Kamangir (Archer)

Global Voices Online

Kamangir | April 26, 2006 | Category Iran

There is an email with a strange name on it in my mailbox. In the first sight, it is very long, so I think it should be something about a lottery that I have won or a notice that somebody with my last name has died in Nigeria and now I have a few million dollars to claim for. Strangely enough, it reads like an invitation to Global Voices Online (see), and also asks me to show if I am qualified for. Following the links I find a banner which I have seen before in Lisa’s blog (see). Not bad! The site is devoted to finding, aggregating, and tracking the voice of “bridge bloggers“.

A growing number of bloggers around the world are emerging as “bridge bloggers:” people who are talking about their country or region to a global audience. (see)

The first post I read there is one translated from Russian (see), I know that because the translation says so (see). It describes the experiences of a 22-year-old man who is guarding the contaminated areas in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. It is sad.

We are all standing, afraid to sit down on the grass - because of radiation. Here’s one who has lost patience and sat down. Another one after him. Ten minutes later, everyone’s lying on the grass, sunbathing - and it’s not scary at all because radiation’s invisible.

Good probe into blogs in very different languages!

Liquidation of the Accident

Kamangir | April 26, 2006 | Category Iran

“Some areas in the closed zones around Chernobyl are so heavily contaminated that they will have to remain closed off for up to 900 years” (see)

After the Chernobyl accident about 600,000 people (mostly from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia) helped in cleaning-up the surrounding areas (see). It is now estimated that ten percent of these men died as a result of contamination. Officials honored participation of these “liquidators”, that’s an official name, with a badge (see). It reads “to participator of the liquidation of consequence of accident on Chernobyl Nuclear Electric Station” (see).