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masterofd1saster · 1 year

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CJ current events 3nov22

Yup, that’s murder

Police in Oklahoma released bodycam footage of an officer responding to a car crash that killed two people. An 18-year-old driver involved in the crash was allegedly driving the wrong way and reached speeds above 150 miles per hour before the collision.

Video from the Stillwater Police Department shows the scene of the Oct. 15 crash: a white Ford Mustang on its side and a destroyed red Chevrolet Impala. An officer runs from car to car, checking on those involved and talking to witnesses.***

Police said in a press release that the Mustang was driving the wrong way and hit the Chevy head on in the city of Stillwater, which is roughly 63 miles west of Tulsa. The Mustang then continued on, while debris hit an occupied vehicle in the parking lot of a convenience store and several unoccupied vehicles at a nearby car dealership lot.*** https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stillwater-oklahoma-crash-luke-christopher-house-murder-charges/

***

Nellie Bowles notes

***

→ Actually, wait a second: It turns out China is operating secret police stations across five continents. Want to leave the Communist Party, blow the whistle on something you saw, and find safety in Europe? Or want to be a vocal, dissident student at a European university? Good luck with that. ***

→ But seriously WTF is going on in New York’s subways: This year so far, at least 25 people have been pushed into the New York City subway tracks, and two of those shoves were fatal. I used to think they were just aiming for petite people in vulnerable spots close to the edge, but the latest, a father of three, is a normal-sized man being body slammed into the tracks. I don’t stand a chance out there.***

https://www.commonsense.news/p/tgif-let-this-sink-in-edition

***

The wheels of Justice....

Football coach Joe Kennedy won his case at the Supreme Court, Kennedy v. Bremerton School Dist. on June 27, 2022. The school district is still litigating exactly how he will to coach. Kennedy, 16-cv-05694 (W.D.Wash.) https://img.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2022/10/27/19711039654116.pdf Looks like he’ll be reinstated on 15mar23.

***

There’s a subreddit for that?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Methany/

***

Seeing the iceberg

The city’s beleaguered transit system has already seen people violently shoved from the platform at least 25 times this year, eclipsing the total from last year, sources said on Wednesday.

A total of 22 people have been shoved in the subway system as of Oct. 16 and another three subway attacks have occurred since then, law enforcement sources told The Post.

Last year, the city tallied a grand total of 21 subway shoves as of Oct. 16.

Two of the subway attacks this year have been fatal, including on Oct. 17 when a father of three was knocked onto the subway tracks and fatally struck by a train in Queens.*** https://nypost.com/2022/10/27/nyc-subway-shoves-exceed-number-of-incidents-compared-to-last-year/

+++

NEW YORK - Police say they have arrested a robbery suspect caught on video trapping a woman inside a subway turnstile.

It happened shortly before midnight Tuesday at the 63rd Drive-Rego Park station.

Surveillance video shows the 26-year-old woman entering the turnstile when the man comes up from behind and pulls it in the opposite direction to get in with her. The victim tries to fight back, as the suspect forces himself on her.

The struggle went on for more than a minute before police said he grabbed her wallet from her hand and fled out of the station.*** https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/caught-on-video-robbery-suspect-traps-woman-inside-subway-turnstile-in-rego-park-queens/

***

Broad spectrum criminals

*** The Douglas County Sheriff's Office announced the deaths of David Strain, 31, and Clarissa Daws, 29, in a Facebook post Thursday after positive identifications were made by the coroner's office.

Strain and Daws had warrants for their arrests related to auto theft and one was wanted for questioning in another Denver metro-area shooting, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said Wednesday at a press conference.

On Thursday, the sheriff’s office released an edited video of the shooting that resulted in the pair's deaths.

Officials reported deputies were patrolling the rail station's parking lot, 10203 Station Way, late Tuesday when they noticed a “suspicious Black Kia with no license plates and the locks punched out.” The vehicle was tucked in a hidden spot in the garage and its front window was covered by a shade visor, Spurlock said.

A deputy called for backup and six officers responded. Deputies announced themselves and knocked on both side windows, but did not get a response, Spurlock said.

The suspects opened fire on the deputies through both side windows. All six deputies fired back. Spurlock said the deputies exchanged three separate volleys of gunfire about 7-9 minutes apart and said each volley was initiated by the suspects.

One deputy was hit in the face with car window glass and went to the hospital with minor injuries. All the involved deputies are on leave, which is standard operating procedure for any officer-involved shootings.*** https://denvergazette.com/news/local/southern-colorado-man-woman-identified-in-rtd-shooting-deaths/article_67443b29-f9b5-5db9-9be5-82db1b5c240b.html

***

Good Bari Weiss substack debate

pro-incarceration:

*** Are some people behind bars who shouldn’t be? Yes, and that’s a serious problem. A close look at the prison populations of every jurisdiction in the country would surely yield examples of wrongfully convicted (and factually innocent) defendants, inmates whose sentences constitute unjustifiable upward deviations from what is generally regarded as appropriate for their offenses, and offenders who do not constitute threats to their communities.

But I believe the bigger issue is under incarceration. That is, those who have come into contact with the criminal justice system and should be incarcerated, but aren’t.

Some respond that it would be better and more humane to invest in rehabilitation so that there are fewer incorrigible offenders. The problem with this is that it presupposes that we know how to rehabilitate criminal offenders at scale. We don’t. A recent meta-analysis of the literature on the “Effectiveness of psychological interventions in prison to reduce recidivism,” published in The Lancet, found little evidence in the form of rigorous, high-quality studies to support the suggestion that a solution to the recidivism problem is within reach. This, of course, doesn’t mean we should stop trying, but until we can figure out how to rein in recidivists (especially violent ones), prison remains our best bet.***

anti:

*** Are there some people who are so dangerous they need to be incarcerated unless and until they no longer pose a danger to others? Yes. Does the system make mistakes and let dangerous people out? On occasion, yes. But more often than not, it locks away people for far longer than necessary, and to deleterious effect.

The risk of de-carceration will never be zero. But neither is the cost of over-incarceration. As this Brennan Center report found, by using criteria that separates those most likely to reoffend from the rest of those incarcerated, the U.S. could release about 40 percent of our prisoners without harming public safety. ***

https://www.commonsense.news/p/has-criminal-justice-reform-made

***

Novak v. Parma, No. 22-293

Babylon Bee submitted its amicus curiae brief on 28oct22:

*** As a matter of fact, The Bee is serving a brutal life sentence in Twitter jail as we speak.8 Its writers would very much like to avoid a consecutive sentence in a government-run facility.

SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT

Truth is stranger than fiction. And fiction is illegal. At least in the Sixth Circuit. That court’s decision—depriving Petitioner Anthony Novak of any opportunity to hold accountable those who searched his home, arrested him, and jailed him because the parody he wrote was too effective—should be reviewed by this Court on the merits.***

Second, the Sixth Circuit’s ruling will allow the state to punish vast swaths of speech erstwhile protected by the First Amendment. The Bee and its writers could be held criminally liable for many, if not most, of the articles The Bee publishes. Good grief, The Bee could even be on the hook for publishing this brief’s doppelganger.9

*** Furthermore, parody shouldn’t be stripped of constitutional protection just because it’s not clearly labeled as parody. And requiring that parody be written so as to ensure that the most gullible in our society— the Facebook-using grandmother, the tween TikTok addict, the CNN reporter—don’t take it seriously ruins the parody for everyone else.***

It was The Bee, after all, that first reported on these recent antics at the FBI: FBI Storms Convent to Arrest Group of Dangerous Pro-Life Extremists11 and FBI Gets Great Night’s Sleep after Raiding MyPillow Guy.12

*** had a caller contacted the FBI field office in Cleveland or Cincinnati to inquire about one of those stories—or to express outrage over the suspicious timing of the FBI’s raid on Melania Trump’s Mar-a-Lago closet and Attorney General Garland’s acquisition of a haute couture wardrobe13— The Bee would have been subject to a felony charge and writer jail time under the Ohio statute for “disrupt[ing], interrupt[ing], or impair[ing] . . . governmental operations.” Ohio Rev. Code § 2909.04(B).***

The writers at The Bee are a hearty bunch, accustomed to regularly and brilliantly absorbing blows from powerful, prestigious media outlets—and also from CNN—that desperately want to muzzle The Bee. Child’s play. But whining establishment types who are unable to take a joke and who possess the coercive power of the state are an entirely different matter. Add to that mix the aggressive, unbridled strain of qualified immunity propagated by the Sixth Circuit. It’s enough to make Chuck Norris sweat.18

The parody brief includes

***

Stay classy, Jose

Substitute Teacher Arrested for Sexual Exploitation of Children

Centennial- On 10/28/2022, Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Investigators arrested Jose Tomayo, age 25, for:

18-6-403 Sexual Exploitation of Children Class 5 Felony

ACSO Investigators received a tip from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The information revealed someone had uploaded suspected child pornography through the social media platform Snapchat using the screen name freakygurls420.

ACSO ICAC Investigators found through their investigation that the suspected person lived in the City of Centennial and worked as a substitute teacher for the Littleton Public Schools.

Jose worked as a substitute teacher for the Littleton Public Schools during the 2021 - 2022 school years and the Englewood Public Schools as a substitute teacher and Paraprofessional during the 2020 -2021 school year.*** https://www.arapahoegov.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2750

***

Whacko who attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer

David Depape, Described as ‘Very Odd,’ Is a ‘Former Castro Nudist Protester’ & Hemp ‘Jewelry Maker’ Who Once Lived in a Berkeley Storage Shed, Reports Say

https://heavy.com/news/david-depape/

***

Outreach all you want

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (FOX 9) - Three people were shot in a drive-by shooting on Lake Street in Minneapolis on Friday afternoon.

Officers from Minneapolis's third precinct responded to reports of a shooting on the 2200 block of Lake Street, near Hiawatha Avenue, at 3:02 p.m. and located three injured victims, all with potentially life-threatening gunshot wounds: a 15-year-old boy, a 19-year-old man, and a 65-year-old woman, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.***

Police are not yet aware of any connection between the victims.

"Sad. We are living in the last days. What can I tell you? Things are not getting better, they are getting worse," said Buenano.

As the Crime Lab collected evidence at the scene, there were markers for 66 bullets scattered in the half block where the shooting took place.

Ironically, all this happened outside the office of T.O.U.C.H. Outreach, a violence prevention group that works with the city to de-escalate community tensions and mentor youth, but luckily no one was inside when the shooting occurred.*** https://www.fox9.com/news/three-people-shot-in-minneapolis-drive-by-shooting

***

Only one stabbed? That’s progress.

New York City police are searching for a man accused of stabbing a subway rider Friday morning at a Harlem station.

Police said the victim, a 58-year-old man, was walking on a southbound ‘A’ line platform in the station located at 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue around 4:20 a.m. Friday when he was approached by the suspect.

The suspect reportedly attempted to start a "verbal dispute" with the victim, but was ignored, according to NYPD Crimestoppers.

When the victim walked off, the suspect followed behind him, pulled out a knife and stabbed him once in the upper back.*** https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-york-city-subway-rider-stabbed-back-man-after-walking-away-argument-police

***

Used to be a pretty safe place

Two residents of the Greeley area were arrested and face second-degree murder charges in the fatal attempted carjacking of a 21-year-old Denver woman early Sunday morning north of Longmont.

According to a Boulder County Sheriff’s Office news release, 23-year-old Martin Cerda and 24-year-old Adriana Vargas were arrested early Sunday and face one charge each of second-degree murder. Cerda also faces charges of attempted aggravated robbery, vehicular eluding and possession of a weapon by a previous offender. Vargas also faces a charge of possession of a weapon by a previous offender and was also arrested on several warrants not related to the homicide investigation.***

investigators believe the woman, who was riding in a vehicle driven by her mother, happened across the suspects in their disabled vehicle near the intersection of U.S. 287 and Yellowstone Road. According to the release, investigators say the suspects got out of their vehicle and shot at the victim’s vehicle with a handgun, shooting the victim. Investigators believe Cerda, the primary suspect, shot at the victims’ vehicle in an attempt to carjack them.

A third person in addition to Cerda and Vargas was detained on warrants unrelated to the homicide investigation, the release stated.*** https://www.timescall.com/2022/10/30/two-arrested-in-boulder-county-homicide-north-of-longmont/

***

Aurora

#APDAlert

: Officers are on scene of a shooting w/ 4 victims in a house near 900 of N. Geneva St. The male suspect is believed to be in the area & reverse 911 has been sent to those nearby. Multiple officers are in the area searching. Call 911 to report anything suspicious.

Aurora Police Dept@AuroraPD·21hSuspect is 21 y/o Joseph Castorena. 5'04, slim build. Unknown what he is wearing today. Note the Lion tattoo on his neck. Suspect is armed and dangerous, call 911 if you see him or know where he is. (photo is from a previous arrest)

***Tues

Who wants police?

JACKSON, Miss.—State officials and some residents in Mississippi’s capital are at odds over how to address rampant violent crime, causing tensions to escalate in a city already rife with arguments over who was responsible for a breakdown that left many without clean drinking water.

Mississippi officials are planning to more than double the size of the police force that protects the Capitol and state office buildings to 170 officers by the end of next year. They gave the police force power to patrol a larger area of Jackson, which has one of the highest per capita homicide rates in the U.S. The Jackson Police Department, which has about 250 officers, will continue to oversee the remaining 92% of the city.

Officials in the state government, dominated by Republicans, say the move will make state buildings and the areas around them safer for workers and visitors. Some residents in the predominantly Black city say the mostly white Mississippi leadership is essentially creating a bubble around where they work and neglecting poorer communities with more violence.

“It’s like poor people are left out when it comes to fighting crime,” said Willa Womack, the president of the Battlefield Park Neighborhood Association, representing an area that isn’t part of the Capitol Police expansion plan.***

Jackson, population 150,000, reported 154 homicides last year, up from 128 in 2020 and 82 in 2019. As of Oct. 26 this year, 114 homicides were reported—a rate of 76 per 100,000 residents. That compares with a homicide rate in Chicago of about 21 per 100,000 for the same period.***

Jackson’s police department, like many across the country, is struggling with staffing shortages. It currently has about 100 fewer officers than its budget allows. The City Council recently voted to increase starting salaries for officers, but pay remains below that of nearby departments.*** https://www.wsj.com/articles/debate-on-police-in-jackson-miss-adds-tension-to-city-divided-by-water-crisis-11667107964

Holy smokes, Batman!! 1995 UCR Table 5 says DC's homicide rate was only 65/100k.

***

Paul Pelosi case getting curiouser and curiouser

DAILY “Corrupdates” (@MoonShotUK) tweeted at 8:01 AM on Sun, Oct 30, 2022: https://t.co/vrXFT3AIte Pelosi story is getting weird ??? The emergency Dispatcher was told that the attacker was A friend. Both men were found by police in their underwear? Tell the truth and quit spinning this into something it’s not ! *** (https://twitter.com/MoonShotUK/status/1586689785384652804?t=ywmb1WD2_dajGX-0DVdBHA&s=03)

***

Defund?

*** Despite the political divide on the issue, a new theGrio/KFF Survey of Black Voters, conducted Aug. 24 through Sept. 5, found that very few Black voters (17%) support decreasing funding for police departments in their area. In fact, 34% of Black voters surveyed by theGrio/KFF said they would like to see police funding increase, while a majority (48%) would like to see funding kept about the same. Additionally, the survey found that Black voters living in urban areas are somewhat more likely to support increased police funding compared to those in suburban areas (39% vs. 29%).*** https://thegrio.com/2022/10/25/black-voters-thegrio-kff-funding-police/

***

If Pravda on the Potomac notices....

Anarchists and an increase in violent crime hijack Portland’s social justice movement

Scott Wilson

May 31, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

PORTLAND, Ore. — The church, on the edge of this city, was built to hold thousands, and on this drizzly day the pews of Mannahouse were filled with hundreds of mourners, scattered throughout the broad, high-ceilinged chamber to comply with pandemic rules.

Nearly all of them were Black.

They had gathered to memorialize Jalon Yoakum, 33, whose body lay in a clear casket at the front of the stage. The wounds on his face had been brushed over; a blue suit and white open-collar shirt hid the rest of the scars from the daylight gunshots that killed him in a pizza restaurant parking lot this month.

Portland is a White city, overwhelmingly so — African Americans account for just 6 percent of the population. But it is Black people such as Yoakum, an aspiring union electrician, who are dying at near-historic rates and filling churches with grief.

On May 12, Yoakum, a father of two young boys, became the city’s 30th homicide victim this year. That is five times the number recorded during the same period in 2020, a frightening pace that could see more slayings here by the end of the year than in the past four decades.***

After months of social-justice activism that made Portland a vivid, sometimes violent focal point for a nation debating the same issues around police accountability and reform, the movement here has splintered into bickering groups, at odds over tactics, goals and an overall direction for how to make the city safer, with the police force still at the debate’s bitter center.***

A city of about 650,000 people, Portland has long experienced the push and pull of its stridently felt politics. By many measures, particularly on social issues such as marijuana legalization, the environment and gay rights, the city has been at the vanguard.

