Matthew Christopher
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Articles by Matthew Christopher
A Conceptual Metaphor Theory Approach to Divine Enumerative Description in Akkadian
This thesis argues for the existence of a particular form of image-making in Akkadian we call ‘divine enumerative description.’ Roughly consisting of a set of structurally parallel lines which exhaustively enumerate the facets of a Mesopotamian divine figure, divine enumerative description is a very `Mesopotamian' way of waxing poetic. It constitutes a coherent poetic form most evident in some of the divine hymns of the latter second and first millennium.
Catskill Game Farm: The Rise and Fall of America’s First Private Zoo
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I met Cathy Ballone outside the entrance of the abandoned zoo she and her husband, Ben, had recently purchased. Over the ticket kiosk in the parking lot was a sign that read “Catskill Game Farm” and, beneath it in smaller letters, “Fun for the Whole Family.” The gate we passed through still bore the shadow of the hand-painted giraffe that had once adorned it. What remained inside was a mystery. I knew much had been removed after the Catskill Game Farm closed.
Opioid Withdrawal Misdiagnosed as a Crohn’s Flare
Keywords: Crohn’s flare, Inflammatory bowel disease, Opioid withdrawal, Opioid use disorder, Stigma, Case report Opioid use disorder (OUD) affects over 2 million people in the USA [1] and is a predominant cause of decreasing life expectancy [2]. Although fentanyl is responsible for most deaths [3], prescription misuse significantly contributes to OUD, especially in people prescribed opioids for pain [4].
Raising a Ghost Town From the Dead
Exploring the remnants of the former Brownsville General Hospital was a terrifying experience, even for me. It wasn’t just that the building was creepy, although it certainly was: full of long rooms lined with rusting hospital beds covered with chunks of paint and plaster, it felt like the real-world embodiment of every haunted place in a horror movie.
The Steel Mill That Built America
On a cool October morning in 2006, I was circling the property of the abandoned Bethlehem Steel mill. Located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, it had been the flagship production plant of a company that was once one of the largest steel producers in the world. The sprawl of brick buildings was punctuated by broken windows, twisting pipes, and the towering spires of blast furnaces.
Tragedy Lingers Inside Chornobyl's Abandoned City
Even looking down from a rooftop onto the overgrown ruins of Lenin Square, it’s difficult to comprehend the scale of loss in Prypiat, Ukraine. Perhaps, like me, you’ve been fascinated by the tragedy of Chornobyl, as it is known in Ukrainian*, for decades. Perhaps you know that Prypiat was an entire city of nearly 50,000 people, replete with all of the modern (at the time) amenities that a newly built Soviet mecca of science and research could provide.
The SS United States Heads Into Unknown Waters
Walking toward the SS United States, I was taken aback by how unimaginably large and grand the liner was. It was something you really couldn’t fully appreciate from far away. The rusty red, white, and black prow towered above me like the blade of a giant knife, and the funnels alone were the height of a six-story building. It was the largest liner constructed on United States soil, and the fastest too.
What Abandoned Schools Can Teach Us
Getting inside the abandoned Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School shouldn’t have been as easy as it was. It made me nervous, like it was a trap. The doors on the back of the building were wide open and, ducking inside, we made our way through the cavernous remains of the gymnasium. A pommel horse stood undisturbed in the center, but nearly every other surface, from the walls to the backboards of the basketball hoops, was smeared with graffiti. The school had closed just over a decade earlier.
QD-MAPPER: A Quality Diversity Framework to Automatically Evaluate Multi-Agent Path Finding Algorithms in Diverse Maps
arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs.
The Brief Rise and Steep Fall of a New Orleans Amusement Park
There’s something primordial about the ruins of Six Flags New Orleans. Overgrown with Smilax thorns that loop around the skeletal remains of kiddie rides and home to alligators and boars, the former amusement park feels less like a real-world location and more like a figment from a half-forgotten nightmare. Faded, moldy Looney Tunes cartoon characters peer out with horribly misplaced cheer underneath sagging, graffiti-splattered concessions stands.
