#pope john paul ii island

[supercool-here]

ok so there´s a website called ocean of books and it´s pretty cool and y'all have time to explore it but the coolest thing I find was Pope John Paul II's island which is in Religion and Belief continent. Saint JP II has an island. his own very island

[whileiamdying]

Sinead O’Connor, Evocative and Outspoken Singer, Is Dead at 56

She broke out with the single “Nothing Compares 2 U,” then caused an uproar a few years later by ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II on “S.N.L.”

By Ben Sisario and Joe Coscarelli July 26, 2023 Updated 5:41 p.m. ET Leer en español

Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken Irish singer-songwriter known for her powerful, evocative voice, as showcased on her biggest hit, a breathtaking rendition of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” and for her political provocations onstage and off, has died. She was 56.

Her longtime friend Bob Geldof, the Irish musician and activist, confirmed her death, as did her family in a statement, according to the BBC and the Irish public broadcaster RTE.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead,” the statement said. “Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.” No other details were provided.

Recognizable by her shaved head and by wide eyes that could appear pained or full of rage, Ms. O’Connor released 10 studio albums, beginning with the alternative hit “The Lion and the Cobra” in 1987. She went on to sell millions of albums worldwide, breaking out with “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got” in 1990.

That album, featuring “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a No. 1 hit around the world and an MTV staple, won a Grammy Award in 1991 for best alternative music performance — although Ms. O’Connor boycotted the ceremony over what she called the show’s excessive commercialism.

Ms. O’Connor rarely shrank from controversy, though it often came with consequences for her career.

In 1990, she threatened to cancel a performance in New Jersey if “The Star-Spangled Banner” was played at the concert hall ahead of her appearance, drawing the ire of no less than Frank Sinatra. That same year, she backed out of an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” in protest of the misogyny she perceived in the comedy of Andrew Dice Clay, who was scheduled to host.

But all of that paled in comparison to the uproar caused when Ms. O’Connor, appearing on “S.N.L.” in 1992 — shortly after the release of her third album, “Am I Not Your Girl?” — ended an a cappella performance of Bob Marley’s “War” by ripping a photo of Pope John Paul II into pieces as a stance against sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. “Fight the real enemy,” she said.

That incident immediately made her a target of criticism and scorn, from social conservatives and beyond. Two weeks after her “S.N.L.” appearance, she was loudly booed at a Bob Dylan tribute concert at Madison Square Garden. (She had planned to perform Mr. Dylan’s “I Believe in You,” but she sang “War” again, rushing off the stage before she had finished.)

For a time, the vitriol directed at Ms. O’Connor was so pervasive that it became a kind of pop culture meme in itself. On “S.N.L.” in early 1993, Madonna mocked the controversy by tearing up a picture of Joey Buttafuoco, the Long Island auto mechanic who was a tabloid fixture at the time because of his affair with a 17-year-old girl.

Once a rising star, Ms. O’Connor then stumbled. “Am I Not Your Girl?,” an album of jazz and pop standards like “Why Don’t You Do Right?” and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” was stalled on the charts at No. 27. Her next album, “Universal Mother” (1994), went no higher than No. 36.

The British musician Tim Burgess, of the band Charlatans (known in the United States as the Charlatans UK), wrote on Twitter on Wednesday: “Sinead was the true embodiment of a punk spirit. She did not compromise and that made her life more of a struggle.”

Ms. O’Connor never had another major hit in the United States after “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” from “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” although for a time she remained a staple on the British charts.

But in her 2021 memoir, “Rememberings,” Ms. O’Connor portrayed ripping up the photo of the pope as a righteous act of protest — and therefore a success.

“I feel that having a No. 1 record derailed my career,” she wrote, “and my tearing the photo put me back on the right track.”

She elaborated in an interview with The New York Times that same year, calling the incident an act of defiance against the constraints of pop stardom.

“I’m not sorry I did it. It was brilliant,” Ms. O’Connor said. “But it was very traumatizing,” she added. “It was open season on treating me like a crazy bitch.”

Sinead Marie Bernadette O’Connor was born in Glenageary, a suburb of Dublin, on Dec. 8, 1966. Her father, John, was an engineer, and her mother, Johanna, was a dressmaker.

In interviews, and in her memoir, Ms. O’Connor spoke openly of having a traumatic childhood. She said that her mother physically abused her and that she had been deeply affected by her parents’ separation, which happened when she was 8. In her teens, she was arrested for shoplifting and sent to reform schools.

When she was 15, Ms. O’Connor sang “Evergreen” — the love theme from “A Star Is Born,” made famous by Barbra Streisand — at a wedding, and was discovered by Paul Byrne, a drummer who had an affiliation with the Irish band U2. She left boarding school at 16 and began her career, supporting herself by waitressing and performing “kiss-o-grams” in a kinky French maid costume.

“The Lion and the Cobra” — the title is an allusion to Psalm 91 — marked her as a rising talent with a spiritual heart, an ear for offbeat melody and a fierce and combative style. Her music drew from 1980s-vintage alternative rock, hip-hop and flashes of Celtic folk that came through when her voice raised to high registers.

She drew headlines for defending the Irish Republican Army and publicly jeered U2 — whose members had supported her — as “bombastic.” She also said she had rejected attempts by her record company, Ensign, to adopt a more conventional image.

The leaders of the label “wanted me to wear high-heel boots and tight jeans and grow my hair,” Ms. O’Connor told Rolling Stone in 1991. “And I decided that they were so pathetic that I shaved my head so there couldn’t be any further discussion.”

“Nothing Compares 2 U” — originally released by the Family, a Prince side project, in 1985 — became a phenomenon when Ms. O’Connor released it five years later. The video for the song, trained closely on her emotive face, was hypnotic, and Ms. O’Connor’s voice, as it raised from delicate, breathy notes to powerful cries, stopped listeners in their tracks. Singers like Alanis Morissette cited Ms. O’Connor’s work from this period as a key influence.

Not long after “Nothing Compares” became a hit, Ms. O’Connor accused Prince of physically threatening her. She elaborated on the story in her memoir, saying that Prince, at his Hollywood mansion, chastised her for swearing in interviews and suggested a pillow fight, only to hit her with something hard that was in his pillowcase. She escaped on foot in the middle of the night, she said, but Prince chased her around the highway.

