[GCFL-discuss] tsunami victim count

[gcfl-discuss at gcfl.net]

I remember the holiday fatality counts.

I also remember the MAD magazine telethon.

But the tsunami death toll is not measuring how many of us are stupid or
inconsiderate enough to kill each other this year, compared to this time
last year.

It is a rare catastrophe that simply came out of the blue (literally)
with no effort by the humans concerned or their neighbors.

I think it is good to have some idea of the extent of the catastrophe, as
we go about our usual pampered lives.

If this had happened one thousand years ago, the affected area would have
become depopulated for a few generations, a few kingdoms would have
fallen to invasion and never recovered, whole regions would have been
depopulated until someone else moved in to claim them, while other
populations would have moved out of the affected areas and either
conquered some neighboring region where there was food, or been
slaughtered trying.

On the other hand, in most affected nations, there are areas totally
unaffected. Its kind of like a flood in the U.S. One block is devastated,
the next block, all the lights are on, the roof is keeping off the rain,
the TV is on, the refrigerator is stocked with food. One side of the
road, all the businesses are ruined. The other side of the road, all the
stores are open.

Its better to have some idea what is happening to our neighbors than to
go on as if nothing happened at all.

Siarlys