McDonald's Employee in Olympia Thwarts Kidnapping Attempt on Child

by Michele Johansen & Lexie Tigre

Examiner.com Seattle Story

excerpted from Examiner.com Seattle:

On December 19, 18 year-old Serenity LaChappelle saved a little girl from an attempted kidnapping at a McDonald's in Olympia. The story begins earlier that morning when Sheila Brown left her two children, Kasia, who is 8, and Devon, who is 10, at the Olympia library. Brown was in the process of moving her family to a homeless shelter in Olympia from one in Tacoma. Due to the snow, the library closed early and then Devon and Kasia went to the McDonald's across the street to wait for their mother.

While at the front counter, police allege that Richard Earl Knauss went up to the two kids and grabbed the girl on her shoulder. He instructed her to go with him but the young girl refused. She looked to LaChappelle, a McDonald's employee, for help and insisted she did not know the man. LaChappelle recalls, "She looked at me and she goes, 'I don't know him. I don't know him.'" LaChappelle then said to Knauss, "Sir. She says she does not know you. Please don't touch her." And with that, LaChappelle struggled with Knauss but was able to pull the girl over the counter to safety and then pulled her brother over as well.

Knauss ran away but was quickly found by police. He denied involvement and claimed he was not even at McDonald's. He later recanted his story but has pleaded not guilty to second-degree kidnapping.

It was heartwarming to read about LaChappelle's bravery, since it seems rare that situations such as these make the news. I know it is tempting to look at this and automatically look to the mother and judge her actions. Yes, these children are young and were left alone. Times hard, people, and I ask you to remember that she and her family were moving to a homeless shelter. Instead of focusing on that, think about LaChappelle and be thankful there really are heroes among us.

Technorati Tags: McDonald's Worker Thwarts Kidnapping,Child Abduction

Yellowstone Quake Swarm Update 9

Today has continued calm around Yellowstone Lake.  There has been just one earthquake today, just after midnight, and the ground shaking on the webcorders maintained by the University of Utah have also shown dramatically reduced activity.  This could indicate that the movement of magma underground has stopped, possibly due to blockage.  The most recent quakes were all at the northeast end of the lake, though, just where many of the largest hydrothermal explosions have occurred in the past - creating Mary Bay among many other features.  Time will tell if this calm represents the end of the swarm, or something else.  I'll post more updates if events warrant. 

 

Technorati Tags: Yellowstone Supervolcano,Yellowstone Quake Swarm,Yellowstone

Yellowstone Quake Swarm Update 8

Things seem to be quieter this evening, perhaps following a pattern that has been ongoing since the swarm began - very active periods followed by calm periods.  We'll see if things get busy again by morning.  In the meantime, there was finally an update from Dr. Smith, reported by www.kutv.com...:

"By Friday, January 2nd, Smith said over 500 tremors had been recorded around the north end of Yellowstone Lake. The biggest quake was a magnitude 3.9 - not big enough to cause damage. “This is a big deal”, said Smith, who has been studying the volcanic and geothermal activity at Yellowstone for over 30 years. There have been clusters, or “swarms” of quakes at Yellowstone before, but not this many for this long says Smith. “What’s important about them is that this is not normal, not usual to have these longer swarms so we pay particular scientific attention to them in terms of how they might relate to faults or to geysers or other hydrothermal features,” said Smith. "

Technorati Tags: Yellowstone Quakes Swarm,Yellowstone Supervolcano

Yellowstone Quake Swarm Update 7

The earthquakes continue again today for the sixth day at Yellowstone.  Since midnight there have been nine quakes, and three greater than 3.1 magnitude.  The webcorders continue to show near constant ground movement, and it is possible that there have been more than these nine reported events as the seismologist reviews have been taking a while with so many events to review.  As of this morning there are 330 quakes shown on the list since last Saturday, but I notice that events that occurred yesterday are being added today, and the Yellowstone Volcano Center indicated that there have been over 400 yesterday, so that number could be much higher.  This morning's two most recent quakes - a 3.6 and a 3.1 - were located right at the north end of the lake.  The last two quakes were not only larger than normal in the swarm, but they were even closer to the surface - .18 kilometers and .1 kilometers.  This very shallow activity is what has me wondering if there will be a hydrothermal explosion.

From the US News blog on this event - quoting an email from a Splunk member who crunched the numbers:

"I'm sending you this email with some information I've gleaned from the USGS archives.  I'm analyzing the ANSS data (http://www.ncedc.org/cnss/) in an install of Splunk, which is a timeline based search and reporting engine.  I have 30 years of data in the system, with about 2M quakes total. 
Using  the ANSS data, I discovered the number of 2.5 or higher quakes in the *general* Yellowstone area for the decade of the 1980s was 128.  The number of 2.5 or higher quakes for the region directly around the lake in the *last 4 days* was 30. 
Again, for 2.5 mag or greater quakes:
Entire region of Yellowstone for 10 years = 128 quakes
Area just around Yellowstone Lake last 4 Days = 30 quakes
The entire 1980s of 2.5 or higher quakes in the vicinity of the lake was a paltry 4 quakes.  Doing a quick back of the envelope calculation using the number of quakes and the intensities, the  activity over the last 4 days has released roughly 100x the amount of energy released in the entire 1980s for the same general region.  In the last week alone there have been 10 quakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater around the lake, with one as high as 3.8."

