Landslides in Jamaica

Tropical Storm Nicole caused floods and landslides in Jamaica, Wednesday, September 29, 2010.

Tropical Storm Nicole caused flooding and mudslides across Jamaica on Wednesday, leaving two confirmed dead and at least 12 more missing.

The outer bands of the storm hammered Jamaica, toppling bridges and knocking out power to thousands.

Many streets were filled with gushing brown torrents of water.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding to urge people to stay indoors.

Many Jamaicans were taken by surprise by the ferocity of the rain early Wednesday and the extent of the damage;  for it happened when the tropical system was classified as a depression.

Police in Westmoreland parish’s capital of Savanna-la-Mar said the community was hit by a waterspout overnight that ripped the roofs off a couple of buildings and sent four people to a local hospital with scrapes.

This is a disaster.

The storm also soaked Cuba but no deaths were reported.

In Mexico, landslides killed at least 20 people.

Tropical Storm Nicole brought heavy rains to Jamaica, Wednesday, September 29,2010.

This NOAA satellite image taken Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 1:45 PM EDT shows widespread cloud cover over the Eastern Seaboard due to an elongated trough of low pressure over the region and Tropical Storm Nicole located 80 miles northeast of Havana Cuba. While the circulation of Nicole becomes poorly defined, Nicole is moving toward the north-northeast near 10 mph with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph. Nicole is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 5 to 10 inches over the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and Cuba. Rain accumulations of 4 to 8 inches are possible over portions of southern Florida, the Florida Keys, and the central and northwest Bahamas. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. In addition to strong winds and significant rainfall, isolated tornadoes are possible along the immediate coast of southeastern Florida and the Florida Keys. Meanwhile, a steady stream of tropical moisture surging up the East Coast combines with a frontal boundary over the Mid-Atlantic coast fuels widely scattered showers and locally heavy rainfall from the Carolinas through New Jersey. (AP Photo/Weather Underground)

This NOAA satellite image taken Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 1:45 PM EDT. Isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches are possible over the higher elevations of Cuba and Jamaica.Rain accumulations of 4 to 8 inches are possible over portions of southern Florida, the Florida Keys, and the central and northwest Bahamas. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. Elsewhere, a tropical wave over the Central Atlantic located about 700 miles east of the Windward Islands is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Winds are expected to become less favorable for development as the system moves to the northwest at 15 to 20 mph. There is a low chance, 10 percent, of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next couple of days. Meanwhile to the east, showers and thunderstorms have increased near another tropical wave located over the east-central Tropical Atlantic centered about 850 miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Some slow development is possible over the next several days as it moves to the west at 15 to 20 mph. There is a low chance, 10 percent, of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next couple of days. (AP Photo/Weather Underground)

Residents watch floodwater as they stand on a destroyed the bridge that linked the towns of Kintyre and Kingston in Jamaica, Wednesday Sept. 29, 2010. Tropical Storm Nicole caused flooding and mudslides across Jamaica on Wednesday, leaving two confirmed dead and at least 12 more missing. (AP Photo/Collin Reid)

Residents watch floodwater as they stand on a destroyed the bridge that linked the towns of Kintyre and Kingston in Jamaica, Wednesday Sept. 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Collin Reid)

Residents watch floodwater as they stand on a destroyed the bridge that linked the towns of Kintyre and Kingston in Jamaica, Wednesday Sept. 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Collin Reid)

Residents watch floodwater as they stand on a destroyed the bridge that linked the towns of Kintyre and Kingston in Jamaica, Wednesday Sept. 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Collin Reid)

Mexico’s Deadly Landslides-Photos

Overall view of the town of Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico, Tuesday Sept. 28, 2010, after a landslide occurred. A mudslide was due to heavy rains in Mexico's rain-soaked southern state of Oaxaca. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz Hernandez)

At least 20 people were killed in two landslides in southern Mexico.

Very heavy rains caused the landslides.

On Tuesday 4 people were killed and 11 people were missing in Oaxaca landslide.

On Wednesday  at least 16 people were killed, 13 people were injured and 3 people were missing in Amatan landslide, in Chiapas state.

