Wednesday, December 29, 2004
There Are No Words...
Posted by Jason Dunn in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 12:00 PM
It wasn't until this morning, after reading a news story and watching several videos on the subject, that I fully grasped (if such a thing is even possible) how horrific the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis were that struck southeast Asia. I've been wrapped in post-holiday events and don't normally watch news on TV, so this event didn't become "real" to me until this morning. To those of you who were disappointed we didn't mention this until now, I offer you my most sincere apologies. And to Isaac who sent a rather scathing email to us this morning, you should have known better than to accuse us of not caring. It's always better to ask them to assume.
We normally don't post on world events, because it always seems that it upsets someone who has some dislike for the country/religion/ethnicity (which explains a lot of the problems the world has today), the conspiracy theories come up, the finger pointing starts, and we have to lock the thread before our community members tear themselves apart. I've come to realize that there is a time and place for everything, and a Web site about Pocket PCs is not the place to discuss politics, religion, or even most world events. I'm often stunned that, in matters of human life and death, people will be so petty as to bring up the fact that country "X" has a certain political stance that the don't like - as if it justifies their refusal to feel sadness or assist in some way.
All that said, I hope that in this case everyone can put aside their personal bias and focus on helping the victims of this terrible tragedy. To the families and friends of people affected by this, on behalf of the staff and volunteers of Thoughts Media, I offer you my most sincere condolences and prayers. If you're reading this Web site, odds are good that you're among the wealthiest 5% of the people on this planet, and it's time to put that to good use. Regardless of how much you can afford, I'd urge everyone reading this to make some sort of financial donation to support the relief efforts that are now underway. Google has a useful page with several organizations you can donate to. I've made my donation, and I encourage everyone to give as much as they can.
Let's unite our efforts and help the people who need it. In honour of the people who have lost their lives in this horrific event, there will be no more posts until tomorrow.
We normally don't post on world events, because it always seems that it upsets someone who has some dislike for the country/religion/ethnicity (which explains a lot of the problems the world has today), the conspiracy theories come up, the finger pointing starts, and we have to lock the thread before our community members tear themselves apart. I've come to realize that there is a time and place for everything, and a Web site about Pocket PCs is not the place to discuss politics, religion, or even most world events. I'm often stunned that, in matters of human life and death, people will be so petty as to bring up the fact that country "X" has a certain political stance that the don't like - as if it justifies their refusal to feel sadness or assist in some way.
All that said, I hope that in this case everyone can put aside their personal bias and focus on helping the victims of this terrible tragedy. To the families and friends of people affected by this, on behalf of the staff and volunteers of Thoughts Media, I offer you my most sincere condolences and prayers. If you're reading this Web site, odds are good that you're among the wealthiest 5% of the people on this planet, and it's time to put that to good use. Regardless of how much you can afford, I'd urge everyone reading this to make some sort of financial donation to support the relief efforts that are now underway. Google has a useful page with several organizations you can donate to. I've made my donation, and I encourage everyone to give as much as they can.
Let's unite our efforts and help the people who need it. In honour of the people who have lost their lives in this horrific event, there will be no more posts until tomorrow.
