Is it safe to travel to Spain and should I cancel my holiday after flooding disaster?

Travel

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreEastern Spain has been hit with devastating flash flooding this week, the worst flooding disaster the area has experienced in decades.Rainstorms started on Tuesday (29 October) and continued into Wednesday. In the aftermath of the floods, cars have been piled on the street surrounded by a sea of debris from damaged buildings and structures.At least 158 people have lost their lives after the flooding swept through streets, turning walkways into rivers and trapping people in their homes and on the roofs of cars.It is the worst flood-related catastrophe Spain has witnessed since at least 1996, when 87 people died and 180 were injured in a flash flood near Biescas in the Pyrenees.The rain has battered the eastern region of Spain, hitting holiday hotspots such as Valencia to Malaga.Spain’s state weather agency, Aemet, has issued its most severe weather alert in the south west of the country as the province of Huelva was hit by torrential rain.Here is the latest on the situation in Spain and what you need to know about travel.Where in Spain has flooded?Cars and debris are strewn over railway tracks after being swept up in the recent flash flooding in Valencia, Spain

Is it safe to travel to Spain and should I cancel my holiday after flooding disaster?

Travel

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreEastern Spain has been hit with devastating flash flooding this week, the worst flooding disaster the area has experienced in decades.Rainstorms started on Tuesday (29 October) and continued into Wednesday. In the aftermath of the floods, cars have been piled on the street surrounded by a sea of debris from damaged buildings and structures.At least 158 people have lost their lives after the flooding swept through streets, turning walkways into rivers and trapping people in their homes and on the roofs of cars.It is the worst flood-related catastrophe Spain has witnessed since at least 1996, when 87 people died and 180 were injured in a flash flood near Biescas in the Pyrenees.The rain has battered the eastern region of Spain, hitting holiday hotspots such as Valencia to Malaga.Spain’s state weather agency, Aemet, has issued its most severe weather alert in the south west of the country as the province of Huelva was hit by torrential rain.Here is the latest on the situation in Spain and what you need to know about travel.Where in Spain has flooded?Cars and debris are strewn over railway tracks after being swept up in the recent flash flooding in Valencia, Spain

Q&A with Skanska USA’s Scott Cannon on construction’s skills shortage

Technology

Scott Cannon, executive vice president and general manager for Skanska Building operations in Atlanta, Georgia, US, discussed the value of internship programmes.

Scott Cannon (Image: Skanska)

More construction workers are needed every day in the US, but there are legitimate concerns in the industry that the recruiting and retention ecosystems are falling short of the country’s needs. 
As a result, more firms are implementing and revamping apprenticeship and internship programmes to better engage the country’s young professionals. 
Cannon shared his thoughts on Skanska’s intern programme with Construction Briefing as well as reflecting on his own time as a Skanska intern more than two decades ago.
Can you explain your relationship with the Skanska internship programme? 
I’m Scott Cannon, general manager for Skanska USA Building’s Georgia operations, based in Atlanta.
I started my career in construction as a Skanska intern in the early ‘90s when we were known as Beers Construction. Since I went through the internship experience, I can appreciate the impact of our program. I’m really engaged with our internship program and still join our recruiters at career fairs when my schedule permits and often share with potential and current interns how what we do at Skanska can shape the future of their careers in construction.
This year, we had 195 interns across all Skanska business units in the US. [Of those], 155 interns are from USA Building, making it the largest cohort ever for Skanska USA Building.
What’s the single most important part of the internship programme? What makes it so vital?
Students learn a lot in their classroom curriculum, but nothing really compares to the in-depth, hands-on experience of a construction site. Being onsite and putting the theoretical knowledge from the classroom into practice allows our interns to understand the complexities and challenges of construction firsthand. We strive to give our interns a real perspective of what a career in construction will be like after college.
With that in mind, we’ve made a concerted effort to connect our interns across business units, nationally and internationally, over the last couple of years. We hold a virtual Fika call with our Swedish interns and a networking and project highlight call with our US and United Kingdom interns.
Our goal is to give our interns a feel for what it’s like to work at Skanska and knowing you can reach out to your colleagues across the country or across the world is part of that experience.
What’s different about today’s internship programmes?
A construction worker uses virtual/augmented reality in a remote location. (Image: Adobe Stock)

The advancement and adaptability of technology is a big difference from 20 years ago.
The virtual connection we offer our interns with our teams in the Nordics and Europe wasn’t a possibility on the scale that we can provide today. When it comes to the day-to-day job, when I was an intern, we didn’t have technology like Procore to aid in solving things quickly. We had to call someone and go to the construction site to find them if they didn’t answer.
I remember in my first bid room, project executives were discussing if we could afford to have a fax machine on the project.
With the evolution of technology and how we work in the industry, today’s interns can seek out and receive information much easier and faster. Although, this convenience can come at the cost of critical face-to-face communication, which we had more of 10-20 years ago.