The effects of childhood trauma, and finding ways to fight and heal, became a central part of her work and her personal philosophy. “The cause of all the world’s problems, as far as I’m concerned, is child abuse,” Ms. O’Connor told Spin magazine in 1991.

Her mother, whom Ms. O’Connor described as an alcoholic, died when she was 18. In her memoir, Ms. O’Connor said that on the day her mother died she took a picture of the pope from her mother’s wall; it was that photo that she destroyed on television.

On later albums, she made warmly expansive pop-rock (“Faith and Courage,” 2000), played traditional Irish songs (“Sean-Nós Nua,” 2002) and revisited classic reggae songs (“Throw Down Your Arms,” 2005). Her last album was “I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss,” released in 2014.

As her music career slowed, Ms. O’Connor, who had been open in the past about her mental health struggles, became an increasingly erratic public figure, often sharing unfiltered opinions and personal details on social media.

In 2007, she revealed on Oprah Winfrey’s television show that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that she had tried to kill herself on her 33rd birthday. Her son Shane died by suicide in 2022, at 17.

Ms. O’Connor said in 2012 that she had been misdiagnosed and that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from a history of child abuse. “Recovery from child abuse is a life’s work,” she told People magazine.

Several years ago she converted to Islam and started using the name Shuhada Sadaqat, though she continued to answer to O’Connor as well.

Complete information on survivors was not immediately available. Ms. O’Connor had two brothers, Joe and John, and one sister, Eimear, as well as three stepsisters and a stepbrother. She wrote in her memoir that she was married four times and that she had four children: three sons, Jake, Shane and Yeshua, and a daughter, Roisin.

In discussing her memoir with The Times in 2021, Ms. O’Connor focused on her decision to tear up the photo of John Paul II as a signal moment in a life of protest and defiance.

“The media was making me out to be crazy because I wasn’t acting like a pop star was supposed to act,” she said. “It seems to me that being a pop star is almost like being in a type of prison. You have to be a good girl.”

Alex Traub contributed reporting.

Ben Sisario covers the music industry. He has been writing for The Times since 1998. More about Ben Sisario Joe Coscarelli is a culture reporter with a focus on popular music, and the author of “Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story.” More about Joe Coscarelli

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (December 23)

The Scandinavian island nation of Iceland celebrates its national patron, St. Thorlak Thorhallsson, on December 23.

Although Iceland's national assembly declared him a saint in 1198, only five years after his death, this “unofficial canonization" did not become an official part of the Church's liturgical calendar until Pope John Paul II confirmed him as the country's patron in January 1984.

Thorlak was born in 1133, less than two centuries after German and Norwegian missionaries began the first effective evangelization of Iceland.

The pagan nation's conversion had involved a dramatic national struggle, as many Icelanders clung fiercely to their ancestral religion despite its customs of idol worship and infanticide.

The Catholic Church in Iceland had solidly established its presence by the time of Thorlak's birth.

However, it had fallen into some disarray, particularly due to local clergy disregarding the rule of clerical celibacy, selling church positions for personal gain, and engaging in other breaches of discipline.

Thorlak's parents, barely able to earn a living as farmers, took note of their son's talents and made sure he received extensive religious instruction from a local priest.

His gifts must have attracted wider notice, since Thorlak received ordination as a deacon before the age of 15 and became a priest at age 18.

Afterward, he left Iceland for a period of time to study theology in France and possibly England.

During this time, he committed himself to living by the monastic rule of St. Augustine, an important part of the Western Church's tradition.

This rule committed a priest not only to celibacy but also to a life in community without personal possessions, after the manner of the apostles in the Church's earliest days.

Inspired by this vision of radical discipleship, he held fast to the discipline of clerical celibacy, even after returning to Iceland and being pressured to marry a wealthy widow.

Instead, he ended up founding a monastery according to the Augustinian rule, which became renowned as a place of prayer and study.

Ten years after the founding of the monastery, Norwegian Archbishop Augustine Erlendsson, another follower of the ancient Augustinian rule of life, called on Thorlak to become bishop of the Icelandic diocese of Skalholt.

Although he was deeply attached to his monastic way of life, Thorlak recognized the pressing need for reform and guidance among the clergy.

As bishop, he was deeply dedicated to implementing the reforms of the Western Church that Pope Gregory VII had begun during the past century, which envisioned not only a strict discipline of clerical celibacy but also the independence of the Church against intrusion by secular authorities.

Thorlak also sought to improve public morality and dared to confront even the most popular and powerful chieftain in Iceland, who was said to have had an extramarital affair with the bishop's own sister.

Understandably, he often longed to put aside these kinds of burdens and return to the monastic life.

Before he could do so, he died on 23 December 1193.

St. Thorlak was undoubtedly Iceland's most popular native saint during the country's Catholic period.

Over 50 churches were dedicated to his memory before Iceland became officially Lutheran during the 16th century. 

Today, St. Thorlak's former diocese of Skalholt is a part of the Diocese of Reykjavik, which was only established in its present form in 1968.

Although the Catholic Church no longer has a large presence in Iceland, celebration of St. Thorlak's feast has persisted as a widespread national custom.

Icelanders celebrate on December 23 as the final day of preparation before Christmas and have maintained the custom of gathering to eat cured fish.

[silvestromedia]

SAINTS FOR MARCH 03

St. Sacer, 7th century. Also called Mo-Sacra, an Irish abbot. He is honored as the founder of the monastery of Saggard, Dublin.

St. Cele-Christ, 728 A.D. Bishop of Leinster, England. His name is from Christicola, meaning “Christwor-shipper.”

St. Lamalisse, 7th century. Scottish hermit. An Island near Arran, Scotland, is named in his honor.

St. Foila, 6th century. Co-patroness of Kil-Faile and Kil-Golgan parishes in Galway, Ireland, the sister of St. Colgan.

