submitter

your unimaginative cliched headline is pathetic

/just aboot, anyway

Remember, everything that slides south of the 49th parallel is ours.

On a positive note, if a giant earthquake DOES hit B.C. during the next week, then earthquake predictions will have taken a giant leap forward.

/sorry about all the collateral damage tho

In any event, B.C. is on notice. If anyone wants to bother with the The Stephen Colbert "On Notice Board" Generator, be my guest...

Will someone please think of the bud?

Phil Herup

OH! I do!

You know what this means, right? The US will finally get a Tim Horton's.

Clearly this is God's punishment for Canada's.... um poor treatment of... things.... and stuff

What does Canada do? I mean what do they do up there? Have they done anything offensive in the last 100 years?

/will feel like a total farkwad if quake actually hits

WalMartian:

You know what this means, right? The US will finally get a Tim Horton's

We already have specially made "Roll Up The Rim To Win" cups made especially for the States.

WalMartian

You know what this means, right? The US will finally get a Tim Horton's.

Can some Canadian Farker please tell me when the Midwestern United states will be able to get Timbits?...

FTA:VANCOUVER - Scientists have alerted British Columbia's emergency-planning department to the possibility of a catastrophic earthquake striking the province's southwest coast next week.

AND: As a result of this find, scientists will urge some affected municipalities to toughen their building codes, Dr. Rogers said.

Eh? Methinks it's a little late to be talking about building codes there.

If it hits B.C., isn't it a timequake? Will it affect the future?

Will it rain donuts?

Mmmmmmm. Donuts.

FTA: "Everyone drives their car every day, and the probability of getting in a car accident is small," Dr. Rogers said. But during rush hour, the probability of getting into an accident is much higher. "Well, Vancouver Island is now driving in rush hour."

Let's say this Twinkie represents the usual chance of Vancouver experiencing an earthquake. Based on this morning's reading, it would be a Twinkie thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds.

Looks like the warning is already over. That was pleasantly anti-climactic.

Tim Hortons are all over Michigan. They've been here for awhile.

The asian drivers there make me panic.

/Asian driver

Roll up teh rim to win...??? OOOH!

vsavatar: Tim Hortons are all over Michigan. They've been here for awhile.

They're owned by some American zaibatsu now, aren't they? Same company that owns Hardees and some other chain, I thought.

Regardless, good coffee.

Just FYI, a megathrust earthquake off Vancouver island would also most likely devastate the Seattle area as well and depending on where it hit possibly the West coast of the US as far South as Oregon and Alaska too.

Wendy's owns Tim Horton's. There's 1 Tim Horton's in my city already and 3 more planned. I believe they have quite a presence here in Maine.

And another happy thought. I live by the Grand Coulee Dam, 323 Miles from Vancouver (I am bored so I looked it up, thank you Mapquest). Does any Farker here know if a large earthquake could do that much damage to the dam? We could have severe flooding through the entire Columbia Basin right after a giant earthquake. My wife told me about a study she read that listed the dams on the Columbia and the probable damage if they were destroyed. Most of the dams said something like "Flooding for 25 miles until the next dam, the towns of X, Y, and Z could be damaged." Although if the Grand Coulee Dam went, it basically said "If you live near the Columbia river, in Central or SW Washington, or NE Oregon (including about half of Portland), kiss your ass goodbye (though in more technical terms describing flooding, economic impact as all of the agriculture, and all of the industry/commerce of the Portland Metro Area, is wiped out.)"

vsavatar: They're owned by some American zaibatsu now, aren't they? Same company that owns Hardees and some other chain, I thought.

Owned by Wendy's chain.

There's a few in Buffalo, I see the odd one when I cross over. Other than those, just AWFUL AMERICAN COFFEE the further south you go!

Kepora_Gebora
Looks like the warning is already over. That was pleasantly anti-climactic.

Does this mean that I can stop worrying now?

/Back to your regularly scheduled Tim Horton's thread.

Ah, well, there ya go. Apparently the Timbits migration south has already begun. How soon will they roll downhill to Kansas?

/owned by Wendy's?
//will be renamed Wenbits
///and sued by GatesOsoft

Well most Canadians should be safe considering they are either in Florida or Mexico now.

1: The farthest Timmy's I've seen down south is in Erie, PA... the real question about these Americano 'Timmy's' is whether or not they brief the employees about what a 'double double' is..... because that's vital.

2: I was raised in Brentwood Bay, BC and am worried for my apathetic-to-earthquake parents!

/now lives in Southern Ontario
//no natural disasters in sight

hibrouface,
/now lives in Southern Ontario
//no natural disasters in sight

Not true! You could be sucked into Niagara Falls and flushed like last yesterday's burrito!

The recent tremors mean that even more stress is building between the two, which scientists believe will one day rupture into a major earthquake the size of the one off the coast of Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2004, which killed thousands
I would like to see their reasoning behind such a bold claim. The Sumatra EQ was the strongest in 40 years, so they should be careful about using hyperbole.

Johnny Hart unavailable for comment?

Part of me is genuinely curious how this would feel. I grew up out there (also living in Southern Ontario now) and though we had lots of earthquakes, I only ever felt one. It was very cool.

On the other hand, you know, everyone I know lives in Van. That's not so good.

And for the Tim's fans out there, there actually aren't that many Tim's in Vancouver. Try Starbucks.

Just FYI, a megathrust earthquake off Vancouver island would also most likely devastate the Seattle area as well and depending on where it hit possibly the West coast of the US as far South as Oregon and Alaska too.

I hate Seattle. Too bad about Portland though. :(

Family has a holiday condo in The Qube. I'm gonna say that's a bad place to be.

