🐱 Interesting clickbait, op-eds, fluff pieces and other smaller stories
- Thread starter CatParty
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CatParty
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2016
Wow, Dr. Phil went complete leftie today, and I'm pissed about how stupid he is.
This nice looking Asian girl is a conservative and was stripped of her title of Miss Michigan for stating facts. I hope Tim Pool does a video about this.
Video one:
Shrill, hideous harpie Muslim berates the Asian immigrant in question for daring to say hijabs shouldn't be handed out like you're dispensing Pez, and that they're a symbol of oppression. The Muslim woman doesn't like this, gets smug, and asks "Were you born in the US?" She asks the question in a way that is very condescending, it almost seems like she's speaking with the conviction of a woman whose ancestors built America instead of a woman who's parents exploited an amendment intended for slaves
That Asian girl seems a lot more American to me than some dumb Mudslide who willingly wears the symbol of her overlords.
Of course, they also have to throw in how this petite Asian girl is single-handedly keeping down the blacks and the gays for good measure.
I saw the entire video, and Dr. Phil just completely exalted the shrill Muslim harpie.
Dr. Phil also bent a knee to the troons in the second part of the show.
This nice looking Asian girl is a conservative and was stripped of her title of Miss Michigan for stating facts. I hope Tim Pool does a video about this.
Video one:
That Asian girl seems a lot more American to me than some dumb Mudslide who willingly wears the symbol of her overlords.
Of course, they also have to throw in how this petite Asian girl is single-handedly keeping down the blacks and the gays for good measure.
I saw the entire video, and Dr. Phil just completely exalted the shrill Muslim harpie.
- Joined
- May 2, 2017
Pornhub Sued by Deaf Man Over Lack of Closed-Captioning in Videos
Pornhub just got sued because it lacks closed captioning in videos, making it hard to watch for the deaf.
www.tmz.com
PORNHUB SUED: YOU MAKE IT HARD FOR DEAF TO ENJOY!!!
UPDATE 4:47 PM PT -- Pornhub's VP, Corey Price, tells TMZ ... "We understand that Yaroslav Suris is suing Pornhub for claiming we’ve denied the deaf and hearing impaired access to our videos. While we do not generally comment on active lawsuits, we’d like to take this opportunity to point out that we do have a closed captions category."
Pornhub has shut one man out of enjoying his favorite naked vids to their full potential -- and violating federal law in the process -- so he's filed a class-action lawsuit.
Yaroslav Suris is suing the popular porn site claiming it's denied the deaf and hearing-impaired access to its videos that others can easily enjoy. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Suris says a lack of closed-captioning violates their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In docs, Suris says the deaf and hearing impaired can't understand the audio portion of videos on the websites. Some of the titles Suris says he watched but was completely lost on dialogue -- "Hot Step Aunt Babysits Disobedient Nephew," "Sexy Cop Gets Witness to Talk" and "Daddy 4K -- Allison comes to Talk About Money to Her Boys' Naughty Father."
What's more ... Suris says he and those in similar situations would shell out dough for Pornhub's premium subscription but calls it pointless without closed-captioning. #Priorities
He's suing to get Pornhub to be inclusive and add closed-captioning ... plus damages. We've reached out to Pornhub for comment, so far, no word back.
It's sort of like buying Playboy for the articles.
Originally published -- 3:24 PM PT
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2018
"OH OH OH AH AH OH GOD YEAH MAKE ME CUM OUT OF MY NIPPLES OH AH YES OH I'M CUMMING FROM MY NIPPLE DICKSSSS"Pornhub Sued by Deaf Man Over Lack of Closed-Captioning in Videos
Pornhub just got sued because it lacks closed captioning in videos, making it hard to watch for the deaf.
PORNHUB SUED: YOU MAKE IT HARD FOR DEAF TO ENJOY!!!
UPDATE 4:47 PM PT -- Pornhub's VP, Corey Price, tells TMZ ... "We understand that Yaroslav Suris is suing Pornhub for claiming we’ve denied the deaf and hearing impaired access to our videos. While we do not generally comment on active lawsuits, we’d like to take this opportunity to point out that we do have a closed captions category."
Pornhub has shut one man out of enjoying his favorite naked vids to their full potential -- and violating federal law in the process -- so he's filed a class-action lawsuit.
Yaroslav Suris is suing the popular porn site claiming it's denied the deaf and hearing-impaired access to its videos that others can easily enjoy. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Suris says a lack of closed-captioning violates their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In docs, Suris says the deaf and hearing impaired can't understand the audio portion of videos on the websites. Some of the titles Suris says he watched but was completely lost on dialogue -- "Hot Step Aunt Babysits Disobedient Nephew," "Sexy Cop Gets Witness to Talk" and "Daddy 4K -- Allison comes to Talk About Money to Her Boys' Naughty Father."
What's more ... Suris says he and those in similar situations would shell out dough for Pornhub's premium subscription but calls it pointless without closed-captioning. #Priorities
He's suing to get Pornhub to be inclusive and add closed-captioning ... plus damages. We've reached out to Pornhub for comment, so far, no word back.
