On Saturday, September 15th 2017-I was just exiting of Highway 280 going to University Avenue (towards Minneapolis to visit a friend) from I-94 (St. Paul side). I saw one of those “homeless guys with signs” again, which I was prepared. Earlier, I got bag of bottle water read with invitation “tickets” for a free meal at Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities‘ homeless shelters, which anyone can print online…
..this would be the first person to “hand this ticket” too…
I ran quickly to my trunk as there was a red light and handed to this guy saying “God bless you” as the green light came on. I didn’t have time to chat, but I quickly prayed for him again as I might’ve drove by him again (can’t tell with the pic) across the bridge (pic above) when I was going back to St. Paul.
Hope this encourage you to do something similar or better, whatever God lays in your heart. Feel free to come back for possible other related stories like this or share one of yours down below…
Mon 6 Nov 2017 04.30 EST
Last modified on Wed 21 Mar 2018 19.49 EDT
theguardian.com “..Ian Black opens his excellent new history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Enemies and Neighbours, with a note on terminology titled Language Matters. He points out that in colloquial Arabic used by the Palestinians, Israelis are still often called “Yahud” – Jews. On the other hand, while until 1948, the year of Israel’s establishment, the term “Palestinians” usually referred to all inhabitants of Palestine, including Jews, it only gradually came to be used to describe one side in the conflict. Only in recent decades have Israelis started to differentiate their next-door neighbours from the rest of the neighbourhood, calling them “Palestinians” instead of the more amorphous “Arabs”. Words matter. They are the building blocks of the contradicting narratives each side has continued telling themselves, and the world…”
The Biblical Impact: Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital …
Why Is Jerusalem a Controversial Capital? – YouTube
Jerusalem is Israel’s capital: Donald Trump’s FULL … – YouTube
What could happen if Trump moves the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem? By Rebecca Shabad CBS News December 20, 2016, 6:00 AM cbsnews.com “Moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem may have been one of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promises, but experts and Palestinian officials are warning of serious consequences if he follows through…
About a decade later, lawmakers passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act in 1995, proposed by Republican Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. Signed into law by President Clinton, the measure authorized the U.S. to move the embassy to Jerusalem by 1999 with one caveat — the president could indefinitely delay the move by signing a waiver, citing national security concerns…
Feith said he doubts relocating the embassy would trigger a spate of violence because he said it wouldn’t be much different than the way the U.S. already treats Israel since he said U.S. government officials hold official meetings with their Israeli counterparts in West Jerusalem “all the time.”
“As far as the Arab world going up in flames because we do this — it shouldn’t,” he said, “Because it does not, in fact, represent a significant departure. It’s not like the United States has actually been fighting the Israeli presence in Jerusalem all these years and now, all of a sudden, we’re reversing it. All we’re doing is we’re putting a label on it.”..”
Jewish Perspective
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JERUSALEM IN JUDAISM ijs.org.au “..Jews have lived in the land of Israel for nearly 4,000 years, going back to the period of the biblical patriarchs (c.1900 BCE). The story of the Jewish people, Israel, its capital, Jerusalem, and the Jewish Temple there, has been one of exile, destruction and rebirth. In its 4,000 years of history Jerusalem has been destroyed many times and many times reborn. There has always remained a Jewish presence in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem, and the Jewish people as a whole always dreamed of returning to and rebuilding it, a longing reflected in the concluding words of Israel’s national anthem, ‘Ha Tikvah’ (‘The Hope’):
“The hope of 2000 years: To live as a free people in our own land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.”
..”
The Jewish Perspective of Jerusalem – YouTube
Muslim Perspective
The Islamic perspective of Jerusalem soundvision.com “..The city of Jerusalem is very sacred to Muslims. It is one of the three most sacred cities in Islam. Jerusalem is called al-Quds al-Sharif (the Noble Sacred Place). In order to understand the sacredness of this city in Islam, one has to understand the faith structure of Islam. There are three basic principles of faith in Islam:
1. Belief in the oneness of Allah (Tawhid).
2. Belief in the divine guidance through His chosen Prophets and Messengers (Risalah).
3. Belief in the life after death, divine judgment and heaven and hell (Akhirah).
It is the second principle of faith in Islam in Islam that is directly related to our love and devotion to Jerusalem…”
Christian Perspective
The Significance of Jerusalem to Christians Jerusalem Day Prayer Breakfast speech by Susan Michael By: ICEJ News Posted on: 2 Jun 2011 (All day) “Jerusalem has always been significant to Christians because of the places there where Jesus ministered and, most importantly, where he died and rose again. This is the obvious and simple significance of Jerusalem to the Christian world. This is why Helen, mother of Constantine, built churches there in the 4th century that commemorated these events in the life of Jesus and is why Christians from every denomination on earth visit Jerusalem and these very churches and sites…”
15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah4 shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will cgive5 you a son by her. I will bless her, and dshe shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham efell on his face fand laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but gSarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name hIsaac.6 I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and imultiply him greatly. He jshall father twelve princes, and kI will make him into a great nation. 21 But lI will establish my covenant with Isaac, mwhom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.” ..”
In rabbinic and Islamic law, a distinction is made between a judge engaged in arbitration (tahkim in Arabic, borerut in Hebrew) and a peacemaker engaged in conciliation (pius in Hebrew, solh or sulha in Arabic) or mediation (al wasata in Arabic, peshara in Hebrew). [5] This paper examines four questions regarding the peacemaker as found in Jewish rabbinic and Arab-Islamic traditions:
Who is the ideal peacemaker?
Should the peacemaker pursue peace only through acts of humility and nonviolence, or do certain situations warrant the use of force?
Should an offender approach a victim directly or send a peacemaker first?
Is the peacemaker permitted to lie in order to promote peace?
Each of these questions is examined in light of normative rabbinic and Islamic legal sources as well as descriptive accounts of peacemakers acting within Arab and Jewish societies. [6]
The Ideal Peacemaker
In Jewish rabbinic tradition, Aaron, the older brother of Moses and the first high priest of the Israelites, is the ideal peacemaker, known for “loving and pursuing peace.” [7] Aaron would “pursue peace between a man and his fellow, husband and wife, family and family, tribe and tribe.” [8] Aaron himself is described as never having fought with anyone: “If a man curses him, he says to him, ‘Peace be upon you!’ Should a man quarrel with him, he keeps silent.” [9] In rabbinic literature, the high priest (and eventually the rabbi) was the model peacemaker. One early legend found in the Babylonian Talmud tells the following story:
There were once two men who, being egged on by Satan, quarreled with one another every Friday afternoon. Rabbi Meir once came to the place and stopped them from quarrelling and settled them down for three Friday afternoons. When he had finally made peace between them, he heard Satan say, “Alas for this man [Satan] whom R. Meir has driven from this house!” [10]
In this story Rabbi Meir, one of the most respected rabbis of his time (second century CE, Palestine), made peace between the two individuals just by staying with them, thereby exorcising Satan from the house. [11]
One of the primary roles of the local rabbi, or hacham, was to promote peace in the community. In the sixteenth century, however, a small Jewish community under Ottoman rule believed it better for the communal peace that they not have a hacham. As time went by, communal conflicts increased and the community came to the realization that only a hacham could unite them all again and “mediate the peace, love and brotherhood” between them. [12]
In Jewish rabbinic tradition, the peacemaker was not always a holy or religious leader. Even jesters, according to a legend in the Babylonian Talmud could bridge differences:
Rabbi Beroka Hoza’ah was standing in the market of Debey Lapat. Elijah came and appeared to him. [R. Beroka] asked, “Who, in this market, has a share in the world to come?” He replied “No one.” … In the meantime, two [people] passed by and [Elijah] remarked, “These two have a share in the world to come.” [Rabbi Beroka] asked them, “What is your occupation?” They replied, “We are jesters. When we see people depressed we cheer them up; furthermore, when we see two people quarrelling we strive to make peace between them.” [13]
These jesters, while not appearing to the human eye to be particularly righteous or holy, are identified by the prophet Elijah as having a share in the world to come for their meritorious deeds, such as making peace through the use of humor. [14] In a similarly-themed legend, a distinguished character, though not a rabbi, identifies himself as a peacemaker; according to the legend, he is portrayed as more righteous than the rabbinic figure in the same story who focuses solely on the study of Torah. [15]
In Jewish history, there were individuals referred to as rodfei shalom (pursuers of peace) or mitavchey shalom (peace mediators). These peacemakers were active in communities from eleventh-century Muslim Spain through fifteenth-century Christian Prague and until twentieth-century Morocco. Unlike earlier traditions, such as Aaron, the pursuer of peace, these peacemakers were not holy or religious leaders but generally well-respected laypeople. Also in contrast to Aaron, these peacemakers did not act alone in their pursuit of peace. [16] It is interesting to note that mentions of these community peacemakers ended with the immigration of Jews to Israel from North Africa in the 1950s.
