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Celerity's Journal
May 16, 2022
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/best-night-markets-around-the-world
Asia’s night markets exemplify the true meaning of organized chaos. Just ask any traveler strolling down a packed street at primetime for the first time—all the crowds, humidity, and haggling can certainly make a new visitor feel like they’re in a scene from The Human Centipede. Yet, it’s an experience that’s magnetic again and again. Night markets are a powerhouse potpourri of delicious smells, bright colors, and buzzing sounds—and they’re a fascinating window into a destination’s particular culture and history. These hubbub attractions are renowned for street food, shopping, and live entertainment.
What started in China during medieval times spread to other countries like Thailand and Taiwan, and especially grew after World War II. In the ’80s and ’90s, the bazaars became less like traditional wet markets and more bent on commerce (think pirated movies and luxury knockoffs, plus the typical street food). Thus, younger and more international crowds started being lured in and there you have it: a nighttime hullabaloo. These days, night markets across Asia—and other places around the world—are diverse cultural melting pots blending old and new, foreign and local, into a truly global cultural phenomenon. Here are some of the world’s most captivating Asian night markets.
China
China, believed to be the ancestral home of the night market thanks to a sudden lift of rules on nighttime activity during the Tang dynasty, China is still where you’ll still find plenty of happening ones. The capital city of Beijing lays claim to busy, flashy night markets like Nanluoguxiang, a lane (known locally as a hutong) lined with teeny, old-world shops and restaurants. Or there’s Shuang’an, where vendors wheel and deal everything from fresh seafood on ice to tripe. A centerpiece of trade is xiaochi, or “small eats” in Mandarin. These light meals, like soups or dumplings and rice dishes, are derived from traditional banquet dishes and served for gobbling to-go or at folding tables.
Thailand
Thailand is synonymous with some of the world’s loudest and showiest night bazaars. Bangkok’s Patpong, a notorious night-market-cum-red-light-district, gets its name from the Chinese family who first purchased the property. In the ’60s, it proliferated with bars and restaurants as a so-called “R&R stop” for U.S. military officers stationed during the Vietnam War. These days, it’s a pretty touristy market with counterfeits and souvenirs you can get for half the price in other places. Thailand’s nocturnal markets range from more traditional walking streets like those in places like Chiang Mai and Phuket to modern concepts like the Greenway Market in Hat Yai or Cicada in Hua Hin, where gourmet food and handmade pieces by young artists are respective focal points. Overall, you’ll get in-your-face grill smoke, loud twangy music, and shopping ranging from glittery Muay Thai shorts to handmade soaps and iPhone cases.
snip
The 9 Best Night Markets Around the World
For the best noodles and spices, go to the source.https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/best-night-markets-around-the-world
Asia’s night markets exemplify the true meaning of organized chaos. Just ask any traveler strolling down a packed street at primetime for the first time—all the crowds, humidity, and haggling can certainly make a new visitor feel like they’re in a scene from The Human Centipede. Yet, it’s an experience that’s magnetic again and again. Night markets are a powerhouse potpourri of delicious smells, bright colors, and buzzing sounds—and they’re a fascinating window into a destination’s particular culture and history. These hubbub attractions are renowned for street food, shopping, and live entertainment.
What started in China during medieval times spread to other countries like Thailand and Taiwan, and especially grew after World War II. In the ’80s and ’90s, the bazaars became less like traditional wet markets and more bent on commerce (think pirated movies and luxury knockoffs, plus the typical street food). Thus, younger and more international crowds started being lured in and there you have it: a nighttime hullabaloo. These days, night markets across Asia—and other places around the world—are diverse cultural melting pots blending old and new, foreign and local, into a truly global cultural phenomenon. Here are some of the world’s most captivating Asian night markets.
China
China, believed to be the ancestral home of the night market thanks to a sudden lift of rules on nighttime activity during the Tang dynasty, China is still where you’ll still find plenty of happening ones. The capital city of Beijing lays claim to busy, flashy night markets like Nanluoguxiang, a lane (known locally as a hutong) lined with teeny, old-world shops and restaurants. Or there’s Shuang’an, where vendors wheel and deal everything from fresh seafood on ice to tripe. A centerpiece of trade is xiaochi, or “small eats” in Mandarin. These light meals, like soups or dumplings and rice dishes, are derived from traditional banquet dishes and served for gobbling to-go or at folding tables.
