I know about every toddler that stumbled into a pool in California (on the other side of the country form me), and yet I hear very little of the impact of natural disasters outside the US. Sensationalism sells, and people just don't care unless they can worry about it.

celebrities get all the coverage. and small local disasters get more attention than monumental ones abroad. we're quite pompous in the u.s.

The media care more about ratings than anything else, so if it won't garner high ratings, they probably aren't going to show it that much, in this case Taiwan. They are so focused on showing 'angry mobs' at health care town halls that they don't really care that hundreds of people died in Taiwan and need help.

The current natural disaster that has killed hundreds of people in Taiwan? I never see coverage of it. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but the only time I see it is when BBC comes up as my homepage. Nobody is talking about it. It's a horrible, horrible thing that has killed so many people, and I think it's a disgrace that people aren't more aware. Although I am proud that the US has already extended offers for help--if only we'd responded that fast to Katrina....