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sgiandubh · 1 year ago

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When you do not know a thing about the issue at stake...

...perhaps it's better to remain silent.

Some of you know, others don't - and that's fine - but my main field of expertise is labor law.

I just read this in anger and disbelief:

Look, lady. I don't care who the hell you are, what you do for a living or why you felt entitled to answer those insistent questions on your side of the fandom. I suppose you are North American and have no idea of how things work on this side of the pond. It is fine: I might know what a Congress filibuster is, for example, but I'd be severely unable to judge the finer points of competence sharing between Fed and state level.

The difference between you and me?

I keep my mouth shut and/or do my own research before opening it in public.

Have you no shame to write things like: 'It was discovered clothing factories in Bulgaria and Portugal made it and how workers were exploited, mostly women, because these factories were in special economic zones in these countries exempt from EU employee rights and regulations.'

HOW DARE YOU? What strange form of illiterate entitlement possessed you to utter such things with confidence, comfortably hidden behind a passive voice ('it was discovered')?

Portugal joined the EU in 1986. Bulgaria (and my country) joined the EU in 2007. I have given 5 relentless years of my life to make this collective political project a reality, along with hundreds of other people my age who chose to come back home from the West and put their skills to good use for their country. In doing so, I rejected more than 10 excellent corporate job offers in France and China. To see you come along and write such enormities is like having you spit in my face.

Article 4 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (aka The Treaty of Rome) is formal and clear, as far as competence sharing between the EU and its Member States goes (the UK was still, back then, a full member of the EU - it quit on February 1st 2020):

That means that ALL the EU regulations are being integrated into the national legislation of the Member States. This is not a copy/paste process, however. And because it is a shared competence area, the Member States have a larger margin of appreciation into making the EU rules a part of their own. While exceptions or delays in this process can be and are negotiated, the core principles are NEVER touched.

Read it one hundred times, madam, maybe you'll learn something today:

THERE ARE NO SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION. THE WHOLE FUCKING EUROPEAN UNION IS A SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE, THIS IS WHY IT IS CALLED THE SINGLE MARKET.

What the fuck do you think we are, Guangzhou? We'd wish, seeing the growth statistics!

Now, for the textile industry sector and particularly with regard to the Bulgarian market, a case very similar to my own country. Starting around 1965, many big European textile players realized the competitive advantage of using the lower paid, readily available Eastern European workforce. In order to be able to do business with all those dour Communist regimes, the solution was simple and easy to find: toll manufacturing.

It worked (and still does!) like this:

The foreign partner brings its own designs, textiles and know-how into the mix - or more simply put, it outsources all these activities. The locals transform it into the finished product, using their own workforce. The result is then re-exported to the foreign partner, who labels it and sells it. In doing so, he has the legal obligation to include provenance on the label ('made in Romania', 'made in Indonesia', 'made in Bulgaria' - you name it).

The reason you might find less and less of those 'made in ' labels nowadays at Primark and more and more at Barbour, Moncler and the such is the constant raise of the workers' wages in Eastern Europe since 1990 (things happened there, in 1989, maybe you remember?). We are not competitive anymore for midrange prêt-à-porter - China (Shein, anyone?), Cambodia and Mexico do come to mind as better suppliers. To speak about 'exploited female labourers in rickety old factories' is an insult and a lie. They weren't exploited back in the Eighties, as they are not now (workers in those factories were and still are easily paid about 50% more than all the rest) and the factories being modernized and constantly updated was always a mandatory clause in any contract of the sort. Normal people in our countries rarely or ever saw those clothes. You had to either be lucky enough for a semi-confidential store release or bribe someone working there and willing to take the risk, in order to be able to buy the rejected models on the local market.

If I understood correctly, you place this critical episode at the launch of the limited SRH & Barbour collection, for the fall of 2018. How convenient for you, who (I am told by trusted people) were one of the most vocal critics of S during Hawaii 2.0!

And as far as Barbour goes, it never pretended to manufacture everything in the UK only:

This information is absolutely true. You can read the whole statement, signed in October 2017 by one of their Directors, Ian Sime, here: https://www.barbour.com/us/media/wysiwyg/PDF/Ethical_Statement_October_2017.pdf

And a snapshot for you:

Oh, and: SEDEX is a behemoth in its world, with more than 75.000 companies joining as a member (https://www.sedex.com/become-a-member/meet-our-customers/). Big corporations like TESCO, Dupont, Nestle, Sainsbury's or Unilever included.

I am not Bulgarian, but I know all of this way better than you'll probably ever do. The same type of contracts were common all over Eastern Europe: Romania, Poland, the GDR (that's East Berlin and co, for you) and even the Soviet Union. I am also sure your Portuguese readers will be thrilled to see themselves qualified by a patronizing North American as labor exploiters living in a third-world country with rickety factories.

You people have no shame and never did. But you just proved with trooping colors you also have no culture and no integrity. More reasons to not regret my unapologetic fandom choice.

I expect an angry and very, very vulgar answer to this, even if I chose to not include your name/handle. The stench of your irrelevance crossed an ocean.

#fandom #shitshow

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thebroccolination · 2 years ago

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SO ABOUT KRIST. \:D/

I'm not sure how many people have seen this photo or know the context behind it.

It was taken by a fan (see watermark) at the final episode premiere for Be My Favorite in August. After we finished watching the episode, Krist and Gawin walked down the aisles of the theater singing their duet, and then they went to the front stage to give their closing speeches. Most of us expected Krist to cry because it doesn't take a lot to make that happen on a normal day. But a fan event for a series that he put his heart and soul into? That he had resting on his shoulders since it was announced in late 2021? Certified, guaranteed, written in stone.

Even expecting it, though, didn't prepare me for seeing Krist cry in person. Especially when it wasn't the crying I'm used to seeing from him. I didn't even need to understand what he was saying to feel affected by it. Being in the theater, hearing him struggle to speak, assuming what he must be talking about, hearing how absolutely earnest every word was, that was enough.

I read the translation later. Krist was talking about Gawin. That he's always wanted the focus of the series to be on Gawin, because it was Gawin's first main role, and Krist felt like he'd taint it. In the past six months, Krist has said more than once that his greatest achievement from Be My Favorite was meeting Gawin. In another interview, he said he didn't care if no one watched the series because he has Gawin in his life now, and that means more to him than the success of his work. He said meeting Gawin changed him and made him grow up.

I always knew that Krist would be good for Gawin's career. From the moment I saw the casting announcement, I knew that Krist would do what he does with all of his friends and colleagues: promote him, hype him, celebrate him. I just had no idea how close they would become. That they would both find strength in each other, and that they would develop the incredibly close friendship they have now.

And, man…ever since I saw that photo up there where Gawin is listening with tears in his eyes as his close friend and admired senior talks about him with such affection and respect, my disappointment in everyone who continues to spread misinformed hate against Krist is so much deeper.

But it's also calmer.

Because it won't last.

Krist is so widely loved by the people in his life and the people he's worked with, and he's so effusively loving in return. And I think more and more people are starting to see that. He cares so intensely all the time and he allows so much of his vulnerability to show, and he listens to people.

So whenever I see people scoffing, "How does he even have fans?" I know they haven't actually looked into who he is. I know they watched a TikTok or a YouTube video with the same five things taken out of context and it just doesn't hold up when you actually see him.

Because this is who he is:

At MUSICON, he and Gawin did a meet and greet, and this fan shared her experience talking to Krist. She had so much she wanted to say, but she couldn't stop crying, and he patted her gently on the shoulder to comfort her. She said he kept kindly looking into her eyes while she spoke, and she finished by hoping more and more people get to know him.

He's one of GMMTV's top stars who makes eye contact with his fans and engages with them. He's popular enough that he could just coast during these fan events, but he wants to listen and interact with his fans. He remembers us.

And, like, I already did a whole thing about how he's not homophobic.

Like, seriously, he isn't. During his solo concert in Cambodia, he made a beeline to this fanboy and giddily danced with him the same as he did with the women in the audience. And he wasn't the only guy he danced with, either.

Krist also got hit on in an airport by a whole European dude years ago and he was delighted. The dimple came out to play and everything.

There comes a point when people who say "he's just pretending he isn't homophobic to make money" start to sound like they just really, really want Krist to be homophobic because otherwise they have been mercilessly tormenting him for years over misinformation they didn't care enough to look into.

The man described his love scene with Gawin in Be My Favorite as a piece of art. Like. I think it's abundantly clear that he's not the monster interfans invented just to throw knives at.

So anyway.

Back to Gawin.

I'm glad Krist has Gawin in his life. Gawin who sees him, who appreciates him, and who gives back just as much affection as Krist gives to him.

And who honest-to-God looks like he wants to protect Krist just as much as any of us do.

So yeah!

I like Krist.

I think he's neat. \:D/

(And I totally hope he'll let Gawin and Singto do a skit making light of all the ship wars during his concert next weekend. GawinSingto jokes, come to me.)

