BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Much of Vermont was paralyzed Sunday by treacherous flooding in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene, with scores of state and local roads closed, homes underwater, bridges wiped out and at least one person dead after being swept into a rushing river.
Much of the state was deluged with rain as Irene blew through on Sunday afternoon, with the southernmost counties affected first. Several feet of water flooded downtown Brattleboro during the afternoon, and smaller towns in Windham and Bennington Counties faced “catastrophic” flooding in some neighborhoods, said Gov. Peter Shumlin.
Mr. Shumlin said that the problems would spread overnight and on Monday, as rivers that were swollen even before the storm spilled over and threatened low-lying towns through much of the state. The state capital, Montpelier, is on the Winooski River, which was expected to crest at 20 feet overnight, placing it at particular risk. William Fraser, the town manager, said in a statement that all the streets downtown were expected to flood overnight.
“We’re in for a long haul here ,” Mr. Shumlin said.
Parts of Waterbury were being evacuated on Sunday night, and serious flooding was also reported in Woodstock and Stowe. Although Vermont’s waterways are prone to flooding and state officials were expecting some from Irene, Mr. Shumlin said forecasters expected the center of the storm to move through the Connecticut River Valley, which would have meant less rain for Vermont. Instead, he said, the storm moved north along the state’s border with New York, unleashing far more rain than expected on Vermont.
“Our emergency management people are flat-out trying as hard as they can to avoid loss of life,” Mr. Shumlin said. “We have been encouraging any Vermonter who lives near a brook, river or lake should head to higher ground.”
In Wilmington, a young woman died after being swept into the Deerfield River while watching the rising waters with her boyfriend, Mr. Shumlin said.
In Bennington, a team of firefighters had to be rescued after their boat capsized as they were pulling a man from his home, The Associated Press reported.
The ferocity of the flooding appeared to take many here by surprise. In Saxtons River, a village of 600 in southern Vermont on a river of the same name, John Bohannon, 68, said he had helped employees from the local grocery store pack food into a truck because the place was flooding. “In the past 25 years, I have never seen anything like this,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of snow and power outages because of this, but never this bad.”
In Brattleboro, where several businesses along Main Street flooded when the Whetstone Brook overflowed, Carolyn Gregory said people had been shocked by the amount of water on the ground. “People thought the storm had totally wimped out,” she said, “but then all the flooding started. It was unbelievable.”
Sunday 28 August 2011
Rivers rage through New England towns in Irene's wake
MYSTIC, Conn. -- The Southern states that first felt the lash of Hurricane Irene exhaled, heavily populated New Jersey and New York City cautiously began a return to routine, but the pain was just beginning for parts of upstate New York and New England, where rivers leapt their banks and raged through towns, trapping an unknown number of people in floods.
In Vermont, where soil was already saturated from a wet spring and soaking rains, rescue teams stymied by torrential floodwaters were unable to reach stranded residents in towns along the Winooski River, including the capital, Montpelier.
"We didn't know where the storm was going to hit," Mark Bosma of Vermont's Emergency Management department said Sunday evening from the state operations center in Waterbury, where flood waters lapped outside. "Evacuations beforehand just weren't possible."
Across eight states, at least 22 people died in storm-related accidents over the weekend - car crashes and toppling trees were mostly to blame. In Harrisburg, Pa., a man at a party who decided to sleep outside with a group of friends, died when a tree fell on his tent, police said. A 20-year old woman swept away in the Deerfield River in southern Vermont was presumed dead.
Up to 4 million customers, fairly evenly scattered along the hurricane's path from North Carolina to Maine, still lacked power Sunday. It will take days - possibly more than a week - to restore all the power, authorities said.
Thousands of commuters remain stranded after an estimated 11,238 flights were cancelled, including nearly 1,000 that were scheduled for Monday, according to FlightAware.com. The three major airports near New York City - Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark - are not expected to re-open until Monday at 6 a.m.
The economic toll from Irene is anticipated to be hefty, with insured and uninsured damages totaling from $5 billion to $7 billion, according to Jose Miranda of Eqecat Inc., a catastrophic risk management firm in Oakland, Calif.
At the White House, President Barack Obama offered his "thoughts and prayers" to victims, vowed the federal government's robust emergency response would continue and cautioned that Irene, while downgraded to a tropical storm, remained dangerous.
"I want people to understand that this is not over," the president said Sunday, flanked by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency director Craig Fugate. "Many Americans are still at serious risk of power outages and flooding, which could get worse in the coming days as rivers swell past their banks."
Earlier in the day, Hurricane Center Director Bill Read warned New Hampshire and Vermont would likely experience "record flooding." Hours later his prediction seemed apt.
"I've never seen flooding like this, especially this widespread," said Capt. Ray Keefe of the Vermont State Police, who described the flooding as "epic."
"We've lost a lot of homes, hundreds of roads, bridges have been washed away," Keefe said. "This has been a real tough one."
In the Hudson River Valley in upstate New York, National Guard troops and rescue crews rushed to reach stranded citizens after floodwaters washed away bridges and made roads impassable, said Green County administrator Shaun Groden.
In Prattsville, a town of about 300 in the Catskill mountains, floodwaters stranded scores of people including about 20 who found themselves marooned on the second floor of a motel. Troops used elevated Humvees to trudge through the floodwaters, while rescue crews used helicopters to reach the mountain communities, Groden said.
In New York City, whose emptied streets imparted a surreal touch over the weekend, the devastating flooding feared by some did not materialize. The curved edge of lower Manhattan was soaked, but most damage in the city was confined to uprooted trees and wind-torn awnings.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg lifted evacuation orders on Sunday afternoon, authorities re-opened closed tunnels and bridges, and were taking steps to restart the city's subway system Monday morning.
Limited bus service began Sunday afternoon, and the heavily traveled PATH train system linking Manhattan to New Jersey was slated to resume service on Monday afternoon. But, said Bloomberg on Sunday, "It's safe to say it's going to be a tough commute tomorrow."
Despite a sense that the emergency was over in New Jersey and metropolitan New York, authorities warned people to stay inside their homes until ground conditions were fully assessed in the hardest hit areas.
"I am particularly concerned about downed power lines," said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during a morning interview on the "Today" show. "There is no, no safe place to be outside right now in New Jersey, between downed power lines, flooding. You need to stay in your home."
(In Connecticut, two firefighters were injured by electrical shocks. Both were briefly hospitalized.)
Christie said authorities were keeping an eye on dams in the state, filled by torrential rainfall - up to 8 inches in some areas.
On Long Island, Jennifer Ferri and her husband had ignored orders to evacuate their waterside home in Babylon. Early Sunday morning, a surging tide poured into their first-floor fitness room, destroying a refrigerator, television and most of their daughter's toys.
"It came in fast," said Ferri. "There wasn't time to pump it."
When the rain stopped at midday, the couple took a break from the cleanup and went for a walk in the flooded streets to see how their neighbors fared.
"This was bad flooding," said Ferri, "but I was expecting a lot worse," said Ferri.
Similar sentiments were heard in North Carolina, the first state hit by Hurricane Irene. Despite widespread flooding, downed trees, power outages and road closures caused by 85-mph winds and torrential rain, many were relieved the damage wasn't worse.
"We did all right," said Hal Denny, the mayor of Southern Shores, a beach town on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where the worst damage was wrought on trees, dozens of which had been uprooted.
Becky Breiholz, the town clerk for Manteo, N.C., was out surveying damage on Roanoke Island for state and federal officials Sunday morning. "I have to admit, I was getting a little scared early on and thinking, you know, maybe I should leave," said Breiholz, who stuck it out at home. "We were blessed."
(Reston reported from Mystic, Ceasar from Los Angeles and Zucchino from Manteo, N.C. Nathaniel Popper and Tina Susman in New York; Richard Fausset in Morehead, N.C.; Robin Abcarian in Los Angeles; Kim Geiger in Washington and Tom Hamburger in Annapolis, Md., contributed to this report.)
In Vermont, where soil was already saturated from a wet spring and soaking rains, rescue teams stymied by torrential floodwaters were unable to reach stranded residents in towns along the Winooski River, including the capital, Montpelier.
"We didn't know where the storm was going to hit," Mark Bosma of Vermont's Emergency Management department said Sunday evening from the state operations center in Waterbury, where flood waters lapped outside. "Evacuations beforehand just weren't possible."
Across eight states, at least 22 people died in storm-related accidents over the weekend - car crashes and toppling trees were mostly to blame. In Harrisburg, Pa., a man at a party who decided to sleep outside with a group of friends, died when a tree fell on his tent, police said. A 20-year old woman swept away in the Deerfield River in southern Vermont was presumed dead.
Up to 4 million customers, fairly evenly scattered along the hurricane's path from North Carolina to Maine, still lacked power Sunday. It will take days - possibly more than a week - to restore all the power, authorities said.
Thousands of commuters remain stranded after an estimated 11,238 flights were cancelled, including nearly 1,000 that were scheduled for Monday, according to FlightAware.com. The three major airports near New York City - Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark - are not expected to re-open until Monday at 6 a.m.
The economic toll from Irene is anticipated to be hefty, with insured and uninsured damages totaling from $5 billion to $7 billion, according to Jose Miranda of Eqecat Inc., a catastrophic risk management firm in Oakland, Calif.
At the White House, President Barack Obama offered his "thoughts and prayers" to victims, vowed the federal government's robust emergency response would continue and cautioned that Irene, while downgraded to a tropical storm, remained dangerous.
"I want people to understand that this is not over," the president said Sunday, flanked by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency director Craig Fugate. "Many Americans are still at serious risk of power outages and flooding, which could get worse in the coming days as rivers swell past their banks."
Earlier in the day, Hurricane Center Director Bill Read warned New Hampshire and Vermont would likely experience "record flooding." Hours later his prediction seemed apt.
"I've never seen flooding like this, especially this widespread," said Capt. Ray Keefe of the Vermont State Police, who described the flooding as "epic."
"We've lost a lot of homes, hundreds of roads, bridges have been washed away," Keefe said. "This has been a real tough one."
In the Hudson River Valley in upstate New York, National Guard troops and rescue crews rushed to reach stranded citizens after floodwaters washed away bridges and made roads impassable, said Green County administrator Shaun Groden.
In Prattsville, a town of about 300 in the Catskill mountains, floodwaters stranded scores of people including about 20 who found themselves marooned on the second floor of a motel. Troops used elevated Humvees to trudge through the floodwaters, while rescue crews used helicopters to reach the mountain communities, Groden said.
In New York City, whose emptied streets imparted a surreal touch over the weekend, the devastating flooding feared by some did not materialize. The curved edge of lower Manhattan was soaked, but most damage in the city was confined to uprooted trees and wind-torn awnings.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg lifted evacuation orders on Sunday afternoon, authorities re-opened closed tunnels and bridges, and were taking steps to restart the city's subway system Monday morning.
Limited bus service began Sunday afternoon, and the heavily traveled PATH train system linking Manhattan to New Jersey was slated to resume service on Monday afternoon. But, said Bloomberg on Sunday, "It's safe to say it's going to be a tough commute tomorrow."
Despite a sense that the emergency was over in New Jersey and metropolitan New York, authorities warned people to stay inside their homes until ground conditions were fully assessed in the hardest hit areas.
"I am particularly concerned about downed power lines," said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during a morning interview on the "Today" show. "There is no, no safe place to be outside right now in New Jersey, between downed power lines, flooding. You need to stay in your home."
(In Connecticut, two firefighters were injured by electrical shocks. Both were briefly hospitalized.)
Christie said authorities were keeping an eye on dams in the state, filled by torrential rainfall - up to 8 inches in some areas.
On Long Island, Jennifer Ferri and her husband had ignored orders to evacuate their waterside home in Babylon. Early Sunday morning, a surging tide poured into their first-floor fitness room, destroying a refrigerator, television and most of their daughter's toys.
"It came in fast," said Ferri. "There wasn't time to pump it."
When the rain stopped at midday, the couple took a break from the cleanup and went for a walk in the flooded streets to see how their neighbors fared.
"This was bad flooding," said Ferri, "but I was expecting a lot worse," said Ferri.
Similar sentiments were heard in North Carolina, the first state hit by Hurricane Irene. Despite widespread flooding, downed trees, power outages and road closures caused by 85-mph winds and torrential rain, many were relieved the damage wasn't worse.
"We did all right," said Hal Denny, the mayor of Southern Shores, a beach town on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where the worst damage was wrought on trees, dozens of which had been uprooted.
Becky Breiholz, the town clerk for Manteo, N.C., was out surveying damage on Roanoke Island for state and federal officials Sunday morning. "I have to admit, I was getting a little scared early on and thinking, you know, maybe I should leave," said Breiholz, who stuck it out at home. "We were blessed."
(Reston reported from Mystic, Ceasar from Los Angeles and Zucchino from Manteo, N.C. Nathaniel Popper and Tina Susman in New York; Richard Fausset in Morehead, N.C.; Robin Abcarian in Los Angeles; Kim Geiger in Washington and Tom Hamburger in Annapolis, Md., contributed to this report.)
Update: Flooding expected along Delaware River, Pocono creeks
Moderate flooding is now forecast for the Delaware River at Tocks Island, which is under a flood warning beginning Sunday night until further notice.
The river is projected to surpass the flood stage of 20 feet sometime Monday, according to the National Weather Service at Mount Holly, N.J.
As of 12:30 a.m. Sunday, the weather service predicts the river will rise to 24.5 feet. When it reaches 21 feet, the approach roads at Shawnee Inn begin to flood. At 25 feet, campsites in Worthington State Forest in New Jersey flood.
Down river, major flooding is forecast at Easton-Phillipsburg, with moderate flooding expected at Riegelsville, Frenchtown, Stockton, New Hope-Lambertsville and Trenton. A flood warning is in effect for those areas through Monday.
Meanwhile, several creeks and streams in the Poconos remain under a flood warning through Sunday night.
At this point, moderate flooding is forecast along the Brodhead Creek at Minisink Hills. Flood stage there is 10 feet, and the creek is expected to rise to 10.2 feet by Monday morning.
When the creek reaches 8 feet, street flooding north of Stroudsburg begins to occur.
Moderate flooding is also forecast for the Bushkill Creek at Shoemakers.
If you live in these areas, be ready to seek higher ground if necessary. Listen for additional flood warnings in your area, and be ready to act if flooding occurs. Do not attempt to drive through flooded roadways; the water may be deeper than it appears.
A flood watch remains in effect for the entire area through Sunday night.