In Islamic tradition, Muhammad, known as the Prophet and Allah’s Apostle, is considered the ideal peacemaker. For example, in the hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari, several accounts of Muhammad making peace are narrated by Sahl bin Sad:
There was a dispute amongst the people of the tribe of Bani ‘Amr bin ‘Auf. The Prophet went to them along with some of his companions in order to make peace between them. … Once the people of Quba fought with each other till they threw stones on each other. When Allah’s Apostle was informed about it, he said, “Let us go to bring about reconciliation between them.” [17]
In several Arab-Islamic societies today, such as rural Jordan, [18] northern Israel, [19] Bedouin groups of Israel’s Negev region,[20] and Sunni communities in Lebanon, [21] the mediator or peacemaker is a well-respected lay leader. [22] These peacemakers may be referred to as members of the jaha (delegation), which in Arabic, according to Elias Jabbour, a peacemaker in northern Israel, “suggests that these people have attained a high level of respect in the region.” [23] The respect given to the peacemaker may be due, for example, to his advanced age, leadership position in the community, or wealth. [24] These peacemakers almost always act as part of a delegation and not alone. [25]
Alternatively, in some Arab-Islamic societies, the peacemaker is a holy or religious leader. For instance, amongst the Berber Bedouin in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, it is insufficient to be a respected member of society; to be a peacemaker one must also be born into the sect of the “saints.” [26] According to Gellner, these saints serve the Bedouin people living around them, “not only to mediate with God, but also to help with inter- and intra-tribal political mediation.” [27] Gellner also writes that the saints “claimed not to feud or litigate at all. A mediator who was himself involved in a network of hostilities and alliances would not be much use for mediation and sanctuary.” [28] According to Ginat, the saint, as opposed to the peacemaker of Bedouin and rural Arab societies, works alone in mediating conflicts. [29]
Hamzeh has noted that in Shia communities in Lebanon there has been a shift in recent years from the model of respected lay leader as peacemaker to the model of religious leader associated with the Hizbullah as peacemaker. [30] Abu-Nimer also notes that in Gaza, the peacemaker is often a religious leader, such as an imam who may be “the most trusted person in the community because of his strict observance of Islamic values and traditions.” [31]
Both Jewish rabbinic and Arab-Islamic traditions regard the identity of the peacemaker in two ways. One way is that of the religious and holy leader—a high priest, rabbi, saint, or imam, for example—who acts alone in making peace. The second is that of the respected lay leader who generally acts as one member in a delegation of peacemakers. Both of these models sharply contrast with the Western image of the peacemaker or mediator where the peacemaker rejects any claim to power or authority over the conflicting parties; The peacemaker is, instead, responsible only for the mediation process itself. [32]
Humility and the Peacemaker..”
The symbolic gathering on Friday afternoon was organized by Givat Haviva, an educational organization that promotes Arab-Jewish coexistence. ..
After the event, entitled “Choosing to Engage,” Givat Haviva held a small ceremony with discussions.
Givat Haviva issued a declaration before the event titled “Call for a Secure and Shared Life in Israel” that condemned “any attack on body, soul or property, as well as any expression of physical or verbal abuse.”…”
Education
Peace when Jews and Arabs educate their children togetherBy Rebecca Bardach March 22, 2017 22:02 jpost.com “…Golda Meir was one of my heroes growing up – a smart Jewish woman who worked tirelessly, selflessly, on behalf of the Jewish People to secure the establishment and security of the State of Israel. So I was taken by surprise when my children’s school principal, Nadia Kinani, came in to school one day deeply upset after visiting another local school, which had these oft-quoted words of Golda Meir embedded in a huge mural at the school’s entrance: “We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.”
