radioactive Reporting

I am rather tired of hearing about the latest American sensationalist news.

Radiation over 100,000 times the normal limit?!?!

When did minuscule become synomynous with 100,000?
Or NINE even?

Being very very distant from the site, I find the rampant fear-mongering and exaggeration to be far more frightening than the actual radiation itself. Did CNN or FOX bother to mention how much radiation you get just passing through La Guardia security these days? Or how much you are exposed to every time you get a CAT scan?

Incidentally, compliments of Reuters, FACTBOX: Japan's nuclear crisis and radioactive half-lives.

That aside, there are other things to consider.

As much as people urge me to leave, in the first place, we are NO where near the site. In the second place, it's "radioactive material".
"radioactive iodine has been detected in a milk sample from the U.S. state of Washington"(Reuters)
"extremely small amount of radioactive iodine was found in the air samples taken from 12 regions across the nation, including Seoul and Daegu."(KBS, Korean Broadcasting)

There is no escaping radiation.

And what is this about Japanese news isn't reporting the truth?
Remember those Cold War safety films compliments of the U.S. Government?
It's radiation.
DUCK and COVER was never going to help anyone and they sure as hell knew that much about nuclear reactions, but that didn't stop the U.S. Government from selling that lie to the masses.

Or if you would prefer something more recent...
Remember the intense reporting of fearful massive stockpiles of WMD in Iraq??

Maybe too political for some.
How about non-political and even MORE recent?

Remember the whole TOYOTA cars are dangerous and wildly accelerate out of control insanity? I believe there were two weeks when it was almost nothing but that news.
And yet, how much coverage was given on the final testing results conducted in joint by NASA and NHTSA confirming there was NO electronic errors or malfunctions?

Having lived - not merely visited - but LIVED in three different countries in three differing cultures, there is one thing I can say with absolute certainty:

There is no chosen people.
There is no chosen religion.
There is no chosen country.

Humans are the same everywhere.

For every non-truth in the Japanese news or propagated by the Japanese government itself, I can find you just as many perpetrated from the American side.

Be selective. Be doubtful. And most importantly, please be educated in your choices.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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Social Surivial

Tonight's CLOSE UP JAPAN was about the use and effect of twitter (and facebook) after the earthquake-tsunami disaster.

reporting back later....

Cheers! (^_-)-☆


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Flowering Friday

Forget TGIF, it's HANAKIN!

花金

Or "Flower Friday" if you prefer, the most blessed day of the week in any culture. Hanakin is also the day, for me in particular, to partake in 鯨飲馬食。

Working at a Japanese preschool and kindergarten, you barely have time to have a decent meal yourself at any point during the day much less at lunch time. Morning is time to quickly wolf something down (usually while in the shower because that's the only room above 70 F at any time), matched by an equally hastily made dinner, only this time it's out of exhaustion. Forget lunch. Sure you'll eat it but you won't remember eating it as you spend most of the time monitoring for spills, doing refills, and shoveling food into the mouths of slow or outright resistant eaters.

So Hanakin has come to be synomonous with another Japanese classic, 鯨飲馬食 (GeiInBaShoku) - drink like a whale, eat like a horse.

I apparently lean more to the horsey-side of the phenomena though judging from the mountainous pile of "white balloon" brand cookie wrappers siting on top two chocolate bar wrappers. (All the cookies amounted to the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk so it wasn't a total "loss".)

So Noms and Cheers to you and yours on your upcoming Friday.



(^_-)-☆

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Happiness is....

getting a paycheck ON TIME
and in the PROPER AMOUNT.

(The way this place is I was naturally suspecting some funny business in this department too.)

Of course, nothing but NOTHING beats a warm fuzzy tunneling through the covers to sleep on your feet at night, but a paycheck is not so bad either. Particularly when you had been balancing how to spend the last 500 yen (about 5 USD) for the past 2 weeks.

In this case, I immediately went out and bought myself a rainbow of happiness.