Buildings, houses, roads and bridges were damaged by the landslides.

Landslide is a natural disaster but cutting down trees along the hillside can caused more landslides.

Go green to save the Earth!

People stand next to a damaged house after a landslide in Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Miguel Tovar)

People remove mud after a landslide in Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Miguel Tovar)

A woman walks past the damaged bridge that crosses the Macuilxochitl river near the town of Tlacolula, Mexico Tuesday Sept. 28, 2010. Rescue operations attempting to reach the town of Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec have been delayed due to the condition of the bridge. (AP Photo/Agencia Quadratin)

Men inspect a vehicle buried under mud after a landslide in the town of Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico Tuesday Sept. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz Hernandez)

A man stands in front of damage left after a landslide in the town of Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico Tuesday Sept. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz Hernandez)

A rescue worker uses a zip-line to cross an overflowed river in the town of Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico, Tuesday Sept. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz Hernandez)

Police and Mexican army personnel sift through the debris after a landslide in the town of Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico, Tuesday Sept. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz Hernandez)

Photographing The Bedils

I snapped this photo myself. I need to aim my camera to the right spot and snap at the right moment because if I was a few seconds late I’ll be snapping photos of smoke.

In Kuala Terengganu people break their fast after the sound of the ‘bedil’ in theRamadhan.

There were ‘bedil‘s on the 2nd day of Eid until 7th day of Eidtoo.

On the 5th day of Eid, my dad took me to Bukit Pak Apil in Kuala Terengganu to watch ‘bedil’ shooting.

These are the bedil shooting base.

A policeman guided us to a safe location to watch the ‘bedil‘.

The ‘bedil’ contractor and a policeman reached the ‘bedil’ shooting site.

The ‘bedil’ contractor preparing the ‘bedil’.

First we have to wait for the sound of ‘dup’.

Then we started snapping lots and lots and lots of photos as the ‘bedil‘ exploded in the sky into a gigantic umbrella of colourful lights right above our heads.

Then the umbrella turned into tiny sparkles of lights like colourful rain drops and faded into tiny umbrellas of smoke.

The bedil after the ‘dup’ sound

The bedil exploded…

…into tiny sparkles of lights like colourful rain drops…

…and faded into tiny umbrellas of smoke.

We went there again on the 6th and 7th day of Eid to snap more photos.

It was very, very hard to snap the photos because we have to aim at the right spot of where there the wind would blow the ‘bedil’.

We also need to snap at the right moment before the beautiful ‘bedil’ faded into umbrellas of smoke in the sky.

We also had to squat down fearing the loud sound made us jump and fall down the cliff.

We need to squat because we do not want to fall down the hill.

I snapped some beautiful ‘bedil’ photos and I am very proud of them 🙂

I snapped all the above photos by myself!

Aliens From Jupiter 4

Please click here for Aliens From Jupiter 3.

Written and illustrated by: Ahmad Ali

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Goplaga, Hilama and Meido prepared a surprise birthday party for Kamosa. Meido was Kamosa’s human friend who flew Kamosa’s spaceship from planet Earth to Saturn.

Meido

Kamosa was very happy. His friends gave him lots of presents. Meido gave Kamosa an Alienware laptop, an i Phone 4 and an i Pad. Hilama gave Kamosa a computer mouse, a CPU, a computer monitor and a computer speaker. Goplaga gave Kamosa a 4 players chess set, a house, an Adobe Photoshop CS4 CD, an ‘Age of Empires 3‘ CD and a ‘Halo Wars’ CD.

After the birthday party Kamosa, Meido, Hilama, and Goplaga played the 4 players chess together. Meido won the game! Then, Meido decided to go to Pluto. Kamosa agreed and they all flew to Pluto in Kamosa’s spaceship.

On the way to Pluto, Goplaga saw a bunch of big noodles falling onto Pluto. But Hilama said that it was a giant piece of meat and Kamosa said that it were flying pepperonis. Meido said it was a spaceship flying to Pluto.

And Meido was right, it was a spaceship! The spaceship landed on Pluto.

Kamosa's spaceship and the spaceship that looks like meat, pepperonis and noodles.

