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David Baxter via NOAA
This soccer ball with Japanese writing came from a school in a tsunami-stricken area of Japan.
A volleyball and soccer ball that washed ashore on an Alaskan island may be the first pieces of debris to arrive in the United States from last year's tsunami in Japan.
The sports balls were spotted by radar technician David Baxter on treeless, windswept Middleton Island in the Gulf of Alaska, Doug Helton of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Seattle said in an agency blog post.
Baxter’s wife translated writing on the soccer ball and traced it back to a Japanese school in an area hit by the tsunami, Helton said.
He told the Anchorage Daily News the balls were the first tsunami debris retrieved in Alaska.
"There have been other items that were suspected, but this is the first one that we're aware of that has the credentials that may make it possible to positively identify it."
Helton, in the NOAA post, said the agency, the State Department and the Japanese Embassy and its Seattle consulate are working to confirm details and set up the return of other debris that comes ashore.
A magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Japan's northeast coast on March 11, 2011, triggered a 75-foot wall of water that flattened waterfront towns, killing 16,000. Three thousand people are still unaccounted for. The tsunami triggered a crisis at Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima Daiichi atomic power plant, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee in the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years.
U.S. authorities were immediately aware that the clockwise circulation of the Pacific's northern waters would deliver some remnants of that destruction to American shores.
A Japanese ghost ship Ryou-Un Maru turned up earlier in the Gulf of Alaska off Southeast Alaska after a 4,500-mile journey. The U.S. Coast Guard ended sank the vessel April 5.
In January, a half-dozen large buoys suspected to be from Japanese oyster farms appeared at the top of Alaska's panhandle and may be among the first tsunami debris.
State health and environmental officials have said there's little need to be worried that debris landing on Alaska shores will be contaminated by radiation.
This article contains reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press.
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"A Japanese ghost ship Ryou-Un Maru turned up earlier in the Gulf of Alaska off Southeast Alaska after a 4,500-mile journey. The U.S. Coast Guard ended sank the vessel April 5."
What does it mean when the U.S. Coast Guard "ended sank the vessel?" Perhaps the MSNBC copy editor department is a bit short-staffed?
Everyone makes mistakes, it doesn't mean the writer is a bad person
The original poster didn't say the writer is 'a bad person'.
If the press and media can't be bothered to check spelling and edit, and the average person has trouble with basic comprehension... boy, are we in for a mess.
Oh Long Johnson - I'm sure I'll hear your avatar saying that over and over, for the rest of the night. Thanks! LOL
I agree, the discussion isn't whether or not the witer is a "bad person." It's whether the writer is a professional "writer." MSNBC, you are horrible when it comes to proofing errors. Time to grow up and get out of the bush leagues if you want to be taken seriously. If your "writers" and "editors" can't do better than this, fire them and find those who can.
Thanks to others for pointing out this consistent substandard idiocy. It's irritating at best.
No proof reading or fact checking or just mind control? It's sad when the media can control how people interact with each other?
Use the link in the story to go to the original reporting agency. Yes, I was a bit confused when I first read the last line in an otherwise well reported story. If it bothers you so much ( and I have noticed that it seems to be the same people over and over who are bothered) then do NOT click the links to read stories on MSNBC. It is that simple, the ones that have nothing better to do than critique seem to be nit pickers at best and trolls at worst.
I do believe that what they meant to say was that the Coast Guard ended the ships journey and sank it. I may be wrong, but that was the way I comprehended it. It also helps to have read the story about the "Ghost Ship" beforehand too.
They are too busy editing 911 tapes and did not have time to edit this one.
There are no more editors. The job is kaput. There's no money in budgets to pay people to look for errors. Besides, people like you have such joy in searching out the mistakes, leaping to conclusions, making snarky remarks and feeling self-righteous about it, whatever would you do without them?
Call Tom Hanks ....
they forgot the part where it has 0 signs of radiation....
If that ain't some serious breaking news I don't know what is.
Its earthday.... Besides what better way to alert the EPA and environmentalists to start insisting the Japanese pay for the massive cleanup to come. Of course obama and company will express concern over this egregious pollution and insist that if the wealthy would pay still just a little more, everything will be cool.
On a non-sarcastic note, again my condolances to those losing loved ones in last years disaster, and don't worry about your trash floating up on our shores.
Hey! It's Wilson! (from the movie "Castaway")
I'm a writer/editor and English professor in a Chinese university; my students are better writers and editors than some of these so-called professionals.
Just wait, someone in the Obama White House will tell the national news media that this was all George Bush's fault. Stay tuned. Oh, and that is why Obama is having problems getting people employed again. Can't wait.
Lynn
Why don't you blame the earthquake and tsunami om the president too?
Jay Carney says, "The President can't be with you today, bc ahhhh.. he is busy trying to get a soccer ball from Alaska back to the Japanese...wouldn't want any soccer moms mad at him since the war on women is going on, you know what I mean. He was afraid it might turn up in Wasilla in the hands of his least favorite soccer mom and ahhh, we wouldn't want that to happen, those conservative women don't know how to play our games correctly. That is all the questions I can take right now...read updates on msnbc news."
Jesus is the answer. He is coming soon. Keep looking up.
Pat
The Japanese soccer moms can't vote in the US.
Maybe you should find an article that is at least remotely related to something about the president and make your comments there.
Wilson!!! Wilson!!!
Wilson-san...
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/04/20/fukushima-daiichi/
"The fact is we still don't know what's going on inside those reactors".