Links:

US News Blog discussing the past frequency of quakes

Illustration of the current Quake Swarm at Yellowstone

NEIC Earthquake List

Animation map

These show the webcorders just minutes ago - more jumps:

www.quake.utah.edu...
www.quake.utah.edu...
www.quake.utah.edu...
www.quake.utah.edu...

Technorati Tags: Yellowstone Supervolcano,Yellowstone Quake Swarm

Another Theodore Roosevelt Gem

If we begin to think that the corruption we see in Washington and on Wall Street is something new, we need only read up on the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.  It is not new.  The abbreviated version is contained in the following quote:

"A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad."
                                                        --Theodore Roosevelt

Technorati Tags: Theodore Roosevelt quotes,Quotes,Wall Street corruption

Yellowstone Quake Swarm Update 6

There is a new statement from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory tonight.  One interesting item to be gleaned is that though scientists have been reviewing the many quakes as rapidly as possible, they are at a point where they've only been able to analyze the larger quakes in the swarms, and have a backlog of as many as 400 events in the series yet to evaluate.  That is quite a backlog, and as long as the quake activity remains anywhere near the volume of the last five days, the backlog will only grow. 

Using the guarded language one would expect, the statement indicates that scientists are considering the possibility of hydrothermal explosions, or less likely, volcanic events, but it reads to me that they simply don't have the data available to predict what the follow on might likely be, and therefore rely on the statistically small likelihood that this is anything other than a larger than normal, longer than normal series of quakes.  Only time will tell. 

"The December 2008 earthquake sequence is the most intense in this area for some years. No damage has been reported within Yellowstone National Park, nor would any be expected from earthquakes of this size. The swarm is in a region of historical earthquake activity and is close to areas of Yellowstone famous hydrothermal activity. Similar earthquake swarms have occurred in the past in Yellowstone without triggering steam explosions or volcanic activity. Nevertheless, there is some potential for hydrothermal explosions and earthquakes may continue or increase in magnitude. There is a much lower potential for related volcanic activity."

Links:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/

http://www.seis.utah.edu/

http://www.quake.utah.edu/helicorder/heli/yellowstone/index.html

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/

http://pboweb.unavco.org/shared/scripts/stations/?checkkey=WLWY&sec=timeseries_plots&timeseries=raw

 

Technorati Tags: Yellowstone Quake Swarm,Yellowstone supervolcano,Yellowstone Earthquakes

Amazing Photo of San Francisco in Ruins after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire

I just finished reading the book A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester.  I've read about the disaster in San Francisco before, but as usual Winchester's book is a broad, thorough examination written to read as engagingly and pleasantly as a good novel.  It's hard to imagine the destruction of that quake and the fire that followed after.  This picture, taken from a balloon shortly after the fires died down shows just how total the destruction was. 

If you'd like to zoom in for greater detail follow the link:  http://www.abneypark.com/sanfranfromairship.jpg

Technorati Tags: 1906,San Francisco Earthquake,Great San Francisco Earthquake,1906 Quake,Seismic Events

Great Newspaper Ad from Chicago

Seen by Jason and reposted from http://www.37signals.com

Technorati Tags: humor,funny advertisement,funny newspaper ad,funny photos,funny pictures

Yellowstone Quake Swarm Update 5

The number of quakes has declined significantly today, and the webcorders are also showing reduced activity.  This may be the point where the event calms down, or it could be similar to Monday night, when the activity quieted down only to become even more active on Tuesday morning.  We'll see over the next twelve hours or so.  It could also be a precursor to a larger quake like the Hebgen Lake Quake, as there was a swarm followed by relative calm just prior to that event.  Of course, the un likely eruption or hydrothermal explosion is still a possibility,  Finally, the event could go on for weeks, according to Dr. Smith of the University of Utah.  Still no updates from Dr. Smith or his team and it has been since Monday.  The Salt Lake City station KSL reported yesterday that he is in Yellowstone himself monitoring events.  I suppose an update would be unsatisfying anyway, because it would likely include just basic information as it is clear from his earlier comments and follow-up with KSL that the geophysical world just has no data on how supervolcanoes behave prior to eruption or even large hyrdothermal explosions.  This means that many of us will continue to monitor the webcorders, USGS and U of U quake report pages to see what comes next.  Hopefully this will just be an interesting anomalous series of quakes and nothing more.  Hopefully.

The following US Geological Survey chart shows prior supervolcano activity in graphic form for reference on the relative size of the Yellowstone system:

Technorati Tags: Yellowstone Supervolcano,Yellowstone Quake Swarm,Hydrothermal explosion

NO! Absolutely No!

From Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal by Zach Weiner

http://www.smbc-comics.com/

Technorati Tags: comics online,humor,funny photos,funny pictures

Obama's Notes on his First Day

Comic by Wolf Morganthaler

http://www.wulffmorgenthaler.com/

Technorati Tags: comics online,funny photos,funny pictures,humor

Yellowstone Quake Swarm Update 4

The earthquakes continue this morning with ten quakes since midnight in the area of Yellowstone Lake.  This is a slower pace than we've seen, but the live webcorders seem to indicate a lot of harmonic activity continuing as well.  And the quakes have come in groups  with gap intervals over the past few days, so we'll have to see how day 5 finishes.  Here is the latest activity:

January 1, 2008 12:51 PM Earthquake List

Interesting Related Links:

Yellowstone Rising

Yellowstone Rising Map

3D Map of Yellowstone Magma Chamber

US News Interview with Chief Scientist at Yellowstone

Technorati Tags: Yellowstone supervolcano,Yellowstone Quake Swarm

Lowest Sunspot Activity Since 1900 Tied to Temperature Drop Over the Past Two Years?

The average temperature on earth has declined over the past two years by about half a degree Celsius - an amount that similar to the temperature increases reported over the past century.  This year may be the coldest on record in the past century.  All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) reported that during the period of January 2007 to January 2008, global temperatures have dropped significantly.   2008 has set a number of records for cold and snowfall.  In the U.S., NOAA recorded over 60 local snowfall records and more than 100 all-time low temperatures for the month of October.

This cooling trend - whatever its cause - was not predicted by climate models.  It was, however, predictable, at least according to some scientists who study sunspot activity.  Since 2000, sunspot activity has been in decline, and this year sunspot activity has matched an inactivity level not seen since the early 1900s.  The sunspot activity on the sun ordinarily follows an 11 year cycle where the activity peaks and then slows.  It isn't unusual to record 100 sunspots in a single month, and then as then cycle winds down, the number can decline to near zero.  Typically, a new cycle begins fairly quickly, but not this year.  Through July of this year the average monthly total  was three, and in August there were none recorded. 

According to the publication Daily Tech, over the last 1,000 years, there have been three previous similar events — known as the Dalton, Maunder and Sporer Minimums.  These events have each corresponded to rapid cooling. The largest came to be known as the Little Ice Age (1500-1750).  Geoscientists have found excellent correlations between periods of warming and cooling on earth and sunspot activity. 

http://www.oar.noaa.gov/spotlite/archive/spot_sunclimate.html

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7y.html

That is not to say that human activity is a non-contributor to global climate.  But it is interesting to note the sunspot activity and the apparent correlation to global temperatures.  It will be interesting and to see if this period of cooling is prolonged, and should it be, may be a hidden benefit in that it may offset some of the climate change predicted to occur in the next century, giving us an extension that seems to be much needed in reducing the impact of human activity on climate.

Technorati Tags: Climate change,sunspots,sunspot climate impact

Happy New Year from Seattle!

Technorati Tags: Happy New Year,2009

Yellowstone Quake Swarm Update 3

It is interesting to note how much the ground deformation change instruments are indicating that the surface is rising at an increased rate in the area of the microquakes.  Does this, combined with the continued quakes under the area of the dome, and the area where most hydrothermal explosions have occurred indicate something is brewing?  I don't know, and I don't think the scientists know either.  It is somewhat strange that Dr. Smith has made no comments again today despite increasing focus on the phenomena.  Strange, but not necessarily meaningful.  Necessarily. 

 

Here are today's quakes at the north end of Yellowstone Lake:

 MAG    DATE    LOCAL-TIME  LAT     LON    DEPTH    LOCATION
        y/m/d     h:m:s     deg     deg     km

 2.1  2008/12/31 22:29:09 44.507N 110.309W  1.5   64 km (40 mi) SSW of  Cooke City-Silver Gate, MT
 2.2  2008/12/31 22:19:51 44.509N 110.350W  1.7   62 km (39 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.5  2008/12/31 08:05:00 44.514N 110.360W  1.1   61 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 3.3  2008/12/31 08:02:11 44.523N 110.361W  4.9   61 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.5  2008/12/31 05:50:01 44.518N 110.368W  2.0   61 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.1  2008/12/31 05:46:53 44.520N 110.362W  2.0   61 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.9  2008/12/31 05:42:06 44.519N 110.367W  0.1   61 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.6  2008/12/31 05:26:56 44.501N 110.385W  2.2   60 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.4  2008/12/31 05:23:52 44.520N 110.371W  1.0   60 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.7  2008/12/31 04:52:19 44.503N 110.371W  0.4   61 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.3  2008/12/31 04:40:04 44.526N 110.368W  2.2   60 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.6  2008/12/31 04:25:24 44.516N 110.376W  1.8   60 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.4  2008/12/31 04:25:11 44.523N 110.364W  2.2   61 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.4  2008/12/31 04:22:16 44.520N 110.382W  2.2   59 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 2.7  2008/12/31 04:15:44 44.522N 110.372W  1.2   60 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.5  2008/12/31 04:12:40 44.516N 110.373W  0.6   60 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.8  2008/12/31 04:08:59 44.532N 110.381W  0.4   59 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 0.6  2008/12/31 04:08:34 44.527N 110.367W  2.1   60 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 2.4  2008/12/31 04:06:14 44.520N 110.371W  1.2   60 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.9  2008/12/31 04:05:12 44.532N 110.380W  0.3   59 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.3  2008/12/31 03:53:29 44.520N 110.364W  2.2   61 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 0.9  2008/12/31 03:52:59 44.504N 110.381W  2.1   60 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.5  2008/12/31 03:52:23 44.546N 110.394W  0.7   58 km (36 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.9  2008/12/31 03:43:37 44.524N 110.372W  1.5   60 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 0.9  2008/12/31 03:26:38 44.523N 110.367W  0.0   61 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.1  2008/12/31 03:26:01 44.532N 110.381W  2.0   59 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.8  2008/12/31 03:23:43 44.530N 110.380W  1.0   59 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.2  2008/12/31 03:23:07 44.529N 110.380W  0.9   59 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.5  2008/12/31 03:21:49 44.521N 110.373W  2.1   60 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 1.4  2008/12/31 03:16:44 44.527N 110.367W  0.8   60 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 3.6  2008/12/31 02:02:28 44.525N 110.362W  4.3   61 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 3.0  2008/12/31 01:58:11 44.527N 110.369W  1.3   60 km (37 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT
 3.3  2008/12/29 12:14:49 44.521N 110.369W  1.8   60 km (38 mi) ESE of  West Yellowstone, MT

Technorati Tags: Yellowstone Quake Swarm,Yellowstone Supervolcano

What to Do When A Mob Threatens?

Well, if you were a sea captain thinking of mutineers, or a bank guard worried about a mob breaking in, AND you lived in the early 1800s this type of weapon would be just the ticket.  There are many varieties of so-called "Duckfoot" guns, all with multiple barrels designed to be fired at once.  This one has eight barrels, a barbed handle and a blade to help with any follow-on hand-to-hand fighting that may ensure discharging the weapon.  It would have to be a pretty resolute mob, though, after facing down eight .45 caliber lead balls fired at them...

Technorati Tags: Duckfoot guns,firearms,guns,weapons

Combing the Map

Technorati Tags: online comics,funny,humor

Yellowstone Quake Swarm Update 2

 

The scale on this is eight miles on a side, and the diagram is courtesy of a discussion board member called Shirakawa.  This represents the magnitude, depth and location of the earthquakes in this series of quakes beneath the North end of Yellowstone Lake.

A correction of an earlier comment on hydrothermal explosions : "an explosion 13,800 years ago left a 5 kilometer diameter crater at Mary Bay on the edge of Yellowstone Lake (located in the center of the caldera)." --FEMA Region VIII statement issued today.

Updated Map and listing of quakes at Yellowstone this week (incomplete as there are so many quakes that seismologist review is taking up to a day): Recent Yellowstone Quakes

The swarm has reintensified today after a slight drop in activity yesterday.  It is interesting to note that the quakes continue to occur in the area of Yellowstone Lake beneath the dome on the lake's floor, and in the vicinity of most of the hydrothermal explosions on record.  Like most people watching this interesting swarm, I'd love to hear from the U of U director, even if they aren't clear about what the quakes mean, to get an idea of what they are thinking.  Still, I guess they cannot speculate too much, as spooking people would be a bad thing to do.  So, we wait, watch and will see...

Technorati Tags: Yellowstone Quake Swarm,Yellowstone Supervolcano,Yellowstone Earthquakes,volcano

A Bad Influence

From F minus Website

This online comic is always funny. 

Technorati Tags: comics online,humor,funny pictures,funny photos

Yellowstone Earthquake Swarm Update

Illustration of a Yellowstone eruption from the Discovery Channel/BBC co-production 'Supervolcano'.

The small earthquakes are continuing today in the caldera at Yellowstone National Park, with a couple of mid-sized events near and above 3:

Recent Quake List 

Yellowstone Quake Map

It is clear that no one is sure what, if any larger significance these events will have, in terms of a volcanic or hydrothermal event, but geophysicists and geologists are keeping close watch.  FEMA has announced that it is monitoring the events.  Why?  Well, it is possible that the tremors are a precursor to an eruption, though the odds are low, as such events occur only every 600,000 years, or so.  Still, it has been approximately 640,000 years since the last supervolcano eruption at Yellowstone, and even events that happen only rarely all happen at a precise moment in time. 

Another possibility, and one more likely, it appears, is for a hydrothermal explosion.  This occurs much more frequently and can vary widely in size.  A hydrothermal explosion occurs when superheated water finds it's way to the surface and the reduced pressure creates an explosive release.  There are ten of these craters at Yellowstone, and they vary widely in size.  Debris can be thrown hundreds of feet to tens of miles in such explosions.  It is interesting to note that the cluster of small quakes now underway in Yellowstone are all in an area at the Northern end of Yellowstone Lake, the same area where most of the hydrothermal explosions in the Park have occurred over time (look for the stars in this map):

Yellowstone Volcanic Events Map

Streaming video of Old Faithful: Old Faithful Webcam Streaming Live

So, just what kind of event is about to happen, if any?  Most people's gut reaction is probably right - that is, to have a passing thought about cataclysm, think twice about going for a snowmobile run around Yellowstone Lake, and go on with a regular day.  Without 'showing your work' as math teachers like to say, this thought process reflects complex math and risk assessment.  That is, it gives weight to each of the several possibilities approximately according to their likely occurrence. 

The story has begun to get press- after four days - worldwide, but still the only comments from Dr. Smith for the record are from Monday morning, and tell us that this is unusual and we don't know what it may indicate.

If you're interested in the seismograph images for the area: University of Utah Seismograph Webcorders

If you're interested in a visual interpretation of the quake swarm check out:  Yellowstone Earthquake Swarm December 2008

If you'd like to investigate the dome-building activity go here: Yellowstone ground deformation data

Additional links:

Volcanic Locations near Yellowstone Lake

US News Article with discussion of supervolcano intensity scale

Google Blog Search for Yellowstone Quake Swarm

Google News Search

Geologic History of Yellowstone and Direction of North American Plate Movement

Technorati Tags: Yellowstone supervolcano,yellowstone quake Swarm,Yellowstone hydrothermal explosion,micro quakes at Yellowstone

Can you Blame Her?

 

I like this comic strip, which can be found at http://jasonlove.com/

Technorati Tags: funny pictures,funny photos. comics online,humor

How to Ensure a Snow Day at School

 

And how much trouble we're in is determined by whether the faculty was inside at the time, or outside...

Technorati Tags: funny photos,funny pictures,humor

Real Life and Flip Flopping

From Bizzaro by Dan Piraro, a comic I almost always crack up out loud when reading:

Read the strip and blog at http://www.bizarro.com/

Technorati Tags: comics online,online comics

Moses, Cut the Crap!

 

If you know the author, please let me know and I'll credit him. 

Not the Colonel!

These are two great examples of a very funny comic by Doug Bratton and found at www.popculturecomics.com

 

Technorati Tags: comics,comics online,funny pictures,humor

I DO NOT Have a Weight Problem

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Comics,funny pictures,humor

Is it Hard for you to Wake up?

 

If you know the author is this bit, please tell me and I'll credit them.

Technorati Tags: Comics,funny pictures,humor

There is Something Worse...

 

If you know who produced this comic, please let me know and I'll credit them.  Very funny, eh? 

Technorati Tags: Winter sucks,comics,humor,funny pictures,humorous pictures

Yellowstone Earthquake Swarm

Over the past several days, something that may just be very unusual has been occurring in ancient caldera in Yellowstone National Park.  Over 250 micro earthquakes have occurred during that brief time, and while earthquake swarms are not uncommon in themselves, either at Yellowstone or other volcanoes, several aspects of this current swarm make it unusual, and therefore very interesting.

First, the many small earthquakes are not only occurring rapidly, but they are occurring in a very small area, less than one kilometer across.  They are also happening in Yellowstone lake just below, and immediately around the location of a dome on the floor of the lake - discovered only recently. 

Second, the quakes are generally very shallow.  Several have been less than .3 kilometers from the surface, and the average depth is about 2.5 kilometers, which places them at about the same depth as the magma chamber that drives the geothermal engine at Yellowstone, fueling the geysers.

Third, the quakes are occurring within the caldera itself, while the smaller swarms of 1985, 1995 and 2004 all occurred outside the caldera, nearer to Hebgen lake.  It is very likely that the quakes are related to magma movement through the geophysical system at Yellowstone, but it seems to be unclear to scientists at this time whether the quakes are a precursor to some sort of eruption, or just a particularly active set of routine quakes.  said Robert Smith, a professor of geophysics at the University of Utah said that "they're certainly not normal", and added that "we might be seeing something precursory. "

In the past couple of years seismologists have inched closer to developing a predictive technique to allow warnings before eruptions.  This technique was used to prevent loss of life in the eruption of Popocatepetl in 2000.  It indicates that sometimes harmonic tremors and quake swarms can predict volcanic eruptions. 

Likely the swarms at Yellowstone are just a larger than usual magma movement event, and no eruption is imminent.  At least, we'd best hope so, because the world's largest supervolcano would almost certainly cause immeasurable destruction both in the area within 100 miles and indeed around the world.  Some links to follow the action:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/

http://www.seis.utah.edu/

http://www.quake.utah.edu/helicorder/heli/yellowstone/index.html

http://www.quake.utah.edu/recenteqs/Maps/111-45.html

http://quake.utah.edu/req2webdir/recenteqs/Maps/Yellowstone_full.html

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Yellowstone Quake Swarm,Yellowstone supervolcano

Edible Dirt

Technorati Tags: humor,comics,funny,Edible Dirt

If you haven't seen Matt Rosemier's comic Edible Dirt, you should check it out today!  http://eddirt.frozenreality.co.uk/index.php?id=530

Stop, Drop and Roll

 

This Modern Life

Who has What it Takes to be an Assassin?

