#southern bar-b-queue

[will-o-the-witch]

It is much easier to hate nazis and conspiracy theorists than it is to love Jews.

It is much easier to puff out your chest against a hypothetical, obvious villain than it is to help the real people they exploit.

I gently challenge allies to ask themselves today: "Where am I directing my energy? Am I putting in the work to show the world how much I hate nazis, or am I putting in the work to uplift Jews and Jewish voices?"

[newstfionline]

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Biden officially secures enough electors to become president (AP) California certified its presidential election Friday and appointed 55 electors pledged to vote for Democrat Joe Biden, officially handing him the Electoral College majority needed to win the White House. Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s formal approval of Biden’s win in the state brought his tally of pledged electors so far to 279, according to a tally by The Associated Press. That’s just over the 270 threshold for victory. Although it’s been apparent for weeks that Biden won the presidential election, his accrual of more than 270 electors is the first step toward the White House, said Edward B. Foley, a law professor at Ohio State University. “It is a legal milestone and the first milestone that has that status,” Foley said. “Everything prior to that was premised on what we call projections.” The electors named Friday will meet Dec. 14, along with counterparts in each state, to formally vote for the next president. Most states have laws binding their electors to the winner of the popular vote in their state, measures that were upheld by a Supreme Court decision this year. There have been no suggestions that any of Biden’s pledged electors would contemplate not voting for him.

Further Slowdown in Job Creation Sets Off Economic Alarms (NYT) The American job engine has slowed significantly, stranding millions who have yet to find work after being idled by the pandemic, and offering fresh evidence that the recovery is faltering. The Labor Department reported Friday that employers added 245,000 jobs in November, fewer than half the number created in October. The pace of hiring has now diminished for five straight months. While many of those knocked out of a job early in the pandemic have been rehired, there are roughly 10 million fewer jobs than there were in February. Many of the unemployed are weeks away from losing benefits that have sustained them, with emergency assistance approved by Congress last spring set to expire at the end of the year. The latest sign of economic headwinds arrived as members of Congress struggled to reach agreement on a new aid package. A bipartisan group of legislators has put forward a $900 billion proposal, and the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said the disappointing jobs report should add momentum to negotiations.

Southern California, San Joaquin Valley under restrictions (AP) Faced with a dire shortage of hospital beds, health officials announced Saturday the vast region of Southern California and a large swath of the Central Valley will be placed under a sweeping new lockdown in an urgent attempt to slow the rapid rise of coronavirus cases. he new measures will take effect Sunday evening and remain in place for at least three weeks, meaning the lockdown will cover the Christmas holiday. Much of the state is on the brink of the same restrictions. Some counties have opted to impose them even before the mandate kicks in, including five San Francisco Bay Area counties where the measures also take effect starting Sunday. With a new lockdown looming, many rushed out to supermarkets Saturday and lined up outside salons to squeeze in a haircut before the orders kicked in. The measures bar all on-site restaurant dining and close hair and nail salons, movie theaters and many other businesses, as well as museums and playgrounds. It says people may not congregate with anyone outside their household and must always wear masks when they go outside.

Honduras president seeks assistance, warns of increased migration in wake of devastating hurricanes (Washington Post) Weeks after Hurricanes Eta and Iota struck Central America in quick succession, nearly 100,000 Hondurans are living in shelters, many of which have become coronavirus hotspots. The country’s economy has been paralyzed. It is an unprecedented crisis, Honduran President, Juan Orlando Hernández said in an interview with The Washington Post on Friday. Hernández warned that in the absence of a coordinated international response, migration from Honduras to the United States could surge. “Imagine someone who lost everything, his house, his source of income, who feels hopeless and believes that there’s nothing left for him,” Hernández said. “And then he has a relative (in the United States) who says: ‘Come here.’ “ On Friday, Honduras filed a request with the Trump administration for temporary protected status (TPS) for Honduran citizens who are already in the United States. Guatemala, which was also affected by the two hurricanes, filed its own request last month. The Trump administration has tried to end existing TPS programs, which protect migrants from deportation while their countries manage crises.

