ORLANDO - Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008 -- Another 21 Red Cross volunteers will join the relief efforts in Texas today. 
  Today, 21 Red Cross volunteers, most of them trained from Althera Staffing in Lakeland, took off from Orlando Airport at 1:15 p.m. They completed an intensive training this week to serve as Red Cross sheltering, feeding, and bulk distribution volunteers alongside a half-dozen current volunteers from the Polk County Chapter who also deployed today.
  The local Red Cross drove them together on a bus to the airport to make their flight. Red Cross volunteers and staff were on hand to wish them well. 
  The grand total of volunteers deployed to help victims of Hurricane Ike from the Mid-Florida Region is now 100. This includes volunteers from the Polk County Chapter and 8 from Central Florida which have left over the past 18 days. The Mid-Florida Region includes the Central Florida, Coast to Coast, Polk County and Space Coast Chapters. 
  The American Red Cross is still sheltering more than 1,600 people in nine shelters. More than 2,500 Red Cross disaster workers and volunteers from around the country are on the ground to assist in the recovery. That includes 195 Emergency Response Vehicles in the state going out into communities to deliver aid, assistance, or encouragement. 
  For more information about the American Red Cross response to Hurricane Ike, visit the online newsroom at http://hurricaneike.wordpress.com. For information on how to prepare for a tropical storm or hurricane, please visit www.redcross.org, or en Español – www.cruzrojaamericana.org. To help the Red Cross respond to this and other major disasters, donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or visiting www.redcross.org.

The forecast, issued after a meeting of experts from different disciplines at the met office, said the monsoon would move out of Bangladesh by the second week.

Rains are likely to be normal during October, the forecast said, adding that the rainfall was 16 per cent less than normal last month despite formation of a deep depression and a couple of low pressures in the Bay of Bengal, which moved away towards India.

The cyclone season in the Bay begins in October and runs until April. But cyclones in December are rare. The last cyclone in December was on December 15, 1965.

The most devastating cyclones took place on November 12, 1970, April 30, 1991 and latest on November 15, 2007, killing thousands, whipping up sea surges and high winds.

Today, 26 Red Cross volunteers, trained from Althera Staffing in Lakeland, took off from Orlando Airport at 2:50 p.m. They completed an intensive training last week to serve as Red Cross sheltering, feeding, and bulk distribution volunteers. The local Red Cross drove them together on a bus to the airport at 1 p.m., to make their flight. Local Red Cross volunteers and staff were on hand to wish them well.

This latest group now means the Polk County Chapter has deployed 74 volunteers within the last 18 days. The local chapter has trained 72 spontaneous volunteers – including this latest group – within that same time period.

In Texas alone, the American Red Cross relief effort is still sheltering more than 1,600 people in nine shelters. More than 2,500 Red Cross disaster workers and volunteers are on the ground to assist in the recovery, including driving the 195 Emergency Response Vehicles in the state going out into communities to deliver aid, assistance, or encouragement.

For more information about the American Red Cross response to Hurricane Ike, visit the online newsroom at http://hurricaneike.wordpress.com. For information on how to prepare for a tropical storm or hurricane, please visit www.redcross.org, or en Español – www.cruzrojaamericana.org. To help the Red Cross respond to this and other major disasters, donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or visiting www.redcross.org.

Today, my dear friends, is an exceptional Friday.  Not only is it the first Friday in October, which happens to be an excellent autumnal month mostly associated with All Hallow's Eve, it also happens to be the day of Coney Island's First Annual Freaktoberfest.  Coney Island, in my opinion, is fucking awesome.  It holds the kitschy glam of a 70's carnival, the punk allure of sideshow freaks, and the promise of potentially encountering used needles while making one's way along the Atlantic.  The rusty splendor of historically protected rides such as The Wonder Wheel and The Cyclone, built in 1927, cannot be matched.  (Nor can the "oh fuck I really might die" factor when riding these.)  For those of you who are not Coney Island connoiseurs, it has a rich cultural history and has served as the backdrop for uplifting films such as "Requiem for a Dream" and "The Warriors,"  as well as literary stalwarts such as Ferlinghetti's "Coney Island of the Mind."  And if you don't know what a Coney Island Whitefish is I recommend you pause and look it up this very moment.

At the turn of the 20th century Coney Island and its amusements were vastly different from what we encounter today.  Nothing remains of the original parks, Dreamland, Luna and Steeplechase, that were destroyed by either fires throughout the first half of the century, or torn down by a series of real estate bastards.  My personal favorite, Dreamland, existed from 1903-1911.  The elaborate architecture and lighting instilled a majestic, other-worldy feel, much like shrooming on a lakeshore while mindfucking some Miller and Baudelaire.  Some of the exoticisms, such as the large pagoda in Dreamland, were most certainly characteristic of the popularization of Asian and other non-Western cultures at this time. This is evidenced in early 20th century art movements such as Primitivism and Orientalism.

The evolution and decay of Coney combine to create its overall allure.

And I am going to be amongst the horror rides, beer in hand, raptured** in dayglo this very eve.  Also, I will try my damndest to not smoke, but how can one not smoke at Coney?

Note for future post:  Due to the long nature of this blog Satanism will have to wait until next time.  Just to keep you anguished and starving for more: author R.L. Stine and the high priest of the Church of Satan are in the lobby of my office at this very moment.

http://history.amusement-parks.com/lunapark.htm

*I am indeed using "sequestration" in an incorrect manner as Coney Island is not being seized for the benefit of state or creditors. It was sold, but to its many beloved fans, its rich cultural and historical significance has been seized with this sale.  This is authorial insolence and I'm gonna wield it.  Also,  my awareness of sequestration is brought to you by mcp, who so very elegantly proved to be correct without spilling a drop of blood.

**i can make up any damn words i please.

YAY!!!  FRIDAY!!!

Let's see if the city does ever sleep.....

[caption id="attachment_340" align="aligncenter" width="397" caption="G for Giraffe"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_237" align="aligncenter" width="423" caption="C for Cat"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_886" align="aligncenter" width="456" caption="Gold Coast"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_887" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="My Blue Heaven"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_381" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="J for Jellyfish"][/caption]

In the days after Georgian and Russian troops marched into the separatist province of South Ossetia, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon frantically telephoned key leaders and offered the United Nations' diplomatic help in stemming further violence. But Russian President Dmitry Medvedev refused to take his calls for more than a week, say senior U.S. and U.N. officials.

