On January 12, 2010 a devastating earthquake hit Haiti just a few miles south of the capitol. The US Geological Survey reports that the initial quake registered 7.0 on the Richter scale, with aftershocks registering as high as 5.9.  The Richter scale considers 7.0 a major quake and notes that at 5.9 even the aftershock “can cause major damage...

Yesterday Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an army psychiatrist, opened fire at the Fort Hood military base in Killeen, Texas, killing 13 people. The BBC reports: The shooting began at about 1330 (1930 GMT) on Thursday at a personnel and medical centre at Fort Hood - the largest US military base in the world, home to about 40,000 troops. The commander...

The G8 leaders summit is an annual gathering of eight of the world's most powerful government leaders. The purpose of the summit is to discuss important world issues, and besides the economy, the main topic of discussion seems to be the environment and climate change. US President Barack Obama is heading the Major Economies Forum, attended by...

The recent news about "Swine Flu" has caused widespread concern, perhaps with memories of the SARS outbreak only a few years ago, which ended up killing over 900 people, still fresh in our minds. Today the Toronto Star provided a helpful list of questions and answers about Swine Flu: Q: What can I do to prevent myself from getting the flu? A:...

CNN and others are reporting that a man went on a shooting rampage in southern Alabama yesterday killing  at least 10 people including a child just a year and half old.  Most of the victims were family members of the killer who turned the gun on himself.  One of the victims, Andrea Myers, the mother of the young child who was also shot and killed...