What a great idea, Townsville, Australia had. From my readings (see post below), I found that Townsville, Australia decided to forgo their fireworks display New Year’s Eve and instead donate the money to the victims of the Tsumani.
Imagine if we all did that! Pass on the suggestion…we still have time.
When the world faces a disaster, I don’t depend on our media alone for information. I find they can be slow to get information, often outdated and biased. I am sure all media are like this — so I shop around for my news.
The Sydney Morning Herald in Sydney, Australia provides great news coverage to counter-balance our own. I highly recommend reading this polished newspaper. It’s a major newspaper for the Australian continent. You have to subscribe, but it is free and I have not received any spam mail for doing so.
In this article on the tsunami in their New Year’s Eve edition, I found this statement quite interesting:
After September 11 the President of the United States bullied the rest of the world to stand with him against terrorism. But this week George Bush had to be bullied by the US media and a sharp-tongued United Nations relief co-ordinator to stand with the people of the Indian Ocean nations in their time of grief.
The first US response was a cheque for $US15 million ($A19.2 million), which The New York Times noted was less than half what the Republicans will spend celebrating the Bush presidential inauguration later this month. By Wednesday, Washington was shamed into bumping its donation up to $US35 million but US Senator Patrick Leahy was still seething: “I just about went through the roof when I herd them bragging about $35 million – today we spent $35 million before breakfast in Iraq.
How sad is that?
As an American citizen, I didn’t hear the $15 million number once. I only heard about the $35 million. Why was it kept so hush? Is that why other nations complained about the U.S.? Did you hear about the $15 million?
I love America for many things, don’t get me wrong but I believe for us as a nation to be respected in a world community, we must deal with what others countries think about us — and work to make changes when we are seen to have problems and do have problems.
All nations have problems but those who are going to succeed in the global community will work to address them — and won’t turn their backs in denial.
What are we going to do?
The article goes on to say:
By the end of the week some tourists were back on the beaches of Thailand and our TV screens were filled with guilt-assuaging images of military transport aircraft and crisis management teams arriving from around the world. But it was sobering to think that the total world response this week – $US500 million, according to the UN– was no more than Australians spent on their new plasma TVs in the past 12 months.
Are WE truly giving enough money — being that we are the wealthy nation that we are?
You be the judge…
Yesterday evening, after watching CNN to learn more about the world’s disaster, it started to sink in. The magnitude of the horror is beyond comprehension, beyond what words could ever describe. I realized that the injured zone could easily stretch across the entire width of the United States. It’s chilling.
The population of my town would have only been a drop in the bucket to the lives lost. I can’t help but feel parazlyed at these thoughts.
I keep thinking about Nate Berkus, a well-known interior designer showcased on previous Oprah shows, and try to envision his recount of what happened to him in Sri Lanka. After being washd out of his oceanside cottage, he and his friend clung to a light pole — only to be separated and washed apart. Nate has been unable to find his friend since and presumes he drowned. Now he must come home without him. Can you imagine that? I can’t.
I am stunned.
Horrified.
Speechless.
I am thankful…. for all I have today yet I feel unsure and uneasy.
Last night, I slept in fits…dreaming about the disaster. I can’t even remember the dreams, but I dreamt of rising water, panic and fear.
Nothing seems important today in comparison. Yet every simple thing seems so valuable. I feel blessed to have my family, my dogs, water, food, clothing and a place to sleep. Today I do not take my basic survival for granted.
I send my warm prayers to all those who had to endure nature’s fury. I am so sorry for all the pain, misery and loss…
If you turned on the TV in the past two days since Christmas, you’ve probably seen that Reggie White, a 43-year old NFL football star died, unexpectedly, of a massive heart attack on Christmas Day.
Naturally, you want to feel bad for him. It’s sad for someone to die so young. But it is also perplexing, isn’t it?
We know that NFL players are getting constant medical attention, nutritional counseling — every advantage they can so they can perform at their best. Then how could doctors miss a serious heart problem in the making for a such a young person?
I personally don’t believe doctors missed anything. I wonder if Reggie White, like many well known athletes, took steroids. I have no idea whether he did or he did not, but I have to wonder.
One of the biggest risks of steroid use is a heart attack.
