Where are mai tais from

Maybe you’ve seen him tucked into the corner of a dive bar, muttering to himself now and then, empty glasses multiplying on his table. And perhaps you’ve thought — though, it’s just as likely you haven’t — What’s up with that guy? In “ Primary Trust ,” the playwright Eboni Booth zooms in on one such man: He lives in a fictional suburb of Rochester, N.Y., where mai tais are his drink of choice at an unlikely tiki bar named Wally’s. He is alone and adrift in this tender, delicately detailed portrait, though surely he has not always been. Listen, and he’ll tell you about the moment he almost drowned and how he learned to keep his head above water. “Primary Trust,” which opened at the Laura Pels Theater in Manhattan on Thursday, finds Kenneth (William Jackson Harper, of “The Good Place”) approaching 40 when the bookstore where he’s worked for 20 years closes shop. (The owner, played by Jay O. Sanders, needs cash for surgery.) But Kenneth has never found a job on his own; social … [Read more...] about ‘Primary Trust’ Review: Sipping Mai Tais, Until Bitter Reality Knocks

HANOI, Vietnam — By the time President Obama arrives here Sunday night, all-day voting in tightly controlled elections for members of the rubber-stamp Parliament will have just finished. In this Communist-ruled nation, the names that were not allowed to appear on the ballots tell more of a story than the 870 scrupulously vetted candidates permitted to compete for 500 seats. Nearly two dozen activists registered to run as pro-democracy independent candidates this year. The government first allowed independent candidates to run in 2002, but this was the first year so many activists tried. After enduring harassment and denunciations orchestrated by the Communist Party, all of them were forced out during a pre-selection process. Among those who ran unsuccessful campaigns for office were Mai Khoi, 32, a popular singer-songwriter known as the Lady Gaga of Vietnam, and Nguyen Quang A, 69, a former member of the Communist Party, businessman and founder of the Civil Society … [Read more...] about Obama’s Vietnam Trip Follows Controlled Parliamentary Elections

The Biden administration announced Saturday that it had reached an agreement with 13 other countries in the Indo-Pacific region to coordinate supply chains, in an effort to lessen the countries’ dependence on China for critical products and allow them to better weather crises like wars, pandemics and climate change. The supply chain agreement is the first result of the administration’s trade initiative in the region, called the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Negotiations are continuing for the other three pillars of the agreement, which focus on facilitating trade and improving conditions for workers, expanding the use of clean energy, and reforming tax structures and fighting corruption. Gina Raimondo, the secretary of commerce, said the supply chain agreement would deepen America’s economic cooperation with partners in the Indo-Pacific region, helping American companies do business there and making the United States more competitive globally. “Bottom line is, this is about … [Read more...] about Biden Administration Announces Indo-Pacific Deal, Clashing With Industry Groups

PROVINCIA DI BARI, Italia — In un appartamento al secondo piano di Santeramo in Colle, cittadina della provincia di Bari, questa estate una donna di mezza età era seduta su una seggiola imbottita di colore nero, al tavolo della sua cucina, lavorando alacremente. Cuciva con cura un elegante cappotto di lana, quel genere di capo che sarà venduto a 800-2.000 euro una volta esposto in questo mese nei negozi, come parte della collezione autunno-inverno di MaxMara, griffe di lusso italiana. La donna, che ha chiesto di conservare l’anonimato per timore di perdere la sua fonte di retribuzione, percepisce dalla fabbrica committente appena 1,00 euro per ogni metro di tessuto realizzato. “Per cucire un metro impiego un’ora, quindi per completare un intero cappotto ci vogliono circa quattro-cinque ore”, dice la donna, che lavora senza un contratto e senza un’assicurazione, ed è retribuita al mese e in contanti. “Cerco di realizzare due cappotti al giorno”. Il lavoro al nero che svolge nel … [Read more...] about Un viaggio nell’economia sommersa dell’Italia

When the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law last August, it fired the starting gun on a new, green industrial arms race. But it also seemed to signal the end of something: America’s uniform rhetorical commitment to the global reign of free markets. There were hundreds of billions of dollars (at least) in green-energy spending embedded in the I.R.A., but the new spigot of directed federal subsidies also came with a throwback set of “Buy American” trade restrictions. If your E.V. battery wasn’t 50 percent manufactured or assembled in the United States, or 40 percent produced by minerals mined or processed in the country or by its free-trade allies, you couldn’t claim the tax credits that made it affordable. If you’re building a solar farm with modules containing less than the required domestic content, you aren’t going to be getting the full subsidy either. The policy wonks called this a “new industrial policy,” acknowledging that it was inspired by the success of China’s … [Read more...] about America’s ‘Neoliberal’ Consensus Might Finally Be Dead

0 This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. Community Corner Residents customize their space at Siena Lakes DGB , Community Contributor Posted Reply Naples, FL -To Massachusetts natives Jan and Jim Roberts, Siena Lakes, the Erickson Senior Living community in Naples, Fla., was the perfect place to make the most of their retirement. "After 16 years of enjoying Florida's balmy weather, we knew we didn't want to return to the cold," says Jan, with a laugh. Drawn to the community's vibrant lifestyle and continuing care services, the Roberts contacted Siena Lakes' sales team to learn more and peruse available apartment homes. "We wanted to pick a place that we liked - before our children needed to choose for us," explains Jim. "When we found a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment home with a den, we were sold. We love it! The view outside our windows is beautiful." What … [Read more...] about Design Your Dream Dwelling at Siena Lakes