For More Detail:
Daily News Update
The river is projected to surpass the flood stage of 20 feet sometime Monday, according to the National Weather Service at Mount Holly, N.J.
As of 12:30 a.m. Sunday, the weather service predicts the river will rise to 24.5 feet. When it reaches 21 feet, the approach roads at Shawnee Inn begin to flood. At 25 feet, campsites in Worthington State Forest in New Jersey flood.
Down river, major flooding is forecast at Easton-Phillipsburg, with moderate flooding expected at Riegelsville, Frenchtown, Stockton, New Hope-Lambertsville and Trenton. A flood warning is in effect for those areas through Monday.
Meanwhile, several creeks and streams in the Poconos remain under a flood warning through Sunday night.
At this point, moderate flooding is forecast along the Brodhead Creek at Minisink Hills. Flood stage there is 10 feet, and the creek is expected to rise to 10.2 feet by Monday morning.
When the creek reaches 8 feet, street flooding north of Stroudsburg begins to occur.
Moderate flooding is also forecast for the Bushkill Creek at Shoemakers.
If you live in these areas, be ready to seek higher ground if necessary. Listen for additional flood warnings in your area, and be ready to act if flooding occurs. Do not attempt to drive through flooded roadways; the water may be deeper than it appears.
A flood watch remains in effect for the entire area through Sunday night.
For More Detail:
Daily News Update
Saturday 27 August 2011
Obama declares emergency for New York in anticipation of Irene
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has declared an emergency for New York state in anticipation of Hurricane Irene, which has New York City in its sights as it storms up the Eastern Seaboard.
The declaration means that the Homeland Security Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency can coordinate disaster relief efforts. It also means the state can receive federal aid to supplement state and local emergency and cleanup assistance.
The declaration is specifically intended to alleviate the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Nassau and Suffolk.
The brunt of the storm is expected to hit the New York City area and Long Island on Sunday.
The hurricane threatens up to 65 million people along a path from North Carolina to New England.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The declaration means that the Homeland Security Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency can coordinate disaster relief efforts. It also means the state can receive federal aid to supplement state and local emergency and cleanup assistance.
The declaration is specifically intended to alleviate the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Nassau and Suffolk.
The brunt of the storm is expected to hit the New York City area and Long Island on Sunday.
The hurricane threatens up to 65 million people along a path from North Carolina to New England.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Nation's biggest subway system to stop for Irene
NEW YORK—The nation's largest subway system and arriving flights at the five main New York City-area airports were preparing to shut down Saturday as Hurricane Irene spun its way up the Eastern Seaboard, forcing more than 300,000 evacuations and dimming lights at Citi Field and on Broadway.
By deciding to shut down the transit system by noon, millions of carless New Yorkers from the Bronx's most distant reaches down through Manhattan and out to the beaches of Brooklyn and Queens will be faced with the question of where to go and how to get there.
They include New Yorkers like 82-year-old Abe Feinstein, who has lived since the early 1960s on the eighth floor of a building that overlooks the famed boardwalk of Coney Island, which is in the evacuation zone and was alive with giddy visitors Friday.
"How can I get out of Coney Island? What am I going to do? Run with this walker?" he said.
But Feinstein also wasn't too worried.
He recalled watching a hurricane in 1985 from an apartment down the street from where he lives now.
"I think I have nothing to worry about," Feinstein said. "I've been through bad weather before. It's just not going to be a problem for us."
Bridges and tunnels also could be closed as the storm approaches, clogging traffic in an already congested city.
The five main New York City-area airports were scheduled to close at noon Saturday for arriving domestic and international flights. Three of them, John
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F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, are among the nation's busiest airports.
Officials hoped most residents would stay with family and friends, and for the rest the city opened nearly 100 shelters with a capacity of 71,000 people.
Irene was expected to make landfall in North Carolina on Saturday, then roll up the Interstate 95 corridor reaching New York on Sunday. A hurricane warning was issued for the city Friday afternoon, the first time that's happened since Gloria in 1985.
If the storm stays on its current path, skyscraper windows could shatter, tree limbs would fall and debris would be tossed around. Streets in the southern tip of the city could be under a few feet of water, and police readied rescue boats but said they wouldn't go out if conditions were poor.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was confident people would get out of the storm's way.
"We do not have the manpower to go door-to-door and drag people out of their homes," he said. "Nobody's going to get fined. Nobody's going to go to jail. But if you don't follow this, people might die."
Nevertheless, he said for those who don't heed the warnings, police officers would use loudspeakers on patrol vehicles to spread the word about the evacuation Saturday.
Several New York landmarks were under the evacuation order, including the Battery Park City area, where tourists catch ferries to the Statue of Liberty. Construction was stopping throughout the city, and workers at the World Trade Center site were dismantling a crane and securing equipment. Bloomberg said there would be no effect on the Sept. 11 memorial opening the day after the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
But sporting events, concerts and even Broadway were going dark.
New flood gates were put in place outside Citi Field as a precaution, but Major League Baseball took no chances. The Braves-Mets games on Saturday and Sunday were postponed, to be made up as a doubleheader on Sept. 8.
All Broadway musicals and plays were canceled for Saturday and Sunday, as well as "Zarkana" by Cirque du Soleil at Radio City Music Hall and Lincoln Center Theater's "War Horse." It's the first time Broadway has shut down for an emergency since the blackout in 2003.
In lower Manhattan, Milton Melendez and partner Shea Collins were headed uptown to a neighborhood north of Little Italy. Melendez, who survived Hurricane David as a child in the Dominican Republic, was worried about their apartment windows being blown out. Collins was a little more blase.
"This is the same thing as a snowstorm," she said. "They say there's going to be 10 feet and there's four inches."
Bloomberg weathered criticism after a Dec. 26 storm dumped nearly two feet of snow that seemed to catch officials by surprise. Subway trains, buses and ambulances got stuck in the snow, some for hours, and streets were impassable for days. Bloomberg ultimately called it an "inadequate and unacceptable" response.
This time officials weren't taking any chances. Transit officials said they can't run once sustained winds reach 39 mph, and they need eight hours to move trains and equipment to safety.
The subway system won't reopen until at least Monday, after pumps remove water from flooded stations. Even on a dry day, about 200 pump rooms remove 13 million to 15 million gallons of water that seep into the tunnels deep underground.
About 1.6 million people live in Manhattan, and about 6.8 million live in the city's other four boroughs.
For those with cars, parking was available at the city's evacuation centers. From there, each family will be assigned to a shelter and taken there by bus.
In the Queens community of the Rockaways, more than 111,000 people live on a barrier peninsula connected to the city by two bridges and to Long Island to the west.
The city's public transit system carries about 5 million passengers on an average weekday, and the entire system has never before been halted because of a natural disaster. It was seriously hobbled by an August 2007 rainstorm that disabled or delayed every one of the city's subway lines. And it was shut down after the 9/11 attacks and during a 2005 strike.
In the last 200 years, New York has seen only a few significant hurricanes. In September 1821, a hurricane raised tides by 13 feet in an hour and flooded the southernmost tip of Manhattan in an area that now includes Wall Street and the World Trade Center memorial. In 1938, a storm dubbed the Long Island Express came ashore about 75 miles east of the city on neighboring Long Island and then hit New England, killing 700 people and leaving 63,000 homeless.
And in 1944, Midtown was flooded, where Times Square, Broadway theaters and the Empire State Building are located.
By deciding to shut down the transit system by noon, millions of carless New Yorkers from the Bronx's most distant reaches down through Manhattan and out to the beaches of Brooklyn and Queens will be faced with the question of where to go and how to get there.
They include New Yorkers like 82-year-old Abe Feinstein, who has lived since the early 1960s on the eighth floor of a building that overlooks the famed boardwalk of Coney Island, which is in the evacuation zone and was alive with giddy visitors Friday.
"How can I get out of Coney Island? What am I going to do? Run with this walker?" he said.
But Feinstein also wasn't too worried.
He recalled watching a hurricane in 1985 from an apartment down the street from where he lives now.
"I think I have nothing to worry about," Feinstein said. "I've been through bad weather before. It's just not going to be a problem for us."
Bridges and tunnels also could be closed as the storm approaches, clogging traffic in an already congested city.
The five main New York City-area airports were scheduled to close at noon Saturday for arriving domestic and international flights. Three of them, John
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F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, are among the nation's busiest airports.
Officials hoped most residents would stay with family and friends, and for the rest the city opened nearly 100 shelters with a capacity of 71,000 people.
Irene was expected to make landfall in North Carolina on Saturday, then roll up the Interstate 95 corridor reaching New York on Sunday. A hurricane warning was issued for the city Friday afternoon, the first time that's happened since Gloria in 1985.
If the storm stays on its current path, skyscraper windows could shatter, tree limbs would fall and debris would be tossed around. Streets in the southern tip of the city could be under a few feet of water, and police readied rescue boats but said they wouldn't go out if conditions were poor.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was confident people would get out of the storm's way.
"We do not have the manpower to go door-to-door and drag people out of their homes," he said. "Nobody's going to get fined. Nobody's going to go to jail. But if you don't follow this, people might die."
Nevertheless, he said for those who don't heed the warnings, police officers would use loudspeakers on patrol vehicles to spread the word about the evacuation Saturday.
Several New York landmarks were under the evacuation order, including the Battery Park City area, where tourists catch ferries to the Statue of Liberty. Construction was stopping throughout the city, and workers at the World Trade Center site were dismantling a crane and securing equipment. Bloomberg said there would be no effect on the Sept. 11 memorial opening the day after the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
But sporting events, concerts and even Broadway were going dark.
New flood gates were put in place outside Citi Field as a precaution, but Major League Baseball took no chances. The Braves-Mets games on Saturday and Sunday were postponed, to be made up as a doubleheader on Sept. 8.
All Broadway musicals and plays were canceled for Saturday and Sunday, as well as "Zarkana" by Cirque du Soleil at Radio City Music Hall and Lincoln Center Theater's "War Horse." It's the first time Broadway has shut down for an emergency since the blackout in 2003.
In lower Manhattan, Milton Melendez and partner Shea Collins were headed uptown to a neighborhood north of Little Italy. Melendez, who survived Hurricane David as a child in the Dominican Republic, was worried about their apartment windows being blown out. Collins was a little more blase.
"This is the same thing as a snowstorm," she said. "They say there's going to be 10 feet and there's four inches."
Bloomberg weathered criticism after a Dec. 26 storm dumped nearly two feet of snow that seemed to catch officials by surprise. Subway trains, buses and ambulances got stuck in the snow, some for hours, and streets were impassable for days. Bloomberg ultimately called it an "inadequate and unacceptable" response.
This time officials weren't taking any chances. Transit officials said they can't run once sustained winds reach 39 mph, and they need eight hours to move trains and equipment to safety.
The subway system won't reopen until at least Monday, after pumps remove water from flooded stations. Even on a dry day, about 200 pump rooms remove 13 million to 15 million gallons of water that seep into the tunnels deep underground.
About 1.6 million people live in Manhattan, and about 6.8 million live in the city's other four boroughs.
For those with cars, parking was available at the city's evacuation centers. From there, each family will be assigned to a shelter and taken there by bus.
In the Queens community of the Rockaways, more than 111,000 people live on a barrier peninsula connected to the city by two bridges and to Long Island to the west.
The city's public transit system carries about 5 million passengers on an average weekday, and the entire system has never before been halted because of a natural disaster. It was seriously hobbled by an August 2007 rainstorm that disabled or delayed every one of the city's subway lines. And it was shut down after the 9/11 attacks and during a 2005 strike.
In the last 200 years, New York has seen only a few significant hurricanes. In September 1821, a hurricane raised tides by 13 feet in an hour and flooded the southernmost tip of Manhattan in an area that now includes Wall Street and the World Trade Center memorial. In 1938, a storm dubbed the Long Island Express came ashore about 75 miles east of the city on neighboring Long Island and then hit New England, killing 700 people and leaving 63,000 homeless.
And in 1944, Midtown was flooded, where Times Square, Broadway theaters and the Empire State Building are located.
Is Lita Ford Dead or Alive? Death Rumors Hit Internet
A rumor that Runaways singer Lita Ford is dead is burning its way around the Internet. Stories of a terrible jet ski accident have caught on like wildfire. Of course, people have desperately began searching to verify the news they have heard.
The good news is that Lita Ford is not dead. She is still rocking (and hot) at age 51. The rocker is even scheduled to perform at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant on August 27. Tesla and Whitesnake will play at the same concert.
Ford, along with Joan Jett were hot items with their band Runaways in the 1970s, which the movie The Runaways starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning chronicled their success. In the film, Scout Taylor-Compton played Lita Ford, the band's lead guitarist.
Since her early fame with the band, Ford has become a sensation on her own. She will soon release a new album, which will further prove that she did not die in a jet ski accident. From the beginning, the guitarist worked to "prove to the fans that girls can play guitar." She certainly made her point these past four decades.
Will you be heading to see Ford and her long, blond hair tomorrow night? It sounds like the concert will rock.
Friday 26 August 2011
Here comes Irene - big, brutal and already battering the East
WILMINGTON, N.C. - The first punch from Hurricane Irene landed here Friday, foreshadowing with brutal authority what is to come as this vast storm, its most forceful winds stretching outward for 90 miles, churned north toward New York City.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered all along the Eastern seaboard as far north as the New Jersey shore and parts of New York City. Roads and highways were filled with caravans of ousted vacationers and homeowners, many fleeing under sunlit skies in anticipation of torrential rains, dangerous tidal surges and the likelihood of days without power.
With an estimated 55 million people in the path of a storm the size of California, the East Coast's major cities prepared for the worst. Hurricane watches were posted and states of emergency declared for North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and New England.
Amtrak canceled train service for the weekend, and airlines began canceling flights, urging travelers to stay home. For the first time, New York City planned to shut down its entire mass transit and subway system - the world's largest - at noon today. New Jersey Transit was set to suspend service then, too.
Organizations from the Pentagon to the American Red Cross were positioning mobile units and preparing shelters with food and water. The Defense Department has amassed 18 helicopters to be ready with life-saving equipment; 10 are on the USS Wasp, a ship that has moved out to sea
"All of us have to take this storm seriously," said President Barack Obama, who cut short his family vacation on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., to return to Washington on Friday. "All indications point to this being a historic hurricane."
Although it slowed a bit during the day - sustained winds were about 100 mph - the unusually wide, wet and slow-moving Category 2 hurricane began to clip this coastal town with tropical storm-force winds in the late afternoon.
