Here are five serious sewage disasters in history, many of them caused by overwhelmed sewer systems. How we can prevent future ones from flowing our way?

Most disasters lie outside human control, but some of the world’s most devastating events have been caused by humans.

The suffering of New Orleans offers valuable lessons -- but is the U.S. paying attention?

Digital disasters create incredible data loss and, sadly, they're on the rise

On Monday, at the Iowa caucuses, a new smartphone app was used to report the results from each precinct. The app proved faulty, leading to a catastrophic failure to collect and report vote totals. In theory, advances in voting technology make voting easier and more accessible. In practice, they have introduced new vulnerabilities that can be exploited to suppress or undermine the will of the voters. Sue Halpern joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss the recent history of voter suppression and malfunctions at polling places and whether the 2020 election can be saved.

Karen and Bradley discuss the end to Microsoft's e-book platform and generally the dangers and disasters that Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) cause for software users and developers.

Show Notes:

Karen and Bradley discuss the end to Microsoft's e-book platform and generally the dangers and disasters that Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) cause for software users and developers.

Segment 0 (00:35)

• Bradley mentioned that Microsoft ended their e-book platform. He said this was “last month” but we ended up releasing this show late, so it was in August 2019 (01:31).
• Bradley mentioned the analog hole. (09:50)
• Karen discussed the exception process under DMCA, which Conservancy participated in regarding “Smart” TVs. (12:30)
• Bradley mentioned this historical burning of the Library of Alexandria as a Roman weapon, comparing it to DRM. (15:07)
• Bradley talked about how Netflix and Microsoft used Silverlight initially as the method of DRM, and that Microsoft was a leader in the entertainment industry in providing DRM (20:00)

Segment 1 (26:31)

• Bradley and Karen discuss how DRM and other lock-down of devices, including medical devices, are creating problems in society generally.
• Karen noted that the role of for-profit companies is not to safeguard the public interest. (41:10)
• Bradley mentioned you can turn off DRM on the Google Play store for your book (as the publisher). (43:04)

Send feedback and comments on the cast to <oggcast@faif.us>. You can keep in touch with Free as in Freedom on our IRC channel, #faif on irc.freenode.net, and by following Conservancy on on Twitter and and FaiF on Twitter.

Free as in Freedom is produced by Dan Lynch of danlynch.org. Theme music written and performed by Mike Tarantino with Charlie Paxson on drums.

The content of this audcast, and the accompanying show notes and music are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 4.0 license (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Bina Venkataraman, author of The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age, studies the art of looking ahead for solutions during dangerous times. It's a skill she honed while working on the Ebola Task Force for former U.S. president Barack Obama.

Auslan interpreters have been in high demand this year as they convey critical and life-saving information to the deaf and hard of hearing community.

Some posts and memes on social media want foreign aid cut until Australians get back on their feet after natural disasters. But is this too simplistic?

Natural disasters can have devastating effects on communities, with the ensuing financial and psychological pain taking years to ease, but being prepared can reduce the impact.

With the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic hitting the transportation industry hard, TRB’s catalog of research on infectious disease and other biological threats to people and transportation systems is crucial in helping to advise transportation professionals. Transportation officials must be prepared to know how to minimize the consequences to their communities. In regards to biothreats, a recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report suggests that there are advantages to...

How do you solve a wicked problem? That was the question I posed to a classroom of MIT undergrads during an early-April virtual class taught by my friend Cherie Miot Abbanat, a lecturer at the university’s Department of Urban Studies &

El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America yet the most densely populated. A stagnant economy, high levels of crime and violence, and natural disasters have pushed growing numbers of people to migrate without authorization or seek asylum abroad, mostly in the United States. This article explores historical and contemporary emigration from El Salvador.

From earthquakes to drought, natural disasters and climate change played a key role in migration flows in 2015. Climate-induced migration surfaced as a concern at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (known as COP21) as international organizations and policymakers have begun to recognize the growing challenges, and potential protection obligations, of such movement.

Damage from a natural disaster in one place can spread globally due to urban trade networks, a Yale study said Monday.

Although the U.S. made it through a quiet 2014 Atlantic hurricane season this year, it doesn’t mean we’re out of the waters. Natural disasters are an ongoing threat to our infrastructure, and utilities need to be conscious of the present state and future of our power grid. Fortunately, in recent years many utilities across the country have recognized the importance of being prepared for major storms, and have been actively researching and implementing solutions to prepare for the next big one.

Women in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu are dealing with six crises currently – COVID 19, drought, scarcity of potable water, and volcanic ash, acid rain and sulphur gas as there are several active volcanoes on the island. But global women’s rights organisations are collaborating with regional alliances in supporting local women.

The post How Some Pacific Women are Responding to Climate Change and Natural Disasters appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Disaster-related displacement is often negative, but can result in more resilient communities under the right circumstances. This can include better management of remittances sent to family members in the disaster zone.

Global supply chains link the welfare of disaster-hit companies and their surrounding communities to a network of corporations that have an economic incentive to help them bounce back. 

Governments in the region need to invest more in prevention and response to the long-term impacts of disaster displacement.

A major focus of the Phuentsholing Township Development Project is to provide a safer space in which the town can grow by helping develop a new urban center with raised ground levels in an area sheltered by the embankments.

The Pentagon can't prevent a pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed major deficiencies and inequities in the US healthcare system, shining a spotlight on improvements that must be made to steel the country for future disasters, argues Maia.

Dec 17, 2019

Julius Weitzdörfer’s earliest childhood memories are the major global events of 1986—the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion and the Chernobyl disaster. Looking back, he realizes that these events must have contributed to shaping his later research interests in managing technological risks. 

Editor’s Note: Nonresident Senior Fellow Jane McAdam says that climate change-related displacement is happening now and band aid solutions to natural disasters are simply not enough. The time is now to be proactive, because the cost of inaction will be much higher. This article was originally published in The Sydney Morning Herald and on smh.com.au.…

2007 has been a brutal year for natural disasters in Latin America, keeping the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs busy. The agency said in a recent statement that a record nine missions were dispatched to Latin America

Living some 6,000 miles away from the Gulf of Mexico, I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that the oil spill often seems like an abstraction to me. A big, big abstraction, but still.

Largest study yet predicts "The next nuclear accident may be much sooner or more severe than the public realizes"

Accidents happen. But when they involve toxic chemicals and combustible substances, those accidents can cost a fortune.

Indian farmers take aim at climate disasters through bundling high-tech solutions.

This week, IWMI’s scientists used Google Earth Engine to produce a map depicting the current status of crops around the world.

In 2020, 168 million people worldwide will need assistance to deal with humanitarian crises, including natural disasters, extreme climate events, conflicts and infectious disease outbreaks.

Workshops based on the psychology of behavior change and disaster preparedness done in a face-to-face manner can be used to prompt households to take

Smarter planning for natural and man-made disasters that increases collaboration between countries and encourages households and businesses to take more responsibility would improve resilience and reduce future economic losses, a new OECD report says.

Smarter planning for natural and man-made disasters that increases collaboration between countries and encourages households and businesses to take more responsibility would improve resilience and reduce future economic losses, a new OECD report says.

In their own frank, entertaining and self-effacing words, JASON KENNY and LAURA TROTT describe how love blossomed, and the haphazard planning leading up to their big day.

People in Visakhapatnam woke up with irritating throats, breathing problems after a major gas leak in LG Polymers located in the outskirts of the city.The gas tragedy brought back horrific memories of Bhopal Gas Tragedy that happened in 1984. As we hope for the situation to get back to normal, here are some film, documentaries and series to learn from past tragedies.A chemical gas plant in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, leaked putting at risk the lives of hundreds of people to the toxic styrene. At least 11 have been declared dead, many others faced irritating throats, breathing problems, fell unconscious while walking on the road and some others were trapped inside their tiny homes. The gas tragedy brought back horrific memories of Bhopal Gas Tragedy. As we hope for the situation to get back

In less than 13 days, all $349 billion allocated for small business relief under the CARES Act were used up.But the funds barely scratch the surface of the 60 million employers and freelancers who were expected to apply.Mark Cuban told Business Insider that major changes need to be implemented to address the problems with the most recent package.Before the next round of funding, Cuban says businesses will need enough money to cover an extended re-opening period as well as an effective testing strategy that instills confidence in returning workers. Visit BI Prime for more stories.Following a rocky rollout of the Payroll Protection loan program, all $349 billion of the funds allocated for small businesses in the $2 trillion CARES Act have been committed - and Mark Cuban says it's too late to

The Neighbours star, 39, recalls a disastrous appearance at the Logies after being sewn into her dress and accidentally exposing her behind at a high-class luncheon.

Pune-based firm Neeti Solutions has designed a unique version of the popular game Snakes and Ladders, aimed at teaching children about fires and earthquakes and how to cope best in such situations. Rasika Dhavse has more.

Cambridge, Mass. : National Bureau of Economic Research, 2020

International Conference on Rebuilding Sustainable Communities for Children and their Families After Disasters (2008 : University of Massachusetts)

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