#i love you manila subway project

[fhistle]

when i start to feel hopeless i start naming the train lines they're building in manila just so I have smth to hope gfor

[royvelasco]

Exploring Nami Island and More of South Korea in a Day with Klook!

Finally, the day has arrived for me to use my Korean visa! I immediately applied for it months ago when I found out that I’ll be exempted with the financial document requirements using my credit card (Click HERE to find out how). And it’s not just for a single entry; I can go back to South Korea anytime I want in a span of three years! It means that I can still experience more of Korea despite of this quick weekend getaway.

My trip to South Korea was very spontaneous. My brother messaged me on Facebook telling me that he was able to score cheap roundtrip tickets to Seoul for the two of us and asking me if I can accompany him to this trip. I was overseas that time and was about to go back to Manila after a week-long travel to Myanmar and Thailand so another travel plan for the coming months was surely a great idea. I excitingly approved to his plan. But for only 3 days, how can we maximize our stay?

Probably one of the most iconic destinations Korea has is this wonderful half-moon shaped island located about two hours away from Seoul. Nami Island is a must visit for tourists especially for K-Pop fans as it served as a shooting location for some well-known K-dramas such as Winter Sonata. I am not a fan and haven’t watch a single K-drama but seeing the beautiful pictures online of this island made me include this destination on our itinerary.

Since we were constraint in time (and unfortunately, it was continuously raining that day), booking an organized trip beforehand was a great decision. We went with Klook which we have been using for the longest time already. I actually have tried booking with them on their early years when I purchased our Hong Kong Disneyland ticket way back 2015. It was the cheapest I could find online and the process in redeeming the ticket onsite was hassle-free. Since then, Klook has been my “buddy” for most of my travels. ;)

Booking with Klook is just very easy. Just go to their site at www.klook.com, select the destination then choose your desired activities and items. Select the date and package quantity then you can go ahead with the payment. You can also download their mobile app for more convenience. Make sure to create an account so you can have access to amazing discounts they offer from time to time. As a welcoming gift, create your account HERE and get HK$25 off as soon as you sign up.

The tour that we booked was for a full day visit to four of South Korea’s most popular attractions outside the capital. We found it the most worthy as we could be able to visit a lot in just a matter of day. The included destinations are interesting as well and picturesque enough to make your Instagram feed flooded with loves.

Good thing our hostel was just around Myeongdong as the pickup point was on one of its subway exits. We easily found our driver and we were immediately escorted to the car that we’ll be using for the whole day. I was quite surprised as it turned out to be a semi-private tour with only four of us in the group, two being me and my brother and the other half If I’m not mistaken were a couple from Malaysia. It was indeed a comfortable ride with more than enough legroom you could expect from a car and it also came with a complimentary bottle of water.

  Garden of Morning Calm

Those who love nature will surely be amazed with our first destination for the day. The Garden of Morning Calm is a 30,000 square meter garden located at Gapyeong district, just east of Seoul. Considered to be one of the most beautiful gardens in the country and has also been a K-drama site, the Garden of Morning Calm houses an array of flowers and plants beautifully landscaped to spread the concept of Korean beauty to the world.  

The Garden of Morning Calm has various themed gardens connected through scenic walkways. Beautifully maintained plant arrangements and flower beds can be seen all throughout the place. The garden has about 5,000 kinds of plants of which some are native to the Korean Peninsula.

For the picture-perfect shot bursting with colors, one must visit on their springtime when the flowers are in full bloom. The garden is busy though during that period so have patience to get that desired shot. Don’t worry if you can’t come on springtime as the Garden of Morning Calm is still beautiful and open for public whatever the season is. Various festivals and displays are also held throughout the year.

  Nami Island

We went to our second destination right after lunch (which by the way was already included on the package). I could say that Nami Island was definitely the highlight of the trip.

This beautiful small island in the middle of Han River is a famous destination for tourists as it offers that K-drama feels we just normally see on screen. With trees tall enough to occupy the lens of your camera and its orange leaves during autumn, it would surely be a magical shot screaming K-drama in every angle.

Unfortunately, we were there on springtime thus not seeing this picturesque scene. But nothing to depress about, as Nami Island is still as beautiful as it is whatever the season is. Trees were in full bloom that time with overly saturated greens everywhere. Colorful flowers can also be seen throughout the island. Delightfully, animals such as rabbits and squirrels were freely roaming around.

  Petite France

After a decent amount of hours of stay in Nami Island, off we went to our next destination which was Petite France. It is a French-style theme park with a small replica of Eiffel Tower. You’re hitting two birds in one stone by being here as you can be both in Korea and France. ;)

As projected, this theme park consists of French-style buildings painted with different colors connected through stairways and alleyways. This place seems to be dedicated as well to puppetry and the famous French novel “Le Petit Prince” internationally known as “The Little Prince”. Various images depicting these were scattered around the village-themed park.

Don’t worry if you get hungry as there are restaurants nearby. For cheaper options, a coffee shop and a convenience store are located just across the street.

  Gangchon Rail Park

We were already bound for our last destination for the day but our excitement was still soaring as we were about to make it a lil’ bit extreme. Our next destination was more than picture-taking; we need to muscle up and ready our tired feet (not complaining) as we will be biking along the countryside.

