Earth-day 2011.

                               Earth-day 2011.

Every year on earth day, I usually take part in rallies and write several posts about the issue and the need for change.

However, this year, I am somewhat physically and mentally drained, even tiered.

After the March 11 disaster that struck us here in Japan and the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant, I have not much hope or energy left for another earth-day. In stead the melody of the Doors iconic song “This is the end my friend” is going through my head repeatedly.

I tried to keep my mind sane and clear by planting some tomato, eggplants and many other veggies. Still, It did not help.

I was in my early twenties when Tschernobyl happened and lived right in the centre of Europe then. We went through the milk ban due to radioactive contamination, followed by the mushroom ban and so forth Then we were witnessing children being diagnosed with thyroid cancer this less then a year after the accident. However, in the same year that the Tschernobyl nuclear disaster happened, another followed On the 1^st of November 1986 an explosion occurred in the Sandos Chemical factory in Switzerland, which ended up killing nearly all life in one of the world largest rivers, namely the Rhine, which flows from Switzerland through Germany, France and the Netherlands where its waters enter the Northern Sea. The Sandos accident destroyed over four decades of hard work with some great expenses to clean up the Rhine from pollution and the devastation left behind after WWII. Those two accidents strengthened my dedication to protect the environment and all life on earth. The polluters may be responsible to clean up their pollution and to compensate the victims as well. At least in theory they should be hold accountable. Nevertheless, they rarely do pay up and even less end up being hold accountable. Moreover, when they do pay, it is merely a minuscule fraction of the real damage caused to the environment and society. Part of the blame does lay with the consumers and citizen them self that support those industries since they do benefit from them by means of jobs, cheep energy and cheep consumer goods. Until some thing goes terribly wrong such as at the Fukushima Nuclear power plant here in Japan or the BP oil spill in the Golf of Mexico.

Will we ever learn? I am afraid not, most people have a rather short memory and are easily bribed and this with surprisingly very little.

Why bother any longer then? Humanity does not even deserve to prevail especially not when we look at how we behave in Libya or even the U.S.!

However, there is such a thing as care, empathy, love, compassion and selflessness that some of us human still posses for our children, families, friends, neighbours. And some few even care for plants and insects and this planet, that is why we need to stick around for a little longer to help life on earth to prevail for it is well worth it.

In the so-called dark ages, the environment was mostly revered and respected, even though life was rather harsh for most, then again, living with radioactive poisoning can not be any better then the dark ages. In 1461 for instance, some businessmen that committed fraud where bricked alive into a wall in East Prussia, wile in the thirteen's century a couple of merchants that polluted the local river in Southern Germany where stoned to death and their families where disowned and forced into exile. Nowadays we are civilised, letting those that commit fraud receive a bonus and those that pollute our waters, our air, our soils and our sea with crude oil, radioactive substances or even toxic chemicals, receive public money to clean up their mess. We let them increase their profits and wealth; still not holding them accountable for leaving countless people and wild live to endure a slow and painful death.

It leaves us to wonder whether we have evolved into civilised and intelligent beings or merely ended up being brain washed in believing so and become uneducated with all the education we received or should we say indoctrination we underwent, leaving us to become irresponsible, maybe even criminal and insane.

Would we be able to bring a person that lived some two thousand years ago into our polluted and mad world, that person would call us mad and uncivilised, even careless. He would want to go back to his time in a split of a second.

We need to change course as a society for the sake of our descendants and their own ability to be able and allowed to live on this planet. 

Dealing with an ongoing crisis.

It has been eighteen days since the triple disaster here in Japan.

Dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami would be by far enough on their own. However, the crippled Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant only adds to the grief and stress for all and makes relief efforts all the more difficult for the victims of this disaster as well as for the aid workers. Our main house will have to be torn down, due to the damage caused by the earthquake, it is no longer safe to be lived in and be on repair now. Saving the building would exceed the cost of building a new house by several million yen. The recent events force us to tear down the old buildings as soon as possible. Never the less, we are still very fortunate since we did not lose any one in our family nor have we lost our property (land) or car in the earthquake, just a lot of material damage so far. Why it is important for us to focus on helping those that lost loved ones and their livelihood before worrying about rebuilding our own place.

