#homes for sale west island

[inboundremblog]

Upper Sugarloaf Key, FL: A Slice of Paradise

Credit: Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay

A Snapshot of Upper Sugarloaf Key, FL

The Upper Sugarloaf Key, FL, is a beautiful region in the Lower Keys. This vibrant precinct provides the best island comfort and moderate access to contemporary facilities.

Lower Sugarloaf Key is well developed and similar to its neighboring key, but here, Upper Sugarloaf Key is more active with several businesses, schools, diners, and recreation areas. There, you will find peace if you are searching for exciting or permanent downtime without monotony.

Just 17 miles from the lively city of Key West, Upper Sugarloaf Key is the only place of its kind in the entire Florida Keys chain. It is located in California and presents an excellent combination of nature, people, and culture, with an accepting community for tourists and residents.

With a backdrop of clear blue waters, green mangroves, and less noise and commotion, it is appropriate for people who would like to escape from the fast-paced lifestyle but also want easy access to other busy centers.

Suppose one loves the outdoors and is interested in kayaking, especially in clear waters, or passes any Wildlife and Environmental Area designated land for protection and public use. In that case, the Upper Sugarloaf Key, FL, has it all for you.

It is also conveniently situated for short domestic travel to the vibrant places of Key West, the child-friendly destination at Marathon Key, and the famous underwater sights near Key Largo.

Ideally located between the beach and natural surroundings, near various restaurants, cafes, shops, entertainment venues, and excellent diving opportunities, This is perfect for families, retirees, or anybody who wants a chance to be reborn or find himself.

Why Upper Sugarloaf Key Stands Out

Upper Sugarloaf Key is less dense than some other Keys and is thus more private, so the residents will not have the noise of engines roaring past that one might expect in some busier keys.

Yet, existence in its active local scene guarantees that things are never dull here. As far as outdoor activities go, there is a little of everything here, from hiking to scenic trails to taking a kayak, stand-up paddleboard, or even fishing. Staying in Upper Sugarloaf Key will only be a twenty-minute drive away from the lit city, eateries, historical sites, and fun the island of Key West has to offer.

Marathon Key and Key Largo are also nearby to get more fun activities and restaurants for dining. This preferred locale allows the residents to enjoy all aspects of the Florida Keys without disrupting their serenity at one time.

Recreation in the Upper Sugarloaf Key

With clear blue waters, Upper Sugarloaf Key offers all types of water explorations. Fish lovers will especially note that there are inshore, offshore, and deep-sea fishing activities.

Areas popular for snorkeling and diving reveal beautiful coral colors and life in the tropical sea, while kayaking and paddleboarding give the backcountry a more laid-back feel.

The historic attraction Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower is a must for tourists seeking nature. Visitors can hire boats at the Sugarloaf Marina or a tour guide to take them around the island. Bike lovers can bike along the Overseas Highway or any other trail around the island.

Living in Upper Sugarloaf Key

Houses range from small cottages to large luxurious homes and condos, most bearing waterfrontage with scenic views of Sugarloaf Key, Florida. Most units provide docks, enabling occupants to walk directly into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Whether looking for a holiday home or a permanent home, there is always something for everyone.

The families residing in Upper Sugarloaf Key can avail themselves of high-standard schools; for example, Sugarloaf School has K to 8 standards containing well-developed academic and co-curricular sections for the children of Upper Sugarloaf and Key West High School for the elder children.

Key West has diners, stores, restaurants, and other more adventurous food places within a thirty-minute drive.

Wildlife and Nature

It has also been established that various wild plant and animal species inhabit the Upper Sugarloaf Key. Due to the presence of mangroves and wetlands, the area offers the ultimate opportunity for wildlife.

For bird lovers, herons, egrets, and osprey may be seen around, while dolphins, sea turtles, and manatees are sighted in the surrounding waters. Some tiny islets are used for grazing while other large tracts of land are forested, key deer, a distinct subspecies of the white-tailed deer, being copiously found in some regions of the island. Events and Community

Although no specific events are named after it, Upper Sugarloaf Key offers different events for its visitors and neighbors, such as fishing tournaments, art festivals, and cultural events.

The people in the dwellings are very cohesive and friendly; they can frequently be seen holding informal parties, fundraisers, and other socio-recreational occasions, with particular themes that include environmental conservation exercises on the sampled region's beauty.

Real Estate related to Upper Sugarloaf Key

With its location and views over the sea, the upper part of Sugarloaf Key is one of the most attractive real estate markets. Gamble's selections include luxurious homes on the waterfront featuring docks and amazing views, elegant villas equipped with all contemporary comforts, or cute cottages with an authentic island look.

Buying properties here provides a pleasant home environment and good potential for rental returns due to the high tourist traffic in the location.

Reaching The Upper Sugarloaf Key

The Overseas or US highway easily accesses this part of the Keys. The drive is a road trip that ought to be as a true traveler; the sites featured on the migration, including the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, are noticeable.

Key West International Airport is also near this city, making traveling within or to other areas easy for Key West citizens.

The Upper Sugarloaf Key, located in Florida, is an excellent destination that defines the concept of vacation and adventures. Due to its secluded location, easy access to other attractions, and wide range of leisure activities, it is reasonably identifiable why this part of the city is greatly preferred by civilization.

If you are planning on a vacation or to spend a lifetime staying in the islands, Upper Sugarloaf Key offers you an island life that can be relaxing and adventurous simultaneously. Tour the natural outstanding view of aesthetics, embrace the black-browed Key Deer, and learn their ways of living. That's not just where it is located; it is how people live it.

Find out why our area is loved at https://middlefloridakeysrealestate.com/marathon-living/upper-sugarloaf-key/.

Upper Sugarloaf Key, Florida, offers tranquil island living, world-class fishing, and breathtaking sunsets.

[billa-billa007]

Galveston East End District is a historic neighborhood located in Galveston, Texas. It is known for its well-preserved architecture and charming streetscape, which includes a variety of Victorian-era homes and commercial buildings. The district is situated on the eastern side of the island, close to the harbor and the Strand Historic District.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Sympathy for the spammer

Catch me in Miami! I'll be at Books and Books in Coral Gables on Jan 22 at 8PM.

In any scam, any con, any hustle, the big winners are the people who supply the scammers – not the scammers themselves. The kids selling dope on the corner are making less than minimum wage, while the respectable crime-bosses who own the labs clean up. Desperate "retail investors" who buy shitcoins from Superbowl ads get skinned, while the MBA bros who issue the coins make millions (in real dollars, not crypto).

It's ever been thus. The California gold rush was a con, and nearly everyone who went west went broke. Famously, the only reliable way to cash out on the gold rush was to sell "picks and shovels" to the credulous, doomed and desperate. That's how Leland Stanford made his fortune, which he funneled into eugenics programs (and founding a university):

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/malcolm-harris/palo-alto/9780316592031/

That means that the people who try to con you are almost always getting conned themselves. Think of Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) scams. My forthcoming novel The Bezzle opens with a baroque and improbable fast-food Ponzi in the town of Avalon on the island of Catalina, founded by the chicle monopolist William Wrigley Jr:

http://thebezzle.org

Wrigley found fast food declasse and banned it from the island, a rule that persists to this day. In The Bezzle, the forensic detective Martin Hench uncovers The Fry Guys, an MLM that flash-freezes contraband burgers and fries smuggled on-island from the mainland and sells them to islanders though an "affiliate marketing" scheme that is really about recruiting other affiliate markets to sell under you. As with every MLM, the value of the burgers and fries sold is dwarfed by the gigantic edifice of finance fraud built around it, with "points" being bought and sold for real cash, which is snaffled up and sucked out of the island by a greedy mainlander who is behind the scheme.

A "bezzle" is John Kenneth Galbraith's term for "the magic interval when a confidence trickster knows he has the money he has appropriated but the victim does not yet understand that he has lost it." In every scam, there's a period where everyone feels richer – but only the scammers are actually cleaning up. The wealth of the marks is illusory, but the longer the scammer can preserve the illusion, the more real money the marks will pump into the system.

MLMs are particularly ugly, because they target people who are shut out of economic opportunity – women, people of color, working people. These people necessarily rely on social ties for survival, looking after each others' kids, loaning each other money they can't afford, sharing what little they have when others have nothing.

It's this social cohesion that MLMs weaponize. Crypto "entrepreneurs" are encouraged to suck in their friends and family by telling them that they're "building Black wealth." Working women are exhorted to suck in their bffs by appealing to their sisterhood and the chance for "women to lift each other up."

The "sales people" trying to get you to buy crypto or leggings or supplements are engaged in predatory conduct that will make you financially and socially worse off, wrecking their communities' finances and shattering the mutual aid survival networks they rely on. But they're not getting rich on this – they're also being scammed:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4686468

This really hit home for me in the mid-2000s, when I was still editing Boing Boing. We had a submission form where our readers could submit links for us to look at for inclusion on the blog, and it was overwhelmed by spam. We'd add all kinds of antispam to it, and still, we'd get floods of hundreds or even thousands of spam submissions to it.

One night, I was lying in my bed in London and watching these spams roll in. They were all for small businesses in the rustbelt, handyman services, lawn-care, odd jobs, that kind of thing. They were 10 million miles from the kind of thing we'd ever post about on Boing Boing. They were coming in so thickly that I literally couldn't finish downloading my email – the POP session was dropping before I could get all the mail in the spool. I had to ssh into my mail server and delete them by hand. It was maddening.

Frustrated and furious, I started calling the phone numbers associated with these small businesses, demanding an explanation. I assumed that they'd hired some kind of sleazy marketing service and I wanted to know who it was so I could give them a piece of my mind.

But what I discovered when I got through was much weirder. These people had all been laid off from factories that were shuttering due to globalization. As part of their termination packages, their bosses had offered them "retraining" via "courses" in founding their own businesses.

The "courses" were the precursors to the current era's rise-and-grind hustle-culture scams (again, the only people getting rich from that stuff are the people selling the courses – the "students" finish the course poorer). They promised these laid-off workers, who'd given their lives to their former employers before being discarded, that they just needed to pull themselves up by their own boostraps:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/10/declaration-of-interdependence/#solidarity-forever

After all, we had the internet now! There were so many new opportunities to be your own boss! The course came with a dreadful build-your-own-website service, complete with an overpriced domain sales portal, and a single form for submitting your new business to "thousands of search engines."

