Categories
Fine Arts Late Stage Capitalism Music Scandinavia

The Götterdämmerung Syndrome

The book Ministry of the Future is still rattling around in our collective WLBOTT heads. How can people not see the undeniable? Author Kim Stanley had to place himself in a very dark place to understand the “burn it all down” attitude. He understands Our Republican Friends’ response to climate change: “The Götterdämmerung Syndrome, as […]

Categories
France Heros - NOT Late Stage Capitalism Vanity

One of the World’s Most Dangerous Airports: Courchevel

Courchevel Altiport (French: Altiport de Courchevel) (IATA: CVF, ICAO: LFLJ) is an altiport serving Courchevel, a ski resort in the French Alps. The airfield has a very short runway of only 537 metres (1,762 ft) with a gradient of 18.6%. There is no go-around procedure for landings at Courchevel due to the surrounding mountainous terrain. […]

Categories
Heros Lasting Love Sticking It To The Man Texas

A Most-Strange Legal Case

An extremely strange and disturbing 2015 event at the Tomball hospital raises questions about the ethics, morality, and legal issues. [ed-note: Tomball is part of the Houston metropolitan area, northeast of Houston proper. It has its own HEB.] HOUSTON – Eleven months ago George Pickering II was in a very different place in his life. […]

Categories
Africa Exonumia/Philately are not contagious The land, the people, the culture

Space Stamps!

[Thanks to UC#1 for his philately[1]] [1] WLBOTT learns something new: DPR [North] Korea WLBOTT learns something new: we weren’t aware that North Korea had stamp technology! Iran WLBOTT learns something new: Cuba WLBOTT learns something new: Cuba is home to the smallest bird in the world – the bee hummingbird (from Fact Animal) Ecuador […]

Categories
Antarctica Bulgaria Will there be a buffet?

Mother Bulgaria

Today’s stream of consciousness: Unicorn => National animal of Scotland => Country personifications (Uncle Sam, etc) => Mother figures/national personifications (Lady Liberty, etc) => Mother Bulgaria => Mother Bulgaria Pantheon Memorial => Gurgulyat, Bulgaria => Sofia, Bulgaria => Rage against the Soviet Union Many countries have personifications to symbolize aspects of their national character. An […]

Categories
Texas

Much Anticipated Blue Northern

The Central Texas headquarters is anxiously anticipating the first true Cool Front of the year. Tomorrow’s high will be 44°F (26°C) cooler than yesterday’s high. It’s been a hot Oct, (but let’s be positive – it’s cooler than next year!) Texas for Beginners…. Texas Monthly lays it out for us…. By mid-September we are yearning, […]

Categories
America Heros - NOT Sticking It To The Man

Tell Me You Haven’t Read a Book Since High School

Without telling me you haven’t read a book since high school….

Categories
Fine Arts Music Romania

A Most Universal Theme

I just realized – The Queen of the Night Aria probably represents the most universal of human experiences: a teenage girl has her mom down to her very last nerve. [watch on YouTube] Elena Moșuc Soprano Elena Moșuc plays the queen. How ’bout this for keeping the dream alive! Ms. Moșuc sings at the Zurich […]

Categories
Adventures of the Elders Food Japan

Ozoni / Mochi

It all began with a work assignment from board member and Senior Elder UC#3: [UC#3]Much more work to do for WLBOTT: and connections between food and culture/religion [UC#3]And the mochi thing is real: Four women die in Tokyo after choking on ‘mochi’ rice cakes | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis [UC#1-SU]Can […]

Categories
Asia Exonumia/Philately are not contagious Food The land, the people, the culture

From Mochi to the Shrinking MoMo: Food Artistry

UC#3 sent us down a delicious rabbit hole when he suggested we research the dangers of eating Ozoni soup on New Year’s Day in Japan which causes choking deaths from the gelatinous mochi ball. Many of these images were liberated from My Modern Met (more below). Konel Bread More liberation from My Modern Met: Toast […]