The CIA had an opening for an assassin. After
all of the background checks, interviews, and
testing were done there were three finalists
Two men and One woman. For the final test,
the CIA agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun.
"We must know that you will follow your instructions,
no matter what the circumstances. Inside this
room you will find your wife sitting in a chair.
You have to kill her."
The first man said."You cannot be serious. I
could never shoot my wife,"
The agent replies, "Then you're not the right
man for this job."
The second man was given the same instructions.
He took the gun and went into the room. All was
quiet for about five minutes. Then the agent
came out with tears in his eyes. "I tried, but
I can't kill my wife." The agent replies, "You
don't have what it takes. Take your wife and
go home."
Finally, it was the woman's turn. Only she
was told to kill her husband. She took the gun
and went into the room. Shots were heard, one
shot after another. They heard screaming, crashing,
banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all
was quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood
the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow
and said, "You guys didn't tell me the gun was
loaded with blanks. I had to beat him to death
with the chair."

Technorati Tags: CIA joke,Assassin joke

Empathy Deficit Disorder

Technorati Tags: Empathy Deficit Disorder,Psychology

adapted from the Toronto Star (link at the end)

According to Dr. Orlaith Fraser's , modern humankind's collective inability to genuinely identify with others has lead to a new problem: Empathy Deficit Disorder.

Empathy is often misunderstood to be sympathy, but empathy is quite different from sympathy.  The original German term  for empathy means "feeling into" as opposed to "feeling with."  Empathy is not merely realizing that someone else's feeling would be pleasant, or unpleasant.  That's sympathy.  Empathy is understanding what they are feeling, and relating it to times in your life when you may have felt similarly.

In Liverpool, Dr. Orlaith Fraser's fascinating study of chimps and conflict resolution shows that our closest evolutionary ancestors almost certainly are capable of empathy.   The research found that after a display of aggression, other chimps would often console the victimized chimp with hugs or kisses.

"This study removes doubt that consolation really does what the term suggests: provide relief to distressed parties after conflict," Dr. Frans de Waal of the Yerkes Primate Center at Emory University in Atlanta told The Associated Press.

"The evidence is compelling and makes it likely that consolation behaviour is an expression of empathy."

So how can humans make each other feel better?

There is an art to empathy.

In his new book Trading Places, Dr. Les Parrott, a clinical psychologist and his wife, Leslie, a family therapist, advise readers on how to build a better marriage (and, no, it doesn't involve marrying someone with the same first name).

Parrott says he's often fantasized about being able to "literally hand out a box of mutual empathy – the revolutionary tool for instantly improving a relationship."

We caught up with him by phone for a game of five questions.

Q: Where has our empathy gone?

A: Any time you're under pressure or stressed or hungry or angry, you're not going to be empathetic. What most people don't understand is that empathy involves both your head and your heart.

And most of us think we're being pretty generous when we do one or the other, when we analyze or sympathize, and that's only halfway there.

Q: What are the signs of Empathy Deficit Disorder?

A: The primary indicator is they just can't seem to recognize your perspective or another person's perspective.

Empathy is that ability to put yourself in somebody else's shoes and imagine what life must be like to be in their skin.

Q: Are women naturally more empathetic beings?

A: Research shows women will fall into sympathizing far more frequently than men and men tend to fall into analyzing far more frequently than women. It's not that either gender is necessarily better at empathy.

Q: Can a person learn empathy?

A: Absolutely. What we discovered in our research is that there are skills that people can pick up on.

There's a school of thought in psychology that says awareness is curative.

Once you become aware of your social style, the more you can do about it.

Q: Is there one social relationship where the empathy deficit is most apparent?

A: Marriage is by far and away the most likely place. We don't work at it very much; that's why people get stuck in ruts.

Research shows 90 per cent of the things we struggle with in marriage would be resolved if we just saw things from the other person's perspective.

Diana Zlomislic

LIVING REPORTER

Toronto Star

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/451439

A Book is Man's Best Friend...

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."       --Groucho

Technorati Tags: humorous quotes

You Don't Understand. No, I Think it is YOU Who Does Not Understand...

“ When I was 5 years old, my mom always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment and I told them they didn’t understand life. "

The author is unknown to me, as I read the quote online and no attribution was given.  Whoever it was, it was a wonderful bit of insight and one many of us could do with a reminder of.

Technorati Tags: Quotes,wisdom quote,insight

Comics for the Season

A few amusing comics about the season from around the web:

Technorati Tags: comics,funny comics,funny pictures,funny photos,christmas jokes,christmas comics

It May Not Be the Way You or I Would Handle it, but you MUST Admire the way Diaz Walks his Talk

from Zen Moments (original links at end)

"This is the amazing story of Julio Diaz, who was on his way home one evening. His normal routine was to get off the train one stop early, to visit his local diner.  The station platform was empty, but as he was walking towards the stairs something dramatic and unexpected happened.  Suddenly a young teenager came up to Julio, pulled a knife and demanded money.