This was nearly 20 years ago, but even then, there was really only one search engine that mattered: Google. The "thousands of search engines" the scammers promised to submit these desperate peoples' websites to were just submission forms for directories, indexes, blogs, and mailing lists. The number of directories, indexes, blogs and mailing lists that would publish their submissions was either "zero" or "nearly zero." There was certainly no possibility that anyone at Boing Boing would ever press the wrong key and accidentally write a 500-word blog post about a leaf-raking service in a collapsing deindustrialized exurb in Kentucky or Ohio.

The people who were drowning me in spam weren't the scammers – they were the scammees.

But that's only half the story. Years later, I discovered how our submission form was getting included in this get-rich-quick's mass-submission system. It was a MLM! Coders in the former Soviet Union were getting work via darknet websites that promised them relative pittances for every submission form they reverse-engineered and submitted. The smart coders didn't crack the forms directly – they recruited other, less business-savvy coders to do that for them, and then often as not, ripped them off.

The scam economy runs on this kind of indirection, where scammees are turned into scammers, who flood useful and productive and nice spaces with useless dross that doesn't even make them any money. Take the submission queue at Clarkesworld, the great online science fiction magazine, which famously had to close after it was flooded with thousands of junk submission "written" by LLMs:

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/24/1159286436/ai-chatbot-chatgpt-magazine-clarkesworld-artificial-intelligence

There was a zero percent chance that Neil Clarke would accidentally accept one of these submissions. They were uniformly terrible. The people submitting these "stories" weren't frustrated sf writers who'd discovered a "life hack" that let them turn out more brilliant prose at scale.

They were scammers who'd been scammed into thinking that AIs were the key to a life of passive income, a 4-Hour Work-Week powered by an AI-based self-licking ice-cream cone:

https://pod.link/1651876897/episode/995c8a778ede17d2d7cff393e5203157

This is absolutely classic passive-income brainworms thinking. "I have a bot that can turn out plausible sentences. I will locate places where sentences can be exchanged for money, aim my bot at it, sit back, and count my winnings." It's MBA logic on meth: find a thing people pay for, then, without bothering to understand why they pay for that thing, find a way to generate something like it at scale and bombard them with it.

Con artists start by conning themselves, with the idea that "you can't con an honest man." But the factor that predicts whether someone is connable isn't their honesty – it's their desperation. The kid selling drugs on the corner, the mom desperately DMing her high-school friends to sell them leggings, the cousin who insists that you get in on their shitcoin – they're all doing it because the system is rigged against them, and getting worse every day.

These people reason – correctly – that all the people getting really rich are scamming. If Amazon can make $38b/year selling "ads" that push worse products that cost more to the top of their search results, why should the mere fact that an "opportunity" is obviously predatory and fraudulent disqualify it?

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/29/aethelred-the-unready/#not-one-penny-for-tribute

The quest for passive income is really the quest for a "greater fool," the economist's term for the person who relieves you of the useless crap you just overpaid for. It rots the mind, atomizes communities, shatters solidarity and breeds cynicism:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

The rise and rise of botshit cannot be separated from this phenomenon. The botshit in our search-results, our social media feeds, and our in-boxes isn't making money for the enshittifiers who send it – rather, they are being hustled by someone who's selling them the "picks and shovels" for the AI gold rush:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/03/botshit-generative-ai-imminent-threat-democracy

That's the true cost of all the automation-driven unemployment criti-hype: while we're nowhere near a place where bots can steal your job, we're certainly at the point where your boss can be suckered into firing you and replacing you with a bot that fails at doing your job:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/11/robots-stole-my-jerb/#computer-says-no

The manic "entrepreneurs" who've been stampeded into panic by the (correct) perception that the economy is a game of musical chairs where the number of chairs is decreasing at breakneck speed are easy marks for the Leland Stanfords of AI, who are creating generational wealth for themselves by promising that their bots will automate away all the tedious work that goes into creating value. Expect a lot more Amazon Marketplace products called "I'm sorry, I cannot fulfil this request as it goes against OpenAI use policy":

https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/12/24036156/openai-policy-amazon-ai-listings

No one's going to buy these products, but the AI picks-and-shovels people will still reap a fortune from the attempt. And because history repeats itself, these newly minted billionaires are continuing Leland Stanford's love affair with eugenics:

https://www.truthdig.com/dig-series/eugenics/

The fact that AI spam doesn't pay is important to the fortunes of AI companies. Most high-value AI applications are very risk-intolerant (self-driving cars, radiology analysis, etc). An AI tool might help a human perform these tasks more accurately – by warning them of things that they've missed – but that's not how AI will turn a profit. There's no market for AI that makes your workers cost more but makes them better at their jobs:

https://locusmag.com/2023/12/commentary-cory-doctorow-what-kind-of-bubble-is-ai/

Plenty of people think that spam might be the elusive high-value, low-risk AI application. But that's just not true. The point of AI spam is to get clicks from people who are looking for better content. It's SEO. No one reads 2000 words of algorithm-pleasing LLM garbage over an omelette recipe and then subscribes to that site's feed.

And the omelette recipe generates pennies for the spammer that posted it. They are doing massive volume in order to make those pennies into dollars. You don't make money by posting one spam. If every spammer had to pay the actual recovery costs (energy, chillers, capital amortization, wages) for their query, every AI spam would lose (lots of) money.

Hustle culture and passive income are about turning other peoples' dollars into your dimes. It is a negative-sum activity, a net drain on society. Behind every seemingly successful "passive income" is a con artist who's getting rich by promising – but not delivering – that elusive passive income, and then blaming the victims for not hustling hard enough:

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2023/12/blueprint-trouble

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/15/passive-income-brainworms/#four-hour-work-week

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[allwaswell16]

A fic rec of One Direction fics in which Louis is sad in the story as requested in this ask. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers. You can find my other fic recs here.

- Louis / Harry -

💧 Amsterdam With You by flamboyo / @riverswater

(M, 182k, slow burn) In Louis’ opinion Amsterdam is so overrated, and now that he moved here he can see all its flaws: it’s always raining (even more than in London), he’s lonely and everyone he meets is unfriendly and distant; but, above all, he misses his family like crazy, confined here.

💧 burn to ash by bethaboo / @bethaboolou

(E, 116k, canon) the fic where Harry spirals out of control, the band breaks up, and then he shows back up, five years later.

💧 ocean tides you home (series) by @justanothershadeofblue

(M, 88k, Eroda) Harry is a lonely and depressed popstar who sailed out of his hometown on Eroda years ago to chase his dreams. He comes back to the island only to find his shining childhood best friend Louis just as cold and dreary as the island they grew up on.

💧 Plant New Seeds in the Melody by 28sunflowers / @vintageumbroshirt

(E, 58k, grief) After losing his husband in a tragic car accident, the last thing Louis needs is to keep running into popstar Harry Styles, who David was quite fond of.

💧 The Second Hand Unwinds by @kingsofeverything

(E, 51k, time travel) Louis Tomlinson is one of the first members of NASA's top secret Chrono Exploration Program. When things go wrong and he's sent further back in time than planned, he has no other option than to show up on his ex-boyfriend's doorstep.

💧 make this feel like home by @soldouthaz

(E, 43k, neighbors) The house on West 28th Street in London is twice the size of Louis', more expensive than the price of all of his house and car payments combined, and is falling apart at the seams.

💧 Compass to my Soul by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(T, 31k, omegaverse) Louis Tomlinson, omega, is 1/5 of world famous boy band One Direction. He spends his time hoping his bandmates don’t notice him.

💧 like a timebomb ticking by @infinitelymint

(M, 31k, canon) Louis loses everything. Harry's still there.

💧 Sunflower: Vol. 1 by @ourownstrings

(M, 26k, florist Harry) “Real farmers love mornings.” Louis hated that sentiment. But then he wasn’t a real farmer. He just got stuck in the family business and drags himself to the farmers market where he put on his best sunny sales pitch. 

💧 what's left of my halo's black by LiveLaughLoveLarry / @loveislarryislove

(E, 22k, friends to lovers) A year after a devastating breakup, Louis is still trying to put himself back together - but getting over a breakup is hard when you work as a wedding planner. 

💧 You Were Mine by @brightlyharry

(E, 20k, established relationship) Harry and Louis hardly speak to each other unless they're fighting. Harry has ran out of ways to try to repair their broken marriage and Louis can't be bothered to even try. 

💧 Blinded by the Colors by @fallinglikethis

(M, 20k, canon divergent)  an It's A Wonderful Life Au where Louis Tomlinson realizes just how important he really is.

💧 You're A Universe by Jiksa / @jiksax

(E, 15k, established relationship) Louis’s a stay-at-home dad in London and Harry’s a business expat in Qatar. Louis doesn’t know how much longer their marriage can survive the distance.

💧 The Orchards of Jessop by @jaerie

(E, 15k, quarantine) At age 40, there isn’t much excitement in widower Louis Tomlinson’s life, but wasn’t that the reason he’d moved to Jessop Island in the first place? Back then he hadn’t thought retiring before he reached 30 and moving to the countryside would mean that he’d be doing it alone.

💧 Every time that you get undressed (I hear symphonies in my head) by theboyfriendstagram

(E, 12k, uni) an AU in which Harry is the typical frat boy who doesn't believe in love but falls for the insecure mess that is Louis.

💧 Perfect Sky by @haloeverlasting

(M, 11k, vacation) Louis meets Marcel at the lowest point of his life. A few poorly timed jokes, and a cigarette (or twelve) later, Louis starts to think love’s not a sham after all.

💧 I Want To Come Home To You by cherrylarry / @beelou

(G, 1k, canon) the one where Louis is sad and lonely in Atlanta

- Rare Pairs -

💧 Not Your Fault But Mine by sunsetmog / @magicalrocketships

(E, 127k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw) It's the beginning of Louis' second year at uni, and he's sharing a house with his four best friends in the world. This is going to be the best fucking year ever, Louis can just tell. The best fucking year ever.

