#and the school staff?? all of them are different flavors of gay

[mattzerella-sticks]

After playing through all paths I can confirm that all characters in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet - all gym leaders, members of Team Star, the school staff and the MC's friends - are queer 🎉

[thebrewstorian]

Beer and botany

I spent a lovely Saturday morning walking around Luckiamute Meadows, specifically Cliff and Gay Hall's property in King's Valley, for the Greenbelt Land Trust's 2019 Beer & Botany event. I was joined by two of my SCARC colleagues, who are always game for some walking (and beer). We were joined by staff from Greenbelt, 15 or 16 other walkers, and Paul Miller from Sky High Brewing, who shared past beers inspired by these walks and how wild ingredients could be used in beer.

We met at the King’s Valley Charter School, which was established in 1848, and learned more about the history of the school as well as the ways the kids use the area as outdoor school. I will also note that beyond the kids a herd of elk as large as 70 also uses the area.

Nahum King arrived in the Kings Valley area in 1847. He was a financier of wagon train from Missouri and who took out a land claim in 1846. You can learn more about the ”Heart for Any Fate” book by Linda Cruz.

The Hall's used to have cattle, but over the past 20 years they have shifted to more active land management and conservation on their property. In partnership with many groups, including the Greenbelt Land Trust, they have planted over 20,000 trees (most? all? of which are native species).

As we walked we learned more about how ingredients all around us could be used in beer. Miller said anything with sugars works, you just need a lot. 

"Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people."

Spruce tips, rose, lemon balm? Yep. Camas, the starchy tuber used by the native Calopooians? Yep. Fungi? Maybe. 

Speaking of traditional knowledge, one of the people on the walk asked about whether Native Americans made beer. Miller said he wasn't sure but he knows they fermented tea made from flowers and leaves; this drunk was used in small amounts mostly during ceremonies.

Two years ago I did a beer/botany walk with this group around the Owens Farm in north Corvallis and Joel Rea from Corvallis Brewing Supply carried a "fermenting bucket" with him to capture the wild yeast. From that he made "Owens Farm Funk," a beer that lived up to its name. Ingredients, including the yeast, capture a sense of place, literally, in the beer that is made from them. It's the terroir, of course.

Other things I learned? They’ve focused on planting Valley Ponderosa Pine, a native to the Willamette Valley, which was almost wiped out due to over logging.

We stopped at Maxfield Creek, which wasn’t really a creek but a gravel deposit when they moved here 20 years ago. 

Originally, the creek split into 5 fingers, but farmers wanted to get water out of the fields in early 1900s and they altered the land until there was virtually no water in the creek. Log jams resulted, and the "old timers" cleared these jams out because didn’t think it was good for fish. It turns out that log jams were actually good, and as a result of the cleaning out for a long time the fish population was quite low. Now there are lots of fish (lots of cutthroat trout, steelhead, even coho salmon (!), and lamprey), and they report there are no invasive species. Later in the walk we talked more about the OSU friends in the water. Beavers are here (!), but in this spot they don’t build dams on the creek, instead they burrow into the bank. I also learned that beavers are an indicator species of a healthy watershed.

Beavers gnaw on trees. 

And birds peck at them. 

The Hall land was a sheep farm 20 years ago, and besides that there were some big trees and very little undergrowth (because the sheep ate the low stuff). In the future they hope to move away from using chemicals; right now they are spot spraying and trying to find a healthy balance. So it's no surprise that fresh water is number one important for all alcoholic beverages, but Paul talked to us about why brewers work with conservation groups. Beer is directly connected with agricultural as a secondary product, and we all benefit when that product is protected from runoff. The more treatment to land, the more Paul has to do to get it out of water for beer. The treatment he needs to do varies based on which of the two water sources we draw from in Corvallis, what time of day or what time of year it is.

Brewsheds? We didn't talk a lot about them, but I'm definitely keen to learn more about them. Here's the Oregon org: Oregon Brewshed Alliance.

Not directly related to beer, but worth pointing out is this big railroad flat car that runs across the creek, which the cattle used to cross.

Paul talked more about some of the challenges and opportunities in the brewing world for sourcing new beer ingredients. Referencing that Owens farm walk, he talked about how it inspired him to make a "Strawberry Pinot Tart," which featured local flora and fauna, and how that led to him starting the Sky High barrel aging program in lobby. He's very interested in local ingredients: they get their hops from Crosby, grain from Madras, and yeast from Hood River (which is salmon safe) and Portland (which is organic). Paul (and Sky High) also work to support local organizations that are committed to sustainability, renewability, and biodiversity.

We walked by many lovely trees, including redwoods (they are thinking of climate change wants to plant things that grow in California), Indian plum... 

Smaller oaks planted 20 years ago. 

And a wonderfully big and old oak tree. How old is it? There were 260 rings! 

And a little tree growing out of the big tree. 

And some mushrooms. Mushrooms in beer? Yep. 

Brewers usually use them as a flavoring agent. I learned that some produce the same chemicals present in tropical or maple syrup flavors. I also learned that some toxins could remain... You have been warned. 

We learned that this area is an "oak forested wetland," which was left alone by the farmers because it was too wet for cultivation, is what Oregon used to be like. Sloughs and trees keep streams cool and keep fish fed.

There was also a BIG black cottonwood - maybe biggest in Oregon - and we appreciated our time gazing up at it.

Speaking of oak... You may have heard that people use oak to make barrels. I learned that the Halls planted white oaks, which are taking a long time to grow, and that white oak is the choice for barrels because they are water tight (unlike red oak). Something to do with the veins holding water because they swell and close up? Sky High has sources bourbon barrels from Texas and other southern states, but also from wine barrels used by the winery Spindrift in Philomath and House of Spirits in Portland. This cycle reversed too: bad batches of beer can be given to a distiller. Brewers can reuse these barrels over and over, and they appreciate the different flavors imparted into wood. Paul said that organisms squirrel into wood, dry up, then rehydrate in fermentation.

As we walked more we learned more about the opportunities OSU students have had on the property. A group came out several years ago and prepared a report on native plants - they suggested planting poison oak! We all got a good laugh out of that because no one knew where you’d even buy it.

And for those wondering, we had a Blueberry Berlowitz with rose hips.

[shotfromguns]

Good, long thread by @TheMittani on Twitter on “neoconfederacy” in the South:

if you ever wonder why i got politically 'radicalized' it's because i grew up in alabama as an atheist child of two biochemistry professors; at 17 i graduated and moved away forever. reminder: Alabama came within 1.7% of sending a known pedo to the senate~

any '13th dimensional chess' tweets about how the AL leg composed this abortion ban to provoke a court fight has never met an actual neoconfederate this is what they want 100%, it's a white supremacist aristo fertility cult and all the moves make sense when understood that way

source: i have been to an unironic country club debutante ball in dear old mountain brook and folks have no idea how much intergenerational wealth transfer has carried over from the days of slavery in that society's upper class

for context, when i was in high school there were three country clubs, maybe 20k citizens, and zero black students; every street is named after a civil war battle, and 'houses' there would be called mansions anywhere else

best public schools in the state though~

folks have no clue how rich and well-educated the ruling class in alabama is, going to mountain brook means if you don't get into one of the better ivys you're probably a bitter slacker like me legislation like this isn't from stupid hicks, it's the goal

southern aristos can be incredibly intelligent and well-traveled and are all the more dangerous politically because they are happy to play dumb in public with the aw-shucks jesus loving hick routine in order to quietly run an antebellum society and pit poor whites against blacks

it's almost comically effective, I do this stuff all the time in Eve - say laughably wrong things, act like a fool, and then it's much easier to outmaneuver people. The most dangerous enemy is one who is comfortable with being publicly underestimated.

I mean to say, 'ha ha eat my ass look at me I'm so great at spaceship games', please interpret my above tweet as evidence of hubris and ignorance rather than giving up an actual tactic I've employed so often it's been nicknamed the 'tee hee, flounce flounce' by my chief of staff

'I'm the fucking Mittani, I know everything in this game,' another good one wearing red shirts? stupid gimmick, keep doing it because it's a stupid gimmick, it's far better for our competitors/enemies to see me as a joke luv2club? tee hee, flounce flounce, same shit

anyhoo yeah it's the same dance, play god-fearing jesus lover to keep the poor whites on your side, maintain that patriarchy with the complicity of ruling class women who enjoy the economic benefits of neoconfederacy, and live over the mountain so no one spots all the lexuses

it's interesting to see the term neoconfederate finally get some use but it implies that there isn't already an actual working confederate states of america right in front of everyone's eyes that's been there since reconstruction, none of that shit is an accident

if you put 'hail hydra' on statues in every town in the region you don't have to bother saying 'hail hydra' or announce in print that you're down with hydra, everyone who lives there gets it

the issue is not being part of a traitorous conspiracy against the united states government (i mean hydra, not the neoconfederacy, ha ha!) the problem comes when you state it where those not in on it can hear you. Viz: ”Alabama newspaper editor calls for Klan return to ‘clean out D.C.’”

i kind of like the hydra analogy for the neoconfederacy, because all this shit - 'states rights', 'pro-life', 'voter fraud', these disparate causes are actually all the same cause: the ~lost~ cause

southern politics makes a lot more sense when viewed through the lens of pro/anti-confederacy politics; confederate society is based upon a ruling gentry descended from the cavaliers see generally https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albion%27s_Seed actual /aristos/ not merely rich people

so basically you have an entrenched aristocracy that traces their lineage back 10+ generations running a plantation society and fighting like fucking hell to maintain that privilege, privilege most people in the usa cannot even begin to imagine

generic usa high ~net worth individuals~ have nothing on the cunning and unity maintained by ancient proud cavalier aristocratic families in the south with shitloads of money who will do anything to protect the universe they and their forefathers have created (via slavery)

the whole 'the south will rise again' thing is a huge joke because the structure of the society immediately returned to functional slavery as soon as it could get away with it, the south already 'rose' after reconstruction, it's right in fucking the open

if they get away with the abortion thing, they'll gun for brown v board next; these people remember life before MLK and they have not forgotten or forgiven the civil rights movement those behind this aren't hicks, they very smart confederates acting like hicks to fool you.