Gangchon Rail Park is also now considered a must visit if you’re here in South Korea. One needs to cycle along the old train track using a two or four-seat bike passing through tunnels and rocky roads while seeing the amazing scenery of the countryside.

Honestly, this activity exceeded my expectation. It might sound tiring but it’s actually fun. The cold breeze as you bike and the astounding view of the surroundings will ease the weary away. I’m glad that we took the package that includes Gangchon Rail Park.

  It was dark already when we’re done with the tour. We were able to get back to Seoul around 9PM. It was indeed a fun day full of exciting activities. The places we went to were all remarkable making me want to visit them all again on my next visit. I was so pleased as well with our tour and will still book through Klook on my next travels. For sure, I’ll be here longer the next time and will check out other exciting activities South Korea and Klook have to offer.

  Book your tours through Klook for quality experiences at the best price. If you want to try the same tour that we had, click HERE to book.

DISCLAIMER: Details like prices, contact information, etc. may change due to different factors. Feel free to comment down below for updates.

NOTE: I own all the images used on this blog post unless otherwise stated. Please don’t use these for any purposes, unless you acknowledge the owner. Thank you.

[quantumpotential]

Hello! I haven't replied for a bit my insomnia is giving me headaches.

I really do find it fascinating when someone tries to speak our language and most of all you used it right! Hahahahaha

I'm still jelly of your itinerary! I'll explore more once I graduate. At first I didn't realize how almost everyone can speak and understand English in The Philippines until I went to other countries. I had a hard time in Taiwan because no one can understand even the simplest English, I was circling the subway for 1 hour. After that I never spoke to anyone. Same thing happened to me in Korea HAHAHAHAHA

Favorite place? Used to be the walled city of Intramuros. I loved the ruins from the Spanish reign. And now I think Escolta and Binondo Chinatown. As for other places in The Philippines Baguio reminds me of my childhood vacations and favorite get away from Manila is Tagaytay. And also the nearest place to my house that I love is University of The Philippines in Quezon City, I find the campus peaceful. In terms of architecture I loved my former school's main building University of Santo Tomas(400+ years the original campus in Intramuros was bombed during Americans) in Manila it was built early 1900s and was used as a base by the Japanese during WW.

I pass by Binondo on a daily basis on my way to school. I know great eats also Quiapo too I know all the streets in that area, I buy some materials I need for school there. There's nothing like going on a food adventure in a foreign country! 👍

I do like Jollibee. Do you? Hahahahaha. Wow that's really far, 5 hour ride feels like going up to Sagada.

I have never eaten Balut! How was it??? Kwek-kwek is one of my favorites! Of all places why did you decide to eat there. Hahahahaha. There's a lot of street foods that are cooked on less polluted streets 😂

I'll try my hardest in 2-5 years to visit Slovenia. Still got a year and half left in college. I hope to get opportunities to do so. Still aiming to work for FIFA 2022 projects in Qatar

Wow Azerbaijan! Update me about your trip that country is also on my bucket list! That's a lot of trips lined up, you take care! Don't get sick again. Hahaha

I don't think I would be going anywhere until Christmas we'll be spending it in Hong Kong and Macau my grandparents loves to play at the casino. Hahahahaha. I'm currently busy with school and my load is heavy. Was originally planning to spend Christmas in Japan at my friend's house because there's this K-Pop group I like having a concert I thought they weren't dropping by Manila but I was wrong. I'm sorry! HAHAHAHAHA

Aside from K-Pop I'm often in Korea because I impulsively book tickets and I love winter too. I don't really plan to go if it ain't 5°C below HAHAHAHAHA Actually I always plan my trips since I have school, at first everything is planned that I'm going with my friends but end up a week before ditching me. Even after tickets are bought, like how could they do that to me... Since I'm an independent person, I always end up going on an unintended solo trip I don't like my tickets to go to waste that's why I haven't tried skiing yet because I have no friends it'll be sad to go alone. I often meet travelling strangers there that end up being my friends. Have you been there? I was about to ask you what's our time difference but I'll just Google it. Hahahahaha

[dani-qrt]

Small-Town Wisdom for You and Me

Want the Australia Letter by email? Sign up and forward it to friends so we can expand our discussion about Australia and the world.

______

Innovators come in many forms. Take Tom Smith. He’s a pig farmer in rural Victoria, a quiet man with a white beard who you’d walk right by in Bunnings without even noticing.

But in 2008, without any guidance, he went out on a limb and posted a help wanted ad in a Manila newspaper. Then he went there, found a few people he liked and started sponsoring worker visas.

It was a bold if simple act that has led dozens of Filipino families to move to a town called Pyramid Hill — reversing population decline, and laying the groundwork for a model of multiculturalism far healthier than what can be found in many cities.

“When you’re desperate, it’s just what you do,” Tom told me when we first met. But it wasn’t just that. There was a glint of mischief in his eye. “I saw it as a bit of a challenge,” he said, smiling, “to try and do something different.”

That urge to break the mold, to resist conformity and decline, ran through the story I wrote about Pyramid Hill’s transformation.

The article was Part 2 of a series we published this week about regional Australia — Part 1 focused on the tragedy of farmer suicides — and I hope you’ll read both stories if you haven’t yet. They’re an attempt by our bureau to cover oft-overlooked issues and areas with depth and nuance.