💧 Always Keep You Next To Me by @lululawrence

(NR, 8k, Louis/Greg James) When Louis' twin dies, Louis decides to take the birthday road trip they were meant to take together with Will's best friend Greg instead.

[directactionforhope]

"Outside of a synagogue in West Orange, New Jersey, a hundred people with PAL-Awda NY/NJ, a local Palestinian rights organization, gathered to protest an Israeli real estate event taking place there on Nov. 13. The protesters accused the realtors from My Israel Home, an Israeli real estate company based outside of Jerusalem, of marketing Palestinian land. They also said that the company was discriminating against event attendees by religion, effectively excluding everyone except especially religious Jews. According to PAL-Awda, the protesters were attacked by counter-protesters, including an organizer of the event, armed with pepper-spray and tactical flashlights wielded as bludgeons.

While the confrontation unfolded outside Congregation Ohr Torah, a protester going by the name “Riley” made their way inside. (The identities of Riley and other event attendees mentioned in this story have been obscured to protect them from any potential retaliation.) In order to register, Riley provided My Israel Home with the name of their synagogue and how they had heard of the event. According to Riley, they were questioned at the door by private security about their synagogue once again, plus their social media accounts, political beliefs and professional background.

After being frisked, Riley says they were allowed to attend the event — and able to document My Israel Home realtors advertising properties in Giv’at Ha-Matos, which is categorized as an Israeli settlement in the West Bank by the United Nations. According to the International Court of Justice, Giv’at Ha-Matos and the 300 other Israeli settlements in the West Bank are all illegal encroachments upon Palestinian land.

“Not only were the properties reserved for Jews only, the realtors were specifically targeting Jewish people in the tri-state area,” Riley said. “That was the focus.”

Israeli real estate companies have recently held more than two dozen similar events across the United States and Canada, marketing property on Palestinian land and discriminating against attendees, according to activists like Riley. In response, activists have been infiltrating the events to document violations of international and domestic laws, which they hope will help stem Israel’s ongoing annexation of Palestine.

Infiltrating the events

Since March, Israeli real estate companies have held more than 27 events like the one at Congregation Ohr Torah, according to Greg, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, or JVP, which has organized protests against them. The locations span Toronto to Baltimore, Long Island to Los Angeles, and have been put on by at least five different companies. In addition to My Israel Home, others involved include CapitIL, Home in Israel, My Home in Israel and YYK Jerusalem. The properties marketed by the various companies range from apartments in southern Israel for $435,000 to homes in the illegal Israeli settlement of Efrat in the West Bank for more than $2.9 million. (None of the aforementioned Israeli companies responded to multiple requests for comment.)

For Jewish activists like those with JVP, the fact that many are hosted at synagogues like Congregation Ohr Torah is especially objectionable.

“We were horrified to learn of the proliferation of real estate fairs to sell property in the occupied West Bank to North American Jews,” JVP Executive Director Stefanie Fox said. “These events advance ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and are in violation of international law. It is an insult to the Jewish tradition that synagogues around the country would host such events. These are supposed to be our holy spaces and instead they are collaborating in the destruction and displacement of Palestinians.”

According to activists who have attended, or attempted to attend, the events, all of the Israeli real estate companies explicitly required them to answer questions regarding their religious affiliation, without which they would either not receive further details or would be stopped at the door. Greg received a call from a CapitIL agent after registering online for one of the company’s events.

“He asked me where I daven [pray], who the rabbi is there and for the rabbi’s number — seeming incredulous that I wouldn’t just have the rabbi’s number stored in my phone,” Greg explained. “He said he would check on me with the rabbi and asked if the rabbi would know who I was. I said probably not because I don’t go to shul [synagogue] that much.”

Greg did not receive any further information about the CapitIL event, effectively preventing them from attending.

Another JVP member, Parker, successfully registered for an event by Home in Israel, which also asked registrants for the names of their synagogues and rabbis, but they were nevertheless stopped at the door by security. According to Parker, they were on the guestlist, but security claimed that a background check had found anti-Israeli posts on their Instagram account — despite Parker’s account being private. Jay, another JVP member who attended the same event, believes Parker was actually stopped at the door because of their age, as they appeared too young to buy property.

Two other JVP members, Alex and Jess, were able to successfully register for and attend a My Home in Israel event. According to the activists, the online registration process included providing information about their synagogues, and they witnessed another attendee being turned away from the event for apparently failing to register.

In addition to occasionally frustrating activists’ attempts to document violations of international law at these Israeli real estate events, the registration processes themselves may run afoul of domestic laws against discrimination in housing. Realtors cannot discriminate in the marketing of property to prospective buyers, according to Dina Chehata, an attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Greater Los Angeles, a public advocacy organization for Muslims in the United States. They are planning on filing complaints against My Home in Israel with housing authorities in California over two events held there.

“We have strong policies that really look down on discriminating against somebody in real estate and in the sale of land based on their protected characteristics — national origin being one, religion being another,” Chehata said. “So we would like to appeal to state agencies to say that it’s against our public policy in the state of California, and the United States generally, to have companies that are selling to American citizens in a way that discriminates against their protected characteristics.”

Bring the law to bear

Of course the most pressing violations of law at these Israeli real estate events concern Israel’s ongoing annexation of Palestine. According to activists with both JVP and PAL-Awda, at least four of the Israeli real estate companies that have recently held events in the United States and Canada — CapitIL, My Home in Israel, My Israel Home and YYK — market properties in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Activists’ infiltration of the events have allowed them to document such violations, which in turn provides legal advocates with the evidence necessary to file complaints.

According to Leena Widdi, spokesperson for PAL-Awda, legal complaints are one facet of the multi-pronged approach to opposing Zionism, or Jewish ethno-nationalism, which motivates the Israeli annexation of Palestine.

“We do research, compiling and organizing documentation for legal action,” Widdi said. “We also organize protests when ‘Stolen Land’ events are discovered to confront, publicize and challenge these illegal events. We are continuing to broaden our campaign against the event organizers, their financial supporters and the Zionists and politicians who provide them political cover.”

In March, PAL-Awda assisted the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation Law Commission, another Palestinian rights organization, in filing complaints against My Home in Israel with the attorneys general and other authorities in New Jersey and New York regarding real estate events in each state. Although the New Jersey Civil Rights Division, which enforces local fair housing laws, does not comment on ongoing investigations, PAL Law’s complaint appears to have triggered an investigation into My Home in Israel in New Jersey. The division issued a letter to My Home in Israel, requesting further information about a company event on March 10 at the Congregation Keter Torah synagogue in Teaneck, New Jersey.

In some instances, the combined efforts of protesters and legal advocates have successfully prevented Israeli real estate events from taking place at all. Following calls by PAL-Awda to protest an event by My Home in Israel in Brooklyn, New York, on March 13 and PAL Law’s complaint to authorities in New York, the Israeli realtors cancelled the event. Pressure from protesters and legal advocates has also pushed Israeli realtors to move other events to new venues or hold them online, rather than in person.

While it remains unclear if or when the investigation into My Home in Israel will proceed in New Jersey, activists say they will continue working to ensure that international and domestic laws are enforced to end the marketing of Palestinian land by Israeli realtors, as well as the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip and Israeli occupation of Palestine in general.

According to Riley, who infiltrated the event at Congregation Ohr Torah, ongoing demonstrations are necessary, but other forms of pressure need to be brought to bear on Israeli realtors who seek to benefit from the illegal annexation of Palestinian land.

“They don’t care about anyone shouting ‘Free Palestine’ — they laugh in the face of that,” Riley said. “Things that can provide even the slightest bit of material pressure are better than just the mass demonstrations. And I felt like I was in a position where I could do this.”"

-via Waging Nonviolence, January 10, 2025

[colinodonoghue]

222aghoststory & colinodonoghue1: 🚨 MEET YOUR DUBLIN CAST 🚨 @shonabmx @birdspotting @colinodonoghue1 @thewhitmore will be taking #222AGhostStory to Dublin’s @3olympiatheatre this Summer, 21 June - 11 Aug. For a strictly limited run 🚨Do you dare to join us? Book your tickets now! Link in bio 👻📸 @seamusphoto

Colinodonoghue1: Woohoo!! So excited to be a part of this show!!

[Get your tickets here!!!]

Runaway Entertainment in association with 3Olympia Theatre presents

2:22 - A GHOST STORY

Shona McGarty, Jay McGuiness, Colin O’Donoghue, Laura Whitmore, Announced for The Very Special, Standalone Irish Production

The smash hit play by Danny Robins Makes Irish Debut At 3Olympia Theatre This Summer For a Strictly Limited Run

Directed by Matthew Dunster & Isabel Marr

“A slick, chilling, romp of a play” The Guardian

‘A modern classic’ Sunday Times

Producer Runaway Entertainment is delighted to announce the stellar cast for the critically acclaimed, smash hit, supernatural thriller 2:22 - A Ghost Story opening at Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre this summer for its debut Irish performances.

Shona McGarty (Eastenders) will play Jenny, Jay McGuiness (The Wanted, BIG! The Musical, Rip It Up), who is currently on the UK tour in 2:22 - A Ghost Story, will play Ben, Colin O'Donoghue (Once Upon A Time, The Tudors, The Right Stuff, The Gray House) will play Sam with Laura Whitmore (Love Island, Finding Joy, Queenie, and Jenny in 2.22: A Ghost Story in her West End debut) stepping into the role of Lauren.

The very special, standalone Irish production, produced for Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre, will open on Thursday 20th June 2024 with performances until Sunday 11th August 2024 - for a strictly limited run only.

Full list of performances below. Age Suitability: 12+ 

Tickets priced from €26.50 including booking fee and €1.50 restoration levy on sale now with Ticketmaster Ireland

2:22 - A Ghost Story began in summer 2021 at the Noël Coward Theatre, starring Lily Allen, Julia Chan, Hadley Fraser and Jake Wood, and where it won the WhatsOnStage award for Best Play. It then transferred to the Gielgud Theatre for 10 weeks from 4 December 2021. The production there starring Stephanie Beatriz, James Buckley, Elliot Cowan and Giovanna Fletcher completed its run on 12 February 2022. For the first season at the Criterion (May - September 2022) the cast was Tom Felton, Mandip GIll, Sam Swainsbury and Beatriz Romilly. In late September Laura Whitmore, Matt Willis, Felix Scott and Tamsin Carroll took over. 

