Strong earthquakes rattle NZ's Christchurch

(AP) ? A series of strong earthquakes struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Friday, rattling buildings, sending goods tumbling from shelves and prompting terrified holiday shoppers to flee into the streets. There was no tsunami alert issued and the city appeared to have been spared major damage.

One person was injured at a city mall and was taken to a hospital, and four people had to be rescued after being trapped by a rock fall, Christchurch police said in a statement. But there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or widespread damage in the city, which is still recovering from a devastating February earthquake that killed 182 people and destroyed much of the downtown area.

The first 5.8-magnitude quake struck Friday afternoon, 16 miles (26 kilometers) north of Christchurch and 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) deep, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Minutes later, a 5.3-magnitude aftershock hit. About an hour after that, the city was shaken by another 5.8-magnitude temblor, the U.S.G.S. said, though New Zealand's geological agency GNS Science recorded that aftershock as a magnitude-6.0. Both aftershocks were less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) deep.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue an alert.

The city's airport was evacuated after the first quake and all city malls shut down as a precaution.

About 60 people were treated for minor injuries, including fractures, injuries sustained in falls and people with "emotional difficulties," Christchurch St. John Ambulance operations manager Tony Dowell told The Associated Press.

"We have had no significant injuries reported as a result of the earthquakes today," he said.

Warwick Isaacs, demolitions manager for the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, said most buildings had been evacuated "as an emergency measure." The area has recorded more than 7,000 earthquakes since a magnitude-7.0 quake rocked the city on Sept. 4, 2010. That quake did not cause any deaths.

Rock falls had occurred in one area and there was liquefaction ? when an earthquake forces underground water up through loose soil ? in several places, Isaacs told New Zealand's National Radio.

"There has been quite a lot of stuff falling out of cupboards, off shelves in shops and that sort of thing, again," he said.

Isaacs said his immediate concern was for demolition workers involved in tearing down buildings wrecked in previous quakes.

"It ... started slow then really got going. It was a big swaying one but not as jolting or as violent as in February," Christchurch resident Rita Langley said. "Everyone seems fairly chilled, though the traffic buildup sounds like a beehive that has just been kicked as everyone leaves (the) town (center)."

The shaking was severe in the nearby port town of Lyttelton, the epicenter of the Feb. 22 quake.

"We stayed inside until the shaking stopped. Then most people went out into the street outside," resident Andrew Turner said. "People are emotionally shocked by what happened this afternoon."

Around 26,000 homes were without power in Christchurch, after the shaking tripped switches that cut supplies, Orion energy company CEO Rob Jamieson said.

"We don't seem to have damage to our equipment," he said. "We hope to have power back on to those customers by nightfall."

Hundreds of miles of sewer and fresh water lines have been repaired in the city since the February quake.

One partly demolished building and a vacant house collapsed after Friday's quakes, police said.

Central City Business Association manager Paul Lonsdale said the quakes came at the worst possible time for retailers, with people rushing to finish their Christmas shopping.

Despite the sizable quakes, there was no visible damage in the central business district, where 28 stores have reopened in shipping containers after their buildings were wrecked by the February quake, he said.

"Hopefully tomorrow we'll be feeling a little bit better again and restoring our faith in the will to live and to stay in Christchurch," the city's deputy mayor, Ngaire Button, told National Radio.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-22-AS-New-Zealand-Earthquake/id-535d6928cc094794a51b4948638ccecb

lori berenson lori berenson the incredibles yu darvish jon bon jovi dead ndaa new jersey plane crash

Two Maine Communities Receive $50,000 Creative Community Development Grants

Two Maine Communities Receive $50,000 Creative Community Development Grants

Augusta, ME ? The Maine Arts Commission announced today that the cities of Belfast and Waterville will each receive grants of $50,000 in order to effect community revitalization in their region.

The grants, designed to support dialogue and partnership between municipalities, business and the cultural sector regarding economic development, have been awarded through the Maine Arts Commission?s Creative Communities = Economic Development Grant (CCED).

The CCED grant fosters meaningfully support, dialogue and partnerships between municipalities and the cultural sector. It provides the cultural sector with significant funds to contribute to mutually agreed upon plans and initiatives that stimulate the local economy, provide jobs, strengthen the role of arts and culture, and enhance a community?s quality of place.

The Belfast Creative Coalition will use the grant funding to to bring together arts, cultural partners and economic partners to brand and market the greater Belfast community as a place to be for vibrant arts, culture and local foods.
The coalition seeks to hire an administrative coordinator who will be responsible for centralizing community resources and maximizing the synergy within the region in order to strategically allocate resources. The administrator will work on developing a regional cultural events calendar, an interactive website, the coordination of programming and events, consistent regional marketing and branding, fundraising, and a whole host of additional tasks to ensure cultural and economic vibrancy in the area.

