Category Archives: Hedonism

ARI LeVAUX

Halloween, more than almost any other holiday, is about fun. Unlike Christmas, Easter, Mothers or Fathers days, all of which involve a certain amount of stress and sacrifice if not guilt. Thanksgiving can be fun, but its a lot of work. Halloween is a lot of play, nearly unmatched in its unbridled hedonism. Its like New Years Eve, but with corn syrup instead of booze.

It began with the Gaelic festival Samhain, which celebrated the end of harvest, while ushering in the dark half of the year. Autumn was a spooky time when the boundaries between the living and spirit worlds were thought to become more porous. Brought to America by Irish and Scottish settlers, Halloween found footholds in the southern colonies and developed a more playful, mischievous and decidedly corny vibe.

Candy corn didnt start out as a Halloween treat, but jumped on the bandwagon in the 50s, as Halloween pivoted into a full embrace of processed sugar. They may only taste good if youre starving, diabetic or a food coloring enthusiast, but apparently thats about half of all Americans.

Corn officially became spooky with the release of Children of the Corn, a 1984 movie about a midwestern village where the kids took over and decided nobody was permitted to age beyond 17. In 1993, the worlds first for-profit corn maze was built in Annville, Pennsylvania. Since then, the tradition has taken off, and corn mazes now number in the thousands.

When I lived in New Mexico, I learned about chicos a type of Native American dried corn. Chicos means little boys in Spanish, as the kernels shrink when dried. The ones for sale at the store were dried to the hardness of popcorn, but when I make them at home, I let them stay a bit chewy, like real-life versions of candy corn. But nuttier and cornier. Each batch of chicos has a unique character, with different levels of brown, crunchiness, chewiness and or sweetness, depending on the corn and how long its roasted.

Many Halloween corn mazes are closed this year, thanks to the virus. If treat-seekers are left to their own devices Im fine with that, because processed sugar is poison and a tradition that hinges on giving candy to kids isnt worth rescuing.

Luckily, nothing about the original spirit of Halloween demands candy. Spookiness, on the other hand, is in Halloweens DNA, as is my right to dress like Bootsy Collins. And corn? Its to Halloween like frost is to a pumpkin. A sign of the times. The inevitability of progress.

So, allow me to tell you how I make chicos. I made about three dozen ears worth, which wont last too long but is a nice stash. I will follow my chicos tips with a few recipes, one sweet and one savory, for how I used them.

Chicos

The only ingredient is corn, preferably with the husk on. Traditionally, the process involves a clay oven or horno, but other ovens work too. Ultimately, youre doing little more than drying out corn.

Although usually made with fresh corn, Ive also made chicos with frozen corn, and the operation was surprisingly successful, even if the product lacked the soulful smokey flavor that a roasted corn husk imparts.

Turn the oven to 300 and place the ears directly on the oven racks, not touching one another, and bake until the husks start to dry out and brown and even smoke a little about three hours. When cool, peel off the husks. If using husked or frozen corn, skip this step.

Put the cobs on the oven racks, spaced so as not to touch one another, and bake at 225, until the kernels start to shrink and visibly dry out about four hours. Let the ears cool completely and rub off the kernels try the edge of a spoon if they are stubborn. Store in a plastic bag in a cool, dry place. The drier you get them, the longer they will store.

If making chicos from frozen corn, spread the kernels on a cookie sheet and bake at 225. They will take less time about two hours and will quickly turn brown and then black.

Chicos and Milk

Fill a bowl with chicos and milk, with sugar to taste. It might taste familiar. When the chicos are gone and you sip the sweet milk that remains, you may feel a distinct dj vu to a time, long ago, when you sipped the sweet leftover milk from a bowl of corn flakes.

Beans with Chicos

A handful of chicos turns a pot of beans into something interesting and delightful. Served alongside rice, youve got a delicious meal with complete protein.

Serves 2

1 strip of bacon (optional, recommended), chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil if skipping the bacon or if its lean

cup minced onions

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or thyme

cup chicos

1 can of plain beans (pinto, white, black, kidney.) including the liquid

1 can of water or stock

1 teaspoon paprika or chile powder to taste

Salt, if the bacon doesnt add enough

Fry the bacon on medium heat. When half-crispy, about five minutes, add the onions, garlic and herbs. Fry until the onions become translucent. Add the beans and water and stir together. Season with salt, if necessary. Heat to a simmer, stirring as necessary to prevent sticking. Adjust seasoning and serve.

(Flash in the Pan is food writer Ari LeVauxs weekly recipe column. It runs in about 100 newspapers nationwide, nourishing food sections large and small with complete protein for the belly brain.)

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Flash in the Pan: Night of the dried corn - City Pulse

Arab Fashion Week has made a welcome return with in-person runway shows, after two seasons of digital-only presentations.

To kick off womenswear for spring/summer 2022, the week opened with an awards ceremony to honour the Barbie doll, which was named as AFWs second Fashion Icon. The singer Maya Diab, bagged the title last season.

Then came a runway show by Jeremy Scott, who delivered a Barbie-inspired collection for Moschino.

Amato followed, with a collection that delivered its signature Gothic beauty as tiered dresses, tightly corseted and lavished with embroidery, while Emirati designer Yara bin Shakar returned to the runway with a new focus, away from modestwear towards a new sleeveless style. Fans of her glamorous wear will still find rich fabrics and elegant cuts, but now with a new silhouette that exposes the back and arms.

Yara bin Shakar presents a new, sleeveless cut during Arab Fashion Week. EPA

Founded by Egyptian designer Maha Ahmed, Autonomie teamed up with Aramex for a collection called Metanoia, meaning to reform and become new. While such collaborations can be limiting for the designer, with sponsors wanting to see company logos writ large, Ahmed has handled it well, mixing her signature edgy feel with shades of Aramex red. Looks arrived as directional trousers, tunics and dresses in bold tones of gold, lime and peach, or in head-to-toe red.