The box office record-breaking run at the Lyric starring Cheryl, Jake Wood, Scott Karim, and Louise Ford, concluded its run on 23 April. The West End season at the Apollo Theatre starred Sophia Bush, Frankie Bridge, Ricky Champ, Clifford Samuel and Jaime Winstone, and set off on its UK tour in Autumn 2023 with Joe Absolom, Charlene Boyd, Nathaniel Curtis and Louisa Lytton in the cast. Current cast on the UK tour: Vera Chok (Lauren); Jay McGuiness (Ben); George Rainsford (Sam); Fiona Wade (Jenny).

2:22 is written by award-winning writer Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcast The Battersea Poltergeist, and is directed by Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr; it’s an adrenaline-filled night where secrets emerge and ghosts may or may not appear…

Danny Robins said: ‘I'm really looking forward to seeing how Dublin audiences respond to 2:22 this summer. The tour continues to be a great success and I can't think of a better place to round off the journey in 2024 than here with a brand new cast to be announced soon!'

What do you believe? And do you dare discover the truth?

“THERE’S SOMETHING IN OUR HOUSE. I HEAR IT EVERY NIGHT, AT THE SAME TIME"

Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they’re going to stay up... until 2:22... and then they’ll know.

2:22 - A Ghost Story features set design by Anna Fleischle, costume design by Cindy Lin, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph Sound and illusions by Chris Fisher. Casting by Matilda James.

2:22 - A Ghost Story is produced by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Isobel David and Kater Gordon.  [source]      

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Cute little 1918 bungalow on Key West in Florida is pricey (b/c it's on Key West). 2bds, 2ba, $1.530M.

It's old and a little worn, but it's got charm.

The buyer can negotiate to buy the furnishings.

The galley kitchen is pretty big and it has a purple retro fridge.

There's a hallway that leads to the bedrooms and ends with a door to the garden.

Cute bedroom.

Isn't this an adorable bathroom? Love the tub.

Going up the stairs to the 2nd level.

I think that this large 2nd fl. room is the primary bedroom. It also has a big 2nd level porch.

Isn't this nice?

The en-suite has a jetted walk-in tub.

Large deck on the back of the house.

At the end of the deck is a guest house.

The guest house has bunk beds and a small sink.

Tropical garden.

And, this is a salt water pool.

According to the description, this is a rare property b/c it's on a large 51'x94' lot.

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2023: Day 18 - Blueprints

Crovan's Gate Works is Home to many Blueprints:

Crovan’s Gate Works is one of, if not the, largest steamworks in the United Kingdom – and the single best equipped. It services steam locomotives from all four of Sodor’s railways, as well as engines from across the country and further. Many of the engines who appeared in the infamous ‘The Great Race’ movie – especially those from Europe – were actually engines being overhauled at Crovan’s Gate when Mattel sent people to do research for the film. The works has machines that can make any part needed for an engine on the Fat Controller’s railway, and beyond – but that’s not all they have.

In a dark, slightly dusty room underneath the main offices, there are filing cabinets. Row upon row of the things which stretch out through the basement. And in these filing cabinets are the blueprints. There are thousands of these blueprints carefully sorted and filed away in this room. Everything from the designs of the A1X Terrier through to the Streamlined Coronation class. It’s all in this one room.

And it was originally the folly of Sir Topham Hatt I, back in 1897.

When he was the CME of the Tidmouth, Knapford & Elsbridge Light Railway (TK&ELR), Topham Hatt began collecting old blueprints. Some people collect stamps, others collect coins – but Topham collected blueprints. He had already copied many of the Great Western’s blueprints during his time as an apprentice at Swindon Works, and these he kept with new plans sent to him by his friend William Stanier in his office.

When building the TK&ELR Coffee Pot engines, he consulted a huge number of blueprints, trying to find something he could build considering the extremely low amount of resources he was allocated. And he did utilise some ideas from the various blueprints he had acquired – specifically a redrawing of the ‘blueprints’ used for the Novelty from the Rainhill trials… only the blueprints Hatt had were extremely well-drawn fakes, which did a bit of messing with the exhaust system. Topham Hatt mixed these blueprints with several others, but the exhaust system became infamous for spewing out dirty brown water.

This led to Topham Hatt deciding that the best way to avoid such an embarrassment in the future was to get more blueprints. He managed to bargain the blueprints of almost every engine he ever bought into the deal, with one notable exception: Henry.

Henry was built using stolen blueprints which were muddled and half-right. Hatt never managed to nab the stolen blueprints for himself, which made diagnosing Henry all the more difficult. It was actually Richard Hatt – Topham’s great grandson – who found the formerly stolen blueprints. He managed to find them in a garage sale!

Percy was another engine whose blueprints did not fully arrive with the engine. The warehouse Hatt bought him from had a grand total of around 59% of his original blueprints, with the other 41% being scattered across the West Country, the Midlands and Wales. If you can believe it, Topham Hatt went on the hunt for these blueprints all throughout the 1930s, and was able to snag the last one from the wreck of a bombed house in Cardiff in 1941.

When British Railways was formed in 1948, the now Sir Topham Hatt utilised his new position on the board of the company to gain access to every blueprint British Railways had under its control. Carriages, trucks, engines – even railway adjacent lorries, ships and buses all had blueprints that Sir Topham was able to have copied and sent to Crovan’s Gate. These were all placed in a special room and have been updated since.

Sir Charles Topham Hatt also added to this collection – but for a very different reason. In the 1960s, as Sodor gained more independence – and more diesels – it became increasingly clear that the island had to repair its engines on its own. To this end, Sir Charles began having copies of engines he bought sent to Sodor so that in the event of repairs, the works at Crovan’s Gate would be able to use the original blueprints before beginning the overhaul, saving time and allowing the workers to know what parts the engine might need. Sir Charles also had updated blueprints of all of his engines drafted, as many of his older engines had been heavily modified since arriving (such as Edward, Henry and Gordon), meaning that new, accurate blueprints were required. The first of these would be Edward’s when he went in for an overhaul after his ‘Exploit’ in 1965.

Today, there are thousands of blueprints kept at Crovan’s Gate Works, with new ones added each year. These are often copies of blueprints for locomotives built outside of the UK, as it is believed that Crovan’s Gate Works has a copy of the designs for every British locomotive, carriage, and wagon to have ever run – bar those which never had blueprints.

Back to Master Post

[mcattacksims]

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  Have you ever been in the position, where it’s lashing rain outside and the wind is howling its ghostly cry? You could wind down to a good film but you just feel like playing The Sims, and are in dire need of a legacy with a more story-driven aspect. That’s the position I found myself in the other evening, so I set out to put together this legacy challenge!

    "Seanchas" is the Gaelic word for "Folklore", and so this legacy is very loosely inspired by some famous Irish prose and poems with some elements of Irish mythology thrown in. Please note this legacy contains three supernatural-themed generations. If you are not a fan of supernatural gameplay, you may skip these if you wish. But without further ado, let's get into the rules!

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Basic Rules:

No cheats allowed unless specified in the challenge rules. However if cheating needs and weather with UI Cheats for storytelling purposes is your thing then feel free, I do it myself.

There is no hard or fast rule when it comes to inheritance, however unless otherwise stated in the rules of the generation, anything in the range of §10-20k will do fine to get your sims started. Just make sure you leave enough for your previous heir!

For the best possible immersion, I suggest fleshing out your sims, their family and friends as much as possible with their own stories and personalities.

Have a keepsake item to represent each generation and store it in the Keepsake Box, items may be displayed during each generation before being returned to the box before the beginning of the following generation. (Credits to the amazing @windslar for this idea. It’s a great way of reflecting on your past sims!)

You must live in the prescribed worlds and lots of each generation. If no lot is prescribed you may choose a lot to call your home.

I highly suggest using @simkhira’s custom lifespans with MCC however the regular normal and long lifespans will suffice.

I recommend using custom save files and holidays to further spice up your gameplay. (I personally adore Ratboy and Simlicy’s save files as well as OshinSims’ guide to custom holidays).

Finally, just have a bit of craic, this legacy is story-heavy, however feel free to tweak your sims story to your liking. Go wild! Use as many mods as you’d like. My suggestions are linked below.

If you notice any discrepancies or find this challenge difficult, please let me know. I will be playing through it myself, however I’m open to tweaking it if needs be.

If you decide to play this challenge and post screenshots here please use the #seanchaslegacy. I’d love to see your gameplay!

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Suggested Mods:

MC Command Centre

UI Cheats

All Mods by Lumpinou

All Mods by Adeepindigo

All Mods by TwistedMexi

All Mods by Maplebell

All Mods by Plumlace

All Mods by Utopya

All Mods by Kuttoe

Wonderful Whims or Wicked Whims (18+)

Basemental Alcohol and Drugs (18+)

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Generation 1: An tEarrach Thiar

(‘Springtime In the West’ by Máirtín Ó Direáin)

You began your story as a youth who grew up in the bustling city of Ciudad Enamorada. You had an exemplary upbringing, but as vibrant, loving and warm as the townsfolk were, you couldn't help but feel a strong desire to break away from your hometown. To reconnect with nature and dwell on an island just like the poet's you've always read about. As luck would have it, an old abandoned cottage came up for sale one day on an island near the idylic lakeside village of Windenburg. And so, naturally you packed your bags and made off for a new adventure amidst the gentle quiet of the lapping lake waters. On arrival you find your new dwelling wholly inspiring. "If the walls of this cottage could talk," the auctioneer remarked as they handed you over the key. You spent the rest of that evening on your old typewriter, a family heirloom. Scribing your every thought and emotion you felt and turning them into enveloping stories and thought-provoking poems. However, your uncanny ability to see others and immerse yourself in their stories may just prove detrimental for your relationships with friends, family and lovers alike...

