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BostonGlobe.com •

The stifling paranoia of MAGA on the Danube - The Boston Globe

I knew the rule. I was a regular at the pool. It was reflex — pants first, then socks, then shoes. It was the summer of 2023, and I had just stepped out of a stall in the unisex locker room of Budapest’s Duna Arena pool, thinking of a chicken schnitzel on a kaiser roll, when an elderly janitor interrupted me. What was I thinking, putting shoes on like that? Shoes aren’t allowed in the locker room. He’d have to report me now. What was I thinking?Pants first, then socks, then shoes. Take the laces...
Secret Structures •

At the Laundromat

For the length of one wash cycle, New Yorkers are mercilessly tossed into each other’s lives. They are forced to tolerate each other. Some even have to interact. At 7:15 a.m. on a Wednesday morning on the Upper West Side, licensed manual therapist Peter C. Green stared with intensity at his darks as they swished around and around in sudsy water, clockwise and anti-clockwise, anti-clockwise and clockwise. The surrounding washing machines buzzed monotonously as they no doubt shrank another unsuspe
Columbia News Service •

The Unorthodox World of Orthodox Jewish Comedy

Elon Altman saw more than he heard the fedoras and shtreimels shake with shy giggles. Orthodox Jewish crowds tend to be quiet laughers.

Altman, donning a kippah, was at a Hasidic show for a Sheva Brachot — the seven blessings recited during an Orthodox Jewish wedding ceremony — in the heart of Brooklyn. A panel of rabbis, “big bushy rabbis,” Altman described, stared at him blankly. His set was in English; the rabbis, who spoke Yiddish, understood very little.

In keeping with the Orthodox Jewis
Peel NYC •

City Comedians Fight a Two-Front War: The Industry and Themselves

Comedian Dean David battles a rising wave of humorless influencers and his own anxiety to keep comedy authentic.

Under the harsh glare of a naked lightbulb hanging over the entrance of Brooklyn’s Tiny Cupboard Comedy Club, Dean David bounced his right leg.

He fiddled with his headphones. Sat up straight, crossed his legs. Uncrossed them. Slouched – folded his 120-pound-self in half. Started bouncing his left knee.

David took a drag of his joint as water dripped metronomically from the AC unit
Peel NYC •

It’s Stealth Comedy — And It’s Challenging the Nightclub Model

The success behind Don’t Tell, which does pop-up shows with no drink minimum.

The modern gray building on the corner of Ten Eyck and Bogart in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East Williamsburg, three floors tall and almost oppressively cubic, stood out among the weathered brick garages and warehouses. The building was clean and corporate while everything around it was graffitied with bubble letters that spelled out things like “Cry, cry cry” and “Opaque Silk” – in-jokes, presumably, for youth arme
Telex •

A Hungarian student spoke out for a better education system – now, she's switching schools

Lili Pankotai, 18, delivered an impassioned – and profanity-laden – slam poetry performance during a teacher demonstration on October 23 in front of tens of thousands of people. Her original piece was a call for better teacher salaries and increased education funding.

“Dear Hír TV, I will never care who sucks whose dick, but I do care about who owns their opinions,” she said in her reading. “The 12 points taught me to speak up now – you won’t believe I, and all of us, are the present and the f*
English •

Hungarians take to the streets to demonstrate for the future of education after decades of erosion – English

For weeks, students, parents, and teachers have been organizing demonstrations after five teachers were fired from Budapest’s Kolcsey Ferenc Gimnazium, allegedly for civil disobedience action. Hungarians have taken to the streets to protest poor living conditions for teachers and a failing education system.

Demonstrations were held across the country on October 5, 11, and 14. Teachers have also launched the “I Want to Teach” movement. In the most recent action on October 14, protestors formed k
Mancunian Matters •

Footballers' transfer values continue to rise - but the high fees might not be the problem

If global football star Kylian Mbappe is worth £177 million, and a Greggs sausage roll costs £1.25, how many Greggs sausage rolls is Kylian Mbappe worth?

