LIVE Hurricane Sandy Coverage - Plz pray for USA

Profound condolences over the demise of people across USA, Canada and in  the Carribean as well as Haiti . We feel a deep sympathy for the sufferings of people in the Sandy hit areas as the US east coast counts the cost of the devastating Frankenstorm  or Superstorm Sandy.

Praise the Lord, The Frankenstorm (Superstorm Sandy ) has subsided. 

Key updates on October 31st. 2012

President Barack Obama plans to tour Sandy-hit New Jersey later today alongside Governor Chris Christie, a backer of his Republican rival Mitt Romney.

Death toll reaches 48 across US and Canada

• Obama tells East Coast: America is with you

• Governor Christie: devastation 'unthinkable'

• New York's stock markets to reopen Wednesday

• More than 8.2 million households without power

– Barack Obama declares 'major disaster' in New York and cancels Wednesday's campaign trip to Ohio in favour of travelling to New Jersey to tour damaged areas with Republican Chris Christie

– Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, says at least 18 dead in city alone

– Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, says the storm has caused 'unthinkable devastation' and praisesthe president for his handling of the crisis

– Over 50 homes destroyed as firefighters battle raging fires in the borough of Queens

– Around 8.2 million households reportedly left without power after record storm

– Levee breaks in Northern New Jersey, flooding three towns

– 13 foot storm surge bursts the banks of the East and Hudson rivers, submerging New York's road and subway tunnels

– New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it is worst disaster in the history of the NYC subway system

– Alert issued at New Jersey Oyster Creek nuclear power plant due to a record storm surge

– New York University hospital has to move patients to other hospitals after it loses power and a backup generator

– Heavy snow is reported in parts of West Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina as Sandy merges with the descending cold front from Canada

– Cities along the coast from Boston and New York down to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington are expected to remain partially paralysed on Tuesday

– One dead and captain still missing from stricken HMS Bounty replica

– President Barack Obama cuts short election campaigning in Florida and rushes back to Washington to manage storm response

– Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney cancels all campaign events on Monday and Tuesday as pundits ponder how the storm will influence the White House race just a week before election day

An Australian woman has described giving birth by torchlight as the superstorm hit New York. Sally Bertouch, 31, was staying with her husband James at a hotel close to NY Langone hospital when she went into labor just before the storm struck. Once at the hospital they described how lights were flickering before the power cut out completely. Eventually they were evacuated to Mount Sinai hospital where Sally gave birth to a baby girl named Sophie Deborah Here is an extract from the interview on news.com.au:

Unfortunately, the hospital was in the evacuation zone and it was being slammed by the storm.

“As we paced the corridors the lights started flickering, then the power went out completely at 8.15pm."

After 16 hours of labour in the middle of a superstorm, they were plunged into darkness.

“There were no monitors, no foetal monitors, all the doctors had glow sticks around their necks. I had a flashlight. Sal was lying in the bed in the dark and the wind,” Mr Bertouch said.

The doctors were forced to do an epidural by torchlight. They used stethoscopes to monitor the baby and Sally.

“It was pretty scary, crazy, apocalyptic weather outside but I felt confident because the doctors and nurses were so confident and in control. They did an amazing job.”

Last Updated at 11:30 a.m. ET

NEW YORK
A superstorm threatening 50 million people in the most heavily populated corridor in the nation gained strength Monday, packing winds of 90 mph just hours before it is expected to make landfall, forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center said Monday morning that the Category 1 hurricane is moving north-northwest at 18 mph, and will soon turn northwestward. At 11:00 a.m. ET the storm was centered about 260 miles south-southeast of New York City. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 175 miles from the storm's center, with tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 485 miles.

Maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, with gusts of up to 115 mph, were measured.

Gale force winds were reported over coastal North Carolina, southeastern Virginia, the Delmarva Peninsula and coastal New Jersey.

Hours before the storm made landfall, high winds had already knocked out power to more than 62,000 customers in several states Monday morning.

