Timothy sez, “This is a link to some photos I have took of Buzludzha (pronounced Buz’ol’ja) a very remote building in the Balkan Mountains. It is Bulgaria’s largest monument to Communism which was left to ruin after the revolution in 1989. An incredible 70 metre tall, 1970s “flying saucer” perched precariously in the snow on a ridge at 1500m. Full of beautiful communist mosaic frescos and an amazing central atrium complete with giant golden hammer and sickle. It took 6,000 workers seven years to build. I managed to fly over it in a microlight in mid winter to get some interesting pictures too. Such an amazing place.”
Look, read and wonder Forget Your Past (Thanks, Timothy!)
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Where have all the brides gone? Parents’ preference for boys might turn China into a nation of bachelors... more
Petticoat Lane, 1903 via Retronaut by Chris
“"Flat-capped men flow in a Sunday morning tide down Middlesex Street – better known by its unofficial name, Petticoat Lane – just as they have for generations.
This most Cockney of London markets caters to the second-hand clothes trade: at the time when this film was made, the market was dominated by the East End street sellers and the Jewish rag trade (almost all the names on the shop fronts are Jewish). As the camera pans across the market, we see the traders raised above the general level, barking at the crowd. The few women in the picture are stall-holders, selling patched-up trousers and restored boots, while a nearby card sharp tempts the punters.”
Bryony Dixon, BFI
Watch the film (silent, of course) here (Source: BFI Films)
Scientist Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady and Economic Liberalism via Big Think by Matthew C. Nisbet
Guest Post by Declan Fahy, AoE Science & Culture correspondent.
There is a scene in The Iron Lady when former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is asked by her doctor – soon after her husband, Denis, has died – how she is feeling. Thatcher, played by Meryl Streep, who won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal, responds: “People don’t think any more. They feel … D’you know, one of the great problems of our age is that we are governed by people who care more about feelings than thoughts and ideas.”
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Cities used to accommodate people. Now they’re built around parking. The result in Los Angeles is collective irrational behaviour... more
Duckweed: The Next Bio Fuel Revolution? via Big Think by Daniel Honan
Shall we go hungry or go cold? That is the unfortunate question that some developing countries have had to face as food crops such as wheat and corn have been used to create bio fuels.
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The Coal Mining History Resource Centre is the UK’s largest and most comprehensive website concerning the history of coal mining – including a searchable database of over 164,000 recorded accidents and deaths.
via Peter Scott’s Library Blog by Peter Scott
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
In 1976, Ray Bradbury had an epiphany: “I don’t want to be accepted by certain intellectuals. If Norman Mailer likes me, I’ll kill myself.”... more
What a tangled web we weave by Robert Trivers (New Statesman 24 October 2011)
Just picked this up via 3Quarks Daily
From using euphemisms such as “collateral damage” to faking orgasms, we practise deception all the time. But in order to lie better to others, we must first fool ourselves.
Read the full article
Anatomy of an unsafe abortion via Boing Boing by Xeni Jardin
Dr. Jen Gunter, who is an OB/GYN and a pain medicine physician, writes a harrowing account of receiving a patient who has undergone an unsafe abortion, and is bleeding to death:
On the gurney lay a young woman the color of white marble. The red pool between her legs, ominously free of clots, offered a silent explanation.And here's a follow-up post worth reading, by Dr. Gunter.
"She arrived a few minutes ago. Not even a note." My resident was breathless with anger, adrenaline, and panic.
(thanks, @Scanman)
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