Larian Studios Forums General Chat Terrible earthqueek in South East Asia

i think that unfortunately in this case what is needed is money and not anything else...

anything else may be inadequate... as it happens often... some organisations have received stock of long trousers and winters clothes that won't serve in Sri Lanka or Thailand... generous offer maybe but totally unefficient...

and for food it may be hard to know what is exactly needed (and humanitarian organisations have no real time to organize a collect in western population...) and what fits with alimentary habits...

contrary to most beliefs that more resource is still needed, most of them especially drinking water are still in warehouses undistributed due to lack of coordination in distributing aid to people in need.

i have seen on the tellie (malaysian news) & the daily reports from MERCY malaysia (non-profitable group that is comprised of doctors & professional meds) that went out to Acheh to help in taking care of survivors. they reported that the biggest problems are distributions, not the lack of resourse. well it doesn't mean they don't need more medication, water, clothing but u know what i mean, i hope. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />

& then there's this problem called aid-with-strings-attached. many people from all over the world have contributed & had all that come without anyone pinching it, i believe it will be a good start to help the victims to rebuild their lives. this is just rumours for now but i think it may become apparent soon; some countries are trying to get some contract out of the inflicted countries so that rebuilding effort will include the said donors should they accept the aid.

i hope that's not true. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" /> can they just give whole-heartedly?

... the free publicity isn't enough for some donors, eh? It really is getting to be quite the media circus, with corporations and governments bragging about how much aid they are pledging. I just hope the U.N.'s fears that pledges won't be honoured turns out to be unfounded...

We're also starting to hear about fund-raising scams; people are being warned to deal only with recognized organizations like Red Cross / Red Crescent or MSF, and not to respond to email and telephone solicitations. There always seem to be a few bits of human scum floating around trying to turn someone else's disaster into their own get-rich-quick scheme. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the updates from over there, janggut.

Maybe I'm naief but I can't hardly believe that there are people who does those kind of things and still, a human can be a angel and a devil at the same time. But I know that one day, those devils will pay for what they did to mankind and to the rest of the world!!! No one can walk away from their misbehaviour!!
There is a new item that the people in the suffering countries need: Jerrycans!! As much as you have, clean them up real nice (gasoline smells etc out!)and donate them for the victims so they will have clean water brought to them!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

In SA, we have not only set up accounts for donations, but our mobile companies have also established an "sms" (mobile text), donation system, where you can send the word "tsunami (amount in rands)" to a specific number and it will automatically add the amount you entered onto your mobile phone bill and the mobile company donates that amount on your behalf to the red-cross.

Also all of our major food stores have the facility to add any donation amount to your account. I must say that i was impressed with the organisation involved in setting up such easy and convenient ways to donate money, without having to go even a single step out of your way.

We have the same action put up in Belgium. You have to send "JA" to 3108. Then one € will go of from your Cellphonebill. And yesterday, a little girl from next door came at my door to sing "drie koningen" and all the money she collect is for the Tsunami-victims. Isn't sweet?

So what's "drie koningen" then? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

drie koningen = (duch for) 3 kings

It's when those 3 wise men from the east arrived at Jesus residence.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Ah, thanks Seth.

"Led by a star? Led by a bottle more like!" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

YVW

Dunno if it was a star or a bottle.
But they must have travelled fast to arrive there in such a short time (back then).
Maybe they went by train? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />

Nah, i think they had portals in those days.... we just misplaced the maps to all of them <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" />

@Womble
"Drie koningen" is a little song the children sing on the 6th of january. They are dressed like the 3 kings from the east. One is black, one is yellow and the last one was white. They carry a small star with them while they go from door to door and sing this song: "Drie koningen, drie koningen,
Geef mij een nieuwe hoed.
Mijne oude is versleten,
ons moeder mag het niet weten.
Ons vader heeft het geld,
op de rooster geteld."

It's hard to translate because in English is does not make any sense, but I'll try anyway:
"3 kings, 3 kings
Give me a new hat
my old one is worn out,
our mother cannot know about it
our daddy count the money on the abacus." (frame with balls for calculating)

... Our mom can not know,
While dad is counting the money ...

Makes you wonder what the real story is about that song...
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shhh.gif" alt="" />

Ok, in that case i wont try to translate some of our afrikaans songs <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" /> cause poor ol' Setharmon will have sleepless nights about their meanings <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" />

I did notice one very interesting thing today... None of my suppliers are currently selling (well displaying it for sale in anyway) the "tsunami dream" case from Thermaltake, they all took it off the shelves out of respect.....

Ok all, I tried to stay quiet I really did.

The US has donated well over 300 million dollars to this disaster already, the sent the brilliant man that is Colin Powell over there to assess things and more is coming I am sure.

Not only that but the US military has deployed more men and equipment to SE Asia in response to this disaster, that for anything else in the area since the vietnam war. Insulting the generosity of my country in this matter is personally insulting to me. The US gives 40% of all aid worldwide every year and charities in the country send millions more.

Im not trying to pick a fight but back off!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" />

edit addition

And another thing...looking only at the monetary donations a country has made is also very nearsighted, Have you any idea how much the deployment of all the troops and equipment we have send over there runs? any idea...didnt think so, the US is flying more helicopter rescue and relief missions than the countries themselves are able to! You people are really arrogant to assume the US is stingy and trying to alienate people in an event like this....youre making my head throb

Very doubtfully.
Never looses much sleep since I get so little.
And for Afrikaans...
There used to be a great guy from S-Africa on the forum.
Drakonis.
I guess he won't return. Last thing I heared he found a gf and they bought a farm together.
Anyway... thanx to him I would have less trouble understanding Afrikaans than you may think.

- And reading Tom Sharpe helped a lot too. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Afrikaans is not a difficult language if you have some roots in either german, flemish or netherlands (dutch).

I can assure you though, that some of the songs seem VERY weird when you try to translate them.....

I have some roots in either german, flemish or dutch... and a kind of english/scotish.
Most of those roots being carrots... but hey...
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Seth, drakonis the sunset watcher is still around. well, once in a while anyway but he usually pops up occassionally. with his girl bought a farm? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> heck, i hope it's not as bad as it sounds. i think that's an american way of saying 'gone to heaven'. maybe they did bought a farm. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Nero, i think u misconstrued my words. i never meant to point fingers at the US nor do i intend to. ok, just to straighten things out, the rumours i heard was that it's China (that's it. some chinese will post his invective then malaysia will be wiped out by billion-strong chinese army <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> ) but it's inconclusive & that it's rumour. people say things & even my country's leaders are pissed with politicians who made use of the disaster to increase their political mileage.

please, Nero, i hope u read this & understand. americans are among the first to arrive for help & the first were the navy. i thank God that americans were swift in their actions of mercy. & always will. so please don't take this wrongly when i say this; don't be so paranoid/defensive when we mention about countries that are dubious in sincerity. not everything is about u americans. doesn't mean i hate u. on the contrary.