Stories about Disaster from July, 2011
Poland: Smolensk Report Blames Both Polish and Russian Sides
On July 29, Poland presented its final report on the 2010 Smolensk plane crash, in which 96 people died, including the then president of Poland Lech Kaczynski. While putting the major blame on the Polish pilot's error, the report also pointed at the fault of the defective lighting at Smolensk airport and Russian air controllers.
Poland-Russia: Passing Out Blame for Kaczynski Plane Crash
Streetwise Professor comments on the Polish report about last year's plane crash that killed the country's president, and goes on to argue that, whereas Polish pilots where mostly to blame, Russian air-traffic control was probably also to blame.
Denmark: Starvation Day
The severe drought in Africa's Horn is echoing in many online corners of the world. But not only established organizations are raising funds for food. Here's a Danish Facebooker introducing an alternative event – Starvation Monday [en]: “Starve yourself on August 1 and donate the money you would have spent...
Haiti: Martelly's Promises
Toussaint on Haiti suggests that Haitians who voted for a Martelly presidency may now be suffering from buyers’ remorse.
South Korea: 41 Dead in Torrential Flooding and Landslides
Torrential rain has battered South Korea for several consecutive days, causing landslides, flooding and power cuts. At least 41 people have been killed and 12 people are still missing. Throughout the disaster, South Koreans have shared updated stories, photos and useful tips for those affected via Twitter.
Russia: Summer Brings Death
Vadim Nikitin at Foreign Policy Association observes that death tolls in Russia seem to rise during the summer, from terrorism, accidents, disasters and other reasons.
China: Ministry of Railways
Twitter user @JAYxiaomuzhu posts a number of T-shirt design using the logo of PRC's Ministry of Railways to protest against its handling of the recent train crash incident in Wenzhou.
Inside the Mind of the Norwegian Terrorist
Thoma Roche of Techyum blog posted an analysis entitled ‘Inside the Mind of the Norwegian Terrorist’. The fact that the terrorist pinpointed Japan and South Korea as clear examples of countries that consistently and directly dismissed multiculturalism has drawn various responses in South Korea.
China: Death on the High Speed Rail
C. Custer from China Geeks has a post updating the discussion on the high speed rail crash.
China: Outrage at High-Speed Train Crash
A collision between two high-speed trains in China in the evening of July 23 killed at least 35 people and injured over 200. C. Custer at ChinaGeeks has written about the government's cover-ups of the tragedy and railway safety issues, and the outrages that are pouring in China's online community.
Colombia: Challenges of the Victims’ Law
Paula Delgado-King writes about some of the challenges the recently approved Victims’ Law faces: “the process needs to provide loans and credits, guidance for which crops and animals are most suitable where, and access to markets,” and that “the law has no accompanying truth commission to create a national conscience...
Chile: Teen Warns About Earthquakes via Twitter (@AlarmaSismos)
TNW Latin America features the work of 14-year-old Sebastian Alegria (@sebasak), a Chilean teen sending earthquake warnings on Twitter through @AlarmaSismos: “The way it works is ingenious: Sebastian bought a domestic earthquake detector for only $75. He then replaced the internal circuit with an Arduino board which interprets the signal....
Russia: Public Transport Safety
Streetwise Professor reflects upon safety of public transport in Russia, against the backdrop of the recent “Bulgaria” boat disaster.
Guatemala: Neighbors Affected by Giant Sinkhole Still Unable to Return Home
Luis Figueroa says [es] that neighbors of Ciudad Nueva, victims of a giant sinkhole that opened up over a year ago, are still unable to return to their homes. He explains that the “risk warning” has not been lifted because reports on the work that has been done to fill...
Japan: Indie Music Rocks the Nukes
With a spreading nuclear crisis and related issues such as radiation fears, new energy policies on the horizon and an uncertain future for the operating reactors, Japanese netizens have started a revival of music videos with a clear anti-nuclear message.
India: Mumbai Relives A Day Of Terror
Today in the evening three coordinated bombs exploded in crowded commercial areas of Mumbai. Netizens were quick to embrace social media to spread news and communicate ways to help. This time we have seen a more comprehensive effort by people who used crowd-sourcing tools like Google Spreadsheet and Ushahidi platform along with Tweets.
Russia: Cruiser Catastrophe Causes Questions
As casualty numbers rise from Sundays' ferry catastrophe on the river Volga, Russians have come to the bitter realization of yet another tragedy, with a death-toll of well over a hundred people. As usual, news of deplorable conditions are brought to public attention, causing popular anger and indignation, but this time these feelings almost seem to outdo those of sympathy with the victims and their relatives, as the Russian blogosphere reacts to the tragedy.
Russia: Worries of wildfires
Two-Zero of Moscow Blog writes about the worries in Russia that last year's catastrophic wildfires will repeat themselves this year.
Japan: A Fukushima Poet Tweets His Verses
Since the March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster, Ryoichi Wago, a poet from Fukushima city, has been experimenting with a new form of poetry. He expresses his feelings about issues such as uncertainty of the future and fear of the radiation that has been threatening his land and its inhabitants.
Mexico: Neighborhood Affected by Floods Feels Abandoned on Election Day
On Sunday, July 3, the state of Mexico held gubernatorial elections, but Daniel Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times blog La Plaza reports that in the Colonia Franja del Valle de Mexico neighborhood “residents did not have the time or the energy to go the polls. They spent most of...
The North Korea Food Aid Dilemma
On July 4, the European Commission pledged USD 14.5 million in emergency food aid to help impoverished North Koreans. The Opening Up North Korea blog posted an analysis on the timeless dilemma in aiding North Korea.
