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A series of deaths of migratory birds in Sambhar Lake have put health and administrative officials under alarm. 520 migratory birds have died and 235 are ill in Rajasthan's Sambhar Lake. Ill birds, predominantly because of <keyword id="23882485" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Avian-botulism" source="keywords">Avian botulism</keyword> disease are being rescued and treated.<br /><br />Jeetu Kulhari said, "In 2019, a very large number of birds had died in Sambhar Lake. The day we got to know about it, we started working so that the disease does not spread among the birds. We keep a close watch on them every day. 520 birds have died. 235 birds are ill - we have rescued them and all of them are being treated. There is a team at the veterinary hospital as well. The team is also continuously engaged there. During this transportation of injured birds, about one or two of our birds who were in serious condition died during primary treatment."<br /><br />She further said that 10 teams were formed and sent for rescue operations in the lake.<br /><br />"Our teams are working very hard. It is our responsibility to save the birds which migrate here covering thousands of km. We need the support of locals," she added.<br /><br />The bodies of dead birds are being continuously taken out from the lake and disposed of, while the sick birds are being rescued and treated. The death of birds has now reduced, and the condition of sick birds is also improving rapidly.<br /><br />The death of migratory birds due to botulism has been confirmed in the investigation report from Bareilly lab. <br /><br />Botulism is a disease in which birds get paralyzed. Botulism is a serious neuromuscular disease, which is caused by a toxin produced by a bacterium called <keyword id="23883589" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Clostridium-botulism" source="keywords">Clostridium botulism</keyword>. This disease affects the nervous system of birds, causing paralysis of their wings and legs and the neck starts touching the ground.<br /><br />The bird gets paralyzed and is not in a position to stand, which leads to its death.<br /><br />Subdivision Officer, Navan Jeetu Kulhari said, "The process of finding dead birds in Sambhar Lake has been going on for the last 15 days. More than 1000 birds have fallen ill due to botulism. 50 members divided into 10 teams of SDRF, Animal Husbandry, Forest Department and Administration are engaged in rescue and relief operations in the lake area. Intensive rescue operations are going on in Mohanpura, Khakarki, Jabdi Nagar, Gudha Salt and Sambhar Salt areas of the lake area."<br /><br />Surveys are also being conducted using drones to rescue the birds. <br /><br />Dr. Rajendra Prasad veterinarian said, "Yesterday, 38 birds who had fully recovered were freed and released back into the lake. Currently, the treatment of 50 birds is going on in the rescue center."<br />

Migratory birds killed in Rajasthan's Sambhar Lake due to Avian botulism; rescue of ill birds underway

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Almost 1,000 dead birds rained down on Chicago Thursday night after they collided with an exhibit hall.</li><li>Anti-collision activists say the building left its lights on that night, drawing in a flock of birds.</li></ul><p>Anyone passing by the McCormick Place Lakeside Center in Chicago, Illinois, in the early morning hours on Thursday likely got quite the gruesome shock.</p><p>That's because almost 1,000 dead birds began raining from the sky as they all collided with the exhibit hall's windows on October 5.</p><p>Christine Sheppard, director of the glass collisions program for the American Bird Conservancy, told Insider the news made her stomach drop.</p><p>"It's just absolutely your worst nightmare," Sheppard said.</p><p>Now, anti-collision activists like Sheppard are calling on McCormick Place to make changes to protect migrating birds.</p><p>Bird collisions are nothing new for Chicago, but an event on this scale is an anomaly, according to Annette Prince, director of the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors. Prince said her organization typically sees thousands of deaths over the course of a year, making the mass collision on October 5 a disturbing outlier. </p><p>Weather conditions in recent days presented a perfect storm for a mass migration event, according to Prince.</p><p>Low cloud cover and favorable winds combined with the fall migration season contributed to a large amount of birds flying through the region. She also said that weather conditions had been poor for flight in recent days, meaning there was a back-up of birds waiting to migrate leading up to Thursday.</p><p>"All these things made the perfect storm for what caused such a huge event," Prince told Insider.</p><p>The main catalyst for the collision itself, however, was the lights inside building, according to Prince. Prince said McCormick Place had kept its lights on throughout the night on October 5 — something the rental hall has a history of doing, she said — which drew the mass of birds towards the building.</p><p>Cynthia McCafferty, a spokesperson for McCormick Place, said the hall turns its lights on when staff, clients, or visitors are present. Lights are turned off when the building is empty. McCafferty could not confirm whether or not the lights were on in the early morning hours of October 5 when the collisions happened.</p><p>Both Prince and Sheppard said McCormick Place has been a point of concern for 40 years given its location.