![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
badly_knittedsheenianni’s prompt ‘Any, any, You said you needed me and then you left’, at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
threesentenceficathon.![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
euromathjobs_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 04:00 pm)euromathjobs_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 03:39 pm)euromathjobs_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 03:38 pm)euromathjobs_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 03:37 pm)euromathjobs_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 03:37 pm)euromathjobs_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 03:36 pm)euromathjobs_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 03:35 pm)euromathjobs_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 03:34 pm)atlas_obscura_places_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 10:00 am)
In Towson, Maryland, the Ma and Pa Overpass once carried trains from the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad right over York Road. The bridge was a steel plate girder design, rebuilt in 1900 by the Baltimore & Lehigh Railroad to replace an earlier narrow-gauge line. While the bridge itself is long gone, its original stone supports are still standing today, offering a glimpse into the area’s railroading past. This overpass helped connect Baltimore and York, Pennsylvania, along a twisting 77-mile route that was known for being one of the most scenic in the region. The railroad shut down in Maryland in June 1958 as traffic declined and the infrastructure aged, and the overpass was taken down in 1959. A plaque was added in 1999 by Historic Towson, Inc. to recognize the site’s history.
The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad—better known as the “Ma and Pa”—was famous for its winding route through farmland, hills, and small towns. It was created in 1901 from a merger of smaller railroads, including the Baltimore & Lehigh. With sharp curves and steep grades, it offered a slower but more personal travel experience. The line carried both passengers and freight for many years, but as cars and highways took over, business dropped off. Passenger trains stopped running in 1954, and freight service didn’t last much longer. Today, while most of the line is gone, parts of it have been turned into trails and local landmarks, keeping the memory of the Ma and Pa alive.
atlas_obscura_places_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 09:00 am)
If you leave Berlin via the AVUS and pass the former border checkpoint Dreilinden, you can catch a glimpse of the object for only a brief moment—only those who know it is still there will notice it. On the left, directly at the city limits and half hidden by a barrier meant to shield the residents of Kleinmachnow from the highway’s noise, stands a strange special-purpose vehicle on a pedestal, painted pink. It is a silent and now almost forgotten witness of the Cold War.
In the past, before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, as soon as you had endured the elaborate and time-consuming transit controls by the GDR border troops, you were immediately reminded of who was in charge in the GDR by a Soviet-made tank placed on a pedestal along the transit route. The gun barrel of the Stalin tank, type IS2, was strictly aimed at West Berlin—a reminder of the Red Army’s victory, a demonstration of military strength and the superiority of socialist ideology, as well as a deliberate threat and provocation.
The political leadership of the GDR claimed that this tank was among the first to reach Berlin in 1945 and thus ended World War II. As early as 1945, a monument was erected in honor of the fallen soldiers of General Leljuschenko’s tank army on Potsdamer Chaussee, the former Reichsstraße 1 between Aachen and Königsberg and in the American Sector of West Berlin. Due to protests and acts of vandalism by West Berliners during the Berlin Blockade 1948 and East Berlin uprising on 17.6.1953, the tank monument was relocated twice and finally, in 1969, placed in a prominent position on the left side of the outbound highway on GDR territory.
On November 9, 1989, everything changed—the Wall fell. As part of the Two Plus Four Agreement, the Soviet Army dismantled the tank on December 20, 1990, leaving only the pedestal behind.
In 1992, the artist and sculptor Eckardt Haisch (born 1941) placed a pink-painted Soviet-made snow loader, type S-4M, on the pedestal as a reminder of the peaceful revolution of 1989. Choosing the snow loader might be a funny reference to political tawing after the long, frozen conflict between East and West. The installation is now a protected monument.
In the early 1990s, with the fall of the Iron Curtain, militaristic symbols of Soviet power were also ironically reinterpreted and altered in other places. For example, after the withdrawal of the Red Army, a student in Prague painted a tank pink in the city center.
It is tragic that today, once again, there is rearmament and saber-rattling. What we need again today, are pink tanks that shoot only marshmallows.
larryhammer Nov. 24th, 2025 07:46 am)
chopwood_carrywater_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 02:04 pm)
Hi, all, and happy Monday!
I’m in the UK and yes, I am supposed to be on vacation, but I did want to send out just a couple of things that couldn’t wait until next week. I promise after this I’ll go have tea and scones.
First, I want to say something in light of the terrible economy we’re experiencing. I know a lot of you are struggling right now, so I want to remind you that this newsletter is available for free to all. NOTHING is behind a paywall. Ever. Ever. Ever. So if you’re feeling stretched please switch to a free subscription. You won’t miss anything. I want YOU more than I want your money. Don’t forget it.
And now a few action items:
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) has alerted the House Republican leadership that he will file a discharge petition to force a vote on a Russia sanctions bill. He is VERY unhappy with Trump’s concessions to Russia, and he’s not the only Republican to be so. There’s a real chance this petition could achieve 218 votes, but we need to make some noise about it.
