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Complete Headline: Watch Out California! 53 Major Earthquakes (Including A Magnitude 8.2) Just Hit The Ring Of Fire In A 24 Hour Period Is something unusual starting to happen to the crust of our planet? The USGS defines any earthquake of at least magnitude 4.5 as "significant", and there were 53 earthquakes that met that criteria along the Ring of Fire on Sunday alone. If you would like to verify that information for yourself, you can so do right here. Not too long ago, I wrote about how "Earth changes" seem to be accelerating all over the world, but even...

California has been hard hit by wildfires, and 17 major fires continue to burn. California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced Saturday that the White House had approved the state's request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Shasta County, where the historic Carr Fire continues to burn. According to Governor Brown's office, the request was submitted to the President and approved in the same day. "This is part of a trend – a new normal – that we've got to deal with. We're dealing with it humanly, financially and governmentally," Governor Brown said on Saturday during a media briefing...

Hundreds of residents of the seaside resort of Mati, east of Athens, sought refuge on Monday to nearby beaches to evade the approaching fire that has claimed the lives of at least 50 people.Heartbreaking photos have emerged of panicked residents trying to escape the rage of the flames and waiting to be rescued by the Greek coast guard and private boats. (note: many more photos at the link and 2 videos) -- Greeks Turn to Social Media to Find Missing Persons A group of Greeks have created an electronic database with photos and names of missing persons following Monday’s devastating fires...

With no serious competition opening at the box office, Solo has officially collapsed with a catastrophic -68 percent drop in its second weekend. After grossing a measly (we are talking about a Star Wars movie here) $82 million in its debut weekend, Solo bottomed out in week two with just $28 million. How bad is that? In its second weekend, The Force Awakens was grossing $50 million A DAY. The Last Jedi grossed $70 million. Rogue One grossed $55 million. In worse news, Solo is by far the most expensive Star Wars movie produced yet, with a reported price tag...

Starbucks announced a new policy Saturday that allows anyone to sit in its cafés or use its restrooms, even if they don’t buy anything. The new policy comes five weeks after two black men who hadn’t bought anything were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks. Company executives have said its previous policies were loose and ambiguous, leaving decisions on whether people could sit in its stores or use the restroom up to store managers. […] The company said anyone can use its cafés, patios or restrooms without buying anything, but it noted workers should still call the police if someone is...

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Monday marks the anniversary of the 1947 Texas City ship disaster. On Saturday evening survivors met in Texas City to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the disaster in a somber memorial. On April 16th, 1947, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions to have ever occurred rocked the Texas City port, killing hundreds of people including 28 members of the Texas City Fire Department. It all started shortly after 8 a.m. that day, when longshoremen noticed smoke in the hold of the S.S. Grandcamp. The Texas City Volunteer Fire Department was called but the fire continued to...

Humanitarian agencies are struggling to meet the health and aid needs of the civilian population of Afrin as the number of people recently displaced due to Turkey’s offensive climbs to an estimated 167,000. Concerns have also been raised for the security of the thousands who remain in the canton.“Children, women, and men have undertaken harrowing journeys to flee Afrin and need urgent health assistance. Our staff have met civilians who reported walking for 36 hours to reach safer areas,” said Elizabeth Hoff, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Syria.People arriving at shelters have described “running in the face...

Press StatementHeather NauertDepartment Spokesperson Washington, DC March 19, 2018 The United States is deeply concerned over reports from Afrin City over the last 48 hours. It appears the majority of the population of the city, which is predominantly Kurdish, evacuated under threat of attack from Turkish military forces and Turkish backed opposition forces. This adds to the already concerning humanitarian situation in the area, with United Nations agencies reporting a displaced population in or from Afrin district in the hundreds of thousands, who now require immediate shelter and other assistance to meet basic needs. We are also concerned over reports...

U.S. News & World report ranked the best states in the US for quality of life. Quality of life includes the quality of the natural environment, like water and air quality, and the quality of the social environment, like community engagement and voter participation. Of every state in the US, North Dakota residents have the highest quality of life.