</p><p>"It's the first encounter on the lake that birds can run into," Prince said.</p><p>Sheppard also noted that its low stature means the building sits at vegetation level — the height at which most bird collisions occur. She called on McCormick Place to implement anti-collision measures on its large windows.</p><p>"The solution — and there are many, many different kinds of retrofits available — is to put something on that glass so that birds can see and avoid it," Sheppard told Insider.</p><p>Prince said McCormick Place should treat the glass to prevent daytime collisions  and ensure lights are off at night to prevent nighttime collisions.</p><p>"Neither either of those options — always turning the lights out and retrofitting the glass — have happened," Prince said.</p><p>McCafferty did not answer Insider's question asking whether the event hall had plans to implement anti-collision window treatments. McCormick Place does maintain a six-acre bird sanctuary and works with the Chicago Field Museum to minimize their bird collisions, McCafferty said.</p><p>For Sheppard, the key to preventing future collision events is ensuring new buildings have anti-collision windows and that all structures are mindful of turning their lights off at night.</p><p>"The problem is if you turn the lights off on one building, the birds just hit the next one,"Sheppard said. "So to have a real impact, you have to turn down the lights in a wide area."</p>

1,000 dead birds rained from the Chicago sky after a 'nightmare' mass collision with a building that activists have been warning about for decades

Digital travel company <keyword id="4070751" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="agoda" source="Orion">Agoda</keyword> has noticed a 26 per cent increase in searches for stays in <keyword id="6354539" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="dubai" source="Orion">Dubai</keyword> and a 20 per cent increase across the wider region (Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Dammam, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Manama) as Indian fans choose easily accessible neighbouring states to base themselves for the sporting spectacle later this year (November 20-December 19).<br /><br />"Football is a craze the world over, and Indians and Asians are keen to catch the mega event that's taking place this year right in their backyard. But what's more, they are taking advantage of Dubai's proximity to Qatar to have a bit of extra time visiting the wider region. Our Champion Deals will leave a little extra in the pockets of Indian travellers to spend exploring the culinary, shopping, and action-packed adventures that this region has to offer," said Krishna Rathi, Country Director - India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, Agoda.<br /><br />For off-pitch action, check out these ideas from Agoda while visiting the region:<br /><br />Al Ain in Dubai<br /><br />A 90-minute drive from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, located in the east of the UAE, Al Ain is a garden city filled with picturesque locations surrounded by fruit trees and date palms. It is recognised as a World Heritage Site and attracts visitors to admire this marvel with its 4,000-year history. Al Ain is home to more than 147,000 trees and an ancient irrigation system that continues to deliver water to them.<br /><br />Properties to stay at while you visit Al Ain:<br /><br />.Royal M Hotel &amp; Resort Abu Dhabi<br /><br />.Corniche Hotel Abu Dhabi<br /><br />Hatta in Dubai<br /><br />Adventure spot Hatta positions itself as a world-class tourist destination, with visitors flocking to the Al Hajar mountains which offer an opportunity to visit rock pools, dams, and parks. Bordering Oman, Hatta is about 80 miles from Dubai. It has a beautiful honeybee garden that's also known for its apitherapy treatments. One can also enjoy the birds and other wildlife at Swan Lake.<br /><br />Choose a comfortable stay with Agoda as you discover Dubai's mountain beauty, Hatta:<br /><br />.JA Hatta Fort Hotel<br /><br />.Hatta Guest House<br /><br />.Hatta Resorts<br /><br />Jeddah in Saudi Arabia<br /><br />While temperatures may be cooling down in Jeddah, there are hot things to do. Why not explore the quintessential Arabic cuisine at Al Baik, take in close views of the Red Sea at Silver Sands beach or visit the world's tallest lighthouse called Seaport? The must-see King Fahd's fountain, which is the tallest fountain of its kind in the world, blasts water from the Red Sea up to 800 feet in the sky.<br /><br />Enjoy easy access to the city's must-see destinations with Agoda stay options:<br /><br />.Grand Park Hotel<br /><br />.Daya Al Hamra<br /><br />.Iridium 70 Hotel<br /><br />Nizwa near Muscat<br /><br />Not too far from the main city of Muscat stands the ancient city of Nizwa � known to be the capital of Islamic culture. This city dates back to the 17th century and was once a key trade route within the region. Packed with history, forts, souks, and deserts � Nizwa provides a picturesque view of Oman. While in the city one can enjoy the famous Nizwa fort, which is well-known for its 40m tall round tower.