March 30, Wednesday

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The American Red Cross



source : daniel john music.com


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Gabi reports:

Looking out of the window this morning, I see almost nothing. All is shrouded in thick white fog after the strong rains from yesterday. I can barely see the siluhettes of the pine trees further down.
It is a vista that reflects the situation of Japan right now ...
all is shrouded in deep insecurity, mis-information and
fear for the future.


the aftermath -
thick fog is hanging
over Japan 　

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Just a bit lower than yesterday :
. Daily Radiation Levels 　


More than 28.000 dead or missing.
In the afternoon, there were 11,232 confirmed deaths and 16,361 missing.


The high radiation levels in the plant are still hindering restoration work.
(see below.)

The tsunami that hit the town of Ofunato has been measured to have been about 30　meters high!



The beautiful rocky "Paradies beach" (Jodogahama 浄土ヶ浜), which I remember well from a visit long ago, has been swept by the tsunami too, leaving debris and salt water on the trees on the high top of the rocks ... hard to imagine.

. . . . .

Children suffer from the sudden changes of circumstances, just as the adults.
But some make great efforts to help the elderly or entertain the one's evacuated in their school rooms.

A group of small ballet dancers had their final performance in the evacuation hall.
A group of small musicians held a concert for the evacuees.
A group of small arms came forth to massage the old sitting on the floor.

Tears roll down the cheeks of the onlookers as they enjoy a few moments of joy.

An autistic boy, who was quite disturbed in the first few days at the shelter, found a new vocation. He can play the music of the daily NHK radio calisthenics program. Since there was no electricity for a long time, no radio either. So he went to the piano in the hall and started playing.
Many came in amazement, more came and then they started doing the calisthenics to his music.
He now comes every morning and plays piano for the group to sway their arms and do their up and down bendings for the calisthenics.
His mother said he became much more relaxed now, since all greet him in a friendly way and praise his skills at playing the piano for them.

. . . . .

Many countries have offered help, at least 134 are now here.
They even got robots from France to help navigate in the radioactive parts of the power plant.

. . . . .

A new buzzword has come up :
Flyjin, the gaijin who leave Tokyo and Japan

. Flyjin Gaijin . 　


. . . . .

Many of the problems TEPCO is facing now with the reactor crisis have their roots in the politics of the old LDP.
. Japan's crisis leadership 　


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Bulletins from NHK Online

source : www3.nhk.or.jp

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 20:52 (last night)
Radioactive water hampers restoration work
Work to remove highly radioactive water at buildings near 3 reactors of the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is making little progress, delaying efforts to restore the plant's cooling systems.
Shortly before noon on Tuesday, lighting was back on in the control room of the plant's Number 4 reactor. Lighting in all control rooms of reactors number 1 through 4 has now been restored, providing a better environment for the restoration work. But highly radioactive substances and strong radiation detected all over the plant are hampering the efforts.
The most serious problem is puddles of highly radioactive water found in the basements of turbine buildings of the number 1, 2 and 3 reactors.Radiation levels at the surface of water in the Number 2 unit are more than 1,000 millisieverts per hour. Work at the site is currently suspended.
At the Number 1 reactor, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, has been working to put contaminated water into a turbine condenser since Saturday. TEPCO says the water level has gone down slightly, but that it has received no information on the exact amount.
The utility says similar work started at the Number 3 unit on Monday and the Number 2 unit on Tuesday, but that the source of leaks into the basements of the units is unknown. TEPCO also says it is unclear when the water will be removed.
The firm says there has been no major change in levels of highly radioactive water found on Monday in a tunnel called a trench outside the Number 2 turbine building. TEPCO is continuing to monitor the trench to prevent radiation from leaking outside.

. . . . .

