We were able to send a total of $10,000 to the Japanese Red Cross Society. Thank you so much for your donations and support!!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Monday, April 11, 2011

Biggest charity event for the semester! Support Japan!

It's a Tuesday night, but come out to a great event PACKED with stuff! --Click image for larger view :)

Friday, April 8, 2011

SOS from Mayor of Minami Soma City, next to the crippled Fukushima nucle...

Message from the Mayor of Minami-Soma City; filmed on March 24th 2011. The city requires much more supplies and support for the people in the evacuation sites.

Richard A. Meserve's Talk: The Fukushima Accident and Its Implications

On Monday, April 4th Dr. Meserve gave a lecture in Nelson Auditorium in Anderson Hall on the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant crisis and the surrounding developments. For those of you who have missed it, the lecture is now online:

Lecture:


Q&A:


For more information:
http://engineering.tufts.edu/about/news/2010/MeserveMedalLecture.htm#Lecture

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Tufts Supports Japan Badges!

Dear Tufts Community:

The Tufts Supports Japan badges are finally here!
Get them from any JCC* member during our donation collection times.
Also don't forget to come to our AAA & JCC* Charity Event next Tuesday
at Hillel. There will be a number of cool performances and things on auction!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Collecting Donations This Week

Please show your continued support for Japan!

Tuesday @ Carmichael from 6 to 8 PM
Wednesday @ Carmichael from 6 to 8 PM
Thursday @ Cohen Auditorium for the Sarabande Show @ 9 PM
Friday @ Cohen Auditorium for Sarabande Show Day 2 @ 8 PM
Friday also @ Dewick for the Korean Student Association Culture Show @ 9 PM

Friday, April 1, 2011

Dreampop in Dewick: Friday, April 1 9:30 PM


Tufts community and beyond,

Hey everybody! The JCC* e-board extends news of a great event that is going on April 1, TOMORROW, Friday night. The club itself will be there to continue collecting donations for Japan Relief since the WMFO was gracious enough to have us. Please read below:


The WMFO and Midnight Present: Dreampop in Dewick featuring Asobi Seksu, Elika and Birdo.

Location: Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall
Doors open at 9:30

This is a free but limited event; first come, first served, so come early! The show will be live-simulcast on WMFO 91.5 FM and streaming online at www.wmfo.org



Thanks for the continued support!
<3 The JCC* E-board

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Fukushima Nuclear Accident and Its Implications

Dear Students,

Please join us for the inaugural Vannevar Bush Dean's Medal lecture given by Dr. Richard A. Meserve (A'66), President of the Carnegie Institution.

Dr. Meserve will speak on "The Fukushima Nuclear Accident and Its Implications."

Monday, April 4, 2011
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Nelson Auditorium
Anderson Hall
Reception to follow in Burden Lounge


Tufts University School of Engineering will name Richard A. Meserve, president of the Carnegie Institution and Tufts University alumnus, the first recipient of the Vannevar Bush Dean's Medal.

The Vannevar Bush Dean's Medal is awarded to an internationally recognized technology leader who has contributed substantially to the betterment of society through not only extraordinary technical achievement but also significant contributions at the intersection of engineering and other fields.

In collaboration with the Tufts Institute for Global Leadership, the Dean's Medal was recently renamed to honor another distinguished alumnus, Vannevar Bush. Dr. Bush earned his B.S. and M.S. from Tufts in 1913. Bush was elected President of the Carnegie Institution in 1938 and was instrumental in the establishment of the National Science Foundation.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Richard A. Meserve (A'66) is the ninth president of the Carnegie Institution. He arrived in April 2003, after stepping down as Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. With his Harvard law degree and his Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford, Meserve has served on numerous legal and scientific committees over the years, including many established by the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering. In February 2010, Steven Chu, U.S. Secretary of Energy, appointed Meserve to President Obama's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future. He currently serves as chairman of the International Nuclear Safety Group, which is chartered by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and he is a member of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University. Among other affiliations, Dr. Meserve is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Philosophical Society, and he is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the

Please email any questions about this event to jeff.pietrantoni@tufts.edu.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Collections Continue

The Japanese Culture Club will be at the Campus Center tomorrow (Monday 3/28) to collect donations during Open Block. Please come by to show your support as we approach the 10k projection for post-Spring Break!

Friday, March 18, 2011

First mass gathering in Boston demonstrating sympathy and solidarity for the people of Japan

To Tufts students still hanging around the Boston area!