Nadia is an Arab mother. She has spent the past 20 years of her life helping found and develop a Jewish-Arab integrated bilingual school in Jerusalem. At the time, this was almost unprecedented in Israel. She and other teachers had to innovate pedagogical approaches so students could learn each other’s languages, traditions, cultures and histories, while helping them commit to a shared future. Even now there are only nine such Jewish-Arab schools in all of Israel…”
A young Israeli activist fights to set up a homeland for his people…”
EXODUS – Trailer (1960)
Exodus (1960) Plot imdb.com “…Ari Ben Canaan, a Haganah rebel who had been a decorated captain in the Jewish Brigade of the British Army in the Second World War, obtains a cargo ship and smuggles 611 Jewish inmates out of the camp for an illegal voyage to Mandate Palestine before being discovered by military authorities. When the British learn the refugees are in a ship in the harbor of Famagusta, they blockade the harbor and prevent it from sailing. The refugees stage a hunger strike, during which the camp’s doctor dies, and Ari threatens to blow up the ship and the refugees. The British relent and allow the Exodus safe passage.
Kitty has grown very fond of Karen Hansen Clement, a young Danish-Jewish girl searching for the father from whom she was separated during the war. She has taken up the Zionist cause, much to the chagrin of Kitty, who had hoped to adopt Karen and take her to America to begin a new life…”
The Pentagon Papers (2003) -James Spader-Alan Arkin – YouTube
Was Vietnam a Holocaust for Zion? Laurent Guyénot • April 2, 2018 unz.com “The latest Steven Spielberg film, The Pentagon Papers, made me wonder about the historical significance of this glorious episode of whistleblowing and victorious struggle for freedom of the press. The leaking and publishing in 1971, by the New York Times then the Washington Post, of excerpts from this 7000-page classified report on the Vietnam War (requested by Robert McNamara before leaving the Department of Defense in 1967) is comparable to the exposure by the same Washington Post of the Watergate scandal one year later. The Watergate scandal passes today as evidence of the independence of the American media as a necessary counter-power against government abuses. But in reality, it simply illustrates the increasing involvement of the media in deep political warfare. Likewise we must go beyond the public and Spielbergian narratives on the Pentagon Papers to understand what was really at stake. In both scandals, I believe the leadership of both the New York Times and the Washington Post, the two biggest propaganda machines in the US, were acting not only in the service of truth, but also in service of a power deeper than the deep state they were exposing. After all, there are so many truths to choose from to make the front pages. And in matters of foreign policy, many suspect that the final choice is often determined by the ultimate question: Is it good for Israel?..
Johnson and the Six Day War
It was during that period that Israel chose to launch its operation to annex Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian territories, by creating the illusion that it was acting in self-defense. Johnson had given Israel a green light in a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, dated June 3: “I want to protect the territorial integrity of Israel […] and will provide as effective American support as possible to preserve the peace and freedom of your nation and of the area.”[7] Johnson also asked the CIA to transmit to the Israeli army the precise positions of the Egyptian air bases to be destroyed….
Had the USS Liberty been successfully sunk, the attack would have been blamed on the Egyptians, and would have given Johnson the pretext to intervene militarily alongside Israel, probably forcing the USSR to go to war.[8]
But it failed. The affair was successfully smothered by a commission of inquiry headed by Admiral John Sidney McCain II (father of Arizona Senator John McCain III). The survivors received a medal in an unadvertised ceremony, accompanied by a formal order never to mention the incident. Only recently have some broken the silence.[9] Johnson accepted Israel’s spurious “targeting error” explanation, and rewarded the unprovoked attack by lifting the embargo on the sale of offensive military equipment to Israel….
The USS Liberty failed false flag attack is proof of Johnson’s secret complicity with Israel, and of his high treason against the country he had sworn to protect. But Johnson had in fact always been Israel’s man. As early as 1948, his campaign for a Senate seat had been financed by Abraham Feinberg, president of Americans for Haganah Incorporated and financial godfather of Israel’s atomic bomb.[10] In 2013, the Associated Press reported on newly released tapes from Johnson’s White House office showing LBJ’s “personal and often emotional connection to Israel.” The tapes showed that during the Johnson presidency, “the United States became Israel’s chief diplomatic ally and primary arms supplier.”…
LinkBookmarkAgainst McGovern’s demand for immediate withdrawal from Vietnam, Kristol could have added: “American Jews who care about the survival of the state of Israel have to say, no, we don’t want to withdraw from Vietnam, it is important to pursue the genocide of the Vietnamese, so that America’s youthful idealists will protest against their own government rather than against Israel’s violation of international law.””
