Yikes.

earthquake hits iceland

read here (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080529/ap_on_re_eu/iceland_earthquake)

Is this unexpected. The country is exactly on the mid-Atlantic ridge. Plate tectonics are they.

Small earthquakes are a daily occurence, but for precisely that reason the tension doesn't build up enough to produce major earthquakes. So yes, an earthquake of this magnitude is rare - and exceptionally rare in Iceland.

There is a volcano not too far from the epicenter that is overdue for eruption they say. There was another small earthquake when I was there a few years back not far away near Vik. Maybe this is the start of something.

David, Selfoss is the first town we stopped in for snacks on our first morning there. A lot of surface activity near there. You might remember this is where we saw the steam venting from the surface.

You can see a recording from a northern Norwegian seismic station here (http://www.norsar.no/cgi-bin/datashow.cgi?sta=ARC&year=2008&doy=150)

Here's a blog (http://ljosberinn.livejournal.com/2722.html)from someone in Iceland.

B+W photos.

An Icelander once showed me this lovely page that combines weather and earthquake reports:

http://www.vedur.is/skjalftar-og-eldgos/jardskjalftar

As you see, quakes under 3 are very common and occur daily. This one was a bit bigger than usual and isn't too far from where the plates divide.

B+W photos.Quite a mess. Notice the Misfits shirt on the last one.

So every once in a while, I get some comments on my blog about the things I write.

Today I made a post about the earthquake in Iceland.

Here is a comment I received:

Only two months ago, Bjork announced on a Shanghai stage her support for a FREE TIBET. A Tibet free from China's rule and a return to the day's of leadership under the Dali Lama.

And now an earthquake strikes Bjork's homeland of Finland. Coincidence? I think not. Karma wreaks her deadly wrath despite Sharron Stone's denials.

Soon after Bjork's public proclamation, an uprising of the Dali Lama's supporters plunged Lhasa into turmoil. Rampaging monks and followers stabbed and beat many Han Chinese and ethic minority Muslims to their death. They set fire to business and homes and many died a horrific death in the flames. Many observers recorded their shock and horror in blogs and messages sent over the internet. Surprised that the mainstream news was reporting a crackdown by the Chinese authorities, while they said 'what I saw were ethnic Tibetans on a rampage, attacking any minority ethnic Chinese or Muslim and killing several'. To my surprise, NO mainstream news ever reported any of these eyewitness statements on the internet, radio, or television to my knowledge. On the contrary, they all reported only of a China Government crackdown after a (as many characterized it) 'a peaceful uprising of monks'. Even more surprising were the images presented along with the print articles and the broadcast news. Pictures of uniformed troops beating monks with batons and other images of violent action by the military/police against what are clearly unarmed monks in robes. However, almost all images clearly showed Nepal military personnel, in Nepalese uniforms. The remaining images showed personnel in India police uniforms. I am certain that almost all viewers assumed that these pictures were of Chinese Troops using undue force during the current Tibet uprising.

I could go on and describe the institutionalized slavery, rampant polygamy, class-based society which existed in traditional Tibet (akin to India, along with their 'untouchable' class). Suffice to say...

Bjork started this wave of terrorism - and KARMA RESPONDS!!!

I sincerely apologize to all Icelanders harmed by this earthquake. Both for using this tragedy as an opportunity to speak out against ignorance (albeit well-intentioned, i.e. the FREE TIBET movement). And to speak out against outright inhumanity (that a people would deserve death for a government’s actions beyond their control).

No just God, especially one characterized as a ‘Loving God’ metes out such misery upon the innocent. And no just system, whether karmic or legalistic, would choose this path of terror.

Terrible things happen, and all we should do as humans is to understand this without chasing illusions of justification for our personal ideology.

I sincerely hope everyone in Iceland affected by this earthquake can soon overcome this event.

Rusty Freedom

Good thing I have tracking software on the blog.

See? It's that Harry Potter

I hope the damage wasn't so severe...

I don't know about other parts of the world these days, but here in Japan, we've been overloaded with the news from China about that big quake from a couple of weeks ago. Everyday almost 1/3 of the news at a 1/2 hr. news show is taken up by that. And the scale of that quake was and still is just unthinkable...

Aren't there any APUGers in China by the way? I haven't seen a single thread about their tragedy.

Nor the tragedy of Burma. So sad that we can't even get in there for basic photography.

Bill: I am glad that you commented about the earthquake being centered in Selfoss. The local paper did not use that place as the epicenter so I could not orient myself. I remember that stop very well, along with the highland area near there where we could see steam venting in the valleys below us.

A brief report from Iceland: The earthquake epicenter was close to Hveragerði, which is some 15 miles west of Selfoss. A few people suffered minor injuries, a number of houses were damaged. Many people lost their personal belongings. The scale of this was far from the China disaster, the quake was not nearly as severe and our houses are built to withstand earthquakes (that is one reason you won't see brickhouses here).

All in all: A reminder from nature that she still is alive and kicking.

As I know Iceland is land made from eons of volcano activities, it is in fact dead (or just sleeping) volcano. I am surpised (and happy for people there) volcanos eruptions and earthquakes are not everyday there...

Nor the tragedy of Burma. So sad that we can't even get in there for basic photography.


I am not sure I like what I have just read. I hope way I understand this is wrong...

I am not sure I like what I have just read. I hope way I understand this is wrong...

Well my point is that the world can't even see how desperate the situation is. If we could then I don't think there would be a moment's hesitation to send relief- with or without the consent of the junta. Photography has a unique power to reveal suffering. So I see it as a means to an end: getting better conditions for people.

My comment was not intended to politicize a tragedy; quite the opposite.