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QueenBee
29-12-2004, 12:39
Not quite sure where to put this but I believe such news fit here.

I haven't seen a thread on this subject so I thought I'd start one. Any thoughts or comments on what is currently going on in Asia? They say it's the biggest catastrophy in modern time. I look at all these people on TV talking about all their family and friends that they've lost, and it's really sad. Apparently there are over 70 000 deaths (?) and many wounded and missing.

madeldoe
29-12-2004, 12:52
yep, it's the biggest earthquake ever recorded, a 9.2 i believe :( i dont even know what the proper thing to say is. *siiigh* i feel extremely stuid now :( :bum:

spyretto
29-12-2004, 16:55
My comment is that this catastrophy showcases the huge rift between the rich and poor countries - most of the victims were poor people who lived in something like houses in places that were not supposed to live. We - as the part of the developed world - are ok with exploiting these poor people at our convenience and remember them once such a catastrophy takes place. The rest were tourists residing in hotels that were not supposed to be there. That showcases another catastrophy, the one caused by the human to the environment ( and which of course turns against the human herself. )
They say that the victims of the tsunami might reach or exceed 100.000. This is so much bigger than 9/11 and I feel sorry for the victims but at least they didn't suffer much. They were swept away.

I also said to somebody - this is "God's Christmas gift to humanity" and she was upset about it. I don't think it's so much different than saying that it was "God's will". It depends on the way you see it.

freddie
29-12-2004, 18:13
Well, you CAN see it from a cynical point of view, but there are also other aspects of it. I like how humanitarian organizations responded, and how people are giving contributions for basic aid and rescue effords. Many people do care when they see something like that happening to fellow human beings. It shows a level of altruism that seperates us from the animals at least.

denial
29-12-2004, 18:30
I think it become catastrophy because no one expect such thing would happened in such area. I live in Malaysia .. we don't have earth quake... we are not even in the zone. In another word . its not suppose to happened here. But it did.

700km/hr wave force .. that hit the effected countries within 2 hours after the first earth quake.. even it posible to detect with those sophisticated equipment.. but it does sound too late to warn those victims..

My friend, a Christian lady .. she said . its not work of God .. its the work of devil... that God would never do such thing.

But my thoughts just wonder .. with such technology we have in this century..how man could build a nuclear proof tunnel far far down under the earth and cannot be detect with satelite which can see at least until 20 kms under the ground ( urrg.. can't remember.) .. you know.. whats going on under there? what actually the cause to the ..what was it call.. "earth plate" something to moved up that caused the big waves..

God's will? ..to me.. yes... because it happened.. for what reason? only God knows how and why...


PS: On Monday after the Sunday disaster .. I had to be at Petronas Tower on 49th floor at 8am where most people only start working at 9am. Late Sunday night was reading report that the tremor still going on once in like every few hours and will continue for few days more .. was I scared? hell .. yes!

Ruivelle
29-12-2004, 18:47
a second earthquake have just happened again in Aceh, Indonesia 6 hours ago ..... the last count 45,000 died there >.< :( :(

if this is really God's will , i hope this disaster will bring good things to the victims in the future

thegurgi
29-12-2004, 18:59
it's the biggest earthquake ever recorded, a 9.2 i believe
No, the largest recorded Earthquake was in Chile, it was 9.5, the 2nd biggest was a 9.2 in Alaska, this is now the 3rd or 4th largest with 9.0...

I've been following the news of this earthquake more than i did 911, i realised that a few people from school could be effected (My new RA is from Sri Lanka even and did go home for our winter break)... so, i'm a bit paranoid, hehe. I also find all this geology stuff fascinating and love hearing the geologists talk.

Supposedly, the force of both this Earthquake and the 7.0 Earthquake south of Australia that happened earlier that day, the planet shook on it's axis and the day was shortened by 3 miliseconds... how interesting!

QueenBee
29-12-2004, 19:03
I don't understand how this can be "God's will". What could possibly be GOOD when it comes to this disaster? People get help, and that's good, maybe they will be more prepared now and that's good too but think of all the people who died, all the people who lost friends, family, all the wounded people. The hospitals are full and there's a big risk for infection as there's not enough medicine and no air conditioning. Corpses are layed out all over temples to be identified. Seeing something good out of this situation is just about seeing the positive things. But maybe I just think that way 'cause I don't believe in god. And if he really does exist then he must be completely out of his mind.

forre
29-12-2004, 19:05
God's work! Devil's work! Why to go in there generally? The tectonic plates moved and caused the earthquake. Since the plates moved under the water, it caused those waves. The technology for detection in that area is not set but the signal was registered. Thai authorities knew it but chose not to cause panic.

