Haw Par Villa Theme Park in Signapore

A vivid depiction of the Buddhist hell realms. 

Clifton's Cafeteria

Is it possible to eat mid-20th century style cafeteria food in downtown Los Angeles in the midst of kitschy decor inspired by the Santa Cruz region (and bearing an eerie resemblance to a live-action Yogi Bear set)?

Yes.

I ate their once, around a decade ago. A memorable experience, and I would go back (thought it's currently closed while undergoing restoration).

The Year Thus Far in Links

1. What's wrong with ebooks.
2. Buddhist hell-realms depicted at Thailand's Wat Phong Rai Wua.
3. Christmas book flood in Iceland.
4. An environmentalist's reasons for supporting GMO and factory farming.
5. The wisdom of psychopaths? 
6. "The Deep End." Hand-drawn animation, white-out, and coffee. By Jake Fried.
7. China's new 'it girl' is a grandfather.
8. Music tastes and delinquency.
9. Prehistoric oral bacteria.
10. Head trauma sometimes unlocks creative talents.
11. The decline of Jewish delis.
12. "World's worst tattoo" inked in Bowling Green, Ohio.
13. The science of WEIRD people. 
14. Addictive junk food?
15. Out of control health care costs.
16. Five psychiatric disorders share genetic risk factors related to neural calcium channels.

"The Garden of Flowing Fragrance"

That's the name of the traditional Chinese formal garden at the Huntington in San Marino, California. For those of you who don't know, the Huntington is a former private estate converted into a series of gardens, art galleries, and collections of prints and manuscripts open to the public. I've been going to the Huntington since I was a child, when I remember being particularly fascinated by their collection of illuminated manuscripts (including a copy of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales), early printed works (the most famous being a copy of the Gutenburg Bible). and maps and globes from the age of exploration. This time, what stood out most was a new (to me) exhibit on the history of science --which included such gems as Isaac Newton's own copy of the Principia and Edwin Hubble's copy of Copernicus--and the aforementioned Chinese gardens. I had never before seen a traditional Chinese formal garden, and would have liked to have learned more about the nature of its design, construction, and maintenance, but I was able to take a few pictures of its plants and pavilions while I was there (one of which is shown above).