Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Trains tossed around like discarded toys: Terrifying pictures reveal full horror of Japan's worst quake

Fouroverturned train carriages lie at impossibly skewed angles. A cruise ship sits on its side. Another teeters perilously on the edge of a quay.

All had been flung from their courses by the devastating force of the tsunami, but pictured from above – in such unlikely settings – they appear almost as toys scattered by a child who has grown bored with playing.

Elsewhere, terrified survivors wait to be rescued atop a building in Kesennuma, in north-east Japan, after fashioning a giant SOS sign from bedsheets.

And residents in Rikuzentakata can be seen on the roof of a block of flats that appears to have been put through a shredder.

Still smouldering: White smokes rise froml burning house in Yamadamachi in Iwate, today after the earthquake caused pandemonium in the area

Still smouldering: White smokes rise from burning house in Yamadamachi in Iwate, today after the earthquake caused pandemonium in the area

These were the apocalyptic scenes captured from the skies above north-eastern Japan yesterday.

Four entire trains carrying ­hundreds, possibly thousands of passengers, vanished after the earthquake. At least one was a high-speed Japanese ‘bullet’ train. Rail operators lost contact with them as they operated on coastal lines on Friday.

East Japan Railway Company admitted it did not know how many people were on board.

As well as the ships seen here, a cruise liner is said to have simply vanished with hundreds of holidaymakers on board.

Kesennuma – near the off-shore epicentre of the magnitude 8.9 quake – has been burning furiously, with broadcasters reporting that fires are spreading out of control.

Aerial footage of the city, home to 74,000, shows the whole area engulfed in flames.

Catastrophe: The true scale of the devastion that the tsunami unleashed is clear in this picture of the port city of Minamisanriku town where 10,000 people are unaccounted for

Catastrophe: The true scale of the devastation that the tsunami unleashed is clear in this picture of the port city of Minamisanriku town where 10,000 people are unaccounted for

Witnesses said the fires were caused after the tsunami smashed into cars, causing them to leak oil and gas. They described a city of ‘fire and water’ – what is not ablaze is submerged.

Officials said the number of dead was likely to soar as thousands were still unaccounted for. An estimated 215,000 survivors have been placed in makeshift shelters.
A huge international rescue effort was also underway and a British team was preparing to fly out. The fate of residents of the shredded flats of Rikuzentakata, also on the north-east coast, was not clear last night.

Footage broadcast on Japanese TV showed that minutes before the ­tsunami struck, it appeared a ­typical Japanese town moving towards rush hour, with hundreds of cars on the roads.

Then, as the torrent of water sweeps in, the entire region merges into the sea, causing a flood that few would be able to survive.

Many homes were crushed beneath the intense pressure of the first barrage of water which left behind a tangled mess of wrecked wooden buildings. Cruelly, many others that initially stood firm were washed away when the ferocious waves continued to roll in from the Pacific.

Save our souls: Stranded people wait to be rescued from the roof of a building in Miyagi Prefecture

Save our souls: Stranded people wait to be rescued from the roof of a building in Miyagi Prefecture

A little child is held by rescue workers after being rescued from a building at Kesennuma, northeastern Japan topday
An elderly woman is assisted by rescue personnel in Sendai, in northeastern Japan March 12, 2011.

Saviour: A little child is held by rescue workers after being pulled from a collapsed building at Kesennuma, northeastern Japan today while right, an elderly woman is helped across the rubble as all around her homes have been reduced to rubble

Bathers wade in the Pacific Ocean as a dense school of fish approaches the beach in what residents said was unseen before in the resort city of Acapulco March 11, 2011.
Japanese self defense personal help stranded elderly to evacuate after Tsunami waves hit Natori city, Miyagi prefecture, 12 March, 2011.

