Lenin's Popularity Waning In Moscow And Seattle's Fremont Neighborhood

The Moscow mausoleum where you can see Vladimir Lenin's body has reopened, following a major renovation project. But most Russians now say it's time Lenin received a proper burial — in the ground.

Perhaps they've come to believe, as Americans seem to believe, that it's a little creepy to have someone's body preserved with chemicals and put on display for all to see. It makes him seem like some character from a fairy tale, like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty.

KUOW headed over to what may be the only publicly displayed statue of Lenin in America, in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood, to see how Lenin's reputation is faring here.

Full list of stories from KUOW Presents, May 17:

• Another Garment Factory Collapse - This One In Cambodia
• 50 Years Later, the Birmingham Class of 1963 Finally Gets a Prom
• Local News Writers On Sonics FAIL
• The Gum Scraper Of Mexico
• On Being A Boy Named Whitney In The 1980s
• Republicans Question IRS Heads
• "The Crankie," A Storytelling Tool Used By Musicians Anna and Elizabeth
• Lenin Mausoleum Remodel
• Lenin Statue Vox Pop (audio above)
• The Ironic T-Shirt
• Writer's Almanac

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One of the "crankies" mentioned in today's program: