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Adam Ondra, il dodicenne climber della Repubblica Ceca, ha salito in 4 tentativi la diffcile Alien Carnage a Castillon (Francia).

Adam Ondra continua a creare nuovi standard sia per se stesso, sia per tutto il movimento del new power generation. L’ultima sua realizzazione ne è la prova. Durante le sue vacanze di natale, infatti, il 12enne ceco si è recato i Francia, a Castillon, con i suoi genitori e ha salito ‘Alien Carnage’ al quarto tentativo. Il grado di questi 40 movimenti? 8c+!

Alien Carnage è (ovviamente) il primo 8c+ per Adam, ma di recente il ragazzino prodigio dell’arrampicata ha salito una lista infinita di vie, sia rotpunkt sia a vista, in tutta Europa, inclusa “Mascherina 8c” nella Grotta dell’Aeronauta a Sperlonga.

Resta da dire poi che la sua performance a-vista sull’8b di “Neun Leben” nel Frankenjura (Germania) è stata talmente impressionante da essere riconosciuta, dalla Club Alpino Ceco, come la “Migliore Salita del 2005”. Un riconoscumento che Adam condivide con il suo connazionale e campione del mondo Tomas Mrazek per la sua a-vista di Pata Negra (8c), a Rodellar in Spagna, che ha meritato la citazione di “Miglior Salita 2005 con lode”.

L’8c+ di Alien Carnage fu salito per la prima volta nel 1999 dal tedesco Christian Bindhammer, ed è stata ripetuto da alcuni top climber, incluso Dai Koyamada, Yuji Hirayama e i nostri Severino Scassa e Cristian Brenna.

INFO Archivio news Ondra Archivio news Castillon www.nice-climb.com www.czechclimbing.com

Adam Ondra su Alien Carnage 8c+
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www.czechclimbing.com 

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Viaggi boulder: Hueco o Bishop…

August 31, 2019 | News | No Comments

Le “dritte” di Cristian Brenna per un viaggio per boulder tra Hueco (Texas) e Bishop (California).

Hueco – Texas o Bishop – California? Tre settimane di boulder per Cristian Brenna, Mauro Calibani, Amanda Belina & Company non sono bastati per risolvere l’enigma.
Tra rangers, tramonti da sogno, spazi dilatati, tempo perso e
foto dedicate ai problemi di pietra e non solo… Cristian ci dà qualche dritta sui “passaggi” da non perdere, e un consiglio: “Basta con il prodotto preconfezionato, cominciate a provare i passaggi che vi stimolano di più.” E, mi raccomando, poi fateci sapere…

Passaggi DOC tra Hueco e Bishop di Cristian Brenna

A Hueko non dovete assolutamente perdervi la “cucina” (The kitchen”), e Sign of the cross V3, bellissimo muro leggermente strapiombante a buchi e tacche, oppure Gums V2 placca a Knobs, un po’ esposta, attenzione alla caduta!
Se invece masticate l’alta difficoltà non potete assolutamente non assaggiare gli appigli di Power of silente V10, fessura leggermente strapiombante, un must.A The mushroom boulder i vostri polpastrelli non possono assolutamente mancare Right el sherman V4 su big Hueko eccezionale, o il muro a reglette di Center el murray V6,per finire potete provare le vostre bielle sul strapiombantissimo Mushroom roof V8, un classic stamina power del luogo.

A Bishop assolutamente da non perdere a Buttermilk, The hunk V2, placca su Knobs, molto esposta sei, sette… metri, oppure la super fotografata traversa di Iron man V4, poi passerete a Saigon V6 alto e bellissimo passaggio con un entusiasmante dinamico a metà. Proseguirete sulla prua di Pope’s prow V6, che si trova giusto a destra di Mandala. Per finire potete spellarvi i polpastrelli sulla fessurina di Stained Glass, veramente impressionante la purezza di questo passaggio.

Se volete visitare Hueco e Bishop, vi consiglio di volare su Phoenix, che è circa a metà strada tra i due posti. Altre informazioni comprese qualche piantina di alcuni settori, sia di Hueko che di Bishop li trovate al sito www.drtopo.com , ora non vi resta che fare i biglietti e partire.

Potete leggere l’intero articolo su cristianbrenna.com

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Vogue American Express Fashion’s Night Out celebrated its fifth anniversary in Melbourne on August 29, with one of its biggest and best shopping events yet. Taking over the city’s CBD with countless exclusive offers across over 600 of your favourite stores, the event also served to kick of Vogue’s 60th birthday celebrations. 

Vogue editor-in-chief Edwina McCann was joined by Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp, David Jones ambassador Jessica Gomes, Melbourne Fashion Week ambassador Adut Akech, and American Express’s Naysla Edwards for the launch of VAEFNO 2019, before performances by Australian musicians Cxloe (above) and Thandi Phoenix captivated the crowds. 

Throughout the course of the day, shoppers tried their luck at Vogue’s Spin-to-Win Wheel, took their turn trying out the Vogue gumball machine located within David Jones, and made the most of all the event’s first-ever Vogue VIP Members’ Lounge had to offer. Inside the much-loved lounge, The Daily Edited personalised gift-filled tote bags, Woofys supplied New York City-inspired food, Mo Sisters wine was poured, and Seedlip non-alcoholic MartiNO cocktails were sipped. 

