Five years after Superstorm Sandy was supposed to have taught the U.S. a lesson about the dangers of living along the coast, disaster planning experts say there is no place in America truly prepared for climate change and the tempests it could bring.

That is true even in New York and New Jersey, where cities and towns got slammed by deadly floodwaters that rose out of the Atlantic on the evening of Oct. 29, 2012.

While billions have been spent to repair the damage, protecting vulnerable infrastructure, people and property across the nation from the more extreme weather that climate change could bring is going to require investment on a staggering scale, easily costing hundreds of billions, perhaps trillions.

Some coastal protection projects are moving forward, but the most ambitious ideas spurred by Sandy’s onslaught are still in the design stage, with questions about whether they will ever be built.

Some wonder whether the nation has the will to undertake such ventures, even after this past season brought more catastrophic storms, including Hurricane Harvey, which swamped Houston, and Hurricane Maria, which laid waste to Puerto Rico’s electrical grid.

Climate change could lead to sea level rises that are larger, and happen more rapidly, than previously thought, according to a trio of new studies that reflect mounting concerns about the stability of polar ice.

In one case, the research suggests that previous high end projections for sea level rise by the year 2100 - a little over three feet - could be too low, substituting numbers as high as six feet at the extreme if the world continues to burn large volumes of fossil fuels throughout the century.

"We have the potential to have much more sea level rise under high emissions scenarios," said Alexander Nauels, a researcher at the University of Melbourne in Australia who led one of the three studies. His work, co-authored with researchers at institutions in Austria, Switzerland and Germany, was published Thursday in Environmental Research Letters.

The results comprise both novel scientific observations - based on high resolution seafloor imaging techniques that give a new window on past sea level events - and new modeling techniques based on a better understanding of Antarctic ice.

The observational results, from Texas and Antarctica, examine a similar time period - the close of the last Ice Age a little over 10,000 years ago, when seas are believed to have risen very rapidly at times, as northern hemisphere ice sheets collapsed.

1. Trust your instincts. If you feel alarmed, scared or creepy in any situation, go with your gut. If you see something spooky, contact the local Police immediately 911 from an off-campus location, 410-455-5555 from an on-campus location.

2.Travel in groups! Avoid being alone or isolated with a vampire – – or any creature – – who you don’t know or trust. Make sure a dependable friend knows where you are and who you are with at all times. Don’t leave your group with anyone you’re not sure of – even if he or she asks. Say you’d rather stay with the group.

3.Check in with your friends throughout All Hallow’s Eve. Form a buddy system so that no one wanders off alone. Agree on a secret “butt in” signal for uncomfortable situations, such as “Ghost” or “Ghoul!”

4.Don’t accept “potion” from people you don’t know or trust and never leave your “potion” unattended. If you lose sight of your “potion,” get a new one, and always watch your “potion” being prepared.

5. Watch out for your friends, and don’t be afraid to intervene if a situation appears to be scaring your friend or is frightening you. If your friend seems too drunk or is acting abnormally, get them to a safe place immediately.

6. Even when our students take precautions, we know that scary situations can happen, and if the do, UMBC is here to help.  If you need immediate assistance call University Police: 410-455-5555 or talk to your RA to be connected with resources.

Harvey Weinstein is an American film producer and former film studio executive. Recently, he has begun presenting himself as a feminist. In public, he has said all the right things about empowering and respecting women. He openly supported the careers of female acting talents such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep.

On Jan. 10, the day after Donald Trump — another accused sexual predator — was inaugurated as president, Weinstein even showed up at the women’s march. However, it has been recently brought to light that he has sexually assaulted over forty women in Hollywood.

The reactions from other men in the industry such as Woody Allen have been grossly inappropriate.  Allen, in an interview with the BBC, said that this is a “witch hunt atmosphere, a Salem atmosphere, where every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself.” After those forty women found the courage to speak out about being sexually assaulted by Weinstein, Allen found that the most tragic part of this was not the women’s pain. It was that he and other men are expected to act appropriately in the workplace.

It is unsettling to think about why Allen felt so comfortable speaking out on sexual assault issues considering past allegations made against him. Why are the loudest voices coming from other predatory men in Hollywood?

This is because there has been a culture of silence prevalent in the film industry for as long as it has existed. This can be attributed to the fact that practically everyone in a movie crew signs a confidentiality agreement. Many assistants live in fear of speaking out about any suspicious behaviors they see their employer engage in. 

In an interview with the Washington Post, the assistant of a popular show-runner in Los Angeles said, “You are not in a position where you have any remote sort of leverage, and you are extremely replaceable.” The assistant only spoke on the condition of being kept anonymous because of his nondisclosure agreement and fear of retaliation from his employer.