But there has also been a historical strain of violent independence in some of its residents, a trait that has helped small groups of self-described anarchists overwhelm the year-old push for police reform and social justice.

From the assessments of the White mayor, Ted Wheeler, and the Black police chief, Chuck Lovell, this smaller faction comprises mostly White, middle-class students and others, who have made places such as churches, public libraries, small Black-owned businesses and a Boys & Girls Club the confounding targets of their vandalism.

Last Tuesday, police declared a riot when one of two groups that had gathered to mark the anniversary of Floyd’s murder broke windows, set fires and threw objects at police. Five people were arrested; all were White.***

Kris R. Henning, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Portland State University. “But when you look over the longer history of what’s been going on in Portland — there’s something else happening. It’s not just the protests. It is not just covid-19. There is something else going on in Portland.”

Henning and others say crime was rising in the city before the pandemic shut it down and before Floyd died in Minneapolis with a White police officer’s knee on his neck. From 2019 to 2020, the number of homicides nearly doubled, something Henning called “unheard of” in Portland. This followed years with some of the nation’s lowest crime rates for a city its size.

“So these perpetrators, my guess, were coming of age, were in elementary and middle school right around the Great Recession,” said Brian Renauer, director of the Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute at Portland State. “Now they’re in their early to mid-20s. So what we’re seeing is the outgrowth of a breakdown in the family, in the economy, in those neighborhoods they came out of, if this is very much a homegrown phenomenon.”***

“What I know is that being chief, and being a Black chief in particular, this movement to really exclude police from some facets of enforcement or community interaction, it really bears the brunt on the African American community,” Lovell said. “These shootings have an outsized impact on people of color.”

The chief’s goal to reestablish a larger uniformed presence on Portland’s streets and in its most dangerous neighborhoods appears to be supported by many residents, who just a year ago were very much opposed to the city’s police practices.***

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/anarchists-and-an-increase-in-crime-hijack-portlands-social-justice-movement/2021/05/28/d49ee1b6-bf1a-11eb-a55f-4871b8ac676f_story.html

***

Even whiny wimps can have a point....

On the holiest night of the Jewish year earlier this month, my rabbi looked up from his Kol Nidre sermon — a homily about protecting America’s liberal democracy — and posed a question that wasn’t in his prepared text: “How many people in the last few years have been at a dining room conversation where the conversation has turned to where might we move? How many of us?”

He was talking about the unthinkable: that Jews might need to flee the United States. In the congregation, many hands — most? — went up.

The sermon included a quotation from the Jewish scholar Michael Holzman: “For American Jews, the disappearance of liberal democracy would be a disaster. … We have flourished under the shelter of the principles behind the First Amendment, and we have been protected by the absolute belief in the rule of law. Without these, Jews, start packing suitcases.”*** https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/10/28/american-jews-exile-fears/

Once the rule of law goes away, life gets really ugly.

***

Why would Oregon voters change gov’t?

[Portland’s] biggest homeless encampment stood just across the street from the floating-homes community, in what’s called the Big Four Corners Natural Area. The camp was founded in 2018 by homeless activists on a protected wetlands site. They used to call it the Village of Hope.

By 2020, hundreds of people were living in the Village of Hope, and crime was rampant. Houseboat community residents started finding their car windows smashed in. Thieves stole their catalytic converters, and then their cars. On one occasion, a resident returned to his floating home to find someone in his bathroom taking a shower.

“We considered hiring a nightly foot patrol, but it was too expensive,” said Denise Olson, another floating home resident. “We felt terrorized.”

The sound of gunfire became routine, residents told me when I visited the site last week. One said you could smell the paint thinner-like odor of meth labs in the encampment, which burst into flames on several occasions. City firefighters refused to go into the encampment; it was too dangerous.

Then the homeless started stealing neighborhood dogs for ransom, Kevin Dahlgren, the president of a Pacific Northwest homeless advocacy group, told me. One homeless person told Dahlgren that bodies of deceased camp residents are buried in the site’s marshy ground. ***

The murder rate is surging in Portland, especially among those living on the street. In a recent survey of Portland residents, 84% of those polled said they felt unsafe downtown at night, and 61% felt the same way during the day. Eighty-two percent want more police in the city.

Drug addiction is as bad as ever. “There is no evidence that Measure 110 has reduced drug use, drug-related crime, or overdose in the state,” Keith Humphreys, a psychologist who specializes in addiction and served as a senior advisor in the Obama administration, told me, referring to a progressive 2020 initiative that decriminalized drug possession. Meanwhile, Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel is active in “every corner of the state”, as The Oregonian puts it. (Police in Eugene recently seized 18 pounds of fentanyl in a single traffic stop, enough to kill most of the state of Oregon.)

And, for the first time in over a decade, Portland is shrinking, with young adults leaving in particularly large numbers: between 2020 and 2021, the county that includes Portland had a net loss of more than 4,000 residents between the ages of 25 and 29. Oregon as a whole has experienced one of the biggest slowdowns in population growth in the country.***

“The biggest thing to me, though—the most off-putting thing, is open defecation,” [Angela Renteria] said. “I’m walking down the street with my kids going to a bookstore, and someone is squatted on the sidewalk taking a shit.”

“My kids, there are times they want to go to Portland and check out shops,” Diana Sapera told me. “Now, I don’t feel comfortable doing that. My kids are scared, seeing grown adults yelling, hitting things, throwing things. They see needles and are like, ‘What is that?’”

“I don’t know one person who says ‘I want to go downtown today, want to come?,’” said Olson. “Nobody wants to go there.”***

Key to her appeal is [governor candidate] Drazan’s break with the status quo on homelessness—rejecting the Housing First philosophy that has become orthodoxy in progressive cities up and down the West Coast. Housing First posits that the main reason people are living on the streets is lack of affordable housing, and the best way to solve the problem is to build more of it.

Drazan thinks the real problem is drug addiction—not high rent. She wants to “end encampments,” repeal Measure 110 and expand addiction-treatment services, in addition to building more housing. “We have to help Oregonians get sober and stay sober,” she said in August in response to a series of questions posed by Oregon Public Broadcasting.***

“There’s a stunning amount of violence from Antifa,” he said, referring to the self-styled radical “anti-fascist” activists who are particularly numerous and active in Portland.

Antifa has become the most dramatic symbol of the city’s lawlessness.

Angela Renteria’s old job, at U.S. Bank, was near where the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020 happened. “They had to shut down the branch—people were blocking the streets, throwing trash cans at cars,” she told me, adding: “Right after Columbus Day, they spray-painted our bank. Our higher-ups and security instructed us on what to do if things got out of hand: you’re going to lock yourselves in the vault.”

She said the entire time she worked at the branch, she saw “maybe two police cars the whole time. I saw ambulances, fire trucks, but no cops. They just let them do their thing.”*** https://www.commonsense.news/p/why-lifelong-democrats-in-oregon

Measure 110 legalized drugs. https://www.oregon.gov/OHA/HSD/AMH/Pages/Measure110.aspx

***

Suppressing speech

*** Behind closed doors, and through pressure on private platforms, the U.S. government has used its power to try to shape online discourse.***

There is also a formalized process for government officials to directly flag content on Facebook or Instagram and request that it be throttled or suppressed through a special Facebook portal that requires a government or law enforcement email to use. At the time of writing, the “content request system” at facebook.com/xtakedowns/login is still live. DHS and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, did not respond to a request for comment. The FBI declined to comment.***

How disinformation is defined by the government has not been clearly articulated, and the inherently subjective nature of what constitutes disinformation provides a broad opening for DHS officials to make politically motivated determinations about what constitutes dangerous speech.***

The broad definition of “threat actors” posing risks to vaguely defined critical infrastructure — an area as broad as trust in government, public health, elections, and financial markets — has concerned civil libertarians. “No matter your political allegiances, all of us have good reason to be concerned about government efforts to pressure private social media platforms into reaching the government’s preferred decisions about what content we can see online,” said Adam Goldstein, the vice president of research at FIRE.***

Last year, a top FBI counterterrorism official came under fire when she falsely denied to Congress that the FBI monitors Americans’ social media and had therefore missed threats leading up to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. In fact, the FBI has spent millions of dollars on social media tracking software like Babel X and Dataminr. According to the bureau’s official guidelines, authorized activities include “proactively surfing the Internet to find publicly accessible websites and services through which recruitment by terrorist organizations and promotion of terrorist crimes is openly taking place.”***

“There is growing evidence that the legislative and executive branch officials are using social media companies to engage in censorship by surrogate,” said Jonathan Turley, a professor of law at George Washington University, who has written about the lawsuit. “It is axiomatic that the government cannot do indirectly what it is prohibited from doing directly. If government officials are directing or facilitating such censorship, it raises serious First Amendment questions.”***

[Gov’t email to social media] concerns free speech advocates, who note that the agency is attempting to make an end run around the First Amendment by exerting continual pressure on private sector social media firms. “When the government suggests things, it’s not too hard to pull off the velvet glove, and you get the mail fist,” said Adam Candeub, a professor of law at Michigan State University. “And I would consider such actions, especially when it’s bureaucratized, as essentially state action and government collusion with the platforms.”

“If a foreign authoritarian government sent these messages,” noted Nadine Strossen, the former president of the American Civil Liberties Union, “there is no doubt we would call it censorship.”*** https://theintercept.com/2022/10/31/social-media-disinformation-dhs/

***

Surprise, surprise, surprise

The man who allegedly attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer has been “mentally ill for a long time,” his former partner said in a new interview.

Oxane Taub, who goes by the name “Gypsy” and is a noted activist for public nudity in the Bay Area, said she has known accused maniac David DePape for more than 20 years and is the mother of his children.

“He is mentally ill. He has been mentally ill for a long time,” Taub told ABC7 in a call from the California Institution for Women, where she is serving time after being convicted last year of abducting a 14-year-old boy near his Berkeley high school.***

https://nypost.com/2022/10/30/paul-pelosis-alleged-attacker-mentally-ill-his-ex-says/

***Wed

1 dead/5 wounded in Denver at Colfax & Verbena

[Denver Police Commander Matt] Clark said the area has extra patrol and undercover officers because it has a higher rate of violent crime, and that the department is working with community members in the area to try to cut down on the crime rate.

about 1:10 in video https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/6-people-shot-near-east-colfax-ave-in-east-denver

***

Denver is worst place for car theft?

CAPTA's latest update is not yet complete, but the agency has released a list of the ten most stolen vehicles in the metro area from July 1-September 30. The roster includes four Kia models and three types of Hyundais, as well as the Chevrolet Silverado, the Ford F-250 and the GMC Sierra. The total thefts of these vehicles alone add up to 2,845 over three months.

https://www.westword.com/news/denver-is-one-big-car-theft-hot-spot-15306202

***Thurs

Interesting case like Florida v. Riley, 488 US 445 (1989).

Can the government pilot a low-flying drone over your property without a warrant and then use the evidence against you in court? That’s the question at the heart of an application for appeal filed with the Michigan Supreme Court today on behalf of Todd and Heather Maxon. For two years, the government flew a sophisticated drone over Todd and Heather Maxons’ property to take detailed photographs and videos, all without ever seeking a warrant. Now, the Maxons, represented by the Institute for Justice (IJ), are asking the Michigan Supreme Court to hold that the government violated their Fourth Amendment rights and can’t use its illegally obtained photos and videos to punish them in court.

“This is bigger than just some drones flying over my home,” said Todd Maxon. “If I’m not safe from this kind of surveillance, nobody will be.”

Todd spends his free time fixing up vehicles on his five-acre property in rural Long Lake Township, located in northern Michigan. He keeps those vehicles away from public view and he doesn’t bother his neighbors. But that doesn’t matter to officials in Long Lake Township’s zoning enforcement office. For years, officials have been trying to pin someviolation of Long Lake’s zoning code on the Maxons. The government first brought a code enforcement lawsuit against them in 2007, claiming they’d illegally stored “junk” on the property. The Maxons fought the case and won, with the government agreeing to a favorable settlement in which it agreed to drop the lawsuit against them and reimbursed the Maxons for their attorneys’ fees.

Less than a decade later, Long Lake amended its zoning code and soon afterwards used a drone to surveil the Maxons’ home. Over two years, it flew all over their property, taking intrusive, high-resolution photographs and videos of their home and backyard, all without ever seeking a warrant. Now the government wants to use those photos and videos as evidence in a zoning enforcement lawsuit to punish the couple for alleged code violations on their property.*** https://ij.org/press-release/warrantless-drone-surveillance-lawsuit-appealed-to-michigan-supreme-court/

***

Need I label it parody?

https://babylonbee.com/news/DHS-announces-they-will-suppress-as-much-speech-as-it-takes-to-preserve-democracy

U.S. — Amid shocking leaks that showed the Department of Homeland Security colluded with tech companies to suppress speech they disagreed with, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has doubled down, promising to suppress as much speech as it takes to preserve democracy.

"As everyone knows, democracy is when Democrats hold unlimited power, and today that sacred foundation of our country is under attack from free speech," said Mayorkas from a massive television screen being played in the town square before an assembly of glassy-eyed citizens in identical grey jumpsuits. "We will not tire of protecting our country from violent threats such as speech, opinions, people saying stuff, and bad inward thoughts that poison the mind against your benevolent overlords. I love democracy!"***

The essay conclude by unfairly saying Sec Mayorkas looks like a pink toad when everyone knows he just looks like a thumb.

***

Paul Pelosi redux

U.S. Capitol Police officers were reportedly not monitoring the cameras around House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) home in San Francisco when a man broke in and attacked her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer on Friday.

An officer in Washington, D.C., only seemed to notice something when seeing police lights flashing outside the abode, pulling up additional camera angles and backtracking to see the break-in, officials told the Washington Post. This was as a "handful" of officers in the Capitol Police command center were shifting through feeds from 1,800 cameras from the Capitol complex and beyond, the report said. *** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/pelosi-home-attack-capitol-police-failure-watch-cameras

***

There’s platinum in them cats

Federal, state, and local law enforcement partners from across the United States executed a nationwide, coordinated takedown [2nov22] of leaders and associates of a national network of thieves, dealers, and processors for their roles in conspiracies involving stolen catalytic converters sold to a metal refinery for tens of millions of dollars.

Arrests, searches, and seizures took place in California, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, and Virginia. In total, 21 individuals in five states have been arrested and/or charged for their roles in the conspiracy.

The 21 defendants are charged in two separate indictments that were unsealed today in the Eastern District of California and the Northern District of Oklahoma following extensive law enforcement arrest and search operations. In addition to the indictments, over 32 search warrants were executed, and law enforcement seized millions of dollars in assets, including homes, bank accounts, cash, and luxury vehicles.***

“With California’s higher emission standards, our community has become a hot bed for catalytic converter theft,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California. “Last year approximately 1,600 catalytic converters were reportedly stolen in California each month, and California accounts for 37% of all catalytic converter theft claims nationwide. I am proud to announce that we have indicted nine people who are at the core of catalytic theft in our community and nationwide.”

“In Tulsa alone, more than 2,000 catalytic converters were stolen in the past year,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson for the Northern District of Oklahoma. “Organized criminal activity, including the large-scale theft of catalytic converters, is costly to victims and too often places citizens and law enforcement in danger. The collective work conducted by federal prosecutors and more than 10 different law enforcement agencies led to the filing of charges in the Northern District of Oklahoma against 13 defendants operating an alleged catalytic converter theft operation.”*** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-takedown-nationwide-catalytic-converter-theft-ring

***

Culture/Politics/Law

“This is like a breaking point,” said Nicole Avant, who served as U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas under Barack Obama and is the wife of Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. We were talking about Los Angeles, where she was born and grew up and met her husband. “Who is in charge here? How is this happening? It’s the drug addicts in front of people’s houses, it’s people naked in the street—there’s so much chaos, and Rick is the opposite of that, and we just need to reel things in and do things in a different way.” She was referring to Rick Caruso, the billionaire real-estate developer running for mayor of the second-biggest city in the country.

Avant is black Hollywood royalty. Her father, Clarence Avant, now 91, was a legend in the music industry, managing the likes of Sarah Vaughan, Freddie Hubbard and Bill Withers. They called him the Black Godfather.

So you might think that Avant would be supporting Karen Bass’s bid to be mayor of Los Angeles. Bass, who is black, is a six-term Democratic congresswoman. In 2020, she was on Joe Biden’s vice-presidential shortlist. ***

Homicides are up. Homeless encampments are metastasizing. Public spaces are overrun with graffiti and needles and human feces. In the first year of the pandemic, an estimated 160,000 people left Los Angeles County. ***

Two years ago, at the apex of the nation’s “racial reckoning,” Hollywood was all in on Black Lives Matter, defund the police, social justice—marching, preaching, hashtagging. Many A-listers gave to the campaign of George Gascon, who was then running for District Attorney of Los Angeles on a platform that prioritized decarceration and anti-racism. Reed Hastings, the other co-CEO of Netflix, gave more than $1.7 million to Gascon. (Avant noted that her husband, Ted Sarandos, did not, some media reports notwithstanding.)

When Gascon won, Hollywood celebrated.***

Everything had gotten worse—the crime, the homelessness, the feeling that the city was spiraling, that the bottom was falling out from under it.