It's sort of like buying Playboy for the articles.
Originally published -- 3:24 PM PT
Of course the deaf would think people who can hear actually watch porn with the sound on.
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2018
Someone should go around and caption the porn with transcripts from Senate sub-committee hearings. Educational and titillating!Pornhub Sued by Deaf Man Over Lack of Closed-Captioning in Videos
Pornhub just got sued because it lacks closed captioning in videos, making it hard to watch for the deaf.
PORNHUB SUED: YOU MAKE IT HARD FOR DEAF TO ENJOY!!!
UPDATE 4:47 PM PT -- Pornhub's VP, Corey Price, tells TMZ ... "We understand that Yaroslav Suris is suing Pornhub for claiming we’ve denied the deaf and hearing impaired access to our videos. While we do not generally comment on active lawsuits, we’d like to take this opportunity to point out that we do have a closed captions category."
Pornhub has shut one man out of enjoying his favorite naked vids to their full potential -- and violating federal law in the process -- so he's filed a class-action lawsuit.
Yaroslav Suris is suing the popular porn site claiming it's denied the deaf and hearing-impaired access to its videos that others can easily enjoy. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Suris says a lack of closed-captioning violates their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In docs, Suris says the deaf and hearing impaired can't understand the audio portion of videos on the websites. Some of the titles Suris says he watched but was completely lost on dialogue -- "Hot Step Aunt Babysits Disobedient Nephew," "Sexy Cop Gets Witness to Talk" and "Daddy 4K -- Allison comes to Talk About Money to Her Boys' Naughty Father."
What's more ... Suris says he and those in similar situations would shell out dough for Pornhub's premium subscription but calls it pointless without closed-captioning. #Priorities
He's suing to get Pornhub to be inclusive and add closed-captioning ... plus damages. We've reached out to Pornhub for comment, so far, no word back.
It's sort of like buying Playboy for the articles.
Originally published -- 3:24 PM PT
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2014
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2018
Can you actually imagine, much like thinking the sun was gonna make a noise, that some deaf folks think they're missing out of some great cinematic masterpiece while watching two people bone? I mean, I can't imagine in this day and age of internet there isn't niche deaf- targeted porn where they sign while they pork.
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2019
I'm being a complete cynical fuck here but I always laugh when a cloth head adornment meant to cover a womans head lest she be beaten or killed is being marketed as empowerment.
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2018
The western feminists keep regurgitating and insisting it's "empowerment" yet never say exactly why it's empowering. Almost like it's not.
TopCat
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2013
DragCon UK: RuPaul fans left disappointed by 'huge' queues
Organisers of RuPaul's first-ever DragCon UK have apologised to fans who were unable to get into Olympia London due to huge queues.
The event is an opportunity for fans of RuPaul's Drag Race to meet stars of the reality TV show.
Some ticket holders reported queuing for hours on Saturday, only to be told by security staff that they would not be allowed inside the venue.
Organisers tweeted to say queues were slowed due to health and safety fears.
Ticket holders were invited to return on Sunday but some, who had travelled from other parts of the UK, had to go home.
"Health and Safety officers had advised us to temporarily halt the queue entrances today for an hour due to clogging of the aisles and from there on out - we got everyone in as fast as possible under health and safety's watch," organisers said in an official statement.
"We have met with the venue, security and health and safety for tomorrow's event and are confident that the same issues won't arise. Thank you and we appreciate you.
"If you can't make tomorrow, refunds will be honoured."
Beautician Nel Byars, 26, travelled from Wrexham to London with her sister and three children under the age of 12 to attend the first day of the two-day event.
They arrived at 11am and queued until 2:40pm before giving up. Nel estimates she and her sister spent several hundred pounds on the failed family outing including tickets and travel.
"They were all really upset because they were so excited to come here and experience it, so there were a few tears," she tells Radio 1 Newsbeat,
She says that after nearly two hours of queuing outside the venue, they were told their tickets would be valid for the Sunday of the event or to continue waiting while door staff operated an almost one-in, one-out system.
Videos on Twitter show security staff telling ticket holders yesterday that they may not get inside DragCon because of this door policy.
"For us, that wasn't an option. We were going back the same day," Nel says - adding that she'd hope for some compensation from the organisers for her travel for the day.
"I had to book days off work to come up. We've been waiting for months."
Nicole Jones, 21, tells Newsbeat she started queuing outside Olympia London at 8:30am and got inside two hours later.
She says there was a better mood inside the venue than there was outside, where some fans were chanting for refunds.
This was first UK-based DragCon event, which has been held in Los Angeles since 2015 and in New York since 2017.
The conference-type events allow fans to see performances from drag queens who have appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race, hear talks given by the show's stars and meet contestants. These extra events sometimes require an additional fee, or purchase of merchandise, on top of the standard ticket price which starts at £40 per day.
Another attendee, who didn't want to be named, told Newsbeat that people waiting in the queues were "incredibly patient and tolerant" because of RuPaul's "really loyal fan base."
