But on that fateful Friday, when the North American plate slid over the Pacific plate along a subduction zone running 130km (80 miles) off the Pacific coast of northern Japan, the shock leapt from the first segment to a second and on to a third, extending the fault zone some 400km and increasing its intensity more than 30-fold.

ECONOMIST: The myth and reality of the Japanese earthquake

There is no question that one of the 5 most powerful earthquakes on record (which forced the North American tectonic plate eastward by 66 feet), combined with 6-meter tsunami waves, creates a terrifying and formidable obstacle for energy facilities.

FORBES: What's Next For Japan: The Short and Long Term

Mr. JOHN NALAND (President, American Foreign Service Association): The Foreign Service has stepped up to the plate to staff Iraq, and the view is that our senior leadership has not stepped up to the plate to get the Foreign Service the resources we need.

NPR: Mideast Peace Meeting to Shape Rice Legacy

The typical American meal contains, on average, ingredients that traveled over 1, 500 miles from production to plate.

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