London riots - The aftermath

I haven't really ranted here about the events of last week so much, but I feel I should, just a little bit.

I have never really been political per se. Right and left meant nothing much. Even a knife and fork can change hands, and so do the plans and manifestos of the governments.

I have never really believed that one person could be so strongly swayed in just the one direction and I still believe this.

So, if you ask me whether or not I am a full blown conservative, don't expect a direct response.

I hate it when people so stubbornly claim to be on one side (whichever that may be, people are always stubborn, but they usually choose the side they believe to be the right one!) and, as a result, come out with some harsh criticisms of the other.

In the UK right now, people are blaming the government. What government, we don't know. Certainly the rioters don't know...

Listen here for a horrendous example of who is involved and the mind set.

The BBC talks to two girls involved in the riots.

They talk about the fun of it. Sure, drinking at 9am can be wild. Hopefully they will have a hangover to teach them something to that effect

But, they talk about 'showing the police that they can do what they want.' It's a kind of freedom, then, I can only assume, proof that they, the rioters are in control.

But, who are the rioters exactly?

We have had reports of an Olympic hopeful, supposedly representing UK next year (remember we are supposed to be hosting the Olympics next year too), I read about a 12 year old, (whose mother blames the government for creating enough things to do for her child), there was a doctor's daughter, a millionaire's daughter too. How are they disgruntled?

There wasn't just the 'yoof' with nothing to do but go on a crazy spree, there were men in their 40's too.

I have been told that they are just 'angry' people. Angry about what I wonder? Job cuts, unemployment, dim prospects....

I am not going to be anywhere near the top of the line in advertising my home country, nor city as a place of paradise. but, it isn't all that depressing is it?

Ok, so there are no 'youth centres' for the kids to hang out and occupy themselves when they aren't at school.  Let me just point out, that I was on my way home from a youth centre when I was mugged at knife point in south London. I was 11, my attackers, 16. Youth centres are not the answer.

I haven't lived in England for almost 6 years, so, yes, I am out of the loop. However, I knew that I had to study to make it (what/wherever 'it' was - still learning). I knew that there was a difference between right and wrong. Surely this is a basic instinct?

But riots, revolutions, passionate protests aren't always about basic instincts. They aren't even about getting results, but no one is going to stop to think about it, are they?

One brave lady even tried to tell the rioters this as they ran amok on the streets of Hackney. You may have already seen it (it made it to various news sources).



And she is so right in her words.

What results did the rioters want last week? New trainers & a six month jail term?

Yes, the law is coming down so super hard on this rioters. Some say too hard (labour /liberal supporters) and some say not hard enough (conservative supporters).

I say they deserve the penance for sure. You commit a crime, you do the time. It is simple logic and nothing left or right, well just right.

There is talk of taking away their benefits (super conservative). It is true, some people are living on ridiculous benefits.

This is nothing to do with rioters, but a family from Somalia are living in rented accommodation. They have just moved form the north to Camden council area, and are in a house where the rent is £8,000 ((!!!)) a week. Camden council are picking up this bill. The saddest thing here is that that money could house so many families from Somalia. It isn't a question about immigration, but about balance and fairness.

Now, those who say that the conservatives have caused all this damage, we must remember that we had labour before for 13 years. Those who do remember, are pointing out that both governments are Thatcher's doing.

Now, I was a lot younger, and I don't remember her policies so much. But, I do remember there was no bullshit. I also know that it was the current conservative government who actually lowered the maximum housing rental allowance to the unemployed to £400!!! That is quite the sum and you can get a neat pad for that in zone 3/4.

We need balance.

I agree with some of the jail terms, although I wonder what purpose it will serve later down the line. Will anyone learn?

I agree with the Liberal Democrat suggestion of getting people to do community service as punishment. Doing time and helping the communities (they have damaged) will teach them so much. It can teach anyone a lot, criminal or otherwise.

So where is the balance between the apparent conservative's headline grabbing sentences (I can't say I agree with four years imprisonment for inciting a riot on facebook, when some murderers get let of with less than this) and those who believe it would be more important 'talking to the rioters'???

We have a big rift going on amongst the UK coalition government.

