First...I know...I am totally behind. I have to post pictures from our previous trip and give you the low down on Italy, France and Spain. I will, I promise. I just keep putting it off because it takes so long to upload pictures. That could be because I am obsessed with keeping them big because I want the clearest pictures possible....but still, I readily admit that I could have done a better job of getting things up on this blog. Sorry.
Second...we had a new city centre open. Old news I know. To the people who don't live here...the City Centre is a shopping mall. It contains a Carrefour which is like a big walmart. Other stores include MAC, H&M, L'Occitane, Claire's...and many other stores. This one happens to have a Cold Stone Creamery! Yummy! I never liked CSC when we lived in the states, but somehow now that I am here it is heaven. And they toss the ice cream in the air and sing. Parker really likes it. So, Parker and I were exploring and we heard this sound. It sounded like helicopter propellers and then a scream like someone was falling a great distance. Apparently, someone had lost control of a shopping cart on one of those conveyer belts. We were relatively close while we were wandering around and suddenly there were all of these people rushing towards the shopping cart escalator. I posted a picture of them before, so just go back a ways and take a look. They are a pretty cool contraption, but have always scared me for this very reason. Anyway, as everyone congregated around the disaster looking down to the first floor, I caught a glimpse. Apparently, someone had decided to use the conveyer with a basket full of Rice. The big bags. So at the bottom was a tipped basket, still on the stopped conveyer, and about 9-10 HUGE bags of rice. I was unable to get downstairs for a while. I finished shopping and as I went downstairs, there was an ambulance and three ladies in wheelchairs. Someone was actually in the ambulance having their injuries addressed and there were at least 20 electricians standing by. So, here is my theory and it is in no way correct, but my guess is that a person lost control of their shopping cart (that was the helicopter sound) and the shopping cart then took out at least 4 people. Really scary. I hate those things, but I have yet to find an actual elevator or stairs in that new building. Sometimes I think the rake of the conveyers are too steep...no, I know it as I am using all of my body weight to keep the grocery cart from slipping and my worst nightmare from occuring...losing control of the cart. The sultan center is the worst in my opinion. Somehow the wheels just never lock properly. Anyway, you have been warned.
So today is Thanksgiving. An american holiday...canada has theirs at a different time. I am sure that each country has their own thanksgiving day. I mean, how wonderful is the thought that one day is devoted to being thankful...thankful for your family, country (or in my case countries), life, liberty and everything you have been blessed with. It is my favorite holiday by the way. I love Christmas, but there is something so singularly delicious about a holiday that isn't overrun with commercialism. There is no gift exchange. A feast and being with loved ones. This Thanksgiving, of course, we are away from families, but we still have each other....sort of. David is out at his work site today, so we are waiting to have our thanksgiving celebration until he returns on Wednesday. So I have a week to prepare our banquet. It is going to be amazing, but mostly it will be nice to be together again...and eating turkey. And being thankful.
I'm thankful I am not in India right now. Things are very tragic over there. I know there are a lot of people in that country and that it is highly populated and congested, but when you read the articles about all of the terroristic attacks that have happend in the last 3 years or so, you wonder 1) why haven't they done anything, 2) maybe they have done something and it could be much worse, 3) perhaps they are doing the wrong things, 4) maybe it just doesn't matter ... but I highly doubt it is the fourth one...although there is a quote from State Home Minister R.R. Patil that I find interesting "We're going to catch them dead or alive," Patil told reporters. "An attack on Mumbai is an attack on the rest of the country." It seems to me that it is more than just an attack on the rest of the country since the terrorists were specifically targeting israelis, americans and brits...seems to me like it was an attack on humanity, especially since they didn't care what got in the way of their targets. I understand that is just one small quote, but it seems such a limited view. Especially when you see the picture of blood on the ground in the train station and another of a blood spattered and burned indian child. Here is a link to the story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27928718?GT1=43001 And I am aware that terrorist attacks happen all the time everywhere and that this one isn't much different than any other, it is just that I know that once I start looking at these things as everyday occurances I will have lost my own humanity and then the terrorists really will have won. So, I am extremely grateful for the safety of my family right now. Especially today. I think that is something worth being grateful for.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
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8 comments:
Happy Thanksgiving =)
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hear what happened in that QCC accident is that a new Carrefour employee, still a trainee, used the travelator (yep, that's what these escalators are called) instead of the service elevator. These rice bags are 10 or 20kg each. Apparently one of the people who got injured was a pregnant woman. I hope she's ok.
muscati...I knew something bad happend, but I don't think there could be a worse scenario to go along with it. Wow. I hope that she is ok as well...I feel certain the new employee is now a former employee.