The coronavirus has come roaring back into Brazil (Washington Post) RIO DE JANEIRO—For weeks, it has seemed that the pandemic was on the way out. The beaches, bars and restaurants had filled. The message: Rio de Janeiro was back. Now the city—and much of Brazil—is grappling with the sudden realization that the coronavirus has suddenly roared back. In Rio de Janeiro, where the virus has already killed tens of thousands, upturned the economy and sent rates of homelessness soaring, moments that recall the darkest days of the pandemic are once more appearing in the news. Sick people, unable to get help in the medical system, are again being found dead at home. Lines stretching into the hundreds are forming for intensive care beds. Hospital officials are warning of supply shortages and an imminent collapse in medical services. Even the vaunted private heath-care system reached 98 percent capacity in its intensive care units this past week, officials said. In states across the country, the situation wasn’t much better. Public health officials are increasingly worried.

Black Man Is Beaten on Camera, Thrusting French Police Into Spotlight (NYT) Without the video, Michel Zecler believes his case would have been reduced, at most, to a brief news item. Maybe something like this: “A young man, Black, wearing a sweatshirt and a hood, a shoulder bag, assaulted police officers, attempted to seize their weapons,” Mr. Zecler said in an interview on Thursday. “If I didn’t have my cameras, I’d be in prison today,” he added, referring to the security cameras in the vestibule of the building where he keeps his music studio. The footage from those cameras, showing police officers gratuitously beating Mr. Zecler, 41, a producer well known in the world of French rap, has instead helped fuel a political crisis in France and once again turned a spotlight on the issue of police brutality, especially against the country’s minority citizens. Mr. Zecler became the focus of a national uproar that has forced President Emmanuel Macron’s government to scrap and rewrite part of a security bill that would have restricted the filming of police. Critics say a provision in the security bill was aimed at snuffing out precisely the kinds of cellphone videos of the police roughing up demonstrators that have brought them under intense new scrutiny.

Swiss slopes buzz as those of neighbors sit idle in pandemic (AP) Two weeks after beating COVID-19, Thierry Salamin huffs as his ski boots crunch through Swiss snow near the Matterhorn peak, readying for a downhill run with his mood as bright as his blue and fluorescent yellow ski getup and the sun overhead. The 31-year-old real estate agent from the southwestern Swiss region of Wallis can’t believe he is skiing during a pandemic, let alone one that he personally endured—and which has driven a wedge between his country and its Alpine neighbors over where people can ski, and where they can’t. While the coronavirus resurgence has led Austria, France, and Italy to shut or severely restrict access to their ski stations this holiday season, Switzerland has kept its slopes open—a move that has fanned grumbling about an unlevel playing field when it comes to Alpine fun. The Swiss say they’re taking reasonable action to fight the coronavirus. Authorities require masks in ski lifts and queues, and recommend hand hygiene and physical distancing measures.

Diplomacy was the real loser (Christian Science Monitor) This autumn’s intense six-week war between Armenia and Azerbaijan offers a stark lesson in the costs of diplomatic failure: An unresolved territorial dispute suddenly erupted in violence that took thousands of lives and left a vastly changed landscape in its wake. Azerbaijan won the war with arms and advice from Turkey, dramatically reversing Armenia’s decisive victory a quarter century ago that had been frozen in place since 1994. The nub of the conflict is the Armenian-populated exclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, a Soviet-era autonomous region inside Azerbaijan that declared independence in 1988 as the USSR began to crumble. In the long and bloody war that ensued, Armenian forces not only secured the region, they occupied a huge swath of additional territory and expelled around 800,000 ethnic Azeris from it. The new armistice, which Russia imposed last month, restores all of those illegally seized lands to Azerbaijan and inserts 2,000 Russian peacekeeping troops into the area to enforce the deal. This dramatic outcome has triggered mass jubilation in Azerbaijan, plunged Armenia into a storm of national anguish, and left international diplomacy licking its wounds. The cease-fire lines brokered by Moscow almost exactly follow the diplomatic settlement that the international community had advocated for almost 30 years, but they were achieved by force of arms. The Minsk Group, comprising the United States, France, and Russia, which had been charged with resolving the conflict, proved irrelevant as the crisis climaxed; it was two regional powers, Russia and Turkey, that brought the warring parties to heel.

