There are many ways you can donate to the relief and future rebuilding efforts in Japan. You of course must be wary. In times of tragedy, there are those who use it as an opportunity to line their own pockets.
if you are going to donate money to Japan, make sure you do it to a credible organization. Here are just a few who are helping Japan right now:
Canadian Red Cross
American Red Cross
Japanese Red Cross
UK Red Cross
Australian Red Cross
Save the Children
Salvation Army
Oxfam International
Showing posts with label donate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label donate. Show all posts
Sunday, March 20, 2011
People Escaping Japan?
I have felt many emotions since last Friday when the big quake hit Japan. I’ve been confused. I’ve been sad. I’ve been grief stricken. I’ve been scared. I’ve been logical. I’ve been thoughtful. I’ve also been pissed off.
That’s right, a few things have made me very angry about the events that have unfolded during the past eight days.
I of course cannot be angry about the actual catastrophe because it was out of the hands of all of us. Mother Nature had a beef to grind and unfortunately the people of Japan had to face the brunt of it.
I can’t be upset at the people of Japan. They did nothing to deserve this. I also cannot be upset at the fact that there were nuclear reactors near the water. There are nuclear reactors in many countries throughout the world and aside from two notable cases; there have never really been major problems with nuclear energy (someof you will probably disagree). There was also a large tsunami wall built in front of the reactor.
Japan, one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world is BY FAR the most prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis. They have building codes unlike anywhere else in the world. They have a tsunami early warning system. They have FREAKIN Nintendo, Sony and Honda robots!
None of this could have prepared them for a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and what we are now finding out, a 15 meter high tsunami in some parts along the coast.
So, I have shared with you that none of these events have made me angry. What does make me angry though is the irrational and sensational coverage of this catastrophe by some news organizations and (mostly) the way some European governments have handled the situation.
I realize that the situation around the nuclear plant in Fukushima is bad. If I were anywhere close to there I would also want to get the “Hell out of Dodge.” Things begun to get a little out of hand when several European countries began telling ALL of their nationals, no matter where they were, to get out of Japan. That was irrational and exaggerated.
Today I listened to the March 17th episode of CBC’s (Canadian Broadcasting Corportation) As It Happens and got more than a little ticked off. I wasn’t angry about the show because I am a HUGE fan of the hosts, Carol Off and Jeff Douglas, but a person they interviewed on yesterday’s show annoyed me.
On the March 17th, 2011 episode (14 minutes into Part 1), a Japanese woman married to a French national was interviewed. Now they had lived in the area close to the Fukushima reactor and were evacuated to Kyoto. I can obviously understand that. What got me was the fact that the woman explained how they were fleeing Japan to France on an emergency flight arranged by the French government because all of Japan was SOOOOOO dangerous! This woman and her family were now in Kyoto and wanted to get further away. She said it was because of the way her husband and all of his French friends felt and the “knowledge” they had of the situation.
This woman, who is also pregnant, said she had to get away from Japan so her baby would not be born deformed! Jeesh!!! Come on!
I can understand this woman being somewhat scared, but her interview was very uncharacteristic compared to most Japanese people I’ve heard interviewed or spoken to in person (I live in Japan and am married to a Japanese person). She explained that she felt this way because of her husband and his French friends in Japan. They were all getting the “Hell out of Dodge”!
Now, I’m not writing this to shit on French nationals or France. I’m pissed off because it is obvious that French media and the government (and many other media organizations) are doing a piss poor job off telling this story accurately.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure that the Japanese media and government are guilty of, at times, underplaying things, but……COME ON!!!!! Let’s not just make shit up!
Most expats living in Japan have very upset families in their native countries. In some cases I can understand. I live very far away from this crisis and do not want my friends and family to worry about me. My Kansai-based friends and I are very safe. Shoddy media reports about Japan cause a lot of concern and worry for our families. That’s why I’m miffed!
Here are a couple of examples of media exaggeration during the past week.
This one is from a British newspaper.
This one is a comparison of the BBC and the Huffington Post.
By the way, I have listened to CBC As It Happens everyday this week (I download their podcast) and I have found they’ve done a fine job covering Japan(I was just miffed about that woman they interviewed).
That’s right, a few things have made me very angry about the events that have unfolded during the past eight days.
I of course cannot be angry about the actual catastrophe because it was out of the hands of all of us. Mother Nature had a beef to grind and unfortunately the people of Japan had to face the brunt of it.
I can’t be upset at the people of Japan. They did nothing to deserve this. I also cannot be upset at the fact that there were nuclear reactors near the water. There are nuclear reactors in many countries throughout the world and aside from two notable cases; there have never really been major problems with nuclear energy (someof you will probably disagree). There was also a large tsunami wall built in front of the reactor.
Japan, one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world is BY FAR the most prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis. They have building codes unlike anywhere else in the world. They have a tsunami early warning system. They have FREAKIN Nintendo, Sony and Honda robots!
None of this could have prepared them for a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and what we are now finding out, a 15 meter high tsunami in some parts along the coast.