<br /><br />Check out these relaxing Agoda stays as you set out to discover Oman's own ancient marvel<br /><br />.Levatio Hotel<br /><br />.Sama Hotel<br /><br />.City Seasons Hotel<br /><br /><keyword id="1035635" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ski-dubai" source="Orion">Ski Dubai</keyword> in Dubai<br /><br />For more sporting adventures that you certainly wouldn't expect in the desert, check out Ski Dubai. With more than 22,000 square miles of indoor ski areas, Ski Dubai is the coolest destination to get awayfrom the hot sun, heat waves, and the busiest crowd in Dubai during the football tournament. Part of the Mall of Emirates, this is the largest ski center on the planet and has the world's first indoor black diamond ski run. It alsofeatures an ice tower, climbing caves, penguin encounters, and a children's snow park play area.<br /><br />Plan a luxurious stay at Al Barsha as you plan to Ski in Dubai:<br /><br />.Kempinski Mall Of The Emirates Hotel<br /><br />.Elite Byblos Hotel<br /><br />.Novotel Suites Dubai Mall of the Emirates<br /><br />SkyDiving in Dubai<br /><br />If the football isn't enough to get your heart pumping, why not try a little SkyDive? Visitors can choose premium spots such as the Palm Dropzone or the Desert Dropzone for the dive. The <keyword id="6215758" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="skydive-dubai" source="Orion">Skydive Dubai</keyword> team offers experiences along with coaching courses to learn this breathtaking sport.<br /><br />Post this adventure, visitors can taste the luxury and culture at La Coco Dubai - a California-inspired eatery located in Andaz Dubai The Palm which offers the best grilled stuffed peppers, vegan tostadas, marinated baby chicken and fresh fruity sweets.<br /><br />Be spoiled for choice with stays at:<br /><br />.The St. Regis Dubai, The Palm<br /><br />.Raffles The Palm<br /><br />.Andaz Dubai The Palm - a concept by Hyatt<br /><br />The platform has offered some fantastic tips for maximising travel and is introducing Champion Deals in light of this rise. Agoda Champion Deals offer great value and an additional 12 per cent discount for Visa card holders, available until December 31.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/people-struggle-as-prices-of-vegetables-grains-go-through-roof-says-report/articleshow/94723150.cms">People struggle as prices of vegetables, grains go through roof, says report</a><br /></strong><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-to-shut-down-entire-assistant-driving-mode-dashboard/articleshow/94722527.cms"><strong>Google to shut down entire Assistant Driving Mode Dashboard</strong></a><br />

Middle East destinations see an upsurge among Indian travellers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some have compared the new home-swapping app Kindred to Raya, the exclusive members-only dating app.</li><li>With homes that are largely luxurious, the average length of a Kindred stay is six days.</li></ul><p>Those with an eye on real estate and tech savvy websites might have read a bit about Kindred, a new and very exclusive home-swapping app.</p><p>Home-swapping, defined as trading homes with another person a lá Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDi5zH18vxU">"The Holiday,"</a> is only a few decades older than the internet. But, until recently, it was relatively low-tech, facilitated by dedicated groups, Craigslist, or sites like <a href="https://www.homeexchange.com/">HomeExchange.com.</a></p><p><a href="https://livekindred.com">Kindred</a> gives home-swapping the (fancy) app treatment. Like competitor Behomm (and similar to Raya, the exclusive dating app), it is a members-only club; the easiest way to join is by invite from another member. And Kindred has a waitlist that it pulls from to build its housing inventory in locations popular with its members. </p><p>Kindred also takes a more active approach than Behomm, which is invitation only but is focused on creative and design-oriented people. Kindred serves as a type of matchmaker and pairs members based on what they have in common, like mutual friends, pets or alma mater.</p><div type="image" title="Loft-style home with plants at a Kindred Home in Vancouver, Canada" height="808" width="1077" msid="94282137" hostid="261" sizebytes="100910"></div><div type="image" title="Screening room at a Kindred Home in San Francisco, California" height="804" width="1072" msid="94282139" hostid="261" sizebytes="75234"></div><div type="image" title="Living room in Kindred Home in Miami, Florida" height="816" width="1088" msid="94282144" hostid="261" sizebytes="70276"></div><p>"We also help people find others who have similar interests or jobs, so designers or founders, or a popular one is actually people with dogs who want to swap homes with other dog-friendly homes," Kindred co-Founder Justine Palefsky said.</p><h2>A "give a night to get a night model"</h2><p>Membership is $300 a year. After that, swaps only require a $30 service fee and a cleaning fee that varies by home. </p><p>Everything else is paid for with participation. In order to stay in someone else's home, you must offer your home for the equivalent number of nights to another Kindred member. Palefsky called it the "give a night to get a night model."</p><p>"We're one of the few products where people who give more are the ones who get more, vs. the people who pay more," Palefsky said. "It also means that no one can be a freeloader – you all have skin in the game."</p><p>There is no minimum or maximum duration for a swap, but the average length of a swap is about six days. </p><p>Kindred takes care of the logistics, from having the house cleaned and ensuring toiletries are provided, to providing protection for hosts should anything go wrong. </p><p>A gifting culture has emerged between swappers, with members leaving handwritten notes, bottles of wine, dog toys, Polaroid pictures, or crystals for their guests. One guest recorded a song using the sounds of the house and left it as a gift for their host. </p><p>"It was absolutely gorgeous and incorporated the sound of kitchen cupboards shutting, the birds chirping, and doors creaking," Palefsky said. "The whole company listened to the song on repeat when that happened. It's actually on Spotify now." </p><h2>Kindred doesn't look for luxury, but still...