And there were even more soy milk flavors not shown that I haven't tried yet!!
New ones included oshiruko (sweet red bean soup) and sweet potato flavor in addition to my old favs Vanilla, Chocolate, and the #1, Black Sesame Seed.

If one rainbow is good, surely two must be better.


Yes, a rainbow of sake you could never find anywhere else but in a Japanese supermarket. My old faithful companion, straight up sake by Gekkeikan is on the far right in a double size bottle this time thanks to the spiffy paycheck, but then I added some new friends to the gathering. I had been feeling it was long due time to venture into new frontiers..

On the far left is traditional sweet Umeshu made from local ume fruits (this area is either the top ume producing area in all of Japan or the second one down.), next a blend of sake known as Nigori-zake as it is nigotteiru or "muddied" by the rice, followed by a bottle of gently sweet sake as stated by the cute bunny on front. (Yeah, it was the bunny that ultimately sold me. Also, it added confidence knowning that it too is made by Gekkeikan.)

I shall report my taste findings in the future, if only for my own record.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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Information Gap

I was called in for a little chat with the VP this morning AGAIN. (That woman seriously scares me.) Fortunately, it was a harmless session, but after reading this below, I have a feeling it was more for her to check on my emotional stability with the ongoing news of earthquakes, reactor failings, tsunamis, REACTOR FAILINGS.

The U.S. embassy in Tokyo has urged citizens living within 80 km (50 miles) of the Daiichi plant to evacuate or remain indoors "as a precaution," while Britain's foreign office urged citizens "to consider leaving the area." Other nations have urged nationals in Japan to leave the country or head south.

Towards the end of the meeting she mentioned that the French government was officially telling its citizens throughout ALL of Japan to flee the country because it was going to sink or some such nonsense. (I thought California was supposed to be the one sinking into the Pacific?)

Anyway, a well written article, not the enflammed sensationalist crap that is usually present by today's so-called reporters. Breaks rhythm by inexplicably jumping into finance towards the end, but then refinds its original path and sails on to a smooth finish. Worth the read.

Again.
It's Friday.
It's a day for drinking, not sinking.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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DONATIONS for Japan ANIMALS

Finally some donation sites poping up.

THE ANIMAL RESCUE SITE has direct and credible online donation abilities.

The Humane Society International (HSI) is now prepared to accept donations for the welfare of animals affected by the recent disaster in Japan. Secure donations can be placed to their International Disaster Fund. (Paypal, in addition to credit cards, are accepted.)

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) finally has a fund specifically dedicated to fund rescue efforts in Japan. Accepting secure online donations through credit cards only.

CARE2.com has a a collection of links for donating offsite.

PETA is also finally on the ground in Japan and offering help. Onsite donation abilities.

A group of 3 local JAPAN animal welfare societies have created this site for donations. Credibility not assured.

FBCusa, the largest importer of American home products, food stuffs and various necessities for the foreigner in Japan has also opened up donations for pets. FBC is offering a way for you to purchase items that will go directly to shelters and those they identify with needs.

Global Animal Foundation functions like a Red Cross for animals, distributing donations to established and vetted animal rescue organizations worldwide. Donations received during the ongoing crisis in Japan will be donated to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue & Support (JEARS), a coalition of three animal rescue groups that are on the ground providing rescue and supplies to animal victims of the earthquake and tsunami. (Paypal, in addition to credit cards, are accepted.)

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (JEARS) is a collaboration of three established and registered no kill animal rescue NPOs in Japan. The intention behind the creation of JEARS is to coordinate rescue and support efforts for animals in crisis due to the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami in Northern Japan.

MANY ways to donate including tax deductible donations for US citizens.


Finally, there is WorldVets.org (the non-human version of Doctors without Borders). They don't specifically have a donations for the Japan Earthquake fund, but they are on the ground working in affected areas.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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a Non-nuclear winter continues

Maybe not exactly sunny skies lately, but no rain, no radiation warnings and temps above 10C.

