It has been one month since a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit my hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand. In my first time home since the event, I have come to learn the full extent both physically and emotionally that the quake has had on the city.

During the day, the view out across the city looks like any other day, as if life is as usual. Once darkness falls you notice the lack of light streaming from the buildings that remain, a kilometer square block that stands lifeless and lightless. It saddens me to see a once vibrant city crippled. It is almost unfathomable for me to believe that there are people living in motor homes and in camping grounds because their houses are condemned.

As I sit here contemplating the thought of losing someone dear, like so many have in Christchurch, the emotion almost becomes too much. I feel guilty that life for me is unchanged.

People are leaving the city, and this is completely understandable: An unpredictable force has taken their livelihoods away from them. Normality may not return for some time, and emotionally that is a hard reality to face.

Thousands of business lie in the CBD cordon. Businesses with the capability to relocate temporarily have done so, others have closed for good, and others will wait it out to rebuild their business.

I have friends and family without homes, I have friends and family without jobs. Thankfully I have no family who died, but sadly I have friends who have lost someone very close to them. Still others have lost their homes and their jobs.

As I sit here writing this there is yet another after shock. A loud noise followed by a solid thud. I have not even felt the large quakes, but I am on edge. Every noise has me on edge. It’s unnerving and unsettling. The thought that there could be another large quake is constant.

The recovery effort is an unimaginable task. A city of over 400,000 people depends on the decisions of the local and national government to make Christchurch once again a vibrant city.

Even though the city is down, they still hold compassion for those in Japan. The people of Christchurch have great sympathy for the victims in Japan, and I know that the Japanese are as deeply saddened and sympathetic to those in Christchurch. Together an invisible bond is formed, between people who will never meet. Brothers and sisters in arms, uniting to recover, remember and rebuild.

With the cordon in the CBD, it is as if the heart of the city has been ripped out. In the 36 hours I have been in the city, and the small parts of it I have seen, you can tell that the other major arteries and limbs of the city are working hard to keep the city together.

Nerves are on edge, emotions are high, and the lives of some are in tatters. Comfort for most comes in knowing that one day, maybe 6 months to a year, or even longer from now, the cordon will lift, and people will return to the heart of a city that slowly, but surely, will start beating again.

The thing we all share in common is our love of this once- and still-amazing city. The aftershocks will not last forever, but this city will. The people know they owe it to themselves and the city to stay. A home will always remain a home, and no force can change that.

You can find Blake at his Web site or on Twitter.

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It’s a reminder that no matter how gay-friendly a culture can seem on the outside, all it takes is a couple people to make life difficult for a gay person. Thankfully the more welcoming heads prevailed.

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There isn’t much more about him on the Internet. See more photos and a video interview of him after the jump.

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

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“When people think of a pimp they think of a guy standing around on a street corner with gold chains,” he told the Sunday Star Times.

“Pimps are more tough-type guys. I’m an owner of an escort agency.”

Prostitution has been decriminalized in New Zealand and brothels are allowed to operate. Even so, a Taekwondo New Zealand spokesman said Campbell’s brothel might cause him to lose a spot on the international team.

“Selection takes into account not just performance but also the athlete’s ability to serve as an example to the youth of the country,” the NZPA quoted TNZ funding manager John Schofield as saying.

Yes, we must always think of the children!

I think Campbell is showing great entrepreneurial spirit and not breaking any laws. He finished in top 16 in the Beijing Olympics but says he is at a disadvantage over competitors who don’t have to worry about raising money to compete. He does not want to burden his parents, who paid for the majority of his Beijing expenses. He even brought the girls to meet mom.

“Mum was hesitant but she met the girls, a couple came over to her house and she was sweet as. She realized they were just normal people supporting their kids and stuff,” Campbell said.

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Their strength was measured after 36 and 60 hours and compared with those who were given just fruit juice. Those who drank alcohol showed a marked loss in recovery. Study author Matt Barnes, of Massey University, New Zealand, said: “If you drink moderate levels of alcohol after you use your muscles strenuously you are impairing your ability to recover.”

When I’ve been at sports tournaments, I have long passed up alcohol until the competition is over; I always feel so dehydrated after games, alcohol’s the last thing I want to touch. Now with this, I’ll be buying my opponents shots!

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