Poster of the Haiti Earthquake of 12 January 2010 - Magnitude 7. Tectonic Summary The January 12, 2010, Haiti earthquake occurred in the boundary region separating the Caribbean plate and the North America plate. This plate boundary is dominated by left-lateral strike slip motion and compression, and accommodates about 20 mm/y slip, with the Caribbean plate moving eastward with respect to the North America plate. Haiti occupies the western part of the island of Hispaniola, one of the Greater Antilles islands, situated between Puerto Rico and Cuba. The location and focal mechanism of the earthquake are consistent with the event having occurred as a combination of reverse and left-lateral strike slip faulting on the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system. The Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system has not produced a major earthquake in recent decades. Sequence of events possibly associated with the Enriquillo fault in 1751-1860 are as follows. June 3, 1770: a major earthquake destroyed Port-au-Prince again and appeared to be centered west of the city.
Michigan Woman Faces 93 Days in Jail for Planting a Vegetable Garden Photo Credit: Julie BassUPDATE: Charges have been dropped by the city of Oak Park. See the end of this post for details. It just doesn't get more ridiculous than this. Julie Bass of Oak Park, Michigan -- a mother of 6, law-abiding citizen, and gardener -- is facing 93 days in jail after being charged with a misdemeanor. Her crime? Planting a vegetable garden in the front yard.Bass says that she planted the garden after her front yard was torn up for some sewer repairs. Her garden consists of 5 raised beds, where she grows a mix of squashes, corn, tomatoes, flowers, and other veggies. About the City Ordinance Supposedly, Bass is in noncompliance with a city ordinance that states that only "suitable" plant material is allowed on the lawn area of residences. About Oak Park This is not some gated community with HOA regulations. What's Being Done This story is gaining traction all over the web. How to Help 1. What do you think? UPDATE: Charges Dropped! According to Mrs.
Japan earthquake: Tsunami hits north-east Japan's most powerful earthquake since records began has struck the north-east coast, triggering a massive tsunami. Cars, ships and buildings were swept away by a wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude tremor, which struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo. A state of emergency has been declared at a nuclear power plant, where pressure has exceeded normal levels. Officials say 350 people are dead and about 500 missing, but it is feared the final death toll will be much higher. In one ward alone in Sendai, a port city in Miyagi prefecture, 200 to 300 bodies were found. The quake was the fifth-largest in the world since 1900 and nearly 8,000 times stronger than the one which devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, last month, said scientists. Thousands of people living near the Fukushima nuclear power plant have been ordered to evacuate. Officials said they might need to deliberately release some radioactive steam to relieve pressure, but that there would be no health risk.
National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) Gay Marriage Bill Passes In New York; Governor Cuomo Signs Same Sex Marriage Bill Into Law Gay couples and proponents of gay rights have a reason to celebrate tonight, as the New York State Senate has passed a bill that allows same sex marriage. New York will be the sixth, and largest, state in the union to adopt gay marriage. Governor Cuomo signed the bill into law at 11:15pm on Friday, which means the law will take effect on July 24, 2011. The decision, which passed 33-29, was the culmination of weeks of contentious debate and negotiations between Governor Cuomo and the GOP-controlled Senate. After the bill passed in the Assembly, it was unclear if the bill had secured enough votes to pass in the Senate. When a few notable undecideds joined the cause --including Republican Roy McDonald who famously defended his decision, saying "fuck it, I don't care what you think. "We are leaders and we join other proud states that recognize our families and the battle will now go on in other states," said Sen. "We've been waiting. "I am spellbound. Sen. Sen.
abama tornadoes: DeKalb County path of destruction 25 miles long RAINSVILLE, Alabama -- DeKalb County rescue workers and law enforcement pulled more bodies from the rubble of homes Thursday, bringing the death toll to at least 32 in this northeast Alabama County from a deadly twister that struck Wednesday. The tornado carved a path northeast at least 25 miles long from Grove Oak to Ider, injuring an estimated 200 others, said DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris. Along the twister's path hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed, said Alabama State Trooper Lt. George Thorpe. A countywide curfew is in effect from 9 p.m. Among the hardest hit areas of the county was Rainsville. The walls of the city's civic center blew out when the tornado struck about 6:15 p.m. Plainview High School, which is next to the civic center, also was hit by the tornado. Ginger Graham, a special needs teacher at the school, pulled books from amid the debris that once was the special needs resource room. "So much devastation. Berry wasn't home when the tornado hit.
U.N. Gay Rights Protection Resolution Passes, Hailed As 'Historic Moment' GENEVA — The United Nations endorsed the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender people for the first time ever Friday, passing a resolution hailed as historic by the U.S. and other backers and decried by some African and Muslim countries. The declaration was cautiously worded, expressing "grave concern" about abuses because of sexual orientation and commissioning a global report on discrimination against gays. But activists called it an important shift on an issue that has divided the global body for decades, and they credited the Obama administration's push for gay rights at home and abroad. "This represents a historic moment to highlight the human rights abuses and violations that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face around the world based solely on who they are and whom they love," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a statement. Following tense negotiations, members of the Geneva-based U.N. The White House in a statement strongly backed the declaration.
Japan Nuclear Crisis: Japanese Efforts Fail to Stabilize Plant; U.S. Water Pumps Might Be the Answer <br/><a href=" US News</a> | <a href=" Business News</a> Copy The Japanese are looking to the U.S. for help after frantic efforts to cool the overheating Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors and fuel ponds have failed to bring the plant under control. There is hope that water pumps the U.S. is sending could help to avert disaster. The entire crisis began when the plant lost power after last week's 9.0 earthquake and tsunami. The Pentagon has shipped in the pumps, but no U.S. personnel. The power line, if it works, might help in the effort to cool the reactors, but not the fuel ponds. "From what I see they are working to get electricity back to the site so that they can restart the backup cooling pumps. Today, in new video, close-ups of reactors three and four were visible for the first time. The water in the pool is desperately low, and without water, the rods could ignite and fill the sky with radioactive smoke.