Japan: 9.0 Earthquake-Tsunami-Nuclear Reactor Status #5

[Trino]

I'm having a hard time seeing any kind of positive outcome even being possible. Japan will essentially be a third world company, and the entire world will be living with the effects for quite some time. I don't even want to consider the global economy right now.

I don't believe Japan will become a third world country. Hard hit, yes, but Tokyo is still functioning, as are other parts of Japan.

Analogy... If our west coast had the same problems, would we say we would be a third world country?

 

[not_my_kids]

I don't believe Japan will become a third world country. Hard hit, yes, but Tokyo is still functioning, as are other parts of Japan.

Analogy... If our west coast had the same problems, would we say we would be a third world country?

If the West Coast were having these particular problems, in the same magnitude and running for the same length of time without correction, yes, i think the risk would be there for the US to become a third world country, as well.

 

[Quiche]

Problem is, Japan is geographically small and dependent on imports-- as long as there is a port that stays "clean" enough to do business with other countries, I think they'll adapt. But if it all gets dirty, global commerce/trade will abandon them. jmo

 

[Quiche]

If the West Coast were having these particular problems, in the same magnitude and running for the same length of time without correction, yes, i think the risk would be there for the US to become a third world country, as well.

Shooot, we'd redefine 1st World before we'd accept 3rd world status! LOL We are Americans, after all!! :innocent:


eta: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:First_second_third_worlds_map.svg

 

[ThoughtFox]

I don't believe Japan will become a third world country. Hard hit, yes, but Tokyo is still functioning, as are other parts of Japan.

Analogy... If our west coast had the same problems, would we say we would be a third world country?

But the reality is that the size of the country won't allow anyone to move too far from the disaster. And what about their fishing industry? I saw pictures on TV of one ruined boat after another miles inland and piled up like children's toys.

I don't really think Japan will become a third world country, but there's no doubt the people there are in for many hardships in their daily lives, from where they can travel to what they can eat/drink. Their economy has to suffer long term effects, not to mention the loss of tourism.

 

[hockeymom]

hm, your link sends me to a Wiki page that seems to have nothing to do with Japan. Am I not reading it correctly?

FWIW, as I understand Japanese culture, it has long tended to emphasize the well-being of the group over the individual. (This is also true of China and many other Asian countries. It is partly how they are able to support such large populations.) When the Japanese turned to capitalism beginning in the 1860s, it was only natural that they tended to be very loyal to corporations.

Of course corporations aim to make money, so the end result is much the same. But I don't believe the Japanese think of it as valuing money over people, but of the group over the individual.

Hi Nova,my link should lead you to a page that discusses something called Karoshi,or death by overwork. I find through this whole experience, I'm learning alot about the Japanese culture. I tend to read novels and books pre WW2 and during WW2,but not much recent history.

 

[Nova]

Hi Nova,my link should lead you to a page that discusses something called Karoshi,or death by overwork. I find through this whole experience, I'm learning alot about the Japanese culture. I tend to read novels and books pre WW2 and during WW2,but not much recent history.

hm, you might want to check out this book by Ruth Benedict:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chrysanthemum_and_the_Sword



It isn't recent; it was written in 1946. But it remains a seminal work on Japanese culture and thought even though more than a half-century has passed. (It was assigned to me in grad school as late as the mid-1990s.) For one thing, it deals mostly with the historical evolution of Japanese philosophies and that history hasn't changed just because five-and-a-half decades have passed.

My memory is that it is very readable for a non-fiction book. (Not that there's anything you can't read; my point is that reading the book wasn't a chore.) Of the relatively few (several hundred, but I gave away more than 2,000) books I have kept from college, it is one of them.

 

[hockeymom]

I just saw that Shep Smith has a special on Fox tonight at 11 est. Its about how Japan is doing currently from,earthquake,tsunami and nuclear crisis.

 

[ScorpRising]

Just found this while looking for info on iodine for the babu. I was able to find 1% iodine today... that was it and I need to do more research before buying anything.

This makes me :sick:. I hope they know what they're talking about, but I doubt it...

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110324004960.htm

In light of a recent warning that radioactive iodine exceeding the safety limit for infants was detected in Tokyo's tap water, experts said the level was not harmful for babies for the time being, and that babies could be bathed or have their hair washed in it.

 

[not_my_kids]

Just found this while looking for info on iodine for the babu. I was able to find 1% iodine today... that was it and I need to do more research before buying anything.

This makes me :sick:. I hope they know what they're talking about, but I doubt it...