?Over the last twenty years, the growth of cultural activities in our area has been amazing, but with very little coordination,? said Waterfall Arts Programming Director, Martha Piscuskas.? ?Waterfall Arts, The City of Belfast, Our Town Belfast and many other organizations and individuals believe the time is right to take our very active creative sector to the next level.? Instead of everyone fending for themselves, we'll coordinate schedules, share resources, collaborate on promotions and work strategically to sustain our vibrant community into the next several decades.?

In Waterville the CCED Grant will support the citys new Converge & Create brand through asset based marketing, incentives for artist, creative business attraction, and new cooperative programming. Waterville Main Street, working together with the City of Waterville, the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, the Colby College Museum of Art, the Waterville Public Library, and the Waterville Arts Council have come together to oversee the design and implementation of a brand-integrated, comprehensive,coordinated marketing strategy for Waterville?s community-wide arts and cultural assets.

Projects in Waterville will include the marketing of existing cultural assets, the development of a pilot cooperative downtown arts venue and the devlopment of incentives for recruiting artists and creative businesses to Downtown Waterville.

?Waterville is poised to become a destination for arts and creative opportunities in Maine, and the support of the CCED grant will help us to realize these exciting goals,? said Sharon Corwin, director and chief curator of Colby College Museum of Art. ?Enthusiasm and support from members throughout our community, including the Colby College Museum of Art, is exceptionally strong and speaks to a shared vision for Waterville as leader in the state for creative communities.? We are thrilled that Waterville has been selected to receive this important support.?

Belfast and Waterville clearly demonstrated to a panel of experts which included Barbara Schaeffer Bacon of Americans for the Arts, Peter Taylor of the Maine Community Foundation, Carol Geist of the Betterment Fund, Deborah Johnson of the Department of Economic and Community Development, Betsy Rosenbluth of the Orton Family Foundation, Megan Shore, Sewell Foundation, Hugh French, Maine Arts Commission Member and John Rohman, former chair, Maine Arts Commission, that they were at a point where their communities are clearly on a path toward economic recovery and growth. Both communities exhibited a clear understanding of the importance arts and culture in that equation. The Maine Arts Commission will be working closely with both communities over the next year to monitor and assist with the implementation of the goals of the grant.

The Maine Arts Commission?s CCED Grants are awarded annually and delivered to two or more nonprofit cultural organizations within a geographic community or region. Applications are sought from communities/regions with a strong commitment to cross-sector collaboration that seeks to strengthen the cultural assets of their community. Full details of this and other grant programs and services that serve Maine?s communities can be found on the web pages of MaineArts.com.

?

Source: http://bathbrunswick.wcsh6.com/news/community-spirit/93945-two-maine-communities-receive-50000-creative-community-development-grants

nba lockout news nba lockout news gifts for mom gifts for mom pepper spray storage auctions storage auctions

**BRAND NEW** Wilson (Pink & Grey) Right Handed Golf Clubs ( Oshawa / Durham Region ) $200.00

Offers: Ads with a price may include the option to make an offer to the poster. Offers made are non-binding. The poster receives offer details once it is made. The poster may or may not respond to an offer.

Notifications: While making an offer, you can choose to receive a daily notification if more offers are made on the ad. You can choose to not receive these notifications by un-checking the check box.

Source: http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sporting-goods-exercise-golf-BRAND-NEW-Wilson-Pink-Grey-Right-Handed-Golf-Clubs-W0QQAdIdZ340446781

surrogates james garner veteran aircraft carrier apocalypse now happy veterans day happy veterans day

Alec Baldwin: ?I Doubt? I?ll Still Run For Mayor of New York City (AUDIO)

Truth rating: 10

30 Rock Alec Baldwin Here's The Thing WNYC

AUDIO

(GettyImages.com)

Despite an interest in politics, Alec Baldwin says he has lost his ?appetite? to run for office.

?I doubt it now. The older I get, the more I feel that all of it has changed,? the actor said Wednesday on his WNYC radio show, ?Here?s The Thing.?

Baldwin has previously said he?d consider running for Mayor of New York, but now finds himself turned off by the political players currently in the mix.

?I don?t see myself in that crowd,? he said, accusing current possible candidates as?being ?horny for their own ascension.?

RELATED ? Alec Baldwin Kicked Off American Airlines Flight

Instead, the ?30 Rock? star would rather focus on the life he currently leads.

?I?ve got a job now,? he said, referring to his hit NBC show. ?We have fun, and it?s a family and I love New York and I?ve got a life. It?s been a great harbor for me in my life.?

?Give this up for what?? Baldwin wondered. ?I give up money and fame and position and success; I give up this wonderful life I have now in exchange for the chance to really change things.?

?Yeah, I?m not quite sure you can anymore,? he added.

Listen below at the 26-minute mark.

