Today in our world

“Yes, nature has two faces:
The pretty one and the ugly one, the disasters!
Love the first face and be prepared for the second one!” 
― Mehmet Murat ildan, Turkish Playwright, Novelist and Thinker
1985 – 

Today’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake is the deadliest to hit Mexico in more than 30 years and has brought down buildings in the capital, Mexico City.  At least 216 people are reported dead.

The earthquake also appeared to have triggered an eruption of Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano. In Atzitzihuacan on the slopes of the volcano, a church collapsed during mass, killing 15 people, Puebla Governor Jose Antonio Gali said.

This was the second major quake to hit Mexico in two weeks and came on the anniversary of the 1985 quake that devastated Mexico City and in which an estimated 5,000 plus died.

A 5.3 earthquake in Fukushima, Japan is reported today and on it goes.

Meantime, here in Wellington, New Zealand I was at the movies watching (I can’t say enjoying) Dunkirk when we were hit with a 5.1 quake.  But with all the noise, bombings, torpedoes etc and the accompanying shakes, I didn’t even feel it.  How scary is that?  No damage was reported here and certainly no injuries or deaths.  Are we becoming complacent here in New Zealand?  Have we all got our evacuation packs close by?  I wonder.

And so once again, Mother Nature is shaking her skirts.  Earthquakes, hurricanes, severe thunderstorms all around our world.  And we continue to attack our world and its climate.

News of huge icebergs breaking off the ice shelf – Last week, the Larsen C Ice Shelf gave birth to a trillion tonne baby, an iceberg now dubbed A68. The latest observations suggest this big berg has moved 3km from its starting point, and that it’s already starting to crack up. More evidence of Global Warming.  We know that climate change aka Global Warming is doing widespread harm to animals and plants which are struggling to adapt to new conditions.

Oh and not let’s forget the two egomaniacs currently close to coming to blows.  This could completely destroy our planet.

This has been another of my rants.  When one reaches my vast age, and may you all be lucky enough to do so, one is allowed high horses and rants.

Enough already, as my Mother would have said.  Time to settle down with my book and supper and relax until tomorrow when something else will no doubt set me off.

And yes, Dunkirk is an incredible movie.  The historical events recounted in the film document how a makeshift fleet of British fishing boats, pleasure yachts, and cargo ships helped save 185,000 British soldiers and 130,000 French soldiers from death or capture by German invaders during the Fall of France in May and June 1940.   You may know that I was alive then although only a baby.   Of course, we all heard about Dunkirk and the courage of the captains of that armada of small ships but until today I really had no concept of what those rescued troops endured.  They cannot be lauded loudly and often enough.