#they used to have an annual camp before the covid

[fouryearsofshades]

regional hanfu styles?

i've always wondered if hanfu ever varied from region to region? what i've seen so far on hanfu makes it look like everyone wore the same styles across china but that seems so strange since most of chinese culture is very regional. so are there region specific hanfu styles or is hanfu really that general?

Hi!

It totally did historically. The further away a region from the centre of fashion (e.g. the capital) was, the more behind the fashion the region was. Usually the distinctions could be found in embroidery style, cut, length etc. I read that sometimes it could be a couple decades behind, especially in times of unrest and wars. A more recent example could be seen in Chinese diaspora in the late Qing, e.g. a Vancouver Chinese tend to dress in an older style then like say, Shanghai. Also last year a local hanfu tailor shop was submitted to a weibo tea account because it is too pricey for its old-school out-of-fashion products. (They do occasionally have some more "up-to-date" hanfu.) On the other hand, sometimes the royals would want to keep a look of "plain and simple", like in Ming dynasty, the fashion inside the Imperial Palace was lagging behind. When the clothing length and sleeves sizes increased in the South (Jiangnan area), the clothing inside the palace was kept shorter and fitter.

Modernly, since a lot of hanfu community is online, the distinction isn't as obvious, especially when most people buy hanfu online. There are distinction in materials and layering mostly due to the local climate, e.g. Guangzhou residents (in the south of China) might still be wearing a thin ao, while people in Beijing will have worn layers of wool, fur or dawn. Sometimes local communities of hanfu-ers would have a certain styles (either because there is a popular fashion icon in the group or they tend to bulk purchase from the same shop), but I usually can't tell them apart unless I am familiar with said group.

[slimthicksonnett]

Silent Night (Rose Lavelle)

"Suprise" and Happy Holidays. Inbox is open as always.

Word Count: 2,360

Warnings: None

------

For the first time in years, December felt normal. There was no December camp, no COVID, no friends halfway across the world, everyone was home.

“Y/N! Are you ready?” Standing in the doorway, paper wrapped boxes in hand and a beanie that was far too big for her head, was your best friend and roommate Rose Lavelle.

Smiling gently at the older girl, you nodded back as you finished buckling your heels. The OL Reign girls were hosting their annual Christmas gala and it was possibly the only thing Rose had talked about for weeks. Not wanting to delay the excited girl, you joined her at the door where she swung her free arm carelessly over your shoulder and pulled you into her.

Even attached, the two of you moved in perfect sync around the apartment to gather the last of the things you needed before you left. Cookies? Check. Gifts? Check. Keys? Check. Extra jacket for when Rose inevitably gets cold after claiming it wasn’t cold enough for her to need a jacket? Also check. You both made your way to the car in silence, not detaching until you stepped away to open the passenger door of the car for Rose. When you opened the door to get in your own seat, you were completely unsurprised to see Rose had already reached across the center console to start the car for you and was now fiddling with the knobs on the radio.

That’s just kind of how it went with the two of you most of the time. Comfortable silence and nonverbal communication was part of a practiced routine ever since you’d started living with each other at the beginning of the season. Nowadays, it was almost as if the two of you were simply extensions of one another. After getting on the road, you let your right hand fall from the steering wheel and onto the center console the midfielder had previously leaned over. Responding almost instinctively, the pale girl placed her own hand beside yours and linked your pinkies together. 

Arriving at the venue in downtown Seattle a short time later, Rose let out an impressed whistle at the sight of the building. Laughing softly, you hurried to park the car before jogging around to open her door.

Again, it was just instinct.

And it was definitely just instinct that the two of you walked into the fancy event space holding hands.

Entering the room, Rose again let out a low whistle as she took everything in. This time it wasn’t met with your laugh but by the cheers of your teammates who noticed your arrival. 

“Looks like the party is finally here!” Bethany Balcer hollered, crossing the room to greet Rose with a hug that forced your hand away from hers.

“Well we were required to be here.” Rose joked dryly as she pulled away from the blonde who just rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, and you know Rose would never miss an opportunity to dress up.” You teased, stepping forward to meet the young player with a hug of your own. To your side you could hear Rose scoff at the little jab.

“Right, and you just happened to have a brand new dress hidden away for the occasion because you don’t enjoy dressing up?” Bethany countered, bringing a heat to your cheeks.

You could feel the eyes of people around the room taking in your new outfit at the comment, most sparing a quick glance and flashing you a smile in approval. But on your right, you could feel a particular pair of bright eyes lingering on you that suddenly made you feel very exposed despite the floor length coverage of the dark evening gown. 

“I never said I wasn’t guilty either! Now, do you guys want these gifts or not?” Turning to look at Rose, her eyes snapped up to meet yours for a moment before she rolled them in amusement at your threat.

“Not with that attitude!” Someone shouted but they were quickly interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Yes we do! Big girls just got paid bank from the boys' win so I will take my US Soccer funded present, please and thank you!” Nikki Stanton chimed in, causing the entire room to bust out in a mixture of laughs and cheers of agreement.

“Presents go under the big tree, any treats go to the lady in white!” Megan Rapinoe responded, the veteran moving around the space like a whirlwind. Which honestly should have been expected, seeing as helping plan this gala was kind of her favorite thing. 

Laughing along with your team, you moved towards the kitchen area where you were greeted with the sight of Sue Bird wearing what seemed to be an all white suit. Realizing then that it was her fiancee that Pinoe has been referring to as the lady in white, you couldn’t help but burst out laughing. 

The musical sound garnered the attention of the remaining girls who hadn’t spotted your arrival, leading to another round of cheers as they came to grab you away from Rose who now seemed to be responsible for putting the presents under the tree. 

Falling into a familiar rhythm, you found yourself working with ease while making comfortable conversation with your teammates and friends. Lu was in the middle of telling you about how cute King and Fishlock looked setting up the Christmas tree this year when the familiar sound of bickering caught your attention. Flashing you a knowing smile, Lu promised to finish the conversation later and let you go with grace to figure out the source of the fighting.

The culprits were of course your little gaggle of junior goalkeepers.

“Now why can I hear you two arguing all the way from the kitchen?” You sassed, placing your hands on your hips as you raised an accusatory eyebrow.

Laurel was naturally the first to protest.

“We’re not arguing! We’re just having a disagreement because little Miss Tarheel over here doesn’t know how to work electronics!” The secondary keeper pointed at Claudia accusingly, earning an offended gasp from the other girl.

“Me?! You’re the one that broke it! How are you mad that I can’t fix what you broke?” Claudia protested as you rolled your eyes at their skirmish.

“Alright dumb and dumber, let me see.” Sighing, you waved the two out of the way so you could inspect the damage on what you could only assume was the controls for the venue's sound system.

The damage it seemed was not possibly something that could have been Laurel’s fault. The panel appeared to have been completely fried. A blast during a power outage maybe? Regardless, the thing was toast.

“Ivory you didn’t break it, Dickey you’re right that there’s no fixing it. We’ll figure something else out.” Satisfied with your work, you walked away from the perplexed duo and back out to the open space where much of the team was mingling.

You weren’t out there for more than two minutes before a familiar presence was behind you, leaning up to try and rest her chin on your shoulder.

“So, I heard the speakers are no good?” She asks, carelessly wrapping her arms around your waist in a way that had you relaxing more than you’d like to admit.

Humming in casual response, you swayed the two of you from side to side to your own imaginary song.

“Absolutely fried, it’ll be fine. Everything else is perfect!” You answered, leaning your head into hers and actively ignoring the sideways glances some of the people passing by spared you both. It was most teammates plus ones, as the team themselves had grown annoyingly accustomed to the two of you being so close.

“I was really looking forward to karaoke though.” And you could hear the pout in Rose’s voice before you even looked over your shoulder. 

If there was one thing you were a sucker for? It was Rose’s pout and her puppy dog eyes. Honestly you think she could have Wilma Jean beat for those big sad eyes sometimes.

“What did you want to sing?” Formulating a potential plan in your mind to remove the pout, you mentally ran through every Christmas appropriate song you knew.

“Mmmm, just like Christmas carols? Maybe Silent Night or something?” 

And well, you hadn’t planned on exposing yourself like this. But hey, it’s Rose.

“Well come on then.” With a sigh, you unlaced yourself from her and held out your hand. The midfielder looked at you in confusion.

“Trust me?” You prompted, and a flash of what was almost hurt immediately crossed Rose’s face.

“Always!” The older girl responded defensively.

“Then come on.” Rose gave you her hand willingly, following you blindly as you pulled her across the space, weaving between teammates who watched with partial interest in the shenanigans. 

When you finally came to a stop, you were standing in front of what had first caught your eye when you’d entered the space. Sat slightly to the side, facing into the large room, was an old mahogany grand piano. You’d initially guessed that the Steinway was an antique and left it alone, but after having heard Balcer try her hand at it while you were in the kitchen you realized that it was seemingly fully functional. That is, if the right person were to play it. 

With familiar ease, you moved to open the piano's top and pulled the lid prop up to keep it open. Looking down, you couldn’t help but take a moment to marvel at the preservation of the soundboard within. Feeling yourself slip into that familiar headspace, you crossed over and took your seat at the bench. Delicately, you pulled back your dress and placed a stiletto clad foot carefully on one of the pedals. Marveling at the difference in pressure required, you moved across each pedal before carefully settling on the damper.

Looking away from the beautiful piano, you were met with the equally as beautiful sight of Rose Lavelle intently watching you. There was a mix of both wonder and curiosity on her face as she watched you take on the peacefully tense form she only ever saw from you on the field. Outside of this little staring contest, teammates had started to drift closer after hearing your cautionary tapping of the keys and seeing you prop open the top. 

Breaking the silence, you tapped a singular key gently. The note resonated throughout the space and gained the attention of anyone who wasn’t previously listening.

“C Major?” You asked softly, still looking at Rose.

The pale girl could only bring herself to nod as you tapped her starting note again. 

Confirmation received, you took a deep breath and let your body begin to move in the familiar waltz of the Christmas classic. 

Taking your typical artistic liberty, and also giving Rose time to actually prepare, you improvised for about six measures. Holding a solid base with your left, your right hand danced across the keys. Apart from the ringing notes, the room was silent as they Thwatched in awe.

