Another tsunami video (via YouTube)

Dramatic video of the '04 tsunami from Thailand here via Youtube. Hadn't seen this one before. It's one of those where I found myself saying "OK, right about NOW would be a good time to start running..." (i.e. when the boats off the beach start tipping over).

After watching it a few times, the most terrifying thing to me is looking past the breaking wave in the immediate foreground, and noticing that the green horizon behind it is moving and has whitecaps. That's not a horizon - its the next part of the tsunami arriving, right behind the one you're seeing, and another right behind that, etc. The video clearly shows that at least in Thailand the tsunami did form cresting waves as it hit shore, like most people's popular conception of them, whereas the video from Sri Lanka (for example) showed it coming in more like a massive tide that just kept coming in without going out.

(no subject)

Had an "interesting" conversation with a student yesterday during my last period class.

Student: "Hey! Your name is Thomas! That's in the Bible!"
Me: "Yes, it is."
Student: "Do you know Jesus? You really should. He's the reason we're here, you really need to let him into your heart, accept him as your Savior! Faith is very important!"
Me: "Um..."
(thinking: how did I get myself into *this* one?)
(after a couple of beats)
"Yes, but St. James said that faith without works is dead."
Student: "Hey, yeah! That's right! Are you Catholic?"
Me: "Well..."
(thinking: obviously not the time or place for a theological discussion, and moreover, there's a not-insignificant correlation between people who take the accept-Jesus-as-your-personal-savior stance and the Catholics-are-traitors-to-Christianity-who-worship-the-Pope folks. Really, really didn't want to have *that* conversation, either.)
(after another couple of beats)
"Well, I was raised that way."
(which is correct as far as it goes, although it does omit a lot)

Student lost interest in the conversation after hearing that, thank goodness.