Thailand
Thailand is synonymous with some of the world’s loudest and showiest night bazaars. Bangkok’s Patpong, a notorious night-market-cum-red-light-district, gets its name from the Chinese family who first purchased the property. In the ’60s, it proliferated with bars and restaurants as a so-called “R&R stop” for U.S. military officers stationed during the Vietnam War. These days, it’s a pretty touristy market with counterfeits and souvenirs you can get for half the price in other places. Thailand’s nocturnal markets range from more traditional walking streets like those in places like Chiang Mai and Phuket to modern concepts like the Greenway Market in Hat Yai or Cicada in Hua Hin, where gourmet food and handmade pieces by young artists are respective focal points. Overall, you’ll get in-your-face grill smoke, loud twangy music, and shopping ranging from glittery Muay Thai shorts to handmade soaps and iPhone cases.
snip
May 16, 2022
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/05/ron-johnson-abortion-roe-v-wade
In the very near future, millions of people’s lives will be transformed when the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, as it is expected to do. In addition to obliterating the constitutional right to an abortion, the reversal of almost 50 years of precedent will likely result in a near or total ban on the medical procedure in about half of the country, including states where it will become a felony not only to perform but to obtain one. That’ll result in countless lives being destroyed, whether it‘s that of the rape victim who will have no choice but to give birth to her attacker’s kid, the woman living in poverty who can’t afford to raise a child, the literal child who has been impregnated by an abusive family member, or the person who simply had a different set of plans for their life that did not involve becoming a parent. Not to mention, the pregnant person who decides they have no choice but to undergo an illegal, risky abortion rather than be forced to give birth. But according to Republican senator Ron Johnson? None of this is a big deal and people are being hysterical over nothing.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, the Wisconsin lawmaker, who is up for reelection this year, said he doesn’t expect abortion to come up on the campaign trail because it’s basically a nonissue. “It might be a little messy for some people, but abortion is not going away,” Johnson said, an absolutely bizarre choice of words—not to mention, sentiment—given the history of women bleeding out and dying after unsafe abortions. He blithely added that though he doesn’t expect a 19th-century Wisconsin law banning abortions except to save the mother will go into effect if Roe is reversed, pregnant people can always go to neighboring Illinois if they want to obtain the medical procedure.
As so many people have noted, the reversal of Roe—and ensuing bans in numerous states—would disproportionately impact poor women and women of color. Those are people that, in fact, can’t necessarily just drive to Illinois (or the neighboring state that applies to them) because they can‘t get the time off of work, or don’t have a car, or have other children at home they can’t be away from for the night—or any of the many other reasons that Johnson apparently can’t think of. As for the idea that the 1849 Wisconsin law banning abortions won’t stand, Johnson is reportedly likely wrong about that too. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote last week, “Republican lawmakers for decades have made sure to preserve the 1849 ban in hopes that Roe would someday be overturned,” and the Republicans running for governor in the state “have [all] strongly opposed abortion and would be unlikely to sign legislation loosening the ban.”
Johnson, of course, has a long history of extremely shitty takes. As one of the most vocal proponents of Trump’s “big lie,” he repeatedly downplayed January 6, variously claiming that the attempted coup wasn’t “an armed insurrection,” even though that’s exactly what it was; that the rioters were not actually Trump supporters but “provocateurs” impersonating Trump supporters; and that he was never once worried for his life because the mob that stormed the Capitol were there to overturn an election, not protest for equal rights for Black people. He’s also a major purveyor of COVID misinformation, dispenses anti-vaccine rhetoric, and was temporarily kicked off of YouTube for promoting bogus cures. In 2010, he opposed a Wisconsin bill that would have eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse victims to bring lawsuits. And four years later, he reportedly did not tell the “police, Senate or Wisconsin officials that a former aide was allegedly sexually assaulted by a state lawmaker.”
snip
Ron Johnson Tells Pregnant People to Suck It Up and Go Out of State for an Abortion If They Want One
“It might be a little messy for some people, but abortion is not going away,” he blithely commented.https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/05/ron-johnson-abortion-roe-v-wade
In the very near future, millions of people’s lives will be transformed when the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, as it is expected to do. In addition to obliterating the constitutional right to an abortion, the reversal of almost 50 years of precedent will likely result in a near or total ban on the medical procedure in about half of the country, including states where it will become a felony not only to perform but to obtain one. That’ll result in countless lives being destroyed, whether it‘s that of the rape victim who will have no choice but to give birth to her attacker’s kid, the woman living in poverty who can’t afford to raise a child, the literal child who has been impregnated by an abusive family member, or the person who simply had a different set of plans for their life that did not involve becoming a parent. Not to mention, the pregnant person who decides they have no choice but to undergo an illegal, risky abortion rather than be forced to give birth. But according to Republican senator Ron Johnson? None of this is a big deal and people are being hysterical over nothing.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, the Wisconsin lawmaker, who is up for reelection this year, said he doesn’t expect abortion to come up on the campaign trail because it’s basically a nonissue. “It might be a little messy for some people, but abortion is not going away,” Johnson said, an absolutely bizarre choice of words—not to mention, sentiment—given the history of women bleeding out and dying after unsafe abortions. He blithely added that though he doesn’t expect a 19th-century Wisconsin law banning abortions except to save the mother will go into effect if Roe is reversed, pregnant people can always go to neighboring Illinois if they want to obtain the medical procedure.
