Irene Churns Toward the East Coast

Hurricane Irene marched north Thursday once battering the Bahamas, threatening to hammer the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Saturday before raking the jap seaboard on its thanks to ny and New England.

Irene, a class three storm packing a hundred and fifteen mile-per-hour winds as of five p.m. Thursday, may still strengthen, forecasters said. And its projected path hugging the coast may modification, they said, bringing the storm additional inland.

"Any additional deviation to the left may bring direct impact as so much inland because the Washington-Baltimore space," said Bill scan, director of the National Hurricane Center, in a very conference decision with reporters. "The remainder of the jap seaboard is well among the trail of this storm."

Officials within the Bahamas reported power outages, flooding and substantial injury to buildings because the storm moved through. As of 5 p.m. Thursday, the storm was concerning two hundred miles east of South Florida.

Irene is predicted to lose some force because it interacts with land and encounters wind shear and cooler waters, said Mr. Read. however it may reach the ny space as a class a pair of storm, with winds around a hundred mph.

It is expected to dump 5 to ten inches of rain throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. as a result of a lot of of the world is already saturated from downpours earlier this year, residents were warned to expect serious flooding.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is getting ready for the storm's aftermath by trucking provides, as well as generators, bottled water and tarps, to staging bases in North Carolina, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

In North Carolina, where Gov. Bev Perdue and President Barack Obama every declared states of emergency, officers began ordering the evacuation of areas as well as the Outer Banks, a long, slim series of barrier islands where the population swells with tourists within the summer, drawn by the beaches and restricted commercialization.

State and native emergency-management agencies are responding to the potential disaster at a time when their funding has been cut considerably, as have budgets for state troopers and alternative departments that are summoned to assist throughout a disaster. North Carolina's emergency-management budget is $3.04 million this year, a thirty eighth decrease from $4.92 million 3 years ago.

But officers say they need custom-made their procedures to accommodate the cuts. they will conjointly count on matching federal greenbacks ought to a disaster occur.

Tourists steadily departed the Outer Banks on Thursday, posting parting shots of the sunny beach on their Facebook pages. At Hatteras Island Pet Resort, owner Andrea Brothers said goodbye to the twelve animals she had been caring for on as their tourist house owners left, and she or he began prepping the kennels to shelter animals once the storm, in case the county shelter desires area on the island.

Ms. Brothers bought a generator and stocked up on Gatorade, cheese sticks and pet food, in preparation for what might be a protracted weekend at her home in Avon on Hatteras Island.

Locals are prepping for the storm to return up the Intracoastal Waterway, doubtless flooding the island and blocking access to bridges to the mainland.

"We're somewhat bit nervous, to be honest," she said. "We absolutely expect to own roads out for a few time."

In Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell conjointly declared a state of emergency and therefore the Navy's Second Fleet sent warships based mostly in Norfolk out to ocean, where they will higher weather the storm.

Given the likelihood that Irene may strike the nation's capital, federal officers postponed the Sunday dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on the National Mall.

Mr. Obama was scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the event once returning Saturday from vacation on Martha's Vineyard. The president currently has no plans to chop short his vacation.

New Jersey and ny each declared states of emergency Thursday. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie warned residents and tourists to remain far from the shore this weekend.

Long Beach Island, N.J., a set of municipalities on a barrier island concerning 2 hours south of latest York town, issued a voluntary evacuation order Thursday afternoon. The order becomes necessary Friday morning.

In ny town, the mass-transit system may pack up for a lot of of the weekend if Hurricane Irene arrives as is currently predicted, Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman Jay Walder said Thursday evening.

The transit agency, that runs the city's subways, buses and a number of other commuter trains, cannot guarantee the protection of riders and workers if sustained winds reach higher than thirty-nine miles per hour, Mr. Walder said. Even a weakened Irene would bring winds in way over that speed, creating it seemingly that the MTA can begin shutting down service Saturday morning. There might be lingering delays and repair outages into Monday's morning rush hour.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg—whose credibility took successful together with his administration's sluggish response to a blizzard in December—traveled to a flood-prone space in Queens on Thursday to deliver a comprehensive briefing on the city's hurricane plans.