He started queuing outside the venue at 10am and left, without getting inside, at 2pm and believes organisers may have underestimated how popular the event was going to be.
He'd travelled down from Manchester with friends and with the cost of tickets, travel and a hotel, reckons he spent around £400 on the weekend.
One Twitter used shared past screenshots from RuPaul's Drag Race UK, where RuPaul commented on British people's love of queues.
And others were surprised that the problems had happened.
Early arrivals at the second day of the event posted photos showing quiet scenes inside Olympia London during the morning, and others said that the queue on Sunday morning was moving faster than it had on Saturday.
www.bbc.co.uk
Organisers of RuPaul's first-ever DragCon UK have apologised to fans who were unable to get into Olympia London due to huge queues.
The event is an opportunity for fans of RuPaul's Drag Race to meet stars of the reality TV show.
Some ticket holders reported queuing for hours on Saturday, only to be told by security staff that they would not be allowed inside the venue.
Organisers tweeted to say queues were slowed due to health and safety fears.
Ticket holders were invited to return on Sunday but some, who had travelled from other parts of the UK, had to go home.
"Health and Safety officers had advised us to temporarily halt the queue entrances today for an hour due to clogging of the aisles and from there on out - we got everyone in as fast as possible under health and safety's watch," organisers said in an official statement.
"We have met with the venue, security and health and safety for tomorrow's event and are confident that the same issues won't arise. Thank you and we appreciate you.
"If you can't make tomorrow, refunds will be honoured."
Beautician Nel Byars, 26, travelled from Wrexham to London with her sister and three children under the age of 12 to attend the first day of the two-day event.
They arrived at 11am and queued until 2:40pm before giving up. Nel estimates she and her sister spent several hundred pounds on the failed family outing including tickets and travel.
"They were all really upset because they were so excited to come here and experience it, so there were a few tears," she tells Radio 1 Newsbeat,
She says that after nearly two hours of queuing outside the venue, they were told their tickets would be valid for the Sunday of the event or to continue waiting while door staff operated an almost one-in, one-out system.
Videos on Twitter show security staff telling ticket holders yesterday that they may not get inside DragCon because of this door policy.
"For us, that wasn't an option. We were going back the same day," Nel says - adding that she'd hope for some compensation from the organisers for her travel for the day.
"I had to book days off work to come up. We've been waiting for months."
Nicole Jones, 21, tells Newsbeat she started queuing outside Olympia London at 8:30am and got inside two hours later.
She says there was a better mood inside the venue than there was outside, where some fans were chanting for refunds.
This was first UK-based DragCon event, which has been held in Los Angeles since 2015 and in New York since 2017.
The conference-type events allow fans to see performances from drag queens who have appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race, hear talks given by the show's stars and meet contestants. These extra events sometimes require an additional fee, or purchase of merchandise, on top of the standard ticket price which starts at £40 per day.
Another attendee, who didn't want to be named, told Newsbeat that people waiting in the queues were "incredibly patient and tolerant" because of RuPaul's "really loyal fan base."
He started queuing outside the venue at 10am and left, without getting inside, at 2pm and believes organisers may have underestimated how popular the event was going to be.
He'd travelled down from Manchester with friends and with the cost of tickets, travel and a hotel, reckons he spent around £400 on the weekend.
One Twitter used shared past screenshots from RuPaul's Drag Race UK, where RuPaul commented on British people's love of queues.
And others were surprised that the problems had happened.
Early arrivals at the second day of the event posted photos showing quiet scenes inside Olympia London during the morning, and others said that the queue on Sunday morning was moving faster than it had on Saturday.
Fans disappointed by queues at first DragCon UK
Organisers apologised for queues which left some people unable to attend RuPaul's drag convention.
www.bbc.co.uk
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2018
Isn't that like a national pastime though?DragCon UK: RuPaul fans left disappointed by 'huge' queues
Organisers of RuPaul's first-ever DragCon UK have apologised to fans who were unable to get into Olympia London due to huge queues.
The event is an opportunity for fans of RuPaul's Drag Race to meet stars of the reality TV show.
Some ticket holders reported queuing for hours on Saturday, only to be told by security staff that they would not be allowed inside the venue.
Organisers tweeted to say queues were slowed due to health and safety fears.
Ticket holders were invited to return on Sunday but some, who had travelled from other parts of the UK, had to go home.
"Health and Safety officers had advised us to temporarily halt the queue entrances today for an hour due to clogging of the aisles and from there on out - we got everyone in as fast as possible under health and safety's watch," organisers said in an official statement.
"We have met with the venue, security and health and safety for tomorrow's event and are confident that the same issues won't arise. Thank you and we appreciate you.
"If you can't make tomorrow, refunds will be honoured."
Beautician Nel Byars, 26, travelled from Wrexham to London with her sister and three children under the age of 12 to attend the first day of the two-day event.
They arrived at 11am and queued until 2:40pm before giving up. Nel estimates she and her sister spent several hundred pounds on the failed family outing including tickets and travel.
"They were all really upset because they were so excited to come here and experience it, so there were a few tears," she tells Radio 1 Newsbeat,
She says that after nearly two hours of queuing outside the venue, they were told their tickets would be valid for the Sunday of the event or to continue waiting while door staff operated an almost one-in, one-out system.
Videos on Twitter show security staff telling ticket holders yesterday that they may not get inside DragCon because of this door policy.
"For us, that wasn't an option. We were going back the same day," Nel says - adding that she'd hope for some compensation from the organisers for her travel for the day.
"I had to book days off work to come up. We've been waiting for months."
Nicole Jones, 21, tells Newsbeat she started queuing outside Olympia London at 8:30am and got inside two hours later.
She says there was a better mood inside the venue than there was outside, where some fans were chanting for refunds.
This was first UK-based DragCon event, which has been held in Los Angeles since 2015 and in New York since 2017.
The conference-type events allow fans to see performances from drag queens who have appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race, hear talks given by the show's stars and meet contestants. These extra events sometimes require an additional fee, or purchase of merchandise, on top of the standard ticket price which starts at £40 per day.
Another attendee, who didn't want to be named, told Newsbeat that people waiting in the queues were "incredibly patient and tolerant" because of RuPaul's "really loyal fan base."
He started queuing outside the venue at 10am and left, without getting inside, at 2pm and believes organisers may have underestimated how popular the event was going to be.
He'd travelled down from Manchester with friends and with the cost of tickets, travel and a hotel, reckons he spent around £400 on the weekend.
One Twitter used shared past screenshots from RuPaul's Drag Race UK, where RuPaul commented on British people's love of queues.
And others were surprised that the problems had happened.
Early arrivals at the second day of the event posted photos showing quiet scenes inside Olympia London during the morning, and others said that the queue on Sunday morning was moving faster than it had on Saturday.
Fans disappointed by queues at first DragCon UK
Organisers apologised for queues which left some people unable to attend RuPaul's drag convention.
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2019
Worth mentioning that this was a vote. In other words, a fashion magazine for women held a vote. No one other than upper-middle-class and upper-class women read this shit, so they themselves voted for the hijab. We're plenty of people on Swedish twitter laughing about this.
Super-Chevy454
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2018
After the SRAS virus of 2002-2003, China got another case of deadly virus.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/18/world/asia/china-virus-wuhan-coronavirus.html ( http://archive.ph/FyF9J )
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/18/world/asia/china-virus-wuhan-coronavirus.html ( http://archive.ph/FyF9J )
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2014
China should be quarantined just for their airport shitting, thieving, filthy, rude, ugly ass, nasty tourists. Now they're spreading more horrible diseases too.
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2016
What I learned cuddling with strangers at a San Francisco cuddle part…
archived 20 Jan 2020 20:03:02 UTC
I cuddled with strangers at a San Francisco cuddle party alongside other members of the city's intimacy-starved workforce. No, it wasn't that weird.
Katie Canales
Jan 19, 2020, 8:00 AM
In San Francisco's "organized intimacy" arena, intimacy can take many forms. I prefer the kind that exists within an established emotional connection. Samantha Lee/Business Insider
I'm lying with my leg draped over a fellow cuddler, my head resting on the collar of his shirt and his arm wrapped around me with his hand stroking my hair. There's another cuddler, a woman who, like me, had never been to a cuddle party, on his opposite side in the exact same position as me. Her face is inches from mine across from our male companion's chest.
- Cuddle parties are intimate gatherings where strangers meet, practice consent, and enjoy human touch.
- There are some hosted in San Francisco, a city with a long track record of bucking social norms and celebrating innovation — in technology, sex, intimacy, or otherwise.
- The events are non-sexual, and while they may not be experiences for everyone, their message of proactive consent and communication can help build healthy relationships, trust, and confidence.
- I decided to go to a cuddle party out of keen curiosity. I found that intimacy takes many forms, but I prefer the kind that exists when established emotional connections, romantic or otherwise, are in place.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
I feel his foot move toward mine. "Is it okay if I run my foot over yours?"
"Yep," I said.
There were about seven clusters of platonic cuddlers in the space. Some were forming "spoon drawers," where multiple people curl around each other in one direction. Some were forming puppy piles. Others laid down with their body nested in another whose body was nested in another and so on, as a chain, in a so-called human train. Consent is the focal point of these cuddle parties, which are explicitly non-sexual. Before you lay a hand on a fellow attendee, you must ask them if it's alright. Around us, murmurs of "Can I put my hand on your shoulder?" "Can I rub your back?" and "Can I touch your face?" could be heard. Soft music, like Bob Marley's "One Love" and John Mayer's "Gravity," played.
I had met the people with whom I was now snuggling about two hours beforehand. And they were there for the same reason that we all were: human touch.
Are you lonely? Let's cuddle
Cuddle Party cofounder Reid Mihalko at a Cuddle Party on August 11, 2004 in New York. Chip East CME/Reuters
The modern cuddle party concept and movement as we know it kicked off in 2004 out of a New York City apartment. Sixteen years later and there's the largest organization of its kind, Cuddle Party, with so-called cuddle party facilitators (like my party's, the jovial, bearded San Francisco-based sex educator, consultant, and professional cuddler Dr. Yoni Alkan) worldwide that host groups of strangers in need of intimacy and platonic human touch, among other areas of practice and focus. There are some in Dallas, New York City, and beyond the US in Ireland and Sweden.
