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The Bergen Record
Hurricane Juan
Friday, October 3, 2003
Remember that heavy and lengthy downpour that dumped several inches of rain on North Jersey last weekend? It was in part a result of unsung Hurricane Juan, which passed several hundred miles to the east and forced a storm front to stall over this region. Maybe you heard that the hurricane ultimately made landfall in Nova Scotia and caused a bit of damage there, but it was barely on anybody’s radar screen here.
You might be surprised to hear that Hurricane Juan has been described as the worst storm to hit Nova Scotia in 40 years. It devastated Nova Scotia’s capital of Halifax and outlying areas, leaving hundreds homeless.
As of yesterday morning, several storm-related deaths had been reported and tens of thousands of people were still without power. In a local cemetery where dozens of Titanic victims are buried, uprooted trees yanked headstones from the ground. Hospitals remained closed, and schools and universities won’t reopen until next week.
A displaced friend from Halifax writes in an e-mail that “an incredible amount of trees have been uprooted, and power lines are down. Homes and cars are crushed. Sailboats got loose from their docks and smashed up on shore and are now on dry land.”
That would be news to most folks around here, but that’s how things work with hurricanes. If there’s an outside chance that one’s brewing in the South Atlantic and could be headed our way, then the local media – newspapers, radio, TV, and Internet sites – act like Armageddon could be looming just over the horizon.
Coverage of Hurricane Isabel had people in this area rushing to the store for extra provisions and flashlight batteries several days before the storm touched land in North Carolina. Even after it was clear that the hurricane was tracking well inland, it was still big news. There was always that outside chance that it might come this way – until it followed the course that meteorologists had predicted for a week. Then it was news that it mostly missed us.
But the disaster that hit Halifax didn’t merit much coverage at all.
Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill liked to say that “all politics is local.” As it turns, all weather is local as well. And if it’s not local, it’s almost as if it never happened.
I’ve just finished watching a DVD called ‘Nightwatch.’ It’s extremely creepy, in a ‘Millenium’ and ‘Seven’ kind of way, but was very good.
What a great night last night was.
I left my flat at 19h and caught the bus to Zentralplatz (my foot is still hurting, so I’m to take it easy on it). There, I had a cup of glüwein, walked around the Christmas market, then hung out by the ice skating rink and watched the skaters for a while. After returning my cup and getting my deposit back, I walked towards where I was to meet Manuel. However, I took a detour down a side street, looked in an internet café and saw Andrew. I went in and chatted with him for a minute, went and took a few photos and then went back to Muntzplaz (he didn’t feel like joining us).
When I got there, Manuel was waiting, so we exchanged cordialities and walked to the pub that I had recommended. However, once there we learnt that a live band was playing and left, as it would have been too loud to talk. We stopped in another pub just around the corner, but the youngest person in it was fifteen years older than me, so we left. We walked down the hill a bit and saw a pub that literally had no one in it. It had a pretty good atmosphere, so we decided to stay.
The next 4-½ hours were filled with a lot of good conversation, laughter and beer drinking. We hadn’t been out since July and rarely see each other, so we had a lot to talk about. I highly doubt that we left out any possible topic that could be discussed.
We left at 0h45, as he had to meet his friends at a disco in the area, and I walked home. I don’t go out partying a lot, so I decided to stop in the pizza shop near the train station for one final beer. I arrived home around 2h.
It was a great evening. Friends are important in my life and having a friend like him makes me think that moving to Germany was worth it.
As it turns out, I haven’t gone to bed yet. However, I will shortly after this post.
I’ve just got home. It’s been a perfet evening………I spent it with a good friend having good coversation. There’s nothing better in life than that. A quick check of my email and I’m off to bed.
A Confession
Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t like W and his croonies and disagree with 99.99% of the things they say and do. I have nothing personal again W, but totally disagree with him on most aspects of life. However, I smiled when I heard he had gone to Iraq to visit the troops. I thought it was a nice thing to do (even though I’m still convinced he only did it for his own selfish political reasons). The only other time I have smiled at something he’s done was just after 11 September 2001, when he visited NYC. He said, “But I can year you, and pretty soon the people who did this are going to hear us.”
Another Saturday, another work day. Oh well.
I was exhausted last night, so I went to bed at 22h and woke up at 7h today. I slept well.
At 20h, I’m meeting a good friend in Old Town for a while. It’ll be a good time.
Rice Defends Bush’s Surprise Iraq Visit
Yahoo News
She dismissed the idea that some of the administration’s critics might deem the trip a political stunt.
She should have kept her mouth shut. Anyone with a brain knows it was a political stunt, but probably wouldn’t have called much attention to it.
Rice Defends Bush’s Surprise Iraq Visit
Yahoo News
She dismissed the idea that some of the administration’s critics might deem the trip a political stunt.
She should have kept her mouth shut. Anyone with a brain knows it was a political stunt, but probably wouldn’t have called much attention to it.
Rice Defends Bush’s Surprise Iraq Visit
Yahoo News
She dismissed the idea that some of the administration’s critics might deem the trip a political stunt.
She should have kept her mouth shut. Anyone with a brain knows it was a political stunt, but probably wouldn’t have called much attention to it.