The rebuff highlighted Russia's displeasure with Ban, who had clashed with Moscow over Kosovo's independence drive and riled it again by issuing a statement supporting the territorial integrity of Georgia, a nation Russia intended to carve up. It also provided another example of the humbling struggles of the world's top diplomat to prod foreign leaders to embrace peace.

After more than 20 months in office, Ban is straining to make his mark as a diplomatic peacemaker as his efforts to stem bloodshed in Sudan's Darfur region have faltered and Burma's political players refuse to meet with his special envoy. The United Nations has been relegated to a supporting role in many of the world's diplomatic flare-ups, including in Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Ban convened a meeting of key foreign ministers Saturday on the sidelines of the General Assembly session to energize efforts to press Burma's generals to democratize the country and to secure the release of nearly 2,000 political prisoners, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

But the meeting, which Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not attend, produced no breakthrough, and Ban canceled plans to speak to the media. Instead Ban issued a statement, pressing Burma to release the prisoners.

Behind the scenes, Ban has resisted calls from the United States, Britain, Singapore and other countries to travel to Burma to meet with military ruler Senior Gen. Than Shwe in December, fearing it might end in failure. There is a risk of Ban "going and coming back empty-handed," a close aide said.

"No one is going to make a case that we are in the middle of a big diplomatic breakthrough on some of these cases you've mentioned," said Robert Orr, a special adviser to Ban. "But the fact is that is not the nature of this business. These things move quietly until they break into the open. The secretary general's style is to work very hard, persistently, behind the scenes" to achieve that.

Orr and other U.N. officials say Ban has had far greater success in prodding governments on some long-term threats such as climate change and the global food and energy crises and in helping to secure billions of dollars in commitments to fight poverty during the world's worst financial crisis in a generation. They say his persistence paid off after Tropical Cyclone Nargis in May, when he traveled to Rangoon, the former Burmese capital, to persuade Than Shwe to pry open the borders for relief workers.

But Ban has been pushed into the background in Africa, where local powers have taken the lead in solving regional problems. South Africa effectively blocked a U.S. and British initiative to grant the United Nations a more central role in mediating an end to an election crisis in Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe cracked down on opposition leaders to prevent his more popular rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, from winning the election.

Ban's low-profile diplomatic style contrasts with the activism of his predecessor, Kofi Annan, a Ghanaian national who sought to expand the authority of the office. At a similar stage in his tenure, Annan had carried out a high-profile trip to Baghdad, where he temporarily averted a U.S.-led air war by persuading Saddam Hussein to open his presidential palaces to U.N. inspectors. That peace was short-lived, and the United States and Britain launched Operation Desert Fox, a four-day air war against Iraq, several months later in 1998.

When violence erupted in Kenya after a disputed presidential vote, the African Union recruited Annan to help restore calm. He assembled a team of former aides and helped hammer out a power-sharing deal.

In Darfur, Ban has been in control, cultivating a relationship with Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to help secure support for a U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission and a political settlement. But fighting has resumed, political talks have stalled, and the peacekeepers' deployment is months behind schedule.

The setbacks have begun to take a toll on Ban, who lashed out at his senior advisers during a retreat in Turin, Italy, for failing to make the organization more responsive to the challenges of the day.

"Our job is to change the U.N. -- and through it, the world," Ban told his staff members last month. "This is the big picture. I am frustrated by our failure, so often, to see it."

To read the article in its entirety, please click here.

It was more than we could take.  When it rains and floods in Haiti, it takes ages for the water and mud to recede.  This is blamed in part, on our lack of trees (less than 2% of the nation is forested,---99% less trees than a century ago.  A single tree can suck down hundreds of gallons of water in a day day). NGOs that have been working in Haiti for decades have said that this is the worst that Haiti has ever been.  Entire cities and villages are completely submerged in mud.  Hundreds of thousands were directly affected, many of which are homeless.  The combined death toll is much lower than the that of Hurricane Jeanne (2004), but lets remember that these tolls only tally directly related deaths.  With food prices on the rise, government infrastructure in shambles, transportation systems shot, and roads inaccessible, and crops submerged in mud all over the country, it is hard to imagine the real impact of these Hurricanes.  Haiti needs help.

Many have responded present to help Haiti get out of this mess (I've been corresponding with several "heros" locally), but it seems that the response is surprisingly low for such a devastating disaster (perhaps the world is growing weary of disaster relief after numerous earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. or maybe its an economic issue).  One thing that I am proud of is the reports coming back from my church of the many youth that are volunteering for the relief effort.  Last time that I talked to my dad, we just sent out a large group to do clean up in the north (20 or so), and we had about 50 young people ready for a trip down in the south.  The Minister of Environmental affairs is also partnering with our church very soon to send out hundreds of people to plant hundreds of thousands of much needed trees.  We have also bought and packaged food and supplies for families  of our congregation that live in disaster areas.

There is so much going on, and my favorite part of it all is that all it has been done without a cent of foreign aid.  It is not my favorite because I simply want to be  proud of my church and my people, but because I think I am beginning to see something new that God is wanting to do in Haiti.  There seems to be an unspoken thought in Haiti that nothing will never change unless someone else comes to fix it for us.  This is especially seen in the Haitian church.  "Nou kwè nan blan plis ke Bondye" ("We believe in whites faces more than we believe in God").  The "craziest" thing that my father ever did was leave the financial security of a denomination connected to the United States and start an independent church in a place where only two families resided.  Eighteen Churches, thousands of members, and many, many miracles later... it all makes sense.

It's the story of my dad's ministry.  No one would have ever thought to see an independent church as large and beautiful as the one that we are building. Many churches Haiti will never think of fixing or buying anything in the building if no one flies in and makes the budget and furnishes the funds.  The Tabernacle de Gloire has been built thus far, penny by penny, 100% by Haitian funds, and when it is finished, it will stand as a testimony of what God can do with our "little" people.  Dad just opened up a school in the south and God told him to take in all 50 new students (all pre-schoolers) 100% free... How?  People in the church volunteer to give beyond their means to see it done.  Next year they will do the same for 50 more incoming pre-schoolers.  We need the help of Compassion International, but how much greater is it when similar aid comes from your cheerful, dirt-broke neighbor?  Before you answer, just remember how impressed God was with the "widow's mite."