Does Norway know something we don’t? The Scandinavian country announced Monday that it is going to spend about $12.7 million to upgrade its “doomsday” seed vault that is the world’s largest repository built to safeguard against wars or natural disasters wiping out global food crops. The Verge reported that the upgrades will focus on a new concrete tunnel and “emergency power and refrigerated units and other electrical equipment that emeits heat through the tunnel.” The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a gene bank built underground on an isolated island in a permafrost zone some 620 miles from the North Pole, was...

Heavy rains unleashed destructive rivers of mud and debris in Southern California on Tuesday morning -- leaving at least two dead, destroying homes and spurring rescues as the flooding forced heavily traveled roads to close. At least six homes near the coastal community of Montecito were "wiped away from their foundations" by mudflow and debris, Santa Barbara County fire spokesman Mike Eliason said.

Wildfires in Southern California aided by wind have driven 200,000 from their homes, and have forced schools throughout the area to close. The largest fire started in Santa Paula, California, on Monday, but there are now five separate fires. Here’s a glimpse into some of the destruction California is facing.

Iceland’s biggest volcano has been rocked by the strongest earthquake since it last erupted in 2014. With swarms of earthquakes occurring in the French Alps too, Europe is facing what could be one of the largest natural disasters in history. Last week, the 6,591-foot tall Bardarbunga, a “powerful and versatile” volcano, was rattled by the four largest earthquakes since it last erupted in 2014. The earthquakes, measuring in magnitudes of 3.9, 3.2, 4.7, and 4.7 on the Richter scale, struck the caldera region over several days last weekend. Another magnitude 4.1 earthquake hit the 200km long and 25km wide...

[This is a news brief from an e-mail compilation]: Information emerging from furtive North Korea indicates that a tunnel at the regime’s nuclear test site collapsed last month after a nuclear test, killing about 200 people. A report from Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi, citing unnamed sources, said 100 people were killed in an initial collapse around Sept. 10, and another 100 died in a rescue operation. Other reports put the date of the collapse as Oct. 10. No official North Korean announcement was made about the date of the collapse. North Korea’s massive Sept. 3 test caused multiple tremors and...

It’s been a time of calamities: Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, flooding in South Asia and Africa and a massive earthquake in Mexico have led to widespread devastation around the globe.Some people seem to think this is divine retribution for the sins of humanity: Kirk Cameron, former child actor, said in a video on Facebook that Hurricane Harvey and Irma were “a spectacular display of God’s immense power” and were sent so human beings could repent. Earlier, after seeing the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, conservative Christian pastor John McTernan had noted that “God is systematically destroying America” out of anger over...

The takedown of the Puerto Rican power grid by Hurricane Irma will, we hope, provide a teaching moment. The United States power grid is vulnerable, and the consequences of a widespread failure, especially if lengthy, will be a disaster of monumental proportions. This should not be a new realization. Serious analysts such as the Foundation for Resilient Societies and the EMP Commission have been warning us for a long time. The warnings have been ignored or even actively opposed by the electric power industry. America's electric grid can be brought down by sabotage or by natural forces, such as the...

In Houston, as in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, looting follows as floodwaters recede. Homeowners already ravaged by Hurricane Harvey are finding themselves ravaged yet again by thugs and looters. Nor is Harvey the only hazard. As we approach the height of hurricane season, Hurricane Irma threatens the Caribbean and, potentially, our Atlantic coast. Even beyond natural disasters, residents of Charlottesville, Charlotte, Baltimore, and elsewhere have suffered from America's increasing propensity for riots, looting, and property destruction. As you probably know, you may legally defend yourself using deadly force if you or your family faces a reasonable fear of imminent...

OK Freepers, what is the best charity to give to support Harvey? The Red Cross? I have been hearing them panned since Vietnam. What about the Salvation Army? Hey, the Clinton Foundation did great work in Haiti, just ask Hillary. What are your suggestions?

Donations to certified disaster relief agencies should be 50-100% deductible. That is direct aid, not filtered through gubmint.

50 years today July 29, 1967 the USS Forrestal Fire took place. This 2917 calendar lines up on the exact day.