ladymacbeth Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 And if we had the poor infrastructure of developing countries, the death toll and destruction would be so much higher. Yes, we are lucky we live in first-world countries. Contrast the death toll of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Christchurch last year with the same magnitude quake in Haiti. Despite the Christchurch epicentre being just a few miles from a city of 370,000 noone died. And the buildings largely stayed intact. Infrastructure such as electricity and water was restablished within days. Whereas in Haiti the shanties collapsed and there was massive loss of life and the water supply is still so poor they have a cholera epidemic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katrina1968 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 New BIG controversy here in the States. Its about a show called "Skins". It was aired on BBC America but has been picked up by MTV. MTV will most likely be looking at being investigated on the grounds of child pornography. The U.S. has more stringent rules when it comes to pornography than the British. Here's a link to today's story but if you google it I'm sure you'll find more reading. Skins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Have you seen the show, Katrina? I've been hearing it a bit in the news lately but I have no idea what it's about. Seeing clips here and there though makes me thankful, again, that I don't have cable TV. I'm still confused and annoyed over the fact that MTV doesn't even play music anymore . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katrina1968 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I did about 10 minutes and was done. It was disgusting (IMHO). Just because kids do these things doesnt mean we need to glorify it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 (edited) I stopped watching MTV when "The Real World" first aired. It has continually gone down hill, in my opinion. What is disturbing is that lots of people must watch these shows, as they stay on the air. Edited January 23, 2011 by Pixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Ditto, Pixie. They even had to start MTV 2 and from what I hear that channel doesn't show much music anymore either! It is disturbing though - if people didn't tune in, they wouldn't keep making these shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I watched the first season of (English) Skins when it aired in Australia. I'm a huge fan of another show by the same creators called Shameless. I wasn't as into Skins and gave it up pretty quickly. The characters were all annoying. Can't say I recall anything pornographic about it though. Oh, I just saw that it has been remade in America, so I don't know if your version is any more gratuitous. It certainly has that shock element but unfortunately I think it does indeed reflect the way some teens live their lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katrina1968 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 In the U.S., its criminal to show children/teens under 21 in acts of undress. The difference with these characters is that they are not adults portraying kids doing these things, they are kids portraying kids doing these things, hence the pornography. Or rules are a lot more stringent then in England. I have to admit, I wasnt impressed with the British version either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 This is probably a silly question, but is this show fictional or another 'reality' show? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 It's completely fictional, Peacefield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thanks, Kylie! I don't know if anyone else has paid attention to this in the news recently, but just a few days ago the Chinese Prime Minister Hu Jintao came to the US to meet with the President and attend a state dinner. I know that these events are a necessity between countries and their leaders, and that there's a certain amount of diplomacy that has to occur, but it disappointed me how little attention was given to China's stance on human rights. While the Prime Minister was here, it seems like he was due some tougher questions that were actually delivered and if anything, our govt could've used the time to stress just how unacceptable the crimes against its citizens are. Anyway, it gave me a lot to think about and really, I wish his visit would've been more productive rather than just getting him to say "we need to do something about improving human rights." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thanks, Kylie! I don't know if anyone else has paid attention to this in the news recently, but just a few days ago the Chinese Prime Minister Hu Jintao came to the US to meet with the President and attend a state dinner. I know that these events are a necessity between countries and their leaders, and that there's a certain amount of diplomacy that has to occur, but it disappointed me how little attention was given to China's stance on human rights. While the Prime Minister was here, it seems like he was due some tougher questions that were actually delivered and if anything, our govt could've used the time to stress just how unacceptable the crimes against its citizens are. Anyway, it gave me a lot to think about and really, I wish his visit would've been more productive rather than just getting him to say "we need to do something about improving human rights." Actually, from what I saw there was a lot of discussion about human rights while he was visiting the White House. All the pundits and the commentators were talking about it, and I even think that Jintao got somewhat upset by all the criticism thrown his way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 This was reported quite extensively here (I'm in New Zealand). Here is a copy of the TV report . I've edited it heavily as there was a lot of discusssion about currency issues. This is the full report http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/obama-presses-china-s-hu-currency-rights-4003482 President Barack Obama pressed Chinese President Hu Jintao to let the value of