Saturday, March 29, 2014

Earthquake may have hit on dangerous fault that worries scientists


The magnitude-5.1 earthquake that rattled Southern California on Friday was a 10-second reminder of a fault that seismologists believe can produce a catastrophic disaster.

The Puente Hills thrust fault is so dangerous because of its location, running from the suburbs of northern Orange County, though the San Gabriel Valley and under the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles before ending in Hollywood.

Experts say a major 7.5-magnitude earthquake on the fault could do more damage to the heart of Los Angeles than the dreaded Big One on the San Andreas fault, which is located on the outskirts of metropolitan Southern California.

The size of Friday’s quake was considered moderate, but it packed a punch. Residents within 10 miles of the epicenter in La Habra reported toppled furniture, broken glass and fallen picture frames. Several water mains broke, and a rockslide in Carbon Canyon caused a car to overturn, leaving those inside with minor injuries.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-earthquake-dangerous-fault-20140329,0,2176617.story#ixzz2xPXOUqIk


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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

FAA Orders Boeing to Fix Possibly Dangerous 747 Software Fault


The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday ordered an immediate fix to the latest version of the Boeing 747-8 airliner, saying a software glitch could cause it to lose thrust when close to landing and fly into the ground.

The FAA's so-called airworthiness directive covers Boeing's 747-8 and 747-8F planes fitted with certain General Electric engines. It calls for replacing defective software with a new, improved version.

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Thursday, March 20, 2014

Russian Duma Approves Crimea Annexation


Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, has overwhelmingly voted to ratify a treaty to annex Crimea from Ukraine.

The lawmakers voted on the measure Thursday, and the parliament's upper house, the Federation Council, will hold a similar vote on Friday.

On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin and Crimean leaders signed the treaty making Crimea part of Russia after Mr. Putin declared in a speech that the peninsula had always been an "inalienable" part of Russia.

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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

United Kingdom to introduce 'highly secure' 1-pound coin in 2017


March 19 (Reuters) - Britain plans to replace its 1-pound coin in 2017 with "the most secure coin in circulation in the world" as it cracks down on fake currency, the finance ministry said on Wednesday.

The design of the current pound coin, which has been in circulation for more than 30 years, leaves it vulnerable to sophisticated counterfeiters, the Treasury said.

"The Royal Mint estimates that about 3 percent of all 1 pound coins, or 45 million, are now forgeries. In some parts of the United Kingdom country, it is as high as 6 percent."

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U.S. suggests Baltics war games in response to Russian "land grab"


WARSAW, March 18 (Reuters) - The United States is considering sending troops for war games in the Baltic states bordering Russia, Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday in an effort to reassure NATO allies alarmed at the Kremlin's intervention in Ukraine.

Moscow's despatch of troops to Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula and its unilateral declaration that the area is now part of Russia have left NATO member states in eastern Europe worried that they could be next in line.

In the Polish capital on the first leg of a two-day trip to the region, Biden condemned Russia's actions in Crimea as a land grab, and he said NATO's commitment to protect any of its members from attack was unwavering.

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Monday, March 17, 2014

Rancher Faces $75,000-A-Day In EPA Fines For Building Pond On His Land


A Wyoming rancher is facing a $75,000 a day fine from the Environmental Protection Agency because he built a stock pond on his own property.

The agency claims private landowner Andrew Johnson violated the Clean Water Act by building the pond near a stream, and has ordered him to restore the land back to its original state.

“EPA appears more interested in intimidating and bankrupting Mr. Johnson than it does in working cooperatively with him,” three US Senators wrote in a letter to the agency about Johnson’s case. A spokesman for Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) gave Off The Grid News a copy of the letter.

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It's Holi - Let The Colorful Celebrations Begin!


Festivals are a way of life for people that practice Hinduism. Not a month goes by without one. However, very few are as fun or as widely anticipated as Holi, the festival of colors. Celebrated annually at the beginning of spring, on the day following a full moon, this year's festivities will take place on March 17th.

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Sunday, March 16, 2014

Hunter Bags 500-Pound Wild Boar


"It was very surreal," Webb told WNCT. "It was a shock. It was very humbling to say the least, when you walk up on a beast that big and you say, 'Oh my gosh.' I had no idea that there could be something that big running around the woods of Eastern North Carolina."

Webb, a veteran hunter, killed the huge hog with a single shot from his .308 caliber rifle. While some of his other big kills were mounted as trophies at the hunting club, this time, Webb chose to harvest the meat from the boar.