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 06:25
Radiation levels falling in waters off Fukushima
The science ministry says levels of radiation in seawater near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant are on the decline.
The ministry has been collecting seawater samples at 4 locations 30 kilometers off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture since March 23rd. The locations were at intervals of 20 kilometers from north to south.
The ministry started the research after waters near the plant's drain outlets were found to be contaminated with a high density of radioactive substances.
The ministry said 1.5 to 3.9 becquerels of radioactive cesium-137 per liter were found in seawater samples taken on Sunday. The amounts represent 1,000 to 2,600 times the levels measured in the same area 2 years ago.
But the current levels are only one-fifth to one-tenth of those detected on March 23rd.
The density of radioactive iodine-131 is also decreasing. It now stands at 5.4 to 15 becquerels per liter.
The ministry said radiation density in the seawater is higher than normal, but it is declining.
Cesium-137 is said to remain in the environment for a longer time than other substances as it takes roughly 30 years to lose half of its radioactive intensity.
The Marine Ecology Research Institute says cesium-137 will not be directly absorbed into fish through gills but some species can accumulate the element by eating plankton and smaller fish.
It's believed that through this process, the density of cesium in fish can increase 10 to 100 times the level in the seawater.
It usually takes some time for radioactive material to be detected in fish after it flows into the sea. In many cases, such substances are found in flatfish and Japanese seaperch 2 to 3 months after a confirmed leak into the sea.
However, unlike mercury, such elements are eliminated from fish in several weeks.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 06:25
22,726 seek job advice in quake-hit areas
More than 22,000 people have contacted public employment offices in the 3 northeastern prefectures hit hardest by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The labor ministry has set up consultation counters for survivors at job placement centers and labor bureaus in Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures.
22,726 people have asked about wages, unemployment benefits and finding new jobs.
In Miyagi, 18,201 people have been given advice.
3,282 contacted officials in Iwate and 1,243 sought help in Fukushima.
One person asked if wages will continue to be paid if workers are told to stay at home. A company owner said he will have to lay off staff as he doesn't know when his business can be restarted.
The ministry predicts that the employment situation will further deteriorate in the disaster-hit areas, and it is urging company owners to claim temporary wage subsidies for their workers.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 06:25
French experts to help remove radioactive water
France says it will send 3 more nuclear experts to Japan to help with efforts to remove highly radioactive water from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Two other French experts are already in Japan and holding talks with the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company. The 5 are from French-based AREVA, one of the world's biggest nuclear energy firms. ...


