The CEO of SoftBank, one of the biggest cellular companies in Japan, is making sure that both he and his company are doing their part for Japan Earthquake-Tsunami relief.
Despite not being at the forefront of the news any longer here in the West, the people of Japan are still struggling to recover. Luckily, most of the news that seems to be coming out now are more of the human interest kind that are going to warm your hearts more than anything. While I’m personally skipping the story of the dog found out in the ocean because I’d just rather not ponder it, the story of the CEO of SoftBank is another story.
Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank, one of the largest cell phone carriers in Japan, has pledged to donate 10 billion Yen (about $120 million USD) of his personal fortune to relief funds. He will also donate his annual salary of $1.3 million each yest to the funds for as long as he stays with the company.
Going even another step further, SoftBank will be providing free phones to children orphaned by the tragedy. They will be given free cellular service until they turn 18 to use with the handsets. The company will also be making a financial donation outside of the one being made by Son.
Kudos to Son and SoftBank for stepping up in such a big way. Yes, it is their own country, but how often do you see companies and CEOs in the United States step up in such a way? Not really.
Many Japanese companies are stepping up with huge donations, but this is by far the biggest one yet, and it deserves recognition.
Luis over at BlogD points us towards a new video of the Japan Earthquake-Tsunami hitting the town of Kesennuma in Miyagi prefecture.
While this video misses a lot of the action, who can blame them? You have torrents of water coming, and I’m sure it was also running through their head, “Am I high enough?” Whatever the case may be, this really gives you a sense of just how powerful this event was.
Infographics have become all of the rage in the world of blogging, so it isn’t all that surprising that someone made one in regards to the Japan Earthquake-Tsunami.
All of the data in the below image was current as of March 22nd, 2011, so a few things have changed since then, but not much. There is additional information at the bottom to how you can assist in the relief efforts. And I do highly recommend you read through all of the information in it as there are a lot of little facts in it that even I hadn’t heard and I’ve been following this whole situation pretty closely.
It’s amazing what an impact numbers can have when you just let them speak for themselves.
As the Japan Earthquake-Tsunami saga continues on, but there may finally by some good news unlike the usual events we’ve been seeing. It appears some things are getting better at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
It seems that power has been restored to some portions of the devastated Fukushima nuclear power plant which will allow for lighting while teams work longer hours. There has also been power restored to some of reactors which will allow for them to finally be shut down in the proper manner. This certainly does not make the situation over and done with as of yet, but it is a definite step in the right direction.
However, all of this good news was followed up an aftershock measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale. While no discernible damage has been reported, all of these aftershocks have to be weakening the structures that remain. While it hasn’t hampered their progress yet, it wouldn’t be surprising if it did at some point.
On a side note, I do plan on ending the daily Japan updates this week as I don’t want to drive all of you insane with it. That being said, these problems are not going away any time soon. People still need our help, and I again will ask that you donate what you can to help out the people of this country that I care so much about. You can find resources to make donations at Japan Earthquake-Tsunami Relief.
Hopefully the news will be dying down soon to where I don’t feel like I have to constantly report on it.
As the Japan Earthquake-Tsunami saga continues on, the tally of the losses to both human life and financially continue to rise.
The latest estimates from the tragedy indicate that over 18,000 people were killed between the earthquake and the resulting tsunamis. This number is arrived at by combining the total of known dead and those that are still considered missing. While there is every chance some of the missing will still be found, hope is dwindling that they will be found alive.
Also devastating, but in a different way, are the estimates of the financial toll. Currently it is estimated that the property damage total is around $235 billion USD, with the cost to private insurers being an additional $33 billion and $12 billion coming from the government budget with much more over the years.
Also of concern is more reports of radiation being found in food and drinking water through out portions of the country.
The after effects of this disaster are going to be felt for years to come, and considering the unstable nature of the Japanese economy over the past several years, things are only set to get worse for the country as a whole. One has to remember that Japan is a country about roughly the same size as the state of California, so it isn’t surprising to think how the impact of a tragedy of this size could easily rock the entire nation.
Well over a week now since the Japan Earthquake-Tsunami saga began, the radiation from the nuclear reactors is being reported to be appearing in foor supplies of items such as milk and spinach.
Japan has announced that some increased radiation has been found in the food, and now China is claiming that peas imported from the country are also showing the same situation. Supposedly all of the radiation levels are above acceptable levels, but not exactly in the dangerous levels either. The source of all the impacted foods are being tracked down to see where exactly they came from and if the issue can be dealt with.