Aspiration: Bestselling Author

Career: Freelance Writer or Writer (Author)

Traits: Loner, Loves Outdoors & Bookworm

Goals:

Start out on the 'Mid-NoWhere' lot on the island in Windenburg with §20k simoleons to build or place an old cottage. The more rundown the better and use of live-edit and debug objects is recommended.

Visit Granite Falls at least once a year on a writing retreat and befriend the hermit.

Join the 'Avant Gardes' and schedule a meeting once a week.

Acquire the 'Outdoorsy' lifestyle.

Complete the Frogs collection.

In late young-adulthood, get married just one week after meeting your spouse.

As an adult, a rift begins to form between yourself and your spouse, as you find yourself confiding in your books more often than your partner these days. Perhaps your relationship was a 'kindling flame' rather than a 'roaring fire'. It is up to you whether you file for a divorce or try to make amends with them.

Master the Writing and Herbalism skills.

Master the career of your choice and complete the Bestselling Author aspiration.

Generation 2: An Spailpín Fánach

(‘The Wandering Labourer’ - Unknown Poet)

As much of a grá as you had for your homeland, growing up you always knew you'd have to leave. There was nothing for you on the island. You were never creative like your parents, in fact you were always quite the opposite. Fascinated by animals, particularly horses and by extension, cowboys. In school you picked up a penpal from a small, western town known as Chestnut Ridge. As a land which was renowned worldwide for its mastery in horsemanship, you just couldn't imagine yourself moving anywhere else. And so, one day, you wrote a letter to your penpal begging them to allow you to go and work on their family ranch. They accepted! And now you must graft and learn the ropes to become the town's new champion rider...

Aspiration: Championship Rider

Career: Farm Hand & Odd Job Connoisseur

Traits: Horse Lover, Rancher & Ambitious

Goals:

As a teenager, build up a friendship with your penpal from Chestnut Ridge. They may even travel to Windenburg on a school trip if you wish!

Once you reach young adulthood, move to your penpal's family farm. You will be earning §1,750 per week as a farm hand including your accomodation and food expenses for you and your horse. All other expenditure will come out of your own account. (I highly suggest using the SNB mod or recording your sims funds on a spreadsheet or piece of paper.)

You may use the bulletin board beside the riding centre to earn additional income with odd jobs.

Once per season, you must schedule a Ranch Gathering or Ranch Animal Day.

Buy a horse as soon as you can afford it and have them reach the maximum level in all four skills, (Temperament, Jumping, Agility, and Endurance.)

Complete the postcard collection.

If you wish, you may choose to eventually fall in love or become best friends with your penpal. If you choose to become lovers, your penpal's family will become furious and kick you both out of the household. Otherwise you must have a house of your own by the time you reach adulthood.

Master the Riding skill.

Complete the Championship Rider aspiration.

Generation 3: An Chailleach Bhéara

(‘The Hag of Beara’, Folklore Tale - Various Authors)

Growing up in a small town was never going to be easy. It must be exhausting trying that hard to live in the pockets of others. Either you toed the line and worked the land or you were treated like an outcast. As someone with an intrigue for the art of magic and a flair for flower arranging, you were exiled from society, spat at by some and avoided entirely by others. One day, whilst in high school the local bully decided it was your turn to be picked on. Let's just say they picked on the wrong pissed off lad that day! You stared at the bully in anger and frustration and all of a sudden, the fence they were leaning on snapped, sending them into a pile of horse dung on the far side! Scared witless and confused, all you could do was make haste, for a land that was said to be full of 'strange' individuals like yourself known as Glimmerbrook. You had nearly arrived at your destination when you stumbled upon an overgrown archway in the evergreen woods. The stench of pine was almost insufferable, however it soon became evident that this was no ordinary woods nor ordinary archway, it appeared to be calling your name, and so you put your hand forth into the abyss only to find it was a portal... Mages! Potions! Wands! You have dreamt of this day since you were a child. Now is your chance to prove them all wrong back home and become the great spellcaster you were always destined to be!

Aspiration: Spellcraft and Sorcery or Purveyor of Potions

Career: Gardener (Florist)

Traits: Hot-Headed, Vegetarian & Socially Awkward (Change for Wise as an Elder)

Goals:

In the latter stages of teenagehood, run away from home and move into an empty lot of your choice in Glimmerbrook.

Enter the portal in the woods and become a spellcaster.

Adopt a black cat as your familiar.

Complete the Magical Artefacts collection.

Build a greenhouse and fill it with magical flowers and plants.

Befriend all three sages.

Reach the 'Virtuoso' rank as a spellcaster.

Fall in love with a human, have one child with them and marry them as an elder.

Master the Flower Arranging skill.

Master the Florist career and complete the aspiration of your choice.

Generation 4: Mise Éire

(‘I am Ireland’ by Pádraic Mac Piarais)

You have always had great time for the literary geniuses of our past. Moreover a great appreciation for the various languages and by extension, cultures which define each and every one of us. Your mortal parent always spoke fondly of their hometown, Copperdale, and one day you realised that’s it! That is where I see my future! Learning about my nation's past, its language and songs. Then spreading your knowledge and giving an inspiring education to its youth. And so as a young adult you set off for the historic university town of Britechester, where you hoped to earn a distinguished degree in Language and Literature. Here you meet some of your best friends, worst enemies and ultimately your soulmate. Later on in life as a teacher you naturally hold your spouse, as well as your own children to incredibly high standards, a fatal flaw which could cost you your relationship with them…

Aspiration: Academic

Career: Education (Professor)

Traits: Perfectionist, Snob & Overachiever

Goals:

As a young adult, attend the University of Britechester and study Language and Literature.

Join the Secret Society.

Host a gold rated keg party whilst at university.

Achieve all A’s and B’s in your final University grades.

Meet three good friends, one arch nemesis and your future spouse whilst at university.

Foster a ‘Strict’ family dynamic with your children. Whether your relationship with them worsens or improves with time is up to you…

Master the Logic and Research & Debate skills.

Master the Education career and complete the Academic aspiration.

Generation 5: Géibheann

(‘Captivity’ by Caitlín Maude)

If you were to sum up your childhood in one word it would be… torturous. With unrealistic expectations, constant criticism and an overall genuine fear of your parents, you nearly left your dreams for dusk. Nearly did, but not quite. Instead of becoming a doctor as your parents always hoped, you decided you’d be better fit to look after four-legged patients instead. And so, you set off to the seaside town of Brindleton Bay, known for its remarkable advances in animal care. Whilst there you will live with your elderly grandmother who for many years has taken care of the town’s lighthouse. She was so chuffed to hear of your coming that she built a wee shed at the back of her home for you to open your first veterinary practice. It’s a real shame that those back home were never this supportive. Escaping was the only way, you keep telling yourself. I suppose the salt air will do you good if nothing else…

Aspiration: Friend of the Animals

Career: Veterinarian

Traits: Animal Lover, Gloomy & Loyal

Goals:

Once you reach young adulthood, move in with your grandmother who resides in Brindleton Bay.

Open your first practice in the back garden before relocating to a new lot once you reach a 3 star rating.

Become best friends with your grandmother and take her out for lunch once a week because she deserves it!

Have the clinic reach 5 stars.

Adopt at least one stray dog and one stray cat.

Have at least one pet master all the tricks that can be learned.

Complete the feathers collection.

Meet your future spouse at the clinic, cliché I know, but their dog was class…

Become good friends with all your children. You don’t want a repeat of the relationship you had with your own parents…

Master the Veterinary and Pet Training skills.

Complete the Friend of the Animals aspiration.

Generation 6: Cú Chulainn

(Folklore Tale - Various Authors)

You always loved helping out in the clinic at home. But you had a particular grá for dogs, especially the wilder ones. Werewolves always peaked your interest, with their ferocious howls and bloodthirsty stares. It was always rumoured that a pack of werewolves roamed around the woods of Moonwood Mill, so naturally you had to go and discover the truth for yourself. Whilst wandering the dark forests, you came across a rather rundown homestead with a sign outside stating ‘BEWARE OF GREG’. But who is Greg? You soon found out and let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. The day after your encounter you can’t help but shake this ravenous feeling, you just can’t keep yourself full, then the intense hair growth started. One night, as the moon rose in the eastern sky, your change was completed… Your legs grew until it was as if you were on stilts and your ears pointed like spears. Was this really happening or is it just a bad dream? I suppose all one can do now is embrace the fury…

Aspiration: Werewolf Initiate (Followed by any one of the four branches of your choice)

Career: Jeweller

Traits: Dog Lover, Erratic & Glutton

Goals:

Move to Moonwood Mill and pay Greg a visit to initiate the werewolf transformation process.

Complete the Moonwood Relics collection.

Join the werewolf pack associated with your aspiration branch and reach the ‘Alpha’ rank.

Make money through jewellery crafting and fishing.

Go on a family fishing trip to a world of your choosing once per week. It can be on vacation or just as a day trip.

Adopt two child or teenage werewolves, (these may be created in CAS), however your heir must be a human related by blood.

Master the Gemology and Fishing skills.

Complete the aspiration of your choice.

Generation 7: Dís

(‘Couple’ by Siobhán Ní Shúilleabháin)

You grew up idolising the wolf pack, despite not being a wolf yourself. Yet when the time came you knew you’d have to leave. Becoming a singer has always been the dream, werewolves make very excellent musicians believe it or not! You spent your teenage days with your best friend, a fellow mortal, writing songs and performing them live at the Grimtooth Bar & Bunker. So on your 18th birthday, you and your best friend made for the big city of San Myshuno to fulfil your dreams of becoming musicians. As the years go by, your fame grows. You meet the love of your life and leave your best friend for dusk. Then the morning of your wedding, you wake to see a closeup of your partner caressing another in a tabloid! Heartbroken, you leave your partner at the altar and make a B-line for your ex-best friend’s apartment in the spice district, but will they be able to find it in their heart to forgive you? I hope so. The baby has to sleep somewhere…

Aspiration: Musical Genius

Career: Entertainer (Musician)

Traits: Music Lover, Insider & Lovebug

Goals:

Once you reach young-adulthood, move to San Myshuno with your best friend.

