Two-hundred thousand people applied to participate in a project called
Mars One. It’s a private enterprise to establish a permanent human
settlement on Mars and film a reality show along the way. The thing is,
right now the technology can only get them there.
Like kimono and T-shirts with English writing (sometimes vulgar,
sometimes comical, always unintelligible), the number of people you’ll
see in Japan wearing surgical masks is pretty
surprising. Sure, Japan is a hard working society, and the spread of
productivity-sapping sickness is always a concern at schools and
workplaces, but that doesn’t seem like reason enough for the
proliferation of facial coverings that sometimes has Tokyo offices
looking more like an operating room.
Health concerns are only part of the equation, though, as recent studies have revealed multiple reasons people in Japan wear masks that have nothing to do with hygiene.
Until recently, masks were primarily worn by people who had already come down with an illness.
If you were feeling under the weather but couldn’t take the day off,
common courtesy dictated that you cover your mouth and nose with a mask,
so as not to breathe your germs all over you class or office mates or
fellow commuters.
Things started changing in 2003, though, when medical supply maker Unicharm released a new type of mask specifically designed for hay fever sufferers.
Until that point, most masks had been made of cotton, with an inner
pouch into which gauze was placed. After taking off the mask users threw
out the gauze, washed the cotton mask for reuse, and restuffed the
pocket.
Unicharm’s anti-hay fever masks, though, were made of non-woven
material, which was more effective in blocking pollen. They were also
completely disposable and could be cheaply bought in bulk. This new type
of mask was a game changer, and business research firm Fuji Keizai now
says non-woven masks account for 86 percent of the market today.
The introduction of these cheap, easier-to-use masks also made it more practical to wear one in order to prevent getting sick in the first place.
Commuting in Japan often means spending an hour or more pressed up
against your fellow passengers on a train or bus, and not everyone has
the good manners to put down their smartphone and cover their mouth when
they cough or sneeze.
Sales figures show that use of masks has more than tripled over the last decade,
with particularly large spikes caused by influenza outbreak fears in
2009 and worries over micro particulate matter following the earthquake
and nuclear accident of 2011. Estimates for fiscal year 2013 value Japan’s mask market at 23.9 billion yen (US$229.8 million).
But as masks provoke less and less surprise, some people are using them for purposes that have nothing to do with physical health.
One 46-year-old mother, who herself wears a mask every day in the
winter to prevent getting sick, says her high-school-age daughter wears
one for a completely different reason. “She puts on a mask and sticks headphones in her ears so that people won’t bother her. It makes it harder for them to start talking to her.” Juvenile psychologist Jun Fujikake has made simmilar
observations. “When we deal with others, we have to judge whether to do
things like smile or show anger,” he explains. “By wearing a mask, you
can prevent having to do that. The trend of wearing a mask to prevent
directly dealing with other may have roots in the current youth culture
in which many of them are more accustomed to communicating indirectly
through email and social media.”
▼ Kind of makes you miss the good old days, when kids didn’t need to rely on props or technology to show how sullen they were.
But the recent surge in masks’ popularity isn’t entirely the result
of a desire to give people the cold shoulder. On the contrary, an
increasing number of people are using masks because of their desire for warmth.
Japan gets pretty chilly during the winter. Thankfully, the layered
look is definitely in, and as the temperature drops, you can bundle up
with tights, undershirts, sweaters, parkas, gloves, scarves, and caps.
One thing that’s hard to do, though, is keep your face warm.
Granted, you could always pick up a ski mask at the sporting goods
shop, but effectiveness aside, you’re going to get some strange looks
wearing one anywhere other than on the slopes. But since Japanese
society has already gotten used to people wearing surgical masks outside
of the hospital, you can safely put one on to keep your nose and cheeks
warm without attracting any attention.
▼ Having your glasses steam up is a small price to pay to keep your lips warm enough that you can move them.
Not only have masks become so commonplace that wearers aren’t seen as unattractive, some people are finding fashion and beauty
uses for them. One professional model interviewed by reporters says she
often slips on a mask after washing off her makeup at the end of a
photo shoot, in order to keep her au naturel face hidden from the
public. Even women whose livelihood doesn’t depend on looking their best
at all times are finding masks to be a handy for those times
when they need to dash out to run errands and don’t feel like spending a
half-hour putting on blush and lipstick first.
▼ This woman could have a moustache, for all we know.
Some people even see masks as a fashionable accessory. An online search for masuku bijin
or “beautiful masked girl” will bring up hundreds of results, and an
increasing number of companies are offering masks with floral, polka
dot, and even houndstooth patterns, not to mention jet-black ninja-style masks for guys.
There’s even a mask whose seller claims it’ll help you lose weight. Cosmetics maker T-Garden
has jumped into the mask arena with its Flavor Mask. Not only does it
feature a pretty-in-pink design, each disposable mask comes infused with
the scent of raspberry, which T-Garden says will boost your metabolism.
We’re not entirely convinced about the scientific soundness of their
promise, and from an armchair psychology viewpoint, it seems like a
food-based fragrance is going to do more to ramp up your appetite than
your metabolism. Still, like any mask it should help prevent you from
passing a cold around, keep your face a little warmer, cut off unwanted
social interaction, and preclude the need to wear extensive makeup, none
of which is necessarily diminished by its calorie-burning quackery.
▼ If you absolutely have to buy snake oil, you may as well get the nicest-smelling kind.
Men are facing a full frontal assault on their rights,
health and culture like never before. The war on masculinity has never
been so brutal – but it’s not a war being waged by women. The attack is
coming directly from the top, as the establishment desperately attempts
to emasculate and disempower men in order to force women to be more
dependent on the state, thereby enabling more power to be centralized
and aiding the growth of big government.
Here are ten ways in which the state has declared war on men and masculinity;
1) Falling Fertility
Sperm counts amongst men have significantly decreased over
the last half century and particularly over the last 25 years. In some
European countries, sperm counts have dropped by as much as a third
since 1989. Part of the fall can be explained by exposure to pesticides,
endocrine-disrupting chemicals like Bisphenol A, and the many other
artificial horrors that increasingly pervade our water and food supply.
Many have made the connection between falling sperm counts and the open
calls by innumerable elitists to drastically reduce world population by as much as 95%. Research shows that
underpopulation, not overpopulation, will be the major demographic
crisis of the 21st century as a result of humans failing to achieve the
replacement rate of 2.1 children.
2) Chemical Warfare “Feminizing” Boys
Exposure to phthalates, which are found in many
plastics, is “feminizing” boys by blocking normal male testosterone and
causing genital abnormalities, according to scientists. “Boys exposed to
high levels of these in the womb were less likely than other boys to
play with cars, trains and guns or engage in “rougher” games like
playfighting,” according to a BBC News report.
