I hope Justin will allow this post to stand, as has happened when we have united in the past to extend our sympathy to those affected by mammoth disasters. In SE Asia we now have 60,000 of our fellow humans killed by nature's fury and this figure is likely to double. It is hard to comprehend the number of families throughout the world who are now affected by this tragedy. This of-course includes a large number of tourists from all nations, as well as local people who will be hardest hit. The figures alone are mind blowing, currently 20 times those killed on 9/11 and already matching the number killed by man in a single act. It is a sobering thought that despite technology no warning was passed to anyone about something that was predictable 3 hours beforehand. A few phone calls could have dwarfed the figures for the deaths alone. I sincerely hope we all learn something from this. I'm not particularly religious but this does not of-course minimise the sympathy I extend to all those affected. I hope your thoughts and prayers will also be added to this post. Derek.W

I'm sorry, I've only just seen this post: 163167 At a quick glance I didn't realise it was the same topic. With my daughter and her fam trying to get back from Thailand I haven't spent much time on here in the last few days. Derek.W