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.

I’m sorry for the inconvenience. *sigh* That’s what viruses do, inconvenience people. :rants: GRRR!

In case, you haven’t heard, SOPA is the acronym for the “Stop Online Piracy Act.” It’s the government’s way of “fixing things.” In this case, it’s “online piracy.” But this bill is so tyrannical, so huge that it stretches it’s black tentacles into the utter regions of the Internet. It’s the lobby baby of the music recording industry and other “entertainment” industries, who want to exert dictator-like powers over OUR online content! According to some of the provisions in this bill, the U.S. government can take down a website if a business even SUSPECTS a website of “infringing” on their “rights.” Wow.

Please sign the online petition to stop SOPA. If this goes through, it will radically increase dictatorial powers of the government and large industries who want to control everything we hear, see, and do. JUST SAY NO to SOPA.

Despair.com says it right! Click the image to see their site of other good posters.

There I was, merrily surfing the web for maps of Christian’s journey (in John Bunyan’s classic Pilgrim’s Progress). I saw the latest movie and was wowed. I have plans to go over the map and discuss Christian’s journey with the kids in our Bible study, when BLAMMO- no Internet. noooooo!

I spent the better part of yesterday troubleshooting, to no avail. Looks like I burned out another modem. I have DSL and need a gateway modem, but we drive that thing into the ground because we are 6 people in the family and are always doing things online.

Well, the hubs and I decided we’ve had enough of DSL (“high speed” DSL is 3Mbps) and are going to get cable Internet service. We got the “barebones” service of 10mbps!!!! Holy cow! No more downloading problems! No more hollering for the kids to quit watching GodTube videos while I load videos and websites for my job!

The downside is that we are out of Internet for THREE days. *whimpers* I’m on an official vacation from my work, looks like. It’s giving me time to learn about wiring coaxial cable through the walls! But it’s been really tough to be without the Net, especially hard to check email.

I have been using my iPhone to check the important email accounts and keep updated on Facebook. I have your blog feeds on a very cool app, so I know what you’ve been posting. But I must remain silent because no matter how hard I try, the commenting format does not work well on the tiny iPhone screen. I just can’t seem to make my fingers find the right buttonss on this little bitty 2-inch screen. So i have had to be silent. Do you know how hard that is? It’s like watching a great ball game through a thick window, unable to cheer or comfort or joke around.

The cable guy is expected here tomorrow. He better be here on time or I’ll go bananas! And when I finally have that blazing fast Internet speed, I’llbetypinglikeamaniacacrosstheweb!

So sorry, I don’t mean to ignore ya. I’m reading your comments and posts, I just can’t respond….

My travel blog, in which I recorded the family day trips– replete with historical backgrounds and loads of photos– began in 2006. I started it as a little hobby blog on Blogger, for kicks. It grew into a popular Upstate New York reference for travelers– I was honored with mentions from folks all around the world (like the T-List, NewYorkology.com, and Manhattan User’s Guide Online), not to mention attention from TIME magazine, iMedia, and others. I guess my hokey little stories filled a niche previously unexplored– “backyard tourism” in a era of dwindling world travel and more “back to basics” vacations. It is also a great way to show people that New York is NOT just the city. So, for a few years, we traveled and blogged and traveled and blogged, keeping all exploits within the state.

Then came the house renovation, and my traveling came to a screeching halt. And now that I work full time, plus homeschool and all the other things a mom does, plus trying to fix up this old house… our travels have slowed to a crawl. Still, I have high hopes for my traveling. I’ve wanted to create a “brand” for it for a long time. I have no idea how to trademark it– if anyone has suggestions, please let me know.

I considered creating the logo for myself, but I just didn’t have time, and I didn’t think I’d do as good a job as a pro. So I recently asked fellow blogger Staci at BloggingBellaDesigns to do it for me. I think she did an amazing job! The logo is just perfect. She even endured my constant stream of emails filled with picayune details about “Adirondack” colors, fonts, and such. Her price was incredibly affordable. I highly recommend Staci if you need graphic work or web design done.

So I’m flipping over my new logo. I have car magnets and business cards coming. And I ordered some t-shirts for the family to wear when we travel. I’m hoping (praying) that we will be able to travel more, and I’ll have time to blog about it… because I’m still not caught up from a few visits we took in February!

Apparently, their funding has been hit.

The Mountain View, California, Allen Telescope Array has been switched off and placed into hibernation, as of April 22, 2011.

SETI has always been the brunt of the most hilarious and brutal attacks in our household. I always thought it was the stupidest thing (especially because there is no evidence for extraterrestrial life) and was a taxpayer’s money pit.

According to the MercuryNews.com story:

“There is a huge irony,” said SETI Director Jill Tarter, “that a time when we discover so many planets to look at, we don’t have the operating funds to listen.”

