[mairdie]

[fieldmarshaldj]

What a pity.

=ducking=

[WayneS]

Those must be some seriously old residents...

[mairdie]

The ghost subway station of New York: Exquisite picture show an abandoned terminus that's a miniature Grand Central

[Pravious]

Pretty awesome (both the Chinese site AND the NY Subway!).

[mairdie]

Bilbo's green and pleasant land: First look at the magical film set of The Hobbit (so just why did he want to go off on all those adventures?)

[bigbob]

Awesome! Here we call it “the underground”..

[rjsimmon]

Matmata Douz, Tunisia:

[mairdie]

Happy 100th birthday, Grand Central Station! New York's Old Lady celebrates centenary with spectacular pictures that show she's still going strong

[captain_dave]

Looks like a smart solution. They look better than most old homes in China

[Pontiac]

Australian Opal mines become homes.

Coober Pedy Underground Homes .

Energy efficient in a place where the outdoor temperatures are frequently 140 degrees F.

[mairdie]

The incredible thousand-year-old UNDERGROUND 18-storey city that could house 20,000 people and was discovered by chance when a man was doing DIY on his house in Turkey

Can't show any of the Getty images, but they're definitely worth a look.

[mairdie]

Is this the world's most colourful village? Incredible images show small town plastered with stunning 3D frescoes of wild animals, oceans... and even Garfield the cat

[Red Badger]

Pu Web Lo......................

[mairdie]

Mirror, mirror on the floor…Photographer captures stunning images of grand buildings and urban streets from their reflections in puddles

[mairdie]

A completely non-PC explanation of the derivation of common English words by Henry Livingston, the author of "Night Before Christmas."

For the New-York Magazine. [Sep 1791]
ANTIQUITY and UNIVERSALITY of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE

THE people of the United States are almost generally descended from Englishmen: he that proves therefore that the language of Englishmen (like the old fashioned Hebrew) was once that used by all the world, will add a considerable bolster to occidental vanity.

The venerable empire of China got its name from the following circumstance, if the memoirs of Fo-hung-fo are to be credited. Some thousand moons ago, one of its monarchs happened to be as great an epicure as any modern monarch need to be: he used to summon up his cook every morning after sipping his gin-feng beverage, and demand the bill of fare of the day. Among other viands, the cook once mentioned a chine of pork -- it happened not to be the king's favourite morsel, and in a voice of thunder he reiterated Chine-ha! -- China-ha was echoed from every nook of the palace -- from palace to the city -- from the city to the provinces -- and, finally ended in giving name to the greatest empire the sun ever illumined.

In the capital of this very country, a bevy of young girls took it in their heads to wear their conical bonnets uncommonly peaking - the reader at a blush sees whence came the name of Peking. Some authors, however, and they too of tolerable reputation, say, that one of the emperors of the dynasty of Chung-tchi, was so immoderately fond of pease, that he got the name of Pea-king, and gave it to the royal residence.

[clip]

[mairdie]

PING

[mairdie]

PING

[BenLurkin]

They will survive

[Redbob]

Looks remarkably like the meerkat village at the Ft. Worth Zoo

[freedomlover]