barron, and stop this administration from wasting taxpayer dollars appealing righteous decisions by the Court. NYC Retirees earned their right to Federal Medicare and we relied on the promise we would have this benefit through our lifetime. We hope this decision will help retirees nationwide stop their former unions and employer from privatizing the Federal Public Health Benefit of Medicare so we can live the rest of our lives in peace.”

https://nypost.com/2023/08/11/judge-ends-eric-adams-medicare-overhaul-plan-for-retirees/

Why does NY campaign to stop smoking but not illicit drug use?

 The New York drug policy philosophy — what might be called making drug use safe, legal and everywhere — has hit some serious snags.

On Monday, US Attorney Damien Williams warned that he may shut down the city’s “safe injection sites,” where illegal hard drugs are used under medical supervision. 

That same day, a state Supreme Court judge halted the issuance of new pot dispensary licenses, after finding that giving first preference to ex-drug dealers violated state law aimed at helping veterans.

It’s the perfect time for a different approach: drug-use prevention.

And New York already has a model it can follow: Its successful tobacco-control efforts. 

Like pot, tobacco is legal but unhealthy.

But, in contrast to the cannabis rollout, which the state has hoped would lead to a sales-tax windfall, Albany does not urge New Yorkers to take up smoking to feed the state budget through the cigarette excise tax, scheduled to go up to $5.35 per pack Sept. 1.

Instead, the Department of Health’s Tobacco Control Program, funded by the court-ordered national tobacco settlement, lists clearly its highest priority: “Prevent initiation of tobacco and e-cigarette use by youth and young adults.”

A state Supreme Court judge halted the issuance of new pot dispensary licenses, after finding that giving first preference to ex-drug dealers violated state law aimed at helping veterans.

Getty Images

It does this via paid media campaigns strategically placed on television, social media, radio, billboards and in print throughout the state.

There are heart-wrenching TV spots featuring dying smokers gasping for breath, urging those watching never to start.

They’re not only emotional; they’re effective, per a 2017 study published in the journal Public Health Management Practices, which found sustained media campaigns can contribute to lowering long-run smoking rates by up to 14%.

In sharp contrast, neither the Office of Cannabis Control Board nor its sister agency, the Office of Addiction Services and Support, which focuses on the hard-drug epidemic, show any serious interest in preventing drug use.

In contrast to the cannabis rollout, Albany doesn’t urge New Yorkers to take up smoking to feed the state budget through the cigarette excise tax, which is scheduled to go up to $5.35 per pack next month.

Sara Brittany Somerset sarabsomerset@gmail.com

Those who doubt even pot’s potential harm should consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which describes five major categories of potential ill effects from marijuana use, including social anxiety, depression, suicide and schizophrenia.

This is no small matter in light of the latest Gallup survey finding 17% of Americans regularly smoke pot.

Yet the state OCM chooses not to draw attention to health matters; instead, on its website it guides users to where they can find legal dispensaries.

Its discussion of health effects, when you can locate it, is limited to “marijuana use disorder” — which cautions against smoking too much. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which describes five major categories of potential ill effects from marijuana use, including social anxiety, depression, suicide and schizophrenia.

Sara Brittany Somerset sarabsomerset@gmail.com

There’s no discussion at all that cannabis is a potentially dangerous drug or that one might be better off avoiding it altogether.

There’s far more focus on the potential “social equity” of granting dispensary licensees to former illegal drug dealers — the priority just halted by the courts.

The Office of Addiction Services is similarly pursuing an acceptance, not prevention, approach to the deadly epidemic of hard-drug (fentanyl) use and overdose, which took the lives of more than 3,000 New Yorkers last year.

But the OAS takes the view that the wave of drug use can only be managed, not reversed.

Its website emphasizes “free harm reduction supplies” — nalaxone (to reverse overdose effects) and “test strips” to help users ensure their streets drugs are not impure or too strong.

This is the philosophy of the East Harlem and Washington Heights safe injection sites — opposed by law-abiding neighbors — that the US attorney may close.

Indeed, “harm reduction” is Priority No. 1 for programs funded by a $2.6 billion windfall from the national “opioid settlement.”

And the state wants to spend $27.7 million of a future settlement on methadone-type treatment for addicts and ensuring access to “harm reduction” sites, where addicts can shoot up under nurse supervision — but just $6.3 million on prevention, mainly counseling programs.

What’s missing here is any concerted, mass-media high-profile drug-use-prevention campaign akin to the effort of the Tobacco Control Program.

Even those prevention programs the OAS supports are worrisome; its education and community programs aim to “delay the initiation of substance use” and “prevent escalation of substance misuse.” 

Don’t start too young and shoot up carefully, in other words.

New York is home to the world’s most creative ad industry.

The efforts to combat terrorism spawned the smart, and useful, “if you see something, say something” slogan. 

The industry should be called upon to develop an effective message to deter drug use, not just to manage its effects or cheerlead legal availability.

Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No to Drugs” campaign may have been simplistic — but it had the virtue of being right.

Howard Husock is an American Enterprise Institute senior fellow.

https://nypost.com/2023/08/11/why-does-ny-campaign-to-stop-smoking-but-not-illicit-drug-use/

'Record-setting Canadian wildfires could persist for rest of 'marathon' summer'

 Record-setting wildfires in Canada could potentially continue burning at an abnormally high rate for several more weeks, though the spread of blazes is likely to start diminishing in September, according to federal projections released on Friday.

