“The Polish police said Friday that the iron sign over the gate to the Auschwitz memorial with the infamous phrase ‘arbeit macht frei’ — ‘work sets you free’ — has been stolen. “Katarzyna Padlo, a police spokeswoman, said the police believe it was taken between 3:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. Friday. “Ms. Padlo, who was [...]
Archive for December, 2009
Sign of the Times: “Arbeit Macht Frei” Sign Over Auschwitz Gate Is Stolen
Posted in Crimes & Misdemeanors, Europe, European History, International Affairs, Jewish Life, Museums & Exhibitions, Religion, War & Peace on December 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Today’s Sign of the Apocalypse, Redux: British Woman Pleads Guilty to Loud Sex
Posted in Crimes & Misdemeanors, Europe, Human Behavior, Sex & Gender, Sign of the Apocalypse on December 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“A woman who was given an anti-social behaviour order banning her from making loud noises during sex has admitted breaching the order. “Caroline and Steve Cartwright’s love-making was described as ‘murder’ and ‘unnatural’ at Newcastle Crown Court. “Neighbours, the local postman and a woman taking her child to school complained about the noise. “Cartwright, 48, [...]
Today’s Sign of the Apocalypse: Laredo, Texas Could Be Largest US City Without Bookstore
Posted in American West, Books, Business, Education, Sign of the Apocalypse on December 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“The final chapter has been written for the lone bookstore on the streets of Laredo (Texas). “With a population of nearly a quarter-million people, this city could soon be the largest in the nation without a single bookseller. “The situation is so grim that schoolchildren have pleaded for a reprieve from next month’s planned shutdown [...]
Water Under the Bridges: Joshua Derr’s Photographs of DUMBO, Brooklyn
Posted in Architecture, Brooklyn, DUMBO, New York City, Photography, Urban Affairs on December 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“Despite a six-day-a-week work schedule, Derr always makes time to take pictures. His images of DUMBO, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, and Brooklyn Heights can be seen on Flickr — and purchased through Imagekind — and have appeared in the Gothamist, the New York Times, and Brooklyn Heights blog. They’ve also been published on dumbonyc.com and [...]
Write & Wrong: Egypt Supreme Council Demands Return of Rosetta Stone
Posted in Ancient History, Archaeology, European History, Foreign Travel, International Affairs, Language, Middle East, Museums & Exhibitions on December 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“Egypt’s most senior antiquities official will visit Britain tomorrow to push on with a campaign to have the Rosetta Stone returned from the British Museum to its native country. “Speaking in his offices, amid piles of Pharaonic books, museum records and archaeological dig requests, Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said [...]
Out of the Woods: Collectors Dumping Tiger Woods Memorabilia
Posted in Celebrities, Collectors & Collecting, Current Events, Ephemera, Popular Culture, Sex & Gender, Sports, Sports Memorabilia on December 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“The closest toy store to Tiger Woods’ boyhood home is a Toys ‘R’ Us in Huntington Beach, California. There’s a strong chance Earl and Kultida Woods shopped for Christmas presents here when then their son was young, and the store yesterday was girded again for the holiday rush, with Barbies and pottery kits stacked up [...]