On the evening, Melbourne Fashion Week hosted a runway show on Caledonian Lane, AFC Curated welcomed shoppers into its pop-up, and American Express invited Card Members into its luxe lounge, where they were treated to Mumm Champagne, bagels and an assortment of sweets. The R.M.Williams Hut was a hit, with many attendees visiting the travelling workshop to browse the brand’s iconic range of boots and leather goods, and the various activation and installations inside David Jones proved to be crowd-favourites. As the event came to a close, the Vogue team took to The Rooftop at QT for VAEFNO-inspired cocktails.

To catch up on everything else you may have missed, scroll on to see inside Vogue American Express Fashion’s Night Out 2019 in Melbourne.

Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp, David Jones ambassador Jessica Gomes, Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann, Melbourne Fashion Week ambassador Adut Akech, and American Express vice president of brands and experiences Naysla Edwards launching VAEFNO 2019 in Melbourne.

Street Runway 1 on Caledonian Lane during Melbourne Fashion Week.

Inside the American Express Lounge.

Thandi Phoenix performing on the stage.

Mo Sisters Wines inside the VIP Members’ Lounge.

Inside the R.M.Williams Hut.

Inside the R.M.Williams Hut.

The Spin-to-Win Wheel at the VIP Members’ Lounge.

Woofys treats inside the VIP Members’ Lounge.

Inside the VIP Members’ Lounge.

The dance crew.

Australia editor Michael Christensen inside the R.M.Williams Hut.

Australia designer Arquette Cooke, deputy art director Dijana Maddison, and fashion editor and market director Philippa Moroney.

The Spin-to-Win Wheel inside the VIP Members’ Lounge.

The Foreo activation inside David Jones.

Inside the VIP Members’ Lounge.

Rebecca Harding

American Express at VAEFNO 2019 in Melbourne.

Cocktails at QT Melbourne.

Seedlip inside the VIP Members’ Lounge.

Melbourne Fashion Week ambassador Adut Akech.

The exclusive VAEFNO x Bassike T-shirt available to shop at Bassike.

David Jones ambassador Jessica Gomes.

DJ entertainment inside David Jones.

Inside the VIP Members’ Lounge.

The Daily Edited tote bags inside the VIP Members’ Lounge.

The Saba gelato cart inside David Jones.

The Daily Edited personalisation station inside the VIP Members’ Lounge.

Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann and American Express ambassador Kate Waterhouse inside the American Express Lounge.

Inside the American Express Lounge.

DJ Havana Brown

Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann and the gumball machine inside David Jones.

Jasmine Howell

Street Runway 1 on Caledonian Lane during Melbourne Fashion Week.

Inside the AFC Curated pop-up during Melbourne Fashion Week.

Cxloe performing on the stage wearing a Scanlan and Theodore outfit and belt, paired with Swarovski earrings.

Thandi Phoenix performing on the stage wearing a Lillian Khallouf suit, Bally boots and Reliquia earrings.

ballons at VAEFNO 2019 in Melbourne.

Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp, David Jones ambassador Jessica Gomes, Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann, Melbourne Fashion Week ambassador Adut Akech, and American Express vice president of brands and experiences Naysla Edwards.

The DJ inside the VIP Members’ Lounge.

Cocktails at QT Melbourne.Click Here: Putters

Your September 2019 horoscope is here

August 31, 2019 | News | No Comments

Virgo
24 August-22 September
Renewed and revived this month, you have the power to attract who or what you want, but use your legendary discerning eye to recognise scammers who may try it on with sob stories to win your heart and money. You’re super serious about your passion projects now too after feeling lost in the dark in recent weeks. A little added luck links to all things home-related.

Your September style icon: Carmen Kass

Libra
23 September-23 October
Make a clean sweep of your look and your outlook this month. Your sometimes ‘floaty’ approach to work needs refreshing so it’s all about making a plan and having the guts and grit to stick to it. Manifest who you want to be, especially if that means being your own authentic self, and you’re sure to get seen and heard. From mid-month you also have love on your side.

Your September style icon: Kim Kardashian West

Scorpio
24 October-22 November
Collaborations with friends could lead to amour this month or make an already loved-up liaison stronger. Reviewing your stance on romance will help exorcise your demons and cleanse your often tortured soul. Financial luck flourishes now and others want to hear your views. It’s also the perfect time to complete a creative ambition and set your next (realistic) goals.

Your September style icon: Anne Hathaway

Sagittarius
23 November-21 December
You’re back in the room this month. A recent desire for seclusion has made you ready to get more financially clued-in now, no longer relying on luck but embarking on ventures that have a genuine return on investment. While your career is on a high, combining love and business also has potential now so you might even consider launching a separate gig with a partner.

Your September style icon: Amanda Seyfried

Capricorn
22 December-20 January
If you’ve felt directionless lately consider it a time-out to reset your personal agenda. Your optimistic streak returns now, and ideas you launch this month could open up a new world for you by December and beyond. Your career is set to soar and romance could be part of the mix, but if you fail to prepare, be prepared to fail, so be sure to pick up on subtle clues.