As a result, we're already in FULL BLOOM.
(I'd love to know what these are.)





And in the school yard, Shinsei's Flower.




Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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P.R.E.C.I.S.E.L.Y.

People always wonder why I would rather more or less take my chances over here than in the USA. The comments you see below, it's what I keep telling people about Japan. Yeah, they definitely have their issues, but this, too, is all soooo true.

The comments are updated regularly as new people post, but here is a sample of some of the most recent comments:

I find it amazing how orderly the Japanese people are in facing this catastrophe. They aren't finger pointing, yelling for others to take care of them, looting, or waiting for handouts. They are tending to the business at hand and taking care of EACH OTHER. I am so more likely to contribute to them than to those sitting on their rumps, stealing and screaming for OTHERS to do something.

Imagine for a second if this happened in New York .....the chaos looting murder and craziness would be totally out of control. The Japanese have an amazing CULTURE we should all be watching and learning as they deal with this tragedy!!!!!

You cant compare New Orleans to Japan. The Japanese people are raised to have the most respect for their fellow man. They are taught that saving face is very important. You wont catch then stealing and looting because they know that whatever you do there is a price to pay and they wouldnt think of stealing from their fellow man. They are very bright people. God bless them and sorry for all those that lost their lives.

Of course there was no looting in Japan. You will also find the survivors actually cleaning up after this big mess. Unlike New Orleans where you still find trash in front of many yards of homes that haven't been touched. They're still waiting for me to come by and pick it up for them.



Original Article from Yahoo News


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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ame nochi HARE!

After the rain, come sunny skies.

This is Taka-chan.
S/he hangs out on the roof of the building next to me.
S/he doesn't live there (It's an elementary school.) but at 5-6 floors high it's the tallest building around making it very nice for survelance. I can usually spot her every morning and evening.

Maybe it is just coincidence, but I distinctly recall thinking Friday morning, "No, Taka-chan? Where's Taka-chan?"
The major earthquake followed by days of continuous after-shocks and tsunamis occurred around Friday, 3:15PM.



Now, Sunday morning, for the first time since Friday morning....




Screw TV.
Taka-chan has officially (and more reliably) declared an ALL CLEAR for the Wakayama coast.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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EVACing pets in JAPAN

Much to my disappointment, less than 20 hours after the first earthquake and tsunami waves, a reporter in the air reported spotting dogs left wandering around in the wreckage.

Japan is by far the far-most advanced? modernized? Asian country in terms of its attitude to non-human family members, but much like with Hurricane Katarina, animal companions are being abandoned at home to fend for themselves while their families flee to higher ground.

I will translate later today or this weekend, but this was posted for EVCing pets if u live in Japan:
http://pet-clinic.info/toppage/saigaijunbi.htm
#tsunami #pet #earthquake #emergency #evac

There is also a general disaster preparedness kit for FERRETS (list) compiled by the experienced members of F.E.R.R.E.T.

The American Humane Society offers a general list for disaster preparedness for general pets and livestock.

The ASPCA offers a general list for disaster preparedness for general pets.

The United Animal Nations also offers a general list for disaster preparedness for general pets. They also offer a wonderful list of sites to search for pet-friendly hotels covering the USA, Canada, and International hotels.

Pet Hotels / Boarding in Japan.

If you have lost your pet OR you have found a lost pet, here is a place where you can post the information sponsored by the Veterinarians Information Network.
It's all in Japanese so if you want to post, either send me a comment here (It won't post automatically. Confidentiality is respected.) or you can try google's web auto-translate.

FERRETS WORLD HELP on Facebook is a place to post and share SOS for ferrets (urgences, lost/found, etc... ) everywhere in all the languages.


May or may not have anything (so far nothing), but these are the two major Ferret Societies in Japan:
JFA (AFA counterpart in Japan)
IFS (International Ferret Society)


Please, PLEASE share any other information, suggestions, or notifications of dead links.
As any expat overseas knows, the only one helping us is US.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆
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All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.