· December, 2007

Stories about Disaster from December, 2007

Russia: Holiday Charity (via Egoism)

  29 December 2007

Russia is embarking on a 10-day national vacation: from Dec. 30 to Jan. 8, the country will be celebrating the New Year's and Orthodox Christmas - and should also have enough time to rest, relax and sober up in between. Charity isn't among the most popular subjects in the Russian blogosphere during the festive season, although some bloggers do discuss ways of helping the poor and needy this year. Below is one blogger's musings on charity and selfishness, as well as a perfectly explicit call to action.

Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko and Coal Miners

  25 December 2007

Yulia Tymoshenko returned as Ukraine's prime minister on Dec. 18. Five days later, she was in Donetsk region, visiting the site of Ukraine's worst coal mining accident, the troubled Zasyadko mine. While there, she declared: "We'll be working on it and will make it so that in our country both young people and children would want to become coal miners." Below is a discussion of Tymoshenko's promise that took place at Korrespondent.net, a Ukrainian news site.

China: Sobbing without tears

  19 December 2007

A land thirsty for water is calling for help. How many more villages would die out due to the drought? How much more land would be eroded, even buried by sand?

Israel: Hanukkah, festival of light and cultural wars

  6 December 2007

Hanukkah an all-time favorite Jewish holiday, has interesting historical value dealing with issues relevant to Israeli culture and sense of identity. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the ancient Israelites over the Greeks in a series of battles taking place around the year 165 BC. The battles were not about territory nor resources, but dealt with freedom; the right to practice religion and follow the Jewish faith. Gilad Lotan shows us how the struggle continues today.