The mayor said he may decide as early as Friday night whether or not to evacuate New Yorkers in low-lying areas, like Coney Island in Brooklyn. "We haven't got enough data nevertheless to form that decision," he said.

Mr. Bloomberg said the newest reports he had seen showed Irene reaching the ny space on Sunday and presumably hitting Long Island as a class a pair of storm. ny town officers said they expected town to be hit with tropical-storm conditions, that embrace serious rain and winds of thirty-nine mph to seventy three mph.

—Carol E. Lee, Nathan Hodge, Siobhan Hughes and Andrew Grossman contributed to the present

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Penggunaan Kertas Sembahyang

Penggunaan Kertas Sembahyang

Diwariskan oleh Maha Mula Acharya Liansheng

Disampaikan oleh Vajra Master Lian Ji

Bila tidak enak badan, berdiri di depan pintu utama rumah sambil membawa tiga batang dupa serta menghadap ke arah keberuntungan bagi shio masing-masing.

Memohon kuasa dan campur tangan Para Buddha maupun para Suciwan , supaya penyakit dan rasa sakit dilebur ke angkasa sunya, demikian juga dengan semua rintangan dan bencana.

Dimulai dengan:

1. Kertas Tujuh Buddha, (qi fo jin zhi ). Manusia pada umumnya mempunyai karma warana bawaan yang datang dari avidya, karma warana ini akan menjadi berbagai rintangan dalam kehidupan kita, sehingga usaha positip apapun yang kita lakukan selalu mendapat halangan, untuk itu kertas ini dipakai. Kertas ini sebaiknya dibacakan dengan dharani Ta Pei Cou atau Maha Karuna Dharani 7 kali.

2. Kertas Cintamani (ru yi jin zhi) bermanfaat memperlancar segala usaha duniawi terutama usaha bisnis agar dapat mencapai hasil optimal sesuai kehendak kita, biasanya dibacakan mantera Bunda Emas: 'Om Jinmu Siti Hum'.

3. Kertas Wangsen/Penyeberangan Arwah dibacakan ” Om Ha Ha Ha Wei San Mo Ye Soha” berguna untuk menghapus karma buruk masa lalu dosa pembunuhan, menolong para leluhur terlepas dari alam penderitaan dan mendapat manfaatnya. Juga agar pelaksanaan usahanya berkembang, badan jasmani dan rohani sehat semua masalah dapat teratasi.

4. Kertas Rezeki 4 Penjuru berguna untuk menambah/mengobati Tutikung (Dewa Bumi) yang lagi lemah energi-Nya/sakit.

5. Kertas Penyembuh Penyakit (chu ji jin zhi) untuk tolak bala dan penyakit, manusia pada umumnya tidak luput dari penderitaan sakit yang amat mengganggu kehidupan sehari-hari, kertas ini membantu mengikis karma buruk penderita penyakit serta mengembalikan kesehatan kita.

Semua kertas dibakar, diperabukan untuk para Makhluk Suci. Kertas Penyembuhan juga diambil secukupnya untuk dibakar di atas lantai dan dilangkahi tiga kali (bolak balik dihitung satu kali, dan membalik tubuh harus balik kanan – sesuai arah jarum jam).

Maka penyakit akan segera membaik, ini yang diwariskan oleh Mahaguru. Hari ini kita semua berjodoh, metode ini bisa membantu banyak orang, yang paling utama adalah kita harus berterima kasih pada Guru.

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Historic mosques, Ramadhan traditions

Ramadhan brings with it not only the obligatory month of fasting, but also various optional rituals like tarawih (evening prayers).

In Surakarta, Central Java, practically all the old and historic mosques are more crowded and livelier, from the fast-breaking hour to the evening.

