Back in the 1980s, Russia had swallowed up numerous “Eastern Bloc” nations. Stalin and succeeding Russian dictators used these nations (and the people in them) to slurp up their natural resources. The Ukraine, once the glorious breadbasket of Eastern Europe, was suffering from food shortages and economic disaster from Soviet policy. The Russians had built a huge nuclear power plant in Pripyat. The city there was much more prosperous than her rural neighbors, housing some of the best scientists and engineers of the country.

Russian leaders were very, very slow to report what happened that fateful day on April 26th. I think it took weeks before we in the United States learned of all the details. We later found out that a power surge within the nuclear reactor facility caused a reactor vessel to rupture, sending explosions and an enormous plume of radioactive smoke into the atmosphere. Russia sent firemen and emergency personnel into the reactor facility to put out the fire. According to some reports, nothing was said to these men about the radioactivity that now contaminated everything. Most of these workers died from radiation exposure or from horrible illnesses later.

The radioactive plume spread across the continent, with most of of the fallout contaminating Belarus, the Ukraine, and western Soviet Russia. My heart just breaks for those people.

They say that the nearby forests were so contaminated that they glowed red. This area is now called the Red Forest.

The Soviets were very, very quiet about the accident. It wasn’t until radiation alarms sounded in Sweden, 1000 kilometers away, that the Soviets admitted something had happened. Politicians in Moscow seemed very non-chalant about the Ukrainian people and their plight. Their stoically encryptic message was this:

There has been an accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. One of the nuclear reactors was damaged. The effects of the accident are being remedied. Assistance has been provided for any affected people. An investigative commission has been set up.

The countries that suffered the worst from the fallout are (in order): Belarus, the Ukraine, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Bulgaria, Norway, Switzerland, and Greece. The wind blew the radiation into the other countries; rain seeded with contaminants fell and adulerated the soil; the Pripyat River flowed into Europe’s waterways and contaminated the waters. And you know what’s really weird— the name Chernobyl means Wormwood. That name is in the Bible, in the book of Revelation:

And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. Rev. 8:10, 11

Today, the area surrounding Chernobyl is a ghost town. People dropped everything and fled. Everything they owned was contaminated, so they could take nothing with them.

Unfortunately, the people and other living creatures were not unaffected. Thyroid cancer is the leading cause of death among afflicted children. Birth defects threaten future generations. The creatures of the land are contaminated, too, some developing young with crippling abnormalities.

The area of the Ukraine was almost entirely abandoned. Some old timers refused to evacuate. And, believe it or not, the Soviets continued to use the other Chernobyl reactors during an energy crisis! Workers could only work for 5 days before evacuating for 15, otherwise they risked radiation poisoning. Who would even volunteer for such a job?! Oh, but wait, this is Soviet…. no volunteers necessary….

Today, the trees and plants are taking back the once neatly patterned fields and streets. The place is a veritable ghost town. Ukranian officials say that the place will be inhabitable for 20,000 years.

If you want to read more about Chernobyl — from the view of a Ukrainian — check out this fascinating site Kidd of Speed. It’s a little dated now, but it’s a good history lesson. Lord, may we learn from history.

Photo credits: skypy.

“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

The video reminds me of a singing teacher I once had. He was an opera singer in New York, and also taught classes at drama school. He’d once made the observation that the most powerful singers are usually very “big” people. Ella Fitzgerald, Mario Caruso, Judy Garland, Kate Smith, Luciano Pavarotti, etc. He compared these singers to athletes. Like most football players needs a big, solid body, singers have a certain physique that makes their voices rich and powerful. I personally don’t know anything about the physiology of a singer, but I do notice that opera singers and others who can “belt it out” are usually larger than the average person and constantly have “problems” with their weight.

I’m happy for Jonathan. I’m also happy for Charlotte, because without her love and support, Jonathan would still just be a bullied schoolboy.

Oh how true it is.

I had an uncle who was a brilliant English teacher, and he loved his job. But sometime in the 1990s, education changed, he said. It was no longer fun because so few students WANTED to learn. They seemed to exert more energy in getting out of their assignments. He also said that discipline had become so bad that he couldn’t tolerate the classroom anymore, so he retired. Honestly, I don’t know HOW teachers today can even teach, what a tough job!

OK, back to more funnies…

This is what I think at least TWICE a YEAR.

*snort*

I’m all for it.

Get it?

Bwahahahaha!!!

i KNEW that’s how they were made!!

LOL.

Thanks for snickering a long. Have a great weekend!

I LOVE this. Gotta get one of these sometime, heh heh. NOT that I would EVER use it in such a way, of course not how can you possibly think that?!

