Posts Tagged ‘cnn’

WebPulse: Lorena Ochoa, Keli McGregor, Dorothy Height, Guru

Lorena Ochoa announced that she was retiring from golf at the age of 28.

Here’s a quick glance at the collective consciousness of the Web on Tuesday:

Lorena Ochoa: Lorena Ochoa, at 28 years old the top-ranked woman in the golf world, announced her retirement today, a shocker to many fans of the sport. Ochoa was considered to be one of the most dominant women in sports. many of the Mexican star’s fans, because of their following of her as a golfer or a role model, commented that they were upset to hear that she was retiring at such a young age. SI’s Alan Shipnuck took a look at Ochoa’s career and life and why the move was such a shock for Golf.com.

Keli McGregor: News that the Colorado Rockies president was found dead in a hotel room reverberated quickly around the Web. Rockies fans spoke of him kindly, with one saying he was as “a good guy in a good organization.” many wondered whether the team would play its game Tuesday night in Washington against the Nationals.

#RIPGuru: Tributes have been pouring in on the Web since MTV confirmed rumors on Twitter that Gang Starr MC Guru (Keith Elam) died at the age of 43. the news sparked Guru’s name to become a top trend on Twitter and Google, with #RIPGuru staying steady throughout the day. Solar, the producer for Guru, spoke with CNN when rumors began that the rapper had become sick, had a heart attack and fell into a coma.

Dorothy Height: many people around the Web are remembering Dorothy Height, a leading civil rights pioneer of the 1960s, after news circulated that she died Tuesday at the age of 98. Height had been chairwoman and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women. she worked in the 1960s alongside civil rights pioneers including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., future U.S. Rep. John Lewis and A. Philip Randolph. she was on the platform when King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the 1963 March on Washington. Praise for her work is coming from everyday folks thankful for her efforts and from President Obama, who called her a hero, saying she “served as the only woman at the highest level of the civil rights movement, witnessing every march and milestone along the way.”

Aid starts to flow in quake-damaged Chile

Concepcion, Chile (CNN) — Aid and increased security were flowing Wednesday into hard-hit areas of Chile, but some residents complained that they still had not received food or water since Saturday’s massive earthquake killed more than 800 people.

President Michelle Bachelet urged residents Wednesday to remain calm despite the shortages and lawlessness in Concepcion, Talcahuano and other areas of central and southern Chile. for the second consecutive day, she also warned that looting will not be tolerated.

“Nobody can argue that taking a refrigerator is an act of survival,” Bachelet said. “That is simply vandalism and delinquency.”

An overnight curfew remained in effect for the third day in Concepcion, the scene of the worst looting. Authorities said they would take whatever steps are necessary to keep order, and 35 people were arrested for curfew violations.

A military presence and citizen patrols appeared to maintain order in the nation’s second-largest city, though CNN’s Sara Sidner said that about 10 percent of the stores in the downtown business district appeared to have been looted.

“There was a moment when this was no-man’s land,” one resident said. “This place was like the Wild West.”

Some supermarkets were open, though checkout lines lasting two to three hours were common.

The death toll increased to 802, with nearly 600 of those fatalities occurring in the Maule region, the National Emergency Office said Wednesday. Nineteen people were missing, said Patricio Rosende, the assistant interior secretary.

Thirty trucks loaded with food and water arrived late Tuesday in Concepcion. The supplies were being distributed Wednesday.

The city’s mayor, Jacqueline Van Rysselberghe, said it was a good start but not nearly enough.

The aid, she told CNN Chile, would be distributed in areas where there has been little or no looting.

Concepcion is less than 10 miles inland from Talcahuano, but the two towns suffered far different fates. in Concepcion, the fatalities and injuries were largely the result of buildings that collapsed.

In coastal Talcahuano, the damage was caused by a tsunami that roared into town about an hour after the quake. When the waters receded, they left large boats stranded inland. in spot, four shrimping vessels lay in a heap, stacked on top of each other.

Much of the gritty port city looked as if a bomb had exploded in it: its buildings reduced to rubble, which was covered with debris.