</h2><p>Both renters and homeowners can join Kindred. As far as the home interiors go, Kindred has claimed time and again that it doesn't necessarily look for luxury.  </p><p>After all, there is no minimum home value — but judging by photos provided by Kindred of actual homes on the site, these are far from shacks. </p><p>"Where we have a long waiting list, we do give preference to places that have character and really feel like home," Palefsky said. "We love accepting homes with soul that make for comfortable stays and have a unique style."</p><p>Kindred vets, and personally photographs each of the homes on the app to ensure residences look like pictures. </p><p>Geography, Palefsky said, is now the most important criteria for new members. Kindred prioritizes homes in locations its members want to travel to.</p><p>So, who is using Kindred so far? The only demographic information Palefsky revealed is that users are mostly, "remote workers who have a tremendous amount of flexibility and are looking to travel frequently."</p><h2>'I felt like I discovered a cheat code'</h2><p>Palefsky got the idea for Kindred after participating in an ad hoc home exchange. She swapped her San Francisco apartment for a place in Lake Tahoe occupied by a couple she had never met, but who also also attended Brown University.</p><p>"When I got back home to San Francisco, my plants were watered, my packages were taken in, and there was a lovely thank you note on my dining room table," Palefsky said. "I felt like I had discovered a cheat code — I had the most amazing stay, in accommodations that were nicer than anything I could have afforded on Airbnb, and I only paid for house cleaning."</p><p>Kindred recently raised $7.75 million from big name venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz. Opendoor CEO and co-founder Eric Wu is among their backers. </p><p>In a July story, Curbed's Clio Chang called Kindred "<a href="https://www.curbed.com/2022/07/kindred-home-swapping-startup.html">Raya for Home-Swapping</a>." When asked how she felt about the title,  Palefsky commented instead that the company prioritizes "reviewing applicants" and trust.</p><p>"We want to scale our product thoughtfully to ensure we can provide the best possible service for all community members, and balance the supply and demand," she said.</p><p>Kindred only operates in select parts of the United States, but plans to expand. In the future, it hopes that home exchange can reduce more controversial lodging like Airbnb, which has been <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/garybarker/2020/02/21/the-airbnb-effect-on-housing-and-rent/?sh=5426103b2226">blamed for tax and home price hikes</a> in some cities. </p><p>"In the future, we see a world where people don't have to pay double rent in order to travel, and don't have to buy multiple homes in order to split their time between cities," Palefsky said. </p><div type="image" title="Living room in a Kindred home in Sausalito, CA" height="817" width="1090" msid="94282146" hostid="261" sizebytes="56482"></div><div type="image" title="Pool/game room in a Kindred Home in Denver, Colorado" height="820" width="1093" msid="94282151" hostid="261" sizebytes="174078"></div><div type="image" title="Water view at a Kindred Home in San Francisco, California" height="793" width="1058" msid="94282152" hostid="261" sizebytes="85604"></div>

Inside the ultra-exclusive home-swapping app Kindred — which has a 'Raya-type' invite-only membership and a rapidly growing waitlist

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Area residents use a kayak to rescue motorists stranded on Interstate highway 45 which is submerged from the effects of Hurricane Harvey seen during widespread flooding in Houston, Texas, U.S. August 27, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Cities across the United States are investing in infrastructure that will help make them more resistant to storms. </strong></li><li><strong>A neighborhood in Greater Houston is building stormwater detention ponds, one of which helped prevent an estimated 200 homes from flooding during Harvey.</strong></li><li><strong>These efforts are happening despite the Trump administration's hesitation to discuss the country's contribution to global warming. </strong></li></ul><p>Nearly three months ago, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/hurricane-harvey">Hurricane Harvey</a> brought <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-harvey-2017-rainfall-map-2017-8">43 inches of rain</a> to Houston, Texas, pummeling the city.</p><p>When the sun came back out, much of Houston and the surrounding area was in ruins. The storm destroyed between <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-storm-harvey-emmett-idUSKCN1BA1QF">30,000 to 40,000 homes</a>, waterlogged around around <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/29/a-half-million-flooded-cars-and-trucks-could-be-scrapped.html">a half-million cars</a>, and damaged power lines for <a href="https://patch.com/texas/houston/hurricane-harvey-60-000-without-power-houston-area">thousands of people</a>.  <span>The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is now spearheading <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/24/us/politics/senate-congress-disaster-aid-hurricanes-fire.html">$50 billion in relief efforts</a> after Harvey and other devastating hurricanes that hit Florida, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands this summer.  </span></p><p><span>Scientists say that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/did-climate-change-contribute-to-hurricane-harvey-2017-8">climate change</a> will only <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjf3OGb483XAhWE7oMKHaVqD7gQFggmMAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fharvey-and-irma-natural-disasters-climate-change-disasters-2017-9&amp;usg=AOvVaw1YXiXtCKy1UKM1PyENsBDB">continue to</a> make storms more destructive. </span><span>At the same time, the Trump administration has seemed reluctant to discuss <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/01/22/the-u-s-has-contributed-more-to-global-warming-than-any-other-country-heres-how-the-earth-will-get-its-revenge/">America's contribution to global warming</a>. </span><span></span><span>Nevertheless, flood-prone cities like Houston are increasingly searching for ways to make themselves less vulnerable for the next inevitable hurricane.</span></p><p><span>Clear Lake City (located around 20 miles southeast of downtown Houston) is transforming a shuttered 1960s-era golf course into a site that will help reduce flooding in the area. The Clear Lake City Water Authority is building <a href="http://www.clcwa.org/images/CLCWAmasterplan.pdf">five detention ponds</a> that will be able to hold half a billion gallons of stormwater - or around the same amount as 750 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The <a href="https://www.explorationgreen.org/about_us">Exploration Green Conservancy</a> (EGC), SWA Architects, and urban planners from <a href="http://www.lan-inc.com/">LAN</a> are also involved.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Stan Cook</span></p><p class="caption">One of five massive stormwater detention ponds under construction in Clear Lake City, Greater Houston, Texas.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>The $28 million project broke ground in early 2016 and will be complete by 2021. Only one of the ponds was 80% finished when Harvey hit, but it still prevented around 100 million gallons of water from flowing into the Houston area's drainage system, LAN's project manager, <span>Kelly Shipley, </span>told Business Insider. She estimates that the pond saved 200 nearby homes from flooding during the storm.</p><p>When all five ponds are complete, <span>Shipley</span> says they will be able to protect approximately 2,000 houses in the event of another hurricane like Harvey. When water flows into the ponds, they hold back just the right amount as to not overwhelm Houston's pipes. The water later flows into the Armand Bayou, then Clear Lake, <span>Galveston Bay</span>, and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico.</p><p>The site will also include a public park with 12 miles of trails as well as a protected wildlife area for native birds, butterflies, flora, and 5,000 re-planted trees.</p><p>Before the Clear Lake City Water Authority bought the 200-acre golf course, its former owners wanted to turn it into condominiums, which would've likely made the area's flooding even worse. <span>Over the past two decades, over 38,000 acres of wetlands have disappeared in greater Houston, according to </span><a href="http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Review-Developers-failing-to-follow-wetlands-6417918.php">a 2015 Houston Chronicle report</a><span>. Wetlands are areas that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-harvey-why-houston-flooded-2017-8">act like sponges</a> for excess water. Without them, a city like Houston becomes </span><a href="http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-s-development-boom-and-reduction-of-8403838.php&amp;cmpid=twitter-premium">more prone to floods</a><span>. </span></p><p>"There was a big grassroots movement that came out and said, 'We don't want more development here. We would like the green space. Just keep it green,'" EGC Vice Chairman Doug Peterson told BI.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Downtown District</span></p><p class="caption">A rendering of Houston's new downtown plan.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In November, the city of Houston also unveiled its <a href="http://www.downtowndistrict.org/projects-initiatives/plan-downtown/">new downtown masterplan</a>, which includes <span>a five-mile ring of parkland that will help absorb floodwater. </span>Though the plan was already underway before Harvey, the city added<span> even more more park space and storm water detention areas to the proposal after the storm, <a href="http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Downtown-s-future-12330976.php">according to</a> The Houston Chronicle.