Friday, January 2, 2026
Newsletter
Home Blog Page 990

HMS Bounty abandoned in North Carolina amid Hurricane Sandy

Diane A. Wade
-
0
HMS Bounty abandoned in North Carolina amid Hurricane Sandy

Seventeen people aboard HMS Bounty have abandoned ship off the coast of North Carolina amid Hurricane Sandy.

The captain gave the order for the crew to enter the lifeboats at 4:30 EST and a rescue attempt by a US coastguard helicopter is under way.

The HMS Bounty Organization said it would assess whether the ship could be saved but its concern was for the crew.

HMS Bounty is a replica of the original Bounty, famous for its ill-fated trip to Tahiti and the West Indies in 1789.

Tracie Simonin, director of the HMS Bounty Organization, said that the ship began to experience difficulties at about 18:30 EST on Sunday when it lost power and was unable to continue “de-watering”.

Seventeen people aboard HMS Bounty have abandoned ship off the coast of North Carolina amid Hurricane Sandy
Seventeen people aboard HMS Bounty have abandoned ship off the coast of North Carolina amid Hurricane Sandy

“At that time we contacted the US coastguard for assistance,” she said.

“A C-130 plane was sent to their position, which was 90 miles south-east of Cape Hatteras, and then at 04:30 EST this morning the captain ordered all hands to abandon ship.

“All 17 crew were accounted for in the liferafts and a US coastguard helicopter is on the scene rescuing them now.”

Tracie Simonin added: “As far as we know the ship is still upright and we’re going to assess the situation to see if anything can be done to save the ship but at this point our main concern is with the crew.”

Tracie Simonin said everyone on board was American.

 

Frankestorm closes all Broadway performances and outdoor TV shows

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Frankestorm closes all Broadway performances and outdoor TV shows

Broadway shows The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark have closed in preparation for Hurricane Sandy.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had announced the city’s subway, buses and trains would be halted on Sunday night.

All Broadway performances on Sunday and Monday night were scrapped.

Several film events were cancelled too, including the New York premiere of Keira Knightley film Anna Karenina.

Keira Knightley was due to attend Tuesday night’s premiere in Union Square, along with director Joe Wright, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

New York screenings of several films, including Denzel Washington’s Flight, have also been cancelled.

Nearly all cinemas closed their doors by late Sunday afternoon, sending their staff home until at least Tuesday.

It is not known how long Broadway’s lights will stay out as the densely-populated city awaits the arrival of the storm, with productions of Evita, Mary Poppins and Chicago affected, along with several off-Broadway plays.

Broadway shows have closed in preparation for Hurricane Sandy
Broadway shows have closed in preparation for Hurricane Sandy

A statement on The Broadway League’s website said performances were cancelled, “as a result of the suspension of public transportation by government authorities in preparation for the incoming storm”.

Executive director Charlotte St Martin added that “the safety and security of theatregoers and employees is everyone’s primary concern.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also suspended all of New York’s outdoor shooting permits until further notice, affecting several TV shows such as Blue Bloods, Elementary, The Good Wife, Gossip Girl and The Carrie Diaries.

Meanwhile the music world has also been affected, with acts such as Mercury prize-winners The xx, Rita Ora and John Legend all cancelling US shows.

John Legend scrapped Sunday night’s scheduled performance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, while British band The xx have postponed the last leg of their US tour, including dates in the Bronx, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

As Hurricane Sandy approaches, schools, businesses and government departments have all closed, while hundreds of thousands are being advised to evacuate and seek higher ground.

The storm, which forecasters say could be the largest ever to hit the US mainland, is expected to topple trees, damage buildings and cause widespread power cuts and flooding when it moves inland.

Hurricane Sandy has already passed through the Caribbean, killing more than 60 people.

Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and parts of North Carolina have all declared a state of emergency.

 

South Korea activists send propaganda leaflets to North Korea

Diane A. Wade
-
0
South Korea activists send propaganda leaflets to North Korea

South Korean activists have sent propaganda leaflets to North Korea, a week after Pyongyang threatened military action over a similar launch.

The group floated 50,000 leaflets in several balloons from a park near the border town of Paju, watched by a heavy police presence.

Local residents trying to stop the move got into minor scuffles with activists.

Authorities prevented a similar launch last week after North Korea said it would respond with a “military strike”.

Residents in the area concerned that Pyongyang would carry out its threat gathered to protest against the release of the balloons.

“Paju residents can’t live properly due to worries. They come here way too frequently,” a local shop owner, Kim Bok-nam, told Reuters news agency.

”Last time the North warned to directly strike here, so we came to protest since we can’t tolerate it anymore.”

One of the activists, Choi Woo-won, dismissed the North’s warning as “empty threats”.

Activists – some of whom are defectors from North Korea – have sent leaflets on many past occasions. North Korea condemns the move but specific threats are rare.

Last week, however, Pyongyang threatened to fire on South Korean territory if activists went ahead with a launch.

South Korean authorities prevented the launch from taking place, as the military went into a state of alert and hundreds of residents were evacuated.

Tensions have been high on the Korean peninsula since the sinking of a South Korean navy ship in March 2010 which Seoul blamed on Pyongyang, and the shelling of a border island eight months later.

North and South Korea remain technically at war following the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice. But North Korea has not fired on the Southern mainland since the end of the war.

[youtube XDNR54g8eO0]

Mila Kunis pregnant: actress denies she is expecting Ashton Kutcher’s baby

Lisa.Felice
-
0

Mila Kunis is at the centre of a pregnancy riddle after the actress was seen out on Saturday sporting what looked like a baby bump during a romantic stroll with Ashton Kutcher.

However, it seems that Mila Kunis had maybe just enjoyed a hearty lunch instead as her spokeswoman denies she is expecting.

While Mila Kunis, 29, has expressed her desire to have children sooner rather than later, it seems she and Ashton Kutcher’s relationship hasn’t yet moved on to such a serious level.

Seen out wearing a striped vest, Mila Kunis appeared to be showing a significant roundness in the stomach area.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, 34, sparked dating rumors for months before finally going public with their romance after they were spotted kissing each other in New York in September.

However, Ashton Kutcher’s estranged wife Demi Moore will at least heave a sigh of relief. The pair were said to have tried to have a child together without success.

Mila Kunis was seen out on Saturday sporting what looked like a baby bump during a romantic stroll with Ashton Kutcher
Mila Kunis was seen out on Saturday sporting what looked like a baby bump during a romantic stroll with Ashton Kutcher

Earlier this year Mila Kunis told GLAMOUR magazine : “I do want a family. I’d rather be in love and have a baby than a movie.”

In August, a friend of Ashton Kutcher’s told Star Magazine that he’s desperate to become a father.

The source said: “Ashton feels his biological clock ticking – he’s wanted kids for years but he and Demi Moore didn’t have luck conceiving, most likely because of her age.

“And he’s on a campaign to get Mila to agree to be a mom, he’s reminded her that he’s had plenty of father practice with Demi’s three daughters.”

 

Justin Bieber becomes the new king of pop with 47M Facebook fans and 29 M Twitter followers

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Justin Bieber becomes the new king of pop with 47M Facebook fans and 29 M Twitter followers

Justin Bieber, the world’s richest self-made teenager, has now 47 million Facebook fans, 29 million Twitter followers and three billion YouTube hits.

As the world’s first social-media superstar, Justin Bieber, 18, built up a fan base of millions before he’d even signed a record deal.

His world record puts him ahead of Lady Gaga, Rihanna or Eminem.

