New Orleans Mayors Warns of 'Storm of the Century'

Unlike most of his neighbors, New Orleans resident Larry Denny isn't worried enough about Hurricane Gustav to leave.

Never mind that his house flooded during Hurricane Katrina, the stress cracks in his roof have yet to be fixed and he and his wife felt it was necessary to get two guard dogs and an armory of weapons to ward off looters that roamed their street back in 2005.

Denny says that there is "no way" he and his wife Charlotte will evacuate New Orleans.

"Why do we stay?" asked Denny, who was raised in Louisiana and returned to New Orleans 15 years ago to settle in Orleans Parish, just north of the French Quarter. "Because we know the government won't protect our house, so we have to."

As of early Sunday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported that Gustav had weakened slightly overnight from a Category 4 hurricane to a Category 3, and had sustained wins of 120 mph. The hurricane is predicted to regain strength as it moves north Sunday.

"I won't be coming back to a shell," said Denny, who added that just like he rode out Katrina he'll do it again for Gustav, which is predicted to make landfall on the northern Gulf Coast on Monday at its current clip of 16 mph.

In a press conference Saturday evening, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin had strong words for his citizens who might be too stubborn to evacuate despite warnings and, as of early Sunday morning, mandatory evacuation orders.

"This is going to be the storm of the century," said Nagin, admitting that while he's usually "very calm," this time is different.

"You need to be scared," said Nagin. "This is the mother of all storms, and I'm not sure we've seen anything like this."

In the surrounding states, evacuations are also under way. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley declared a mandatory evacuation for much of the state, and areas of Mississippi and Texas were also preparing to move people north in anticipation of the storm.

Contraflow is in effect in both Louisiana and Mississippi to help last-minute stragglers drive north.

New Orleans resident Larry Denny says he won't evacuate before Hurricane Gustav makes landfall on Monday. City Mayor Ray Nagin warned citizens too stubborn to leave "you're on your own."

(Emily Friedman/ABC)

According to Texas Gov. Rick Perry's office, the state was preparing to house the overflow of Louisianans as they head north. Perry estimates that as many as 45,000 evacuees may seek shelter in Texas, many of whom the state plans to fly to northern cities such as San Antonio and Dallas/Fort Worth.

Mayor, Residents Doubt Readiness of City, Levees

As the National Hurricane Center predicts Gustav will bring water surges between 18 and 25 feet, Nagin did not hesitate to cast doubt in the mind of citizens who might think the city's levees, which have been under construction since they failed during Katrina, would ward off the hurricane.

According to Nagin, the levees simply won't be tall enough.

"This is the real deal," said Nagin. "The levees [in the city of New Orleans] are probably 8 to 10 feet high."

But for Denny's wife Charlotte, excuses about the levees readiness are not good enough.

Jeffrey Vannor carries his belongings while evacuating from the approaching Hurricane Gustav at the Greyhound Bus and Amtrak station in New Orleans, on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008. A million people took to Gulf Coast highways Saturday, boarding up homes and businesses and fleeing dangerous Hurricane Gustav by bus and automobile as the season's most powerful Atlantic storm took aim at Louisiana.

"If those levees don't hold, it will be the end [for New Orleans]," said Charlotte. "We are hanging on by our fingernails."

"I went to Hoover Dam and I didn't see any leaks; why should our levees be leaking?" said Denny. "It's terrifying."

The predicted wind speeds, said Nagin, are yet another aspect of the storm that he says the city simply cannot beat.

"There is not a building in this city rated above 150 mph [in wind resistance]," said Nagin.

In the Lower Ninth Ward, one of the areas hit the hardest during Katrina, most residents had already fled town -- not willing to take the same risk at the Denny family and others like them who were determined to stay for the storm.

The Lower Ninth Ward seemed like a ghost town, other than a few stragglers still packing cars -- and one man simply walking down the street crying and screaming, "Why are you doing this to me?" It was clear that the area was listening to Nagin's warnings.

But most of the people ABCNews.com spoke to had all lived in the area during Katrina, and said they never thought twice about returning in its aftermath.

Ernest Williams, whose house was nearly destroyed during Katrina, said that he loves New Orleans too much to abandon it for good.

"There is no place like New Orleans," said Williams, as he secured the last of his most valued possessions into a pick up truck before driving out of town.

"But yes, I'm scared," added Williams, who said it was hard to understand why the city could not guarantee the levees' strength.

"Millions have been pumped in to those levees -- something has to hold, right?" said Williams.

So far the mayor estimates that between 9,000 and 10,000 residents were moved out of the city on buses Saturday, and will continue to be evacuated through Sunday. Local highways will also all head north and out of the city Sunday.

After 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nagin warns residents: "You're on your own."

But for the Dennys -- alone doesn't sound too bad.