According to Elizabeth Salter-Green, director of the chemicals campaign
group CHEM Trust, phthalates are a true “gender-bender” because they
lead to a reduction in “male behavior”.
3) Degradation of Positive Masculine Role Models
Whereas 50 years ago, advertising, Hollywood and
television was filled with examples of positive masculine role models
that young men could look up to, today’s entertainment industry
routinely portrays men as clueless and bumbling oafs at best (think
Homer Simpson, Everybody Loves Raymond, Married With Children) or at
worst as aggressive sexual predators. Since advertising is primarily
aimed at women, men in commercials are also now routinely depicted as
either being emasculated losers or stupefied morons. Young men consuming
this content grow up thinking that it is acceptable and even encouraged
to aspire to these character traits. In doing so, they are robbed of
their natural masculinity and find it extremely difficult to attract
well-rounded women, who are rightly disgusted by such behavior. The
entertainment industry is largely controlled by men, again underscoring
the fact that this assault is a top down trend that has little or
nothing to do with the gender war.
4) Metrosexual Malaise
Second wave feminism was a creation of the establishment itself and
at its core has little whatsoever to do with genuine concern about
women’s rights. Radical feminism deliberately confuses gender roles and
makes young men apprehensive about exercising their masculinity for fear
of being seen as overbearing or aggressive towards women. This has
contributed to an entire generation of “metrosexual” men who are
promiscuous, unwilling to commit to a relationship and unable to fulfil a
women’s basic needs for healthy companionship, destabilizing society
and making it more difficult for women to find suitable long term
partners with whom to have children.
5) Cultural Marxism
Establishment-controlled second wave feminism also
advances the doctrine of cultural marxism, which claims that oppression
emerges from patriarchal society and culture, and not the state.
Governments love cultural marxism because it absolves them of blame. The
true source of all oppression has always been the state, but by blaming
it on men or western culture in general (which is primarily shaped by
men), the state hides its own responsibility.
6) The ‘Men are Paid More’ Myth
The establishment promulgates the myth that men are paid
more than women because of discrimination, feeding into feminist
doctrines about patriarchal systems oppressing women in the workplace.
In reality, the “wage gap” of around 19 per cent between the two sexes
in the United States is explained by a number of reasons that
have nothing to do with discrimination, including the fact that men
work more hours and men seek less desirable jobs that pay higher. As a
result, men account for 93% of workplace deaths despite
being only 54% of the workforce. 94% of workplace suicides every year
are also men. The establishment buries these shockingly high male
workplace fatality figures because they completely contradict the myth
that the jobs market discriminates against women.
7) The “Privilege” Trap
Statists, collectivists and their mouthpieces in the
media and the establishment claim that western men (in particular white
men) cannot express a valid opinion on any issue related in any way to a
“minority” (such as feminism or immigration) because they have
“privilege”. The “privilege” talking point is a stunt through which
liberals and feminists attempt to shut down free speech. In essence they
are asserting the ludicrous notion that a man’s viewpoint has no value
because of the color of his skin, his gender or his country of origin.
This is an inherently racist position, yet it is routinely used by
leftists to shout down their ideological adversaries and silence male
voices.
8) The Legal System Discriminates Against Men
In both divorce and child custody proceedings, it is
widely acknowledged that courts heavily favor women and discriminate
against men. Men are routinely hit with onerous alimony payments even if women are capable of working and earning a good paycheck. Men only receive custody of their children in around 10 per cent of divorce cases in
the United States. The ironic thing about this system is that it has
primarily been instituted by other men, emphasizing again how the war on
men is being waged not by women, but by the primarily male-dominated
establishment itself.
9) Masculinity as a Dirty Word
Dissident feminist Camille Paglia recently wrote
a Wall Street Journal piece in which she warned, “What you’re seeing is
how a civilization commits suicide.” Paglia was referring to how the
emancipation of masculine virtues by the establishment threatens to
create massive destabilization in society due to less and less men being
able to fill traditionally “masculine” roles in the jobs market. Paglia
points to schools cutting recess, the effort to deny the biological
distinctions between men and women, and the left’s characterization of
controversial opinions as “hate speech” as examples of how masculinity
is being deliberately eroded. “Masculinity is just becoming something
that is imitated from the movies. There’s nothing left. There’s no room
for anything manly right now,” warns Paglia, adding that young men have,
“no models of manhood.”
10) Domestic Abuse Against Men
Whereas women have numerous safety nets to turn to if
they become victims of domestic abuse, men have virtually none, despite
the fact that domestic abuse against men is a huge and growing problem.
In the UK for example,
44 per cent of domestic abuse victims are male, while more married men
suffer abuse at the hands of their spouse than married women. While
domestic abuse against women is constantly highlighted by the mass
media, domestic abuse against men is a complete non-issue.
Conclusion
A totalitarian society can only survive if the male
population has been gelded, emasculated and disenfranchised. With this
natural bulwark against tyranny removed, the elite can centralize power
and pursue collectivist tyranny unopposed. This is why men and
masculinity are under assault on every level – and why both men and
women should join forces to fight back against this common enemy.
It's called the arapaima, or pirarucu. It lives in the Amazon River. It's enormous
In the heart of Brazil lies a lusciously green nature reserve where
men in canoes club supersize fish with wooden bats, then lug them back
to their homes to eat and trade.
It’s all part of arapaima fishing season, the few months when
Amazonian communities in the Mamiraua nature reserve devote their lives
to hunting arapaima, the world’s largest scaled freshwater fish. The
fish, known locally as pirarucu, has the face of a piranha and the body
of a torpedo.
Catching the arapaima, whose extra-tough scales are nearly
impenetrable, isn’t easy. In the early morning, men push out their
canoes to harpoon and pluck the fish from the river. Later in the day,
women clean and freeze the fish to be sold when fishing season—which
lasts from July to November—comes to an end.
Below, photos from this year’s arapaima hunting season:
(Reuters/Bruno Kelly)
Men survey their most recent catch. The average size of an arapaima,
whose scales are gray with red tips, is 6 feet 7 inches long.
(Reuters/Bruno Kelly)
In order to catch this supersize swimmer, the fishermen first club
the fish until they’re unconscious. Here, one man knocks an unlucky fish
with a wooden bat.
(Reuters/Bruno Kelly)
Next, the fishermen harpoon the fish to pull them into their canoes.
(Reuters/Bruno Kelly)
The men drag their catch from their canoes onto the shore. Each fish
weighs an average of 132 pounds, but can grow to 308 pounds.
(Reuters/Bruno Kelly)
The men rest the day’s catch on the shore.
(Reuters/Bruno Kelly)
The fishermen carry the fish around their necks as they head back to their communities, where women wait to clean the arapaima.
