The 7.8 magnitude quake in the Tasman Sea has expanded New Zealand’s South Island westwards by about 30cm (12in).

Seismologist Ken Gledhill, of GNS Science, said the shift demonstrated the huge force of the tremor.

But correspondents say that with more than 2,250km (1,400 miles) separating the countries, the narrowing will not exactly be visible.

Nor, as the New Zealand media have observed, is it likely to bring cheaper air fares.

The quake was powerful enough to generate a small tsunami with a wave of one metre (3ft) recorded on the west coast of New Zealand.

People in coastal areas were for a time advised to move to higher ground.

While the south-west of the South Island moved about 30cm towards Australia, the east coast moved only one centimetre westwards, Dr Gledhill said.”Basically, New Zealand just got a little bit bigger is another way to think about it,” he told AFP news agency.

Although it was New Zealand’s biggest earthquake in 78 years, it caused only slight damage to buildings and property when it struck in the remote Fiordland region west of Invercargill last Thursday.

“For a very large earthquake, although it was very widely felt, there were very few areas that were severely shaken,” Dr Gledhill said.

GNS Science is a research organisation run by the New Zealand government.

New Zealand frequently suffers earthquakes because it sits on the meeting point of the Australian and Pacific continental plates.

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Liberals who have idealized Obama don’t want to believe that their President is capable of bullish behavior towards Latin America. It was Bush, they say, who epitomized arrogant U.S.-style imperialism and not the new resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Recent events in Central America however force us to look at the Obama Administration in a sobering new light. While it’s unclear whether Obama had advance warning of an imminent military coup d’etat in Honduras, the White House has not emerged from the Zelaya affair unsullied.

In December 2008, even before his inauguration, Obama received an irate letter from Honduran president Manuel Zelaya demanding an end to arrogant and interventionist U.S. ambassadors in Tegucigalpa. Just eight months earlier, American ambassador Hugo Llorens had taken on the government by making inflammatory remarks. During a press conference, the diplomat declared that Zelaya’s move to rewrite the constitution was “a Honduran matter and it’s a delicate matter to comment on as a foreign diplomat.” But then, contradicting himself and inserting himself into the volatile political milieu, Llorens remarked that “one can’t violate the constitution to create a constitution, because if you don’t have a constitution, the law of the jungle reigns.”

If Obama was serious about restoring U.S. moral credibility worldwide, he might have cleaned house by removing Bush appointees such as Llorens. An émigré from Castro’s Cuba, Llorens worked as an Assistant Treasurer at Chase Manhattan Bank before entering the Foreign Service. As Deputy Director of the Office of Economic Policy and Summit Coordination in the State Department during the Clinton era, he played an important role in spearheading the corporately friendly Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). But it was chiefly during the Bush years that Llorens distinguished himself, serving as the Director of Andean Affairs at the National Security Council. At the NSC, Llorens was the most important advisor to Bush and Condoleezza Rice on matters pertaining to Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.

While Zelaya’s move to rewrite the Honduran constitution antagonized Llorens, it also inflamed the local business elite and no doubt the U.S. foreign policy establishment. Perhaps these groups feared a Honduran repeat of the South American “Pink Tide”: across the region, leftist leaders from Hugo Chávez to Rafael Correa have mobilized civil society in an effort to rewrite their respective nations’ constitutions.

Chávez’s 1999 constitution provides for some of the most comprehensive human rights provisions of any constitution in the world while also including special protection for women, indigenous peoples, and the environment. The constitution moreover allows for broad citizen participation in national life. The preamble states that one of the Constitution’s goals is to establish a participatory democracy achieved through elected representatives, popular votes by referendum, and, perhaps most importantly, popular mobilization. In Venezuela, it was Chávez’s constitution that helped to solidify his alliance with traditionally marginalized sectors of the population.

In Ecuador, traditional political parties and wealthy elites labeled Correa “dictatorial” after the president called for the drafting of a new constitution. In the end however, a large plurality of voters approved the new 2008 constitution that provides for free universal health care, a universal right to water, and prohibition of its privatization and the redistribution of large unused landholdings. Even more dramatically, the constitution declares that Ecuador is a “pacifist state” and outlaws foreign military bases on Ecuadoran soil.

As I explain in my recent book Revolution! South America and the Rise of the New Left (Palgrave, 2008), there’s been a potent alliance as of late between leftist Latin leaders on the one hand and dynamic social movements on the other. In Ecuador, the main indigenous federation supported the new constitution, as did organized labor. Indeed, Correa’s move to draft a new constitution could help to establish tighter links between the president and progressive social forces as per Chávez’s Venezuela.

In the media, the Honduran imbroglio has been depicted as a struggle over presidential power and term limits. But while any new constitution might have extended presidential term limits, such a reform could have also led to new progressive amendments to the law and further radicalization on the ground. In recent years, Honduras has seen the emergence of a vibrant social and political scene including labor, Garifuna (Afro-Honduran people), and Indians. If Zelaya had been successful at pushing through his constitutional reform, he would have been able to mobilize such groups.