After, I saw the extend of the damage in the Prefectures of Chiba, Ibaraki and Fukushima for my self, it was far be on what one could imagine to be possible, no TV nor any pictures can possible show the extend of this disaster or the conditions in which the people find them self in now, especially the smell in some areas is gruesome. The worth may very well be the still out of control nuclear power plant, that leaks massive amount of radiation and contaminates our food and ground water be on safe levels. I urge the government and all aid organisations to focus on the children and pregnant woman first and to get them out of the most affected areas now, and keep them out until this problem is under control after which they may all return once the radiation are below a safe level. We need to find foster homes and convince people to adopt those children that find them self orphaned due to this earthquake and tsunami. We also need to educate people to overcome their cultural or traditional barriers, so that those children do not find them self extradited or isolated for being orphaned and for having been exposed to radioactive contaminations, as it was the case for the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

I saw people refusing to drive much needed fuel or food to Fukushima because they where afraid of radiation, even though I can understand the fear, we need to be rational and help those we can. It saddens me to see such lack of empathy, compassion and solidarity by so many in this crisis.

Even though, I have to command the Japanese overall, would this have happen in the US or France, we would have riots by now and more people would have been killed due to civil unrest then by the disaster it self.

Still, we need to do much more and help where ever we can and when ever we can. As of today, we have 10,901 confirmed dead and still 17,840 missing. On top of that, many are now dying due to lack of heat, medication and due to excessive stress.

This is mainly why I resigned my position in Narita. I will now work mainly in Ibaraki, Fukushima and Chiba so I may be able to better help those most affected and I hope that we will be able to convince people to take in children, especially those that are now orphaned so they may have some kind of normality again.

These times demand to be open minded and they demand solidarity from all. There is no room left for selfishness or self-pity.

The worth part in all this, is the lack of understanding of the gravity of this nuclear accident by some of the companies and entrepreneurs that are already engaged in talks to build nine more nuclear power plant around Japan. Not one of those politician, entrepreneurs or stockholders has set foot on the site of the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, nor will they ever do so. Their houses are far enough from those plants so that they may not have to worry too much.

In a country such as Japan, with countless hot springs and volcanoes it is inconceivable why we do not have geothermal energy plants making full use of the gifts that nature gave us.

Such as is the case in Iceland, where the high concentration of volcanoes in the area is used as an advantage in the generation of geothermal energy, the heating and production of electricity. During winter, pavements near these areas (such as Reykjavík and Akureyri) are heated up.

Five major geothermal power plants exist in Iceland, which produce approximately 24% (2008) of the nation's energy. In addition, geothermal heating meets the heating and hot water requirements of approximately 87% of all buildings in Iceland. Apart from geothermal energy, 75.4% of the nation’s electricity was generated by hydropower, and only 0.1% from fossil fuels. Consumption of primary geothermal energy in 2004 was 79.7 petajoules (PJ), approximately 53.4% of the total national consumption of primary energy, 149.1 PJ. The corresponding share for hydropower was 17.2%, petroleum was 26.3%, and coal was 3%. Plans are underway to turn Iceland into a 100% fossil-fuel-free nation in the near future. 

Japan could certainly match Iceland its power production with geothermal energy and achieve the same goals as Iceland strives to by generating 100% of its energy production with renewable energies giving its location and geological configurations.

This sort of proposal is not new either here in Japan, since several experts over the past decade have wondered why Japan is persisting in using nuclear energy and other fossil fuels when it has such an abundance of natural geothermal energy just waiting to be used.
Wake up Japan!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3345616/Harness-volcano-power-energy-experts-say.html

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

http://thinkgeoenergy.com/archives/4823

What is what, as far as radiation is concerned.

Danger level	Radiation dose	Effect
SOURCE: WORLD NUCLEAR ASSOCIATION
	2 millisieverts per year (mSv/yr)	Typical background radiation experienced by everyone (average 1.5 mSv in Australia, 3 mSv in North America)
	9 mSv/yr	Exposure by airline crew flying New York-Tokyo polar route
	20 mSv/yr	Current limit (averaged) for nuclear industry employees
	50 mSv/yr	Former routine limit for nuclear industry employees. It is also the dose rate which arises from natural background levels in several places in Iran, India and Europe
	100 mSv/yr	Lowest level at which any increase in cancer is clearly evident.
	350 mSv/lifetime	Criterion for relocating people after Chernobyl accident
	400 mSv/hr	The level recorded at the Japanese nuclear site, 15 March
	1,000 mSv single dose	Causes (temporary) radiation sickness such as nausea and decreased white blood cell count, but not death. Above this, severity of illness increases with dose
	5,000 mSv single dose	Would kill about half those receiving it within a month

"Disaster happens when people forget previous disasters."

