· March, 2007

Stories about Environment from March, 2007

Cuba: Fidel's Blog?

  30 March 2007

“The blogosphere is certainly growing!” (ES) declares mi isla al mediodia (tongue firmly in cheek) as he notes that Fidel Castro has written an “entry” in his “blog” (ie, Granma, the Communist party paper) about the impact on the agricultural sector of using ethanol as a substitute for fossil fuels.

Ukraine, Belarus: Chernobyl

  30 March 2007

MoldovAnn attends the opening of a photo exhibition of Belarus-based American photographer Kristina Brendel, held at the Chernobyl Museum in Kyiv; she discovers that the Belarusian government's treatment of the Chernobyl catastrophe differs drastically from that of the Ukrainian government: “…there is total denial by the Belarussian government that there...

Ukraine: Book on Chernobyl

  29 March 2007

MoldovAnn reads Piers Paul Read's 1993 book on Chernobyl (Ablaze: The Story of the Heroes and Victims of Chernobyl) and discovers that she has been to a few Ukrainian towns mentioned in it: “Sometimes I forget what my colleagues lived through, that they themselves are first-hand witnesses to the Chornobyl...

Ukraine, FSU: Stalin

  29 March 2007

Over at Siberian Light, readers discuss weird first names, such as Stalin, Ninel, and Vladlen. Carpetblogger writes about the Donetsk Heating Company's Stalinist methods to get this East Ukrainian city's population to pay their utility bills.

Bangladesh: Development Against All Odds

  29 March 2007

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Bideshi Blond provides the relevant statistics proving the claim. Being a developing country with limited resources it is really tough to take the country forward. No wonder many development activities are being carried out by the government and...

Hong Kong: Government Theme Park

  29 March 2007

Simon blogs the 4 government building models released yesterday. The government has invited the public to vote: So you can't vote for who sits in the place but you can vote on what they sit in.

China: Iron dragon

  28 March 2007

Tim Beckenham from Shanghaiist reported that a Henan-based investor group is constructing a 21-kilometre (13 mile) long metal Chinese dragon as a tourist attraction. There is also suggestion that the dragon structure could help minimise the impact of sand storms on the nearby capital. Chris O'Brien from Beijing Newspeak has...

Iran: Connecting the Medical World and Norouz Inspires Reflection

Iranian bloggers provide information, share their opinions, and discuss various issues with their photography, illustrations, and text. But that's not all. Occasionally, they launch plans to make the world a better place. Paris Marashi, an Iranian-American video-blogger has revealed a project that aims to bring Iranian medical professionals in contact...

Honduras: World Water Day

  27 March 2007

“March 22, 2007 was World Water Day. And guess what? Sunday we had no water! How ironic. Or how prescient.” So begins La Gringa's reflections on water resources in rural Honduras.

Kazakhstan: Green Cover

  27 March 2007

Ben Paarmann says that the Kazakhstani government's newfound interest in stricter environmental regulation of the energy sector may all be a way for them to justify not meeting stated production goals.

Russia: Thaw

  27 March 2007

White Sun of the Desert reports on the beginning of the springtime thaw in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: “Bereft of any kind of drainage system, the melting snow first forms a brown slush which lies ankle-deep on every pavement, and later turns to lakes of dirty water which straddle entire roads and covers...

Russia: Variations of Dissent

  27 March 2007

After reading LJ user rudin‘s report (RUS) from the Dissenters’ March that took place in Nizhniy Novgorod this past Saturday, LJ user an_drevv made this ironic remark (RUS): Judging by the ratio between the participants [police outnumbered the protesters], it looks like the majority of the dissenters were cops, and...

Cuba: US Top Food Source?

  27 March 2007

Child of the Revolution links to an Associated Press article that cites the United States as Cuba's top food source, despite the US trade embargo on the island.

Hong Kong: Queen's Pier

  26 March 2007

Simon world has an update on the preservation plan of the Queen's Pier: a roadside Pier. Over the Rainbow explains the reason why Hong Kong architects insist to keep the Pier in Situ is because of the symbolism in its spatial relation with the city hall (zh).

Belarus: A Roundup

  26 March 2007

TOL's Belarus Blog covers these subjects: silly pretexts used to arrest opposition activists; the Constitution Day; Belarusian “market socialism“; some of the effects of the recent “gas war” with Russia.

Iran:A few photos of several extinct and endangered animals

Animal Science blog has published several photos and description of extinct animals in Iran such as “Iranian Lion”(Panthera Leo Persica) or Mazandaran Tiger.There are also photos of endagered animals such as Cheetahs and Euracian lynx.The blogger says urbanism and mismanagment can add endangered animals on the list of extinct animals.

Burkina Faso: woodless construction

  24 March 2007

Under the Acacias writes about woodless construction in Burkina Faso, “Woodless construction is an approach to building in the sahel that uses traditional building techniques to build houses entirely out of mud, including the roof. Such houses save on scarce wood, encourage local industry by using local skills and materials,...

Bahrain: Storms and D-cups

Bahrain was enveloped in a heavy dust storm on Thursday night, the beginning of the weekend, and TechZ wrote about getting caught in it: I couldn’t see anything ahead, other than for the windshield and my wipers. Headlights were useless in this much sand and rain drops. I had to...