Good Articles That Don't Deserve Their Own Threads

I love to speak Russian. But I've learned there are times to hold my tongue

"Yesterday, I called my mother.

We talked about the war in Ukraine. About the bodies and bombed buildings, about our relatives, about her tailor who is now making Ukrainian flags, about the Montreal nurse she knows whose parents are missing in Mariupol, about my cousin whose daughter lives in Poland and is worried about her boyfriend in Ukraine.

How, Anna? How is this happening again? She tells me that she was standing in line at the grocery store and overheard two women speaking in Russian about how their children were being bullied for speaking Russian.

This morning, I ran into Lyuba, a Russian-speaking woman I know. So seldom do I have the opportunity to speak the language of my childhood that I happily let loose my dormant Russian tongue.

As I waved goodbye, my nine-year-old-self reminded me that I've learned the dance between knowing when and when not to speak Russian.

Now is not that time."

Self imposed cancel culture.
 

The Cost of U.S. Wars Then and Now

Though it lasted fewer than four years, World War II was the most expensive war in United States history. Adjusted for inflation to today’s dollars, the war cost over $4 trillion and in 1945, the war’s last year, defense spending comprised about 40% of gross domestic product (GDP). During that...
online.norwich.edu online.norwich.edu
 
www.bbc.com

Broadway curtain call for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera

New York's longest running musical closed on Sunday after 35 years at the Majestic Theatre.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

"It grossed over $1.3bn (£1bn) during its decades-long Broadway run.

On Saturday, Lord Lloyd-Webber said the show had 'probably' cost over nearly $1m (£806,000) to run a week.

The pandemic forced Broadway to close for 18 months, and after theatres re-opened costs increased by 15% due to the imposition of Covid-19 protocols and additional security, according to the show's general manager.

Meanwhile, overall tourist levels, which aid ticket sales, have not returned to pre-pandemic levels in New York.

The last show was originally scheduled for February, but the show saw a last minute surge in demand, which saw ticket sales bring in over $3m (£2.4m) each week."

It's like the pop of theatre but I never tire of seeing it since my first time as a school kid. On NBC there was an actor who said he started off playing the younger characters (Raoul I think) and now he has aged into being one of the opera owners.
 
Fwiffo said:
www.bbc.com

Broadway curtain call for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera

New York's longest running musical closed on Sunday after 35 years at the Majestic Theatre.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

"It grossed over $1.3bn (£1bn) during its decades-long Broadway run.

On Saturday, Lord Lloyd-Webber said the show had 'probably' cost over nearly $1m (£806,000) to run a week.

The pandemic forced Broadway to close for 18 months, and after theatres re-opened costs increased by 15% due to the imposition of Covid-19 protocols and additional security, according to the show's general manager.

Meanwhile, overall tourist levels, which aid ticket sales, have not returned to pre-pandemic levels in New York.

The last show was originally scheduled for February, but the show saw a last minute surge in demand, which saw ticket sales bring in over $3m (£2.4m) each week."

It's like the pop of theatre but I never tire of seeing it since my first time as a school kid. On NBC there was an actor who said he started off playing the younger characters (Raoul I think) and now he has aged into being one of the opera owners.
Click to expand...
Phantom was the second lamest musical I've seen live - the worst was CATS.
 
fxh said:
Phantom was the second lamest musical I've seen live - the worst was CATS.
Click to expand...

I've also seen his revival of Sound of Music when it toured here, but I like romantic comedies so it fits me. I never made it to see Love Never Dies.

I've also settled into a habit of exclusively seeing operas with tragic endings from Puccini and Verdi even though the endings are predictable.
 
www.bbc.com

Where to have afternoon tea in London

Advice from an "international tea expert" on where to go for the most Instagrammable afternoon tea and whether cream or jam goes on a scone first.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

"What are the biggest blunders you see tourists making at afternoon tea?

The dress code. I know a lot of tourists when they go to London, they've got their jeans on. But some hotels will not let you in. Some have a dress code on their website, but generally the strictest ones would expect women to wear smart shoes, no trainers, no jeans, no sportswear. Men need to wear a collar, tie and jacket. Even if you're missing a tie, they won't let you in."

There's still dress code requiring a tie in a public hotel? A jacket I can understand.
 
www.bbc.com

India's disappearing Chinese community

In the crowded east Indian city of Kolkata, a small community of Hakka Chinese have been living quietly for more than a century now.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

"Today, there are barely 2,000 people of Chinese origin left in Kolkata. But their culture is visible everywhere in the Tiretta (also called Tiretti) Bazar and Tangra neighbourhoods: in the street food vendors, the Taoist temples and community clubs, as well as the annual lion dances to welcome the Lunar New Year."

Interesting. I'm surrounded by Hakka Chinese/Indian fusion food here. I didn't know they were dying off like the Parsi.
 
www.bbc.com

New York's skyscrapers are causing it to sink – what can be done about it?

