The army talked of "shock and awe" when we invaded Iraq. There was nothing there to match the shock and awe of the tsunamis that have just hit Thailand, India,Sri lanka, Africa and Indonesia.

In Sri Lanka, the ocean moved 2 kilometres inland. Can you iamgine that? The sea just covered two kilometres of land sweeping away whole villages. In India no one even knows how many are gone. Entire fishing communities have just gone.

The east coast of Africa has been swamped by a wave that started in Indonesia.. the other side of the ocean!

The preliminary death toll stands at 12,000 and they haven't even heard from many communities yet, this could go into 20,000 or more. the scientcy fellow on the news has been saying that the earthquake that started it happened under the sea and that it is likely the sea bed rose about 30 metres; that's a hundred feet for our american and british friends.

I am officially shocked and awed, you may not be a nature freak but you have to respect that kind of power. God help those poor people stuck in their muddy homes with no power, water or medical help for the next few weeks.