Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

Something to keep in mind about the Richter Scale, is that an 8.0 earthquake is 10 times more powerful than a 7.0 earthquake. Here is a photo from space, of the affected area (prior to the quake). The number of people living in this area, floors me.

•Definition: Total population at the end of 2007 (in 10,000 persons) •Data Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China
Provinces of the Earthquake Areas: • •Total Population: 47,211 •Henan 9,360 •Sichuan 8,127 •Hunan 6,355 •Hubei 5,699 •Yunnan 4,514 •Guizhou 3,975 •Shaanxi 3,748 •Chongqing 2,816 •Gansu 2,617 •

Earthquake Location and Magnitude
• Center of Earthquake : Wenchuan County, Sichuan, China
• Lat/Log: 30.989°N, 103.329°E
• Magnitude: 8.0 (updated on May 18, 2008)
• Time: Monday, May 12, 2008 at 14:28PM, Beijing Time

Deaths Reported by province: 1 Hunan, 1 Hubei, 1 Yunnan, 1 Guizhou, 2 Henan, 16 Chongqing, 113 Shaanxi, 364 Gansu, 39577 Sichuan

Information courtesy UofMichigan’s China Data Center which is updated daily for now.

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Hat tip to Michelle

Tibet is going to be the downfall of the 2008 Olympics. It’s a shame, the athletes (who aren’t doping that is) don’t deserve to be caught in the middle of the controversy.

The list of bloggers boycotting the Olympic sponsors/partners is growing.

Steve, and many, many other bloggers are renewing my interest in either an Olympic boycott, or a large blog oriented protest action against the IOC.

Anonymous: “I’m not downsizing what is happening in China. I would never agree with such acts of violence.
However, the only people your affecting when boycotting the games are the athletes.”

It isn’t only the athletes affected, however. The people who have been displaced from their homes have been forever affected in a negative way. The people who have been killed by a corrupt and anti-freedom government have been affected. Canada has to at least consider that we should put life before games. It’s our fault that athletes have put their lives into games that we did not keep pure. But the Olympics are now more about sponsorship and “partners” than they are about the true Olympic spirit. Protecting the Olympic “brand” is what VANOC is concerned with, not protecting the dignity and life work of athletes and the Olympic spirit!