The best and worst of 2004
 

List them people.
The best thing that happened was John Kerry losing the White House. :thumbsup:

The worst thing that happened was George Bush winning the White House. :thumbsdn:

I'm not sure about the Kerry part, but I agree on the Bush part. I don't completely despise GWB, but there are advisors and members of his cabinet that I would have been overjoyed to see leave, preferably through an upper floor window. :eyebrow:

BTW, the thumbsdown :thumbsdn: is spelled thumbsdn if you want to get the smiley. I'm guessing you somehow overtyped it.

I think a tsunami that wiped out most of the coastlines of SE Asia and the Indian Subcontinent probably qualifies as one of the worst of 2004.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...wl_nm/quake_dc

7,000 dead and many more anticipated. The scale of this event is almost unimaginable.

12,300 dead at last count. Nature versus man is putting up man vs man numbers. I can't get my head around the scale of this thing.

As of this morning, that death toll is estimated 23,000. Imagine enough corpses to fill all of the seats at the Alamo Stadium in San Antonio, TX.

Before Saturday, I'd have said Those Four Hurricanes were the one of the best and worst things to happen in 2004 simultaneously. Best because I'm a weather buff and I love big weather events. Worst because it was four hurricanes all hitting the same region in a span of about 6 weeks. I miss my tomatoes and the general quality of citrus around here sucks.

my sister is in Phuket. She was up on a mountain side riding an elephant when the destruction occurred. Her hotel is completely gone. Other than the 3 hours for the elephant ride she had spent all her time on the beach right in front of her hotel. An hour into the elephant ride she was pretty mad at her friends for talking her into the whole elephant thing because she would much rather be sunbathing on the beach. A little while later she thought otherwise. She lost everything but the cloths she is wearing and her camera. Her passport is longgone but she does have her life. Her friends that she went with are ok, but a couple of people they had dinner with the night before are missing.

How did you hear from your sister? Are the internet Cafes up and running? Is she still in the area, or did she move on to another city?

A sports utility vehicle is wrapped up in power lines on Patong Beach, Monday, Dec. 27, 2004, in Phuket, Thailand. Rescue teams converged on beaches and remote islands in search of the missing Monday as the Thai prime minister said that up to 700 people perished when earthquake-spawned tidal waves devastated idyllic resort areas of southern Thailand. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett)

she had become acqainted with the owner of an internet cafe before this happened and she gave my sister access for a couple of minutes so she could let us know she was ok. we're still waiting to hear more.

Holy Cow. That's a near hit. (I don't like saying "near miss" because it was a full miss, and a near hit.)

I can't imagice 23,000 people that were there at 6:45am and gone at 7:15am. That's insane.

This quake measured 9.0 on the Richter scale, the 4th largest earthquake since 1900 and the largest since the 1964 Alaska quake, but the tsunami's are what did most of the damage.

Sending good vibes out that way....

Radar, was your wife affected?

BBC reporter vacationing in Sri Lanka describes he and his 'partner' sleeping only 3 meters from the waves when the tidal wave struck. They were awaken by unusual sounds and yelling. They managed to run out the back, get carried inland, and hang on a tree for while. The tree is now gone. He describes the sudden quiet when flood waters stopped flowing.

His room was completely destroyed. Others had immediately assumed he was gone.

Last number I heard was between 22 to 23 thousand dead. But a number of 40,000 is not unreasonable. Massive areas in Sumatra have not yet been contacted.

The length of the quake is also unusal - about 1000 kilometers. Equivalent to a quake everywhere from LA to San Francisco.

Sometimes we must learn from experience. Its a fact of life - and death.

This after typhoon and hurricanes in record numbers on both the western Atlantic and western Pacific. Something like the 26th typhoon of the year struck only last month. I'm so upset. I can't even get a good tomato. Clearly god must be punishing the world for letting us elect George Jr.

OK, this covers two worsts. 1) The earthquake and all it entails, 2) THE MEDIA.

i'll post the link. my mother forwarded my sister's email to my aunt who apparently works at a newspaper. apparently the story wasn't interesting enough on it's own because the author decided that if my sister is a christian in Thailand she MUST be a missionary, and let's make it 3 years while we're at it. she isn't. she is an english teacher in Seoul trying to pay off student loans, she went to Thailand for Christmas because it was cheaper than flying to the states.

bad media

Did you know your sister is Amy Poehler??

http://cellar.org/2004/amy_poehler.jpg

uh, no. who is amy poehler? oh, and i also like that they used a photo from 4/5 years ago. i hadn't even paid attention to that.

Saturday Night Live cast member, very excellent comic actress.

excellent, i always knew my sister was funny, but famous? i'll have to hit her up for some money.

Perhaps your aunt was responsible for the story's embellishments ... you'll have to castigate her severely. The reporter may have actually just reported.

it's possible i suppose. i'll have to beat the truth out of her, next time i go to illinois.