many old privileged families come with a legacy and a purpose imposed on you from birth it's not a stretch of the imagination that the quest of a lot of these old aristo families is to restore the society to antebellum life and get their privileges (slavery) back

the civil war was only a few generations ago, these families have not forgotten and they have not let their children forget the monuments, the street named for war battles, that's why it matters still to them

southern aristos are pro-life because the whole point of the society is the poor whites fight the poor blacks, and restricting abortion = more labor and poverty to exploit by the gentry the goal of their flavor of white supremacy is about getting rich off slaves, not death camps

not that they have a problem with a death camp or three, it's difficult to communicate how utterly disposable the lives of people outside of their class are, this is a society whose rulers believe that god has anointed them to rule over their lessers

its not rocket science, you take a slaveholding landed gentry and take away their slaves and land (good!) that gentry is going to spend its time fanatically scheming to get its land and slaves back (bad, what we see in southern politics)

anyhoo what i'm saying is that this isn't about random kooks trying to put women 'in their place' (there's a bunch of them too, useful idiots) but part of a broad campaign across generations by a dispossessed cavalier nobility to get all their lost privileges (slavery) back

conveniently the rest of america doesn't have much of an entrenched aristo/gentry culture anymore so the maneuvers of the 'neo' confederates just look like random right wing lashing out rather than a deliberate series of moves to benefit the southern aristocracy

the reality of the modern confederacy reminds me a lot of 'The City and the City' in that it's clearly visible to those raised within it, yet its contour is completely alien to outsiders who don't know how to 'see' it the 'right' way.

shit like Roy Moore being a pedo but coming within 1.7% of winning a senate seat makes a buttload more sense than 'alabama voters will send anything not a democrat', Moore is a proud and loud confederate and Doug Jones is anti-confederate it's the confederacy - always.

Pro-life? Confederacy. State's Rights? Confederacy. Gun rights? Confederacy. Religious Freedom/Gay Cake Stuff? Confederacy. Anti-union? Confederacy. If you're a Cavalier or one of their foremen, it all fits~ 

Robert Caro basically spelled out in intricate detail how the confederacy works in his LBJ bios but particularly Master of the Senate, read these if you want a primer on actual power and its uses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Years_of_Lyndon_Johnson

when LBJ shifted to supporting voting rights, the confederacy simply switched its support from the democrats to the republicans. it's a real thing and its moves make perfect sense once you grok the core motivations of the southern gentry and their henchmen~

you see this repeatedly through history where one side stops fighting after a victory and the other side loses but keeps trying to find ways to win, the Union torched the south and moved on, but the confederacy has /never stopped fighting/ using whatever means they have available

tl;dr "it's the confederacy, stupid" also explains those crazy 'obama is the antichrist' memes; if you're a confederate, a black president existing is against everything your flavor of pro-slavery jesus stands for

None of this thread really applies to Texas. I was born in Houston, moved to AL at 10; completely different culture in Texas. Going to rodeos, oil/cattle, science, ranching. When I say the 'South' I'm talking about the plantation society of the Cavaliers.

As a quick example of using the Lost Cause to understand Cavalier political behavior, Lindsey Graham's 'hypocrisy' makes perfect sense. He doesn't give a shit about spewing nonsense or lying to Yankees, all he cares about is Dixie. He's not dumb at all; the Union is his enemy.

Expanded May 17, 2019:

oh yeah and Mitch McConnell was born and raised in Alabama and then Georgia from 8yrs on, so heyoooo

look up how long jeff sessions family has been naming their kids after jefferson davis on his bio dixie is real; it's the confederacy, the political moves the cavaliers and their overseers are making on behalf of the lost cause as plain as day if you know what to look for

just gonna spend Friday night reading Albion’s seed to learn more fun ~cavalierfacts~ like how their royalist gentry is literally all one big interrelated family and coordinates retribution and uses debt to control the poor

“It is difficult to think of any ruling elite that has been more closely interrelated since the Ptolemies” holy lawl (it is a history insult as he’s basically calling the cavaliers a nest of outright incest, the Ptolemaic dynasty was Targaryen-style sibling marriage)

Hey guess what turns out the control of women is deeply ingrained in cavalier society because uh... kidnapping / human trafficking / sexual slavery and a massively skewed male to female ratio lovely people, these confederates

“These patterns did not develop by chance. Virginia’s great migration was the product of policy and social planning. Its royalist elite succeeded in shaping the social history of an American region partly by regulating the process of migration” (p 232) fucking hell it’s all here

May 22, 2019:

by req: another ‘understanding the confederacy’ thing, all the protest tweets saying “the cruelty is the point” are wrong, the point is opportunities for race-based policing (a la weed), disenfranchisement, reinforcing patriarchy, and more labor/babies to exploit + compliance

sure there’s a bunch of cruelty in there too but the whole thing is a means to the ends of rolling back the civil rights movement and restoring the structure of Dixie as the gentry/cavaliers prefer; the confederates may be slavers at heart but they’re not cartoon villains

(they're way worse)

In case I get hit by a bus, I currently think the concept of hegemonic liberty is the most misunderstood aspect of the cavalier mindset, so here’s three key pages from Albion’s Seed~

And the cavalier conception of condescension and deference as two sides of God’s hierarchy and order is a fracture point, that’s why incivility towards one’s ‘betters’ is so provocative - milkshakes would probably work over here, too

Also by hiding and lying about the existence of Dixie, they fragment their opposition into issue-based groups - pro-choice, gun control, voters rights, anti-racism - instead of each opposition group recognizing that they are fighting the same confederate foe

Not like they really hid that much, they had confederate flags flying over their capitols ever since the Civil War until recently, but the Union won the war and moved on, so folks think they’re fighting random bigots and not the CSA

May 23, 2019:

the lack of a concerted effort by the democratic party to win and develop victories in the south has allowed the bulwark of the RNC power to be unchallenged, if you erode the Dixie Wall in the Senate the republicans pretty much lose all their functional power

as the DNC is incompetent one doesn't need to rely upon them, state by state in Dixie voting rights and organization must be pushed to undermine the structure of confederate power, that's the fracture point, that and forcing their true nature as confederates into the open

I'll develop all this crap into more useful tactics on the upcoming blog thing but this is all just-in-case 'yo guys, if I get hit by a bus, take Albion's Seed, drive through Mountain Brook for proof of everything I'm saying (crestline doesn't count lawl) go fight hydra'

as someone will inevitably discover not EVERY street in Mountain Brook is named for civil war battles (there's a lot), the really old money lives on streets named for old british estates/towns + they're episcopalians (anglican 2.0) not baptists, of course

[paulriedelposts]

Activities in Munich (Germany)

When it comes to activities and nightlife, in Munich (Germany) you will have a lot of fun here. The so-called Munchener Freiheit based in Schwabing is the best location where all the clubs, cafes, restaurants and bars are places. Glockenbachviertel is the most popular LGBTQ-friendly district, which makes Munich the perfect city to go out.  As a personal guide in Munich, with this blog-post, I take you through a one night out in this beautiful city.

To do in Munich Germany

Being in the early ’60s doesn’t stop me from going out and having fun, especially when you live and search for activities in a city like Munich (Germany). It is full of open-minded people, surrounded by great artistic places to visit and lots of places to go out. You can feel the freedom and equality everywhere around the city. I can dance through the night, but most of my guests sleep by 10 pm. To pay for good service is ok, but to have one is sometimes difficult in Munich. After this follows a question, WHY? The biggest factor, in my opinion, is the cultural misunderstanding, but generally, most of the people working in the service industry are nice and friendly. Going out with other guys around for a beer or to a club is a great thing to do in Munich. Every club in Munich requires a special outfit, so basically you cannot dress casually or wear every-day clothes when you go out to a club or disco. More about the dress code and outfit later. Besides, I present to you some of the best clubs that you can go out in Munich.

Clubs in Munich

Vanilla Lounge To warm up yourself I strongly recommend going to Vanilla Lounge for a drink or two which you can find on Munchener Freiheit. Vanilla Lounge is one of the bars you should visit. They offer a huge selection of drinks including beers, cocktails, and spirits. In this bar also you can have a try from one of the best shishas in Munich, with different kinds of flavors including vanilla, strawberry, blueberry, etc.  Jennifer Parks This is one of the most popular gay bars in Munich. If you want to feel like you are in the eighties with old-school music, such as Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston, Eurythmic then this is the right bar for you. It is cozy and warm with a funky and innovative design, amiable staff and drinks for affordable prices. You can find a great selection of drinks, beers, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. For more information, you can visit their website: jennifer-parks.com Harry Klein  Harry Klein is the best hip nightclub for electronic music. Every weekend there is a different DJ, and the atmosphere they are making is incredible. The owners of the club always make sure that it is safe, and danger-free. The electronic parties are more than awesome as the club is equipped with a great sound system, a very interesting interior, and the bass is unreal. If you are planning on visiting this club make sure you have a proper club outfit, as it is not just an “ordinary club”. Check their official website for the next party at harrycleinklub.de Rote Sonne Techno, dance, electronic and punk music are some genres that are played in this nightclub. The atmosphere that the DJ is making is more than awesome since he is a part of the crowd and the public. The staff of the club is always smiling and welcoming. If you are planning on visiting this nightclub, make sure you check what’s coming up from parties at https://www.rote-sonne.com/ Cohibar  Are you a fan of Cuban and Latino music? Then this is the right club for you. Make sure you dress up in comfortable shoes because you will be dancing all night long in this club. It’s location is in a basement off Maximilianstrasse, a bit discreet, with a great interior as there are photos all over the walls of Che Guevara. This club is famous for its salsa parties, the great selection of rums, and cocktails.  Bar 45 This bar is a newbie in the row of bars in Munich but deserves a visit. It became very popular in just a short matter of time because of the wild atmosphere it offers. At night this bar offers great and loud music to enjoy, and cocktails for sure. If you are up for a wild night in this city, this bar is just the right pick for you. 

