Posted: 31st December 2004 16:52
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I'm not really sure what to say here, but the topic title should indicate what it's about: the massive Tsunami that was created on the 26th of December has claimed 135.000 lives so far, devastating the houses, families and lives of people from Indonesia, India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and countless other nations.
I was never the charity type. Sure, I donate some scraps every three months to the WWF, but that's hardly anything. I've donated 25 Euro (if I have the currency rates right, that's about 30 USD at the moment) to a Dutch organisation aiding the victims of the Tsunami. Really, while the entire First World woke up to find the newest DVDs and the love of friends and family, they experienced what probably is the shittiest Christmas since it was invented. I'm making this topic because I'm wondering how the CoN community has dealt with it, and maybe this topic can persuade some people to realize that what's just another video game for them can mean saving the life for somebody over there. -------------------- |
Post #68591
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Posted: 31st December 2004 18:26
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Last I recall, the US has donated $35M to the tsunami's cause.
... Canada, my shitty country, has donated $1M. ...Oooh boy. Am I ever glad I'm moving out of this dump in a few years... -------------------- "Judge not a man by his thoughts and words, but by the quality and quantity of liquor in his possession and the likelyhood of him sharing." |
Post #68594
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Posted: 31st December 2004 19:27
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It's unreal, the power unleashed by the tsunamis. I read on Yahoo News that they predicted that some of those tsunamis were traveling at close to 500mph.... At first I thought that was complete horseshit, since a hurricane can't even generate winds that are that fast, and air is generally a swifter medium than water... But according to Wikipedia, there have been documented tsunamis that travelled at 442 mph. That is frigging INSANE. They slow down as they approach land, but they gain in height. I cannot even begin to fathom what it was like for those folks on the beaches when those monsters hit.....
-------------------- Join the Army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill them. ~Pacifist Badge, 1978 |
Post #68596
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Posted: 31st December 2004 20:53
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![]() Posts: 589 Joined: 25/10/2004 Awards: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Quote (Silverlance @ 31st December 2004 14:26) Last I recall, the US has donated $35M to the tsunami's cause. ... Canada, my shitty country, has donated $1M. ...Oooh boy. Am I ever glad I'm moving out of this dump in a few years... Tonroto Star Information Link for today Link for press release, dated the 30th I'm glad you're leaving. People like you are too stupid to read the newspaper and keep up to date, and instead trash the country and think you're all that when we're doing a whole lot more. 40 million has been pledged. Not today, yesterday was the press release. Toronto alone is trying to pledge 1 million. One single city is trying to do more than what you're giving credit for an entire country. Link here. Please, keep up to date if you're going stalk with your holier-than-thou attitude. Or leave sooner. Either one works. -------------------- Visions of Peace - Four Generals, One Empire, and the Returners caught in the middle. |
Post #68600
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Posted: 31st December 2004 21:45
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I thought Canadians were pacifists?
![]() I have no clue what our government (the US) has donated. -------------------- Join the Army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill them. ~Pacifist Badge, 1978 |
Post #68601
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Posted: 31st December 2004 23:40
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![]() Posts: 345 Joined: 31/8/2004 Awards: ![]() ![]() |
$35 million.
I don't know where to go to donate anything, but I tell you, I was shocked when I first saw it. First I was like, "Holy canolie!!!! That don't look good!" then I was like, "I hoope those people are okay," then when I saw the death toll, I was almost paralyzed. I'm glat that the people that could be saved were though. -------------------- "No matter what happens, I will always be with you... forever." ---- Pocahontas, Pocahontas "Only those who are already at the top are rewarded without trying."----- Delita Hyral, Final Fantasy Tactics http://www.ffshrine.org/fft/fft-midi/1-42-back_fire01.mid ---- My favorite FFT battle song |
Post #68607
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Posted: 1st January 2005 00:21
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Quote (Kilakandra_DiMenia @ 31st December 2004 18:40) $35 million. Come now, you forgot a 0. US Pledge Donation = $350 Million -------------------- The clouds ran away, opened up the sky And one by one I watched every constellation die And there I was frozen, standing in my backyard Face to face, eye to eye, staring at the last star I should've known, walked all the way home To find that she wasn't here, I'm still all alone -Atmosphere "Always Coming Back Home to You" |
Post #68612
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Posted: 1st January 2005 02:56
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![]() Posts: 519 Joined: 10/12/2004 Awards: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Way to give the facts Elessar, I knew our country donated more than $1. Oh Canada...
