seticat

On April 26, 1986, Reactor #4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the town of Pripyat, Ukraine exploded. The explosion took place around midnight while the neighboring town of Pripyat slept. 4 workers were killed instantly. Four days later, the residents of Pripyat were ordered to evacuate. The town still remains listed as uninhabitable to this day, although a few hearty souls have returned to it.





Reactor #4 after the disaster.

Chernobyl is the only 'level 7' incident [as categorized by the International Nuclear Event Scale] listed by the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] to date.

Take a moment to read the wiki entry on the incident.

And then take a moment to reflect on mankind's hubris.

Stolen from katmoonshaker's blog.

[X] means I've actually done it. I'm adding some commentary along with it.

Pretty much anything I've left blank I really could have done - it happened during an age and time it was available to me. But my personal preferences kept me from doing it.

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[X] I've been to a drive-in movie theater.

[X] I saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. [The very first time they were on, too]

[X] I voted for (or could have) Ronald Reagan.

[X] I was in a Christmas pageant in public school. [pretty much every year since kindergarten]

[X] I remember what I was doing when John Kennedy died. [was at home sick from school watching TV when it happened]

[X] I used to watch Star Trek during its original run. [Yep, I was a member of the 'Vulcan Consulate' and one of the third season write in campaigners]

[X] I know what 45 and 33-1/3 describes. [ditto with 78's]

[X] I've ridden in cars that didn't have seat belts.

[X] I used to watch Romper Room. [with all the various 'Miss Elaine's. Once one of them got pregnant, they'd change them out]

[X] I belonged to Future Homemakers of America. [And 4-H]

[X] I've gone (or could have) to an Elvis Presley concert.

{X] I own/used to own an 8-track player. [and a reel-to-reel tape player]

[X] I used to wear a hat, doilie, or handkerchief on my head in church. [You had to have your head covered. Period]

[X] I've bought a McDonald's cheeseburger for 18 cents. [closer to 25 cents by the time I got our my hometown - they didn't have a McD's]

[X] I would go to sleep while or just after watching Johnny Carson.

[X] I have watched a black and white television. [That was all we had until we were in High School]

[X] I have/used to have a leisure suit. [It was a woman's business version, but it was a baby blue, three piece, polyester suit, so I think it counts]

[ ] I've been to a tent revival. [My dad made me come with him, but I managed to get sick right before it and we never actually went - does this count?]

[ ] I attended Woodstock. [Other side of the country from me, but I had the tape]

[X] I've been to a state fair and looked at the animal barns. [and entered things at the fair to do with sewing and cooking]

[X] I could spin a hula-hoop around my middle.

[X] I've been spanked at school by a teacher/principal. [Also had my mouth taped shut, but that's another story]

[ ] I've been to a Cher concert. [Never Cher, but does an early Niel Diamond one count?]

[X] I watched The Sonny and Cher Show during its original run.

[X] I looked forward to hearing Guy Lombardo play "Auld Lang Syne." [It was an enforced family 'thing']

[X] I called adults "Sir" or "Ma'am." -- and still do

[X] I've had a smallpox vaccination. [Still have the scar on my left upper arm]

[X] I used to watch Dick Clark on American Bandstand

[X] I've been to a rodeo.

[X] I've competed in a rodeo. [child's greased pig catching.]

[ ] I scheduled my evenings around Dynasty. [nope - never really like it that much. Would see it from time to time.]

[X] I've sold Girl Scout cookies. [lots]

[ ] I am/was in a fraternity/sorority. [Nope - not my thing. A couple of National Honor Societies though]

[X] I've eaten breakfast at a Sambo's Restaurant.

[ ] I had a poster of Farrah Fawcett on my wall/door. [Nope - but I had a Star Trek:TOS one out of a magazine]

[ ] I had a crush on Ricky Nelson. [Nope - DeForest Kelly was my guy]

[X] I watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. [while in the middle of printing a local SF group's 'zine: 'Cry of the Nameless Ones']

[X] I had an aluminum Christmas tree and a color-wheel lamp.

[X] I have/had a fondue pot and use/used it. [both cheeze, oil and dessert]

[X] I've used a rotary phone. [also party lines, having to call the operator to be connected to someone else, 5 digit phone numbers and word prefixes - like TA5-xxxx being Taylor 5 - xxxx]

[X] I remember when African-Americans were called "colored people" in polite company. [I was lucky if my grandparents were that polite]

[X] I've been to West Berlin before German reunification. [gotta love the Army]

[X] I had a paper credit card. [Also remember being able to run a tab at department stores]

[X] I played with a Water Wiggle. [and lawn darts, a slip-n-slide, etc]

[X] I danced all night to Donna Summer and Whitney Houston. [but it was under duress]

[X] I've driven/ridden in a Pacer. [And I had a Corvair as my very first car - and no, it did not drop the engine or roll over, it ate the tranny one day]

[X] I've stayed up all night playing Risk.

[X] I saw the original Star Wars movie in a theater. [several times in a row. ditto with 'MASH']

[X] I've taken group showers with members of my junior/senior high school class. [and hated every minute]

[X] I remember when HIV was called HTLV-IV. [or when it didn't exist]

[X] I watched The Simpsons when it was a short on The Tracy Ulman Show.

[X] I had to install MS-DOS on my computer before I installed Windows. [my first computer was a Coleco ADAM and used a cassette tape as an operating syste,]

[X] I have/had a Sony Walkman. (back when it used Casette tapes)

[ ] I modeled my hair and clothes on people in Beverly Hills 90210. [nope - i was a clothing geek/nerd]

[X] I've played PacMan.

[X] I (used to) put on a suit and tie/dress to go shop at the downtown department store.

[X] I saw Top Gun in the theater more than six times. [There were times it was the only thing playing in the post theater and it got me out of the barricks]

[S] I've read Rushdie's The Satanic Verses.

[ ] I've used a Jane Fonda workout video. [no way in hell!]

[X] I remember when Michael Jackson was black. [and performed with his family as part of the 'Jackson 5']

[X] I know who shot J.R.

[X] I owned a pet rock.

[X] I have/had a Betamax VCR.

[X] I had "all the way" sex before I was married and had to keep it secret. [some things you just don't tell]

[X] I burned a bra and/or draft card. [yep, but against the politics - I always supported the troops]

[X] I've ridden in a double-decker bus. [I loved Europe]

[X] I've ridden in the back window of my parents' car.

[X] I've edged the grass in a yard with hand clippers. [ours were sheep searing shears and created nasty blisters if they weren't sharp]

[X] I had a television aerial outside my house.

[X] Watched Captain Kangaroo [and Stan Boreson, and Captain Puget and J.P. Patches and Brakeman Bill - all the local kid's shows]

[X] Watched the Howdy Doody Show

[X] Remember Rin Tin Tin

[X] Watched Sky King

[X] Wanted to be Penny [Actually - I just wanted to fly]

[X] Wanted/had rainbow colored suspenders because of Mork and Mindy [Na Nu, Na Nu!]

[X] Had/wanted a pair of L.A. Gear High Tops

[X] Rode in the back of the station wagon on a family trip.


God, I am *so* old! Okay, let's just amend that to read 'experienced in life'.

I remember.

I remember sitting on a friend's livingroom couch eating oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins which a bunch of other SF friends.

I remember we *all* held our breath until we heard those first words and then I'll always be amazed we didn't blow the windows out of the house with the sound of cheering.

I remember the science fiction that had become a major part of my teenage life merging with science fact that July morning.

I remember the day the entire planet united as one people with one voice: one fear, one concern and one common goal.

I remember the day the world changed.

I remember.