Breweries & Beer Tours

The Munich nightlife is not all about the discos and nightclubs. Munich is very popular for beer and it’s six breweries brew more than 600 million liters annually. I highly recommend you to try some Bavarian beer that comes out of Munich. The Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten are the most popular breweries. All of them offer from light and soft to dark and stronger beers, different for everyone’s taste. The one that I am a huge fan of is the Augustiner. My tours include visiting the breweries and the Museum of Oktoberfest. Make sure you check out the tour here and book on time. If you book too late, there may be an alternative version of visiting another place instead of the Museum of Oktoberfest

Dress Code for Munich

 First things first, Munich is a very conservative city regarding the dress code. Like every other city, Munich locals bear to dress stylishly. I would agree that they have a very alternative fashion taste. I would gladly like to recommend you to dress for each night out differently and appropriately for the club because some of the security guys working in each club can be strict regarding the looks and wouldn’t allow you to get inside. Besides that, I hate fur hoods, and this is the greatest fashion crime ever. At all considering that China’s animal abuse is supported when people buy this.

Summary

One thing that I find fascinating about the nightlife of Munich is the people. People are the reason your night will stay unforgettable. As I mentioned before, people are very open when it comes to going out. Starting from discos, bars, gay bars and restaurants you can find anything related to your taste. If you are interested in making your wild night in Munich then you can find a place like it. My beer tours include visiting some of the most popular breweries so make sure you book on time so we can arrange which places and breweries to be organized for your tour. I will be all the time with you explaining the process of brewing, the history of breweries and the places we are going to visit. It is going to be fun, so make sure you take a friend or your closest ones to enjoy.

Related Links

Shopping in Munich

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Private Tours with Paul Read the full article

[indochinavoyages]

6 best things to do in Chiang Mai

6 best things to do in Chiang Mai https://www.indochinavoyages.com/travel-blog/what-to-do-if-you-have-a-day-in-chiang-mai

Chiang Mai presents a completely different site of Thailand – besides the vibrant Bangkok. It consists of the laid-back vibe, less harsh weather, more relaxed and very much affordable. Considered as the spiritual capital of Thailand, Chiang Mai is suitable for nature & culture seekers. There are plenty of things to do in Chiang Mai such as visiting the Buddist temples, joining in a traditional cooking class, hanging out with elephants in its natural habitats, exploring the Chiang Mai night market, or extending your adventure to Chiang Rai or Mae Hong Son. More information coming below.

  [caption id="attachment_16261" align="alignnone" width="960"] Chiang Mai - a land of misty mountains and colorful hill tribes[/caption]

Hanging out the elephants at the Nature Park

Long ago, elephants in Thailand were one of the main transportation means carrying people and major goods (especially wood). In the modern world when machines and technology have been developed, elephants are mostly abused in the tourism industry as people have found it thrilling and exciting to ride an elephant. However, it should be avoided at all costs and Chiang Mai did many things for it. One of the most famous elephant sanctuaries in Thailand is Chiang Mai Elephant Nature Park - an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center in Northern Thailand where you can volunteer and visit to help. You are here to observe the rescued elephants living in their chosen herd and learn about their individual histories. Also, you can join them while they bath in the river or feed them with natural food.

  [caption id="attachment_16262" align="alignnone" width="960"] You can join them while they bath in the river or feed them with natural food in the Nature Park[/caption]

A full-day experience the place is worthwhile; the profit from selling tours like this will go toward maintaining the ground, the natural environment for the elephants and providing for them.

Hitting the Chiang Mai markets

Chiang Mai outdoor bazaars are a great place to explore the amazing street food in Northern Thailand itinerary. The biggest and busiest one is the Sunday walking street opened from Tha Pae Gate to Ratchadamnoen Avenue. Every Sunday night the center of the Old City is closed to traffic; and food vendors, craftspeople and artists take over with their unique and bargain-priced street markets. It is a very great place to bring some souvenirs home.

Foot massage is also pretty cheap with a few bucks.

Also, taking in a local Muay Thai boxing fight is interesting. It is worldwide known that Muay Thai is a part of local culture.

Here is the paradise of Pad Thai (fried noodles with meat/prawn), gai yang (grilled chicken), kanom jin (rice noodles with curry), Khao Soi (the coconut and curry-flavored soup filled with yellow egg noodles and chicken) and a lot more of mouth-watering dishes.

  [caption id="attachment_16263" align="alignnone" width="960"] Street food in Chiang Mai night markets[/caption]

Other famous night markets are one in the Chang Khlan Road which is opened every night, a lovely small Somphet Market on Moon Muang Road.

Visiting the gorgeous Chiang Mai temples

Like Big Ben in London, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is the symbol of Chiang Mai. You can reach this temple by hiking up the mountain with flat roads or hiring a motorbike which is preferable for natural sightseeing. Among the favorite temples, Doi Suthep is the most reachable with very close distance to the town center – 12km and located on the Suthep Mountain.

After the flat road, you will encounter the steep staircase leading to the main visiting area also the core of this temple. It is quite tiring but worth the effort. You will find a statue of the white elephant shrine that (as legend has it) carried the Buddha relic to its resting place on the temple grounds.

On clear sky day, you are able to have a panoramic view of the entire city.

  [caption id="attachment_16264" align="alignnone" width="960"] The steep staircase to get to Doi Suthep[/caption]

Spending a day in Doi Inthanon National Park

Doi Inthanon – the highest peak of the whole Thailand is a good spot for you to get away from the humid heat. The park covers a land area of nearly 50,000 hectares and is a home of several trails, hill tribe villages, waterfalls (Sriphum is the most outstanding) and the two Royal Temples & its gardens. The gardens surround the temples are so beautiful with stunning foxgloves and plenty of butterflies.

The best way to travel to this national park is by hiring a driver as the road is winding and steep in some specific corners. The car drive takes only one and a half hours from the Chiang Mai downtown; thus it would maximize your time in this awesome park.

  [caption id="attachment_16265" align="alignnone" width="960"] Spectacular view of Doi Inthanon National Park[/caption]

Joining a traditional cooking class

No doubt that Thai food is famous for its various flavors: spicy, sour and sweet with different kinds of herbs. It would be a miss if you are into the local food but not learning a hands-on experience of Thai cuisine.

A lot of cooking classes are held in the local houses in the countryside in which travelers emerge into its traditional vibe, and are able to see a typical Thai kitchen. Some recommended classes are Benny’s home cooking school; in which you pick up the organic ingredients from their own garden and go to the local wet market to see how the local people bargain; May Kaidee’s cooking school or Thai Farm organic cooking school…

  [caption id="attachment_16266" align="alignnone" width="960"] Taking a cooking class in Chiang Mai is such an unforgettable experience[/caption]

All classes have options for vegetarians and vegans as well; just make sure you book it in advance and inform the staff.

Extending your adventure to Chiang Rai & Mae Hong Son

Chiang Rai is famous with the Lanna Kingdom, the Golden Triangle & unique White Temples and Blackhouse. Meanwhile, the Mae Hong Son Loop is a comprehensive way to discover one of Thailand’s most authentic provinces. Discovering these are would require more time which I believe 7-10 days are fair enough.

Suggested Thailand tours including Chiang Mai

Classic Thailand 7 Days

Jungles And Tribes – Northern Thailand 7 Days

Bangkok To Chiang Mai 4 Days

Golden Triangle Tour 3 Days

In conclusion, things to do in Chiang Mai makes your experiences in Thailand more diversifying with the above evidence. Start to plan your Thailand tours 2020 at any moment, but be careful of the smoky (burning) season which is around early March to mid-April. Farmers burn the rice straw and corn stalks left over from the previous harvests in preparation for the next planting. This causes tremedous air pollution, the hazes are everywhere!

  Daniel Nguyen - Travel Specialist

#Indochinavoyages #Indochinatours #Timlee #Vietnamtours #Myanmartours #Cambodiatours #Laostours #Thailand tours

[newagesispage]

                                                                          OCTOBER    2019  

 PAGE RIB

 Stephen King has released yet another: The Institute

*****

Salmon Rushdie has given us Quichotte

*****

October 1: Jimmy Carter is 95!! Go Jimmy

*****

For some new discoveries and theories on the often told tale, check out Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA and the secret history of the 60,s by Tom O’Neill.

*****

Metallica has cancelled their tour.

*****

The Creamery Bridge in Vermont was closed for a time because of a Sasquatch scare.

*****

Days alert: Woo Hoo!! Dr. Rolf is back!! ** Why do they keep using that ‘WET PAINT’ sign all over the town square? A joke?  Really painting the sets and they just leave them up for an inside laugh? ** The Shah/Jen story was good.. it showed what a good actor he really was. He was always so blah! It’s funny that as he left us , we finally get his back story. He even mentioned Norman Bates. ** Stefan is out.  Claire is in.  I loved Dr. Rolf’s “pro life” line. Will many of the young girls get pregnant, ( think Lani, Ciara, Gabi, Sarah, Haley and Kristen) and will all the babies get mixed up and will Days jump a year ahead? Well, that’s the rumor. ** What is up with Hope?

*****

Senator Chuck Grassley is applying for his second bailout since October for the farm he owns. ** $30 billion in welfare has been given to farmers.

*****

This whole vaping scare is not really a surprise. Why do companies have to be so greedy and fill these with nicotine anyway? Why do good flavors have to be taken off the market because parents can’t keep them away from the kids? Can’t we have fun flavored simple mist in a vaping apparatus that has no dangerous chemicals? So many people just need that occasional outlet and something to do when relaxing.

*****

Spy devices were found near the White House. They believe Israelis are responsible.

*****

Word is that around Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr. uses fear in dealing with staff and sends them pictures of his wife in sexual situations.

****

They need to make a biopic about Rickie Lee Jones and it should star Hillary Swank. JS

*****

A CIA source has been pulled from Russia they say because Trump can’t be trusted not to tell Putin who he is. The operative is the agent who confirmed the interference in the 2016 election and has worked there for decades.

*****

Rose McGowan and some of the Me too movers and shakers would like Lisa Bloom to be disbarred after her dealings with Harvey Weinstein.

