Tsunami aid
Posted on December 30, 2004
Filed Under News, General |
Unless you’ve been living in a bubble the past 3 days, you know the devistation that has struck the coastal regions of the Indian Ocean.
CBC Indepth
BBC Indepth
CTV Top Story
NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab animation of the tsunami, QuickTime format
CBC’s Map of the effected countries
The initial reports had the death toll at 20,000 but that was before contact was made with the remote regions and islands of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Somalia, and Thailand. Current expected loss is over 100,000 souls, and could possibly double due to desease and starvation. For people from these developing and third world countries that did not have much to lose in terms of material objects, their loss of loved ones and community is something that we in the “Western Bubble” cannot come to appreciate, as we watch the video of the water crashing ashore over and over again, on the 24hr news channels, on our big screen TVs, isolated and insolated in our warm and cozy suburban homes.
Here is Rex Murphy’s Point of View.
I applaude many nations who have quickly announced large initial contrbutions of funds, aid, and debt relief.
They include $40 Millon from Canada, 50 millon Euros from Spain, and 21 Million Euros.
Many other nations have already sent aid, medicine, water and water filtration equipment, from Germany, Finland, Isreal, Australia.
Unfortunately some other nations have been less responsive, including Canada and the US. Both leaders have continued to enjoy their vacations in Morocco and Texas, respectively. Granted that modern communications may allow them to coordinate officials effectively, it is a leader’s presence in a time of need that makes them a “leader”. With regard to the US, calling $35 Million USD a substantial contribution when the budget to rebuild Iraq is $18 Billion, and over a Trillon USD that has been spent on the “war”, and countries a fraction the size of the US, such as Canada and Spain are contributing more. Bush’s incomprehensible words on the US aid, [the US is a] “very generous, kind-hearted nation, and, you know, what you’re beginning to see is a typical response from America.”
If that kind of aid contribution, that is a typical response from a rich and powerful nation, is stingy, considering the inauguration will cost $40 Million, makes you feel that want to be very generous and kind-hearted, then give to:
Médecins Sans Frontières
Canadian Red Cross
Oxfam Canada
UNICEF Canada
CARE Canada
And know that your funds will be put to good use by these organizations, unlike most of what goes to the old boys in Ottawa and DC.
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[…] xsit? In today’s Toronto Star, the list of missing Canadians from the December 26th tsunami was published. The Star’s editor-in-chief Giles Gherson was on CBC Radio1 this morning a […]
[…] lief by the federal government. Please give if you can to one of the organizations listed below.
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