Archive | February, 2010

Hawaii Evacuation Zones

Hawaii Evacuation Zones. After the 8.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Chile several countries were warned of an expected Tsunami that was to hit. Hawaii was said to be one of the worst in the entire pool.

Sirens have now run through out Hawaii to warn people who are living or visiting that a tsunami is about to hit soon. 11:19am is the official time that has been given for the first impact.  People are being advised to find higher ground and get as far away from the coastal areas as possible.

Waikiki’s popular beaches have been abandoned and to avoid grid locks and other problems people are not going to be evacuated from the area but set up in the third floors above several hotels around the place.

Many are stocking up on supplies because no one knows exactly how much damage will be seen when the Tsunami finally hits or for how long the wreckage will ensue. Emergency efforts are underway currently and there is a close watch being kept on the weather.

The International Airport has also been closed down for the moment. Evacuation Zones have been set up all over the Island for people to retreat to. For more information on where safe zones have been set up people can check out the official Civil Defense Tsunami Evacuation Zones site:

http://www.pdc.org/iweb/tsunami_zones.jsp

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Chile hit by 8.8 Magnitude Earthquake

Chile hit by 8.8 Magnitude Earthquake. The earthquake that hit the country earlier on Saturday is said to be 1000 times worse than the 7.0 magnitude Haiti earthquake. The President of Chile has declared an official state of catastrophe in the country.

Phone lines are currently down in both Concepcion and Santiago, so far no real reports are coming out of Concepcion. The last reported death toll was 78 and rising every second. There are no accurate figures on the number of deaths and injuries so far.

In the aftermath of the earthquake Tsunami warnings have been issued for Japan, South America, New Zealand, and most importantly Hawaii and numerous other Pacific Islands. The waves are slated to hit the areas later today.

Chile has faced several aftershocks to the 8.8 earthquake and none of them registered lower than a 6.0 on the Richter scale.

Mother Nature seems to be on a rampage, it was only a handful of weeks ago that Haitian’s lost much of their belongings, loved ones and everything else. What will happen next?

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Chelsea King, 17-Year-Old Poway High School Student, Missing Near San Diego

Sometime Thursday afternoon, Brent and Kelly King realized that their daughter, Chelsea, was more than just late from her run in nearby Rancho Bernardo Community Park. Since her father reported her missing, some 200 rescue workers, law enforcement officials, and volunteers have searched a five-mile area in and around the park for two days, hoping to find more than just her locked car, which was found in a parking area of the park. As the search nears 72 hours, investigators have yet to find anything that would cause them to think the Poway High School cross country runner was abducted.

But Chelsea King doesn’t fit the profile of a runaway. Likeable, energetic, a straight-A student, and no history of trouble, San Diego County officials are treating her disappearance as a missing persons case. The FBI has joined the hunt. Dogs, divers, and helicopters have been employed in the searches that have fanned out within the park and along possible routes the teen may have taken on her run (which reportedly would usually encompass five or more miles). Posters of Chelsea King are plastered all over Poway and nearby towns and classmates took a day off from school Friday to pass out fliers on the streets of Poway and nearby Escondido to help in finding the missing teen.

“We have probably 150 to 250 deputies, officers, agents and volunteers all night long and they will continue to stay here as long as needed,” Jan Caldwell, a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson, told reporters.

Sign On San Diego reported that radio chatter indicated that a running shoe and a pedometer had been found during the searches, but officials made no comment as to whether or not either item was germane to Chelsea King’s case.

The 17-year-old long-distance runner is described as 5′ 5″, blond-haired, blue-eyed, weighing approximately 115 pounds. Anyone with information regarding Chelsea King’s disappearance or having information that would lead to establishing her whereabouts are urged to call the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department at (858) 565-5200 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (619) 531-2000.

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Tsunami to hit Hawaii?

Tsunami to hit Hawaii? Officials are pointing towards another tsunami, this one resulting from a spectacular 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile. The first impact of the waves is said to hit Hawaii after 11 am today. Hawaii was on high alert as of Saturday after the earthquake sent a ripple effect across the Pacific Ocean.  The highest Alert was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre after the quake hit. Other major Pacific Islands suchs as Guam, American Samoa etc are also under alert. Authorities are saying that the waves will be the biggest the Island has seen since four decades ago. Evacuation zones have been marked and an evacuation is currently in process in these areas.

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Girl Scout Cookie Recall a Bad Luck for Brownies and Girl Scouts

Beautiful Brownies and Girl Scouts are sad today as the Girl Scout cookie recall has been announced.  The maker of the product sold by popular door-to-door fundraising tactic (fueled by irresistable puppy dog eyes and priceless smiles) announced that they are recalling one particular flavor of Girl Scout Cookies

No, no no – don’t panic! So far, the Thin Mints are fine.  It’s the lemon chalete cremes that may be a problem.  The company, Little Brownie Bakers, is recalling a small batch of these cookies because of an off flavor and smell.

The cookies are safe to eat according to the BBB and the Girl Scout Cookie recall is only a quality issue.  If you have a box of lemon chalet creme Girl Scout cookies call 1-800-962-1718 for more information on the recall and how to return the cookies to the manufacturer.

