Speechless.

It’s like that seawall isn’t even there:

The earthquake was in the northeast part of Japan on the main island, Honshu – now there’s a volcano erupting in the southwest, on the island of Kyushu:

The volcano is also known for serving as Blofeld’s lair in You Only Live Twice.

[ MSNBC Flash video not available. ]

It boggles my mind that the GOP wants to cut our disaster preparedness budget.

Title: “The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement”

Authors: David Brooks

Rank: 5

Blurb: “I try to explain how these findings about the deepest recesses of our minds should change the way we see ourselves, raise our kids, conduct business, teach, manage our relationships and practice politics.”

Review: “People who read books of this type used to be called ‘existentialist.'”

Customers Also Bought: “The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms”, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Footnote: Stop the presses! Rational man discovers intuition! It’ll change everything you know! Unless, of course, like the Greeks, you knew it already.

The Social Animal [Amazon]

Buy or Die [Stinque@Amazon kickback link]

Updated post:

“There is a possibility, we see the possibility of a meltdown,” said Toshihiro Bannai, director of [Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency] international affairs office, in a telephone interview from the agency’s headquarters in Tokyo. “At this point, we have still not confirmed that there is an actual meltdown, but there is a possibility.”

A meltdown doesn’t necessarily mean a major radioactive release, although cesium has been detected in the air. Depends on how well the containment vessel holds up.

Official: ‘We see the possibility of a meltdown’ [CNN]

Nuclear plant blast ‘appears to have caused meltdown’ [Sydney Morning Herald]

In Japan plant, frantic efforts to avoid meltdown [AP]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6K6JcAB9T0

That’s disturbing. And it’s more than 200 miles from the main event.

And my girlfriend flew from Okinawa, where it’s safe, to Tokyo yesterday – she’s there on business. The Japanese are like the Brits – carry on! I hope nothing bad happens.