#be my favorite #krist perawat #gawin caskey #gawinkrist

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shardechance · 6 months ago

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post mortem #3 rating: t (for swearing) wc: 2.5k warnings: none for this snippet, however please be aware that the main work does have a non-con warning.

Seeing as no one in this partnership knows how to be normal, here's a deleted scene from JAWBREAKER between Feyre and the Hughes Twins.

Oscar flicks on the hall light on the way up, a sticky red smear left in his wake—another thing to clear up later. When they clear the doorway, stepping into the dark of the attic, their new bedroom stands on full display: one wardrobe, two dressers, a toy box that’s seen better days, an armchair, a bookshelf only half full, and a bunk bed. They’d begged for one at the old place. Seems they got their wish.

Oscar reaches for the lights but Ferye stops him. “No, it has to be dark.”

“But I can’t find my PJs!” Finn whines, flopping down on the bottom bunk. They’ll be under his pillow, where his mom always leaves them, but kids are kids and the tiredness is setting in, irritation along with it. Oscar, having had a little less sugar and a little more patience, reaches beneath his brother's head and pulls out the missing garments, flops them onto his face, and scrambles for his own before Finn can retaliate.

“You two go wash up and then we’ll play,” she says, dropping into the plush velvet armchair beneath the skylight. Oscar is already through the door, footfalls loud and quick on the stairs as he rushes to the washroom on the floor below. They creak with every step. Finn whines as he lifts himself from his bed, sluggish feet carrying him to the door. “And brush your teeth. I’ll know if you haven’t, stinky!”

He grumbles something to himself but he’s too far gone for her to make out the words.

The armchair is twice as comfortable as the couch downstairs, a million times more comfortable than the mismatched furniture back home. She leans back into it, legs propped up over one of the arms. It’s better than anything they ever had as kids. One giant bed and three gangly sisters sharing the one duvet, kicking each other, huddled closer on winter nights when the heat gave out. Getting her own space, her own bed, had been the peak of her pre-teen years.

She lets her head rest on the back of the chair, looking to the skylight above.

It would be a pretty nice view of the sky and stars if it wasn’t for the wayward branch of a neighboring oak obscuring it. Never having a tenant stay longer than a year, being on the housing market longer still, would do that to a place. Moonlight still made it to the attic though, filtered through the sparse leaves.

Her phone vibrates, probably Lucien trying to goad her into ditching again, or sharing the latest gossip in the group chat she hadn’t left yet. Not that Tamlin ever checked it. On Lucien’s last update, he was somewhere in Cambodia or Croatia or somewhere else beginning with a C, still trying to ‘find himself.’ Not like he needed to go that far to do it. Just look in the trash bin and there’s a dozen just like him.

Part of her—a smug, satisfied part—thinks he left because of what happened between them. Considering the only person he even spoke to anymore was Lucien and even that was via postcard, the evidence stacks up pretty well in her favor.

Good. Fuck him.

She pulls her phone out but doesn’t check the notification. Doesn’t have a chance to. The telltale whine of old pipes that she’s too familiar with cuts out, and the pitter-patter of bare feet taking the old stairs way too fast sounds after it. She turns on her phone’s flashlight.

“Will you tell us the game now?” Oscar asks, arms full of costume pieces he’ll likely have grown out of by next Halloween.

Finn does the same, barreling past to jump onto his bed. A breathless “Please!” as he lands in the bed face down. His twin sits beside him, legs folded criss-cross on the comforter.

Feyre takes a second to draw them closer, flipping her phone upside down so the flashlight shines upwards. By the looks on their faces—equal parts enraptured and terrified—it’s clear she has them right where she wants them.

“Boys.” Wind surges outside, rattling bare branches against the rooftop. It’s not quite lightning, but it’ll do. “We’re going to talk to spirits.”

Oscar’s awe turns to straight up fear. “Spirits? Like… ghosts?”

“Hey! Ghosts can’t get you if you’re in bed,” Finn chimes in. “Everybody knows that. Mom said so.”

They bicker back and forth about the logistics of whether it has to be your bed specifically or if just any bed will do. Finn concludes that the best place to be during a ghost attack would be a mattress store. Oscar counters with but how are there so many haunted hotels? which only serves to lead them down a different path of how does he know that and who has been sneaking off to watch Most Haunted reruns even though Mom said they shouldn’t. Feyre lets them argue, for the most part, only jumping in when it seems things might come to blows.

“Did I say anything about ghosts?” she says.

Finn shakes his head, but Oscar—oh, poor baby.

“Anyway,” Feyre continues, “I put some salt on your window when you were getting cleaned up. Totally ghost-proof, I promise.” A lie, obviously, but she’d seen it in a TV show somewhere and, by the way Oscar’s shoulders retreat from beside his ears, it convinces him well enough. “Do you want to play or not?”

“We want to play! Right, Ozzie?”

“Right.” Although, Oscar seems marginally less convinced.

“If you say so,” Feyre shrugs. She hands her phone to Oscar who, in typical kid fashion, twists it so the light shines under his chin, but jumps at the glare. She grabs his wrist, gently turning until the light faces down at his blue green comforter instead. “It’s super important that you hold this still. That keeps us connected to the spirits.”

A purple velvet bag, in all its faded filigree beauty, sits between them.

It’s been too long since she’d last done a reading, usually only reaching for them on the off chance she remembered, or if she’d had a particularly bad day. She doesn’t believe in all the witch stuff like Elain used to, the full moons and incense and tea blends made from garden herbs. No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just… nice to think that there’s a connection to something bigger out there, even if sometimes it takes a pile of old paper for her to realize it.

Her skin prickles as she touches the velvet, pulling the worn cards from their home.

“These—” she starts, spreading the deck between her fingers so the boys can see the pictures. Bright and bold and dark and faded all at once. “—are Tarot cards.”

“Tarot cards?” Oscar wavers with her phone, light dipping but Finn steadies his brother’s hand before she can chastise him for it.

She nods. “That’s right, and they’re going to help us ask the spirits a question. The cards are a conduit–uh…a tool, I guess? You ask a question in your head, focus on it really hard and pick the card that calls to you. I have to shuffle them first though, mix them all up.”

“They speak?” Finn asks, as she does her best to shuffle the deck. He’s sat so close to Oscar now, knees touching in the dark like that extra point of contact can offer comfort in a way words cannot. Even like this, they’re inseparable.

“Not with words. You’ll feel it in your heart, or your head, maybe your toes. It’s different for different people.” Feyre keeps her words calm, soothing. It’s not meant to be a spooky exercise. It’s not. God, if they wake up in the middle of the night with bad dreams—no, she keeps it cool, smiling a little as she spreads the cards face down atop the bedspread. An arc before all three of them. “To me, it feels warm. Like the sun.”

Oscar lets the phone droop a second time, and when Feyre looks up to him, his eyes are a little wet. “I don’t think I want to play this game.”

“Ozzie, please!” Finn pleads, taking his twin's free hand between his own.

Feyre takes a second, watching as Finn soothes his brother’s hand. It's the type of thing Nesta used to do for Elain, when storms blew out the breakers and left them in the dark, their father nowhere to be seen. Maybe once she yearned for that kind of connection with someone. It had never been there in her sisters—not that she blamed them, anymore—but she found it in her friends. She found it in her part time jobs. She made it her mission to be that person when she could. Her hand dwarfs both boys’ clenched palms. “It’s gonna be okay, I promise. Do you want me to get the lights?”

Oscar, looking at his brother then back to the faded gilding of the cards, shakes his head.

“You sure?” she asks.

He nods once.

“Since you’re being so brave, do you want to take the first card?” Feyre offers.

It’s with a trembling hand that Oscar reaches for the cards, letting his fingers slip free of his brother’s grip. He hovers a palm above them, moving left and right across the deck, pausing in certain spots like he’s considering taking one, but never staying in a place for too long. Like weaving between invisible strands of magic, sensing the cards and their meanings.

“I want this one,” he says, pulling a card from the dead center of the arc. What remains of the gold around the card’s edges catches in the flashlight. Feyre doesn’t even realize she’s holding her breath until Oscar flips his card over, revealing an upside down King of Swords.

Finn almost knocks his twin over trying to see the design on the front. A king alone, sat atop a throne, holding a giant sword. Well, it wouldn’t be her first choice, but it’s not a bad card. “Feyre, what does it mean?”

“Oh, you would get the King.” She smiles a little. “That’s very you, Oscar.”

Oscar, eyes still a little wide in panic, seems to relax a little at that. “Why is he upside down? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. He means something different if he’s upside down is all!” Feyre places it in the space between them, separate from the face down cards, trying to rack her brain for a way to phrase its meaning. Manipulation is such a harsh word. Inner truth, perhaps? Hidden strength? “What do you feel when you look at him?”

“He looks… cool.”

“Yeah, but how does he make you feel?”

“Like… Like I want to play again! Can I have another turn?”

Finn, eternally impatient, balks at that. He doesn’t have the same restraint his twin has. He leans over Oscar, swiping the first card his fingers touch, swishing it into the air before Feyre can remind them to be gentle. He doesn’t even let her see what he pulled, squinting at it for a second, before he pouts and lays it face up next to the other card.