It's a new day.  Haiti is changing, growing, and we will make it out of this poverty and despair in the coming days.  And I believe that we are going to see more and greater cases of our people pulling together to help one another.  However, this does not mean that we do not need help from the outside.  Our church has done so much on its own, but imagine how much more we could do with a little bit of help.  If you want to help, by all means, contact me (Click to go to my contact's page.  Note: I am currently in the U.S.).  We need food, money,  clothing, tools, cement, building supplies, trees(?), volunteers, and probably at least a quarter million $$$ to finish and furnish our church (we'll settle for a roof for now, if you are interersted).

There are many ways you can help, but my dad would say it this way: "Ke 'w vle, ke 'w pa vle, w'ap wè li kanmenm."  This means "whether you like it or not (or whether you put your hand in it or not), it's gonna happen anyway."  We aren't waiting for your hand to move us into action.  God's hand already gave us momentum.  But you are more than welcome to come and work by our side.  God is doing a great work in Haiti.  I really don't think that you want to miss out on it.

This was a fantastic anniversary issue and a real treat to any fans of the Titans. We look back at different era of the titans history as well as reminisce on the life of Bart Allen, all along setting up the new arc and the return of the Titans of Tommorrow...John's best arc on this book. So I am glad they are coming back. McKeever's run has started off with a bang! Don't you just love that cover!

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #51
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Ale Garza

Not sure what to think of this...it's not bad and I like the hints to the future of the Teen Titans...and the idea that Bart and Connor will be alive in the future. But I think the art makes it less enjoyable....I really miss McKone and Tony Daniel's work on this title.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #52
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Jamal Igle

Awesome ending spread there...it is fun to see these glimpses of possible future titans. This is actually the second time I have read this arc and I must say it reads much better this time around. Not to mention Igle's art is fantastic this issue.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #53
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Eddy Barrows

The Titans Army is pretty bad ass....I love that Cassandra Cain is the Batwoman of the future and that Misfit is Huntress (and still yelling Dark Vengeance!) but the coloring was quite off on her hair, along with Aquawoman's. Anyways, there have been way too many artists on this one arc.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #54
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Eddy Barrows, Joe Prado, and Greg Tocchini

Okay who else is really looking forward to a Miss Martian/Robin romance. Much better then Wonder Girl and Robin which seems kindve incestuous to me and it would parallel the relationship between Starfire and Nightwing. Anyways, this was a nice ending to this issue. I like that Blue Beetle, Supergirl, and the Ravager are the ones who will one day oppose the Titans Army. I have to say this arc was not as good as John's Titans of Tomorrow arc....but it was still well-written and fun.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #55

Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Jamal Igle

I liked this in-between story. Robin and Wonder Girl end their romance....thank God. And Supergirl leaves the team, sad because I was actually liking her on the team. Poor Kid Devil is treated like crap throughout this issue...even by Robin. I wish Ingle was the regular artist on this title.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #56
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Eddy Barrows

Okay I don't know why Robin and everyone are being so mean to Kid Devil...it seems kinda out of character. I am intrigued by the Terror Titans and this issue had a lot of funny moments, especailly when Kid Devil throws the party at the tower. McKeever's run on this title is seriously underrated.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #57
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Eddy Barrows

I like that Ravager is worried about Kid Devil....but Wonder Girl really comes off as a bitch in this issue. I mean she has a right to not completely trust Rose but come on. The ending was pretty crazy....I am not sure what happened to the tower.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #58
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Carlos Rodriguez

I really liked the art this issue but why the hell can't Eddy Barrows stay for more then a couple issues! This story was great because it features mostly Miss Martian who really deserves more attention as she is a great character. She has the battling her dark side aspect of Raven and the naivety of Starfire that makes her the perfect fit for the Titans. Good issue.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #59
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Eddy Barrows

Clock King is pretty scary and the Dark Side Club is just as so. This issue was good but I feel this arc is a little long altogether. I think Barrows's art reached an all-time high with this issue. Very nice stuff.
Teen Titans (Volume 3) #60
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Eddy Barrows

Looks like Ravager is leaving the team...no thanks to Wonder Girl's bitchiness....although the more I think about it the more I realize I would be hesitant about having a known killer on the team as well. This Terror Titans arc was good and it's always fun to see new villains introduced for the Titans but it ran a little long.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #61
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Carlos Rodriguez

This was a sweet issue highlighting the relationship between Blue Beetle and welll....Red Devil. Kid Devil switches his name to Red Devil in this issue. I am not sure that I like the name...Kid Devil just flows better but I can deal with it. I like the bond formed between the two reluctant team mates. Good stuff.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #57
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Eddy Barrows

Okay that was just fucking incredibly disturbing!!! I expected a sweet story about a cute god instead I got that before he transformed and slaughtered Wendy and Marvin. Not going to lie, I was pissed after reading this the first time. Miss Martian leaves the team and Wendy and Marvin who have been totally underused are now killed. What the hell right?! This seems like a Dan Didio idea to me. But on the second read-through, it's actually pretty good and I am hoping McKeever has a good reason for killing off Wendy and Marvin, if they are in fact dead.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #63
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Eddy Barrows and Allan Goldman

This issue was very decompressed...I don't feel like much happened accept Bombshell fought the military and the Teen Titans and Wonder Girl has a headache. What the hell! I am glad to see that Wendy is alive, I wish I could say the same for Marvin though. I have the feeling they are setting Wendy up to become a metahuman/hero. I am not sure. Miss Martian is on the cover for some reason despite not being o nthe team anymore.

Que dire de plus ?

About 42 people from Althera Staffing Inc., mostly temporary workers, trained this week to make the deployment. Company owner Ellis Hinton said when he heard about the need for volunteers, he wanted to see if there was any way they could help.

"What I'm looking for is just to help somebody," said Hinton, a native of Mobile, Ala., whose family was affected when Hurricane Camille entered the Mississippi River in 1969 and when Hurricane Frederic hit Mobile in 1979.

The Polk County Chapter managed to get the group on one flight out of Orlando International Airport, and bused them to the airport Thursday afternoon. But they couldn't leave without getting a send-off from other volunteers, including a "Hettie Hug" from volunteer Hettie Whatley.

