Manufacturers should be cranking out Danish Modern air conditioners for Manhattanites and, for Brooklynites, units that look like distressed New England farm implements.

WSJ: Ugliness for All

In Sicily pawn lending began in the early 16th century with two banks, one dealing with precious items like jewellery and silverware and the other with ordinary objects like farm implements.

ECONOMIST: A 500-year-old business is still going strong

Some workbench tables, paintings, and brightly colored farm implements are local, but the antler chandelier in the main lounge is pure American West, the result of a movie star divorce garage sale: It comes from Demi Moore and Bruce Willis' former home in Sun Valley.

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