Looking out my window...

How To Ruin My Day: Earthquake, Tsunami, Nuclear Meltdown, Republican Ruses

 
Collage of Stock Photos Created by Sharon

The last few years I have had a growing love for circles which turned into 3D circles more fondly known as bubbles. I love their characteristics of grace, transparency and light reflections. For all their beauty and symbolism they have one huge defect. They burst.

Off hand, below are some of the burst bubbles that have recently ruined my day:

• Housing... I was at last able to purchase a condominium. This was just as the Housing market was beginning to rise. Wow! After about four years the value of our home increased by 40%. What an investment. And, then the bubble burst.
• Health... Neither of us were in A+ form, but well enough to enjoy our retirement by being physically able to do what we wanted. And, then the bubble burst about two or three years into our new life.
• Wealth... We were never "wealthy," but lived a comfortable middle class lifestyle. And, then the bubble burst and we have not received a cost of living increase in neither social security or pensions for the last two years even though costs have risen.
• Car... The last car we purchased was a wonderful Honda Odyssey. We thought this could be the last car we purchased if used and cared for properly and paid for it in cash. We could see the bubble burst as we neared and passed 200,000 miles driven due to unexpected usage.
• Grown children... We erroneously thought that once children were grown we would be on our own, so to speak. And then the bubble burst. How could we have been so naive? We are family forever.
• Humanism... We believe in the strength and goodness of people. The bubble burst, what with terrorists, tea baggers, and such. We still believe in the innate goodness of humans, but some need a little re-education.
• Earthquake Disaster-Free Zone... Except for tornadoes, we thought by living in the Midwest we were in a pretty safe part of the country. Bubble burst when we learned we live near one of the largest fault system in the country.
• Tsunami Disaster-Free... Sure, we're not near an ocean, but what about Lake Michigan? POP!
• Nuclear Energy is Clean and Safe... tell that to the Japanese people. Our bubble burst after listening to American Nuclear experts and learning just how unsafe our reactors have been.
• Republican Ruses... As a progressive Democrat, I've never really cared much for those Republican rascals. But, all and all, thought they were relatively benign since the Democrats would come along and hopefully fixed what ever was broken. That bubble didn't burst, it exploded this year. They ran on the economy and "jobs, jobs, jobs." They brought in the Tea Baggers. Yes, I know I'm being politically incorrect by not calling them the Tea Party. But at this moment the Tea Baggers is what they are: filled with ignorant bitterness and good only for dunking. With a majority in the House they proceeded to work on taking back women's, as well as children's, rights. Republican Governors ran on fixing the economy and then proceeded to take away union bargaining rights. They have taken the position that to get rid of the deficit they will take away entitlement programs for the elderly, the young, and the poor. This is instead of taxing the corporations that have made BILLIONS in profit and currently pay 0% in taxes. The Republican Congress has done everything in its power to make President Obama fail and become a one term president.
• Racial Equality... our first African-American President was such a wonderful happening. To be able to see that in my lifetime, my mother's lifetime, gave me great joy. And that bubble burst when I saw the racial hatred expressed by American Caucasians. Any newspaper or on line commentary regarding President Obama had comments that included the words: n****r, tar baby, Muslim, non-citizen, coon, darky, and jungle bunny.
• Religious Freedom and Tolerance... Even though our country was founded on freedom of religion that bubble was definitely busted when the Twin Towers came down.  Anything to do with Muslims was not tolerated. People actually thought about doing the Japan Internment Camps again, but with Muslims. Do we never learn when we've done something on the WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY? And then we have this guy:

 

Enough said. Enough bubbles burst. 

Spring Is Here Despite My Seclusion

 
Cardinal Brings Spring 2011
Photo by Sharon

As I watch the news almost 24/7, Spring seems to have happened despite me being under the covers and not looking out my office window.

And when I did peek out yesterday, experiencing my first look out during daylight hours, what did I see? Mr. Cardinal at the bird bath. By the time I turned my camera on, he was in the tree. I had time to snap one picture before he flew off.

The Chief told me the Mourning Doves were nest making in the same crook as last spring.

Both these activities tell me that Mother Nature is continuing on, without any hesitation, even as the other side of the world is recovering from her earthquakes and tsunamis. It is a good thing. To me it says the world will continue unless "we" mess it up with such things as, oh, I don't know, maybe a nuclear event.

Earthquake, Tsunami, Nuclear Meltdown: No Special Effects Needed

 
Cups for Coffee
Picture by Sharon

I spent a week watching Egypt 'round the clock. My sleeping pattern completely changed: up at night, down during daylight. It took me 2 - 3 weeks to finally get back to a semblance of normality.

And then it happened. A huge earthquake in Japan. What a horrible event to watch, let alone live through or die in. Then a tsunami greater than any recorded. Swallowing cities and people.

It seems, as I think back, that these events more often occur in third world type areas. Japan is different. Highly populated with an educated, highly technical citizenship. A people who experience "quakes" often and without too much destruction because of the anti-quake engineering of buildings and structures. Everything was built to withstand a 7.0 earthquake, not an unheard of, unexpected 9.0.

And, then came the tsunami. Bigger and stronger than ever recorded. Traveling inland six miles. Destroying all and everything the earthquake did not. Sweeping up and out to sea thousands of people who have yet to be returned and washed ashore. Babies pulled from their mother's grasp. Husband and wives separated never to see each other again. Four floors of patients in a hospital swept away.

Two terrible disasters happening sequentially within the same day. No time to breathe, let alone rescue, between them.

Then before the people could get their bearings, before they could grasp the horror that had befallen them, the damaged Nuclear reactors were getting ready to meltdown.

The earthquake broke the electric grid, stopping the cooling system. Then the tsunami flooded the backup generator, thoroughly  demolishing any possibility of cooling the core. The reactors were dieing. Every day new events arose, from fires to explosions, despite all efforts being made.

As I write this, I don't know the ending. If it was a disaster movie, I would guess. But it's not a movie. And I don't want to guess the ending because it is too scary.

Two good movies to see: The China Syndrome and 2012. It is much easier to watch the movies than the videos the Japanese people have taken. When you watch special effects, no one really gets hurt. But, this is real and too many people to count are hurt.

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One bit of good news has worked it's way through the rubble. A medical study done has shown that drinking multiple cups of coffee a day, helps decrease the risk of strokes in women. Good thing. I've been drinking a lot of coffee this past week.