Japan: Disaster Training .....[ 2185 ]

Disaster Training Proves Boon for Earthquake-Hit Japanese

(Korean Newspaper) , March 16, 2011
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The people of Japan have awed the world with the calm they displayed after a devastating earthquake and tsunami on Friday, with the Western press singling out the disaster training that Japanese receive from an early age for particular praise.

Disaster prevention items are part of living necessities in Japan. Cushions in schools can also be used to protect children's heads against glass and concrete debris falling from the building in an earthquake. Maps that tell people how to walk home from work when all transport has failed are very popular. Companies and schools stock various items ready for a disaster and have designated shelters like parks nearby.

People in Ishinomaki, northern Japan sit around a fire and wait for rescue on Sunday following Friday's massive earthquake and the ensuing tsunami. /AP-Newsis 

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All buildings above certain size are required to be earthquake-proof and have disaster prevention experts on site. Many people working in their office at the time of the earthquake immediately put on helmets and went out to shelters with a bag full of emergency food, a radio and water, which had already been prepared for them.
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The manual for action in times of disaster is concrete and detailed. It includes advice such as "Designate a meeting point when the family gets separated," and "When an earthquake settles, put out fires before rescuing people." There are a whole range of books and publications on the topic.
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Shim Jae-hyun at Korea's National Institute for Disaster Prevention said, "Just as soldiers learn military tactics through repetitive training, Japanese disaster prevention education allows people to act unconsciously according to the safety rules in an emergency."

NASA Image of the day, Mar 15 ....[ 2185 ]

       The latest NASA "Image of the Day" image.  

Chasma Boreale, Mars

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Chasma Boreale, a long, flat-floored valley, cuts deep into Mars' north polar icecap. Its walls rise about 4,600 feet, or 1,400 meters, above the floor. 

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Where the edge of the ice cap has retreated, sheets of sand are emerging that accumulated during earlier ice-free climatic cycles. Winds blowing off the ice have pushed loose sand into dunes and driven them down-canyon in a westward direction. 

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This scene combines images taken during the period from December 2002 to February 2005 by the Thermal Emission Imaging System instrument on NASA's Mars Odyssey was part of a special series of images marking the orbiter as the longest-working Mars spacecraft in history. 

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Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

Τρίτη,  Μάρτιος  15, 2011 6:00:00 πμ

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Israel: Linerian flag Vessel laden with weapons intercepted..[ 2184 ]

Israel: Vessel laden with Gaza-bound weapons intercepted

By the CNN Wire Staff

March 15, 2011 -- Updated 1344 GMT (2144 HKT)

The Israel Defense Forces say weaponry seized on a Liberian-flagged ship Tuesday was intended for Gaza militants.

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israeli commandos intercepted a ship in the Mediterranean Sea Tuesday and found weapons bound for Gaza militants, according to the Israeli government.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the weapons came from Iran. He insisted the cargo vessel was overtaken in accordance with international conventions, and said he gave the order to board the ship on the "solid basis" that the arms on the ship that were "meant to target Israel."
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The cargo vessel "Victoria" -- flying under a Liberian flag -- was stopped about 200 miles west of Israel's coast. The vessel was on its way from the port of Mircin in Turkey to the port of Alexandria in Egypt.
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The Israel Defense Forces said that according to ship documents and information gathered from the crew the vessel initially departed from Lattakia in Syria and then proceeded to Mersin in Turkey. Turkey had no connection to the incident, the IDF said.
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The IDF said the ship interception is part of the Israeli Navy's routine activity to maintain security and prevent arms-smuggling, efforts to keep weapons from being transported to anti-Israeli militants in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
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Israel's military "acted in order to defend the security of the country," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said. "The attempt to smuggle weaponry to Gaza shows that radical elements are continuing in their attempts to attack Israel and undermine regional stability."
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The IDF said the crew didn't resist the commandos and the vessel was being led to the Israeli port of Ashdod for inspection.

Japan :Radiation readings not cause "harm to human ",,[ 2183 ]

Officials: Spent fuel rods may have burned in blaze at nuclear plant

By the CNN Wire Staff

March 15, 2011 -- Updated 1226 GMT (2026 HKT)
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Tokyo (CNN) -- Spent fuel rods containing radioactive material may have burned in Tuesday's fire at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant -- causing a spike in radiation levels, the plant's owner said.

Radioactive material leaks from plant

The blaze started Tuesday morning but was later extinguished, Tokyo Electric Power Company said. It was unclear how much radioactive material may have been emitted, or what kind of health threat that could pose.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Tuesday afternoon that radiation readings at the plant's front gate had returned to a level that would not cause "harm to human health."

 Read more : 

• Radiation levels drop at Japanese plant

Japan : Accurate information for management of the crisis ..[ 2182 ]

Accurate information key to effective crisis management

(Mainichi Japan) March 15, 2011

The issuing of evacuation orders for areas near a nuclear power plant where explosions have occurred without clarifying what is the actual situation at the plant has only caused anxiety to the public.
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In addition to explaining what is the actual situation at the plant, power suppliers as well as the government are urged to clearly explain what they assume will happen to nuclear power plants effected by the massive earthquake. If groundless presumptions escalate the public's anxiety, it could cause many people to panic, spreading unnecessary damage.
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What is important in crisis management at the time of a serious disaster like the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake is the prompt dispatch of information from reliable sources. The public learned such a lesson from the outbreak of swine flu.
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However, relevant organizations have failed to provide consistent information to the public. The Prime Minister's Office, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) and Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and other organizations concerned have so far held separate news conferences to explain what has happened to the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. 
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Since TEPCO, which operates the plant, is the primary information source, there are time lags and gaps in the accuracy of information announced by the power supplier and other entities.

It took hours before the government announced an explosion at the building that houses the No. 1 reactor reportedly because TEPCO was late in reporting the incident to the government regulator. Even though the way information on the incident is provided has since improved, the relevant organizations still have failed to sufficiently share necessary information.

The Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture is pictured in this August 2003 file photo. (Mainichi)

Confusion over rolling power outages -- the suspension of electricity supply to different areas on a rotation basis -- is attributable largely to the inadequate provision of information. TEPCO's explanations and its response to the shortage of power have changed from time to time, and members of the public have not been informed of when power supply to their homes would be suspended -- even the night before the planned cuts.
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Power outages without providing sufficient information on the situation could endanger the lives of people who use artificial respirators at home. Conflicting information has led to the public's confusion over the suspension of railway services in the metropolitan area.

Given the scale of the disaster, rolling power outages can win understanding from the public. The problem is the relevant organizations' failure to dispatch accurate information on the measure in an appropriate manner.

Under the current circumstances, gathering and providing information on the nuclear power plant and power supply should no longer be left to the discretion of a single private company.

Based on real-time information, the government should cooperate closely with experts in nuclear power generation, radiation, crisis management, public relations and risk management in providing accurate information to the general public.
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The nation as a whole should work together to overcome this extremely serious crisis. It's time for the entire nation to increase its crisis management ability by sharing accurate information.
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Click here for the original Japanese story
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