One of the things we need to be prepared for is that that this may happen again. It may not be in such a  scale, but there will always be rebellion, especially in the UK. What we need to do is find out why it happens / has happened (during their community service/jail time, of course) and be prepared.

It is pointless fighting crime with few cell spaces or adequate laws in place.

Good luck England! You're going to need it!

London Riots

Wow, after three nights of crazy behaviour, riots, endless looting and a shameful amount of damage to buildings and material possessions, London, as well as the rest of the country braces itself for what could be another night or fearful terror.

At this stage, the concern is that this will never end. And with the softly-softly approach that the police and the government are adopting, it won't. One more night in London alone and the whole place will be ruined. Already livelihoods of individuals and long term family businesses have been ruined, destroyed and burnt, despite claims that the purpose is to attack the big commercial companies.

Londoners especially want more, the army, water cannons, anything that will show that we are not weak. London is our city too. From afar I suddenly feel so saddened that my home city is half in flames.

Today we are waiting on news from the government officials and their decisions on what to do. We know that an extra 10,000 police officer are being deployed to London, but what if there is more trouble outside the capital? It surely cannot be allowed to happen one more night...

We just heard this on BBC WORLD. In an interview with two 17 year olds. The girls were drinking in Croyden, drinking 'free booze, innit and proclaimed they were rebelling 'against the rich people and the government, conservative/labour...whatever'. Despicable.

On a positive note, Londoners are fighting back and getting ready to clean their streets, but not without being scared of it all erupting one more time.

 I can see a late night ahead as I am glued one more time to the news.

Clearly the perpetrators will not learn the error of their ways and grind to a halt. Urgent action is the only thing that will stop this. Come on England, less talk, more rigorous action.

Sendai, damage & destruction

Searching for animals.

Currently reporting from the road back to Niigata.

It has been a long day of mostly driving. The stamina of the crew is inspiring and I am lucky to be sharing this experience.

Today we managed to leave late after various dramas, so despite my good efforts to get up early, which I did, they hadn't been necessary.

We hit the road, again, and again and again. It was a long road. We drove from the countryside plains of Niigata with it's snowy mountains and endless rice fields, to, courtesy of many long, dark tunnels, the clearer area of Fukushima, where mountains were only visible in yonder distance.

Throughout the day, it was our mission to constantly be on the look out for animals, even if we were just making a pit stop at a conbeeny, we could still use the opportunity to talk with locals and let them know about our work.

A photographer told us how, yesterday, he went into 'the zone' and there are so many dogs and cats just roaming around all by themselves.

((the zone, in case you are not aware is the area within 10 to 30 km of the nuclear plant. Only 10pm is mandatory and the rest, voluntary, but owners of pets left thinking they could return within a few days. Sadly, this is not so.))

We also met a lovely couple who had the most beautiful Labrador. We stopped and had a chat. She told us of a dog she had seen dead just up the road and took our details in case she found any that needed rescuing. It is this word of mouth that works well and it is amazing to see the support for the organisation.

We saw the coastline that had been affected from Soma, Fukushima, where it began, up as far as Yamamoto in south Miyagi. The destruction really is unreal. What we see on the news is awful, yet, seeing it in real life, still does not help comprehend what happened here. We had to swerve to dodge a big boat that had been forced form the bay over to the opposite side of the road. Gradually, the more houses we passed, the bigger the trail of destruction became.

Three weeks on, and people have started to move the debris and pile it up outside their houses. Everything on the first level was a destroyed. I watched as a family removed everything from their fish shop, from dead fish and crabs, to shop fittings and possessions, all saturated and muddy, nothing could be salvaged.

After ten minutes or so, north from Soma, the destruction spread even further inland. Very little remained of what was once a quiet little town on the coast.

Cars were smashed, wrangled and there were many scattered in the distant rice fields, which were still damp and muddy. The first floors of most houses were obliterated and those houses that were still standing with both floors, had windows smashed and curtains blowing in the wind to remind us of a family who once dwelled there, closing them to keep quiet and warm indoors. All that remained of other houses was the second floor alone. The tsunami came and swept away the base of the house leaving just the upper level. This was all that sat in the rice field.

