Japanese nuke reactor blows up

[T0mShane]

OMG THAT'S HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!! That you watch pmsnbc.

Maybe John Boehner can fix Japan when he's done fixing the economy. Cough

[Garb]

The tragedy that is unfolding in Japan is mind boggling. I watch the footage on TV and on-line and I am amazed at the destructive power of mother nature. Holy cow! My heart goes out to all those affected. I am also impressed with the resolve and the humanity of the Japanese people. It could be propaganda (on either side) but I have yet to see any looting or any real whining. Maybe it's just US coverage that enjoys showing the worst in people. All I have seen in Japan is complete devastation, people in crisis and people already working together. Amazing.

[faba]

My co has an office in Tokyo- that country's people have a different cultural background and mindset that I wish more people in US had.

[CTM]

My co has an office in Tokyo- that country's people have a different cultural background and mindset that I wish more people in US had.

also a more homogeneous population... hear a ton stories about people leaving wallets/bags around and coming back hours later to find it untouched

[Verde]

Maybe John Boehner can fix Japan when he's done fixing the economy. Cough

Someone needs to fix you; you know damn well my joke was funny!!!!! Wet blanket.

[vinnys025]

Apparently, the people are panicking. Look how much potassium iodide is on ebay, lol. My link

[villain_the_foe]

Breaking news.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc-SnfpHzAo

[joebabyny]

Radiation takes years to develop signs and symptoms, right?

Hi enough doses and your hair will start falling off in hours or less.

[winB4eyeDIE]

I dont like this latest news about another explosion at all. When does the U.S start worrying?

We dropped a few A-bombs on them in WW2 and nobody worried about the fallout or the radiation blowing over the pacific to the west coast, so why the panic now?? The further out it spreads the less concentrated it will be. There's radiation everywhere, just in small enough doses that it doesn't pose a health risk. Cell phones emit radiation, but I'm sure no one is giving their cell up.

[JetsFanInDenver]

We dropped a few A-bombs on them in WW2 and nobody worried about the fallout or the radiation blowing over the pacific to the west coast, so why the panic now?? The further out it spreads the less concentrated it will be. There's radiation everywhere, just in small enough doses that it doesn't pose a health risk. Cell phones emit radiation, but I'm sure no one is giving their cell up.

Well people in 1940's USA were not living in paranoid 2011!

[visajets]

Well people in 1940's USA were not living in paranoid 2011!

Rumour has it Max and JetNation will be supplying us all with Iodine tablets and the directions to the JetNation fall-out shelter.

[Irish Jet]

Well people in 1940's USA were not living in paranoid 2011!

If 2011 is paranoid I really can't wait until 2012.

[Boozer76]

We dropped a few A-bombs on them in WW2 and nobody worried about the fallout or the radiation blowing over the pacific to the west coast, so why the panic now?? The further out it spreads the less concentrated it will be. There's radiation everywhere, just in small enough doses that it doesn't pose a health risk. Cell phones emit radiation, but I'm sure no one is giving their cell up.

So you'd have no problem going to visit the reactor plant without a radiation suit?

[RutgersJetFan]

Cell phones emit radiation, but I'm sure no one is giving their cell up.

That's a reasonable parallel.

[winB4eyeDIE]

So you'd have no problem going to visit the reactor plant without a radiation suit?

If I lived in California, no I wouldn't panic.

[winB4eyeDIE]

That's a reasonable parallel.

I'm glad you see it my way.

[PatriotReign37]

Hey, why do those strawberries from Socal glow in the dark?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/science/17plume.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1300359768-jeuHIuWXlYIe7zwHpHpOWA

[The Crusher]

Hey, why do those strawberries from Socal glow in the dark?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/science/17plume.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1300359768-jeuHIuWXlYIe7zwHpHpOWA

So you can find them in case the fridge light go's out?

[faba]

Not a joke to the people in japan that could have radiation

[Boozer76]

So where are all the celebrities and musician/artists singing kumbaya in a dial-a-thon for Japan? With all due respect when this is all said and done it's likely that the impact will be greater than Haiti, Katrina, 9/11, and the Thailand Tsunami combined. Is it because they eat whales and dolphins??

