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- Tuesday Tunes: Out-of-this-world rock band names
- Riding the rails of interstellar discovery at the Very Large Array
- Majestic “mesa” cities and towns around the globe
- Canada’s next supergroup – A Short Walk to Pluto
- Two migration tales of strength, hardship, and tenacity
- An out-of-this-world visit to the Very Large Array (VLA)
- Albuquerque is a national leader in water conservation
- The buzz about America’s “bee-friendly” cities
- Tallest buildings of Greater Washington, DC
- New Mexico’s protected wildlife areas along the Rio Grande
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Tag Archives: Soviet Union
Soviet-era and Russian Monotowns
In Russia, cities and towns whose economy and existence are largely tied to a single, dominating industry are referred as “Monotowns,” which is short for Monofunctional Towns (or Cities). These are basically their equivalent to the Western terminology of “Company Towns.” Most … Continue reading
Posted in business, cities, civics, commerce, Economy, geography, health, history, humanity, industry, infrastructure, land use, Maps, Mining, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, poverty, Russia, social equity, sustainability, Trade, transportation, urban planning
Tagged company towns, economy, factories, industry, Monotowns, Russia, Soviet Union
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Two ideologies, two plutonium programs, and too reckless!
http:// (*see note at bottom of the post) The more read about the Cold War, the more I am convinced that both sides lost. Not only did both the Americans and Soviets/Russians gut large parts of their economies by wasting … Continue reading
Posted in atomic age, book reviews, books, cities, civics, culture, economic development, energy, environment, geography, government, health, Health care, history, humanity, infrastructure, injustice, land use, Maps, military, peace, place names, planning, politics, pollution, product design, rivers/watersheds, Russia, Science, social equity, Statistics, technology, urban planning
Tagged America, book reviews, books, Cold War, Hanford Site, Kate Brown, Mayak Nuclear Plant, Ozersk, plutonium, Plutopia, radiation, Richland, Russia, Soviet Union, USA
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American “Atomgrads” of the Cold War era…and beyond
Back on May 6th and May 8th respectively, posts were published on the “Atomgrads” of the Soviet Union. One pertained to the nuclear weapon “Atomgrads,” while the other discussed nuclear energy ones. This post will list the four (4) known … Continue reading
Posted in archaeology, atomic age, cities, deserts, economic development, environment, geography, government, health, Health care, historic preservation, history, land use, Maps, military, North America, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, Science, spatial design, technology, topography, tourism, Travel, urban planning
Tagged America, Atomgrads, Atomic City, Cold War, Hanford Reach National Monument, Hanford Site, Los Alamos, Mercury, Nevada Test Site, Oak Ridge, Richland, Secret City, Soviet Union, USA
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“Hydrograds” built by the former Soviet Union
Following last week’s post on American Hydrograds, this blogpost explores the “Hydrograds“ built by the former Soviet Union. Hydrograds are cities and towns constructed specifically to house workers building the hydroelectric project, as well as the support staff to … Continue reading
Posted in archaeology, cities, culture, energy, Europe, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, rivers/watersheds, Russia, spatial design, technology, urban planning
Tagged dams, energy, hydroelectric dams, Hydrograds, Latvia, power, Russia, Soviet Union, Tajikistan, Ukraine, USSR
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Atomic “doomtowns” that once surrounded Chernobyl
The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, when reactor #4 exploded. Before being brought under control weeks later, extreme levels of radiation had spread outward from the nuclear plant by both wind and rain. This inundated communities all … Continue reading
Posted in atomic age, cities, environment, Europe, film, geography, history, humanity, Maps, movies, pollution, Russia, Statistics, topography, Uncategorized, Women
Tagged Babushkas of Chernobyl, Belarus, CEZ, Chernobyl, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, doomtowns, ghost towns, nuclear power, pollution, radiation, Russia, Soviet Union, The Burning Edge, Ukraine, USSR
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Soviet-era “Atomgrads,” part 2 – Nuclear Energy Cities
http:// Part 2 of this series on Soviet-era “Atomgrads” focuses on those that were developed to build, service, and support nuclear power plants in the Soviet Union. Of the 12 cities listed and mapped, all but one remain active communities … Continue reading
Posted in archaeology, architecture, Asia, atomic age, business, cities, culture, economic development, energy, environment, Europe, geography, government, health, historic preservation, history, Housing, infrastructure, land use, Maps, military, place names, placemaking, planning, pollution, Russia, Science, spatial design, Statistics, technology, toponymy, Travel, urban planning
Tagged Atomgrads, atomic power, energy, Kazakstan, Lithuania, nuclear power, Soviet Union, Ukraine, USSR
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Soviet-era “Atomgrads,” part 1 – Nuclear Weapon Cities
http:// During the Cold War, the Soviet Union developed a series of “Atomgrads“ or nuclear cities. Nearly all of these cities were newly planned and designed to provide housing and community services for the future scientists and their families … Continue reading
Posted in Asia, atomic age, cities, culture, economic development, energy, environment, Europe, geography, government, health, historic preservation, history, Housing, infrastructure, Maps, military, place names, placemaking, planning, pollution, Russia, Science, Statistics, technology, urban planning
Tagged Atomgrads, atomic, closed cities, Cold War, military, nuclear, Russia, Soviet, Soviet Union, USSR, weapons
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Russian cities that arose from the Gulag era
Below is a list of some of the larger cities that were founded, built, or significantly enhanced through Gulag-era forced labor. If the city was founded during the Soviet Union’s Gulag era, the date is provided in parenthesis. Otherwise, the … Continue reading
Posted in Asia, cities, culture, Europe, geography, human rights, humanity, land use, Mining, pictures, place names, politics, Statistics
Tagged forced labor, Gulag, prison camps, Russia, slavery, Soviet Union
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“The Gentleman From Finland” gets derailed
I really wanted to enjoy this book. The image of riding the Trans-Siberian Express across the width of the Soviet Union is a fascinating concept. Given how much I enjoyed Robert Goldstein’s more recent book, Riding with Reindeer, I figured this … Continue reading
Posted in art, Asia, book reviews, books, Communications, culture, Europe, geography, government, history, infrastructure, land use, literature, Maps, Passenger rail, politics, product design, rail, tourism, transportation, Travel, writing
Tagged book reviews, books, Robert Goldstein, Russia, Soviet Union, tourism, Trans-Siberian Railroad, travel
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Panethos 
Up to 690,000 American’s died from our own nuke tests!
Yes, you read the post title correctly. According to a 2017 study by researchers from the University of Arizona, between 340,000 and 690,000 Americans are estimated to have died from fallout and radiation-linked diseases generated by the 100 atmospheric atomic … Continue reading →