Long Break

I'm not sure where the time went. Ever heard that one? ;)
Yeah, original.

One thing I did this summer is occasionally save a link I found and enjoyed on this post. I'm sure you'll be just over the moon with them, too.

This really interesting article about vintage bathing suits...wow

Have you ever wondered what the EU is? Well-- wonder no more! Or maybe do... (And- in case you're wondering- We here in the Wild East are trying to get into the EU. I don't really understand it all but it's causing quite a row with Russia and there is some resolution being signed very soon- next month, I think- about it. Not that much will change here, methinks. Call me a pessimist. And see that other post about the Norman Rockwell pic.)

This needs to be tried. Seriously. Frozen coffee. Oh Yum.

Oh wow- so does this. Greek Shrimpy things done some amazing way with feta cheese... I'm drooling. Time for my Shredded Wheat, I guess... what a substitute...(On the other hand- if you ever come to see us and want to tuck a box of the big 'hay bale' kind of Shredded Wheat in your suitcase, Well- feel free. I mean, I don't know anyone who'd mind. ;)

The Trees of Chernobyl - My first lesson with the students is a general one about stereotypes and how people see Ukrainians (and how they see Americans- now that's fun! We're fat and rich and dumb or smart (depending) and smile all the time, in case you were wondering!)- and Chernobyl is part of that. They live in a place that is still under the shadow of Chernobyl (although not as much here as in the NW) but they don't think about it. They don't think about radiation or its long term effects on them or the environment. And I think I understand that. I don't think about it, either. It's just part of being here. And here is where we are. And we live here. That's what we do. We Live.

A transcript of a space flight. The part about 'my watch is 10 seconds fast' sort of made me giggle. Imagine that being important. But I suppose it might be...might have been...(FYI- I did NOT read the whole thing. I skimmed the first 20 or so pages and then threw in the towel. But it did sort of look interesting. If you have a chunk of time you were wondering what to do with.)

hand drawn (beautiful) atlas of the early US. (another link to that atlas...and more links from this one. Really beautiful work) I wish I had this kind of talent!

and one about naps!! Nap On, Everyone! ;)

lest we forget

April 26, 1986 is a day that will forever live in infamy, a day that every Ukrainian knows. That's the day of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion. The accident occurred not so far from Kyiv and there is a museum here in the city in memorial to the victims. Back in '02 I saw it for the first time. There is plenty of stuff there- relics, protective clothing, gas masks and the likes. And newspaper clippings- the local paper here had a tiny blurb near the bottom of page 3 while the New York Times from the same day dedicated their entire front page and half of an inside page to the tragedy. And a movie re-enacting the disaster. They've also used the museum to point out the hypocrisy of the Soviet state (ie the newspaper articles up there -^), to show how the people were lied to, how the truth of what happened was hidden from them (the Swedes alerted Europe and the rest of the world that there had been a major nuclear disaster and that it had to have happened in Soviet Russia somewhere- they suddenly noticed a major increase in radioactive material in the atmosphere). It gives me nightmares, goosebumps and a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach... well really, it's the museum and then the follow-up talk that does that... (aside- Europe is chock-full of museums covering various horrific happenings- Warsaw has the Resistance Museum- covering the winter that the Russian army was sent to liberate Warsaw from the Nazis; instead they camped on the other side of the river, waiting for the Nazis to weaken the survivors, then moved in, handily cleaned up the Nazis and took the resistance fighters hostage. Riga has a nightmare of a museum dedicated to the WWII occupation of Latvia by the Nazis and the Russians- and the deportation and 'disappearance' of thousands of people. Kyiv has a WWII museum. There are the Auschwitz and Buchenau- and other- memorials to the Holocaust. And there are many many others. All the stuff of nightmares. I can't cope with this kind of thing... not too well. And every family that survived has a story to tell. And it's not for the weak at heart or stomach. Alleykat covered some of their family history in N'way during WWII the past few months. Sometimes the things they don't say are more horrifying than what they do say.)
So anyway- here are some pix from today. The Ukrainians are masters at evoking feelings and creating atmospheres; this museum always gives me the willies.
First of all, though- 2 placques from US firefighters- one from the Schenectady, NY, Fire Dept; one from 'The Firefighters of the United States of America'- to their brother firefighters who responded to the Chornobyl disaster, many of whom lost their lives. Our guide today pointed out that this came at a time when there was no special friendship between the 2 countries but there was a feeling of solidarity among the firefighters of the 2 countries.

Another special memorial- the children of Hiroshima made origami cranes (birds) and sent them to the children of Chornobyl.

You walk in and see this. The road markers for the villages that were in the Chornobyl zone. The steps depict an apple tree- symbol of knowledge- which the victims were deprived of by the Soviet authorities. Leaving, the backs of the village markers look like this- indicating a village that is no more, has been 'liquidated' (the Ukr'n term). Entire villages were simply buried- as were ships that were on the river at the time... it's like a huge toxic landfill.

Most of the museum is specifically dedicated to the city where the Chornobyl support staff lived- a city where the average age was about 27- young families. This clock shows when time stopped in that city.

This pic shows the lines of buses evacuating the residents of Prypyatya-the city mentioned above. These people were told they needed to leave for a short time; only later did they realize they'd likely never get back. Later authorities said they didn't want people to panic nor did they want them taking belongings, so they were simply lied to about the duration of their stay elsewhere. There are also some pix of first-responders. (All pix with the orange and red radiation sign in them are of someone who died as a result of the disaster.) The the 2 men in the lower right corner of this pic were the 1st 2 victims; the body of the man on the right was never recovered.

More pix of people who responded to the emergency. Soldiers were released from 2 years of mandatory military service if they worked 2 minutes at 'ground zero' shovelling debris into the ruined reactor. Miners were brought in to tunnel underneath the reactor, removing tons of dirt- to put in a 'floor' that would support the ruined reactor and eventually become the base of the sarcophagus built to entomb the reactor. None of these people knew the full danger of what they were doing; few (if any) had adequate gear to protect them from the high levels of radiation.

Another memorial to the children affected by the disaster. The lighting of the room- the floor of which is a copy of the floor of the nuclear reactor- makes it spooky in here. There are also works of art in here from various artists- some depicting the rescue workers as saints in Orthodox Church icons; one from an American poet who took the words of his poem and made a picture - literally using various textures and fonts, he painted a pic of the disaster with words... thought I had a pic and don't and I'm sorry about that.

And then there's this pic- a ship at sea- depicting the 'unsinkable' Titantic- but closer inspection shows it to be the layout of the 6 nuclear reactors on the Chornobyl site from a distance. These reactors were supposed to be so safe, so sure that they 'could be in the middle of Moscow' without fear of danger... (actually Martha- this one's for you- not exactly sure if it's your kind of thing, but I thought about you and that one fav painting of yours...)

Walking back out into the bright sunlight with the trappings and sights of normal everyday life all around was a shock... and also a comfort. I can't really put into words what this museum is like or what it does to me. All I know is, I hope I can sleep tonight...esp after writing this up...

From an earlier post on Chornobyl

a link to the wikipedia article, which is quite good. There are several good links on the above post, too.