Mosques like Masjid Laweyan, dating from 1546; Masjid Agung Surakarta, dating from 1763; and Al Wustho Mangkunegaran from 1855 — which are quiet most of the year — regain a lost dynamism during Ramadhan.

Worshippers from Surakarta and nearby towns like Sukoharjo, Karanganyar, Sragen and Wonogiri swarm the city’s mosques, with old mosques also uniquely managing the optional ceremonies and traditions of Ramadhan like tarawih, khataman (reciting the Koran by heart) and iktikaf (staying in a mosque for worship) in the last 10 days of the fasting month.

“During Ramadhan, I always join tarawih at Masjid Agung. This is the court’s heritage and believe it or not, we’ll be blessed,” said Prasojo, who came all the way from Kismantoro in Wonogiri, more than 90 kilometers from Surakarta.

Tarawih in the mosque of the Kasunanan Court of Surakarta features two groups with different modes of worship, one applying 11 rakaat (prayer ritual movements) and the other 23 rakaat. 

“When performing isya [obligatory evening prayers], the entire congregation is under one imam. After that they separate for tarawih with their respective imams,” said Masjid Agung executive chair H. Slamet Aby. 

The two groups occupy separate rooms in the mosque and usually the 23-rakaat group begins their tarawih earlier, followed a bit later by the other group. The volume of the speakers is adjusted so neither group disturbs the other.

“This is a tradition of pluralism and tolerance at this mosque that has gone on for decades. It began in the 1980s,” said Slamet Aby, adding that originally those that performed 23 rakaat were more numerous. 

In 1983, K.H. Muthohar Al Hafidz, head of the Ta’fid Wattaqlimil Qur’an Islamic boarding school in the mosque complex, separated the groups. “It’s tolerated as long as no Islamic law is violated as a reflection of solidarity and mutual respect,” he said.

The separation is only during tarawih, after which the two gather again for tadarusan (group readings of the Koran). 

“I’ve joined tarawih here for ten Ramadhans and everything has been fine,” said Suratman, a Wonogiri resident and 11-rakaat adherent.

Historic: Masjid Al Wustho Mangkunegaran in Surakarta was built during the reign of Mangkunegoro I.Ramadhan in Surakarta’s oldest mosque, Masjid Laweyan, also has a unique feature. The mosque, built in 1546 during the time of the Pajang Kingdom, is a pilgrimage destination. It is said that the religious experience of Surakarta residents is not complete until they have visited the tombs behind the mosque. 

In the royal cemetery are the tombs of Ki Ageng Henis, a forebear of the Mataram kings, and Mataram sovereigns, consorts and relatives like Pakubuwono II, the consorts of Pakubuwono V, Nyi Ageng Pandanaran, Nyi Ageng Pati and Prince Widjil I Kadilangu. 

Unsurprisingly, the mosque and cemetery located on the fringes of Laweyan, known as a batik center, is always crowded with pilgrims during Ramadhan. Devotees practice ascetic acts and bring offerings like incense and petal water to the tombs. 

“Aside from regular people, some officials and public figures also come here for blessings. They seek marriage partners, rank promotions and recover from illnesses,” said mosque and graveyard caretaker Nur Amin Mahmudi.

At night, particularly on Thursdays, the mosque — which has distinctive Hindu-Javanese architecture — is increasingly packed by those performing iktikaf, the number growing as the end of Ramadhan nears. 

At prayer: Tarawih or Ramadhan evening prayers are performed at Masjid Agung Surakarta.“In the last 10 days of the fasting month, all the doors leading to the main building of the mosque will be opened for iktikaf,” Nur said.

Masjid Al Wustho Mangkunegaran is marked by its khataman tradition. Every evening during the fasting month, the voices of people reciting the Koran can be heard from the mosque built during the reign of Mangukunegoro I and renovated by Thomas Herman Karsten in 1878. 

The recitations begin before fast-breaking and continue after tarawih until midnight. 