Your September style icon: Georgia May Jagger

Aquarius
21 January-18 February
Getting to the heart of a concern with money or joint responsibilities will clear the way for partnerships to make real progress now. Equality is the key, and finding balance will also help stalled ambitions move forward and friendships to flourish. Thinking big but sharing the kudos could bring minor celebrity status or add international overtones to romance.

Your September style icon: Elizabeth Olsen

Pisces
19 February-20 March 
An emotional declutter will make room for close relationships to get even closer this month, while conditions around shared financial obligations are extra harmonious and ready to go from good to great. Team efforts get back on track too after jumping the rails lately. Your career is set to stun, and bold moves with a dash of panache are what will get you noticed.

Your September style icon: Jessica Biel

Aries
21 March-20 April
Health and efficiency are your priorities this month. It may sound dull but overcoming fears or inner resistance could bring you healthier romance, help you cope with the grittier parts of your job and enable you to fully appreciate the benefits of taking better care of yourself. If life has been less than stellar lately, your lucky streak is back in action now too.

Your September style icon: Jessica Chastain

Taurus
21 April-21 May
New romance or true romance? Whether single or spoken for, you get to explore your partnership options this month. A desire to create or procreate is strong now too, and with perseverance your endeavours could soon bear fruit. It’s an ideal time to get serious about expanding your world, even if it means leaving the safety net of contacts and dreams you’ve outgrown.

Your September style icon: Megan Fox

Gemini
22 May-21 June
If work has felt overwhelming lately it could be that you’ve poured so much heart and soul into it that other areas of life have been neglected. Take care of business at home this month instead, to clear space for love and pleasure to return in a big way. A possible windfall or financial boost now could see you considering whether to make a partnership official.

Your September style icon: Natalie Portman

Cancer
22 June-22 July
Grandiose schemes may need to go on hold this month while you focus on issues closer to chez vous. You’re in charge of your own destiny now, and intuition is urging you to stabilise financial and love-related concerns. A broken connection may get mended as a result, a mood-lifting event that may also open you up to embrace wellbeing and work more wholeheartedly.

Your September style icon: Margot Robbie

Leo
23 July-23 August
It’s an ideal time for getting your affairs in order. Once you’re cleared the chaos you could find that you’re luckier in love and lucky with money now too. Nurture any new contacts you make as they could prove invaluable in the months ahead. Also, after a recent lapse, getting back in the groove with health and work routines is easier to commit to this month.

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Your September style icon: Amy Adams

Inside a fairy-tale garden wedding in Italy

August 31, 2019 | News | No Comments

Wedding photographer: Blumenthal Photography

“Hannah, I’ve just met your husband,” was the fateful phone call Hannah Grossberg, designer and artist of resort wear brand Hannah Art Wear, received from her best friend in 2017. And just two short years those words would come true when Hannah and the gentleman in question, chief financial officer of an Italian company, Andrea Kraus, tied the knot in an elegant fairy-tale wedding at the Villa Castelbarco estate just outside Milan, Italy.

Back in 2017 Andrea had recently moved from Milan to Sydney and happened to be at the same dinner at a newly-opened Italian restaurant in Double Bay in Sydney as Hannah’s best friend. Hannah’s best friend played cupid and Hannah says the couple’s relationship blossomed seamlessly from there: “A few negronis later, a couple of beach swims, tuna salads at Camp Cove, WhatsApps using Google Translate, hustling through the day in the Hannah Art Wear pop-up, midnight kisses in the Volvo [and] days become weeks and [then] months.”

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Hannah says she almost immediately knew Andrea was the “the one” because of how she felt around Andrea and the way he connected with her family. “I knew he was the one as I almost immediately felt the best version of myself around Andrea. There was an instant understanding and openness. I also loved the way he connected to my family and could feel how much they adored him too.”

Andrea also felt their connection straight away and in true fairy-tale style fell in love with Hannah at first sight. “I fell in love with Hannah at first sight. Her brightness, happiness for life and sunshine completed my days and made me realise how important it is to have someone next to you with this type of energy.”

Fast forward to September 17, 2018 and Hannah found herself on an “exquisite” beach in Italy with Andrea, where her now-husband overcame his pre-proposal nerves and surprised Hannah by popping the question. “We had arrived at the most exquisite beach I have ever seen in my entire life called San Fruttuoso,” Hannah reflected. Adding: “A tiny beach with a castle that melts into the sea. The only problem was that Andrea felt nauseous (which I later realised was nervousness) and it was raining, but nevertheless it was so romantic. We had a swim in the rain and as we sat down I found a box in my chair! It was absolutely out of the blue, the best surprise ever. And still to this day we reminisce [about] how beautiful it was.”

With such a fairy-tale love story and romantic proposal the couple’s wedding was always going to follow this narrative with special romantic meaning and touches throughout, starting with their wedding date. The couple selected a particular date that had special meaning to Andrea. Hannah says her groom “always wanted to marry the week of his bar mitzvah” and they selected July 1 (in 2019) for that reason. 