Inspired by New York nightlife, Christian Cowan's designs are daring and bold. EPA

In something of a coup for AFW, Christian Cowan brought its New York glamour to the Dubai runway. Known for looks inspired by the hedonism of NYC nightlife, Cowan is a go-to for Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Lil Nas X, with whom Cowan has a collaboration. The signature glitz arrived as shimmery cuts, animalistic leopard print and daring cutaway gowns.

BLSSD delivers a partially sheer jacket for Arab Fashion Week. AFP

BLSSD brought its humanitarian take to Dubai with a theme of Pret-a-gratitude, with proceeds going to support cancer patients. Its runway show features boldly graphic, oversized jackets, maxi skirts and asymmetric cuts designed to be folded into any wardrobe for instant snap.

This Beirut brand turned the spotlight on the ongoing struggles Lebanon faces, by casting friends and clients as models for its show. As usual, it reworked vintage and off-cut fabrics into brightly coloured pieces that offered some optimism for Lebanons future.

Jazzy tie-dye was turned into high-waisted mens trousers, and over-sized shirts, while discarded patterned cloth was carefully patchworked into long-sleeve tops, a strappy summer dress, and a cut-away, double-split dress. Even bed sheets were given new life as trousers, shirts and shorts.

Poca and Poca brought its sense of romance to the runway, with flouncy finishes, playful silhouettes and bold accessories, while Dorota Goldpoint delivered a show of red roses, with florals underpinning every look. Made into dresses and even capes, it was a welcome reminder of the renewal of spring.

Updated: October 28th 2021, 1:41 PM

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Highlights from Arab Fashion Week spring/summer 2022 - The National

Allow Duckwrth to set the scene: "You're at a party. It's dimly lit, a couple of neon lights here and there. Everybody's grooving, having a good time." As you move across the dance floor, the lively horde parts to reveal a person sitting in the corner, looking "hella anxious" and wearing a surgical mask.

"His bro is like, 'Yo, take your fucking mask off. You're already here,'" Duckwrth continued, a mischievous grin creeping across his face. "And then a girl grabs him."

If Duckwrth's new album were to soundtrack a movie, that's how it would start.

I asked him to describe the storyboard when we met for coffee in Brooklyn last month, a few days following his sold-out concert at the Bowery Ballroom. Out of six proposed locations, he selected Sincerely,Tommy, a Black-owned boutique and caf in Bed-Stuy.

As we sat on the bench outside, the sherbert-haired singer fulfilled my request without a hint of hesitation giving the distinct impression that he'd watched that scene unfold several times already.

Just before kicking off his fall tour, Duckwrth released "SG8*" as a follow-up to his August 2020 album "SuperGood." The eight-song project explores the post-lockdown collision of anxiety and hedonism, but isn't shy about the latter reigning supreme.

In the opening song, Duckwrth swiftly assumes the role of ringmaster: "Pull up at nine / And if you want, you can go tell a friend." In the standout fourth track, "Mask Off (Feelings)," he puts it even blunter: "I won't be idle anymore / And I'm fresh out of patience."

The delivery is indelicate by design. Duckwrth, 33, wrote the album's first song in November 2020, but the concept truly took shape in the spring. As the weather grew warmer and the promise of a vaccine grew stronger, he was captivated by our collective hunger for normalcy, sure, but also something more feral that went largely unsaid.

Duckwrth's previous album was recorded in a month-long period of self-imposed fasting: no alcohol, no drugs, and no sex. This time around, he went with impulse over discipline.

"Janelle Mone was throwing all these crazy parties. She invited me to her last one and I was just like, 'Janelle, I need to be there, but I'm scared as fuck,'" he explained in a reverent whisper. "But I was looking at everybody and I feel like all I was hearing people say was, 'I don't want to be safe no more.' I was like, 'Yeah, let me put that in a song.'"

The cover art for "SG8*" shows Duckwrth with his back to the camera, stepping outside to find a warped landscape.

Duckwrth, who studied graphic design at San Francisco's Academy of Art University, spent upwards of 15 hours manipulating the image. He added a scenic photo to the background, replete with mountains and clouds, then rendered the vista unrecognizable.

After an extended period of indoor isolation, many of us can relate. The world may no longer look the same to some of us more volatile, perhaps, yet technicolor.

During Duckwrth's live shows, fans chant the lyrics to "We Outside" like they're casting a spell: "We back outside / We ain't tryna go back in." Concerts have always been a rarefied space, where everyone has at least one thing in common. These days, that common thread coming together to dance, sing, and be connected by music feels like actual magic.

At Bowery Ballroom, surrounded by impossibly chic outfits and confident auras, it occurred to me that Duckwrth is particularly skilled in this sorcery. His live shows are packed with people who understand that his music is not just a sonic experience, but a visual one, too.

"What's tight is that everybody at my shows is just so colorful and bold," he said. When I joke that everyone in attendance was also attractive, he laughed at the sentiment.

"Yes. I'm so happy to curate a moment of hot people," he said, eyes glinting playfully.

But that's not to say getting back on the road didn't come with its challenges.

Since the release of "SuperGood" last year, described by critics as "a west coast summer breeze" (The Guardian) and "a vibrant sonic collage of escapism" (NME), Duckwrth has been forced to reckon with a shift in his media coverage: from eclectic rapper to R&B star-on-the-rise.

"There are far better singers than me. I'm more of a crooner and like, there's motherfuckers who really sing," he mused. "So I went into these shows like, 'Damn, how am I going to be in this space and fulfill these expectations of me being an R&B artist now?'"

"I'm like, 'Me?' I came into it back in the day doing backpack rap," he added. "So that's very new."

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Duckwrth, whose birth name is Jared Lee, was raised in "a gospel family," always surrounded by instruments and vocalists. But growing up, he wasn't very serious about music. He dabbled with choir, though he doesn't remember how long he stuck with it, and began playing the tuba when he was in middle school. Why tuba? "Because I wanted to be different," he explained, matter-of-factly.

