Viewpoints – Placecloud

Darrington, United States. The town of Concrete in the foothills of the northern Cascades once housed the largest concrete plants in the state. Nearly half of the concrete for the Grand Coulee Dam (the largest concrete structure in the world) came from here, as well as material for other Washington dam projects. The last plant closed in 1968, and monumental remnants of the industry can be found in...

Burning Man is an annual carnival of creativity that takes place on the playa of the Black Rock Desert, in northwest Nevada. It typically attracts 60,000 people, and is considered by many to be the biggest and best party in the world. Participants pay a few hundred dollars admission, and spend a number of days immersed in the spectacle, full of music, performances, continuous raves, and spontaneou...

Inyokern, United States. This 2,000-foot long tunnel, approximately seven feet in diameter, was chiseled through a mountain by William Henry "Burro"  Schmidt with hand tools and explosives. Begun in 1906 as a means of transporting ore from his mine to the processing site, Schmidt devoted the following 32 years of his life to digging the tunnel, apparently losing interest in his mining enterprise,...

Camdenton, United States. A tourist cave with a wedding theme. Thousands of couples have taken their vows in the natural chapel within this cave.

Branson, United States. This resort city in the Ozarks calls itself "The Live Music Show Capital of the World." This city contains over 30 live performance theaters playing an average of 60 stage shows at any given time. While Branson is traditionally known for its country western music performances it currently features a wide array of family oriented entertainment including musical variety, danc...

Braddock, United States. Braddock, Pennsylvania is a deflated old steel town which became known for a recent and unusual redevelopment effort. From a peak population of 18,000 after World War II, there are now just over 2,000 residents. In 2005, a new young mayor, John Fetterman, was elected and promoted the town’s dystopic qualities as an asset. His highly publicized ideas for the town include ur...

Diocese of London United Kingdom Holding the North Sea at bay to protect London from flooding, the Thames Barrier is an extraordinary feat of engineering. It is also constantly under threat, in a world where time and tide are slowly, inexorably, winning. How long can it hold? Nobody knows.

Diocese of London United Kingdom Standing at the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, this short audio viewpoint explores the line from which global time and longitude are measured. It explains how and why this point was fixed here, and considers how Britain’s drive to measure the world continues to shape how we locate ourselves within it.

The Hague The Netherlands O Portão dos Prisioneiros, aqui em Haia, foi usada de 1420 até 1828 para abrigar pessoas que haviam cometido crimes graves enquanto aguardavam a sentença. Desde então, já foi sede de um clube literário, de um museu e de uma galeria de arte. É também o local onde, a única vez na história mundial, um primeiro-ministro foi comido pelo seu próprio povo.

The Hague The Netherlands De Gevangenenpoort, hier in Den Haag, werd van 1420 tot 1828 gebruikt om mensen op te sluiten die ernstige misdrijven hadden gepleegd terwijl zij op hun vonnis wachtten. Vervolgens heeft het gebouw onderdak geboden aan een literaire club, een museum, en een kunstgalerie. Het is ook de plek waar, de enige keer in de wereldgeschiedenis, een minister-president door zijn eige...

The Hague The Netherlands The Gevangenenpoort, Prisoner’s Gate, here in The Hague, from 1420 until 1828, was used for housing people who had committed serious crimes while they awaited sentencing. It has since then been home to a literary club, a museum, and an art gallery. It’s also the location where, the only time in world history, a prime minister was eaten by his people.

Terme T rkiye Encontramo-nos a poucos quilômetros da pequena cidade de Terme, nas margens meridionais do Mar Negro, na Turquia. Logo à frente, vemos uma estátua de uma guerreira amazona, erguendo arco e flecha.

Terme T rkiye We bevinden ons hier een paar kilometer buiten het stadje Terme, aan de zuidelijke oevers van de Zwarte Zee, in Turkije. Recht voor ons zien we een standbeeld van een Amazone krijger, met gespannen pijl en boog.

Terme T rkiye We find ourselves a few kilometers outside of the small town of Terme, on the southern shores of the Black Sea, in Turkey. Just ahead, we can see a statue of an Amazonian warrior, raising a bow and arrow.

