World of Warcraft’s latest patch is here, and datamined start screen shots are giving us insight into the game’s story. However, until this weekend’s release date it will be impossible to piece all the pieces together.
Okay, after you’ve had your fill of the current firestorm surrounding World of Warcraft and Blizzard Entertainment in general, maybe you’d want to see how the patch 9.2 situation is shaping out. The short explanation is that there is still no public test realm, but some information has been extracted, including three cutscenes related to the patch’s plot.
It’s worth noting that these are still early mining scenes; most of the voiceover lines are missing, there’s no music, and some models are still encrypted (the versions made available on Wowhead use placeholder models to get around this issue). Still, this should offer curious spectators an indication of what will happen with the game’s plot when the patch is out for testing, and it’s doubtful that the current and recorded voice lines will be greatly changed. So keep an eye out if you’re curious in how gamers get to Zereth Mortis in the first place.
However, you should be aware… There will be spoilers ahead, dude.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRNkJyP Pp0
Due to a lengthy run of controversies in the MMO and gaming field over the past several years, including the Blitzchung boycott, huge layoffs, labor issues, and executive pay controversy, Activision-Blizzard is regarded a problematic corporation in the MMO and gaming industry. The company was sued by the state of California in the summer of 2021 for fostering a work environment that was riddled with sexual harassment and discrimination, and the company’s disastrous response has added to Blizzard’s ongoing pipeline issues and the widespread perception that its online games are on the decline. Multiple state and federal authorities are investigating the corporation as of autumn 2021, and the industry has demanded Bobby Kotick’s resignation after further allegations on his wrongdoings.
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Note from the editor: This is a guest post by Aaron Round, an Australian AoM reader who constructed a barbershop in his garage and shared the results with us. Thank you very much, Aaron– My hat is off to your creativity and initiative!
So you’ve decided to pursue a career as a barber? However, you do not yet have sufficient funds to attend barbering school. What is a guy to do in such a situation?
That was the predicament I was in not long ago. I came across the article Rediscovering the Barbershop while exploring the Art of Manliness, and I was instantly intrigued by the concept of being a barber. However, there isn’t a single old-school barbershop in this area. Spas and beauty salons have mostly replaced them.
In Australia, there are also few barber-specific schools and even fewer “Master Barbers” from whom to study. Given the $14,000 AUD price tag for a general hairdressing diploma (after which I’d need advanced lessons in shaving and men’s hairdressing), I pondered how I might get started on my ambition without going bankrupt.
What’s my solution? In my garage, I’m constructing a barbershop. This is how I accomplished it, and you can do it as well.
Locate a Free Area
“Don’t be happy. Alternatively, you may encourage yourself. It’s always your decision to do whatever has to be done.” Wayne Dyer (Wayne Dyer)
One day, while working in the garage, I saw a vast, vacant area that might be converted into a little barbershop. It would be a location for me to hone my abilities and for my pals to unwind, talk, and learn more about life and manliness.
My fiancé and I both drive tiny vehicles, so we could put the barbershop and our cars in the garage. Whatever your circumstances, you’ll need a permanent storage space for your equipment–one where stray hair won’t be a hassle to clean up. It should be at least 5 square meters.
Involve your family in the construction process to make it more enjoyable.
Make Your Space Ready & Planned
The corner of the garage was a shambles before the makeover; full of cobwebs and holes, it wasn’t aesthetically attractive. However, I could see the potential.
The first step in converting your garage into a barbershop is to draw out how you want the store to appear using a pad and pencil. Consider how it will be set out, as well as aspects such as color.
Strip down the area you’ll be using before applying your color scheme after you’ve figured out what you want. According to my study, many barbershops choose burgundy and cream, but the option is yours. Colors that are dark and old always look wonderful.
I picked linoleum for the flooring since it’s inexpensive and simple to maintain. Hair gets into the most inconvenient places, so cleaning is a top concern. For a classic design, the most popular flooring choices seem to be wood or black and white checkered.
When it comes to designing your store, you may always seek advice from a mentor or family members. Just make sure the primary theme is unique to you and masculine.
