Oliver Cromwell, attributed to Anthony Van Dyck

Thursday Morning EDT/

Thursday Evening Japan Time 

Dropping Over the Falls Update

Presented with the assistance of Oliver Cromwell 
b.25 April 1599 – d.3 September 1658
Called "Old Ironsides" he was a Puritan and a Roundhead soldier in the Civil War,
who brought down the Monarchy,
oversaw the execution of Charles I,
which he called a "cruel necessity" and,

Became Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Within two years of his death the Monarchy was restored, 
His body was disinterred from Westminster Abbey, 
Hung on the gallows then beheaded by Charles II.
His head was publicly displayed on Westminster Hall for 25 years. 

Ollie's Wax Death Mask in the British Museum

"What is all our histories, but God showing himself, shaking and trampling on everything that he has not planted."

The death toll is now 178 and rising [now at 292 at 7PM EDT Thursday]  in the wake of the latest round of tornadoes to rip through the South this week.
155 tornadoes were reported in the United States  yesterday by the Storm Prediction Center, bringing the number to over 800 this month.
Monday in Pulaski County Arkansas the Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church was destroyed.
The Mamre Baptist Church near Peek's Hill, Alabama was destroyed and a man was found dead in the debris, one of 65 who died in the storms in the state.
The Ford Chapel United Methodist Church in Harvest, Alabama, the oldest of that denomination in the state was destroyed yesterday.

The New Bethel Baptist Church in Cherokee County, Alabama lost its roof and steeple. 

In Mississippi the Smithville Baptist Church and neighboring Smithville United Methodist Church were both destroyed.

The First Baptist Church in Cullman, Alabama was heavily damaged. 

In Autaga County Alabama the Boone's Chapel Baptist Church was heavily damaged. 

Last week's tornadoes damaged or destroyed many other churches throughout the South including the Zoar Baptist Church in Deltaville, Virginia. The destruction did not deter Easter worshipers who held outdoor services. 

Christ Church in Wetumpka Alabama was destroyed April 24 last year on Easter Day. This Easter the church broke ground for a new nave and sanctuary. 

"No one rises so high as he who knows not whither he is going. Not only strike while the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking. Do not trust the cheering, for those persons would shout as much if you or I were going to be hanged."

Slate Magazine asks the question "Did industry-government collusion contribute to Japan's nuclear disaster?" in an article title "Nuclear Incest" today which relies heavily on a report in yesterday's New York Times. "Culture of Complicity Tied to Stricken Nuclear Plant"

"A 10-year extension for the oldest of Daiichi’s reactors suggests that the regulatory system was allowed to remain lax by politicians, bureaucrats and industry executives single-mindedly focused on expanding nuclear power. Regulators approved the extension beyond the reactor’s 40-year statutory limit just weeks before the tsunami despite warnings about its safety and subsequent admissions by Tokyo Electric, often called Tepco, that it had failed to carry out proper inspections of critical equipment." -The New York Times

Meanwhile, the latest scheme to prevent radiation from seeping into the sea at Fukushima Daiichi is to build a gigantic holding tank at the site to hold all the radioactive water being created from the frantic cooling activities going on at several locations at the complex. There is no word on how long it will take to build such a huge tank or whether it will be engineered to be earthquake proof. 

TEPCO reports that one of their woman employees was exposed to high radiation at the site but she has not displayed any symptoms of radiation poisoning so far.

Meanwhile Goshi Hosono, Prime Minister Naoto Kan's special advisor on management of the nuclear crisis. said "There is no way Tokyo or Kyoto will come into harm's way." and that the crisis was receding.

"Put your trust in God; but be sure to keep your powder dry."

General Electric has its best profit outlook  in a decade despite the uncertainty in the nuclear industry which is an important part of its business. All the plants at Fukushima Daiichi are of GE design and two were built by the company. 

Afterward..

"I have seen in this revolution a circular motion of the sovereign power through two usurpers, father and son, to the late King to this his son. For ... it moved from King Charles I to the Long Parliament; from thence to the Rump; from the Rump to Oliver Cromwell; and then back again from Richard Cromwell to the Rump; then to the Long Parliament; and thence to King Charles, where long may it remain."- Thomas Hobbes