People don't care

[Meatpie]

What's happening now in Japan is gonna affect our future for years to come.

Politicans have been bickering on the radio here all day today whether we should keep building nuclear power plants or abolish nuclear energy altogether.

Reports are coming in from Bulgaria about people buying iodine tablets and preparing for a radioactive fallout.



TV images of tsunami sweeping houses, power plants exploding have deeply traumatized the general public especially those who have been through Chernobyl.

 

[ArrowMan]

Radiation may enter food chain

Look at this ... now experts are forseeing that radiation from the Japanese nuclear meltdowns may very well get into our world-wide food chains.


Why wouldn't it?? See, this radioactive catastrophe affects us ALL.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42085149/ns/health/

 

[Meatpie]

Thanks Arrow, interesting and sad article at the same time.



Germany has suspended all flights to Japan.

 

[Snerdguy]

I can understand why flights to Japan would canceled right now. For one thing, the whole country is in a state of emergency right now. The last thing they need is more people, especially outsiders, getting in the way. I think the primary reason is that the airports are extremely busy right now with the incoming aide from other countries. Rescue teams are flying in even from China. Food and medical supplies are being sent in. Nearly all of it is coming by air which is huge amount of air traffic. Also, Japan's newest airport protrudes into the ocean and was badly damaged by the tsunami. It's probably not usable yet.

If panic burns calories, some people here seem to be trying to start a weight loss club. Right now, CSNBC and the many other broadcasters are practically making radiation "experts" out of people who use microwave ovens. They are blowing the radiation risk out of proportion in order to scare people and increase their ratings. The fact is that we are exposed to all sorts of ionizing radiation in our daily lives. The soil contains radioactive materials and we are bombard with cosmic radiation from space. Every time you inhale dust, you are taking small amounts cesium and other radioactive materials into your body. The whole planet was exposed to radioactive fallout from cold war nuclear testing and it is still in the soil. We have always had some radiation in our lives.

The people who have been exposed to radioactive contaminates were working at the nuclear plants and none of them show levels like those at Chernobyl. After decontamination, the likelihood that any of them will come to harm by it is extremely small. When there is a reason to worry your government will tell you. Iodine tablets are very common and plentiful. There are people buying up local stocks of them and then spreading panic so they can resell them at a premium to people who don't have much sense. This happens whenever there is a big disaster.

Right now, the rest of the world is shook up by the scale of the disaster in Japan. When things calm down, these people will realize that they were never in any danger. We need to focus on helping the victims not acting out.

 

[imurtop]

Everyone has an oppinion about the radiation, but for someone who lives 45 miles from Three Mile Island, claimed to be minor to other nuclear disasters, this "minor" one, found people near by with much higher cancer levels than is normal. I have heard that if there is a meltdown, the hope is the cloud goes over the ocean? Why? It don't matter where it goes, it don't go away! It should be taken very seriously. The People of Japan sure did not deserve any of this, and my hopes are that we can atleast control what we created. Nature will do as it does, and all we can do is help in the aftermath. Best hopes to all the people over there, and my missing friend. : (

 

[Meatpie]

The radioactive cloud will be over Europe in about two weeks' time, Earth is not that big and radiation from Japan will spread.

 

[JValdez]

I'm already glowing in the dark . . .

 

[Meatpie]

Did you know that one of the reactors uses plutonium as fuel?

I just found out.

Highly toxic to humans it easily enters the bloodstream, can stay in the bone marrow for the rest of your life and will you cancer sooner or later.

 

[useless bum]

I am not sure if the issue is whether people care or not. Some of those who seem to pay attention make illogical conclusion.

One of the interesting things happened here in US was that some says it was karma because of the Pearl Harbor. I think it was a very Americentric interpretation of the event. If this was some karmic event because of Japan's past atrocity, how are they going to interpret 9/11, Katrina, Oklahoma bombing, etc., etc.? And the nuclear fallout will probably hit the U.S. harder. Is this also a karmic event?

I also saw some crazy bitch on Youtube, blissfully saying that this happened because she prayed to God to make people realize how horrible they were living against God's will. WHT?

I also find it interesting that some people including the duck voice guy made jokes about this disaster. I am not saying you should never ever joke about a disaster, but I hardly saw when the earthquake hit NZ, Katrina flooded Louisiana, etc. The duck voice guy was promptly fired. Well if 75% of Aflac's clients are Japanese, I don't know how the company could justify keeping the guy anyway. Is this also karma?

 

[verlup1]

I also saw some crazy bitch on Youtube, blissfully saying that this happened because she prayed to God to make people realize how horrible they were living against God's will. WHT?

She must be from that disgusting hateful Westboro Baptist Church, I hope those lunatics get all the radiation, I'll pray for it.

 

[MaxMarshal]

People care, Buddy. How can you not care? How can you not feel like crying when you watch the news?
We care. Most people care, and care deeply.
But you have to accept that a site like this is an escape for most of the members.
No disrespect at all to you... but we do care. This just isn't the typical place to express it. At least not for me.
Peace
Max

 

[Meatpie]

A lot of people have expressed their views in this thread already and I am satisfied with most of the responses.

Still majority of people don't care. There have been a lot of stupid comments here too, and some politicans even went as far as saying nuclear should be scrappred altogether.

The Japs will get over this sooner or later, political fallout will last longer, there is already talk of closing reactors deemed unsafe esp those on coastal areas.

 

[mungiki]

The scariest part is that if you get contaminated you will be transparent like that kgb fella who was in UK hospital and then you croak!!

 

[Meatpie]

Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned polonium-210 which is not part of the reactor fuel at Fukushima.

 

[useless bum]

Another curious thing about American media about this incident is that they (i.e., New York Times) do not seem to hesitate posting pictures of bodies. They almost never, ever post pictures of Caucasians whether they are Americans, Europeans, Australians, etc. But they don't lose an opportunity like this or Haiti. So this is very interesting to me.