He began making his own music in college, using an altered version of his mom's maiden name, Duckworth. (He dropped the "O" because he "didn't like the way it looked logo-wise.")

After building a modest reputation as a rapper in the Bay Area, mostly by participating in friendly freestyle competitions known as "Cyphers," he released his debut mixtape "DUCKTAPE" online in 2012.

Though he's since moved towards sparkly synths and silky vocals, the spirit of counterculture continues to pulse at the core of his work.

Duckwrth doesn't much care for comparisons or labels though he does nod enthusiastically when I describe his music as "jambalaya-style."

"We are the new neo-soul, I guess. We're the generation that came from the Erykah Badus," he mused. "But also, we are the iTunes generation. Before iPods, you were a B-boy, you were a punk, you were a gangster, you were a scene kid. You were a this or a that. And then after iPods, it's okay for you to go from fucking Dead Kennedys, to Lauryn Hill, to Three Six Mafia."

"We were able to take all those music genres and put them into one basket. I like that. My spinal cord is punk, but I'm known as an R&B artist now."

Would he ever make a pure punk album? "For sure," he replied immediately. "I already have it planned out."

The side-project will be called Good Soldier, he revealed. It'll likely take a cue from the animated band Gorillaz, so fans can scream and mosh without feeling like they're at "a classic Duckwrth show."

As always, he's started planning every visual; already gauging every face in the crowd.

After playing the Day N Vegas festival next month, Duckwrth will jet off to Europe for another string of concerts in January. Then, in March, he'll join Billie Eilish on the "Happier Than Ever" world tour.

The two artists met at SXSW back in 2018: "We saw each other and it was just immediate," he said with a snap of his fingers.

Shortly after, he opened for a few shows on her 2019 "When We All Fall Asleep" tour. She even joked on her Beats 1 radio show that she's "in love with him," while her brother Finneas praised Duckwrth as a "sweet, talented dude."

"It's not just knowing Billie. It's knowing Billie's family," Duckwrth explained. "That's what's really cool about her. I get really giddy talking about it, because there's so much love in their family and they show us so much love. It's really tight. But my connection with her and her family has grown as the years have gone on."

For his second round in front of Eilish's loyal audience, Duckwrth is eager to revive "Kiss U Right Now," the breakout hit from "SuperGood" that he performed on many stagesbefore it was officially released.

"Every time we did it, it would be like, 'Ooh!' It would just always be an uproar and then people started asking for it on Twitter," he said. "A lot of Billie's fans were asking for that song. So, I know when we do it, it's going to go up, for sure."

In fact, Duckwrth cited "Kiss U Right Now" as the consistent highlight of his shows.

"I love the challenge of trying to find something that crosses over and it has a bit of user-friendliness," Duckwrth told me. "That's not to say that I'm censored in any way, but I like music that spans beyond a certain niche. 'Kiss U Right Now,' anyone can relate to that."

"It doesn't even have to be sexual. You kiss your grandma, you know what I'm saying?" he added, that playful grin creeping back. "It's a bold statement, a statement of love: 'I think I want to kiss you right here in front of everybody, right now.'"

It makes sense that a bold statement of love would resonate with people now more than ever. To hold someone close, to embrace without fear, has never felt more vulnerable, or more needed.

Duckwrth never revealed what happened to the star of his "SG8*" film, after a mysterious girl arrives to the party and pulls him away from the outskirts. But it's not hard to imagine what he had in mind.

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Duckwrth talks new album 'SG8*' and going on tour with Billie Eilish - Insider

The title is key to any short story collection as it unlocks the writers preoccupations. For this collection, the titular story Marching Season felt strong, but I primarily chose it because it refers to the Orange flute-band parades from April to August and is therefore contentious. Evocative and provocative. Marching Season is synonymous in many peoples minds with potential trouble, but is a joyous musical road trip for others. I love that one phrase can be so divisive and it sums up Northern Ireland perfectly in a year of Brexit and riots.

Marching Season is my fifth collection and that might sound prolific to some, but in comparison to the greats its paltry. The short story writers I admire were mentally fecund and make contemporary specialists such as Claire Keegan look like dabblers. One of the most exceptionally prolific was Guy de Maupassant who wrote a whopping two to four volumes annually of short stories, not to mention his novels. F Scott Fitzgerald died at 44 and still managed to have more than 160 short stories published. Among the Irish writers, William Trevor wrote 13 short story collections while the genius Mary Lavin superseded him with 19.

Kevin Barry considers very few of his short stories worthy of publication: I would say out of every 10 I try, one or two will ever get outside the door, but even bearing in mind that he may have said this in order to seem a perfectionist (and all of us writers are prone to self-mythology), it surprised me as Ive found the more you write, the more confident you become. Lets be honest if you were only 10 to 20 per cent successful in most jobs, youd be sacked! And why wouldnt you want to emulate the former masters of the form? To be prolific, you mustnt be too precious about your work.

The biggest question aside from choosing the title is how many stories a collection should include. Trevor favoured 12 and Lucy Caldwell favours 11, but Im not at all prescriptive. The mainstream school of thought is that collections should be slimline like poetry, as if to imply a rarified art-form, but Im all for a bulkier approach. Marching Season has 13 short stories, 13 being my lucky number as my brother was born on the 13th, as was my niece.

This connection is especially fitting as Marching Season is a family collaboration. When I was talking to Alan Hayes of Arlen House last year, I told him that my mum had been an artist. Alan loved the idea of an art/short story fusion, so this collection carries 16 of her paintings and memorialises her talent. The front cover is also personal as it was painted by a delightfully mad Russian artist I went out with in Prague.

As for the stories, most were written before Covid, but a few, such as Irish-Australian and What Happened to You, were written during lockdown when I kept dreaming of foreign travel. Lockdown made me talk to myself more but I often think the true recompense for a writers loneliness comes from the priceless observations that can only be made during solitude.

