XPost: alt.global-warming   
      
   EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:   
   - Comparing disasters back in time must take technology into   
     account.  Disasters in the past didn't have the benefit of mobile   
     phones, satellites or even rapid road transport.   
   - A rule of thumb finds if a modern disaster had happened when the   
     population of the world was 1 bn less would have resulted in about   
     3.8 times as many deaths.   
   - A little table shows that e.g. 150 people killed in the current   
     European floods is equivalent to 1.7 mn people killed in the   
     18th century or about the size of the Yellow River flood disaster   
     (2 mn people killed) in the 19th cent.   
      
      
   Just a short note on the perennial hillbilly fallacy of comparing   
   deaths for events now with those in the (usually) distant past.   
      
   Direct comparisons ignore progress because hillbillies usually don't   
   even see progress. Everyone "always" used cellphones or could drive   
   1000 miles or knew 10 days in advance what the weather was gunna do.   
      
   But in reality land we know that technology and organisation has   
   benefits. Which is why most of society is working to advance it.   
      
   Looking back in time we can roughly determine that for each 1 bn in   
   world population deaths from mass disasters declined by around a   
   factor of 3.8 because of developments in a whole series of things   
   including communications, hospitals, disaster forecasting, transport   
   infrastructure, disaster preparedness and response,   
      
   We can make a little table looking back, lining up 1 death in a   
   disaster in the 21st cent with an equivalent death toll at various   
   times in the past as the world population grew.   
      
   Year	WorldPop	DisasterDeaths   
   2020	8 bn		1.0   
   2012	7		3.8   
   1999	6		14.4   
   1987	5		54.7   
   1974	4		207   
   1959	3		792   
   1927	2		3010   
   1762	1		11438   
      
      
   But this measure the death of 150 people in the European floods is   
   equivalent to the deaths of 1.7 mn people in 1762. Comparable   
   with the Yellow River disaster of 1887 when an estimated 2 mn   
   people died.   
      
   --   
   COVID-19 hospitalizations on the rise in TX as less than 50% of   
   the state is fully vaccinated   
   The Hill, 17 Jul 2021 17:33Z   
      
   'No One is Safe': How The Heatwave Has Battered the Wealthy World   
   The New York Times, 17 Jul 2021 18:31Z   
      
   Eviation Rolls Out 100% Electric Airplane Alice's Production Version   
   CleanTechnica, 17 Jul 2021 14:29Z   
      
   [Leadership!]   
   British health minister announces he tested positive for COVID-19   
   The Hill, 17 Jul 2021 16:30Z   
      
     3 TX Democrats test positive for COVID-19 in Washington, D.C.   
     Austin American-Statesman, 17 Jul 2021 18:28Z   
      
   [Sooo Cooold!]   
   Moscow heatwave beats all-time record   
   SBS, 14 Jul 2021   
   A heatwave in Moscow set a new all-time record for the city after   
   temperatures reached 32.7 degrees Celsius, beating the ...   
      
   [Sooo Cooold!]   
   UK heatwave sees packed beaches from 7am as Brits soak up hottest day of year   
   Birmingham Mail on MSN.com, 17 Jul 2021 13:25Z   
   Brits have packed beaches, parks and pub gardens today as the temperatures   
   skyrocket in England. England could be on for ...   
      
     Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service issue safety plea ahead of heatwave weekend   
     News and Star, 17 Jul 2021 11:42Z   
     Safety appeals have been issued to the public during a heatwave weekend.   
     Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service has appealed to the public for safety as   
     Cumbria enjoys a weekend of good weather. The fire ...   
      
   [Ring Down!]   
   The hunt for wormholes: How scientists look for space-time tunnels   
   Space.com on MSN.com, 14 Jul 2021   
   But some scientists believe we may soon be able to prove that they are a   
   real part of the universe-as real as the sun and the ...   
      
   Florida COVID-19 cases spike in latest state data   
   WPLG Local 10, 16 Jul 2021 21:59Z   
      
   Greenland suspends oil exploration because of climate change   
   Associated Press, 16 Jul 2021   
      
   An electric airplane landed in Modesto, powered by solar panels. Is this the   
   future?   
   Modesto Bee, 16 Jul 2021 14:57Z   
      
   [[Debunked!]   
   Arizona election officials have only found 182 cases of potential fraud out   
   of over 3 mn votes   
   Business Insider, 16 Jul 2021 20:56Z   
      
   Major changes to Sydney lockdown after influx of new COVID-19 infections   
   ABC News, 17 Jul 2021 01:53Z   
   People in several Sydney suburbs are banned from leaving their local area   
   for work and the state's COVID-19 lockdown is tightened as NSW records 111   
   new cases.   
      
   AI voice clone of Anthony Bourdain in new documentary is 'creeping people out'   
   ABC News, 17 Jul 2021 01:52Z   
   The revelation that a documentary filmmaker used voice-cloning software to   
   make the late chef Anthony Bourdain say words he never spoke attracts   
   criticism amid ethical concerns about the use of the powerful technology.   
   [If it was a human voice actor then it probably wouldn't].   
      
   First COVID-19 case found at Olympic athletes' village in Tokyo   
   ABC News, 17 Jul 2021 05:49Z   
   The visitor from abroad becomes the first such case to test positive   
   for COVID-19, adding to concerns about infections at the Games which   
   begin next week.   
   [Welcome to the theory of covert channels. There exists no algorithm   
   that can guarantee e.g. to keep an infective disease from going from A to B].   
      
   Wildlife 'win' as govt moves to take Currumbin land from developers   
   ABC Gold Coast, 17 Jul 2021 06:48Z   
   After decades of debate and failed negotiations, the state govt says   
   it will compulsorily acquire 148 hectares of commercially owned Gold Coast   
   land to protect flora and fauna.   
      
   'People feel safe where they're truly no longer safe': Why tougher   
   restrictions may not work in Sydney   
   ABC News, 16 Jul 2021 20:03Z   
   Weeks into an extended city-wide lockdown, data shows public spaces are not   
   the most dangerous transmission sites -- the home is.   
      
   One truck, 3 men and an unwelcome stowaway: Inside the fateful journey   
   that brought COVID back to Victoria   
   ABC News, 16 Jul 2021 19:59Z   
   When Cherryll Scott left her unit to stock up on bottled water last   
   Thu, she had to contend with a familiar challenge. But the minor   
   inconvenience in her complex's lift proved to be a huge problem.   
   [In breaking news Victoria detected another 19 cases of Delta in the   
   past 24 hrs. All are linked to known infections. The number of active   
   cases in the state is now 54].   
      
   Tougher COVID-19 restrictions considered in NSW as outbreak surpasses   
   1,000 cases   
   ABC News, 16 Jul 2021 21:55Z   
   The New South Wales COVID-19 outbreak surpasses 1,000 cases as NSW   
   Premier Gladys Berejiklian hints tougher lockdown measures are being   
   considered.   
   [The NSW govt has been criticised from all directions -- academics,   
   podcasters, politicians, the AMA; but it's still adopting the   
   "incremental" strategy to deal with something that spreads at an   
   exponential rate. PM Morrison seems alone in his praise of the   
   Berejiklian govt as the "gold standard" with its softly softly   
   approach, in particular not calling a lockdown at the first signs of   
   statewide Delta spread. In a killer line from Vic Prem Andrews this   
   week Mr Morrison was described as the "Prime Minister of NSW"].   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)