The Japan Society of Boston and Old South Church are together putting together:


A Vigil for Japan


Monday, March 21st
5:00 ~ 6:30 pm

at Old South Church

645 Boylston Street
http://www.oldsouth.org/visitors/directions-parking


Copley Square, Boston



Join others in the Boston community for this ecumenical gathering in solidarity and sympathy for everyone affected by the terrible disaster in Japan.


Seating is Limited, so RSVP via link below!

http://www.japansocietyboston.org/Events?eventId=295170&EventViewMode=EventDetails

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

It's been exactly a week since the earthquake/tsunami struck Japan, and we've already raised $5000+. Thank you!

The amount of support we have gathered thus far has been astounding. We are touched by the Tufts community's contributions and proud to be Jumbos.

It is our duty to help Japan and its people so please keep up the support.

本当にありがとうございました!!!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Moving Photos of the Continuing Aftermath

The New York Times' collection of photos, updated daily

Fundraiser tshirts by Fletcher students


At the Fletcher School, Japanese students will be distributing EXCHANGE TICKETS for "Stand With Japan" tshirts for $20+. The shirts will be shipped after Spring Break.
Proceeds will be sent to the American Red Cross.

When:
Thurs 3/17 10am-4pm
Fri 3/18 10am-1pm

Where:
Hall of Flags (Fletcher School 1F)

Please support Japan with these tshirts!
JCC* members will be purchasing them as well.
As always, thank you for your contributions!

**EDIT**

As of now, donations made to the Japanese Culture Club's fundraising campaign and donations made to the Fletcher students' tshirt sale are separate. Therefore, if you make a contribution through our PayPal link on this site, it does not guarantee you a tshirt.

We are waiting to hear from the Fletcher students regarding online purchases. We will definitely keep you posted, so please check often for updates!

New power line could save millions of lives

According to TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company), a new power line will hopefully be ready by the afternoon of the 17th (Japanese Local Time) which will enable large pumps to be utilized to cool the reactor cores. This will also workers to work at nighttime, as well as reenabling the use of built in instruments such as water level meters and pressure sensors.

Read more here

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

UK experts on Japanese Nuclear Plants

I have just returned from a conference call held at the British Embassy in Tokyo. The call was concerning the nuclear issue in Japan. The chief spokesman was Sir. John Beddington, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, and he was joined by a number of qualified nuclear experts based in the UK. Their assessment of the current situation in Japan is as follows:

* In case of a ‘reasonable worst case scenario’ (defined as total meltdown of one reactor with subsequent radioactive explosion) an exclusion zone of 30 miles (50km) would be the maximum required to avoid affecting peoples’ health. Even in a worse situation (loss of two or more reactors) it is unlikely that the damage would be significantly more than that caused by the loss of a single reactor.

* The current 20km exclusion zone is appropriate for the levels of radiation/risk currently experienced, and if the pouring of sea water can be maintained to cool the reactors, the likelihood of a major incident should be avoided. A further large quake with tsunami could lead to the suspension of the current cooling operations, leading to the above scenario.

* The bottom line is that these experts do not see there being a possibility of a health problem for residents in Tokyo. The radiation levels would need to be hundreds of times higher than current to cause the possibility for health issues, and that, in their opinion, is not going to happen (they were talking minimum levels affecting pregnant women and children – for normal adults the levels would need to be much higher still).

* The experts do not consider the wind direction to be material. They say Tokyo is too far away to be materially affected.

* If the pouring of water can be maintained the situation should be much improved after ten days, as the reactors’ cores cool down.

* Information being provided by Japanese authorities is being independently monitored by a number of organizations and is deemed to be accurate, as far as measures of radioactivity levels are concerned.

* This is a very different situation from Chernobyl, where the reactor went into meltdown and the encasement, which exploded, was left to burn for weeks without any control. Even with Chernobyl, an exclusion zone of 30 miles would have been adequate to protect human health. The problem was that most people became sick from eating contaminated food, crops, milk and water in the region for years afterward, as no attempt was made to measure radioactivity levels in the food supply at that time or warn people of the dangers. The secrecy over the Chernobyl explosion is in contrast to the very public coverage of the Fukushima crisis.

* The Head of the British School asked if the school should remain closed. The answer was there is no need to close the school due to fears of radiation. There may well be other reasons – structural damage or possible new quakes – but the radiation fear is not supported by scientific measures, even for children.