Comfortable now, you let yourself look up at Rose who you had to admit looked the picture of her namesake in her scarlet velvet dress. Still playing you carefully nodded your head, switching to a gentle lead in which, in no surprise to you, Rose followed perfectly.

Silent night, Holy night. All is calm, all is bright.

As with everything else you did, the two of you worked together seamlessly. Each note aligned and Rose knew exactly when to sustain a note to let you add some flourish. 

The room was captivated. If you looked, you would’ve seen the phones recording the moment. The look of motherly love on Megan and Sue’s faces. The tears falling down Sofia’s cheeks as Alana hugged her. The way Quinn pulled their partner in just a little closer. How Tziarra and Jess were already planning how to get you both to perform at their wedding.

But at that moment, it was just the music. Well, the music and Rose. Which was interesting. As many concerts as you’d played and performers you’d accompanied, you’d never felt this sort of partnership with a singer. While of course you always did your job to follow, it felt like Rose was actually letting you lead. Maybe she really did always trust you.

When the song concluded, you were torn from your trances by the applause.

“Holy SHIT, Y/N! I didn’t know you could do that!” It was Huitema of all people who shouted that out, quickly echoed by others.

“What can I say, I’m good with my hands.” You joked, getting a combination of eyerolls and laughter in return. 

“No but seriously, why did you never play for us before?” Lu pushed, looking at you with a gentleness that only a veteran like her could hold.

“I didn’t ever intend to, it’s just not something I do much publicly anymore.” Shrugging, you began to study the ivory under your fingertips instead of your friends' faces. 

“So why now?” Alana joined in, earning a grin from you.

Thank God, an easy question.

“Because Rose wanted to sing Christmas carols and the speakers were broken,” You pause to look at the guilty looking goalkeepers in the corner “but Rose gets whatever Rose wants.” 

You said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Because to you? It was. 

Laurel made her opinion on this known but fake gagging at the sweetness and the look you shot her that time was much more of a glare than a glance.

“Rose gets whatever Rose wants?” It was Rose this time, who had turned to look at you. Her eyes reflecting depths of tenderness melded with what might have been surprise.

“Whatever Rose wants.” You confirmed, smiling a little guiltily at the admission that the words held if anyone really looked for them.

“Anything?” Rose pushed further, and you just laughed.

“Anything, Rose.” And the pale girls flushed as scarlet as her dress.

Her only response was a shy smile and a soft whisper.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

-------------

[educationalinstitutesindia]

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[aci32]

WACKEN OPEN AIR 2023 PART I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey ladies and germs, here's my 8th review/annual summer festival blog, Wacken Open Air!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was my 8th time going to the holy land and 2nd consecutive year going to the holy land in the post covid era and I have to say, this was definitely an extraordinary Wacken given how the weather absolutely sucked this year round compared to last year, since last year was hot and dusty most of the time but only rained enough to wash away the dust. This year round it was persistent rain and mud, and the mud was so bad for a lot of cars, tractors had to get called in with winches to tow the cars out of the mud as the tractors themselves have tires that are equipped for the quicksand-esque mud, ill highlight I never saw that in 2015, 2016, and 2017, so this was new to me. Plus the other thing that was new was the organizers having to reduce the crowd from 85,000 to 50,000 due to the persistent heavy rain and mud making a large swathe of campgrounds unusable, so this was another thing I don't recall seeing in 2015, yet I thought 2015 was worse, but in this case 2023 Wacken was a mix of 2005, 2012, and 2015, but chock full of steroids. It was also my first Wacken Open Air on a heavy heart since I was still reeling from the death of my friend Elouise 3 weeks earlier at the time I entered Wacken on the Monday, so I dedicated Wacken and my Euro Trip to her as knowing her it's what she would've wanted since she had a zest for travel, food, and music. This was also the first Wacken I went to where it's gone from being a 3 day festival to a 4 day festival. I also dedicated Wacken and my trip to Walter Froebrich as well since he had died back in November and his death was still fresh on my mind.

Let's begin the festivities!

I got to Esther's place the day before Monday after I left Brussels to change trains in Cologne and then get to Hamburg, and then book myself a train going to Itzehoe, in which I got there at a reasonable time. I was then picked up at Itzehoe Hauptbahnhof by Esther's neighbour, in which Esther and I would go to her neighbours place for coffee and cake. Bibi and Dan came to hang out at Esther's place for a bit, and when we all got the news we had to be at Edeka at 5 in the morning, Esther and I made an agreement to pull an all nighter and I just thought to myself "Fuck it, I'm not gonna let all nighter induced fatigue get me down" and it was an hour earlier compared to last year when all of us had to be down by 6. Bibi, Esther, Dan and I also partook in giving passing cars the horns who were going to Wacken, and the drivers would honk back and give the horns back in kind, which I thought was awesome. I did enjoy Esther's delicious Chili Con Carne for a 2nd consecutive year and as well the gathering at her place was smaller and quieter with just Esther, Elke and I.

Monday July 31st: Elke, Esther and I go to Edeka and it was once again a reunion of the other Crüe members in Rabih, Ian, Sandy and her bf Max Rohrbeck, Krücky, Kutscher, Diana, Mischa and as well meeting Mischa's gf (however her name is spelt) seeing Spike for the first time in half a decade albeit this time with me having slimmed down, Sarah, Bas and Boudewijn, Aurora, Håvard, and meeting Aurora and Håvard's friend Jenny, and meeting Ian's friend from the Volunteer state aka Tennessee, Steven or his real name being Sven, and as well to see Janis a 2nd time, even though he and I hung out in Berlin on my 3rd night there after I had supper with my friend Christian, and it was a nice reunion and a great way to catch up with the lot. After waiting for a good while, we finally got the go ahead to go to Rendsburger and set up camp, which we all did and thank you Elke for the spare tent. Since we all arrived early, I had to wait awhile for merch to open and get my locker, so I took a nice long nap as all nighter induced fatigue finally caught up with me. After I woke up, I got myself a t-shirt and skipped the hoodie because A. Hoodies are pricey and B. My dresser drawers are running low on space from the Wacken hoodies I bought in the past, so I have to be mindful of the space. After I got my shirt, I got my locker and put away my passport and valuables and returned to camp. Later in the day, Andreas and his brother arrived, so it was nice to see them and further later on that day, got to sample the first half of Bas' southern BBQ themed cooking in spare ribs, which were absolutely tasty, so thank you Bas for the delicious food. Late afternoon to early in the evening, the Aussies finally arrived after dealing with so much travel, bus, and weather related horseshit, so got to have a brief reunion with Nikki once again, great to see Capsy for the first time in 4 years, had a nice reunion with Jason and met his girlfriend Jaz, and after a half decade absence, finally got to see Laura again as well. When nightfall entered, it became on and off torrential downpours, but eventually it calmed down at midnight or after midnight. It was also at this time I went with Esther down to Rendsburger and after having a couple shots of Scotch and a couple beers, I drank a couple more shots this time of Jägermeister with Kai and his friends, then a few mins later tried Mexicana's, which is the German version of a Bloody Mary and those hit the spot. Also met an Aussie named Dave Prentice or he told us to call him by his surname since theres a lot of Daves down under. Then after hanging out at the Rendsburger tent and having a couple more shots and smoking a couple of joints with Esther, I retreated back to my own tent and went to sleep.

Tuesday August 1st: I woke up early but that was because Mother Nature called me and I had to answer her, so I then retreated back to my tent and slept some more and didn't get out of my tent until noon since the rain and mud made me feel rather lethargic. I was nursing a wee hangover in the form of a dull headache, but it was manageable. I don't remember much happening on the Tuesday aside from meeting more Aussies in Jake and Amanda, and having the second half of Bas' southern BBQ themed cooking in the form of having Pulled Pork, which was tasty, so once again thank you Bas for more awesome food. I also now remember Tuesday was the day that the organizers had to cut off the amount of people and cars coming in since the capacity had been up to 50,000, and fellow Crüe member Connel became an unfortunate victim of the 35,000 to be told not to enter the holy land, which was a bummer among all of us. Then a few joints smoked with Esther and Max Neukirch later, I went to sleep.

Wednesday August 2nd: The day when the bands could finally play, although it took a long ass while for the Gates to open, and during that time of waiting was when the fish people game was happening near our camp. When I finally entered the gates, there was the Lemmy parade with a big rig/lorry blasting it's airhorn and having the snaggletooth artwork on the grill as it lead the charge. After the parade was done, I could finally walk to the Louder stage.

First band I saw after that long delay was Skew Siskin. I'd never heard this band before but from what I saw they weren't too shabby, and they did a cover of 3 Motörhead songs in Iron Fist, Stay Clean, and No Class. Apparently, Skew Siskin and Motörhead toured a bunch of times back in the day, so that explains them paying tribute to Lemmy.

After Skew Siskin it was time for NERVOSA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was my 2nd time catching this all female death/thrash band as I saw them last May as direct support for Destruction and I remember they were awesome but they had a different lineup at the time as it was ¼ Brazil 🇧🇷 for guitarist and sole founding member Prika Amaral and ¾ Mediterranean Europe: Greece 🇬🇷 for drummer Eleni Nota, Italy 🇮🇹 for bassist Mia Wallace, and Spain 🇪🇸 for frontwoman Diva Satanica. This time around it's ¼ Brazil 🇧🇷 in which Prika Amaral is doing both guitar and vocals, ½ Greek 🇬🇷 for guitarist Helena Kotina and bassist Hel Pyre, and ¼ Bulgaria 🇧🇬 with drummer Mihaela Naydonova. I'll also say Prika Amaral's vocals were nothing short of awesome. When she would speak in between songs she thanked all of us for coming to watch Nervosa's set and acknowledging we all went through hell with the rain and mud, she also spoke about mental illness and depression going on in the world, etc. The thing that was a letdown was Nervosa had to cut their set short so I blame Skew Siskin for going on first, shit weather, and supreme disorganization and lack of communication from the organizers. Here's what Nervosa's setlist looked like:

Seed of Death(Live premiere)Play Video

Perpetual ChaosPlay Video

Death!Play Video

Masked BetrayerPlay Video

Kill the SilencePlay Video

Kings of DominationPlay Video

Endless AmbitionPlay Video

Under Ruins

After Nervosa were finished, I then advanced towards the infield where the Faster and Harder stages met, and once the Gates were opened at the request of Thomas Jensen, everyone started advancing to the stage, I was under the impression Holy Moses were going to play the Faster Stage but lo and behold they didn't, instead it was time for Skindred. I never got into this band a lot when I was growing up but from what I saw live they had a great live performance. Frontman Benji Webbe knows how to fire up the crowd with his energy and his antics. In between songs he got all of us to raise the bird finger and say "Fuck you Clifford" in reference to Benji's older brother Clifford for chastising Benji as Benji wanted to be a singer in a metal band. Only song I'm familiar with is Nobody since it has the chorus of "Nobody gets out alive".