*****

Mark Sanford is running for President.

*****

Sarah Palin’s husband has filed for divorce.

*****

Stacey Dash was arrested for domestic battery in Florida.

*****

Stranger Things has been renewed for season 4.

*****

Hey.. Robert King.. Glad that U R back!

*****

People from Alabama were calling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in a panic after scary clown 45 included them in the path of Hurricane Dorian. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross threatened to fire meteorologists who contradicted the idiot.

*****

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen got into it with the Pres. She called him a pussy ass bitch.

*****

In the 80’s, 80% of our clothing were made here in the U.S., now it is 3%.

*****

The House Judiciary committee is holding hearings about hush money to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.

*****

Conversion therapy leader, McKrae Game has announced he is gay.

*****

It is odd that we don’t hear more about women who are addicted to crime shows. It is such a thing.

*****

Weight Watchers is not WW. OK.

*****

North Carolina’s political maps have been deemed unconstitutional and must be redrawn.

*****

In Nashville, Rev. Dan Reehil has banned Harry Potter books at the St. Edwards School

*****

Why does Fallon imitate his guests all the time? He is always repeating what they do much like a child would.

*****

Scary Clown’s personal assistant, Madeline Westerhout is out.** John Bolton is out.

*****

$32.50 for a Trump key chain? What?

*****

SNL started off the season with a bang. Woody Harrelson hosted and ended by showing support for Greta Thunberg. The next hosts will be Phoebe Waller- Bridge, David harbor, Kristen Stewart and Eddie Murphy.

*****

A man was chopping down an old diseased tree when a cannonball fell out of it. This particular cannonball in a tree was near a home that was used as a hospital during the first battel of independence, Mo. in the Civil War.

*****

In Kentucky, Mitch McConnell said yes to treasury funds for an aluminum plant backed by a Russian oligarch. He said no to treasury funds for coal miner’s health care and pensions.

*****

Joe Biden pledges to take no fossil fuel money but then attended a fundraiser hosted by Andrew Goldman, founder of Natural Gas Company, Western LNG.** It’s so sad, Biden leads which makes it seem that the people who pay the least attention decide who is going to run this place.** He really has to stop saying, “Look”,  all the time.

*****

The Sept. 12 Dem debate was exciting, I loved the kudos that Biden and then others gave to Beto for his actions in Texas after the shootings.  Other than that Biden seemed to stumble a lot especially with his, “make sure the kids hear words” stuff. O’Rourke seems to have finally hit his stride with, “Hell yes, we’re gonna take your AR-15’s.”  I’m not even sure I agree but I loved so much that he had the guts to say it. I’m in! His only real problem was the color of his tie, it washed him out. Later, Briscoe Cain sent a tweet to Beto: My AR-15 is ready for you.** Yang, as usual was not given enough time but he did calm the others when they wanted to spar. He spoke so clearly and did not sidestep.  He had a great point with the U.S. not starting wars because we are not too good at rebuilding. Case in point: Puerto Rico. He also proposed $100 in democracy dollars so people can participate and give to the candidates they believe in. He seemed to tear up when talking about missing his son’s first day at school.  His salesmen pitch like giveaway was too much though. ** Buttigieg had a good idea with his ‘community rural visas’ to bring immigration everywhere.** Warren and Sanders were straight forward with no real surprises. Gotta thank Bernie for reminding us that he didn’t vote for Bush’s war or Trumps military spending bills and the crowd seemed to love him. Both at the debate and after (like Bari Weiss on Maher’s overtime), people keep calling Bernie ‘President’. Accidents? ** Harris was cool and calm but seemed a bit scripted.  She was the only one to really bring up Trump. ** Protestors had to be cleared as Biden started his final words. They were yelling, “We are DACA recipients. Our lives are at risk.” I’m sure it had to unnerve him as he began to talk of his sad life and his family. The late night comics said that he did a good job but I didn’t think so.** Klobachar told us a lot about herself. I think I learned the most about her. Castro, who I really liked a lot at the first debate, should just get out after this performance. ** Why was Rahm Emanuel there?** The Trump campaign sent a banner flying over Texas  Southern University. ** DeBlasio is out.

*****

By the end of September, Warren is #1 in New Hampshire. She is 2 points behind in the nation and Yang is #4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“We will no longer sell the AR-15 to the public.”- Colt   Thanks Beto!!  A simple candidate has made more positive change than Scary Clown. Stop being so scared Dems, change can happen!

*****

When Warren was on Colbert she said,” Why don’t we just quit now and do a selfie line?  The selfies are the most fun about this. Really? The night before, after her rally she selfied for 4 hours.

*****

Young people will propel the changes in the views of this country. The young demographic thinks differently on guns and climate and the young usually rule eventually. VOTE!!

*****

An intelligence official filed a formal whistle blower complaint against our ruthless Archie Bunker on steroids about his interaction with a foreign leader. It seems that it was a phone call with Ukraine’s Zelinski about the Biden’s but things are still unfolding.  Did he pressure people to work with Guilliani? The transcript is out and Pelosi has started a formal impeachment inquiry. When the WH sent talking points to their republican colleagues to try to calm the waters, they accidently sent them to the Dems too.  The WH also moved the info to a private server as we now know there is even more stuff there. Wouldn’t it be justice if the private server brought him down? ** Blame is flying everywhere. Trump has thrown Barr and Rudy and even Pence into the mess. Rudy tells us that he went to the Ukraine for the state department but they say no! He has been so rude and unhinged on the talk circuit. He has now been subpoened.** Joseph Maguire, acting director of National intelligence was only on the job a few days when he was informed of the whistleblower complaint. He was questioned all day in hearings and was very polite. Both sides could calm down on the snarky.** The Secretary of State is basically holding down 3 jobs.  The WH is quite under staffed  and there is talk that they may bring in outside people to handle the situation but Trump does not want that.  The campaign is where they will really fight, that is where all their money is. ** The ambassador to Ukraine has stepped down.**

*****

Now word is that Trump and Barr tried to get Australian PM Scott Morrison to look into those who were behind the Russia investigation. Pompeo is now getting pulled in too. It is really like the tin foil hat conspiracy guy down the street is running this country.

*****

Never compare your insides to someone else’s outside.  -Thank you Rob Lowe

*****

Hillary and Chelsea are headed out to promote their new book, Gutsy Women. It is impeccable timing but I am sure she is so sick of talking about the big blowhard elephant in the room. It really is time to hear from her again.

*****

Law and Order SVO started its 21st season with a little nod to Gunsmoke. What a great touch.

*****

Has the military really spent $200,000 on Trump’s Scottish resort?

*****

What’s up with the Cleveland Browns? They are winning.

*****

4 feet of snow in September in Montana?

*****

Seth Meyers went too far with his Rudy hate. I am a bit disturbed that Seth, Maher and Colbert get nearly as bold in the other direction as Fox News. Yes, these are evil people running the country and there is enough that they do without calling them out on things that are not your business.  About Rudy marrying a second cousin, Seth said “that’s awful.” Don’t pass your prejudice and judgement on these people like others do on color and religion et al. Cousins can marry, it’s not illegal and how might that make the children of cousins feel?  

*****

Pennsylvania  Senator Michael Folmer was arrested for child porn that was on his computer and has since resigned.  I am sure that if he went on Fox and said nice things about the fearless leader that he could get a job in the White House. It seems to be the way it is done, Fox is the audition.

*****

Robert C. O’Brien is the new National Security Advisor.

*****

The family of John Dillinger do not believe that he is in the grave. A body id buried in Indianapolis but they have asked for an exhumation.

*****

Millions came out on the 20th to ask for action on climate change. Go Greta Thunberg !! Some are spinning it that since she is autistic, she has been abused by her parents by being forced into her activism. I have seen no evidence this. She makes more sense than most leaders on the subject. Fox’s Michael Knowles even called her mentally ill and has since apologized. Thoughts? ** Central America is starving to death because of the impact of climate change. Reports from the Trump administration prove this and aid has been cut off which causes migration.

*****

Trump us jumping into bed with Saudi Arabia who has the 5th largest defense budget in the world. Troops are being sent to Iran.

*****

Doc Martin is here with its 9th season. The dog will fall in love. The Doc and Louisa’s relationship is doing well as their careers are shifting. It all just reminds me how much I want to live in Cornwall.

*****

The biggest grossing tours of all time as of this year are. 1. Ed Sheeran: The Divide 2. U: 360 3. Stones: A Bigger Bang 4. Guns N Roses: Not in this lifetime 5. Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams 6. Roger Waters: The Wall 7. AC/DC: Black Ice 8. Stones: No Filter 9. Bruno Mars: 24K 10. Madonna: Sticky and Sweet

*****

James Corden put Bill Maher in his place. Fat shaming is as wrong as any other. Bullying is never funny. The week after Maher’s rant, Michael Moore went on and had lost some weight. Hmmm.

*****

Hiking with Kevin has the best guests, there is really a cross section of all kinds of people.  A hike seems to break down defenses and the stories are great!!

*****

The North Dakota pipeline spill that was said to be 10 gallons worth was really millions of gallons.

*****

Almost Family is a show about a sperm donor. It is good to see Tim Hutton again.

*****

A woman gets a late night show.. check out A Little Late with Lilly Singh.

*****

Prodigal Son stars Michael Sheen as a serial killer called The Surgeon.

*****

Julian Fellowes will bring us The Gilded Age about 1885 New York.

*****

Some are freaking about all the official stays at Trump properties. The whole thing is a ridiculous mess. Mitch and the boys would be screaming to the heavens if this was a different President. The really sad part is that the crews that are just there to help POTUS and the VP say the stays are so costly that their expenses won’t even cover food. ** Did a Glasgow refueling stop finally tip off the house oversight committee to the far reach of all these expenditures?** They claim there is never anything to hide. Why do they always hide everything?

*****

Demi Moore has a new tell all titled Inside Out that seems full of revelations.

*****

Check out the saga of the Donald J. Trump state park in NY which is really nothing more than a tax write off full of overgrown land and abandoned old buildings.