TRAVELATOR!!! What a great, sci-fi name. How delightful.
I feel like I should wear shiny pleather and scotty should beam me down...
Hey there,
O.K, so first off, with reference to the para on terrorism, both option 2 & 3 are correct. The authorities have taken steps to counter terrorism, they just haven't been sufficient or enforced or well executed, and much more needs to be done. Option 4 is treading on dangerous ground. Every life matters.
I agree with you when you say that the attacks were an attack on humanity, but I take offense at the foll phrase:
"It seems to me that it is more than just an attack on the rest of the country since the terrorists were specifically targeting israelis, americans and brits.."
I know you didn't mean to cause offense or anything, it's just that this is such a narrow minded view. Almost 200 people died and fewer than 20 were non Indians, thereby nullifying the statement above. The sad part is, if it wasn't for the foreigners, the mainstream international media wouldn't have even spent so much space, time and energy on these attacks and simply given them a nod.
What we know for a fact is that 2 terrorists at the Taj asked people to confirm if they were British or American, but we don't know if they wanted to kill them or hold them hostage. In the end, most of the casualties at the Taj and Oberoi were Indians, and I'm pretty sure that all the victims at the V.T attack were Indians.
Please don't misunderstand me, I really empathise with your fear about losing your own humanity (I feel the same), etc. It's just that I get really mad when I watch T.V channels like CNN and all they focus on are specific foreign targets and try to link it to Al Quaieda, despite it being much more than that. It's kind of sickening really.
Daniel,
Thank you for contributing your thoughts on the matter. I can understand your anger at only getting this much coverage on terrorist attacks because foreigners were involved...but rest assured that the rest of the world has heard about the other attacks. We have. Promise. I mentioned it in my post. And they are disconcerting.
The narrow minded view in my opinion is that this only effects India. Not my idea that I believe it effects humanity as a whole. It is narrow minded NOT to think that this effects anyone else but India. Because it does effect so many more. And for the record there are numerous reports on the fact that they were specifically targeting Americans, Brits and Israeli's inside the hotels. That is a fact. I will not take back what I wrote...you can google and find the different reports. It is NOT narrow minded to think that this affected more than just India...and as for your "nullification" of my statement...you said it earlier in that EVERY life matters...so when you spin out statistics that 200 people died and less than 20 were non-indians combined with your personal statement that every life matters you in essence back up what I said. If every life matters then that is 10% of the lives taken. And that does matter. I never said that the lives of Indians didn't matter or weren't important. Only that there were other specific targets.
The point isn't what % of nationalities died...it is simply that more than Indians did. Indians alone are enough for this to matter beyond the country...as Indians significantly contribute to the population in every country. Making this effect everywhere. More than just the country of India...the entire world. And please don't misconstrue my statement to mean that if they weren't everywhere this wouldn't matter...I don't mean that at all...it should always matter when lives are taken. I'm just proving a point that for numerous reasons this DOES affect the rest of the world.
What makes this attack significant is how well organized it was and that they DID (incontrovertable) target Israelis, Americans and Brits specifically. For whatever reasons...we don't know. My statement earlier was neither narrow-minded nor wrong.
I have no problems admitting when I might be mistaken...but this time I am not. I can tell by your comments that you are confused and angered by the situation. I would be as well if I were you. I am glad that you understand that my statement was not meant to be offensive in any way. It wasn't. I also understand how very personal this situation is to India, but allow others to feel personally about it as well, be very careful of the attitude that "they are not Indian so they cannot understand" because then you risk alienating the rest of society when many of us DO care and have experienced terrorism in very real and distinct ways. It is called Empathizing and Sympathizing. I recognize that you are going through a stage of grief and you will need to go through all of them before you can begin to heal from this experience.
