OT: The News Thread

[MindzEye]

Was nice knowing you bitches

 

[hockeylover]

Canadians are having their Zombie Day in November just to switch things up, like a reverse thanksgiving thing.

 

[axlsalinger]

Looks like Anonymous saved the day... For now.

 

[Wayward DP]

 

[JackBurton]

 

[WeHaveMoreCupsThanYou]

What's worse than a crazy ex-girlfriend? A crazy ex-girlfriend with a badge and a gun, that's what.

 

[axlsalinger]

 

[axlsalinger]

 

[MindzEye]

Jeebus. Storms that powerful are rare further north (though a cat 4 just hit vallarta recently)and unheard of the Acapulco region. There's no way they're prepared for it.

 

[MindzEye]

The pictures out of Acapulco are fucking grim.



There's lots, lots.

Fuck

 

[axlsalinger]

 

[MindzEye]

This is what happens when old building codes and new weather collide.

Mexican houses tend to be built like fucking tanks, so other than replacing a bunch of roof tile that cat 4-5 winds would send flying your house is probably fine.... the condos don't require impact resistent windows though among other things, so yeah, we're seeing what that looks like here.

 

[axlsalinger]

 

[MindzEye]

Also, warning makes a hell of a difference. Vallarta had a few days warning before the cat 4 that just hit down there. Otis went from a tropical storm to cat 5 in like 18 hours, and a tropical storm is shrugged off by anyone who lives on the ocean. No one cares. No reason to get supplies or board up. Lidia did some damage, but nothing remotely what I'm seeing in the Acapulco photos.

 

[MindzEye]

Yeah, this is kind of the worst Vallarta got:

Pretty sure that's the back of the Soriana Plaza in fluvial

Looks like the old town, maybe near zona romantica.

So like...normal damage after a big storm.

Acapulco looks like a war zone.

 

[Wayward DP]

Holy shit

 

[WeHaveMoreCupsThanYou]

Good thing that Acapulco hasn't been a thing since the 70's. Practically no North Americans vacation there anymore. My folks did once, back in 1973 when there wasn't really a resort industry anywhere else in Mexico yet. But it's a crime-ridden hellhole now.

 

[Wayward DP]

Good thing that Acapulco hasn't been a thing since the 70's. Practically no North Americans vacation there anymore. My folks did once, back in 1973 when there wasn't really a resort industry anywhere else in Mexico yet. But it's a crime-ridden hellhole now.

you realize there are Mexicans who live in Acapulco though, right?

 

[MindzEye]

you realize there are Mexicans who live in Acapulco though, right?

A million of them.

Also, despite wehaves say so, it's still popular with international vacationers and expats, just not as popular as places like vallarta, cancun/Mayan riviera.

 

[WeHaveMoreCupsThanYou]

you realize there are Mexicans who live in Acapulco though, right?

Of course. I said it was a crime-ridden hellhole, didn't I?

All kidding aside, Mexico is one of the more corrupt nations in the Western Hemisphere and I would expect that the standards by which hotels are constructed there are not considered particularly safe by North American standards nor are the building inspection certifications to be taken seriously. These are all things to consider when planning your next winter getaway and a big reason why I've never bothered going there myself. I've heard rumors that Mexico is a democracy so let's see if people get sufficiently motivated to demand change after this latest tragedy. But I'm not holding my breath. The rest of us can only conclude that this is the way they must like it.