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 06:25
Keidanren to ask for 25% electricity use cut
Japan's leading business lobby is set to ask its member firms to drastically cut their electricity use. This would prevent temporary blackouts from affecting production activities this summer.
Tokyo Electric Power Company predicts that it will be able to end the ongoing rotating power outages in early May. But the firm says it will have to re-implement the blackouts this summer, when air conditioner use increases.
The utility is carrying out the planned blackouts after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami brought some of its power plants to a halt.
In a bid to avoid blackouts this summer, the Japan Business Federation, or Nippon Keidanren, plans to call on its member firms to cut their electricity use by 25 percent.
The companies will also be asked to draw up power conserving plans such as suspending production lines and introducing power generators.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 07:30
Radioactive water delays restoration work
Radioactive water found in and outside reactor buildings is delaying work to restore the cooling functions of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Lighting was switched on again in the control room of the No.4 reactor on Tuesday. Workers also connected an external power source to the display panel of the first reactor's control room, allowing it to show the status of some equipment.
The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, believes it is highly likely that the water in an underground tunnnel next to the No.2 reactor's turbine building has the same source as a puddle in the basement.
The firm says the radioactive levels on the surface of the tunnel water are almost as high as those for the water in the basement.
The utility says water in the No.1 reactor's trench may have been brought in by tsunami waves. The firm says it is almost unthinkable that the water in the basement of the turbine building leaked into the trench because the tunnel is connected to the first floor.
The company says it will consider releasing the water in the No.1 reactor's trench into the sea if the ongoing analysis shows that the water is safe.
Little progress has been made in removing the radioactive water from the basements of the turbine buildings of the first three reactors.
The water is thought to have come from the reactors' containment vessels. The amount may increase until workers determine the source of the leak.
The company is studying where to store the polluted water and how to remove the radioactive substances. But the firm says it is not sure if conventional methods can effectively treat the highly contaminated water.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 08:48
Aerial photos reveal Fukushima plant damage
Aerial photographs of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant show the scope of the devastation caused by tsunami and hydrogen explosions.
NHK obtained the high resolution photos taken from an unmanned plane on March 20th and 24th. An aerial survey firm in Niigata Prefecture, Air Photo Service, took them at the request of the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company.
One photo shows a large hole on the roof of the turbine building of the No.3 reactor. It was apparently created when debris hit the roof in a hydrogen explosion.
Part of a pipe is missing between the reactor building and an exhaust stack.
Heavy oil tanks were swept away from the pier by the tsunami and drifted 150 meters westward, blocking a road for vehicles needed for restoration work.
Containers and passenger cars are piled up at the foot of a hill to the west of the No.4 reactor.
Another photo shows pump trucks connected by hoses in a line that stretches from the pier to the first four reactors.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 10:30
Certifying food exports to EU
Japan will certify the safety of its food exports to the European Union in response to a request to do so.
The EU had announced that it would ban all food imports from 12 prefectures in north and central Japan unless accompanied by safety guarantee.
The Japanese agriculture ministry asked the relevant prefectures to test their food products for contamination, and issue safety certificates if the results clear EU standards.
The ministry says it may handle this process for the quake-hit areas on their behalf.
Japan's food shipments to the EU amounted to nearly 300 million dollars in 2009, accounting for about 5 percent of all exports.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 10:55
Red Cross donates millions
The Japanese and American Red Cross organizations say they have raised millions of dollars in donations to support the survivors of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.
The Japanese Red Cross Society says it collected nearly 490 million dollars in the first 2 weeks after the disaster.
It says many of the donors are individuals such as elementary school pupils and homemakers who came to the society's Tokyo headquarters on Tuesday.
The society says people are apparently so overwhelmed by the scope of the disaster that they want to make personal contributions.
The American Red Cross says the US public has donated more than 120 million dollars to help Japan.
American Red Cross Chairperson Bonnie McElveen-Hunter visited the Japanese Embassy in Washington on Tuesday.
She said she wants to tell the Japanese people that they will not face the difficulties alone, and that the American Red Cross will offer humanitarian and medical aid, as well as counseling and other support.
Japan's Ambassador to the United States, Ichiro Fujisaki, thanked the donors, saying the devastation is far too great for Japan to deal with on its own.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 12:23
High radiation levels in waters off Fukushima
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says radioactive iodine in excess of 3,300 times the national limit was found in seawater near the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Tuesday afternoon. This was the highest measured in waters off the plant.
The level of radioactive iodine-131 found 330 meters south of a water outlet of the plant was 3,355 times regulated standards at 1:55 PM on Tuesday.
The outlet is used to drain water from the plant's No. 1 to No. 4 reactors.
Radioactive iodine-131 measured 50 meters north of the water outlet of the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors was 1,262 times the regulated standards at 2:10 PM on Tuesday.
This was also the highest reading at this location.
An agency official told reporters on Wednesday morning that people in a 20-kilometer radius area from the troubled plant have been ordered to evacuate and the radioactive substance will be significantly diluted in the ocean by the time people consume marine products. The official added that efforts need to be made to prevent the contaminated water from flowing into the sea.
Airborne radiation levels continue to decline in most prefectures, including Fukushima and nearby Ibaraki.
Municipalities measured the radiation levels between 00:00 AM and 9:00 AM on Wednesday.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 12:55
Draining efforts continue
Tokyo Electric Power Company is struggling to drain off highly radioactive water that is thought to have leaked from 3 reactors at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The vital work to cool down and stabilize the troubled reactors is being hampered by the leakage.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed that the level of water filling the basement of the turbine building near the No.1 reactor was almost half the initial level, after efforts to drain it began last Thursday.
Contaminated water was detected in the basements of the turbine buildings near the 3 reactors. Radiation readings of the water were about 100,000 times the normal level near the No.2 reactor and 10,000 times near the No.1 and No.3 reactors.
At the turbine building of the No.1 reactor, workers are pumping the water into the turbine condenser, which has a capacity of 1,600 tons.
The nuclear safety agency says the water in the basement is now 20 centimeters deep, compared to 40 centimeters at first. It says that while it's too early to be optimistic, the draining appears to be successful.
Tokyo Electric is also planning to move the water filling an underground tunnel outside the turbine building of the No.1 reactor to a waste disposal facility within the compound. The water level was only 10 centimeters below the outlet of the tunnel, and was close to overflowing.
The facility has a capacity of more than 25,000 tons, and the nuclear safety agency hopes to reduce the tunnel's water level by one meter by draining the water into the facility.
The power company is also trying to drain water from the basements of buildings near the No.2 and No.3 reactors to the turbine condensers, which each have a capacity of 3,000 tons.
But because the condensers are already full of water, the plant operator is first moving the water to other tanks in the system to allow the condensers to take the contaminated water.
It says the work to empty the condensers may take at least 3 days, leading to fears that cooling operations could be delayed further.
(comment from Gabi:
some commentators speculated about putting the radioactive water into a large bargue ship which could be stationed in front of the plant.)


