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Google Earth maps out Darfur atrocities
cnn.com — As of today, when the 200 million users of Google Earth log onto the site, they will be able to view the horrific details of what's happening in Darfur for themselves.
zknott- 1276 diggs
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- maggiesue0303, on 10/12/2007, -145/+10So why can they educate about the atrocities at Darfur but not the atrocities in New Orleans??? Anyone hear about that??? Goggle Earth submitted updated shots of areas across the US but, NOT New Orleans. They posted older than dirt pre-Katrina photos. Darfur??? Katrina??? HELLO AMERICA!!!!!!
- EntropyMan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+99You are woefully misinformed. Google Earth had the most update imagery of Katrina during the crisis. They even won awards for their almost-real-time coverage.
The change you're referring to happened last September, during a routine general update, where some of the post-flood overlays were 'washed away' -- and no one complained until this month. They've now re-updated the maps to the best available, due to popular demand.
But thanks for playing. - Cynderella, on 10/12/2007, -5/+38While we all must keep the people affected by Katrina (and all disasters for that matter) in our thoughts and do what we can to help the people of New Orleans (and all affected areas) rebuild, there is not much else we can do to stop death caused by Katrina. It came and went, and now those people need our help cleaning up. Those suffering in Darfur need our help to SURVIVE. A genocide is different than a natural disaster because a genocide is directly caused by humans and can be more easily controlled and stopped -- although some would argue that the severity of Katrina was a result of global warming, man-made or otherwise, and that the government seriously ***** up in dealing with it.
While we do need to support our own and help them through these tough times of putting their lives back together, we can't just sit back and watch countless people get slaughtered, even if they are on another continent.
Sorry for the mini-rant; I'm in a bit of a bitchy mood today. - hammydude, on 10/12/2007, -20/+2this reminds me of when that cnet editor died because he couldnt read a map digg users thought it necessary to hourly frontpage stories of how he was still not found, claming it would somehow help find him then keep on posting google maps looking at where he had been...
- origclubsoda, on 10/12/2007, -26/+3EntropyMan - you are woefully unaware of what happen just weeks ago. Google censored the area.
- MattyLite, on 10/12/2007, -5/+84Are you seriously trying to compare Darfur's genocide to a ***** hurricane in the New Orleans? You ***** idiot.
- hdtvdust, on 10/12/2007, -14/+2Entropy...what "awards" did they win? Just curious.
- jake8689, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18OK yeah Katrina sucked ass but whats happening in darfur is on a completely different level, millions of people have been killed for years and all we(UN) do is drop rice like rice is going to stop the killing.
- hdtvdust, on 10/12/2007, -31/+5What the ***** is WRONG with you children? All these buries, yet NO ONE has the intelligence to actualy RESPOND. Just bury and hope that it goes away.
Someoen tell me what AWARDS Google won for posting images on the intertnet. Because htat is the most ridiculous claim I have ever heard. Where are these awards given? They aren't.
BURY! Don't refute. Bury! More effective way to hide your ignorance. - thumperings, on 10/12/2007, -18/+9200,000 slaughtered? gee seems timid compared to the 650,000 dead in Iraq since 2003 thanks to Uncle Sam.
- kazimir34, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7you may want to click on these links for actual proofs:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/07/google-earth-and-katrina-help.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/07/google_maps_katrina/ - glxyjones, on 10/12/2007, -6/+15Don't you just love our government? By invading Iraq an additional 60,000 (the 655,000, aka 2% of the entire population of Iraq, mark was published by one group and is extremely debatable) people have lost their lives. If our government actually cared about "saving lives" like they say they do, we would've put our resources into stopping the genocide in Darfur well before it reached the 200,000 mark (not including the millions who have lost their homes). Assuming we could've prevented 150,000 deaths, at least 210,000 (at most 50,000 deaths would've occurred regardless of our involvement) have lost their lives because of our ignorance/greed.
We need a leader with the ethics to know what is right, and the balls to do it. - Pile, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Does anyone have a kml link to bring this up in Google Earth?
- starcrunchfx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9@glxyjones
Our government is to blame? The rest of the world is ignoring it as well. - captaineuphoria, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11@hdtvdust
http://www.google.com/press/awards.html
You stupid *****. - glxyjones, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@starcrunchfx
Good point, our government is not at fault for this conflict. However...
"Now, we must all fear evil men, but there is another kind of evil, which we must fear most, and that is, the indifference of good men."