[JohnnyHector]

So where are all the celebrities and musician/artists singing kumbaya in a dial-a-thon for Japan? With all due respect when this is all said and done it's likely that the impact will be greater than Haiti, Katrina, 9/11, and the Thailand Tsunami combined. Is it because they eat whales and dolphins??

They have those Captivate TV's in the elevators in my building and they just had a blurb about the lack of personal donations from the US going to Japan relative to Haiti, Thailand, etc. They quoted an "expert" who says that the likely cause is the perception that, whereas the other countries are impoverished, Japan has a stable economy and therefore, are in less need of foreign aid (which is obviously moronic).

[Boozer76]

They have those Captivate TV's in the elevators in my building and they just had a blurb about the lack of personal donations from the US going to Japan relative to Haiti, Thailand, etc. They quoted an "expert" who says that the likely cause is the perception that, whereas the other countries are impoverished, Japan has a stable economy and therefore, are in less need of foreign aid (which is obviously moronic).

With all due respect, we're a wealthy country as well and probably donated 100 times as much money for 09/11 than we have for Japan's crisis. I just find it ironic that celebrities come rushing to raise money for 9/11, thailand, Katrina, etc...and do nothing whatsoever for Japan. I blame Hayden Pannetieri.

[JohnnyHector]

With all due respect, we're a wealthy country as well and probably donated 100 times as much money for 09/11 than we have for Japan's crisis. I just find it ironic that celebrities come rushing to raise money for 9/11, thailand, Katrina, etc...and do nothing whatsoever for Japan. I blame Hayden Pannetieri.

Here is the article that Captivate was citing:

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/158402/14/US-donations-not-rushing-to-Japan-

(USA TODAY) - The natural disaster in Japan and the threat of a nuclear catastrophe are dominating world headlines. But beyond the shock and sympathy, everyday Americans' financial response to the crisis is so far oddly subdued.

Charities in the U.S. have raised $49 million for the Japanese cause in the six days since the tsunami hit - a small percentage compared with other recent disasters that caught worldwide attention.

The earthquake that decimated Haiti last year, for instance, prompted $296 million in American donations in the first seven days, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. In 2004, Americans gave nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami in the first week.

Part of the reason for fewer contributions may be the perception of Japan, which has the world's third-largest economy, as a self-sufficient society, says the philanthropy center's executive director, Patrick Rooney.

"Japan is a highly developed industrialized nation and doesn't appear to be in great need. Haiti and Indonesia, these are countries that were for the most part very poor countries," Rooney said. "You see these disasters hitting and think, 'Oh gosh these countries really need something.' "

Even star power has remained mostly muted in the wake of the 9.0 earthquake that left an estimated 350,000 people homeless.

So far, Lady Gaga has designed a $5 bracelet benefiting Japan and Charlie Sheen has pledged to donate $1 from every ticket sold for his upcoming stand-up tour to the Red Cross to help the ravaged country. And American Idol announced that all songs played on Wednesday night's show will be available for downloadable purchase, with proceeds going to the American Red Cross relief effort in Japan.

Still, compare that reaction to the Hollywood response following the Haiti earthquake. Within days, Sandra Bullock donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders, while Gisele Bundchen gave the same amount to the American Red Cross, and Chelsea Clinton organized a benefit. There was even a remake of We Are the World.

Trevor Neilson, partner in the Global Philanthropy Group - which represents such celebrities as Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Ben Stiller and Shakira - points out that many people may want to give but they're overwhelmed by "the terrifying news that's coming out about the potential nuclear crisis - that could create the need for hundreds of billions of dollars in aid over the next 20 to 30 years."

For now, Neilson is advising his clients to donate to an emergency relief organization such as the Red Cross. And yes, he says, celebrities give - a lot.

"People are seeing that there's a real way for high-profile people to make a big impact," Neilson says. "But most of what goes on in the world of philanthropy, people don't publicize. The only time to work to publicize the work you're doing is when you're trying to engage large numbers of people."

It's not that Americans are lacking in relief funds or empathy.

The Salvation Army reports raising $2 million already, and three emergency service relief teams are delivering hot meals, blankets and diapers to evacuees from the Fukushima area. In Guam, which was occupied by the Japanese in World War II but is now tied closely to Japanese tourism, people are signing a book of condolence for victims of the disaster.