Daniel Ellsberg: Secrets – Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers – YouTube
Music
The Jewish-Arab Peace Song (w/ English subtitles) – YouTube
Arabs, Jews play in symphony of peace – YouTube
Religion
Jerusalem: Three religions, three families | Faith Matters
Unity gives Jerusalem a prayer: Jews, Muslims and Christians join for worship Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Jerusalem Saturday 24 September 2016 02.00 EDT theguardian.com
Eight religious leaders brought their congregations together for eight days in one room. It was a dangerous move “..Last week, and for just eight days, a music school in the lowest valley of Jerusalem was transformed into a communal house of prayer, named Amen, bringing together Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious leaders and their congregations to worship together in one room. It was a sight rarely seen in this segregated city.
The project, part of the Jerusalem season of culture, was initiated by Elad-Abblebaum and the Muslim Sufi Sheikh Ihab Balah almost a year ago. They reached out to six other religious figures – two rabbis, a Franciscan monk, a Catholic priest, a Coptic deaconess and a female Muslim community leader – who were very traditional in their beliefs and practices, but also open to discussions with other faiths…”
Sports
Jews and Arabs play soccer for peace Eitan Goldstein|Published: 17.08.16 , 12:44 ynetnews.com “…A soccer camp for Israeli kids wrapped up with a world cup-style tournament last Thursday. 100 children, aged 12 – 13, were split up into six different teams each representing a “world cup” country. The tournament was made all the more unique for being held in the Israeli-Arab town of Baqa al-Gharbiyye.
..”
Women
Jewish-Arab Women’s Peace Group Delivers Political Message While Avoiding Politics Judy Maltz (Barta’a) Oct 10, 2016 8:38 PM haaretz.com
During the ‘March of Hope,’ Palestinian and Jewish women walk from northern Israel to Jerusalem in support of a peaceful solution to the conflict. “..About 40 women are participating in the two-hour hike from Katzir, a mainly Jewish town in the Wadi Ara region, to Barta’a. Roughly half of them are Women Wage Peace activists taking part in the entire 200-kilometer trek from Rosh Hanikra to Jerusalem, which began the night after Rosh Hashanah. The rest are joining them for the day…
Women Wage Peace is a grassroots organization founded two years ago, right after Israel’s last war in Gaza.. The group drew its inspiration from Four Mothers, another anti-war movement founded close to 20 years ago, which has been credited with Israel’s ultimate pullout from Lebanon.
..”
Christian Perspective
How to Be ‘Pro-Jesus’ in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Interview by Timothy C. Morgan| January 27, 2014 christianitytoday.com
What one leading Israeli Arab evangelical thinks American Christians can do to promote Mideast peace. “A leading Israeli evangelical, Botrus Mansour, head of the 77-year-old Nazareth Baptist School, is attempting the impossible: to be realistic and hopeful at the same time about peace between Israelis and Palestinians….
.. Inside Israel, the messianic community is becoming larger and more visible. Is it possible for Arab Christians and Israeli messianic believers to work together?
It’s a good idea. We are part of one body of Christ. Messianic Jews and Arab evangelicals might agree on 90 percent of theology. This relationship is a testimony that in Christ we can become one. The barriers and animosity have been demolished, not just with God through Jesus Christ, but also between one another…
Jesus talks about peace, human dignity, and dealing with the other, created in the image of God. Give the other something so that he will not say, “I have nothing to lose. You put me in the corner, so I’m going to fight. I’m going to kill. I’m going to explode myself.”…
Pray that God will preserve the Jews and take care of them. We’re not against the Jews. I’m an Israeli citizen. I’ve known Jews all my life. My personal story is involved with the Jewish people. They have visited my home all my life. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem including Arabs and Jewish people…”
Israel’s Future Steven E. Meyer 03-02-2015 By Steven E. Meyer March 2, 2015 cpjustice.org
“…International Efforts
Europe and the United States have added to tensions in the region and to Israel’s growing isolation. The Europeans have become strong supporters of the Palestinians and several European states have withdrawn economic and financial aid to Israel, scaled back trade, and condemned heavy-handed Israeli military action. Consequently, European policies have enabled Palestinian violence and compelled Israel to dig in deeper.
