Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 40

3 November 2021 - GRANDPA PAINTS ENTIRE VILLAGE

 

GRANDPA PAINTS 

ENTIRE VILLAGE

 

G'day folks,

During World War II over two million Nationalists were forced to flee to Taiwan to seek refuge. The Taiwanese government built temporary housing for the immigrants which became home to many people. Over the years due to economic changes people started to leave the temporary housing. 

 A little over 10 years ago the only remaining resident was an 87-year-old man named Huang Yung-fu. The Taiwanese government was petitioning to tear down the abandoned village in order to build some modern apartments. Huang was offered money to pack up and move elsewhere but couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the only home he’d ever known in Taiwan. So he decided to do something simply spectacular.

Huang decided to pick up a paintbrush and started to paint literally every square inch of the abandoned village.

 It came as a shock to Huang when he heard the news 40 years after moving in that he’d have to leave. “When I came here, the village had 1,200 households and we’d all sit and talk like one big family,” Huang shared with BBC . “But then everyone moved away or passed away and I became lonely.” With nowhere to go and no-one to talk to, he turned to art to ease his suffering.

 

 Huang was born in China and fought in two wars. After the Nationalist party lost, they were forced to flee. He and 2 million others ended up in Taiwan in makeshift villages. What was meant to be a temporary solution became home to many.

 

He first painted a small bird on his bungalow. That was followed by cats, people and different vibrant pieces of art. His story started to spread and a college student stumbled across the village. He snapped some photos and began a fundraising campaign to save the village from inevitable destruction. The news quickly went viral and “Rainbow Grandpa” was internet famous. He captured the hearts of the nation and tourists started to venture to see the colorful village. After the news went viral and the fundraising started to bring in donations the government decided to let Huang keep the only home he knows.

 

Clancy's comment: Never underestimate the ability of an artist.

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2 November 2021 - LOST CITY DISCOVERED UNDERWATER 1,500 YEARS LATER

 

LOST CITY DISCOVERED 

UNDERWATER 1,500 

YEARS LATER

G'day folks,

Great discoveries are still being made around the world. 

Heracleion, a very prosperous and a known city had been engulfed underwater 1500 years ago. This grand city had also been mentioned by the Greek writer Herodotus, the 5th-century BC historian. He had told a wonderful tale of Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, who had launched a thousand ships, travelled to Heracleion, then a port of ‘great wealth’, with her glamorous Trojan lover, Paris.

 

Clancy's comment: Stunning!

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1 November 2021 - HUMPBACK WHALE SURPRISES FISHERMAN

 

HUMPBACK WHALE 

SURPRISES FISHERMAN 

 

G'day folks,

 A group of whale watchers were out in Monterey Bay California when they experienced an incredible sight that most people never get to see in their entire lives. The whale watchers were waiting patiently when a fishing boat carrying some unsuspecting fishermen was driving by. 

All of a sudden, from the depths below, a giant humpback whale bursts from the sea just meters from the fishing vessel surprising everyone in the area. The massive creature shot into the air and came down with a loud crashing force. The footage was captured by photographer Douglas Croft and it is incredible. Take a look below.

“It was quite exciting! Salmon season coincides with the time when humpbacks are returning to Monterey Bay to feed for the summer and there were hundreds of boats on the bay fishing.” stated Douglas Croft.

Clancy's comment: Extraordinary photoes. 

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30 October 2021 - WW2 ITEMS FOUND IN SECRET ATTIC

 

WW2 ITEMS FOUND 

IN SECRET ATTIC 

 

G'day folks,

You never know what you might find in old houses.

 Imagine your family settles into a new country during a war. You are living in your house, going about your daily lives the best you can. Then all of a sudden you are uprooted and forced to leave simply because of your nationality. Well this is the situation that Rudi Schlattner found himself in when he was just a young boy. WWII had broken out, and with the conquering of surrounding nations, German citizens began to move into Nazi controlled territory. Rudi and his family lived in Czechoslovakia during WWII. When the war finally came to a close in 1945, German national were forced out of Czechoslovakia. 

 

He and his family fled the country and left their house and all their belongings behind. This would be incredibly difficult for anyone to do, especially a young child. Rudi is now 80 years old, and one of his wishes before he passes away was to see his childhood home one more time. He made the journey all the way back to Czechoslovakia, and visited his old house with his entire family. Rudi had a sneaking suspicion that his father may have stored some stuff away in the house for a later date, but was never able to get back to it. Check out these pictures to see if Rudi was right.

Rudi also believed that his father may have hidden a valuable stash of items inside the house. He wanted to be the one to find it. While they were searching the attic, Rudi noticed a loose board along the wall with a string attached to it. This small piece of evidence had gone unnoticed for years, even after the numerous renovations the house has undergone.   This compartment was located behind the door. It was full of wrapped packages and boxes. Even though it was a small space, it took hours to retrieve all the items out of the attic.

This really is an incredible find. The historical value of the objects that were found is pretty incredible, and the value to Rudi and his family can’t even be measured. These were things that Rudi grew up with. So many memories had to have flooded back to him when the museum representatives started to unwrap all these memories from his childhood. I’m glad that Rudi got the closure he was seeking, and that the museum has some valuable pieces to add to their collection.

 

Clancy's comment: Extraordinary find, eh?

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29 October 2021 - FORMER ADDICTS LIVE IN SEWERS FOR 22 YEARS - COLOMBIA

 

 FORMER ADDICTS LIVE IN

 SEWERS FOR 22 YEARS

 - COLOMBIA -

 

G'day folks,

 Miguel Restrepo and his wife, Maria Garcia, hit some very hard times 22 years ago. They were both drug addicts living in Colombia and had nowhere to go after they had lost it all. They stuck together and helped each other get clean. But due to the area they were living, there were no options for a shelter or drug abuse programs, so they fought the battle with addiction on their own in their own “home”.

They had no money and nowhere to go, so what they did was their only option. They took to the sewers and found a safe secluded spot where they could focus on each other and kicking their addiction. Twenty two years later, they still call this little hole in the ground home and they say they couldn’t be happier.

 

Miguel Restrepo and his wife, Maria Garcia, have called this place home for 22 years.  They have made a new life under the streets of Colombia, where they helped each other kick an addiction to drugs. They had no other choice on a place to live and found this abandoned sewer that they carved into their home.

Miguel Restrepo and Maria Garcia have been clean for 22 years now and are completely happy living under the streets of Colombia. They take care of each other and define the meaning of love. They support each other and only expect unconditional love in return. They stayed by each other’s side through the toughest time of their lives and now are completely happy with simply being together no matter where home may be.    




Clancy's comment: Wow. How lucky am I? I'm ... 

 

28 October 2021 - A BUNCH OF INSPIRING QUOTES

 

A BUNCH OF 

INSPIRING QUOTES

 

G'day folks,

We all need some inspiration during a global pandemic, and I hope some of these inspire you. 

Clancy's comment: All good. Pass them onto someone else. 
I'm ... 

7 September 2021 - ABANDONED WALMART BECOMES BIGGEST LIBRARY IN USA

 

ABANDONED WALMART BECOMES

 BIGGEST LIBRARY IN USA

 

G'day folks,

When going through almost every town in the United States, you are bound to find at least one Wal-Mart. 

But what happens when a Wal-Mart closes down? Although this doesn’t seem to happen very often, it leaves behind a very large, vacant building. Most cities don’t want to let this type of building just sit there. In McAllen, Texas their Wal-Mart did close their doors leaving a large building vacant. Rather than letting this store just sit there, they did something amazing. Check out the photos below of this Wal-Mart turned library! It’s now the largest single floor library in America! Very impressive!

 

Inside you’ll find a cafe, a used book store, an auditorium, along with self checkout stations to make it a great experience.  They even updated the outside landscaping and building’s exterior to match with the modern design inside. 

Clancy's comment: Well done, Texas.I'm ... 

 

27 October 2021 - THE BIZZARE WINCHESTER HOUSE

 

THE BIZZARE 

WINCHESTER HOUSE 

G'day folks,

There is a home in San Jose, California known as the Winchester House. Although the name sounds completely normal, this home holds some of the most unusual and mysterious secrets. It was once the residence of Sarah Winchester. She was born an innocent, lively belle. Later in life she matured and married a man named William Winchester. 

William was the treasurer of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. One of the guns they created was the Henry Rifle, which became the first repeating rifle and was more than popular during the Civil War.  Needless to say, the Winchesters started their marriage in bliss, with fortunes that only a small percentage of society would be able to understand. With everything appearing perfect for the two, Sarah became pregnant with a little girl. What more could life bring for the two? That is when tragedy and grief started to strike for the Winchester family.