(Reuters/Bruno Kelly)
Women remove the insides of the fish, then freeze them. The fish are sold frozen or salted and dried.
(Reuters/Bruno Kelly)
An up-close look at the scales red-outlined reveals just how tough the arapaima’s outer skin is. Reminiscent of plywood, the crisscrossed scales grow in multiple layers, like a natural sheet of chain mail.
Check out more photos of arapaima hunting season here.
How To Unshrink Clothes After the Laundromat Turns Them Into Teensy Doll Clothes
“That’s an adorable dress -- your daughter must be very stylish.”
By Sable Yong
I’ve come a long way since mom used to separate my lights and darks
and dress me in matching separates most likely made of rayon or Lycra.
In fact, I’m been pretty damn good at taking care of my personal
effects, clothes being the highest maintenance probably.
I mean, you’ve got to look at the tag, and then interpret those
weird hieroglyphic-looking symbols about how to wash a garment. What
does triangle mean? Why is X on the triangle?? Now the triangle looks
like an ocean wave is running through it -- where is the consistency,
people who make clothing labels!
I learned from the best as far as keeping it flossy goes (thanks Mom), so imagine my dismay upon laundering a vintage dress
I won on eBay that was described as “probably polyester or acrylic,”
only to discover it was at least 2 sizes smaller after drying. Bad on my
part for absentmindedly throwing it in the dryer after a cold wash
thinking, “This has probably been washed and dried tons of times; it is
from the past, after all…”
Well guess what, eBay username I can’t remember -- this shit was
most definitely not all synthetic. There had to be some wool in there
somewhere, because it shrank so much that when I pulled it out of the
dryer heap to fold it, the lady at the Laundromat folding next to me was
like “That’s an adorable dress -- your daughter must be very stylish”
which, OK thanks.
I asked my best friend, The Internet, what I should do. She is
always so helpful! And also the first one to tell me I have some sort of
cancer if I search any symptoms I have when I’m feeling under the
weather. Get a grip, The Internet -- it was just a baby flu (not to be
confused with adolescent or mature flu).
So I tried this method that every housewife
who has uttered the words, “My lord, they just grow like weeds, don’t
they!” swears by. All you need is either baby shampoo or hair
conditioner. Some say baby shampoo works better, but others say that
there’s no difference. The idea is that both formulas loosen the fibers
of a garment and also make it soft and silky and manageable.
Oh wait, I’m just reading the back of the conditioner bottle.
So yeah. You pretty much just chuck the shrunken garment, whatever
it may be, into a bucket or your bathroom sink if you don’t own a bucket
(it’s 2013, do people still have buckets?), fill with lukewarm water
and enough baby shamps or hair conditioner to turn it into a luxurious
bubble bath. Now, massage! Yeah, treat that babified item of clothing to
some first class bubbles!
Don’t you hate sitting in a rapidly-cooling tub as your bubbles disperse even faster?
OK. Bathtime is over. Unstop your sink/empty your bucket and gently
wring your garment of most of the water. If you have a towel around --
and duh, of course you probably own at least one towel -- lay it out on a
table and put the wet garment on top. Now roll! And then squeeze it
like a tube of Go-Gurt. This is the best way to squeeze water out of
clothes without wringing it out of shape. Because you’re about to do
that next!
Alternatively, this is a great space-saving way to pack clothes
Once you unroll your wet burrito, start to stretch the garment into
what you remember to be it’s original shape. If you’re a real masochist
you can don the damp thing on your body and shape it that way via
air-dry. And walk around your house feeling all icky with only the hopes
and dreams of sartorial salvation to keep you squelching forth.
Sooo I’m kind of into stripes, you guys.
After my dress was fully dry and fragrant with the lovely scent of my Moroccan Oil conditioner
(I got it in bulk from a friend who works for the company, so this is
kind of as close as I get to poppin’ bottles, you know?) I tried to zip
it up and managed to get it all the way up to my neck without feeling
like I was going to dislocate my shoulder. Success!
It’s still a hair tighter than before I washed it but I’m so glad I
can actually wear it again because I only got one wear out of that
thing before it got shrink-rayed. I know, I know, it’s kind of gross to
buy vintage clothes and just wear it without washing first because WHO
KNOWS WHERE IT’S BEEN but I have no excuse, only impatience. And this
adorable children’s’ dress apparently.
“Here’s to you, ‘Vintage 60s Op Art SPACE AGE Circle Cut Out Pocket Mod Mini Dress Twiggy S
Pornography has always driven the rise of new technology, and Bitcoin is no different, says Jeremy Wilson.
By Jeremy Wilson
The digital currency Bitcoin has been generating a lot of
column inches in recent weeks, on the back of the virtual cash’s market
value recently shooting past $1,000. This sudden increase has led to
much head scratching in the media as learned tech journalists give their
earnest thoughts on the cause of the boom in value.
Is Bitcoin the new interplanetary currency that will bring the
millennia-old, state-controlled, economic system to its knees? Or is it
the over-hyped product of unwashed basement dwellers?
As a lowly non-tech journalist myself, I try not to speculate too
much on such important matters, but I think I might have stumbled upon
the true reason for Bitcoin’s meteoric rise: porn.
There’s been a proliferation of websites gaining traction of late,
where amateur porn wannabes can post explicit images in return for
Bitcoin. The whole enterprise makes perfect sense: porn aficionados can
satisfy their urges without leaving a credit card trail and hard up
graduates can get themselves in on some Bitcoin action.
In fact, it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss out on. With
the Christmas season approaching and being a little light on cash, I
decided to try out stripping for Bitcoin. After doing some research, I
came across a subreddit called /r/GuysGoneBitcoin,
an elite group of males who post saucy pictures online in the hope of
soliciting Bitcoin tips. There was only one thing to do: sign up and
watch the digital currency roll in.
Not being the most tech savvy of people I decided to follow the
/r/GuysGoneBitcoin sign-up recommendations to the letter. First up I
needed something called a Bitcoin wallet. I paid a visit to
blockchain.info, clicked “Start A New Wallet”, entered a password and
with that, had entrusted a random website with the safekeeping of my
future Bitcoin fortune.
Next I needed to make paying me easy for the online punters. I paid a
visit to payb.tc a Bitcoin address shortener and before I knew it, I
had nabbed the hot domain payc.tc/HornyHack – my new hotline for those
wishing to rain cash on me.
And with that I was done, it was time to make my first post: Hot and horny writer looking to make some extra cash, will strip for Bitcoin tips
I waited a couple of hours, but nothing. Not a single fraction of a Bitcoin was funnelled my way.
Clearly the first picture wasn’t tantalising enough, I needed to try again – if my next post didn’t work, nothing else would.
Sexy guy needs cash. Will make a custom dirty video for all Bitcoin tippers!
