The first day of summer is finally here!

Summer officially kicked off on Monday, June 21, 2010, at 7:28 a.m. ET, which means the beginning of the summer solstice and the longest day of the year, at least in the Northern Hemisphere.  According to National Geographic, the summer solstice is a result of the Earth’s north-south axis being tilted 23.5 degrees relative to the sun. The tilt causes different amounts of sunlight to reach different regions of the planet.

On the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere receives more sunlight than on any other day of the year, but that doesn’t mean the first day of summer is also the hottest day of summer.  To learn more about the science behind the summer solstice, click here.

Nine people have died in a major fire that broke out in the Carlton Towers, a high-rise office complex in Bangalore, India. The deaths were caused either by choking in smoke or injuries when someone tried to jump from the seven story building, fire officials said.

Nine, six men and three women, died and around 50 injured in the incident.

The fire broke out on the fifth floor office of an IT firm around 4 p.m., trapping several hundreds in the Carlton Towers, an office building on the busy old Airport Road in Bangalore’s central business district.

Visuals caught on cell phones and televisions showed a woman trying to jump from the seventh floor to the sixth, slipping and falling to the ground. Another showed a man jumping to the ground from the top floor. It is feared they are among the nine dead.

A large number of people were trapped in the building. A user stuck in the building tweeted about the incident:

“Carlton Towers is on fire and six of us are trapped inside the building. The fire’s above but there’s smoke everywhere. Saw people jump to their death. Don’t call me folks. You can’t help. Will keep you posted.”

The blaze suspected to have been triggered by a short circuit, created panic with several inside the building for help and many others breaking the window panes.

A rare magnitude-3.8 earthquake rattled northern Illinois on Wednesday morning.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.8-magnitude quake at 3:59:33 a.m. centered in a farm field on Plank Road in Elgin near Hampshire and 3.1 miles underground.  The location is about 45 miles northwest of the city of Chicago.

USGS geophysicist Amy Vaughan said such quakes are rare in northern Illinois, according to a report by The Associated Press.

Vaughan said residents in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan also reported feeling the quake.

DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said there have been no reports of damage or injuries, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

Anderson Cooper rescues boy in Haiti.  Anderson Cooper, popular CNN journalist, was caught on tape rescuing a boy that was being stoned and beaten by looters.  In the wake of the 7.0 earthquake that shook the city of Port-au-Prince it comes as no surprise that violent outburst occur over a week after the devastation.

People are suffering, hungry, and have lost everything.  Haiti is also a nation where violence occurs even under the best circumstances. 

The Haitian boy rescued by Anderson Cooper was struck with a large piece of concrete when looters tried to grab stolen items from a store.  Anderson Cooper grabbed the young boy, and swept him away to a safe place and handed him over to a local.

Currently, Anderson Cooper doesn’t know the whearabouts of the boy that he rescued.  He hopes that he is doing well, but the fact still remains that the boy is in a very dangerous place.

The death toll in Haiti is about 70,000 with as many as 100,000 feared dead. Relief efforts are underway and there was even a star studded concert last night that benefited the Haitian relief efforts.  If you missed the concert, CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ABOUT DOWNLOADING THE PERFORMANCE ON ITUNES.

A 4.0 magnitude earthquake rattled parts of Oklahoma on Friday morning, according to reports.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the earthquake hit around 9:18 a.m. Friday about 3 miles northeast of Jones, OK. 

No major damage or injuries have been reported.

A 2.8 magnitude quake was also recorded in the area at 11:16 p.m. Sunday and a 3.3 quake was recorded at 4:05 a.m. Thursday, according to reports.

Haiti relief organizations are crucial to earthquake disaster recovery.  There are many relief organizations that are set up to help with the relief efforts after an earthquake ripped through the poor nation of Haiti.  Navigating through the various organizations that have popped up may be daunting for those interested in trying to help. Here’s a guide to some of the relief organizations that have been set up thus far.  This is in no way comprehensive.

Yele.org is Wyclef Jean’s Web site that is devoted to helping Haiti.  There was so much traffic to the Web site that it shut down.  To give to Yele.org, you can log on to their Web site, or you can text “YELE” to 501501 to automatically donate $5 to the fund.  Click here to access the Web site.