“Some groups engage in khataman for a week, others do it for two weeks and still others for a month,” said Masjid Al Wustho executive H.M. Thoha Musthofa. Over the last five years, 40 to 50 people have joined the Ramadhan recitation at Al Wustho, mostly local residents, he said. 

The mosque will get livelier on the 21st day of the fasting month, called malam selikuran, when a lot of people from other areas visit Al Wustho for iktikaf. They will spend the night to join tadarusan and later seek blessings from the thousand-moon night or lailatulkadar on the 27th day of the month, he said.

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Indonesia holds expo to support mother, youngsters health

JAKARTA, Aug. nineteen  -- An expo to support mother and kids health opened on Friday in Indonesia and a minister said that it might facilitate the government's efforts to attain targets within the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Minister for Women's Empowerment and kids Protection Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar in her welcoming remarks said that she was happy as non-public sector conjointly moves to produce data to the general public regarding the importance of healthy growth and protection for youngsters.

"Hopefully, this may facilitate the govt. achieve targets within the MDGs, particularly points variety four, 5 and 6, that are reaching gender equality, reducing infant and maternal mortality rate, increasing mother's health similarly as reducing unfold of HIV/AIDS and different contagious diseases," said Gumelar at "Mom's Babies and children Expo" on Aug. 19-21.

She said that primarily based on information of Demographic Survey 2007 released by the Central Bureau of Statistics each 5 years, Maternal Mortality Rate as a result of pregnancy, giving birth and once giving birth was still at 228/100,000 of live birth. Meanwhile, she added, Infant Mortality Rate was still at 34/1, 000 of live birth.

"This is our concern as these facts are still so much behind our target within the MDGs. we've got to scale back them. we have a tendency to still have four years ahead and that we need to be optimistic and putting your all into with varied efforts, not solely by the govt. however conjointly by folks and personal sector," said Gumelar. She conjointly noted gab in access to education for boys and ladies, high rate of early wedding, and low rate of girls participation in development.

"There are such a lot of things we've got to resolve. we want breakthroughs in facing the condition," said Gumelar.

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UCI creates first-ever map of Antarctic glaciers By PAT BRENNAN

Scientists at UC Irvine have created a first-ever map of glaciers across the Antarctic continent, revealing new details of speed and movement that ought to prove important in forecasting sea-level rise from international warming.

The scientists stitched along billions of knowledge points from a spread of satellite measurements, uncovering a glacial tributary reaching farther inland than expected, yet as previously unknown formations moving as quick as nine,000 feet or additional per year over thousands of miles toward the Antarctic coast.

They conjointly mapped the previously uncharted glacial landscape of east Antarctica, that spans some seventy seven % of the five.4 million-square-mile continent.

And they found that the glaciers — primarily rivers of ice — slide toward the coast along bedrock all the means into the inside of the continent, a replacement discovery that might amendment estimates of future sea-level rise linked to planetary warming.

“It's a game-changer for glaciology,” lead author Eric Rignot, an enquiry scientist at UC Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in an exceedingly statement released by UCI. “We're seeing wonderful flows from the guts of the continent that had never been described before.”

The new study, revealed on-line Thursday in Science categorical, doesn't estimate whether or not Antarctic glaciers are melting in response to climate amendment – partially as a result of most of the info on the speed and movement of the glacial network is current.

Most of the info was collected from 2007 to 2009.

“What it's showing is velocity” of glacial movement, said UC Irvine researcher Bernd Scheuchl. “It's providing a snapshot that may be a reference knowledge set for future generations of researchers.”

But Rignot, who makes a speciality of tracking polar ice, and different scientists found in an exceedingly separate, 18-year study that the melting of ice sheets seems to be accelerating at each poles.

The new study conjointly concerned UCI scientist Jeremie Mouginot and researchers from NASA, the ecu and Canadian area agencies and also the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, among others.

The data came from European, Japanese and Canadian satellites.

The study was done as a part of a worldwide effort known as the International Polar Year.

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