St. Katharine Drexel, 1955 A.D. Saint Katharine Drexel, Religious, Born in 1858, into a prominent Philadelphia family, Katharine became imbued with love for God and neighbor. She took an avid interest in the material and spiritual well-being of black and Native Americans. She began by donating money but soon concluded that more was needed - the lacking ingredient was people. Katharine founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People, whose members would work for the betterment of those they were called to serve. From the age of 33 until her death in 1955, she dedicated her life and a fortune of 20 million dollars to this work. In 1894, Mother Drexel took part in opening the first mission school for Indians, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Other schools quickly followed - for Native Americans west of the Mississippi River, and for the blacks in the southern part of the United States. In 1915 she also founded Xavier University in New Orleans. At her death there were more than 500 Sisters teaching in 63 schools throughout the country. Katharine was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 20, 1988.

St Cunegunda she was married to St Henry, the Holy Roman Emperor. She built numerous monasteries and churches, and was known for her care for the poor. After her husband died, she became a nun, devoting herself to caring for her sick sisters, and taking on the humblest tasks. Mar. 3

[christianpureofficial]

Francis won’t be the first pope to visit Papua New Guinea: a look at John Paul II’s trips

St. John Paul II (1920-2005). / Credit: Itto Ogami via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) CNA Staff, Sep 1, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA). Pope Francis will be visiting the country of Papua New Guinea from Sept. 6-9 as part of an 11-day, multi-country papal trip. But he won’t be the first pope to set foot on the South Pacific island nation — Pope John Paul II visited the island twice, in 1984 and 1995. Papua…

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.30 (before 1940)

70 – Titus ends the siege of Jerusalem after destroying Herod's Temple. 1282 – Peter III of Aragon lands at Trapani to intervene in the War of the Sicilian Vespers. 1363 – The five-week Battle of Lake Poyang begins, in which the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders (Chen Youliang and Zhu Yuanzhang) meet to decide who will supplant the Yuan dynasty. 1464 – Pope Paul II succeeds Pope Pius II as the 211th pope. 1574 – Guru Ram Das becomes the Fourth Sikh Guru/Master. 1590 – Tokugawa Ieyasu enters Edo Castle. (Traditional Japanese date: August 1, 1590) 1594 – King James VI of Scotland holds a masque at the baptism of Prince Henry at Stirling Castle. 1721 – The Great Northern War between Sweden and Russia ends in the Treaty of Nystad. 1727 – Anne, eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain, is given the title Princess Royal. 1757 – Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf: Russian force under Field Marshal Stepan Fyodorovich Apraksin beats a smaller Prussian force commanded by Field Marshal Hans von Lehwaldt, during the Seven Years' War. 1791 – HMS Pandora sinks after having run aground on the outer Great Barrier Reef the previous day. 1799 – The entire Dutch fleet is captured by British forces under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby and Admiral Sir Charles Mitchell during the War of the Second Coalition. 1800 – Gabriel Prosser postpones a planned slave rebellion in Richmond, Virginia, but is arrested before he can make it happen. 1813 – First Battle of Kulm: French forces are defeated by an Austrian-Prussian-Russian alliance. 1813 – Creek War: Fort Mims massacre: Creek "Red Sticks" kill over 500 settlers (including over 250 armed militia) in Fort Mims, north of Mobile, Alabama. 1835 – Australia: Melbourne, Victoria is founded. 1836 – The city of Houston is founded by Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen. 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Richmond: Confederates under Edmund Kirby Smith rout Union forces under General William "Bull" Nelson. 1873 – Austrian explorers Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht discover the archipelago of Franz Josef Land in the Arctic Sea. 1896 – Philippine Revolution: After Spanish victory in the Battle of San Juan del Monte, eight provinces in the Philippines are declared under martial law by the Spanish Governor-General Ramón Blanco y Erenas. 1909 – Burgess Shale fossils are discovered by Charles Doolittle Walcott. 1914 – World War I: Germans defeat the Russians in the Battle of Tannenberg. 1916 – Ernest Shackleton completes the rescue of all of his men stranded on Elephant Island in Antarctica. 1917 – Vietnamese prison guards led by Trịnh Văn Cấn mutiny at the Thái Nguyên penitentiary against local French authority. 1918 – Fanni Kaplan shoots and seriously injures Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, which along with the assassination of Bolshevik senior official Moisei Uritsky days earlier, prompts the decree for Red Terror. 1922 – Battle of Dumlupınar: The final battle in the Greco-Turkish War (Turkish War of Independence). 1936 – The RMS Queen Mary wins the Blue Riband by setting the fastest transatlantic crossing.

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT DAMIEN DE VEUSTER (Father Damien) The Patron of People with Leprosy and the Diocese of Honolulu Feast Day: May 10, April 15 (U.S. Episcopal Church)

"Turn all your thoughts and aspirations to heaven. Work hard to secure for yourself a place there for ever."

Damien de Veuster, aka Damien of Moloka'i, was born Jozef 'Jef' de Veuster, on January 3, 1840 in Tremelo, Brabant, Belgium. Josef was the youngest of seven children and fourth son of the Flemish corn merchant Joannes Franciscus ('Frans') De Veuster and his wife Anne-Catherine ('Cato') Wouters. In 1860, he entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Picpus Fathers), and took the name of Damien.

He would pray everyday before an image of St. Francis Xavier, with the desire to be sent on a mission overseas. Three years later, his prayers were answered, and he was destined to Hawaii. After his ordination at the Honolulu Cathedral (now called Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace where his relics held) in 1864, Father Damien was assigned to North Kohala.

At that time, an epidemic of leprosy affected thousands of Hawaiians; the disease was highly contagious and at that time incurable. In 1865, it was decided that all lepers should be confined to the island of Moloka'i, where the living situation was desperate, with lack of food and medicines.

With great courage and faith, Father Damien volunteered for the lepers' colony, aware that he was signing his own death sentence, since Moloka'i was declared the island of no return.

As soon as he arrived, he build the parish of St. Philomena and began assisting the people. His role was not limited to religious practices; he founded schools, established orphanages, organized working farms, built homes and furniture, dressed the wounds, made coffins, and dug graves.

In a letter to his brother Auguste (Father Pamphile), he wrote: 'I make myself a leper with the lepers, to gain all to Jesus Christ.'

In 1884, Damien inadvertently put his foot into boiling water, but he felt nothing: he suddenly discovered that he had contracted the disease.

