Yearly Archives: 2012

This Galaxy is a Real Square

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Strange Square-Shaped Galaxy Discovered

 

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An international team of astronomers discovered a rectangular‑shaped galaxy within a group of 250 galaxies some 70 million light years away. “In the Universe around us, most galaxies exist in one of three forms: spheroidal, disc-like, or lumpy and irregular in appearance,” said Alister Graham from Swinburne University of Technology.

He said the rare rectangular-shaped galaxy was a very unusual object. “It’s one of those things that just makes you smile because it shouldn’t exist, or rather you don’t expect it to exist. It’s a little like the precarious Leaning Tower of Pisa or the discovery of some exotic new species which at first glance appears to defy the laws of nature.”The unusually shaped galaxy was detected in a wide field-of-view image taken with the Japanese Subaru Telescope for an unrelated program by Swinburne astrophysicist Dr Lee Spitler.The astronomers suspect it is unlikely that this galaxy is shaped like a cube. Instead, they believe that it may resemble an inflated disc seen side on, like a short cylinder.

Support for this scenario comes from observations with the giant Keck Telescope in Hawaii, which revealed a rapidly spinning, thin disc with a side‑on orientation lurking at the centre of the galaxy. The outermost measured edge of this galactic disc is rotating at a speed in excess of 100,000 kilometres per hour.

“One possibility is that the galaxy may have formed out of the collision of two spiral galaxies,” said Swinburne’s Professor Duncan Forbes, co‑author of the research. “While the pre-existing stars from the initial galaxies were strewn to large orbits creating the emerald cut shape, the gas sank to the mid‑plane where it condensed to form new stars and the disc that we have observed.”

Despite its apparent uniqueness, partly due to its chance orientation, the astronomers have managed to glean useful information for modelling other galaxies.While the outer boxy shape is somewhat reminiscent of galaxy merger simulations which don’t involve the production of new stars, the disc-like structure is comparable with merger simulations involving star formation.

“This highlights the importance of combining lessons learned from both types of past simulation for better understanding galaxy evolution in the future,” said Associate Professor Graham.“One of the reasons this emerald cut galaxy was hard to find is due to its dwarf-like status: it has 50 times less stars than our own Milky Way galaxy, plus its distance from us is equivalent to that spanned by 700 Milky Way galaxies placed end-to-end.“Curiously, if the orientation was just right, when our own disc-shaped galaxy collides with the disc-shaped Andromeda galaxy about three billion years from now we may find ourselves the inhabitants of a square looking galaxy.”

The results will be published in The Astrophysical Journal.More information: Pre-publication: http://arxiv.org/p … 3.3608v1.pdf

The Daily Galaxy via Swinburne University of Technology

from:    http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/03/strange-square-shaped-galaxy-discovered.html#more

Celia Fenn on the March Equinox

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New Earth Rising : The Equinox Report for March 2012!

Celia Fenn
a message from Celia Fenn

As we approach the first Equinox of 2012, the energies on Planet Earth are becoming very active and intense and a little unstable. Many people have noticed this, especially in the wake of a series of Solar Flares that have brought new information and new Light Codes for Evolution into our Planetary and Personal Light Body Fields. But, at this time, there is more going on than simply Solar Flare activity. The Earth is preparing herself for the alignments and passages of 2012, we are being brought “up to speed” in a very literal way.

Firstly, the Solar Flare activity brought through the new Light Codes that would begin anchoring in the 8th and 9th Dimensions of Consciousness and begin the structuring of the Earth Keeper Councils. This information is received by the Pineal Gland and then the Pituitary Glands in the Body. Both of these glands are in “hyper” mode right now. This can be compared to a major “download” or “upgrade” in a computer, where the new information requires extensive re-patterning and rebooting. Our cells are receiving new instructions and out neural networks receiving new patterns. We need some “down time” to reboot. I personally spent the week-end in bed just allowing the process. The most likely symptoms of this process are dizziness, as the Pineal is activate to the maximum, inability to sleep also due to Pineal activation, and mood swings and depression, this related to pressure on the emotions and hormonal system via the Pituitary gland.

