Industrial Heritage and Art

 The Industrial Revolution fundamentally changed our world and the culture of our communities. It created the immortal image of the blue-collar worker but also colored our world with rigidly structural imagery and the taint of pollution. It drives a mixed message of prosperity and decay, containing larger than life behemoths of industry and the work gangs that power them. Through the gaze of an artist, the human factor is amplified, highlighting a fascination with machinery, but also showing poignantly intimate moments swallowed from the relentless march of the machine. It encompasses the romanticism of rail travel, the ubiquitous presence of stark factory yards and the endurance of the human spirit. When I spotted a post by one of my favorite industrial artists, Ryan Mutter, I knew I had come to the right place. 

Members: 30.2k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: None.

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Association of Cryptozoology: Fieldwork, Analysis & Veracity

What's Halloween season without monsters and some of the best monsters are the legendary creatures that lurk within the secret recesses of the collective unconscious. The shadowy presences beyond the campfire, that are surprisingly universal despite a distinct lack of physical evidence. In acknowledgement of St Patty's Day (20 October), a fair amount of posts and discussion alluded to the now famous Patterson-Gimlin film clip, an enigmatic piece of footage filmed in Bluff Creek, California documenting one of the most famous Bigfoot sightings in 1967, with links to several video essays on YouTube, as well as some memes. But there are also posts about the Loch Ness monster, an artist's impression of the Japanese kappa monster and some debate about the true nature of the Borneo crocodile. There are concept drawings from a Bestiary of an abandoned Disney series. One poster features the fearsome African cryptid, Mokele-Mbembe, known to haunt the rain forests of the Congo. One infographic details the differences between cryptozoology and paracryptozoology, while another post discussed the Double Bottom Effect as a possible theory to explain certain sightings, especially in bodies of water. 

Members: 12.9k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: Monsters.

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Savage Chickens

This seems an odd choice to feature for a Sunday afternoon, but the Facebook algo rhythm giveth and who am I to complain? Savage Chickens is centered around the work of Canadian cartoonist Doug Savage, a dark humor strip that communicates the human rat race, via the medium of a chicken-verse, hence the name. The common and underlying thread of many of the gags is, of course, is using the short-evity of chickens as an analogy for the brutality of modern corporate culture. The combination is potently effective and can be pretty harsh if you really think about it. As a strip, Savage Chickens has been around for twenty years, and a Weblog Award for best comic strip. There are occasional deviations into related themes, such as office humor of the non-avian variety or jokes about other animals interacting with the world of humans. What I loved, was the way admins and members occasionally play up the chicken connection for the comment section. Doug Adams is himself involved in the running of this Facebook Groups. Great stuff!

Members: 7.3k, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: None.

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But does it come in BLACK?

If you've hung around those of the Goth/Alternative persuasion, then you'll know there is such a thing as black-envy. That feeling that someone (or possibly everyone) in the room is wearing blacker apparel than you. Has Doc Martens with more holes. More shiny, pointy accessories. But the folk in this community of odd crows and witchy spooks are definitely way cooler than such petty concerns. If they share Gothic cathedrals, it's Clermond-Ferrand - constructed of black lava rock. Their advocacy for the monsters from classic horror flicks actually make sense. Their obsessions are dark and compulsive. They know how to geek with style and deep empathy. Often, they are startlingly wholesome, in their own eccentric way, of course. Sometimes they wear a jagged pumpkin-face smile that's creepier than silence. They effortlessly channel Dracula, Wednesday Addams, Tim Burton and Lenore the Cute Dead Girl. They own their ominous aura without a hint of apology. And they won't let you forget for a moment that this is their month. 

Members: 123.9k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: Black humor (what else?)

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Little Free Library :)

Sixteen years. That's how long ago it was, that day when Todd Bol decided to put up the very first Little Free Library outside his home in Hudson, Wisconsin. It was built to resemble a mini schoolhouse. A tribute to his book-loving mother. The idea was a simple act of altruism. If you see a book that interests you, take it home. Finished it? Cool. Pass it on. Add your own favorites. Let the community grow and thrive, one book at a time. The concept was surprisingly contagious. Just three years later, Bol and friends reached their first goal of 2,509 Little Free Libraries. Today there are more than 200,000 Little Free Libraries, sharing the light of literacy across 128 countries. Little Free Libraries come in many quaintly adorable shapes, but they are normally post-box sized little cabinets, stuffed with an enticing diversity of books. The benefit of anonymity adds the quiet power to transform them into safe spaces, and they are powered by kindness and empathy. Join in and share your own curb-side repositories or discoveries.

Members: 150.1k, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: None.

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The Labyrinth Society Global Group

What are labyrinths? Ancient anomalies Visual riddles that tease the mind with possibilities? Interdimensional portals? Hubs of psychic energy? Calls to contemplation and quietude? A quest for answers? Perhaps they are all of these. If you harbor a secret obsession with labyrinths, it's time to pay the Labyrinth Society Global Group a visit. It really has so much to offer. There are three labyrinths to explore (each in its own way) at the mysterious Glastonbury Tor, including the medieval finger labyrinth of St Margaret's chapel. New world Labyrinths can be found in Rockford, Texas, Elon, North Carolina, Seattle and Arizona. There's the overwhelmingly compact labyrinth in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy and a tranquil labyrinth in evergreen Ecuador. The thousand-year-old Chartres Labyrinth in France. A historical turf maze in North Yorkshire. And don't forget the temporary mazes chalked across tarmac. Personal mazes laid out in stone for private meditation. And what the labyrinths we carry with us - pocket-sized labyrinth pendants or imaginary labyrinths inked on skin to enhance our sense of self. Here and there are seasonal meditations, speculations as to the deeper meaning of walking those winding paths or quotes that allude to the ancient origins of labyrinths. 

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Trigger Warnings: None.

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The World Wide Web of Spiders

Since we have entered the month of Halloween - traditionally associated with fear, scary stories and horror festivals, it would not be inappropriate to visit a phobia so common most people have no trouble whatsoever remembering its learned name. Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. But while spiders are predators with complex social rituals, (and a select few pack an impressive load of toxins within their venom sacs) most spiders are harmless to humans - often feeding on true pests such as roaches and mosquitoes. On the World Wide Web of Spiders, you will encounter arachnids from Greece, Egypt, the Philippines, France, Australia, the Americas and many more. Rather than spider pet hobbyists (yes, there are Facebook groups for those also), this community comprises casual to serious observers. Apart from ID requests, there are plenty of intimate close-ups of rarities such as the gorgeously patterned velvet spider, the orb weaver, wolf spiders and that common favorite, the winningly photogenic and ever quirky jumping spider. 

Members: 129.7k, at the time of writing.

Trigger warnings: Creepy crawlies

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