After Skindred got finished, I took a long break and hung out at my locker, and after my break I returned to the Headbangers Stage and got to see PENTAGRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was my first time seeing them and I'm not familiar with their studio material, but I did like their live show especially with Bobby Liebling's onstage antics of him making funny faces during the guitar solos and as well in between songs the crowd chanting "Bobby, Bobby" he shook his ass in front of the crowd to pantomime the chant. He also was asking the crowd what type of world we are living in and then kicked into the song "Dying World". I'll also highlight that off the stage, Bobby Liebling is a troubled man due to his past history of drug abuse mainly with crack and heroin and as well having an assault against a vulnerable person conviction and serving a year and a half in prison for assaulting his 87 year old Mother 6 years ago. Pentagram certainly did provide a nice closing night to the Wednesday and here's what their setlist looked like:

Death RowPlay Video

All Your SinsPlay Video

Review Your ChoicesPlay Video

The GhoulPlay Video

Sign of the Wolf (Pentagram) / SinisterPlay Video

Be ForewarnedPlay Video

When the Screams ComePlay Video

Dying WorldPlay Video

Devil's PlaygroundPlay Video

RelentlessPlay Video

Broken VowsPlay Video

Relentless (Reprise)Play Video

Last Days HerePlay Video

WartimePlay Video

Forever My QueenPlay Video

20 Buck Spin(Snippet)

After Pentagram I bumped into Nikki, Rabih, and Capsy and we all saw the drones displaying Doro's logo, and as well drones making Lemmy's face and as well the Ace of Spades to further memorialize Lemmy. We then got some food and I returned to camp and went to sleep for the night.

Thursday August 3rd:

I once again got out of my tent late morning early afternoon, and don't remember much in the socializing thing as there was lots going on, except for getting a Hot Dog with Lena before I ventured out into the infield and it definitely came in handy as I needed fuel to last me for the day.

I get into the infield and I saw Uriah Heep playing some of their last songs and I remember they sounded great. They played 4 years ago, but the infield was packed to the brim and I was busy watching Primordial, so it was no big loss.

After Uriah Heep it was time for: "Icey water on my hands" who? "Hearts on Fire, Hearts on Fire, Burning Burning with desire" what? "Let the Hammer... FALL" one more time? HAMMERFALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was my 6th time seeing them, 3rd time seeing them play Wacken, and first time seeing them twice in a year. These lads are always a treat to see live, for me at least as their shows are not only energetic and electric, but Joacim Cans is a joker in between songs as he said "If you raise your hand in school, you don't speak. But if you raise it at a metal show, you make as much fucking noise as possibe" and the crowd did just that. Also when Joacim was introducing the band and after he introduced Frederik Larsson he said to him in a calm and funnier tone of what Gordon Ramsay screams at chefs fucking up on Hells Kitchen "Now fuck off". Here's their setlist:

Intro

BrotherhoodPlay Video

Any Means NecessaryPlay Video

The Metal AgePlay Video

Hammer of DawnPlay Video

Blood BoundPlay Video

RenegadePlay Video

Venerate MePlay Video

Last Man StandingPlay Video

Hero's Return / On the Edge of Honour / Riders of the Storm / Crimson ThunderPlay Video

Let the Hammer FallPlay Video

Glory to the BravePlay Video

(We Make) Sweden RockPlay Video

Encore:

Hammer HighPlay Video

Hearts on FirePlay Video

Dreams Come True

End of Part I, stay tuned for Part II that will involve Kreator, Helloween, Megadeth, Maiden, Wardruna, etc

[theghostpinesmusic]

Deschutes River Canyon (1/3)

A few weeks ago, back before all of our recent travel and right after the end of the school year, Lindsey and I backpacked the Deschutes River Canyon from Mack's Canyon to the confluence with the Columbia.

My obsession with this area started during COVID, when I took a solo trip there during spring break in 2021, because I was overwhelmed by work and stress and work-related stress and thought that maybe going on a backpacking trip earlier in the year than usual might help. It did, and so I came back in the spring of '22. Where my '21 trip was, by necessity, an out-and-back hike of part of the canyon, with Lindsey's help I was able to set up a shuttle in '22 and hike the full canyon from one end to the other. I had so much fun the second time that I started thinking of the trip as a new spring tradition of sorts.

Unfortunately, I was so buried by work this past spring break that I couldn't make the third annual iteration of the trip happen. Arguably, I needed the break this year more than in previous years for a variety of factors that probably deserve their own story, and I was heartbroken to have to "miss" the trip…but only until June, as it turned out.

Usually, the canyon heats up so much by June that while it's not unhikeable, it would be distinctly uncomfortable and possibly even dangerous to hike it. Also usually, by June I'm typically aiming for higher elevation alpine backpacking destinations that have a higher "payoff" (however you want to parse that word) for the effort than the Deschutes Canyon.

However, in one of those situations that was likely just random chance but felt like evidence of providence, the three days immediately following the end of the academic year this year were forecast to have atypically low temperatures. Simultaneously, because of the exceptionally high snowfall in the mountains this winter and spring, many of the high routes that are usually "in" in mid-June were still a month or so away from melting out. So, Lindsey and I booked a shuttle, packed our bags, and headed to the Mack's Canyon trailhead the Monday after Saturday's graduation. For "fun," we both decided to hike with completely new bags: by and large, this worked out fine, although I found my REI Flash 55 bag to be a bit less comfortable when fully weighted than my usual Exos 58.

It's a five-hour drive from our house to the trailhead, but a lot of it is through really beautiful Central Oregon country, culminating in a drive along the Deschutes that wedges you between the river and insane columnar basalt pillars for a few miles before dead-ending at Mack's Canyon. There are a lot of paid campgrounds along this stretch of road, too, that would be fantastic stops if I ever manage to take a break from backpacking and car camp instead, but I digress…

Because of the long drive, we didn't plan on making great mileage the first day, but nonetheless ended up covering about eight miles from the trailhead to Lockit Camp, coincidentally the exact same camp spot that I stopped at on my first night of the trip last year. One of the fun parts of this trip is just the sheer number of potential along-the-river campsites that are available to choose from, so repeating myself felt like a little bit of a cheat, but Lockit is definitely the best campsite within a half-day's walk of the Mack's Canyon start point.

The entire Deschutes Canyon hike is roughly twenty-five miles of walking along an old railroad bed (check out the history of "The Deschutes Railroad War" if you're interested, it's wild, and at one point we found the remains of a century-old boiler from an old train), which means that there's very little in terms of difficult topography or elevation gain/loss.

That said, the first three miles or so heading north from Mack's Canyon is the toughest part of the whole trip in this regard. The culprits are a series of canyons that used to be spanned by railroad bridges almost a century ago, but now are…not. Which means you have to scramble down into the canyons, pick your way across them, and then scale the canyon wall on the other side to regain the road bed. I'm selling this as if it's incredibly difficult, and it's not. But it's also not easy.

Fortunately, we didn't have much trouble negotiating these spans, and the rest of the day was spent ambling along the road bed until we ended up at Lockit Camp and bedded down for the night.

It's always hard for me to explain why I find this particular trail so beautiful. It's not as immediately striking as many of the alpine locations I've hiked in, and it also more dry than wet, more brown and yellow than green. Maybe you have to live in central/southern Oregon for it to make sense. I think it has something to do with the contrast between the dry, rocky canyon and the huge, blue river hammering its way through the middle of it all; hopefully some of these photos help illustrate what I can't explain in words. More later about the second and third days of the trip!

[xtruss]

Hajj Pilgrimage Starts in Saudi Arabia, with 2 Million Expected After Lifting of COVID Measures! The Hajj Pilgrimage has Officially Started in Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦

MINA, Saudi Arabia — Some 2 million Muslim pilgrims officially began the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Monday, making their way out of Mecca after circling Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba, and converging on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert for a day and night of prayer.

One of the largest religious gatherings in the world has returned to full capacity this year for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic three years ago.

The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims are required to make the five-day Hajj at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do it.

For pilgrims, it is a deeply moving spiritual experience that absolves sins, brings them closer to God and unites the world's more than 1.8 billion Muslims. Some spend years saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the journey.

The rituals during Hajj largely commemorate the Quran's accounts of Ibrahim, his son Ismail and Ismail's mother Hajar.

Pilgrims have been doing the ritual circuit around the Kaaba since arriving in Mecca over recent days. As the last ones performed it Monday, the pilgrims made their way by foot or by bus to Mina, where they will camp in one of the largest tent cities in the world. They will pray throughout the day and night before traveling on Tuesday to Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his final sermon.

Mina is vast and open, with little respite from the desert heat and blazing sun. Soldiers sprayed pilgrims with water to cool them down.

Egyptian businessman Yehya Al-Ghanam said he was at a loss for words to describe his feelings upon arriving at Mina.

“Tears will fall from my eyes out of joy and happiness,” he said. “I do not sleep. I have not slept for 15 days, only an hour a day," overwhelmed by the magnitude of the emotions surrounding his pilgrimage.

After Arafat, pilgrims collect pebbles from a site known as Muzdalifa to be used in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil back in Mina. The final three days of the Hajj coincide with the festive Eid al-Adha holiday, when Muslims around the world slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor.

