#Franca manages a bar

[ayasenisan1713]

Circle of Inevitability x Death Note

In short, a modern AU where the characters of Death Note except L are replaced by COI’s cast and Lumian accidentally gets embroiled in the investigation on Kira. (You’ll never guess who Kira is.)

Someone, please stop me.

[randomnameless]

Thinking about different languages in the Fodlan verse -

(Duscurian, Srengese, Almyran and Brigidan are mentionned/refered to in supports, so I wouldn't be surprise if Dagda, Morfis and Albinea have their own language)

What if Sothis and the Nabatean had their own language?

Let's say Sothis lands in modern Fodlan, and the humans around speak a weird language she doesn't understand, but thanks to "god magic" she manages to learn it in 1 day.

And yet, when she creates her kids, she gives them her own language (from the blue sea star?) which de facto becomes, on this planet at least, Nabatean language.

Of course her kids have to learn the "human language", and in turn, for the humans who want it, they could learn the Nabatean one.

(Cichol had a cringe phase where he tried to use agarthan slang, but no one is alive to tease him about his younger days)

Zanado 1 (the place where Sothis lived) became some sort of university-giant library-thing where humans could come and study languages of other places, like people from Thinis could learn Agarhtan, Nabatean or proto-Morfisan, etc etc.

Nabatean language was used as liturgy language (since some people considered them gods?) in early Sothisism practices.

Thales was kind of pissed, because there's no need to learn anything about Thinis and those other trash states since they're going to be destroyed, then he started to war against Sothis herself, and we know how that ended.

Fast forward to Zanado 2 (built on the ruins of Zanado 1) - Nabatean is exclusively used as liturgy language, even if it falls more and more because there's no official Church or cult, and after the war, there are less and less Nabateans roaming around to talk to or to share their culture (but the few who travel bring back the "modern and updated" versions of the human language they learnt back then, like, idk, Archaic Palmyran became Early Almyran, or something like that).

Nemesis parties in Zanado, and Rhea is persuaded Nabatean is, bar her, an extinct language (since some humans who worship the Goddess completely forgot the earlier Sothisism rites (tfw 1500 years happen) and sort of do it in their own way).

Getting a new language update (tfw Rhea still think humans in the south speak "Old Enbarrian" when they now use "Classical Enbarrian" and "Vulgar Enbarrian"), Seiros feels conflicted about the new hymnals and preachs of the newly founded "Church of Seiros" being in "Classical Enbarrian" ; it should be in Nabatean, but why teaching those humans a language only spoken and understood by the dead?

Besides, as long as Nemesis exists, Nabatea and everything related to Nabateans should be hidden, else she might be turned in a golden weapon.

Of course, for "Willy reasons", she ended up trying to teach him some words, and Willy was very surprised to learn that in the Nabatean language, there are no swear words so he decided to translate swear words, a roundabout way of telling her Nabatean language isn't extinct yet, it survives and can even evolve by having new uses!

(Now, did Rhea overthink too much about this and thought Willy was really a genius, or was he completely stupid just wanted to insult people in a different language, we will never know)

Thus, Seiros the Warrior believes she can teach, after the War, when all Relics will be found and Nemesis dead, Nabatean language to her followers, so they could share the language and sing hymnals in Nabatean language.

(This idea is fairly popular in the Northern provinces, because it'll another language and not "Enbarrian", so in a way, this church business isn't another way to "Enbarrianise" them (or so they think?).).

But after the WoH and Lycaon's death - Rhea loses faith in humanity, and, in turn, reconsiders her idea of teaching Nabatean language to humans through the Church, after all humans are humans, and Nabateans cannot coexist with them even through language, only Sothis can help them and save Fodlan.

So the CoS will use Classical Enbarrian (lingua franca in Southern Adrestia), but she'll allow people to preach in their vernacular languages, because the most important thing is for the CoS's message to be spread (and not to pretend a dead language of dead people, or people near extinction can survive, because Nabateans need the Goddess).

Fast forward to centuries of years later...

Yuri finds an old bottle of hair dye in the Abyss that was definitely hand written by the Archbishop - when he confronts her about storing her personal belongings (she tried to bullshit him about "Saint Seiros' old belongings" but he has none of her nonsense, why would Saint Seiros use hair dye??) in the Abyss - Rhea's very surprised because Yuri was able to read Nabatean alphabet, and knows the language.

The hair dye incident makes her reconsider, is Nabatean language really dead? Why Aubin taught Yuri the language? Can she have faith in humanity, again? And hope that maybe, one day, Nabatean culture can be revived?

[nickgerlich]

In The Search Bar

While the biblical author once intoned that there is nothing new under the sun, we must append it with this other truth: Nothing lasts forever. Well, most things, and this truth excluded.

Basically, it means that everyone and everything is vulnerable. Don’t get too comfortable resting on your laurels, because there’s probably a competing company, person, or idea lurking in the shadows that could relieve you of your crown.

I know. It is hard to imagine a world in which Walmart were not the king of BAM retailing, and Amazon likewise in e-commerce. But we also must remember that Amazon is only 30 years old, and Walmart 62. While Amazon had few if any competing interests to overthrow in the emerging digital economy, Walmart left behind the corpses of many retailers in its take-no-prisoners approach to business.

But they could fail one day, and you know what they say about how hard the big ones fall.

The same could be said of Google, which launched only in 1998. It quickly toppled many upstart search engines, but more importantly, it completely upset the apple cart when it came to search in general. I’m pretty sure that Melvil Dewey is doing flip-flops in his grave, his once-vaunted Dewey Decimal System the lingua franca of card catalog systems. Both he and the massive wooden cabinets with the tiny drawers have been left behind for history to ponder.

But now comes news that even Google is showing some cracks in its armor. Among Gen-Zers, Google is being replaced by Instagram and TikTok at the local level as the search engine of choice.While Google and Google Maps are still the #1 and #2 search engines overall, Instagram (67%) and TikTok (62%) are now preferred among young persons when searching for local businesses. The assumption, of course, is that those local businesses would have a presence on those platforms to be found in the first place.

It should also be noted that Gen-Zers still use Google for non-local searches, like when researching group project papers for their nagging, old professors. But I digress.

The takeaways from this tidal shift are huge. Gen-Zers use Insta and TikTok as search engines because this is where they hang out the most. Any time there is a magnifying glass icon or a search box, they know what to do. They have grown up searching for things this way. Google should be scared. Very scared. The very tool these young users cut their teeth upon is now being used against them.

But then there is the implication for local businesses. Like it or not, if you want to reach Gen-Z, it behooves these businesses to use Insta and TikTok, or risk not coming up in any query results. Failure to do so is at their own peril. Stubbornness on behalf of owners and managers, especially if they happen to…um…be a little bit older than Gen-Z, may not end well. “Get off my lawn!” Is not a proper response.

I have said it more times than I can count—and you have already heard me say it at least once—I love this job, if only because I have a ringside seat in the Arena of Change. I study it. I adopt it. I believe in it.

And if I were among the movers and shakers at Google, I’d also be nervous. They have failed three times trying to establish social media platforms, only to realize many years later that their acquisition of YouTube had already put them in that space. But while many people also use YouTube as a search engine, it’s usually not for local search. It tends to be more by topic, or for music videos. And while YouTube is rocking the boat with its Shorts rival to TikTok, it’s still not the same.

Whomever you are, whatever it is you are doing, remember that someone else is plotting to take a bite out of you, and keep eating until they have consumed the giant. Then the cycle will begin anew, one revolution begetting another. Hang on for as long as you can. It’s not just “Evolve Or Die.” It’s keep evolving until you die, because you will.

Dr “Searching For Answers” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[gardenofkore]

Florence Trevelyan Cacciola (née Florence Trevelyan Trevelyan) was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumblerand, on February 7th 1852. She was the daughter and only surviving child (her older sister Edith had died in 1850 at just one year old) of Edward Spencer Trevelyan of Hallington Hall (cadet son of Sir John Trevelyan, 5th Baronet Trevelyan of Nettlecombe, Somerset, and of Wallington Hall, Northumberland), and of Catherine Ann Forster.

She was baptised in St. Andrew Church in Hartburn, Northumberland, with her family name serving also as a middle name, so that she would have been able to keep it even after married.

On August 23rd 1854 Edward Spencer Trevelyan committed suicide, leaving his wife and his two years old daughter living alone in Hallington Hall.

Over the years, Florence and her mother developed a great interest in gardening and in establishing "pleasure gardens", such as gardens open to the public. Perhaps the fact that Florence's uncle, Sir Walter Carverley Trevelyan, 6th Baronet, was a renowned naturalist and geologist, might have provided some sort of influence.

In 1877 Catherine Forster died and her daughter inherited Hallington Hall. The year after the childless Sir Walter died too. Following the wishes of the late baronet, his inheritance was surprisingly split: his title was inherited by his nephew Alfred Wilson Trevelyan (son of Alfred Wilson Trevelyan senior), while Wallington Hall was left to his cousin Charles Edward Trevelyan. Despite being senior to her cousin Alfred (Florence's father was older than Alfred's one), and a closer relative than Charles Trevelyan, Florence, as a female, was passed over in the succession of the family titles and estates. In 1879, Miss Trevelyan, already mistress of herself, set off for a two years tour across Europe and North Africa, accompanied by her cousin, Louisa Harriet Spencer (daughter of Beatrice Trevelyan and Ernest Augustus, youngest child of Spencer Perceval, the only British prime minister to have been murdered). During a stop in Alassio, the two girls visited Parco Fuor del Vento and the villa Molino di Sopra as guests of General William Montagu Scott McMurdo, owner and designer of the park. Florence could thus admire the terraced hill, planted with olive, orange and palm trees and cypresses, and adorned with four pagoda style buildings. From there she could also see Gallinara island, shelter for herring gulls and protected plant species.

In 1881 Miss Trevelyan visited Taormina for the first time. The Sicilian city at that time was still recovering from the turmoil that had followed the Unification of Italy in 1861. Economical backwardness had also forced many to emigrate and so depopulate the territory. Taormina impressed very much Florence, because it reminded her of Alassio. In particular, she thought the islet of Santo Stefano (donated in 1806 by King Ferdinando I to the city) resembled a lot to Gallinara. Together with her cousin, she stayed in Taormina from January 28th to February 14th 1881. On August of the same year, the two girls were back in Northumberland. It's during this time that Florence became somehow close to Queen Victoria, to the point of being invited to Balmoral Castle (fun fact, in Taormina Florence is still popularly regarded a Queen Victoria's niece. Perhaps everything started after people saw a photo of Florence with her mother, Catherine Ann Trevelyan. Certainly the majority of people didn't actually know the actual appearance of Queen Victoria, so Mrs Trevelyan was easily mistaken with her illustrious sovereign, after all they were only 4 years apart) . In fact, despite the fact that the Trevelyan were mere landed aristocracy (and Florence, as the daughter of a cadet son, wasn't even entitled to be called lady), they were well-connected with the higher society. It was rumoured that at some point Florence had attracted the attention of the womanizer Prince of Wales, future Edward VII. Also, according to this version of the story, once Queen Victoria was made aware of this dalliance, she wasn't amused in the least. To ensure the end of it, she supposedly kindly offered Miss Trevelyan a generous annuity to keep her away from her son. Handsomely rewarded for her renunciation, Florence left Great Britain to never come back again. The main supporter of this rumour is Dino Papale, lawyer and journalist, distantly related to Florence's future husband. In his book Taormina Segreta - La Belle Epoque 1876-1914, published in 1995, he claimed Florence had been basically exiled from the court and high society because of a supposed fling with Prince Albert Edward. 

Whatever the real reason was, Florence left once again the country with her cousin Louisa. In 1885, they were back in Taormina, lodging at Timeo Inn, adjacent the Greek Theatre and owned by La Floresta family. The two women had brought with them their five dogs, and to avoid inconveniencing the other guests with the animals' yapping, in 1889 Florence funded at her own expenses the building of an upper level. When one of her dogs, Sole, fell ill, Florence was desperate since she couldn't find in all Taormina a veterinarian to tend to the animal. Desperate and in tears, she asked her neighbour Salvatore Cacciola for help. Mr. Cacciola, who lived in a mansion also adjacent to the Greek Theatre (the then Palazzo Cacciola, now Palazzo Acrosso Papale), had been Professor of Anatomy and Histology at Padua University. He tended to the dog and managed to heal it, earning the woman's appreciation. Florence and Salvatore soon got closer, especially since Cacciola had studied in Malta and was thus fluent in English. He came from a wealthy family, in the future he would even be Taormina’s mayor for almost a decade, and being a Freemason leader (he would found the Rinascimento lodge), he shared with Florence an interest in esotericism. The two quickly fell in love and married on July 5th 1890.

Once settled in Palazzo Cacciola, Florence decided to expand the already vast garden by buying one plot of land after another, until the whole slopy countryside that linked the villa to the sea was annexed to the Cacciola's property. Apparently, this decision earned her in 1894 a reproach from English archaeologist Arthur Evans. While completing the 4th and last volume of The History of Sicily from the Earliest Times, which he had written together with his (by then deceased) father-in-law, Edward Augustus Freeman, Evans criticised Mrs Cacciola's mass purchasing as it would have prevented future archaeological digs in a place so near to the Greek Theatre, and with sure archaeological and historical relevancy. ("This, with others of the most interesting and beautiful sites of Taormina, has passed into the possession of an English proprietress, who has barred the access and warned off the civilized portion of mankind in four languages", p. 110-111) Previously, on June 1890, Florence had bought the former islet of Santo Stefano (which German baron and photographer Wilhelm von Gloeden baptized as Isola Bella, beautiful island, as it is globally known). There she had a house built, and rare and expensive exotic flora planted. These plants soon merged with the islet's local vegetation creating a unique natural environment, enriched by the presence of many (and sometimes rare) species of migratory birds, insects and reptiles, like the red-bellied lizard (Podarci Sicula Medemi) which only lives there.