Sandy is expected to hook inland Monday, colliding with a wintry storm moving in from the west and cold air streaming down from the Arctic. Forecasters say the storm's center will make landfall along or just south of the Southern New Jersey coast Monday evening.

CBS News hurricane consultant David Bernard reports that wind gusts of 38 mph and 41 mph have already been reported in New York City and Boston, respectively.

Sandy is likely going to strengthen even more as it approaches the East Coast, Bernard reports, with hurricane-force winds reaching land by Monday afternoon. Flooding will be a huge threat, with many areas potentially seeing rainfall amounts between 5 and 8 inches over a 48-hour period.

The full moon will make storm surges worse, as high tides along the Eastern Seaboard will rise about 20 percent higher than normal. Correspondent Chip Reid reports from Ocean City, Md., that sea levels could rise 8 feet above normal - enough to flood much of the city.

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• 10 costliest U.S. hurricanes

In addition to rains and flooding, about 2 to 3 feet of snow is forecast for mountainous parts of West Virginia.

The tempest could endanger up to 50 million people for days. "This is the worst-case scenario," said Louis Uccellini, environmental prediction chief for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

From Washington to Boston, big cities and small towns were buttoned up against the onslaught of Sandy, with forecasters warning that the New York area could get the worst of it -- an 11-foot wall of water.

"There's a lot of people that are going to be under the impacts of this," Federal Emergency Management Administrator Craig Fugate said on "CBS This Morning" Monday. "You know, we've got blizzard warnings as far west as West Virginia, Appalachian Mountains, but I think the biggest concern right now are the people in the evacuation areas. They're going to face the most immediate threats with the storm surge."

"The biggest challenge is going to be not knowing exactly where the heaviest-hit areas are going to be," said Fugate, "and the fact the storm's going to take several days to move through the area with heavy rain and wind, so that's going to slow down recovery activities like utility crews getting out and putting power back up."

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 14 members of a crew forced to abandon a tall shipabout 90 miles off the North Carolina coast and continued to search for two other crew members. The storm lashed barrier islands and rendered several homes and businesses nearly inaccessible.

Forecasters said the hurricane could blow ashore Monday night along the New Jersey coast, then cut across into Pennsylvania and travel up through New York State on Wednesday.

Forecasters said the combination of Sandy with the storm from the west and the cold air from the Arctic could bring close to a foot of rain in places, a potentially lethal storm surge of 4 to 11 feet across much of the region, and punishing winds that could cause widespread power outages that last for days. The storm could also dump up to 2 feet of snow in Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Source : http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57541877/hurricane-sandy-gains-strength-on-east-coast-path/

BHA celebrates its outstanding year of success

Bali Hotels Association   CELEBRATES ITS OUTSTANDINGYEAR OF SUCCESS

Hotels association toasts awards, achievements and awareness

October 26, 2012, Seminyak—A couple of days ago Bali Hotels Association (BHA)  celebrated a year of achievements and milestones as its Board of Directors and addressed a cocktail party held at Royal Beach Seminyak Bali resort.

So far BHA’s education and scholarship program has reached its tenth anniversary: and most of the alumni are now being employed in the hotels that have sponsored them. At the same time, this year we could also see an impressive 23% decrease in plastics usage within BHA member hotels, Jean-Charles Le Coz, BHA chairman noted.

Mr Le Coz also noted that with 2012 being the tenth anniversary of the first Bali bombing, he was proud of BHA, its members and local law enforcement agencies in developing sound security policies. He further said that the association’s efforts to promote a positive image of the island  had been paying off.

“In addition to a favorable press coverage, which is often a challenge for an island destination like Bali, our 'Bali is My Life' Facebook page has also been being followed by more than 3,600 fans, and our association has achieved a staggering amount of print and online media impressions,” said Mr Le Coz.

Bali has also earned a place in all high-profile travel publications’ best-of-the-best lists. Awards garnered in the past two years include Travel + Leisure’s Best Island in Asia (2011 and held for 10 consecutive years); DestinAsian’s Best Island Destination (2010 and 2011); BBC travel’s World’s Best Island (2011); and Smart Travel Asia’s Asia’s Best Island Destination (2010 and 2012).