Some Equipment Should Be Hustled
“Things may come to those who wait…but only the things that those who scurry have left behind.” Abraham Lincoln was the first president of the United States.
Not only will the right equipment make your barbershop effective, but it will also make it appear like a million dollars, a location where people will want to hang out. You’ll need three major pieces of gear to get started:
Chair of a barber
A barber’s chair is the most costly piece of equipment you’ll need. A excellent barber’s chair is durable, pleasant to sit on, and reclines. It’s also the focal point of your store, so make sure it matches your chosen motif.
My personal chair was purchased from a local barber shop, and after some negotiating and hustling, I was able to get it for for $100. You may also look for a nice second-hand chair in your local ads, barbershops, and on the internet.
The chair I purchased was filthy and in need of re-covering, but it was structurally sound. This ancient barber chair was made to endure a lifetime.
The chair looked like new after a simple trip to an upholsterer. I had the upholsterer perform the difficult bits to save money, while I finished the headrest and backrest myself. Upholsterers may also assist you in locating low-cost vinyl and foam–for example, if you wanted to reupholster the whole chair yourself.
Mirror
New mirrors may be fairly costly, particularly if you want one with a good wooden frame. Local classifieds and eBay are your friends here, and they’ll help you find a wonderful vintage or used mirror for next to nothing. Mine was just ten bucks.
Counter
When it comes to the counter, you may truly let free. Old drawers, buffets, and marble countertops have all been repurposed to great advantage. I used a low-cost solution by going to a nearby kitchen supplier and asking if they had any off-cuts I could borrow or purchase. Anything with a length of over 1500mm and a depth of over 300mm would be ideal. It was then just a matter of going to the hardware shop to get brackets. Pick up some hooks to hang your clippers and blow dryer while you’re there. It’s quite easy to store.
You’re halfway there after you have these three major pieces. You should be proud of yourself!
Consumables & Cutting Equipment
Next comes cutting equipment, which may be fairly costly, so it’s always preferable to do it correctly the first time. The expertise you may receive from experienced barbers in this field is priceless. Consult your neighborhood barber and have a peek around their business to see what products they use. They may provide advice and point you in the right direction when it comes to purchasing equipment.
Professional barbers often purchase through wholesalers, so contact the wholesaler first to see whether they sell to the general public. Here you’ll find some fantastic bargains and guidance. These stores make you feel like a child in a candy store when you shop there.
To describe all of the tools needed would take a separate article, but the essentials include clippers, scissors, a straight razor with disposable blades, combs, a cape, a disinfection jar, a spray bottle, a shaving bowl, a shaving brush, and a dusting brush.
You may also get your supplies from a wholesaler or a local barber. Creams, razor blades, and styling treatments are among the essentials.
Set It Up
I utilized simple hand tools to set up the store, the most costly of which was a cordless screwdriver. The most often used tools were saws, hammers, wrenches, and screwdrivers, all of which are common instruments in many men’s toolboxes.
If you’re unsure about anything throughout the construction process, get advice from someone who knows what they’re doing. Because my father is a builder, I was able to install the counter, mirror, and chair with ease. This served as an excellent opportunity for bonding, because after all, two heads are always better than one, right?
Finally, organize your belongings in a manner that makes sense to you. You may want to store all of your hair cutting instruments in one place and your shaving supplies in a different location. You’ll quickly figure out what equipment needs to be nearest to hand and where it should be placed by practicing on some willing buddies.
Create a Mood
The ambience and fragrance of a barbershop are two of its greatest features.
Consider desk lights or a floor-standing lamp for atmosphere. To give spotlighting where it’s required, replace the lightbulbs or utilize a DIY halogen lighting kit.
Another important component in achieving that vintage vibe is music. Your customers will appreciate something traditional, jazzy, and light at a moderate level, allowing them to relax while getting a shave or trim. At garage sales, you may find record players and ancient radios, which are ideal for this purpose.