By early today, Hurricane Irene's eye should be about 66 miles from Cape Fear, N.C. Winds along the North Carolina coast will most likely hit 98 mph, with gusts of as much as 132 mph by this morning, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm is going to last most of the day in North Carolina. The eyewall should make landfall just east of Morehead City by 1 p.m. today, said Susan Buchanan, a spokeswoman for the National Weather Service. By then, Hurricane Irene might have weakened to a Category 1.
But with a storm this big and this wet - the National Hurricane Center in Miami said its tropical-storm force winds stretched out 290 miles - when it hits land, the power of the winds might not be as important as the amount of rainfall.
Such a huge dump of sustained rain along with high winds most likely will uproot trees from soggy ground and cause widespread loss of power.
Flooding, though, is the biggest concern, said Steve Pfaff, a meteorologist with the weather service's office in Wilmington. As much as 10 inches of rain will fall over the easternmost areas of North Carolina, overwhelming drainage systems.
Most airlines have grounded flights this weekend in the New York City area and beyond.
Federal officials warned that whatever the force of the winds, this storm is powerful and its effects would be felt well inland as far as West Virginia, western Pennsylvania, western New York and interior New England.
"This is not just a coastal event," said Bill Read, director of the National Hurricane Center.
He said he was highly confident of the storm's track, meaning it will be a rare hurricane that travels right along the densely populated Interstate 95 corridor.
In Washington, officials postponed the dedication of the new memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which had been scheduled for Sunday. Mayor Vincent Gray declared a state of emergency and said that starting today, the city would distribute five sandbags per household to those preparing their homes to withstand flooding.
Pepco, a major power provider for the area, warned of extensive blackouts and said it had engaged additional crews, including one from Ohio. The Metro system was expected to continue running, officials said.
With the worst of the storm expected to start in earnest in the small hours of the night, many in Wilmington hunkered down and waited for daylight, hoping against hope that the storm would continue to turn slightly eastward.
Even veterans of the deadly hurricanes Fran and Floyd, which hit North Carolina in the 1990s, were worried.
"It's a night you want to end," said Tommy Early, who spent much of Friday watching lines of people fill gas cans and fuel tanks.
WRFR-LP radio program schedule for Friday.
6-9am “The MID COAST MORNING SHOW,” with your go to guy
Steve Roberts discussing local news, local current events, national news and current events. Call-ins welcome 593-0013. Sponsored by Crestwood Kitchens, Arizona Road Adventures, Jess’ Market & Philbrook & Associates Bookkeeping.
8-9am 1st & 3rd Friday of each month Amanda Austin is the host of “Making Maine.” Sponsored by EC Moran Insurance and also Gypsy Blondie Media.
9-11am “WORLD in SONG,” vast variety of music playing, for you.
11am-1pm “The DINNER BELL,” with host Larry Beckwith- country music including interviews from time to time with famous country singers. Sponsored by “ASK for Homecare,” with Joanne Miller.
1-2pm “WORLD in SONG- a vast variety of great music.
2-4pm “Jazz Cocktail.” Join host, Denise DeVaney for a musical cocktail of jazz, blues, crooners, and torch singers- all blended with a few sips of poetry. “No straight lines here- we’ll go where the jazz spirit takes us.” Sponsored by Megunticook Real Estate: Ed Glover, Lindsey Street Flowers and also the Slipway Restaurant in Thomaston.
4-5pm “the Joe Friday Show.” Joe Steinberger, on the air doing a call in show 593-0013. Joe also writes a column in the Free Press called, “We the Six Billion.” Sponsored by Computer Solutions.
5-6pm "Farmers got the Blues,” with Bonnie Farmer.
Farmers Got the Blues Show is a fusion of electric blues, rock blues, funky blues, folk blues, soulful blues and contemporary blues. Each week Bonnie Farmer, your host, will bring to the air upbeat dance music with great rhythms and tempos. Because the Blues are so alive in Midcoast Maine, Bonnie will be delving into the Blues Culture by airing occasional interviews asking real questions to real Blues Fans and Musicians about why the Blues has them so hooked! Her training as a Photographer and Blues Dancer has brought her full circle to this show which airs on Fridays 5-6pm drive time. For additional show information and play lists, please Facebook her at Farmer’s Got the Blues at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Farmers-Got-The-Blues/165056873550687 This program is sponsored by Northern Kingdom Music.
6-8pm “SANITY BURN,” with Randy Bouchard This show is designed to aid the community in making the transition from the insanity of the work week to the laid back sanity of the weekend. You will hear classic rock music, blocks of special classic rock with a purpose and all out fun on the radio. Not a moment of dullness. Optimistic outlook and attitude sending listeners into a terrific weekend. is a vast variety of classic rock to help you make the transition from the work week to the laid back weekend energy. Randy will takes requests, call him at 593-0013.
8pm - 6am World in Song- a great variety of music from all genres.
Thursday 25 August 2011
North Carolina girds for Irene
RALEIGH, N.C. , Hurricane Irene became a deadlier threat to Eastern North Carolina on Thursday when its predicted path shifted to the west. Forecasters warned that Irene will attack coastal counties Saturday with powerful winds, floods, 5- to 10-foot storm surges and "large, destructive and life-threatening waves."
Irene is a Category 3 storm with 115 mph winds. It could grow even stronger before its expected landfall Saturday afternoon near More head City, N.C.
Hurricane warnings were posted along the coast and sounds. Beaches from Bogue Banks in Carteret County to the Currituck Banks began emptying under evacuation orders issued for more than 250,000 vacationers and year-round residents.
The National Hurricane Center had said earlier in the week that Irene might stay just offshore as it moved up the Outer Banks. But by Thursday evening, forecasters expressed growing confidence in the new track, which shows the hurricane's center cutting a broad arc across northeastern counties and spilling back into the Atlantic near the Virginia line.
If Irene keeps on the path, the shift means that its most destructive edge , the right front quadrant , will batter sounds, barrier islands and low-lying coastal mainland. And the storm will reach farther inland than originally expected, with damaging winds and heavy rain.
"The worst surge is just to the right of the track, so maybe now we're looking at more storm surge impacts from Cape Lookout up to the Albemarle Sound," said Nick Petro, warning coordination meteorologist in the National Weather Service's Raleigh office. "And we could see as much as 3, 4 or even 5 inches of rain along the Interstate 95 corridor."
The National Hurricane Center warned that Irena's storm surge will lift water levels in the sea and the sounds by 5 to 10 feet. Coastal counties can expect 6 to 10 inches of rain, with up to 15 inches in some spots. As torrential rains loosen the soil, high winds will push down trees and power lines, forecasters said.
Gov. Bev Perdue sent 180 National Guard troops and 48 state troopers to the coast to help with evacuations that will continue Friday, and she said hundreds more law enforcement officers were on standby.
The first shelters opened in Wilson and Rocky Mount, with more planned to open for Irene refugees Friday.
The Federal Emergency Management Administration began stockpiling generators, cots, blankets, food, water, medicine and other storm supplies at a Fort Bragg distribution center. Insurance adjusters and electric utility crews prepared for action after Irene leaves the state Saturday night or early Sunday.
Schools, parks and universities began closing from Elizabeth City to Wilmington, and the state's coastal ferries were scheduled to make their last runs Friday.
"Our shelters are open," Perdue said at a 6 p.m. Thursday news briefing. "People are evacuating. The Red Cross is in North Carolina. Our warehouses are stocked and our swift-water teams are ready for rescue, if that's necessary."
(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)
Forecasters said it is hard to predict how far inland heavy rains and winds will reach. Goldsboro and Fayette ville could see tropical-storm-force winds, 40 mph or more, as soon as late tonight or early Saturday, said meteorologist Brandon Vincent with the National Weather Service in Raleigh.
"The Triangle is going to be on the western periphery of this thing," Vincent said. "We do expect the possibility of tropical storm wind gusts here, and periods of heavy rain."
Wake County could see an inch of rain or less on Saturday , or more, Vincent said, if Irene's track shifts farther inland.
Perdue said Irene will be the first hurricane in her memory to strike the state during daylight.
"With a hurricane like this, it's time for all of us to take it very seriously," Perdue said. "There are a lot of newcomers who have moved to the coast of North Carolina who have never seen a hurricane before."
Earlier this week, state and local officials had hoped that Irene would limit most damage to the northern Outer Banks. That changed when forecasters pointed toward a likely landfall near Morehead City and Beaufort around 3 p.m. Saturday.
"We see the storm coming right across Carteret County," Jo Ann Smith, the county's emergency services director, said Thursday. "We're looking at storm surge. We're looking at winds."
Carteret officials ordered vacationers and residents to leave the Bogue Banks beach towns. Residents also were urged residents to evacuate from flood-prone lowlands. Smith worried that many North Carolinians aren't taking Irene seriously.
"We live right on the coast, and we're prone to hurricanes. But because we have been blessed and have not had a major event (in recent years), people become complacent," she said.
"I'm really concerned about this one, that people aren't ready. I just hope they listen to our warnings, and if we ask them to evacuate, then we've done that for a reason."
,,,
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS GUIDE
When a storm is forecast:
Check with your insurance company to see what is covered.
Inventory your personal property to help in filling out claims.
Put up hurricane shutters or buy half-inch outdoor plywood for each window of your house. Install anchors and drill holes in the plywood for fast installation.
Check tie-downs and plan to evacuate if you live in a mobile home.
When a storm threatens:
Make sure you have a battery-powered radio with fresh batteries; a flashlight, candles or lamps; matches, a first-aid kit, canned or packaged food that can be prepared without cooking or refrigeration; several days' supply of drinking water (1 gallon per person per day) and a full tank of gas in your car.
Pack protective clothing, rainwear and bedding or sleeping bags.
Assemble an adequate supply of essential medicines, particularly prescriptions. Get cash. Carry credit cards or make sure they are in a safe place.
If an evacuation is ordered, leave.
Children and the elderly have special needs. Put together whatever is necessary and make it portable.
Teach family members how and when to turn off natural gas, electricity and water. (Professionals will have to turn them back on.) Teach children how and when to call 911, police or fire departments and which radio stations to tune to for emergency information.
Develop a plan in case family members are separated and a plan for reuniting.
Ask an out-of-state relative to serve as a family contact. After a hurricane, it often is easier to call long distance than locally. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address and phone number of the contact person.
Watch television, listen to the radio or check the Internet for hurricane position, intensity and expected landfall.
Put important papers in waterproof containers (take them along upon evacuating), and move all valuables to higher levels in the home.
Irene is a Category 3 storm with 115 mph winds. It could grow even stronger before its expected landfall Saturday afternoon near More head City, N.C.
Hurricane warnings were posted along the coast and sounds. Beaches from Bogue Banks in Carteret County to the Currituck Banks began emptying under evacuation orders issued for more than 250,000 vacationers and year-round residents.
The National Hurricane Center had said earlier in the week that Irene might stay just offshore as it moved up the Outer Banks. But by Thursday evening, forecasters expressed growing confidence in the new track, which shows the hurricane's center cutting a broad arc across northeastern counties and spilling back into the Atlantic near the Virginia line.
If Irene keeps on the path, the shift means that its most destructive edge , the right front quadrant , will batter sounds, barrier islands and low-lying coastal mainland. And the storm will reach farther inland than originally expected, with damaging winds and heavy rain.
"The worst surge is just to the right of the track, so maybe now we're looking at more storm surge impacts from Cape Lookout up to the Albemarle Sound," said Nick Petro, warning coordination meteorologist in the National Weather Service's Raleigh office. "And we could see as much as 3, 4 or even 5 inches of rain along the Interstate 95 corridor."
The National Hurricane Center warned that Irena's storm surge will lift water levels in the sea and the sounds by 5 to 10 feet. Coastal counties can expect 6 to 10 inches of rain, with up to 15 inches in some spots. As torrential rains loosen the soil, high winds will push down trees and power lines, forecasters said.
Gov. Bev Perdue sent 180 National Guard troops and 48 state troopers to the coast to help with evacuations that will continue Friday, and she said hundreds more law enforcement officers were on standby.
The first shelters opened in Wilson and Rocky Mount, with more planned to open for Irene refugees Friday.
The Federal Emergency Management Administration began stockpiling generators, cots, blankets, food, water, medicine and other storm supplies at a Fort Bragg distribution center. Insurance adjusters and electric utility crews prepared for action after Irene leaves the state Saturday night or early Sunday.
Schools, parks and universities began closing from Elizabeth City to Wilmington, and the state's coastal ferries were scheduled to make their last runs Friday.
"Our shelters are open," Perdue said at a 6 p.m. Thursday news briefing. "People are evacuating. The Red Cross is in North Carolina. Our warehouses are stocked and our swift-water teams are ready for rescue, if that's necessary."
(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)
Forecasters said it is hard to predict how far inland heavy rains and winds will reach. Goldsboro and Fayette ville could see tropical-storm-force winds, 40 mph or more, as soon as late tonight or early Saturday, said meteorologist Brandon Vincent with the National Weather Service in Raleigh.
"The Triangle is going to be on the western periphery of this thing," Vincent said. "We do expect the possibility of tropical storm wind gusts here, and periods of heavy rain."
Wake County could see an inch of rain or less on Saturday , or more, Vincent said, if Irene's track shifts farther inland.
Perdue said Irene will be the first hurricane in her memory to strike the state during daylight.
"With a hurricane like this, it's time for all of us to take it very seriously," Perdue said. "There are a lot of newcomers who have moved to the coast of North Carolina who have never seen a hurricane before."
Earlier this week, state and local officials had hoped that Irene would limit most damage to the northern Outer Banks. That changed when forecasters pointed toward a likely landfall near Morehead City and Beaufort around 3 p.m. Saturday.
"We see the storm coming right across Carteret County," Jo Ann Smith, the county's emergency services director, said Thursday. "We're looking at storm surge. We're looking at winds."
Carteret officials ordered vacationers and residents to leave the Bogue Banks beach towns. Residents also were urged residents to evacuate from flood-prone lowlands. Smith worried that many North Carolinians aren't taking Irene seriously.
"We live right on the coast, and we're prone to hurricanes. But because we have been blessed and have not had a major event (in recent years), people become complacent," she said.
"I'm really concerned about this one, that people aren't ready. I just hope they listen to our warnings, and if we ask them to evacuate, then we've done that for a reason."
,,,
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS GUIDE
When a storm is forecast:
Check with your insurance company to see what is covered.
Inventory your personal property to help in filling out claims.
Put up hurricane shutters or buy half-inch outdoor plywood for each window of your house. Install anchors and drill holes in the plywood for fast installation.
Check tie-downs and plan to evacuate if you live in a mobile home.
