This image has been in my head since it graced the cover of my 99 cent Dover Thrift edition of Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio in twelfth grade.
Nestor Alemendros & Haskell Wexler’s cinematography for Days of Heaven was apparently inspired by this series of Wyeth paintings.
The Tunkguska Event was a meteor impact near the Tunguska River in 1908. The impact, over 1000 times more powerful than the bomb that exploded over Hiroshima, felled 8 million trees.
Italian scientists claim to have discovered the crater beneath a lake.
Eyewitness testimonies:
“At breakfast time I was sitting by the house at Vanavara trading post (65 kilometres/40 miles south of the explosion), facing North. […] I suddenly saw that directly to the North, over Onkoul’s Tunguska road, the sky split in two and fire appeared high and wide over the forest (as Semenov showed, about 50 degrees up - expedition note). The split in the sky grew larger, and the entire Northern side was covered with fire. At that moment I became so hot that I couldn’t bear it, as if my shirt was on fire; from the northern side, where the fire was, came strong heat. I wanted to tear off my shirt and throw it down, but then the sky shut closed, and a strong thump sounded, and I was thrown a few yards. I lost my senses for a moment, but then my wife ran out and led me to the house. After that such noise came, as if rocks were falling or cannons were firing, the earth shook, and when I was on the ground, I pressed my head down, fearing rocks would smash it. When the sky opened up, hot wind raced between the houses, like from cannons, which left traces in the ground like pathways, and it damaged some crops. Later we saw that many windows were shattered, and in the barn a part of the iron lock snapped.”
“We had a hut by the river with my brother Chekaren. We were sleeping. Suddenly we both woke up at the same time. Somebody shoved us. We heard whistling and felt strong wind. Chekaren said, ‘Can you hear all those birds flying overhead?’ We were both in the hut, couldn’t see what was going on outside. Suddenly, I got shoved again, this time so hard I fell into the fire. I got scared. Chekaren got scared too. We started crying out for father, mother, brother, but no one answered. There was noise beyond the hut, we could hear trees falling down. Chekaren and I got out of our sleeping bags and wanted to run out, but then the thunder struck. This was the first thunder. The Earth began to move and rock, wind hit our hut and knocked it over. My body was pushed down by sticks, but my head was in the clear. Then I saw a wonder: trees were falling, the branches were on fire, it became mighty bright, how can I say this, as if there was a second sun, my eyes were hurting, I even closed them. It was like what the Russians call lightning. And immediately there was a loud thunderclap. This was the second thunder. The morning was sunny, there were no clouds, our Sun was shining brightly as usual, and suddenly there came a second one!
“Me and Chekaren had some difficulty getting out from under the remains of our hut. Then we saw that above, but in a different place, there was another flash, and loud thunder came. This was the third thunder strike. Wind came again, knocked us off our feet, struck against the fallen trees.
“We looked at the fallen trees, watched the tree tops get snapped off, watched the fires. Suddenly Chekaren yelled ‘Look up’ and pointed with his hand. I looked there and saw another flash, and it made another thunder. But the noise was less than before. This was the fourth strike, like normal thunder.
“Now I remember well there was also one more thunder strike, but it was small, and somewhere far away, where the Sun goes to sleep.”
Legend of Zelda circa 3:20.
Pong
Tetris
Mortal Kombat
Pokemon
The Legend of Zelda
Mario Bros. Theme
Mario Underground Theme
Super Mario Theme
Mario Water Theme
This youngster is not doing the Spongebob, but he is wearing Spongebob shorts and Heelies and dancing.
Zuo’s career got an inauspicious start when as a young man he flunked the official court exams seven times (1822-1835).
All but giving up on public life, Zuo returned to his home by the River Hsiang in Hunan and resigned himself to a quiet life farming silkworms, reading, and drinking tea.
When the Taiping Rebellion broke out in 1850, Zuo, then 38 years old, was hired as an adviser by the staff of the governor of Hunan. In 1856, he was formally offered a position in the provincial government of Hunan.
In 1860, Zuo was given command of a force of 5,000 volunteers (later known as “Chu Army”), and by September of that year he drove the Taiping rebels out of Hunan and Guangxi provinces, into coastal Zhejiang.
Zuo captured the city of Shaoxing, and from there pushed south into Fujian and Guangdong provinces, where the revolt had first begun. In 1863, Zuo was appointed Governor of Zhejiang and an Undersecretary of War.
In August of 1864 Zuo, together with Zeng Guofan, dethroned the Taiping king, Hong Tianguifu, and brought an end to the rebellion. He was created Earl Kejing of the 1st Class for his part in suppressing the Rebellion.
In 1865, Zuo was appointed Viceroy and Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang. As Commissioner of Naval Industries, Zuo oversaw the erection of China’s first modern shipyard and naval academy in Fuzhou the following year.
The dish General Tso’s Chicken, popularized in New York City during the 1970s, is named after Zuo Zongtang.
As performed by a contestant on Hungarian Idol.
Live in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
As performed by Beirut, live.
Sa o Roma babo, e bakren chinen
A me crorro, dural vesava
Amaro daje, amaro dive
Amaro dive, Ederlezi
Ediwado babo, amenge bakro
Sa o Roma babo, e bakren chinen
Sa o Roma babo babo
Sa o Roma o daje
Sa o Roma babo babo
Ederlezi, Ederlezi
Sa o Roma daje
Translated from Romani:
All the Roma dad, sacrify sheep
But me, poor drummer, I must stay away
Oh yes, mummy, it is our celebration
It is our celebration, Ederlezi
A sheep for us , a sheep for us
All the Roma dad, sacrifice sheep
All the Roma dad, dad
All the Roma oh mummy
All the Roma dad, dad
Ederlezi, Ederlezi
All the Roma mummy
I’m not really sure about the origins of these. 
here is little Effie’s head
whose brains are made of gingerbread
when the judgment day comes
God will find six crumbs
stooping by the coffinlid
waiting for something to rise
as the other somethings did—
you imagine His surprise
bellowing through the general noise
Where is Effie who was dead?
—to God in a tiny voice,
i am may the first crumb said
whereupon its fellow five
crumbs chuckled as if they were alive
and number two took up the song,
might i’m called and did no wrong
cried the third crumb, i am should
and this is my little sister could
with our big brother who is would
don’t punish us for we were good;
and the last crumb with some shame
whispered unto God, my name
is must and with the others i’ve
been Effie who isn’t alive
just imagine it I say
God amid a monstrous din
watch your step and follow me
stooping by Effie’s little, in
(want a match or can you see?)
which the six subjunctive crumbs
twitch like mutilated thumbs:
picture His peering biggest whey
coloured face on which a frown
puzzles, but I know the way—
(nervously Whose eyes approve
the blessed while His ears are crammed
with the strenuous music of
the innumerable capering damned)
—staring wildly up and down
the here we are now judgment day
cross the threshold have no dread
lift the sheet back in this way.
here is little Effie’s head
whose brains are made of gingerbread
