The Key To Disaster Survival? Friends And Neighbors (NPR article)

npr.org ^ | 7-4-11 | Shankar Vedantam

[dynachrome]

I found this of interest, about half way down:

"Governments and big nongovernmental organizations — which are keenly aware of the big picture — are often blind to neighborhood dynamics.

In Southeast Asia, Aldrich found that well-intentioned NGOs actually hurt the fishing communities they were trying to help. They saw the damage caused by the tsunami in fishing villages and started giving new boats to all the fishermen.

Really, at the end of the day, the people who will save you, and the people who will help you, they're usually neighbors.

- Daniel Aldrich "Fishing is a very social activity. It is organized, really, not in a hierarchy but in a network," Aldrich said. "So you have someone who drives the boat, the person who steers, you have two people fishing in the water, some person who carries the net and some person who goes — takes the fish to market. Once every person is given their own boat, you've gone from five people working together to each individual working by themselves."

Fishermen who used to work together now became competitors. Trust broke down. Fights broke out.

"Some of the local activists I talked to called this 'the second tsunami,' " Aldrich said.

[Touch Not the Cat]

"The Key To Disaster Survival? Bottled water and ammunition."

Bears repeating.

[chrisser]

I’m with you.

I’m immune to the ramblings of condescending nitwits. I live in the city. I know how liberals behave when times are good - I see it all around me every single day. I have no reason to believe they’ll suddenly find collaboration and cooperation in their best interest in a crisis when they can’t be bothered with it now, when times are relatively good.

The story of the Ant and the Grasshopper is illuminating, especially the modern version. If you’re the ant, it’s best to not be surrounded by grasshoppers when winter arrives, even if a couple of them say they care.

[jjm2111]

My experience in Africa and the UN was a huge eye opener for me, partly in how leftists think. The little UN office acted out little fantasies of “saving the planet” or “helping the poor” while generally remaining clueless about what went on in the country because virtually no UN functionary ever left the capital. They would hold a lot of marches and “awareness campaigns” in the capital and do little more than tie up traffic.

They would waste money on smoking awareness campaigns while the main hospital in the capital didn’t even have running water (except in the emergency room) and the water was non-potable.

[jjm2111]

My experience in Africa and the UN was a huge eye opener for me, partly in how leftists think. The little UN office acted out little fantasies of “saving the planet” or “helping the poor” while generally remaining clueless about what went on in the country because virtually no UN functionary ever left the capital. They would hold a lot of marches and “awareness campaigns” in the capital and do little more than tie up traffic.

They would waste money on smoking awareness campaigns while the main hospital in the capital didn’t even have running water (except in the emergency room) and the water was non-potable.

[yup2394871293]

No it isn’t! It’s a cable tv with Geraldo Rivera on it!

[WOBBLY BOB]

someone should tell Boner-

Bono’s Deaf on Africa-
Trade, not aid, is the answer.
June 3, 2002

http://old.nationalreview.com/nrof_bartlett/bartlett060302.asp

“It is too easy for purely humanitarian aid to become a permanent lifeline. Once started, who is hard-hearted enough to cut it off, knowing that death for the recipient will be almost certain? Thus, one-time aid too often becomes everlasting.”

[IMR 4350]

Sooner or later it always gets around to people owning land.

When people own their own land they become independent, and Independence just can't be tolerated can it?

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

The other thing I experienced is that a lot of lefties care about “The People” in a macro sense, but don’t really care about individual people.

I think the expression is that they "love humanity - but can't stand people."

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

The other thing I experienced is that a lot of lefties care about “The People” in a macro sense, but don’t really care about individual people.

I think the expression is that they "love humanity - but can't stand people."

[GOPJ]

They would hold a lot of marches and “awareness campaigns” in the capital and do little more than tie up traffic. They would waste money on smoking awareness campaigns while the main hospital in the capital didn’t even have running water (except in the emergency room) and the water was non-potable.

Your experience with Africa and the UN is scary. Liberals are what we fear they are...

[ChildOfThe60s]

For any Kentuckians in this thread, look up Lexington Container (in Lexington). You can thank me later.....