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"The Rounds" Friday, January 7, 2005
* * * * * * * * * * Preface I'm sure no one is surprised I'm running a week late on getting anything up. To those who have e-mailed me, apologies for not getting back to you yet. I've got scores of e-mails backed up, and will deal with them as I can. In respect to the dead and injured, this week's column is a single story. I tried to work myself up to writing about New Year's Eve parties around the city last week and other such upbeat stories -- and there were plenty, despite numerous cancellations by many places of the festivities planned for those venues. It somehow just didn't seem . . . well, didn't seem right to write about such matters at this time. [Saturday, January 7, 2005] * * * * * * * * * * Disaster Strikes As the entire world knows, this part of the world has been devastated by a series of earthquakes and tsunamis. Here in Thailand the most sorrowful individual death was that of the Grandson of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen. I join everyone here in expressing my sorrow. As I write -- 1:40 P.M. Bangkok time January 1, 2005 -- the death toll is pushing up towards the 150,000 mark. And the need to get those bodies buried has passed the critical stage. I haven't even watched television today; the mind numbs, but I, at least, can take only so much of seeing bulldozers shove bodies into trenches. There is no criticism in my saying that; I fully understand the need. My relief (so far) that no one I know was hurt or killed is darkened by my knowing people who lost family members and friends. The other day I was in Bourbon Street Restaurant talking with Doug Harrison, the owner; he lost several friends and had others injured. In one instance, a family of 6 -- the father, mother, 1 daughter, and 3 sons -- lost all 3 sons. Another friend of mine, a lady who works in a Washington Square bar, told me that night she had lost her uncle, cousin, the cousin's wife, and all 5 of that couple's children. Such stories abound; part of the sadness is that they are so common. Gnawing away at everyone, of course, is the worry about what the total death toll will be in the end -- not only the direct deaths caused by earthquakes and tsunamis but also the deaths that will come to some of the injured and those resulting from disease. One story making the rounds in media in other parts of the world is that people shouldn't send clothing, food, and the like but to send only money. In the first place, there is a desperate need for such relief -- clothing, food, and other material aid, I mean. And that comes from people on the ground. I myself have talked to people (by phone) in the south of Thailand who say so. There is, however, a need for trying to coordinate relief efforts. For our part here in Washington Square, one Squaronian who has lived here nearly 30 years and who owns a company that among others things operates a small fleet of trucks organized a hasty relief effort, donating a truck and driver. I am helping with the publicity and trying to coordinate with other groups; there are many similar private efforts underway, and some of the other groups have no way to transport what they're collecting, and the guy with the trucks wants to make his trucks available to them. We also raised over 12,000 baht overnight -- one donor alone kicked in 10,000 baht -- and he took that money to buy water, which reportedly was the single most critically short consumable. I, for one, am well and truly happy to see 2004 behind us. The stories keep pouring out. Not many of those stories are pretty. Lord Almighty -- think about Indonesia. Approaching 100,000 dead. Last night I went out with a lady I know, and she crawled all over me for caring too much -- but what else can we do? Not that she doesn't care, mind you; turns out she lost a family member. But like most Asians, she is a Stoic. Efforts are coming together. As an American citizen, I'm happy to know my country has committed some money and has a Carrier Battle Group -- that of the Abe Lincoln -- in the region to assist. China is helping, big time. American Secretary of State Collin Powell and Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the brother of the American President, are present as I write. George Bush the Elder and Bill Clinton have joined forces to raise money. And that's just America and China. The EU is making major contributions. So are other individual nations and regional groupings. For example, Japan has made a serious commitment. The list goes on. [Tuesday, January 4, 2005] It is Friday the 7th; I just found an e-mail from my aunt in Texas informing of of a relief effort underway there. Here is the info for anyone who wishes to check into it. (I am not familiar with the organization involved.) Go to this web site for the relief effort of the Texas Baptist Men group for information on how to donate. Time to go ahead and get this up. [Friday, January 7, 2005]
* * * * * * * * * * Enough for one go . . . Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt * * * * * * * * * * E-mail Change Notification Sign-up Sign-up here for e-mail notification when I add or change something on the site. Just go to the sign-up page. * * * * * * * * * * Where Is *Your* Name??? So you've been a slacker and still haven't signed up for the free BangkokAtoZ.com Updates Mailing List??? ;-) Well, get with the program and sign up right now to be notified via e-mail whenever we add something to the site -- that way, you don't even have to visit the Updates Page to see if there's anything new -- we'll let you know by e-mail. If you want to sign up, just go to the sign-up page. I'm pleased to say that more and more of you are signing up, and I urge all of you not to hesitate! * * * * * * * * * * Where is *Your* "Traveler's Tale"???
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Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 by Kurt T. Francis, except as noted otherwise. Materials by Christopher G. Moore, Dean Barrett, Richard K. Diran, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, and Hardy Stockmann are copyrighted © by those respective authors. All rights reserved. Please see the Copyright Notice for further information. Click here for our Privacy Statement Please direct all inquiries to mekhongkurt at bangkokatoz.com |