-------------------- This is my world: (Got my second chapter up, 3rd Chapter about 80% complete) http://www3.sympatico.ca/daniel876/homepage.html |
Post #68616
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Posted: 1st January 2005 03:08
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Quote (Elessar @ 31st December 2004 15:53) Please, keep up to date if you're going stalk with your holier-than-thou attitude. Or leave sooner. Either one works. Who's getting the holier than thou attitude now? No personal attack was launched on you; thanks for doing the exact opposite towards me. Calm down. You sound rather uptight flipping out on new that were 100% true. Kindly refrain from further personal attacks, thanks. It's rather rude. ![]() This post has been edited by Silverlance on 1st January 2005 03:08 -------------------- "Judge not a man by his thoughts and words, but by the quality and quantity of liquor in his possession and the likelyhood of him sharing." |
Post #68617
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Posted: 1st January 2005 13:18
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Somebody call the Mounties... the 'nadians are infighting!
Thanks for our countrie(;s numbers, Tidu. 350 million, huh? Dizamn. I'm arguing with a guy on another forum right now about how this wil( change the region. He is saying that ll of the affected areas will t!rn to technology to upgrade their houses and buildings and make them tsunami-resistant.j.. I say bullshit. The small farming "illiages where a family of 8 lives in a little seaside shanty shack (say that 10 times fast) aren't going to get concrete-r$inforced retainer walls and flood trenches and stuff... it just isn't going to happen. I t)ink that the tourist regions will get those things impl$mented, but mostly the biggest changes will be the implementati*n of an early-warning system, like we and Japan and a few other countries have. -------------------- Join the Army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill them. ~Pacifist Badge, 1978 |
Post #68643
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Posted: 1st January 2005 13:34
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Let's face it, the little "unimportant" villageb aren't going to get much o$t of this. The sad truth is tha there re less lives to be saved there than in the bigger tourist regions. Though the most reasonable course of action, it is `uite a shame.
An early-warning system will be quite helpful. Although apparently signs of the incoming disaster were knofn nearly a full hour before it struck. hat still leaves very little time to evacuate densely-populated regions, though, so either way... Then again, it's hard to miss unusual activity in the for( of multi-story high waves directed towards the coast when it's only an hour away. :/ -------------------- "Judge not a man by his thoughts and words, but by the quality and quantity of liquor in his possession and the likelyhood of him sharing." |
Post #68645
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Posted: 1st January 2005 14:05
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That's the thing about tsunami's, though. if you are out in the deep-water of the ocean, a tsunami can pass right under you and you don't even know it. It's just energy, until it gets to shallower waters. That's when its speed decreases drastically, but the height increases. The speed and height of a tsunami are directly related to the depth of water they are in. The only warning sign the beachgoers had was the receeding waterline minutes before the waves hit. Seeing as how they haven't experienced anything like that before, they had no idea that this was a major warning sign that mother nature was about to bend them over. If the waterline receeds in a place like Japan or Okinawa, people know to get the hell away from the beach because they know what's comming.... but these poor folks had no clue.