Everyone in L.A. has had that moment when something awful and crystallizing happens. Perhaps it was the UCLA graduate student stabbed to death in a furniture store. Or the college student shot and killed near USC. Or the 12-year-old in Wilmington struck by a stray bullet.

For many in Hollywood, it came on December 1, 2021, when a robber—a repeat offender—broke into the Beverly Hills home of Nicole Avant’s parents. He shot Avant’s 91-year-old mother in the back, killing her—and later, according to court records, laughing and bragging about it. He did not expect to spend the rest of his life in prison; he figured Gascon’s office would be lenient. (He was wrong.)

The message was like this neon billboard hovering over the city, the Hills, the tennis courts and Michelin-star restaurants: You can live in a beautiful neighborhood several freeway stops from the poor and the violent. You can wall yourselves off with gates and security systems. You can even hire a personal security guard, as Avants’ parents had. And it still doesn’t matter. ***

This is the new conversation just starting to take place about class.

They talk endlessly about representation and inclusivity in Hollywood. They do not talk about all the people who aren’t being included, Avant said. She recalled driving in Beverly Hills a few years ago, and it was raining, and she passed a bus stop, and there was a woman standing in the rain, waiting for the bus, because a homeless person had taken over the bus stop for the night. “Somebody, please tell me why that’s okay,” she said. https://www.commonsense.news/p/the-hollywood-power-brokers-mugged

***

Oh, that?

A Michigan teenager was found with a dead body in a pickup truck he was driving following a fender bender, authorities said.

Authorities said Stephen Freeman, 19, fled after a minor crash in Roseville, 18 miles north of Detroit, last week, Fox Detroit reported. When officers checked the truck, they found the body of 62-year-old Gabrielle Seitz in the bed.

Seitz had a shoelace around her neck and there were signs of strangulation, authorities said. *** https://www.foxnews.com/us/michigan-teen-arrested-dead-body-found-truck-following-traffic-crash

***

You thought the middle schooler was hot?

Two brothers have been convicted of murder in the grisly cold case stabbing deaths of a Detroit-area woman and her 11-year-old daughter, prosecutors said.

A jury deliberated less than two hours Monday before convicting Tony Johnson, 42, and Henry Johnson, 37, of two counts each of premeditated first-degree murder and premeditated felony murder, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office said.***

Tina Geiger, 36, and Krissy Geiger, 11, were slain July 24, 2013, in their Clinton Township apartment. Tina Geiger suffered about 60 stab wounds and Krissy had more than 20 stab wounds, mostly to her neck, the Detroit Free Press reported.***

A bloody palm print and DNA found on the girl matched Tony Johnson, prosecutors said. DNA also confirmed blood found in the stairwell and on a railing outside the apartment came from a male relative of Tony Johnson’s. Henry Johnson resided in the same apartment complex.***

Tony Johnson was identified on video surveillance at a convenience store at the same time as the victims, prosecutors said. Investigators believed the brothers walked the victims home, sexually assaulted the girl and stabbed both victims. https://www.foxnews.com/us/2-brothers-fatally-stabbed-detroit-area-mother-60-times-11-year-old-daughter-20-times

***

0 notes

pinerwo · 2 years

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Light rail route

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#Light rail route

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solutionpiner · 2 years

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shinra-makonoid · 2 years

Note

Bonjour :)

Merci pour ton suggestions, mais Sanukiya est fermé. Nous avons visité les catacombes de paris qui étaient très intéressantes. Et nous sommes très enthousiastes de Paris et France. Malheureusement ma sœur est tombée malade. Elle a un grave mal de gorge et n'a pas de voix. Aujourd'hui, nous sommes allés à l'hôpital. (And that's the extent of my french).

She was called in for treatment right away?? Like it didn't even take 10 minutes. The nurses were very kind and patient with my broken french. It was a bit difficult because they couldn't speak english well and I forgot most about my school-french. Unfortunately it's a virus so antibiotics won't help. But we were suprised they even tested for that. In Germany we were never tested to decide if it's a virus or bacteria. You would get antibiotics even if it's unnecessary... the hospitals have to raise their numbers (all about money...) and only after you waited 6 hours to finally get treated.

In general the french people we met seem very relaxed and not in a hurry, at ease. And like they don't care so much what others do. I've seen many gay couples and openly crossdressing people and people with unique sense of fashion. No one seemed to bat an eye. In Germany people definitively judge you for that or look at you funny. And like the traffic. Didn't hear or see anyone honking yet. They seem to watch out for one another here and don't make a fuss if people make a tiny mistake or take a little to long. In Munich you'll get screamed at if you follow the traffic rules and drive 30 km/h in a school area (which is required!). And every time an ambulance drives by they make room. Why does it work here and not where I live ...

Also people look very nice, like on average they are more stylish and men wearing scarfs looks like normal thing. And dogs, so many dogs :)

And I like the metro very much. I didn't understand how it worked at first. En Allemagne on a 'gare' (?) there are multiple lines and you always have to watch out you don't accidentally get in the wrong one in a hurry. But here it seems you don't have to run to get the trains since the next one comes in 5 minutes again, anyway and only one train per station so you get in the right one too. So well connected and organized (I imagine it's different in the rural areas but I'm comparing it to our inner city transportation. We have a metro too, not on that scale but still).

But I have to say it's very inaccessible for disabled people (or I just missed it). I personally don't need it but I didn't see any elevators or wheelchair accessible areas in the metro. But some lines (Like 11 from Châtelet to Mairie des Lilas) are very adventurous. We don't have to go to Disneyland after that ride ^^ I liked it but my sister was very scared with the rumbling and turning and very fast driving.

Ah yes the catacombs are very well known, I forgot about that, never went yet.

I'm sorry for your sister, I hope she'll be okay nonetheless. Yes there's a policy here where you test whether it's a virus or not because they don't want to waste antibiotics or decrease its efficiency in the long run. "Les antibiotiques, c'est pas automatique" is an old ad made by the healthcare to decrease its abuse. I'm glad you didn't have to wait a long time too!

I admit I have a totally different opinion on the French people in Paris lmao but I suppose that might be the case in some neighborhoods! To me it sounds more like Munich :') Learning how to drive here is a struggle. In the center of Paris tho yeah people are very very stylish, they look great.

Same for subway I dislike it very much lmao the one in Lyon is so much cleaner tbh. Once you got the hang of it tho yeah it's easy to navigate. :) Some subways are definitely more recent than others too.

I'm glad you're having a good time and like the city! If you like France I can only recommend you to try Lyon once, it's another big city that is pretty, or Nice, they're really cool.

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papermoonloveslucy · 3 years

Text

ZIEGFELD FOLLIES

April 8, 1946

Directors: Lemuel Ayers, Roy Del Ruth. Vincente Minnelli, George Sidney, Norman Taurog, Charles Walters. Robert Lewis Producer: Arthur Freed for Metro Goldwyn Mayer

The shooting schedule ran between April 10 and August 18, 1944, with retakes plus additional segments filmed on December 22, 1944 and then between January 25 and February 6, 1945. The film was first proposed in 1939.

Synopsis ~ We meet a grayed, immaculately garbed Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. in Paradise (his diary entry reads "Another heavenly day"), where he looks down upon the world and muses over the sort of show he'd be putting on were he still alive.

PRINCIPAL CAST

Lucille Ball ('Here's to the Ladies') is appearing in her 64th film since coming to Hollywood in 1933.

Fred Astaire ('Here's to the Ladies' / Raffles in 'This Heart of Mine' / Tai Long in 'Limehouse Blues’ / Gentleman in 'The Babbit and the Bromide') also appeared with Lucille Ball in Roberta (1935), Top Hat (1935), and Follow the Fleet (1936). His name was mentioned twice on “I Love Lucy.”

Lucille Bremer (Princess in 'This Heart of Mine' / Moy Ling in 'Limehouse Blues')

Fanny Brice (Norma Edelman in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket') appeared in the original stage version of many editions of The Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway.

Judy Garland (The Star in 'A Great Lady Has An Interview') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).

Kathryn Grayson (Kathryn Grayson in 'Beauty') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).

Lena Horne (Lena Horne in 'Love') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).

Gene Kelly (Gentleman in 'The Babbit and the Bromide') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943), Du Barry Was A Lady (1943), and A Guide for the Married Man (1967). He made an appearance on the Lucille Ball special “Lucy Moves to NBC” (1980).

James Melton (Alfredo in 'La Traviata')

Victor Moore (Lawyer's Client in 'Pay the Two Dollars')

Red Skelton (J. Newton Numbskull in 'When Television Comes') also starred with Lucille Ball in Having Wonderful Time (1938), Thousands Cheer (1943), Du Barry Was A Lady (1943), and The Fuller Brush Girl (1950). On TV he appeared on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in “Lucy Goes To Alaska” (1958). Ball and Skelton appeared in numerous TV specials together.

Esther Williams (Esther Williams in 'A Water Ballet') also appeared with Lucille Ball in Easy To Wed (1946).

William Powell (Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.) also played the same character in The Great Ziegfeld (1936).

Edward Arnold (Lawyer in 'Pay the Two Dollars') appeared with Lucille Ball in Roman Scandals (1933) and Ellis in Freedomland (1952).

Marion Bell (Violetta in 'La Traviata')

Cyd Charisse (Ballerina in 'Beauty') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).

Hume Cronyn (Monty in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket') was honored by The Kennedy Center in 1986, at the same ceremony as Lucille Ball.

William Frawley (Martin in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket') played the role of Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”. He also appeared on “The Lucy Show,” his final screen appearance.

Robert Lewis (Chinese Gentleman in 'Limehouse Blues' / Telephone Voice in 'Number Please')

Virginia O'Brien (Virginia O'Brien in 'Here's to the Ladies') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943), Du Barry Was A Lady (1943), and Meet The People (1944).

Keenan Wynn (Caller in 'Number Please') appeared with Lucille Ball in Easy To Wed (1946), Without Love (1945), and The Long, Long Trailer (1954).

SUPPORTING CAST

Ziegfeld Girls

Karin Booth

Lucille Casey

Aina Constant

Elizabeth Dailey

Frances Donelan

Natalie Draper

Karen X. Gaylord

Aileen Haley

Carol Haney

Shirlee Howard

Margaret Laurence

Helen O'Hara

Noreen Roth

Elaine Shepard

Kay Thompson

Dorothy Tuttle

Dorothy Van Nuys

Eve Whitney - appeared on “I Love Lucy” episode “The Charm School” (ILL S3;E15).

Dancers

Gloria Joy Arden

Jean Ashton

Irene Austin

Judi Blacque

Bonnie Barlowe

Norman Borine

Hazel Brooks

Ed Brown

Kathleen Cartmill

Jack Cavan

Marilyn Christine

Laura Corbay

Rita Dunn

Meredyth Durrell

Shawn Ferguson

Jeanne Francis

Jean French

Mary Jane French

David Gray

Bill Hawley

Doreen Hayward

Charlotte Hunter

Virginia Hunter

Patricia Jackson

Margaret Kays

Laura Knight

Laura Lane

Dale Lefler

Melvin Martin

Diane Meredith

Lorraine Miller

Joyce Murray

Janet Nevis

Ray Nyles

Billy O'Shay

Jane Ray

Dorothy Raye

Beth Renner

Melba Snowden

Walter Stane

Ivon Starr

Robert Trout

Chorus Boys

Rod Alexander

Milton Chisholm

Dick D'Arcy

Dante DiPaolo

Don Hulbert

Herb Lurie

Matt Mattox

Bert May - appeared on “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy and Tennessee Ernie Ford”

Jack Purcell

Tommy Rall

Ricky Ricardi (!)

Alex Romero

“LIMEHOUSE BLUES” starring Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer, and Robert Lewis

Robert Ames (Masked Man)

James Barron (Couple with Banners)

Eleanor Bayley (Couple with Branches)

Mary Jo Ellis (Couple with Banners)

Sean Francis (Ensemble)

James King (Rooster)

Harriet Lee (Bar Singer)

Eugene Loring (Costermonger)

Charles Lunard (Masked Man)

Patricia Lynn (Ensemble)

Ruth Merman (Ensemble)

Garry Owen (1st Subway Policeman)

Ellen Ray (Couple with Parasols)

Jack Regas (Masked Man)

Billy Shead (Couple with Parasols)

Ronald Stanton (Couple with Branches)

Wanda Stevenson (Ensemble)

Ray Teal (2nd Subway Policeman)

“LOVE” starring Lena Horne

Juliette Ball (Club Patron)

Lennie Bluett (Dancer)

Suzette Harbin (Flirt)

Avanelle Harris (Club Patron)

Maggie Hathaway (Dancer)

Charles Hawkins (Club Patron)

Marie Bryant (Woman Getting Her Man Taken)

Cleo Herndon (Dancer)

“THIS HEART OF MINE” starring Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer

Helen Boyce (Countess)

Feodor Chaliapin Jr. (Lieutenant)

Naomi Childers (Duchess)

Charles Coleman (Majordomo)

Sam Flint (Majordomo's Assistant)

Sidney Gordon (Masked Man)

Count Stefenelli (Count)

Robert Wayne (Dyseptic)

“PAY THE TWO DOLLARS” starring Edward Arnold and Victor Moore

William Bailey (Subway Passenger)

Joseph Crehan (1st Judge) - played a Detective on “I Love Lucy” “The Great Train Robbery”

William B. Davidson (2nd Judge)

Eddie Dunn (3rd Subway Policeman)

Harry Hayden (Warden)

George Hill (2nd Subway Policeman)

Wilbur Mack (Subway Passenger)

Larry Steers (Magistrate)

“NUMBER PLEASE” starring Keenan Wynn

Peter Lawford (Voice of Porky)

Grady Sutton (Texan)

Audrey Totter (Phone Operator Voice)

Kay Williams (Girl)

OTHERS

Bunin's Puppets

Elise Cavanna (Tall Woman)

Jack Deery (Man)

Rex Evans (Butler in "A Great Lady Has An Interview”)

Sam Garrett (Roping / Twirling Act)

Silver (Horse in "Here's to the Ladies')

Arthur Walsh (Telegraph Boy in "A Sweepstakes Ticket") - appeared on “I Love Lucy” in “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined” (ILL S3;E11).

‘FOLLIES’ TRIVIA

Sidney Guilaroff, Lucille Ball’s hair dresser, who takes responsibility for her famous ‘golden red’ for this movie, becoming her trademark color.

Although they appear in different segments, this is the only feature film collaboration between “I Love Lucy co-stars" Lucille Ball and William Frawley. Coincidently, Frawley's character in this film shares a striking similarity with his iconic character of Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy.” In this film he plays a money-hungry curmudgeon of a landlord, much like the show. In the above photo, he appears with director Minnelli and co-star Brice.

The horse ridden by Lucille Ball is the Lone Ranger's Silver!

Lucille Ball was actually fired by Ziegfeld from his road company production of Rio Rita in the 1930s.

In February 1956, Lucy and Desi appeared on “MGM Parade” to promote their MGM film Forever Darling. The show also included footage of Lena Horne singing from Ziegfeld Follies.

Lucy also played a showgirl in pink in “Lucy Gets Into Pictures” (ILL S4;E19) aired on February 21, 1955. The scene was inspired by Ziegfeld’s legendary stage shows featuring beautiful women wearing elaborate costumes navigating long staircases. To solidify the comparison, Ricky says he is going to a meeting with Mr. Minnelli. Vincente Minnelli was one of the directors of Ziegfeld Follies.

Lucy Ricardo had previously cavorted around in a lampshade in the manner of a Ziegfeld girl in both the unaired pilot and “The Audition” (S1;E6).

Ziegfeld Follies includes a sketch for Red Skelton called “When Television Comes” aka “Guzzler’s Gin” in which a (future) television spokesman gets increasingly sloshed on his product. This sketch was an obvious influence on Lucy’s Vitameatavegamin routine in “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” (ILL S1;E30) aired on May 5, 1952.

Ziegfeld Girl Eve Whitney appeared on “I Love Lucy” episode “The Charm School” (ILL S3;E15). She used her own name for the character.

The Telegraph Boy in "A Sweepstakes Ticket" Arthur Walsh - appeared on “I Love Lucy” in “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined” (ILL S3;E11) as Arthur ‘King Cat’ Walsh. He teaches Lucy how to jitterbug.

The first Judge in the “Pay the Two Dollars” James Crehan also played the Police Detective on “I Love Lucy in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5) first aired on October 31, 1955.

Porky, a voice on the telephone in “Number Please” Peter Lawford, played “Password” against Lucille Ball on September 24, 1964. At the time, Lawford was married to President Kennedy’s sister, Patricia. On November 26, 1968, Ball was a guest on “The Tonight Show” when Peter Lawford was sitting in for Johnny Carson.

Chorus Boy Bert May appeared as a solo dancer on “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy and Tennessee Ernie Ford” (TLS S5;E21) in February 1967.

In the dressing room, Lucy jokes with Fanny Brice, one of the funniest women in showbusiness. This was the only time Ball and Brice collaborated and was Brice’s last film.