When they arrived on Pluto, they met another alien friend named Emoden. Emoden had 2 eyes, 1 nose, 1 mouth, 2 hands and 2 legs. It was Emoden’s spaceship that looked like a giant meat, pepperonis and noodles.

Emoden

Meido said that Emoden was a funny alien.

To be continued in Aliens from Jupiter 5

Rambutan Picking

Tok Teh's rambutan trees

I was in Terengganu for the last two weeks for Eid holidays.

Kuala Terengganu is my parent’s hometown.

On the second day of Eid we visited Tok Teh.

Tok Teh is my grand aunty.

I called my grand uncle Tok Teh too.

It is very sad that he had passed away.

There were a lot of red, ripe rambutans on the rambutan trees at Tok Teh’s house.

So, a few days later we visited Tok Teh’s house again for a rambutan picking.

Kafah and I with our rambutans

Rambutan is a type of a fruit with hair on its skin.

Ripe, red rambutans

‘Rambut’ is hair in Malay language.

My big sister Kaman used a pole (galah) to pluck the rambutans.

My other sisters and I ran to collect to rambutans.

It was like a ‘rambutan rain’ 🙂

Kashah, Kafah and I rushed to collect the rambutans.

It was really fun.

This is the first time I went rambutan picking.

We sorted our rambutans and counted them. I collected 88 rambutans; more than my sisters did.

It was as fun as apple picking.

Later we ate the fruits.

They were very, very sweet.

Powerful 7.1 Quake Hits New Zealand-Pictures

People stand outside a building damaged by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in central Christchurch, New Zealand, early Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010. (AP Photo/NZPA, David Alexander) ** NEW ZEALAND OUT **

A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit New Zealand’s South Island early Saturday.

The quake hit at 4:35 a.m. (1635 GMT).

A car damaged by rubble from a building is seen following a powerful earthquake in central Christchurch, New Zealand, early Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010. (AP Photo/NZPA, David Alexander) ** NEW ZEALAND OUT **

People ran out of their homes to the streets.

According to the state geological agency GNS Science, the quake hit 19 miles (30 kilometers) west of Christchurch.

Part of a road badly damaged by the earthquake.

There was no tsunami alert.

So far nobody was killed and only two people were seriously injured.

There were reports of some people trapped in damaged buildings.

Rubble from damaged buildings fallen on the road.

The Christchurch International Airport was closed.

Chimneys and walls had fallen from older buildings, roads had been blocked, traffic lights were out and power, gas and water supplies were disrupted.

The earthquake damaged roadway on the South Brighton Bridge approach attracts the curious after the powerful quake in Christchurch, New Zealand, Saturday, September 04 2010.(AP Photo/NZPA, David Alexander) **NEW ZEALAND OUT**

There were reports that some buildings had collapsed.

The fronts of at least five buildings in the central city of Christchurch have collapsed.

At least six bridges had been badly damaged.

Several wharves at the port had been damaged.

Kiwirail rail transport group spokesman Kevin Ramshaw said 13 mostly freight trains had been halted on South Island lines, with some damage already confirmed to rail lines north of Christchurch.

Police said that looters broke into some of the damaged shops in Christchurch.

Minister of Civil Defense John Carter said, army troops were on standby to assist as a state of civil emergency was declared.

New Zealand sits above an area of the Earth’s crust where two tectonic plates collide.

A police officer is seen on a street blocked by rubble from a damaged building following a powerful earthquake in central Christchurch, New Zealand, early Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010. (AP Photo/NZPA, David Alexander) ** NEW ZEALAND OUT **

A damaged building.

Rubbles in front of a damaged building.

People standing in front of another damaged building.

Rubbles from damaged buildings.

Water flooding the road.

More disaster.

Another building that was damaged by the earthquake.

A car hit by rubbles from a damaged building.

