Pollen Storms in the South and Thoughts on Poland

Seems this year's Pollen season in the South has been one of the worst in memory. Extremely late season cold weather for a prolonged period of time, followed immediately by temperatures in the mid and upper 80s created some sort of Pollen Bloom to end all Pollen blooms...

Some of the Crown Heights Meyer kids were in Carolina for parts of Passover. I told them we should rent a beach house in South Carolina or maybe in Miami but noooo they vetoed that. I have heard it said we are all going to Orlando next Passover... will see.

So... rather than the pollen starting to fall slowly it all fell at once in what looked like yellow snow. I walked outside and could see my footsteps. The really sweet old timer who is always working in her garden with her Azaleas told me that this is the first year ever she could make footprints in the pollen. I believe her. Especially as I have heard a lot of people tell me the same thing.

Now, being the meteorological minded person I am ... it's only a hop, skip and a jump down tropical meteorology lane before I try to start connecting the dots...

We had one of the worst winters in the South when it came to real snow, ice and winter weather. I was in New York for a good part of the winter with my children there and we had back to back blizzards with more snow than anyone could remember. I was in Miami in December and January for the wet winter rainstorm that flooded parts of South Broward and Aventura. Rivky, who is treking her way through Poland as I type this had to abandon her car with her brother and sister in law and walk through hip high flood water to their luxury loft in Aventura where they found refuge. My son in Golden Beach had to climb flights of stairs up to his apartment, power out, soaking wet after barely making it home through that record breaking rainstorm. In Miami in December and January it barely rains, dry season... very dry, but not this year. So... how many dots do we need to wonder if this coming Hurricane Season is going to go down in the record books?

All of my favorite hurricane friends have published reports from online at Accuweather to the most precious Dr. Gray to guys at the NHC who have all waxed poetic on the increased chances for mucho hurricane activity this coming season. Can they all be wrong? And, yes Virginia I called Bill Gray precious and he is in his way... especially in his purple shirt. Hey, I am allowed to smile... I haven't been to any hurricane conferences in months and I am missing Miami. I'll be back soon in time to get back to business.

For now I am putting dots together and I have to tell you as a student of Russian Studies I have a lot of problems with this plane crash. Just too many dots to connect.

Lech Kaczynski's main opposition over the most recent years has been a man named Donald Tusk who has been on friendly terms it seems with Putin.

So, we have a plane loaded with all of the people in power in Poland who were friends and supporters of Kaczynski. We even have the possibility that his twin brother was also supposed to be on the plane with him, but had stayed home to take care of an ailing mother. Had his brother been on the plane that crashed there would be no strong opposition left to lead that opposition team to Tusk's possible chance to take back control of power or consolidate power.

The plane was basically Air Force One in Poland, they tend to make sure the President's plane is in good shape. I have read that although it was a Russian made plane (as most planes in those parts) it's instruments did not work well with the Air Control Tower and that they had to rely on Air Control Tower's equipment. I have heard they dumped fuel and had to land. I have heard they did not dump fuel and it came down in a fire ball so bad that some people could not be identified. Which was it? Many people on the plane were enemies of the Soviet Union or people who at one time or another had be threatened to be killed one day... an amazing woman Anna Walentynowicz who was known as the Solidarity "Godmother" and the woman who helped change the whole world there in the 1980s.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-10/solidarity-godmother-walentynowicz-dies-in-katyn-plane-crash.html

Now, the Polish President and Putin were on such bad terms that Putin went a few days before the crash and went to his own Katyn ceremony with Donald Tusk, if so why would he be going to another one with the Polish President and why was Donald Tusk not on that plane? Well, seems Putin and Tusk met earlier this week, was said to be a warm meeting, hugs and smiles.

The plane went down on Russian territory... amidst a lot of questions. Putin is put in charge of the plane crash, the black box is found but of course its in Putin's possession before sharing it with the Poles. That is what my old boyfriend used to call one hell of a home field advantage. And, the only witnesses to the events leading up to he plane crash are the air tower controllers who work for well.. you connect the dots.

I am not a conspiracy person. I am really not.

I am someone who has studied Russian Politics and has a degree in International Relations and I know the way they work. I mean the Soviet Union denied the whole Katyn massacre for years, decades... and now we have a Tusk and Putin again meeting and offering their respects to Kaczynski's body and family.

Does this seem a bit strange ... I mean Rob Reiner would say, "you couldn't write this and get it published, no one would believe it." or something like that... can't remember the exact quote, sorry.

It concerns me. And, my question is.. Was Lech's twin brother and possible inheritor of power supposed to be on that plane? I would almost bet money yes and I am not a gambling person.

A lot of questions have to be answered it would seem and will we ever know with Putin in charge of this investigation?

See? Putin and Tusk met days before the plane crash... they had their own meeting.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/entertainment-15749636/19024307

Lech Kaczynski was a great man who moved Poland into the future and helped make deals friendly to both Israel and America as well as a host of EU nations. He left an amazing legacy and Putin is Putin, he has his history.

I don't know what will be but I do think there are a lot of answers we may never get real answers for and I think it odd that they were claiming it was pilot error before they even found the black box and insisting that the air controllers had told them not to land. Something doesn't make sense and when that happens I always figure some part of the equation is missing. But, if this was happening in America I am sure Michael Moore would be all over it and Drudge would have nonstop headlines and Oliver Stone would be filming already. But, it's not America.

So... that's my curious thoughts on the Polish Plane Crash... strange twist of fate and horrible tragedy? Maybe... Could be...

As for the Pollen... not going to worry on that much either.

Just living and breathing in 3/4 time as Jimmy Buffett would say while waiting for the March to post pictures every night.

Warsaw Ghetto.... a temple, a museum... a place that Lech lit the Hanukkah menorah himself not so long ago, that is where my daughter was this evening...



And, as they entered the Temple this is the sign that created them as part of the symbol of mourning...



Very heavy, heavier than the pollen falling across the Carolinas and Georgia.

Besos Bobbi, wishing there were more answers and happy to be living in America..