Tag: volcanoes

The Day the Mountain Blew Up

It was 30 years ago today.

A huge ash cloud moved across the country over the following days, reminding anyone who cared to look up what had happened.

Many considered it a disaster. People had died. Property was just plain gone. After all, a forest had been destroyed. Surely life would never get back to normal with the ecosystem blown up. Those experts were wrong; the aftermath offered a tremendous opportunity to study life returning to the area, cleansed of what had come before.

And now, 30 years later, Mount St. Helens is still clearly an active volcano, still part of a chain of volcanoes that includes Mount Hood overlooking Portland and Mount Rainier sandwiched between Seattle and Tacoma. Rainier is considered by the Federal government to be “one of the Most Hazardous Volcanoes in the United States”. The last time it erupted, a tsunami raced across the Pacific Ocean, immortalized in this famous painting.

Comparisons between America’s biggest volcanic disaster at Mount St. Helens and the current volcanic eruptions in Iceland are irresistible. And while Eyjafjallajökull is likely to be full of sound and fury for months to come, today we remember the events of 30 years ago, when a mountain blew up.

Cross-posted on The Moderate Voice.

In Closing: Damn you, Karate Kid!; at least this family in Detroit whose home was raided in the middle of the night by cops who, seeking a murderer, lit their grandchild on fire before fatally shooting her will get something like justice, because Geoff Feiger is on the case and cameras were rolling for a reality TV show; “Airline fees are only bad when the government imposes them”; Mexico’s President wants to talk seriously about immigration; Homeowners (or is that home”owners”) need an advocate with the banks; apparently an Arizona drivers license is proof of citizenship, but the rest of us need passports and birth certificates (BTW this means that you have lots of unlicensed drivers in AZ who don’t want any trouble about their papers, so that should make you feel really safe); “Fetuses are more important than their mothers” says Bishop (and the Church wonders about their decreasing relevancy); 15 companies with biggest job cuts; and fewer people, thankfully, are falling behind on paying their debts.

Rosencrantz and Shorties Are Undead

Volcanoes!: Ok, the Eyjnafjallajökull eruption was bad, but usually when it goes the far more dangerous Katla volcano goes as well. Icelandic volcanic eruptions are blamed for temporary climate change that resulted in the Mississippi river freezing as far south as New Orleans and causing famines that eventually resulted in the French Revolution. Here’s 5 more great volcanic eruptions.

Real banking reform, now!: Mr. Reich presents what I consider to be a minimum regulatory laundry list. In the meantime, here’s some things you can do to figure out who really owns your mortgage. Oh, and if you are having trouble with your mortgage (or are in bankruptcy), pay extra close attention to this. Crap like that would not happen if it weren’t for “deregulation.” If you are a little lost figuring out the Goldmann Sachs story, here’s a nice analysis. Don’t forget that there’s a criminal investigation into what happened at Countrywide. Could it bring down Bank of America? We can only hope.

The recession is over? Like hell: The economy is very far from normal (and in my opinion will stay that way until the fundamental banking issues and certain insurance issues are solved).

Oh yeah, it’s 4/20: Did you know that a majority of Americans in the West support legalizing (and regulating) marijuana?

Stupid School Administrator Tricks: The story of a school district in Pennsylvania secretly using webcams in school issued notebook computers to spy on children gets deeper and weirder. They now admit to having some 56,000 pictures (and those are just the keepers and the ones they admit to having). Yet somehow, even though they have pictures of sleeping students, they miraculously don’t have any nudies? Yeah, I’m with Amanda on this one: suuuuure they don’t.

On the other hand: The Supreme Court isn’t amused by a SWAT officer who was reprimanded for texting his wife and girlfriend — both!? — on a police issued phone. Justice Stevens asked “Wouldn’t you just assume that the whole universe of conversations by SWAT officers who were on duty 24/7 might well have to be reviewed by some member of the public or some supervisor?”

Stupid Tax Tricks: Teabaggers who don’t know what they are talking about, and the myth that somehow corporations will pass on the cost of taxes on profits to customers.

Stupid Legislator Tricks: Apparently they are using some “new math” on Capitol Hill, as Senator Coburn is going on record as saying more money is “wasted” on Medicaid than is actually spent on it. Can’t he just admit he hates poor people and thinks any money spent on them is a waste? Either that or sign him up for Kumon.

Chemo sucks: but it is better than dying of cancer.

Almost makes me want to take up guitar: light-up guitar picks!

A cool cookbook, I hope: The Primal Blueprint Cookbook. Mine is on pre-order. So far all the recipes shared on Mark Sisson’s blog have been winners.

I will have more to say about this soon: Local interest lawsuit with nationwide ramifications.

Building a castle:  In the Ozarks. Now. It’s a pretty cool project!

Star Wars Japan Filter: Did you know that Mark Hamill went to High School in Japan? He’s working on a new movie project, by the way. And just to wrap things up, here’s an artist’s impression of what Star Wars characters would look like as done by Akira Kurasawa.