— The Associated Press | Monday June 26, 2023

[ledenews]

Cumberland Trail Seeking Citizens' Help on May 2

Cumberland Trail Fire Chief Tim R. Hall admits the current financial climate in the country is not the ideal time to be going to the voters, seeking additional funding. But that’s what it's come to as the fire district put a 6-mill replacement levy on the ballot for May 2, an increase of 1-mill on the current levy in place. Hall and the leadership at Cumberland Trail have done their due diligence in seeking other options for funding before having to come to the citizenry. Additional options became available after St. Clairsville council and city leadership opted to turn ownership of the main fire station on S. Marietta Street to the district. “When they gave us the building, that put us in a position to seek different grants and funding,” Hall said. “We met with USDA officials about grant funding, as well as low-interest loans that will go out to 40 years. “There’s also the state fire marshal’s revolving loan grant and we’ve applied for congressional dollars in the past.” The funds generated by the additional 1 mill, if approved, will go primarily toward a needed remodel and upgrades at the S. Marietta station. The original plan called for $1.5 million for the remodel, back in 2015 when the district first approached the then-council about acquiring ownership of the station. Twenty additional feet were added to the front expansion, along with a hose training tower in the back of the facility. Otherwise, the plans remained the same. But, with inflation costs, the estimated project costs increased from $1.5 to $3.7 million. That’s why even if the levy passes, the district will continue to seek additional funding elsewhere to help maximize the dollars. “We’re cautiously optimistic, but if successful, we’re still going to do our due diligence for the residents and if we can get something to offset the levy dollars, we’ll do so because we understand that people are struggling with the inflation,” Hall said. “The last thing we want to do is add millage to the levy.” This bathroom/laundry room also houses a singular shower stall, the only one presently in the station house. The kitchen will be moved upstairs and expanded in order to provide meals for up to 8-9 people at a time. The training and meeting room on the second floor also houses the facility's exercise equipment along the perimeter. The opposite side of the main upstairs room features the leadership office and the facility's one bunk room (second door from the left). Upgrades will greatly expand the bunk facilities on the second floor. Needed Upgrades The current 5-mill levy generates roughly $2.9 million annually. Should the 6-mill replacement pass, that number will increase to $3.4 million. A home valued at $150,000 will see an increase of roughly $5 per month. In addition to the expansion and remodel at the station, the money will help in debt payment on building improvements, as well as aid in staff retention plus filling vacant positions with new staff. Upon taking ownership of the building, Hall noted the district put together an internal committee, with representatives from each shift, as well as the part-time ranks, to determine areas of the station to target. The current bunk room, shower facility with its single shower, and kitchen are needed upgrades. At full staff, the station houses between 8-9 firefighters, operating in 24 hours on, and 48 hours off shifts for the full-time staff members; anywhere from 8 to 24 hours for part-timers. After a call, a line will form for the singular shower stall, which is far from convenient. At its previous max, the station technically had two “showers” available, as what amounted to a camp shower was erected in the far right bay during the height of COVID, out of necessity. The new plans call for a three-shower stall room, separate from the laundry, and separate from two bathrooms across the hall. The upstairs will feature multiple bunk rooms, a vast upgrade from the current one-room bunk house on the second floor. The kitchen will be expanded and moved upstairs, along with the dining room, which will now be separate from the day room. The present training/meeting room shares space with the station’s fitness equipment in the main area of the second floor. These will be moved downstairs and separated, along with separate offices for the chief, assistant chief, and fiscal office. The community room will also feature Murphy beds and seating for 40 plus, so in the event of inclement weather, citizens can be temporarily housed comfortably inside the district station house. “We can’t take in all city and township residents, but this room will have Murphy beds, seating for 45, plus full generator back up so we will have a place to temporarily place residents. “Our committee went through to determine our needs, not our wants, and the shower, the bunk room, the kitchen facilities, those were areas of need.” Hall said he and committee members toured other fire stations to get ideas for the renovations. They saw many things they’d like to have, but again, the focus was on needs, not wants. Without naming names, Hall mentioned there was one firehouse that had tiered, stadium-style seating in the station’s audio room? An in-house movie theater, who wouldn’t want that? But that’s not the plan here. The plan is to make needed additions. One moment of generosity has already helped the department. The house next to the station on S. Marietta previously owned by Susan Ozolins was donated to the district, free of charge. Along with it came a patch of green space that butts up against the present parking lot, behind the station. The house will be demolished and utilized as green space, but the parcel of land behind the station will help add to the parking spaces since some of the current parking spaces will be taken up by the proposed addition of the training tower. If approved, this space will be where the training tower will be constructed. The Training Tower and Staffing One big change between the original 2015 upgrade plans and now, is the addition of the hose training tower at the rear of the facility. In addition to offering great training opportunities without having to trek to Wintersville, or even the state fire academy in Reynoldsburg, its presence may also aid the citizens in the district with their homeowner’s insurance costs. The station’s current Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating is a four, but that could drop down to a three with the addition of the tower, along with other internal improvements already made. “A better rating means better insurance premiums,” Hall said. “And we believe we can move to three thanks to our internal controls and the (addition) of this tower.” It can also be utilized by other area departments, especially those who frequently partner with Cumberland Trail for mutual aid—departments like Barton, Lafferty, Neffs, and Wolfhurst. That tower will also provide an added future bonus down the line. The district’s current ladder truck was purchased in 2009 and has many years of service ahead of it. But, because of the dimensions of the current firehouse, the district could only purchase a 70-foot ladder truck. Nearby departments in Wheeling and Martins Ferry have space capacity and own ladder trucks 100 feet or longer. If the levy passes and the tower is built, when the current ladder truck needs to be replaced, the district can purchase a ladder truck of comparable size, allowing for a greater range of use. Lastly, levy funding will help Cumberland Trail retain firefighters and help fill open positions with new staff members. Local departments and districts likely will never compete with big metropolitan areas for salary, or the breakdown of fire vs. EMS calls. But CTFD would like to be competitive, salary-wise, at least within Belmont County. At present, it’s below. Assistant Chief Dan Grady noted that Cumberland Trail loses 2-3 members yearly to better pay at competing departments. The fire district provides for 23 full-time employees, plus the district’s CARES director. There are currently 22 part-time members of the district. Between Cumberland Trail’s two stations, they have a minimum of seven staff on duty at all times, with a preference for nine. The increased funding will help ensure that is a possibility. That number of employees is needed to handle the ever-increasing number of calls fielded by Cumberland Trail on a yearly basis. In 1990, CTFD fielded a total of 1,197 calls. That number gradually increased and first cracked the 3,000 call mark (3,044) in 2018 and, in 2022, broke the 4k barrier with 4,184—3,232 EMS calls to 952 fire calls. Hall is hopeful, given the fire district’s importance to the community, the citizens will come out on May 2 and show their support. These moves are needed, but Hall said not to just take his word for it. Stop down and see four yourself. “Come see our bunk room, our offices, our one shower room, and the wash bay shower we had to use during COVID,” Hall said. “We can agree to disagree. I want everyone to exercise their right to vote, either way. But, if you disagree, at least give me the opportunity to come to see our facility, see what it needs, see the wages we’re paying our men and women and what we’re trying to do here.” Read the full article

[drgreg]

Events

oin us for a spectacular night time of sultry Arabian culture, food and entertainment on the ten March within the Crowned Eagle. With the most recent news regarding the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on South African soil, Zimbali Country Club is taking the necessary steps to minimise the spread of this extreme illness. We have carried out hand sanitisers (Geochem’s Micro Spray Disinfectant) at strategic places all through all ZCC services, including the Country Club, Bushbuck Club and Valley of Pools. Please make use of the merchandise out there and be aware of the below suggestions from the World Health Organisation to scale back your danger of infection.

Congratulations to the winners of today’s Combined Stableford competitors. This year Covid-19 threw a spanner within the works and we needed to postpone and cancel a variety of our events. With that, it gives me nice pleasure to invite all of our members to our annual Zimbali Country Club Championships for 2020 on the twenty first and 22nd of November. For the winners, your prizes and a couple of golf equipment shall be deposited into you members account. For the visitors that received, your prizes and a pair of clubs will be obtainable within the Proshop tomorrow morning. Congratulations to the winners of today’s competitors.

Forced and involuntary withdrawals may be deadly and must be managed carefully. We have heard from the organisations that help homeless folks how they referred to as for comprehensive plans but had been excluded from aiding. Where people’s liberty and company is restricted, we expect the City of Cape Town to place in place enough measures to ensure persons are taken care of. Instead, the emphasis on detention over dignity is causing predictable frustration and anger and a reliance on legislation enforcement to manage the fundamental features of the relocation camp. In The Picimento,314a Portuguese vessel was captured by a privateer in 1801 and brought for adjudication before the Cape Vice-Admiralty Court. The Court pronounced a sentence of restitution with prices and damages.

However, the scarcity at the facility occurred because of inappropriate use of PPEs, for instance well being care employees most popular to make use of N95 masks even in settings the place surgical masks would suffice. Each province is answerable for guaranteeing that the quality Dr Greg Hough News standards of PPE procured are maintained. The National Department of Health has also supported the provinces with availing a Policy on Respiratory Protective Equipment and an inventory of PPE specifications that provinces can utilise to guide the PPE procurement course of. In addition, PPE high quality assurance coaching was conducted for provinces.

Lindsay is a writer and speaker on the topic of government transformation, specifically on the matters of how authorities can response to advanced challenges. Our teams offer skilled Dr Greg Hough News Medicaid consulting and industry-leading insights, solutions, and enterprise practices. When Doug first turned eligible for Medicaid several years in the past, he was assigned to a WO.

[wenevergotusedtoegypt]

how often does one have to see a doctor when you have kids or are pregnant?

Both of these completely depend!

Babies need frequent well visits in the beginning - typically just after they’re born, 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and then over time a bit less frequently til kids have an annual checkup just like adults. But that’s just the well visits. After that it depends how often the kid gets sick and whether they get sick to a degree that requires a visit to the doctor. My toddler was exposed to very little when we head young thanks to being home during covid, so he only got sick like twice before the age of 2. Then he started daycare and for a while it was like he had something new every week (though not always requiring a visit to the doctor). Finally he built up some immunity and BH KAH now he hasn’t had a sick visit since the summer, which actually we only took him in that time because his camp made us. Our pediatrician told us that he’d say on average he sees kids around 10 times for sick visits their first winter out of the house (regardless of what age that happens at).

In the US (different countries have different ways of doing things), a typical low-risk pregnancy will involve prenatal appointments every 4 weeks starting at around 8-10 weeks-ish until 28 weeks, then every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, and then every week until baby is born (anywhere from 38-42 weeks is considered a normal time for a baby to be born, technically). Some practices may ask mothers to come in for additional non-stress test appointments after their due date. Additionally, low-risk women would often get 2 ultrasounds, which may or may not take place at the same time as one of the other appointments I mentioned (I think, but I’ve always had a risk factor that required more ultrasounds so I’m not 100% on this number). Then there’s a postpartum visit at 6 weeks after the birth to make sure you’re healing up properly.

