by unofficial wannabe

window confessions

somewhere in ste-foy with Rafa my hunting dog

——-

plastic piggies 🐷🐷🐷were…

peering from a vitrine…

on the rue de Victor Hugo…

Rafa adores…

jambon cuit dans la poêle…

sans moutarde SVP…

Rafa was dismayed…

we left without…

food treasure…

when we got home she sulked…

on the balcony…

surveying the neighborhood possiblities…

sur la rue de la libération…

It’s Mardi Gras. Welcome to The King Cake Drive-Thru.

A tire shop parking lot has become a popular destination for those craving the beloved treat. The only problem: Which variety to choose?

By Rick Rojas

Reporting from Metairie, La., and the kitchen of Joyce’s Sweets in Ponchatoula, where he sampled a praline-filled cake fresh from the oven.

Of course Mardi Gras is about boundless revelry: the weeks of balls and the parades that shower the streets of New Orleans with beads. But beneath all that, it is also a period of metamorphosis.

A midwinter Tuesday transforms from the most mundane of days into a festival of frivolity and vice. People shed the cocoons of their regular lives and emerge plumed in feathers and sequins.

And this year, just outside New Orleans, a tire shop that for as long as anyone can remember sold only car parts has become a bustling marketplace offering king cakes, the delicacy of the Carnival season, in just about any conceivable flavor.

All you have to do is drive up.

“Any idea of what you want?” Tiffany Langlinais asked a customer who pulled up on a Friday afternoon.

It is a daunting question at the King Cake Drive-Thru. Flaky or fluffy? Filled with cream cheese? What about strawberries, ice cream, even crawfish — or nothing more than the traditional plastic baby? Cakes from more than a dozen bakeries are on offer.

Others have had the idea to sell king cakes culled from various local bakeries, at one location, like King Cake Hub in the Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans. But the innovation of the King Cake Drive-Thru, which Ms. Langlinais opened in January with her fiancé, Mike Graves, is the added convenience of accessing that bounty of options without even needing to get out of the car.

The drive-through has drawn nurses headed to morning hospital shifts, parents with cars full of children, tourists on road trips and people with limited mobility or weakened immune systems keeping them from easily browsing bakeries. Even the food writer for the city’s main newspaper, The Times-Picayune, passed through.

“I’m surprised nobody thought of it before you, Mike,” David Scripter told Mr. Graves as he dropped off an order of dozens of cakes from Bittersweet Confections, a bakery started by his wife.

“Sometimes,” Mr. Graves said, “the best ideas are right in front of you.”

The drive-through, which takes over the parking lot of Duckworth Tires in the suburb of Metairie three days a week, often has a line of cars waiting when it opens at 7 a.m., and has sold out its inventory well before 7 p.m., its listed closing time.

King cakes have always been a staple of the Carnival season along the Gulf Coast, a crown of pastry served during a burst of gluttony and good times before the austerity and fish fries of Lent. (King cake season begins on Jan. 6 — known as Twelfth Night, Epiphany or Three Kings Day — and ends with Fat Tuesday, or Feb. 13 this year.)

A king cake, in what many consider its purest form, is a ring of brioche-like dough with a dash of vanilla, a crunchy coating of purple, green and gold sugar and a small trinket known as a fève — usually a plastic baby — baked inside.

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“It’s almost blasphemous to get cream cheese in it,” Pam Carr said the other day as she placed an order a staunch traditionalist never would: a pair of cream cheese and chocolate cakes to share with her co-workers at a warehouse store. “Those are the ones I like!”

King cakes are another front in a familiar New Orleans divide. There are those who believe that adhering to tradition means refusing to budge from how things have always been done, and those who maintain that experimentation and interpretation are not an insult to the past, but a tribute.

“Anyone can put anything in a king cake now,” Bridgett Saylor Meinke said as she surveyed the drive-through’s selection.

She grew up on old-school king cake but has been cautiously open to trying some newfangled varieties, like the bananas foster from Brennan’s (“Absolutely delicious,” was her take) and the strawberry cream cheese from Joe’s Cafe.

“That’s the one I’m on the hunt for today,” she said.

The drive-through’s menu varies some week to week, written on a white board by Ms. Langlinais. The couple buys the cakes from bakeries at a wholesale rate and sells them at a markup, with prices ranging from $17 to about $50 per cake. (They come in a range of sizes, too.)

On a recent weekend, there were plenty of traditional options, as well as the Bavarian cream from Caluda’s, an almond cake from District Donuts, boudin or crawfish varieties from Clesi’s Seafood, and lemon curd and vanilla bean cakes from Paw Paw’s Donuts.

The one with Vietnamese coffee filling from Dough Nguyener’s Bakery sold out quickly, as did the cinnamon cream cheese option from Tartine.

Ms. Langlinais wanted to lure customers with their favorite offerings from well-known spots but also nudge them toward cakes they may not know. Those from Joyce’s Sweets, a bakery in Ponchatoula, almost an hour away, are a prime example.

Joyce Galmon is known for her pralines, but she has made king cakes for 25 years, stuffing them with a filling made from broken pralines she could not sell.

“Miss Joyce has no social media,” Ms. Langlinais said. “You can only call her. She has no website.”

In past years, Ms. Galmon would sell as many as 90 cakes in a season. With the King Cake Drive-Thru, she has sold more than that in a single weekend.

Hers is a labor-intensive process, teasing out the dough, lathering on the praline filling, and then letting the cakes rest and rise for several hours. The result: a gooey, crunchy eruption of cinnamon and sugar.

“It’s got me on my toes,” Ms. Galmon said after delivering a fresh batch to the tire lot. “It was a hobby for me, but they’ve made it bigger.”

For all the excitement the drive-through has caused, it is a simple operation. From the street, it almost looks like a Covid testing site.

“No frills, as you can see,” Ms. Langlinais said, “with our tent and tables and Mike’s van.” She was referring to a raggedy but reliable 2007 Kia Sedona missing its middle seat.

Jimmy Duckworth, the owner of Duckworth Tires, gave them a pretty good deal on rent: a king cake a week. Last week, he got his favorite, the cinnamon cream cheese kind from Tartine.

“I’ve been very lucky in life,” he said. “Give them a break — why not?”

He nodded at Mr. Graves, who was busy helping customers.

“Look at him,” Mr. Duckworth said. “He’s all happy.”

A few years ago, Mr. Graves, 35, had been a lawyer in Manhattan, working in finance. Then he moved to New Orleans and started a novelty ice cream business called Bof Bars. He had no ties to New Orleans — he grew up in Chicago — but now he cannot imagine leaving. He and Ms. Langlinais are planning to get married in March.

Ms. Langlinais, who also owns a marketing business, grew up in a shrimping family in Biloxi, Miss., immersed in the elaborate world of Mardi Gras.

She became something of a king cake connoisseur. She has tried more than 100 varieties. She keeps a spreadsheet with detailed notes. (“Enjoyed the light filling but would want x3 for me to be truly happy,” she wrote of one encounter.)

“I know that it’s not a super refined operation,” Ms. Langlinais, 33, said, “but we want it to feel like us.”

There have been setbacks. One day last month, Mr. Graves woke up at 3 a.m. to find someone had busted a window on the minivan and stolen 100 cakes.

The whole endeavor has been exhausting: The excruciatingly early mornings hustling to collect the cakes at bakeries or rendezvous points in random parking lots. The 12-hour days on their feet at the drive-through. And there have been the urgent after-hours calls and texts.

“My kid didn’t tell me she got the baby!” said one friend desperate for a last-minute cake. (According to tradition, the one who finds the baby is responsible for supplying the next cake.)

The drive-through is usually open on Fridays through Sundays, but customers have asked if the couple would be selling cakes on Fat Tuesday.

Not a chance.

Duckworth Tires will be a tire shop again.

“I’ll be partying,” Mr. Graves said.

sparc! van go: Through the Years

sparc! the ArtMobile has traveled many, many miles  in the city of Boston over the past 11 years. To Mission Hill for the Annual Little League Parade, to East Boston for our on the street questionnaires about the Family Van, to Mattapan for our collaboration with the Mattapan Health Fair, to Dorchester for the Greater Sickle Cell Parade, to Jamaica Plain for Jazz and Art Day events, to Roxbury to launch the Roxbury Sunflower Project and to Grove Hall for Paint Nights and Mural projects. We have completed over 300 events in our van with our amazing students teams.

Since the day we picked up the white Ford Transit connect that would become sparc! it has exceeded our expectations of what can be done in a little van with a big heart.

The wrap design and name of the van was a communal event involving the Industrial Design department at MassArt, our CACP team and the community at large. In addition to “one on one” research, we created a contest with the title “What is an Artmobile? Launched from public libraries and schools we received over 150 entries. Here are some cool ones we remember.

Inspired by community input, the final eleven designs created by MassArt’s industrial and communication design students were taken around the Mission Hill neighborhood and voted on by everyone from toddlers to seniors. We hosted surveys at the Grammar School, the Farmers Market, the Tobin Community Center, MassArt and more.

The final design came from an entry by sparc! team member Mariah Siegman. Its bright primary colors had immense appeal as well as the silhouette of the Mission Hill skyline.

We added some figures to complete the design. The van was ready to be named. 

ArtMobile is a generic term used in lots of different cities and programs for art programs with vehicles. We wanted something personal and relevant to our city and our mission to “ignite art and design in the neighborhood.” 

We used the same process for naming that we had for the imagery. We developed up a list of names and then allowed the community to vote on which one resonated with them most.

In the end “sparc! the ArtMobile” was the name and reference we collectively chose. 

Our slogan “igniting art and design in the neighborhood” spoke of our intention to use art and design as a catalyst for those concerns that were most important to the communities we are a part of.

sparc!’s first birthday party and big unveiling was held on November 17th, 2011,  with lots of neighborhood friends, partners and family attending to help launch the van. 