When a storm threatens:
Make sure you have a battery-powered radio with fresh batteries; a flashlight, candles or lamps; matches, a first-aid kit, canned or packaged food that can be prepared without cooking or refrigeration; several days' supply of drinking water (1 gallon per person per day) and a full tank of gas in your car.
Pack protective clothing, rainwear and bedding or sleeping bags.
Assemble an adequate supply of essential medicines, particularly prescriptions. Get cash. Carry credit cards or make sure they are in a safe place.
If an evacuation is ordered, leave.
Children and the elderly have special needs. Put together whatever is necessary and make it portable.
Teach family members how and when to turn off natural gas, electricity and water. (Professionals will have to turn them back on.) Teach children how and when to call 911, police or fire departments and which radio stations to tune to for emergency information.
Develop a plan in case family members are separated and a plan for reuniting.
Ask an out-of-state relative to serve as a family contact. After a hurricane, it often is easier to call long distance than locally. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address and phone number of the contact person.
Watch television, listen to the radio or check the Internet for hurricane position, intensity and expected landfall.
Put important papers in waterproof containers (take them along upon evacuating), and move all valuables to higher levels in the home.
Generators still in stock in Shrewsbury, but going fast
SHREWSBURY, Massachusetts – As folks prepare to hunker down this weekend many have been turning to the local home stores to buy up a portable home generator. Massachusetts Emergency officials are warning residents that high winds combined with tree roots soaked by up to 10 inches of rain, create a real possibility for downed trees and of course power lines. While crews are being lined up to restore power as soon as possible, officials are telling residents to be prepared for up to one-week without electrical power. While many of us have had our generators for years, and others purchased theirs after the ice storm a few years ago, the majority of folks have yet to take that step – and this weeks events seem to be driving many to the stores trying to grab theirs before they’re gone.
If you do go out to make the big jump, here are a few simple recommendations. First, try to get one with an electric start. They’re so much easier to use, and that not only means a simpler set up in an emergency, but also that you will test it regularly by just running it for a few minutes every couple of weeks. You also want at least 6-7000 watts of power, so that you can run multiple systems in your home at once. Here’s a good example of a potential options that has the features you want. Portable Generator
It’s too late to do it before this storm, but afterward if you have a chance, buy yourself a transfer switch and have an electrician professionally install it for you. This ties your circuit breaker box into an external outlet to allow you to safely connect your portable generator directly to your existing circuits. This will allow you to run 6-10 different 15-20amp circuits indefinitely in the event of an outage, enough to power your furnace, lights, refrigerator, and anything else of importance. Here’s an example of the switch I purchased years ago. Transfer Switch
One more thing. Should you go out and invest in a generator, you also need to remember to purchase three long, heavy duty extension cords, at least 50-100 feet long, and preferably in different colors. Home Depot has a huge selection in stock. The best ones even have a built in triple outlet so you can plug three things into one.
Last, but perhaps most important, is to practice generator safety. One of the leading causes of death during storms, is oddly enough, people who were killed by misusing their home generators during a resultant power failure. Here are a list of crucial tips, published by the emergency management folks.
———————————
Do not connect your generator directly to your home’s wiring. Connecting a portable electric generator directly to your household wiring can be deadly to you and others. A generator that is directly connected to your home’s wiring can “backfeed” onto the power lines connected to your home.
Utility transformers can then “step-up” or increase this backfeed to thousands of volts —enough to kill a utility lineman making outage repairs a long way from your house. You could also cause expensive damage to utility equipment and your generator.
The only safe way to connect a portable electric generator to your existing wiring is to have a licensed electrical contractor install a transfer switch. The transfer switch transfers power from the utility power lines to the power coming from your generator.
Never plug a portable electric generator into a regular household outlet.
Plugging a generator into a regular household outlet can energize “dead” power lines and injure neighbors or utility workers. Connect individual appliances that have their outdoor-rated power cords directly to the receptacle outlet of the generator, or connect these cord-connected appliances to the generator with appropriate outdoor-rated power cord having a sufficient wire gauge to handle the electrical load.
Don’t overload the generator.
Do not operate more appliances and equipment than the output rating of the generator. Overloading your generator can seriously damage your valuable appliances and electronics. Prioritize your needs. A portable electric generator should be used only when necessary and only to power essential equipment.
Never use a generator indoors or in an attached garage – even with the door open!
Just like your automobile, a portable generator uses an internal combustion engine that emits deadly carbon monoxide. Be sure to place the generator where exhaust fumes will not enter the house. Only operate it outdoors in a well-ventilated, dry area away from air intakes to the home and protected from direct exposures to rain, preferably under a canopy, open shed, or carport.
Read and adhere to the manufacturer’s instruction for safe operation.
Do not cut corners when it comes to safety. Carefully read and observe all instructions in your generator’s owner manual.
Wednesday 24 August 2011
Why Kerry Collins won't help the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts’ decision to pull journeyman quarterback Kerry Collins out of retirement is at best curious and at worst a sign of coming apocalypse for the team.
The fact is, with Peyton Manning nursing a neck injury and questionable for the season opener, no quarterback currently on the market can run the Colts offense. It is a custom-built machine, constructed specifically for Manning.
While simple in its principles, it is mind-bogglingly complex in its execution. It requires a Jeopardy! champion in hip pads – a quarterback who, in 30 seconds, can step to the line, distil the calculus of modern defenses, devise a counter strategy, and then communicate instructions to the wide receivers, running backs, and offensive linemen.
QUIZ: Are you smarter than an NFL quarterback?
After that, there’s the simple task of getting rid of the ball quickly before one of the poorer offensive lines in pro football collapses.
Even before the preseason began, it was obvious that incumbent Colts backup Curtis Painter could do the job about as well as Tony Soprano could play the lead in “Swan Lake.”
So in that sense, the move makes sense. Collins is undoubtedly a better quarterback than Painter.
Yet the move also has the appearance of someone on death row changing his last meal from fajitas to chalupas. The end result isn’t going to change.
Neither Painter nor Collins would appear to give the Colts a legitimate chance to win. The high-octane Colts are designed to pass first and play from ahead. Asking them to grind out a win behind a journeyman quarterback is like asking Cirque du Soleil to run a power sweep off left tackle. They’re simply not built to do it.
The thinking had been that the Colts were sticking with Painter because they knew Manning would be back. Now, it appears as though that could be in doubt.
In the interim, perhaps, Collins gives them the best chance to avoid embarrassment. For a city and a team that is hosting the Super Bowl this year, it is a very thin thread of hope.
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Students in North Carolina and Virginia react to the magnitude 5.8 earthquake
Kyle Guest was asleep in his house in Chancellorsville, Va., when a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck at about 2 p.m. Tuesday.
“I woke really easily — right away when I felt a shaking,” said Guest, a senior economics and environmental thought and practice double major at the University of Virginia.
“My whole room started shaking pretty violently for about 10 seconds. I didn’t know what was going on. It felt like a spaceship
was landing in my house.”
Although most students at UNC barely felt the earthquake, at the University of Virginia, several buildings were evacuated after students and faculty felt the ground trembling.
Tremors stemming from the earthquake could be felt throughout the Eastern United States, including the Carolinas.
While the shakes went unnoticed by many at the University, Randy Young, Department of Public Safety spokesman, said he did receive a couple of concerned 911 calls.
No injuries were reported as a result of the earthquake, but it damaged three of the four spires on the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., according to McClatchy reports.
Cory Morton, a student at George Mason University, said he saw the damages done to the 20th century landmark while on his way home from work.
“I was biking by the National Cathedral and did get to see the spires that were collapsing,” he said.
“They had everything roped off. There were a lot of people crowded around looking at it.”
Morton said he spoke to people within the city who had even scarier experiences.
“I talked to people who were on the ninth floor of a building who said that it was knocking books off the shelves, shaking the chandeliers, moved their desk six inches,” he said. “So the higher floor they were on, the more violent shaking there was.”
Earthquakes, while not very common along the Atlantic Coast, are not unheard of, said Jonathan Lees, a professor in the department of geological sciences at UNC.
“A 5.8 — that is pretty big for this part of the world,” he said.
The tremors felt throughout the Eastern United States and parts of Canada were a result of the terrain.
“Because the rocks are very old and very competent, the waves travel very efficiently,” Lees said.
Earthquakes on the East Coast tend to travel further than earthquakes that occur in the West, he said.
Lees said the aftershocks, which are smaller earthquakes that usually follow the main shock, will continue to occur throughout the next few months.
Lees and some of his fellow UNC colleagues are organizing equipment to record data from these aftershocks.
Earthquake closes iconic Washington, D.C., monuments -- for now
There were conflicting reports late Tuesday about whether the Washington Monument -- one of the most instantly recognizable symbols of the nation's capital -- suffered any damage. The Associated Press reported that a crack was found near the top of the monument, which is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing just over 555 feet tall.
But the National Park Service posted a different message on its website that made no mention of such damage: "The NPS has completed a preliminary inspection of the Washington Monument and has found it to be structurally sound. The Washington Monument grounds are being reopened except for the plaza and the Monument itself. The NPS will continue to inspect the interior of the Monument before any decisions are made about reopening it to the public."
PHOTOS: Quake stuns East Coast
The National Park Service temporarily closed the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and the Old Post Office Tower as a precaution following the earthquake, and those monuments could reopen to the public as early as Wednesday pending a safety clearance.
For now, though, "the Washington Monument, because of its structural complexities, will remain closed until further notice," the NPS website said.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and the Korean War Memorial remain open, the NPS said.
Monday 22 August 2011
Beverly Hills surgeon saves Shawnee man's vision
Among the crowd gathered Aug. 12 on the banks of the Oklahoma River was a family who hadn't come to watch the USRowing nationals.
Instead, they'd come to say thanks.
About 31 years ago, John Allen was born with Down syndrome and keratoconus, an eye disease that causes the cornea, which should be round, to bulge like an egg.
“We were told not to worry,” said his mother, Diane Allen, 69, of Shawnee.
“It wouldn't amount to anything. Watch it, but don't worry.”
She worried anyway. That's what mothers do.
When he was 4 years old, she took John to see his first specialist at the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute. She made sure he wore his eyeglasses from then until adulthood. And she noticed in April when his vision seemed to take a turn for the worse.
“He always had very poor eyesight,” she said.
“But in April he started developing what I thought was a stye. I paid attention to it, and after two days, John was really bad.”
He didn't want to go outside. Any light, even normal household lights, bothered him. He'd sit in a dark corner wearing dark glasses, his head lowered and hands raised to shield his eyes.
They returned to the eye institute. The problem, they learned, was the keratoconus.
It had worsened to the point that John Allen was in danger of going blind, his mother said.
It isn't that keratoconus cannot be treated. About one in 2,000 people is diagnosed with the disease, usually at an early age, according to the National Keratoconus Foundation.
Most are treated with special contact lenses or, in severe cases, with corneal transplants.
Traditional treatments wouldn't work with John Allen, though, because of his Down syndrome.
“You can't squint. You can't touch your eyes. You can't rub them,” Diane Allen said. “John does that all the time, so surgery was out of the question.”
Added his sister, Christina Terneus, 30, of Shawnee: “It's not that he couldn't be fixed; it's that he wouldn't allow it.”
In desperation, Diane Allen took her son to a specialty hospital in Los Angeles, where her sister lives. Doctors examined her son, she said, and told her they couldn't do anything for him.
“I was really upset,” she said. “That was a bleak day. To come all that way and get such bad news, I didn't know what to do.”
Then fate intervened.
‘He's an angel'
Two of Diane Allen's daughters, including Terneus, watched NBC's “Today Show” on the same day.
One segment was about an 18-year-old keratoconus patient whose vision was saved by a novel procedure. Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler, a Beverly Hills, Calif., eye surgeon, had devised a nonsurgical treatment to strengthen corneas; the key features of the procedure are vitamin treatments and exposure to light.
Wachler's method, called Holcomb C3-R, worked wonders on the 18-year-old. The boy had lost all vision in one eye and rapidly was losing sight in the other. By the time he went on NBC, his vision had improved to 20/40.
And Wachler had helped the boy for free.
Terneus and her sister, neither knowing the other was doing so, called Wachler's office that day to set up a consultation. Within a week, their brother visited Wachler for the first time.
With his complications, John Allen's prognosis wasn't as good.
“The doctor said he couldn't improve John's vision,” Diane Allen said, “but he could do C3-R and keep it from ever getting worse.”
The procedure took about 30 minutes.
Friday, John Allen walked alone through a market area at the rowing nationals, punching the buttons on an ATM and holding up shirts to see if they'd fit him.
The room, lined on two sides with glass walls, was brightly lit, yet John didn't cover his eyes or wear sunglasses.
“Now he can open his eyes,” his mother said. “Now he can walk again. Now he can watch TV.”
Among Friday's rowing competitors was Wachler, who won a bronze medal in his age group's single scull category.
Between races, he met with the family.
They thanked him for saving John Allen's vision and for donating his services. Wachler and his patient shared a hug.
“As a young man with Down syndrome,” Wachler said, “John has enough challenges without poor vision. I'm just glad I could help.”
“He's an angel,” Diane Allen said of Wachler. “For the rest of my life, as long I live, he'll be in my prayers. I can never thank him enough.”
Instead, they'd come to say thanks.
About 31 years ago, John Allen was born with Down syndrome and keratoconus, an eye disease that causes the cornea, which should be round, to bulge like an egg.
“We were told not to worry,” said his mother, Diane Allen, 69, of Shawnee.
“It wouldn't amount to anything. Watch it, but don't worry.”
She worried anyway. That's what mothers do.
When he was 4 years old, she took John to see his first specialist at the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute. She made sure he wore his eyeglasses from then until adulthood. And she noticed in April when his vision seemed to take a turn for the worse.
“He always had very poor eyesight,” she said.
“But in April he started developing what I thought was a stye. I paid attention to it, and after two days, John was really bad.”
He didn't want to go outside. Any light, even normal household lights, bothered him. He'd sit in a dark corner wearing dark glasses, his head lowered and hands raised to shield his eyes.
They returned to the eye institute. The problem, they learned, was the keratoconus.
It had worsened to the point that John Allen was in danger of going blind, his mother said.
It isn't that keratoconus cannot be treated. About one in 2,000 people is diagnosed with the disease, usually at an early age, according to the National Keratoconus Foundation.
Most are treated with special contact lenses or, in severe cases, with corneal transplants.
Traditional treatments wouldn't work with John Allen, though, because of his Down syndrome.
