Non Political Current Events Thread

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:03 pm

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/09/12/politi ... cnn.com%2F

The Conception dive boat, which sunk on Labor Day killing 34 people off the coast of California, did not have a crewmember on roving overnight watch as required by its certificate, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report and NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt.

"A crewmember sleeping in the wheelhouse berths was awakened by a noise and got up to investigate," the report says. "He saw a fire at the aft end of the sun deck, rising up from the salon compartment below. The crewmember alerted the crew behind the wheelhouse. As crewmembers awoke, the captain radioed a distress message to the Coast Guard."

Postby **Freddy Rumsen** » Thu Sep 12, 2019 6:24 pm

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Sep 12, 2019 6:26 pm

That’s not going to go over well at all.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Thu Sep 12, 2019 6:34 pm

Postby **Gaucho** » Thu Sep 12, 2019 6:37 pm

Postby **tifosi77** » Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:05 pm

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/09/12/politi ... cnn.com%2F
The Conception dive boat, which sunk on Labor Day killing 34 people off the coast of California, did not have a crewmember on roving overnight watch as required by its certificate, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report and NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt.

"A crewmember sleeping in the wheelhouse berths was awakened by a noise and got up to investigate," the report says. "He saw a fire at the aft end of the sun deck, rising up from the salon compartment below. The crewmember alerted the crew behind the wheelhouse. As crewmembers awoke, the captain radioed a distress message to the Coast Guard."

I've seen two different placements of the hatches on schematics. Both show the ladder (forward), but one shows a hatch further forward exiting to the focsle, and the other shows it in the after part of the guest quarters. In the latter, it exited into the galley, where the fire is presumed to have started. (Granted, the one that shows it forward is from a week ago, so it may be outdated)

Postby **Sam's Drunk Dog** » Thu Sep 12, 2019 10:11 pm

Postby **NTP66** » Fri Sep 13, 2019 6:53 am

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/09/12/politi ... cnn.com%2F
The Conception dive boat, which sunk on Labor Day killing 34 people off the coast of California, did not have a crewmember on roving overnight watch as required by its certificate, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report and NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt.

"A crewmember sleeping in the wheelhouse berths was awakened by a noise and got up to investigate," the report says. "He saw a fire at the aft end of the sun deck, rising up from the salon compartment below. The crewmember alerted the crew behind the wheelhouse. As crewmembers awoke, the captain radioed a distress message to the Coast Guard."

I've seen two different placements of the hatches on schematics. Both show the ladder (forward), but one shows a hatch further forward exiting to the focsle, and the other shows it in the after part of the guest quarters. In the latter, it exited into the galley, where the fire is presumed to have started. (Granted, the one that shows it forward is from a week ago, so it may be outdated)

No fire suppression system in the sleeping quarters? I assume that's not required, but it should be. Like I said earlier, though, the crew is partially responsible here, especially now that we know there was nobody on watch and they were all asleep.

Postby **AuthorTony** » Fri Sep 13, 2019 4:35 pm

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/13/heal ... ioids.html

The New York attorney general’s office said Friday that it had tracked about $1 billion in wire transfers by the Sackler family, including through Swiss bank accounts, suggesting that the family tried to shield wealth as it faced a raft of litigation over its role in the opioid crisis.

Postby **dodint** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 12:10 am

Postby **Lemon Berry Lobster** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:28 am

Postby **shafnutz05** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 7:28 am

Man, that's sad. Cannot imagine having that yoke around my neck.

Postby **Gaucho** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 7:31 am

Phrasing.

Postby **Gaucho** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 7:53 am

Seagull rips off man’s testicle as he sunbathes naked

https://www.suffolkgazette.com/news/sea ... a2mCfM2LuE

Postby **CBear3** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:01 am

plant. grow

Postby **shafnutz05** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 12:54 pm

This has been woefully under-covered in American media, but some really awful stuff coming out of Central Africa. This is a really good read on all of the ethnic/communal violence in Mali, Ethiopia, Nigeria, etc.

https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/art ... d-ethiopia

After surrounding the villages at dawn, the militias stormed in, armed with machetes and firearms. As Reuters later reported, the “gunmen left the charred bodies of women and children smoldering in their homes.”

The attack on two villages in central Mali in March, in which 170 people were reportedly killed, was shocking enough to generate international headlines. But beyond the grisly details were its seemingly stark ethnic dimensions. The militias were made up of members of the Dogon ethnic group, which is primarily pastoralist. The victims in the two villages were mostly members of the Fulani ethnic group, semi-nomadic herders who are mainly Muslim and had been accused by the militias of supporting Islamist extremists operating in the area.

The attack on the two villages in Mali was not an isolated incident. In June, in a possible reprisal, some 35 Dogon villagers were massacred in central Mali, two dozen of them children. It is part of a grim trend in Mali, where communal militias were involved in an estimated 130 violent incidents last year, according to data compiled by ACLED. In 2015, there were fewer than 10 such incidents in Mali.

Postby **AuthorTony** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:44 pm

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics ... d-epidemic

Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, files for bankruptcy
Those jurisdictions are expected to try to hold up the bankruptcy and pursue more action against, in particular, the Sacklers, who are valued at $13 billion by Forbes and would walk away from the current deal as billionaires.

Postby **Willie Kool** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:50 pm

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics ... d-epidemic
Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, files for bankruptcy
Those jurisdictions are expected to try to hold up the bankruptcy and pursue more action against, in particular, the Sacklers, who are valued at $13 billion by Forbes and would walk away from the current deal as billionaires.

A real Justice Dept would have them indicted on RICO charges, with all assets seized...

Postby **Shyster** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:58 pm

A real Justice Dept would have them indicted on RICO charges, with all assets seized...

What would be the predicate offenses for RICO charges?

Postby **Willie Kool** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 8:18 pm

A real Justice Dept would have them indicted on RICO charges, with all assets seized...

What would be the predicate offenses for RICO charges?

Fraud

Postby **tifosi77** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 8:22 pm

https://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/des ... 1568678648

The claim that Meeker County is making in the District Court of Minnesota is that through deceptive and misleading advertising and marketing efforts directed at changing the public perception of narcotics, and to shore up belief that their product was safe for relatively low-grade pain relief and not addictive, Purdue was able to artificially boost sales and revenue, which effectively turned the pharmaceutical company into a criminal enterprise. The racket being a market for their goods that would not have existed, or at least not been nearly as expansive, as it might have been absent those efforts.

The MA AG has gone a bit further, citing lobby efforts before state and federal regulatory agencies and legislatures to help underpin this false market, but they have not (to my knowledge) initiated any litigation as yet.

Postby **Shyster** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:37 pm

The claim that Meeker County is making in the District Court of Minnesota is that through deceptive and misleading advertising and marketing efforts directed at changing the public perception of narcotics, and to shore up belief that their product was safe for relatively low-grade pain relief and not addictive, Purdue was able to artificially boost sales and revenue, which effectively turned the pharmaceutical company into a criminal enterprise. The racket being a market for their goods that would not have existed, or at least not been nearly as expansive, as it might have been absent those efforts.

Hmm. This sounds like they are trying to make an argument similar to some of the tobacco litigation. A big difference, however, would be the fact that consumers do not have the ability to purchase opioids (at least, legally, that is). IIRC, there's a reliance element for civil RICO, and it strikes me that it's going to be difficult to make out that reliance element when there is a necessary intermediate (i.e., prescribing physicians) in between the public and the opioid makers. And if the argument is that the prescribing physicians were the ones relying upon the alleged false advertising, then there's an issue with damages because the prescribing physicians aren't the ones who were supposedly injured.

I'm not saying the case can't be made, but civil RICO is already a tough cause of action. More likely maybe that pharma tries to reach a global settlement, and I bet settlement is the goal of the litigation. Dangle a couple hundred billion in front of state AGs, and I bet they jump at it.

Postby **Troy Loney** » Tue Sep 17, 2019 8:31 am

https://khn.org/news/rudy-giulianis-con ... stigation/

I feel like Rudi's efforts for Purdue Pharma haven't been drawn out enough. Dude was integral in getting them through some major litigation and into another decade of drug sales.

Postby **willeyeam** » Tue Sep 17, 2019 9:00 am

https://khn.org/news/rudy-giulianis-con ... stigation/

I feel like Rudi's efforts for Purdue Pharma haven't been drawn out enough. Dude was integral in getting them through some major litigation and into another decade of drug sales.

Eh that's just being good at your job. Ire would be better directed at the state for taking that deal

Postby **Troy Loney** » Tue Sep 17, 2019 9:08 am

https://khn.org/news/rudy-giulianis-con ... stigation/

I feel like Rudi's efforts for Purdue Pharma haven't been drawn out enough. Dude was integral in getting them through some major litigation and into another decade of drug sales.
Eh that's just being good at your job. Ire would be better directed at the state for taking that deal

Offering up for sale your personal 9/11 goodwill is being "good at your job"?