</span></p><p>Local leaders in cities across the US are investing in similar efforts. </p><p>After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, New York City ramped up its climate resilience efforts by <a href="http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/201-13/mayor-bloomberg-outlines-ambitious-proposal-protect-city-against-effects-climate-change">spending billions</a> in federal funds to guard subways, electrical facilities, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/nyregion/new-building-codes-passed-after-lessons-from-hurricane-sandy.html">buildings</a>, and wastewater treatment plants from stormwater. Another flood-prone city, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/miami-hurricane-irma-sea-level-rise-preparation-2017-9">Miami Beach, Florida, hopes to spend $400 million</a><span> to elevate 60% of its roads, which will receive new drainage, pavement, and sewer and water systems by 2025. </span></p><p><span>"In the past, I don't think cities looked 100 years off and said, 'What can we do now to make sure we're as prepared as possible?,' Miami Beach's Deputy Resiliency Officer, Amy Knowles, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/miami-hurricane-irma-sea-level-rise-preparation-2017-9">told</a> Business Insider. " If we wait, we may be experiencing much more costly events than if we had just taken action."</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pure-water-strip-body-minerals-2016-8">This water is so pure it could strip the minerals from your body</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Houston is tackling the threat of destructive hurricanes and flooding - even though Trump ignores it

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>JoJo Whilden/Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><strong>Warning: Spoilers ahead for "The OA" season one. </strong></p><p>With only two weeks left in 2016, Netflix surprised subscribers with the release of a new cerebral drama series called "The OA." The eight episode anthology follows a woman who calls herself the OA, though her adopted parents named her Prairie when she was a young girl. </p><p>The season finale concluded with a dramatic school shooting, a performance of functional interpretative dance (called "movements") that can allegedly open a tunnel to an alternate dimension, and the possible revelation that OA was making everything up from the start.</p><p>We're going to dive into the details more, and see if we can discern what was happening at the heart of OA's story and the divisive way season one came to a close.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Starting at the real beginning</h2><p>To understand what happened in the eighth episode, we're going to walk through the events chronologically according to OA's story. Feel free to skip this chunk if you have an excellent memory.</p><p>OA says she was born in Russia in 1987 to a wealthy father who owned a metal mine. She had recurring vivid nightmares about being trapped in "an aquarium" and her nose bled each time this happened. It turns out that these special dreams were really a premonition.</p><p>OA's school bus was driven into a lake - an attack from a criminal organization called the Voi, who wanted to send a message to the children's wealthy parents. OA died, but was "sent" to some sort of alternate dimension where a woman named Khatun was waiting for her. Given the choice to stay or return, OA chose to go back to Earth. In exchange, Khatun took her eyesight so she would not have to see the suffering in her future.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>OA is sent to America to live with an aunt, because her father believes she will be safer there. She eventually received word that her father was killed, and OA is adopted by new parents named Nancy and Abel. </p><p>She continues having dreams/premonitions, and sleepwalks while speaking Russian. Nancy and Abel wind up heavily medicating her for 13 years, under the advice of a doctor. </p><p>OA believed her new dreams were a message from her father, telling her he was alive and would meet her at the Statue of Liberty. So she ran away from her overly attentive adopted parents on her 21st birthday, and went to New York City. But her father wasn't there. Instead she met a man named Dr. Hunter Aloysius Percy, or Hap for short. </p><p>Hap was obsessed with understanding NDEs - near-death experience. He convinced OA to come with him for a study. However, when she arrived to his house, he locked her in an underground cage along with four other "test subjects." She lived there for seven years as Hap killed his test subjects over and over again using a kind of drowning tank.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>One day while trying to escape, OA received a blow to the head from Hap. In another NDE, she travels to the same alternate dimension and once again meets Khatun.</p><p>This time, OA was given her sight back and instructed to swallow a bird. This act gave OA a "movement," a series of hand and body choreography accompanied by specific breathing and sound. Khatun warns her that more suffering is ahead.</p><p>"All five of you must work together as one to avert a great evil," Khatun said.</p><p>Eventually one of OA's fellow "test subjects," Homer, was given his own movement during an NDE. The group's five movements were supposed to open a portal to another dimension when they were performed together. OA and Homer realize that the movement can also heal people - they bring fellow prisoner Scott back to life and help another woman recover from ALS who ends up providing them with the fifth movement.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>But right after receiving the fifth movement, Hap forced OA to leave the house. He dropped her at the side of a road and told her that he was going to move all the others so she could never find them again.