Sitting on his front porch with their two dogs -- Trooper and Bullet -- a pistol in his back pocket and a cabinet of loaded M-16 rifles in his bedroom, Larry Denny said he's too distrustful of the government, the levees and the New Orleans Police Department to abandon his house.

"They don't dare do what they did to us during Katrina again," said Denny, who said he'll "never stop being angry" about how Katrina's aftermath was botched by the city and the federal government.

"How can we trust them?" he said.

"I'm staying."

[Thanks: http://www.abcnews.go.com]

U.S. Military Will Shoot Down Falling Satellite

The plan to "engage" the decaying, uncontrollable satellite is intended to reduce risks to human lives.

The U.S. Department of Defense will shoot down a satellite that experts predict will land on Earth in late February or early March.

The department announced Thursday that it will "engage" the decaying satellite, which it earlier deemed to be low risk. The department said this week that the chances that the "uncontrollable U.S. experimental satellite" will hit a populated area are small, but "the potential consequences would be of enough concern to consider mitigating actions."

The NROL-21 USA-193 satellite was launched for the Defense Department in December 2006 and failed within hours. The solar arrays never deployed, and in January 2007, U.S. officials reported that they were unable to communicate with the spy satellite, said GlobalSecurity.org, a military information Web site.

The satellite, estimated to weigh 7,000 pounds, is expected to continue disintegrating upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Government experts and GlobalSecurity employees said that the odds of debris landing on solid ground, instead of in the ocean, are about one in four. That's because about 75% of the Earth's surface is covered by water.

Now government experts believe about 2,500 pounds of it could survive disintegration during re-entry. That includes 1,000 pounds of propellant fuel (hydrazine), a hazardous material, the Defense Department said. Amateur satellite watchers have said they believe the satellite is headed toward North America.

"The president has decided to take action to mitigate the risk to human lives by engaging the nonfunctioning satellite," the Defense Department explained in a news announcement. "Because our missile defense system is not designed to engage satellites, extraordinary measures have been taken to temporarily modify three sea-based tactical missiles and three ships to carry out the engagement."

The Defense Department said it had to make a decision to shoot the satellite down before choosing the best time and place. The department will use modeling and analysis to do that, and military experts said they are confident their mission will succeed.

"Contact with hydrazine is hazardous," the Defense Department explained. "Direct contact with skin or eyes, ingestion or inhalations from hydrazine released from the tank upon impact, could result in immediate danger. If this operation is successful, the hydrazine will then no longer pose a risk to humans."

U.S. Strategic Command, or STRATCOM, has acknowledged that re-entry of space debris is an inexact science because of limitations on tracking equipment and environmental factors, like variations in gravitational fields, solar radiation pressure, and atmospheric drag.

Several government agencies are involved in monitoring and planning for re-entry of the satellite.

"In the event the engagement is not successful, all appropriate elements of the U.S. government are working together to explore options to mitigate the danger to humans and to ensure that all parties are properly prepared to respond," the Defense Department said. "In the unlikely event satellite pieces land in a populated area, people are strongly advised to avoid the impact area until trained hazardous materials teams are able to properly dispose of any remaining hydrazine."

Rampage at Northern Illinois University leaves 6 dead

Six people are dead after a gunman opened fire on a classroom at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill. He shot 21 people before shooting himself.

On its Web site, NIU confirmed five fatalities, not including the shooter. Kishwaukee Community Hospital, located about 10 minutes away from the campus, said it admitted 18 people who were victims of the attack.

NIU said police found the gunman dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Although the University hasn't released the identity of the shooter, President John Peters said in a press conference that he was enrolled in Spring 2007 as a graduate student in sociology.

The shooter, who Peters said was dressed in dark clothing, opened fire on a classroom in Cole Hall around 3 p.m central time. He used a shotgun and two handguns, shooting at students and the professor before he turned one of the weapons on himself. NIU campus police believe one of those handguns remains a the scene. Authorities have not discovered a motive.

NIU said four of the unidentified victims were female and one was male. On its Web site, Kishwaukee Hospital said six critical patients were airlifted to three different area hospitals. three remain in the hospital and eight have been discharged.

According to a CNN report, a hospital spokesperson said most of the victims were shot in the head.

Peters said campus police arrived on the scene within minutes of the report and campus was locked down at 3:07 p.m central time. The University issued an "all-campus alert" at 3:20 p.m., Peters said, and officials contacted students about the threat using the Web, e-mail, voicemail, a crisis hotline and an alarm system.

The University is shut down Friday while NIU campus police continues its investigation, which Peters said may take some time.
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"We have many, many assets on campus," Peters said. "We anticipate them being on campus for a while."

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich declared a state of emergency because of the shootings, opening his office's disaster relief fund, according to a press release. That will help local emergency personnel pay for the response to the shooting.

