· March, 2008

Stories about Disaster from March, 2008

Angola: Rescuing videos on the YouTube

  30 March 2008

YouTube users Wylalas, benguibros and tucab74 have posted videos showing the aftermath of the collapse of the National Criminal Investigation Department (DNIC) building this weekend and the rescuing efforts in the Angolan capital Luanda. It is believed that at least 30 detainees, among them 10 women, remained trapped in the...

Guyana: Commonweath Writers’ Prize

  24 March 2008

Signifyin’ Guyana notes that among the regional winners of the 2008 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize “was Guyanese-born, Nigerian-based Karen King-Aribisala for Best Book.”

China: Civilians in violence and conflict

  21 March 2008

Thugs vs. Peacekeepers or Fighters vs. oppressors; Mob vs. Protectors or Martyrs vs. killers? Before I could judge, please allow me to present some recounts of the Tibet unrest from the commons there. (As most western media had sided with Tibetans, I basically pick quotes from common Hans for balance.)

China: Patriotism triggered, though under censorship

  19 March 2008

A brief record of the Chinese public opinion on Tibet unrest. Attention: they are all found inside the Great Firewall. But I believe they stand for a considerable part of us Chinese. Their information sources on which they judge and think might be filtered, but don’t laugh at that---- before the time tells what’s true, you might also be manipulated!

Mexico: State of Emergency in Monterrey

  18 March 2008

The metropolitan area of Monterrey, Mexico is suffering damage from heavy winds and caused two deaths to date. Most of the city is without electricity. HJ Barraza is providing updates on his twitter account.

Geospatial Technology and Human Rights

  15 March 2008

Varena at PingMag interviews Lars Bromley, director of the Geospatial Technologies and Human Rights Project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), who talks about how his group uses geospatial technology to digitally capture atrocities against civilians in Darfur, Zimbabwe, North Korea, the Gaza Strip and Burma.

Ecuador: Google Maps and Flood Zones

  14 March 2008

Christian Espinosa of Cobertura Digital [es] provides an update on the project of using Google Maps to show and provide more information of the areas affected by the heavy flooding in Ecuador.

Ecuador: Natural Forces Threatening the Country

  11 March 2008

The recent diplomatic crisis in Ecuador did not stop other natural forces from producing a crisis of their own in the country. Heavy rainfalls and a threatening volcano have continued to be a focus of local bloggers, who hope that the government and media can be better equipped to handle these ongoing issues. One even poked fun at a governmental campaign that asks Ecuadorans to stay positive in spite of these hardships.

Guyana: On the Alert

  11 March 2008

As the sister of the man suspected in the two Guyana massacres is murdered, Living Guyana says: “This spells some serious trouble for the ordinary citizens of the nation.”

Environment: Elephant Culling and Crisis in The Mara

  8 March 2008

In this issue of Global Voices environment, we check in with various blogs around the world. The themes are varied, and some are of global concern with commentary from Kenya about elephant culling in South Africa, commentary from Europe on “Eco-colonialism” in Botswana, Brazil, DRC, Patagonia and other countries. Image...