Damien died of leprosy on April 15, 1889 at the age of 49 in Kalaupapa, Moloka'i, and was buried under the pandanus tree of the cemetery, where he first slept upon his arrival on Moloka'i.

Father Damien was beatified by St. John Paul II at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Koekelberg) in Brussels on June 4, 1995, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009, and declared as the patron of people with leprosy. His major shrine can be found in Leuven, where his bodily relics held, and in Moloka'i, where his hand relics held.

[ldkequipment]

Biggest soccer pitch in the world

A football feast (Qatar World Cup) has just come to an end, and the aftertaste is still lingering. Let’s take a look at the 10 largest Football stadiums in the world. In 4 years (2026), the next World Cup will be held in Aziz, Mexico City. The first game was played at Tech Stadium.

LDK football goal for sale

1 May Day Stadium – 114,000 spectators

The May Day Stadium is located on Lingluo Island in the Datong River in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. This huge stadium can accommodate 114,000 spectators. In addition to its large number of seats, the May Day Stadium includes more than 1,300 rooms and 80 entrances, covering an area of approximately 2,152,782 square feet. The stadium is designed in the shape of a parachute or flower, with a roof made of 16 arches rising 197 feet from the ground.

2 Michigan Stadium – 107,601 spectators

Michigan Stadium in the United States is the second largest football stadium in the world. Nicknamed "The Big House," this architectural marvel is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Michigan Stadium, built in 1927, could only seat 72,000 people. However, the "Big House" added 40,000 seats during renovations in 2010. Although its official seating capacity is 107,601, it hosted 115,109 spectators in 2013 for a football game between the University of Michigan and the University of Notre Dame.

3 Melbourne Cricket Ground – 100,024 spectators

The Melbourne Cricket Ground was established in Melbourne, Australia in 1853 and is also known as "The Ground", or simply "The G". This historic stadium is an important part of Melbourne's history. The stadium is one of the largest cricket stadiums in the world, with a capacity of approximately 100,024 people. Capacity includes 95,000 seats and approximately 5,000 standing room. Today, the G is a popular venue for international cricket matches, tennis, football and rugby.

However, this iconic cricket ground has hosted several sporting events over the centuries, including the 1956 Olympics, the 1992 World Cup final and the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is also a popular destination for international museums and influential figures. Over the years, artists like U2, Paul McCartney, Madonna and Pope John Paul II have performed at the G.

4 Camp Nou - 99.354 spectators

Camp Nou Stadium is located in Barcelona, Spain and was built in 1955. Two years later, in 1957, the Camp Nou was opened to the public and hosted the first match between Barcelona and Warsaw in front of 90,000 spectators. Today, this football stadium is the largest football stadium in Europe, with a capacity of 99,354 spectators. However, before seating and standing restrictions were implemented, Camp Nou held 120,000 people for a single match at the 1982 World Cup.

The stadium is the official home of FC Barcelona and the venue for other sporting events. In addition to hosting the 1982 World Cup, Camp Nou also hosted matches between Spain and Poland during the 1992 Olympic Games.

5 First National Bank Stadium – 94,807 spectators

The First National Bank (FNB) Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa has several nicknames, including Football City. The stadium was also named "The Calabash" because of its resemblance to an African-style jar or gourd. "Calabash" was built from 1986 to 1989 and can only accommodate 80,000 people. However, in 2009, in order to host the World Cup, the stadium's seating capacity was increased to around 95,000.

The South African national football team and South African Premier League team Kaizer Chiefs regularly play games at the FNB Stadium. In the past, Football City has hosted the opening ceremony (and several matches) of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as well as the 1966 and 2013 African Cup of Nations.

6 Wembley Stadium – 90,000 spectators

Wembley Stadium is located in London, England and is also known as England's national stadium. Although it is only the seventh largest football stadium in the world, it is the largest sports venue in the UK with a seating capacity of 90,000. It is also the second largest stadium in Europe, after Camp Nou.

The stadium, which was rebuilt in 2007, is massive and features a sliding roof to protect spectators from bad weather.

Wembley Stadium also has a tall arch in the North Stand that spans approximately 436 feet and can be easily seen across London.

Wembley Stadium

7 Rose Bowl Stadium – 87,565 spectators

The Rose Bowl Stadium is one of the largest stadiums in the United States, located in Pasadena, California. It was built in 1922 and celebrated its 100th birthday in 2022. As the second oldest stadium on the list and a recognized National Historic Landmark, the Rose Bowl has a rich history.

The stadium was the host venue for the 1994 World Cup Final, the 1999 Women's World Cup Final and the 1984 Olympic Games. The Rose Bowl has been expanded over the years and can currently accommodate 87,565 spectators.

8. Azteca Stadium – 87,523 spectators

Located in Mexico City, the Estadio Azteca is one of the largest sports venues in the world, with a current capacity of 87,523 spectators. The Azteca Stadium was built in 1962 and opened in 1966. Course styles from Spain, England, France and Italy influenced the design of the Azteca Stadium. In recent years, the stadium has evolved with the times, adding features such as ground-level suites, jumbo screens and tracking cameras that cover the pitch during games.

In the past, the Azteca Stadium has hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals. In 2026, it will also host World Cup matches. Today it is the headquarters of the Mexican national football team El Tri and local team Club America.

9 Bukit Jalil National Stadium – 87,411 spectators

Avid Football (and sports) fans can find the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Built in 1995, the stadium spans approximately 3,775,150 square feet and includes 20 corporate suites for events and meetings.

This huge stadium has a capacity of 87,411 spectators. The Malaysian national football team often plays here. However, Bukit Jalil is also a multi-purpose venue, having hosted sporting events such as the 1998 Commonwealth Games, the 2003 Premier League Asia Cup and the 2017 Southeast Asian Games. It is also a concert venue, hosting concerts by artists such as Ed Sheeran and JJ Lin.

10 Borg Al Arab Stadium – 86,000 spectators

To find the Borg Al Arab Stadium, sports fans must travel to the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, Egypt. The Borg Al Arab Stadium, also known as the El-Geish Stadium, is one of the largest football stadiums in the world with 86,000 seats. It was originally built as a project during the bid to host the 2010 World Cup and was officially opened to the public in 2006.