Ziegfeld’s follies began on Broadway, so it was appropriate that the show featured past and future Broadway musical stars:

Lucille Ball ~ Wildcat (1960)

Carol Haney ~ The Pajama Game (1954)

Tommy Rall ~ Call Me Madame (1950)

Fanny Brice ~ The Ziegfeld Follies

Marion Bell ~ Brigadoon (1947)

Victor Moore ~ Anything Goes (1934)

There was a lot of material that was not filmed, but written and cast. Some of the original skits would have added “Lucy” performers Mickey Rooney, Ann Sothern, and Van Johnson to the cast.

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dancerbike68 · 3 years

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Uae Tours

The UAE is made up of seven Emirates on the japanese seaboard of the Arabian Peninsula and is a vacation spot which is able to surprise you. It is very secure and fairly straightforward to access compared to most of the surrounding countries. The nation is principally a desert, however cultivation and enterprise have greened an excellent portion of it. Many breaks within the large cities will permit you to benefit from the various sights that might be offered to you, between quad, nautical actions or excursions by dromadaire. A safari into the desert is a should while in Dubai, and for essentially the most unforgettable expertise take a tour that contains a BBQ feast. They’re an excellent alternative for those not eager on a wild experience through the desert. A camel experience is a completely relaxing method to enjoy the sweeping surroundings, attempt some conventional barbeque, and listen to desert tales advised by tour UAE tourist information. With heady Arabian music taking half in by the bonfire as you dine on a scrumptious meal, you’ll be able to witness the true fantastic thing about the Arabian night time sky. For each the desert safari and the camel journey UAE tours, there’s an option to spend a night in the desert in a conventional Bedouin-style camp, taking in the starlit sky very like a Bedouin tribe would. From visits to a quantity of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and cultural interactions with locals to and exciting wildlife encounters, this fascinating tour of India won\'t disappoint. Sufouh Gardens Map A centre for regional and worldwide commerce since the early 20th century, Dubai's financial system relies on revenues from trade, tourism, aviation, actual estate, and financial services. Guests and motor-enthusiasts can drive a number of the extremely well-liked racecars similar to the McLaren Sprint and the Ferrari GT at the Kartdrome for real-life racing experience. The instructional park, which seeks to draw Muslims and non-Muslims alike, options 12 gardens, a “Cave of Miracles,” and a break up lake symbolizing Moses parting the Red Sea. DUBAI - A new park that makes use of gardens and landscaping to inform tales from Islam’s sacred text has opened in Dubai, providing locals and vacationers a day trip with a non secular twist. [newline]More mountainous than emirates fronting the western edge of the Arabian Peninsula, Fajairah is residence to a number of wadies. This time period refers back to the valley stream mattress or the precise stream that flows within the wet season. Wadi Zikt, in Dhadnah, is lower than five miles from the coast and hosts considered one of Fujairah’s largest dams. Located some 25 miles north of Fujairah, Wadi Al Wurayah is home to a variety of waterfalls and a few compelling surroundings. The population has expanded quickly as nicely, rising from about 50,000 individuals in 1975 to greater than 630,000 in 2012. The expansion of city areas—gray within the images—has primarily proceeded westward from the town middle because of an abundance of open space and the presence of transportation, water, and power infrastructure. Dibba Beach is on the northern finish of the emirate and presents clear, clear waters perfect for diving and snorkeling. Swim simply offshore or visit the nearby coral reefs on a snorkeling/diving tour with one of the local distributors at Dibba Marina. Another in style swimming space is Sandy Beach, a number of miles south of Dibba Beach. The Sandy Beach Diving Centre (sandybm.com) provides each hotel lodging and dive/snorkeling trips. About 25 yards from the seashore is Snoopy Island, named after the famed beagle of "Charlie Brown" fame. Yas Island also is residence to a Formula 1 race monitor that hosts the annual Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and Dubai is making ready to welcome a World's Fair in 2020. Another great approach to attain the park is by utilizing a mix of public transport within the form of Dubai Metro prepare and taxi. The closest metro stations are World Trade Center and Al Jafiliya stations . After alighting at the metro station, you can take a taxi to the doorway of the park for a minimum fare. Resort Amenities like Luxurious bathrobes, Dry Cleaning and Gift store make your stay snug. These high Discovery Gardens resorts like Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa have every little thing that a tourist or a business traveler would want from a luxury lodge property close to well-liked Landmark places. This project aims to counterpoint its guests via thrilling options that could be found all through the park and to provide them with a secure group house where households can discover, chill out and spend time collectively. Israels New Peace Cope With The United Arab Emirates Transforms The Middle East Our writers, photographers and contributors are actual people who let you know the tales of their personal travels and experiences. Some of the international locations we currently cowl are Burma, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Break away from the continuous barrage of neon lights, excessive velocity trains, 1000's of eateries, and infinite rows of skyscrapers to visit a little bit of ancient Japan. Erawan Shrine in Bangkok is dedicated to Lord Brahma, situated by the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel. The temple is a well-liked worship attraction in the metropolis and one of the well-known temple of Brahma in the world. ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — A unique forum initiated by the Bahá’ís of the United Arab Emirates is permitting spiritual leaders of the nation to go beyond building mutual respect to fostering coexistence and unity of imaginative and prescient on questions of common concern. A good friend of mine who travelled round India advised me about this Hindu temple, and since then it has been on my “list” . It’s constructed within the typical Dravidian architectural type and has this unbelievably coloured and ornate exterior coated with depictions of gods, demons, warriors and royalty. Kapaleeshwar honors the god Shiva, and has shrines dedicated to a lot of different deities in the South Indian pantheon. [newline]Amid rising sectarian tensions and non secular animosities within the area, Abu Dhabi has unveiled plans for an expansive interfaith complex that bundles collectively a mosque, a church, and a synagogue. The different two temples include the Orlando Florida Temple and the Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple. For reasons of their very own concern, Emirati leaders would help normalize the Jewish presence on the mount, and not solely tolerate, but in addition take part in Jewish prayer. This elevation involved not solely constructing both the Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock shrine, however in accordance with the Aqsa interpretative significance as the “furthest mosque,” one on par with the mosque in Mecca. Another spiritual establishment is the Muslim Council of Elders , which was established in July 2014 and is predicated in Abu Dhabi. Since its founding, the FPPMS has been lively in spreading its message and expanding its actions beyond the UAE. It holds an annual convention, which is normally attended by tons of of non secular scholars from around the Arab and Muslim worlds, particularly by those that are consistent with the UAE’s home and regional insurance policies. The FPPMS is officially sponsored3 by UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Last Word Guide To Iceland's Greatest Pools And Scorching Springs On path to the ‘Garden City,’ see the rocky Hajar Mountains and find out about Al Ain’s history from an professional information. Visit the Al Ain National Museum to uncover the city’s Bedouin heritage, and explore the Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum and bustling camel market. Admire the views of the palm-filled metropolis from Jebel Hafeet mountain, dip your toes into the mountain's sizzling springs, and earlier than returning to Abu Dhabi, enjoy a tasty buffet lunch. The onsens are used a public baths and are large enough for many people. In Japan you scrub down outdoors the tub to maintain the water clean. There are sometimes 牙橋 and some have features like waterfalls or cold tubs. The scorching spring pool is neat to see due to its size and it sits proper next to the mountains. The value of discount might differ based on fare kind availability, seasonality, referral source and destinations. This $10 off sale applies to our transaction service charges only. All fares displayed above are after the 10 USD prompt low cost utilized. Maximum discount amount is the amount of the transaction service charges for that transaction or 10 USD, whichever is less. You can attain Asakusa in one stop on the subway line, and you'll stroll to all of Ueno’s highlights like Ameyayokocho buying district, and Ueno park’s shrines and museums. Rooms available at Mimaru Tokyo Shinjuku West include Japanese-style and Western-style apartments, with a small kitchen and attached toilet. This Mystays resort is in Higashi-Ikebukuro (the neighborhood where my sharehouse in Tokyo was!). It’s shut the Sunshine 60 mega-mall with its Pokemon heart, aquarium, and remark deck. A buying district in Ikebukuro is home to a huge Sega sport center, Tokyu Hands retailer, and tons of animal cafes too.Check dates and prices here. Although it has an above-average price tag for a hostel mattress, you'll keep in a private “smart pod”. Many functions of the pod can be managed through iPod given at the front desk, similar to reclining your bed in to “sofa mode”! Museums & Galleries In Dubai Aiming to introduce international up to date art to local audiences in the UAE, the Maraya Art Centre organizes domestic exhibitions featuring rising artists from the region. It also has a sculpture park and a program of lessons, workshops, screenings, and occasions. Maraya can additionally be residence to the Barjeel Foundation, a prominent royal collection of latest art. A FUNN participant creates a charcoal drawing during an art workshop devoted to children/Courtesy of FUNN.The Maraya Art Centre is a non-profit artwork house and cultural platform positioned in Al Qasba. Abu Dhabi's other cultural sites, together with Cultural Foundation and Qasr Al Hosn, also opened on June 24. There might be no tours, however digital guides shall be available to obtain on smartphones. The museum at present operates at forty per cent capacity, and guests must book slots in advance to be assured entry. It includes timings for galleries, as well as the measures being taken towards defending guests against Covid-19. Housed in building every bit as spectacular as its assortment, the museum is located on the Corniche, simply north of the Heart of Sharjah district. Astrolabes, manuscripts, ceramics and cash all vie in your consideration however don’t miss the gold-embroidered curtain for the door of the Holy Ka’ba and the mosaic inside the central dome detailing the zodiac constellations. The National Museum of Ras Al Khaimah served as the residence of the ruling Quwasim family till 1964, when the late Ruler, H.H. Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed al-Qasimi, moved to a modern constructing in Mamoura. It later grew to become a police headquarters and a jail, earlier than being converted into the National Museum in 1987. Reflecting its eventful historical past, the National Museum has been constantly enlarged over time, displaying a wealthy diversity of traditional architecture. Today, the ‘Late Fort’ exhibits historical, ethnographical, and archaeological material referring to the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and provides an attention-grabbing insight into the history and traditions of this area. Sixty Five Attractions In United Arab Emirates That Match This Travel Theme > Outdoor Adventures It’s also home to plenty of must-try out of doors actions in dubai to check out. If you want an adrenaline-pumping sort of water activity, then the Flyboard experience is the best for you. It is a 20-minute Flyboard ride that is water-powered and may get as excessive as 10 meters above the waters, providing you with a spectacular view of Dubai’s skyline. During the exercise, you will have an experienced instructor to guide you through the process, the life vest, and different security gear. He/She is also there to show you to maneuver and tips to manoeuvre the ride that you'll greatly get pleasure from. The exercise is safe and enjoyable and perfect for novices and skilled Flyboarders. There are plenty of water actions to do in Dubai, and considered one of them is driving a personal velocity boat. Rumble throughout the sands, roar over rolling dunes, and cease for photographs of the attractive desert on route. After your ride, relax and refuel in a cool Bedouin-style tent over recent Arabic espresso, tea and dates. Yes, responsible as a defendant, this isn't an environmentally friendly journey activity, so ideally Sustainability Tribe shouldn’t recommend it. But I experienced a tandem fall while looking for “experiences about materials” and ticking my bucket list merchandise. This was my first huge merchandise on the record and I’m glad I might tick off a quantity of more from watching Northern Lights in Iceland. However, skydiving was by far essentially the most adventurous expertise in my life. Some folks got here not to ski butto journey the chairlift and benefit from the other winter activities.I seen a few of the locals taking the tour on the lift. Some males wore their lengthy white tob garbs beneath their ski jackets with their white keffiyah headscarves. Some of the women wore their ski coats over their long black abaya robes and their headscarves and a few faces veiled. As we flew over Dubai, positioned along the Persian Gulf coast, you'll be able to see thedesert haze engulf the citythat stretched to the seaside. Even the tallest tower on the earth, theBurj Khalifa, couldn't hide from the desert parts. Best Time To Visit Dubai Going on-line has additionally helped the pageant reach a worldwide audience. "We're seeing international viewers tune in to the festival, which is wonderful," Bolooki says. Of course, that is the case with any pageant being held this early in 2021. As the pandemic continues, event organisers all around the world have had to adapt to ever-changing rules to ensure customer safety. While there has been the usual buzz surrounding the annual literary occasion, the influence of the Covid-19 pandemicis noticeable. There are not any teams of individuals unfurling leaflets, trying to ascertain how and when to get to their next session. The UAE’s independence day is properly known with a raft of citywide events, including parades, dhow races and performances of conventional music and dance. Taste of Dubai Three days in mid-March wtasteofdubaifestival.com. ULTRA Abu Dhabi 2020 is proudly introduced by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi. The festival is held annually under the patronage of patronage of Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum and as a part of the Emirates Literature Foundation established in 2013. With the program held across three weekends, one highlight had to do with newly released children’s books and the discharge of Young Voices of Arabia, which honors the primary regional winners of the Voices of Future Generations program. With some occasions held outside for security and all physical applications restricted in crowd measurement, the Emirates Airline Festival maintained a robust digital element, as well. All of our events adhere to the UAE pointers for Covid Safety, including a maximum of seven people per table, a clear hole of three meters between each, clear marking and signage, and physical distancing to avoid crowding. Masks and social distancing are also a should whilst moving around. The Al Gaffal Race commemorates historic checkpoints of pearl divers returning residence after lengthy sea excursions. The race begins with ships touring 23 nautical miles east to Moon Island from Sur Bu Na’air. For This Reason Dubai Is A Haven For Those In Want Of Retail Remedy The value will depend upon the store and the product, although in plenty of cases it's up to 70% financial savings in comparison with Europe. This street is amongst the essential stops inside any shopping tour of the city. Even if you do not plan to buy anything, simply to see all the merchandise and stroll among its small stands is a worthwhile experience. Other articles very typical of the Arab Emirates are lamps, made with stained glass, ceramic and steel figures, and shishas, the popular pipe through which many Arabs smoke fruity tobacco. On Lower floor stage between the meals court docket and Five Guys, there are a couple of stores (Jaber Gallery + 2 others). On the method in which from Five Guys in direction of Waitrose, there are tons of kiosks and shops with extra items. The worth of all this beautiful little thing is really cheap, which is very nice in phrases of a gift not essentially status, but made with a soul. Gold soukHere you'll be able to select exclusive finishes large merchandise with giant gemstone inserts. Rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, as well as garnet, agate, cubic zirconia, pearls. For a special present, it is proposed to make a ornament based on your sketch. Dubai's luxurious resorts pamper visitors with tony rooms, refined worldwide food and extra-special amenities. The world’s largest mall is way over only a retail paradise. Exhausting Rock Cafe Dubai In compliance with recommendations from local health officers, Hard Rock Cafe Dubai has reopened its restaurant and Rock Shop. We are persevering with to take precautions to ensure the security of our guests and staff members and have applied enhanced cleaning processes and social distancing measures. [newline]Hard Rock Cafe Dubai's world famous menu features all kinds of tasty options together with our mouthwatering Legendary® burger, refreshing salads, and house made entrees infused with the non-stop power of Dubai. There's beef, lamb, and different meat too, but if you do not wish to make a decision, go for the $190 signature tasting menu. Timber, brass, and marble shipped from South Africa create a shiny and breezy ambience in this spot at the shiny Al Wasl mall. Beige partitions and rustic-chic interiors lend an enthralling and welcoming vibe that attracts households on weekend afternoons. Actually three venues — a restaurant, bar and out of doors lounge opening onto the Arabian Sea — Buddha-Bar is famed for its unique food, eclectic ambiance and ambient music from an on-site DJ. The luxurious restaurant serves a fusion of sushi, Chinese and Thai meals, with a bar that plays host to Dubai’s trendy crowds. Between them, one of the best restaurants in Dubai serve nearly each national cuisine from around the globe, together with many specializing in Dubai’s personal Arabic delights. The meals was really fanatic I thought, my favorite dish for lunch being their machboos – a dish of rice and in this case chicken with spices. This Indian chain may not have the most luxe ambiance , nevertheless it does have hearty and reasonably priced biryanis, curries, tandoori grills, and wraps. United Arab Emirates Whey Protein Enterprise And Funding Opportunities 2014 Sign Up NowGet this delivered to your inbox, and extra information about our merchandise and companies. With our analysis partners within the United Arab Emirates , Edison has full-time research workers and supervisors in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, enabling us to conduct market and survey research throughout the nation. The nation has one of many highest vitality consumptions per capita on the earth. The Government targets a share of 44% of renewables in the vitality combine in 2050. Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC , ACWA Power , Abu Dhabi Transmission & Despatch Company , Dubai Electricity and Water Authority , Honeywell International Inc are the major firms operating in United Arab Emirates Power Market. UAE has confirmed that it holds a few of the finest solar sources on the planet while supporting financial and regulatory policies which have helped its clear power program to excel. Mechanisms for imposing property rights are predictable and truthful, although every emirate establishes its personal procedures for land possession. The judiciary just isn't unbiased, and court rulings are subject to evaluate by the political management, but the rule of regulation is generally nicely maintained. The UAE is one of the least corrupt countries within the region, however nepotism and corruption persist, and the federal government typically lacks transparency. The economy of the United Arab Emirates has maintained its standing among the many ranks of the largely free this yr. Additional financial freedom is important, nonetheless, if the federal government is to succeed in diversifying away from reliance on the hydrocarbons sector. Substantial reductions in subsidy funds would probably increase Index indicator scores for government spending and financial freedom. The United States applied an “anti-boycott” legislation in 1977 to encourage non-compliance with the Arab League boycott of Israel. Many documents which would possibly be executed inside the UAE should be notarized by a public notary. Public notaries in the UAE are officers of the courts of first instance and are supervised by the court in that Emirate. Only Arabic paperwork may be notarized, but dual-language copies containing English are widespread. The requirements of public notaries usually are not constant, usually necessitating repeated visits to the general public notary office. Consequently, firms should contemplate confirming documents through counsel for any transaction where time is of the essence. Find the most relevant details on the United Arab Emirates relating to market information, statistics and market studies. Each emirate has its own government-owned firm; overseas actors participate by way of public-private partnerships. Some of the key gamers are Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC , ACWA Power, Abu Dhabi Transmission & Despatch Company , and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority , Honeywell International Inc. Abu Dhabi’s rising population and rising economy have been the key elements driving the increase in peak demand, which grew by a median of 8.53% per yr between 2007 and 2018. United Arab Emirates Travel Guide You may must take a COVID-19 PCR test before you depart or one other particular kind of COVID-19 take a look at specified by your vacation spot. We're at all times looking for new methods to inspire your subsequent holiday - fascinating destinations, unique resorts and all the little things that come collectively to create unforgettable moments for you and your loved ones. There isn’t a global restaurant model without a presence in the UAE, but the best food is local and snacking round the historic districts is healthier than generic burgers any day. Get to know the desert and life beyond town on guided camel tours or treks. The four artifical islands of Al Marjan have some of RAK’s best family resort resorts designed around seashores and luxurious gardens but not far from the city centre. Ras Al-Khaimah is less than an hour’s drive north of Dubai, shares a border with Oman and is a favorite vacation for UAE residents. Traditional tradition is extensively known here like nowhere else within the nation so if you’ve promised everyone an evening under the stars at a Bedouin camp, you can come good on your word. There are plenty of journey actions on provide, from 4WD journeys across the desert dunes to camel trekking, sandboarding, and dune buggy journeys. Abu Dhabi's luxurious resorts rim the shoreline of the town's numerous islands. For sun-and-sand targeted vacations in Dubai, luxury resorts are targeted alongside the coast west of the central metropolis. It could additionally be a billionaire's playground, but you do not needbillions, or even tens of millions, to take benefit of Abu Dhabi. Apart from native specialities as cosmopolitan as the shawarma, hummus or falafel, there are a plethora of conventional dishes you can not fail to strive when you have the chance to travel to the United Arab Emirates. The festivities of the United Arab Emirates are marked mainly by the Islamic faith, so lots of their celebrations are topic to the Muslim calendar and their dates might range from one yr to a different. The luxury, grandeur and modernity of some of its cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi have made it also have great sports and cultural events which would possibly be characterized by their ostentation. The city of shopping, Dubai, has a day dedicated to buying; good day to visit the bazaars of the town and reap the benefits of their discounts. Dubai’s been building continuous since 1967 and right now the city has 60,000 lodge rooms, with extra to come. How The Uae Turned The Center For Artwork In The Center East He is the son of the founder of UAE, the First President, Emir of Abu Dhabi, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed is well-known for being a really lively official within the UAE within the subject of increasing and developing all sorts of relations between the nation and different nations. Ahmed Khalil Sebait Mubarak Al-Junaibi, is an Emirati footballer. Who currently performs as a forward for Al-Ahli and United Arab Emirates national staff. Various human rights organisations have raised severe concerns concerning the alleged abuse of migrant staff by major contractors organising Expo 2020. UAE's business answer provider German Pavilion can also be held accountable for abusing migrant employees. The authorities follows a coverage of tolerance toward different religions and rarely interferes in the religious actions of non-Muslims. According to an estimate by the World Bank, the UAE's population in 2018 stands at 9.543 million. Immigrants account for 88.52% whereas Emiratis make up the remaining eleven.48%. This unique imbalance is due to the country's exceptionally excessive net migration price of 21.seventy one, the world's highest. Drinking And Nightlife In United Arab Emirates For a party that starts at noon and continues nicely after midnight, make for one of Dubai’s seaside golf equipment, where you'll find a way to drink, dance, swim, and mingle. Located between the desert and the Arabian Gulf, fashionable Dubai is filled with life, and there are quite a few methods to explore the multicultural, dynamic metropolis's after-dark side. A vibrant evening for the women could be enjoyed each Tuesday night with three complimentary home grape beverages from 6 to 9 p.m. This small nightclub is one of the most well-known prostitution spots in Abu Dhabi. Built in the 1980s, the venue just lately underwent a contemporary refurbishment, equipping the interior with chic modern lighting and cutting-edge decor. A top meals alternative here is the delicious fajitas; attempt both the shrimp or the rooster and beef selection. Moreover, The employees are extraordinarily helpful and friendly and are skilled in providing professional recommendation on what to do across the metropolis. Scoring the best ranking for finest dance music, Trilogy, inside the Madinat Jumeirah is amongst the most celebrated venues for the best Dubai nightlife. The Moroccan-style, three-level membership provides a wide range of moods and the most important and finest names in DJ’s. Monday’s R&B night is likely considered one of the city’s hottest events, with DJs, leisure and an intensive cocktail menu. The club also holds dedicated hip-hop, Asian and ladies’ nights, when the bar is free for ladies before 1am. Discover most likely one of the best get together tour in Dubai for personal groups celebrating various occasions or unforgettable hangouts. A top-notch tour in carefully chosen bars and golf equipment & a great way to dive into the native nightlife in Dubai. A custom-planned experience, ideal for celebrating any birthday party, pre-wedding event, corporate occasion or only a evening out with pals. It is the trendsetter for the next degree of progressive wellness. Whether alone or with your family, we ship your private journey. Buddha-Bar followers can anticipate to be wowed by the gorgeous new interior, which takes sophistication to new heights. On the one hand, yes, it’s true that Saudi Arabia is amongst the most conservative nations in the whole world – and that Syria is one of the most dangerous. But at the similar time, different Middle Eastern nations – like Lebanon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and even Oman – are attracting extra Western tourists every year. Certain cities in these international locations have gotten, or are already well-known as – one might say – worldwide Meccas for nightlife.

