Ernest Hemingway's parents' bedroom.
The microscope is there because his
father was a medical doctor.
Oak Park Journal photo
Mr. Mike Seefeldt, the Vice-Chairman of the Hemingway House and
Museum personally takes
the visitors on a tour of the room where Ernest Hemingway was
born and delivered into this world
by his father doctor.
Oak Park Journal photo
Mr. Mike Seefeldt from the Hemingway House and Museum
places an Indian arrowhead into the hand of a young person from
almost half way around the world. Ernest Hemingway
collected these arrowheads as a youth.
Oak Park Journal photo
Volha (Olga) Talapila wonders about the
skull. She is told that the father of Ernest
Hemingway was a doctor and kept both
instruments and teaching tools in his home.
Oak Park Journal photo
Signatures of the Visitors from Belarus now
grace the pages of the museum.
Oak Park Journal photo
Conni Irwin, a guide at the Hemingway Birth House (far left)
Vera Arkind, Ivan Mirski, Vice-Chairman of the Hemingway House
and Museum Mr. Mike Seefeldt (in back) with Mohan Garg, a member
of the Board (in front), Tamara Wasserman (interpreter) Ihar
(Igor) Karnei , and Volha (Olga) Talapila
Oak Park Journal photo
Forest Park Village Administrator Mr. Matt O' Shea (second from
the right, in the suit) Welcomes the Foreign Media to Forest Park and presents
the group with Forest Park Hats and some other memorabilia from the town
with a Big Heart.
Oak Park Journal photo
The Foreign Media is shown the workings of modern
Police department. They are shown the GPS (Global Positioning
Satelite system) that shows where each and every police car is
at any given time of the day.
Radio and Command Officer Lundt along with Lt. Cody greet
and explain some of Forest Park's Police work.
Oak Park Journal photo
Ivan Mirski, Chief of the Information Department, Alpha
Radio, Minsk, Belarus, does the local crime report for the Radio station
in Minsk...so it's only
fitting he should see the Forest Park Jail.
Oak Park Journal photo
"Belarus - Belarussian Closure of Russian
TV Station Indicates
Worsening Relations", 9 July 2003, WMRC
Daily Analysis
"Belarus bans US media support group", 10 July
2003, Agence France Presse
July 10, 2003
Minsk, Belarus
Embassy U.S.-Belarus
Nine years ago today, Belarus held the last election recognized
by the international community as being democratic in character. Relations
between Belarus and the rest of the world were excellent and the prospects
for progress were great.
Unfortunately, since that time competent international
organizations and other experts have concluded that every electoral process
conducted in Belarus has failed to meet democratic standards. Belarus’
relations with the rest of the world have suffered greatly due to
this and other policies and practices that bring about the self-isolation
of the country.
The United States Embassy takes the occasion of the anniversary
of the 1994 election to urge the Belarusian authorities promptly to take
the concrete steps identified by international experts to bring Belarusian
electoral processes into line with those applicable throughout the region
and with democratic criteria.
Leaders who are honestly elected will be respected, and
there will be a return to the bright prospects for improved relations between
Belarus and the rest of the world that existed when Belarus was on the
path to democracy
Trafficking in Persons Report 2001
The U.S. State Department July 12 released a congressionally-mandated
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, offering a nation-by-nation account
on the commerce in human beings and what governments are doing to combat
it.
Belarus
Belarus is both a source and a transit country for trafficked
persons, primarily women. Young women are trafficked through Belarus from
Russia, Ukraine, and
Lithuania to other counties in Europe, primarily Germany
and Poland.
The Government of Belarus does not meet the minimum
standards due to a lack of resources and corruption. The new Criminal Code,
which went into effect January 1, 2001, penalizes trafficking in persons
for the purpose of sexual or other kinds of exploitation, as well as the
hiring of persons for sexual or other exploitation. The penalty for trafficking
is substantially less than that for rape or forcible sexual assault. At
the time of this report, there was one open criminal case, and 12 cases
had been proven. In theory the Government has programs to assist victims
of trafficking and provide witnesses; however, in
practice this does not occur. Victims are detained and/or
jailed until the investigation identifies them as victims, and can be prosecuted
for violations of other laws. The Ministry of Internal Affairs conducted
one seminar on trafficking in October 1999 and another in April 2000.
U.S. State Department Release
Throughout the history of bilateral relations with Belarus,
the U.S. Government has consistently encouraged the development of democratic
institutions and a more open society, and has taken very seriously the
honoring of commitments made by the government of Belarus to human rights,
including freedom of speech and freedom of the press. The growing neglect
of internationally recognized practices in the above fields by the Belarusian
authorities has led to the criticism of Belarus in the Department of State's
Human Rights Report and an eventual review of U.S. policy towards Belarus.
To assist democratic reform in Belarus, the Embassy has
set up the Democracy Commission program to assist the nascent independent
media and NGO sector and promote rule of law. The Public Affairs Section
administers the Community Connections program and other public
exchanges, brings to Belarus American experts to advise on democratic initiatives
and reforms, and helps administer the Internet Access and Training Program
(IATP). Many of the democratic initiatives in Belarus are co-sponsored
by U.S. Government agencies and private organizations, such as the Eurasia
Foundation and the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX).
The human rights situation in Belarus is taken very seriously
by the international community. The Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) established its Advisory and Monitoring Group
in Belarus in February 1998; the Group's mandate is to assist the Belarusian
authorities in promoting democratic institutions and to monitor and report
on this process.
http://www.state.gov/www/regions/nis/russia_nuclear_weapons.html
BELARUS
Strategic Offensive Arms Elimination...........16.00
Emergency Response Training/Equipment....5.00
Industrial Partnerships..................................
20.00
Defense Enterprise Fund.................................5.00
Defense and Military Contacts........................7.53
Material Control and Accountability................3.00
Science & Technology Center.........................5.00
Export Control................................................16.26
Continuous Communication Link.....................2.30
Site Restoration (Project Peace).....................25.00
Total Belarus..................................$105,090,000.00
The above figures are all in Millions of U.S. Dollars