Praise Jesus and pass the elephants.

Glad to hear that your sis is alright, Lookout. Some very, very scary stuff going on over there.

I'm also glad to hear she is safe! But...

"It is insane to think of all that was occurring as God sheltered us high above on the mountain," she said.

"It's not just a coincidence. It was God's hand that kept her safe," Ms. Smith's aunt, Barb Ritter, said.

...does this mean God purposely killed the 44,000+ other people?

yes. yes, kitsune that is exactly what it means.

God was bored, kind of like a little kid with a big lens standing over an anthill.

Worst thing: Me closing the Manifestos here.

Best thing: Me deciding to stay here and hang out with you guys...you're welcome. ;)

Video of the tidal wave....
 

Not a great video but good enough to get an idea.

From rooftop looking down on Patong Beach, Thailand:

Originally, I would have said that the worst event this year was the Utah woman that refused to have a C-section, apparently for vanity reasons, and one of the fetuses died.

Then came the incident in Skidmore, MO with the mother-to-be.

Now we've had the earthquake and tsunamis in South Asia.

I have seen and heard some really fucked up things in my 29 years of life...these 3 items are among the worst...the last 2 easily make my all-time top 10.

Oh...the best thing: Regardless of whom you voted for, the elections went relatively well...thank God!

...or so Diebold would have you believe.

Next time lets just ask Rove ahead of time who the President will be and save a few bucks.

How big was the tsunami-causing earthquake? Big enough to make your days a fraction of a second shorter.

Well this is certainly one way to look at it (from a CNN article about an American who was scuba-diving during the tsunami, then came ashore to help the victims):

"...the biggest thing they noticed was the absence of the stench of raw sewage that had permeated the air. 'She said the clean smell was amazing.'"

I find that fascinating.... not so much that the world wobbled from an earthquake -<small> these things have been happening since the dawn of time, no? and why wouldn't it cause planetary issues?</small>-, but that we have the technology to know and measure em.

That won't last long ...

Mass disaster sites start to reek within a couple of days because of the rotting carcasses and debris, and general lack of sanitation.

Another thought ... I wouldn't think diving near anywhere that you could clearly discern the stench of raw sewage would be a good idea.

The beach in the first part of the tape is not the place hit by the wave in the second part; there's an (obvious) splice. That leads me to believe the whole thing may be a fake, though it may be real footage spliced in after some stock footage.

Reuters is reporting that wildlife experts in Sri Lanka are baffled that there are no dead animals. Thousands of humans were killed, but they haven't found any dead wild animals.

You always hear about animals acting freaky just before an earthquake. Maybe all the animals in the wildlife park that got slammed by the waves quietly headed for the hills hours before the waves hit, and nobody noticed.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=7198022

I've been to the Maldives three times in the past. These islands are so small, even a wave a metre high would flatten them. Apparently, the highest natural point above sea level in all the islands is only eight feet.

Here, glatt...have a tinfoil hat. :)

Cite: http://www.sun-vacations.com/geography.html

Good god. CNN is reporting this morning that the tsunami death toll is over 116,000.

That number is so large, it's difficult to comprehend. I'm not sure if I can comprehend it. In terms of casualties, it's like having a 9/11 attack every day for almost two months.

These numbers are not hard to comprehend. 100,000 dead. Millions homeless. An MBA president many days later finally decides to send a massive ..... $35 million. That is 3 days in Iraq. Other figures suggest that is 1/2 day in Iraq. This is a moral man? The numbers are easy to comprehend. Do the math. We have an MBA as president who sat on his moral ass for five days doing nothing while people were starving - and then decided to pledge a few peanuts. Wave that American flag in pride.

Listen to overseas news reports. The generousity of a president who caused 98,000 dead Iraqis is so large - than he finally decided to pledge $35 million. And how much of that goes instead to Halliburton, et al?

Numbers are bluntly obvious. The moral president sees nothing in spending $400 billion to create 98,000 dead Iraqis - and nothing - also called $35 million - to help Tsunami victims. The numbers are bluntly easy to fathom ... if one does the math and does not listen to George Jr for the truth. He was rather blunt in his actions. Those are obvious numbers comprehended throughout the world - a paltry $35 million so that he does not look callous.

American aid should start at about $1billion - and be taken from the $billions we give to Israel every year - as if Israel needs any of it. Or the $8billion we gave to the airlines to pay their incompetant managers - no strings attached. Instead we pledged a massive $35 million. Right out the Visine commercial - Wooooowwwww.

Are you an American? Are you not proud of the mental midget anti-American president? The same man that Rush Limbaugh praises. Americans should be so proud of their so moral president - who sat on his ass for five days with no action beyond dispatching 12 C-130s. Wave that Ameircan flag proudly. All moralist should talk with admiration of the mental midget president ... and his $35 million.

