Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan: My Impressions Of The March 11th Event
When it comes to earth bound catastrophes, the connectivity of the globe continues to astound me. A mind-messing 8.9 earthquake and subsequent 10-meter tall tsunami has hit the coastal city of Sendai in Japan, barely hours ago in the afternoon of March 11th (thank god it was daytime and not in the night when folks slept!), images has spread on Twitter, along with links to emergency services and Red Cross Donations, along with well-wishes for folks, friends and kin in the region. Along with new-wires, who are the ones with the helicopter fueling ariel snaps (posted here from The Atlantic) and news-coverage (devastatingly repeated on the telly), we are also able to see videos on youtube, as well the devastation of folks homes and work affected by the tremors. No doubt certain services had been disrupted before, but now once folks find themselves connected online, the information pours forth with aplomb. Folks physically in Japan can tweet or update their FB status on their well-being here and then, and friends elsewhere can breathe a sign of relieve and feel safe once more (which quite lightens the burden methinks, but that's perhaps another post for another when).Even right now, folks are twitting about feeling aftershocks of the earthquake in different parts of Japan. Reports currently mention about 300 folks have perished in the event, I shudder to imagine what the "final" tally would be like (or hopefully it would be more accurate and actually "less" reported). I would really like to know the total amount of folks who tweeted about this event, and who actually meant their tweets, and not be part of a herd-instinct, and tweet about something because everybody else is doing it.
Be that as it may, no one needs judging at this day and age, as it is all about the information now, and keeping the info-flow gushing forth to those who would bother to read and find out about it. And the next day? Or even a few moments to spare? We will be back to ourselves and our habits, without missing a beat. Nothing wrong with that too, as we embrace the future that we feel belongs to us.
How disconnected and even helpless I would have felt, over a decade ago, when all we depended upon were television, and the newspapers arriving on our doorsteps the next day. Regardless of what naysayers claim about Twitter or Facebook, they do their "job" when they are needed to, IMHO.
Strangely, activity on Facebook is slow to react (as well "not as helpful", in total agreement with Cris Rose) but is slowly gain momentum now, as a portion of the world wakes up to the news-blast right now, and no doubt images of rooms in dishevel will be posted soon. At 12:30am, my household television is permanently glued to the Chinese news-channel with endless reports and features on the event. And all I was cluelessly concerned with the entire day on Friday the 11th, was my dental appointment in the afternoon.
In times like these, some might forget the events that had happened before, in other parts of the world, and the people it had affected then, laid to waste by natural disasters ... but that remains quelled not for long, I reckon. On the same token, everything else in the world continues forth, like the scheduled viral launch of the Super8 Movie trailer, or of the advanced sales of Google Android Series 2 ? Or even the bloodied effects of the pulled teeth I am experiencing from earlier in the day? Or of a newly revealed family situation that cuts deep into my heart, and frankly means more to me then anything else I have been reading, and blogging here about?
How can one man's ways affect another? The answer is perhaps unanswerable, as each and everyone has a life to lead, good or bad, and that we have a need to live it well ourselves beyond what we hope or expect to do, because frankly, you do not know what tomorrow may bring. And yes, Mother Nature's got a whole other plan in her pocket and she's not letting you know what's gonna happen next. And as well this particular post on Mr Brown perhaps put things in perspective about all this news and their effects, and as well put into doubt the "intent" of this particular post you are reading now, no?
And what has all this got to do with "toys"? Nothing at all.
And even if you did, that is your prerogative, and there is nothing wrong with that too, IMHO.
Here are a few news-wires to learn much clearer about what had happen and is happening:
- http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-gtv
- http://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish?feature=ticker
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12710020
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
- http://www.timeout.jp/en/tokyo/feature/2530/Japan-earthquake-live-report
- http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en (Person Finder on Google)
