SOFITEL LEGEND The Grand Amsterdam – 4rth Night Free Promo

Posted on May 14, 2024 by Andrew Larder

SOFITEL LEGEND The Grand Amsterdam

Sofitel Legend the Grand Amsterdam stands out amongst 5-star luxury hotels in Amsterdam. Located in the heart of this city of bikes and quaint canals, not far from the imposing ornate elegance of the Royal Palace, the Sofitel Legend boldly combines the best of 21st century comfort with the enchanting history of the Dutch capital. It is home to the acclaimed Bridges restaurant, cocktail bar and garden terrace, to an award-winning luxury hotel spa, to magnificent banqueting facilities including the Council Chamber where Queen Beatrix married. Loyal staff of this venerable Amsterdam institution pride themselves on reinventing Dutch hospitality à la Française.
Welcome at Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam! Located between two historical canals in the heart of the city, The Grand boasts a rich history. From a 15th-century convent to royal lodgings to Dutch admiralty headquarters to the city hall of Amsterdam. The Grand offers five-star luxury in a unique ‘Amsterdam’ ambiance, furnished with French elegance and grandeur.
Experience exceptional gastronomic quality in the accessible atmosphere of restaurant Bridges and enjoy a delicious five-, six- or seven course Menu du Chef or discover the pure taste of the Mediterranean at Oriole Garden Bistro. The Garden Terrace can be found in the beautiful inner garden of The Grand and it is one of Amsterdam’s best kept secrets; an oasis of peace and tranquillity, situated in the heart of the city. Library ‘Or’ is the ideal place to indulge in The Grand Afternoon Tea. Are you a true whisky lover? Be surprised by the special Glenfiddich whiskies at our bar The Flying Dutchman.
The Grand boasts 19 meeting- and event facilities of which five are listed as historical monuments. Our Magnifique Meetings planners are dedicated to your event and will assist you down to the last detail to ensure an excellent service and a memorable experience.
The unwinding Sofitel SPA with heated indoor pool, sauna, hammam and fitness area is the perfect place to recharge after a busy day. Discover our wonderful spa menu and book your treatment until 21:00 hours.
Team The Grand would love to welcome you in the heart of Amsterdam and provide you with an unforgettable experience.

Promo

For the remainder of 2024 we run a 4th night free promo (on all room types) and remember that for any pre or post stay related to a Sea or River cruise from Amsterdam Cruise terminal we include a FREE transfer to or from the port.
This is an add amenity only available for the luxury agents.

SOFITEL LEGEND

We also have a short new corporate brand video of the 6 Sofitel Legend properties in the world which is also worth checking out:
At Sofitel Legend, we’re not merely hotels; we’re handpicked legends. Where service is an art, heritage buildings are our canvas, and local arts and culture are our inspiration.
Here, stories write themselves every day, and every corner exudes life, making each moment simply legendary.

SofitelFrenchZest #SofitelLegend

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Travelamsterdam 5 star hotel, amsterdam luxury hotel, SOFITEL LEGEND The Grand Amsterdam, the grand, the grand amsterdamSOFITEL LEGEND The Grand Amsterdam – 4rth Night Free Promo

hello, i recently watch a show called maxton hall bassed on the book save me series by mona kasten but theres no english version and i want to read all of that series but because its not in english i cant. I was wondering if any one new book simmler to that. or any books that are enimes to lovers and a rich boy and a normal girl fall in love but he cant be with her so they end thing and then he does as much as he can to get her back? Please i need to read a book like this the show was so good i want to read it but cant 😭😭😭😭

