Isa, Japan, Japan, Japan!

"But nothing ever happens in Japan!" several young Japanese I've known have said to me in the past.

I tried to explain my own belief that "when nothing ever happens, that's good!" - grown out of that quote - and I wish I could remember who said it - that "The life of the planet is like the life of a soldier: long periods where nothing happens followed by moments of screaming terror." - but they didn't get it.

I guess they do now.

This devastation isn't some remote event happening at the far ends of the earth.  We know these souls who have suffered through and are still suffering through the worst situation I can ever imagine. We know names and faces and histories and stories involving people who this is actually happening to.

Sendai is the little city where Talei did her Japanese Student Exchange four years ago.  She went to High School there and home-stayed with several exceptionally lovely families, so she met a lot of locals she found immensely kind and hospitable and she loved them and the city.  You may recall I flew out to join her as chaperon to her school group during the "traveling around" part of her Japan Exchange, and that is what makes this is particularly hard; that we have names and faces, histories and stories of real people who this has happened to ... and is still happening to ... there's an alert out right now about another tsunami heading their way ...

... and Sendai High School was so kind to Talei's High School in Innisfail, in North Queensland, when Cyclone Larry wiped out their town two years ago ...

... so now it's time for a return of that kindness, except we can't find out what has happened to Sendai High School. Nor what's happened to those families we know either.

Look, we really do have to thank Google for those message boards they've put up for this crisis.  When there's nothing else available, it's genuinely nice to have a place to inquire after the people we know and to see if there's any way we can help. Of course, we aren't yet getting replies because they're not yet re-organised for that - at least that's what we're telling ourselves - but when there's nothing else, it's a way of feeling you've at least done something.

Isa, poor Sendai, poor Japan.  The "haarp" talk has gone up several notches, by the way.  Everyone around is still blaming the Americans for all this.  I am, however, still recounting with "Gaia" and what is particularly good is that I'm having to explain what I mean less and less all the time as more and more folks are taking this hypothesis on board.

And if you aren't one of those folk who know about "Gaia Theory" it's the belief that Mother Earth is a living entity who will not allow Herself to be destroyed and, once she reaches somewhere just before 'the point of no return' she will toss off the offending species in any way she can.

So that's my explanation of what's happening: that we are living through these moments of screaming terror because Gaia is saying "Enough!" and getting rid of us! 

Although that's no salve for Sendai and the rest of Japan right at this moment.

Isa, poor, poor Japan.  I guess it's time to bring that old word out of the mothballs. Poor BELEAGUERED Japan!

And if you too would like to help, you can find out here:

Red Cross International:  www.icrc.org
Google Crisis Response: www.google.com/crisisresponse
International Medical Corps: www.internationalmedicalcorps.org