“You can't squint. You can't touch your eyes. You can't rub them,” Diane Allen said. “John does that all the time, so surgery was out of the question.”
Added his sister, Christina Terneus, 30, of Shawnee: “It's not that he couldn't be fixed; it's that he wouldn't allow it.”
In desperation, Diane Allen took her son to a specialty hospital in Los Angeles, where her sister lives. Doctors examined her son, she said, and told her they couldn't do anything for him.
“I was really upset,” she said. “That was a bleak day. To come all that way and get such bad news, I didn't know what to do.”
Then fate intervened.
‘He's an angel'
Two of Diane Allen's daughters, including Terneus, watched NBC's “Today Show” on the same day.
One segment was about an 18-year-old keratoconus patient whose vision was saved by a novel procedure. Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler, a Beverly Hills, Calif., eye surgeon, had devised a nonsurgical treatment to strengthen corneas; the key features of the procedure are vitamin treatments and exposure to light.
Wachler's method, called Holcomb C3-R, worked wonders on the 18-year-old. The boy had lost all vision in one eye and rapidly was losing sight in the other. By the time he went on NBC, his vision had improved to 20/40.
And Wachler had helped the boy for free.
Terneus and her sister, neither knowing the other was doing so, called Wachler's office that day to set up a consultation. Within a week, their brother visited Wachler for the first time.
With his complications, John Allen's prognosis wasn't as good.
“The doctor said he couldn't improve John's vision,” Diane Allen said, “but he could do C3-R and keep it from ever getting worse.”
The procedure took about 30 minutes.
Friday, John Allen walked alone through a market area at the rowing nationals, punching the buttons on an ATM and holding up shirts to see if they'd fit him.
The room, lined on two sides with glass walls, was brightly lit, yet John didn't cover his eyes or wear sunglasses.
“Now he can open his eyes,” his mother said. “Now he can walk again. Now he can watch TV.”
Among Friday's rowing competitors was Wachler, who won a bronze medal in his age group's single scull category.
Between races, he met with the family.
They thanked him for saving John Allen's vision and for donating his services. Wachler and his patient shared a hug.
“As a young man with Down syndrome,” Wachler said, “John has enough challenges without poor vision. I'm just glad I could help.”
“He's an angel,” Diane Allen said of Wachler. “For the rest of my life, as long I live, he'll be in my prayers. I can never thank him enough.”
TV Review: 'The T.O. Show'
The third season of The T.O. Show began Monday at 9:30pm on VH1. You know, the show about football star Terrell Owens and his two girl best friends and publicists. If you don't, it's okay, this was my first time watching it, too. Because apparently a show can be on for three seasons and you never hear about it. I caught up with the last two seasons during the two minute exposition at the beginning of the episode: Terrell spent years man-whoring it up, failing at romance, and playing football.
This season will be different: he might not play football! He is in the hospital with a torn ACL in his knee and is about to undergo surgery. Kati, one of the friends/publicists, stresses that his knee is "his financial future and football career" and then she prays a lot. When the doctor drugs Terrell up she takes a break from praying and decides to ask Terrell important questions, beginning with, "Am I beautiful?" to which he answers, "No." She then asks, "Do you love me?" And he says, "Slightly." That T.O. is such a jokester!
Post-surgery, the doctor tells Terrell that it will take at least four months to recover fully- but to make him feel better, his ex-girlfriend Kari visits because they are still "friends." Kita asks Kari why she didn't say yes when Terrell proposed, and she responds with, "Cause he was a hot mess." Good answer! Terrell claims there was no process for him to mature so he still acts twenty-five (not thirty-seven). I am not sure what that means... but at least he tried?
SumOlogy: While this could be more interesting than past seasons by showing the struggles professional athletes go through when faced with an injury, I still found it quite boring.
Sunday 21 August 2011
Libya rebels in Tripoli, Gadhafi defenses collapse
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Euphoric Libyan rebels raced into the capital Tripoli on Sunday and moved close to center with little resistance as Mohammad Gadhafi's defenses collapsed and his regime appeared to be crumbling fast.
Associated Press reporters with the rebels said they moved easily from the western outskirts into the regime stronghold in a dramatic turning of the tides in the 6-month-old Libyan civil war. A rebel leader said the unit in charge of protecting Gadhafi and Tripoli had surrendered and joined the revolt, allowing the opposition force to move in freely.
"They will enter Green Square tonight, God willing," said Mohamed al-Zawi, a 30-year-old rebel who entered Tripoli. Green Square has been the site of night rallies by Gadhafi supporters throughout the uprising.
Earlier in the day, the rebels overran a major military base defending the capital, carted away truckloads of weapons and raced to Tripoli with virtually no resistance.
Gadhafi's whereabouts were unknown. But he delivered a series of angry and defiant audio messages broadcast on state television. He was not shown in the messages. In the latest one, he acknowledged that the opposition forces were moving into Tripoli and warned the city would be turned into another Baghdad.
"How come you allow Tripoli the capital, to be under occupation once again?" he said. "The traitors are paving the way for the occupation forces to be deployed in Tripoli."
He called on his supporters to march in the streets of the capital and "purify it" from "the rats."
Opposition leaders at one point claimed Gadhafi's son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, had been arrested, but they later backtracked and said this was not yet confirmed.
The rebels' surprising and speedy leap forward, after six months of largely deadlocked civil war, was packed into just a few dramatic hours. By nightfall, they had advanced more than 20 miles to Tripoli.
Thousands of jubilant civilians rushed out of their homes to cheer the long convoys of pickup trucks packed with rebel fighters shooting in the air. Some of the fighters were hoarse, shouting: "We are coming for you, frizz-head," a mocking nickname for Gadhafi. In villages along the way that fell to the rebels one after another, mosque loudspeakers blared "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great."
"We are going to sacrifice our lives for freedom," said Nabil al-Ghowail, a 30-year-old dentist holding a rifle in the streets of Janzour, a suburb just six miles west of Tripoli. Heavy gunfire erupted nearby.
As town after town fell and Gadhafi forces disappeared, the mood turned euphoric. Some shouted: "We are getting to Tripoli tonight." Others were shooting in the air, honking horns and yelling "Allahu Akbar."
Once they reached Tripoli, the rebels took control of one neighborhood, Ghot Shaal, on the western edge of the city. They set up checkpoints as a convoy of more than 10 trucks rolled in.
The rebels moved on to the neighborhood of Girgash, about a mile and a half from Green Square. They said they came under fire from a sniper on a rooftop in the neighborhood.
Sidiq al-Kibir, the rebel leadership council's representative for the capital Tripoli, confirmed the arrest of Seif al-Islam to the AP but did not give any further details.
Inside Tripoli, widespread clashes erupted for a second day between rebel "sleeper cells" and Gadhafi loyalists. Rebels fighter who spoke to relatives in Tripoli by phone said hundreds rushed into the streets in anti-regime protests in several neighborhoods.
The day's first breakthrough came when hundreds of rebels fought their way into a major symbol of the Gadhafi regime — the base of the elite 32nd Brigade commanded by Gadhafi's son, Khamis. Fighters said they met with little resistance. They were 16 miles from the big prize, Tripoli.
Hundreds of rebels cheered wildly and danced as they took over the compound filled with eucalyptus trees, raising their tricolor from the front gate and tearing down a large billboard of Gadhafi
Inside, they cracked open wooden crates labeled "Libyan Armed Forces" and loaded their trucks with huge quantities of munitions. One of the rebels carried off a tube of grenades, while another carted off two mortars.
"This is the wealth of the Libyan people that he was using against us," said Ahmed al-Ajdal, 27, pointing to his haul. "Now we will use it against him and any other dictator who goes against the Libyan people."
One group started up a tank, drove it out of the gate, crushing the median of the main highway and driving off toward Tripoli. Rebels celebrated the capture with deafening amounts of celebratory gunfire, filling the air with smoke.
Across the street, rebels raided a huge warehouse, making off with hundreds of crates of rockets, artillery shells and large-caliber ammunition. The warehouse had once been using to storage packaged foods, and in the back, cans of beans were still stacked toward the ceiling.
They freed several hundred prisoners from a regime lockup. The fighters and the prisoners — many looking weak and dazed and showing scars and bruises from beatings — embraced and wept with joy.
The prisoners had been held in the walled compound and when the rebels rushed in, they freed more than 300 of them.
"We were sitting in our cells when all of a sudden we heard lots of gunfire and people yelling 'Allahu Akbar.' We didn't know what was happening, and then we saw rebels running in and saying 'We're on your side.' And they let us out," said 23-year-old Majid al-Hodeiri from Zawiya. He said he was captured four months ago by Gadhafi's forces and taken to base. He said he was beaten and tortured while under detention.
Many of the prisoners looked disoriented as they stopped at a gathering place for fighters several miles away from the base. Some had signs of severe beatings. Others were dressed in tattered T-shirts or barefoot. Rebels fighters and prisoners embraced.
From the military base, the convoy sped toward the capital.
Mahmoud al-Ghwei, 20 and unarmed, said he had just came along with a friend for the ride .
"It's a great feeling. For all these years, we wanted freedom and Gadhafi kept it from us. Now we're going to get rid of Gadhafi and get our freedom," he said.
At nightfall, the fighters reached Janzour, a Tripoli suburb. Along the way, they were greeted by civilians lining the streets and waving rebel flags. One man grabbed a rebel flag that had been draped over the hood of a slow-moving car and kissed it, overcome with emotion.
"We are not going back," said Islam Wallani, another rebel. "God willing, this evening we will enter Tripoli."
The uprising against Gadhafi broke out in mid-February, and anti-regime protests quickly spread across the vast desert nation with only 6 million people. A brutal regime crackdown quickly transformed the protests into an armed rebellion. Rebels seized Libya's east, setting up an internationally recognized transitional government there, and two pockets in the west, the port city of Misrata and the Nafusa mountain range.
Gadhafi clung to the remaining territory, and his forces failed to subdue the rebellion in Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, and in the Nafusa mountains. Since the start of August, thousands of rebel fighters, including many who fled Gadhafi-held cities, joined an offensive launched from the mountains toward the coast.
The fighters who had set out from the mountains three weeks ago rushed toward Tripoli on Sunday, start out at dawn from a village just east of the coastal city of Zawiya. Only a day earlier had the rebels claimed full control of Zawiya, an anti-regime stronghold with 200,000 people and Libya's last functioning oil refinery.
Rebels said Saturday that they had launched their first attack on Tripoli in coordination with NATO and gunbattles and mortar rounds rocked the city. NATO aircraft also made heavier than usual bombing runs after nightfall, with loud explosions booming across the city.
On Sunday, more heavy machine gun fire and explosions rang out across the capital with more clashes and protests.
Government minders in a hotel where foreign journalists have been staying in Tripoli armed themselves on Sunday in anticipation of a rebel take over. The hotel manager said he had received calls from angry rebels threatening to charge the hotel to capture the government's spokesman, Mousse Ibrahim.
Heavy gun fire was heard in the neighborhood around the Rixos hotel, and smoke was seen rising from a close by building.
"We are scared and staying in our houses, but the younger boys are going out to protect our homes," said a woman who spoke to The Associated Press by telephone from the pro-rebel Tripoli neighborhood of Bin Ashour. She spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. She said a neighbor's son was shot dead on Saturday night by Gadhafi troops as he tried to protect his street with a group of rebel youth.
Nuri al-Zawi, another resident of Bin Ashour, told the AP by phone that the rebels were using light arms to protect their streets, and in some cases were using only their bodies to fend off the Gadhafi troops riding in pickup trucks.
"We are used to this situation now. We are a city that is cut off from the world now," he said.
The residents reported clashes in neighborhoods all over Tripoli as well as the city's Mitiga military airport. They said they heard loud explosions and exchanges in of gunfire in the Fashloum, Tajoura and Bin Ashour neighborhoods.
Residents and opposition fighters also reported large anti-regime protests in those same neighborhoods. In some of them, thousands braved the bullets of snipers perched atop high buildings.
Associated Press reporters with the rebels said they moved easily from the western outskirts into the regime stronghold in a dramatic turning of the tides in the 6-month-old Libyan civil war. A rebel leader said the unit in charge of protecting Gadhafi and Tripoli had surrendered and joined the revolt, allowing the opposition force to move in freely.
"They will enter Green Square tonight, God willing," said Mohamed al-Zawi, a 30-year-old rebel who entered Tripoli. Green Square has been the site of night rallies by Gadhafi supporters throughout the uprising.
Earlier in the day, the rebels overran a major military base defending the capital, carted away truckloads of weapons and raced to Tripoli with virtually no resistance.
Gadhafi's whereabouts were unknown. But he delivered a series of angry and defiant audio messages broadcast on state television. He was not shown in the messages. In the latest one, he acknowledged that the opposition forces were moving into Tripoli and warned the city would be turned into another Baghdad.
"How come you allow Tripoli the capital, to be under occupation once again?" he said. "The traitors are paving the way for the occupation forces to be deployed in Tripoli."
He called on his supporters to march in the streets of the capital and "purify it" from "the rats."
Opposition leaders at one point claimed Gadhafi's son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, had been arrested, but they later backtracked and said this was not yet confirmed.
The rebels' surprising and speedy leap forward, after six months of largely deadlocked civil war, was packed into just a few dramatic hours. By nightfall, they had advanced more than 20 miles to Tripoli.
Thousands of jubilant civilians rushed out of their homes to cheer the long convoys of pickup trucks packed with rebel fighters shooting in the air. Some of the fighters were hoarse, shouting: "We are coming for you, frizz-head," a mocking nickname for Gadhafi. In villages along the way that fell to the rebels one after another, mosque loudspeakers blared "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great."
"We are going to sacrifice our lives for freedom," said Nabil al-Ghowail, a 30-year-old dentist holding a rifle in the streets of Janzour, a suburb just six miles west of Tripoli. Heavy gunfire erupted nearby.
As town after town fell and Gadhafi forces disappeared, the mood turned euphoric. Some shouted: "We are getting to Tripoli tonight." Others were shooting in the air, honking horns and yelling "Allahu Akbar."
Once they reached Tripoli, the rebels took control of one neighborhood, Ghot Shaal, on the western edge of the city. They set up checkpoints as a convoy of more than 10 trucks rolled in.
The rebels moved on to the neighborhood of Girgash, about a mile and a half from Green Square. They said they came under fire from a sniper on a rooftop in the neighborhood.
Sidiq al-Kibir, the rebel leadership council's representative for the capital Tripoli, confirmed the arrest of Seif al-Islam to the AP but did not give any further details.