See scenes of devastation from the quake

The greatest number of deaths occurred in the Maule region, where disaster visited two cities in different ways.

In the central city of Talca, an ancient municipality, the earthquake wiped out many of the older adobe structures, crushing hundreds of residents.

In the coastal city of Constitucion, a large wave caused most of the deaths; officials said half of the city was damaged.

Many Maule area residents said they had received no help.

“We have not received any aid from anyone. nothing. nothing,” said Carlos Basoaldo, one of 6,000 residents of the coastal hamlet of Pelluhue.

“They are only concerned about the big cities,” Basoaldo told CNN Chile.

Security, too, remained a concern.

The mayors of Concepcion, Hualpen and Talcahuano had urgently requested military help, and Bachelet said that more than 13,000 soldiers were being dispatched. many of those soldiers started to reach their destinations Tuesday.

But World Vision’s emergency operations manager said the situation was safe enough for the non-governmental organization to distribute aid in two villages near Concepcion.

“Fortunately enough, we had the collaboration of the government and the army,” Michael Black said from Santiago.

He credited the extension of the curfew from 6 p.m. until noon.

“What emergency operations are doing is, they’re trying to arrive with supplies through the city of Concepcion during the curfew,” he said. “That has worked really well.”

Among the items distributed by the Christian humanitarian group were 10,000 blankets, 5,000 liters of water, 3 tons of food and thousands of sleeping bags, he said.

Santiago, which suffered damage from the quake but was well on its way to recovery Wednesday, is about 270 miles (435 km) northeast of Concepcion.

Concerns about the safety of those buildings that were damaged in the quake were heightened Wednesday afternoon, when a 5.6-magnitude aftershock struck 30 miles south southwest of Valparaiso, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Residents in coastal cities in Chile started to evacuate Wednesday after officials in the fishing village of Dichato and in the city Concepcion warned of a possible tsunami and said they had one hour to leave low-lying areas. The evacuations were halted minutes later when the National Emergency Office said there was no tsunami warning.

Since Saturday’s 8.8-magnitude earthquake, the region has suffered more than 120 aftershocks of 5.0 magnitude or greater, USGS Geophysicist Don Blakeman said. eight of them have been 6.0 or stronger, he said.

The aftershocks further stressed a frightened population.

“The vast majority of the population, if not everyone at this moment, has some symptoms like anxiety, fear, depression,” said Dr. Graciela Rojas, a psychiatrist at the University of Chile’s clinical hospital. “I would say that the next three months will be a time of fear and sadness.”

“Basically, we are all under great stress,” Dr. Matias Gonzalez, a psychiatrist at the University of Chile. “People are afraid; they want to protect their families, and they function emotionally, not rationally.”

The minister of public works said the country’s major highways are open and no part of the country is isolated. in addition, Sergio Bitar said, air connections were being re-established, ports were being fixed, and food and fuel supplies were sufficient.

“There is public order,” he said. “It was a giant earthquake, but we are handling it well.”

But Chile‘s economy, considered by many the most competitive in Latin America, also has taken a hit.

About 70 percent of the nation’s economic production has been affected, particularly fruit and mining sectors, CNN Chile said, citing analysts’ observations.

But officials said Wednesday that they are working to fix some sectors affected by lack of electricity and other necessities. for example, Treasury Minister Andres Velasco said, about 60 percent of the nation’s banks are open.

“Our economy has dealt very well with this situation,” Velasco said. He and Bachelet tried to reassure Chileans that there were sufficient supplies of food, fuel and other goods and urged residents not to hoard.

CNN’s David Ariosto and Tom Watkins contributed to this report.

Archuleta Avenue: 8.8 EARTHQUAKE HITS CHILE


Click on image to make it larger

Sadly, a very powerful earthquake hit Chile late last night. Pictures/videos/interviews are just coming in now via CNN and it looks really bad.

On top of the devastation from the earthquake, there is also a big concern for a tsunami effecting the entire Pacific region, including Hawaii and places as far away as Russia and Japan.

Elliott Yamin, season 5 American Idol contestant, is in Chile now and has been tweeting updates. You can follow his updates HERE.

