Earthquake:
Last night, huge fires burned unabated across large parts of the country as damaged oil refineries and gas works billowed black smoke into the sky.
Half the country was understood to be without power, with four million homes in Tokyo alone being cut off, while the army has been deployed to the quake-hit areas to help relief efforts.
However those relief efforts were hampered by at least 50 reported aftershocks, including a 6.6 magnitude tremor which hit Tokyo and caused already damaged buildings to shake further.
Elsewhere, two high-speed bullet trains were missing alongside a cruise ship carrying 100 passengers that was swept away when the wave hit. One of the trains was reported to be carrying 400 passengers.
A state of emergency was declared at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima after the quake caused the cooling system to fail.
Tonight, the Japanese government confirmed that they would release radioactive vapor to ease high pressure that had built up inside the reactor.
Flooding:
Roads were submerged, bridges washed out, and cars abandoned in rivers and streams as Louisiana struggled Friday from days of severe weather that forced residents across the state to flee their homes.
The rain and flooding is part of a weather system that has affected Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama. At least three people have died in Louisiana alone.
The system that dumped as much as 20 inches of rain in some areas was slowly moving out of the region, but the effects could still be felt as rivers in some areas were waiting to crest, more rain was expected Saturday and water in other areas was still draining.
In neighboring Mississippi, the worst appeared yet to come as officials said as many as 1,000 residents could see their homes flooded by the rapidly rising Leaf River in Hattiesburg, Petal and surrounding areas.
In southwest Louisiana, a band of rain dumped 10 to 15 inches of rain across some areas late Thursday and into Friday, sparking vicious flash flooding.
Kennedy chose to make her successor's weaknesses her own.
strengths. Perhaps the new woman - she never spoke her name - was a tigress in
bed; perhaps she was an intellectual giant; perhaps she flattered him more than
Debbie did. But Debbie cooked better than her anyway, Debbie took him
children from school and royally entertained them while the new woman was still in
Work. Debbie regularly entertained her husband's mother when the new woman
there is neither time nor desire to do this. Debbie slyly arranged for Tina to win.
two thoroughbred kittens in a competition when she found out that a new woman was allergic
cats, and Debbie took them out for Tina.
“It looks like hard work,” Helen said, full of admiration.
“It's very hard work,” Debbie agreed. “But then I was like you, I didn't think
the day will come when I can live without him. ""Could you now?"
“Oh yes, I really could. Now he really tires me. Not completely, but a little.
He's very predictable. You would know right away how he would react. I never
thought the day would come ... "
“So, if you're above him, why don't you bow down? Live your life? »Helen
wondered.
"I can not now. I have too many other people that I love and who love me. I have
his mother; she never really loved me during her marriage, but I kind of like
an angel compared to a new woman. "
"But of course ..."
“No, I can't leave her, she never hurt anyone. She did not quit
me and divorced me, her son did. And I love girls. And there are cats. I just
organized them out of spite, but now I love them. I couldn't move anywhere
and leave them when they have completed their task.“And the garden: I realized that the secret is to do the minimum, but
give the children a flower bed, and I work on them secretly and feed them
they plant, so they think it is their own work. This is life, Helen, and I didn't have a life
the day he said he was leaving. "
"But he's not at the center of everything?"
"No, not now. He was when I needed it. Everything I did, I did with
kind of revenge, and that gave me a purpose for my day. "
“I don't think I can do it. I mean it's not as if it were ready
a family. There is only a big bump and a terrible nineteen-year-old guy, and he does not have
Mom, and the cat thing won't work.
“The point is, either get out of its orbit completely. When will you be back to work? "
"Next week."
“Okay, if you want, I’ll ask the girls and grandmother to help you unpack your things tomorrow.
It is much better when there are several people. We will do a lot in an hour and
half…""But I can not".
“Of course you can, and when you get back to work, start gardening.
the consignment. Invite all your colleagues to lunch, tell them that in return for two hours
gardening, they'll have a great picnic. Rent a giant goat for the day. I will tell
what to tell them to plant and what to weed. "
“But I have not yet decided which path to take; is it worth wading back
into Harry's life or not.
“You still need to unpack and clean up the messy garden,” Debbie said.
They will no longer talk about plans and strategies. From now on they will not
one must refer to the despair of one and the cunning of the other. how
the curtains on the windows were drawn, the china was unpacked on the shelves and
into the wardrobes, and the garden took shape, their life went on. Helen will
make friends again. She started out with her bank colleagues looking
she changed after they saw her host a wonderful gardening party.
Debbie's surrogate family will never know she originally loved them as an act
to sweep. It was good that such solidarity was established on a summer evening.