I am Karan from Olympia, WA.
Almost every other name used here is a pseodonym pseudonim pseudonymn alias.
The rest of it is true - mostly - and all of it is my own.
Don't even think about taking any of it, unless of course, you want to pay me.
Random Wisdom: The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it - Henry David Thoreau
The counter says that 2647737 have been flummelized, but I personally think it's all a big lie.
A week and a half ago, I threw a fish in the river.
OK...so I already mentioned that I get notifications from the USGS of earthquake activity. Actually, I get notices of any 5.0 or greater earthquake that happens anywhere on earth. I get at least 4 announcements a day. My brain is compiling a list of places I do not want to live...places that have so many 5.0+ earthquakes that the people who live there must feel like they sit on top of a vibrator. This list includes:
Indonesia
The west coast of South America
The South Pacific
and increasingly...a place I’ve always wanted to visit: Tristan de Cunha in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
This increasing awareness is moving me away from my once casual acceptance of the occasional shaker to one who now worries about them.
Knowledge - in this case - is not power...it is reason to duck and cover.
I’m not prejudiced...I just think that if you come to this country, you should try to blend in and not expect others to cave in to your religion....after all, we’re a Christian country and we should be allowed to celebrate Christmas like everybody else.
I know that not all Muslims are terrorists but you just never know…
Mexicans are the hardest working race. After white people that is…
When I served in Haiti, we called the captial Porta Potty.
The US should just go in and take over Haiti.
I just wrote our senator and told her that I was for health care reform but I don’t want the government to pay for it.
Government money should be for hard working Americans.
And again....oy.
Within minutes of the Haitian quake, this USGS notification arrived in my inbox:
Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION
2010 January 12 21:53:10 UTC
Versión en Español
Details
Summary
Maps
Scientific & Technical
Additional Info
Earthquake Details
Magnitude 7.0
Date-Time Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 21:53:10 UTC
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 04:53:10 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 18.457°N, 72.533°W
Depth 13 km (8.1 miles) set by location program
Region HAITI REGION
Distances 25 km (15 miles) WSW of PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
130 km (80 miles) E of Les Cayes, Haiti
150 km (95 miles) S of Cap-Haitien, Haiti
1125 km (700 miles) SE of Miami, Florida
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 3.4 km (2.1 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST=312, Nph=312, Dmin=143.7 km, Rmss=0.93 sec, Gp= 25°,
M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=9
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID us2010rja6
____________________________
Here at Disasters R Us, we knew right away that this was a serious quake, 2x stronger than our own Nisqually quake from 2001, and much more shallow. We knew that Haiti is hardly prepared for a large rainfall much less the devastation this quake brought and we were right. Now we talk about response and projections and we know that the Haitians are in for it...for a long long time.
I am so saddened by the Haitian quake - not only for the devastation and lives lost but the forecast of long-term suffering that will surely plague that tiny place. Haiti has a terrible reputation for the care of its population and this earthquake will certainly amplify the poverty and lack of resources. It seems clear that the US is stepping up to assist in all ways and it seems very clear that we’re in there for the long run...in for a penny in for a pound. The truth is that I’d rather spend our foreign aid this way than in a concocted war in the middle of Asia.
True to form...the first fraud request for aid showed up in my email on Tuesday night. Please don’t give to the greedy...give to the official programs and give generously.
Now, right now, go get ready for your own quake. Your local county jurisdiction will have links to how to prepare and next week, I’ll tell you here. I promise. It’s my job.
On Wednesday night, Leonard and I were flipping channels and landed on the
very last act of the American Idol tryouts...the now famous General Larry Platt:
Then last night during a bought of my insane version of insomnia, I had the
pleasure of viewing a new version by “Neil Young”:
On so many levels, nothing says silly like Pants on the Ground. Bravo!
I am busy in a state of becoming
and I won’t be done until
I close my eyes for my final sleep