Among those heading to Texas is Dennis Millet, who vividly remembers the blue tarps on roofs when his family moved to Florida from the Boston area, right after the hurricanes of 2004. He saw so many people helping each other then that he wants to help people now.

Volunteer Chuck Moyer, with a son serving in Iraq, echoed a wish to help others: "If he can serve over there, I can serve over here."

For more information about the American Red Cross response to Hurricane Ike, visit the online newsroom at http://hurricaneike.wordpress.com. For information on how to prepare for a tropical storm or hurricane, please visit www.redcross.org, or in Spanish, www.cruzrojaamericana.org. To help the Red Cross respond to this and other major disasters, donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or visiting www.redcross.org.

Our friends, Levi and Daniel's Lim daughter, Emma, who was almost one, died in Myanmar (Burma). The whole family was and still is working with a disaster relief after cyclone. Read about them here.

Subvert Cultural Phenomenons - do not look down on sub-cultures

Gilligan's Island = Lost of the 1960's
Christian Metz - watch youtube videos

- - - - - - - - - -

PAINSTATION - Volker Morawe and Tilman Reiff
http://www.painstation.de/
http://www.khm.de/~morawe/painstation/painstation_photos/pages/DSC00013.htm

First Painstation game ever

The concept was based on the scene in the James Bond movie, "Never say Never Again" with Sean Connery

- instead of the game being Global Thermonuclear Dominance, the game is Pong!
- players use one hand to navigate the game itself, with the other hand on the "Pain Dispenser"
- if a player misses a ball, they receive either an electric shock,
- relevant today with entertainment such as Gladiator, Jackass, Rollerball/Roller Derby
- commentary on Totalitarian sanctioned violence to pacify/subdue/desensitize the populace

- - - - - - - - - -

RUN MOTHERFUCKER RUN
http://www.runmotherfuckerrun.nl/
http://www.runmotherfuckerrun.nl/downld.htm

- installed at Tesla For Transmediale exhibition
- treadmill in the gallery with motion detectors = running inside a virtual world
- what happens when you actually get to the wall at the end?
- boundary between reality / virtual - also shows limits
- the treadmill only goes in a linear direction (forwards and reverse)
- can't strafe from side to side or turn around

homage to Cave Automatic Virtual Environment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_Automatic_Virtual_Environment
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/CAVE_Crayoland.jpg

- - - - - - - - - -

CHITRA KARAHANA - Shaina Arnand
http://chitrakarkhana.net/

chitrakarkhana n, hindi

1.[chitra+karkhana]- Image workshop

or picture factory. A fully independent, small scale unit for experimental media.

2. [chitrakar+khana]- Artist food.

- TV broadcasting experiment in India
- what constitutes the viewer / performer - web cam vs. audience
- constitutes narrow casting (ie: youtube channel with only 10 subscribers)
- relevance - London CCTV = Big Brother
- London Underground Terrorist bombings - without the CCTV, the police would not have cracked the case

- - - - - - - - - -

CORY ARCANGEL
http://www.beigerecords.com/cory/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Arcangel

A couple of thousand short films about Glen Gould

- meticulously constructed from youtube samples of individual notes played by amateurs - friese.com
- bricolage

Super Mario Bros. Movie

"Two unattended computers send endlessly bouncing out-of-office auto-responses to each other"

- - - - - - - - - -

GAVIN BAILY / TOM CORBY - Cyclone S.O.C.
http://www.reconnoitre.net/

Perimeters, Boundaries and Border
RSS Newsreel - Good news = Hot weather front / Bad news = Cold weather front
Merging weather information and digital displayed information

- - - - - - - - - -

WEARABLE ART - R.F.I.D. experiments - Leah Bueckley
http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~buechley/

L.E.D. tank tops - used conductive thread for wireless communication
(reminds me of "Minority Report" advertisements within the movie)

- - - - - - - - - -

JIM CAMPBELL - Church on Fifth Avenue
http://jimcampbell.tv/

Church On Fifth Avenue, 2001
Custom electronics

A matrix of 32 x 24 (768) pixels made out of red LEDs displaying a pedestrian and auto traffic scene in NY from an off street perspective. There is a sheet of diffusing plexiglass angled in front of the grid. As the pedestrians move from left to right the figures gradually go from a discrete representation to a continuous one (or metaphorically from a digital representation to an analog one).

- - - - - - - - - -

JANET CARDIFF - The Telephone Call
http://www.cardiffmiller.com/

- audio/video walk through the San Francisco M.O.M.A.
- commentary from artist for audio tour but it;s for shock value
- record mp3 file and walk around museum and do podcast
- brings up concept of located media - text 55555 to hot babe

- - - - - - - - - -

MISC. DISTRACTIONS:
Super Mario Theme - RC Car with bottles

Super Mario Theme - Zack Kim

Chacarron

Japanese TV Pranks

- - - - - - - - - -

HEAVY INDUSTRIES - Young-Hae Chang - CUNNILINGUS_IN_NORTH_KOREA
http://www.yhchang.com/

- reality vs. representation
- deliver best product for the platform
- open taboo subject discussions within a totalitarian state

- - - - - - - - - -

TROIKA - SMS Guerilla Projector
http://www.troika.uk.com

The SMS Guerilla Projector is a home made, fully functioning device that enables the user to project text based SMS messages in public spaces, in streets, onto people, inside cinemas, shops, houses…

- - - - - - - - - -

Starting today every Publix store, which includes 950 locations in 5 states, will begin collecting donations for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. All customers have to do is add whatever amount they would like to donate to their grocery bills.

The partnership will help the Red Cross reach the current goal of raising $100 million for the 2008 hurricane season. Already this has been an extremely active year with more than 60 large-scale disasters and the cost of numerous responses has taken a huge bite out of the Disaster Relief Fund. The year began with an early wildfire season, and then we saw record floods in the Midwest and a torrent of tornadoes in early spring. The cost of hurricane season also continues to rise. The response to Gustav is expected to reach $40-$70 million and the response to Ike will likely exceed that.

The Disaster Relief Fund allows the Red Cross to provide help whenever and where ever disaster occurs. Now, making a donation is as easy as checking out at the grocery store.

