Walls From Around The World.

 Why India Is Building The Longest Border Wall In The World - Seeker

https://www.seeker.com/why-india-is-building-the-longest-border-wall-in-the-world-1...

Jan 11, 2019 - India is currently in the process of building the world's longest border wall along their 2,500 mile border with Bangladesh. The wall is made of double-fence barbed wire and requires a police force of 70,000 to guard it. The main point of these intense security measures is to keep Bangladeshi immigrants out of India.               

Bangladesh to erect barbed wire fence on border with India

DG of BGB, Major General Ahmed said that his government has already approved a project to have a 282 km road along the border it shares with India and Myanmar.

Updated: Jul 12, 2018, 08.13 PM IST                                                                         

Ahmed said as India has already raised fence along 79 per cent of the Indo-Bangla border, it "indirectly helps" his country in checking cross-border crimes.

                                https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/bangladesh-to-erect-barbed-wire-fence-on-border-with-india/articleshow/54508281.cms                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Other notable examples: Other notable examples: 

• Morocco: A 1,700-mile sand wall fortified and surrounded by millions of land mines was built by Morocco in 1975 along disputed, ungoverned territory on its border with Western Sahara.

Melilla sits on the north coast of Africa, surrounded by the waters and territory of Morocco. For the ceaseless tide of African and Asian migrants working their way northwards, it has a compulsive attraction: by accident of military conquest more than 500 years ago, this city which is geographically African is legally part of Spain. As the migrants reach the Mediterranean, where so many of their predecessors have died, Melilla offers them a safe bridge into Europe – if they can smuggle themselves across its barricaded perimeter.                                                                                                                   The Ceuta-Morocco border fence, as seen from Ceuta.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/17/melilla-migrants-eu-spain-morocco                                               

• Spain: More than two decades ago, the Spanish government built 20-foot concrete barriers to wall off Melilla and Ceuta, Spanish-administered enclaves in Morocco since the 15th century, to increase border security against African migrants.

Spain built fences 20 years ago to keep migrants away. Here's how that worked out                         

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/migrants-spain-melilla-morocco-europe-1.4835930
    
 Turkey:  A buffer zone splits the island of Cyprus and its capital Nicosia between Turkey and Greece. Nicosia is arguably the last city in the world physically separated by a wall.                                              

                                                               Syria-Turkey border wall completed

The partition was built to tighten security and combat illegal crossings and smuggling                                                                                                                     https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/syria-turkey-border-wall-completed-1.738637T                                                                                                                                                                        Turkey completes first phase of 900km                              

France: The mile-long wall at Calais was funded by the United Kingdom to prevent migrants from accessing the Channel Tunnel that connects Britain to continental Europe.

 As Migrants Reach U.K. by Boat, Numbers Are Small but Worry Is Big                https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/742979/great-wall-of-calais-completed-concrete-barrier-british-funded-france                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Finland: About 450 miles of barbed wire fencing prevent reindeer from wandering across the border into Russia.

Saudi Arabia: In 2014, Saudi Arabia built a 550-mile-long wall with Iraq, a response to the rise of the Islamic State militants sweeping across parts of that country.

Saudi Arabia Is Building A 600-Mile 'Great Wall' To Shield Itself From ISIS

https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-is-building-a-600-mile-great-wall-to-shi...

Jan 14, 2015 - 14, 2015, 3:46 PM ... The Saudis are building a 600-mile-long "Great Wall" — a combined fence and ditch — to separate ... Plans for the 600-mile wall and ditch Saudi Arabia will build with Iraq in an effort to insulate itself from ISIS.                                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPZ0eif9NQw  

A Good Man & A Good Groups Of People

From duct-taped shoes to $11M: Man leaves surprise donations

Posted: Dec 27, 2018 10:57 PM PST

Updated: Dec 28, 2018 6:28 PM PST

SEATTLE (AP) - Alan Naiman was known for an unabashed thriftiness that veered into comical, but even those closest to him had no inkling of the fortune that he quietly amassed and the last act that he had long planned.

The Washington state social worker died of cancer this year at age 63, leaving most of a surprising $11 million estate to children's charities that help the poor, sick, disabled and abandoned. The amount baffled the beneficiaries and his best friends, who are lauding Naiman as the anniversary of his death approaches in January.

That's because the Seattle man patched up his shoes with duct tape, sought deals at the grocery store deli at closing time and took his best friends out to lunch at fast-food joints.

Naiman, who died unmarried and childless, loved kids but also was intensely private, scrimping, investing and working extra jobs to stockpile money that he rarely spent on himself after seeing how unfair life could be for the most vulnerable children, his friends say.

They believe a lifelong devotion to his older brother who had a developmental disability influenced Naiman, though he rarely spoke of it. The brother died in 2013, the same year Naiman splurged on a sports car - a modestly priced Scion FR-S.

"Growing up as a kid with an older, disabled brother kind of colored the way he looked at things," close friend Susan Madsen said.

A former banker, Naiman worked the past two decades at the state Department of Social and Health Services, handling after-hours calls. He earned $67,234 and also took on side gigs, sometimes working as many as three jobs. He saved and invested enough to make several millions of dollars and also inherited millions more from his parents, said Shashi Karan, a friend from his banking days.

Thrilled when he finally qualified for senior discounts, Naiman bought his clothes from the grocery store. He loved cars, but for the most of his life, drove beat-up vehicles and seemed to enjoy the solitude and savings of solo road trips, friends say.

After Naiman's death, Karan realized how little he knew of the other aspects of his longtime friend's life.

"I don't know if he was lonely. I think he was a loner," Karan said.

Many of the organizations benefiting from Naiman's gifts said they didn't know him, though they had crossed paths.

He left $2.5 million to the Pediatric Interim Care Center, a private organization in Washington state that cares for babies born to mothers who abused drugs and helps the children wean off their dependence. The group used some of what was its largest donation ever to pay off a mortgage and buy a new vehicle to transport the 200 babies it accepts from hospitals each year.

Naiman had called the center about a newborn while working for the state more than a decade ago, and its founder, Barbara Drennen, showed up in the middle of the night to get the baby.

"We would never dream that something like this would happen to us. I wish very much that I could have met him. I would have loved to have had him see the babies he's protecting," Drennen said.

Naiman gave $900,000 to the Treehouse foster care organization, telling them that he was a foster parent years ago and had brought kids in his care to the group's popular warehouse, where wards of the state can choose toys and necessities for free.

Treehouse is using Naiman's money to expand its college and career counseling statewide.

"The frugality that he lived through, that he committed to in his life, was for this," said Jessica Ross, Treehouse's chief development officer. "It's really a gift to all of us to see that pure demonstration of philanthropy and love."

___

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren). In this Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, photo, from left, Rebecca Schaechter, Nicole Herron and Rachel Herron fold and sort donated clothes at Treehouse, a nonprofit organization in Seattle that serves the needs of children in the foster care...(Shashi Karan via AP). In this Dec. 14, 2013, photo provided by Shashi Karan, Alan Naiman poses with his new car, an unusual extravagance for him, in Seattle. When Naiman, a Washington state social worker, died this year of cancer at the age of 63, the...
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren). In this Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, photo, Maddi Heim folds and sorts donated clothes at Treehouse, a nonprofit organization in Seattle that serves the needs of children in the foster-care system. The charity was one of several tha...(Susan E. Madsen via AP). In this 2013 photo provided by Susan E. Madsen, Alan Naiman poses for a photo at his work at Children's Administration (DSHS) Child Protective Services, in Seattle. When Naiman, a Washington state social worker, died this year...(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren). In this Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, photo, Chris Meyer, left, and Maddi Heim, fold and sort donated clothes at Treehouse, a nonprofit organization in Seattle that serves the needs of children in the foster-care system. The charity ...

Follow Sally Ho on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_SallyHo .

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.cbs8.com/story/39704055/from-duct-taped-shoes-to-11m-man-leaves-surprise-donations

"Ramen Heads"

Well I was on a short trip to Bangkok, Thailand and just got back on Sunday. I was sick ever since I got back. However, I managed to post from BKK and some here, since I got back.
I want to share a little bit of my pleasant time during one of the rides on the plane.
REVIEW OF THE "RAMEN HEADS" Documentary:
https://www.ramenheadsfilm.com/ "This documentary reminded me why I felt a connection with Japan through this movie. Being Thai, we have our own variety of noodles and are very passionate about them. Having spent several short times in Tokyo on many trips. The first one was few days on a stop on our around the world trip.
When I saw this documentary on the flight from Narita, Tokyo to LAX. I really Love it as it shows how much Ramen soup are It bought back my sweet memory when I was working in Tokyo in 2005. I went to lunch one day, walked into a Ramen shop, got my bowl and joined a group of men who stood around a round table and ate their Ramen soups. Being Thai, we have our own variety of noodles and passionate about them.
It also did not surprise me that when I saw Tomita during his day off work wearing all his designers blimps and outfits.. 　 　
Such fascinating documentary. 　 and would recommend it to all the FOODIES of the world

Thailand is the world’s ‘Best Country for People

 ➤Thailand is the world’s ‘Best Country for People’ by readers of Conde Nast Traveller UK in the 2018 Readers’ Travel Awards. 

➤Thailand is also voted  # 3rd   in the Best Country category behind winner Italy and runner-up Greece.  

➤The Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok and Six Senses Yao Noi in Phang Nga were voted #  4th and 5th   in the Best Asia & the Indian Subcontinent Hotel category.  The resort island of Samui, is # 9th on the top 20 list of the world’s Best Islands.

BEST COUNTRY FOR PEOPLE

Winner: Thailand

https://www.cntraveller.com/location/thailand

READERS' TRAVEL AWARD 

2018: ALL THE WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP

https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/readers-travel-awards-2018-winners-runners-up

Thailand #4 in Adventure Rankings USNews

Thailand #4  in Adventure Rankings USNews
Best Countries: Adventure
#27 in Best Countries
Each visitor spends $1,530 on tourism during a trip to Thailand.

No Change in Rank from 2017
Thailand, which translates to “land of the free,” is the only Southeast Asian nation that did not encounter European colonization. Located just above the equator, the nation is wedged into the Indochina peninsula with neighbors Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia and has an arm that extends out to Malaysia.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/adventure-full-list

REPOST FROM AN ARTICLE ON SF Chronicle.

In the meantime...No Borders.. Boulders . Yes!! Up North in SF: 

Homeless scoff at SF strategy of dumping boulders at camp site. 

San Francisco’s latest attempt to stop homeless camps from sprouting on public land takes the form of dozens of boulders plopped down under a maze of freeway ramps.

It hasn’t worked. At least not yet.'

Photo: Kevin Fagan / The Chronicle / /

Photo: Elizabeth Hafalia, The Chronicle

http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Homeless-scoff-at-SF-strategy-of-dumping-boulders-12448251.php#photo-14739484

Planning Guidance for a Response to a Nuclear Detonation

Where to Hide If a Nuclear Bomb Goes Off In Your Area

Patrick  Allen 3/21/17 5:00pm 

Filed to: SURVIVAL

http://lifehacker.com/where-to-hide-if-a-nuclear-bomb-goes-off-in-your-area-1793493053

You’ll know a nuclear bomb went off near you if there’s a sudden flash of bright, white light, which may or may not give you flash blindness if you’re within 50 miles or so of ground zero. If that bright, white blindness eventually clears up, and you don’t suddenly feel at peace, you’re alive. Other signs of a nuclear blast include near instant first-degree to third-degree burns if you’re within 10 miles or so, and of course, the trademark mushroom cloud looming over the skyline.

As soon as you realize what’s happening, researcher Michael Dillon, from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, suggests you find shelter immediately in order to escape nuclear fallout. In his report for the journalProceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Dillon recommends hiding within the most dense building material possible. The thicker the better.

Wooden structures, like most houses and smaller one story buildings, won’t do much good against fallout radiation, unfortunately. Is it better than nothing? Kind of, but Dillon recommends you move to a better location if possible. If you can dash to a more dense, protective shelter in about five minutes of exposure, go for it. If getting there would take longer, say up to 15 minutes of exposure, stay where you are for at least an hour, then make your move. A good portion of the intense fallout radiation will have subsided by then, reducing your exposure some.

While you wait in your dense, thick-walled shelter, the EPA suggests you stay away from any doors or windows, take a shower or wipe down exposed parts of your body with a wet cloth, and ditch your now-contaminated clothing. Stick your contaminated clothing in a plastic bag, seal it off, and get it far away from you and others. While you shower, use shampoo and soap, but do not scrub or scratch your skin. And do not use hair conditioner, as it will bind radioactive material to your hair. Once clean, blow your nose, then wipe your eyelids, eyelashes, and ears to remove any leftover material.

Lastly, make sure you only drink bottled water and eat food from sealed containers until a rescue 

For example, sturdy brick or concrete structures that lack windows, or heading underground to a cellar, basement, or sub-basement. Hiding in such a place will expose you to just 1/200 of the fallout radiation you’d be exposed to outside. Obviously, an actual bomb shelter is ideal, but most people aren’t near those. This FEMA graphic, recently shared by Business Insider, gives you an idea of good places to go:

Wooden structures, like most houses and smaller one story buildings, won’t do much good against fallout radiation, unfortunately. Is it better than nothing? Kind of, but Dillon recommends you move to a better location if possible. If you can dash to a more dense, protective shelter in about five minutes of exposure, go for it. If getting there would take longer, say up to 15 minutes of exposure, stay where you are for at least an hour, then make your move. A good portion of the intense fallout radiation will have subsided by then, reducing your exposure some.

While you wait in your dense, thick-walled shelter, the EPA suggests you stay away from any doors or windows, take a shower or wipe down exposed parts of your body with a wet cloth, and ditch your now-contaminated clothing. Stick your contaminated clothing in a plastic bag, seal it off, and get it far away from you and others. While you shower, use shampoo and soap, but do not scrub or scratch your skin. And do not use hair conditioner, as it will bind radioactive material to your hair. Once clean, blow your nose, then wipe your eyelids, eyelashes, and ears to remove any leftover material.

Lastly, make sure you only drink bottled water and eat food from sealed containers until a rescue team can get to you. As you wait, listen to the radio to stay up to date on where you can find help and get screened for contamination. 

This is the FEMA web site for :

Planning Guidance for a Response to a Nuclear Detonation

The First Edition Planning Guidance focused on topics relevant to emergency planning within the first few days of a nuclear detonation including: 1) shelter and evacuation, 2) medical care, and 3) population monitoring and decontamination. There are a few notable changes in the Second Edition that are worth calling out in this foreword. The Second Edition will integrate new contributions seamlessly without making references to the differences between the First Edition and Second Edition.

https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/24879

https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1821-25045-3023/planning_guidance_for_response_to_a_nuclear_detonation___2nd_edition_final.pdf

SF Examiner Op-Ed Ghost Ship Fire.

Featured Opinion > Opinion > Op-Ed

Are the wrong defendants in jail 

for the Ghost Ship fire?

Charred windows and walls of the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland are seen Dec. 4, 2016, following a fire that killed 36 people. (Jessica Christian/2016 S.F. Examiner)

By Lara Yeretsian on June 25, 2017 1:00 am

    

No death can be more horrific than burning alive in a firetrap with no means of escape. The recent Grenfell Tower blaze in London is tragically identical to Oakland’s Ghost Ship warehouse: years of neglect from building owners and cities that didn’t do their jobs by enforcing basic fire code standards that could’ve saved the lives of about 100 people.

No one has been criminally charged in the London case, but Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley has been quick to haul two Ghost Ship tenants into court to answer to 36 manslaughter counts. I am sure the city of Oakland was under insurmountable pressure to find a culprit for this tragedy — the logical way of thinking is not to let the victims die in vain and to hold someone responsible. We all grieve for the families of these victims.

But are the right people in jail?

Attorneys for master tenant Derick Almena and his subtenant Max Harris, who hosted the fatal dance party on Dec. 2, 2016, say the men are scapegoats. This could be true.

