Can you say Chernobyl?

I am back. I wanted to mark the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear "accident" in the Ukraine. For those keeping score, or the mathematically challenged, that was back on this date (April 26th) in 1986. The damn Soviets tried to keep it a secret and hush it all up. As a bit of a digression, I am so damn unsure why most environmentalists lean left politically, considering all the environmental degradation created by communist/socialist regimes. I guess it is just another inconsistency that they must live with.

Anyway, it was also the year that I did the Europe tour, solo. Of course, nobody in his, or her, right mind wanted to spend eight to ten weeks with me. Hell, I had trouble spending all that time with me, and I like myself. Given all the fear on this end given Chernobyl and the US bombing of Libya, a lot of tourists were scared off from traveling to Europe that summer. Not me, lessen the crowds and increase my risk of a violent death, sign me up! In fact, unbeknownst to me, my father renewed his passport at that time, just in case he had to fly to some European country at a moments notice to identify his eldest child's body (I would be that body, by the way). He was such a good father, I am not sure I would do that for my son (Awwww, who is kidding who, I would).

I did not think that there were any ill or lingering effects of the radiation after my trip. However, about ten years ago, I found a third arm growing out of my back. I think it was my twin, just late to develop (32 years late). Anyway, nothing other than that, well I can shoot lasers out of my eyes, but that is kind of cool and very useful. So I have that going for me, which is nice (name the speaker, film and actor who said that line).

The other Chernobyl story has to do with the number of people affected by that accident (those Soviets had high safety standards for everything, nothing like using concrete slab construction to make buildings in noted earthquake areas. All it serves to do is allow tons of concrete to fold and fall onto people, like a house of cards with a REAL heavy deck, when the earth shakes. Is it any wonder why the Soviet "dynasty" could not sustain itself. They needed much more land to degrade but they would even shit in their own backyards, so what does that tell you? What is the lesson?). The numbers differ from the IAEA and Greenpeace. Greenpeace pegs the number at 400,000 but then again Greenpeace LIED about the Brent Spar oil rig and the amount of oil it lost at sea to make a point (it was the old the ends justify the means argument so prevalent in Nazi Germany) so I have to question the credibility of Greenpeace. You see, you fabricate once for a just cause and then you throw any future conclusions you may have in doubt forever.

Enough pontificating for me, ciao! I have to drink my Mountain Dew.