But once you have any kind of risk factor to the pregnancy you’ll likely have additional appointments. In addition to what I described above, I had regular appointments with an MFM for ultrasounds and other things. With my first pregnancy (risk factor being not having a thyroid) I went to the MFM about every 6-8 weeks starting at I think like week 11. With this pregnancy I also had gestational diabetes, so I was seeing the MFM about the same frequency as my regular midwives as described above. I have heard of people with GD being required to do non-stress tests for a good chunk of the 3rd trimester on top of that, but I never had to do any. I also have to see my endocrinologist a few times during the pregnancy and go to an outside lab for thyroid blood work about every 2-3 weeks for the vast majority of the pregnancy from the moment I find out I’m pregnant onwards (towards the end it can be more like every 4 weeks because things even out). After the birth I continue getting thyroid labs every several weeks until it becomes clear that things have evened out and my medication dose will be staying the same long term (last time it was a full 18 months postpartum before that happened).

[tamakittykami]

What Day is it Again?

All my days have been blending together into one big, long, endless cycle. Mostly the day-in and day-out of get up, get dressed, coffee,

kid's summer homework, kids chores, pack a lunch, go to work, feel unproductive for close to eight hours, and go home. That is my general schedule from when I wake up at 5:30 until home time at 4:30, Monday through Thursday (Sunday is similar, except I get to go home from work after only 6 hours of feeling like I'm throwing my life in the compactor).

After work, the daily routine is a bit different, depending on the day. Regardless, it is still full of hurry-up and rush, no matter what day it is. Monday is the only really laid-back night. As soon as I get home, I start making dinner so that it's ready between 5 and 5:30. Kids take FOREVER to eat (OMG it's painful some nights), and we try to cut them off at 7, so they can get ready for bed (which takes about an hour, particularly if I'm not harping on my son to stop getting distracted by every little thing).

And honestly, I should go to bed between 8:30 and 9, because I have kind of high sleep requirements. This sucks. So, I usually end up staying up later, procrastinating. If I am taking care of myself (vitamins, full skin routine, hygiene) it takes me about 45 minutes to get ready for bed. Often I am too tired, or too distracted, to do this. It is what it is.

Throw in the mix that Tuesdays my daughter has tutoring from 6 to 8 (bedtime out the window at least for her, and sometimes my son insists on staying up as long as she "gets to"), Wednesday is my son's beginner parkour class (Little Ninjas) from 5 to 6, and Thursdays are swim lesson days (5 to 6:30 when you factor in changing and that their classes are back-to-back). Sunday's spare time in the late afternoon is usually eaten up by grocery shopping.

Oh, and my husband and I usually end up trying to fit an at-home date night in there, somewhere... Often Wednesday...

We'll, what are my weekends like then? They, too, are pretty much booked up, although it being summer makes them more so, since I feel an incessant need to spend as much social/leisure time with my children as I can right now, before they become teenagers and pretend they don't know me anymore.

Once a month, we get together with our "Tribe" or "Chosen Family"; the people we aren't actually related to by blood, but whom mean the world to us, and whom often treat us/are treated by us better than actual blood relations. Tribe Dinner is held at a different person's place once a month, so we don't lose sight of these important people. It's nice to get all the "cousin's" together too, as they make their own tribes.

There are birthday parties, get-togethers with our actual families, cottage weekends (which are relaxing in and of themselves, but cause a bit of stress when planning and packing).

This week was particularly stressful and (for the kids especially) disappointing, as they were supposed to join up with some of the Tribe mothers and cousin's for a DIY summer camp, but half the clan came down with Covid. This has also required for us to postpone our annual MidSummers party, which is our biggest party of the year and had been originally scheduled for tomorrow.

Stupid Covid.

So, that's been moved to August.

Finally, there comes the last peppering of craziness in my scheduling, which is to find time for modeling, cosplay, and acting. With the kids out of school, I've basically relegated those to the back-burner. It's just too, too much.

Luckily for me, there is a bit of a reprieve for me.

Next week, the kids are in bike-camp, which, while it makes things a tiny bit more hectic in the mornings and evenings with having to get them ready a bit earlier and having to pick them up from the camp after work, also means I get a Friday to myself!

However, it won't be all fun and games, because the next day we are leaving on our annual summer vacation to Manitoulin Island.

Which will, fingers crossed, be the deserving break that I need.

In case you're wondering, I haven't abandoned the cruise-life post. The draft DIDN'T delete itself. It's just, as I had hoped, saved on my other phone rather than on the server. I will continue working on it, so keep checking back!

[fumpkins]

Pandemic delays to afflict polar science until late this decade | Science

In March 2020, staff at McMurdo Station, the main U.S. research base in Antarctica, thought the future was bright. Long-planned renovations had begun, including the replacement of decrepit dorms by glossy new lodges capable of housing more than 200 people. But then the pandemic struck, shutting down most of two summer field seasons at McMurdo and other polar research sites, mainly in Antarctica and Greenland. In some places the effects of that shutdown will linger for the rest of the decade, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced this week, delaying projects and limiting access to one of the rarest resources in geoscience: time on the ice.

In Greenland, the government’s entry restrictions kept most researchers away in the summer of 2021. Although NSF kept its high-altitude Summit Station running year-round, only minimal maintenance occurred, says Jennifer Mercer, NSF’s Arctic section head. Given that nearly 1 meter of snow falls each year on the camp, this summer will require a lot of literal digging out. “We have a constant battle maintaining buildings above grade,” Mercer says.

After the dig-out, research in Greenland will be about back to normal. Not so in Antarctica, where “we’re saturated for a while in key logistics areas,” says Stephanie Short, NSF’s head of Antarctic logistics. No work has been done on the McMurdo renovation for the past 2 years, and space in the old dorms had to be reserved to house possible COVID-19 cases, leaving the agency down by more than 200 beds. “To get back to full strength,” Short says, “we need that lodging building.”

For now, research in Antarctica will prioritize ongoing projects that feature either heavy international participation—such as the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration—or critical annual measurements, says Michael Jackson, head of Antarctic earth sciences at NSF. New starts will be biased toward projects led by early-career researchers. But some new projects will have to be delayed again, he says. “That’s heartbreaking for us,” he says. “Having to call somebody that’s been deferred for 2 years and telling them they’re deferred again—that’s not a good call.”

In 2019, before the pandemic, workers were able to keep Summit station shoveled out.U.S. National Science Foundation

One of those deferred projects is a plan to drill into Hercules Dome, an expanse of ice 400 kilometers from the South Pole. Ice cores from the dome could capture evidence of the last time the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed in a slightly warmer climate, and aid in predicting when it might happen again. When NSF agreed to fund the project in 2020, researchers thought drilling might begin by 2023. Now, 2025 looks more likely, says Eric Steig, the project’s principal investigator and a glaciologist at the University of Washington, Seattle.

Steig says the pandemic hit an enterprise that was already stretched. “NSF is always planning on more projects [in Antarctica] than they are likely to be able to support, so even without COVID we always run into major delays.” And despite the agency’s plan to give priority to early-career projects, he says, many young researchers may be left in the cold, as projects led by senior researchers also typically support many early-career researchers. But there are no simple solutions, and “I have a lot of confidence in the NSF program managers,” he says.

For all the misery of the pandemic, it has also spurred collaboration between U.S. researchers and agencies in Greenland, including the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. From the start, Greenlandic researchers worked on an NSF project led by Columbia University. It seeks to help several Greenlandic communities understand the effect of climate change on their local sea levels, which are, counterintuitively, likely to fall by century’s end, some by several meters, as land rebounds after it sheds ice weight and the gravitational pull of the massive ice sheet on the surrounding ocean ebbs.

The Greenlandic researchers were able to keep working on the project even without the in-person presence of the Columbia team, says Kirsty Tinto, a Columbia geophysicist. They interviewed community leaders—hunters, fishers, city planners—about how they use the waterfront. And Greenlandic geophysics students got to sail on cruises that mapped harbor sea floors. “All sorts of serendipity happened within this,” Tinto says.

Even before the pandemic, it was a different kind of geoscience project, with its focus on local collaboration and policy. But the pandemic showed its resilience, Tinto says. “I don’t like pandemics. I don’t like global despair.” But, she says, “I do like having my expectations confounded.”

  New post published on: https://livescience.tech/2022/05/08/pandemic-delays-to-afflict-polar-science-until-late-this-decade-science/

[elizabethsharmon]

So. Poland has chosen its "president" yesterday - if we can even talk about real choice here when he won by approximately 422k votes. When he won in 6 out of 16 regions, all of them with significantly lower number of eligible voters. When there are huge discrepancies between the results displayed in each polling district and the ones published on the website of the National Electoral Commission. When there were recurring instances of some voting cards not having the necessary stamps which automatically classified the vote as invalid. When some people went to vote and it turned out they're not registered in their designated district because of system error. When people abroad didn't get their voting cards on time. When his party sent over 150 buses to villages in Eastern Poland to take older, conservative people to voting stations. When this is how the results map looks like - and somehow the blue wins with orange.

In the last five years, Du*a and his party PiS (literally lAw AnD jUsTiCe but believe me, they're none of these things) have completely ruined the country and regressed it to Middle Ages.The democracy practically doesn't exist anymore, not since they have the majority to rule (the opposition won the senate back in the parliamentary elections so it's a small win but it's still not enough). They started with the judicial system, appointing conservative judges who are always ruling in their favour. The courts are not independent anymore. The Constitution is being broken over and over and over again. People have been marching and protesting for years now but to no avail. 

The national television, TVP, is practically owned by the ruling party. The propaganda, fake news, hatred on the opposition and minorities is getting stronger each day. What you need to know is that this is literally the first channel on every TV set in the country. No matter where you live, no matter if you have cable or satellite, you turn on TV and TVP is what you get. Their reach is so much higher than other TV stations from the big four (TVP1&TVP2, TVN, Polsat). Poland has fallen to 62nd out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders. Before PiS took over in 2015 we were 18th. For du*a's presidential campaign now they gave TVP 2 billion PLN in order to strengthen the propaganda. There was a project to give those money to hospital oncology wards but PiS said no. TVP has only been showing him during the campaign. The other candidates have either been showed in a bad light or haven't been showed at all. Voters for whom TVP is the only source of information haven't seen other candidates nor their campaigns.

