Cyclone, hurricane, typhoon: different names, same phenomenon — TalkVietnam

They may have different names according to the region they hit, but typhoons, hurricanes and cyclones are all violent tropical storms that can generate 10 times as much energy as the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

The typhoon that devastated the Philippines, wiping out entire towns with a death toll that could soar well over 10,000, is the Asian term for a low-pressure system that is called a hurricane in the Atlantic and northeast Pacific and a cyclone in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.
But meteorologists use the term “tropical cyclone” when talking generally about these immensely powerful natural phenomena, which are divided into five categories according to the maximum sustained wind force and the scale of the potential damage they can inflict.
Super Typhoon Haiyan, which is now heading towards Vietnam, was a category 5 typhoon – the highest level – when it hit the Philippines, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 315 kilometres (196 miles) an hour, and gusts reaching 380 kilometres an hour, according to Japan’s meteorological agency.
The winds are reported to be the strongest ever measured, and Haiyan could wrest the title of most powerful cyclone on record from Super Typhoon Tip, which ravaged Japan in 1979.
The Philippines endures a seemingly never-ending onslaught of deadly typhoons, earthquakes, volcano eruptions and other natural disasters.
Every year, some 20 super storms or typhoons hit the country, of the 80 or so that develop above tropical waters annually.
Cyclones are formed from simple thunderstorms at certain times of the year when the sea temperature is more than 26 degrees Celsius (79 Fahrenheit) down to a depth of 60 metres (200 feet).
Sucking up vast quantities of water, they often produce torrential rains and flooding resulting in major loss of life and property damage.
They also trigger large swells that move faster than the cyclone and are sometimes spotted up to 1,000 kilometres ahead of the powerful storm. The sea level can rise several metres.
These powerful weather formations can measure between 500 and 1,000 kilometres in diameter and have a relatively calm “eye” at the centre.
They weaken rapidly when they travel over land or colder ocean waters.
Cyclones are closely monitored by satellites, and specialised centres around the world – in Miami, Tokyo, Honolulu and New Delhi – track the super storms’ trajectories under the coordination of the World Meteorological Organisation.




Cyclone, hurricane, typhoon: different names, same phenomenon — TalkVietnam

Wartime bomb shelter officially opens May 22, 2012

Wartime bomb shelter officially opens

May 22, 2012

LookAtVietnam – Nearly 40 years after the end of the war in Vietnam, for the first time an old wartime bomb shelter of Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel opens to the public today, almost one year after its discovery.

Miss International 1964 Gemma Cruz Araneta, a Filipino journalist.

The 40sq.m bomb shelter has been well-preserved and was reopened to honour the Metropole staff’s extraordinary efforts of ensuring the safety for important guests against US aerial bombardment during the war, said the hotel’s general manager Kai Speth at a press conference yesterday.
“Today this space serves as a memorial to their courage and perseverance, and to remember what should never be forgotten,” he added.
The shelter served to protect guests from air raids. After the war, it was closed and sealed until a chance rediscovery by the hotel’s engineering department during the renovation of the Bamboo Bar in 2011. It was discovered nearly 3m below ground in the hotel’s gardens next to the bar.
“I believe it is part of the hotel’s history and every effort must be made to resurrect it and open it as a memorial so we can share more of our past with our guests”, the manager affirmed.
When the shelter was found, the underground chambers and corridors had become completely flooded. However after the water was pumped out, a number of items were discovered, including two old wine bottles, intact light bulbs, air vents, metal blast doors and and the words engraved on the wall by former Australian diplomat Bob Devereaux.
Many important guests stayed in the shelter in the period between 1960 and 1972.
Gemma Cruz Araneta, a Filipino journalist and Miss International 1964, described the shelter in May 1968 as “a long narrow semi-subterranean room of concrete”.
“It is lined with green wooden chairs and although there was no electricity, I noticed an electric fan was on. Really, the Vietnamese are such gracious hosts. The kitchen helpers and hotel employees patrol the premises armed with rifles and helmets and they persuaded the other guests to go into the shelter”, recalled Araneta.
Well-known American actress and political activist Jane Fonda, and American musician Joan Baez also spent time at the shelter.

