Stories about Disaster from April, 2006
Chernobyl: First Victims
Oleksa of My Reflections writes about Chernobyl and its first victims: “However, it is the plight of the 14 firefighters that made the greatest impression on me. They arrived on the station mere minutes after the blast and had to extinguish fire with their bare hands, almost literally, throwing the...
Belarus, Ukraine: Chernobyl Meaning
Vilhelm Konnander explains the meaning of Chernobyl for Belarus 20 years later. Tim Newman of White Sun of the Desert disagrees with Sean Guillory's take on the lessons of Chernobyl: “To use Chernobyl as a reason to abandon nuclear power is like using the Titanic as a reason to discontinue...
Belarus: Photos From Charnobylski Shlyakh
LJ users andrews_kovas and eugene_grabkin post their photo reports from Charnobylski Shlyakh, a protest rally that took place in Minsk yesterday.
Belarus: Charnobylski Shlyakh Arrests
Iryna of TOL's Belarus Blog writes about more arrests and detentions in Belarus, following yesterday's protest rally “Charnobylski Shlyakh.” She also quotes Syarhei Kaliakin, an opposition activist: “20 years ago Chernobyl disaster has taken place. 10 years ago a political Chernobyl has happened, when the legally elected parliament was disbanded...
Ukraine: A Trip to Chernobyl
Dan McMinn of Orange Ukraine links to his own report from a trip to Chernobyl he and his wife took on November 13, 2004.
Belarus: Chernobyl and Charnobylski Shlyah
br23 blog writes about how he, then a 10-year-old son of two physicist parents, learned about the accident at the Chernobyl power plant 20 years ago. Ivan Lenin writes about today's protest rally in Minsk, and TOL's Belarus Blog links to Radio Liberty's photos from the rally.
Chernobyl: Letters Never Written
LJ user wall4 – originally from Lviv, Ukraine, now living in Connecticut – writes about his experience as a soldier forced to serve in Chernobyl 20 years ago (RUS). The piece is accompanied by several black-and-white army pictures. 20 Years Ago. Letters I haven't written. “Mama, I'll never forget how...
China: Technorati blocked
Technorati has been blocked. Albeit limited, Technorati used to be the best Chinese-language aggregating one could hope to get.
Chernobyl: Facts and Myths
Vilhelm Konnander writes about the facts and myths of Chernobyl: “The first news of the accident actually reached a western audience. High radioactive levels were registered at Swedish and Finnish nuclear plants already on 26 april. It quickly became apparent that the radioactivity emanated from somewhere within the Soviet Union....
Belarus: Chernobyl Neglect
TOL's Belarus Blog notes that when it comes to Chernobyl awareness and aid distribution, Belarus is neglected: “70% of all the radioactive fallout landed in Belarus. And yet, in mass-media world-wide everyone talks only about Ukraine. Belarus is lucky if it’s getting 5-10% of the coverage and 5-10% of the...
Ukraine, Belarus: Chernobyl Links
Megan Case posts links to Chernobyl-related websites and writes about her own memories of 1986.
Ukraine: One Man's Chernobyl 20 Years On
Stefan at Dykun writes about a Ukrainian relative who was sent to work in Chernobyl 20 years ago: he's in his 40s now but walks with a cane. “Mykhajlo wears what must count as the thickest glasses ever worn by a human being–they should definitely find a place in a...
Caribbean: Bureaucracy kills & biofuel
Taran Rampersad is starting a “death and injury counter” in response to the region's lack of action in the area of disaster preparedness. “My theory is that all the bureaucracy kills people in a way that could be seen as criminally negligent,” he says. And why isn't the Caribbean thinking...
European Inbalance: Trade and Drought
Soul on Ice comments on the drought in Somalia meanwhile in England's Chelsea Flower show, a commentator complains about the lack of water for the poor flowers…and trade inbalances via Euro farm subsidies.
African women this week.
Congratulations to Kenyan women bloggers who have won Kenya Unlimited Kaybee awards 2006. Mshairi for best poetry blog; Gussaurus for best new blog and most interactive blog; Mama's Junkyard for best design; Au Lait for blogger one would most like to meet; and Kenyan Pundit for best political blog. Nigerian...
Ukraine, Belarus: Interview With Translator of “Voices of Chernobyl”
Languor Management links to Maud Newton's short email interview with Keith Gessen, English translator of Svetlana's Alexievich's Voices of Chernobyl, which won this year's National Book Critics Circle award for nonfiction.”
Cambodian assistance in demining Sudan
Heng at Blog Cambodia has a report on Cambodian soldiers helping out in the demining in Sudan. This is the first time Cambodian soldiers are participationg in an U.N. peacekeeping mission.
Hong Kong: Uncharacteristic blog behaviour
EastSouthWestNorth comes up blank tonight save for an error message which reads: “Sorry, you have reached either a non-existent site or the site has been suspended (or deactivated) due to Disk Space and/or Bandwidth Violation / Exceeded.”
Jamaica: Peace Corps bloggers
Francis Wade runs across a few blogs by Peace Corps volunteers working in Jamaica.
Kenya: air crash
Steve Ntwiga Mugiri reports and comments on the Kenyan air crash last Monday...”The death of these citizens is a great loss to the country especially that of Dr. Godana whom I feel was one of the few politicians in the country who used his solid educational and professional as a...
Kenya: air crash
4Sheezy writes on the Kenyan air crash in which 14 politicians were killed on Monday. ….”My heart goes out to all of their families. Most of all to Dr Bonaya Godana's family. Dr Godana rose from being a herdsboy to a serious intellectual.He fought tirelessly for pastoralists in the area...