“The genius of Justin Bieber is he used the power of social media like no other artist – and he doesn’t stop,” said Simon Cowell.

“Only a fool would underestimate him.

“I’ve met him a few times. He’s bright. The kid is more in charge than people think. I know this industry, I know what it takes, and he will be around for a very long time,” added Simon Cowell.

With a fortune estimated at $105 million – which is set to double in the next two years on the back of a world tour, a movie and the returns from numerous investments – Justin Bieber is part teenage heart-throb, part superstar businessman.

His latest album, Believe, topped the charts in the U.S. and throughout Europe, and his tour is sold out.

This amazing success has brought him a $6 million, 10,000sq ft house north of LA, a Disney-princess girlfriend, Selena Gomez, and a $750,000 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van customized with three high-definition TVs and a recording studio. About the only thing lacking in his fairy-tale world is a private jet.

“No way,” he says emphatically.

“It’s a total waste of money. You buy the plane, then you have to pay for storage, and on top of that you have to think about the fuel, the cost of the fuel – that’s maybe $4,000.

“Even hiring a private plane is like 50 or 60K. Once you get into that it becomes a habit – a bad habit.

“I’ll get one when I need it – if I have to go somewhere instantly – but you don’t want to buy a plane; it’s definitely not worth it.”

What makes this exchange truly surreal isn’t the fact that Justin Bieber barely even shaves yet – but that he’s only out by $100 on the cost of a tank of jet fuel.

“I never stop working,” says Justin Bieber.

“In what I wanted to do in music I’ve never had any fear. But now I’m at the top there’s nowhere to go but down; for me it’s about staying standing at the top.

“I’m not a kid any more – I’m an adult, I’m making the decisions and I want to keep on growing, and I believe I can.”

Unlike, for example, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber didn’t spring fully formed from a major TV show.

Instead, aged 12, he appeared from nowhere – or more precisely, from YouTube, where his mother, Pattie Mallette, posted videos of her son singing in a local competition and in their tiny basement apartment in the blue-collar town of Stratford, Canada.

Justin Bieber has now 47 million Facebook fans, 29 million Twitter followers and 3 billion YouTube hits
Justin Bieber has now 47 million Facebook fans, 29 million Twitter followers and 3 billion YouTube hits

Justin Bieber’s backstory is straight out of a Hollywood script. Troubled teen (Pattie Mallette) gets pregnant by her on-and- off boyfriend (Jeremy Bieber).

At 18, Pattie Mallette gives birth, and – besotted by her baby – turns her back on drugs and alcohol and embraces Christianity.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Bieber, 19, languishes in jail for assault. Jeremy Bieber and Pattie Mallette eventually separate.

At the age of two, Justin Bieber starts playing the drums, and soon he’s astounding his mother’s friends with his natural talent.

A hyperactive child, he teaches himself to play the guitar, piano and trumpet too, and begins performing in his home town.

Then, when Justin Bieber was 13, talent manager Scooter Braun spots him on YouTube. Scooter Braun flies him and his mother to Atlanta, attracts interest from R&B star Usher and gets him a record deal with Usher’s mentor LA Reid.

At 16, Justin Bieber’s debut album goes double platinum. His dad reforms and settles down, and his mother tours the world with him.

“What happened was I found something I wanted to be good at,” says Justin Bieber now.

“I wasn’t good at school because I had no passion for it. If I hadn’t found music my life would have been bad.

“My family are all poor, so the cycle would have continued. My kids would have been poor, and their kids would have been too. I feel I broke the cycle, and when you get to break the cycle, you don’t go back.”

Justin Bieber was originally painted as a pretty puppet, with Scooter Braun, now 31 and worth $23 million, pulling the strings.

“That’s the greatest misconception of me,” he smiles.

“People think I’m a product, that they found this good-looking kid, cut his hair nice and put Auto-Tune on his voice, wrote him good songs, taught him how to dance and then said, <<Here is a pop star for you>>.

“I am the furthest thing from that. I’m a musician; I play instruments, I write songs. I’m a businessman; I want to create an empire. I want people to know I don’t just sing songs. I’m the guy who signed the girl who just had the biggest single all round the world [Carly Rae Jepsen with Call Me Maybe; he brought her to the attention of Scooter Braun, who gave him a 50% cut when he signed her].

“I’m going to do movies – I’m talking with Mark Wahlberg about my first big movie. I invest in start-ups and IT. I have a very smart manager, but I always wanted to learn from him.

“The education I’ve had you couldn’t get in any school. If I want to be good at something I will be. I’m good at this.”

With all his money and fame Justin Bieber can do anything, except walk down a street without being mobbed. You wonder how he gets his thrills.

“On stage,” he says.

“Playing a song acoustically.”

 

Nanotubes boost computer chips performance

James J. Williams
-
0
Nanotubes boost computer chips performance

Scientists have demonstrated methods that could see higher-performance computer chips made from tiny straws of carbon called nanotubes.

Carbon nanotubes have long been known to have electronic properties superior to current silicon-based devices.

But difficulties in manipulating them have hampered nanotube-based chips.

The experiments, reported in Nature Nanotechnology, show a kind of two-part expoxy approach to individually place the nanotubes at high density.

The race is on in the semiconductor chip industry to replace current silicon technology – methods to make smaller and therefore faster devices will soon come up against physical limits on just how small a silicon device can be.

Study co-author James Hannon, a materials scientist at IBM, said that there are few realistic successors to silicon’s throne.

“The problem is you have to put it in to production on a 10- or 15-year time scale, so the kinks have to be worked out in the next few years,” he said.

“If you look at all the possibilities out there, there are very few that have actually produced an electronic device that would outperform silicon – there are exotic things out there but they’re all still at the <<PowerPoint stage>>.”

Though single nanotubes have shown vastly superior speed and energy characteristics in lab demonstrations, the challenge has been in so-called integration – getting billions of them placed onto a chip with the precision the industry now demands.

Current chips are made using lithography, in which large wafers of silicon are layered with other materials of different electronic properties and then devices are simply “etched” out using a focused beam of electrons or charged atoms.

Scientists have demonstrated methods that could see higher-performance computer chips made from tiny straws of carbon called nanotubes
Scientists have demonstrated methods that could see higher-performance computer chips made from tiny straws of carbon called nanotubes

To address the integration challenge, Dr. James Hannon and his colleagues came up with a solution – two of them in fact.

The first was a chemical that coats nanotubes and makes them soluble in water.

The second was a solution that binds to the first chemical and to the element hafnium, but not to silicon.

The team used standard techniques to etch a pattern of channels in hafnium deposited on silicon.

Then they simply “double-dipped” the chip into the two solutions – one chemical stuck to the hafnium, and the other chemical acted as the second part of a two-part epoxy, tightly binding nanotubes to the hafnium regions on the chip but not to silicon.

The result was a series of neatly aligned nanotube devices, already wired up within the pattern, at a density of a billion per square centimetre.

“That’s one nanotube every 150 or 200 (billionths of a metre) or so,” explained Dr. James Hannon.

“That’s not good enough to make a microprocessor yet – it’s a factor of 10 away.

“But it’s a factor of 100 better than has been done previously.”

The demonstration is a “huge improvement”, but Dr. James Hannon said several issues are still to be solved.

They include finding more efficient ways to sort through nanotubes – which are made in a wide variety of sizes and types – to select in large quantity and high accuracy the kind suitable for devices.

The etching process that sets the ultimate size of a transistor on the chip must also be improved.