</p><p>This is where the pilot of the series begins - with OA trying to find a way back to Homer and the other captives. She jumps off a bridge, believing that if she can have another NDE then she might be able to find Homer. But instead she wakes up in a hospital, and is turned over to her adoptive parents who haven't seen her in seven years. </p><h2>OA and the new group of five</h2><p>OA decides that the only way for her to find Homer and the others again is by teaching the movements to a new group of five people. Together, she believes they can open a portal and she can travel to wherever Homer is and be with him again. </p><p>Through an odd set of circumstances, OA convinces five people to meet her every night in an abandoned house. Jesse, Steve, Buck, French (Alfonso), and their teacher Betty Broderick-Allen (who everyone calls BBA).</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>OA tells them her story over the course of several nights, slowly introducing them to the idea of NDEs and the alternate universe she's traveled to. While she meets with them at night, OA goes to the FBI offices during the day for therapy sessions with a man named Elias Rahim. While we know OA isn't telling her parents the real story, it's unclear how much she tells Elias.</p><p>What she definitely tells Elias is that she has a mission, and that her premonitions have been returning. At the beginning of episode seven, OA has a new dream/premonition. In it she sees large glass windows and hears people screaming, silverware being dropped, and a gun firing. She tells Elias that she feels "something terrible is coming" and she wants to "just solve the puzzle of the premonition on time." She doesn't understand exactly what she's seeing, but she knows it's bad.</p><p>The group of five get the entire story of Hap and the experiments, and OA teaches them all five movements.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Their efforts are foiled after the four teenagers' parents find out about the secret meetings, and walk in as OA is dramatically holding a knife and has her dress halfway off while she recounted Hap attacking her. From the parents' point of view, it looks like a psychotic 28-year-old is messing with their children while a teacher sits by and watches. </p><p>The finale jumped in time then, at least a month or two, and we're led to understand that OA is being medicated again. In the show she says she's taking "Lyprexya" which might be a stand in for a real drug called Zyprexa used for treatment of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.</p><p>Meanwhile BBA has undergone some sort of legal battle, probably over her involvement with her four students and OA in a creepy abandoned house late at night. The four teens - Jesse, Steve, Buck, and French - have all gone back to their separate friend groups in the cafeteria. </p><h2>The school shooting and the movements</h2><p>The final climax of season one was unexpected. A kid - who appears to be male - comes to the school campus with a gun and opens fire. BBA and the four teen boys are all in the cafeteria together, and begin doing the movements OA taught them. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>This is where the show threw some viewers for a loop. It may have seemed out of left field; however, it was technically teased back in episode five in the subtlest of ways.</p><p>While getting ready in her house, BBA had the radio on in the background. A newscaster says: "Police are saying seven people were killed after a shooter opened fire inside a shopping mall on Tuesday evening. Authorities are searching for the suspected shooter, whom they say left the scene before police arrive. He was last scene walking towards..."</p><p>The audio trails off there.</p><p>But back to the school shooting. OA's group of five perform the movements, and the shooter stood still watching them. Eventually, one of the cafeteria workers takes advantage of the shooter's distracted state and tackles him. The gun goes off again in the struggle, and when the camera zooms out we realize that OA was standing outside doing the movements too. She was shot in the chest when the shooter was tackled. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The scene cuts to OA being loaded into an ambulance. She looks at the group of five and says, "You did it. Don't you see? I have the will. Can't you feel it?"</p><p>And then, as ambulance begins to drive away, Steve hears a whooshing noise. This is the exact sound Hap described hearing when he first realized that some form of consciousness would leave the body when you died.</p><p>Steve says "it's happening" and runs after the ambulance, yelling for OA to bring him with her. Then everything goes black and suddenly OA is in a brightly lit room. As the screen goes dark again she says "Homer?"</p><h2>So what the heck just happened?</h2><p>Your interpretation of the ending depends entirely on whether or not you believe that OA's experience was real. If you do believe her, then it means her premonitions she has had since returning home were about the school shooting and she was inadvertently preparing the group of five for facing their own "great evil." </p><p>We know the movements have a healing power, so perhaps their combined efforts were enough to momentarily heal whatever it was that led them the shooter to their murderous rampage. It's also probably not a coincidence that the two times we saw the fifth movement completely, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOA/comments/5j4rcl/the_fifth_movement_includes_getting_shotdeath/">someone was shot and killed immediately afterwards</a>.