Wednesday May 7, 2008

We live in a world that is fast paced. No doubt about it- if you don't keep up with surrounding traffic you will get run over and soon you will be forgotten. On Saturday, May 3rd, a Cyclone hammered the country of Myanmar (Burma). As it hit the coast line it brought with it a wave surge that was 12 feet or higher. The affected area was a low, coastal area. Villages were completely destroyed. Reports, as of today, are saying that there may be over 50,000 dead and over a million homeless. Perspective- Hurricane Katrina- the loss of life was less than 2,000. Although it happened in 2005 it is still a topic of discussion in some circles. In contrast the Cyclone that has devastated Myanmar will probably be out of our collective memory sometime next week. The following will take you to some pictures and stories regarding this disaster- picture 1
Truly the sad thing is that former vice-president Al Gore has already come out and say this devastation is due to global warming. This is a sad case of an opportunist taking advantage of those whose lives have been lost. If you notice in the above linked article Mr. Gore is out marketing a new book. Shame on him.

As I read that article I noticed that nothing was mentioned about the fact that India had sent out warnings 2 days prior to the storm hitting the coast.

"...The people’s plight is not helped by the disposition of their Government. Running the country on a combination of internal repression and xenophobia, the junta seems not to have made up its mind that this is a tragedy that it cannot remedy on its own.

It certainly was not too concerned when the cyclone approached the Burmase coast. A spokesman for the Indian Meteorological Department revealed yesterday that it had given Burma two days’ warning of Cyclone Nargis. “Forty-eight hours before Nargis struck, we indicated its point of crossing \, its severity and all related issues to Burmese agencies,” he said. Weather systems in the Bay of Bengal are tracked by India by satellite."

The complete article can be read at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3883123.ece

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Elections, essential for a republican process (note- we don't live in a democracy, we live in a republic), just ended here in Indiana. All reports are showing that Senator Clinton edged out Senator Obama. I believe it will be enough to keep her in the race longer. It is interesting that here in Hamilton County, a republican stronghold, there was a strong showing of democratic ballots. One of the benefits of Indiana politics is the ability to cross over and choose an opposing parties ballot in the primary. Most Hoosiers seemed to enjoy being able to participate in an election that had some bearing on the national stage.


Tomorrow- Prophets- What, Who, Where and Why (part 2)