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Tropical Cyclone Mick formed over the weekend in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and made a quick landfall over Fiji's main island of Viti Levu earlier today, December 14. Mick made landfall as a Category 2 Cyclone and brought heavy rains and gusty winds to the island.

Viti Levu authorities reported torrential rainfall and gale force winds that caused power outages. Fortunately, there were no casualties. The Fiji Times reported tourists were safe on both the Yasawa and Mamanuca groups of islands. However, the city of Lautoka is dealing with power outages.

Cyclone Mick has already passed through the Fiji Islands and the Tropical Cyclone Warning remains in effect for the southeastern half of Viti Levu, Vatulele, Beqa, Kadavu and nearby smaller islands. The rest of Fiji is under a gale warning.

On December 14, at 1500 UTC (10 a.m. ET) Tropical Cyclone Mick had weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall as a Category One Cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson Scale with maximum sustained winds near 74 mph (65 knots). Mick now has maximum sustained winds near 63 mph (55 knots). Tropical storm-force winds extend 55 miles from Mick's center.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Cyclone Mick today at 1332 UTC (8:32 a.m. ET) and noticed that the storm did not have an eye, and the storm was becoming less symmetrical- two factors that indicate weakening.

Mick was located 80 miles southeast of Nadi, Fiji near 17.5 degrees South latitude and 177.7 degrees East longitude. Over the last 12 hours, the storm traveled 100 miles. It slowed down more than 10 mph, and is now moving southeast near 7 mph.

Mick is now dealing with wind shear, which is weakening the storm. Mick will also start transitioning into an extra-tropical storm within 12 hours.

The actress recently remarked on the troubling situation in an editorial.

Los Angeles, California (WiredPRNews.com) – Angelina Jolie recently questioned the Obama administration’s approach to dealing with the situation in Sudan. As reported by Access Hollywood, Jolie remarked in an editorial about the administration expressing support for the president’s methods, while questioning the effectiveness of his approach overall.

Jolie is quoted by Access Hollywood as writing in an editorial of Newsweek, “How is the Obama administration’s approach to Sudan an evolution of justice? In addition, when the administration says it intends to work to ‘improve the lives of the people of Darfur,’ I would like to know what that means, besides the obvious point that their lives could hardly get worse.”

Despite the remarks, Jolie is further quoted as writing, “Like many Americans, I support the administration’s willingness to engage diplomatically, even with regimes we abhor. And I believe President Obama and his special envoy Scott Gration will do their best to bring peace to the region… I also hope we will act sooner and more powerfully to prevent future atrocities.”

from javamanmonk - For, my friends not in America, this is the star from the movie Tomb Raider , Angelina Jolie. She adopts children from Africa, and is showing her concern.

140900Z POSITION NEAR 13.7S 127.6E.
TROPICAL CYCLONE (TC) 06S (LAURENCE), LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 185 NM
WEST-SOUTHWEST OF DARWIN, AUSTRALIA, HAS TRACKED WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD
AT 05 KNOTS OVER THE PAST 06 HOURS. THE SYSTEM WAS RELOCATED FROM
THE PREVIOUS 13/18Z WARNING POSITION OF 12.1S 126.9E TO THE CURRENT
POSITION BASED ON RADAR IMAGERY FROM WYNDHAM SHOWING A CONSOLIDATING
AND WELL-DEFINED LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC)

please check your local weather services, always be prepared!

update
Tropical Storm Laurence tracked through Darwin Australia this weekend before sliding back into the Timor Sea and now Laurence is forecast to make a second landfall in Australia. Laurence is forecast to make landfall north of Wyndham then parallel the coastline while moving over land for the next couple of days.

Laurence is forecast to make landfall in the Kimberley region, move southwest through the northern area of the Great Sandy Desert and into the Pilbara region.

At 0900 UTC (4 a.m. ET) on December 14, Tropical Storm Laurence had maximum sustained winds near 52 mph and was located 185 miles west-southwest of Darwin, Australia. That's near 13.5 South and 127.8 East. It was moving west-southwest near 6 mph, in the direction of its second landfall. It was generating waves near 12 feet, so beach erosion along the northern coasts of Western Australia can be expected near where Laurence makes landfall in the next day.

Meanwhile watches and warnings are up. A tropical cyclone warning is in force from Kuri Bay to Wyndham. A tropical cyclone watch is in force from Kuri Bay to Beagle Bay. Gale force winds with gusts up to 62 mph (100 kilometers per hour) are forecast for the northern Kimberley coast tonight. Forecasters expect heavy rainfall in that area tonight and Tuesday as Laurence moves closer to the coast.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite captured an infrared image of Tropical Storm Laurence on Dec. 14 at 8:43 a.m. ET when it was west-northwest of Darwin, Australia. Satellite imagery showed a disorganized storm.

Hurricane-force wind gusts up to 80 mph (130 kilometers per hour) may develop between Kalumburu and Kuri Bay on December 15. Residents near the communities of Kalumburu, Mitchell Plateau and Faraway Bay should be taking action in preparation for the cyclone's arrival. They are currently under a yellow alert. There is a blue alert in effect for the residents near the communities of Oombulgurri and Kuri Bay.

KaylaMinajnumbah1 new Avatar









21:44 Eastern standard Time 12/13/2009 - I'm sorry folks, I should've explained what I am doing here. One of our little Opera friends needed an avatar. I designed these animated .gif years ago, I use some of them on my website, and I made an offer, that she could use one of these for an avatar.

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brianna K. Dandridge, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- USS De Wert (FFG 45) provided assistance to an Iranian fishing dhow experiencing problems Dec. 9 in the Indian Ocean.

U.S. Sailors aboard De Wert, as part of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151), received a distress call from the fishing dhow requesting a supply of fresh drinking water.

De Wert crew members dispatched 10 personnel aboard a rigid-hull inflatable boat to assist the crew of the distressed vessel, and transferred 55 gallons of drinking water into the dhow's holding tanks.

CTF 151 is a multinational task force conducting counter piracy operations to detect and deter piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Red Sea. The task force was established to create a lawful maritime order and conduct Maritime Security Operations.


For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/cusnc/.