There was live music from Sociedad Latina, poetry performance by Lewis Morris, faceprinting with Mariah Siegmann, tap dancing with Boston Tap, tasty food from local restaurants and lots of games and activities. We had a ball. 

Poetry by Lewis Morris - Community Driven.

sparc! under wraps...

The big reveal!!! At last we are on the move...

For 10 years we moved through the neighborhoods of Boston bringing art, design and community together. Here are just a few early collaborations.

The Kite and Bike Festival, Franklin Park

Latin History Celebration Month with Sociedad Latina, Brigham Circle

Martha Eliot Health and Wellness Fair, Jamaica Plain

After 11 years, sparc! began to show signs that it needed renewal.

After observing the great artistry of the Up Against the Wall community at their graffiti event in Grove Hall, we invited artist Jeremy Harrison “Sobek” and Apeks to put their hands to sparc! with live graffiti painting featured at the Grove Hall in Color event. While hundreds of people watched, sparc! was transformed into a colorful, contemporary mural on wheels.

Just recently, our original sparc! beautifully wrapped in original art by Sobek and Apeks, let us know that it was ready for a rest. On our way to an event, the radiator and engine just gave out.

We are sad to let our van go but we have so many good memories of all the miles we traveled together. As Covid begins to decline, we plan to be back on the road. We have assembled a new sparc! team and we are growing. Along with those changes, we need a new sparc! and to reimagine “What is an ArtMobile?”

While in the process of exploring new ideas, let’s remember all the great events, programs and workshops we were able to share because of our beloved sparc! 

Small on the outside but holding a big, bold, heart inside while igniting art and design in the neighborhood. Thank you to all the hands that contributed to this initiative.

Stay tuned for the next van and wrap design. We may need your help.

Submitted by Ekua Holmes, Director, sparc! the ArtMobile

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We “caught a falling knife” in 2010 however didn’t care as a end result of it wasn’t for sale. When we sold in 2016 we made a bucket load of cash (like almost doubled the acquisition worth and put minimal repairs/upgrades in it as a result of it had about every thing done by the prior owner). We gathered our commission fee information from a survey of 630 of our companion homes for sale in albuquerque nm agents. The survey asked about commonplace local charges for both itemizing and buying agents. All of this protects the worth of an Albuquerque actual estate funding property since you can cost someone for the damage they or their pets do and evict them for nonpayment of hire.

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The past 2 weeks I’ve been in frantic planning mode for Welcome to the (analog) Neighborhood. My to-do list keeps getting longer, no matter how many things I cross off....but trying to dial into the parts I love, manage the parts that are hard for me, and not get too panicked about everything.

The weekend is shaping up really well though. In addition to the Phonotel, I have planned 4 “Maps of Delights” tours that will lead to spots in the neighborhood where you can gather, hang out, relax, recreate- for free. One to the Library, one to Buchanan Park, one to Linear/Janice Stork Park, and one to the Wolf Museum. Each will have spots along the way to stop and notice- neighborhood delights and portals to other worlds (all found during my asset-mapping and surveying), spots where you can get free stuff from local businesses, and narrative delights (lines of short fiction displayed around.) I’ll also have analog cameras, records, a message-delivery service, activity guides, live music, a small parade...oh man, I’m getting stressed thinking about it now.

The parts I love- no surprise- are the art and design. I’ve been slowly turning the card catalog (which has been operating as a haiku machine for the past year) into a Palm Springs inspired retreat *for* and *from* your phone. A fresh coat of paint, new drawers for the rooms. Hoping to keep some of Matty’s cacti around to complete the vibe. I’ve created a new logo, printed FAQ sheets to give to partners, designed and printed promotional postcards to hand out, set up events and posts on social media, contacted the LNP and WITF events calendar with info, redesigned and rewrote the Phonotel Survival Guide, full of tips on how to survive out there without your device, and started to turn the Art Barter Mart drawers into the new CrashPad for tablets.

The harder parts for me- the project management and coordination- has been going well, too. Here are some wins:

I’ve connected with a bunch of businesses who have agreed to offer rewards to Phonotel participants- discounts, giveaways, fist bumps, stickers. 

Secured Street Beans brass band to do a set and lead a small parade around the block for Saturday, May 21 at 3pm

Reached out to neighbors, friends, organizations to talk about participating, and potentially volunteering, at the event. Started making schedules and coordinating job roles. 

Met with the Executive Director of the Library to discuss a Map of Delights that leads to the Library 

Working on press releases and press lists

Reached out to Write Now! A local writers group , McCaskey English teachers, and fellow PACE artist Jose of Teatro Paloma to submit short written pieces to the weekend’s Map of Narrative Delights. Super excited that Jose is interested in submitting a piece in Spanglish

Super excited about the enthusiasm and feedback I’ve gotten from neighbor’s who I’ve asked to post parts of the Narrative Delights in their windows or as yard signs. I have 25 locations lined up and now need to coordinate the spots with the words and the maps...it’s like a giant puzzle

Working with Reynolds Middle School staff to encourage students to participate, have them be a focus of one of the Maps of Delights, potentially doing a mapping workshop with students, and on translating materials into Spanish with the help of Srta Cruz. 

Researched costs, suppliers and purchased many of the things I need for the weekend: polaroid film, disposable cameras, wood for signage, paint, etc.

Found a local woodworker who offered to cut the signage for me

I am ignoring all of my other client work. It’s hard doing all of this, balancing everything. But I love it. 

Have you ever laughed at someone because they had a funny name? >> Not to their face, but I’ve definitely laughed at some people’s names if I come across them online or something. Especially if it’s one of those names that can make a juvenile sex pun out of, lol. <<< lol same :X I legit knew a kid in my neighborhood whose name sounded like hymen... Speaking of names, why do celebrities always call their kids stupid ones? Gah, I don’t know. They think they’re being cute and trendy I guess, but no. Just no. It’s not nice for the kid. Like Elon Musk, wtf?  If you have a problem with someone, will you confront them? Probably not.  How do you like your tea? With a packet of sweetener.  Do you get car sick easily? Yes.

What did you want to be when you were a kid? A teacher. Insert funny memory here: I don’t feel like thinking of one at the moment. Do you think you’re a good conversationalist? Why is that? Ha, nope. I feel like I never know what to say and I just make things awkward and lame. Are you more likely to be called a hard worker or lazy? I’m sure people think I’m lazy. And there is a laziness factor, but the bigger picture is health related issues and having no energy or motivation to do much of anything.  What is your sense of humor like? I don’t really know how to describe it.  Do you think you’re fairly intelligent? In what way? I just feel very average. How do you like your eggs? Scrambled, sunny-side up, hardboiled, deviled. Do you enjoy visiting your relatives? Yeah. It’s been awhile since I’ve visited with any family outside of my immediate family, though. :/ And that’s even before the pandemic hit.  What’s your favorite thing about the nearest upcoming holiday? Fireworks are visually appealing, but I don’t enjoy how loud they are. I’m too jumpy and sensitive to loud sounds like that. Have you ever been on a float in a parade? What were you doing on it? Nope. Have you ever had a strange compliment? What was it? Some lady asked me if I had polio and when I told her no, she said, “Oh okay, I thought you looked pretty good for having polio.” Wtf?? When was the last time you had deja vu? Hmm. I don’t remember the last time I experienced it. Have you ever had a dream in black and white? I don’t think so.  What about a dream with no sound? Uhhh. I don’t know, actually. Like... I’ll recall things being said in a dream but I’m not sure if I recall them actually being said or I just know they were. That’s interesting. What is something you find interesting but would never pursue as a career? Well, I’m very interested in psychology and got my BA because I thought I wanted to pursue something in that field, but I don’t. I have no idea what I actually want to do.  What types of people do you tend to avoid? Arrogant and cocky people. What is one personality trait a potential friend must have? Good sense of humor. Have you ever seen someone slip on a banana peel? No. Have you ever been in a helicopter? Yes, when I had to be flown to the hospital after my accident. What is a color you love that’s not your favorite? Uhh. If I love it, it’s a favorite. Where would you like to travel to? I want to travel to a lot of places. What color is your car? / What color would you like it to be? I don’t have a car, I don’t drive. If I did, I’d probably want red. Does anything hurt on your body right now? What? I’ve been having a bad pain flareup. 

What is your favorite mode of travelling? Car or plane. Have you ever had chicken pox? Yes. Can you roll your eyes into the back of your head? No. If you have online friends, do you think you’d get on in real life? I think our survey community on here would get along well. Who is your favorite animated character? Winnie the Pooh. Are your favorites often what the majority like? Hmm. I feel like I don’t like a lot of things majority of people seem to like, actually. If you could have anything for dinner tonight, what would you choose? *shrug* It’s 2:54AM, I’m not thinking about dinner. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods? Savory. Do you worry about eating too much? What about eating too little? I don’t have a problem of eating too much, in fact I need to be eating a lot more. Is it dark outside right now? Yes. Do you get scared when it’s a full moon? No. Do you think Jaffa Cakes are a cake or a biscuit? I had to Google that, but from what I can see it looks like a cookie. If you go anywhere, do you always buy souvenirs for people? I always buy souvenirs, but usually for myself lol.  What was the last toy you got in a cereal box? Wow, I don’t remember. I haven’t had cereal in years. Hypothetically speaking, if you owned a charm bracelet, would you always make sure the charms meant something to you? Well, yeah. Choosing the charms are the fun part. If I’m going to wear something, I want to like it. Are you waiting on anyone coming home right now? No. Is it easy to make you gag? Yes. Do you like the way your voice sounds? No. I hate hearing my voice in a recording. Do you usually keep to yourself? I keep a lot to myself. Can you see the stars from your house? Yeah. How would you react if your favorite band made a song with your first name as its title? It’d be pretty cool. Are you considered an awkward person? I definitely consider myself to be very awkward, so I’m sure others do as well. Has a career advisor ever helped you choose your ideal career? No. If you were abandoned for a week, would you be able to fend for yourself? You gotta be more specific. Like for one, where am I? Is there a light on in the room you’re in? Yes. Have you ever been friends with someone who was your complete opposite? I had a best friend who was the outgoing, adventurous, outspoken one and I wasn’t any of those things. She helped me have fun and get out of my shell a bit at times, though.  Have you ever wished you were an identical twin? If one, do you hate it? It’s weird to imagine someone looking exactly like me.  What day were you born on? A Friday. What’s your favorite number? Why did you pick that? 8. It’s been my favorite since I was a kid. What does your favorite perfume / deodorant smell like? One of them has patchouli notes in it. The other is a beachy scent with some lavender.  Who’s your favorite Disney character? Alice from Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh. Do you like having a favorite everything or do you enjoy keeping open? I always say I have a lot of favorites of things. I have a hard time choosing just one for a lot of things. What’s your favorite advertisement? Or do you find them all irritating? I don’t have a favorite advertisement. I generally just tune those out.

