New Hips and Floods

I'm scheduled to receive the first of two new hips in less than two weeks. I'm not especially overjoyed with the prospect. I worry mainly about infection. If all goes well, I hope to replace the second hip just a few weeks later. 

It's raining like crazy with lots more to come in the next few days...plus the snow level is up to 9000', so there'll be a lot of rapid snowmelt.  The Snoqualmie river is expected to flood and, once again, I may be stuck on this dead end street.

Fallout

With radioactive fallout arriving in my area (Washington State) from Japan, I wonder if we'll ever learn anything. The dangers of radioactive contamination are so great and long-lasting, and scientists (and the rest of us) have been aware of those dangers all along. Why? Why would nuclear power ever have been approved? Why would we have developed nuclear weapons? This is all so incredibly stupid that there aren't any words to justify or explain our behavior. We don't really need all the energy supplied by nuclear reactors. We don't need all the air-conditioning, personal computers, mega-computers, brightly lit cities, electric cars or any of that. We need to face reality and adjust our lifestyles to living within our actual needs. Aside from the fact that there are already too many people in the world, those who are here now must adapt to living sensibly. 

The initial explosions in the Japan nuclear facility released small amounts of radiation. That's what's falling on us now. In fact, it's already reached Europe! Subsequent radiation releases are far greater and that's what we should expect to arrive soon. Where are the government and news media? What are the real facts? They only continue reporting traces of non-lethal radiation but, with a little extra research, it seems these reports are far from the truth. I would like to know just how much radiation is falling on me along with continuous rain today (Sunday, 3/28). 

Now it's Monday and there are reports of radiation in the water in new England. I'm beginning to think this can turn out to be a world-wide catastrophe. And...while all these little news items come out, there are no real details. The New England contamination report includes no actual location, and the fallout in my state of Washington is completely un-reported! 'm such a meaningless pawn!

Temporary Partial Blindness

So...a couple of days ago, I realized I couldn't see. Yes, I could make out larger forms, lights and colors but seeing little things such as numbers and letters on the keyboard...no way. There was an aura of bright lights that moved when I turned my head. There was no difference in either eye, with or without glasses. I splashed some water on my face and poured a glass of wine . Then I was okay again. How odd! The next day, I was trying to recall what might have triggered such an event. All that came to mind was that I had tea instead of coffee in the morning (I was out of coffee). I decided to replicate that and had the same, extremely strong black tea this morning. I fully expected to be somewhat blind as a result but...it didn't happen. I wonder if I was experiencing an odd version of petit mal (which I had the entire time I was growing up). The problem with that is that I had nocturnal petit mal...and this event occurred in the late morning hours. What to do!?

Minor update...in a continuing attempt to find the cause of my temporary blindness, I remembered two, unusual things: One, I had chicken pho the night before and, Two, just before the onset of said, temporary blindness, I was watching an Al Jazeera video about Libya. This morning, I re-watched the same video (the idea being, perhaps the video was encrypted with some mind-altering undertones.) Nope. That wasn't it, I think. Back to the drawing board, eh?

No Fly Zone over Israel

What say the West smartens up and realizes it's time for a no fly zone over Israel to prevent further loss of innocent lives? Oh! Is Israel above the laws of common decency and humanity? I think not.

Libya and Nuclear Emergencies

Isn't it just plain eerie that the US bombs Libya every time there's a nuclear disaster in the world? The previous time was in April, 1986. Chernobyl was in the process of meltdown as US planes bombed Libya. Now, with Japan's reactors in a similar situation, we're bombing Libya all over again...and the enemy is Gaddafi...again! Are we all doomed to keep repeating the bad aspects of history? What say we relive some of the good parts too?

School Buses

I remember, as a smartass little kid back east, riding to school in one of those school buses, careening around corners, up and around narrow streets and hills. I remember bouncing around and having my head smashed against the cold metal ceiling. Why? Why are there no seat belts on school buses or public transportation buses? They're all death traps! Why do local school districts and governments have so little regard for the safety of their own children? Why is it okay to have public service buses rattling around every major US city with people standing and being smashed against each other and the cold metal seat railings? How can it be acceptable to have such strict demands on the auto industry and ignore buses? (Those same buses spew noxious, foul diesel fumes into the air for people like me to inhale.) I suppose it's all about money, eh? There's something very wrong with this system. As to school buses, don't Americans think their children should be transported safely? As to public transportation, don't we deserve to ride on, or in, a safe vehicle without being concerned with suffering severe injury from a minor mishap? It's all about money, eh? I don't ride on buses anymore. 

Seattle Earthquake

Doesn't anyone in a decision-making capacity have any ability to learn from history? Imagine a massive earthquake in the Northwest and think of what would happen to the new tunnel. Everyone inside would be either crushed or drowned. Imagine the liquification in the Sodo area...it's just fill dirt there. But the tunnel! The tunnel doesn't exist yet...and never should. Yes, the mayor is aware, in light of the recent Japan earthquake, that the viaduct is a deathtrap. But really!? A tunnel is far worse! Either do a retrofit of the existing viaduct or tear it down and build a nice boulevard along the waterfront. The Seattle area is living on borrowed time and the massive earthquake could be only moments away.