Freak sight: Bathers at Acapulco, Mexico, see an unusually dense school of fish wash up as the tsunami after-effects reach the far side of the Pacific Ocean, and right, an elderly resident is given a piggy back by rescue workers through pools of muddy water

Tired: A young girl watches the news in a community center after being evacuated from areas surrounding the Fukushima nuclear facilities following the earthquake

Tired: A young girl watches the news in a community centre after being evacuated from areas surrounding the Fukushima nuclear facilities following the earthquake

People wait to be rescued from the terrace of a residential building in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, after a tsunami
quake

Desperate: Residents in Rikuzentakata seek refuge on a roof terrace while right, two Japanese news presenters take precautions by wearing hard hats as they announce that 9,500 are missing in the port of Minami Sanriku

Catastrophe: A soldier carries an elderly man on his back to a shelter in Natori city, Miyagi prefecture

Catastrophe: A soldier carries an elderly man on his back to a shelter in Natori city, Miyagi prefecture

Airlift: A woman is rescued from the devastation by a helicopter in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture

Airlift: A woman is rescued from the devastation by a helicopter in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture

Loss: Eiji Kanno, left, and his wife Matsuko are comforted rescue workers after finding out their 18-year-old daughter Mizuki is dead in Yamamoto, south of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture

Loss: Eiji Kanno, left, and his wife Matsuko are comforted rescue workers after finding out their 18-year-old daughter Mizuki is dead in Yamamoto, south of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture

Carnage: Amidst tsunami flood waters burning houses and ships are piled in a mass of debris in Kisenuma city, Miyagi prefecture

Carnage: Amidst tsunami flood waters burning houses and ships are piled in a mass of debris in Kisenuma city, Miyagi prefecture

Cars of a train lie overturned in Shinchi town, Fukushima prefecture, Saturday, March 12, 2011 after being washed away by an earthquake-triggered tsunami.
Ships tossed ashore by a tsunami following an earthquake are seen in Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan March 12, 2011.

Scattered: Train carraiges were thrown from the line in Fukushima and ships were tossed ashore by the tsunami in Aomori province

Damage control: Firefighting ships spray water over burning oil refinery tanks in Ichihara in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo

Damage control: Firefighting ships spray water over burning oil refinery tanks in Ichihara in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo

What's going on? A toddler is checked for signs of radiation by officials in protective gear after thousands of residents were evacuated from the area near the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant in Koriyama

What's going on? A toddler is checked for signs of radiation by officials in protective gear after thousands of residents were evacuated from the area near the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant in Koriyama

Dangerous work: Nuclear officials cover themselves head to toe in protective gear as they deal with those people who have been evacuated and right, one of the women who was taken out of her home is scanned for radiation
Dangerous work: Nuclear officials cover themselves head to toe in protective gear as they deal with those people who have been evacuated and right, one of the women who was taken out of her home is scanned for radiation

Dangerous work: Nuclear officials cover themselves head to toe in protective gear as they deal with those people who have been evacuated and right, one of the women who was taken out of her home is scanned for radiation

Rest: Elderly residents of a nursing home that was evacuated amid fears of a nuclear fallout from the Fukushima Daini plant sleep on their duvets while one man in his mask appears bemused by everything

Rest: Elderly residents of a nursing home that was evacuated amid fears of a nuclear fallout from the Fukushima Daini plant sleep on their duvets while one man in his mask appears bemused by everything

Evacuees walk through the rubble of collapsed houses in Sendai, Miyagi today while right
a train carriage and piles of debris fill the landscape after Tsunami waves hit Kisenuma city, Miyagi prefecture, 12 March, 2011.

Aftermath: Evacuees walk through the rubble of collapsed houses in Sendai, Miyagi today while right a derailed train carriage and piles of debris litter the landscape that will be scarred by the devastation for years to come

Cataclysm: Local residents look at debris brought by the huge tsunami in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture

Cataclysm: Local residents look at debris brought by the huge tsunami in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture

Death-toll: Rescue volunteers carry the body of a victim found in debris in the town of Soma in Fukushima Prefecture
Survival: People use a floating container to escape from floodwaters in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture

Endeavour: Rescue workers carry a body found in the debris in the town of Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, left, while stranded survivors use whatever they can find to escape the ruins of the disaster in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture

Run aground: A container ship stranded, swept half ashore, in Sendai, north-eastern Japan

Run aground: A container ship stranded, swept half ashore, in Sendai, north-eastern Japan

Inferno: Flames engulf buildings in an industrial complex in Sendai, north-eastern Japan

Inferno: Flames engulf buildings in an industrial complex in Sendai, north-eastern Japan

Blaze: Thick black smoke rises from burning buildings in a factory zone in Sendai, north-eastern Japan

Blaze: Thick black smoke rises from burning buildings in a factory zone in Sendai, north-eastern Japan

Duty: Self-Defense Force officers rescue people from the flood waters by boat in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture

Duty: Self-Defense Force officers rescue people from the flood waters by boat in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture

Disbelief: A man takes a photo of a car swept on to the roof of a building by the tsunami in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture

Disbelief: A man takes a photo of a car swept on to the roof of a building by the tsunami in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture

Comfort: Survivors hug each other in an evacuation center set up in a school gym in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture

Comfort: Survivors hug each other in an evacuation center set up in a school gym in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture

Levelled: A man rides a bicycle through a debris-strewn street in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture

Levelled: A man rides a bicycle through a debris-strewn street in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture

Precarious: A huge trailer stuck in an narrow canal leans over debris at a port in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture

Precarious: A huge trailer stuck in an narrow canal leans over debris at a port in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture

Cut off: A bridge undergoing construction is damaged together with another bridge in Namegata City, Ibaraki Prefecture

Cut off: A bridge undergoing construction is damaged together with another bridge in Namegata City, Ibaraki Prefecture

Unusable: Vehicles are piled up beside homes in a residential area in Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture

Unusable: Vehicles are piled up beside homes in a residential area in Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture

Chasm: A passing car keeps a safe distance from the giant rip in the road in Futaba, Fukushima prefecture

Chasm: A passing car keeps a safe distance from the giant rip in the road in Futaba, Fukushima prefecture

Devastation: A train sits derailed in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi prefecture

Devastation: A train sits derailed in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi prefecture

Carnage: A man cycles past a car overturned by the tsunami on a street in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture

Carnage: A man cycles past a car overturned by the tsunami on a street in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture

Alive: Survivors head to an evacuation centre in Sendai, north-eastern Japan

Alive: Survivors head to an evacuation centre in Sendai, north-eastern Japan

Crippled: A Japanese military plane has its nose struck in a building at Matsushima air base, north-eastern Japan

Crippled: A Japanese military plane has its nose struck in a building at Matsushima air base, north-eastern Japan

Watery: Houses and scattered debris fill Tsunami flood waters covering destroyed Sendai airport near Sendai city, Miyagi

Watery: Houses and scattered debris fill Tsunami flood waters covering destroyed Sendai airport near Sendai city, Miyagi

Borders may shut 75 more stores

Borders Group Inc. is working quickly to form a restructuring plan and might close up to 75 more stores, depending on how talks with landlords go, Borders CEO Mike Edwards told a conference call of suppliers Friday.

The Ann Arbor-based bookseller hopes to schedule a review of its reorganization plan in early April, Edwards said. "We are moving more quickly and decisively on our restructuring plan."

Borders decided to close 200 of its 485 superstores when it filed for bankruptcy — including four in Metro Detroit. Edwards said the company has no plans for a major closing program for its remaining 148 smaller and airport stores because of prior landlord concessions. But he indicated the company is talking with landlords of superstores about renegotiating terms to improve their performance and keep them open.

"One hundred forty stores (out of 285) have been identified as on-the-bubble stores, which up to an additional 75 could be put in liquidation," Edwards said. "The decision will be made early next week."

Among those landlords is Agree Realty Corp., a Farmington Hills company that has 14 Borders stores on its properties — five of which are already scheduled to close. The Borders CEO acknowledged more closings will hurt communities.

"It is always a difficult decision to close stores, but it is a necessary part of positioning ourselves for a more profitable future given the major changes that are happening in our industry," Edwards said.

Borders held the call in a bid to reassure publishers and other vendors with whom it stopped payments in December and January prior to filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The bookseller is still seeking concessions from publishers, who balked at renegotiating missed payments into loans for the struggling bookseller prior to its Feb. 16 bankruptcy filing.

Edwards said he hopes to restore relations with the 37 percent of the vendors who aren't shipping product at this time. About 63 percent of its major suppliers from 2010 are shipping products, he said.

Borders seeks to restore its business through cost cutting and reworking its business plan, Edwards saidThe company's restructuring plan will include a bigger emphasis on its electronic book sales — an area it ramped up prior to its bankruptcy filing; a revision of its store format; and a "refreshed" merchandising strategy, Edwards said.

But one analyst wasn't impressed.

"It's not a good situation" for Borders, the publishers and the stores, said Al Greco, a marketing professor at Fordham University's Schools of Business. "We still haven't seen a good strategic plan" for turning around the bookseller.

RAW, Bahrain, state police being forced back by anti-government proteste...

