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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social issues > Social impact of disasters
The triple disaster that struck Japan in March 2011 began with the
most powerful earthquake known to have hit Japan and led to tsunami
up to 40 meters in height that devastated a wide area and caused
thousands of deaths. The ensuing accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi
nuclear power plant was Japan's worst and only second to Chernobyl
in its severity. But has this triple disaster also changed Japan?
Has it led to a transformation of the country, a shift in how Japan
functions? This book, with fresh perspectives on extraordinary
events written by diplomats and policy experts at European
embassies to Japan, explores subsequent shifts in Japanese politics
and policy-making to see if profound changes have occurred or if
instead these are limited. The book addresses those policy areas
most likely to be affected by the tragedy - politics, economics,
energy, climate, agriculture and food safety - describes how the
sector has been affected and considers what the implications are
for the future.
Disasters, both natural and manufactured, provide ample
opportunities for official coercion. Authorities may enact
quarantines, force evacuations, and commandeer people and supplies
-- all in the name of the public's health. When might such extreme
actions be justified, and how does a democratic society ensure that
public officials exercise care and forethought to avoid running
roughshod over human rights?
In The Ethics of Coercion in Mass Casualty Medicine, Griffin
Trotter explores these fundamental questions with skepticism,
debunking myths in pursuit of an elusive ethical balance between
individual liberties and public security. Through real-life and
hypothetical case studies, Trotter discusses when forced compliance
is justified and when it is not, how legitimate force should be
exercised and implemented, and what societies can do to protect
themselves against excessive coercion. The guidelines that emerge
are both practical and practicable.
Drawing on core concepts from bioethics, political philosophy,
public health, sociology, and medicine, this timely book lays the
groundwork for a new vision of official disaster response based on
preventing and minimizing the need for coercive action.
On March 11, 2011, one of the biggest earthquakes in history
occurred off the northeast coast of Japan, triggering a deadly
tsunami that destroyed much of the Tohoku coastline. Driven by a
desire to help the people of Tohoku, long-time Tokyo resident
Caroline Pover embarked on a mission to collect emergency supplies
from her native UK. Caroline delivered these supplies to an
isolated part of Japan that even many Japanese have never heard of:
the Oshika Peninsula. While there, she saw beyond the horror of the
debris and destruction, and fell in love with the beauty of the
landscape and the spirit of the people who had called the peninsula
home for hundreds of years since their samurai ancestors first
settled there. Compelled to do whatever she could to help, she
promised to return, once more, just for a month ... One Month in
Tohoku is the true story of what became the many months Caroline
spent visiting Oshika. During extended periods of time over the
course of many years, she lived alongside the people of Oshika, and
they embraced her as one of their own -- she still visits them to
this day. This book tells us about a very traditional way of life
in a remote community that cares deeply about all who are a part of
it. It is the story of how, after a disaster took away everything
they had, these seemingly forgotten fishing communities are still
rebuilding their lives. It is also the story of how a network of
people from all over the globe were inspired to donate millions of
yen to support families, schools, and businesses, and to never
forget the survivors of the world's costliest disaster. To
commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the tsunami, Caroline has
set out in words a deeply moving tale of the very human impact of a
natural disaster. Readers will cry tears of laughter as well as
tears of sadness, and be touched by Caroline's surprising humour
and honesty and that of her Oshika friends as they unexpectedly
become so beloved to one another. This is the story of a beautiful
friendship between a very determined Englishwoman and the
incredibly brave and resilient fishermen, women, and children of
Tohoku.
Reporting Human Rights provides a systematic examination of human
rights news and reporting practices from inside the world of
television news production. From an interdisciplinary perspective,
the book discusses the potential of journalism in contributing to
human rights protection, awareness and debate, in ignoring,
silencing or misrepresenting human rights issues around the world
or, in extreme situations, in inciting hatred, genocide and crimes
against humanity. It provides insight into how journalists
translate human rights issues, revealing different reporting
patterns and levels of detail in reporting, and suggesting
different levels of engagement with human rights problems. The book
explains the most important factors that encourage or limit the
coverage of human rights news. Grounded in a close examination of
the news production processes and key moments where possible human
rights stories are contemplated, decided or eventually ignored, the
book opens up new insights into the complexities and constraints of
human rights reporting today.
Surveying government and crowd responses ranging from the late
Middle Ages through to the early modern era, Buchanan Sharp's
illuminating study examines how the English government responded to
one of the most intractable problems of the period: famine and
scarcity. The book provides a comprehensive account of famine
relief in the late Middle Ages and evaluates the extent to which
traditional market regulations enforced by thirteenth-century kings
helped shape future responses to famine and scarcity in the
sixteenth century. Analysing some of the oldest surviving archival
evidence of public response to famine, Sharp reveals that food
riots in England occurred as early as 1347, almost two centuries
earlier than was previously thought. Charting the policies, public
reactions and royal regulations to grain shortage, Sharp provides a
fascinating contribution to our understanding of the social,
economic, cultural and political make-up of medieval and early
modern England.
In this original and provocative new book, Stuart Price identifies
the existence of a practice that lies at the core of the western
security regime -- the projection of the worst-case scenario. This
consists of the projection of a significant material threat, made
by an authoritative or executive power, used to bolster the
security agenda of the neo-liberal state. This in turn has altered
the conduct of military and police operations, which are
increasingly directed against any substantial expression of
dissent. Using a wide range of official sources and case studies -
from 9/11 to the riots in Greece -- Price analyzes the
paramilitary, political, economic and cultural maneuvers of the
security regime as it attempts to reproduce a "command structure"
within civil society. In doing so, he demonstrates that, unlike the
openly "totalitarian" states of the past, bureaucratic rule is
favored over charismatic leadership, and the ostentatious display
of coercive authority is characterized as a temporary measure. It
is, he argues, a process that must be recognized and resisted.
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