Attend all festival invites.

Hold a karaoke night once a fortnight with your friends.

Go busking in the city with your best friend to earn some extra simoleons.

Reach fame level 5 and win a starlight accolade.

Complete the poster collection.

Meet your partner (a music producer) whilst busking in the city, you fall madly in love and move in with them the following week.

Leave them at the altar after you find out about their infidelity.

Move back in with your best friend following your breakup, only to find out you or your ex is pregnant!

Master the Piano and Guitar skills and reach level 5 of the Singing skill.

Master the Entertainer career and complete the Musical Genius aspiration.

Generation 8: Hurlamaboc

(‘Commotion’ by Éilís Ní Dhuibhne’)

Your upbringing was about as far from normal as you could get. Let’s just say the limelight of your parents shone a bit too brightly for your liking. On top of that they fought constantly and were always spiteful of each other. They never told you why. Instead you found out by means of someone plastering that cheating picture all over your school locker! Yikes… And so you sought to give your family a perfectly ordinary upbringing. In the perfect suburban town of San Sequoia, with a childhood full of love, hugs and who could forget the packed lunches? Certainly not you! Especially with your new pizza and waffle makers! However as time passes you find that helicopter parenting is perhaps not always a good thing. With a partner (your high-school sweetheart) that is so laid back that they’re only short of falling over half the time, can you put manners on your spoiled children before it’s too late or will parenthood get all too much for you…

Aspiration: Super Parent and/or Home Chef Hustler

Career: Home Chef

Traits: Family Orientated, Jealous & Foodie

Goals:

Marry your high-school sweetheart and move into a small home in San Sequoia. Grow the house slowly overtime so it fits your ever-growing family!

Complete the MySims collection (you can start collecting them as a teen).

Host a yard sale three times per week where you will sell your baked goods to earn some simoleons.

Host a gold rated dinner party with all your neighbours and closest friends.

Have at least three children.

Your heir must grow up with all their character traits maxed out.

Have a stay over once a month. It can be with your family or your children’s friends.

Build a treehouse for your kids to hang out in.

Once your eldest child becomes a teenager, have them start rebelling (you can go wild and use Basemental if you wish), it is up to you whether your sim can calm their child or if they will spiral out of control.

Master the Cooking and Parenting skills.

Complete the aspiration of your choice.

Generation 9: An Gnáthrud

(‘The Usual Thing by Cathal Ó Searcaigh’)

You got the perfect upbringing. Your creativity was allowed to shine and your parents loved every inch of you. You always had great plans of going to Britechester and studying Art History, that was until news came out of your uncle’s mysterious disappearance. He left his farm in Henford-On-Bagley to your parents, however the pain of his passing was all too much for them to bear. You didn’t want to go, but your uncle was always so good to you as a kid that you felt you must go and investigate his sudden death instead. On arrival all the villagers seem friendly. The Watson’s do seem a bit suspicious though, and why are the Crumplebottoms looking at me like that? It is up to you to restore your uncle’s farm and uncover the truth about his disappearance…

Aspiration: Painter Extraordinaire (Switch for Country Caretaker once you move.)

Career: Farmer and Freelance Artist

Traits: Art Lover, Paranoid & Squeamish (All Parenthood Reward Traits also.)

Goals:

As a child, complete the Creative Genius aspiration.

Once you become a young adult, move to your uncle’s farm in Henford-On-Bagley. It must have the ‘Simple Living’ and ‘Wild Foxes’ lot challenges.

Win at least once in each category at Finchwick Fair and complete the Village Fair Ribbons collection.

You must have at least one chicken, one cow and one llama at all times.

Befriend wild birds and bunnies, these will act as your spies (just kidding).

Run at least one errand for every townie in Henford as a means of getting to know them and gaining their trust.

Option 1 - The Watson’s poisoned your uncle as he refused to sell them his farm. You find out through a bundle of old solicitors letters from the Watsons threatening legal action if your uncle refused to sell up. You bring your evidence to the police and upon further investigation the head of the family is found guilty of your uncle’s murder and is jailed for life.

Option 2 - Your uncle was eaten by the cowplant in the garden (a classic I know). You find out one day when you forget to feed your cowplant and be dies revealing your uncle’s remains!

Master the Painting and Gardening skills.

Once you find out the truth about your uncle you may choose to sell the farm, move into a small tigín with your family and resume the Painter Extraordinaire aspiration or stay on the farm and complete the Country Caretaker aspiration.

In either case you must complete the second level of both aspirations and complete at least one.

Generation 10: Tír na nÓg

(‘The Land of Youth’, Folklore Tale - Various Authors)

Growing up in a well-to-do, tight knit village, people were often nasty and spewed uncensored opinions when it came to keeping up appearances. As a teenager this took a serious toll on you. Beauty and skincare became a ritual. You got up at 6am most mornings to go for a run out of fear that people may call you ‘unfit’ or ‘undesirable’. One morning, whilst out on your morning run, you meet two dark figures. They greet you with kind waves and one of the figures asks you why you’re jogging at such an ungodly hour. Without thinking you tell them your every insecurity. The pair laugh and offer to take you to a place which was said to offer eternal youth and beauty to its inhabitants. A land known as Forgotten Hollow. You jump at the opportunity and follow the pair back to their homestead. A large haunting estate greets you on arrival and before you know it, you feel a pair of sharp, dagger-like objects sinking into the side of your neck. Teeth!! Before you know it, you drift into a deep slumber. On awakening you rub your eyes to see the same two figures you saw in the woods, except this time, one of the figures appears to be holding a pouch filled with a red substance. Blood? Your lips begin to tremble as they approach. So… thirsty... For the first time you look around and find that you’re sitting in a coffin! “Caleb”, one of the figures remarks as he hands you the pouch. You shake his hand. “And this is my sister, Lillith”, she gazes at you, and to your shock horror two large fangs emerge from her dazzling smile. “It’s so lovely to have company” she spits out. And so began your journey as a vampire, whether you can escape the grasp of the twins or decide to stay and marvel in your newfound beauty and power is entirely up to you…

Aspiration: Master Vampire (Linked to Option 1) or Good Vampire (Linked to Option 2).

Career: None (Linked to Option 1) or Paranormal Investigator (Option 2)

Traits: Self Absorbed, High Maintenance & Evil (Linked to Option 1) or Good (Linked to Option 2)

Goals:

As a teenager, wake up at 6am three mornings per week to go for a jog.

Whilst out on your jog one morning, summon Lillith and Caleb to the lot (using MCC) and follow them back to their manor in Forgotten Hollow.

Whilst there, get bitten and move into the Vatore household.

Option 1: When you age up into a young adult, your thirst for blood envelops your every thought and feeling. You want to become a Master Vampire with the help of Caleb and Lillith.

Option 2: After two sim weeks, one night, whilst hunting the Bramblewood for victims, you stumble across a family member. They convince you to come home. Your family gives you a sum of money and you run away to Willow Creek to pursue a career as a Paranormal Investigator.

Option 1: You marry one of the Vatore twins. Jealousy grows between the twins until one day, Lillith locks Caleb outside, causing him to burn to death!

Option 2: You fall in love with a member of the Goth prodigy (note all original Goth family members will be 10 feet under by this stage) whilst cleansing their mansion. You convert them and the two of you live happily for the rest of eternity raising a family of vampires.

Master the Vampire Lore and Pipe Organ (Option 1) or Medium (Option 2) skills.

If you choose Option 1 master the Paranormal Investigator career and complete the aspiration of your choice.

· · ──────── ·𖥸· ──────── · ·· · ──────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

[theweeowlart]

Cockatoos are among the most well-known and loved members of the parrot family. They are found in Australia and the smaller island countries to the north and west. My drawing is for sale…

[tomorrowusa]

A Conservative politician is making millions off of slavery 190 years after slavery was abolished in Britain and its territories.

Tory Richard Drax comes from a filthy rich family notorious for having established the model for slave-based sugar plantations in the Caribbean in the 1620s. Even by the standards of a slave-based economy, the record of the Drax family was appalling.

The Barbados plantation was worked by up to 327 slaves at a time, with the death rate for both adults and children high. Sir Hilary Beckles, chairman of the 20-state Caribbean Community’s (Caricom) Reparations Commission and vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies, estimates that as many 30,000 slaves died on the Drax plantations in Barbados and Jamaica over 200 years.

Thanks largely to their their ill-gained riches, the Drax family owns a 700 acre walled estate in Dorset which includes a deer park. And apparently they are getting even richer.

Despite threats to make Richard Drax pay reparations and seize his family’s plantation – described by one historian as a “killing field” of enslaved Africans – the government is now planning to pay market value for 21 hectares (about 15 football pitches) of his land for housing. The move has angered many Barbadians, especially those who say the Drax family played a pivotal role in the development of slavery-based sugar production and the Barbados slave code in the 17th century. This denied Black Africans basic human rights, including the right to life. Critics have called the planned deal an “atrocity” and said this is “one plantation that the government should not be paying a cent for”. Trevor Prescod, MP and chair of the Barbados National Taskforce on Reparations, said: “What a bad example this is. Reparations and Drax Hall are now top of the global agenda. How do we explain this to the world? “The government should not be entering into any [commercial] relationship with Richard Drax, especially as we are negotiating with him regarding reparations.”

It's baffling why the Barbadian government would enter into such a deal.

Drax, the MP for South Dorset, travelled to Barbados to meet prime minister Mia Mottley. It is understood he was asked to hand over all or a substantial part of Drax Hall plantation. If he refused, legal action would follow. Mottley’s spokesperson said the current Drax Hall purchase was not linked to reparations and the government “constantly acquires land through this process”. Mottley has pledged to build 10,000 new homes to meet demand on the island, where there are 20,000 applications for housing. A senior valuation surveyor said the market value for agricultural land with an alternative use for housing would be about Bds$150,000 (£60,000) an acre. At this price, the 21 hectares could net Drax Bds$8m (£3.2m). The land would be for 500 low- and middle-income family homes, which would be for sale.

