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One of the entrance to the Underground City in Beijing. Every able-bodied men, even school children, took part in the effort. Centuries-old city walls and towers that once circled ancient Beijing were cannibalized for supplying construction materials for the complex. All this, however, came to naught. The Sino-Soviet split of the 1950s and 60s also lost political importance. Photo credit: Sim Chi Yin The government still considered underground bomb shelters an essential requirement in cities....

Today, the Pantheon resembles less of a church and more of a museum. The church had long been stripped off its altar. Foucault pendulum at the Pantheon, in Paris. Ever since then, it had been taken for granted that the earth rotates on its axis. But nobody had actually demonstrated the fact. Jean Bernard Leon Foucault was the leading experimental physicist of his day. Foucault noticed that the rod tended to maintain its plane of vibration even when rotated....

TheLumberyardCenter for Film and Performing Arts lives a double life. Rental profits and performance tickets fund art and community projects. Adrienne Willis runs both sides of this non-profit venue as Executive and Artistic Director. My professional background includes multi-faceted positions in theater, strategy, and communications. This fall/winter, we are hosting residencies for five artists. Take us through a recent workday. We provide arts and self-expression instruction in hopes that young offenders can find new paths through the arts....

Before diesel and electric engines made sailing convenient, boats and barges had to be either rowed or pulled. So gangs of men worked their way along the river banks as best they could. Before long, horse-drawn barges became an efficient mode of transport carrying passengers, mail and small goods. Many canal companies were formed and there was frenzied competition and rivalry among them. These bridges had ramps aligned with the towpath on the same side of the bridge....

In case you havent already heard, midterm elections arenext Tuesday, November 6th, and it is absolutely imperative that everyone who is able to vote, votes. But actually getting to the polls can be a big obstacle for many peopleespecially in a nation that doesnt treat election days as holidays, has quietly allowed public transit to crumble along with the rest of its infrastructure, andseems content to let flagrant voter suppression tactics go largely unchecked....

Its so bad that the museum provide visitors with vomit bags before they enter. There are approximately 80 food exhibits in the museum belonging to the latter category. But the truly disgusting might be the Rocky Mountain oysters, which are deep-fried bull testicles. The French dish, ortolan, is especially gruesome. The bird is then thrown alive into a container of brandy, which both drowns and marinates the birds. It is then cooked and eaten whole....

TheGreat Ziggurat of Urin Iraq is one fine example of a ziggurat. Choga Zanbil was built around 1250 BCE by the king Untash-Napirisha to honor the great god Inshushinak. But before the ziggurat could be completed, the king died and construction of the complex was abandoned. A recreation of the ziggurat of Chogha Zanbil. The ziggurat is only a part of the complex. There are also temples, a total of eleven, dedicated to the lesser gods at the site....

Sandbags are easy to make, but hard to get right. This matters because a durable sandbag is a great workout tool. Carry it on your shoulder. Clean it, jerk it, and do a burpee on your way down, and call that aman-maker. Throw it in front of you, andrun after it so you could throw it again. You need a sturdy sandbag to stand up to all that. The Filler Sand, right?...

Pipe bombs mailed to leading Democratic political figures. The murder of two black Americans in a grocery store. The largest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. Humans arent strangers to pain and fear. But I thought, What I can do is to write good fiction. There is a special secret passage between us, and we can send a message to each other. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal....

An experienced dad of two, he shared with us how he parents. A little band that people dont know much about called The Beatles dominated my whole childhood. I did not even know that The Beatles had other records until I was five! I loved the way they took me on a journey into a surreal visual world onSgt. Peppers,and that tone dominates my own songwriting to this day. Tell us a little bit about your family and your career....

What is the best money you ever spent under $20? Wax for your glasses, says cascadegaming. Since its a wax and not a spray that it helps fill in small scratches on the lenses. Windshield ice scraper with a brass blade, says will6566. Brass is softer than glass, so it wont scratch. Makes Wisconsin mornings before work 10x more tolerable.Heres one for six bucks. And it only costs 5. Takes less oil to coat the thing too....

Evil Weekis winding down, but that doesnt mean your evil deeds need come to an end. To paraphrase Tracy Jordan, you’re free to live every week like its Evil Week. Or maybe you just really want to mess with someone. And assuming you have the technical skill, there are countless ways to do that by stealing someones identity. Basically, youd use someone elses name and health insurance info to see or doctor or get treatment....

Maison Carree in Nimes, France. The Maison Carree was built in the beginning of the first century. Starting from the 19th century, the temple slowly began to recover its original splendor. The Maison Carree is nearly atextbook exampleof Vitruvian architecture. The side walls are embedded with more columns. The interior is single-celled and window-less, accessible through a large door. The temple was once flanked by several buildings constructed at a later period....