Morning Babble 6

The first Monday of 2009.   This may be a long year...

Blast!

An article appeared on Yahoo recently, reporting an unusual increase in the numbers of earthquakes in and around Yellowstone National Monument.  Now, I watch a lot of 'science' TV, so the news immediately re-ran the 'Supervolcano' programming on my mental monitor.

Yellowstone is apparently one, enormous, 'super' volcano, with an unimaginable amount of molten magma percolating beneath it, just waiting to burst forth and ruin our day. That knowledge puts 'Old Faithful' geyser, and those picturesque springs, weeps, and bubbling sulfur ponds, in a different sort of perspective.

The kind of blast we are talking about would take out my home port, Los Angeles, and much of the western US.  The gloomiest of doomsayers predict the affects of all that ash from the volcano (and burning cities!) would screw up the world weather so badly that much of life on earth would be whacked.  

One of the last programs mentioning this Yellowstone Supervolcano story said scientists believe Yellowstone has entered the 'Red Zone'.  One of the tell-tales of an impending blow-up is an unusual increase in earthquake activity.  

Hmm, remember that Yahoo story  I mentioned?  

More Muddlier Than Ever

Back to 'The Muddle East' again, and the US still can't make the right moves.  

Sure, Israel had good reason to retaliate against Hamas rocket attacks, which had increased in number to several hundred in the month of December alone (according to an article in 'The Economist'), but is Israel's response acceptable?   I suppose that depends on whether you believe Israel can do no wrong and the Palestinians are all evil, or have some less black or white take on the situation.  

What is certain, is that whoever is really in charge in Israel and in Hamas can't play nice, don't want to play nice, and wish we'd all stop looking at them and spoiling their game. And the current US administration obliges.  

Meanwhile, men, women, and children who wish nothing more than to work, be with their families, practice their religion, and enjoy life are getting hurt everyday, in Gaza and in Israel.