Not quite duck and cover

A few weeks ago, Azerbaijan celebrated "Civil Defense Day," and I sat in on one school's events. Although hardly surprising, it was worth seeing.

In the afternoon, students gathered in the school's courtyard, and five students came forward wearing leather bags over the shoulders. Looking serious, they stood in a row while one of the younger teachers harangued the assembly with tales of Armenian perfidy, warning that an Armenian terrorist gas attack could strike this sleepy village at any time. The students seemed more inclined to gossip amongst each other or stare at the goofy foreigner snapping pictures.

A second teacher got up, an older history teacher who I happened to know was a member of one of the ethnic minorities in the area. His speech was much more restrained, talking about the general advantages of knowing first aid -- in case of natural disaster, for example. He seemed to studiously avoid tales of foreign devilry, preferring to focus on the non-divisive praticalities of the situation.

His speech over, the five students in front produced gas masks from their shoulder bags, and demonstrated how to put them on. Then they trooped out to take photos with the director of the school, and then more photos inside the school, four of them carrying a fifth one through the hallways.

It should be noted that the five gas mask-clad youngsters were boys. A bit later, the young teacher entered one of the classrooms, and showed the girls how to tie bandanas of cheesecloth over their mouths and noses.