Tsunami Surprises California

After a magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck near the Kuril Islands off the northern cost of Japan last Wednesday, a series of tsunami waves hit California's Crescent City Harbor. Although a tsunami warning was issued 17 minutes after the quake struck, it was later canceled almost 5 hours before the main surge struck the harbor, causing more than half a million dollars worth of damage to the docks there. This is a case where the technology apparently worked, but an error in human judgement may have been made.

• Read the full story.
• See video about the damage.
• Find resources on tsunami preparedness.

APEC Speaks Out Against N. Korea Nukes... Sort Of

The APEC meeting held in Vietnam has ended with a statement from members of the 21 nations council urging the North Koreans to take adequate steps to discontinue building nuclear weapons. Oh yeah, like that's gonna stop them. And this was only a verbal statement, which carries about as much weight as a U.N. Resolution - basically worthless jibber jab. So why was this left out of the official written statement? My guess is that they don't want to confront Kim Jong-il. It seems even the South Koreans are afraid to intercept North Korean ships to stop the nuclear weapons program there and prevent the spread of its nuclear technology to terrorists and rogue nations.

More Signs of Global Warming?

A recent report by the NOAA called "State of the Arctic" apparently provides more evidence that things are heating up over there. It seems that the amount of arctic ice continues to decline while green vegetation continues to grow in the Arctic tundra. So what to do about all this? Well, some scientists actually think we should pollute the atmosphere even more to offset global warming. Or maybe we should try burning down all the trees instead? Who are they kidding?! Sometimes the geniuses in white lab coats need to step out into the real world and take a good strong dose of common sense.

U.N. to Issue 'Much Stronger' Climate Report

According to this news story, an upcoming report on melting ice caps, rising seas and rising temperatures by a U.N. scientific network will offer more evidence of how man is changing Earth’s climate. Set to be released next February, it will be the fourth report in a series of assessments conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a global network of some 2,000 climate scientists. Now I hear that global warming could also mean more ferocious wildfires. So is this an inconvenient truth or a convenient one? You be the judge.

U.N. Finds Plutonium at Iranian Nuclear Site

Call this the case of the smoking nukes. Although this is not absolute proof the Iranians are building a nuclear bomb, this is the closest evidence yet that they are on their way. Apparently, new traces of plutonium and enriched uranium — potential material for atomic warheads — have been found in a nuclear waste facility in Iran. Of course, President What's-His-Name insists that it's all for peaceful purposes. Yeah, sure, right. Wink. Wink. I mean, what are they going to say, the Truth? "We want to build nuclear bombs so we can finally wipe out Israel from the face of this Earth?" The truth shall set you free, but in this case, all it will get them is a bad case of the carpet-bomb burn. So keep on lying, y'all, keep on lying.

FDA Posts New Tamiflu Warning

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that Tamiflu, a prescription drug manufactured by Roche and used for treating influenza, may cause abnormal behavior such as self-injury and hallucination, especially in children. The drug will now have to carry a new warning stating that those taking it for the flu should be monitored closely for confusion and abnormal behavior. So for all those that have built a private stockpile out there in preparation for the coming pandemic, this one's for you.

Texas Border Watch Site Goes Live

Arm-chair border patrol agents are now able to participate in a virtual "border watch" after a dozen web cameras and an associated web site became operational this week. The camera views can be accessed at www.texasborderwatch.com once you sign up and log in. If you're sick and tired of hearing all the stories about illegal immigrants, potential terrorists, and the drug smuggling along the southern border, this is a great way to get more involved and lend an eye.

Iran Threatens Israel with Retaliation

Yep, he's at it again. President "Kill all Jews" What's-His-Name of Iran is threatening Israel with retaliation if the Israelis go in and attack suspected nuclear sites in Iran. No surprise here. He's been threatening to wipe out Israel for quite some time already, and what better way to do it than to develop nuclear weapons. So let's all put this in perspective. The U.N. has about an 80% chance of failure in terms of stopping Iran's nuclear program. Too many gutless pansies and suspect allies on the board. And now that the Democrats have taken over Congress, U.S. foreign policy will be emasculated and become isolationist again so there's a 90% chance we won't go after Iran on our own either. That leaves Israel with a 95 % chance of taking out the Iranian nukes like they did with the Iraqi nuclear site and leaves Iran with a 100% chance of retaliation. Any way you see it, the forecast for peace in the Mideast does not look good.

Castro's Death Bed?

According to this AP story, U.S. officials don't believe Cuba's Fidel Castro will last through the end of next year. Now if that's based on credible intelligence rather than political wishful thinking, then perhaps the Cuban people will finally begin to wake up from the nightmare of dictatorship and start to realize the dream of freedom and prosperity that they deserve. That will also mean that Venezuela's Hugo "I wanna be Fidel" Chavez will have one less sandbox buddy to play with. Of course, that still leaves us with North Korea's Kim "I wanna have a nuclear phallus" Jong-il and good ol' "I wanna be Hitler" What's-His-Name in Iran as the remaining Three Jackasses of the Apocalypse.

Reality Check 101

"This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."
- Morpheus, The Matrix.

If reality bites, then Ultimate Reality tears you apart, and the Ultimate Reality is that this world is a dangerous place and is getting more so. The way I see it, we have two choices. We can either stick our head in the sand and pretend everything is fine or we can face the Truth head on. So just what will it take for you to take the red pill? Since you're here, you've already taken the first step. But this site isn't designed to scare you sh*tless into paralysis and inaction. It's designed to keep you informed, to provide you with situational awareness and the tools you'll need so that you will begin to take action.

"I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid... you're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin."
- Neo, The Matrix.