9.0 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

[jlprk]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

I said in my lifetime, old sport.

Can you buy some beer for me?

 

[barfo]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

I said in my lifetime, old sport.

Can you buy some beer for me?

I'll buy you all the beer you want if you just stay the hell off my lawn.

barfo

 

[Minstrel]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

I said in my lifetime, old sport.

1964 is before you were born? I didn't realize you were younger than me. Considerably younger than me.

 

[PapaG]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

It says the waves were 7-foot waves. Those happen every day there. Surfers don't get up off their towels for that. I guess you could call it a tsunami, even when it arrives unnoticeably as a regular-sized wave. I'm talking about tsunamis that hurt anyone.

There are about 10,000 times as many tsunami alerts as there are tsunamis that hurt anyone.

When I hear the word tsunami, I think, "Yeah, right." The only real tsunami, travelling thousands of miles, that killed anyone that I've noticed in my lifetime is the one of a couple of years ago, which started in Indonesia, yet killed people in India. That is extremely rare. You might find one or two more that didn't get as much publicity so I forgot them, but the point is, when you hear the word tsunami, be skeptical that it's not just a short-range tidal wave, while respecting the trouble that it's causing, of course.

Think of the force it takes for a wave to go from Japan to Oregon. Oregon authorities issue warnings so they won't be criticized later by panic artists for sleeping through it, which they probably did after issuing the warnings.

Good call. Opinion on everything, master of nothing. Plus, some lookie-loos had to be pulled out of the water in Gold Beach after ignoring the warnings. Usually your idiotic rants are amusing, but you dangerously missed on this one.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A tsunami generated from a massive killer earthquake in Japan slammed into two Northern California coastal communities Friday, capsizing and damaging several boats and leaving the waters littered with debris.

Officials reported that the tide pulled back about 8 inches over a five-minute period nearby at Pillar Point, setting the scene for the destruction in Santa Cruz. At least 15 fishing and pleasure crafts were ripped from their moorings and heavily damaged during the surge.

Two docks also sustained major damage during the surge. Local officials had declared an emergency and estimated the damage at $2 million.

Meanwhile, to the north in Crescent City, the tsunami caused heavy damage to the harbor town.

 

[jlprk]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

1964 is before you were born? I didn't realize you were younger than me. Considerably younger than me.

I'll say anything to win an argument.

You really went for that stuff about me in Japan, Hawaii, and Southern California?

How could I have possibly lived in Southern California?

 

[jlprk]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

A tsunami generated from a massive killer earthquake in Japan slammed into two Northern California coastal communities Friday, capsizing and damaging several boats and leaving the waters littered with debris.

My expert opinion is that El Presidente planted that article. Besides, did it get to Oregon? Who cares about those welfare rats in California? If you don't like enjoying our great country and not complaining about tidal waves, move to Libya.

 

[PapaG]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

My expert opinion is that El Presidente planted that article. Besides, did it get to Oregon? Who cares about those welfare rats in California? If you don't like enjoying our great country and not complaining about tidal waves, move to Libya.

The answer to that is found in my post.

Anyhow, I know from years of experience that you're basically a gimmick (or possibly a caricature of your gimmick these days), and I'm fine with that.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

My expert opinion is that El Presidente planted that article.

Its what I do.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lan...y-harbor-destroyed-people-swept-into-sea.html

Eight-foot waves from the Japan tsunami destroyed much of Crescent City harbor, battered boats, closed the 101 Freeway and left one person missing.

KDRV-TV reported that four people were washed out to sea Friday. Three were hurt and one is feared dead.

Local residents reported that about three dozen boats were "crushed" in the harbor and that surging waters significantly damaged or destroyed most of the docks. Ocean water surging up Elk Creek north of the harbor reportedly lapped up to front doors of the community's cultural center.

Officials were warning residents to expect higher surges throughout the day, one resident said by telephone. Officials from the Sheriff's Department and the city could not be reached. Crescent City, near the Oregon border, was the scene of a devastating tsunami in 1964 which killed 11 people and destroyed 289 homes and businesses.

 

[jlprk]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

The answer to that is found in my post.

Crescent City is 20 miles south of Oregon. Since you have lost all crediibility, I rest my case.

 

[PapaG]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

Crescent City is 20 miles south of Oregon. Since you have lost all crediibility, I rest my case.

Gold Beach is in Oregon.

You not being able to read has nothing to do with my supposed lack of credibility.