Sexual desire is a big theme in Marching Season in differing forms and permutations. Im fascinated by hedonism as a form of self-escape and my characters are often aesthetes and epiphanists. Dr Caroline Magennis recently made a tongue-in-cheek observation in Writing After the Troubles that I might be dubbed Belfasts pleasure laureate and, funnily enough, Ive often thought I should ask for sponsorship from Carlsberg and Durex! The opening story, The a, b and cs of Modern Living, commemorates the days when we could commingle freely in pubs, but one of the darker narratives, Life is Short and Fun Should be Had, centres on our lockdown reality of cyber-dating and the paranoiac distrust it engenders. Other stories are about the jealousy arising from a threesome, a controlling relationship, sexual confusion, youthful longing and a fantasy that goes wrong.

So far, so universal, but I couldnt call the collection Marching Season without dealing with the sceptred part of this isle. In the title story, a drag queen, Marcus, is alienated from those who march the Queens highway, prompting his last-ditch effort to belong. Portrait of a European City is based on a real incident where a Sinn Fin MLA attended an East Belfast art exhibition without local paramilitary clearance.

The story reflects the current culture wars wherein politicians use the arts for their own political gain and it also highlights the East as the current creative hotbed of Belfast. In the surge of new Protestant writing, its possible I can be tempted at times to out-Protestant other writers, but Ive never considered myself a mouthpiece for one particular side. For instance, The Night they Shot the Journalist is about republicans in Derry and is inspired by the murder of Lyra McKee. I dont need to be something to write about it; I just need to know and feel something.

Autobiography doesnt so much play a part in Marching Season as a leading role. Its the petits faits vrais that enable writing to soar. In Future-Proof Your Life (Step 7 of 10), I recalled my excruciating lapses of memory during a Tedx talk at Stormont. The best thing about being a writer is that you can write about your disasters until they become paradoxically more valuable than your achievements. Failure in life should always be mined for literary success.

I try to write every story like its my first and every line like its my last. Lasting work is what counts and real writers dont want 15 minutes of fame; we want 15 millennia of fame. Reaching my fifties hasnt made me a better writer, but its made me a more focused writer and theres nothing that concentrates the mind more than the sense of contracting time.

William Trevor called the short story an impressionist painting and an explosion of truth. To me, writing a story is like having sex with a stranger in the dark; you have a vision of what could happen, but you have to feel your way through it. Trevor also said that stories are concerned with the total exclusion of meaninglessness, and after Ive finished a story, Ill begin the delicate process of scoring out words, sentences or whole paragraphs. To return to Trevors analogy of the painting, editing is like rubbing out the pencil marks of the initial rough sketch. The final story should be an image, a little nebulous around the edges, but utterly transparent and transfixing at its core.

Ultimately, I see a short story writer as a prose writer with a poets soul, a metaphorist, a symbolist. John Banville made me laugh when he recently admitted that writing a novel is like wading through wet sand, at night, in a storm. Im glad to say writing Marching Season was no long sapping march through the sand. Because of the brevity of form, short stories are freeing to write and I stepped lightly all the way.Marching Season is published by Arlen House

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'Writing a story is like having sex with a stranger in the dark' - The Irish Times

All of a sudden, egotism, hedonism and comfort zoning, otherwise deplored as signs of misbehavior, felt like evicted, giving way to nothing less but the desire to love your neighbor. Cataclysms create their own laws. Peace time has gotten its heroes, and in moments of danger and disaster people may show their other side it may be their best.

The task is tough, setbacks are real, optimism is vital, though. Immediate emergency is prone to trigger first and fast aid, whereas developments that just gradually grow fatal are missing peoples full awareness to spark prompt action. Assets, gained step-by-step, will take their time to bear fruit, while individual opportunities for champions to shine are in the wait.

Generally, heroism in peace time and less emergency may be less spectacular, but no less valuable (heroic pacifism is undoubtedly imaginable, says Albert Einstein). Peace is not a self-actor; peace is the result of our deeds. Needless to say that this provides a real challenge to Travel & Tourism executives as communication experts to act!

As travelers, we pay money for our holidays. That means we appreciate enjoying our holidays higher than the money we paid for that. We should know about the privilege of being our hosts guests. Social behavior is key to co-existence. On the other hand, if we as hosts feel that the hospitality we offer our visitors threatens to end up as a kind of hostile take-over by strangers, then our social self-confidence is severely violated. Creating violation and disharmony is another way to cause environmental pollution.

Our eye for environmental consciousness and human empathy needs to be sharpened, in order to know what is good to both our physical (external) and psychic (internal) environments. There is peace only, if deeply rooted inside ourselves as individuals, who share the sense of dignity with one another. Travel & Tourism provides the global stage for the good or bad practice. Somebody once said, it is like the eye which cannot see itself. It may learn to sensitize its view to its environment, similar to a photographers evolving talents.

Looking at Tourisms high-flying claim to promote international understanding, we may find out: At its worst its a fake (e.g. all-inclusive travel!), at its best its wishful thinking. It feeds the myth shared by stakeholders that prejudice would disappear, and stirs up the silent hope shared by ourselves, the travelers, that exactly this would not happen, and we could afford to stand by our standardized opinions. Rather than locals, we meet compatriots. The intended bottom-up effect toward international understanding is minimal: Despite joining in sightseeing tours, enjoying the hosts culinary art or browsing through colorful shopping arcades, most holiday contacts are sporadic and casual only. They fade away with time, just as travel stereotypes sometimes do.

The outward appearance of Tourism Unlimited has emerged due to the fact that formerly quite distinctive social markings have become blurred or wiped out entirely. Holiday destinations once considered exclusive are being offered now in any catalogue or website.

Some places have gone through an especially striking transformation, for instance Baden-Baden: Formerly reputed as Europes summer capital, where the rich and beautiful were staging their own Vanity Fair, the spa-city today is a site of convalescence and wellness even for clients on welfare. Or choose Madeira, where at distinguished sanatoriums in a mild climate the worlds upper-classes once recovered: Today the island-state is a cruise and package-tour destination.