-------------------- Join the Army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill them. ~Pacifist Badge, 1978 |
Post #68647
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Posted: 1st January 2005 17:36
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Quote (Silverlance @ 31st December 2004 23:08) Quote (Elessar @ 31st December 2004 15:53) Please, keep up to date if you're going stalk with your holier-than-thou attitude. Or leave sooner. Either one works. Who's getting the holier than thou attitude now? No personal attack was launched on you; thanks for doing the exact opposite towards me. Calm down. You sound rather uptight flipping out on new that were 100% true. Kindly refrain from further personal attacks, thanks. It's rather rude. ![]() I flip out on News that is outdated by 4 days when you posted, and 2 days since the press release making it irrelevant. Your news link is posted Dec 27 (google cache due to CBC's technical problems at the moment). Which makes me repeat myself. Keep up to date before you trash your country. The 1 million figure was fine when the extent of the disaster was unknown. Now everyone has upped the ante, including Canada and the United States. And yes, I attacked you. I attacked you because some of us are proud to live in Canada. Americans are not the only ones that are given to patriotism. Piss off. You trash this country on something with something that is blatantly wrong because of your own inability to keep up to date. Of course you're going to get someone that will tell you off. Kindly refrain from pretending you have the upper ground here because you didn't insult me personally. You did insult me. You insulted 31 million people by trashing 'this dump', and like any other countrymen, I am proud to defend this fine country. -------------------- Visions of Peace - Four Generals, One Empire, and the Returners caught in the middle. |
Post #68659
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Posted: 2nd January 2005 18:02
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I'm surprised they wouldn't have weather specialists who'd know this as a common fact (it's not as though there are that many natural disasters that can occure anywhere in the world)
![]() Hopefully early-warning systems would be sufficiently good to give people enough time to evacuate and secure what they can't take with them (houses, drinking water supply... ouch in regards to that last one, frankly; that'd really put a dent in any chance of immediate recovery). An hour or so is pretty much just enough to leave everything behind and get yourself away ASAP (and even then, traffic jams tend to get ridiculous when people panic). Kinda wondering if it'll be necessary if this was never seen before though. Then again, between assuming it won't happen again and was just a one-time freak accident, and killing an other 100k people, I doubt anyone would be willing to take a risk like that. This post has been edited by Silverlance on 2nd January 2005 18:03 -------------------- "Judge not a man by his thoughts and words, but by the quality and quantity of liquor in his possession and the likelyhood of him sharing." |
Post #68702
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Posted: 4th January 2005 19:49
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Okay i know i sound harsh but heres how i think:
God those ppl should shut up! I mean, how much animal lives does humanity claim every day, how much nature they destroy. And than, a tsunami hits them, takes away less than 0,0001 human population and theyre all omg? Grow up, humans arent worth more than nature itself or any other lifeform. If ur gnna cry, cry about the 680000 thousand of animals that dies by human hands every day. -------------------- This is my shrine to my enternal love,Yuna.if u wanna see it,click HERE .And i like con.btw i hate sex.but thats just a opinion.(i have to say it is to stay unbanned). And...I LOVE YUNA!!!!! Signed,Koji,destroyer of hentai. |
Post #68846
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Posted: 4th January 2005 23:35
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Well, there are something to the ends of 6 billion humans on earth. 100k is about 1/60,000th of the global population.
![]() The thing is, it's not as though 100k+ people died so much as hiow 100k+ people all died through the same event, and many, many, many more were wounded and/or had their lives completely ruined. Only the dead are given notice to, but a lot of people still have to live after this accident occured. -------------------- "Judge not a man by his thoughts and words, but by the quality and quantity of liquor in his possession and the likelyhood of him sharing." |
Post #68862
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Posted: 4th January 2005 23:41
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![]() Posts: 410 Joined: 20/6/2004 Awards: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Tsunami was a terrible distaster, and I truly do think the world would have been better off without it, but there is a silver lining in this cloud, as minute as it may be.
I've never been so impressed with the generosity of mankind as I have been recently. Hundreds of countries have banded together to support and donate to relief programs. I've heard stories of 7 year olds brininging in their piggy banks and donating their funds. I even witnessed first hand as the most moronic, crude, and obnoxious people in my class got up and donated money. It's good to know people still value morals over money. -------------------- TURKEY! - (The only way not to get blocked for using Fowl Language) |
Post #68863
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Posted: 5th January 2005 00:56
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Hey Ultimecia....