International response to disasters is often "fickle and idiosyncratic," says Gerald Martone, director of humanitarian affairs at the International Rescue Committee, which has assisted people displaced by war and disaster since 1933. The committee has chosen not to send a team to Japan. It will contribute funds to local partners instead.

The biggest factor in attracting aid is not the amount of human suffering caused by an event, but the amount of media coverage it receives, Martone says.

Even though Friday's earthquake has been well covered, "everyone sees Japan as a wealthy country, so I'm not surprised" that donations have lagged other disasters, he says. "You certainly felt the Haitians needed it more. They don't have nearly the economy to fall back on."

Martone also points out a little-publicized problem that a rush of volunteers can present in a disaster.

"You have to ask 'Are we adding a burden?' " Martone says. "Hundreds of foreigners who need translators, don't have a place to stay, have to hire cars. You have to ask, 'Are we doing more harm than good?' "

Another issue could be that new technology that makes charitable giving easier may result in less giving overall, because people tend to make a gift once "and move on," Rooney says.

After 9/11, the Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, Americans preferred giving online, and their gifts averaged about $125 each. After Haiti, they could text in their donations, and average gifts overall are not known, Rooney says.

The total giving for Haiti was big, $1.43 billion in the first six months and $1.45 billion in the first year, but Rooney believes it was less than it would have been if texting was not an option.

"I think it was because people could text, so they gave less than they would otherwise," he says

.

Not generating a lot of interest

Neither have charitable agencies launched well-publicized pleas for aid.

Japan, while accepting aid from the U.S. and other foreign governments, has told the volunteer sector to hold back, says Stacy Palmer, editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

In some ways, this is wise. Disaster experts have long counseled that it is wiser to wait, "to coolly assess where aid might be needed and when it might be needed," Palmer says.

The downside of that, she says, is "it's a lot harder to get response months later. People give money emotionally. They want to text in donations when they see these poor villagers in the photos.

"Will people still be engaged months from now?" Palmer wonders, adding that "the nuclear situation makes it even more tricky. You can't tell what's going on, so it is hard to know the smartest course."

Another element is the stoic nature of the Japanese people, who may not evoke as much empathy in the American media audience.

A lot of Japanese people don't want to give media interviews, out of a sense of humility, Rooney said.

"They have this 'could have been worse' attitude, which may be a great mentality and attitude for survival, but it's not great at generating a great deal of interest and philanthropic support," he said.

Adding to this, the initial heart-stirring images of devastated villages that dominated news coverage over the weekend have been replaced by strange and fear-inspiring shots. Instead of victims and heroic rescuers, the images show nuclear plants crumbling, burning and emitting clouds of unmeasured radiation, or people in masks and hazardous materials suits.

An emotionally gripping picture can be worth millions of dollars, but the imagery coming out of Japan has been less emotional than "dramatically shocking," says Greg Cooper, who teaches visual journalism at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, Calif.

"It's the wide swath of destruction that's been coming across, unlike the earthquake in Haiti, where the pictures were more about the humanity, more about the people," Cooper says.

The images from Japan, however, have portrayed burning buildings, wide landscapes of debris practically devoid of people, and maps of nuclear fallout patterns, evoking more fear than empathy, he says.

"Living here within a couple hours of a nuclear power plant myself, I do find those types of images frightening," Cooper says. "It doesn't make me want to reach into my pocket. It makes me want to think twice about my own emergency preparedness and that of my family."

Finally, it may be the Japanese culture of deep communal loyalty, of fortitude, that also dampens American giving.

Far from appearing helpless, Japanese stoicism and civility has been remarkable to observers across the world since the earthquake.

It emanates from a culture forged on an earthquake-prone rock in the middle of a stormy ocean.

Devin Stewart, a senior director at the Japan Society in New York City, saw it among his Japanese colleagues in New York. News of the earthquake broke early Friday morning, but his colleagues announced that a film program that night "must go on." The cultural center has since changed gears and raised more than $500,000 for an earthquake fund.

"Suffering and persevering is a type of virtue in Japan," Stewart says. "They identify with it and are proud of it, the ability to persevere and remain calm under difficult situations."

