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| Earthquake zones |
Hello world...
I was feeling great today until I just heard the breaking news.... A 7.4 magnitude earthquake has hit near the coast of Honshu, Japan! As a result, yet another tsunami alert has been issued. *Sigh* It's so frightening just thinking about it! My heart goes out to the people in Japan.
Also, as if that wasn't bad enough, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit Veracruz, Mexico today, though fortunately the reports say nothing major occurred other than buildings swaying for a few minutes (but still, holy cow)! Oh, and there has been radioactive rain falling in South Korea today as a result of the radioactive fallout from Japan's nuclear disaster after the last earthquake and tsunami there last month.
Anyway, I don't know about you but I'm scared. Our natural disasters have been getting worse and worse, and that realization takes my mind down a very long and uneasy road of thoughts.
I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge this terrible news and say how bad I feel for the people of Japan and for all the people around the world who have suffered so much in all the disasters of these past few years. Also, I'd like to say just because I hardly hear about Haiti or the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on the news anymore does not mean I have forgotten!
I feel as though one of humanity's greatest problems in an age of so much bombarding technology, information, entertainment, and responsibilities is that it's so easy to forget that we are at the mercy of this planet. It's so convenient to just go on with one's life, in a little bubble. But I try my best not to do that, I don't want to be indifferent to the world's issues, because the world's issues are all of our issues, and if we aren't going to think or worry about them then who will? It's our job. With that said, we should all find ways, however small, to start respecting and preserving our planet better.
The current growing environmental movement is typically referred to as the "green" movement, or "going green," but please note that this movement has also brought an onslaught of new "green" products created primarily for profit. I believe that the big companies knew that this movement was going to be the "next big thing," so they produced tons of new products to feed the fetish (see this New York Times Article called "Buying Into the Green Movement") in order to capitalize on what they knew would surely be a frenzy of human consumption in hopes of helping the planet. Not to be cynical, but in all likelihood that is the truth and many of us are falling into the trap. So what I'm saying is, don't go out and buy a bunch of green stuff and buy into the fetish, because initially you'll just be negating your efforts to be green by buying and consuming more than what you already have. First, figure out free ways to work with what you have, learn ways to become a more responsible consumer and disposer. Once you've picked up on that, I believe it will be easier to make wise choices when shopping for "green" products without going crazy and spending boatloads of money before knowing what works best for you and your lifestyle. Just because one buys green products does not necessarily mean they are being green and saving the planet, it could just mean you're buying (consuming) more and spending more if you're not smart about it.
It's a a big challenge and it won't be easy, but it behooves all of us. With that said, below are some links to help you get started....
(Image of Earthquake zones via PhysicalGeography.net)