“At least yours was someone cool! Mine’s just some building.”

The Tower. Oh fuck.

“Some building?” Ferye starts, nudging so the cards are aligned. She hadn’t been expecting to see the Tower, not really, but hey! These things happen. Chaos? Pride? That’s kinda Finn’s thing so it makes sense. He commands that kind of energy. “That’s the tower! One of the most powerful cards in the Deck.”

“Really?” Finn’s eyes light up at that, looking again at the card between them. “I guess the lightning storm is kinda cool.”

“I’ll bet.” She nods. “I’ll ask you the same question, Finn. What do you feel? What does it remind you of?”

“I don’t know. It’s like when dad used to let us smash sand castles after a beach day. What does it mean?”

Feyre hushes him and, thankfully, he sits back in his place, enraptured as she takes the time drawing her fingertips over the facedown cards. “We haven’t got the full story yet. It’s my turn.”

There isn’t a specific question in her mind; nebulous thoughts of school and work and home and the two boys only minutes away from sleep, parties she hasn’t been to, assignments she hasn’t done—phantom warmth pricks her index finger. Despite her belief in the metaphysical being skeptic at best, she puts trust in that little spike of warmth, pulling out the final card.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

“The Devil?” Oscar shrieks, leaning closer whilst simultaneously cringing back. “I thought you said this game wasn’t scary!”

Finn leans into his brother, trying his best to see the goat-headed figure on her card. “That’s awesome! That’s gotta be the coolest one yet! Why is he furry?”

“Hey, the Devil isn’t as bad as everyone thinks!” How do you even begin to explain the intricacies of obsession, passion and sexuality to kids? That’s way above her pay grade. Not a chance. “He gets a bad rap. Not all bad things are really bad, you know? Like… chores! You hate doing them at the time but once they’re done everything feels better, right?”

Oscar fixes her with a look, dark hair flopping in front of his eyes. “Feyre, it’s the Devil.”

“To me, this means I have an assignment due tomorrow and I need to knuckle down.” Not a lie, but not a full truth either. She does have an assignment—one she hasn’t even started yet—but seeing The Devil tugs on a different part of herself that's probably best kept under wraps. She likes this job. It would be a shame if she scared the kids too much and never got invited back. “It means I need to focus on a few things.”

“That’s kinda… boring.” Finn says, fighting off a yawn. “Can we talk to the spirits now?”

“We just did, dummy.”

Oscar, seeing his brother fight the clutch of sleep, fails in his own battle. “That was it? What did they say?”

“They say it’s bedtime. Now.” Feyre collects the unused cards, slotting in the three they chose throughout the deck. Only once they’re all safely in their little velvet pouch does she raise from the bed, letting Finn crawl beneath the comforter. Oscar follows suit, the allure of sleep near irresistible. She lets them get comfortable, standing by the skylight, looking up at the branch blocking most of the view.

“Do you like it?” Finn asks, sounding so much smaller, already halfway to sleep. “Dad says he’s gonna build us a treehouse next summer. We’re gonna have sleepovers and everything.”

Feyre starts towards the door, slowly waiting for creaks of the old floor to announce her slow departure. “For real? Am I invited?”

Finn shakes his head, or snuggles down further into his comforter. Oscar peeks over the edge of the top bunk, eyes half shut already. “No girls allowed.”

“Figures.” She reaches the door, pulling it just enough to slip through. One last look over her shoulder confirms what she already guessed. “Night, boys.”

She doesn’t get a response.

#jawbreaker #shardechance freak week #freak week post mortem

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cooking-pol-martin · 3 months ago

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Green Bean Time Machine

There's this literary concept of a madeleine, which is a metaphor for something that causes you to be mentally transported back to a moment in time. It can be a taste, a smell, a sound which provokes an involuntary memory. The concept comes from Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu (or In Search of Lost Time)*. The main character takes a bite of a madeleine dipped in tea -- a madeleine is a small cookie -- which overwhelms him with memories of his childhood, the recounting of which fills seven volumes and became a Modernist classic.

There's something of a visual joke about this at the end of the movie Ratatouille -- yes, I mean the cooking rat cartoon -- when the antagonist-critic takes a bite of the titular dish and you see a series of flashbacks of his childhood. (Arguably, the way our cooking rat links experience to memory is one of the theses of that movie, such as it is.) Smell and taste can be deeply, personally evocative, bound as they are to cultural identities individual, familial, and societal.

Which is why I say with some horror that Pol Martin's "Fresh Green Beans with Sour Cream Sauce" transported me back to the 1970s, an involuntary reverie of a particularly turgid period in American cooking. I didn't even know I had those memories.

Before I get into the way-back machine and start working through my generational trauma, I should probably detail the cooking process. First off, Pol had me get out a big pot, fill that bad boy with water, and then boil the ever living fuck out of a pound of green beans. It wasn't as horrific as the boiled leeks, which. I then was to make a roux and pour in reserved water from cooking the green beans, which resulted in a thin, unpleasantly gray gruel. The sauce was finished with not enough sour cream to ungruelify it. Serve over the beans, etc.

So I served this nonsense up, and the family set to eating. My first bite and I started to feel things: the almost overdone-ness of the vegetables married to a dairy-based sauce with virtually no seasoning transported me back to a place I can barely articulate. This dish isn't something my mom would ever make -- she could actually cook, even in the 70s -- but I have the phantasmagorical sense of church potlucks and luncheons after funerals of relatives I can't even remember. It was firmly disquieting.

My youngest kid, a senior in high school, piped up: "Can you take constructive criticism?" You bet your ass, kid. I'm already way ahead of you.

Meanwhile, sitting next me at the table, my husband was grubbing. "This is just great!" he cried. What the actual fuck.

After a fair amount of crosstalk, arguing, and shuddering from yours truly, the family decided that the longer you were alive during the 1970s, the more likely you were to enjoy this Pol Martin green bean abomination. My memories of that decade were created when I was largely prelinguistic, and feel broken and dark, unformed. My husband has a couple years on me, apparently long enough that unpleasantly gray gruel transported him to a place that made sense.

There's a reason my folks largely checked out of popular culture during that period -- beyond the way that having small children ruins your cultural engagement -- and that's because the 1970s sucked. I can see how my dad shakes his head when he talks about the 70s: the American people felt betrayed by Watergate, and the hard-fought successes of the Civil Rights movements bled out, literally, into a dozen political assassinations, domestic massacres like Kent State and the fucking horror shows of the Vietnam war and the illegal and immoral bombing of Cambodia. The first political event I remember was Carter being voted out of office in 1980, God rest his soul. The relationship with the current cultural moment feels grimly parallel.

Phew.

I didn't mean to get so serious in this here blog where I lightheartedly cook some nonsense recipes from a French Canadian chef, but here we are. Food culture is culture, and I suppose it's inevitable that one of these recipes would act as madeleine for memories that have whatever the inverse of nostalgia is.

*I know that reading seven volumes of a 100 year old French novel isn't on anyone's to-do list, but I'm telling you: that shit is some massively entertaining grandiloquent bitchiness.

#pol martin #stunt cooking #pol martin's supreme cuisine #green beans #madeleine #Marcel Proust

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crowscacophony · 6 months ago

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its freak-frackin 2017 boi ^-^

I need to write something but mouthwashing has me in a state of shock still I feel like curly’s barely conscious body bruh he’s literally me. (Not a spoiler this is literally revealed in the first five minutes I promise) I need some kohls brainrot but unlike Jimmy I CAN TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY ACTIONS fuck Jimmy all my homies hate Jimmy mouthwashing

I was going to do some historical fangstitch but despite my favorite fanfic I’ve ever read being about wwii and fleeing nazism I cannot bring myself to actually write anything even though I have some really cool (I have to keep telling myself that it’s okay for things to be historically accurate even though the vocabulary used *specifically for Crow and his Romani heritage* would be entirely different and it’s better to be tasteful) ideas

So instead. We’re embracing the cringe.

WELCOME TO THE YEAR 2017 BITCHES

Mid to late 2010s fandom was an insane mess. No one knew how to act. No one was anywhere near normal. I was there. I remember it all too well. The era of flower crowns and cell shaded big eyes and Hamilton animatics. Good God it was like being on crack with a bunch of closeted queers

And I keep seeing the “mouthwashing if it was released in 2016 posts” where people are drawing the characters in flower crowns and big sweaters and “smol beans” and “cinnamon rolls :3” and it’s like a bullet to the brain. And I LOVE it. Give me more.

So. The Dalseum Duet if it was released in 2017. Let’s fuckin pretend.

The people of 2017 fandom would be cancelled left and right today and I’m going to revel in that for a minute.

An entire cast of characters of color is not really ideal. Because we saw what happened to Hamilton. Here are my predictions for the most cancellable race offenses:

People just cannot draw Sara. They can’t fathom that her skin is dark. They keep coloring her this weird ashy mid-toned color and squishing her face to make her look “cuter.”