Another assessment of our current interns is their ability to multitask — it far exceeds the interns of 10 and 20 years ago. We have an intern who will work remotely in a project engineering capacity for six to ten hours a week when he returns to college this fall. The advancement of technology makes it possible for our teams to adapt to this option for work and allows our interns to continue to get that real-world experience in a way that wasn’t available in the past.
What future innovations to intern programmes would be valuable? 
We continue to see the need to recruit employees who have non-traditional degrees such as business, data, technology, marketing and others. Just this past year, we hired our first data scientist.
Training these employees to serve their specific role is important, but they also have a general understanding of our business and the construction industry. I can see future innovations helping to bridge that gap in knowledge and understanding.
Any final thoughts and comments?
The Kendeda Building at Georgia Institute of Technology in the US. It’s said to be the 28th “Living Building” constructed in the world. (Image: Kendeda Building)

I don’t think people outside of our industry make the connection between construction and STEM [science, technology, engineering, mathematics].
Yes, engineering is the ‘E’, but exposing more students to how engineering applies to construction is key. There has been a big push to get more people interested in STEM degrees, but we need more awareness of construction as a STEM career path.
There aren’t many other careers where you can see and experience a tangible product from all your hard work. I built the hospital where my daughter was born as a preemie, and the NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] where she was treated until she was strong enough to come home.
I built the first ‘Living Building’ in the Southeast, the 28th in the world, for my alma mater, Georgia Institute of Technology. To play a part in building this living laboratory means so much to me, professionally and personally.
It makes Skanska’s core value of building for a better society come alive.

Books we’re reading and loving in November: Safety in Bear Country is about the monsters of our own making