More crucial still, is the case of Venice: Distinguished as a UN World Heritage, Venice has been invaded until recently by short-term tourists from mighty cruise-ships threatening the lagoon citys structural essence and local peoples easygoing serenity. Locals have regarded this kind of invasion as an attack to their city and their social life.

The situation elsewhere looks similar: Angkor, once the glorious Hindu-Buddhist temple city of the Khmer kings, started to decay from the 15th century on and fell into oblivion. It is believed that climate change (!) and human hubris brought about Angkors downfall.

Only in the 19th century French explorers discovered the ruins and brought Angkor to daylight. In the wake of the Vietnam War, communist Khmer Rouges conquered them. Today, the Khmer Rouges have gone, and hordes of monkeys and tourists (Christopher Clark, Australian historian) have reconquered the impressive temple ruins of Angkor Vat and Angkor Thom.

In Expansion du tourisme, Ms. Anita Pleumaon of the Tourism Investigation & Monitoring Team (tim-team) summarizes: Modern values, imposed on Asian societies in rapid development, seem to have caused particularly devastating effects and a feeling of disorder, alienation, upheaval and incertitude. The process of commercialization and homogenization and the massive circulation of new ideas, pictures and information left little space to traditions, cultural expression, values of family and community. Is our approach to destination building a double-edged sword since its logic and methodology follow western-style patterns? Are there commonalities between our compelling efforts of destination building and the post-Cold-War concept of nation building?

The most brutal evidence of the incongruousness of western-style democracy and nation building could be witnessed in Afghanistan. Afghanistan, in the 1960s and 70s an exciting travel destination and a heaven for dropouts from Europe, had successfully prepared the ground for the defeats of two world powers: the Soviet army in 1989 and the U.S.-led NATO troops in August 2021. For the Soviets, Afghanistan was just a power play, for the U.S. and NATO it was the identified center of international terrorism and the hideout of Osama Bin Laden, the 9/11 top terrorist.

The goal of U.S.-NATO military intervention was to topple the then Taliban government and catch Bin Laden. Both missions were accomplished, but a more glorious challenge lured the Western alliance to stay a while, in order to consolidate Afghanistan as a Western-style democracy. This goal failed shamefully, the Taliban peasants militia returned and forced U.S. and NATO to leave Afghanistan harum scarum with many dead, injured or traumatized, billions of dollars spent, and serious doubts left. They culminate in the everlasting but still unanswered question: What for?

Gloomy reminders of the Vietnam War have resurged. Pictures of the spectacular escape in helicopters from Saigon rooftops in 1975 were juxtaposed in 2021, to photos of the sky lifts from Kabul Airport, overcrowded with desperate people, some of them clinging to the undercarriage of the aircraft and falling

Who is guilty? Who assumes responsibility? How about lessons learnt?

Responsible are all those who could not understand or refused to accept lessons that they should have already learnt earlier: first, societal patterns and social ways of life cannot be transferred upon others by force nowhere and not at all in Afghanistan; second, the job of the military is to wage war, and not to build up schools, hospitals, and to ditch wells; third, both military and civil projects need a stringent and timely fixed vision, or objective that would have to be made everyones cause and not just well intended procedures with an open end and a lot of lofty illusions; forth, intertwined relations between local elites and foreign partners have a strong tendency to further nepotism and corruption. This kind of liaisons dangereuses will inevitably lead to conflict or even war and cause naked chaos at last.

Too often, after a halfhearted yet long-term military commitment, foreign partners best choice seems to leave the scenario with the repeated experience of a shameful flight, rather than an orderly departure, yet now hopefully with the main lesson learnt: to keep out of other countries internal issues, especially when socio-cultural differences are too hard to shun out. The English-Dutch author Ian Buruma refers to the colonial trap great powers are prone to fall into, then and now.

Is it too far-fetched to also apply the colonial trap thesis for development aid NGOs? The objections development aid faces largely target the perennial character of many technical projects, with high-flying intentions but little tangible results only. It is true that foreign experts may act beneficially not only as hands-on support and trainers, but also as trustworthy mediators between rivaling local interest groups. Tourism development in its varied contents and parameters is anything but exempt. Alas, the temptation is real that one gets too much involved in a host-countrys internal affairs, and an experts departure may only visualize the fact that he or she had become part of the problem, rather than its solution.

Usually it is highly appreciated to pronounce words clearly yet given the ironic perception of etymological commonality of Tourism and terrorism, slurring may be fatal: Tourism loves freedom, terrorism needs hate. Tourism, in its most negative expression, may kill local culture softly, whereas terrorism kills immediately, both targeted and at random, without mercy, yet with Tourism as one of its first victims.

Tourism cannot bloom, where terrorism rages, Tourism needs peace. How can we say that Travel & Tourism effectively contributes to create and maintain peace? Has anyone ever heard of a substantial role that a Tourism organization, jointly with others, has played, in an effort to keep, say, Afghanistan a peaceful and even tolerant country and Tourism destination, the way it used to be in the sixties?

Some two decades after the war, Vietnam has become an attractive travel destination, even with a communist regime in a capitalist setting (!), and friendly relations with the U.S. and the world. Political negotiations, business companies networking, and President Clintons historic visit in 2000 made normalization of government and business sector relations their mantra. Travel & Tourism was following suit, yet preceding steps that might have shown the commitment of UNWTO or WTTC are hard to recall.

Can we take Vietnam as a daring blueprint for normalization of relations with the Afghanistan Emirate? May we expect adventurous mountain tourism in the Hindu Kush again around the 2040s with Islamist Talibans as friendly tour guides?