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newsunlimit · 3 years

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Where to Stay in Hong Kong: Best Areas & Hotels

https://www.newsunlimit.com/where-to-stay-in-hong-kong-best-areas-hotels/

Where to Stay in Hong Kong: Best Areas & Hotels

Where to Stay in Hong Kong: Best Areas & Hotels: Hong Kong is a surprisingly compact metropolis, and the metro (MTR) makes getting across the metropolis fast and straightforward. Deciding the place to remain within the metropolis normally comes all the way down to desire and worth.

The 2 predominant areas the place vacationers and enterprise folks keep are Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. These are positioned instantly throughout from one another, with Victoria Harbour in between. There are benefits to staying on all sides, however they each have a full vary of buying choices and varied different issues to do. Getting from one aspect to the opposite is simple on both the MTR or the ferry.

Read more: The 10 Most Dangerous Tourist Attractions in the World

View over Hong Kong from the Peak | Photo Copyright: Lana Law

In case you are in Hong Kong for pleasure or simply wish to do some sightseeing whilst you’re right here, one of the best place to remain is on Hong Kong Island, ideally within the adjoining areas of Central or Admiralty, the place many of the motion is centered. Usually talking, it will put you inside strolling distance of the Peak Tram, Hong Kong Park, wonderful buying, and quite a few temples and different sights. Additionally on this aspect is the stylish Lan Kwai Fong district, with every kind of indoor and outside eating.

Read more: The 10 Most Dangerous Tourist Attractions in the World

In case your focus is on buying, take into account Causeway Bay, additionally on Hong Kong Island. This space is at all times buzzing with exercise and pleasure and is filled with retail shops and eating places. You may discover Hong Kong’s model of Instances Sq., full with large billboards flashing late into the night.

Causeway Bay can also be a great spot to remain for those who crave a little bit of nature. Victoria Park, Hong Kong’s largest public park, is positioned within the heart of Causeway Bay and is filled with lovely bushes towering over nice walkways.

On the mainland aspect, simply throughout the harbor from Hong Kong Island is Kowloon. This space is residence to a number of of Hong Kong’s greatest markets, together with the well-known Temple Avenue Market and the Women Market. It additionally gives loads of high-end buying, with many large names in trend represented right here.

The perfect place to remain in Kowloon is the realm referred to as Tsim Sha Tsui, or TST for brief, which is near the harbor entrance. The farther again you might be from the waterfront, the cheaper the accommodations.

Main sights in Kowloon, other than the markets, are the waterfront Promenade, Backyard of the Stars, and an exquisite view of the nightly gentle present on the harbor entrance. This space additionally gives one of the best connections to the airport and trains to mainland China.

Note: Some businesses may be briefly closed due to recent global health and safety issues.

Read more: 10 most beautiful cities in Italy: see and die!

The place to Keep for Prime-Finish Luxurious

Four Seasons Hotel on the waterfront

There isn’t any scarcity of high-end, luxurious accommodations in Hong Kong, and they are often present in Kowloon or Hong Kong Island. Topping the checklist of one of the best accommodations on the Kowloon aspect are the elegant, colonial-style The Peninsula Hong Kong and The Ritz-Carlton, set just a little out by itself however with excellent views over Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong skyline.

These are very totally different properties. The Peninsula, constructed within the Nineteen Twenties, exudes old-world appeal and has a wonderful location in TST. Against this, the Ritz is positioned in a contemporary tower that dominates the Kowloon skyline. The foyer is on the 102nd flooring, and visitor rooms are on the flooring above, as much as the 118th flooring. Each of those accommodations supply world-class service and facilities.

On Hong Kong Island, the boutique resort The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, the unique Mandarin Oriental, and the 4 Seasons Resort are all standout choices.

The 4 Seasons stands proper on the waterfront, subsequent to the piers, overlooking the harbor and Kowloon. Additional again, within the coronary heart of Hong Kong, is the small and stylish The Landmark Mandarin Oriental and the close by Mandarin Oriental, the primary Mandarin resort to open. Each of those are near Hong Kong’s greatest buying.

Read more: 10 most beautiful cities in Italy: see and die!

In Causeway Bay, The St. Regis Hong Kong is the last word luxurious resort. The resort has solely 129 rooms and describes itself as a “curated mansion.” The restaurant on the resort, L’Envol, enjoys a one star Michelin rating.

The place to Keep for Mid-Vary Luxurious

Suite at the Langham, Hong Kong | Photo Copyright: Lana Law

Mid-range luxurious accommodations in Hong Kong, with world-class service and top-end facilities, could be thought of high-end luxurious accommodations in different cities. Many of those even have their very own distinctive character. Bear in mind, resort costs can fluctuate tremendously relying on the time of 12 months and occasions taking place within the metropolis.

Read more: The 10 Most Dangerous Tourist Attractions in the World

In Kowloon, it is onerous to beat The Langham, Hong Kong. This five-star resort, with a distinctly British appeal, gives wonderful, personalised service; a heated rooftop pool; and quite a lot of high quality eating places, from the Three Michelin Star Tang Courtroom to the fairly priced Principal Avenue Deli.

The Langham is a comparatively small property, with solely 16 flooring and fewer than 500 rooms, all of that are uniquely and tastefully adorned. From this resort, it’s only a five-minute stroll to the harbor and the Star Ferry to Hong Kong.

View from the Conrad Hotel | Photo Copyright: Lana Law

On the Hong Kong aspect, the Conrad Hong Kong, a Hilton property, is positioned in a contemporary tower with unbelievable views out over the harbor or to the luxurious mountainside behind. Rooms begin on the fortieth flooring, so virtually all rooms have wonderful views, whereas these with unobstructed harbor-views are on the 53rd flooring and above.

This resort additionally has an outside heated swimming pool and gives impeccable service. In the identical class, though not fairly as excessive, is the JW Marriott Resort Hong Kong. Each the Conrad and the Marriott are connected to Pacific Place, considered one of Hong Kong’s premier buying malls, the place you could find the entire prime names in trend.

Read more: The reason for the increase in US home sales by 25 percent in July

In case you are in Hong Kong for buying, these accommodations are extraordinarily handy. Additionally connected to Pacific Place is the Island Shangri-La Hong Kong, one other nice possibility, conveniently positioned instantly throughout the road from Hong Kong Park.

Consumers also needs to take into account the Lanson Place Resort in Causeway Bay. A member of the Small Luxurious Resorts of the World group, this boutique resort is a peaceable escape from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong.

The place to Keep for the Greatest Worth

View from the Conrad Hotel | Photo Copyright: Lana Law

In case you are not fairly prepared for a finances resort however not up for paying the costs related to luxurious or mid-range, it is doable to seek out worth accommodations which are usually three- and four-star high quality. The perfect worth is normally present in Kowloon, however there are some choices on Hong Kong.

Read more: The 10 Most Dangerous Tourist Attractions in the World

Two common Kowloon accommodations the place good offers can typically be discovered are the Eaton, Hong Kong and the Nathan Resort. These are in the identical neighborhood; only a fast subway experience from the harbor, and a brief stroll to the Temple Avenue Night time Market.

The Eaton gives small, fashionable rooms with full baths; good eating places, together with indoor and outside seating; a rooftop pool; and nice frequent areas. This resort caters to households and enterprise vacationers, and virtually the entire employees communicate English.

The Nathan has a health heart however no pool. Rooms, which vary from normal to full-size suites, are usually bigger than these on the Eaton and supply extra comfy furnishings.

Different favorites on this space of Kowloon are the boutique Resort Stage, with small, tasteful rooms, and the marginally extra upscale and pricier Royal Plaza Resort, with bigger rooms and a pool.

On Hong Kong, the 99 Bonham All Suite Resort is located within the fashionable Soho space, simply west of Central. It is a good possibility for households or longer stays. Rooms are fairly massive, and the resort is near the MTR. It is usually handy for catching the ferry to Macau. Rooms characteristic massive home windows and loads of pure gentle.

In the identical neighborhood is the tasteful Sheung Wan by Ovolo, with very small however trendy rooms. One other good possibility with bigger rooms is the Island Pacific Resort. Most of the rooms characteristic lovely views of Hong Kong Harbour.

Over close to Causeway Bay, the iClub Wan Chai Resort is a smaller carbon impartial resort that gives 99 rooms outfitted with the most recent know-how.

The place to Keep on a Funds

Lobby of the Eaton Hotel | Photo Copyright: Lana Law

Funds lodging might be troublesome to seek out on Hong Kong Island. Your greatest guess is to discover a resort in Kowloon. Alongside Nathan Street, which runs again from the waterfront to Mongkok, are quite a few finances choices.

These have the benefit of being near the primary markets however would require some public transport or lengthy walks to succeed in the harbor entrance. The metro (MTR) could be very handy and runs on a regular basis to TST and Central on Hong Kong Island, that are solely a few stops away.

Read more: What is the median home price in the US?

You probably have your coronary heart set on staying on Hong Kong Island, the most suitable choice is the Mini Resort Central Hong Kong. The identify fairly properly says all of it. You may count on small, clear, comfy rooms, and you’ll’t beat the situation. The resort is near every little thing, together with the favored Lan Kwai Fong space, identified for its eating places and open-air eating. Another choice on Hong Kong is the Bishop Lei Worldwide Home, one of many uncommon finances accommodations with a pool, and a pleasant one at that.

Read more: 10 most beautiful cities in Italy: see and die!

For higher costs, head to Kowloon. possibility is the Maple Leaf Visitor Home within the coronary heart of TST. For just a little nicer resort however much less handy location, head simply north of TST to Mongkok and check out the Minimal Resort-Bazaar. Count on tight quarters and be ready for a decrease stage of consolation. The excellent news is, it is near MTR stations and the favored markets of Kowloon.

#where to stay in hong kong #where to stay in hong kong amidst protest #where to stay in hong kong away from protests #where to stay in hong kong during protests #where to stay in hong kong first time #where to stay in hong kong for 3 nights #where to stay in hong kong near disneyland #where to stay in hong kong now #where to stay in hong kong on a budget #where to stay in hong kong with family

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mimoza70 · 3 years

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On January 28, 2018, the Sofia metro celebrates 20 years since the commissioning of its first section between Slivnitsa and Konstantin Velichkov stations. On this day in 1998, the first train of the Sofia metro departed on a metro route with a length of 6.4 km and 5 stations.

The construction of the first 5 stations began in 1979, when the first sod of the Vardar station was made. A month later, the construction of Lyulin started. "West Park" and "Slivnitsa" followed in 1980 and 1983. The last with the first sod was "K. Velichkov ”in 1985. The construction of the metro depot began in 1978. The construction of the first 5 stations took 19 years.

