7.1 and 6.9 magnitude earthquakes hit Venezuela and Japan

Just heard from friend in Caracas. Seems like it was about 100 miles away from there.

Those long ground waves are sure to disturb the crawfish. Prices through the roof!

That’s a long reach

I have to admit, I’m growing awfully tired—not of the news itself, but of the people entrusted to deliver it. There’s a particular kind of fatigue that sets in when you’re trying to stay informed, and the very folks reporting the facts seem a little… unacquainted with them.

Today a reporter announced, in all seriousness, that the two earthquakes were “hundreds of thousands of miles apart.”

Now, bless their heart, but the Earth’s entire circumference is only about 25,000 miles. You simply cannot get “hundreds of thousands of miles apart” on a planet that size. It’s not even mathematically possible unless someone left Earth entirely or lives on Jupiter, and I don’t believe that was part of the story.

It’s the sort of thing that makes you set your wine down, close your eyes, and take a long, steadying breath. I’m not angry—just weary. I’d like the news to be delivered by people who at least know the dimensions of the world they’re reporting on. Is that too much to ask?

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USGS with quite the prediction of fatalities. Glad they were able to narrow down their projections for us.