8.5 earthquake hits near Concepcion, Chile

[pam]

From lds newsroom

Church Statement on Earthquake in Chile - LDS Newsroom

[pam]

I have to commend the Chilean President for not automatically asking for assistance and letting their own system attempt to deal with this.

[john doe]

I think that Chile has a stronger and more modern economy and government than most of us have realized. I was listening to the TV this morning and someone said that only 18% of their population lives in poverty as compared to Haiti's 50%. They also have a government that has had better and stronger building codes than most of us North Americans would have expected. So far it appears they have dealt with this disaster better than I had expected they would.

[pam]

I have to agree JD. After seeing pictures and reading news reports, I have to sadly admit that I was very much under the impression that they were not quite so advanced. I'm glad to see that they are and agree they seem to be handling this very well. Goes to show how little I know about some of the other countries in the world. Except for those that are always in the news with heartache stories.

[Wingnut]

Regarding the missionaries -- there's nothing yet in the LDS Newsroom, but there is an update on the Church News website:

Full article

I am amazed at the detail included in this quote -- they are accounting for missions as a whole, but they also know that there are two lone missionaries on a tiny set of Islands that they are worried about accounting for.

There is an update to this link that all mission presidents have now checked in and that all missionaries are safe and accounted for.

[Dravin]

I think that Chile has a stronger and more modern economy and government than most of us have realized. I was listening to the TV this morning and someone said that only 18% of their population lives in poverty as compared to Haiti's 50%. They also have a government that has had better and stronger building codes than most of us North Americans would have expected. So far it appears they have dealt with this disaster better than I had expected they would.

Considering that Chile was home to the largest recorded earthquake in history back in 1960 it doesn't surprise me that they pay more attention to building codes.

Edited February 28, 2010 by Dravin

[Mahone]

I have to agree JD. After seeing pictures and reading news reports, I have to sadly admit that I was very much under the impression that they were not quite so advanced. I'm glad to see that they are and agree they seem to be handling this very well. Goes to show how little I know about some of the other countries in the world. Except for those that are always in the news with heartache stories.

This is unfortunately true of an awful lot of Americans, usually those who have never left America at any point in their lives. Even Britain has an interesting (and extremely odd) view by a lot of Americans. We had one American missionary here who thought he was going to find loads of thatched cottages, and someone else said they were expecting us to all be in suits of armour and castles

Anyway, the world outside of America is generally a lot more advanced than a lot of people within America think. I admit it's a bit of a bane of contention (and the reason why America can be disliked here) sometimes when Americans just assume that the world just revolves around them and that most of the latest discoveries and inventions are made by Americans (that's not pointing at anyone on this forum, just from my interactions with Americans in general). Neither of these are by any means true.

Edited February 28, 2010 by Mahone

[pam]

I think part of my thought process is, I've known many missionaries who have been to Chile, Peru and other places down in that area. The stories they come back with from their missions are usually ones of the areas they served. Again, most of those stories are about the poverty and lack of the things we take for granted. When it's a country that I don't specifically see a lot in the news so I can get visuals, I go by the stories of people that have been there.

So Mahone, if I came to the UK and asked you to pick me up at the airport..you wouldn't be in a suit of armor? How disappointing. :)

[Mahone]

So Mahone, if I came to the UK and asked you to pick me up at the airport..you wouldn't be in a suit of armor? How disappointing. :)

No, but we do have roundabouts that I would ensure you got the full experience of :)

[Wingnut]

We had one American missionary here who thought he was going to find loads of thatched cottages, and someone else said they were expecting us to all be in suits of armour and castles

Now that's just plain inexcusable. Haven't they ever even watched movies? I mean, if they've ever watched any of the Harry Potter movies, they know that you don't wear suits of armor -- you wear black robes and striped scarves. Duh!

No, but we do have roundabouts that I would ensure you got the full experience of :)

Meh...We've got roundabouts, too. All over the eastern United States. That actually brings up a whole other set of misconceptions that Americans have -- about each other. I live in the Cleveland area, and I think it's hilarious (but get really annoyed at the same time) when people who live here for school (but are really from Utah) refer to Ohio as "the East Coast." It's 500 miles inland, for goodness' sake!

[pam]

Meh...We've got roundabouts, too. All over the eastern United States. That actually brings up a whole other set of misconceptions that Americans have -- about each other. I live in the Cleveland area, and I think it's hilarious (but get really annoyed at the same time) when people who live here for school (but are really from Utah) refer to Ohio as "the East Coast." It's 500 miles inland, for goodness' sake!

Close enough.

[Dravin]

Meh...We've got roundabouts, too. All over the eastern United States.

We've got them here in Utah, maybe your civil engineers are making their way over here. I hate the blasted things, not because of them, but because idiots in these parts get confused and like to treat them as weird four way stops.

That actually brings up a whole other set of misconceptions that Americans have -- about each other. I live in the Cleveland area, and I think it's hilarious (but get really annoyed at the same time) when people who live here for school (but are really from Utah) refer to Ohio as "the East Coast." It's 500 miles inland, for goodness' sake!

That's silly. Ohio is Old Northwest territory. That's why I use out east, it's delightfully vague. :)

[Wingnut]

That's silly. Ohio is Old Northwest territory. That's why I use out east, it's delightfully vague. :)

Out East, Back East, Eastern US, or Midwest, but Ohio is not the East Coast. :)

[john doe]

. I live in the Cleveland area, and I think it's hilarious (but get really annoyed at the same time) when people who live here for school (but are really from Utah) refer to Ohio as "the East Coast." It's 500 miles inland, for goodness' sake!

