A magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit Japan on March 11, 2011 in the northeastern coast, near Tokyo. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake was a massive 8.0, releasing about 15 megatons (of TNT) or 63.1 petajoules of energy equivalent. At 9.0, it is 474 megatons or 31 times that. (Wikipedia) Given Japan’s relatively earthquake-proof buildings, the resulting tsunami is what causing most of the damage. Japan’s foreign ministry has announced 69 governments pledging support as of today. China’s rescue team has also arrived with personnel and equipment to help find survivors. I just want to take this opportunity to offer condolences to the Japanese people. I was also moved today to see a group of volunteers at a local Chinese grocery store collecting donations for Japan. Some of them represented the The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. U.S. citizens can make tax-deductible donations to them through here. A summary of the earthquake situation can be found here.
JJ says
Tzu Chi is such a great charity and it’s a pity that the founder, Mother Cheng Yen, isn’t as famous as Mother Teresa.
I’m in Taiwan right now and Tzu Chi has been very active in getting and sending support to Japan.
Allen says
@JJ, I think it’s Master Cheng Yen even though many might adore her as Mother Cheng Yen.
YinYang says
Also, quoting what Buxi said of Tzu Chi:
King Tubby says
Aw Guys. Faux/fake/bs concern for the people of Japan. Why: you mention the salary range of the American Red Cross CEO.
Your real colours.
JJ says
@ Allen
Ah, thanks! I wasn’t clear what the English term they use to call her. Though I think “Mother” sounds warmer 🙂
@ yinyang
Also the volunteers pay out of their own pocket for the airfare and other essentials when going to help.
And Tzu Chi runs the largest recycling program in Taiwan (and in many parts of the world) which covers most of their administrative costs.
Correction says
Just making a correction: “15 megatons (of TNT) or 63.1 picojoules of energy”
I think you meant to write petajoules. Picojoules are around 30 orders of magnitude smaller.
Correction says
@King Tubby
This really isn’t an appropriate place or time to troll.
raventhorn2000 says
Unfortunately, “earth quake” proofing the buildings in Japanese coastal cities, typically means building the houses with wood and metal, to make them more resistant to shaking and swaying. (And also built on more flexible structural joints, so to avoid breaking during quakes).
However, these types of buildings are not built to withstand flooding. The flexible structural joints are not stronly tied down to the foundation, so to dampen the effects of quake vibration.
So, if one examine the tsunami affected areas, one can see that almost all of the houses were simply washed away, as if they were trailer homes.
*Honestly, I think human beings rely upon technologies too much.
There is simply no (cost effective) way to build buildings to withstand 9.0 Earthquake AND a 10 meter tall Tsunami wave. I mean, you can build military bunkers that can survive those, but who can afford them, and who would want to live in them?
The Japanese people have adapted greatly to their disaster prone areas. Part of their focus that we can all learn from, is their quick evacuation planning. But even in that case, you can’t evacuate 100,000’s of people from giant 10 M tall Tsunami waves that hits you in a few minutes after a quake.
*I think it would be wise to simply avoid building massive structures in Quake prone zones, and build emergency Tsunami proof shelters/bunkers near coastal areas.
*And I hope Japan’s nuclear reactors will be brought under control, and the Japanese people find relief soon from their terrible tragegy.
TonyP4 says
@King Tubby
It is not appropriate here and no timely. However, it is part of the overhead and lower the % of the donation to victims.
Tong Shen in China is the worst earthquake in recent history. The whole city was leveled off. China wanted to save face and did not accept foreign assistance. Hence, the victims suffered more. Fortunately they did not have nuclear generators as Japan does.
My small donation will be a symbolic gesture as the damage from nature is so vast that it is beyond description. At least there are no corrupt officials like Haiti getting part of the donation. When you donate, stick to one charity and do not give them info to contact you as it will add a lot of unwanted overhead for them. Red Cross and Oxfam are my favorites. Now I should add the one described here.
However, as investors, we should buy Japan ETF to help the country to stablelize the market – at least to put a bottom. I do not expect big return for this investment, just wearing a hat for humanity, not for investing.
YinYang says
@Correction
Thx for the correction. 🙂
TonyP4 says
We need to learn from Japanese on how they face disasters in an orderly manner. If it happened in US, we would have looting. Condolences to Japanese.
