disasters

How to Drown in an Elevator

Hamilton Nolan · 08/15/11 08:18AM

Two construction workers renovating a hotel on Staten Island got on the elevator yesterday morning. The door, they found, was stuck. The men began pressing buttons for every floor, trying to find one that would work. Eventually, they ended up in the basement. From the NYT:

Space Station Nearly Obliterated, No Big Deal

Hamilton Nolan · 06/29/11 08:33AM

"Everyone into the survival pods, quickly! We may be smashed and the pressure could blow! Space death and boiling blood is what we face!" These words or some version of them were likely spoken aboard the International Space Station yesterday around 8 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, when the astronauts there were *nearly* obliterated by speeding space debris.

44 Dead in Russian Jet Crash

Seth Abramovitch · 06/21/11 12:48AM

At least 44 are dead after a jet crashed onto a highway in northwestern Russia late Monday night, officials say. It was coming from Moscow, and crash-landed in heavy fog nearly one mile from the runway at its destination in Besovets. There were 43 passengers and 9 crew members on board; some, including a child, survived, and were taken to a nearby hospital. [CNN, video via AP]

John McCain Blames Wildfires on Madcap Torch-Wielding Illegals

Jim Newell · 06/20/11 11:22AM

Arizona has been having some troubles again, this time with massive wildfires torching the already barren hellscape. You know why? Because it's a desert. All you need is, say, a golf club nicking a rock, or some other painfully simple action, and boom: death flames everywhere. Or you can just blame the illegal immigrants in their pyromanic fly-by-night encampments, as Sen. John McCain has.

Tornadoes Hit Oklahoma, Tossing Cars and Claiming Lives

Max Read · 05/24/11 06:20PM

At least three tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma on Tuesday, including one currently wreaking havoc in the Oklahoma City suburbs. According to local channel KFOR, at least two are dead and more injured, with heavy damage in the suburbs of El Reno, Goldsby and Piedmont.

Death Toll from Missouri Tornado Climbs to 89

Jeff Neumann · 05/23/11 06:57AM

More details of yesterday's tornado in Joplin, Missouri, have emerged after a press conference there early this morning. Officials said that 89 people are confirmed dead, and a Fire Department spokesman told reporters that the tornado had "cut the city in half." The path of the tornado was a mile wide and six miles long, and it destroyed much of the St. John's Regional Medical Center.

Meet Grímsvötn, Iceland's Latest Erupting Volcano

Max Read · 05/21/11 04:46PM

Have you heard about Iceland's fun new volcanic eruption, a nine-mile plume of ash coming out of its most active volcano, Grímsvötn? Let us guide you with a helpful volcano FAQ!

Mother Nature's Driving America to the Poorhouse

Jeff Neumann · 05/14/11 10:58AM

So far this year, the U.S. has had to shell out more than a billion dollars to deal with the aftermath of five weather disasters caused by Mother Nature—who seems to think we're made out of money or something. Typical woman.

House Republicans Lend Big Oil a Hand

Jeff Neumann · 05/06/11 04:15AM

Geez, the federal government sure has made the last year so tough for struggling oil companies to get new offshore drilling leases. And if there's one sector that needs a helping hand these days, well, it's oil. But thanks to House Republicans those dark days will soon be over! Yesterday a bill was passed — creatively titled the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act — by a vote of 266-to-149 to bring back offshore drilling auctions, which had been shelved in order to make sure safety and environmental concerns were addressed — a long, drawn out mess that was probably pretty annoying for oil companies.

The 'Advertising in Books' Wall Has Been Breached

Hamilton Nolan · 04/26/11 11:24AM

Harry Hurt III (pictured, with pal) used to write a column in the New York Times business section called "Executive Pursuits," in which Harry Hurt went off and did something wacky and upscale and wrote about it. It always struck me as a wholly unnecessary exercise in self-absorption, which had nothing to do with business at all, except for the fact that Harry Hurt is a rich guy. Now, he's back—pioneering the use of advertising and product placement in books. Oh. Good.