Today is the last day of 2004 and for many people throughout the world, New Years Eve is traditionally a day of celebration. However for millions of people this year New Years Eve will be like none other. This is because of the incredible tragedy caused by the Tsunami in South East Asia.
This tragedy has touched me personally not just because less than two weeks ago I was in one of the bungalows that got swept away in Thailand but because the family of our Director of Finance and Business Development in Thailand lives in one of the worst affected areas of Thailand.
Her brother was working in a resort that was swept away and he was missing for two days, and her parents couldn't be contacted initially. Fortunately all her family have turned up and they are all OK. She is still in the area giving her support to family and friends. Now and then when we are able to make contact she explains how the TV news does not come close to conveying the incredible suffering that is going on.
Much of the international news has focused on the plight of tourists caught up in the disaster and the trauma that their families back home are dealing with. For those tourists who survived, their trauma is but a small fraction of the suffering that has to be endured by the locals left behind. For those of us who live in affluent western materialistic nations it is hard to conceive being without the comforts of our homes, let alone having no home at all, no possessions, no vehicle, no livelihood and not enough food or water.
Many of the people who are now in this position are intelligent hard working people who have been handed a raw deal by fate. I know many of our subscribers have a hard time making financial ends meet, but if you can manage to help in some small way, remember that a lot of 'little' pieces can make a large one.
Should you wish to help with a donation here are some URL's of various aid organizations. I cannot recommend any specific one as I have never researched them... but here they are.
http://www.redcross.org
http://www.unicefusa.org
http://www.planusa.org
http://www.worldvision.org
Also, you can make a donation through Amazon.
For our part we have decided to bring forward our plans to develop a new Children's Total Balance. Apart from the fact that many of our customers have been requesting this product, we made a board decision earlier this year to develop such a product before the end of 2005 as part of a program we are developing to help support malnourished children in various parts of the world. A portion of our annual profits is being earmarked for this purpose.
Unfortunately it is not humanly possible to complete the development of this product and manufacture it in time to help those currently in need, so we are contributing in other ways.
On a lighter note
Today my daughter came into the office with my granddaughter (aged 7 years). She was telling me about a program that she saw on TV last night which said that some children watch TV up to 9 hours a day. She reminded me that she and my other three sons where never that bad but I still used to get annoyed because they watched more than I thought they should. She asked me if I remembered how I solved the problem? I couldn't (must take an extra tablet of the neurological formula).
Apparently, I walked over to the TV, disconnected the power cord from the wall and then cut the cord off. So, there you are…a solution for excessive TV watching. The same technique, will I am sure work for computers as well.
Finally all the best for the New Year and many thanks to those subscribers and customers who wrote to us expressing their best wishes.
Until next year.
In good health,
Leave a comment (all fields required)