Ukraine war memorial given eternal LED torch, cell antenna
By Ross Miller 
posted October 25th 2009 6:43AM
posted October 25th 2009 6:43AM
[Via Hack a Day]
posted October 25th 2009 6:43AM
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A shame the flame was lost but understandable... i want to see it at night!
In Soviet Russia, LED torch lights you!
I actually prefer the LED version. I don't think it's disrespectful or tacky. What's wrong with some newer tech? It's a symbol of what their sacrifices have enabled in a way .. the advances of modern life.
Anyway, I suppose we'll be seeing photoshops of this pic show up on engadget and elsewhere time to time.
how can anyone downvote a Soviet Russia joke?
They could have tried harder to make it look like a REAL flame. IMHO, that LED "torch" looks pretty shitty.
lol why vote down Blitzkrieg?! IT WAS FUNNY! :D :D :D :D
Or just don't have it on 24x7. Put it on a timer to light up just from dawn-midnight and all day on memorial days once a year.
I don't know if its just me, but it seems a little disrespectful to have a cell tower built in to a WW2 memorial. I can justify using LEDs as cost-cutting measure instead of natural gas, but to me that cell tower crosses the line. I'm sure they could have found somewhere else to place it. Have a little respect for the Vets.
If it's anything like some other war memorials in that part of the world, it may have been built on top of a man-made hill in an otherwise flat terrain. I think an ugly mast on the very same hill would be more of a sacrilege than integrating the functionality into the memorial.
I agree, it would have been better to just leave it as it was.
I agree, but I think the real flame should have been retained as a symbol of the sacrifices those men made in the name of their cause.
It's a shame really. But then again, money means everything to everyone... another shame.
Yeah, initially I tried to find some humor in it but really it's in really poor taste. I just don't see how one can look at the monument knowing what it means and say: Wow, that'd make a pretty kick ass cell tower.
Digital Douche.
Ukraine is not a very rich country with nearly 20% of its residents living below the poverty line. Their currency fell almost 40% against the US Dollar last year. They're hurting.
They have a monument that was built with a wasteful eternal flame. I'm all for symbolism, but there are plenty of war memorials that garner just as much attention, respect, and pause in thought that don't require the draining of one of a struggling nation's more valued resources. Yes, I'm sure it was a shot to general morale to extinguish this flame. However instead of letting it stagnate in a symbolic state of apathy, it's being used as a makeshift cell tower - something you can't see on the statue, and they added back a flame using modern technology that is sure to reignite the spirit of those who became used to simply blocking the statue out in their daily travels much the way people pay no attention to telephone poles. Now it's the center of focus, it's energy-saving, and I bet it looks pretty cool at night.
The simple fact that it uses a simulated flame instead of a real one is about as relevant as saying it's not respectful because there isn't a real person up there holding it. It's a SYMBOL just like the statue is, and now people once more have a brightly-lit reminder of the honour the soldiers who fought and died for their freedoms brought to their country. What's wrong with that?
No, the issue is that someone took a monument dedicated to the people who lost their lives for their country and put a cell phone tower in it. The LED light isn't anyone's issue, it's the fact the the sacredness of the monument was destroyed for a buck. Symbolically, they've dishonored the lives lost. For money.
Not cool.
Disagreed. Your opinion is that they have dishonored the dead, and you tie in the desire for money as the reason. I suppose they should have spent MORE money on an actual cell tower instead of hiding a transmitter you cannot see with your eyes inside of this new eternal flame.
Had the cell transmitter been added on its own with a nice antennae sticking out of the statue's hand, that would be disrespectful - because you can see it. But you can't. You see an eternal flame instead.
You have decided on your own that this symbolizes disrespect. If all it takes for you to feel less of a connection to the dead because they added a couple of pounds of functioning metal and plastic... well, sucks to be you.
My issue is not that you can see the antenna at all--it's that they've added one in the first place. I doubt we're gonna see eye-to-eye. It's like slapping an antenna on the top of a tombstone. To me it's simply not okay.
I'm sure the company that owns the cell phone tower probably paid for the LED flame effect. Without that company's help, there would be no flame. Period. Is it sacrilege? IMO, yes. But at the same time so was shutting off the flame. To some people, that was probably more of an insult.