“There are very few things that are worth speaking up about because when and if you decide to do that, it’s over,” the assistant added.

Hollywood’s culture of silence cannot continue. Movie cast and crew members are often in situations where they have the power to prevent sexual assault from taking place, but their fear of breaking confidentiality agreements is stronger than their desire to help.

Weinstein’s case has made it clear that when the boss commits sexual assault, it is not just overlooked, but actually enabled.  Luckily, due to a rise in awareness of corruption between employers and employees, lawmakers have pushed to throw away any contract from employers that prevents misconduct from being reported.

In addition, a movement called “#MeToo” has recently taken social media by storm. The mission of this movement is to give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem of sexual assault by having every woman who was sexually assaulted simply post “#MeToo” on their social media. The power of #MeToo is that it takes something that women had long kept private and transforms it into something much larger. This is an accessible way to bring the massive issue of sexual assault, from Hollywood to small town, to light.  

Is anyone interested in meeting up this weekend somewhere on campus for POKEMON GO? From what I gather the more people you have the stronger you are, the stronger you are the better chance you can defeat them, but then you still gotta catch them, sounds THRILLING. I'll be tagging along just to make sure nobody runs into anything while walking with their faces down in their phone. She's also thinking about a trip to the inner harbor. 

Acts 9:10-19 (NIV) – In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

“According to the Barna Research Group, a majority of people who attend Christian worship services leave without feeling that they experienced God’s presence. Less than one-third of the adults feel as though they truly interacted with God. Eventually people cease to expect a real encounter with God and simply settle for a pleasant experience. So what happens when the pleasant experience is replaced with the real encounter?

“With the Scripture and Church history as our guide, it becomes very evident that when a holy God encounters sinful people, at least one of the following three things usually occur: 1) Sinners are radically converted; 2) Christians are transformed and renewed; or, 3) The mind of the saint or sinner is offended and the state of his heart is revealed. Just as a storm is produced when high and low fronts converge, so too a storm of a different kind emerges when the glorious and radiant presence of the Lord comes near.” [Steve Beard, Power, Holiness, and Evangelism, p.136]

Let’s pray that God would encounter us, giving us his visions and his dreams. We’re not seeking after the visions and dreams, we’re seeking after the One who reveals Himself through them. May we experience conversion, transformation, renewal as they come. Also, as the college conference is this weekend, let’s pray for real encounters of the Holy Spirit for each person coming.

“This We Know” – Link:

– AK

As we all know, it is midterm season. This means students are staying up later, studying harder and most likely running on late night food from True Grit’s. However, there should never be a time where students must choose between their health and studying for an exam.

Sarah Hayden, a biology major graduating in 2019, recalled a time she prioritized her studies over her health: “I have found myself forgoing getting stitches in order to have more time to study, resulting in me going to lab with a 102 degree temperature, and driving through floods to make it to class.” While academics are incredibly important, it is also important to remember that, in most cases, exams can be retaken and class notes can be reviewed.

One of the most important things students learn in college is the ability to balance all of their responsibilities. Although it can be hard, UMBC provides several outlets for students to take advantage of, including on-campus facilities and programs such as Wellness Week.

At UMBC, Oct. 17 – 19 represented Wellness Week, a week meant to focus on students to ensure that their mental, physical and emotional health is stable. This week provided activities allowing students to de-stress and remember the importance of focusing on their health.

If students are not healthy, they cannot go to class and fully participate in the discussions and lectures that are crucial to the class. Audrey Mae Padilla,  a biochemistry major graduating in 2017, shared her thoughts on prioritizing in college, saying, “There is obviously going to be stress in school to keep up with academics and to graduate with a degree, but I learned through the years that you also have to prioritize yourself.”

Students should not have to sacrifice mental, physical or emotional health to ensure good grades or an active social life. Yet, students perpetually exhibit this behavior, especially when it comes to exam time.

In a survey, 85 percent of students said that mental and physical health was more important than good grades. However, midterms still do take a hit on how much students prioritize their health.

When asked how much sleep students got when they had an exam, 56 percent said between four and five hours of sleep, 31 percent said between six and seven hours of sleep and 13 percent said eight hours or more. When asked how much sleep they got when they did not have an exam, 50 percent said four to five hours of sleep, 25 percent said six to seven hours, and another 25 percent said eight or more.

When asked whether staying up late to study is more beneficial than getting a good night’s rest, the results were an even 50/50 across the board. This only goes to show that while students feel their health is more important than good grades, they are still staying up late to study and barely sleeping before exams.

This week is supposed to be focused on yourself, so please do just that. Remember that it is okay to feel overwhelmed and/or to ask for help. There is absolutely no shame in needing help. Use this week to make sure your mental, physical and emotional health are where they should be. Remember that when it comes down to it, you are much more important than a midterm.