This Morning is off to a shaky start...

I was watching the News and they had video of a powerful earthquake hitting northern Japan near the city of Sendai, causing house fires in the downtown area, snarling communications and rocking buildings as far away as Tokyo 189 miles to the south. The video was pretty amazing, showing people holding on as the ground moved underneath them.

There's some talk of a possible tsunami, or giant wave, due to the quake's deep 60 km epicenter hitting Los Angeles because of the quake there. But, I'm sure that'll just make surfing more enjoyable for those that do such things.

Looks like rescue teams left earthquake-torn Algeria but the nightmare went on for 15,000 homeless people facing the threat of disease.

The official toll from last Wednesday's quake, which at 6.7 on the Richter scale was Algeria's most severe in more than two decades, rose slightly to 2,212 dead and 9,085 injured with hundreds still unaccounted for under the rubble of buildings, the body count is set to climb still higher.

With all the violence I've seen near my home lately, I have a very pessimistic view of how people would react here locally if something really major happened here.

Maybe all this violence is somehow triggered by stresses in the Earth. I've even noticed the stray cats I play with acting very strange. I hope that isn't a sign of impending doom.

The film loosely based on the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School by Gus Van Sant got the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Featuring real high school students, not actors, "Elephant" was well-received at Cannes, though the win was something of a surprise cause I think everyone thought Lars Von Trier's, "Dogville" was gonna get it.

Van Sant looked somewhat astonished as he accepted the Palme d'Or, saying "Vive la France!"

Maybe this is the French way of apologizing to America by having an American win... I say, "Screw you... Frogs!" But then, I wasn't even nominated.

The film starts out on an ordinary school day and ends in a stunning and graphic way: Two students go on a shooting spree in the hallways. That never happens!

Van Sant is best known for "Good Will Hunting," and "My Own Private Idaho." He shot "Elephant" in just 20 days.

No word yet on how long it feels to watch it.