The cell tower and the LED go together... The only way the cellphone company is going to upgrade it to LED's is by installing their radio in there... It's not rocket science...
Most monuments are going to shit in Ukraine. People barely make ends meet. They spend the last of their money buying beer/vodka, and the adidas shoes, the remainder goes to pay the cellphone bill. Most monuments are used to urinate upon after drinking beer in the park. Monuments are further marked up with "Lucy loves Bob", and disgraced in many other ways.
This ain't pretty. But neither is Ukraine. But all your judgement must be applied with respect to the environment that this is in. I doubt this LED crap will even last. Young uneducated morons will probably stone the LEDs to death or steal it as a vandalism trophy.
What Pretol said... It's Ukraine for Christ's sake. If the monument isn't crumbling, tagged with graffiti and smelling like piss while holding up a giant bottle of Nemoriff vodka by now it's a good thing! The saying "the glass is half full" come to mind here. My grandma and grandpa emigrated from Zhytomyr and Kyiv and i love the country despite how fucked up it currently is, but it is what it is! :)
A cellphone tower and LED flames? I'm a technophile, but that is just TACKY!
Soon to be a Coke ad or Amp
+1 for the LED's -1000 for the cell tower
The juxtaposition looks pretty damn tacky.
That looks ridiculous.
I guess it's slightly better at night.
anyone who has ever been to russia or any of the former soviet territories knows the amazingly high regard the second world war and its memories are given there... this is disgraceful
@Mike, I agree that it is disgraceful but given that the Russian bear has screwed these poor bastards into the ground, what choice do they have.
Someone has GOT to deal with Russia in the very near future before they screw us all over as they tried to do during the Cold War. If anything, Putin and his thugs are more. dangerous now than then
I think you spelled your tag wrong, it's ridiculous not rederikus.
Unless the tag is unrelated to the style of comment of course
Wow people are still under the influence of that propaganda? Amazingly effective, good job US 'thinktanks' and western media you control.
Looks like it's holding a paint can. I have to agree on its tackiness, and the cell tower thing is disgusting. I think I'd rather it not burn at all. The memorial would be just as effective without the flame, especially considering how many Russian lives were lost in WWII.
Ukrainian, not Russian. And there are many Ukrainians who would be incredibly offended that you failed to make that distinction, seeing as the reason they had to turn the flame off in the first place is the unfair natural gas prices Russia imposes on them for refusing to be a part of the Russian sphere of influence.
Ukrainian World War II veterans may have fought to remove the yoke of the Nazi's, but modern Ukrainians are fighting off the yoke of another oppressor, that of Russian imperialism.
Should haven't written that this morning without some coffee in me. My apologies for offending anyone and getting that wrong.
I live there %)
Can you post a night-video on youtube? I wanna see it in action at night/dusk.
it looks very realistic in the night
Looks like something from the Fallout universe
This is frankly appalling. Show some respect. I'm surprised they got away with this.
In post-Soviet Ukraine, corruption more important then you!
Absolutely disgusting.
What's next? A cell tower atop Christ the Redeemer in Rio?
Actually I think we'll skip that one and go for the one in Israel.
In europe most churchtowers have cell transceivers on them (hidden discreetly), for which they get paid handsomely and the money enables them to turn it from a crumbling wreck to a freshly redone tower plus a new roof and extension, it's a pity though since I'd rather see churches crumble into dust, especially the ones with goddamn bells.
Yes ive seen plenty of old churches here in the US with cell panels on bell towers. Out of curiosity i looked them up on the interwebs and found that all of them within a 20 mile radius of me are all registered to AT&T.
....im weird like that. =]
You may have stumbled onto the reason for the AT&T 30% dropped call rate. Perhaps a greater Authority has been jacking the lines? A case of Divine traffic shaping?
how did you look up cell towers like that?
You've gotta admit that would be a bitchin' location for a cell antenna, talk about range! ;)
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/South_America/Brazil/Southeast/Rio_de_Janeiro/Rio_de_Janeiro/photo1135516.htm
Class-y!
They obviously know how to dress a woman (statue) over there ...
They forgot the Swarovski.
myyyshop; TITS OR GTFO!!!!!!
Crap wrong place, Sorry!
It's never the wrong place.
You need a cellphone tower rammed up your A@@@@@