We surely won’t be around when New York City ‘sinks’

By Alex P. Vidal

“I think New York City most represents what it is that America in general aspires to. It’s big; it’s dense. I’ve known this city from all of its social arcs. The best that’s in America is yet to come. The worst that’s in America is yet to come.”—Harry Belafonte

WHO escapes and who is left behind? No one knows actually.

But in the event New York City will continue to “sink” (reports said NYC is “sinking”), as feared in a recent study by the US Geological Survey and the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, most of us alive today and who live here will no longer be around, for sure.

We doubt, however, if the “City That Never Sleeps” will really follow the fate of the controversial City of Atlantis on the Greek island of Santorini, the Italian island of Sardinia or Cyprus, which disappeared after being destroyed by an earthquake and flood.

Unless it is sinking fast like the Titanic after hitting the iceberg, or like the P680-million Iloilo flyover project, NYC won’t be swallowed by the Hudson River yet and disappear from the map.

Just like the fear of a cometary impact and the catastrophic consequences of the climate change when the ozone layer deteriorates, the fear of New York City sinking as sea level rises are the same but people aren’t taking it seriously.

Not much in our lifetimes — perhaps 1 in 10,000 — but over thousands or millions of years, major impacts become pretty likely. Ancient craters on Earth’s surface prove that large objects have hit Earth in the past, and there’s no reason to think this won’t continue in the future.

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As of this writing, most New Yorkers worry more about the debt ceiling talks between the White House and the GOP, which remained in limbo, rather than “the NYC is sinking” shocker that circulated in mainstream news.

Failing to increase the debt limit is a current event that would have catastrophic economic consequences all over the world, not just in the United States.

It would cause the government to default on its legal obligations–an unprecedented event in American history that will be felt by many people, while “the NYC is sinking” story is a future event in as far as consequences are concerned.

The “sinking” story spread even in the internet and social media after researchers found that the Big Apple’s 1,084,954 buildings have a combined mass of 760 billion kilograms (or 1.68 trillion pounds) distributed over an area of 778.2 kilometers and with an average building mass of 704,000 kilograms (1.55 million pounds).

In areas of soft, clay-rich soil and artificial fill, they found the greatest potential subsidence, ranging from 75 to 600 millimeters, with a median of 294 millimeters.

The lowest impact is in areas where all the foundations are anchored to bedrock, bringing subsidence close to zero.

Quoting the researchers, Rima Sabina Aouf of Dezeen said this subsidence adds to flood risk, which is already heightened in New York City due to sea level rise and increasing storm intensity.

“As coastal cities grow globally, the combination of construction densification and sea level rise imply increasing inundation hazard,” they wrote.

“The point of the paper is to raise awareness that every additional high-rise building constructed at coastal, river, or lakefront settings could contribute to future flood risk, and that mitigation strategies may need to be included.”

Titled The Weight of New York City: Possible Contributions to Subsidence From Anthropogenic Sources, the paper was published in the journal Earth’s Future and authored by US Geological Survey geophysicist Tom Parsons and University of Rhode Island researchers Pei-Chin Wu, Meng (Matt) Wei and Steven D’Hondt.

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SEXUAL ABUSE. A child who was sexually and emotionally abused will develop eating disorders like bulimia, minus the countervailing purging behavior, and compulsive overeating, according to David M. Dunkley, a psychiatric researcher and clinical psychologist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal.

MAIN CULPRITS OF HEADACHE. If we’re having frequent headaches and can’t figure out what’s causing them, let’s take a peek into our fridge and pantry, says Brian Grosberg, M.D. The main culprits to avoid: Hot dogs, salami, bacon and other processed meats. They contain nitrates, a preservative that may cause headaches, perhaps by disrupting the amount of oxygen in our bloodstream.

FOR SENIORS. Study after study shows that  seniors who are most socially connected live longer and have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s. Facebook is a great way to link up with old friends and find new ones.

VERY GOOD NEWS! A “magic pill” was expected to be out in the market. The pill is being developed by scientists that would allow people to live beyond 100 and be fit and healthy. Researchers have identified genes that extend life and prevent diseases including Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cancer, it was reported.

TREACHERY. Treacherous characters strike and implement their aggression when their targets are not prepared to deal with their savagery. These are the cowards that should be dealt with accordingly and blown to bits. Napoleon Bonaparte and Alexander The Great were among the famous titans who baffled their adversaries and beat them to the pulp.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)