The venue was next, with the couple landing on an old estate set in extensive grounds, Villa Castelbarco, just outside Milan (where a number of the other weekend wedding events were being held). “Villa Castelbarco is an old estate with magnificent gardens and a sense of huge volume and space,” Hannah says. Adding: “We fell in love with the place where the actual ceremony was: a 100-metre long aisle with green trees, flowers and birds, it took our breath away.”

The theme and style of the couple’s wedding — “an elegant fairy-tale” — reflected the beautiful location as well as the couple, incorporating elements into the wedding that called on Hannah’s artistic talents. “The style and theme of our wedding was a reflection of not only the place but also me and Andrea,” Hannah shared, adding, “we wanted it to be an elegant fairy-tale, to also connect with the place and the Italian culture. I also created all of the textiles, paper stationary and bridesmaids dresses in India where my brand is all made. Hand-beading, embroidery, wood-block print and natural dyes were the processes that crafted all the details of our special day.”

Planning a wedding in Italy from Australia wasn’t without challenges but Hannah said their wedding planner, Daniela Galimberti from Sugar Events, made the process go smoothly along with help from Andrea’s family, who “scouted” the area and found their perfect venue, Villa Castelbarco.

Hannah further shared that her designer’s aesthetic came into play when planning the theme and styling for the day. “As a designer I’m always inspired by aesthetics around me and I knew exactly what I wanted which made decision making very easy. Hannah Art Wear is crafted in Rajasthan and so I sourced a lot of my ideas when working there. You can plan and choose but never actually see how it’s going to look in the end. The lights, candles, flowers, textiles, and place settings all came together so beautifully, a fairy-tale!!”

As for her dress, Hannah confessed that she didn’t have an idea beforehand of what kind of dress she would want, only that she wanted to be a “classic bride”. The dress she ended up choosing — a romantic Elie Saab gown via Helen Rodrigues Bridal — was only the second dress she tried on, but knew it was “the one”. “I had no idea what dress I would wear to my wedding but I always knew I wanted to be a classic bride. My dress was the second dress I ever tried on and like most things with me, I knew straight away! The construction of an Elie Saab bridal dress was beyond anything I’ve experienced, it was as if I was part of the dress! I felt the best I have ever felt and at the same time felt true to myself.”

On the day, Hannah and her 11 bridesmaids got ready together, which Hannah says was so special and she also had a memorable moment with her parents just before walking down the aisle: “The morning of my wedding was a lot of make-up artists, hairdressers, hugs, kisses and so much support and love!! To have the most beautiful women in my life supporting me was absolutely divine, a real honour. Moments before walking down was the most spiritual moment for me, my mother and father to stop and take in the most incredible moment that was all about to happen!”

Reflecting on the day, Hannah says that walk down the aisle will forever be in her heart: “It was an experience that you can’t explain or anticipate. I have it in my heart forever.” She also noted that an unexpected thunderstorm moments before she took that memorable walk down the aisle, not only cooled everything down but added to the entire fairy-tale “Disney movie feeling” of the day.

Along with the wedding ceremony itself the couple had a number of other wedding events for the weekend, which Hannah says set the tone for their special day. “We had Friday night Shabbat and Saturday morning synagogue. These events were really important as they set the tone and traditions that grounded our special day.”

The couple honeymooned in the Maldives on their way home from Europe. Scroll on to see more of Hannah and Andrea’s magical day.

Hanna shares a moment with her bridesmaids, who wore designs from her label, Hannah Art Wear.

Hannah’s bridal hair and make-up were both by Joanna Luhrs.

The bride has a happy moment pre-wedding.

The bride and groom in the beautiful gardens of the villa. The couple’s rings were from Jeff Einstein Jewellery.

The bride and her guests enjoy a fun moment at the wedding reception.

The flowers were by Paolo Muciaccia and the catering (and cake) were from Spagnuolo.

The groom wore a custom-made suit from a tailor Hannah says he will never name, in keeping with an “An Italian tradition to keep your tailor a secret!”

The beautiful reception venue in the grounds of the estate.

Fireworks and cake to celebrate the day.

The bride and groom take in the spectacular fireworks display.

Inside the stunning dinner reception.

It’s that time of year again when A-list celebrities descend on Venice for the annual Venice International Film Festival. 

This year, the 76th edition of the event, looks set to be one of the best editions to date with a slate of highly-anticipated films premiering with big-name stars attached. And, let’s not forget that the films shown at the festival are often those that become contenders for Oscars at the Academy Awards ceremony the following year.

With films like (or, as it is also titled) starring legendary actresses Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche opening the festival and starring Timothée Chalamet along with Robert Pattinson, Lily-Rose Depp and Joel Edgerton also being shown during the festival, expectations are not only high for what is being screened but also for a dazzling red carpet.

And this year the festival — which is the oldest film festival in the world and certainly one of the most glamorous — is being held from August 28 until September 7, providing days of red carpet glitz and glamour to enjoy.