Beatrix Snow | FC: Rinko Kikuchi | OPEN

Age: 650 Species: Sidhe Faerie Court: Unseelie Court Occupation: Leader of the Redcaps/Duchess Gender: Cis Female Pronouns: She/Her

Appearance

A deep scar across her eye ensures that Beatrix will never again pass as a court lady without glamour magic. But, she has little want to be one of those silly, frivolous stuffed birds. She likes the ripple of unease that runs through court when she enters. Owning pretty things was a privilege ripped from her, and now that her fortune is restored she has made up for lost time. Beatrix is dripping in furs and jewels. This infuriates those who believe she has no place at court. Even in silk and lace there is a hardness to her appearance that hints at a life unique from other courtiers.

Beatrix’s speech pattern is a patchwork of her life. She has a hint of a high fae accent, but her slang has bits of hearthling and common tongue. Beatrix moves through the crowd like she owns it. She has a slow, deliberate gait as she surveys her surroundings. The faerie sees no point in rushing, believing the posse that surrounds her is the most dangerous in Midsummer Forrest. Most know her face immediately, crowds splitting as she and her associates walk through. Her hungry eyes scan a room, the warrior in her always keeping watch for danger.

Personality

Lady Snow can often be considered course by the nobles at court. She was once soft like them, not knowing a world outside of her gilded bubble. But, keeping that life was not in the cards for her. Grownup Beatrix is cold, determined and unyielding when dealing with anything business related. The Redcap’s leader has learned that in her business it is best to separate emotion from her line of work. Lady Beatrix can be ruthless and cruel when she deems it necessary. In her mind she is merely continuing to survive. In her line of work, people being afraid of you is an asset. Beatrix is determined to stay on top, vicious in her aims to cut down competitors and any who stand in her way. But in peaceful times, she can be a fun companion, always willing to pay for wild nights out, exciting to be around and skilled at making the people who accompany her feel as powerful and untouchable as she does. Beatrix takes pride in having clawed her way up. But, despite her boasting still a small twinge of jealousy lingers in the pit of her stomach as she watches the young, carefree ladies at court living the life she was robbed of. She had an inherent disdain for other nobles, viewing herself as more competent than the courtiers growing soft off of their family’s wealth.

Background

Beatrix was born a Duchess, the only heir to one of the most powerful noble families in Midsummer. The Snows were giants among their peers, outweighing most others in wealth, influence and prestige. When they sided with the Avens during the Unseelie rebellion, others were more keen to follow. But, now the name Snow is synonymous with ruin. Nothing was quite the same after Beatrix’s mother died. Her father, always a fragile main, could not cope with the loss. It took a mere ten years for Duke Moon to gamble and drink away his family’s massive fortune. In time he met an unpleasant end at the hands of gambling house owner’s flunkies. Beatrix, now alone in the world and nearly penniless, was tossed to the streets. The King, seeing no use for the Snows anymore, rescinded Beatrix’s title. She sought out help from her families friends, but found that few had interest in a penniless and title-less Snow.

Beatrix found shelter in Nightshade Row, doing odd jobs for shop owners in her neighborhood. She started out naive and young for her age, but soon fell in with the street youth who lived there, and in time she used her smarts to rise up in the criminal underground of Midsummer Forest and earn back her family’s money many times over. She and the criminal gang she founded, The Redcaps, have now become so powerful they rule over Nightshade Row. They use their lucrative gambling house, House of Snow, as headquarters. That made King Oberon take notice. He knew he had something she wanted - her title back. In exchange for being allowed to return to court, Beatrix and her Redcaps are at Oberon’s beck and call. Beatrix doesn’t even like the King. In fact, she think’s he’s a pompous shit. She is loyal to nobody but herself and her Redcaps. But, the King’s gold and regard is too good on offer to pass up. Beatrix makes appearances at court regularly, if only to make her peers squirm.  She likes to parade her wealth and power to her peers, a silent way to gloat her fortune to those who turned the other cheek in her family’s time of need.She is viewed as quite the scandal, especially among the Seelie fae. In her own court, she inspires an even mix of respect, fear and disapproval Beatrix has become the person penniless nobles come to for a loan. The penalties of not paying her back with interest are dire.

Relationships

Works for King Oberon Aven

Friend of Aubrey Crane

Constellations Collide

An art trade I did with @dreamerdraws2018 !!! A fic about her OC’s Galileo and Nova meeting!!!

I hope you all Enjoy!!! Fic under the cut!!

On the outskirts of San Francisco, there stood a rather elegant looking post office. Humans and toons alike strolled by it nonstop and even got their mail from the place without ever stopping to think that it could be more than it seemed. The stylish exterior and tall clock spire made the place seem on the up and up, almost...church like in a way, but this place was anything but holy, despite the angel that lurked within its walls.

Oh sure the mail ran in and out, but behind the sacks of mail and the rows and rows of post office boxes, up a hidden staircase there was an office that housed one of the most powerful and feared Mafia Dons in the whole city. 

It was a perfect cover, packages going in and out could hold anything...booze, drugs, weapons...even other toons and people..it all depended on how much money was paid and what deals had been laid. But despite the usual smooth workings of his empire, it had been...a day.

A very long…

Long…

ANNOYING day.

Excruciatingly so, if Galileo was being honest. Paperwork, calls, people just being downright damn bunglers at their jobs. It was quickly building up into too much for him and that...well that was bad news for everyone.

If the boss wasn’t happy, no one else was happy either.

Seated at his desk, surrounded by the organized stacks of paper, Galileo closed his eyes as he ran over the thoughts of the day. A low growl rumbled in his chest, the sound startling his men that stood at parade rest in the room. Slowly, they all tensed, subtly glancing at one another with a twinge of nervousness in their gazes. One had to learn to read the room when working for a Don, or you could find yourself looking like swiss cheese. 

The constellation freckled angel shoved back from the desk, the movement and noise of the wheels of the black leather chair against the fine wood flooring startling the men. As he stood and pulled open one of his drawers, many pairs of eyes followed, shoulders and legs tensing as their boss reached into it and pulled out a rather expensive looking pair of shoulder holsters laden with a pair of even more expensive looking guns.

The lines of tense shoulders relaxed as the guns remained in place after the holsters were slipped on, Galileo shifting and adjusting slightly, making sure that should his wings come out, they wouldn’t snag on the straps. It was a custom made fit, perfect for one such as himself. 

Once armed, sharp steps took the angel to a nearby coat rack where he tugged his jacket from its hook along with his hat, slinging them both on and giving a sharp turn of his head to the men. They were quick to stand up a bit straighter and suck in their guts a bit to avoid earning the boss’s ire. The silence hung heavy in the air for a moment, as if he enjoyed watching them shift and sweat under his gaze. Mercifully, he spoke, his voice tight with the annoyance he was feeling, “I’m going for a walk. Damien’s in charge.” And with that short and simple order, out he marched, the heels of his shoes snapping against the hardwood floor.

None were foolish enough to stand in the way, since..well..none of them had a deathwish at this time.

Once out of his office, Galileo let out a slow exhale, his eyes falling closed a moment as he stood with his back to the door. It was a simple looking door, plain oak with a frosted glass window; the words 'MAIN OFFICE' painted in gold lettering in the middle. Such a plain looking door, no one would ever suspect that the head honcho of a well known Mafia worked here...just as it should be.

He sighed and adjusted his coat before briskly walking towards the stairs that led down through the floors of the main building. Due to the hour, the usually bustling place was eerily quiet, giving the whole building an almost reverent feel to it. Galileo smiled just a bit as he made his way down the stairs, his gloved hand smoothing along the polished brass of the railing. The coolness of the metal soothed him as his footsteps echoed almost like gunshots in the silent building. High windows let in rectangles of light that shifted over his shoulders as he rounded a landing and continued downward.

Once on the main floor, he strolled past the main mail room, and past the rows and rows of boxes standing a silent vigil over the first floor. It was almost claustrophobic in a way, all those little doors stacked and piled so tightly together in such a small space. The room was quiet, and smelled of floor polish, soft motes of dust drifting lazily through the sunbeams from the nearby windows. Galileo give a glance at his rather well established front and couldn't help but smirk before he pushed open the wood and glass paned door. Effortlessly, he stepped out onto the front stoop and into the cool sunset air, taking a slow breath and looking around.

It was a beautiful sight to his eyes. Though it wasn't the main city, they still had their traffic, their toons and people running here and there like ants over a picnic. The angel stood there a moment, surveying his domain. Trucks and cars rolled by with their chugging engines, humans and toons milling about in their own lives. Coming from work, going to work..it was like a heartbeat...a heartbeat that pulled a ghost of a smile from Galileo as he made his way down the steps and onto the sidewalk to join the river of people.

Reaching into the inner pocket of his coat, Galileo pulled out a small silver case and a box of matches. Opening the case, he easily plucked a cigarette from its slot and slipped it between his lips. A swipe of a match on a nearby building and it lit with a brilliant flare, quickly quieting down to a small dancing flame as he cupped it close to his face, lighting the cigarette and taking the first slow draw. His tension lowered with that first inhale, flicking the burned out match aside as he pulled the cigarette from his lips and blew a slow lazy stream over his head into the sky, his eyes closing from the moment of bliss.

