There's not going to be one human language or culture. Impossible

Ah, Zhiranovsky... I had wondered what had happened to him... I see he's still a nutjob. Then again, it's not like he has a monopoly on crazy. There's a few of him in just about every country in the world.

Edit: “In Minami-Sanriku town, at least 2300 residents are cut off. Among them, 800 people are waiting for help in a gymnasium while nearly 1,000 students and adults are thought to have taken shelter in two schools in the area.”

Don't know if these are in addition to the previous ~7500 accounted for.

Edit: Given it's part of a list of those stranded elsewhere I suppose they were already accounted for.

Edit: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/14_07.html

The anchor kept saying thousand then correcting herself and saying hundred for many of the listings; between that, my desperation, and the accompanying aerial shots I wanted to think that many more survivors had been confirmed than actually had been. Hopefully they get to these stranded groups soon.

jmignot Wrote:By the way, how close to the city center of Sendai did the water reach? I cannot contact some people I know in the area, but I assume this is primarily because of the chaotic situation there, not because the whole city was seriously hit.

Your assumption is right. My gf's parents live near Tohoku University in Sendai, and they said, in an email they sent, that there was no flooding in or near the city center. However, there is no electricity, gas, or running water in most of the city, the downtown area being a notable exception (around Sendai station). It's very difficult to make communications, so that's a likely reason why you can't contact some people.

Satellite imagery of Japan Earthquake: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&h...36&t=h&z=5

Thanks. Looks like Matsushima proper got off mostly okay, but if you go a little east or west, it's a mess. Then again,it's hard to tell from satellite imagery taken on a partly cloudy day. (But still, it's pretty amazing we can get this much this fast.)

Have any of you seen this video yet?:

The last 20 seconds are just unbelievable.

In the past hour there was a 3m tsunami threat with evacuation of all coastal areas of Tohoku to be evacuated. Thankfully this was a false alarm. Reactor 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi powerplant has also exploded. It is reported to be from hydrogen.

Nuriko Wrote:Have any of you seen this video yet?:

The last 20 seconds are just unbelievable.

This is simply unbelievable. The whole town seems to have been taken completely by surprise.

Nuriko Wrote:Have any of you seen this video yet?:

The last 20 seconds are just unbelievable.

wow, unbearable stuff right here

although, kinda have to agree with this comment:
逃げろよ。撮影してる場合じゃないだろ。

ta12121 Wrote:although, kinda have to agree with this comment:
逃げろよ。撮影してる場合じゃないだろ。

Understandable.

Now there are problems with cooling of reactor 2 at Fukushima Daiichi.

http://asiajin.com/blog/2011/03/13/after...community/

They mention the site: http://togetter.com/ - Which might be useful for following the news in other ways.

Edit: Also, Mutantfrog recommends this tool: Greater Tokyo Planned Blackout Time Checker By Zipcode

Does NHK World have an English twitter account? If it does I can't find it.

one of the best things over the last few days has definately been reading the comments of the japanese people commenting on the streams of TBS and NHK. They've been heavily critical of the journalist's questions after the statements given by 枝野, saying that the mass media is not even needed given the stupid questions they ask, they may as well just not have question sessions. They object to the whiny complaining of the press, and their attempts to hystericalise the situation. They want to do what they can, and are prepared for the power cuts. They even tell 枝野 to go to bed! He does look really, really tired by now...
all of this makes me feel really warmly towards the people on there!!!

It does make me wonder what they'd say if they saw the BBC though. I've been really disappointed and even disgusted by their coverage at various points through all this. Even after the collective opinions of many nuclear experts that the nuclear situation is not the end of the world right now, they seemed intent on scaremongering and spreading the opposite opinion. And one of their reporters at the scene of some of the places worst hit by the tsunami seemed positively delighted by the destruction and devastation of the place. I couldn't stand to watch him. They seem more interested in "making news" than good, honest reporting.

IceCream Wrote:does anyone know what happens after an earthquake like this?

what happens to the people whose houses are gone now? Do they have to live in shelters until insurance companies pay out? Then what, do they try to find a new house somewhere? Or do they still own the land where their houses were?

who clears all that rubble and mess? will it be the people who live in the area, or people employed to clear it? if so, who employs them? and where do they move all that rubble to?!?

Ah, Icecream, perhaps something here!

地震が起こった後の対処方法など。
http://togetter.com/li/110539

thanks Jettyke

just seen this: http://jat.org/2011/03/14/volunteer-inte...%E8%A8%B3/

if anyone with the skills is interested

The BBC just posted this link to a Japanese newbie earthquake vocabulary.

http://www.japannewbie.com/2011/03/13/ja...ocabulary/

IceCream Wrote:thanks Jettyke

just seen this: http://jat.org/2011/03/14/volunteer-inte...%E8%A8%B3/

if anyone with the skills is interested

that's helpful

nest0r Wrote:Satellite imagery of Japan Earthquake: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&h...36&t=h&z=5

There are some pretty incredible before and after shots here http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-...eafter.htm

seems like the nuclear situation is getting serious now... it's hard to know what to believe when the mass media cries wolf so often, but people seem to be getting more worried now on NHK, so... if your somewhere near there, please take care!!!

its come down to a situtation of who are you going to trust, the mainstream media and a ton of self proclaimed experts or the government. Both are quite incapable of telling the truth and either they are overstating the situation or understating it to make the government look good. Sounds like a good time to stock up food just in case(even though its good to stock up on food even when nothing bad has happened). To trust the Japanese government at this point would be naive. Be prepared, we know the government isnt.

I have to add, just as I read the news my anger rises at the japanese government. "no need to worry its just nuclear reactors blowing up, this stuff happens all the time" BS

IceCream Wrote:seems like the nuclear situation is getting serious now... it's hard to know what to believe when the mass media cries wolf so often, but people seem to be getting more worried now on NHK, so... if your somewhere near there, please take care!!!

Seems like it. Reactor number 2 is now completely exposed and may be melting.
NHK is showing the reactor and it's huge. Looks like a big swimming pool.

Edit: Asahi is reporting leakage of high concentration radioactive material ２号機、高濃度放射性物質を放出　福島第一原発

Zon70 Wrote:its come down to a situtation of who are you going to trust, the mainstream media and a ton of self proclaimed experts or the government. Both are quite incapable of telling the truth and either they are overstating the situation or understating it to make the government look good. Sounds like a good time to stock up food just in case(even though its good to stock up on food even when nothing bad has happened). To trust the Japanese government at this point would be naive. Be prepared, we know the government isnt.

I have to add, just as I read the news my anger rises at the japanese government. "no need to worry its just nuclear reactors blowing up, this stuff happens all the time" BS

Indeed, trusting the Japanese government at any point of this story was naive. I gotta thank this guy for helping me recover my libertarian jade-coloured glasses.

vonPeterhof Wrote:

Zon70 Wrote:its come down to a situtation of who are you going to trust, the mainstream media and a ton of self proclaimed experts or the government. Both are quite incapable of telling the truth and either they are overstating the situation or understating it to make the government look good. Sounds like a good time to stock up food just in case(even though its good to stock up on food even when nothing bad has happened). To trust the Japanese government at this point would be naive. Be prepared, we know the government isnt.

I have to add, just as I read the news my anger rises at the japanese government. "no need to worry its just nuclear reactors blowing up, this stuff happens all the time" BS

Indeed, trusting the Japanese government at any point of this story was naive. I gotta thank this guy for helping me recover my libertarian jade-coloured glasses.

oh wow, i was actually reading that just last night, on lewrockwell(and on Rogers blog, which has a lot of good stuff about whats happening right now)