I'd just grab the land and pay Drax a token £1 just so he legally can't claim he wasn't compensated at all for the transfer.

Barbados poet laureate Esther Phillips, who grew up next to Drax Hall, said the planned deal was an “atrocity” and a case of the victims’ descendants now compensating the descendant of the enslaver. “He should be giving us this land as reparations, not further enriching himself … at the expense of Barbadians. As Barbadians, we must speak out against this.”

And with the reported thousands of deaths during the 200+ years of slavery at the Drax plantation, how many people will be comfortable with the idea that their new home is built on what was essentially a forced labor camp which became a model for regional slavery? Isn't the Drax property on Barbados a large cemetery?

[monsterkong]

A Luxury Coastal Experience at 2800 Ocean Blvd, Corona del Mar

🌅 Where Ocean Views Meet Timeless Elegance at 2800 Ocean Blvd 🌴

Luxury living has a new definition at 2800 Ocean Blvd in Corona del Mar. This spectacular property, designed by the renowned architect Brion Jeannette, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of prime real estate in one of Southern California’s most desirable coastal communities. With breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island, and the iconic Newport Harbor Jetty, this home offers an unparalleled living experience that must be seen to be believed.

🏠 Brion Jeannette's Vision: A Masterpiece of Architecture

Brion Jeannette is known for his ability to craft homes that blend luxury with functionality, and 2800 Ocean Blvd is the perfect example of his visionary designs. This French Country-style cottage sits on a rare 65' deep corner lot, offering an impressive 96' of west-facing frontage. The views here are simply unmatched, making this home a true standout in the area.

With over 4,700 square feet of living space, 2800 Ocean Blvd is both spacious and inviting. The design incorporates beautiful antique details, including leaded glass windows and beamed ceilings, while modern updates like new quartz countertops and wood cabinetry in the kitchen ensure that the home is as functional as it is stylish.

🍷 Entertaining Made Easy: Gorgeous Outdoor Spaces

The indoor spaces at 2800 Ocean Blvd are made to flow seamlessly into the outdoors. The backyard features beautifully landscaped grounds with multiple patios, a barbecue area, and plenty of space for entertaining. Ocean breezes add a touch of magic to every gathering, and with views like these, you’ll want to spend every moment outdoors.

🌙 A Retreat for Relaxation: The Bedrooms and Bathrooms

The upstairs primary suite is a true retreat, offering sweeping ocean views and a private balcony where you can watch the sunset over the Pacific. The suite includes a cozy fireplace, a luxurious marble walk-in shower, a jacuzzi tub, and a spa-like vanity area – it’s the perfect space to unwind after a busy day.

The three additional bedrooms are generously sized and offer plenty of natural light, while the private office and bonus rooms provide flexibility for whatever your needs may be.

🌟 The Rooftop Deck: A Slice of Paradise

The crown jewel of this home is the rooftop deck, which offers panoramic views of the ocean and surrounding coastline. Whether you're looking for a place to entertain guests or simply enjoy a peaceful moment alone, the rooftop is the perfect spot to take it all in.

🏖 The Best of Corona del Mar Living

Located just moments from the beach, Lido Marina Village, and with easy access to John Wayne Airport, this home puts you at the heart of everything that makes Corona del Mar so special. World-class dining, shopping, and recreation are all at your doorstep.

💼 Tim Smith Real Estate Group: Your Partner in Luxury Real Estate

When it comes to buying or selling luxury homes in Southern California, Tim Smith Real Estate Group is the name you can trust. With over $5 billion in career sales, they offer an unrivaled level of service and expertise. Their innovative approach to real estate marketing – including stunning aerial footage and beautifully produced videos – ensures that each property is presented in the best possible light.

🏡 Schedule a Tour of 2800 Ocean Blvd Today!

Don’t miss out on the chance to own this extraordinary coastal retreat. If you’re ready to make 2800 Ocean Blvd your home, reach out to Tim Smith Real Estate Group today to schedule a private tour. You won’t want to leave once you experience the beauty and luxury of this home.

👉 Visit Tim Smith Real Estate Group for more information and to schedule a viewing.

[hangelbel]

Exploring Manhattan: The Heart of New York City

Manhattan, the vibrant heart of New York City, is a place where history, art, culture, and commerce converge. With its iconic skyline, diverse neighborhoods, and endless entertainment options, Manhattan offers an experience like no other. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or rediscovering the city as a local, here’s everything you need to know about exploring Manhattan.

1. Iconic Landmarks

No visit to Manhattan is complete without exploring its famous landmarks. The Statue of Liberty stands proudly in New York Harbor, symbolizing freedom and hope. Nearby, Ellis Island shares the stories of millions of immigrants who helped shape the city’s history. Another must-see is the Empire State Building, offering breathtaking panoramic views of the skyline from its observation deck.

Other landmarks include Times Square, known as "The Crossroads of the World," where bright lights and billboards dazzle visitors day and night. Central Park, an oasis in the city's midst, provides a natural escape with walking trails, ponds, and beautiful scenery. For art lovers, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are must-visit destinations.

2. Diverse Neighborhoods

Each neighborhood in Manhattan has a unique personality, offering something for everyone. SoHo, known for its cobblestone streets and trendy boutiques, is a haven for art enthusiasts and fashionistas. The Lower East Side showcases the city’s immigrant history with vibrant eateries and cultural sites. For a taste of luxury, visit the Upper East Side, home to upscale shops, fine dining, and classic brownstones.

Head to Greenwich Village for a bohemian vibe with live music venues, quirky coffee shops, and the birthplace of the Beat movement. Meanwhile, Harlem offers rich African American culture, from soul food to jazz clubs and historic churches. Chinatown and Little Italy are other highlights, each offering unique flavors, cultural landmarks, and annual festivals.

3. Entertainment and Nightlife

Manhattan is famous for its Broadway district, where world-class musicals and plays entertain millions. Be sure to catch a show in one of the historic theaters, or, for a unique experience, see an off-Broadway production. The nightlife scene is also thriving, with rooftop bars offering stunning skyline views, jazz clubs in the West Village, and dance clubs in Chelsea.

If you prefer a more relaxed evening, consider a dinner cruise along the Hudson River. You’ll enjoy beautiful views of Manhattan’s illuminated skyline, including landmarks like the One World Trade Center, Chrysler Building, and Brooklyn Bridge.

4. Foodie’s Paradise

Manhattan is a culinary haven, offering everything from food trucks to Michelin-starred restaurants. For street food, try a New York-style hot dog, a classic slice of pizza, or a bagel with lox and cream cheese. Food halls like Chelsea Market and the Essex Market offer international cuisine, artisanal groceries, and unique dining experiences.

If you’re in the mood for fine dining, Manhattan boasts some of the world’s best restaurants. Jean-Georges, Eleven Madison Park, and Nobu offer exceptional experiences for food lovers. And don’t forget the borough's dessert scene: Magnolia Bakery’s cupcakes and Levain Bakery’s cookies are must-tries.

5. Shopping Extravaganza

For shopping, Fifth Avenue is a dream destination, offering high-end brands like Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. For unique finds, head to the markets in Hell’s Kitchen or the boutiques in NoLIta. And if you’re looking for budget-friendly options, the Garment District has plenty of sample sales and outlet stores.

Manhattan truly has it all—from world-renowned landmarks and diverse neighborhoods to mouth-watering cuisine and unparalleled entertainment. Whether you’re strolling through Central Park, dining in Little Italy, or exploring the art galleries in Chelsea, Manhattan will capture your heart and inspire memories that last a lifetime.

[freehawaii]

"THIS IS FOR US, GENOCIDE"

NATIVE HAWAIIANS FEAR MAUI WILDFIRE DESTRUCTION WILL LEAD TO THEIR CULTURAL ERASURE

    ��CBC News - August 17, 2023

 Keʻeaumoku Kapu has been handing out water, clothes, and emergency supplies to families in need out of the Walgreens parking lot in Lahaina, Maui. He said it is a way to keep himself occupied while he grieves the losses of his community. "I'm afraid we're not going to recover from this," said Kapu, speaking to CBC from his cellphone at the distribution centre Monday. Kapu is a Kanaka Maoli (a Hawaiian word for their Indigenous people) community leader in Lahaina, and head of the Nā ʻAikāne o Maui Cultural Center — which was destroyed by the fire that ripped through Lahaina. While members of the community are still grappling with their immediate needs and the death toll from the fire is still being counted, Kapu said he is "frantic" to make sure he is included in the conversations that are happening about what is next for Lahaina. "I'm hoping that we can get over this hurdle, but at the same time the fear of being erased ..." said Kapu. "Because our island is now turned into a cheaper commodity because there's nothing more important to save here, you have people coming in willing to buy burned-out places." Maui land grabs Kapu said his family and other members of his community have been contacted by realtors asking to buy their burned-up property. The office of the governor of Hawaii released a statement warning Maui residents about predatory buyers trying to capitalize on their fear and the financial uncertainty for those who have lost their homes. In a press conference Wednesday, Governor Josh Green said he is working with the attorney general to put a moratorium on property sales in West Maui. Social media posts from residents are pleading with people to not sell their properties to these realtors, fearing it will lead to Native Hawaiians being displaced from their homelands. A non-profit organization called Hawai'i Alliance for Progressive Action has started an online petition to call on governments to use their powers to stop Maui land grabs, support displaced families and ensure decisions are made with Native Hawaiians at the table. Kapu is urging people not to sell but is worried that people's fear and desperation may drive them to accept these offers. 

"You're gonna make our children tomorrow orphans within their own land," said Kapu. Lahaina holds deep cultural significance to the Hawaiian people and was once the capital of the Hawaiian kingdom. The city is where King Kamehameha III had his royal residence and modernized the Hawaiian central government with the creation of Hawaii's constitutional order. Many Hawaiians still recognize it as the original capital today, long after the capital was moved to Honolulu in 1845. The fire destroyed Lahaina's historic Front Street, where the cultural centre Kapu ran was located. Inside, the building held many cultural artifacts, like feather capes and helmets, implements, maps and documents. They were all destroyed. "Our place was a living place, it was a living museum. It was things that you could actually touch, books that you could actually read, maps that showed a lot of families where they originated from," said Kapu. But the loss is bigger than that. Kapu describes the centre as a gathering place for Indigenous people internationally, where culture was shared for the next generations and people could learn from each other. Kapu is heartbroken over the loss, and holds himself responsible for the care of the objects inside, though he barely escaped trying to save it, only having time to grab his laptop as he ran out. Ten minutes later the building was engulfed in flames. "For Lahaina, I'm afraid what this place can turn into now," said Kapu, who worries the historic buildings that have been lost could be replaced by private development. "This is, for us, genocide."  

