writeaboutwarming

March 28 – Where do the people of an irradiated nation go to get away from the radiation? Are they divided up between all nations? Can they be forced to leave their home? What if other countries are afraid of them, or feel they are unable to provide for them? Do only the obviously sick leave? How can a country that has scorned gaijin (foreigners) in the past be expected to send its citizens to live amongst them now? What will it do to all of us to simply stand by and watch them die? There’s no shortage of happier topics to write about, and I will write about them in future weeks, but I think this is a subject worthy of our attention. Oh – just so you know, I DID write the article about The Joy of Cooking , but it’s a bit longer than what I usually write for this blog, so I sent it to Transition Voice ( http://www.transitionvoice.com/ ). I hope it will appear there in the next few weeks. This question of “where do the Japanese people go to escape this developing plague” has been nagging...

March 14, 2011 – It’s impossible not to write about Japan, though the subject is so vast, it’s difficult to know how to grab hold of it. The miserable luck of a country that happens to straddle three tectonic plates? The insatiable appetite of tidal waves? The wreckage? The quiet courage of the Japanese people? The lack of looting? One of the inevitable consequences of this tragedy will be a shortage of food. In the near term, food aid is being provided to the Japanese people by a number of donor nations. We’ve all experienced anxiety on behalf of Japan as we look at telecasts of the mountains of refuse which aid workers will encounter. How will food get to where it’s needed? Once helicopters are no longer needed for search and rescue, they can be pressed into service. The shortage of gas that currently exists will play a role, as well. The fact that very large numbers of people have congregated in shelters ought to help. It will be up to the Japanese people to persist in...