#to the extent you can’t use public transport

[waugh-bao]

*

[mfenvs3000f23]

Small actions, big outcomes! Environment as a frequent classroom topic!

Describe your personal ethic as you develop as a nature interpreter. What beliefs do you bring? What responsibilities do you have? What approaches are most suitable for you as an individual?

This is my final blog post and you likely do not know who I am, but if you are interested, I invite you to delve into Madeline Fantin’s interpretive ethics, values, and ideas for the future.

To start, what beliefs do I bring? I am a wildlife biology and conservation student; therefore, the vast majority of my courses have looked through a scientific lens (western science that is). Perhaps the reason I chose my program is due to possibly my most core belief, that individuals have the power and influence necessary to make a real difference. This is why I became a vegetarian even though my entirely Italian family thinks I’m bonkers, I think one person cutting their carbon emissions is a worthwhile effort. Are billionaires flying their private jets around for unsatisfactory reasons and investing in all kinds of large corporations who dump pollution directly into our environment? Yes of course, and don’t get me wrong, I think part of the fight towards a healthy planet is holding the extremely wealthy accountable. Perhaps they are hoping we will put all the blame on ourselves so that we ignore their insurmountable consumption. However, we are consumers too and where possible, we can choose where to put our money and how to live our lives to a certain extent. I believe that however small, the average citizen’s fight against climate change is valuable and necessary. In conversations I have had with the people in my life, I have learned that many people become unmotivated by the “all or nothing” mindset. For example, I frequently hear people say that they “could never go without meat all the time.” So don’t! Have meatless Mondays! Have meatless weekends! Go pescatarian! Go meatless biweekly! There are unlimited combinations of schedules that could provide a more reasonable expectation. The effort doesn’t need to be “perfect” to be worth something. This can be applied to many environmental actions. In most places in Ontario, it wouldn’t be reasonable to ask people to use public transport or bike as a main form of transportation. Most cities don’t have great public transport, and most people live a long, long bike ride away from their place of work. However just because you cannot bike to work doesn’t mean you can’t ever trade the car for your bike. Maybe there’s a friend you often visit just on the other side of the neighborhood, and maybe you usually drive to them, but when the weather is ideal and if you are able, the bike could work! Many “imperfect” actions are better than no action at all I promise!!!! There is no shame in not being the perfect environmentalist all the time, it is near impossible in the society we have created.

I also believe that there is something to be gained from spending time in nature, for anyone. Whether that is a chance to gather thoughts, get some exercise, some vitamin D, you name it. I don’t think it needs to be picturesque either. Sometimes connecting with nature looks like sitting on the curb outside your east campus townhouse because the sun has reappeared after some days of gloom. Sometimes you will have the energy to head to the arboretum, but when you don’t, taking a sunny break on the curb is better than skipping the outdoors all together. Again, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

I believe it is never too late to get started! Everyone, no matter the age or circumstance, should feel like they have a place in the world of nature interpretation and the outdoors. Having not grown up in an outdoor adventure family doesn’t mean you can’t have any outdoor adventures! On that point, outdoor adventures are whatever you make them. They need not be a costly trip to the other side of the continent. Someone with the right mindset could gain more from an hour by the local creek, than someone with the wrong mindset on their trip to Mount Kilimanjaro.

What responsibilities do I have? Well, there are the obvious ones such as to deliver the program I have advertised, inform guests about risk, manage and prevent dangers, present accurate information, check my bias and privilege, to be fun and engaging, and for guests to leave feeling like they have benefitted in some way. Other more specific responsibilities I believe depend on the approach…

So what approaches are the most suitable for me? Well, it is my goal to get into teaching in high school classrooms. This is not the type of environment we have spent the last few months discussing, but nonetheless I think there is a ton of relevant overlap. Nature interpretation could take place in the classroom, or the school yard. There may also be opportunity for class trips where students could be exposed to new ways of learning or new environments.

When relevant to the content, I would aim to stimulate interest and conversation about the environment and environmental issues happening around the world, as they relate to us in Canada and otherwise. I probably plan on living in Canada, and therefore will need to create programs suitable for all 4 seasons. This could mean the same topic modified with each passing season, different topics in each season, or a combination. I am excited to take advantage of the variance each season brings. I think many topics in the high school curriculum could benefit from an environmental lense, and I would look to make connections throughout where possible.

 I would look to encourage active learning and participation through mediums the students may be interested in, just like we talked about all the different mediums of nature interpretation. If I’m teaching grade 9 or 10 science, then this class is still required of them, and many may only be there by necessity. They might not want to be there or have particular interest in the content, which is ok, and I would need to navigate how to still make sure they get what they are meant to, even if they never develop excitement about it.

To revisit responsibilities, as a teacher I must provide a classroom environment conducive to learning, where everyone feels comfortable, valued, and that students look forward to attending each day.

For my final blog post outro (☹), I will say that climate doomism is very contagious and easy to get wrapped up in. I think one of the most important things we can do as nature interpreters is spark hope for change. You never know who is looking to you when they are feeling discouraged about the state of the world, and how you can provide them motivation to keep fighting the good fight!

[ourtriptoswedenandnorway]

Epilogue

Here are some observations I made throughout our trip. These are just my impressions and experiences and not based on actual facts. Also included below are a couple of recommendations.

Weather: The weather was totally unpredictable and changed hour by hour. When the sun comes out in Sweden, it seems like everybody wears shorts, regardless of the temperature. It could be because Swedes are accustomed to cold weather and have developed a high tolerance for it. Or, they just want to make the most of sunny days, even if they are cold, to enjoy outdoor activities and soak up as much light as possible after their long, dark winters.

Crime: I felt safer in Stockholm, Oslo, and Bergen than in any other European city I have been to. Not that I feel unsafe in Europe—it feels far safer than in the US. It felt like crime doesn’t exist in Scandinavia, but I am sure it does.

Poverty: In the nine days we were in Stockholm, we never saw a homeless person or someone begging for money. It is unclear to me why that is, but I would guess they have a more comprehensive welfare system that includes housing and other social services. It was refreshing not to see people living on the streets, like in San Francisco. In Oslo and Bergen, we saw a few people (less than 10) non-aggressively begging for money, but again, nothing like you see in major cities in the US, or other cities in Europe.

Diversity: I found Norway to be more ethnically diverse compared to Sweden. The Swedes in Stockholm seemed more homogeneous. The best way to describe the Swedes is blond, blue-eyed, physically active, and fit. It seems like everyone on the street is in their 20s, 30s or 40s and dresses like fashion-aware preppy members of a fraternity or sorority. I know it’s not true, but I can’t help wondering where they hide their ugly and older people—or maybe they just age really well.

Walkability: Stockholm, Oslo, and Bergen are all very walkable cities. And when they are not, public transportation is easy to use and runs frequently. Because of that, I don’t recommend the Hop On, Hop Off buses, even if you have a limited amount of time. I would only use them if walking around presents a problem.

Pedestrian Friendly: Stockholm and Oslo limit the number of cars in the central area of the city, making it relaxed and very enjoyable for pedestrians. The few cars that are there have very courteous drivers who yield to pedestrians. Drivers don’t seem to be in a hurry, unlike in the US. E-bikes and e-scooters, however, are everywhere and used by locals and tourists alike. Bergen, however, does not limit cars in the central area, and I found the city more congested. But still, car congestion was nothing like you would find in US cities.

Tourism: We encountered very few crowds or signs of tourists in Stockholm. It might have been because it was June and still early, but it was very refreshing to go to museums and move around the city without long lines. Most of the people we encountered in Stockholm appeared to be Swedish. The only exception was in Gamla Stan, the old town, which had tourist shops and plenty of tourists. But there is so much more to Stockholm than just Gamla Stan. In Norway, it was the same thing—we encountered very little tourism. Do tourists exist? Sure, but not to the extent we have seen in other major cities in Europe, or where it presented a problem for us. Bergen appeared to have more tourists than Oslo. The only time tourists and tourism got on my nerves was in Flåm in Norway, where everything seems to be geared around tourists from cruise ships coming in to see the fjords. But rather than hanging around Flåm waiting for our cruise to depart, we went for a walk out in the countryside instead.

Cash is King—NOT: Before we left, we got $200 in Swedish kronor and $200 in Norwegian kroner. We typically try to pay by credit card for everything, but most trips to Europe we still end up going to an ATM to get cash for small purchases, tips, museums, taxis, etc. Not so in Sweden and Norway. They are pretty much cashless countries—at least in the cities we visited. Two or three of the hotels even advertised they are “cashless hotels” and have no facilities to accept or provide cash. Most of the restaurants and museums we went to would not take cash. Buy a gelato, charge it! So we had a hard time spending our cash—we found the cruise ship tourist areas had the highest likelihood of accepting cash.