Marie gets whitewashed to high hell. She’s supposed to be cutesy and feminine and the people of 2017 could not fathom that she has darker skin than Crow

Same with Adam. He would 100% get “smol bean” woobified. Someone literally just does not realize that he’s black. Art of him but white (out of pure ignorance, not malice) is posted on a prominent artist’s tumblr and never mentioned until someone digs it back up in 2020

I would say something abt Noeul but people act even worse abt “”morally gray”” East Asian men in 2024 so just go looking yourself if you’re desperate for people saying weird shit. Dw we get to him later

Multiple people come forward saying they didn’t know Cambodia was even a country before reading Heartstrings

still an issue but people just don’t know how to draw Asian features. they all look white for some reason.

crow always has straight hair. for some reason.

Other related offenses

Gale is always drawn either too skinny or something is evidently proportionally incorrect

Where. Where are Crow’s mobility aids guys

The Charlie hate posts. “she’s so annoying omg she thinks everything revolves around her! terrible main character” when she’s just a woman trying to escape an unsafe situation

People are just not normal about crow being trans (to be expected no matter what year tbh)

“my smol trans bb 🥺 my little bean protecc him *GUYS DID YOU CATCH THAT I SAID HIM!! HIM NOT SHE I’M AN ALLY* at all costs”

your smol bb just watched someone get decapitated and didn’t flinch but. okay

people exaggerate sonnet’s proportions so ridiculously. is this transphobic or are you just numb to the furry proportions of animation memes bc their hips cannot possibly be that large

A LOOK AT THE FANDOM

So many theatre kids who can’t communicate to anyone effectively. So many. Think Percy Jackson of eras bygone meets the Heathers animatic era.

The most viewed video is an animatic of Sara telling off Noeul after the trial set to “Congratulations” from Hamilton.

And now. Just know that this hurts me to say bc this album is my guilty pleasure but not a pleasure bc it hurts me to listen to some of these songs. Sigh.

Panic! at the Disco’s album “Death of a Bachelor” released in 2016, shifting the edgy fandom space forever.

The Council fanart. The animatics. Were edits a thing at this time? Fuckin PMVs? Idk. BUT GOOD GOD. EVERY SINGLE SONG ON THAT ALBUM. THERE WILL BE 100 COUNCIL ANIMATICS AT THE LEAST FOR EACH ONE. ALL IN THE SAME EXACT ARTSTYLE YOU KNOW THE ONE

THE FANART EDITS. GOD. NOEUL WITH HIS EYES BLACKED OUT WITH A BAR WITH LIKE “Fifty words for murder and I’m every single one of them” WRITTEN ACROSS IT HAHAHAHAAAAA his touch is black and poisonous guys. eyes like broken Christmas lights fr

PEOPLE GET SO CORNY OVER THIS MAN. SO CORNY. LIKE. HE MIGHT AS WELL BE TORD. THAT IS THE EXACT TREATMENT HE GETS

oh yeah and Jason Dean too. the comparisons of costco to JD and Veronica. dead girl walking animatics galore

people made JD’s entire personality slushies even though he committed so many crimes. Noeul’s personality is reduced to bulgogi but no one can pronounce it so it just keeps getting worse

people woobify the fuck out of Sonnet. drawing them in big sweaters and flower crowns and sh scars on comically “thicccc” thighs bc they were “suicidal 🥺” (because they were “depwessed” not bc their marriage was fucking loveless and they no longer recognize who they are) and they have pretty pink hair. they tried to murder an innocent woman folks

unironic sams club shippers. “they should have gotten back together after the end! they did!! here is my fanart of Adam (ace mlm who has been severely traumatized by sonnet’s actions) and Sonnet (body has been borderline botched by “gender affirming surgery” and just watched their husband get slaughtered by their daughter in front of their own eyes. cannot form a cohesive sentence due to addiction to a variety of substances)

I’m. I’m going to bed but I will add on to this. Because I find it really funny.

Anyway. Just throwing the image of smol bean-ified Kai in your brain. @svwhssftr Big eyelashes and big blue sweater. Shark plushie. His eyes are blue and suspiciously round. Why does he have visible tits guys this isn’t… He doesn’t even have a face anymore. Bitch is built like captain curly. He is a fucking menace with an undiagnosed personality disorder. But yeah. Yeah smol trans bean (white..?) Kai. Perfect. Exactly. Sorry for that attack of psychological warfare. Thank you 2017 for your service in fandom history

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samueldays · 2 years ago

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Sam Reviews: Just and Unjust Wars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Four out of five stars, good case studies, well read, IMO best viewed as an account of what intelligent moderate left-libs believe, less convincing as argument, some gaps. Thanks to @friendshapedhole for the suggestion.

The common law of combat is developed through a kind of practical casuistry.

Walzer started by having strong opinions about Vietnam, then reached back to the Melian Dialogue, dipping into the War of the Spanish Succession, and a great many other wars for his cases. The examples are good, and yet even the Fifth Edition book feels to me incomplete. I suppose this is due to the nature of casuistry and shifting mores, that the writer cannot finish, only document what has happened so far, and must live with the knowledge that more things will happen.

My biggest complaint against it: like many left-libs, Walzer is still extremely concerned about the Nazis, going on for page after page, chapter after chapter, about how uniquely terrible the Nazis are and how fighting the Nazis might excuse committing some injustices of one's own (such as Operation Wilfred), but the Commies barely rate a mention.

As I get older, I get increasingly annoyed by this phenomenon. I feel like I'm not hearing Walzer talk in those chapters, I'm hearing some long-dead WW2 propagandist talking through Walzer, excusing why America has sided with Soviet Russia.

You will search this book in vain for any mention of Cambodia or the Khmer Rouge. Mao is held up as a conflicted moderate and Maoism gets nothing; here is the single mention of Stalinism in the chapter on nuclear deterrence and MAD.

"highly plausible", what an understatement. I have the Fifth Edition book from 2015. I choose to hope that this sentence was written for the First Edition in 1977 and never updated.

I grumble, also, that there's no mention of the Peace of Westphalia, which seems to me quite relevant to the situation of state-warfare practice and law that values the sovereignty and independence of states, condemning rulers for declaring aggressive war but not soldiers for participating in it. The notion of "neutral states", important to Walzer, rests on an assumption of a Westphalian state. Jus ad bellum turns on who the decisionmakers and relevant entities in war are, but I can't quite bring myself to make it a full complaint when Walzer acknowledges that this is more of a where-we-are book, less of a how-we-got-here book. Also I bought this because I was more interested in Jus in bello. Still I grumble.

My main takeway was a view of war crimes as a sort of violation of the presumptive immunity-right of most people, the right to not be attacked. Soldiers may be generally attacked unless they have surrendered, civilians may generally not be attacked unless some specific exemption applies, and the notion of civilian-looking guerillas is a messy one that Walzer spends some time on.

I applaud him for biting a bullet: on the view of immunity-rights no war crime inheres in gas attacks, the ban on poison gas is a constructed legal ban, not a basic moral principle.

I have heard the word "raid" (or "raiding") used for this demi-monde. I think it's an underappreciated feature of history, and ties back to the matter of Westphalia and States able to authorize acts of state. Ancient history has a great deal of time spent neither at peace nor at war, but in a state of raid, where armed bands from one group might do violence to another group, opportunistically scaling from robbery to murder and enslavement, in unpredictable ways and times. Raid as a condition can be quiet without being peace, when (like in outright war) no party sees a good opportunity to attack.

Raid, I have seen it argued, is prior to either peace or war. To make peace or make war requires in both cases some organized and treaty-capable authority over armed parties, an officer or ruler, who can order soldiers to stand down or to give battle, rather than speak as one of a band and merely suggest "that fight doesn't look worth it to me, bros".

#all #history #literature #war crimes #longpost #sam reviews

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boysplanetrecaps · 1 year ago

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Build Up, Episode 2: Tomboy (Hyukoh)

Welcome back to my extremely timely recaps of Build Up, the MNET vocal survival show thing! In the previous post, we covered Shall I...? and Ditto. In this one, we'll continue with the Pre-4 mission by covering the performance of Tomboy, originally by Hyukoh. Let's go!

Hyukoh is a Korean band fronted by their lead singer and songwriter, Oh Hyuk. They do sort of alt-rock stuff, and they’re pretty popular. Tomboy was a pretty big hit for them in 2017.

Sample lyrics: Sad adults always only walk backwards / You, who just passed your Terrible Twenty, look bored / Because we don’t want to be set on fire and burn quickly / We’re cheering for love… The young us / We can’t see our tree rings / Our eyes are getting blind from the bright lights

I know Oh Hyuk mainly from a song I really love by Code Kunst called Parachute, which features him. (If a song by Code Kunst “features” someone, it means that person sings the whole song.) It’s a really great song, kind of special in my opinion, so do check it out if you have a few minutes. Oh Hyuk has a gruff, textured kind of voice, quite distinctive, and very much in the vein of the voice of our leather jacket king, Lee Gwangsuk.