But here in this week’s newsletter, I also wanted to highlight Tom and his efforts because they amount to a personal challenge.

What he and many others in Pyramid Hill have done is stretch beyond their comfort zones. Both Anglos and Filipinos have gone out of their way to bring people together. They cheer each others children on. They help each other when tragedies hit. They share meals together, often.

And in conversations from the pub to the piggery, I heard both pride and frustration: pride, because people felt that what they had learned about how to build a multicultural community should be applied more broadly; frustration, because small-town views are so often ignored.

Canberra, they said, was too focused on petty squabbles and the problems with immigration. City elites, they added, rarely invest much time in engaging with people who are different.

“City people are so wrapped up in their own world,” said Gail Smith, the breeding supervisor at Kia-Ora, the pig farm Tom runs with his sons. “They need to broaden their horizons.”

Many of the Filipinos I met in Pyramid Hill agreed, having moved from cities like Brisbane.

Their comments made me think not just of my own life in Sydney, but also New York — a diverse but highly segregated city by race and income, where people often think they’re open-minded simply because they share a subway car with people from different backgrounds.

In fact, it takes quite a lot more than proximity to create social cohesion — a society that truly reflects the Enlightenment principle of equality for all.

Australia does plenty of academic research on the subject. There are some inspiring speeches to be found from government officials, too — like this one from 2015. There are even sizable grants for projects that address social cohesion.

But Pyramid Hill speaks to something else: the power of individual actions, sustained over time.

At the end of the day, many people told me, countries — like towns, or city neighborhoods, or even sports teams — only cohere when people prioritize getting to know each other and looking out for each other.

I keep coming back to what Tom told me when I asked why Pyramid Hill seemed to be so integrated, with connections spanning ethnic boundaries and conversations that go beyond platitudes or conventional wisdom.

“People in the country mix, and need to mix,” he said. “It’s just different out here; it’s the only way to survive.”

Something to chew on.

______

Before we dive into the week’s stories you shouldn’t miss, along with a recommendation, a bit of community housekeeping is in order:

• Many of you shared fantastic lists of Top 5 things you love about Sydney (and one you loathe). We’ll be back soon with a creative treatment of a few of our favorites.

• We’re trying something a little different in the NYT Australia Facebook group next week. Liminal, a Melbourne-based magazine that publishes art by and interviews with talented Asian Australians, will be “taking over” the group for a week (starting Monday) to lead some really interesting and inclusive discussions about race, identity and Australia. Join the group now if you haven’t already — we’d love you to get involved throughout the week.

______

I loved this little story about London’s red telephone booths being refashioned in creative ways, with books, businesses and other creative ideas.

And of course, we’ve had LOTS of coverage about London’s other news: the royal wedding. A rundown of everything we did can be found on our special Royal Wedding Collection page.

______

The latest on North Korea?

North Korea said on Thursday that it would reconsider holding a summit meeting between its leader, Kim Jong-un, and President Trump, singling out Vice President Mike Pence for remarks that a top official called “ignorant and stupid.”

News

• In Australia, Fears of Chinese Meddling Rise on U.N. Bribery Case Revelation: An Australian politician identified Chau Chak Wing, an Australian citizen of Chinese descent, as a co-conspirator in a 2015 bribery case.

• With Senator’s Snub, Australia Gets Stood Up by U.S. — Again: Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee declined to become the ambassador, just weeks after President Trump’s previous choice was reassigned. Should Australia be taking this personally?

• Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson Guilty of Sexual Abuse Cover-Up: He became the highest-ranking Catholic official to be convicted of concealing child sexual abuse, and could face two years in prison.

Culture / Fun

• Courtney Barnett Faces Doubts and Doubters on ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’: Newly unguarded, the songwriter sets aside her sly character studies in favor of declarations and confrontations on her second solo studio album.

• Big Things and Long Goodbyes: A poem remembering a last road trip taken together before a long separation.

• A Very Hungry Black Hole Is Found, Gorging on Stars: Astronomers in Australia say they have discovered a fast-growing black hole swallowing stars in a baby galaxy 12 billion light-years from here.

______

… And We Recommend

At sunrise this morning, hundreds of Sydneysiders (including me, my wife and our two kids) gathered at Bondi Beach to raise awareness and finance research for brain cancer by trying to set a world record of the largest gathering of people wearing beanies (winter hats for all you Americans), in support of the Mark Hughes Foundation.

We discovered the organization through the death of Matt Callander and the way that his friends, supporters and neighbors have rallied to the cause has been an inspiration. We’ve purchased many beanies for brain cancer, and encourage others to do the same.

Here’s my Instagram post from the gathering this morning, a moment of community love drawn from sorrow.

Correction: 

An earlier version of this newsletter included an incorrect reference to Mark Hughes. We regret the error.

Damien Cave is the Australia bureau chief for The New York Times. He’s covered migration issues across the United States, and in Latin America and the Middle East, for more than a decade. Follow him on Twitter: @damiencave.

The post Small-Town Wisdom for You and Me appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2LqxGni via Online News

[party-hard-or-die]

Small-Town Wisdom for You and Me

Want the Australia Letter by email? Sign up and forward it to friends so we can expand our discussion about Australia and the world.