Granted, from a (great) movie but valid non-the-less. I was simply making a point that if our government decided to help out and stop the atrocity in Darfur rather than invade Iraq, than lives would be saved, not lost. - EntropyMan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5As for specific Katrina-related awards, I had this one in mind when I wrote that post (found via google search: "google katrina award"). I think it's already been posted above. Do a friggin internet search next time.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/07/google-earth-and-katrina-help.html
As for a link for the Darfur info, check out this great/official page to start:
http://www.ushmm.org/googleearth/ - ridd1e, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1How it looks like in GE:
http://img410.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dfjd3.jpg
- EntropyMan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+99You are woefully misinformed. Google Earth had the most update imagery of Katrina during the crisis. They even won awards for their almost-real-time coverage.
- polymath22, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5google earth put the pics back up, last i knew
- maggiesue0303, on 10/12/2007, -44/+2Either way....I do find it appauling that they are willing to "Map out the atrocities in Darfur" but they can't map out the atrocities left in New Orleans. It just seems wrong that it needed to be pointed out to them first...then they took action and posted the proper photos. Seems Backasswards if you ask me. Lets point out the havock wreaped on the rest of the world but not in our own backyard.
- Jesse, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Umm... see Entropyman's coherent explanation of Google and New Orleans. Or never admit you're wrong, ever, even if you are.
- DurkaMcDurk, on 10/12/2007, -5/+9maggiesue... hurricanes happen... ***** gets torn up... get over it
- anj747, on 10/12/2007, -13/+5@durkamcdurk
Yes but what's difficult to get over is the way poor black communities were left to die and prevented from escaping to protect pristine white neighbourhoods. - hdtvdust, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3 anj747...yeah, the black mayor of New Orleans SHOULD be ashamed of himself. You are right. He hates black people.
- sprx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+25[paraphrase] Google is bad because it will post atrocities in Darfur before in New Orleans [/paraphrase]
I went down to New Orleans last spring break to volunteer, I saw the awfulness, and at least 1,836 people lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands lives are significantly different. Even my life was changed after seeing the damage.
In Darfur, an estimated 200,000 - 400,000 have died and 2.5 million displaced. I hope those people speaking against racism will agree with me when I say that the people over in Sudan are just as human as Americans. Why should Google look at Darfur before NOLA? (New Orleans LA) Maybe because the crisis is WORSE over there. - anj747, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1@hdtvdust
Perhaps you should read accounts of how entire coaches full of desperate Afro-American citizens were prevented from leaving the area by police blockades, whilst cars containing non-Afro-American citizens were let through. Digg me down as much as you want, there is no denying the truth :-)
- dmbandme, on 10/12/2007, -2/+24This is AWESOME. Those who don't know about what is going on in Darfur should check this out. Somewhere between 200,000 and 500,000 people are already dead from this government sponsored genocide and 2.5 million lives hang in the balance. The UN has called this the "the world's worst humanitarian crisis". How very appropriate to be highlighted on google earth to remind us all that there is immediate work to be done.
- Shuk, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12I concur. It's good to see a company help out the best way they can. Google just went a notch up in my book. I'm pretty sure nobody paid them to do this (nor is this a profitable measure).
- MewTwo, on 10/12/2007, -6/+33erica... shut the ***** up
- nincrumpet, on 10/12/2007, -5/+23@ericab007
Let me get this straight - you are seriously suggesting that ethnic cleansing and massive displacement is an effective tool for decreasing the amount of global AIDS cases? Primarily, that's some nineteen-aught-eight style eugenics ***** right there. Secondarily, how paranoid are you that you truly believe that any of these mostly poverty-stricken individuals, some of which may be suffering from this disease, will have any effect on your ignorant ass or...
Oh, nevermind. I think "I hate you" will suffice. - anj747, on 10/12/2007, -7/+33ericab007... shut the ***** up
- ksool, on 10/12/2007, -1/+26@dmbandme
Seeing 2-500,000 made me check Wikipedia to see where that was relative to the Holocaust, thinking that even 100,000 deaths is absurdly high and there was no way the Holocaust could be much higher. Between 9 and 11 million...
How come every time I take my head out from under this rock I become a little bit more ashamed to be human?
That said, I find it even more disturbing that I only ever found out about the magnitude of the situation in Darfur was through internet news.
I guess it doesn't really stack up against the results of Anna Nicole Smith's baby's paternity test. :( - hdtvdust, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9ksool...if you thought that the Holocaust only killed somewhere around 200,000-500,000 and realy were shocked to find out the real truth, I have lost ALL faith in the school system.
