Good ideas with poor execution. The post The Rolling Stones album Mick Jagger can’t stand hearing: “Rather spoiled” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

"He was building a swimming pool." The post The Beatles album that saw Paul McCartney accuse George Harrison of underperforming first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

“I would have been hailed with approval if I had died at 50,” W. E. B. Du Bois wrote upon turning 90. “At 75 my death was practically requested.” Norman Podhoretz, another well-traveled intellectual who also lived to 95, could have said something similar about his own life. He died on Tuesday a month shy of 96. Du Bois went from a Berkshires birth to a funeral blessed by a witch doctor in Ghana, from mocking Marcus Garvey’s Pan Africanism to renouncing his U.S. citizenship and figuratively embarking on his own Black Star Line to Africa, from Harvard University to the Communist Party, and from co-founding the NAACP to loudly advocating for racial separatism. Podhoretz took over as editor of Commentary magazine in 1960 and promptly took it further left. And then society moved left more quickly in the ensuing decade. Podhoretz shifted, relatively and absolutely, right. He became a Reaganite, then an enthusiastic backer of regime change in Iraq during the Clinton administration through the notorious Project for the New American Century’s “statement of principles,” and, in life’s final act, something more than a Two Cheers for Donald Trump Republican. “I thought the animosity against him was way out of proportion and, on the right, a big mistake,” he told the Wall Street Journal’s Barton Swaim in 2021. “I went from anti-anti-Trump to pro-Trump … I still think — and it’s been the same fight going on in my lifetime since, I would say, 1965 — I still think there’s only one question: Is America good or bad?” Podhoretz traveled further than 95 years would normally allow. And, like Du Bois, this gained and lost him well-wishers and comrades. He even wrote a book about this phenomenon that he mistitled Ex-Friends. The likes of Lionel Trilling, Lillian Hellman, and Norman Mailer were never his friends. They were his comrades. A set of shared political beliefs tethered them. When he veered from those beliefs, they steered clear of him. One does not glean the impression from reading the book that Podhoretz regarded such treatment of an old “friend” as petty. He accepts the idea that, if people disagree on important yet impersonal matters, then best run the end credits on the association. Still, he could appreciate the silliness of it all. “In my case, because I seemed to be destroying rather than advancing my career, the theory circulated that I had gone mad,” he said of his political epiphany that began in the latter part of the 1960s. “One of my best friends at the time even tried to persuade my wife to have me committed to a mental institution before my clearly self-destructive actions had a chance to reach their consummation in a literal self-destruction — that is, suicide.” But Podhoretz in this second act influenced presidents rather than merely other public intellectuals. Another p-word — patriot — came to characterize his outlook. From the 1960s onward, a defense of America against its detractors broadly colored his writings. Norman Podhoretz the American was more commonly thought of as Norman Podhoretz the New Yorker. And that New York intellectual scene that embraced and rejected him? Podhoretz outlived it. He never quite escaped it. In The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois spoke of an African American dual consciousness: “Two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body.” Podhoretz revealed his version of this — call it maybe The Souls of New York Jewish Intellectuals — earlier this year at The Free Press. Therein, he called Brooklyn his spiritual home even though Manhattan had remained his physical home since the 1950s. He wrote of both providing sustenance to him even as they both threatened to tear him in two. “On one side of the river lay a troubled, crime-ridden slum, split in thirds between Jews, Italians, and blacks. A gang stood on every street corner; violence and drinking were ubiquitous,” he explained. “On the other, Manhattan: a glittering fortress of class and intellect.” Podhoretz spent a career uneasily straddling the East River. He ultimately became more patriotic than parochial. That aspect of his 95-year journey seems most overlooked in this week’s reflections upon his life.

Politicians reject mainstream media narrative that Hegseth and Trump are striking civilian fisherman.

Investigators argued internally over the delays - which allowed the statute-of-limitations to expire and ultimately halt the case.

by M Dowling, Independent Sentinel: Democrats hate Americans because so many of us are white. Even if you’re black like Republican Larry Elder, they’ll say you’re like a white person. The black police officers are hated because they apparently become like white people when they join the force and do their job. Democrats hate police, […]

from The Conservative Treehouse: It seems like every other month there is another report of Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino departing the FBI.  However, this time the internal sources are double-dog-sure of the likelihood. Multiple media outlets now report an anticipated exit by Dan Bongino over the next few weeks.  It would not come as a surprise […]

