Daily Archives: April 19, 2017

By David Jacobson, Temblor

See earthquakes in the Caribbean

At 1:23 a.m. local time, a M=5.6 earthquake shook the eastern rim of the Caribbean near Antigua and Barbuda. Several aftershocks were also recorded, including a M=4.8 approximately one hour after the mainshock. Fortunately, this region is sparsely populated, and according to the USGS, no greater than light shaking was felt. Having said that, over 100,000 people were exposed to shaking and 42 people reported feeling the quake on the USGS website.

In the area around todays quake, which is known as the Lesser Antilles, much of the seismicity is the result of subduction of the North American plate beneath the Caribbean plate at a rate of approximately 20 mm/yr. This subduction has not only caused earthquakes within the subducting plate, but helped form a chain of active volcanoes. According to the USGS, todays earthquake occurred at a depth at 20 km, while the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre assigned it a depth of 40 km.

Even though the Lesser Antilles is one of the most seismically active portions of the Caribbean, over the last century, few earthquakes have exceeded M=7.0. Having said that, on November 29, 2007, a M=7.4 quake shook the region, and in 1974, a M=7.5 quake caused significant damage in Antigua and Barbuda. Therefore, the region can experience damaging earthquakes.

Based on the Global Earthquake Activity Rate (GEAR) model, which is available in Temblor, this M=5.6 earthquake should not be considered surprising. The model, which uses global strain rates and seismicity since 1977 forecasts that a M=5.75 earthquake is likely in your lifetime. To check what the likely earthquake magnitude is in your lifetime anywhere on earth, click here. Should any more aftershocks occur or should there be new developments, we will update this post.

References USGS European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre National Office of Disaster Services

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M=5.6 earthquake shakes Caribbean | Temblor.net - temblor

Forgive us if the opening of a restaurant called Pirata inspires a moment of musing about our beloved, underachieving Pittsburgh Pirates. The demands of synergy would seem to dictate that Pirata would, at the very least, have its crows nest on the North Shore, but instead it is located in a shiny new skyscraper just outside of Market Square. And while the piratical decor is overt, with treasure-map murals and thatched-roofed gestures toward island architecture, it managed to just sidestep the realm of kitsch.

The front room is dominated by a big, four-sided bar (where, yes, the ballgame was on), but the back dining room, designed to be closed off for private events, was cozier and more intimate, with warm lighting and upholstered chairs. We picked out a corner spot at the bar, the better to let the tender guide us through the extensive rum menu. Reviewing cocktails is outside our lane, so well just say that Pirata offers a starkly different selection from the whiskey bars that dominate the citys cocktail scene these days.

The food, on the other hand, was right up our alley. Spanning from Cuba to South America, with plenty of island stops along the way, this was a thoroughly modern selection that didnt take any of its inspirations too literally. Or perhaps it did; our wallet doesnt cover a sojourn to St. Barts to compare tuna tartare on a taco shell made from a crisp-fried slice of taro. Authentic or not, this was a brilliant combination, creating a delicate, but not bland, envelope for luscious tuna, while avocado built further richness and jalapeo brought suitable heat.

There were five additional tacos served on corn tortillas: two Mexican, two Jamaican and one original with pork belly and smoked sweet-potato puree. We chose arrachera, marinated skirt steak with grilled sweet onions and a sun-dried-tomato chimichurri. It was a lot of flavor in a small package: The meat was chewy but not tough; the chimi intense; and the onion provided a bit of sweetness and, if not brightness, then contrast.

Trinidad salt-cod fritters were a bit too salty for our tastes, but our more salt-friendly dining companion scarfed them down. We all enjoyed the meaty texture, more substantial than fresh fish but not chewy or tough. We also believe you cant go wrong with cilantro-garlic-cream sauce, and Pirata didnt.

The kitchen did take a wrong turn with a side of tostones, double-fried green plantains with mojo de ajo, a slow-cooked garlic and oil sauce. The sauce was flavorful, but where great tostones pair a semi-firm, vegetal interior with a crispy exterior roughed up from smashing, these large, flat disks were tough inside, despite being thin, and had very little crunch.

On the other hand, black bean soup with sofrito salsa and sour cream was superb: supple, savory, and deeply aromatic with sauted onions, garlic and seasonings.

Depending where you go in Latin America, the empanadas vary widely, from crunchy dumplings akin to deep-fried pierogi to flaky, turnover-like pastries. Piratas were somewhere in between, with a wrapper that was a bit breadier than pie dough. It was certainly different from what typically surrounds Jamaican beef patty, which was the filling we tried. The beef was distinctly less fiery than typical Jamaican as well, but also had a better texture, crumbly and meaty, not smooth and pasty.

After all this, there was still more to explore, including half-a-dozen enticing entrees. Barbados fish fry, made with the fish of the day and served with fries and slaw, won out. That sounds like a church-basement menu, but not at any of the churches around here. The fish, a thick slab of red snapper in a dark, crunchy crust that we swore had hints of coconut, was superb flaky and moist and more than substantial enough not to be overshadowed by that crust. Fries were simple shoestrings that ranged from crisp to slightly tender; they were delicious dipped in papaya-ginger tartar sauce that offered more zip than most fries-friendly condiments. The island slaw also stood out with cabbage, peppers, carrots, mango, seeds and berries. It was lightly dressed so that these myriad flavors and texture mingled to the fore, just held together by the hints of citrus.