China's currency rise and delivered a stern message on US concerns over Beijing's human rights record. Both leaders spoke glowingly about co-operation but made no major breakthroughs on a range of disputes over trade and security that have strained relations over the past year. Hu was greeted with a 21-gun salute and an honour guard, but frictions showed through beneath the pomp of the state visit. At a sometimes awkward White House news conference marred by translation difficulties, Obama said he was "very candid" with Hu about respecting human rights, and reiterated that Beijing was not moving fast enough to strengthen the yuan. Hu was quiet on the currency and initially did not respond to a reporter's questions on human rights, but later said he had not heard properly because a problem with the translation. He later conceded China had much to do on the rights question. Obama took a more assertive stance on human rights than he did during his 2009 visit to Beijing, when critics at home said he was too deferential to his hosts. Still, he was measured in his words to avoid antagonizing China's communist leadership."I repeated to President Hu we have some core views as Americans about the universality of certain rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, that we think are very important and that transcend cultures," he said. "I have been very candid with President Hu about these issues," he added. Hu responded that China as a developing country would continue to improve the lives of its people. "China still faces many challenges in economic and social development, and a lot still needs to be done in China in terms of human rights," he said, although he gave no specifics. Obama urged Chinese dialogue with representatives of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader widely admired internationally but regarded by Beijing as part of an illegitimate separatist cause. Mary Beth Markey, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, said Obama said "exactly what we wanted him to say on Tibet," adding that the two must have had a blunt private discussion if Obama was willing to comment on it publicly. Hu can expect even more pressure on human rights and the currency when he visits US lawmakers on Thursday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12306318 I can't believe it's 25 years since the Challenger space shuttle disaster. I can still clearly remember watching it happening on television and feeling a sense of disbelief at what I was seeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 25 years? In my mind, it's about 8 years ago. I remember watching it too, so sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Like 9/11 it is an event I remember clearly to this day. I can still remember walking though our kitchen door, after finishing my paper round, and my Mum telling me that the Space Shuttle had blown up. At that point they didn't know if there were any survivors or not, but it soon became clear no one could have survived and I spent the evening watching the BBC coverage of what had happened (which like a lot of these things, largely consisted of them showing the launch footage on a loop and a lot of “experts” sitting around guessing because it was weeks or months before we found out what had happened). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 25 years? In my mind, it's about 8 years ago. I remember watching it too, so sad. Same here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I can't believe it's been that long! I was very young when it happened, but I remember how excited the country was about this launch, especially because of the female teacher who was going up with them. They showed the explosion over and over on TV and I remember feeling so shocked. They recently did an investigation and it was revealed that the part of the shuttle that the crew was in didn't explode, but instead fell to the earth, and that's what killed them. It took a few minutes, too, so they knew it was coming. I can't imagine anything more horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Wow, I can't believe all this time has passed. I was in junior high at the time and remember watching the launch from school, and how shocking it was to see it happen. It was just unbelievable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Christchurch has been hit by another big earthquake. There are reports of multiple fatalities this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 From what I've heard on the news, there are 65 people confirmed dead and a lot of people trapped in buildings. So horrible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katrina1968 Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 The news is depressing:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 (edited) The death toll has been changed to 38 confirmed but is likely to climb today as many more people are still trapped. Hundreds have been injured and many people are homeless. Although this earthquake wasn't as big as the September one, it was only 5 km deep and very close to the city centre and the damage is way worse. The infrastructure is badly damaged in parts of the city so no water, power, sewers etc All our friends and family there are safe, thank goodness, but my heart goes out to everyone there. Edited February 22, 2011 by poppy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladymacbeth Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) Death toll at 75 and climbing from the christchurch quake (might I add the second quake after a 7.1 shake in September that miraculously had no fatalities). I have cousins in Christchurch who are safe and I am miles and miles away in Auckland. Some buildings have collapsed - 8 floors into the space of one floor. Amazing support from other countries. Australia, Britain, Taiwan, Japan have all offered aid and search and rescue help amongst other countries. So amazing. Edited February 23, 2011 by ladymacbeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 It's such horrendous news, I feel for the New Zealanders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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