Arts & Culture, Books

Each week, Globe and Mail staffers and readers share what they’re reading now, whether it’s a hot new release or an old book they’re discovering for the first time. Tell me about a book you loved and we might publish your recommendation. Fill out this form, or send your book recommendation to Lara Pingue at [email protected] our full 2023-2024 archive of book recommendations Open this photo in gallery:Safety in Bear CountrySuppliedSafety in Bear Country, Heather PaulSafety in Bear Country by Heather Paul tells the fictional story of Serena Palmer, who works at an institution for individuals with severe developmental disabilities. When a patient under her watch dies tragically, she runs away to Australia. This is a story about the monsters of our own making that seek us out, prey upon us, or need our help. It is written in a mystical, almost poetic prose that weave together the quirky events in Serena’s disjointed life, like a fine jigsaw puzzle. While the main theme is a journey to the self, it’s also a New Age love story, a tribute to what the New Age defines as the mystical, emotional, romantic lure within our culture and our times that maybe we all secretly want. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back and read it again.-Globe reader Graziano Galati, Collingwood, Ont.Open this photo in gallery:Outsider Art in CanadaSuppliedOutsider Art in Canada, Linda RainaldiOutsider Art in Canada by Linda Rainaldi is a much-anticipated book about Canadian self-taught artists. From the West Coast to the Maritimes and the Territories, the book starts with a historical account on how the term “outsider art” was coined, its manifestation in the United States and its association with the European “Art Brut” movement founded by French artist Jean Dubuffet. Featuring around 40 Canadian artists, the book offers colourful illustrated examples of each artist’s work complimented by research, biographies and in some cases personal anecdotes. A separate chapter on Indigenous art is also offered for discussion. Self-taught artists reflect on their daily lives through their art by sharing their struggles, triumphs and personal experiences. I enjoyed this book’s thoughtful, reflective and non-academic tone. It’s definitely worth savouring in small chunks just to appreciate the unique artistic legacy each artist has to offer.-Globe reader Paul de Guzman, VancouverOpen this photo in gallery:Dark HorsesSuppliedSlow Horses, Mick HerronMick Herron’s Slow Horses series revolves around Slough House, where washed-up MI5 agents are sent to languish in obscurity in the hope that they’ll quit the service. I love Herron’s intricate plots and darkly funny narrative, blending espionage with character-driven drama. These agents, dubbed “The Slow Horses,” each have unique backstories and are led by the vulgar, slovenly and hilarious Cold War spy Jackson Lamb. I recommend reading the books in order before watching the television adaption.-Globe reader Peter Cech, Burnaby, B.C.Open this photo in gallery:A Little LifeSuppliedA Little Life, Hanya YanagiharaHanya Yanagihara’s sophomore novel A Little Life is a difficult book to recommend to others. Both devastating and beautiful, it offers readers portraits of life so intimately portrayed, so uniquely detailed, so painfully felt that its 832 pages feel not excessive but necessary – they capture the great expanse and bland mundanity of living. To articulate what this story is about, I paraphrase one of its protagonists, Willem: This is a book about what we choose to seek from the relationships that make up our lives. And I do recommend it, wholeheartedly.-Globe reader Jessica RobinsonOpen this photo in gallery:Charlie Chaplin vs. AmericaSuppliedCharlie Chaplin vs. America, Scott EymanWhen Charlie Chaplin’s satirical takes on capitalism turned political, U.S. government agencies — including the FBI — began to take notice. Scott Eyman’s Charlie Chaplin vs. America is a fascinating insight into the life of one the great artists of the early 20th century, pulling back the curtain on this dark period of Chaplin’s life. Powerful forces tried to drive Chaplin out of popular favour – and the country – using his affairs with younger women as cover. Eyman offers insight into how populism, puritanism and realpolitik can and still do function behind the scenes in the not-so-open world of our big friendly neighbour to the south.-Globe reader Don Rubin, TorontoOpen this photo in gallery:James, by Percival EverettSuppliedJames, Percival EverettIn his latest novel James, author Percival Everett reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of slave Jim. Huck and Jim (who refers to himself as James) float down the prewar Mississippi of the 1840s. As James reveals that the enslaved Black people deliberately speak “slave talk” to fool their white masters, the story goes from sometimes painful, to terrifying, to downright hilarious. Being familiar with the American classic isn’t a prerequisite for enjoying James. Although many original characters reappear, events soon take an original and startling new direction. James stands on its own.-Globe reader Patricia Fry, Port Credit, Ont.Open this photo in gallery:The Game of KingsSuppliedThe Game of Kings, Dorothy DunnettHow to describe nobleman Francis Crawford of Lymond of 16th-century Scotland? Unbearably erudite, fatally good looking, skilled both on battlefield and in court, hunted by both Scots and the English. In The Game of Kings, Lymond returns to Scotland with his name and reputation in tatters after being found guilty of treason five years earlier. Nobody can be sure of his endgame, only that chaos is sure to follow. The late Dorothy Dunnett was a master storyteller whose books are known for historical accuracy. The six volumes of the Lymond Chronicles can be very funny (one chapter involves a drunk pig) but are not for the faint of heart. Alliances shift, the writing can be obscure and the texts are peppered with middle English, French and Latin quotations and mythical allusions. (Relax, the story stands without translation.) Your reward is a romp through Europe (and Russia, and Turkey) of the mid-1500s. In the end, Lymond, his family and his loves command your heart and mind – and keep you reading past midnight, desperate to find out what happens next.-Globe reader Elizabeth Carson, VictoriaOpen this photo in gallery:When You Least Expect ItSuppliedWhen You Least Expect It, Lorna Schultz NicholsonAdult readers may shy away from reading young-adult fiction, perhaps believing it to be full of angsty romance and fantasy quests. That’s a shame because they’re missing out on When You Least Expect It by Lorna Schultz Nicholson. This is a book that transcends adolescence. It’s the story of Holly, an elite teenaged athlete, who is shattered when she’s cut from the national rowing team. The story follows Holly through one life-changing summer as she fights to put her dreams back together, aided by a coach with a tragic secret. Themes of family, loss, perseverance and triumph – as well as some awesome rowing scenes – help create a sports story that is both moving and inspirational. This is a gripping, emotional read.-Globe reader Jean Mills, Guelph, Ont.Open this photo in gallery:Fate is the Hunter, Ernest K. GannI was delighted to discover Fate Is the Hunter, Ernest K. Gann’s memoir about his fascinating career as a pilot in the early years of American commercial aviation. Fasten your seat belt as Gann recounts his hair-raising experiences, close calls and incredible luck in the skies. During the Second World War, Gann was a pioneer in flying the Air Transport Command route to ferry bombers, soldiers and material across the North Atlantic Ocean. Postwar, Gann flew extensively in South America and Southeast Asia. Gann’s writing style draws the reader into each anecdote; he is utterly forthright but also subtly humorous; and his description is vivid. This is a five-star memoir.-Globe reader Derek Wilson, Port Moody, B.C.Open this photo in gallery:All FoursSuppliedAll Fours, Miranda JulyIn what has been dubbed ‘The First Great Perimenopause Novel,’ Miranda July’s All Fours follows an unnamed 45-year-old woman intent on a fresh start. Leaving her husband and child behind, she embarks on a cross-country road trip, which is quickly derailed after she locks eyes with a handsome stranger. She settles into a motel, spends $20,000 renovating it and begins a lustful obsession while grappling with stream-of-consciousness existential questions. Her sexual exploits are sometimes uncomfortable to read, but her shameless journey to self-discovery is also refreshing. The witty, earnest prose will keep you reading through the cringe.-Globe editor Aruna DuttThe Globe 100: The best books of 2022