Finally, there’s the odor…
“Nothing brings back the past like a scent that was previously linked with it.” -Vladimir Nabokov/Vladimir Nabokov/Vladimir Nabo
There’s a lot of debate over where that great old barbershop odor originates from. Check out How to Smell Like a Barbershop for some amazing ideas.
Here are a few tips that have helped me in the past, but as always, do what works best for you: Bay rum, talcum powder, Old Spice, Barbicide, Como shave oil, and other sandalwood shave soaps, as well as menthol-based lotions like Proraso
Barbershop in the Garage
To operate as a legitimate barber, you need a license, so for now, I only run my garage barbershop on weekends for the fun of my family and friends. All proceeds from the haircuts and shaves go toward my goal of completing a hairdressing school and becoming certified. I’ll relocate the contents of my garage into a tiny shop and turn it into a full-time company once I have my license. I get to develop my talents (I have some trustworthy friends) and share my passion of all things ancient and timeless with folks who wouldn’t ordinarily be exposed to it at the garage barbershop. It’s a terrific location for us to connect, and it helps me keep my dream alive until I can open my own business.
I’d also want to go to the United States and finish a Master Barber course, after which I’d like to teach those skills to other young guys in Australia.
So, hopefully, I’ve given you some insight into what to anticipate if you decide to open your own barbershop. It’s fantastic to have your own room where you can practice and socialize with friends.
So, what are you waiting for? Take a chance! You can walk out of the home and into your very own barbershop with a little ingenuity, not too much money, and a lot of elbow grease:
Best of luck!
Secretarial Orders designate “squaw” as a pejorative word and establish a Reconciliation in Place Names advisory group to identify and eliminate other offensive terms.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Deb Haaland, the Secretary of the Interior, legally initiated a process to examine and change pejorative titles for the country’s geographical features. She also proclaimed “squaw” a pejorative name and directed the Board on Geographic Names, the government agency in charge of designating geographic areas, to put in place processes to remove the term from official use.
“Racist phrases have no place in our lexicon or on government property,” she said. Secretary Haaland said, “Our nation’s lands and waterways should be places to appreciate the outdoors and our shared cultural history, not to perpetuate oppressive legacies.” “Today’s efforts will hasten a crucial process of reconciling disparaging place names and represent a huge step forward in respecting the ancestors who have stewarded our lands from time immemorial,” says the statement.
Secretarial Order 3404 declares the word “squaw” to be disparaging and establishes a government task committee to come up with new names for geographic features on federal property that carry the term. Historically, the phrase has been used as a derogatory ethnic, racial, and sexist insult, especially towards Indigenous women. According to a database kept by the Board on Geographic Names, the name is now used in over 650 federal land divisions.
We’re going to get through this together, Atascadero
Representatives from federal land management agencies, as well as Department diversity, equity, and inclusion specialists, will serve on the newly formed Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force. The task team is required by the Order to communicate with Tribes and consider public comment on potential name changes.
Secretarial Order 3405 also establishes a Federal Advisory Committee to seek, evaluate, and make recommendations on additional disparaging geographic and federal land unit names. Indian tribes, tribal and Native Hawaiian groups, civil rights, anthropology, and history professionals, and members of the general public will all be represented on the Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names. It would create a procedure for soliciting and assisting with applications to the Secretary of State to modify disparaging names, which will involve consultation with Tribes, state and local governments, and the general public.
The Secretarial Orders, taken together, will hasten the process of identifying and replacing disparaging names. Currently, the Board on Geographic Names is designed to respond on a case-by-case basis, with proponents bearing the burden of identifying the objectionable name and suggesting a replacement. The process of obtaining analysis and permissions may be extensive, and a name change might take years to accomplish. Hundreds of name modifications are now pending before the Board. In conjunction with local community leaders, the newly formed Federal Advisory Committee will support a proactive and methodical formulation and examination of these recommendations.
The Board on Geographic Names, which was formed by Executive Order in 1890, is a federal organization tasked with ensuring that geographic names are used consistently throughout the federal government. It is made up of members from federal agencies that deal with geographic data, demographics, environment, and public land management. The Secretary of the Interior and the Board on Geographic Names were granted joint jurisdiction in 1947, and the Secretary of the Interior has ultimate approval or analysis of the Board’s decisions.