Continuing onwards, he set his sights on the far end of town, observing how the city changed as he got closer and closer to the edge. It was early in the evening, the sun slowly starting to dip towards the horizon, leaving heavy shadows on the pavement that stretched out wide as though to swallow up the small neighborhood. His eyes lifted to the blaze of oranges that lit the sky on fire, the slight twinkling of stars barely visible as night slowly drew closer with each step he took.

Beautiful…

A small smile quirked his lips as he pushed his coat back from his hips and sank his hands into his pockets, his back giving that slight telltale itch it always did when his wings were due to emerge. Galileo wound his way through the foot traffic, passing by human and toon alike until soon, sidewalk gave way to soft green grass and pebbles beneath his shoes.

He took one last long drag of his cigarette as his wings shifted and flexed outward, splaying wide as they appeared with the falling of the sun behind the horizon. A little sigh of smoke as he let the butt fall from his fingers, grinding it under his shoe before large wings flexed and with a strong downbeat, he became airborne.

Galileo barely took notice as his little strip of town became smaller and smaller at his feet, catching a thermal and easily riding it up and up, the wind whipping past his face and tousling his hair and clothes. His eyes scanned the landscape before he found his bearings and began to wing towards the observatory.

It was his secret place; a spot he went to decompress and handle the stress of his daily life and the small smile on his face grew calm and more natural as he swooped down and landed delicately on the small ledge that encircled the top floor. The telescope was there of course, but he preferred to be outside, where he could observe the skies in the open air.

Everything was going great, he was unwinding, decompressing...the tightness in his jaw was slowly unclenching. The knots at the base of his wings, the throb behind his eyes was ebbing away until he heard humming of all things.

To most it might have been a beautiful, melodious, even appropriate sound for the peaceful imagery before them, but to Galileo, it might as well have been nails on a chalkboard. Someone...had invaded his private thinking spot and his wings bristled in agitation. Part of him wanted to reach for one of his guns and blow the offender away, but...body disposal was not something he wanted to deal with at the moment.

Least of all by himself.

So instead, he decided for an alternative tactic. Dames were easy to frighten, especially ones that were foolish enough to go out wandering by themselves without an escort. So with a confident, if not malicious smirk, he opened his wings and glided down to the lower observation balcony where the song was coming from.

He took a pause to run his hand back through his hair to tidy it, straightening his lapels and his tie to make himself look pristine. One had to look the part when delivering a threat after all. So after a moment of preening and smoothing himself out, he squared his shoulders and made his way around the balcony to confront the intruder. Everything about him read intimidation; from the slight upward cant of his wings to make himself appear larger, to the deep disapproving scowl that etched his features.

Without trying to mask his footsteps, he moved around the corner to see a woman sitting on a folding chair with a small easel in front of her, busily capturing the twilight before her in sharp elegant sweeps of her brush. He paused for a moment, eyes flicking over the scene to take in just what was happening.

She was an unusual looking dame as far as Toons went, being one of those with a fairer grey complexion than those whose flesh was varying shades of ink black. Her face was rather elegant and gentle as she continued to put paint to canvas with deft strokes. Her hair was long, piled up into a messy bun atop her head with the tail hanging down, perhaps disheveled from her time working. Her hair actually caught his eyes for a moment, looking for all the world like the star laden sky that would soon be above them, her violet eyes flicking from the canvas back out to the horizon.

She looked serene...peaceful…

And he instantly loathed her.

This was HIS peaceful retreat, his calming place...and how dare she come in and steal his serenity for herself. He set his teeth, wings fluffing in annoyance as Galileo prepared to defend what he saw as his. “And just what exactly do you think you’re doin’? Spyin’ on me? Who do you work for hm? You might as well tell me, otherwise...things might get messy.” He said, his voice not holding back on the malice and authority as he stood next to this intruder, his arms folded over his chest. 

Galileo’s glare settled onto her easily, the woman barely paused in her work as if she hadn’t noticed him...which annoyed him even MORE. Ugh. It was reasons like this he couldn’t stand dames most of the time. She turned her gaze up to him, a frown of her own etching over her lovely features as she slowly dunked her brush into a small mason jar of spirits and swirled it about. “I’ve been here for hours. It’s a public place, so I have just as much right to be here as you do.” She said, her voice prim and sharp as she returned his glare rather than cowering from it.

The constellation angel’s wings bristled again as she changed brushes and dabbed a bit of paint and continued back to her work. Ohhh now that burned him up. If there was one thing he despised, it was being disrespected. No matter that he was the one that had intruded on this poor woman’s private time...she had dismissed him. HIM of all people! “A public place huh? I can change that with just a phone call.” Galileo’s voice was tense with the threat as he stared down at her. “Then I’ll have th’ cops come and throw you out of here.”

A light scoff of laughter filled the air and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow and an almost amused expression. “Well you haven’t made that phone call yet, and it takes police at least a half hour to get out this way, so until then, I’ll remain right here finishing my landscape thank you very much.” She replied tersely, looking up at him with a stern look of dislike. 

Again...dismissal…

He snarled, moving forward threateningly his wings flaring even wider. “That’s a pretty smart mouth for a pretty dumb broad. Don’t you even know who I -AM-?!” Galileo exclaimed, his wings shaking slightly in his fury as his hand twitched, eager to shove into the side of his jacket and pull out one of his pistols.

Galileo waited for to her reply, for her to recognize just who he was and to beg for his forgiveness and scramble to leave...but instead, she shifted her pallet and grabbed a painter’s knife, gathering some paint on it to put on some shadows and highlights as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving the moon to light the pair. 

The starry haired toonette huffed and looked to him with annoyance, blowing a strand of her ethereal hair out of her face. “A very loud, very rude man who is ruining a perfectly good view?” She replied sharply and Galileo was, for lack of a better word, stunned by her sheer audacity.

His jaw dropped for a moment before he snapped it shut with a click, his anger finally shoving past the restraints he had on it with that final quip. His hand reached into his jacket, pulling one of his pistols, the hammer cocking back as he lunged. One hand grasped her shoulder with a bruising tight hold as the other pressed his pistol tight to the base of her neck. “No. I’m the man whose evenin’ you ruined and who’ll be the last one to see your pretty face before I cover that canvas with the inside of your skull.” Galileo all but snarled.

The woman had taken a sharp inhale and froze under his hand, a malicious grin from him as he had finally managed to garner a proper reaction from this intrusive woman. What he didn’t expect though, was what came next.

Instead of the usual tears, begging and pleading for her life, she squared her shoulders, lifted her chin to stare at the rapidly fading twilight. She wore a brave face, even though he could feel the quiver of her shoulder, read the tremble of her bottom lip before she tightened her jaw, those violet eyes steeling as she seemed to wait. She wasn’t going to beg, she wasn’t going to prostrate herself before him in a desperate attempt to save her own life...no...she stood before him unwilling to give a single step to someone like him and that to him, was...well..rather intriguing he had to admit. He had given this treatment to full grown men twice his size and all they could do was blubber and beg and piss him off.

But not her.

This elegant, delicate woman stood her ground before him and that was perhaps enough to save her life. His wings shifted as they stood there in a deadlock, the wind whistling through the valley and ruffling his feathers and coat lightly. It seemed like an eternity before the sound of the hammer being released echoed through the air, along with a small breath from the woman. “Heh. You’ve got moxie...I’ll give ya that.” Galileo huffed as he pulled back, uncaring as she winced and rubbed her shoulder from where he had left a bruise from his grip.

She cut her eyes back to him with a huff. “I’m not going to apologize for being somewhere that I have every right to be in...not to you...not to anyone.” She replied lightly and Galileo almost laughed. Even when he had spared her life, instead of groveling at his feet in gratitude, she quickly made sure that he knew that she saw herself in the right.

Tch, dames. Who could understand ‘em?

He huffed as he tucked his gun away. “Hmf, you should be thankful I decided that I needed t’save this bullet for someone more important.” Galileo give her a sour look then before he turned away, glancing up at the sky as the night finally settled in and laid its stars out for all to see. This was a bust, he might as well go home and train for a while to blow off some steam. 

“Don’t come here again.” He said, a simple warning before he smirked and flared his wings, giving the hardest downflap he could as he took off, relishing in the clattering of the painting and easel as well as the stream of angry words that chased him into the sky...along with a jar of paint thinner.

A slight glance back and he saw her there, on her feet, her pretty face twisted in her fury as she glared after him. Ahh….sweet revenge. Galileo couldn’t help but feel a bit smug as he began to wing his way towards home, pondering on how to get rid of this last bit of pent up aggression.

He hoped Damien was ready for an ass kicking, because he was getting one whether he liked it or not.

Moving To Fresno California

“ Fresno, whose name is the Spanish word for "ash tree,"

The original inhabitants of the San Joaquin Valley region were the Yokuts people and Miwok people , who engaged in trading with other Californian tribes of Native Americans including coastal peoples such as the Chumash of the Central California coast, with whom they are thought to have traded plant and animal products.

Fresno County was first settled by Yokut tribes long before Europeans came to the U.S. – at one point, 60 tribes inhabited Fresno County. The area encompassing the county was claimed by Spain and then Mexico once the latter won independence. The first known Mexican expedition into Fresno County was completed in 1806 by Gabriel Moraga, who also named the Kings and San Joaquin rivers. Moraga was looking for new sites for missions, but Mexican development in the county was slow. What is now Fresno County joined the U.S. following the Mexican War in 1846. Fresno County was officially founded in 1856 from sections of neighboring Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties.

It lies approximately 220 miles (350 km) north of Los Angeles , 170 miles (270 km) south of the state capital, Sacramento , and 185 miles (300 km) southeast of San Francisco Yosemite National Park is about 60 miles (100 km) to the north, Kings Canyon National Park is 60 miles (100 km) to the east, and Sequoia National Park is 75 miles (120 km) to the southeast.