This energy is being felt by everyone on the Planet in some way, whether conscious or not. And, as if that were not enough, there is another process happening right now. Archangel Michael informs us that the Earth is raising her “base frequency” right now, which means that on the holographic level the frequency rate is rising and everything is accelerating. This is to facilitate the Earth’s passage through the 2012 Portal at the end of the year. You can imagine it like the Earth lining up to pass through the eye of a needle, the aim has to be just right and the speed just right, so that we all make it through.

What this means on the physical level is that the lower chakras, the Base, Sacral and Solar Plexus, are all accelerating their spin. Which in turn means that any old “stuff” still lurking there is being spun off and there is pressure on these chakras. This in turn means that you may feel pain and stress in your body as the body gets used to the increased frequency. The good part of this, of course, is that the higher frequencies will support the manifestation of the New Earth in the physical plane at the same time that the old stuff is getting spun out of the cycle. We can expect more of the old to fall apart and more of the “new” to start to manifest.

You may feel, a bit like I have, that you are being spun out of the cycle yourself, but hold in there, it is just a time of change, transition and acceleration, like changing gear as you head out onto the open road!

I would also like to say that it is our beautiful children who are assisting us with this change….there are so many beautiful Crystal Starchildren now who have been born in the last ten years and who are “wired” for this acceleration. In fact, they are leading it, and that is why so many children are having a difficult time physically right now.

And another point is that as we accept this acceleration and seek to bring it into balance within ourselves, we are assisting the planet in not having to experience a “disaster” to release this energy. Remember this time last year, with Japan and the tsunami? This year, let’s hope we can work to balance this energy together with the Elementals and the Dragons so that the Earth can stay in balance.

So, to everyone reading this, hang in there for the next few days and stay balanced. Rest when you need to, look after your physical being, and know that this will pass in a few days! This is our privilege, to carry the energy as Earth Keepers and assist our beautiful Planet in her Journey of Ascension.

© 2006-12 Celia Fenn and Starchild Global http://www.starchildglobal.com – You are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work under the following conditions: You must give the author credit, you may not use this for commercial purposes, and you may not alter, transform or build upon this work. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder. Any other purpose of use must be granted permission by author.

from:    http://spiritlibrary.com/starchild-global/new-earth-rising-the-equinox-report-for-march-2012

Guerrero, Oaxaca, Mexico 7.9 Earthquake

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Earthquake in Guerrero – Oaxaca, Mexico – 500 houses severely damaged at least – but slight damage for such a quake

Last update: March 20, 2012 at 9:33 pm by By 

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude :  7.9 (preliminary)
UTC Time : Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 18:02:53 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 12:02:53 PM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 10 km
Geo-location(s) :
52 km (32 miles) NE (39°) from Ometepec, Guerrero, Mexico
53 km (33 miles) WSW (241°) from Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, Mexico
193 km (120 miles) E (83°) from Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico   

Update: 2 buildings in the historic center of Mexico city have also been reported damaged.

– Update: No casualties have been reported from Omotopec which is good news given the damage.

– Update:  We have reports from Mexican radio (from Carlos) that 500 houses have been severely damaged or destroyed in Guerrero. As expected Omotopec has had a lot of this damage.

– Update: Currently only 60 houses are still being reported destroyed in the epicentral region with an extra 400 damaged.

– From Carlos Robles – our US/Mexico Earthquake correspondent:- A wall collapsed leaving one with serious injuries in Mexico City. Damage has been reported in Ciudad de Mexico like cracked roads, damaged buildings, and the bridge that collapsed in a bus with no casaulties.  Damage has been reported in Oaxaca with cracked roads and damaged buildings.

