What's Going On Around Here?
Obviously, we have been hit with a major catastrophe in Japan.
Given the size of this monster earthquake and the shaking that went on in the capital, it seems like a miracle that we in Tokyo have escaped largely unscathed.
All of the kinky people I know, or know of, seem to be okay. There has been some damage in the greater Tokyo region, and loss of life, but it doesn't seem to be getting much airtime due to the infinitely greater human disaster unfolding up north.
I won't give a detailed report here; there are plenty of news sources taking care of that. I will say that I, and many others, are not abandoning ship. Japan has been good to us. This is our home. Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good.
I recommend that people try to get their news from a variety of sources. If a report seems particularly alarmist, take it with a grain of salt. Look around a bit and see what others might be saying. If, for example, you read a report and the only people quoted are from the Union of Concerned Scientists, don't immediately reject it, but take it with a grain of salt. They have a big dog in this nuclear fight.
The same thing goes for government reports and those saying all is well.
Right now, and this is from someone knowledgeable about these things and with no agenda, my Mild Sevens are doing me in much more effectively than trace amounts of radiation in the air over Tokyo.
Context.
I would like to thank (in my own very small way) all the individuals and nations that have contributed to the relief effort.
While the situation with the nukes is ever-changing and seemingly subject to a broad spectrum of opinions, and, indeed, very worrisome, the plight of the people in remote areas affected by the quake and tsunami, is indisputable. Pray that they receive the assistance they need before it's too late.
Update: The Japanese people and, indeed, the people of the world, can be extremely proud of, and grateful for, the efforts of the brave men in Fukushima who are risking life and limb to try to tame the nuclear beast. What do you say to such men? Words seem inadequate. And so, I simply bow deeply in thanks and say a silent prayer for their safety. I hope one day I can do this in person.
Kabukijoe