What happens in Pinecraft stays in Pinecraft: Where the Amish Vacation

The Amish, like everyone else (or perhaps more than everyone else) deserve to get away from it all and put their feet up every once in a while. So where is a devout Christian who maintains minimal interaction with the modern world to vacation? Florida of course! That is, Pinecraft, Florida, aka the “Amish Las…

Ode to the Rag-and-Bone Man

When Parisian garbage collectors went on strike in the Spring of 2023, suddenly everyone was talking and thinking about trash. Sanitation and waste management services are so commonplace for the majority of the world, it takes an almighty “big stink” for us to realise just how important and valuable sanitary services are. Just under a…

Meet Quentin Tarantino’s Secret Muse, the Queen of Vintage Japanese B-Movies

Jetting back to 1970s Japan, let’s get to know sultry film icon, actress, singer, and all-round badass Meiko Kaji. She rose to fame during the seventies at the height of what was known as the “pinky violence” Japanese film genre, which were essentially sexed up, bad girl action films produced by Toei, one of the…

Tips, Tricks & Takeaways from a 15th Century Arabic Sex Manual

Lucky you – today we’re signing you up for some sex ed from the Arab world 600 years ago, courtesy of a 15th century sex manual that, despite most of the general population having never heard of it, once attained status similar to that of The Arabian Nights. Commissioned in present day Tunisia, during what…

Vacationing with Wes Anderson: The American Motel Edition

Wes Anderson did it again with another eye-feast of aesthetics in “Asteroid City”, set in futuristic quasi-mid-century Southwestern United States, a barren desert setting reminiscent of New Mexico or Arizona. He’s made us want to pack some hard-sided suitcases, load up the station wagon, and get our kicks back on Route 66. After watching Asteroid…

The Woman Who Opened the World’s First Museum in 500 BCE

The first-known public museum opened over 2,500 years ago – and it was curated by a woman. Her name was Ennigaldi-Nanna. She was a priestess and princess, the daughter of Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, who was also an antiquarian and known as the first serious archaeologist in history. Encouraged by her…

A Shipwrecked Sailor’s Guide to Castaway Depots

Get your sea legs ready, we’re setting sail for the bygone days of wild seafaring in search of a little-known piece of nautical history: the castaway depot. Also known as castaway huts, castaway depots were small shelters strategically placed on isolated islands by governments or maritime organisations and equipped with basic supplies and tools to…

The Forgotten Power of the Parlour Palm

We forget that once upon a time, social status had a lot to do with the common houseplant. We’re talking about the parlour palm, one of the most significant decorative features in a Victorian home, which referred to any number of varieties of palms, ferns, and other hardy perennials that were native to South America,…