 

[Colonel Ronan]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

My dad is in Tokyo for business but we just heard from him this morning. He was on the 11th floor of the hotel when the first earthquake hit and the building was evacuated. He said that he never realized a building could sway that far! Thankfully Japan is built to handle these sort of 'quakes but it was still scary!

 

[PapaG]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

My dad is in Tokyo for business but we just heard from him this morning. He was on the 11th floor of the hotel when the first earthquake hit and the building was evacuated. He said that he never realized a building could sway that far! Thankfully Japan is built to handle these sort of 'quakes but it was still scary!

I just saw on the teevee that parts of Japan literally sank far beneath sea level, and are now large bodies of water. Maps may have to be withdrawn, or so they reported.

 

[Denny Crane]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

A tsunami moves at 500 mph. A tidal wave doesn't. Therefore, a tsunami covers long distances and a tidal wave doesn't. If dictionaries nowadays disagree, take a time machine back to Hawaii, early 60s, where we and the local media had the word clearly defined while nobody in the 48 states had ever heard the word, and argue with them. If the word has since been dumbed down and Americanized, that's not my fault. Have a cheeseburger.

I lived in Japan 2 years. Then I lived in Hawaii 4 years, and went through several tsunami alerts including about 3 Waikiki evacuations. (I didn't live in Waikiki, but I sure heard about it from my schoolmates who had to move out for the night.) Then I lived in Southern California and went through the media panicking over many earthquakes, including several that I felt. The famous 1971 San Fernando earthquake (see link) shook my bed so much that I woke up, hopped out of bed fully awake after only 2 hours of sleep, and spread my legs standing, as i had learned to do in my several previous earthquakes. It's more fun to feel an earthquake that way.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/historical.php

An hour ago there were a 5.0 and a 5.7 in the same place as the 7.1 and 8.9 Japan ones.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/

A wave that is caused by the displacement of enormous volumes of water is a Tsunami, whether it travels 1 mile or 4000 miles.

But since you use the term "tidal wave," the dictionary definition is a hoot.

tsunami [tsʊˈnæmɪ]
n pl -mis, -mi
1. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a large, often destructive, sea wave produced by a submarine earthquake, subsidence, or volcanic eruption. Sometimes incorrectly called a tidal wave.

 

[Denny Crane]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

I just saw on the teevee that parts of Japan literally sank far beneath sea level, and are now large bodies of water. Maps may have to be withdrawn, or so they reported.

Geez. They have half the population of the US living in an area the size of California, and that was before all this.

 

[PapaG]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

Geez. They have half the population of the US living in an area the size of California, and that was before all this.

Watching the live helicopter video now, and the miles and miles of underwater areas, and I feel very small and in complete awe of our planet.

Things look much, much worse now than I thought they would. What's ironic about this is while Japan was as modern as a society can be in being constructed to tolerate earthquakes, now that their capabilities were surpassed, the clean-up will be much, much more costly than the resorts and small villages wiped out in the '05 tsunami in Indonesia.

I'm stunned. My Mom called my brother and me telling us to move out of the NW, so that was kind of funny and reactionary. She relocated to Montana years ago. What's going on in CA? What's the vibe? We're heading to Disneyland next week with the kiddos.

 

[jlprk]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

There was a difference in definitions, so I anticipated that a dictionary would be mentioned, so I answered the objection before anyone brought up dictionaries.

If dictionaries nowadays disagree, take a time machine back to Hawaii, early 60s, where we and the local media had the word clearly defined while nobody in the 48 states had ever heard the word, and argue with them. If the word has since been dumbed down and Americanized, that's not my fault. Have a cheeseburger.

Always on your toes, this gave you the bright idea to think about dictionaries and raise the objection that I had answered.

But since you use the term "tidal wave," the dictionary definition is a hoot.

tsunami [tsʊˈnæmɪ]
n pl -mis, -mi
1. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a large, often destructive, sea wave produced by a submarine earthquake, subsidence, or volcanic eruption. Sometimes incorrectly called a tidal wave.

For my response, see the beginning of the post you are now reading.

 

[Denny Crane]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

It has always had the definition I posted. The science behind what a Tsunami is is well documented, and nothing newer than the 1960s or even 1860s.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

This was posted on Wednesday:

[video=youtube;r7QAZPb-IEQ]

 

[jlprk]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

It has always had the definition I posted. The science behind what a Tsunami is is well documented, and nothing newer than the 1960s or even 1860s.

You must be old enough to be Minstrel's father. Well, her older brother at least. Well, 1860s, you could be her younger brother. This makes you an authority on forensic diachronic etymology.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

I'll say, to break off from the meteorology and oceanography track, that my particular vantage point has reinforced some stereotypes about the Japanese.

