Helter Shelter

Selling a haunted house? A checkered past can be a blessing or a curse

2008-05-28T17:58:00.005-04:00

"Sites of murders or suicides often sit on the market, but reports of friendly apparitions don't seem to scare some people." Ghosts may not scare home buyers

"In Utah, it is not required to disclose a stigmatized house. So as long as the stigmatization is non- material then it is not disclosed. So a meth home would be disclosed... a ghost would not." LINK

Some Buyers Regret Not Asking: Anyone Die Here?

Popeye lives on in Malta

2008-05-22T14:12:00.010-04:00

Remember the movie Popeye that starred Robin Williams? Yeah, I hate him too, but think back to how cool those sets were. The image has really stuck with me; a rowdy world of rickety shacks built on the water, connected by collapsing catwalks. Like a Road Warrior for kids.

The film was directed by Robert Altman(!), and shot in Malta of all places. The sets are still there, and are one of the most popular Maltese tourist attractions.

I laughed when I saw the sign reading "no graffiti".

Spoilsports.

Real life C.H.U.D.s under the streets of Manhattan

2008-05-22T13:34:00.003-04:00

http://www.disinfo.com/archive/pages/dossier/id350/pg1/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_People

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Days_(documentary)

Trailer park skyscrapers

2008-05-22T13:06:00.008-04:00

These people seem to have a similar design philosophy to the architects from the previous post, but are doing it for a fraction of the construction costs.

LINK

Architecture against death: cute but morbid apartment buildings

2008-05-20T17:49:00.006-04:00

"Would you be willing to live your life as part of an architectural research project directed toward helping mortals cease to be mortal?...."

reversibledestiny.org

nytimes.com

Real estate buyers guide pt. 1

2008-05-06T22:28:00.006-04:00

"Urban Abandonments: 7 Deserted Wonders of the (Post)Modern World"

LINK

The camouflaged homeless of Heathrow Airport

2008-05-06T20:12:00.004-04:00

"Each night, scores of London's homeless men and women take advantage of modern travel delays by posing as stranded passengers in order to sleep in a warm and safe place. They play a cat-and-mouse game with police, often donning floral shirts, fanny packs and other travel accessories to blend in."

LINK

The irony is delicious: an online community of hermits

2008-05-06T20:08:00.013-04:00

LINK

13 floors of Russian gangster design genius

2008-05-06T20:06:00.008-04:00

Like a story taken straight from a fairy tale, the world's largest log cabin is inhabited only by an aging ruined gangster and his trophy wife. I'm sure that this beautiful monstrosity of a building is a lot more than most mafia types can claim credit for.

LINK

A real estate holdout in China sticks it to the man...

2008-05-06T20:02:00.008-04:00

"Developers have turned a house into an island in China after the owner refused to move out. The villa now stands alone in a 30ft deep man-made pit in Chongqing city, reports Jinbao Daily."

LINK

Escape to a desert island. Live the fantasy.

2008-05-06T19:59:00.007-04:00

This guy did..
and he wrote a book about his years of isolation on a small island in the south pacific. It's a great read, and just might inspire you to leave it all behind.

Ultimate green building material: the Heineken World Bottle

2008-05-06T19:55:00.011-04:00

"As the story goes, Heineken was strolling along by the sea in Jamaica, and was shocked at the number of beer bottles littering the beach. He was also concerned with the lack of cheap building materials, and at the resulting living conditions for the poor. Putting two and two together, he envisioned a “World Bottle” which would be imported for drinking but kept for construction."

vestaldesign

archinect.com

Wikipedia article on bottle wall construction.

The world famous Collyer Brothers of Harlem

2008-05-06T19:46:00.003-04:00

http://www.nypress.com/12/39/news&columns/oldsmoke.cfm
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2D91231F935A15753C1A9659C8B63

Why do I always find out about these places too late?

2008-05-06T19:31:00.005-04:00

This is the city that actually shows up in my dreams.

http://livemodern.com/designblogs/3f0f5f5086c59f13ee85e33439cb938a
http://www.hh.iij4u.or.jp/~asabe/hongkong/hkkyuuren_main.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20020208225753/www.flex.co.jp/kowloon/story/index_e.html

Funeral Home Sweet Home

2008-05-06T19:27:00.002-04:00

"The only thing is, we have to wait to renovate because there are still funerals going on there"

The best little sea fort nation in the world.