In Puebla the Palacio Municipal (Municipal palace, is a government building.) there were 2 cracked walls. Fissures in churches all over Mexico have been reported. Mobile phones were suspended due to overuse. The subway was suspended. The daughter of president Obama was in Oaxaca when the earthquake hit, she only felt the earthquake and has no injuries.

– A highway in Oaxaca has had a landslide cover a small section. It only caused slight damage in the form of a small car crash. Apart from that, other roads are all clear according to authorities.

– Earlier reports of a footbridge collapsing onto a bus in Mexico City were incorrect. In fact, it was the 10 meters of concrete guard rail of the footbridge which collapsed. No people were killed.

– Update : 1 person has been injured in Colonia Juarez – of a nervous breakdown. In addition a staircase collapsed in a police building and there are reports of minor injuries. Other than that only minor damage has been reported. Some bridges have been closed around Mexico as a precaution.

– Update : At least 60 houses have been destroyed in Guerrero. Most of these are expected to be old adobe houses. Omotopec is expected to have major damage. Damage will likely be in the tens of millions of US dollars.

2.5 million users have had outages in their electricity following the earthquake. After 90 minutes, 1.5 million users were restored to the grid. In the Eastern control area partial outages  in the cities of Poza Rica and Coatzacoalcos and parts of the states of Puebla, Tlaxcala and Morelos. CFE crews will continue working to restore power as quickly as possible in the affected areas.

– Update :  We notice, as expected, a lot of aftershocks, the strongest ones ranging from M 4.7  to M 5.3.

– Update :   – President Calderon has just confirmed that so far NO lives have been lost.
– Power plants are working normally
– The President has also declared that NO major damage was inflicted
– The Mexican Seismological service is maintaining a Magnitud of 7.8

– Update :  YouTube video of the shaking. The shaking we see on the video was more than 300 km from the epicenter! Swaying is more accentuated in high rise buildings.

 

I have felt it Map courtesy USGS

– Update :  At 13:52 local time (1 hour 50 minutes after the earthquake),  NO fatalities have been reported so far, a very good sign !

– Update :  New Intensity calculations(based on the M 7.4 Magnitude) are giving the following impact :
182,000 people MMI VII (very strong shaking)
596,000 people MMI VI (strong shaking)
2,736,000 people MMI V (moderate shaking)
32 million people MMI IV (light shaking)

– Update :  USGS has further decreased the Magnitude from 7.6 to 7.4, a lot weaker than the initially reported 7.9. The depth has been recalculated to 20 km. All this explains the lesser than originally expected intensity.

– Update :  GOOD preliminary news : Only light damage is currently reported out of the epicenter area. Based on our own experience, we think it is far too soon to have a final estimate, but after such an earthquake, we like to hear that the damage is not general.

– Update :  A concrete walkway bridge has collapsed on a microbus. No reports yet about victims. Some people have been hospitalized by a nervous breakdown.

– Update :  Everybody in the country could be found on the streets after evacuating houses and buildings. The situation on the roads of the bigger cities is simply chaotic. Everybody wants to drive back home.

– Update :  NOAA has released the following Tsunami bulletin : A DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI WAS NOT GENERATED BASED ON EARTHQUAKE AND HISTORICAL TSUNAMI DATA. HOWEVER, THERE IS THE  POSSIBILITY OF SOME LOCAL TSUNAMI EFFECTS.  THIS EARTHQUAKE IS LOCATED INLAND FROM THE COAST.
GDACS another agency who calculates tsunami heights has calculated that a max. tsunami wave of 0.1 meter may have occurred, nothing to be scared of.

– Update :  the closest airports to the epicenter are Pinotepa Nacional (77km) and Ta Lo De Soto (71km)

– Update :  there are NO hydrodams or NO Nuclear Plants in the vicinity of the epicenter

– Update :  GDACS reports that the nearest populated places are: Coyul (16km), Putla de Guerrero (18km), Cuitlapa (15km), Laguna (3km). The closest civilian airport is Pinotepa Nacional (77km).

– Update :  The area has currently a lot of aftershocks as could be expected. These aftershocks will go on for many hours and even days. Gradually they will get weaker but sometimes even M 6.x can be reached.  People in the epicenter area will have to spend the night on the streets out of fear for aftershocks.

– Update :  This earthquake is a subduction earthquake, which means that the Oceanic plate is gliging below the North American plate and often hangs for a while. When the accumulated energy is suddenly freed a massive earthquake is generated.

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/03/20/massive-extremely-dangerous-earthquake-in-guerrero-mexico/:

 

Signs of Volcanic Unrest on Santorini

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Scenic Greek Island Shows Signs of Volcanic Unrest

Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer
Date: 13 March 2012 Time: 02:59 PM ET
Buildings crowd a steep oceanside cliff on Santorini.
The crowded cliffsides of Santorini island in Greece.
CREDIT: Maugli, Shutterstock

The volcanic caldera on the picturesque tourist island of Santorini is showing signs of unrest. But researchers detecting the caldera’s movement say it doesn’t necessarily mean an eruption is imminent.

The Greek island was the site of one of the most massive volcanic eruptions in history 3,600 years ago. That eruption, which created tsunamis 40 feet (12 meters) tall, may have spawned thelegend of the lost city of Atlantis. The volcano last erupted in 1950, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Global positioning system (GPS) sensors placed on the caldera have detected renewed movement after decades of peace. The earth around the caldera (a depression at the top of a volcano) is deforming, or expanding outward, researchers report in an upcoming article in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. GPS instruments on the northern part of Santorini have moved between 1.9 and 3.5 inches (5 to 9 centimeters) since January 2011, said study researcher Andrew Newman, a geophysicist at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

“What we’re seeing now is the first significant deformation and the first deformation that has any significant earthquake activity associated with it,” Newman told LiveScience.

In the same time period, the magma chamber under Santorini has swollen by almost 500 million cubic feet (14 million cubic meters).

Newman and his colleagues say it’s unlikely that the deforming caldera portends an eruption. Excavations of extinct volcanoes suggest that 90 percent of the time, belowground magma movements don’t end in eruption. A similar caldera system, the Long Valley Caldera in California, started deforming in 1980, Newman said. It then quieted again until 1989, repeating the cycle in 1997 and 2002, with nary an eruption.

If a Santorini eruption did occur, Newman said, it would be nothing like the Minoan eruption of 1650 B.C. that birthed the myth of Atlantis. That eruption was a once-in-100,000-year event, and the expansion of the magma chamber happening now is only 1 percent of what would have gone on prior to the ancient blast. [The 10 Biggest Eruptions in History]

Geophysicists are keeping an eye on the caldera, however. An eruption could generate local tsunamis within the Santorini archipelago, Newman said, damaging ports and disrupting ship traffic. Even if the volcano doesn’t erupt, the shifting caldera could increase earthquake risk, and the island cliffs are vulnerable.

“We don’t need an eruption to have earthquake-induced landslides,” Newman said.

There’s no telling how long the deformation will continue, but it could stretch years or decades, perhaps cycling between activity and peace, Newman said. While no reason to be alarmed, the restless caldera is important for scientific study, he added.

“It is one of very few of these really large caldera volcanoes,” he said. “So any information we gather from ongoing activity adds significantly to our database of how these systems evolve.”

from:    http://www.livescience.com/19018-santorini-greek-volcanic-unrest.html

Most Ethical COmpanies

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World’s Most Ethical Companies’ Revealed

David Mielach, BusinessNewsDaily Staff Writer
Date: 17 March 2012 Time: 11:41 AM ET

 

ethics social media misconduct
CREDIT: Dreamstime

Turns out successful businesses aren’t concerned only with their bottom line. At least that is the case for companies like Aflac, American Express,  General Electric, Patagonia and Starbucks. Those companies and 18 others have made the list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the sixth straight year.

In all, 145 companies from around the world appear on this year’s list.

