Pictures from Around the World

A myriad of events transpired in the past week.  You have taken thousands, if not millions of breaths of winter air.  You've experienced thoughts about work, school, your family, and your responsibilities.  All of these events are significant, if for no other reason than they involve living life.  Please enjoy today's image post of current events that occurred recently.



Pedestrians walk towards St. Paul's Cathedral in London.



A boy runs down a Baghdad street.



The family of a murdered Korean coast guard officer grieves.  A Chinese fishing captain fatally stabbed the Korean coast guard after he was approached about illegally fishing in crab-rich South Korean waters.





An Occupy Boston protester sat inside the group’s encampment early Friday. A small group of protesters remained after police said they wouldn’t immediately enforce a midnight deadline set by Mayor Thomas M. Menino for the group to leave Boston’s Dewey Square.

A firefighter kicked at the door of a burning fuel truck in Quetta, Pakistan, Friday. Militants had fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the truck and others trucks loaded with fuel and supplies headed to NATO troops in Afghanistan. Twenty-five trucks burned.


Former MF Global CEO Jon Corzine defended his actions and expressed sorrow as he testified on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mr. Corzine resigned after MF Global’s Oct. 31 bankruptcy filing. A trustee estimates $1.2 billion went missing at the firm.


 

Black smoke rose from an oil pipeline that was attacked in Homs, Syria, Thursday. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said an armed terrorist group committed the act of sabotage.

 

Students at Da Sun Ge Zhuang Central Primary School practiced jump roping as they prepared for a sports cultural exposition.



 

 A rescuer waded through a flooded street next to a residential complex in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday. Mayor Clara Lopez declared a state of emergency after heavy rains and an overflowing river wreaked havoc.


 
 National Park Service historian John McCaskill cried as he saluted during the national anthem at a memorial service in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. December 7 marked the 70th anniversary of the surprise attack on the harbor by Japanese forces.

9/11 Pictures

Today marks the ten years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2011 caused so much grief and suffering.  Children lost parents.  Husbands lost wives.  Many individuals should also be remembered for their heroism and bravery in helping those affected by the attacks.  Because a picture is worth a thousand words, today's post will contain the most powerful photos I could find of September 11, 2011.

 

 

Remnants of United Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania

Before and After Comparison

 

The pictures of those that lost their lives on 9/11

Tornado In Joplin, Missouri

Last night, a destructive tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri, a small town about 150 miles south of the Kansas City Metro area.  The death toll is currently at 89 people, but the National Guard warned that numbers could grow today as search and rescuers continue their work at sunrise.

St. John's regional hospital took a direct hit from Sunday's twister.  Churches, schools, businesses, and homes are now reduced to ruins.  Jasper County emergency management direct estimated that 2,000 buildings were damaged.

One Joplin resident recorded the terrifying experience from the heart of the storm.  Although there is a lack of clear visual footage, the audio from inside is enough to scare anyone.  The Youtube user who uploaded the video wrote this about it:

 The video i took while at Fastrip on east 20th street. We huddled in the back of the store until the glass got sucked out , then ran into the walk in storage fridge. Sorry for the lack of visuals but the audio is pretty telling of how intense the storm was. The tornado hits at around 1:20 seconds.

"I've lived in this neighborhood my entire life, and I didn't know where I was. Everything was unrecognizable.  Completely unrecognizable," another Joplin resident said.  

St. John's has been updating its Facebook page since the storm hit.

Another Facebook page has been created to help located people in the area.  Emergency officials are asking people to stay away from the area while damage is assessed.  To volunteer, call 1-800-427-4626.

Nurses and doctors looking to help should call (417) 832-9500.

Japan's Economy After the Earthquakes and Tsunami

After the tsunami and earthquakes, Japan’s retail sales have plummeted 8.5 percent in March from a year earlier.  The natural disasters has forced stores to close their doors and discouraged households from making purchases.

Toyota, a Japanese car manufacturer, suffered a record decline in auto sales in March, but a spokes person said production will return to normal by December.

Now Prime Minister Naoto Kan has revealed a 4-trillion yen ($49 billion) spending package to help rebuild the areas devastated by the earthquakes and tsunami.  The package intends to provide 100,000 temporary homes and clean up debris from the natural disaster.  

