Clove model of a two-wheeled horse-drawn coach with coachman. From the Tropenmuseum in the Netherlands.

Mango-shaped scent bottle Mid-17th century Rock crystal with rubies and emeralds set in gold H. 1 3⁄4 × W. 2 1⁄4 × D. 1 3⁄4 in. (4.5 × 5.7 × 4.5 cm)
"Carved out of rock crystal with grooves cut on the surface and inlaid with gold and gemstones, this diminutive scent bottle embodies the refined aesthetic of seventeenth-century Mughal India. Likely to have been created during the reign of Shah Jahan, this bottle is an example of the high degree of perfection Mughal artists achieved during this period. It features a network of naturalistic scrollwork of vines in gold wire, with leaves and flowers inset with precious stones and set in high relief to provide the effect of a cage enclosing the crystal. It is missing a stopper, which was probably made of enameled gold."

Korea's 'blind' archer Im Dong-Hyun aims for 2012 gold

2012 Summer Olympics
On 27 July 2012 at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London he set a
new world record score of 699 in the ranking round at Lord's Cricket Ground.

Poignant and vivid short animation about what it is like to be blind. Out of sight.

A moving article about the murder of this man's friend.

I WAS A DEAR FRIEND OF THE WOMAN "SONS OF ANARCHY" STAR IS SUSPECTED OF MURDERING

Hollywood legend Catherine Davis rented me -- and many other actors -- rooms in her home throughout her life. Johnny Lewis isn't accused of murdering an 81-year-old woman. He is accused of murdering a saint.

And another article on the same topic

Catherine Davis, allegedly murdered by Johnny Lewis, was Hollywood legend

Fascinating to read about this hit man. Yikes, a monstrous sociopath.

Richard Leonard "The Iceman" Kuklinski (April 11, 1935 – March 5, 2006)

In a 1992 interview, Kuklinski recalled what he considered was his most sadistic murder.

"It was a man and he was begging, and pleading, and praying, I guess. And he was, 'Please, God, no,' all over the place. So I told him he could have a half an hour to pray to God and if God could come down and change the circumstances, He'd have that time. But God never showed up and he never changed the circumstances and that was that."

This would have been my kind of paradise, living in a house in the tropics, like this. From the Tropenmuseum's collection of images on Flickr

Dining table in the Koning family's house, Surabaya, around 1910 Photo Studio O. Kurkdjian & Co Tropenmuseum collection: 60025780

Interior of the house of the Koning family

Interior of the house of the family D.A.P. Koning, with Art Nouveau furniture. Above the door hangs a sign that says "east west, home is best."

Surabaya, around 1910
Photo Studio O. Kurkdjian & Co
Tropenmuseum collection: 60025782

Veranda of the Koning family house

Surabaya, around 1910
Photo Studio O. Kurkdjian & Co
Tropenmuseum collection: 60025774

Veranda of the house of the Koning family

Surabaya, around 1910
Photo Studio O. Kurkdjian & Co
Tropenmuseum collection: 60025799

Looking for charming old graphics on the web I occasionally come across strange advertising that leaves me with the thought, what the hell were they thinking?! Or I cringe because the images depict attitudes of the past, ones that are not acceptable in today's advertising world or that would cause an outcry. What's sad to think is the entitlement of those in the past who knew the racist, sexist or bigoted images could not be spoken out against at that time.

Or they are just weird images, that seem to me not to offer an endorsement of the product they were supposed to be enhancing.