Tsunami, hurricane, typhoon, wildfire, mudslide, flood, terrorism, war, earthquake. The news has not been very pleasant recently. Now we have 19,000 tragically dead in the Pakistan region and 2,000 in Guatemala, with both figures likely to rise. So many of our fellow planetary citizens have not only lost friends and family, but in a good deal of instances, also lost the resources to rebuild their lives. Writing about that next new gizmo seems not so appropriate at this time. Instead, went trawling through our archives in search of a little good news. Looking for the solutions that caring souls have created to ease the lot of displaced people. Many who had not much to begin with, and now have even less. Who, following Maslow's hierarchy, are focussed purely on shelter, water and food.I found the Pod and Zip emergency shelters, for example. The Eton and Freeplay windup radios, bringing communication to those without power. Non-toxic eco-flares to protect the health of of emergency service personnel. Lifestraw, Aquapak, and Augustin and even cow dung water filters/purifiers. Plus Illuminator and Personal Power Charger human powered torches/flashlights for when night takes hold and all seems very dark indeed. But thankfully we have dedicated organisations, like Habitat for Humanity and Architecture for Humanity and Builders with Borders, who are willing and able to support local people reconstruct their lives, and their homes.

Only when we learn to care for our own, will the multitude of other species then stand a chance. A recent survey found "Australian businesses are giving more, Australians individually are giving more than ever before and Australians are volunteering at a greater rate than ever before". So maybe, just maybe, the tide is turning and we're learning we are all in this together. One lives in hope.