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The Bahamas Devestated

by with One Comment FeaturedGlobalhighlight

The Bahamas consists of 700+ islands of which 30 are inhabited with a total population of roughly 400,000 people.

Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands, which are a group of islands in the northern Bahamas, were devastated and hit the hardest by Hurricane Dorian, the category 5 hurricane.

“Our weather forecasters told us that if there were a Category 6 ranking, Dorian would qualify.” – CNN Journalist

According to USA Today, Dorian is the slowest and strongest hurricane to ever hit the Bahamas since they began recording hurricanes in 1851. 

The United Nations estimates that 76,000 people are now homeless.

According to Health Minister Duane Sands, the death toll as of Sunday, September 8th, was 44. That number will unfortunately rise as hundreds remain missing on Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands. To make matters worse, Dorian has devastated the infrastructure, which has made it increasingly harder for search and recovery crews.

Evacuation efforts have started, but with an estimated 76,000 now homeless, it would take a massive effort to evacuate the majority of those in need. Bahama’s need all the financial support and aid they can get.

The increase of severe and extreme weather is making it harder and harder for islanders to live in the Caribbean. What will be the cost to rebuild… hundreds of millions if not billions? Where will the aid come from? Will northern Bahamas and other islands in the Caribbean be spared next hurricane season, or what about the hurricane season after that?

These are difficult questions that unfortunately need to be answered.

Like I mentioned earlier, the Bahama’s and their citizens need all the financial support and aid they can get.

There are two ways to help…. donate, and then plan to visit. The Bahamas economy, like most of the islands in the Carribean, is centered around tourism, and tourism is now needed more than ever to help them recover. There are a number of islands in the Bahamas that did not feel the wrath of Dorian. These islands include Cat Island, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Crooked Island and many more.

Need help with donations? Here are a few of the credible organizations that are accepting donations and aid in support of the Bahamas… 

The Bahamian Government set up the Bahamas Disaster Relief Fund, and they are accepting wire transfers.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority has set up the Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation. They are accepting donations and supplies.

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency has posted instructions here.

Team Rubicon, a veterans support organization, is assisting with resources and support on the ground.

Mercy Corps is accepting money here coordinating response efforts on the ground.

Good 360 asks that corporations donate goods including water, diapers, bedding, portable chargers and tarps. Individuals can donate cash here.

YachtAid Global is accepting money to purchase supplies.

Global Giving, a global crowdfunding platform, has set up the Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund.

Donate and spread the word… every donation matters. 

Similar Read: Human Extinction (Brought to You by Capitalism)

Major League Baseball And Mississippi Politics?

by with 2 Comments FeaturedSports

Major League Baseball (MLB) has a Political Action Committee (PAC). PAC’s are organizations that privately raise money to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level. Most corporations have one. That’s not the real story here.

The real story is that on November 23rd, their PAC decided to make a $5,000 donation — the maximum donation allowed under the law — to Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. How can they justify such a donation AFTER the Senator made several racially charged and insensitive comments on the campaign trail? The answer is they can’t, and by 8:30 am today (11/25/18), not even 48 hours later, they’ve asked for the donation to be returned. Official MLB statement…

“The contribution was made in connection with an event that MLB lobbyists were asked to attend. MLB has requested that the contribution be returned.”

Talk about optics for a league that has struggled with integrating African-American players since day one. In 1956, which was Jackie Robinson’s last year in the Majors, African-Americans made up 6.7% of all MLB players. Seventy years later there has been virtually no difference or improvement in that figure (2017 – it was 7.7%). Lack of inner city programs, engagement, outreach, etc., the list is long and probably worth another article as to why those numbers are so low.

Similar read: A Peak Inside American Sports: Cheers & Protests

Regarding the peculiarity of Major League Baseball and Mississippi Politics… the link is hard to find since the state of Mississippi doesn’t have a Major League Baseball team. The economics are simple… Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the country and their economy can’t support a pro team. Next to Louisiana, it’s the poorest state in the country with nearly 20% of their residents living in poverty. Hard to sell premium seating and book big entertainment events when their economy is in such condition. Sure, if Cindy Hyde-Smith wins the runoff election, perhaps her vote would count towards passing legislation that would positively impact the MLB and their owners. But with the outcome of the Midterms, Democrats taking the House and Republicans picking up a few more Senate seats, her vote probably wouldn’t matter. So the question remains, why?

I think it’s also worth noting that Charles B. Johnson, billionaire and principal owner of the San Francisco Giants, also donated to her campaign AFTER her “public hanging” comment surfaced. Mr. Johnson is one of the largest Republican Party donors in the country, but why is he concerned about Mississippi politics? He’s originally from New Jersey, attended Yale University, and is the former chairman of Franklin Templeton Investments, one of the world’s largest asset management firms with $740 billion in assets under management. California, and especially the San Francisco area, is probably the most liberal state and city in the country… in comparison to Mississippi, which probably couldn’t be more different regarding issues of race, politics, and progressive views.

Sure, MLB has asked for the donation to be returned, but it should’ve never been made in the first place. In a league that is less than 8% African-American, why would they care about the optics or the pushback from the African-American community? Why… because decency, humanity, and morals still matter. Pro sports teams and leagues claim they want to stay out of politics, but they continue to make questionable decisions that put them right in the middle of political and social debates. Major League Baseball, and others like Charles B. Johnson, who unlike the MLB has not asked for his donation to be returned, need to be held accountable for their actions. If they won’t hold themselves accountable, then it’s up to the citizens to do so.