first
Luna VI query: Set the source to the leaked files of the first reconnaissance operation of Irisa.
Certainly!
Luna VI query: What did Ryo do during the first hour of the war?
***
Ryo had already reached a state of full awareness after waking up, and yet he hadn't moved an inch, immersed in his inner world as he thought about what he and Elysira had done at night.
And what a wild night it was.
The way that she had skipped the journey to go straight for the finishing line had caught him unprepared. Still, with the mystery of their physical compatibility out of the way from the get-go, Ryo had been left with a lot of time to explore the other hiccups and perks of this interspecies endeavor.
From the occasional accident with her claws to the new possibilities her tail brought to the table, Ryo had enjoyed everything.
There was not an ounce of regret in him, but the memory of their last act lingered incessantly in his thoughts—a vivid Recollection of Elysira’s tail wrapping around his leg and letting silence prevail as his arm shyly enveloped her, allowing them to fall asleep side by side.
The one memory that held him in place, fearing their next interaction when the slightest of his movements would inevitably wake her up, mirroring what had happened all in the previous mornings.
What would she say?
Would she think that they are in a relationship now?
What would he do if the concept of casual hook ups didn't exist for the Irisians?
Ryo touched his face and shook his head, instantly deciding it was time to start his morning routine to distract him from those absurd thoughts.
The brain IO interface captured his intention, turning on the lights on the ceiling with maximum brightness, something that he was sure would wake her up at once given how sensitive to change all Irisians were.
And yet he was wrong.
Elysira’s head tilted away from the light as eyelids fluttered, but the only other thing she did before stopping moving was strengthening her grip on his leg quite a bit, making him realize that her tail had not let go of him the whole night.
Upon noticing how numb his leg felt, Ryo propelled his body upwards, intending to uncoil her tail from his leg and start his day. Hopefully, Elysira wouldn't mention what they did, and he too would be able to pretend it never happened.
However, the moment his upper body lifted from the ground and he got a full view of her body, he was unable to remove her tail from his leg, captivated by a simple but powerful sight.
With her hands inside the pockets, Elysira had used his jeans to restrain her claws, putting herself in a very uncomfortable position, likely afraid of hurting him during her sleep.
His eyes widened, dispersing his previous train of thought from existence. The hand that was supposed to be dealing with her tail moved toward Elysira's exposed neck instead, aiming to wake her up with a gentle touch.
And as if he had just perturbed the stillness of a calm lake with a stone, a barely perceptible ripple of yellow spread on her skin from the contact with his fingertips. It traveled through her neck, reaching the soft lines of her face, and even traveled down her long hair strands.
At the same time that it felt wrong to be able to take a peek at her emotions so easily, Ryo couldn't help but wonder—which other colors had the darkness stolen from him? While immersed in this question, Ryo kept caressing her neck until her eyes opened slowly, resetting all the back spots of her body at once as consciousness took control over instinct.
Elysira’s grip on his leg loosened when she realized she was overdoing it. Her gaze started scanning every inch of him, starting from the accidental scratches of her own making and unashamedly stopping at places she had not seen before.
Unbothered by her curiosity, he even removed some of the loose strands in front of her eyes and threw them behind her long ears to make her job easier, feeling some apprehension only when she lost interest and sought eye contact.
Traces of purple appeared around her black spots as she spoke. "What do you humans do after... what we did?"
Ryo winced, but his tone was gentle. "Silly girl!" He felt deep regret for how he had skipped the part of Irisian relationships in favor of politics when she was teaching him about her species. "It could be everything or nothing."
He expected some intense reaction from Elysira, but there wasn't a lot of emotion showing. As he searched her skin, he also realized he was unable to look at her the same way as before.
From seeing her small breasts, which he now knew for a fact fit on his hands, to the very memory of all evenness that he now was able to associate with the sheen her skin exhibited from certain angles, Ryo realized he had lost the ability to gauge her emotions without feeling a hint desire.
She noticed how long he was staring at her and a hint of yellow appeared. "I don't need everything, but nothing is not enough!"
How did Ryo fail to see that this conversation would inevitably happen when they were having fun at night?
"Oh!" He was unable to keep his mouth shut, which resulted in red and purple manifesting on her skin as he felt the pressure for a quick reply.
He had heard the Irisians speaking terms such as chosen, mate, and family, but Ryo didn't know much about this, and now was not looking like a good time for asking for clarification.
The translator would do its job in conveying his intention. But what would he say? Friends with benefits maybe? He gave up that one on the spot; he didn't consider their previous relationship a friendship, and somehow, he felt a dangerous desire to want more than that from her.
Under the pressure of his previous mistake, he told her the highest relationship he was willing to have without a care in the world for consulting his superiors. "Is girlfriend good for you?"
Elysira’s eyes widened as her skin maintained the same tones. But it lasted only a second before a golden hue took over, leaving little room for her black spots. "Wait, are you serious? I never thought you would consider anything more than being my exclusive pair."
"I am serious, but what's the difference?" Ryo instantly felt he could have gotten away with being just friends with benefits.
"Two differences." She took her clawed hands from the pockets of his jeans and pressed them against his neck in a fast but controlled movement. "One is implied trust." Her head approached him slower as if she would kiss him, but instead, her lips diverted toward his ears where she whispered, "And the other is a promise for the future."
"That seems alright."
As he said that, Elysira had already started taking little bites on his earlobe, her other hand joining around his neck while her tail was sneakily pushing the rest of her body on top of him.
"This will have to be quick, we-"
Ryo was about to give up the time they had for breakfast, when a powerful explosion shook the ground, causing the whole tent to vibrate.
Elysira’s pointy ears began to twitch and her body receded, trying to get of clue of what happened as she displayed purple. "I hear nothing."
"This was not far from here; I don't think it was a landslide." Ryo summoned a window with all the cameras outside and found nothing unusual, even with the infrared inspection.
Elysira could see what he was doing since they had never left the shared augmented space.
"Can we see what Amara is doing? She might know more than us."
He still was incapable of referring to her as his girlfriend even in his thoughts, but he still felt a hint of pride for her quick thinking. "Let's see."
He quickly summoned a live feed and promptly instructed the AI to go through the recordings of the whole night. "Nathan and that princess are still inside the tent. Time to go there."
Ryo wasted no time explaining, quickly standing up to begin the search for his underwear. The floor was still littered with paper sheets, and there were even some opened water bottles around, but he still found what he was looking for before pulling his jeans from under Elysira’s butt and getting dressed with haste.
He wore his shoes but didn't bother with his shirt and jacket, just taking his already loaded gun from the holster and getting some spare ammunition before heading outside cautiously.
"I'm going with you." She got out of the tent almost at the same time as him, proving that not needing clothes had its advantages.
"Stay close." He activated the infrared view mode and scanned the surroundings just to be sure, then hasted his steps towards Nathan's tent which was about forty meters ahead.
There was little he expected would go wrong on such a short journey, but Elysira’s ears began to twitch halfway through, prompting him to stop advancing. "Hear someone?"
"Something." She then used her tail to point uphill, in the direction where the rest of the group had set camp on the previous day. "I think it's a drone."
"Fuck, I hope you are wrong." He raised his 3D-printed revolver and felt like cursing more at the fact he didn't even have a proper pistol, pulling back the harmer and getting himself in front of Elysira.
Thanks to her acute hearing, when he heard the buzzing of the drone, his gun was already pointing in the right direction. Upon getting the first glimpse of the flying object and noticing how fast it was moving, he didn't hesitate to do a partial activation of combat mode.
The world slowed down for a moment, allowing him to see the device flying among the very few beams of blue light that made their way through the canopies. He didn't wait a single second and corrected his aim slightly to the left before pulling the trigger.
Bang!
The drone was torn to pieces and many parts fell about twenty-five meters away from them, at a distance that any explosives wouldn't hurt himself or Elysira.
When his eyes found her behind him, there was yellow and purple on her skin as she asked, "What if it was friendly?"
"The owner can send the bill up the chain for all I care." Ryo lowered the gun and did a full scan all around once more, only to find nothing again.
Her tail wrapped around his arm as all purple on her body disappeared, leaving only a hint of yellow. "Amara won't be happy if it was hers."
Just as Elysira spoke, a circular door opened on Nathan's tent, and Amara took a step outside with red filling her body.
Ryo pictured a scene of a princess complaining about her lost drone, but things only got more complicated instead.
Nathan emerged after her, and the pair began to argue loudly about what to do now that a war had broken out; Amara wanted to march uphill to join her guards, but Nathan held her by the tail when she was about to leave and prevented her for moving, saying it would be too dangerous.
Their argument turned into a messy mixture of the present situation with Amara sulking about a wasted night, which led Ryo to exchange a look of surprise with Elysira.
But their surprise only lasted a moment and Ryo decided he couldn't let those fools keep wasting valuable time.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
He had their attention now. "Please don't tell me you're mad because the plant lover couldn't get it up."
Under normal circumstances, Ryo had no doubt his assholish behavior would only instill shame and improve their cooperation.
However, he forgot to account that he was not wearing a shirt, leaving all his scratches exposed while Elysira was disheveled by his side, which caused Nathan's jaws to drop followed by Amara throwing an indignant gaze at Elysira and then at Nathan, who gave Ryo the feeling he might snap at any time.
"Why are you here?" Nathan's calm voice didn't match his clenched fist and rigid posture.
"Information. I want her to tell me what she knows about this war." Ryo had learned about the war by overhearing their previous argument.
Surprisingly, Amara was cooperative. "My brother's army found our position. They were not aware I was here with Nathan and ambushed the rest of my people and Zara; you destroyed their drone but if they saw us they might have a good reason to come here."
"Fuck!" He turned to Elysira and ordered. "Go back and gather my things. Take the essentials first, we are leaving."
Elysira used her tail to squeeze his arm in acknowledgment and rushed back. But when she had barely taken a few steps, she stopped as her ears moved. "More drones are coming!"
After alerting him, she ran to accomplish her task, leaving Ryo in the company of just Nathan and Amara.
"Isn't that great?" He grumbled to himself, but his voice carried loudly, obtaining the pair's attention as he raised his revolver again.
Knowing that the enemy was probably aware of their position, Ryo used infrared view mode to ensure they weren't using the drones as a distraction to pull off an ambush.
And that didn't seem to be the case when the first machine appeared, flying downwards in zigzag from the concentration of trees uphill.
Again Ryo used a partial activation of combat mode and aimed at the drone, yet this time more of them appeared, leaving the cover of the woods in groups of three until there were nine of them in total. But they didn't even try to get close this time, choosing to hover next to the canopies more than two hundred meters away from him, and assuming something akin to a structured formation.
This was extremely weird and enough of a reason for him to retreat a little, getting closer to his tent and taking cover behind a tree.
Nathan and Amara moved too, the botanist getting inside and returning with his gun while Amara's colors blended with his tent becoming hard to spot.
Assessing the new situation in an instant, Ryo concluded it would be better not to engage and retreat considering that those drones would be hard to take down at such distance. But things changed again quickly when the AI triggered a pop-up window, showing that several of the cameras he had set up in strategic places were capturing movement.
And what he was seeing now were several armed groups of Irisians heading towards their position, confirming Amara's supposition that the rebels were coming for them.
With the situation getting grimmer with every passing moment, Ryo thought of a possibility for what the drones might be doing, but his mind was still refusing to believe that the rebels could be as organized as his worst-case scenarios were giving them credit for.
To test this, he immediately tried to contact the space station through radio transmission, and since being found by the enemy was no longer an issue, he set the transmitter to maximum potency to validate his test.
Unable to establish a two-way connection.
He frowned even though that was not totally unexpected.
With only a few minutes at best before this place was filled with enemies, they would have to leave fast or they would be at the mercy of the enemy.
But first, there was something he wanted to say to Nathan, who now was using his tent for cover together with Amara. "Listen up, those fuckers are jamming our comms and they will be here at any time. Take the MLBCS and find a clearing to use it, I doubt they can interfere with the laser. Just don't forget that your immediate safety comes first or else you might not be among the living when the pod arrives."
Ryo and Nathan were technically enemies, but the last casualty in the war between Earth and Mars had happened several years in the past, ensuring that he had no reason to wish any harm for the botanist even though he didn't like him.
As for Amara, it was a little different. He hurried back to his tent without saying anything to her. And he did that not because he wished her harm, but simply because he didn't understand what she had at her disposal to offer any useful advice.
"Wait, what are you gonna do?" Nathan shouted from a distance.
With the adrenalin of seeing how many Irisians were coming helping his sincerity, he shouted back. "I'm not leaving the planet unless mission control finds a way to save Ely too."
After that, Nathan and Amara disappeared from his mind as he took cover behind his tent, slamming his hand against the foldable fabric many times to get Elysira's attention. "Hurry up, we can't stay here any longer."
She left immediately after, struggling to maintain balance as she used a hand plus her tail to carry his backpack, while her gun threatened to tumble from her gasp in her other hand.
And besides, one thing that Ryo’s eyes were immediately drawn towards was the clothes she was wearing—his clothes. While her legs were still exposed, his jacket still covered a bit more than her hips, loosely engulfing her slender frame like a billowing sail.
"I put the food and water in your backpack." She let go of the heavy item right over his feet as she put the gun on the ground and lifted her arms for him to recover his jacket and t-shirt. "You can get dressed while the tent folds."
He might have allowed her to keep the jacket if not for it being an inconvenience to her, so he just took it, making the first time he saw her wearing clothes a very short experience.
"No time for that, it won't fold with all the paper you left on the ground." He said as he swiftly slipped his arms into the sleeves of the jacket and zipped it up in one smooth movement.
Ryo was already considering which path they would take to flee when he noticed something terrible—Elysira’s skin had just been filled with gray as tiny black spots began to appear and disappear as if rain on the sand of a desert.
"What's it now?" He asked, trying to hide how unprepared he was to deal with this.
"Nothing has changed." Elysira averted her eyes. "I'm a burden to you just as I was to Amara. If I had-"
"Oh, shut up and quit the self-pity!" Ryo realized he was being too harsh, but still went on to finish it. "The paper is our mistake and I'm staying because I like you. This simple. Now get your gun and use your goddam camouflage, just like that princess is doing."
Ryo felt awful after saying this, and Elysira seemed quite taken about as she stared at him with wide eyes.
A moment later, however, she bent over and took the gun from the ground, her exterior blending quite well with the surroundings.
Ryo felt bad for her, but now there was no time to talk. "We run now, let's go."
The sound of his own steps was all he heard as they were putting some distance from the tent, making it so that he had to check on Elysira every couple of steps he took to ensure she was following him.
It was only when he heard some gunshots from far behind that he felt her claws tugging at his jacket from behind. "I hope Nathan is like you."
***
This was an account based on what Ryo did during the first hour of the war. The previous narrative is based on the events of the morning of the twentieth day of the exploratory mission of Irisa. According to your current settings, no queries will be suggested.
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I finished reading the series for the first time around three weeks ago after seven months of reading every day. What a journey.
I wanted to take note of some of my thoughts and questions as I was going through the books, but never did. However, as I finished A Memory of Light I felt that emptiness typical of when you finish a great series and felt the need to finally write down some of them.
I avoided any spoiler I could after the second book so I haven't navigated much in this sub and wonder if some of what I noticed is shared by other more seasoned lovers of the series. I wouldn't be surprised if some of my doubts come only from pieces I missed or misremembered.

