Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Nail House

Soon after I posted about the utility pole in the middle of the Quebec road, I read in the newspaper about this apartment building in China.

 
The owners are an elderly couple who are holding out for a better deal from the government. Apparently the phenomenon of a house left in the middle of the road is so common in China that there is a term for them: nail houses. The owners refuse to be hammered down and such houses stick up like a sore thumb and are difficult to remove. Often the government will cut off water and hydro to such homes, but in this case, such measures have not yet been taken. The man and his wife sleep in different parts of the building to deter demolition occuring when they're not looking.
 
The road itself has just recently been finished and leads to the railroad station. It has not yet been opened to traffic.


Monday, November 26, 2012

Driving Hazard

Quebec Hydro Pole
 
 
Crews have fixed the dangerous curve in the road, but for the last couple of months motorists still have had to avoid this hydro pole in the middle of Hwy. 251 in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Thankfully, it was finally removed just the other day. Snowplows will now be able to carry on unhindered.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Telephone Tree

 
 
This tree has been growing out of this phone box for awhile now - it's 3 meters high. It has recently been removed by Bell and repairs have been made to both boxes.
 

Toronto Star

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Mystery Books

Using an old supply cupboard, an old telephone bell, some used books and some innovation and imagination, Craig Small in Toronto has created the Biblio-Mat, a vending machine for books inside The Monkey's Paw, a store ownded by Stephen Fowler on Dundas St.

The Biblio-Mat is a retro-looking device, with no window and no choice available. One simply inserts a toonie and a book emerges into the tray - and it's a mystery every time!


 
Here are the two clever guys:
 
 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

More Canada

Wasn't the music great from that last video ? It's from Canadian Indie rock band Yukon Blonde . More Canada and more awesome pictures from across the country. Keep exploring here.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Thiên Thủ Quan Âm (Thousand Hand Guan Yin)



There is an awesome dance, called the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, which is making the rounds across the net. Considering the tight coordination required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if they were not all deaf.

Yes, you read correctly. All 21 of the dancers are complete deaf-mutes. Relying only on signals from trainers at the four corners of the stage, these extraordinary dancers deliver a visual spectacle that is at once intricate and stirring. Its first major international debut was in Athens at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics.

But it had long been in the repertoire of the Chinese Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe and had traveled to more than 40 countries. Its lead dancer is 29 year old Tai Lihua, who has a BA from the Hubei Fine Arts Institute. The video was recorded in Beijing during the Spring Festival this year.