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Asia quake death toll over 11,000
- Thread starter jsw
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It's all about ratings and sensationalism. Of course it has to be related to us to make it seem real. That's the way we think, myself included sometimes.Abstract said:
Some of us can be pretty selfish, even if the face of tragedy. Sometimes, especially during a tragedy.
Just read this sobering report - 1/3 to 1/2 of the deaths are children.
I suppose that makes sense, but I hadn't really thought of it. As a parent - or really, just as a human being - the stories of parents seeing the bodies of their dead children, or of them watching their children dragged off to sea, or of them not seeing them at all are just heart wrenching. It's terrible that anyone of any age died, of course, but the pictures and thoughts of parents bent over their dead children just really got to me. I've been to the beach with my daughter. We used to live on the shore - literally, my front deck was over the water. I can see myself in their position.
I suppose that makes sense, but I hadn't really thought of it. As a parent - or really, just as a human being - the stories of parents seeing the bodies of their dead children, or of them watching their children dragged off to sea, or of them not seeing them at all are just heart wrenching. It's terrible that anyone of any age died, of course, but the pictures and thoughts of parents bent over their dead children just really got to me. I've been to the beach with my daughter. We used to live on the shore - literally, my front deck was over the water. I can see myself in their position.
solvs said:
Yeah, but they showed all this tragedy, and showed pictures and interviews with all these white Americans and British tourists. Why not show one of the numerous interviews with local people? Its not as if CNN is conducting the actual interviews or shooting footage. They just pay for local footage. Get a translator and translate what the locals are saying. They live their. They have no homes. Americans get to go home. Other countries do translations when the person being interviewed is speaking English. Surely Americans can tolerate an accent, and translation, once in a while.
Then they had an interview with some American professor at some Uni, and they did a 3 minute fluff piece as to why it won't happen in America.
Then they had a story about Osama. But why? They just flashed several new, "exclusive" pictures of him. Is there relevence? Are Osama and Mother Nature plotting something?
Sorry, but I don't think Fox News would have done that. I didn't check, but I don't think so. Of course, they had Geraldo reporting the news, so who knows anymore....
Anyway, it made me and my stepfather so angry.
lol, I'm with you Abstract. I was pretty surprised when it seemed like all they could think of was "could it happen to america" and would we be prepared if it did. Come on people. And they have to go and only tell us about the relative handful of european and american tourists in the areas instead of the over 20K natives who are dead, the millions homeless and not to mentioned the amount of poverty that was already there to begin with.Abstract said:
Yes. The did really say thatbousozoku said:
They even had scientists on there explaining what could happen in the pacific and what has happened in the past, etc, the warning systems in hawaii and all that...No, I never heard about the 8.1 in Tasmania either..
MacFan26 said:Yes. The did really say that
No, I never heard about the 8.1 in Tasmania either..
One of our local weather "experts" talked about whether that could happen to us, here in Floriduh? He said that, in 1993, there was a thunderstorm-created tsunami. Ummmm, Tom Terry, tsunami aren't created by thunderstorms.
So many dummies, so little time.
I think we are wide open on the atlantic with nothing measuring wave height nor any kind of warning sytem. I think it would be easy to set up some type of sytem and operate it as arm of the Current Hurricane warning system we have now. count is up to 44,000 now.
Yeah, it seems our local weather guys are at their best only during hurricanesbousozoku said:One of our local weather "experts" talked about whether that could happen to us, here in Floriduh? He said that, in 1993, there was a thunderstorm-created tsunami. Ummmm, Tom Terry, tsunami aren't created by thunderstorms.
I just figure they feel "left out" of the action with all this tsunami business and they have to find a "hook" to keep themselves relevant . . . so . . . a "storm surge" suddenly becomes a "tsunami"
Mr_Ed said:Yeah, it seems our local weather guys are at their best only during hurricanes
I just figure they feel "left out" of the action with all this tsunami business and they have to find a "hook" to keep themselves relevant . . . so . . . a "storm surge" suddenly becomes a "tsunami"
He didn't do so well at the hurricanes either, but he was exactly right afterwards.
At least, his wife loves him.I was surprised to see that Sri Lanka had over 1 million people displaced from their homes. I didn't know there were really that many people there. Being displaced seems worse than dying to me. I remember how little happened to me and how I ended up out of my house for around a week, wondering if everything would ever be back to normal and if people I knew were still alive. I live in the insulation of a prosperous society and yet, felt hopeless. How do people in small countries feel after a disaster?