For now, the team has modelled what it can do with the technique in its current form – a vast array of transistors, each comprising six nanotubes spaced 10 nanometres apart.

Their models suggest a 10-fold jump in performance – a chip run at more than three times the frequency and consuming just a third the energy.

However, in the longer term, nanotube chips would run up against the same limits that silicon faces; as Dr. James Hannon puts it, “we’re limited by the size of an atom eventually”.

“But this at least gives us a way to gain performance while shrinking the device.”

 

Viktor Yanukovych’s party claims victory in Ukraine’s parliamentary election

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Viktor Yanukovych’s party claims victory in Ukraine’s parliamentary election

President Viktor Yanukovych’s party has claimed victory in Ukraine’s parliamentary election.

The Party of Regions has more than 36%, and the opposition party of Yulia Tymoshenko, who is in jail, has just over 21%, with one-third of party list votes counted.

It appears Viktor Yanukovych’s party is also ahead in single mandate districts, which form half of all the seats.

Western governments have condemned the jailing of Yulia Tymoshenko.

Yulia Tymoshenko leads a coalition of opposition groups – the United Opposition Fatherland bloc. She was given a seven-year jail sentence last year for abuse of power, and voted from her prison cell.

Her bloc says its own parallel vote count confirms that Viktor Yanukovych’s party is in the lead, but with a smaller percentage of votes than the party claims.

The complicated electoral system means a final result is some way off.

Thousands of observers were in Ukraine for the vote, whichViktor Yanukovych hopes will boost his democratic credentials.

His bitter rivalry with Yulia Tymoshenko dates back to the 2004 Orange Revolution, in which Tymoshenko and her allies established a pro-Western government, overturning Viktor Yanukovych’s victory in an election widely condemned as rigged.

Since his dramatic political comeback Viktor Yanukovych has forged closer relations with Moscow, Ukraine’s former master in the Soviet era.

The regional security organization OSCE is expected to give its verdict on Sunday’s election at a news conference at 14:30 local time.

Correspondents say the signs are that the Party of Regions will get a simple majority in the 450-member parliament.

Officials said the election had passed off smoothly, with a turnout of some 45%, about average for Ukraine.

Early results indicated the Communists – traditional allies of Viktor Yanukovych – were in third place with about 15%.

The new party of world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, called Udar (Punch), was on about 13%.

The ultra-nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party was also poised to surpass the 5% threshold necessary to get seats in parliament. It was polling 8%, according to the early results.

Party of Regions MP Borys Kolesnikov, a deputy prime minister, said his party was likely to dominate the single-seat constituencies.

“There are 225 single-seat constituencies and we see our candidates winning two-thirds of them,” he said.

And Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said “we are expecting that the Party of Regions will take a majority in the new parliament”.

After casting his vote in the capital, Kiev, Vitali Klitschko said he was “going to parliament to fight”.

He listed his “five key punches” as corruption, indifference of the authorities, lack of local governance, inequality and poverty.

There were 3,500 accredited foreign observers, including more than 600 from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Earlier, Western officials expressed concerns over campaigning.

In a New York Times editorial, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton cited “worrying trends” in the interim election report from the OSCE (of which Ukraine is due to take over the rotating chair in January).

These included government resources being used to favor ruling-party candidates, media restrictions, vote-buying and lack of transparency on the electoral commissions.

Opposition supporters say Yulia Tymoshenko was prosecuted and imprisoned last year in order to prevent her running in the election.

The EU indefinitely postponed its association agreement, including a free trade pact, after the jailing.

Viktor Yanukovych, who has been president for three years and faces re-election in 2015, has rejected calls to free his rival. He says she was sentenced by an independent court.

Ukraine, with a population of 46 million, has been hit by the global economic downturn and unpopular pension and tax policies.

The Party of Regions recently attempted to assuage public opinion by boosting public-sector salaries and pensions.

But the reforms exacerbated a $2 billion budget deficit and called into question the likelihood of securing IMF lending, correspondents say.

[youtube faumDRkA56Q]

Family communication tips in case of hurricane or other disasters

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Family communication tips in case of hurricane or other disasters

Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so plan how you will contact one another. Think about how you will communicate in different situations.

Complete a contact card for each adult family member. Have them keep these cards handy in a wallet, purse or briefcase, etc. Additionally, complete contact cards for each child in your family. Put the cards in their backpacks or book bags.

Check with your children’s day care or school. Facilities designed for children should include identification planning as part of their emergency plans.

Complete a contact card for each family member in case of disasters
Complete a contact card for each family member in case of disasters

Family Communication Tips

Identify a contact such as a friend or relative who lives out-of-state for household members to notify they are safe. It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.

Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has a cell phone, coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. If you have a cell phone, program that person(s) as “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) in your phone. If you are in an accident, emergency personnel will often check your ICE listings in order to get a hold of someone you know. Make sure to tell your family and friends that you’ve listed them as emergency contacts.

Teach family members how to use text messaging (also known as SMS or Short Message Service). Text messages can often get around network disruptions when a phone call might not be able to get through.

Subscribe to alert services. Many communities now have systems that will send instant text alerts or e-mails to let you know about bad weather, road closings, local emergencies, etc. Sign up by visiting your local Office of Emergency Management web site.

 

How to avoid hurricane damages. A checklist for homeowners.

Nancy Clayson
-
0
How to avoid hurricane damages. A checklist for homeowners.

Preparing for hurricane season means more than just making a disaster kit and reviewing your family‘s disaster plan, although those are critical first steps.

There’s much more you can do to protect your home and your family before a hurricane hits. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration recommends you take the following additional steps to prepare for hurricane season.

 

FEDERAL INSURANCE AND MITIGATION ADMINISTRATION CHECKLIST

Preparing for hurricane season means more than just making a disaster kit and reviewing your family‘s disaster plan
Preparing for hurricane season means more than just making a disaster kit and reviewing your family‘s disaster plan

 

How to build a Disaster Supplies Kit ahead of hurricanes or other emergency situations

Nancy Clayson
-
0
How to build a Disaster Supplies Kit ahead of hurricanes or other emergency situations

A disaster supplies kit is simply a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.

Try to assemble your kit well in advance of an emergency. You may have to evacuate at a moment’s notice and take essentials with you. You will probably not have time to search for the supplies you need or shop for them.

You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least 72 hours. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours or it might take days.

Additionally, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment and telephones may be cut off for days or even a week, or longer. Your supplies kit should contain items to help you manage during these outages.

FAMILY SUPPLY LIST

Ready Kids & The Federal Emergency Management Agency present:

Family Supply List

Emergency Supplies:

Water, food, and clean air are important things to have if an emergency happens. Each family or individual’s kit should be customized to meet specific needs, such as medications and infant formula. It should also be customized to include important family documents.

Recommended Supplies to Include in a Basic Kit:

– Water, one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation

– Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food

– Battery-powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, and extra batteries for both

– Flashlight and extra batteries

– First Aid kit

– Whistle to signal for help

– Infant formula and diapers, if you have an infant

– Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

– Dust mask or cotton t-shirt, to help filter the air

– Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place

– Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

– Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)

A disaster supplies kit is simply a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency
A disaster supplies kit is simply a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency

Clothing and Bedding:

If you live in a cold weather climate, you must think about warmth. It is possible that the power will be out and you will not have heat. Rethink your clothing and bedding supplies to account for growing children and other family changes. One complete change of warm clothing and shoes per person, including:

– A jacket or coat

– Long pants

– A long sleeve shirt

– Sturdy shoes

– A hat and gloves

– A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person

Family Supply List (continued)

Below are some other items for your family to consider adding to its supply kit. Some of these items, especially those marked with a * can be dangerous, so please have an adult collect these supplies.