David was informed of this last night via twitter and expressed his concern:

We need to keep this entire area in our thoughts and prayers. This could be worse than Haiti’s earthquake.

Check cnn.com or follow them on twitter for the latest news and updates

Justin Bieber Dead at 15

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Rumour: Did Johnny Depp die on a car crash? Not True

Let´s see what they said:

The sexiest man alive is still, thankfully, alive.

In yet another example of the Interweb gone terribly wrong, Johnny Depp was faux-killed in France after a car crash late Saturday, sending bloggers into a fact-finding tizzy, and fans tweeting “RIP Johnny Depp” right into a Twitter trending topic.

E! News has confirmed that Depp is alive and well, and was not involved in an accident of any kind.

“He isn’t dead,” Depp’s rep, Robin Baum, told E! News. “He’s fine.”

The Golden Globe winner has been linked to several death rumors in the past, the most recent elaborate hoax using images of a hodgepodge of wrecked vehicles, and even a fake CNN website confirming the news.

At least he’s in good company. over the past year, fellow stars including Taylor Lautner, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Hanks, Miley Cyrus, and countless others have found themselves the recipient of an untimely passing announcement.

How to Help Haiti’s Orphans

Adoptions are expedited as advocates around the globe work to help Haiti’s orphans.

Prior to last week’s earthquake, Haiti was already home to 380,000 orphans (according to the United Nations Children’s Fund). While the new figure remains unknown, it only continues to grow as more children are in need of homes than ever before.

Advocacy groups around the globe are working frantically to expedite already in-progress adoptions, to send rescue workers to evacuate children and petitioning the government to grant special permission to enter the US.

According to the Associated Press, on Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced an emergency humanitarian program, that will allow Haitian orphans to enter the US temporarily on a case-by-case basis. thanks to this policy, 53 children were flown into Pittsburgh early Tuesday, escorted by the state’s governor Edward Rendell. He told CNN, “adoptions are already underway for 47 of the children: 40 to the US, four to Spain and three to Canada.” but this was no small feat; 14 of those kids were missing paperwork, presumably lost in the rubble. Fortunately, Gov. Rendell and Rep. Jason Altmire refused to take no for an answer, and pushed until the US granted humanitarian parole for all 14 kids. by the time they did, however, the plane to Pennsylvania was already in transit. Altmire flew with the kids in a military cargo plane.

On a smaller scale, another promising story recently took place in Florida. Mindy and Oyvind Haehre began the process to adopt Dayana,7, and Moise, 5, back in 2008. the plan was to bring them home to Loveland, Colo. next month, but the earthquake moved things along. Dayana and Moise survived the earthquake (as did all the other children of the orphanage) and were flown to Fort Lauderdale to meet their new family, including siblings Silje and Jakob. the Haehres were able to spend their first days as a family enjoying the sun and sand. Nothing short of a miracle, considering what their fate may have been.

And, while much of this sounds like nothing more than red-tape disasters waiting to happen, it’s not necessarily the worst thing that could happen. Children’s safety is the number one priority right now. Groups such as the Joint Council on International Children’s Services and UNICEF are on high alert to protect the rights of Haiti’s youngest victims. While crisis like this can bring out the best in humanity, it can also lend itself to the worst. in a January 19th statement, UNICEF’s Executive Director Ann Venemen said:

We are extremely concerned about the situation of children in Haiti, many of whom have become separated from their families and caregivers. These children face increased risks of malnutrition and disease, trafficking, sexual exploitation and serious emotional trauma. the race to provide them with life-saving emergency food and medicine, safe shelter, protection, and care is underway.This is only the beginning.

Stories like the one in Pittsburgh are developing around the world as you read this. on Wednesday a Dutch charter plane is scheduled to bring 109 children to the Netherlands. While it is likely too soon to start a new adoption, there’s much to be done right now. To learn more or help create safe, positive futures for the children of Haiti check out these sites:

Child Rights Information Network

UNICEF

Joint Council on International Children’s Services

Hope for Haiti’s Children

Photo by Getty Images