Terremoto

[smokingboot]

More than 50 earthquakes in Granada province over the last 3 days, all between magnitude 3 and 5. I think the strongest was somewhere around 4.5.

Mum was describing the balconies full of people looking out to see what was going on. The epicentre was not Granada city as such, but she admitted to being a little frightened. I suggested she go round to my aunt Fatima's house. 'Why?' She said, 'there will just be more of us to hide under the table!'

There was a period back in the 70s or 80s when we were in Granada for an earthquake season. I experienced a few tremors, but somehow slept through the big one. My mother, on the other hand, dashed out into the street in panic. Back then we were sleeping in my Grandmother's house, one of those traditional places with an inner courtyard and no stairs that I recall, They knocked down many if not all of these old houses in Zaidin, and replaced them with flats. The old houses were long and low, best kind of place to live in an earthquake zone; not going to stop the ground opening under you of course, but much less likelihood of plummeting masonry.

Now of course, that's not the case.

I know what she did last night. She got dressed in case she had to leave the house, and sat there checking the news til she couldn't stay awake.

She is old and frail and a little afraid. And I can't do a single thing to help.

She texted me at 7.38 this morning to say that since 11.24 last night there have been more than 40 earthquakes in the region. I don't really know the differentiation between quakes and tremors in Spanish.

What I would say to any of my friends is that first chance you get, go to Granada and really enjoy the Alhambra, the Generalife, that whole hill. Because despite surviving war after war after war, you never know when we lose the old place forever.

**

Message this morning from unhappy friend, whose good mate died of Covid.

More and more of this stuff. Meanwhile that clown paints on his sad face and says he's sorry.

100,000 people. He's always talking about the war right? More than double the casualties of the Blitz. He's sorry, no, no, let me get that right, he's deeply sorry. Oh well then, that changes everything. If he's deeply sorry, clearly that is a much more sincere feeling than usual, and we must all forbear from kicking him in his overactive nuts, not least because they are the only parts of his body that regularly turn up to work.

You know how you measure contrition? Readiness to accept culpability. Oh he says he takes responsibility for the actions of his government, then says his government did all they could. I just want to scream at him, No they didn't. No they damn well didn't, stop gaslighting the whole seething groaning miserable country, you turgid turd of turpitude. The list of botches is long and so obvious that even his fans daren't push this story, and it all really pinches at one particular quirk of English etiquette I hate, the use of the phrase 'I'm sorry,' as a deflection. If you're sorry it happened, say that. If you're sorry because you did something wrong, say that too, don't mix the two up in a kind of fuzzy sadness everyone is too polite to poke, and don't use it as a defence. 100,000 people. Jesus Christ.

Comments

[mallorys_camera]

As a former, long-time inhabitant of California, earthquakes scare the bejesus out of me. I vividly remember the 6.9 quake in 1989 that took out large parts of the SF Bay area. In fact, it was a determining factor in my decision to move out of the SF Bay area to Monterey—which is one of the few places in California that's built on bedrock and thus, impervious (more or less) to earthquakes.

What do you think BoJo should have done?

Where to start?

[benicek]

He should have followed scientific advice on lockdowns instead of constantly undermining, delaying and watering it down with one eye always on his own popularity and pandering to libertarian nuts in his own party. Should have set a personal example of social distancing instead of continuing to swan about like a twat shaking hands with everybody and taking his mask off until he caught covid so bad he ended up in ICU for a week. Should have set up some kind of screening of airport arrivals, literally anything. Should have cancelled direct flights from Wuhan. Should have funded health authorities to run a Taiwan-level test and trace service, instead of some bullshit run by a private contractor notorious for incompetence and reliance on cheap non-healthcare-trained temp staff. Should completely ban any reliance on wildly inaccurate lateral flow tests. Should stop his ministers giving emergency multi-million pound contracts for PPE and medical supplies to some guy who just happens to run a wine bar near their house in London. Should stop lying continuously about imaginary pay rises for nurses and imaginary nurse and doctor recruitment figures. Should stop lying continuously about the number of vaccines given (one shot is not a full vaccine dose). Should have used the last 9 months to at least increase lab capacity so that hospital staff can get regular PCR tests. Should stop flying to Italy by private jet for sex parties at the castle of his Russian oligarch friend. Should stop making remarks about parenting in lockdown unless he is willing to reveal how many children he himself has. Should stop making generalised apologies on live TV without specifying any of the above.

Re: Where to start?

[mallorys_camera]

That's an impressive list.

I'm glad I asked. Thanks.

Re: Where to start?

[smokingboot]

Thanks Benicek, you are bang on the button as usual!

[smokingboot]

Earthquakes never really registered with me, I think I was just one of those kids who doesn't quite get it. There's a part of me that treated these like the hassles of living close to a railway line. Having said that, I'm sure a 6.9 quake would impact even my teen obtuseness.

As to what BJ should have done, I thought about this for a while, because I didn't want to bore you with a temple throbbing rantlist, and the Benicek came up with the perfect answer!