First Myanmar was pummeled by Typhoon Nargis, and the horrific damage left millions homeless and at least 43,000 dead.
Then China was struck by a major quake, with a death toll that could reach 50,000.
There have been more tornadoes in the United States this year than almost any other year since the storms were recorded.
Nature's fury is bound to cause havoc at unpredictable times and places. It's been that way since the dawn of time.
We don't know what the hurricane season will bring in 2008.
There's not much you can do about these things except donate to relief work and pray for the afflicted. Governments can install warning systems and get their emergency services teams prepared for any event.
And if you're looking for a place to live, try to find somewhere that's above sea level, away from tectonic fault lines, and not in the middle of Tornado Alley.
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What did I tell you about Marc Dann? As I said last week, It was obvious he would have to resign as Ohio Attorney General after his affair with a younger employee became public knowledge. I don't know why he fought it so long but his resignation was inevitable.
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The next Narnia movie, Prince Caspian, opened today and from people who have seen it and know C.S. Lewis' series, the film takes a lot of liberties with the novel and turns the religious allegories into an action movie and cgi slugfest crammed with battle scenes.
It's more Hollywood than Narnia. Which is not surprising considering that the first movie earned $740 million at the box office, which I am guessing meant that studio moguls got pretty excited about the potential for the sequel and could not leave well enough alone and let the director do his job.
Dr. Bruce Edwards, a C.S. Lewis scholar and BGSU professor, will be speaking about the movie from a spritual perspective in a free lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, at Calvary Assembly of God, 5025 Glendale Ave.
Anyone who's interested in Lewis & Narnia should check out this free event. Dr. Edwards is a phenomenal speaker.
Here's his review of Prince Caspian.
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I wrote a memorial story today about my friend and inspiration, Toledo jazz giant Jimmy Cook. He was one of the most joyful people to be around and I will miss him dearly.
Here's a link to the article.

Toledo, Ohio
May 16, 2008