En Coney Island (New York) se ubica el parque de atracciones Astroland. Coney Island es una parte importante del imaginario americano, escenario utilizado en múltiples películas y fuente de inspiración para muchos artistas como David Bowie.

Podemos encontrar atracciones centenarias, como la montaña rusa Cyclone todavía con estructura de madera... También es el último reducto de los Freaks de las antiguas ferias ambulantes y su actual lugar de peregrinaje.

Cuando paseamos por Surf Avenue, un gran paseo de madera entre la playa y el parque de atracciones, nos sumergimos en otra época, un pequeño sueño dentro del sueño americano. Sus viejas y encantadores instalaciones y sus personajes pintorésticos han sido el lugar de ocio para las familias newyorkinas durante varias generaciones.

Actualmente el parque está sujeto a una posible reconstrucción que destruiría muchas de las míticas instalaciones, dejaría en el paro a muchos trabajadores que siempre han trabajado ahí y desvanecería en el espacio la sede de las ilusiones de muchos niños ahora ya adultos.

Fotografías de Coney Island y New York (2008).

Vidéo Haïti, Gonaïves, le 8 septembre 2008

[dailymotion id=k6l618gGrIA9DTLdUt]

Un très longue histoire de conflits entre Cuba et les Etats-Unis crée une dynamique politique très délicate depuis l'embargo de 1960, bien que la distribution de l'aide soit généralement bien dirigée vers les populations dès son arrivée dans l'île.

En Haïti, les plus gros problèmes sont ceux des retards dans les expéditions et de l'accès jusqu'aux populations en raison des routes très endommagées et des nombreux ponts qui se sont effondrés.Ce problème explique  que l'aide acheminée par bateau mette souvent 5 semaines, parfois plus, avant d'arriver auprès des sinistrés.  Alors qu'à Cuba, une fois les démarches bureaucratiques effectuées, l'aide peut être distribuée en 5 jours.

Photo AP

Pour Haïti, si les envois ne sont pas passés par le chemin de la paperasserie appropriée et si il n'existe pas de correspondant officiel à l'autre bout de la chaîne, pour réceptionner les paquets, il peut en coûter des mois de stockage et des coûts prohibitifs pour les honoraires de stockage privés. Il va de soi que les envois directs et complètement bénévoles peuvent devenir un véritable parcours du combattant.

Les ouragans et leurs conséquences dans ces deux pays touchent le Sud de la Floride où un grand nombre d'Haïtiens et de Cubains ont émigrés. Beaucoup de donneurs se sont regroupés pour faire envoyer de l'eau, des vêtements... comme par exemple les habitants de Little Haïti en Floride où la collecte a été organisée par l'église Notre-Dame d'Haïti. Le problème de ces donnateurs est que beaucoup d'entre eux ne comprennent pas les complications et le temps passé dans le processus d'acheminement de ces biens.

Par ailleurs, Le Programme Alimentaire Mondial (PAM) est en lutte permanente pour acheminer les denrées alimentaires jusqu'en Haïti. Un défilé incessant d'hélicoptères américains et des Nations Unies transporte l'alimentation et l'eau depuis Port-au-Prince jusqu'aux endroits les plus reculés et les plus touchés du pays. Cependant, ils ne peuvent pas atteindre les villages les plus reculés en raison du manque de place pour atterrir et ce sont souvent ces lieux qui ont des besoins urgents. En fait, même si les hélicoptères pouvaient atterrir, les routes sont beaucoup trop endommagées pour assurer la distribution de l'aide. Récemment encore, des expéditions ont été reportées, les dommages d'infrastructures n'ayant pas encore été totalement évalués et parce qu'il est indispensable de repérer et de remplacer les ponts effondrés par des ponts provisoires fournis par les Nations Unies.

Photo REUTERS/Logan Abassi/Minustah/Handout (HAITI)

A Cuba, les complications pour l'obtention de l'aide se posent en terme de permissions d'envois de provisions ou d'argent à cause de l'embargo américain sur le pays. Par conséquent, les organisations humanitaires et les associations doivent recevoir l'autorisation d'envoyer de l'argent ou des marchandises et de voyager vers l'île... Beaucoup d'organisations ont été rejetées dans le passé. D'autres ont essayé de se battre légalement pour conserver des licences que les Etats-Unis ont refusé de renouveler.

Maurice Lemoine, journaliste et rédacteur en chef du Monde diplomatique qui conaît parfaitement bien la situation dans les Caraïbes, en Haïti et à Cuba, rappelle que "Le 11 septembre 2001, Cuba avait mis tous ses aéroports à la disposition du gouvernement des Etats-Unis en cas de besoin et, après l’ouragan Katrina, qui a ravagé la Nouvelle Orléans, en 2005, avait proposé l’envoi de mille cinq cents médecins pour venir en aide aux victimes américaines." dans un article datant du 11 septembre 2008.

En ce qui concerne l'aide humanitaire acheminée par les ONG et les agences onusiennes :

Le 8 septembre 2008, le PAM a envoyé 45 tonnes métriques de de biscuits à haute énergie (HEB) vers Cuba pour répondre aux besoins immédiats d'environ 80.000 personnes affectées par l'Ouragan Gustav.

Source : PAM (High Energy Biscuits being loaded onto a WFP-chartered plane bound for Cuba)

Le pont aérien d'aide alimentaire humanitaire était en provenance du Centre de Réponse Humanitaire Régional basé à l'Aéroport International du Salvador. Il est important de rappeler que la distribution de HEB fait partie d'une opération de secours menée par le PAM pour couvrir les besoins nutritionnels immédiats des catégories de la population les plus affectées, particulièrement les enfants, les femmes enceintes, les mères allaitant et les personnes âgées. Des compléments nutritionnels seront intégrés aux distributions alimentaires du PAM (source : PAM).

Par ailleurs, le PAM a demandé une aide de 34 millions de US$ pour alimenter 800.000 personnes pendant 6 mois en Haïti et de 17,5 millions de US$ pour couvrir le coup logistique. Entre le 26 août et le 15 septembre le PAM a distribué 899 tonnes d'alimentation pour aider 212.511 personnes.