2006-04-17T20:29:00.002-04:00

For the last 40 years or so, a micronation has existed only six miles off the coast of England. Built as a fort in 1942,The Principality of Sealand has had a fantastically colorful history since its founding in the late 60's. It has served as a pirate radio station as well as an internet data haven, operating outside of England's legal jurisdiction. The reigning royal family even survived a coup d'etat by retaking the nation by force (in a helicopter attack!), and have fought vigorously over the years to protect their claim of sovereignty. It seems like a somewhat quixiotic mission, but who wouldn't want their own island nation? There is a bit of a 'Shining' feel to the place, though, and I have a hard time imagining what the guardians of Sealand do with their time.
Moviegoers will be glad to hear that a film based on the Sealand story is in the works, directed by Mike Newell of 'Donnie Brasco' and 'Harry Potter' fame.

LINK to the official Sealand site.
Wikipedia has a great Sealand page from which I liberated most of this information.
Interesting article about a rare visit to Sealand by outsiders.

(Disclaimer- Yours truly may now be referred to as Lord Patterson of Sealand. No, I didn't forge a bond with Prince Roy, I only bought the title from their store. But I'm not giving up hope: as dreary as that rusty fort may look, I can't help but want to hang out in the smallest country on earth.)

Life in Chernobyl- 20 years later.

2006-04-14T20:07:00.000-04:00

We're coming up on the 20th anniversary of the worst accident in the history of nuclear power. On April 26, 1986, reactor 4 of the Chernobyl power plant experienced a series of explosions leading to a catastrophic meltdown. More than 300,000 people were forced to resettle in other areas. Some, however, chose to ignore the warnings and returned to their homes in contaminated areas. Estimates vary wildly- I've found numbers ranging from 337 people to "millions", perhaps depending on the size of the area considered affected. Most reports seem to agree that the vast majority of those who have returned are elderly, and not fully aware of the harmful effects of radiation. Halyna Yavchenko, who lives only 20 km east of Chernobyl, says "Radiation, who has seen it?" “I was born here and I will die here", says Maria Sharapenko, 82, of nearby Illintsi.
The Resurrection-Chernobyl 20 years on
Villagers In Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Feel Deep Connection To Land, Dismiss Dangers
People return to radioactive homes (1999)

The anniversary is being observed in many ways around the world: Chernobyl.info, "the internation communications platform on the longterm consequences of the Chernobyl disaster", has an extensive list of events occurring worldwide throughout the month and beyond. Helter Shelter has no official commemorative ceremonies planned as of this writing.

Freak housing for freak people

2006-04-13T18:13:00.001-04:00

The Danish authorities have chosen "Freak Housing for Freak People" as their name for a program focusing on unusual forms of housing for homeless people who fall through the cracks in the welfare system. "The term 'freak' chosen by the Danish authorities is important since it demonstrates that this form of housing is aimed at persons who, despite excellent welfare services, cannot or do not want to reintegrate with mainstream society.

LINK to pdf

Buy your own entire frickin town on Ebay.

2006-04-13T17:43:00.000-04:00

Yay! I make the rules now! There's a new sheriff in town, and he's the mayor too! Bars never close, and the schools never open! I was all ready to hit the "Place Bid" button for a cool $1,750,000.00 when I noticed that not only are there already residents, but "it is absolutely forbidden to disturb the tenants in Bridgeville". What the hell? Do I or do I not own the place? And why are you referring to Patterswine Junction as "Bridgeville"? NO SALE.
LINK [thanks Nadav]

Live in a nuclear missle silo. You know you want to.

2006-04-12T19:07:00.002-04:00

How about living in THREE missle silos? Now how much would you pay? Hopefully it's in the neighborhood of $1,295,000.00, because then you're in luck! For the handypeople (read: cheapskates) interested in a fixer-upper, there's one that has imploded and is completely buried. "Uncover a piece of history". Only $85,000, but you have to share the salvage profits. What a gyp! Remember, serious buyers ONLY.

LINK

Helter Shelter's patron saints

2006-04-12T17:13:00.000-04:00

"It wasn't the TV, VCR and DVD player hooked up to batteries in the drainage tunnel that had sheriff's Cpl. Troy DuGal shaking his head yesterday. And it wasn't the homemade methamphetamine pipe or the improvised kitchen, complete with a pantry. It wasn't even the mirror over the bed. It was what the homeless residents had built behind all that: a dam."

They don't sound homeless to me! At least they weren't until the pigs came and ruined their high. Next time booby- trap that place, people. Come on, think!

LINK

Mental hospitals converted into condos!

2006-04-12T16:46:00.002-04:00

This is the perfect story for this test post. Apparently, many old and certainly haunted mental hospitals are being turned into luxury housing. Sign me up! After walking around in a prison of my own making for so many years, maybe it's time to move into a real one. Or, alternately, an old mental hospital.

LINK