Crazy enough, one might think, shaking the head for twenty years after the Vietnam War, Samuel P. Huntington published his political blockbuster The Clash of Civilizations. Huntingtons theory that future wars would not be waged between countries but cultures, lead to controversial discussions and the resurgence of the Dialogue Among Civilizations, a counter-thesis which Austrian philosopher Hans Kchler defended in 1972, in a letter addressed to UNESCO and left in oblivion.

Would the present situation not justify the committed interference of Travel & Tourism, with its peak organizations UNWTO and WTTC, to help renew the dialogue among civilizations, via analogous and digital media, visibly and forcefully, on behalf of the idea to make Peace through Tourism though not only?

The message demands the inclusion of like-minded partners inside and outside of Travel & Tourism, to converge on thought and action. It could be inspired by the ideas Louis DAmore idealistically and enthusiastically promulgated and defended as the founder and long-time President of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism.

Well, let dreaming be a privilege of the optimists and irony the weapon of the powerless the powerful will have their own issues: While the Russian Bear has recovered from its own Afghanistan experience and readjusted himself again, the U.S. Eagle and its transatlantic hummingbirds are still busy with licking their wounds from their failed mission. The Chinese Dragon cant but indulge in an evil grin over its global rivals disgrace. It seems that the world is gliding from Cold War right away into Cold Peace. That means little more than merely armistice, yet enough to risk a hot political climate change, possibly not along Huntingtons cultural fault lines, yet roughly along the old, familiar West-East divide. Its hard to bypass the idea that political blindness may trigger patterns, originating in the return of events but only for the most part, as the philosopher Leibniz said. What a bankruptcy of political creativity since the Iron Curtain disappeared!

There is another ironical thesis to these patterns: When Man penetrates the world as a bandit, the world will enforce him to keep living as a bandit. This is the worlds response, we could say, its revenge, says Ludwig Fusshoeller in Die Dmonen kehren wieder (The Return of the Daemons). Visitors who are regarded as intruders, will be treated as such, be they simple tourists, outreaching businesspeople or foreign armies! What can we say? Bye-bye to welcome culture wont be enough.

In Goethes notorious drama, Fausts true goal is determined by his personal victory over nature. However, just as he feels overwhelmingly happy to have accomplished his ego-centric project, he loses his bet with Mephisto and pleads: Then, to the Moment Id dare say: Stay a while! You are so lovely!

If we look at our planet today, we get aware of the Faustian world to have returned blatantly, while splendor again has dressed up anew the glamorous mirage of yesteryear and both hosts and visitors timeless desire, complemented by the pandemics haunting curse to stay a while

The author, Max Haberstroh, is a founding member of the World Tourism Network (WTN).

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Peace Through Tourism Now Though Not Only - eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News

Its Ibiza but not as we know it the party has officially left the building. The nightclubs are empty (all closed due to Covid) and this has given the island a chance to reset and reposition itself as a place of wellness. Ibiza is where folks come to heal, to see a unique Balearic beauty by daylight and to go home rested and refreshed.

On the west coast of the island nestles 7Pines Resort Ibiza (part of Destination by Hyatt) between the vast, unending Mediterranean Sea and a pine forest, the evocative scent of which hangs deliciously in the air, the aroma triggering nostalgia-filled memories of holidays past.

Ibiza has heavy restrictions on construction to ensure it remains an unspoilt, stunning destination and to preserve its natural beauty. This means that any new hotels have to take on the shell of a previous hotel or building and nothing can be touched on its coastline a blessing for the visitor but a challenge for hoteliers. 7Pines is built on the site of a previous hotel and has become an all-suite resort consisting of whitewashed Ibenico-style homes that nod to the islands historic architecture. It consists of 185 suites though youd be hard pushed to guess it had even a quarter of that.

The suites are refined and elegant, often with sea views, featuring super size, ultra comfy beds; they have well thought out mini-bars which, alongside more standard fare, come complete with everything you need to knock up your own in-room luxe cocktails (including fancy glasses) a lovely, celebratory touch.

A number of the suites have private plunge pools but the central one is where its at. The huge pool feels more like a bunch of interconnected, smaller ones; its refreshingly cool with spectacular views over the bay. Poolside service is friendly and efficient.

For those wanting something a little quieter, you can head down to the rocky shoreline. The stairs have seen better days given the aforementioned construction restrictions, the descent has to stay in disrepair. Scramble over some rocks and you can easily step down into the sea theres a natural, submerged staircase to help you straight into the dreamlike, clear, blue water. Youll want to ensure the seas are calm if youre giving this a go but its well worth it.

Wellness aside, the hotel truly excels when it comes to the food. Ingredients are carefully sourced and beautifully presented from breakfast through to a showcase dinner in the hotels Michelin-aspiring restaurant, The View, with its stunning open kitchen and 120ft panoramic window looking out onto the incredible, expansive oceanscape. Locally sourced fish, meat, vegetables coupled with foraged, hyper-local ingredients make up the flashy fare. Its food to compete with the best in any metropolis, made the hotels own with a pairing of Spanish simplicity and a lightness more commonly found in Asian cooking.

The main restaurant in the hotel is the Cone Club where youll take said breakfast on a huge, peaceful veranda. Whilst tucking into a croissant, the eagle-eyed amongst you might spy a dolphin or two out in the bay early in the morning they tend to follow the small fishing boats.

It doubles as a tapas restaurant in the evening with some traditional, well-executed crowd pleasers like croquetas, jamon and pan con tomate alongside more adventurous undertakings like crunchy cheese rolls with citrus sabayon. A little closer to home, if youre in London, you can find a similar delicacy at The Drapers Arms in Islington on its bar menu (aptly named Cheese Crack).

There are larger and sharing plates on offer at Cone Club, great for grazing and all with distinct nods to Ibiza and the Balearics. Dont miss its own exquisitely dangerous take on sangria, made with strawberries, cava and a host of secret ingredients.

