Moderate magnitude 5.6 earthquake in San Francisco Bay Area

Just experienced a moderate intensity earthquake here - I was watching the end of the democratic presidential debate - nothing earth shaking there - so I was kinda surprised when the earth literally started shaking :-)

I think this was the biggest shaker that I've felt here in the Bay area - during my 8 years here. But really, out here in Fremont, it was mostly exciting than frightening. I guess small shakers like this might actually do some good - in that they remind us to be prepared for the big one. I guess emergency kits will be flying off the shelves at various Bay Area stores in the coming days.

Did we do that?

Tom Friedman is at it again - posing a question that's nagging us all - Did we do that? Did human activity result in climatic changes? Enough to explain the recent events - like Hurricane Katrina, California Wildfires, and Friedman playing golf in Washington DC in October when the temperature is a basking 70 F?

There is another question that is also brewing in our heads at this very moment - Are we losing our economic and thought leadership in the world? Seems like since 2001 USA only makes it into news worldwide for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't always like this - we used to make it into news for all the right reasons - the best economy, the most effective democracy, the first man on the moon, Internet, the WWW, the first computer, the first cellular phone system. Now a days, those type of headlines come from outside of US - the first mag-lev train - built by Germans for Chinese, the tallest building - being built somewhere in the middle-east with money generously donated by US citizens paying record high gas prices.

Now, I don't want to sound gloomy and I know the situation is not really like that. But like in everything else, perception is reality! What we need right now is some highly optimistic leaders - with qualities last demonstrated by Kennedy and Reagan. We want to be "that shiny city on the hill" that everyone looks up to.

I hope the candidates we end up with after the primaries from both parties are representative of that optimistic spirit. Got any names in mind - do leave a comment.

Brand new ghosttowns - fallout of the downturn in house prices

Once the buyers bid on the houses - 10% over the listing price - in a not so distant past - do you remember the time? Well, they are bidding again - starting at half off list price!

Be worried, be very worried - this one's a hundred miles away from Bay Area - but I won't be surprised if this starts hitting closer to home in the coming months. Specially since any economic recovery isn't likely to happen till a new administration takes charge in 2009 - and then it won't happen overnight.

Click here for the story from Mercury News.