The judges are excited, because they like this song, as do the boys backstage, who think that the team who chose this song are well suited to it. And who is that team?

It’s Lee Gwangsuk, Park Joohee, Hwang Inhyuk, and Jo Hwanji.

The judges notice right away that Jo Hwanji is wearing a uniform. He salutes, saying “Victory!” and Eunkwang, who already did his military service, immediately returns the salute. Hwanji introduces himself as Sgt Jo Hwanji, currently serving in the Air Force Military Music Honor Battalion. I tried to look up info on this, like, does he have to appear in uniform? What the heck is a Military Music Honor Battalion? What is going on? No clue, my friends. My google skills only take me so far. If you have info to share, I’d be happy to take a look at it.

Inhyuk is wearing a sweater that appears to say “Sensitive People Fragile Club,” and honestly, same. I mean, I’m not wearing the sweater, but it’s implied.

He has a pleasant speaking voice, and says he’s looking to be the “main vocalist of Build Up”

Park Joohee says he’s the maknae (youngest) of the whole show, and everyone cooes over him a bit. He says he already got into college, and he gets some congratulations from the judges.

This part was a little confusing, so I watched it a few times before I figured it out. Some of the contestants backstage say he’s the same age as them, including Detective Donghun from A.C.E., who I know was born in 1993 and is definitely not 18! Then someone else says Year of the Rooster, and I figured it out -- if you’re born in 1993 or 2005, you’re born in the Year of the Rooster, and that makes you akin from a certain perspective. It might be like in Western culture when people say something like “oh, yeah, fellow August baby here…” It’s been my experience that people who live in cultures that celebrate Lunar New Year tend to just know what year was what animal. The owner of a little B&B I stayed at in Cambodia guessed the year I was born using a combination of my basic appearance and my Chinese zodiac sign. So yeah, the moment they knew Joohee’s age, they knew his zodiac sign and then knew if they were the same as him. I don’t claim that this kind of thing is universal amongst all people in Asian cultures, but I’ve encountered it enough times to think that it must not be unusual. Again, if you have info to share or if I got that wrong somehow, please let me know, but be nice! Thanks, friends! Thriends.

Joohee jokes a bit with the judges, and it turns out that he’s going to be going to the same college as the one that Jaehwan went to (I think). He’ll be class of ‘27, while Jaehwan is class of ‘19. The other judges call him an ammonite (fossil).

Gwangseok says hello, and everyone is surprised at how deep his speaking voice is. He introduces himself as a freelance model who wants to make people fall in love with his voice.

The judges say, “ohhhh!”

(Model?)

We get to see his modeling profile and it turns out he’s 188 cm tall, making him 6’2. The judging panel jokes that it’s not fair that he can sing when he’s that tall.

We’re reminded of his unique voice from the vocal check in, and how he got to pick first. Everyone applauded when Gwangseok chose Tomboy, as it suits his vocals. Inhyuk in 11th place was next to join, then Hwanji in 16th place, and then Joohee in 24th place, making this song one of the first songs to fill up completely.

We find out that Joohee idolizes Inhyuk from the time that Inhyuk went on I Can See Your Voice. Joohee approaches Inhyuk and tells him as much, which of course absolutely warms Inhyuk’s heart.

“REALLY?” Joohee (back to us) approaches Inhyuk as pink haired Geonu looks on.

Inhyuk interviews that there are people here who are a lot more famous than he is, so he was really touched and he wants to take care of Joohee. Inhyuk chooses Tomboy partly to be with Inhyuk, but also because that was the song he really wanted.

So how should this team with all four vocal colors distribute the parts?

Nobody wants part D, which is just “ah ah ah ah” for 25 seconds. It’s like when you do Me and Bobby McGee for karaoke and have to do two minutes of “ladedada.” But on further reflections, Gwakseong decides that the “ah” part is the core of the song, and that it might sound cool if he sings it with a scratchy voice.

A few days later, they meet up somewhere.

Left to right: Inhyuk, Joohee, Gwakseong , a pile of leaves and twigs

Aside from Hwanji, they’re all rocking sweaters. You guys, this is the show of sweaters. Inhyuk spent some time on his own to create some layered harmonies and even recorded them so they could all hear them. They practice singing together, with Inhyuk providing advice and encouragement to maknae Joohee. Throughout we do not hear Hwanji speak even once.

The performance begins.

Link for the version without reactions

LTR: Lee Gwangsuk, Park Joohee, Hwang Inhyuk, Jo Hwanji

My thoughts:

Overall, this was an excellent performance and I could imagine it being a lot of people’s absolute favorite. For whatever reason, it’s not perfectly ringing my bells and I think it comes down to taste and the song itself. This song probably relies a lot on the meaning of the lyrics and since I don’t understand them intuitively it’s not as fascinating to me. Also, it feels like it should be in a faster tempo and like someone just set it on slow. Just my take; sorry if it’s your favorite!

All four vocalists were really good and all of them sing better than I do, so please forgive me as I nitpick a bit, ok? They all did great but I have opinions. Okay!

LTR: Lee Gwangsuk, Hwang Inhyuk

In my initial write up, I wrote that Gwangseok has a unique, smokey, extremely thick kind of voice that some people might like and others might not. I like it, though I wondered if it would work well in a vocal group that required blending of voices. In this performance, I was able to see how he could fit in as a member of a group, as his voice really could blend in quite nicely. I felt a little like he was trying a tiny bit too hard on the “ahhs”, but maybe I’d feel different if I understood the lyrics and was really jiving with the emotion of the song. His belts toward the end felt a bit strained, and I think that’s his lack of training showing. He still has a really interesting, distinct voice and I could see him going far.

In my initial write up, I noted that Inhyuk had a really unique voice and thought he shouldn't have classified himself as an Allround. I liked his soft, almost gruff voice, but noticed some problems with his belts. I felt like somehow this wasn’t the best he could do and decided to reserve judgment. In this performance, his belts sounded a lot better and I think I was right, that he was capable of doing better than he did in his teaser. I also loved how he sounded in the bridge. A voice like that could go either way but I ended up really liking it, especially in that part in the bridge when he had the spotlight on him. He has a slight sharp edge to his voice that makes him not my absolute favorite among these four, but I still liked what he did a lot, and I find him personally appealing for some reason. Also I like his delivery where he seems to be almost talking, and I really like the beautiful harmonies that he arranged. Nice work, Inhyuk!

LTR: Park Joohee, Jo Hwanji

In my initial write up, I noted that Joohee had a pleasant voice with good agility, though he lacked breath support. In this performance, I really loved his full, open sound, and he ended up being easily my favorite of the four. His voice is a bit similar to Inhyuk’s but without the sharpness, so it just makes it all the more easy to listen to. I still think he needs to work on his breath support, though. Some notes of his should have been held for another half a second. He was still my favorite, though. I just love his vocal color.

In my initial write up, I said that Hwanji broke the musical actor mold by singing in a clean, full voice. I noted his varied dynamics, impeccable pitch, and power. In this performance, I didn’t love how he sounded in the opening lines. Maybe the trembling, half-voiced effect was what he was going for, but for me it sounded like a mistake, like he needed to clear his throat but didn’t have time. He seemed to be running out of breath, too. Maybe he’s not great at singing softly, since “power” is his strength. Despite that not-great opening, he was better in the rest of the song, and his harmony with the others was gorgeous throughout. It’s not easy to harmonize well, and he really did.

In fact, the harmonies overall were really lovely. At times, they didn’t quite blend dynamics as well as they could have -- I think it was Gwangseok’s fault, though I might be wrong -- but the actual notes they were singing were amazing.

If I had to pick a top tier, it’d be Joohee, and I think my bottom tier would be Hwanji, but I’m sad about it because I really loved his teaser performance. Maybe it was an off day for him or maybe he just should have picked a different song. Also, it’s not like he did badly. This would just be my least favorite of the four, not my least favorite singer of all time. I’m still looking forward to hearing what he sings next time!

In the MNET edit, the judges are shown loving everything, even Hwanji’s opening and Gwangseok’s too emphatic “ahhs”. They even show Dahee grinning. Everyone loves the performance.

When they’re done, the judges lavish praise on them. Eunkwang says that they have different vocal colors, but “the emotional line that the four of had together was aligned, so it was different but harmonious.” Baekho says that each time they changed from singer to singer, it was cathartic, hearing a different voice coming in. I know what he means -- I love how I know all of Exo’s voices and being able to say, oh, that’s Xiumin, oh, that’s Chanyeol, oh, here comes Chen, aw, it’s Kai… like that. It almost makes it boring in comparison to listen to a song that only one person sings.

Vocal Coach Guy (VCG) praises Gwangseok’s “tone that was never taught.” He was born with a tone that can express so much depth just by singing “ah.”

Vocal Coach Guy likes Gwangseok’s tone. I think? I guess? Not sure.

Solar says that Joohee sounds like a “church oppa,” with his sweet, clean voice. She also loved his smile.

Joohee, looking divine.