The Secretary of the Interior or the Board on Geographic Names have previously recognized derogatory names, which have been completely changed. Secretary Stewart Udall designated the N-word as disparaging in 1962, and asked the BGN to create a policy prohibiting its usage. The Board on Geographic Names declared a negative name for “Japanese” to be derogatory in 1974 and prohibited its usage.
Montana, Oregon, Maine, and Minnesota are among the states that have enacted laws restricting the use of the term “squaw” in place names. Derogatory names on geographic features on public property units are also the subject of legislation in both houses of Congress.
As an example:
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According to Deadline, Amazon Studios is close to finalizing a contract to make a Mass Effect series.
Neither Electronic Arts nor BioWare have made a series announcement. In addition, the story made no indication of who might star in the show or what the narrative may be. Recently, though, there have been a few bread crumbs strewn around.
Earlier in 2021, the project director for Mass Effect Legendary Edition said that a movie or TV program is “not a question of if, but when.” In February, actor Henry Cavill revealed a secret project on his Instagram account. The hazy picture was later identified as a print-out of the Wikipedia page for Mass Effect 3.
Even farther back, in 2010, Legendary Pictures bought the rights to a Mass Effect film. The arrangement, however, did not come to fruition.
The Mass Effect series, according to the article, is the consequence of Amazon doubling down on adaptations.
That’s because to The Wheel of Time’s apparent success. According to Deadline, the series had the best completion rate of any Amazon series when it first premiered. In addition, the program was the most popular on social media.
Jennifer Salke, the head of Amazon Studios, did not provide any further information about viewership. She did say, though, that The Wheel of Time is “certainly trending to meet our high expectations.”
Then there’s the Emmy-nominated success of The Boys, a comic book adaptation. When you consider the pre-release buzz around the next The Lord of the Rings film, Amazon seems to be a big fan of adaptations right now.
Williams enjoys walking around the neighborhood with his wife and dog when he is not writing up news. It’s either that or a cup of hot chocolate. Or you could do both.
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PlayStation is being sued for allegedly discriminating against women.
This series of articles is now available as a professionally designed, distraction-free ebook that you can read at your leisure while offline. To purchase, go to this link.
To some, the Spartans are the epitome of warriors: ferocious, courageous, liberty-loving, physically ripped superheroes. The very definition of raw and ready virility.
Others find the Spartans repulsive, seeing them as boorish, brutal, and one-dimensional proto-totalitarians. Owners of slaves, perpetrators of infanticide, and pederasts.
Neither perspective represents the intricacies — much alone the contradictory stories — of the ancient city-state of Lacedaemon.
Warriors of valor? The Spartan reputation for martial skill was undoubtedly well-deserved. However, the Spartan warrior did not battle in the manner we usually imagine — in single combat, for individual glory — but rather as part of a greater phalanx.
The Spartan man was also not a one-trick pony, relying entirely on his martial prowess and intellect. He was an aristocratic gentleman who had been educated not just in battle but also in music, singing, dancing, eloquence, logic, philosophy, and disciplined behavior. He was a literary fan of sports and poetry, as well as physical sparring and verbal sparring. Sphaerus, in contrast to the notion of a barren, aesthetically and intellectually austere civilization, said that “no one was more dedicated to music and singing.” Spartan dance and choral festivals drew guests from far and wide, and Socrates said that “Crete and Sparta are the most old and rich nurseries of philosophy among the Greeks.”
When it comes to slavery, infanticide, and pederasty, the evidence is mixed as to the precise nature and scope of these practices. The Messenians were conquered by the Spartans, but they were treated more like medieval serfs than slaves, with much more rights than those held in other regions of ancient Greece; as a result, thousands of slaves from Athens migrated to Sparta in search of better treatment. The Spartans are claimed to have slaughtered newborns judged unworthy to survive by exposing or tossing them down Mt. Taygetus, although no remains of children have been discovered there, and infanticide was not exclusive to Sparta; it was also done in Athens and other city-states. There are sources that attest to pederasty’s practice, but there are also sources that deny it, such as the account of Athenian historian Xenophon, who is the only source from that period with firsthand experience of the agoge (the Spartan system for training the young) and enrolled his own sons in this school. Whatever the extent of the ancient culture’s practices that we today find abhorrent, they can only be fully understood, if not justified, by the Spartans’ singular focus on creating an indestructible society of warriors, and the fact that much of the polis’ culture was structured around, and subordinated to, this goal.