In order to obtain an involuntary manslaughter conviction, O’Malley’s office must show a causal connection between an unlawful act or criminal negligence by the defendants and the deaths of the 36 fire victims. The prosecution will have the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the deaths of the fire victims were not only reasonably foreseeable, natural and probable consequences of the unsafe conditions created by the defendants, but that they were a substantial factor in causing the deaths.

The prosecution will also have to show that the unsafe conditions at the building caused the fire and/or prevented people from escaping, resulting in their deaths. In other words, just guessing as to the likely cause of death is not enough. If the prosecution is unable to show that the so called “unsafe conditions” caused the fire, and that the lack of fire safety measures was the real reason people were unable to escape, they will not have a case.

In a nutshell, there is enough here for reasonable doubt.

Others may have played a bigger role in this tragedy: the building owner who rented out a firetrap and did not make improvements despite numerous complaints to the city; the Oakland Fire Department, whose personnel could see from the outside of the building that it was in a severe state of disrepair yet never conducted an inspection; the Oakland Police Department, which fielded more than 30 citizen complaints yet obviously did not further investigate.

And what about the occupants of the adjacent building, who provided the electrical power that could have sparked the blaze, and PG&E, which didn’t upgrade transformers in the area, according to media reports.

All of this raises another huge issue: I do not see how the city — or the county, for that matter — can fairly prosecute this case given their potential liability. This matter should have been turned over to the California Attorney General’s Office.

Obviously, the two tenants did not wish for anyone to die. But can you honestly point to their actions and say they caused every single one of those deaths?

But for the city being negligent in going onto the property and checking it out, this never would have happened. But for the landlord’s negligence in supervising his tenants or the property, this never would have happened.

At this point, without further investigation that could determine causation, this case belongs in the civil courts. I believe the prosecution has gone after the lowest-hanging fruit.

Lara Yeretsian is a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles with a 20-year career spanning cases such as convicted murderer Scott Peterson to high-profile property crime and white-collar criminal cases.

↓ Continue Reading 

http://www.sfexaminer.com/wrong-defendants-jail-ghost-ship-fire/

  

Ghost Ship FIre Law Suits.

Ghost Ship lawsuit: Oakland fire 

employee saw exposed wiring at 

Ghost Ship two months before 

deadly fire

Lawyer for the families of Ghost Ship victims filed an amended complaint Wednesday.

 (Photos by Oakland Fire Department)

By MATTHIAS GAFNI | mgafni@bayareanewsgroup.com and THOMAS PEELE |
tpeele@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group

PUBLISHED: June 28, 2017 at 4:46 pm | UPDATED: June 28, 2017 at 7:05 pm

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/28/oakland-fire-employee-found-exposed-wiring-at-ghost-ship-two-months-before-deadly-fire/

Orange Count homeless deaths hit all-time high!!

This just in! NEWS

Orange County homeless deaths hit all-time high.

Sean, 47, drank himself to death on a bus stop bench in Anaheim.

Bruce, 63, collapsed and died on a freeway off ramp from heart disease and an untreated seizure disorder.

Zachary, 28, overdosed on heroin in a Santa Ana alley.

And Nicholas, 29, hanged himself with a shoe string on a dirt embankment in Fullerton.

Last year, more than 200 homeless men, women and children lost their lives to drugs, alcohol, mental illness, violence and, in many cases, years of neglect and hard living on the streets, according to reports from the Orange County Coroner's Office reviewed by the Register.

It was the deadliest year on record for homeless people in Orange County.

It was also part of a grisly trend. The death totals for homeless people in the county have jumped in each of the past six years, doubling over the last half decade.

In all, 1,305 homeless people have died in Orange County over the past 12 years, about half coming since 2013.

When viewed en masse, experts say, the numbers tell the story of how increased street homelessness, a scourge of opiate addiction and failures in the public health system have combined to turn an already difficult existence into something more lethal. Many add that at least some homeless deaths locally could have been prevented with better resources.

Read More:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/homeless-743047-county-people.html?utm_source=Essential+California&utm_campaign=5dd7950be4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_12&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6e35f7f85b-5dd7950be4-79760557