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Our teacher Herr Markus Knoesel...was on the papers today. His body was found by his thai girlfriend on Phi Phi Island.

Tomorrow is going to be our first day of school back from christmas...and I don't even want to go back cos I just can't cope with another memorial assembly just like my friend's in November. This is such a bad school year.

RIP Herr Knoesel.
Reply 121
I am so sorry. But you should go to school. As a respect. Your teacher will not be happy knowing his own student absent to school.
Reply 122
GAlamgir17
Asia Earthquake Humbles the People of the World but Western Governments Continue To Deceive With Their Arrogant Gestures of Aid

"No calamity befalls, but with the Leave of Allah, and whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart and Allah is the All-Knower of everything." [TMQ 64:11]

"Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return." [TMQ 2:156]

"And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the Ayah of his Lord, but turns away from them forgetting what (deeds) his hands have sent forth. Truly, we have set veils over their hearts lest they should understand this (the Qur’an), and in their ears, deafness. And if you (O Muhammad SAW) call them to guidance, even then they will never be guided.” [TMQ 18:57]

On Sunday the 26th December at 8 am local time, deep below the Indian Ocean, Allah (swt) -by His divine decree -ordered the seabed to violently shake. In addition, by His (swt) command the shaking of the earth set in motion mighty waves to roar across the sea at speeds of up to 500kmph and heights of 10s of metres until the surging tides slammed into coastal towns and cities across the continent. The waves hit India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma and several countries on the East coast of Africa causing a colossus of destruction and demolition. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes and left vulnerable to disease and hunger. Indeed, it is Allah (swt) alone who is the one who instructs the earth and the sea as He wishes, and it is He alone who takes life, and it is He alone who provides for his creation. The magnitude of this event should serve as a reminder to all those who witness it that Allah (swt) is the almighty and all-powerful and the only one worthy of worship.

In addition, by the grace of Allah (swt), Muslims and non-Muslims all over the world have been humbled by the forces that easily overwhelmed man. Many have been reminded of man’s dependence on his creator and how he exists only by Allah’s (swt) leave and His mercy. At the same time, we witness those who continue to surpass in their arrogance and their evil. Western powers have wasted no time in making great speeches of grief and concern and grand announcements of how they will rapidly make great strides to assist the disaster stricken people of the Asian earthquake. However, it is important that some greatly significant facts/quotes be considered when viewing this ‘Hollywood’ display of humanity by Western governments. Human disaster is not a new phenomenon –It is estimated that one third of all human deaths –some 18 million people a year (majority women and children) are due to poverty related causes such as starvation, diarrhoea, pneumonia etc that could be treated quite cheaply and easily.

The UN’s 2003 Human Development Report has demonstrated that the era of globalisation has accompanied such levels of poverty with a widening inequality gap, where the richest 5% of the world’s people receive 114 times the income of the poorest 5%. The global capitalists system and concentrated the wealth in a few hands with nearly half the world’s population living on less than US$2 a day consuming a mere 1.25% of the world’s global product. In 1998, the IMF, the World Bank and other international agencies loaned Indonesia (one of the victims of the earthquake) more than US$50 billion. However, with the bailout came stringent restrictions. The IMF-imposed austerity measures, which exacerbated the crisis, between 1997 and 1998, according to the World Bank, the number of Indonesians living in poverty had doubled. Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs speaking at the World Bank, Washington stated, “The IMF starts with the truth that budget deficits should remain small in order to preserve macroeconomic stability. Then it demands budget austerity of impoverished countries to the point where those countries cannot even keep their people alive. In addition, the IMF has repeatedly insisted on debt servicing that exceeds the combined spending of the health and education ministries.” A senior aid official in a meeting on development cooperation in Addis Ababa in February 2004 commented. “Donors are playing a dangerous game. You come with inadequate amounts that are highly conditioned and fundamentally unreliable, then you insist on negotiating as though you are a valuable partner, then you are surprised that these governments don't trust you”

