Boston Could Someday Be the Venice of North America

Boston Could Someday Be the Venice of North America

Sinking land and rising sea levels have cities along the US east coast facing an uncertain future. Planners in Boston, Massachusetts, are so concerned that they are considering flooding the city intentionally. Well, not quite flooding so much as creating a system of canals that would crisscross the low-lying Back Bay area. While it seems unlikely that officials will elect such a drastic approach over simply shoring up foundations and raising infrastructure in anticipation of potential flooding, the plan to bring canal systems to North America has raised awareness of the challenges Boston and cities like it will face in the coming decades. More… Discuss

this day in the yesteryear: Kennedy Confirms Missile Presence in Cuba (1962)

 

English: Medium Range Ballistic Missile Launch Site 1, San Cristobal, Cuba 25 October 1962 (MRBM Launch Site 1) – Cuban missile crisis (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Kennedy Confirms Missile Presence in Cuba (1962)

 

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major Cold War confrontation that began when US reconnaissance flights uncovered Soviet missile sites in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy denounced the Soviet actions, imposed a naval blockade on Cuba, and vowed that the US would retaliate against any missile launched from Cuba. After hovering on the brink of war for several days, the two superpowers were able to reach a compromise. From which countries did the Soviets demand the withdrawal of American missiles? More… Discuss

This high-quality version of President Kennedy’s 10/22/62 Cuban Missile Crisis speech is somewhat rare, because it is complete and unedited. Usually only small bits and pieces of the speech are presented on television and in documentaries. But this is the entire 18-minute address from start to finish.

VIDEO SOURCE (NARA):
http://Amazon.com/dp/B000UWKJ0E

DOWNLOAD LINKS:
http://Archive.org/details/gov.archiv…

RELATED PROGRAM:
http://DVP-Potpourri.blogspot.com/201…

 

Related articles

• Kennedy Confirms Missile Presence in Cuba (1962)
• Air Force pilot discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba, briefed JFK, raised funds for football stadium in Hoover

this day in the yesteryear: Hurricane Katrina Devastates US Gulf Coast (2005)

Hurricane Katrina Devastates US Gulf Coast (2005)

Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Central Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm. Its storm surge breached the levee system that protected New Orleans from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River, flooding the city. Lack of food and water in the aftermath fueled criticism of the US government‘s recovery efforts, and many former residents established new lives elsewhere. Katrina caused an estimated $81 billion in damages. How many people died during the hurricane and subsequent flooding? More… Discuss

WARMING TEMPERATURES COULD CAUSE MORE KATRINAS

One hopes that storms such as 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast, and last year’s Superstorm Sandy, which caused fatalities in nine countries and upwards of $75 billion in damage, would be few and far between. Unfortunately, researchers are projecting that the number of Atlantic hurricanes of this magnitude will dramatically rise over the coming years. These storms are extremely temperature sensitive, and given the warming that took place over the course of the 20th century, researchers expect the number of Katrina-strength storms to double in the 21st. If global temperatures continue to rise, this number could get even higher. More… Discuss