Indonesia 2009 © Reuters
A collapsed building after an earthquake hit Padang, on Indonesia's Sumatra Island.

"Four Natural Disasters In Asia Pacific Region."

Part of my usual routine, while working at my computer and - not so much watching as listening - to various news shows (on PBS, CBS, ABC) and their reports from around the world... very few of their 'news items' deserved - let alone - received my attention.  Certainly not enough to draw my attention away from my computer screen... That is, except for the reports of natural disasters in the Asia Pacific Region.

On PBS - I heard for the first time, on-scene descriptions of the aftermath of "... devastation from Typhoon Ketsana and torrential rains in the Philippines and Viet Nam in South East Asia." (From IFRC Website)  Officials are describing the September 26th storm and floods as the worst to have hit the country in the last 40 years.  "It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by the dramatic flooding in the Philippines.  Tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes because of rising water levels." (From The International Red Cross website.)

Inexplicably, the widespread death and destruction caused by the storms and flooding (and they are facing a forecast of even more rains) continue to be all but ignored by the mainstream media and network news shows.
And, sadly - for those trying to bring international attention to the disaster in the Philippines and who are seeking international aid/relief for the thousands who've lost their homes... who've lost everything - they may not be able to gain any footing there.

Just days after the tragic events in the Philippines... Mother Nature struck again... and again after that.  Two significant earthquakes - each followed by powerful tsunami - struck within 24 hours of each other.  Now, TV networks and their news departments are all about ratings and pulling in that highly-prized demographic.  They know what sells and probably started to salivate when considering the ripe potential sensationalism to be found in earthquake and tsunami stories (remember 2004?).  The proof of this is seen in the "teaser" ads - accompanied by videotape of the destruction - promoting their own upcoming news broadcasts.  They're also all opening their news programs with detailed reports of these (apparently) more newsworthy quakes and tsunami - the first of which struck near Samoa and the second near Indonesia.

I'll admit that watching the video of the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami is like watching a train wreck... you want to look away, but the images are just so stunning... you try to imagine the unimaginable power of shifting tectonic plates and the silent and unstoppable force of displaced ocean waters that have reduced buildings to rubble and left shocked survivors amazed at their own survival... you just can't bring yourself to do it.

On September 29th, within 15 minutes of the Samoan earthquake - a significant one measuring magnitude 8.3 on the Richter Scale - the first of four tsunami rolled in.  Eyewitness reports describe it as a wall of water "... at least 15ft. to 20ft. in height".  Although the locals participate in regular tsunami drills and were aware of the potential deadly danger from the ocean after such an event - many just didn't have enough time to get out and make it to higher ground.  Whole villages were completely destroyed, many people were in their homes or their vehicles when the waves came through.  Some victims were washed out to sea and many are still unaccounted for.  Just today, I heard one of the earthquake and tsunami survivors describe the devastation left by the massive waves in this way: "Anything that wasn't constructed of concrete is just gone."
And, from the video/photos I've seen, not many of the buildings were made of concrete.

Each of these terrifying natural disasters has resulted in a significant amount of pain and suffering for all of the survivors.
My thoughts are with them and I hope they already are receiving or will very soon be receiving the life-saving relief that they need (safe drinking water, food, blankets, medicine).

(To be honest, I sincerely hope that when the residents start rebuilding, that they do so on higher ground, if possible.  There are certain places around the world that have a long and ongoing record of being devastated by natural disasters/storms. And, thanks to global/ocean warming, the hurricanes/typhoons/etc. are expected to become only more powerful/destructive. I had the same hope for thoughtful planning/rebuilding along the Gulf Coast, post Hurricane Katrina. In coastal areas that are below sea level and where future Hurricanes coming ashore are a Sure Thing for perpetuity... It would be wise not to rebuild there. It's unsafe. Build homes further inland.
For me, it's not only common sense... It's a survival thing: I will never live in a geographical area called "Tornado Alley", I will never build my home on cliffs overlooking the beach, no matter how nice the view (one word: Erosion) and I'll never relocate to the lush valleys at the base of or in the immediate vicinity of an active volcano... ...Duh.)

As for the survivors of these terrifying and traumatic events, I cannot and I won't sit idly by and just watch the stunning images of the video from the relative safety of my home (somewhere in the vicinity of the San Andreas Fault) thinking "OMG. How awful. How terrible." and then just shrug it off and do nothing else... Hey, I'm not rich... what else can I do?

O.K., I don't have a lot of money. And, it's unlikely that anyone would mistake me as a immediate threat to their place on the Forbes 400 List.

But, I am acutely aware that many of the survivors of these three major disasters have not only lost personal possessions - but they've lost their homes, businesses, loved ones... everything.

For agencies trying to help people in need, I believe that Every Little Bit Helps.