While some visitors are here to perpetuate the hedonism of previous years - theres quite a bit of poolside partying - R&R is where its at. There are early morning cliff-top yoga practices overlooking the mystical isle of Es Vedra (ask a local if you want to hear some spooky stories!). The view from the rotunda is expansive, captivating and utterly serene.

If youre looking for something a little more physical, take a paddle-boarding trip out from one of the beaches around the coast. Rock ID organise a guided one that culminates with a fabulous private picnic overlooking the ocean.

For some serious self-treating, the Pure Seven Spa offers a range of ancient and modern treatments, hybrids of various schools of massage alongside a number of different skin and beauty treatments.

The resort is now closed for the winter and will reopen for the 2022 summer season from 1 May to 16 October. Rates vary within season and occupancy.Guests are able to experience the resort starting from around 300 (260) per night. Villa rates start from 2,900 (2,500) per night; 7pines.com

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7Pines Resort Ibiza: hedonistic days are gone, R&R is where its at - The Week UK

From hedonism to nostalgia, the rebirth of travel in 2022 will be shaped by the changing attitudes and demands of wealthy global consumers. Jenny Southan reports

Speaking at this years TTG Luxury Travel Summit, Globetrender editor and founder Jenny Southan identified a series of conscious and sub-conscious drivers that will be influencing the decisions of luxury travellers in 2022.

Although many high net worth members of society have managed to continue living the high life during the pandemic, 2022 will be the year they really get back into gear.

We are now at the point when booster vaccines are being given out so there is a lot of protection available from the virus, which means parties are making a come-back big time. We can expect many luxury travellers to want to truly flex their muscles when it comes to exhibiting how free they are, and letting people know about it when they go back into the world again.

Feasting, entertainment and frivolities of all kinds will define the years ahead 2022 will almost certainly mark the start of the next roaring twenties. Opulence and maximalism will be back in vogue.

After a long time away from visiting our favourite destinations, and an on-going moral hangover due to the state of the world, many luxury seekers will be craving the good old days when life seemed safer and more innocent.

They will return to destinations they have loved in the past and seek out places that offer charm, comfort and a sense of the Golden Era. Examples of this include journeys aboard Belmond sleeper trains and stays at historic marvels such as the forthcoming Admiralty Arch Waldorf Astoria hotel in London.

The marking of milestone occasions such as anniversaries and birthdays will be particularly important, as will spending time with the next generation.

As with all trends, there are counter trends. For every luxury traveller who yearns to quaff champagne at resorts in Dubai, there are others who want to disengage from the trappings of wealth. Even people who have been fortunate enough to spend lockdown in beautiful homes, its been an enforced period of contemplation.

Many people have lost loved ones or may even have had a brush with death themselves, and will be reassessing how they live and what is important. The Silver Generation are more aware of their mortality than ever, and spending quality time with friends and family will remain high on the agenda.

Although the need for Isolation Vacations wont be as pronounced as before the vaccine, there will still be segment of luxury travellers who desire seclusion. These people are looking for places that offer them a chance to reconnect with nature, reconnect with themselves and reconnect with others.

Moving on from a past self and embracing a better one is something that many people are aspiring to post-pandemic. There is a collective desire to upgrade ones life, to discover meaning and to reinvent.

Travel is often perceived to be the perfect way to go beyond the boundaries of the every-day, which is why there will be a particular demand for experiences that help wealthy travellers evolve as human beings. These could come in the form of elite wellness retreats or solo journeys.

Wed all hoped 2021 would be the year that travel made its big comeback but that didnt quite go to plan, so my money is on 2022 giving people the opportunity to finally fulfil their big, audacious, bucket-list style expeditions and adventures that they have been planning for so long.

Even though financial wealth has given those that have it more freedom than those that dont, its still been very difficult to circumvent closed borders and gain safe access to places such as Mount Everest, where Covid outbreaks continue to be a problem for climbers and local sherpas.

Nevertheless, for anyone with a thirst for testing their limits will know, being mentally and physically restricted, which is what the pandemic has done to us all, is deeply uncomfortable. So the search for a feeling of aliveness from travel will be pronounced among many high net worth individuals. They will want adrenaline experiences and reasons to prepare for new challenges. For those who can afford it, a trip into space might be next on the list.

Recent data for Oxfam has revealed that the worlds richest 1% are responsible for double the carbon emissions than the poorest 50%. In the future, we can expect a rise in more conscientious luxury travellers who will want to holiday in a low-impact way.

When we talk about virtue and atonement, we are talking about how some people are realising they want to do more good in the world, and to some extent, atone for their sins by travelling more responsibly. They are looking for opportunities to give back to local communities and invest in philanthropic endeavours.

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What are the defining needs and desires of tomorrows luxury travellers? - Globetrender

A new documentary on LGBTQI+ activism has been released online, focusing on the world-famous Tbilisi club Bassiani.

Peter van Langen created Midnight Frontier in 2019, the film had previously aired at big events such as ADE and is now accessible to see for free in an effort to highlight the prejudice many LGBTQI+ Georgians face.

The filmmaker has stated that he wanted to make this documentary to highlight the importance of nightlife and club culture to the fight for LGBTQI+ liberation.

Read this next: We went to Georgia to investigate the threat to the country's club scene

Midnight Frontier follows the stories of frontline LGBTQI+ activists and their relationship with the club, it narrates how they used Bassiani as a form of resistance against the abuse they received.

They describe how they were beaten by thousands of anti-gay demonstrators organised by the Georgian Orthodox Church during the International Day Against Homophobia.

Bassiani and its queer-focused Horoom Nights serve as a stronghold against homophobic violence.

Read this next: "Determined for change": Lilith. is driving Georgia's rave revolution

The club was raided by authorities on May 12, 2018, and the two owners were arrested, resulting in demonstrations.

Bassiani is regarded as one of the world's best techno clubs in the world, attracting tourists from all over the globe. Inside the club, photography is prohibited, and at the entry, bouncers place stickers over smartphones.

