Kids travel gift: Junior “crumpled” city maps

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Last year we reported on Italian designer Emanuele Pizzolorusso’s crumpled city maps, a delightful series of maps made out of tough waterproof material. Pizzolorusso’s maps can withstand crumpling and crushing. They fit in a little pouch and are easily transportable. They are a wonderfully fanciful yet solidly utilitarian tool for tourists.

Pizzolorusso, working with Berlin-based illustrator Alvvino, has just released a series of maps for children, colorful and vibrant objects containing main attractions as well as “not-to-be-missed” junior locations of particular interest to younger tourists. In addition to illustrating the maps, Alvvino is also responsible for their packaging. See the Berlin version of the Junior map above. (Note that the superimposed figures and monuments are not included.)

Thus far, junior maps to Amsterdam, Berlin, London, New York, and Paris have been released. Additional cities will follow.

Currently, Junior crumpled maps can be purchased online through the Palomar shop for €10 ($13.25) apiece.

Early human ancestor on display at London’s Natural History Museum

by Sean McLachlan on

The Natural History Museum in London has put an important fossil of one of our species’ early ancestors on display.

Australopithecus sediba lived 1.98 million years ago in what is now South Africa. It’s thought by some scientists to be a transition species between the more ape-like Australopithecines and the later, more human-like genus Homo. While it has the small brain size of the Australopithecines (although larger than most), its jaw and body look more like the Homo species. The hands are especially well-formed and it may have used tools.

Two exact replicas of the most complete Australopithecus sediba skeletons were recently donated to the museum by the University of the Witwatersrand and the Government of the Republic of South Africa. At the moment only one skull is on public view. Hopefully the full skeletons will go on display soon. It’s the first public exhibition of this species in the UK.

These are exciting times in paleontology. New human ancestors are unearthed almost yearly, and more and more of our family tree is being pieced together. At the same time, scientists are being forced to defend and explain their field of study to Creationists, who have already made up their minds that science and religion are automatically enemies.

The most impressive display of human evolution I’ve ever seen was at the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa. It has a huge collection of fossil hominids, including Lucy, an Australopithecus afarensis who lived in Ethiopia 3.2 million years ago. One room shows the precursors to modern humans arranged in chronological order to show how primate-like traits gradually gave way to a more human appearance. This is also done with other animals like the horse and hippo. Anyone looking, really looking, at these displays will have a hard time dismissing evolution as some sort of conspiracy on the part of Godless scientists, many of whom are actually devout Christians.

Photo courtesy Brett Eloff.

First ever Shopping on the Rails event will take place aboard the Orient-Express’ British Pullman train this holiday

by Jessica Festa on

Instead of fighting your way through crowded department stores and chaotic shopping centers this holiday, why not do your shopping aboard a luxurious, festively decorated train? On December 1, 2011, the first ever Shopping on the Rails event will take place on board the Orient-Express’ British Pullman train.

A few of the fine British retailers that have been invited to participate in the event include:

  • Harrods– iconic British landmark store with 330 departments of top quality merchandise
  • Brora– fine Scottish cashmere and beautiful clothing
  • Ettinger– handcrafted luxury leather goods and accessories
  • Holland and Holland– known for their artistic and well-crafted guns, they offer clothing, accessories, and technical products
  • Elemis– the leading luxury British spa and skincare brand since 1989

The price for the Shopping on the Rails holiday event is $470 and includes round trip transfer to and from Victoria Station in London, a 4-course lunch with Champagne and half a bottle of wine per person, and the chance to peruse and purchase luxury goods from top retailers. The dress code is “smart daywear” and passengers are asked not to wear jeans and sneakers.

For more information or to make a reservation, click here.

London’s Temple of Mithras is moving back to its original location

by Sean McLachlan on


London got its start as the Roman city of Londinium in the first century AD. Back then the so-called “mystery religions” were very popular in the Roman Empire. These cults, with their personal connections to the divine and secret rites, gave believers a more personal experience than the giant temples to Jupiter, Mars, and the rest of the standard pantheon. One of the most popular mystery religions was that of Mithras, an eastern deity whose worship appears to have been open only to men, mainly soldiers.

Since Mithraic rites were secret, not much is known about their beliefs, but there are many similarities between Mithraism and Christianity, such as Mithras being born on December 25 to a virgin, and having died and been resurrected for the salvation of mankind. Both faiths practiced baptism and communal meals. The similarities were so numerous that early Christian writers claimed the older religion was invented by the Devil as a cheap imitation of Christianity before Jesus was even born!

Temples to Mithras, called mithraea, have been found all over the Roman Empire, including one in the heart of London. The mithraeum in Roman London was discovered in 1952 and moved 90 meters away and set up on Queen Victoria St. The restoration wasn’t a completely accurate one. One major problem was that it was put on a podium when mithraea were generally underground.

Now the site has been bought by Bloomberg LP, which plans to build its European headquarters there. Bloomberg LP is going to dismantle the temple and put it back in its original location, according to a press release from the Museum of London Archaeology. The temple will be dismantled starting on November 21 and the corporation says the new reconstruction will be much more accurate. There’s no word yet on when this whole project will be completed. Such a large and delicate process will probably take several years.

Electric blue lobster found in London fish market

by Elizabeth Seward on

While dark blue is the typical color for the European lobster (while alive), an electric blue lobster, on the other hand, is a bit of a rarity. Found by Rex Goldsmith at the Billingsgate Fish Market in London, this lobster was “too nice to put in a pot and boil”, according to Goldsmith. Instead, he contacted crustacean scientist, Paul Clark, at the Natural History Museum. Clark confirmed the the lobster is common (European) in species, but its color is being seen as a rare genetic variant. The specimen was sent to and will remain at the London Aquarium. After it has completed its quarantine, the lobster is set to stay on display in the aquarium, hopefully for years to come. So, for all of you lobster-lovers in London–you’re probably going to want to check this exhibit out.