Conclusion

It is sickening to see the Western governments, particularly the US and the UK who have from their own initiative created a humanitarian disaster of greater proportions in Iraq, suddenly make great claims that they want to help the disaster stricken in the world. Over the last few decades, Western governments have shaped the global capitalist system to ensure that the world’s wealth concentrates in their own hands, and have used tools such as the World Bank and IMF to consolidate poverty and famine in the poorest countries. The countries affected by the aftermath of this earthquake have long prior to this been suffering great poverty and famine and have therefore been unable to effectively respond to such a disaster. However, as opposed to rushing to their aid when witnessing their permanent stare of poverty, the West drove them to famine by means of the global capitalist system and using tools such as the IMF and World Bank. Therefore, when Western governments rush to help disaster stricken countries it is little more than hypocrital lip service as the cause for the permanent humanitarian disaster in the third world is the West itself. Only a complete upheaval of the global capitalist system and independence from the West will lead the third world to alleviation from their continual situation of poverty and suffering.



*yawns* any more insight from the religion of marxist propaganda? or would you rather Western institutions didnt contribute aid? do you think the governments of those nations affected had a responsibility to buy warning buoys instead of spending their money on arms? do you think you have a right to criticise the compassion of capitalist, Western institutions when they are providing the only opportunity of hope for the devastated populations?

fact check: the humanitarian concerns in Iraq are nowhere near that created by this natural disaster.
Reply 123
GAlamgir17
Asia Earthquake Humbles the People of the World but Western Governments Continue To Deceive With Their Arrogant Gestures of Aid

You must be twisted to believe that. What more can I say?
GAlamgir17
Asia Earthquake Humbles the People of the World but Western Governments Continue To Deceive With Their Arrogant Gestures of Aid

"No calamity befalls, but with the Leave of Allah, and whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart and Allah is the All-Knower of everything." [TMQ 64:11]

"Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return." [TMQ 2:156]

"And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the Ayah of his Lord, but turns away from them forgetting what (deeds) his hands have sent forth. Truly, we have set veils over their hearts lest they should understand this (the Qur’an), and in their ears, deafness. And if you (O Muhammad SAW) call them to guidance, even then they will never be guided.” [TMQ 18:57]

On Sunday the 26th December at 8 am local time, deep below the Indian Ocean, Allah (swt) -by His divine decree -ordered the seabed to violently shake. In addition, by His (swt) command the shaking of the earth set in motion mighty waves to roar across the sea at speeds of up to 500kmph and heights of 10s of metres until the surging tides slammed into coastal towns and cities across the continent. The waves hit India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma and several countries on the East coast of Africa causing a colossus of destruction and demolition. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes and left vulnerable to disease and hunger. Indeed, it is Allah (swt) alone who is the one who instructs the earth and the sea as He wishes, and it is He alone who takes life, and it is He alone who provides for his creation. The magnitude of this event should serve as a reminder to all those who witness it that Allah (swt) is the almighty and all-powerful and the only one worthy of worship.

In addition, by the grace of Allah (swt), Muslims and non-Muslims all over the world have been humbled by the forces that easily overwhelmed man. Many have been reminded of man’s dependence on his creator and how he exists only by Allah’s (swt) leave and His mercy. At the same time, we witness those who continue to surpass in their arrogance and their evil. Western powers have wasted no time in making great speeches of grief and concern and grand announcements of how they will rapidly make great strides to assist the disaster stricken people of the Asian earthquake. However, it is important that some greatly significant facts/quotes be considered when viewing this ‘Hollywood’ display of humanity by Western governments. Human disaster is not a new phenomenon –It is estimated that one third of all human deaths –some 18 million people a year (majority women and children) are due to poverty related causes such as starvation, diarrhoea, pneumonia etc that could be treated quite cheaply and easily.

