Douglas Malton, a pioneer of international Christian broadcasting, a great man of great faith and a friend, died this week of heart failure, aged 82, at his Hampshire home. He was co-founder of Feba, a British Christian media organisation, which today serves audiences in many countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. More…

A friend pointed me to this Wikileaks disclosure – an e-mail from a former US ambassador to  Tajikistan.  It reminds me how much I miss Central Asia…

“The Ambassador lost track of the toasts after the tenth. His shot-glass held vodka. The minister’s high-ball glass was kept filled with un-cut Scotch. Late into the lunch, the minister was slurring badly and was not walking a straight line. Nevertheless, as the Ambassador kept attempting a gracious retreat, the Minister insisted on showing him “secret rooms” in the ministry. Each “secret room” was merely another public conference room with a large fresh flower display and – again and again – another round of toasts set out. This bizarre event was curious, because U.S.-Tajik military relations have incrementally been improving, especially with the National Guard, but also with the Russia-centric Ministry of Defense. Khairulloyev continues to make clear he serves at the pleasure of President Rahmonov and may be replaced after the November presidential election. Although this drunk-fest is how many old-guard former Soviets do mutual business, it was most unusual for an American guest. It was, to a degree, a mark of respect. We would not be surprised if President Rahmonov had ordered Khairulloyev to “do something for the departing Ambassador,” and we rather wonder if this may have been a sort of valedictory by an old-guard security minister who suspects his days of service are numbered. Whatever, we were pleased to have drunk Khairulloyev well under the table.”

Even the River Severn in Worcester, where we spent Christmas had frozen over, with temperatures reaching as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius.

To think this all happened without technology…

Ten years ago the Southern England town of Lewes suffered devastating flooding causing residents and local authorities to consider how best to protect the area in the future. This experience makes it ideally suited for a UK disaster response workshop and broadcast field trial led by FIRST Response, a network of radio broadcasters, NGOs and government partners committed to providing critical information after a disaster.

Using the scene of the local disaster as its backdrop, FIRST Response will be training UK partners in how to use radio to respond to disasters, culminating in the setting up of an „emergency radio station‟ which will broadcast to the people of Lewes on 3rd and 4th December. The workshop combines background knowledge about radio with the unique environment experienced in disaster relief work and involves the expertise of local government officials. Once trained, the staff will then transfer their skills internationally and help set up new teams in various disaster-prone parts of the world, ready to jump into action the moment disaster strikes.

For several years in Asia, FIRST Response has been leading the way in the use of radio for disaster response as they have found that besides the need for food, shelter and safety, one of the greatest needs is information. Tsunami survivor Pavita remembers this well:

“I didn‟t want to see another cooking pot – I had as many as I would ever need. I wanted to know where my family was going to be living in a month‟s time!”

Three weeks after the 2004 Asian tsunami there was only one thing she wanted: hard facts about her future. Since then FIRST Response has worked with broadcasters in Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to develop a project which comprises the needed equipment (including a suitcase studio), a programming system based on the listeners need for critical information and a workshop to teach radio journalists, relief workers and government personnel how to put these into use in the field.