______

Innovators come in many forms. Take Tom Smith. He’s a pig farmer in rural Victoria, a quiet man with a white beard who you’d walk right by in Bunnings without even noticing.

But in 2008, without any guidance, he went out on a limb and posted a help wanted ad in a Manila newspaper. Then he went there, found a few people he liked and started sponsoring worker visas.

It was a bold if simple act that has led dozens of Filipino families to move to a town called Pyramid Hill — reversing population decline, and laying the groundwork for a model of multiculturalism far healthier than what can be found in many cities.

“When you’re desperate, it’s just what you do,” Tom told me when we first met. But it wasn’t just that. There was a glint of mischief in his eye. “I saw it as a bit of a challenge,” he said, smiling, “to try and do something different.”

That urge to break the mold, to resist conformity and decline, ran through the story I wrote about Pyramid Hill’s transformation.

The article was Part 2 of a series we published this week about regional Australia — Part 1 focused on the tragedy of farmer suicides — and I hope you’ll read both stories if you haven’t yet. They’re an attempt by our bureau to cover oft-overlooked issues and areas with depth and nuance.

But here in this week’s newsletter, I also wanted to highlight Tom and his efforts because they amount to a personal challenge.

What he and many others in Pyramid Hill have done is stretch beyond their comfort zones. Both Anglos and Filipinos have gone out of their way to bring people together. They cheer each others children on. They help each other when tragedies hit. They share meals together, often.

And in conversations from the pub to the piggery, I heard both pride and frustration: pride, because people felt that what they had learned about how to build a multicultural community should be applied more broadly; frustration, because small-town views are so often ignored.

Canberra, they said, was too focused on petty squabbles and the problems with immigration. City elites, they added, rarely invest much time in engaging with people who are different.

“City people are so wrapped up in their own world,” said Gail Smith, the breeding supervisor at Kia-Ora, the pig farm Tom runs with his sons. “They need to broaden their horizons.”

Many of the Filipinos I met in Pyramid Hill agreed, having moved from cities like Brisbane.

Their comments made me think not just of my own life in Sydney, but also New York — a diverse but highly segregated city by race and income, where people often think they’re open-minded simply because they share a subway car with people from different backgrounds.

In fact, it takes quite a lot more than proximity to create social cohesion — a society that truly reflects the Enlightenment principle of equality for all.

Australia does plenty of academic research on the subject. There are some inspiring speeches to be found from government officials, too — like this one from 2015. There are even sizable grants for projects that address social cohesion.

But Pyramid Hill speaks to something else: the power of individual actions, sustained over time.

At the end of the day, many people told me, countries — like towns, or city neighborhoods, or even sports teams — only cohere when people prioritize getting to know each other and looking out for each other.

I keep coming back to what Tom told me when I asked why Pyramid Hill seemed to be so integrated, with connections spanning ethnic boundaries and conversations that go beyond platitudes or conventional wisdom.

“People in the country mix, and need to mix,” he said. “It’s just different out here; it’s the only way to survive.”

Something to chew on.

______

Before we dive into the week’s stories you shouldn’t miss, along with a recommendation, a bit of community housekeeping is in order:

• Many of you shared fantastic lists of Top 5 things you love about Sydney (and one you loathe). We’ll be back soon with a creative treatment of a few of our favorites.

• We’re trying something a little different in the NYT Australia Facebook group next week. Liminal, a Melbourne-based magazine that publishes art by and interviews with talented Asian Australians, will be “taking over” the group for a week (starting Monday) to lead some really interesting and inclusive discussions about race, identity and Australia. Join the group now if you haven’t already — we’d love you to get involved throughout the week.

______

I loved this little story about London’s red telephone booths being refashioned in creative ways, with books, businesses and other creative ideas.

And of course, we’ve had LOTS of coverage about London’s other news: the royal wedding. A rundown of everything we did can be found on our special Royal Wedding Collection page.

______

The latest on North Korea?

North Korea said on Thursday that it would reconsider holding a summit meeting between its leader, Kim Jong-un, and President Trump, singling out Vice President Mike Pence for remarks that a top official called “ignorant and stupid.”

News

• In Australia, Fears of Chinese Meddling Rise on U.N. Bribery Case Revelation: An Australian politician identified Chau Chak Wing, an Australian citizen of Chinese descent, as a co-conspirator in a 2015 bribery case.

• With Senator’s Snub, Australia Gets Stood Up by U.S. — Again: Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee declined to become the ambassador, just weeks after President Trump’s previous choice was reassigned. Should Australia be taking this personally?

• Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson Guilty of Sexual Abuse Cover-Up: He became the highest-ranking Catholic official to be convicted of concealing child sexual abuse, and could face two years in prison.

Culture / Fun

• Courtney Barnett Faces Doubts and Doubters on ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’: Newly unguarded, the songwriter sets aside her sly character studies in favor of declarations and confrontations on her second solo studio album.

• Big Things and Long Goodbyes: A poem remembering a last road trip taken together before a long separation.

• A Very Hungry Black Hole Is Found, Gorging on Stars: Astronomers in Australia say they have discovered a fast-growing black hole swallowing stars in a baby galaxy 12 billion light-years from here.