The concept of non-sexual, stranger-with-stranger cuddling has steadily seeped into other areas of the 21st-century job market. Professional cuddlers trained through certification programs like Cuddlist sprang into being, with some charging $60 to $80 for a one-on-one cuddle session. Cuddle shops opened, like Cuddle Up To Me in Portland, Oregon, and the smaller, Los Angeles-based Cuddle Sanctuary.
These gatherings are places to get high for a little bit on some oxytocin, a hormone that, in part, acts as a bonding agent for humans as well as an "antidote to depressive feelings," according to Psychology Today.
It's a "happy" chemical released through human touch, among other activities, that counteracts cortisol, a hormone that, in addition to other roles, is known as the "stress hormone." That hormone is part of the reason why there were 30 strangers, myself included, filed into a cozy San Francisco building for a cuddle party in the first place. Stress is something we were all too familiar with.
Humans are living increasingly fast-paced lives with little work-life balance — especially in the work hard/play hard tech industry of Silicon Valley. We're married to our electronic devices, and, according to a 2017 Pew Research Center study, are waiting longer to find partners or start families, if at all — a valid decision but one that can mean a lack of physical intimacy with a significant other. A 2019 US News and World Report survey ranked San Francisco as one of the best places for singles to live in the country, referencing the 52% of its population that is without a partner.
"We live in these little boxes and we're disconnected and our groceries can be delivered — our everything can be delivered — [when] we press a button," Dr. O. Christina Nelsen, a sexologist and psychologist and the CEO and founder of San Francisco Intimacy and Sex Therapy Centers, told me. "So there are a lot of people that don't have that daily connection through touch or even eye-gazing."
In a city, and society, where people are more digitally connected than ever, there can be a true lack of human connection. While loneliness hasn't been identified as a mental health condition, studies have shown a link between loneliness and a higher risk of early death, cardiovascular issues, and poor mental health, among other conditions.
Lonely people of the world may unite at cuddle parties, but their inclusion in the San Francisco Bay Area market specifically could be categorized as part of a larger trend in the city: organized intimacy, as Vice's Andrew Chamings wrote in March 2019. There are eye contact parties, which one writer described as being "more intimate than an orgy," $35-$60 tantra speed dating sessions for singles, and then, of course, actual sex parties. Cuddle parties are much more G-rated than many of such events you'll find in the city, but either way, San Francisco is the perfect place for them.
Cuddle parties are nothing new in San Francisco
During San Francisco's "Summer of Love" in 1957. Robert W. Klein/AP
The city has long possessed a proclivity for embracing innovation, for technology or intimacy or otherwise. Counterculture is a mainstay in San Francisco — that was true in the city's hippie-era 60s heyday and it's true in today's predominantly experimental, biohacking tech environment. San Francisco's Haight Ashbury district became the birthplace for the bohemian movement that would sweep the nation. The neighborhood was where thousands flocked for the Summer of Love that helped shape the city's social norms and defining traits of sexual liberation and letting it all hang out.
So cuddle parties may be experiencing a 21st-century reawakening, but Nelsen, the psychologist and sexologist, said they're nothing new.
"I see this as probably a really positive way that people are exploring ways to get their needs met, but also that it's a continuation that's been happening for decades," she said.
The city's long-standing reputation for, and openness to, experimentation may be to thank for its burgeoning market for previously taboo concepts like cuddling with strangers. But Nelsen said a need for connection obviously isn't unique to San Franciscans.
"I think it's easy to look at it like, 'Oh, well it's more liberal, it's different and wild, San Francisco having cuddle parties and all that," Nelsen, a San Francisco resident of 25 years, said. But, she said, humans in various cultures across the world have rituals that breed connection, community, and a space where core needs are met. These gatherings are just another example of that.
"We have a biological need and a psychological need for connection and for touch," Nelsen said. "And we live in such a disjointed culture these days, and a lot of people don't have that."
In such a lonely, disjointed world, intimacy has become a commodity that can be packaged and sold, in this case on a Saturday afternoon in a San Francisco building for $35.
'Spoon drawer' anyone?
Alkan, the facilitator of the party I attended, has been hosting these non-sexual cuddle parties for three years now. He's the only San Francisco party facilitator for the Cuddle Party organization and the events can be difficult to get into, Alkan told me on a video call days after the cuddle party. They typically sell out a month in advance due to popularity, but space and San Francisco's high rent costs are also two big factors.
"When people charge you the amount of money that you are about to make from the event, it makes it very difficult to find a venue," Alkan later told me.
I booked mine a month and a half beforehand. I showed up donned in loungewear to the secret "Cuddle Castle" 10 minutes before showtime, sober (attendees are told to not consume alcohol beforehand), and I was the first one there. Alkan gave me a warm greeting and instructed me where to put my shoes. The restroom was down the hall, and there's the guacamole, with the name tags beside it, he said. We'll begin as soon as everyone shows up.