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110324004960.htm

In light of a recent warning that radioactive iodine exceeding the safety limit for infants was detected in Tokyo's tap water, experts said the level was not harmful for babies for the time being, and that babies could be bathed or have their hair washed in it.

And the kids in Belarus could play in the rain puddles, and the milk was safe to drink, and remember, those cabbage grown only a few miles from the Japan reactors are safe to eat, as long as you wash them well and throw away the outer leaves...
I wonder what they mean by "the time being"? They won't get sick today, they might not get sick for years and by that time we can claim it's just coincidence?
Grrrr. I think it's becoming more apparent that I just don't trust many of the leaders here or there right now.

 

[buffetoflies]

Welcome to Websleuths, buffetoflies!

BBM: One request: would you please not use the word "gay" to mean bad or bogus?

I'm sure you meant no harm, but it's incredibly offensive, especially to those of us who are gay in the more common usage of the word.

Sorry. I'll supervise my fingers closely for a few days. I like gays. Ya'll are so much more open minded.

On topic, it's supposed to rain/sleet/snow here tomorrow. I love eating snow, but I passed the last time it snowed, and I'll be passing from now on.
If I were flying to Japan and a farmer there offered me their cabbage, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to turn them down. I feel so badly for them.

 

[peeples]

I'm sitting here watching Meteor on the Scify channel and one of them just hit a nuclear power plant and all i could do was groan and wonder what if....
Wonder if they are set up with protections against huge falling meteors...LOL!

 

[Quiche]

Embattled TEPCO now facing a harsh public backlash

Quote: Some members of the public are expressing their frustrations with Tokyo Electric Power Co. and its employees for the concerns arising from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and rolling blackouts.

Because the initial complaints have escalated to threats and harassment, TEPCO has taken measures to protect the safety of its employees.

One measure being taken is to cover signs to company dormitories for TEPCO employees.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201104020226.html

 

[Quiche]

After Japan disaster, disposing of waste creates dilemmas

Quote: After the quake and tsunami, Japan faces legal, financial, logistical, environmental and ethical questions on dealing with debris — from ships and smashed cars to waterlogged heirlooms and soiled family photos.

and

In the best of times, one man's trash is another man's treasure. But in the wake of Japan's March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the nation is facing complex legal, financial, logistical, environmental and ethical questions over just how to deal with at least 80 million tons of debris — from 300-ton ships and smashed cars to waterlogged heirlooms and soiled family photos.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...ash-20110403,0,2076542.story?page=1&track=rss

Potential worries cited are possible asbestos when the debris dries out, and fire. Also stated that they were going to throw sea life back into the ocean. Imo, that's another avenue of radioactivity.

 

[not_my_kids]

Radioactive caesium and iodine have been found in 33 of 49 vegetables grown in Fukushima, but the levels were below the lawful limit. It was possible, officials said, that the spread of radioactive substances from the plant was decreasing.

Caesium was found in five varieties of seafood off the coast of the neighbouring Ibaraki Prefecture, but again, the levels were below the legal limit, the officials said.
http://en.trend.az/regions/world/ocountries/1854960.html

Go ahead, ask me if I believe them.

 

[not_my_kids]

That slightly radioactive milk found in Spokane could have come from anywhere in the state or northern Idaho.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/default/ar...e-from-across-state-1318492.php#ixzz1IQrq3ZZb

 

[not_my_kids]

For a look at just how long radioactivity can hang around, consider Germany's wild boars.
A quarter century after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union carried a cloud of radiation across Europe, these animals are radioactive enough that people are urged not to eat them. And the mushrooms the pigs dine on aren't fit for consumption either.
Germany's experience shows what could await Japan — if the problems at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant get any worse.


Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/artic...legacy-of-Chernobyl-1317894.php#ixzz1IQs8SyEu

Interesting article all the way through...I love wild animals, and the only good that I see from this is although they will have birth defects and cancer risks, at least they won't be hunted.

 

[Kat]

Thank you everyone for keeping this thread up to date with the latest info. I haven't posted but I am reading it every time I sign onto WS.

Off topic we are on the verge of another outbreak of Dengue fever here so I'm keeping my eye out on that too LOL. Lordy be.

 

[Daisyjane]

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/japan_nuclear_crisis/

NEWS ADVISORY: 2 missing Fukushima nuke plant workers found dead on site: TEPCO (11:39)

 

[Quiche]

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/japan_nuclear_crisis/

NEWS ADVISORY: 2 missing Fukushima nuke plant workers found dead on site: TEPCO (11:39)

Oh my, they've been missing since the first blasts, there's not much they can do for them.