– Emergency reference materials such as a first aid book or a print out of the information on www.ready.gov

– Rain gear

– Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils

– Cash or traveler’s checks, change

– Paper towels

– Fire Extinguisher

– Tent

– Compass

– Matches in a waterproof container*

– Signal flare*

– Paper, pencil

– Personal hygiene items including feminine supplies

– Disinfectant*

– Household chlorine bleach* – You can use bleach as a disinfectant (diluted nine parts water to one part bleach), or in an emergency you can also use it to treat water. Use 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.

– Medicine dropper

– Important Family Documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container

 

Hurricane Saftey Tips

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Hurricane Saftey Tips

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued the following safety tips on how to cope with a hurricane.

Before a Hurricane

To prepare for a hurricane, you should take the following measures:

• To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.

• Know your surroundings.

• Learn the elevation level of your property and whether the land is flood-prone. This will help you know how your property will be affected when storm surge or tidal flooding are forecasted.

• Identify levees and dams in your area and determine whether they pose a hazard to you.

• Learn community hurricane evacuation routes and how to find higher ground. Determine where you would go and how you would get there if you needed to evacuate.

• Make plans to secure your property:

• Cover all of your home’s windows. Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows. A second option is to board up windows with 5/8” marine plywood, cut to fit and ready to install. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.

• Install straps or additional clips to securely fasten your roof to the frame structure. This will reduce roof damage.

• Be sure trees and shrubs around your home are well trimmed so they are more wind resistant.

• Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.

• Reinforce your garage doors; if wind enters a garage it can cause dangerous and expensive structural damage.

• Plan to bring in all outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans and anything else that is not tied down.

• Determine how and where to secure your boat.

• Install a generator for emergencies.

• If in a high-rise building, be prepared to take shelter on or below the 10th floor.

• Consider building a safe room.

Hurricanes cause heavy rains that can cause extensive flood damage in coastal and inland areas. Everyone is at risk and should consider flood insurance protection. Flood insurance is the only way to financially protect your property or business from flood damage. To learn more about your flooding risk and how to protect yourself and your business, visit the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (NFIP) Web site,www.floodsmart.gov or call 1-800-427-2419. For more detailed information on how you can protect your property, view NFIP’s printer-friendly handout Avoiding Hurricane Damage.

During a Hurricane

If a hurricane is likely in your area, you should:

• Listen to the radio or TV for information.

• Secure your home, close storm shutters and secure outdoor objects or bring them indoors.

• Turn off utilities if instructed to do so. Otherwise, turn the refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting and keep its doors closed.

• Turn off propane tanks

• Avoid using the phone, except for serious emergencies.

• Moor your boat if time permits.

• Ensure a supply of water for sanitary purpose such as cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill the bathtub and other larger containers with water.

• Find out how to keep food safe during and after and emergency.

You should evacuate under the following conditions:

If you are directed by local authorities to do so. Be sure to follow their instructions.

• If you live in a mobile home or temporary structure – such shelter are particularly hazardous during hurricane no matter how well fastened to the ground.

• If you live in a high-rise building – hurricane winds are stronger at higher elevations.

• If you live on the coast, on a floodplain, near a river, or on an island waterway.

Read more about evacuating yourself and your family. If you are unable to evacuate, go to your wind-safe room. If you do not have one, follow these guidelines:

• Stay indoors during the hurricane and away from windows and glass doors.

• Close all interior doors – secure and brace external doors.

• Keep curtains and blinds closed. Do not be fooled if there is a lull; it could be the eye of the storm – winds will pick up again.

• Take refuge in a small interior room, closet or hallway on the lowest level.

• Lie on the floor under a table or another sturdy object.

• Avoid elevators.

After a Hurricane

• Continue listening to a NOAA Weather Radio or the local news for the latest updates.

• Stay alert for extended rainfall and subsequent flooding even after the hurricane or tropical storm has ended.

• If you have become separated from your family, use your family communications plan or contact FEMA or the American Red Cross.

• FEMA has established the National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System (NEFRLS), which has been developed to help reunite families who are separated during a disaster. The NEFRLS system will enable displaced individuals the ability to enter personal information into a website database so that they can be located by others during a disaster.

• The American Red Cross also maintains a database to help you find family. Contact the local American Red Cross chapter where you are staying for information. Do not contact the chapter in the disaster area.

• If you evacuated, return home only when officials say it is safe.

• If you cannot return home and have immediate housing needs. Text SHELTER + your ZIP code to 43362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter in your area (example: shelter 12345).

• For those who have longer-term housing needs, FEMA offers several types of assistance, including services and grants to help people repair their homes and find replacement housing. Apply for assistance or search for information about housing rental resources

• Drive only if necessary and avoid flooded roads and washed¬ out bridges. Stay off the streets. If you must go out watch for fallen objects; downed electrical wires; and weakened walls, bridges, roads, and sidewalks.

• Keep away from loose or dangling power lines and report them immediately to the power company.

• Walk carefully around the outside your home and check for loose power lines, gas leaks and structural damage before entering.

• Stay out of any building if you smell gas, floodwaters remain around the building or your home was damaged by fire and the authorities have not declared it safe.

• Inspect your home for damage. Take pictures of damage, both of the building and its contents, for insurance purposes. If you have any doubts about safety, have your residence inspected by a qualified building inspector or structural engineer before entering.

• Use battery-powered flashlights in the dark. Do NOT use candles. Note: The flashlight should be turned on outside before entering – the battery may produce a spark that could ignite leaking gas, if present.

• Watch your pets closely and keep them under your direct control. Watch out for wild animals, especially poisonous snakes. Use a stick to poke through debris.

• Avoid drinking or preparing food with tap water until you are sure it’s not contaminated.

• Check refrigerated food for spoilage. If in doubt, throw it out.

• Wear protective clothing and be cautious when cleaning up to avoid injury.

• Use the telephone only for emergency calls.

• NEVER use a generator inside homes, garages, crawlspaces, sheds, or similar areas, even when using fans or opening doors and windows for ventilation. Deadly levels of carbon monoxide can quickly build up in these areas and can linger for hours, even after the generator has shut off.

 

 

Hurricane Sandy: US begin Frankestorm shutdown in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and North Carolina

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Hurricane Sandy: US begin Frankestorm shutdown in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and North Carolina

President Barack Obama has warned Americans to take Hurricane Sandy seriously as authorities started shutting down the eastern seaboard ahead of its arrival.

Several states have declared emergencies, with tens of millions of people affected as schools are closed and transport services suspended.

Experts fear Hurricane Sandy may become a super-storm when it makes landfall later.

Some election rallies have been called off, with Barack Obama warning affected citizens to take precautions.

International travel has been badly affected. Air France, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic grounded Monday’s transatlantic flights to and from East Coast cities, including New York, Baltimore, Newark, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia.

At 02:00 EDT, the storm was turning north, its eye swirling about 425 miles (760 km) south-east of New York City, according to the National Hurricane Center.

With winds of 75 mph, Hurricane Sandy, dubbed “Frankenstorm”or “Superstorm”, is expected to bring a “life-threatening” surge flood to the mid-Atlantic coast, including Long Island Sound and New York Harbour.

The winds are expected to strengthen when Hurricane Sandy makes landfall anywhere between Virginia and southern New England on Monday.

The prospect of merging with a wintry storm coming from the west during a full moon has many fearing dangerous high tides.