And show up people eventually did. About 20 to 30 of us were crammed into the warm, lit space. There were blankets sprawled everywhere, with pillows in every crevice of the room. Inflatable beds and couches were placed among the more typical-looking living room furniture.
We lounged around the room, with tags stuck to the front of our shirts indicating our names and our pronouns. Mine read "Katie, she/her." There was a tangible tentativeness in the room — some were repeat party goers, already cuddling as we waited for Alkan to take the stage. Others, like me, had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
I immediately fired up a conversation of pleasant small talk with the attendee who I would later cuddle with. This was her first time, she said. She was curious about what it was like. Another woman, a free spirit with flowing tendrils of dirty blonde hair, had met a friend at a separate mindfulness-related event who suggested she try a cuddle party. She was clearly in her element.
Later, after Alkan introduced himself and announced that a full refund would be given to anyone who decided in the next couple of hours that this wasn't their cup of tea, we began taking turns going around introducing ourselves and saying why we were there. Some participants were part-time professional cuddlers, booking one-on-one sessions with clients on top of their "day job." Some were what they called "bodyworkers," some held IT jobs, some were mindfulness therapists, and some were from out of town.
And everyone had their own reason for being there. Some were lonely, some wanted to learn more about consent ("a muscle," Alkan said, that can never be too strong), and some just wanted touch. One woman said she liked cuddle parties because they could recharge your batteries. Others said they usually got their cuddling fix from casual dates they matched with on dating apps, but they wanted to try the cuddling aspect without the disappointing sex that usually preceded it.
One young woman, who I later decided was quite possibly the bravest of the bunch, tearfully explained that she had recently gotten out of a serious relationship and was adapting to the crushing new lack of human contact in her life. She was there to take the edge off.
The first portion of the four-hour event was very much like a workshop, with breakout group sessions and the like. First, Alkan launched into explaining the 11 rules of the cuddle party. Rule No. 1: pajamas stay on. Alkan made it very clear that being attracted to or aroused by other attendees was normal and not something to be ashamed of. "It's how our bodies work," he said. But he did stress that this was a non-sexual event and to remember that. Even in the disclaimer at the time that I bought the online ticket, it was spelled out that if sex was desired, people should leave the premises after the fact if they wish to engage.
Other rules were that "yes" and "no" should be heartily exercised when you're discussing with a fellow cuddler what you want. Do you want them to put their hand on your shoulder? And more specifically, do you want them to massage it or squeeze it? He and his assistant demonstrated how to properly ask someone to touch them: Ask, and then wait for an answer before reaching your hand toward the intended spot on your fellow cuddler's person.
Another rule was that changing your mind is encouraged. If you say yes to something but decide halfway through that you don't like it after all, voice that to your cuddle partners.
Perhaps the one I found most interesting was that as important as it was to say no to what you didn't want, Alkan stressed that it was just as critical a focus to practice saying yes to — and also asking for — what you did want. As humans, we've evolved into an independent-minded society, one where seeming needy is feared. "We all have a hard time asking for what we want," Alkan later told me, whether that's touch or asking for a raise at work.
Then came the exercises. One was grouping into threes and practicing saying yes or no, regardless of what the question was. For example, two of us aimed rapid-fire made-up questions, like "Will you go to the zoo with me?" or "Will you cut my hair?" at the third person, and that person had to practice saying no to every question. Then we'd switch.
The idea was to familiarize yourself with the concept of saying no to something, even if the question was ludicrous and out-of-place, so that you could more easily and firmly answer "no" truthfully in the future to something you don't want to do.
Part of these exercises was also to practice being rejected. "We're adults, we can take care of ourselves," Alkan said in regard to handling rejection. He later told me that as a cisgender, heterosexual, white man, that's one of the biggest lessons he's wanted to teach through the gatherings that he facilitates: that it is possible to possess a type of masculinity that isn't diminished by vulnerability or the grace with which to handle a rejection, though of course, that skill can apply to everyone regardless of gender.
Once the rules were spelled out and the workshop was complete, we jumped into the first step of cuddling: We hugged.
Alkan instructed us to stand and walk around the room, asking one another for a hug before embracing for as long as we'd like. I couldn't remember the last time I stood with my arms wrapped around someone and vice versa for more than 20 seconds. You could feel how equally foreign and pleasant it was, a bunch of strangers in a room hugging while the rest of the world went about its business.
I eventually grouped up with two others and we started out slow and simple — sitting in a row against the wall atop pillows, all holding hands with our legs stretched out and crossed in front of us, chatting. We transitioned into laying down, with the male in our group on his back and us two women draped over either side of him.
A Band-Aid for loneliness, but a boon for consent
I lay there, eventually sinking into a cocoon of relief. There undoubtedly was a sense of fulfillment that I don't typically find outside of this kind of physical intimacy. But I couldn't let my feet leave the ground completely. However nice his arm felt, with his hand running through my hair, I knew there was something missing.
