Some forecasters and emergency management officials are warning residents up and down the East Coast — including the Garden State — to remain on high alert in case the storm drifts further west than computer models are projecting.

Kristin Kline, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office, said Earl — assuming it stays on its current path — won’t pack much of a punch by the time it reaches New Jersey, but it will stir up dangerous rip currents and some big surf. She also said that we need to be aware and prepare.

But the effects of its northerly march will be seen long before its expected arrival late Thursday into Friday. The ocean will start churning up Wednesday, creating rip currents and high surf that should last through Friday before diminishing Saturday as the storm pulls out, Kline said.

The U.S. Coast Guard had also dispatched a helicopter and a boat to spearhead the search for a missing 23-year-old male in Asbury Park today, according to Petty Officer Jonathan Lindbergh, an agency spokesman. Lindbergh said the man went into the surf sometime after 5 p.m. and has not resurfaced.

The American Red Cross, which trains the lifeguards on the Jersey Shore, is urging beachgoers to be especially attentive and vigilant, said Melissa DeGennaro, a spokeswoman for the organization’s Jersey Coast chapter.

‘‘Labor Day weekend — the pressure’s on,’’ she said. ‘‘We’re trying to be ahead of the game. There’s going to be a lot of people here. We’re preparing for the worst situation.Maybe the eye of the storm isn’t going to pass over New Jersey, but there are a lot of flood-prone areas at the Shore.”

Earl is expected to usher in showers and thunderstorms in Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May counties tomorrow into Friday, but not in the form of torrential downpours. Kline said only a quarter-inch to a half-inch of rain should fall if the storm stays on its current track.

Tropical-storm force winds of up to 40 mph will hit the southern coast, most likely from Atlantic City and down, Kline said. Those winds, pushing water toward the coast, also means that area has the better chance of experiencing flooding, which should be minor, she said.

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One of the emails:

“The Red Planet Mars is about to be spectacular as it can be seen in the sky. Earth and Mars will be at its closest in 60,000 years. The next time Mars may come this close may be after several years in the year 2287. The encounter between Earth and Mars will culminate on August 27 when the red planet comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be next to the moon the brightest object in the sky at night. It will have a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. In its 75-power magnification, Mars will look as large as the full moon through the naked eye.

By August 27 where both planets will be closest to each other, Mars will rise at nightfall and will reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30 am. As such, we will be able to see two moons in the sky – one is the actual moon and the other is the red planet Mars. Mark your calendars to see Mars as the second moon in the sky. This is a rare opportunity as no one alive today will ever witness the second event when this happens again.”

Apparently, that was an old email back in August 2003. In fact, NASA reported that there is no such two moons that will occur in the sky today, August 27, 2010. This rumor, as stated, started in 2003 and has since reoccurred at the end of August every year since. According to astronomers, not until 2018 will our view of Mars be similar to the one that was available in 2003 and it won’t be until 2287 will Mars come closer to Earth than it did back in 2003.

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The owner of a bakery in “Cake Boss”, Remy Gonzales, has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a teenager. The charges against him are: aggravated sexual assault, criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child. TLC released a statement in which they support Buddy but at the same time make clear that they don’t have anything to o with the arrest or any criminal behavior from Gonzalez:

“We support Buddy and the Valastro family during this very difficult and challenging time. The network respects the family’s wish for as much privacy as possible, and as this doesn’t involve us, we will not be commenting any further,”

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You can make free local and long distance calls (to US and Canada), and cheap international calls from directly inside Gmail. If that wasn’t cool enough, you can even receive phone calls right inside Google Talk if you are either away from your phone, or you simply don’t have one.

You can now feasibly get phone service anywhere in the United States for absolutely nothing. You get a Google Voice number, and a Gmail account, and you magically have unlimited inbound and outbound calling — free.

You don’t need a physical phone to use Google Voice anymore, and that is big news. The technology behind this feature comes partially from the acquisition of Gizmo5 not so long ago.

In addition to the free calling from your computer, Google is also rolling out old school phone booths in airports and campuses. These magic booths will provide free calling — but I think it’s mainly going to be used to help get the word about Google Voice out there.

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During the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake in Japan, a firestorm gave birth to a gigantic fire tornado that killed 38,000 people in 15 minutes in the Hifukusho-Ato region of Tokyo. Another large fire tornado formed near San Luis Obispo, Calif., in 1926, after lightning stuck an oil storage yard.

Most fire tornadoes form during wildfires and may reach up to 200 feet (50 meters) tall, 10 feet (3 m) wide, but typically die out after a few minutes. Some of the largest, however, can reach up to half a mile tall, last for over 20 minutes, and have been known to uproot giant trees.

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Satoshi Kon, a director of animated films has died today. It is confirmed that Kon has passed away at the young age of 47.  Satoshi Kon was known for his brilliant directing of movies such as “Perfect Blue”, and “Millennium Actress”. He also helped create TV series like “Paranoia Agent” and “Paprika”. People believe that “Paprika” was inspiration for the hit movie “Inception”, which has similar story lines. The cause of Kon’s death is not official yet, but it is believed that he has died of cancer.

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The coroner’s office of Clark County, Nev., said on Tuesday LPGA golfer Erica Blasberg died died of asphyxia coupled with the presence of toxic levels of prescription medication — including prescription headache, cough, pain and anti-anxiety medications and has been ruled a suicide.

“While asphyxia was the primary cause of death, the presence of prescription drugs in Ms. Blasberg’s system was a significant factor,” Coroner Michael Murphy said.

Also on Tuesday, the Henderson Police Department announced it had ruled out foul play in Blasberg’s death, but an arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Dr. Thomas Hess on misdemeanor obstruction of justice charges. Police said Hess admitted to altering the scene — hiding an apparent suicide note and prescription medications in his vehicle — and stopped cooperating with detectives.

Blasberg, 25, was in her sixth season on the LPGA Tour. She went to high school in Corona and was a two-time All-American at the University of Arizona, where she was named NCAA freshman of the year and Pac-10 player of the year in 2003.

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Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren are now officially divorced. The former couple have agreed to share parental duties for their two children, Sam Alexis and Charlie Axel. The settlement – division of property and assets – was undisclosed, but varying reports have suggested that Elin, 30, could receive anywhere from $100 million in assets to as much as five times that figure. She is also prohibited from taking any actions that can further damage Woods’ brand marketability.

This is probably the time for Woods to pick up the pieces and get back to his winning ways. At 34, he still has a shot at surpassing Jack Nicklaus’ record. Sources say that although Elin had signed a prenuptial agreement, it was renegotiated after the sex scandal that derailed Tiger’s personal life and professional career

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And in case you missed it, here’s Jackie’s performance from last night:

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Fantasia rode high on her American Idol win, but she has not been in the headlines for some time now and seems to be fading into American Idol retirement club.  Now a sex tape would turn this around and Fantasia could get at least another 15 minutes of fame out of this deal.

“It is hard to believe that Fantasia would participate in a sex tape”, said one Connecticut American Idol fan. “Fantasia was religious and family oriented when on the Idol, so this seems far fetched for her character”, said another Connecticut fan of Fantasia’s.

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