Why do people still listen when experts predict earthquakes? They have predicted big quakes along the New Madrid fault for years and every single time they have been wrong. We haven't had a quake over 5.0 in decades.

Resident of Vancouver here. I'd just like to say, meh. If it happens, it happens.
/Meh

God was disappointed with Vista. He's after Gates....

People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes.

Now that I've established that fact, I'll say I lived this before. Around 1990 I was at the University of Missouri and a professor at another midwest school predicted the New Madrid faultline was going to go and cause a massive quake. They made annoucements, we put up earthquake emergency lpansin all the room at school. It made the news everyday and NOTHING happened. No one has ever predicted anything better than that an area has a good chance to quake over a 20-50 year period. If there is a fault zone, someday a quake will occur, that's the best they can do.

Jabber: Why do people still listen when experts predict earthquakes? They have predicted big quakes along the New Madrid fault for years and every single time they have been wrong. We haven't had a quake over 5.0 in decades.

Hmmm, could it have something to do with funding? The scientists release a worse case statement or warning to get attention, the media plays along, and panic ensues. The increased attention increases the chances of more funding, rinse, repeat. The problem is people get fed up with hearing how bad things are going to be, and become apathetic. Unfortunately, when a real warning comes, people don't listen. This is happening in a big way with global warming. We have a serious problem, but their's so much junk science mixed in with the good (on both sides), that people start to ignore the issue all together.

Phil Moskowitz Family has a holiday condo in The Qube. I'm gonna say that's a bad place to be.

I was throroughly disconcerted when I walked by that building back on my first visit to Vancouver in '86. I couldn't see how that thing was structurally sound. I thought the architects had been trying the Galiano Island bud the week they came up with that design.

I have since learned it's actually pretty secure. It was actually designed with an earthquake in mind. The floors are suspended from the top of the central concrete tower. In an earthquake, the central pillar will sway a little, but the floors, being suspended will actually be perfectly stable- as if they're on a giant shock absorber. Aside from some cosmetic damage on the inside, where the floors meet the pillar, the place will be just fine.

The disconcerting appearance is purely psychological, it's actually one of the safer places to be in an earthquake.

Still, it does freak me out every time I am there in person.

FTFA: Things have quietened down very quickly.

Can someone translate the Canadian, please?

Detroit_Bob: American zaibatsu

Pretty funny. But I'm reading "American Shogun" about MacArthur-Hirohito and the post-war period.

Namuozzim: People CANNOT predict earthquakes.

Now that I've established that fact, I'll say I lived this before. Around 1990 I was at the University of Missouri and a professor at another midwest school predicted the New Madrid faultline was going to go and cause a massive quake. They made annoucements, we put up earthquake emergency lpansin all the room at school. It made the news everyday and NOTHING happened. No one has ever predicted anything better than that an area has a good chance to quake over a 20-50 year period. If there is a fault zone, someday a quake will occur, that's the best they can do.

And yet sometimes, once in a blue moon, scientific research makes it possible to improve our ability to predict events. I'm not saying they have, but in the 17 years between your example of a false prediction and today, there's a chance that some scientific advances have been made...

Horton...

On the fifteenth of May, in the jungle of Nool,
In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool,
He was splashing...

wait.... what?

Kepora_Gebora: Looks like the warning is already over. That was pleasantly anti-climactic.

Maybe it just got stuck? Or it's just waiting for people to let their guard down before, BLAM! WHAMMO!! Big one hits!! Calm before the storm kind of thing?

/probably not...

Why do people still listen when experts predict earthquakes? They have predicted big quakes along the New Madrid fault for years and every single time they have been wrong. We haven't had a quake over 5.0 in decades.

Maybe we're due. Maybe those thousands around the planet that get paid to stare at all the activity and data day in and day out are going to nail it sooner or later.

Ikahoshi

Yeah exactly. They just make sure they damp the resonance and give everything the room to wiggle and not fail. It challenges you visually though. I have to head out there soon for a drink up in the couv.

I lived in Van for 4 years, felt 2 quakes in that time...
With the first one, I thought it was just me and I was too stoned... til all my neighbours were coming out in the hall wondering the same thing...

/glad to be living away from that area now... just in case.

c'mon, folks. unless they've changed the conversion rate to include EQs too (and even then they'd be smaller ;) this is silly.

i'll be really interested to see what happens, if i can stay awake for it. because 'down here' microquakes simply are considered to be pressure-relievers.

if you get a few 3.x-4.x, that could indicate a larger one w/in 90 days (reference loma prieta, california, 1989).

anyway, there better not be one. my daughter is visiting near vancouver for the next week. that'd be pretty funny if she left CA for a canadian EQ (She was 3 for loma prieta, doesn't remember it).

Namuozzim

People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes. People CANNOT predict earthquakes.

No, but we can make educated guesses based on the scientific data we've accumulated. It's much like meteorology. An "expert" in the weather will look at the situation and make a guess on what will happen. Sometimes he's right and sometimes, like the meteorologists in Dallas on Thursday, he's horribly wrong. What's important is that the attempt was made. Maybe the tremors they noted were a precursor to something larger, or maybe not.

Earthquakes aren't something that just happen at random, nor are they an act of an angry god. They're an observable scientific phenomenon which can be watched and "predicted" based on data accumulated over years of study. The predictions might be right, they might be wrong, but at least they're trying.

what the hell are you biatches babbling about? What the fark is Tim Hortons, and why are the advertising something about rimshots? Does the Qube have a glass bottom? Don't you guys get the "Rush Hour" analogy (toronto is Jackie Chan)?

/canadians are eh-holes