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Tsunami Hit Asia/Pacific Islands this morning...

Camel26

Camel26

2nd Level Yellow Feather
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If ya didn't hear, there was a major tsunami, probably one of the worst in a century, that hit Indonesia, and many of the Pacific Islands, along with parts of Asia and even Africa, early this morning. There are about 11,000 people dead, and thousands more injured and/or homeless.

Why am I being morbid?

One of our moderators, Mistress Valerie, lives in that region...and I'm scared...so if anyone has heard from her, can you post so that the Jewish Mother in me doesn't have a heart attack??

For the many members who may live in the regions affected by today's events, my heart and prayers go out to you and your families...
 
Yeah I was wondering about that too when i seen that..Hopefully MissyVal is okay. Sad what happened...weve been having some wicked weather all over lately. kinda makes you wonder.
 
Hi, babe, and thanks for your concern. I'm ok, since the Mariana Islands are far enough away not to be severely affected, but the entire area from Indonesia to as far as east Africa has experienced deadly flooding.

Article at http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20041227/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_earthquake

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - An earthquake of epic power struck deep beneath the Indian Ocean on Sunday, unleashing 20-foot tidal waves that ravaged coasts across thousands of miles and killed nearly 11,800 people. On Monday, legions of rescuers spread across Asia, searching for survivors and rushing aid to the hundreds of thousands injured or left homeless.

The death toll along the southern coast of Asia — and as far west as Somalia, on the African coast, where nine people were reported lost — steadily increased Monday as authorities sorted out a far-flung disaster caused by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake, strongest in 40 years and fourth-largest in a century. ...
 
Thank God you are okay MissyVal! that was pretty devestating..the whole quake/tsunami event. I mean..here in ohio every few years we get a quake..which is petty..like a 3 at most..almost like someone falling down really hard basically. Just..the weather all over has been really weird. I mean..Lots of snow everywhere..in places that usually dont get it. My area here got 18 inches..we usually see about 8 at most. after last nite and today..we are up to 21-22 inches easy. Texas got like 13 inches..i mean..its texas..warm texas..hmm..makes you wonder.
 
Glad to see you are OK, Val. I know several missionaries in the Indonesia area. I am praying we will hear good reports from them as well.

What was the Richter scale rating of the earthquake that triggered it, any one know?
 
kyhawkeye said:
Glad to see you are OK, Val. I know several missionaries in the Indonesia area. I am praying we will hear good reports from them as well.

What was the Richter scale rating of the earthquake that triggered it, any one know?
Click to expand...
9.0 from what i heard
 
Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes 🙂 We might yet get hit if there are aftershocks and a north-travelling wave, but hopefully it won't repeat. This is the scariest Pacific event since the devastating "supertyphoon" that hit the Marianas two years ago.

Love to all,
 
I'm so glad you're ok...my ler was trying to calm me down on the phone from work, I was so concerned about you babe...I'm just so relieved...

And you're right, NT, the weather HAS been crazy all over...I wonder...
 
In the aftermath, its very good to see the relief efforts working so quickly and together rather than trying to hog the glory for themselves. We need to turn a horrible thing into a miracle.

I too am glad you are all right Val.
 
Yeah...every day the tolls get larger and larger, turning into this unfathomable number...

...even if you're not a religious person, pray...

...I wish I could do more than pray...but for now, that's all I can do...
 
Not to be snide or anything, and I'm not accusing anyone here of anything, this is just a general remark rather since it was brought up by your request we pray....but....its funny how people start praying and believe only when theres trouble and its convienient. Sort of like how people don't give to cancer research until someone they know has been affected by it, otherwise they could care less.

People should pray all year round, every waking day, not just for the good of their soul but for things like this as well.

Alot of people simply do not know the power of prayer. And alot of people's prayers are not answered because they are appealing in the wrong way to whichever supreme power they believe in. God, the Buddha, etc. are not magic genies here to grant us wishes when we need them. We serve them, not the other way around.

How can God answer your prayers if you have no relationship with Him?

Whether you are christian or not, the following quote is universal by way of faith-

"Where two or more are gathered in My name, there shall I be."

So Camel is right, let us all pray over this, dispite to whom you are making your appeals and dispite your level of commitment to your faith or religion, if any. Praying in false lipservce however will do no one any good especially if you don't believe the words coming from your own mouth or mind. These prayers have to be real and genuine. You would be decieving nobody, especially God, by being any other way.

I'd suggest people go to church if you don't regularly go. Most churches and mosks, etc., have a chapel type area made specifically for prayer and are open 24/7.

Its a proven fact that miracles are more numerous when people are gathered en mass toward a common goal. This isn't just a religious ideal, but a practical one in reality. Its my hope people come together on this. Those people over there need our help.
 
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Thank you Val. 🙂

I think any POSITIVE, selfless means of meditation, whether it revolves around an actual belief or not is a good thing that more people whom have no spiritual sense of direction could and perhaps should practice.

Whether athiests realize it or not, their well wishes and intents do not go unheard and even their contributions, however much or little that may be do help in the greater scheme and karma of things.
 
Glad you are alright, Val 🙂

About praying, I respect everyone's beliefs of course, but I would like to tell my opinion on that, based on my own belief: prayers, or the equivalent in religions in which praying is not practiced, like meditation, are actually more useful to people who actually pray than to people we are praying for.

That's, in my opinion and according to my "religious feeling", because with praying we should feel the harmony of the universe and the connection with the whole, and so on.