Among the most commonly heard expressions there, are gaman, to persevere or tough it out; gambaru, to do your best, to be strong; and shoganai, it cannot be helped, which expresses a sense of fatalism, Stewart says.

Fatalism is not an American cultural characteristic, however. And few here look at news reports assessing the safety of U.S. nuclear power plants with the slightest sense of "tough it out." Some Americans are so fearful of a nuclear accident here they have purchased iodine pills as antidotes.

American attitudes waver on nuclear power, but they always take a dive in the wake of any nuclear accident in the news. For the past several years up until the Japan disaster, polls asking about additional construction of plants generally showed a near even split between those opposing and those supporting. Polls asking about using nuclear power as a source of energy usually showed a small percentage in favor.

The ominous questions and unclear answers about Japan's nuclear situation may be the final factor keeping Americans' checkbooks largely closed.

Still, if there was any good news related to the Japan tragedy, it was that federal regulators and private watchdogs said there have been few reports so far about charitable scams seeking to take advantage of the tsunami and nuclear disaster.

"So far, we have less than a handful, primarily unsolicited calls seeking donations," said Lois Greisman, of the Federal Trade Commission.

Sandra Miniutti, a spokeswoman for Charity Navigator, which rates non-profits and charities, said the New Jersey-based organization had received just one report, about an individual or group trying to scam donations, by claiming to represent the British Red Cross.

I am completely dumbfounded by the suggestion that celebrities are hesitant to contribute because more aid may be needed in the future.

[Boozer76]

Here is the article that Captivate was citing:

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/158402/14/US-donations-not-rushing-to-Japan-

I am completely dumbfounded by the suggestion that celebrities are hesitant to contribute because more aid may be needed in the future.

Again, I blame Hayden Panatieri and the dolphins.

[war ensemble]

So where are all the celebrities and musician/artists singing kumbaya in a dial-a-thon for Japan?

I guess U2 isn't nearing an album release...

[T0mShane]

They have those Captivate TV's in the elevators in my building and they just had a blurb about the lack of personal donations from the US going to Japan relative to Haiti, Thailand, etc. They quoted an "expert" who says that the likely cause is the perception that, whereas the other countries are impoverished, Japan has a stable economy and therefore, are in less need of foreign aid (which is obviously moronic).

I'm a total bleeding heart, and I have to admit that I've been hesitant to contribute because when I think of Japan, I think of wealth.

[Larz]

just saw a report they may have power back tomorrow and a US supplied super pump is on site

they may just stop this thing after all

[JetsFanInDenver]

Apparently, the people are panicking. Look how much potassium iodide is on ebay, lol. My link

Why not just put salt on a banana and eat it!

[JohnnyHector]

I'm a total bleeding heart, and I have to admit that I've been hesitant to contribute because when I think of Japan, I think of wealth.

When you think of garbage, think of Akeem.

[RutgersJetFan]

When you think of garbage, think of Akeem.

You lyin you ain't never met no Martin Luther The King.

[RutgersJetFan]

Well if you're like many and you don't want to donate unless you're getting something in return for it, here you go:

http://www.karmaloop.com/products.aspx?ProductId=173517&VendorCode=KLP

and:

http://www.merchline.com/thesalvationarmy/categorydisplay.4972.c.htm

Whatever, I bought the black one. It'll go well with my J's and I can impress chicks with how charitable I am.

[Boozer76]

I'm a total bleeding heart, and I have to admit that I've been hesitant to contribute because when I think of Japan, I think of wealth.

I totally get that and am not really targeting the individual potential donor. I'm talking about the bleeding heart celebs and "artists" that put their best concerned/sad face on and talk about the tragedy and how people need to dig deep and give to those less fortunate. It just goes to show they're a bunch of hypocritical asses that only put their face out when they're releasing an album or looking for a promotional edge. I guess sympathy for Japan doesn't sell.

[JetsFanInDenver]

Just a quick update.

Things are getting awful out there. Although mainstream media seems to have tuned out already.

last heard Reactor 1 was spewing out smoke. And it has never done that since the earthquake.

[joebabyny]

Why not just put salt on a banana and eat it!

because you would need to eat 3.5 lbs of table salt.

[JetsFanInDenver]

because you would need to eat 3.5 lbs of table salt.

You mean a bag of Frito Lays!

Can't you see i am being fictitious.