A WFP-chartered ship in Port-au-prince being loaded with supplies for Gonaives

Bilan au 15 septembre 2008 :

A Cuba, la population a profité de la journée de dimanche pour se "retrousser les manches" afin de nettoyer les rues et les routes des arbres et branches tombées et des divers débris dus aux vents de Gustav et Ike. Par ailleurs, les autorités sanitaires ont appellé la communauté à renforcer les mesures d'hygiène dans les maisons pour empêcher l'apparition d'épidémies. Une attention spéciale est accordée à l'éradication des rats et des moustiques.

Pinar del Rio s'est connecté au système électrique national

Photo Calixto N. Llanes.

Des équipes médicales travaillent pour protéger les milliers de personnes qui sont toujours évacuées et ne peuvent pas retourner à leur domicile. Les équipes contrôlent aussi l'approvisionnement pour assurer la qualité sanitaire de l'alimentation.

Deux secteurs productifs domestiques importants ont redémarré :

- l'industrie du nickel, avec les usines situées dans la province orientale de Holguin

- et l'industrie pétrochimique à Cienfuegos.

Les autorités nationales ont mobilisé 236 personnes pour la direction des opérations ; 1500 centres préparent et distribuent des denrées alimentaires ; 2300 abris pour 158.000 personnes; 9.600 véhicules de transport...

Par ailleurs,  l'Institut national du Logement offre un appui logistique et des avis de contrôle de la qualité pour les familles intéressées par la reconstruction de leur maison, vu que beaucoup d'entre elles ne connaissent pas les techniques du bâtiments et que la population fournit 70% de la main d'oeuvre pour la remise en état. Ces conseils pourraient empêcher de plus grands dommages sur les bâtiments à l'avenir.

Photo AP

Dans le secteur agricole, l'accent est mis sur la remise en culture de produits de consommation courante tant pour les humains que pour le cheptel. Les champs de café, représentant des milliers d'arbres, doivent être éclaircis afin de semer des produits à cycle court. En effet, plus de 4000 tonnes d'aliments ont été ravagées par l'ouragan Ike en raison de la destruction des toits des entrepôts. Les provinces les plus touchées sont celles de Holguín, La Tunas et le Nord de Camagüey, mais il y a des dommages dans tout le pays.

Une cinquantaine de jeunes aident à la récolte du café à Sancti Spíritus

Les centres éducatifs qui ont été affectés par les ouragans profiteront d'une alternative : les différentes sections seront regroupées et d'autres sites seront utilisés, comme des maisons privées ou des bâtiments publics, en attendant la reconstruction d'écoles.

Toutes les provinces travaillent également à la restauration du service de distribution d'électricité dans les secteurs affectés. La situation de réservoirs d'eau est  aussi très étroitement contrôlée (OCHA et Diario de la juventud de Cuba) Voir également le blog (en espagnol) Yohandry’s Weblog

Les jeunes collaborent aux missions effectuées par la Défense civile dans les municipalités.

Photo Luis Raúl Vázquez Muñoz

En Haïti, dans la ville des Gonaïves, l'eau continue à reculer dans les parties centrales de ville, permettant à de plus nombreuses personnes de retourner dans leurs maisons et l'aide est plus facilement distribuée. Les évaluations sont en cours, avec une attention particulère, dans les départements du Sud. Cependant, les cas de malaria augmentent et les conditions de vie dans les abris temporaires doivent être améliorées. La situation générale dans les quartiers centraux de la ville retournent à la normale et la tension semble diminuer. Un souci quant à la situation dans la ville est celui de l'augmentation des prix naissants des provisions générales, qui pourraient mener à des protestations.

Le nombre de morts selon la direction de la protection civile (DPC) s'élève à 337 et 170.000 familles étant affectées suite aux tempêtes tropicales Fay, Hanna, Gustav et Ike. Quelques secteurs dans les départements du Sud n'ont toujours pas pu être atteints, mais la région reçoit, par endroits, une attention croissante des associations humanitaires et bénéficie de plans d'évaluation et de distributions de vivres.

Haïti, le 10 septembre (Vidéo Le Monde.fr, images Reuters)

[dailymotion id=k1LaASudlgsHRDLmW3]

Monday, Sept. 15, 2008 — Another three local Red Cross volunteers will leave out of Orlando today to help the relief effort in Texas after Hurricane Ike.

Over this past weekend, the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter has been busy pulling volunteers to send as part of a massive deployment of volunteers from all over America to join more than 2,000 volunteers already stationed in Texas providing sheltering and mobile feeding in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

The three local volunteers leaving today include Linda Haskins, Daphne Gray, and Shirley Hannah-Bullock. Already in Texas are Anan Smith, Dan Sebright, and husband and wife Russell and Bobbi Miller, all of whom left either on Thursday before the storm arrived, on Sunday, or early Monday morning.

Local chapter volunteers gave today’s deploying volunteers a personal thank you at the airport. Volunteers deploying to Texas will sacrifice the comfort of their homes to deploy to an area that is experiencing numerous hardships and where living conditions are less than favorable.

“The Polk County Chapter is proud to endorse their deployment to assist the residents of Texas in their time of need,” said Linda Scialo, Programs and Services Director for the Polk County Chapter.

“For volunteers who are unable to deploy, a special thank you goes out to you for remaining behind with me to assist in Polk County, if necessary, allowing others to deploy,” Scialo said. “You are all valuable to the Polk County Chapter. Keep up the good work.”

The Red Cross estimates that the cost for Hurricane Gustav will range from $40-70 million. The cost for Hurricane Ike could easily exceed that cost. A national fundraising campaign is underway to raise an initial $100 million to help victims of recent disasters, especially since the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund is depleted from a record number of tornadoes this year, the worst flooding in the Midwest in 15 years, an early wildfire season and an active hurricane season that is not over yet.

The Disaster Relief Fund gives people the chance to help anywhere in the nation. To ensure the Red Cross continues its help for disaster victims, we need your help. We are calling on everyone to support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which allows the Red Cross to provide help whenever and wherever disasters occur.

For more information about the American Red Cross response to Hurricane Ike, visit the online newsroom at http://hurricaneike.wordpress.com. For information on how to prepare for a tropical storm or hurricane, please visit www.redcross.org, or en Español – www.cruzrojaamericana.org. To help the Red Cross respond to this and other major disasters, donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or visiting www.redcross.org.

