The best and worst of 2004

[Clodfobble]

Well this is certainly one way to look at it (from a CNN article about an American who was scuba-diving during the tsunami, then came ashore to help the victims):

"...the biggest thing they noticed was the absence of the stench of raw sewage that had permeated the air. 'She said the clean smell was amazing.'"

[elf]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

How big was the tsunami-causing earthquake? Big enough to make your days a fraction of a second shorter.

I find that fascinating.... not so much that the world wobbled from an earthquake -<small> these things have been happening since the dawn of time, no? and why wouldn't it cause planetary issues?</small>-, but that we have the technology to know and measure em.

[wolf]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

"...the biggest thing they noticed was the absence of the stench of raw sewage that had permeated the air. 'She said the clean smell was amazing.'"

That won't last long ...

Mass disaster sites start to reek within a couple of days because of the rotting carcasses and debris, and general lack of sanitation.

Another thought ... I wouldn't think diving near anywhere that you could clearly discern the stench of raw sewage would be a good idea.

[russotto]

Originally Posted by Beestie

Not a great video but good enough to get an idea.

The beach in the first part of the tape is not the place hit by the wave in the second part; there's an (obvious) splice. That leads me to believe the whole thing may be a fake, though it may be real footage spliced in after some stock footage.

[glatt]

Reuters is reporting that wildlife experts in Sri Lanka are baffled that there are no dead animals. Thousands of humans were killed, but they haven't found any dead wild animals.

You always hear about animals acting freaky just before an earthquake. Maybe all the animals in the wildlife park that got slammed by the waves quietly headed for the hills hours before the waves hit, and nobody noticed.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=7198022

[Roosta]

I've been to the Maldives three times in the past. These islands are so small, even a wave a metre high would flatten them. Apparently, the highest natural point above sea level in all the islands is only eight feet.

[elSicomoro]

Originally Posted by glatt

...or so Diebold would have you believe.

Here, glatt...have a tinfoil hat.

[Carbonated_Brains]

1,190 islands are spread over 26 atolls natural atolls, ring-like coral formations enclosing a lagoon, which gives the Maldives its unique appearance. They stretch for about 820 km from North to South, 130 km from East to West at the widest point and do not exceed a length of 4.5 miles or an altitude of 6 feet above sea level.

Cite: http://www.sun-vacations.com/geography.html

[Kitsune]

Good god. CNN is reporting this morning that the tsunami death toll is over 116,000.

[glatt]

That number is so large, it's difficult to comprehend. I'm not sure if I can comprehend it. In terms of casualties, it's like having a 9/11 attack every day for almost two months.

[tw]

Originally Posted by glatt

That number is so large, it's difficult to comprehend. I'm not sure if I can comprehend it. In terms of casualties, it's like having a 9/11 attack every day for almost two months.

These numbers are not hard to comprehend. 100,000 dead. Millions homeless. An MBA president many days later finally decides to send a massive ..... $35 million. That is 3 days in Iraq. Other figures suggest that is 1/2 day in Iraq. This is a moral man? The numbers are easy to comprehend. Do the math. We have an MBA as president who sat on his moral ass for five days doing nothing while people were starving - and then decided to pledge a few peanuts. Wave that American flag in pride.

Listen to overseas news reports. The generousity of a president who caused 98,000 dead Iraqis is so large - than he finally decided to pledge $35 million. And how much of that goes instead to Halliburton, et al?

Numbers are bluntly obvious. The moral president sees nothing in spending $400 billion to create 98,000 dead Iraqis - and nothing - also called $35 million - to help Tsunami victims. The numbers are bluntly easy to fathom ... if one does the math and does not listen to George Jr for the truth. He was rather blunt in his actions. Those are obvious numbers comprehended throughout the world - a paltry $35 million so that he does not look callous.

American aid should start at about $1billion - and be taken from the $billions we give to Israel every year - as if Israel needs any of it. Or the $8billion we gave to the airlines to pay their incompetant managers - no strings attached. Instead we pledged a massive $35 million. Right out the Visine commercial - Wooooowwwww.

Are you an American? Are you not proud of the mental midget anti-American president? The same man that Rush Limbaugh praises. Americans should be so proud of their so moral president - who sat on his ass for five days with no action beyond dispatching 12 C-130s. Wave that Ameircan flag proudly. All moralist should talk with admiration of the mental midget president ... and his $35 million.

[Undertoad]

I say we send all our aid via Israel.

Sri Lanka refused to accept a 150-member Israeli aid delegation which was set to leave on Tuesday for the island to assist operations

[Kitsune]

I'll wave my US flag proudly for the citizens of this country that donated $18mil in under three days out of their own pockets to the Red Cross, alone, to aid the victims.

I agree, though, that the government money should be much higher.

[russotto]

Originally Posted by tw

An MBA president many days later finally decides to send a massive ..... $35 million. That is 3 days in Iraq. Other figures suggest that is 1/2 day in Iraq. This is a moral man? The numbers are easy to comprehend. Do the math. We have an MBA as president who sat on his moral ass for five days doing nothing while people were starving - and then decided to pledge a few peanuts.

I might question the morality of someone who uses such a disaster to push his agenda on unrelated things, like Iraq, Israel, and airlines. However, instead, I'll just ask you for a peanut.

BTW, the first $400,000 was available immediately (not days later) and the first $15 million was pledged within a day. Aid on the scale of billions would certainly require a special congressional appropriation.

[lookout123]

. Aid on the scale of billions would certainly require a special congressional appropriation

and probably a better idea of how it could best be given. i'm thinking that the most appropriate aid cannot be determined in a 24 hour period. but i forgot, george bush is evil and incompetant, so whatever he did was wrong. what was an appropriate amount to send? what time frame would have been appropriate before we committed said amount? maybe we should have just loaded up some C17's with $100 bills and airdropped them on the islands?