There were more than 100 BHA members’ hotel executives as well as the media attending this event. On this wonderful, occasion , Mr Le Coz thanked them all and toasted for the ongoing success of Bali’s tourism industry.

“As you can see, together as stakeholders in Bali’s future, we have won hundreds of awards, as well as certificates of excellence, first prizes, and as the best destination  in the world. This is definitely a good reason to be proud of  and to raise our glasses,” he said.

The Bali Hotels Association is a member of the International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP), a fast-growing grassroots travel and tourism coalition of global destinations committed to quality service and green growth.

October 15 , 2012 BHA Press release 

Bali scholarships scheme celebrates one decade of success

BHA initiative has sent nearly 100 students on study program

The Bali Hotels Association’s Scholarship Program—which provides scholarships to 16 students every year to attend the county’s largest tourism institute—has just celebrated its 10th birthday.

The partnership between Bali Hotels Association (BHA) and the Inspirasia Foundation (formerly the Annika Linden Foundation) has seen 91 students in total receive full scholarships and partial scholarships.

“The hotels’ support comes in the form of candidate selection at the initial stage,” said Jean-Charles Le Coz, BHA chairman. “Thereafter, students that are eligible for full scholarship receive a financial support provided by the Inspirasia Foundation while students that are eligible for partial scholarship receive funds from 28 BHA hotel members and/or other sources.”

Note about Inspirasia 

in 2002, the Annika Linden Foundation was formed to create something positive out of this terrible tragedy  In the following nine years, the Annika Linden Foundation funded 16 projects across Bali, Thailand, and India working alongside small non profits addressing issues affecting some of society’s most marginalised groups. 

In 2012, after 10 years of memorial to Annika’s life, the Annika Linden Foundation became the Inspirasia Foundation. 

He cited the example of I Gede Budiman, who was awarded a BHA scholarship in 2005–2006. With a hotel security guard father and a housewife mother, Budiman was invited by the Alila Manggis resort, where his father used to work, to join the program.

Budiman then completed the hotel management program at Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata Nusa Dua Bali in May 2009 and, as part of the program's objectives, was hired by the Alila Manggis resort. In this way, hotels that sponsor scholarships directly benefit from the program. It was also a personal triumph for Budiman, to continue working where his father worked. 

“BHA Scholarship Program has made my dream come true to be in the hospitality industry, and I am keen to support the continuity of the program by being an exemplar alumnus. I want to be loyal, dedicated, and responsible to my family, the company and community in Bali.”

Mr Le Coz went on to add that BHA is going to have a book launched celebrating this one-decade of success. This book, which is expected to be a basis and motivation for similar program sustainability, will be printed and distributed to various institutions such as the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and embassies.

Bali Hotels Association (BHA) is a professional group of star-rated hotels and resorts in Bali. Members include general managers from more than 100 hotels and resorts in Bali, representing more than 15,000 hotel rooms and almost 30,000 employees in the tourism sector. BHA’s vision is to keep Bali as the most desirable destination in Asia through the warmth and hospitality of its people, and through sustainable tourism. Its mission is to bring together stakeholders in a non-competitive environment, to exchange information on matters of general interest, to have a common voice on issues pertaining to the tourism and hospitality industries in support of Bali as a destination.

For more   info about Bali Hotels Association, please visit http://www.balihotelsassociation.com

For more info about Bali Is My Life, visit www.baliismylife.com, join www.facebook.com/baliismylife, or follow our tweet: BaliIsMyLife

For further information, contact:

Jean-Charles Le Coz

Chairman of Bali Hotels Association

Nia Septinawati

Scholarship and Education program Bali Hotels Association

For press inquiries, contact:

Rebecca Leppard

Media & Public Relations Bali Hotels Association

Australian PM : Julia Gillard 's Message

Speech to the Bali Bombings Tenth  Anniversary Memorial Service

Ms. Julia Gillard makes an emotional address at  the Bali Memorial 

Your loss is not forgotten 

Today, we gather to commemorate the worst terrorist attack our nation has ever known.

