Questões de Concurso

The Story Behind TIME’s ‘Resilience of Ukraine’ Cover

(Artwork by JR; Photograph by Artem Iurchenko. A drone was used to capture the cover image on March 14 in Lviv.)

Since Russia’s invasion began, dozens of Ukraine’s 7.5 million children have been killed and thousands of others have fled in search of safety. Among those thousands is 5-year-old Valeriia from Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown in central Ukraine. Her image – a smiling child – appears on one of this issue’s covers.

If you met Valeriia, you might think she’s shy, her mother Taisiia told TIME, but don’t be fooled; at home, she commands attention. She loves the same things as many little girls – her stuffed bunny; her Elsa doll fromCold Heart(which English speakers know as Frozen); and her pink backpack, which she had to leave behind as she ran off her country. Valeriia also has big dreams: in particular, starting her first year of school on Sept.1. Now, it’s hard to say when and where Valeriia will be able to do so. On March 9, mother and daughter fled to Poland; for safety, they asked that TIME use only their first names. In an interview, Taisiia explained her decision to leave home to keep her child safe. “She is my sunshine, my joy.”

According to Taisiia they woke up early in the morning of Feb.24 to learn the occupying army had started bombing military bases. “I thought about my daughter, Valeriia; for her safety, I knew we had to go. We left Ukraine before we were bombarded, so we had a chance.” Even though Valeriia is with her now, husband and son stayed in Ukraine and therefore, it was very hard to leave. The day they left, the lines for buses and trainsstretched 3 km, mostly women and children, she says, “We were packed together and had to stand for 18 hours on the train to Lviv”.

The Russians still haven’t come to their city. The people from Kryvyi Rih have fought them off. But they are closer and closer, and you can see them approaching. In the media, Russia says they aren’t at war in Ukraine. But the war is real. People are dying for real. “And here I am, with my sister, my nephew, and my mother in Poland, in a hotel near Warsaw. They take care of us and even in this difficult situation, it was a warm reception. I cannot find the words to express how grateful I am to everyone who has helped”, ends up a crying Taisiia.

(Available: https://time.com/magazine/europe. Adapted.)

How things work: 100 scientific explanations

Preservation property has always been important to humans. Historians in the ninth century were the first to record the use of varnish, a protective liquid composed of resins, natural oils, and alcohol, among other ingredients. Furniture makers learned that if they painted coats of the stuff on a piece of furniture or wood floor, it made it impervious to liquids and their damage and shielded it from normal wear and tear. And the makers liked the shine furniture had after it was varnished.

Varnish comes in many formulations. Some are oil based, using linseed or tung oil, while others are water-based. Varnish cures, or dries, on what it’s painted, creating a glossy, clear film on the surface. Some oil-based varnishes can turn to a yellowish color; water-based varieties do not. Wood must be carefully cleaned and sanded before any varnish is applied. Several coats are often required. All varnishes contain resins — terpenes with five-carbon molecules called isoprenes and also include a drying oil or solvent to reduce drying time.

Although furniture and flooors are still the most frequently varnished items, the wooden hulls of boats are also often varnished. Clear nail polish, a type of varnish, can be used for countless small fixes: dab small amounts to keep splintered wood from snagging, prevent ink from running, and stop buttons on clothing or screws on sunglasses from coming loose.

(National Geographic Special Publication “How Things Work” Adapted.)