Don't know if anyone who plays here was affected, but I've just heard on the news about the earthquake in Indonesia, which is the biggest one recorded in the world since 1965. There were tidal waves hitting all along southeast Asia, (Sri Lanka, Thailand and India seem to be the countries I'm reading/hearing about mostly). I just wanted to know if anyone knows people from here who live there or were holidaying there, and if there are if they can let us know they're ok .

I live in Singapore and we didn't feel a thing. I believe there was an instance when the tremors were felt even over here, but not this time.

I hope people are ok.

My brother is in Bali on holiday at the moment. Not in the exact area, but still a worry. He is ok tho.

Death toll is 15000 and rising : (

A few of my friends were on holiday in Malaysia, I haven't heard back from them either, so I'm very worried

I've got friends there too.

My cousin and his girlfriend just came back from Bali on Thursday.. we're all very, very relieved.

do they even still have internet access there?
I know my friends are trying to send emails to their friends, but It would seem odd that even if they are ok that the ywould be able to respond.

It seems natural disasters have been picking up lately. I heard on the news that there was a level 6 or something quake off Tasmania a couple of days before.
I hope everyone's families are okay.

Oi, Tasmania too? I'd better go check my friend there is okay...hadn't heard about that one.

I heard about that too, it wasn't really off Tasmania, they're just saying that because that's the closest inhabited land I imagine. It was closer to Antarctica AFAIK and Tassie wasn't really affected...

It was 8.1 on the scale and 800 kms from Tasmania. They are saying that the Asia earthquake was triggered by the one off Tasmania

Bali was completely unaffected, Java shielded it from the majority of the wave. I have even more friends holidaying over there right now, so I'm relieved.

Wow, 15000. You people are getting worked up over nothing. Every day around 15000 die from AIDS and HIV related illnesses tuberculosis, and malaria.

24,000 people die each day of starvation (this is a low estimate). As many as 800,000,000 people in the world are chronically undernourished.

But everyone just go back to caring about things when they effect -you-. Live your greedy self absorbed existances. No one really cares about Southeast Asias inhabitants, just their tourist friends who may have died.

'scuse me, just because 15000 people die from malaria or whatever doesn't mean that it's nothing when people die from a natural disaster. And I'd not be so quick to criticise people caring about their friends, if I were you. It's not selfish to be worried about someone you care about.

Hey, I care I live here. Don't go making blanket assumptions about things like that.

First of all, I didn't make any blanket assumptions about you not caring, seeing as you living there it -would- effect you.

Second of all, Shiri. No, it is not selfish to be worried about people you care about. It is selfish to not consider the 800 million starving people, and focus only on whether or not your friends are ok. Congratulations, a minor incident involving someone you know, possibly being injured occured. Worse things happen each day that aren't even important enough to you to cross your mind.

This is human nature and, in a manner of speaking, I'm inclined to agree with you. However, when you post something like this on a public forum in response to the topic creator, I'm sure you can agree with me that it will not go down too well with the majority.

If this boils down to a flame war, then the moderators will have to lock this thread. To me, this is a shame as people can utilize this as a medium for casual exchange of information.

A little bit of sensitivity goes a long way. If it bothers you so much that you need to post, at least think about what effect your words will have on others.

Actually the toll is up around 50,000 last night checked, but excuse us for caring, stetson, and feel free to play perfect a little longer.

Grow up Stetson. I'm a bit worried, I know no one over there, I've never been there, never heard of anything, and in no way does in related to me. Yet I watch it on the news, and I'm sure many people are praying for those that live there.

Currently, we're hearing it was a 9.0 on the Richter scale, and the death toll is 40-50000.

I can see where you're coming from, and that there are other places that suffer worse every year. But when you have 150 foot tidal waves moving 300 miles an hour with the power of a piece of concrete completely wipe out areas and create massive destruction... yeah, we start talking about it.

I have no connection to that area, and I worry for the people there. Not just the Americans. And I'm sure that many of us are mildly irritated at being talked about like that. You make everyone here seem heartless.

Just because you don't know everyone who died doesn't mean you can't care. And if you know someone who died it's going to affect you more directly but it doesn't change the fact that someone died. I don't know anyone affected by this natural disaster but I still care. It's sad to hear that so many died

And yes many do die every day from other things, and it is still sad that die and I do care that they did but you don't hear as much about that and I can't help that.