The Relationship Between Fascist Regimes and Industry The relationship between fascist regimes and industry is a Faustian bargain: industries gain influence and protection, but at the cost of autonomy, ethics, and long-term stability. It serves as a reminder of how economic systems can be manipulated in the service of oppressive political ideologies. [compiled with the […]
Category: Destinations
We continue with our look at the system, and whether or not we participate. Capitalism has encouraged Lay’s to develop over 200 flavors of potato chips. But capitalism is also responsible for child labor, environmental destruction, corrupt political systems, deep concentrations of wealth and power, poverty, early death, and unimaginable greed. We came across a […]
Today we look at the stories portrayed in the 1964 Japanese ghost story anthology film, Kwaidan. The Black Hair “The Black Hair” (黒髪, Kurokami) is adapted from “The Reconciliation” and “The Corpse Rider”, which appeared in Hearn’s collection Shadowings (1900). An impoverished swordsman in Kyoto divorces his wife, a weaver, and leaves her for a […]
Lafcadio Hearn’s short story, Mujina, from Kwaidan – Stories and Studies of Strange Things, depicts a creepy Japanese supernatural creature called a noppera-bō, or mujina. No-Face / Spirited Away No-Face is a fascinating character in the Japanese animated film Spirited Away. Insightful article on Comic Book Resources: The CBR is a pretty cool web site. […]
The following short story is from the 1905 edition of Kwaidan – Stories and Studies of Strange Things, by Lafcadio Hearn. Illustrations by Elder G. MUJINA On the Akasaka Road, in Tokyo, there is a slope called Kii-no-kuni-zaka,—which means the Slope of the Province of Kii. I do not know why it is called the […]
Lafcadio Hearn, author of the book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, moved to Japan in 1890. He initially arrived to work as an English teacher in Matsue, a city in the Shimane Prefecture. Hearn became deeply fascinated with Japanese culture, folklore, and traditions, eventually settling in Japan permanently. He married a Japanese woman […]
Through an interesting stream of consciousness, we came across one of the most interesting people on our World Tour: Lafcadio Hearn. Stream of Unconsciousness So, due to a combination of quantum effects, uncertainty principles, and tidal forces, the HBO algorithm suggested Kwaidan. The poster was creepy enough to draw me in. Kwaidan (Japanese: 怪談, Hepburn: […]
You think the constitution is going to save us? The Bill of Rights? Freedom of speech? Let’s see how that worked out in other countries….. Soviet Union / Russia Article 50. In accordance with the interests of the people and in order to strengthen and develop the socialist system, citizens of the USSR are guaranteed […]
Yesterday morning, I was checking out the Texas electrical grid (ERCOT), to see if the previous night’s snowfall was going to cause problems. Sally T. Intern braves the 1/4″ of snow this morning to get to her paying job. Her hard-currency income is essential for the day-to-day operational expenses of WLBOTT. The grid looks like […]
We may have been jackaloped[1] here at WLBOTT HQ. We went in search of My Large Intestine, Texas, purportedly about four miles East of Eden (Eden, Texas, that is). The Burrito Lady Unable to locate the financial district of My Large Intestine, we returned to Eden, Texas, to refresh ourselves at The Burrito Lady. This […]