American efforts to bring peace to the region have been pusillanimous and conflicted. Congress—the heartbeat of American support for Israel—stymies the meager efforts by Republican and Democratic administrations alike to force even the mildest restrictions on both sides, thereby emboldening Israeli intransigence and reinforcing Palestinian resentment. Most recently, the House of Representatives has invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to address Congress on March 3 just before the Israeli election. This not only seems designed by the House leadership to affect the outcome of the Israeli election, but it intrudes into the realm of foreign policy, normally the prerogative of the executive branch.
Peacemaking and Principled Pluralism
The Israeli-Palestinian (Arab) issue is a particularly appropriate peacemaking challenge for Christians. For one, the church has been intimately entwined with the region for centuries as the place of origin of the Gospel. However, the ongoing tensions and conflicts there have led to the dispersal of Arab Christians and the decline of the church. Of the three major religions that claim Jerusalem as a special place, only Christianity lacks a concrete role in its governance. Christians should have a vested interest in peace in the Middle East and a desire to rebuild Christian influence. Christians should have a stake in the outcome of peace efforts, including a role in the administration of Jerusalem. Although placing Jerusalem under international control benefits Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, Christians have been forced to back off because of heavy pressure from Jews and Muslims. This has created additional hurdles to overcome for Christians contributing to peacemaking…”
“…If you can’t get a hold of sandbags, Sweat explained he’s learned a trash bag one-third filled with water can make a “good substitute.” As for the garage, he noted that sealing it off with duct tape can be a good way to prevent “water intrusion.” He also added that paint cans and five-gallon buckets can serve as a good way to easily elevate furniture.
Even if you’re evacuating, he suggested that everyone trip the main breaker so the electricity in the house isn’t running. An electric current and water is a lethal combination; Sweat revealed that a volunteer, who went to check on a house, was electrocuted and killed because the power was on.
For those who didn’t evacuate, Sweat urged people to wear clothes to bed because “nothing looks worse than seeing people on the news in water-logged nightgowns and boxer shorts.”
His other tips included wearing hard-soled shoes and carrying identification, a flashlight, and a large white sheet to signal for help if necessary…”
The loss of the ocean is actually due to the proximity of Irma to the Bahamas and the storm’s low-pressure center. When a storm has such an intense low pressure, it can impact the surface of the water because there is less atmospheric pressure being applied. If you were to take a look at a cross section of the storm through the water you would see a bulging effect. This bulging is the storm surge that Irma borrowed from the area around the Bahamas. It is quite noticeable in Long Island because this is a shallow area with unvarying depth. This causes the impact to be so remarkable.
When will the water come back?
The ocean around Long Island will gradually come back as Irma moves on and she steals extra water under the low pressure from somewhere else…”
Ocean ‘disappears’ as killer Hurricane Irma sucks water away from shores on devastating path
Hurricane Irma exposes racial tensions on smashed St. Martin By thomas adamson and danica m. coto, associated press MARIGOT, St. Martin — Sep 11, 2017, 3:23 PM ET abcnews.go.com “… It’s common practice for tourists to be evacuated first from disaster zones for practical reasons, as they are staying in hotels and not in their homes and tend to have fewer resources such as food and vehicles. The French prime minister insisted Monday that the only people being prioritized were the most vulnerable.
Government spokesman Christophe Castaner said he understood islanders’ frustration with the government response but blamed part of the controversy on their “emotional shock, an impact that’s extremely hard psychologically.”
Soudiagom and other witnesses told Guadeloupe 1ere that the boat they took Friday carried tourists, including Americans, to safety but left many St. Martin residents behind, including needy mothers and children…”
Florida
Irma begins to batter Florida with hurricane-force winds; tornadoes reported By EMILY SHAPIRO Michael Edison Hayden Morgan Winsor JULIA JACOBO David Caplan Sep 10, 2017, 12:18 AM ET abcnews.go.com “..The worst and most extreme winds from Irma will begin to impact the Florida Keys shortly after midnight, with the center of Irma expected to pass over the Keys between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. ET, Peck said. ..
The storm, which was downgraded to Category 3 after making landfall as a rare Category 5 hurricane in Cuba overnight, has sent 75,000 people into shelters in Florida. More than six million people have been warned to evacuate its path. ..
