Bill Siemering

Public radio program developer and manager at NPR, WBFO, MPR, WHYY, Philadelphia. Radio development in Africa. Now senior fellow at Wyncote Foundation.

[Scott Simon @nprscottsimon]

Got into @lyft and driver turned around to say, “Laugh for me. I want to hear that laugh.” I laughed. “Ah, yes, I know it’s you.” Said he’s been in US for ten years, from Ethiopia, and has lived in Houston, Austin, Milwaukee, and more, “But always with you…” Awww.

[Scott Simon @nprscottsimon]

Our Open Book returns TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY. Steinbeck on sequoias, family political quarrels, and near end.. https://t.co/arub2EAlB5

[Seth Abramson @SethAbramson]

RETWEET this. Every day. Until Election Day.

Anyone anywhere in America who tells you Donald Trump will be better for the economy needs this tweeted at them IMMEDIATELY.

[Bill Siemering @bsiemering]

@rachelnpr Wow! Wonderful!

[James Lucas @JamesLucasIT]

16. Neston, England

[James Lucas @JamesLucasIT]

12. Blackpool, England

"The shape was born out of the need for a weathervane to turn the structure and a deflector to protect the occupants from the wind," explained the English architect Ian McChesney.

[James Lucas @JamesLucasIT]

7. Fowey, Cornwall

This British bus stop is straight out of a fairy tale.

[James Lucas @JamesLucasIT]

6. Swing bus stop, Montreal

[James Lucas @JamesLucasIT]

4. Bus stop library in Bogotá, Colombia

Providing access to books for those patiently awaiting public transport.

[James Lucas @JamesLucasIT]

3. Fruit-shaped bus stops, Japan

[The Culturist @the_culturist_]

And though it might look random and organic, every inch is intentional and packed with symbolism. There are 18 towers: 12 represent the apostles, four the evangelists, one for the Virgin Mary...

[The Culturist @the_culturist_]

..and the last one, the tallest in the middle, represents Jesus Christ.

[The Culturist @the_culturist_]

And look at the garden of fruits atop the pinnacles. They represent the fruit of good deeds, even arranged by the seasons in which they grow. Grapes and shafts of wheat symbolize the Eucharist...

[The Culturist @the_culturist_]

He had this genius idea: hanging weights on strings will form arches that spread their weight optimally under gravity.

Turn this upside down and you have the most structurally-sound arch or dome shapes possible.

[The Culturist @the_culturist_]

But how does something so irregular-looking stand upright?

Before there was computational analysis, Gaudí realized nature was bound by the laws of mathematics — and forms that mimic nature are structurally sound.

[The Culturist @the_culturist_]

Gaudí combined these organic forms with the key principle of Gothic architecture: that light itself is divine and should be maximized inside.

He was an artist painting with light...

[The Culturist @the_culturist_]

The Nativity façade, for example, is an ode to the wonder of nature and life. Mary, Jesus and the saints are surrounded by lush carvings of plants and animals.

[The Culturist @the_culturist_]

This church has been under construction for 124 years. In 2026, it will become the tallest in the world.

It isn't funded by the state or even the Church — it's being built entirely by the people.

And it's far more impressive than you realize... (thread) 🧵

[Bill Siemering @bsiemering]

@Syntaxfactory @joshshepperd Thank you, David. Was a pleasure to talk with your class.