Sleuth Home - Message Boards - The Gumshoe Lounge

Dec-26-2004 17:22

Just wanted to put out my thoughts and prayers to family and friends of all those lost, and suffering loss of life, home and general safety due to the Earthquake and folowing tsunami and aftershocks of Sundays (Sumatra time) (8:00 p.m. EST Saturday evening).. which is about 6pm sleuth time I think.

Anyway Delvin is in Singapore and he should be safe, but usually logs on daily and I haven't heard from him, and he does know people that would have been in effected areas.

So any good thoughts you want to send him, or people there feel free to add on to my posting.

HOPE if anyone else here lives in SAsia or SW ASIA are safe and everyone they know are also.

Again Prayers and my good wishes to those in that part of our world.

Rivergallery.

Dec-30-2004 21:19

Okay first, look at the demographics of the region. The people plagued by this tragedy were already some of the most poverty stricken people in the world. There leaders have deal with hunger, poverty & rampant illnesses on a broad scale already. Would you worry about pouring millions of dollars into a an ocean monitoring system? When there hasn't even been a substantial tsunami in about years. All the while you are funding a scientific project, more & more of your countrymen are dying of starvation. THESE GOVERNMENTS DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY! These are some very pitiful people in South Asia & Africa.
Everybody needs to wake up & shut up about what should have been. I'll tell you what should have been done. The western nations should have been doing more to help these countries way before now. Yes, a tsunami warning system would have been nice. Sending large aid packages & having people on the ground there, should have been in place way before now. The tsunami has helped to awaked the rest of the world that these are human beings like rest of us. I get so mad thinking that it has taken a tragedy for everybody to care about these people.
Another thing, if I have to hear about the handful of millionaires in Thailand, I'm gonna croak! What about the Thai people who are suffering. Why isn't the media covering what hass happened to Sumatra now. How about some coverage Sri Lanka (other than the resort area) The list goes on & on. Is it just me or do the broadcast companies seem to be worried about has happened to the wealthy tourists? I would like to see an in-depth segemnt on the neediest nations, where they were before & how the quake & tidal wave has affected them. Then, go on to cover what the rest of the world can do to help these people beyond the tsunami after effects. Like help build roads, increase jobs, education & FEED THESE PEOPLE etc.
Tsunami donations are nice. For God's sake, they need a helping hand beyond what the natural disaster has done to them.

Dec-30-2004 21:58

117,000 people dead and the expected number of deaths is 400,000

Dec-31-2004 07:28

I would agree with MadamTbird. However, warning systems are not only for seequakes, which are rare. However, Sumatra has been plagued with Volcano eruptions. Bangladesh and India with floods. Then there are hurricanes etc.
There needs the be no expensive monitoring systems at all. As they are already there. It is a matter of a phone call of those that do, and a coordinated effort of some kind. In Asia, almost everywhere even in the poorest of regions, there are loud speakers, for temples, mosques, cars with those announcement speakers. A great many, ironically even the poorest have a TV, or a radio. Usually shared by the neighbourhood. TV is for the poorest even their entertainment (we are after all not talking subsaharan Africa where it concerns Asia), as they can not afford other entertainment. So madamTbird, I suggest you were talking about me, where you say people, as I am the only one that mentioned it. Unfortunately you assumed billions of dollars, where I am talking about a warning system, that can be much easier achieved. And to organize that in the areas hit in Asia....THERE IS MONEY!
Yes there are starving people, yes there are bigger issues. But you can trust me, the wealth you see governments have in those countries, is unlike one you have EVER seen in the west. In terms of the luxery they bath in. I do think it is rather rude, to tell me to shut up. As if I don't know what I am talking about. The fact that I spent many years in Asia, and lived all over the world, and hold a Masters Degree in International Law specialization in human rights, law and economy of underdeveloped countries. I think says I am not the first moron of the street.
I also don't think you do the Asian people justice, in what you say, no education, no food, no jobs, no roads. They have roads, infrastructure is not a problem. No education, even in the countries hit, there is a good education system, in fact it is mandatory for children to go to school, except for far away areas

Dec-31-2004 07:38

the government can't reach, or anyone else. They are not dying of hunger like in Africa, again with the exception of the far away people. There are enough of jobs. However, people have to work VERY hard, to get little of what we have, and only on the border of barely enough, or just not enough. This with the exception of Bangladesh in the regions hit.

Yes we should have gotten together to help these countries. After all WE underdeveloped them, with the colonizing countries in the lead of that. We underdeveloped them in the 19th century and before, allowing us a head start, and over there putting a government in place that was corrupt, and liked working in a hierarchy of some own all, some get scraps.
All I want to say is, Asia is NOT the backward place you describe it to be. Frankly, I think the Asians can be proud by the amount of recovery of our plundering. Sure people live in shacks and stuff, but in their culture and climate people spend more time with each other, in the village square. They own one of the richest cultures in the world. I think I can say this, as I come from an Indonesian family myself.

The problem is. We see them as backward, as not part of the world, as developing countries. Asia has done a huge amount of development. We refuse to see them as economic beings to reccon with. Other then putting OUR factories up there, and let people work under terrible conditions, because they don't have the labour + environmental laws we do. Ironically those multinationals during the big donations now, are the ones that broke every humanright in terms of labour and environment for decades over there.
Example: Royal Dutch Shell, Coca Cola, Nike, Royal Dutch Phillips, the entire clothing industry, etc etc etc. We as the western world, owning international corporations are all guilty of it. I am glad they are donating huge sums now. It is at least some payment, for what we destroyed. I wrote my thesis, and researched, it is shocking!!!!

Dec-31-2004 07:51

Before anyone asks, my family is Javanese. Although Java is the island next to Sumatra, it was still far enough. Everybody is fine.
There is one friend I still have not been able to locate in Sumatra, I am in touch with his family over here, and we are waiting for word. However, we know we can not reach his cell outside of Singapore. There is stuff going on with the land lines in Medan, even on a regular day they are hard to reach, or you get a lot of delay from the satellite. I am still hopeful, as I heard the Sumatran effort is coordinated from Medan, and aid workers are flown in to there.

Dec-31-2004 08:25

As we go to the new year, I will be thinking of the people in Asia.

As my grandfather always says:
"Kemarau setahun dihapuskan hujan sehari."
Which is Indonesian (probably with a lot of spelling mistakes) for "a year of dry season is erased by a day of rain."

I pray for that day to come soon.

Dec-31-2004 11:32

right, i do raise money for a living, so i can't not post this.

regardless of my views of american politics, i do think it is very important for folks to put their money where their mouth is by helping those in need. the easiest way to do that is to connect to one (or all) of these sites and make a donation to support the tsunami disaster relief.

https://www.redcross.org
https://www.unicefusa.org
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/

Dec-31-2004 11:47

Yes you can. Also because these are the trustworthy agencies.

There already have been Sri Lanka people arrested here, they were going door to door, claiming to raise money for their country. While in fact, they were not. That is so sad.

Dec-31-2004 12:26

Thanks Sunny
and a note
The US has raised their pledge to $350million USD as of today.

Also again, as far as putting in warning systems and helping with the poor previously, many countries did and do not want outside help.

Dec-31-2004 12:53

I was not trying to imply that Asian/Indian people are "backwards". Furthermore, I was not trying to stigmitize thier culture. Thier living conditions however have been in great need of improvement. Case & point: According to Paul Harvey this afternoon, the Sri Lankans have benn quoted that they will once agin have to rely cocnuts. The tress as well as the leaves will be used for rebuiding houses & the fruit for sustanance. How would you live to have a roof made up of leaves? Do you consider that good living conditions? Don't you think these people deserves sturdy housing w/ heat & air conditioning. What percentage of the population in these countries have electricity & running water? What is the job & income ratio. What is the leteracy rate. Do you consider Somalia & Kenya which were also affected a wealthy society? Did you know that there a few of the countries affcted that turn thier children out on the streets to prostitute because they are so poor? Could you imagine allowing your child to have sex to make money?? Did you know that the AIDS rate in Kenya & Thialand are some of the highest in the world. I in no way consider the societal ills good for these peole groups. They deserve a much better way of life.
I throughly believe that theses wonderful countries have SO VERY MUCH to offer the rest of the world. It will be up to the more the powerful governments to open the doors of opportunity for the civilians. It has long been a fact the Indian/Asian peoples are some of the most intelligent & innovative when it comes to technology etc. They just need a hand up instead of just hand out to overcome someof the struggles that have long plagued thier societies. I want more than anything to see all of these countries not only overcome the detriment of the natural disaster. Also, to pull through & become an even better society as far as living conditions. These are such wonderful people whose lives could stand to be more enriched & full of hope.