He does make my skin crawl. But I think that’s due more to he sounds like a cross between Miss Piggy and Jeanne Dixon.

HAHA, true!

I know a guy like this.

Nothing like a friend to test your maxims…

*snort*

I had to shrink this to fit it in this post. If you can’t read the text, click the image to go to a larger shot. HAHA, true!

Somebody’s got a sense of humor… and it probably isn’t the kid…

It’s the SAME OLD story, I tell ya.

:blink:

Thanks for laughing with me. More to come!

Ahhhhh!!!

***

I read a very interesting article at How recently: Emotional Distress: How It Affects Your Income. According to the (very, very) brief article, it says that you do not have to pay income taxes on certain compensation income from emotional distress.

Well, I get severe emotional distress from paying my taxes. Can they then somehow cancel each other out?

***

I found a cute Internet quiz called What Downton Abbey Character Are You? I’ve always like Masterpiece Theatre (it’s called “Masterpiece” now). Since I downloaded the PBS app for the iPad I have been riveted to one of their series, Downton Abbey. I’m a big sucker for British history (I study it in my spare time) and so obviously I am nuts about this series. I loved Season 1, as it really blended the historic period (sinking of the Titantic, the Gilded Age, etc) so well with typical British aristocracy (the lords and ladies, castles, entails, etc). Season 2 has become more of a soap opera and there have been a few lewd scenes in it, so the luster has cooled a bit. Still, I love the general history and I LOVE that castle! I have GOT to see Highclere Castle someday. I recently discovered that Highclere is the home of the Carnarvons! Lord Carnarvon discovered King Tut’s tomb in the 1920s– I studied that discovery thoroughly as a kid. I’ve seen a few documentaries of the castle…. oh, what a beautiful place.

Anyway, I took the little quiz. Cute. My first result was Anna.

Oddly enough, the scenes with Anna and Mr. Bates are the least interesting to me! My favorite characters are Violet (who doesn’t love Violet), Matthew, Edith, and O’Brien.

I took the quiz again because there were a few questions that I could have answered differently. I always got Matthew as a result after that.

Don’t I wish I could inherit Highclere!

***
Spring is almost here. It’s a two-edged sword for many of us in Upstate New York. It’s usually our rainiest season, and we sometimes suffer severe flooding. Two torrential spring rains and late summer hurricanes wiped a lot of us out last year. I recently saw some numbers from last year.

Last year, my area experienced almost 52 inches of rain, total.
April had over 7 inches of rain. Normal is 3.5 inches.
May had over 10 inches of rain.

I don’t know how much Hurricanes Irene and Lee brought, but it was a lot. I have never seen such terrible flooding.

Rainfall is only part of the problem. There’s just nowhere for the rain to go anymore. It used to run down small ditches and rivulets into the creeks. But excessive development in rural areas (we suffer from suburban sprawl here) and regulations by the Department of Environmental Conservation have made our area a swamp. The DEC forbids us from dredging the creeks and restoring the artificial banks. It’s not “natural,” they say. Uh huh, but 10 feet of water in our homes is “natural.” Bah, bureaucrats!

***

1. I have never had a pedicure or manicure. I’ve never had my hair colored. I’ve never had a massage (nor will I!).
I did use “Sun In” for a few years, but that damaged my hair. Now, I am mostly au natural but I would like to have a hair permanent again, someday. My hair is very long and it would cost a fortune, so I procrastinate spending $100 for a perm!

2. I have not been to the cinema in over 20 years. My children have never seen a movie in a movie theatre.
This is a really big change, as I was a tremendous movie buff as a young girl and studied drama in school. I got completely turned off by the seediness of the business. I became a Christian and knew God would not want me to pimp myself off for movie roles. I absolutely despise the celebrity culture. I’ve had people ask me my advice about starting a career in acting and my advice is always “Don’t bother.” lol

3. When I was younger, I used to spend hours coiffing my hair and applying makeup and choosing clothing.
Now that I am older, it’s a good day if I get my hair in a ponytail and slap on my socks before I jumpstart my day. :-p

4. I don’t like large gatherings.
I much prefer a gathering of two, three, or four people. I don’t like shopping at the mall, either. It’s too busy and too hurried.

5. I grew up irreligious. No religion.
Never attended church, didn’t know Christians. When I was 14, my parents started to “get religion,” and dragged us kids around on their exploits. I was exposed to all sorts of religions — Jewish, Catholic, Mormon, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist. I don’t recall ever hearing the gospel, though– that Jesus Christ bridged the gap between unholy people and a holy God. I first heard it (or first comprehended it) when I was 17. I became born again, then. I cried like a baby because it felt like this huge weight of gloom and guilt lifted from my mind. My life has been going upwards ever since.