I had a sausage biscuit for breakfast. I ate two hotdogs for lunch, and the wife is getting a mean steak ready back home for me right now. Piss on animals. To even SUGGEST that an animal's life is anywhere NEAR the equivalent of a human life is about the most retarded thing I've ever heard. Go see what Maddox says about this stuff.... http://maddox.xmission.com/grill.html Moderator Edit Apropos, perhaps, but a bit off topic. Better suited for PM, perhaps? -R51 Edit ....you're right. I need to quit being a smartass. ![]() This post has been edited by Hamedo on 5th January 2005 13:15 -------------------- Join the Army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill them. ~Pacifist Badge, 1978 |
Post #68866
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Posted: 5th January 2005 04:40
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Am I (and, well, a good deal of gamdev.net) the only one who feels this is all just a race to see which country can look the most generous? Seems like there was a lot of finger-pointing made at other countries during the initial set of donations suddently followed by unexpected large increases in donations from cheap-sounding countries. And now it's "Well, country 'x' has donated 'i' money." "Yeah, but now country 'y' has donated 'j' money!" "Oh yeah? Country 'z' has donated 'k' money! Top that!" "The Dr. Evil Foundation has donated ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Top that, puny mortal countries!!"
...Not that I mean that any negatively. If it IS in part a race for pride and appearance, they've got my support. ![]() -------------------- "Judge not a man by his thoughts and words, but by the quality and quantity of liquor in his possession and the likelyhood of him sharing." |
Post #68880
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Posted: 5th January 2005 16:38
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Quote Okay i know i sound harsh but heres how i think: God those ppl should shut up! I mean, how much animal lives does humanity claim every day, how much nature they destroy. And than, a tsunami hits them, takes away less than 0,0001 human population and theyre all omg? Grow up, humans arent worth more than nature itself or any other lifeform. If ur gnna cry, cry about the 680000 thousand of animals that dies by human hands every day. ... You amaze me. You amaze and disgust me. Those people have lost the support of their parents, the happiness of their family, they wander through the rubble of everything they ever knew, and they should SHUT UP? You dare bagatalize the effect by saying that we kill animals? Animals kill animals, so even if we are not above them (which is a bizarre statement), we still have the right to do so. We should grow up, you say? No, if you're the alternative I'd rather stay a child, thank you very much. I can live with your imaginary patch, I can live with your warped ideas you so proudly display in everything you say, but this is where I draw the line. Rot op. And good day. Moderator Edit OK, OK, I think we've beaten him up enough. Certainly his opinion was ill-advised, but it's not the first time and he has a right to it, even though I think it's more than a bit daft myself. Let's lay off the topic now. -R51 This post has been edited by Rangers51 on 5th January 2005 17:54 -------------------- |
Post #68919
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Posted: 5th January 2005 17:45
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Quote (Djibriel) Those people have lost the support of their parents, the happiness of their family, they wander through the rubble of everything they ever knew, and they should SHUT UP? Hey now, animals are important too. For all we know, there could be some cat or dog out there searching in vain for its litter. Sure, we can kill animals for food and all, but right now there's a plethora of animal carcasses floating around the village with the human bodies. It's sad that life is lost, not a certain kind of it. =/ -------------------- It's gonna be a glorious day I feel my luck can change |
Post #68926
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Posted: 5th January 2005 18:11
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Irrelevant of the end result, lives have been lost and destroyed, and that's pretty much all that matters. It's a tragedy no matter what angle you look at it.
Although I have to say, that steak I had for lunch rocked. ![]() -------------------- "Judge not a man by his thoughts and words, but by the quality and quantity of liquor in his possession and the likelyhood of him sharing." |
Post #68929
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Posted: 5th January 2005 21:10
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![]() Posts: 2,034 Joined: 29/1/2004 Awards: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
156000 dead.