Trump restricts U.S. visas for Chinese Communist Party members and families (Washington Post) The State Department imposed tighter visa regulations for Chinese Communist Party members Thursday in a move that puts limits on U.S. travel for tens of millions of Chinese working in government and other prominent roles—and further stokes tensions with Beijing ahead of the Biden administration. The new rules would affect members of China’s ruling party, who number around 92 million, and their close relatives. The impact could be sweeping in a country where party members dominate the upper echelons not only in government but also in business, media, academia and other areas. The restrictions would limit visas for party members and their relatives to a single entry, with the visa duration lasting one month. Previously, Chinese nationals were eligible to apply for tourism or business visas, for instance, that are valid for 10 years and for unlimited entries. The new rules for party members could be disruptive for trade, academic and cultural exchanges between the two countries and the personal lives of the elite. Communist Party membership is not explicitly required but is often a de facto requisite for career advancement to top positions in China from the government to most major industries and academia. Many rank-and-file corporate employees and low-level civil servants are also dues-paying members.

Trump orders most American troops to leave Somalia (AP) The Pentagon said Friday it is pulling most U.S. troops out of Somalia on President Donald Trump’s orders, continuing a post-election push by Trump to shrink U.S. involvement in counterterrorism missions abroad. Without providing details, the Pentagon said in a short statement that “a majority” of U.S. troops and assets in Somalia will be withdrawn in early 2021. There are currently about 700 troops in that Horn of Africa nation, training and advising local forces in an extended fight against the extremist group al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaida. Trump recently ordered troop drawdowns in Afghanistan and Iraq, and he was expected to withdraw some or all troops from Somalia. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had said on Wednesday that the future structure of the U.S. military presence in Somalia was still in debate.

Ethiopia’s war in Tigray shows no signs of abating, despite government’s victory claims (Washington Post) Clashes continued across Ethiopia’s Tigray region and humanitarian aid remained paused at its border Friday, despite government claims that military operations had ceased and pledges to allow U.N. agencies access to hundreds of thousands of people who rely on them for food. Diplomats, aid workers and analysts said in interviews that the war in Tigray, Ethiopia’s northernmost region, was far from over even with government troops in effective control of the region’s main city, Mekele. The fighting has shifted to Tigray’s many craggy mountain ranges—difficult terrain where TPLF leaders and militia hold the advantage of familiarity and have been able to regroup. The TPLF’s leadership remains largely intact despite abandoning Mekele last week. On Thursday, in a message aired on a regional television network, one prominent leader called on supporters to “rise and deploy to battle in tens of thousands.”

[travelteatv]

Most of our time in New York was spent in mid/uptown but this was our final day so we went AWOL (to other nice places). First stop, Brooklyn Bridge.

This day (funnily enough the one we were spending the majority of outside) was absolutely FREEZING but it didn’t put us off – we wrapped up warm and headed out, only to head back in (to the Subway). It was our first time riding it because generally we’re pretty bad at directions and had been too lazy to figure it out. BOY did I regret this once I got on it. Its so ridiculously simple and cheap (in comparison to London’s extortionate prices). We definitely should have used it the whole time. You buy a metro card from a person or a machine (which I still for some reason have in my purse now, a month later) top it up (like a London oyster card) and away you go. I had already downloaded a Subway map app on my phone; I have a tube map on my phone at all times in London even though I live here – its free, tells you the quickest route and updates you if there are any delays/works on the line. Whats not to like?