What is the connection between U.S. interests and constitutional reform? If you had any doubt about Washington’s true intentions in Honduras consider the following AP Report for July 8 about diplomatic negotiations between the coup regime and ousted president Zelaya: “Clinton would not discuss specifics of the mediation process, which she said would begin soon, but a senior U.S. official said one option being considered would be to forge a compromise under which Zelaya would be allowed to return and serve out his remaining six months in office with limited powers [italics added]. Zelaya, in return, would pledge to drop his aspirations for a constitutional change.”

It’s the State Department then under Hillary Clinton, allied in spirit to figures from the old Bush establishment, which is seeking to cut off constitutional reform in Honduras — reform that could lead to popular mobilization as we’ve seen in Ecuador and Venezuela. Obama meanwhile has condemned the coup but his failure to rein in either Llorens or Clinton suggests that he too believes that Zelaya’s proposal for a constitutional reform is dangerous and needs to be halted.

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Somebody’s taking off the apron and dropping the F bomb on the upcoming “Hell’s Kitchen“. FOX is making use of the tense moment to promote the new season which is premiering for two hours on Tuesday, July 21 at 8/7c.

During deliberation, Chef Gordon Ramsay exchanged arguments with a sous chef named Joseph. Hitting the false note, Joseph got out of the line and threatened to walk out of the competition by confronting the host.

Joseph is a Long Island native who enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. after graduating from high school. While in the Marines he was a Food Service Specialist/Corporal. He is a 27 year-old who resides in Massapequa Park, New York.

This season’s winner will win a position as head chef at Araxi Restaurant in Whistler, British Columbia. He or she will also get an exposure during 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

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The obsession started years ago after a challenge from his wife: Could finance manager Ron Douglas, an avid cook and Kentucky Fried Chicken fan, really crack the code to the best-kept culinary secret in the country? After several attempts, the Long Island, N.Y., man says he may know the 11 herbs and spices in KFC’s recipe — and now he’s sharing the secret with the world.

Douglas, 34, began his quest by searching the Internet for clues to the recipe. He found that there were thousands of people looking for directions to help them duplicate their favorite restaurant meals at home. In answer to their prayers, he started the Web site recipesecrets.net.

Stealth tactics
While the KFC recipe continued to elude him (despite his attempt to snag the information by bribing one of the restaurant’s cooks), Douglas was able to copy recipes from other chains — sometimes through questionable tactics.

“I’d usually go to the restaurant and get takeout so I could try to decode the meals at home,” he said. “Other times, I’d tell the waitress that my wife had severe food allergies and that I needed to know the ingredients in the dish. Sometimes, I’d get a full list right there!”

Douglas’ site quickly became hot, with copycat recipes from such popular restaurants as Applebee’s, IHOP, Macaroni Grill, The Cheesecake Factory and, of course, KFC. After selling 50,000 of his self-published cookbooks, Douglas decided to leave his job at JPMorgan so he could concentrate on the site full time. He even hired two part-time chefs to help him break down recipes.

“I wanted to be able to do what I loved,” said Douglas, who has a daughter, 5, and a son, 2. “But the biggest motivation to quit was that I wanted to be with my daughter to enjoy her childhood. Spending time with my kids is the best part.”

Those 11 herbs and spices
The decision has so far paid off: Douglas scored a deal with Simon & Schuster, which published his “America’s Most Wanted Recipes” earlier this month. The book includes a recipe for KFC’s 11 herbs and spices — which Douglas says he discovered after six attempts.

“The exact recipe has never been released,” Douglas admitted, “but mine comes really, really close. I kept trying, and with the help of the online community, we figured out a recipe that’s so good most people can’t tell the difference.”

But Douglas shouldn’t get cocky, says KFC.

Mark Lennihan / AP file

“Colonel Sanders’ Secret Recipe of 11 herbs and spices is one of the most famous recipes in the world, and the precautions taken to safeguard the identity of the ingredients are second to none,” said Rick Maynard, a KFC spokesman. “Plenty of people have tried to duplicate the recipe over the years, but there is still only one place to get authentic Original Recipe Chicken — at a KFC restaurant.”

Besides the KFC recipe, Douglas says his favorite duplicate dishes include Applebee’s Fiesta Lime Chicken and The Cheesecake Factory’s Oreo Cheesecake.

Douglas says he hasn’t heard from any angry restaurant executives, and he doesn’t expect that he will.

“The recipes are my own — I use the names as a reference point so people know what they’re eating,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I’m not taking away business from these big chains.”

Besides, Douglas adds, he’s just helping people out in these tough times.

“I think the recession has really been good for me,” he said. “People want to eat these delicious meals without spending all the money. The demand is huge, and maybe this will lead to a cooking show. Now the sky’s the limit.”

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Emma Watson has confirmed her choice of university after months of speculation about where the star has enrolled to study.