In the 1970s, the city was the subject of a song, "Walking Into Fresno", written by Hall Of Fame guitarist Bill Aken and recorded by Bob Gallion of the world-famous "WWVA Jamboree" radio and television show in Wheeling, West Virginia Aken, adopted by Mexican movie actress Lupe Mayorga, grew up in the neighboring town of Madera and his song chronicled the hardships faced by the migrant farm workers he saw as a child.

Although the neighborhood was known as a residential area prior, the early commercial establishments of the Tower District began with small shops and services that flocked to the area shortly after World War II. The character of small local businesses largely remains today.

The Tower District is a hub for community events such as Jamaica My Weekend, Mardi Gras in February, Gay Pride Parade , car shows, A Taste of The Tower, Halloween in the Tower, and the Farmer's Market opened on the North-West Corner of Olive and Van Ness.

The neighborhood includes Kearney Boulevard, named after early 20th century entrepreneur and millionaire M. Theo Kearney, which extends from Fresno Street in Southwest Fresno about 20 mi (32 km) west to Kerman, California A small, two-lane rural road for most of its length, Kearney Boulevard is lined with tall palm trees.

Fresno tends to remain socially conservative while being more moderate on economic issues, which can be seen in Fresno's support for socially conservative proposition amendments but occasionally voting for a Democratic Presidential Candidate if economic times are poor such as former President Bill Clinton's victory over incumbent former President George H.W. Bush in 1992 and President Barack Obama over Senator John McCain in 2008.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis ‘s Regional Price Parity survey, which takes into account cost of living metrics including the price of goods and services and housing, Fresno has a regional price parity of 106.0, -3.2% below the average for US metro areas.

In return you get great schools, lots of activities for your children to choose from, plenty of chain restaurants and a few really good independent restaurants, and a fairly safe area to raise your kids up. Clovis PD is much better than Fresno PD on answering calls and keeping the streets safe.

The parks have a multi-use amphitheater that seats up to 2,500 people, authentic Japanese Garden, fenced dog park, two-mile (3 km) equestrian trail, exercise par course, three children's playgrounds, a lake, 3 small ponds, 7 picnic areas and five miles (8 km) of multipurpose trails that are part of the San Joaquin River Parkway's Lewis S. Eaton Trail.

Major watercourses are the San Joaquin River , Kings River , Delta-Mendota Canal , Big Creek , Friant Kern Canal , Helm Canal and Madera Canal It is bordered on the west by the Coast Range and on the east by the Sierra Nevada It is the center of a large agricultural area, known as the most agriculturally rich county in the United States The county withdrew 3.7 billion US gallons (14,000,000 m3) of fresh water per day in 2000, more than any other county in the United States.

Passenger rail service is offered by Amtrak so residents can enjoy a ride along the tracks when getting about town or long-distance bus service is offered by Greyhound The Fresno Yosemite International Airport brings new and long-time residents in and out of the region from all over the world.

An agreeable climate, and proximity to both ocean and mountains combine to make Fresno a haven for lovers of the outdoors. For athletic Fresnans, surfing Pacific coast beaches such as Santa Cruz in the summer, then skiing the Sierras in the winter is commonplace. Sailing at Huntington Lake and canoeing the San Joaquin River are popular activities. And Fresno is the only city in the country surrounded by three national parks: Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite. Pebble Beach, the most storied golf course in the country, is just a 2-hour drive away (Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay are two other top-rated courses in Pebble Beach).

Fresno's nightlife offers a myriad of music, dining and entertainment options reflecting the city's youth and diversity. The Tower District has many great places to see live music. Several wineries inhabit the area. Combining the best of both worlds, Fresno has big-city amenities while retaining a friendly, small-town atmosphere. 

Fresno California has always been a popular draw for those seeking that perfect combination of big city culture and small town hospitality. Many folks are flocking there each year as many Long Distance Moving Companies are seeing a increase in those relocating to the area.  

Your skill About Four Queens Starting In The Next 5 Minutes

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Altering Trends In Japanese Popular Culture

