Like vultures to carrion.

And it is also a universal truth that if these images of devastation are explosive enough, the world's philanthropic businesses and wealthier countries will begin a race to see who can give the most.

The Boxing Day Tsunami is no better of example of this.

There you would regularly hear news bulletins telling us that Australians have given the most of any country (per capita) and more generally, how the world had got together in a Christ-like spirit of giving.

Yes, this was true and the feeling of kindness toward the unfortunate other was genuinely palpable. 

But, the response to that disaster and the terrible earthquake in Haiti have been a little cringe-worthy.

Haiti for years has been a solid shadow of sadness.

Occasionally opinion pieces would appear telling us that the U.S had again spent so many dollars but that project had again disappeared into a vacuum of corruption. 

Occasionally the strangeness of a State so close to America, but so desperately poor, would twinge a pain in us. 

But of course when the pain was slow and endemic the world did nothing.

So again a country that seems a poster-child for what humanity can't do, will soon be faced with the world's burning attention. And then as the eyes turns away, there will be an amazing crushing feeling as they become as poverty stricken and desperately ruined as before.   . . read more

There are few people in this world who would defend Gaddafi as a sane and viable leader of Libya; but I think there would be even less that would see the logic in the U.S selling guns to someone as psychotic as him and then parading about as world police.

It's the equivalent of a sheriff giving an outlaw a six-shooter and then acting surprised when he starts popping off the town folk. 

The second one U.S plane gets shot down by one U.S surface-to-air missile, all the military big wigs should get together and make a decision once and for all - "we have to stop shooting at tyrants we've given guns to".

What do you think about Libya? What do you think about the obvious contradictions in U.S foreign policy and how do you think they should be addressed? Tell us and remember...Disqus!  . . read more

In the face of all those dead and devastated it may seem a cynical and irrelevant question, but really, why is it that when Gaia/God/the tectonic plates get angry, that the world responds with so much money and so many tears? . . read more