Irene moves to Canada, US damage estimate $7b

In the US, the storm claimed at least 19 lives and caused estimated economic damage of up to $7 billion.

Millions of people were without power along the East Coast after the huge storm — now downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone — passed over the Big Apple and headed for Canada.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center warned late Sunday of “major river flooding occurring in parts of the northeast,” after President Barack Obama cautioned that recovery efforts would last for “weeks or longer.”

“I want people to understand that this is not over,” Obama said in a short statement in the White House Rose Garden.

“I do want to underscore that the impacts of this storm will be felt for some time… Power may be out for days in some areas.”

The governor of Vermont, Peter Shumlin, said his state was in “tough shape” while New York state s Andrew Cuomo warned of “tremendous flooding” in the Catskill Mountain area north of Manhattan.

In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie said roads and rails were “impassable” in some areas, and much of the state had seen “significant flooding.”

Localized flooding occurred in the south and east of Manhattan, with more serious incidents in Brooklyn, where the famed Coney Island amusement park took a battering and outlying beaches were swamped.

There was heavy flooding along the low-lying south shore of Long Island where high tides, rain and ocean surge drove waves right up against expensive beach houses. Floods were also reported far inland after torrential rain.

At least 18 deaths were blamed on the storm, which first slammed into North Carolina on Saturday as a Category One hurricane, before turning north up the coast and weakening.

Initial property damage estimates ranged up to $7 billion.

The youngest victim, an 11-year-old boy, died when a tree crashed through his apartment building in Newport News, Virginia.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced that New York area airports — John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia and Newark — would reopen on Monday. More than 10,000 flights were cancelled across the eastern United States.

The New York Stock Exchange said it was set to reopen as normal Monday morning.

“The good news is the worst is over and we will soon return to restore and return mode,” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, announcing that 370,000 people ordered to evacuate could now go back home.

More than a million evacuees in New Jersey were also headed home, Christie said.

City officials however warned that commuting into New York could be a nightmare this week with no firm indication of when public transport would be back on track following an unprecedented shut-down just ahead of the hurricane.

“You re going to have a tough commute in the morning,” mass transit chairman Jay Walder said.

Walder said buses could start running soon, but subway trains needed extensive testing of lines and equipment.

Irene also left swaths of territory without power, including one million in New York state, most of them on Long Island, according to Cuomo.

In New Jersey, 650,000 people had lost power supplies, while in the greater Washington area, nearly two million people lost electricity. In Massachusetts, 500,000 customers were without power.

Virginia s Governor Bob McDonnell told MSNBC his state had seen the second biggest power outage in its history.

“It s going to be days, perhaps a week, before all the power s restored. We just ask people to be patient,” he said.

About 200,000 households have lost power in Canada, officials said.

Some 65 million people live in the urban corridor from Washington north to Boston. More than 4.5 million customers lost power in that area and well inland.

In Atlantic City, a gambling resort on the New Jersey shore, locals started to put their lives back together, while counting the costs of a weekend shutdown during the high season.

“We were expecting to make good money, but you cannot fight with Mother Nature,” said Riaz Rajput as he removed plywood storm screens from the windows of his shop.

On Cape Cod in Massachusetts, waves of up to six feet (1.8 meters) crashed over some coastal roads, but most residents and tourists let out a collective sigh of relief.

“We re having a little bit of a hurricane party,” said T.J. Wolnar, who was confident his beachfront home could withstand the high winds.

“It s good the storm isn t as strong as it was going to be.”

Hurricanes are rare in the northeastern United States — the last major hurricane to hit New York was Gloria in 1985.

Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center reported that a new tropical storm, Jose, had formed and was approaching Bermuda.