Sandy is some 520 miles (835 km) across. It is also very slow, moving north-east at just 15 mph, and could linger over as many as 12 states for 24-36 hours, bringing up to 25 cm of rain, 60 cm of snow, extreme storm surges and power cuts.

States of emergency have been declared in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and parts of North Carolina.

The two presidential election contenders have modified their campaign engagements, with Mitt Romney pulling out of an event in Virginia and Barack Obama cancelling rallies in Virginia and Colorado.

The president has pulled out of a Monday event in Ohio – considered a key swing state – in order to return to Washington to monitor the storm – although he is still set to attend a rally with former President Bill Clinton in Florida earlier on Monday.

Visiting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington on Sunday, Barack Obama vowed his government would “respond big and respond fast” after Hurricane Sandy had passed.

Con Edison workers prepare for Hurricane Sandy using sandbags to cover up power vaults in New York
Con Edison workers prepare for Hurricane Sandy using sandbags to cover up power vaults in New York

Amtrak has started suspending passenger train services across the north-eastern US and air travel has been badly hit, with some 6,800 flights cancelled.

New York City’s subway, bus and train services were suspended from 19:00 on Sunday, and schools will be shut on Monday.

With predicted storm surges of up to 11 ft, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered 375,000 people in the city’s vulnerable low-lying areas to leave their homes.

Evacuation shelters have been set up at 76 public schools.

“If you don’t evacuate you’re not just putting your own life in danger, you are also endangering lives of our first responders who would have to rescue you,” he said.

The Statue of Liberty was reopened on Sunday after a year of renovation, but only a group of army cadets got a tour before it was shut again until at least Wednesday.

Some 200 National Guardsmen will patrol Manhattan and 300 more will be deployed in Long Island.

The New York Stock Exchange will be fully closed on Monday, its operator said, and possibly on Tuesday as well.

It had earlier said electronic transactions would be possible but on Sunday announced it was closing fully because “the dangerous conditions developing as a result of Hurricane Sandy will make it extremely difficult to ensure the safety of our people and communities”.

Similar precautions were taken last year as Hurricane Irene approached the East Coast. It killed more than 40 people from North Carolina to Maine and caused an estimated $10 billion worth of damage.

FEMA has warned that the threat extends well inland, and has issued safety tips on how to cope with the hurricane.

Blustery winds were already being felt in New York on Sunday night and the anxiety felt on the streets indicated that residents were taking city orders seriously and with haste.

In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie confirmed a swathe of mandatory evacuations, told civil servants to stay at home on Monday and said the casinos in Atlantic City had closed.

“The weather will turn ugly [on Monday] and we want everyone off the roads,” he said.

“Don’t be stupid. Get out. Don’t try to be a hero and act as if nothing is going on here.”

New Jersey authorities expect very significant flooding, with three increasingly high tides on Monday, possibly creating surges of 13-14 ft – the worst since 1903, authorities said.

Hurricane Sandy has already killed 60 people in the Caribbean during the past week.

TRAVEL CHAOS IN NEW YORK

• New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced service on subways will be curtailed beginning at 7:00 p.m.

• The bus network will cease to operate at 9:00 p.m.

• Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad will start their finals trains by 7:00 p.m. from terminal locations

• Stations will close once the last trains pass through

• New Jersey has suspended all services from 4 p.m. Sunday until 2 a.m. Monday

[youtube B6oAY1TbmhU]

[youtube QZFlxuU1FRY]

[youtube BUZcvH7ppRo]

Penguin and Random House agree on merger

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Penguin and Random House agree on merger

Publisher Pearson announces agreement with German media group Bertelsmann to combine their Penguin and Random House businesses.

Under the terms of the deal, the two businesses will be run in a joint venture called Penguin Random House.

Bertelsmann will own 53% of the joint venture while Pearson will own 47%.

The two firms said last week that they were discussing a deal. A report at the weekend also said News Corporation was planning a bid for Penguin.

The Sunday Times reported that News Corp – which owns publisher HarperCollins – was prepared to make a “substantial cash offer” for Penguin, expected to be about $1.5 billion.

The tie-up between Penguin and Random House marks the first deal between the world’s big six publishers.

Publisher Pearson announces agreement with media group Bertelsmann to combine their Penguin and Random House businesses
Publisher Pearson announces agreement with media group Bertelsmann to combine their Penguin and Random House businesses

When news of the talks emerged last week, industry observers said that such deals were inevitable as firms sought to adapt to the changing publishing landscape.

The rapid take-up of e-books means publishers are now attempting to bolster their negotiating strength. most notably with Amazon.

Pearson chief executive Marjorie Scardino, who is leaving the firm at the end of the year, said: “Penguin is a successful, highly-respected and much-loved part of Pearson. This combination with Random House… will greatly enhance its fortunes and its opportunities.

“Together, the two publishers will be able to share a large part of their costs, to invest more for their author and reader constituencies and to be more adventurous in trying new models in this exciting, fast-moving world of digital books and digital readers.”

Based on recent results, combining the two firms will create a business with annual revenues of about $3.8 billion.

In 2011, Random House’s revenues were 1.7 billion euros with an operating profit of 185 million euros. Meanwhile, Penguin recorded revenues of $1.5 billion and a $170 million operating profit.

The joint venture is subject to regulatory approval, but the two firms hope the deal will be completed in the second half of 2013.

 

Cheap colour test could detect HIV, other viruses and some cancers

Kathryn R. Bown
-
0
Cheap colour test could detect HIV, other viruses and some cancers

British researchers have developed a cheap test which could detect even low levels of viruses and some cancers.

The colour of a liquid changes to give either a positive or negative result.

Researchers from Imperial College London say the device could lead to more widespread testing for HIV and other diseases in parts of the world where other methods are unaffordable.

The prototype, which needs wider testing, is described in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

The test can be configured to a unique signature of a disease or virus – such as a protein found on the surface of the HIV.

Cheap colour test could detect HIV, other viruses and some cancers, blue for yes, red for no
Cheap colour test could detect HIV, other viruses and some cancers, blue for yes, red for no

If that marker is present it changes the course of a chemical reaction. The final result is blue if the marker is there, red if the marker is not.

The researchers say this allows the results to be detected with “the naked eye”.

Prof. Molly Stevens said: “This method should be used when the presence of a target molecule at ultra-low concentration could improve the diagnosis of disease.

“For example, it is important to detect some molecules at ultra-low concentrations to test cancer recurrence after tumor removal.

“It can also help with diagnosing HIV-infected patients whose viral load is too low to be detected with current methods.”

Early testing showed the presence of markers of HIV and prostate cancer could be detected. However, trials on a much larger scale will be needed before it could be used clinically.

The researchers expect their design will cost 10 times less than current tests. They say this will be important in countries where the only optifons are unaffordable.

Fellow researcher Dr. Roberto de la Rica said: “This test could be significantly cheaper to administer, which could pave the way for more widespread use of HIV testing in poorer parts of the world.”

 

Lynne Spears claims Sam Lufti drugged her daughter Britney

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Lynne Spears claims Sam Lufti drugged her daughter Britney

Lynne Spears, Britney Spears’ mother, has claimed her daughter’s former manager crushed drugs into the singer’s food.

Lynne Spears has told a US court that Osama “Sam” Lufti admitted to her that he did it five years ago to help Britney sleep.

At the time, Britney Spears was going through a public meltdown where she shaved her head, temporarily lost custody of her children and was briefly hospitalized.

Sam Lufti is suing Lynne Spears, saying she wrote lies about him.