Julio just handed over his wallet, saying: “Here you go”.

But as the teenager turned to go, Julio said: “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you’re going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.”

The story unfolds with Julio offering to take the teenager to the diner to eat with him. He explains: “If you’re willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money… I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It’s as simple as it gets in this complicated world.”

When they have finished eating, Julio asks for his wallet back in order to pay for the meal. He then offers to give the teenager $20 in exchange for one thing…

His knife."

http://www.zenmoments.org/victim-treats-mugger-right/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89164759

Technorati Tags: zen moments,walking the talk,mugging,crime,killing with kindness

Love is a Behavior

This is a piece developed to benefit the Swedish national child protection agency. 

Behavior is the Truth
words: Andrew Vachss      art: Frank Caruso

 

Wild Weather over Mt. Rainier

A lenticular cloud has hovered over the state's tallest peak. Seen maybe a dozen times a year, it still looks cool every time.  The cloud is formed when warm, moist air runs into the surface of Mt. Rainier. The mountain's topography forces the air upward, which cools and condenses the air -- turning it into a cloud.
As the air sinks back on the other side of the mountain, it dries out and the cloud dissipates. That's why it just hangs over the summit area.

Photos and explanation from KOMO News 4 in Seattle.

Technorati Tags: Lenticular clouds,Mt. Rainier,unusual weather,weather phenomena

A Sign for Our Times

This is just my way of recognizing a piece of 'news' that I think is front page stuff.  We all expect Navy Seals to be tough, resilient and highly motivated. Even by these high standards, Lieutenant Jason Redman stands out. He is a SEAL – part of the Navy's elite Special Ops team – who took rounds from a machine-gun in his face and arm in Iraq last year. Jason posted a bright orange sign on the door of his hospital room at Bethesda National Naval Medical Center:

Just in case it is hard to read, here is the text:

"Attention to all who enter here. If you are coming into this room with sorrow or to feel sorry for my wounds, go elsewhere. The wounds I received I got in a job I love, doing it for people I love, supporting the freedom of a country I deeply love. I am incredibly tough and will make a full recovery. What is full? That is the absolute utmost physically my body has the ability to recover. Then I will push that about 20 percent further through sheer mental tenacity. This room you are about to enter is a room of fun, optimism, and intense rapid regrowth. If you are not prepared for that, go elsewhere."

Thank you for your service Lieutenant Jason Redman.  And thank you for the inspiration you have brought to many of us without doing anything beyond being yourself.

Refer to the National Review online for additional details of the story. 

Technorati Tags: Navy Seals,Wounded,Sign on the Door

Good or Bad, You get on with it.

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."                                            --Robert Frost

Sometimes the greatest wisdom slips by unnoticed, disguised as ordinary and hidden in plain sight.  I always thought that this statement by Robert Frost was deeply insightful, and to avoid only picking a poet as a surrogate for expressing this wise point of view, it reminds me of the dialogue in Tombstone when Doc Holiday is dying in the sanitarium and Wyatt Earp tells him he just doesn't know how to live anymore.  Holiday's (Val Kilmer's) well-written and well-acted reply was an earnest and soft: "It's just life, Wyatt.  You get on with it."  And really, the more I reflect on this idea, the more I come to feel that there is wisdom enough to live a fine life just by listening and remembering this idea often.  Ultimately, with or without our consent and participation, life goes on.

Technorati Tags: Tombstone,Quotes,Wisdom quote,live now,Robert Frost

My Life has a Superb Cast...

Finally, a completely clear pie chart!

Technorati Tags: funny pictures,humor

When Political Ads Infected the Rest

See Not From Concentrate, an online comic I really enjoy, written and illustrated by Thomas Dobrosielski:  http://nfccomic.com/

Technorati Tags: humor,funny pictures,comics,Not From Concentrate

Edible Dirt by Matt Rosemier

This comic series by Matt Rosemier is irreverent and often in poor taste, but I generally find it to be very funny.  To view the latest comic: http://eddirt.frozenreality.co.uk/

Technorati Tags: Rosemier,Edible Dirt,humor,comics,funny pictures

In Flanders Fields (for Veterans Day)

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918), Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae, according the website of Arlington National Cemetery,

created "In Flanders Fields"  as a lasting legacy of the terrible battle in the Ypres salient in the spring of 1915. Here is the story of the making of that poem:

Although he had been a doctor for years and had served in the South African War, it was impossible to get used to the suffering, the screams, and the blood here, and Major John McCrae had seen and heard enough in his dressing station to last him a lifetime.

As a surgeon attached to the 1st Field Artillery Brigade, Major McCrae, who had joined the McGill faculty in 1900 after graduating from the University of Toronto, had spent seventeen days treating injured men -- Canadians, British, Indians, French, and Germans -- in the Ypres salient.

It had been an ordeal that he had hardly thought possible. McCrae later wrote of it:

"I wish I could embody on paper some of the varied sensations of that seventeen days... Seventeen days of Hades! At the end of the first day if anyone had told us we had to spend seventeen days there, we would have folded our hands and said it could not have been done."

One death particularly affected McCrae. A young friend and former student, Lieut. Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, had been killed by a shell burst on 2 May 1915. Lieutenant Helmer was buried later that day in the little cemetery outside McCrae's dressing station, and McCrae had performed the funeral ceremony in the absence of the chaplain.

The next day, sitting on the back of an ambulance parked near the dressing station beside the Canal de l'Yser, just a few hundred yards north of Ypres, McCrae vented his anguish by composing a poem. The major was no stranger to writing, having authored several medical texts besides dabbling in poetry.

In the nearby cemetery, McCrae could see the wild poppies that sprang up in the ditches in that part of Europe, and he spent twenty minutes of precious rest time scribbling fifteen lines of verse in a notebook.

A young soldier watched him write it. Cyril Allinson, a twenty-two year old sergeant-major, was delivering mail that day when he spotted McCrae. The major looked up as Allinson approached, then went on writing while the sergeant-major stood there quietly. "His face was very tired but calm as we wrote," Allinson recalled. "He looked around from time to time, his eyes straying to Helmer's grave."

When McCrae finished five minutes later, he took his mail from Allinson and, without saying a word, handed his pad to the young NCO. Allinson was moved by what he read:

"The poem was exactly an exact description of the scene in front of us both. He used the word blow in that line because the poppies actually were being blown that morning by a gentle east wind. It never occurred to me at that time that it would ever be published. It seemed to me just an exact description of the scene."

In fact, it was very nearly not published. Dissatisfied with it, McCrae tossed the poem away, but a fellow officer retrieved it and sent it to newspapers in England. The Spectator, in London, rejected it, but Punch published it on 8 December 1915.

Technorati Tags: In Flanders Fields,war poem,Veterans Day

Tommy (for Veterans Day)

Rudyard Kipling

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!

Technorati Tags: Veterans Day,Veterans,Tommy,Kipling,unappreciated soldiers

Leave Bill Alone!

Technorati Tags: humor,funny pictures

Buy you a Beer?

According to the Post Crescent in Appleton, Wisconsin, a 38-year-old man was cited for disorderly conduct in Fond du Lac, Wis., in September after he bought a beer for his sons at the county fair.  What's the big deal?  His sons are ages 2 and 4.  Officers could not cite the man for providing alcohol to minors because under Wisconsin law parents are exempt.  Fortunately, he was belligerent when speaking to the officers, so he was written up for swearing at police.

Technorati Tags: Humor,Bad Parent

Hottest Baby Food Flavor

Who Signed Off on THIS Sign?

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The Quality of Life is in the Quality of Living

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth."
                                                                     —Mark Twain

Sometimes, if you are like me, it takes a simple thought, simply expressed to cut through the sheer speed of living.  With so many things to do, and so much information, and so much to buy and operate and watch and read and listen to, it can be pretty easy to be swept up in doing things, owning things and being active.  What's wrong with that?  Well, nothing in and of itself.  We must own some things to live, must we not?  We must do some things, and take action.  Still, it is all too easy anymore to find ones' life reduced to an endless high-speed string of activities, consumption and belongings.  We pursue the 'good life' in the form of these things, and at least some of the time we come unmoored to the simplest truths in life.  In having so much, and doing so much, and taking care of the many obligations that come from doing and having so much, we can easily begin to equate these things (consciously or otherwise) with happiness and success in life. 

When I see a sentence or two like this quote from Mark Twain, I am reminded that it is not the volume of belongings, or activities, or information that brings me satisfaction.  The happiest and most satisfying moments in my life revolve around people - family, friends.  They revolve around time - time to interact with them, share and make memories with them.  They depend on good health to enjoy, and and opportunity to be together. Often enough, the pace of life actually weakens the experience of family and friends - draws off some of the depth from the interaction.  We can become distracted and miss the moments that afford us so much of the satisfaction we find in life.  When we are distracted, self conscious, only partially engaged, though we are able to be together, we are not quite together. 

When we have the chance - time, health, companions - to really live, it is good advice indeed to value it.  And more, to be uninhibited about taking advantage of the moment and living it.  No matter how much we have, or how much we do, the quality of our lives derives far more from how we live our moments than where we live them, or what we own.  

Technorati Tags: Mark Twain quote,quality of life,self help

Scientific American: The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

Hint: Don't tell your kids that they are (smart). More than three decades of research shows that a focus on effort—not on intelligence or ability—is key to success in school and in life.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-secret-to-raising-smart-kids

Technorati Tags: Parenting,Smart children,trying your best,raising children,successful children

Extreme Fire Hazard

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Good Advice on Tax Policy

"A nation trying to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to pull himself up by the handles." 

                                                        --Winston Churchill

Technorati Tags: politics,Obama tax plan,taxes,tax policy,Churchill quotes,Churchill on taxes