Democracy and demon came from the same Greek root: ‘dā mo’ is the distance between different types of people, both ‘citizens’ (‘demos’) and Gods and humans (‘dai-mon’ meaning ‘divider’).
10 Facts About Chernobyl That Will Give You the Creeps
A devastating nuclear disaster took place at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union on April 26, 1986. The incident is back in the public consciousness right now due to the success of the HBO show Chernobyl that dramatizes the events surrounding the accident.
Much of what happened before, during, and after the 1986 event is still the cause of much debate due to the secrecy of the Soviet Union. But one thing is for sure: the Chernobyl accident is considered the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history.
Here are 10 facts about the terrifying Chernobyl disaster and its aftermath.
1. Casualty rate: Unknown
The number of victims that can be blamed on the accident ranges anywhere from 4,000 to 90,000. Two people died in the initial blast, 29 people died from radiation sickness in the months after the accident, and there are literally thousands that may die from radiation-related causes in the future.
2. A gruesome death
The first message about the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant appeared in the Soviet media on April 27, 36 hours after the disaster. ⠀ 
CHERNOBYL INSIDEROne of the first firefighters who responded to the accident scene was Vasily Ignatenko. He suffered a terrible two-week death from his exposure to radiation, including excreting blood and mucus 25 times a day and coughing up pieces of his own internal organs.
3. Other ailments
People in neighboring areas had to flee their homes and complained of such symptoms as “black spots,” bodies getting “fat, like a barrel,” and turning “black, like coal, and shrinking.”
4. Radiophobia
Because women were terrified of possible radiation poisoning, there were an estimated 100,000-200,000 abortions in Europe after the Chernobyl disaster.
5. Dead trees everywhere
Such spectacular views can be seen on our tours. ⠀ 
The area around the nuclear power plant became known as The Red Forest because the trees died and turned a ginger color after the accident.
6. Lingerers
Although it’s illegal to live in the area around the plant known as the Zone of Alienation, or the Exclusion Zone, it’s estimated that 130-150 people still live there, many of them older women taking care of their family’s land.
7. Poor animals
If you’ve seen the show, you know that people were not allowed to evacuate with their pets. This actually happened and units were sent in to put the animals down.
8. But…there are still hundreds of dogs there
Descendants of the dogs who survived the aftermath of the disaster still live in the Exclusion Zone. There are an estimated 300 stray dogs here. You can help them out by donating HERE.
9. Tourist spot
. . . . . #chernobyl #visitkyiv #ukraine #travelinspiration #pripyat #solotravellers #wanderrach #easterneurope #travelgirls #travellergramTourists can visit the Exclusion Zone, and it’s actually become pretty trendy after the success of the HBO show about the disaster.
10. Ghost town
There is an abandoned amusement park in nearby Pripyat that looks like something out of a horror film.
While it’s truly terrifying what happened at Chernobyl, the strength that the people of Russia have shown in the face of unimaginable devastation should be commended.
The post 10 Facts About Chernobyl That Will Give You the Creeps appeared first on UberFacts.
According to a 2018 study…
According to a 2018 study, the Washington DC area has a higher proportion of psychopaths than any other state in the USA.
This American’s Experience with Iceland’s Healthcare System Really Strikes a Nerve
Stop me if you’re heard this somewhere, possibly from your local politician: “We have the best health care ever invented! Of all time! Can’t be touched!”
I think most people know that A WHOLE LOT of other countries on the planet have much better health care than Americans do – plus, overseas it’s CHEAP. But that’s not what politicians and insurance companies want you to hear.
A woman named Mary Robinette Kowal shared her health care experience in Iceland, and her tweets went viral. I think that this will be very eye-opening for a lot of you. It sure was for me.
Let’s take a look at Kowal’s Twitter thread.
When I lived in Iceland, I found a lump. I had no idea how to navigate finding a doctor, so I went to our show's production manager.
Me: I found a lump. Can you help me find a doctor?
PM: Just go to the cancer center.
Me: Okay. How do a get a referral?
PM: What's a referral?— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019
After I explain what a referral is, he looks baffled.
PM: Just go to the cancer center.
Me: But…referral?He shrugs and hands me the phone number to the cancer center. I call and explain.
CC: A lump, ah yes. You should come in.
Me: Don't I need a referral?
CC: A what?— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019
Having accepted that I don't need a referral, I say, "How do I make an appointment?"
CC: An appointment? Yes, we can do that if your schedule is very busy, otherwise just come in.
Me: I don't need an appointment?
CC: You found a lump! You know your body, yes? Come in.— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019
So I go. The nurse checking me in apologizes because, since I'm not Icelandic, I'll have to pay for the visit.
It's 3 krónur.
That's 3 dollars at that point.
I pay and sit down to wait.
CC: Kowal?
Me: Already?
CC: You found a lump.— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019
3 dollars…
She escorts me into an examining room and palpates the area.
CC: Yes, that does feel like a lump. Let's do a mammogram.
I prepare to hear about making an appointment for that.
CC: I'm sorry, but it's across the hall. Do you mind following me?
— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019
I've been in the building for about twenty minutes at this point when I'm strapped into the mammogram — WHICH HAD WARMERS — and she does her thing.
CC: There is something there, you are right. I want to see it with an ultrasound.
And then she leads me next door.
— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019
She does the ultrasound and when we're finished, she tells me to get dressed and to meet her in the waiting room.
I head out to the changing room, put my top back on, and walk out to the waiting room. I sit down to wait.
CC: Kowal?
Me: Already?
CC: It is only cyst.— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019
Forty-five minutes after walking into the Icelandic Cancer Center and 3 krónur poorer, I had the answer.
In the US, a similar lump took two weeks and three different office visits.
I think about this every time I have to fight with medical insurance in the US.
— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019
PS for clarity, I used my surname, but I'm pretty sure it was my first name the entire time, because Iceland.
PPS Why don't all mammograms have warmers?
— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 3, 2019
Kowal offered a little clarification about an earlier tweet.
PPPS I said 3 kronur, but it was actually 300 kronur. I got so used to throwing an imaginary decimal place in there to do conversions in my head that I botched it in the thread.
The bit about being it basically three bucks though, that was the point.
— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) June 4, 2019
We get your point, Ms. Kowal. Something to think about…
What do you think? Share in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!
The post This American’s Experience with Iceland’s Healthcare System Really Strikes a Nerve appeared first on UberFacts.
Having Grown Up in Foster Care, This Woman Explains Why Adoption Isn’t the Best Alternative to Abortion
The abortion debate is becoming increasingly intense again, and many anti-abortion activists are in favor of adoption as a more humane alternative to abortion. But a woman who grew up in foster care wants people to know that adoption is not the simple solution that it seems.
Olivia Paige knows exactly how broken the adoption system is in the US because she grew up in it. She posted on Facebook to explain what it’s really like for children in the system.
“Let me start off by reminding you of the 390,000+ children and teens in foster care, 100,000+ of which are waiting to be adopted,” Olivia’s post began. “Around 50,000 are placed up for adoption each year—these abortion bans are sure to make those numbers grow so let me share some statistics with you.”
Posted by Olivia Paige on Sunday, April 28, 2019
“20% of teens who age out of foster care become instantly homeless, with no support system in place.
There is less than a 3% chance that any of these kids will obtain any sort of degree.
25% suffer from PTSD.
1 out of every 2 kids will develop substance abuse problems.
Adopted children make up only 2% of children under 18.”
Then Olivia went on to share her own experience as one of the “lucky ones” who made it out alright. She attached a photo of a flyer that was handed out to prospective adopters when she was a teenager. She was never adopted, she says.
I debated posting this for a while, I’ve decided to do it because not many people know what it’s really like as a child…
Posted by Olivia Paige on Tuesday, May 28, 2019
“I spent a decade in foster care, bouncing between ‘homes’ with strangers in places I’d never known before. With no warning, a social worker would show up and tell me I’d have to pack my things (the very few I had) and leave whatever strange place I’d kept myself from getting too comfortable in at the drop of a hat,” she wrote. “I had no say in the matter.”
In two of her foster homes, Olivia was physically and sexually abused. Many times, she watched her foster parents take their money from the state and spend it on themselves instead of her. Sometimes, there were no homes for Olivia to stay in, so she had to sleep in a cubicle at Family Services.
“I spent ten years feeling unworthy of love, unwanted and waiting for the next bad thing to happen to me,” Olivia wrote.
it’s Octoberween and this is one of my favorite self portraits so ~ figured it was fitting
Posted by Olivia Paige on Thursday, October 4, 2018
Thankfully, Olivia aged out of the system at 16, and she’s been doing well ever since. But there are tens of thousands of children just like her currently going through the same thing.
“I dare you to say ‘adoption is always an option’ to any of the several tens of thousands who have been waiting patiently for years for someone to come along and give them the chance to define the word ‘family’.”
Olivia wrote that, while she doesn’t wish she’d been aborted or that she were dead, she does believe that abortion is preferable to forcing so many kids to go through this.
missing doing shoots with Rich Adams Jr.!
Posted by Olivia Paige on Tuesday, November 27, 2018
“A life is not saved just by letting it be born,” she said.
“Kids should be in homes with families that truly love them. If you’re so adamant about kids being born—go through the process and adopt some yourself.”
The post Having Grown Up in Foster Care, This Woman Explains Why Adoption Isn’t the Best Alternative to Abortion appeared first on UberFacts.
A Look Inside the U.S. Military’s “Doomsday Plane,” Built to Withstand the Aftermath of a Nuclear Blast
The plane is officially known as the U.S. Air Force’s E-4B, but most people just call it the “doomsday plane.” The aircraft is used to take the Secretary of Defense all over the world, and it is a monster of an airplane. The plane is also known as the National Airborne Operations Center.
. . . . . #e4b #doomsdayplane #instaaviation #avgeek #avgeeks #pilotviews #boeing747 #queenoftheskies #pilot #pilotlife #jetsetter #piloteyes747 #pilotslife #pilotviews #pilotsofinstagram #piloteyes #instaplane #aviationpics #cockpit #crew #aviationdaily #aviator #aviation #aviationphoto #boeing #nightwatch #aviation4u #cockpitview #picoftheday #yourgrace #b742 #boeingThe E-4B is almost six stories tall, has four enormous engines, and can withstand the immediate aftermath of a nuclear explosion. How’s that for technology? A member of the U.S. Air Force said, “It’s like a backup Pentagon. There’s always one plane on alert and ready to go 24 hours, seven days a week.”
Just like its sister aircraft Air Force One, the E-4B is like a flying command center, and many of the plane’s capabilities are classified. There are four “doomsday planes” that have been in operation since 1980, and they are based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
The aircraft truly is a marvel of technology. The large hump on top of the E-4B is called a “radome” and houses satellite dishes and antennas that allow people onboard to contact submarines, ships, aircraft, and phone lines anywhere in the world. Because of the humongous fuel tanks and the ability to refuel while flying, the E-4B can stay in the air for several days without ever having to land.
The plane can accommodate up to 112 people. It has three levels, 18 bunks, 6 bathrooms, a briefing room, and a conference room. Interestingly, the E-4B is not up-to-date technologically and relies on analog technology.
A crew member said, “It’s a common misconception, but this plane doesn’t have digital touch screens in the cockpit or elsewhere. The conditions that this plane is meant to fly in call for analog, since digital tech would fry during a nuclear war.”
Yikes…
The post A Look Inside the U.S. Military’s “Doomsday Plane,” Built to Withstand the Aftermath of a Nuclear Blast appeared first on UberFacts.
Someone Just Designed a Stamp That Lets You Legally Replace Andrew Jackson With Harriet Tubman on $20 Bills
The $20 bill has been the subject of quite a lot of controversy lately. President Andrew Jackson’s visage has graced the bill ever since 1928, but in 2016, plans were announced to replace him on the bill with an image of abolitionist hero Harriet Tubman.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin recently announced, however, that the plans for the 2020 rollout of the Tubman bill would be delayed at least 8 years due to concerns about counterfeiting.
And people are not happy about it.
Today in the @WashingtonPost:
“Backpedaling on putting the first African American woman on paper money tells women and girls and people of color that they don’t — and never have — mattered.”
The Admin’s decision is unacceptable, they must reconsider it.https://t.co/q7qQzr3hG3
— Elijah E. Cummings (@RepCummings) May 24, 2019
Mnuchin’s excuse for delaying the Harriet Tubman $20 bill is insulting – The Washington Post https://t.co/85I3fdOmNO
— Susan Rice (@AmbassadorRice) May 24, 2019
And, of course, The Onion weighed in on the issue with this brilliant headline.
Trump Administration Announces New $20 Bill Design Honoring Harriet Tubman’s Owners https://t.co/strz07n5OB pic.twitter.com/dQTJKXTIYh
— The Onion (@TheOnion) May 23, 2019
But then the story took an unexpected turn.
An artist named Dano Wall took it upon himself to create a stamp that replaces Jackson’s face on the $20 bill with Tubman’s likeness.
Minting some fresh Tubmans #civildisobedience #tubmantwenty #harriettubman #tubmanstamp #womenonmoney #RepresentationMatters @tubmanstamp https://t.co/SxxVeQWrWz pic.twitter.com/heSV8b6rWF
— tubmanstamp (@tubmanstamp) March 16, 2019
As you can see, the Tubman stamp perfectly fits over the image of Jackson. Wall is calling the use of the Tubman stamp an act of “civil disobedience.”
“I was inspired by the news that Harriet Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, and subsequently saddened by the news that the Trump administration was walking back that plan. So I created a stamp to convert Jacksons into Tubmans myself. I have been stamping $20 bills and entering them into circulation for the last year, and gifting stamps to friends to do the same.”
Wall added, “My goal is to get 5,000 stamps out there. If there are 5,000 people consistently stamping currency, we could get a significant percent of circulating $20 bills (with the Tubman) stamp, at which point it would be impossible to ignore.”
The artist also said he’s been careful to avoid any legal issues: “The basic gist of it is you can’t render a bill illegible. You can’t cover any text or numbers or anything on it to serve as an advertisement. … Anything outside of that — if the bill is still fit for circulation is fine. You can write on it and mark in any way.”
The stamps that Wall designed are currently sold out on Etsy ,but it looks like there are a bunch of other options as well (take a look at THIS PAGE). And I’m sure Wall will have more back up soon!
The post Someone Just Designed a Stamp That Lets You Legally Replace Andrew Jackson With Harriet Tubman on $20 Bills appeared first on UberFacts.
Fiji lost its original declaration…
Fiji lost its original declaration of independence from the UK and asked a copy from them.
In 1967, Egypt received false intel…
In 1967, Egypt received false intel from the Soviets that Israel was massing its troops on the Syrian border. In response, Egypt mobilized its forces in Sinai and Straits of Tiran. Israel saw the blockade of Tiran as a Casus Belli and launched a pre-emptive strike thus initiating the Six-Day War.
On 7 May 1999, the United States…
On 7 May 1999, the United States bombed a Chinese Embassy and claimed it was a mistake. The incident is still brought up in meetings.