Ethisphere Institute, which compiled the list, says it based its rankings on the following factors: ethics and compliance programs; reputation, leadership and innovation; governance; corporate citizenship and responsibility; and culture of ethics.

Notable companies on this year’s list included:

  • Gap Inc.
  • Timberland
  • Ford Motor Company
  • Microsoft
  • eBay Inc.
  • Waste Management
  • PepsiCo
  • Kellogg Company
  • Target
  • Best Buy
  • Cisco
  • UPS

The complete list can be found at the Ethisphere website.

“Each year the competition for ‘World’s Most Ethical Companies’ intensifies as the number of nominations submitted for consideration grows,” said Alex Brigham, executive director of Ethisphere. “This year’s winners know that a strong ethics program is a key component to a successful business model, and they continue to scrutinize their ethical standards to keep up with an ever-changing regulatory environment

from:    http://www.livescience.com/19132-world-ethical-companies.html

 

El Hierro Update

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El Hierro Volcano : Yellow alert – Images of Glowing Lava at 70 meter depth

Last update: March 19, 2012 at 6:41 pm by By 

VERY IMPORTANT Update 19/03 – 17:02 UTC
– ER reader Roland (see comments) has given us the lead to a report of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria showing the still erupting submarine El Hierro volcano with glowing lava seen floating at a depth of 70 meter.
What nobody could accomplish so far, has been done by the ROV E-Wally on board of the SOS-Oceanos, Q-Star, Atlantic Explorer ship by the scientists of the Universidad de Las Palmas the Gran Canaria.
– The images have been captured on March 14 as the date on the images reveal. The images are of course foggy as a lot of suspended material is polluting the water.
– No doubt that Q-Star and the University has also some video footage that they will probably release later on (the pictures are probably screen captures of the video).
We are however VERY PLEASED that all those who cooperated on this mission have proved that the eruptive process is not yet entirely finished (at least it was not after the date that Pevolca said that the eruption stopped).

Original images courtesy Q-Star and Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

ER manipulation of the color saturation and contrast from the original picture above, a lot more details are appearing

 

Image Courtesy Q-Star and Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Update 19/03 – 16:00 UTC
– Images of Joke Volta of today March 19

Update 19/03 – 11:17 UTC
– Nothing unusual this morning.
– Since midnight NO listed earthquakes since Saturday
– Sunday afternoon we noticed increased microseismicity. The variation in HT signal is often caused by changes in tide, wind, waves etc, external factors which have nothing linked to the eruption. However, a minimal HT is still present.
– Joke continues taking her daily pictures, with of course more focus to the island itself these days. She does not want to give up right now as the eruption might get stronger again.

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/09/25/el-hierro-canary-islands-spain-volcanic-risk-alert-increased-to-yellow/

Severe Weather Impacting the West, Midwest, Possibly Northeast

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3/17/2012 — Severe weather forming out west — preparations should be made now

Posted on March 18, 2012

watch the update here:

——————————————–

Today was a somewhat heavy day for the midwest — damaging winds, nickel sized hail , excessive lightning … Missouri, Illinois, Indiana have received the brunt of this first SMALL system.

Coming out west — a very large low pressure system — pushing its way south near the Border of Mexico/California — pressing eastward eventually.. then northeast ..

College of Dupage GOES infrared satellite – northern hemisphere view :

This will draw the southern flow of warm moist air up from the south — mixing the cold air from the north — cold enough to produce a large winter weather advisory out west in CA, OR, WA, ID, NV, UT, CO.

When the system finally heads east (after the above mentioned western states).. it will give us extreme severe weather in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, (possibly nebraska), Lousiana, Mississippi , Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio …. eventually the east coast and south east as well…

Expect severe damaging winds.. large hail.. and tornadoes in several of the above mentioned states.. if not ALL the above mentioned states.  Only a few may be spared some kind of severe weather.  Most will get the hail and damaging winds for sure — lets HOPE few get tornadoes.

Time for preparation is now… in case of loss of home, property, or in case of injury — make these plans and know them well… make sure your friends/family/loved ones also know the plan.