*****

Check out the Art Bell vault.

*****

Scary Clown was going to meet with the Taliban at Camp David as 9/11 was upon us.** The Taliban says their doors re open.**Word is that the congressional inquiry into 9/11 has 28 redacted pages which showed evidence of the Saudi’s involvement in the attacks.

*****

Scottish courts ruled that Boris Johnson illegally suspended parliament.

*****

From his reaction, Colbert behaves like Letterman in that a guest should dress a certain way. Personally, I like Conan’s casual ways. Now, I like Colbert but he also seems to push people to talk politics when they don’t really want to. Move on!

*****

“We are in a very difficult situation at the moment, especially in the U.S., where all the environmental controls that were put in place, that were just about adequate have been rolled back by the current administration so much that they are being wiped out.” –Mick Jagger

*****

“When you’re 85 years old and you have children and grandchildren, you will leave them nothing if we don’t vote these people out of office in Brazil, in London, in Washington. They are ruining the world.” –Donald Sutherland

*****

Check out the new film, The Burnt Orange Heresy.

*****

Finn Wittrock, Paul Giamatti and Amy Irving will appear in A Mouthful of Air.

*****

“The lungs of the earth are in flames.” – Leo Dicaprio. The Amazon, the world’s most diverse eco system is getting no help from its own leaders and they won’t accept help from the G7. It’s all about building more crap to them. It is as if three fourths of the U.S. was on fire.** Wouldn’t it be a great idea if Jeff Bezos, who has taken flak for not paying taxes and for workers conditions would step up and pledge a huge sum to help save the rainforest that bears its name?? The world needs heroes.

*****

Better Call Saul has wrapped season 5.

*****

Hasbro has bought Death Row Records.

*****

The San Francisco board of supervisors has declared the NRA a terrorist organization.

*****

New SNL cast member Shane Gillis who was in hot water after racist remarks surfaced, has been let go before he ever hit the stage.

*****

Mike Pence claims he was bit by American Pharoah but his trainer is not too sure about that.

*****

Obama Netflix?

*****

Kieran Culkin and Jazz Charton had a little girl that they named Kinsey Sioux.

*****

Dollface on Hulu looks interesting.

*****

In sexual harassment news: Brett Kavanaugh has been hit with other allegations. Not all accusations are coming from the victims.** Placido Domingo has been accused by 20 women of unwanted advances.

*****

The71st Emmys have come and gone. There is a lot to celebrate in television right now with over 500 scripted original shows. Highlights include Norman Lear winning for Live in front of a studio audience: Norman Lears’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons to become the oldest winner ever at 97. Other winners were Leaving Neverland for best doc.  Glow won for stunt coordination. Succession won for their theme and for writing. RuPaul won for reality host and Drag Race won for show. Russian Doll took home cinematoghraphy. Carpool Karaoke : When Corden met McCartney:Live from Liverpool took home a statue. Peter Dinklage won for best supporting actor, Fleabag won big and Game of Thrones took home the top prize.  Other winners were Bill Hader, Patricia Arquette, Ben Whishaw, Billy Porter and Jodie Comer.  SNL with Adam Sandler and Last Week Tonight were winners.  I was so excited to see that Ozark won for Julia Garner and Bateman for directing. Succession won for directing.  I thought  the fashion went wrong with Amy Poehler, and Dascha Polanco. There was awesome fashion with Regina King, Viola Davis, Maya Rudolph, Bob Odenkirk, Billy Porter, Angela Bassett, Michelle Williams, Kerry Washington, Zendaya, Sarah Silverman, Catherine Zeta- Jones, Karamo Brown, Gwyneth Paltro, Catherine O’Hara, Emilia Clarke, Phoebe Waller Bridge and Niecy Nash.** The In memoriam was fucked up when they honored Andre Previn  but showed a very much alive Leonard Slacken. Let me run that part of the show, they are always messing that up. It may not matter much longer because the ratings were so low. It is already a shame that they don’t broadcast the daytime Emmy’s.

*****

R.I.P. Jim Leavelle, Carol Lynley, T Boone Pickens, Daniel Johnston, Robert Frank, Ric Ocasek, Eddie Money, Sander Vanocur , Peter Lindbergh, Robert Haunter, Jacques Chirac , Jose Jose , Bob Esty, Wayne Fitzgerald, Jessye Norman and Cokie Roberts.

[theliterateape]

The Minutes of Our Last Meeting | How to Win a Presidential Election

By Joe Janes

Democratic National Headquarters

Washington, DC

June 19, 2019                                                  8:45am

attendance: Tom Perez, Chair and whatever staff is available, mostly interns

Tom – Thanks for coming everyone. We have to win this next presidential election. Our approach so far has been to allow anyone who wants to run for president as a democrat to do so. We really do need to narrow down the field, but that’s not our job. It’s America’s job. I have created a PSA that will ask Americans point blank, who do they want for president? It will run before and after every presidential debate. It goes like this… 

We get a spokesperson, like George Clooney, somebody everybody likes, and he looks straight at the camera and says…

America, in 2016 you overwhelmingly voted for Hilary Clinton for president. She got three million more votes than Donald Trump. We were thwarted by the electoral college and by not having more people vote in every state that counted. Many people who didn’t vote looked at Trump and Clinton and did not see a difference. This is a prime example of why we need better healthcare so people can have their eyesight and hearing checked. We also need a better education system so people graduate high school with critical thinking skills that can distinguish between a misogynistic racist homophobe and a democrat. 

Just tell us what you want, and we will put all our resource behind that candidate. 

You want old white guys? We’ve got old white guys. They look a lot like the GOP old white guys and often vote like them, but they’re our old white guys and our going to try very hard to do a few good things before they die. 

You want women, boy, do we have women! They are educated, articulate, and pretty! Va-Va-Vavoom! Grab ‘em by the policy!

You like the gays? We’ve got one of them, too! Religion? We’ve got Jews and Christians! It’s a regular Roman Colosseum and you are the lions that we hope are hungry and will pick at least one to savor in your majestic jaws. 

You like voting for rich people, check! You like smart? We’re as brainy as hell. You want young people with a lot of spunk or old people who are more woke after a nap? We’ve got both! We have them all! Whatever flavor of candidate you like best, America, we have it in stock. Just tell us what you want. You like a little color with your candidate, we’ve got black, we’ve got yellow, we’ve got every shade of white. You like good old fashioned American last names, we have a few of those – Bennet, Booker, Bullock, Delaney, Harris, O’Rourke, Ryan, Sanders, Warren, and Williamson. Like names that you have trouble pronouncing, we have plenty of those, I hope I get these right – Buttigieg…well, really, it’s just that one. We even have names that sound like characters  from a Marx Brothers movie, like Hickenlooper. 

You like billionaire businessmen with no experience in politics? Sorry, we don’t have any of those, but I do promise that everyone running has more money than you.

Then George looks gives the camera a super cool wink and tells America to vote on Twitter, now, so they can vote for who they want in a voting booth in 2020.

What do you think?

Youthful Intern – Sounds desperate.

Tom – That’s our demographic!

[googlenewson]

Barathunde Rafiq Thurston is an Emmy-nominated writer, author, activist, comedian, former White House adviser, and a "semi-famous" product of the modern age. I'm a huge fan.

Thurston has countless superpowers but here's my favorite: He can help you consider uncomfortable truths, all while making sure you're laughing for all the right reasons. It's the kind of communication mastery that unites people and inspires them to do better.

His power was on full display during his spectacular TED Talk, which posted yesterday.

In it, he puts the terrifying phenomenon of white people calling the police on black people for just living their lives, into a broader historical context of white supremacy and capitalism. (Which doesn't sound very funny, I know, but trust me.)

He begins by diagramming the headlines of the news stories reporting the incidents. They run on a simple formula:

A subject takes an action against a target engaged in some activity. “White Woman Calls Police On Black Real Estate Investor Inspecting His Own Property.” “California Safeway Calls Cops On Black Woman Donating Food To The Homeless.” “Golf Club Twice Calls Cops On Black Women For Playing Too Slow.” In all these cases, the subject is usually white, the target is usually black, and the activities are anything, from sitting in a Starbucks to using the wrong type of barbecue to napping to walking “agitated” on the way to work, which I just call “walking to work.” And, my personal favorite, not stopping his dog from humping her dog, which is clearly a case for dog police, not people police. All of these activities add up to living. Our existence is being interpreted as crime.

He then asks us, as part of a game, to flip the headlines and turn the absurdity of white supremacy on its head. "Let's face it, 'A Black Woman Calls Police On A White Man Using Neighborhood Pool,' isn't absurd enough," he says. Let's level up! What if his crime was trying to touch her hair without asking? Or just talking over people in a meeting?

And the game is on. "But it comes with a warning: simply reversing the flow of injustice is not justice. That is vengeance, that is not our mission, that’s a different game," he says.

It's signature Barathunde. Click through for his poignant advice for changing the game we're all unconsciously playing. We've got the power, after all.

"I walk around in fear, because I know that someone seeing me as a threat can become a threat to my life, and I am tired," he says. "I am tired of carrying this invisible burden of other people’s fears, and many of us are, and we shouldn’t have to, because we can change this, because we can change the action, which changes the story, which changes the system that allows those stories to happen."