The answer, of course, is 141.6 million sausage rolls. Quick maths.

The short answer is supply and demand.

The long answer? That’s where the CIES Football Observatory comes in – a research group within the International Centre for Sports Studies – with a model estimating players’ transfer values across Europe’s big-five leagues.

The model p
Mancunian Matters •

Belonging nowhere: transgender athletes face an uphill battle against regulations to compete

In March 2022, American swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender D-1 athlete to win an NCAA title – and she sparked a heated debate.

On the one hand, many claim that the inclusion of transgender athletes – particularly those who transitioned from male to female – compromises the safety and fairness of competition.

But others argue that an advantage does not necessarily mean unfairness. Some basketball players have height advantages, and some tennis players are left-handed – but these do
Mancunian Matters •

Comment: Maybe it’s time to extend an invitation to the South – level up

The red, white, and blue décor worked hard to evoke a sense of authentic Britishness. As deep-fried soft power goes, the battered fish is one of the most powerful vessels to ever sizzle.

But all was not well in this London chippy. Glum faces paid £15 – £15, that’s not a typo – for a barely-battered fish and a small cup of chips. Unsalted. Sans vinegar.

And it got worse – mayonnaise. No gravy.

At a time when Boris Johnson is pushing the “level up” mantra, the acute disparities between the Nort

Escaping Ukraine

The page is full of names. Flip the page, more names. Flip again, even more. Flip, flip, flip – names and names penned in black and blue, small and big and neat and rushed, on cockled page after cockled page.

They’re the lucky ones who got out. It would be ludicrous to think in any other times – but these are the happier stories.

A mother lines up behind the desk and asks quietly for bread and milk and rice. Her little boy packs a canvas bag in silence. She adds her name and draws a little hea
Mancunian Matters •

Democracy under threat: voters abroad face obstacles ahead of Hungarian election

The Hungarian elections will not be decided in Manchester. But, for the first time, Hungarians living in the UK could have a bigger say – if the government allows it.

Should Prime Minister Viktor Orban have his way, it won’t.

The Hungarian government has opened just three voting stations in the UK – in London, Manchester and Edinburgh – for a 190,000-strong community.

If this disengages many of the voters who would have to travel several hours and pay high costs to vote, the government might
ManchesterWorld •

Manchester arts organisation to perform for the Queen in global Jubilee TV show

The parade, scheduled on Sunday 5 June 2022, will draw inspiration from across the Commonwealth, including the Caribbean, Africa and the Indian subcontinent, along with recognisable music, fashion and dance influences from closer to home.

Leon Patel, the CEO of Global Grooves, said: "Our parade piece celebrates the deep cultural exchanges that take place when people travel and meet others who have vastly different experiences, ideas and ways of living and being.

“It also focuses on our talente
ManchesterWorld •

What Greater Manchester’s Ukrainian and Russian communities think of the conflict

In response to the catastrophic conflict, the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) has called on the UK to apply immediate sanctions against the Kremlin. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to address the House of Commons at 5pm following an emergency Cobra meeting.

The invasion has brought back memories of destruction and bloodshed for the older generations, many of whom fled to the UK as World War Two refugees or to escape the Soviet oppression that followed.

“The biggest c
ManchesterWorld •

University staff in Manchester on strike: here’s why and what it means for students

Staff at the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Salford and the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) are all involved in the dispute over pay and working conditions and there was strike action yesterday and today. More walk-outs are planned from next week.

UCU branch secretary and University of Manchester professor Dr Simeon Gill, said that staff “would like to see leadership – people taking responsibility for the decisions they make locally, and s
ManchesterWorld •

Manchester Museum reopening date confirmed after £15m revamp and new galleries & cafe

Manchester Museum will reopen its doors to the public in February 2023 after it completes the final phase of its major transformation.

The ambitious £15million hello future renovation project includes a two-storey extension, which will increase the museum’s footprint by 25%, and a reconfiguration of existing spaces.