Lynne Spears has been giving evidence in her defence.

On the claims Britney’s food was drugged in 2007, Lynne Spears told the court: “Those were his exact words.”

“I was very worried and I didn’t know what to do so I tried to get her away from there.”

Lynne Spears has claimed Britney's former manager Sam Lufti crushed drugs into the singer's food
Lynne Spears has claimed Britney’s former manager Sam Lufti crushed drugs into the singer’s food

She also claims Sam Lufti cut off Britney Spears’ communication by detaching her phone lines.

On cross-examination, Lynne Spears said that despite her worry about Britney she didn’t call police.

She also admitted that she was estranged from her daughter for a brief period in 2007 and Osama Lufti told her he wanted to help reunite them.

The accusations refer to the year Osama Lufti said he was Britney Spears’ manager, before he was let go from her team in 2008.

Sam Lufti is suing the star’s parents and Britney herself. He says Lynne Spears made damaging claims about him in her 2008 book Through the Storm.

He is also suing Jamie Spears, the singer’s father, for punching him.

Osama Lufti is seeking a share of Britney Spears’ fortune saying he had an agreement to act as her manager in exchange for 15% of her earnings.

He’s always maintained he was a friend of Britney Spears who tried to help the singer get clean of drugs.

Britney Spears, now 30, has since made a comeback, most recently with a judging slot on The X-Factor USA.

She’s not expected to appear at the trial.

 

Bobbi Kristina Brown’s inheritance from Whitney Houston settled by executors

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Bobbi Kristina Brown’s inheritance from Whitney Houston settled by executors

The executors of Whitney Houston’s estate have reached an agreement with her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown over payments.

While members of the trust – including Whitney’s mother Cissy and sister-in-law Pat Houston – launched a legal bid to stop the original payment schedule over fears those close to her could take advantage, all parties have now come to an agreement which is similar to the original plan, according to TMZ.

Bobbi Kristina Brown is set to receive her money in three segments, 10% when she turns 21, almost 20% at age 25 and the remainder when she turns 30.

Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, is the sole beneficiary of Whitney Houston’s estate.

Bobbi Kristina Brown is set to receive her money from Whitney Houston in three segments
Bobbi Kristina Brown is set to receive her money from Whitney Houston in three segments

 

Yoko Ono was not responsible for Beatles split, says Paul McCartney interviewed by David Frost

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Yoko Ono was not responsible for Beatles split, says Paul McCartney interviewed by David Frost

Sir Paul McCartney claims during a new TV interview that Yoko Ono was not responsible for splitting up The Beatles.

“She certainly didn’t break the group up,” tells Paul McCartney, 70, to Sir David Frost in an interview to be broadcast next month.

“I don’t think you can blame her for anything,” he says, claiming John Lennon was “definitely going to leave”.

His remarks challenge a school of thought that holds John Lennon’s widow responsible for the band’s separation.

Paul McCartney’s revelations feature in an hour-long interview with David Frost, 73, that will be aired on the Al Jazeera English TV channel in November.

The programme will also see the former Beatle claim that John Lennon, who died in 1980, would not have written his hit song Imagine without the conceptual artist’s influence.

Paul McCartney claims that Yoko Ono was not responsible for splitting up The Beatles
Paul McCartney claims that Yoko Ono was not responsible for splitting up The Beatles

“When Yoko came along, part of her attraction was her avantgarde side, her view of things,” Paul McCartney tells the veteran broadcaster.

“She showed him another way to be, which was very attractive to him. So it was time for John to leave.”

According to The Observer, the interview will see Paul McCartney muse on losing his mother at the age of 14 and the death of his first wife Linda in 1998.

The musician also discusses being a father and a grandfather, which he describes as “my coolest thing”.

Both Paul McCartney and John Lennon went on to forge successful solo careers after the Fab Four split up in 1970.

Earlier this month saw the 50th anniversary of The Beatles releasing their first single, Love Me Do, in 1962.

 

Hurricane Sandy: New York City on lockdown and its residents stock up on supplies ahead of Frankestorm

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Hurricane Sandy: New York City on lockdown and its residents stock up on supplies ahead of Frankestorm

New York City is on lockdown in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy, as it barrels towards America’s largest city, and its residents were quick to respond rushing to stock up the essentials.

Staples like bread, water, eggs, and produce have been flying off the shelves as the city’s 8 million residents prepare for the megastorm.

In addition, for only the second time in the subway’s hundred-year history, the entire metropolitan transit system, including buses, will be halted, starting at 7:00 p.m. tonight, adding a sense of urgency to New Yorker’s pre-storm preparations.

In a news conference shortly before noon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that those living in low-lying areas must evacuate, and said that all public schools will be closed tomorrow.

The mayor urged residents of New York to stay inside as much as possible starting at sundown tonight, warning of high winds up to 70 mph and torrential rain.

In addition to low-lying areas of Manhattan, Michael Bloomberg ordered that residents of the Rockaways, a low-lying area of Queens by Jamaica Bay, evacuate.

“If you don’t evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you,” he said today.

“This is a serious and dangerous storm.”

New York City is on lockdown in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy and its residents were quick to respond rushing to stock up the essentials
New York City is on lockdown in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy and its residents were quick to respond rushing to stock up the essentials

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo echoed Michael Bloomberg’s warnings.

“A situation like this, you don’t want to be overly panicked and overly prepared, but you want to be prudent, you want to do what’s necessary,” he said.

Andrew Cuomo also said the National Guard would be deployed, 200 troops in New York City, and 400 on Long Island.

In addition, nearly 4,000 flights were canceled for Monday, with 857 cancellations at Newark in New Jersey, followed by 632 at New York’s Kennedy Airport and more than 500 cancellations at both New York’s LaGuardia and Philadelphia International.

FlightAware said it expects the number of flight cancellations for Monday and Tuesday to “rise considerably”.

A spokesman for United Airlines parent United Continental Holdings Inc. told the Associated Press that the carrier has suspended an unspecified number of flights to New York and Washington-area airports beginning Sunday evening with plans to resume Tuesday as conditions permit.

JetBlue Airways, which flies out of JFK, said it has canceled more than 1,000 flights from Sunday through Wednesday morning.

[youtube LxQOKOTDgr0]

NYC subway, bus and train services shut down tonight ahead of Frankestorm

Diane A. Wade
-
0
NYC subway, bus and train services shut down tonight ahead of Frankestorm

New York City’s public transport system will be suspended tonight ahead of the arrival on Monday of Hurricane Sandy.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said the subway, bus and train services would shut down from 19:00 on Sunday.

As many as 375,000 people have been ordered to evacuate low-lying areas, and schools will be shut.

Sandy’s winds are set to intensify as it merges with a wintry storm from the western US. A number of states on the East Coast have declared an emergency.

Up to 60 million people could be affected by the storm, which is set to hit several states key to the 6 November presidential election

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have modified their campaign engagements. President Barack Obama described the storm as “big, serious and slow-moving” – and said it would pose additional problems.

“It is important for us to respond big and to respond fast,” he said after a meeting at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Asked whether the storm would affect the vote, Barack Obama said: “We don’t anticipate that at this point but we’re obviously going to have to take a look.”

Republican candidate Mitt Romney has cancelled an event scheduled for Sunday in Virginia, a key election state, because of the weather, and was instead heading to Ohio.

Hurricane Sandy has already killed 60 people in the Caribbean during the past week.

At 11:00 EDT, the eye of Hurricane Sandy was about 250 miles (400 km) South of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, and 575 miles south of New York City, according to the National Hurricane Center.