Tipping: After talking with a number of locals we learned that in Scandinavia tipping is welcome, but not expected. The staff in restaurants appear to be paid a living wage and are not reliant on tips. How nice that someone can make a living as a waiter. The only place I found that not to be true was in tourist areas, where restaurants and taxis try to take advantage of tourists who are not familiar with tipping customs and get as much money from them as possible. Most of the time, I tipped about 10% and still got US tipping guilt.

Honor System on Transit: In Norway, the buses, trams, and subways all work on the honor system. No badging on, no badging off. It works so much more efficiently. Most buses are articulated buses. A bus pulls up, and everybody just gets on, with people entering and exiting from all doors on the bus. While we were there, we purchased a 7-day transit pass, which you have to electronically activate the first time and then just need to make sure you have it with you whenever you use public transit in case someone asks. No one ever did ask, but supposedly, they have people who occasionally check. I came away with the impression that Norwegians are honest and trustworthy. I don’t think that would work in the US. How sad :-(.

Public Restrooms: Scandinavia has clean restrooms. During our three-week trip, I only encountered one restroom down by the harbor in Oslo that grossed me out. Otherwise, every restroom would get my Good Housekeeping seal of approval.

Unisex Restrooms: In Scandinavia, it was relatively rare to find separate men's and women's restrooms. One restroom, and a man, woman, or trans person just takes the next stall available. Makes sense and eliminates all the transgender issues related to restrooms that we have in the US. And if there is a queue, men and women wait the same amount of time.

Utensils To Go: Scandinavia is much more environmentally conscious than we are in the US. In Scandinavia, when you get food to go, instead of plastic utensils, you get wooden ones—a wooden fork, spoon, and knife. Sure, they have a lot of trees in Scandinavia, but it is also very environmentally friendly. Wooden utensils do taste and feel a little bit strange the first time you use them.

Pride: Scandinavians take a lot of pride in their country. And so they should. There is a lot they can be proud of, and in many cases, the US should model our society after theirs. I guess I am a late-blooming socialist :-). When you tell them you are from California, they ask, “How do you like Sweden/Norway?” They even appear to be proud of their Viking warriors who looted and terrorized most of Europe, unlike the Portuguese, who barely acknowledge their part in the slave trade (e.g., no museum there acknowledges or explains their part in the slave trade). I felt the greatest sense of pride from the Swedes—they appeared proud of their country, their traditions, their music (ABBA), and their history.

Sell It, but Don’t Use It: I found it ironic that all of Norway's public transit is electric, including their buses, and that Norway leads the world in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, yet oil makes up over 70% of Norway’s exports.

Packing for Scandinavia: The weather is very unpredictable in Scandinavia, and it rains a lot. Stockholm had the worst weather during our trip, but was sunny and hot the weeks before. Scandinavia is beautiful when it is sunny and wet when it rains. Essential items to pack are an umbrella, raincoat, waterproof pants, and waterproof shoes.

Laundry: It is not easy to find a laundromat in Scandinavia. There is maybe one in all of Stockholm and two in Oslo. And they are very busy. Using your hotel’s laundry services is prohibitively expensive. So bring quick-dry clothes that you can wash in your hotel room.

[the-casbah-way]

on all levels except physical i am a repressed and disgruntled middle aged british man and i cannot possibly impress on you enough the extent to which this is not a joke. i was born to do crosswords and be unironically interested in military history. i hate office small talk and loud strangers on public transportation and i will willingly put on the bbc news then have the audacity to complain about how stupid the headlines are. my knees crack every time i move. i can’t get hard. i have been known to let out a sensible chuckle or two when one of those terrible celebrity panel shows is on television and a comedian i don’t like says something that’s actually funny for once and then i get annoyed at myself because i’ve scorned my own rigid agenda and i cannot swallow my pride. i go to bed at 9pm. i still read the newspaper instead of just using my phone because i object to the rise of the machines. im scared of computers i don’t know what siri is. i will ask what film someone is watching and then say im not interested but still somehow end up hovering in the doorway with my arms crossed forgetting to pretend that i am not positively enthralled. i could go on

[faithfromanewperspective]

10, 12, 36 :)

10. are you good at hiding your feelings? yes and no. Like it takes a lot of effort to properly hide my feelings, and I’m generally quite transparent, like if your views are bigoted in my eyes you’ll probably see it on my face. I can mask that if I need to, but it’s too much effort and too much of a rift between me and the world to do most times. But the extent of my feelings? All the time. I barely know how not to. I’m not dramatic generally, I’m a woman of colour as well so that statistically adds to the ‘okay’ farce I have to put on, and generally I don’t feel safe being fully honest because I don’t trust people to have proper boundaries and not take it on. So if I’m honest, like really honest, of what I’m only now discovering (turns out even mental health professionals aren’t good at seeing when you’re downplaying things) that means I really trust you.

12. what is something you want right now?

just good public transport honestly. I want to design it with no effort and have it installed immediately without the pesky roadworks stage

36. 3 dreams you want to fulfil

just looking in the dreams diary my friend got me for my 16th right now! I’ll put them in order here

I really want to solve world hunger. Like in a systemic, sustainable, kinder to animals than we are now, way. It sounds silly and can’t be done alone, but a big part of me fully believes I’ve got the skill and connection to work up to it and if I don’t, I can simply work at it over decades

design a fully sustainable city by 2040. That one’s doable. As to whether anyone will build my city, I’ll need a lot more hands than my own

this dream journal really isn’t useful. I should fill it in more, I’ve mostly put in here things I’ve already done and some that are just weird so I’ll say one of the weird ones: create an inclusive but intimate family unit. Don’t ask me what 16yo me meant, but to me this is a lot more about chosen family, but it’s also putting in practice all I’ve done to learn how to parent all kinds of neurodivergent kids (I use it on myself and other adults mostly). Like I think the core of the dream is I really want to show that it’s doable to create an environment where no matter how different or difficult (in the eyes of the majority) you are to connect/communicate with everyone is lovable in practice as well as in theory. And as always this includes trauma related neurodivergences and pd’s—be it chosen family, my own biological kids, or some combination of it.

[wheelie-hurting]

hi there!! disabled American teenager here.

in case you haven't heard, the us is an actual hellscape right now, and I know i will not be able to live here as an adult with all of the consequences of capitalism (i will not be able to work as an adult. i don't know what else to do).

so uh. would you mind giving a review of what it's like living in Sweden as a disabled person? like, can you live on disability? (we can't here, lmao.) how long are the healthcare waits? how ableist is society as a whole there? and accessibility and stuff? also, learning swedish would cost too many spoons; does the majority of the population know English?

you don't have to answer this ask if you aren't comfortable, but if you do, I've pretty much narrowed down my list of possible countries to move to to Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden, so if any other disabled person sees this who lives in one of those countries or has suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated :)

hey!

okay so i can only speak from my experiences, so keep that in mind!

applying for disability benefits isn’t that hard, you can do so through your general health care doctor for physical health reasons and psych doctor for mental health reasons. they’ll fill it in for you and you just have to answer the questions verbally (that’s what i did). this request goes to försäkringskassan, and i got answer pretty quick that i got approved. you can apply for three years at a time if i remember correctly, but they do want you to get rehabilitated so that you eventually can do work to some extent, but you can keep applying. i don’t know much about what happens if you get denied though since that hasn’t happened to me yet thankfully lmao. they also do semi regular check ins during the time you’ve been approved for. for me, they want me to do PT & DBT before i eventually go back to work (and if i’ll even be able to lol), so they do call sometimes to ask how things are going. they are generally annoying but yeah, which government agency isn’t?

the waiting lists are terrible here, they can be incredibly long, i waited 2 years to get into the gender clinic, and that’s actually a short time from what i’ve heard. i haven’t had to get referred to something for my physical health yet (thought i am waiting for that lol), so i don’t know what the general waiting times are for that, but i’m guessing those are long too.