Since the festival was founded in 1932, there have been so many major red carpet moments, from head-turning arrivals on boats by way of Venice’s famous waterways — Lady Gaga made a captivating entrance at the 2018 Venice Film Festival by that mode of transport for her film to the show-stopping gowns that have been worn by Hollywood’s leading lights during the festival (Natalie Portman in exquisite red Rodarte at the premiere at the 2010 festival is just one example that immediately springs to mind).

This year the festival looks set to once again deliver memorable red carpet moments. Scroll on to see what all the stars from Iman to Elsa Hosk (above) and Barbara Palvin are wearing on the 2019 Venice Film Festival red carpet. 

Iman walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Martha Hunt walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Candice Swanepoel walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Barbara Palvin walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Isabeli Fontana walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Ni Ni walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Lady Kitty Spencer walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Juliette Binoche and Catherine Deneuve walk the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Sofia Richie walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Alessandra Mastronardi walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Nicholas Hoult walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Gabrielle Caunesil walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Kat Graham walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Nicole Warne walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Zhong Chuxi walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Eleonora Carisi walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Vera Arrivabene walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Elizabeth Sulcer walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Jasmine Sanders walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Isabella Ferrari walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.

Melanie Brown walks the red carpet ahead of the La Vérité (The Truth) screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival, 2019.Click Here: Golf special

In August of 2018, the Democratic National Committee enacted reforms to make its Presidential-nomination process more inclusive. Perhaps the most drastic of the new rules was a mandate for all states to support some form of electoral participation that wouldn’t require attending a polling station in person. In primary states, absentee ballots have long served this purpose. The target of the D.N.C.’s mandate, it seemed, was caucus states, where, rather than cast private votes, supporters broadcast their choices during jostling, chaotic, party-run affairs that hinge on hours of horse-trading between rival campaigns. In Iowa, whose signature caucuses have for decades occupied the earliest slot in the nation’s nominating process, critics tend to point out that the system effectively disenfranchises those who, for whatever reason, are unable to show up. “You know, there were a lot of people who couldn’t caucus tonight, despite the very large turnout,” Hillary Clinton said, more than a decade ago, on the night she lost the 2008 caucus to Barack Obama. “There are a lot of people who work at night, people who are on their feet, people who are taking care of patients in a hospital, or waiting on a table in a restaurant, or maybe in a patrol car, keeping our streets safe.”

The D.N.C.’s policy was designed to encourage caucus states to accommodate more participants, but the effect has largely been to persuade many of them to adopt primaries instead. Following the announcement, nine states that conducted caucuses in 2016—Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, Utah, and Washington—switched their nominating processes. Among the states planning to stick to a caucus system, Iowa and Nevada have attracted the most attention, largely because their early spots on the nominating calendar make them bellwethers of national success. In February, the Iowa Democratic Party announced plans to début a series of “virtual” caucuses, which would have allowed voters to register their preferences during scheduled phone sessions. The plan had secured conditional approval earlier in the year, and, as of last week, the I.D.P. had been awaiting formal approval by a deadline set for September 13th. Late last week, though, during a closed-door meeting of the D.N.C.’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, in San Francisco, some members raised concerns about the security of the system, citing its vulnerability to hackers. On Friday, the D.N.C. rejected the state’s proposal, concluding that the existing technology posed too large a risk of interference from foreign adversaries.

The decision seemed to jeopardize both the fate of the virtual system and, in theory, Iowa’s claim to the nation’s earliest nominating contest. In New Hampshire, which holds the first primary, a law entitles the secretary of state to change the date of that election so that it precedes any other primary by at least a week. If Iowa’s new plan to accommodate the D.N.C.’s inclusivity mandate causes its nominating contest to deviate too far from the form of a caucus—if, in effect, it becomes a primary to comply with the D.N.C.’s terms—then Iowa’s coveted first-in-the-nation berth might well be at risk. “Iowa would become just another state,” Rachel Paine Caufield, a political scientist at Drake University who studies the caucuses, told me. “It’s hard to envision a world where Iowa wouldn’t go first in 2020, because so many candidates have invested so much here. There’s an expectation that that investment is important and worthwhile. They’re playing by the rules as they have understood them.” (In February, the Des Moines Register predicted that Iowa will have hosted more than two thousand Presidential events before caucus night.)

The Iowa caucuses are as much a political procedure as an intimate neighborhood affair. Attendees bring drinks and cupcakes to precinct locations, where they barter, argue, and shuttle between corners of a room to declare their support for individual candidates. During “realignment periods,” supporters of candidates whose crowds don’t meet so-called viability thresholds are beseeched to join rival camps instead. For many Iowans, this process is a source of pride. Caufield, who moved to the state in 2001, recalled her first caucus as the “most amazing political experience” of her life. “There’s a cultural ethos around the caucuses,” Caufield said. “It’s person to person. It’s open conversation. It’s negotiation and bargaining. There are very few venues in American life anymore where we have these conversations—eager and in good faith. It’s reassuring to me that that still exists.”

