An amazing story

Hero Discovers He's In The Room With 80 People He Saved From Nazi Concentration Camps 50 Years Prior

Sir Nicholas Winton is now 105 years old. But back in 1988 he was persuaded to go onto a television programme after his wife discovered scrapbooks detailing his efforts to save 669 children, mostly Jewish, in Czechoslovakia from the Nazis. Haunted by his inability to save many, he went 50 years without talking about it. While on the programme, they surprised him with many of the audience members being children he had saved, leaving him overcome with emotion.

For more of Winton and the others who made such a difference in saving Jews from the Nazis, check out the Wikipedia entry for him, or read The Rescue of the Prague Refugees 1938–39, which, while out of print, may be available from your local library or through interlibrary loan. IT is also available as an e-book from Google Play. Winton was said to be 'delighted' with it. Again, thanks the George Takei for sharing this. I had heard of Winton's work, but had no idea he was still alive or the full story.

On to other things

It looks like I do have a fracture in my foot. They're going to do an MRI for sure but the X-ray indicated there was something funky going on. (Stress fractures often don't show up on an X-ray until they're actually healing.) In the meantime, they're treating it as if it's broken. Of course that means I have to go into a regular MRI, which didn't work so well the last time I tried (I'm claustrophobic, so we wound up doing an open MRI). But I think I should be okay so long as my head is sticking out of the machine. I have an immobiliser boot that I have to wear except for driving and sleeping. It's kind of neat--lots of Velcro and an air bladder I can pump up or leech the air out of for greater comfort.)I have to take a children's aspirin (but the coated-for-your-stomach-for-adults kind rather than the flavoured chewable kind you give kids). That's to keep down the chance of blood clots from wearing the boot. I can still work normally but obviously resting it and being off it as much as possible is good. If it hurts while I'm still wearing it, they'll put me on crutches, something I'd prefer not to do, as I'm incapable of using them correctly and I always wind up with back pain once I've been on them for a few days.

What else? Oh, the world's worst library design. Via, Jessamyn West....

The Czech Republic is interested in building a new national library in Prague (you know, the place with all the dark, old Europe architecture?) and they set up a contest for architects to design it. The winner looks rather like a mushroom or a slime ball making its way across the scenery. And the inside looks very uncomfortable, even if it is purple.

See it here. There's more about it at Joe Alterio's blog, Good Work.

Well, I'm going to go on to bed. I get to sleep in, as I'm not working and we decided to put off Hairspray for now. I have some things to do around the house, need to go grocery shopping, make out bills, and I'd like to stop by Half Price Books and see what they're like.

Today I got 1) Children's Aspirin for Adults (yes, it says that), 2) Diabetic socks (I'm supposed to have white socks for my boot, and I mostly have black ones...these wick away moisture, cushion, and are non-binding), 3) an academic year day planner that will fit in my smallest purse, and 4) two pens that telescope up and down, again to fit in a small purse--I'm tired of carrying monstrosities--and, finally 5) P
pantyliners--not that any of you really needed to know that, but that made it complete.