  42ND STREET / TIMES SQUARE / TOURIST CENTRAL

A post shared by Travel Tea Tv (@travelteatv) on Jan 30, 2018 at 7:01am PST

  We got to Brooklyn Bridge first thing and it was gorgeous weather. Yes freezing cold but sunny as ever. It was nice being out of the touristy areas – it was Sunday morning and people were out jogging, cycling, walking their dogs. Being in a big city doesn’t always feel particularly homey but at this moment it really did. I could see myself running across Brooklyn Bridge on a Sunday morning (or maybe looking out of my tiny apartment window at other people doing that, while sipping a cup of tea). We meandered across it, took some photos, did some people watching and walked back.

My mum wasn’t that fussed about seeing the Statue of Liberty by boat and I wasn’t either – the cold did not make it appealing in any way, but I did think it would be nice to see her in the flesh one way or another so we got back on the Subway and went round to Battery Park to look at Ol’ Lady Liberty. My mum’s main reaction was how small she looked. In fairness, we were very far away from her.

It was too cold to stand there for long, so we got back on the Subway and went up to Chelsea, where we had brunch booked at ‘Tipsy Parson’, an adorable Southern Inspired place. I nearly got biscuits and gravy but the mac and cheese was calling my name – I didn’t regret it. All the staff were lovely and the decor was superb. We were obviously there early on but the bar looked very well stocked so I’m sure its a good late night hangout too.

We had a beautiful brunch (go there if you can) and then walked down to Chelsea Market (an indoor arts/homeware/food market), where the rest of the world was hiding. It made complete sense for everyone to be there of course but it was a bit of a surprise going from zero people to hundreds in a small space. It was still lovely and we bought lots of different bits and pieces, including my new favourite ring, some awesome New York prints and a rad decorative glass bottle. If its cold its the perfect place to visit, in fact, even if it isn’t cold its great; especially if you’re with people that can’t make their mind up on what they want to eat. There’s so much choice for food it might even be a bit overwhelming. Thankfully we had already eaten so didn’t need to go through the (enjoyable) stress of picking.

I absolutely loved Chelsea and would love to spend more time there if possible, the streets were super peaceful and quiet for a Sunday morning yet still had some life about them with people walking their dogs. It was nice.

Once we had bought all the things we could carry (some might think we shopped ourselves silly yesterday, those people are wrong), I decided I wanted to look for some vintage clothes, so we wandered around some second hand/charity stores and then made our way back up to our hotel on the Subway where we dropped stuff off and then headed back out to our favourite place, the TKTS booth in Times Square. Since we had already bought some tickets from there earlier on in the week, we got to skip the queue and ended up being one of the first 5 people at the desks. We asked for tickets for Kinky Boots and were offered front row orchestra seats at half price (front row stalls). My mum didn’t really understand what they were saying and was hesitant, but I pushed and we got them in the end.

It was only later on when we actually walked into the theatre and continued walking further and further down to the front, that she finally understood just how great these seats were. Actual Jake Shears from the Scissor Sisters was in it and we were so close we could see the hairs on his legs. That’s probably not what I should note as my main take away/ what I would go with if I were asked to write a proper review of it but so far no one has asked me to, so thats the best I’ve got.

No, in truth, the whole thing was absolutely amazing – the singing, the sets, the costumes. I didn’t really know what it was about but I had a blast. The only thing that was a bit strange was hearing Northampton accents while in New York. For that reason (amongst many others), I would love to see it again on the West End in London. But that list is already very long so it might be a while before I get round to it (42nd street is at the top of it, for anyone considering treating me – hint hint, nudge nudge).

And with that, the trip was over.

In my first post about our NY trip, I wrote that it was for 5 days – strictly this isn’t true, as we were away for 6 days but the only thing we accomplished on the final day was getting from A (Our hotel, the Knickerbocker, in New York) to B (The airport, London Gatwick). Suffice to say, we did manage to do that but its not the most exciting thing to read or in fact write about so I’ll keep it short and sweet…

We woke up early, checked out easily and had a lovely journey home. It was only when we got home that we had a problem… The airline lost my mum’s bag. I still feel bad about making jokes that they had lost hers while I was stood there holding mine, watching other people’s go round and round…

Its been over a month now and we still haven’t got the bag yet. So, yeh, thats super fun.

