Today in London

“ I naturally gravitated to London, the great cesspool” -Sherlock Holmes

[prettypthings]

[rookiemag]

ATTENTION, ROOKIES EVERYWHERE! We’re putting together a gallery of get-well cards for Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old education activist who was shot by the Taliban in Pakistan. Your card can be drawn, collaged, just written or typed out, MS PAINT-ed, written on a store-bought card and scanned, whatever! Email it to [email protected] (in your email, tell us your first name and where you live). DEADLINE: Thursday, 10/18, at noon EST. Let’s let Malala know that we’re all pulling for her.

Meanwhile, watch this video and be in awe of her.

[todayinlondon]

In Liverpool Street station, German orphan statues turn to beer and coffee. They must be starting college.  

[todayinlondon]

Along Brick Lane, a building has an existential crisis.  

[todayinlondon]

Londoners are so classy and appreciative of the arts, even their graffiti is composed of great literary quotes:  “If music be the food of love, play on”  _William Shakespeare

Seen at the Tower of London 

[todayinlondon]

Technically…Last night in Lonon

On Brick Road, the street lined with Indian restaurants, in a particularly psychedelic one called Cinnamon, a drunken Irishmen assaulted  amused other diners.  See Transcript below:

"Can I just say one thing, god bless America and god bless Barack Obama. Obamas going to win right?" x7 (always said while leaning far into my bubble of personal space)  

"Irish men have the best lookin asses we have the best asses would you agree?" (proceeds to stand up and grabs his behind repeating himself several times as all are purposely not looking)  

"Irishmen have sexy accents don’t they?"

(Me: I don’t know I can never understand a damn thing they’re saying)  

"Do you know many Irishmen?"   

"All of the presidents have been Irish -why? Why were all of the presidents Irish?" 

(Yep…ALL of them. I heard George Washington came to America during the potato famine)  

"Obamas going to win right?”  x7  

"Irishmen built America. Half of all Americans are Irish. ITS TRUE."  

"Breaks into Irish singing. Announces he will river dance for us. River dances in middle of the Indian restaurant."   

"I'm a leprechaun I have a farm. A weeee.......I'm a leprechaun."   

-Sean McKennedy Reagan O’bama (he was named after all of the Irish presidents. Especially O’Bama, who he believes is the most Irish of them all….)  

And Aleigha’s priceless quote of the night:  

"it must be the worst thing to be the shy best friend of the beligerant drunk."

-Aleigha 

The one  on the right. His age made this amusing and not terrifying.

[cptwinniethepooh]

In a radnom window in London, somewhere close to the British Museum.

[todayinlondon]

It’s a good day for feminism. Memorial to working women of WWII, depicting various coats and tools to represent all the jobs they took up while the men were away. And apparently, never left, as this presumed stay-at-home dad goes by pushing a baby stroller.

[mudblood-watson]

(photo is from Harry Potter wiki)

I am ashamed I never thought about this before. His name would have to change for different languages. 

[merlosaurusunactive]

*sniggers*

Trevor…

[theheroheart]

Will forever love that Norwegian just went fuck it and changed the meaning more than anyone else. But “Jeg er Lord Voldemort” just doesn’t anagram well.

[jennaypennay]

MUGGLES WILL BOW BEFORE THE HORROR THAT IS MARK NEELSTIN

[we-are-all-sherlocked-blog]

Did anyone notice the Czech translation is “Me Voldemort.”

Me Voldemort. No like mudblood. Kill mudblood. Voldemort like.

[eaglenebula-blog]

Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Romeo. Yuuup. It’s good to be Danish.

[thesweetpianowritingdownmylife]

THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY

[dutchbag]

I’m sorry but how could you take Voldemort seriously knowing his name was

Trevor.

[shorm]

ELVIS

[thatisnotfeminism]

i’m guessing they just had to skip this part in the chinese translation. 

[helloooosweetie-blog]

I’ve been laughing at this for the past 10 minutes. 

[explore-blog]

So clever – the human body visualized as a subway map by designer Sam Loman, a fine addition to these visual metaphors using he London Tube map.

Also see these vintage illustrations envisioning the body as a machine.

[todayinlondon]

Seen on an add on a bus stop along Great Dover Street: Burgeoning street artists make highly politicized statements on important social issues. In case it's blurry, the graffiti says "Vaseline is stupid" 

[explore-blog]

London, reflected in puddles – beautiful work by photographer Gavin Hammond

[theseyoungarchies]

London, 1940s, in hi-res color: These photographs were taken using Kodachrome film by Chalmers Butterfield, probably in 1949.

[cassjaytuck]

Oh, wow.

[the-lonely-scottish-guy-deactiv]

amazing

[todayinlondon]

For now, last piece on the British Museum- I promise (it was just such a treasure trove, pun half-intended).

Here is something you’ll want to pick up from the gift shop to commemorate your time looking at all the ancient history stuff…a teaspoon that reminds you to watch your step on March 15th. A must have for the 44th century dictator and tea enthusiast in your life. 

[todayinlondon]

The British Museum: Disc engraved with unreadable “magic names and symbols” for the purpose of “divine beings unveiling the secrets of the universe.” Obligatory Doctor Who geek reference required here, it definitely says “Hello, Sweety” followed by coordinates. 

[todayinlondon]

Ambiguous signage: Seen on a standard double-decker bus: Break Glass To Open

The way I see it, you can take this one of two ways-- there is no "in case of emergency" stipulation here, (we Americans need things spelled out or our fingers start twitching to dial our lawyers) so apparently if its a little warm on the bus and you fancy some fresh air, it is entirely justified to smash hulk-like through the glass (more logistics on that in a moment). Just do what the sticker says. Or maybe, it is an emergency and the bus driver has gone into cardiac arrest just as the bus caught fire and smashed into a gas tanker truck. To get out break glass....how exactly?

The only option seems to be to keep calm, and grab the nearest passenger, bashing them into the glass until it breaks. But why not just use the doors? How will the handicapped get out the window? Public Transportation safety rating: C-

[todayinlondon]

Alternative interpretation: Non-historians disagree on the correct interpretation of this image from the walls of the Parthenon, it could also be an image of public “Horse Shaming”-- an ancient Greek forerunner to the bizarre sociological phenomenon of online  “Dog Shaming” memes in our modern culture.