As so many people have noted, the reversal of Roe—and ensuing bans in numerous states—would disproportionately impact poor women and women of color. Those are people that, in fact, can’t necessarily just drive to Illinois (or the neighboring state that applies to them) because they can‘t get the time off of work, or don’t have a car, or have other children at home they can’t be away from for the night—or any of the many other reasons that Johnson apparently can’t think of. As for the idea that the 1849 Wisconsin law banning abortions won’t stand, Johnson is reportedly likely wrong about that too. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote last week, “Republican lawmakers for decades have made sure to preserve the 1849 ban in hopes that Roe would someday be overturned,” and the Republicans running for governor in the state “have [all] strongly opposed abortion and would be unlikely to sign legislation loosening the ban.”
Johnson, of course, has a long history of extremely shitty takes. As one of the most vocal proponents of Trump’s “big lie,” he repeatedly downplayed January 6, variously claiming that the attempted coup wasn’t “an armed insurrection,” even though that’s exactly what it was; that the rioters were not actually Trump supporters but “provocateurs” impersonating Trump supporters; and that he was never once worried for his life because the mob that stormed the Capitol were there to overturn an election, not protest for equal rights for Black people. He’s also a major purveyor of COVID misinformation, dispenses anti-vaccine rhetoric, and was temporarily kicked off of YouTube for promoting bogus cures. In 2010, he opposed a Wisconsin bill that would have eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse victims to bring lawsuits. And four years later, he reportedly did not tell the “police, Senate or Wisconsin officials that a former aide was allegedly sexually assaulted by a state lawmaker.”
snip
May 16, 2022
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/05/16/boris-johnson-blasts-jurgen-klopp-defending-liverpool-fans-booing/
Downing Street has slapped down Jurgen Klopp for suggesting Liverpool fans had a reason to boo the national anthem during the FA Cup Final.
Klopp defended the club's supporters as "wonderful people" after MPs criticised a section of spectators who also appeared to jeer the Duke of Cambridge ahead of kick-off at Wembley. "I know our people wouldn't do it unless there's a reason for it," the manager said of the national anthem booing on Monday.
Immediately afterwards, the Prime Minister's official spokesman was asked whether Klopp was right to say Liverpool would have had a reason to boo the national anthem. "No," the spokesman replied, before adding it was a "great shame" given the FA Cup was meant to "bring people together".
Boos were heard at Wembley when Prince William, who is the president of the Football Association, was introduced to fans during the pre-match BBC television coverage. A section of fans in the stadium had also expressed disapproval during the national anthem and a rendition of Christian hymn Abide With Me.
snip
Boris Johnson slaps down Jurgen Klopp for defending Liverpool fans booing national anthem
Klopp calls supporters 'wonderful people' after MPs criticised section of spectators who also appeared to jeer Duke of Cambridge at Wembleyhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/05/16/boris-johnson-blasts-jurgen-klopp-defending-liverpool-fans-booing/
Downing Street has slapped down Jurgen Klopp for suggesting Liverpool fans had a reason to boo the national anthem during the FA Cup Final.
Klopp defended the club's supporters as "wonderful people" after MPs criticised a section of spectators who also appeared to jeer the Duke of Cambridge ahead of kick-off at Wembley. "I know our people wouldn't do it unless there's a reason for it," the manager said of the national anthem booing on Monday.
Immediately afterwards, the Prime Minister's official spokesman was asked whether Klopp was right to say Liverpool would have had a reason to boo the national anthem. "No," the spokesman replied, before adding it was a "great shame" given the FA Cup was meant to "bring people together".
Boos were heard at Wembley when Prince William, who is the president of the Football Association, was introduced to fans during the pre-match BBC television coverage. A section of fans in the stadium had also expressed disapproval during the national anthem and a rendition of Christian hymn Abide With Me.
snip
May 16, 2022
https://www.thelocal.se/20220516/explained-the-next-six-steps-to-a-swedish-nato-membership/
1. Statement of intention to join Nato
May 16th: Parliament is holding a debate on Monday May 16th, discussing the conclusions of the Nato report. Although there will not be a vote, the debate will provide an opportunity for all parties to express their views on whether Sweden should join or not.
