Eero Saarinen

There’s a lot of great Eero Saarinen action right here in the United States, but he didn’t limit his works to the states. One example of his adventures overseas is the Embassy of the United States in London that sits in Grosvenor Square. Finished in 1960, it’s one of the largest American diplomatic offices in the world.

The building consists of nine stories, with three of them below ground. The facility is topped with a gilded aluminum Bald Eagle with a wingspan of more than 35 feet. Besides the US embassy in Japan, the London post is the only one situated on land not owned by the American government. Let’s just hope the United Kingdom doesn’t get any ideas.

Besides handing out visas and other paperwork, the building is traditionally used as the setting for announcing any agreements between the UK and US. Maybe you’ll even get to visit on your next trip to London after spending a little too much time at the pub and getting belligerent in the streets!

Via: Jaunted

[Photo: Wikimedia]

Forbidden Beer in Mexico

Cerveceria Minervia makes great craft beer - something rare in Mexico, where the big two breweries have a stranglehold on the market and hawk rather watery suds. Thus, this offering should be good - even if the name is a bit naco.

A brewery in Guadalajara, Mexico has caused a bit of a stir over a new beer named for the patron saint of drug traffickers. The Minerva Brewery says that its Malverde Beer simply honors the Mexican legend of Jesús Malverde, a Robin Hood-type figure believed to have robbed from the rich and partied with the poor in the late 1800’s. The only problem: drug smugglers in the western State of Sinaloa claim him as an inspiration - and vindication - of their violent narco-culture. (more…)

TOKYO — A record number of climbers scaled Japan’s Mount Fuji during the summer season and deaths and injuries rose as many underestimated the trek, city officials said.

Some 247,066 people climbed the mountain in July and August, beating the previous record of 220,277, set in 1987, said Kazuwa Okuwaki, an official in Fujiyoshida, a nearby city.
Four people also died from injuries sustained while climbing, marking the first deaths since 2005, said Toshiya Arai, a local police official.

Mount Fuji is Japan’s best-known landmark and climbing it is viewed by many as a tourist outing. Gift shops along the trail sell trinkets and soft drinks, and travel companies offer one-day express tours from downtown Tokyo, which is only about 60 miles away. (more…)