This post started out with a parent being proud of her child for wanting to help by emptying her piggy bank. I would be proud too. Maybe we should all see the world from the eyes of a child and feel and do what our hearts tell us. Living here in South Florida and having two hurricanes going directly over head (not even close to the devistation from the Tsunami)I can't imagine what they are going through. Four months later you can't drive down the road without seeing blue tarps on the roofs of houses (we can't buy shingles), many road signs still are not up, buildings destroyed, insurance companies aren't helping, People trying to put theirs lives back together. Many senior citizens can't afford the repair costs. January 3rd, the elementry school down the road just opened back up. It's a very slow process. Most frustrating of all,,,is the greed of some people. In Miami-Dade County FEMA paid out $21.5 million dollars for hurricane relief, MIAMI WAS NOT EFFECTED BY THE HURRICANES. They had nothing more then a thunderstorm, yet people lined up and claimed all kinds of things and it was paid out. That sickens me. (ELECTION YEAR). Miami-Dare actually got more money then the counties that were hit by the storms. Also, after the storm we had thousands of guys here working, coming from many states and alot from Canada to restore electric, phones, water. I think we all need to take a step back and look at the situation for what it is. For many of the victims of the flood life will never be the same. They need help, no matter where it comes from, your personal piggybank or the reserves of many nations. The United States is a powerful and wealthy country, it is a political enity, and will step up to the bat and face obligations. I don't believe they will be writing out checks to people in other countries the way they did in Miami. Charity begins at home. Propaganda is used to gain power for cause. For the most part people around the world understand earthquakes. Don't let it scare you. Those that believe the United States is to blame, are living in parts of the world where free thought, education and technology is not available to them, maybe they should be next on our global list to help. In the course of world history the United States is a very young country, one that in many ways is like a spoiled teenager. I have been very fortunate in my life, thanks to an education and the oppritunity to do and be whatever you want in this country. It was not given to me. I'm in my 40's, retired, don't plan on going back to work ever, and in that 1% tax bracket that is a sore spot for many americans. I do NOT believe we are over taxed and I strongly belive if you owe the tax,pay it. (They will get you if you don't...LOL)We travel quite a bit and make it a point to do something positive wherever we go. As Strudel said until you spend time living and working in Third world countries you can't grasp the struggles that these people face in their daily lives. Many of those people depend on agriculture to live, I would think on this forum that alone should say something. Peg

Tsunami-Generating Earthquake Near U.S. Possibly Imminent By Robin Lloyd Special to LiveScience posted: 03 January 2005 07:21 pm ET There are only two places in the United States where colliding tectonic plates could cause a major tsunami, and new studies show a new earthquake in at least one of these locations could be imminent. The Cascadia subduction zone, a 680-mile fault that runs 50 miles off the coast of the Pacific Northwest -- from Cape Mendocino in California to Vancouver Island in southern British Columbia -- has experienced a cluster of four massive earthquakes during the past 1,600 years. Scientists are trying to figure out if it is about to undergo a massive shift one more time before entering a quiescent period. "People need to know it could happen," said U.S. Geological Survey geologist Brian Atwater. The historical record for this zone, which has the longest recorded data about its earthquakes of any major fault in the world, shows that earthquakes occur in clusters of up to five events, with an average time interval of 300 years between quakes, said Chris Goldfinger, a marine geologist at Oregon State University. Goldfinger and other scientists have been studying this subduction zone for many years. At the Cascadia subduction zone, an oceanic tectonic plate called the Juan de Fuca is pulled and driven (subducted) beneath the continental North American plate, setting up conditions for undersea "megathrust" earthquakes The two most recent quakes on this fault occurred in the year 1700 (a magnitude 9 event) and approximately the year 1500. It has now been 305 years since the last event. So is the Cascadia subduction zone finished for now or on the brink of event number five? "We know quite a bit about the periodicity of this fault zone and what to expect," he said. "But the key point we dont know is whether the current cluster of earthquake activity is over yet, or does it have another event left in it." At the Cascadia subduction zone, an oceanic tectonic plate called the Juan de Fuca is pulled and driven (subducted) beneath the continental North American plate, setting up conditions for undersea "megathrust" earthquakes. The Cascadia subduction zone occurs where the relatively thin Juan de Fuca plate moves eastward and under the westward-moving North American Plate. When that collision results in a rupture, massive earthquakes occur. The other active subduction zone capable of producing a major earthquake-tsunami sequence is in Alaska, the site of a giant earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 1964. Scientists say a rupture along the Cascadia fault would cause the sea floor to bounce 20 feet or more, setting off powerful ocean waves relatively close to shore. The first waves could hit coastal communities in 30 minutes or less -- too rapidly for the current warning systems to save lives. A tsunami along the Atlantic Coast is considered extremely unlikely. Tsunamis are the result of sudden rises or falls in a section of the earths crust under or near the ocean, usually caused by earthquakes, volcanic activity or landslides. Earthquakes at subduction zones (rather than at other types of faults such as thrust faults) produce the highest energy tsunamis, especially when they occur in deep water. The seismic activity displaces sea water, creating a rise or fall in the level of the ocean above. This rise or fall in sea level initiates the formation of a tsunami wave. The waves height increases in shallower water. Geologists can track earthquakes back in time by radiocarbon dating deposits of sand called turbidites, which come from undersea landslides. Major studies on the Cascadia fault zone have identified 19 to 21 major earthquake events during the past 10,000 years. During at least 17 of these events, the entire fault zone probably ruptured at once, causing an earthquake around magnitude 9 and major tsunamis, such as those which savaged East Asia last week. The Asian event happened where the India plate was subducted beneath the Burma microplate. It ruptured, for the first time since 1833, along a 600-mile front just about the same length as the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The Asian event may provide a shocking demonstration of the geologic future of the Pacific Northwest, Goldfinger said. For hundreds of years, subduction zone plates remain locked in place, releasing little tension. Every few centuries, in a few minutes of violence, forces are released as the upper plate moves seaward, producing a massive tsunami following earthquake shaking. "In the case of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, you could have an area of ocean floor thats 50 miles wide and 500 to 600 miles long suddenly snap back, causing a huge tsunami," Goldfinger said. "At the same time, we could expect some parts of the upper, or North American, plate to sink one to two meters. These are massive tectonic events. Subduction zones produce the most powerful earthquakes and tsunamis in the world." The question is not whether, but when the Cascadia Subduction Zone will break again. "One possibility is that we could be done with this cluster and looking at a period of many hundreds of years before the next earthquake," Goldfinger said. "The other distinct possibility is we could still be in a cluster of events. If thats the case, the average time interval between earthquakes within a cluster is already up. We would be due just about any day." The Associated Press contributed to this report