Power outage, loss of shelter, loss of transportation, water cut off etc.. these are all common results of severe weather.. sometimes entire communities are wiped out (as was the case 3 weeks ago in the midwest).

FEMA turned DOWN disaster coverage for the people of Illinois (who lost entire towns)… so if youre looking for help AFTER a storm.. the only help you’ll be getting will be from local government, family, or friends….. so have insurance if you can afford it.. if you rent.. get that renters insurance.. make sure it covers severe weather and earthquakes !!!

much love, be safe, and heed the warnings if they are issued for your area— but don’t RELY on the warnings.. if you see these storms forming… best to look for yourself to find out whats going on.. I’ve assembled several links you can use to monitor this current and coming outbreak personally…

http://sincedutch.wordpress.com/2012/02/12/2122012-weather-monitoring-links-satellite-and-radar-for-usa-and-world/

from:    http://sincedutch.wordpress.com/

Planetary Doodles

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SCINTILLATION SQUIGGLES: Everyone knows that stars twinkle but planets do not. The reason has to do with angular size. Stars are distant pinpricks smaller than the thermal irregularities in Earth’s atmosphere that refract their light. Each packet of air that passes in front of a star produces a well-defined change in color or brightness. Planets, on the other hand, are relatively nearby and wide; they span many atmospheric irregularities, which tends to smooth out the prismatic action.

Photographer Monika Landy-Gyebnar of Veszprem, Hungary, has found a kinetic way to demonstrate the effect. “When photographing a star or planet, kick the tripod during the exposure.” She’s applied this technique to many stars and planets, and the resulting collection of squiggles reveals the character of their twinkles:

“If we take a photo of a star with a shaking camera, the result is a wavy line with many colors,” she points out. “If we photograph a planet, however, there is no change; the color and width of the squiggle are nearly constant.”

The scintillation effect is greatest for stars near the horizon, which must shine through a greater distance of turbulent atmosphere. Angles noted in the image above are altitudes. The lowest-hanging stars display the strongest and most colorful twinkling.

“Demonstrating this is a ‘must-do’ thing when you give a lecture or show on astronomical observations for novices,” she concludes. Observing tips and more of Landy-Gyebnar’s “scintillation squiggles” may be found here.

from: spaceweather.com

CME on Farside of Sun

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FARSIDE CME: A spectacular CME rocketed away from the sun’s northwestern limb during the early hours of March 18th: movie. The probable source was old sunspot AR1429, still active as it transits the far side of the sun. Earth will not be affected by the cloud.

fr/spaceweather.com

Bangladesh Earthquake

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Moderate but shallow earthquake shakes millions of people in the greater Dhaka area, Bangladesh

Last update: March 18, 2012 at 10:31 am by By 

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 4.6
UTC Time : Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 02:56:10 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 08:56:10 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 15.7 km (9.8 miles)
Geo-location(s) :
24 km (14 miles) WSW of DHAKA, Bangladesh
34 km (21 miles) SW of Tungi (Tongi), Bangladesh
106 km (65 miles) WNW of Comilla, Bangladesh   


– The earthquakes epicenter was located about 10 km from the Padma river
– Dhaka is a city with a population of 6,488,623
– The earthquake was shallow and could thus well be felt by millions of people
– Bangladesh Meteorological Department reported that the M 4.6 tremor shook buildings in the capital Dhaka at 8:56 am. No casualties were reported immediately but panic broke out among a lot of Dhaka residents. The earthquake was also felt in Uttara, Mohakhali, Rampura and Mirpur.
– In average we can say that the earthquake had an intensity of IV (light shaking). Most people reported a V or VI MMI, but we know that people are inflating what they felt a little bit because they are not used to feeling earthquake shaking.
– We have seen NO reports of damage or injuries so far

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/03/18/moderate-but-shallow-earthquake-shakes-millions-of-people-in-the-greater-dhaka-area-bangladesh/