Haiti

About six weeks ago, a large earthquake devastated Haiti and killed over 200,000 people. Saturday, a huge earthquake releasing 500 times more energy, devastated Chile and killed hundreds.

So why did the smaller earthquake kill so many more people? And why the sudden spate of disastrous earthquakes in the Americas?

No, the apocalypse is not coming. No, the two earthquakes are not linked in any way. And no, Pat Robertson, you can't blame the Devil or the French. The real answers, for those comfortable with science and the Enlightenment, are tectonics and poverty.

Of the many revolutions of the 1960s, the one that really mattered to geologists was the revolution of plate tectonics. Tectonics is the word geologists use to describe the process by which mountains move and rocks squeeze and crunch.

In the sixties, new data from research cruises and from earthquake seismometers led to the realization that tectonics makes mountains slide sideways long distances. Earth scientists discovered that the Earth has a patchy skin of mobile plates a hundred miles thick and thousands of miles across, and that they move horizontally at a slow but irresistible pace. It's where they collide that our problems begin.

South America is a prime example of this process, one that geologists call "subduction." It's why we have the long chain of mountains called the Andes and it's why countries like Chile and Peru suffer giant, destructive earthquakes every few decades.

Drugs-Teen

The negative effects of teen drug use are undeniable and obvious. When considering those negative effects, it is alarming to see some of the actual statistics concerning the amount of teen drug use in highschools and middle schools. In addition, many parents have felt that their teen's alcohol use is ok because it isn't a harder drug like crack, or heroine. However, it should be noted that alcohol kills five times more teenagers than all other drugs combined(usually through accidents)! Below are just a few of alarming statics associated with teen drug use and the effects of alcohol on teenagers.

- Illicit teen drug use as of 2003.
* 8th grade -- 30.3%
* 10th grade -- 44.9%
* 12th grade -- 52.8%

Teen Pregnacy

Teen pregnancy is one of the most difficult experiences a young person might ever face when it interrupts school or other plans. It can create an emotional crisis resulting in feelings of shame and fear, and it may appear that you will crumble under pressures in your environment. The stress of how you are going to break this news to your parents might be even greater, and finding help may seem an impossible task.
You might think no one can help you, or you might be too embarrassed to search for help. However, denying the pregnancy or ignoring it can only make things worse for you and your baby. Denial will not take the pregnancy away; instead, you will lose the time you could have invested in prenatal care and counseling. You have options, and making a choice may be simple or difficult, depending on your situation. Check resources carefully and try to give yourself the opportunity to make the best informed decision possible.
These state-by-state breakdowns add to previously released data from the national center that complete the picture for 2006, a year in which the general fertility rate hit its highest level since 1971 and one that ended a 34% drop in births among women ages 15-19 from 1991 to 2005. In 2006, the teen birth rate increased 3%, to 41.9 births per 1,000 women ages 15-19.

Teen Drug Abuse
Help fight teen drug abuse, we provide information to help fight teen drug abuse by prevention, intervention and have a support network.
http://www.teendrugabuse.us

Weekend Post 3

Trump World Tower is a residential skyscraper at 845 United Nations Plaza (First Avenue between 47th and 48th Streets) in Manhattan, New York City. Construction began in 1999 and concluded in 2001. Designed by the architect Marta Rudzka, the building is 264 meters high and has 72 constructed floors (but lists 90 stories on elevator panels) with curtain wall facades of dark, bronze-tinted glass. The resulting large windows allow for extensive views of the East River and midtown Manhattan. The building is constructed with concrete to improve its wind resistance.

Trump World Tower was the tallest building constructed in the western hemisphere between 1992 when Atlanta's Bank of America Plaza was finished and 2007 when the Comcast Center in Philadelphia and the New York Times Tower in New York were completed. It was the tallest all-residential tower in the world briefly, prior to the completion of the 21st Century Tower in Dubai (2003) and the Tower Palace 3 in Seoul (2004).

Prior to construction, many neighbors, including Walter Cronkite, opposed the building due to its height and lack of distinguishing exterior features. Among the concerns was that this tower would dwarf the United Nations headquarters across the street. Trump World Tower was constructed as-of-right on the former site of the United Engineering Center through the acquisition of unused air rights from adjacent properties.

The tallest of the handful of wholly residential towers completed to-date by Donald Trump, it cost approximately $300 million to construct. Condo prices have relaxed to between $625,000 for a studio (there are only a small handful in the building) to $28,000,000+. The penthouse on the top 2 floors of the structure which totaled 20,000 square feet (1,858 m²) was priced at $58 million. This apartment, after failing to sell for years on end, was separated into four different units. Rentals from private owners are currently between $2800 and $3700 for studio units and $4600+ for 1 bedroom units (590-890 square feet).

In April 2006, Megu, an Asian fusion cuisine restaurant, opened on the ground floor, which also houses a bar named The World Bar.