But what is really helping people, the ultimate prayer, is action: the best way to pray for people in south-east Asia is giving something, even if it's not much, I myself gave 20 euro, little more than 20 dollars, through a humanitarian association, the best I could do. Many little offers and offers from large entities can do much.

Also a powerful instrument to actually help those people is making the right choice from a politically point of view: the countries that have been severely hit by the tsunami risk an economical collapse in the next few months and years, in many zones agriculture is severely compromised by salt water invading large portions of cultivable terrain, there is the possibility that much western money invested there for tourism could be taken back.
That would be a catastrophe for those lands, that were just now slowly coming out of economic crisis following the development of China and India.

It is important to make pressions on western goverments not to take money back from those lands and convince the governments of those lands to invest part of that money in instruments to prevent damages and deaths caused by tsunamies, like existing in Japan, for example, or other natural disasters.

A single man could do much just thinking about that when voting or adhering associations that support this idea.
 
Very well said. Wishes and prayers are not enough sometimes, but they most certainly help and in some instances are more helpful than money will ever be or any worldly cure because it becomes a matter of the spirit and soul, the will and the conscience. And they can and are effective toward helping others, those prayers. Prayer and meditation are very similar and most faiths practice them, and either can be directed at helping others or making things happen.

In my experience, prayer removes obsticles and touches hearts, as an example. I need only to pray for it and it happens in some form, perhaps not how I expected or when, but it happens.

People need to not forget that these people just don't need physical assistance, they will have mental trauma no doubt. Peace of mind and hope and optimism amidst life's hardships is something you can pray for and pray to be instilled in others. Its not an empty wish or desire whether for you or someone else so long as you mean it and it will bear fruit as long as you nuture it.

If anything, in this situation specifically, prayer or the athiest equilvent Val provides us with, is a means to search your conscience and clear yourself in such a way that it prepares you to do the right thing, in this case, helping the people in any way you can, including prayer.
 
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Vladislaus Dracula said:
...
If anything, in this situation specifically, prayer or the athiest equilvent Val provides us with, is a means to search your conscience and clear yourself in such a way that it prepares you to do the right thing, in this case, helping the people in any way you can, including prayer.
Click to expand...

There is no doubt about that: the more you are in harmony with yourself, the more you will be in harmony with the rest of the world 🙂
 
I couldn't have said it better myself. Well done, my friend.

We often don't care what happens to others, as I said, we become indifferent because we are better off or these things never happen to us because we aren't on an island or some such. Self reflection, prayer, and just plain seeing these horrible things opens our eyes to a world we are ignoring.

Right now for example, here in California, we've been fortunate. This state, out of all the states has not had 1 major natural disaster that I know of. Yet word has it that the region I live near lies right on top of inactive fault line, techtonic plate or whatever you want to call it.

Its really only a matter of time, not if, when this fault shifts and places like L.A are destroyed and people die and/or lose their homes. Its speculated that it could happen in my lifetime.

Even though it hasn't happened yet, I know that I would want that same support that we need to give our neighbors over there in Asia.

One of my mother's friends actually comes from one of the islands over there (born and raised I think) and the day this happened I awoke to the sound of crying from the messege machine. This friend left a messege on the phone and she was just crying and crying and was frantic and wailing and explaining what just happened and she had to call two times just to finish what she was going to say (as the answering machines have their messege limits), and it was really sad.

It really put things in perspective for me right then and there. There I was, awoken from a peaceful sleep and having a good dream where at the same time on the other side of the world people were drowning, being carried away by the water, dead bodies floating, families broken up, and people running and swimming for their lives. Just the thought of it almost sends a shiver down my spine.

I was peaceful and ready to start the day with a yawn, and yet their day and life was about to end with a tear and a scream.

I don't know about you, but it really puts things in perspective, even if I don't take things for granted myself. Or at least I try not to.

I think its our moral responsibility to help those effected by this diaster. I didn't need a wake-up call, but I imagine alot of people do. And this one should be as good as any.
 
The death toll has jumped to 120 000 now. I'm don't want to be a bearer of bad news, but it will increase, and I'm sure we all know that. :sad:
 
By the time all is said and done, the toll will likely be in the hundreds of thousands. There was simply too much devastation to avoid that fact. I cannot possibly imagine what those unfortunate people are going through right now, but my heart goes out to you. The rest of the world should think on this tidbit as they measure their contributions: This could happen to any of you. If it does, will the worl remember you as being generous to them in times of hardship, or stingy? They will plan THEIR contributions accordingly.
 
The events of the Tsunami have been tragic with the ever increasing death toll. But being from Australia I am proud of being an Aussie, that we as a nation have been the country that was first to come to the aid of those in need with medical and army personnel (to assist with the distribution of supplies, establishing water purification plants etc.) being deployed to the worst affected area, our Government pledging $1 billion (the higest of any nation and doubling that of the US) and private and company donations exceeding $150M being the highest per capita in the world. Only last night we had a three hour nationwide telephon and raised over $20M.
I just wanted all around the world to be aware of the Aussies contributions in assisting in this tragedy.
 
*applauds* I knew I had a soft spot for Aussies for a reason...well done my friend--you, your country, and all of it's people...I'm so impressed you all came together on behalf of the victims...I don't think something like that would ever happen in the good old USA...
 
I just saw a wonderful article on the news about Australia's outstanding contributions to the relief efforts, including the setup of mobile field hospitals to accomodate the many sick and injured survivors.

I'll repost the links to my two favourite international relief agencies, for anyone who wants to donate or who just wants to get updated information:

International Red Cross, at http://www.ifrc.org or http://www.icrc.org
Doctors Without Borders, at http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Love to all,
 
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