| Author |
Message |
    
tulip
Citizen
Username: Braveheart
Post Number: 1849
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 9:30 am: | 
|
I am just hearing a huge silence from world leaders concerning the tsunami. Does anyone else hear that silence? I know Bush made a speech, but everyone should be organizing here, and an emergency meeting of international leaders should be happening. Are they all on vacation?
Did I miss something?
I just heard that "world leaders" were talking on the phone. Well, we need to see them in the media, in my opinion.
|
Dave
Moderator
Username: Dave
Post Number: 4844
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 9:38 am: |
|
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=18496
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=1&id=323431
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/t176898.htm
etc.
|
mem
Citizen
Username: Mem
Post Number: 4422
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 9:45 am: |
|
True, all I hear is "Bush waited to speak, what a horrendous political blunder, what must the world think blah blah blah", and no notice of other world leader comments except for that stupid, childish remark the UN made about us being stingy.
Meanwhile, all these people are dead and the big issue is when and what bush says. Retch. |
tulip
Citizen
Username: Braveheart
Post Number: 1850
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 9:46 am: |
|
That's nice. Higher profiles in the US media would be even nicer.
mem: Frankly I am tired of US officials spanking the UN. They are merely hobbling them more. Don't Americans want the UN to continue? Who will take their place?
Well, thanks for exchanging your thoughts...have a happy new year, and a great time tonight! |
Mustt_mustt
Citizen
Username: Mustt_mustt
Post Number: 182
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 11:24 am: |
|
Forget about Bush for the moment. Here's a story from India that shows how folks are responding magnificiently to this natural catastrophe that has devastated the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
__________
Caring has no religion, ask this Jamaat chief in a Cuddalore corner
Mosque works overtime to take care of Hindu, Christian fisherfolk
RAJEEV P I
CUDDALORE, DECEMBER 29: Rahmatullah is a tired man. He and his nephew
have just returned to their masjid after burying an unknown Christian man,
identifiable by the black thread with the little cross around the neck.
They had not forgotten to put a makeshift bamboo cross on the burial
mound.
He now needs to take the infant daughter of Shivakumar, both staying in
the masjid, to the doctor. Maaf karna, kaam bahut pada hai. Hamara
president Younus saab se baath keejiye, he says in Hindi, before going
out.
In Cuddalore, the second hardest-hit town in Tamil Nadu when the killer
waves came, a masjid and the local jamaat have emerged as the rallying
point for thousands of fisherfolkalmost all of them Hindus and
Christians. There are hardly any Muslim fishermen in Cuddalore, and most
of the local Muslims are either traderswhich explains the Hindi or have
NRI sons in the Gulf. There have been no Muslim casualties.
We came to know when people came running to the masjid, minutes after it
happened. We decided to do what we could do, says Mohammed Younus,
president of the United Islamic Jamaat. Isme kya badi baath hai, he
asks.
The administration is grateful. Says District Collector Gagandeep Singh
Bedi: They have been doing wonderful work, I was with them the whole
last night. Once the relief and rescue work is over, Bedi plans to write
to the state government about their work.
Within minutes of the tsunami striking Pudukuppam, Samayarpettah, Chinnoor
and other little villages along the Cuddalore coast on Sunday morning,
Younus had summoned his flock. Within half an hour, his men had left their
shops and homes for the beaches in their goods vans, cars, two-wheelers
and cycles, picking up and rushing the injured to hospitals.
By noon the Jamaat on its own had organised milk for a few hundred babies,
and food for over 3,000 survivors. By evening, about 3,000 Muslim men were
tending to over 10,000 Hindus and Christians in makeshift camps in the
local schools.
A few hundred of the survivors were invited to stay in the masjid, where
they still stay. Many more are in the Jamaat?s school, and dozens occupy
its office building.
For the last three days, the Jamaat has employed 24 cooks working round
the clock to feed about 9,000-odd survivors. Some in the relief camps and
others in the five battered villages. The administration provides the rice
and milk, and the Jamaat buys the vegetables and everything else on its
own. There are about 20,000 men under the Jamaat, and the huge community
kitchens that it had been using for its frequent community feasts were
immediately turned into relief kitchens.