Sadly this is more than likely going to be a continuing issue for some time for the country, and if the food supply is compromised, the situation that should be improving could be set to get even worse. Imagine if trace radiation is found in things such as the country’s rice supply, a staple of the Japanese diet. At a time when things should be improving in the country, it instead looks like things may only be about to get worse.
If there was ever any question that the country is going to need assistance to get through this, this should be it.
Explaining the nuclear reactor situation to the children fo Japan in the wake of the Japan Earthquake-Tsunami tragedy could be a real nightmare if not handled properly. It would appear someone has figured out the best way to do it would be with a cartoon.
The Japanese culture is very accepting of animation as a way to convey messages, and there is no denying that this is definitely a way to get the point across. I’m not sure exactly what venue this was created for, but if this is something that is actually being shown to kids, I’m all for it.
Compared to other major tragedies over the past decade, charity contributions have been to slow appear for the Japan Earthquake-Tsunami situation.
According to multiple reports, the charitable donations from the United States given up through yesterday, the sixth day since the quake Japan, have totaled $49 million. In comparison, the earthquake in Haiti last January had raised $597 million in charitable donations in seven days.
Of course the obvious excuse for this is that Japan is one of the leading industrialized nations in the world and does not have the perceived needs of a country such as Haiti. An understandable assumption, but an unfortunate one none the less.
The truth is, Japan is in massive amounts of debt with the current deficit running around 200% of gross domestic product, and that number is expected to rise to 250% in the next few years. What money the government does have is going to need to go into rebuilding the infrastructure of the country. Charities such as the Red Cross will help with the immediate needs of getting water, food, blankers and assorted other items to the people directly impacted by the event.
Don’t get me wrong, donations are coming in, such as actress Sandra Bullock having donated $1 million herself, but every penny is going to help. Considering the size of this disaster, the needs are doing nothing but continuing to grow with each passing day it seems. The Red Cross is stretched to its limits right now, and it needs more money.
Again, I ask of you, please visit RedCross.org to find out how you can donate, and int he United States, you can merely text REDCROSS to short code 90999 to have a one time donation of $10 added to your monthly bill.
I have to admit, this has amazed even me a bit, but as far as I can tell it’s legit, and the rebuilding after the Japan Earthquake-Tsunami has begun.
This image comes from The Inquisitr, and the original source is unknown, but if you look at the pictures long enough you will note some landmarks are the same. Apparently an earthquake ravaged road was rebuilt … in three days, 20.5 hours. Don’t let anyone ever tell you the Japanese aren’t persistent.
As you can see it isn’t completely finished, and I would be concerned about the amount of time the dirt had to settle, but these roads have got to be up and running to get supplies in to the northern areas of the country, but … wow.
Even though the news of the nuclear reactors continues to get worse, other parts of life have to get moving again, and this is as good a way to start as any.
If any thing has come as a surprise to me through out the Japan Earthquake-Tsunami aftermath, it is how shocked reporters seem to be at the lack of lawlessness in the streets. Is that more a commentary on the Japanese or on the way things go in the United States during a tragedy?
Reporter after reporter has commented on how calm everyone remains in Japan at all times. When a city hall ran out of water, those who had been standing in line for hours didn’t start yelling, they just accepted it and most opted to stand in line until they did have water again. There is no one running into stores and looting shelves. There aren’t people screaming at the government for not doing enough (that will come, just not yet). And time and again you see the reporters tell these stories with this wide-eyed look of disbelief on their faces.
As I have mentioned endlessly on this blog and on episodes of Scattercast, I love Japan. Part of that love is their sense of unity, nationalism and honor. The Japanese are very much about never doing anything to dishonor your family, nor should you ever dishonor the Japanese people as a whole. While theft does happen in Japan, it is such a low percentage that people just don’t even ponder it. Time and again walking around Japan you will see things that shock you as an American because in your own country that item would disappear in a heartbeat.
Take for instance this picture of a fire extinguisher I took back in 2001 (sorry it’s blurry, didn’t notice it in the viewfinder at the time). If you click on it you can see a much larger view, but this was hanging in an alley with no lock on it. There is a seal on it so you can see if it’s been opened since the last time it was checked by the city, but anyone can pull this open and use it. It just hangs in an alley, easy enough for someone to walk past it, have it opened and take it in probably two seconds. Yet, there it hangs, undisturbed. How long do you think that would last in the United States?
