Livin' the life...

Dispatcher:  9-1-1 
Caller:  Yeah,  I'm having trouble breathing. I'm all out of breath. Darn...I think  I'm going to pass out.
Dispatcher:  Sir,  where are you calling from?
Caller:  I'm  at a pay phone. North and Foster.
Dispatcher:  ! Sir,  an ambulance is on the way. Are you an asthmatic? 
Caller:  No 
Dispatcher:  What  were you doing before you started having trouble breathing? 
Caller:  Running  from the Police.

Lol!

If I didn't know better, I would think Mother Earth is getting upset.

A massive search and rescue operation is under way in south-western China after one of the most powerful earthquakes in decades.

Troops have arrived in Wenchuan county at the epicentre, which was largely cut off by the quake - but heavy rain is hampering rescue operations.

Elsewhere in Sichuan province, frantic efforts are being made to reach thousands of people under the rubble.

The death toll is now more than 12,000, officials say, and looks set to rise.
Chinese rescuers search a collapsed building for survivors in Beichuan, Sichuan province, on Tuesday

In one city, Mianyang, near the epicentre, more than 18,000 people are said to be buried under the rubble, state news agency Xinhua reports.

In the nearby town of Mianzhu, at least 4,800 people are trapped, and massive landslides have buried roads to outlying villages, state news agency Xinhua says. (Source)

Here's more information including videos and photos from Google, Yahoo!, and CNN.

Please remember China and Burma, and all others in which there is extreme tragedy, in your prayers.

"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be." - Thomas Kempis

This week's TFTW is related specifically to a comment posted on my blog regarding sin and forgiveness, and the fact that 'the blood of Jesus Christ covers all sins, ... and all we gotta do is turn to Him and ask for forgiveness and move away from the sin' (Source). To best exemplify this point, I have chosen the graphic below..

I think this fits some of us - myself included - perfectly at times, but we must learn to try our best to focus on the scripture and move away from that sin. I urge you to meditate on this thought during this week.

Somewhat random and likely inaccurate, but blog-worthy nonetheless.

Online source of image.

A free satellite television and radio service from the BBC and ITV is being launched across the UK.

Freesat is available to 98% of homes, including those that are unable to receive Freeview through a TV aerial. It will carry 80 digital TV and radio channels, including free high definition programmes, with that number due to rise to 200 by the end of 2008.

Users will make a one-off payment for a dish, set-top box and installation, but will not pay a monthly subscription. The price of a box will start at £49, rising to £120 for a high-definition (HD) version. The cost of installation, including the satellite dish, will be a further £80.

The BBC, ITV and Channel 4's digital services will feature on Freesat, with news and children's channels among the others on offer. The BBC's HD channel will appear on the service immediately, while ITV HD will launch soon. (Source)

Hmm.. If you're a tele fan, this is definitely a noteworthy development. One should also know that Freeview seems to be going HD as well. I'm not quite sure if this will mean any increase in the price of the box, but I doubt it.

From the sky... Before and after: extent of flooding clear in Nasa satellite images

(BBC)

 

On the ground...

(Telegraph)

Regardless of where you are in the world, surely you have heard about the tragedy currently affecting Burma. Well below is an update taken from the BBC.

Experts say that a massive aid operation is needed to help those affected by Cyclone Nargis, which smashed into the low-lying Irrawaddy delta region on Saturday.

But the Burmese government has spurned some offers of aid, such as one from the US to deploy navy ships, and many foreign aid workers are being held in a queue for visas. The government has approved some UN air shipments, but these are still being delayed.

A Bangkok-based UN official said that World Food Programme planes loaded with 40 tons of high-energy biscuits were stuck in Dhaka and Dubai because they had not yet received permission to land in Burma.  ...
On Wednesday, the top US diplomat in Burma said that the number of deaths could be much higher than reported. Burmese state media said on Thursday that 22,980 people had been confirmed dead and another 42,119 were missing.

But Shari Villarosa, the charge d'Affaires of the US embassy in Burma - also known as Myanmar - said the death toll could reach or exceed 100,000, based on information from a non-governmental organisation that she would not name. (Source)

Please remember this country, and all others in which there is extreme tragedy, in your prayers.

Well, today was a scorcher! And it looks like tomorrow will be the same! 21 deg C! Fabulous! A vest and baggies to Uni tomorrow!!