2011年3月14日
雙聲道
毛孟靜
日本大地震的啟示
日本海9級大地震，千千萬萬的人民受災，在天地咆哮的驚慄畫面以外，我們見到人性最光輝的一面。
跟 香港傳媒的角度不同，所謂人性最光輝，不一定是披頭散髮流着血去捨身救人，或事必要壯烈地犧牲自己完成大我，而是一個社會即使面臨最殘酷的大自然威脅，居 然仍能夠保持秩序，井井有條，災民個個冷靜排隊領取物資，沒有爭先恐後，更沒有呼天搶地；而政府更能第一時間反應，宣布全國超市、便利店等立即免費提供飲 食給災民，所有開銷由政府埋單。人民有難，政府速速付鈔，速速承擔，有板有眼的。
這種光輝，就是文明的光輝，下至黎民，上至政府，在面臨最 大考驗時都能夠臨危不亂，這就是日本民族性的成果，這是任何中華民族主義者，不管多極端，不管多討厭（小）日本，都不得不承認的優點。當然，日本人透過歷 史，一直對海嘯這回事存有濃重的憂患意識，真的事發，也就沉着應戰。不淨是誇誇其談甚麼國民教育、公民教育，「五講四美三熱愛」，不淨是咀裏嚷嚷，拍個照 然後一哄而散。真真正正的公德，他們就是做得到。
套用本國的詞彙，會不會有個別的打、砸、搶、燒事件？相信有，只是不會在大圍的場面出現，這就是大圍的民族特質，這就是國際形象。
甘 地老早說過，地球有足夠的資源for everyone’s need，but not for everyone’s greed，早早警告人性的貪婪。出了大災難，憂傷而滑稽的，是見大陸網民展覽人性的另類陰暗面，反應不是悲天憫人，亦非同舟共濟、再加珍惜地球是我家， 而是見憤青先「熱烈慶祝」日本地動山搖。
華「髒亂吵」 日「知行合一」
這種得政府操控認可的民族主義，最初見 諸各大網上討論區，但不過數個鐘頭後，形勢逆轉，大陸網民由先前的「慶祝」，到紛紛討論大和民族面對災難的有序迅速反應，就由驚訝到羨慕，尤其是平日一直 討厭的甚麼日本自衛隊，可以在四小時內趕到災區現場救災；內地同胞齊齊在網上比一比三年前的四川，這個……結果討論日本的救災高效率，又成了官方禁忌。
透過這次大災難的新聞，嘆人家做得到的，我們仍做不到。
在日本，好幾萬人霎時受災，國家仍不需要擔心會亂；在香港，不過幾百人的小集會，卻有市民會覺得很亂。也許，我們的血液裏，真有上一代遺傳下來「怕走難」的因子，打完日本仔又內戰，最驚顛沛流離。有說，「中國人是要管的」，可是管來管去，似乎仍然是個亂字。
柏 楊說的，醜陋的中國人總是「髒、亂、吵」，這既是現實，也是一種民族自我迷信。這番迷信，就是指我等人果然確係常常「髒、亂、吵」，因此掉過頭來，大家攜 手竭斯底里地恐懼「髒、亂、吵」──凡人多就覺得必定會亂，凡意見不同就認為是吵，凡問題複雜點就恐怕是髒，於是迷信要穩定壓倒一切，迷信思想一定要一元 化，變相縱容一言堂，「和諧」最好呀，亦即「河蟹」最穩陣、最安全。
回看日本人的自律克制，不是來自當權者由上而下的壓制，亦不是父母官式的「阿媽都係為你好」封建洗腦，而是從小配以王陽明式的「知行合一」品格培育；明朝理學家王陽明的學說，強烈影響了日本社會，包括明治維新的發起人。是諷刺的，我大明中國人的學說，只在日本開花結果。
「知 行合一」，由日本父母教育小孩，重點是身教，家長不會「髒、亂、吵」，教出來的兒童就自然不會「髒、亂、吵」，一代傳一代，這不是學校的德育課、或甚麼公 民國民教育可以取代的──早年我主持一個兒童電視節目，曾聽一個小學生說，他最氣憤爸爸用粗口罵他，說小孩不應講粗口。
再看東京政府顯然早有準備，面對突發危機會得立即處理災民的衣食住行，這些都是議而不決決而不行、頭痛醫頭腳痛醫腳的特區政府應該學習的。
輪水大吵大鬧貽笑大方
比 較一下香港？看看上周銅鑼灣、跑馬地爆水管的「聲勢」：水務署竟然要用足足五個鐘頭，才關得了那一帶的水喉。聽一些當業主法團委員的朋友埋怨，水務署在港 島派發停水通知時，都會搞錯了大廈所用的水喉究竟是哪一條，結果宣布停水卻沒有停，沒有通知卻突然停水，情況根本不罕見；也即是說，平時大安旨意，系統混 亂，面對突發情況，自然只會手忙腳亂。
更不要說全港竟然只有五架水車，當日派出三架，結果幾百人輪水，已因為有人打尖而大吵大鬧，幾乎大打出手。一旦大規模停水，港九新界難道每區只能分配到一架水車？到時為搶水打交的場面直播國際，肯定貽笑大方。
日本福島核電廠出意外，可有令特區政府擔心一下近在香港旁的大亞灣核電廠？有學者研究過，如果菲律賓北部的海溝發生有如日本的八點幾級強震，同樣十米高的海嘯就會直撲維港，淹沒兩岸的新舊填海區。誠然，這種地震發生的機會極低，但港府可有甚麼準備？
香港人自六十年代制水以後，除了03年的沙士危機，幾乎過慣太平日子。長期自覺「有驚無險」的結果，就是從來沒有處理危機的能力。不要說海嘯演習，連走火警都好似嬉戲一樣，當意外來襲時，就沒有時間能力去檢討後悔了。
raventhorn2000 says
One thing is, Japanese culture is far more monolithic than Chinese culture, and it is part of the reason why they are able to maintain a single standard of social behaviors, ingrained in their education system.
Chinese culture is far too diversed to achieve this degree of social behaviors.
Once upon a time, Chinese history detailed Chinese Kingdoms that had similar standards of social behaviors, but I fear we have lost that uniformity, inevitably because of the vast number of Chinese people and sub-cultures.
Still, a little more education of manners in the Chinese society is a good idea.
Economic development should come with some development of social behaviors.
YinYang says
I’ts diverse and monolithic at the same time and is dependent on the issues involved. For example, there is an Okinawan identity which has been heightened by their feeling the rest of Japan is victimizing them with whatever problems brought by the U.S. military bases.
Conversely, there is this general feeling of “subjugation” from loosing WW2 and now occupied by the U.S..
Different sides of the same coin dependent on how the population is sliced.
Allen says
This homogeneity was achieved through war and conquest and low tolerance for diversity – in contrast with China, where war might have been used to achieve political unity, but people are generally allowed to practice cultural diversity – to continue to be who they are. This is why you see so much diversity within China – even within the “Han” “ethnic” group.
raventhorn2000 says
I think there is much more of a cultural enforcement of the monolithic identity in Japan, than in China.
In a way, I think in China, the cultural diversity of different regions and ethnic groups are more celebrated in unique regional cultural histories, as parallel contributors to the Chinese culture.
raventhorn2000 says
3rd reactor core melt down in Japan, radioactivity increasing significantly.
Many nations are getting paranoid about nuclear power.
Fortunately for China, the newest Pebble-Bed reactors are safe from these types of disaster scenario. If not 100% safe, it’s close to 95% safe (short of dropping a nuclear bomb directly on the Pebble-bed reactor).
Unfortunately for Japan, their reactors are all very old.
raventhorn2000 says
2 things came into my recent conversations about this tragedy in Japan:
(1) Re: some noted Chinese gloating over this tragedy in Japan
(2) Re: some noted Chinese “preaching” over this tragedy in Japan.
Summation: We Chinese people should neither gloat nor preach over this kind of human tragedy in Japan. Let us remember why:
(1) No human beings deserve such unforeseen terrible tragedies in their lives. If individuals commit crimes, there are fitting punishments. Wishing evil and/or gloating over misfortune is carrying evil within one’s own hearts.
(2) These tragedies are not “moral lessons” to preach over people for their other mistakes. Who among us do not have mistakes or sins in our lives? Do we all preach to each other that we should suffer misfortunes as “moral lessons”?
Let us remember how some have preached to Chinese people about what we should have learned from riots in Tibet and Xinjiang.
Let us stop the moral self-righteousness. Earthquakes and Tsunamis are no more preaching platforms than bloody riots or 9/11.
Do not mix in your good wishes for the victims with “I hope you learned something”. It makes one sound all too pretentious in that certain Western colonial manner. (What would Confucius do? WWCD? Confucius would not gloat or preach. Confucius would say that it is a sign of small minded-nessed for someone who counts others’ misfortunes as his own righteousness).
No one should pretend that we are the moral center, so no one should give into the temptation of decorating one self as the moral center.
Governments will debate and compromise issues and conflicts. It is not the place of the ordinary citizens to pass moral judgments upon one another unknown across borders.
TonyP4 says
@raventhorn2000
The Pebble-Bed reactors are small and they will not make a dent for China’s nuclear program so far. Most if not all of the larger reactors being built are based on US/West design.
Japanese nuclear program started early and this is why most of the older reactors are about 45 years old. They do not have the safety features and containment from today’s reactors. Some have three back up systems but they all failed. With this magnitude of natural disaster, there is a chance we cannot plan for it.
———————
I hated Japanese for the war crimes in WW2 if you recall my posts. However, from my contact, I admire this generation of Japanese and they have nothing to do with the crimes their grand pa committed. We should not carry hatred from one generation to another. Money is only good if we can use it to help others.
YinYang says
Was happy today to learn that I could submit my donation receipt and my company will match 100%.
Allen says
Good to see this. From the WSJ, Chinese tourists return in record numbers for much needed boost of Japanese economy.
zack says
@Allen
i certainly hope the China hawks in Tokyo are taking note of this; it’s definitely to thei benefit if they were reminded of which side their bread is buttered