Riding the rails in Bangladesh

This is a chaotic and at times faintly alarming trip down a rail line in Bangladesh. The line is actually not in use, it was closed some 20 years ago, and this is a maintenance carriage checking the tracks. The tracks are covered with straw and other debris and livestock are tied to it. People have to run ahead to clear them.

It is a trip through rural Bangladesh. There used to be a ferry at its end by the river. A newer track with a bridge has replaced it. In the comments there is a lot of nostalgia over this route, people fondly remembering riding the train in their youth.

 

Weird Tales

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Weird Tales was a very influential 20th Century pulp magazine. It featured horror, the supernatural and sci-fi. Among writers it discovered and promoted were H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, and Robert E. Howard. It discontinued publication in 1954 but has had several attempts to restart. Since 1988 it has been published under its current incarnation.

These covers are from the original 1923 to 1954 run.

Un río que se va

Get ready for a besotted weekend with Colectivo Panamera and Georgina.

 

A one-man screw factory

Asai Seisakusho (Nejiya) Ltd. is a small factory, ran by one man, in Japan. It produces 400,000 screws per day. The work it takes to maintain the machines, manage orders, perform quality control, order the supplies he needs, and do the books is amazing to consider. When done with his workday he says he goes home and drinks beer. That sounds well deserved to me.

 

Leon Wyczółkowski

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Leon Wyczółkowski (1852-1936) was a Polish artist. He started out as a realist, but as he traveled and matured, he was to be exposed to many other artistic styles which he folded into his work. The strongest influence was impressionism which informed the play of light in his works.  

Leon Wyczółkowski self-portrait

A very special TGIF post!

May Day, that most wonderful day of the year, falls on a Friday! And so, we have some uplifting music as you prepare for your festive struggle sessions, traditional bread line occupying, and lording it over the wreckers and hoarders! And always remember, you need to break an egg to make an omelet, and you may need to break millions of Kulak's heads to make a Socialist utopia! Your future as a useful idiot beckons! 

Have a Happy May Day comrades and enjoy your tree bark snacks as you listen to some melodious and inspiring tunes!

  

Grilling shrimp in Borneo

This video takes place in Borneo. It is shrimp season, so they travel down a river to get some shrimp and then return to their home, which is in a long building divided into apartments. They grill and pan fry the shrimp and enjoy their dinner. After eating they relax on the patio area in front of their apartment and then take a walk through the village.

If you want to get some sense of what they are talking about you'll need to turn on Captions>Auto-translate>English. Much of what you'll get will be gibberish, but you can follow along here and there.