______

… And We Recommend

At sunrise this morning, hundreds of Sydneysiders (including me, my wife and our two kids) gathered at Bondi Beach to raise awareness and finance research for brain cancer by trying to set a world record of the largest gathering of people wearing beanies (winter hats for all you Americans), in support of the Mark Hughes Foundation.

We discovered the organization through the death of Matt Callander and the way that his friends, supporters and neighbors have rallied to the cause has been an inspiration. We’ve purchased many beanies for brain cancer, and encourage others to do the same.

Here’s my Instagram post from the gathering this morning, a moment of community love drawn from sorrow.

Correction: 

An earlier version of this newsletter included an incorrect reference to Mark Hughes. We regret the error.

Damien Cave is the Australia bureau chief for The New York Times. He’s covered migration issues across the United States, and in Latin America and the Middle East, for more than a decade. Follow him on Twitter: @damiencave.

The post Small-Town Wisdom for You and Me appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2LqxGni via Breaking News

[dragnews]

Small-Town Wisdom for You and Me

Want the Australia Letter by email? Sign up and forward it to friends so we can expand our discussion about Australia and the world.

______

Innovators come in many forms. Take Tom Smith. He’s a pig farmer in rural Victoria, a quiet man with a white beard who you’d walk right by in Bunnings without even noticing.

But in 2008, without any guidance, he went out on a limb and posted a help wanted ad in a Manila newspaper. Then he went there, found a few people he liked and started sponsoring worker visas.

It was a bold if simple act that has led dozens of Filipino families to move to a town called Pyramid Hill — reversing population decline, and laying the groundwork for a model of multiculturalism far healthier than what can be found in many cities.

“When you’re desperate, it’s just what you do,” Tom told me when we first met. But it wasn’t just that. There was a glint of mischief in his eye. “I saw it as a bit of a challenge,” he said, smiling, “to try and do something different.”

That urge to break the mold, to resist conformity and decline, ran through the story I wrote about Pyramid Hill’s transformation.

The article was Part 2 of a series we published this week about regional Australia — Part 1 focused on the tragedy of farmer suicides — and I hope you’ll read both stories if you haven’t yet. They’re an attempt by our bureau to cover oft-overlooked issues and areas with depth and nuance.

But here in this week’s newsletter, I also wanted to highlight Tom and his efforts because they amount to a personal challenge.

What he and many others in Pyramid Hill have done is stretch beyond their comfort zones. Both Anglos and Filipinos have gone out of their way to bring people together. They cheer each others children on. They help each other when tragedies hit. They share meals together, often.

And in conversations from the pub to the piggery, I heard both pride and frustration: pride, because people felt that what they had learned about how to build a multicultural community should be applied more broadly; frustration, because small-town views are so often ignored.

Canberra, they said, was too focused on petty squabbles and the problems with immigration. City elites, they added, rarely invest much time in engaging with people who are different.

“City people are so wrapped up in their own world,” said Gail Smith, the breeding supervisor at Kia-Ora, the pig farm Tom runs with his sons. “They need to broaden their horizons.”

Many of the Filipinos I met in Pyramid Hill agreed, having moved from cities like Brisbane.

Their comments made me think not just of my own life in Sydney, but also New York — a diverse but highly segregated city by race and income, where people often think they’re open-minded simply because they share a subway car with people from different backgrounds.

In fact, it takes quite a lot more than proximity to create social cohesion — a society that truly reflects the Enlightenment principle of equality for all.

Australia does plenty of academic research on the subject. There are some inspiring speeches to be found from government officials, too — like this one from 2015. There are even sizable grants for projects that address social cohesion.

But Pyramid Hill speaks to something else: the power of individual actions, sustained over time.

At the end of the day, many people told me, countries — like towns, or city neighborhoods, or even sports teams — only cohere when people prioritize getting to know each other and looking out for each other.

I keep coming back to what Tom told me when I asked why Pyramid Hill seemed to be so integrated, with connections spanning ethnic boundaries and conversations that go beyond platitudes or conventional wisdom.

“People in the country mix, and need to mix,” he said. “It’s just different out here; it’s the only way to survive.”

Something to chew on.

______

Before we dive into the week’s stories you shouldn’t miss, along with a recommendation, a bit of community housekeeping is in order:

• Many of you shared fantastic lists of Top 5 things you love about Sydney (and one you loathe). We’ll be back soon with a creative treatment of a few of our favorites.

• We’re trying something a little different in the NYT Australia Facebook group next week. Liminal, a Melbourne-based magazine that publishes art by and interviews with talented Asian Australians, will be “taking over” the group for a week (starting Monday) to lead some really interesting and inclusive discussions about race, identity and Australia. Join the group now if you haven’t already — we’d love you to get involved throughout the week.

______

I loved this little story about London’s red telephone booths being refashioned in creative ways, with books, businesses and other creative ideas.

And of course, we’ve had LOTS of coverage about London’s other news: the royal wedding. A rundown of everything we did can be found on our special Royal Wedding Collection page.

______

The latest on North Korea?

North Korea said on Thursday that it would reconsider holding a summit meeting between its leader, Kim Jong-un, and President Trump, singling out Vice President Mike Pence for remarks that a top official called “ignorant and stupid.”

News

• In Australia, Fears of Chinese Meddling Rise on U.N. Bribery Case Revelation: An Australian politician identified Chau Chak Wing, an Australian citizen of Chinese descent, as a co-conspirator in a 2015 bribery case.