In 1891, Florence gave birth to a stillborn son. She decided to leave her husband and moved away from Villa Cacciola, going on to live alone even further in the countryside, in a small cottage on mt. Venere. Nearby the house, she had a mausoleum built, and a roadside that connected mt. Venere to Taormina. She became particularly involved in the charity works, like establishing a fund that would have provided the daughters of fishermen with a dowry. Furthermore, she immersed herself in the creation of an English-style garden (or landscape garden) which she will name the Hallington Siculo, after her English childhood home. Like she had done with Isola Bella, Florence mixed exotic with native plants to create a peculiar habitat. In order to make the place even more special, she had the garden scattered with many small follies (Mrs Cacciola called them "beehives"). These picturesque buildings were made of local materials: bricks, wood, and various types of stones, and even capitals and other from the Greek-Roman period and XV-XVIth century decorative elements. The hives served as a bird observatory and places where she could relax while reading or having tea alone or with friends. Taking inspiration from her esoteric interests, she added a small megalithic construction (a cromlech) made of limestone, with the ulterior intention to re-use the advanced materials. As an animal lover, she also had some cages installed to house peacocks, parrots, canaries and pigeons. These renovations plus the amazing panorama seen from the garden (ranges from mt. Etna, the Ionian sea and the surrounding countryside), makes the Hallington Siculo a true heaven on earth.

Florence and her husband had become incredibly well-known in Sicily and abroad. In 1896 (and again in 1904 and 1906) they were visited by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Prussia during his stays in Taormina, while in 1906 it was the time of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (Florence's supposed former flirt) and his wife Queen Alexandra. Other personalities included Gabriele D’Annunzio, Edmondo De Amicis, Oscar Wilde (she would finance after he got released following the charges of omosexuality), Otto Geleng, D.H. Lawrence, Ignazio and Franca Florio, Joseph and Tina Withaker.

Following her son's death, she had developed diabetes. To cure her, her brother-in-law Carlo, the only pharmacist in Taormina, injected her with strychnine (at that time considered a cure for many illnesses). In September 1907 her conditions worsened, so that she had to go back to Villa Cacciola. There she died a couple of days later, on October 4th. Respecting her wishes, she was buried in the mausoleum on mt. Venere.

Dying childless, she had named as her heirs two of her father's cousins, Robert Calverley Trevelyan (her long-time penfriend and confidante) and his brother George Macaulay Trevelyan. Her husband obtained only the usufruct of Isola Bella, the Hallington Siculo, and the plots on mt. Venere, which after his death, would have gone to his wife's English relations. Florence's heirs had to follow strict rules, all devoted to the preservation of the flora and fauna which inhabited those places. And so, the peacocks, goats, doves, canaries, and so on, which had been a great company for her in those past years, had to live in health and comfort, tended with cure and love. As for the vegetation, nobody was allowed to work the land, cut any tree, or build houses. Salvatore soon remarried with his maid Ida Mosca, and adopted his young nephew Cesare Acrosso, who will later become a lawyer and the last fascist mayor of Taormina. Taking care of his first wife's properties soon became for Mr Cacciola a real hassle. In order to get free from this, in 1923 he asked for his nephew's aid and got in touch with his political enemy Giovanni Colonna, Duke of Cesarò (Acrosso was his secretary). In exchange for his political retirement, Cacciola obtained that the Hallington Siculo was expropriated for "public interest". The garden became then property of the town of Taormina, was dismembered, reduced to a quarter of its original size, and renamed "Parco Giovanni Colonna Duca di Cesarò". On February 19th 2019, thanks to a municipal decision, it changed again its name, becoming "Parco Florence Trevelyan", finally giving her original owner and curator the proper recognition.

As for Isola Bella, at Salvatore Cacciola's death in 1927, it was inherited by Cesare Acrosso (alongside with Cacciola's palace), who will sell it in 1954 to Leone and Emilio Bosurgi. The two businessmen brothers, disregarding Florence Trevelyan's will and wishes, built 12 individual homes, plus a small pool perfectly camouflaged between rocks and vegetation, to accommodate and entertain friends and clients. When their firm went bankrupt in the 80s, they were forced to auction off the islet. In 1990 Isola Bella was finally bought by the Sicilian Region, which transformed it into a wildlife reserve, reverting back to what Florence had intended. 

Every year, on October 4th, a small ceremonial is held before a bust portraying Mrs Trevelyan in her dedicated park. It's a commemoration open to all of those wishes to remember and thank a woman who did so much for Taormina in her time, and left a lot to the future generations.

[ccoocckk]

They were called Barbarbz. Their stans admired how they spoke as if language had no meaning. Always outsiders, the Barbarbz managed to form communities online in which everyone felt excluded. Soon, bar bar became the lingua franca.

The mass suicides bega

[reddeadmort]

Hello I hope your day is doing well~ I have a request, can I get one where Reader is a mute and tries to confess their feelings to Arthur? (I really doubt our golden boy knows sign language ahah) On another note, do you by any chance have a Ko-Fi? I love your work so much I want to send you a little of support~ ♡

I really enjoyed writing this idea, and I sincerely hope I’ve done it justice anon!I did a brief bit of research, and there’s a lot of different causes of/definitions of muteness. I’ve tried to keep it as general as possible, not specifying anything, but have taken the liberty of assuming that the reader is either also not deaf or can lip read if they are. Also, the sign near the end is an approximation of British sign language, but I have taken a slight liberty with it to make it marginally fluffier. Gender neutral reader in this one 😊

I stumbled across Plains Indian Sign Language (PISL), also known as Plains Sign Talk, while looking up details for this; according to Wikipedia, was once the lingua franca across central Canada, central and western United States and northern Mexico, used among the various Plains Nations. It was also used for story-telling, oratory, various ceremonies, and by deaf people for ordinary daily use :)

Arthur Morgan x Reader | “I understand darlin’” | AO3

Guidance: Gender neutral reader, mute reader, lots of fluffy fluff :) Words: 1.5k

You’d always admired Arthur; he did so much for the camp, always bringing in food, donating far more than any of the others. But recently, you’d started to realise that you liked him more than just as a friend. It had been a subtle shift; you smiling to yourself whenever he sat next you, escalating to your heart skipping a beat whenever you saw him.

You didn’t speak to him as much as you’d like; in fact, you didn’t speak much to anyone, due to your muteness. Where you could, you tried to communicate with gestures or basic hand movements; you knew some sign language, as well as some Plains Sign Talk, but when the rest of the gang didn’t understand it, there wasn’t much point.

Most of the girls in the camp made the effort to try and learn the motions you used, which you were grateful for, as you spent most of your time with them. The majority of the time, however, you relied on your trusty journal, always hanging from your belt.

Arthur was one of the only men that really tried to learn some gestures with you. You loved that he cared enough to try, though it didn’t come naturally to him. He would quite often get frustrated, always at himself, never at you, muttering about how he was too stupid and old to learn this. You always cheered him up by teaching him some words for animals; rabbit was your favourite, the sight of this tall, broad, outlaw, making the shape of bunny ears next to his head always made you laugh. Arthur loved it when you laughed, because you made little to no noise, apart from the change in your breathing; it was like a secret little moment only you two had.

Your favourite thing to do was to sit with him by the fire, journals on each of your laps, writing and sketching. Arthur would show a sketch he made of some plant or animal, writing down the name, and you would either show him a gesture for it or write a little comment for him.

One evening, you were sat next to each other as you watched Sean telling a vivid story about an adventure in a bar, gesticulating wildly like he always did. It was late, and you were tired; without thinking, you rested your head on Arthur’s shoulder. When Arthur moved his arm, you tensed, suddenly aware of what you’d done; you were about to pull away, cheeks already flushed with embarrassment, when you felt his arm wrap around you and his hand rest on your shoulder. Your heart practically leaped out of your chest; deciding to roll with it, you snuggled up closer to him, and he gave you a gentle squeeze.

You hadn’t wanted that moment to end; you two stayed like that until you were the last ones awake, until you could barely keep your eyes open. Arthur walked you over to your tent; he paused, before stammering out a rushed ‘Goodnight’ and striding off to his. You cursed yourself for not kissing him. You barely slept that night, but when morning came you had resolved yourself to tell him how you felt. After last night, surely he must feel the same?

You didn’t see Arthur again until late that afternoon; him and Charles left first thing, while you were prepping some breakfast. When they returned, you could tell he was exhausted; you two stayed up so late he couldn’t have had more than a couple of hours sleep.

You managed to intercept him on the way back to his tent and gently dragged him by one hand over to a log on the edge of the camp, motioning for him to sit down. He did so, and you moved to sit next to him. Your hands were trembling as you got out your journal; you were so desperate to tell him how you felt, it was the only thing you had thought about all day. But now you were about to do it, you were overwhelmed by nerves. Struggling to grip the pencil, you opened the small leather bound book to a new page and began to write; you wanted to make sure he understood exactly what you were saying.

I think I

You must have been more stressed then you realised. As you pressed your pencil to the paper to write the next word, you pushed too hard, snapping the lead clean off. Frustrated, you threw your hands into the air before reaching for your knife to sharpen it. Arthur waited patiently, like he always did, with a slightly bemused look on his face. He really wanted to chuckle at your over-the-top annoyance; he always thought you looked so cute when you were frustrated, not that he’d ever make you that way on purpose.

You were sharpening your pencil as quickly as possible; you were almost done when the knife caught in the wood, tearing a huge chunk out of it. You chucked your head backwards, huffing and rolling your eyes, before trying to continue what was left of your sentence.

I think I love

When you finished the next word, you turned the pencil in your hand, forgetting it was broken on one side; as you pressed it to the paper again, the lead moved out through the gap in the wood before snapping, leaving almost no lead left in the pencil.

This was too much for you; you slammed the remnants of your pencil and your journal into the ground before standing up and storming off to the edge of the camp. It had taken so much courage for you even to try to tell Arthur how you felt, and now your main method of communication with him had failed you.

You stared out across the plains, wrapping your arms around yourself, a self-comforting gesture. You started to cry; you felt so ridiculous for it, so ashamed of crying for such a silly reason, and that made you cry even harder.

As you raised your sleeve to wipe your tears away, you felt two large hands rest on your shoulders. You span round, finding yourself face to face with Arthur. He frowned as he saw the tears rolling down your face; you couldn’t bear to look at him, refusing to make eye contact, and stared at the floor.

Arthur pulled a piece of cloth from his pocket, placed his hand under your chin and gently lifted your face towards him. Very carefully, he wiped your tears away, making sure to not get the cloth in your eyes. You went to move his arm, to push him away, but as you stared up into those blue-green eyes, filled with concern for you, you softened, and instead rested your hand on his forearm. He smiled as you touched him; the sight made your heart leap in your chest.

“You okay?” Arthur asked you, one hand still cupping your chin. You nodded slightly, giving him a weak smile.

“Come on then Y/N, what were you tryin’ to say. It’s got to be important for you to get so worked up like that.”

He moved his hand to your shoulder, softly rubbing it. You rolled your eyes, motioning for something to write on. Arthur suddenly looked flustered, patting his pockets; sometimes he forgot you needed help to communicate, and he felt so stupid when he did.

You couldn’t bear to see him fretting, and grabbed at his hands to stop him, making eye contact with him. As you held one of his hands, you raised one of yours to the top and centre of your chest and tapped it.

“You….” Arthur said, slightly unsure. You smiled and nodded encouragingly, trying to think what motion to make next. You moved your hand down and across your chest, palm laying flat over your heart, then placed your other hand over it, so that they were crossed. You lifted your fingers and tapped against your chest, mimicking a few heartbeats, then placed your hand in the centre of Arthur’s chest.

He looked confused, slightly frowning; you repeated the three gestures again, but it only made him frown more. Sod it you thought. You reached up and grabbed his face with both hands, pulling him in for a kiss. At first, Arthur resisted slightly, but only for a moment; he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you in tight, kissing you back.

The kiss seemed to last forever; when you finally broke apart, Arthur grinned at you, reaching up and gently tucking a rogue strand of hair behind your ear, brushing your cheek as he did so.

“I understand darlin’” he said, winking at you. “Though I think we should do that again, just to make sure.”  

[dwindledglow]

001. MEET FRANCESCO

FULL NAME: francesco mirkó mancini. PREFERRED NAME: francesco. NICKNAME/S: kekko, ciccio, franci, franco, mir. DATE OF BIRTH: february 28th, 2000. GENDER & PRONOUNS: cis male & he/his. ORIENTATION: hetero. RELIGION: non-practising christian. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: in a relationship with lillian atkinson. OCCUPATION: racing driver, currently racing for prema powerteam in fia’s f3 championship. RESIDENCE: in between modena, italy and flatiron district, new york city.

