Finding Uravan

Jane Thompson, president of the Rimrockers’ Historical Society, on a ridge overlooking State Highway 141 and what used to be Uravan, Colorado. She holds a picture of the town, which was buried in a costly Superfund cleanup in the 1980s and ’90s. For more on the “gone but not forgotten” town of Uravan and the controversy surrounding uranium mining and milling in Colorado’s West End, see Failure’s new feature Uravan, Colorado.

Radiation caution sign - Uravan

Radiation caution signs like these ring the barbed-wire fencing that discourages people from entering the Uravan site.

House relocated from Uravan to E. Paradox

This house was relocated from Uravan to East Paradox, Colorado. Photo taken in September 2012. 

Uravan rest stop sign

The above sign -- which briefly recounts the history of Uravan, Colorado -- is found at a rest stop off of State Highway 141.

Bed bugs with antibiotic-resistant bacteria like MRSA, VRE

Hot on the heels of Failure magazine's feature on The Bed Bug Survival Guide, comes the news that bed bugs tested from three patients at a Canadian hospital (St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver) were found to be carrying antibiotic-resistant bacteria -- namely MRSA and VRE.

If you're not familiar with MRSA, which has been called "the most frightening epidemic sincee AIDS," you can read more about it here.

WalMart’s new approach to handling waste

The latest Failure magazine Q&A is with Edward Humes, author of the recent book “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash” (cover pictured below). One question/answer that seemed out of place in the final version of the interview concerned WalMart’s approach to waste and sustainability, but it seems worth highlighting here.

I asked Humes: Can you give me an example of a company that recognizes that waste is a cost and works to reduce that cost, or perhaps even turns it into a revenue stream?

His response: A really good example is WalMart. In California, since 2005 WalMart has reduced the amount they are landfilling by eighty percent. They are composting their food waste and selling that compost in their gardening department. Also, instead of paying a waste management company to haul their materials away they are actually contracting with recyclers to buy their materials. So they have gone from a waste management philosophy to a materials management philosophy. Consequently, waste has become a black ink item for them, rather than a red ink item.

Read more about America's garbage addiction in Talking Trash.

Redgum Lerp Psyllid Attacking Red Gum Eucalyptus

Redgum lerp psyllid attacking red gum eucalyptus trees on John Bourzac’s property in Clovis, California. Photo by Zoë Corbyn.

Redgum Lerp Psyllid

Redgum lerp psyllid (Glycaspis brimblecombei) attacking a tree in Clovis, California. Photo by Zoë Corbyn.

Eucalyptus Longhorned Borer

A eucalyptus longhorned borer (Phoracantha recurva), held by Timothy Paine in his lab at the University of California (Riverside). Photo by Zoë Corbyn.

Eucalyptus tree killed by longhorned borers

Eucalyptus tree killed by longhorned borers in Timothy Paine’s eucalyptus grove at the University of California (Riverside). Photo by Zoë Corbyn.

Interview with Charlie Schroeder, author of 'Man of War'

Want to know more about the oftentimes wacky world of historical reenactment. Check out Failure magazine's interview with Charlie Schroeder, author of the new book "Man of War" (Hudson Street Press), pictured above.

The Carlos De Luna execution

An interview with the former Death House chaplain at The Walls -- the man who ministered to Carlos De Luna in the hours before he was executed by the State of Texas on December 7, 1989. Rev. Carroll Pickett says that the execution of Carlos De Luna was the most difficult one in which he was involved -- and he ministered to 95 men on the day they died. Failure magazine also covered the Carlos De Luna story in 2008 as part of a feature on At the Death House Door -- a feature that addressed whether or not Americans are educated enough about capital punishment to make a well-reasoned decision about the issue.

75th Anniversary of the Hindenburg Disaster (and other airship accidents)

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Hindenburg airship disaster, which abruptly put an end to the Zeppelin era. It was the first time a major aviation accident took place with reporters present, captured on film for all the world to see. Unbeknownst to many today, the airship already had a long history of spectacular mishaps before the Hindenburg went up in flames.

Failure magazine feature on 'Glock' makes the front page of Reddit

If you haven't had a chance to read it already, Failure magazine's feature on Glock: The Rise of America's Gun

(Crown), has been immensely popular, making the front page of Reddit this past Tuesday. Thanks Redditors!

The Woman Who Wasn't There

Tomorrow morning Failure publishes an interview with Angelo J. Guglielmo Jr., co-author of "The Woman Who Wasn't There" (Touchstone), a new book that chronicles the remarkable 9/11 survival story of Tania Head, a woman who inspired countless 9/11 survivors ... until she was revealed to be a fraud.



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Chandler Harnish: Mr. Irrelevant 2012

With the 253rd pick of the 2012 NFL draft the Indianapolis Colts selected Chandler Harnish, a QB from Northern Illinois. He becomes the 37th Mr. Irrelevant. Chandler Harnish take heart. Many last-in-the-draft picks have gone on to successful NFL careers. Case in point: Ryan Succop, Mr. Irrelevant 2009, who signed a five-year $14 million contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2011. Failure magazine talked to Succop after he was drafted in 2009, part of a feature on the history of Irrelevant Week.

America's Deadliest Train Wreck

Failure recently learned that the deadliest train wreck in U.S. history happened in Nashville, Tennessee, not far from the magazine's current home base. The accident (referred to as the Dutchman's Curve wreck) occurred on July 9, 1918, when a pair of Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis passenger trains collided head-on, resulting in the loss of at least 101 lives. At right is the historical marker that was erected in July 2008, not far from the crash site.

Mark Titus on 'Don't Put Me In, Coach'

“I didn’t dream about this,” admits Mark Titus about the popular and critical acclaim for ‘Don’t Put Me In, Coach,’ his memoir about his four years as a walk-on basketball player at THE Ohio State University. “I didn’t know it was possible for a bench-warmer to write a successful book,” he says. Mark Titus interview with Failure magazine.

Dirk Hayhurst interview

New in Failure: Dirk Hayhurst, author of “Out of My League” (Citadel Press), on life as a struggling major league baseball player.

Sealab: The Book

In the 1960s, Americans were focused on space and the idea of sending a man to the moon. In the meantime, a scrappy group of sea-dwelling divers were looking down — to the bottom of the ocean — and opening a vast undersea world to human exploration. So why have they been forgotten? Ben Hellwarth on Sealab, America’s Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor.

Fox News Vermont-New Hampshire map fail

As seen on Fox News, December 2011.

Fox News Nevada-Utah map fail

Documerica photos

George Washington Bridge, New York (May 1973)


Trash and tires litter Baltimore Harbor (January 1973)


Drums containing hazarous industrial waste, Ville Platte, Louisiana (June 1973)



Snohomish River at Everett, Washington (May 1973)

Titanic 100th anniversary cruises

First, there was the Titanic Memorial Cruise. Now available: cabins on the Titanic Anniversary Cruise (roundtrip to and from New York) on the Azamara Journey [pictured above], and the Titanic Mini Cruise (roundtrip to and from Southampton on the MS Balmoral).