For this reason, I'm making a donation to a (legitimate) international relief agency.
My first thought was make my donation to The International Red Cross. 
The IRC is a remarkable international humanitarian relief agency - they do so much for (usually civilian) victims of landmines, women and children in war-torn areas and much more.
But, in this specific instance, I'm deciding between making my donation to The International Federation Of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies (they are actively responding to all of the recent natural disasters in the Asia Pacific Region) and
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

I hope that you'll take a moment to consider your own situation and, if at all possible, that you will choose to make a donation as well.
Please don't hesitate to give because you think your donation is too small.
Thankfully - Giving is not a competitive sport.
Giving is a Gift... for both You, the Giver and those in need who receive your Gift.

Peace.
L.

A Legendary Artist/Filmmaker has suddenly, unexpectedly and all too soon '... left the building.'

John Hughes, the man behind an amazing list of iconic movies that were the voice of and spoke to a generation in the 1980's, died from a heart attack that felled him while he was out on a walk.

If you don't recognize his name, perhaps you'll recognize the titles of some of his modern classics of teenage angst, the hell that is High School, and the inner life of 'The Outsider'...

The Breakfast Club



Sixteen Candles



Ferris Bueller's Day Off



If you've never seen any of these films... Go Rent Them, Now, You Dorks!

If you've seen them, now is a great time to see them again... to Laugh With Them... to (Try Not To) Cry With Them... And - Most Of All - To Be Soooo Greatful That You're No Longer In High School...

Thanks, John Hughes... From All Of Us Oddballs, Outsiders And Outcasts Of The World.

Rest In Peace.

L.

This Little Guy (or Girl?) Just Breaks My Heart.
(From University of Rochester Med Ctr.: After Suffering Intentional Spinal Cord Injuries, Rats injected with BBG not only regained their mobility but temporarily turned blue.)
And... then What? They Were Thrown Out? Composted? Fed to other still-needed lab animals?


Initially, when the first murmurings of this story were trotted out, it sounded Terrific!

What was that?!... The Blue Dye found in drinks like Gatorade, when injected into the damaged spines of lab rats immediately after they were injured, resulted in them being mobile again... albeit with a limp?

Oh my Gd!... It's a Miracle!... The Cure for spinal cord injuries has finally been discovered!... albeit, in a bottle of Gatorade. (smirk.)

And, it only took mauling a few dozen lab rats' little spines and then immediately injecting the blue stuff (BBG) into the injured area.

When do the Human Trials Start? (No, I'm not volunteering.)

What?... You're kidding, right?

What do you mean, "...this method would not be practical for use with spinal cord-injured (human) patients"?

Of course, no one would "... want to put a needle into a spinal cord that has just been severely injured". But, how about intravenously?...

Oh, the compound that you used, the oxidized ATP, "... cannot be injected into the bloodstream because of its dangerous side effects."

Well, then... I have only one question.

You say that the research team isn't calling BBG a cure for spinal injuries, that, "... instead it offers a potential improvement in patients."... That's all well and good...

But, if you can't/won't inject it into the spines of humans who have just been injured (like you could/did to the rats)... and you can't introduce BBG intravenously, either...

Then, why the F*%$ did you do it to the rats?!

Just for fun?... Just to see if they turned Blue? (they did. See above pic.)

What was the freaking point? Please Explain it to me.
You may read the whole story in the article at cnn.com.


But, my op-ed piece is a good synopsis.

Aargh!

Peace.... Especially for the Lab Animals of the World.

L.

..Greetings & Salutations, Beautiful People!

I'm not feeling particularly politically or socially outraged at this moment...It's about 12:45am on Monday... Er, No... Make that Tuesday.

So, in lieu of my usual Blog M.O.... Here's something I hope You (or, at least Some of You) Really Like:

A Spectacular BETSEY JOHNSON Black & White Dress!

It is Brand & New/Unworn. I bought two dresses at a Betsey Johnson store recently... Gd, I must've bumped my head or something... And, now that my mental clarity is returning, I've decided to keep one and sell the other.

It's available on my eBay page. Seller ID is: vintage_u_luv.




Cheers!

Peace.

L...

And Now... Something Really Different... VINTAGE EMILIO PUCCI!!




I just listed this
Stunning Vintage 1970's Emilio Pucci, Chevron-Striped Jumpsuit
on my eBay Page.

It Features Semi-Sheer Red, Opaque Red and Metallic Silver Chevron & Diagonal Stripes.

To Check This Beauty Out As Well As My Other Extraordinary Vintage & Designer Clothing, Shoes and Accessory Auctions ~ Just Click On: vintage_u_luv!
Cheers! Peace, Love & PUCCI! L.