The ground under New York City is sinking 1-2mm per year, partly due to the sheer mass of all the buildings but it isn't the only city to be suffering – what can be done to save them?
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

"That ground, according to a study published in May, is sinking by 1-2mm (0.04-0.08in) per year, partly due to the pressure exerted on it by the city buildings above. And that is concerning experts – add the subsidence of the land to the rising of sea levels, and the relative sea level rise is 3-4mm (0.12-0.16in) per year. "

Better than Jakarta which is sinking in the centimetres.
 
Dropbear said:
www.newyorker.com

The Case Against Travel

It turns us into the worst version of ourselves while convincing us that we’re at our best.
www.newyorker.com www.newyorker.com
Click to expand...
Like all culture writing now, including mine, it has no true object other than what it finds irritating in other people. But despite the fact that the piece is titled “The Case Against Travel,” it contains enough caveats and provisos and backdoors that, when it falls under criticism, its defenders will say “It’s not really a case against travel!” The headline is just how they get you to click, see. And that too is all culture writing now: a simulacrum of provocation with an escape hatch through which an essay’s author and its fans can slither, if the pushback proves too fierce. The essay becomes not really an invective against travel, but about a certain mindset towards travel, which you can rest assured the average New Yorker subscriber does not hold. Thus we return to the central plaint of modern culture writing - someone reminds me of myself in a discomfiting way.
 
fxh said:
Like all culture writing now, including mine, it has no true object other than what it finds irritating in other people. But despite the fact that the piece is titled “The Case Against Travel,” it contains enough caveats and provisos and backdoors that, when it falls under criticism, its defenders will say “It’s not really a case against travel!” The headline is just how they get you to click, see. And that too is all culture writing now: a simulacrum of provocation with an escape hatch through which an essay’s author and its fans can slither, if the pushback proves too fierce. The essay becomes not really an invective against travel, but about a certain mindset towards travel, which you can rest assured the average New Yorker subscriber does not hold. Thus we return to the central plaint of modern culture writing - someone reminds me of myself in a discomfiting way.
Click to expand...
I think the venn diagram of Live, Laugh, Pray world travellers and New Yorker readers would have a lot of overlap.
 
She must have been jumping up in joy during lockdowns.

Revenge travel is back. Peak capitalism, doing it for the gram, becoming the next TikTok influencer - let the best of the 21st century continue rolling on.
 
www.bbc.com

Hundreds of migrants killed by Saudi border guards - report

Migrants tell the BBC they were shot on the Saudi border as a new report alleges "mass killings".
www.bbc.com

"Its report contains graphic descriptions of rotting corpses scattered throughout the border area, captured migrants being asked by Saudi border guards which leg they want to be shot through, and machine guns and mortars being used to attack large groups of terrified people."

Well I guess that's another way to control migrants besides barges and a wall.
 
www.nytimes.com

New Lyft Feature Allows Women to Match Rides With Other Women

The company said it hoped to improve safety and encourage more female drivers.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

"He said he had heard from female passengers saying they 'would just prefer to be picked up by a woman' and from female drivers saying, 'If I could drive women, I would drive more.'"

What if I'm trans?

Also - what rider tries to assault their driver? I assume people are driving and you don't want the vehicle careening off a cliff because you want to get your face into her cleavage.
 
www.messynessychic.com

The Saga Behind America's Giant Government Cheese Vaults

Not all cheese is created equally. Any American who has been around long enough to taste a slice of “government cheese” can tell you that. While the phrase sounds surreal, and is often used as a derogatory shorthand for any form of welfare, the original concept of government cheese lives on...
www.messynessychic.com www.messynessychic.com
 
www.bbc.com

The small shops that run NYC

Want to feel like a local in one of the world's most international cities? Head to these beloved neighbourhood stores spearheaded by Hispanic entrepreneurs.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

"While many NYC grocery stores continued to be owned by Irish, Italians, Jews, Greeks, Germans and other immigrants, these small corner shops became especially associated with the Puerto Rican community. Bodegas provided food from the island that was hard to find, like dried codfish..."

"...I would not see at supermarkets, like platanutres (plantain chips)"

Dried codfish? Baccala and bakaliaros are pretty popular. I saw plantain chips in a dollar store.

But no cats. I wonder if the NYC health department checks the cat.
 
Fwiffo said:
www.bbc.com

The small shops that run NYC

Want to feel like a local in one of the world's most international cities? Head to these beloved neighbourhood stores spearheaded by Hispanic entrepreneurs.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

"While many NYC grocery stores continued to be owned by Irish, Italians, Jews, Greeks, Germans and other immigrants, these small corner shops became especially associated with the Puerto Rican community. Bodegas provided food from the island that was hard to find, like dried codfish..."

"...I would not see at supermarkets, like platanutres (plantain chips)"

Dried codfish? Baccala and bakaliaros are pretty popular. I saw plantain chips in a dollar store.

But no cats. I wonder if the NYC health department checks the cat.
Click to expand...
of course the growth of NYC Puerto Rican bodegas dates back to the 20's when emigration to began in earnest, not yesterday.
 