Oh believe me, I was not implying their predictions were accurate. I thought they did a good job of tracking trouble spots while the hurricanes were actually upon us. As far as forecasting, they might as well have rolled some dice or used one of those little '8 ball' guessing toysbousozoku said:He didn't do so well at the hurricanes either, but he was exactly right afterwards.
That's a good observation and a good question. I don't know if being displaced is truly worse than death but I suppose it's one of those things we can't really know unless we experience something of similar magnitude for ourselves.
Mr_Ed said:Oh believe me, I was not implying their predictions were accurate. I thought they did a good job of tracking trouble spots while the hurricanes were actually upon us. As far as forecasting, they might as well have rolled some dice or used one of those little '8 ball' guessing toys
That's a good observation and a good question. I don't know if being displaced is truly worse than death but I suppose it's one of those things we can't really know unless we experience something of similar magnitude for ourselves.
Well, having been through earthquakes, blizzards, and hurricanes, it's not knowing about your friends and family that's the worst.
Even worse than the loss of life is all the bodies piling up. The decaying bodies and loss of fresh water is a breeding ground for disease. The epidemic of disease could bring about even greater death. With so much destruction even mounting rescue is going to be a very difficult task.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/28/world/main663462.shtml
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/28/world/main663462.shtml
Fox News isn't that bad, as long as it isn't a bunch of pundits talking about politics. CNN has the same problem, especially when they're trying to be fair, but then you just have 2 people yelling at each other.Abstract said:
Edit: Then again, right next to the report about how many appear to be dead now (52,000... I'm still just, stunned), there is a report about some storm in CA that killed 16 people. Last year. And 2 more stories: Powell Defends U.S. Disaster Aid and At Least 11 Americans Dead. Well, so much for that. MSNBC, too. I'm looking at the web sites, but somehow I doubt the TV coverage is much better.
What can I say, they know their audience. Guess that proves my point, unfortunetly.
bousozoku said:
Yes, in the post aftermath of this disaster Public Health and Welfare must be a priority. It was mentioned that they are trying to make identification of the victims first, by finger prints and pictures. The plan is to just have mass burials, no time for a normal burial. The first relief being sent is food, water, clothing, and shelter. The US is sending out C-130's loaded with those items from bases in the Pacific.
My hope is that Secretary General Koffee Anan will reprimand his deputies remark, saying that the Western countries were stingy in this relief effort and should be ashamed. I think that his comment was very hurtful and unwarranted. President Bush preliminarily pledged $15m in aid and has already added another $20m.
The stories are just so sad to hear. On PBS a mother said that her youngest daughter didn't like her to use so much water when she wash her hair. All that she has found of her so far was her abandoned car near the coast. She said that she can't even imagine what that wall of water must have been like. It sends chills up my spine and arms typing this. Causes tears also. Just can't comprehend this whole disaster, my prayer is that death came quickly with little suffering.
There were also many tourists in the area also. My wife said that she hear that a Victoria Secret Model may have been among the lost.
Maybe not cremation, but a quick burial is part of the religion for some of them. Some are already digging graves by hand. They are also waiving the mandatory autopsy laws, for obvious reasons.bousozoku said:
It was a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model's boyfriend. He was a photographer. Her name escapes me, but I remember reading it on the AP page of Yahoo.wdlove said:
How is it that the US is giving $35m, and the UK is giving $29m?? The US given it's size and finance should be able to donate far more, either that or who ever signs the cheques in the UK is feeling mighty charitable.
edesignuk said:
It't because the British government is more evil than the U.S. government.
The U.S. remembers that it's money comes from taxes, and that taxes are for defense and schools. The British government has less respect for their citizens, so they think it is ok to just give away their money willy nilly.
Well, you see, we're spending so much money killing people in Iraq that we don't have a lot left over to help people in other places, especially those places not part of the axis of evil and so therefore not politically helpful to W.edesignuk said:Ah, now it all makes perfect sense
srobert said:Still looking for the smilies in that post. You have to be joking right?
40 minutes ago (at time of posting), death toll over 76,000. (Could rise to more than 100,000 red cross says)
No...not joking. If people want to make donations, they can call the Red Cross (and I'm sure they will, the American people are very generous). But it's not the government's job to make donations, their job is to defend us from terrorists.