Attendees were encouraged to make cuddle bonds with each other and then separate to form new ones with others. Eventually the male cuddler who held me so gently announced he was moving on to find new cuddlers, thanked me for the touch, and joined another group. It made me wonder: Is intimacy something you can find with a stranger or do you only feel the true breadth of it with actual emotional bonds in place? My first instinct was that I agreed with the latter. It was a tough pill to swallow that we all were magically being cured of our loneliness there. It felt more like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.
But Nelsen told me that that conclusion was a product of my own personal need when it pertains to intimacy and physical touch. For others like me that were, even subconsciously, yearning for a more heartfelt, established connection, cuddling with strangers was not going to meet the same level of need as being with somebody that you have a close bond with. But for certain people, that stranger-with-stranger cuddling can fit their needs perfectly. She said it was still genuine intimacy and, either way, your body reacts the same way physiologically and neurophysiologically.
"It makes sense that we're, in some pockets, creating opportunities then to have connection," Nelsen said. "Even if it's not the type of connection you have with an intimate that you have an ongoing relationship with, it's still going to meet a lot of those same in-the-moment needs, at least."
A few days after the cuddle party, I spoke again with Alkan. He was honest when he, too, pointed out that cuddle parties were not a magic pill to cure loneliness and that it's not a substitute for an intimate relationship, sexual or not, with a person you see often and have a personal rapport with. But on the other hand, experiencing touch with a stranger is a different brand of excitement than intimacy with an established partner might be. And besides, he said, that's not the entire purpose of these intimacy events. The purpose of these cuddle parties is multifaceted, about consent and intimacy and comfort and so many other things, despite my own personal motives or preconceived notions. People, in San Francisco and outside of it, attend for various reasons.
As much as touch is missing in our lives, Alkan said consent is a practice that is even more sorely needed, which cuddle parties can address. Internalized gender roles and associated shame are issues that can be ironed out. And, as we practiced in the workshop portion of the party, cuddle parties can also help foster better communication for participants when asking for what they do or don't want.
"The more we practice it, the better we get," Alkan later told me.
It took me a while to feel comfortable enough practicing it, at least when it came to asking for things beyond simply laying down together. While lying in my tame cuddling position at one moment, I could see and hear in my periphery the more experienced cuddlers giggling and experimenting with how to contort their bodies together on the sofa, the inflatable bed, the pallet of blankets on the floor. If this was a swimming class, I was the one wearing floaties and they were diving off the platform into the deep end.
By the end of the party though, it had become a bit more second-nature. I was eventually the second spoon in a four-person "spoon drawer," with two male cuddlers on either side of me. If I wanted to stroke their neck or shoulder, I asked and they said yes before I moved my hand to do so. If one of them wanted to rub my side, they asked and waited for my consent before moving their hand to my hip.
At the end, Alkan gave us an end-of-party spiel. It included how we were essentially high off of oxytocin, and if we were driving home, to be very, very careful while doing so. And I could definitely vouch for that — I felt lighter, my head was fuzzy, my muscles relaxed, and residual stress from the week and even months beforehand had dissipated. A part of me was fulfilled, thanks to the hours-long snuggling — the fact that it felt half empty instead of half full was my own personal problem.
We stood in a circle holding hands while Alkan "signed us off." And then it was over.
I gave hugs to the people that I'd talked to, the strangers who I now felt were my friends. I hugged Alkan, after asking if it was alright that I do so, and he genuinely squeezed me back. "I'm glad you could be here," he told me.
I left the warmly lit, cozy space and stepped out into the cold, dark night. The windows of apartments nearby were wide open, and I could see friends and families and loved ones laughing and eating and connecting with one another, free of charge.
I waited for my Uber, went home, and climbed into bed, hyper-aware of the absence of an arm around my shoulder.
SEE ALSO: I moved from the Texas suburbs to the biggest tech hub in America. Here are the 11 things that surprised me
As an aside, I started reading this, but it just goes on and on and on. Did not finish. Did a word count, since I was curious. 3500 words about "cuddle parties."
- Joined
- May 2, 2017
What I learned cuddling with strangers at a San Francisco cuddle part…
archived 20 Jan 2020 20:03:02 UTCarchive.md
As an aside, I started reading this, but it just goes on and on and on. Did not finish. Did a word count, since I was curious. 3500 words about "cuddle parties."
View attachment 1106648
Did they shit in the street before or after the cuddle session?
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2013
Video: San Jose furry convention attendees help make domestic violence arrest
A group of costumed FurCon attendees helped San Jose police make a domestic violence arrest, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
The incident occurred Friday night, reports the paper, outside the Marriott Hotel in downtown San Jose. The area was filled with people who were attending Further Confusion or FurCon, which is "one of the world’s largest anthropomorphic (or 'furry') conventions," according to the event's website. It was hosted at the San Jose Convention Center and the nearby Marriott and Hilton hotels from Thursday to Monday.
A car pulled up in front of the hotel and a woman could be heard repeatedly screaming "Get out" from the driver's side of the vehicle, according to a witness.