Egypt's largest stadium is located just outside Alexandria. The stadium includes a parking lot for 5,000 cars and 200 buses. It is equipped with 136 electronic entrances and can allow 800 people to pass through every minute. The massive stadium also comes with a 39-seat cafeteria and an on-site hotel that can accommodate 200 guests.

The world's largest football stadium is more than just an architectural marvel. These venues bring sports fans together during intense football matches. From Michigan Stadium to Aztec Stadium, avid football fans can gather at stadiums to enjoy the excitement of the game. When you enjoy the wonderful and exciting football games, don't forget to appreciate these football stadiums with different styles.

[brookston]

Holidays 1.11

Holidays

Accession Day (Oman)

Amelia Earhart Day

Art Deco Day

Banana Boat Day

Burning of the Clavie (Tar Barrel; Burghead, Scotland)

Children’s Day (Tunisia)

Cigarettes Are Hazardous To Your Health Day

Cuckoo Dancing Week begins [until 1.17]

Designated Hitter Day

Eugenio Maria de Hostos Day (Puerto Rico)

First Society Day

Flag Day (Norfolk Island)

Girl Hug Boy Day

Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Heritage Treasures Day (UK)

Insulin Day

International Paget’s Awareness Day

International Parity at Work Day

International Thank You Day (Portugal)

Jump in a Puddle and Splash Someone Day

Karen (Kayin) New Year (Myanmar)

Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day

Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Day

Lottery Day

Martha Hughes Cannon Day (Utah)

Missionary Day (Mizoram, India)

National Arkansas Day

National Artist Atang de la Rama (Philippines)

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

National Joey Day

National Marketing Day

National Tara Day

National Unity Day (Nepal)

Nature Reserves and National Parks Day (Russia)

No Longer New Year’s Day

Republic Day (Albania)

Salt Day (French Republic)

Secret Pal Day

Send a Dollar to the Treasury Day

Sir John A. MacDonald Day (Canada)

Smoking May Be Hazardous To Your Health Day

Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day

Tattoo Pride Day

Thank You Card

Unity Day (Nepal)

Use More of Your Mind Day

World Sketchnote Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

German Apples Day (Germany)

Kagami Biraki ("Opening the Mirror," referring to opening a cask of sake; Japan)

Milk Bottle Day

National Hot Toddy Day

National Milk Day

Rhubarb Day

2nd Thursday in January

Family Communications Day [2nd Thursday]

Healthy Weight, Healthy Look Day [2nd Thursday]

Independence & Related Days

Independence Manifesto Day (Morocco)

Kosrae (Constitution Day; Micronesia)

Republic Day (Albania; 1946)

Sabini (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Festivals Beginning January 11, 2024

Autosport International (Birmingham, UK) [thru 1.14]

Easter Seals South Florida Festival of Chefs (Miami, Florida)

Great Wonders Uplift Film Festival (Joplin, Missouri) [thru 1.13]

Restaurant Week (South Carolina) [thru 1.21]

Sunshine Comedy Festival (St. Petersburg, Florida) [thru 1.14]

Feast Days

Al Capone Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Alexander Calder Day (Artology)

Alice Paul (Humanism)

Anastasius of Suppentonia (Roman Catholic)

Banquet of Fairies, Goblins, Pixies, and Elves (Shamanism)

Carmentalia (Old Roman Festival to 9 Muses; also 1.15)

Cyrus (Positivist; Saint)

Feast of Jurturna (Goddess of Fountains & The Underworld; Ancient Rome)

Feast of Sokar (Ancient Egypt)

Georgios Jakobides (Artology)

Hecate’s Day of the Midwives (Pagan)

Hyginus, Pope (Christian; Martyr)

Juturnalia (Prophetic Waters Festival)

Leucius of Brindisi (Roman Catholic)

Mary Slessor (Church of England)

Nora Heysen (Artology)

Old New Year (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Paldo, Taso and Tato (Christian; Saints)

Parmigianino (Artology)

Paulinus II of Aquileia (Christian; Saint)

Riff (Muppetism)

Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Day (Pastafarian)

Theodosius the Cenobiarch (Christian; Saint)

Thomas of Cori (Christian; Saint)

Vitalis of Gaza (Roman Catholic)

William Carter (Christian; Blessed)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Binary Day [111] (3 of 9)

Prime Number Day: 11 [5 of 72]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [5 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [6 of 30]

Premieres

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Trade Organization; 1927)

An American in Paris (Film; 1952)

Aphrodite Means Death, by John Appleby (Novel; 1951)

Atonement (Film; 2008)

Banshee (TV Series; 2013)

Bottles (Happy Harmonies Cartoon; 1936)

The Bucket List (Film; 2008)

Bugs Bunny’s Mad World of Television (WB Cartoon TV Special; 1982)

Chemtrails Over the Country Club, by Lana Del Rey (Song; 2021)

Donald’s Decision (Disney Cartoon; 1942)

Exploding Population or Pull Yourself Together (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 336; 1965)

The First Snow (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1935)

His Girl Friday (Film; 1940)

I Wanna Play House (WB MM Cartoon; 1936)

The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross (TV Series; 1983)

Let’s Blow Up New York or We Bombed’Em at the Palace (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 335; 1965)

The Nut Job (Animated Film; 2014)

On the Basis of Sex (Film; 2019)

Pink Panic (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1967)

Please Please Me, by The Beatles (Song; 1963)

Popcorn (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1931)

The Promised Neverland (Anime TV Series; 2019)

Purple Haze, recorded by Jimi Hendrix (Song; 1967)

The Saint and Mr. Teal (a.k.a. Once More the Saint), by Leslie Charteris (Short Stories; 1933) [Saint #11]

Sex Education (TV Series; 2019)

The Sunshine Makers (Rainbow Parade Cartoon; 1935)

Today’s Name Days

Paulin, Paulinus, Ronan, Theodosius (Austria)

Časlav, Honorat, Neven (Croatia)

Bohdana (Czech Republic)

Hyginus (Denmark)

Osvald, Ove (Estonia)

Kari, Karri (Finland)

Hortense, Pauline (France)

Thomas (Germany)

Theodosios, Theodosis (Greece)

Ágota (Hungary)

Igino (Italy)

Arkādijs, Franciska, Smaida (Latvia)