For others, the system represents an obstacle to political involvement that even the virtual offering did not promise to amend. Jane Hudson, the executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, told me earlier this week that Democratic Party officials had yet to address accessibility concerns voiced by her organization. For months, she and her colleagues had proposed usability testing, offering their own resources to insure that any virtual system would accommodate Iowans with disabilities. (There are more than three hundred thousand people with disabilities in the state, a figure that exceeds even the record-breaking caucus turnout in 2008, when two hundred and forty thousand Iowans—less than ten per cent of the population—participated.) Though officials from the state party met with representatives from Disability Rights Iowa in June, according to Hudson, they did not follow up afterward or respond to more recent letters sent by her staff. “We’ve tried to work with them for six months,” Hudson told me. “We met with them personally. But they’re still dragging their feet.” (The party did not respond to a request for comment.)

Other aspects of the virtual caucus remained uncertain, too. In Iowa’s physical precincts, the number of delegates allotted to each caucus depends both on population and on prior party support in a given precinct. For the virtual caucus, to which the I.D.P. had assigned ten per cent of the state’s delegates, the population is impossible to predict, in part, because prior participation is nonexistent. (In 2016, ten per cent would have allowed an ample window for Bernie Sanders to surpass Hillary Clinton, who had beaten him by less than three-tenths of a point.) One poll, from February, suggested that the virtual caucus could expand statewide participation by nearly a third. A more recent follow-up, in June, revealed that, whereas two-thirds of those who planned to attend in person indicated that they would definitely attend, only a third of the caucusgoers likely to opt for the virtual system expressed similar enthusiasm. The poll also found that the virtual caucuses would bring in younger, more moderate, and less politically experienced Iowans.

Caufield attributes much of the state party’s difficulty to the logistical nightmare of overhauling the existing system. “Caucuses, by their very nature, are not run by the state,” she said. “They’re run by the party. So all of a sudden the party has to adopt a lot of the logistical roles that the secretary of state’s office plays. They have to figure out who voted early and who didn’t. They have to find some way to validate people’s identity when they’re participating virtually. The party doesn’t have the capacity, necessarily, to do that, because they’ve never had to do it before. The irony of all of this is that the least hackable system on earth is an in-person caucus.”

On Friday, the New York Times reported that the D.N.C. “would recommend exemptions to Iowa and Nevada that would allow them to avoid new guidelines requiring caucus states to allow remote participation without attending a caucus event.” At a press conference earlier in the day, at the organization’s headquarters, Troy Price, the I.D.P.’s chair, acknowledged that a waiver “was a possibility,” but added, “No one has said to me that we have to have a waiver.” Price, who looked flushed, reassured the audience that Iowa would continue to hold a caucus, and that its caucus would be first. (Tom Perez, the chair of the D.N.C., had told him as much on a phone call that morning, Price said.) “We are still committed to making sure that this process is as accessible as possible, to making sure that this process is as transparent as possible, and to making sure that our caucuses are a tremendous success,” Price said. “I know you folks want to have a lot of conversations about what exactly that’s gonna look like. The thing is, we just don’t know yet. We’re taking this news just like everyone else. We are working to see what options are available to us in the time we have left.”

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In Season 3, “GLOW” Raises the Stakes

August 31, 2019 | News | No Comments

When the playwrights and writer-producers Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch created “GLOW” for Netflix, in 2016, they had rich source material and high-flying narrative challenges to contend with. “GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling,” the late-eighties crazy-bananas show that inspired it, featured, in an era giddy with wet-T-shirt contests and jello wrestling, a leotard-costumed cast of characters with names like Babe the Farmer’s Daughter and Matilda the Hun fighting each other for audiences’ viewing pleasure. Yet for many of those women the “GLOW” experience was surprisingly liberating. The show was run by male eccentrics with money, shot in Vegas, and adored by young boys across the country. For Flahive and Mensch, the challenge was to find the depth in these stories while managing an unwieldy amount of characters and expositional detail, and to do it amid a hurricane of glitter, cultural stereotypes, and body slams.

For the first two seasons and the beginning of the third, the results were mixed—nuanced moments amid a script that added operatic personal drama to an already outrageous, overstuffed scenario. “GLOW” can be exhausting. But it’s packed with great performances from its many characters, including Marc Maron, as Sam Sylvia, the show’s somewhat lovably cranky director, and Betty Gilpin and Alison Brie, as the show’s complicated stars. So I was excited when, a few episodes into Season 3, “GLOW” reached unexpected heights of emotional power and began to shed its flaws. As the season continues, it gathers strength—like a seasoned wrestler who, having been flung out of the ring, crawls back into it, picks her opponent up like a barbell, and hoists her aloft in triumph.

The season begins on the stadium floor, with an oof. My problems with “GLOW,” historically, have fallen into two categories. The first is the handling of the stereotyped characters (Welfare Queen, Fortune Cookie, Beirut the Mad Bomber, and so on), which ranges from smart to tedious to overly pleased with its own satire. The second is the overdetermined drama in the central story arc, in which Debbie (Betty Gilpin) and Ruth (Alison Brie), best friends and struggling actors, fall out after Ruth sleeps with Betty’s husband, are cast on “GLOW” as the American sweetheart Liberty Belle and the Soviet archvillain Zoya the Destroyer, and contend with each other in and out of the ring. Notes of catfighting, Good vs. Evil Empire—it’s all a bit much. In Season 2, their conflict culminates in an act of shocking injury—also too much—but it forces a resolution and, happily, allows us all to move on from that plot line.

