I guess everybody by now knows about the earthquake that struck Western Indonesia.  The quake had a magnitude of around 7.6, and with an earthquake that intense, there were a lot of casualties reported, with probably a lot more to follow.

The earthquake hit just off the coast of Padang, which obviously had people scrambling for higher ground.  To help with the rescue and recovery, the Indonesian government has put up $10 million.

I feel pretty weird blogging about this when typhoon Ondoy just recently devastated Metro Manila.  You have to feel a little disappointed about how little the Philippine Government is helping out.  The Indonesian government shelled out $10 million.  The Philippines can’t even provide instant noodles.  What a disgrace.  And they say there’s another storm coming.  Amazing.  When it rains, it pours.

Well, the holidays are here again and I must say that while I no longer get the exorbitant amount of holiday gifts I used to get, I am very very excited for the season, even if it does clean my wallet out and leave me quite broke.  There’s just something about the holidays!

The malls are going to be crowded like you would not believe, with everybody going out buying Christmas gifts.  I actually enjoy Christmas shopping, believe it or not.  I enjoy the buying, it’s the paying for things I don’t enjoy so much, but hey, got to take the good with the bad!  I don’t even have a Christmas wish list yet.  Not that I usually get what’s on my list.  I just enjoy making one.  Gives me the chance to reflect on how materialistic I am.  I will probably come up with a list of Christmas gifts I have to get people in a few days.  Or weeks.  Depending on when the holiday bug bites me.

For now though, I’ve got to put together the money I am going to be needing for sure when I start my Christmas shopping.

Here is a totally random post about asbestos.  What do we know about it, really?  Most of us probably know it’s what firemen wear, and that’s it.  Sounds like a good thing, right?  Only when used properly and with caution my friends.

There are tons of asbestos related diseases out there that make the substance as dangerous as it is beneficial.  Like Mesotholomia, for example.  This disease is so terrible that it is resistant to most cancer treatments.  People can get it just by being around places with Asbestos.  With risks like that, government should really take a moment to think about the consequences whenever they’re thinking about passing Asbestos legislation.

In any event, I hope this little post has made everybody more aware of this issue.  It may not be making a lot of noise right now, but rest assured, it is an important issue for all.