• With Senator’s Snub, Australia Gets Stood Up by U.S. — Again: Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee declined to become the ambassador, just weeks after President Trump’s previous choice was reassigned. Should Australia be taking this personally?

• Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson Guilty of Sexual Abuse Cover-Up: He became the highest-ranking Catholic official to be convicted of concealing child sexual abuse, and could face two years in prison.

Culture / Fun

• Courtney Barnett Faces Doubts and Doubters on ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’: Newly unguarded, the songwriter sets aside her sly character studies in favor of declarations and confrontations on her second solo studio album.

• Big Things and Long Goodbyes: A poem remembering a last road trip taken together before a long separation.

• A Very Hungry Black Hole Is Found, Gorging on Stars: Astronomers in Australia say they have discovered a fast-growing black hole swallowing stars in a baby galaxy 12 billion light-years from here.

______

… And We Recommend

At sunrise this morning, hundreds of Sydneysiders (including me, my wife and our two kids) gathered at Bondi Beach to raise awareness and finance research for brain cancer by trying to set a world record of the largest gathering of people wearing beanies (winter hats for all you Americans), in support of the Mark Hughes Foundation.

We discovered the organization through the death of Matt Callander and the way that his friends, supporters and neighbors have rallied to the cause has been an inspiration. We’ve purchased many beanies for brain cancer, and encourage others to do the same.

Here’s my Instagram post from the gathering this morning, a moment of community love drawn from sorrow.

Correction: 

An earlier version of this newsletter included an incorrect reference to Mark Hughes. We regret the error.

Damien Cave is the Australia bureau chief for The New York Times. He’s covered migration issues across the United States, and in Latin America and the Middle East, for more than a decade. Follow him on Twitter: @damiencave.

The post Small-Town Wisdom for You and Me appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2LqxGni via Today News

[cleopatrarps]

Small-Town Wisdom for You and Me

Want the Australia Letter by email? Sign up and forward it to friends so we can expand our discussion about Australia and the world.

______

Innovators come in many forms. Take Tom Smith. He’s a pig farmer in rural Victoria, a quiet man with a white beard who you’d walk right by in Bunnings without even noticing.

But in 2008, without any guidance, he went out on a limb and posted a help wanted ad in a Manila newspaper. Then he went there, found a few people he liked and started sponsoring worker visas.

It was a bold if simple act that has led dozens of Filipino families to move to a town called Pyramid Hill — reversing population decline, and laying the groundwork for a model of multiculturalism far healthier than what can be found in many cities.

“When you’re desperate, it’s just what you do,” Tom told me when we first met. But it wasn’t just that. There was a glint of mischief in his eye. “I saw it as a bit of a challenge,” he said, smiling, “to try and do something different.”

That urge to break the mold, to resist conformity and decline, ran through the story I wrote about Pyramid Hill’s transformation.

The article was Part 2 of a series we published this week about regional Australia — Part 1 focused on the tragedy of farmer suicides — and I hope you’ll read both stories if you haven’t yet. They’re an attempt by our bureau to cover oft-overlooked issues and areas with depth and nuance.

But here in this week’s newsletter, I also wanted to highlight Tom and his efforts because they amount to a personal challenge.

What he and many others in Pyramid Hill have done is stretch beyond their comfort zones. Both Anglos and Filipinos have gone out of their way to bring people together. They cheer each others children on. They help each other when tragedies hit. They share meals together, often.

And in conversations from the pub to the piggery, I heard both pride and frustration: pride, because people felt that what they had learned about how to build a multicultural community should be applied more broadly; frustration, because small-town views are so often ignored.

Canberra, they said, was too focused on petty squabbles and the problems with immigration. City elites, they added, rarely invest much time in engaging with people who are different.

“City people are so wrapped up in their own world,” said Gail Smith, the breeding supervisor at Kia-Ora, the pig farm Tom runs with his sons. “They need to broaden their horizons.”

Many of the Filipinos I met in Pyramid Hill agreed, having moved from cities like Brisbane.

Their comments made me think not just of my own life in Sydney, but also New York — a diverse but highly segregated city by race and income, where people often think they’re open-minded simply because they share a subway car with people from different backgrounds.

In fact, it takes quite a lot more than proximity to create social cohesion — a society that truly reflects the Enlightenment principle of equality for all.

Australia does plenty of academic research on the subject. There are some inspiring speeches to be found from government officials, too — like this one from 2015. There are even sizable grants for projects that address social cohesion.

But Pyramid Hill speaks to something else: the power of individual actions, sustained over time.

At the end of the day, many people told me, countries — like towns, or city neighborhoods, or even sports teams — only cohere when people prioritize getting to know each other and looking out for each other.

I keep coming back to what Tom told me when I asked why Pyramid Hill seemed to be so integrated, with connections spanning ethnic boundaries and conversations that go beyond platitudes or conventional wisdom.

“People in the country mix, and need to mix,” he said. “It’s just different out here; it’s the only way to survive.”

Something to chew on.

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Before we dive into the week’s stories you shouldn’t miss, along with a recommendation, a bit of community housekeeping is in order:

• Many of you shared fantastic lists of Top 5 things you love about Sydney (and one you loathe). We’ll be back soon with a creative treatment of a few of our favorites.