To be fair, to people from the Intermountain area 500 miles is almost a hop and a skip. Most of us can make the drive with only one stop for gas. We here in Salt Lake think very little of driving 300 miles to spend a weekend in Saint George.

[john doe]

This is unfortunately true of an awful lot of Americans, usually those who have never left America at any point in their lives. Even Britain has an interesting (and extremely odd) view by a lot of Americans. We had one American missionary here who thought he was going to find loads of thatched cottages, and someone else said they were expecting us to all be in suits of armour and castles

And vice versa. I have known of many people visit from the UK or Europe expecting to see America as all tumbleweeds and the citizens packing sidearms in holsters on their hips.

Anyway, the world outside of America is generally a lot more advanced than a lot of people within America think. I admit it's a bit of a bane of contention (and the reason why America can be disliked here) sometimes when Americans just assume that the world just revolves around them and that most of the latest discoveries and inventions are made by Americans (that's not pointing at anyone on this forum, just from my interactions with Americans in general). Neither of these are by any means true.

To be fair, you need to remember that most North Americans visit the poor countries of Central America to get those impressions. And has been pointed out before, generally the stories we LDS get upon a missionary's return from South America are about the humble and poor people they dealt with in the country outside the urban centers.

[Wingnut]

To be fair, to people from the Intermountain area 500 miles is almost a hop and a skip. Most of us can make the drive with only one stop for gas. We here in Salt Lake think very little of driving 300 miles to spend a weekend in Saint George.

It's not uncommon in New England to drive through three or more states in a weekend. Five hundred miles away from the nearest coastline (Great Lakes not included) is still not the coast.

[pam]

I have driven between San Diego and SLC so many times I can't count. You are in 4 states in an 11 hour period.

[john doe]

It's not uncommon in New England to drive through three or more states in a weekend. Five hundred miles away from the nearest coastline (Great Lakes not included) is still not the coast.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, and people in the East think the Appalachians are mountains too. But this rant is waaaaaaaay off topic.

[Wingnut]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, and people in the East think the Appalachians are mountains too. But this rant is waaaaaaaay off topic.

Yeah, I agree that they do, and it bugs my husband to no end.

(Technically, they are mountains, but only technically.)

[zippy_do46]

They also think Texas is all catus and rolling hills. Most people get a shock when they see the rice fields and the pine trees of East Texas..

[zippy_do46]

My friend has heard from the Church. All of the missionaries in Santiago North Mission have been accounted for. She does not know what kind of shape he is in.

[Guest]

That actually brings up a whole other set of misconceptions that Americans have -- about each other. I live in the Cleveland area, and I think it's hilarious (but get really annoyed at the same time) when people who live here for school (but are really from Utah) refer to Ohio as "the East Coast." It's 500 miles inland, for goodness' sake!

Reminds me of my first summer in these United States - I was in northeast Cleveland. I just went through my very first winter - growing up in the tropical pacific islands of the Philippines I was completely homesick. My aunt was so excited that it is finally warm enough to take me to the beach! I'm like - BEACH??? THERE'S A BEACH HERE??? She exclaims, of course they have a beach and that I will start to love Cleveland...

She took me to Mentor on the Lake. I cried.

[Wingnut]

Yeah, everyone calls it a beach. I grew up in Orange County, CA. Lake Erie is not a beach.

[Dravin]

Yeah, everyone calls it a beach. I grew up in Orange County, CA. Lake Erie is not a beach.

Lakes have beaches. For some quirky reason I wouldn't refer to such as "the beach" as that makes me think ocean or sea, but lakes certainly can have beaches along them. Though if you want to have fun with the way things get worded, just think of Willard Bay, it's a reservoir. :)

[MarginOfError]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, and people in the East think the Appalachians are mountains too. But this rant is waaaaaaaay off topic.

A long time ago, God had glaciers he needed to place somewhere. He knew that the glaciers would wreak havoc on the terrain and looked to his two strongest mountain chains to bear the beating the glaciers would bring. First, he asked the Rocky Mountains, but they cowered. "We cannot bear the glaciers," they said, "for they will flatten us and roll us into the sea." Then, they swore in their fear that if they were given the glaciers, they would give up, lie flat, and never be seen again.

Then God asked the Appalachians to take the glaciers. They quickly responded, "give us the glaciers and we will bear their torment." God gave the Appalachians the glaciers. Over time the Eastern Mountains were brought low. But God was pleased with their willingness to do as he asked. He then caused the glaciers to turn into great rivers, lakes, and streams. He caused the land to be made fertile, and blessed the land to be the residence of the faithful and worthy, where they would be blessed with healthy crops, ample water, and less toil.

God then cursed the Western Mountains, and made their soil bitter, rocky, and dry. He made them difficult to pass, and cursed the land to be the dwelling place of the proud and the lazy, forcing them to work three times as hard as their blessed eastern brethren to gain the same blessings.

And so it continues today, where the western people claim their mountains are better by their looks, feigning ignorance to the curses that God placed on their land. They continue in their pride, refusing to recognize the blessings bestowed on the east because of their own western insecurity.