Good grief, this is a horrible disaster, especially as it landed on an already struggling country. The images on the news are devastating to look at, the destruction seems sadly thorough. Makes us know (yet again), I think, that no matter how bad things are in our particular lives? There are almost always those people on the planet who have it much (much) worse.

Story here (from the New York Times).

Report from the BBC
The pictures show just how awful this tragedy is.

Any earthquake is not a good thing, a 7.0 earthquake is bad, having an earthquake hit right next to a major city is worse, having that cities infrastructure not built to handle an earthquake this size is horrific.

For those interested in making donations to aid the relief efforts in Haiti, here are some links

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/haiti-disaster-relief-how-to-contribute/

Y' know? I really almost always try to keep some sort of moderate spin on my viewpoint. But there are times when I think moderation, of any variety, is not called for. THIS would be cause for such a "no patience" agenda (whatsoever!), indeed. To say anything like this at all, ever, makes me very annoyed. To say it on the very day of this particular disaster, as a world rallies and is trying to help? That makes me sick.

Somebody put this fool, and the rest of us, out of his misery. Take him off the television, already. Can we ?

edited to restore the link ...

Gatsby, seizing on this sort of catastrophic tragedy, as a way of promoting one's own religious views, has become rather routine for Pat Robertson (as it was for Jerry Falwell after 9/11). And, like you, others are similarly outraged.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-rowe/the-never-ending-horror-o_b_422615.html

Rush Limbaugh, never one to miss an opportunity to bash the President, suggests that Obama will use the situation in Haiti to curry favor with the black community in the U.S.

Keith Olbermann minces no words in expressing his outrage at both Robertson and Limbaugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPoWOw8Jm5w&feature=player_embedded

At a time when compassion and urgent material help to the people of Haiti is of the utmost importance, it benefits no one to use this tragedy as an opportunity to spread religious or racial hatred. It certainly doesn't enhance the image of either Robertson or Limbaugh, or the causes they espouse.

Kudos to Mr. Olbermann, though his words will probably only cause Robertson to call HIM the devil, and just give Limbaugh something else to rant about.

I don't understand the motives behind their words. What do they have to gain other than negative publicity? I can't see them attracting more viewers over this, but hopefully losing a few. What's sad is that most of their followers will agree with them, just for the sake of agreeing with them.

Robertson, sigh, is he for real? I wish I could say that no one listened to him, but there are plenty of folks who do.

I kind of figured that Limbaugh would find some way of spinning in his direction. That's pretty low though. It's as though if Obama reacts as any head of state worth his salt would do, he's currying favor?

Surely even Palin wouldn't say something that idiotic, would she?

I don't even think Harry Reid would come up with some of what Limbaugh and especially Robertson are capable of.

Here are more photographs from the Boston Globe titled "Haiti 48 Hours Later":

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/01/haiti_48_hours_later.html

All I can say is, if Pat Robertson speaks for God, I want no part of Heaven.

I was going to say something clever about how odd it is that someone whose grasp of history is such that he thinks Napoleon III was ruling France in 1804 knows so much about some supposed pact with the devil, but, ah, who cares.

In Canada, the Royal Bank is matching donations made through them, and sending them on to the Red Cross. That's probably the route I'll take.

Hello all,

I would just like to thank everyone who have been making donations to their local Red Cross (or other charitable organization helping with the Haiti Earthquake crisis).

I work for the Canadian Red Cross and it is very encouraging to see so many generous donations coming through in response to this devastating event.

We are very busy! Thank you, everyone!

Now there's been a 6.0 earthquake in Guatemala.

I find the situation in Haiti so overwhelming, and so gut-wrenching, I don't know how much more news coverage I can continue to watch. Even the relatively hardened news reporters sent to Haiti have been getting choaked up describing what they've witnessed. The magnitude of the suffering, both physical and emotional, that is going on in Port-au-Prince is just staggering.

Things were certainly bad in Haiti before the earthquake, and the current damage to the infrastructure and government organization has made even basic emergency relief efforts very difficult and frustrating all-around. Supplies arrive but can't be distributed. Desperate people resort to shoving and fighting, stealing and looting, the potential for violence simmers, and general security remains an urgent concern. And, all the while, people die from lack of proper care, and dead bodies continue to pile up. There is a great deal of chaos because no one seems to be in charge, and that only adds to the suffering. And the suffering is very difficult to witness.

The problems of Haiti are both immediate and long term, and they are daunting problems. Recovery, and stabilization, will take years and years. It is not going to be an easy job, and Haiti can't be forgotten once this immediate crisis has been addressed. It's going to take a lot of money, and a lot of manpower, to turn this disaster into a lasting recovery effort.

Apart from donating money, there isn't much that most of us can do. But we must make sure that our donated money is well used. Scams invariably pop up and must be avoided. Even legitimate charities can have problems distributing the money for victim relief. I am reminded that, after both 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, large amounts of donated money did not reach the intended victims or victims causes.

So, make sure that your money goes to a large, well established charity, and one with a proven record of providing disaster relief, and, most importantly, a charity which is experienced in working in Haiti. We are caring, we are generous, and we want our money to go to the right people who can do the most good.

The Haitian relief organization just started by former Presidents Clinton and Bush promises coordination of relief and recovery efforts and accountability for funds they receive. They also pledge a commitment to addressing the long term problems of Haiti, including the problems which existed prior to the earthquake.

Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund

Along with the Red Cross, the Clinton-Bush organization does seem like a good, safe, choice for donations.

Clinton-Bush Fund Donations

Let us all hope that the current bottleneck in distributing supplies eases quickly so that desperate people can get the food, water, and medical supplies they so urgently need right now. Let us hope that these people have the strength and the courage to rebuild their own lives, and the structure of their country.