 "Disaster happens when people forget previous disasters."

When we fail to learn the lessons we where thought by our fathers and their fathers history and wisdom is when we run the risk to not only repeat their mistakes, but, more over, make and let those become worth due to our ignorance, arrogance, cowardliness and our greed.

Hiroshima, Nagasaki, countless underground explosions leaving massive radiation for generations, the Three Mile Island accident and then the devastating Tschernobyl accident where not enough for us, now we have yet another disaster on our hands to deal with, bearing the name of the "Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant".

Do we have enough yet, maybe for a decade or so, then we will forget again and the young will ignore their fathers warnings once more, until no one will be left to war any one and by then it will be to late to learn or listen for they wont be any one left to warn us nor will they be any one left to be warned either.

This wisdom form an old Japanese poem was meant as a reminder to listen to the elders warnings about Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Volcanos. However, it is also applicable to all other segments of human life such as our nuclear and fossil fuel obsessions leading us strait into self destruction.

Maybe, just maybe, we will finally learn to listen and seek wisdom rather than gold.

How you can help Japans earthquake victims.

Here are some links and addresses where you can donate to help all the victims of Japans triple disaster.
Saitama super dome is the place where to register for volunteer work.
Earthquake donation centres.
Most City halls will take volunteer applications as well as the Japanese Red Cross.

Charity for Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

NHK, Central Community Chest of Japan (CCCJ), The Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) and NHK Public Welfare Organization have organized a charity for the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan.

If you wish to make your cash donation to be distributed directly among the affected population of the disaster, please see the following homepage of The  Japanese Red Cross Society for the bank account information.

JAPANESE RED CROSS SOCIETY - Japan/Earthquake Donation
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

or visit JRC's english top  http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/
and click "11/03/14 Japan Earthquake Donation" under the category of "Emergency Relief."

All the fund received under this account will be transferred to the Distribution Committee, which is formed around the local governments of the disaster-affected prefectures and to administer the distribution of fund.

Thank you very much for your kind thoughts. 



For further information, please see links below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO2Hv0cu5_4

Donating to the Ibaraki Prefectural Disaster Recovery Fund: http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/bukyoku/seika n/kokuko/en/data/donate.pdf
Ibaraki Prefecture donations contact information:
Phone 81-29-301-2862
Email kokuko@pref.ibaraki.Ig.jp
Fukushima Prefecture International Affairs Division web site:
http://www.pref.fukushima.jp/kokusai/IAD website/internationalprojects.htm
International Affairs Division, Fukushima Prefectural Government
2-16 Sugitsumacho,
Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan 960-8670
Phone: 81-024-521-7182
Email kokusai@pref.fukushima.jp
Miyagi Prefecture web English information:
http://www.pref.miyagi.jp/english/
Government International Affairs Division
3-8-1 Honcho Aoba-ku,
Sendai, Miyagi 980-8570
Phone: 81-022-211-2972
Email kokusai@pref.miyagi.jp
Iwate Prefecture Culture and International Relations Division
http://www.pref.iwate.jp/~hp0312/gaikoku gomokuji/info/information.htm
Culture and International Relations Division
Iwate Prefectural Government
10-1 Uchimaru, Morioka, Iwate, JAPAN
Phone 81-19-629-5336
Email FA0042@pref.iwate.jp

Japan is fighting to survive.

