Miraz Jordan

The Tea Masterclass has been fascinating. The episode I watched today particularly so: Global Tea History: Ancient Origins To Today's Tea Renaissance which took us from 2737 BC to present day.

From boil water notices to replacing alcohol with tea to save grain and prevent starvation to US politics!

I've lived most of my life in Aotearoa — that's 60+ years. And in this country we get earthquakes. They're frequent. Mostly we don't even know they've happened because they're too small or too far away to notice. Geonet records about 20,000 quakes a year in this country — GeoNet: Earthquake Statistics. List of earthquakes in New Zealand - Wikipedia.

Sometimes one person will feel a quake while their neighbour won't — buildings and soil structures vary as does quake intensity so the effects are felt differentially.

On rare occasions the quakes are big enough to shake loose items off shelves. A couple of times I've exited our house and felt a bit shaky after a good rattle.

• A big shake on 15 February 2023
• Hmmm, that quake came in two parts, December 2022
• That far away shake certainly woke us all up!, March 2021
• Sleepy as last nights good shake left me awake, June 2020
• M5.8 quake nearby really shook things up, May 2020
• If you never hear from me again it’s because I didn’t follow the rule, October 2018

On very rare occasions (Christchurch 2010 & 2011, Hawke's Bay 1931) quakes are so big they collapse or severely damage buildings, cause injuries and even loss of life.

Buildings in Aotearoa must conform to a strict code which includes provision for earthquakes. That gives us a certain assurance that we'll be fine in most quakes.

Some Kiwis live in shakier parts of the country than do others. That means some of us are more blase about quakes. I'm one of them. Some of my friends though, who live where shakes are less frequent, are more worried by a quake.

In my experience quakes come in all kinds of forms. One time it sounded as though a freight train was roaring through the kitchen. One time in Wellington it felt as though the house was lifted up and kind of twisted around. Sometimes it's a shake; sometimes a roll; sometimes a jolt.

And so when [@val](https://micro.blog/val) asked for interesting or important advice, tips or anecdotes about what to do or what not to do during an earthquake I initially thought: sure!

But then I realised it was complicated. Val is living in Kyrgyzstan, a country I know nothing about. Do they often get earthquakes? Do their building codes account for quakes? Do authorities check that buildings are up to code? Is the environment mountainous? Could rocks fall and damage nearby buildings or dam rivers that could flood? I have no idea.

Do they get loads of little quakes or a few rare huge quakes? Are the citizens given the advice we receive: Drop, Cover and Hold — Earthquakes — Get Ready — Emergency preparedness in New Zealand?

Do people secure items in their homes, offices and shops in case there's an earthquake? I've used museum wax at home to 'stick' some small items to shelves. In offices and shops there are requirements for securing large or heavy items.

In short, I'm very familiar with earthquakes in my own country but know nothing about earthquakes elsewhere. And that led me to the only general tip I could think of: keep your phone charged and close to hand in case of an emergency. If you have to exit the building in a hurry the phone will allow you to contact others and receive emergency advice. If, heaven forbid, you're injured the phone will allow you to call for help.

Otherwise, take your cues from the locals. They will know their environment, they will know what to do.

Yesterday I sent out a community newsletter that also contained a clearly labelled opinion piece. I received two responses — one a thank you with a query about birds.

The other from an abusive bully. Screenshot shows one line …

I found it very satisfying to reply:

Thoughtless, rude AND abusive! For shame. You're old enough to know better. Banned.

Shaken awake at 0318 by a 5.2 quake. 〰️

Look who's hanging out on our bathroom window today: this stick insect (about 10 cm long — 4 inches).

Five climate lessons from Māori communities (that are guaranteed not to depress you) | The Spinoff:

you’ll often hear the phrase “climate change is going to hit indigenous communities first and worst”. Invariably, it isn’t Māori saying it. That’s because the climate crisis isn’t imminent. Ever since the arrival of settlers and the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, marae, hapū and iwi have been responding to catastrophic environmental changes caused by human activities. The only difference now is the consequences have become so widespread and severe, governments can no longer deny it is a crisis.

Hey crossword-loving people, I use Daniel Jalkut's fantastic Black Ink app to do crosswords every single day on my Mac. If you're more an iOS person then take a look at the new Black Ink for iOS:

Like its Mac counterpart, core features are free to use, forever … downloading puzzles from a variety of bundled “sources”, and solving the puzzles in the beautifully-rendered Black Ink grid.

Premium features including Check Answer, Reveal Answer, and planned future features such as printing.

How an unknown app helped mobilise 10,000 people at Tūrangawaewae | The Spinoff:

An efficiently organised pōwhiri saw 10,000 guests through the gates of Tūrangawaewae within half an hour for hui aa motu … How did thousands of people even attempt to mobilise to discuss broad topics around national unity within the space of hours without people rarking up or yelling over one another?

The nexus of communication was an unlikely contender: a conference app called Whova …

I was told about this kudos for my work with Waikawa News, but now have seen it for myself (PDF). Miraz Xan Tha is my Facebook screen name.

Back on 01 January 2024 I thought my word for this year would be surprise. Well, with Deb's gallbladder op, our travel delays, and both of us catching Covid, I don't feel that's worked out too well so far.

Deb has suggested a better word: Spontaneous. Much better!

Such impressive wings on this critter I found on the washing line this morning.

Ten memorable quotes from te hui aa motu | The Spinoff [held Saturday 20 January 2024]:

Te hui aa motu was a monumental moment in the history of Aotearoa. Not since the foreshore and seabed protests in 2004 have Māori and their allies come together in such large numbers to present a united face in opposition to government policy. Te Kiingitanga initially estimated that 3,000 people would be in attendance at Tuurangawaewae marae, but in reality, there were more like 10,000 attendees.

Country life: sitting in bed of a rainy Saturday, reading and wondering what the weird noise was.

Glanced out the window to see a horse, no saddle or bridle, galloping away down our lane.

Flurries of activity … the owners put a notice on the local FB page. Now it's safe at home. 🐎

Deb and I managed a slow 25 minute walk on the beach. We encountered 1 angry Pied Stilt who, surprisingly, did not dive-bomb us, and two angry Oystercatchers who complained loudly. No humans, angry or otherwise.

Disappointed to do another Covid test this morning and find I'm still positive. I'm feeling better, though still tired and with very low energy. Definitely missing going to the beach. 🦠