Audrius, Marcijonas, Stefanija, Vilnė (Lithuania)

Børge, Børre (Norway)

Feliks, Hilary, Honorata, Hygin, Krzesimir, Matylda, Mechtylda (Poland)

Teodosie (Romania)

Malvína (Slovakia)

Higinio (Spain)

Jan, Jannike (Sweden)

Bethany, Darby, Derby, Dermot, Kermit, Kermore, Rhett (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 11 of 2024; 355 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 2 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 17 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Yi-Chou), Day 1 (Jia-Xu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 1 Shevat 5784

Islamic: 29 Jumada II 1445

J Cal: 11 White; Foursday [11 of 30]

Julian: 29 December 2023

Moon: 1%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 11 Moses (1st Month) [Cyrus]

Runic Half Month: Peorth (Womb, Dice Cup) [Day 2 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 22 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 21 of 31)

Calendar Changes

冰月 [Bīngyuè] (Chinese Lunisolar Calendar) [Month 12 of 12] (Ice Month) [Earthly Branch: Ox Month] (End-of-Year Month)

Šəḇāṭ (a.k.a. Shevat, Shvat, Shebat or Sebat) [שְׁבָט] (Hebrew Calendar) [Month 11 of 12]

[bobmccullochny]

History

October 28, 1636 - Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher learning in America, was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was named after John Harvard, a Puritan who donated his library and half of his estate. Distinguished alumni include; Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Henry James, and NAACP founder W.E.B. Du Bois.

October 28, 1846 - The Donner Party departed Illinois heading for California. The group totaled 90 persons, including immigrants, families and businessmen, led by George and Jacob Donner. Tragedy later struck as they became stranded in snow in the Sierras where famine and cannibalism took its toll. There were 48 survivors by the end of their journey in April of 1847.

October 28, 1886 - The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor. The statue was a gift from the people of France commemorating the French-American alliance during the American Revolutionary War. Designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the entire structure stands 300 feet (92.9 meters) tall. The pedestal contains the words: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

October 28, 1918 - The Republic of Czechoslovakia was founded, assembled from three provinces - Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia - which had been part of the former Austro-Hungarian empire.

October 28, 1918 - In the waning days of World War I, mutiny broke out in the German fleet at Kiel. Ships in port ran up the red flag of revolution. The uprising spread to Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck, resulting in a general strike in Berlin which brought the government of Kaiser Wilhelm to a halt.

October 28, 1919 - Prohibition began in the U.S. with the passage of the National Prohibition (Volstead) Act by Congress. Sales of drinks containing more than one half of one percent of alcohol became illegal. Called a "noble experiment" by Herbert Hoover, prohibition last nearly 14 years and became highly profitable for organized crime which manufactured and sold liquor in saloons called speakeasies.

October 28, 1922 - Fascist blackshirts began their "March on Rome" from Naples which resulted in the formation of a dictatorship under Benito Mussolini.

October 28, 1949 - Helen Anderson became the first woman ambassador, appointed by President Harry Truman to be Ambassador to Denmark.

October 28, 1958 - Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, Patriarch of Venice, was elected Pope, taking the title John XXIII. Best known for undertaking the 21st Ecumenical Council (Vatican II).

October 28, 1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis ended with the announcement by Soviet Russia's leader Nikita Khrushchev that his Soviet government was halting construction of missile bases in Cuba and would remove the offensive missiles. President Kennedy immediately accepted the offer then lifted the U.S. naval blockade of Cuba.

October 28, 1971 - The British House of Commons voted 356-244 in favor of joining the European Economic Community.

Birthday - Dr. Jonas Salk (1914-1995) was born in New York City. In 1952, he developed a vaccine for the dreaded childhood disease Polio (poliomyelitis, also known as infantile paralysis). His vaccine reduced deaths from Polio in the U.S. by 95%.

Birthday - Microsoft founder Bill Gates was born in Seattle, Washington, October 28, 1955. In 1975, he co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen, designing software for IBM computers. By 1980, Microsoft became the leading software company for IBM compatible computers. Gates became a billionaire by age 31 and remains one of the world's wealthiest individuals.

[swldx]

Voice of America 0337 17 Apr 2023

6080Khz 0259 17 APR 2023 - VOICE OF AMERICA (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA) in ENGLISH from MOPENG HILL. SINPO = 55333. English, s/on with dead-carrier. @0259z Yankee Doodle int fb news anchored by Tommy McNeil @0300. Sudan’s army appeared to gain the upper hand on Sunday in a bloody power struggle with rival paramilitary forces, pounding their bases with air strikes, witnesses said, and at least 59 civilians were killed including three U.N. workers. At least 32 defence volunteers and 10 soldiers have died in suspected jihadist attacks in insurgency-hit northern Burkina Faso, officials said on Sunday. The army said the death toll was 40 -- eight soldiers and 32 defence volunteers, adding that "at least 50 terrorists" were "neutralised" in the counter-attack, including a number killed in air strikes. In the weeks since Chinese leader Xi Jinping won a third five-year term as president, setting him on course to remain in power for life, leaders and diplomats from around the world have beaten a path to his door. None more so than those from Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron made a high-profile state visit to Beijing last week accompanied by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, just days after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. At the same time, the EU is deeply concerned about a military escalation in the Taiwan Strait. China launched war games just after Macron left. But unlike the U.S., with its military and strategic interest in Taiwan, the Europeans mostly see the island in economic and pro-democracy terms. One hundred and thirty Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released and returned home in a "great Easter exchange", a senior Ukrainian presidential official said on Sunday, the day of Orthodox Easter. Ukrainian and Russian forces have held regular prisoner exchanges during Moscow's invasion, now in its 14th month. Russia holds swathes of territory in Ukraine's east and south. House Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, pledged his committee would hold hearings to investigate the leaks, which included documents about Ukrainian battle plans and U.S. spying efforts in allied nations’ capitals, according to multiple reports. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said that the Senate Intelligence Committee would do the same. Netanyahu says the Israeli government will not scrap plans for judicial overhaul despite the ongoing protests. Pope Francis on Sunday rejected as offensive and unfounded what he called insinuations by the brother of a Vatican schoolgirl who went missing 40 years ago about one of his predecessors as pontiff, Saint John Paul II. @0305z “Daybreak Africa” anchored by male announcer. MLA 30 amplified loop (powered w/8 AA rechargeable batteries ~10.8vdc), Etón e1XM. 100kW, BeamAz 350°, bearing 85°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 14087KM from transmitter at Mopeng Hill. Local time: 2159.