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 12:56
Edano: Cover may be used to stop radiation
Japan's top government spokesman says the government and experts are considering whether to cover the reactor buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant with a special material, to stop the spread of radioactive substances.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters on Wednesday the experts are also examining the use of a tanker to collect irradiated water at the plant.
Edano said a variety of options are being studied to minimize radioactive contamination in areas around the plant, and to prevent health hazards.
He said working-level discussions are underway on the new measures and a political decision will probably be sought at some stage.
He said the whole situation is not at a point where he can responsibly say when the reactors will be brought under control. He said it will likely take a considerable amount of time before the fuel rods in the reactors and spent fuel pools cool down and stabilize.
Edano said monitoring for plutonium contamination may be extended to areas outside the plant compound since trace amounts of the element were found in soil on the plant grounds.
Edano said consumption and shipping restrictions on farm products will be lifted once their safety is consistently confirmed.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 12:57
Radioactive elements in No.1 reactor tunnel
Japanese nuclear safety officials say radioactive iodine and cesium have been found in water at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant coming from a tunnel outside the turbine building of the No.1 reactor.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says the levels of radioactive substances detected are low, at one-to-ten percent of those occurring in an operating nuclear reactor.
The agency says the type of radioactive substances found in the water in the tunnel indicates some relation to the contaminated water in the basement of the No.1 reactor turbine building. It says the water in the tunnel will not be released into the sea.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 15:15
Air may be leaking from reactors No. 2 and 3

Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says air may be leaking from the No 2 and No 3 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
The agency was responding at a news conference on Wednesday to speculation that low pressure inside the 2 reactors was due to possible damage to the reactors' container vessels.
It said some of their data show pressure is low, but there is no indication of large cracks or holes in the reactor vessels.
The agency said fluctuations in temperature and pressure are highly likely to have weakened valves, pipes and openings under the reactors where the control rods are inserted.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 16:37
TEPCO halts work to remove radioactive water
The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has suspended work to move highly radioactive water from the basement of the turbine building into the turbine condenser at the No. 1 reactor.
Tokyo Electric Power Company suspended the operation on Tuesday morning after the condenser became full of water.
The work began on Thursday after water in the basement of the turbine building was found to contain radiation about 10,000 times higher than would normally be found inside an operating nuclear reactor.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says the water is now about 20 centimeters deep, half the initial level.
TEPCO is studying a plan to move water from a tunnel outside the turbine building into an on-site waste disposal facility with a capacity of more than 25,000 tons.
The water contains radioactive substances, and its level is only 10 centimeters below the top of the tunnel.
TEPCO also planned to move highly radioactive water from the basements of the turbine buildings of the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors into turbine condensers with a capacity of 3,000 tons each. But both condensers turned out to be full.
Plant workers are now using pumps that can draw 10 to 25 tons of water per hour to move water from the condensers' storage tanks into other tanks. They then hope to move water inside the condensers into the storage tanks and fill the condensers with the highly radioactive water from the basements.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 16:37
TEPCO chairman apologizes

