Red Corner: Chernobyl Anniversary

by Neil Woodburn on

Twenty years ago today, something so horrendous occurred in the Soviet Union that the swath of earth on which it happened, as well as thousands of miles in every direction, remains unlivable even today.

That tragedy was, of course, the Chernobyl disaster. Today marks the 20th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear accident. For those displaced from their homes, suffering from cancer, and still mourning the loss of family and friends who succumbed to the accident this, is not a happy day.

The Chernobyl accident affected 5 million people and is expected to kill upwards of 9,000 after all the side-effects of radiation poisoning runs its course. The radiation cloud, which swept over much of Europe, has also left a dead zone of 5,800 square miles where no one can live, raise crops, or otherwise exist. Tour groups with Geiger counters in hand are now gingerly exploring the region but only for limited amounts of time and only if the winds are blowing in a safe direction.

A number of commemorative efforts will be held today to honor the “liquidators” who were forcibly sent in to clean up the mess. The commemorations will, of course, be matched by protests against nuclear energy and inadequate financial support for those still suffering from the tragedy.

April 26 remains a black day on this planet no matter what anniversary is being commemorated. When mankind can so easily destroy a small chunk of earth and poison it for thousands of years, we need to all stop and think for a moment; the world really doesn’t need any more liquidators.

Red Corner: Mongolicious

by Neil Woodburn on

Mongolia is a bizarre sort of place, in an amazingly wonderful sort of way. Journalist Jim Robbins discovered this for himself on a recent trip which he has thoughtfully written about in this month’s Condé Nast Traveler.

Mongolia, he tells us, is a combination of the American West and a Dr. Seuss book that is best discovered by 4-wheel drive jeep, steamboat, and on horseback. Crossing the remote country in such a manner reveals an amazing landscape of dust devils, yaks, yurts, nomadic tribes, national parks, Asian steppes, desert wasteland, soaring falcons, fermented mare’s milk, mystic lakes, and a big sky that puts Montana’s to shame.

Robbins traveled with Boojum Expeditions whose website provides even more inspiration to visit this remote country so desolate, yet so brimming with wonder and awe.

Red Corner: East European Soccer Hooligans

by Neil Woodburn on

In its rush to catch up with the rest of the world, Eastern Europe now lays claim to a particularly violent brand of soccer hooligans. There was a time when England had the worst reputation for crazy soccer fans, but the Brits are slowly being overshadowed by their up-and-coming colleagues from the east-especially in former East Germany and Poland.

Why do we care about this on a travel website, you ask?

With the World Cup occurring in Germany this summer, law enforcement officials are gearing up for an undesirable tourist invasion of these very soccer hooligans. It is particularly worrisome this year because hooligans from the former GDR are already in the country, and hooligans from Poland are just across the border. To make matters worse, Polish television stations refused to pay the high cost of telecasting the games so soccer fans from Gdansk to Zakopane will have to journey to Deutschland if they want to watch any of the action.

Police officials estimate there are at least 9,500 active East German hooligans and 20,000 Polish ones in their files. Although the total number of hooligans will only be a small percent of the estimated 1.5 million soccer fans traveling to Germany to attend the events, their presence will definitely be felt.

Red Corner: Warsaw

by Neil Woodburn on

Warsaw is probably my least favorite capital in Eastern Europe. Nonetheless, it still has much to offer and plenty of reason to visit.

John Bordsen of The Charlotte Observer must have been wondering about this himself when he did a Q & A session with Brendan Ian Burke, editor of the English language newspaper, The Warsaw Voice. Only 35 years old, Burke has lived in Warsaw for the last five of them.

The Q & A format is rather simple and straightforward, but as a result, very revealing about what the city of Warsaw has to offer. Along the way we learn that Burke compares Warsaw to Philadelphia, claims it has more to do in the evening hours than Boston (where Burke lived prior) and that sushi is the stylish food of the moment.

I’m certainly not in a big rush to jet off to Warsaw for some Polish sushi, but the article did win me over a little bit. It’s been a few years since I’ve visited and apparently the city has gotten much better.

Red Corner: Borat gets Reprieve

by Neil Woodburn on

Sacha Baron Cohen has pissed of an entire country. That’s what happens when you create a comedic persona that is wickedly funny, politically incorrect and mocks the 15 million people of a former Soviet republic. Cohen’s masterful creation is none other than Borat Sagdiyev, a misogynist, anti-Semitic TV reporter from Kazakhstan who bumbles his way through interviews and drops such inappropriate lines as, “How many punch it take you to kill cow? For me my record is 11.” Check out his hilarious website here.

As Erik reported a few months ago, the Kazakh government grew so angry at Borat they shut down his Kazakhstan home page and threatened to sue Cohen for his unkind portrayal. Borat himself responded with the statement, “I’d like to state I have no connection with Mr. Cohen and fully support my Government’s decision to sue this Jew. Since the 2003 Tuleyakiv reforms, Kazakhstan is as civilized as any other country in the world. Women can now travel on inside of bus, homosexuals no longer have to wear the blue hats, and the age of consent has been raised to eight years old.”

It’s never wise to battle a comedian since they will always get the last laugh. Apparently the Kazakh government has finally learned this lesson and will now roll with the punches. Dariga Nazarbayeva, the daughter of Kazakhstan’s president who also runs a major television studio in the country, has just publicly voiced her disagreement with the censorship of Borat/Cohen.

Is this a move towards freer speech in authoritarian Kazakhstan? Probably not. It’s more likely that Nazarbayeva has merely learned about the power of negative media-as is evident by her comment; “This Internet site has caused less damage to our image than its closure, which was covered by all international news agencies.” And it has, good or bad, raised awareness about a country very few people have ever heard of before.