Well now, the fact of a natural disaster is here. Now people help each other at the locations and throughout the world. People will help people and not any God or any Devil for that matter.

To spy & Co.:
I heard today one person said that the catastrophy cause some poplulation reduction in Asia and that will make some vacancies for the jobs. Certainly, the cynicism has no limits.

denial
29-12-2004, 19:21
well.. last time we talked about how we should control the world population .. now we see how nature handle it .. its way...

So I guess ...that tectonic plates .. we cannot control it..

QueenBee
29-12-2004, 21:24
I just watched yet another report on TV and it showed a man re-uniting with his 2-year old son. The boy has been called "The miracle boy". You can check a clip with them here (http://wwwb.aftonbladet.se/vss/streaming/tv_fonster/0,5208,m0ny041229hannes,00.html). I just look at the boy and feel so sorry for him.. I mean, his expression is so blank. Either he doesn't understand what has happened or... well, I think it's post traumatical stress... His face expression is so blank..

This is such a tradegy, but I still can't help thinking differently. Why don't we see any special mentions about the starving children in Africa? Swedish television mentioned just Swedes in their reports, which is understandable, but you would have thought they could mention people from Germany of Finland or any other country ONCE.

Kind of hard to express myself. :/

forre
29-12-2004, 21:51
Swedish television mentioned just Swedes in their reports, which is understandable, but you would have thought they could mention people from Germany of Finland or any other country ONCE.
Yes, including newspapers. Seems like the catastrophy is about Scandinavians only. :hmmm:
Anyway, UN reports that ca. 5 000 000 people are in a huge need of basic help like fresh water, food and simple sanitary means. First help from Australia seemed to have arrived already. The devistation in South Asia is total and International Health Organisation fears that the number of dead will be doubled as a result of infections and contageous deseases.

QueenBee
29-12-2004, 21:56
The funny thing was, people asked the people in Sweden who are "held responsible" (I don't know how to explain this) why they don't ask for help from big countries like USA. And I must say the room went very quiet and then you could hear "Uuhhmm... ehhh..." :lol:

The water etc. makes it even worse. If there was clean water, medicine, healthy air etc. it wouldn't have been as bad as it is. But you can't really expect more, besides, everyone is in shock and the hospitals are completely full and there isn't much time.

forre
29-12-2004, 22:05
I saw that press-conference live and yes, some answers were not given and some are ended up by talking around. Sad, certainly sad. They had to recognise that they didn't realise the grade of the destruction directly. I guess that's the most right answer why they didn't act fast enough and why they didn't ask for help. Pride? :rolleyes: You just may guess ...

Western survivors will come back to their safe homes with lots of everything while Asian local population is left with thousands of corpses those can't be even burried or burnt because the West asked not to in order to be able to identify its citizens. It's such a hard dilemma.

What can I do to help? Will probably send some money to the Asian fund. That's all I can do.

spyretto
30-12-2004, 00:44
Well, you CAN see it from a cynical point of view, but there are also other aspects of it. I like how humanitarian organizations responded, and how people are giving contributions for basic aid and rescue effords. Many people do care when they see something like that happening to fellow human beings. It shows a level of altruism that seperates us from the animals at least.

Yeah but this was bound to happen. Why don't we get it together when we don't have to face a catastrophy like that one is beyond me. And India say they don't need any help :rolleyes:

haku
30-12-2004, 15:09
The latest count is 130,000 dead.


This is probably the biggest natural catastrophy since antiquity (in terms of the amount of kinetic energy involved, the planet even shifted on its axis).

Humanity has been rather lucky during the last centuries, there has been no major natural catastrophic events, this one is a reminder that such things exist, and this one was still a "regular" tsunami, there is worse:

- Mega-tsunamis (http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2000/mega_tsunami.shtml). Contrary to tsunamis that are caused by submarine earthquakes, mega-tsunamis are caused by massive landslides that generate waves that are several hundred meters high and travel at over 900 km/h.

- Supervolcanoes (http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/1999/supervolcanoes.shtml). Instead of erupting regularly like standard volcanoes, supervolcanoes are pockets of magma that build up during thousands of years until they finally explode. The supervolcano of Yellowstone is the most studied on the planet since it could explode anyday, when it does, a third of the US will be destroyed.

Igor
30-12-2004, 20:06
http://img145.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img145&image=ruumiita4ft.jpg :(

teeny
30-12-2004, 22:06
Seems like the catastrophy is about Scandinavians only.It's the same in Denmark.. The huge headline tells the story of 419 Danes missing (7 dead so far) while a minor headline says that above 118.000 died in total. Why is it that the focus is so out of perspective?