“..While many Floridians have raced out of state to avoid Hurricane Irma, a brave few have put themselves in harm’s way to help others get to a safe place One of those such heroes is Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Bernard Reedy, who remained in the path of the storm to help wheelchair-bound residents escape the storm Heading into training camp, Reedy was somewhat of a long-shot to make the Bucs’ 53-man roster, but his special teams prowess and impressive speed helped him lock in a spot for Week 1 ..” NFL player helps wheelchair-bound residents avoid Hurricane Irma Updated: 1:28 PM EDT Sep 10, 2017 National Desk Staff wtae.com “..Wide receiver Bernard Reedy has worked for Care Ride, a company that helps transport wheelchair-bound residents, making $11 per hour, according to a Sunday story from the NFL team.
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But he decided to give the transportation service a call and has worked to help people in the Tampa Bay area evacuate during the past few days as the storm arrives, the story says.
Reedy started the transportation-service position after he was cut by the Falcons in 2015 and saw a Care Ride van client being dropped off at a Burger King, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
He said he’d rather not sit at home after he’s done working out.
According to the newspaper, Care Ride administrator Doug Johnson jokingly offered earlier this month to raise Reedy’s salary to $13 per hour with the hopes of keeping Reedy…”
Destructive winds, rain hit Florida as Hurricane Irma’s makes landfall in the Keys By Perry Stein, Joel Achenbach, Wesley Lowery and Mark Berman September 10 at 9:41 AM .washingtonpost.com “..MIAMI — The fierce winds of Hurricane Irma regained Category 4 strength with winds of 130 mph early Sunday, as the storm’s eye made it to the lower Florida Keys just before 9 a.m. The massive storm already has caused hundreds of thousands of power outages across South Florida, its leading edge lashing several major population centers.
The National Weather Service said the storm made landfall at Cudjoe Key in the lower Florida Keys at 9:10 a.m. on Sunday morning. Forecasters warn that a second landfall could happen later on Sunday.
Officials said storm surges in the Keys reach a devastating five to 10 feet there before the hurricane slowly proceeds up the state’s west coast….
While the National Hurricane Center had downgraded Irma to a Category 3 storm Saturday, the storm was upgraded again to Category 4 early Sunday. At 5 a.m., weather officials said the storm was plodding northwest at about 8 miles per hour, placing it on pace to reach Naples by about 5 p.m. The storm could potentially make a second landfall further north on Sunday….” Category 4 Hurricane Irma Makes Landfall in the Florida Keys; Strongest Keys Strike in 57 Years
Sep 10 2017 09:30 AM EDT
weather.com
“…Limbaugh has long been hell-bent on saying hurricanes and storms like it are part of a liberal conspiracy solely aimed at furthering the discussion on climate change, but his claims about Irma in his Tuesday broadcast sent many over the edge. ..”
HAARP waves seen in Florida with hurricane Irma https://youtu.be/cDneXRUJ6Jo “Joe Eigo
Published on Sep 10, 2017
HAARP waves appear as flashes especially with the earthquake engineered in Mexico. “
MEXICO EARTHQUAKE by HAARP? (FOOTAGE CAUGHT ON CAMERA – 2017)
Irma was downgraded on Sunday afternoon to a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds near 120 miles per hour, down from 130 m.p.h., according to the National Hurricane Center. The center said that while the storm was weakening, it was “expected to remain a powerful hurricane.”
The storm thrashed the Florida Keys early Sunday morning. A television news broadcast showed entire homes, and a person standing on a balcony, nearly submerged…”
\
-Answered?
A $150 Billion Misfire: How Disaster Models Got Irma WrongBy Brian K Sullivan September 11, 2017 6:50 PM Updated on September 12, 2017 12:10 PM bloomberg.com “..By one estimate, the total cost dropped to about $50 billion Monday from $200 billion over the weekend. The state escaped the worst because Irma’s eye shifted away from the biggest population center of Miami-Dade County.
The credit goes to the Bermuda High, which acts like a sort of traffic cop for the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. The circular system hovering over Bermuda jostled Irma onto northern Cuba Saturday, where being over land sapped it of some power, and then around the tip of the Florida peninsula, cutting down on storm surge damage on both coasts of the state.
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…In the end, Irma landed on the Florida Keys as a Category 4 hurricane with 130-mile (209 kilometers) per hour winds, then as a Category 3 at Marco Island. It reached the Tampa Bay area as a Category 2. By contrast, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 plowed into the east side of Florida as a Category 5…”
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