@Persephone- amen.
@Jim- did I dream the news posts that he nearly did go down yesterday (or the day before)? Or was he not close at the time? Can't find the report I saw yest about the attack in Libya...

I still can't quite see how that even qualifies as a hat but whatever...

got a giggle out of some of these comments!

clicking the link is worth it- a real treat to see the collection of maps in many different languages.

Puts me in the mood to read the whole lot of the LotR again!

Thanks for the link with some excellent pix, including some that aren't part of every Chernobyl post and photo stream. As a current resident of Ukraine, we are constantly aware Chernobyl and living with the effects of the disaster. The recent catastrophe in Japan has brought the horror of nuclear disaster back to the front of the international conscience. Unfortunately, with exploding world population and worldwide financial crises, nuclear energy is nearly unavoidable yet, in the case of disaster- it is truly horrifying. And, unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to quantify the results of a nuclear catastrophe. It is even impossible to pin an official death toll to a nuclear disaster.
Chernobyl is referred to as 'the worst nuclear disaster ever' in the post linked to this one. I would agree- partly because the cause of the disaster was workers at the plant doing 'experiments' they should not have been doing. This disaster was largely the result of human error. Anyone who has the opportunity to visit the Chernobyl museum in Kyiv should do it. It is definitely presented in a manner designed for maximum emotional impact but there is also an excellent video replication of the explosion and, depending on the guide you get, an excellent and understandable explanation of nuclear reactors and how the explosion happened. English speaking guides (of varying degrees of competency) are available upon request.
I don't really have an special insight to offer, these are just thoughts that are in my head these days.

First time I've seen mention in Western media of this very common drink here in Eastern Europe. It's supposed to be very healthy but doesn't have much flavor. We got a couple bottles this spring with lemon slices in it- which helps tremendously. The park I walk in most days is full of birch trees and nearly every tree was tapped- plastic 2 liter bottles of every kind and ilk attached to a metal spigot and collecting sap. It seemed that it was mostly ordinary citizens doing the tapping. We had a lot of wind and it wasn't unusual to see other people in the park line bottles up with their spigots if they got knocked away.
just some birch tree sap trivia... thanks for the post!

Neat. Wish it would have been easier to actually follow the different steps. Would be great to see it up close and personal...

I think it's a good thing to have included- thanks. It's definitely something to keep in mind. And if you find out about any other laptops with the same junk on them- feel free to let us know. I, for one, haven't seen it anywhere else in my internet travel today.

Really great collection of signs! I'd love to see one of them!

Really cool. I love the possibility of taking virtual tours of all sorts of places.

Those are gorgeous!

Oh. My. Goodness. These look fantastic. :)

Good night- I hurt just watching that! It's insane!

Man- I'd love to see that collection! I love pop-up books as well. They've always had an aura of mystery for me. Thanks for the post and for including the video clip!

I like. :)