11 March 2011

JAPAN TSUNAMI / CLASS WARFARE











JAPAN TSUNAMI. "An 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan on Friday, the strongest ever recorded in the country and one of the largest anywhere in the last century. The quake churned up a devastating tsunami that swept over cities and farmland in the northern part of the country and set off warnings as far away as the West Coast of the United States and South America." -- NYTimes article.

Vivid details may be found in a Scientific American article. In addition, you can view a NOAA video simulation of the trans-global spread of the tsunami here -- click on the "full screen" tab for best effect. Above is an image of the 10-foot tsunami as it struck the Japanese coast. Below are images of the timetable for the tsunami's arrival at locations on the Pacific Rim, and a map showing the distribution of the tsunami's energy. Click on any image to enlarge.




































CLASS WARFARE. "America is not broke," asserts filmmaker, writer, and political commentor Michael Moore. "Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you'll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-grandparents had, America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and the consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich. Today just 400 Americans have the same wealth as half of all Americans combined."

For a vivid, dollar-for-dollar comparison of the social programs which Republicans are trying to gut, alongside equivalent tax breaks and benefits enjoyed by the rich, see the chart below. This is what class warfare really looks like. For a larger, more legible version, click here.












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