How Cataclysm is Reality Check

The Disaster in Japan, presently mounting towards becoming something we will only hope to determine in a couple of months could be at least worse than Three-Mile Island and probably not as bad as Chernobyl; that is the Nuclear (Environment [Energy {consumption/scarcity} Economy] Health) Situation.

The Disaster in Japan is an example of the force of the oceans, a vivid recreation of the Indonesian Tsunami, but with the million dollar yachts, middle class houses, and video cameras slushing about everywhere—all floating together equally: that the reality TV, media, yet very real Safety Preparedness issues brought front and center for the World to see.

The Disaster in Japan was also a Massive Series of Earthquakes. Three Disasters in one, and all of them begging questions. Fundamental questions that I am confident the Japanese Society, and the World with which they have built tremendous store of good will, interdependence, and fair trade can answer the questions being asked by this Natural Disaster.

To come back to simplicity, the tragedy shows beggar, rich man, and thief all equally were swept away. All died, and were spared only according to natural forces – not perceptions or falsehoods held by society. Chaos, and randomness. DONATE TODAY!

We can use this crisis soon to be molded into opportunity to better understand our Society, too.


The first question begged, Nuclear, asks us to truly have Utilities, states, and corporations acknowledge that we are currently (this includes everything from Climate Change to Household cleansers, and includes everything else we make) conducting a real-time open ended chemistry experiment with our environs and habitat for which we rely upon sustenance. I have complained very loudly in my book Metaeconomics on the subject of incorrect assessment of lifetime costs and benefit-cost analysis in resource valuation.

The second shows us that seven generations thinking (planning for 7 x 30 = 210 years in advance) is required to address the engineering challenges of Reality posed by the forces of nature, and made worsening of those disasters.

Home itself as physical object is impermanent. So, any disaster in, near, or by the home becomes a scientific and engineering issue. At the extreme end, we have to be conscious also of our massive garbage and waste streams, and thus reusability, recycle-ability, biodegrability, etc.

For example: Is it too much to ask to buy a washing machine that your grandkids could inherit (still operational)? Or imagine you could use parts from your washing machine to replace parts to fix by hand (using simple tools) your futuristic vacuum? That the broken part can be sold for scrap to the local hardware store for re-smelting?

On the other hand, living spaces are designed to ideally (looking at older cultures than ours in Modern USA) last a similar 210 years... or many, many more!

Japan has the opportunity to unleash the resources to create an actual place where they find their best and brightest technological possibilities. Entire new, green, and safe communities can arise by direct result of the response by the question being begged.

Maybe there is hope for Nuclear Safety, but clearly like Deep Sea Oil Drilling, like Trickle Down Economics, and a parade of other less than flexible ideas we have recently witnessed self-destruct (or at the very least flies in ointment canisters -- if not fact based proofs against them) in our times.

Finally, to be specific and real in my example, the idea of a California Coastal Commission has been the obvious joke in my experience (and many others) in real estate, architecture, engineering, planning, design, and other professional experience. Saying CCC in many circles is short hand for bureaucratic nightmare and red tape.

However, by looking at the scope of the challenge now before our friends in Japan, we can see clearly why certain agencies do exist for betterment of common good issues like health, safety, environment and planning. We may however need to streamline, and make efficient this series of systems and conflicting agencies.

So, we should mirror our friends as they rebuild their infrastructure, help them in doing so, and use the massive economic requirements to upgrade and refurbish our crumbling infrastructure system.

• In these next years, the friendship between our nations and the connection and spirit of kinship can only become that much stronger by the real challenges and questions Mother Nature has now asked of all human societies around the world.

The History of Ninja off the top of my head:

Before the Time of Warring States in Japan there were many ethnicities which had a variety of feudal structures and loyalties.

By the end of the Warring States era Yoshimitsu Ashikaga was able to institute the bakufu system of government throughout Honshu.

Bakufu (as a noun for individual and plural beurocrats) became increasingly indifferent to the complex politics of post-genocidal Honshu.

"Hinnen," although I am not sure of that term, were then employed as messengers, spies, and eventually even did some of the muscle work (eg. killing unwanted elements at the lower levels of he Feudal system). In times of wider conflict they were also pressed into service to choose sides.

I dont recall exactly when, but a large Tantric Buddhist group was rounded up and systematically destroyed by one of the pre-Tokugawan Shogunates. The survivors of this group paradoxically (as Tantra is a peaceful love cult) created a militaristic separatist faction of these Untouchables who were employed to smooth the rough edges of the rigid and formalistic society of 15th/16th (I again am doing this all by rote) century Nihon.

They incorporated many of the folk styles of what would now be termed guerilla tactics from the provinces and included these styles (eg. costumes, weapons, ploys, etc.) with more modern Bushido techniques and systems of that era eventually forming what was termed in the Tokugawan era as Ninjitsu (in order that the government could identify, control, and even at times outlaw the system).

Think back to the hundreds of years of fighting in Japan, and imagine that in order to survive even farmers and fishers had to have small deadly devices which were undetectable to the roaming armies and hordes. This is the orgin of many of the more novel Ninja items and techniques.

Those of us who have studied Chinese Kung fu know that many of the weapons are actually farm impliments or even just a stick of bamboo from the nearest grove-- which peasants relied upon to defend themselves with in times of crisis.

To the best of my understanding that is the orgin of "Ninja."