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. The Red Cross is not a government agency, and is funded directly by donations. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.

Local couple to spend anniversary helping Red Cross prepare for and respond to hurricane in Texas

Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 — This week, the Red Cross called out for volunteers to deploy to Texas ahead of Hurricane Ike.

Russell and Bobbi Miller, Polk County Red Cross volunteers, have answered the call and deployed Thursday. Russell had just completed three weeks on deployment helping with relief efforts for Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Gustav. The two had planned to spend their anniversary Sept. 13 on Key West, but reservations got canceled when Ike brushed the Keys.

Bobbi and Russell had already packed Red Cross clothing, just in case.

“One thing about the Red Cross is flexibility,” Russell said, “…because things change constantly.”

When asked about the deployment, Bobbi said, “I’m very happy we are going together on our anniversary.”

The two were apart over the last three weeks while Russell deployed driving a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle to affected areas in Florida after Tropical Storm Fay and in Mississippi before and after impact by Hurricane Gustav.

He and fellow ERV driver Ken Shelton left Polk County on Friday, Aug. 22, picked up a new ERV from the manufacturer in Orlando, and spent a week bringing relief to people in Ft. Pierce and then in Tallahassee, in Leon County, before being sent to Hattiesburg, Miss.

They went from shipping bulk to taking supplies to people affected by the storms, as well as helping feed people and stock shelters, receiving hugs of thanks from residents along the way. Russell said it was bittersweet leaving the ERV: They put the first 3,000 miles on it.

Bobbi and Russell stayed in contact through it all by cell phone until he returned on Tuesday, Sept. 9. After a couple days’ rest, he and Bobbi were ready to head out, together this time.

They joined the Red Cross to help people, and they are most happy when they can do that. The couple lost their home in Hurricane Charley, and turned their experience into one of helping others. Many Red Cross volunteers joined after receiving help, wanting to give back. Bobbi says it’s one way she can comfort people, telling them she knows what they are going through.

For more information about the American Red Cross response to Hurricane Ike, visit the online newsroom at http://hurricaneike.wordpress.com. For information on how to prepare for a tropical storm or hurricane, please visit www.redcross.org, or en Español – www.cruzrojaamericana.org. To help the Red Cross respond to this and other major disasters, donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or visiting www.redcross.org.

"Je ne crois pas que lever l'embargo  serait une décision intelligente" a répondu Condoleezza Rice et le gouvernement Bush a refusé.

Le 11/09/2001, Cuba avait mis tous ses aéroports à la disposition du gouvernement des Etats-Unis en cas de besoin, et, après l'ouragan Katrina, qui a ravagé la Nouvelle-Orléans, en 2005, avait proposé l'envoi de 1.500 médecins pour venir en aide aux victimes américaines.

Une autre vision de Cuba.

Cuba et la lutte pour la survie.
2 commentaires

Lire la suite sur http://www.bellaciao.org/fr/spip.php?article71086

• Iran: Earthquake - Sep 2008
• Philippines: Landslides - Sep 2008
• Egypt: Landslide - Sep 2008
• Hurricane Ike - Sep 2008
• Chile: Floods - Sep 2008
• Hurricane Hanna - Aug 2008
• China: Earthquake in Sichuan Province - Aug 2008
• Hurricane Gustav - Aug 2008
• China: Earthquake in Yunnan Province - Aug 2008
• Typhoon Nuri - Aug 2008
• Tropical Storm Fay - Aug 2008
• Chad: Floods - Aug 2008
• Paraguay: Severe Local Storm - Aug 2008
• Sudan: Floods - Aug 2008
• Tropical Storm Kammuri - Aug 2008
• Pakistan: Floods - Aug 2008
• Central and Eastern Europe: Floods - Jul 2008
• Hurricane Dolly - Jul 2008
• Guatemala: Landslides - Jul 2008
• Typhoon Kalmaegi - Jul 2008
• Philippines: Ferry Disaster/Toxic Cargo - Jul 2008
• Madagascar: Rift Valley Fever - Jul 2008
• Peru: Cold Wave - Jul 2008
• Nepal: Floods - Jul 2008
• West Africa: Floods - Jul 2008
• Nicaragua: Floods - Jun 2008
• Bangladesh: Floods - Jun 2008
• South East Asia: Typhoon Fengshen - Jun 2008
• Suriname: Floods - Jun 2008
• India: Floods - Jun 2008
• Gambia: Severe Local Storm - Jun 2008
• Philippines: Flash Floods - Jun 2008
• Central America: Tropical Storm Arthur - May 2008
• Central America: Tropical Storm Alma - May 2008
• Colombia: Floods - May 2008
• China: Floods - May 2008
• Colombia: Earthquake - May 2008
• Chile: Floods - May 2008
• Philippines: Tropical Cyclone Halong - May 2008
• Philippines: Flash Floods - May 2008
• China: Earthquake in Sichuan Province - May 2008
• Chile: Volcano Chaitén - May 2008
• Myanmar: Tropical Cyclone Nargis - May 2008
• Southeast Asia: Floods - May-Aug 2008
• Sri Lanka: Floods - Apr 2008
• China: Typhoon Neoguri - Apr 2008
• DR Congo: Airplane Crash - Apr 2008
• Colombia: Nevado del Huila Volcano - Apr 2008
• Papua New Guinea: Landslides - Apr 2008
• Argentina: Floods - Mar 2008
• Albania: Explosions - Mar 2008
• Paraguay: Floods - Mar 2008
• Mozambique: Cyclone Jokwe - Mar 2008
• Kazakhstan: Floods - Mar 2008
• Peru: Floods - Feb 2008
• Philippines: Floods and Landslides - Feb 2008
• Madagascar: Cyclone Ivan - Feb 2008
• Ecuador: Floods - Feb 2008
• Great Lakes: Earthquake - Feb 2008
• South Pacific: Tropical Cyclone Gene - Jan 2008
• Tajikistan: Cold Wave - Jan 2008
• China: Cold Wave - Jan 2008
• Brazil: Floods - Jan 2008
• Tanzania: Floods - Jan 2008
• Colombia: Volcanic Eruption - Jan 2008
• Afghanistan: Avalanches and Heavy Snowfalls - Jan 2008
• Chile: Volcano - Jan 2008
• Ecuador: Tungurahua Volcano - Jan 2008
• Kyrgyzstan: Osh Earthquake - Jan 2008