A short video obtained by the Merc shows part of the confrontation. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on, but you can see a person dressed as a pink dinosaur, someone dressed as a tiger, and a third person wearing a pink cowboy hat tussling with a man.
Steven Rodriguez, a 26-year-old the Merc describes as a "silent observer of furry culture," told the paper he and a friend saw the car's front seat passenger, a man later identified by San Jose police as 22-year-old Demetri Hardnett, beating the female driver. Rodriguez and a friend reported opening the passenger's side door and pulling Hardnett out of the car.
That's when the furry back-up jumped into action to help restrain the man, and when Rodriguez started filming.
San Jose police officers responded to the scene a few minutes later, according to the Mercury News, and took over from there.
Hardnett was booked into jail on suspicion of domestic violence.
A group of costumed FurCon attendees helped San Jose police make a domestic violence arrest, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
The incident occurred Friday night, reports the paper, outside the Marriott Hotel in downtown San Jose. The area was filled with people who were attending Further Confusion or FurCon, which is "one of the world’s largest anthropomorphic (or 'furry') conventions," according to the event's website. It was hosted at the San Jose Convention Center and the nearby Marriott and Hilton hotels from Thursday to Monday.
A car pulled up in front of the hotel and a woman could be heard repeatedly screaming "Get out" from the driver's side of the vehicle, according to a witness.
A short video obtained by the Merc shows part of the confrontation. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on, but you can see a person dressed as a pink dinosaur, someone dressed as a tiger, and a third person wearing a pink cowboy hat tussling with a man.
Steven Rodriguez, a 26-year-old the Merc describes as a "silent observer of furry culture," told the paper he and a friend saw the car's front seat passenger, a man later identified by San Jose police as 22-year-old Demetri Hardnett, beating the female driver. Rodriguez and a friend reported opening the passenger's side door and pulling Hardnett out of the car.
That's when the furry back-up jumped into action to help restrain the man, and when Rodriguez started filming.
San Jose police officers responded to the scene a few minutes later, according to the Mercury News, and took over from there.
Hardnett was booked into jail on suspicion of domestic violence.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2018
Aww, that's nice of them, BUT they are still degenerate zoophiles
- Joined
- May 24, 2019
Cleveland cop accused of urinating on 12-year-old girl was involved in fatal shooting as a security guard
That's one hell of a headline, right there.
That's one hell of a headline, right there.
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2019
It certainly is. Would be interesting to know if he disclosed that little firefight in his application, and whether Cleveland PD actually checked into it at all. I mean, the shooting at that highly salubrious looking location could have been the act of a dangerous sociopath who goaded the patrons into a fight, or maybe it had no choice. Although pissing on a girl at 7 in public in the morning does cast a certain light on the earlier incident *.
* I'm not saying that it's OK to piss on 12 year old girls in private, or not during broad daylight, but there are degrees of having no self-control over your disgusting perversions
PS1gamenwatch
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2015
Philippine embassy to hold 'Safe Haven: Jewish Refugees in the Philippines' event
Philippine Embassy in Israel, in partnership with B'nai B'rith World Center to hold event on International Holocaust Memorial Day.
Philippine embassy to hold 'Safe Haven: Jewish Refugees in the Philippines' event
Philippine Embassy in Israel, in partnership with B'nai B'rith World Center to hold event on International Holocaust Memorial Day.
Arutz Sheva Staff, 21/01/20 16:53
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Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon
Library of Congress
The Philippine Embassy in Israel, in partnership with the B'nai B'rith World Center, will be holding "Safe Haven: Jewish Refugees in the Philippines", a commemorative event held in tandem with an event in New York hosted by the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York, B’nai B’rith International, and the US-Philippine Society, to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January at the Balai Quezon.
The event will take place at the Embassy of the Philippines in Tel Aviv, 18 Bnei Dan Street at 18:00 PM (arrival and registration from 17:30).
The event, which focuses on Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon's landmark "Open Doors Policy" offering safe haven in the Philippines to Jewish people fleeing the Holocaust in Europe, will feature a panel discussion with Professor Robert Rockaway of Tel Aviv University, as well as screenings of excerpts from ABS-CBN iWANT documentary, The Last Manilaners, and Star Cinema's feature film on President Quezon's decision to accept Jewish refugees, Quezon's Game.
Mr. Max Weissler and Ms. Margot Pins Kestenbaum, the two "Manilaners" still living in Israel, will attend the event as special guests.
From 1937 to 1941, President Quezon extended visas to Jewish refugees who sought to escape the growing terror of the Holocaust in Europe. This policy, which came to be known as the "Open Doors Policy", led to the entry of close to 1,300 Jewish refugees to the Philippines, where they settled in Manila - leading them to refer to themselves, fondly, as "Manilaners". This little-known part of the shared history between Filipinos and the Jewish people was first brought to light in Frank Ephraim's book, Escape to Manila, and has since become the foundation of bilateral relations between the Philippines and the State of Israel.
Balai Quezon, the Philippine Embassy's cultural center, was inaugurated in 2019 to build awareness of President Quezon's policy and its impact on Philippine-Israel relations.