As the bodies began piling up, Younus asked his men not to hesitate. And,
for the last three days, they have been doing what might be unthinkable
for many Muslims: carrying bodies on their own shoulders and cremating
them. To the possible extent, we have been making sure that the Hindu
bodies are burnt, and Christians are buried. They should not feel offended
in death Yo,unus reasons.
Younus says he hadn't slept or eaten well after the tragedy stuck. He has
been running around five villages guiding his men, looking after the
survivors, making things work.
It was only when the Army moved in yesterday to Pudukuppam, which suffered
the heaviest toll, that the Jamaat withdrew from that village. But for the
other four, it is still the only solace. It's all Gods will. Inshallah,
they will all begin life well in a few weeks, he says.
Younus says none of his over 3,000 men will leave until the survivors are
back on their feet. We will continue to raise money to feed them for as
long as they need. They are welcome to be with us as long as they want,
Younus says.
|
mem
Citizen
Username: Mem
Post Number: 4430
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 11:34 am: |
|
tulip,
Thanks for the well wishes - happy Winter Celebration to you...
Anyway, my roommate from South Africa worked for the UN in NYC, and does she have some stories...they party and spend and all the while make fun of us, take advantage of us and park wherever they want - she also said more than half of them don't even know what they're doing.
 |
tulip
Citizen
Username: Braveheart
Post Number: 1853
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 12:01 pm: |
|
musst,
Thanks for the heartwarming story. I think that it might be appropriate to say that this whole catastrophe gives us a chance to see the essence of humanity on the other side of the world, and be reminded how much in common we all have with each other despite different cultures, geography and religions.
mem: About what your roommate said, I think we have to watch out for generalizations, and thinking that the whole organization is bad because of the misbehavior of a few. I'd hate to "throw the baby out with the bathwater." We certainly need as many organizing influences on our planet as we can get, and try to have the positive global potential outweigh local, negative impact.
|
tulip
Citizen
Username: Braveheart
Post Number: 1854
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 12:59 pm: |
|
Well, $250 million from the World Bank, $68 million from Spain, I guess that's pretty good. Marvelous job, Mr. Annan. The UN proves its worth. |
Earlster
Supporter
Username: Earlster
Post Number: 809
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 2:41 pm: |
|
Tulip,
the main problem here is that US media outlets don't really cover other world leaders.
I've read appeals to/for help from many european heads of state within less then 24 hours of the tsunami. |
mem
Citizen
Username: Mem
Post Number: 4441
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 2:51 pm: |
|
That's great earlster. Hopefully they're as quick with their wallets as they are with their mouths. |
lumpynose
Citizen
Username: Lumpyhead
Post Number: 1065
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 3:21 pm: |
|
How much did Saudi Arabia give?? |
Dave
Moderator
Username: Dave
Post Number: 4899
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 3:36 pm: |
|
Why thank the UN and the World bank before thanking Japan? $500 million. That's 52,135,000,000 yen.
Arigato! |
Earlster
Supporter
Username: Earlster
Post Number: 816
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 3:43 pm: |
|
Doctors without fronties in Germany collected 17.5 million euros in all of 2003, they received 20 million euros in the last 9 days alone. They are actually getting more money then they can use at the time and are now faced with the dilemma that the money is specifically donated for east asia, while there are so many other places in the world that could use a little of that money, too.
They are reminding people, not to forget other areas that need help, too. |
Earlster
Supporter
Username: Earlster
Post Number: 817
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 3:52 pm: |
|
Who is giving what:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4145259.stm
A list of countries and their donations. |
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 2963
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 10:07 pm: |
|
Right -- Liberal Doctors Without Borders are reminding people go give to other areas of concern, but not returning the monies that can't possibly fit into their pledged/intended area (tsunami affected areas) and keeping it in their general fund for future expenditures.
As I recall, Bernadine Healy of the American Red Cross resigned her position over the same bait and switch.