I also know that your stance on the issues will be fluctuating and tomorrow you might feel differently than you did yesterday and so you might reread what I wrote and note that there is truth in it as well as caring and sympathy...for ALL nationalities...not just Americans...not just Indians...but everyone involved. It is my hope that you will see this.
Amber
Heh...I grow tired quickly of these long drawn out arguments... especially when I sorta start them :-)
Right, first of all, I am angry (and rightly so), but definitely not confused, or grief ridden, and I'm intelligent enough to know where and how to direct my anger. I am in no way attempting to get personal or transfer my anger over to you instead of where it should rightly go ;-)
Now that we're done with the disclaimers :-) a big thank you for clarifying some points on your post. There's a point that you've cleared up for me and one or two that you've raised :-) Thanks also for your empathy and understanding about the other attacks. You have no idea how many people I speak to who don't know about them.
You know, the only problem I had was with the phrase in quotes.
"the terrorists were specifically targeting israelis, americans and brits.."
I thought you meant to say that you thought that the only thing the terrorists were focused on were foreigners (that's how it sounded to me), so you can imagine why I went off like a rocket the way I did, this being an extremely sensitive issue :-)
That's why I quoted stats. My quoting stats, by the way, was not to emphasise that some deaths were less significant (only a monster would think that way) but rather that the attacks were not targetted specifically at foreigners for the large part, which is what I thought you believed at the time. However, you seem to have cleared that up for me :-) If you put yourselves in my place for a moment, and read that phrase with my eyes, you'll see why I came to that conclusion :-)
I wasn't arguing with or trying to downplay the fact that certain foreigners like Brits and Americans were targetted in the Taj, cos that's a fact. Rather, I was afraid that you felt the attack was ony about them. My comment was written more out of fear that you were not given to believe the real situation (which you apparently understand as well as I do). I didn't mean to sound patronising, but with the foreigners I meet and see, you can't blame me for making assumptions like that :-) and I do hope I haven't alienated you, though please remember that phrases like the one in quotes can alienate someone like me as well when not clarified :-) For the record, you guys display a refreshing sensitvity.
Of course I agree with everything else you've said. Any attack on Munbai is an attack on humanity and the world as well, because of the foreigners involved and beacuse Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city, and because (as you've said) it also affects Indians elsewhere, etc. I never meant to dispute this. Let me just clarify that by saying that it was an attack on the rest of India, Patil was just spewing his usual soundbites to the media. Please don't read too much into his rhetoric. The people of India do sympathsie with the families of the the deceased foreigners, we see all as equals, and more importantly, recognise that the addition of a specific focus on foreigners this time (the first time during an attack in India) is a significant development. I wasn't trying to downplay this, just trying to give you the full story, which it seems you already knew however ;-)
And no, I do not want you to take anything back, but just to understand why someone like me might think the way I did after reading your post, even if for a silly reason like a dangerously worded phrase ;-)
Wow, these comments of ours deserve their own posts :-) Hope I've cleared things up from my side, feel free to respond, it's been a pleasure conversing, and I wish eveyone could communicate their problems in this civilized a manner ;-)
Thoughts?
My thoughts? Thank you. Thank you for graciously allowing me to clear up any misconceptions. If you look at that post date/time you will see that it was right after the news started covering the event, so I didn't clearly write my thoughts...I use stream of conciousness a lot and often things don't come out just right. So, thank you for letting me clear up things in a civilized manner. I usually require my readers to plug in things that are simply characteristic of me...like knowing that I try to see all sides of the issue and just choose to comment on a few and not all. So sorry, you probably don't read regularly and you definitely don't know me personally so you don't have the extra plug in that goes along with reading my stuff...so that is entirely my fault.
Amber
Not at all, I do the same, write down what I think, that is. Then I go back and read through what I've written a couple of times to make sure it makes sense. Works for me :-)
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