The Season 3 opening brings us up to date on both situations. The Soviet-U.S. rivalry rattles along, via Liberty Belle and Zoya, and, with it, Zoya’s wearying mock-Russki accent. The show has moved from L.A. to Las Vegas, into a has-been hotel and casino called the Fan-Tan, and as a publicity stunt Liberty Belle and Zoya go on a live local morning show to taunt each other, Cold War style, during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. (“That puny rocket look like child’s toy. . . . I spit on this Challenger mission!”) After the Challenger explodes, killing its seven crew members, Debbie tells the cameras to cut, and we jauntily segue to the show’s neon-lit, get-pumped intro sequence and theme song, “The Warrior.” Awkwardly half-comedic scenes follow, of Ruth feeling terrible, and of GLOW’s man-child producer, Bash (Chris Lowell), realizing in horror that the opening-night party he’s throwing is space-themed. (Oh no!) I found myself feeling nostalgic for the way “Mad Men” handled the J.F.K. assassination, with Roger sitting glumly at his daughter’s underpopulated wedding reception. The Challenger plot feels tonally off and too on the nose—not worth the use of the tragedy as material.

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Season 3 improves as the writers move the characters beyond the roles that they’re stuck in, as wrestlers and as people. The Vegas plot line gives the show a stable setting and an intriguing milieu—a comfortably absurd place to spend time in, allowing our friends a bit more freedom and happiness—and the new setup lets the show within the show, having established a routine, to be less of a focus. Debbie became a producer in Season 2, and we watch with satisfaction as she thrives in the role, finds a way to incorporate her toddler into her working life, and begins dating a tycoon with a warm sense of humor, wonderfully played by Toby Huss (who was also wonderfully terrifying in Lynn Shelton’s “Sword of Trust,” starring Maron, this summer). Ruth navigates a stable but long-distance relationship with a kindhearted cameraman while figuring out her more stimulating relationship with Sam; Sam continues to mature as he helps his daughter navigate her fledgling film career. Many wrestlers get rewarding new arcs, among them Jenny (Ellen Wong), who plays Fortune Cookie; Arthie (Sunita Mani), who plays Beirut; and the spooky Sheila the She-Wolf (Gayle Rankin), who undergoes a freeing de-gothification process. Some of their transformations are set in motion by an episode in which the wrestlers switch characters, which is as fun (and occasionally upsetting) for us as it is for them. But to me, the most exciting arc this season focussed on Bash—catalyzed by a stellar addition to the cast, Kevin Cahoon, who plays Bobby Barnes, a beloved and emotionally astute drag performer at the Fan-Tan.

GLOW” has long implied that Bash—a cute, wrestling-obsessed naïf with family money to burn—is gay, closeted not only to the world but to himself. He’s now married, for green-card reasons and beard reasons, to Britannica (Kate Nash), one of the wrestlers. In Season 3 they manage to eke out an intriguing, semi-articulated kind of love, and even, at first, a happy sex life. Conventional wisdom led me to expect that Bash—a handsome, closeted innocent on a progressive show about an unenlightened era—would somehow manage to come out and find love with a man, giving such a character, for our emotional satisfaction, happiness that reality might not have fostered. But what “GLOW” does is riskier and more interesting—it explores a likelier trajectory, in which Bash goes further into the closet. (Spoilers follow.) In Episode 4, Bobby performs for Bash, in the hope that Bash will sponsor his playing a bigger room at the casino. (As Liza Minnelli, he sings “Yes,” from “Liza with a Z.”) But he’s also made the mistake of implying that he knows Bash is gay—and that, combined with his self-actualized camp persona, is more than Bash can handle. “Say yes—yes! ” Bobby sings, ending with a flourish. “Well?”

“No,” Bash says. He rejects him pointedly, cruelly—and for a few episodes he becomes a bit of a monster, showing us how a self-loathing gay man from a conservative world, at the height of the AIDS crisis, might spiral into fearful, destructive behavior, wielding his power in reckless ways. The season finale is a tour de force, for most of the characters and especially for Bash; in a scene in which Bash drunkenly confides in Debbie about his attraction to men, Lowell’s heartbreaking performance makes our emotions ratchet, in an instant, from contempt to tenderness. It’s as moving as anything I’ve seen on TV this year. Just as deftly, Gilpin evokes how Debbie’s empathy melds with her shrewd opportunism. Meanwhile, in the ring, the wrestlers are doing “A Christmas Carol,” complete with Ruth as Zoya as Scrooge (“Today, I defect from Communist Russia, and join in glorious American celebration!”) and Jenny as Tiny Tim. Netflix hasn’t yet announced the fate of “GLOW” and its lady wrestlers—but may it bless them, every one.