With winds of 75 mph, it was expected to bring a “life-threatening” surge flooding to the Mid-Atlantic coast, including Long Island Sound and New York Harbour.

The centre said winds were expected to be near hurricane force at landfall.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said people needed to start taking action immediately.

New York City's public transport system will be suspended tonight ahead of the arrival on Monday of Hurricane Sandy
New York City’s public transport system will be suspended tonight ahead of the arrival on Monday of Hurricane Sandy

Michael Bloomberg said the worst of the storm would hit New York on Monday, but warned that a storm surge expected later on Sunday could do “plenty of damage”.

“I don’t want anybody to go to bed tonight thinking that they can spend the day worrying about the night after,” he said.

The mayor said 375,000 people living in low-lying areas should leave on Sunday.

In his warning, Governor Cuomo said he did not want to overreact, but to be “prudent”. He urged people not in low-lying areas to stay at home.

Flights were expected to be affected – Air France says it will cancel all flights into New York and Washington DC on Monday.

However, the New York Stock Exchange announced it would open as usual on Monday.

“We continue to monitor the situation and to communicate with government officials, regulators, and markets participants,” NYSE spokesman Rich Adamonis told Reuters news agency.

Similar precautions were taken last year as Hurricane Irene approached the East Coast. It killed more than 40 people from North Carolina to Maine and caused an estimated $10 billion worth of damage.

FEMA director Craig Fugate said: “This is not a coastal threat alone. This is a very large area.”

Its safety tips include preparations for and what to do during and after a hurricane.

While the East Coast is used to extreme weather, Sandy is causing concern to meteorologists who fear it could mutate into a “Frankenstorm” as it merges with a winter storm in the run-up to Halloween.

It is only moving north-east at 14mph, and could hit as many as 12 states, bringing up to 25 cm of rain, 60 cm of snow, extreme storm surges and power cuts.

States of emergency have been declared in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and a coastal county in North Carolina.

The NHC said further strengthening was possible on Sunday, before Sandy touched down anywhere between Virginia and southern New England late on Monday.

In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie pleaded with residents not to be complacent.

“I know everyone’s saying this isn’t going to happen… that the weathermen always get it wrong,” he said.

He urged people to stock up on essentials in case they were trapped at home for a few days.

“We have to be prepared for the worst here. I can be as cynical as any of you but when the storm comes, if it’s as bad as they’re predicting it will be, you’re gonna wish you weren’t as cynical as you might otherwise have been.”

Delaware has ordered a mandatory evacuation of 50,000 people from coastal areas.

Earlier in the week, Hurricane Sandy caused havoc as it ploughed across the Caribbean, killing at least 44 people in Haiti, 11 in Cuba and four more in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

 

Hawaii tsunami triggered by Canada quake

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Hawaii tsunami triggered by Canada quake

A tsunami triggered by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake thousands of miles away in Canada has hit the island chain of Hawaii, without causing major damage.

Emergency sirens sounded to alert residents late on Saturday, and people were ordered out of low-lying areas.

The first waves were reported to be up to 2.5 ft (76 cm) in one area, but were generally smaller than expected.

Hours later, the tsunami warning was downgraded and the state governor said Hawaii could count its blessings.

Wave heights of three to six feet had been predicted in some areas.

The quake struck 125 miles (200 km) south-west of the Canadian town of Prince Rupert at a depth of 11 miles (18km), said the US Geological Survey.

While the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not initially expect a threat beyond the immediate area, it later warned that a tsunami had been generated “that could cause damage along the coastline of all islands in the state of Hawaii.”

The centre called for urgent action to protect lives and property. People living in areas considered to be at risk were urged to move to higher ground.

First waves hit the archipelago, made up of hundreds of islands spread over some 1,500 miles, from around 22:30 local.

A senior scientist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, Gerard Fryer, told journalists that while the tsunami had arrived as predicted, he had been “expecting it to be a little bigger.”

A civil defence source tweeted that Wailoa Harbor on Hawaii island was reporting 4 ft waves every six minutes.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, in an announcement posted at 00:54 local, that the tsunami warning was cancelled.

“Based on all available data, the tsunami threat has decreased and is now at the advisory level and not expected to increase.

“Sea level changes and strong currents may still occur along all coasts that could be a hazard to swimmers and boaters as well as to persons near the shore at beaches and in harbors and marinas. The threat may continue for several hours,” it said.

In the wake of the cancellation, police began reopening roads and people in low-lying areas area were being allowed home, local media reported.

“We want to make certain that everybody understands this advisory now. The water is still treacherous; the water is still dangerous but we can go home and, as I say, we can count our blessings here in Hawaii,” Governor Neil Abercrombie said.

Earlier, an eyewitness watching the beaches on Kauai island told said the waves were big and that a “strange mixture of fear and anticipation” reigned.

“A plane with a siren flew over … and everyone left the beach and coastal buildings. All the boats have been taken out of the water. It’s empty down there which is weird. People went buying gas and groceries,” Mike Dexter-Smith said.

The quake struck the coast of western Canada at around 03:00 GMT and was followed by a 5.8 magnitude aftershock.

There were no immediate reports of damage on the Canadian coast following the earthquake.

Tsunami alerts that were issued for coastal areas of Alaska and British Columbia were swiftly downgraded.

Urs Thomas, operator of the Golden Spruce hotel in Port Clements, close to the epicentre, said the initial quake lasted about three minutes.

“It was a pretty good shock,” he told Associated Press.

“I looked at my boat outside. It was rocking. Everything was moving. My truck was moving.”

A resident of the mainland town of Prince Rupert, Grainne Barthe, told AP: “Everything was moving. It was crazy. I’ve felt earthquakes before but this was the biggest. It was nerve-wracking. I thought we should be going under a table.”

Following the quake, small waves measuring 69 cm (27 inches) were reported on the north-east tip of Haida Gwai, while parts of the north-east coast of Vancouver Island saw waves up to 55 cm high.

[youtube aDjPsXXdSts]

Natina Reed died at 32 after being hit by a car in Georgia

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Natina Reed died at 32 after being hit by a car in Georgia

R&B star Natina Reed died Friday night after being hit by a car at the age of 32.

Mother-of-one Natina Reed, who was a member of ’90s R&B group Blaque along with Shamari Fears DeVoe and Brandi Williams, was killed in Georgia almost instantly after she was hit by a car.

The Gwinnett Police Department said the driver of the vehicle that hit Natina Reed called 911 at 10:30 PM last night, according to TMZ.

They added that Natina Reed was pronounced dead at Gwinnett Medical Center 29 minutes later.

A press release relayed that Natina Reed “was in the roadway on Lawrenceville Highway near Hamilton Road when struck”.

Police say the driver “was determined to be not at fault and there are no charges pending”.

Natina Reed also appeared in the 2000 film, Bring It On, in which she played cheerleader Jenelope.

She was a protegé of the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, who died after crashing her car.

Natina Reed died Friday night after being hit by a car
Natina Reed died Friday night after being hit by a car

Natina Reed has a 10-year-old son, Tren Brown, whose father is rapper Kurupt.

Her bandmate Shamari Fears DeVoe took to Twitter to pay tribute, posting: “My heart and my soul is in so much pain. My sister, my best friend, I will always love you.”

She then wrote: “My world as I know it has forever changed. Until we meet again, may you find comfort in the arms of an angel. I love you Natina.”

Gabrielle Union, who starred in Bring It On with Natina Reed, also paid her respects and wrote: “#RIP #Sad #BringItOn.”