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Tiger Woods PETA Ad Blocked By Attorneys

Tiger Woods isn’t letting the scandal keep him quiet any longer.  Tiger is said to have threatened PETA with a lawsuit to block an ad campaign that mocks his recent misfortunes.   The popular animal rights group was going to feature billboards that read:

“Too much sex can be a bad thing … for little tigers too. Help keep cats (and dogs) out of trouble: Always spay or neuter.”

Now we can see why that would be bad.  Sure, the guy messed up – but he admitted it so we should move on.  He’s not the first, only, or last guy that will ever philander.  Besides, Tiger Woods asked for privacy, and slapping that type of slogan on a billboard is hardly honoring that request.

PETA is still going to run a controversial ad, but instead they will focus on Mark Sanford. This ad will read “Your dog doesn’t have to go to South America to get laid.”

Yikes.  Wonder how long it will be before Sanford’s attorneys contact the organization to get that blocked?

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Free Tilly After Sea World Whale Attack!

After Sea World’s fatal whale attack, people want to Free Tilly.  It’s ironic that Tilly is the name of the whale, and thinking about it makes me think of the 1990’s movie “Free Willy.”  After the incident in which Dawn Brancheau lost her life, it was announced that Sea World Orlando is going to keep the bull orca that killed one of their top trainers.

People are outraged.  Animal rights activists think that the park needs to Free Tilly back into the wild where he “belongs.” After all, his actions were the actions of a whale.  Just because he’s trained doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the same instincts.

Dawn Brancheau was likely pulled in to the tank while feeding Tilly when her pony tail looked a little too appealing for him.  She was growing her hair out for locks-of-love and the long pony tail could have looked like food or a toy.

Do you think we need to Free Tilly, or do you think that Tilly would need to live in captivation in Sea World in order to survive?

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Killer Whale Attack Video 2010 An Amazingly Popular Item

A killer whale that killed his trainer and the video footage from the 2010 attack are hot search items today.  Many people want to see what transpired during the Sea World whale attack that killed trainer  Dawn Brancheau.

The morbid curiosity is the same as when the Nodar Kumaritashvili video came out. Everyone wanted to see the poor young guy fly through the air and in to a pole, dying.

Now,  it’s the killer whale attack video 2010 that’s making waves.  Try to search for it, and you will come up empty handed.  Why? Well, for one, even if Sea World did have a video of the attack it’s highly unlikely that they would actually let it slip out.

Chances are, home video footage will be released sooner or later showing the attack.  At that point, it’s up to each individual to decide if he or she wants to view it on their own.

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American Idol Top 24 Results: Tim Urban Too ‘Adorable’ To Boot?

If you tuned into the American Idol Thursday evening results show expecting to see Tim Urban and Janell Wheeler sent packing from the Top 24, you were probably shocked to see the lucky-to-be-called-back Tim Urban remaining by show’s end in the Top 20.  Simon Cowell had told him after Wednesday night’s American Idol Top 12 (for the guys) performance of OneRepublic’s “Apologize” that the judges had made the right decision by sending him home in the first place.  So how did he get through to the Top 20?

Janell Wheeler, as well as Joe Munoz, Tyler Grady, and Ashley Rodriguez, were sent home.  And although Munoz, Grady, and Rodriguez were part of the Top 24 potential eliminations going into the results show (because you never truly ‘know’ who is going to be sent home), Janell Wheeler and Tim Urban seemed to be a ‘lock’ for being booted. 

Janell Wheeler simply could not hit the powerful high notes necessary to sing Heart’s “What About Love?” with conviction Tuesday night.  She literally butchered the song.  The only thing worse was having to hear her do it again Thursday night in her farewell encore. 

As the American Idol universe attempted to balance itself out Wednesday night, Tim Urban was overpowered by his song choice, according to American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi.  Randy Jackson said that “none of it worked.”  Ellen Degeneres agreed with the other judges but told him that he was “adorable,” but that adorable might not be enough.

Apparently, adorable was enough, hence the results show reveal that saw Urban sit back down on the Sofa of Safety…

But any American Idol fan can tell you that there are always those who get through that shouldn’t (Sanjaya Malakar, Megan Joy Corkry, to name just a couple), just because they’re “adorable,” or “hot,” or have a sympathetic or great backstory.  In the coming weeks, it will be seen just how far “adorable” takes Tim Urban.  But if he continues to produce cacophonous noise akin to Wednesday night’s offering on the American Idol stage, he is not long for the Top 24 (or the Top 20, for that matter) and will soon fall victim to a future results show.

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Killer Whale Attack video

Killer Whale Attack Footage. Sea World’ tragedy isn’t over yet, most people are now looking to see exactly how the trainer was attacked by the Shamu, in the final moments before she died. The Video can be found no where it seems. While several pieces of footage have popped up that took place before and after the attack happened, there is thus far nothing of the actual incidence taking place.

It seems the hunt is on for the footage of the trainer being grabbed by the whale and thrashed around before it swam to the bottom with her. What I’m wondering is why people are dying to watch such morbidity. Exactly what will the world achieve by reliving those horrifying moments that resulted in the death of a human being?

There is now a steady debate brewing over animals that are kept in captivity. Some have even suggested that the whale should be put down, but is that really the ideal way of dealing with the situation humanely? Speaking of which, how human is trying to find the video of someone’s horrifying death? Dawn Brancheau’s family and friends are mourning her loss while the world is busy trying to get another peak at the spectacularly disturbing way in which she died. 

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