On Point

[bs-title]A private school must diversify after holding a mock slave auction[/bs-title][bs-content]Last March, the Chapel School, a private high school in Bronxville, New York, was widely criticized for holding a mock slave auction in which two fifth grade social studies classes encouraged white students to bid on "shackled" black students. The New York State Attorney General's Office launched a probe into the incident and announced its findings yesterday. For one thing, they found the exercise had a "profoundly negative effect" on the kids - 43 percent of whom identify as something other than white. In addition to diversifying staff, the school must hire a chief diversity officer personally approved by state Attorney General Letitia James. "Lessons designed to separate children on the basis of race have no place in New York classrooms, or in classrooms throughout this country," she said in a statement. Send over your LinkedIns, brave educators.[/bs-content][bs-link link="https://nbcnews.to/2JKiVyb" source="NBC News"]

[bs-title]Maine becomes the 17th state to outlaw gay conversion therapy[/bs-title][bs-content]Maine's Governor Janet Mills signed the bill into law yesterday, banning the discredited and harmful practice that aims to change someone's sexual orientation. "Conversion therapy is a harmful, widely-discredited practice that has no place in Maine," Mills said at the signing ceremony. "By signing this bill into law today, we send an unequivocal message to young LGBTQ people in Maine and across the country: we stand with you, we support you and we will always defend your right to be who you are." While this is good news, advocates worry that there may be a legal loophole if parents send a child to a religious practitioner, instead. A recent study estimates that 20,000 American youth will undergo conversion therapy from a "licensed practitioner" before they turn 18.[/bs-content][bs-link link="http://bit.ly/2W2gqZz" source="Newsweek"]

[bs-title]Lil Nas X took the kids to Old Town Road[/bs-title][bs-content]Pop culture media joint Complex sent a film crew to tag along with Atlanta rapper Lil Nas X as he visited a group of engaged, screaming fans - most of whom were about six years old. This short video of him visiting Lander Elementary School in Mayfield Heights, Ohio is all the proof you need that he will rule the world one day. "I'm finna do the biggest show of my life, and it's going to be great," he says before he walks into the gymnasium. The film shows the kids losing their little damn minds, drowning him out while singing along. People who know children will love the 3:22 mark where he asks the kids to be silent for a second so they can cue the music...and the screaming instantly stops. Ain't nobody tell them nothing...[/bs-content][bs-link link="https://twitter.com/Complex/status/1133796630942113793" source="Complex"]

[bs-title]Randall Park is living his life[/bs-title][bs-content]And, according to this charming profile by E. Alex Jung, he's now doing it on the big screen. The "Fresh Off The Boat" star is about to lay it all bare in Always Be My Maybe, a new feature rom-come he co-wrote and stars in with comedian Ali Wong. The piece is filled with astonishing personal details - Park's nickname as a teenaged camp counselor was "Care Moose," because he was "warm and nurturing but also strong." But its real strength lies in his reflections on what it's been like to be an Asian creative - with a Masters in Asian studies - growing up in Los Angeles. He's still surprised that there are now some real opportunities to become fully realized artists, and not the Asian sidekick. "When I first started acting, I really was genuinely okay with the idea of struggling for the rest of my life," he says. [/bs-content][bs-link link="http://bit.ly/2WvA3xC" source="Vulture"]

On Background

[bs-title]Turn up for health[/bs-title][bs-content]Andr? Blackman is an entrepreneurial public health expert, near the top of my mental list of People Who Will Change The World One Day. His current quest is to diversify the health care workforce; as the founder of OnBoard Health, he's building a now massive community of underrepresented public health care innovators and company founders into an ecosystem he hopes will help them find funding, jobs, and each other to scale their work and influence the wider world. I encouraged him to write his origin story, and explain how he came to be driven by the idea that data science, technology, empathy, diversity and design are the keys to creating healthier societies. It starts, as so many of these stories do, with a great injustice. (I wept.) His story below; follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn. [/bs-content] [bs-link link="http://bit.ly/2Xc03v3" source="Medium"]

[bs-title]Digital media and people of color[/bs-title][bs-content]Lori Kido Lopez, a media activist and associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Jackie Land, a PhD student in media studies who identifies as a "white settler living and working on Ho-Chunk land," have put together a syllabus that aims to recenter the voices of people of color in the broader conversations about technology, democracy, bias and inclusion. The readings give broad context to a relatively new discipline (the field of digital studies dates back to the 1990s) and focuses on the "myriad ways that race has shaped aspects of our digital world--from the infrastructures and policies that support technological development to algorithms and the collection of data, to the interfaces that shape engagement." If you're also looking for deeper background on how communities of color use new media to resist, inform and express themselves, this is a good place to start.[/bs-content][bs-link link="http://bit.ly/2QtXMJ0" source="Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies"]

[bs-title]Barbecue is a beloved American tradition, just not in the way you think[/bs-title][bs-content]Food historian and chef Michael Twitty explains in delightful detail how despite the strict rules of local barbecue customs, the origins of the technique are richly nuanced and an amalgam of traditions from many lands. "If anything, both in etymology and culinary technique, barbecue is as African as it is Native American and European, though enslaved Africans have largely been erased from the modern story of American barbecue," he says. Enslaved people shaped the barbeque tradition in the New World by bringing specific flavors and techniques from their homelands. "And the word barbecue also has roots in West Africa among the Hausa, who used the term 'babbake' to describe a complex of words referring to grilling, toasting, building a large fire, singeing hair or feathers and cooking food over a long period of time over an extravagant fire." You'll be hungry after you read this.[/bs-content][bs-link link="http://bit.ly/2cgeUAc" source="The Guardian"]

  Quote

[bs-quote link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flzdbzwf5XY" author ="--Barbecue Becky"]I'd like to report that someone is illegally using a charcoal grill in a non-designated area...I'd like it dealt with immediately.[/bs-quote]

from Fortune http://bit.ly/2MeHLIu

[zipgrowth]

This Research-Backed Toolkit Helps Youth Organizations Integrate Digital Learning

The Beam Center in Brooklyn is an out-of-school maker program that teaches teenagers technical skills like welding, woodworking and microcontroller interface design; they collaborate on a range of cool projects from mushroom fruiting environments to giant, hand-cranked flipbooks. But perhaps the most important skills kids learn at Beam are empathy, communication and self-expression. “When we have 23 kids from seven different ethnic backgrounds who speak seven-plus different languages, we experience some tension in our space,” says Beam Director of Teen Programs Calvin Stalvig. “We have the opportunity to establish a community where youth feel safe to be around one another, to talk about things that are challenging them, to talk about being from another country or struggling to learn English or being gay or trans.”

We wanted to understand more about preparing youth for the changing workforce, and for civic participation.

Susan Crown

Beam’s emphasis on youth development in conjunction with technical learning is one reason it was chosen to partner in the collaboration behind the recently published Reclaiming Digital Futures toolkit. The free web-based guide is designed to help educators at out-of-school youth organizations leverage five strategic areas to integrate technology and digital learning into their programming and practices. One resource in the toolkit, for example, explains how to incorporate digital tools that align with an organization's specific goals.

The project’s partners—which include the Susan Crown Exchange, researchers at University of California Irvine and New York University, and eight exemplar youth-serving organizations, including Beam Center—gathered for three “digital learning convenings” as well as several group digital meetings and multiple individual onsite visits over an 18-month period. Their goal was to share best practices and “explore important questions about what it means to be a 21st-century citizen,” says Susan Crown, founder of the Chicago-based social investment organization that funded the project. “We wanted to understand more about preparing youth for the changing workforce, and for civic participation.”

An overview of the Reclaiming Digital Futures project. Full size video on YouTube.

They help them find their passion and help them deal with daily challenges and trauma.

June Ahn

The eight exemplar programs each focus on different subjects, from arts to engineering to journalism, but they have a few things in common: They all integrate digital learning and 21st-century skills into their practices, and they are all deeply rooted in their own communities, many of which are marginalized neighborhoods. “A lot of times when we think about technology or digital learning, we tend to start with the technology, the hard skills,” says June Ahn, an associate professor of education at UCI and the project’s research lead. “With our partners, it's not an either/or question,” he explains. “They all have nicely developed youth development practices that coincide with their technical programs. They focus on building trust with young people. They help them find their passion and help them deal with daily challenges and trauma. Those kinds of things are just as important as infusing digital learning into projects that are really relevant for them.”

Every year the Beam Center tackles a massive maker project based on designs from an international call for entries. This year’s project is a set of giant hand-cranked flip books that will be displayed in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood. Expert metalworkers on the Beam staff break down the large project into small projects that individuals or groups of students can create together while learning about animation, woodworking, metalworking, kinetics, solar power and storytelling. There are also smaller projects going on at any given time that teach similar skills. This spring Beam students are learning about mycology while creating fruiting environments for mushrooms. Stalvig says he could swap out mushrooms for hip hop music and the kids would be learning a lot of the same things: how to use digital as well as old-school tools, how to collaborate, how to plan a project and see it to completion. “Only the conversation will be different,” says Stalvig. “And the conversations always relate to—how does this connect to your life? How does this connect to your community? How does this connect to social justice?”

Source for all photos: Reclaiming Digital Futures

. . . they quickly care for one another in ways that they're not able to care for one another in their schools because of the divisions of class, race, gender, sexuality, etc.

Calvin Stalvig

To help bridge potential divides among his students, Stalvig created a slideshow he called “Five Minutes of Me”—and shared it with his students. With the help of 27 pictures, from old family photos of his hometown in Wisconsin to pictures of him and his husband on their honeymoon in Iceland, he told his students who he was. Every week thereafter, different students would make five-minute presentations about their lives. “When I—a black, gay man from northern Wisconsin from a white family—do that first, I model that I'm not ashamed of any single part of my identity,” says Stalvig. "Five Minutes of Me” doesn’t just help students with public speaking and other career-readiness skills, “it helps them celebrate who they are and helps them find an audience that will listen to them. Afterwards, they ask each other questions like, ‘What is your favorite anime manga comic book?’ Then it changes the whole tone of our space, and they quickly care for one another in ways that they're not able to care for one another in their schools because of the divisions of class, race, gender, sexuality, etc.”

A commitment to human dignity and expressing oneself are also central to the mission at Free Spirit Media (FSM), a journalism-focused exemplar organization where kids from mostly low-income and minority backgrounds in Chicago produce a thousand pieces of media content a year. At FSM, kids don’t just learn how to identify good local stories and how to operate cameras, microphones, and editing programs. “They make media content that is intended to contribute to the civic discourse by reaching an audience and starting meaningful conversations,” says founder Jeff McCarter.

Along with technical skills, kids learn things that foster, as McCarter puts it, 'interpersonal fluency'—such as media literacy and personal accountability.