Many More injured. Many more missing. Billions in property damage. Mother nature has a cruel sense of humor I think. And maybe, yeah if this was 100 years ago ultimecias attitude towards this would be fine, but not in the new milennium. Not with the communication and resources we have and the ever growing idea of a global community. Where as in some instances i do think humanitarian aid is futile, in such a horrific event as this Tsunami, i think its very important. People all around the borders of the Indian ocean are going to suffer for years to come thanks to this. Its not their, or their governments, or western societies exploitation in this case; in this case they're victims of circumstance and there isn't a whole lot that could have been done to prevent it. I strongly believe in helping people who have fallen victim to circumstance, as I can relate on smaller levels. Sometimes when the world knocks you on your ass you need a helping hand, and i think its great that the world has united to help pull the indian ocean rim back up. -------------------- If you've been mod-o-fied, It's an illusion, and you're in-between. Don't you be tarot-fied, It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean? ~Frank Zappa Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way |
Post #68947
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Posted: 5th January 2005 22:36
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NBA players are chipping in as well. Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O'Neal, Jalen Rose, Pau Gasol, Bob Sura, and Mike Miller are all donating $1000 for every point they score in a game this week.
-------------------- The clouds ran away, opened up the sky And one by one I watched every constellation die And there I was frozen, standing in my backyard Face to face, eye to eye, staring at the last star I should've known, walked all the way home To find that she wasn't here, I'm still all alone -Atmosphere "Always Coming Back Home to You" |
Post #68952
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Posted: 5th January 2005 22:54
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Wow.... I hope Kobe has another 40-pt. game!
-------------------- Join the Army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill them. ~Pacifist Badge, 1978 |
Post #68953
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Posted: 6th January 2005 17:42
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It would be nice if they just donated a set amount rather than some total dependant on if they have a good game. They're multi-millionaires after all. =/
-------------------- It's gonna be a glorious day I feel my luck can change |
Post #69027
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Posted: 8th January 2005 19:09
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![]() Posts: 230 Joined: 30/1/2004 Awards: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
This is a terrible tragedy. So many people dead, so many more in severe danger of disease, I can't comprehend what it must be like for them.
I have friends who are from the affected countries. They've been deeply affected by it all, one of them was absolutely devastated to see his people suffering like that. My condolences go out to all of those who have lost family or friends to this disaster, and my prayers go with those who lost their lives. |
Post #69227
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Posted: 12th January 2005 05:28
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Well this reinforces the fact that pretending we live in a world without much death and destruction is a useless effort. We're not kids anymore and we see the grim details of the crap that happens. This is just overwhelming. This and the civil war in the Sudan, this and the Jews in World War 2, this and all the other human disasters throughout history. We live in a horrible world, and there's nothing we can do about it. All we can do is hope there's something better after this life.
-------------------- FFXI (Siren server) Tauu the Windurstian Tarutaru! White Mage & Paladin |
Post #69547
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Posted: 12th January 2005 05:49
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![]() Posts: 1,265 Joined: 23/3/2001 Awards: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
I do what I can, however I am one man amoungst thousands of others. This terreble incident is catastrophic. My sympathies for everyone involved.
-------------------- At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) |
Post #69549
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Posted: 12th January 2005 06:13
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It's sad when something like this happens cause it really gets people thinking. You think about what this has done to people, how many children are now left homeless, families shattered and what not. Yet, there are countless (well maybe not "countless") places around the world where people are starving, homeless, and in need of shelter like the recent victims. The amounts being donated around the world to the relief is ASTOUNDING. I heard that they were saying to stop sending money because they had more than they knew what to do with it. It's just sad to think that it takes a disaster to bring out the kindness in people, when everyday a similar stranded child lives hungry on the streets in some other city half way across the world.
However, whats worst to think about is the number of scams that have arisen from this recent tragedy. I saw on the news how someone stole a tin of money that was going to be sent to the relief. Fake internet donation funds. Just pathetic. Humans truly are cruel creatures. Survival of the fittest I suppose. -------------------- This is my world: (Got my second chapter up, 3rd Chapter about 80% complete) http://www3.sympatico.ca/daniel876/homepage.html |
Post #69551
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