i haven’t had super bad encounters with ableists thankfully, it’s mostly my therapist and the doctors i’ve met that has treated me like shit for wanting pain management (and because i’m fat but that’s a whole other issue). doctors here are incredibly reluctant to give pain medications in my experience, even when i had a 10/10 pain at the ER they wouldn’t give me anything, despite me not being able to walk and screaming whenever i moved around. i’ve only had one good doctor who actually cared about me and my pain, she did prescribe me gabapentin which has helped immensely. it took 5 or something tries to get them to listen to me. so a general rule here is to never give up, and keep fucking nagging the doctors until they care lmao. so yeah, ableist (and fatphobic) doctors is a problem here. i can’t come up with more examples except that most people think that chronic disabilities go away with exercise lmao.

accessibility is different depending on where you live, and i can mostly just speak on where i live. big issue: we do not have public transportation in my town, which is often a necessary thing for some disabled people (who can’t drive etc.). thankfully i have a car, without it i would never leave my home. also in my town, most apartment buildings have the apartments one half floor up aka stairs, there aren’t many buildings in my town that has elevators. the ones with elevators are considered more luxurious here and i’ve noticed they usually have higher rent too lmao. but also i live in a smaller town, so there aren’t many options anyways. if you have specific questions about accessibility feel free to send another ask, because i can’t think of more right now (very tired lol).

and yeah, sweden is a somewhat known for being a good english speaking country if i remember correctly, don’t know the exact rating though. the people who aren’t that good are usually 50+, most young people know english well. swedish is a hard language to learn, but it’s not super super important since for most things you can ask for english i think. but it might be worth trying to learn swedish in your own pace if you’re planning to move here. i’m not sure about how citizenship stuff works here, and if knowing swedish is a requirement.

in general sweden is a decent country, there are a lot of issues but it could be worse. i personally don’t mind living here, things have worked out for me, disability wise and stuff like that.

and to my fellow swedes: feel free to add on to this, and how your experiences has been like!

[carhatred]

A new grassroots-funded documentary will expose the ways that America’s autocentric approach to building infrastructure is destroying our physical and mental health — and why we can only become well by rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges for people rather than cars.

Planner, engineer, and multi-media storyteller Andy Boenau recently launched a fundraising effort for his new film “White Collar Epidemic: How Infrastructure is Crumbling Our Minds and Bodies,” which he hopes will “sound an alarm, provoke critical thought, and to inspire people to band together to make their neighborhoods healthy and delightful places to live.”That alarm, of course, has been ringing in the minds of sustainable transportation advocates for years — even if the rest of the world can’t always hear it.Decades of research have shown that residents of car-dependent places have higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory conditions and other ailments associated with sedentary lifestyles and car pollution, especially when compared to residents of walkable areas, who also report higher levels of happiness and a host other social, emotional, and physical benefits. Even gun suicide rates go down by roughly half in neighborhoods with access to walkable places like parks — and that’s not even considering the massive public health threat of car crashes themselves, which claimed nearly 43,000 lives last year alone.

Boenau hopes his film can use the power of narrative to animate those sobering statistics, and make them urgent enough to get people to demand healthier neighborhoods.“It’s sort of like ‘Erin Brockovich’ meets ‘Super Size Me’ meets ‘The Blues Brothers,'” he joked. “I want normies to get the message: it’s even worse than you think it is, but it can get better. As awful as some state regulations are, this is problem so fixable at the local level.”

Active living is prevented by the local planning dept & public works dept.Some studies show blue collar workers suffer the most from the rules made by white collar workers.Here's how you can help me shine a giant spotlight on this: https://t.co/rmfDVnrb0n@seedandsparkpic.twitter.com/UjEp5VFA9M— Andy Boenau (@Boenau) June 5, 2023

The Brockovich-ian quest at the center of Boenau’s documentary is his own journey to unveil who’s behind America’s unhealthy infrastructure, and how their actions have inhibited the ability of public health professionals to keep the population well. An urban planner and traffic engineer himself, he says knew that his white collar colleagues were heavily implicated in that scandal — but even he’s been shocked by the extent of it.

“You’ve really got these two groups of white-collar professionals: one is is the medical profession, and one is urban planners,” Boenau explains. “The first knows what’s good for our minds and bodies, and the other is prohibiting it.”

So far, that investigation has taken him to the doorsteps of some of the leading lights of the sustainable transportation movement and the field of public health. He’s already queued up interviews with “Right of Way” author (and former Streetsblog editor) Angie Schmitt, Shared-Use Mobility Center CEO Benjie de la Peña, “Curbing Traffic” co-author Chris Bruntlett, historian and author Peter Norton, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer David Ederer, and many more.Boenau says he expects even the most well-informed sustainable transportation advocates will learn something new when the film comes together — and his biggest challenge will be keeping it under a one-hour run-time.

“The more I research this, the more this wants to be a 100-episode TV series,” Boenau laughs. “When people watch this, I want them to think, ‘Oh, I thought this was a big deal, but I don’t know it was that big of deal.”

[overfedvenison]

I’m been thinking about that kind of organization... Successful movements, historically, have been things accomplished relatively small parties which organize. Often times, these are things we tend not to like: Christian Groups who push for the end of certain things, Home Owners Associations, that type of thing. But many of these groups are small - HOAs in particular are often less than 10 active people. But these groups are undeniably effective - it’s because they have unity and focus, fighting specific battles. There’s no reason that can’t be used for other causes... Surely, it’s very possible to fix the world around you with a small number of hands. Just having a squad of people willing to go out and accomplish something can do so much, and a lot of things many of us desire to accomplish are surprisingly tenable - It would not take that many committed people to convince local politicians to invest more in public transport, and it would likewise take very little to begin a public garden or bike rentals. Start with focus, and branch out from there; care about one thing with pursuit. Things could well be more actionable at a small scale than any of us really realize I think about the stories of a single couple planting a forest, or the like... If we just get some hands on the ground, I think we can accomplish great things. We are too often focused on top-down political solutions through expensive election support, to the extent that we neglect what can be done by individual hands, and many times we use the promise of politics as a kind of opiate which - if the goal fails - will cause us to assume that nothing can be done. But you can simple be the change you want to see. It’s hard to build something up, but it’s certainly possible... And might be what needs to be done, in many cases

[thenewwei]

Here are some thoughts on Germany/Italy/Austria and my European trip generally:

In general, I had a great time. Everyone I met was friendly, and I did make new friendships. Hopefully they’ll last.

Here are some questions and answers, from good to not so good:

Do you like Europeans?

Of course, I love everybody! Whether they love me back or not, depends.

Do Americans travel in Europe?

Yeah, they do. I met quite a few Americans on my travels in Europe, and most accents I heard were American.

Is the system better here?

I would say in general, it is. Food and general costs are pretty much the same as in the US, gas is a little higher (I actually thought it was significantly lower until I realized it was in liters!), rent is usually lower than NYC but like everywhere it depends where you are.

But your food costs are in-built, there’s no extra sales tax or tips. Universal health care, longer vacations and not paying for an active military helps a lot. I doubt there are too many law suits in Europe either. It was ethnically diverse everywhere I went, even in smaller cities I could get Thai, Vietnamese food, whatever. Nowhere is the quality as good as NYC, but they have it.

Train strikes are common, there was another one in Germany on this trip and it cost me an extra night of rent and I had to change my plans. Public transportation is easy to navigate, though it’s generally more expensive than NYC. Can’t say anything about tolls, parking etc.

And despite staying in plenty of “poor” neighborhoods, I never really felt unsafe, except for once in Turin, and I just avoided that area.

The one major positive we have is texting. Texting is expensive in Europe, and almost everyone here uses WhatsApp (ironically, an American company). Almost everyone texts in America if you have a smartphone, it’s usually included.

Do Europeans know anything about Americans, and what are misperceptions?

Their knowledge is nearly totally based on anti-American propaganda and movies/Netlix shows (almost all of which are set amongst wealthy Californians). They know basics, usually negative, but rarely specifics.

The first question I was asked by multiple Europeans (and an Australian) when I mentioned I was from NYC was the “homeless” problem based on the belief that homeless shelters are either expensive or non-existent. Homeless shelters are free in NYC, last I checked, though you do need to create a plan with a case worker to ultimately get out of one. We also have Section 8 housing, rent control, Mitchell-Lama apartments, a rent moratorium during the pandemic and a million other programs to assist with admittedly crazy housing costs.

Yes, we have had a significant homeless problem since the pandemic, but that was mainly due to closed mental hospitals during the De Blasio admin—it wasn’t a significant issue in the 20-25 years before the pandemic, though we did always have some homeless people, including entire families and children—I mean it’s a city of 8-10 million people, some people will always fall through the cracks.