The Brief Rise and Steep Fall of Six Flags New Orleans
Chris Hemsworth 8 hours ago Chris Hemsworth Gives His Sons Haircuts & Pokes Fun at the Results etonline.com - By Sophie Schillaci • 8h Chris Hemsworth tried his hand at haircuts for his 10-year-old twins, Sasha and Tristan. Chris Hemsworth may want to consider hiring a barber. The … Theme Parks 5 days ago New Chaperone Policy In Effect At Six Flags America Patch - Kristin Danley-Greiner • 5d Six Flags America has rolled out a new chaperone policy that took effect last Friday.
The American Theaters That Have Taken Their Final Bow
Even in decay, RKO Proctor’s Theatre was magnificent. The skeletal framework of the proscenium arch loomed over the stage, the two steep balcony levels seemed impossibly high, and scraps of gorgeously painted plaster still clung to the ceiling and walls. For as tall and impressive as this theater was, there was yet another, smaller 1,400-seat theater perched on top of it, empty and silent for half a century.
Paket Lengkap! Gereja di Pakuwon Mall Surabaya Ramai nan Damai
MALL RAMAH PUBLIK! Surabaya - Liburan nanti enaknya kemana ya? Kalo orang Surabaya pasti ke mall ga sih? Halo semuanya, tidak disangka-sangka kita semakin mendekati tanggal merah itu! Maklum butuh healing.
What Can We Learn From the Ruins of Gary, Indiana?
It’s hard to imagine how a building as grand as the City Methodist Church in Gary, Indiana, could ever become abandoned. Completed in 1926, the spectacular nine-story complex also included, at one time, a 1,000-seat theater, offices, a dining hall, and a gymnasium. Built at a cost of over $800,000—equivalent to over $14 million today—City Methodist served more than 3,000 congregants at its peak before dwindling attendance and lack of funds led to its closure in 1975.
What Can We Learn From the Ruins of Gary, Indiana?
Lifestyle 6 hours ago Clueless tourist tries to photograph son with sea lions on Californian seafront – it doesn't go well Advnture - By Cat Ellis • 6h Sea lions are beautiful animals, but like most wildlife, they don't appreciate humans getting too close and can lash out if they feel threatened.
Why Are There So Many Abandoned Churches?
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Why Are There So Many Abandoned Churches?
It had been seven years since I first visited the abandoned Ascension of Our Lord Church in the Kensington area of Philadelphia, but I still didn’t expect it to be so far gone. That first time had been in 2014, just two years after the church had closed. Even then the sanctuary was pocked by peeling paint and crumbling plaster—telltale damage from roof leaks and a lack of climate control—but the beautiful altar, with its statuettes of kneeling cherubs, was intact.
A Case for the Preservation of Abandoned Places
When I first moved to Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, a decade ago, I was immediately intrigued by the grand façade of the old theater in the center of town. Lansdowne, a small borough two miles southwest of Philadelphia, has the usual collection of dry cleaners and fast-food franchises, but the 1927 Spanish Revival theater stood out, both in its sense of quiet grandeur and the dark absence that radiated from its lobby. As a chronicler of abandoned places, I had to learn more.
A Case for the Preservation of Abandoned Places
8 hours ago When Virginia officials managed to woo Amazon to open its second headquarters in Arlington, they sweetened the deal with a big transportation promise: They would push to lower an elevated highway — a six-lane, gridlocked eyesore that cuts the area in two — and add stoplights and sidewalks. It was …
The Life and Death of the American Mall
I’ve visited hundreds of abandoned places in my life—factories to asylums, schools to churches—but suburban malls might be the most surreal and striking. They captivate the imagination in a way few other types of environments can: with an almost imperceptible layer of fog that forms between the first and second floors of an atrium, endless reflections of vacant storefronts, or a chance encounter with a groundhog in the remains of a food court.
Angkringan Wayang Uwuh: Merajut Seni dan Budaya di Jantung Kota Yogyakarta
YOGYAKARTA- Angkringan Wayang Uwuh, yang berlokasi di Jl. Bimasakti No.29, Demangan, Gondokusuman, Kota Yogyakarta, semakin menjadi pusat perhatian dengan berbagai acara dan kunjungan yang hadir setiap bulannya. Salah satu highlight dalam bulan ini adalah Workshop yang diadakan oleh Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik (Fisipol) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) pada 12 November 2023.