QueenBee
30-12-2004, 22:38
http://img145.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img145&image=ruumiita4ft.jpg :(
:eek: That's awful.. you can see all the dead people lying there.. :(

simon
31-12-2004, 00:48
I learned in an email today that one of my colleagues and several members of his family are believed to have been killed by the tsunami in Sri Lanka.

Early British coverage was obsessed about what had happened to British people, but that changed as the scale of the disaster unfolded. But relatively few British people are believed to have died, whereas over 1,000 Swedes are feared to have died.

At over 130,000 dead so far, this earthquake is clearly the worst natural disaster since the cyclone that killed 138,000 people in Bangladesh in 1991. It's also on the same scale as the 143,000 people that died in the Tokyo earthquake of 1923. It's obviously going to overtake them in terms of numbers killed.

About 200,000 people died in the Gansu earthquake of 1920 and another 200,000 in the Tsinghai earthquake of 1927.

The two biggest natural disasters of the 20th century were the 1970 cyclone that killed 300,000 to 500,000 people in Bangladesh and the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China that officially killed 242,000 people and unofficially is estimated to have killed 650,000 to 750,000.

The worst natural disasters in recorded history are the 1887 Yellow River flood which killed about 900,000 people and the 1556 Shansi earthquake also in China which killed 830,000 people. An earthquake in 1201 in Egypt and Syria may have killed over a million people.

What's unique about this disaster is not the loss of life, but its geographical spread. And because so many visitors were caught up in it, it's affected people around the world.

PowerPuff Grrl
31-12-2004, 01:01
Not to take attention away from the victims, but I just have to comment on the audacity of Bush. He has created his own coalition (which includes Japan, Australia, and I think India), separate from the UN to assist the nations that were hit.
The one time where nations can put aside differences and exude unprecedented levels of compassion and this chimp has to, just has to throw politics into the whole goddamn thing.

simon
31-12-2004, 01:37
I'd also like to point out that the self-appointed leader of the international rescue coalition (George Bush, not Kofi Annan) originally offered to donate $15 million. By comparison, the British government originally offered £15 million (about $29 million). When it was pointed out that $15 million was less than half what he was planning to spend on his inauguration party, Bush increased it to $35 million. The British government increased its donation to £50 million ($96 million). So he offers a fraction of what Britain gives and he proclaims himself the leader? I believe the expression in Texas is 'all hat and no cattle'.

UPDATE: I discovered that the United States' extra $20 million isn't a gift - Bush is offering to lend it to the affected nations. As well as Britain, several other governments are each giving more the the US - Sweden ($75 million), France, Canada, Australia, Japan, Germany, Switzerland and Norway. How come the four biggest donors aren't even in Bush's 'leading' coalition?

freddie
31-12-2004, 02:53
Honestly I think that all those talks in millions are far from enough. Large developed nations should be offering anything from half a billion to a billion dollars. Somehow I belive international humanitarian aid agencies such as UNICEF and Red Cross will bring in much more cash then all the contibuting nations put together.

madeldoe
31-12-2004, 04:44
The one time where nations can put aside differences and exude unprecedented levels of compassion and this chimp has to, just has to throw politics into the whole goddamn thing.

lol i love that sentence :D


a similar but lesser know chimp, my boss, made this statement earlier today "well if it's any consolation, they didnt have much anything" :rolleyes:

jedi15
31-12-2004, 11:29
my country was effected too.
almost 70,000 ppl died
its a very bad thing that happened.
i cant belive my eyes.

freddie
31-12-2004, 12:20
Make a donation (http://www.supportunicef.org/site/pp.asp?c=iuI1LdP0G&b=276341) fokls. Every little bit helps. People are starving NOW. Diseases are spreading NOW. Donate NOW!!!

spyretto
31-12-2004, 12:46
ok, thanks for the info freddie. :) I hope the money are put to good use - and not to useless aid.

mulder
31-12-2004, 21:46
For those in Britain who wish to donate, go to www.dec.org.uk which is co-ordinating the collection of money for several organisations including Oxfam and the British Red Cross.

If you are reading this and you can donate anything, no matter how much, please give to whichever organisation you wish in your Country. Whatever you give will help people who have literally nothing.

And please watch out for the usual scum who try to profit from these disasters - never reply to an e-mail asking for money. Go to the official websites directly by typing the address in your browser.

freddie
01-01-2005, 04:54
Esimated figures in Indonesia seem to be suggesting 400.000+ casualties. Insane. :none:

redmartini
01-01-2005, 05:06
Jeez. How awful... god bless them... :(

Khartoun2004
04-01-2005, 02:04
Dude this is so insane... That's it, I'm moving to the moon where there's no geologic activity what so ever... Or better yet, Mars, so there's a little bit of atmoshpere to protect me from meters.