During the second round of the campaign, when another tv station, TVN, with two major Polish online media, Onet and WP, invited him and his opponent, Rafał Trzaskowski, for a debate. Du*a declined because he said he won't participate in a debate which isn't available for everyone and he asked them to reach an agreement with TVP to host the debate together. In the end there were two debates. Du*a on his own in TVP, answering predetermined questions from journalists reporting to his party and people in the studio that were paid to be there. Trzaskowski on his own in TVN and live on his Facebook channel, answering questions from the journalists from 16 independent offline and online media teams.

At the beginning of his and PiS first term of destroying the country, they started their crusade against women, because as we all know middle aged men are the most eligible people to make choices for women and their bodies. Abortion is Poland is (was? honestly who knows now) only allowed in three cases: if the woman's life was in danger, if the prenatal testing indicates severe damage of the fetus, if the pregnancy was the outcome of rape. With their pro life and anti women initiative, PiS was determined to ban abortion completely and punish it by prison. The bill was so flimsy that in some cases even miscarriage could be turned against woman. Even if the baby would've been born sick or severely disabled, even if the pregnancy could be fatal for the mother, even if it was caused by rape. We went on the streets. All dressed in black, with umbrellas in hand. Hundreds of thousands of women and allies marching and protesting together against the government. And they got scared. The bill proposal was dropped but the fight wasn't over and it still isn't. They tried to bring it back now during the pandemic just because they knew we wouldn't go out protesting. But we did, we blocked the streets with our cars.

The day after pill can only be bought on prescription. But if you end up going to the conservative ob/gyn they can invoke conscientious objection to abortion and they won't prescribe it for you. They want to ban sex ed from schools. In their opinion sex ed “demoralizes children and teaches them masturbation.” They want young people to be uneducated and have sex and get pregnant and give birth. They want to make kids have kids just so they would depend on the government and social wage programme 500+ which gives 500PLN (approximately 125€) each month to families with 2 or more children for each of their children. Right now you can be a woman raising your three or four kids and you will get the equivalent of minimum wage just for that. This program made people vote for them in 2015. First Du*a used it in his presidential campaign, then PiS was blackmailing the voters saying the program will only happen if both president and the government will be on board aka they have to get in so Du*a will sign the bill and people will get the money. People still believe only they can ensure the stability of the program even though almost all the other candidates said it will not go away.

In the last couple of weeks of presidential campaign, it became more clear than ever how Du*a is planning to win the elections - by trying to reach to the mindsets of elderly and conservative voters by attacking the LGBT community. He called us “ideological hurricane”. He said we are worse than communists. His party members have been saying we're not humans. He was saying over and over again how he doesn't care what people do in bed as long as they're not obnoxious on street and in real life about it. How sexuality is a private thing and we shouldn't be proud of it. How there's no place in Poland for “LGBT propaganda that wants to demoralize our children”. How there's no space here for unions for same-sex couples, not even mentioning marriage or adoption. How he'll do everything in his power to protect the “traditional Polish values and family model” (whatever that means). The most conservative parts of the eastern Poland has claimed their towns and villages as “anti-LGBT zone”. It's been going on since last year. After Dua's words now the hate crime is stronger than it ever was. When LGBT activists asked him to apologize for his spiteful words, showed him proofs that suicide rate among LGBT teenagers is higher than it was since his party is ruling, showed him the photographs and shared the stories of the people we lost because of the bashing they encourage and support, he said he won't apologize because he stands by his words and there's a freedom of speech in the country. Not for everyone I guess.

The journalists have been interviewing many people in different parts of Poland after it. What stuck with me were the words of some old man from the countryside who has said that “LGBT should be exterminated in Majdanek”. It's one of the places where the death camp was during World War 2. I don't think I have to tell anyone what words like this mean, how much they hurt, and how much worse it is when they’re said in the country that’s lost so so many lives during WW2. In a country that fought so hard for so many years to reclaim its freedom from the nazis and then from the soviets. In the meantime of this bashing, Du*a has pardoned a pedophile so he could return to his family (and the victim he abused). So that would be it for protecting family values.

The exit polls results yesterday were so close that they gave us so much hope that we would wake up in a new reality today but the hope died quickly. Now we're stuck again with a man who said in the middle of the global pandemic that he's anti-vaccination and he doesn't think vaccine for covid-19 should be obligatory. With a man who thinks climate change and global warming isn't real. With a man whose actions are constantly destabilitizing economy because he only acts like there is today and doesn’t look forward in the future and doesn’t know the way he and his party ruin the country will have terrible consequences in a few years. With a man who is homophobic, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and many, many, many other things. With a man who is a "president” of Polish people but only if you're a straight catholic man voting for his party.

Now our fear is that with him being “elected” as the “president” again, his party will try to meddle with the Constitution and try to change it so they could either extend his term for more years or extend the number of terms a president can have. And even if the change can’t happen so easily, what’s sure is that they will try to take away basic human rights from women and LGBT community. They made it perfectly clear in the last five years and during the campaign now.

So if you’re asking yourself now what can you do about it the answer is simple: spread the word. Read about it. Educate yourself. Make a buzz in the social media. We need as much help as we can get. We need foreign media to pick up the topic, we need them to talk about it and to make the noise. We need the foreign governments to know about it. European Union has already declared that if the bashing on LGBT continues, they will take away the development aid from the self-proclaimed “anti-LGBT zones”. Our country has suffered so much and somehow we’re still standing but I don’t know for how much long we will last. So please. Don’t leave us alone.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Lazy Congress only schedules 9 days' work this summer

Say what you will about Congressional partisan divisions, there’s one area of unity: the need for self-care.

That’s why the House voted to give itself only 9 days of work between Jul 2 and Sept 19 (the Senate’s workaholics will put in 11 days’ work out of 75 summer days).

I get it. It’s been a tough 18 months. Who isn’t tired?

But Congress already works a three-day week (the remaining two days are spent “dialing for dollars,” begging rich people for money in exchange for making policy that benefits the wealthy).

The country is already on fire. Delta-variant Covid cases are spiking. Buildings are literally collapsing. The annual, worsening floods and tornadoes and hurricanes are headed our way, and the country’s emergency systems are in tatters.

As Ralph Nader writes for Common Dreams, Congress should not be taking any summer recess. We’re still in an all-hands-on-deck emergency — the crisis is not behind us. Goofing off now is like taking a nap before you extinguish the mattress fire.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/06/27/leaves-must-be-canceled-all-hands-congressional-deck

Nader says that Congress’s impatience for an easy summer vacation of drinks on donors’ yachts explains why the Senate isn’t forcing the GOP to actually filibuster badly needed stimulus and infrastructure bills — that could eat into their vacation plans.

Instead, Dems — who hold a majority, no matter how slim — treat filibuster threats, made to the press, as being the same as actual filibusters, turning the Senate into a kind of mannered kabuki, a pretense to lawmaking.

Nader has a call to action for the 500-some reporters who cover Congress: “report these absurdly long AWOLs to the people back home,” to get the public to collar their lawmakers and read them the riot act.

“Go back to work — five, six, or seven days if necessary to do your duties. Get serious lawmakers! You hold in trust the sovereign power of the American people. We have given you handsome pay, benefits, perks, services, staff, and a powerfully air-conditioned Capitol to perform your constitutional duties with due deliberation. You must not end up in frantic deadlines legislating with all the sloppy drafting, unintended consequences, and loopholes for greedy commercial interests.”

And here’s Nader’s call to action for the rest of us:

“Let’s get going Americans. Call your Senators and Representatives. The switchboard number (open 24/7) for Congress is 202–224–3121. The operators, who have to stay on the job, will steer you to your named Senators and Representatives. Tell your members of Congress to camp out on Capitol Hill. Tell them to earn their pay and respect the power given to them by the people.”

[tobinheath]

Leah Williamson and Keira Walsh have shared enough “written in the stars” moments in their 23 years to make them feel that they were fated to be best friends. Since meeting on an England Under-15s camp, their football careers have played out with a striking, almost eerie, similarity. They each play for their childhood clubs — Williamson for Arsenal, Walsh for Manchester City — and have a knack of picking up the same injuries at the same time.

They both received their first senior call-up on the same day in 2017. The 2019 World Cup was their first senior England tournament: they called each other to celebrate even before they called their parents, which resulted in Williamson shrieking “bloody hell — what have we done here?” in tears outside a London branch of Nando’s.

Most memorably, Williamson made her England debut coming on for Walsh, in the final six minutes of a World Cup qualifier against Russia in 2018. “My mum’s just framing my shirt, pestering me for that picture,” Williamson says.

Walsh interrupts, giddily. “I think that’s the only time I’ve actually done a full-teeth smile. I was so buzzing.”

“Yeah,” remembers Williamson, “because I was game faced, and you proper smiled at me and I went…” before jerking her mouth into a tight-lipped, nervous smile, chuckling.

“If it was anyone else,” Walsh picks up, “I’d have been, like: ‘I don’t want to come off’. But as soon as I saw it was Leah, I was buzzing.”

This is life at the top for two of England’s most talented young players: phenomenal success and too many good memories to count.

Today, best friends will turn opponent and they will face each other in the Women’s Super League (WSL) for the first time this season — hosts Manchester City are fourth, four points behind second-placed Arsenal — with Williamson pointing out that in a pre-COVID-19 world, she would have stayed after the match with Walsh’s family in Rochdale, where Walsh’s mother Tracy is “just like my mum”.

Over the hour they spent together on Zoom, they are gloriously good fun: warm, ebullient and habitually careering into laughter. They balance each other out, Walsh says: she is “shy and awkward” — though you would not know it here — and Williamson is the “buffer” in certain situations, and the more “logical” one of the two. Williamson views Walsh as the honest one, sometimes brutally so. “I have to step in sometimes and give it a smile and keep it balanced,” she says. “If I play a game and I’m not actually sure how it went, I would text Keira, because I know I’d get the most honest answer from anybody, even if that means it’s not what I want to hear. I think that is where the respect comes from.”

