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Across North Carolina officials are worried about potential dam failures as floodwaters from Hurricane Florence continue to rise. According to data from the National Inventory of Dams earlier this year, North Carolina already had 1,445 dams rated as high hazards out of 5,700 dams total before Hurricane Florence made landfall in early September. The high hazard classification indicates that any failure in the dams is likely to cause the loss of one or more human lives. Out of those hazardous dams, 185 had poor or unsatisfactory conditions as rated during recent inspections. This survey of dams included large, federally-owned ones as well as small, private ones. Many are in areas that are now inundated with water. The last decade has seen over a third of all the dam failures or near-fa...

If you've ever taken a drivers ed course, you've probably spent time watching the horror stories of the consequences of drunk driving. It truly is an epidemic in our country: roughly 29 people die every day in car accidents that involve a drunk driver. However, evidence has emerged that the introduction of ride sharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, have reduced the number of drunk driving incidents -- including those that don't get into accidents or arrested. A closer look at a few American cities reveal the subtleties of this impact: Miami's police department reported a 31% decrease in DUI arrests over the past four years, adding that only 594 people had been arrested for DUIs last year compared to the over 1,500 that had been arrested each year from 2013 to 2015. In Portland,...

The creation of the Internet spawned a new age for humanity; suddenly, information could be acquired if someone simply knew how to search for it. The constant access to new updates and developments allowed people to share and collaborate on projects and is responsible for some of the most profound advancements and achievements of humankind. Unfortunately, the very same power can be used for malicious purposes, spreading incorrect information to incite people who don't know any better or aren't willing to dig any deeper. For example, scientists recently discovered that Russian bots were spewing false information about vaccines on Twitter during the 2016 presidential election. However, their goals were to stir up the American public in an attempt to divide us even further than we alread...

At the end of August, protests broke out in Chemnitz, Germany, with far-right demonstrators expressing their vehement opinions about the presence of asylum seekers and immigrants in the country. According to the New York Times, the protesters’ actions were sparked by claims that a man was attacked and killed by an Iraqi and Syrian asylum seeker on August 26th. More than 8,000 people attended the “mob-like” protest, with known Neo-Nazis present. After the protests, city officials began receiving phone calls from reporters looking for government comments about the cause of the riots. It quickly became apparent that many of the callers had false information. According to the New York Times, these rumors included claims of a second man being killed by asylum seekers, and the notion that the...

No matter what career field you're involved in, the ability to concentrate and focus throughout the day is extremely important. Unfortunately, that is much easier said than actually done. If you're a leader, remaining focused and motivating employees is even more important. The five main components of relational leadership are inclusion, empowerment, purposefulness, ethical behaviors, and process orientation. Hopefully, this information will help you at least get back on track toward improving your daily, weekly, and annual mental state at your workplace so you can increase your productivity levels and really get down to business. Here are some things that you can do to improve your concentration and focus at work, and, in turn, earn more money throughout the year and your entire profes...

Many college students see acquiring a fake ID as a rite of passage. In fact, with today's technology, more fake IDs are being seen than ever before. Rather than relying on your friend's sketchy older brother, tech-savvy college kids are turning to the dark web to order fake IDs online. But college students in Philadelphia are going to have less fake IDs than expected -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say that since May, more than 500 fake IDs have been seized as shipments are intercepted. With about 218 million people having U.S. driver's licenses in 2015 alone, the process of making fake IDs has improved over the years. Some fakes not only look like the real thing, they also scan like real IDs. Officials said the quality of the fake ID cards varied from poor to very good,...

In an article earlier this month, the Pacific Standard reported that deforestation in southern Africa is occurring at a rate five times higher than previous estimates. While deforestation is often associated with tropical rainforests, the new findings from the southern regions of Africa serve as a grim reminder that habitat loss can occur anywhere people roam. The satellite images used to measure the lost woodlands revealed that other habitat types have been lost as well, specifically wooded savannas. This combined habitat degradation accounted for a carbon loss six times higher than previous estimates. There are a few explanations as to why earlier estimates were so inaccurate. One problem comes from how deforestation is measured. Scientists monitor and measure the spread and recess...

UPDATED 12/30/20 Tattoos are often seen as simply decorative art pieces on the body. But they can also be used to support people with medical issues that cause disfigurement in their bodies. This is the case for Corey McGee, who tattoos 3D nipple and areola tattoos for breast cancer survivors. This generous, creative business approach sets McGee apart from others. Offering medical tattoos is a great way to increase goodwill in the community. So now, if someone is looking for good ear piercing places near me, they are more likely to trust McGee to know about ear piercing and body piercing and do them in a safe way. Things like 2 upper lobe piercings can get infected easily. Having a medical background of some sort means that this shop is going to be able to help their customers avoid pa...

Two bartenders in Galveston, Texas have been criminally charged after serving an intoxicated woman, Gerilyn Weberlein, who allegedly caused a fatal car crash 15 minutes after leaving the bar. The bartenders, Shafay Look and Jon Ward, served Weberlein at the Island Pier Club on June 4, 2018. According to Galveston police, Weberlein crashed her car into two bicyclists near the intersection of 69th Street and Weiss Drive at around 10:10 p.m. that night. The injured bicyclists were taken to John Sealy Emergency Room at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. As of 2010, total property damage costs from car accidents made up 31% of economic costs, but this crash cost more than just money. One cyclist suffered a broken arm, cuts, and abrasions. The other, 23-year-old Marco Beltra...