[gamegill]

Pope seeks release of Cubans arrests during 2021 protests

Comment on this story Comment HAVANA — Pope Francis hopes Cuban authorities will release and grant amnesty to people arrested and sentenced after the historic protests that took place in 2021, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, who traveled to the island as the pontiff’s special envoy, said Wednesday. During an act at the University of Havana to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s…

[apsny-news]

Pope seeks release of Cubans arrests during 2021 protests

Comment on this story Comment HAVANA — Pope Francis hopes Cuban authorities will release and grant amnesty to people arrested and sentenced after the historic protests that took place in 2021, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, who traveled to the island as the pontiff’s special envoy, said Wednesday. During an act at the University of Havana to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s…

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (December 23)

The Scandinavian island nation of Iceland celebrates its national patron, St. Thorlak Thorhallsson, on December 23.

Although Iceland's national assembly declared him a saint in 1198, only five years after his death, this “unofficial” canonization did not become an official part of the Church's liturgical calendar until Pope John Paul II confirmed him as the country's patron in January 1984.

Thorlak was born in 1133, less than two centuries after German and Norwegian missionaries began the first effective evangelization of Iceland.

The pagan nation's conversion had involved a dramatic national struggle, as many Icelanders clung fiercely to their ancestral religion despite its customs of idol worship and infanticide.

The Catholic Church in Iceland had solidly established its presence by the time of Thorlak's birth.

However, it had fallen into some disarray, particularly due to local clergy disregarding the rule of clerical celibacy, selling church positions for personal gain, and engaging in other breaches of discipline.

Thorlak's parents, barely able to earn a living as farmers, took note of their son's talents and made sure he received extensive religious instruction from a local priest.

His gifts must have attracted wider notice, since Thorlak received ordination as a deacon before the age of 15 and became a priest at age 18.

Afterward, he left Iceland for a period of time to study theology in France and possibly England.

During this time, he committed himself to living by the monastic rule of St. Augustine, an important part of the Western Church's tradition.

This rule committed a priest not only to celibacy but also to a life in community without personal possessions, after the manner of the apostles in the Church's earliest days.

Inspired by this vision of radical discipleship, he held fast to the discipline of clerical celibacy, even after returning to Iceland and being pressured to marry a wealthy widow.

Instead, he ended up founding a monastery according to the Augustinian rule, which became renowned as a place of prayer and study.

Ten years after the founding of the monastery, the Norwegian Archbishop Augustine Erlendsson, another follower of the ancient Augustinian rule of life, called on Thorlak to become bishop of the Icelandic diocese of Skalholt.

Although he was deeply attached to his monastic way of life, Thorlak recognized the pressing need for reform and guidance among the clergy.

As a bishop, he was deeply dedicated to implementing the reforms of the Western Church that Pope Gregory VII had begun during the past century, which envisioned not only a strict discipline of clerical celibacy but also the independence of the Church against intrusion by secular authorities.

Thorlak also sought to improve public morality and dared to confront even the most popular and powerful chieftain in Iceland, who was said to have had an extramarital affair with the bishop's own sister.

Understandably, he often longed to put aside these kinds of burdens and return to the monastic life.

Before he could do so, he died on 23 December 1193.

St. Thorlak was undoubtedly Iceland's most popular native saint during the country's Catholic period.

Over 50 churches were dedicated to his memory before Iceland became officially Lutheran during the 16th century. 

Today, St. Thorlak's former diocese of Skalholt is a part of the Diocese of Reykjavik, which was only established in its present form in 1968.

Although the Catholic Church no longer has a large presence in Iceland, celebration of St. Thorlak's feast has persisted as a widespread national custom.

Icelanders celebrate on December 23 as the final day of preparation before Christmas and have maintained the custom of gathering to eat cured fish.

[silvestromedia]

Saint of the day August 14

ST. MAXIMILIAN M. KOLBE, PRIEST OF THE ORDER OF THE FRIARS MINOR CONVENTUAL AND MARTYR, This Polish Conventual Franciscan, whose feast day is August 14, was a missionary in Japan before returning to a Poland ravaged by war. Imprisoned at Auschwitz in 1941, he offered to take the place of a fellow prisoner condemned to death. John Paul II canonized him as a “martyr of charity.” https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/08/14/st--maximilian-m--kolbe---priest-of-the-order--of-the-friars-min.html

St. Otranto Martyrs, Antonio Primaldo was martyred in 1480 by Ottoman invaders after he refused along with approximately 800 others, to convert to Islam. Primaldo elevated to sainthood in a ceremony on May 12, 2013 by Pope Francis. Aug. 14 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrs_of_Otranto

St. Fachanan. This saint's feast is observed liturgically throughout all Ireland and he is patron of the diocese of Ross, where he was probably the first bishop. He was born at Tulachteann, was one of the pupils of St. Ita, and founded the monastery of Molana on an island in the Blackwater, near Youghal. But his great achievement was the establishment of the monastic school of Ross, at what is now Rosscarbery, in county Cork, one of the most famous schools of Ireland, which flourished for three hundred years and survived in some form until the coming of the Normans. Fachanan (Fachtna) suffered for a time from blindness, from which he recovered at the intercession of St. Ita's sister, who was about to give birth to St. Mochoemog. St. Fachanan was revered as a "wise and upright man", with a great gift for preaching; St. Cuimin of Connor said of him that he was "generous and steadfast, fond of preaching to the people and saying nothing that was base or displeasing to God". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Fachanan

St. Werenfrid, 760 A.D. Benedictine missionary. From England, he journeyed to become an assistant to St. Willibrord in his labors to convert the Frisians. He died at Arnhem, in the Netherlands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werenfried_of_Elst

ST. EUSEBIUS, ROMAN, FOUNDER OF THE HOMONYMOUS CHURCH ON THE ESQUILINO St. Eusebius of Rome, Pope, The rigorist controversy, whether the church should readmit the lapsed, continued. Eusebius believed that the lapsed could be reconsiled to the church after they had done penance, and his opponent, Anaclitus, believed that the lapsed were outside the church and could not be reconsiled to the church https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius_of_Rome