002. CHECK FRANCESCO’S BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: verona, italy. NATIONALITY: italian. ETHNIC BACKGROUND: italian. LINGUISTICS: italian which is his native language and english, french, portuguese and spanish in a fluent level. EDUCATION: he has graduated from high-school and completed the first year of double major in chemical and mechanical engineering while taking on pre-law classes at columbia university. CRIMINAL RECORD: clean. BIRTH ORDER: fifth. FATHER: alessandro mancini, born on august 10th, 1965 in firenze, italy, currently residing in milan, italy. he’s a former professional racing driver who competed in formula 1 who now owns a management company alongside his wife.  MOTHER: gisella sofia micucci, born on march 22nd, 1967 in milan, italy where she still resides. she’s a former mechanical engineer for ferrari who now owns a management company alongside her husband. SISTER/S: miuccia sofia mancini, born on july 12th, 1995 in modena, italy, currently residing in montecarlo, monaco and working as a test driver for formula-e after having won the british gt4 championship. bianca giulia mancini, born on january 3rd, 2009 in milan, italy where she still resides and studies, while competing in the super one series. franca maria mancini, born on october 4th, 2012 in milan, italy where she still resides and studies, while doing karting. BROTHER/S: alessi andrea mancini, born on september 30th, 1992 in modena, italy, currently residing in mooresville, north carolina and working as a professional racing driver for nascar. gian luca mancini, born on december 18th, 1993 in modena, italy, currently residing in mooresville, north carolina and working as a professional racing driver for nascar. leone alessandro mancini, born on may 14th, 1999 in verona, italy, currently residing in lugano, switzerland and working as a professional motorcycle rider who competes in moto2 championship. SIGNIFICANT OTHER: lillian atkinson. CHILDREN: none so far. OTHER RELEVANT FAMILY: andrea luca mancini, uncle.  EX/ES: giulianna ricci. PETS: kyio, a chihuahua and mochi, a merle french bulldog.

003. GET UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

HEIGHT: 6′0″ or 183 cm. WEIGHT: between 165 lbs or 75 kg and 168 lbs or 76 kg. BODY BUILD: if such thing was an acceptable description, most would say francesco is an exercise-junkie. he loves working out and trying out all kinds of exercise and different sports which, of course, gives place to pretty solid results. he’s naturally slender and thanks to his healthy routines, he has a rather athletic physique. his overall body is toned, particularly his legs and neck, and you can tell he spends a few good hours in the gym by the muscular arms and the six-pack. EYE COLOR: hazel-brown. EYESIGHT: his eyesight is perfect, he doesn’t need glasses or contacts. HAIR COLOR & STYLE: francesco doesn’t bother much with his hair. he has what could be considered a fade cut, shorter on the sides, longer on the top which isn’t a particularly high-maintenance hairstyle.  DOMINANT HAND: right. NOTABLE PHYSICAL TRAITS: his chiseled features are perhaps the most notable of his physical traits and the one people pick up on the quickest. alongside, his overall body build that does stand out. other than that, there’s nothing too particular. SCARS AND MARKS: there’s nothing particularly major or outstanding. he has scars and little marks as everyone which are courtesy of every day life. TATTOOS: none so far. PIERCINGS: none so far. VOICECLAIM: tony arbolino. ACCENT & INTENSITY: francesco has been living in the states for, at least, four to five years now but the italian essence has never for once left his being. even though he’s fluent in english and will get around the language with ease, you can tell he’s italian. the northern italy accent peeks through every word, shines through even in the way he enunciates himself and when he switches to his mother language, the intensity just grows within seconds. ALLERGIES: tree pollen, cow’s milk and mould. PHOBIAS & FEARS: not evolving, being stuck in the same place without the opportunity to grow and do more. MENTAL & PHYSICAL ILLNESSES: none so far. ALCOHOL USE: socially. SMOKING: no. NARCOTICS USE: he smokes weed when faced with situations of high stress, but otherwise he stays away from other drugs. INDULGENT FOOD: sometimes, he likes to have a clean diet but he won’t say no to some comfort, soul food from time to time. SPLURGE SPENDING: it’s rare. francesco is very conscious of how he spends his money, actually. GAMBLING: no, never.

004. DIG DEEPER

CAN THEY DRIVE? yes, he can drive. CAN THEY COOK & BAKE? yes and badly. CAN THEY CHANGE A FLAT TIRE? yes. CAN THEY TIE A TIE? yes. CAN THEY SWIM? yes. CAN THEY RIDE A BICYCLE? yes. CAN THEY JUMP START A CAR? yes. CAN THEY BRAID HAIR? no. CAN THEY PICK A LOCK? yes. EXTROVERTED OR INTROVERTED? extroverted. DISORGANIZED OR ORGANIZED? organized. CLOSE OR OPEN MINDED? open minded. CALM OR ANXIOUS? a healthy in-between. PATIENT OR IMPATIENT? impatient. OUTSPOKEN OR RESERVED? outspoken. LEADER OR FOLLOWER? leader. OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMISTIC? leaning more on the pessimistic side. TRADITIONAL OR MODERN? modern. HARD-WORKING OR LAZY? hard-working. CULTURED OR UNCULTURED? cultured. LOYAL OR DISLOYAL? loyal. FAITHFUL OR UNFAITHFUL? faithful. NIGHT OWL OR EARLY BIRD? night owl. HEAVY OR LIGHT SLEEPER? heavy sleeper. COFFEE OR TEA? coffee. DAY OR NIGHT? night. TAKING BATHS OR SHOWERS? showers. COCA COLA OR PEPSI? coca-cola. CATS OR DOGS? dogs. NETFLIX OR CINEMA? cinema. SHOWS OR MOVIES? movies. LAPTOP OR GAMING CONSOLE? gaming console. HEALTHY OR JUNK FOOD? healthy food. ICE CREAM OR FROZEN YOGURT? ice cream. PIZZA OR HAMBURGER? pizza. LOLLIPOPS OR GUMMY WORMS? gummy worms. BEACH OR POOL? beach. SNOWBALLS FIGHTING OR ICESKATING? iceskating. LITERATURE OR SCIENCE? science. HISTORY OR ART? art. CHOCOLATE BARS OR COTTON CANDY? neither. XBOX OR PLAYSTATION? playstation. FACE-TO-FACE OR PHONE INTERACTIONS? face-to-face interactions. DRAMA OR SCI-FI? both. HORROR OR COMEDY? both.

005. FRANCESCO’S FAVORITES

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: training. FAVORITE ANIMAL: lion. FAVORITE BOOK: outliers - the story of success by malcolm gladwell. FAVORITE COLOR/S: red. FAVORITE CUISINE: italian, though he enjoys trying different things. FAVORITE DISH/ES: gnocchi, ravioli, risotto alla milanese, bruschetta and a long list of mostly italian food. FAVORITE DRINK/S: mocaccino and plain, iced water. FAVORITE FLOWER/S: white lily. FAVORITE GEM: ruby. FAVORITE MOVIE: three billboards outside ebbing, missouri by martin mcdonagh.  FAVORITE SONG: just like you by emotional oranges. FAVORITE SCENT/S: ginger, melted chocolate, the scent of fresh bread, passionfruit. FAVORITE SHOW/S: he’s not really one to sit and watch tv shows, he mostly has no patience to wait weeks or months on end for episodes and new seasons but three shows that caught his attention and he’s been keeping up with: watchmen, black mirror and the handmaid’s tale. FAVORITE SPORT/S & TEAM THEY SUPPORT: formula1, motogp, soccer, he supports inter milano, and basketball. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR: winter. VACATION DESTINATION: somewhere in indonesia, maybe bali.

[heymondoitaliano]

Weekend at Cassy G’s

Our Friday was a resting day. Taking it easy, bit of housework, bit of washing, that sort of day. Pip did make some pasta with her bare hands - a ravioli cut with the pasta stamper/cutter thing she bought at Eataly in Rome and filled with the leftover knife-ninja chicken and vegetables from the night before.

We were readying ourselves for a weekend away. First to Castellana Grotte for the Fanove, and then, on the spur of the moment and to make the weekend fuller, a night at an agriturismo (called Agriturismo Lama San Giorgio) near Rutigliano. Both these places are in the north of Puglia, up around Bari height, so making it a weekend was far more sensible than trying to drive home after the festival and after the mulled wine in particular. Pip had booked a BnB in Castellana G (this is the gangster name for the town on most of the signposts) and we had arranged a check-in around 3pm. This presented us with a chance to visit some more new places along the way and we set out in the north-west direction again, this time making it to the famous town of Campi Salentina for coffee. Now, given that this town has posters of Obama every few meters along the entrance road, one could be forgiven for thinking the town had been visited by 44, but a little research reveals that these posters are to celebrate one of the town’s favourite sons, a pastry chef, who created a chocolate version of the region’s famous dessert, the pasticiotto, cunningly called the Obama a Pasticiotto. Not sure this is particularly PC, but the town put young Angelo on the plane to America to see if he could meet the man and present him with the chocolate treat. I don’t know if he ever did, but the pastry lives on in Campi Salentina folklore. We had a coffee and a traditional pasticiotto in a plain bar called Tony’s.

From Obama-rama-ding-dong, we motored on to Manduria to stretch our legs and relieve our bladders. The backstreets hid some lovely gems, including an unmarked antique shop, run by a lovely man, who quickly turned on the lights and ushered us in to his tiny shop after Pip pressed her nose up against the glass to see what was in there. He had a small, but carefully curated collection of artworks, bronzes and porcelain that were well out of our price range and carrying ability and were there for a good 20 minutes with explaining each item’s origin and history and price (just for us and just inn Italian). He was passionate and after some discussion and talk of fires at home, we managed to convince him that his lovely things were too dear for us.

We had plenty of time till check-in, so we decided to head to Martina Franca and find some lunch. We parked near one of the gates and walked into the old city, which was largely abandoned at 2pm, until we found a place on the main drag, Corso Vittorio Emmanuel. Instead of the sandwich we imagined, it was butter and sage sauced ravioli sprinkled with crushed pistachios for Pip and lasagne with tiny meatballs in it for me. There may have been some wine as well. Time to get back on the road and head on up to Castellana G. The slight hitch here was that the maze-like streets had fooled us into exiting the old town by a way other than that by which we had entered it. It only took about 20 minutes of walking to admit that we had lost the car. It was not such a great problem, given that the walls of the old city go around in a circle, so if we walked one way, keeping the walls on our left, we would eventually find the car. This was, surprisingly, the first car loss in all our visits to Italy and it took a good 40 minutes of hiking to find the dog grooming salon outside which we had parked. There was now no time to lose to reach our BnB and check-in.

There are some moments on international holidays where the stress of the unknown and the idiocy of local laws collide in a marriage-testing explosion. Trying to find a. our BnB, and b. a park in a town where half the central streets are closed for a festival and the traffic is bumper to bumper at every turn is one such time. We found a park, but quickly realised that it was in a ‘No Parking’ zone and had to abandon that idea. Three or four tense circumnavigations of the town, including one through the local burghers setting up the stalls for the festival and we finally found an empty piece of kerbside an unknown distance from the BnB. We parked and got our bags, coats and hats on and were just about to head off to find our target, when a Segnora poked her head out of the house we were parked two feet in front of and asked us to move. Fortunately, she only wanted us to move back a meter, I assume so that she couldn’t see our car out of her front door. She smiled so I moved back and the search for the BnB could commence. It wasn’t that Googley hard. It was about a half K away near where we had first parked. It was in a old building, newly renovated with a spiral staircase up to the sleeping quarters on the mezzanine. Noice, unusual, modern, but with a sticky, squeaky, scrapey bathroom door. We rested up a bit and prepared to do the festival.

Fanove we had seen before, when we were staying nearby in Triggianello, three years ago. We were taken with it as a festival and keen to come back and see it better and, as alcohol is involved, not be burdened with a drive home afterwards. Fanove celebrates the end of a plague in the Middle Ages, following which all the furniture and combustibles were taken into the streets and burned. There are dozens of bonfires around the streets (causing many of them to be closed) and some particularly large ones in front of one particular church which is in the centre of the action. The action is a festival of food stalls, around the piazzas and streets near the big bonfires. There is also a brass band which precedes the religious processions that moves through the town for hours lighting the fires. We started a little early, in a bar in a piazza with several wines and Spritz Aperols. As the festival started to heat up, we made our way down to the big fires, through some tiny streets with stalls getting underway and found our way to a shop just on the edge of the action selling buns with meat and sugo. We then needed to break a large note (they hate 50 euro notes almost everywhere) so we popped into a handy bar for a couple of G+Ts.

Amongst the food stalls, which were mostly barbecuing things or selling dried fruit and fava beans, was one of a number of stalls that was melting caciocavallo cheese hanging by a chain over their barbie onto slabs of toasted bread and serving it with a roasted sausage. Bliss! The cook let the cheese melt, then scraped it of the melty bottom of the cheese and wiped it thickly onto the bread before plonking a sausage onto it and wrapping the bread around it. An audible sigh and an eye roll followed each mouthful.

This was a big night in Castellana G - hundreds of people crowding around the fires and the food stalls, the brass band playing and marching through the crowd, the tiny streets crammed with families and running teenagers. It was the vin brûlée that did me in, and the lemon crepe - I don’t want to forget the lemon crepe. We rambled back up through the town to the Main Street, where our apartment for the night overlooked the action and it didn’t take long to fall into bed.

[chrysaliseuro2019]

TRUELY CUTE

After 1 day that quickly turned into 2, then 3 and finally four, it was time to leave Monopoli. It is a gorgeous old town full of winding narrow alleyways, a small cove of a sandy beach well patronised, some excellent restaurants, a little fishing harbour, many magnificent baroque churches, grand buildings and happily some locals.

Like all beautiful towns/cities it attracts the masses (us included of course). Here is the age-old dilemma. As tourists we all want to experience the authenticity of such a place and in doing so slowly erode that authenticity. The ‘invasion’ of this town by tourists is in its infancy but we heard a number of times that due to the recent popularity of Puglia, Monopoli has changed significantly in the last 5 years. Of course new hotels can’t be built in the old town so opportunities abound for people to convert old buildings into apartments thereby flooding the town with tourists in summer. Apparently in winter it’s quiet and deserted. Of course with the influx brings many opportunities for tradies converting and renovating buildings, establishment and growth of businesses etc. But we as tourists continue to spoil what we love. So I guess the message is get here fast before Monopoli becomes another Dubrovnik because it’s only a matter of time.

