The Secret to Love, From Couples Who Have Lasted More Than 50 Years Together

When Lauren Fleishman’s grandfather, her last surviving grandparent, passed away seven years ago, she felt a sadness knowing she was no longer anyone’s granddaughter.

Around that time she also discovered a box of love letters next to his bed that he had written to her grandmother during World War II. It provided Fleishman with an epistolary connection to her grandfather, one that would shape a six-year project that focuses on couples who have been together for more than 50 years, now a book published by Schilt titled The Lovers.

-Slate

Buttes and beasts: amazing US national parks – in pictures

The US’s national parks offer up some of the most dramatic scenery in the world. To celebrate National Park Week (18-26 April), we’ve picked some of the best photographs shared on the Department of the Interior’s Instagram account, showcasing astonishing canyons, mountains and wildlife.


-The Guardian

Color Photographs of The USA in 1950 Through Window of a Train

Here's a collection of 40 color photographs taken through window of a train showing homes and buildings of the USA in 1950. All photos were taken by American photographer Walker Evans.

-Vintage Everyday

Cabo Polonio: An Idyllic Tourist Village Without Electricity, Running Water or TV

Cabo Polonio is a small beach village located at the tip of a sliver of sand jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean in the eastern coast of Uruguay in the Rocha Department. At the outermost point, stands a grand lighthouse looking out over two rocky islands where a large colony of sea lions live. The lighthouse is the only structure in the entire village that is connected to the power grid. None of the few hundred houses here have electricity or running water, not even sewerage. Only a handful of businesses and houses have generators or solar panels or use wind power to light their homes, but most people make do without. Fresh water is obtained from well or by collecting rain water.

-Amusing Planet

La Terre qui se prend un astéroïde, ça n’arrive pas qu’au ciné

Les dinosaures ont morflé il y a 65 millions d’années, serons-nous les prochains auxquels le ciel tombera sur la tête, ou saurons-nous détecter et détruire les gros cailloux spatiaux dangereux ?
Derrière la science-fiction du genre Bruce Willis en sauveur héroïque de l’humanité, il y a une vraie menace. Elle mobilise les scientifiques qui se sont réunis à la Conférence sur la défense planétaire, du 13 au 17 avril près de Rome.

-Rue89

15 Of The Most Beautiful Cinemas Around The World

15 Of the most beautiful cinemas around the world.

-imgur

Sexism In Space

What happens when men and women live together in close proximity and under intense conditions for long stretches of time—like, say, in space? On December 3, 1999, Judith Lapierre, a 32-year-old Canadian health sciences specialist and astronaut candidate, arrived in Moscow to help find out. On the outskirts of the city, researchers from Russian and international space programs had set up the Simulation of Flight of International Crew on Space Station mission, or Sphinx-99: A 60s era three-room chamber mocked up to feel like a spacecraft on a trip to Mars. It was halfway through the experiment, and Lapierre was joining two other prospective astronauts, one from Japan and one from Austria, who planned to spend 110 days in the module, alongside four Russian men who had already been inside for six months. She was the only woman.

-Motherboard

Bastoy Prison: The World’s Nicest Prison

About 75 kilometers off the coast of Oslo in Norway, is an island that's home to some 115 criminals, including the the country’s most dangerous, convicted of crimes such as murder, rape and drug dealing. However, doing time here is like being on a holiday. There are no barbed-wire-topped walls or electrified fences circle the island, nor do armed guards and attack dogs patrol the grounds. Prisoners live in brightly painted small wooden cottages, and tend to farm animals, grow crops and chop wood. For recreation, there's a beach where prisoners sunbathe in the summer, plenty of good fishing spots, horses for riding, a sauna and tennis courts. Dinner offers a choice of dishes such as “fish balls with white sauce and shrimps" and everything from chicken con carne to salmon. It's like “the holiday version of Alcatraz.”


-Amusing Planet

Why People Care More About Pets Than Other Humans

We love our pets. Two thirds of Americans live with an animal, and according to a 2011 Harris poll, 90 percent of pet owners think of their dogs and cats as members of the family. These relationships have benefits. For example, in a survey by the American Animal Hospital Association, 40 percent of married female dog owners reported they received more emotional support from their pet than from their husband or their kids. The pet products industry calls this “the humanization of pets.” One of my colleagues recently spent $12,000 on cancer treatments for her best friend Asha, a Labrador retriever.

-Wired

The Magical and Decaying Places Where Cars Go to Die

Where do cars go when their driving days are done? Many are crushed or recycled, but others are left out in nature to decay and crumble. It’s not the most efficient—or environmentally sound—method of disposal, but for Cologne, Germany–based photographer Dieter Klein, it’s the most magical.


-Slate

Codex Gigas (the Devil’s Bible) - the largest manuscript in the world

Codex Gigas, otherwise known as ‘the Devil’s Bible’ is the largest and probably one of the strangest manuscripts in the world.  It is so large that it is said to have taken more than 160 animal skins to make it and takes at least two people to lift it.  It measures approximately 1 metre in length.

-Ancient Origins

La grotte de Chauvet reconstituée - C’était il y a 36 000 ans!

Pour protéger la grotte de Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, ce trésor de l’humanité, il fallait en faire la réplique. Vingt ans plus tard, le voici enfin accessible. Ce qui frappe d’abord, c’est le silence. Un silence venu du fond des âges. Jamais dans un tel calme, on ne s’attendrait à découvrir un tel scintillement. Car ici tout brille. Comme si des paillettes avaient été répandues sur les murs. Comme si les ocres, les jaunes, lesnacres et les noirs encore humides venaient d’être tracés par la main de l’artiste. Un artiste qui imagina ces formes il y a 36 000 ans.


-Le Devoir

Bad Habits -Extinction Burst

The Misconception: If you stop engaging in a bad habit, the habit will gradually diminish until it disappears from your life.
The Truth: Any time you quit something cold turkey, your brain will make a last-ditch effort to return you to your old ways.

-You Are Not So Smart

Comment le chêne tourne en barrique

Tanin. Entre artisanat et haute technologie, le bois utilisé pour l’élevage du vin subit une transformation minutieuse. C’est l’histoire d’une relation complexe et sensuelle : celle du vin et du tonneau. A y regarder de plus près, on pourrait même parler d’union incestueuse entre le contenu et le contenant tant l’un et l’autre plongent dans les mêmes racines, partagent les mêmes destinées.

-Libération