SETI senior astronomer Seth Shostak compared the project’s suspension to “the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria being put into dry dock. “… This is about exploration, and we want to keep the thing operational. It’s no good to have it sit idle.

“We have the radio antennae up, but we can’t run them without operating funds,” he added. “Honestly, if everybody contributed just 3 extra cents on their 1040 tax forms, we could find out if we have cosmic company.”

Oh BOO HOO!! :whyohwhy:

Here, leezard, leezard, leezard...

The problem isn’t that SETI wants 3 extra cents… it’s that EVERYBODY wants 3 extra cents to run their pet projects. If aliens are REALLY out there, let THEIR alien people pay through the snouts for SETI satellites. As for me, I’d rather NOT talk to an alien. Didn’t anybody see the 80′s TV series “V”?! :egads:

But most of all, we should be searching for intelligent life here ON EARTH, because it seems to be getting rarer and rarer…

Hillsong United is coming to Boston, Massachusetts! Did you hear?! I saw the listing at Cheap Concert Tickets, where they have, duh, cheap concert tickets. Someday I am going to make it to a Hillsong concert. It would be INCREDIBLE. The tickets have a great discount from Cheap Concert Tickets. WOW!! It would be just so… so.. amazing. I thought going to a Delirious concert would be cool. Just imagine, giving God glory with thousands of people to such stellar music. WAY cooler than the Super Bowl, cannot even be compared.

Because I live in the Northeast, land of the Frozen Chosen, it’s always been difficult to get Christian music groups and speakers up here. So it’s always a *big deal* when people come. I used to work in Christian radio, so I know. I once begged Twila Paris to come up to my local city– and she did! She did a free concert! I’ll always remember how wonderful that was. And Carman came here, too, bless his heart. He also gave a concert for free.

I hope loads of folks make it to the Hillsong United gig. I wish I could!! Check out the site for more listings.

“Remember those in prison as if you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering as if you were suffering with them.” Hebrews 13:3

“God… will make you rich in every way so that you can always give freely. … This service you do not only helps the needs of God’s people, it also brings many more thanks to God. It is a proof of your faith. Many people will praise God because you obey the good news of Jesus Christ–the gospel you say you believe–and because you freely share with them and with all others. And when they pray, they will wish they could be with you because of the great grace that God has given you. Thanks be to God for His gift that is too wonderful for words.” 2 Corinthians 9:10-15 New Century Version

Have you heard about Asia Bibi on the news? Asia Bibi is a Pakistani women, married with two young daughters. She is the first Pakistani to be sentenced to death for “blasphemy.” The charges are OUTRAGEOUS.

This is her story, from the website Cross Rhythms:
——-
Asia, who is from Ittanwali in Punjab province, laboured in the fields for a Muslim landlord. She was arrested after a heated discussion about religion with her fellow farmworkers. Hers was one of only three Christian families in the village.

On June 19, 2009, Asia was working with a group of women in a field. Asia was asked to get water for everyone. The Muslim women refused to drink the water because it had been brought by a Christian and was deemed “unclean.” The women began to discuss Islam and Christianity with Asia, pressuring her to renounce Christianity and accept Islam. [Comment: I find it really WEIRD how some countries have passed "anti-evangelism" laws to silence Christians, but Muslims and other religions are somehow exempt from these laws, and can freely pressure Christians to convert to their religions.] Asia responded to these woman sharing with them about her faith in Christ. She spoke of how Jesus Christ had died on the cross for their sins, and then asked them what Mohammed had done for them. On hearing this response, the Muslim women became very angry and began to beat her. Some men took Asia by force and locked her in a room. They used the PA system of a local mosque to broadcast plans to punish Asia by blackening her face and parading her through the village on a donkey.

According to Release partners, a mob formed and Asia was violently abused by Muslim villagers and clerics. Her children were also beaten. However, some Christians informed the police and Asia was taken into protective custody. Pressure to charge her was brought to bear by Muslim leaders.

The Court of Sessions passed the death sentence on Asia Bibi [last week]. Asia, who is in her 30s with two daughters, was accused under the blasphemy laws of passing derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed.
——

There is also concern that Asia’s chilling case will set a precedent in Pakistan. Please tell me what Asia did wrong?! Why is Pakistan doing this?

Christians and non-Muslims under goofy “blasphemy laws” aren’t just being arrested on meaningless, stupid charges and fined. They are being BURNED ALIVE and their families hacked to pieces or sold as slaves. It’s insane.

We Americans can do something. I know, I know, we have Thanksgiving travel to worry about! OMG and how about all that SHOPPING we have to do?! And hanging the Christmas lights! Oh, and then there’s the news about Prince William’s engagement and our TSA troubles that are consuming our attention! I don’t know about you, but I feel pretty selfish after reading Asia’s story, because I have been a spoiled brat lately, complaining about this little thing or that little thing.