To track the pair’s football careers has been to often forget how young they are. Walsh made her City debut a few months after her 17th birthday and in November this year, Williamson played her 150th game for Arsenal. It is common for those in women’s football to grow up fast but in conversation, one is reminded of the duo’s gleeful, wonderful youth. There was the time, for instance, they rented electric scooters one afternoon at the World Cup in France to explore with Walsh’s Manchester City team-mate Georgia Stanway. The room-mates — Stanway with Williamson, Walsh with Lucy Bronze — had a group chat titled “The three best friends and Lucy”. Stanway, the youngest England player at the tournament, sped ahead on her scooter and they had to “rein her back in”, Williamson says.

“You were being a bit of a Cautious Claire, weren’t you?” teases Walsh, turning to Williamson, “probably as you should do at a World Cup. I think we were just enjoying being kids, weren’t we? Obviously, we were playing, and the reason we were there was to win, but we have so much free time that we were just enjoying being the younger ones.”

“All the older ones… that’s what they kept saying to us,” says Williamson. “Kaz Carney was like: ‘Make sure you enjoy your time now, because hopefully one day you will be the senior ones and there’ll be a lot more pressure on you. Just have the best time ever, make as many memories as possible. Jill Scott — I mean, she was a bit more wild than we are — said she’s got some of the best memories ever from those early tournaments and she wished she could do it again. I don’t think we wanted to waste a second.”

Do not presume, though, that the pair are anything other than serious competitors. By 20, Walsh had won every domestic title going: the WSL, FA Cup and League Cup. Williamson has won the league once, the FA Cup twice and the League Cup twice, finishing as runner-up in the latter to Walsh’s City in 2019. Walsh, an artful holding midfielder in the mould of Sergio Busquets — she grew up watching clips of him and David Silva with her father — will be among the most important players in the England squad moving forward and Williamson, capped 17 times, is touted as a future England captain.

It has not always been easy, though. An early test came in the form of Williamson’s ankle injury, sustained playing for Arsenal against Walsh’s Blackburn Rovers in the FA Youth Cup final. It was so traumatic Walsh admits there are still occasions she will search for Williamson’s results, see her friend has come off and think, “Please tell me it’s not her ankles again. My mum mentions it to me. She’ll say: ‘Did you see Leah came off?’” She addresses Williamson. “Because I’ve seen you in person do it, I feel like I automatically panic. When I see you at camp two weeks later, you’re like: ‘Maybe I was being a bit soft when I came off — it’s nothing to do with my ankles’. But I know what you’ve been through with them, so it is the first thing I think about.”

Williamson, in her own words, “basically just snapped my ankle and everything in it” after misplanting her foot. Stretcher, gas and air, a wheelchair, a doctor advising her to go straight to hospital. “I’m trying to fight back the tears and she’s nearly crying looking at me as well,” Williamson remembers. She stayed at the game because Arsenal had lost the season prior and she wanted to collect her winner’s medal.

“I think I played most of the game thinking, ‘I just hope she’s OK’,” says Walsh. “The only thing I actually remember from that game — not the goals or anything — was afterwards, I saw Leah on the side in a wheelchair with an Arsenal bobble hat on, having to wheel herself on to get her winner’s medal.”

A few months on from Williamson’s injury, Walsh damaged her ankle ligaments — it was an impact injury, and on her laptop, Williamson has pictures of her and Walsh “in wheelchairs at different times”. Walsh collected her second ankle injury at a training camp in La Manga, by which point Williamson’s ankles had betrayed her again. “We were both sat on the bench laughing because it was just crazy luck that we’d both done it again,” Walsh smiles. “I knew I couldn’t sit there feeling sorry for myself next to you.”

During their separate rehabilitation processes, they maintained the habit of visiting each other as often as they could. Their close friendship meant they were never allowed to share a room on international duty to ensure they didn’t isolate themselves from the rest of the group. Walsh was the class clown and Williamson the captain, meaning that “Leah would always get told off for me. They’d always be like: ‘Leah! You need to tell Keira she needs to be a bit more professional!’”

What it all meant was they had lost time to make up elsewhere. Each Christmas, Walsh would come to London from Rochdale and Williamson’s mother Amanda “would treat us to something from Jack Wills. That was like an annual little thing that we did, because I don’t think that I’d ever heard of Jack Wills, being from the north, until I met all these southerners at camp that used to wear it. I think I actually used to go down to see Amanda more than you, to be honest.”

What did they think of each other when they first met?

“You first,” says Williamson.

“No — you go,” Walsh replies.

“I’m going to big you up here,” Williamson begins. “Keira’s always been… she was always one of the best there, and you always want to be mates with the good ones.”

Walsh returns the favour: “I think I was quite jealous of you when you first came because everyone was like: ‘She’s amazing. I was thinking, I want to be amazing, as well, so I want to be friends with her.”

“That’s good, that we both thought the same thing.”

“There you go, then. That’s why we’re friends.”

“I’d say I’m your fangirl, Keira. I’m your hype man.”

Walsh has always been Williamson’s biggest supporter — “when you scored your first goal for England, I think I was happier for you than I would have been if I’d scored” — but probably has good reason to worry about Williamson calling herself a hype man. Before the World Cup, Williamson visited Cex, the second-hand goods chain, and spent £50 on some DJ decks to master during downtime at the tournament.

“I just looked across the corridor and I was like, ‘What is that noise? I’m sure that’s Leah’s room’,” Walsh recalls. “I opened the door and you had these big headphones on, mixing the decks. I saw Georgia just lying on the bed and I was like, ‘What is going on in here?’ They had the balcony door open and you were like: ‘Wait for the drop. Wait for the drop’. I was like: ‘OK – I’ll wait for the drop. You like your music, you are good with music and you actually might be very good. I trust you’. And the drop just never came.”

Williamson hoots with laughter. “Never came. I thought it would be so much easier than it was. It was so hard.” She shakes her head, jokingly rueful. “Massive flop. Massive flop.”

“I feel like you just try your hand at loads of random stuff,” continues Walsh. “I see you on camp and you’re like: ‘I’m doing the harmonica now’.”

Williamson says she has “found her calling” playing the piano in lockdown, but Walsh is unimpressed. “It’s just you try to give off this cool vibe and I feel like people don’t really know you. It just makes me laugh. What have you got — a lightsaber pen? And Star Wars pyjamas? People would just not think that. When you see the exterior of Leah, you would just think, ‘No – not Star Wars’. She’s done all these photoshoots, she’s dead cool, and then she just whacks out the craziest stuff and just makes me laugh.”

Williamson holds up her hands. “It’s true. I can’t deny it.”

The World Cup was particularly testing for Walsh, for whom fierce social media criticism left her questioning whether she wanted to continue to play football. Walsh has spoken numerous times about the impact on her confidence, but what was it like for Williamson, who did not feature as much as Walsh, to witness? She pauses. “I think it’s hard,” she begins, “because you just feel so powerless when you’re not playing. It’s not even like I can go on the pitch and have a shocker to save her from the criticism,” she laughs. “If I tell Keira she’s great, there’s a slight bit of her that’s… I’m her best mate, so I’m going to try and pick her up as much as possible.

“The main thing, especially from a squad perspective, is that we all know how valuable Keira is to us and how — I’m bigging you up here — she’s the centre of what we’re doing as a team. It just annoys me. I wish I could eradicate all those other people because we, as a team, appreciate her so much. That’s all I ever said to Keira – if anybody was picking a team, you’d be the first name on the teamsheet. But it’s hard to get… like I say, I’m her best mate, so I’m honest with her, but at the same time, she probably needed to hear that a little bit more.”

They didn’t talk about it so much, Walsh says. “Because you weren’t playing, I didn’t want to put that on you because I felt like it would be selfish,” she adds. “I thought, at the time: you know what? We’ll just make the best of it off the pitch, and I think that’s why we had such a good time.” Williamson’s first appearance, from the bench in the round-of-16 match against Cameroon, changed Walsh’s perspective “because I was just so happy for you that I didn’t care what people would say about me at that moment. People could say whatever they wanted because I’ve just played in a World Cup with my best friend. Not many people can say that.”

To be best friends, as professional athletes, is a balancing act: in any other walk of life, they would — could — rage at each other, moan, weep, get angry. As professional footballers, they are wary of distracting the other. “I know what you want to achieve, so my problems taking a back seat is fine with me if I know you’re going on to achieve what you want to achieve,” Walsh tells Williamson.

To Sunday, then, and what will happen when two best friends turn competitors for 90 minutes. Walsh smirks. “I feel like you try and keep a really focused head, and then I’ll just be like…” she cups her hands for a high-pitched whisper and springs up like a Jack in a box. “’Leah!’” Williamson rollicks back with laughter. “Then she’ll turn around and she’ll start laughing, but I do it because I know she’s going to laugh and I know that she’s trying to focus. I feel like I’m a lot more relaxed than you. You’re like, ‘Game face, game head, here we go’, and you just have that annoying friend in the background.”

Stanway is the worst, apparently, to the point where Walsh and Williamson will intervene — Williamson with a stern “we’re not having that today” when Stanway inevitably flattens her early doors. “We always text each other a couple of days, speak to each other earlier on in the week before we play each other,” says Williamson of her and Walsh.

“In the game and stuff, we have our little tiffs, and if I say something and she doesn’t agree with it, we’re both playing for the win, and we both understand that,” Walsh concludes, “but then afterwards, we’re straight over to each other.”

She starts to sign off, but Williamson beats her to it. “See you Sunday,” they chorus, in unison.