Piratas pan-Caribbean concept might not be unique, but the recipes were impressively confident and the execution excellent, especially for such a new kitchen.

Link:

New Downtown restaurant Pirata offers a pan-Caribbean fare - PGH City Paper

News & Observer

Caribbean flavors, heritage shine in Raleigh cookbook author's debut recipe collection News & Observer Cookbook author Brigid Washington's philosophy about food is described in two words: availability and authenticity. Those words stood out in Washington's mind as she created the recipes in her debut cookbook, Coconut. Ginger. Shrimp. Rum.: Caribbean ...

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Caribbean flavors, heritage shine in Raleigh cookbook author's debut recipe collection - News & Observer

Astronaut Gordon Cooper was a born explorer. He broke countless NASA space flight records, like the longest single-man space flight, a 122-hour mission. But one of his greatest achievements may not have been unveiled if it wasnt for his willingness to share a secret he had kept for more than 40 years.

During his time in space, Cooper made an incredible discovery anomalies he believed were shipwrecks. He meticulously noted them and created what some are calling a treasure map from space.

When Cooper fell sick with Parkinsons, his longtime friend Darrell Miklos says he gave him his maps to fulfill his explorations. Cooper passed away in 2004.

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I think he knew his demise was coming, so he gave me the information prior to his death and said, Anything ever happens to me, you make sure you finish this, Miklos told Fox News.

Miklos became close with Cooper after years of sharing an office space in California, when they bonded over a shared passion for exploration.

From the mid-90s till his passing, we always talked about treasure, but [it was] not till 2002 that he revealed to me that he had all these files for decades, Miklos said. Im privileged to be the only man with these files.

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Now, Miklos stars in the new Discovery Channel docuseries "Cooper's Treasure."The show follows Miklos as he decodes and follows Coopers maps in hopes of uncovering hundred-year-old shipwreck material and treasure.

The maps were created while Cooper was navigating the globe on his Mercury 9 Faith 7 flight. At the time, he was possibly on a mission to look for nuclear threats during the Cold War era, Miklos said.

They were utilizing some kind of long-range detection equipment to look for nuclear threats. With that, his acute vision [and] possible cameras, he started identifying things that looked like shipwreck material, Miklos said. Once he had written all the coordinates down, he went back to earth and put together this incredible treasure map from space on a sea chart.

JACK THE RIPPER MYSTERY: RESEARCHERS HIT ROADBLOCK

With a detailed map and archival research files, Miklos and a crew of professionals explored parts of the Caribbean searching for the wrecks. The team used a magnetometer to identify shipwreck areas and then dived down for a closer inspection using a metal detector.

We cherry-picked five anomaly readings, did a search and identify mission, and we are five for five for positively identified shipwrecked material and there are hundreds, Miklos said. So the first five, he was exactly right on the money. He had it right from the beginning.

Miklos described the sites as historical shipwrecks of the colonial period.

FOR THE LATEST TECH FEATURES FOLLOW FOX NEWS TECH ON FACEBOOK

"Coopers Treasure" airs on the Discovery Channel on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET.

Additional reporting by James Rogers.

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NASA astronaut's space treasure map sparks hunt for Caribbean wrecks - Fox News

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This week is a big one for Rondell Donaldson and Renee Campbell: Their dream came true.

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Rondell Donaldson and Renee Campbell created the food truck "Caribbean Soul". They serve food that blends the tropical flavors of the Caribbean with the spicy flavors of the South. STAFF VIDEO BY BOB BIELK STAFF VIDEO BY BOB BIELK

Rondell Donaldson and his fiancee, Renee Campbell, are the owners of Caribbean Soul. The couple opened their first restaurant at 233 Chambers Bridge Road in Brick this week.(Photo: FILE PHOTO)Buy Photo

This week is a big one for Rondell Donaldson and Renee Campbell.

The Brick couple own Caribbean Soul, a food truck that has called Lakewood and Asbury Park home for the past year. But on Monday, they opened a restaurant of the same name at 233 Chambers Bridge Road in Brick.

The restaurant will serve dishes that take inspiration from Campbells Jamaican roots and Donaldsons history with Southern soul food. Their menu includes oxtails, smoked jerk chicken, fried whiting, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, rice and gravy, sweet potato fries, banana bread pudding, and Donaldsons signature Bang Bang wings, which are sweet-and-spicy lollipop-style chicken wings that get their heat from a long marinade in jerk seasoning and their sweetness from a secret glaze thats added after they are fried.

For more information, visit Caribbean Soul LLC on Facebook or call 732-300-6156.

MORE:Caribbean Soul food truck serves sweet with the heat

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Caribbean Soul restaurant opens in Brick - Asbury Park Press