During the Edo period from about 1603 to 1867, those personifications resulted in monster-like characters dubbed yokai, which emerged first in local tales earlier than changing into part of Japanese folklore. They could seem as anything from a sentient broom or shoe to a completely invented creature. About 20 years later, the 1986 movie Gung Ho directed by Ron Howard reflected a very different view of Japan. 眼科診所 ’s about an American auto plant taken over by a Japanese company and the tradition clash that erupts over their differing views of labor. The Japanese characters are practically automatons, obsessed with effectivity and order, reflecting the prevailing image of Japan as a mechanized producer of cars and electronics. Japanese Popular Culture and Globalization is the only concise overview of Japan’s phenomenal impression on world pop culture obtainable in English. 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This is a superb place to buy a mess of souvenirs at great prices. Japanese Restaurants Close To Me (Incidentally, we crowned a slurp king ourselves once we named one of the best ramen eating places in America.) But what makes a spot stand apart? What makes it probably the greatest Japanese eating places in America? If you do not discover what you want then it's possible to order one thing. The first kind is a small counter restaurant with a few tables. The menu is broad—chicken katsu curry, salmon sashimi, maki rolls that sport various levels of flair—and friendly servers maintain water glasses stuffed and don’t dally with the verify throughout lunch hour. Sushi will be the jewel of Japanese dining, but there's much, much more to the island nation’s celebrated cuisine. The desserts aren't any less ingenious with mocha being a perennial favorite amongst diners. These conventional eating places serve Kaiseki meals, which is a multi-course dinner. 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Hot Spring For a very calming experience, Yumori no Sato can’t be beat. Located in a quiet residential neighborhood near Jindaiji Temple in Chofu, there are many timber and nature surrounding the spa. Yumori no Sato presents a free hourly shuttle bus to and from Chofu Station, or it’s a few 20-minute walk from the station. As steam rises from the inky depths of the outside hot spring, I dip my hand in to watch it rapidly disappear underneath the coffee-colored water. The credit card offers that seem on the website are from credit card firms from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This compensation could impact how and where merchandise appear on this website . Meaning “Milky White River” in the Ainu language , the realm of Noboribetsu Onsen was first found and frequented by the Ainu for its healing properties. It’s additionally known as the department retailer of the recent springs, as you can find seven various kinds of minerals, and due to this fact seven different sorts of scorching springs. 1.You can completely take pleasure in a spacious bathtub, which can make you feel rich and relaxed. You wouldn’t need to be sitting round amongst different people’s hairballs, would you? Communal bathing doesn’t precisely sound interesting to most gaijin , however in Japan it's a beloved a half of traditional tradition. Nevertheless, the foundations of etiquette are the same for each onsen and sento, so with your newfound expertise you’ll have the flexibility to tackle any bathhouse with aplomb. An precise onsen , this monumental bath and spa complex close to Arashiyama is nicely worth the trek. [newline]The baths and saunas are nice and the restaurant is amazingly good. It’s a common courtesy to look away from others when taking a public tub. Some ryokans permit you to reserve the baths for personal use upfront of your keep. Top 14 Japanese Festivals And Celebrations This colorful competition takes place on May three and 4 within the metropolis of Fukuoka in northern Kyushu. Ho-Taiko Hanami Gyoretsu" (Toyotomi Hideyoshi's cherry blossom-viewing parade) is held on the second Sunday of every April. The Atami Plum Garden Festival is annually held from mid- January to early March with hundreds of visitors attending the festivities. Dosojin Matsuri is amongst the three biggest fireplace festivals in Japan and is annually held on January 15. Please bear in mind that the gross sales deadline is usually 1 month ahead of the festival. Nada no Kenka Matsuri , Matsubara Hachiman Shrine, Himeji. 助聽器 shouldering moveable shrines jostle each other as they try to indicate their skill in balancing their heavy burdens. Anyone can join in this tug of warfare with the world's largest rope (186m/619 ft.), once held to welcome Chinese ambassadors. Mifune Matsuri, Arashiyama, on the Oigawa River outdoors Kyoto, is when the days of the Heian Period are reenacted by some 20 boats and folks in costume. This pageant extols the thrill of sex and fertility , featuring a parade of giant phalluses, some carried by transvestites. You can learn all about this, the historical past of plum blossoms, and one of the best ume festival locations in our information to Visiting Japan to View the Plum Blossom. Osaka is well accessible from a quantity of main cities utilizing a Japan Rail Pass. Festivals are sometimes primarily based around a particular occasion, with leisure, food stalls, and carnival games. Some are based around temples or shrines, others embody hanabi . There are a wide range of quite a few native festivals in Japan as a result of almost each shrine celebrates certainly one of its personal. Both festivals are equally worthwhile, showcasing the inimitable yatai, together with a magical evening procession on the first night of every festival. However, during matsuri festivals, the streets are lined with food stalls promoting special types of seasonal snacks with vary from festival to competition. 雙眼皮 , or matsuri (祭り), in Japan are common occasions. In Tokyo, there are well-known festivals that you must go to while you’re there in spring. Spring in Japan is well-known for the total bloom of sakura (桜; cherry blossoms). 9 Japanese Museums You Possibly Can Tour Nearly The headquarters for Toyota’s factories is situated in Toyota City,AichiPrefecture. The Toyota Kaikan Exhibition Hall which is also in Toyota City has exhibitions of the latest safety-conscious know-how, starting from the brand new expertise for automobiles such as hybrid cars and fuel-cell automobiles. At the Virtual Factory, you can learn about things such because the manufacturing facility manufacturing course of via videos. Though the movie portion of the museum cut up off last yr to type the National Film Center, the Crafts Gallery is still a short walk away. While the slick triad of art museums in Roppongi fills up throughout peak occasions, a visit right here tends to be way more relaxed; even on weekends, long lines are uncommon. That appears to swimsuit the guests simply fine—the works here invite leisurely contemplation. The National Art Center in Roppongi is designed by Kisho Kurokawa and is Japan's largest exhibition house. The National Art Center is built on the old site of the University of Tokyo's Institute of Solid State Physics , and is a serious presence in establishing Roppongi as Tokyo's most cutting edge area. Chichu Art MuseumThe Chichu Art Museum, designed by renowned architect Ando Tadao, is a very special modern artwork museum built mostly underground into a hillside overlooking the southern coast of Naoshima Island. Open since 2008, this modern pictures gallery runs a program of frequent common exhibitions, normally lasting a week or two, of member artists. Part of the Bunkamura art and culture complicated, the ground-floor gallery holds around thirty exhibitions a 12 months in various genres. This small two-room gallery situated subsequent to the MOMA Store focuses on modern Japanese art, and it is typically price trying out when you happen to be passing by. Japan Journey Nanbo Kokusai Mura is their lodge and seminar home, 200m from the seashore in southern Chiba. It is the house for firm retreats, children’s scouting journeys, sports activities group’s staff constructing journeys, school outside schooling actions, family or club “getaways” and much more. IZU OSHIMA is a superb place for teenagers in a very pristine location! Izu Oshima emphasizes the out of doors experince and the sporty aspect of issues. Ryoan-ji Temple is probably the most famous , and we loved the gardens at Kennin-ji and Kodai-ji . At Entoku-in we had the prospect to create our personal miniature backyard. Zen Buddhist temples often characteristic kare-sansui or dry landscape gardens produced from rocks and gravel rigorously raked into patterns that suggest rippling water. Fushimi Inari is considered one of the high vacationer attractions in Japan and will get incredibly busy, so I extremely suggest arriving before 7 am or after 8 pm to avoid the worst of the crowds. It may not be the most effective espresso on the earth, however Simon liked the comfort of being ready to decide up a can of scorching espresso anywhere, particularly on cold mornings once we had a prepare to catch. His favorite was Tully’s—he found the extra frequent Boss coffee somewhat gross. The bay is legendary for pearl cultivation, and countless oyster rafts may be seen floating on the water. There are additionally sightseeing boat cruises that provides visitors a more in-depth view of the smaller islands across the bay. There are a large number of lakes in Japan together with caldera lakes, subterranean lakes and lagoons. Lakes are inclined to have lots of lovely scenery nearby and are well-liked for hiking, especially during the autumn color season. The cruise is popularly mixed with a journey on the Sagano Scenic Railway. There are many rivers in Japan, and a few of them may be explored by river cruises. Tokyo Nightlife The most typical value for a hour was a thousand yen or about $11-$12 a individual. You could possibly be lucky and discover a place where a all-you-can-drink or eat deal is featured. Tokyo has the highest quality of meals on the planet, that's why you have to visit at least one of its many izakaya's to strive a bunch of authentic Japanese dishes, like Eihire , Sakura and Yakitori . Visit izakaya's Umiya or Sumire in Shibuya to get pleasure from these dishes. If you make new friends in Tokyo, you will ultimately be requested to be added to LINE. Various theaters are active in the evenings performing conventional Japanese music, dance and/or Noh theater, . It is home to a great variety of bars, one of the best of which appear to be located on Kiyamachi Street, which, while smaller than New York’s forty second, avenue has usually been compared to it. These bars are generally the place many of the youth population hangs out and thus, the place most of the “in crowd” would go to be able to have an excellent time. Once the shopping malls shut for the night, the various eating places and pubs in the Ginza neighborhood take their flip within the spotlight. While there are nightclubs within the area, many of those bars and pubs have a more informal ambiance. For those who want to expertise a more refined and chic tackle Japanese night time life, a trip to Tokyo’s Cotton Club might be the right answer. Another distinctive and spectacular approach to benefit from the evening surroundings is to take a helicopter experience over the city. A additional alternative could be to take a boat cruise and enjoy the waterfront scenery. 7 Finest Japanese Fish Markets Although highly seasonal , it's extensively generally identified as the most effective flea market in Tokyo, so you might consider taking a break from sakura viewing to shop. Around 200 to 300 vendors arrange shop right here, so you may definitely have your work cut out for you, whether you store valuable kintsugi or followers and different artwork from before World War II. The bidding process will begin in summer time 2018, and already a quantity of corporations have shown curiosity in forming consortiums for bidding, together with French and Spanish corporations. Sendai International Airport in Miyagi Prefecture was privatized in July 2016, and began turning a profit whereas serving a document 3.4 million passengers in the first yr. They try to higher join airport to other transportation means to make it as gate approach to Tohoku’s different regions to additional improve the airport use. [newline]Although the variety of foreign tourists in Tohoku has returned to pre-3.eleven stage in 2015, Tohoku has the least quantity of overseas vacationers in Japan. To overcome the situation, its six prefectures and local municipalities are working together to advertise the Tohoku area as entire, pooling finances and human resources to draw more overseas guests mainly from Asia. The Kyushu/Yamaguchi region of southwestern Japan consists of seven prefectures on Kyushu Island and Yamaguchi Prefecture on the southern tip of Honshu, with a combined inhabitants of about 14.5 million. The region's roughly $450 billion financial system constitutes Japan's fourth largest financial middle, representing about 10% of nationwide GDP, which makes it one of many thirty largest economies on the planet . This area is traditionally often known as Japan's gateway to Asia and enjoys intensive historical, cultural, and trade ties with continental Asia, notably South Korea, China, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan. What better method to learn about a local region than visiting its native farmers market? Browsing through the stalls, you may get an opportunity to see what sorts of produce the realm makes a speciality of, and will be able to mingle first-hand with local farmers and shoppers. Consider budgeting time during your journey to visit one of the markets beneath. Less a traditional market and extra a buying road in the vein of Nakamise, Harajuku's Takeshita-dori is nonetheless top-of-the-line places to buy in Tokyo that's not a mall or department retailer. [newline]After having fun with this insanity, cross the street to Harajuku Station, which is one of the best vantage level from which to photograph the calamity. 42 Crazy Fun Things To Do In Japan Other diversions right here embody the Solamachi Mall on the tower’s base, with 300 restaurants and outlets, together with a newly opened Pokemon Center selling character goods. This museum portrays what life was like in shitamachi more than one hundred years in the past. Traditional toys and video games are available for guests to play, and volunteer guides are keen to supply insight into the shitamachi lifestyle and stand prepared at no cost excursions. Using a spread of digital resources, you can now get plenty of journey concepts and experience some of Japan’s most enjoyable attractions on-line, which can help you plan your journey and determine what you wish to see in person. Some of the categories of data that we collect in connection with the supply of our Services or by way of the employment software process may represent special classes of private knowledge . At Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., our mission is to offer superior cruise vacations for our visitors. We encourage you to carefully read the privacy coverage of any website you visit. The tour begins in Osaka, the place there is loads of free time to explore the city. The tour then moves on to Kyoto, the historic capital of Japan and residential to thousands of temples and shrines. The Cherry Blossom and Gardens tour is operated through the restricted cherry blossom season in Japan to see Japanese gardens at their most lovely and experience the beautiful nature of Japan. The shinkansen is then used to travel to Kanazawa and expertise a unique, extra historical aspect of Japan. Kenrokuen gardens and the Higashi Chaya district are well-liked conventional sites in Kanazawa that are generally missed by excursions. Sidewalks in Japanese cities are sometimes sloped in path of the road, which might make touring a straight line troublesome for wheelchair users or people with vision impairment. LGBTQIA+ identifying vacationers are unlikely to encounter violence, outright hostility or overt discrimination in Japan. However, conservative values about queer sexuality and non-binary gender expression are widespread, particularly outside massive cities. Sex that takes place between consenting adults of the same gender is legal, though same-sex marriage isn't. For environmental causes, try to use a refillable water bottle quite than shopping for bottled water. In Japan, bathrooms vary from high-tech bidets to standard western-style flushable bogs to squat bogs, that are nonetheless frequent outside the city. Sometimes you might need to pay for toilet paper, which may normally be bought from a vending machine close by. Anderson Japanese Gardens It leads to a standard Japanese Garden gate that provides a glimpse of the wonder inside before visitors cross the brink. The Japanese Garden Society of New Orleans after a few years of effort has created an authentic Japanese Garden in the Botanical Gardens of New Orleans City Park. The backyard additionally provides elevated awareness and appreciation of Japanese tradition, aesthetics and love of nature amongst all individuals within the New Orleans area. There are eleven lanterns in the garden, all being stone aside from one which is concrete. The five-story pagoda lantern located on the north hill was donated by Lodi’s sister metropolis; Kofu, Japan. The Park has a renowned lily assortment, and is distinguished by its big transparent Tropical Dome that forms the focal point of the Park. Tottori Prefectural Flower Park presents different faces of seasonal magnificence all year spherical, and with absolutely covered walkways for enjoyment in any weather. Ritsurin-koen in Takamatsu in Shikoku is taken into account considered one of Japan's best gardens. This sixteen ha strolling backyard is laid out on a grand scale however it's also contiguous with a range of low, forested hills conveying the impression that the garden is countless. Here you’ll find lots of Tokyo’s primary museums, like the Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, National Science Museum, and the National Museum for Western Art. The park is also residence to Ueno Zoo, residence to 2 lovable giant pandas. The Japanese have taken their love of rising issues and their realization of man’s union with nature and refined them in the great point about their gardens. The purpose of a Japanese Garden is to current pure forms and to create a tranquil beauty that leads the customer from everyday life to a calm, serene, reflective communion with nature. Garden Club Volunteers are vital to help maintain the botanical gardens in Point Defiance Park. Regardless of your expertise, if crops are your ardour, we’d like to have you be a part of us in nurturing ours. We are a promoter and steward of this evolving metropolis and its progressive values, which have the power to rework the vacationers who visit us. Round out your floral explorations of the Rose City with a visit to Southeast Portland’s lush Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. The park boasts more than 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, with blooms from late February -June. Japan Temples & Shrines After this event, they may start disassembly of the old shrine, and can depart simply a little doghouse-sized structure in its place for the following two decades. This shrine has become a preferred place to hope for the return of your cat ever since internationally famend jazz pianist Yamashita Yosuke prayed right here for his lost feline good friend. Miraculously, some say, his beloved cat returned safely the subsequent day – after being gone a full 17 days! Even before that occurred, although, this place was meant to honor cats, who were seen as protectors for the silkworm business since they're the pure predator of the rats who threatened the worms. To today, people buy ema and hold them on the shrine to wish for his or her feline companions. This shrine dedicated to Inari is an extension of the well-known Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Kyoto. With so much to see and do in Japan, we’ve picked 10 of the most thrilling activities to do in your journey to experience it like a local. The shrine is a focus for the Hakata Yamakasa Gion Festival, and portable shrines that are carried as floats may be seen right here. Kushida Shrine in Hakata, Fukuoka, is a colourful and storied shrine with a 1,300-year-old historical past. Omikuji or paper fortunesIt’s price looking for out shrines in Kyoto, although most aren’t as well-known as the temples, as they're usually free, very colourful, and the rituals are fascinating to observe. Kyoto has many incredible Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples and this is among the causes it tops our record of one of the best places to visit in Japan. Buddhism was brought from India via China and Korea within the sixth century. The fundamental philosophy is that struggling is inherent in life and that one may be liberated from it by cultivating knowledge, virtue, and focus. There are so many temples in Kyoto that it may be overwhelming deciding which of them to visit. My advice is don’t attempt to do it all and to mix a few well-liked temples with quieter, less well-known ones that you can take pleasure in without the crowds.