20 years after the historic first trip of an underground train on the newly built section of 6.4 km from Lyulin district to Konstantin Velichkov Blvd., the Sofia metro has already built a route of 40 km, a network of two lines with 35 stations, and its share in the public transport system reached 34%. While the construction of the first 10 km by 2003 took 24 years, for the last 10 years 30 km of a route of a total of 40 km were built. The speed of construction of the metro jumped from the initial 380 m per year for the period 1979 - 2003 to 3.1 km. for the last 10 years thanks mainly to the inclusion of sites for funding from European funds and with local co-financing.

The opening of Line 2 with 11 new stations in 2012 and the excellent organization of train traffic made it possible to halve the interval of movement - from 6 to 3 minutes during peak hours on Line 1. The number of passengers has increased significantly and the subway runs already nearly 350,000 people every day. Due to the higher speed, passengers save more than 110,000 hours a day by subway.

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two-leeps-blog · 5 years

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Popularity of K-pop fan culture activities

By Lau Zhi Xin

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Introduction

In May 2018, hit K-pop boy group BTS took their first top spot on the Billboard 200 chart with their Love Yourself: Tear album. This is also the first time any K-pop album has clinched the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart. BTS albums have also continuously topped iTunes Top Album charts across different regions, with their latest album Map of Soul: Persona dominating the charts of at least 86 regions.

The success of BTS in international markets outside of South Korea has been described as “breaking through the glass ceiling of Asian pop in the United States”, and has earned BTS the title of “the biggest boy band in the world.” While BTS’ music and performances are key reasons to their popularity, it is undeniable that their fans and the Internet have a hand in propelling them to these successes.

K-pop fandoms have become such key contributors behind the success of K-pop idol groups that they can potentially determine whether K-pop groups or idols survive in the industry. Along with their K-pop idol groups, K-pop participatory fan culture is also gaining prominence worldwide, and it is thus crucial to examine the extent of their popularity.

Background

The idea of fandom was defined by Jenkins (2010) as a social structure and cultural practice conceived by engaged consumers of mass media properties, and “participatory culture” is explained as a method used by fans to claim their rights to participate in media culture by creating new works out of materials originally produced by the culture industry (Jenkins, 1992).

In the case of K-pop, Jung (2012) described participatory fan culture as an example that distinctively brings emphasis to the fan groups’ initiatives, as well as their active and collective involvement in online activities. Devoted fans often participate in various fan support activities to show their affection and support for their idols, as well as help to keep them in the news.

Participatory fan culture in South Korea is not something recent, but it rose to prominence only in the 1990s with the fans of popular K-pop groups such as Seo Taiji and the Boys, H.O.T and Sechkies, also known among K-pop fandoms as the first generation K-pop idols. Participatory fan culture has also evolved with each generation of K-pop idols and has taken many forms across the years – coloured raincoats, balloons and fan chants in the 1990s, lightsticks, fan banners and mass dances in 2000s, fan support events and projects of the 2010s.

Popularity spanning across different types of activities

While traditional participatory fan culture remains relevant in K-pop today, it has gained such immense popularity that products of today’s participatory fan culture have taken on many new forms including fan slogans, cup sleeve events, subway station advertisements and involvement in good causes in the name of their K-pop idols. These fan support activities vary in terms of number of fans involved and engaged, as well as the amount of money spent.

Fan slogans

Fans slogans can be viewed as an evolution of fan banners used to cheer for K-pop idols at concerts and weekly recordings. Fans are involved in the entire creative and sale process, from taking photos of their K-pop idols, to designing fan slogans and selling them to other fans. Fan slogans are sold to fans in South Korea as well as across the globe with the help of other fans acting as group order managers (GOM) who will coordinate the sale and order in their respective countries. Fan slogans offer a more individualised option than traditional fan banners to a small extent, as there are many varied designs of slogans that fans can purchase, depending on what they like.

Cup sleeve events

Fan support in the form of cup sleeves is a relatively new addition to this participatory fan culture as it only started to grow alongside the strong and still expanding café culture in South Korea. As with most products of participatory fan culture, cup sleeves and cup sleeve events are designed and organised entirely by K-pop fans themselves. Cup sleeve events are typically held at cafes to celebrate an idol’s birthday, anniversary or achievements. With the café decked in merchandises and posters of a K-pop group, fans can collect specially designed cup sleeves with a purchase made from the café. Such events often see a high turnup as they also act as a venue for fans to gather and get to know the community, as well as sell or trade their own merchandise

Subway station advertisements

Besides the typical advertisments for brands and organisations, subway stations in South Korea also frequently feature fan support advertisements for K-pop idols. These are typically put up to celebrate an idol’s birthday, anniversary or achievements as well. Collectively, fans will raise funds to buy advertisement spots at different subway stations. Such subway advertisements contributes to K-pop idol’s popularity and are effective methods to show fans’ support. In 2018, NU’EST’s JR showed his appreciation to L.O.Λ.Es for the love that he has received by going around subway stations in Seoul displaying his birthday advertisements to greet fans, and repeated this once again in 2019. Trainees who appeared on the recent Produce X 101 were also gifted with their own subway advertisements by their fans even though they have yet to officially make their debut.

Involvement in philanthropy work in the name of their idols

Perhaps the best outcome of participatory fan culture is fans’ involvement in good social causes in the name of their idols. Ever since 2007 when fans of Shinhwa’s Shin Hye-sung donated “fan rice” to celebrate his first solo concert, this charity trend has now become widely popular and common. These are carried out to celebrate idols’ birthdays, anniversaries and achievements, but they also serve to make K-pop idols look better to the public and create a better reputation of the fandom itself.

Popularity in terms of scale of projects

Fandoms and individual fans have to pay for such fan projects, usually through donation drives carried out among the fandom or from their own pockets. A whole-page coloured advertisement in a daily newspaper in 2014 cost about ₩10 million and a subway advertisement can cost between ₩1.5 million and ₩4.5 million, depending on its location. According to Seoul Metro, there were 1,576 subway advertisements dedicated to K-pop idols, a sharp increase from the 76 in 2014.

K-pop fandoms, similar to K-pop itself, thrives on competition. Such activities of participatory fan culture only continue to expand in scale and popularity, as it is often seen as a competition between and even within fandoms. Subway station advertisements dedicated to K-pop idols have already taken step further to include an entire cabin in subway trains itself. In August 2019, fans of BTS, also known as ARMY, decked out subway trains in Seoul to celebrate Jungkook’s 23rd birthday. In honor of RM’s birthday, ARMYs also donated a total of ₩1.994 million to build a forest of 1,250 spirea prunifolia in the Jamsil Hangang Park.

Popularity on an international scale

K-pop participatory fan culture is not limited to South Korea alone and has spread across the globe. International K-pop fandoms often replicate these activities of participatory fan culture in their home country, or they may change it to be relevant to their location. In order to match the donation made by Korean ARMYs to build a forest in honor of RM’s birthday, international ARMYs also made a donation of ₩9.12 million to build a second forest. In Singapore, subway advertisement for BTS was put up by local ARMYs in June 2019 at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station to celebrate BTS’ 6th anniversary. This was the first of its kind in Singapore, but is unlikely to be the last.

K-pop fans have also managed to put up advertisements on Times Square ads promoting their K-pop idols, and according to Branded Cities Network who have worked on multiple K-pop advertisement campaigns in Times Square, these are usually sponsored by fans in China, which further highlights the international popularity of such activities. K-pop idols who have been featured on Times Square advertisement spaces include EXO, BTS, Wanna One’s Kang Daniel and NCT’s Taeyong.

Instead of donating rice or planting forests that are now common charity trends by fandoms in South Korea, French ARMYs have recently organised a litter picking activity. This was in part an effort to counter the bad press that Korean ARMYs received for littering outside cafes after celebrating Jungkook’s birthday. French ARMYs picked up cigarette butts littered on the streets in France and stored them in plastic bottles.

Conclusion

As the popularity of K-pop continues to grow across the globe, we cannot say for sure when the craze will burn out. However, it is clear that the popularity of K-pop fan culture has also grown tremendously with the idols. In terms of variety and number of activities, financial scale and manpower involved, as well as countries and regions which they take place in, activities of K-pop fan participatory culture are likely to continue to grow and fandoms compete to outshine one another.

References

Jenkins, H. (1992). Textual poachers: Television fans & participatory culture. New York: Routledge.

Jenkins, H. (2010, January). Fandom, Participatory Culture, and Web 2.0 - A Syllabus. Retrieved from http://henryjenkins.org/2010/01/fandom_participatory_culture_a.html

Jung, S. (2012). Fan Activism, Cybervigilantism, and Othering Mechanisms in K-pop Fandom. Transformative Works and Fan Activism, 10

Koh, V. (2015). Exploring participatory fan culture of Korean pop fans in Singapore. Retrieved from https://repository.ntu.edu.sg/bitstream/handle/10356/62443/GP_HSa14_55.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=n

#k-pop #fandom #participatory fan culture #fan support

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bellabooks · 5 years

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Five good and gay things that happened this week: 6/8-6/14

Happy Friday, all! It’s been a very good and gay week, but I can only pick five so here they are. Orphan Black is coming back! Sort of. It was announced yesterday that Orphan Black would continue as an audio series starring Tatiana Maslany on new digital fiction platform, Serial Box. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter will have ten episodes and debut later this summer. Bring on the clones. Megan Rapinoe (Source: USA Women’s FB) There are quite a few out athletes and coaches in the World Cup to cheer on! 31 to be exact and OUTSports has them all listed in this handy-dandy guide, from USA’s Megan Rapinoe to Katie Duncan of New Zealand. Goooooo, soccer! The Pride Train is now arriving! Come as you are and help us celebrate #Pride2019 pic.twitter.com/YvT61rGAdK— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) June 13, 2019 The NYC subway system is ready to celebrate pride. The city that never sleeps is gearing up to welcome millions of people for World Pride and has decorated a number of 1 Trains in rainbow hearts, and made 500K pride-themed Metro cards for travelers. Your train may not be on time but it will be fabulous. Hey hey!!! @NicoleDubuc , @joshhaber and I doin what we can to bring more EQuality to EQuestria!! #PrideMonth https://t.co/YPOvvxT3v0— mktoon (@mktoon) June 10, 2019 A tweet from MLP writer and producer, Michael Vogel Whoa, Nelly! My Little Pony is introducing a lesbian couple. The wildly popular My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic may be ending their ten year rein (get it) but first they are bringing lesbian moms to Equestria. In the episode, “The Last Crusade” airing this weekend on Discovery Family, fans will meet Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty, who are raising pony Scootaloo. View this post on Instagram A dream come true. Thank you all for the incredible wave of love and support right now. Love you all so much! A post shared by Ali Stroker (@alistroker) on Jun 11, 2019 at 8:03pm PDT The Tonys has some great LGBTQ rep this year. Big congrats to out bisexual actress Ali Stroker who took home the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for the revival of Oklahoma. Stroker is also the first wheelchair user to win a Tony. The Prom, a fun and sweet musical about a high school couple trying to go to prom together, had a rousing performance, including a big kiss at the end. There was also a massive rainbow made out of roses on the red carpet. http://dlvr.it/R6cgx4

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espanadiarywriter · 5 years

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Paris—it’s not Spain

I just read an article about two women (American citizens) pulled aside in a grocery store and questioned by US border police because they were speaking to each other in Spanish instead of English. And now they are being harassed by their small community for being “foreign.” It is SO different here. Everyone here speaks multiple languages. Everyone. Maybe one of those languages isn’t English, but it’s Arabic and Spanish, Turkish and French and Italian with a few words of English. I just listened to a woman speaking French to her child break into halting English to give the flight attendant her seat number when he asked in Spanish. Basically the only reason someone doesn’t speak a second language is because he or she is American. What a different world view to never hear another language spoken. I get that the US has exported culture. English words are cool and trendy in Spain. But the idea the someone would literally be questioned for speaking another language is so the opposite of Europe, where you are expected to know at least two languages and most people we meet know three to five. We are in Paris this weekend, where they would rather I talk to them in English than my bad Spanish. But every now and then my Spanish has helped when someone doesn’t know an English word and the Spanish is more similar or even the same word. You might remember they are having “yellow vest” protests here in France. (Or maybe not because US media doesn’t really talk about Europe.) We wanted to do the tourist open top bus tour, because it saves my back and the kids seem to like it more than trying to walk to all the interesting spots in a huge city. Planning ahead, we did the tour on Friday. We were a little worried about traffic, but didn’t know if the protests would shut things down on Sunday. Boy was that a good move. We got to see all the major tourist sites Thursday and Friday. Thursday we walked around Notre dame and went up the Eiffel Tower at night. Friday we took the bus everywhere (photos are Napolean’s Tomb, and yes, that is real gold, the Palais Royale, Notre Dame, and in the Louvre gardens). We hoped off to have lunch and walk through the Louvre gardens, then got back on the bus to see the rest of the loop. We chose not to take the two 10 year old boys into The Louvre because they have the attention span to last through exactly 2 of the ~1 million rooms. (And all the adults had been to Paris multiple times already.)

Then on Saturday morning our friends went to the Army museum (My son’s friend is a war history buff) and we took our 10 year old to the Musée d’Orsay (because I am more interested in art than tanks). The Orsay is really the perfect amount of art, sculpture, interesting architecture, and views.

Then we had a bit of an adventure trying to get to our cooking class. It turns out that all those roads we were on Friday for the bus tour were totally closed for the protests. We didn’t really know the exact timing, but I estimate we were at the epicenter of the protest location about 2-3 hours before several thousand people in yellow vests walked through.

We walked over the middle of the bridge to the Place de la Concorde and up the closed street between the Louvre and the river; it was blissfully empty. Not so great for my back since it was a long walk. However, eventually we got to a spot where the streets were open and took an Uber to our class, which was near the Montmartre neighborhood and happily away from protesting mobs. We ate lunch and then spent a delightful afternoon learning to make macarons.

After class we took the funicular up to Sacré Coeur to check out the view. I did not wait in line to get inside. I’ve seen a LOT of churches. We got home via metro which nicely went under all the closed streets. In fact many subway stops were closed and the train just kept moving through several stations.

Sunday was casual. It was the last day the boys were going to spend together, so we didn’t over do the sightseeing. Plus, more protests. So the boys and Rob did the catacombs, and we met for lunch next to the Jardins du Luxembourg and the Pantheon. We skipped the Pantheon museum and instead enjoyed people watching and walking through the garden on a gorgeous sunny day.

Then we let the boys have some well deserved down time playing in the house. And just like that our trip to Paris is over, and we head back to Spain. Most importantly we hit all the critical foods: fromage, duck, frites, onion soup, escargot for my boys, steak, beef tartare, a good burger, more cheese and bread, and of course pastries and macarons. We even snuck in a Vietnamese lunch, which you really can’t get in Valencia.

We are sad to see our friends head back to the US. The two boys had big fun together. But don’t worry. The next guests arrive Wednesday.

#paris travel #languages

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brownjet-archive · 5 years

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to all the wip's I should've completed

rules: post your favorite parts of 3-7 fics that have been sitting abandoned in your drafts for ages. (for extra shame, throw in when you last worked on each thing.) tag 5 other writers to reflect on their life choices.

(this was based off of @startofamoment‘s challenge so I figured I would do it so y'all would shame me into completing them......I'ma post all of them in intervals from longest ago to most recent and tagging anyone who wants to do it!!)

tagging: whomstever the fuck wants to be shamed like this

a peter parker fic that i honestly don’t remember where it was going (last edited in like july of 2017 right after homecoming came out)

You groaned in annoyance, rolling your eyes at the enthusiastic, puppy-like Peter Parker. You heard him continue talking, at this point checking out of the conversation, knowing you could for a few minutes before having to tune back in. Peter was a sweet enough kid, but his optimism got on your nerves like no other.

He babbled on for a bit longer, you growing more and more frustrated, before rolling your eyes and yelling at him. “Are you here to train or work out?”

You instantly felt bad, his large brown eyes

a peter parker fic (title is gonna be something like subways & pajamas) about meeting peter on the metro (last edited august 16, 2017 idk how to finish it)

The loud blaring from your alarm clock woke you up. Groaning you opened your eyes slightly, to see the obnoxiously bright red letters read 6:00am, before groaning once more, turning over, your arm reaching behind you, blindly attempting to hit the snooze button on your clock. After a few minutes of struggling, you finally hit it, the incessant blaring finally stopping. You sighed happily in relief, your eyes shutting again, feeling the warmth embrace of sleep return to you. Mere seconds after your eyes had fluttered shut, your alarm rang again, only for you to scrunch up your face in anger and annoyance, before turning back to face the alarm, and unplugging the goddamn thing. You grumbled angrily, before reaching for your fully charged phone, opening it up, squinting at the brightness that it held. How you hated the winter months. Getting up before the sun was up to get to school was a motherfucking nightmare.

You opened your phone, keeping an eye on the little time at the top of the screen, before opening up the first notification, it being snapchat, and completing your streaks. Your phone was right above you, and as you took a picture of the ceiling, the keyboard popping up for you to write your messages, your grip loosened, causing your phone to fall right on your face. You muttered a small “ow” before picking up your phone and angrily typing in the word “streaks” before sending them to your list of friends. You shut your phone, before reopennig it, checking the weather, muttering angrily when you realized that it might snow. You had nothing against snow, but you were upset that they didn’t think to cancel school, because even though it probably wasn’t going to snow, when it did snow it was always a lot.

