Japan News (3/26)
Mar. 26th, 2011 09:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarker3/25
Video of volunteers from Taiwan arriving at a shelter, with supplies they are bringing. There's a real dance, with each of them carrying in a box, giving it to one of the Japanese -- but who should bow first, and do you bow with a box in your hands or not... a bit of awkwardness, but pretty soon everyone has handed over a box, and they set up a human chain to move the rest in.
Logistics. One of the reporters tracks down a city employee at one of the shelters, who is in charge of distibuting the food. The employee shows the reporter a big SDF tent, full of rackes of bread and boxes of onigiri. The reporter says it looks like lots of supplies, why is everyone still talking about shortages. The employee says it does look like a lot, but right now, he's got enough to give everyone in the shelter one piece of bread and two onigiri tomorrow -- and that's it. And he says he doesn't know when more supplies will come in.
8:27 AM -- National news reading messages from people in the disaster area.
8:30 -- of five main channels, 2 are showing quake news, the rest are doing normal programming.
There was a little about an earthquake in Myanmar? If I understood the report correctly, this is not normally a quake area?
Hum. The show that often has various foreign news pieces, has a special segment today. Looking at what the Wall Street Journal has reported about the Japanese earthquake, tsunamis, and reactor problems. With a Wall Street Journal Japan reporter to comment on them. Starts off with a piece by Howard Stringer on 3/18 praising the Japanese "Never Give Up" spirit. Then 3/19, there's a piece about how the desire to protect assets delayed efforts to deal with the reactor (no author given, and the information is attributed to sources inside the Japanese government). 3/22 there's a piece about the troubled history of the Fukushima plant, according to WSJ analysis of trouble reports from the plant. The lead seems to suggest that this plant has had significant problems before.
According to other news, the workers who were exposed at the plant the other day are being released on Monday.
3/26
Today's big news at 11:45 is that measurement of ocean water about 330 meters from the Fukushima plant has about 1250 times the normal level. 50 Bq/cm3, and cesium levels supposedly 173 times the normal level. There's someone reporting that if you drank 500 milliliters (a half-liter -- say a pint?) a day... I wonder if they realize that ocean water is not exactly drinkable, as I was reminded recently?
Miyagiken -- I think one of the towns -- the report is that despite bad rains and winds, about 50% of the houses have electricity again. And 40% have water.
Aha! The Emperor and the royal family have a place somewhere in the disaster area, with an onsen (hot springs/baths). And they opened it to the shelters! There's video of people being bussed into the Emperor's place, and the Royal bath (which is actually kind of small... nice stone, but not very luxurious). And people say the bath and shower were very nice, and appreciate the Emperor letting them use the facilities.
There's a bullseye, with Fukushima in the center. Measurements at about 50 KM show 3 to 4 microSv, while 100 KM has 0.99 and one 0.27.
A little video of one of the towns, with snow falling, and a blanket of snow on the debris. There's a person out, with an umbrella, mask, dog trotting alongside. In the background, cranes work at picking up debris. There's one house that stands, seemingly untouched in the middle of the background. Maybe it's the snow, but the video seems relaxed.
Another town, with a yacht parked in the middle of the streets among buildings, a military green jeep driving, and a couple of construction trucks working.
Miyagi, Ishimaki -- there's a reporter talking with a mechanic who warns that people should not try fixing drowned cars themselves. He's got his mechanics shop full, and yard full, of cars that have been drowned. He shows that circuit boards need to be dried out, and warns that trying to start one with salt water in it can do more damage. He also is pulling seats and carpets, drying them out as much as possible, and replacing what he has to.
People cleaning up in another area. There's an old man, with a knit hat. He smiled at the reporter, and says he doesn't know if he'll rebuild or move. There's a group of volunteers, mostly helping people pull up tatami mats and other heavy lifting. One man admits that he couldn't have handled the mats by himself, and thanks them for helping.
Miyagi prefecture, Miyamisan... -- they're estimating that 70% of the houses in this town are gone.
There's a report on the drinking water in Tokyo. Apparently it's down around 34 Bq today.
One of the shopping streets in Osaka usually has a 100 yen day sometime around now. They're holding it today, with all proceeds going to Tohoku relief.
In Iwate prefecture (sorry, missed the town), they've opened a movie theater. There's video of kids from the shelter going to the movies.
Iwate prefecture, Ofune -- at one of the shelters, they've got huge pots of tonjiru -- like miso soup, but more stuff. People seem to be enjoying it.
19:18 Another quake -- Magnitude 5.1? Fukushima and surrounding has 4s, with 3s further inland.
A bit less today -- Mitsuko took me out last night to an Indian restaurant (good curry! Excellent garlic nan, and Guinness!) so I didn't see much news, then today she said I should unpack boxes, so... a day of rest from the news. Actually, I think the Japanese TV is starting to have more other stuff, although it's obvious that we're getting a lot of specials in place of scheduled shows, and the ads are still frequently AC fillers.