Following the debate, Sweden’s prime minister Magdalena Andersson will call a government meeting where the decision on whether to join Nato will be made. If the government decides to join the alliance, Sweden will submit a request to join Nato, either on Monday, or later in the week.
2. Dialogue with Nato and assessment of expressions of interest
May-June: After formally deciding to join the alliance, Sweden and Finland will start to discuss the question of membership with Nato more intensely, without Nato confirming that membership requests will be granted.
Discussions could include how the countries’ defence forces can contribute to Nato, any special requests from Sweden (such as a ban on nuclear weapons on Swedish soil), and how much Sweden will contribute to Nato’s common budget.
snip
Explained: The next six steps to a Swedish Nato membership
Sweden are well on their way to Nato membership, with the government due to make a decision on Nato on Monday 16th May. Here's an outline of the Nato accession process, with a timeline of how long it could take for Sweden to become members.https://www.thelocal.se/20220516/explained-the-next-six-steps-to-a-swedish-nato-membership/
1. Statement of intention to join Nato
May 16th: Parliament is holding a debate on Monday May 16th, discussing the conclusions of the Nato report. Although there will not be a vote, the debate will provide an opportunity for all parties to express their views on whether Sweden should join or not.
Following the debate, Sweden’s prime minister Magdalena Andersson will call a government meeting where the decision on whether to join Nato will be made. If the government decides to join the alliance, Sweden will submit a request to join Nato, either on Monday, or later in the week.
2. Dialogue with Nato and assessment of expressions of interest
May-June: After formally deciding to join the alliance, Sweden and Finland will start to discuss the question of membership with Nato more intensely, without Nato confirming that membership requests will be granted.
Discussions could include how the countries’ defence forces can contribute to Nato, any special requests from Sweden (such as a ban on nuclear weapons on Swedish soil), and how much Sweden will contribute to Nato’s common budget.
snip
May 16, 2022
https://www.thelocal.se/20220516/russias-foreign-minister-swedens-nato-bids-is-a-grave-mistake/
Speaking at a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, which groups Russia with Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Putin seemed to tone down the threats to Sweden and Finland which have come in recent days from Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and from his spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
“Russia has no problems with these states. There is no immediate threat to Russia,” he said at a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, which groups Russia with Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. “But the expansion of military infrastructure into this territory would certainly provoke our response.”
Sweden on Monday announced its intention to apply to join Nato, a day after a similar decision from Finland. In Sweden’s case, the decision brings an end to 200 years of various forms of non-alignment. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned earlier on Monday that the two countries’ decisions to join the Nato military alliance were serious mistakes and that Moscow would take measures. “This is another grave mistake with far-reaching consequences,” he told Russian news agencies.
“The general level of military tensions will increase. It is a pity that common sense is being sacrificed for some phantom ideas about what should be done in the current situation.” Ryabkov said the two countries’ security would not strengthen as a result of the move and that Moscow would take measures. “They should have no illusions that we will just put up with this,” he said. Moscow has already warned Finland, with which it shares a 1,300 kilometre (800 mile) border, that it would take “reciprocal steps”.
snip
Sweden's Nato bid 'no immediate threat to Russia', says Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Sweden and Finland joining Nato represented "no immediate threat to Russia", but that if Nato begins to site military infrastructure on their territories Russia would respond.https://www.thelocal.se/20220516/russias-foreign-minister-swedens-nato-bids-is-a-grave-mistake/
Speaking at a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, which groups Russia with Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Putin seemed to tone down the threats to Sweden and Finland which have come in recent days from Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and from his spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
“Russia has no problems with these states. There is no immediate threat to Russia,” he said at a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, which groups Russia with Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. “But the expansion of military infrastructure into this territory would certainly provoke our response.”
Sweden on Monday announced its intention to apply to join Nato, a day after a similar decision from Finland. In Sweden’s case, the decision brings an end to 200 years of various forms of non-alignment. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned earlier on Monday that the two countries’ decisions to join the Nato military alliance were serious mistakes and that Moscow would take measures. “This is another grave mistake with far-reaching consequences,” he told Russian news agencies.