Inside Tripoli, widespread clashes erupted for a second day between rebel "sleeper cells" and Gadhafi loyalists. Rebels fighter who spoke to relatives in Tripoli by phone said hundreds rushed into the streets in anti-regime protests in several neighborhoods.
The day's first breakthrough came when hundreds of rebels fought their way into a major symbol of the Gadhafi regime — the base of the elite 32nd Brigade commanded by Gadhafi's son, Khamis. Fighters said they met with little resistance. They were 16 miles from the big prize, Tripoli.
Hundreds of rebels cheered wildly and danced as they took over the compound filled with eucalyptus trees, raising their tricolor from the front gate and tearing down a large billboard of Gadhafi
Inside, they cracked open wooden crates labeled "Libyan Armed Forces" and loaded their trucks with huge quantities of munitions. One of the rebels carried off a tube of grenades, while another carted off two mortars.
"This is the wealth of the Libyan people that he was using against us," said Ahmed al-Ajdal, 27, pointing to his haul. "Now we will use it against him and any other dictator who goes against the Libyan people."
One group started up a tank, drove it out of the gate, crushing the median of the main highway and driving off toward Tripoli. Rebels celebrated the capture with deafening amounts of celebratory gunfire, filling the air with smoke.
Across the street, rebels raided a huge warehouse, making off with hundreds of crates of rockets, artillery shells and large-caliber ammunition. The warehouse had once been using to storage packaged foods, and in the back, cans of beans were still stacked toward the ceiling.
They freed several hundred prisoners from a regime lockup. The fighters and the prisoners — many looking weak and dazed and showing scars and bruises from beatings — embraced and wept with joy.
The prisoners had been held in the walled compound and when the rebels rushed in, they freed more than 300 of them.
"We were sitting in our cells when all of a sudden we heard lots of gunfire and people yelling 'Allahu Akbar.' We didn't know what was happening, and then we saw rebels running in and saying 'We're on your side.' And they let us out," said 23-year-old Majid al-Hodeiri from Zawiya. He said he was captured four months ago by Gadhafi's forces and taken to base. He said he was beaten and tortured while under detention.
Many of the prisoners looked disoriented as they stopped at a gathering place for fighters several miles away from the base. Some had signs of severe beatings. Others were dressed in tattered T-shirts or barefoot. Rebels fighters and prisoners embraced.
From the military base, the convoy sped toward the capital.
Mahmoud al-Ghwei, 20 and unarmed, said he had just came along with a friend for the ride .
"It's a great feeling. For all these years, we wanted freedom and Gadhafi kept it from us. Now we're going to get rid of Gadhafi and get our freedom," he said.
At nightfall, the fighters reached Janzour, a Tripoli suburb. Along the way, they were greeted by civilians lining the streets and waving rebel flags. One man grabbed a rebel flag that had been draped over the hood of a slow-moving car and kissed it, overcome with emotion.
"We are not going back," said Islam Wallani, another rebel. "God willing, this evening we will enter Tripoli."
The uprising against Gadhafi broke out in mid-February, and anti-regime protests quickly spread across the vast desert nation with only 6 million people. A brutal regime crackdown quickly transformed the protests into an armed rebellion. Rebels seized Libya's east, setting up an internationally recognized transitional government there, and two pockets in the west, the port city of Misrata and the Nafusa mountain range.
Gadhafi clung to the remaining territory, and his forces failed to subdue the rebellion in Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, and in the Nafusa mountains. Since the start of August, thousands of rebel fighters, including many who fled Gadhafi-held cities, joined an offensive launched from the mountains toward the coast.
The fighters who had set out from the mountains three weeks ago rushed toward Tripoli on Sunday, start out at dawn from a village just east of the coastal city of Zawiya. Only a day earlier had the rebels claimed full control of Zawiya, an anti-regime stronghold with 200,000 people and Libya's last functioning oil refinery.
Rebels said Saturday that they had launched their first attack on Tripoli in coordination with NATO and gunbattles and mortar rounds rocked the city. NATO aircraft also made heavier than usual bombing runs after nightfall, with loud explosions booming across the city.
On Sunday, more heavy machine gun fire and explosions rang out across the capital with more clashes and protests.
Government minders in a hotel where foreign journalists have been staying in Tripoli armed themselves on Sunday in anticipation of a rebel take over. The hotel manager said he had received calls from angry rebels threatening to charge the hotel to capture the government's spokesman, Mousse Ibrahim.
Heavy gun fire was heard in the neighborhood around the Rixos hotel, and smoke was seen rising from a close by building.
"We are scared and staying in our houses, but the younger boys are going out to protect our homes," said a woman who spoke to The Associated Press by telephone from the pro-rebel Tripoli neighborhood of Bin Ashour. She spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. She said a neighbor's son was shot dead on Saturday night by Gadhafi troops as he tried to protect his street with a group of rebel youth.
Nuri al-Zawi, another resident of Bin Ashour, told the AP by phone that the rebels were using light arms to protect their streets, and in some cases were using only their bodies to fend off the Gadhafi troops riding in pickup trucks.
"We are used to this situation now. We are a city that is cut off from the world now," he said.
The residents reported clashes in neighborhoods all over Tripoli as well as the city's Mitiga military airport. They said they heard loud explosions and exchanges in of gunfire in the Fashloum, Tajoura and Bin Ashour neighborhoods.
Residents and opposition fighters also reported large anti-regime protests in those same neighborhoods. In some of them, thousands braved the bullets of snipers perched atop high buildings.
Saturday 20 August 2011
With HP tablet dead, who can challenge Apple?
Gossip News:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The sudden demise of Hewlett-Packard Co's Web OS TouchPad after just seven weeks on shelves was a reminder of how tech giants have failed so far to take a bite out of Apple Inc's iPad.
The TouchPad joins Dell Streak 5 in the tablet graveyard and weak sales for many offerings suggest others are bound to follow.
"The non-iPad tablets just won't sell at retail. That's the clear message from events over the past few days," said Mark Gerber, an analyst at Boston research and investment firm Detwiler Fenton.
Other tablets that have failed to click with consumers include Asustek Computer Eee Pad Transformer and the Xoom from Motorola Mobility, which Google Inc plans to buy.
Research in Motion's PlayBook received scathing reviews and sales have been slack, but it will probably survive since it is key to RIM's strategy.
"I do not expect RIM to be shutting down Play-book sales any time soon or abandoning that platform, because RIM views it as its future," said Colin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Financial in New York.
Apple's rivals have not fared any better in designing software for tablets.
Apple's iOS tablet software accounted for 61.3 percent of the tablet market in the second quarter, more than double the 30.1 percent share held by Google's Android, its nearest competitor. Microsoft held a paltry 4.6 percent share and RIM 3.3 percent, according to Strategy Analytics.
COMPETITION COMING
But the landscape could soon change. Google's move this week to buy Motorola Mobility, a hardware manufacturer, has also potentially raised the stakes against Apple as it will give the Internet leader devices to showcase its software -- just as Apple does.
All eyes are now on Google's "Ice Cream Sandwich" system, which will unite the Android software used in tablets and smartphones. That is expected to encourage developers to flock to the platform and create better apps.
Microsoft could also pose a threat when it releases its tablet software, code-named Windows 8, but this probably won't be until the fall of 2012.
"The ecosystem built around Microsoft is the largest computing ecosystem out there, so this makes it the company most likely to get significant traction in the tablet marketplace," said BGC's Gillis.
Microsoft has said the software will run on a range of devices from traditional PCs to laptops and tablets, and incorporate mouse and keyboard commands.
Amazon.com, the maker of the popular Kindle e-reader, is also expected to announce plans to release a tablet this fall, providing a challenge to Apple.
The Amazon offering could be a "game-changer," Colin Sebastian, an analyst at Robert Baird & Co, said in a recent note. The tablet will likely feature Android's Honeycomb OS system, a 7-inch screen and priced under $300, he said.
Sebastian forecast sales of up to 3 million units in the first year and said they would eventually outsell other Android-enabled tablets from Motorola and Acer, and could potentially surpass Samsung's Galaxy Tab.
Amazon's as-yet unnamed tablet poses a significant threat to Apple because of the Kindle's popularity and the movie and music services the company sells. Analysts also expect Amazon to subsidize the tablet's price, which could also boost sales.
"Amazon is widely viewed as a wild card. It has the potential to be disruptive," said NPD analyst Ross Rubin.
The crowded market has not discouraged Sony Corp either. The consumer electronics giant is going full steam ahead with plans to release its first two tablets in the fall.
"We're going to see many competitors come and go," a Sony spokeswoman said.
"We're going to bring the best of all of the assets at our disposal to bear: hardware, content and network services."
(Additional reporting by Alistair Barr in San Francisco, Bill Rigby in Seattle and Poornima Gupta in San Francisco; editing by Peter Lauria, Ted Kerr and Andre Grenon)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The sudden demise of Hewlett-Packard Co's Web OS TouchPad after just seven weeks on shelves was a reminder of how tech giants have failed so far to take a bite out of Apple Inc's iPad.
The TouchPad joins Dell Streak 5 in the tablet graveyard and weak sales for many offerings suggest others are bound to follow.
"The non-iPad tablets just won't sell at retail. That's the clear message from events over the past few days," said Mark Gerber, an analyst at Boston research and investment firm Detwiler Fenton.
Other tablets that have failed to click with consumers include Asustek Computer Eee Pad Transformer and the Xoom from Motorola Mobility, which Google Inc plans to buy.
Research in Motion's PlayBook received scathing reviews and sales have been slack, but it will probably survive since it is key to RIM's strategy.
"I do not expect RIM to be shutting down Play-book sales any time soon or abandoning that platform, because RIM views it as its future," said Colin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Financial in New York.
Apple's rivals have not fared any better in designing software for tablets.
Apple's iOS tablet software accounted for 61.3 percent of the tablet market in the second quarter, more than double the 30.1 percent share held by Google's Android, its nearest competitor. Microsoft held a paltry 4.6 percent share and RIM 3.3 percent, according to Strategy Analytics.
COMPETITION COMING
But the landscape could soon change. Google's move this week to buy Motorola Mobility, a hardware manufacturer, has also potentially raised the stakes against Apple as it will give the Internet leader devices to showcase its software -- just as Apple does.
All eyes are now on Google's "Ice Cream Sandwich" system, which will unite the Android software used in tablets and smartphones. That is expected to encourage developers to flock to the platform and create better apps.
Microsoft could also pose a threat when it releases its tablet software, code-named Windows 8, but this probably won't be until the fall of 2012.
"The ecosystem built around Microsoft is the largest computing ecosystem out there, so this makes it the company most likely to get significant traction in the tablet marketplace," said BGC's Gillis.
Microsoft has said the software will run on a range of devices from traditional PCs to laptops and tablets, and incorporate mouse and keyboard commands.
Amazon.com, the maker of the popular Kindle e-reader, is also expected to announce plans to release a tablet this fall, providing a challenge to Apple.
The Amazon offering could be a "game-changer," Colin Sebastian, an analyst at Robert Baird & Co, said in a recent note. The tablet will likely feature Android's Honeycomb OS system, a 7-inch screen and priced under $300, he said.
Sebastian forecast sales of up to 3 million units in the first year and said they would eventually outsell other Android-enabled tablets from Motorola and Acer, and could potentially surpass Samsung's Galaxy Tab.
Amazon's as-yet unnamed tablet poses a significant threat to Apple because of the Kindle's popularity and the movie and music services the company sells. Analysts also expect Amazon to subsidize the tablet's price, which could also boost sales.
"Amazon is widely viewed as a wild card. It has the potential to be disruptive," said NPD analyst Ross Rubin.
The crowded market has not discouraged Sony Corp either. The consumer electronics giant is going full steam ahead with plans to release its first two tablets in the fall.
"We're going to see many competitors come and go," a Sony spokeswoman said.
"We're going to bring the best of all of the assets at our disposal to bear: hardware, content and network services."
(Additional reporting by Alistair Barr in San Francisco, Bill Rigby in Seattle and Poornima Gupta in San Francisco; editing by Peter Lauria, Ted Kerr and Andre Grenon)
Down housing market forces Realtors to be creative
HOLLISTON —With Realtors across the state losing confidence in the struggling real estate market, a husband-and-wife team have found a creative way to draw interest in at least one home they're trying to sell.
What Leslie and Kyle Mann, of Realtors at Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty in Hopkinton, came up with was a fashion show inside a Holliston home.
Working with Lyn Evans Potpourri Designs of Westborough for clothing, Platinum Cut & Color of Hopkinton for hair styling, the Color Studio in Wellesley for make-up and a few of her friends for models, Leslie Mann had a pool-side photo shoot to show the glamorous side of 464 Marshall St. in Holliston.
"I kept saying, 'we've got to do something special for this house, because it's so different,"' Leslie Mann said. "When you're flipping through a magazine, and you see a really fabulous car or piece of jewelry, there are always people enjoying it and showing it off. It always seemed really odd that in real estate, it's always devoid of humans. Why not show off people enjoying the space?"
Mann hired a fashion photographer from Boston, Lucie Wicker, and said she and the clothing boutique are sharing the photos to cross-promote the clothing and the home. All told it cost her $600, but selling the property currently listed at $639,000 would make the extra cost well worth it, she said.
"I felt like it just needs a little oomph in the marketing," she said. "It's a really fantastic house and we really needed something special for it."
A monthly survey of market confidence released earlier this week by the Massachusetts Association of Realtors showed agents saw the market continue to decline in July, compared to both the previous month and July 2010. The same survey also showed most Realtors expect prices will continue to decline.
The Manns' idea has inspired other local agents.
"It's ingenious," said Carolyn Chodat, the broker/owner at Classic Properties Realtors in Medway. "I give her credit for doing something creative like that."
Chodat is an "accredited staging professional," a professional designation for Realtors showing she's trained in preparing a house to look good for potential buyers. "Staging" is all about a well-placed piece of furniture, a clean look, and maximizing the potential of a space, not filling it with stuff.
"The first rule of thumb for staging a home is: staging is not decorating, staging is undecorating," she said. "We're trained to want to minimize the home and show as much space as possible without it looking barren. You want the new buyer to envision the home with their own furnishings."
Chodat said the Holliston home fashion show is different than staging, it's more like advanced marketing. But the pictures Mann's photographer took are trying to provide a good first impression for the space.
"I think staging, (that's what) 99 percent of it really is," Chodat said. "It's that first impression. When you're new on the market you need to have that good first impression."
Rob Harrington, broker/owner of the Framingham real estate agency Nexum Group, said Mann's photo shoot is less showing the space, like staging, and more showing a fun way to use the space.
