Earthquakes in the Samoa Islands

At least 110 people killed in Samoa, 22 people in American Samoa and seven people on Niuatoputapu, Tonga. Widespread damage to infrastructure at Pago Pago, American Samoa, in many parts of Samoa and on Niuatoputapu, Tonga. Felt (V) at Apia, Samoa and (IV) at Tafuna, American Samoa. Felt in much of American Samoa, Samoa and northern Tonga. Felt as far away as Wallis and Futuna Islands. A tsunami with wave heights (peak-to-trough) was recorded at: 314 cm at Pago Pago, American Samoa; 140 cm at Apia, Samoa; 47 cm at Rarotonga and 8 cm at Penrhyn, Cook Islands; 14 cm at Nuku`alofa, Tonga; 11 cm at Papeete, French Polynesia. On the basis of currently available location and fault mechanism information, we infer that the September 29 earthquake occurred as a normal fault rupture on or near the outer rise of the subducting Pacific plate.

Wildfire in California

County Fire spokesman Bill Nash said crews hope to have the fire near Moorpark fully surrounded sometime Sunday. No homes have been lost. Nash says Santa Ana winds were no longer a factor. But hot, dry weather spurred the National Weather Service to extend a red flag warning of dangerous fire conditions through Sunday night at 9 p.m. The fire began Tuesday and burned through rugged land interspersed with orchards, farms and ranches. Firefighting costs have topped $6 million. As another much larger forest fire continued to smolder northeast of Los Angeles, U.S. Forest Service officials said they underestimated the wildfire's threat and scaled back firefighting efforts the night before the blaze ran wild, according to a report published Saturday

Blogging in Education

 Blogs in education are a benefit to schools because they are helpful to students and teachers. Students can post work online for their teachers to check and grade. Students are also given a chance to develop their own ideas. With those ideas, they can express them. They can also invite feedback. Blogs provide teachers with a user-friendly format Teachers create blogs to reinforce strategies that introduce topics and concepts about class notes