Back in the USSR: Sure we have some impressive architecture here in Montreal, but imagine cruising the streets of a retro-future Moscow in your pimped-out Lada Niva and checking out the buildings that might-have-been from "Unrealised Moscow." A bizarre blend of Victorian pomp-and-circumstance, Le Corbusier's radiant city and condo buildings in Ville-Saint-Laurent, these monuments to overdoing it make you wonder what the world would look like if the Reds had won the Cold War. Imagine how uncomfortable the chairs would be at www.muar.ru/ve/2003/moscow/.

Spotting birds: Apparently, in the '50s, girl-watching was a legitimate pursuit. Apparently girl-watching as a hobby consisted of leering at lovely young nubiles in a public place, and possibly surreptitiously photographing them. How well organized was this phenomenon? Books and magazines were published, with articles on "Stalking the Girl" and references to "love goddesses." Take a look at http://vintagegirlwatchers.com.

Comments? Michael Citrome