Japan tsunami

No politics, entertainment, business or whatever, and for the obvious reasons ...

Certainly this is a sad day with the news about one of the biggest earthquakes (8.9, off Honshu, although some reports say as much as 9.2) and tsunamis ever recorded causing massive damage to Japan and other countries, even affecting the West Coast of North America to a lesser although by no means insignificant extent.   This is actually the fourth in a series of quakes over to hit the Ring of Fire -- after major quakes over a series of the previous three days off of Papua-New Guinea (6.5), the China-Burma border (5.4) and a smaller tremblor also off Honshu (7.2).  Even for a fully developed country like Japan, which is used to natural disasters and are normally prepared for incidents like this it is still a major blow especially if the death toll turns out to be high as feared (one radio report I heard this morning suggested 88,000).

So please say a prayer for the victims both dead and alive ... while Japan as I said can certainly afford to rebuild, they'll still need our helping hand to get through this.   It's times of crisis that determine who are truly are our friends and enemies.   Who knows when it'll happen to us and we need to rely on them?

And if you can, please donate to a reputable charity of your choice.    It can be non-sectarian or a faith based group, but it should be a group that has been around long enough that they have earned their credentials.    I've said this before but I'll say it again:   Don't be misled by those who ask for blankets, clothes, etc -- these items cost a massive amount just to ship.   And forget food:  It's the same problem, it may perish by the time it gets there and it may not even meet the dietary requirements of the victims.   Cash and equivalents are what's needed.  Organizations like the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and so forth know how to procure the resources locally as needed, at cost, and they have an excellent record in providing relief.

To the people of Japan, hang tough.

(On a side note, I read that the earthquake may have actually sped up Earth's rotation ever so slightly but enough that the day is just slightly shorter than before, as was the case with the 2004 tsunami and the 2010 Chile earthquake.   Maybe that's why we have had only two leap seconds since 2004 -- remember when they used to happen practically every six months?   Just saying.)

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