Granted, the average NYer doesn’t know anything about these issues either, but it’s significant that almost every person, mostly educated young people, mentioned this issue to me as soon as I said I was from NYC. Also, I saw plenty of homeless people in European cities, especially Salzburg, even as it was claimed that wasn’t an issue here.

The real issue in NYC now is crime, gang shootings, crazy people pushing people in front of train tracks and punching people in the face, and house fires, but no one mentioned those to me. Also not significant issues before the pandemic, though they’ve always been there to an extent.

The other constantly mentioned issue is the lack of universal health care. True, the system is horrible on multiple levels and ideally should be made universal and reformed, but I have comprehensive coverage through my employer, and most people do. Poor people have Medicaid, seniors have Medicare, the disabled have Social Security disability. A terrible, greed-based system for sure that could put you in the hole if you have to individually buy coverage, but it’s also not like no one has coverage.

The border/migrant crisis—complex for sure, but their general perception of an American is a tall muscular white guy with an AK-47 shooting migrants at the border, and that’s not exactly true. But then, most Americans don’t know anything about the complexities of our immigration system, whether legal or otherwise.

Gun/school shootings. Of course true and horrible, though there was a shooting in Belgrade, Serbia, while I was there, and there have been shootings in Germany and Norway, I think. There are also riots all the time in France. Also almost all shootings in NYC occur using illegal guns. But yeah, there’s no other country on Earth where mass shootings happen regularly, yet we’re politically powerless to stop it (assault weapons, etc.).

Americans pay low taxes. Scandinavians always mention their 32% tax rate that pays for everything. I pay nearly 50% in NYC and I don’t even make that much. Or get that much. But most of my salary is paid through taxes, so I’m not complaining. But tax rates depend on where you are in the USA. Sales taxes are added everywhere and property taxes are a killer too.

Our tax dollars also help defend Europe’s security, and nearly all of Germany’s security. Things are easier when you don’t have to pay for bombs.

Almost no one knows that the USA is one of the most ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse nations on Earth, a nation of immigrants, and the most charitable people too, by far. In NYC, more than 800 languages are spoken, and we have tons of social programs. Apparently, Americans are Bible-toting idiots who can only speak English, and badly. Plus we hate immigrants.

Everyone hates America, but no has any particularly logical or fact-based reason for it.

Do Europeans love India and Indians?

Yes, they do. The trend of wanting me to identify with India over America continued on this trip.

Are Europeans socialists? Are Europeans nationalists?

I noted on my last trip in 2015 that nearly all Europeans I met worked in marketing of some type (among Germans there were also engineers and academics/potential academics). This time, I mostly met people in various teaching-based professions, or at least people who are in and out of it.

What they do constantly market are their countries. Their number one goal is to sell their country to you so you will hopefully move there. I mean I don’t know many Americans who are constantly pitching America. Maybe because we’re constantly told by our media how horrible our country is, but more likely it’s because we’re a country that values individualism over patriotism.

European women are almost universally like this, men are definitely more critical. One German waiter in Augsburg told me he thought Germany was “hopeless” because Germans aren’t welcoming. He contrasted this with Ireland, where he apparently visited, and where they will welcome you into their homes and give you tea. He was happy because I was the first person to speak English to him in weeks. I certainly do not think Germany is hopeless, but it’s another example of how European men tend to be more negative and realistic about their countries, and less wedded to them, culturally and otherwise.

Germans will ghost you

Yes, it’s not just an American phenomenon. I was ghosted by a couple of women who I’ve corresponded with for years and thought were my friends/acquaintances who would at least meet me or show me around their respective cities while I was in town. Nothing romantic or anything. I think ghosting is disrespectful and dishonorable, but I’m pretty old school, and it is what it is, moving on. But I wasted a couple of days this way when I could have done other things or gone to other places. Whatever.

Will you be back?

Probably not so soon, though I do love both Berlin and Milan. I would definitely go back to both locations, and I do want to explore more of northern Italy specifically, esp. Bologna and cities around it, and the beach towns around Genoa. I realize I definitely prefer the urban though. I had an allergic reaction in Italy and a cold in Germany. Next year, probably back to the Greek Islands and Turkey/Istanbul.

[survey--s]

389.

What colour is the photo frame closest to you? It’s pale brown wood.

Are your pets asleep right now, if you have any? I think they’re all asleep actually lol. Layla is snoring next to me, Toby is curled up by my feet, Purrlock is on the floor near the window and I’m pretty sure Archie is asleep in bed upstairs.

Would you have any idea what your parents are doing right now? My mum is home - I assume she’s watching TV or maybe baking as she tends to do that on rainy days. My dad has been running (he posted photos on Facebook) so he’s probably either eating, showering or taking a nap.

How many windows (roughly) does your house have? Seven.

Do you have a good relationship with your cousins? It’s not that we have a bad relationship, more that it’s non-existent as we barely know each other.

What was the last kids movie you saw? Does Pirates of the Caribbean count as a kids movie? If so, that. If not, I think it was Alice in Wonderland or Winnie the Pooh.

Do you know anyone who was born in Africa? Yeah, my family are from the Seychelles.

Have you ever been to an internet cafe? Oh, those were the days, haha. Yeah, I used to use them a lot on holiday as a teenager in the days before hotels had normal internet access.

Are there any upcoming events for you to look forward to? Having the next two weekends off work, my riding lesson on Tuesday, the Christmas break, my birthday and my beach ride in December.

Has the year gone quickly for you so far? INSANELY FAST. I can’t believe it’ll be November in three days. Crazy.

How many siblings does your significant other have? He has one brother and three sisters - all quite a bit older than him.

Are you one of those people who can drink vodka straight? I can, but I don’t really enjoy it straight. It’s nicer flavoured and in cocktails or mixers.

Have you ever done three or more shots in a row? Yeah, as a teenager/student.

Do you share a middle name with any of your friends? Probably. Catherine is a pretty common middle name.

What was the last movie you saw in theatres? Cats. I haven’t been to the cinema since before COVID hit.

Are you interested in international politics? I am to an extent, but I don’t read about it too much these days as I just find it all too depressing really, ha.

How many pairs of jeans do you own? Probably about 10-15 pairs but I haven’t worn jeans in ages. I live in leggings nowadays as they’re much more practical for my lifestyle nowadays.

When was the last time you showered? This morning - about four hours ago once I’d done the housework.

Do you know the name of the pharmacist at your local drug store? Nope.

What was the first cellphone you had and how old were you? It was a Sagem something or other and I was about 14 or so.

Do you use public transport in your town or city? No, because it’s practically non-existent. I drive everywhere.

Have your parents ever worked in a factory? I have a feeling my dad might have done as a student.

Do you have several best friends? No.

How many lights are in the room you’re in? I just have my fairy lights on. I never really use the main lights unless it’s before work in winter and it’s too dark otherwise.

Is there a Hard Rock Cafe in your town or city? No, I think the nearest one is Manchester which is about a 2.5 hour drive.

Do you eat fast food more than once a week? Nope, maybe once a month.

What flavour is your toothpaste? Just regular mint flavour.

Have you ever shared a shower or bath with someone as an adult? Yeah.

When was the last time you had a bubble bath? Uhh, after my beach ride in August I think. My legs were killing me as I’d done two hours of riding plus my first gallops. I don’t tend to have baths otherwise.

Are you sleepy right now? Nope. I slept late this morning plus I had most of yesterday off so it’s been a really chilled out couple of days.

How big is your backyard? Surprisingly big considering the size of our house.

Do you know anyone with Tourette’s Syndrome? Nope.

What time does your alarm wake you up in the morning? On work days, normally 7.30am.

What was the last zoo you visited? Uhh. Our local one which is currently all over the news for animal neglect -_- it was about three years ago though.

Do you like crime films and tv shows? I like those reality show that follow police forces around, and shows like NCIS. I also quite like documentaries about crime too.

When you shop, do you take a basket or a cart (trolley)? A cart. Baskets hurt my shoulders and hands after a while.

Have you ever tasted milk straight from the cow? Yeah. My mum’s friend owns a farm in South Australia and she had cows and stuff that she milked. It was amazing but I wouldn’t do it often lol.

What’s your favourite sleeping position? On my right side, curled up in a ball.

What colour is the bra you’re wearing? Black.

Have you ever seen A Clockwork Orange? No. I have the book somewhere but I don’t think I’ve ever read it.

Are you bitter about anything? No.

Do you like to make games out of chores to make them more enjoyable? No, but if I have a big task to tackle I’ll put music on and have a sing along.

