Paradise Driver: 04/18/08

Friday, April 18, 2008

DID YOU FEEL IT?

A 5.2 earthquake struck the southeast area of Illinois, near the southwest Indiana border this morning at 4:36:58 AM CDT (9:36:58 AM UTC). No damage or injuries has been reported. The epicenter was located quite a distance north of the famed New Madrid area.

If you reside within 500-600 miles of that part of the country, please click here and file a simple report about what you felt, or didn't feel. It helps determine the total area affected.

There was another temblor in this area in 1968 that measured 5.4 on the open ended Richter Scale.

You will probably read a lot of news stories about today's quake being a 5.4 also. That was the preliminary report but the USGS sifts through all the data to precisely define what occured and will update the info as the computers eat up the input.

To be honest, in California and Japan, a 5.2 wouldn't even interrupt your daily activity or radically disturb your sleep.

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ADDENDUM

As with any earthquake, there have been some aftershocks, including one that measured 4.6. Most have been in the low to mid 2 range. Which is right on the threshold of being felt.

Over The Limit?
UNDER ARREST!
Please don't drink and drive

"Let's all be careful out there!"

6,666,666,666

IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING

Sometime between May 1st and June 1st, the estimated population of our tiny blue marble will pass this milestone. Thats one hell of a lot of bodies. Here is the current World POPClock Projection. And the current US POPClock Projection.

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About 200 years ago, a guy named Charles Darwin was born. 50 years later he published On the Origin of Species, arguably one of the most significant books of modern man. The vast majority of people, both from industrialized and non-industrialized areas of the globe, don't believe in evolution. They still cling to mythic tales of creation. Here are 24 myths and misconceptions about evolution.

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I remember growing up and seeing images of proposed buildings that we would live in someday. Mile high skyscrapers. Floating cities in the sky. Megatropolises (is that even a word?) below the surface of the seas. Maybe someday but not in our immediate future and definitely not for Joe Average. There are still some proposals out there that are pipe-dreams waiting to be built. Once technology can catch up. Click image for more.

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I guess what they want is for Ted Turner to be publicly executed, the satellite carrying the signal to be shot down and for us to allow them to continue sending tainted pet food and lead based painted toys for Christmas.

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During the days of the "cold war", the subtle propaganda that we received in America showed us that women in the Soviet Bloc made Nikita Khrushchev's wife look good. Then the "Iron Curtain" rusted away and the truth came out. Many of the women, especially from the Ukraine, were drop dead gorgeous. So I can't really fault those sailors recently arrested in Virginia.

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