Solar says that VCG is also a church-oppa type, and VCG says “shalom, shalom,” which if you don’t know is Hebrew, so more appropriate for Temple than for Church, so that’s pretty funny.

Solar is so happy it’s made her cold!

Then Eunkwang points out that Inhyuk is the one who arranged all the harmonies, and everyone correctly praises him for working out such a lovely arrangement.

The judges say it’ll be difficult to pick a Top Tier, and the guys back stage seem to think it’ll be any of Gwangseok, Inhyuk, or Joohee. VCG says that he wishes that Hwanji would just do a traditional ballad, and weirdly enough, I think I agree.

Who wins top tier?

COMMERCIAL!

BACK FROM COMMERCIAL!

The judges have voted!

Baekho voted for Jo Hwanji, VCG voted for Hwang Inhyuk, and everyone else voted for Park Joohee. Ouch for Gwangseok that no one voted for him, but he did come in first in the vocal check so he can’t feel that bad.

Dahee prompts the older members to say something nice to Joohee, and they all tell him they love him. It’s cute. They leave the stage arm in arm.

Ok, so that I can keep putting in as many pictures as I want to, I’m going to just go ahead and post this now. In the next one, we’ll be covering “Something Like That.” Thanks as always for reading. You're my Valentine for sure! <3

See you in the next one!

#bpr recaps build up #mnet build up

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best-movie-ever-tournament · 2 years ago

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Apocalypse Now was described as follow:

It's kind of telling the story of the Vietnam War but in reverse? or like the odyssey but as a patrol boat heading to Cambodia. Idk there are a lot of ways of viewing the plot. It for sure is based on Joseph Conrad's heart of darkness. This whole film is beautifully shot with some truly iconic images. The acting is really solid all around and it does a good job of addressing how awful that war (and really all wars) was to the combatants and the civilians. Also, the making of this film is bonkers. The director nearly died twice, the lead actor had a heart attack and had to walk a mile in the jungle by himself to get help, everyone was on so much drugs. Plus, they were filming in an area that was actively at war and kept having to halt production because they had to give the country's helicopters back so they could go into battle. It was a legendarily awful rainy season. One underage actor lied about his age to get into the film and because production took literal years to finish, he was well over 18 by the time the movie was released. Just a ridiculous film production that made for an iconic film.

All Quiet... was described as follow:

I don't watch a lot of war movies to begin with, but this one stuck out to me because the protagonist is German and the ending is tragic. The characters and setting take place in Germany and the German's side of things. Main character's name is Paul. His friends and him are naïve at the beginning of the movie and joined the war for the glory (their teacher advertised it to them) and they go. One by one they're all taken down and suffer some aspect of it. I don't remember what happens to whom, but I do remember one suffered phantom pain from a severed leg and he kept asking "Where's my leg?" or something of the like. Paul eventually goes back to his home and school and things are different. His teacher is still spewing war propaganda, so Paul warns the the current students not to join - he gets backlash. By the end he's in a battle and Paul sees a butterfly. The enemy is really aggressive but I think Paul was dissociating or something because I there were others soldiers or gunfire warning him to stay low. Paul reaches his arm out to the butterfly - that's literally all we see - and he gets shot and his arm goes still. It's tragic to me because even though the protagonist is German, he's still a soldier just like his enemies and it's the absolute fault of people of higher status that soldiers are in the position they're in. It's also one of the few movies where the protagonist dies.

#apocalypse now #tournament poll #all quiet on the western front

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aroundtheworldin214days · 2 years ago

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May 28, 2023 - Day 154

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

Even though the official title is Ho Chi Minh City everyone that lives there call it Saigon. There is a huge cultural difference between what I saw in Hanoi and Saigon. In Hanoi everything is about communism and Ho Chi Minh. In Siagon there is still a lot of resentment about what they call the civil war. The wealth is centralized within the controlling party and most people live on a income of $300 US/month. You have to pay to go to school and you see children on the streets selling lottery tickets to live. All the boys are required to go in the military for two years. Vietnam is really worried about China and the islands it has in the South China Sea so 60% of the drafted men go in the Navy. One of the guides told me that the Vietnam relatives in the States send 20 billion dollars into Vietnam each year.

The thing that impressed me the most was all the motorcycles. There are 7 million 150 cc motorcycles in the country. There are special lanes for the cycles but there are still many accidents with 25 people killed each day. New they cost $1650 US dollars but many go to Cambodia to buy used motorbikes. There are cars but the sales tax is 250% of the sales price so only people associated with the government have one.

There are 20 million people in Saigon and 100 million in Vietnam. There are 20 different dialects of Vietnamese spoken in the country. The main industry is farming with 2 million metric tons of rice exported every year and the country is the second largest exporter of very good coffee after Brazil.

We visited the Mekong Delta area where we saw a large fishing industry. The boats have large very bright lights attached to the boats to attract squid. If you look close at the boat photos below you will see them. The boats go out for 20 days. The delta is 3 km across.

I visited the Can Cu Vietcong tunnel area located West of Saigon. There are 200 km of tunnels spread over 80 square miles. It was the main planning aret for the Vietcong in southern Vietnam. It was used by 4000 people as a bomb shelter when the US B52 bombers attacked the area. I went into one of the tunnels and it was not a pleasant place. The lady in the video is making rice paper.

I didn’t have to go to Vietnam during the war but had many cousins and friends who did so it was interesting to visit Vietnam to see how things have evolved. There is still a very strong American influence in the country and the country is still evolving. The government has a very tight controlling grip on the country thru the military and police but the people certainly practice free capitalism. They have to be very careful about saying anything negative about the government or they will be severely punished. Real freedom comes at a cost.

#siagon #ho chi minh city #around the world #travel #can cu tunnels

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elina-scstudyabroad · 2 years ago

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First stop on our spring break trip was Cambodia! To be honest the country was not the first thing you may think of when you consider traveling the charming Southeast of Asia but I am more than grateful I had the chance to visit this country with such a rich and troubling history and I truly feel like I learned the most during my time here.

We started our trip in the capital city, Phnom Penh which presents a contrasting landscape that reflects the country's complex history and current socioeconomic conditions. As you explore the city, you'll witness a mix of bustling streets, modest neighborhoods, and pockets of modern development. The main and cheapest means of transportation for tourists are tuktuks and I noticed that there are almost no rules (or at least none followed) on the streets. At some point or driver even casually started driving on the wrong side of the street into oncoming traffic. In terms of infrastructure and urban planning, Phnom Penh may not boast the gleaming skyscrapers and polished cityscapes of other Asian capitals but it showcases its history. While there are some pockets of affluence, it's true that poverty and inequality are evident in certain areas of the city. The local markets showcase the daily struggles and entrepreneurial spirit of the people, with vendors selling everything from fresh produce to clothing and household goods. These markets can be crowded and chaotic, but they offer a glimpse into the realities of everyday life for many Cambodians.

Some interesting places we got to see where the national museum as well as the royal palace. We also did a cruise on the river to see more of the city by the shore.

You quickly come to realize that Phnom Penh bears the scars of a turbulent past, particularly during the Khmer Rouge regime, and remnants of that era can be seen at sites like the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields. These places offer somber reminders of the atrocities that took place and evoke a sense of reflection and solemnity. I highly recommend purchasing the audio guide for another $3 because it does a fantastic job at making you feel the sorrow of the place and how it still affects Cambodia today and allows you to empathize with the victims.

Phnom Penh does have a growing dining scene, where you can find a range of local and international cuisines to suit various tastes and budgets. From street food stalls serving Khmer delicacies to restaurants offering a fusion of flavors, there are options available to explore and savor the local culinary offerings. While Phnom Penh may not offer a glitzy and extravagant nightlife scene, there are establishments where locals and tourists alike gather to unwind and socialize. Riverside bars and cruises offer a chance to relax and enjoy the picturesque views along the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers.

It's important to approach a visit to Phnom Penh with an open mind and an understanding that Cambodia is still in the process of development and recovery especially with its government. The locals that we had the opportunity of speaking with are very aware of the faults in their system but they recognize the growth their country is going through. By embracing the city's complexities and engaging with its history and people, you can gain a deeper appreciation for the challenges and triumphs that have shaped Phnom Penh into what it is today.

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sunmarketing · 1 year ago

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"Solo Journeys in India: Navigating the Transport Tapestry via tuk-tuks, trains and planes….”

Welcome to Dr. Mary Travelbest’s 5 Steps to Solo Travel Guide for women like you who need extra support traveling the world (slowly), one woman at a time.

Please rate this podcast and the Amazon book series, especially Part B on Destinations!

I’ve been traveling solo since 1972 and writing about it since 1993. Now you can experience the Top Selling Book Series: 5 Steps to Solo Travel, a Woman’s Guide to Travel and Destinations in Her Prime, found on Amazon. I recently took a 90-day trip around the world, and this is a special episode on Indian transportation for the solo female.

What are the challenges faced by solo female travelers in India? How can they navigate the transportation system in India? What are the travel tips for exploring India's transport networks as a solo female traveler?