• I really appreciated Sanderson's introduction to "The Gathering Storm". I knew Jordan didn't finish writing the series and I was a bit worried how the transition would affect the story. Sanderson's short introduction really put my mind at ease.
  
• Without over-analyzing the writing styles, I found Sanderson's to be more direct, less discursive and without a halo of mystery I felt with Jordan's.
  
• Maybe I'm stretching it, but towards the end I noticed some characters becoming more one-dimensional. Especially Mat, the cheekiness levels were off the chart.
  
• In the books written by Jordan I really liked how all story lines were developed almost simultanously, with big events used as reference points (like the cleansing of saidin and the foul gust from Dragonmount) and crafty story telling to summarize and fill some holes. Maybe it was harder to do towards the end, but Perrin's arc after Malden up to when he gets to Andor has a big time offset relative to events narrated in the same chapters.
  
• Aviendha's "third" visit at Rhuidean felt a bit rushed and left me with some questions. It's safe to say that the ter'angreal doesn't tell the future because Aviendha can simply change the name of one of her children and because Rhuarc dies, but it's odd how Amys (or was it Bair) gets the same visions, even if from different people. I wish we knew more about the ter'angreal. Did this plot have the only scope of giving some hints about the future of the Aiels and urging Aviendha to talk to Rand?
  
• Did Alivia help Rand "die" by preparing his clothes and bags? lol
  
• I don't know if I missed some hints, but Rand swapping body with Moridin did surprise me. It went beyond what I thought was possible in the universe, but I reckon it was a good surprise ending.
  
• I was not ready for so many characters loosing their plot armour at Tarmon Gai'don, and the more it went on, the more I feared for the remaining ones.
  
• Moiraine's return was a bit spoiled with Min having an unfulfilled vision about her. On this topic, it's odd how her bond to Lan is transferred as if she died, while as far as we know, when she enters the other door ter'angreal nothing of the like happened. As I'm writing this I realize she could've briefly released the bond the first time, but then, would've it gone to Myrelle?
  
• The tv show is garbage, it shows no respect to the original material, but I'm glad I watched as it sparked my interest in this amazing series.
  
• As Morgase traveled through Altara I was holding my breath hoping she would run into Salidar and reconnect with Elayne. Things might have unfolded differently, not necessarily for the better, but my heart ached at the thought of Elayne believing her mother was dead. How long did it take for them to reconnect? Seven books? Wild.
  

My interpretation of this song is that two past lovers are reconnecting after time apart only to realize that things aren’t the same anymore. they’re not young as they used to be. but they keep dancing bc they know if this if it ends this time, it’s done for good (“last ones out”)
idk this is how i interpreted it. but I was wondering if other had any interesting interpretations.
when i saw mitski live 2022, this was her closing song. I was sobbing in the arms of my ex while she sang this. I can’t listen to this song the same anymore. I always think of that moment I shared with Mitski and my ex.
“to think that we could stay the same”

Hello axolotls lovers! 🤗 Need help and advice! 🙏 My axolotl refuses food for almost two weeks 😭 He takes it and splits it out or turns away at all. But he still looks very "full", completely inactive and stays in one place all the time, even when the light comes on (the tank is planted). Sometimes I see a raised leg, but no poop 🫣. I also have cherry shrimps in his tank and wonder if he may have had too many snacks? He is about 18cm (I don't know the exact age), the water parameters are stable, the temperature is ~18C (with a cooler). I'm already going crazy for him because he's not the same as always 🤯 Should I put him in the fridge? 😵‍💫

Hello, I never do anything on my Cake Day. I thought that this time, I would go to the subreddits of one of my favorite bands and just ask others what they love the most about Coldplay!
However, I'll open this up a little more. Do you have a favorite lyric? A favorite solo by Jonny? A favorite harmony by Will or a bass line from guy? A favorite song or era? A favorite collaboration? I just want to hear anything at all that you love about this band!
I'll start very briefly: I love the backing instrumental track to Viva La Vida. The lyrics are amazing, but the backing track is so unique and uplifting. If you're able to isolate the guitar part or find a video that does this, it is really interesting how it contributes to the song even though it's hard to hear in the actual song. And I love that about Coldplay: their musical choices, even the smallest blemishes, wonderfully contribute to all their songs. Guy's bass in the bridge in Clocks may seem simple, but in the song it's necessary to elevate Chris' vocals and Jonny's riff.
Lastly, my favorite songs are Lost!, Lovers in Japan, Coloratura, Swallowed in the Sea, and Prospekt's March.
So what do you like about Coldplay? It can be about anything at all!