Anyway we absolutely loved our experience there and will take away happy memories from it.

Had received a couple of recommendations of places to visit but a quick breakfast before heading out of town. The breakfast arrangement with our apartment was to hand over a token to the downstairs cafe in exchange for a modest but adequate breakfast. Coinciding with the serving of our croissants, tea and juice was the arrival of the sewer cart. Not sure if this was a regular clearing visitation to the house 10 metres away or a one off blockage. It smelt like there’d been no clearance since it was occupied by the Byzantines. Luckily we could retreat into the cafe where the sympathetic owner whacked on the fan and air conditioner, he himself peeved as no customers in their right mind would come within 100 metres of his restaurant with that stench pervading the air.

Wheeled our luggage 300 metres and I minded it while Chris fetched the car. Followed our well rehearsed packing system and headed to Alberobello about 30 kilometres south west of Monopoli. This region of Puglia is famous for its truilli and Alberobello is truilli central. Truilli are drystone conically roofed houses. The oldest surviving ones date back to 16th century. Various stories claim they were built for storage or as temporary accommodation that could be quickly dismantled when property tax collectors came to town. If only we’d known this prior to renovation Fergie Street. We could have replaced our cottage with a truilli and dismantled it at valuation time significantly reducing Yarra Council’s hefty capital improvement rates. Splendid plan.

Once you get to the region the truilli pop up in singles, pairs or clusters that look like a family community. They are squat round buildings with stone conical roofs with a cup shape top filled with a little ball. I couldn’t decide if they looked like pert breasts or tagines scattered through the fields. They also looked a bit like a man made version of Cappadocia.

Alberobello has the historic centre full of them so we parked up and braved the heat to explore. On the right was a little village of them all pretty and clustered together, maybe a 100. They were all beautifully painted white or left stone with the little ‘areola and nipple’ on the top painted white. We wandered through the heat for a while admiring their hobbit home like quality. Crossed over to the other side of the Main Street which was a far more touristy affair. Lots of little shops selling tea towels, fridge magnets and you know the rest. Probably another 200 more over this side too and happily all in excellent condition. One was furnished and open for inspection so we went in. Straight into the small windowless main room that housed a double bed, fireplace, tv and small table. Off that room was another pokey windowless single bedroom. And that was it. Not sure where ablutions were undertaken but no sewerage cart required there.

Now about 36 degrees with the heat bouncing off the white flagstones and very little shade. Back to the car with lunch on our mind. Next recommendation was Martina Franca a hillside town once again only 30 minutes away. On arrival we had had the usual confusion about parking metres but finally worked out parking between 2pm until 5pm was free. Guess demand is reduced because Italy still enjoys its siesta.

Short walk to the main historical centre and went into the massive church while it was open. A bit of a cold impersonal interior so a quick whip around was all that was required. Meanwhile a lot of activity with lights for Fiestas being put up through town. This was also happening in Monopoli so we assume August is not only crazy with tourists but also with fiestas. After last night’s delicious pizza we went in search of another. Unfortunately not in the same league but it did the job.

While it was a grand town we didn’t feel particularly drawn to it so back in the car again to our third recommendation Ostuni. Chris has got this left hand driving down pat and the little Fiat Punto gets is there, not in a hurry, but eventually. The drive was an easy one (says she with all the bravado from the passenger’s seat) with flat A or B roads carrying little traffic. Truilli sightings continued for most of the 24 kilometre drive along with olive groves, peach/nectarine and apple orchards, little vineyards for nonno’s grappa and fields of tomatoes and melons. Occasionally there were some cattle gathered under trees for some respite from the 36 degree sun.

While on the move I checked out some accommodation in Ostuni and one looked a winner. Only reservation was it appeared not to have a window and we both love fresh air through an open window when we sleep. So we programmed it into Narelle thinking we would check it out on arrival. Missed it on our first lap of Ostuni but second time around got lucky. Parked right out the front but it looked to be an Air BnB with the front door shut. But our timing was good as some other guests were arriving as we got there so the ‘receptionist’ showed us the room. We were in luck. Not only was it on the ground floor but it was huge and beautiful, reasonable and with an opening window. The remainder of the house was available for guests too which included two connected sitting rooms leading out to a balcony and below that a lush garden with sun beds. It was 100% perfect. No hesitation in taking this one. Not often do you land one so tasteful, in such a great position (10 minutes amble to the old town) and so reasonable. Even got lucky with the parking with a free park 10 metres along the road. Sometimes it can be a little wearing such as the frustrating hunt in Fazana while other times they land in your lap.

A bit of down time, Chris watching the Roos beat the Hawks while I had the peaceful garden all to myself for blogging.

Receptionist recommended a restaurant in town and booked it for us. The restaurant setting was lovely under a vine covered terrace allowing a cool breeze to temper the high 20 degree temperature. The dishes we ordered we great, both spaghetti one with vongole and the other with mussels. But the service bazaar. There were 6 staff and about the same number of tables but to get their attention to do anything was hard work. They had no tonic so I though I would go the shandy option. Nup. No Sprite. So tried a sip of their rosé by the glass but you could have run a Vespa on it. Waitress wanted us to order on the pretence people were coming into the restaurant and they would be busy so she got a bit pushy. As it happened by the time we left there were only 6 tables full with about 15 empty ones so we couldn’t figure out the rush. Then ordering was a bit tricky. Because we had only finished our lunch pizza at 4pm we were only after the Primi course but there weren’t any listed in the menu just the price range and not a Specials Board in sight. Managed to extract the choices from the waitress who seemed disheartened that was all we were ordering. I guess it comes as a surprise as Italians can really graze. They think nothing of antipasti followed by Primi course and then Secondi. Still we enjoyed the food, ambience and just have to put the rest down to cultural differences.

Pottered about town and found a bar with locals only. Enjoyed a duet of a female singer and the bloke playing sax. They were many notches above the Fantasy Duo of Vrsar. Finished the night off by checking out the Cathedral up the top of the hill and a jumper purchase for Chris. Enjoyed and exchange with the boutique owners who said they’d noticed a lot more Australians in Puglia in the last few years. We told them to expect a lot more as Puglia features highly in Australian travel magazines and travel supplements.

Ostuni was in party mode when we headed for home at midnight. The handsome town square was buzzing with people enjoying sitting out, the old town streets were busy with night time strollers and the grand buildings created a majestic backdrop to all the tourists at play.

[djs-party-edm-italia]

A tu per tu con FONTI: "Fare il dj è un lavoro vero, non un divertimento. Ci vogliono umiltà, costanza... e tanto tempo!"

Abbiamo fatto quattro chiacchiere con FONTI, dj producer originario delle isole Eolie che sta facendo ballare mezzo mondo, non solo l'Italia. Infatti è reduce da una dj set l'One Third di Pechino... La sua estate musicale è andata a gonfie vele e dopo alcuni dj set a Milano durante la Fashion Week, il 29 settembre fa ballare il People Meet Center di Caserta.

Cosa bolle in pentola nel tuo mondo? Dopo "Bahia", sto lavorando ad alcune nuove produzioni che usciranno a breve.  Recentemente sono stato in tour in Cina con Ludovica, la mia ragazza e manager. Stiamo organizzando insieme una One Night con il mio format "Vulkanik" in una delle principali città italiane. Work in progress!

Che sound ti sembra stia funzionando in discoteca e nei festival in questo periodo? C'è molta confusione. A livello internazionale, ho potuto vedere personalmente che ogni paese ha il suo stile. A me piace mixare l'Electro House con la Pop (Drake, Post Malone etc).

Che stavi facendo un attimo prima di rispondere alle nostre domande? Cosa farai subito dopo?

Stavo ascoltando delle nuove uscite musicali per il mio dj set del 29 Settembre al People Meet Center di Caserta. E dopo torno in studio al lavoro!

Che consigli daresti ad un giovane dj? Consiglierei di non vedere questo lavoro solo come un divertimento perché fare il DJ è un lavoro come tutti gli altri, un mestiere vero... dunque se si vuole crescere e fare carriera bisogna dedicargli molto tempo. Inoltre direi di non scoraggiarsi alla prima porta che si chiude e di affrontare tutto con molta umiltà.

C'è davvero crisi nel clubbing? Un po' di crisi c'è, certo, ma come mai solo ora un dj come Calvin Harris è una superstar? Non c'è crisi, c'è chi lavora bene e ottiene dei risultati, c'è chi lavora male e fallisce.

Quali sono secondo te i festival, i club, le label ed i locali più importanti, in Italia e nel mondo?   Ci sono tantissimi club e festival importanti nel mondo, io ad esempio ho avuto l'opportunità di suonare al Nikki Beach di Miami e al One Third di Pechino. In Italia credo siano un riferimento tra i club il Number One (Corte Franca - Brescia) e come festival il Nameless di Lecco.

Se tu potessi andare in vacanza in questo periodo, dove andresti e perché? Ad Ibiza per i Closing Party :)

FONTI https://www.facebook.com/fontiofficial/ https://www.instagram.com/fontiofficial/ egomusic.lnk.to/Fonti_Bahia

Giuseppe Fonti, al mixer FONTI, nasce a Lipari (Isole Eolie), nel 1991. In console mescola house, electro e pop ed è attivo in tutta Italia e non solo. Ad esempio, già nel 2016 ha aperto un concerto dei Negramaro, mentre nell'estate 2018 ha fatto scatenare uno degli hot spot del quadrilatero milanese, il Bar Martini / Dolce & Gabbana. All'estero si è esibito al Nikki Beach di Miami ed al Club Villa Thalia a Rotterdam nel settembre 18 pure all'One Third, uno dei principali club di Pechino. Il suo recente singolo "Bahia", pubblicato da una label importante come Ego, è piaciuto a dj internazionali come SDJM, ed è stato inserito in molte delle più importanti playlist dance di Spotify, la bibbia della musica. Durante l'estate 2018 FONTI ha poi regalato il suo sound ai party più scatenati delle sue Eolie, tra Coral Beach e Turmalin a Lipari. Sempre a Lipari ogni giovedì alla Latteria 581 è andato in scena FONTI & Friends. Il mercoledì invece ha fatto ballare il suo party Vulkanik, al Baia Negra, a Vulcano.

[concerthopperblog]

The OuterNational Tour: Thievery Corporation w/ Dessa

Thievery Corporation, with special guests Dessa, embarked on a much needed North American tour to feed the souls of Concerthoppers all across the east coast. You must know that Concerthopper was going to be present for their triumphant return to Atlanta. This time Thievery Corporation performed in a new Atlanta venue called The Eastern and, coincidentally, this would be my first time attending a show at this location as well.

Dessa Wander, better known by her stage name Dessa, is a prolific lyricist, singer, accomplished writer, and a former record executive. You may also recognize her name from the indie hip hop collective, Doomtree. I managed to catch Doomtree some years ago and I knew that Dessa would bring the heat for her opening set. Trust me when I say she did not disappoint the crowd that was in attendance. As I walked around the venue, more people were dancing and enjoying themselves than standing around while Dessa performed. Check out her setlist below!

Want to hear some of Dessa? No worries. Follow this direct link to Dessa’s Official Bandcamp page and hear for yourself!

Setlist – The Eastern (10/02/2021)

·         Fighting Fish

·         Terry Gross

·         Warsaw

·         Rome

·         Call Off Your Ghost

·         Life on Land

·         Skeleton Key

·         Good Grief

·         Jumprope

·         I Already Like You

·         Dixon’s

·         FD

·         5 out of 6

Thievery Corporation is the brainchild of both Rob Garza and Rob Hilton, but I would be remised if I did not include the life blood of this band which is the musicians and the many singers that perform during each tour stop. Starting with Jeff Franca (drums), Rob Myers (sitar/guitar), Frank Orrall (percussion/drums/vocals), and Ashish (Hash) Vyas (bass). Then we have the talented Natalia Clavier, Racquel Jones, Mr. Lif, and Puma rounding out all the vocals while on The Outernational tour. One thing about a Thievery Corporation show that I have always admired and respected is that the setlist is always stack full of chunky, dance hits and incredible, instrumental tracks from their extensive discography.

Setlist – The Eastern 10/02/2021

·         Assault

·         Omid (Hope)

·         Pela Janela

·         Originality

·         Amerimacka

·         Culture of Fear

·         Lebanese Blonde

·         Illumination

·         Roadblock

·         Encounter in Bahia

·         Sweet Tides

·         Richest Man

·         The Outernationalist

·         Air Batucada

·         History

·         Letter to the Editor (Remix)

·         Voyage Libre

·         Heart is the Hunter

·         Until the Morning (Remix)

·         (The Forgotten People)

·         Fight to Survive

·         Warning Shots

 During the latter part of the night, Mr. Lif had the best quote of the night: “Thievery Corporation is the Wu-Tang of World Music.” You know what, he is not lying. Don’t believe me? Then you still have a few more dates to catch this tour while they are on the road in 2021.

Oct. 6 - The National - Richmond, Va.

Oct. 7 - Neighborhood Theatre - Charlotte, N.C.

Oct. 8 - The Ritz - Raleigh, N.C.

Oct. 9 - Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre - Wilmington, N.C.

Oct. 10 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, N.C.

Oct. 12 - Jannus Live - St. Petersburg, FL.

Oct. 14 - Vinyl Music Hall - Pensacola, FL.

Oct. 15 - Backyard Stage - St. Augustine, FL.

Oct. 16 - The Fillmore Miami Beach - Miami Beach, FL.

Want to read some more about Thievery Corporation? Then follow this link to my 2019 article: Babylon Falling Tour: Thievery Corporation Returns to the Tabernacle. Want to hear some music from Thievery Corporation? Don’t worry, I have that covered as well. Follow this link to the Official Thievery Corporation music page and listen for yourself!

