Earth rings like a bell when there's a large quake. It's still vibrating and will continue vibrating for some weeks yet.
Meanwhile, a significant aftershock has caused some panic.
If you have not already read Susan Hu's diary, Extinction and the Tsunami, I highly recommend giving it a read.
Meanwhile, other disturbing reports are coming from the affected areas. As if the devastation from the tsunami wasn't enough, the fact that it has coincided with the monsoon season has complicated the aid effort. Various other factors complicate the relief efforts as well, as this report from Reuters shows.
One example:
"There have been reports of militant Islamic groups moving into Aceh as they believed Western aid groups might use the disaster to push a Christian agenda in a devout part of the world's most populous Muslim nation."
Good grief! Always an agenda, including a pre-emptive anti-the-other-guy's-agenda agenda.
Jump the turnstile for more.
Another snippet from the same article:
"Rich countries say they will suspend tsunami-hit nations' debt repayments to help free resources for rebuilding."
Maybe Egeland's "stingy" remark was a kick where it counts.
There's also this piece about Japan's tsunami warning system. Some things the article does not mention are early warning technologies like Nowcast, or the possibility of linking a warning system to mobile phone and PDA communications infrastructure. The implications for such warning systems also go beyond the realm of tsunamis and earthquakes to include all meteorological phenomena.
A very sobering item that hints at just how complicated the aftermath of a disaster like this can be, is a report about fears of child traficking in the chaos following the disaster. More on this at CNN. The mere prospect inspires me to contemplate where people who would prey on child disaster victims will end up in Dante's hell.
On a lighter note, we have one in a series of items carried by the Washington Post about our alleged President's kid brother Jeb acting true to the Bush family's marvellous talent for foreign relations gaffes.
Besides, presidential brother Jeb Bush, governor of Florida, went to Asia with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and got impressive television coverage before coming back early for his parents' 60th wedding anniversary.
The footage in Banda Aceh, we're told, has the compassionate Jeb patting the shoulders or heads of Indonesians. He probably did not read the briefing paper by the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta: "HEADS ARE SENSITIVE AND BACKS ARE PRIVATE: Don't touch or pat the heads of others. The hearty American clap on the back and a too readily seized shoulder are not particularly appreciated."
Frist, often cited as a likely presidential candidate in '08, has not declared, while Jeb Bush already has taken the traditional first step before running, which is to firmly declare that he will not be a candidate.
Vintage Bush.