[ledenews]

Booking Begins for Blame My Roots 2023

Year No. 3 was all about goals. He wanted more campers, to sell more merchandise, and to sell more beer. Check! Check! And check! Most of all, co-founder Chris Dutton wanted to sell more tickets, and he did, too, and that is why he’s initiated the process for the fourth annual Blame My Roots County Music Festival weekend in July 2023. “Although we are not in a place where we can lock in every year, I will tell you that we are pursuing the 2023 weekend right now. We are in the booking process,” Dutton revealed. “Our booking process begins even before the end of the festival, but here’s the thing. If we don’t get the frontline talent we feel we need to anchor our festival, then we can’t do this. But yes, we are in pursuit of the acts so we can do a festival next year. “We have a lot of changes we’re going to make, and we already have plenty of new ideas for next year, too. Plus, we’ve been recruited by a bigger booking agency for next year, and even Dierks Bentley told me personally that we did a hell of a job,” he said. “Dierks does put on his own show, so he knows a little more than a regular performer, so it meant a lot to me for him to tell us that he thought we were doing a great job with what we’re trying to do here.” The crowds were larger than what they were last year. Go With the Flow It was 2019, and the concert across the street had shut down after four decades. Dutton, a member of the Valley View Campground crew for 20-plus years, didn’t want to hear Belmont, Ohio, go quiet that third weekend in July. So, he started a little BYOB show himself, a couple of thousand people showed up that first summer, so do it again. Why not, right? Well, after months of prep work, the 2020 show got shut down in March along with every other public event once Covid-19 spread across the world. That meant Blame My Roots 2021 would be the true test because it would be the first for selling beer inside the venue. “But would people actually buy it? We really didn’t know,” Dutton said. “I can tell you that if they didn’t, we wouldn’t have had a show this year.” And they most definitely had a show in 2022, and, yes, the fans bought the beer. “The beer is something that is measurable and means a lot to the people in this industry because of the importance of breaking even or making a little money, and for us to be as successful as we were this year after taking over for a festival where people drank their own beer, we’re pretty pleased,” Dutton admitted. “We’re actually proving people will come to our festival and spend money on beer, and that’s a big bonus for us because now we have proven that the beer thing is in the past. “And we did sell a lot of beer and didn’t have a lot of problems associated with it,” he said. “The goal, of course, is to make money with this thing one day down the road, and the good news is that we’re getting there.” Recording artist Randy Houser performed at Blame My Roots on Friday night. Dollars and Sense Dutton expanded the festival weekend this year by staging a Thursday afternoon show, and he also added food trucks and beer stands, cabana seating, and a new beach area.   The lineups, though, depend on availability and, quite frankly, price. “The top 10 headliners in country music now can demand more than $1 million for a 90-minute set,” Dutton confirmed. “The top three headlines are asking for more than $1.5 million. That’s the reality of the industry right now. That’s what we’re dealing with. I know there are people on Facebook who apparently believe they know this business, and they believe we can get the best out there for $100,000, but the top performers haven’t been $100,000 for about 30 years. “These days in this industry, you just hope the revenue from the ticket sales pays for the artists you have on stage. That way, you make money with everything going on inside the festival: the parking, alcohol sales, the camping, the food, and the merchandise,” he said. “It’s the same at every festival there is right now so we have to see who’s available for that weekend next year and build from there.” The event grew, and that’s what matters most. “We knew Dierks Bentley would put on a great show because that’s what he does, and the venue turned out really great this year. There are some things we’ll improve for next year, but I really liked the way our little city turned out this year so it’s going to look very familiar next year,” Dutton said. “I believe it’s comfortable inside, it’s not dusty, and we’re proud of the product that we put out there. I believe it’s getting better and better each year. “The one thing I hear the most often is that people want to go back and forth to the campgrounds, so we’re working on making that happen in the future, and I’ve also heard some things about parking that we’re planning to address for next year,” the co-founder explained. “We always listen to what the fans are telling us so we can consider everything that’s possible.” Read the full article

[twoflipstwotwists]

It’s a late afternoon in April, and Sunisa “Suni” Lee is where most people find themselves a year into the pandemic: Home, in a sweatshirt, talking into a webcam. The 18-year-old gymnast is poised to make history at the summer Olympics, but over Zoom, she’s just like any teenager, reflecting on everything she’s balancing behind the scenes.

While training for a wildly unpredictable Games, Lee has been caring for her recently paralyzed father, mourning the deaths of her aunt and uncle from COVID, and recovering from a broken foot that jeopardized her lifelong dream to win gold. Now Lee, whose parents emigrated from Laos, is also fighting to qualify as the first-ever Hmong American Olympic gymnast—all while her community contends with a national surge in anti-Asian violence. “People hate on us for no reason,” Lee says from her parents’ house in St. Paul, Minnesota. “It would be cool to show that we are more than what they say. I don’t know how to explain that...”

Lee’s father inches his wheelchair closer into the Zoom screen, and answers for her. “It would be the greatest accomplishment of any Hmong person in the U.S. ever,” he says. “It will go down in history.”

Before the Tokyo Olympics were postponed in March 2020, Lee’s family was preparing for the trip of a lifetime. Though she hadn’t actually made the team yet, her parents John Lee and Yeev Thoj had no doubts. They bought plane tickets to watch their daughter compete, and planned to celebrate afterward with a trip to Laos to show Lee and her siblings where they grew up. Both John and Yeev are Hmong, an ethnic group made of people primarily from Southeast Asia and areas in China who fought alongside the U.S. in the Vietnam War. After losing most of their land in the war, many Hmong fled to Thailand as refugees. By the late ‘70s and ‘80s, around 90 percent of the refugee population had resettled in the U.S., where there are now 18 Hmong clans, the largest residing in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Lee describes her community there as “really close.” More than 300 people come to her family’s annual camping trip, and she can’t go to a local Asian store without someone asking after her dad. She has become something of a local celebrity herself. At Hmong events, Lee gets stopped for photos by people who tell her how proud they are. “It’s nice knowing I have them to fall back on,” she says. “The support is amazing.”

But last May, just two months before the Olympic opening ceremony was originally scheduled to take place, Lee’s family and the rest of the Twin Cities Hmong community found themselves thrust into the national conversation over race and policing. Kellie Chauvin, the now ex-wife of Derek Chauvin, the officer who murdered George Floyd, is Hmong American. So is Tou Thao, another officer on the scene who is set to stand trial in August on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in connection to Floyd’s murder. As part of the ensuing protests, several nearby Hmong American businesses were vandalized. John says it got “scary” when several homes on their block were broken into.

“I was trying to make the Hmong community more known,” Lee says. “When that happened, I felt like it was a setback.”

Lee’s journey to the Olympics started with a lumpy mattress and a piece of plywood. Her parents were eager to preoccupy their energetic, gymnastics-obsessed seven-year-old, and a balance beam seemed like the perfect distraction. John built a four-foot-long structure from a spare mattress that, to his credit, still stands in their yard today. He also taught Lee, who’s one of six kids, how to do flips on the bed.

By then, Lee had captured the attention of Jess Graba, a coach at Midwest Gymnastics. “It was super raw and she was just a little kid, but she had some talent,” Graba says, remembering when they met. “Her flips were kind of crazy—she had been practicing in her yard—and she clearly had some ability to go upside down without fear.”

In 2016 when she was 14, Lee was named to the U.S. junior national team, and it became clear Graba could be coaching one of the next great American gymnasts. They traveled around the world together for competitions, and by 2018, Lee had won a gold medal on uneven bars at the National Championships. Five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin, Lee’s longtime hero, took notice of the high-flying athlete. “Her abilities as a gymnast, especially her bar routine, are incredible,” Liukin tells ELLE. “But it’s the unparalleled mental strength that she has shown during the most difficult time of her life that make her the person she is.”

Just two days before the 2019 National Championships, John fell from a ladder while trimming a tree. He was paralyzed from the chest down. At the time, Graba thought Lee shouldn’t compete out of concern for her safety: A distracted athlete is a danger to themselves because they are much more likely to lose focus and get injured. It would have been a devastating end to a decade of training, as nationals are like an unofficial pre-qualifier for the Olympic Games. But John remained confident in his daughter’s ability to compete under pressure. Before Lee stepped onto the mat, they FaceTimed and he advised her to clear her mind—and remember to have fun. “She can stay focused when she puts her mind to it,” he says.

As John watched the competition from his hospital bed, beaming with pride, Lee won the silver in all-around competition, nailing one of the hardest bar routines in the world. One month later, at the U.S. World Championships selection camp, she came within four-tenths of a point of beating Simone Biles in the all-around—the closest anyone has come to Biles in years—and landed one step closer to fulfilling her Olympic dream.

In March 2020, Lee was scrolling through Twitter after practice when she saw the news: The Olympics were postponed, for the first time in modern history, due to COVID. Lee wiped tears away with chalky hands as years of carefully laid plans were thrown into limbo. “To have that taken away from us without having any control is very hard,” she says. “I went through a depressed phase, and it was hard to get out of.”

For weeks Lee could do little more than sleep and cry. Her gym was closed for three months— practically an eternity in the unforgiving timeline of an elite gymnast. When it did reopen in June, Lee broke her foot, meaning three more months of downtime. “If you were 100 percent ready for the 2020 Olympics, then you’re spending the year going, ‘Let’s just not get injured. Let’s just not make any mistakes,’” Graba says.

Lee found an unexpected source of comfort in Biles, who went from being her biggest competition to one of her closest friends after they competed in 2019. “She was there for me,” Lee says. During lockdown, they Snapchatted and texted—two of the only people in the world who truly understood the gut-punch of waiting another year for the Games to begin.

Then, as the country continued to face rising COVID rates in summer 2020, Lee’s own family was devastated by the virus. Her aunt and uncle—close family members who babysat her as a kid—both died of COVID less than two weeks apart. Lee’s uncle, a Hmong shaman, had helped heal her hurt foot with hot ginger and other herbal medicines. Like so many others did during the pandemic, Lee said goodbye over Zoom.

As the nation slowly starts to heal, so has Lee. She can now spot small silver linings from the past year, like spending more time with her siblings and driving her dad to doctor’s appointments, which she calls “good for me mentally, because typically I’m never with them.” It has taken months and months to get back to the peak shape she was in pre-pandemic, but now it’s full steam ahead. The U.S. Championships are the first week of June, and the Olympic trials are later that month. Lee says the extra year has strengthened her performance on the uneven bars and made her more consistent overall. “I just didn’t want to see myself fall back,” she says. “I don’t want to disappoint my coaches or my parents.”

Still, a spot on the team isn’t guaranteed. For the first time in history, U.S. women’s gymnastics has only four open spots (down from five at the 2016 Games), one of which will almost definitely go to Biles. At this point, it might be harder for a U.S. gymnast to make the Olympic team than it is to actually win a medal once they’re there.

Unsurprisingly, none of this seems to phase Lee. She is no stranger to finding the best version of herself under intense circumstances—the version that wins medals, defies gravity, and advocates for her community. Before falling asleep at night, she visualizes herself sticking a perfect landing and coming home as the first Hmong American Olympic gymnastics champion. History made.