Payed For

Though his best friend Corey Feldman said Corey Haim died with little money to his name, the late actor's funeral expenses won't fall to his mother.

Judy Haim, who is suffering from cancer, tells Access Hollywood that the city of Toronto will help her by covering the cost of Haim's funeral, which is set for Tuesday. The late-actor was Canadian.

In a statement released Sunday, the city of Toronto said it "does not confirm or comment on any potential, pending or active applications for assistance in such matters. Therefore, the City will not be commenting further on these reports."

Weekend Post 2

Skiing is a group of sports using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding.

Skiing can be grouped into two general categories. Nordic skiing, the older of the two disciplines, originated in Scandinavia and uses free-heel bindings that attach at the toes of the skier's boots but not at the heels. Types of Nordic skiing include cross-country, ski jumping and Telemark. Alpine skiing (often called "downhill skiing"), originated in the European Alps, and is characterized by fixed-heel bindings that attach at both the toe and the heel of the skier's boot.

Bus In India

A bus plummeted 70 feet into a dry riverbed in northwestern India on Monday, killing at least 26 passengers and injuring 34 others, police said.

The wreck occurred before dawn in the Swai Madhopur district of Rajasthan state when the bus hit a vehicle parked on a bridge and smashed through the span's railing, police superintendent Vikas Kumar said.

Most of the passengers were students, ages 20 to 25, he said.

The injured passengers have been hospitalized, Kumar said.

Weekend Post 1

Calafornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil. It is located on the West Coast of the United States, and is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the northeast, Arizona to the southeast, the Mexican state of Baja California to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its four largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. The state is home to the nation's second and sixth largest census statistical areas as well as eight of the nation's fifty most populous cities. California has a varied climate and geography, and a diverse population.

California is the third-largest U.S. state by land area, after Alaska and Texas. Its geography ranges from the Pacific coast to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the east, to Mojave desert areas in the southeast and the Redwood–Douglas fir forests of the northwest. The center of the state is dominated by the Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. California is the most geographically diverse state in the nation, and contains the highest (Mount Whitney) and lowest (Death Valley) points in the contiguous United States. Almost 40% of California is forested, a high amount for a relatively arid state.

Beginning in the late 18th century, the area known as Alta California was colonized by the Spanish Empire. In 1821, Mexico, including Alta California, became the First Mexican Empire, beginning as a monarchy, before shifting to a republic. In 1846 a group of American settlers in Sonoma declared the independence of a California Republic. As a result of the Mexican-American War, Mexico ceded California to the United States. It became the 31st state admitted to the union on September 9, 1850.

In the 19th century, the California Gold Rush brought about dramatic social, economic, and demographic change in California, with a large influx of people and an economic boom that caused San Francisco to grow from a hamlet of tents to a world-renowned boomtown. Key developments in the early 20th century included the emergence of Los Angeles as center of the American entertainment industry, and the growth of a large, state-wide tourism sector. In addition to California's prosperous agricultural industry, other important contributors to the economy include aerospace, petroleum, and information technology. If California were a country, it would rank among the ten largest economies in the world, with a GDP similar to that of Italy. It would be the 35th most populous country.

Weekend Superbowl 44

Super Bowl XLII was an American football game that featured the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2007 season. In one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, the Giants (14–6) won 17–14 over the previously undefeated Patriots (18–1). In doing so, the Giants became the first NFC wild card team to win a Super Bowl. They also became the sixth wild card seed from either conference, the fifth in eleven years, and second in three years, to earn an NFL championship. The victory marked the franchise's seventh NFL championship and third Super Bowl win—New York's first title since Super Bowl XXV in January 1991. The Giants head coach was Tom Coughlin. The Patriots were coached by Bill Belichick. The tagline for Super Bowl XLII was "Who Wants It More?"

The game, held on February 3, 2008 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, was a rematch of the final game of the regular season. In that contest, the Patriots won 38–35 to complete the first perfect regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins team, and the first one since the league expanded to a 16-game regular season schedule in 1978. Thus, New England entered Super Bowl XLII as 13 to 14-point favorites.

The first three quarters of Super Bowl XLII were largely a defensive battle, as both teams combined for only 10 points entering into the final quarter, with the Patriots leading 7–3. New York finally scored their first touchdown with 11:05 left in the game to take a 10–7 lead. New England eventually responded with a touchdown of their own to take a 14–10 lead with 2:42 left. Then came the defining play of the game: faced with third down and five yards to go from his own 44-yard line with 1:15 remaining, Giants quarterback Eli Manning avoided what looked like a sack, completed a 32-yard pass to wide receiver David Tyree, who made a leaping catch by pinning the ball on his helmet, which put them at New England's 24-yard-line. Four plays later, New York wide receiver Plaxico Burress caught the winning touchdown with 0:35 left. Manning, who threw both of his touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, was named the Most Valuable Player.
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