- ksool, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Sadly, in the arrogance of my youth, that statistic was something I learned just like any other statistic, a number to remember until just after the exam.
Or maybe it was just my naivete in thinking that there just wasn't enough ugliness in the world to do that kind of destruction.
Either way, 6 years, a college education, and a son make you view the world in a different light... - b0wl0fud0n, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13I took screenshots of the google earth Sudan images a month ago and submitted to digg. Here's the photos for those who don't want to have to open up google earth to view them. The kpm file to get the locations and etc info is in the link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98563691@N00/sets/72157594578490767/ - CarryOrchid, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0@mewtwo
why don't you shut the ***** up? Shut the ***** up and get on a plane to Chad or Sudan and do something. The point made is quite valid. These people contribute nothing to the world that we live in. Who really cares about them? You obviously do, so go out there and help them. Otherwise, shut the ***** up and look at the reality of the situation.
- pawchikapawpaw, on 10/12/2007, -20/+5the US shouldn't help out. they'll just ***** it all up. leave it to the UN.
- MewTwo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12Don't worry. There isn't enough "interest" in Sudan for the U.S. to intervene.
Also... People comparing Katrina and the (real) genocide happening in Darfur are senseless. - lobrien006, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8PAW.... it's a good thing you represent yourself, and only yourself. I am a Canadian and I am sure more caring American's would like to see the world's largest and powerful country step in. Leave it to the UN, ya, they did a great job in Rwanda.
- MewTwo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12Don't worry. There isn't enough "interest" in Sudan for the U.S. to intervene.
- monkeyrun, on 10/12/2007, -9/+4Luck thing they don't happen to have any control over oil, otherwise Bush will be liberating them right about now.
- dmbandme, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@monkeyrun
I've seen this a couple of times in the comments so I thought I'd point out that there IS oil here. That's part of why this is happening and why this genocide has been quietly continuing over the last 4 years. There is heavy Chinese oil purchasing going on which the corrupt Sudanese government is in control of and reaping the benefits from. PetroChina seems to be the largest culprit AND the Chinese have for a while now been a major roadblock for a diplomatic solution at the UN. Many Universities and a handful of states have divested from PetroChina and other companies who are benefiting from this genocide. Even my parent's stock portfolio had some stocks in Sudanese oil companies that we got removed.
Check out the Wikipedia entry "Darfur Conflict" for a great overview (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_conflict). Part of the reason so many people don't know about this is that it's complicated and the explanation could never fit into a 15 second news clip. No one has included the link yet, but I'll post it -- in case anyone feels inclined to help get on the email list at SaveDarfur.org.
And I'll say it again, 2.5 million lives currently hang in the balance, so this is far from over.
- dmbandme, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@monkeyrun
- x911oz, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1good another televised war that no one will do anything about.
- nincrumpet, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Unfortunately passive techniques like this probably won't have much of an effect. Regardless, I applaud Google for taking advantage of their unique position in the global conscience.
- origclubsoda, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2But google falsifies the horrors of Katrina!
- sprx, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1@origclubsoda
What do you mean?
"But google falsifies the horrors of Katrina!" - *jooloop*, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1did you read the above explanation posts?
- sprx, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1@origclubsoda
- Scopitone, on 10/12/2007, -12/+7Man, if only they had some oil! We'd have been there years ago to "liberate" them!
- hdtvdust, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3Yeah, because that War For Oil in Iraq hasn't been THOROUGHLY proven to be ***** from the desperate left.
- partysan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Sudan deals oil to China. Probably a big reason why the US isn't there liberating anybody.
- DeFex, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1they fixed it . now its back to the "afte" images
- datcrazydj, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Whoa. This some really interesting stuff. Here is a screenie. (Sorry, I'm too lazy to sign up for Flickr right now)
http://xs414.xs.to/xs414/07153/darfur.png - ryanonfire, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6this should be number one on the top ten and not "A Firefox Bankcard! how cool is that?"
- InstantABS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Unfortunately passive techniques like this probably won't have much of an effect. Regardless, I applaud Google for taking advantage of their unique position in the global conscience."
Unfortunately, I have to agree here. It is so nice of Google's they've raised the awareness of such a disaster but eventually is there anyone to take care of it and do something? I deeply doubt. - ButterBuddha, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4it's perverted that we can watch the on-going genocide take place from the safety of the my home pc....
At least there isn't any webcams posted throughout the region so we can have a closer look at the raping, torturing, and murder... - fugazied, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2Put some oil in Darfur and the war pigs would roll in. /cynicism. Google should be applauded for taking this step to increase awareness of the situation. Many of us need to appreciate that we aren't powerless in the face of such brutality, if enough people take action (even as small as writing a couple of letters, making a phone call) the chance of positive action occurring increases.
- redmonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Sudan has oil and sell it to China. It is why China protects Sudan in UN.
- dwhitaker, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Am I missing something here? I thought global warming was the number 1 issue right now. We can't possibly help these people -- we need to save the planet. Earth first, people second. We should only help these people if they can prove that they are eco-friendly. End sarcasm.
We need to get our priorities straight. Do you think the people in Jordan are remotely concerned about global warming? Every dollar spent trying to fight mother nature is a dollar not going to someone who REALLY needs it. - 15charmaxwtf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5A book I was reading said that Kofi Annan wanted to use private military contractors to sort the problem out. Oh, but that was too politically incorrect...
- BohicaTwentyTwo, on 10/12/2007, -6/+0Great. More liberal empathy followed by liberal apathy. I'm waiting for Hollywood to say we should try to find the root causes. What makes these people so angry to kill?
- glxyjones, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Regardless of your opinion on Google Earth, how is this topic not #1 on digg? Any article that raises the awareness of this atrocity needs to be digged.
***** liberal vs conservative, this goes beyond petty one's petty political biases. Everyone needs to get off their ass and at the very least, write their senators or another elected official. Take 10 minutes and do something good with your day...
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm- nighttrain2007, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2"Everyone needs to get off their ass and at the very least, write their senators or another elected official. Take 10 minutes and do something good with your day..."
Good idea. Just did it. Explained that under the Constitution (since no one has apparently read the thing in over 150 years) that the internal affairs of other nations, no matter how tragic, are none of our business. I quoted Adams' 1821 speech and Washington's Farewell Address (as well as a word or two from the Federalist) to prove my point. Asked them if funding on the issue were to come up to vote no on that as well as a request to vote no on any funding for the Iraqi police action. - CarryOrchid, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Why should this be #1 on Digg? Darfur affects nobody. It matters about as much as some former programmer going into space. It changes nothing in anyones life except those who are involved in it. Why should these people be helped? Sending troops is money flushed down the drain. This is a local tribal conflict. Let them do whatever they are going to do, its not hurting anyone else. Why should we send them "aid" like food, money, building supplies? They don't want it, they aren't going to use it the way we think they should. Leave these people alone. I used to work in Africa, Chad actually. I saw the results of several efforts to help that country. An entire field full of brand new, unused agriculture equipment. Why is it unused? They are quite happy using an Ox or Water Buffalo to work the land. Why send them money? It's only going to go to the dictatorial regieme. Even if it did go to the people, what are they going to spend that money on? A new tractor?
So, people are dying, you tell me. So what? How many people die every day in car accidents every day? How many people throw their lives away by getting hooked up with crack or meth? If you want to save the world, you should start with your own back yard. Trying to fix someone elses problem is a huge gamble, you first have to find out if they really want the problem solved, and if your solution to the problem is going to last. If its not a real solution, it will fail as soon as the outside influence is gone. I don't really believe that even tackling driving and drug problems is a real solution either. As far as I'm concerned, crack and meth should be mass produced by governments and distributed freely to every sucker who wants it. The problem should be self correcting in a very short time.
If you really believe that the world needs to save Darfur, catch an Air France flight to N'Djamena, or a Cameroon Air flight if you are feeling really brave, go out to that corner of the world and start doing something. If you survive, with or without changing anything, good for you, you have had an excellent learning experience about how the world works. If you actually change something while you are out there, it is obvioulsy communicated through a press release full of hopefull specualtion, because you haven't solved anything. If you die while you are out there, congratulations, you are now a martyr for all the fools in the world. So, instead of digging this story because you think it might do some good, get on a flight instead. If you won't get on that flight, just shut up and keep your crying to yourself. - redmonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Are you kidding? This article got on first page of Digg because of Google word in the title. I am personally are digging every Darfur story. But there is 2 problems:
a)liberal left(not all, but most of them) only diggs story that blame Bush, USA, Israel.
b)Liberal left bury all stories about muslim atrocity. - glxyjones, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Your ignorance makes me yearn for the days when evolution and natural selection actually took place, before the agricultural revolution. With your apathy towards any fellow hunter gatherer, you surely would've died off in an instant. On the most basic level of survival, it better serves man to help fellow man. Turning a blind eye to the world and each other, will surely result in its end.