Manchester Museum’s director, Esme Ward, said: "Despite the challenges we have faced during the pandemic, our team and partners never lost faith in our vision for a reimagined Manc
Lancs Live •

Ukrainians in England that are desperate to hear from friends back home

Fears of a humanitarian crisis continue to mount among Ukrainian communities across England as Ukraine teeters on the edge of a disastrous conflict with Russia.

In response, the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB), along with other Ukrainian organisations and churches, has launched a #HelpUkraine emergency appeal, which hopes to raise at least £50,000 for agencies in Ukraine to distribute medical packs, food, blankets, and other humanitarian aid.

The effort comes just a day after
Lancs Live •

Burnley College's £12m expansion with 150 new jobs and 2,000 new pupils

Councillors are set to agree to a proposed £12.5m expansion of Burnley College that would attract new students and create around 150 new jobs.

The project, endorsed last month by Burnley Borough Council's Development Control Committee, looks to build new educational and recreational facilities on 5.57 acres of land off Holme Road.

The expansion would provide space for the college to teach a series of new courses, including engineering, construction, digital and health science, and more – and c
Lancs Live •

Anti-fracking group responds after decision to close controversial site

An anti-fracking group has hailed the decision to plug and abandon a controversial Lancashire fracking site as a step in the right direction.

The Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) has ordered Cuadrilla’s parent company AJ Lucas to plug and abandon Britain’s two horizontal shale wells at the Preston New Road (PNR) Lancashire exploration site near Blackpool.

The site has not been operational since 2019, when the government imposed a ban on fracking after reports found that it carries a significant risk
ManchesterWorld •

Bareknuckle boxing: meet the debt collector and gym owner taking sport back to basics

‘Mentally not all fighters are ready’

‘It’s like a really fast paced game of chess’

“As soon as you get hit in bareknuckle and you feel that punch, you think ‘I want to give it back... You’ve given me one, I’ll give you two back’. Survival just takes over, because it is about a survival – that animal instinct, that will to destroy.”

“Some people want to do bareknuckle because they see it as the ultimate challenge, but it’s controlled striking. There’s no holding, it’s just fist, fist, fist on
Liverpool Echo •

Flat owners 'live in fear' as cladding plans face more delay

Residents say they are “living in fear” as government plans to replace unsafe cladding continue to stall.

The initial plans will be paused after they proved to be inadequate, Housing Secretary Michael Gove has revealed - but this decision plunges hundreds of leaseholders into uncertainty once again.

Julie Fraser, who works with the volunteer group Liverpool Claddiators, said: “Leaseholders are living with the fear, every night, that they’ll hear the fire alarm going off – just living in limbo,
NationalWorld •

Short-term migrant workers ‘at risk of exploitation’ through temporary visa scheme

“There is already a tradition of exploitation and limited access to justice for short-term migrant workers. If we tie visas to this type of extremely short employment, it only opens the field up for more exploitation.

“There will have to be some sort of housing set-up because they won’t be able to get private leases for under three months,” said Ms Drozdowicz.

She predicts that “loan sharks and other unsavoury financial practices” will become more popular if people cannot access the NHS or bor
Liverpool Echo •

New sexual health service will be among biggest in UK

A new sexual health service being launched in Liverpool this month will be one of the biggest in the country.

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT) says axess Liverpool will provide residents with a “welcoming and easily accessible service”.

The programme integrates sexual health services in the central, North, and South Liverpool areas and covers all aspects of sexual and reproductive healthcare, including contraception and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted
Liverpool Echo •

Asylum seeker shares pictures of food and conditions at hotels

An asylum seeker has shared images of the food he was given and conditions including a leak in a reception area in hotel accommodation where he was staying.

A man who fled the humanitarian crisis in Yemen shared pictures of two meals he had been given at his Liverpool accommodation, including vegetables with what he said was unidentifiable meat, a bruised apple, and portions of pasta.

He also claimed asylum seekers had been put up in cold, leaking and overcrowded rooms in two Liverpool hotels.

CV