* Regarding Iodine supplementation, the experts said this was only necessary for those who had inhaled quantities of radiation (those in the exclusion zone or workers on the site) or through consumption of contaminated food/water supplies. Long term consumption of iodine is, in any case, not healthy.

A very moving video

Haiti Stands With Japan from David Darg on Vimeo.

Nuclear radiation levels too high

Firefighters are unable to get close to reactor number 4, which is on fire, because radiation levels are too high. The Japanese Self Defense Force and other military forces are attempting to hover over the reactor and dump water from above, but increased radiation levels are also inhibiting that.

Read more here

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Tufts Supports Japan Snack Sales Starting Tomorrow!

Tufts JCC* will be selling snack bags for $5 tomorrow! We will be at the Campus Center during open block and will also be carrying these goodies throughout the day. We appreciate your support!

A tweet from Japan:
父が明日、福島原発の応援に派遣されます。半年後定年を迎える父が自ら志願したと聞き、涙が出そうになりました。「今の対応次第で原発の未来が変わる。使命感を持っていく。」家では頼りなく感じる父ですが、私は今日程誇りに思ったことはありません。無事の帰宅を祈ります。-Japan and its people are amazing.

Translation:
Tomorrow, my father will be going to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant to help out. He is retiring in 6 months time, but when I heard that he had volunteered himself to go, I almost had tears. "The future of nuclear power is dependent on how we deal with this. This is my job now," he said. He isn't always the most reliable dad, but I have never been so proud of him. I pray for his safe return.
Powerful Quake hits Shizuoka

Monday, March 14, 2011

Showing Support on Campus

Another reminder that JCC* will be collecting donations to aid Japan at the following times/places:
Tuesday: Dewick 5:00 - 6:00 pm AND AGAIN 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday: Campus Center 12:00 - 2:00pm
Thursday: Dewick 5:00 - 8:00 pm

Please come and show your support!!

Radiation Shoots Up At Fukushima Nuke Plant After Blast Heard

TOKYO (Kyodo)--The radiation level at the troubled nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture shot up to 8,217 micro sievert per hour temporarily Tuesday morning after an explosion was heard at its No. 2 reactor, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.
The level as of 8:31 p.m. was more than eight times the 1,000 micro sievert level to which people are usually exposed in one year.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110315D15JF834.htm

Getting involved

For those of you interested in directly becoming involved or finding out about how you could get involved, check out this website. Sorry for those of you who cannot read Japanese... We will do our best to try and find something similar for you.

http://youthfor311.jimdo.com/

A voice from near the epicenter

A fellow Tufts student Alexander Michaelson has a girlfriend who is from Japan. Her sister, Riyo N, lives in Sendai, the major city devastated by the tsunami that swept coastal areas in no time after the record-breaking earthquake. This is a voice from the inside, from Ms. Riyo N. Please read!



"At this time, many people are unable to use electricity or network service; I'm the only one that can.
I feel that this is a mission conferred by God, that I might use email and the Internet to convey some of the voices of the victims of this disaster.

Truth be told, there is no refuge;  it's pitch dark and cold.
My eyes snap open over and over from the cold, and with every aftershock.
We're packed so tightly that I'm bumping up against the person next to me.
Even this shelter itself has severe cracks, and it could not be called safe.  The health situation in the whole area is beginning to worsen.
In no way is it possible to get any real rest.

Finally, people from the coast are gradually being brought in.
While the number of disaster refugees is growing, supplies are not reaching us at all.
Even though it is cold, the fact that we only get a single cup of hot water cannot be helped.

As for food supplies and consumables, refugees are making use of whatever they can. Housewives are preparing emergency rice rations.  Nurses and hygienists are making rounds among the victims.  Their fatigue is worrying.


Considering the transportation situation, aid materials are not getting through at all, and it is difficult for medical personnel to reach the scene.
However, if everyone throughout Japan conserves electricity, power may be restored sooner.
By any means, we're in need of this conservation.

Gasoline and oil are nearing empty, but fuel costs have been apparently been paid in advance by the neighborhood council chairmen.  However, as for those who will provide this advance, whether they will actually come back is unknown.
Moreover, the grief of those who have lost homes and families is immeasurable.
Therefore, we are truly grateful for any donations.

Sending aid materials is difficult for an individual, so donations and power conservation are the quickest ways an individual can help.

If this alone could reach the people out there, we would be grateful.
It's ok to forward this message."

