A Christmas Story House (flagpole)

At the Christmas Story House and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. July 13, 2013. 

A Christmas Story House (kitchen table)

The Room - the billboard

Tommy Wiseau spent five-thousand dollars a month—for five years—to keep this billboard up in Hollywood, CA, but it played a major role in the eventual commercial success of The Room.  Learn more (including how The Room was inspired by The Talented Mr. Ripley), in The Disaster Artist.

Charles S. Price (upside down)

The 504-foot Charles S. Price, upside down on Lake Huron, following the Great Lakes Storm of 1913, which occurred between November 7-10, 1913.

Swastika Nation

Everyone is familiar with Adolf Hitler and the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. Few remember that in the mid- to late-1930s the United States experienced a Nazi movement of its own, one led by a radical anti-Semite who dreamed of a fascist America led by a Nazi president.  In the new book “Swastika Nation” (St. Martin’s Press), author Arnie Bernstein deftly chronicles the rise and fall of Fritz Kuhn and the German-American Bund.

A Christmas Story House gift shop

July 13, 2013: Opening day of the new A Christmas Story House gift shop.

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!