By now you’ve heard that Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, was hit by a magnitude-7 earthquake on Tuesday. The Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country was still struggling to recover from the 2008 catastrophic storms when disaster unexpectedly struck again.

Many schools, hospitals and other buildings collapsed and now fires are spreading quickly with no water to contain the flames. The numerous deaths and destruction have only contributed more suffering to an already impoverished nation. Haiti needs immediate aid and will continue to need aid to rebuild.

The support of the online community has been overwhelming between people using Twitter and  Facebook to share information on ways to help and ways to donate and the U.S. Department of State’s use of their blog and Twitter to provide updates and attempt to reunite families.  Organizations like the Red Cross and musician Wyclef Jean’s nonprofit Yele acted quickly by accepting donations through cell phone text messages.  Rescue teams from the D.C. metro area,  in particular Fairfax County,VA and Prince George’s County, MD, united with other organizations from across the country to support our brothers and sisters in Haiti during this time of need.

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Mother Nature Network created a beautiful slideshow of America’s national parks. The amazing natural beauty and impressive preservation is an asset most communities would love to have. As America’s economy continues to struggle, attracting tourism could be as simple as touting nature’s artwork.

The list includes:

• Yellowstone National Park
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• Everglades National Park
• Grand Canyon National Park
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• Mammoth Cave National Park
• Mesa Verde National Park
• Olympic National Park
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Yosemite National Park
• Glacier Bay National Park
• Redwood National Park
• Crater Lake National Park
• Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
• Congaree National Park

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) posted some food safety new years resolutions to its blog.

“It’s that time of year again, when we all make promises to ‘do better’ or ‘do more’ in the new year,” posted USDA’s Steve Hou.

The post stressed one of the most important resolutions for you and your family is to improve food safety in your home and workplace.

Here are just a few food safety resolutions for 2010:

• Buy a food thermometer. You’ve been told to do it. You’ve thought about it. This year, do it. Using a food thermometer is the only way to know if meat, poultry and fish are cooked to a safe temperature. You can’t tell just by looking at the color.

• Use appliance thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer. The temperature in the refrigerator should be below 40 degrees F; the freezer should be 0 degrees F or below.  These settings ensure food stays out of the “Danger Zone” where bacteria multiply.

• Do not leave pizza sitting out for longer than two hours. Foods that sit out for more than two hours at room temperature–or 1 hour if the room or outdoor temperature is over 90 degrees F–can support bacteria growth.

• When in doubt, throw it out. If you’re not sure if your food has been sitting out too long, throw it away.  Remember, your health is worth more than the cost of any food you try to save.

• Keep your hands clean. This cannot be stressed enough. Clean hands prevent the transfer of bacteria to other surfaces or food items and prevent the spread of germs. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water before and after preparing food, using the bathroom, changing diapers and touching pets.

• Toss leftovers and take-out or ready-to-eat foods that have been sitting in your refrigerator for four days or longer.

• Don’t get rid of old leftovers or take-out food by feeding it to your pets! Pets can get foodborne illness just as we can. If you shouldn’t eat it, then your pet shouldn’t eat it either.