Forest fires have engulfed parts of nearly all 13 Canadian provinces and territories this year, forcing home evacuations, disrupting energy production, and drawing in federal as well as international firefighting resources. Four firefighters have been killed in the line of duty.

So far about 134,000 square kilometers (52,000 square miles) of land have been scorched, more than six times a 10-year average, and nearly 168,000 people have been forced to evacuate at some point this season.

"This summer has turned into a challenging marathon," Canadian Forest Service official Michael Norton told a media briefing on Friday.

"Our most recent projections indicate the potential for higher-than-normal fire activity remains across much of Canada in August and September," Norton said.

Norton said the simultaneous flaring up of blazes across the country was "virtually unheard of" and largely due to drought conditions that continue to intensify in some areas and will contribute to ongoing fire activity through late summer.

"In September, we anticipate that the potential area at extreme risk will become a bit smaller ... (however) large existing fires will continue burning or smoldering and new problematic fires can occur anywhere."

The fires have also sent plumes of smoke across Canadian and U.S. skies, raising health alarms and concerning scientists about the impact on the atmosphere.

The EU's Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service estimated last week that Canadian wildfires have released 290 million metric tons of carbon, over 25% of the global total for 2023 to date, and emissions are set to rise as hundreds of flames rage on.

https://news.yahoo.com/record-setting-canadian-wildfires-could-204816582.html

ChatGPT fever spreads to US workplace, sounding alarm for some

 Many workers across the U.S. are turning to ChatGPT to help with basic tasks, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found, despite fears that have led employers such as Microsoft and Google to curb its use.

Companies worldwide are considering how to best make use of ChatGPT, a chatbot programme that uses generative AI to hold conversations with users and answer myriad prompts. Security firms and companies have raised concerns, however, that it could result in intellectual property and strategy leaks.

Anecdotal examples of people using ChatGPT to help with their day-to-day work include drafting emails, summarising documents and doing preliminary research.

Some 28% of respondents to the online poll on artificial intelligence (AI) between July 11 and 17 said they regularly use ChatGPT at work, while only 22% said their employers explicitly allowed such external tools.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll of 2,625 adults across the United States had a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of about 2 percentage points.

Some 10% of those polled said their bosses explicitly banned external AI tools, while about 25% did not know if their company permitted use of the technology.

ChatGPT became the fastest-growing app in history after its launch in November. It has created both excitement and alarm, bringing its developer OpenAI into conflict with regulators, particularly in Europe, where the company's mass data-collecting has drawn criticism from privacy watchdogs.

Human reviewers from other companies may read any of the generated chats, and researchers found that similar artificial intelligence AI could reproduce data it absorbed during training, creating a potential risk for proprietary information.

"People do not understand how the data is used when they use generative AI services," said Ben King, VP of customer trust at corporate security firm Okta.

"For businesses this is critical, because users don't have a contract with many AIs - because they are a free service - so corporates won't have run the risk through their usual assessment process," King said.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/chatgpt-fever-spreads-us-workplace-060604781.html

Mass. vs. Christians on transgenderism: Religious discrimination becomes state establishment of religion

 Kitty and Matthew Burke, a Catholic couple facing fertility struggles, wanted to become foster parents, and they eventually wanted to adopt. Too bad for them, they live in Massachusetts and are observant Catholics.

The state rejected their application to become foster parents on the basis that they “would not be affirming to a child who identified as LGBTQIA.” The Burkes are suing Massachusetts in a case that alleges clear religious discrimination.

But the case, being argued on the Burkes' behalf by the Becket Law, and the state’s regulations on adoption point toward something more devious: Massachusetts is establishing a state religion, with its own faith-based dogma and spirituality, and ruling nonadherents to be second-class citizens.

Massachusetts regulations dictate that all foster and adoptive parents must abide by the teachings of gender ideology, specifically the notion that children have an interior gender that is undetermined by their biological sex — and that children have the right to change their gender.

The Code of Massachusetts Regulations reads thus: “A foster/pre-adoptive parent applicant must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Department the ability … to promote the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of a child placed in his or her care, including supporting and respecting a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity.”

As the Burkes say in their complaint, this is “an absolute bar for Catholics who agree with the Church’s teaching on sex, marriage, and gender.”

When Washington state enforced similar regulations against a Seventh-day Adventist couple, a federal court blocked their enforcement, explaining that it was religious discrimination: “If the only factor weighing against an otherwise qualified applicant has to do with their sincerely held religious beliefs, the Department must not discriminate against a foster care applicant based on their creed.”

But calling these regulations religious discrimination doesn’t quite go far enough. Massachusetts and Washington didn’t merely create rules that discriminate against Catholics and Seventh-day Adventists. They discriminate against Muslims and Pentecostals too.

These state regulations also discriminate against secular, irreligious couples who do not believe that a boy who declares himself really a girl is actually a girl.

Lots of people, including the governing class of Massachusetts, believe that a boy who declares himself really a girl may in fact be a girl who was just “assigned the wrong gender at birth.”

This belief only became elite dogma in the last few years. It is also a belief not at all required by logic or science. Its premise is that we all have inner genders with no biological markers, which is ultimately a spiritual belief. It is believed on faith alone.

If you do not share this faith-based spirituality, Massachusetts believes you are not fit to adopt or foster children. Thus Massachusetts has once again established a state religion — one that happens to be harmful to children.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/massachusetts-vs-christians-on-transgenderism-when-religious-discrimination-becomes-state-establishment-of-religion