Along with technical skills, kids learn things that foster, as McCarter puts it, “interpersonal fluency”—such as media literacy and personal accountability. At the beginning of each new program cycle, students brainstorm a code of conduct and write it on a poster that everyone signs. “If somebody were to show up late and something is on there about tardiness, a peer is likely to say, ‘Hey, you signed on to this. You need to do better,’” says McCarter.

As they gain experience and move through the five program levels of FSM, students get opportunities to earn money with their skills while telling stories that are relevant to them. The short film "A Tale of Two Cities" was created by advanced FSM youth as a commissioned companion piece to "Romeo is Bleeding," a poetic documentary about Richmond, CA. In Tale, young people from Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, a mostly black, mostly low-income community, talk about how their neighborhood is perceived from the outside—thanks to a steady stream of media reports of violence and police activity—and how they know the neighborhood from their own personal experiences. The FSM students hashed out ideas, set up a series of shoots, worked on their script and voiceovers and captured archival footage from both outside media and Free Spirit’s archive. They then produced a beautiful and moving four-minute piece that was shown as the opener to a Chicago screening of Romeo.

More Project Info

Find the toolkit here: DigitalLearningPractices.org

Video: Learning, Interest, and Voice

Video: Learning How to Distribute and Share Media

That commitment to mining the assets of the local community—whether it’s story material or expert advice—is “a really important flavor to this project,” says Ahn. “We're not just talking to partners in highly-resourced areas; we’re talking with partners who work in low-income communities and build from assets in those communities.” Determining how to spread the rich practices highlighted in the Reclaiming Digital Futures project to the communities that could most benefit from them will be an ongoing process, he adds. “That equity agenda is important, and it’s something that we’ll have to continue to work on.”

Adds Crown, “One thing we know for sure; kids with a sense of purpose, a sense of competence, and a sense of community fare much better in life than kids who lack these three things. Technology offers remarkable new ways to cultivate these qualities in kids.”

This Research-Backed Toolkit Helps Youth Organizations Integrate Digital Learning published first on https://medium.com/@GetNewDLBusiness

[oselatra]

Whither the Rep

Its destiny is not in the stars, but ourselves.

The Arkansas Repertory Theatre last week produced the greatest drama in the 44-year history of the stage last week when it announced its debt was so deep it had to cancel its last play of the season and bring down the curtain indefinitely.

The news got a standing "Oh, no" from actors and audiences who knew that Little Rock — and Arkansas — had something special in its professional theater. The Rep has a reputation of great performances among theatergoers and as a great place to work among the many actors who've come to Little Rock. The idea that The Rep might close brought into sharp focus what that would cost Little Rock — fortunately, before it's gone, not after.

The drama has been building for quite some time, thanks to a dive in ticket sales and a faltering capital campaign. The course of theater never does run smooth, the Bard might say, but finding itself without the means to stage its final 2017-18 season production, "God of Carnage," which was to open in June, the theater's board of directors darkened the house.

The secured and unsecured debt — including $1.6 million in bank loans, including mortgages — is in total "north of $2 million," Brian Bush, chairman of The Rep's board, said last week. The board is trying to raise $750,000 to $1 million immediately to settle vendor debt and begin paying off the Bank of the Ozarks, which Bush said has been "cooperative and intimately involved in what's going on for at least six months." The board is also forming a group, "The Next Act," to talk about what form The Rep should take to be sustainable.

The Rep does have assets: Its theater at Main and Sixth streets and two apartment buildings for its out-of-town actors have been appraised at more than $6.5 million, Bush said. That makes it "real estate rich and cash poor," he said. Selling its real estate "is on the table," though the fact that The Rep has a place for its actors to stay has been one of the great draws for them to the Arkansas theater.

The Rep had raised $1.7 million during the quiet phase of a capital campaign the past couple of years, Bush said, but had hoped to raise $2.7 million during that phase. The total goal of $5.2 million would have retired all debt and created a cushion for the future, but with declining revenues — The Rep could only fill 47 percent its seats this season, Bush said, and campaign cash had to be spent to put on the plays.

The Rep's staff will be cut from 30 to 10 as of May 8. Producing Artistic Director John Miller-Stephany is among those losing his job. The theater education program, which breaks even, will continue through the summer.

There may be some good news: Potentially waiting in the wings is a $1.8 million grant The Rep has applied for from the Windgate Charitable Trust of Siloam Springs, which has made several multimillion-dollar gifts in the past few years to the arts, including $40 million last year to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville to create an art and design district and $20.3 million to UA Little Rock and $15.5 million to UA Fort Smith for their fine arts buildings. Should The Rep receive the grant, it would have to match it.

***

"What I can tell you," actor Patrick Halley said last week, "is The Rep had a sterling reputation in New York as a wonderful and warm and incredibly artist-friendly place to work. The way I got my first audition there was a friend I knew had worked there — I begged him, 'Could you put in a good word for me?' " Since then, Halley has appeared in a number of Rep productions, including "The School for Lies" last October.

"What always set The Rep apart was, some places you would go and work in a metropolis with a ton of options as far as culture goes. The audiences at The Rep always stood out as excited and engaged and grateful and you really got a sense of the impact that your work was having in the community." Not every audience is like that, he said.

The Rep's staff of designers "are at the top of their game," Halley said, "and that's not always common. Folks like Linda Parlier [assistant to the production manager] and Alan Branson [sound design and engineer] and Mike Nichols [technical director and set designer], the costume shop — they had a world-class team."

Halley called Bob Hupp, the producing artistic director from 1999-2016, "an inspiring leader" and managing director Mike McCurdy "one of the kindest and sweetest men on the face of the earth."

Halley was in Fayetteville when the news The Rep would suspend operations got out.

"The Rep has been so good to me," Halley said. "When I got the news, it felt like someone has passed away. I was so very, very sad."

On Friday, the Friends of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre announced a Rally for the Rep to be held Tuesday, May 1, in front of the theater, with music by the Greasy Greens, and special friends of the theater, including founder Cliff Baker, the director from 1976-1998 and a guest director for the past 17 years, will attend. By Monday, 1,300 people had clicked the "Interested" button and more than 200 people had donated a total of $73,000.

"In a strange way," Halley said, "the level of outcry speaks to how special it was." As Joni Mitchell sang, you don't know what you've got till it's gone.

Candyce Hinkle has been an actress for 40 years, and has appeared in plays at The Rep and other local theaters, as well as in such nationally released movies as the Coen brothers' "True Grit."

"The Rep has been my heart, honey, and this is just devastating," Hinkle said. "You can go anywhere in Central Arkansas and see talented people tell good stories, but when you go to The Rep ... . You don't realize how supported they are by technical artists. Mike Nichols' sets, the ability to create atmosphere by sound and lights. It's such a team effort to put on the shows that they do. That is what we don't get anywhere else. It's a professional jewel in our midst."

Hinkle is convinced that there is enough support for The Rep that it can reopen and stay open. "It doesn't have to come back as the grandiose giant it had become. Even if it comes back with a different flavor, but the same dedication to technical support and quality of performances: That's what we have to save."

The school must go on, as well, Hinkle said. "How many lives has that program changed? Just to give those kids that. They are treated professionally: It's not a babysitting opportunity. It's hard work: You hold a kid to a standard, and they're going to meet it. It's strictly professional, it's not just fun — it's work to get to the fun."

***

"I took a couple of days of heartache and mourning," Cliff Baker said from his home outside Mayflower, but now he's ready for action.

Baker came to Arkansas from Missouri in the 1960s to enroll in the Arkansas Arts Center's bachelor of fine arts program, which in its short time drew national accolades and a visit from The Juilliard School at its closing to recruit some of its actors. After working in theater outside Arkansas for a while, Baker returned to visit friends "and they said, 'Let's do a play,' and I rented a storefront ... and they were all kinky plays," Baker said.

The Arkansas Philharmonic was also short-lived. Support for a new theater came from old-money folks who were thrilled to see a higher level of theater established in Little Rock. The Rep sold 300 season tickets at a fundraiser in the posh Edgehill neighborhood "and we didn't have a theater and we didn't have a season," Baker said.

The theater opened in what had been Hunter Memorial Methodist Church, across the street from MacArthur Park, and though the venue was humble, the theater staged ambitious productions, from the breakout gay-themed play "The Boys in the Band" (performed at the Arts Center before its Off-Broadway premiere) to musicals "Marat/Sade," "Threepenny Opera" and "Ain't Misbehavin."

The actors were young, the budget was a shoestring, and even if Baker rehearsed a play for two weeks, "If I knew it was going to be bad, we just didn't do it."

"In the nonprofit theater world, I don't think you ever feel like you are on your feet," Baker said. But in the 1980s, when the budget for The Rep reached $500,000 "and the actors weren't having to do everything," he decided it was time to look for a larger home. The Rep moved to its building on Main, with its larger theater and production space, in 1988. Its operating budget is $4 million.

"I think the idea of a professional theater made all the difference" to the Little Rock audience, Baker said. "And people felt like they may not always like a particular play, but they knew it was going to be well done and there would be elements they would remember — the performances or the design."

Baker doesn't believe people have lost interest in live theater. Little Rock and North Little Rock support The Weekend Theater, The Public Theatre, Celebrity Attraction productions at Robinson Center Performance Hall, the Argenta Community Theater, the Arkansas Arts Center's Children's Theatre and Murry's Dinner Playhouse. But those venues — primarily Celebrity Attractions shows in the renovated Robinson — also present competition.

Baker does think some of the excitement is missing. People can't expect a big "joyous hit" like "Sister Act," which Baker last directed at The Rep, every time they go to the theater. And a theater can't sustain itself by planning that the success of one big show will carry the others.

Now, with the "Second Act" strategizing, Baker is thinking about how to reopen The Rep in a model that would be sustainable. "That's where I'm focusing. I'm calling friends and colleagues and and asking what works, what doesn't work.

"It's an age-old dilemma for nonprofit theater. The Rep kind of overgrew and couldn't support it."

***

Ginger Pool, producing artistic director of Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke, Va., has felt The Rep's pain. So when Pool heard about The Rep's crisis, she called board member Ruth Shepherd and offered to help in any way she could.