88 Australians died here. And they did not die alone.

38 Indonesians died with them.

In all, 202 lives were lost and more than 200 were injured.

The bodies of the dead and the living bore wounds more often seen in wartime.

But these were not soldiers.

Our fellow Australians – those lost, those hurt – were doing nothing more than seeking a few carefree days amid full and busy lives.

They had come to a place loved for its sunshine and uncomplicated joy.

A place, like London and Gallipoli, where something of the Australian spirit dwells upon another shore.

This is what the Bali bombers struck at here.

On September 11, terrorists attacked the great symbols of American prestige.

Here in Bali, they attacked our people and through them, sought to overwhelm our values.

Here on these bustling streets, they inflicted searing pain and grief that will never end.

But even as the debris fell, it was obvious the attack on our sense of ourselves – as Australians, as human beings - had failed.

Rescuers ran towards the terror.

Volunteers extended their hands by the hundred, Indonesians and Australian alike.

A remarkable medical rescue effort swung into place.

A thorough policing effort methodically dismantled the terrorist network responsible.

And our two countries drew closer than we ever had before.

Amid the horror, it was a time for heroes. Like Peter Hughes and Jason McCartney, victims who became rescuers.

Like the Sanglah Hospital staff who provided frontline care in those first critical hours.

Or Len Notaras, Fiona Wood and their colleagues who were angels of healing back at home.

It was a time for leaders too.

President Megawati and then Minister Yudhoyono were quick to embrace international cooperation and a decisive security response.

Prime Minister Howard was a steadfast, reassuring voice for Australians in those dramatic days, and it is very fitting that he is here today.

Police Inspector General Pastika and Commissioner Keelty gave us confidence that justice would be done.

Ten years later and we witness today another sort of courage: the courage it has taken for the survivors and families to make this pilgrimage.

The physical journey by plane has been easy but the inner journey is wrenchingly hard.

This is a day of contesting emotions, from anger and unamended loss to forgiveness and reconciliation with a bitter past.

Wounds and scars abound, healed and unhealed.

But nothing can replace the empty seat at your family table.

The graduations and christenings you will never know.

And the fault line that will always divide your lives into two halves: “before” and “after” Bali.

There are, at least, some fragments of comfort on this day of recollection and return.

There is peace in this island, and the knowledge that millions still come here for the same reasons you and your loved ones did.

And perhaps there is a grim reassurance in knowing that the terrorists did not achieve what they set out to do.

They did not undermine Indonesian democracy, which has only grown stronger across the passage of a decade.

And though our vigilance is greater, we have not surrendered the freedoms that brought us here in the first place.

We were hurt and so were our friends, but we did not falter.

Instead, we endured and found strength in each other.

With that strength, we embrace those who suffered in Bali and lost so much.

With that strength, we affirm the endurance of our ideals.

Because in the end, terror is not beaten by policing or force of arms alone.

We prevail because we have a better way.

We prevail because our beliefs endure.

Terrorists have killed and maimed thousands around the world.

But they will never sunder or displace a single ideal.

So today we return here in remembrance, but we also gather in quiet defiance.

We will never forget all that we lost.

We will hold fast to that which remains:

To our determination as a free people to explore the world unbowed by fear; to our resolve to defeat terrorism; and to our duty to care for each other. 

Source : http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/speech-bali-bombings-tenth-anniversary-memorial-service

Mr Brett Farmer, Australian Consul-General in Bali

Message from Julia Gillard 

by Julia Gillard  

I ARRIVED back in Australia from Bali on Friday, October 11, 2002. My sister and I, my nephew and a friend of his had been there for a holiday. I stayed in Ubud.

My sister and I walked through the rice fields and the countryside with a Balinese guide. He showed us his village and his family home; he told us how he had left his village at the age of 14 to live and work at the hotel at which we were staying. When he had left home he was younger than the nephew I was travelling with. As payment for his work as a houseboy, the hotel owner had paid his school fees, and 16 years later, he was still at work there. We talked about the future of tourism in Bali and how important visitors were to his work and life.