Curious about Concerthopper? You can find more music related articles, interviews, various photo galleries, indie music reviews, our very own ‘Bars & Bites’ section, our exclusive “She Said, She Said” column, or become a Concerthopper at www.concerthopper.com. Sign up for our monthly newsletter by following this link: The Setlist! Please ‘Like’ our page on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date in 2021 on all music related events/festivals such as: Welcome to Rockville, Cherub: Live at The Eastern, Ministry: The Industrial Strength Tour (Atlanta), Black Label Society: Live at Georgia Theatre, Boombox: Live at Terminal West, Quicksand: Live at The Masquerade, Knotfest Roadshow (Alpharetta), Silverstein: 20th Anniversary Tour (House of Blues – Cleveland), Dinosaur Jr.: Live at The Masquerade, & Khruangbin: Live at The Eastern by following us on all social media formats: Concerthopper on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Also, you can follow my personal concert hopping on Facebook and Instagram for even more photos not available on Concerthopper.com.

[mariaclaragomez276]

The Trailblazers of Boutique: SLH Award Winners 2020

Individual, intimate, and inspirational in every way, this year’s SLH Award Winners embody the very best of our independently minded portfolio of boutique hotels around the world, from a carbon neutral eco-duo in Lake Garda and The Dolomites to a meticulously restored one-thousand-year-old castle with interiors handpicked by an Italian Count. In a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, these hotels are still making the everyday extraordinary, and taking the many challenges they have faced this year in their stride.

“By recognising these exceptional hotels we celebrate not only our heritage as the pioneer of boutique but also embrace the future as custodians of our planet. As the winner of Hotel of the Year and our Stay Small, Stay Considerate Award, Lefay Resorts is a shining example to all of how luxury and sustainability can complement each other. However, sustainability is now also about supporting our hospitality industry, and the communities that they in turn support. All these remarkable hotels are open, or opening imminently, and ready to welcome back guests to demonstrate just why independent hotels are so very special.” Richard Hyde, Chief Operating Officer

In contrast to previous years, this year several of the awards were voted for by a panel of experts from the worlds of luxury, travel, wellbeing and cuisine – Simon Leadsford (Publisher, Condé Nast Traveller), Katy Simpson (CEO, Noble Isle), Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn, Carol Duval-Leroy (Owner, Champagne Duval-Leroy), Gary Allen (Managing Director, Luxury Travel Media) and Gisele Orellano (Co-Founder, Hermana Creatives).

Hotel of the Year – Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda, Italy

Taking inspiration from the tiered lemon houses of Lake Garda, Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda has been awarded our Hotel of the Year award for its strong eco-friendly philosophy and outstanding wellness area combining classical Chinese medicine with Western scientific research. Offering highly customized treatments designed to cure stress and insomnia, Lefay SPA extends over 3,800 square metres boasting six saunas of varying temperatures, an ice pool and a large salt lake. The hotel also produces electricity, heating and cooling through clean, renewable sources such as biomass, cogeneration and solar panels, generating a reduction in CO2 emissions of 1.130t per year.

INVITED Hotel of the Year – The Tokyo Station Hotel, Japan

Located inside The Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building, INVITED guests praised The Tokyo Station Hotel for preserving its deep-rooted heritage, from QR codes attached to framed old photographs and notepads made of Japanese manuscript paper to staff wearing pillbox hats and train timetables hanging in the corridors. The property’s sumptuous Japanese and European style buffet breakfast should be high on any traveller’s bucket list, displaying around 110 items including rolled omelettes, sashimi, tempura and mini wagyu burgers.

Highly Commended – Dormy House Hotel (UK); Velassaru Maldives (Maldives); Hotel Relais Christine (France)

City Centre Hotel of the Year – The Norman Tel Aviv, Israel

Located in a UNESCO-designated site with the world’s highest concentration of Bauhaus-style buildings, it was only a matter of time until The Norman Tel Aviv was named our City Centre Hotel of the Year. From a rooftop infinity pool offering unbeatable views of Tel Aviv, a restaurant serving the best Japanese food in the country to resident DJs and a private art collection including its own in- house curator, it is no surprise that The Norman is regarded as one of Israel’s best boutique hotels. The expert concierge can arrange bespoke experiences for guests including the chance for them to craft their own signature scents with a perfumer or giving them access to usually off-limits artists’ studios.

Highly Commended – Hotel Lungarno (Italy); Refinery Hotel New York (USA); DUKES London (UK)

Country House Hotel of the Year – Château La Chenèviere, France

Set along Normandy’s lush, north-west coast, Château la Chenevière ticks all the boxes of a grand yet welcoming country house hotel including marble fireplaces and velvet-backed beds as well as beautiful rose gardens with beehives, an outdoor pool and a tennis court – not to mention the fact that it’s dog-friendly. Both dining rooms serve delicious dishes prepared from fresh ingredients supplied by the on-site vegetable garden, where sustainable and natural permaculture techniques are in practice. The hotel’s speakeasy-style Zanzibar bar is not to be missed featuring a collection of the owner’s travel souvenirs and Calvados-themed cocktails such as the signature ‘Chenevière cocktail’ – a combination of pommeau (apple port), peach cream and champagne.

Highly Commended – Schlosshotel Kronberg (Germany); Stein Eriksen Residences (USA); Hotel Rangá (Iceland)

Resort Hotel of the Year – Hotel Villa Franca, Italy

Perched high on the hill overlooking the town of Positano, Hotel Villa Franca has been awarded Resort Hotel of the Year for its top-notch facilities and wide range of experiences including an L-shaped swimming pool with stellar views of the Amalfi Coast,  lemon-infused spa treatments to detoxify the body and a fine dining restaurant rooted in Campanian culinary traditions. The resort can arrange a special Amalfi lemon tour for guests, where they get the chance to taste the citrus fruits hanging from pergolas and sample them in homemade cakes, drinks and of course, limoncello.

Highly Commended – Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay (Spain); Canaves Oia Suites (Greece); Keemala (Thailand)

Mystery Inspectors’ Excellence Award – Hemingways Nairobi, Kenya

Set between Nairobi National Park and the foot of the Ngong Hills, Hemingways Nairobi offers personalised service with the kindness inherent to East African culture. A bespoke butler service ensures guests are catered to their every whim, from tailor-made afternoon tea and arranging outings to The Giraffe Centre or the Karen Blixen Museum, to adjusting their customised pillows, setting out their nightcap and packing their suitcase for departure.

Highly Commended – Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal (France); Pimalai Resort & Spa (Thailand); Rockliffe Hall (UK)

Sustainable Innovator of the Year – Arima Hotel, Spain

Hidden among the trees in the Miramón Forest of San Sebastián, Arima Hotel’s building structure is named as a prototype of zero-energy buildings, marked by the European Union as a mandatory standard to mitigate the effects of climate change. Its savings in CO2 emissions compared with a standard construction are similar to the carbon that 15,000 trees would absorb annually. From clean energy systems, sulphate-free toiletries to a menu inspired by locally-grown ingredients at veggie-focused fine dining restaurant Misura, the hotel has set a new benchmark in terms of environmental and social responsibility, as evinced by its rigorously audited Passivhaus qualification. Overall, 77 per cent of Arima Hotel’s energy needs are fulfilled from aerothermal and geothermal power.

Highly Commended – Susafa (Italy); Petit St Vincent (St Vincent & The Grenadines); Domaine de Manville (France)

Stay Small, Stay Considerate Award – Lefay Resorts, Italy

Created around the philosophy that personal wellness should never overlook environmental wellness, Lefay Resorts is fully committed to operating in the most responsible way possible, whilst creating a haven of luxury and wellbeing. As the first Italian hospitality company to sign an agreement with the Italian Ministry of the Environment aimed at neutralising C02 emissions, both its hotels in Lake Garda and The Dolomites (which opened in August 2019) are 100% carbon neutral. The company offsets its direct CO2 emissions and those of travelling guests through the purchase of CERs credits in accordance with the Kyoto protocol. Established from the outset with landscape protection and energy efficiency at the fore, great efforts are also taken to ensure the guest experience is grounded in sustainably practices. All the products used in its spa are vegan, free from parabens, SLES (a detergent that causes skin irritation), colourings and preservatives. Lefay also handpicks its food suppliers ensuring they adhere to strict environmental standards with 66% of ingredients sourced directly from the local provinces. The company’s results and objectives are summarised in an annual Sustainability Report that is published on its website.

Highly Commended – Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa (Costa Rica); AKARYN Hotel Group (Thailand); Gaya Island Resort (Malaysia)

Most Inspirational Interior Design – Castello di Reschio, Italy

Nestled amongst rolling hills on Italy’s Umbria-Tuscany border, Castello di Reschio is a thousand-year old castle which has been meticulously restored and stylishly reimagined by architect Count Benedikt Bolza and his wife, Nencia Corsini. The hotel’s rooms and suites have been imbued with personality and panache, thanks to an organic approach to contemporary design coupled with subtle references to the fascinating characters who once lived here. Count Benedikt designed much of the furniture and lighting himself and sourced rare pieces from Italy’s below-the-radar antiques markets and art fairs.

Highly Commended – Le Coucou Méribel (France); Gangtey Lodge (Bhutan); Ksar Char-Bagh (Morocco)

Most Intimate Bedroom – Cap Rocat, Mallorca

Housed within a striking 19th-century military fortress, Cap Rocat’s three Sentinel suites are wonderfully secluded, carved out of the rocks that the fortress was built into, with private infinity pools featuring unobstructed views of Palma Bay. The three intimate rooms, which once served as watchtower spots, are each decorated with sumptuous king-sized beds, refined rugs, soft Mediterranean fabrics and a private terrace. Maps are given to guests upon check in so they can find their way along the hotel’s secret corridors and pathways, some still partly covered with plants.

Highly Commended – Thorngrove Manor (Australia); Carmo’s Boutique Hotel (Portugal); Le Grand Bellevue (Switzerland)

Most Mindful Wellness Retreat – Castle Hot Springs, Arizona

Disconnect from the busy world and reconnect with yourself and nature at Castle Hot Springs with the rustic Bradshaw Mountains as the backdrop. The resort’s remote location, tucked in a rugged canyon surrounded by Saguaro Cacti, makes it an oasis in every sense of the word. The star of the show are the three hot springs that well up from deep within the desert surface and offer pristine 115-degree waters filled with revitalising minerals. The waters are also piped through for guests to enjoy in their rooms and to feed the three-acre sustainable farm. Guests can further take in the landscape doing immersive activities like hot springs Paddleboard Yoga and Via Ferrata – a state of the art course and one of only a handful in North America. Castle Hot Springs spa services are provided in custom cabanas set along the spring water creek under towering palm trees, and offer fully customised treatments using hot stones from the springs.

Highly Commended – Quinta da Comporta (Portugal); Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti (Italy); Spa Village Tembok Bali (Indonesia)

Most Intense Bespoke Experience – The George, New Zealand

Drawing upon the traditional Maori cultural values of care and guardianship, The George offers an exclusive half-day Flight Path Conservation Experience accompanied by an Endangered Species Ranger. Guests are taken on a half day trip to Canterbury’s forest valleys to support the conservation efforts for the critically-endangered orange-fronted Kakariki, a native parrot whose numbers are estimated at fewer than 300. Once a year, by special arrangement, guests can even release one of these treasured birds into the forest. A portion of every flight from the Conservation Experience is donated to the recovery programme.

Highly Commended – Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay (Spain); Milaidhoo Maldives (Maldives); Pangkor Laut Resort (Malaysia)

Best Gourmet Experience – The Seminyak Beach Resort & Spa, Bali

Located in the heart of Seminyak in Bali, The Seminyak Beach Resort & Spa has launched Bali’s first ever Dine in the Dark event, inviting guests to discover food in a whole new way – without seeing it – in collaboration with Yayasan Dria Raba, a donation-only orphanage for visually-impaired children. Held in the resort’s darkened Klass & Brass private dining room, the six-course sensory dinner experience has been thoughtfully curated to focus on texture, aroma and flavour, while being served and guided by children from the orphanage. The aim is to help provide the children with employment opportunities and basic hospitality training while raising awareness for the vision-impaired people of Indonesia. The experience is available any day of the week with a minimum one day reservation and at least eight participants.

Highly Commended – The Atlantic Hotel (Channel Islands); Castle Hot Springs (USA); Halcyon House (Australia)

Local Food Champion – Chef Marc Collins at Wentworth Mansion, Charleston

Located in central Charleston, Wentworth Mansion’s restaurant Circa 1886, is regarded as one of the best in the region. Beyond working with local farmers and fishermen to curate the best local Southern dishes, their executive chef Marc Collins also holds the title of South Carolina Chef Ambassador. Chef Collins co-founded the Charleston Wine + Food Festival in 2006 with the objective to spotlight Charleston and the Lowcountry’s diverse culinary and hospitality community. In 2019, he launched a unique menu concept that takes guests from South Carolina’s humble beginnings to Charleston’s Southern-modern foodie scene. Culinary highlights include the Broken Arrow Axis Venison with sunchoke hash and sunflower seed butter and Piedmontese Oxtail with conch fritter and mustard greens.

Highly Commended – Chef Salvatore Minneci, Susafa (Italy); Chef Carvison Pratt, Sailrock Resort (Turks & Caicos); Chef Jim Hopkins, Stein Eriksen Residences (USA)

Hotel Hero Award – Michael Ferreira, Guest Experience Manager of Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa, St. Barths

Located in chic St. Barths, Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa’s personalised service is exemplified through Guest Experience Manager Michael Ferreira, who goes above and beyond to put a smile on every guest’s face. Michael’s proactive attitude has been demonstrated though arranging a leg massage for a guest who returned from the day’s exploration with a leg pain, and anticipating the needs of a cancer patient who was checking in with a unique welcome amenity of detox juices, sun cream and hat. Always looking out for his guests, Michael has accompanied a Portuguese guest to the hospital to help translate and make sure that the guest was well-taken care of. Michael showed true dedication when two guests fell in love at Le Barthélemy and spontaneously decided to get married – he organised the entire wedding event, from master of ceremony to musicians and floral arch, within 24 hours.