After a sleepless night glued to my computer, my Bitcoin wallet is
still bare. Maybe this Bitcoin thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
This phenomenon all comes down to a little something called
the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, and by extension, convection. I’ll
begin with the somewhat longer, but less geeky explanation before
descending once again into extreme nerdery.
It all starts with an explosion that creates a Pyrocumulus Cloud.
This ball of burning hot gases is accelerated outwardly in all
directions. Since the burning ball of accelerated gases is hotter, and
therefore less dense, than the surrounding air, it will begin to rise-
in the case of nuclear explosions, extremely rapidly. This ultimately
forms the mushroom cap.
As the ball rises, it will leave behind air that is heated, creating a
chimney-like effect that draws in any smoke and gases on the outer edge
of the chimney- convection in action! Visually, this forms the stipe
(stalk) of the mushroom.
The perception that the mushroom cap is curling down and around the
stipe is primarily a result of the differences in temperature at the
center of the cap and its outside. The center is hotter and therefore
will rise faster, leaving the slower outer edges to be caught up in the
stipe convection’s awesome attributes.
Once that cloud reaches a certain point in our atmosphere, where the
density of the gas cloud is the same as the density of the surrounding
air, it will spread out, creating a nice cap.
This brings me to the shorter, yet more geeky answer.
This entire process is something that describes the Rayleigh-Taylor
instability. This instability is well known in physics and, in general,
describes the merging between two different substances (mainly liquids
and gases) that have different densities and are subjected to
acceleration. In the case of an atomic bomb, the acceleration, and the
hotter gases creating the differing densities of material, are caused by
the explosion.
From this, you might have guessed you don’t necessarily need an
atomic bomb to create a mushroom cloud. All you need is enough energy
delivered rapidly (in this case an explosion) that creates a pocket of
differing densities of material (in this case, heated gases).
There are numerous other examples in our world that create, and are
described by, the same phenomenon that gives us this formation. For
instance, the magnetic fields of planets, the jet-stream of winds that
help control our planet’s climate, the sound of snapping shrimp, even
our understanding of certain different forms of fusion can all be
attributed to Rayleigh-Taylor instability.
Now, you might have also noticed that nuclear explosions, besides
producing this frightening fungal formation, also sometimes result in a
cloud ring around the mushroom cap. What’s going on here is that a low
pressure area is created via the negative phase of the shockwave (the
phase that follows the wave of compressed gases at the leading part of
the shock wave). This results in a drop in temperature, which along
with the low pressure can potentially lower the dew point sufficiently
for a temporary cloud to form. This cloud halo around the explosion is
known as a “Wilson Cloud”, named after Scottish physicist Charles Wilson
who invented the Wilson Cloud Chamber where similar sorts of things can
be observed.
SINGAPORE (Nov 11, 2013): A Singaporean whose superhero-sounding name turned him into a social media celebrity was jailed for nearly three years today for theft, housebreaking and drug offences.
Batman bin Suparman, an unemployed 23-year-old whose name translates to "Batman son of Suparman", was arrested on Aug 19 after security videos showed him sneaking into a store at night on two separate occasions.
He stole a total of S$500 (RM1280) from the store, court documents seen by AFP showed.
Batman also pleaded guilty to various other charges, including stealing his brother's ATM card to make withdrawals amounting to S$650, and consuming heroin. He was sentenced to a total of 33 months in jail.
Batman became a social media sensation after an image of his identity card with his unusual name was circulated online.
A "Batman bin Suparman Fan Club" page on social networking site Facebook has garnered nearly 11,000 likes so far. – AFP
New Delhi, Oct 24 : Would you want to make your butt shine with real
gold? If your answer is yes then you better be uber-wealthy to afford
such a luxury.Australian company the Toilet Paper Man has launched a
toilet paper roll, made from 22-carat gold, at a jaw-dropping price of
Rs 8.2 crore.
The website claims that each roll - which comes with a free bottle of champagne - will be delivered personally.
If
you thought that the gold may not give the comfort of a normal toilet
paper, then think again. The roll three-ply to ensure the utmost
comfort.
According to its creators the idea of gold toilet paper
came from some Dubai hotels which have full gold toilet seats and
handles.
The company says it took four years to make one such roll which has gold flakes through it.
“As
you use the toilet paper 22-carat gold flakes will fall onto the floor
and your behind taking you to another level of sophistication,” the
company says.
The company further adds that the toilet paper is
100 per cent safe and usable. Due to complexity and man hours required
to product one such roll, till date the company has produces only one
such roll.
Surely, there couldn’t be a better gift than this for those who want to leave their guests awestruck.
Earlier
this month I requested the input of an astrologer via Twitter. I had
moved to New York City a week earlier and, in that span of time, had
suffered a series of small but aggravating mishaps, including but not
limited to: carrying my suitcase six flights up the apartment building next
to mine; subsequently trying, for 20 minutes, to enter the wrong
apartment; purchasing the wrong kitchen cart at IKEA and having to get
in the return aisle immediately afterward; taking an under-prepared cab
driver on an unnecessary loop around my Lower East Side neighborhood in
an attempt to direct him to Brooklyn; breaking two of my new roommate’s
ceramic dishes and one of her Champagne flutes; losing my favorite
bracelet; and riding the subway in the wrong direction for eight stops.
This is likely more or less what anyone (and especially anyone with
below-average grace) moving into a tiny apartment in a big, unfamiliar
city should expect, but it seemed like a lot to go wrong in a week even
still, even for me. I felt notably, cosmically unlucky, and I wanted to
know when exactly I could expect it to stop. So I did the modern
equivalent of visiting a soothsayer, and I tweeted at Miller of
Astrology Zone in hopes she would tweet back to tell me I could expect
the rest of the month to be blessed and error-free.
Although she’s known for responding fairly frequently to astrological
inquiries via Twitter, she didn’t respond to mine. She may well have
been too busy that day, but I suspect she knew my string of screw-ups
was far from over and didn’t have the heart to tell me.
I felt notably, cosmically unlucky, and I wanted to know when exactly I could expect it to stop.
As with most other supernatural/paranormal/pseudoscientific
phenomena, astrology captures my interest for reasons I can’t really
explain. If pressed to state my level of belief in it, the strongest
support I could give it would be to say, “I don’t know … not really?”
But here I am anyway, reading my horoscope every morning before work.
Two of them, actually, from apps I’ve downloaded onto my iPhone—the
aforementioned Astrology Zone, which provides an incredibly detailed and
frequently (if inadvertently) funny monthly outlook, and another called
The Daily Horoscope. I keep my “lucky” days and “most romantic” days in
mind, vaguely, and though I don’t think they have ever been accurate, I will always give the next month’s a chance.
