[PowderMonkey]

"I guess that seeing is horrifyingly believing. From where do you hail?"

Absolutely. We are not insensitive to the suffering of others, but our high standard of living here in the U.S. blinds us to a veritable pageant of human afflictions, common in other parts of the world. As an American foreign service brat, the shock of first exposure was disturbing in the extreme. As an adult serving overseas, it saddens and gives one pause to wonder what it would take for such things to be commonplace here. Now I know.

[Caipirabob]

I never truly appreciate what we have here until I traveled abroad. My first experiences were in Mexico. Then France of all places taught me to appreciate American hygiene. Later, I went to South America and have actually walked through favelas/shanty towns in Brasil. We stopped in a bar in one place for a beer. The fridge was powered by pirated electricity via open lines that they simply linked up to and plugged in. Anyway, I doubt it comes close to what you described, but it's enough for me to relate to my kids and tell them "You just don't know how good you've got it!"

Cheers!