Abandoned But Not Forgotten

This tiny island boasts abundant, lush vegetation and sandy beaches and is surrounded by the beautiful, blue Seto Inland Sea. It is also home to many cute, furry bunnies, some of which will even climb onto people’s laps for food. However, despite its family friendly appeal, this is also a place with a horrifying past that brought sickness to the island’s workers and death to thousands in another country.

The swimming pool lies empty and drained of water. A gentle breeze stirs the palm leaves, and the faint lapping of the surf can be heard. Other than that, though, there is no sound. And looking at these eerie, peaceful and dilapidated surroundings, it’s hard to imagine the wild parties that once rocked these grounds – the music, the dancing, and the laughter. 

The Bandiagara Cliff Dwellings in Mali
Long before there were high-rise buildings and residential skyscrapers, people still managed to live far above ground, at sometimes dizzying heights. Like modern city inhabitants, these ancestors of ours enjoyed pleasant breezes and great views, not to mention the feeling of safety that comes with living somewhere relatively inaccessible.

 Titled The Redemption of General Butt Naked, the film follows the former warlord as he attempts to make amends for his violent past by apologizing to his victims, helping to rehabilitate child soldiers, and preaching his newfound Christianity as founder and president of The End Time Train Evangelistic Ministries.

Giant vats of molten metal, the heat of rising steam, the grinding and whirring sounds of huge machinery, and the raised voices of workers trying to be heard over the din… Our picture of 20th-century steel mills is one of gritty industry and deafening noise, but the abandoned plants in these photographs are nothing like that any more. Once great hubs of production, they now stand eerily silent, like forsaken monuments to another age.