How many letters are in your best friend’s surname? Six, the same as mine.

Is there anything in your possession that probably shouldn’t be? Yeah, Tracey’s key that I keep forgetting to return to her lol.

What is your favourite flavour of yoghurt? Apricot or raspberry.

What was the first online account you remember having? Supanet. And according to Google they still exist, ha. I went on their website and it’s like it’s still 1999, hahah.

Do you listen to music to fall asleep? No, I like silence to sleep.

Where did you go last time you left your town or city? To a local stables.

Do you use emojis? Yeah, but not on here.

Have you ever wanted to be a lawyer? Yeah, as a kid.

What percentage of battery does your phone currently have? 51%.

What was the last type of soda you drank? Pepsi Max.

How far away from your house is your favourite place to shop for clothes? About 2.5 hours.

Do you have supplies handy right now to draw something if I told you to? Yeah, we have loads of colouring pens/pencils plus paper.

Have you ever been married? I am married.

What does your deodorant smell like? It’s got a fresh cotton/clean smell.

Is your bedroom more messy or clean at the moment? My side is clean, Mike’s side is like a pigsty lol.

Do you use Twitter? No, it’s like cesspit these days.

Are you any good at baking cakes and cookies from scratch? Nah, I have no real patience when it comes to cooking and baking.

Is there a floor lamp in your bedroom? Nope.

What does most of your weekly or fortnightly income go towards? Bills, food, horse riding, savings.

Have you ever been to another continent? Yeah, plenty of times.

Do you have any hidden piercings? (this includes bellybuttons) I have my bellybutton pierced but I don’t wear jewellery in it anymore.

What month is your birthday? December.

What can you hear right now? The Hobbit, my own typing.

[willowwitchreputation]

I think that, Latino American parents, not only in Brazil, from Mexico to the last country in Latin America, parents are like bears, as it seems that in Asia it is also, in certain countries, because I heard from above, so I don't researched in depth the extent to which Asians live with their parents. I mean, Latino American parents are very protective of their children, you know? My darling friend, she is already at university like her brother, in Chicago, as they are children of Mexicans, they don't mind living with them. I also agree that, as the United States like Brazil is multicultural, they don't mind their children still living with them, I guess. I think that nowadays, a lot has changed, it seemed that in the past people were colder, even towards their children, right? They seemed to be bothered, if their children lived with them until after university, I speak from experience in what I always saw in American culture. I think that parents also feel more concerned about helping financially and everything else, if their child had a good job, not like, owning a McDonald's in life. I don't have anxiety about driving, it seems like you feel free, you know? I have vision problems, so I can't drive, until both eyes are operated on, only one is. Even though I love the idea of driving a car or a motorcycle, I think that, you can live well with public transport (sometimes it can be bad or crowded on a day, when you're stressed) or a taxi or Uber, as it seems nowadays, everyone wants a car to be free to go wherever they want, as there are no buses, subways or trains. I rarely hear anyone, who lives in New York use a car. It even surprises me, when I saw Pedro Pascal opening a car, because he lives in New York, I thought he used the subway more than he had a car. Living in São Paulo, I've taken the bus, when everyone leaves work, I know how annoying it is. I think that, nowadays, if I were, for example, in New York, I said that, I live with my parents, since the time they made me, I wouldn't care, if an American judged me for that. If you don't care, where do you live, how did you say you lived in a big city? Sorry, I love talking, lol.

Yeah definitely, every culture has different approaches but there will probably be some variation in each culture too. I know what you mean about the US and the cold approach. I personally don’t have parents like that, but I know for a fact there are parents who are like, “ welp, you’re 18 so it’s time to get out of the house, we want to live our lives” or they just have a bit of a tough love approach to push their children to independence and have them learn lessons on their own. I can see value in both sides. But it’s a spectrum now a days and probably in the past. Not every set of American parents will do that. I kind of have done both. I did go right to college, came home for breaks and a few months after graduation, but I moved 3 hours away from them for 6 years (with several short visits a year). Then during the pandemic I decided it was better for me to come back and figure somethings out while also spending lots of time with my parents. I do have plans to eventually move out, but I’m taking my time. That’s great you like driving, can’t relate 😂. I might someday but it’s very scary for me.

I live in the suburbs now so public transportation is not great/or an option, so I just go where my parents go most of the time. I don’t trust uber that much even though I have used it in the past. It’s true about NYC, many people don’t have cars or even ever drive, but some do drive/have cars there. It’s just expensive and unnecessary for many people.

Yeah that’s cool you have always lived with them! I live in the Philadelphia suburbs. I did live in the Washington D.C area for 6 years, which is where I lived in a city. I used the Metro and walked everywhere! I loved it a lot, but it was starting to get more and more expensive (I paid $1600 a month for 360 square foot studio apartment) and I was a bit isolated during the pandemic when all my friends there moved away at the time. So I moved home!

It’s totally cool! I’m a chatty person as well, just hadn’t had to time to respond until now! 😊

[talenlee]

Getting Sick And Noticing It

I haven’t gotten sick much lately. Not in the ways that I’m used to thinking of it as ‘getting sick.’ I know for a lot of people ‘getting sick’ can include things like hitting mental health limits, gender concerns, long-term conditions worsening, or just, y’know, suddenly your ears stop working the way you thought they did for literally no determined reason. What I mean though, isn’t that stuff, not because I have had those happen, but because what I meant by ‘getting sick’ is colds, flu, minor infections, things you pick up on the bus, and those other things, things like depression or being emotionally overwhelmed to the point where you’re vomiting or can’t get out of bed, those aren’t the kind of thing I think of as ‘getting sick.’

 And that’s screwed up, huh?

Content Warning: Pandemic! Illness! Religious abuse!

This all started as a piece about how I wanted to recommend people keep masking and maintaining a way of life that incorporates ideas from the Pandemic for our general betterment. I wear a cloth mask – not a proper p90 – when I go on any public transport or any public location, and have done so for the past three years. I wash my hands before handling food, I wash my hands after coming home from going out, and I avoid crowded internal spaces. When dealing with my students, I try to make sure I give them space, and wear my mask inside the classroom. Now you might notice some of those things – like washing hands – are just, y’know, good? Healthy habits? That I’m now more mindful of as a grown and boring adult?

And that’s good, and I really do recommend you do that kind of thing. If you can bear the difficulty of wearing your mask and just reducing the general vectors for transmission in common areas, you’re making spaces more accessible for people who can’t risk contracting COVID. You know, you’re making spaces safer for old people and people with disabilities, and people with disabilities have never done me wrong in the past.

There’s your general advice: inconvenience yourself a tiny bit, to the same level of extent as might, you know, make managing keeping your headphones from being tangled, and you make spaces a tiny bit safer for people who you will never necessarily meet or get positive input from, and that’s not why you do these things.

But okay, enough of that, what about my broken meat brain.

Hey, you know how we have national healthcare in Australia? Like, the ability to just go to a doctor thanks to the Medicare service and say ‘here’s my Medicare card,’ and they take care of the costs of things, and if I go to the pharmacy and I can’t afford meds because I’m disabled or unemployed I can show my Medicare card and get a cost reduction on those meds? This is a super cool system. It’s something that is kind of background radiation for people.

I had no idea it existed until I was a late teenager.

I mean it wasn’t like I wasn’t on the system. My mother and father didn’t keep me out of Medicare rolls or anything. I went to the doctor growing up and it was just a thing I didn’t understand. Chicken pox, a very normal early Millenial experience that’s quietly died out (unless the antivaxxers get their way) came and went for me, without a doctor visit I remember. When I almost lost my hand in an escalator, I went to see a doctor who just checked to see that you know, the bones were all in the right spot. I was engaged with the idea of doctors.

But I didn’t know Medicare existed.

I didn’t realise it until well, well after but I was kinda surrounded by a bunch of alt-med weirdoes. It’s a thing that these days I see people associate with ‘lefty’ stuff but my entire life, I’ve been dealing with right-wingers who think that doctors are a conspiracy to drain your precious essential fluids. Particularly, the cult had a pastor who was, amongst other things, running a Multi-Level Marketing scam, which, let me tell you, that’s one reason to start a church. At the time, the stuff promised its healing and curative properties – it still exists, the scam still trundling on – though now it’s much more careful about being about ‘supplementing’ and ‘restoring’ rather than actually, like, curing or fixing or anything.

Not how it was sold, of course.