So, I have shared with you that none of these events have made me angry. What does make me angry though is the irrational and sensational coverage of this catastrophe by some news organizations and (mostly) the way some European governments have handled the situation.
I realize that the situation around the nuclear plant in Fukushima is bad. If I were anywhere close to there I would also want to get the “Hell out of Dodge.” Things begun to get a little out of hand when several European countries began telling ALL of their nationals, no matter where they were, to get out of Japan. That was irrational and exaggerated.
Today I listened to the March 17th episode of CBC’s (Canadian Broadcasting Corportation) As It Happens and got more than a little ticked off. I wasn’t angry about the show because I am a HUGE fan of the hosts, Carol Off and Jeff Douglas, but a person they interviewed on yesterday’s show annoyed me.
On the March 17th, 2011 episode (14 minutes into Part 1), a Japanese woman married to a French national was interviewed. Now they had lived in the area close to the Fukushima reactor and were evacuated to Kyoto. I can obviously understand that. What got me was the fact that the woman explained how they were fleeing Japan to France on an emergency flight arranged by the French government because all of Japan was SOOOOOO dangerous! This woman and her family were now in Kyoto and wanted to get further away. She said it was because of the way her husband and all of his French friends felt and the “knowledge” they had of the situation.
This woman, who is also pregnant, said she had to get away from Japan so her baby would not be born deformed! Jeesh!!! Come on!
I can understand this woman being somewhat scared, but her interview was very uncharacteristic compared to most Japanese people I’ve heard interviewed or spoken to in person (I live in Japan and am married to a Japanese person). She explained that she felt this way because of her husband and his French friends in Japan. They were all getting the “Hell out of Dodge”!
Now, I’m not writing this to shit on French nationals or France. I’m pissed off because it is obvious that French media and the government (and many other media organizations) are doing a piss poor job off telling this story accurately.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure that the Japanese media and government are guilty of, at times, underplaying things, but……COME ON!!!!! Let’s not just make shit up!
Most expats living in Japan have very upset families in their native countries. In some cases I can understand. I live very far away from this crisis and do not want my friends and family to worry about me. My Kansai-based friends and I are very safe. Shoddy media reports about Japan cause a lot of concern and worry for our families. That’s why I’m miffed!
Here are a couple of examples of media exaggeration during the past week.
This one is from a British newspaper.
This one is a comparison of the BBC and the Huffington Post.
By the way, I have listened to CBC As It Happens everyday this week (I download their podcast) and I have found they’ve done a fine job covering Japan(I was just miffed about that woman they interviewed).
Monday, March 14, 2011
After the Quake: How You Can Help
Life in Japan has suddenly changed for so many. The people of northern Japan are suffering and simply in a world of hurt after Friday's magnitude 9 earthquake and following tsunami.
Many people may be surprised that I waited this long to make a blog post, but to be honest, I've been too busy with Twitter to write a blog. The news flow is fast and fluid (a little personification there) and I've honestly found that I can communicate with more people, more efficantly, through Twitter, Facebook and my video blogs. Also, my video blogs and Tweets have a much larger audience.
So, as of Monday morning, things are still really bad. Much of the coastal regions of northern Japan have been decimated and thousands dead and missing.
The people of Japan need help. If you are in Japan, you can onate money, clothes and blood, but people are being asked to stay away fromt he disaster area. I'm sure many, myself included, would love to rush to the affected areas and help with the cleanup and rebuilding, but it is simply still too dangerous. I suppose in time, people will be given the chance to go there in person and assist.
For those of you abroad, you can help by donating to several (I'm sure the list is ever growing) NGO's racing to help the Japanese people:
Canadian Red Cross
American Red Cross
Save the Children
Here is a page I found had a lot of useful information from Time Out Tokyo magazine.
Here are a few video blogs I made about it during the weekend. You can also follow my Twitter feed on the side of this page for more information:
For the time being, spreading the word to people about how to donate and help is all I can do. I do have a fairly large social media audience so I will do what I can to help that way.
Many people may be surprised that I waited this long to make a blog post, but to be honest, I've been too busy with Twitter to write a blog. The news flow is fast and fluid (a little personification there) and I've honestly found that I can communicate with more people, more efficantly, through Twitter, Facebook and my video blogs. Also, my video blogs and Tweets have a much larger audience.
So, as of Monday morning, things are still really bad. Much of the coastal regions of northern Japan have been decimated and thousands dead and missing.
The people of Japan need help. If you are in Japan, you can onate money, clothes and blood, but people are being asked to stay away fromt he disaster area. I'm sure many, myself included, would love to rush to the affected areas and help with the cleanup and rebuilding, but it is simply still too dangerous. I suppose in time, people will be given the chance to go there in person and assist.
For those of you abroad, you can help by donating to several (I'm sure the list is ever growing) NGO's racing to help the Japanese people:
Canadian Red Cross
American Red Cross
Save the Children
Here is a page I found had a lot of useful information from Time Out Tokyo magazine.
Here are a few video blogs I made about it during the weekend. You can also follow my Twitter feed on the side of this page for more information:
For the time being, spreading the word to people about how to donate and help is all I can do. I do have a fairly large social media audience so I will do what I can to help that way.
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