If I could just drop everything and go traipsing about the world helping others I would but truth is I am busy helping many people in my general locale as it be so the funds will suffice, besides I always find that there are enough people showing up to aid in these situation, people with the real know how, the ones that most likely will be telling me I'm just in the way. I don't know much about the Gab to make comment but perhaps she is planning a trip to Australia and needs the Yoga to help her get along down under.
On Jan 19, 8:35 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > I can only ask Slip, why Gabby is doing Yoga - she must have > information we are going to have to live upside down. Unless it was a > typo and she's already taken to the hills with the bears? I tend to > avoid the money route and just go and do what I can if I have time. > > On 20 Jan, 01:52, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > People like to live on the edge never thinking that anything is going > > to happen until it actually does. > > > On Jan 19, 10:09 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I'm with Vam on this one - I even see climate change drivel as piss- > > > witter intended to stop us just seeing what's wrong and doing > > > something about it. Why does so much of our population live so close > > > to natural disaster with little or no protection against it? > > > > On 19 Jan, 15:13, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > That may happen but the predictability is sketchy, tectonic activity > > > > is fickle. I'm also wondering, and you might speculate on this, if in > > > > fact disasters are a way to cull the population of human habitation on > > > > planet Earth. I mean there are other forms of natural culling such as > > > > predator and prey and disease. So could these disasters be a Divine > > > > plan to maintain population levels. Basically what I'm seeing here is > > > > thousands of years for the population to reach half of what it is > > > > today and the short period of time in which it has doubled. The > > > > ramifications are serious famines in a broader sense, ie; once > > > > prosperous regions will fail to accommodate the needs of the > > > > population. As it stands today we are not feeding the world; where > > > > are we going to be in another 50 years?. > > > > So next time you talk to your God ask if this is part of the plan. > > > > > On Jan 19, 7:16 am, Pat <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > On 19 Jan, 12:45, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Some Food for Thought > > > > > > > Editor's note: Elizabeth McAlister is a professor of religion at > > > > > > Wesleyan University. > > > > > > > (CNN) -- We are all sick at heart to witness the unfathomable > > > > > > suffering in Haiti. Why do bad things happen to innocent people? Why > > > > > > Haiti, again? Even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said recently, > > > > > > "It is biblical, the tragedy that continues to stalk Haiti and the > > > > > > Haitian people." > > > > > > > How we make meaning of this suffering will be crucial to how we > > > > > > respond, in the long term, as a global community. > > > > > > > My Haitian in-laws, visiting from Boston, Massachusetts, to take > > > > > > some > > > > > > comfort with us, announced that the verse of the day on their > > > > > > favorite > > > > > > Bible Web site is from Revelation 16:18. "And there were voices and > > > > > > thunders and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as > > > > > > has > > > > > > not been since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and > > > > > > so > > > > > > great." > > > > > > > The word "earthquake" appears sixteen times in the Bible. It was > > > > > > clear > > > > > > to them -- and many other Christians -- that the earthquake was part > > > > > > of God's plan. Why God ordains such disasters is a mystery that is > > > > > > not > > > > > > ours to question. It is only our job to have faith. > > > > > > > A friend who barely escaped the collapse of her house in the quake > > > > > > writes that people in her Port-au-Prince neighborhood are living > > > > > > this > > > > > > time as the apocalypse. They are gathering en masse, singing hymns > > > > > > and > > > > > > praying nonstop as they wait for disaster aid -- and Jesus. > > > > > > > For them, the meaning of their suffering is clear. How else to > > > > > > interpret the collapse of their entire world, earthquake, famine, > > > > > > death, disease and drought? They are God's children living out the > > > > > > last chapter of the Bible. > > > > > > > Fundamentalist Pat Robertson says that the earthquake is the devil's > > > > > > work. Haitians are cursed by a pact with Satan that their ancestors > > > > > > made, he says. Distorting a Haitian national myth, he is referring > > > > > > to > > > > > > a famous Afro-Creole religious service said to have sparked and > > > > > > launched the Haitian War of Independence in 1791. Ironically, > > > > > > historians tell us that such a single ceremony never happened -- > > > > > > although surely there were many slave gatherings, and many > > > > > > Afro-Creole > > > > > > religious rituals in the region. > > > > > > > Haitians do not mistake African religiosity for Satanism as > > > > > > Robertson > > > > > > does, so for them the ceremony was a spiritually