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Hammer: 'Moral Bankruptcy' Behind Massive GM Recall


According to a new report, more than 300 people have been killed in crashes of General Motors cars that have been recently recalled. That's more than ten times the number of fatalities GM has reported. According to the study by Friedman Research, 303 people lost their lives due to defective ignitions that could cause cars to stall and not deploy their airbags.
GM claims the recall, which affects 1.6 million cars worldwide, has only taken a dozen lives. Hundreds of complaints have been filed about the safety issue, and GM admits knowing about the safety issue since 2001.

Critics have questioned why it's taken so long for GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to act. The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the matter.

Now joining us to discuss this is Frank Hammer. Frank is a retired General Motors employee, former president and chairman of Local 909 in Warren, Michigan; now organizes the Autoworker Caravan, an association of active and retired autoworkers who advocate for workers' demands in Washington.

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200 killed in Nigeria in raids by suspected Fulani Muslims


SANKWAI, Nigeria, March 16 (UPI) -- Three villages in central Nigeria were destroyed and about 200 people killed in violence between farmers and ethnic Fulani herdsmen, police said Sunday.

The villages in Kaduna State -- Takum, Unguwar Gata and Sankwai -- were burned Friday, and about 50 gunmen assaulted the communities Friday and early Saturday, a witness in Sankwai, Gideon Bughu, said.

"They fired into homes. As women and children scampered to escape, they were shot and later cut with machetes. They set our homes on fire ... but the villagers managed to kill some of the Fulani men, some of who wore army uniforms," Bughu told the Nigerian newspaper Vanguard.

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Saturday, March 15, 2014

Crimea Secession Vote: How, Why and What Next?


The Ukrainian region of Crimea votes Sunday in a hastily organized referendum to break away and join Russia, in defiance of broad condemnation from the international community, which has described the process as illegitimate.

Moscow-backed politicians in Crimea, a territory of 2 million people, say the move will ensure the local population protection from radical nationalism that they say surged after President Viktor Yanukovych was forced to flee Ukraine. No immediate proof of specific threats has been produced, however, and the leadership in Kiev describes what is happening in Crimea as a crude land grab.

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Friday, March 14, 2014

Analysis shows two possible Indian Ocean paths for airliner


Washington (CNN) -- Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 made drastic changes in altitude and direction after disappearing from civilian radar, U.S. officials told CNN on Friday, raising questions for investigators about just who was at the controls of the commercial jetliner that went missing one week ago with 239 people on board.

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Malaysia Airliner Communications Shut Down Separately, US Officials Say



Two U.S. officials tell ABC News the U.S. believes that the shutdown of two communication systems happened separately on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. One source said this indicates the plane did not come out of the sky because of a catastrophic failure.

The data reporting system, they believe, was shut down at 1:07 a.m. The transponder -- which transmits location and altitude -- shut down at 1:21 a.m.

This indicates it may well have been a deliberate act, ABC News aviation consultant John Nance said.

U.S. investigators told ABC News that the two modes of communication were "systematically shut down."

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Britain To Pay £1 BILLION In Aid To Ukraine As Russian Flag Torn Down In Flashpoint Eastern City And Putin's Navy Blockades Port


* Pro-Russian protesters removed from Ukrainian government building following reports they had rigged bombs

* Russian flag removed from the roof of the building in the eastern city of Donetsk and Ukrainian flag reinstated

* Vladimir Putin's navy blocks access to Sevastapol port in fresh show of strength outside its Black Sea base

* Now new Ukraine PM says Crimea may be granted new local powers in exchange for remaining part of the country

* Developments come as EU announces £11billion aid package for Ukraine - including £1billion from Britain

* Meanwhile EU warns Moscow that billions belonging to Putin and his oligarch allies could be seized tomorrow

* Russia responded by threatening EU and U.S. with economic, trade and visa restrictions if sanctions are issued

* Russian Foreign Minister says people in Crimea do not recognise the new 'unconstitutional' Ukrainian government

Ukraine's new government is to be offered a multi-billion aid package by the European Union, with an estimated £1 billion coming from Britain.

The cash, made up of grants and loans totalling €11 billion (£9 billion), was approved by European ministers today at a meeting which also set out sanctions which could be brought against Russia if it steps up its military involvement in Ukraine - including seizing President Vladimir Putin's own assets and those of his oligarch allies.

In Ukraine itself tensions a new flashpoint emerged in Donetsk, in the east of the country, where riot police stormed the city hall and removed pro-Russian protesters, then raised the Ukrainian flag, while in the Black Sea at Sevastapol, the Russian navy blockaded the port in a show of strength.

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U.S. Investigators Suspect Missing Malaysia Airlines Plane Flew On for Hours


U.S. investigators suspect that Malaysia Airlines 3786.KU 0.00% Flight 370 stayed in the air for up to four hours past the time it reached its last confirmed location, according to two people familiar with the details, raising the possibility that the plane could have flown on for hundreds of additional miles under conditions that remain murky.

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