When it comes right down to it, we Americans have NO problems. We have no right to feel stressed, to feel harassed, to feel like we just don’t have time. People NEED us. Because we are the wealthiest nation in earth in the entire history of humankind, we have a responsibility to help others who cannot help themselves. Of course, not EVERYONE can run over to Pakistan and scream for justice from the streets (although I am soooooo tempted to do that). But we can PRAY, we can remember Asia and others. And we can search for Asia Bibi on Google– don’t you think that if even 10% of Americans searched for “Asia Bibi” on Google, the world would take notice? How about we tweet about Asia on Twitter? How about we demand justice for the prisoners? Aren’t such teeny tiny gestures from the fattest, richest people on earth the least we could do? Release International also has an online petition and a printed petition to circulate in your area. I know that these petitions do work– international pressure is a wonderful thing. The news has gotten out in the UK– Asia’s story was even on the UK’s Telegraph.

Sometimes such big problems look impossible to conquer. That’s when the power of the community kicks in. PLEASE do something for Asia. Pray, search her name, leave comments on a news site about her story, tweet her name, call your politician or the embassy. We the People need to use our clout– the clout we have earned as a massive community, a corporate voice that CAN CHANGE THINGS. It really bothers me that we Americans do not use our extreme wealth and influence to do more good in the world. Instead of chugging out sex and violence from the TV, why can’t we chug out stories of people who need our help, and how to help them? We are such a great country, so rich and so filled with honest, caring people. I wish we could corporately clear out all the junk and the clutter that weighs us down, and help the poor and the prisoners. It’s like we WANT to help, but we are weighed down with frivolous distractions that make our minds cloudy and our hearts hopeless. I want to change that, don’t you?

Hat tip As in a Mirror.

Thanks, threecollie, for the link to this amazing video– guys, you have GOT to see this video. Apparently, a farmer developed an ingenious idea to remove oil from water, especially in light of the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Oil Removal – It’s As Simple As Hay

Otis Goodson has discovered what could potentially be the saving Grace for the Gulf of Mexico.

And it’s as simple as hay.

Otis was in his barn, thinking about the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill and wondering what he could do to help. Looking around, he began to wonder if the hay in his barn could be used to soak up oil. He had a large vat filled with used oil drained from his farm equipment. He dropped some hay into the vat, stirred the hay around and scooped it back out realizing the hay had absorbed a large amount of oil. He then filled an empty vat with clean water, mixed in several gallons of oil, added hay and stirred it around with a pitchfork. He lifted the hay out of the vat and found that the hay had completely absorbed all of the oil, leaving clean water behind.

Upon discovering hay’s oil absorbing qualities he immediately began contacting the US Coast Guard and BP officials about his discovery. Early Tuesday morning he traveled to the Joint Oil Response Center in Mobile, Alabama and presented his findings to Coast Guard and BP officials. To the amazement of officials present, Otis demonstrated the ability of hay to soak up oil and almost completely remove it from the water. According to Otis, neither the Coast Guard nor BP officials have seen this before.

Tuesday afternoon, Otis was in Okaloosa County waiting outside of the latest public forum to show his discovery to Secretary Michael Sole of the Florida DEP, Senator Don Gaetz, Representative Matt Gaetz, Okaloosa county officials and a BP representative. As of 6:15 pm, according to Otis, there are 4 semi trucks in South Walton county filled with hay and ready to go. As of approximately 8:00 pm, Walton County officials announced an oil recovery plan using hay on Walton County beaches.

Here’s a video of Otis showing how the hay attaches itself to the oil. The water is amazingly clean.

I sure hope the government listens to Farmer Otis. They have a really lousy history of listening to the little guy… they’d better listen now!

I’ve got some good news for Penny– I *finally* wrote the tutorial on How To Clean Your Computer Keyboard! Yay! Penny had been requesting it of me for weeks… I’ve become a terrible procrastinator, Penny. I hope I’m not too late! ;)

Other posts I’ve written for you guys:

Karen asked me How To Publish Your Blogger Blog to Twitter (works for WordPress blogs, too).

T asked me How to Reduce Photos Using Irfanview.

Emily asked me How to Customize the Woo Themes Fresh News Header.

I also did a post about How to Clean Your Computer Fan after my Hubs’ computer kept shutting down suddenly (a sign of an overheated computer).

Now I need to figure out how to clone myself or something, cuz I am going bananas trying to do everything, these days! I’d hoped to get my garden planted before we start gutting the house, but freezing temperatures and snow put a standstill to that. :-p

Anyway, keep bringing the How To questions along, if you like. I’m chipping away at them!