Anybody want to join me?

freddie
04-01-2005, 02:21
Only if they have Burger King. Or at least KFC.

Khartoun2004
04-01-2005, 15:51
Freddie, you've got a deal.

QueenBee
07-01-2005, 01:32
Hey, can I come too?

Tsunami satellite picture: http://www.davesdaily.com/pictures/280-tsunami-satellite.jpg (copy + paste)

denial
08-01-2005, 06:30
received this by email ..

http://www.nichya.net/fh/asian_tsunami_satelite.jpg

haku
08-01-2005, 11:07
http://www.nichya.net/fh/asian_tsunami_satelite.jpg
This is a picture of a cyclone in the Atlantic ocean heading for Florida, USA. Nothing to do with the tsunami.

QueenBee
08-01-2005, 11:18
I was just going to ask if this was a real picture, as it looks fake for water, so thanks for clearing that up Haku. :yes:

spyretto
09-01-2005, 00:51
I know conspiracy theories are thriving but here's the deal:

from "Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Nuclear Testing" by LILA RAJIVA

In the aftermath of a cataclysm like the Asian tsunami, speculation can run wild. Reserving judgment until we really know what happened, here is a list of salient questions and answers that I,ve compiled from news reports, government and other reliable sources.

Q: Is underwater nuclear testing common?

A: Yes, The United States has conducted 1,054 tests of nuclear devices between July 16, 1945 and September 23, 1992. Before 1962, all the tests were atmospheric (on land or in the Pacific or Atlantic oceans) but overall the majority - 839 - were underground tests. From 1966 to 1990, 167 French nuclear test explosions have been performed on two atolls in French Polynesia, Morurua and Fangataua. Of the 167 tests, 44 were atmospheric. Atmospheric explosions were carried out until 1974, but only underground tests after that. The underground tests have been conducted at the bottom of shafts bored 500-1200 meters into the basalt core of the atoll. Initially these shafts were drilled in the outer rim of the atoll. In 1981, most likely due to the weakening of that rim, the tests with higher yields were shifted to shafts drilled under the lagoon itself.

Q: What are the effects of underwater nuclear testing?

A: To quote from a 1995 case brought against the French government, Case T-219/95 R, by Marie-Th&eacute;r&egrave;se Danielsson, Pierre Largenteau and Edwin Haoa, all residing in Tahiti, French Polynesia: "Short-term effects include geological damage and the venting of gaseous and volatile fission products into the biosphere. Nuclear tests, the applicants say, can cause landslides and did indeed cause a major underwater landslide at Mururoa in 1979, when a nuclear device was exploded after jamming half-way down its shaft. Since the geology of Mururoa is already unstable due to large-scale fracturing caused by previous tests, further major landslides are likely. Such landslides in the past have given rise to tsunamis causing coastal damage in areas as far away as Pitcairn and Tahiti and endangering residences such as that of Ms. Danielsson. They can also release radioactive material into the sea, with catastrophic effects on the food chain in an area such as French Polynesia where fish is an important part of the diet.

Q: What were the effects of the Murarao landslide?

A: It shifted at least one million cubic meters of coral and rock and created a cavity, probably 140 meters in diameter and produced a major tidal wave comparable to a tsunami, which spread through the Tuamotu Archipelago and injured people on the southern part of Moruroa Atoll. French authorities initially denied that any mishap had occurred and declared that the tidal wave was of natural origin, but in a publication in 1985 they did acknowledge "the accident of 25 July 1979".

Q: Can landslides create tsunamis?

A: Research on underwater landslides is new and it is only in recent years that the potentially catastrophic results of a landslide have become known. Dr Summerhayes, Director of the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences in the United Kingdom, is quoted in the Independent Newspaper on 9 September 1995 as saying that volcanic islands like Mururoa were:

"... inherently unstable and may fail given an appropriate trigger like an earthquake or a very large explosion. Failure is likely to cause a giant submarine landslide which may demolish parts of the island and could create a tidal wave that may itself damage coastal installations on other islands nearby."

Furthermore he stated that the creation of such a tidal wave was "a general threat to coasts as far away as New Zealand and Australia."

http://www.counterpunch.org/rajiva12302004.html

denial
09-01-2005, 05:39
This is a picture of a cyclone in the Atlantic ocean heading for Florida, USA. Nothing to do with the tsunami.

Oh thank you very much Haku. I doubt it too.. *goes to lecture her gf* ... :blabla:


And Spy... thanks for the ""Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Nuclear Testing" ...

QueenBee
26-01-2005, 01:26
I just thought I'd show this for anyone who's interested
Aftermath (http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/asia_earthquake/index.html)