Colt and Browning, The Gunsmiths Who Made America: A Review Essay
Recommended Citation Hulbert, Matthew Christopher. "Colt and Browning, The Gunsmiths Who Made America: A Review Essay." New Mexico Historical Review 98, 2 (2023). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nmhr/vol98/iss2/3
Ninjalicious and Infiltration.org by Abandoned America
The History of Urban Exploration: Ninjalicious and Infiltration.org The History of Urban Exploration: Ninjalicious and Infiltration.org "Urban Exploration" is a term used by many to describe trespassing, primarily in abandoned places, and over the last 20 years it has developed into its own counterculture and art genre.
What Happened to Brownsville?
The Catskills region of New York has had two different periods of incredible popularity among vacationers and two different periods of decline that saw many of its most popular resorts left in ruins.
Vote now: Which high school has the best mascot in America? (Animals Bracket)
Over the next month we'll be featuring some of the best nicknames in high school sports, with an end goal of determining the fans' favorite. We've built 12 brackets of 15 teams each, and we'll roll out three brackets a week. We recently released the Animals Bracket, featuring 15 outstanding high school sports nicknames with a fauna theme. Descriptions of each are below the poll.
In Remembrance of Our Lady of the Rosary
Our Lady of the Rosary Roman Catholic Church at 339 N. 63rd Street was built in 1890 and designed by ecclesiastical architect Frank Rushmore Watson. The Romanesque Revival landmark was demolished by Boys Latin Charter School in July 2021 after the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted to deny the church historic designation. | Photo: Matthew Christopher Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament was originally founded as Our Lady of the Rosary Roman Catholic Church.
Signed Copy of "Abandoned America: Dismantling the Dream" Book + 5x7 Print
Signed by the author, this copy of Abandoned America: Dismantling the Dream comes with a free 5x7 of the author's choice and maybe a few other Abandoned America goodies too! If the creation of a structure represents the values and ideals of a time, so too does its subsequent abandonment and eventual destruction.
Signed Copy of "Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences" Book + 5x7 Print
Signed by the author, this copy of Matthew Christopher's first book, Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences comes with a free 5x7 of the author's choice and maybe a few other Abandoned America goodies too.
Autoantigen Tetramer Silences Autoreactive B Cell Populations
Many autoimmune therapies focus on immune suppression to reduce symptom severity and halt disease progression; however, currently approved treatments lack specificity for the autoantigen and rely on more global immune suppression. Multivalent antigen arrays can disarm pathogenic autoimmune B cell populations that specifically recognize the antigen of interest via their B cell receptor (BCR).
Dixie Cup Plant Photo Workshop
Join Matthew Christopher, founder of Abandoned America, for a photo workshop at an enormous abandoned Dixie Cup factory! While the factory has been emptied of machinery, there are still hundreds of little details to photograph and a lot to explore. The property is easily accessible and generally easy to navigate but the lighting can be a challenge. Expect to use a tripod although some areas can be shot with a handheld camera at a higher ISO. Exposure bracketing will be very helpful.
Abandoned America: Ohio's Randall Park Mall
None Part of the problem was that the huge parking lot was hard to police and easy to steal cars from, with the interstate nearby serving as a convenient escape route. Charles Johnson was said to have invented The Club, a popular anti-theft device for cars, after his father-in-law’s car was stolen from Randall Park’s parking lot. Matthew Christopher, Abandoned America
Book Review: Abandoned America: Dismantling the Dream by Matthew Christopher
Book Review: Abandoned America: Dismantling the Dream by Matthew Christopher October 10th, 2016 by Cary Benbow If the creation of a structure represents the values and ideals of a time, so too does its subsequent abandonment and eventual destruction.
How Artists Are Responding to the School Closures in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit
Schools are more than brick-and-mortar buildings children attend during the day to learn; for many families, they’re community centers, too. So when a city closes one, people often experience a particular sense of grief and upheaval, as well as uncertainty about their government’s commitment to equitable education.
Passover: Welcoming gentiles for Seder a strong tradition - The Monitor: Us News
Her daughter brought along a Muslim she was seeing last year, and Nelson loves it when two particular non-Jewish friends round out her dozen or so guests. They're the ones who are bringing the brisket this year, and they've become expert at making charoset, symbolizing the mud the Israelites used for bricks when they were enslaved in Egypt. Nelson, a social media manager in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, is a non-affiliated Jew who follows some Buddhist teachings.
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