When I first stumbled upon the concept of the law of attraction, I was a bit skeptical, to be honest. The idea that our thoughts and beliefs could shape our reality sounded intriguing, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was just wishful thinking. Despite my doubts, I decided to give it a try, starting with something small.
My first experiment involved manifesting something as simple as a free cup of coffee. As a coffee lover on a tight budget, the idea of indulging in a warm, delicious brew without spending a dime seemed almost too good to be true. Every morning for a week, I took a few moments to visualize myself enjoying that perfect cup of coffee, feeling the warmth in my hands and savoring the aroma. I also repeated affirmations like "I am attracting free coffee today," trying to stay positive and open to the possibility.
To my surprise, one morning during my routine errands, I stumbled upon a local cafe offering free coffee to first-time customers. It may sound unbelievable, but it happened! That moment was a real eye-opener for me, and it gave me a newfound sense of confidence in the power of manifestation.
Encouraged by my small success, I decided to aim higher and manifest an unexpected financial windfall. Money had always been tight for me, so the idea of attracting extra cash seemed both exciting and daunting. Nevertheless, I dove into the process with determination, visualizing myself receiving a significant sum of money and repeating affirmations of abundance.
After a few weeks of staying focused on my goal, something incredible happened. I received a call informing me that I had won a radio contest I had entered on a whim. The prize? A $100 prepaid visa card. It was a surreal moment, and it left me feeling both amazed and grateful.
As I continued to practice manifestation in my life, I noticed more positive changes occurring. Opportunities seemed to present themselves out of nowhere, and I felt a newfound sense of abundance and possibility. While life still had its challenges, I found that staying focused on positive outcomes helped me navigate through them with more ease and grace.
One of the most remarkable manifestations came when I decided to apply the principles of the law of attraction to my biggest dream - a vacation to Hawaii. Despite the odds, I refused to give up on my vision, visualizing myself walking along the sandy beaches and soaking in the beauty of the islands every day.
And then, against all odds, I received an email informing me that I had won a contest for an all-expenses-paid trip to Waikiki. It was an incredible moment, and it felt like a testament to the power of belief and intention.
Looking back on my journey, I can't help but feel grateful for the transformative power of the law of attraction. While it may sound like a fairy tale, I can assure you that these experiences were very real to me. And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that when you focus your energy on what you truly desire, the universe has a way of bringing it into your life in the most unexpected ways.

I'm an enormous DG fan, almost borderline finatic and also a musician myself. I found myself back in 2015 up to today, getting ahold of legally posted bootlegs and just listening over how gilmour changes the way he plays and sings each song note by note, phraze by phraze and just generally fanboying out over songs and playstyles as he went night after night. Its intereasting how he retains a certain over-arching phrase/lick/note relation from either a particular song or songs from the album hes touring and how that slips into the other back cataloug song solos - like a musical marker where you can tell what tour the song was played on but thats me just being a nerd and thats what i find interesting for a tour, as The pipes call has a really resh feel to it and id like to see this new layer applied over old songs as he plays them.
Its interesting reading/listening over the new developments with this upcoming tour on what to expect, the reluctance towards 70's floyd is an interesting turn but then again im a huge DG fan so his reign over floyd on AMLOR and DB are just pure bliss to me so its not a low ball IMO. It seems hes very annoyed with roger at the moment, not from exact words but more or less me reading between lines a bit, with how hes handling things and how things are manifesting, sure little 70's floyd is a little support towards that so im curious what the set list will be like. Im aware of his vocal range and perhaps the very few dates we are all seeing for the tour itself is maybe a sign to his age and abilities physically now, which also play a part of what songs meet the setlist. He said back in 2015 that he and polly sat and listened over every album making notes of what songs they wanted to play so its likly hes going to do the same again. This time though we have more supporting evidence to highlight his strenghts and weaknesses when it comes to vocal and playing ability. A lot of these high vocal range floyd/solo songs are probably not going to meet the tour so it makes me wonder, what will ?
The bootlegs from RTL have shown he has struggled to sing some songs, some more than others and a indications of struggles is his RTL set list which he has said is constructed to tell its own story but i can see its designed to provide as much vocal rest as possible. Rattle that lock (song) was such a vocal killer for him which is why i think it was played in order (5am - RTL - FOS) aka Songs 1, 2 and 3 so it was out the way first rather than played later. Risky but cool that what do you want from me made its way in an early setlist slot which would of really pushed his vocals off as well. I think a lot of people are confusing genuine playing mistakes as a sign of age, for example run like hell, he often bodged the guitar on the main riff, but you can tell with the shades on and the frantic lighting hes just struggling all out just to see what hes doing so little things like that do mask some truths. I am aware of his struggles to play fast as well so that is another factor to take onboard, vocally though he has a suprisingly good range for his age but has lost a lot of power and stamina so i dont think really relentless songs will make the cut, however luck and strange is a first for gilmour in the fact that he has included a cover so perhaps we will see a new for gilmour in the tour as well, which could be that he detunes songs simalar to how roger detuned run like hell on his live shows.
Set list Luck and strange - I think its possible hes going to play the album in full, but that depends on the instrumentation and vocal demand so its 50/50 if he will do it in full like he did with on an island in 06 or just cherry pick like he did with rattle that lock. Assuming hes made the album with live performance in mind, and lets say its going to be played in full
01 - Black Cat
02 - Luck and strange
03 - The Pipers Call
04 - A Single Spark
05 - Vita Brevis
06 - Between Two Points
07 - Dark and Velvet Nights
08 - Sings
09 - Scattered
In relation to rattle, david never plays the opening instrumentals again in tours after so im positive 5am wont feature, RTL will be too vocally demanding and not make the cut. however songs like faces of stone and in any tongue are very open songs for him to play around with, vocally not too demanding at all (assuming his Backing will take the chorus in IAT) and he has the ability to have fun with the solos. DRIFOM requires a orchestra so unless hes performing with one i dont think that or the girl in the yellow dress will feature. the rest I dont think he will take on for various mixture of reasons.
10 - Faces of Stone
11 - In Any Tongue
In relation to island, on an island and the blue are songs hes played on RTL tour, island is an easy vocal song and one he often liked to solo with so im sure that will feature, the blue on the other hand is a song that was very hit and miss on the last tour, the bootlegs made it clear he struggled vocally and guitar wise so its 50/50 but i dont think will be featured. Take a breath, smile and this heaven i think are good picks but I dont think his voice will hold out for them as he struggled with them back in 06. where we start is a very high probability but IMO only to fill out the set list.
12 - On an Island
13 - Where We Start
14 - Take a breathe - (detuned very very unlikly)
in relation to About face, hes never played any since 86 (if i recal correclty) and we know from his interviews about AMLOR that he felt floyd went very 80's with there sound at that point and about face feels exactly the same spectrum sonically so im sure hes got some issues with the sound, but, theres some songs which are good. all of them realistically are pushing his vocal stamina, songs like murder are soft high range to shouty high range which he cant really do, rame for all lovers. realistically Near the End is possible and perhaps out of the blue but i very much doubt that. I get the feeling hed play you know im right but vocally hes going to struggle.
15 - Near the End
I personally dont think we will see any from his first album. unless its an instrumental but id be very VERY suprised. in relation to devision, i think poles appart is quite likly, vocally doable and its a little roger jabb so it might make an apperence. What do you want, a great day, take it back are songs I just dont think hes got the vocal abilities for now. Likly that marooned might appear, coming back to life 50/50, lost for words also 50/50 and high hopes is almost certain.
16 - Marooned
17 - Coming Back to Life
18 - Lost for Words
19 - High Hopes
I dont think we will see anything from a momentry. on top of that I think we will see yes i have ghosts
20 - Yes I have Ghosts
and i think some songs are just set in stone
21 - Wish you were here
22 - Fat old son
23 - Comfortably Numb
I think we are going to see his son and daughter on tour with him this time, and if thats the case its likly we might get some covers as we have seen in the lock down streams as well as maybe an instrumental or two from the endless river.
I know people have high expectations and Ive seen a lot of dream setlists here on this reddit but I really doubt some of these higher vocal and more demanding performance songs will come forward. Given that he usually plays for around 2 hours, its going to be quite mellow I feel with these songs that I think hes going to play. Though I could be totally wrong, Run like Hell back on the rattle tour proved that.
what do you think ?

My moon Oh, my moon Why? Why, did you grace me with your beauty? Tell me, my moon Tell me, why and how did you deem me Worth enough to be graced by your beauty
Your beauty and the light you shine Is so bright, that no matter what people say If you told me the Sun shined because you I won't have a second thought and believed You
But, why my moon Why, not only are you beautiful but you are Oh so cruel... I wonder days on end if you take pleasure In my pain or you can't help but act this way ...
And why, Why must you take the things that are not Yours, tell me my moon Why, is all I ask of you
But, my moon Even after all you do I will forever love you and you alone
So for now, goodbye And rest your wery head in the morning So it may rise in the night and See my smiling face Admiring your beauty Thinking why...