Homes For Sale San Antonio Tx

The quantity residents spend on on a regular basis bills, such as food and transportation, is barely less than what the typical American pays. This is a diversified neighborhood, with homes representing a wide range of durations and styles. In general, homes in Oakland Estates are about $135,000 – $750,000 and sit on 2-acre heaps with 4 bedrooms and three loos. It can additionally be a fantastic area for rental property funding as greater than 85% of the population comprises renters. The typical home value in Oakland Estates is $387,865 and residential values have gone up 24.6% over the past year.

Let’s undergo some of the finest components of San Antonio collectively. MHVillage could replace this policy with out notice from time to time, so you must check this web page regularly. "It's such a distinctive property that it will take a really specific buyer," she stated. When a military base closes, this could be a severe blow to the financial system of a metropolis.

In addition to houses in San Antonio, there were additionally 224 condos, 121 townhouses, and forty one multi-family units for sale in San Antonio last month. This home has been just about staged for instance its potential. Build your new home within minutes of HWY 90, HWY 151, Downtown San Antonio, Lackland AFB, and the brand new Tech Port Center.

Titles are awarded primarily based on the amount of most money raised for King and Queen, Prince and Princess, Duke and Duchess, Count and Countess. Royalty make appearances not solely at River Walk occasions however at various events throughout the town. Not only is being a River Walk royal a fantastic honor, but it is also a accountability. One must perfect the royal wave, experience in countless parades, and look nice homes for sale san antonio sporting a crown. As the 4th largest county in Texas and the 17th largest county nationally, Bexar County is steeped in rich historical past and custom, while at the same time quickly rising with a inhabitants approaching two million. Home of the first ever digital library, BiblioTech, Bexar County is also the home of such treasures because the San Antonio Riverwalk, the Alamo, and our historic Missions, which are a World Heritage Site.

Another survey of 1,000 folks by Real Estate Witch, an training platform for home consumers and sellers, found comparable outcomes, with forty four p.c of respondents saying that they’ve lived in a haunted house. The Counselors of Real Estate® is a company of commercial property specialists worldwide who provide seasoned, objective advice on actual property and land-related matters. Only 1,a hundred professionals from all disciplines of real property, academia and authorities maintain the CRE credential. Membership is selective and prolonged by invitation, though commercial actual property practitioners with 10 years of confirmed expertise could apply. Houston’s funding prospects were likely boosted by elevated oil prices, however the region has benefited from a broader, pandemic-induced migration boom that has solid a good gentle over the Sun Belt. Strong inhabitants and job growth drive progress in actual estate markets, attracting investors to Houston and different metropolitan areas within the South.

At ZeroDown, we make homeownership extra accessible for more homebuyers regardless of what a mortgage lender is telling them right now. Even should you aren’t mortgage-ready at present, you might be eligible to qualify for ZeroDown’s rent-to-own program. The home you’re renting will finally be yours, so if you want to paint it, you can! You can even redo the floors, change the kitchen cupboards, and more. We encourage future householders to make homes really feel like their own. For a full listing of permissible renovations, you can examine our pointers.

You may enter the building through the Justice Center on Dolorosa or the Paul Elizondo Tower on Nueva St. . In order to be timely, cost mailing or frequent carrier of taxes must homes for sale san antonio be postmarked or receipted on or before the due date of January thirty first. When visiting downtown San Antonio for Bexar County places of work we recommend the Bexar County Parking Garage.

Make your appointment right now and make this house a place you call HOME. Welcome home to this majestic gem, tucked away in the Oak Ridge Village! four Bedroom, three.5 toilet, 2 household homes for sale san antonio areas, Oversized Sunroom, High ceilings and so forth. Conveniently positioned near Major purchasing areas, Restaurants, downtown San Antonio, and San Antonio International Airport.

[your-nightmare]

Are you blond? No

Does it bother you when people have a collar turned up? No

Are your nails painted? If so, what color? If not, do you like nail polish? Not painted but I do like nail polish

Are you awesome? Not really lol

As a kid did you like Barney, Baby Bop, or DJ more? Idk I guess barney

Have you been to the Bzoink Forums yet? No

Does any key on your computer and or laptop stick? No

Does fire excite you? Sometimes

Have you ever sung in a choir? Yes

Do you go to church? No

Have you ever had a theme(pirate, ninja, civil war) day Yes

Can you touch your tongue to your nose? Yes actually

Have you ever been to Philadelphia PA? I can't remember

Do you think Orlando Bloom is hot? Yes

Do you think Twilight is over-rated? Yes

When was the last time you where sick? what did you have? I had a cold right at the beginning of the pandemic

What is your favorite number? 17

If you are a girl do you hate girl drama? I enjoy watching drama or hearing about it

If you are a guy do you hate girls who prolong the drama? –

I’m tired….are you? Not enough

Favorite indie music group? Idk

Have you ever pet a monkey? No

Have you ever ridden a camel? No

I am disinclined to aqueous your request. What does that phrase mean to you? It means you spelled acquiesce wrong

Have you ever punched somebody? Not on purpose

Do you like cupcakes? Yes

Orange or lemon flavoring? Orange

Can you sing opera? No

Touchpads or Mouse’s? I mostly use my touchpad, but I used to like the mouse a lot

Have you ever been to a Disney theme park? Yes

Do you like bacon? No

Have you ever wished for something to come true and it did? If yes, was the end result good or bad? In high school I was hoping to be put next to my crush in the seating chart and I actually was

Do you like Rammstein? Idk who that is

Do you know a friend of a friend? Yes

Do you smile for no reason? I used to

if somebody paid you a million dollars to get a green mohawk would you? Hell yeah, a million dollars is a million dollars

Ever had a BLT? Did you like it? No and I probably wouldn't

Are you in college? Not anymore

Have you ever been to a State Fair? No

Do you like YouTube? If so what’s your favorite channel? Its ok

Do you enjoy compulsively cleaning electronics? It can be satisfying

What is your favorite small dog breed? Idk, I am not that big of a fan of small dogs

Do you smell bacon cooking? No

Have you ever bitten anything for any unknown reason? What was it? Probably just random stuff I was fidgeting with

Do you like the movie “The Master Of Disguise”? I've never seen it

What is the closest thing to you that’s red? A pen

Have you ever gone into a toy store just to play with the toys? No, they are all packaged

When was the last time you went through a McDonalds PlayPlace? I was probably like 8 or something

Do you have an annoying dog? I don't have a dog

What was the first comic book you ever had an obsession over? I’ve never been into comic books

Do you like kids pop-up books? I did as a kid

Does anybody else think bugs are cool and interesting? I don’t

What kind of toothpaste do you use? Idk the brand, I just know what it looks like

Do you own a pair of striped socks? Yes

What is the most random thing in your bedroom? A gremlin creature thing backpack that I got as a white elephant

In a normal conversation do you slip out Latin? No wtf

Can you sing? Yes

If so, what is the highest note you can reach? Idk

Have you ever been to the cream cheese capital of the world? I don't know what that is

Was this survey random? Yeah

Have you ever been in a parade? Yes, in marching band and in my neighborhood

What is your mothers, mothers maiden name? Nah that's a security question

Do you have a different hairstyle? Different than what?

Am I annoying yet? Yeah lol

Do you like soybeans? No

Do you press buttons just to see what they do? Sometimes

Do you still play Pokémon? I never really did other than briefly getting into pokemon go

What is your favorite Pokémon? Eevee

Have you ever put blue streaks in your white cats hair? No and I would not

Did you like this survey? Eh

Trump’s policies all feed the fear that many white Americans have of anyone or anything different from their lifestyle and beliefs

Something quite wonderful happened to my wife and me the other day during our annual public humiliation, which is how we refer to our one trip a year to buy sweet kosher wine—always for our Seder. We entered the neighborhood liquor store near Hunter College and sheepishly asked a group of employees gathered in front, “Where’s the sweet kosher wine?” I added, as if telling a joke, “You know, once a year…” to which the store manager answered with a lilting empathy that seemed to come from years of experience, “I know, once a year!” We were sharing a moment.

Except the manager was most certainly a sub-continental or Persian, and thus probably Muslim or Hindu and not Jewish.

In all, six ethnic groups were involved in this public ritual that always proceeds our private religious-cultural celebration: A secular Syrian Jew and his Quaker wife of German-Dutch-English descent are served first by a South or Central Asian who asks his Latino employee to show us where to look—he said, “Jose, show them.” The cashier is a very friendly African-American woman.