The chairman of the Tokyo Electric Power Company has apologized for trouble and anxiety caused by radiation leaks from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Tsunehisa Katsumata on Wednesday was speaking to reporters in Tokyo for the first time since problems at the plant surfaced. The firm's president, Masataka Shimizu, was hospitalized for hypertension and dizziness on Tuesday night.
Katsumata said he feels particularly sorry for local residents who've had to evacuate or refrain from going outside while coping with the impact of the quake and aftershocks.
Katsumata admitted that the company has not been able to cool the reactors, and pledged maximum efforts to stabilize them. He added that the No.1 through 4 reactors would eventually have to be shut down for good.
Katsumata also said his company is preparing to compensate in accordance with the law for damage caused by the radiation leaks.
The chairman apologized for the inconvenience caused by the company's rolling blackouts to cope with chronic power shortages since the March 11th quake and tsunami.
He said the company will do its best and work closely with the government to minimize or even avoid rolling blackouts this summer.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 16:39
Soil checked for radiation before rice planting
Japan's agriculture ministry is to check soil around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant for radiation, before the start of rice planting next month.
Levels of radioactive cesium-137 as high as 2,200 times the normal figure have been detected in soil about 40 kilometers northwest of the plant.
Cesium-137 stays in the environment for a long time, as it has a half-life of 30 years.
The agriculture ministry is preparing to check soil of 150 paddies located more than 30 kilometers from the plant.
Inspectors are to examine samples of soil 15 centimeters underground for radioactive cesium.
The ministry plans to study how much cesium rice plants would take in from contaminated soil, draw up guidelines on the level of contamination allowed for rice growing, and release the results by mid-April.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 16:57
Kaieda urges safety steps at other nuclear plants
Japan's industry minister has urged power companies across the country to secure emergency energy sources for their nuclear power stations.
Banri Kaieda told reporters on Wednesday that the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was due to a failure to secure emergency electricity and a loss of cooling systems at the reactors.
Kaieda urged utility companies to secure mobile generators as a source of emergency power that can safely cool nuclear reactors, and to ensure water-supply routes for fire engines.
He demanded that the companies confirm emergency steps and conduct drills within a month, or stop operating their nuclear power plants.
Kaieda added that putting an immediate end to operations at nuclear power plants is out of the question, because Japan relies on them for about 30 percent of its electricity.
NHK has learned that 90 percent of the 15 nuclear power stations nationwide, excluding the 2 quake-hit plants in Fukushima, have decided to introduce new emergency power generators, including mobile generators.
Some utilities have already conducted simulations for cooling procedures based on a scenario in which emergency generators have failed to work at their nuclear reactors.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 18:31
Greenpeace urges evacuation from outside 30km zone
The environmental group Greenpeace is urging the Japanese government to evacuate children and pregnant women from areas farther away than 30 kilometers from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Greenpeace sent an international team of experts to measure radiation levels in the air at 7 locations in Fukushima Prefecture over the weekend.
The team told reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday that radiation levels as high as 8 to 10 microsieverts per hour were detected near the Iitate village office, 40 kilometers northwest of the plant, on Sunday.
More than 40 microsieverts per hour were detected in the same area by Japanese authorities on March 15th.
Radiation expert Jan van de Putte said that anyone exposed to a level of just 8 to 10 microsieverts per hour would exceed the annual allowable amount of radiation exposure in just 100 hours.
He said the government should not draw the line at 30 kilometers, and remove children and pregnant women from highly contaminated areas outside that zone.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011 20:32
TEPCO chief shows no road map to end nuke accident
The chief of the Tokyo Electric Power Company says he cannot now present a road map for resolving the serious accident at the firm's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, as many factors remain unclear.
TEPCO Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata made the remark at a news conference on Wednesday.
He said a large volume of underground water with a high concentration of radioactive substances beneath the facility is hampering his firm's all-out efforts to cool reactors of the plant. He stressed the need to quickly restore the plant's cooling system.
Katsumata added that salt residue from seawater used to cool the reactors should be removed from the plant to prevent corrosion.
He said TEPCO faces the challenge of preventing radioactive substances from leaking out of buildings and nuclear reactor vessels.
He referred to containment of radiation by covering reactors with concrete walls that would serve as a shield, as was done for the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine.
Katsumata also said the firm is jointly examining all available technologies with officials and experts of the Japanese, US and French governments.


later
Smoke from Fukushima Daini nuclear plant
Tokyo Electric Power Company says smoke was seen coming out of electrical equipment in the turbine building at the No.1 reactor of the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant.
The Daini plant is located about 10 kilometers south of the crippled Daiichi plant.

The Japanese and US governments are working together to tackle trouble at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The Japanese government has set up 4 working groups led by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama and prime ministerial advisor Goshi Hosono.
The groups are discussing measures to prevent radiation from leaking outside the plant and ways to handle damaged fuel rods.
They're also studying the possible use of remote-controlled unmanned equipment to prevent radiation exposure among plant workers, and the use of a US unmanned robot for measuring radiation levels.
The groups have already made arrangements for transporting fresh water to the plant by US vessels.


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Voices from around

. The Daily Reading List . 　


Lessons of the nuclear crisis

. Japan Times, March 30 . 　

. . . . .

quote
How dangerous is nuclear power?
Three lessons from Japan
By Joao Costa
. . . . . 2. Fire, floods, and earthquakes
"We've known for a long time that earthquakes cause fires," says Mr. Lochbaum. Yet for more than 30 years, many utilities have failed to meet fire regulations set up after a 1975 fire at the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant in Alabama heavily damaged a reactor's control cables.

In 2004, the NRC rewrote fire-protection regulations, which so far only two plants adhere to — though owners of another 40 plants say they intend to comply. Their intent may be genuine, Loch­baum says, "But that doesn't provide any protection until it's done."

"We don't have a problem with either set of regulations," he adds, "except that people don't meet them."

As part of the NRC safety review, the agency is looking at the earthquake hazards facing some 27 nuclear plants. No fault near a US plant is of a type capable of generating an earthquake as powerful as the one that hit Japan on March 11, specialists say. But in recent decades, geophysicists have identified previously unknown faults that have required reevaluating the risk facing nearby plants.

While utilities and governments may be ready to handle an isolated nuclear accident, they need to plan for cascading disasters as well, in which local, state, and even national resources could be stretched thin. Northwestern's Dr. Lewis says such planning could ensure that generators and other supplies could be flown in on short notice. Lochbaum adds that more batteries on-site would help with station blackouts that last longer than current requirements envision — a problem Japan encountered.

3. How safe is 'safe enough'?

. . . . . and
Traces of Japanese radiation detected in 13 US states
Meltdown 101: What is a nuclear reactor meltdown?
Japan nuclear mystery: Where are pools of radioactive water coming from?

source : news.yahoo.com


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A thousand kimonos
under the waves
... tsunami evening

apricot blossoms
my thoughts with friends
far away

The disasters in Japan and the unrest in Yemen ... and yet spring is here.
What to do?

the axe bites
into one dead tree ...
clear blue sky

To be compassionate for the daily realities of others ... that is always a challenge.

on my desk
a vase of spring roses
... Miyagi's dead

a blood-red
March moon ...
large and full

Ella Wagemakers, Holland


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PRAYER FOR A JAPANESE

Bubbling laughter
rips out of me
into words
humming
white scent of incense
I can’t help speaking
I see through petals
centuries old
and my hands claps
in a prayer for a Japanese.
Then something wizened
something blackened
turns to smoke
starts shifting
rips out the heart of laughter
stamps pain on my forehead
with a spring wind
ties my hands
and so dries up
my prayer for a Japanese

Tatjana Debeljacki

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