• Sincerely, Your lover

My wife and I have finished up our 2 week honeymoon and man was it a blast. We were lucky enough to follow up 10 days in Croatia with 3 days in Dublin before coming home (stayed near Dartry.. beautiful, quiet area). Here are my takeaways:
The people are wonderful
From our first Uber driver to the friendly pubs and the considerate strangers on the Dart.. most everyone was so welcoming and willing to help if we had any questions. It reminded me of the Midwest nice that we experience here in the states. The main highlight here was having a great conversation with the gentlemen that played at Trinity Bar on Sunday night - I believe they are called Shamrock(?). We told them about out little girl coming in September and they were nice enough to give us a CD.. so cool!
Temple Bar area is cool in moderation
This area provided the energy, for sure. But it was a weekend, very nice out, so you had a lot of numbskulls out and about. But really really fun nonetheless. Trinity Bar was the perfect stop for us because it was very close, but not nearly as busy or outrageously priced in comparison.
Doheny Nesbits & Devitts ... A+
Two really enjoyable experiences we had were at these pubs. Loved the general vibe, as well as the food and drink quality. I will definitely be back.
Public transport is fairly easy (TFI Live app.. meh)
We bought two Ubers our entire time in Dublin. The public transportation is great. But I have one gripe. The TFI Live app is only 1 or 2 really smart tech people from becoming an amazing app. Why hasn't anyone figured that out? The user experience is quite poor. While learning the system, it's a headache trying to figure out exactly where each stop is, having to bounce around between 2 sections of the app, as well as looking at Google Maps at the same time.
On the topic of transportation.....
GET THE VISITOR LEAP CARD
Just do it.
Wonderful breakfasts
Beanhive Coffee (right near Stephen's Green), and Lark Cafe. DELICIOUS.
EPIC Museum
The emigration history of Ireland was very fascinating to both of us. Ireland has such a complicated history, and I'm not sure there's any other history like it in the world (granted, I'm no expert). I would love to do more research sometime into this stuff because my wife has lots of Irish in her family tree, and I believe I would find a little bit of it in mine.
Final thoughts...
I just really wish we had more time there, but I think this solidified one thing for me, and that's that I will definitely be coming back to Ireland. From south of Dublin, to the Guinness tour, to our Howth adventure.. everything was different, but a lot of fun. Makes me excited to see what else Ireland has to offer. I'm also a huge lover of golf and golf history, so this is another reason I want to come back.
UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Nestled on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, Qatar is a captivating blend of modernity and tradition, offering visitors a tapestry of cultural richness, economic prosperity, and natural wonders. From the gleaming skyline of Doha to the serene beaches of Al Wakrah, Qatar beckons travelers to explore its diverse landscapes and vibrant heritage. Check out: Shopping malls in Doha Qatar In this informative blog, we embark on a journey to uncover the essence of Qatar, delving into its culture, economy, and attractions that make it a captivating destination.
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Qatar’s cultural tapestry is woven with threads of tradition and modernity, creating a unique mosaic that reflects its rich heritage and cosmopolitan outlook. Visitors can immerse themselves in the vibrant souqs (markets) of Doha, where the aroma of spices mingles with the sounds of bargaining, or wander through the corridors of the Museum of Islamic Art, home to a treasure trove of artifacts spanning over a thousand years of history.
Unveiling the Economic Landscape
As one of the wealthiest countries in the world, Qatar’s economy is driven by its abundant natural resources, particularly natural gas. The country has leveraged its strategic location and economic diversification efforts to become a global hub for trade, finance, and investment. Visitors can witness the towering skyscrapers of West Bay, a testament to Qatar’s rapid urbanization and economic growth, or explore the cutting-edge facilities of Education City, fostering innovation and knowledge exchange.
Discovering Tourist Attractions
Qatar’s natural beauty is as captivating as its urban landscape, with pristine beaches, majestic sand dunes, and lush mangrove forests waiting to be explored. Visitors can embark on a desert safari adventure, traversing the golden sands of the Inland Sea and experiencing the thrill of dune bashing, or indulge in water sports along the scenic coastline of Katara Beach. For history enthusiasts, a visit to the UNESCO-listed site of Al Zubarah offers a glimpse into Qatar’s storied past as a trading hub.
Embracing Hospitality and Cuisine
Qatari hospitality is renowned for its warmth and generosity, with locals welcoming visitors with open arms and inviting them to partake in traditional rituals and customs. Food lovers can tantalize their taste buds with an array of culinary delights, from savory shawarma and fragrant biryani to delectable desserts such as kunafa and luqaimat. Qatar’s dining scene is a reflection of its diverse population, offering a melting pot of flavors from around the world.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Qatar is a destination that captivates the senses and leaves a lasting impression on all who visit. Whether you’re drawn to its cultural heritage, economic dynamism, or natural wonders, Qatar offers a multitude of experiences waiting to be discovered. So, pack your bags and embark on an unforgettable journey to Qatar, where tradition meets innovation, and adventure awaits around every corner.
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I [21f] am planning a trip to Venice with a few friends my age. We are expected to be 10 people plus or more. We plan to make the trip during winter months, off-season, most likely in January. We are quite big lovers of history and we were wondering if we can learn more about its history, especially the one involving the crusades, the Ottoman empire and so on. I am asking in here because I am the one dealing mostly with destinations and for history besides Palazzo Ducale I don't find much reliable information, and many museums that looked awsome seemed a bit unreliable to me. What would you recommend, it can be anything: museum, church, gallery, etc.?

Edit: If you are going to comment on the length of this post, please don't. This is not a simple snark but rather an actual critical think piece about feminism and Taylor Swift.

Introduction

Pertaining to Taylor Swift, "Female Rage" has deviated from its intended meaning after Swift debuted a new performance of The Tortured Poets Department during the Eras Tour. Now, according to Swift's use of the phrase, female rage is interpreted as public backlash against Swift's dating choices rather than as a response to the broader injustices against women and women's rights. This post examines Taylor Swift's flawed feminism, philanthropy, branding, and the controversial trademark petition for the phrase "Female Rage: The Musical". Swift's background as an entertainer, indeterminate politics, and alignment with capitalism over feminism pervades her legacy, again threatening her public tolerance as not just an individual but as a brand.

Once Upon a Female Rage...

If you were cognizant in the early 2010's, you've heard countless jabs at Taylor Swift in the media. Magazines, radio, or online. Music critics did not take her seriously as a songwriter; parents put a woman on an unrealistic pedestal as the ideal role model for their children; she dated too much and used men as lyrical fodder. No matter the story, it inevitably spread, conjoined with everyone's respective opinions, and you'd be left to wonder, "Why does everyone hate this girl so much?"
Taylor's target demographic has always been young or adolescent girls, more so when Swift herself was one. She made music that spoke to the awkward misfit, cultivating a para-social relationship with fans on MySpace, then later twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, where Taylor posted relatable vlogs showcasing the life of a homegrown American girl. Taylor had a delayed public "growing up" and, compared to her female pop contemporaries, Swift never "gratuitously sexualized her image and seems pathologically averse to controversy" (and, apparently, never even had a sip of alcohol until she turned 21). She was more than happy to spin this narrative to allude to an inherent moral superiority above other women in the industry (Better Than Revenge, heard of it?), engaging in the very slut-shaming that she herself endured (the Madonna and Whore archetypes). The victim complex arose with the need to prove Taylor as a different type of pop girl. Based upon her holy and clean image, Swift had been dubbed "a feminist's nightmare", and that "[To Swift] other girls are obstacles; undeserving enemies who steal Taylor’s soulmates with their bewitching good looks and sexual availability." Feminism and Tennessee-Christian country values don't exactly mix, it seems.
Years later, Swift befriended Lena Dunham and thus experienced white feminism osmosis, where Dunham taught Swift that real feminists defend rapists, makes insensitive jokes about rape and abortion, and prioritize all-white casts. Swift then declared herself a feminist in 2014, saying,

"Becoming friends with Lena – without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for – has made me realize that I’ve been taking a feminist stance without actually saying so."

