When a world responds.Byline: The Register-Guard Trapped on a tiny Russian submarine in the depths of the Pacific, seven sailors huddled together in the cold and dark, preparing themselves for near certain death. The crew was down to its last six hours of breathable breath·a·ble adj. 1. Suitable or pleasant for breathing: breathable air. 2. Permitting air to pass through: a breathable fabric. air, and some began writing farewell letters to loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl . Then an international team of rescuers overcame a formidable array of logistical problems - from communications glitches to equipment shortages - to unsnare the submarine from a fishing net and bring the stunned stun tr.v. stunned, stun·ning, stuns 1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow. 2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise. 3. then jubilant sailors to the surface. Sunday's remarkable rescue stood in stark contrast to an incident five years earlier when an explosion stranded the nuclear submarine Kursk at the bottom of the Barents Sea Barents Sea, arm of the Arctic Ocean, N of Norway and European Russia, partially enclosed by Franz Josef Land on the north, Novaya Zemlya on the east, and Svalbard on the west. . All 118 men aboard perished after prideful Russian commanders refused to seek international assistance even though they lacked the equipment and expertise necessary to rescue the crew. This time, Russian officials called for help. Japan immediately sent rescue ships steaming toward the remote location. Participating nations flew in tons of equipment, as rescuers improvised im·pro·vise v. im·pro·vised, im·pro·vis·ing, im·pro·vis·es v.tr. 1. To invent, compose, or perform with little or no preparation. 2. a plan. With logistical assistance from America and Japan, a British submersible submersible, small, mobile undersea research vessel capable of functioning in the ocean depths. Development of a great variety of submersibles during the later 1950s and 1960s came about as a result of improved technology and in response to a demonstrated need for with robotic arms and cable clippers was rushed to the scene, where it descended and, after some agonizingly slow maneuvers, finally freed the submarine. The rescue serves as a vivid reminder of what can happen when the world focuses its attention and resources to solve problems, both small and large. One can't help but wonder what would happen if far larger crises, such as the one currently unfolding in Niger, received similar responses. In the past year, a locust locust, in botany locust, in botany, any species of the genus Robinia, deciduous trees or shrubs of the family Leguminosae (pulse family) native to the United States and Mexico. invasion and drought of biblical proportions have destroyed crops in the African nation, which was already one of the world's poorest countries. Nine months ago, both Niger and the United Nations warned of the pending famine, pleading for $16 million in emergency aid. The response was near silence. Now, a flood of immediate aid is needed to save 2.5 million people, including 800,000 children under the age of 5, from starvation. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1 1997 to January 1 2007, serving two five-year terms. He was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. recently proposed establishing a half-billion dollar emergency fund that would enable aid agencies to respond to such crises. Based on their response to the plight of seven desperate submariners, there's no doubt that the nations of the world have the capability to respond - and to respond with extraordinary unity, resolve and effectiveness. The question is whether they will. |
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