Guns not the real reason for violence
Categories: Letters to the Editor, OpinionFrank Giordano from Schenectady writes, “U.S. gun proponents tend to view gun ownership as a right.” Where could that idea possibly have come from?Maybe since it’s from the Second Amendment of the Constitution, in the Bill of Rights, where it states, “… the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”Since it’s in the Bill of Rights, clearly stated as a right, could that be why its considered a right? Want to look at the definition of the word infringe — act so as to limit or undermine.The gun is a symptom; it’s not the problem. Please don’t tell me that mass murder at its core isn’t an act of someone with mental health issues. Look at how society has changed in 30 years and even less — the overmedicating of children, no discipline at home, no discipline allowed in schools, graphic and violent video games, kids lacking respect for authority be it parents, school or law, and being told if it feels good do it. They can even pick if they want to identify as a boy or a girl. Some don’t even know what bathroom to use. With all this junk going on in schools, to single out the gun and call this a gun control issue is irresponsible. The gun is a tool. It’s a symptom but it’s not the issue.Pat WalshGlenvilleMore from The Daily Gazette:EDITORIAL: Urgent: Today is the last day to complete the censusFoss: Should main downtown branch of the Schenectady County Public Library reopen?EDITORIAL: Thruway tax unfair to working motoristsEDITORIAL: Find a way to get family members into nursing homesEDITORIAL: Beware of voter intimidation
President Trump’s tweets (on Easter Sunday no less) pronouncing a deal on DACA “dead” were full of his usual lies, pandering and buck passing. Categories: Letters to the Editor, Opinion It’s clearer than it ever was that he never planned on solving the problems of the Dreamers. It’s clearer than it ever was that he doesn’t care about the 1 million and more young people who are as American as you and me, but can’t claim citizenship.It’s clearer than it ever was that he’s an ignorant, racist blowhard who isn’t interested in solving the very problems he created, but will blame everyone else for their creation.Well, in truth, Congress does have the power to solve this — why can’t there be, for humanity’s sake, Rep. John Faso, a bi-partisan solution to DACA? Furthermore, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, the Democrats never should have allowed the government to be funded until this was resolved. Indeed, the failure to do so is as much on them as it is on this misfit president and his lackeys in Congress. It’s time to act, and quickly, to fix this mess.Gary GrillCanaanMore from The Daily Gazette:Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s press conference for Sunday, Oct. 18EDITORIAL: Beware of voter intimidationEDITORIAL: Thruway tax unfair to working motoristsCuomo calls for clarity on administering vaccineEDITORIAL: Find a way to get family members into nursing homes
The caricature of retailing in north Wales seaside towns is that it’s all about the old. The 30-mile coastal strip from Prestatyn in the east, through Rhyl, Abergele, Colwyn Bay and Rhos-on-Sea to Llandudno in the west, has been dubbed the Costa Geriatrica.Statistics show that there is some truth behind the region’s image as a favourite retirement destination for north-west inhabitants. While nationally around 18% of the population are of retirement age or older, in Wales the figure rises to 20%. And in parts of north Wales it exceeds 25%. From the property industry’s perspective, the danger is that the north Wales coastal retail scene will simply fossilise.The retail hub of north Wales is, perhaps perversely, the English city of Chester. The town’s Grosvenor shopping centre continues to attract big names – latest arrivals include Episode, Gieves & Hawkes and Satori. In Wales itself, the retail market is mixed. While Bangor and Llandudno’s Mostyn Street sweep all before them, rivals such as Colwyn Bay and Rhyl are having a bumpier ride. Wrexham ought to be more powerful than it is, but suffers from its proximity to Chester and from long-term delays in completing a major town-centre redevelopment.Flintshire – which nestles close to the English border – is, for most purposes, an extension of Cheshire. It has a fairly young and economically active population. Unemployment, at around 3.6%, is well below the Welsh average of 5.3%.The area boasts some major employers, including the British Aerospace factory at Broughton. Although the plant is four miles inside the Welsh border, its location is generally referred to as a Chester suburb – a source of some dismay in Flintshire.Meanwhile, key retailers are still queuing up for Flintshire locations. Rumour has it that Sainsbury’s is about to unveil plans for a superstore in Flint.Delwyn Evans, spokesman for Flintshire County Council, says: ‘An ageing population is not an issue for us in this county. But as you move west from Prestatyn, things begin to change.’ This change presents both a challenge and an opportunity to landlords and developers such as Modus Properties, recent purchaser of the 8,360 sq m (90,000 sq ft) Colwyn Centre in Colwyn Bay.The north-west-based company paid around £8.9m for the centre, which is anchored by Safeway and the usual household names, such as Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Thorntons. Modus’s aim is to extend the centre and perk up its performance by broadening its appeal beyond the bungalow-dwelling old folk of the north Wales coast.Managing director Brendan Flood says: ‘We think the choice could be extended at the Colwyn Centre. It has a loyal catchment, but so far the centre hasn’t made use of its proximity to the A55 north Wales expressway going straight down the coast. We want to promote it as a sub-regional centre.’ Modus plans to inject around £9m into the centre to create a 6,500 sq m (70,000 sq ft) extension. The idea is to build on existing loyalties by appealing to customers prepared to endure a journey time of up to 20 minutes. The aim is to boost its weekly 25,000-strong footfall by as much as 30%.‘That is going to mean attracting a lot of holiday traffic. Today, midweek, the centre’s customers are mostly mums and retired people. We have enough attractions there to keep the existing shoppers, but we want a bigger critical mass of customers,’ says Flood.Existing traders report profits at healthy enough levels. But increased earnings for Modus depend on a wider retail offer – and that wider choice requires a wider customer base. Hence, the sub-regional appeal.North Wales retailing has never been known for its daring. Its virtue is its stability. Mixing the two – as Modus looks set to do – will prove an interesting test of the region’s capacities and its potential for retail growth.