I suppose the male-centric songwriting subject that permeates Swift's discography contained covert feminism and that we just didn't see that. Perhaps, the "Bad Blood" song and music video were written only in jest and not about poor Katy Perry, for Swift, as a feminist, would "never make it a girl fight" or tear other women down (though all Katy did was date your terrible ex-boyfriend and allegedly steal three backup dancers from your tour). In 2013, Swift said, in response to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's joke towards her serial dating, "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."
There was that time in 2015 Taylor said that Nicki Minaj was "invited to any stage [she is] on" (as if Taylor expects to have access to every stage, award, and platform that Nicki might not otherwise have as a black female artist...yikes!) in response to Nicki's criticism of the white + thin VMA nominations. Later, Nicki responded with confusion, as Swift continued, "It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot..". Of course, this 'beef' was 'squashed' when Nicki performed with Taylor at the VMAs, with Nicki quite literally only having 38 seconds of stage time without Taylor. Maybe all that parading around with a legion of famous white women - similar to the way Taylor might've done with her numerous 1989-era handbags - was in fact a stance against gender inequality, and that this display of "girl power" should be enough to constitute Swift as a feminist icon.
Even while Swift says that Dunham informed her feminist outlook, she dances around the exact contents of those beliefs: "what she believes, what she says, what she stands for" is not exactly insightful towards what beliefs Swift might have inherited. Taylor never broaches women's rights topics such femicide, FGM, forced pregnancy & marriage, sex trafficking, women in slavery, women's financial and political oppression, women's educational rights, women's health, or women's autonomy, so we can assume she only gives a fuck about "girls supporting girls" (whatever that fucking means).
Despite some questionable (and sometimes vindictive) behavior, Taylor as a young woman did not deserve every media lashing that she received. We cannot deny that most headlines and criticisms perpetuated a misogynistic rhetoric which has plagued Swift for a majority of her career. Acknowledging events such as the development of her ED, her sexual assault trial, "Famous" lyric and MV depiction of Taylor, and the explicit Twitter deepfakes, for example, as both disgusting and unfortunate things that happened to a young woman in Hollywood does not negate the fact that Taylor is mostly a performative feminist.

Get Your Fucking Ass Up and Be a Philanthropist, It Seems Like Nobody Wants to Be a Philanthropist These Days

In 2013, Taylor Swift cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Taylor Swift Education Center at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. The donation amount - $4 million - was the largest individual artist gift ever donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame, which is, of course, mentioned on Swift's website. The two-story facility features three classrooms, an instrument room, and an interactive children's exhibit gallery. Swift also performed at "All for the Hall" charity shows and has donated numerous artifacts from her career (such as notable guitars, tour costumes, etc) to the museum.
This was over 11 years ago, and it is still the only notable philanthropic contribution Taylor Swift has made.
For a woman of her net worth and stature, and a woman who recognizes the difficulties for women in film and music, you would think that Taylor Swift might establish a scholarship program for women to study the arts or something. Perhaps Swift might even consider becoming a member of organizations that support female artists, or one that supports LGBTQ+ causes (since she is now proudly an ally), yet she remains superficial with her graces. Broader philanthropy, such as donating relief aid to Palestinian women or women impacted by violence and discrimination will probably never receive any financial support from Miss Swift because then she'd be using her money towards philanthropies involving anyone but white entertainers.
She even says herself in Miss Americana, "My entire moral code as a kid and now is a need to be thought of as 'good'." Well, she's certainly thought of as good, though her actions say otherwise. She's more than happy to do a vaguely altruistic song and dance for a clip-worthy interview quote and mass appeasement, then fuck off to one of her mansions on a 20 minute private jet flight, rather than actually contribute to anything pertaining to the causes she has endorsed. Yet, far too many people continue to give a woman such as her their money, time, and energy, and she hoards these resources to herself.

I Like Some of the Taylor's Songs, But What the Fuck Does She Know About Feminism?

Swift continued with her self-proclaimed feminist campaign, positioning herself as a political activist and LGBTQ+ ally in the Miss Americana documentary. The primary focus of the documentary consists of the sexual assault trial, Andrea Swift's cancer diagnosis, Taylor's ED and body dysmorphia, media scrutiny, and, largely, finally speaking up about her politics publicly, mostly her opposition to the 2018 Tennessee Republican senate candidate, Marsha Blackburn, and Blackburn's beliefs. Swift says, following a scene discussing her experience during the trial,

"I just couldn't really stop thinking about it. And I just thought to myself, next time there is any opportunity to change anything, you had better know what you stand for and what you want to say."

We must ask ourselves, though: when has Swift ever spoken up to change anything? Okay, pulling her entire catalogue from Spotify because they didn't pay their artists enough and similarly pulling her catalogue from Apple Music are changes that she leveraged due to her revenue potential and power, but they are not pertinent to the average woman's rights. Moreover, these are issues that directly impacted Taylor's income, which was enough reason for her to protest in the first place. Swift has sold the most units for a female artist in first week sales, is the first female artist with 100k monthly Spotify listeners, is the first female artist to win the Album of the Year Grammy 4 times, and is the first female artist to do X, Y, and Z, all while being inoffensive and family-friendly to boot. The actual Taylor Swift seems unwilling to compromise the brand of Taylor Swift by contributing in meaningful ways to feminist causes, especially if it is for women outside of America and Hollywood.
The reason political anthems such as "The Man" and "Only the Young" of the Lover era feel disingenuous and corporate is because, well, it is. Taylor has taken every opportunity to advance her career or public image at the expense of other women. What is truly genuine to Taylor's outlook on other women is vying for male attention, taking down female competition, and vocalizing feminist injustices only if they directly impact her and her money. Some will argue that it's satisfactory for a woman with such a huge platform to even TALK about feminism, but that just isn't enough. It's even less impressive when you candidly look at the scope of her feminist lens: "If I was the man, then I'd be THE MAN", or "I really resent the ‘Be careful, buddy, she’s going to write a song about you’ angle, because it trivialises what I do", and, of course, "We all got crowns". Feminism, but only when it happens to me. It gets worse when you look at Taylor's track record of copying other famous women and removing other female artists as potential threats to her pop prowess.
It's good for PR to align yourself with certain blanket feminist and political beliefs, therefore good for branding, therefore good for ticketing and merchandise sales, therefore good for business. And Taylor Swift is a business.
She's not a feminist. Taylor Swift is a capitalist.

I Can't Pay Those Sweatshop Workers a Livable Wage or Benefits! How Else Would I Make My Billions?

Recently, Taylor's team filed to trademark the phrase "Female Rage: The Musical" after Taylor said during Paris N1 of the Eras Tour,

"So you were the first ones to see The Tortured Poets at the Eras Tour...or as I like to call it, 'Female Rage: The Musical'."

This trademark petition was filed last week on Saturday, and news comes about just as numerous unofficial fan-made merch designs have cropped up with this phrase plastered on Fruit of the Loom basics. I'm of the opinion Swift's team motioned for a trademark so that they can send out cease & desists to all those that make knockoff merch, which disrupts potential sales for Bravado, UMG's choice merchandising company; however, since it was filed earlier, perhaps Swift has bigger plans with the bizarre use of the gendered phrase. One Swiftie referred to the phrase "female rage" as "a funny Eras Tour joke". Could it be a possible fourth version of the Eras Tour Movie? Whatever the reason, the motion to capitalize off of such a concept is disgusting, but not unsurprising, for a woman that profits on her vain feminism.
Swift, through her company, TAS Rights Managements, has also trademarked over 200 phrases, including "1989", where she owns the property rights to this calendar year on keychains, phone cases, sunglasses, stationary, bags, beverage ware, clothing, entertainment services, your subconscious, and, of course, Christmas ornaments.
The vapid consumerism in Swiftie culture is, frankly, disgusting. Bravado's sustainability statement is non-existent, the quality control is abysmal, and the materials they use are horrible. The materials, such as acrylic and polyester, are made from petrochemicals. This means they are non-renewable, shed microplastics, and are quite toxic in production. The manufacturing process to make all of those lazy-rushed Eras Tour logo graphic tees is a huge blow to environmental well-being. Apparently, though, Swifties don't give a fuck. They sell out products in seconds and either have to face the manufactured scarcity or buy from a scalper that resells for 200% of the already ridiculous retail price. This doesn't include the environmental impact of vinyl records, CD, and cassette production, of which Taylor produces many variants that sell unsustainable amounts.
If we're talking about women's rights violations, why is no one acknowledging the women that work in the inhumane sweatshop conditions that have to pump out fugly t-shirts and hats? The millions of plastic microfiber dander they are inhaling, or the toxic dyes that touch their bare skin? Are they being compensated fairly for their skilled labour and are they in safe working environments? Do these women have minimal bargaining power, and do they have authority over their worker's rights? Is Taylor Swift female raging at their injustices? Does Taylor Swift ever feels bad that her wealth was built on the backs of women of color, disadvantaged by the demands of the global economy and garment industry? Do you think she ever says a little white feminist prayer for them before she goes to sleep at night?
What's even crazier is not that Taylor herself doesn't care, it's that Swifties don't care. There CANNOT BE ethical billionaires. You only make a billion dollars if you are exploiting other human beings for capital gain. Based on public perception of the possible "Female Rage: The Musical" trademark, it seems like Swifties are already asking for merch with this phrase. "If Taylor made it, I'd buy it." Oh, cool. So not only do you champion Miss Swift's avarice and billionaire status, but you also are unashamed to admit to your blind consumption of her music and merchandise, no matter where they might originate in production or sincerity. Just as Swift takes and takes and takes, Swifties' consumerism of Taylor Swift cannot be quelled.
The tortured artist's most vulnerable and sincere poetry...available now in 21 different versions!