The view was the same the whole road through, destruction, piles of debris, damaged cars, one was wrapped around a lamp post. But, the worst and saddest thing I saw today, was a little pink baby jump suit amongst the pile of debris outside a house where a wall was missing and the bathroom was on show.

As we drove along, we scoured the roads and debris for nay signs of canine of feline life. Of course, there was none. Not here, anyway. The coast was within eyesight and I could see blue calm waters, but before that lay mud, fallen trees and mess, all a sign that the water was, 3 weeks ago, was anything but calm.

We did hear dogs barking and feared that they may have been abandoned. We drove into the house and met the owners coming back from their food shopping trip. We explained to them our purpose. We offered them food, which they accepted graciously as it is scarce on these areas.

We have been o the road for 12 hours and we are not yet home. Maybe we have another hour or two on this windy, wet and, save for one truck ahead, empty road back to Niigata.

Big thanks go to
www.jears.org working with www.kinshipcircle.org (from America). they are working ever so hard to save all these animals and, when possible, reunite them with their owners.



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Location:On the road, Niigata, Fukushima, Miyagi.

People power....Peer pressure....

Firstly, hats off to all the workers, anyone involved with the Fukushima plant.
Amidst all the heavy criticism, the doubts, the fears, they have battled non-stop to rectify a very bad situation. At no point did they think, 'I've got to get out of here', 'What if there is a nuclear fallout?', 'I can't be bothered with all this'...

No, they have pushed through, and today we finally have some good news that they are regaining control of the reactors at the plant.

THANK YOU!!!!!

I have just read this updated article from the foreign office....
http://ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=News&id=569052582

It basically reiterates what Beddington had said before. This guy knows his stuff, and even after repeated, precautionary, but nonetheless, annoying questions, he states that we ARE FINE!

The worse case is a cloud floating over us over 2 days, and that is ultimately a worst case involving southern blowing gale winds.

Sure the news is negative, but whose media is this? CNN have jumped on the fear bandwagon already. Spinach and milk has been found to be 'contaminated'. This is from Fukushima, right by the plant, and reports should not be blown out of proportion.

It is media like this that is giving me and all my friends a headache.

It is media like this that has driven us out of our home.

We are constantly having to fend off relatives and friends and fight for the country in which we live. One person in particular is making my life unmanageable. When people believe what they read and then relay this information as 100% fact, it is hard to contend with. When someone doubts you, it shows a lack of respect, not just for you, but for your friends, family, and the life that you lead.

We have been dealing with such things since last week, and we are exhausted.

Ironically enough, the BBC now pipe in with a report about the tsunami, saying that, one week on, it is the tsunami that is important. WE KNOW!!!!

People are suffering from lack of supplies. People are cold. We need to really help those in the north, but instead the media wants to drag Japan down into a cesspit of filth and lies.

I heard a very sad story today. They need diapers desperately. We sent some boxes up today, but stupidly no diapers.
If you are reading this and are in Japan, please send more to Second Harvest. I posted the link in another post. The address is in Tokyo and can be done with regular post.

Here is the story I heard from my friend....

・ I need to change my daughter's diaper, but there is any diaper left.

・ We evacuated to the shelter. We have a baby crying in the night, it seems to make people annoyed. We are at a loss.

"・ I am looking for my wife every day, but she is still missing. I have nothing to confirm her safe...

・ Gasoline has run out. We can't go to our uncle's funeral.

・ Our family was ok, but our house, money, everything were washed away by tsunami. We have no hope in the future.

・ Water is still cut off in the shelter. Sanitary condition is getting worse day by day. An increasing number of evacuees sufeer from a wide range of physical irregularities."

We need to focus on helping. Hopefully, we will be able to follow this man more. Prayers and love to his family. I hope he can at least say good bye to his uncle.

After all this ranting, I want to end on a heartwarming note; animals reunited with their owners...

http://www.ctv.ca/gallery/html/japan-quake-dogs-pets-victims-110318/index_.html

God bless them all xxxxxxxxxx








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Location:Gift City, Gifu, Japan.

Sad Story

As snow falls, a tearful vigil for wife, mom
Hiroshi Sakamoto / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

ONAGAWACHO, Miyagi--"Mom, Hiroko, you must be freezing. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," said Yoshikatsu Hiratsuka, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Hiratsuka, 66, was staring at the bodies of his mother and wife in the earthquake-ravaged town of Onagawacho on Thursday morning. Snow gently drifted down covering the bodies in a white mantle.

