Dr. Catfish says: Get ready for earthquakes

By Dan Traylor | Thursday, Sep 11, 2008

The prophet says the Big One is coming, and Dr. Catfish says to get ready. I'm of course talking about the Brazilian clairvoyant who says that a huge earthquake will strike China, or, if not there, Japan's Tokai region, on Sept. 13.

Now, the Tokai quake is overdue, and science says it could strike at any time (so does Dr. Catfish, but more on him later).

But is Sept. 13 really the day? Let's take a look at the prophet's track record. A blog posting offers his 2008 predictions, and a quick scan reveals that, scientifically speaking, the guy is full of crap.

Now back to business. In Mie prefecture, where I live, the government's international office came out with a guide to earthquake readiness featuring Dr. Catfish, who sports a snazzy brown suit and a dignified mustache.

Dr. Catfish claims to "know everything" about earthquakes in Mie, although his only attempt at prediction is a little sloppy: "A big earthquake could strike tomorrow."

Predictions aside, it probably is a good idea to be ready in case there's a little rumble some time down the road (or, if Dr. Catfish is right, tomorrow).

I don't have any bottled water and a scan of my tiny kitchen reveals that I would have to survive on tuna and hot sauce.

That's assuming I'd still have a kitchen. If the Big One strikes on Saturday, I'm pretty sure my apartment-in-a-kit would crumble, and I'd find myself face-to-face with the downstairs neighbor who is always fighting with his girlfriend and hates me for no reason.

This would be a nightmare scenario.

Perhaps Dr. Catfish can intervene, patch things up between me and my neighbor, and bring me a cheeseburger. Because dinner is looming, and I had tuna for lunch.

Dan Traylor's Profile

I'm an ALT in Mie-ken. I enjoy writing so I'll see if I can find some ideas to submit.

Interests: Reading, writing, karaoke, hiking, drinking

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