Sickness was a thing that happened to you; you got it somehow, and therefore there was a cause you could attack. You have headaches? You need to drink more orange juice! You have asthma? Well you need horseradish! You have a fever? You need to stop getting angry! And there was always a superior certainty to it. It presented getting sick as a sort of moral failure, because you should have anticipated it and been prepared. Are you praying enough? Have you prayed about it? Maybe there’s some other thing you could do to anticipate this. Maybe you could show your dedication to your faith.

Possibly with supplements.

And the thing that follows on from this, that’s still nagging away in my brain, something I’m still fighting  and trying to address, is that part of me thinks of all sickness as a punishment from something outside me. I was able to kill off the god in my brain, the divine punishment elements, but all I did was transfer that onwards to generalised anxiety: It’s not that god’s judging me for my moral failure, but I should have anticipated things ahead of time and been better at being when I am reminded the ways my body is not working perfectly any more. Whether it’s a sore foot or a difficulty sleeping or just overwhelming, depressing sadness that clutches at my chest when I open an important document and feel like I’m not good enough to write this, I find myself flowing into that same mental pattern. Illness isn’t a thing that happens, illness is a byproduct of moral impropriety and y’know, y’know? I probably deserve this. Even though I’m not really getting sick these days – and then there’s the followup thought that aren’t I? Isn’t this tiredness and sadness a kind of sickness that deserves addressing!?

One final thing, remember that note of ‘oranges cure headaches?’ Yeah, turns out my mother was allergic to oranges. They gave her migraines.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[purplesurveys]

1634

What colour is the photo frame closest to you? Purple. It’s this one:

Are your pets asleep right now, if you have any? They probably are napping downstairs, yes.

Would you have any idea what your parents are doing right now? My mom is either watching a documentary or scrolling through her Facebook in the other room. I would guess my dad is asleep but will be waking up in a bit to prepare for work.

How many windows (roughly) does your house have? Idk man. Somewhere around 20. Each room has 3-4 windows.

Do you have a good relationship with your cousins? I can’t possibly be close with all of my cousins because Filipino families are monstrously (is this even a word?) large – but I do have good relationships with at least my first cousins, and to some extent my second cousins. There are first cousins I like a little less due to differing political opinions, but for the most part I’m able to keep it civil and just try to be the Responsible and Kind Big Sister/Cousin for everyone lol.

What was the last kids movie you saw? Toy Story but I wasn’t able to finish it; I largely turned it on for background noise at the time.

Do you know anyone who was born in Africa? Nope. 

Have you ever been to an internet cafe? Yeah, of course. As a kid I used to sneak into internet cafés to check on my Friendster account that I had to keep secret LOL (my parents were very strict about the “You need to be 16 and above to create an account” rule of Friendster), then these days I still go to a café if I need to get something printed.

Are there any upcoming events for you to look forward to? Jimin’s album this month, my birthday next month, then we’re going to Thailand in June! We’re going to shoot for Yoongi tickets at the Bangkok shows, but we booked the flight in advance just so we can also get a vacation out of it, whether we manage to secure concert tickets or not.

Has the year gone quickly for you so far? I feel like it has gone by a normal amount. January took forever to end, but February went by like a breeze. It’s too early to tell.

How many siblings does your significant other have? I don’t have one.

Are you one of those people who can drink vodka straight? Tried a shot of pure Absolut once, honestly wouldn’t do it again. If I had to have a shot, tequila is a lot more manageable for me.

Have you ever done three or more shots in a row? Man. Three shots in a row just sounds like you’re asking for death. Hahaha no. I like to space out my shots, but this is also considering the fact that my tolerance is shit.

Do you share a middle name with any of your friends? Not exactly the same spelling, but I have a handful of friends with different variations of the name. It’s a fairly popular middle name.

What was the last movie you saw in theatres? BTS in Busan, if that counts as a movie? Anyway they had a theatrical screening for it and I watched it twice, so. Are you interested in international politics? Maybe just facets of it, but I don’t keep up as much as I do with Philippine politics. Like I used to give a big fuck about Donald Trump’s presidency just because I felt like racism was inherently linked to his administration (and as an Asian, that...just doesn’t bode well for me and my family lol). Things like that.

How many pairs of jeans do you own? I have around 15 bottoms but out of those around 3 are jeans.

When was the last time you showered? Last night.

Do you know the name of the pharmacist at your local drug store? No. What was the first cellphone you had and how old were you when you got it? I got a Nokia 3310 for my 7th birthday.

Do you use public transport in your town or city? Nope. The public transport here is shit, so I learned how to drive so I can avoid the long queues and inconvenient commute. It’s definitely privilege at work and I’m well aware of it, and am just grateful I’m in a position where my parents can pay for my driving lessons and provide me a car. I would love for commuting to be an option for me someday, but something has to be done about improving the system first. Until then, I’ll do what’s personally convenient.

Have your parents ever worked in a factory? No, neither of them have.

Do you have several best friends? I have two.

How many lights are in the room you’re in? One, just the lamp at my work desk. Is there a Hard Rock Cafe in your town or city? Not around here, no.

Do you eat fast food more than once a week? Yes, my mom usually brings home some fast food for us when she drives home from work.

What flavour is your toothpaste? It’s just a generic minty taste.

Have you ever shared a shower or bath with someone as an adult? Yeah.

When was the last time you had a bubble bath? Last Octoberish.

Are you sleepy right now? Nah. I took a long nap this afternoon so I’m pretty awake right now haha.

How big is your backyard? It’s a moderate size. It’s enough to fit a couple of cars and my dad to play basketball when he has the time, so it’s very comfortable.

Do you know anyone with Tourette’s Syndrome? No, not personally.

What time does your alarm wake you up in the morning? I never set an alarm as I’m able to wake up on my own in time for work. Alarm ringtones stress me out for the most part, too.

What was the last zoo you visited? I try to avoid zoos as much as I can, but back in like 2018 we did go to this ecopark in Bohol where there were tarsiers and a few other animals I believe.

Do you like crime films and tv shows? Not if it’s about fictional crime. I prefer documentaries that break down the facts of an actual crime. Take Buzzfeed’s Unsolved and its technical 'spin-off,’ Ghost Files – Ryan and Shane are a fantastic duo at narrating crimes.

When you shop, do you take a basket or a cart (trolley)? Usually a cart.

Have you ever tasted milk straight from the cow? No, but I’d love to try it once!

What’s your favourite sleeping position? On my side.

What colour is the bra you’re wearing? Not wearing one at the moment. Have you ever seen A Clockwork Orange? Yes, it’s one of my favorites. There’s one scene I do prefer to skip every time it comes on but for the most part, that movie is a fascinating level of fucked up that I can’t help but enjoy.

Are you bitter about anything? Reena is being a big, inconvenient pain in the ass about our Thailand trip, and always seems to be on the verge of jeopardizing the plans we’ve made. This morning she spoke up in the group chat saying how she feels like she has had little input so far on the flight and Airbnb we’ve booked, and it’s taken every ounce of self-control in me not to tell her that the probable reasons she feels that way are 1) she hasn’t even asked permission from her parents yet, and 2) she doesn’t even have a fucking passport.

Do you like to make games out of chores to make them more enjoyable? Not really? I feel like that’s the kind of stuff you do for a kid to make chores more enjoyable for them, lol. Anyway, I do pick out a playlist or a video to play in the background just so that the work doesn’t feel so monotonous.

How many letters are in your best friend’s surname? Both of them have 7, come to think of it.

Is there anything in your possession that probably shouldn’t be? I recently found a top buried deep in my closet that actually came from my ex, so I panicked for like 5 seconds when I found it LOL but immediately threw it out also, so we’re good.

What is your favourite flavour of yoghurt? Never liked yogurt.

What was the first online account you remember having? Apart from a Yahoo email account, Friendster.

Do you listen to music to fall asleep? Nah. I either pick a video to watch or scroll through Reddit until my eyelids start getting super droopy.

Where did you go last time you left your town or city? I went to Makati last Wednesday to meet a client and to go to an event we had to help manage.

Do you use emojis? Yeah, I tend to use them often when talking to friends or posting a status on social media.

Have you ever wanted to be a lawyer? I considered it very briefly in college because I thought it’d be cool to follow in my great-grandfather’s footsteps, but all the horror stories about law school profs routinely terrorizing and humiliating students turned me off from it. My heart was never in law anyway so I had no problem detaching.

What percentage of battery does your phone currently have? 100%.

What was the last type of soda you drank? Probably a Sprite? Idk I hate soda for the most part but take rare exceptions for Sprite since it tastes on the milder side for me.