Read this next: 20 of the best techno tracks released this decade

Speaking to Mixmag about the documentary, van Langen said: "The starting point of my project was based on how I experienced dance floors and how they helped me with my sexuality. Being afraid and unsure to reveal who I am, made me deal with uncertainty, stress and anxiety.

"These safer environments were the most important places for my coming out and personal development, and they still are.

Read this next: Queer on the dancefloor: How electronic music evolved by re-embracing its radical roots

"I hope this documentary can share the very important message of these activists. How with their unstoppable fight nightlife transcends hedonism and escapism. It become a platform to fight oppression and violence towards the queer community.

"Of course The Netherlands is not comparable to Georgia, but back here in NL the government often lacks any insights in what important roles nightclubs play in the lives of people. As a results we often lose clubs.

"Nightlife is not something to take for granted, it should never lose its connection with its history and importance for the queer community."

Midnight Frontier is now available to watch below.

Aneesa Ahmed is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter

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A new documentary is celebrating the LGBTQI+ activists of Bassiani - Mixmag

Grooves For The Mindbrings together international DJs for a livestream on October 29, of which all donations go to the UK charity mental health organization Mind. The goal is to use music to create awareness of and fundraise 100.000 to support mental health issues within electronic dance music scenes.

For that purpose, the Grooves of The Mind live stream hosts 34 artists performing from 12 locations across the globe. Among the locations are world-renowned clubs such as Melkweg, Mint, Warehouse, and XOYO. To make it an interactive listening experience, the streaming software Shotgun Live allows visitors to change between the seven rooms, as though we could choose from seven dancefloors in the same venue. The livestream will start on October 29, 2021, and will last for 24 hours, stretching into October 30.

All donations of the Grooves For The Mind live stream go to the UK mental health charity Mind. Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing any mental health problems. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness, and promote understanding.

Yes, dance music triggers moments of hedonism and euphoria. Though, the same venues can become spaces of disappearance and escape. As spaces that are deliberate about controlled recreational substance use, electronic dance music cultures have a responsibility to break with societal taboos surrounding mental health in general and substance use specifically. The Grooves For The Mind livestream is one of many mental health initiatives that are so paramount for a sane dance community to foster strong support networks on and off the dancefloor.

Image Credit: Grooves For The Mind

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Grooves For The Mind livestreaming for mental health on October 29 - We Rave You

It was the David Bowie who famously said: Im an instant star, just add water and stir. Looking at Mneskin as they writhe around on the stage at their surprise last-minute London show a hot mess of fishnets, tats, heels, leather and glitter you get the same feeling that they couldnt possibly be doing anything else. They were born rockstars.

But the band we see before us were not the overnight global success theyre perceived as. They formed in Rome in 2016; busking and playing pubs, schools, and anywhere that would have them before entering the Italian version of X Factor in 2017. They came second, but for the last time. Their debut album Il ballo della vita came out in 2018 and won acclaim and awards in their home nation as they started to sell out shows across Europe. The breakthrough came with Eurovision earlier this year, but the winning gender-norm-challenging glam-rock banger Zitti E Buoni (Shut Up and Behave) had already gone double platinum and landed over 45 million streams before the final. In many ways, theyd already won.

Even after the titillating tabloid noise around whether singer Damiano David had taken drugs on screen at the competition or not had died down (he didnt), their profile remained high; a religious following has since blossomed. And in the months since, they joinABBA and Cline Dion as the competitions most successful victors.

The vibe around Islingtons O2 Academy is a little reminiscent of when Prince did his ad hoc Hit N Run shows around the capital in 2014. Oh weve missed these shotgun shows. Mneskins upcoming Brixton Academy gig sold out in minutes and with barely a days notice for this outing, a giddiness ripples through the devotees. The venue is packed. Many wait outside in the hope of being let in, this writer has to stand on a stool upstairs to glimpse the stage. Within moments, I am, quite literally, punching the ceiling.

Mneskin live in London. Credit: Paul Harries

Opening with the rollicking In nome del Padre from this years Teatro dira: Vol. I before rushing into an early outing of Zitti e buoni, Mneskin are uncaged as a growling rock beast with sharp claws and bright nail varnish. The party vibes continue with a short indie disco greatest hits montage of Franz Ferdinands Take Me Out mashed up with The Killers Somebody Told Me and an airing of their viral rendition of The Four Seasons Beggin.

If this is rock for the playlist generation and idols for the TikTok masses, then theyre worthy leaders not least because their own stuff is powered on adrenaline and hedonism, loaded on bravado but without the macho bullshit: look no further than the hangover-inducing new single Mammamia or open-road jam of Close To The Top. They later deliver a cover of The Stooges I Wanna Be Your Dog with fitting authenticity, given that Iggy Pop himself recently gave his seal of approval by jumping on a version of their single I Wanna Be Your Slave another true highlight of the night. Closing with Lividi sui gomiti as fans storm the stage, Mneskin prove themselves as a circus of maximalist rocknroll fun. For an encore, they decide to simply play I Wanna Be Your Slave their best song again but harder.

Naysayers will try to brush them off as a novelty act, but Mneskin are no joke. Theyre not a pastiche of former rocknroll glories, theyre living it. Theyve far more in common with Iggy & The Stooges than they do with The Darkness, and appear more the sort to worship at the altar of Placebo and read from the Velvet Goldmine playbook than riffing of Steel Panthers tired japes. Its douze points from us. Wham, bam, thank you Mneskin.

Mneskin live in London. Credit: Paul Harries

Mneskin played:

In nome del PadreZitti e buoniTake Me Out (Franz Ferdinand cover) / Somebody Told Me (The Killers cover)Beggin (The Four Seasons cover)ChosenCoralineLa paura del buioFor Your LoveMammamiaClose to the TopI Wanna Be Your Dog (The Stooges cover)I Wanna Be Your SlaveLividi sui gomitiEncore:I Wanna Be Your Slave

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Mneskin live in London: embrace the Eurovision winners rocknroll circus - NME