Strength of humanity in crisis...

[shootingstar]

This is an account of a Japanese-American ..ready to leave when earthquake occurred.
http://liztagami.wordpress.com/

[sundial]

It looks as though radioactive levels continue to climb and people as far away as Tokyo are being warned to leave.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition...aying-1.349669

[Trek420]

This is an account of a Japanese-American ..ready to leave when earthquake occurred.
http://liztagami.wordpress.com/

Very interesting report. Thanks for sharing it. What impresses me is not that the writer was prepared (while she did know and share with other passengers and readers some good safety info such as heading to a sturdy wall, the ol' duck, cover and hold thing drill ...) but what is trully impressive is the Japanese preparation. Sounds like they have pre-recorded announcements or have trained announcers to tell people to "stay away from the bleeping windows. What are you thinking running to them???" Wow.

You see them bringing blankets, water, food out to the passengers? This does not just happen. It means that they are prepared at major centers to house, feed and shelter people in case of a major emergency.

This takes major planning for a building as large and complex as an airport.

If you work in an office or for any company does yours have a safety plan? Do you?

I know I don't do enough and I'm in a fault zone better rotate the water supply at least.

[PamNY]

I keep thinking of the people who are working on the nuclear facility. They are very brave.

That was interesting, Shootingstar, thanks.

[Mr. Bloom]

I keep thinking of the people who are working on the nuclear facility.

I agree, but in a country whose manufacturing is based on robotics, I'm surprised that haven't found a way to motorized a water cannon...but it's easy to assess their approach from a sofa 9,000 miles away

[OakLeaf]

Very thoughtful reading, on the topic of the thread title:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion...m-2245014.html

[PamNY]

Very thoughtful reading, on the topic of the thread title:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion...m-2245014.html

That is an excellent piece; thanks. I will share that with several people.

[crazycanuck]

Perhaps puruse the IAEA site http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/...iupdate01.html

[PamNY]

I agree, but in a country whose manufacturing is based on robotics, I'm surprised that haven't found a way to motorized a water cannon...but it's easy to assess their approach from a sofa 9,000 miles away

Here's an article from Salon on that very topic.

It's lightweight, but interesting (considering it was probably written by a guy on a sofa 9,000 miles away).

[Trek420]

I agree, but in a country whose manufacturing is based on robotics, I'm surprised that haven't found a way to motorized a water cannon...but it's easy to assess their approach from a sofa 9,000 miles away

Even if they did have a 'bot part of the challenge in addition to the quake, tsunami damage the power is out .... at the power plant. So nothing to plug the 'bot into or anything else they've needed to solve the problem traditional ways.

I hear they got power back at least one of the 4 damaged plants. Now to hope the lines, infrastructure etc inside the plants still work.

[badger]

my mother is leaving for Japan on Monday for a 3 months, she bought the ticket in January. Both my brother and I have asked her to postpone leaving for a couple of weeks, but she's very fatalistic saying she can't live her life in fear. Still...

My co-worker was speaking to her friend in Tokyo. She's house bound, as they are telling people to stay indoors. I was saying I'd be leaving, but those people are stuck - stores are closed, trains aren't running, and people are lining up for hours to get gas and they're only allowed 10L.

And that footage of the dogs is just heartbreaking.

God, the tsunami was bad enough, it's just getting worse and worse.

[smilingcat]

I keep thinking of the people who are working on the nuclear facility. They are very brave.

That was interesting, Shootingstar, thanks.

It isn't a matte of bravery or not. The workers who are the walking dead know that they will die soon maybe a month, two... maybe a year from now...

They may have volunteered.

They may have been asked. If you were asked to do this job, you can not turn it down from cultural standpoint. To refuse, implies you are selfish and self centered and not thinking for the good of all. Your honor is tarnished and so is your family.

My heart goes out to the walking dead. They are doing this to save their loved ones, their neighbor, their way of life. If I lived in Japan and if my expertise was in nuclear power, I would seriously consider volunteering. I don't have kids, Only family I have is my elderly mother, my sister and her three children and I'm already in my 50's. I've had a good life. This is the strength of the Japanese culture.

smilingcat

[lph]

....

Oh my. That very clearly highlights the difference in culture. That is very impressive, but to me also quite disturbing.

I pray that they succeed in their efforts. I hope they feel it was worth the sacrifice. I hope they know that a whole world is watching, and waiting for better news.

[Mr. Bloom]

....

Oh my. That very clearly highlights the difference in culture. That is very impressive, but to me also quite disturbing.

I agree. Interesting the change this casts on the dialogue...the very attribute we were applauding becomes disturbing when viewed in the extreme...

[OakLeaf]

Oh my. That very clearly highlights the difference in culture. That is very impressive, but to me also quite disturbing.

I don't know. Remember how many people did the same thing at Chernobyl. And (granted that the risks were different and to some extent unknown) at the World Trade Center site.

Did you read the Johann Hari piece I linked to?

The volunteers are amazing, commendable, there's no adjective too extreme for what they're doing. But I don't know that they're uniquely Japanese.