Leave it to Google to put all the most important information in one place.  You can click through Google’s crisis response site to donate to UNICEF or CARE.  Furthermore, the site has listed the names of other organizations that are accepting donations for relief.  In addition, the names and phone numbers of various hospitals in the Haitian region are listed.  Click here to access the Web site.

Bill Clinton’s Clinton Foundation is also accepting donations for earthquake relief.  Clinton has warned that the country will have to endure a few more days of sifting through the rubble before they know the true extent of the damage.  His Web site also gives several other links to other sites that are accepting donations.  Access his site here.

Haiti earthquake 2010 news: donations, relief efforts, and more.  The Haitian earthquake which took place on January 12, 2010 has devastated the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.  The damage from the Haiti earthquake is said to be 15% of the nation’s GDP.  Those wishing to make donations or help with relief efforts will have ample opportunities to do so.

heThe earthquake took place right after the country had gotten settled after the 2008 hurricanes.  One religious leader claims that the reason that Haiti suffers so much is because of a so-called “pact with the devil” that they entered in to.

Click here to read about the Haiti earthquake death toll.

Click here to learn how you can use GeoEye to view satellite images of the disaster.

Wyclef Jean, a Haitian native, has harnessed the power of the Internet and is raising money towards relief efforts through a sort Yele.org – people can donate $5 by texting “yele” to 501501 . In just one day, $1 million was raised – which is 100% of the total amount of money raised through texts in 2008.

Relief efforts are coming from all over.  The USNS Comfort is said to be heading out to help with relief efforts.  The state-of-the-art ship is stocked with  medical facilities and professionals who can do everything from brain surgery to delivering babies.

Other donations can be made through various organizations.  Google has an emergency response site set up for your convenience and you can access that site here.

Haiti death toll a continuing concern.  After a 7.0 earthquake ripped through Haiti, the death toll is feared to reach a hundred thousand.  At the time of the quake, there were many inside buildings that were completely leveled.  Hilary Clinton warned that the death toll could reach “tens of thousands”, however the Haitian Prime Minister warned that the final toll could be “well over 100,000”

Click here for details on humanitarian efforts in Haiti.

Bodies will be hard to gather from the wreckage, and many will stay buried for days.  Heavy lifting equipment is in short supply.  In some places, such as the slums of Carrefour, about 90% of the buildings are said to be in ruins.

The quake has been devastating for the area.  Those left homeless will be faced with new challenges once rain comes again.  Those fortunate enough to own markets were ransacked by looters after the quake.

Click here for details on satellite images of the Haiti Earthquake damage.

People don’t know what to do with the bodies that they have found.  They are wrapping them in sheets and cardboard and setting them out, hoping that the government will do something.

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are said to be working hand in hand trying to piece together Haitian relief efforts.

Still yet, the Haiti death toll will not be known for weeks to come.  What’s sad is that there could be people still alive in the wreckage that will eventually die waiting for help.

Geoeye a computerized image of Haitian earthquake devastation.  Geoeye is a computerized tool used with Google Earth that can be used to see the devastation caused by the 7.0 earthquake that ripped through Haiti a couple of days ago.  So far, there are many deaths and many individuals are trying to figure out how to help the Haitians.  Geoeye is the only way that many people will be able to see the devastation – with the exception of photos and images that roll in from the media.

Geoeye is used in connection with Google Earth to provide real-time access to satellite images of the devastation that has ripped through the island.

The Haitian earthquake is the center of a lot of speculation.  Yesterday, one individual said that Haiti has had a bunch of trouble ever since they made a pact with the devil.

Still yet, the world is sympathetic with the island, which is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.  In 2008, hurricanes ripped through the area and the people were just starting to get back to normal when the earthquake hit.

The Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince was damaged, and many government buildings were leveled.  One hospital fell, and many patients and staff members are feared dead in the rubble.

Haiti has asked the US for a Hospital ship.  Many from the military and from humanitarian organizations are flocking to the area to assist.  Those that cannot help are making donations.

Click here to visit Google’s Haitian Earthquake Resources page.