The earthquake damaged road at Bexley flooded by burst pipes, in Christchurch, New Zealand, Saturday, September 04, 2010.(AP Photo/NZPA, David Alexander) **NEW ZEALAND OUT**

UPS Cargo Plane Crashes Near Dubai Airport

Smoke rises from the site of a cargo plane crash in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday Sept. 3, 2010. Officials say a UPS cargo plane with two crew members on board has crashed shortly after takeoff outside Dubai. There was no immediate word on casualties. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

On Friday a UPS Boeing 747-400 cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff Friday outside Dubai, officials said.

It crashed at about 8 p.m. Dubai time (12 p.m. EST).

The plane crashed inside an Emirati air base near a busy highway intersection about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Dubai’s international airport.

All the two crew were killed.

It was en route to the UPS hub in Cologne, Germany.

UPS is based in Atlanta, USA.

It is known as United Parcel Service Inc. and it is the world’s largest shipping company.

This is a disaster.

Pictures-US East Coast Prepares For Hurricane Earl

Jay Farley, top, installs covers to a homeowner's oceanfront window as Jason Wheeler, bottom, looks on as Hurricane Earl heads toward the eastern coast in Atlantic Beach, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Will Hurricane Earl hit the USA?

If it does, it is going to be disaster because Earl is a powerful Category 4 storm.

People disembark from the ferry at Swan Quarter, N.C. after being evacuated from Ocracoke Island as Hurricane Earl approaches the Outer Banks on Sept. 1, 2010. CHRIS SEWARD - cseward@newsobserver.com

Tourist started to evacuate Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island and tourists were largely gone from North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

A ferry leaving Hatteras, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

The governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland declared states of emergency.

Emergency officials on Cape Cod braced for their first major storm since

Bob brought winds of up to 100 mph to coastal New England in August 1991.

Preparing for the Category 4 storm  as Hurricane Earl heads toward the eastern coast in Atlantic Beach, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Typhoon Kompasu Slammed Into South Korea

A tree is uprooted as Typhoon Kompasu hit in Incheon, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. Typhoon Kompasu has hit South Korea with heavy downpours and gusts that cut Seoul subway lines, paralyzed airport traffic, and caused massive power outages along the western coast. (AP Photo/Yonhap, Ha Sa-hun) **KOREA OUT**

On Thursday Typhoon Kompasu slammed into South Korea.

Kompasu means compass in Japanese.

Three people were killed.

Typhoon Kompasu is the strongest tropical storm to hit Seoul area in 15 years.

Many flights were cancelled or delayed.

Service on two Seoul subway lines and five railway routes was suspended.

South Korean high school students walk against strong winds caused by Typhoon Kompasu in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. Typhoon Kompasu has hit South Korea with heavy downpours and gusts that cut Seoul subway lines, paralyzed airport traffic, and caused massive power outages along the western coast.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Photos Of A Farmer’s Market (Pasar Tani) In Kuala Lumpur

Pasar tani or farmer's market.

On Sunday, I went to a farmer’s market.

In Malay, we call it ‘pasar tani’.

We went to ‘pasar tani’ to buy food.

In ‘pasar tani’, people sell all kinds fresh vegetables.

A basket filled with long beans.

Lemon grass and other herbs.

Lambuk or kemumu (Colocasia gigantea)

More local vegetables.

More vegetables...

My mother loves to buy these...

These are petai-but I don't eat them.

My big sisters' (Kaman and Kashah) favourite.

We can also buy different kinds of fruits.

Very sweet cempedak.

These bananas are tasty when fried or cooked in syrup; but do not eat them fresh.

There are people selling cookies.

Cookies for Eid.

More cookies...

People also sell beef in ‘pasar tani’.

Cow's legs.

In ‘pasar tani’ people sell chicken too.

I love chicken 🙂

They also sell fish and other seafood.

Fish.

More fishes...

Pak Cik Sham sells plants and fertiliser in ‘pasar tani’.

Pak Cik Sham and his plants.

Some fertilzsers at Pak Cik Sham's stall.

We can find a lot of other things too in ‘pasar tani’.

Malaysian snacks.

Dates.

All kinds of salted fish.

Shallots.

Dried, tiny fishes called 'Ikan bilis'.

All kinds of spices.

Dried chillies.

Garlic-I like to eat fresh garlic.

Shrimp paste or 'belacan'.