You glanced warily at the time on the screen, realizing that you definitely had to get out of bed or you were going to be late, not wanting to leave the warm confines of your covers. You resigned as almost 5 minutes passed with you telling yourself to get up, before you finally did, your bare feet freezing on the floor. You walked out of your room, into the bathroom, before brushing your teeth, glad to get rid of morning breath, and doing your morning routine. You trudged back to your room, grabbing your fuzzy socks, and putting them on immediately, before throwing on sweatpants and a long sleeve pajama shirt, not caring that it had a ridiculously large kitten on it that said “you’re purrrfect” and pulling on your favorite sweater, before putting on your beanie and hood. You grabbed your backpack, put on your sneakers, put in your earbuds, and grabbed a juicebox before walking out the door, exiting your apartment building, carelessly opening your juice, cursing under your breath as you got outside, realizing that you didn’t have gloves.

The taste of apple juice was obnoxious, seeing as how the minty flavor of your toothpaste hadn’t quite receded, but you didn’t complain. You quickly threw the emptied box into the nearest trash can, before sticking your hands into your pockets, trying to warm them up as best as you could. You walked through the crowded streets of New York City, people walking past you as speedily as you were walking, nobody looking at the bustle around the neighborhood. Entering the train station, you sighed happily, your hands coming out of your pocket and reaching for your metro card, stuffed in your phone case, entering the bustling train station, glad to not have missed your train.

As the train came whistling into the stations, the windows whizzing past you, the inside of the train filled with hoards of people, as the train slowed down, finally halting. You walked about two feet towards the nearest doors, waiting for the obnoxious amount of people to pour out of the train, before being able to slowly enter, and to your disappointment, but expectance, having to stand up, close to the door you had entered on.

You looked at your phone, mindlessly going through the same few apps, waiting for your stop, the number of people on the train slowly dwindling down. About two stops before your school, there was finally enough breathing room, and you moved slightly back, glad to have the extra space. You closed your phone and placed it in your pocket, bobbing your head slightly to the music blaring in your ears. You closed your eyes, allowing yourself to be transported, dancing around slightly, not caring if people were watching you. You were only stopped when someone walked behind you, shoving you forward, yourself being rammed into another person.

You felt your cheeks flush slightly, noticed the rather short boy you had bumped into, no older than yourself, somewhat scrawny looking, but from what you had felt, was in no means scrawny.

“Sorry.” You told him, an awkward smile finding its way on your face as your embarrassment took over.

He offered you a warm smile, before pulling out one of his earbuds, yourself doing the same. “Hmm?” He asked, a little unaware and slightly confused.

“Sorry.” You repeated. You cleared your throat slightly, feeling the awkwardness inside of you take over. “For bumping into you.” You clarified, though it sounded more like an afterthought.

“Oh, it’s really no problem.” He replied, stuttering slightly, looking around the train car, feeling the awkwardness in himself come out as well. “Besides, it probably wasn’t even your fault.” He cleared his throat, a slight rosiness appearing on his cheeks. “One person gets shoved and everyone else does too.”

“Yep, the domino effect.” You blurted out, mentally cursing yourself at your choice of wording, even if it was accurate.

The boy laughed slightly. “It really is. I wish I didn’t have to take public transportation ever.”

You laughed at that. “I’m pretty sure the whole city wishes they never had to.”

“Oh god, can you imagine how much worse traffic would be if there was no metro?”

“It would be a complete nightmare. Honestly, like, if there was no metro I would have to wake up at freaking 4 in the morning to get to school on time.”

“Tell me about it. Walking to school everyday would be a nightmare.”

“Where do you go?” You asked the boy, trying to see if you might recognize him. But then again, you may not; there were over 1000 students at your school, about 400 in your grade alone.

“Midtown High. You?” He asked, motioning slightly with his head.

“Same, dude.” You say, the two of you exchanging a sly smile. “(Y/F/N).” You offered, with a smile.

“Um, Peter Parker.” He said back, his initial awkwardness seeming to return.

“Well, Parker. What grade are you in? I haven’t ever seen you around.”

“Sophmore.”

“Same.” You reply, nodding, your awkwardness slowly coming back. You’re eyes lit up in realization, before looking back at Peter. “You’re Penis Parker!” You blurted out, only to realize how awful that sounded. “I’m sorry, I just never met you, and I always here that douche, Flash, yell in the hallway, ‘Penis Parker,’ so I swear I didn’t know, oh my god, I’m a walking human disaster, howhaveInotdiedyet?” You said rapidly, trying your best to profusely apologize.

“Hey, it’s fine. I mean, at least I’m not the girl who walks around in pajama shirts all the time.” He said, throwing you a smug look, proud of the shade he had just thrown.

You open your mouth indignantly, mock gasping, acting offended. “Why I never.”

The two of you burst into laughter, before talking the rest of the way to school, deciding to try to find each other in the library during your free periods. And if you didn’t, at least you had each others snapchats. You walked into first period, confident that you had made a new friend.

peter parker fic that i think i remember where it was going (ned was gonna set y’all up) (last edited: late august, 2017)

Groaning, you lifted your head up and glanced at the clock realizing you only had 10 minutes left till the first weekend of the school year. You groaned again, slamming your head back onto the desk, not even caring enough to use your arms as a pillow. 10 minutes felt like an eternity. It seemed miraculous that you had managed to survive the first week of school, although it would be more of a miracle if you survived the last 10 minutes of the unholiness of school. Time seemed to slow down as the anticipation of the weekend came, each second seeming to tick slower than the one before it. As time seemed to slow, you seemed to accelerate, your fingers tapping idly on the desk, your knee starting to bounce Your mind started racing about your weekend plans, the most prominent one to go home and take a nice long soak in the tub, then binge watch Parks and Rec or High School Musical, whichever you were feeling, with your most comfortable sweats and a tub of ice cream.

You yawned slightly, rubbing your eyes, trying to fight the sleep that was threatening to overtake you, before glancing at the clock again, seeing that you still had another seven minutes. You looked up at the ceiling, trying to contain your frustration, doing the best not to yell out, boredom taking its hold over you. You didn’t even have your stuff to put away to distract you from the boredom, having put it away a few minutes ago.

You glanced at the clock again, not even a minute had passed and this time you could not suppress your groan of frustration. You shot a death glare at the only person who dared to look at you, only afterwards feeling bad for Ned. Slamming your head onto the table in frustration, you closed your eyes, feeling tempted to stab them. You felt a wad of paper hit your head from the side, and you turned to look at the perpetrator, sticking your tongue out at Michelle as she she you her drawing of you “in crisis”, too lazy to flip her off.

You grabbed your backpack from its place on the ground next to your chair and you set it on your lap, looking around the classroom to see that nobody else was paying attention, and the lack of caring on the teachers face. It was, after all, only the first week back and everyone was craving summer.

You opened your backpack, pulling out whatever book was in there, most likely one that you had already read. To your surprise and delight, you saw that you had forgotten to take out a Harry Potter book, so you opened it up and started from your favorite spot, chuckling to yourself silently at the antics of the characters.

Not only tree minutes after reading, you felt a piece of paper hit you, and you turned to glare back at Michelle, only to realize that this paper had letters written on it. You unfurled it, revealing the messy handwriting of the resident web-slinger, Peter Parker.

“Wanna hang out with Ned and me!?!?”

Smiling goofily, you grabbed your pen and scribbled, “Yes.”

a peter maximoff film that i tried writing about a dream i had (last edited: maybe february of 2018?? a little earlier)(warning it makes no fucking sense,,,,,,,cause i was trying to recreate a dream)

You honestly had no idea how you had gotten into this situation. Sure, skiing was fun, and yeah, you wanted to spend some time with your friends, but it wasn’t something on the top of your priorities. Honestly, looking back on it, it seemed like it was a dream, having no real recollection of why or how, or even when you guys had decided to go. All you knew was that you were more excited than you had originally anticipated. It was also great that you were actually really good at skiing, despite not having skied for a few years.

Once the few of you had gotten to the small ski slope, you tucked your phone into your jacket, zipping up the pocket, difficultly slipping into the ski boots, silently cursing already at how tight they were. You were ready a few minutes before your friends, silently proud of your achievement, pulling out your phone to check the time, seeing that it was still relatively early. You smiled, glad to have the extra time to get a few runs in, putting on your skis and getting in line for the lift with one of your friends, chatting happily about nothing in particular.

Honestly, there should’ve been something sketchy about the fact that there was a “pick up a snowball and throw it while skiing” challenge, but you really had no idea about why in the world you had decided that it would be a fun thing to do. And the fact that part of the challenge was based on not being tagged by too-gorgeous-to-be-human girls, made the challenge even weirder. Again, you had no idea how you had been roped into this. Maybe it was something that had to do with the fact that you seemed to have been standing in an active volcano range what felt like a few moments before? Probably.

Somehow, everyone else was failing, and honestly you had no idea how they possibly could’ve been. It was so simple, and honestly you were ready to beat their asses. When it came to your turn, you felt the a

a gertchase x reader fic about sitting on the couch and loving your bf and gf (last edited: january of 2018)

“Dating is so heteronormative.” Gert spoke, earning an amused eyeroll from you as you flipped the page of your book, not even bothering to look up knowing the playfully hurt look that would be on Chase’s face, a hand over his heart in mock hurt.

“Thanks babe.” You had replied sarcastically, looking up only when you heard a gasp of over-exaggerated offense, reminding you of a shady grandma, snorting slightly as your mind produced the image of Chase wearing an apron and mary-jane shoes, a smirk making its way onto your face as you looked at him.

“I happen to be heterosexual, and seem to be doing perfectly find. Punching would-be rapists, anyway.” He listed off, his tone of voice being rather proud, but his face darkened at the mention of his old friends, his jaw tightening and his hands beginning to form fists.

You sighed slightly, bookmarking your page, moving your legs off the couch, scooching to the other side of it, draping an arm loosely around Chase’s frame, your feet dangling slightly off the couch.

“You happen to be the exception.” Gert spoke, slightly understanding that the tone of the conversation had changed, trying to keep it light, in her own way.

“You’re not.” You had spoke, going back to reading, your fingers comfortably intertwined with Chase’s, Chase patting the place on the floor next to him, encouraging Gert to sit down next to him.

the climax to the part of a jack thompson series where i haven’t even started the second chapter (last edited: february of 2018) (warnings: graphic violence)

It started slowly. A gradual numbing sensation slowly crawling up your body, before it started ti burn, the flickering sensation of pain engaging your every nerve. The pain flickered, seeming to engulf your entire body, seeming almost suffocating as you tried to scream out in pain and desperation though your muscles would not allow you to move. Your entire body seemed to tighten, biting down harshly on your tongue to keep from crying out as your arm slowly raised, the higher your arm moved, the more your body seemed to burn, and you could almost feel your flesh begin to burn, a smell of singed flesh overwhelming you as your arm continued to move higher and higher, the weight in your hand feeling unnatural despite the constant weight of the item which you normally grasped so easily. Bile seemed to form in your mouth, feeling sweat form, your skin pricking at the feeling of uneasiness which settled in your stomach, time seeming to stand even more still as you did your best to avoid the blue eyes which stared back at you, the fear apparent seeming to pierce through you as you closed your eyes tightly, breathing shakily, before opening them, pulling the trigger instantly, the sound of a muffled gunshot, the body hitting the floor. You shut your eyes once more, feeling the uneasiness return as you stared at him, blood pouring from his body, spilling onto the floor.

a flashback scene that i was initially gonna use in my prologue for long live the king (last edited: i think literally a year ago, today; february 23, 2018)

“This is pointless!” He yelled angrily at his uncle, removing the mask from his face, panting heavily, the club in his hand as his cousin slightly nodded next to him, though far more subtle about his dislike for the intense sparring regiment.

“It is not!” Was the angry reply from T’Chaka, articulating his statement with an slam of his spear, staring down his rather testy teenage nephew.

“Why the hell isn’t it?” Was the angry reply from Erik, as he stepped closer to his uncle who, glaring at him angrily.

“You are to be T’Challa’s right hand man when I am gone, meaning you must be able to protect yourself!” He said, getting louder as he spoke, standing up to glare at his defiant nephew.

“Why the hell do I have to defend myself? Everyone in this country has it made, and y’all never wage war on anyone, so why the hell do I have to know to fight?” He yelled angrily, feeling his hand form fists, feeling ready to hit the stubborn old man, but knowing that he actually wouldn’t.

“Uh, guys….” T’Challa whispered softly, trying to avoid another scene between his father and his cousin, stepping closer to them at the ready, not knowing how either of their pride would blow up.

“You must know!”

“Why, so I can kill my family?”

The air seemed to still, the words seeming to halt anymore that would come out of T’Chaka’s mouth, anger coursing through both their bodies.

“How dare you!”

“How dare I? I don’t go around killing my brother!”

“You think I wanted to kill him? I loved my brother! I loved him!”

“That don’t change the fact that you fucking murdered my father!”

“My loyalty is to my people! More than my loyalty to my own blood.”

“Yeah, really stellar parenting right there. Maybe that’s why Shuri and T’Challa are so close, cause Auntie is the one that actually takes care of them rather than parading around the whole world!”

T’Challa rolled his eyes, tuning out slightly while they argued some more, studying their body language, both of them relaxed enough that nothing would go too far.

“Why the hell don’t you care about your own people? Our people are out there dying because you’re so stuck in the past!”

“You sound like your father.”

“Better him than a murderer!”

“Enough!” T’Challa yelled, piercing through the heavy silence which fell over them.

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sfmuniverse · 5 years

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We all know the Muni Metro light-rail system is unreliable and prone to daily delays.

But now that the city’s transit board is tightening oversight on its beleaguered bus and light-rail system, Muni’s interim chief pledges to make noticeable improvements. In the next three months, acting transit director Julie Kirschbaum says she’ll cut stalls and interruptions by 10 percent in the subway and reduce the number of major stoppages — in which commuters are stranded for 20 minutes or longer — to four a month.

SMFTA's most recent performance statistics find Muni overall is on time only 55% of the time, defined as no more than 4 minutes late of 1 minute early. Muni Metro hovers around just a 40% on-time rate.

It won’t be easy to transform a transit agency that’s hobbling along on old equipment, with trains navigating through tunnels that spill right into busy streets.

The light rail that stitches San Francisco’s neighborhoods together is a complex orchestral arrangement, and when one small piece fails, it can throw everything off.

Unfortunately, the Board of Supervisors has final say on how the SFMTA spends its money and decided it was more important to install solar panels and create a merchant bailout fund than go with the SFMTA's plan to replace the aging Breda trains starting next year.

On the matter of trains spilling onto City streets, or bunching up into herds at the Portals, there are obvious and proven solutions; transit-only lanes, boarding islands, signal priority, trains, etc.

But many San Franciscans fiercely object to the changes and funding it will take to make Muni more reliable.

If we could muster the support for a $100 million-or-so investment in some of Muni's top reliability priorities, like those new trains and switching equipment, we'd start seeing significant improvements within just a few years, but Muni is not a priority.

#Muni #Muni Metro

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seoulfulcity · 6 years

Text

October 2, 2018: Let’s Have Some Kimchi

It’s been almost two months since I left Seoul and had to start adjusting back to my life in Los Angeles. Having experienced multiple culture shocks throughout the summer, I feel obliged to write about my own stories with how I tackled the different environment I had to adjust to in South Korea; and my experience with reverse culture shock after coming back home made me realize that it would also be an interesting blog to write about, since I believe that I was not and will not be the only one to have lived through it. So, in the next few blogs, I will talk about the South Korean culture shock and reverse culture shock.

안녕하세요,

What is culture shock? University of Iowa defines culture shock as “pronounced reactions to the psychological disorientation most people experience when they move for an extended period of time into a culture markedly different from their own”. It is the feeling of not belonging whenever someone transitions to a new place, a new city, a new state, or a new country. It is more than just adjusting to the timezone difference, but encompasses all the changes and adjustment in language, food, weather, people, history, politics, and daily routines. It might be a familiar feeling to those overcome with wanderlust - a feeling that drives their minds to stay open, a signal for more exploration, and a means to gain more knowledge about a country.

I am from Los Angeles, which has the highest population of Korean immigrants and Korean-Americans in the United States. I am from an area in Los Angeles that is packed with Asian restaurants, and in which the Korean culture is ever so palpable. Koreatown, which houses the largest Korean population outside of the Korean peninsula after China, is a well-celebrated enclave within Los Angeles. It offers the most delicious restaurants and cafes that are outside the generic American fast food chains and Starbucks; and with the rise of Korean presence in the entertainment industry, the Korean culture is becoming much more celebrated than it already was.

