February 29th, 2012 -- Posted in Earthquakes |
A close relative, YaVaughnie Wilkins, knowing my love and respect for the power of Mother Nature, bid on and won a very special bottle of wine for me at a charity auction. The California wine is called Earthquake. She knew I would love it by the name alone. However, when I visited the vineyard’s website I learned that “The original Earthquake Zin comes from an old Lodi vineyard planted around the time of San Francisco’s great Earthquake in 1906. The vineyard owners thought it fitting to relate the wine name with the historical quake.”
Not only that, but the bottle itself has a poem that pays homage to earth (land and soil) and earthquakes. I’ve posted the mesmerizing poem below. Oh, and the wine is yummy, too.
Zinfandel
Old Lodi wines, yielding supreme
Like ancient volcanoes releasing their steam.
Danger is present, felt but unseen
Vines of such power, such high self-esteem.
Intentionally hostile, purposefully bold
Nice not an option when truth must be told.
Energy captured, awaiting release
Zinfandel Vines, the great seismic beasts.
Instilling such fear, a risk few will take
Nothing prepares you for the Zinfandel Quake.
Kevin Phillips–
February 25th, 2011 -- Posted in Earthquakes |
Crumbled concrete, twisted metal and mounds of brick still lay scattered across Christchurch, New Zealand. About 250 buildings and 341 homes have been deemed unsafe by investigators. But amid the reports of devastation, the worse news is the rising death toll. According to the New Zealand Herald, the official number of deaths for the Christchurch earthquake has risen to 145, and more than 200 people remain missing.
Collapsed building after the earthquake
Today (Saturday, Feb 26 in New Zealand) there have been 16 earthquakes, ranging from 2.0 to 4.1 magnitude. And on Friday afternoon two violent aftershocks, measuring 4.4 and 3.3 sent more masonry crashing down, distressing the nerves of rescuers and survivors in Christchurch. On day 5 of the Christchurch quake, hope of finding more survivors in the rubble is fading.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reported that there were about 600 unreinforced masonry structures in Christchurch and that the majority of them suffered some damage during Tuesday’s quake. However, California has about 7,800 such buildings in high-seismic zones. A sizable quake on any of California’s known faults could cause major damage. Then there are all the unidentified faults in Southern California. The Christchurch quake occurred on a previously unidentified fault system.