I can't read the rest of the article. Is that diminished friendships of only males?

I don't really have too many male friends who didn't come from my professional circle. With most of them there is only one vocation - go to sports, watch games at a bar, go hit on women at clubs and that's it. Besides that one singular thing I never really share anything else with them. When I had a bad breakup some of them were even surprised there was a woman.

Women in my life on the other hand get the full treatment - the narcissism, the vanity and above all the drama.
 
Fwiffo said:
I can't read the rest of the article. Is that diminished friendships of only males?

I don't really have too many male friends who didn't come from my professional circle. With most of them there is only one vocation - go to sports, watch games at a bar, go hit on women at clubs and that's it. Besides that one singular thing I never really share anything else with them. When I had a bad breakup some of them were even surprised there was a woman.

Women in my life on the other hand get the full treatment - the narcissism, the vanity and above all the drama.
Click to expand...

Are you saying you treat us here like your ‘lady friends’?
 
www.theglobeandmail.com

It’s not the economy, stupid – that’s not why you’re unhappy

Governments and political parties continue to concentrate too much on economic issues, often at the expense of other important objectives
www.theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com

"Empirical evidence shows that higher income, once you get beyond a threshold level that most Canadian families already meet, does not really improve life satisfaction. This is a phenomenon called the Easterlin paradox.

It seems that Bill Clinton’s successful presidential campaign’s message 'It’s the economy, stupid' has really stuck as governments and political parties on both sides of the border continue to concentrate too much on economic issues, often at the expense of other important societal objectives."

Money doesn't make you more happy? Owning more sh*t and posting it on TikTok or Instagram isn't gratifying? What!?
 
www.bbc.com

International mafia bust shows US-Italy crime links still strong

While decades of prosecutions weakened the US and Italian mafia, transatlantic relations remain strong.
www.bbc.com

"The Gambinos - who were the primary targets of this week's arrests - are particularly close with the powerful Calabrian group, the 'Ndrangheta.

'The connection is strong because neither side is strong,' says Professor Sergi."

I thought the 'Ndrangheta usurped Cosa Nostra in the 21st century. They're weak now?
 
www.nbcnews.com

Some Gen Zers are nostalgic for an era of clubbing they didn’t get to experience

Zoomers on TikTok are finding that nightlife in 2023 is no longer about “getting crunk in the club” — but that’s OK.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com

“'Nightlife is just constantly about romanticizing some bygone era that you weren’t a part of,' said Colyar, 25. 'People are just constantly thinking that what is past is better than what’s happening now.'"

Every generation says that.

"Many older members of the age cohort — a group born between 1996 and 2012 — grew up listening to party-forward pop music and watching shows like 'Jersey Shore,' in which clubbing was depicted as a way of life. As they come of age in a post-pandemic, increasingly digital era, some are left underwhelmed with their nightlife experiences."

Things I don't miss about clubbing:
  • Getting on the wait list. Paying money to get on the VIP list. Watch skanky hoes get in at 2200 whilst I'm queuing around the block. Getting some bloke's BBM so I can get ahead in the queue.
  • Bottle service. Vodka 3 digits. Champagne 4 digits. There's no way Jack Daniel's should be costing me hundreds.
  • Sticky floors. I think this was a design so drunk and high people don't slip and fall.
  • The girls dressed like playboy bunnies wearing trays that sell you cigarettes and mints around the washroom. You can't smoke unless you leave the club (see point 1 about bouncers and trying to get in).
  • That one drunk bloke who keeps spilling his watered down cranberry vodka or other pansy drink on your clothes because he needs to gesticulate like an Italian. Actually it might just be cranberry.
  • Pre-gaming. Drinking until you exhibit vomit reflex isn't smart.
  • Getting a taxi after you leave the club. I need to go 3 blocks. No, only long trips. I need to go west. No, I live east so I don't want to drive you west. I'm out of cash, can I pay by card and tip with cash? No, the machine doesn't work today. It's doing funny things. Then Uber came - surcharge.
  • Vomit. Vomit around the corner of the club. Vomit in the toilet stall. Some friend helping another poor bastard vomit crouching in front of the toilet in the stall. The general smell of God knows what people eat before they hit the club and (try to) party in the wee hours in the morning.
  • Molly pills were ecstasy.
  • The ear splitting tinnitus you get when you finally leave the club and are wandering home at 4am. Suddenly the hot dog vendor or the Chinese woman at the 24/7 dim sum seems very very very very far away. Your eyes are used to the dark too so the cheap fluorescent lights inside a Chinatown restaurant is killing you.
  • Screaming at the top of your lungs at the 2 bartenders with your elbows on a wet bar with unknown drink substances to get their attention. (always choose the opposite sex) Paying cash for drinks so you can leave outrageous tips and get a "free" plastic bottle of water to stay hydrated for the night.
  • Most mental sex propositions in the strangest places. Women who start twerking on you and then realising you're not part of her party/group.
  • Sean Paul. It's a sign of laziness when you have to resort to playing Temperature. No matter how loud the people in the room scream.
 
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