At least we both agree, I assume, that the US should no longer be in Iraq. Although, with you policy, the day will come when a superpower rivaling that of Roman or Ottoman Empire will spread from country to country while every nation sits idly for their turn to be attacked and conquered. Keeping those in check who would do harm to the people of their own country or another, is a practice mankind has used for years, including the US, for betterment of mankind and oneself. Apathy is never the answer.
So enjoy your nice car, and your beautiful house, and your fast computer, all made by someone other than yourself. We all need the help of others to survive in this world, on both the global and personal level.
"No man is an island, entire of itself"
- nighttrain2007, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2"Everyone needs to get off their ass and at the very least, write their senators or another elected official. Take 10 minutes and do something good with your day..."
- shadowpr0ph3t, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/analysis/details.php?content=2005-11-25&page=1&menupage=Sudan
Look at the camps all the displaced live in. Made of garbage. - hushtown, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4As good as Google's intentions are by taking this course of action, I worry about the future effects of using an unbiased informational tool like Google Earth to provide editorial-type information. Clearly there is a huge void in coverage by most traditional news sources who'd rather cover the Anna Nicole Smith drama, and Google has decided to help fill that void. I can't and won't complain about this decision...it is much needed and should be congratulated
My concern is what the implications are for this style of top-down editing if it is applied in more ambiguous instances. For instance what happens if Google starts trying to apply this model to Iraq or North Korea or any other politically-charged locations. Who decides what extra information is provided? A map is an objective tool: it tells you if a road exists, a mountain, a restaurant. In addition Google Earth also allows user-generated subjective content, which is a great feature. But what happens when you combine top-down editorial-generated information and then place it in the objective context of a map?
I argue that it becomes very difficult to supply this extra (subjective) information without also supplying some other agenda (either deliberately of accidentally). In fact, the publication of the Darfur information is also intended to pursue an agenda - educating people about the atrocities in order to bring about their end. The difference here is that no sane person of any political persuasion or nationality could have a problem with this agenda, which is why everyone here is so happy with Google.
I'm not saying Google shouldn't have done this, not by a long shot. I'm just saying they should be very, very careful about doing this in the future in more ambiguous instances. - rnguyen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2more reason to love google
- 100watts, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0Lets not stop at Darfur .. Show what Israel did to the Palestinian people houses and properties...only then
"Don't be evil " will be a reality.. for the moment let us just dream.... - HatoriHanso, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Bravo! BRAVO Google!
- VeryBoredNow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Google is my hero.
- Dhawal, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I searched for Darfur and it took me to Darfur, Minnesota, USA
- batista86, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Wow that ericab007 is a grade A certified douche bag. I hope one day you are murdered by a militant soldier. And have your entire family raped and killed. It may be beneficial to the world to have the stupidity of your kind gone.
- CarryOrchid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@batista86
What a fantastic observation! Tell you what, see my other comments above. Why don't you go over there and fix everything? No? Why not? Exactly, its not my problem. If they want to kill each other, or just kill a certain group of people, let them do it. It has zero impact on the rest of the world.
No, that isn't a mean thing to say, its reality.
Your remark on the other hand....why don't you go do all those things you hope happens to ericab007 yourself? You wouldn't, you couldn't. Hope all you want, but if you aren't doing anything.....well, you aren't doing anything.
Let me tell you what I hope. I hope that the next time you go to hug a tree, the tree turns you around, bends you over.....fill in the rest yourself. Leave the Africans alone, and leave the trees alone, neither of them have ever done anything to you, and never will.
- CarryOrchid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@batista86
- Homerr, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1"George Bush doesn’t care about black people."
- FelixdaaHack, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"...the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum..." thats got to be a morose place to work
- PrivateGuy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Dang, we'd better get our troops out of there pronto!
- kingygk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Say no to another military failure. Dont send the troops to die in useless cause. Do not send them to Darfur!
- maggiesue0303, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This article appeared on numerous media outlets. Date: March 30th.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Google-Earth-Criticized-For-Image-Censorship-50782.shtml
This article was not released to as many mainstream markets as the first....why??? Google wasn't trying to do the right thing....they were covering their asses and sucking their thumbs. Date: April 3rd.
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=02300243F7GQ - krunk4ever, on 10/26/2007, -0/+1They're actually making a documentary on what's going on with Darfur, hopefully to spread the knowledge to more people:
http://www.hd-trailers.net/preview.php?id=darfur_n ...
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