When a stranger who follows me on Twitter emailed me to ask why so
many “seemingly otherwise smart” people believed in astrology, that’s
probably the kind of cognitive dissonance he was talking about. Despite
near-total scientific dismissal and a penchant for getting even the
haziest predictions wrong much of the time, astrologers are still
compelling to many of us. Various polls
typically put the figure for true belief among Americans, Canadians,
and the British at roughly 25 percent—a figure that would likely be much
higher if only it incorporated those who kind of, sort of
believe, as well as those who claim not to believe at all, but still
read their horoscopes sometimes anyway, just to check, as a joke.
THAT SUCH A SUBSTANTIAL number of us could believe in
something with so little to support it has plagued various scientists
and thinkers since the 17th century, when developments in astronomy and
physics undermined most (if not all) of astrology’s legitimacy. It’s
been, at various times, illegal; fortune telling was outlawed in New York City
in 1967. The law, which is still on the books, is little enforced, but
it speaks to the particular disdain reserved for people who take that
kind of thing seriously. (It’s also, no doubt, meant to protect people
from spending their money on something stupid, but still, the government
only steps in on some of those stupid things.)
The belief in astrology has also been the subject of academic study. A 1997 article entitled “Belief in Astrology: A Social-Psychological Analysis”
by researchers Martin Bauer and John Durant used 1988 British survey
data to test a number of hypotheses that might explain why certain
people are more likely to check their star charts than others. Among the
likeliest contenders: first, the level of structure and detail implicit
in astrology appeals to people with “intermediate” levels of scientific
knowledge (because they like the theory and the process, if not the
rigor required to disprove it); second, a belief in astrology reflects
“metaphysical unrest” most present in those with religious backgrounds
who have since moved away from organized religion; and third,
astrological belief is more prevalent among those with an, ah,
“authoritarian character.” I can’t speak for everyone, but on a personal
level: OK, fair enough.
Bauer and Durant found strong support for hypotheses one and
two—belief in astrology coincides with scientific interest and education
up to a point, but then drops off among those inclined to true
scientific rigor, and it does indeed occur more frequently among those,
as the authors put it, “alive to religion” but not currently involved in
a religious community—but, somewhat surprisingly according to previous
literature, none for three. Some believers in astrology might happen to
be authoritarian, but there are a number of other traits that predict
belief more significantly. Frequent horoscope readers are more likely to
be women, for one, and single, and in search of a greater sense of
control (none of which are factors that have ever lent much credibility
to any practice whose enthusiasts are defined by them).
What may be even more notable in Bauer and Durant’s findings, though,
lies in their breakdown of the survey data. Among those who answered
affirmatively to having ever read an astrology report (73 percent of all
respondents), 44 percent responded that they do so often or fairly
often. But only six percent of those who admitted to having ever read an
astrology report said they took what they read seriously or even fairly
seriously. Sixty-seven percent said they took what they read “not very
seriously,” and 22 percent said they didn’t take it seriously at all.
Whether these figures are strictly accurate or at least partly the
result of respondents’ self-consciousness, it’s hard to say. Perhaps,
like me, that 67 percent and 22 percent are mostly speaking of last month’s horoscope. Next month’s could be totally spot on.
A couple sunbathes on a nudist beach in Ahlbeck on the Baltic Sea, northern Germany.
By Paul Ames
GLOWE, Germany — On a balmy summer day, the Schaabe looks like a slice of paradise.
The narrow spit of forest-covered land is fringed by a 6-mile beach of fine white sand lapped by the deep blue Baltic Sea.
Kids
splash in the gentle surf, couples stroll hand-in-hand along the shore,
families picnic on herring and beer, a naked guy stands in line at the
ice-cream trolley.
In fact, there are naked people all over the place.
This
is one of hundreds of FKK beaches across Germany that are open to
followers of nudism, known here as Freikoerperkultur — Free Body
Culture.
Other countries set aside remote spots for naturists to
indulge in their love of stripping bare. In Germany, beaches along the
Baltic coast tend to let them hang out alongside those who prefer to
cover up with bermudas or bikinis.
"The beach is suitable for textile followers as well as FKK fans,"
says a local tourism website. "Don't be surprised if you run into nudies
as you head along your way."
Naturism is big for Germans. Around 1
in 10 take a naked vacation at least once a year, according to Kurt
Fischer, president of German Association for Free Body Culture.
Lately,
however, nudism has been getting some additional exposure with the
circulation of a photo purporting to show a young Angela Merkel and a
couple of friends out for waterside stroll in the buff.
The
photo's authenticity is contested, but there’s no doubt that naturism
was popular in East Germany when Merkel — who’s expected to stay on as
chancellor after elections later this month — was growing up there in
the 1960s and '70s.
Tolerated by the Communist authorities,
stripping off became a way for East Germans to commune with nature and
break with the regime’s conformity. The DDR Museum dedicated to showing
daily life in East Germany in Berlin has exhibits illustrating the role
nudism played there — with dioramas showing naked sunbathing and
volleyball.
Even today, naturism is more widespread in eastern
resorts like Glowe, on the holiday island of Ruegen, which is part of
the district Chancellor Merkel represents in parliament.
"It's
famous here, so you know you are going to see naked people on the
beach," says Benjamin Mueller, on vacation from Munich. "I'm not sure so
many people from where I'm from would be happy with seeing the nudists,
but they are more tolerant here."
Although Mueller isn’t a
dedicated nudist, he and his companion decided it was more practical to
have a non-textile day at the end of their vacation rather than get
their swimming costumes wet and sandy before their long drive home.
In
the years after Germany's reunification, some eastern Germans blamed
priggish westerners for imposing restrictions on areas were nudism was
allowed along the Baltic coast.
But even in western Germany,
attitudes to public nudity are more relaxed than in most countries.
Polls show Germans bare all on vacation more than any other Europeans.
In
relatively conservative Munich, naked sunbathers appear in parts of the
city's famed Englischer Garten park on summer days, as in the
Tiergarten in downtown Berlin, and green areas of other cities.
Foreign
visitors are often surprised to discover that saunas in German hotels
are co-ed and naked. Wearing trunks or swimsuits is considered
unhygienic and prudish foreigners may be asked to take them off.
Although
nudist tradition in Germany rejects any sexual connotations of
nakedness, the FKK name has been hijacked by sex clubs that have sprung
up since the legalization of prostitution in the county in 2002.
"Unfortunately,
the word FKK was not protected by our movement," Fischer says. "Anybody
can use the word for their own purpose. This has resulted in sex clubs,
swinger clubs, sex orgies, prostitution — all being able to use the
word FKK. For us naturists in Germany, this means we have to convince
people that we are not part of this."