At the worker-bee level, the people in security, customer service, janitorial staff, etc. couldn't have been nicer, and seemed to be quite orderly in how they were working last night and this morning. But they were hamstrung when asked questions about things that entail a modicum of flexibility or problem-solving. They were waiting on orders for common-sense (in my opinion) things--which I understand, from living here for a year--but the decision-makers weren't at the airport and weren't going to be at the airport. They needed (for lack of a better word) an on-scene commander.

And then today, planes are ready to go (some have taken off), and the crews are about to load up, and we get word from Japanese gov't ATC that they can't tell us when our departures will be or from what gates. But the operations folks at each airline says they're ready to go.

I know, small potatoes compared to some of the devastation elsewhere, but it's an interesting study in culture.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

and btw, I didn't check this out before I left (since I was just passing through Narita on the way back), but I looked it up today and the yen's trading at 79 Y to the dollar. I can't ever remember it that low. McD's burgers at the airport are costing guys 12 bucks. (they're making off like bandits, though...they were the first restaurant to let the employees open up last night/this morning and there are lines throughout the terminal. I refuse to pay $12 for a "Big American", though) How bad is the dollar going to get?

 

[jlprk]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

But they were hamstrung when asked questions about things that entail a modicum of flexibility or problem-solving. They were waiting on orders for common-sense (in my opinion) things

Are they always robotic, or just during this confusing emergency? It's an interesting cultural difference if the former, understandable if the latter.

CNBC said today that the yen remains strong as the dollar declines. Their logic: Less oil from Libya and maybe Saudi Arabia will hurt us, but Japan will now use less oil because of this earthquake, so they won't be hurt, so the yen isn't down. I really questioned their logic. Seems like Japan will use more oil to recover, not less.

Brian, do American military and families still have to bow when anywhere close to the emperor? I remember my mother almost hitting his motorcade while driving and nodding her head in apology profusely while sitting in our car. She kept repeating, "Very sorry." Early 1950s. Japanese were amazed at McArthur's politeness orders after what they had done to China.

 

[MARIS61]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

How horrible of a person am I that after Godzilla, this was the 2nd thought to pop into my head?

How horrible are the oil company execs whose 1st thought it was?

 

[BrianFromWA]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

it's not a 'have to" (anymore?), but it's a sign of respect. I was able to get a lot further with my questions/requests last night when speaking softly, asking clear questions, bowing when differing (to show that I wasn't trying to make them lose face, but that I disagreed respectfully), and saying "sir" and "thank you". Unlike people who were getting angry, raising their voice...those people seemed to become invisible to some of the people in "charge". It's not that much of a stretch from what I normally do (bowing my head aside), but it has major implications in Japanese culture, especially speaking to someone with a bit of authority and especially in front of his/her subordinates.

 

[MARIS61]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

"This Earthquake for Dummies"
[video]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42039197#42038898[/video]

 

[MARIS61]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

tell that to families who have lost loved ones in the last 12or so hours. I'm sure the people who lost a father, son, daughter, or mother all agree with you

You miss my point, that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Millions of people could die in the following weeks, months, and years due to radiation poisoning and cancers caused by exposure from man's stupidity and greed for power as these nuke plants crumble and fail.

Where do these people live?

http://www.stelzriede.com/ms/html/mshwfugo.htm

 

[MARIS61]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

I have a good friend who is a professor at Kanagawa University. Trying to get in touch but so far no luck.

 

[jlprk]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

it's not a 'have to" (anymore?), but it's a sign of respect. I was able to get a lot further with my questions/requests last night when speaking softly, asking clear questions, bowing when differing (to show that I wasn't trying to make them lose face, but that I disagreed respectfully), and saying "sir" and "thank you". Unlike people who were getting angry, raising their voice...those people seemed to become invisible to some of the people in "charge".

Velly interesting. I like your description of how brusque people become invisible to them. Now that I think of it, I've often seen even Japanese here on the mainland turn their heads away from people talking to them and walk away, as if too busy to be bored with their boorishness.

Anyway, we were under orders to treat Hirohito as our superior. That meant servicemen saluting and dependents bowing to his motorcade.

Maris, you once read my account of Japan in a biography I wrote.

 

[MARIS61]

Re: 8.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan

Yes. I lost it when my laptop died on me last summer. I didn't backup anything.

Send me another copy?

How close is Yokohama to the danger?