Please understand, I'm not against this group getting monies for disasters where ever they occur, but by now realizing that there's more money than can fit into that chaotic mess in the Indian Ocean at this time, I believe -- slowly -- there's some perspective being gained here.
Should the US pledge ANOTHER 350M to this area immediately without stepping back and seeing how the current logjam of relief eventuates? I think not. Yet. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 578
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 10:27 pm: |
|
I know of no charity that returns funds. They get so many small checks, it's not cost effective to return the money. I give them credit for saying this out loud, rather than simply collecting and collecting. I wouldn't call it bait and switch. It's not like the said give us more money, and then used it someplace else. They simply got more than they could use in Southern Asia.
And why ar they "Liberal?" Just because they're based in France? |
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 2966
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 10:51 pm: |
|
I say that based on some of their political statements they make when they stray from their medical charge. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 580
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 11:00 pm: |
|
I must have missed those. I'll have to google them and get more details on them. Serious question - Are they more Liberal than the Red Cross?
(btw, I'm still pissed at the International Red cross for failing to recognize Magen David Edom, while recognizing the Red Crescent) |
tulip
Citizen
Username: Braveheart
Post Number: 1915
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 6:14 am: |
|
Glad to see Secretary of State Colin Powell actually putting his boots on the ground for humanitarian purposes.
|
Phenixrising
Citizen
Username: Phenixrising
Post Number: 266
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 9:07 am: |
|
Right -- Liberal Doctors Without Borders are reminding people go give to other areas of concern, but not returning the monies that can't possibly fit into their pledged/intended area (tsunami affected areas) and keeping it in their general fund for future expenditures.
As I recall, Bernadine Healy of the American Red Cross resigned her position over the same bait and switch.
cjc
I wish you would do your research before posting such nonsense!
There's no comparison in what the Red Cross did with the 9/11 monies and Doctors Without Borders. At least they posted on their website that the following monies NOW will go to future dilema's.
read on:
www.doctorswithoutborders
A Special Note Regarding Donations for South Asia Disaster Relief
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has received an extraordinary outpouring of support for the people of South Asia and we are extremely grateful. As you know, it is very important to MSF that we use your contribution as you intend it to be used. This is why we want to let you know that at this time, MSF estimates that we have received sufficient funds for our currently foreseen emergency response in South Asia.
Right now, thanks to the generosity of our supporters, our teams are on the ground providing assistance to people affected by this disaster and carrying out multiple assessments in the region in order to determine how MSF can provide the most effective aid to those in need. We will continue to assess our financial needs as the scope of our operations in the affected areas becomes clearer over the coming days.
We kindly request that you contribute to our general Emergency Relief Fund, which is enabling our quick response to the current disaster in South Asia as well as humanitarian needs in war-torn Darfur, Sudan, and elsewhere in the over 70 countries where MSF is working around the world. The Emergency Relief Fund provides a resource for MSF to draw upon immediately when a crisis occurs, allowing a quick response to events where the speed of our response is crucial to saving lives.
Please understand that your support is very important to us–it is the support of individual contributors like you that is enabling us to send our emergency medical teams and relief supplies so quickly to help the people affected by the South Asia disaster.
*****************
And why call them Liberal?
Because they don't believe in your right-wing rhetoric? 
This group has contributed alot of unselfish & good work in going into areas that even the US has ignored such as war-torn Darfur, Sudan. It took General Powell to bring the Sudan problem to our president's attention. |
Earlster
Supporter
Username: Earlster
Post Number: 819
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 9:11 am: |
|
cjc, you used to be one of the more reasonable conservatives on this board.
Guess the election win went a little to your head, showing your true colors now. |
Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 2289
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 2:20 pm: |
|
A Fact to Ponder:
Saudi Arabia has pledged $10 million for millions of Muslim refugees of the tsunami disaster.
Last year, Saudi Arabia reportedly raised $150 million dollars for the families of suicide bombers.
-s.
BTW: When was the last time your gasoline was pumped by someone whose first language was English? (no xenophobia implied, of course...) |
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page