Fast-moving Irene likely to strengthen
"Hurricane Irene pounds Dominican Republic; may aim at US" Associated Press / August 23, 2011
NAGUA, Dominican Republic - A rapidly strengthening Hurricane Irene roared off the Dominican Republic’s resort-dotted northern coast yesterday, whipping up high waves and torrential downpours on a track that could see it reach the US Southeast as a major storm by the end of the week....
The storm slashed directly across Puerto Rico, tearing up trees and knocking out power to more than a million people, then headed out to sea north of the Dominican Republic, where the powerful storm’s outer bands were buffeting the north coast with dangerous sea surge and downpours....
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season was a large system that could cause dangerous mudslides and floods in the Dominican Republic, the hurricane center said. It was not expected to make a direct hit on neighboring Haiti, though that country could still see heavy rain from the storm....
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"Irene weakens for now, but could menace Eastern Seaboard;Storm expected to regain strength before hitting US" August 24, 2011|By Curt Anderson, Associated Press
MIAMI - Officials and residents from Florida to the Carolinas stocked up on supplies, dusted off evacuation plans, and readied for the worst as Irene, the first hurricane to threaten the United States in three years, churned over tropical waters yesterday after cutting a destructive path through the Caribbean.
Federal officials warned the storm could flood streets and knock down power lines as far north as New England.
Irene lost some of its punch yesterday afternoon and was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as it lashed the Turks and Caicos Islands, but it is expected the storm will regain strength and become a major hurricane before making a US landfall.
The hurricane has raked the Caribbean and could cause serious problems along the entire Eastern Seaboard, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate said yesterday during a conference call with reporters. Fugate urged people not to become complacent, even though the forecast is still uncertain and the storm may be days from hitting the United States....
Fugate and National Hurricane Center director Bill Read said Irene could cause problems even over open water. New England is particularly vulnerable to heavy rains because the soil is already saturated from summer storms, and that could raise the threat of flash flooding.
If Irene does move into the Mid-Atlantic area, it could threaten plans for dedicating a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. Fugate said officials were discussing whether to hold Sunday’s dedication ceremony. Tens of thousands are expected to attend the event at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
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Related: Hurricane Irene postpones King memorial dedication
"Memorial to Martin Luther King opens in Washington" August 23, 2011|Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Hundreds of visitors got their first look yesterday at the memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which includes a towering granite sculpture inspired by the civil rights leader’s “I Have a Dream’’ speech....
Related: King For a Day
Slow Saturday Special: King-Sized Insult
TPTB always seem to miss his message.
The opening had little fanfare, but that will change during a week of events leading up to Sunday’s dedication, which falls on the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington. President Obama is scheduled to speak at the ceremony....
And now God has canceled it.
Ever notice every time we invade another Muslim nation some "natural" disaster comes at us?
King was assassinated in 1968 while supporting black sanitation workers who had gone on strike in Memphis.
I thought he was supporting them all; at this point in his life he had moved beyond race and had begun talking about poverty and war. That's why he was killed.
“His dream is very universal,’’ Chinese artist Lei Yixin said. “It’s a dream of equality. He went to jail. He had been beaten, and he sacrificed his life for his dream. And now his dream comes true.’’
Actually, no.
If equality was his dream it is a nightmare now.
And he hardly sacrificed his life; it was TAKEN FROM HIM!
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Also see:
MLK Memorial was Made in China
There has been controversy over the choice of Lei Yixin, a 57-year-old master sculptor from Changsha in Hunan province, to carry out the work. Critics have openly asked why a black, or at least an American, artist was not chosen and even remarked that Dr. King appears slightly Asian in Mr Lei’s rendering.
Yeah, those are good points.
New Englanders brace for possibility of hurricane
Hurricane forces New Englanders to change plans
With Irene looming, region gets ready
While the Category 3 storm’s precise path remained unclear, forecasters said it could become the first hurricane to strike the region in two decades. (By Peter Schworm and Martine Powers, Globe Staff)
New England colleges urge students to move in before Hurricane Irene
Gas prices expected to rise in storm’s wake
Any excuse to shove that gas pump up your....
UPDATE: Irene's eyewall collapses; further intensification unlikely
Related:
Quake sets the Northeast aquiver
Tremors from a powerful earthquake in Virginia reverberated up the East Coast yesterday, shaking buildings and homes in the Boston area for several seconds and rattling nerves for considerably longer.
In region, small temblors common, larger ones rare
In region, small temblors common, larger ones rare
Also see: East Coast Earthquake
Colorado temblor jostles homes
Through With Tornado Coverage
Been quite a spring and summer 'round h're.