Even ancient observers couldn’t tell if Sparta’s governance was more akin to a monarchy, democracy, or oligarchy. “Lacedaemon was, in truth, everything and none of the above,” writes Spartan expert Paul Rahe. To call the Spartan polis (and its neighbors) a state is to misunderstand it, since “there was no Greek state in antiquity.” As James Madison would later comment, the ancient Hellenic republic was “a true democracy… a society consisting of a limited number of individuals who meet and run the government in person.” The polis was, as the Greeks put it, “all about the men.”
We shouldn’t be shocked that there are different and often contradictory accounts of Sparta since the actual records of this people are far thinner and patchier than is commonly assumed. Much of what is known comes from sources that are biased in one direction or the other — from either champions or enemies of the city-state — and is limited in scope; the Spartans were a very secretive people who restricted citizen travel abroad and foreigner visitation at home (indeed, this secrecy is part of what made Sparta compelling in its own time, and continues to draw our interest today). “It would not be exaggeration to apply for Sparta Winston Churchill’s famous description of Russia: Lacedaemon was in antiquity and is today a conundrum wrapped in a mystery within an enigma,” Rahe remarks.
What we do know is that the Spartans had a genuinely distinctive way of life. “Classical Lacedaemon was no ordinary polis,” Rahe says. No one believed this in antiquity, and no one should believe it now.”
We also know that many of the city-contemporaries, state’s as well as many renowned observers throughout the years, were fervent fans of this unique way of life.
“To see at the temperance and orderliness, the facility and placidity, the magnanimity and discipline, the bravery and perseverance, and the toil-loving, success-loving, honor-loving attitude of the Spartans, you would deem yourself merely a kid,” Plato remarked of Lacedaemon’s culture.
Sparta was not the only ancient city that Plato admired from afar. Foreign visitors, including professors like Libanius and politicians like Cicero, came from all corners of civilization to see the famous agoge for themselves, and some, like Xenophon, even enrolled their own kids in the program and made large financial contributions.
Sparta was revered as a polis free of luxury and trade for centuries after its fall, as an example of the qualities of simplicity, accuracy, self-sacrifice, martial energy, mental fortitude, and physical endurance, and as an inspiration for a balanced, mixed government. The Founding Fathers were inspired by “the rule of military monks” while drafting the American constitution, while Samuel Adams wished for the new republic to become a “Christian Sparta.”
Even if these “Laconophiles” exaggerated the Spartan city-virtues, state’s it’s still worth studying what attracted their admiration. Even though the specifics of the Spartan way of life are often disputed or inflated, they nonetheless point to fundamental principles — ideals and lessons that we can’t and wouldn’t want to recreate precisely today, but that still provide insights into how to live our lives better. As Rahe points out:
“We may like the Athenians because they are more similar to ourselves, and we may be correct not only in that assessment but also in our moral and political inclinations.” Regardless of our preferences, we name sports teams after the Spartans, and we write novels and films about them (rather than the Athenians), which says a lot about the ancient Lacedaemonians and perhaps also something about the unsatisfied longings that lurk just beneath the surface in modern bourgeois societies.”
A city described by the Roman historian Livy as “memorable not for the magnificence of its buildings, but for its discipline”; defended by a “wall of men, instead of bricks” by the mythical founder of its military; and populated by those who claimed to be descendants of “Heracles the Unconquered” — a small warrior community that managed to command the respect of its neighbors and leave a legend for all time — undoubtedly has much to teach about the nature of
We’ll look at what lessons the ancient Spartans can teach contemporary males in the next three episodes.
Make sure to listen to our Sparta-themed episode with Paul Rahe:
