JAPAN : Tsunami and Earthquake

JAPAN : Tsunami and Earthquake
   
A week after Japan was beaten by the powerful earthquake that has beaten the island's history and sparking tsunami - and even as the earth continued with mirrors contraction - enormous impact of the disaster was just beginning to be revealed.

Rescue efforts began with the first light as military helicopters plucked survivors from rooftops and taken to a safe place.

The quake of 8.9 magnitude which had its epicenter near the east coast of Japan, killed hundreds of people, caused the formation of 30-foot walls of water that devastated the rice fields, surrounded entire villages, houses dragging roads, cars and boats around and around like toys. Waves reached some six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on the east coast of Japan.

"The earth shook with such ferocity," said Andy Clark, who said he had become accustomed to earthquakes during his 20 years in Japan, but have never experienced what he felt Friday at the airport outside Tokyo. "I thought things were coming to an end ... it was just terrible."
Buildings shook and collapsed launched by the score, and lit many fires.

Hundreds of people were missing, Japanese media reported, quoting local police and national levels. Tens of thousands were displaced, according to Kyodo News agency of Japan.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan, said the "enormous power" earthquake had caused "enormous damage over a wide area."

The quake, occurred at 14:46 (12:46 am ET), led to the U.S. National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings to at least 50 countries and territories.
The epicenter of Friday's main quake was located off Miyagi prefecture, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Also in Miyagi, officials reported that the train had derailed and the authorities had lost contact with four trains in coastal areas, Kyodo said, citing the East Japan Railway Company.
Six million households, over 10% of the total in Japan, were without power, said Japanese Ambassador to the United States, Ichiro Fujisaki.

In Tokyo, train service was suspended road at night, high were closed early Saturday and the streets of the area remained jammed as commuters - thousands of whom had spent the night in shelters - tried to get to their homes in outlying areas.

Lady Gaga lords over catwalk in fashion debut - 030211

PARIS - If the singing thing does not work, Lady Gaga can always resort to modeling.

The shock-pop sensation has shown that things to do in the cruel world of fashion with their debut on the catwalk, high-impact Mugler Wednesday to fall-winter 2011-12 show ready to use.
Wearing a sheer black top and painted on the pencil skirt, Gaga was based on the wealth of experience with the shoe ends and managed to negotiate the towering platform shoes better than some of the models.

Legions of fans besieged the place of the series, a gym in a working class neighborhood in eastern Paris, in the hope of a glimpse of the singer. It was evident that many industry experts also made the trip in the backwater of the exclusive fashion Gaga - who had announced he would be walking in the show on his Twitter account yesterday.

And did not disappoint. Breakdown in the middle of the show with a huge contingent of bodyguards, stepped on stage Gaga - ahem, the catwalk - and openly struck poses in front of the pack even more formidable photographers. She puffed on a cigarette, clouds of smoke blowing into them and then turns off: beating, grinding and bolster his way backstage, only to emerge in an entirely white hat topped by a screen.

It was a successful performance, er, show. Gaga actually seemed more comfortable than many of the models, who were struggling to embrace the role of bad girl who had been told to play. His roar of the tiger in the cameras snapped, his drafts were forced - and Gaga stood out as the performer of category it is.
Slideshow: Fashion gone Gaga (this page)

The clothes themselves were not much better than the models. Sebastien peignoir was like, who designed the collection under Gaga stylist and new creative director Mugler, Nicola Formichetti, was giving his starting point the "How to" manual for a label with the hope of generating buzz.

Painted vinyl pants? Cheque.
Latex skirt High-waist blouse paired with a pure and nothing underneath? Cheque.
Bodys Leopard print? Cheque.
Nothing revolutionary, or even slightly surprising, really.

Some parts channeled the spirit of the founder of Thierry Mugler, as tubedresses second skin that is used more than it looked plastic dinosaur vertebrae shoulder and wrist, in a nod to the ways Mugler brand, despite lacking imposing its volume.

Still, the first women Formichetti show prêt-à-porter, no doubt, hit the target - to drum up publicity for a brand that has failed retirement years Mugler.

It was certainly a more skillful use of the explosive power of celebrity better than previous attempts by the world of fashion - particularly the disastrous hiring of Lindsay Lohan Emanuel Ungaro as artistic adviser. Formichetti, the man who put on a dress Gaga meat and dressed her like a human latex condom sheathed missed arguably more intelligent than Lohan, whose claim to fame was his fashion line of leggings.

Appointed last year showed Formichetti Mugler's first collection of menswear collections in Paris in January. Reviews were mixed.

Power Rankings 030211: Who's No. 1 now?

Well, here we are with the final classification of power before the trade deadline. My travel plan Pierre Lebrun has unrestricted access to the classification the past two weeks, so obviously much work to do in getting things straightened around. Let's start.

During the season, these classifications - that appear on Mondays in agreement with the NHL power rankings - are based on the production of a player in terms of valuation metrics GVT Hockey Prospectus. If you are unfamiliar with GVT and how it works, you can find more information here.

Previously, this list is in the top 10 players in general. Now, it's top 10 skaters and the top five goalkeepers. We believe this change will improve the processing of information for fans, especially as the gatekeepers and the skaters are very different things in an NHL game.

How did the balance of power in hockey?

In the East, the Lightning went 3-0 last week, while the Bruins extended their winning streak to five games, resulting in both teams gaining ground on first-place Flyers. In the West, the Sharks extended their winning streak to league-best six games, but there are nine points behind conference Canucks.