When I woke up at home on Saturday the 12th, I could still feel the warm, humid Balinese air. I could still see in my mind's eye the Hindu offerings which are everywhere as you walk around the streets. I could still hear the voices of the Balinese people in restaurants and in the streets making a fuss of the children who visit.

And then on Sunday morning, all those memories changed. The warmth and humidity that we had loved took on a different meaning as we watched people carry bags of ice into the makeshift morgues.

The streets of Kuta that had been the site of simple family pleasures for us became a place where people desperately searched for their loved ones, living and dead. I could only imagine how my family would have felt if our holiday had been timed slightly differently: I could picture my parents desperately trying to find out whether members of their family were safe.

This was the torment that so many Australian families went through on that dreadful day. And, of course, it is not just Australians who suffered: many Balinese were killed and injured, along with the nationals of many other countries.

Those of us who know Bali always felt that there was something particularly perverse and terrible in a violent attack against people in such a peaceful and welcoming place.

When I left Bali 10 years ago, I looked forward to returning there one day.

Today, I return to Bali for a very sad duty, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Families will be travelling there. Many dignitaries will gather to pay their respects. It will be a day in which we remember what that moment was like for Australians.

I will be there to remember the worst and the best in human life. The worst: this shocking murder of innocent people by fanatics motivated by hate and trying to spread that hate to all. And the best: the courage and compassion of so many ordinary people caught up in this extraordinary event.

The families and the friends of those who died and those who were grievously injured will be there to remember the day their life changed. There is always this divide in their lives: this line between the days "before Bali" and "after Bali". I hope that, amid the sorrow and pain they will feel this week, they will also be able to hang on to the joy and love of their old life.

At our best, Australians are a brave and carefree people: we have built a great nation at home, and when we travel the world we are welcome wherever we go.

When I've been lucky enough to travel overseas, I always smile when I hear someone say "the Australians are here". We show an optimistic and resolute face to the world. No one ever complains that we are too quiet.

The people who attacked us in Bali wanted to kill the Australians who were there — but they wanted to change the rest of us as well. The terrorists wanted to make us people who hate. They wanted to divide us against each other, they wanted to divide us from our friends in Bali, in the rest of Indonesia and the world.

They failed, and they failed for a reason, because we are better than that and we are better than them. In the worst of circumstances, Australians did what we always do: we stuck together, we took care of each other, we took care of our friends.

I hope all Australians, wherever you are, take a moment to pause and reflect on all that we lost that day.

Australian PM Julia Gillard is in Bali

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is scheduled to attend the 10^th anniversary service commemorating the  2002 Terrorist Attack  at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana cultural park in Bali on October 12, 2012.

We welcome and thank Australia and their P.M. who will arrive later today to attend the 10th  anniversary of the Bali Bombing.

 Be ready for a traffic nightmare near Bali Airport  and along the route to wherever the P.M. of Australia is staying as security will be on high alert and many places along the By-Pass will be closed to turn around.

We wish her and her entourage a great stay on the Island of the Gods.

Julia Gillard is due to fly to Bali later today to attend tomorrow's 10th anniversary service commemorating the 202 people, including 88 Australians, killed in a terrorist bomb blast.

Security will be extreme as the Prime Minister and other VIPs fly in, with the resort's terror alert level raised to its highest level in the wake of a new terrorist threat.

Source : http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=804460

JULIA Gillard arrived late last night under tight security for the Bali bombings' 10th anniversary commemoration, after calling on Australians to make time today to reflect on the tragedy.

"We will honor those who were lost, embrace those who survived, and comfort those who grieve," the Prime Minister told parliament before leaving for the commemoration. "We would give everything to erase the events of that night from the page of history, but we cannot.

About 1220 police, reinforced by officers from the crack Densus 88 counter-terrorism unit, and 1000 troops have secured Jimbaran, VIP hotels and other sites Ms Gillard will attend during her two-day visit.