Day turns to night as a ferocious storm sweeps across Beijing, China just before midday on June 16, 2009. (ABC News: Rob Hill)

I have heard mention here-and-there of reports of the Chinese Government fooling around with weather modification. (No, I'm not kidding. And, no, it wasn't a story in the National Enquirer.) Chinese officials have claimed to have had some actual success with attempts at cloud-seeding (Please see bottom of this Blog for background on Cloud-Seeding.) in order to bring rain to some drought-stricken areas.

This past Tuesday, Ma Nature possibly gave them a not-so-subtle rap on the knuckles and a stern warning about not fooling around with those forces of hers.

It came in the form of a frightening and ferocious storm.

What have been described as 'thunder-clouds' rolled in ominously Tuesday morning... and by noon the clouds had all but obliterated entirely the light of the sun - plunging Bejing into a complete darkness that is usually reserved for the midnight hour.

Officials were forced to turn streetlights on, drivers had to engage their headlights and businesses flicked on their fluorescents.

Chatter on online social sites joked about The End Of Days and of weaponized weather.

The storm passed after an hour.

Unfortunately, The End did come for at least seven citizens, who were reportedly killed by lightning strikes.

Wouldn't it be ironic (and really weird) if any of the seven persons who were reportedly killed by the storm turned out to be employees of the Chinese Meteorological Bureau... specifically their cloud-seeding program?

The Moral Of This Story?...

"Just Because You Can Do Something... Doesn't Mean You Should."

Peace.
L.


(2007 file photo: An artillery operator stands next to one of the guns used to seed clouds to induce rain at a station of the Beijing Meteorological Bureau.)
Maybe Mother Nature doesn't like to take fire from these?

(From: www.guardian.co.uk/)

At midday in Beijing today the sky turned black as midnight, as one of the most spectacular storms in recent memory struck the Chinese capital.

Thunder clouds blocked the sun from 11am, forcing the authorities to turn on streetlamps, offices to blaze with fluorescent lights and cars to drive with their headlights on.

During the darkest period, around 11.20am, office cooler, classroom, Twitter and Facebook gossip turned apocalyptic with many half-jokingly prophesying the end of the world and new weather weapons, while others wondered publicly about a secret solar eclipse or the death of the sun.

The storm passed within an hour with little apparent damage. But for a small handful, the portents of doom came true. Local media reported seven people were fatally struck by lightning as the storms swept across north-east China.

Weather forecasters said it was extremely rare for such ferocious weather to hit the country at this time of year.

Speculation inevitably centred on the government's weather modification programme, which has been ramped up in recent years to offset droughts by seeding clouds. But Guardian efforts to contact the meteorological bureau have as yet been unanswered.

"Cloud seeding is a means of modifying weather patterns by sending chemicals into the atmosphere that induce or suppress precipitation. China has been engaging in the practice for years, shooting shells with silver iodide into the atmosphere to encourage or prevent rainfall for farmers, fight fires and relieve drought.

(From: findingdulcinea.com/:)

"Cloud Seeding is a controversial practice and its benefits are often difficult to track. Scientists cannot definitively say how much rain would have fallen if seeding did not take place, and large storms are often unaffected by seeding attempts.

The United States, which experimented with cloud seeding at various points during the 20th century, has since moved away from the process.

Asia Times Online reported in 2007 that cloud seeding shells and rockets sometimes go astray, “damaging homes and injuring inhabitants.” (In 2005, a wayward cloud-seeding artillery shell killed a Chinese man and then blew up his corpse a few days later. Cloud-Seeding Collateral Damage, anyone?) The publication notes that, in 2006, a pedestrian in Chongqing was killed by part of a rain cannon after it misfired. In addition, some Chinese citizens have expressed concern over the environmental and health ramifications of cloud seeding.

An article on the Dartmouth Toxic Metals Research Program Web site suggests that “Cloud-seeding technology raises some concerns that adding chemicals to clouds would pollute the air, water or earth.”

I was trying very hard to stay away from MySpace and My Blog tonight (Friday).

I had made the decision to spend several hours working exclusively on my upcoming Vintage & Designer eBay Listings.

And, I was actually sticking to my plan for about an hour.

Until I heard about the story that this Blog addresses.

I was listening to PBS's NOW program, hosted by David Brancaccio. Tonight's guest: Robert Kenner, the man behind the upcoming film "Food, Inc".

I held back for a while... Focus.... Focus... Damn It!... until I couldn't hold back any longer...

What I was hearing about America's Food Producers, Suppliers, and Retailers demanded my immediate attention.

eBay would just have to wait.

It was about the time that the host and Mr. Kenner were discussing the fact that a fast-food burger from, say McDonald's, has meat in it from 1000 (that's One Thousand) individual animals!

Ugh!... This little tidbit made me feel queasy... even though I've been a vegetarian for most of my life.