Do you agree with Baldwin?s reasoning?

Follow?@GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us?on Facebook!

LISTEN:

Source: http://www.gossipcop.com/alec-baldwin-run-mayor-new-york-decision-running-december-2011-wnyc-radio-show/

neil diamond miranda kerr occupy la adriana lima victoria secret angels fox 4 fox 4

Circumstances of Kim Jong-il's death fabricated?

Kns / AFP - Getty Images

This undated picture, released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Dec.17, 2011, shows North Korean lreader Kim Jong Il (C), accompanied by his son Kim Jong Un (2nd-L), inspecting the Kwangbok Area Supermarket just before opening in Pyongyang. It is said to be the elder Kim's last public appearance.

By msnbc.com staff and news services

The official report said that North Korea's "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il died on a train at 8:30?on Saturday morning after suffering a heart attack during a "high intensity field inspection." State media reported his death?on Monday.

Now, North Korea experts in South Korea?are calling into question that account, saying North Korea likely made it all up, according to the Chosun Ilbo newspaper website.

Among the details they say don't make sense:

  • Freezing weather: Kim was known for a nocturnal lifestyle and rarely got up before noon, and would have unlikely risen early in 20-degree?temperatures for?a field inspection.
  • Train didn't move: South Korea's intelligence director testified that?Kim's special train - equipped with?four hospital cars - did not move out of the station the entire weekend.
  • Witnesses: Kim always traveled with a large entourage, but the news of his death was kept secret for 50 hours.

Citing South Korean?sources, the newspaper speculates Kim most likely died at home.

Source: North Korea coup 'unlikely'

"Death on the train is possibly the best story that the North Korean regime can use to promote Kim as a hardworking leader who worked for the people until the moment he died. North Koreans would feel there's a huge difference between an easy and peaceful death in his bed and death at work far from home,"?a South Korean source told the newspaper.?

Meanwhile, South Korea's main opposition party is calling for the dismissal of top intelligence, security and foreign affairs officials for failing to know about Kim's death?before it was officially announced.

Politics trump hunger in North Korea

The South Korean defense minister and other officials have acknowledged that they learned of Kim's death at the same time Pyongyang's state media told the world Monday.

The admission has caused anger among many South Koreans who worry that Kim's death might trigger instability on the Korean peninsula.

The Democratic Party said Wednesday that President Lee Myung-bak should fire officials responsible for the intelligence lapse.

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/21/9616045-were-circumstances-of-kim-jong-ils-death-fabricated

barbara walters government shutdown sofia vergara jacksonville jaguars jacksonville jaguars iraq war over iraq war over

AccessGolf: Click this link to learn more about our accessible golf training program held Jan. 24th and 25th in Orlando! http://t.co/LPXf5QOU

  • Passer la navigation
  • Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
  • Passer cette ?tape
  • Connexion
Loader Twitter.com
  • Connexion
Click this link to learn more about our accessible golf training program held Jan. 24th and 25th in Orlando! ow.ly/85aIO AccessGolf

Access Golf

Pied de page

Source:

republic wireless space ball drops on namibia prometheus colts colts matt barkley melanie amaro x factor

NEVER MIND, I DERPED

Topic Tags:

online roleplay roleplay online -->

HTML, for websites and MySpace:

BBcode, for forum posts and signatures:

--> If you want to create a journal for your character, use this forum.

derp

(??????? ???
FUCK TABLES



User avatar
That one guy
Member for 0 years



Return to Character Journals

Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/2jN6rHhzrdU/viewtopic.php

haynesworth haynesworth ohio issue 2 ohio issue 2 mississippi personhood mississippi personhood issue 2 ohio

#SciAmBlogs Tuesday - Zimmer on writing, parasites, anti-aging, pygmy hippo and more.


ShareShare ?ShareEmail



Bora ZivkovicBora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web. Follow on Twitter @boraz.

More »

--> Bora ZivkovicBorn in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia), Bora was always interested in animals and nature. His studies in veterinary medicine were interrupted by the 1990s war in the Balkans, when he arrived in the USA. He went to graduate school at North Carolina State University where he studied how bird brains measure time of day (circadian rhythms) and time of year (photoperiodism). He started ‘A Blog Around The Clock’ in 2004. He teaches introductory biology to non-traditional students at North Carolina Wesleyan College, organizes the annual ScienceOnline conference, and edits Open Laboratory – the annual anthology of the best writing on science blogs. - http://coturnix.org - boraz Contact Bora Zivkovic via email.
Follow Bora Zivkovic on Twitter as @boraz. Or visit their website.--> Bora ZivkovicAbout the Author: Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web. Follow on Twitter @boraz.

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b4c24204411f89f31c8c5c537129033d

mark kelly jeff goldblum uc berkeley ohio state basketball annie annie zuccotti park