Japan

[claire]

Personally, I couldn't give a damn what horrors countries have in their pasts. Nor do I care, in this instance, what dodgy decisions their governments have taken recently. I have no clue what relevance it has to Phil's original post--which was simply to highlight the human trauma. Pointing out what a country's government has done in the past that we don't agree with is just another excuse for bigotry, particularly when it is mentioned to denigrate the terror and loss experienced by individual civilians. At best, it's tasteless to raise such matters at these times.

It was a decent and heartfelt original post, Phil. Cheers.

[Stephen Thomas]

Erm, are you refering to the unit 731? the rape of Nanking? or the legal part of pedo-pornography?

I knew about Nanking and checked out Unit 731 on Wikipedia and was disgusted and horrified but what is 'the legal part of pedo-pornography' ?

[The Good Michael]

HYde,

You've changed your tune since condemning the Japanese, above others, as being despicable. Now you're condemning the world. I'll accept that condemnation.

Mike

[Sister Hyde]

Hello Sister,

from your post Nr.13.


Quietly, and honestly, I know this to be untrue. Some people will be still be caring in 2 months time. Speaking personallly, I am aware of many who are still involved in past disaster rebuilding and charity organisations. A few have even given up their lives of safety in Western Europe to move permanently to carry on helping. Speaking personally, I am still involved in various happenings from the past. (I do not wish to elevate any percieved impression here by the way, I am no different from many others.)

In 2 months the only thing 80% of the people will talk about will be "what consequences on OUR quiet little comfy life". I've lived myself in community with people (some just turning 18, in other words, kids)who were gone 11 months a year to the most sordids parts of the world to try help people out, and you know just as well as I do that a handfull of utopists are just inadequate in front of the extent of misery, now, if the truth has an ugly face I can't help it.

[DVV]

Pray for them, Jordan.

[ChainzCooper]

Hi Jordan.

Here's a link to World Vision's online donations for Emergency relief. They specialize in helping children and are a wonderful organization; I've donated through them for years.

World Vision earthquake & tsunami relief: http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTM...&section=10324

And here's the American Red Cross website for online donations to relief efforts in Japan:

https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052&idb=0

I have two good friends that live in Tokyo, a mother and daughter. They came through the quake alright but are very scared about the reactor and the aftershocks. I heard from them on March 12, Saturday, but nothing since then. I'm trying to get an update on their condition and find out if they can get out of Tokyo, maybe even come to relatives in the U.S. I'm praying for them and for all victims everywhere.

Best regards,
Archaic

Thats cool I'll probably roll with Red Cross, I appreciate the links. I hope the money actually gets to the people, I sent a hundred dollar check to an Indian school in Pine Ridge South Dakota last year. Needless to say I never heard back from them which seems strange because it was like six times the amount they were asking. Maybe I'll give them a ring one day to make sure they got it
Jordan

[Archaic]

Links For Online Donations To Relief Efforts

Does anybody know any agency where I can send a check to help?
Jordan

Hi Jordan.

Here's a link to World Vision's online donations for Emergency relief. They specialize in helping children and are a wonderful organization; I've donated through them for years.

World Vision earthquake & tsunami relief: http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTM...&section=10324

And here's the American Red Cross website for online donations to relief efforts in Japan:

https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052&idb=0

I have two good friends that live in Tokyo, a mother and daughter. They came through the quake alright but are very scared about the reactor and the aftershocks. I heard from them on March 12, Saturday, but nothing since then. I'm trying to get an update on their condition and find out if they can get out of Tokyo, maybe even come to relatives in the U.S. I'm praying for them and for all victims everywhere.

Best regards,
Archaic

[ChainzCooper]

I'm good folk in Tennessee and I'm pretty sure we only make fair to middling whiskey

I found this scary/interesting. The Japan earthquake knocked us (the planet) off our axis by 25 cm (10 in.), causing us to lose an eventual 1.26 milliseconds off our day. The main Island of Japan was shifted 2.4 meters (14 ft.) eastward. And there are estimates that the sea level will rise anywhere from 3 - 18 inches.

Jesus H. etc.

George Dickel is just fair whisky? I think its pretty good. Sorry to be off topic, does anyone know any website I can go to send a check out?
Jordan

[Errata]

Actually that's about 8 feet, but still substantial. I didn't understand it exactly, but I thought that it pushed Honshu inwards 8 feet. I don't know know how it could actually move the island toward Korea, unless we're talking about a buckling of the island underneath. I haven't seen any detailed scientific analyses yet.

Mike

The thing I read said that during the earthquake, the GPS location station closest to the epicenter moved 14 ft towards the US. And that Honshu as a whole moved 8 ft. The islands did in fact buckle, as a not insignificant portion of the coastline dropped about 2 ft, meaning that several places that are underwater will remain so. It also said the Island is now wider, which leads me to believe that the island rose on the western border. Which would make it both closer to the US, and the border closer to Korea.