Fortaleza Brazil O estado brasileiro do Ceará é uma das regiões mais pobres do Brasil. O PIB per capita é apenas um terço do das pessoas no estado de São Paulo, e nem mesmo um quinto do que se vê na região do Distrito Federal, ao redor da capital Brasília.

Fortaleza Brazil De Braziliaanse deelstaat Ceará is een van de armere regio’s van het land. Het BBP per hoofd van de bevolking bedraagt slechts een derde van dat van de inwoners van de deelstaat São Paulo, en nog niet eens een vijfde van dat van de regio rond de hoofdstad Brasília.

Fortaleza Brazil The Brazilian state of Ceará is one of the poorer regions of Brazil. The GDP per capita is just a third of that of the people in the state of Sao Paulo, and not even a fifth of those in the district around the capital of Brasilia.

Vera Cruz Brazil Hoje, de pé na Ilha de Itaparica, com a brisa do mar acariciando as muralhas do antigo Forte de São Lourenço, é fácil se deixar embalar pelo ritmo lento da Bahia. Mas sob essas águas e pedras corre uma corrente mais profunda e sombria, uma que remonta a um império fugaz, construído sobre comércio, ambição e sangue.

Vera Cruz Brazil Staand op het eiland Itaparica, met de zeebries die langs de wallen van het oude fort São Lourenço waait, is het gemakkelijk om mee te deinen op het trage ritme van Bahia. Maar onder deze wateren en stenen schuilt een diepere, donkerdere stroom; een die teruggaat naar een vluchtig imperium gebouwd op handel, ambitie en bloed.

Vera Cruz Brazil Standing on Itaparica Island today, with the sea breeze brushing past the ramparts of the old fort of São Lourenço, it’s easy to be lulled by the slow rhythms of Bahia. But beneath these waters and stones lies a deeper, darker current; one that stretches back to a fleeting empire built on commerce, ambition, and blood.

The Hague The Netherlands Você está no Binnenhof, o coração da República Holandesa. Imagine: é o inverno de 1642; janelas estreitas filtram a pálida luz do norte nas salas abobadadas. Pisos de pedra ecoam passos suaves. As portas pesadas de carvalho estão fechadas, mas atrás delas está reunida a Assembleia dos Estados Gerais, um grupo de burgueses, regentes e enviados que têm nas mãos o destino de...

The Hague The Netherlands Je bevindt je op het Binnenhof, het hart van de Nederlandse Republiek. Stel je voor: het is de winter van 1642; smalle ramen filteren het bleke noorderlicht in de gewelfde zalen. Stenen vloeren weerklinken met zachte voetstappen. De zware eiken deuren zijn gesloten, maar daarachter is de Staten-Generaal in zitting, een gezelschap van burgers, regenten en gezanten die het...

The Hague The Netherlands You are standing in the Binnenhof, the heart of the Dutch Republic. Imagine this is the winter of 1642; narrow windows filter the pale northern light into the vaulted chambers. Stone floors echo with quiet footsteps. The thick oak doors are shut, but beyond them, the States-General is in session, a body of burghers, regents, and envoys who hold the fate of an empire in th...

Amsterdam The Netherlands Era a primavera de 1642, e os corredores da sede da Companhia Holandesa das Índias Ocidentais estavam silenciosos, fracamente iluminados pela luz do dia que entrava inclinada por pequenas janelas. O ar estava impregnado do cheiro de pergaminho e fumaça de cachimbo. Atrás de portas fechadas, um punhado de diretores, comerciantes, não monarcas, examinava livros-caixa e cart...

Amsterdam The Netherlands In de lente van 1642 waren de gangen van het hoofdkwartier van de West-Indische Compagnie in Amsterdam stil, zwak verlicht door het daglicht dat schuin door kleine ramen naar binnen viel. De lucht was zwaar van perkament en pijptabak. Achter gesloten deuren bladerde een handvol directeuren, kooplieden, geen koningen, door boeken en brieven uit de tropen. Onder hen begon z...