Virgo
Monday Afternoon
My wife and kids are at home and haven’t felt any shaking where they are. As it happens, I was at an out of town meeting when the room started to shake. We ran for the doorways, though I doubted they would provide much protection if the concrete building we were in crumbled. We are all safe. When the shaking stopped, we went outside.
I am just 50 miles from the epicenter. I heard that some older buildings fell, but I have seen no damage where I am. It is a little hard to know what might be damage and what was already broken…
People have all headed to the streets. Shops are closed. I am sitting outside Starbucks using their wireless Internet to read online about happened.
A friend is with me who wants to go to the west side of the city, but he said no buses or taxis are going that way. He wasn’t sure if that was “not allowed” or “not able” (roadways overwhelmed).
Good news is we are all safe.
Monday Evening
We went to our hotel and found that some tiles fell off the wall and crashed on the lobby floor. They weren’t letting anyone in the building so we walked about 20 minutes to a western restaurant. On the way we saw a broken plate glass window. Another building had big cracks in it, but they may have just been the plaster that was broken.
Most places were closed. Some said they have no electric but we saw lights on in various places. While eating our supper, there was an aftershock.
We went back to the hotel and were able to get in at 9 p.m “to get our things” from our 15th floor room, but we stayed inside until there was a substantial aftershock.
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Comments
Re: China Earthquake: The Ground Is Wiggling
By Bud Oracle (not verified), May 27, 2008 at 22:20Get the heck out of Iraq where you are killing people through you illegal presence by the score, daily,
Where are the tears for the Iraqis, are they less than the Chinese? America has willfully killed more than twice the number of the earthquake victims, in Iraq. Civilians. Many children have been killed there since the embargo on Sadam. Get the h*ll out of Iraq first before I believe anything from America again.
Stop oppressing your own people, give them health care before you make a big show of helping/commiserating with the Chinese.
Re: China Earthquake: The Ground Is Wiggling
By Robyn Stubbs, May 26, 2008 at 14:31"I feel deeply for the victims, yet far removed."
This sentence made complete sense to me. I am halfway around the world in Canada, and when something like happens on such a large scale in a country so far away, it's difficult to comprehend the personal suffering of each person affected by the quake. Perhaps it's a defence mechanism triggered by the mind. It's only very recently that I've really digested what happened, what IS happening and the intense trauma being felt by so many. I've read the death toll could reach 80,000 or more - how does anyone comprehend that number?
Re: China Earthquake: The Ground Is Wiggling
By Bud Oracle (not verified), May 27, 2008 at 11:21Robyn this is so true normally:
"it's difficult to comprehend the personal suffering of each person affected by the quake. Perhaps it's a defence mechanism triggered by the mind"
Sadly this is not true for me, that's why I try to occupy my mind with less traumatic things. Due to the combination of several extremely traumatic life experiences (for some see http://live.orato.com/sports/2008/05/05/talk-tasers-and-death-stimulates...)
as well as the use of LSD and my contention that I have opened many doors of perception which I can no longer close (see http://live.orato.com/current-events/2008/04/29/personal-tribute-albert-...).
This is one of the filters that I have lost with my LSD use, I believe. Although it might seem crass to go here under this truly painful event, my belief is never to filter out insight when it appears for the sake of conformity. Here that would be reverence for the suffering thousands of people.
The moment I allow myself to travel to China and these people's plight, I smell fear, closed in tight places, I feel thirst, hunger and pain. I hear screaming in Chinese, I feel sorrow overwhelming me and hope fading. Tears stream down my face. I have to turn away to other mental engagements (such as this). My heart goes out to all. What a contrite statement that is, eh?
Some who read this will take it as a warning never to open those doors of perception and to stay away from LSD. I would evaluate this vicarious emotional connection with the suffering of strangers, a gift, troublesome as it may be at times.
The moment I saw the video of the plane disappearing into the towers I was in the cabin gripped by terror and fear, surrounded by screams as the realization of what was going to happen, befell those people. On that emotional impact I was spurred on to do this almost a half year later; http://live.orato.com/current-events/2008/04/29/personal-tribute-albert-...
I believe it was also behind being able to see feel the victim's plight in this http://live.orato.com/current-events/2008/04/28/i-trusted-rcmp
To some it may seem crass marketing to piggy-back my personal thoughts on this article. l don't. It is part of the reality/web of life how these things affect each of us personally, especially when they impact larger questions. The Government, nor anyone, has a right to keep me from living life in a deeper richer way, any way I choose. I truly resent the moronic constant marketing of the falsehood that drugs are bad for you, that they limit your life, that they make you stupid.They are not in any way worse than alcohol. TherE is a certain percentage of the population which will have substance abuse problems irregardless of the legality of the substance. It's a normal human condition, not something that the "holier than thee" have a right to criminalize someone for!
I see no evidence of that in any of my life experience. You judge your own lives and leave my life to me. Don't try to limit me in any way if I am not interfering with you. Keep to your own world and leave others to their life.
We need more people who can think and feel deeply, rather than moan stupid religious conformity with standard consoling phrases, throw a few coins, but never change their lifestyles like give up driving for the sake of life on this planet. second article Tech and us http://republic-news.org/archive/127-repub/127_letters.htm klaus kaczor
YET I'M THE FRIGGIN' CRIMINAL? WHAT YOU HAVE IS OPPRESSION OF NOT ONLY FREE CHOICE, BUT THOSE WHO ARE LIBERATED ENOUGH MENTALLY, NOT TO CONFORM, SENSITIVE ENOUGH TO FEEL DEEPLY. THAT IS THE REALITY FOR PROHIBITION OF POT AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, LIKE LSD, SO THAT THE GREEDY CAN RULE THE GULLIBLE! THE CRITICAL, REVOLUTIONARY, VISIONARY COMPASSIONATE THINKERS ARE SIDELINED, REDUCED IN STATURE---SIMPLY BY PAINTING THEM IRRELEVANT, BECAUSE THEY ARE "DRUG USERS"---SO THAT THE SHEEP CAN BE FLEECED.
MY FEELINGS AND INSIGHTS-- ALL OF THEM--- ARE JUST AS RELEVANT TO THIS TRAGEDY, AS THE STANDARD ENDLESSLY REPEATED CONDOLENCES/BEST WISHES MANTRA, IF NOT MORE SO.