Micronesia - Y-Y-Y-Yap, Y'all!

Good morning, weary world travelers! We hope your day of respite was refreshing. But, as is the case so often, we're itching to go! As much as we hate to make you do it, it's time to put your anti-embolism socks back on, creatively fold yourself in that coach seat, plug in your headphones, and drink yourself into mile-high oblivion. Wait. That sounds kinda nice...

So our little trip to Olomouc in the Czech Republic had some regional stuff but turned out to be mainly global pop. If we hear that damn "Wave Your Flag" or Shakira's "Waka Waka" Africa song one more time we're going to launch net guns at them. Argh.

Let's head out to Oceania today and visit Micronesia (the Federated States of)!

First, let's get oriented. This is where we're going today (or is it tomorrow?). Yap Island is way the fuck out there, huh?

Although it looks like paradise, Micronesia holds some haunting nuclear secrets. The US conducted dozens of nuclear tests there with little regard to the inhabitants. Former Secretary of the State Henry Kissinger even said, “There are only 90,000 people out there. Who gives a damn?” Yikes.

And, here he is macin' on Sarah Palin. 'Nuff said.

Imagine little kids playing in three inches of falling radioactive dust thinking that it's miracle snow. Yeah, that happened. Picture entire islands vaporized. Yup, that happened. Look up "jellyfish babies." They are writhing masses of shapeless tissue that come out of the womb, breathe for a minute or two, and are quickly buried in shame. That happened, too. While we've detonated far more nuclear test bombs within the confines of our own domestic interior, we've got a pretty big expanse of land that just ain't available to these folks. They do, in fact, live on islands (ya know, those small bits of confined land thrust up in the middle thousands of miles of water?).

Annnnnnnyway. A handful of Warren Wilson kids went to Micronesia through the WorldWide program a couple of years ago. We're not sure what islands they were on though and they can tell their stories far better than we can. The only thing we know for sure is that it's damn pretty!

Is this real life? Daaaaang.

OK, let's forget about the crimes of our forefathers for a few moments here and tune in and see what Micronesia sounds like today. There's some pretty great tribal chanting interspersed through the playlist.

Yap: Radio

Aw crap. They went off the air at midnight. Well this is just the pits. Ummm... Well. there're some archived shows you can listen to as well. Just click the links right below the listen live button thing. Sorry, folks!

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