I know many of us have already given what we can.
I am putting the usual link to care2 where you can click on various aid concerns, and companies match the number of clicks with donations. Care have added Haiti as one of the buttons to click. It all helps/
http://www.care2.com Go to 'Take action', then 'click to donate'

Perhaps because I usually make charitable donations by check, I never realized that credit card companies take a bite out of the donation when you make it using a credit card.

Not All The Money Goes To Charity

I made donations by credit card to three organizations working for relief in Haiti, since that was the fastest and easiest way to do it. In one instance a "transaction fee" was deducted from my contribution.

I am glad that pressure has been put on the major credit card companies to waive their fees for Haitian relief donations. I wish they would do the same for all charitable donations for other causes. It seems rather unsavory that companies and banks use such charitable giving as an opportunity to reap profits.

With the Haitian relief effort I wanted my donations to reach the charities as soon as possible and using a credit card seemed the best way to accomplish that. In the future, I will continue to make donations by check whenever I can, and not use credit cards for that purpose. I'd rather see all of my money go directly to the charity.

Not much to say, on my behalf of the efforts (I just bought a few bags o' rice and arranged delivery to a local Red Cross). I hope they get where they're supposed to go. It's hard for me to imagine any bureaucracy mishandling rice, after all. And those people need food right now --- not gourmet food, just 'food'. And my particular gesture had no grandiosity to it, I know. But it felt sensible. Not only will it not get stolen (who'd want to filch rice?), it'll not likely spoil if it gets all tangled up on its way to those who might need it. It's back to: I absolutely can do nothing to "save" that country, after all this horror. But, maybe, I can feed a hungry (and scared) family for a day?

I'll add, too: that telethon last night was impressive. That all did better than just 'a bag or two of rice', I'm sure. But I ain't George Clooney, either (even though I'm sure he'd wildy envy my bone structure, were he ever to meet me ). Let's hope he does right with all that support. And let's hope Haiti recovers as best they can.

I came across this article that advises against giving money to charities when it is specifically earmarked for Haiti.

Don't Give Money To Haiti

Interesting point of view. Unrestricted donations do make sense. There are many needy people in the world, and what's not spent in Haiti could be used elsewhere.

We need more children like this

Someone started a thread on that earlier, in which I posted the same link but it seems to have been deleted. Seems a little harsh to remove it.

I recently went to a church near my home with a relative and we packaged food for about 1 hour and a half for Feed My Starving Children, most of the food will going to Haiti.
On another note, does anyone think a lot of media attention will be pulled away from Haiti's situation as soon as the Olympics start?

Quote:

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Someone started a thread on that earlier, in which I posted the same link but it seems to have been deleted. Seems a little harsh to remove it.

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It was removed, I think, because it was already mentioned here , in this thread (2-3 posts ago,entitled "We need more children like this") so did not need to be shown again.

Quote:

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On another note, does anyone think a lot of media attention will be pulled away from Haiti's situation as soon as the Olympics start?

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I think a lot of media attention has already been pulled away from the situation in Haiti. Other than CNN, which has continued to focus on Haiti, I think the other cable news channels have already largely turned their attention elsewhere. It is still front page news on the NY Times, but not in my local newspaper.

I think it is inevitable that the media attention would begin to fade somewhat once the drama of looking for survivors ended, and once more adequate relief efforts and supplies began coming into Port-au-Prince. As the extreme urgency of the situation decreased, so did it's prominence as "daily news".

It will take a very, very long time to reconstruct Haiti and to adequately relocate all of those who have been displaced and devastated by loss. And many of the problems we see now in Haiti also existed prior to the earthquake. The rebuilding of Haiti will be a slow, unfolding story, and not one very suited for future daily news coverage. International donors have been meeting to discuss a 10 year plan for reconstruction

Rebuilding Haiti

I also think it is normal for "disaster fatigue" to set in with viewers and readers. How much more suffering and overwhelming devastation can people continue to watch or read about on a daily basis? Other than bearing witness, donating money, and trying to help with relief efforts, what else can most people do now to help those in Haiti? Watching the Olympics, or focusing on some other news, might be a welcome respite for many viewers at this point. I'm not sure there is anything wrong with that.

The situation in Haiti is not going to be forgotten. About the only positive thing to have come out of this horrible catastrophe is that the attention of the world has been focused on Haiti, a country long beset by substantial problems of all kinds. Hopefully, charitable organizations will continue to remind us of their needs and their work in Haiti. Hopefully, more people will seek to adopt some of the very many orphans in Haiti, including those who have been newly orphaned by this earthquake, and, hopefully, the general welfare of all children in Haiti will be better protected now that so much money and effort is being directed to their problems.

But Haiti won't be front page news much longer. A few months from now, little boys probably won't be riding their bikes to raise money for Haiti, and the entertainment industry won't be holding another major telethon. That doesn't mean that most people will have forgotten the horrible images they have seen, or the overwhelming misery and suffering they have witnessed, or will no longer want to know what's happening in Haiti. It's just that life goes on, and these things will no longer command our immediate attention.

Haiti will begin the painful, and hopeful, process of rebuilding, and we will begin watching the Olympics, and the other diversions, which help to decrease the stress, and add to the enjoyment, of our own lives. Things will move on, as they must.

With vast numbers of people living in ramshackle shacks, temporary tents, and the ruins of their former homes, the suffering of the Haitian people is bound to increase when the weather worsens, as it will when the dry season ends. No doubt this will focus media attention back onto Haiti, but sadly there will be other disasters, and important news issues, which will grab the headlines.
Fortunately though, it doesn't mean that relief efforts will stop, just they won't be reported in such detail.