EARTHQUAKE

0500 EST. I wake up first and then ask the question "why did I wake up so soon?". Phoebe the Cat, who was sleeping at my feet a moment ago, bounces off and vanishes into the living room with surprising agility. I feel the vibrations. Is it me? Or is it a ... quake? Wait, that does not make sense. This is Georgia. Quakes don't happen here. A couple of hours later, I find out it's true. 4.9 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was about 37 miles southeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee, along the border of Georgia and Alabama, according to the United States Geological Survey Web site. Thankfully no one was hurt. {CNN news report}

Cynic hat on

I can see what happens next. People talk about it all day. The media blast it at you through news reports, panel discussions, invited talks by "distinguished" experts (geologists, book authors) especially to explain things like the "Richter Scale" and "Seismic activity". Books on earthquakes and seismic activity become popular. Cable channels decide to have disaster movie marathons. And someone begins to make a movie about this.

Cynic hat off