MADISON, WI: This is what a whole hell of a lot of people look like

The reverberating sound of the crown inside the buildings around the Square was...breathtaking.

(best crowd shots I've been able to find)









It was packed like a Singapore subway train.

Replies to this thread
a thing of beauty Marblehead Mar-12-11 10:47 PM #1
Marblehead I agree... It is a thing of beauty.... midnight Mar-12-11 10:53 PM #10
Awesome! somone Mar-12-11 10:48 PM #2
And NOT a Palm Tree in sight!!! jemelanson Mar-12-11 10:48 PM #3
well, actually Lefta Dissenter Mar-12-11 10:52 PM #9
I missed those Lefta! AllyCat Mar-13-11 08:29 PM #35
And nary a fucking PEEP from the media. cleanhippie Mar-12-11 10:48 PM #4
Unacceptable Is All I Can Say... But It's Almost A Fact Of Life Now! I Realize That Japan ChiciB1 Mar-12-11 10:55 PM #11
That's what REALLY pisses me off. We need to start protesting the loudsue Mar-12-11 10:56 PM #13
+1,000,000,000 Scuba Mar-13-11 06:15 AM #32
PLUS ONE! nt Enthusiast Mar-13-11 10:12 AM #33
They are just the propaganda department for the corporations Thornleylv Mar-13-11 11:46 PM #40
NYTimes has something up now, good photos, pretty good article Lifelong Protester Mar-12-11 11:15 PM #21
if 5 teabaggers with 20 portapotties were there datasuspect Mar-12-11 11:45 PM #27
BBC World News (public radio) reported on this just a couple of minutes bullwinkle428 Mar-13-11 12:33 AM #30
Fantastic! toandme Mar-12-11 10:49 PM #5
Were these taken today? Fridays Child Mar-12-11 10:50 PM #6
Yes htuttle Mar-12-11 10:57 PM #15
Great pics, great rally..thanks! likesmountains 52 Mar-12-11 10:50 PM #7
those ARE great shots Lefta Dissenter Mar-12-11 10:50 PM #8
We just got home - nothing like it - ever eowyn_of_rohan Mar-12-11 10:55 PM #12
I hear you Sister! htuttle Mar-12-11 11:02 PM #18
Exhilirating and exhausting, no doubt--but you have my regards and respect! blondeatlast Mar-13-11 11:49 PM #42
Thanks so much! nt snappyturtle Mar-12-11 10:56 PM #14
WOW AC_Mem Mar-12-11 10:58 PM #16
thanks...n/t Oceansaway Mar-12-11 10:59 PM #17
And the M$M is waiting for what, a dozen teabaggers screaming "Go Home" to a religious minority? L. Coyote Mar-12-11 11:06 PM #19
Holy cow! I'm so jealous. pinkkillersheep Mar-12-11 11:09 PM #20
Fantastic to behold. K & R! chill_wind Mar-12-11 11:27 PM #22
Funny. Detroit WXYZ TV 7 (ABC) only showed some tractors and a few people. Hmm. Festivito Mar-12-11 11:27 PM #23
thank you Wisconsin!!!! handmade34 Mar-12-11 11:32 PM #24
Kicked. hunter Mar-12-11 11:36 PM #25
And the Republicans are sitting calmly waiting for it all to blow away. Kablooie Mar-12-11 11:44 PM #26
Thanks a bunch. The pictures are great. OHdem10 Mar-12-11 11:56 PM #28
Amazing. Thanks for sharing those. madfloridian Mar-13-11 12:28 AM #29
K&R! pacalo Mar-13-11 12:39 AM #31
K & R !!! WillyT Mar-13-11 12:53 PM #34
And in the middle of all that when we had to get a stretcher through undeterred Mar-13-11 08:47 PM #36
Someone should setup a PAC fund to assure that the campaign BrightKnight Mar-13-11 09:02 PM #37
if they were teafuckers, the media wouldn't be reporting on japan spanone Mar-13-11 09:04 PM #38
Any Tea Partiers come around to be counted on fingers? caseymoz Mar-13-11 11:16 PM #39
Tea Party Tamara in Madison Mar-14-11 02:43 AM #43
Wow! Kick pengillian101 Mar-13-11 11:47 PM #41
If only we had a M$M that represented democracy and not capitalism. Rex Mar-14-11 02:51 AM #44