The UN’s 2003 Human Development Report has demonstrated that the era of globalisation has accompanied such levels of poverty with a widening inequality gap, where the richest 5% of the world’s people receive 114 times the income of the poorest 5%. The global capitalists system and concentrated the wealth in a few hands with nearly half the world’s population living on less than US$2 a day consuming a mere 1.25% of the world’s global product. In 1998, the IMF, the World Bank and other international agencies loaned Indonesia (one of the victims of the earthquake) more than US$50 billion. However, with the bailout came stringent restrictions. The IMF-imposed austerity measures, which exacerbated the crisis, between 1997 and 1998, according to the World Bank, the number of Indonesians living in poverty had doubled. Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs speaking at the World Bank, Washington stated, “The IMF starts with the truth that budget deficits should remain small in order to preserve macroeconomic stability. Then it demands budget austerity of impoverished countries to the point where those countries cannot even keep their people alive. In addition, the IMF has repeatedly insisted on debt servicing that exceeds the combined spending of the health and education ministries.” A senior aid official in a meeting on development cooperation in Addis Ababa in February 2004 commented. “Donors are playing a dangerous game. You come with inadequate amounts that are highly conditioned and fundamentally unreliable, then you insist on negotiating as though you are a valuable partner, then you are surprised that these governments don't trust you”

Conclusion

It is sickening to see the Western governments, particularly the US and the UK who have from their own initiative created a humanitarian disaster of greater proportions in Iraq, suddenly make great claims that they want to help the disaster stricken in the world. Over the last few decades, Western governments have shaped the global capitalist system to ensure that the world’s wealth concentrates in their own hands, and have used tools such as the World Bank and IMF to consolidate poverty and famine in the poorest countries. The countries affected by the aftermath of this earthquake have long prior to this been suffering great poverty and famine and have therefore been unable to effectively respond to such a disaster. However, as opposed to rushing to their aid when witnessing their permanent stare of poverty, the West drove them to famine by means of the global capitalist system and using tools such as the IMF and World Bank. Therefore, when Western governments rush to help disaster stricken countries it is little more than hypocrital lip service as the cause for the permanent humanitarian disaster in the third world is the West itself. Only a complete upheaval of the global capitalist system and independence from the West will lead the third world to alleviation from their continual situation of poverty and suffering.


go away.
Reply 125
sry i havent read this thread at all but i hav somethin to say, the situation is a disaster zone, the death toll is like 138K and I was reading up on the changes in like the geography and apparently some islands have been moved like 60 feet from their original position from the shift in the techtonic plates...holy shi*.

also since one of the plates went under the other, the earth is slightly more "compact" now which means itll spin a little faster, by about 3 milliseconds, and that the axis has been tilted by about 2.5cm. but then they also said this shouldnt cause any permanent damage cause the N and S poles already shift by about 10m or something like that... haha. also i heard that like not 1 animal was found dead cause they all sensed the tsunami coming and fled to higher ground. anyways it probably wont cause the earth's rotation any long-term changes since it took place near the equator. dammit i hope the death toll stops goin up though...
alkaeda
sry i havent read this thread at all but i hav somethin to say, the situation is a disaster zone, the death toll is like 138K and I was reading up on the changes in like the geography and apparently some islands have been moved like 60 feet from their original position from the shift in the techtonic plates...holy shi*.

also since one of the plates went under the other, the earth is slightly more "compact" now which means itll spin a little faster, by about 3 milliseconds, and that the axis has been tilted by about 2.5cm. but then they also said this shouldnt cause any permanent damage cause the N and S poles already shift by about 10m or something like that... haha. also i heard that like not 1 animal was found dead cause they all sensed the tsunami coming and fled to higher ground. anyways it probably wont cause the earth's rotation any long-term changes since it took place near the equator. dammit i hope the death toll stops goin up though...