Germany's love of going au naturale dates back to the days of the Kaisers. In the late 19th century, when most of Europe
was still shocked by the glimpse of an ankle, a back-to-nature movement
growing up in Germany promoted the health benefits of running through
forests and plunging into chilly lakes with nothing on.
The first
nudist camp opened near Hamburg in 1903. The concept took hold and a
flourishing naturist culture developed. The Nazis had an ambiguous
approach, at times banning it as decadent, at others tolerating it as a
celebration of the Aryan body.
Nudism took off again after World War II.
The
Free Body Culture association has around 45,000 members, but an
estimated 12 million Germans get naked in public at least once a year.
"I am almost 50 years a naturist," says Fischer, the association's
president. "But I'm not obsessive about nakedness at all times. For me,
nudity is part of my free time and vacation planning. I'm naked in our
nudist sports park, but rarely at home."
German attitudes may be
changing, however: the younger generation appears less enthusiastic
about baring all on the beach. Fischer says membership is declining by
about 2 percent a year.
Germany's declining birth rate — and a
growing immigrant population, which is generally less keen on nudism —
are also blamed for the decline.
As German nudists become more likely to be grey and wrinkled, Fischer blames the growth of materialism.
"Society
has changed," he says. "People are now defined by their appearance and
the concept that ‘naked we are all equal’ is hardly winning out."
Acquiring a Russian bride on the internet is harder than you
think – and the men trying to do it a good deal more sincere. Jeremy
Wilson reports.
By Jeremy Wilson
If you are a big fan of the Porsche 911 and dream of one
day buying one, there are plenty of places online that allow you to
mingle with fellow dreamers and lucky owners. You can discuss models,
prices, editions and become part of the 911 community – a far more
rewarding experience than the old fashion practice of gazing at a
catalogue.
But car enthusiasts aren’t the only people with forums on the
internet. If you’re partial to women from Eastern Europe and dream of
one day marrying one, possibly for a modest fee, there’s a thriving
online community waiting for you, too.
One of these sites is the Russian Ukrainian Adventures discussion
forum, which claims to be the busiest information and discussion forum
on the internet about Russian women. It’s the starting place for many
hymeneal adventures. The site was started by Stuart Smith, an English
man married to a Russian woman.
He describes his reasoning for acquiring a Russian bride
succinctly. “I was fed up with my local overweight feminists… Slim,
white, educated, non-feminist women were to be found in the FSU.
“Men want women who look, smell, dress and act like a woman.
Increasingly, they must go abroad to find them. Gender roles have become
blurred in Western society. Men want women who are feminine, not
feminist.”
Men want women who look, smell, dress and act like a woman. Increasingly, they must go abroad to find them.
The perception of Former Soviet Union Women being both “not feminist”
and “open to foreign relationships” are the core reasons many members
give for their bridal search, but not the only ones. Donhollio from
Canada described the reason for his search like this: ”Because all the
local hotties I had I let them slip by me.
“And now they aren’t so hot, or they got married…. I can go to the FSU and maintain my level of girl that I once had here.”
It’s an opinion shared by another site member called
1msmoby. ”Realised I could still find an attractive, intelligent, well
educated ( and sexy !) woman in her late thirties / early forties –
whose kids were nearly grown up …a lady who was ready to marry, again.”
Others, like user tolstoy55, simply have a type. ”I continue to find
the the Russian-type woman – native or an immigrant – to be quite
adorable.”
And some men, like Locally57, are convinced looking East is the best
way of finding true love. “I have gone through a bad divorce… What I am
seeking is a souls mate [sic]. It appears by all I have read and those
that I have met, that Ukrainian ladies are true romantics, so am I.”
Definitely not mail order
Users of the forum are keen to point at that they are not
participating in the “mail order bride” business, a label with which the
media use “unfairly”. In a discussion on the subject, a user called
fireeater from Canada suggested a rebrand.
“To me this term [mail order bride] is antiquated, International
Dating is more appropriate today. You have local internet dating today
in so many forms, international dating is just as extension of that.”
Paul, a member from the US, was also keen to banish the term. “Why do
so many agencies need to use the term/phrase? I know, I know,… because a
bunch of desperate guys like sitting at home and typing ‘mail order
brides’ into search engines, who wants to be associated with them?”
It is almost certainly for this reason that site is called “Russian
Ukrainian Adventures” instead of a variation on the insulting term “mail
order brides”.
Scams
Scams and the apparent Russian bride scam industry are a frequent
topic of conversation on the site, with members such as commongander
from the USA soliciting opinions on the validity of relationships they
are pursuing.
“I joined Dream Marriage a year ago, and have been talking to one
girl for almost that entire time… Anna is 23, finishes her Master’s
Degree in Psychology in November and also owns a salon/spa. I am 43, an
industrial electrician and divorced…
“I have given her flowers and a webcam via Dream Marriage, but she
has never asked me for money or a gift. I do not think that she is in
any way dishonest or trying to scam me.”
This immediately rang alarm bells for seasoned pro Stuart, the site
owner. “Her age, coupled with a twenty year age gap, and a very long
communication period that involves no direct contact would tell most
here that this is going nowhere fast.”
Another member, Mikeav8r from the US also gave a warning. “Move off
the site and go to a free site or pay for membership only site.
“Avoid the PPL and PPM (Pay per letter and Pay per minute) sites as
they are jam-packed with fraud. Start over now before it is too
emotionally and financially draining and it places a bitter taste in
your mouth so you can give this FSU adventure a fair shot.”
The fear of being taken advantage of is constant, and users such as
shakespear frequently implore wet behind the ears members to exercise
caution when pursuing the best “bang for buck”.
Clearly the Ukraine possesses the highest “bang for your buck” in finding an economically disadvantaged “blonde” lady
“Ukraine. While Iceland may have suffered the worst financial
collapse of the global recession, Ukraine has also received a dubious
honor: It had the priciest sovereign credit-default swaps for the first
quarter of the year…
“Is it any wonder why western men are flocking to Ukraine? Clearly it
possesses the highest “bang for your buck” in finding an economically
disadvantaged “blonde” lady willing to trade her youth and beauty in
exchange for the potential of a better life in the west.
“But is she REALLY doing it because she loves you? Or are you setting yourself up to be yet another Day 731 failure statistic?”
Sex
Another frequent topic of conversation on the site is sex. As one
popular thread puts it: “Intimacy at a first visit, yes or no?” The
thread was started by Randy who had a delicate question.
“I met a Ukrainian lady and we have hit it off exceptionally well
with emails for 4 months. I will be visiting her in another month and
staying with her. I am 60 she is 48. I have read many times that sex
discussions are taboo to these women so I have not mentioned it.
My question is when I get there what should I do? I do not want to
offend her by not showing interest if she is expecting me to and I don’t
want to offend her by showing interest to early in our relationship.”
