Japan

[Phil Carter]

I apologise for writing personally.

We have all witnessed via the television the awful scenes of complete devastation in Northen Japan. First a series of earthquakes, including one measured at 9.0, that also included a series of many aftershocks, then an incredible tsunami, the strength of which it is difficult for most of us to fathom.

The scenes themselves were like watching a big-budget disaster movie, much like the 9/11 television coverage, which makes it almost hard to believe what had actually happened.

Speaking entirely personally, I felt that one cannot avoid being stunned and affected by this terrible disaster. My first thoughts are for the lives of the children left behind without any parents. Then the lives of the grown ups having lost their loved ones, both children, parents and grandparents. Finally, the lives of those who are aged, to be told their children and grandchildren and other family members are perhaps all gone.

These people are normal everyday people who happen to be in the situation of living in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their lives are ruled by sheer chance, or off-chance if you will. Despite children being drilled from a very early age about what to do in earthquake situations, nobody can ever be ready for the awesome power and destruction that the tsunami following afterwards can create. This chance, is one that we who live in Western Europe do not even think twice about. The colossal destruction in the wake of this tsunami, is further hightened by the risk of radioactive leakage, due to damage to nuclear installations caused by the tsunami. Here we are witness to the possibility of future generations being physically affected by this disaster.

I say quite unashamedly that whilst watching this disaster unfold in front of me, my eyes filled with water, and I cried in silence...nothing could stop the path of the tears that rolled slowly down my cheeks. As has happened at other times in my life, I had the same feelings in 1984 when watching the harrowing scenes from Ethiopia. This time, it is not a poor, third world nation that is affected. I must say that 27 years on, it makes no difference to how I feel inside.

My thoughts go out to those who have lost....perhaps everything. I intend to help in some way or another, however insignificant it may be.

Phil

[The Good Michael]

Phil,

I agree. There is no better country in the world and no finer people. I love Japan and have many friends there. Luckily my friends live nowhere near the earthquakes, but they lost loved ones.

Mike

[Sister Hyde]

Phil,

I agree. There is no better country in the world and no finer people.

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

[Errata]

My thoughts go out to those who have lost....perhaps everything. I intend to help in some way or another, however insignificant it may be.
Phil

I too feel terrible for these people. But mostly I am angry. Like, really angry. Japan is quite possibly the most terrestrially unstable place on earth. They have active volcanoes, geysers, earthquakes, tsunami, typhoons, mudslides and floods. And none of these are new phenomenon. And while the earthquake was a surprise, the tsunami clearly was not. Why did so many people die? Why are so many more people going to get irradiated? What the hell were they thinking building nuclear power plants?

This sounds trite, but this is a culture that grew up on Godzilla movies. Whole storylines based on natural disaster leading to nuclear incident leading to giant atomic age monster. How did they not realize that this was bad idea? Sure, no one is going to create a giant rampaging lizard, but the lesson is still sound. It would be like if you heard maniacal laughter from your basement when you were home alone and actually went down there to investigate. We know better. We've seen the movies.

I realize that nuclear power is extremely safe compared to other power sources. Until it isn't. And an incident at a coal electricity plant is nothing compared to an incident at a nuclear power plant. And I'm not sure I even really care how potentially dangerous it is as long as they have a plan for every contingency. Which evidently they didn't. How did they NOT know this was going to be a problem? My MOM knew it was a problem about a year ago. We talked about it. And my mom is about as technically aware as your average bark beetle. How could they risk so many people sickening and dying? It just makes me so angry.

[The Good Michael]

Sister Hyde,

I was referring to the French colonization and abuse of Vietnam. Or I was referring to the Roman slaughter of the Gauls. Maybe I was talking about the Germans and the holocaust. The Ilkhans and their taking of Samarkand. The British and the Irish question... perhaps America and the trail of tears. Or was it the Spanish conquest...I can't remember. Every country every people, so many atrocities. The Japanese are as good as they come.

Cheers,

Mike
Mike

[DVV]

Indeed Mike, that was a bit childish, and definitely uncalled-for at the present time.

[Sister Hyde]

Sister Hyde,

I was referring to the French colonization and abuse of Vietnam. Or I was referring to the Roman slaughter of the Gauls. Maybe I was talking about the Germans and the holocaust. The Ilkhans and their taking of Samarkand. The British and the Irish question... perhaps America and the trail of tears. Or was it the Spanish conquest...I can't remember. Every country every people, so many atrocities. The Japanese are as good as they come.

Cheers,

Mike
Mike

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)

[Sister Hyde]

Indeed Mike, that was a bit childish, and definitely uncalled-for at the present time.

It's not childlish, but strangely people are only remembered when big dramas happen to them.

[The Good Michael]

THe Japanese rebuilt themselves. I said there are no better people. I didn't say they were the best. There's a big difference there. I woudl say teh same about the Ethiopians, the Irish, the Welsh and a slew of others. If you've never been there and met the people, as I have 9 different times, and felt the politeness, the giving nature, and the wondrous curiosity they have about the world and indeed, the way they take this politeness and system of manners everywhere they travel, and travel they do, you can't judge their present nature.

Mike

[DVV]

It's not childlish, but strangely people are only remembered when big dramas happen to them.

God knows what you mean.

[DVV]

I woudl say teh same about the Ethiopians

The times of emperor Menelik II have been justly compared to the meiji period. These two peoples, as different as they look, have something in common.

[Natalie Severn]

The people I saw stunned and traumatised emerging from the horror of all they had lost--their homes their families their livelihoods were poor,powerless ordinary people, survivors of one of nature"s holocausts.Like Phil I was profoundly moved by it and by their dignity in the face of it.
Like Errata I was outraged that their government had built nuclear power stations on land that was unstable and known to be vulnerable to earthquakes.
Sister Hyde---have you forgotten about Hiroshima? There was a crime against humanity if ever there was one.....

[Sister Hyde]

I don't forget anything Nat, all I see is that once again, people suddenly start to think about the needing people only once the s***t hit the fan very seriously, and that 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.

[mariab]

have you forgotten about Hiroshima? There was a crime against humanity if ever there was one.....

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.

[ChainzCooper]

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