Sunday, March 13, 2011
I just can't stop thinking...
Only weeks ago, my wife and I brought a child into this world.. And during the quake and tsunami in Japan, someone there was bringing a child into the world too, at some unnamed hospital and some time.. So unsettling to think of how difficult Japan’s days are now..
As much as I hated the media over-covering Charlie Sheen, I think I miss him being the top story
It would be far better than hearing of death and destruction with waves of tsunami waters destroying land and human life.
I just can’t sleep..
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The world is crying..
Trying to make sense of the senseless..
The images coming from Japan are disturbing beyond belief.. They are frightening..
The Pacific Ocean ring of fire lit up with a vengeance. And along with the massive 8.9, or maybe even 9.1 earthquake in Japan, came the 33 foot tsunami. The images coming from Japan, of people looking like ants, standing next to rapid waters destroying everything in its path, is humbling and scary.
The ocean water slammed quickly into the land and threw cars around as though they were Matchbox toys.
The video is surreal and looks more like scenes from a big budget Hollywood movie than it does reality. But it’s all too real.
And now, along with the scores dead, and thousands missing, and the dramatic and horrific destruction caused by the natural calamity, comes nuclear fears. Fukushima saw an explosion last night—this after hours of desperate attempts to cool down the nuclear reactor that was set to cause radiation leaks. Now with the explosion, the real possibility that a radioactive discharge, not meant to be, already took place.
This weekend now is filled with aftershocks—some as high as a 7.1, and a 6.4 at the site of the nuclear fears. With every shock comes real shock. With every wave comes renewed fears of the tremendous disaster.
Japan has been through some awful natural disasters before. Most continents have been, too. But this time, for some reason, just feels different.
Maybe it’s all that buzz about the end times—and believe me the ‘end times’ have been advertised highly for centuries and times kept going, as I’m sure they will this go around, as well.
Maybe it feels different because the videos.. the photos.. the images of a whirlpool sucking down boats and life.
Maybe it’s the stories of buses and boats filled with people vanishing—seemingly lost in time.
Or maybe it feels different because, this time, it is. This time the massive tsunami potentially killed more than the quake. The prospects of nuclear meltdowns should be cause for the entire planet to be on alert.
But you can only be alert so much before it doesn’t matter anymore. Tectonic plates move, and this time they did violently, and the earth will do what it always has done: Be.
Yes, indeed, it’s humbling to see the incredible destruction.. no matter how smart or powerful humans think they are, they can’t stop nature. Humbling..
And downright chilling to its core..
Unsettling thoughts.. and times
I am no prophet.. I am no believer in ‘end times’ predictions. I do not evangelize anything .. I force no religious or ethical rules on anyone.. I feel that a lot of other people are a lot smarter than I am. But something keeps me from being calm about the state of our current times..
I hope for the best in Japan. I hope few are dead.. few are injured.. the waters recede.. and the nuclear crisis goes away and we all breath a sigh of relief.
But I don’t think it will, at all. Something deep down in my overall being just keeps thinking: This is not over yet.
I prayed this morning, and this afternoon.. and while I don’t conclusively know a God is present to hear the words I said, I have faith and hope that one is.. At least some type of force that keeps us all in check. Some type of entity or being that, in the end, has concern for humanity.
There are moments, like this one, where I think humanity has a ton more challenging days ahead.. More than we want. And more than we need. Japan is in flames and floods, the Ring of Fire is alive with vengeance, and the Middle East is erupting in violence.
But it’s Saturday night.. and we shouldn’t worry about all that. Right?
Not anymore…
Saturday night crisis
State of emergency at 3 reactors at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility ..More..
And while we watch potential nuclear catastrophe..
.. I cannot even fathom what the citizens of Japan are going through today. The nuclear reactor crisis must only be exacerbating the horrendous weekend ..
The danger at Fukushima still difficult to assess..
But I’d argue that recent Japanese officials’ claims of a disaster averted are as premature as saying there has been a disaster.. It’s too early to tell but it’s downright nerve racking watching..
The danger at Fukushima still difficult to assess..
This is a great website for the latest on the crisis in the Pacific
http://english.kyodonews.jp/ (The English version of Kyodo)
This is chilling: A town of 17,000 has 10,000 people missing from it in the wake of the tsunami..
