Mind Soup

SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - A massive magnitude-8.3 earthquake struck near Concepcion, Chile, early on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, shaking buildings and causing blackouts in parts of the capital of Santiago. A tsunami warning was issued for Chile and Peru by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and a tsunami watch was issued for Ecuador. The earthquake struck 56 miles northeast of Concepcion at a depth of 34 miles at 3:34 a.m./1:34 EST. It's magnitude was reported at 8.3 and 8.5, then fixed by the USGS at 8.3. People streamed onto the streets of the Chilean capital, more than 200 miles north of the epicenter, hugging each other and crying, a Reuters witness reported. Buildings shook and there were blackouts in parts of the city. The Reuters witness reported very strong shaking lasting for 10 to 30 seconds. A national emergency official told local radio the government was evaluating damage in and around Concepcion. In 1960, Chile was hit by the world's...

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - An iceberg the size of Luxembourg has broken off from a glacier in Antarctica after being rammed by another giant iceberg, scientists said on Friday, in an event that could affect ocean circulation patterns. The 2,500 sq km (965 sq mile) iceberg broke off earlier this month from the Mertz Glacier's 160 km (100 miles) floating tongue of ice that sticks out into the Southern Ocean. The collision has since halved the size of the tongue that drains ice from the vast East Antarctic ice sheet. "The calving itself hasn't been directly linked to climate change but it is related to the natural processes occurring on the ice sheet," said Rob Massom, a senior scientist at the Australian Antarctic Division and the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Center in Hobart, Tasmania. Both organizations, along with French scientists, have been studying existing giant cracks in the ice tongue and monitored the bumper-car-like collision by the...

So I am back writing for Outlook, AUB's official student newspaper, after "freezing my contributions" for a while due to some technical issues. Anyway, here's my band review for this week. Hope you like it :) Lady Antebellum is an American country band that originated in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. It consists of three singers: Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood, and Hillary Scott who share the lead and the background vocals.They released their first song "Love Don't Live Here" in 2007, and which served as a single in their debut self-titled album in 2008.This album was certified platinum in the United States. In July 2009, their song "I Run to You," from this album, became Lady Antebellum's first Number One. Soon after, they released the single "Need You Now," which became their second Number One and the lead song off their second album that holds the same name. Although this band is relatively new to the music scene, it has been n...

Recorded on February 1st, 2010, in the same studio as the original 25 years earlier (Henson Recording Studios, formerly A&M Recording Studios) "We Are The World 25 For Haiti", in which Jones and Richie serve as executive producers and producers, was created in collaboration with executive producers Wyclef Jean, Randy Phillips and Peter Tortorici; producers Humberto Gattica and RedOne; and co-producers Rickey Minor, Mervyn Warren and Patti Austin to benefit the Haitian earthquake relief efforts and the rebuilding of Haiti. Academy Award-winning writer-director Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby), whose own personal efforts as well as those of Artists for Peace and Justice have already saved countless lives in Haiti, filmed the private recording session to create the accompanying video and behind-the-scenes production, and serves as Film Director and as an Executive Producer with Jones, Richie, Jean, Phillips and Tortorici. The 25th Anniversary recording features...

​Jennifer Daugherty may have been 30, but she was mentally disabled with the mind of a young teen. Still, she seemed to be doing well enough and was involved with a community center in Greensburg, Pennsylvania... ​So her stepdad, Bobby Murphy, put her on a bus to Greensburg on Monday. She'd mentioned meeting a number of friends there, so dad wasn't alarmed when she called later that day to say she was spending the night with someone named "Peggy." She would be back the next day. That didn't happen. She apparently went to an apartment with six people she knew, but for reasons unknown they decided to turn on Jennifer. Perhaps just because they could. They forced her to drink vegetable oil, detergent and urine. She ate spices and medications. They shaved her head and beat her with a towel rack, a vacuum cleaner hose and a crutch. Then they forced her to write a suicide note before stabbing her to death. She was wrapped up in Christmas decorations and clot...

A Japanese architecture firm has come up with a neat idea for eco-friendly teahouses — it has little compartments in the surrounding wall that can generate heat via compost, so you don't get cold when you're sitting inside. The best thing about it might be its name: Comploo. From  Inhabitat : To feed the composter, garden waste, food scraps or other compost materials can be dropped in through a door at the top of each bin. A system of sealed ducts runs through each of the bins, and as the air circulates within the walls, the decaying compost warms it. This heated air is in turn emitted through a central vent that releases into the structure's interior. Occupants can comfortably sit along a circular bench surrounding the heat source, and enjoy the ambient natural light permeating through the transparent dome roof above.  [ via ]    

Please take a moment to have a good look at this picture.... And keep it in your mind for the rest of your life. As much as it hurts, you will be glad you saw it today, because one day it might save your life and the life of the ones you love... I'm sure that none of us would like to stand in that man's shoes Or even worse, in her shoes ... actually both are the same. So the next time you're driving and your loved ones are with you Just remember this picture, drive carefully and MAKE THEM WEAR THE SEAT BELT S . You may be perfect and you never make mistakes, but unfortunately others are not!!!... So stay safe.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran announced Wednesday it has successfully launched a 10-foot-long research rocket carrying a mouse, two turtles and worms into space — a feat President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said showed Iran could defeat the West in the battle of technology. The launch of the Kavoshgar-3, which means Explorer-3 in Farsi, was announced by Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as part of Iran's ambitious space program. It comes a year after Iran sent its first domestically made telecommunications satellite into orbit. The program has worried Western powers who fear the same technology used to launch satellites and research capsules could also deliver warheads. Iranian state television broadcast images Wednesday of officials putting a mouse, two turtles and about a dozen creatures that looked like worms inside a capsule in the rocket before it blasted off. Vahidi gave no details on the research and the report did not disclose when or where the launch took place. The rocket is...

I have recieved an interesting email recently from Anne Lee, who has informed me that Mind Soup is a googlewhack. A Googlewhack is a kind of a contest for finding a Google search query consisting of exactly two words without citation marks, that return exactly one hit, no less no more. A Googlewhack must consist of two actual words found in a dictionary. A Googlewhack is considered legitimate if both of the searched-for words appear as live links in Answers.com in the blue bar above the Google results. Published googlewhacks are shortlived, since when published to a web site, the new number of hits will become at least two, one to the original hit found, and one to the publishing site. For that reason, I will not publish what exactly the two words, to preserve this googlewhack as long as possible. Can you find them on your own? If you do, please click here to inform me. Here are the official rules of googlewhack. Thank you Anne Lee for informing me.

This is an actual notice one of the political science professors posted at my university right after the beginning of the finals period. Which reminds me, I have an exam in 7 hours, better go sleep. Wish me luck :)