Former Australian diplomat Bob Devereaux.

Araneta took part in the shelter’s opening ceremony yesterday together with Devereaux who did not remember why he engraved his named on the wall.
“Maybe at that time the shelter was flooded and I was groping my way around to find the Australian wine bottle, so I engraved my name on the wall to remember the way,” he recalled.
Historian Andreas Augustin, who wrote a history book about the hotel, was also present at the ceremony. He has built an exhibition area of the hotel’s historical path dating back to 1901. The exhibition area runs 18m along the hotel’s corridor to highlight Metropole’s 110-year-old history. On display are photos of the hotel’s early days, as well as names of its more than 300 famous guests, including English comic actor Charlie Chaplin and French writer Marguerite Duras.
The hotel offers guests access to the shelter and the exhibit via a scheduled tour programme starting today.

Hundreds of guests and correspondents waited to visit the bomb shelter on May 21.

Visitors have to wear helmets.

Former Australian diplomat Bob Devereaux wrote his name on the wall in 1975.

Bob Devereaux (middle) and Gemma Cruz Araneta at the opening ceremony on May 21.

Vietnam War veteran foils NY Times Sq. Terror plot

New York car bomb: Vietnam War veteran Duane Jackson hailed a hero after foiling Times Square terror plot


By Stephen White 3/05/2010
A street vendor was last night hailed as the unlikely hero who foiled an evil plot to blow up “the crossroads of the world”.
Vietnam War veteran Duane Jackson spotted smoke coming from a car parked in Times Square – the junction at the heart of New York’s theatreland.
The 58-year-old, who sells T-shirts and handbags, also heard noises from inside the Nissan Pathfinder, which had hazard lights flashing and its engine running.
Duane tipped off police and bomb disposal experts were called to defuse the device made from fireworks, petrol and propane gas, saving hundreds of lives.
Fire chief Sal Cassano later said the car bomb could have demolished a building and added: “This wasn’t make believe. This wasn’t a false alarm. This was the real deal - to hurt people.”
A police source said: “The death toll could have been enormous.”
Duane noticed the car, which had been parked for about 10 minutes, at 6:30pm local time (22.30 GMT) on Saturday.
He said: “That was my first thought, Who sat this car here?”
Looking in the car he saw a key in the ignition and 19 or 20 others on a ring.
Duane went on: “That’s when the smoke started coming out, and then we heard the little pop, pop, pop like firecrackers going out – and that’s when everybody scattered and ran back. Now that I saw the propane tanks and the gasoline, what if that would have ignited?
“I’m less than 8ft away from the car. We dodged a bullet here.”
Duane alerted mounted policeman Wayne Rhatigan, who said: “I did a lap around the vehicle.
“The inside was smoking. I smelled gunpowder and knew it might blow. I thought it might blow any second.”
Officer Rhatigan called for help and also found two policewomen on patrol.
The three then warned hundreds of pedestrians away. Later the policewomen reported seeing a man running as they approached the smoking car.
Police spokesman Paul Browne said this was being investigated but added: “It looks as if the perpetrator was trying to light it up, and was interrupted by the cops, panicked and took off. It looked like someone tried to detonate it and we got it in time. This is a big deal.”
New York’s mayor Michael Bloomberg told a news conference: “We have no idea who did this or why.”
Later the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility. A statement on a website said it was to avenge the killing of two Islamists and “Muslim martyrs”.
Experts could not last night verify the claim’s authenticity.
Al-Qaeda’s Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri – also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir – and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi were killed last month.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said the two were found dead in a hole in the ground inside a house after it was surrounded and stormed by troops.
A theory being considered by detectives is that the bomb was targeted at the makers of cartoon series South Park over a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed. The dark green Nissan Pathfinder was left near the offices of Viacom, the firm which owns the show.
Last month postings on an Islamic website warned the creators of South Park – Matt Stone and Trey Parker – they could face violent reprisals after an episode featured Mohammed in a bear suit.
Police are also understood to be ­investigating similarities between the New York device and other car bombs planted by Islamic terrorists.
White supremacists also have a history of terror attacks in the US.
Times Square was closed for 10 hours during which time the Nissan, bearing Connecticut number plates, was taken away. Mayor Bloomberg added: “We are lucky. Thanks to alert New Yorkers and professional police officers, we avoided what could have been a very deadly event.”
President Obama also praised the “quick action” and “excellent work” of
the police and bomb squad, which used a robot to get into the car.

