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[Armok]

During the siege of Leningrad, 12 scientists starved to death rather than eat the grains stored at Pavlosk Agricultural Station, the world’s first seed bank. According to an AP story, their efforts to save the seeds for future generations may now be in vain after a Russian court approved plans to raze the station’s fields of plants so a developer can build luxury homes.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-08/russian-seed-bank-saved-during-wwii-fights-save-land-developers

D:

That's ****ing sick. 

[Cthulhu]

Why do you even have uninvited kids around the house anyway?

He's sowed a lot of wild oats, if you know what I mean....

I'm like Johnny Appleseed.  Anyway, the kids are gone now, I found my spraybottle full of lye and chased them off.

[dragnar]

During the siege of Leningrad, 12 scientists starved to death rather than eat the grains stored at Pavlosk Agricultural Station, the world’s first seed bank. According to an AP story, their efforts to save the seeds for future generations may now be in vain after a Russian court approved plans to raze the station’s fields of plants so a developer can build luxury homes.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-08/russian-seed-bank-saved-during-wwii-fights-save-land-developers

D:

That's ****ing sick. 

...I'm not sure which one is stupider. The scientists who starved themselves, or the ones trying to demolish the place. I mean really, it's not like the grain can't be replaced, the world hasn't ended yet.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

This was during WWII. The world had never seen a conflict of this scale and bloodshead, even in WWI. It very well could be seen by some as a precursor to the end.

[dragnar]

Sure, it was terrible, but was there ever any real threat of life itself being wiped out? Those vaults aren't for massive human death, they're for "Oh curse-word, there's nothing but us left."

[RedKing]

What MSH said. probably seemed like the end of the world when umpteen Panzer divisions came screaming across the border.


I checked the Wiki entry for this site, and found these fascinating tidbits:

More than 90% of the collection is found in no other research collection or genebank.
The collection is a field genebank, meaning that the varieties are stored as plants in the ground. Most of the species concerned do not breed true from seeds, and so the varieties cannot be stored as seeds.

Due to technical issues and quarantine regulations, it would not be feasible to move the collection before demolition of the station is slated to begin

That really, really sucks.

Sure, it was terrible, but was there ever any real threat of life itself being wiped out? Those vaults aren't for massive human death, they're for "Oh curse-word, there's nothing but us left."

Actually, they're not even for that. They're more for "Oh curse-word, some blight/pest/drought/whatever wiped out ALL the <insert plant here>. Good thing we saved a few." That's what the big-ass one in Svalbard is for. Plus, it has polar bear guards.

[Footkerchief]

Sure, it was terrible, but was there ever any real threat of life itself being wiped out? Those vaults aren't for massive human death, they're for "Oh curse-word, there's nothing but us left."

They weren't just in WW2, they were in the Siege of Leningrad, which was essentially hell on earth.  Those stuck in Leningrad probably had little way of knowing the condition of the outside world.

[Aqizzar]

Sure, it was terrible, but was there ever any real threat of life itself being wiped out? Those vaults aren't for massive human death, they're for "Oh curse-word, there's nothing but us left."

They weren't just in WW2, they were in the Siege of Leningrad, which was essentially hell on earth.  Those stuck in Leningrad probably had little way of knowing the condition of the outside world.

I don't think anybody even in Stalingrad had to believe that the entire world outside of Stalingrad had been reduced to the same frozen ashen Hellscape.  I mean, those Germans had to be coming from somewhere with food.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Not to mention that the Sovet Union knew about what the Manhattan Project was doing from some spies involved with it. I think that was before the seed bank was made, but everything about nuclear weapons is scary as all hell.

[RedKing]

I think the other half of this that we're forgetting is that Russians are noted for their self-sacrificing patriotism, especially in that era. I mean, when you had young women manning anti-aircraft guns who stayed at their posts taking on an entire Panzer division until they were destroyed, or guys holding out in the basement of a fortress for over a month, or one freakin' platoon that held an apartment building in Stalingrad for three months against pretty much the entire damn Wehrmacht....well, starving for the Motherland seems like the least you can expect a guy to do.


Bottom line: the Russians in the Great Patriotic War were serious badasses. (Which makes the Finns who defeated them in the Winter War ultimate badasses.)

[scriver]

The Russians got what they wanted out of that war, dude. They still have it.

[RedKing]

No, they *wanted* a Finnish SSR. They settled for Karelia and an independent Finland.

[Jackrabbit]

The Finns won that war because as badass as the Russians are, back then they were still shitty on the offense thanks to stupid leaders (probably oh God amateur historian malarkey take it all with a grain of salt). In defense is where they shined.

And I think that the scientists didn't eat the grain because they thought Stalin would have killed them for it if they got out. If that's the case, I don't blame them.

[rat_pack40]

I'm currently down 8 "extra strength" Tylenol in under 4 hours, and my headaches are getting worse, I just don't really care about it at the moment. Sure, it's still a headache that makes me feel like my head is splitting open, but I've had worse.

The van is still in terrible shape, but still runs. I've still got a follow-up interview for the meat market at my local Wal-Mart tomorrow.
This walmart is rated number 4 or so out of over 100 walmarts in the area. Gotta love the "Greater Houston Area". Covers 10 from miles into the Gulf of Mexico, to 15 miles north of Houston proper.

No money, no food, lights are still on because of record high temperatures with 80-115% relative humidity, AT&T still hasn't cut the internet, and I'm going blind in my right eye. Again.

Living with a familial history of diabetes, and a hereditary condition that causes a weakening of connective tissue in the body, usually centered around the heart, eyes, lungs, and shoulders, called Marphan's Syndrome, that's so rare, it doesn't rate a dictionary entry.

BP managed a spill in my town that went for 41 DAYS, spilling benzene into the air, without notifying anyone, sounding a warning siren, or even trying to stop it. If you don't see what the big deal is, go look for effects of benzene poisoning, even for short term exposure.

When it rains, Armok help me, it pours magma.

Sweet merciful CRAP. My life sounds like a bad sob story.

Chalk up a +1 on the made me sad today list.

[RedKing]

The Finns won that war because as badass as the Russians are, back then they were still shitty on the offense thanks to stupid leaders (probably oh God amateur historian malarkey take it all with a grain of salt). In defense is where they shined.

And I think that the scientists didn't eat the grain because they thought Stalin would have killed them for it if they got out. If that's the case, I don't blame them.

True dat. Stalin was one ungrateful SOB. Case in point, the last guy captured at the Brest Fortress--who had avoided capture for a month in the cellar--survived the war and was considered a hero. Stalin had him sent to Siberia on the grounds that he had disobeyed orders by allowing himself to be captured rather than dying. (Probably had more to do with him being a Tatar, but...)