Crisis in Japan,could it possibly get any worse!

   On Thursday, in Tokyo the electric power copany, the utility that operates Japan damaged the nuclear reactors. Japanese officials  say that about 9,452 people were comfirmed killed in the earthquake and tsunami,and 14,671 people were listed as missing.The operator of the nuclear reactors and power plants on the northern coast of Japan has a documented history of errors and cover-ups and, according to anti-nuclear activists, a pattern of hiding the truth when things go wrong. Despite being urged not to hoard bottled water, residents of Japan's capital snapped it up after the tests that showed radioactive iodine in tap water at levels unsafe for infants. The city's water agency said the spike was likely caused by problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.Tokyo officials earlier advised against giving tap water to infants. In Tokyo,Hong Kong has suspended food and milk imports from five prefectures in Japan after radiation was detected in vegetable imports at the city's international airport.Not to mention,the government banned products which included milk, milk powder, vegetables,and food produced.According to the Hong Kong Food and Health Department, Japanese meats and seafood imports have also been suspended.Mostly,Japan's government estimates the destruction of infrastructure, housing and business facilities could cost up to 25 trillion yen ($309 billion),
       Japans tap water found unsafe for infants.
  
   In addition to the stories of people struggling to survive in quake-ravaged towns in northeastern Japan, the plight of workers braving high radiation levels to solve problems at the troubled plant has also drawn attention.Residents of Japan's capital on Wednesday took tests that showed radioactive material in tap water at levels unsafe for infants.The city's water agency said the spike was likely caused by problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, located 240 kilometers (150 miles) away.Tokyo government officials advised residents not to give tap water to infants or use it in formula after tests at a purification plant detected high levels of radioactive iodine.On Wednesday afternoon a black plume of smoke billowed above one of the reactors, plant owner Tokyo Electric Power Company said,The cause of the smoke was unclear.Officials with Tokyo Electric and Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said.,Workers have been scrambling to cool down fuel rods at the nuclear plant since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami on March 11 knocked out cooling systems. Some radiation has been released, but it was unclear whether radiation levels spiked after the black smoke was spotted Wednesday.The amount of iodine detected was lower than the level considered safe for adults: 300 becquerels per kilogram. The level set for infants is "very conservative," The government also mentioned that, due to the high radiation levels, tap water should not be given to children 1 year old and younger. Also on Wednesday, Japan's government expanded food shipment restrictions after the health ministry said tests detected radioactive materials at levels exceeding legal limits in eleven types of vegetables.The decision to prohibit produce sales is another potentially devastating blow to a part of northeast Japan hit by the earthquake and tsunami.
      U.S nuclear agency forms plant safety task force. 
  The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has voted to begin a review of plant safety in the United States following the earthquake-induced crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.The commission voted to create a task force of senior managers and former agency experts to conduct what the NRC said would be "both short- and long-term analysis of the lessons that can be learned from the situation in Japan." President Barack Obama said he had asked the independent agency for a "comprehensive review of the safety of our domestic nuclear plants in light of the natural disaster that unfolded in Japan."The review will supplement existing programs to ensure plant safety, Commission Chairman Greg Jaczko said.We will perform a systematic and methodical review to see if there are changes that should be made to our programs and regulations to ensure protection of public health and safety," he said.

Why cant we predict the next big earthquake?

   Why cant seismologists predict the next quake? Its a question that many people are asking, and its a fustration. In the 1970s and 1980s scientist quoted that short time predictions were just around the corner.Several decades later,the earthquake science community is older and wider. Now we have learned that, in short the prediction is really tough.To make the prediction accurate,we would need to identify a reliable precursor, some signals we could also observe which might tell us wether a big quake is imminent. So far,the earth simply does not provide any observable signal to tell us a big quake is on the way. When seismologists are asked whether earthquakes can be predicted,they tend to be quick and answer no. Sometimes even seismologists  forget that in many of the ways that matter the most,earthquakes are too predictable.We call it forecasting. This basically means that we know where the active earthquakes zones are on the planet.And for most of these zones we have quite a good estimate,based on various types of data,of the excepted long term average rates of earthquakes.
Preparing for the great quake!
   We can say with confident that in many of these zones,the next big quake might not be within the lifetime  of an individual alive today,but is very likely to occur within the lifetime of many of the buildings constucted today.For example,Japan,California,the caribbean,Turkey,and the Himalayan front are some our best assessments of hazard show relatively higher. Any active plate boundary is fair game for a big earthquake any time.The scientific consensus is that the horrible quakes, approaching and exceeding magnitude 9, are restricted to subduction zones such as the one where a magnitude-9 earthquake triggered the Japan tsunami. Along the type of plate boundary. So basically, what I am trying to say is if you are located on one of the planets hot zone, then you are endanger,and must move to a different location,anywhere but a hot zone.Take Japan for example, where the risk from aftershocks is substantial.
Now, many scientists are pessimistic that prediction will ever be possible, although the jury is still out. Research continues with increasingly sophisticated methods and data.We know for sure that preparedness remains our best defense against devastating earthquakes. As tragic as the disaster in Japan is, it clearly would have been much worse without that country's decades of investment in preparedness.

Heavy smoking finally declines in the U.S!

    The number of Americans who smoke a pack of cigarettes per day or even more has dropped significantly,according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.In my opinion,I personally do not believe this is true,Now I find many high school students smoking , this is very natural for them,every teen has a reason for smoking.For example,most teens are depressed and thinks that smoking can avoid being sad,but it really doesnt ,Cigarettes are additing and once you start smoking you actually do not want to stop.Researchers actually found out that fewer Americans are smoking ten or more cigarettes a day,I guess thats an improvement.

Will global economy be hit by Japan?

  Japan is at serious risk of falling into a recession,caused by Fridays tragic earthquake and Tsunami. According to many leading economist Japan could recover quickly, sparing the global economy a significant shock. The earthquake/ Tsunami has killed about nearly two-thousand people.Several of the nations nuclear power reaction are at risks of the melt down,leaving many people without power and about half a million are in shelters." The recent events in Japan are first and foremost a human tragedy",not to mention,the markets also need to consider the economic impact.

The devastation in Japan!

  Japan has not managed its economy with the awareness that they have to suffer with the damage of what was left of the huge earthquake.For example, the earthquake caused many damages in the roads,houses,and  transportations. Not to mention there was flooding, which caused the houses to float and so did the cars and boats.Now Japan is in huge dept, this is just tragic, Japan is facing many problems, I hope and pray that the problems in Japan,fades along the future.Although no one can prepare for a tsunami  like the one in Japan,We all need to keep our eye on worst-case scenarios,finanical melt downs,wars,and natural disasters.

Massive Tsunami devastates Japan!

  One of the biggest Tsunami hit Japan, almost one-hundred and fifty years ago it smashed into the countries northeast coast today. This tsunami swept away boats,cars,and even houses and killed hundreds of people. Now large waves are rolling into Hawaii, where thousands of people have been evacuated from the islands coastline,and toward the U.S west coast.The destruction caused by natural disaster is expected to spread beyond Japan. Red Cross reported that swell moving across the pacific was higher than some islands. In preparation authorities in Hawaii ordered the evacuation of all coastal areas. Many residents in Japan stated that they never experienced such a powerful earthquake.Standard time,and officals warned that the waves could continue and it would become larger.The first wave measured three-feet high,this would probably increase in the future.

Obama says school bullying is"Not something we have to accept "in the U.S.

   Bullying is basically a form of abuse,it involves repeated acts over time attempting to create an enforce on one person,or group of people. Bullying consist of three basic types of abuse,emotional,verbal,and physical. Bullying can be defined in many various ways Not to mention,bullying can occur in an context in which human beings interact with each other.
   "Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people" mentioned and said by our president,Obama. He also stated that bullying is not something we should accept. A thirteen year old hung himself in his own back yard,mostly because of the way that his classmates were teasing him,and so did his teachers,this is just terrible. Every day something new occurs,now its a world wide problem of bullying,this is just a horrible news.For example,the teen boy took his own life because of a stupid /crazy idea of students bullying him,his mother most be devastated like any mother would.First lady,Michelle Obama stated "As parents it breaks our heart to think that any child feels afraid in a classroom,or on a playground,and even online,it breaks our heart to think about any parent losing a child to bullying,or just wondering  if their kids will be safe when they leave for school in the morning".
    Senate Banett D-colo,has legislation he hopes to fold into the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind that would give schools and teachers away from cracking down on bullying. Descisions are being made,as they should be made,at the local level,and we can give encouragement from here. Senate Banett stated"No child should be scared of going to school". Our president,said "some groups are   stepping up and accepting responsibility",including the parent teacher association that begun a campaign to get anti-bullying literature to parents. MTV is also leading a new coalition to stop cyber bullying online. I hope world wide that bullying, one day comes to an end.