Mezhyhirya

Also while I was in Ukraine, I took some time to go visit Mezhyhirya.  It was the former home of the former President of the Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.  I didn’t get to go in the house (but could have had I been willing to pay about $20).  But this place was posh.  Post to the poshest.  I’m serious…this place is the modern equivalent of Stourhead.   Here’s some pictures, but you can find the rest in the flickr set.

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[Update 2014-05-24 18:50:34] Here’s a der spiegel article that has 360 degree views inside some of the buildings.

Maidan Nezalezhnosti

I just got back from a trip to Ukraine.  One of the places I went while I was there was Maidan Nezalezhnosti.  For those who may not know, around the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014, this was the scene of protests against the government then in power.  I went in May and, while most of it has been turned into a memorial, there are still protesters there.  A few pictures are below…the rest can be found in the flickr set.

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Lydia — 1st Bike Ride

Last year, we tried to teach Lydia to ride a bike but she wasn’t very interested (and the bike was just some junk one from a neighbor).  This year, we bought a bike pump and aired up the tires on a bike we got for her.  Today she gave it a go.  And interestingly enough, took right to it.  Here are some pictures:

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Pictures of Today — 14 May 2014

On the way to work this morning, the sun was out, the air was crisp, and the sky was blue (with no clouds in sight).  Here’s two pictures I took on the way to work this morning:

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let me get this straight….

When the NRA and other defenders of rights specifically enumerated in the constitution say gun control is a slippery slope to outright bans and confiscation, we are told that could never happen…would never happen.

Now when states are trying to make it so women can get access to proper healthcare if something goes wrong the liberals start to worry about bans. 
I’ll readily admit I’d like to see abortion banned as nothing but outright murder.  Will the liberals admit the same thing?  I think not

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/opinion/sunday/real-goal-of-abortion-limits-bans.html

oh no….

I’ve never understood this…morally obscene because 50 to 70 percent of domestic water use is spent watering lawns?  It isn’t like we can move extra water from Vermont to California or Saudi Arabia.  What difference does it make if Bob wants to spend a small fortune to jeep his grass green?  As long as his locality isn’t under water restrictions I really don’t care how Bob cares for his lawn.

http://boingboing.net/2014/05/07/the-revenge-of-the-lawn.html

Gaming 3 May 2014

Last night, we had some friends over.  We played Ticket to Ride.  I wasn’t playing to win really (most of the people hadn’t played).  About 1/2 way through, I thought I really had a chance.  Well, everyone else saw 2 choke-points in my router…well, I couldn’t recover.  I ended up and finished with 2 routes undone…but they were worth 20 and 21 points.  That is -41 off my score.

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