“The general level of military tensions will increase. It is a pity that common sense is being sacrificed for some phantom ideas about what should be done in the current situation.” Ryabkov said the two countries’ security would not strengthen as a result of the move and that Moscow would take measures. “They should have no illusions that we will just put up with this,” he said. Moscow has already warned Finland, with which it shares a 1,300 kilometre (800 mile) border, that it would take “reciprocal steps”.
snip
May 16, 2022
Free Download
https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/sites/default/files/ef_publication/field_ef_document/ef22029en.pdf
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to be a defining force in the lives and work of Europeans for a second year in 2021, and Eurofound continued its work of examining and recording the many and diverse impacts across the EU Member States. Living and working in Europe 2021 provides a snapshot of the changes to employment, work and living conditions in Europe, as gathered by Eurofound’s research activities in 2021. This yearbook also summarises the Agency’s findings on other challenging aspects of social and economic life – including gender equality in employment, wealth inequality and labour shortages – that will have a significant bearing on recovery from the pandemic, resilience in the face of the war in Ukraine, and a successful transition to a green and digital future. Eurofound’s research on working and living conditions in Europe provides a bedrock of evidence for input into social policymaking and achieving the Agency’s vision ‘to be Europe’s leading knowledge source for better life and work’.
Living and working in Europe 2021
https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/annual-report/2022/living-and-working-in-europe-2021Free Download
https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/sites/default/files/ef_publication/field_ef_document/ef22029en.pdf
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to be a defining force in the lives and work of Europeans for a second year in 2021, and Eurofound continued its work of examining and recording the many and diverse impacts across the EU Member States. Living and working in Europe 2021 provides a snapshot of the changes to employment, work and living conditions in Europe, as gathered by Eurofound’s research activities in 2021. This yearbook also summarises the Agency’s findings on other challenging aspects of social and economic life – including gender equality in employment, wealth inequality and labour shortages – that will have a significant bearing on recovery from the pandemic, resilience in the face of the war in Ukraine, and a successful transition to a green and digital future. Eurofound’s research on working and living conditions in Europe provides a bedrock of evidence for input into social policymaking and achieving the Agency’s vision ‘to be Europe’s leading knowledge source for better life and work’.
May 16, 2022
https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/war-games-the-battle-for-taiwan-139941445890
War Games: The Battle for Taiwan
Video:https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/war-games-the-battle-for-taiwan-139941445890
May 14, 2022
https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/the-linda-lindas-growing-up-interview
The coolest band in the world is hours away from playing their first-ever headlining show in NYC and there's only one thing at the top of their to-do list. Before they sound check, they are determined to get bubble tea. Luckily, Lazy Sundaes in the Lower East Side is just a few blocks away from Mercury Lounge where they are playing.
Trying different boba places on every tour stop has become a ritual for the latest punk band you need to know, The Linda Lindas. Well, it's become their sole tour ritual—the LA-based four-piece made up of 11-, 14-, 15-, and 17-year-old teenage girls just played their first slate of shows outside of their home state, following the March release of their debut album Growing Up. The group has made the rounds in the LA scene for the past few years and gained support from other musicians like riot grrrl pioneer Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, but ever since a video went viral in spring 2021 of them performing their original song "Racist, Sexist Boy," and landing a record deal with alternative purveyors Epitaph Records shortly after, they've been well on their way to rock stardom.
"We get boba all the time—all the time," says guitarist Bela Salazar. "Our goal for when we travel is in every place we have to find two boba places to try." "If they have it," adds bassist/vocalist Eloise Wong. (As the group features two sisters, a cousin, and a lifelong family friend, the close quartet frequently finishes each other's sentences.) Salazar continues, "This is the first run at it. We were staying in the desert and we did not find any. We did get ice cream, though." San Francisco, they say, was a success. And so is New York, where they visited Tiger Sugar in Koreatown and now Lazy Sundaes.
"We haven't been to this place before, so this is exciting," says guitarist/vocalist Lucia de la Garza. "I wanted to get the Korean Shaved Ice." She did, and it looks so sugary and delectable that, before she even has a sip, her younger sister, drummer/vocalist Mila de la Garza, says, "You have to let me have some of that." (Mila herself got a Thai Iced Tea, Salazar ordered a Rose Matcha, and Wong went with a hot Jasmine Green Tea.)
snip
Punk Rock’s New Hope: The Ferocious, Joyful Linda Lindas
Fueled by punk conviction (and snacks), this all-girl, school-age band is ready to release its debut album, “Growing Up,” nearly a year after its song “Racist, Sexist Boy” went viral.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/arts/music/the-linda-lindas-growing-up.html
PIONEERTOWN, Calif. — “Kids to the front!” the drummer shouted. It was 10 p.m. on a Friday night in February and the Linda Lindas, an all-girl, school-age act from Los Angeles, was playing its first out-of-town show. The musician who beckoned the youngest in the crowd closer to the stage was 11-year-old Mila de la Garza; her bandmates are 14, 15 and 17. In pigtails and power-clashing plaids, they may be the country’s most exciting teen punk band, a galvanizing combination of wholesome and fierce.
