If you’ve heard of the traditional Indian sport of mallakhamb, it’s likely in relation to its supposed role in the creation of modern pole dancing. But there’s an offshoot of the sport that involves rope tricks rather than pole stands, and it’s quite a sight to behold (see above). While mallakhamb may be little know [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Germany'
“Like When We Used to Climb the Rope in Gym Class…”
January 27th, 2010 · 3 Comments
Tags:Germany·India·mallakhamb·sports
As the Haus Turns
December 10th, 2009 · No Comments
Has any architectural innovation been as unfairly maligned as the revolving restaurant? Call such establishments as the Restaurant Skyline Mannheim and Yanggakdo Hotel kitsch if you must, but we rather like the idea of spinning around while feasting on serviceable victuals. Think of it as a sub-gourmet celebration of man’s aptitude for making grand machines. [...]
Tags:architecture·Brazil·Germany·Luigi Colani·North Korea·revolving restaurants·Rotor Haus·urban design
The Waga Toso Loophole
October 13th, 2009 · 5 Comments
We’re in the midst of watching The Nazis: A Warning from History, which really should be required viewing for anyone who casually throws around Hitler analogies when discussing contemporary politicians. It’s chilling stuff through-and-through, loaded with interviews with unrepentant party members and victims of persecution alike. The series essentially argues that the Third Reich was [...]
Tags:Adolf Hitler·books·Germany·Mein Kampf·Nazism·politics·TV
First Contact: The Germans
September 18th, 2009 · 9 Comments
For obvious reasons—primarily the abundance of English-language sources—the bulk of our First Contact series has focused on European accounts of “New World” civilizations. Today’s entry breaks that trend, however, by harkening back to a more intramural culture clash: that between the Romans and the Germans, during the waning years of the Roman Republic. The eyewitness [...]
Tags:ancient history·Communism·economics·First Contact·Germany·Julius Caesar·Roman Empire
A Yardstick for the Fuzz
May 29th, 2009 · 1 Comment
Several years ago, we read a revealing interview with Wilbert Rideau, former editor of the newspaper at Angola State Prison. He was asked whether harsher sentences, including the death penalty, would deter criminals. Rideau bluntly answered “no”—criminals never think they’re going to get caught. That’s in part because (as noted in the chart above) the [...]
Tags:crime·Germany·Guatemala·Japan·Louisiana·prisons·statistics·Wilbert Rideau
Oil Painting, Calisthenics, and Bombardment
May 5th, 2009 · 2 Comments
In the course of researching the Now the Hell Will Start chapter that deals with wartime prostitution, we stumbled upon a great little artifact called Morale-Building Activities in Foreign Armies. It’s an illustrated 1943 pamphlet that delves into the various methods used by both Axis and Allies to pep up their troops’ spirits. And it [...]
Tags:Britain·Germany·Italy·Now the Hell Will Start·NtHWS Extras Month·World War II