Riyo N. 
To her sister in Kyoto
Miyagi Prefecture, Sendai City, Wakabayashi Ward Office
Sunday, March 13, 2011

Want to help Japan? Love basketball?

Are you looking for a way to contribute to the earthquake and tsunami relief efforts currently underway in Japan and throughout the Pacific? Do you love basketball?

If you answered yes to either of the above questions, then please stop by Lewis Hall this Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evening between 6 and 8 pm for our March Madness Charity Event!!

When you donate you will be given a bracket to fill out, and the participant with the most points at the end of March Madness will receive an awesome prize!

100% of proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross, to go toward the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami disaster relief efforts.

All size donations will be accepted, though there is a suggested donation of $5.

Location: Lewis Hall Front Entranceway
Contact: emily.uland@tufts.edu

Keep praying...

On the brighter note, people continue to support each other... just a compilation of tweents. check here for more
 
 
"It's pitch dark but we've never seen so many beautiful stars. Look up, Sendai! -conversation at the quake site."
 
"Disneyland gave out sweets from their shops. Some high school girls got many as they can. I thought why, but they gave the sweets for children in evacuation site. That was really moving scene."
 
"My two year old was putting his shoes on himself saying "I'm going to go arrest the Earthquake!" I realized that inside a tiny body, there is a lot of courage and Justice. Everyone, lets stand strong and get through this.
 
"So busy traffic. Only one car can go across the traffic light per one blue light, but I was moved to see people drive gently with giving their way. Some intersecions has been completly stopped for more than 5 min., but I've neber heard any horn sounds except the sounds said "Thank you" for 10 hours. I was sceard, but also I've had warming time, and came to like Japan more."
 
"Last night when I was tired out waiting for the train at the station, the homeless people gave me one of their cardboards to prevent the cold... even though we usually ignore them in daily life... So warm."
 
"Disneyland gave out sweets from their shops. Some high school girls got many as they can. I thought why, but they gave the sweets for children in evacuation site. That was really moving scene."
 
"I received an email from my Korean friend: "The only country to have experienced nuclear attacks. The country that lost the WWII. The country that suffers from typhoons every year and the earthquakes. However, isn't Japan the country that always stood up and overcame such difficulties? Gambare. Gambare." FYI, I am crying right now."
 
"Last night, when I walked back to home from Campus, a female baker gave us bread for free, even if she has already closed the store. It was moving that I could find people who do things they can do in such loud situation. My heart became warm. Tokyo is not something dumped."

Japan's Nuclear Situation

As many of you know, one effect of the tsunamis in Japan was that it crippled a nuclear power plant in Fukushima-ken and created potential for nuclear leaks.

To find out more about Japan's current nuclear situation, visit these two links:

A brief overview

A more technical overview

Donate!

Please help us reach our goal of $5000 by donating!
It is through Paypal so its safe and secure! 








Tsunami Aftermath: Photos

Credits to Dan Chung/Guardian
The devastation left in Shintona in Miyagi prefecture, one of the worst-affected areas

So far...

The Tufts Japanese Culture Club, with the help of the Chinese Student Association (CSA), raised more than $327 on Saturday night at the CSA annual culture show.

TOMORROW, Monday: The Japanese Culture Club will be at the Campus Center during open block and will be collecting donations.

A new beginning for Japan...

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Before and After

A series of before/after photos published by The New York Times.

How can you help?

How can you, as Tufts student, help?

The Japanese Culture Club will be collecting donations throughout the week at the following locations/time:

Monday: Campus Center 12:00 - 2:00 pm
Tuesday: Dewick 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Wednesday: Campus Center 12:00 - 2:00pm (We will be selling curry!)
Thursday: Dewick 6:00 - 9:00 pm

Victims of this natural disaster are in shortage of food and water.  Even a small contribution will go a long way. 

Have Faith.

Compiled tweets of the heart warming support.

http://prayforjapan.jp/tweet_en.html
On March 11, 2011 at 2:46PM (JST), an 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan, triggering fires, blackouts, general anguish and fear, as well as tsunamis that caused widespread devastation and that adversely affected a nuclear power plant.

Further devastation is inevitable. In the aftermath of Friday's crisis, people have gone missing, the death toll has risen, new scares have surfaced, and suffering and discomfort has accumulated.

Please join Tufts' Japanese Culture Club in helping. We hope to come together and give hope for the people in Japan. Furthermore, we hope to provide direct aid in the form of donations to those affected.