Issue 2 Ohio Results,Ohio Election Results 2009

Issue 2 Ohio Results,Ohio Election Results 2009: particularly Issue 2 Ohio results are hot.  Ohio voting results 2009 and Issue 2 Ohio results are among the many voting results that so many people are concerned about today. Ohio voting results 2009 indicate that soon Ohio will be able to have Vegas style casinos in their very own state due to the passage of Issue 3 during the 2009 November elections.  Those who supported Issue 3 in the Ohio 2009 elections estimate that casinos will bring 34,000 jobs to the state

Issue 2 Ohio Results,Ohio Election Results 2009: particularly Issue 2 Ohio results are hot.  Ohio voting results 2009 and Issue 2 Ohio results are among the many voting results that so many people are concerned about today.

Ohio voting results 2009 indicate that soon Ohio will be able to have Vegas style casinos in their very own state due to the passage of Issue 3 during the 2009 November elections.  Those who supported Issue 3 in the Ohio 2009 elections estimate that casinos will bring 34,000 jobs to the state.

Issue 2 Ohio results deal with livestock.  Unofficial results show that Issue 2 is passed.  This means that the state of Ohio will set up a Livestock Care Standards Board. The board will write standards that must be followed.

Issue 1 in Ohio was also supported during 2009.  Voting results indicate that a constitutional amendment will be passed. This amendment will give bonuses to Ohio residents that served during the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq conflicts.  Those who saw action will see $100 per month of service up to $1,000.  Families of veterans killed will receive $5,000 and those who were noncombatant will get $50 per month of service up to $500.

source:http://www.techbanyan.com

Big Bird’s Birthday

Big Bird’s Birthday: It is always interesting to see what the next special Google doodle is. Today, Google unveiled their latest one and it is a special one for kids of all ages

Big Bird’s Birthday:It is always interesting to see what the next special Google doodle is. Today, Google unveiled their latest one and it is a special one for kids of all ages. Today’s Google doodle features the legs and feet of the lovable Big Bird from Sesame Street.

Google is doing the special Big Bird doodle to celebrate Sesame Street’s 40th anniversary. In fact if you click on the Google doodle with Big Bird’s legs; you will be taken to a search page just of Sesame street.

With the special doodle, it is obvious that the folks at Google love Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, the Cookie Monster and of course Elmo as much we all do. Who does not love the muppets on Sesame Street?

If you ask the Count how old Sesame Street is, he would count you up to 40. Sesame Street first appeared on TV on November 10, 1969.

Sesame Street is the longest running US children program. Sesame Street and its lovable muppets has been educating and entertaining children for 40 years on PBS.

On the November 10th, First Lady Michelle Obama is scheduled appear on the show. She will be working in the garden and educating the kids to eat healthy.

The Google Big Bird doodle may be the cutest one so far. It definitely makes us want to go to Sesame Street. Happy Birthday Sesame Street,

source:http://www.huliq.com

The Columbus Dispatch Reported Wednesday.

The Columbus Dispatch Reported Wednesday: Casino gambling in Ohio came up aces, as voters approved gaming houses for Columbus and three other Ohio cities. Unofficial results indicated the measure garnered about 53 percent of the vote, breaking a streak of four gambling measures that failed to draw voter support, the Columbus Dispatch reported Wednesday. The gaming measure benefited from strong support from unions and civic leaders who worked to get out the vote in the four casino cities – Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo

The Columbus Dispatch Reported Wednesday:Casino gambling in Ohio came up aces, as voters approved gaming houses for Columbus and three other Ohio cities.

Unofficial results indicated the measure garnered about 53 percent of the vote, breaking a streak of four gambling measures that failed to draw voter support, the Columbus Dispatch reported Wednesday.

The gaming measure benefited from strong support from unions and civic leaders who worked to get out the vote in the four casino cities – Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo.

“We’re going to deliver something very special, and we’re going to work very hard with a lot of people,” said Dan Gilbert, the Cleveland Cavaliers owner who has rights to casinos in Cleveland and Cincinnati. “This is not going to be a savior by any means, but it’s another brick in the wall.more info