Although seven days have passed since the earthquake and tsunami, the bodies still have not been recovered.

Hiratsuka visits the site every day from his evacuation center to pray for his loved ones. There is nothing else he can do.

When the massive quake hit the town in the afternoon last Friday, Hiratsuka was at the home of a neighborhood acquaintance.

Rushing home, he found his 93-year-old mother, Minori, sitting on a chair on the road in front of their house.

His sister, who lived nearby, had rescued Minori, who had trouble walking, and his wife, Hiroko, 61, was helping out.

But while he was wondering how to evacuate the area, the tsunami hit.

In a moment, Hiratsuka found himself floundering about 10 meters away. Though he had a tight hold on Minori's arm, the two soon found water swirling around their chests and they were trapped in the rubble.

"It hurts, it hurts," Minori groaned, according to Hiratsuka. She died not long afterward.

"Mom, I'm so sorry," Hiratsuka said.

After managing to extricate himself from the rubble, Hiratsuka reluctantly left the site and headed for the municipal hospital. By that time, he had lost sight of his wife.

When he returned the following day, he found Hiroko's body under rubble. He sawed through the wood pinning her down, pulled her out and laid her body on the ground. He then covered her with a blanket.

Though he could see Minori's body under the rubble, he could not pull her out.

When he asked local government officials to recover the bodies, they turned him down, citing a manpower shortage.

Hiratsuka walks 15 minutes every morning from the town's gymnasium, where he is being sheltered, to the site where his loved ones are to offer prayers.

"You must be freezing. I'm so sorry I'm still unable to help you. Today marks the seventh day after your deaths," he said at the site.

He has yet to find his 38-year-old son, Masaru, who lived with them.

(Mar. 18, 2011)



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Blubby day...

It has hit home or maybe it hasn't because it does feel like a hazy dream come nightmare. Surely this is not real and we will wake up with none of this having happened? No.

Seeing all the wreckage on TV knocked me. Seeing dogs who had survived made me bawl and then just with the reality of it all, I lost it. Reading more stories of woe, even wonderful resilience, all made me blub. It is hard to hear, to see, let alone to experience.

Groups of students gathered outside SMBC banks ( i believe the red cross have a bank account here...) and some department stores collecting money. Their efforts and words made me cry.

I feel lost and stranded and want to go home. Seeing Elbi made me cry and made me miss our lovely home vibe even more.

Walking around Nagoya with red, puffy eyes was no fun, I tell you!

We have bought some face masks and tonight will relax. We need our strength to help ourselves, so that we in turn can help all our friends.

We have more ideas coming to our frazzled brains. I hope they keep coming.

For now, we shall stay put, but in the light of everything, as much as it pains me to say it, we might be more use back in England raising awareness and raising money.

My ideal situation would be that this is all resolved and then we head to UK for a week to collect cash. I don't want to have to go as an 'evacuee', which apparently, we already are...

But,we might have to vacate quickly, who knows...

It's a shame the airlines are trying to cash in on this...the bastards...

Today's news hasn't been great at all. The Telegraph are reporting that we have 48 hours before a type Chernobyl disaster. But, according to nuclear experts, that is impossible, given the way the plants are resigned, so what are we to believe?

One of my friends in the north was telling me a story about a lady at work in a department store on the coast. She managed to run to the third floor at the time of the tsunami. She survived, but the floors below were destroyed. And, as she walked home, she had to tread over many dead bodies.

Tomorrow, we will see our friends here. I think talking with them and being with them will help a lot. So far it has been phone covert ions only and I miss the physical presence of my dear friends here.

Am still sure things will be fine.

We need to say prayers for the Fukushima fifty, for the astounding efforts and their remarkable strength. We must respect their work and understand that they are truly honourable people, putting their lives at risk for a nation I turmoil. To those who have died during the explosions,words honestly fail me and my tears are not enough. Sorry.

Here are some donation links. Please consider sending some money.

Web site
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/index.html

Japan／Earthquake Donation
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html


Thank you. Xxxxx



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