[The Good Michael]

The main Island of Japan was shifted 2.4 meters (14 ft.) eastward. And there are estimates that the sea level will rise anywhere from 3 - 18 inches.

.

Actually that's about 8 feet, but still substantial. I didn't understand it exactly, but I thought that it pushed Honshu inwards 8 feet. I don't know know how it could actually move the island toward Korea, unless we're talking about a buckling of the island underneath. I haven't seen any detailed scientific analyses yet.

Mike

[Phil Carter]

This whole thing is truly frightening. They're even starting to leave Tokyo now.

Fair dos to the Japanese, they've kept their heads.

Hello Robert,

Dignity and politeness.
They stand for hours to queue for food. Only to be told that the shelves are totally empty. They bow, they thank, they walk away.

Hello Sister,

from your post Nr.13.

... in 2 months no one will care anymore or follow how these people are "rebuilding", same as in 86 (ironically we talked about it with a friend of Kiev not later than yesterday), just like Indonesia, like New Orleans, and like Haïti some years ago.

Quietly, and honestly, I know this to be untrue. Some people will be still be caring in 2 months time. Speaking personallly, I am aware of many who are still involved in past disaster rebuilding and charity organisations. A few have even given up their lives of safety in Western Europe to move permanently to carry on helping. Speaking personally, I am still involved in various happenings from the past. (I do not wish to elevate any percieved impression here by the way, I am no different from many others.)

Hello All,

The reason for my posting this thread was personal. Norma (amongst others) saw the personal feeling I was trying to express and feels the effect herself as she watches the television screen, as I am sure others do. I ended the posting with one comment. That I would try and do a little if I could. Whatever we personally feel within will dictate.

All I know is how I feel. These people have been hit by an earthquake, a tsunami, potential radioactive contamination, lack of fuel, lack of food, and now mother nature has hit once again with returning wintery conditions, There is no heating in the area, remember. Oil refineries went up in flames. Children have lost their parents. Parents have lost their children. There is a lack of shelter for tens of thousands to tackle on top of all of this. This level of loss is immeasurable for most of us to even start to comprehend.

Although we see glimpses that refreshes our belief in human nature in our everyday lives as we walk along, David summed up his thoughts with this..

Only Louis Armstrong thinks it's a wonderful world.

To emphasise this pop song with another, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure composed these lines from the song "Do they know it's Christmas" from 1984..

...There's a world outside your window
And it's a world of dread and fear

This situation in Japan is a crisis. It would be wrong, in my personal view, for the world in general to turn around and quote the title of Supertramp's famous album

Crisis? What crisis?

kindly,

Phil

[Limehouse]

Hello Norma/Natalie.
Lately I've been thinking of how ironic it is that another nuclear crisis is currently happening to Japan after their relatively recent Hiroshima/Nagasaki trauma.
The Japanese are notorious and admirable for rebuilding their nation and infrastructure after great disasters, yet their environmental policies are questionable at best. Reckless would be more appropriate an adjective, and the disastrous consequences of such policies we are only starting to face.
One single positive outcome after this tragic natural catastrophy in Japan is that it has generated new debate on nuclear power. Specifically in Germany there is a recent decision (as of last week) about reducing the number of nuclear power plants.

I completely agree that it was folly indeed to locate these nuclear plants in that place but Japan has very few natural resources such as coal and oil. Therefore - it is much cheaper for them to generate and use nuclear power than to import the natural resources they need for their industry. It is capitalism at its worst I'm afraid.

[Limehouse]

exactly, they are not the finest, the sweetest, the most tolerants and so on, they are human beings and so, they have their big share of animals, just like everyone else, and their share of poor people who have no choice but to put up with it. it was not my point to make them look like a squelch (although the child pornography is NOW and that unlike the germans, they got away very easily with their warcrimes, and that everyone seems to forget that, people are just blind as long as it didn't happened under their eyes)

I feel these comments are a little ungracious in the circumstances. It is the here and now we should focus on. No nation is full of perfect individuals but no nation deserves what these people are suffereing. My heart goes out to them.

[mariab]

Yes, the 10'' off the earth's axis I find fascinating – and the result that the day got shorter.
David, I've tried making sushis a few years ago, and they were edible, but their shape was pretty sketchy.

[Errata]

The good folks in Tennessee and I would disagree. But seriously, does anyone know any websites I could go to help and send a check?
Jordan

I'm good folk in Tennessee and I'm pretty sure we only make fair to middling whiskey

I found this scary/interesting. The Japan earthquake knocked us (the planet) off our axis by 25 cm (10 in.), causing us to lose an eventual 1.26 milliseconds off our day. The main Island of Japan was shifted 2.4 meters (14 ft.) eastward. And there are estimates that the sea level will rise anywhere from 3 - 18 inches.

Jesus H. etc.