With the scope of the disaster, including the number of fatalities, still unknown in Japan, we are receiving reports of heroism and self-sacrifice in the devastated areas.

Acts of bravery certainly help the crippled nation which is in need of a dose of positive news. Most inspiring are the stories of the nuclear plant workers who are feverishly working to pump sea water into the reactor to try to avert a core meltdown.With the lethal amounts of radiation they're exposed to, this kind of act seems equal to a soldier falling on a grenade on a battlefield to protect his comrades. This kind of heroism also reminds us of the individual acts of bravery we saw here at home after the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01.We were inspired by the story of Rick Rescorla, who was head of security at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, and died while evacuating people from one of the twin towers. The final phone call from Rescorla to his wife, who was watching the drama unfold on television at home, was riveting and emotional."I don't want you to cry," he reassured her. "I have to evacuate some people now. If something happens to me, I want you to know that you made my life."Because of his self-sacrifice which likely saved thousands that morning, Rescorla has been called a "battlefield legend."Alongside the inspiring stories of bravery emerging from Japan comes a less flattering report about American comedian Gilbert Gottfried, who may not be known as much by name to many of us but by his voice - he's the voice of the Aflac duck mascot. In the midst of a crisis still unfolding, Gottfried posted this idiotic attempt at humor on Twitter: "I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, 'They'll be another one floating by any minute now."After a firestorm of criticism, he soon posted a follow-up apology - saying he meant no disrespect - but the damage was already done. The insurance company didn't think it was funny and fired him as the voice of the Aflac duck.Two nitwit entertainers - Joan Rivers and Howard Stern - defended Gottfried's attempt to make a joke at Japan's expense.We're all for the right of free speech and helping people smile in the face of dire circumstances but the time for joke-telling about the Japanese people is not now. Thousands are still unaccounted for and bodies are still being pulled from the rubble.Maybe it would do some of our entertainers good to go to northeastern Japan for a time and work alongside the rescue groups searching for the missing. It might give them a better understanding of two important words in the human lexicon: Respect and compassion.