24 places to visit in Sri Lanka at least once

August 30, 2019 | News | No Comments

The ancient city of Sigiriya. Image credit: Instagram.com/planetatierraok

Located off the south east coast of India, the island nation of Sri Lanka has a rich history and culture dating back thousands of years, as well as an extraordinary array of wildlife – elephants, leopards, sloth bears and tigers all call the tropical island paradise home.

Known as Ceylon when it was under British occupation (and made famous in the west by Ceylon tea), Sri Lanka’s natural beauty and location have made it a coveted territory since the days of the Silk Road. Colombo, the capital, has both modern skyscrapers and ancient ruins – but out of the city, in the mountains, forests and remote beaches, is where the real magic happens.

Tourists explore the ruins of Sigiriya. Image credit: Instagram.com/tashpalmer

The ancient city of Sigiriya (pictured above) is an abandoned 5th-century fortress on top of a towering rock in the middle of the country. UNESCO World Heritage-listed and considered one of the finest examples of ancient urban planning, Sigiriya can only be accessed by a vertiginous staircase.

Nearby, the Dambulla caves (pictured below) are full of statues and paintings of the Buddha, offering visitors a moving and reverent experience. The area is heavy with history – the first known Sri Lankan Buddhist writings date back to 29BC.

Dambulla Cave Temple. Image credit: Instagram.com/ivan.kolle

If wildlife is the reason for your journey, Sri Lankan safaris can bring you face to face with some very exotic residents – this luxury lodge often has its pools visited by thirsty elephants and monkeys.

For foodies, Sri Lankan cuisine is based on rice, coconut and spices, with plenty of curry and lots of hoppers (thin bowl-shaped crepes). A range of cultural influences play out on the country’s plates, including Dutch and Indonesian, as Sri Lanka’s position on the Silk Road lead to an exchange of culinary ideas. There is also an eatery in Colombo called the Ministry of Crab, which has been voted one of Asia’s best restaurants.

Scroll down for more incredible Sri Lankan sights worth seeing at least once.

Dalawella Beach. Image credit: Instagram.com/sarahmatzer

Diyaluma Falls. Image credit: Instagram.com/will_gilpin

Tea Plantation Nuwara Eliya. Image credit: Instagram.com/jerre_stead

Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque. Image credit: Instagram.com/maurits_88

Nine Arch Bridge. Image credit: Instagram.com/jerre_stead

Ulpotha. Image credit: Instagram.com/jeromegalland

Mihintale. Image credit: Instagram.com/reisjunk

Udawalawe National Park. Image credit: Instagram.com/overrated_outcast

Mirissa. Image credit: Instagram.com/katyasimagina

Polonnaruwa. Image credit: Instagram.com/everyday_with_nadee

Tangalle. Image credit: Instagram.com/yzcation

Ambuluwawa. Image credit: Instagram.com/jerre_stead

Bambarakanda Falls, Nuwara Eliya. Image credit: Instagram.com/wonderlustceylon

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Unawatuna. Image credit: Instagram.com/yns_zng

Ella. Image credit: Instagram.com/gautiercourquin

Hikkaduwa. Image credit: Instagram.com/bunkyardhostels

Hiriketiya. Image credit: Instagram.com/my_memory_museum

Ravana Waterfall. Image credit: Instagram.com/zinok2806

Temple of the Tooth. Image credit: Instagram.com/pradeep_gamage

Yala National Park. Image credit: Instagram.com/palak997

Minneriya National Park. Image credit: Instagram.com/_______jlh_______

Image credit: Instagram.com/chelle1975

We’ve all been there once… The moment of realisation that there’s no one sitting in the seat across on a long haul flight. Better yet, the moment it dawns that there’s no one sitting in the entire row. Pure joy and happiness are two emotions that come to mind. Now, one airline has made that feeling optional, with Air New Zealand’s ‘Skycouch’. 

Meant to help customers relax during coach class flights, the Skycouch includes reserving an entire row of economy class seats with built in seat extenders which then rise to form a bed where a passenger’s feet would usually go. Confused? The photos sum it up. 

The Skycouch is nothing new. In fact, it’s been around for years, but outside of New Zealand seems to have been kept quite under-the-radar and virtually hidden — classic Kiwi move. Now, the internet has picked up on New Zealand’s secret travel hack, spotlighting the smart seat onto the global travel stage. 

Designed to be used with one or two people, the idea stands that a passenger purchases the second or third remaining seat for a discounted rate, thus reserving the entire row. The Skycouch is assembled, extra linen and a bottom sheet is supplied and a passenger is able to travel long haul while stretching out. 

While the cost of the Skycouch varies depending on the flight, our research revealed it was anything from AU$200 extra per person to AU$500 for a flight from Auckland to Los Angeles. Not bad considering the cost of a business class seat, which is almost always double or triple the price of a standard economy ticket. Located on a select number of rows per plane, not everyone is able to opt for the Skycouch, although early booking would make it easy to secure one for yourself or a family. 

Right now it seems Air New Zealand is the only airline offering the Skycouch service — or anything similar — but thanks to the seemingly genius concept (lying flat in economy!? Revolutionary!), we’re sure it won’t be long before other airlines follow suit. 

Visit: AirNewZealand.com 

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