[LINK] perspective

[Skeeve Stevens]

Hey Karl,

I've had this conversation everyday for the last few days with a few people.

People are going 'wow, the floods are tragic' and while I am saddened by the loss of life (14 or so) and the loss of property… I am a little 'yeah… And?'

This is not me being unsympathetic, but like your post, I reply with 'What about the nearly 500 dead in Brazil? What about the hundreds dead in Cambodia recently on the bridge? And what about those in Pakistan 2000 dead with 20million affected???'

Do we just care a whole lot more because they are Australians?  We're all people and we all have value… Here or there.

My view is that whilst it is tragic what has happened in Brisbane, we will get over it.. Quickly most likely. Some property lost, and some lives – but very few in perspective.  At least we have a society in which quick recovery is possible, especially for those with insurance – less easy for those without.  Many of the other examples in other places in the world, entire towns were lost… With little way for those people to recover… Ever.

I was disappointed to see news.com.au, smh.com.au and the telegraph websites giving SOOO much space for the Brisbane floods, where the Brazil 500 dead was a little one liner.  I wonder what Brazilians, Pakistanis, and others when they see how little their – in essence, much bigger tragedies are given so much more focus.

I am sure those in Brisbane suffering some sort of loss… That their world is ending… For them this is a terrible time.  For us though, please give a thought to those around the world whose tragedies which are far far greater.

...Skeeve

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Skeeve Stevens, CEO
eintellego Pty Ltd - The Networking Specialists
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On 14/01/11 5:30 PM, "Karl Auer" <kauer at biplane.com.au<mailto:kauer at biplane.com.au>> wrote:

As we contemplate the Queensland floods:

- in Sri Lanka, about a million people are now homeless due to recent
floods. The direct death toll so far is about fourteen. This report is a
few days out of date:

   http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/10/3109287.htm

- in Brazil, hundreds have died in floods and landslides that happened
about the same time as the Queensland floods.

   http://www.euronews.net/2011/01/13/brazil-flood-deaths-near-400/

- six months ago, 1600 died in floods in Pakistan.

   http://www.euronews.net/2010/12/21/pakistan-planting-for-hope/

- Bangladesh 2009 - 500,000 homeless and 30 dead. Worse in earlier
years, like 2007 with over a thousand dead in a cyclone, after another
thousand or so died in earlier floods. Several million across SE Asia
displaced/homeless.

Regards, K.

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au<mailto:kauer at biplane.com.au>)                   +61-2-64957160 (h)
http://www.biplane.com.au/kauer/                   +61-428-957160 (mob)

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