Members are always keen to help and Randy was given fifty five pages
of advice. The best of which probably came from a user called
mendeleyev, who suggested Randy and his love interest take a personality
test and compare notes.
“Here is a new idea – both of you go to POF.com and take the
extensive free POF chemistry “personality” tests
http://www.plentyoffish.com/poftest.aspx and relationship needs tests –
there is an extensive section about physical needs and desires and once
you both take the full tests – you could compare notes as a reasonably
discreet ice breaker and might discover some things about each other
that you may wish to ‘explore’ further”
Age differences
Unsurprisingly, the topic of age difference is frequently brought up
in the forums and lively debate is had on the thorny issue of
appropriate age gaps. Men who have been successful in acquiring a
younger bride such as DonA often seek to reassure those worried about
large age differences.
“A couple of years ago Yulia [twenty-five years DonA’s junior] and I
were having a discussion about her Mom and how her Mom needed to change
the way she was doing some things. Yulia said to me that I needed to
understand that her Mom is a lot older then me and it would be difficult
for her to change things at her age.
“I told her ;Yulia your mother is only 7 years older then me :o Yulia, while bug eyed said…oh yeah I forgot about that
Women in my age group do not do a dang thing for me. Why go with someone who you aren’t attracted too?”
Jinx, another user, is more cautious and offers some sage advice based on his experience.
“Nataly and I have a 17 year age difference, she is 23 and I am 39.
The only problem I have with this kind of gap is that she is of course
at a different time in her life right now, figuring out what she wants
to do with her life, going to University, looking for a good job…all the
kind of stuff you do in your early 20′s…
“it’s also a very emotional time in your life, if you guys can
remember back that far :P Remember when everything was such a big deal?
When it seemed like the world would end because you didn’t get the job
you wanted, or your car broke down?
“Dating a younger woman takes LOTS of patience and understanding, and
part of the reason these women date us old guys is because we have been
through it all, and can help with our infinite wisdom! ;D Russian women
do like their men to be “like wall” and to be their rock during these
emotional times, this is where our experience and wisdom comes in, and
why these type of relationships work so well.”
Money
Finding a Russian bride isn’t cheap and many users join the site in
order to learn more about the financial outlay involved. As member
JimSavage put it bluntly: “How Much Can You Expect To Spend Pursuing
This Endeavor”
He was not short-changed by the amount of advice given. shakespear, a
veteran of over 20 trips to Russia, was the first to warn of
under-calculating. “Many people underestimate the cost of getting
started in this process or seem reluctant to commit even small amounts
of money in order to build their own personal learning curve.”
Like many others, Larry urged JimSavage to rationalise the outlay
involved by considering how much money is required to obtain a Western
wife. “It’s true that this search is not inexpensive. But then neither
is dating in my country. My annualized dating expenses when I dated here
totalled more half of my annualized FSU search expenses.
“I’m pushing $20,000 in my two-year search and I’m still not
finished. Well, I’m fairly sure I’ve finished searching but she is not
here in the US yet, so I will incur more expenses for my next visits to
her and later her one-way trip here.”
AvHdB from the Netherlands recommended not viewing the outlay in
monetary terms. “The expense can be seen in all sorts of ways. But one
way is what is a pearl of great value worth?”
Stirring words, but perhaps not enough to soften the news of how much
the process could end up costing: Turboguy from the USA made clear the
damage done to his bank balance. “I was probably on the high end of
expenses and trips and did about 25 trips stretching over around 15
years. I figure somewhere between $125,000 and $150,000.”
Communication
Communicating with women, let alone foreign women, can be tricky and
members often ask for advice on how to broach topics with
tact. rhayes026 was seeking guidance on a particularly delicate
matter: “Hello again everyone. A woman has contacted me and seems
genuinely interested. I like her profile a lot. But she is overweight by
10-15 kg.
“I would like to know how to politely ask her if she will go to the
gym with me to lose weight (I could lose 10kg myself)… Would it insult
her if I mention this?”
Wild Orchid, an Eastern European woman who has happily married to an
Australian was quick to warn rhayes026 of the dangers. “I would be very
insulted especially if it was coming from a man with extra weight. I
would be more acceptable to the request from some one very slim.”
Stirlitz, a Ukraine based guide/marriage-agent also weighed in with
advice borne of experience. “Why not find another woman. There are
plenty of thin ones.”
Deep and meaningful
Surprisingly, topics on the site can be deeply philosophical, such as
the thread “Tiger Woods And What Lessons He Can Teach To All Men
Seeking A Bride In The FSU”. Here’s an extended quote.
“Some years ago, I had a wise friend who told me, “No matter how
beautiful the woman, I’ll show you a man who is tired of having sex with
her.”
“Such appears to be the case with world-class golfer Tiger Woods.
He’s married to one of the former top fashion models in the world, Elin
Nordegren, yet he was compelled for some reason to have an affair with
with cocktail waitress Jaimee Grubbs and possibly with sleazy night club
promoter Rachel Uchitel.
“What can the western man seeking a bride in the FSU learn from this tragedy? Plenty!
“When courting in the FSU, MOST MEN will have the opportunity to
socialize, date and have sex with quite probably, the most physically
beautiful women they’ve ever been exposed to in their lifetimes. During
the courtship process, it’s easy to get carried away with the short-term
gratification you get by having sex with the most physically attractive
woman you’ve been with in your entire life.
“However you need to remember that this is not the foundation you
want to build a relationship upon. Successful marriages are built upon
the solid foundation of emotional commitment, common goals and mutual
trust and support. Beauty fades as the years roll by, but the traits
listed above become stronger with the passage of time.”
Hidden treasure
For men new to the game, the forums offer many strategies for
maximising the chance of a successful outcome that they might never have
thought of. For instance, shakespear is big proponent of targeting
single mothers.
In the FSU any unmarried lady over 33-35 is in serious trouble finding a husband.
“In my opinion, men who are REALLY serious would do well to look in
Russia, specifically women in the 25-35 age group with one child. These
women are very unlikely to remarry in their own country and they are
seeking a nice man to provide them emotional support, love,
companionship and a solid father-figure for their child. Did I forget to
mention the majority are very attractive as well?”
Another user, mendeleyev from Russia confirms the theory. “Call me
crazy but this is the safest strategy for a man over age 39. My Dad
always said that the way to a woman’s heart is to love her children.
“In the FSU any unmarried lady over 33-35 is in serious trouble
finding a husband. Society discounts her prospects and local men
understand this fact. As there are many beautiful single ladies over
their mid 30s the chances for success for a typical Western male is
really quite good.”
And as TomT points out a child is a useful bulwark against getting
ripped off. “It is the epitome of foolishness to avoid women who have
the best possible reason for wanting a stable relationship: a child.”