6. I’m a true Protestant.
I was “sprinkled” as a Catholic as a baby. I corrected that mistake when I was 19 years old and got *really* baptised. :D

7. I believe that abstinence is possible.
Contrary to very popular (and populist) opinion, people are not lust-driven animals. We can control our actions.

8. I talk in tongues.
Yeah, the Holy Spirit stuff. Rock on.

9. I like just about all kinds of music.
Disco, techno, rap, country, soft rock, etc etc. I’ll pretty much tolerate it all. But if the lyrics are trashy or the music is sleazy, I’ll turn it off. The only music I really don’t like is jazz and blues and the “drug culture” music.

10. My first blog was a political blog.
I maintained it for several years but quit after Terri Schiavo was executed. Anyone remember her? She had brain damage from a sudden drop in potassium, if I recall correctly. She was in the hospital on life support but she could still see and move a little bit, and her parents reported that Terri even made vocalizations. But Terri’s husband said that he once heard Terri say that if she was ever brain dead, she’d want to die. There was a big trial about the matter– Terri’s parents said Terri had always been pro-life and did not want her to be euthanized. Terri’s husband was waiting on the insurance policy and he had another lady he wanted to marry. The Florida court found favor with the husband, and Terri was starved to death. It’s still very upsetting to think that a couple of judges could end an innocent woman’s life so readily.

11. I think the theory of evolution is false.
I could write a 5,000,000 term paper explaining why this is so…. *sigh*

12. I read mainly non-fiction books.
Fiction is mostly dull to me. It is suitable as an escape, perhaps, a way to relax one’s mind, and I do read fiction from time to time for that purpose. But I am easily bored by fiction unless it has some redeeming qualities (such as survival tactics that are built into the story or some other such sort). When I do read fiction, it’s usually historical fiction and so I feel like I am making progress in something.

13. After becoming a Christian and studying the Bible, my IQ increased by 30 points.
I was never a very “smart” gal but I liked to read things. I tackled the Bible, reading and reading and reading. God must have done something to my brain, because my reading comprehension went through the roof.

14. I don’t believe any person is a mistake.
I think a kid with Downs Syndrome or autism has the same value and has certain gifts just as much as the divinity school professor or scientist. Everyone has value, everyone has strengths and weaknesses, everyone has something to offer to someone else.

15. I am against abortion 100,000,000% percent. See #14.

16. I don’t believe that things like intelligence and character and morality are “set in stone.”
In the book Les Miserables, Inspector Javert chases down Jean Valjean (a former criminal who repented and had dedicated his life to God). Javert believes that a leopard cannot change his spots, and Valjean must pay for his previous crimes for the rest of his life. People can change. God is in the “changing people” business.

17. Sometimes, at the grocery store, I throw my softer items (toilet paper and etc) into the cart. Just for fun. Or I’ll talk in a foreign accent or dialect at the fast food drive thru.

18. I do not get television reception nor watch TV.
Well, I recently downloaded a PBS app for the iPad, and so I guess I do watch *TV shows*. I like Downton Abbey and Antiques Roadshow.

19. I don’t really like dogs.
For a few years, I tried convincing myself that I really did like dogs, I’d just never had the *right* dog before. All the dogs we’ve had have been pretty good dogs, but I just never feel the same attachment as I do with my cats. We have two Yorkies and gosh they are adorable– I’ve always admired Yorkies and like the breed more than any other– but I just don’t feel that adoration for dogs at all. I avoid other dogs, in general.

20. I can’t stand it when people want me to value their preferences about serious matters but have no facts to support them.
Like abortion. Or Christ. Or evolution. Or the Constitution. Choosing whether a baby will live or die, or deciding whether Jesus really rose from the dead, or evaluating the problems with evolution isn’t like choosing an ice cream flavor. There’s a big difference between preference and decision. There are actual facts that accompany such important decisions, and the facts should be consulted before concocting an opinion or preference. But so many folks are simply happy with preferences, caring not that their preferences have spiritual and historical repercussions. I’m not saying I am perfect in all my decisions, of course not, but I’m saying that it is important to weigh all the facts and investigate the matter before making careless preferences that affect others. Our culture seems to thrive on the instantaneous “hot or not” opinion… and then everyone wonders what’s wrong with our society, lol.

Ah, now you can see why I was a political blogger, eh?

So how about you? What are your 20 reasons why you are different (or just plain weird)? What are your excuses? LOL