Bad News, Good News

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Weeping residents combed through debris and stunned tourists wandered through litter-strewn streets on Monday, a day after tsunamis swept across the Indian Ocean from Thailand to Somalia, killing at least 23,000 people.

The giant waves -- caused by the most powerful earthquake on Earth in 40 years -- also left thousands injured and missing as well as hundreds of thousands homeless in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand...

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/asia.quake/index.html
See also:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/27/international/asia/27quake.hmtl

So my news-getting is a bit behind now that I'm on the West Coast. Woke up today and found this and...wow. shocked. sad. cantbelievethishappenenedomgallthosepeople!

I wonder: what does one do in a situation like this, being so far removed from the scenes of tragedy? Send financial support to relief groups? Pray a vague prayer that God will "be there and comfort them"? Watch TV and read newspapers to keep myself informed?

Everything seems inadequate...


On a brighter note -->

I had mentioned at some point that I'm betaing [Bad username or site: nenyaentwhistle / @ livejournal.com]'s wonderful fic: And So Life Goes On (ASLGO). It's a literary-type fanfiction that explores the issue of memory loss and people's post-traumatic reactions (and cover-ups :P). Oh and the familiar hp cast is involved ;) So guess what?!? Nenyaentwhistle wrote me a nice ficlet for Christmas!!!
A heads up: this is a slash fic, though it's only PG-13.

Ficlet: Thursday