How far away from your house is your favourite place to shop for clothes? It’s around a 20-minute drive away.

Do you have supplies handy right now to draw something if I told you to? Not in my room but I can easily ask my sister for some pens and markers and such, so yeah sure!

Have you ever been married? Nopes.

What does your deodorant smell like? It’s a faint papaya scent.

Is your bedroom more messy or clean at the moment? It’s neat.

Do you use Twitter? Yeah, it’s my main way to get updated on all things BTS. I had a stan account like two years ago but hated how cliquish everyone was being, so I went back to my personal and just stay updated from there without the pressure of having to be active per se in the fandom. Are you any good at baking cakes and cookies from scratch? Not at all. I’ve tried baking cookies in the past but they always turned out bland at best, and my heart wasn’t in it enough to want to improve.

Is there a floor lamp in your bedroom? Not a floor lamp but I do have a desk lamp on my work table that I like to keep on 24/7 even if it’s already naturally bright. I feel uneasy when it’s off, so. What does most of your weekly or fortnightly income go towards? Food, tbh.

Have you ever been to another continent? No, just around Asia so far.

Do you have any hidden piercings? (this includes bellybuttons) Nope.

What month is your birthday? April.

What can you hear right now? A vlog of Cong’s.

[eriellesudario]

My Trip to USA

January 8 – 25 was the time I visited the USA with the family. I wanted to go during Vidcon Season in June but you know what they say, grab what you can. This trip, I visited 4 cities: San Fransisco, Seattle, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, and 3 states: Washington, California, and Arizona. Sadly, this trip didnt allow me to meet any online friends because either:

California is overrated to them

They can’t afford to meet me

Over the trip, I’ve shared my experiences over in a forum site where most of my online friends who live in the country could see them and now, here is a polished entry about my trip.  

The Plan

Schedule: San Fransisco (Jan 8 – 12) Seattle (Jan 12 – 17) Las Vegas (Jan 17 – 20) Los Angeles (Jan 20 – 25)

Budget: $1000 spending money

Accommodations: Motel, Relatives, Planet Hollywood Suite, Marriot Hotel (Anaheim), Air BNB (Hollywood)

First Impressions

Visiting the USA is like if the Philippines and Australia were merged together. Reasons for this is because the Philippines has some historical ties with the USA and some of the places I’ve visited just reminds me when I visited Australia for the first time. Everything I’ve seen so far just felt similar to a certain extent yet different at the same time.   Nevertheless, it’s an interesting country.   Just… not like how its described in the movies.   Also it’s really… really cold… but slowly getting warmer as the days go by.  

The Trip

My trip is pretty much like any tourist trip you could think off, mashed up with visiting relatives that I’ve never met or barely remember. A lot of my days were waking up really early (especially when going to the Grand Canyon) but overall, it’s worth it in the end. I pretty much went to the most suggested locations such as Alcatraz, Twin Peaks, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Space Needle, Universal Studios, Disneyland… etc, but I was able to visit other places as well like the Place of Fine Art and a Ski area around the mountains of Seattle.

For accomodation, I was able to stay in different kinds of places. From Motels to Hotels and Suites to Air Bnb, and relatives, all were comfy and accomodating. I guess my fave accomodation was the Air BnB due to how close it was to Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame… also Netflix.

Most of our travelling was done by relatives, public transport, and Uber… lots of Ubers… like a lot.

Photography

The entire trip was a giant photography fest (except for Seattle).

Every landmark and place I’ve visited, there was an opportunity to take great pics. Some required tripods. However, there was one shot that I was unable to achieve to capture due to weather — a sunrise shot of San Fransisco over at Twin Peaks. It was 9 degrees and very foggy, not ideal weather conditions.

I was able to use a mix of 3 devices, my Canon 70D, Canon M6 and my iPhone X. All to which were used in different conditions. Where my 70D was to capture giant landmarks in San Fransisco and night photography over at Vegas, my M6 was used when I was in amusement parks or when I’m on the constant go, while my phone was used as back up and panoramic shots.

Food

The food varies from place to place. In Seattle, there was a Westfield which has a mini Philippine section and sold Jollibee, Chowking, Red Ribbon and a supermarket filled with products from the Philippines. The Jollibee literally reminded me of my old home country. It tasted really good.   Other foods were interesting as well. A friend told me to try a corn dog over in Disney’s California Adventure since “It tastes like Freedom”. I tried a Pork Cutlet Obento Box over at LA Japangeles because of Yuri!!! On Ice (I wanted to try the bowl but my folks wanted me to stick to the Obento just in case I wouldn’t finish it).  

But my fave meal of all time… was my dinner over at Hexx in Vegas.  

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The rib eye steak w/ fries was really good and they were willing to make me Mushroom Sauce after I enquired if they had any (they didn’t). This was the first meal where I was alone, no adults to pay… just me. I had a good view of the water show over at the Bellagio Fountain. The bill totalled around $64 USD and I tipped $25 since it was really good. 

My friends and family were shook when I told the tale.

Fun and activities

Vegas to LA was where the fun actually began.

Over in Vegas, I tried the Slotzilla zipline which was amazing. It felt like I was flying and they provided GoPro cameras which allowed me to film and capture the moment. It was thrilling and it reminded of that one scene in Divergent where Tris was flying down Chicago. It was amazing… but it was when you’re about to stop that made me feel like I was going to fall off and die.   The came the amusement parks.   Everyone who has visited and lived in the USA would give me tones of info about the amusement parks over in LA. That they’re the most amazing place, with tiny flaws, but are worth going. I will admit, I did have fun. All 3 parks I’ve been through have their quirks and sorts but there are also some flaws.

Disneyland

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Disneyland is a good start. Its a must go since… well… it’s Disneyland! There was a mix of thrilling and calm rides and it’s a place for all ages. Sadly, due to construction, no parade. Disney’s California Adventure is very limited in rides but its very… grand. Radiator Springs was really cute and my fave ride of all time is there… the Guardians of the Galaxy Breakout. So much 4th wall breaking and screaming. Sadly, I couldn’t see the World of Color due to time restraints. Yeah, couldn’t be there the whole day since after asking advice from relatives who went and a friend who was just there months ago, Cali Adventure has so many significant closures that it was much more worth going to Disneyland first.

Tip of advice for anyone who plans to go: Master the Fast Pass System… trust me, it will save a lot of time!

Universal Studios

This has gave me lot of mixed feelings.

It’s a good park but I rather be in the one in Singapore. Most of the rides here are screen-based, meaning you’re sitting on a rocking chair whilst there’s a giant screen infront of you. It’s ok… but if almost every ride is like that… kinda a downer. Even the non-screen rollercoaster ride over in the Harry Potter area was also a downer. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was really cool though. The Walking Dead attraction literally scared the shit out of me. Like if you go there with me, you will hear me curse in both English and Tagalog due to fear. Everything else were ok… but once again, giant screen being shoved at your face while sitting on a rocking chair. The shows and tours however were interesting for those aspiring to be filmmakers as it explains how production work and so forth.

Special Mentions

Alcatraz (San Fransisco)

Alcatraz was an interesting sight to see as it’s a prison on an island but also national park. The historical context about the prison was something that gave me interest since it was known as ‘the most inescapable prison’ in the USA. I’m aware on who Al Capone is, the famous mobster in the USA. But I didn’t know he was eventually caught and sent to that slammer. It was nice to hear stories about the place from people who used to work/lived/be arrested there via audio commentary.   In the end, I got a book signed by one of the ex-convicts, William Baker. He was arrested for car robbery and when asked on of his fave moments in Alcatraz, it was leaving the place (Go Figure).

Pokemon HQ (Seattle)

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Whilst in Seattle, I was able to visit the Pokemon HQ since I have a relative who works there. It was really cool seeing the place and I got some cool Pokèmerch in the end. It was a new building so not much decorations (but there will be soon). It kinda reminds me of old Club Penguin BTS videos back in 2011/12 since the building is really ergonomic and environment-friendly.  

Also… SO MUCH PIKACHU PLUSHIES!!! It was really cute and I wanted one but I couldn’t (and they cost $90 – 100+ AUD on eBay).

Bellagio Water Show (Las Vegas)

It was spectacular. It goes in 15 minute intervals at night and the performance I saw, they played ‘My Heart Will Go On’ by Celine Dion and it was like seeing a ballet show done by water. It was very pretty and worth watching. Near the area are a bunch of people dressed up in costumes for photo ops (if you give a tip ofc).  

