The Deluge Down Under

Correspondent Provides First-Hand Account, Video Links of Devastation

Australia is under siege…and under water. The country is currently battling driving rainstorms and severe flooding that threatens to destroy not just its agricultural system, but also its economy. The following news report highlights the utter desolation: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/

According to the Google Crisis Response website, which was set up to help victims in the flood-ravaged areas, the places that appear to be suffering the greatest devastation are Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. The site has posted a map of the flood zones, the phone numbers of volunteer agencies, and other valuable information for those interested in providing some form of assistance.

Priscilla Fox -- http://priscillaspink.blogspot.com -- a digital and social media project manager based in Sydney, provided “From The G-Man” with a first-hand account of the tremendous toll the flood is taking on food prices and distribution.

“The major supermarkets don’t have a lot of fresh fruit due to farms and agriculture being affected. A friend of mine couldn’t get fruit or milk today, and this is on the Gold Coast where they weren’t affected by the floods as badly as Brisbane,” said Fox.

“Some have said because of the great monopoly our two major supermarkets have, they only buy from some suppliers and won’t from others, even though I’m sure there are lots of other Australian suppliers that would be happy to provide products. Therefore, everyone suffers! If this is true, they certainly have had a stranglehold on supply and pricing of groceries for way too long,” Fox concluded.

Priscilla Fox served as a special correspondent on this story.

In order to give people in the U.S. a sense of how bad the situation is, Fox also took the liberty of submitting video footage/links of the extensive damage being caused by what many Australians describe as “the worst flooding in 35 years”. The footage captures parked cars being lifted and swept downstream by the force of the rising and surging water.

“I am now living in Sydney, but it hasn’t rained a lot here. However, when I returned home for Christmas and New Year’s, it was extremely humid and raining practically non-stop! The flooding has been, and continues to be, horrendous for many,” stated Fox.

If you would like to make a donation toward the flood relief effort or offer your services as a volunteer, visit the link below. The people “down under” desperately need support.

http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/queensland_floods.html

President Must Respond to Lang Lang Controversy....Now!

Celebrated Pianist Lang Lang

Like Mexicans, Chinese-Americans Could Face Major Backlash

On January 22, the Epoch Times reported that celebrated musician Lang Lang performed a song at the White House State dinner, for President Hu Jintao’s visit, that is considered to be anti-American and a propaganda tool commonly used in association with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Unlike many bloggers, reporters and news outlets, I have a great deal of respect for my audience. Thus, instead of paraphrasing or rehashing the story and possibly excluding important facts, I’ve provided you with the link to the article so you can get all of the information and make an informed decision as to whether or not the performer’s actions – and possible involvement on the part of the Chinese government -- should be called into question: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/49822/

The minute the Epoch Times posted this story online, I realized many ignorant Americans would immediately assume Lang Lang used the high profile event as an opportunity to not only embarrass and insult America, but also to give her a good, swift kick in the ass on behalf of the Chinese government and its people. Based on the comments left on many sites that posted the Epoch Times article, I was right.

As a media person, I also realized many of the pain-in-the-ass, reckless, conservative and liberal news organizations would follow their usual protocol and completely talk around this story and ignore many of the facts in order to enrage members the public -- namely those who already fear and loathe President Obama, the fact that China is now recognized as the world’s sole economic powerhouse, and the fact that China “owns” us after absorbing a trillion dollars in U.S. debt.

Until Lang Lang, or President Hu Jintao, sits down with Charlie Rose or a “60 Minutes” correspondent to explain the content of “My Motherland” and what the song means to the people of China, the fools -- from the back hills of Arkansas to the projects of New York City -- yelling “Those goddamn Chinks are taking over this country! America isn’t America anymore, and we’re outta work because of those slanty-eyed bastards!!” run the risk of fueling even greater anti-Chinese sentiment and creating a Jared Loughner prototype…. or legions of them.

President Obama is in the process of fine-tuning his State of the Union address, which will be broadcast on January 25. He’s “de-funked” the White House and added air freshener by inserting a new leadership team. The G-Man has a message for the president and his new posse. Mr. President, strategically placing a few comments into the speech about the Lang Lang incident is not only vital to the interest of Sino-U.S. relations, it is vital to the interest and safety of Americans and Chinese-Americans living, working and worshiping together in this country. It would behoove you to address this incident before the nation.

This commentary is from the heart and…. From The G-Man.

Photo source: Andreas Praefcke

Author: Andreas Praefcke

Permission: Public Domain