Maui Fires Linked To Colonization The devastation of the Maui fires is directly tied to colonial greed, said Uahikea Maile, who is Kanaka Maoli from Maunawili, Oahu, and an assistant professor of Indigenous politics in the department of political science at the University of Toronto. Maile said pre-colonial Lahaina was a wetland ecosystem abundant with life and that was one of the reasons it was chosen for the royal residence. But Maile said in the late 19th and early 20th centuries white-owned sugar plantations on Maui started to illegally divert water to their crops, drying up the wetlands. "It's really devastating to think about the situation that over time transformed this place because it was strategically and purposefully altered to feed colonial forms of profiteering and wealth accumulation and greed," said Maile. These plantations also introduced non-native plant species for animal grazing that have helped fuel the Maui fires, said Maile. "The question of what to do next? How to heal? How to regenerate? And how to rebuild? Is a really crucial one that is on the minds of everyone," said Maile. Maile can see the island's colonial history repeating itself with realtors exploiting the wildfire devastation to generate future wealth. "It's a really important time in Hawaiian history to ensure that our people have a say in their own lands," said Maile. Native Hawaiian Land Control But how much control Hawaiians have over their land can be a complicated question. The first concept of private land ownership in Hawaii can be traced back to the Mahele, or division of lands, in 1848, where King Kamehameha III divided the land into three categories: Crown, government, and lands for the Hawaiian chiefs. Lance D. Collins is a private practice attorney in Maui who researches Hawaiian law during the American colonial period. Collins is also Kapu's attorney, representing him in cases to show his family's claim to their ancestral land in Kaua'ula Valley. Through the Mahele, about one-third of the land was given to Hawaiian families. That land has been passed down, usually to a person's children, but after several generations and for those without children it has led to confusion over who has interest in the land, said Collins. "Most Hawaiians know which lands they have an interest in, but as long as there's no contest over use, there's no issue," said Collins. The state is obligated to preserve and protect Native Hawaiian traditional and customary rights. Meaning if a private development was proposed on a parcel of land that was used for traditional practices, this right would limit the developers ability to exclude Hawaiians from the land. "There is a tremendous amount of opportunity for the Hawaiian people and for the Lahaina community, and there's also grave, grave danger," said Collins.

[gorogues]

Spoilers for comics in December!

These are from the official solicits for that month, which you can see in full at Adventures In Poor Taste.

Evan is back, and joining in the fun with the Folding Man.

THE FLASH #4 Written by SI SPURRIER Art and cover by MIKE DEODATO JR. Variant covers by MIKE DEODATO JR. and FRANY 1:25 variant cover by JAVIER RODRIGUEZ 1:50 variant cover by MATT TAYLOR Santa variant cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA $3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 12/26/23 As the Flash continues to explore the Gallery, he meets a living entity called the Resident that he feels drawn to. Can she aid him in his battle against the Folding Man…and even if she can, does she want to? Meanwhile, Mirror Master returns, unveiling even more upgrades since we last saw him in The Flash #800—but he’s not the only one with new powers, as Irey “Thunderheart” West is eager to show the world. Also, the Stillness decide to act upon humanity as the new chapter for the Flash Family continues!

SPEED FORCE #2 Written by JARRETT WILLIAMS Art by DANIELE DI NICUOLO Cover by MIKE DEODATO JR. Variant cover by SWEENEY BOO $3.99 US | 32 pages | 2 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 12/12/23 As Wallace and Avery race to uncover the mystery of the missing S.T.A.R. Labs scientists, something appears to be affecting their friends—is it tied to the bubbles popping up all over Keystone, or the “spooky Speed Force stuff” Mr. Terrific is warning everyone about? Also, a classic Flash character appears— and is really into EDM, but to what end? The young Speedster team-up continues!

Could it be Hartley who's gotten into EDM..?

TITANS: BEAST WORLD TOUR: CENTRAL CITY #1 Written by SI SPURRIER, A.L. KAPLAN, ALEX PAKNADEL, JARRETT WILLIAMS Art by A.L. KAPLAN, GEORGE KAMBADAIS, and SERG ACUNÑA Cover by MIKEL JANÍN Variant covers by CULLY HAMNER and TAURIN CLARKE $5.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 12/19/23 Speedsters infected! The home of the Flash is not immune from the Starro spores, and as a member of the Flash Family is infected, it’s all hands on deck across both Central and Keystone City. Irey West has a plan that requires the help of her BFF Maxine Baker, while Avery Ho, Wallace West, and fan-favorite Circuit Breaker will all be working together with the entire clan to contain the infected speedsters causing chaos across the city. Oh, and the recent issues within the Speed Force haven’t gone away… This key chapter of the Beast World saga also contains important revelations for the Scarlet Speedster’s next steps as The Flash writer Si Spurrier is joined by Speed Force writer Jarrett WIlliams, Circuit Breaker scribe A.L. Kaplan, and Knight Terrors: The Flash writer Alex Paknadel!

As per a variant cover, it seems that Godspeed is the infected member (or one of them, since the solicit later says speedsters plural) of the Flash Family.

And because we know Len is in this series...

JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. GODZILLA VS. KONG #3 Written by BRIAN BUCCELLATO Art by CHRISTIAN DUCE Cover by DREW JOHNSON Variant cover by JONBOY MEYERS Variant cover by MIKE DEODATO JR. 1:25 variant cover by SIMONE DI MEO 1:50 variant cover by ARIST DEYN $4.99 US | 40 pages | 3 of 7 | Variant $5.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 12/19/23 Superman and Godzilla have gone head-to-head with devastating consequences in Metropolis as the Justice League scrambles to protect their homes from the monsters—Supergirl encounters Kong on Skull Island and Wonder Woman takes on Behemoth on Themyscira! Lost in the monster mayhem, though, are Lex Luthor and his Legion of Doom… what nefarious connection do they have to everything?

[kmp78]

“Yep, it's a big city with 40000 boroughs. 😂. “. - Actually there are only 5 boroughs in Manhattan (often mistakenly called neighborhoods) but over 350 actual neighborhoods throughout the 5 boroughs!! Here’s a slightly gossipy mini travel log some might enjoy. Humor me.

The old money billionaires (like Paris Hiltons family type) mostly live in mid-town Manhattan around Central Park and the exclusive Gramercy Park neighborhood with its resident’s personal key to a locked private park along with their apartment (highlighted in JL’s WeCrashed mini-series.) Gramercy Park was the home of Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, literature and theater luminaries of the early 20th century such as Truman Capote and Edith Wharton and is currently the home of celebrities such as Midler, Delevigne and assorted top models, J. Roberts, Lagerfeld, Fallon and Kate Hudson.

Lots of artsy folks and big film, sports and fashion celebrities; Timberlake, Swift, B and Jay Z, T Brady, Lewis Hamilton, DiNiro, ScarJo, J. Gyllenhaal, Reynolds and Lively, Styles and many more, live or have lived in the lower Manhattan neighborhoods that JL likes to hang out in when he is in town. These include neighborhoods like Tribeca, SoHo, West Village, the Bowery and Chelsea; all home to some of the best boutiques and endless areas to eat and mingle in NYC. FYI:The Bowery is the 7th most expensive neighbor-hood in Manhattan. Lewis Hamilton’s 12,000 sf penthouse in Tribeca recently sold for 50+/- million US dollars!!! Yes, you heard that right and he made somewhere around 6 million $ on the sale. 😵‍💫

Sparked by the influx of successful hip-hop artists and the Barkley Center, many musicians, athletes and successful actors live near or in Brooklyn in places like Dumbo, Red Hook, Park Slope or Williamsburg. Hathaway, Damon, A. Driver, Sarsgaard and M Gyllenhaal, Blunt and Krasinski, Bork, Nora Jones, Hawke, O Wilde, E. Murphy and many more all have homes in Brooklyn.

Queens has several less expensive neighborhoods like Sunnyside, Howard Beach and Astoria (one of the cheapest neighborhoods to live in). While there is an young active nightlife in Astoria and one or two other neighborhoods, Queens is a safer, less expensive place young people go to start out or raise a family. The Fresh Meadows neighborhood was the home of not famous at all, me. 😁

The Bronx has some of the poorest and toughest neighborhoods (around Yankee Stadium) though there are some very beautiful and well kept areas and many old stately stone homes. It’s trying hard to come back.

Staten Island is a much quieter more residential part of the city filled with highly ethnic (heavily Italian) blue collar working class families. (Think Jersey Shore on TV). While a few mid century actors lived there many years ago, no one famous except briefly Pete Davidson who was raised there, seems to want to live there now. Fun Fact: The characters in the movie “Working Girl” starring Harrison Ford and Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver, Alex Baldwin and Joan Cusak are in Staten Island for this flick. Don’t miss this 1988 rah rah rom com feel good movie classic!! (Free by Hulu or Disney subscription or 2.99 Amazon rental or 3.99 some other places in US. Maybe free somewhere but worth a few bucks) You will see the actual SI ferry from the island to Manhattan which you must take daily to get to NY and hear the true Staten Island classic NY accent at its best! Great story and music too !

Well, nobody asked for all this but it is a very awesome city in which I lived, worked for many years and know well ! Beautiful, very exciting, exceptionally cultural and immensely historic (don’t get me started) but expensive to live in for the most part. And now you can all trace JL and Thinnie’s whereabouts around town! 🤪

Thanks, anon! 🤭🙌

I wonder why JL decided not to splurge on a NYC pad anyway, after being on the look-out couple years ago. 🤔

Guess his deal with Bowery saves him a big penny! 🤷🏼‍♀️