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Sandy victims and the difference
From the Newspaper
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a blunt critic of the president and a key Romney ally, produced a glowing character reference for Obama. The praise from Christie, who is mentioned as the possible 2016 Republican presidential candidate should Romney lose, represented the kind of publicity that a campaign, for all the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on it, simply cannot buy (Oct 31).
While storm Sandy is still pounding and causing destruction, all Americans are talking about rebuilding. The media is not calling their people the affected ones. Instead they are being called survivors.
If we think for a while we will realise that there is a difference between the mentality of an affected person and a survivor.
Surviving Americans are not complaining against their civic authorities and their government.
A news video clip showed people stranded on their rooftops smiling and waving at media teams. There is a positive sense all around. The people who have lost their loved ones, their businesses, their properties and their total belongings, you still don’t see them crying.
A colleague of mine commented that ‘goras’ do not cry and this is so very true.
We all saw how Pakistanis cried, wept and wailed after the earthquake and the floods. While they have learned to control their emotions, we have not done anything in this direction.
By controlling their emotions they use their brains better like naming their devastated people as survivors while we call them affected people. Survivors fight out against odds and rise while in our case we are not willing to stand up without external support.
We, the fortunate and the educated ones, have to learn to control our emotions. When we do so, we will not only become a positive bunch of people but we will also be able to help the less fortunate and the uneducated come to terms with such calamities and minor irritants alike.
S. NAYYAR IQBAL RAZA
Karachi
Marathon ??..they could have had a swimming competition instead.
............
it's silly to generalize like "goras" or "Pakistanis never cry" etc. but this guy is an azz-hat for down-playing the resilience of Pakistanis in the face of adversity....probably some Pakistani American who hasn't even been to his country of origin since he got his green card
I think i will get in touch with Pakistan Students Association at my school....maybe help set up some kind of fund-raiser or blankets/reliefs good drive or something like that
could be a good chance for Pakistani "PR" + also maybe help some unfortunate people
Giving cash donations to the Red Cross is another good way to help.
Pakistani embassy reaching out to ‘Sandy affected’ Pakistanis
APP
WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s top diplomat in New York visited the Pakistani-Americans affected by last week’s Sandy storm as part of continued efforts to inquire about their well being and coordinate relief work in accordance with instructions of Ambassador Sherry Rehman.
Consul General in New York, Faqir Syed Asif Hussain, visited the Bay Side shelter, which has been set up in a Coney Island school.
The shelter is temporarily housing over 200 Pakistanis who had to evacuate their homes and move to safer locations.
He stayed with them for more than an hour. The diplomat appreciated the efforts of community leaders and organizations, particularly the American Council of Minority Women, for their humanitarian work.
The Consul General is coordinating with local community leaders for food and other necessities to affected Pakistanis. Earlier, the Consul General also visited some areas of Bronx and Queens Boroughs.
Meanwhile, Pakistani-American leaders have appreciated the embassy’s reaching out to members of the community affected in the massive storm, that battered the US east coast last week, killing sores and leaving millions without power.
“This outreach represents a very important gesture that the Pakistani government cares about the expatriates and is ready to help them, when needed,” Dr Nisar Chaudhry, head of Pakistan-American League, said.
Other community leaders including Irfan Malik, a businessman and Moeed Yousaf, a think tank analyst, taking part in a TV program, also expressed appreciation for the embassy’s efforts.
As the US administration continues its restoration efforts, the Pakistan Embassy in DC and the Consulate in New York, under the guidance of Charge’ Affairs Dr. Asad M. Khan, remain dedicated to facilitating Pakistani expatriates, the embassy said.
In this regard, the emergency hotline set up last week in the Consulate and notified to the public to help Pakistanis get in touch with their relatives impacted by the hurricane is still in place and active.
The numbers for the two lines are 212-472-6807 and 212-472-4345. Scores of calls and emails have been received and responded to by the Embassy and the Consulate and the concerned officers in New York continue to do so, the embassy said.
It's 9:55 ET and I am waiting on line to fill my car.