Quake Changes Earth's Rotation, Moves Islands

kernel panic attack writes "This week's deadly Asian Quake and Tsunami may have been so powerful, that it changed the rate of Earth's rotation. In a Reuters article, a NASA geophysicist theorizes that the quake compacted the Earth enough to speed up the planet's rotation by 3 microseconds. A second article says the quake moved undersea tectonic plates by up to 98 feet, shifting islands near Sumatra out to sea an unknown distance. Also, a USGS team wants images from commercial satellite operators to help pinpoint coastline damage. Lastly, an interesting article from the Australian Spaceguard Survey about the need for a Tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean. The author comments that tsunami warnings may not help much, as people often flock to the coastline to see the giant waves." The current estimated death toll is now nearly 70,000; Amazon and Google, among others, have added front-page links to simplify donating to the disaster relief effort.

Comments

Iraq comparision

[Gorimek]

Many people are saying the extent of the disaster is hard to comprehend.

One measure is that the death toll is approaching that of the Iraq war and may soon pass it, though any cost estimates are still less than a tenth of that.

Or put in more flammable (but defendable) terms, this is almost as big a disaster as George W Bush.

You Don't Understand Your Sig Do You?

[Black-Man]

What a joke!! Another one of your Democratic Hero's who also happened to be a slave owner!

He made those remarks about Hamilton - his and Jefferson's enemy who also happened to be an abolitionist - which greatly angered these slave holding "gentleman". All the while whooping it up over the great French Revolution, of course ignoring the slaughter the eventual coup from Napeoeon. I guess he was their 'hero' too!

Re:Rotation

[JollyFinn]

You are the definition of an Ugly American motherfucker.

Motherfucker? Are you claiming he has fucked someone? Come on this is slashdot.

Re:Let's not make fun..

[stupidfoo]

Why bother quoting an article from Salon.com? Of course it's going to have a strong anti-american slant.

Those numbers are for government funding only. Private US donations, by which a country should truly be judged as they are not coerced in the form of taxes, dwarf any country by any measurement.

Private US donations for this recent tragedy were ahead of the whole EU, and still may be.

Those numbers also do not count other forms of aid (food, shelter, water) that our military provides all over the world that gets absolutely no coverage at all. You know who provides needed goods to most of the poor in rural Central America? The US via the US military.

Re:Apple Too

[nathanh]

To be fair, Americans are the most generous people in the world. We donate significantly more in total and per person than any other country.

You do not. You are out-generoused by FRANCE for christsake. See other comments to this article.

Stop telling yourself lies. You are starting to believe your own propaganda.

Re:Apple Too

[kevingolding2001]

To be fair, Americans are the most generous people in the world. We donate significantly more in total and per person than any other country.

That's true. After all, think about the billions of dollars worth of warheads and bullets that were donated at the people of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Re:Stingy Americans? Here's One...

[nathanh]

..from Philadelphia, and last night I sent $5,000 to the Red Cross for their International Response program. Today, I'm sending $2,500 to Doctors Without Borders and (just to be a selfish American prick) $1,750 to sponsor training for a guide dog puppy at Southeastern Guide Dogs in Florida.

Don't you love how Americans have to TELL everybody how much they donated. Felling a little bit of guilt there, eh?

That's almost 2% of my 2004 income. So fuck you, you piece of shit. What have you done for humanity lately?

I donate, but I don't feel the need to let everybody know how much. It stops being charity for OTHERS and starts being all about YOU.

2%. So you make $462,500 per year. You're living in the lap of luxury yet you donate such a piddling amount. Then you feel the need to crow about it and abuse others for not being as "charitable" as you.

Typical American. Does 2% of your half-million dollars per year buy some temporary relief from your guilt?

Re:Rotation

[Auxon]

OK, I think the parent you were replying to was misunderstood, but you're a shallow, shameful person. You're just shrugging your shoulders. Even to the "universe" I believe this is "worth noting".

Oh and by the way, in 100 years the world will remember this very well indeed; just as they have remembered other massive disasters of this magnitude, you asshole. But we'll try hard to forget people like you.

Re:Let's not make fun..

[SubtleNuance]

Fuckoff.

Do you know what the US pays for a single one of its carriers? The USA is far and away the wealthiest nation on the planet. The USA is stingy -- any way you slice it.

$400 billion defense budget. to kill people.

dont run off at the mouth about the good you people do when you spend far more doing ill.

Re:Let's not make fun..

[SubtleNuance]

shortsighted, if the goal is American Empire.

Is this the worthy goal you support?