Author: Ms. R.

The Shakōki-dogū figurines were created during the Jōmon era of prehistoric Japan, noted for their depiction of human eyes, which are often compared to Inuit ski goggles or shakōki in Japanese. Some theorized they may have depicted a fertility goddess, the mysterious deity Arahabaki, or even ancient astronauts. First founded in 1924, Kizukuri Station has served as a station on the Gonō Line. A new building was constructed in 1992, making use of the Hometown Rejuvenation Program. The city of Tsugaru……

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High above the settlement of Greenisland on the eastern coast of County Antrim stands a giant stone obelisk known as the Knockagh Monument, named after the hill that it sits upon. The Knockagh Monument was erected in remembrance of the County Antrim men who fell in battle during the First World War (1914–1918), but was later rededicated to all those who died during the Second World War (1939–1945), as well. The high sheriff of the county, Henry Dupre Malkin Barton, started……

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Half an hour south of the Canadian border, in Fairdale, North Dakota, a hulking concrete structure rises up from the flat fields that surround it. The beige buildings are so prominent on an otherwise pastoral landscape that they could be mistaken for a 20th-century Stonehenge. It’s a Cold War missile site, and it’s for sale. In the 1970s, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were about as chilly as you’d expect in the middle of a……

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The Srem region (also known as Syrmia) in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia, is home to a unique breed of pigs and dogs know as the Mangulica and Pulin. The Mangulica (or Mangalica) is a breed of domestic pig that is unique to the region. The breed was created by crossbreeding that took place in Hungary and Croatia that mixed blond mangulitsa and Srem pigs. It’s the last remaining long coat pig breed and is known for its……

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Where a lone street of the seaside hamlet of Schoenmakerskop terminates on the edge of a bluff, a solitary bronze cannon aims out over the ocean and a small, secluded bay. It marks the site of an extraordinary shipwreck discovered in 1977. The cannon itself was pulled from the site and dubbed the “miracle cannon” because it remained perfectly preserved despite centuries on the sea floor. In 1647, the Sacramento, a large Portuguese galleon, was on her maiden voyage…….

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The Mörksugga is a Swedish mythological creature, said to be present always and everywhere, listening and perceiving without ever being heard or seen itself. In the region of Dalarna, stories told of a “dark sow,” which could manifest as a black shape in the night or a log that refused to catch fire. These days, few people believe in such superstitions, but still the Mörksugga lives on as a souvenir. The initial popularization of the dark entity can be attributed……

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The Falun Mine used to be considered the treasure trove of Sweden. It was not gold or silver that the people were after there, but copper, a valuable material that was used for everything from cooking supplies to religious items. The mine was started around the ninth century, allegedly after a goat pointed locals to it by one day coming home with red material on its fur. The metals found there made the area rich and prosperous, and Falun……

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Located in Central California, just west of the town of Lone Pine, the Alabama Hills are one of Hollywood’s least famous but most filmed stars. Less “hills” and more giant huddled masses of stone, they are identifiable by the surprising smoothness of their rounded contours, which creates a gorgeous contrast with the sharp lines of the Sierra Nevada mountains that form their backdrop. Though this landscape is truly unlike anywhere else on Earth, its uniqueness hasn’t hindered the diversity……

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