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Four major storms have hit the Philippines in the last month. The most recent, Typhoon Mirinae, has hit Manila with the most rain it has seen in four decades. The shanty towns that have formed along the country’s waterways were no match for the 100 mph winds.
Since Sept. 26, when tropical storm Ketsana made landfall, 700 people have died and 6 million more have been displaced.
“The waters were really high. It was like a flash flood. It was waist deep in our area but in other areas it went as high as the rooftops,” said one resident of Santa Cruz.
But in the aftermath of these destructive events, the conversation in the island nation has not centered on storms themselves, but on what the government could have done to save more lives.
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 UK drug adviser removed from post
Scientific community claims politics motivated sacking of ACMD chairman The British government is in turmoil this week over the sacking of Professor David Nutt, the government’s chief advisor on drug use.
Nutt, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), was removed from his post last Friday by Home Secretary Alan Johnson for calling into question the danger of some illegal drugs.
According to the Guardian, Nutt’s paper, the source of the controversy, stated that some legal drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco, are more harmful than many illegal substances, notably ecstasy, LSD and cannabis.
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Afghan elections resolved
Runoff rendered unnecessary by Abdullah’s withdrawal Incumbent Hamid Karzai was declared winner of the Afghan presidential race Monday after his only challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, pulled out of the race with accusations of election fraud and government corruption.
Abdullah’s announcement, in an emotional speech to supporters in Kabul, expressed his disappointment with the election, which has dragged on since the first corruption-ridden vote results were dismissed in early September.
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Commuters in Philadelphia woke up to an unpleasant surprise Tuesday morning. The city’s largest transit union, Local 234, was on strike. All buses, trolleys and subways were rendered inactive and over a million Philadelphians had to find other ways to work and were forced to walk, bike, take a cab or buddy up to their neighbors with cars.
A conservative, grass roots candidate has gained unexpected success in New York’s special congressional election. Doug Hoffman of the Conservative Party overshadowed the Republican candidate in the 23rd congressional district’s House election.
Hoffman’s success might signal significant changes for the upcoming 2010 midterm elections. The independent conservative’s triumph over a moderate Republican has encouraged third-party candidates throughout the country. Additionally, the GOP might shift its stance more to the right in hopes of preventing further upsets.
Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, will mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Amid the tumult and violence of the modern world, Nov. 9 recalls memories of a day of community and brotherhood, when one of the world’s foremost nations was re-united after 40 years of division, and the Cold War unofficially ended.