• We’re trying something a little different in the NYT Australia Facebook group next week. Liminal, a Melbourne-based magazine that publishes art by and interviews with talented Asian Australians, will be “taking over” the group for a week (starting Monday) to lead some really interesting and inclusive discussions about race, identity and Australia. Join the group now if you haven’t already — we’d love you to get involved throughout the week.

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I loved this little story about London’s red telephone booths being refashioned in creative ways, with books, businesses and other creative ideas.

And of course, we’ve had LOTS of coverage about London’s other news: the royal wedding. A rundown of everything we did can be found on our special Royal Wedding Collection page.

______

The latest on North Korea?

North Korea said on Thursday that it would reconsider holding a summit meeting between its leader, Kim Jong-un, and President Trump, singling out Vice President Mike Pence for remarks that a top official called “ignorant and stupid.”

News

• In Australia, Fears of Chinese Meddling Rise on U.N. Bribery Case Revelation: An Australian politician identified Chau Chak Wing, an Australian citizen of Chinese descent, as a co-conspirator in a 2015 bribery case.

• With Senator’s Snub, Australia Gets Stood Up by U.S. — Again: Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee declined to become the ambassador, just weeks after President Trump’s previous choice was reassigned. Should Australia be taking this personally?

• Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson Guilty of Sexual Abuse Cover-Up: He became the highest-ranking Catholic official to be convicted of concealing child sexual abuse, and could face two years in prison.

Culture / Fun

• Courtney Barnett Faces Doubts and Doubters on ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’: Newly unguarded, the songwriter sets aside her sly character studies in favor of declarations and confrontations on her second solo studio album.

• Big Things and Long Goodbyes: A poem remembering a last road trip taken together before a long separation.

• A Very Hungry Black Hole Is Found, Gorging on Stars: Astronomers in Australia say they have discovered a fast-growing black hole swallowing stars in a baby galaxy 12 billion light-years from here.

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… And We Recommend

At sunrise this morning, hundreds of Sydneysiders (including me, my wife and our two kids) gathered at Bondi Beach to raise awareness and finance research for brain cancer by trying to set a world record of the largest gathering of people wearing beanies (winter hats for all you Americans), in support of the Mark Hughes Foundation.

We discovered the organization through the death of Matt Callander and the way that his friends, supporters and neighbors have rallied to the cause has been an inspiration. We’ve purchased many beanies for brain cancer, and encourage others to do the same.

Here’s my Instagram post from the gathering this morning, a moment of community love drawn from sorrow.

Correction: 

An earlier version of this newsletter included an incorrect reference to Mark Hughes. We regret the error.

Damien Cave is the Australia bureau chief for The New York Times. He’s covered migration issues across the United States, and in Latin America and the Middle East, for more than a decade. Follow him on Twitter: @damiencave.

The post Small-Town Wisdom for You and Me appeared first on World The News.

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Hyperallergic: A Play About Metalheads and Metal Hearts

La Mélancolie des dragons (2017) (all photos by Martin Argyroglo, courtesy the Kitchen)

Pete Townsend once said in an interview that what made rock and roll so interesting to him was the challenge of making something elaborate and interesting happen within the strict and simple structure of the format’s four walls. As maligned as it might be as a genre, heavy metal is one of the more fun examples of this challenge being taken on. The metalheads that populate La Mélancolie des dragons — a delightful play from director Philippe Quesne and Vivarium Studio which recently had a run at the Kitchen — all display the inventiveness of which Townsend speaks within the four walls of the stage and the simple construct of the play.

Before the play starts, the gathering audience can make out four figures gesticulating and drinking in a Volkswagen Rabbit with a little trailer attached behind it. The play properly begins as soon as the first power chords of AC/DC’s “Back in Black” send this motley crew driving into the night in a flurry of head banging and fist pumping to a handful of heavy metal classics — from AC/DC to Iron Maiden to Scorpions, with some French metal thrown in for good measure. The good times stop their rolling when engine trouble lands the gang at the edge of a snowy forest. It’s not so bad, though. In fact, it’s an idyllic spot for the four metalheads to drift into a slumber to Scorpions’ power ballad, “Still Loving You.” And then, along came Isabelle.

A curious local woman, Isabelle, happens upon the sleeping foursome. After waking them up, we find out they have three more friends sleeping in the trailer they’re hauling. After Isabelle’s failed attempt to fix their engine and her ineffectual call to the local mechanic, it turns out these characters are going to have some time to kill. It also turns out that the men have something to share with Isabelle, a project they’ve been working on — a dream really. It is, of course, a heavy metal amusement park. Would it be OK if they tell Isabelle about their ideas? “Yes,” Isabelle assures them. “Yes, it would.”

And this is where the wonder begins. This is also the part where I tell you that it’s as far as plot and character go. A car breaks down. A local appears. A dream is displayed. This doesn’t sound like much, but the couple times I cried and the two-handed devil horns I thrust toward the sky at the end of the show would beg to differ.

But back to the wonder. The crew pulls down three of the side walls of the trailer, transforming it into a little stage with a handful of long-haired-rocker wigs hanging from the ceiling, and they invite Isabelle to be in the center of all the action. They bring out a fog machine, stage lights and a fan for blowing the hair on the wigs around for that 80s video feel. A tarp that had previously been lain on the ground is repurposed as a balloon by filling it with air from the same fan that had been used to blow fog moments before. The billowing surface suddenly has an unexpected beauty to it. Just as I am thinking this Isabelle echoes my feelings by saying, “So touching.” Yes, it was.