Following Mila’s proclamation — a callback to “girls to the front,” a maxim of the riot grrrl movement in the 1990s that helped flip the power dynamic at shows — a handful of middle school and younger kids popped up amid the adults at Pappy & Harriet’s, a dive-y club in the desert here, 16 miles from Joshua Tree National Park. The space was packed, and eager; the sentiment onstage was jubilation, and the crowd caught on. “I feel very fancy,” Lucia de la Garza, Mila’s 15-year-old sister and a guitarist, vocalist and ringleader for the group, said, as she introduced “the first song I ever wrote.”
Channeling the Muffs, the Go-Go’s and the muscular bravado of ’70s punk, especially in the snarling voice of bassist Eloise Wong, the Linda Lindas shredded through songs about identity, friendship, power and cats, most from their forthcoming debut album, “Growing Up.” They windmilled their instruments in tandem, grinned at each other between numbers and tossed guitar picks to the crowd. “They are so cool — I was never that cool,” an objectively cool woman whispered to a companion. Mid-set, Bela Salazar, the 17-year-old guitarist, instructed the audience to do a primal scream. At the end, the foursome thanked their parents.
Nearly a year after they broke out with a viral video of “Racist, Sexist Boy,” an original song they performed at a Los Angeles public library, the Linda Lindas are, to their own shock, quickly ascending rock’s new feminist front. The rarefied combination of their youth, their gender, their heritage — they are Los Angeles natives of Chinese, Mexican and Salvadoran descent — and the ferocity and empathy of their music has made them a beacon, not just for young fans but for established artists.
snip
The Linda Lindas Are the Next Great Punk Band
The teenage band is determined to inspire change with their infectious pop punk.https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/the-linda-lindas-growing-up-interview
The coolest band in the world is hours away from playing their first-ever headlining show in NYC and there's only one thing at the top of their to-do list. Before they sound check, they are determined to get bubble tea. Luckily, Lazy Sundaes in the Lower East Side is just a few blocks away from Mercury Lounge where they are playing.
Trying different boba places on every tour stop has become a ritual for the latest punk band you need to know, The Linda Lindas. Well, it's become their sole tour ritual—the LA-based four-piece made up of 11-, 14-, 15-, and 17-year-old teenage girls just played their first slate of shows outside of their home state, following the March release of their debut album Growing Up. The group has made the rounds in the LA scene for the past few years and gained support from other musicians like riot grrrl pioneer Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, but ever since a video went viral in spring 2021 of them performing their original song "Racist, Sexist Boy," and landing a record deal with alternative purveyors Epitaph Records shortly after, they've been well on their way to rock stardom.
"We get boba all the time—all the time," says guitarist Bela Salazar. "Our goal for when we travel is in every place we have to find two boba places to try." "If they have it," adds bassist/vocalist Eloise Wong. (As the group features two sisters, a cousin, and a lifelong family friend, the close quartet frequently finishes each other's sentences.) Salazar continues, "This is the first run at it. We were staying in the desert and we did not find any. We did get ice cream, though." San Francisco, they say, was a success. And so is New York, where they visited Tiger Sugar in Koreatown and now Lazy Sundaes.
"We haven't been to this place before, so this is exciting," says guitarist/vocalist Lucia de la Garza. "I wanted to get the Korean Shaved Ice." She did, and it looks so sugary and delectable that, before she even has a sip, her younger sister, drummer/vocalist Mila de la Garza, says, "You have to let me have some of that." (Mila herself got a Thai Iced Tea, Salazar ordered a Rose Matcha, and Wong went with a hot Jasmine Green Tea.)
snip
Punk Rock’s New Hope: The Ferocious, Joyful Linda Lindas
Fueled by punk conviction (and snacks), this all-girl, school-age band is ready to release its debut album, “Growing Up,” nearly a year after its song “Racist, Sexist Boy” went viral.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/arts/music/the-linda-lindas-growing-up.html
PIONEERTOWN, Calif. — “Kids to the front!” the drummer shouted. It was 10 p.m. on a Friday night in February and the Linda Lindas, an all-girl, school-age act from Los Angeles, was playing its first out-of-town show. The musician who beckoned the youngest in the crowd closer to the stage was 11-year-old Mila de la Garza; her bandmates are 14, 15 and 17. In pigtails and power-clashing plaids, they may be the country’s most exciting teen punk band, a galvanizing combination of wholesome and fierce.