This particular podcast edition is about the "Roads Less Traveled, including a few Solo Female Travel Tips for Exploring India's Transport Networks"

There was a massive train crash while I was in India, and many people were tragically killed. The people I was staying with had friends on those trains, but they were ok. Many of my family members contacted me across the miles to see if I was ok, as it was world news. See the show notes for more on train accidents.

https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/yearender-2023-tragic-accidents-in-2023-road-rail-accidents-odisha-coromandel-express-andhra-pradesh-train-collision-tragedy-latest-updates-2023-12-22-908419

The world’s largest populated country has transportation challenges. Corruption, bureaucracy, and red tape are also issues. Corrupted officials leverage their control over permits to line their pockets. Income equality is massive. The wealthiest 10% makes up almost 60% of India's income. The future looks brighter.

One airline, Go First, went out of business after I bought my ticket in May 2023. I cannot get a refund because the airline is bankrupt and, therefore, will not honor any purchases of their flights, nor will the ticket agency through which I bought it.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/go-first-gets-two-financial-bids-as-part-of-its-bankruptcy-process-101708754354934.html

I arrived in Chennai from a flight originating in Cambodia and transferred through Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I spent 8 hours in the airport, talking to people from all over the world. Here is a rundown of the travel I did over two weeks in six cities in India.

When going through airport security, you must be on an all-female line. Men and women are not allowed to go through together.

The same thing happened when I went to the Taj Majal. Separate security stations were established, and I even hit my head on that going through, as I am 5’ 10’, so I am taller than most other women.

Overall, I made many transportation mistakes, but they were all to help you make a better trip next time.

My travel mistakes in India: I was lied to by a taxi driver, had a driver with no shoes and no change, got scammed in the main Delhi train station, and had trouble finding a bus to Agra.

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jaydeemedia · 1 year ago

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[ad_1] Koh Rong Samloem is a jungle-clad island surrounded by magnificent beaches illuminated with white sand. It is undergoing development but remains a stunning destination in Cambodia. Here’s all you need to know for an escape in paradise. By: Mark Barnes | Published: 28 Mar 2024 span box-shadow: none !important; filter: brightness(1) !important; ]]> Koh Rong Samloem is an island paradise with some of the finest beaches in the world. Remote locations with few facilities and tricky access made Koh Rong Samoloem the perfect destination for backpackers. Recently, mid and upmarket hotels have started appearing with some infrastructure underway to connect different parts of the island. Development comes at an environmental cost, but it also brings a much wider choice of accommodation. We were a bit nervous before visiting, but we were not disappointed. The island maintains a cool vibe and it’s possible to avoid most of the development. Our guide covers the main areas of the island with tips for deciding where to stay, how to get around and what to do. If you are deciding between the beaches of Koh Rong Samloem and Koh Rong, check out our guide to Koh Rong. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Koh Rong Samloem is a laid-back resort island with beaches dotted around its edge, but there are a few things to know before you decide where to stay. Rubbish – Plastic is a problem in Cambodia, and unfortunately, you’ll find it littering some of the beaches at Koh Rong Samloem. Much of it gets carried across the water from Sihanoukville, but there’s also a little being dumped directly on this beautiful island. Every morning, resort staff (and tourists) will clean up the beaches and generally keep the area in front of the resorts pristine. But away from the main resorts, there is some litter on the beach. In our experience it was a little better than Koh Rong, mainly because most of the beach is occupied by resorts. Development – Koh Rong Samloem has been home to backpackers for many decades, but the Cambodian government is trying to develop the island. Mid and upmarket resorts are being built sometimes with little concern for the environment. Large tracks that seem much wider than necessary have been carved through the jungle to prepare for roads that so far have not been built. Saracen Bay, in particular, has been affected. But, where development has finished, there is now an excellent mix of accommodation for different budgets surrounded by a relaxed vibe and beachfront restaurants. We were nervous about coming here but if you choose your accommodation carefully (see below), it’s a fantastic beach destination. Sandflies – Sandflies can be a problem when lying directly on the beach at Koh Rong Samloem. However, the process of raking the sand helps to significantly reduce the number of these pesky little insects. So, finding a beach in front of a resort or guesthouse is a good idea. Otherwise, find a lounger or hammock. Cash – Most guesthouses, hotels, and resorts take credit and debit card, but the local bars and restaurants will want cash. There are no ATMs on the island so bring enough with you. WHEN TO VISIT KOH RONG SAMLOEM The best time to visit Koh Rong is from Mid-November to February when the temperature is between 25°C-30°C (77°F-86°F), the skies generally clear and the sea calmer. March to May can be very hot and humid with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (86°F) but rainfall can still be relatively infrequent. Throughout June to mid-November you can expect some wind and rain on about half the days. Periodically boat crossings to the island are cancelled and snorkelling and diving is impossible. The upside is that accommodation is cheaper. GETTING TO KOH RONG SAMLOEM To get to the Kohn Rong islands you take a boat from Sihanoukville Autonomous Port. SIHANOUKVILLE AUTONOMOUS PORT Sihanoukville’s Autonomous Port can be reached by bus from most other Cambodian cities. The most popular are Phnom Penh (3 hours), Kampot (3 hours) and Siem Reap

(10 hours). Rithy Express Buses stop just around the corner from the Autonomous Port. Vireak Buntham buses require a short tuk-tuk ride ($3) There is also a new flight from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville (1 hour 10 minutes) with Cambodia Angkor Air. SPEEDBOAT FROM SIHANOUKVILLE PORT TO KOH RONG SAMLOEM Five companies run regular speedboat journeys from Sihanoukville Autonomous Port to three destinations on Koh Rong Samloem: Saracen Bay, Sandy Bay and M’Pai. Saracen Bay has two different piers (Ocean Pier & Eden Pier), 10 minutes’ walk from each other. Timing – The boats run from about 8 am to 5 pm. Cost – Tickets are $14 one way or $25 return. You need to book a ticket to a specific destination, so make sure you know the pier that’s most convenient to where you are staying. Journey Time – The boats will stop wherever people have booked tickets for. The journey takes between 40 minutes and 1 hour 20 minutes depending on whether you are the first or last stop. If you buy a return, you need let the ferry company know the boat you want to get back one day before you leave Koh Rong Samloem. Bookings – Book online in advance, especially in peak season. We used GTVC, it had the best ratings, easy online booking, and the service was good. However, its arrival times were a bit optimistic, so allow extra time for any connections on the way back. GETTING BETWEEN KOH RONG & KOH RONG SANLOEM You can get between Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem via longtail boats. There are a couple daily, leaving from M’Pai or Saracen Bay and dropping you at Koh Touch or Long Set Beach. They take about 60 to 90 minutes and cost about $14 per person. ACCOMMODATION BOOKING TIPS Rooms are pricier if they overlook the beach and accommodation is most expensive in December & January. Here is a rough estimation of what you could expect to pay: Budget – $ – up to $30 Midmarket – $$ – $30 to $60 Upmarket – $$$ – $60 to $120 Luxury – $$$$ – $120 + When booking, make sure you know if your room comes with air-conditioning and/or mosquito nets. With lots of insects and night-time temperatures around 25°C, they can make sleeping much easier. If you are staying for more than 3 or 4 days, it’s worth splitting your accommodation and staying at a couple of different beaches. Alternatively, you could spend 3 days on Koh Rong Samloem and then hop over to equally stunning Koh Rong and stay a few days there. WHERE TO STAY IN KOH RONG SAMLOEM Beautiful beaches are dotted all around the coast of Koh Rong Samloem. Each beach has a different vibe attracting a different crowd and different levels of accommodation. We have a brief description of each below along with our recommendations for the best places to stay, and a rough indication of the price. 1. SARACEN BAY The jewel in the crown of Koh Rong Samloem, Saracen Bay is a stunning beach. With only a narrow entrance at its mouth, it feels almost like a lagoon. Gentle soft white slopes gradually to the water so you can walk out for a few hundred metres before being up to your waist. It used to be a backpacker haven, but new developments have provided mid-market and upmarket resorts. While there is some building happening, most of Saracen’s cool vibe remains. The middle part of the beach (around Sara Resort) is still a great mix of cheap and friendly hostels and guesthouses, with plenty of places to drink and eat. Regular good value boat trips leave to explore the coast, stopping to snorkel, dive, or see the bioluminescent plankton. The trick is knowing where to stay. It’s best to avoid the south-eastern section of the beach where development is still planned, and the older resorts look a little tired. The middle section (Sara resort, Onederz & La Passion) has no more room for development and resorts keep the beach immaculate. The excellent Island Centre Point has a central position on the north-western end of beach. The two resorts either side share a large beachfront which they all maintain well. G