Call your House rep and say:
My name is _____ and I’m a constituent from [zip.] I’m calling to ask the Congressmember to sign on to Rep. Fitzpatrick’s discharge petition that would force sanctions on Russia. Trump’s so-called peace plan, which rewards Russia with new territory, is unacceptable. Will the Congressmember sign the discharge petition? Thanks.
And while you have them on the phone, consider adding this:
I also understand that House Democrats have unveiled a bill that would cut off funding for U.S. operations in or against Venezuela. The legislation, led by Rep. Seth Moulton, would bar the Trump administration from spending money on military campaigns targeting Venezuela unless lawmakers approve an Authorization for Use of Military Force. I want the Congressmember to support it. Thanks.
As you’ve likely heard, the House voted unanimously last week to claw back language in the government funding bill that could award some GOP senators hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for having their phone records unknowingly obtained by former special counsel Jack Smith. But Majority Leader Thune is on the fence about bringing the bill to a vote in the Senate.
Let’s call our Senators and say:
My name is ______ and I’m a constituent from [zip]. Now that the House has voted unanimously to claw back language in the government funding bill that could award some GOP senators hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, I expect the Senate to pass the same bill right away. That provision is an outrage and should never have been snuck into the bill. Thanks.
[H/T subscriber Holly S]
DHS has expanded a federal database called SAVE, which is now being used to verify voter eligibility. The problem is that SAVE contains incomplete and outdated information, and election experts agree that using it for voter verification risks wrongly flagging eligible voters, especially naturalized citizens and mixed-status families.
To make things worse, DHS put these changes into effect months before informing the public. A lawsuit finally forced them to release the required notice, and now they’re asking for public comments, but only until Monday, December 1 at 10:59 p.m. CT.
The Texas Civil Rights Project created an easy guide that explains what’s happening, why it matters, and how to submit a comment that amplifies your voice. Here it is.
Once you’ve read it you can submit comments HERE.
The awesome folks at Network NOVA have put together a google doc filled with upcoming Aftyn Behn phonebanks. Now that MTG has announced she’s leaving in January (whoooo!) we are creeping closer and closer to a tie in the House. We’re not there yet, but consider this:
WE HAVE TO TRY TO FLIP THIS SEAT! So please, grab a shift if you possibly can. Or make a donation to Aftyn’s campaign here.
OK. I’m going to go back to endeavoring to vacation now.
Talk soon!
Jess
siderea and PBS Terraatlas_obscura_places_feed Nov. 24th, 2025 08:00 am)
Nordnes is a peninsula, neighborhood, and park west of the center of Bergen. Damages from fires and WWII are reasons behind the mixture of quaint old world wooden homes and modern architecture in the neighborhood.
Walking out to the end of the peninsula you can catch panoramic views of Vågen (bay) and the surrounding fjords. On the way you may catch local gems like Heksestein (Witch Stone) and the National Aquarium.
The Totempæl is located near a fork in the park walking path. It was carved by American artist Duane Pasco (1932-2024). While totem poles serve as ceremonial objects for many Indigenous people, this totem pole is an artistic structure that represents the relationship between the sister cities of Bergen and Seattle.
When fishing became a major industry in Washington state, many Norwegian immigrants settled in the Seattle region. Seattle and Bergen became sister cities in 1967. In the 1970's Seattle dedicated Bergen Place Park to the Norwegian King and Seattle sent Pasco's Totempæl as a 900th anniversary gift.
badly_knitted - Ficlet: There And Gonemisfitmonarchy in fandomcalendar - Scum Villain: The Cherry On Top Week!euromathjobs_feed - Assistant Professor Positions (Financial Mathematics and Mathematics of Imaging/Image reconstructioneuromathjobs_feed - Post-doctoral position (2 years) in Geometric Analysiseuromathjobs_feed - Postdoctoral Research Associate in Stochastic Analysiseuromathjobs_feed - Postdoctoral Research Associate in Stochastic Analysiseuromathjobs_feed - Associate Professorship (or Professorship) of Complex Systemseuromathjobs_feed - PhD position in Applied Analysiseuromathjobs_feed - Statistician (Technical Administrative Personnel)euromathjobs_feed - Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Mathematics x2, UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics, Permanentmarycatelli in books - Orangespiralsheep - In which there are extremely fashionable abbessesatlas_obscura_places_feed - Ma & Pass Overpass in Towson, Marylandatlas_obscura_places_feed - Tank Monument Kleinmachnow in Kleinmachnow, Germanylarryhammer - “in the company of strangers / in the quiet of the railway station / runnin’ scared laying low”prettygoodword - canoechopwood_carrywater_feed - Chop Wood, Carry Water 11/24reblogarythm - What I saw on the web on 2025.11.23chickenfeet - Strauss' Intermezzo on Blu-rayatlas_obscura_places_feed - Nordnes Totem Pole in Bergen, Norway
