Risk as a choice

"The word risk derives from the early Italian risicare, meaning to dare, with the strong implication that risk is a choice, not a fate. In this sense, risk conveys a notion of freedom of choice; it is up to the individual, or organization, to choose how to proceed - whether to dare (go ahead) with something, or not."

- Peter Bernstein, Against the Gods: The Remarkable story of Risk

This is always a great quote to remember when we are in uncertain times. There have to be choices made, whether to buy or sell. To keep existing positions or move to cash. Unfortunately the news from Japan was never clear and constantly in a state of flux. You needed to look at time stamps for news stories to determine their freshness. Nevertheless, risks have to faced and acted upon.