Technology that allows us to travel time doesn't exist, but it might be possible according to theory. Famous scientist Albert Einstein theorized that time is relative depending how fast you travel. For example, the faster you move in space, the slower you move in time. But to travel a significant amount of time, you'd need to travel close to the speed of light...
What is this crazy concrete UFO doing on a mountaintop? It is not an unidentified flying object that was left with its parking brake on in the heart of the Balkan Mountains. It is a mysterious historical monument, called Buzludzha. It is three hours drive from Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital city, on potholed roads. The perplexing structure can be seen for miles, inspiring anxious excitement in those who lay eyes upon it for the first time. On a 230 feet high tower behind the saucer is a red star, the symbol for communism.
Completed in 1981, it is the largest communist structure in Bulgaria. It is 4,698 feet up the Buzludzha peak at the end of the Central Balkan Mountains. It was built to commemorate the creation of the Bulgarian Communist Party. Construction began in 1974 with a cost of $35 million of today’s dollars. They blasted 9 feet of rock off the mountain’s peak to create the platform for the monument. The inside of this historical national treasure are 5,500 square feet of glass mosaics. Armed guards sit outside to ward off curious explorers, making getting inside incredibly difficult.
When communism fell in 1989, the building was abandoned. Since then, much of the building has been vandalizes, with most of the mosaics defaced. The modern Bulgarian government has work underway to repair and de-politicize the building, in the hopes of it regaining its former glory one day in a post-communist world.
While hundreds of abandoned communist memorials are scattered all over the Balkans, few hold quite as much intrigue as the Buzludzha monument.
Why are elderly women in Japan trying to get thrown into prison on purpose? Poverty, loneliness, or something else? Watch this video to find out the reason for this curious phenomenon!
Japan is going through a senior citizen crime crisis. Elderly Japanese women are being arrested more than any other demographic. 1 in 5 women in Japan’s prisons are elderly, 90% of whom are arrested for shoplifting. The reason for these failed five finger discounts is loneliness!
Over 6 million women in Japan over the age of 65 live alone. Many have no family or friends, and over half live in poverty. Many of these women are intentionally trying to get sent to jail, in order to escape impoverished or lonely lives. So they intentionally go to prison where they are guaranteed food and shelter. As prisoners they get relief from the stresses of life on their own, and they find a sense of community that they didn’t have on the outside.
Japan can’t keep up with the demand for this brand new staycation destination. Women’s prisons look more like nursing homes and are expensive to run. Medical care for these aging prisoners costs more than $50 million a year, which is 80% more than the previous decade.
It is very sad to find out the real reason for this curious phenomenon. Who would have thought that people would get that lonely that they would want to go to prison only to have some kind of company and sense of community.
After watching this video did you get the urge to call your grandmother, if you still have one, to remind her that you still care about her, and of course to keep her out of trouble, because now you know what loneliness can do to a person!