Just a few weeks after her baby girl was born, the child contracted a rare disease known as Marasmus and unfortunately passed away.

 Sarah never fully recovered from the awful tragedy, falling into a deep depression. And about 10 years later, her love, William, passed away of Tuberculosis. Although Sarah inherited millions of dollars and a daily pay out from the government of about $1000 per day, nothing would replace the pain and anguish she went through.

Shortly after William’s death, Sarah saw a medium who told her that her husband was in their presence. “He says for me to tell you that there is a curse on your family, which took the life of he and your child. It will soon take you too. It is a curse that has resulted from the terrible weapon created by the Winchester family. Thousands of persons have died because of your Winchester rifles and their spirits are now seeking vengeance.”

  

 She was then instructed to sell everything and move far away, that her husband would lead her to the right house. The medium went on to say, “You must start a new life and build a home for yourself and for the spirits who have fallen from this terrible weapon too. You can never stop building the house. If you continue building, you will live. Stop and you will die.”

So that is exactly what Sarah did. Sarah found a home on 162 acres that was under construction. She hired many carpenters that worked 24/7 on the house.  Day and night, the carpenters continued to work. She would build a section of the house only to destroy another and she continued this trend for the rest of her life.

  

The home continued to grow, eventually reaching 7 stories high, having 3 elevators, 47 fireplaces, and 160 different rooms. Sarah was obsessed with the number 13 as well, so each window had 13 panes of glass, the walls had 13 panels, the greenhouse had 13 cupolas, many of the wooden floors contained 13 sections, and some of the rooms even had 13 windows.

 Sarah passed away in her sleep at the age of 83. She left her entire fortune to her niece. Unfortunately, they were all surprised when they learned that much of that fortune was gone.  Today the home is a historical landmark in California and used as a tourist attraction. But that doesn’t mean the house is no longer haunted.

 

Clancy's comment: Extraordinary, eh?

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26 October 2021 - MASSIVE PYTHON EATS MASSIVE BAT

 

MASSIVE PYTHON 

EATS MASSIVE BAT

G'day folks,

Australia has some of the deadliest snakes in the world, and also the biggest.

 Carpet Pythons are said to be pretty submissive, but they are enthusiastic eaters, as you can see here. I don’t care how laid back this big snake is, I would stay far away from it knowing it loves to eat. I think the couple who took these photos are pretty safe though since this particular python is currently occupied!

This bat is most likely already dead since pythons are constrictors and suffocate their prey by wrapping themselves around them so tightly they can’t breath and they die.  Yet another reason I don’t like snakes, they are so strong and a python this big would have no problem asphyxiating a human!Mille Stoevring, the person behind the pictures, said it took over 30 minutes for this snake to swallow the ginormous bat. She said, “It was fascinating to watch it making its way over the bat’s body.” The longest Carpet Python in record was just under 13 feet long! The bat he is devouring is known as a Flying Fox and they are one of the largest bats in the world and their wingspan can be over 10 feet long! A fitting meal for a giant serpent! 


Clancy's comment: I've never eaten bat, and I doubt I ever will.I'm ... 


  

25 October 2021 - HOW PURPLE HEART HOMES BEGAN

 

HOW PURPLE HEART 

HOMES BEGAN

 

G'day folks,

Dale Beatty was serving in Iraq as a National Guardsman when a routine patrol went horribly wrong. An unseen anti-tank landmine sent Beatty’s vehicle flying 50 feet in the air and pinning his legs to the ground.  As a result, Beatty had to have both legs amputated. Though it was a tragic event, this veteran never lost his upbeat attitude and his gratitude for life. He spent a year recovering from his injuries, thinking of his dream to build a home for his family, a dream now lost with his legs. Or so he thought. A member of his church persuaded the local builders association to help the veteran build his wheelchair accessible dream home.  
During this time, Beatty reached out to a fellow veteran named John Gallina, who carried his own less visible wounds having been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. After Beatty’s home was completed, the two decided to pay the favor forward and started their own non-profit organization in 2008 called Purple Heart Homes.

Purple Heart Homes helps all disabled veterans regardless of their service record or the war they survived, unlike many other non-profits that aid in building US veterans’ homes. They have built and modified homes for over 30 disabled veterans. As Beatty puts it, "We wouldn't leave someone behind on the battlefield. Why would we do it at home?"

 Clancy's comment: Wonderful idea. 
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