…it was a coastal town…
We can hope for the best but expect.. the worst.
This is chilling: A town of 17,000 has 10,000 people missing from it in the wake of the tsunami..
"No health hazard"
…despite radiation levels being 1,000 times the norm..
Despite workers being treated for radiation exposure..
Despite evacuations of thousands upon thousands of people..
Listen, we get it, governments don’t want an already edgy nation to panic more. But guess what, the edgy people of Japan are intelligent and fully aware that a problem at Fukushima is potentially bad. And much worse than ‘state officials’ are pretending..
"No health hazard"
More than 300,000 people have now been evacuated from homes in northern Japan and that number will rise as the government increases the exclusion zone around the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Kyodo reports
BBC News - LIVE: Japan earthquake (via underthemountainbunker)
This weekend is .. just not going to be good.
A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 just hit Fukushima in northern Japan- the prefecture where the unstable nuclear plant is located.
Enough aftershocks. Enough.
Worst place and time for this aftershock
A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 just hit Fukushima in northern Japan- the prefecture where the unstable nuclear plant is located.
Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis
CNN: Reports from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy estimated the 8.9-magnitude quake shifted the planet on its axis by nearly 4 inches.
Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis
It’s been a long and disastrous day..
Scores of people have been killed by disaster on earth.. Millions around the world, if not billions, watched live coverage on TV, the internet, and radio.. Every medium of information was busy speculating on disaster..
No better time than now for a silent, quiet, and peaceful lullaby..
Bing Crosby “TOO-RA-LOO-RA-LOO-RA”
Be at peace.
Goodnight.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Calling all angels…
You’re needed in Japan.
What to make of a day like this..?
Images of ruin .. photos of destruction .. voices of horror .. moments of devastation. Everything that mattered stopped mattering for a while today, as some monumental and massive development in the history of life took place. An enormous earthquake shook parts of the planet, altered time itself, moved an island, and caused a ocean wide tsunami that left destruction in its path.
And all of that was before sunrise in the land of the rising sun..
Japan has had its share of natural disasters before. But the calamity that hit the nation today turned parts of the country into a graveyard ocean.. The amount of dead could very well be shocking.
Yes.. what to make of a moment where it appears the world is on fire.. What to think of a moment in time where it seems stability is gone..
We’ve been here before as a civilization, and we will be again. But this time, for some reason, just seems a little different. Or perhaps just .. more.. real.
Now that nature did its attack today, it’s time for humanity to try to stop another disaster from happening in Japan: A nuclear meltdown.
Wish humanity luck. It seems to need it as of late.
![](https://coalspeaker3backup.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/tumblr_lhxdemzqwt1qfjo2go1_400.jpg)
Maybe one of the more frightening images from a day of absolutely horrific sites from the Pacific ring of fire.. This is the giant whirlpool that developed, like a scene from a science fiction movie.. This wasn’t a movie, but instead all too real.
Time. Don't let it slip away
NASA: Japan’s quake was so strong it sped up the Earth’s rotation by 1.6 microseconds..
Not trying to doom and gloom up a Friday.. But
Two Russian Kamchatka VOLCANOES ERUPTED almost simultaneously with the strong 8.9 earthquake that hit Japan More here
Not getting better, but worse..
Japan declares states of emergency for five nuclear reactors at two power plants: More..
Islands moved.. The earth sped up.. Boats and lives lost in a whirlpool
Everything the world saw today has been surreal, but real.. Frightening but true.. Seemingly fiction but fact. And ominous days will undoubtedly be coming next..
Radiation spike
Double fear at Japan nuke plant: Japan says radiation levels surged outside the nuclear plant, as the nation expands area subject to evacuation ..
And remember those rumor Coal Speaker reported few hours ago about radiation already leaking out? some officials at Tokyo power are now publicly admitting it may have happened..
And now this
The radiation level in Fukushima Daiichi plant central control unit 1,000 times normal..
It's both challenging and chilling following the disaster on earth today
But I, like the world, is glued to coverage of the madness being caused by mother nature.. Stay tuned for more.. As I’ll be watching and updating with news I find most urgent and important..
