Categories
Book Club Japan Movies

Kwaidan: Part I – Young Lafcadio Hearn

Through an interesting stream of consciousness, we came across one of the most interesting people on our World Tour: Lafcadio Hearn. Stream of Unconsciousness So, due to a combination of quantum effects, uncertainty principles, and tidal forces, the HBO algorithm suggested Kwaidan. The poster was creepy enough to draw me in. Kwaidan (Japanese: 怪談, Hepburn: […]

Categories
America China Collapse of Democracy/Civilization/etc. Russia

Can’t Happen Here

You think the constitution is going to save us? The Bill of Rights? Freedom of speech? Let’s see how that worked out in other countries….. Soviet Union / Russia Article 50. In accordance with the interests of the people and in order to strengthen and develop the socialist system, citizens of the USSR are guaranteed […]

Categories
Fine Arts Japan Music

Wendy Carlos: Persian Carpets and Fabric Squares

We spent some time trying to determine if the Persian Rug on the cover of Switched-On Bach is the same rug in Wendy Carlos‘ studio. From various photos of Wendy’s studio, we have to conclude that it is not the same rug. Elder G’s Persian Rug Celebrating Wendy Carlos Elder G created some nice Persian […]

Categories
India Lasting Love Tess Twinehart Will there be a buffet?

Our Bachelor Farmer Goes to India

As faithful readers of WLBOTT will recall (here and here), our bachelor farmer, with the help of Tess Twinehart, is exploring different religious traditions, hoping to find the best matchmaking services to alleviate his loneliness. Today, our bachelor farmer BB40 is exploring the world of Hindu matchmaking. It is a world BB40 was not expecting. […]

Categories
Gods, Goddesses, and Mythical Heros Mexico North Korea

Puebla, Mexico

María Elena Velasco (La India Maria) was born in Puebla, Mexico’s 4th largest city. Let’s take a closer look. Puebla is a city in east-central Mexico, southeast of Mexico City. It’s known for its culinary history, colonial architecture and pottery. The painted Talavera tiles adorning numerous buildings are locally produced. The Renaissance-era Puebla Cathedral has […]

Categories
Gods, Goddesses, and Mythical Heros India

Kali / Kolkata / City of Joy

WLBOTT: So, G. Are you familiar with the novel The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson? Elder G: The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson: it’s a thought-provoking climate fiction novel that imagines a near future where a UN agency, the “Ministry for the Future,” is created to represent future generations […]

Categories
Kazakhstan Movies Random Acts of WLBOTTness

Kazakhstan Demands an Apology

We are reporting on an internationally incident that, thankfully, WLBOTT was not involved in. We fired up the WLBOTT time machine to share with you: An incident happened in 2012 during an international shooting championship in Kuwait. The organizers mistakenly played a parody version of Kazakhstan’s national anthem from the movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of […]

Categories
Alberta British Colombia India Norway Oh, Grow Up!

The Seven Sisters in Geography

Turns out there are many natural formations named “The Seven Sisters.” Let’s look at a few of them. Seven Sisters Mountain, Alberta Canada We couldn’t help but notice the proximity of Seven Sisters Mountain and Ma Butte. (Oh, grow up.) Seven Sisters Peaks, British Columbia Just down the road, in British Columbia, are the Seven […]

Categories
Australia Turkey Will there be a buffet?

Underground Cities

Derinkuyu Getting There Street View of the Underground City Early WLBOTT Presence in Derinkuyu The Underground World of Coober Pedy Climate Getting There Will There Be a Buffet? Glad you asked! Thanks to the Comfort Inn Coober Pedy Facebook page, we can enjoy a virtual underground buffet. The Underground City of A Boy and His […]

Categories
Laos Thailand WLBOTT Corporate

WLBOTT at the Olympics (part I of XXXIII)

WLBOTT has been invited to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. We will be flying the WLBOTT flag as an independent nation-state. But first, some random musings on WLBOTT: I was a bit concerned that I sometimes break the 4th wall and address my visitors directly. Then I began to feel bad that I […]