from The Jimmy Dore Show: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

  The tragedy of Armero was one of the most horrific natural disasters witnessed in Colombia’s history. Occurring almost 40 years ago, the tragedy was caused by the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano in the central Andes Cordillera. The deadly eruption happened on November 13, 1985, and triggered the melting of lahars that buried an entire nearby village, Armero, killing most of its residents. Although the volcano had been silent for over 70 years, it had shown signs of possible eruption for several months before the tragedy.   Where Is Armero? Photo of Armero before the tragedy. Source: Q’hubo   Armero was the third-largest urban center in Tolima, Colombia. It was 48 km (30 m) away from the Nevado del Ruiz volcano and was an important agricultural center known for its rice production.   Volcanic activity in the region was not uncommon. It has been registered since the 16th century, with activity peaks during the 19th century. After the explosion of Mount Pelée in 1902 on the French island of Martinique, Nevado del Ruiz’s eruption is considered the second-largest volcanic event of the 20th century.   Nevado del Ruiz Volcano Aerial photo of Volcán Nevado del Ruiz by Georges Vitton, 2024. Source: LCDV   This snowy volcano is located in the northern part of the Andes volcanic belt between Tolima and Caldas in Colombia. More specifically, it is part of a national park, the Parque Nacional de los Nevados (Snowy Mountains National Park), which lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire.   The volcano has remained active since the Pleistocene. Typical eruptions include the expulsion of pyroclastic flows that can melt surrounding glacier ice and produce lahars, or volcanic mudflows. The volcano’s ice cover is an important potable water resource for nearby villages. However, due to climate change, it has been decreasing in recent years.   Volcanic activity and eruption events have been documented at Nevado del Ruiz since the 16th century, and especially during the 19th century. Because the last major eruption had happened 140 years before the day of this tragic event, for the locals, it was easy to ignore the potential threat. Moreover, smoke from the volcano had rarely been seen as a cause for alarm by nearby populations. Following the 1985 explosion, the most recent eruption happened in 2012, with the volcano expelling only gases and ash.   View of Volcán Nevado del Ruiz from the city of Manizales, a city nearby. N.A. Source: Alcaldía de Manizales   Although people had been aware of Nevado del Ruiz’s volcanic activity since early November 1984, geologists had identified increasing seismic activity in the region and a more visible expulsion of smoke from the different volcanic chimneys. Direct contact between magma and water produced an explosion on September 11 of the same year, leading local authorities to prepare evacuation plans and produce risk maps published in different national newspapers. Unfortunately, this information did not reach Armero’s population effectively.   One Year Later: The Night of November 13 Photos of Armero, Colombia. N.A. Source: infobae   At 3 p.m. on November 13, 1985, columns of ash were expelled from the volcano. By 7 p.m., ash rain had started to fall over the village. The director of the Colombian civil defense was informed about the peculiar events and issued recommendations to evacuate nearby villages. Some survivors have shared that the village mayor, informed of the imminent risk of eruption, walked the streets warning the people. Despite his efforts to save Armeros’ people, other authorities recommended that the people remain calm and return to their houses. At the same time, the Colombian Red Cross started organizing evacuation plans in nearby villages. At 9:09 p.m., the volcano erupted, throwing pyroclasts 30 km (19 mi) into the atmosphere. After the explosion, the Colombian National Geological Service recommended immediate evacuation. However, due to storms, these warnings never reached Armero’s authorities.   The volcano’s explosion melted 2% of the mountain’s glaciers, producing lahars that traveled down the mountain through descending river courses, reaching speeds up to 60 km (37 mi) per hour. Lahars mix mud, debris, and water. Before hitting the village, the main lahar traveled through the Lagunillas River, which neighbored Armero.   Photo of rescue activities after the Armero tragedy. Source: Clipintevé   Around 11:30 p.m., the first lahar reached the village, followed by the arrival of 350 million cubic meters of mud mixed with branches and rocks that reached 30 meters (98 ft) in depth. Almost instantaneously, nearly the entire village was submerged, destroyed below the mudflow. The mud crushed buildings and people and smothered many.   Absent warnings from the government, and due to the timing, with many already sleeping, 20,000 people died, corresponding to around 94% of Armero’s population. After the mud had covered the village and destroyed connecting bridges and roads, it was almost impossible for the emergency services to reach the people. Twelve hours after the event, the first emergency services could finally reach the survivors.   The Next Day: Desolation Photo of Armero after the tragedy, December 1985. Source: National Archives   The next day, emergency trucks came to begin removing bodies that were buried and stuck between rubble, rocks, and trees. Some of them were cremated. The total toll of affected people reached 230,000, and initial damages were calculated to be approximately USD $218 million. Because the lahars had destroyed the local hospital, wounded people were moved to hospitals in nearby urban areas, most of them forever displaced by the tragedy and separated from their families.   Playing Politics: Delayed Response Photo of Pope John Paul II visiting Armero. N.A. Source: Infobae   After the flooding, recovery operations for the victims were both slow and poor. Colombia’s political landscape was unstable, and the government was directing its attention to other issues. One week before the event, the Colombian Palace of Justice had been occupied by the M19 guerilla movement, which was garnering most of the country’s attention. At the international level, the eruption of Nevado Del Ruiz happened only two months after an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico City, which limited the number of supplies sent by the international parties.   Despite the unstable landscape, less than a year after the catastrophe, on July 7, 1986, Pope John Paul II visited the site as part of his six-day tour in Colombia. There, the pope declared the terrain a holy ground. A high cross penetrated the now-dried mud, where the pope knelt and prayed.   Omayra Sánchez, Face of a Tragedy Photo of Omayra Sánchez by Frank Fournier, 1985. Source: Le Nouvel Obs   Omayra Sánchez was a 13-year-old girl who was trapped in the mud for 60 hours before she passed away. She became the symbol of the Armero tragedy because of her story of resilience and hope amid her unavoidable fate. After the flooding, her legs had been trapped in the rubble. A rescue team of divers tried to free her from the debris trapping her, only to realize that the arms of her aunt were holding her tightly from the depths of the water. Efforts to rescue her were broadcast on national television, and a picture of her taken by journalist Frank Fournier was named the photo of the year by World Press Photo of the Year in 1986.   In the subsequent years, Omayra became a source of inspiration for literature and music, in the works of writers such as German Santa María Barragán and Isabel Allende. Her figure also attracted worshipers, who have been trying to secure her beatification. Today, the site of her passing has become a place of pilgrimage and offerings for many who still commemorate and believe in her.   Armero Today Ruins of Armero, unknown photographer, 2021. Source: rtve   Driving between the cities of Ibagué and Honda, travelers pass by what is left of the village: to the right, abandoned houses half-buried, and to the left, half of a hospital still popping out from the ground. The site is visited by many people who come either as tourists or pilgrims to the sacred site for the curiosity of worship.   Every year, on November 13th, more visitors gather, and different commemorative activities occur. Some are survivors. Others are descendants of the victims. As an act of remembrance, the Colombian Army throws rose petals from helicopters while masses are celebrated on the holy ground. Five kilometers away, a new village called Armero-Guayabal was built to house thousands of survivors. After the tragedy, many orphaned children were lost; some were even kidnapped. However, despite some being rescued, tracking adoptions is basically impossible because of the lack of a functional registry system.   Front page of the website Fundación Armando Armero, portraying surviving children currently being searched for, 2024. Source: Fundación Armando Armero   Francisco González, one of the survivors, lost his father and brother on the day of the event and founded an organization called Armando Armero (Building Armero). This institution is currently fighting alongside other survivors to find the lost children who, in some cases, were adopted by foreign families. They have filed a complaint against the Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (Colombian Institute for Family Well-Being), which, in 2021, declared that it did not have official records about the protocols used for rescuing and protecting the young survivors.   Lessons Learned Aerial photo of Armero after being submerged by lahars, 1985. Source: Cerosetenta   The incredible number of deaths in Armero was caused, in significant part, by misinformation and the inability of mass media to deliver an effective warning message. Geological services could not communicate in a timely fashion with local emergency services in Armero, while local people ignored the signs of imminent danger, beginning with the ash rain that fell that afternoon.   In 1985, Colombia did not have the proper live geological measurement equipment. However, after the Armero tragedy, different geological monitoring services and technologies in Colombia were improved and developed, and today cover 25 active volcanic zones out of 50 present in the nation’s territory. In 1988, Colombia created the Sistema Nacional para la Prevención y Atención a Desastres—SNPAD (National System for Disaster Prevention and Response), and in 2012, the Sistema Nacional de Gestión de Riesgo de Desastres—SNGRD (National Disaster Risk Management System). These, together with the Servicio Geológico Colombiano—SGC (National Geological Service), are today the institutions that work together to safeguard vulnerable communities in high-risk disaster zones. Armero also testified to the importance of an effective preventive organization that takes into consideration Colombia’s complex geological characteristics, which must entail collaboration between government and scientific institutions.   Aerial photograph taken over Armero after the lahars wiped out the village, 1985. Source: Infobae   The Amero tragedy is a reminder of the devastation volcanic eruptions can have on nearby urban and rural areas and how preparedness is a vital tool to mitigate such risks. In the case of Armero, miscommunication and misinformation exacerbated the loss of lives, which had a long-lasting social impact on the country, especially for the survivors. Lastly, the search for the young survivors of the tragedy reflects how important it is to have effective rescue and protection protocols in place in the aftermath of disasters.