Tell us about a book you love

What are you reading now? Is it a hot new release or an old classic you’re discovering for the first time?
Share all about your latest literary obsession below.

Netflix fans say film has ‘best horror movie opening ever’ – despite terrible reviews

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Horror aficionados are raving about a film that landed on Netflix just last month, hailing it as having the “best opening scene” in the genre, perfectly timed for Halloween chills.Despite a dismal 14% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes and a marginally better audience rating of 37%, Ghost Ship has made a lasting impression since its 2002 release, particularly for its gruesome and shocking start.Directed by Steve Beck with a script penned by Mark Hanlon and John Pogue, Ghost Ship may not have sustained the momentum after its notorious beginning, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming iconic due to its iconic opening scene.The chilling synopsis of Ghost Ship reads: “In a remote region of the Bering Sea, a boat salvage crew discovers the eerie remains of a grand passenger liner thought lost for more than 40 years.”But once onboard the eerie, cavernous ship, the crew of the Arctic Warrior discovers that the decaying vessel is anything but deserted.”It’s home to something more deadly and horrific than anything they’ve encountered in all their years at sea.”Stranded after their tugboat explodes, the crew must board the ominous Ghost Ship, where they’re confronted with the ship’s dark past and the tragedy that left nearly all its passengers dead.Yet, the viewers are privy to the ghastly events that unfolded years before, thanks to the film’s unforgettable opening sequence, reports the Mirror.The film’s opening sequence sets a harrowing tone as passengers are seen enjoying themselves with live music, unaware of the looming danger as a shadowy figure tampers with the ship’s equipment.In a shocking turn of events, a metal cable violently snaps, slicing through the dance floor, gruesomely bisecting partygoers and decapitating others.Amidst the carnage, only a diminutive girl escapes the deadly swipe of the cable, her height her saving grace. She is left in utter shock, screaming amidst the gory aftermath.Despite the film’s subsequent decline in thrill, this opening massacre has been etched into the minds of many, earning its place in the annals of horror greatness.”I watched this as a kid and I either forgot or didn’t know the name, but I can never forget the opening scene,” one viewer confessed, admitting the profound impact it had on them since childhood.Another revealed the long-term effects, saying: “This childhood movie put me in therapy for years.”A third reflected on their changing perception over time, writing: “I used to watch this movie as a kid and i always thought it was awesome, until i watched it again 15 years later and realized it’s kinda boring. Only really good part was the opening scene.” (sic)Yet, some fans argue that the film’s value extends beyond its initial shock factor, with one enthusiast claiming: “this movie is so underrated! The opening scene is one of the best of all the horror films I’ve seen. this will always be one of my favorite movies.” (sic)Echoing this sentiment, another fan praised the film: “A truly underrated movie with on of the best opening scenes you’ll see in a horror movie.” (sic) Ghost Ship is available to watch on Netflix now.