 

Lithuania votes in the second round of national elections

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Lithuania votes in the second round of national elections

Lithuania is voting in the second round of national elections, with budget cuts and joining the euro seen as key issues.

Polls opened at 07:00 with half the seats being contested.

Two centre left parties, the Labour Party and the Social Democrats, finished first and second in the first round on 14 October.

PM Andrius Kubilius’ governing conservatives, unpopular for cutting pensions and public wages, came third.

Having won 34 seats in the first round, Labour and the Social Democrats hope to win enough of the 67 seats available on Sunday to allow them to form a coalition government.

Lithuania’s 3.3 million inhabitants face an unemployment rate of 13% and declining living standards, as well as high energy costs since the country closed its Soviet-era nuclear power plant in 2009.

They voted against government plans to build a new nuclear power station – seen as a way of cutting dependence on imported Russian energy – in a referendum held at the same time as the first round of elections.

Opposition parties had questioned the plant’s affordability. They have promised to improve the ex-Soviet state’s strained relations with Russia, still Lithuania’s biggest trade partner.

The populist Labour Party, founded by Russian-born millionaire Victor Uspaskich, won 18 seats in the first round of voting, while the Social Democrats won 16 seats and the ruling Homeland Union 13.

Led by former finance minister Algirdas Butkevicius, the Social Democrats have promised to raise the minimum wage, make the rich pay more tax and put back euro entry until 2015, a year later than the government hopes.

But analysts say there will be little room for fiscal manoeuvre. Among the EU’s poorest countries, the Baltic state needs to borrow 7% of its GDP – some 7.6 billion litas – next year to refinance debt and fund the deficit.

Andrius Kubilius came to power in 2008, just as the global financial crisis was bringing a dramatic end to an extended Lithuanian boom fuelled by cheap Scandinavian credit.

He staved off national bankruptcy with a drastic austerity programme as economic output dropped by 15%, unemployment climbed and thousands of young people emigrated in search of work.

The budget deficit has since been tamed and GDP reached growth of 5.8%.

Lithuania’s approach won praise from other governments and the International Monetary Fund, but analysts say the rebound came too late to translate into a political revival for the conservatives.

Delaying euro entry means the country could run a bigger deficit than euro accession rules permit.

 

Amir Khan cheats on Faryal Makhdoom with two women in Marbella

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Amir Khan cheats on Faryal Makhdoom with two women in Marbella

British champion boxer Amir Khan has allegedly cheated on his beautiful girlfriend Faryal Makhdoom with two women in the same day.

According to The Sun, the engaged 25-year-old star fooled around with the girls whilst on holiday in Marbella with friends.

Solicitor Tanya Reed, told the paper how the boxer had kissed her in a hot tub once she’d stripped down to her underwear: “I’d left my shoes on so I didn’t lose them but he ripped them off and threw them out of the pool. Then he started kissing me and I thought ‘I’m kissing Amir Khan.”

The 26-year-old then admitted that she hadn’t realized that the star had a girlfriend: “Now I know he’s engaged I think he’s an absolute slimebag. I feel sorry for her. If I could say anything to her, it would be ‘Don’t marry him because he is a cheat.”

Amir Khan has allegedly cheated on his beautiful girlfriend Faryal Makhdoom with two women in the same day
Amir Khan has allegedly cheated on his beautiful girlfriend Faryal Makhdoom with two women in the same day

Before meeting Tanya Reed, Amir Khan had allegedly chatted up someone else, promotions girl Natalie Kane, at a pool party on the same evening.

“Natalie and Amir were together most of the day. He was pouring champagne in her mouth and at one point they slipped in the pool together,” said a source.

After meeting, the pair reportedly spent a lot of time together during Amir Khan’s lads’ holiday in Spain.

According to reports, Natalie Kane met up with Amir Khan on four consecutive days and spent two night at his villa.

Amir Khan, who has been in his trouble with his fiancée before for alleged trysts with women, took to Twitter to defend himself while still on holiday: “U all know I’m engaged and love my fiance to @faryalxMakhdoom to bits.”

Amir Khan got engaged to the 21-year-old New Yorker ten months ago and gave her a $150,000 engagement ring.

Taking to Twitter a few days ago, Amir Khan posted: “Dnt need your tweets stressing about mine + @FaryalxMakhdoom life. Relax. Enjoy your day every1. Glad its sunday rest day, day off.”

 

Kirstie Alley continues to lose weight as she battles through grueling DWTS practice schedule

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Kirstie Alley continues to lose weight as she battles through grueling DWTS practice schedule

Kirstie Alley famously shed 100 pounds during the 12th season of Dancing With The Stars last year and it seems that she is still slimming down during the current All-Stars season of the show.

Kirstie Alley, 61, looked svelte in a black cowl-neck dress worn over matching leggings as she left rehearsals on Friday afternoon.

While the hue is always flattering, Kirstie Alley looked noticeably slimmer in the face and neck area.

The actresses paired her attire with some tan T-bar sandals and carried a metallic gold bag.

Make-up free, Kirstie Alley looked tired as she left the practice session, her hair in its usual disheveled state.

Kirstie Alley looked svelte as she left DWTS rehearsals on Friday afternoon
Kirstie Alley looked svelte as she left DWTS rehearsals on Friday afternoon

Earlier in the day as she arrived for her day of dancing, Kirstie Alley looked absolutely exhausted as she sipped on a cup of coffee, which clearly later perked her up.

As the oldest member of the show Kirstie Alley has certainly been put through her paces with the grueling seven day a week practice schedule so it’s no surprise she might be looking a bit worse for wear.

This All-Stars season of the show is particularly tough as celebrities who have previously competed and done extremely well on the show are given another chance to take the DWTS crown.

Kirstie Alley has still managed to keep her trim figure after famously shedding 100 pounds during season 12 of the hit show.

The actress once topped 230 pounds and recently said on the Dr. Oz show: “I know I’ve conquered [my weight battles], but you always have to keep it in check.

“My whole life I could eat whatever I wanted to eat, and we ate tons of food. I was lucky. I had a free ride, basically, until I was 54 and then all hell broke loose.”

 

Paul Ceglia arrested for trying to defraud Facebook

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Paul Ceglia arrested for trying to defraud Facebook

Paul Ceglia, a New York businessman, has been charged with trying to defraud Facebook by claiming he was owed a 50% share of the social media company, prosecutors say.

Paul Ceglia, 39, is accused of fabricating and destroying evidence in a lawsuit asking for half-ownership of the firm.

Arrested at his home in Wellsville, New York, Paul Ceglia was due in court on Friday afternoon.

Attorney Preet Bharara said the entrepreneur had been chasing a “quick payday based on a blatant forgery”.

In 2003, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, then a Harvard University student, agreed to do programming work for Paul Ceglia and his fax business, say prosecutors.

Paul Ceglia is accused of fabricating and destroying evidence in a lawsuit asking for half-ownership of Facebook
Paul Ceglia is accused of fabricating and destroying evidence in a lawsuit asking for half-ownership of Facebook

Paul Ceglia later filed his lawsuit claiming that he and Mark Zuckerberg had signed a two-page contract awarding him a 50% stake in Facebook.

But Mark Zuckerberg said he had not yet conceived the idea for the social network at the time.

Facebook’s lawyers said the contract that Paul Ceglia and Mark Zuckerberg signed in 2003 was to develop street-mapping software.

Paul Ceglia subsequently doctored the document to insert Facebook references, it is alleged.

 

1...989990991...1,240Page 990 of 1,240