Help Japan

AP/Matt Dunham

It appears that it will be a long duration of time before Japan digs itself out from the affects from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Tack on the potential meltdown of the Fukushima plant (if meltdown hasn't occurred already), and the level of urgency elevates making the situation even more dire. People who were affected but who did not perish in the tsunami may have to the face the possibility of being contaminated from a potential fallout.

Again...
People in Japan need help whether they ask for it our not, as a human being why not help your fellow man.  The catastrophe in Japan is not going to simply disappear over night. You can help in relief efforts by going to the Redcross or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone. You can also go to Global living which has set up a relief fund that you can donate to towards helping the people in need there. For other options you can go to Huffpost, where they have a page with various organizations you can donate to. Yahoo also has a page here that may have a few more places you can donate and help. Let's all hope Japan a speedy recover from this devastating disaster.

Monday thoughts about Japan

photo via: http://images.mirror.co.uk/

I have to admit, the only catastrophe I ever witnessed and lived through was 9-11 (Yes, I realize that I can not compare the two and I'm not), I have never felt the tremors of a jishin (earthquake), never have I experienced a tsunami, so what I see on television seems very surreal to me. I'm just now beginning the grasp the reality of what is going on in Japan. That being said, I realize my life is quite insignificant when compared to the scope of the events transpiring in Japan and what mother nature can do at any given moment with no warning what so ever.

Since the initial quake, each new day unfurls a newer event that has occurred during our American evening, compounding to the already dire situation. Matters will more than likely worsen before anything begins to improve for our Pacific neighbors. Outside of donating to various charities, there are few things I can do except sitting here idly following the news, along with being here to talk to my girlfriend and numerous Japanese friends. I can not fathom how tough it must be for them being here in America, knowing what is taking place on their native soil, not being able to be there to help search for loved ones or friends that may have been lost or perished in this disaster.

The imagery coming in from Japan, whether on television or the internet is very heart wrenching. The magnitude of the devastation almost makes every image seem unreal and cinema like until you watch the videos taken by those living it. You will see the true the horror and sadness they just lived through. They will carry this with them the rest of their lives. When I see the pain and sadness in their eyes, it really takes any problem I have makes me realize it's nothing, and I'm right.

It's pretty easy to dismiss Japans situation when you have no emotional attachment like I've been witnessing with some of the Twitter trends over the weekend. Thousands of people are lost, missing, or simply have nothing now in their lives because of these events. Are people really that insensitive to someones misfortune that they can make light about what is going on in Japan? As people go about their daily lives, I hope they take a brief moment and think about if this had happened to them and their country, would they want people acting insensitive to their plight?

The events will not only affect Japan, but America and the rest of the world for many years to come. Economically and environmentally what is going to happen? Japan has third largest economy after America and China. Not only is Japan a large importer, but a large exporter as well, so what affects them will economically have an affect us in one way or another. And after the events of Chernobyl, the world knows of the environmental impact a nuclear fallout can do if any of Japan's nuclear reactors meltdown.

People in Japan need help whether they ask for it our not, as a human being why not help your fellow man.  The catastrophe in Japan is not going to simply disappear over night. You can help in relief efforts by going to the Redcross or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone. You can also go to Global living which has set up a relief fund that you can donate to towards helping the people in need there. For other options you can go to Huffpost, where they have a page with various organizations you can donate to. Yahoo also has a page here that may have a few more places you can donate and help. Let's all hope Japan a speedy recover from this devastating disaster.

Today's Event in Japan

Picture from: http://framework.latimes.com/

I am putting my normal ranting aside today, I will continue as usual come Monday.
I honestly feel my complaining about how terrible the MTA subway is, or how single
people will soon not have to worry about sleeping alone due to the upcoming bed bug infestation, appears absolutely meaningless when compared to what is taking place in
Japan this very moment.

Like myself, most people woke up this morning learning about the devastation that rocked Japan while America slept for the evening. The rest of our world, at some point or another today, will also learn the magnitude of what has transpired in Japan. As up to date status' unravel before our eyes whether through television, radio, print as well as internet, please take a moment and reflect on life and how fragile it can be, many people have lost their homes and lives today.

picture from http://www.bbc.co.uk/

I'm in absolute shock watching video of the tsunami laying waste over the northern coast of Honshu (For those unaware, Honshu is the main Island in the Japanese archipelago). The tsunami, as you know (if you are intelligent enough to comprehend the news), was triggered by a massive earthquake around 80 miles off the northern coast in the Pacific Ocean. This earthquake also happens to have been Japan's largest earthquake ever recorded and 5th largest in the world since 1900. As updates trickle in, I'm sure It will be weeks perhaps even months before we understand and grasp the total destruction that has taken place.

I have been to Japan a couple times so far in my short lifespan, and rest assured I can vouch for Japan and say what an amazing country as well as the people of that nation are. I have many friends including my better, more beautiful other half, who are from Japan and I think this is part of the reason I am very shocked and taken back by everything that has gone on down there. Just writing about this is very tough for me and I won't even be able to formulate half of what I'm thinking into this blog to make this post respectable.

Ok so I wasn't planning to rant, but the Asshole brigade has already stormed out the gate douching about on the internet, especially on Twitter. As of this moment as I am writing this Godzilla is trending, seriously? I can only assume that it's mostly insensitive people sitting behind a computer making light of something as real and serious as what is happening in Japan. I am very curious to know how these dick holes would feel if their families were swallowed up by an earthquake or drowned by a tsunami. It's one thing to rant about our subway system, but about peoples real pain and suffering, come on.

I will have to admit, Fox News was on top of things this morning (did I really just write that?). As much as I loathe the right leaning blabber machine, Fox were basically the only news outlet besides CNN to have any coverage of the events unfolding in Japan. You would have to think that something of this nature which will be in time affecting the world would be worth more covering than Lohan's day in court. This is what's wrong with America sometimes, there is a country reeling from the after affects of a devastating natural event, and news channels HLN are more concerned with covering some dime store celebrity's day in court, or Sheen.

Anyway back to the reality of what has occurred. The catastrophe in Japan is not going to simply disappear over night. You can help in relief efforts by going to the Redcross or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone. You can also go to Global living which has set up a relief fund that you can donate to towards helping the people in need there. For other options you can go to Huffpost, where they have a page with various organizations you can donate to. Let's all hope Japan a speedy recover from this devastating disaster.