So earlier this week, I got my first taste of an earthquake.  It was small, but it was not fun.  The Earth simply should not move, other than on its regularly scheduled trek around the sun.

Since that will probably not be my last earthquake -- and since many in the community clearly live in earthquake zones -- I have created a handy dandy guide for surviving the next earthquake below the fold.

Please feel free to add anything to this list you feel would help.

From CNN.com:

One reason the California earthquake caused only minor damage was new, tough building codes enacted since the deadly Northridge quake in 1994, according to an expert with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Or in other words, sensible regulation saves lives.

Most of my family lives in the Los Angeles area, so when I heard about the quake that struck Tuesday, I was concerned. . .

. . . until I heard it was “only” a 5.8 (later downgraded to a 5.4). Anything under a 6, and I think, “not to worry.”

Conservative Minister John Hommins of the First Evangelical Church in Missoula, MT has announced that today's 5.8 earth quake in Southern California is god's retribution against the homosexuals of San Francisco.

In the church's press release he states:

They were originally going to move me to the Santa Clarita Valley.  That would have been the epicenter.

I was just jolted out of my apartment by an earthquake here in LA.  CNN reports a 5.8 magnitude:

http://www.cnn.com/...

All of our phones are down, so if you know someone in the region don't bother calling.  Besides, the phone lines should be left open in case there is a real emergency.  It is worth noting that I got a text from my girlfriend, and of course the Internet is still working for now.

I live in los Angeles and we just experienced a 5.8 earthquake.

I am in Orange County and felt a large earthquake

Everybody okay?

My days writing a blog seemed filled with catastrophe, war, and outrage at those who do not stand up for what is right. But when the history of last month’s cataclysmic earthquake in China is written, the story of Ye Zhiping will be remembered. Hopefully, it will not only be remembered in China.

I can’t say for sure that Principal Ye knew the story of  the "The Foolish Old Man Who Moved the Mountains," but I suspect that he did, as well as the Sangzao Middle School students and their parents. This ancient Chinese folktale dates back to the Han Dynasty and is well known throughout China.  

When I first read about Principal Ye, I thought of this story. I realize that it is not ecologically sound—the image brings to my mind actual scenes of mountains in Appalachia decimated by coal mining—but I hope that doesn’t get in the way of appreciating the old tale. This is the way I remember it:

As I sit here in Florida awaiting the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, I am watching the latest news coverage of floods wreaking devastation on local communities in the Midwest.  I can’t help but wonder:

a) Are these people insured?
b) Is their coverage worth the paper the policy is printed on?
c) How will they re-build their lives?

The scale of disasters overwhelm us. Whether it is in China, Myanmar, Katrina or now Iowa, it can be difficult to understand the plight of others, to know what to do in response. Being human, we are limited. Being human, we do the best we can -- sometimes all we can do is to try.

Here is an example, I think, from an organization and a group of people who are doing some very good, much needed work on the ground in China. Just one group among many who have come together, in response to the earthquake one month ago.

Half The Sky is an NGO whose goal is to improve the lives and prospects of orphaned children in China. They provide material aid, but also provide training for the special care and needs of orphans. Since the 8.0 earthquake, they have worked closely with local governmental agencies overwhelmed by the needs of thousands of newly orphaned children.

Following are clips from letters from Jenny Bowen, and it provides a point of view on the ground with the kids. Reprinted with permission.

For more Half the Sky Journals and pictures, please go here:
http://www.halfthesky.org/...
http://www.halfthesky.org/...

I am located in Tokyo, and we just felt a long duration earthquake of average intensity starting at 8:43 a.m. local time Saturday morning, June 14, 2008. (Not enough to cause damage here.) However, the Japan Meteorological Agency reports that in the northern part of the main Japanese island the earthquake is of a very significant intensity.

BBC News has this breaking story on their front page, as do all the other major news sources. Sadly, at least three people are reported dead, at least seven missing, and at least 110 injured, some badly. Reports continue to pour in, and it is very likely there will be significantly more casualties.

More details below the fold....

It has been 10 long days since the devastating 8.0 Sichuan earthquake and although there have been several recent rescues of people that have been trapped for 9 days, the mission has moved into the recovery stage.

According to China Daily Online, there are 5 million homeless in the region and 32,666 still missing. There are 25,681 still in hospital.

Many children have been orphaned but all have been adopted.

Today marks the first of three official days of mourning in China for the victims of the (newly-uprated) 8.0 earthquake in Sichuan. All "public entertainment activities" are suspended, as is the Olympic torch relay.

As the search for survivors has now turned into body recovery and burial, China is fast becoming "old news." More significantly, and more sadly, is that news about the on-going Burmese typhoon tragedy has been "old news" for several days now for the majority of American news outlets. The Sudan? Zimbabwe? Palestine? India? A google search will have to suffice.

We need to take a minute to mourn with those who mourn this day.

Last Monday, a 7.9 8.0 magnitude earthquake devastated areas of Sichuan Province, crumbling roads and buildings, laying waste to entire towns and villages. The death count is now over 32,000, and they expect it to rise to above 50,000.

According to Bloomberg, over 200,000 people have been injured, over 220,000 have been evacuated. 4.7 million homes have been destroyed in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. 4.8 million people have been displaced. 12.5 million animals and livestock have died, and their decomposing corpses threaten outbreaks of disease as people struggle for clean water, food and shelter.

Today China begins three days of mourning. I ask you to join me in a simple, humane gesture, wherever you are, whatever time zone you are in, whenever you read this.

The people of China will observe three minutes of silence in recognition of the widespread grief and devastation wrought by the quake upon millions of lives, as yet unfolding...

Just before the Chinese nation was to start a 3-day period of national mourning for the  estimated 32,000 dead in Sichuan, the latest in a series of aftershocks has shaken the region and killed three more.

New Tremor Hits China on Eve of Three-Day Mourning

This diary is a series of brief impressions about the effect of this tragedy on the Chinese--and its lack of effect in the US?

I remember when the World Trade center was bombed in New York City. I lived there at the time. It was shocking, but what blew my mind more was the response from all over the world--the photographs from almost every country of people gathering in candlelit ceremonies to grieve with the US, to support the US.
What also kind of blew my mind was how long the situation was "milked" in New York and DC for sympathy. Many people may find this offensive, but there will be more after the fold...

Recent 'acts of God' have gone unclaimed by US televangelists

If you have watched any news programming or read a newspaper over the past two weeks, you would know that a recent spate of natural disasters so far this month have plagued residents in separate areas of the planet.   On May 2nd, Cyclone Nargis assailed the nation of Myanmar (formerly Burma).  This storm had sustained winds of 135 miles per hour (comparable to a weak Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale) and swept just south of the capital of Yangon (Rangoon).  It is estimated that over 100,000 people may have lost their lives due to this cyclone.