With that said, Korean culture has been part of every Angeleno’s life - mine included. Frankly, I do admit that I enjoy listening to Korean music and find myself having a stronger preference to Korean dramas more than Western songs and television shows. I have a general knowledge of basic Korean etiquette within a home, in a restaurant, and in basic social setting. So, that basically gives me a free pass with the culture shock after arriving in Seoul, right? Wrong! No matter how much Korean dramas or films I’ve seen, or however many Korean barbeque restaurants I’ve eaten in, none of those had ever prepared me for the culture shock that I had to endure in South Korea. Here is my list:

1. Subway Culture

Los Angeles thrives on its car culture. There is a very big stigma regarding public transportation usage, and Angelenos will always rationalize not walking to go to the store that is only ten minutes away.

Fun fact: it’s sunny in Los Angeles all year, though we have a huge population with vitamin D deficiency, since it seems like the only times Angelenos go out and feel the sun is when they leave their cars.

I don’t have to hide the fact that the public transportation in Los Angeles is not to be trusted at all. Silver Line buses arrive 10 minutes late on a regular basis, and sometimes would be almost an hour late. Subway lines, such as the Red Line and Blue line would sometimes miss a schedule entirely. If the Metro schedule tells you that the Metro Rapid bus 770 would arrive at your stop at 1:15 PM, expect it to be there at either 12:48 PM or 1:39 PM. Metro drivers don’t have any regards to schedule or timing, so that’s probably why Angelenos don’t trust the public transportation at all. It’s also very difficult to go from point A to point B without having to take multiple subways and buses, since not all of the locations are accessible via the public transportation.

Contrast that to the Seoul subway station, in which the stigma is basically non-existent. They have less than 15-minute intervals between subways and buses, which minimizes the possibility of crowds, long lines, and insane wait times. Everything is accessible via the subways alone, and with a huge population of citizens incorporating public transportation into their daily lives, the funding for the maintenance of the stations and subway trains is insane.

The floors are very clean and I’m not worried holding on to the metal bars in the subway trains. Expect the subways and buses to arrive on schedule, so you don’t have to worry about missing your ride, even in the middle of the night going home after a long day at work (seriously, the buses in Los Angeles stop working at 9 PM, and it’s so difficult to work around that schedule when I’m trying to stay in the library all night to study - Uber and Lyft are options, but the prices do add up).

Not only the subways are very timely, the people of Seoul themselves are very orderly. There are designated seats for pregnant women (colored pink), the elderly and the disabled people (the seats closest to the subway doors on each opposite end). In Los Angeles, these seats are mainly for priority. If there are no pregnant women, elderly, or disabled people around, the seats would be taken until they arrive; not in Seoul. Even when the subway trains are packed at rush hour, these seats will remain empty until the designated occupants take them.

Important: Don’t disregard this rule since you will be met with angry comments and shame from the Korean subway riders, and that’s never a fun experience.

Also, people form lines to walk up the stairs after getting off the subways in a neat and tidy manner. They don’t rush to walk or run in front of someone with the fear of missing their subways, because once again - Seoul subways have a set schedule that it’s very rare to miss your ride. If you know the time of when your subway leaves the station, expect them to leave at that very minute.

Side note: while taking the escalator, stand on the right side and walk on the left side.

The social life within the subway stations are also reminiscent of Tokyo and Hong Kong’s. There are stores, restaurants, massage parlors, and even a mall in all of Seoul’s subway stations. While waiting for the subway, you can buy croquettes (크로켓) with different fillings in a bakery, heat up some cup noodles or doshirak (Korean lunch boxes) and eat them at the dining sections in the convenience stores, or you can even shop for some clothes, wallets, jewelries, and bags. Try using the subway stations in Los Angeles, and all you’ll see are unpainted gray walls, a group of homeless men stationed by the Tap Card machines, and dirty floors that seem to not have been cleaned since the station was opened.

2. Accessibility

It’s without a doubt a common knowledge that Seoul is obviously a small city, despite its booming economy and huge population; but a small location means that everything is within a walking distance, so that calls for a celebration (let’s pretend Singapore doesn’t exist, since my friend told me you can walk Singapore from end to end in a day).

Everything is spread out in Los Angeles. If you want to buy some snacks at a 7/11, you might have to drive about 10 minutes for the closest one. A quick coffee break? The closest Starbucks is a 5-minute drive! Planning to eat before headed for a night out? The next few eateries are just 20 minutes away via car. Don’t be fooled though! 10 minutes by car is very close for an Angeleno, since everything is far apart from one another. This is not the case in Seoul, and this is very apparent at night.

Night life in Seoul is very accessible. Clubs and bars line each other side-by-side, with a convenience store or two stationed right in front of each one to accommodate the drinkers who can’t afford to buy another glass of alcohol inside the bar.

Convenience stores are another culture on their own, since unlike Los Angeles, they are used as a means for quick social gatherings. Convenience stores in Seoul have a designated dining area, equipped with microwaves and hot water dispensers for whatever item you bought. Since they’re open 24/7 and are ubiquitous, people can just stop by at any time and sit down to eat, may it be to enjoy their time alone or to talk to their friends over cup ramen or tonkatsu.

On top of the clubs, bars, and convenience stores, there is also a large number of pojangmacha tents, although they have been in rapid decline recently due to the rise of trashes they leave. “They don’t look nice and make the city look dirty”, my Korean friends would say. Pojangmacha (포장마차), or temporary tents that serve quick bites and, most importantly, soju, are also found alongside the streets of Seoul if you don’t plan to sit down in a loud bar.

And what’s a Seoul night life without its noraebang (노래방), or the Korean version of karaoke. In Korean, norae (노래) means “song” and bang (방) means “room”. There are two main types of noraebang (노래방): one you pay by the hour and one you pay per song. An hourly rate would be as low as ₩8,000 ($7), or you can opt to pay per song for only ₩500 ($0.45) per song. Compare these prices to the hourly rates in Koreatown in Los Angeles that start from $25-$30 an hour.

Noraebang (노래방) in Seoul has never-ending options of songs to sing along to. Korean songs, Top 100 Western songs, Chinese songs, Japanese songs, Filipino songs, Vietnamese songs, Indonesian songs, Spanish songs, Russian songs, you name it.

Walking along any streets in Seoul, may it be in Hongdae, Myeongdong, Gangnam, Anam, Kondae, there will be the word noraebang (노래방) in flashing neon and LCD lights. You can purchase your soju in a noraebang (노래방), although a little more expensive; but, don’t fret. A convenience store is always there just a few meters from the entrance ready to save your wallet and contribute to making your musical nights much more memorable.

If you and your friend circle are not the types to socialize in a convenience store or a noraebang (노래방) - fear not! There is a huge industry on PC bang (PC방) in Seoul. In Korean, PC means “personal computer” and bang (방) means “room”. PC방 is an Internet gaming center that caters to the gamers, the introverts, and the social media fanatics. You may gain access to a PC방 through membership or one-time uses.

For membership, you just need to apply for one and they would give you a card for your login information, which charges you by the hour every time you use the computers.

For one-time users, you pick up a card on the reception that gives you the login information, which gives you access to the computers. The timer starts once you login, and you pay for the total amount right after you logout and give the card back to the receptionist.

The hourly rate is not very expensive. Expensive PC방 are equipped with large screens and more advanced software for the gamers, which have prices ranging from ₩1,200 to ₩1500/hour, or $1 to $1.30. Personally, I don’t need big screens to write my blog or do my assignments in, so I opt out for the regular computer screens, which costs me about ₩900 to ₩1,200 an hour, which is equivalent to $0.80 to $1.

Once again, Seoul thrives on accessibility and since South Koreans spend an average of five hours playing computer games per day, there will be a need for food - and yes, there are a lot of choices of food. There are snack bars, dining areas, and the receptionist even delivers food to your computer. You have options from chips, to finger foods like fries, and to full-course meals like a tonkatsu and bulgogi set. And of course, there are the never-ending supply of soju, if needed.

Soju is very cheap in Seoul, and many convenience stores would sell them for about ₩1,200 to ₩1500, which is about $1 to $1.30 (soju is cheaper than bottled water, just saying). Because of the accessibility of the drinking areas and soju, South Korea’s culture revolves around drinking (sometimes heavy drinking), therefore there are a lot of places where you can sit down with a group of friends and drink after work.

Many of these drinking places are around college campuses to cater towards the students vying for a social circle or are finding ways to de-stress themselves from the university responsibilities. In Los Angeles, the drinking culture are only within certain cities: mainly West Hollywood and Pasadena, two cities on opposite ends of the county. It is very difficult to gain access to social areas when you’re situated in the middle of the county or away from West Hollywood and Pasadena - once again, these cities are very hard to access via public transportation.

Not in Seoul. Even if Anam is considered empty compared to the lively Hongdae, which caters to the students of Hongik University, and Itaewon, which caters to the foreign population, Anam is still packed with social areas that are meant for students and teachers to drink in.

My favorite part is having to drink with friends and getting back to our dormitory or our housing by walking, which proves how close everything really is. Plus, if you are looking to experience Seoul drinking culture, Hongdae and Itaewon are easily accessible via public transportation, so finding the means to get there is never a problem.

Frankly, there will be nights where you just don’t want to go out and stay in (perhaps by yourself or with your friends), and Seoul’s delivery service culture is surreal. Almost every restaurant, if not all of them, have a delivery service that is easily accessible by a tap of a finger. You may call or make an order online (Korean reading skills are required if it’s not ordered through a phone call), and the food will be swiftly delivered via a motorcycle in less than half an hour.

They even write you cute little “thank you” notes in Korean as a token of appreciation, and those always brighten up my day. One of the post-it notes that came with a chicken wing order said “주문해 주셔서 감사합니다. 맛있게 드시고 행복하세요!!^^” (Jumunhae jusheoseo gamsahamnida. Mashitge deushigo haengboghaseyo).

The post-it note translates to “Thank you for ordering. Eat deliciously and be happy!” Translation courtesy of Minki-hyung (민기형).

Accessibility is staple South Korean culture: from convenience stores lining up next to each other blocks on end and to Seoul’s fast delivery service, there’s never an excuse to not spend a day in the country without Korean food and a bottle of soju... or two!

3. Confucianism Culture

There’s one C word you have to fully understand once you land in South Korea, and that is Confucianism. The whole Korean culture revolves around this - from greeting, to talking, to eating, to drinking, and to socializing.

Eldest Culture - when eating and drinking, the eldest member on the table always has to be served first. Don’t pick up your chopsticks, utensils, or drinking glasses until after the eldest does. When drinking alcohol, younger people should never point the bottom of their glasses towards the eldest. Drink facing away, and with both hands.

Refusing an Offer - when someone older than you offer you food or drink, you may not refuse that offer. This is a nice gesture of friendliness, especially if you’re drinking together for the first time. If you refuse the offer, that means you’re refusing the friendship and Koreans take that very personally.

Maknae (막내) Culture - the youngest is always asked to pass down the food or to refill everybody’s drinks. Be familiar with the term, maknae (막내/pronounced mangnae), which means the youngest of the group. Since the Korean culture relies heavily on age order, there are many traits and responsibilities that come with being the maknae (막내) of the group. He/she is expected to be polite, obedient, and respectful to the people order than him/her. Once labelled the maknae (막내), he/she will perform everything his/her elders ask him/her to do. The elders will take care of their maknae (막내) in return.

Don’t be surprised when the first question a Korean asks you when you meet is “몇 살이에요” (myeot salieyo?/how old are you?). This is the main means of establishing where they are in the conversation, since Korean verbs are distinguished based on age and politeness (whether or not they conjugate the verbs as if they’re talking to someone older, someone of the same age, or someone younger).

Addressing people older than you differs based on gender.

If you’re a male, you address older males as 형 (hyung); and older females as 누나 (noona).

If you’re a female, you address older males as 오빠 (oppa); and older females as 언니 (unni).

Basic Dining Etiquette - Korean chopsticks and utensils are longer than its Chinese and Japanese counterparts for a reason. Don’t lift up your bowl to eat your rice or noodles. Absolutely no slurping either.

Korean Table Setup - there is a setup that all Korean tables follow (from the left side to the right side): rice bowl and banchan (side dishes), main dish, spoon, chopstick, then soup. Hot foods, such as soup, are always placed on the right; while cold foods are placed on the left. Banchan, and kimchi, are placed behind the sauces by the rice bowl.

Non-verbal Politeness - don’t ever give or receive anything with one hand. It always has to be done with both hands - if not with both hands, make sure to have your non-receiving hand hold your receiving arm. This goes for shaking hands and paying as well.

4. Fashion

Need I say more? Don’t ever leave your place and walk the streets of Seoul dressed like an American in sweat pants and t-shirt. Not only will you get the disapproving looks of the natives, but you will feel very foreign and different. Everybody knows how much the Koreans love to take care of their looks. From skin care to plastic surgery. If you take the time to pay attention to your surroundings in Seoul, you will notice how much mirrors there are: from restaurants, to noraebang (노래방) rooms, and even in the most random places like the subway stations. Hey! Gotta look good while riding the subway, right?

Korean culture revolves around being fashionable at all times. Don’t be surprised when you see guys wearing makeup, the young Koreans with their hairs dyed, or natives dressing in layers even under the hot and humid summer weather.

It won’t be long until you start wanting to join in the fashion game and walk around Gangnam feeling like you belong in Gangnam.

I have mentioned and talked about this extensively in multiple blogs, such as in “As the Sun Sets - The Final Golden Hours”, but South Koreans have an obsession with pastel shirts with a random English word written across the front side. Reddit User Mr_Bakgwei talked about this East Asian culture of how English looks “cool” in a thread asking the culture behind random English words. The user talks about someone he knows from Chaozhou, a city in Guangdong, China, who makes millions of shirts with random English words, despite quitting school after the ninth grade and does not speak a word in English.

Certain letters are considered “better looking than others, such as J, P, B, Y, and U”. If the word looks “cool” enough to be in a shirt, but contains the “less good looking” letters such as I and O, the designers would swap it out to a more acceptable-looking letter, such as J, T, and V. This is very prominent in shirts in East Asia, where South Korea lies, since you’ll find shirts that will say “Geometry”, “Alaska Whales”, “Paragraph”, and “Babylonian”.

Initially, I find it very hilarious whenever I see someone wearing a shirt that randomly says “Veracity” or “Cheese”, but I do understand the hype surrounding random English words on shirts. Los Angeles does have a culture equivalent to this one where people wear clothes that have random French words written on it. Words like “Bonjour” and “Merci” are printed across tote bags and laptop covers. Francophilia, the love for all-things French, is a billion-dollar industry in the Western world. Stores like Forever 21 and Anthropologie would sell t-shirts in ridiculously high prices just because it says the phrase “C’est la vie” with a sketch of the Eiffel Tower on the corner. So, this East Asian culture on having random English words printed is not so new and foreign after all. I was just able to be in the feet of the French people when they see Americans wearing a shirt with words that mean so random to them.

I did go back home to Los Angeles with a couple shirts with random English words written though! I caved in to the culture, since some shirts look so nice. I bought clothes that said “Summer vibes” in English and “がんばって” (ganbatte) in Japanese, which is the equivalent to “Fighting” or “I wish you good luck!” with a knitted corgi on the top left side of my shirt. Japanese characters appeal to the Americans too, by the way. My friend in Korean class was wearing a shirt designed with an ad for a squid restaurant written in all Japanese today - so this culture is not just centered around English and French.

I walked around Seoul wearing those shirts feeling like a native.

When in Rome....

5. Cleanliness

Fun fact: public trash cans are a rarity in Seoul, so you better hold on to that trash of yours until the next convenience store. An American reading this would probably think that since there are little to no trash cans in the city, people will be littering every chance they get, but he/she is more than wrong. On top of Seoul natives worrying how they look, they also take a lot of time making sure their city is as clean and tidy. It’s very rare to see cigarette butts or bags of chips on the sidewalks, and this was something I really appreciated while being in South Korea.

Fun fact: Hongdae (pictured above) is always crowded, but it’s never as dirty as Itaewon (pictured below), which is the area in Seoul that houses most of the expatriates and foreigners. There is an unspoken stereotype on how foreigners are very dirty and like to litter a lot.

To further show how clean and organized South Korea is with their trash, in some cases there are trash cans in Seoul that are meant to separate everything.

For example, in McDonald’s in Anam (first picture below), there are seven areas to place your trash: bottles, leftover food, remaining juice and soda, soda cups, plastic lids, straws, and utensils. The bibimbap cup place I frequent in Anam has four areas (second picture below): one for the bibimbap cup, one for the leftovers, one for the water cup, and one for the utensils. In some cases, such as the Dokkaebi Night Market (도깨비야시장) in Banpo Hangang Park, there will be people getting paid to separate the trash for you. Just hand them your tray and cups, and the rest is history.

I find this culture so hard to adjust to - not that I litter myself.

That’s all I will be talking about in this blog, since I plan to expand on other cultural practices that are very unique to Seoul in the next posts:

“Tteokbokki Juseyo!” - an introduction to Korean street food

“The Visuals and the Vibes” - xenophobia, cafe culture, PDA, and the K-entertainment culture

“The Art of Coming Home” - my reverse culture shock experience

Until then!

고마워요, Chris 「크리스」

#study #abroad #seoul #south korea #international summer campus #ku #korea university #isc #summer #culture #shock #culture shock

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