Take It As Red

"Tsunamis shatter celebrity holidays

Former German Chancellor Kohl evacuated to safety
Wednesday, December 29, 2004 Posted: 0548 GMT (1348 HKT)
Czech model Petra Nemcova, was injured in the tsunami.
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- A German statesman, a Czech super model and a Swedish Olympic ski champion were among the vacationers whose search for peace and sun in tropical southern Asia was shattered by the tsunamis that spared neither rich nor poor.

Petra Nemcova -- who appeared on the cover of 2003 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue -- was carried away with her boyfriend, the fashion photographer Simon Atlee, after a huge wave plowed into southern Thailand on Sunday."

"This morning on c-span (why do I listen to their call-in show, anyway?) the repub callers were all whining about why should WE be expected to give any more aid. Let the arab countries help them. One of them said he'd like to see the list of countries who lined up to give us aid after 9-11, oh, except for that filthy arab guy who wanted to give $10million.

Do these people have any clue that A) they live in the richest country in the world and B) on a per capita basis, we are giving diddly-squat compared to other nations, and C) we are talking about human beings, for fuck's sake?

I finally had to turn off the TV when one woman actually said that sweeping all the children out to sea and killing them was God's way of protecting them from the evil of prostitution. Listening to them made me ashamed to be an American.
semper fubar Email 12.29.04 - 1:16 pm "

[UPDATE 28.12.04 20.00: News media are now reporting at least 50,000 dead. Here in the Netherlands, an ad-hoc group called Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties has opened a Giro 555 account to help the survivors. Please, give as much as you want to whomever you choose, but give.]

"The 'Identificatieplicht' is the latest step in a major government campaign to tackle a range of crime, public disturbance and truancy problems in the Netherlands. Mindy Ran reports.

Most people who have watched Dutch television recently will have seen the ad in which a mature man, dressed in a rain coat and walking a cute little dog, spells out C-O-C-K to a police officer. Some expat viewers may have dismissed this as yet another example of the liberal and slightly whacky Dutch attitude to matters that are considered profane in many other countries around the world.

You are a nobody if you haven't got official identification, the government says
The Dutch government hopes — on the other hand — that most viewers will understand the gentleman in question is actor Piet Römer, who plays Detective De Cock in the hit crime series Baantjer. The character seems to have mania for spelling out his name to illustrate it isn't spelled K-O-K.

Taking a break from solving murder mysteries, Römer, aka De Cock, is spearheading the government's campaign to inform the public that everyone, aged 14 and above, will be obliged to carry official identification in the Netherlands from 1 Janaury {sic} 2005.

The government claims that the new identity law (Identificatieplicht) is essential for authorities to be able to perform their job, fight crime and public nuisance and create a safer environment.

Which ID will do?

The form of acceptable identification depends both on the situation, and on your nationality. In general, accepted identification is defined as: a valid passport, Dutch or European ID card, or residence permit. In some cases, but not all, a valid Dutch driver's license will do.

For Dutch citizens, any of the above will be accepted, with the exemptions of the driving license when visiting the tax office, or requesting a SoFi number or social security benefit (uitkering). For Dutch nationals above the age of 14, but not yet able to drive or still included on a parents passport, a Dutch ID card is available for around EUR 30 from the citizens affairs desk at your local city hall.


Even famous tevision detective De Cock needs to have identification.
The Dutch ID card is not available to non-Dutch nationals.

Inclusion on a parent’s passport is no longer considered acceptable identification for any child over the age of 14. Also, for the past two years all non-EU/EER citizens above the age of 12 have been obliged to have their own residence permit.

For immigrants and nationals from countries outside the EU/EER, you will be required to carry a valid residence permit (verblijfsdocument), as a passport will not be acceptable if the matter being investigated concerns your legal status in the country.

EU/EER nationals may use a valid passport, or a residence permit. Although it is not required as an EU/EER national to have a residence permit, the current policy of the identity law states "all immigrants must be able to show [their] immigration documents".

Forgotten expats

Reading the comprehensive website (in Dutch) did not clear up this apparent conflict between needing a residence permit and not being required to get one by EU law. Technically, residence permits are still not required as EU/EER nationals can show a valid passport to comply with the new ruling.

At this time it is also unclear whether any sort of alternative to the Dutch identity card will be available for those not wanting to carry their passports, or for parents concerned about children aged 14 and older carrying their passports.

When the question was put to the gentleman behind the information desk at the Amsterdam Citizens Affairs Office in City Hall (as a parent, not a journalist), his final suggestion in a long line of whimsical answers was to make my son "Dutch" so he could get an ID card. He was also interested when his boss offered me a brochure (Identificatieplicht - Nederland Veilig), because, as he told me, he was unaware of which brochure covered the issue.

Who can ask?

The police, as well as immigration and customs officials, tax officials, forest rangers, labour and environmental inspectors, will all have the right, under certain circumstances, to request to see your ID. At this moment, there are no plans to do spot checks on ID and the reasons for requesting identification by police and other authorities will have to have a legal basis.

Specifically cited reasons include: traffic violations, investigation of criminal acts, identification of witnesses or victims of an accident or crime, creating a public disturbance, truancy, a check for illegal workers, the attempted removal of animals or plants from a nature reserve or illegal dumping.

If you are asked for identification and are unable to provide it, you will be taken to a police station until your identity can be proven. You might also be fined up to EUR 2,250, although according to their website it is "expected" that in practice many simple cases will be fined less."

[Copyright Expatica 2004]

"I saw the city and al-Andalus destroyed," said Ali Mahmood, 35, referring to the district of the city he returned to briefly Thursday but now plans to leave after seeing the mess.



"My house is completely destroyed. There is nothing left for me to stay for," the teacher said, adding that he would rather live in the tented camp outside Falluja that has been his family's home for the past two months.


Some 2,000 Iraqis, who fled a U.S.-led offensive on Falluja more than a month ago, are returning to the Sunni Muslim city although sporadic fighting persists in some areas, Iraqi ministers said. (Akram Saleh/Reuters)

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, on a suprise pre-Christmas visit to Iraq, visited troops at a base near Falluja Friday but made no mention of the city's rebuilding.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched a preliminary appeal for 7.5 million Swiss francs to assist some 500,000 people and bring immediate support to relief operations of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries in the region after the strongest earthquake in 40 years caused massive tidal waves, killing at least 6,000 people, according to local authorities, and leaving more than one million displaced and homeless.

The number of injured is still not known. One million Swiss francs were released earlier today from the Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund. Locally, Red Cross teams in Sri Lanka and India have helped evacuate survivors, dispensed first aid and provided emergency relief materials, such as tents and blankets, as well as food.

The International Federation will send medical supplies for 100,000 people into Sri Lanka, the country hardest hit by the disaster, tomorrow, from Copenhagen, Denmark. Additionally medicines to treat up to 2,000 possible cases of diarrheal disease will also be part of the shipment.

“The biggest health challenges we are facing is the spread of waterborne diseases, particularly malaria and diarrhea, as well as respiratory tract infections,” explains Hakan Sandbladh, Senior Health Officer at the Federation’s Secretariat in Geneva. “We are particularly concerned about initial reports of destruction of hospitals and other health infrastructures in Sri Lanka.”