In 2009, Mill Mountain, which had its roots in a playhouse established in 1964, found itself $860,000 in debt. Its debt wasn't related to real estate, but because for a decade it had over-produced, employed a fulltime professional staff of 23 with benefits, suffered high overhead and staged "a little bit of vanity theater, producing shows that Roanoke wasn't supporting. The quality never dropped, but when the audience is not listening to you ... ."

And so Mill Mountain ceased operations, keeping only Pool, the director of its revenue-producing education program. The fulltime staff and 16 contract employees and 12 interns were let go. It cashed in its Actors Equity Association bond.

So Pool got to work by meeting one-on-one with vendors, negotiating such things as payment plans and tax credits and "asking for forgiveness. ... It was the hardest work I've ever done, and the most rewarding." Within a year, all but $75,000 of the debt had been paid off or negotiated.

For a while, Mill Mountain's children's theater put on the only productions, on holidays. The theater realized "Roanoke hasn't given up on us yet," Pool said, when it was announced the youths would perform "Annie": The musical was a sellout before the play opened.

It took Mill Mountain four years to have a "soft reopening." A theater that once produced 14 shows on its main stage a season now produces three. The new business model, Pool said: "We have made a promise that each individual production will make money standing by itself. We are not in the frame of mind, do this giant show to pay for this riskier show. ... That's a slippery slope for theaters. ... So we look at what we're choosing, and if we have any hesitation if this show can't stand alone, we throw it out. We drill down to worst-case scenarios, really analyzing everything, before we announce [the season] to the public."

Mill Mountain still does theater that might be called art rather than entertainment, but does it in its small black box theater. It has also added Mill Mountain Music, twice-a-year concerts.

"I will say people don't donate money to pay off your debt. There are going to be angels in the community, but [their gifts are] not going to be of the magnitude that your problems are over," Pool warned.

***

Ironically, The Rep has been the anchor of development on Main Street, in what Mayor Mark Stodola calls the "Creative Corridor." Its educational program in a renovated historic building catercornered from the theater along with Ballet Arkansas's studio and a private gallery have supported the idea of a downtown arts district .

The mayor learned of The Rep's financial troubles a couple of weeks ago, he said. He said he'd approached Celebrity Attractions, which has a substantial marketing budget, about the possibility of the company's taking a Rep show on the road, and noted that the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau supports The Rep with a contribution of $50,000 a year. The city made a small contribution last fall by buying tickets for a group.

Stodola said The Rep had also broached the idea that perhaps the city could support the theater by buying the theater building and leasing it back to The Rep for a nominal sum, as is done in other cities. But Stodola said that idea was, for him, a no-go. "Other organizations that we support, they are city commissions, like the Arkansas Arts Center or the Museum of Discovery or the military museum," Stodola told the Times. If it were to become a commission, The Rep board would have had to give up its governance, Stodola said, which was something it was reluctant to do.

Board chair Bush said The Rep is open to collaborations with colleges and universities and other theaters.

***

Perhaps you are asking yourself, what sort of self-respecting city can't find the audience to keep its professional theater open? Former Producing Artistic Director Hupp, who is now artistic director at Syracuse Stage on the campus of Syracuse University in New York, said competition from the rise of local theater groups is a factor, if not the factor, for The Rep's woes.

"Celebrity Attractions has been performing [in the past], but they've never been able to bring in the tours they're bringing in now [thanks to the $70.5 million renovation of Robinson]. I mean, look at 'The Lion King,' 'Phantom of the Opera,' a tour of 'Les Mis' ['Les Miserables']."

"One of the things that's great about The Rep is the intimate relationship between the audience and the performers. So, that always played pretty well and distinguished The Rep from Celebrity Attractions. But the new model, and the amount of money the city put into the renovation of Robinson, definitely has an impact" on The Rep's ticket sales, Hupp said.

To those who are skeptical about competition's role in The Rep's trouble filling seats, Hupp insisted there is "legitimacy to the external factors."

Too, The Rep's real estate burden, which includes both debt and ongoing maintenance, is unusual, Hupp said. "The expense of owning those properties has always been a challenge for The Rep," he said.

The former director said he was saddened, but not surprised, by the news of The Rep's suspension. But he said The Rep can return.

"If there were some combination of grassroots support and either city leadership or private leadership that comes in and helps stabilize the theater, there is a path forward. There are people who feel very passionate about The Rep. You've seen the social media posts that have come out. That initial reaction of surprise and shock — if that can move beyond that initial emotional reaction to real activism, real organization, then The Rep has a great shot of sustaining itself in a reimagined form."

Here's how Hupp puts the question of what it says about a city that lets its professional theater fail this way: "I think the question people who live in Little Rock have to ask is, 'Is the situation with The Rep a canary in the coal mine?' Is this indicative of other, more challenging issues with the city?

"A thriving city should have thriving arts. And the arts organization has to be responsive and also provide leadership and vision for what the arts mean to the community. ... A healthy organization, wherever you are in the country, has to generate earned income and the city has to show its partnership in that equation through philanthropic dollars. And that's public support from the city itself and private support from those who have means and can help."

Whither the Rep

[paulriedelposts]

Activities in Munich (Germany)

When it comes to activities and nightlife, in Munich (Germany) you will have a lot of fun here. The so-called Munchener Freiheit based in Schwabing is the best location where all the clubs, cafes, restaurants and bars are places. Glockenbachviertel is the most popular LGBTQ-friendly district, which makes Munich the perfect city to go out.  As a personal guide in Munich, with this blog-post, I take you through a one night out in this beautiful city.

To do in Munich Germany

Being in the early ’60s doesn’t stop me from going out and having fun, especially when you live and search for activities in a city like Munich (Germany). It is full of open-minded people, surrounded by great artistic places to visit and lots of places to go out. You can feel the freedom and equality everywhere around the city. I can dance through the night, but most of my guests sleep by 10 pm. To pay for good service is ok, but to have one is sometimes difficult in Munich. After this follows a question, WHY? The biggest factor, in my opinion, is the cultural misunderstanding, but generally, most of the people working in the service industry are nice and friendly. Going out with other guys around for a beer or to a club is a great thing to do in Munich. Every club in Munich requires a special outfit, so basically you cannot dress casually or wear every-day clothes when you go out to a club or disco. More about the dress code and outfit later. Besides, I present to you some of the best clubs that you can go out in Munich.

Clubs in Munich

Vanilla Lounge To warm up yourself I strongly recommend going to Vanilla Lounge for a drink or two which you can find on Munchener Freiheit. Vanilla Lounge is one of the bars you should visit. They offer a huge selection of drinks including beers, cocktails, and spirits. In this bar also you can have a try from one of the best shishas in Munich, with different kinds of flavors including vanilla, strawberry, blueberry, etc.  Jennifer Parks This is one of the most popular gay bars in Munich. If you want to feel like you are in the eighties with old-school music, such as Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston, Eurythmic then this is the right bar for you. It is cozy and warm with a funky and innovative design, amiable staff and drinks for affordable prices. You can find a great selection of drinks, beers, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. For more information, you can visit their website: jennifer-parks.com Harry Klein  Harry Klein is the best hip nightclub for electronic music. Every weekend there is a different DJ, and the atmosphere they are making is incredible. The owners of the club always make sure that it is safe, and danger-free. The electronic parties are more than awesome as the club is equipped with a great sound system, a very interesting interior, and the bass is unreal. If you are planning on visiting this club make sure you have a proper club outfit, as it is not just an “ordinary club”. Check their official website for the next party at harrycleinklub.de Rote Sonne Techno, dance, electronic and punk music are some genres that are played in this nightclub. The atmosphere that the DJ is making is more than awesome since he is a part of the crowd and the public. The staff of the club is always smiling and welcoming. If you are planning on visiting this nightclub, make sure you check what’s coming up from parties at https://www.rote-sonne.com/ Cohibar  Are you a fan of Cuban and Latino music? Then this is the right club for you. Make sure you dress up in comfortable shoes because you will be dancing all night long in this club. It’s location is in a basement off Maximilianstrasse, a bit discreet, with a great interior as there are photos all over the walls of Che Guevara. This club is famous for its salsa parties, the great selection of rums, and cocktails.  Bar 45 This bar is a newbie in the row of bars in Munich but deserves a visit. It became very popular in just a short matter of time because of the wild atmosphere it offers. At night this bar offers great and loud music to enjoy, and cocktails for sure. If you are up for a wild night in this city, this bar is just the right pick for you. 

Breweries & Beer Tours

The Munich nightlife is not all about the discos and nightclubs. Munich is very popular for beer and it’s six breweries brew more than 600 million liters annually. I highly recommend you to try some Bavarian beer that comes out of Munich. The Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten are the most popular breweries. All of them offer from light and soft to dark and stronger beers, different for everyone’s taste. The one that I am a huge fan of is the Augustiner. My tours include visiting the breweries and the Museum of Oktoberfest. Make sure you check out the tour here and book on time. If you book too late, there may be an alternative version of visiting another place instead of the Museum of Oktoberfest

Dress Code for Munich

 First things first, Munich is a very conservative city regarding the dress code. Like every other city, Munich locals bear to dress stylishly. I would agree that they have a very alternative fashion taste. I would gladly like to recommend you to dress for each night out differently and appropriately for the club because some of the security guys working in each club can be strict regarding the looks and wouldn’t allow you to get inside. Besides that, I hate fur hoods, and this is the greatest fashion crime ever. At all considering that China’s animal abuse is supported when people buy this.

Summary

One thing that I find fascinating about the nightlife of Munich is the people. People are the reason your night will stay unforgettable. As I mentioned before, people are very open when it comes to going out. Starting from discos, bars, gay bars and restaurants you can find anything related to your taste. If you are interested in making your wild night in Munich then you can find a place like it. My beer tours include visiting some of the most popular breweries so make sure you book on time so we can arrange which places and breweries to be organized for your tour. I will be all the time with you explaining the process of brewing, the history of breweries and the places we are going to visit. It is going to be fun, so make sure you take a friend or your closest ones to enjoy.

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