Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 73

6 August 2020 - POLISH CHURCH IS DECORATED WITH 20,000 SKELETONS

POLISH CHURCH IS DECORATED WITH 20,000 SKELETONS
G'day folks,
There is a chapel in Poland outside the Kaplica Czaszek that is absolutely terrifying. The modest looking St. Batholomew’s Church (also called the Kaplica Czaszek) is literally made of thousands of real human bones. I really can’t believe that places like this exist, because believe it or not there are more chapels like this throughout the world. 





Stepping inside this place would be one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. So much death in one place really can’t be good for anyone. Imagine trying to worship in a place like this? I don’t think I could ever concentrate on trying to have a spiritual experience with thousands of human bones surrounding me.






The chapel walls are made from bones which are intended to be a reminder of mortality of human salvation in the face of death.

The chapel was created after a priest visited shallow grave sites of fallen soldiers and civilians killed in the Silesian Wars and the Thirty Years’ War, in addition to victims of plague.



 After seeing the poignant reminder of those who had fallen, Czech priest Vaclav Tomasek and J. Langer, the local grave-digger collected and cleaned skeletal remains, embedding them in the chapel walls between 1776 and 1804.







 There are over 3,000 victims in the ceilings and walls and an additional 21,000 remains hidden behind a trap door in a crypt underneath the chapel. Would you ever take a visit to a place like this?

Clancy's comment: There ya go. The world sure is an interesting place, eh?
I'm ...

5 August 2020 - AUSTRALIAN TOWN COVERED IN SPIDER WEBS

AUSTRALIAN TOWN COVERED IN SPIDER WEBS
G'day folks,
I've actually seen what is depicted here, but on a much smaller scale.
Imagine waking up to a beautiful snow blanketed field outside of your picturesque farm. But wait… it’s still summer so obviously that couldn’t be snow. You walk outside your front door to take a closer look and immediately your skeleton jumps out of your skin from the most disturbing sight you’ve ever seen! 



Spiders! Millions and millions of creepy crawly spiders! That’s exactly what happened in a small town in Australia called Wagga Wagga. Recent floods have covered miles and miles of once lush green land with feet of muddy water. This caused the evacuation of over 13,000 people. Well, naturally spiders aren’t the biggest fans of detrimental water levels either so they took to the hills. 



Millions of spiders had to migrate to higher ground to escape the flooding. This caused an extreme population of the evil little creatures to congregate in one small area. Take a look at these horrifying images that are causing nightmares around the world. 





With the giant web structures covering miles of land, there is no shortage of food for these spiders who are capturing every fly in sight. 






   Clancy's comment: Mm ... this is pretty spooky.I'm ... 

4 August 20202 - THE LONELIEST HOUSE IN THE WORLD

THE LONELIEST HOUSE IN THE WORLD
G'day folks,
In Iceland there is a small island a few miles from the coast called Ellidaey Island. Photographs surfaced on the internet a little while ago with a small dot that looked like a structure. People were immediately intrigued and started doing a little research on this lonely island. It turns out that the island was inhabited by 5 families over 300 years ago. 




The last permanent inhabitants left the island around 1930 and the only thing left was one single house. The families sustained themselves by hunting puffins, fishing, and raising cattle. There has been a lot of speculation as to who owns the house now. Many have said the island was given to singer Bjork as a gift, or that a secret billionaire has purchased the island and now lives there. None of these are true. In fact, the house serves as a shelter for people who still hunt on the island today. Nobody lives there but it provides a safe haven for those who travel to the magical and solitary island. 
This looks like one of the loneliest places in the world. It looks like for a few weeks at a time this place would be paradise.




The lodge that can be seen on this island was built-in 1953 by the Ellidaey Hunting Association and have named this “The Hunting Lodge”.




 The building does not have any form of electricity or indoor plumbing.
 Even without electricity or indoor plumbing, The Hunting Lodge does have a sauna, so you can relax after hunting. 


There is some water available however. You can use this water for the sauna, cooking, and also for drinking. This water comes from a rain collection system. Another odd thing with The Hunting Lodge is that there is a fence built around it.






For many people this place provides a safe haven while hunting. To me this place looks like the perfect spot just to get away from it all.

Clancy's comment: Mm ... sorry, no palm trees, but I bet it would be great for fishing.
I'm ...










 

3 August 2020 - 60 VINTAGE CARS FOUND HIDDEN IN FRANCE

60 VINTAGE CARS FOUND HIDDENIN FRANCE
G'day folks,
I posted another case like this some months back. It is extraordinary that people would purchase valuable vehicles and leave them to rust away.
It's not very often that you stumble across a collection of vintage cars worth millions of dollars, especially on a family-owned farm! Some 60 vintage cars, some of which are extremely rare, were found lying around and left to rust on a farm in western France. The rare collection once belonged to French transport entrepreneur, Roger Baillon.
Baillon's grandchildren were the lucky heirs. Among the prized vehicles was a Talbot-Lago that once belonged to King Farouk of Egypt. Imagine finding something like this on your property.























