viz.

"Ravaged by Typhoon, Philippines Faces Threat of Serious Diseases" on nytimes.com 11.14.2013

I've struggled this week to come up with a topic for viz. It isn't easy to generate new, engaging content week after week. But I was scrolling through various social media platforms this morning, and checking the news, and it was all business as usual until I came across the image above of the first mass grave dug this week in the Philippines for victims of Typhoon Haiyana. 

In a time when it's easier and faster than ever to be informed about events across the globe, and when we confront images daily of places we will never visit or perhaps imagine on our own, I'm struck by how little I've seen from the Philippines this week. It's been a busy week, certainly, and a variety of local news stories (plus that "what-would-I-say" bot) have taken clear precedence on my Facebook feed. Still, I can't help but wonder if my limited encounter with images from this most recent weather disaster is a sign of something other than info glut.

As climate change continues and weather events grow more frequent and extreme, is it possible that we've started to become immune to even monumental, city-destroying catastrophes? Are we overexposed to the destruction of entire cities and populations? Ordinarily I'd want to critique these images and the way they're presented in Western news media, perhaps talk about aestheticization of ruin and disaster victims. However, we have to actually look at the images first, yes? And I don't want to preach, here, because I'm holding myself responsible for not paying close enough attention. Perhaps you've all been far more tuned in. But, on the off chance you haven't, I'd like to stop talking for a second and provide a few images, linked to their news stories, of a devastating, ongoing loss overseas that deserves our awareness and consideration.

"Logistical Hurdles Paralyze Relief Effort at Center of Tyhpoon's Fury" on nytimes.com 11.13.2013

"Typhoon Haiyan: Everything You Need to Know" on theguardian.com 11.14.2013

"Typhoon Haiyan highlights global cost of climate change" on america.aljazeera.com 11.14.2013

"Tacloban: City at the Center of the Storm" on bbc.com 11.12.2013