Joeorjoey, the picture comes from a Library of Congress exhibit based on glass plate negatives from pre-revolutionary Russia. I can't help it if they had modern looking locks.

Here's an example of a Siberian screw key padlock that belonged to Houdini, so it was used at pretty much the same time as the picture was taken. It's a different design, but probably worked along the same principle.

Because the padlock was new when the picture was taken.

Kelly, that's the site I'm going to link to when I post on Russian color photography. It is a great resource.

Russian photographers were using color processing back then. It was a different system from the one we use now. I'll put up a post on the most famous of the photographers some time today. It's really astonishing.

The Reagan quote is a little unfair. Time magazine reported at the time that Reagan said ""no one knows whether those prophecies mean that Armageddon is a thousand years away or day after tomorrow. So I have never seriously warned and said we must plan according to Armageddon."

Your work is visually very inventive. It's not like anyone else's.

In any event, the post was intended to be interesting, not political.

I'm just reluctant to tell other people how to live their lives no matter what their income level is.

And India doesn't really fit the bill anymore, does it? It's a booming economy with a very well educated middle class. I don't imagine they are all that easily led by the nose.

I have a hard time believing that people in third world countries have a harder time processing information than anyone else.

University towns too! It'd go over big here in Urbana IL. There's some good looking stuff at McDonald's Thailand too.

The McAloo Tiki sounds really good. That's the one that I'd order.

The website says no beef or pork. I think the only meat they serve is chicken.

Apparently broccoli is an exotic veg in India.

Here's the official description:
A rich Béchamel eggless sauce mixed with exotic vegetables like broccoli, baby corn, mushrooms, red capsicum and freshly baked on rectangular spiced bread with a cheese topping.