As a society, our athletes are revered, honored and worshiped for their non-human qualities yet we don’t ever acknowledge why they are like this. It isn’t because god gave them thick necks and outrageous muscles…
UPDATE:
What is going on with the the Reggie White story? First, the media was clear he died of a heart attack. That is what they reported on Christmas Day. Then next thing you hear is talk of different medical conditions that Mr. White had such as sleep apnea. And now, the latest is they say the cause of his death is unknown!
What the beans? Why such a run-around? Com’on folks, we want the truth!
They are also saying it will take WEEKS to find out the cause of Mr. White’s death. Really, now? It takes weeks to perform an autopsy?? Not last time I checked.
Are they hoping the public will forget about the cause of his death, or what?? Or does someone know something — and perhaps something going on hush-hush behind scenes?
Things aren’t adding up with this story. I smell something really fishy here.
Yesterday, my husband and I were at the register at Burlington Coat Factory. As my husband stood there to pay for the goods, I looked around the store. It was packed with people — more people than I had seen in a month! Children were screaming, one cashier was dressed as Santa — and others as green elves. It was somewhat chaotic. I just stood there silently absorbing it in.
Behind us in line stood a young family of three with another male friend in tow. I noticed them because they were so young. They had a young daughter under the age of one dressed in a dirty, dingy pink coat with white snow flakes. The child’s coat had obviously seen its day. I would guess the young couple to be between the age of 17 to 20 years old. Along with them was another guy. He looked a lot like Prince with dark features and a thin, chiseled face. He looked like he could use a really good fattening dinner to give him some softness and warmth. I wanted to feed him!
A few old ladies in the line next to us cooed and awed over their baby. Oddly, the young couple didn’t say much. They seemed a little distracted. I thought nothing of it. I continued to peer around and watch people.
As I glanced back at the family behind us, I watched the young mother pick up her baby from their mostly empty cart, and shuffle herself around the two guys. All of them were busy looking around too. Then unconnected, I saw the young mother move over towards my husband. She looked directly down at his credit information which he was entering in on the keypad.
At first I thought nothing of it. Nothing registered as I was so absorbed with the people around me. I wasn’t thinking. Then as I blankly watched them, I saw the guy swoon over and start looking!!
My husband stood there patiently waiting to finish the transaction unaware of the vultures at his back.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I remembered my husband standing there in line with his credit card in the tip of fingers just moments before barely clasping the card’s edges. He was holding his credit card in a very dangerous position waiting to scan it — with the numbers clearly visible for all those in the back of the line to see.
Had they remembered his numbers? Were they looking again to verify them? Why did they keep looking? What the hell was going on??
I started to look to see if I could see a cell phone – wondering if they snapped a photo of the numbers. I didn’t catch a glimpse of one. However, when I started intently watching them — they started to look away from me. This concerned me.
I didn’t know what to do.
What do you do? I couldn’t fairly accuse them of anything! My mind was going a million miles an hour. This is a crime that is hard to call when it is in the making!
What if they are innocent? Were they? My gut told me they weren’t so innocent so I continued to watch them. I made my concern of them very clear — and yet they acted totally clueless!
As the cashier pulled the receipt out of machine for my husband to sign, I reached in from behind — grabbed it abruptly — and I said firmly, “You are going to sign this over here!” as I put it down to the far end of the register where the family couldn’t see it. The cashier looked surprised. People noticed my odd behavior. These was almost a hush in the air of surprise.
The family, however, all turned around away from us – and starred off into the distance. They tried to act oblivious to what I just did yet they had been very aware of our transaction moments before!!
((((bells are sounding in my head))))
Normal responses from them would have been odd looks, inquisitive behavior like the others around us — but they didn’t act normal. I am pretty sure they sensed I sensed what they were up to but it didn’t ruffle them at all. What could I do to them? They had my valuable information in their brains which is something I could never, ever prove until the damage is done. Perhaps each person had remembered a sequence of numbers. Very clever.
At this point, my husband’s intuition was telling him something was up. He finished the transaction and without a word we high-tailed it out of there. Once we got far enough away from them, I told my husband what I saw.
His face drained a little. He had never even thought about it and he realized how he had made himself vulnerable.
As we walked out the door, I flipped open my cell phone. I took the credit card out, called the number — and canceled the account!
What was even more chilling to me was the fact that the guy at the credit agency told me of the last few charges we made — including the one just made minutes before. If I had not called when I did, we may have come home a few hours later to a debt of ten thousand dollars or more!
Lordy, those eyes were up to some nasty lies! I have little doubt.
Whew. Close-call.
