Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet, shifted Earth's axis - CNN

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-12/world/japan.earthquake.tsunami.earth_1_tsunami-usgs-geophysicist-quake?_s=PM%3AWORLD (via shareaholic)

The powerful earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsunami Friday appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis.

"At this point, we know that one GPS station moved (8 feet), and we have seen a map from GSI (Geospatial Information Authority) in Japan showing the pattern of shift over a large area is consistent with about that much shift of the land mass," said Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
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Reports from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy estimated the 8.9-magnitude quake shifted the planet on its axis by nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters).

The temblor, which struck Friday afternoon near the east coast of Japan, killed hundreds of people, caused the formation of 30-foot walls of water that swept across rice fields, engulfed entire towns, dragged houses onto highways, and tossed cars and boats like toys. Some waves reached six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast.

The quake was the most powerful to hit the island nation in recorded history and the tsunami it unleashed traveled across the Pacific Ocean, triggering tsunami warnings and alerts for 50 countries and territories as far away as the western coasts of Canada, the U.S. and Chile. The quake triggered more than 160 aftershocks in the first 24 hours -- 141 measuring 5.0-magnitude or more.

The quake occurred as the Earth's crust ruptured along an area about 250 miles (400 kilometers) long by 100 miles (160 kilometers) wide, as tectonic plates slipped more than 18 meters, said Shengzao Chen, a USGS geophysicist.

Japan is located along the Pacific "ring of fire," an area of high seismic and volcanic activity stretching from New Zealand in the South Pacific up through Japan, across to Alaska and down the west coasts of North and South America. The quake was "hundreds of times larger" than the 2010 quake that ravaged Haiti, said Jim Gaherty of the LaMont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.

The Japanese quake was of similar strength to the 2004 earthquake in Indonesia that triggered a tsunami that killed over 200,000 people in more than a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean. "The tsunami that it sent out was roughly comparable in terms of size," Gaherty said. "[The 2004 tsunami] happened to hit some regions that were not very prepared for tsunamis ... we didn't really have a very sophisticated tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean basin at the time so the damage was significantly worse."

The Japanese quake comes just weeks after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch on February 22, toppling historic buildings and killing more than 150 people. The timeframe of the two quakes have raised questions whether the two incidents are related, but experts say the distance between the two incidents makes that unlikely.

"I would think the connection is very slim," said Prof. Stephan Grilli, ocean engineering professor at the University of Rhode Island.

evil bear is evil

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Seventh Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Extreme
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Extreme
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Moderate

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

San Francisco Human Rights Commission Approves Groundbreaking Report: “Bisexual Invisibility: Impact

http://glaadblog.org/2011/03/10/san-francisco-human-rights-commission-approves-groundbreaking-report-bisexual-invisibility-impacts-and-recommendations/ (via shareaholic)

Today, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission approved a groundbreaking report on bisexual invisibility. (Download a pdf of the full report here.) The document was approved by The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Advisory Committee (LGBTAC) in January and approval by the full commission gives this important work even more credibility as an official government report.

Most of the content is not shocking to those of us actively engaged in bisexual activism, but having such a document gain government approval is exciting to say the least and will serve as an important tool for activists and allies alike. The report goes a long way in terms of debunking commonly believed myths about bisexual people and our alleged greater access to privilege. As Advisory Committee member and principal editor and author of the report, Lindasusan Ulrich told Bi Social Network:

%u201CThe main thing I hope this report will communicate,%u201D Ulrich says, %u201Cis that invisibility isn%u2019t just about bisexuals wanting to feel welcome at the table%u2014it has serious effects on people%u2019s lives.%u201D

From the report:

According to several studies, self-identified bisexuals make up the largest population within the LGBT community in the United States.

Bisexuals experience high rates of being ignored, discriminated against, demonized, or rendered invisible by both the heterosexual world and the lesbian and gay communities. Often, the entire sexual orientation is branded as invalid, immoral, or irrelevant. Despite years of activism and the largest population within the LGBT community, the needs of bisexuals still go unaddressed and their very existence is still called into question. This erasure has serious consequences on bisexuals%u2019 health*, economic well-being, and funding for bi organizations and programs.

* Nearly half of bisexual women and more than a third of bisexual men had seriously considered (or attempted) taking their own lives. Bisexual men were 6.3 times more likely and gay men 4.1 times more likely than heterosexual men to report having had suicidal thoughts or attempts. Among women, bisexuals were 5.9 times more likely and lesbians 3.5 times more likely to report having had suicidal thoughts or attempts than their heterosexual counterparts.
* One study of California data was striking, though: it found that while gay men earned 2-3% less than straight men and lesbians 2.7% less, bisexual men earned 10-15% less and bisexual women nearly 11% less. Another 2009 study from the Williams Institute analyzed data from three surveys to compare poverty (as defined by the federal poverty line) between LGB and heterosexual people. Two of the surveys%u2014the 2003 and 2005 California Health Interview Surveys, the only data that included separate numbers for bisexuals%u2014found that bisexual women are more than twice as likely as lesbians to live in poverty (17.7% compared to 7.8%), and bisexual men are over 50% more likely to live in poverty than gay men (9.7% compared to 6.2%).
* According to Funders for LGBTQ Issues, which tracks data on grants made by U.S. foundations to LGBT organizations, not a single grant in the entire country explicitly addressed bisexual issues in 2008 or 2009.

Bisexual Invisibility also includes personal stories from bisexual people. Jack M., 21 yo, states:

%u201CThe only thing I would change about my sexuality is how others treat me for it%u2026I only wish I didn%u2019t have to sacrifice feeling safe, feeling part of a community, and feeling I have anyone to confide in but myself.%u201D

Jack goes on to discuss the animosity he has faced from both straight people and the gay community. Bisexual Invisibility suggests that experiences such as Jack%u2019s are at least partly responsible for the higher instance of suicidal thoughts or attempts amongst bisexual people.

The report also highlights the need for greater research that specifically addresses the needs of bisexual people:

As noted earlier, when researchers conflate data about bisexuals with data about gay men or lesbians, it may significantly skew the findings. It may also result in interventions not reaching or not being effective for key populations. For example, because bisexuals have worse outcomes in most areas of health where specific data are available, conflating the data will generally make the picture look more urgent. Yet few public health programs specifically reach out to bisexuals. This means that even though bisexuals may have greater need, the resources primarily wind up benefiting lesbians and gay men.

This report is an important step towards gaining equality for bisexual people. Hopefully it will inspire more people to share their stories and even more people to listen and commit themselves to working for the full equality of everyone in the LGBT community.

*Author%u2019s Note: Bisexual Invisibility includes a portion on bisexual health which is excerpted from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force%u2019s research report Bisexual Health. (Download the pdf here.) The primary author is of that report is Amy Andre who I interviewed for Celebrate Bisexuality Day 2009.