Highly Commended – Laksiri Perera, The Fortress Resort & Spa (Sri Lanka); Harold Shepherd, The Sandpiper (Barbados)

Travel Agents’ Hotel of the Year – Hôtel Relais Christine, France

Built atop a 13th-century Augustinian monastery in Paris’ Saint-Germain-des-Prés district, Hôtel Relais Christine was commended by travel agents for its refined calm, remarkable home-from-home ease and vintage glamour. From a secret garden with beehives producing honey for the hotel’s breakfast table to the basement Spa Guerlain with its medieval stone vaults and impressive display of Guerlain perfume bottles, everything about this hotel exudes intimacy and charm.

Highly Commended – Viceroy Bali (Indonesia); Hotel Vilòn (Italy); Casa Angelina (Italy)

Most ‘Liked’ Hotel of the Year – Halcyon House, Australia

Found on Instagram as @_halcyonhouse, it is without a doubt that Halcyon House‘s colourful and eclectic interiors and idyllic beachside setting make it so Instagrammable. The hotel is often lauded for its ‘Instagram-worthy interiors’ including its unique mix of ocean blue décor juxtaposed with bold clashing prints, vintage cameos and beachside paraphernalia. Everything about the hotel is photogenic from the blue and white wicker chairs in Halcyon’s Paper Daisy restaurant to the blue and white candy-striped loungers next to the pool area.

Highly Commended – Canaves Oia (Greece); Castello di Reschio (Italy); Cap Rocat (Spain)

Digital Excellence Award – Triumph Hotels, New York

Triumph Hotels underwent a revamp of all their digital platforms in 2019, including those of SLH member hotels The Frederick Hotel and The Iroquois New York. Reflecting the aesthetic and contemporary edge of the hotels, the newly designed websites employ an experiential approach that brings to life the destination and energy of New York City.

The post The Trailblazers of Boutique: SLH Award Winners 2020 appeared first on Small Luxury Hotels.

from Small Luxury Hotels https://ift.tt/33d1PBC Publish First on

[bigyack-com]

Leaving Lockdown, Entering Recession: Strike in Spain Shows Workers’ Fears

BARCELONA, Spain — This week’s reopening of Nissan’s main assembly plant in Spain was meant to be a moment of celebration for an industry that is a pillar of the Spanish economy.It proved very short-lived. The car factory was forced to close on Wednesday — just over two days after restarting — because of a strike called by labor unions to demand that the Japanese company commit to maintaining its presence in Spain.In a country that has been under lockdown since mid-March, the strike is the most visible labor conflict in Spain. Despite social-distancing rules, the authorities allowed up to 10 workers at a time to picket outside a Nissan plant on the outskirts of Barcelona.Labor unions in Europe have recently voiced concerns about the safety of employees who have been returning to work. But the strike at Nissan highlights what may be the next major concern of organized labor: protecting jobs in a post-pandemic economy.The coronavirus has brought about a recession that is expected to be the worst ever in the European Union, one that will most likely push companies to close down struggling factories.Automakers in particular are believed to have excess capacity, as demand for new cars has slipped in recent years. About a fifth of carmaking capacity worldwide is not being used.The Nissan strike “can be seen as an example of things to come,” said Anna Ginès, the director of the Institute for Labor Studies at Esade, a Spanish university.She said she expected more labor conflict, particularly as some companies sought to turn temporary furloughs and salary reductions into permanent cuts, “even before they are able to see exactly the coronavirus impact on their business.”Nissan has about 4,000 employees in Spain, about three-quarters of whom work in the Barcelona area, mostly in its Zona Franca assembly plant, which makes the NV200 van and pickups. Labor unions, which are trying to pressure the company to protect jobs, decided to strike at a smaller Nissan facility in Montcada, outside Barcelona, that supplies doors and hoods to the Zona Franca plant.Workers at the smaller shop went on strike on Monday, creating a bottleneck in Nissan’s supply chain that forced the Zona Franca assembly line to grind to a halt after its morning shift on Wednesday.By avoiding a broader walkout, the unions ensured that Nissan itself would stop production, rather than having most workers forfeit their wages by going on strike.Javier Hernández, the lead representative of the U.G.T., or General Workers’ Union, at the Zona Franca factory, said he had never seen a strike organized in that way, targeting a link in the supply chain rather than the main plant. He argued that it was an innovative way of adapting to a lockdown that has barred workers from holding mass street demonstrations.“I guess unique circumstances like this coronavirus require an unusual response,” he said.Automakers around the world, like other industries, have been crushed by the lockdowns, which have shuttered factories as well as auto dealerships. The Spanish Automobile and Truck Manufacturers’ Association, known as ANFAC, called on the government to provide immediate relief to the car industry, which accounts for 10 percent of Spain’s economy. Without such help, “the automotive sector in Spain is seriously endangered,” José Vicente de los Mozos, the president of the association, said in a statement.ANFAC said it was expecting vehicle sales to plunge this year to levels last seen after the 2008 financial crisis, which forced Spain to negotiate a European banking bailout.After that bailout, the automotive sector was a critical part of an export-led economic recovery in Spain. Car factories benefited from falling labor costs compared with Germany and other European production centers, which helped persuade Ford and some other carmakers to make fresh investments in Spain.However, Nissan was not among them. Instead, the Japanese company has steadily reduced its footprint in Spain as it sank into a management crisis, including the 2018 ouster of its chairman, Carlos Ghosn. Nissan’s annual production in Spain fell to about 50,000 vehicles, from 200,000 a decade earlier.Nissan would not comment on “rumors and speculations about the future of the plants.” The company, which posted a quarterly loss of 26 billion yen, or about $244 million, in February, is set to unveil a new global operational plan on May 28.Local lawmakers have recently pledged to fight for the autoworkers’ jobs. But Javier Adalid, a representative for the Comisiones Obreras union, argued that Spanish officials had limited influence over foreign carmakers.“We have a huge industry that is controlled by outsiders,” Mr. Adalid said. “Executives in Tokyo will be more responsive to the pleas coming from within Japan rather than from here.”Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen also have factories in Spain, some of which have performed strongly. Volkswagen recently reopened its main Spanish plant outside Barcelona, which makes vehicles under its subsidiary brand Seat, and last year lifted production there to the highest level in two decades.This is a fragile time for Spanish labor unions, which have gradually lost membership. Their collective bargaining position was also reduced in the aftermath of the financial crisis, under a 2012 law that gave companies more leeway to fire workers. Ms. Ginès, the professor of labor law, said her research showed that Spanish unions were now among the weakest in Europe.As he stood on the picket line, Mr. Adalid, the union official, said he was ready to fight for a Nissan job he had held for 20 years. He wore a T-shirt with the slogan “Never forget” and illustrations of a cassette tape, a VHS video cartridge and a floppy disk.The job uncertainties coming out of the lockdown “give me a sense of nostalgia,” he said. “We have certainly worked in better times.” Read the full article

[fromwinnipeg2everywhere]

Spain and Portugal Scorching Hot Summer Vacation

This vacation was originally scheduled for October but because of work conflict, we moved it to August. There are many reasons why we don’t like travelling in the summer: it’s expensive, it’s crowded, the good restaurants are closed, but the biggest reason is the heat. We don’t do guided tours so a lot of our vacation is spent just walking from one place to another, trying to get to as many places and see as many things as possible in one day, and when it is hot, we tend to hide out in our hotel in the middle of the day to escape the heat. However, on the positive side, we did get a lot more time to relax and take power naps during the day, which helps us re-energize and stay out later in the evening. We are now getting to the age where we need to take breaks to rest the joints and have naps lest we fall asleep by 9PM!

Barcelona

The first stop for this trip was Barcelona. From the Barcelona El Prat airport, we took the Metro to Estacio de Franca which is in front of our hotel, Hostal Orleans. From El Prat Airport terminal 1, there is a shuttle that takes you to terminal 2. From terminal 2, you can take Metro R2 North to Passeig de Gracia, then transfer to an R2 South train that would take you to Estacio de Franca. Google will tell you to transfer at Barcelona Sants, which is fine as well, but then you would have to change platforms. If you transfer at Passeig de Gracia, you just wait for the R2S train on the same platform where you get off the R2N train. We bought the T10 ticket which my husband and I shared. The T10 ticket costs €10 and it is good for ten trips and can be shared, whereas a single trip ticket costs over €2 so the T10 is a very economical option if you will use the metro more than a couple of times.

I had very high expectations for Barcelona because everyone who has ever visited has raved about it. I enjoyed it very much and it is a very beautiful city, but I did not fall in love with it as much as others have, and I think it was because of the reasons for not travelling in the summer that I mentioned above. Compared to the other two cities we visited on this trip, I would say Barcelona was probably the most popular among tourists. Everywhere you go, there’s hordes of people, and I would go out on a limb and say they are not locals. The day before leaving for Barcelona, we heard on the news that there are some locals protesting mass tourism. As much as I love to travel and visit the world’s popular cities, I do understand why the protests are happening. Can you imagine being driven out of your own city by tourists? Not being able to find affordable places to live because they have all been converted to Airbnb’s? Having your favourite diner be replaced by tourist traps selling horrible food? I hope these cities find a happy balance where locals can still find affordable housing within their city centre, preserve their culture and still hosts visitors. As a traveler, I would still like to visit a city and go to places where locals actually do eat and hang out, and not have to worry about whether an establishment is a tourist trap or not.

A week after we left Barcelona, tragedy struck as the city became a victim of a terrorist attack. Many people lost their lives on Las Ramblas on August 17, 2017. After hearing about the attack, I felt a mix of sadness for the people who lost loved ones, anger at the person who carried out the attack, relief that we were no longer there, and shame because of the relief I felt. But one thing I did not feel was fear. If you had asked me then if I would visit Barcelona again and walked down Las Ramblas again, my answer would be an unequivocal yes. I refuse to be cowed by hateful people and I will not allow fear to stop me from traveling.

While in Barcelona, we visited Park Guell, Casa Batllo and Sagrada Familia.  I was not familiar with Antoni Gaudi and his work prior to coming to Barcelona. I would have to say that I’m not a fan, but I can’t articulate why. I am not an expert so the best thing I can come up with is that it was just a little too “weird” for me. For example, the Sagrada Familia from afar looked amazing, but once I examined the details, there were a lot of questions that popped in my head like, why are the spires fruits? Why is there a Christmas tree? Why does it feel like I’m inside the Tardis instead of a church? Don’t get me wrong, if you are in Barcelona, Gaudi’s works are “must-sees” but feel free to form your own opinions of them.

Some of the other places we visited are Barceloneta Beach and Park de la Ciutadella. I enjoyed both places because it did not feel crowded (even though it was) and both places were good for just relaxing and people watching. The beach was within walking distance from our hotel, so we went there first thing in the morning before it got too crowded and too hot. I don’t (can’t) swim so I just stayed on the beach but the hubby says the water was perfect.  Park de la Ciutadella is perfect at sun down when people are taking leisurely strolls in the park or just winding down.  

One of the highlights of Barcelona was the Picasso Museum. I have seen a lot of Picasso’s work in museums but this is the first time I have ever seen his earlier paintings, pre-cubism. We were lucky enough to also see Guernica in Madrid on this trip as well, so we got a pretty comprehensive sampling of his work and masterpieces. We arrived at the museum shortly before it opened and the lineup wasn’t too bad. We bought our tickets online so we got to go straight in and enjoy the exhibit before the galleries filled up with other visitors.

The rest of the time in Barcelona we spent just exploring the neighbourhoods. Every single street in Barcelona is filled with street art and it made each street unique and interesting. The architecture of course is prototypically European, meaning it is amazing and beautiful and awe-inspiring. I loved the character of the cobblestone paths and I particularly enjoyed the balconies.  The buildings seem to be a combination of commercial spaces on the ground floor and residential on the upper floors. This combination means there’s always foot traffic which made the city felt alive and safe. There are restaurants and shops everywhere, but because of summer holidays, one of the restaurants we were looking most forward to visiting, Tickets Bar, was closed.  I did indulge in a lot of paellas in Barcelona, but not as much sangria as I hoped.

We spent a total of four nights in Barcelona and although we covered all the must-sees in the travel guides, there was this feeling that I didn’t see enough or that I didn’t see what I wanted. Don’t get me wrong, we had a lot of fun, but I was waiting to fall in love with the city, and I just didn’t get there. I will have to go back someday and try again.