"It's more to lure someone in, and sell them the lifestyle of what's going on in the pictures," Harrington said. "I think it's more intangible, but I think it's a wonderful thing for a Realtor to do something like that."
Harrington said his agency works directly with developers to sell new homes, so when he stages properties it's often with a home that's never been lived in. The extra touches added make the buyers in new developments want the model home, which has been lightly furnished, instead of an empty but identical home.
"The staging, to me, is really about the house and how it looks and how it feels," he said. "I bet we sell our model to an empty unit, three-to-one. (the empty home) is lacking the personality, and it's lacking the drama, but adding those pieces and your lifestyle, it makes a big difference."
What Leslie and Kyle Mann, of Realtors at Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty in Hopkinton, came up with was a fashion show inside a Holliston home.
Working with Lyn Evans Potpourri Designs of Westborough for clothing, Platinum Cut & Color of Hopkinton for hair styling, the Color Studio in Wellesley for make-up and a few of her friends for models, Leslie Mann had a pool-side photo shoot to show the glamorous side of 464 Marshall St. in Holliston.
"I kept saying, 'we've got to do something special for this house, because it's so different,"' Leslie Mann said. "When you're flipping through a magazine, and you see a really fabulous car or piece of jewelry, there are always people enjoying it and showing it off. It always seemed really odd that in real estate, it's always devoid of humans. Why not show off people enjoying the space?"
Mann hired a fashion photographer from Boston, Lucie Wicker, and said she and the clothing boutique are sharing the photos to cross-promote the clothing and the home. All told it cost her $600, but selling the property currently listed at $639,000 would make the extra cost well worth it, she said.
"I felt like it just needs a little oomph in the marketing," she said. "It's a really fantastic house and we really needed something special for it."
A monthly survey of market confidence released earlier this week by the Massachusetts Association of Realtors showed agents saw the market continue to decline in July, compared to both the previous month and July 2010. The same survey also showed most Realtors expect prices will continue to decline.
The Manns' idea has inspired other local agents.
"It's ingenious," said Carolyn Chodat, the broker/owner at Classic Properties Realtors in Medway. "I give her credit for doing something creative like that."
Chodat is an "accredited staging professional," a professional designation for Realtors showing she's trained in preparing a house to look good for potential buyers. "Staging" is all about a well-placed piece of furniture, a clean look, and maximizing the potential of a space, not filling it with stuff.
"The first rule of thumb for staging a home is: staging is not decorating, staging is undecorating," she said. "We're trained to want to minimize the home and show as much space as possible without it looking barren. You want the new buyer to envision the home with their own furnishings."
Chodat said the Holliston home fashion show is different than staging, it's more like advanced marketing. But the pictures Mann's photographer took are trying to provide a good first impression for the space.
"I think staging, (that's what) 99 percent of it really is," Chodat said. "It's that first impression. When you're new on the market you need to have that good first impression."
Rob Harrington, broker/owner of the Framingham real estate agency Nexum Group, said Mann's photo shoot is less showing the space, like staging, and more showing a fun way to use the space.
"It's more to lure someone in, and sell them the lifestyle of what's going on in the pictures," Harrington said. "I think it's more intangible, but I think it's a wonderful thing for a Realtor to do something like that."
Harrington said his agency works directly with developers to sell new homes, so when he stages properties it's often with a home that's never been lived in. The extra touches added make the buyers in new developments want the model home, which has been lightly furnished, instead of an empty but identical home.
"The staging, to me, is really about the house and how it looks and how it feels," he said. "I bet we sell our model to an empty unit, three-to-one. (the empty home) is lacking the personality, and it's lacking the drama, but adding those pieces and your lifestyle, it makes a big difference."
HP Issues TouchPad Liquidation Order – Get Yours Now For $100
Wow. The day after HP announces they’re discontinuing all their web OS devices, and they’ve already issued a liquidation order. Best Buy, Future Shop, The Source, London Drugs, and Staples will be selling the 16GB TouchPad for $100, and the 32GB version for $150 starting tomorrow. Well, in Canada at least.
No word on when this will spread to the US, UK, EU, and so on — but somehow I doubt many Touch Pads will be selling for full price while this fire sale is going on, so the switch will probably happen right away. Also unclear is the 64GB version’s fate.
Buy one recently? Get thee to the refundery. Got a few bucks? Try picking one up. That’s a hell of a price for a decent device — even if it won’t be getting any support, people will be hacking the hell out of it soon. One commenter says they already have Honeycomb up and running.
Your best bet is to call your local gadget shop and check for stock and pricing, then run like a bat out of hell to get yours before they’re gone.
For More Detail: preview
No word on when this will spread to the US, UK, EU, and so on — but somehow I doubt many Touch Pads will be selling for full price while this fire sale is going on, so the switch will probably happen right away. Also unclear is the 64GB version’s fate.
Buy one recently? Get thee to the refundery. Got a few bucks? Try picking one up. That’s a hell of a price for a decent device — even if it won’t be getting any support, people will be hacking the hell out of it soon. One commenter says they already have Honeycomb up and running.
Your best bet is to call your local gadget shop and check for stock and pricing, then run like a bat out of hell to get yours before they’re gone.
For More Detail: preview
Friday 19 August 2011
Magic Formula Stock of the Week: Hewlett Packard (HPQ)
We’ve already seen several of the “old guard” tech giants on the magic formula list. Companies like Dell (DELL), Microsoft (MSFT), and Cisco (CSCO). But perhaps none of the “old guard” is more hated than current magic formula stock Hewlett-Packard (HPQ). In just the past eighteen months, the company has been hit by a scandal which lead to its CEO resignation, two very pricey acquisitions in Palm and 3Par, and the laptop / PC killer that is the iPad.
And the bad news keeps coming- just today ,the company sold off over 6% (though it’s hard to read much into that, given today’s market down ~5%) after 4th quarter guidance came in below expectations. Add it all up, and you have the recipe for a company that’s lost almost 50% of its value over the past year.
Given all that, HP must be a dying business soon to join the likes of the buggy whips and abacus, right? After all, this is a business that only makes PCs and laptops, and everyone knows that their two core products are rapidly being replaced by smart phones and tablets.
Not even close. While HP’s business might be in decline, the numbers don’t really back that up. Though aided a bit by acquisitions, revenue has increased nine of the past ten years (the one modest decline was during the depths of the financial recession) and EBITDA has increased in each of the past ten years. Return on tangible assets (defined as ebit / tangible assets) has actually increased massively, going from around 5% at the start of the decade to over 17% in the past twelve months.
But more than any of that, the perception of HP as solely a consumer and laptop business is wrong. The personal PC business accounts for about a quarter of HP’s revenues and, given it is a lower margin business than the rest of HP, even less of their operating profit. HP’s new CEO has a software background and is focused on shrinking the legacy PC business and growing out the higher margin, higher growth software business.
But enough of the qualitative talk. Let’s start talking numbers and see how good of returns HP is actually generating and exactly how cheap the company is.
Returns
So just how good are the company’s returns?
The company currently employs just over $82B in tangible assets. After excluding non-cash restructuring charges, the company has earned just over $15b in operating income over the past 12 months for a return on tangible assets over 18%... and remember, HP expenses almost $3b in R&D every year. If you adjusted for that, returns on assets would be even higher!
Valuation
So, at today’s prices, what are you paying for HP? Remember, this is a business with literally decades of history of solid growth and innovation that is currently generating returns on tangible assets better than 65% of the S&P 500.
Honestly, almost nothing. At today’s price of ~$30 per share, you’re buying HP for under 4x EV / EBITDA and just over 5x EV / EBIT. Those multiples are more in line with a business in complete terminal decline than a market leader with a history of growth. As a matter of fact, businesses in complete terminal decline trade for higher multiples- Earthlink (ELNK), an almost pure play on dial up internet, trades for almost 5x EV / EBITDA!
Catalysts
There are even some catalysts on the horizon for value realization. The company today announced that they are exploring the possible spin off of their PC business, which, once completed, could help highlight the high returns and faster growth in their other divisions.
On the other hand, they also announced they’re in talks to buy a U.K. technology firm for $10 billion. While this furthers their goals of expanding the software business, HP is paying a pretty lofty multiple of almost 10x sales. Given accusations they may have over paid for 3Par, value investors probably aren’t too happy about the new acquisition. They’d probably rather HP increase its dividend or repurchase shares at a faster clip.
Still, at today’s prices, investors are buying a world class franchise for a rock bottom valuation. HP would make a great addition to any magic formula portfolio.
And the bad news keeps coming- just today ,the company sold off over 6% (though it’s hard to read much into that, given today’s market down ~5%) after 4th quarter guidance came in below expectations. Add it all up, and you have the recipe for a company that’s lost almost 50% of its value over the past year.
Given all that, HP must be a dying business soon to join the likes of the buggy whips and abacus, right? After all, this is a business that only makes PCs and laptops, and everyone knows that their two core products are rapidly being replaced by smart phones and tablets.
Not even close. While HP’s business might be in decline, the numbers don’t really back that up. Though aided a bit by acquisitions, revenue has increased nine of the past ten years (the one modest decline was during the depths of the financial recession) and EBITDA has increased in each of the past ten years. Return on tangible assets (defined as ebit / tangible assets) has actually increased massively, going from around 5% at the start of the decade to over 17% in the past twelve months.
But more than any of that, the perception of HP as solely a consumer and laptop business is wrong. The personal PC business accounts for about a quarter of HP’s revenues and, given it is a lower margin business than the rest of HP, even less of their operating profit. HP’s new CEO has a software background and is focused on shrinking the legacy PC business and growing out the higher margin, higher growth software business.
But enough of the qualitative talk. Let’s start talking numbers and see how good of returns HP is actually generating and exactly how cheap the company is.
Returns
So just how good are the company’s returns?
The company currently employs just over $82B in tangible assets. After excluding non-cash restructuring charges, the company has earned just over $15b in operating income over the past 12 months for a return on tangible assets over 18%... and remember, HP expenses almost $3b in R&D every year. If you adjusted for that, returns on assets would be even higher!
Valuation
So, at today’s prices, what are you paying for HP? Remember, this is a business with literally decades of history of solid growth and innovation that is currently generating returns on tangible assets better than 65% of the S&P 500.
Honestly, almost nothing. At today’s price of ~$30 per share, you’re buying HP for under 4x EV / EBITDA and just over 5x EV / EBIT. Those multiples are more in line with a business in complete terminal decline than a market leader with a history of growth. As a matter of fact, businesses in complete terminal decline trade for higher multiples- Earthlink (ELNK), an almost pure play on dial up internet, trades for almost 5x EV / EBITDA!
Catalysts
There are even some catalysts on the horizon for value realization. The company today announced that they are exploring the possible spin off of their PC business, which, once completed, could help highlight the high returns and faster growth in their other divisions.
On the other hand, they also announced they’re in talks to buy a U.K. technology firm for $10 billion. While this furthers their goals of expanding the software business, HP is paying a pretty lofty multiple of almost 10x sales. Given accusations they may have over paid for 3Par, value investors probably aren’t too happy about the new acquisition. They’d probably rather HP increase its dividend or repurchase shares at a faster clip.
Still, at today’s prices, investors are buying a world class franchise for a rock bottom valuation. HP would make a great addition to any magic formula portfolio.
Anthony Bourdain is a charitable guy. (Yes, really.)
Typically, bickering among television personalities just isn't important. It's petty, highly subjective opinions exchanged between overblown characters who have an audience, and the current Mason-Dixon Line food fight between Food Network regular Paula Deen and Anthony Bourdain of the Travel Channel isn't all that different.
Although, on at least one point I can safely say Deen is very wrong.
Responding to Bourdain's TV Guide interview, in which he called Deen "The worst, most dangerous person to America ..." for her unhealthy food and corporate connections, Deen told the NY Post:
"It's not all about the cooking, but the fact that I can contribute by using my influence to help people all over the country. In the last two years, my partners and I have fed more than 10 million hungry people by bringing meat to food banks. I have no idea what Anthony has done to contribute besides being irritable."
Clearly, Deen hasn't watched Bourdain's show.
Through his food-related travel show, "No Reservations," Bourdain has focused attention on millions of people who struggle just to survive, both home and abroad. No, they didn't get a hot meal, but their plight received attention, exposure and, hopefully, consideration.
"No Reservations" viewers have learned about the human side of conflict in Beirut, poverty in Brazil, mind-bending disaster in Japan and the lingering scars of war and genocide in Cambodia. This season' episode on Haiti was, frankly, the best piece of journalism (yes, journalism) about post-earthquake Haiti by any television source. And even in the United States, Bourdain devoted entire episodes to post-Katrina New Orleans and to the people of Cleveland (whose plight, it turns out, is living in Cleveland).
Don't get me wrong; I'm not nominating Bourdain for sainthood by any stretch. But any show that promotes awareness of other cultures, other countries, other people -- at a time when it's more needed than ever -- trumps the latest recipe for oyster-cornbread stuffing anytime.
Although, on at least one point I can safely say Deen is very wrong.
Responding to Bourdain's TV Guide interview, in which he called Deen "The worst, most dangerous person to America ..." for her unhealthy food and corporate connections, Deen told the NY Post:
"It's not all about the cooking, but the fact that I can contribute by using my influence to help people all over the country. In the last two years, my partners and I have fed more than 10 million hungry people by bringing meat to food banks. I have no idea what Anthony has done to contribute besides being irritable."
Clearly, Deen hasn't watched Bourdain's show.
Through his food-related travel show, "No Reservations," Bourdain has focused attention on millions of people who struggle just to survive, both home and abroad. No, they didn't get a hot meal, but their plight received attention, exposure and, hopefully, consideration.
"No Reservations" viewers have learned about the human side of conflict in Beirut, poverty in Brazil, mind-bending disaster in Japan and the lingering scars of war and genocide in Cambodia. This season' episode on Haiti was, frankly, the best piece of journalism (yes, journalism) about post-earthquake Haiti by any television source. And even in the United States, Bourdain devoted entire episodes to post-Katrina New Orleans and to the people of Cleveland (whose plight, it turns out, is living in Cleveland).
Don't get me wrong; I'm not nominating Bourdain for sainthood by any stretch. But any show that promotes awareness of other cultures, other countries, other people -- at a time when it's more needed than ever -- trumps the latest recipe for oyster-cornbread stuffing anytime.