I Am Tortured Poet, Hear Me Whinge

Look - even if Taylor's intention is to characterize TTPD as more "tortured" and "angry", the main thread of the album is "I was ghosted by my decade-long situationship with a controversial indie boy and my fucking stupid fans wrote a 'Speak Up Now' open letter prompting me to drop him" anger, which is adequately expressed in the lyrics and performances. The extent of Taylor's "female rage" on TTPD is on tracks such as "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?", which contends with relentless media scrutiny; "But Daddy I Love Him", where Swift firmly states she'll date whoever she likes no matter how "Sarahs and Hannahs" may react; and "The Albatross", a track mythologizing her reputation and the consequences of dating her. Of course, these coincide with deep psychological wounds that formed during Swift's early years in the media, and so, from her feminist perspective, these subjects tackle the misogyny and double standards that she faced.
Yet Taylor Swift still has no grounds to be claiming that TTPD best exemplifies female rage and therefore she, in the context of this album, is female rage incarnate. As the daughter of a stock broker and mutual fund marketing executive, Taylor was born into wealth and allowed privileges like trips and subsequent relocation to Nashville all so that she might get a record deal. Her father even invested at least $120,000 into the then-fledgling label, Big Machine Records, which ensured Taylor's place with Borchetta after leaving her dead-end development deal with Sony. The fact that her parents were able to buy her a fucking brand new guitar for Christmas and pay for music lessons says so much about the financial security and safety of her childhood.
Money is privilege and protection, and despite Swift's experiences with misogyny and loser boyfriends, she does not know what female rage is.
Her rage is derived from her frustrations with her obsessive fans pulling the moral superiority card on Taylor in response to her rebound with Matty Healy. That's literally it. She's just pissed that the monster she created is no longer obediant, it's become a feral, sovereign entity that depletes the world of its natural resources and thinks it is more intelligent than it actually is because it's mommy has started to talk to it with big words. Apparently, 'illicit', 'elegy', 'nonchalant', and 'precocious' are considerably big words for the oafish monster, and I find it strange that this level of literacy is present in a group of fans that allegedly have GPAs of 3.5 or higher, but I digress.
Taylor Swift has never been one paycheck away from destitution. Taylor Swift has never experienced racial discrimination. She may have instances of gender discrimination, but she possesses the ideal white, blonde American beauty standard and therefore reaps the benefits of being a conventionally attractive woman. Taylor Swift has sufficient social capital. Taylor Swift is a billionaire woman prolonging her victimhood though she, as a woman, has mostly had control over her image and music (unlike her contemporaries). Taylor Swift is NOT entitled to be championed for her "female rage", nor should she be. Taylor Swift has never even been the struggling artist, for fuck's sake. I don't give a fuck if she's trying to fill the empty lunch tables of her past. Taylor Swift purporting herself, her unpolished album, and her lukewarm feminism as a musical bleeding with female rage is asinine.

Sigh Try and Come For My Job, Poors

Out there in the world right now is a 23-year-old woman, a recent college grad, who works as a barista. She has to wake up and get ready to go into a minimum wage job because she cannot get a job in her field. She doesn't have healthcare benefits or sick time, so she has to go into work no matter how she's feeling. All day long she is berated by vicious customers and creepy men, and, exhausted from being on her feet, she knows she has to go home to her shitty roommate that never does the dishes and her roommate's shitty dog. To comfort herself, she considers getting a treat, but thinks against it when she remembers that matcha lattes cost $15 and they taste like milky dirt. She knows that she needs to buy groceries this week, and so the woman resolves to go home, but notices that her gas tank is low. She goes to put gas in the car, but the pump stops at $27.86 because that's all that she has in her checking account. The woman, bereft and reeling, sinks into the driver's seat. "Well," she thinks, her head in her hands, "at least I don't have Taylor Swift's job. I just couldn't imagine."
Fame is somewhat of a choice. If at any moment Taylor feels that she is misunderstood, misconstrued, or overwhelmed by public opinion, she can LEAVE the public eye - Lord knows she has the retirement fund and residuals to do so. In "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart", the TTPD song about meeting the demands of your career-zenith mega-tour while in the relationship trenches, Taylor ends the song by rambling,

"You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart...you know you're good...and I'm good, cause I'm miserable, and no one even knows!...try and come for my job."

Yeah, obviously we wouldn't know, you recently passed the billionaire threshold and are the most famous and in-demand performer in the world right now. Taylor Swift makes an estimated $10 to $13 million dollars A NIGHT on the Eras Tour. Furthermore, the Eras Tour movie grossed $261.6 million globally, (which, as the producer, Taylor takes home 57% of the ticket sales) not counting the streaming revenue from Amazon Prime Video and the estimated $75 million deal that Disney paid to have it on Disney+. We're not even considering the income from cheap plastic popcorn buckets and drink cups plastered with colored squares in her Era-specific likeness.
It's funny. Taylor Swift often said that being famous wasn't hard, that she "isn't complaining". I'm sure it is difficult to always have to present in a good mood, else you'll end up misrepresented in the media, and I'm sure it's invasive to virtually have no privacy or semblance of anonymity. Still, Taylor Swift shows up each night of tour and performs. For a majority of her career, she has penned her sad songs while on the road. Most of "Red", her breakup album, was written in the thick of the Speak Now World tour. Now, some Swifties say they almost "feel bad" for attending the Eras Tour with Swift's revelations in this song, that they have had a 'dimmed experience' upon hearing Taylor's misery whilst performing. Despite the fact that Taylor said that "this was the happiest she's ever been" at Gilette Stadium in May, the lyrics "boohoo, woe is me, smile for the cameras and make the fans happy!!!" are jarring for Eras attendees.
While Taylor Swift was making double-digit millions a night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and feeling miserable, Ana Clara Benevides Machado passed away due to heat exposure. The concert promoters, Time For Fun, are now the subject of a criminal investigation due to their lack of adequate hydration and safety. Taylor Swift cancelled the Sunday show that was to follow and offered VIP tent tickets to Benevides Marchado's family, which was a kind gesture, but perhaps incongruous to the incident of which they were offered as consolation. Everyone grieves differently, of course, but I'm not sure attending the very show at the very same venue that my daughter or sister passed away in two days prior, where the singer CONTINUED the show despite her death, would be healthy for closure.
There was no female rage at the show as Swift never saw Benevides Machado pass out. There was no female rage towards the disregard for fans as humans while Swift elected to proceed with her Brazil tour dates despite the country being in historic heatwaves (at risk of overheatting herself). If Taylor Swift was so shaken by touring with a broken heart or a fan's passing, she wouldn't have added an additional North American leg of Eras just two months after the Matty breakup. She's brokenhearted but willing to mend the cracks with your money and move onward with her worldwide female rage induced pillaging.
No matter what happens, even if you die at a Taylor Swift concert, Taylor collects a big fat check and flies away. She doesn't know you as anything other than a conversion rate or earning potential despite what her nearly 20-year long parasocial relationship with fans might otherwise indicate. She knows that, while some Swifties are without disposable income, they feel obligated to spend on a "48 Hours Only!" exclusive vinyl variant instead of necessities because they are so entrenched in Taylor Swift's intoxicating celebrity, they'll prioritize materialistic fandom before their needs. This is good enough for her because this means she can expand her real estate portfolio and finance her cat's lavish lifestyles. They're worth an estimated $100 million dollars. Her three cats could pool their net worth and solve world hunger.
While you and I might be denied bereavement leave and barely surviving the current political and economic climate, Taylor Swift has to, instead of gets to, perform for stadiums at full attendance for three nights in a row across the globe. You and I might be replaced by AI at our longtime jobs, but Taylor Swift is threatened with losing more and more money each time you listen to a "Stolen Version" of her songs. If we don't buy every variant of all of her albums, then who is going to pay for the fucking cats?
It is tone deaf to spend as she spends and lives as she lives in this economy, but this is her reality. She was able to donate $100,000 to all of her tour truck drivers, and that's wonderful, but it leads me to wonder about the ethos of the 2020s where one woman can hoard such life-changing amounts of money. Remember in 2014 when she gave a fan $90 ($120 in today's money) to get Chipotle because she had no fucking clue how much it cost? This is a 34-year-old woman who is increasingly out of touch with the reality for working class people and women in general. Normal everyday adults must wake up and go to their thankless jobs, and yet Taylor Swift, despite all her riches, incessantly references the lows of her life and career as a public figure and entertainer to farm sympathy and drive sales. And still, the corporate women have latched onto "I cry a lot, but I am so productive! It's an art!" as their cubicle battle cry.
Do you think that, from up in her private jet, Taylor Swift gazes at the world through her poetic, tortured eyes, and thinks, "All the little people, in their cars, walking, going about their lives...all those girls that don't support girls...do they know that I've made an album about female rage?"