Ms Gillard and Mr Howard will speak at this morning's commemoration, where about 1500 survivors, families and well-wishers will pray for the 202 people who lost their lives.

They included 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 24 Britons and holidaymakers from 20 other countries. More than 240 people were seriously hurt.

Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika, who as a police chief led the successful Indonesia-Australian investigation of the bombings and captured the main perpetrators, will attend.

The ceremony, which starts at 8am local time (11am AEST), will be broadcast live in Australia by the ABC and other networks.

Ms Gillard and Mr Howard will speak at this morning's commemoration, where about 1500 survivors, families and well-wishers will pray for the 202 people who lost their lives.

They included 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 24 Britons and holidaymakers from 20 other countries. More than 240 people were seriously hurt.

Mr Howard arrived on a separate VIP flight last night with Tony Abbott and their wives, Janette Howard and Margie Abbott.

Mr Abbott said he looked forward to standing beside the Prime Minister today "to say to our country's enemies: you can hurt us but you can't break us".

Mr Brett Farmer, Australian Consul-General in Bali

Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika, who as a police chief led the successful Indonesia-Australian investigation of the bombings and captured the main perpetrators, will attend.

The ceremony, which starts at 8am local time (11am AEST), will be broadcast live in Australia by the ABC and other networks.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AAP

THU 11 OCTOBER 2012

Prime Minister

Canberra

Prime Minister Julia Gillard will travel to Laos and Indonesia from 4 to 9 November to attend the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting in Vientiane and the 5th Bali Democracy Forum in Bali. 

Australia was invited to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting for the first time in 2010. 

The Prime Minister’s visit to Vientiane for her second ASEM summit underscores the importance we attach to high‑level engagement with Asian and European partners. 

It is an opportunity for leaders to discuss strategic and economic issues, including cooperation and coordination to strengthen global financial architecture.  The Prime Minister will also meet with business leaders at the summit to discuss their priorities and objectives in the region.

The Prime Minister is also pleased to accept a personal invitation from President Yudhoyono to co-chair the Bali Democracy Forum on 8 November. 

Australia has welcomed and supported Indonesia’s evolution into a strong and vibrant democracy, and greatly values the constructive leadership role that our close neighbourplays in the region and beyond. 

The Forum, which Australia has supported since its inception in 2008, is a key inter-governmental meeting for advancing democratic reform.

While in Vientiane and Bali, the Prime Minister will hold a series of meetings with international leaders.

Ms Gillard says she's undeterred about attending the service.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, former prime minister John Howard, survivors and families of people killed in the 2002 Bali bombings will also attend the service, at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park in Jimbaran.

Many of the survivors and those who lost loved ones are also returning to Bali today to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians

He says returning to Australia without his mates was very hard.

"Coming back for me was quite possibly the toughest time," he said.

"That was when the guilt hit me, I thought 'I've let down so many people'."

Ross McKeon lost his wife Lynette and daughter Marissa.

The McKeon family and their friends were staying an extra night in Bali because their plane was cancelled.

"Had the flight been that night we probably wouldn't have even been there, we were probably only there 20 minutes when everything happened," he said.

"It was life and death as soon as the explosion went.

"It was only, probably 60 to 90 seconds ... from the explosion to the time where we were, that the roof actually burnt through and we were engulfed in flames."

With the help of a friend, Mr McKeon made it out of the club, but he suffered burns to his legs, hands and neck.

"When I was laying out the front I really didn't think anyone could survive it, I didn't know how I'd survived it," he said.

His daughter Kristie who was 12 at the time was helped over a back wall.

Mr McKeon flies out for Bali today with Kristie to attend the anniversary.

He says it has been a big decision to return to Bali to attend the commemoration.

"We're going to go to Bali and back to the point where it all happened and it'll be a very sombre day that's for sure," he said.

"It will be a commemoration of the day that changed our lives forever."

Source : http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-08/bali-bombing-anniversary/4300304