For the Typhoon Ondoy/Ketsana Victims in the Philippines
Dear friends, colleagues and co-residents, Pardon for the cross-posting but I felt it necessary to extend this minute effort of reaching to your compassion and benevolence for the victims of Typhoon "Ondoy", code name Ketsana, which struck the capital of the Philippines, Metro Manila and its immediate tributary areas. On September 26, the calamity seem to have raided the city in great surprise, amidst weather agencies warning about its coming. Typhoon Ondoy claimed quiet a number of lives already and left those who survived the onslaught, stranded, homeless and no food and drinks. As of press time, the death toll hits 246.
For those who want to give money/goods donations, you may course it though the Filipino Association of Scholars in Tsukuba (FAST). They are collecting money and goods for donation, which will be forward to the RED CROSS.
PLEASE CONTACT:
Vallerie Ann Innis Samson
X-ray Laboratory
National Institute of Materials Science
1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0047, Japan
Other related blog posts on the web :
- How to help Typhoon Ondoy victims
- Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) disaster relief efforts in San Francisco, CA
- Donating to Manila from abroad
- Ondoy Victims - Send Online and In-Kind Donations
- Some Photos taken during the height of the Typhoon
And if you visit YouTube, you would find lots of videos there to see how Typhoon Ondoy hit Metro Manila.
Thanks and be safe to all.
======
dimaks blogs at skamid.com
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Kasumigaura Bird Rescue
There is a serious animal cruelty problem in Kasumigaura. Birds are being trapped in lotus farmers' nets and being left to die a slow and painful death. Read more about this issue and what Avi and Maurice are doing about it.
Avi and Maurice have started a group called "Kasumigaura Bird Rescue" to help save the birds. One of their proactive activities is to educate people about this problem by bringing them to the site and showing them the situation and what they are doing to fix it. They meet at the east exit of Tsuchiura Station and then go to Kasumigaura together. The next meeting will be on January 20. If you would like to help, please meet at the station at 10:30am. Call Maurice (090-1691-1590) to let him know that you will be attending and to get more information. (Also, let him know if you have a car and can shuttle a few people to the lake and back.)
Let's make a difference together!
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Kasumigaura Bird Rescue Meeting: Feb 28
There will be a Kasumigaura Bird Rescue meeting on Thursday, February 28 from 8:45pm at Hot Stuff. Avi and Maurice will both be there to discuss this problem and look for solutions.
To find out more about the Kasumigaura Bird Rescue operation, please click on the following links.
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Make the Summer Solstice Meaningful
Though the vernal and autumnal equinoxes have been designated national holidays in Japan (it is around these days that it is customary to visit and clean the family graves), the winter and especially the summer solstices usually go by without any notice. Those with this year's Japanese calender might notice the characters 夏至 (geshi, summer solstice) on the square marking June 21st, and that is about it. This contrasts sharply with the countries of Europe (especially the northern ones), which host a variety of festivals and ceremonies marking the day with the longest daylight hours of the year. This situation seems curious indeed for a country and a nation which pays such close attention to the flow of the seasons and the progression of natural phenomena.
One reason for this might be that the GESHI falls smack in the middle of the rainy season (梅雨, tsuyu), and is marred almost every year by gloomy, overcast weather. In fact, though there is almost a five hour difference in the length of daytime between the GESHI and the 冬至 (touji, winter solstice) in the Tsukuba area, the sun SHINES unobscured for many more hours on average on the shortest day of the year!
There is now a way to make your summer solstice MEANINGFUL, and certainly more fun than it has ever been for you in Japan before. For several years a movement has been growing which promotes turning the summer solstice into CANDLE NIGHT. As a way to promote energy conservation and environmental awareness, people around the world are asked to refrain from using electricity between 8 and 10pm. There are many ways life can be enjoyed without the help of the Tokyo Electric Power Company. You should try it!
For more information and plenty of ideas check out :
www.candle-night.org/english/
Of course you should conserve energy EVERY DAY ! This festive way of living without electricity for a few hours is a good place to start, especially for giving awareness to kids.
Have a happy 夏至. Enjoy the daylight! IT ONLY GETS SHORTER FROM TOMORROW!
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Make the Summer Solstice Meaningful (revisited)
Though the vernal and autumnal equinoxes have been designated national holidays in Japan (it is around these days that it is customary to visit and clean the family graves), the winter and especially the summer solstices usually go by without any notice. Those with this year’s Japanese calender might notice the characters 夏至 (geshi, summer solstice) on the square marking June 21st, and that is about it. This contrasts sharply with the countries of Europe (especially the northern ones), which host a variety of festivals and ceremonies marking the day with the longest daylight hours of the year. This situation seems curious indeed for a country and a nation which pays such close attention to the flow of the seasons and the progression of natural phenomena.
One reason for this might be that the GESHI falls smack in the middle of the rainy season (梅雨, tsuyu), and is marred almost every year by gloomy, overcast weather. In fact, though there is almost a five hour difference in the length of daytime between the GESHI and the 冬至 (touji, winter solstice) in the Tsukuba area, the sun SHINES unobscured for many more hours on average on the shortest day of the year!
There is now a way to make your summer solstice MEANINGFUL, and certainly more fun than it has ever been for you in Japan before. For several years a movement has been growing which promotes turning the summer solstice into CANDLE NIGHT. As a way to promote energy conservation and environmental awareness, people around the world are asked to refrain from using electricity between 8 and 10pm. There are many ways life can be enjoyed without the help of the Tokyo Electric Power Company. You should try it!
For more information and plenty of ideas check out :
www.candle-night.org/english/
Of course you should conserve energy EVERY DAY ! This festive way of living without electricity for a few hours is a good place to start, especially for giving awareness to kids.
Have a happy 夏至. Enjoy the daylight! IT ONLY GETS SHORTER FROM TOMORROW!
Print This Post