The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

An...." Earthquake Survival Kit" ..[ 2270 ]

Preparing for the Big One

The author holds her own evacuation kit.
The author holds her own evacuation kit.
 
(Mainichi Japan) May 9, 2011
Earthquake Survival Kit. The first time I ever thought about these words was shortly after arriving in Tokyo from my native London over three years ago.
My very first Japanese earthquake had just struck in the middle of the night and I had slept through the entire experience in my new apartment in Tokyo.
Although my bed had barely shaken, it did not take long for one of my sisters in London to start pestering me about getting an EARTHQUAKE SURVIVAL KIT (yes, in capital letters, as yelled down the phone).
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But I confess, I didn't have a clue what it should include. Trying to ease my sister's concerns, I remember saying: "It's fine, honestly. Umm. Well. I have a bottle of Evian water. In the fridge."
"And a torch somewhere under the sink, I'm not sure about batteries though. [Long pause]. Do you think I need a helmet?"
I'd never had to worry about this kind of thing before: perhaps because in my native U.K., earthquakes are generally confined to the foreign news section of any paper.
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Admittedly, there was a teeny tiny 2.2 earthquake off the Lancashire coast recently but so rare are even small U.K. tremors that some people thought news reports were an April Fools Day joke.
Back in Japan, a country where minor earthquakes are as common as brushing your teeth, life continued and I quickly got used to the occasional (and always harmless) jolts and shakes.
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I never did sort out an earthquake survival kit. Fast-forward to 2011 and the issue of earthquakes has undoubtedly become a more serious subject.
Despite the devastating scale of the March 11 disaster, the nation's levelheaded preparation no doubt helped: from school children and offices well trained in evacuation drills to households' survival kits.
I was traveling outside Japan on a sabbatical at the time of the earthquake -- but when I returned, I did something I should have done a long time ago: I finally created my earthquake survival kit.
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After sending e-mails to my most sensible Japanese friends asking them for recommendations, I wrote a long shopping list and headed to my local supermarket.
Soon, my basket was piled high with a random selection of goods including (in no particular order) bottles of water, torch batteries, face masks, packets of mochi, Calorie Mate, gas canisters, Pocari Sweat, candles and matches.
Getting into the spirit of things, I also threw in a packet of dried mango (a favorite treat), just to lighten up the slightly depressing load of crisis items in my basket.
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Next, I packed everything into a small black rucksack, which now lives happily in the corner of my apartment. Now I just have to make sure my boyfriend doesn't raid it for emergency midnight snacks when the cupboards are empty.
But other than that? Fingers crossed, I'm hoping the bag will never have to be used. (By Danielle Demetriou)
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(Profile)
Danielle is a British writer and photographer based in Tokyo since September 2007. She worked as a news reporter and features writer in London for The Independent, The Evening Standard and the Daily and Sunday Telegraph.
(Mainichi Japan) May 9, 2011
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