The University is located 55 miles west of Chicago and has an enrollment of about 25,000 students.

In December, the NIU campus closed down after graffiti was discovered in a campus residence hall bathroom, according to a letter from Peters posted on the University's Web site. Peters said the message contained a "credible threat against the NIU community," and Reuters reported that the graffiti threat included a reference to the Virginia Tech shootings in April. NIU opened after a day under heightened security and students resumed exams, the Reuters article said.

In the press conference Thursday night, Peters said he didn't believe the threats in December were related to the shootings. He also said the University examined its security procedures as well.

"Security was completely reviewed," Peters said. "The aftermath is that we've had a dialogue about being in these new situations."

There are six phone hot lines available at NIU for students and parents, the numbers for which were posted on the campus alert Web page at 4:10 p.m. central time. NIU is also offering Counseling services in the campus residence halls.

The History of Valentine's Day

"Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred....


One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.

The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)

Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap"."

The above article taken from the History Channel

Storm aftermath: Snow clogs traffic, closes schools -- and more to come

A major snowstorm overnight translated to a stop-and-go commute for many Utah motorists Thursday as left many schools either closed or starting late. And, forecasters warned, winter woes are expected to continue today.

The storm warning remains effective until 11 a.m. from Interstate 80 south to Cedar City. Half a foot or more of snow is expected during the storm.

Overnight snow totals ranged as high as 21 inches in the Tooele Valley and a foot at spots in the Salt Lake Valley. Mountain snow totals were in the foot to foot and a half range at various ski resorts. The Utah Highway Patrol said there were about 90 crashes from 8 p.m. Wednesday and

5:30 a.m. Thursday. UHP reported another 30 cars slid off roads in that span.

Nearly 200 students were stranded overnight at Ridgeline Elementary School in Highland, and classes there were closed today as parents made their way to the campus to pick up their children.

Utah County seemed to get the brunt of the storm overnight, where some students at Harvest Elementary School in Saratoga Springs also were stranded Wednesday, said Rhonda Bromley, public information officer for the Alpine School District.

"They are with administrators and teachers, are warm and have food," she said.
Ten buses with 60 to 70 students each were stranded because of road closures or weather conditions Wednesday afternoon, but were later back on the move.

Thirty students were taken off a stranded bus to an LDS Church in Lehi. Parents were being called to come pick them up, Bromley said.

Teachers and administrators notified parents of their children's whereabouts, and had telephone lines open at district offices where parents could check.

Two jack-knifed semitrailers blocked several northbound lanes near Point of the Mountain, about 5:30 p.m., said UHP spokesman Cameron Roden. Traffic remained bumper to bumper throughout the evening on I-15 and State Road 92 near Alpine.

As the storm blew in late Wednesday, many motorists were caught off-guard. More than a dozen vehicles piled up in a chain-reaction crash on State Road 73 in Utah County near Saratoga Springs, but no major injuries were reported. Ten-foot snowdrifts buried some cars on that road, which remained closed into the night, said Utah County sheriff's Lt. Wally Perschon.

At one point, search and rescue crews on snowmobiles were going car to car checking on motorists, he said. Snowplows were beginning to make their way through the area at the same time.
As the cold front moves to the Colorado mountains today, a high pressure system takes hold in Utah, Seaman said. High temperatures will be about 27 in Salt Lake City today. Sunny skies will warm the air a few degrees each day through the weekend.

"We should see a dry transition through the weekend and into next week," he said.

Yoko Ono Sues Lennon Murphy Over Name

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Yoko Ono, the widow of slain Beatles star John Lennon, is filling a lawsuit against singer/songwriter Lennon Murphy for using the name "Lennon" as the name of her band.

An attorney for Ono filed a petition last week with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office seeking to cancel a trademark Murphy took out in 2003 for "Lennon" as the name of her band.

Lennon is a very common name in Ireland.

Murphy, whose birth name is Lennon, said she spoke to Ono and her attorney in 2000 when she first signed to Arista Records.

According to Murphy, the label was concerned about the name issue and sent her product manager, Justin Shukat (reportedly the son of Ono attorney Peter Shukat), to approach Lennon's widow. Ono supposedly gave her approval, clearing the way for the Tennessee-born Murphy and her eponymous band to release their album, 5:30 Saturday Morning.

According to Murphy, Ono's change of heart came two days before the statute of limitations was due to run out.

Murphy has expressed her distress with the situation on her blog on MySpace and on her website, www.lennononline.com.

Murphy has one key person in her corner.

Julian Lennon, John's son from his marriage to first wife Cynthia Lennon, himself a singer-songwriter who has had his own run-ins with his stepmom, posted Murphy's message on his MySpace blog and expressed sympathy for her situation.

"This is NOT about me but about a girl named 'Lennon,' " writes Julian, 44. "She has my full support."