Aside from that (very annoying) hiccup, it was an amazing trip and I had the best time. We saw so much while we were there and I cannot WAIT to go back. Maybe when its a * touch * warmer though…

And that’s it for the New York posts – Booo I hear you say. Yes I know, I’m terribly sorry. It must be a terrible inconvenience to read no more about the ups, downs, trials and tribulations, of two British women travelling around New York. Quite the mental, physical and emotional journey. The best thing since Eat Pray Love, is the most common thing people have said. Alas, that is what happened and I’m not one to make up things to make this blog sound exciting (I’m sure anyone that has read a single post on here knows thats very true).

I would usually like to take time at this point to reflect on my favourite parts on the trip but I enjoyed so much of it, its hard to pick. If I had to say, I’d pick downtown as my favourite area and the movie tour as my favourite activity, but everything we did was great fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

What I will point out is that in order to get all this stuff done, a fair amount of planning went into it. For some that’s the last thing they want to do when they go on holiday but it really did make a big difference to us. It takes the stress out of your day because you wake up there, already know what you’re doing and only have to worry about getting there. You can still leave gaps in your schedule to do things on the fly but certain things like the improv comedy, movie tour, NBC tour etc. need to be booked in advance otherwise you don’t get to do them. It only takes two seconds to do it all online from home but it will save you so much headache once you’re there.

  Bye New York ✌️

A post shared by Abi (@abipageaustin) on Jan 15, 2018 at 7:47am PST

  Abi

@travelteatv 

  P.S. We’ve been very busy since then, with London life, visiting Devon and Edinburgh and planning more exciting things, that I’ll post about very, very soon…

In the meantime, keep up with us on Instagram and Twitter – please send me your social media accounts, I’d love to follow them!

NEW YORK | DAY 5 | 'Quite the mental, physical and emotional journey. The best thing since Eat Pray Love, is the most common thing people have said.' Most of our time in New York was spent in mid/uptown but this was our final day so we went AWOL (to other nice places).

[will-o-the-witch]

You give off "Has nice blankets" vibes

Listen. I have GREAT blankets.

[will-o-the-witch]

UGH as a follower of Hekate i HATE when ppl try to relate lilith to her like shut UP. the two come from wildly different traditions and have absolutely no synchronization like stop licking robert graves crusty asshole and stop being fucking antisemitic. it is 2022 not the 1970s we have a plethora of information at our disposal there is NO good reason to continue to b so ignorant

Right?? That always struck me as so weird, pretty much the only thing they have in common is #spooky but people are DESPERATE to conflate goddesses/feminine figures with each other.

You see it a LITTLE with the men but never to this degree, like imagine if someone tried to say Itzlacoliuhqui, Apollo, and Moses were all the same person and could be used interchangeably.

[will-o-the-witch]

Ready for the Easter is stolen from Pagans posts?

Oh, they've been well underway already

[will-o-the-witch]

How do people even conflate Lilith with polytheistic deities while still keeping the Adam creation story? Isn't that specific bit like, not in older polytheistic mythos that they use to attempt benefit of the doubt?

Yeah that logic gap always confused me. Like they'll say she has nothing to do with Judaism yet their entire conception of her hinges on Rabbinic texts they refuse to let go of

[will-o-the-witch]

You know, I love adtrology but if you lead off your argument with "you haven't even had your Saturn return yet" it's a pretty good sign nothing else you say is going to be worth taking seriously. Sorry about the chunguses shitting up your inbox and notes, I wish you didn't have to deal with them =/

Lmao right? I saw that and genuinely laughed. Did you know that one astrological event is the only reliable way to build character?

[will-o-the-witch]

🌈💖✨Send this to the twelve nicest people you know or seem to have a good heart and if you get five back you must be pretty awesome🖤☮️💫

Aww shucks 🥺