The Harry Potter actress recently revealed she would be taking time out to study in the United States, prompting a flurry of speculation about her institution of choice.

Now the star has confirmed she will go to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

She says, “I am (going to university in the Fall) – to Brown, which is an Ivy League establishment in the U.S.A. I’ve got a place there to read literature.”

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Bohol is the tenth largest island in the Philippines and located in the Visayas, the group of islands in the center of the Philippines. Bohol has three main attractions: the mahogany forest, the world’s smallest primate, and a geological phenomenon called the Chocolate Hills.

The Chocolate Hills are a mystery, both in legend and in science. Folklore has it that the hills were made when two giants threw stones and fistfuls of sand at each other in a fight. Days later and exhausted, they forgot their feud, became friends and left the island, as well as the mess they made. Geologists debate over several scientific explanations that include theories of coral formations weathered from thousands of years, tidal movement, and the breakdown of upper limestone layers followed by an erosion process resulting in cone-shaped remnants.

Whatever the history, the 1,268 hills in Bohol are amazing to see. Completely uniform in size and shape, they differ only in height. Standing anywhere from 100-150 feet high, the mounds are covered in grass, but during the dry season, they turn brown and transform into seemingly endless rows of the famous Hershey’s kisses.

Viewing the hills is free at the original government owned and operated observation station called the Chocolate Hills Complex. Climb the 214 steps to the top of the viewing deck to be rewarded with a 360-degree panorama of this magnificent landscape and national treasure of the Philippines. If you can time it right, the Chocolate Hills are an especially alluring sight at sunrise and sunset, but will astound you at any time of the day.

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Printing for a Higher Cause

The Our Lady of Spring Bank Abbey near Sparta is now more commonly known as the home of the Laser Monks.

The small brotherhood fell into the printer ink and toner business when they went to purchase printing cartridges for their laser printer.

Since then, business manager Sarah Caniglia says they’ve expanded into “green printing” – carrying soy based inks, which Caniglia says is a sustainable resource. Furthermore the inks don’t contain any petroleum products.

Caniglia admits that all abbeys are self-sustaining, but she says Sparta’s abbey is a bit hipper than most with their toner and ink business.

Learn more about the monk’s goods at http://lasermonks.com

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The longest solar eclipse of the century is less than 24 hours away! According to experts, the total solar eclipse taking place Wednesday, July 22, 2009, will last over 6 1/2 minutes. Total contact time will be almost 3 hours, from approximately 0h30minutes to 3h00m Universal Time (times are approximate and vary according to expert; some have contact starting as late as 0h55m and ending after 4h00m UT).

The eclipse is part of the Saros cycle, which also includes the record-setting July 1991 solar eclipse, and is the second of three eclipses to occur within a month. The other two eclipses were lunar eclipses, one of which took place on July 7, 2009, and the other of which will occur August 6, 2009.

Tomorrow’s solar eclipse will not be visible in North America; it will only be seen in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including India, Butan, Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Japan, and the Marshall Islands. Totality will be visible from many large cities, including Surat, India, and Chongqing and Shanghai, China. It will also be visible from China’s Three Gorges Dam.

The next partial solar eclipse will occur in January 2010, and the next total solar eclipse is estimated for July 2010. The latter may be visible from points along the Pacific coast of South America. The next sun eclipse that will be visible from parts of North America will likely take place in 2011.

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TMZ has confirmed former UFC superstar Kimo Leopoldo is dead. He was 41.

Several MMA websites are reporting Leopoldo died from a heart attack … we’re still trying to confirm that fact.

UPDATE:
TMZ has de-activated the link to this story

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Apple reported on Tuesday third-quarter earnings higher than analysts had expected, but provided its usual conservative guidance.

Revenue came in at $8.34 billion, resulting in earnings of $1.35 per share. That’s a 12 percent increase from a year ago, when Apple reported earnings of $7.46 billion and earnings per share of $1.19.

The numbers for the quarter were even better than what analysts had predicted: They were expecting $1.17 in earnings per share and revenues of $8.2 billion.

Apple also beat most analysts’ expectations of its unit sales in its core businesses for the quarter. The company sold 2.6 million Macs, up 4 percent from a year ago, and 5.2 million iPhones, a 626 percent leap from a year ago. And even though the company’s 10.2 million iPods sold during the quarter was better than expected, it’s also Apple’s first yearly drop in iPod sales, declining 7 percent.

The quarter ended June 27 is the best nonholiday quarter in terms of revenue and earnings for Apple–a bar that had been newly set during the previous quarter. Apple again guided conservatively for the fourth quarter of 2009, saying it expects revenue between $8.7 billion and $8.9 billion on earnings per share between $1.18 to $1.23.

Apple’s earnings equate to more good news for the tech sector: last week had Intel, Dell, and IDC’s survey of the PC market all pointing to signs of recovery. We’ll have more details and will see what Apple executives and analysts have to say on the earnings call at 2 p.m.

Apple shares were up 2.1 percent to $154.69 in after hours trading.

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