Archive for
August 25th, 2006
Stories
Russian-Language Blogs: Miscellanea (2)
Victoria Shcherbina (LJ user saint-autere) reacts to the news of the August 22 TU-154 crash in eastern Ukraine, which killed all 170 people on board, by writing (RUS) about the death of her father - IL-86 navigator Valeriy Shcherbina - in a crash at Moscow's Sheremetyevo four years earlier, on July 28, 2002.
Her post has already received 1,682 comments…
[…] Papa was gone. But he did have a premonition… On July 15, two weeks before the crash, on the 30th anniversary of [my parents'] wedding, when they were at a restaurant, he suddenly began speaking about it, about his death: what would need to be done, how he would like to see it. Mama interrupted him, but he managed to continue with this topic.
It's true that their equipment was on the verge [of collapse]. The crashed IL-86 RA-86060 was made in 1983 and had flown 18,370 hours - and this type of plane can be used for 20 years. Only the so-called human factor was capable of dealing with problems arising in the air, not vice versa, as is commonly believed. How many times he spoke of those problems! One of the scariest episodes happened during the flight over the ocean, from New York, USA, to Shannon, Ireland. It was a miracle that they reached their destination, they did it [manually], because the navigation broke down and they were going blind. He didn't worry for his life, but for the lives of 350 passengers behind him.
He used to say: “I'll go quickly… I'll crash… I'll be shown on TV… Your children will be proud of their heroic grandfather!” And this is what did happen.
He promised to bring mama a bouquet of exactly 30 flowers from Sochi, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their wedding. They must have been gladioli… Here, they aren't as beautiful, and they are expensive, too…
[…]
I was there, at the site of the air catastrophe, in the fall of 2002… I wanted to see it… By that time, I was prepared to see it. It is so close to the airport. The snow covered all the horror a little and only a modest cross stood over the dug-up part of the field and the forest. The ground still smelled of kerosene, and there were still torn pieces of metal underneath my feet. And above my head, very low, flew the planes… Up and down… I'll never be able to forget this.
Google in Brazil: Who Guards Orkut's Playground?
The Brazilian blogosphere is talking about Google or more specifically about Orkut, its social network which has attracted a huge number of players. In order to understand Google's significance in South America's biggest country it must be realized that today of the 20 million Brazilians with access to the Internet , approximately 17 million are in Orkut. Indeed, it seems that the wholesale involvement of a society in a virtual space that has a peculiar (and loose) identity system is not providing good outcomes. Prosecutors in Brazil claim that there are users engaged in illegal activity on Orkut and they are going after Google because so far it has refused to hand over information about them.
O Ministério Público Federal (MPF) prepara duas ações contra a Google: uma civil (perda da representatividade e pagamento de indenização por danos morais coletivos) e outra criminal por proteção de criminosos (favorecimento pessoal) e desobediência. O inquérito policial foi instaurado há dois meses. Há cinco meses, o MPF aguarda o fornecimento dos dados de 27 perfis e criadores de comunidades do Orkut. A quebra do sigilo foi autorizada pela Justiça, mas nunca foi cumprida pelo Google Brasil, segundo afirmou o procurador da República no estado de São Paulo, Sérgio Gardenghi Suiama, que moverá as duas ações contra a empresa.
Orkut pode fechar o escritório do Google Brasil - undergoogle.com
Orkut can close Google's office in Brasil - undergoogle.com
Links for Fri, 2006-08
Heritage blogger Ivan Henares remembers his trip to the city of Hoi An in Vietnam and he recalls how the visit introduced him to the joy of backpacking.
Enterprise Resilience Management Blog compares Singapore to Hollywood actor Rod Steiger. Steiger took on a wide variety of roles across genres making him the most connected actor. “Connectivity is also a good thing when talking about the global economy. The Rod Steiger of Southeast Asia is Singapore. That nation has worked hard to achieve that position. Singapore understands that the more roles you are involved in the better your chances are of staying on top; therefore, it plays an important role in finance, electronics, trade, and (increasingly) biotechnology.”
Bangkok Pundit replies to a comment that was posted on a forum and was critical of Thailand's role in handling refugees from North Korea. Earlier this week, Thai police raided and detained 175 North Koreans who were hiding in a church home in Bangkok.
Jeffrey Sachs argues that giving birth to less poor people is the best course of action in the future. Bullets and Honey does not think so.
Onnik Krikorian just returned from Lachin, the strategic town linking Karabakh with Armenia proper. His trip was cut short because he was detained by the KGB, which informed him his movements were restricted. The trip was not a loss though, as he is able to report on mine-clearing efforts in the region.
Voice in the Desert updates us on severe flooding in Gorom-Gorom, Northern Burkina Faso, where about 8,000 people have lost their homes.
Since he became the President of Nigeria in 1999, Obasanjo’s economic policies have not made any significant impact on the country’s economy, writes Grandiose Parlor.
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