I say we send all our aid via Israel.

Sri Lanka refused to accept a 150-member Israeli aid delegation which was set to leave on Tuesday for the island to assist operations

I'll wave my US flag proudly for the citizens of this country that donated $18mil in under three days out of their own pockets to the Red Cross, alone, to aid the victims.

I agree, though, that the government money should be much higher.

I might question the morality of someone who uses such a disaster to push his agenda on unrelated things, like Iraq, Israel, and airlines. However, instead, I'll just ask you for a peanut.

BTW, the first $400,000 was available immediately (not days later) and the first $15 million was pledged within a day. Aid on the scale of billions would certainly require a special congressional appropriation.

and probably a better idea of how it could best be given. i'm thinking that the most appropriate aid cannot be determined in a 24 hour period. but i forgot, george bush is evil and incompetant, so whatever he did was wrong. what was an appropriate amount to send? what time frame would have been appropriate before we committed said amount? maybe we should have just loaded up some C17's with $100 bills and airdropped them on the islands?

We have an executive in the government who can respond to unexpected events without Congressional approval? Russotto knew that when he posted a pathetic $15million response. The president knew the size and potential scope of this disaster that first day. He has the power to dispatch aid on minutes notice. Or at least he could if he read his Presidential Daily Briefing. He has fleets of thousand of aircraft that can be dispatched or be planning immediate transport on hours notice. Instead the NY Times says his response over many days was 6 C-130 medium transports and some P3 Orion surveillance planes. Pathetic that Russotto would ignore these facts as if there were politics involved. The president’s response was that pathetic - as the numbers in dollars and equipment demonstrate AND as world criticism so accurately notes. Especially when a response in the first hours and first days is absolutely the most critical to saving human life.

The military has a surge capability that can start in hours. No Congressional approval required as Russotto well knew. Where are three aircraft carrier groups when they are needed immediately? Waiting for orders that were not issued. One finally got word to get ready to go days later. Pathetic, along with a paltry $35million aid package.

What are the death rates - remembering that 3,000 died on 11 September that was a disaster of epic proportions? Probably 2,000 dead Americans alone. Maybe 6,000 dead Norwegians. American's presidential response was so pathetic than even private groups apparently did far more when response was must needed.

I have no time for silly photographs of crying people, shrouded bodies, and broken trees. I want fact found in photographs with real perspective. Finally found what the president would have had on his desk on Sunday. This from the NY Times are 12 photos that truly put the event in perspective Asia's Deadly Waves . Click on the first row "Photos: Impact" . Click on the second row "Before and After".

Sidebar: Diego Garcia is a rather secret American base that is (if I have the numbers right) less than 10 feet above sea level. It too was struck by this Tsunami. And yet we hear nothing. Curious.

What is required in the first hours and first day is obvious in every disaster of this type. Food, blankets, shelter, medicine, clean water, and bases for expediting future aid. It does not change. What comes later is determined by the first responders. But what comes later cannot be determined if those first responder are on the ground - ASAP. Lookout123 knew this. He just wants to argue.

Good link to those aerial photos. They are amazing, and tell a lot.

Also, according to Stars and Stripes, Diego Garcia felt nothing and is fine.

Since when was Diego Garcia secret?

Silence!!! you dare to question the statement of the infallible tw??? simpleton. sit back and allow him to bestow his infathomable knowledge upon you.

*remembers the smell of burning flesh*Are they going to be able to bury that many people all at once?

One of the biggest problems I have is the expectation of aid regardless of how people in the various parts of the world feel about us.

"Fuck you America! Where's my check?"

And you don't. Got it.

It's not a secret, but it doesn't have the exposure that Gitmo has, even though it has a greater role in our Mideast presence.

Edit: to say that I haven't heard of Diego Garcia in the news in at least a decade until I went out of my way yesterday or the day before to do a Google search to see if it survived the waves. Do you recall any Diego Garcia news stories in the last decade?

I agree. They love us when they get a big fat check though, don't they?

Obviously not. They whine that it's not big and fat enough.

They sound just like a lot of americans eh?

"Fuck you America! Where's my check?"

Try, "Fuck you, America! Your economy is worth 10 trillion, you spend billions each year to wage war to kill hundreds of thousands of people, but when millions of lives are in danger you spend only a fraction of that."

As a country we are, and always have been, much more interested in destroying than preserving. And that goes for more than humanity.

ok, let's start from scratch here. bush is evil, incompetent, and maybe incontinant as well. tw is the presidential advisor.

What would have been an appropriate response to the Tsunami's? Run it by the numbers. what do you do in the 1st hour? 1st day? 2nd day? etc. i want details, not "i would do more..." what dollar amount would be satisfactory? do we send in our military?

oh and keep in mind that we can't actually dispurse any funds until the foreign power officially requests assistance through the embassies.