I usually read your blog whilst at work and am always touched or amazed by what you do... the way you are in your role but also your compassion as a person... I'm of Pakistani origin and although luckily family and friends from where we come from shaken but ok, I just wanted to say thank you... cause I know so many people read your blog... so PLZ DO donate... every penny is needed... to the Red Cross, to which ever charity is helping... because thats what the people need... and your prayers.

Thanks Reynolds, you have a heart of gold.

T

There is a saying.

1 death is a tradgey. 1000 deaths a statistic.

But for every statistic there are dozens of tradgegies for those who knew them.

This is a tragedy on an almost incomprehensible scale - but an argument can be made that many of the deaths were completely avoidable. Unless ways can be found to disseminate reports like this one, we'll all be reading the same story from another place within a few years.

Very moving to read some of the comments at the bottom of this piece, too: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4321594.stm

Re the link regarding cane-reinforced adobe construction above: fascinating. One of the points they make is that unreinforced adobe walls tend to fall outward, allowing the roof to come straight down and crush everyone inside. Even if all the canes do is make the walls fall inward, they'll save thousands of lives, because then there would be some crawl space in the rubble. The other, much more depressing point, is how consistently solutions to problems are ignored. Somebody said after the New Orleans disaster that we don't really have *natural* disasters anymore. We know how to mitigate their worst effects, and if we haven't, they're less acts of God than man. (Gender-specific term intentional, because I'm feeling angry.)

Well, the bright side, I guess, is that we do know what to do, at this point. I wonder whether we'll ever go and do it, or whether the madness of Michael Crichton and his ilk will have us grunting in caves and sticking straws in our hair because the real problems are never dealt with.

And no doubt when they have recovered with enough western aid they'll return to hating us and teaching suicide bombers in their Madras's. Ho hum.

Yes, of course, because that's what the majority of people were doing.

Prat.

It jst puts all the things going on in my own life right into perspective. It's just such an awfully mind-blowing tragedy. I mean, I can't even IMAGINE what the rescue crews, and all the people who have lost loved ones are going through.

It just makes me so, so sad. That seems like such a small word to describe such a terrible thing but it pretty much sums it up.

There is nothing I can say, but something I can do.

Well Mr R. your post has made the Red Cross a little richer today - happy to oblige your suggestion - seems reasonable reward for your most excelent blog