Grand Canyon & Hover Dam (Arizona)

I went to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, and if I could be completely honest, Hoover Dam looks better in the Transformers movie. But Grand Canyon is something that it’s hard to describe. It was very scenic, but the weirdest/most morbid thought came up to my mind which I won’t say here. Climbing up small mounds of rocks were a challenge since I had my DSLR on me but it was worth it.  

The Anaheim Convention Centre & LA Japangeles (Los Angeles)  

I just saw where Vidcon gets held every year… and despite it not being Vidcon season, I can just imagine and picture based on vlogs that get uploaded and photos shared on social media, that it’s a pretty jammed packed event. This place reminded me why I wanted to pursuit YouTube… to be like my fave content creators with my own little twist. It reminded me why I enjoyed being a fan and why I worship YouTube as a growing new form of entertainment. This made me denounce my ‘LazyTown’ interest for one day (or a week) and I wanted to return to my ‘Demon Phannie’ phase of my life… GetLazy wasn’t happy.

LA Japangeles is the first ‘mini Japan’ I’ve ever seen. I wanted to go to the one in San Fransisco but time contraints prevented us in doing so. It was small so don’t expect it to be grand as a Chinatown, but it was worth visiting due to aesthetics.

Overall Thoughts

  I could add more into this but there is so much to talk about that occurred in 18 days that its’ hard to condense it down into one blog post. But I had a lot of fun and it was worth going to. I do hope I get to go back (especially during Vidcon Season). I also want to visit other states as well such as Utah, Texas, Denver, and etc just to meet some online friends… shame they couldn’t visit me.   But I enjoyed my trip and it was worth going to.

[faithfromanewperspective]

take this with a grain of salt for sure but maybe ‘xxx only cares about things to a certain extent, only does activism when it’s of some benefit to them’ before you jump to ‘xxx you need to DO more and I can’t support you til you do’ (and unless it’s your dependent child you’re perfectly justified to do that, if it doesn’t work though, I might be able to explain to you why).

and that why is possibly that, through all the things they do, they might be trying to meet a need they have. and being human an awful lot of the time when we do that we actually end up meeting the needs of each other as well, advocating for other people like us, etc. yes a lot of people do horrific things trying to meet their own needs, and that’s not excusable, but I also think a lot of activism is born out of the same thing. for example when I design a public transport system and it gets put into place, I’ll start with the one that affects me from day to day where possible, and if it works out I get to work faster but so do thousands of other people. A lot of activism is motivated by some form of selfishness, and that in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. selfishness as defined as the drive to meet your own needs is not in itself a bad thing: in fact it’s a good thing up until the point that you actually get in the way of others’ meeting their needs while doing so, or you try to meet your own needs in bad or destructive ways.

for the sake of this exercise I want to mostly think of people who have more money than they need, of course it doesn’t exclusively apply to them but that’s who we’ll start with. because I sound like an old school hippie saying this but I don’t think our only needs are food and water and shelter. this might be the youth pastor in me but I think we need a lot more unconditional love and acceptance and respect than we realise. and I think we also need a lot more autonomy than we have and for a lot of people that’s what they end up controlling others to try and get. I think that beyond a certain point there’s actually nothing money can do to meet those needs, yes a lot of people are short of it but all it is is a social construct that is one form of power and power isn’t something you can bring into existence things like love and community with. you need other forms of capital too.

so I’ve just been really nerdy for a bit but here’s the application of what I’m saying: here you have a rich person, maybe yes they’re not used to going without (many of us are. many of us get by when we’re without things we need actually by advocating for others who in our eyes have less to get some of their needs met, and it helps us feel a little better, and helps us feed ourselves the lie that we have enough even if we don’t have something such as a form of connection that we really really want. it’s a distraction of sorts to look down the hierarchy of needs so we don’t focus on what we don’t have). but maybe because they have so much materially they try to convince themselves they have all their needs met—but actually their material wealth often gets in the way of being unconditionally loved and accepted and respected, because with power comes responsibility and with that come people who judge you on whether you’re doing enough with the power that they wish they themselves had to meet a need they see going unmet. And that is especially true if you’re also a marginalised group, people are you as more human and more able to empathise and this perpetuates things like make privilege and white privilege.

and it’s the same with men and the whole toxic masculinity we don’t need to be vulnerable thing. on a more broader global scale it’s the same with the global north: the west has individualism which is a genderless form of toxic masculinity which tells us not to think we need community or expect that need to be met, tells us what community we have is enough even if for some of us, it isn’t. all I’m saying is we all have unmet needs, mostly for things like connection and unconditional love and respect we can internalise from people important to us so that it doesn’t matter when people we don’t care about are critical or downright mean. I’d say the west in general has a lot of poverty in those areas, relational areas, and celebrities are probably the ones who experience that the worst. it’s fair in a morbid kind of way: those who amass material wealth will have poverty in other ways. karma.

but the thing about unmet needs is that they disable you. you can bypass them to some degree and god knows you should in the example I’m about to give, but just like you can borrow and borrow money to try and pay your rent but at some point that doesn’t work anymore, same goes with relational needs at a broader scale. some things require a cost to how known and loved we feel and sometimes that cost is worth paying. but just because therapy is worth paying for doesn’t mean that everyone is capable of paying for it, some simply don’t have the money and will have to go without. similarly, consequences of running out of the currency of being and feeling known and loved impact mental health which then impacts behaviour and the more public the breakdown the more it spirals on itself.

so you want this celebrity to stand up for palestine. they’ve got power to do a whole lot of good and god knows they kinda have a responsibility to do something even if it isn’t what they signed up for; none of us signed up for this except maybe the perpetrators who will turn around and blame hamas for ‘provoking’ them. you want this, then go and do your part to meet their relational needs, connection needs, etc. Question the whole system and unravel it. maybe there’s not much we can do from this distance but if you have any chance to tell them they’re loved and accepted somehow especially in the areas that are personal to them please fucking do it. do your bit to change culture about how we have respect and boundaries. it’s hard when you’re not in their inner circle and it more falls onto those who are, but you can do this for your community too, invest in building relational capital and learn how we do that and why we’re losing it and troubleshoot that. it’s all connected. and maybe it’ll work. maybe they’ll be filled up enough they believe it’s a risk worth taking or care about people enough or want the people to think they’re on the good side badly enough (again, selfish motivation isn’t necessarily bad, if it has a good impact). maybe they won’t. but for you reading this the important thing is that you did as much as you can and you’re learning every day how to do better because you’re probably living in relational and community and autonomy poverty too.

[greystarget]

2004 mercedes c230 kompressor sport for sale

2004 mercedes c230 kompressor sport for sale full#

I also don't want them because they would become a way for Silicon Valley to monetize transporting people via surveillance capitalism.

Dave Holzman I don't want AVs because driving is one of my favorite activities, and my car is a prized possession.

Operation is one thing, but waste disposal is chronically ignored by politicians - Mr Obama killed Yucca Mountain just when it was ready for use.I charge my EV in the early morning using the timer, so I guess I could live in California - heh. YMMV.I'm a fan of coal it's stupid to be sitting atop centuries of energy and not use it.Nuclear is great until it isn't, so I'm on the fence. My power is fairly cheap, so the car costs me about $0.03/mile to drive I'm saving about $1000 annually in fuel costs vs an ICE car. The US public school system is a disaster too, but that's not the students' fault.My EV accounts for 20% of my electric budget, driving 1000 miles/month. I can't cite the mining statistics for aluminum or iron, though.California is regulating itself into oblivion, but that doesn't make EVs the villain. Building ICE engines and powering them for 20 years isn't environmentally free, either.

SCE to AUX I've responded to many of these broad brush comments before, so I won't do it again here.However:Statistics without context are just words.

And by the way, more people currently die from cold than from heat. And if the Earth warms a couple of degrees, humans will adapt to it, the same way we've adapted to living in northern climates.

Master Baiter "The takeaway? There are no easy answers."Sure there are-the Republican answer: Continue using fossil fuels until it's no longer economical to do so.

Still need to do a similar photo of me with "Stitch" - if "Bailey" were still with us he'd be about 22 years old. I can't trust a dog this little not to make a break for it or not to wander loose without a travel bag. Funny that they were in the process of the remodel to the orange and lime green dealership motif and I bought that one in a temporary trailer and likewise at Hiley Hurst as they're just about done with their remodel FROM the orange and lime green style.

DungBeetle62 Its predecessor came from Hiley Arlington, but they had no RF's available.

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2004 mercedes c230 kompressor sport for sale full#

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