Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan
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Glad that the whole IH/ TW crew is alright! My deepest sympathies, thoughts, and prayers go out to all those harmed by this event…
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Things aren't looking good in Fukushima…this is seriously bad...
We can do anything
http://bybeatle.com -
yeah, but they have now officially reached radioactivity higher than boundary value
We can do anything
http://bybeatle.com -
After the catastrophe, I am totally amazed by the courage, the civility and the spirit of the Japanese people. They are truly awesome and I really admire the country, the civilization and the fantastic strength and energy. Truly noble people.
All my prayers to my Japanese friends and the country.
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Seul - Japanese authorities admitted to melt down…second reactor will most likely suffer an explosion as well , this is seriously bad..
We can do anything
http://bybeatle.com -
thoughts & prayers go out to all impacted by this event. I think the below is useful & I'm pretty sure wubul was about to post this up along with the 634 question:
Charities have begun making requests for contributions to help with their efforts following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers the following tips to help Americans decide where to direct donations to assist.
Be cautious when giving online.
Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization. If you want to give to a charity involved in relief efforts, go directly to the charity’s Web site. In response to Katrina, Rita and the Asian tsunamis of several years ago, the FBI and others raised concerns about Web sites and new organizations that were created overnight, allegedly to help victims.Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity.
Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other Web sites, as they may not have fully researched the relief organizations they list. The public can go towww.bbb.org/charity to research charities and relief organizations and verify that they are accredited by the BBB and meet the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims.
Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fund raising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee. If a charity claims 100 percent of collected funds will be assisting hurricane victims, the truth is that the organization is still probably incurring fund raising and administrative expenses. It may use some of its other funds to pay these costs, but the expenses will still be incurred.Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas.
Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to bring in new aid workers to provide assistance quickly. See if the charity’s Web site clearly describes what the charity can do to address immediate needs.Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups.
Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to those that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to see whether they are equipped to provide aid effectively.Gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations.
In-kind drives for food and clothing, while well intentioned, may not necessarily be the quickest way to help those in need – unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to distribute such aid properly. Ask the charity about its transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.All lifted from the Better Business Bureau
http://www.bbb.org/us/article/tips-for-giving-to-earthquake-relief-efforts-in-japan-25992 -
I asked Ayumi for an update on the situation. This is her message:
Giles and Paula,
As time ticks away, people are finding more damages, more people still being isolated and waiting for help and a lot of people who have evacuated are not having enough food and water. According to Mainichi Newspaper, more than 1,900 people confirmed dead, more than 20,000 people are still missing, at least 340,000 people have evacuated. They expect more than 10,000 people will be confirmed dead in few days. Iwate, Miyagi, Tochigi, Aomori and Fukushima are the most worst hit areas.
There is a problem with Nuclear power plant in Fukushima which Tokyo relies part of their power, Tokyo will not have enough power so they will have part-time black out from tomorrow. Energy company divided Tokoy into several areas and each area will have about 3 hours black out per day. Besides that, most of city functions have been back in normal in Tokyo area.
This is my friends post :
This whole things are very bad, but only things people live far from Japan can do is donation and pray….
http://supportjapan.org/Thank you for thinking of Japanese people.
Ayumi
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Tokyo is really far away from being safe. I know Japanese authorities and the ceo´s of TEPCO are not really interested in informing the Japanese people of what could happen if they are not able to cool down the 2nd reactor…
We can do anything
http://bybeatle.com -
Great to hear that Tokyo is safe! Thanks for the vid Giles!
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What a nightmare. I am actually speechless looking at what happens there. I can't understand why there are so many nuclear power plants in a region, that is known for being effected by earthquakes and tsunamis. And it's hypocrisy to question nuclear power now, as if the risks wouldn't have been clear after tchernobyl. It seems that mankind alays creates its own hell. People are so ignorant.
My thoughts are with all the people in Japan and I hope for the best under these circumstances…
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Message from Takako at RJB:
We truly appreciate your encouraging words to our company and Japan.
We are still afraid that there are some aftershocks but at present, we don’t have a big damage to ourselves and are doing business as usual.
Our factores in Okayama and some other area are also fine.Again,thank you very much.
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@Max:
What a nightmare. I am actually speechless looking at what happens there. I can't understand why there are so many nuclear power plants in a region, that is known for being effected by earthquakes and tsunamis. And it's hypocrisy to question nuclear power now, as if the risks wouldn't have been clear after tchernobyl. It seems that mankind alays creates its own hell. People are so ignorant.
My thoughts are with all the people in Japan and I hope for the best under these circumstances…
I totally agree Max. New Zealand is also an active area in terms of earthquakes as we all saw recently and they have NO nuclear power. A sensible move I would have thought. Japan has something like 55 nuclear power plants! My sister-in-law works for a nuclear company and she seems brainwashed into believing that everything is safe despite reports and proof to the contrary. I'm aware that hindsight is a beautiful and at this time, useless, thing. I just hope for everyone's sake that the reactors hold up.
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Geothermal is the only practical energy replacement in Japan but it's been found to trigger earthquakes. There is no coal here, wind power requires open spaces which are not available, and solar technology just isn't practical yet. The only alternative is to import tons of coal whereas a nuclear reactor only needs to be fueled up once every 20 years or so. Considering the size of earthquake and tsunami required to damage a 40 year old reactor the risk is not that high.