</p><p>The first time was with Evelyn, the sheriff's wife with ALS who Hap forced OA and Homer to heal. Evelyn showed them the movement, and then almost immediately Hap ran into the room and shot her. Here's how <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOA/comments/5j4rcl/the_fifth_movement_includes_getting_shotdeath/">Redditor 713hobofredo explained it</a>:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">[Evelyn] does the movement then hugs her husband and then gets shot. The motion of hugging her husband would end up with her hands over her heart just like the OA's hands were in the last scene when she was shot. So maybe the fifth movement is not only the initial movement, but also requires the hands over heart/killed with a bullet part.<strong><br /></strong></p><p>Prairie's death was probably an essential part of moving through the tunnel of time space to find Homer again - that's why Steve said "it's happening." Their efforts had worked, and she found Homer again in the end. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>But what if the truth is much less fantastical than that? What if OA really did have some kind of mental disorder, and her version of reality doesn't match with everyone else's?</p><p>In the finale we saw French break into OA's house while she's staying with her parents at a hotel. He went into her room and found a violin in the closet and a box from Amazon under her bed. The box holds several books - volumes on the Russian oligarchy, NDEs, angels, and a copy of Homer's "Odyssey." </p><p>This might lead you to believe that OA was fabricating her story for the group of five.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>But there's an alternate explanation. Redditors <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOA/comments/5in5sb/episode_discussion_chapter_8/dbaqrkc/">have already begun speculating</a> that Elias, the FBI worker, planted those books and the violin in OA's room. Why else would he be in their house in the middle of the night? And why was he so concerned with whether or not French was with other people?</p><p>Perhaps the FBI didn't want any credibility given to OA's story, and Elias was there to make sure she wasn't taken serious. Several things are suspicious about the books, anyways. For one, they don't look like they've been read very much, especially by someone doing research who would probably need to take notes or mark pages. </p><p>Plus, OA was talking about Homer before she had access to the internet. And the second she did have internet, she looked up "Homer Roberts" on YouTube and found a news video featuring him. Though you could argue that she was imagining things, we're more inclined to take that scene at face value and say that Homer exists outside OA's head.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>JoJo Whilden/Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The timeline also doesn't add up for OA to have crafted that story based on books she ordered online. She received internet access from Steve and either that same night or the next, she began telling her story to the group of five. There simply wasn't enough time for her to order books, have them delivered, read them, and piece together a made up story. </p><p>But the show's creators, Brit Marling (who stars as the OA) and <span>Zal Batmanglij, <a href="http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/the-oa-producers-netflix-brit-marling-zal-batmanglij-1201942744/">told Variety that the ambiguous ending was intentional</a>. </span></p><p><span>"<span>I think there is something really delicious in the mystery about questioning the storyteller's truth," Marling <a href="http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/the-oa-producers-netflix-brit-marling-zal-batmanglij-1201942744/">said</a>. "[...] I think the place it kind of ultimately arrives at is that it maybe doesn't matter as much the details are true, because there's some essential core that she's imparting that smacks of honesty."</span></span></p><p>There were elements of her story that must be true - like her Russian childhood (remember when Abel recorded her speaking Russian in her sleep?) and the scars on her back. Plus Elias tells OA that her medical reports back up her story of imprisonment because she has Vitamin D deficiency and other symptoms of malnutrition. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Her blindness is the focus for many when it comes to discerning the truth, but you could explain the supernatural experience away by saying that her blindness was imagined or psychosomatic. </p><p><span>Co-creator Zal Batmanglij throws some weight behind this idea.</span></p><p><span>"I guess I believe the trauma in her story is true," Batmanglij <a href="http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/the-oa-producers-netflix-brit-marling-zal-batmanglij-1201942744/">told Variety</a>. "Maybe she couldn't tell her story as it actually happened, but she experienced something. I don't think the details matter. I think that there are lots of different interpretations. I think that's what's going to make it fun, if people do connect to it."</span></p><p><span>So do you believe OA? Or do you think the series was a deeper look into the perspective of someone struggling to cope with a mental disorder? Either way, we're all eager to hear the response to OA's final question: "Homer?"</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/california-snow-2016-12">A creamery in San Francisco is bringing "snow" to California</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="N3MGEwODE6gp6lic39eR8gNqNQRIC-qR" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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