Inside the disposal team found three propane tanks in the vehicle, ordinary fireworks, two filled five-gallon petrol cans, two clocks, batteries in each of the clocks, electrical wire and other components.
A locked metal box resembling a gun locker was also removed.
The car, which had tinted windows, was later identified on surveillance cameras travelling west along 45th Street. Police were also checking CCTV cameras for images of the man seen running away.
The vehicle’s number plates were later found to be from a truck which had been scrapped. Police spoke to its owner.
Seven big Broadway shows were halted by the scare including musicals Billy Elliot and The Lion King, which is at a theatre directly behind where the car bomb was parked. Tourists rushed out of the Marriott Marquis hotel.
Businesses and restaurants including TGI Friday’s and celebrity hangout Sardi’s were also evacuated.
Katy Neubauer, 46, and Becca Saunders, 39, of Milwaukee, were shopping for souvenirs in Manhattan on Saturday, close to Times Square.
Katy said: “It was a mass of people running away from the scene.”
Becca added: “There were too many people, too many cops. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Halle Berry, Jessica Biel and Jessica Alba were among thousands of women who had earlier run through Times Square to raise money for a cancer charity. David Paterson, the Governor of New York, described the Times Square incident as an “act of terrorism”.
He commented: “Luckily, no one is hurt, and now the full attention of city, state and federal law enforcement will be turned to bringing the guilty party to justice in this act of terrorism.”

THAILAND Bangkok: bomb explodes near government compound as tensions rise across the country

Bangkok: bomb explodes near government compound as tensions rise across the countryThe device goes off at 1 am (local time), shattering windows in nearby buildings. The incident increases political tensions between the government and PAD leaders who want the premier to quit. Samak threatens to use an iron fist against demonstrators. Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A small bomb exploded at 1 am (1800 GMT on Sunday) on Monday in a Bangkok police booth near the Thai government compound still occupied by protesters. The blast shattered windows in nearby buildings but caused no injuries.
The political crisis, which entered its seventh day with no sign of either side backing down, peaked on Friday when police fired teargas and rubber bullets to repel 2,000 protesters trying to storm Bangkok police headquarters.
Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) shut down three regional airports on Saturday and Sunday, paralysing the country’s transport system. Today all three have re-opened.
Police blamed Monday morning’s bomb attack on demonstrators who are trying to sow “chaos in the nation” and depict government and police as incapable of maintaining order and contain demonstrations.
The bomb detonated shortly after the end of a joint session of parliament called by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to seek a way out of the political crisis and avoid a violent escalation.
Samak, who has been accused of being a puppet in the hands of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra now in exile in London, rejected calls to quit or hold a snap election.
In his weekly radio address on Sunday he warned that his patience was wearing out.
“I am not afraid,” he said, “but I am concerned about chaos in the nation. We cannot let the seizure of Government House continue indefinitely without taking action.”
Despite demands for the premier’s resignation made by PAD leaders, who are close to the crown and the country’s conservative camp, the current government remains popular.
The PAD has a following in various parts of the country, especially Bangkok, but it has little support in most of rural Thailand, which remains loyal to current Prime Minister Samak.