12/29   What was the time lag between when things started getting fucked up
        in Indonesia vs. Sri Lanka / India?  I would think news should
        travel pretty damn fast after 40K+ died in Indonesia.  I don't think
        this aspect has been covered at all (for some reason news only seems
        to be covering lack of ocean sensors - but you don't need ocean
        sensors to warn Sri Lanka / India once you've established thousands
        dying in Indonesia).
        \_ I agree news should have spread, but no one thought it was 40+
           thousand dead until days after.
           \_ You don't need 40K+ dying to tell the other countries.
              All you need are tsunamis hitting the shore and it being covered
              on TV as a news bulletin in Indonesia as well as other countries.
        \_ Umm... spread how?  If they didn't get the warning from the US
           through their governments, how would they get it from the
           people who were actually being hit by the tsunami?  Collective
           consciousness?
           \_ Warnings about potential tsunamis since none have hit yet
              != Warnings about tsunamis that have already hit Indonesia
                 that could also hit other countries
              Let's say there is a 2 hour lag time between tsunamis hitting
              Indonesia vs. Sri Lanka / India.  This assumes 500 mph waves.
              Personally, I think it should take 30 minutes for this to hit
              radio + TV + Internet in Sri Lanka / India, 30 minutes more
              for people to run out to the coasts and say get the fuck away,
              with 1 hour of buffer time.
              I think lots of senior people fucked up and sat on the news
              for two or more hours.
              \_ I think you seriously underestimate what it means when a
                 very poor nation/area lacks infrastructure to deal with
                 this sort of crisis, both in terms of transmitting
                 information (esp after what little infrastructure just got
                 swept away by a tsunami) and in terms of receiving,
                 processing, disseminating, and then finally reacting.  This
                 is exacerbated when this lack of ability to react is coupled
                 with complacency and unpreparedness.  If the US had only 2
                 hours of warning before a large tsunami hit the eastern
                 seaboard, the loss of life would be staggering.
                 \_ Well, the least I want to suggest is that politicians
                    and other people in charge are blaming a lack of ocean
                    sensors, vs. assuming responsibility for not spreading
                    the news to local media.  How much does it take to say:
                    "Hey, play this on TV.  Tidal waves are hitting Indonesia.
                    It might hit us."  I think you overestimate the difficulty
                    of this.  You and a lot of people, too, which is why it is
                    not being covered.
                    \_ No, I don't overestimate the difficulty of making a
                       broadcast of this sort.  No need to be snippy.
                       \_ If you think I'm being snippy, perhaps you shouldn't
                          use the same phrasing.
                    \_ You must be the "why don't they just tread water for a
                       little while" guy, huh?
                    \_ Didn't this happen at 6/7 am local time? How many people
                        in those impoverished, remote villages would be
                        watching TV at that time? How many actually have
                        electricity?
                       \_ Then why don't I see news reports talking about
                          what you're talking about?  All I see are "no ocean
                          sensors", not "no TVs / radios, everyone was asleep
                          anyway".