The surface of the Earth is divided into pieces called "tectonic plates." These plates move. When the plates rub against each other, they do not move smoothly. When the plates do not move smoothly, earthquakes result. Some parts of the world get more earthquakes than other parts. The parts of the earth that get most earthquakes are near the edges of these plates.

Jimmy’s pizzeria is my favorite pizza place in the city, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that just by looking at the outside. It is an inconspicuous brown brick building. It doesn’t even have a sign, just the name of the establishment in three-inch letters on the storefront window. The inside isn’t much to speak of either. There are some chrome swivel stools along a laminate counter-top that makes an L shape, separating the register and kitchen area from the dining area. Booth seating lines the eating area of the restaurant area and a few favorable reviews from local publications are framed and displayed on the walls. Yeah, the aesthetics of the place are a little underwhelming, but forget the scenery. I go to Jimmy’s for the pizza.

Some countries, such as Japan, or parts of a country, like California in the United States, have a lot of earthquakes. In these places it is a good practice to build houses and other buildings so they will not collapse when there is an earthquake. This is called seismic design or "earthquake-proofing."

Many people are confused about why our economy went to shambles in 2008. The crisis was actually the result of a combination of many complex factors. First, easy credit conditions allowed people who were high-risk or unworthy of credit to borrow, and even people who had no income were eligible for large loans. Second, banks would bundle these toxic loans and sell them as packages on the financial market. Third, large insurance firms backed these packages, misrepresenting these high-risk loans as safe investments. Fourth, because of the ease of acquiring credit and the rapid growth in the housing market, people were buying two or three houses, intending to sell them for more than they paid. All of these factors created bubbles of speculation. These bubbles burst, sending the whole market into a downward spiral, causing employers to lose capital and lay off employees. Consumer spending then plummeted and most businesses suffered. The economy is like a big boat, and once it gets moving quickly in the wrong direction, it’s hard to turn it around.

You’d think that making a frozen pizza would be as easy as rolling out some dough, dropping some ingredients on it, and freezing it, but it’s actually a lot more complicated than that. Some of the challenges in creating a good frozen pizza include the sauce combining with the dough and the crust becoming rigid after it is frozen and reheated. To prevent the sauce from combining with the crust, you can use a layer of modified cornstarch as a moisture barrier between the sauce and the crust. This will prevent the crust from absorbing the sauce. Additionally, partially baking the dough and other ingredients will keep the dough from becoming too rigid after it is frozen and reheated. On second thought, you’re probably better off not trying this at home.

Fire needs three things to burn: oxygen, fuel, and heat. Fuels can be wood, tinder, coal, or any other substance that will easily oxidize. Therefore, a fire can be stopped in three different ways, by removing any of the three things it needs to burn.

-The fuels can be removed. If a fire burns through all of its fuel and extra nearby fuel is removed, the fire will stop burning.

-The oxygen can be removed. This is called "smothering" a fire. Fires cannot burn in a vacuum or if they are covered in carbon dioxide.

-The heat can be removed. The most common way to remove heat is to use water to absorb that heat, putting the fire out.