Love wins the day
The world of “international dating” is a complex one and often
attracts negative commentary. The industry has even been accused of
being “a softer version of human trafficking”. But perhaps it’s unfair
to judge the male and female parties taking consensual part in it.
The men might be looking for younger, better-looking women with
“traditional values”. The women might be influenced by factors other
than the men’s exotic western charms. Nevertheless, most of the men on
the forum seem sincere in wanting to find love. If by studying their
options, and spending time and money, they can find a bride and make her
happy, one has to ask: why judge?
- Officers said she was weaving through traffic while holding son
- Driving through the streets of Yuzhou, Chin, when pulled over
- She allegedly held on to son with one hand, and bike with other
By
Amanda Williams
A woman has been stopped by police for aparently breastfeeding her baby while riding a moped.
The young mother was allegedly driving through the streets of Yuzhou, China when she was pulled over.
Officers
said she was weaving through traffic while holding her 18-month-old son
on her lap as he breastfed, and they pulled her over before she had an
accident.
A woman has been stopped by police for breastfeeding her baby while riding a moped
Witnesses have claimed they saw the mother begin to breastfeed the child while keeping a hand on the handlebars.
'The
Huffington Post reports that police were concerned she was risking her
life, her son's life and the lives of all the other road users.
They added that if she carried on they would take her bike away.
In
June 2008, Catherine Donkers, 29, was accused of child endangerment for
trying to breastfeed her daughter while driving from Detroit to
Pittsburgh. She was also apparently driving without a licence.
The young mother was allegedly driving through
the streets of Yuzhou, China, in Hunan Province (pictured) when she was
pulled over
In her defence she said using a mobile phone caused far more distraction than 'nursing a child' while driving.
And in 2009 a drunken mother
was breast-feeding her five-month-old baby at the wheel when she almost
crashed into a police car.
The
teenager was so drunk she could not provide a roadside breath test and
was arrested at the scene in the Australian town of Alice Springs.
When
pictures of the 20 Miss Korea 2013 finalists went online, there were
speculations that cosmetic procedures have left all contestants looking
exactly the same. In a short span of time the post saw more than 3,000
comments criticising the growing obsession with plastic surgery in South
Korea.
Statistics show that South Koreans have undergone more
plastic surgeries than any other country. The trend is popular among 19
to 49-year-olds.
Korean plastic face look
With perfectly done-up hair, bright eyes, pale skin and a white smile,
the pictures revealed an unnerving similarity in all the finalists.
People not only condemned what they now call 'Korea's plastic surgery
mayhem' but argued how such cosmetic procedures take away their
individuality.
'I never said I was born beautiful'
The pageant sparked controversy last year too when pictures of winner
Kim Yu-Mi surfaced revealing her plastic surgery secret. Speaking to the
Korean media, she defended her crown and said, "I never said I was born
beautiful".
Miss Korea 2013 contestants under scrutiny
Heejin Kim, one of the contestants at Miss Korea 2013 blogged about her
experience upon entering the pageant. Around-the-clock surveillance,
troupe of security guards following her everywhere (even inside a
restroom) suffocated Kim.
"It got so bad...that the girls and I
became constipated because we didn't want to go in front of these
strangers following us. I was bloated the entire competition," shares
Kim. If stories are to be believed then there had been a case where a
contestant went into the restroom with her mother and a plastic surgeon
and emerged all stitched after a few minutes. The surgeon managed to
complete the cosmetic procedure in minutes. "We are not allowed to even
touch our parents. They can't hug us; we can't touch them, nothing.
Judges think that something like that could happen again," laments Kim.
What's double eyelid surgery?
One of the most popular surgical procedures is the 'Double Eyelid
Surgery'. This technique reduces excess skin in the upper eyelid and
makes the eyes appear bigger.
Ch-ch-ch-changes.
Over the years, Japanese schoolgirl outfits certainly have evolved. How
much have they changed? See for yourself.
The image spans from the Meiji Era
(1868 to 1912) to the modern day. While the 1950s and 1960s didn't
didn't see huge jumps in style, the last few decades certainly have!
This image appeared on Twitter earlier this spring after Twitter user Zapa uploaded the pic. Even now, it continues to pop up online from time to time in Japanese forums.
In the United States, Labor Day is celebrated the first Monday of September to honor the contributions workers have made to the country. To mark the occasion, Americans close their office doors to head to the beach, fire up the barbecue and shop for bargains.
For many countries in the rest of the world, however, May 1,
better known as May Day or International Workers' Day, is the annual
holiday to celebrate the labor movement. Because of its significance,
May Day has become an occasion not only of international celebration,
but also widespread protest, entirely fitting given that the first May
Day was sparked by a labor demonstration. And although the holiday today
isn't well recognized within the United States, May Day is in fact of
American origin and came out of the struggle to get workers the right to
an eight-hour workday.
In August 1866, the newly constituted National Labor Union urged Congress to pass a law mandating the eight-hour workday.
The group's efforts fell short on the national level (and the National
Labor Union eventually dissolved some seven years later), but the
message trickled down to the states.
In 1867, the Illinois Legislature passed a law mandating an eight-hour workday. The legislation may have been intended to hand a victory to workers, but employers simply refused to cooperate.
On May 1, 1867, a citywide strike in Chicago devolved into
bedlam as police clashed with demonstrators. Police suppressed the
strikers with force, effectively allowing private employers to continue
skirting state law.
In the 1870s and 1880s, the eight-hour workday became a key
demand of labor unions across the country. The National Labor Union had
dissolved, but in its place rose other groups, such as the Knights of
Labor and later the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (the
precursor to today's American Federation of Labor and Congress of
Industrial Organizations, or AFL–CIO). May 1 also became an annual day
in which to organize strikes and hold demonstrations in support of the
movement. As workers' demands were continuously rebuffed, calls came for
an armed uprising.
In 1886, labor unions called for a national strike for a
shorter workday, a call which drew over 300,000 workers to demonstrate
in support on May 1. In Chicago, strikes turned to violent conflict
between workers, a mix of anarchists and socialists, and strikebreakers
in the Haymarket area between May 3 and 4. In the aftermath of the
violence, labor leaders associated with the local movement were round up, tried and executed.
What would become known as the Haymarket massacre served to
both galvanize the movement among its supporters as well as weaken labor
in the view of the public, who had seen its violent side, one of the
reasons why Americans commemorate the labor movement in September
instead.
In 1890, the government for the first time began tracking the number of hours workers put in every week. That year, full-time
manufacturing employees worked an average of 100 hours a week and
building tradesmen were on the job an average 102 hours. Even if the
labor movement had gotten louder and more aggressive with its demands,
little had changed in terms of workers' conditions.