Barring Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions almost all the other disasters can be attributed to GLOBAL WARMING. The much hyped Kyoto Protocol isnt enough to tackle these disasters. Though it can prevent from further damaged, but what about the damage already caused?? Surely, that cannot be undone.. "Extreme and risky action the only way to tackle global warming", say scientists in collection of Royal Society Papers. The experts say a reluctance "The experts say a reluctance "at virtually all levels" to address soaring greenhouse gas emissions means carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are on track to pass 650 parts-per-million (ppm), which could bring an average global temperature rise of 4C. They call for more research on geo-engineering options to cool the Earth, such as dumping massive quantities of iron into oceans to boost plankton growth, and seeding artificial clouds over oceans to reflect sunlight back into space.
Well one things for sure; desperate measures need to be taken and if they arent then the director's imagination seems not to be far behind :-(

L'oeil de l'ouragan a atteint Galveston (Texas, sud) à environ 02h10 (07h10 GMT) samedi, alors qu'il était de catégorie 2.

Aucune information n'avait encore fait état de victime en début de matinée (heure locale), les secours n'osant pas encore sortir par peur des vents qui soufflaient toujours à des vitesses impressionnantes plusieurs heures après le début de la tempête. Avant même que le jour se lève, des dégâts catastrophiques ont été constatés. Des milliers de maisons et bâtiments administratifs ont été inondés, de même que les routes complètement balayées par une marée de tempête. De nombreux résidents le long de la côte ont été pris au piège dans leurs maisons.

Inondations et maison en feu à Galveston, Texas (12/09/08)

Photo David J. Phillip / AP

Afin de donner une idée de l'étendue possible des désastres, il est important de signaler que Ike est équivalent en superficie à celle de l'Etat du Texas (soit une fois et demie la France). L'ouragan était accompagné samedi matin de vents de 175 km/h et se dirigeait droit sur Houston, quatrième ville des Etats-Unis avec 2,2 millions d'habitants et centre pétrolier majeur, situé à quelques 70 kilomètres de la station balnéaire de Galveston. Cette ville côtière, la plus proche de Houston, était déjà depuis vendredi soir plongée dans le noir, sans électricité, et l'eau de mer mélangée à de la boue envahissait les rues. Des vagues gigantesques, liées à la marée de tempête, hautes de 5 mètres franchissaient la digue protégeant l'île de Galveston, balayant rivage et infrastructures touristiques de cette ville de 58.000 habitants entre lagune et golfe du Mexique.

Maison prise au piège par la marée de tempête (12/09/08)

Photo David J. Phillip / AP

Une bande côtière longue de 640 km dans les Etats du Texas et de la Louisiane a été placée en état d'alerte. Le président George W. Bush, qui a décrété l'état d'urgence au Texas, Etat dont il fut gouverneur, s'est déclaré "très inquiet" vendredi. Quelque 1.500 soldats se préparaient à répondre à l'urgence et l'USS Nassau, un bâtiment de débarquement avec 45 hélicoptères et quatre avions, devait appareiller.

Le chef de la division d'évaluation du Service Météorologique national, a souligné que la marée de tempête était moins importante que prévu, mais la région n'était pas encorehors de danger car Ike continue sa trajectoire. La marée de tempête samedi matin était environ de 4 m à Sabine Pass au Texas, selon les jauges. La montée à Galveston était 3m, environ la moitié de ce qui avait été prévu.

À Houston, à environ 95 km à l'intérieur des terres, 911 opérateurs ont reçu environ 1250 appels durant les 24 dernières heures. Les rues autour de la zone du théâtre de la ville sont devenues de véritables cours d'eau et des éclats de verre sont tombés des gratte-ciel. Les résidents ont été priés de rester à l'intérieur de leurs habitations samedi matin. La population est, par ailleurs privée d'électricité.

Houston est frappée par l'ouragan Ike, le 13 septembre 2008

Photo AFP/Getty Images - Mark Wilson

Bulletin du NHC à 15h00 GMT :

A 10:00 AM CDT (15h00 GMT), le centre de l'ouragan Ike était situé à 31° de latitude Nord et 95°3 de longitude Ouest, soit tout près de Trinity au Texas, à 35 km au Nord-Nord-Est de Huntsville (Texas) et à environ 60 km à l'Ouest-Sud-Ouest de Lufkin (Texas).

Ike se déplace vers le Nord à environ 26 km/h. Un virage vers le Nord-Nord-Est est prévu plus tard aujourd'hui avec un virage de la trajectoire vers le Nord-Est et une accélération de la vitesse cette nuit et demain.. Selon cette trajectoire, le centre de Ike devrait se déplacer à travers l'Est et le Nord-Est du Texas aujourd'hui et dans l'Ouest de l'Arkansas cette nuit.

Trajectoire de Ike prévue à 15h00 GMT

Source NHC/NOAA

Les vents soutenus ont diminué et soufflent à 130 km/h. Ike a été rétrogradé en catégorie 1. Un affaiblissement est prévu en même temps que l'ouragan se déplace vers l'intérieur du continent. Cependant Ike pourrait rester un ouragan cet après-midi.

La pression minimum au centre est estimée à 964 hPa et durant l'heure écoulée (entre 14h et 15h GMT), elle était de 968,5 hPa à Huntsville (Texas) à l'Ouest du centre de l'ouragan.

Une marée de tempête de plus de 5 m au-dessus du niveau normal avec une possibilité de plus de 6m dans les baies et les rivières pourrait exister le long du haut du Texas et des côtes Sud-Ouest de la Louisiane.

Image Satellite GOES-Floater/NOAA à 15h45 GMT

Source : NOAA

Un cumul de précipitations de 125 à 250 mm sur l'Est du Texas et l'extrême Sud-Ouest de la Louisiane, avec des cumuls isolés de 380 mm sont possibles. Un cumul de précipitations de 75 à 150 mm avec des maxima de 300 mm sont possibles à travers le Sud-Est de l'Oklahoma, l'Ouest de l'Arkansas, le Sud et l'Est du Missouri, l'Illinois, le Nord de l'Indiana et le Sud du Michigan, dimanche.

Source officielle : NHC/NOAA

Sources : AP et AFP