NEWS - EARTHQUAKE, AFTERSHOCKS FELT ACROSS OKLAHOMA REGION

Earthquake, aftershocks felt across Oklahoma, region

Multiple earthquakes shook much of central Oklahoma early Saturday, rousing people from their sleep. It was felt as far away as Pleasant Hill, Mo.

FROM STAFF REPORTS    

Published: November 5, 2011

A 4.7 magnitude earthquake rattled homes across central Oklahoma early Saturday.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the initial quake was centered about six miles north of Prague about 2:12 a.m.
That quake was followed by a series of aftershocks. A 3.4 magnitude aftershock was felt moments later followed by another 2.7 magnitude aftershock about five miles southeast of Sparks. Sparks is east of the metro area in Lincoln County.
And those aftershocks continued as a 3.6 magnitude quake struck about 8:36 a.m., also centered about two miles southeast of Sparks.
The National Weather Service in Norman said via its Facebook page the earthquake was felt in Norman and also as far away as weather offices in Topeka, Kan., and Pleasant Hill, Mo.
There have been no reports of significant damage caused by the quake. According to OG&E's System Watch webpage it did not cause power outages anywhere in that company's coverage area across the state. Oklahoma Natural Gas is not reporting any gas leaks or service outages.
Tom Foster was awakened in his southwest Oklahoma City home by what he believes was an aftershock.
"It was a little later than what they say was the initial quake so I think I felt one of the aftershocks," he said. "The bigger quake didn't wake me up. But I know we've already had several phone calls from out of state relatives wondering what happened. I guess it's more interesting than anything that was dangerous."
Heather Spicer of Sapulpa said the quake woke her son and dog up.
"At first I thought and airplane had crashed nearby," she said. "But now I believe it was an earthquake because the whole house just kept vibrating with what sounded like distant thunder outside."
Matt Hoover of Perkins was wrapping birthday presents at 2:20 a.m. when he felt the quake. He thought the experience, his first with a quake, was exciting.
"The whole house started to shake and a low rumble could be heard throughout the house," he said. "It lasted about 20 seconds."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

yup, its true, we FELT this one..weve had reporst the entire time weve lived here of earthquakes, and may have heard a "pop" or a "bump" sound and that was all, but THIS one we felt, and we felt it good.

craig was in the bathroom, daniel was playing a game in the livingroom, and i was right here at my PC when i heard, what i thought was allot of movement and sound from my livingroom, like  rough housing. i was about to ask daniel what the heck he was doing when the floor started to roll...my chair was rolling in circles, and the windows were ratteling, and the house shook for a good 90 seconds..

just after it subsided. craig ran into the doorframe looking at me, asking "DID YOU FEEL THAT EARTHQUAKE?!?!?!" 

umm, yes, the house felt it..lol

then right behind him was daniel running in the same doorway, looking at me saying " WAS THAT AN EARTHQUAKE?!?!?!"

yes...lol

for whatever reason, it didnt concern, me, it was exciting, and different and memorable..and to some degree, fun.

im sure because no harm nor damage was done..but still. i had NO concernes whatso ever when it hit...i just  rode it through..

just as it was hitting and right behind it facebook was all a buzz with connections and status updates and thoughts about it..

it was amazing, to me...

 took a screen print shot of the page the report for the quake was on.

and one 24 hours later (roughly, to show all the aftershocks)

my home location, in realtation to the epicenter of this big earthquake

some humor

MICHELLE

NEWS - 7 BILLIONTH PERSON BORN (maybe More, Maybe Less. Who Knows)

7 Billionth Person Born (Or Maybe More. Or Less. Who Knows?)

 Published October 31, 2011

| FoxNews.com

With the birth of Danica May Camacho in Manila at two minutes before midnight, the United Nations Population Fund announced that the world's population had hit a new landmark: 7 billion people now fill the blue spinning globe we call home.

Or maybe not.

The U.S. Census Bureau comes to a very different conclusion, pegging the world's current population at 6,971,933,858 -- a difference of more than 28 million people. In other words, the U.S. Census Bureau guesses that the U.N. has overcounted by more than twice the current population of California. It argues that the world's population won't reach 7 billion until sometime in March of 2012.

Other estimates are even further off.

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, an Austrian group that studies world population, argues that the world's 7 billionth person might not be born until July 2014.

The U.N.'s number has many scratching their heads, and asking how the agency counts people. Just how did the U.N. reach its conclusion?

The U.N. admits the number is only an estimate.

Amid the millions of births and deaths around the world each day -- and the poor demographic information currently being gathered -- it's impossible to pinpoint the arrival of the globe's 7 billionth occupant with any sort of accuracy. 

"All demographic projections suffer from two kinds of potential errors," wrote Sergei Scherbov, director of demographic analysis at the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, in a recent paper. He argues that uncertain projections and incorrect data about the current population make it a challenge to precisely pin down an exact number.

"The sizes of many populations today are not known with high accuracy, including the population billionaires China and India and many countries particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa," he pointed out.

Indeed, to reflect the inaccuracy in its guess, the U.N. chose Monday to mark the day with a string of festivities worldwide -- and not one, but a series of symbolic 7-billionth babies being born.

In Uttar Pradesh, India -- the most populous state in the world's second-most populous country -- officials said they would appoint seven girls born Monday to join Danica as symbols of the seven billion.

"It would be a fitting moment if the seven billionth baby is a girl born in rural India," said Dr. Madhu Gupta, an Uttar Pradesh gynecologist. "It would help in bringing the global focus back on girls, who are subject to inequality and bias."

Demographers say it took until 1804 for the world to reach its first billion people, and a century more until it hit 2 billion in 1927. The twentieth century, though, saw things begin to cascade: 3 billion in 1959; 4 billion in 1974; 5 billion in 1987; 6 billion in 1998.

Now the rate of change seems to be slowing, the U.N. estimates.

"The rate of increase appears to be slowing. But the large number of people now in their reproductive years, 3.7 billion, means world population will keep growing for several more decades," a recent agency report states.

The U.N. estimates the world's population will reach 8 billion by 2025 and 10 billion by 2083. But the numbers could vary widely, depending on everything from life expectancy to access to birth control to infant mortality rates.

Dr. Eric Tayag of the Philippines' Department of Health said the birth came with a warning.

"Seven billion is a number we should think about deeply," he said.

"We should really focus on the question of whether there will be food, clean water, shelter, education and a decent life for every child," he said. "If the answer is 'no,' it would be better for people to look at easing this population explosion."