Video of volunteers from Taiwan arriving at a shelter, with supplies they are bringing. There's a real dance, with each of them carrying in a box, giving it to one of the Japanese -- but who should bow first, and do you bow with a box in your hands or not... a bit of awkwardness, but pretty soon everyone has handed over a box, and they set up a human chain to move the rest in.
Logistics. One of the reporters tracks down a city employee at one of the shelters, who is in charge of distibuting the food. The employee shows the reporter a big SDF tent, full of rackes of bread and boxes of onigiri. The reporter says it looks like lots of supplies, why is everyone still talking about shortages. The employee says it does look like a lot, but right now, he's got enough to give everyone in the shelter one piece of bread and two onigiri tomorrow -- and that's it. And he says he doesn't know when more supplies will come in.
8:27 AM -- National news reading messages from people in the disaster area.
8:30 -- of five main channels, 2 are showing quake news, the rest are doing normal programming.
There was a little about an earthquake in Myanmar? If I understood the report correctly, this is not normally a quake area?
Hum. The show that often has various foreign news pieces, has a special segment today. Looking at what the Wall Street Journal has reported about the Japanese earthquake, tsunamis, and reactor problems. With a Wall Street Journal Japan reporter to comment on them. Starts off with a piece by Howard Stringer on 3/18 praising the Japanese "Never Give Up" spirit. Then 3/19, there's a piece about how the desire to protect assets delayed efforts to deal with the reactor (no author given, and the information is attributed to sources inside the Japanese government). 3/22 there's a piece about the troubled history of the Fukushima plant, according to WSJ analysis of trouble reports from the plant. The lead seems to suggest that this plant has had significant problems before.
According to other news, the workers who were exposed at the plant the other day are being released on Monday.
3/26
Today's big news at 11:45 is that measurement of ocean water about 330 meters from the Fukushima plant has about 1250 times the normal level. 50 Bq/cm3, and cesium levels supposedly 173 times the normal level. There's someone reporting that if you drank 500 milliliters (a half-liter -- say a pint?) a day... I wonder if they realize that ocean water is not exactly drinkable, as I was reminded recently?
Miyagiken -- I think one of the towns -- the report is that despite bad rains and winds, about 50% of the houses have electricity again. And 40% have water.
Aha! The Emperor and the royal family have a place somewhere in the disaster area, with an onsen (hot springs/baths). And they opened it to the shelters! There's video of people being bussed into the Emperor's place, and the Royal bath (which is actually kind of small... nice stone, but not very luxurious). And people say the bath and shower were very nice, and appreciate the Emperor letting them use the facilities.
There's a bullseye, with Fukushima in the center. Measurements at about 50 KM show 3 to 4 microSv, while 100 KM has 0.99 and one 0.27.
A little video of one of the towns, with snow falling, and a blanket of snow on the debris. There's a person out, with an umbrella, mask, dog trotting alongside. In the background, cranes work at picking up debris. There's one house that stands, seemingly untouched in the middle of the background. Maybe it's the snow, but the video seems relaxed.
Another town, with a yacht parked in the middle of the streets among buildings, a military green jeep driving, and a couple of construction trucks working.
Miyagi, Ishimaki -- there's a reporter talking with a mechanic who warns that people should not try fixing drowned cars themselves. He's got his mechanics shop full, and yard full, of cars that have been drowned. He shows that circuit boards need to be dried out, and warns that trying to start one with salt water in it can do more damage. He also is pulling seats and carpets, drying them out as much as possible, and replacing what he has to.
People cleaning up in another area. There's an old man, with a knit hat. He smiled at the reporter, and says he doesn't know if he'll rebuild or move. There's a group of volunteers, mostly helping people pull up tatami mats and other heavy lifting. One man admits that he couldn't have handled the mats by himself, and thanks them for helping.
Miyagi prefecture, Miyamisan... -- they're estimating that 70% of the houses in this town are gone.
There's a report on the drinking water in Tokyo. Apparently it's down around 34 Bq today.
One of the shopping streets in Osaka usually has a 100 yen day sometime around now. They're holding it today, with all proceeds going to Tohoku relief.
In Iwate prefecture (sorry, missed the town), they've opened a movie theater. There's video of kids from the shelter going to the movies.
Iwate prefecture, Ofune -- at one of the shelters, they've got huge pots of tonjiru -- like miso soup, but more stuff. People seem to be enjoying it.
19:18 Another quake -- Magnitude 5.1? Fukushima and surrounding has 4s, with 3s further inland.
A bit less today -- Mitsuko took me out last night to an Indian restaurant (good curry! Excellent garlic nan, and Guinness!) so I didn't see much news, then today she said I should unpack boxes, so... a day of rest from the news. Actually, I think the Japanese TV is starting to have more other stuff, although it's obvious that we're getting a lot of specials in place of scheduled shows, and the ads are still frequently AC fillers.
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no subject
Date: 2011-03-26 05:10 pm (UTC)Hope your day away from news was/is pleasant.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-26 07:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-10 01:03 am (UTC)