ETTING THERE All 5 ferry companies run direct ferries from Sihanoukville Autonomous Port to Saracen Bay. GTVC stops at Ocean Pier, while the others drop off at Eden Pier. The two piers are a 10-minute walk apart. SARACEN BAY ACCOMMODATION ONEDERZ KOH RONG SAMLOEM ($) This hostel in a prime location in the middle of Saracen Bay has dormitories and rooms with private bathrooms. Wedged between other resorts the beach around here is well-cleaned and often pristine. The papasan chairs on the beach are a great place to hang out. SARA RESORT ($$$) In the middle of Saracen Bay, Sara Resort has a great central location surrounded by other bars and guesthouses. The beach front is mainly taken up by their excellent restaurant, but there are loungers around the pool. ISLAND CENTER POINT ($$$) New in 2023, the rooms at Island Center Point are modern and beautifully appointed with stylish open-air bathrooms. The hotel owns a wide stretch of beach, with free cabanas. It’s a quiet end of Saracen Bay, but the bars are just a 10-minute walk along the beach. The downsides are there is no pool, and the restaurant is decidedly average and expensive. LA PASSION BY ACHARIYAK ($$$$) The most luxurious hotel on Saracen Bay, 4-star La Passion is beautifully presented with carefully manicured gardens and boardwalks. The restaurant looks extremely inviting, but its prices and western-focused menu can be a bit off-putting. Fortunately, there are lots of options nearby. 2. M’PAI M’Pai is a small fishing village on the northern tip of Koh Rong Samloem that can only be reached by boat. The beach is not as attractive as Saracen Bay, but the village entices backpackers coming for a longer stay. It has a slightly bohemian feel and being more remote there are good hiking options into the jungle. The diving and snorkelling at Koh Koun, just across the water, is excellent, and it’s possible to see the glowing bioluminescent plankton just offshore at night. This is a good option for a cheap, but different type of stay on Koh Rong Samloem. GETTING THERE GTVC and Buva Sea run direct ferries from Sihanoukville Autonomous Port to M’Pai. Numerous shuttle boats run daily between M’Pai and Saracen Bay and cost about $7. M’PAI ACCOMMODATION DRAGONFLY GUEST HOUSE ($) Basic but comfortable fan-cooled bungalows with shared bathrooms. There’s a bar and garden to hang out in, and a rocky bay for snorkelling. They have incense to deter mosquitoes, but no nets. BEACH HOUSE CAMBODIA ($$) Directly on the beach, this hotel offers lots of activities from yoga to snorkelling, movie nights to karaoke. The common areas are a great place to meet other travellers. There are rooms for all budgets, some with air-conditioned (a rarity in M’Pai). 3. SUNSET BEACH With no roads across the island and no scheduled ferries, Sunset Beach, on the western side of Koh Rong Samloem, is a secluded untouched gem. There’s wonderful snorkelling straight from the beach and diving opportunities. Facing westward, there are excellent sunsets and a good chance to see the glowing bioluminescent plankton just offshore. The beach is backed by three or four different accommodation options. There is no five-star luxury, nor is there air conditioning. But you will find back to basic experiences where the sounds of the forest and the waves permeate every moment. There’s not much to do and it’s not easy to get anywhere else, so it’s the perfect place for just unwinding. Sunset Beach is a good place to stay if you want to get away from it all. Alternatively, it’s a great destination for one or two nights to break up a longer stay on Saracen Bay. GETTING THERE Ferry & Walk – Take the ferry to Saracen Bay then hike for 30 minutes across the island to Sunset Beach. The path is a mix of wide gravel tracks (being prepared for roads) and narrow jungle paths (see map below). The last section is a steep, narrow rocky trail down to the beach. There’s a guard rope to assist with the descent and you’ll need your

hands free. Wear shoes with a good grip and come with a backpack. The path is not good for flip-flops or suitcases and certainly don’t try it at night. (If you are coming for the day, leave heavy luggage at Sunny Bungalows on Saracen Bay for $1). Ferry & Taxi Boat – Alternatively (during summer season November to May) get the ferry to M’Pai and hire a local taxi boat to take you to Sunset Beach. The taxi boat takes about 30 minutes and costs $20-25 one way. SUNSET BEACH ACCOMMODATION ROBINSON BUNGALOWS ($) Wooden bungalows with straw thatched roofs, each with their own balcony with hammocks overlooking the sea. Rooms have mosquito nets and private bathrooms but no electricity points and wi-fi is unreliable (charging can be done at reception). SUNBOO BEACH BUNGALOWS ($$) The basic beach-facing bungalows are comfortable enough, but it’s the morning yoga classes, tasty food, books to borrow, and inviting hammocks that really make Sunboo a great experience. 4. LAZY BEACH Lazy Beach is another remote destination on the western side of Koh Rong Samloem. The golden sand is untouched and, apart from a few bits of rubbish at the far end, it’s very clean. Tree roots wind through the sand and their canopy offers a small amount of shade. There is no road to Lazy Beach (although that may change) and no scheduled ferry stops. But the walk across the island from Saracen Bay is easy and they have a tractor ferry guests across with their luggage. There is only one resort on this remote beach, and it has a great restaurant area. Even if you don’t stay here, walking over from Saracen Bay and having lunch is a great thing to do on Koh Rong Samloem. Lazy Beach is an easier place than Sunset Beach to disconnect from the world. GETTING THERE Take the ferry to Saracen Bay where Lazy Beach Resort will organise a tractor to carry you and your luggage to the resort on the other side of the island. Without luggage, you can hike the 0.7 miles, which will take about 25 minutes. The trail is a mix of wide gravel tracks and narrow jungle trails which can be done in flip-flops (see map below). LAZY BEACH ACCOMMODATION LAZY BEACH RESORT ($$) Rustic bungalows with balconies and sea views. The rooms are spacious and come with a private bathroom and mosquito nets (no aircon). Board games, puzzles, and wi-fi is available in the bar and restaurant area. There is very limited phone reception. 5. SANDY BEACH & PEARL BEACH These two beaches are separated by a slither of land forming a jungle-clad peninsula on the far eastern section of Koh Rong Samloem. Sandy Beach faces east towards Sihanoukville and has a few mid-market resorts lining a pretty beach. Pearl Beach is the private beach of Pearl Beach Resort & Spa – a new luxury resort recently opened. From either beach it’s a 60-minute walk along tricky jungle paths to get to Saracen Bay. The hike is hot and tiring and should not be attempted at night, so you are restricted to staying around the resorts in the evening. Restaurant prices can be a bit high, but between the two beaches there’s a mini-mart and Sky Bar that serves decent food. If you want to get away from the crowds in a good quality resort, then these beaches can be a good option. But the location is inconvenient for evenings out and exploring the rest of the island. GETTING THERE Buva Sea run direct ferries from Sihanoukville Autonomous Port to Sandy Beach. SANDY BEACH & PEARL BEACH ACCOMMODATION ONE BEACH RESORT ($$) Secluded and private resort with garden and pool on a pretty stretch of beach. The rooms are very good value rooms, but at the time of writing, there were construction works happening on other parts of the beach. PEARL BEACH RESORT & SPA ($$$$) Pearl Beach Resort is a brand-new luxury resort in a tranquil setting overlooking its own private beach. The villas are well-appointed with views stretching across Saracen Bay. The spa is due to open in 2024 and they offer free boat transfers across to Saracen Bay to help

you explore. KOH RONG SAMLOEM MAP We have marked the beaches and our recommended places to stay on the map below. They are colour-coded to help you get your bearings. Saracen Bay – red M’Pai – blue Sunset Beach – purple Lazy Beach – orange Sandy Beach – brown >> How to use this map / Click on the top left of the map to display the list of locations, then click on the locations to display further information. Click on the top right corner of the map to open a larger version in a new tab or the star to save to your Google Maps. THINGS TO DO ON KOH RONG SAMLOEM While you’ll be more than happy to laze on the beach, there are plenty of activities that almost all hostels, guesthouses and beach resorts can organise for you. Hike to other beaches – If you are staying on Saracen Bay, Lazy Beach, or Sunset Beach, you can walk between each of them in around 30 minutes. The path between Saracen Bay and Lazy Beach can be done in flip flops, but the descent to Sunset Beach is steep and rocky so you need decent footwear for this. Routes are shown on the map above. Snorkelling – There is some decent snorkelling around the island and particularly at Koh Koun. Regular half day trips run on converted fishing boats and can be booked through most guesthouses. Bioluminescent Plankton – One of the most popular trips (about $10 per person) is to head out to sea just after dusk and watch the bioluminescent plankton turn the sea an eerie green. Island Tours – Mr Nice Island Tours run half day tours from his guesthouse on Saracen Bay. They include a mix of snorkelling, a visit to M’Pai, watching the sunset, and seeing the bioluminescent plankton. They run from 2 pm-8 pm and cost $15 per person. Diving – The Dive Shop, located in the middle of Saracen Bay, offers Padi Courses or day trips, which usually leave from Saracen Bay, but can be moved to Lazy Beach or Sunset Beach if conditions require. Water Sports – Many resorts and guesthouses have kayaks & SUPs that you can either use for free or rent. Head out in the morning when it’s cooler and usually calmer. MORE CAMBODIA READING ANYWHERE WE ROAM ISREADER-SUPPORTED When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. You can also shout us a coffee. Thanks for your support – Paul & Mark. INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK [ad_2] Source link

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