Thursday 18 August 2011
Paris Hilton thrills in Manila; Anderson Cooper gets the giggles
Paris Hilton,who has been in the Philippines for five days, cut the ribbon to open a new handbag and store bearing her name today. Earlier this week, she announced her partnership with a property and resort development company and met Filipino world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and wife Jinkee. ...
"Where in the world is Matt Lauer?" will be back in November. ... Is Kim Kardashian a wedding trendsetter or trend follower? ... Matthew McConaughey has joined the cast of Magic Mike, the Steven Soderbergh movie based on Channing Tatum's days as a male dancer/stripper. ... Does Leonardo DiCaprio have a new hybrid car? ... Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell stormed off Piers Morgan's CNN set last night and called him a "cheeky bugger" after he grilled her on witchcraft, sex and gay marriage. ... A frequent contributor to a jihadist website has threatened David Letterman, urging Muslim followers to "cut the tongue" of the late-night host because of a joke Letterman made. ...
And finally, the buzz o' the day is Anderson Cooper's complete crackup during last night's report on Gerard Depardieu urinating on an airplane. Cooper filled his report with potty puns, such as, "They saw an actual thespian actually thes-peeing."
What really got him laughing: "All I can say, they should thank their lucky stars it wasn't Depar-two" He laughed and laughed. We can hardly wait for his daytime talk show!
Wednesday 17 August 2011
Shark Attack in Seychelles Kills Honeymooner While Wife Sunbathed
A man snorkeling on his honeymoon in the Seychelles Islands was mauled by a shark as his bride sunning on the beach heard his screams.
Ian Redmond, 30, died of his injures Tuesday.
Redmond had been swimming in tranquil waters of Anse Lazio beach on the island of Praslin Tuesday when the shark attacked. His wife of two weeks, Gemma Houghton, had been sun tanning on the shore during the attack.
The couple, who had wed on Aug. 6, are one of thousands of couples who flock to the Indian Ocean islands from Europe yearly. Newlyweds Prince William and Duchess Kate visited North Island in Seychelles for their honeymoon earlier this year.
Sunbathers and fellow tourists were alerted to the deadly incident when they heard Redmond's cries for help.
Briton Ian Redmon Died in Freak Shark Attack on Seychelles Beach
One American tourist who witnessed the attack told The Telegraph, "I saw a swimmer who was missing a huge chunk of flesh from his left leg - so much so that I could see the bone of his thigh. He was sickeningly pale, but still had his flippers on both feet. "
Redmond's widow told the Press Association of Reporters that the couple were "having so much fun" on their honeymoon before the disaster.
She paid tribute to her husband, saying ""Myself, our families and our friends are devastated and shocked by what has happened. He was always calm and collected, strong and brave, witty and intelligent, handsome and caring, a remarkable individual who will be deeply and sorely missed. We are privileged and proud to have shared our lives with him."
PHOTO: Ian Redmond and Gemma Houghton on wedding day
Rex Features via AP Images
Ian Redmond, 30, and Gemma Houghton, 27, are... View Full Size
PHOTO: Ian Redmond and Gemma Houghton on wedding day
Rex Features via AP Images
Ian Redmond, 30, and Gemma Houghton, 27, are shown on their wedding day. British honeymooner Ian Redmond died Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011, as he swam off Anse Lazio beach, on the island of Paslin, in the Seychelles.
Man Survives Shark Attack Off Carolina Coast Watch Video
Man Jumps on Shark, Rides for 15 Feet Watch Video
Swimmer Braves Sharks for Record Watch Video
Redmond was pulled to shore by witnesses in a boat and died shortly afterward of blood loss in a hospital.
This is the latest in a recent outbreak of shark attacks on the beach of Anse Lazio in the Seychelles. A French tourist was killed two weeks ago by a shark under similar circumstances while snorkeling in the waters during late afternoon.
Seychelles ambassador to the U.S., Ronald Jumeau, told ABC News that reports circulating about the killer shark's size of 6 feet were false.
Fishing Boats Hunt Shark That Killed Honeymooner
"We haven't had a reliable sighting. We don't know where that number came from. People have been guessing. We have no idea whatsoever about what type of variety of shark it would be," Jumeau said.
Jumeau told ABC News that a special committee had been assembled last night, composed of standing authorities from the National Parks, the Seychelles Fishing Authority, area police, the Coast Guard, marine biologists, hotel security and residents of the area to coordinate their actions in guarding the area and preventing a third attack.
"A domestic advisory has been announced to make sure people don't go too far out. They are monitoring the waters to insure that they can get the shark. There's probably just one shark, but we are certainly taking precautions. There is no panic on the island, no wild shark hunt, although some of the popular beaches around that area have been closed and are being patrolled," said Jumeau.
Current precautions include using fishing nets to cordon off areas of the bay. Fishing boats are also circulating in the area with bait in hopes of luring the shark.
Seychelles officials tried to downplay the dangers of sharks in the area.
Ian Redmond, 30, died of his injures Tuesday.
Redmond had been swimming in tranquil waters of Anse Lazio beach on the island of Praslin Tuesday when the shark attacked. His wife of two weeks, Gemma Houghton, had been sun tanning on the shore during the attack.
The couple, who had wed on Aug. 6, are one of thousands of couples who flock to the Indian Ocean islands from Europe yearly. Newlyweds Prince William and Duchess Kate visited North Island in Seychelles for their honeymoon earlier this year.
Sunbathers and fellow tourists were alerted to the deadly incident when they heard Redmond's cries for help.
Briton Ian Redmon Died in Freak Shark Attack on Seychelles Beach
One American tourist who witnessed the attack told The Telegraph, "I saw a swimmer who was missing a huge chunk of flesh from his left leg - so much so that I could see the bone of his thigh. He was sickeningly pale, but still had his flippers on both feet. "
Redmond's widow told the Press Association of Reporters that the couple were "having so much fun" on their honeymoon before the disaster.
She paid tribute to her husband, saying ""Myself, our families and our friends are devastated and shocked by what has happened. He was always calm and collected, strong and brave, witty and intelligent, handsome and caring, a remarkable individual who will be deeply and sorely missed. We are privileged and proud to have shared our lives with him."
PHOTO: Ian Redmond and Gemma Houghton on wedding day
Rex Features via AP Images
Ian Redmond, 30, and Gemma Houghton, 27, are... View Full Size
PHOTO: Ian Redmond and Gemma Houghton on wedding day
Rex Features via AP Images
Ian Redmond, 30, and Gemma Houghton, 27, are shown on their wedding day. British honeymooner Ian Redmond died Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011, as he swam off Anse Lazio beach, on the island of Paslin, in the Seychelles.
Man Survives Shark Attack Off Carolina Coast Watch Video
Man Jumps on Shark, Rides for 15 Feet Watch Video
Swimmer Braves Sharks for Record Watch Video
Redmond was pulled to shore by witnesses in a boat and died shortly afterward of blood loss in a hospital.
This is the latest in a recent outbreak of shark attacks on the beach of Anse Lazio in the Seychelles. A French tourist was killed two weeks ago by a shark under similar circumstances while snorkeling in the waters during late afternoon.
Seychelles ambassador to the U.S., Ronald Jumeau, told ABC News that reports circulating about the killer shark's size of 6 feet were false.
Fishing Boats Hunt Shark That Killed Honeymooner
"We haven't had a reliable sighting. We don't know where that number came from. People have been guessing. We have no idea whatsoever about what type of variety of shark it would be," Jumeau said.
Jumeau told ABC News that a special committee had been assembled last night, composed of standing authorities from the National Parks, the Seychelles Fishing Authority, area police, the Coast Guard, marine biologists, hotel security and residents of the area to coordinate their actions in guarding the area and preventing a third attack.
"A domestic advisory has been announced to make sure people don't go too far out. They are monitoring the waters to insure that they can get the shark. There's probably just one shark, but we are certainly taking precautions. There is no panic on the island, no wild shark hunt, although some of the popular beaches around that area have been closed and are being patrolled," said Jumeau.
Current precautions include using fishing nets to cordon off areas of the bay. Fishing boats are also circulating in the area with bait in hopes of luring the shark.
Seychelles officials tried to downplay the dangers of sharks in the area.
Obama to give major jobs speech after Labor Day
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will lay out new ideas for speeding up job growth and helping the struggling poor and middle class in a major speech designed to jolt the economy in early September, a senior administration official told The Associated Press.
The president's plan is likely to contain tax cuts, jobs-boosting infrastructure ideas and steps that would specifically help the long-term unemployed. The official emphasized that all of Obama's proposals would be fresh ones, not a rehash of plans he has pitched for many weeks and still supports, including his "infrastructure bank" idea to finance construction jobs.
On a related front, Obama will also present a specific plan to cut the suffocating long-term national debt and to pay for the cost of his new short-term economic ideas.
His debt proposal will be bigger than the $1.5 trillion package that a new "super committee" of Congress must come up with by late November.
The president will then spend the rest of the year publicly pressing Congress to take action as the economic debate roars into its next phase. Both the economic ideas and the plan to pay for them will be part of Obama's speech, although the address will focus mainly on the jobs components.
Since Obama is almost sure to face political opposition from Republicans, particularly in the House, which they control, he is already preparing to lobby the American public for support if Congress tosses his ideas aside. That would set up an issue for his re-election campaign next year.
The president's speech is expected right after the Sept. 5 Labor Day holiday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because Obama has not yet disclosed his plans.
No final decisions on the economic package have been made.
Seeking re-election in a dispiriting economic time for the nation, Obama's roll out plan allows him to come into September swinging after one of the roughest periods of his presidency.
Obama has hinted about new economic ideas for days as the Republican presidential contenders take whacks as his record. Obama's economic team has been hashing out the new package since he and Congress struck a last-minute debt deal in late July to prevent a debilitating government default.
Obama has been rumbling through the Midwest all week, lobbying the locals along the way to help him pressure a divided Congress into working with him. He has one day of his bus tour left on Wednesday before returning to Washington and heading on a vacation with his family.
As president, Obama is under unparalleled pressure to start showing more economic progress. His own job is expected to depend on it.
Nearly 14 million people are unemployed. Many millions more have given up looking for jobs or haven't found a way to move from part-time to full-time work.
The administration official would not offer details about the tax cuts Obama is likely to propose for the middle class.
They are expected to be separate from the extension of the payroll tax cut for employees that Obama has lobbied for by the day. Obama also has promoted a familiar list of other ideas, including patent reform and three major trade deals. And he has pushed for longer benefits for the chronically unemployed.
The economy has rebounded from a deep recession Obama inherited, but growth and hopes have stalled.
AP Source: Jets, Bills bust Maybin agree to terms
The Jets reached an agreement in principle Wednesday with the former Buffalo Bills first-round pick, pending a physical, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The once-promising linebacker was waived by Buffalo on Monday after two disappointing seasons in which he had no sacks and was never in the team's starting lineup. The Jets will give Maybin the opportunity to fulfill the potential he showed when the Bills made him the 11th overall pick in 2009 out of Penn State.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the deal.
Maybin — nicknamed "Maybe" by disappointed fans — struggled to keep his weight up while with the Bills and appeared in only 11 games last season, inactive for five straight. Still, several teams were reportedly interested in Maybin, who decided to join Rex Ryan's defense.
He'll likely serve as a backup — if he makes the team — to a solid group of linebackers that includes David Harris, Bart Scott, Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace.
The team announced it had waived wide receiver Cordarol Scales and cornerback Richard Taylor, apparently making room on the roster to add Maybin.
The move to bring in Maybin is somewhat curious considering the Jets gave up on their own former first-round pick in Vernon Gholston when they cut him before the lockout. Gholston, like Maybin with the Bills, was expected to add an instant boost to the team's pass rush, but the former Ohio State star had trouble fitting into the Jets' system and failed to register a sack in three seasons after being the sixth overall pick in 2008.
Gholston has since signed with the Chicago Bears.
A switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense — something the Jets run — didn't help Maybin succeed in Buffalo. Ryan, who once declared that if he couldn't turn Gholston into a player no one could, is apparently going to try to do the same with Maybin.
The once-promising linebacker was waived by Buffalo on Monday after two disappointing seasons in which he had no sacks and was never in the team's starting lineup. The Jets will give Maybin the opportunity to fulfill the potential he showed when the Bills made him the 11th overall pick in 2009 out of Penn State.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the deal.
Maybin — nicknamed "Maybe" by disappointed fans — struggled to keep his weight up while with the Bills and appeared in only 11 games last season, inactive for five straight. Still, several teams were reportedly interested in Maybin, who decided to join Rex Ryan's defense.
He'll likely serve as a backup — if he makes the team — to a solid group of linebackers that includes David Harris, Bart Scott, Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace.
The team announced it had waived wide receiver Cordarol Scales and cornerback Richard Taylor, apparently making room on the roster to add Maybin.
The move to bring in Maybin is somewhat curious considering the Jets gave up on their own former first-round pick in Vernon Gholston when they cut him before the lockout. Gholston, like Maybin with the Bills, was expected to add an instant boost to the team's pass rush, but the former Ohio State star had trouble fitting into the Jets' system and failed to register a sack in three seasons after being the sixth overall pick in 2008.
Gholston has since signed with the Chicago Bears.
A switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense — something the Jets run — didn't help Maybin succeed in Buffalo. Ryan, who once declared that if he couldn't turn Gholston into a player no one could, is apparently going to try to do the same with Maybin.
Seychelles honeymoon shark attack: a once unimaginable death
The sand is soft, the bottom of the bay is usually clearly visible through the calm blue water, and there are rarely any big waves or surf to challenge swimmers. Thousands of holidaymakers are taken there on day trips from Mahé, or from the dozens of small hotels dotted around the coast of Praslin. For 30 years tourists have regarded a visit to Anse Lazio as one of the highlights of their visit to the island – second only in popularity to a visit to the nearby Vallée de Mai – the World Heritage Site where the coco-de-mer nut is found.
For honeymooners Praslin is a delight, and swimming at Anse Lazio refreshed with cold drinks and seafood salads from the delightful Bonbon Plume restaurant tucked behind the tree line. I have made over 500 dives in the Seychelles, and have dived around Mahé, Praslin and La Digue many many times as well as around the further flung islands like Durocher, Denis, Frégate and even at the very remote Aldabra atoll.
I have seen sharks in Seychelles, but only at specific sites where commonly seen reef species like black-tips, white-tips or – occasionally, the slightly larger Grey-reef sharks are a bonus to the underwater naturalist. But divers often lament the relative scarcity of sharks around the islands.
Last month I snorkelled at Anse Lazio. I didn’t dive there, because it wouldn’t occur to me to use scuba equipment in the bay where there is generally very little marine life to see.
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