Madrid

From Barcelona, it was a two-hour and 45-minute ride from Barcelona Sants to Madrid Atocha on a Renfe train. Train fares in Spain are among the most expensive I’ve seen so far in Europe, but I would still rather go on the train than on an airplane. The seats are comfortable; they are fast and on time. In Barcelona Sants, you must go through security where they x-ray your baggage before you can get into the long-distance platforms, so make sure you arrive a little earlier than you normally would on a European train station. From Madrid Atocha, we took the Metro to Praktik Metropol Hotel located just beside the Gran Via metro station. In Madrid, you must specify your destination train station when you buy a ticket and it determines the fare for you depending on the destination. I like this system better than having to try and figure out which zone I am in and which zone I am going (yeah, that’s right Munich, looking at you right now…)

We visited the three most popular museums in Madrid. The first one we visited was the Prado Museum. Having seen Picasso’s Las Meninas in Barcelona, I was very curious to see the original that inspired it. I’m not a fan of big museums or classical paintings so the Prado wasn’t quite up my alley, but the hubby enjoyed it immensely. Next on the itinerary was the Museo Reina Sofia. We were very lucky because it is Picasso’s Guernica’s 80th anniversary, and the museum was hosting a temporary exhibit that showcased several Picasso masterpieces from around the world. I actually noticed a painting that I have seen before at the Tate in London displayed for this show (sometimes it amazes me what my brain remembers). I have not heard of Guernica (both the painting and the place) prior to coming to Madrid. I don’t ever remember a painting having such an emotional impact on me as this one. This is not the first painting that depicted death and suffering and evil, but seeing this painting the day after the Charlottesville Nazi march made me realize that the evil views that caused all the pain and suffering 80 years ago still exist. It made me angry how some people seem to have not learned from history and it made me feel sad knowing that because there are still people walking around proud of Nazi ideology, there will be people who will consequently suffer as a result. The last museum we visited was the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. We visited on a Monday when admission is free and I was expecting it to be a disastrous experience, however, it was not as crowded as I thought it was going to be. The queue to get in was manageable and it took no time to get in at all. There were no masterpieces in this museum, but they do have in their collection some works from Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso and Chagall.

Aside from museums, we also visited the popular tourist spots in Madrid such as Plaza Mayor, El Retiro Park, Puerta del Sol and we even got to shop around a little bit at Rastro. Madrid was also full of tourists but for whatever reason, it did not feel as crowded as Barcelona. We enjoyed Retiro Park quite a bit. We arrived later in the afternoon with the intention of waiting for sunset at the park. There seemed to be a lot of locals and tourists alike in the park. We stayed until a little bit after dark and it still felt quite safe, although we did not hang around to find out when it starts feeling unsafe.

One of the things I like most about travelling is doing something that we’ve never done before and in Madrid, we did that by visiting a cat café! We have two fur babies of our own but we have never been to a cat café before.  A few meters away from Reina Sofia is La Gatoteca which is more of a cat shelter than a café. It was a place that allowed you to visit and interact with the cats up for adoption. We always miss our cats when we are on holidays, so it was nice to get to hang out with some local cats for an hour in the middle of our trip.

Just like Barcelona, a lot of the good restaurants in Madrid were closed for vacation in August. Madrid has quite a few Michelin-starred restaurants but literally none of them were open while we were there, consequently we had a lot of meals from McDonald’s, Subway and Taco Bell.

We spent three nights in Madrid and on the fourth night, we again got to experience something new – we took the night train out of Madrid to Lisbon. From Madrid Chamartin station, the Trenhotel leaves just before 10PM and arrives at Lisbon first thing the following morning, at around 7AM. We booked a first-class ticket on the Trenhotel which gives you your own private cabin with a shower and everything. These cabins sell out fast so if you are interested, make sure you book one as soon as the booking window opens which is about 90 days prior to the date of travel.  The tickets are not cheap, it almost cost the same as booking a super fancy, 5-star hotel room, and the accommodations are the opposite of a super fancy, 5-star hotel room. The cabin is small and outdated, the toilet and shower are clean enough but definitely not the quality you would expect for the price you paid, however, I did my research before booking and I knew what to expect so I was not disappointed. You could get to Lisbon much cheaper and much faster by flying, but we were after the experience. And that experience is sleeping on the top bunk on my own because my hubby and I won’t fit in one bed (which is saying something because we are both tiny) and being jostled around on the bed the entire journey (a Gravol is an absolute must before boarding the train if you don’t want to throw up on your bed).  Would I do it again? Maybe, but I probably won’t book a private cabin anymore, the hubby and I can sleep in separate carriages for much, much cheaper. Was it a cool experience? Absolutely, in our opinion it was worth it.

Lisbon

So, after a semi-good night’s sleep on the train, we arrived at Lisboa Oriente station nice and early on a Tuesday morning.  From Lisboa Oriente, we took the Red line to Sao Sebastiao then from there transferred to the Blue line going to Terreiro do Paco. Terreiro do Paco is a big station and we exited at a door near a port. I forgot to google the way from the train station to our hotel, Largo da Se Guesthouse, but I knew the general vicinity of it so we walked towards it, and in Lisbon, walking actually means climbing half the time. The streets were all cobble­­stone and they all felt like they are on a 45-degree incline so by the time we found our hotel dragging our heavy luggage, that ten-minute walk felt like a ten kilometre marathon. We always say we will pack light, and we did pack significantly lighter this time around but I feel we can do better next time.

We had no expectations for Lisbon. The only reason we added Lisbon to this trip is because geographically, it made sense and we wanted to visit another city outside of Spain. Historically, when we have zero expectations, that is when we have the best time, and this is no exception. The hubby and I both fell in love with Lisbon. The city was beautiful, every twist and turn brings you to a quaint little street or a miradouro with sweeping views of the city and the ocean. The old-fashioned trams climbing the hills of Alfama is so unique and finally, we found a Michelin-starred restaurant that did not take an August break (yay Belcanto)! My husband couldn’t get enough of the Pasteis de Nata, and we both loved just sitting on an outdoor patio listening to street buskers and drinking porto, moscatel or ginja.  

We lucked out that we found a hotel just steps away from the Se Cathedral and the Alfama neighbourhood. Although crowded, this area didn’t feel touristy compared to the Rua Augusta area for example. We were able to appreciate the beauty of the city by waking up just before the sun rises and walking around before everybody else wakes up. The trams and squares are empty; the temperature is perfect and you get to see the locals out and about doing their thing.  We explored Alfama then somehow find our way down to Praca Figueira then through the Chiado streets then up to Bairro Alto then down again to have lunch at Mercado Da Ribeira Nova. After lunch, we would nap (okay fine, sleep) and then head out again when the sun isn’t as high. We watched one sunset at Torre de Belem, and another one at the Miradouro de Santa Luzia. In the morning, we would catch the sunrise at Praca Comercio then we would catch Tram 28 and go from one end to the other and not have to fight for seats. In the evening, we would walk up and down Rua Augusta weaving in and out of shops, and looking at the meals that people are eating on the outdoor patios. Every day and every night, we explored a different street and saw something new.

Just outside the city via short train rides are more places to visit. We went to Sintra and explored the Castelo dos Mouros. Many go to Sintra to visit the Pena Palace, but we have been to our fair share of palaces and although they are all beautiful, they’re pretty much very like each other (and none have surpassed Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio in my opinion). The Castelo dos Mouros provides beautiful panoramic ocean views of Sintra and you also have a pretty good view of the Pena Palace from here. If you must visit Pena Palace, then it is about a five-minute walk from the front gate of the castle. I have read somewhere that you can walk from the Sintra train station to Pena Palace, but I’m not sure that I would recommend it. Distance-wise, it does not look far, but it really is quite the hike. For €5,50, you can get a roundtrip ticket on a bus that takes you up to the castle and then back down. Don’t make the mistake that we did and line up at the Scotturb/Tourist office across the bus/train station – I don’t know why people line up there, but eventually I realized that you can pay on the bus (there’s staff that goes down the bus queue to collect payment and issue tickets). From the train station, make a beeline to the bus station just down the street and take the earliest bus that you can. I would recommend going straight to Castelo dos Mouros or Pena Palace. People who tried to get on the bus anywhere in between were unable to because the buses were packed. The earlier you get to these places, the earlier you can get out and then you don’t have to fight for space on the bus on the way down to town again. A lot of people complain about the bus service, but considering the number of people they must accommodate, I would say they are doing a pretty good job. We were also supposed to do Cascais on the same day trip but changed our minds and just headed back to Lisbon shortly after lunch. We never did make it out to Cascais.

One of the most confusing things about Lisbon is their public transportation system.  Don’t get me wrong, the signs on the trains and stations are clear, but it was the payment system that took me awhile to figure out. When you arrive at a train station to buy a ticket, you are presented with several options. With any option you pick, you must load that option into a Viva Viagem card that costs 50 cents, but it is a reloadable card. You would use this card to swap in and out of metro stations, or to scan yourself onto a tram or bus. You can buy a day pass for around €6 and this is good for 24 hours’ worth of travel on the Carris network (trams, buses, city metro, funiculars and the Elevador de Santa Justa). This is a pretty good deal if you will be on and off the trams a lot, and it pretty much pays for itself when you use it on the Elevador de Santa Justa. We did a lot of walking, so this one wasn’t ideal for us. Another option you have is buying just a single ticket for €1.45, but this means you’d have to load your card each time you use it.  You can also pay on board the city bus (€1.85) or the tram (€2.90), but obviously that way is more expensive and to be honest, it is very annoying because the driver has to manually take your money and even provide change in some instances. The option we picked is the “Zapping” option. It is essentially loading a pre-determined amount on your card to use like a single ticket each time you use it, but the difference is that it’s so much cheaper. You have the option to load set amounts on your Viva Viagem card. We picked the €15 option (in hindsight this was a mistake and should have picked the €10). Then each time you get on the metro, the tram or the bus using the zapping card, it charges you €1.30. This is a good deal especially for the tram! You can also use your zapping card on the CP network. The trains that take you to Sintra or Cascais are on the CP network. Usually, train fare is €2.15 but if you use your zapping card, it will charge you only €1.85, however, please note that you can’t use on the Scotturb buses while you are in Sintra or Cascais. I have read somewhere that if at the end of your trip, you have unused load on your card, you can go to a Metro station staff and ask for a refund, but I was told when I did this that they do not allow it. I don’t know if it was just an error in communication (maybe I didn’t ask the correct question?), but just in case, err on the safe side and load the lower amount and just reload it if necessary.

I would love to visit Lisbon again, maybe in the fall when it is a little cooler and a little less crowded. Maybe next time we’ll catch a fado show or explore the beaches outside of the city. I would love to come back just to explore the neighbourhoods some more because I’m sure there are a lot of hills we haven’t climbed and miradouro views we didn’t see. From Lisbon, it is only a short metro ride to the Airport. Lisbon airport is huge, but it is very well organized.  At the airport, it is worth noting that after the initial security check, there is another passport check just before you go to the gates. This was a little deceiving because usually, once you get past security and you are in the restaurant area, you can just proceed to the gate after that. We didn’t realize that we had to line up one more time, so make sure you allow time for this.

It has been a month since we got back home and the trip always feels officially over once I have written about it and the hubby has processed all the pictures from it. It’s time to get back to work and start saving up some money and vacation days for our next adventure. We already have concrete plans for next year, visiting some familiar places and some new ones. Maybe on our next adventure, we can finally meet our goal of packing light. As always, I can hardly wait!   

[coto524]

before i forget to tell y’all about it here’s some of the weird shit that happened in winterschool

we went to berlin and ended up at the old airport they forgot to demolish

i surprised everyone with my knowledge of obscure catalan pop songs

we had a rolling new year’s party where we celebrated midnight for each time zone across europe with a countdown, a rendition of the internationale (which i need to learn the lyrics to tbh) and alcohol

me and some fellow Queers made a zine about queer theory into which we somehow managed to shoehorn a poem about bdsm by allen ginsberg

international snack evening (everyone brought something from their own country) - highlights include the russians serving what was basically pot noodle, us brits serving tea from a massive saucepan and the catalans playing drinking games with a porró

the queer squad argued about hogwarts houses almost continously for six hours... i got bored and went and manned the bar

all sorts of weird lingua franca shit - the event was meant to be in english but a lot of people weren’t great, it being their second or third language, so german, spanish, arabic and russian all got involved

palestinean card games aka the most hardcore games to ever happen, seriously, you don’t know

also that reminds me i made about 10 friends solely through playing card games

there were meant to be 6 of us from the UK but one fam forgot to check his email so couldn’t get to germany in time

DMCs in the alcohol-free space in the evenings, featuring puppy piles and an irish lesbian recounting her hilarious romantic mishaps

one of the co-ordinators was this german trans dude who honestly reminded me a lot of puck from a midsummer night’s dream, he was more awesome than weird but i feel like i should give a shout out to his elfin and mischievous ways

that time us fams from woodcraft folk recited the envoi and everyone was like ‘....are you in a cult’

[cryptodictation]

Renault presents an ERTE for 11,600 employees in Spain | Economy

Entrance to the Renault plant in Villamuriel (Palencia), closed since March 16.CESAR MANSO / AFP (AFP)

Like a violent hurricane, the coronavirus crisis has swept hundreds of thousands of jobs in Spain in just a few days. Since the decree of the state of alarm, last Sunday March 15 and especially since the approval two days after the package of economic measures that included the streamlining of the Temporary Employment Regulatory Records, thousands of companies have requested this figure, which serves to temporarily reduce the workforce while waiting for it to leak. Just a week after the publication of the decree of the state of alarm, nearly 250,000 workers have been affected by 25,160 files registered in Catalonia. In Valencia, 9,965 applications were registered that affect 73,961 workers. The community of Madrid reported last week having processed another 13,390 files, in which an employment volume similar to that of Catalonia is estimated. Andalusia had registered more than 4,000 last Thursday. With these requests, the number of those affected would already go above half a million, without adding the rest of Spain, with which it is probable that the total number will approach one million.

What follows is a count of the ERTEs announced or presented by some large companies in Spain.

Automovile industry

Renault. The French company announced on Monday 23 an ERTE for 11,649 people from its facilities in Valladolid, Palencia, Seville and Madrid, although of that total, about 350 people will remain working to cover the minimum services, as reported by the company. The ERTE is due to enter into force on March 18 and will be extended for the duration of the alarm state. 88% of the workforce reduction will take place in Castilla y León, at the Valladolid assembly and engine factories and the Palencia factory; Another 9% is located in the gearboxes factory in Seville and the remaining 3% in the corporate headquarters in Madrid. The company will supplement unemployment benefit up to 85% of salary, according to company sources.