Clancy's comment: Simply gob smacking, eh? I would love to know who owned those cars.
I'm ...

2 August 2020 - INSPIRING WORDS FROM MAYA ANGELOU

INSPIRING WORDS FROM MAYA ANGELOU
G'day folks,
These wise quotes are more relevant than ever in our troubled world.
Maya Angelou is perhaps one of the most renowned modern poets and writers and is a common name in nearly every household. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, her older brother christened her Maya. Her childhood years were tumultuous, due to her parents crumbling marriage. 
Shuttled off to live with their grandmother after the separation, she enjoyed a few good years with her grandmother before being forced to return to her mother's home at the age of 8. It was here that a tragic series of events led to 5 years of silence from the young girl, during which she developed her passion for the world of literature.   Over the next few years of her life, she pursued this passion wholeheartedly, along with dance, music. and acting. A life filled with adversity and struggle burst forth the civil rights activist in her. Apart from her work in the arts, she also held a multitude of other jobs, including sex worker, fry cook, and even professor. She came to be a spokesperson for her gender , her community, her country, and her strong philosophical ideals. 

Her most famous work is entitled “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”, and it is an autobiographical piece that tracks this artist’s journey from a victim to a pillar of strength and dignity, first for herself, and later for the world. Though we lost this strong soul in 2014 , her books, poems, and other expressions remain close to us. Her words remind us to find our own strength and that hard work and perseverance are the greatest tools we all possess.




























Clancy's comment:  Love ya work!
I'm ...

1 August 2020 - A BUNCH OF WEIRD & UNIQUE AQUARIUMS

  A BUNCH OF WEIRD & UNIQUE AQUARIUMS
G'day folks,Nothing makes a better and more beautiful addition to the home than a lovely aquarium. A few studies  have recently revealed that aquariums can be psychologically beneficial, as watching fish swim can be an extremely calming activity. Given the sheer beauty and brightness of many of these underwater creatures, it is only natural they can have a therapeutic effect on us. In fact, we as people are so drawn to these finned friends that we even want our holidays to be spent sleeping beside them in underwater hotels ! 
Designing and setting up an aquarium is no easy task, and they often have to be crafted and assembled based on the fish you intend to keep. However, we’ve found 25 aquariums designed to look more appealing than the fish inside them! Prepare to be awestruck, and keep in mind, you might not see all of these unique aquariums in many homes, as a few of them were designed only for aesthetic appeal. 
























Clancy's comment: Mm ... certainly different, eh? I'd like to see those poor fish back where they came from.
I'm ...

31 July 2020 - Abandoned Salt Mine 1200 Feet Under Detroit

Abandoned Salt Mine 1200 Feet Under Detroit
G'day folks,
It’s no secret that Detroit has been hit very hard by the recession. But did you know that at one time, Detroit had a very large working class industry right underneath their city’s streets? 
Detroit had a very large salt mine that was basically an underground industry underneath their city. It was over 1,500 acres big and had over 100 miles of roads making up this underground salt mine. This mine stretches from Dearborn all the way to Allen Park. The mines were owned and operated by The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company. It was booming from the early 1920s up until 1983, when it was forced to close due to the falling salt prices. When business was good, they offered public guided tours, which was very popular with school groups. You can still see the entrance at 12841 Sanders Street, but it’s only open for delivery trucks. Read further to see exactly what they are delivering.




So how exactly did all of this salt get underneath the city of Detroit? About 400 million years ago, there was an area of land that is now called the Michigan Basin. This area was separated from the ocean but kept sinking lower and lower into the Earth. Because it continued to sink, the salt water from the ocean poured in as the ocean receded. Once the ocean water evaporated, it left behind huge salt deposits.
 Throughout hundreds of thousands of years, the Niagara Escarpment was formed. This was a large basalt rock area that covered a lot of land, including the whole state of Michigan. Because of this rock, it buried the salt mine, basically preserving it 1200 feet below the Earth. According to some estimates, there is 71 TRILLION tons of  salt in these mines.  Even though salt is not currently a hot commodity, it was at one time. For example, a long time ago in China, salt coins were used for payments and salt cakes were used in the Mediterranean. Even Romans paid their soldiers in salt.

 When the salt was discovered in Detroit in 1895, everyone was thrilled. The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company came in 11 years later, in 1906, and decided to start digging a shaft down to the salt. But during this process they went bankrupt due to the high cost of the project, and many workers lost their lives. But they kept on trying. In 1910, The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company completed the 1,060 foot shaft and began working on the second salt bed. They were bought by Watkins Salt Company. After the shaft was completed and the second salt bed complete, they increased their productivity and purity. By 1914, they were able to produce approximately 8,000 tons of rock salt each month.


