· December, 2009

Stories about Disaster from December, 2009

Armenia: Culture vulture

  31 December 2009

Ianyan interviews Anush Babajanyan, an Armenian photographer who particularly focuses on issues such as gender in Armenia and the homeless in the country's second largest city, Gyumri.

Pakistan: Arson Attack After Bombing

  30 December 2009

Faisal Kapadia at Deadpan Thoughts comments on the widespread rioting and arson attack immediately after the suicide bombing on Shiite procession in Karachi last Monday.

Nicaragua: The Aftermath of the 1972 Earthquake

  29 December 2009

On December 23, 1972, a 6.2-scale earthquake struck Managua, Nicaragua killing 5,000 and leaving 250,000 homeless. Nicaraguan blogger Homero was a young child at the time, but he holds memories of the aftermath, which he describes in a recent post in his blog Ventana de Homero.

Malawi: Bloggers discuss 30 earthquakes in 3 weeks

  29 December 2009

In what some geologists have described as rare occurrences, Malawi's northern district of Karonga has in the past three weeks experienced a total of 30 earthquakes resulting in at least 5 deaths, over 200 people injured and over 3,000 made homeless. Bloggers have been quick to share their reactions.

Sri Lanka: Forgotten Victims Of The Tsunami

  28 December 2009

Dushi at Groundviews posts a photo story highlighting some forgotten victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2004 who are still living in temporary shelters. A commenter in that post wondered what happened to the 2.2 Billion dollars of aid Sri Lanka received.

Lebanon: Fun(d)raising

  20 December 2009

A group of Lebanese bloggers decided to draw smiles on the faces of underprivileged kids by getting them toys for Christmas. Fun(d)raising is the name of their project and they're doing it the fun way.

Barbados: British Airways Strike

  17 December 2009

Living in Barbados says that “the news that British Airways unions are threatening a strike to happen over the Christmas period” is worse news for a Caribbean island than the threat of hurricanes or volcanoes.

Saudi Arabia: The Jeddah Floodings on Video

  17 December 2009

People are still talking about the Jeddah floods and their aftermath, almost three weeks after torrential rain and flooding brought life to a standstill in the western Saudi Arabian city. Internet users are exchanging links to YouTube, showing the extent of the damage, via email. Here are some of the videos taken.

Egypt: The Capital of Hell on Earth

  17 December 2009

Many Egyptian bloggers and activists have been detained by State Security on various occasions and for various reasons - real or fake - Wa7da Masreya interviewed several bloggers and posted a detailed post on torture techniques and psychological tricks those bloggers have been subjected to in State Security headquarters in the district of Nasr City.

Russia: Drug Abuse; HIV/AIDS

  10 December 2009

At OpenDemocracy.net, Elizabeth Rigbey writes about drug abuse and harm reduction efforts in Russia. Sean's Russia Blog writes about HIV/AIDS in Russia. Scenes from the Sidewalk links to a documentary on children and HIV/AIDS in Russia.

India: The Kaiga Nuclear Disaster

  8 December 2009

The Filter Coffee writes about a recent disaster in the Kaiga Nuclear Atomic Power Station in Karnataka, India and complains about the lack of information regarding the contamination.

Russia: A Blogger's Account of the Rescue Effort in Perm

RuNet Echo  6 December 2009

At least 109 people died and more than 130 were injured Friday night in a fire and the resulting stampede at a nightclub in the city of Perm. A blogger who happened to be outside the nightclub when the fire broke out - and who ended up helping out with the rescue effort - recounts his experiences and observations.