Days a bit shorter after quake in Japan

With daylight savings stealthily stealing a hard-earned hour of our sleep this past weekend, the last thing we need is to lose more time. MSNBC reports that as a result of the tragic earthquake in Japan last Friday, the Earth’s rotation sped up 1.8 microseconds (one-millionth of a second) according to calculations by NASA geophysicist Richard Gross. OK, so you won’t actually be feeling this effect any time soon. Not for another 100,000 years or so, by which point the moon’s effect on tidal deceleration will likely have balanced it out. Also, you'll no longer be living. However, this information, along with the devastation that continues to mount in Japan, is certainly a reminder of just how little control we have over our universe. It is disheartening to see individuals respond divisively to this tragedy when instead it is an opportunity for all of humanity to come together and support each other against the hardships and realities of living in this world.