h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have been watching with dismay the terrible damage the floods are causing in Australia. Of course all the politicians are making the usual "Our thoughts are with you" noises but so far I haven't heard anyone talk about giving more practical support in the form of emergency teams and even more important.... money. Why not? In every emergency elsewhere, the UN and other International bodies leap into print asking for support and large amounts of money. So far I've not heard any such appeals to help the Aussies. People in the UK would do well to remember the help the Aussies gave us in two world wars and do something to help them now. Don't tell me they are rich enough to help themselves. Just look at the damage the floods are doing. Whatever the politicians say the Aussies need all the help they can get. Come on Britain it's pay back time! The Government should set a lead, they won't be short of followers.

I think the Australian public may well find it humiliating to be given aid, especially from other governments. As per the chivalry debate if they say they don't want it is it reasonable to give the help anyway.

I would support aid, and would happily donate but if the Australian public, and politicians, say they don't want it then that should be honoured.

Sure we're rolling in money and our economy isn't completely screwed... c'mon Oz, fill yer boots!

On a more serious note: the pledge of aid to third world countries was massively unpopular due to the state of the economy, how do you think giving the same aid to a first world country would go down?

Hm. From what I've heard (mainly from Radio4 admittedly), a majority of the flooding was expected, most people were evacuated well before the flooding and the majority of the damage and casualties occurred in a couple of towns that were hit by freak flash floods/waves.

Lots of people are insured, they have a perfectly capable government and there is talk of charity cricket matches etc to allow people living in aus to donate and help out their mates.

If it's not bush fires it's massive flooding! It might alleviate the last few years of drought a bit though. A summer of lush fruitfulness will help the environment down there even if the people have a hard time putting their houses back in order.

Exactly... it's not like people are dying in squalid conditions with little or no government help.

I've not been over there but i'm guessing the white people aren't.

I couldn't comment on the aboriginal communities. My knowledge of their geography and the social situation is very limited.

In no way do I wish to denigrate the suffering caused by the floods in Australia. I had the good fortunate to visit Brisbane years ago, and I have a great affinity and fondness for Australia and Australians.

However.... what's happening in Brazil looks much worse, although there's much less coverage....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/13/brazil-landslides-death-toll-rises

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/special-reports/teenager-swept-away-after-saving-his-brother-from-toowoomba-floods/story-fn7kabp3-1225986169850

Article about a 13 year old who told his rescuer to save his brother first before being killed.



I found the link on Reddit and I believe that there was a post by someone providing a load of links where people could donate money/provide help if they wanted to. So some people are donating money etc.

Yes Menthol I heard that story mentioned yesterday on the radio, and got hugely upset and touched.

I visited Oz a few years ago and took a trip up the river running through Brizzy, (it was an amazingly hot day)..there were some lovely little shed type houses by the river upstream which will of course now be gone.

One of the cricket matches between Australia and England will be entirely used to raise money for the flood victims. I hope as much money as possible can be raised through the rest of the cricket matches in every way possible. I completely agree that the UK especially, owes it to our Aussie cousins, because of the sacrifice their young people made in the past for the UK in war - Ausies are 'family' IMO.

I'm unsure as the best way to contribute..I was expecting that to be clear in the media, and am also very surprised there hasn't been a big appeal here.

I don't even know if we are able to post a link here to a way to contribute..but I'll try. Go here.

http://www.australia.org.uk/lhlh/QldFloods.html

Was just going to post about Brazil but Otto has put things in perspective already. 400 dead so far. It is awful what is happening in Australia too mind...

FB

>>New Zealand is the only country Australia has accepted help from for the Queensland floods so far.

The federal government says it hasn't accepted search and rescue assistance from other countries for the floods because it's a world leader in disaster management.

... Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd says one of the worst things Australia could have done was accept "a whole lot of uncoordinated delivery of stuff from around the globe plonked on your doorstep".

"It's far better to work within the systems that we've got."

"Here in Australia we do have one of the best systems for natural disaster management that you'll find anywhere in the world, and that's because we are a sunburnt country full of drought and flooding rains and we're used to it."
<<

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/4540501/Australia-declines-all-but-Kiwi-aid


>>Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the government had been overwhelmed by international offers to send people to help.

"We very much appreciate the solidarity and the offers of assistance," he said. "[But] ... we have more than enough of our own [troops] to do the task which the Queensland government has currently requested of us."

Aid donations have come in from countries including regional neighbours Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The Queen has made a private contribution to the Queensland premier's flood relief appeal, the Chinese Red Cross has given A$50,000 (NZ$65,000), and Sri Lanka has offered tea.
<<

Same link. Quite moving really, but I hope that Brazil is getting much needed support, not to mention all the other places in the world right now where people are struggling to survive.

<>

Awesome.

I'm sending some fags..

i think thats sydney your thinking of

[Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]

it was a quote from the film wolf creek, about sydney being some sort of other capital of austrailia, and was a direct pun, or play on words of Effers previous post

But it's all Kevin Rudd's fault: http://links.xn--es-zka.info/l/this-god-character-has-a-rather-poor-aim/

TRiG.

Cool website TRiG

That Rudd explanation is so bizarre I couldn't bring myself to read the original page