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To access this article REGISTER NOWWould you like print copies, app and digital replica access too? SUBSCRIBE for as little as £5 per week. Would you like to read more?Register for free to finish this article.Sign up now for the following benefits:Four FREE articles of your choice per monthBreaking news, comment and analysis from industry experts as it happensChoose from our portfolio of email newsletters
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“Rising seas don’t just mean more frequent flooding, but also greater damage from storms, faster rates of erosion and shrinking water resources if sea water infiltrates aquifers – not to mention the enormous cost of protecting or relocating populations, infrastructure and buildings and the disruption to business operations and supply chains,” they wrote in the report.Read also: Rising sea levels threaten 23 million in Indonesia’s coastal cities by 2050: StudyHeavy rains have caused massive flooding in Jakarta on several occasions this year, with the most recent occurrence claiming at least nine lives and displacing thousands of others.Read also: Two islands vanish, four more may soon sink, Walhi blames environmental problemsIndonesia, the writers argued, had taken an extraordinary step by moving its capital away from Jakarta, which generated almost a third of the country’s total gross domestic product.“[However,] Jakarta, the fourth-highest risk city globally, is slowly sinking towards current sea level as the aquifers it sits above are drained.”A study from Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) researchers on data from 1925 to 2015 concluded that significant land subsidence had affected the capital city since 1975 due to massive groundwater extraction. The researchers predicted that a large part of Jakarta will be submerged by 2050.The ITB study also found that Jakarta subsided about 1 to 15 cm per year, making it one of the fastest-sinking cities in the world.Nichols and Clisby said more advanced nations should have the resources and ability to take financial steps to reduce the climate problem. However, other countries and regions, such as India, North Africa and Southeast Asia, had a limited capacity, the writers argued.“For lower income nations, reacting to rising sea levels will take time and investment, drawing funding away from other development priorities,” they wrote. “However, failing to prepare for sea level rise will also impact a country’s investment potential and credit risk, making it more difficult to fund much-needed projects.”The analysts urged authorities to move fast in mitigating the impacts caused by the phenomenon, as “the window to stave off the worst impacts is closing, and yet investments remain well short of what is required”.“If the rates of sea level rise are accelerating as many researchers have suggested, the extent of the problems we will face this coming century could be well beyond the means of even wealthy nations to cope with.” (syk) Topics : A recent study has identified Jakarta as among the world’s major metropolitan areas on the brink of sinking as a result of rising sea levels and extreme weather caused by climate change.Global strategic and risk consulting company Verisk Maplecroft reported in its 2020 Environmental Risk Outlook issued on Thursday that 11 of the 15 cities most at-risk of sinking are Asian cities that are significant financial and trade centers, including Jakarta, which is especially threatened due to its location in the lowlands.The company assessed sea level rise exposure to 500 cities with a population of more than 1 million people.
Aside from Jakarta, other cities labeled high risk include Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shanghai in China, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Tokyo. Meanwhile, cities outside Asia that face the same risk are Dubai, the United Arab Emirates; Alexandria, Egypt; and New York City, the United States.Scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated in their report last year that the sea level was rising 3.6 millimeters per year. Based on this rate, the sea level could rise between 30 and 110 centimeters by the year 2100.However, a 60 to 110 cm rise was most likely, the IPCC said as quoted by Verisk Maplecroft, as the world remained on a path of high emissions.Analysts Will Nichols and Rory Clisby said the risks of rising sea levels were massive and they stressed the importance of urgently addressing the issue and coming up with solutions today.