[shuttertalk]

Just reading the news about the terrible earthquakes in China - how horrible! Are things ok where you are, wulinka and NT73?

[wulinka]

Hey Jules!

thanks for asking. We are fine in our part, and I think NT is long back and safe in his own country

some students said they could feel it, and today there were still after shocks.
The people over there, mostly in Sichuan, are in a terrible situation, locked and in bad wheather.
International help has to come in swiftly!

Greetings to all,

Uli

[NT73]

Yes, I came back to England on the 18th April. We read and see about it on the BBC or ITV news bulletins.
It must be pretty horrendous for anyone living there. And also the poor people in Burma.(Kandahar?)
At least the Chinese government seem to be doing something about it.
I thought of you immediately Uli, but I watch the posts for signs of life.

[shuttertalk]

Good to hear... oops, didn't realise you were back already NT...

[Zig]

I'm really impressed at the courage of the Chinese authorities to swallow pride and render themselves "open" in response to the people's need : I have no knowledge of Chinese culture or social make-up, yet feel that both the government's visible presence and their asking for international support, goes a long way towards enabling westerners to "identify" with China...which she needs, and , I think, so do we in the west.
It is of course also exemplified when stood against the attitude and standpoint of the Burmese junta; from what I gather, it is also to China's credit that her leaders are not drawn into politicised comment with her close neighbour. After all the Tibet publicity, this reflects well on China. I wonder, if out of all the terrible loss of life in Szechuan(sic?), a "good" thing to have the chance to emerge is a new understanding and rapport between China and the rest of the world.
One other thing: we are of course just comapring with Burma here..but I seem to remember not so long ago a little place called New Orleans in a country called America... didn't George "Dubya" act with a tad less celerity in helping the people in the Greatest Nation on Earth than China is doing now?

[wulinka]

well....

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/wo...927277.ece

“Transportation in affected areas is obstructed and it is impossible for our rescue teams to reach the disaster-hit areas. So the conditions are not yet ripe for us to allow international rescue teams into China.”

because transportation is obstructed??? Well, aren't they coming in with equipment just in order to get through??

uli

[NT73]

There were pictures on TV showing roads collapsed and broken up, and strewn with large boulders and trees.
Now this may be only one road, but the TV was claiming that the Chinese soldiers who were going to Wenchun county were having to walk 125 miles on foot. No doubt roads will be made passable in the near future, but as with any tragedy it is far easier to criticise than to cheer. I don't know wether you got the info about the dams there, that are having to be partly emptied because of faults in the structure, to stop them falling apart and flooding the lowlands.
But without power, communication is also difficult. Phones PC's etc don't work without power.
It would seem that Wenchun County has been 80% demolished.

And Zig, how long did it take us to get Tewkwsbury and surrounding areas from underwater.:/

[Zig]

Good points nt. Yes..even our water supply here, some 30 miles away, was affected for months after. Poor folks at Tewkesbury, Gloucester(and I gather in Yorks too) are still awaiting stability/remuneration/accommodation. Yes, sobering reflection indeed.

[wulinka]

I understand all you are saying (I think I do, and remember I am right here and talkign to the people), just feeling that such a human tragedy is not the right time to play out political issues, but
should be a time where people should be united in their efforts to help, regardless of nationality, political views.....

Uli

[Zig]

I reckon so. It's a bit like, say, a road accident victim: chances are, there's a lot wrong with them and they'll need different sorts of healing/help, some short-term, some long-term...but Step One is surely to get them on basic life support first.
There's a season for Getting Political, surely, but if someone is in need and one can assist them, the simplest thing is to render that assistance, I'd have thought. Of course, this is immediately challenging to one's sensitivities and "Comfort Zone"..but isn't that what growth is all about?
Another thing: in "healing transactions", we'd like to think it's just the "not OK" one that's getting healed....but in reality it's often the case that the "OK one"(the one in the privileged position to give) is changed, challenged and given opportunities for growth too. At such times as this, the choice seems polarised: if one does not help the one in need when one can, then one is actually abandoning them.
We in the west cannot have it both ways either: we all think of late that we've become "Tibet experts" and can nicely judge China from our armchairs; we'll also worry about China's methods of learning to become industrialised with a working infrastructure...yet it is that very fact of China's increased power, that she is in now in a position to help her people. And I think she's doing it in an exemplary fashion: it's no small thing for her to humble herself and admit her need of help...this is the self-concept of a mature being.
I'm just not sure about the word "should", to be honest: this word implies a degree of shame and judgement upon those who do not behave as we do or would like them to. If we concentrate upon the removal of the planks from our own eye, then we can be in a position to see clearly to help remove the speck of dust in someone else's, to be sure. I'm sure you're right though: perhaps there is a moral imperative to assist if one can: mind you, some nations may be stunted or immature or undeveloped for many reasons, and thus are hampered in their ability to render assistance. The situation in Burma elicits our judgment on the junta that stops aid being allowed into the country...but it could also remind us that Burma's leadership is pretty malformed and in need to. The "good" thing about crisis is that it can be a great motivator for very quick change, as indeed it is for any human who experiences personal crisis: it feels like death but out of it can emerge change and increased maturity.
We are seeing the suffering of 2 countries and the plight of people in need at present: quite appropriately too. Yet I think that in time, there'll be a wider picture emerging of how these nations change from countries-in-need to members of a global community. And...a baby makes many mistakes when learning to walk: it is unhelpful to beat it for being incapable...rather, it needs asistance in order to grow in the world to the point where it can not merely survive on its own, but contribute successfully to the society in which it lives.
My tuppenceworth anyway!