it will go up sadly...and the missing toll which (hope not though) shoot up as soon as school and work starts. no explanation needed i guess. i'm hoping my school won't have anyone else apart from herr knoesel. *sigh*
Does anyone know where you can donate online? Like to do my bit, only have a solo card though.
alkaeda
sry i havent read this thread at all but i hav somethin to say, the situation is a disaster zone, the death toll is like 138K and I was reading up on the changes in like the geography and apparently some islands have been moved like 60 feet from their original position from the shift in the techtonic plates...holy shi*.

also since one of the plates went under the other, the earth is slightly more "compact" now which means itll spin a little faster, by about 3 milliseconds, and that the axis has been tilted by about 2.5cm. but then they also said this shouldnt cause any permanent damage cause the N and S poles already shift by about 10m or something like that... haha. also i heard that like not 1 animal was found dead cause they all sensed the tsunami coming and fled to higher ground. anyways it probably wont cause the earth's rotation any long-term changes since it took place near the equator. dammit i hope the death toll stops goin up though...


I read in an article that humans also have this ability to sense the low tones that animals heard when the massive wave was coming. There are sensors in our joints that can register them, but we tend not to notice them, since we're so overwhelmed with all of our other senses. I just thought it was interesting.
fivebyfive
Does anyone know where you can donate online? Like to do my bit, only have a solo card though.


Amazon.com has a Red Cross donation thing up (the British Amazon.co.uk redirects you the US one). I'm not sure if it would take your card or not, though.
psychic_satori
I read in an article that humans also have this ability to sense the low tones that animals heard when the massive wave was coming. There are sensors in our joints that can register them, but we tend not to notice them, since we're so overwhelmed with all of our other senses. I just thought it was interesting.


yes...there's been studies and articles saying that before humans knew how to communicate through spoke languages...they were able to use a larger portion of their brains but not the portion of the brain which we use for language now. at that time they were able to hear sounds of much lower frequecies or sth and could sense when earthquakes and so forth are coming. but now...we can't anymore due to "that" portion of the being inactive.

rather interesting actually.
psychic_satori
Amazon.com has a Red Cross donation thing up (the British Amazon.co.uk redirects you the US one). I'm not sure if it would take your card or not, though.

Thanks, they don't take my card :frown: . Oh well just have to wait till i see someone collecting.
you would think that a mass migration of animals to high ground would be noticable. I wondered what had happened to the sea life, but I hear they move too.
Reply 133
RIP Herr Knoesel, and all those who have lost their lives, homes and loved ones.

If you want to donate cash, most supermarkets have collection buckets at tills (ASDA in Bournemouth had one bucket with a sprout in it... interesting) or at Oxfam and (I expect) other charity shops.
You can also donate here, but the minimum is £20:
https://www.donate.bt.com/bt_form_dec.htm

The above link is from the Tutor2u website.
You can donate through Oxfam. In there shops and online.
i was just wondering, you know those british tourists who survived and got back home, do they get any compansations from the insurance company? or they dont cover this "act of god"? :confused:
Cabby
RIP Herr Knoesel, and all those who have lost their lives, homes and loved ones.


thank you.

the press was outside my school this morning...but they had to stand there waiting for nothing cos they were completely ignored and prevented from coming into school premises.

my school's trying to do fund-raising for the tsunami victims...money's probably going to red cross. will be difficult to organise stuff during our exams (cos we're the upper form so it's down to us) but we'll do our best...for herr knoesel and all the victims' sakes.
An Australian AFL star was killed in the Tsunami in Thailand, his body was identified today. He was on his honeymoon with his wife who survived, that had been married 5 days.
Everdawn
An Australian AFL star was killed in the Tsunami in Thailand, his body was identified today. He was on his honeymoon with his wife who survived, that had been married 5 days.

Played for Melbourne. I don't actually go for the team (I barrack N.Melb) but today, we were all one (AFL-wise) in mourning. I can't believe it, it's shocking :frown:

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