[thehorrortree]

Top 6 Awful Places on the Earth to Inspire Your Horror Creation A tiny village in Japan populated by dolls. A hill covered with huge crosses. Blood waterfall in East Antarctica. Coffins hung on the cliff side. All these places are not imagined by Stephen King or Clive Barker. They actually exist. Moreover, they are open for tourists.  In this article, we will tell you about 6 awful places that can make your blood creep. They both attract and horrify, and will definitely inspire your horror creation. That's what nightmares and dreamscapes are based on. Nagoro Doll Village, Japan If you have ever travelled through small towns in Japan, you won't be surprised to see typical scenes of rural life. Fishermen, children running to school, elderly couples resting on wooden benches near their houses. All that touches your heart, unless you realise that all these people are dolls. Nagoro Doll Village is located in the picturesque Iya Valley on the island of Shikoku off the beaten path. It attracts tourists with magnificent views of untouched nature and the unhurried pace. As the population of this village is shrinking, dolls are taking the place of its inhabitants. An elderly resident, Tsukimi Ayano started to replace the people who left or died with their life-sized replicas. The dolls outnumber humans by a ratio of 10 to 1, and their number keeps growing. Ayano dreams of making the village full of life again. Until then she is fighting loneliness in such an unusual and creepy way. Walking around Nagoro, you can see life-sized dolls in the most unexpected places like closed classrooms or the old town hall, in the street or at a bus stop, in the park or even in the cemetery. Tsukimi Ayano says that different locations remind her of people who lived here before. Who knows, maybe someday dolls will finally replace all residents of Nagoro. Hill of Crosses, Lithuania [caption id="attachment_628656" align="alignleft" width="204"] Photo by Tom Podmore on Unsplash[/caption] Seven miles from the city of Šiauliai, Lithuania, there is the Hill of Crosses, an amazing and gloomy site of pilgrimage. You may take it for a cemetery, but it is an object of cultural heritage. The history of the Hill of Crosses is connected with wars and uprisings. There are many legends about it, but the real origin is still unknown. The Hill is covered with crosses and crucifixes of various shapes and sizes. In the middle of the XIX century, there were several dozen of them, and much more a hundred years later. Today, their estimated number is around 50,000. In 1993, Pope John Paul II donated the crucifix during his visit to Lithuania. Clearly, a lot of scary stories about processions of the dead and visions of Saints are associated with the Hill of Crosses. Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital, Germany If you like to tickle your nerves with stories about gloomy abandoned hospitals, here is one of them.  Beelitz-Heilstätten hospital complex strikes the imagination with its size. it includes more than 60 buildings and is justly in the TOP 10 abandoned places and the ruins of modern architecture. Initially, the site was divided in two parts and was planned as a sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis. Many seriously ill men and women spent their last days there. During the First World War, it was used as a military hospital where wounded soldiers were nursed, including a young soldier named Adolf Hitler. After the war, the hospital complex got abandoned, although several buildings are still used today. Over time, Beelitz-Heilstätten hospital fell into ruin and now looks like one of the filming locations for “Silent Hill” or “American Horror Story”. Even though it is forbidden to get inside, there are still illegal visitors who dare to walk around the hospital buried in verdure. Blood Falls, Antarctica The Taylor Glacier or Blood Falls is like something out of a horror movie. A blood-red waterfall pours out of the glacier, which has acquired its unusual colour due to iron oxides in the water.

It's a real natural wonder, fascinating and chilling.  The lake that feeds Blood Falls is covered with 1,300 ft of ice. It was discovered by Australian geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor during his expedition to McMurdo Dry Valleys in 1911. This discovery could have been his last, as a year later he nearly died during a long expedition. Taylor's party was due to be picked up by the Terra Nova supply ship in January, 1912, but the ship could not reach them through the ice. Fortunately, the scientists were rescued in February and they left Antarctica in March, 1912. Hanging Coffins, Philippines In the Philippines, you can see hanging coffins nailed to the cliff high above the ground. Residents of Sagada are widely known for the tradition of burying their dead in coffins hung on the sides of cliffs rather than traditional burial in cemeteries. Such a burial practice may seem creepy, but it is quite common on the island of Luzon. It's an ancient ritual that is also widespread in other Asian countries. For example, hanging coffins were found in China, Tibet and Indonesia. One of the earliest hanging coffins found is about 2,500 years old. Presumably, it belongs to one of the Bo people (ethnic minority group in China). One of the common beliefs is that burying a person in a hanging coffin brings him closer to his ancestral spirits and allows him to keep an eye on his family. However, there is a more pragmatic reason. Land shortage made them save the land for agricultural purposes. Anyway, today you can see hundreds of wooden coffins tied or nailed to the sides of cliffs and caves in the Philippines. Sometimes, relatives hang a chair next to the hanging coffin, where the deceased was seated immediately after death. That is also a part of the funeral tradition.  [caption id="attachment_628659" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Photo by Fern M. Lomibao on Unsplash[/caption] The Stanley Hotel, Colorado, USA According to the research conducted by Staffbe, an IT outstaffing company, and Zippia, the main causes of workplace stress are workload (39%) and interpersonal issues (31%). But if you worked in the Stanley Hotel, Colorado, you would also have to deal with mysticism, the problem of a completely different kind.  Probably, all the fans of Stephen King know about this hotel. Its history and atmosphere inspired him to create the famous Overlook Hotel from “The Shining”. You will hardly meet creepy twin girls here, but hotel guests believe it's haunted. In 1911, an accident occurred in room 217. A maid was injured by an explosion. She broke both legs, but survived. Nevertheless, stories about her ghost still circulate in the Stanley Hotel.  The hotel guests regularly report ghost sightings of Flora, the wife of the founder of the hotel Freelan Oscar Stanley. The Stanley Hotel offers spiritualistic tours all year long. You can try to communicate with spirits or even consult a psychic medium. If you see beauty in the scariest things and admire most haunted places in the world, we hope you enjoyed reading this article. Go ahead to visit all of them at your own risk!