 Due to the productivity, The International Salt Company who had purchased the mine from Watkins Salt Company, decided to increase the productivity even more! They employed more men and used better equipment, which included electric power, locomotives, and mechanical shovels. They decided to build a second shaft in 1922 and finished it in 1925, which increased the capacity of the mine and also decreased the amount of time spent hoisting the salt to the surface.

 Mining underground was not easy, by any means! Even in modern-day conditions, underground mining is not an easy way of living, so you can imagine how harsh it was in the 1900s. They decided to start using donkeys to help with the workload, but due to the conditions, a lot of them would die an untimely death. The equipment that was used underground often stayed there too. It was just too hard to get them back through the 6×6 foot narrow shaft opening.

 One thing that has been said about the mine is that it was clean and rodent-free. Miner Joel Payton remembers, “One reason we don’t have any rats in our Detroit mine is because the rats would have nothing to eat except the leavings of our lunch pails. And by the way, not only are there no rats or cockroaches or other living creatures in our mine, but also no remains of living things from past ages.”  They continued mining the Detroit Salt Mines until 1983 when it was no longer a profitable business to be in. This mine remained unused until 1997, The Detroit Salt Company LLC purchased it. They began producing salt again in 1988, and is currently mining salt today. But they are no longer mining table salt. They now mine road salt, which is used during the very harsh Michigan winters.




Clancy's comment: There ya go. I bet this comes as a surprise to many Americans. Maybe they should change its nickname from 'Motown' to 'Saltown.' Just sayin' ...
I'm ...

30 July 2020 - Bricklayer Turns Stones Into Works of Art

Bricklayer Turns Stones Into Works of Art
G'day folks ,

Art is a pretty undefinable thing in our world. It really is a subjective thing to ask someone what they consider art. Every person has their own unique interpretation and boundaries on what they will consider art, and what they will not. 

Well you probably would be hard pressed to find people who don’t think these amazing pieces of pebble art work as pieces of art. The skill and patience it must take to create these unique works is amazing. It definitely takes a special talent to be able to bring these creations to life.

Johnny Clasper from Yorkshire, UK went from being a bricklayer to an established stonemason by rejecting the idea of a single path. He turns stones and rocks into anything ranging from patios to innovative sculptures and captivating mosaics. Check out some of his work ...





















Clancy's comment: Well done, Johnny. Excellent work.
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29 July 2020 - Pictures That Show A Town That Was Underwater For Over 30 Years – Buenos Aires

Pictures That Show A Town That
Was Underwater For Over 30 Years -  Buenos Aires -
G'day folks,

Have you ever heard of the town Villa Epecuen? Probably not because this town was covered by water for over 30 years. 




It’s located just south of Buenos Aires. It had over 5,000 residents and was established in the 1920s. It was a destination for thousands of people from Buenos Aires. But everything changed in 1985. There was a dam that burst and covered the town with 33 feet of salt water. People tried to wait it out and took refuge on their rooftops, but the water did not recede. Once they saw that the water wasn’t going anywhere, most residents left, leaving the town a modern-day ghost town.






In 2009, the water eventually started to recede, leaving behind massive destruction.


 Notice how the trees are still perfectly spaced, lining the road and sidewalk. 

 One resident refused to leave! His name is Pablo Novak and he lives in a stone hut with a fridge and a basic wood burning stove. Guess he wasn’t ready to start over somewhere new. His home was located on the edge of the town.


This is such an eerie sight to see. The town is completely and utterly destroyed. Would you stick around this town in hopes of the water receding, or would you move and start new?


Clancy's comment: Just awful!
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28 July 2020 - VIETNAM - The Chu Chi Tunnels - A Massive Network Of Underground Passages Used During The Vietnam War

VIETNAM  The Chu Chi Tunnels - A Massive Network Of Underground Passages Used During The Vietnam War G'day folks,
 In the Chù Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, is a very elaborate system of underground tunnels that served a very important purpose. The tunnels were a vital part of a network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. 
The Chu Chi underground tunnels were dug by hand over the course of 25 years, which began in the late 40’s during the war with the French. The elaborate system of tunnels was used by the Viet Cong as hiding spots, as well as serving as communication and supply routes. The tunnels contained eating halls, ammunition storage, hospitals, and even a theatre for entertainment. 



The Viet Cong would live in the underground tunnels and only come out under the cover of darkness in order to gain supplies, tend to crops, and engage in enemy combat. During the 1960’s, the tunnels were repaired and vastly expanded, becoming a vital part of the Viet Cong’s military strategy during the Vietnam war. The entrances were next to impossible for American troops to find, let alone navigate once found. 



American troops were often fatally wounded or seriously injured by booby traps lining the jungle. The American troops tried multiple strategies in order to find and destroy these tunnels, none of which worked. Chemicals were dumped across the jungle floor which dried up and killed all of the vegetation. Napalm and bombs were dropped over the area in order to burn everything in sight, allowing American troops to view the landscape becoming less vulnerable to the Viet Cong soldiers.   Now, let's see the real thing ...









Clancy's comment: One of the most political, and costly, wars in history, and who won?I'm ...