Pumping sea water to enable a cold shutdown is still the goal. And although things are washing up in Alaska, nothing to see here, move along. Station Black Out, and other black outs.
seems like everyone is worried about a simple typo get over it people make mistakes
How much more crap is gonna wash up on our shores?
I'm more worried about that, than a simple editing mistake. Are they sure that we aren't or haven't already been getting radiation from the leaking that went on and is probably still going on at that Nuclear Plant?
WILSON!!!!!!!
Do you really think that Japan wants any of that(other debris) stuff back?
A little present from Japan ---just in time to celebrate Earth Day! Man is so stupid to try to save something that does not need saving, actually just another way of slowing reforming society into thinking certain lies are true (like the polar bears dying out because of ice melting which ice melts every year and refreezes but statistics show there are 3x more polar bears than in the 1960s) or global warming (it was called global cooling in the 1970s))...then laws can be passed to control man not protect the earth.
our school had paperless day last year to save trees--- on that same day the earthquake/tsunami hit Japan and guess what...millions of trees were destroyed by that event...so much for the .015 of a measly tree our school saved by not using paper that day!
If you save paper or energy it is because you will save money for yourself, not the planet...it does not know you or care if you are here or not. Mother earth is a term not a person. A tree does not hug back.
this is what I call STUPID NEWS !!! Just to take up space...ugh
who really cares about floating soccer balls....? tell that a recalled Toyota floated over and that I may find interesting or at least worth reading about....thx msnbc I just wasted 5 minutes of my life..
Steve
How much time did you wast commenting on the article?
Wouldn't it have been better to take off and cut your loss?
Its owner, Misaki, now a sophmore in his high school is an avid soccer player. He is currently residing in Rikuzen Takada city in Iwate prefecture. When he was in the 3rd grade of his primary school, his family moved to the place where they are now living. When Misaki transferred to a new school, three of his best friend presented the ball to him, so their names still appear on the ball. Since then , he kept the ball with the cherished memory and sentimental value. His city was relentlessly destroyed by that ferocious tsunami last year. I am sure he is very grateful to the considerate acts of Mr. and Mrs David Baxter and all the other people who made effort to return it to Misaki. So I read an article in the Japanese newspaper.
Apart from that, we have received invaluable relief effort made by US military personnel stationed in Japan and lots of relief fund through the Red Cross and other agencies during the difficult time. Taking this opportunity, I would like to say with my heart, Arigatou American people.
Thanks, livit. The story some times has a happy ending. That returned ball has a story worth more than all the money in the world. There used to be a country school house on our property and while tilling one spring and jumping off the tractor cussing people that toss garbage out the window, I picked up an ink well that my father or neighbors had to have used. Means a lot to me.
Is Japan going to pay for the clean up?
HELL no! Don't you remember - the Japanese shot the holy daylights out of Pearl Harbor; have literally taken over Honolulu; given us the finger; and we paid restitution for THEIR losses! Excuse me? Maybe their genius engineers should have taken a little more consideration when building the reactor in the first place - particularly in the MOST tsunami vulnerable place on earth! How's that for "earth day?" I'm very sorry for the loss of lives. Material things? Everday low-life citizens (and not) steal from us right here on U.S. soil without giving any thought what it may have meant to the owner(s). What happens? I can tell you from personal experience. The cops, insurance companies, and good old ONSTAR give you the finger and tells you to have a nice day! So the survivors should be glad they are alive. I also have to wonder about the last statement of the article. Sounds like any place but Alaska could be in for "hazardous waste!" Wouldn't want Palin to lose out on an opportunity to flaunt herself in front of a bunch of tourists would we?
JMO but I liked this story. Wish it would have had more detail but I am glad that a poster had the rest of the info. Thanks Liveitup.
In reference to the editing issues. This seems to be the day and age of allowing incompetent/uncaring people to keep jobs even with errors occurring consistently.
It is in all forms of employment with service jobs being the worst. Just give me a paycheck and let some one else fix the problems seems to be the "norm". It is everywhere!
When I do get a salesperson or employee that goes above and beyond the "norm", I try to show my appreciation & verbally give them kudos. ( a monetary tip is increased )
Some jobs undoubtedly require more attention than others but it does appear that almost all writers and editors seem to lack in their departments. ( its not just MSNBC)
And I thought it was just the company I work for that has these problems. LOL. The people coming in to the work force these days have no pride and don't care if they do a good job.
when the japanese start washing ashore,thats when you'll know you have trouble.
One of my wife's special needs students wants to be a writer. I told her that MSNBC would give him a job as they seem to have an abundance of "challenged" writers on staff. Some of them must have worked up to editor.
Can't you guys at lest try to present an accurate, edited story void of conflicting information, spelling and grammar errors? If you aren't the professional writers, who are? I click the link to the story because it sounds like it may be interesting, then get frustrated with the lame presentation and substance.
Who cares!!
We care and we want professional pride to be evident in the product MSNBC puts on this website.
There are plenty of opportunities for the mentally challenged to get jobs not only writing for MSNBC, but also your local rag. (newspaper) We had a reporter in Riverside California write a headline that "Police in Fontana stated that the deadman was jaywalking." These people are products of state-run education and are allowed to get degrees in Journalism without needing to learn English Composition or Grammar. It is very telling today that these people who think they are soo great are really showing us that their Editors as well as they, themselves are illiterate, uneducated, ignorant fools.
Debris does Alaska?
Freedom4Everyone
HaHaHaHaHaHaHa...