Occupy Wall Street.

Occupy Wall Street has become a global social movement.

Thought on Today.

Ah, today.  It's seems like such a long time since my last post.  Funny that it kinda feels like that episode of Star trek when they came upon an abandoned spaceship and played the ship's final logs.  Someone was isolated on-board with all of the final time capsules from earth.  Let's see now, Billions of dollars have been stolen from financial institutions around the world.  The US economic crisis has spread to the rest of the world.  The EU economy is falling like dominoes with one sovereign default after another.  A new major oil strike has started a boom town in the Pacific Northwest.  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil won the bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games.  Bangkok, Thailand spring rains caused the city to suffer catastrophic flooding and a major evacuation.  As I write this CNN is on my other browser tab reporting a major earthquake in Turkey.  Finally, troops are officially leaving Iraq by the end of this year.  Wow, all that in just the last few months.

New York Times article on Japan Earthquake

EARTHQUAKE, TSUNAMI AND NUCLEAR CRISIS
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, churning up a devastating tsunami that swept over cities and farmland in the northern part of the country and set off warnings as far away the west coast of the United States and South America. Recorded as 9.0 on the Richter scale, it was the most powerful quake ever to hit the country. As the nation struggled with a rescue effort, it also faced the worst nuclear emergency since Chernobyl; explosions and leaks of radioactive gas took place in three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station that suffered partial meltdowns, while spent fuel rods at another reactor overheated and caught fire, releasing radioactive material directly into the atmosphere. Japanese officials turned to increasingly desperate measures, as traces of radiation were found in Tokyo's water and in water pouring from the reactors into the ocean.
As of March 29, the official death toll had been raised to more than 11,000, and more than 17,000 people are listed as missing, although there may be some overlap between the two groups. The final toll is expected to reach nearly 20,000. More than 190,000 people remained housed in temporary shelters.

Japan March 2011.

Devastation in Japan after another earthquake shakes the island and cracks the nuclear power infrastructure causing dangerous radiation leaks.  While the residents flee contaminated areas many nations offer aid and support.  The government has not determined how long the areas at greatest risk will be unsafe.  Oddly, major corporations especially financial institutions have ordered there ex pat employees to leave the country for safety reasons.  Even worse, native top executives  and managers have left their companies Tokyo offices for safety in neighboring countries including Beijing, Singapore, and Hong Kong.  How did this disaster happen with all the technology available to predict earthquakes and provide early warnings.  Did someone fall asleep at the switch, or are they just looking the other way?  With the potential for human and environmental consequences how could those responsible have played such a dangerous game with nuclear power?