The filmmaker has made a film to be proud of. He truly wants to inform the American people. Particularly about how the food choices they make effect the choices that are available. He focuses on real people and real lives. Don't worry... it isn't a film made in a slaughterhouse... he wants people to actually watch it.

The Informative Website for: Food, Inc. - The Movie.. (Food, Inc. debuts in San Francisco on June 12, 2009. Among many things, the website lists dates for other cities/theatres where you can see it.)

Below is the trailer for Food, Inc..

Peace & Bon Appetit! L.

(From: www.pbs.org/now.)

Food, Inc.

Behind the food we love—Secrets that giant food companies don't want you to know.

Americans have a longstanding love affair with food—the modern supermarket has, on average, 47,000 products. But do we really know what goes into making the products we so eagerly consume?

This week, David Brancaccio talks with filmmaker Robert Kenner, the director of "Food, Inc.," which takes a hard look at the secretive and surprising journey food takes on the way from processing plants to our dinner tables. The two discuss why contemporary food processing secrets are so closely guarded, their impact on our health, and another surprising fact: how consumers are actually empowered to make a difference.

Find out why you'll never look at dinner the same way.



About the Film...

"How much do we really know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families?

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli--the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farm's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising -- and often shocking truths -- about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here. "

(From: ://www.youtube.com.)

Whoa...

I just heard some news that has me quite stunned...

News that has me uncharacteristically intrigued...

And wanting to know...

if it is at all possible that former Vice President (Ha.Ha.) Dick "Ol' Scratch" Cheney Has Undergone What Was Refered To In The Movies As 'A Body Snatching'? (From the Original Horror Film (and its remake): "Invasion of the Body Snatchers.)

Not that I would be complaining if he was...

I just heard that...

And saw a video clip that confirms that...

Our Dubya-Deputy, The Self-Proclaimed Water-Boarding Wunderkind...

Darth Cheney...

Went On-The-Record To Say That He Personally Feels That:

"... people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they wish."

The Very Same Dick who - as Vice President - Creatively Granted Himself Any and Every Imaginable and Unimaginable Freedom...

(These Included All "Known Freedoms" - Those Freedoms Which We All Know About... As well as An Unknown Number of "Unknown Freedoms"... The Latter Are In Reference To Previously Unidentified and Unspecified Freedoms That We Weren't Aware Of... And, That We Didn't Know We Weren't aware Of. :P )

To Do Whatever He Wanted...

Or - Depending Upon What Was Being Asked Of Him...

To Refuse To Do Anything He Didn't Want To Do.

The Dick Cheney Who May Be Seen In This Video Saying, "... I think that freedom means freedom for everyone...",,,

Is The Very Same Dick Who - Simultaneously - Didn't See Fit To Expand On His Own Passionate Personal Fight For Freedoms...

At Least, Not Enough To Protect and Defend Several Of America's Founding Freedoms When They Were Initially Threatened And Later - Crippled - For Countless Other Americans.

Ahh, The Bad Old Days...

But, I digress.

This is a Good Thing.

Dick is now... at this moment... at least on this one enormously important Civil Rights issue...

Progressively LEFT of President Obama!

Cheney supports Same-Sex Marriage?

What's Next?

'Down' Will Mean 'Up'?

The North and South Poles Will Suddenly Switch Places?

Jesus will return (again?)... Arriving in a flying saucer... And He will tell all of His Followers to "... Stop Doing Stupid Things In My Name. And, Get a Life, Already!"?

Cool!

Peace. L.

Cheney Offers Support For Gay Marriage (With VIDEO)

(From: www.huffingtonpost.com
Sam Stein

Dick Cheney rarely takes a position that places him at a more progressive tilt than President Obama. But on Monday, the former vice president did just that, saying that he supports gay marriage as long as it is deemed legal by state and not federal government.

Speaking at the National Press Club for the Gerald R. Ford Foundation journalism awards, Cheney was asked about recent rulings and legislative action in Iowa and elsewhere that allowed for gay couples to legally wed.

"I think that freedom means freedom for everyone," replied the former V.P. "As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they wish. The question of whether or not there ought to be a federal statute to protect this, I don't support. I do believe that the historically the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level. It has always been a state issue and I think that is the way it ought to be handled, on a state-by-state basis. ... But I don't have any problem with that. People ought to get a shot at that."



Cheney has made similar arguments in support of gay marriage in the past, including during the run-up to the 2004 election. But his current comments come at a moment when the Republican Party and conservative movement is increasingly split on the issue. Bush recount lawyer Ted Olsen and John McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt have both argued in favor of gay marriage. The religious right, as expected, remains opposed.

Caught up in the debate is the Obama administration. The president has said he supports civil unions for gay couples but that he remains committed to marriage being between and man and woman. His press department has been completely quiet about the recent California Supreme Court case upholding a ban on gay marriage in the state -- something that, it seems, Cheney would object to in spirit if not law.