Going nuclear in Japan
The latest: Radiation levels are 8 times their normal levels near the main gate of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, according to Kyodo
The ring of fire is on fire
Yet another: Another earthquake hits northern Japan, has preliminary magnitude of 5.8.. Dozens more have been hitting..
Good!
'Not going to be a major damaging event, but there's going to be scattered damage,' says Pacific Tsunami Warning Center about Hawaii
No reports of radioactive leaks..
But the AP is reporting an urgent: Miyagi prefecture nuclear plant fire update: Smoke seen at building separate from reactor; no reports of radioactive leaks, injuries
![](https://coalspeaker3backup.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/tumblr_lhwcbwrtvk1qfjo2go1_500.jpg)
Up to a 33 foot wave slammed Japan.. I can only believe that no image, not even this one, does any justice in showing the horror.. More images from Boston.com
URGENT: Abnormality reported at Fukushima nuclear plant | Kyodo News
The operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant reported an abnormality Friday following a powerful earthquake which hit a wide area in northeastern Japan including Fukushima Prefecture, the industry ministry said.
The system to cool reactor cores in case of emergency stopped at the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors of the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co., it said.
Anyone mind explaining what this means? Is it as horrific as it sounds?
URGENT: Abnormality reported at Fukushima nuclear plant | Kyodo News
UK Sky News reporting...
Tokyo Electric Power Co confirms a “falling trend” in the water levels inside reactors at Fukushima nuclear plant.
To my Hawaiian readers
Find higher ground now.. Don’t panic. Whatever will be will be, and the rest if the world is hoping for you .. And praying for lost lives in Japan after the tremendous natural disaster we will never forget
Smaller after shocks 'in the hundreds' hitting Japan
But about 20 or so large quakes hit after the 8.9
Earthquakes, tsunamis, and nuclear emergencies
The world has not held its breath like this in quite some time
Flogging Molly - Irish Pub Song
Thursday, March 10, 2011
....something more to worry about
Health officials alarmed at cancer rates in our modern age: According to numbers released today, the number of cancer survivors in the United States is increasing by hundreds of thousands a year, and now includes roughly one in 20 adults..
The Hamster Killing
Brooklyn teen charged with killing pet hampster.. Monique Smith, 19, is charged with one felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals for allegedly killing the 4-ounce hamster during a family dispute..
And if convicted, the teen could also face two years in prison..
Perhaps a good punishment, without any flippancy intended, would be for the teen to run in a steel wheel for hours on end, only being supplied water and bread crumbs?
![](https://coalspeaker3backup.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/tumblr_lhvb6o1r6k1qfjo2go1_400.jpg)
The battle for the box office
Box office this weekend: The battle for LA tops? A UFO sighting that inspired the new flick written about..
Aliens take to the box office..
A review: “Immitation”..
Review: The big what if..
This week at the box: BATTLE: LOS ANGELES expected to pound contender MARS NEEDS MOMS.. Because Mars may need moms, but big box office budget busting techniegraphic flicks need disaster, UFO invasions, and a city being destroyed. And this weekend, the box office will get it.
Good evening everyone..
The more things change, the more they stay the same.. A decade ago we were watching Seinfeld on Thursday night while Gadhafi ruled with an iron fist. And now, Seinfeld is gone.. but Gadhafi still rules with an iron fist
Rainy days and Thursdays always get me down..
I actually recall Thursday night TV back in the heyday of NBC sictomland of the late 1990s.. Seinfeld at 9.. (Friends at 8, but I never watched).. and if you cared to take it, ER was still on at 10 before your late local news..
The only constant in life is the late local news after all—fires, floods, ravages of nature, and stabbings. And that’s before weather 15 after and sports before JAY..
Now the new modern age is filled with ‘days of rage’ and gas prices sky high.. When Seinfeld was on, I remember gassing up the car to get to high school for the minor price of $.99 a gallon.. Times change indeed. Hurricane Katrina, OPEC, and lots of Middle Eastern skirmishes later, and the powers that be were able to call it a day on low prices..
Our modern life is filled with union vs non union.. peace vs war..
But the constant still appears to be one person: Moummar Gadhafi — and no one STILL knows how to spell his name..