Often times, we hear about a terrible tragedy, feel terrible for a few days, and then forget about it.  I’ve got the feeling the Japanese disasters are no exception to this rule.  I have not read anything in the papers about Japan in the past two weeks, but it’s economy is going to have a miserable time climbing back up into the upper ranks internationally.  Japan’s debt-to-GDP ratio was the highest in the G8 by far before the earthquake, and this government spending package will make that crucial financial indicator even worse.

Japan’s reconstruction needs will send a country already carrying the world’s biggest debt load into further bankruptcy.  Leader of financial market intelligence Standard and Poor’s has lowered Japan’s local-currency debt rating.  Moody’s Investors, another financial analysis firm, said last month that the disaster might bring about the “tipping point” for the country’s bond market.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (international economic organization designed to stimulate world trade) has urged Prime Minister Kan to double sales tax to 10 percent and implement the increases as soon as possible.    

About a month ago, I wrote a post suggesting ways to give to Japan here

The Japanese still need our help, so give what you can.

How To Help Japan

On March 11, Japan was hit by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded.  Shortly after, a massive tsunami struck and dumped billions of gallons of water on the Japanese mainland.  The National Police Agency has officially confirmed 6,911 deaths, 2,611 injured, and 10,692 missing as of March 18.  These numbers are expected to increase.  Save the Children reports that as many as 100,000 children have been uprooted for their homes.  

The degree and scope of damage cased by the earthquake and resulting tsunami have been devastating.  Estimates of the cost of the damage fall into the range of tens of billions of dollars.  Although Japan has invested in anti-tsunami seawalls, the tsunami simply washed over the top of some seawalls.  Power plants in Fukushima, Onagawa, and Tokai were shut down immediately following the earthquake.  However, cooling is needed to remove decay heat for several days after a plant has been shut down.  The cooling process is powered by emergency diesel generators, but when the water overflowed seawalls, the diesel backup systems were destroyed.  The result was two large explosions and radiation leakage.  Officials from the Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency have reported that radiation levels inside the plant in Fukushima are 1,000 times normal levels.  

All of Japan’s ports were briefly closed after the earthquake and many of them were destroyed.  Irrigation hams in Sukagawa have ruptured, causing flooding and washing away homes.  At least 1.5 million households are estimated to be without access to water.  Rolling blackouts due to power shortages have left about 4.4 million households without electricity.  In Ichihara, a 220,000 barrel per day oil refinery was set on fire by the earthquake.  Japan’s transportation systems have suffered severe disruptions.  

Most of these problems can be remedied through the work of aid agencies, but the economic impact of the earthquake and tsunami are arguably just as devastating as the physical damage.  The northern Tohoku region, which was most affected, accounts for 8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.  The Miyagi area includes manufacturing and industrial zones with chemical and electronics plants.  Toyota, Nissan, and Honda suspended automobile production until March 14.  GlaxoSmithKline, Sony, Nestle also suspended operations following the quake.  Globally, financial markets have been volatile in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.  Stock markets around the world were adversely affected.  

The Japanese people need our help.  So far, 113 countries and 24 international organizations have offered their assistance.  The Japanese government specifically requested teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  Here are some ways that you can help out...

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross is supporting and advising the Japanese Red Cross.  By making a donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief, you are providing hot meals and medical relief to displaced Japanese citizens. Donate here.

GlobalGiving              

GlobalGiving has established a fund that will disburse to relief and emergency organizations.  GlobalGiving is working with the International Medical Corps, Save the Children, and other organizations on the ground.  Donate here.

Save the Children

Save the Children has an immediate goal of $5 million to launch a long-term recovery plan for children affected by the earthquake and tsunami.  Donate here.  

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is working tirelessly to assist people in Japan.  They have dispersed teams to the most severely affected areas to distribute basic necessities to survivors. Donate here.  

AmeriCares

AmeriCares and its relief workers are working to deliver medicine and supplies to hospitals and shelters.  It is also dispatching health responders to treat and care for survivors. Donate here.  

(links to these organizations)