charged political > > > > > > rally. Slaves gathered to plan and inspire themselves for the > > > > > > outrageous feat they would succeed in performing: a slave > > > > > > revolution, > > > > > > the abolition of slavery, and by 1804, national independence. > > > > > > > Afro-Creole religion, known as Vodou, still underpins the philosophy > > > > > > of many Haitians, though by no means everyone. A spirit-priest I > > > > > > know > > > > > > reads the earthquake as an allegorical message from the spirits who > > > > > > infuse the land. "The land is our mother," he said. When you abuse > > > > > > the > > > > > > land -- deforest her, plant only one crop, overpopulate her, erode > > > > > > her > > > > > > soil -- she explodes, searching for a way to rebalance. > > > > > > > The spirit of the land had become sick with abuse. Her children -- > > > > > > the > > > > > > eldest ones, the ones in charge, the Haitian government -- had no > > > > > > policies, no laws to protect the land or use it wisely. The spirit- > > > > > > mother exploded with fever. "We know this has a scientific cause," > > > > > > said the spirit-priest. "But look how the government buildings caved > > > > > > in. This tells us something." > > > > > > > In the last several years there has been a saying among Haitians > > > > > > that > > > > > > "the country is finished." "Peyi-a fini," they say in Creole. It has > > > > > > been called a dying land, a failed state, a product of irreversible > > > > > > environmental degradation. > > > > > > > For social scientists, there is nothing metaphysical about the > > > > > > question "Why Haiti?" Longstanding structural reasons have produced > > > > > > a > > > > > > dysfunctional system long in crisis. Beginning as a French slave > > > > > > society, the nation was founded at a severe disadvantage. France > > > > > > demanded enormous payment for abandoned property after the > > > > > > revolution, > > > > > > starting a cycle of debt that was never broken. > > > > > > > Deep and abiding racism prevented the U.S. and Europe from > > > > > > recognizing > > > > > > Haiti for 60 years. Trade was never established on even terms. The > > > > > > military ruled the state, culminating in the brutal Duvalier > > > > > > dictatorship, which the U.S. supported. > > > > > > > No robust civil society developed -- there's no vigorous tradition > > > > > > of > > > > > > PTAs and town planning boards. A brain drain evacuated top talent > > > > > > from > > > > > > the country, while the U.S.-subsidized farm industry sent surplus > > > > > > crops to Haiti, undercutting local prices there. Farmers abandoned > > > > > > their lands, flocked to the capital, and built the shanty towns that > > > > > > have now collapsed into rubble, burying the innocent and vulnerable, > > > > > > strong and powerful alike. > > > > > > > The suffering Haitians are enduring is a natural disaster worsened > > > > > > by > > > > > > human-made conditions. It is a spiritual crucible. But it is also a > > > > > > crisis of meaning. For Christians it is to have faith, hope, and > > > > > > charity. For fundamentalist Protestants, it is to convert all souls, > > > > > > give aid, and wait for Jesus' return. For Vodouists, it is to regain > > > > > > balance with the land and the unseen spiritual world. > > > > > > > For many social scientists, it is to strengthen Haitians' capacity > > > > > > for > > > > > > self-government, to relieve the debt Haiti owes, to reforest the > > > > > > land, > > > > > > and to figure out how to divorce aid from dependence. > > > > > > > How we interpret the suffering of the good people of Haiti will lay > > > > > > the groundwork for how we walk forward. > > > > > > > The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of > > > > > > Elizabeth > > > > > > McAlister.http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/18/mcalister.haiti.faith/index.htm... > > > > > > What worries me is that there was a 6.0 earthquake, yesterday, in > > > > > Guatemala, some 65 miles deep (that's 10 times the depth and one tenth > > > > > the strength of the Haitian quake, so no real damage done), i.e., just > > > > > below the crust in the subduction zone where the Pacific plate is > > > > > moving under the North American plate. That coupled with the Haitian > > > > > quake makes me think that North America is going through a slight > > > > > 'turn'. Which might mean that Mexico City, LA or San Francisco is > > > > > next, as they lie further up the line from Guatemala. Time will tell, > > > > > I suppose. Tectonic movements are tricky to predict, but they do, > > > > > usually, move in circles around the plate boundaries. If an 8.0 were > > > > > to hit Mexico City, the world would soon forget about Haiti as the > > > > > population variance is some 13-fold, i.e., there would be 13 million > > > > > immediately affected (not counting outlying populations) and, of > > > > > course, most of the city is built on ground that liquidises very > > > > > quickly. It wouldn't be outside the realms of possibility that over > > > > > half the city could sink in 15 minutes given the right magnitude of > > > > > quake. LA and SF are slightly safer, but, of course, America's > > > > > logistics at disaster recovery were tried in New Orleans and failed > > > > > dramatically...have they learned any lessons?
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