In La Mélancolie des dragons (2017), the characters show off one of the attractions they’ve constructed.

And there were more visual and musical treats in store. The balloon is carried about the stage in a way that is inexplicably moving. There are many things that are inexplicably moving. Sometimes it’s the metalheads’ insistence on asking Isabelle’s permission to show her their next idea. (“Isabelle? Isabelle.” was like a refrain I couldn’t get out of my head the next day.) A shift to classical music is used for epic effect a few times, the best moment being when Isabelle climbs a ladder and all the elements were brought together — the fog machine, the fan, and bubble machine — soaring up to envelop Isabelle as though she is being shot in a dramatic film set in the Himalayas.

There is also a dark side that the crew wants to show Isabelle. The oldest metalhead assures her that it will be a little scary, but not too much. Four large black balloons, as tall as the set, are filled with air and walked to the back of the stage, completely blocking most of the light that had been shining through the trees. Naturally, the fog machine is put into use. Shadows, light and fog, and standing before it is Isabelle in all her awe. She says, “It’s possible to disappear.” And we do. Elaborate and interesting things had happened in the most basic of boxes. Thanks, guys. Thanks, Isabelle.

The audience knew they had witnessed something so magical that they didn’t want the actors to leave the stage. They didn’t want to leave this imaginary amusement park. I overheard a woman behind me say, “I want to see it again. Right now.”

I didn’t want it to end either. And then, much to my delight, it didn’t. The play followed me out into the rainy night. As I made my way across the intersection at Tenth Avenue and 19th Street I heard music coming from inside a car parked near the corner. When I got closer I realized that somebody was blasting Poison’s “Nothin’ But A Good Time.” I paused in absolute wonder. Then I walked to the subway thinking about the person in the car and about what their dreams might have been. As Bret Michaels sings, “And it don’t get better than this.” Exuent.

The idea of freedom being simply able to roll down the highway in two tons of steel with your friends is an important one in metal. The image of metalheads driving and head banging mindlessly might be what it looks like to the outsider, but inside the car it’s a place of safety,  fellowship, and sometimes heated debate (which Iron Maiden was better: the Bruce Dickinson or Paul Di’Anno version?). This is the visual image with which La Mélancolie des dragons begins, and the soundtrack to the camaraderie was probably mainstream enough that even the least metalheaded in the audience were familiar with some of the tunes. However, to the boys in the broken down Volkswagen, I’d like to recommend a handful of bands who might be a little more off the road.

Roxxcalibur

A NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) tribute band has to be the dodgiest musical idea ever. And yet, Roxxcalibur is a complete success. NWOBHM was a musical movement in Great Britain in late 1970s and early 1980s that featured fast guitars and a heightened melodic sensibility. Most metalheads cherish this era, so one false move and Roxxcalibur could easily have gone down the tubes. There are no false moves though. Not one. Just a glorious guitar gallop down NWOBHM’s cherished past.

Jaguar

More NWOBHM! But this time, the real stuff. This NWOBHM crew from Bristol practically gave birth to speed metal. Great riffs and Garry Peppard’s insanely fast guitar leads kept Jaguar prices high on Ebay and their influence deep and wide in all genres of metal over the years. In 2011, Buried By Time and Dust Records released a live outing from 1982, Axe Crazy In Holland. I can barely sit still when I have the thing on my turntable. Playing almost impossibly out of control, the band somehow keeps the whole thing from toppling over again and again. It’s a thrilling ride.

Chastain

Guitarist David Chastain is a dazzling technician, and his solo instrumental albums are a blast. However, the records that he made with his eponymous band, Chastain, are where the fun really begins — especially the ones when Leather Leone is his singer and chief collaborator. The guitarist gets to keep his pyrotechnics but Leather brings the party and she brings the party hard. It’s a match made in the happiest of helldoms.

Manilla Road

Manilla Road is for that secret place in your heart where you know you’ve wasted your time here on earth, because you didn’t spend it dropping acid with biker gangs and contracting syphilis. Manila Road’s heaviness is more a sum of its parts than a singular thing that can be pointed to. They’ve worked the underground and the back roads for a long time, never quite achieving anything close to mainstream success and very much not caring. Rock and roll, man.

Scorpions (early)

Yes, the boys in the Volkswagen and the trailer were headbanging to the later, more hit-heavy version of Scorpions, but I’ve always found the band at its most endearing when guitar madman, Uli Roth, was with them from 1973 through 1977. In fact, I ignored Scorpions for decades until I discovered the Uli years. That’s when I worked my way forward in their catalogue and fell in love with everything. Uli was my gateway drug. If you’ve ever wondered what a dark rainbow would sound like when it’s applied to a power chord, this is where to start.

La Mélancolie des dragons played at the Kitchen (512 W 19th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan) January 10–14. It will play at the Wexner Center for the Arts (1871 N High Street, Columbus, OH) January 19–22 and then at the Walker Art Center (725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis, MN) January 26–28.

The post A Play About Metalheads and Metal Hearts appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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