A commentary on Japan

The past few days have seen me experience a wide range of emotions, from sadness to anger to gratefullness, and everything in between.  No wonder I feel so exhausted today.

Watching the footage out of Japan pretty much live in the wee hours of the morning  the other night while suffering through what seemed like an overly long nightshift, I found myself having to control tears to the point that I actually had to leave the room and go compose myself in the bathroom a number of times.  My tears were twofold: first, in the realization of the scale of the devastation that was occurring over there, and the death toll that was likely to follow; and second, in being incredibly relieved that some very close friends and my brother had all vacated that general area of the world recently (as in the week previously), with my two friends returning safely home from Tokyo and the Phillipines, and my brother making the decision to move to central China from Taiwan.  While the effects on areas in the Pacific other than Japan turned out to be quite minimal, it was still a relief to know that everyone was safe.  Truly, in my mind one of the worst things that could happen to oneself is having a loved one in a far off location when such an event occurs, and having no way of contacting them to find out if they are okay.  Not knowing is very scarey.  My heart goes out to those currently in this situation. 

I was deeply saddened too to realize that it wasn't just people that were dying or badly injured over there, but all manner of creatures from pets to livestock to wildlife.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a sucker for the animals, and although not a vegetarian do believe all life is precious and all creatures deserve to be treated humanely, even if they are destined for a dinner plate.  Heck, I even talk to my plants in the garden, and thank them during the harvest season.  Sadly, when events of this magnitude happen, animals are the one's oft left behind during an emergency evacuation, and neglected during the subsequent cleanup.  I pray they all find the help and care they need, whether it be at the hands of a rescue worker, veterinarian or in some great hereafter. 

Oh dear... there are those tears again... just a sec...

Okay.

Better, for now.

In the wake of the earthquake and tsunami over there, the media frenzy continues with the latest headline target being the damaged nuclear power plants.  The media's reaction to all of this makes me angry.  For starters, some of the focus on this story is simply due to the fact that a major radioactive event could potentially affect North America, which must be (by their account) the centre of the Universe and what matters most in this situation.  Second, the sensationalism of this whole affair seems more designed to sell newspapers instead of actually getting facts straight.  Now, I'm by no means a nuclear physicist, technician, or any other sort of nuclear expert. 

I'm not even Homer Simpson. 

But I do recall some basics about how a nuclear power plant operates from some physics class I took in high school or university, and am not worried in the least about what is going on with the nuclear power plants over there.  Honestly, the situation at the power plants is likely the least of Japan's worries given the devastation to basic infrastructure and basic necessities for survival.  There are some really great blogs out there written by people in the know in an attempt to stop the spread of disinformation, and if you want valid scientific reasoning, please check them out - they are linked at the bottom of this post.

Finally, I experienced more anger, and a small measure of despair, upon reading an article that talks about fake charities that spring up whenever events of this magnitude happen attempting to take advantage of people trying to donate to rescue efforts and causes.  What is wrong with people in that they see this as an opportunity for financial gain?  Actually, I know exactly what is wrong with them, but that my friends is another post all in itself.  If you are looking to donate to one of these causes, please ensure it's legit so your money gets to where you wanted it to go.  I've linked to the Red Cross and American Humane Society below.

Stay safe, good readers, and may the Force be with you all, no matter what life throws at you.

Blogs regarding the status of Japan's nuclear power plants:

Rod Adams' blog - Atomic Insights
Barry Brook's blog - A Brave New Climate

Donate to the relief effort in Japan:

Canadian Red Cross
American Humane Society (disclaimer - while I don't necessarily agree with some tactics humane societies may employ, the AHS is a legit charity and your money will get put to good use)