It has been five days since the massive earthquake of a magnitude of 9.0 on the RS or 7 on the Japanese scale that struck us here in Japan. Since then many smaller aftershocks where felt some of which where strong enough by them self.
Their epicentre is changing even though most after shocks are still coming from the original epicentre many strong aftershocks are now being emitted in the kanto Chiba area.
This is viewed by some of the experts as a sign that we may witness another major earthquake such as the 1923 earthquake that devastated Tokyo.
However, this does not seem to be the main worry for most here at the moment, since we are already dealing with food shortages and gas stations are still out of gas leaving many stranded.
Furthermore, it is still winter and even for those that still have a house or apartment to call their own, it is difficult to stay warm when there is no gas or fuel available any longer and when electricity is scarce as well. Especially in the rural areas where outages are more frequent then they are in the larger cities.
We just got electricity back three days ago in our area and this only for a couple of hours every day. Many areas do not even have a few hours of power though.
Rice is still around, but it is impossible to buy bread milk or other foods we once took for granted. Still, even when one has rice, it can be difficult to cook this with out stoves, fuel, or electricity.
Most are living on the edge of what they can handle, especially emotionally. The main fear is our nuclear power plant that seems to become a hopeless cause, the news from that one seems to get worth by the day, to the point that the Prime Minister made an announcement, advising all to remain indoors and to avoid outside air or rain in order to minimise radiation exposure. The government handed out Potash Iodine pills to those closest to the nuclear power plant, trying to combat the negative effects of radiation poisoning. It shows the helplessness of government and experts who try to keep all calm and want to avoid to create panic which may make things even worth.
But all know here that this may end up getting a lot worth then the initial earthquake and tsunami where. Still, even though nervous and stressed most try their out-most to remain calm and serene in order to keep the children hopeful and ease their fears.
For the past two day all the school could give their students for lunch was some pudding and a piece of processed cheese with a  200 ml carton of milk. Food has to be rationed now and many get nothing more then a small boll of rice with some bouillon to warm them up.
The things we where all so accustomed to, now seem to be a thing of the past and many are realising that things will never be the way they where before the earthquake of March 11 of this year.
News came that the government can no longer control the nuclear power station and that they will abandon it now, still poring water on it in hope to reduce the radiation some what.
A  colleague approached me today, asking if we will still be around next week, I was some what cough of guard and just said "If not, we shall meet again in the next life and remember this one, so we may learn from our mistakes, if there is a next life that is."
The kids and teens are getting restless and some have trouble dealing with the situation at hand, which is comprehensible.
Still, I do admire the Japanese serenity which most maintain no matter the severity of the situation or the devastation they have to deal with.
I suppose all the drills and disciplinary lessons as well as the moral education every Japanese receives through out their school education and even in university do pay off in such a crisis.
So what next? No one knows for certain, but we expect the radiation to rise and we may have to face another important earthquake with in the next few days.
Many foreigners are on their way out since their respective Embassies have started to evacuate their expatriates from Japan.
Even though the Japanese understand and are sympathetic, it certainly does not comfort those that are stuck here.
I believe for my part that running is useless and that we have to do our best to help each other in this crisis what ever may be. This is especially important for those that have already lost everything and find them self totally helpless in this disaster.
All hope that they wont be another explosion at the nuclear power plant and that we wont have to deal with another Chernobyl. Still, we will have to deal with the radiation and the closer one lives to the plant the worth they will be off. Why people should be evacuated as far away from the plant as possible and the radius needs to be extended to at least a 100 km, this however, will be difficult to accomplish in light of the devastation the earthquake has caused and the lack of gasoline we have as well as the restricted electricity, all this makes the transportation of large numbers of people even more difficult then it would be if all infrastructures where operational and even if we would not face a shortage of fuel or electricity we would have a hard time evacuating people far enough from the power plant to be considered safe.
All know the reality of the situation and know that they wont be able to get out, nor avoid what ever may happen. In stead they all face their faith as they have been thought to do, with honour and serenity. One can sense the fear and worries in many, still they smile and remain polite and courteous. Some thing to learn from.
Wile I wrote the previous paragraph, another more serious earthquake hits us, with a magnitude of 6 on the RS.
 or 5 lower on the Japanese scale.
The radio is on all day and every one hopes to hear some good news and maybe some good news will come after all. In the mean time the announcements about the radioactivity have changed from Micro-severs to mili-severs, it does sound some how better even if it ends up being higher in reality, maybe most wont notice that the 1000 micro-severs the government talked about on Saturday are now 1000 mili-severs of radiation emitted. It is all in the way it is presented, a 1000 ml sounds more or worth then 10 litres of poison.