Following Mila’s proclamation — a callback to “girls to the front,” a maxim of the riot grrrl movement in the 1990s that helped flip the power dynamic at shows — a handful of middle school and younger kids popped up amid the adults at Pappy & Harriet’s, a dive-y club in the desert here, 16 miles from Joshua Tree National Park. The space was packed, and eager; the sentiment onstage was jubilation, and the crowd caught on. “I feel very fancy,” Lucia de la Garza, Mila’s 15-year-old sister and a guitarist, vocalist and ringleader for the group, said, as she introduced “the first song I ever wrote.”
Channeling the Muffs, the Go-Go’s and the muscular bravado of ’70s punk, especially in the snarling voice of bassist Eloise Wong, the Linda Lindas shredded through songs about identity, friendship, power and cats, most from their forthcoming debut album, “Growing Up.” They windmilled their instruments in tandem, grinned at each other between numbers and tossed guitar picks to the crowd. “They are so cool — I was never that cool,” an objectively cool woman whispered to a companion. Mid-set, Bela Salazar, the 17-year-old guitarist, instructed the audience to do a primal scream. At the end, the foursome thanked their parents.
Nearly a year after they broke out with a viral video of “Racist, Sexist Boy,” an original song they performed at a Los Angeles public library, the Linda Lindas are, to their own shock, quickly ascending rock’s new feminist front. The rarefied combination of their youth, their gender, their heritage — they are Los Angeles natives of Chinese, Mexican and Salvadoran descent — and the ferocity and empathy of their music has made them a beacon, not just for young fans but for established artists.
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May 14, 2022
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/us/politics/fox-news-barnette-oz-pennsylvania.html
Fox News is having another one of its moments. The network’s internal fissures were on public display this week as host after host, at times seemingly in dialogue with one another, either defended or threw rhetorical spitballs at different candidates in Pennsylvania’s ghost-pepper-hot Republican primary races. It was a reminder of how the battle for hearts and minds within the G.O.P. is playing out across the conservative news media, an ever-evolving ecosystem that has grown only more complex since Donald Trump’s famous glide down that golden escalator. And it was a sharp illustration of how Fox News grants extraordinary latitude to its biggest stars — with each prime-time show often operating as its own private fief.
Thursday night alone was pretty wild, with Sean Hannity pumping up Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s choice for Senate, and talking down Kathy Barnette, a conservative media commentator whose late surge in the May 17 primary has alarmed Republican Party insiders and thrilled the rambunctious G.O.P. grass-roots in Pennsylvania. An hour later, Laura Ingraham was defending Barnette against what she called “smears.”
To viewers, it presented the illusion of a real-time debate between warring factions of what remains the nation’s most powerful cable news channel. Fox News did not offer an on-the-record comment by publication time. “This is the closest thing to a head-to-head competition we’ve seen between two Fox hosts in quite some time,” said Matt Gertz, a senior fellow at Media Matters for America, a nonprofit group aligned with the Democratic Party that monitors conservative news outlets. “When you’re watching at home, it appears seamless,” said Greta Van Susteren, a former Fox News host, who said that Ingraham probably hadn’t watched Hannity while preparing for her show. “But when I was at Fox, we all had our own real estate, and nobody ever told me what to say or do.”
And it’s not just Fox. Various lesser-known conservative media stars have joined the boisterous public discussion over whether Republican voters should tap Oz, widely seen within the party’s base as a faux Trumper — or Barnette, who comes off as very much the real thing. On the Full MAGA end of the right-wing media spectrum, the likes of Sebastian Gorka and Steve Bannon were giving softball interviews to Barnette, who rose to prominence largely outside of Fox News. Meanwhile, Hugh Hewitt, a syndicated radio host who once was considered more of an establishment figure but now supports Trump, was endorsing David McCormick, a former hedge fund executive who has appeared to fade in the Senate primary as the other two leading contenders have risen.
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The fur flies at Fox News over Kathy Barnette: Hosts Splinter as Chaotic PA Primaries Heat Up
The rise of Kathy Barnette in the state’s G.O.P. Senate race has divided the network’s stars, with some backing her and others going on the attack to help a rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz.https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/us/politics/fox-news-barnette-oz-pennsylvania.html
Fox News is having another one of its moments. The network’s internal fissures were on public display this week as host after host, at times seemingly in dialogue with one another, either defended or threw rhetorical spitballs at different candidates in Pennsylvania’s ghost-pepper-hot Republican primary races. It was a reminder of how the battle for hearts and minds within the G.O.P. is playing out across the conservative news media, an ever-evolving ecosystem that has grown only more complex since Donald Trump’s famous glide down that golden escalator. And it was a sharp illustration of how Fox News grants extraordinary latitude to its biggest stars — with each prime-time show often operating as its own private fief.