I once left a pair of sunglasses on the counter of a small toy store in Akihabara. How did I know this? The clerk chased me down, tapped me on the shoulder, and presented my sunglasses to me with both hands and a small bow.
If you lose your wallet, there is an excellent chance you will find it at the nearest K?ban (small police station) with its contents intact.
Don’t get me wrong, theft does indeed happen. Just ask Luis from BlogD who has lost a scooter and a helmet on separate occasions. In general, however, it just isn’t in their mindset. And in situations such as this? Again, I refer to Luis, an American living in Japan, as he just posted a great story about this very thing, and how the Japanese merely see this as a challenge to their national pride. (I swear, Luis, I didn’t see your post until I had started my own!) As a 72-year-old man said moments after being rescued from the third floor of his home by Japan’s Self-Defense Force, “Let’s rebuild again!”
The Japanese are not a people to lay down and give up. They are also not a people to go back on their sense of national pride just because of a disaster. If any thing, they will come back from this stronger. They will come up with new methods of protecting their populace and they will almost certainly pour money into researching new power generation techniques. I can almost guarantee you after this nuclear disaster that they will research solar, wind and wave power possibilities to levels unseen before.
When you see the video of the orderly lines, when you hear reporters saying they don’t get it, just remind yourself that yeah, they don’t get it, and that’s their fault for not researching the culture of where they are. True, there is a lot going on, but you should at least have some idea of the people you’re reporting on. Perhaps they should also realize that this is the way things should be any time there is a natural disaster anywhere in the world.
As the situation in Japan worsens, some comedians perhaps should realize that there is a line when it comes to jokes.
I have never been one for political correctness, and I will make a “tasteless” joke from time to time, but one thing I will never make jokes about is the loss of life or a natural disaster. It has nothing to do with being politically correct, it has to do with what I would not want to hear should I ever be involved in such a situation. For instance, in the almost ten years since 9/11, I have never made a joke about it and I never will.
Someone forgot to tell Gilbert Gottfried this rule of thumb.
Over the past few days, Gottfried made multiple jokes on his Twitter account that could be deemed tasteless to say the least. Although the jokes have now been deleted, thanks to ROFLRAZZI, they shall live on for all eternity.
Mr. Gottfried has been fired from his role as the voice of the AFLAC mascot, it seems someone forgot to inform him that 75% of the company’s revenue comes from Japan.
He said somewhere that he was born without a censor button in regards to this situation, well then one has to wonder why he would have deleted these tweets. I mean, if you pride yourself on not having a censor button, why not be a man and leave these “jokes” on your account? Could it be because someone finally gave you some sense of humanity and made you realize that joking about the death of possibly well over 10,000 people isn’t exactly funny? Joking about a potential nuclear meltdown? Joking about the fact that an entire nation has been irrevocably changed yet again? Perhaps someone finally told you that you simply aren’t funny.
I actually had a personal run in with Mr. Gottfried once in New York City at the International Toy Fair. At the time he was promoting a voice activated water gun, which was a product perfectly suited to his shtick, and he actually made me laugh pretty hard as we just randomly ran into one another in a hallway outside a set of elevators. What was once a humorous memory to me is now something I would rather not think about having breathed the same air as him.
Do I sound angry? Good, because I am. This was despicable no matter who would have said such things, and losing your job is a good start to the bad karma you should reap for making fun of such a horrific tragedy that will end up impacting the entire world on many levels.
Good riddance, Mr. Gottfried, hopefully you will never darken our doorways again with your brand of “humor”.
Videos of the Japan Earthquake-Tsunami have been pretty much a dime a dozen, but due to news outlets needing to get to other stories and talking over them, it’s been difficult to get a good idea of what the sequence of events was. An unedited, or raw, video of the tsunami rolling into town has now been released, and … I hesitate to call it the “best” one yet due to the nature of the material, but it is certainly the clearest indication yet of just how fast and powerful this natural disaster was.
As you watch this video, keep in mind that it is unedited, and only six minutes and 22 seconds.
An entire building … floating down the street in just six minutes. I can’t even grasp how frightening this must have been.
To regular readers of this site, I promise I will be returning to the normal posts in the near future, but somehow writing about the stupidity of Hollywood, technology and so on just doesn’t seem to fit at this time.
The CEO of SoftBank, one of the biggest cellular companies in Japan, is making sure that both he and his company are doing their part for Japan Earthquake-Tsunami relief.
As the 
Well over a week now since the 
Compared to other major tragedies over the past decade, charity contributions have been to slow appear for the 
If any thing has come as a surprise to me through out the 