Syrian Jew, WASP, Asian, Latino, Black—that’s five cultures. Six, when you count the man to whom the store manager was talking the entire time we were in the store—a jovial heavyset, tow-haired guy with an Eastern European accent.

Diversity and respect for everyone. It’s what I love about New York City, and what I love about America.

And it’s what Trump supporters fear.

Core Trump supporters fear the other—other cultures, other skin colors, other religions, other sexual predilections, other nationalities. They fear being invaded or physically harmed. They fear losing their traditions. They harbor a completely irrational fear of being displaced, after centuries of enjoying preferential treatment.

Virtually all the Trump positions that appeal to his white, mostly rural or working class, base begin with a fear of the other: The policy to build a wall, shut down immigration and deport as many undocumented immigrants as possible. The policies to get tough on crime and gut poverty programs, which appeal to the many white Americans who mistakenly believe that the majority of both criminals and the poor are people of color. The defense of Christmas, which isn’t so much a defense against encroachments on religious celebration as an attempt to assert the prerogatives of one religion as dominant and therefore normal. The anti-LGBTQ policies such as Trump’s several attempts to kick transgendered people out of the armed forces. The gun policies, as surveys show that those hoarding guns and spewing out NRA rhetoric tend to be whites who are afraid of African-Americans. Even Trump’s “America first” foreign policy reflects a fear of the other.

If it’s different from the normal defined by Walt Disney in the 1950’s, then Trump’s America hates it.

But it’s differences that I love in my America, an America I share with more than half the population, congregating primarily in big cities and their immediate suburbs along the coasts and major rivers and transit points.

In our America, we don’t fear the other, we embrace all others, as we’re likely an “other” ourselves. We enjoy our freedom to express our culture in our homes, our community centers and yes, sometimes in the streets. We love to see others express their cultures. We love to dabble sometimes in the culture of others—Native American, Puerto Rican, Jamaican, Ethiopian, Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Turkish, Persian, Indonesian and a myriad of other cuisines, parades, neighborhoods, music festivals and exhibits. We are not threatened by diversity. Diversity makes our surroundings more interesting and provocative. Being part of a big-tent America also protects us—or is supposed to protect us—from discrimination.

Those who fear the other have always been around to impede what Martin Luther King called the long arc of our history towards justice for all. Fear of the other has a long tradition in American culture and politics. It served as a justification for both slavery and how we treated freed African-American slaves. Fear of the other animated the nativist political movements of the 19th centuries and our restrictive immigration policies between the World Wars. It guided our housing, mass transit, urban renewal and land development policies and fueled the flight to the suburbs after World War II.

Over the past twenty years, the country seems to be polarizing around these two visions of American more than ever before. With the Republican and Democratic Parties taking turns as the dominant political force, our national politics must appear bipolar to the outside world, as we violently shift between policies that stultify diversity with those that encourage it.

Sadly, the GOP even before Trump has for years exploited the irrational fear of the other to gain support for an economic agenda that has inflicted severe harm on the very constituency most susceptible to their fear-mongering—less educated, rural and working class whites.

The ironic thing about this never-ending Kulturkampf is that Trump’s Americans—the evangelicals, the cultural conservatives, the gun lovers and even the white supremacists can live their lives as exactly as they want in the privacy of their own homes, community centers and hunting lodges in an America based on diversity, as long as they don’t insist on foisting their beliefs, cultural artifacts and definitions of normalcy on others. You do your thing and let me do mine. And we’ll keep public places and institutions secular and open to all.

I’m reminded of a heated discussion about what constitutes America that I had with my much younger step brother when he was in his angry white guy phase decades ago. He was blasting away against anti-American values and the threat of Blacks and foreigners, all the while eating a taco from a fast food emporium. When I pointed out that he was eating Mexican food, my then callow step brother insisted with some vehemence, “No, I’m not. Tacos are American.”

You’ll get no argument here.

Fracking takes a toll on mental health as drilling and truck traffic rattle neighborhoods

Noise, air pollution and different stressors from vehicles and drilling can hurt residents' well being. In Colorado, an upcoming vote on new setback guidelines is predicted to widen the buffer zone. Milehightraveler/iistock by way of Getty

Hydraulic fracturing has boomed within the U.S. over the previous decade, however except you reside close to it, you might not understand simply how shut fracking wells will be to properties and faculties. In Colorado, the wellbore – the outlet drilled to extract oil or fuel – will be 500 ft from somebody’s home underneath present state guidelines. In some states, like Texas, drilling will be even nearer.

For folks dwelling in these areas, which means noise, air pollution and different stressors that may hurt bodily and psychological well being.

Individuals with properties close to fracking operations describe vibrations that may make sleep troublesome and disturb their pets. Truck visitors round wellpads provides to the noise, mud and different airborne pollution, creating one other layer of business disruption.

One girl I spoke with had a 30-foot-high sound wall put up round her property, however the parade of semitrucks in any respect hours nonetheless rattled her house, and the sound wall couldn’t maintain out the noise. When she opened her bed room curtains, all she noticed was a brown wall the place she used to have mountain views.

As a social scientist who research extractive industries and their environmental justice and well being impacts, I’ve spent years in communities with unconventional oil and fuel exercise, visiting properties and properly websites.

My analysis reveals that dwelling close to fracking websites can result in power stress and self-reported despair. These results usually relate to systemic issues related to the business.

Penalties of the fracking growth

The growth in hydraulic fracturing began round 2010 and made the U.S. the No. 1 producer of hydrocarbons globally. In Colorado, fracking has since helped quadruple oil manufacturing and elevated pure fuel manufacturing.

However that development has include penalties. By 2017, researchers estimated 4.7 million folks lived inside 1 mile of an unconventional oil or fuel properly within the U.S.

Hydraulic fracturing makes use of water, sand and chemical compounds to fracture rock deep underground and launch oil and fuel inside. Vectormine by way of Getty Pictures

Well being research have discovered respiratory difficulties like coughing and wheezing in folks dwelling and dealing close to fracking websites. Different research have discovered will increase in endocrine-disrupting chemical compounds that may have an effect on pregnant girls and youngsters, together with elevating the dangers of start defects and childhood cancers.

Emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse fuel that contributes to local weather change, have additionally spiked round oil and fuel exercise.

Much less properly understood have been the consequences on psychological well being.

In a brand new examine on the psychological well being results, I examined a number of communities throughout northern Colorado, surveyed a whole bunch of households and visited folks’s properties, faculties and wellpads.

Two drivers of stress and psychological well being hurt stood out:

First, folks report power stress and despair associated to their uncertainty about environmental and public well being dangers – and insufficient entry to helpful details about it.

Second, stress and despair relate to folks’s experiences of political powerlessness – significantly their incapability to regulate the exercise, the place it happens, and the way it’s regulated.

Earlier research have steered hyperlinks to despair and decrease high quality of life, in addition to social psychological impacts, similar to elevated tensions inside communities, however these research sometimes used surveys or authorities knowledge. This new analysis seemed nearer at folks’s experiences.

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Fearing the unknown

Think about you reside in northern Colorado. An organization notifies you that it’s going to begin drilling within the open area in your subdivision that you would be able to see out of your yard or deck. You attempt to discover details about the well being or environmental dangers, however that info is locked behind a writer’s paywall or it’s buried in a whole bunch of pages filled with technical language.

One of many folks I interviewed, a 45-year-old instructor who has lived in his group his complete life, talked about stress from the uncertainties of dwelling close to fracking: “What’s traumatic is the unknowns and the way this business is working behind a curtain on a regular basis. … If you don’t know the chemical compounds they’re pumping down. You don’t know the place they’re getting the water. You don’t understand how a lot these tanks are leaking. … To me, that’s traumatic, the not figuring out.”

Different folks reported feeling stress over uncertainties about long-term impacts. A retired former metropolis employee mentioned: “We’re lab rats proper now. They’re studying about it as they’re going. … We don’t know what the impacts are going to be 20 years down the road.”

City enterprise areas have additionally had drilling subsequent door. Jeremy Buckingham, CC BY

Many individuals really feel powerless to do something about it. In Colorado, folks sometimes have solely three minutes to speak throughout public conferences, whereas the businesses have extra time to current their instances.

A middle-aged girl dwelling with a wellpad about 1,000 ft from her deck defined why public conferences felt so unique: “This was a public listening to … and so they turned it over to [an oil company] to provide their slideshow. … [The oil company] proceeded to do a few two-hour presentation, so there was no time for public enter. So 4 or 5 folks out of 100 individuals who wished to protest bought an opportunity to speak. It’s very laborious to be heard.”

These patterns emerged throughout my knowledge.

About 90% of the folks I interviewed reported elevated, power stress associated to close by fracking operations, and 75% reported feeling long-term despair – significantly due to the uncertainty in regards to the impacts and feeling powerless to cease it.

What will be carried out about it?

Governments may assist tackle a few of these systemic issues pretty rapidly.

Step one is to offer easy-to-understand, correct details about the environmental and public well being dangers, in addition to the financial dangers and advantages.

Governments can even give folks extra significant alternatives to take part in zoning and different selections about how, when and the place hydraulic fracturing takes place.

Fixing the well being and atmosphere dangers that underlie the stress is more difficult. The Colorado Oil and Fuel Conservation Fee is predicted in early November to finalize new drilling guidelines that embrace a 2,000-foot setback from properties, the widest statewide rule within the nation, however wells may nonetheless be constructed nearer.

Individuals I’ve interviewed have reported feeling a way of empowerment by organizing with others to struggle for extra native management. However options aren’t solely the duty of governments or the general public; firms have to be accountable, too.

Stephanie Malin receives funding from the Nationwide Science Basis, the Colorado Water Heart, the Nationwide Institute for Environmental Well being Sciences (a department of NIH), the Rural Sociological Society, and CSU College of International Environmental Sustainability.

from Growth News https://growthnews.in/fracking-takes-a-toll-on-mental-health-as-drilling-and-truck-traffic-rattle-neighborhoods/ via https://growthnews.in