Tuesday 2 March 2010

Some things don't happen every day ...


NASA scientists believe the earthquake in Chile on 27th February was so strong it shifted the Earth's axis and shortened the day by 1.26 microseconds. Bloody hell!!! Did any of you notice that happen?! No, I didn't either.

Here's a picture of the Earth. Wobble your head from side to side and see if you can visualise how it might have looked.



Nah, it's not really working for me either.

More about the wobbly world here.

Having lived in Chile for awhile (in a former life) I keep wondering how things are there. Isla Negra - Pablo Neruda's house - does anyone know if it's okay? Lovely Valparaiso - it had to be vulnerable?



Good news from Easter Island though. No damage done, the Moais are still standing - well the ones that were standing anyway. Not the ones that fell over centuries ago, they haven't come back to life (unlike Mr Shaffy).



I have a soft spot for Easter Island - I had an impromptu holiday there once when the plane I was travelling on blew up.

I'm not good with public transport. Fifteen years later I got run over by a bus.

I told you some things don't happen every day!

7 comments:

  1. Good Heavens Crab! You are a bit of a disaster area my dear.

    Are you safe let loose? How did you manage to blow up a plane? Did you escape unscathed? Has Easter Island recovered? We need to know.

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  2. Yes, we inquiring minds want to know!!!

    Come to think of it, with a name like Dishwasher Crab, I'd expect at least a few "incidents".

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  3. To be honest it wasn't the whole plane that blew up, just the engine. No-one died or got hurt or anything - however one poor woman was so traumatised she refused to get on another plane. For all I know she is still living on Easter Island.

    Which I imagine is rather nice.

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  4. Given your poor record with public transport may I recommend to you, 'Crab, that you never go into Amsterdam as there is all kinds of shit that can run you over: cars, trams and those mad people on their bikes. They're the worst, man! Don't step in their lane or else it's the "ring, ring" followed by "rot op!".

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  5. Good advice, thank you. In an effort to expand my education I have just googled 'rot op'. It's a bit rude isn't it? I thought the Dutch were meant to be all drug-addled and laid-back - or is that just on The Fast Show?

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  6. Ha, yes, 'The Fast Show'. That's the one with the two Amsterdam police, who like to "chill out and have a little smoke", yes?

    We are not all "drug-addled". We leave that to the tourists who are looking for the coffeehouses the minute they land at Schiphol. Mad people. Surely they can get "drug-addled" back home than come all the way here to Amsterdam? What a waste of money if that's all you are going to do.

    There's the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the best of all, The Heineken Experience. Ja!

    PS Rotterdam. Don't go there. Has fuck all.

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