Nature bursts its bounds. People seethe and erupt.

Japan is among the safest countries in the world, but its headlines are terrifying. Can we send our children to school? Ride a train to work? Socialize on the Net? Set up house near a river, a mountain, a nuclear power plant?

Yes, of course. Normality overcomes tragedy, except when — very occasionally, statistically speaking — tragedy overwhelms normality.