Flags of Forgotten Countries

Dark Roasted Blend has posted a series on flags that have been permanently furled. Why? Because their nation has ceased to exist. Such as the Most Serene Republic of Venice:

And the Empire of Brazil:

RIP: Mollie Sugden

Mollie Sugden, the wonderful actress who played Mrs. Slocombe on British hit comedy Are You Being Served?, passed away on July 1st. The Telegraph's obituary perhaps sums up why her character was such a popular and enduring one:

Mollie Sugden's Mrs Slocombe was a recognisable working type – the shopworn divorcee trying to keep up appearances, defying the years with ever more lurid rinses, and returning home alone each night to her "little pussy", to which there was always at least one reference in every show.

Mrs Slocombe had an arch, Ortonesque way with the unfortunate phrase: "Captain Peacock, I do not respond to any man's finger!", she says in response to a summons from the boss. "Before we go any further, Mr Rumbold, Miss Brahms and I would like to complain about the state of our drawers. They're a positive disgrace."

Of course, this video tribute really captures the essence of the show's humor. Comedy never really changes, does it?

Japan's Capsule Apartments Face Demolition

The New York Times' laments the potential destruction of Tokyo's Nakagin Capsule Tower, one of the few examples of Metabolist architecture. As you can guess by these photos, it was built in the '70s:





The architect, Kisho Kurokawa was also well-known in the '60s for the Space Capsule Disco, which unfortunately doesn't seem to have photos readily available on the internet.

Another day, another bookstore down

The Trover Shop is closing in Washington, DC.

Horse Slaughter

Despite the recent legislation closing down horse slaughter houses in the United States, thousands of horses continue to cross the borders to Mexico and Canada to meet an unfortunate fate. 

Over 150 People Lost in Chinese Riots

Rioting that began on Sunday in the Xinjiang province have killed over 150 people.

The end of French Cuisine?

Maclean's magazine reviews Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine and the Death of France by Michael Steinberger, including this terrifying news:

Charles de Gaulle’s famous remark—“How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?”—grows ever more hollow. Prized cheeses are dying out as their makers retire unreplaced: in 2005, septuagenarian Célina Gagneux hung up her ladle and a two-centuries-old Alpine cheese, Vacherin d’Abondance, went extinct. Other raw-milk varieties—real cheeses, in the judgment of connoisseurs—even the iconic Camembert, are also under threat.

Not the Camembert! Read the full review here.

It's all online

Check out the "Wayback Machine" and see what your favorite websites used to look like--and perhaps, as we said in 2005, to see what was, what isn't, what won't.

Do lost dog posters have more heart-breaking power than other posters?

Odetta Holmes

Odetta Holmes, (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008) was an important musical figure during the Civil Rights Movement. Her powerful delivery of folk music, jazz, blues, and spirituals greatly influenced other musicians including, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, and Janice Joplin during the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s.