It's seems as if the Earth is trying to shake itself apart with the current earthquake activity. Close to two months ago the 7.0 quake in Haiti killed an estimated 230,000 people and triggered a worldwide relief effort. On the 27th of February Chile experienced an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that put most of the world on Tsunami watch. The current death tole is around 800 but will surely rise. Yesterday Chile had another earthquake of a 6.3 magnitude and Taiwan experienced a 6.4 (no current deaths reported). So many earthquakes in such a short amount of time. Sound the first trumpet and lock the door to your bomb shelters!
  Japan may be struck next. In the last couple of weeks over a dozen of the giant oar fish have floated to the surface. The Japanese have a long tradition that says the oar fish are an omen of impending tremors. The giant oar fish are believed to be the cause of many different folklore around the world due to their ability to grow up to fifty feet long. However, these fish aren't commonly seen due to their natural habitat being 600 feet under the surface of the ocean. Japanese marine experts don't know why so many of these fish have been found recently, but predict it has something to do with the other earthquakes throughout the world.
  An incredibly interesting side effect of the Chilean quake on the 27th is that NASA research scientist Richard Gross of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) reports that NASA estimated the Earth's axis shifted 3 inches and the rotation slowed about 1.26 microseconds (a microsecond is one millionth of a second). He also reports that it is common for the Earth to be effected in a grand scale by earthquakes. The changes experienced on the 27th are far from dramatic, and are in no means a sign of death impending.
  In fact, these very coincidental earthquakes are far from coincidence. They all lay along what researchers call the "Ring of Fire." The Ring of Fire spreads across the Pacific Ocean and encompasses several of the Earth's plates. The ring hosts 75% of the world's volcanoes, including Mount St. Helens, and 90% of the world's earthquakes. Earthquakes are very common along the Ring of Fire and happen many times a year. People rarely notice these earthquakes because they don't hit populated areas. Due to the recent earthquakes destroying so much civilization, the world has become aware of these reoccurring quakes. Scientists report that current events, although tragic, show no more activity than normal.
  So it's probably safe to sheath the trumpet and step foot out of your hole. The world is not ending, not by any scientific measure at least. Nature is a wild rampant force and sometimes we forget that the Earth maybe our home, but we're guests on it's surface. The Earth in no means is hospitable and in the grand scheme of things, has little concern for us humans. Welcome to the Ring of Fire.

References:Chilean Quake May Have Shortened Earth Days, Chile earthquake death toll climbs to 800, did earthquake shift earth’s axis?, USGS, Taiwan earthquake disrupts power and rail, Taiwan earthquake measuring 6.4 sparks widespread panic; scores injured but no casualties, The Ring of Fire, 2010 Haiti earthquake

  Google, one of the largest growing companies in the world, is looking to create a experimental fiber internet service for test communities up to 500,000 users in size. This experimental internet would be one-hundred times faster than the standard broadband offered locally, with an estimated 1 gigabyte download speed. Grand Rapids appears to be an ideal candidate for Google's experiment and has a lot of support towards the project. Google plans on having an active decision in the process, but the best way to support the possible upgrade is through the official site. Grand Rapids just recently setup a wifi network through WiMax and was a test market for a fiber ring years ago, but the speeds currently offered are not much better than the typical cable package at a much more expensive price, hundreds to over a thousand dollars per month. Experts expect Google's prices to not be any better. The project is estimated to cost half a billion dollars, which would yield prices in the several thousand dollars range. However, it's not too far off to consider Grand Rapids as a test choice for the California based Google considering they already have a center in Ann Arbor.
  Google's internet is far from the only news the over a decade old multi-billion dollar corporation. Google this past Wednesday donated two million dollars to Wikipedia.com, the online encyclopedia. Sergey Brin, Google's co-founder had this to say about the donation "[Wikipedia] [is] one of the greatest triumphs of the Internet…this vast repository of community-generated content is an invaluable resource to anyone who is online." The two million dollars is a fifth of Wikipedia's target revenue for the year.
  With all that has been said about Google, they just keep growing. With the offer of their first droid phone through Motorola to the countless internet services they provide for free, many corporations are having a hard time competing with the big G. Microsoft and Yahoo! have announced a Search Alliance. The two companies are looking to merge efforts for the time being in an attempt to steal back some of the advertising power that Google has dominated. The companies hope to have their new searches up and running in the United States by the end of 2010 to the beginning of 2011.

References: GR hopes to be lab for Google, How Much Will Google's Fiber Network Cost?, Google Gives To Wikipedia, Wikipedia:Google, Search Alliance

  Fifteen year old, British citizen, Louisa Ball has Kleine-Levin Syndrome. Kleine-Levin Syndrome, nicknamed Sleeping Beauty Sickness, is a rare illness where people will randomly sleep for days on end. It's not like narcolepsy due to the fact that it's not constant, there are time periods where the person is able to fully function, and Kleine-Levin Syndrome starts abruptly and tends to end as abruptly, approximately a decade after it starts. This illness only effects a minute fraction of the population, possibly less than a thousand, because of this and it's unpredictability scientists haven't been able to study it a whole lot. Practically nothing is known about it. There is also no known treatment.
  The girl's mother reported to NBC news that Louisa had her first bout of sleeping for days on end shortly after experiencing flu-like symptoms just over a year ago. Dr. Emmanuel Mignot, director of the Center for Narcolepsy at Stanford University, told TODAY's Matt Lauer that scientists have no idea what causes Kleine-Levin Syndrome. There is a theory that it may be due to a viral infection that flares up unpredictably off and on until the body finally becomes immune to it. Those who suffer from Kleine-Levin Syndrome can sometimes go weeks, months, or even as long as a year in between episodes.
  The longest Miss Louisa Ball has slept at this point is thirteen days at a time. Her parents have to fight to wake her up long enough to go to the bathroom and eat. They say that no amount of poking or prodding can fully awaken Louisa, she just has to wake on her own. Luckily her friends are supportive of her illness and fill her in on anything she misses during her bouts of Kleine-Levin, but school has become a struggle. With scientists stumped, it looks like this Sleeping Beauty won't have a Prince Charming anytime soon, with perhaps time as the only antidote.

Reference: MSNBC.com

  The President has declared October 7 as Leif Erikson Day. Okay, maybe I'm a little behind on finding this out, but I thought it was very fascinating and am excited about this! There really isn't a whole lot that I can say about it that isn't summed up by the WhiteHouse.gov already...

    On this day in 1825, the ship Restauration landed in New York City after sailing for 3 months from Stavanger, Norway. The 52 passengers aboard represented the first organized emigration of Norwegians to America. These brave individuals set to the seas, following in the grand footsteps of the famous Scandinavian explorer Leif Erikson. Over a millennium ago, Leif Erikson -- son of Iceland and grandson of Norway -- arrived in North America and founded the settlement Vinland, located in modern-day Canada. Today, we celebrate his historic voyage and remember those who journeyed to America from far-away lands.

    Our Nation's founding history is marked by millions of individuals who faced great hardship and difficulty as they pursued a brighter future abroad. As explorers, they did not know what they would find, but they were determined not to turn back, in order to learn what lay beyond the setting sun. This same spirit lived within Leif Erikson, and it has inspired countless others who venture from their homes in search of opportunity, uncertain of the possibilities and challenges that await them.

    Today, our Nation continues to welcome those descendents of Leif Erikson to our shores. Nordic Americans have contributed immeasurably to the success of America. Their cultural accomplishments have enriched the diversity of our country. And their pioneering spirit continues to embody our Nation's unbounded enthusiasm for discovery and learning.

    To honor Leif Erikson and celebrate our Nordic-American heritage, the Congress, by joint resolution (Public Law 88-566) approved on September 2, 1964, has authorized the President to proclaim October 9 of each year as "Leif Erikson Day."

    NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2009, as Leif Erikson Day, and I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to honor our country's rich Nordic-American heritage.

    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

    BARACK OBAMA

Official Presidential Proclamation: Leif Erikson Day

A New Jersey evangelical Fed Ex driver left a Chick Tract with the wrong witch in New Jersey according to an article in the Mount Olive Chronicle. Trish Reynolds, a Pagan author (of such books as The Demons of Drey (Seeker's Quest) and A Question of Balance ) looked out her window one day to see a Fed Ex Driver do a double take at her "Goddess Bless America" and pentagram bumper sticker, return to his truck and come back to put a Chick Tract on her window. If you've ever read one of those rags you know how offensive they are. The list of ridiculous claims made by these is huge (and Wikipedia has such a huge discussion on this subject) She could have just thrown it out, but she's not that kind of witch. She complained and insisted on action. My kind of woman.
More info about Trish Reynolds and her projects can be found at her website http://www.zyalia.com/

I am a firm believer that garb has its place, and jeans have theirs. I admit it I'm a closet fashion junky (you'd never know it meeting me, I know) If you're a fan of reality TV you might be interested in checking out What Not to Wear on TLC this Friday as it features a Salem witch whose witchy wardrobe is put on "trial" (Salem witch trial style) by other members of the Pagan and psychic community, including Christian Day one of the voices of the Hex Education podcast the driving force behind Salem's annual Festival of the Dead before she is whisked off to New York for the usual makeover business. You can find all the dirt at the Glouster Times website.

According to HeraldNet, A missing woman in Washington is believed to have been murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend, who happens to be Wiccan, apparently. I don't want to comment on this much more because it is unpleasant, but I will say this- If you read the article, you will find that neighbors upon questioning admitted to hearing a "loud and violent confrontation between a man and a woman" in her apartment FOUR DAYS before she was reported missing by her employers because she show up for work!! WTF people? Why do people not call the cops when this shit goes down? WTF I say.

I often complain about the sad state our society is in that people don't know their neighbors, don't check up on their neighbors, don't show any concern for their neighbors. It's amazing to me that up north where there are acres, and sometimes miles between houses people know more about their neighbors than in places where we're practically on top of each other in apartments and McMansions and trailers. Remember this poor woman the next time you ignore the screams from the apartment upstairs.