Maggie, The kids are adorable. What cute poses! Have you recovered from Sandy? Your town sounds like it was hammered. Our library is built up on a good sized hill and is still standing. The town square was flooded badly. The post office and fire departments suffered damage but will recover. Our famous bascule bridge was opened during the storm and came through in better shape than we had a right to expect. So, all in all, our public infrastructure is wet, battered, but still in operation. Every week it seems we have one fewer "Closed Due To Storm Damage" sign around town. Progress is slow but is happening. A few downtown businesses are gone for good though. You are so right about the volunteers, agencies, faith based groups. We met people from all over the country here to help. Even Hawaii. Most of the FEMA people were retired and FEMA calls them to service during times of disaster. They are well seasoned in disasters and their calming influence was much needed. I was very impressed with how well all the volunteer groups buoyed the kids' spirits. They were scared and Mom/Dad were busy and preoccupied but it seemed like somebody was always quick to spot need and offer support, a Kleenex, or miraculously show up with a teddy bear. It does make you proud to be an American. I was also proud that there was no looting in our area so officials could concentrate their efforts elsewhere. Thanks for checking in. Hope you're okay or will be soon. /tricia

funkill-"If I surrender, I have absolutely no formal say in her care - which means a professional guardian could place her in a *hell hole* to find enough funds to pay her fees and a Public one would likely not give her any personalized attention... There's nothing my mom can sign - for me to be granted Plenary Guardianship by the court, my mom had to first be found Incompetent. This has been quiet an education for me. A costly one!" Very good point. Given up any say in your mothers case could be disastrous. Before you make a decision one way or another, you may want to read this book (and visit the authors website). I found it at my library, but the information was so worthwhile I purchased a copy for myself (Amazon.com has used copies for as little as $2.14). You may also want to visit the Caretakers forum. Plenty of folks there are dealing with similar situations. The Retirement Nightmare: How to Save Yourself from Your Heirs and Protectors : Involuntary Conservatorships and Guardianships by Diane G. Armstrong Ph.D. www.retirementnightmare.com/author.htm "Dr. Diane G. Armstrong is a clinical psychologist who lives in Santa Barbara with her husband Bruce. They have been married since 1966. Mother of two adult daughters, she works as a writer and consultant specializing in the abuse of involuntary conservatorship/guardianship proceedings in today's courts. Her breakthrough book was inspired by the million-dollar court battle that ensued when four of her six siblings attempted to establish an involuntary conservatorship over their competent 72-year-old mother. It is the first book in America to focus on the abuse rather than the use of today's conservatorship and guardianship codes, exposing a web of state laws that were originally created to protect "infants and lunatics" and are now being used to strip elderly men and women of financial and personal independence during their golden years of retirement. Dr. Armstrong's mother was able to end her personal legal nightmare only by settling out of court and agreeing to pay $100,000 of the petitioning children's legal bills. The Probate Judge had placed a conservatorship over her father at the beginning of the proceeding, accepting the petitioners' allegations (no proof or documentation required or offered) that his financial affairs might be compromised as his final illness robbed him of mental and physical competence. It is interesting to note that these financial affairs had already been placed in the hands of excellent private professionals who managed all family revocable trust investments both before, during and after the infliction of the conservatorship. Ironically, the Judge appointed Dr. Armstrong's mother as his "conservator of the person"--and then continued the bizarre trial over issues of HER competence for 16 long months."