Thursday night alone was pretty wild, with Sean Hannity pumping up Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s choice for Senate, and talking down Kathy Barnette, a conservative media commentator whose late surge in the May 17 primary has alarmed Republican Party insiders and thrilled the rambunctious G.O.P. grass-roots in Pennsylvania. An hour later, Laura Ingraham was defending Barnette against what she called “smears.”
To viewers, it presented the illusion of a real-time debate between warring factions of what remains the nation’s most powerful cable news channel. Fox News did not offer an on-the-record comment by publication time. “This is the closest thing to a head-to-head competition we’ve seen between two Fox hosts in quite some time,” said Matt Gertz, a senior fellow at Media Matters for America, a nonprofit group aligned with the Democratic Party that monitors conservative news outlets. “When you’re watching at home, it appears seamless,” said Greta Van Susteren, a former Fox News host, who said that Ingraham probably hadn’t watched Hannity while preparing for her show. “But when I was at Fox, we all had our own real estate, and nobody ever told me what to say or do.”
And it’s not just Fox. Various lesser-known conservative media stars have joined the boisterous public discussion over whether Republican voters should tap Oz, widely seen within the party’s base as a faux Trumper — or Barnette, who comes off as very much the real thing. On the Full MAGA end of the right-wing media spectrum, the likes of Sebastian Gorka and Steve Bannon were giving softball interviews to Barnette, who rose to prominence largely outside of Fox News. Meanwhile, Hugh Hewitt, a syndicated radio host who once was considered more of an establishment figure but now supports Trump, was endorsing David McCormick, a former hedge fund executive who has appeared to fade in the Senate primary as the other two leading contenders have risen.
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May 13, 2022
https://theliberalpatriot.substack.com/p/the-tuned-out-generation
A foul wind blows across the political landscape. You won’t read much about it in the pages of America’s newspapers or see many segments about it on 24-hour cable news or scroll through much about it on amped-up social media feeds. That’s because the most important if unrecognized trend in American life today is the widespread tuning out of politics by huge numbers of Americans who—with good reason—are disappointed, fed up, or just plain uninterested with what passes for democratic discourse today. A Knight Foundation study released earlier this year shows that only one third of Americans report paying a great deal of attention to national news, with just one fifth of Americans paying close attention to local news and a scant 1 in 10 keeping up with international events. These are the lowest reported figures of engagement with national news in four years.
As seen below, younger people ages 18-34 report the lowest levels of interest in national news, including less than one fifth of young Independents, around one quarter of young Democrats, and about 3 in 10 young Republicans. But disaffection and disinterest crosses generational lines. Older people, those ages 55+, traditionally hold greater interest in national news and current events. Yet even among this group, less than half of older Americans of any party persuasion say they pay a great deal of attention to national news.
Looking in more depth at the overall landscape of citizen interest in politics at the start of the year, an NBC News poll reported striking displeasure and negativity among Americans about the country and its politics:
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The Tuned-Out Generation
With politics becoming nonstop culture war aggression against citizens, more and more Americans are tuning out.https://theliberalpatriot.substack.com/p/the-tuned-out-generation
A foul wind blows across the political landscape. You won’t read much about it in the pages of America’s newspapers or see many segments about it on 24-hour cable news or scroll through much about it on amped-up social media feeds. That’s because the most important if unrecognized trend in American life today is the widespread tuning out of politics by huge numbers of Americans who—with good reason—are disappointed, fed up, or just plain uninterested with what passes for democratic discourse today. A Knight Foundation study released earlier this year shows that only one third of Americans report paying a great deal of attention to national news, with just one fifth of Americans paying close attention to local news and a scant 1 in 10 keeping up with international events. These are the lowest reported figures of engagement with national news in four years.
As seen below, younger people ages 18-34 report the lowest levels of interest in national news, including less than one fifth of young Independents, around one quarter of young Democrats, and about 3 in 10 young Republicans. But disaffection and disinterest crosses generational lines. Older people, those ages 55+, traditionally hold greater interest in national news and current events. Yet even among this group, less than half of older Americans of any party persuasion say they pay a great deal of attention to national news.
Looking in more depth at the overall landscape of citizen interest in politics at the start of the year, an NBC News poll reported striking displeasure and negativity among Americans about the country and its politics:
Overwhelming majorities of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, that their household income is falling behind the cost of living, that political polarization will only continue and that there's a real threat to democracy and majority rule. What's more, the nation's top politicians and political parties are more unpopular than popular, and interest in the upcoming November midterms is down—not up. And when Americans were asked to describe where they believe America is today, the top answers were "downhill," "divisive," "negative," "struggling," "lost" and "bad."
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