Seat. The automobile company, which is part of the German group Volkswagen, announced on the 16th, one day after the application of the state of alarm, to present an ERTE due to force majeure for the 14,812 members of its staff (although the management foresaw that it would eventually affect only about 10,000) and while the alarm situation lasts. The measure affected the Martorell (Barcelona) plant, the largest in Catalonia and where the bulk of the workforce works, and the component centers and the Free Trade Zone. One of the reasons given by the company was the stoppage of production due to the lack of supply of components, since two of its suppliers are located in the town of Igualada, which was placed in confinement by the Generalitat upon detection of a strong outbreak of the virus. . Seat agreed with the unions to supplement the wages of those affected up to 80%.

Volkswagen Navarra. Given “the lack of personnel that has prevented the manufacturing process from starting and, on the other hand, not being able to guarantee the health of the workers,” the Navarre plant of the German giant announced on the 16th that it was launching the file for its 5,000 The petition was agreed with the UGT, CC OO, ELA and CCP unions, which represent 83% of the social representation.

Nissan. The Japanese automaker announced on Thursday 19 a temporary job reduction file for around 3,000 workers at its Barcelona centers (the Zona Franca plant and the Montcada i Reixac and Sant Andreu centers) while the state of alarm continues. There was no agreement with the unions, which claimed to supplement the salary up to 90%, and Nissan will only reach 80%. The Ávila plant also presented an ERTE for some 400 employees.

Ford. The management of the Ford plant in Almussafes (Valencia), on March 17, proposed to the works committee the presentation of an ERTE for the entire factory staff, 7,400 employees, after the temporary suspension of the production of vehicles and engines in Europe due to the pandemic. The stoppage affects the Valencian plant and others in Europe, such as the German ones in Cologne and Saarlouis or the Polish one in Kraków. The ERTE will also affect the industries of the Juan Carlos I de Almussafes park, the polygon of companies supplying Ford, which will add another 2,500 people.

Gestamp. The largest Spanish manufacturer of components for the automotive industry is also negotiating with the unions an ERTE for some 6,000 employees at its 22 plants in Spain. In this case, Gestamp, which works hand in hand with the automobile brands, depends directly on its activity and supply demand.

Antolin. The group, another of the large suppliers to the automotive sector, also negotiates with the unions different measures to adapt its chain “to the production stops” of its customers. The company claims that once other flexibility measures are exhausted, it will use ERTE. According to the company's latest report, in 2018 it had a staff of 2,400 people in Spain.

Euromaster. The chain of vehicle maintenance workshops announced a file for 70% of its staff in Spain. Those affected will be 100 workers from the company's central services in Spain and 650 from its network of assistance centers, of which 40% have closed. The measurement will continue until the current alarm state is lifted.

Valeo. The works committee of Valeo Iluminación in Martos (Jaén), which manufactures automobile components, reached an agreement with the company on Saturday 21 to apply an ERTE of “90 days maximum until December 31” for this factory in which 3,000 people work. The unions specified that the ERTE is “for technical, productive and organizational causes originated by the Covid-19”. The agreement includes the collection of 100% of the extraordinary payments, which do not generate vacations and the complement of wages up to 85%.

Ficosa. The third largest manufacturer of automotive components with Spanish capital also started an ERTE for the employees of its production plant in Viladecavalls (Barcelona). The measure will affect about 1,400 people.

Adient. The American multinational of automobile components communicated to the unions a file for a total of 1,204 workers at the Abrera (Barcelona), Pedrola (Zaragoza) and Mojados (Valladolid) plants, which supply seats for different automobile plants.

Restoration

Burger King. Restaurant Brands Iberia, the company that owns the rights to the Burger King brand in Spain, was one of the first large companies to opt for the figure of ERTE, before the closure of all its restaurants, about 850 (476 owned and the rest, franchisees), and the subsequent suspension of the home delivery service. The file affects its 14,000 employees, both from the hamburger chain and its other brands, Tim Horton’s and Popeye’s, “until normalcy is restored, the company reported.

Alsea. The firm that owns the VIPS or Ginos restaurants, (in addition to owning Domino’s Pizza, Starbucks, or Foster’s Hollywood franchises) was also affected by the closure of bars and restaurants (it manages about 1,000 in Spain). Thus, on Wednesday the 18th, he requested an ERTE due to force majeure for his entire staff, some 22,000 workers, while the state of alarm lasts, extended by the Government until at least April 11.

Amrest. The chain that owns the restaurants La Tagliatella, Bacoa and Blue Frog, and which operates part of the KFC network, announced that it will apply an ERTE for reasons of force majeure to 93% of its staff in Spain, specifically 3,666 workers. The listed company explains that it has had to undertake the closure of 143 KFC's own restaurants in Spain, La Tagliatella, Bacoa and Blue Frog and that it suspends the activity of the restaurant businesses except those carried out with home delivery.

Textile industry

Inditex. The largest textile company in the world, with more than 174,000 employees globally, announced at the 2019 results presentation, on Wednesday 18, that more than half of its 7,469 stores worldwide are closed due to the pandemic , among them the more than 1,500 it has in Spain. Faced with this situation, he decided to hold out until April 15. If the alarm situation and the closing of stores continues beyond that date, an ERTE will apply to the 25,000 employees of its stores. The temporary reduction of workforce will not affect, for the moment, neither the staff of factories, nor of logistics not of central services, another 23,000 people, approximately. In addition, the company announced that it would supplement the wages of the affected workers.

Tendam. The group to which the Cortefiel, Pedro del Hierro, Springfield, Women'secret and Fifty brands belong, announced on Monday the 16th an ERTE due to force majeure, with effects from Saturday the 14th that will affect the staff of its brands' stores in Spain and the staff of the central offices in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​that is, the vast majority of its around 7,000 employees in Spain (11,000 worldwide). Only the “minimum services that guarantee that the company operates normally in this uncertain period” were excluded from the file. Tendam will supplement the salary up to 100% in March. It will also offer its workers microcredits at zero interest and undertakes not to terminate any fixed or temporary contract.

H&M. The Swedish fashion chain announced on Thursday 19 the presentation of an ERTE that for about 6,000 employees in Spain. Of these, some 5,500 work in stores, closed since the declaration of the state of alarm, and 318 in the Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid) warehouse. The temporary employment regulation file will be applied from March 17 and will complement 100% of the employees' salary only during the current month (in April it will go to 70%, which covers Social Security).

Mango. The Catalan firm announced on Friday 20 a file before the closing of 1,695 points of sale in 72 countries, including the 400 stores that the group has in Spain. The ERTE, with effect from March 14, affects 4,767 employees, mainly from the commercial network in Spain, as well as workers from the logistics center in Lliçà d’Amunt and its headquarters. Mango also stated that he will supplement the salary of the affected employees up to a maximum of 2,000 euros in the month of March, month in which the accrued bonuses and incentives will also be paid. The company's management will “significantly adjust its remuneration” for the duration of the crisis situation. Its CEO, Toni Ruiz, waived any type of remuneration.

decathlon. In the case of the sports equipment firm, the temporary employment regulation file will be for 8,886 people out of the 9,652 that it has on staff, which represents 92% of its workers. The company pledged to supplement 100% of workers' wages until March 29, according to union sources.

Unequal. The Catalan textile firm reported on Thursday 19 the presentation of an ERTE for 90% of its staff in Spain, 1,359 employees. Like other textiles, the measure is forced by the closure of all its stores in Spain, 87, in addition to almost all the 298 stores it has in other European countries. The company will guarantee 90% of the monthly salary of those affected up to a maximum of 2,000 euros per month.

Liwe. The Murcian textile firm, owner of the Inside brand, presented a temporary file for 1,900 workers, 94% of its workforce, before the closure of all its stores in Spain, as well as in Italy or Greece, where it also has a presence.

Calzedonia and Intimissimi. Also 2,000 will be workers, according to unions, who would enter the file of the Italian firm of underwear.

Adolfo Domínguez. The Galician textile firm announced on Tuesday 17 an ERTE for 728 professionals from its commercial network, 61% of its workforce until May, before the closure of all points of sale in Spain. “We strengthen areas (sale on-line) that allow us to be as profitable as possible until we can reopen our stores and return to normal activity, ”explained Antonio Puente, CEO. Subsequently, it expanded the ERTE to 909 employees. The Adolfo Domínguez group has 188 stores in Spain and another 186 points of sale open in 16 countries.

The Goose. The clothing firm founded by the Cebrián brothers will apply an ERTE for 80% of its staff, about 500 employees.

tourism

Iberia. On Thursday 18, the former Spanish flag airline presented an ERTE due to force majeure for the next three months due to flight restrictions by the Covid-19 that will affect 82% of its staff, 13,900 of the 17,000 employees that the airline. The segments most affected will be those of its main operating areas – flight, handling and online maintenance and charging – which will see your staff reduced by 90%. In the case of central service and office employees, both corporate and maintenance and handling, they will be affected by a maximum of 70%. The file is initially for three months, although Iberia warned that it will follow the evolution of events in case it is necessary to extend or reduce it.

Vueling. The airline, also a subsidiary, such as Iberia, of the aeronautical consortium IAG, presented an ERTE on Monday that affects its more than 3,800 workers for three months, according to union sources. The file foresees reductions of up to 90% of the usual working day for pilots and cabin staff and 80% of that for other company personnel.

Flips. This small airline based in Asturias, canceled all its flights from March 19 to April 8 and announced that it would present an employment regulation file for 100% of its 1,100 employees, of whom 350 are based in Spanish bases.

Air Nostrum. The airline presented an ERTE for its entire staff, some 1,500 employees, for a period of three months, from Saturday, March 21, with a flexibility mechanism that allows adjusting the suspension to the circumstances. The measure aims to minimize the impact of the coronavirus crisis as much as possible and to maintain the airline's jobs in the medium and long term, according to a statement to the staff.

Ryanair. The Irish low cost airline, the first in Europe by number of passengers, announced that it would stop flying on March 25, which implies that it is preparing an ERTE that will affect practically all of the company's 1,500 workers in Spain. It will also apply salary reductions to contain costs.

Norwegian. Between March 21 and April 17 it will apply a reduced program that supposes the cancellation of 85% of its flights, in addition to applying the temporary suspension of employment to almost 90% of the workforce, some 7,300 workers in total, among pilots , cabin crew (TCP) and maintenance and administrative personnel throughout Europe.

Globalia. The tourist group of the Hidalgo family began on Wednesday 18 the processing of several ERTE in its different branches of business (the airline Air Europa, the travel agencies Halcón and Ecuador and their business of handling airport) that will affect practically the entire workforce, some 16,000 employees.

Iberostar. Before Healthcare ordered the closure of all hotels (except long-stay hotels or those designated to serve as hospitals), the Mallorcan hotel chain announced the closure of all its hotels in Spain, with the idea of ​​doing the same in the rest of the world, and suspend activity. Although he did not specify that he would submit an ERTE, the suspension of activity indicates this. Iberostar has 34,000 employees in its 120 hotels in 19 countries.

Port Aventura. The delay that the amusement park will suffer in its opening due to the coronavirus crisis prompted the company to present an ERTE due to the obligation to keep the complex closed, which had the planned opening date of March 27. The ERTE affects 312 people and, according to the company, it applies only to those workers who have to interrupt their work activity due to the effects of the coronavirus. The company affirms that it will complement the economic benefits up to 90% of the salary of each employee.

Others

CAF. The railway manufacturer requested an ERTE due to force majeure for some 4,400 employees for the closure of its two plants in the Basque Country, those of Beasaín and Irún (Guipúzcoa). The justification of the ERTE, whose date of entry into force is Monday 23, was that it could not guarantee the safety of its workers before Covid-19.

Pikolin. The Zaragoza firm of rest announced an ERTE due to the stoppage of sales due to the fact that all the stores in the country are closed, except for the shops considered essential (supermarkets, pharmacies and tobacconists, basically). The company did not specify how many employees of its 870-person workforce the file affects. He did say that he was paralyzing the activity in his production and logistics center in Zaragoza. In their offices, 50% of the workforce was already teleworking.

Brico Depôt. The DIY and construction material chain stores introduced ERTE for its store staff, which will affect 1,548 employees. The ERTE has been in force since March 15 and will last as long as the state of alarm decreed by the coronavirus continues.

Gathered Tubes. Within the industrial sector, Tubos Reunidos announced the cessation of its two plants in the Basque Country, that of Trapaga (Bizkaia) and Amurrio (Álava), including an ERTE that will affect 1,400 workers.

Dentix. The dental clinic chain has presented a temporary employment regulation file that affects almost 100% of employees in all categories of its staff in Spain, which is made up of around 3,200 people.

Gureak Industrial. The Basque company that manages job opportunities for people with disabilities agreed on Monday, March 23 with ELA, LAB and CC OO an ERTE for its entire staff of 2,500 people. In this case, the agreement seeks to safeguard the health of workers. The ELA union specified that in the “difficult” context of the coronavirus crisis, it is necessary to reach “agreements that protect the most vulnerable people” such as people with disabilities, who are also especially vulnerable to the coronavirus. The ERTE establishes that the salaries will be complemented 100% including the extra payments.

Information about the coronavirus

– Here you can follow the last hour on the evolution of the pandemic

– The coronavirus map: this is how cases grow day by day and country by country

– Guide to action against the disease

– In case of symptoms, these are the phones that have been enabled in each community

The post Renault presents an ERTE for 11,600 employees in Spain | Economy appeared first on Cryptodictation.

from WordPress https://cryptodictation.com/2020/03/23/renault-presents-an-erte-for-11600-employees-in-spain-economy/