Conclusion/TLDR

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your critical insights towards this entire ordeal: TTPD, the trademark, the implications of it all.
TLDR: Taylor Swift is a bad feminist and is delusional to think that the TTPD eras set exemplifies female rage at women's injustice.

Hi guys! I just have to say that i appreciate all of you who commented on my last post, even the negative comments. I want you guys to know that i appreciate the positive comments alot since i have no one else to ask for advice.
However, i think that i should have put more effort into my last post and i should have told a little more details about myself and the relationship that i am currently in.
I am 17f and i am soon to be 18. I’m very mature for my age, and there is a reason as to why i have the issues that i have. I am the first born child. My mom had me when she was 23, yet she was un experienced how to be a good mom, and that was absolutely not her fault.
My dad is was an absolute a hole towards my mom and me, he still is, just not towards us because ha abandoned me for someone elses kids. However, my dad used to hit my mom, being violent wasn’t uncommon from where he comes from, but my mom and i are traumatized till this day. He would hit my mom whenever he felt like it was needed to ”decipline” her. He would also lay hands on me as an infant, and no i am not joking.
I was 15 when my dad left me and my sister for another family. He abandoned us, and moved to another country. We still don’t know where he lives or if he is okay.
This sutuation led me to being scared of being abandoned, by anyone really.
The trust issues that i have comes from an abusive relationship that i used to be in. I met this person when u was 14, and we became friends. Things escelated and he started laying hands on me. It was to a point where mom would pick me up and i had to make up an excuse for the black eye, or the bruises on my body. I’m sure y’all are wondering why i didn’t leave as soon as it started. This person, he knew people who knew people, and he proved it to me. He also blackmailed me with alot of thingd, like secrets i had told him and trusted him to not tell anyone. I wqs scared he would hurt my family, and that he would hurt me by leaking things, so for my familys sake and my sake i stayed. Everyday i prayed that things would get better, and that i would be able to leave him. That day finally came, and i cried my eyes out. Not because i was sad, but because i felt so relieved, and i felt so free. I repported him to the police and they have him locked up now, because i was not his only ”victim”.
This is where the trust issues comes from. It also comes from getting cheated on, bur i’d rather not talk about that because i am not ready to bring it up.
I’ve always been drawn to ”crazy” people. I would learn that they are ”crazy” sooner or later. This is the reason why i don’t have many friends, but a few close ones.
My man is really caring, and he has never done anything intentionally to make me feel like i have a reason to be worried. He is rarely around girls if he isn’t in class. I don’t like when he is close to girls or the thought of him having a girl friend or even a conversation with a girl if not needed. I do trust him not to do anything, and me and Connor have talked about this. We both agree when it comes to this subject. He doesn’t trust boys, and i don’t trust girls. It doesn’t mesn that all boys/girls are the same, but it is something that we are worried about because after all we don’t knoe other peoples intentions.
Me and Connor have mentioned breaking up before, or been forced to. Thid has never been by choice, our relationship is something that seens to bother other people. People gives us nasty glances, whisper in our surroundings, and what not. We can’t find the reason as to why our relationship seems to bother people, but this just makes us stronger, because the more problems that we face, the more experience we gain, and grow closer.
We keep a low profile, we don’t act like lovers in public. We keep it really low to not draw attention. We still talk, and walk beside eachother, but we aren’t intimate in any way.
For those of you who thinks that i should enjoy life and be a kid, i can not do that. I’ve raised myself because my mom never had time for me. My sister was the golden child and has always been. But she is my mother and i love her.
I’m very independent, and i’m a very isolated person since i’ve never liked the idea of partying, hanging out more than 2 people at once, or anything else in that direction.
I never got the time or opportunity to be a kid, i had to raise myself and become independent at a very young age. I’ve always been the quiet girl who reads, sleeps, studies, and what not. School has never been hard for me, but being a target for others has been hard. I’ve never had it easy, that’s all i’m going to say for now. I hope this update gives you a picture of how things are from my aspect. And i’m sorry if i miss spelled something, i’m Swedish which makes me miss spell some things.

For many, Guerlain’s Habit Rouge represents a high watermark in perfumery. Since its original release in 1965, the composition has been beloved by gentlemen (and ladies) across the world. It is also a well known favourite of many of the most well regarded perfume historians and reviewers out there and, because of that, one could well argue that there is precious little further useful opinion that can be added to the existing cannon (and they may well be right!).
Still, Jean-Paul Guerlain’s multi-faceted composition has been no stranger to a remix over the years and, since Delphine Jelk took over from Thierry Wasser as in-house perfumer at the historic French house, she has managed to deliver a staggering three new takes on the fragrance in as many years. What better opportunity could there be, therefore, to undertake both a reappraisal of the original release and, in doing so, compare it to some of the new kids on the block? Note: I have not sampled the first of Jelk’s flankers, 2022’s Habit Rouge L'Instinct but, given the almost unanimous negativity surrounding it, it’s not high on my hit list! We’ll be looking at Rouge Prive and the Parfum today.
Habit Rouge EDT (1965)
The concept behind Habit Rouge (or ‘Red Coat’, if translated in to English from its native language) was to create a perfume that brought to mind the jackets worn by the landed gentry when they went hunting. In the UK, we’re no stranger to this nefarious practice - our own fox hunting aristocrats also wore red coats and, despite now being banned, the idea of chasing helpless creatures to their deaths is still a subject of debate in our national politics (with right wing politicians often promising to offer a ‘free vote’ to MPs on the issue to energise their base).
As an animal lover myself, this is perhaps the only element of Habit Rouge I find somewhat jarring. There is nothing within this perfume which brings to mind sport, adrenaline, blood, or violence. I find it somewhat curious, consequently, that Guerlain sought to relate it to hunting. The only thing wearers of Habit Rouge were likely to be chasing on its release were sexual partners!
That statement isn’t made wholly in jest either. Habit Rouge is a gentleman’s fragrance, but it carries within its structure not only aspects of formality and traditional masculinity, but also sensuality and sensitivity. It is, as such, a fragrance well suited to old fashioned romantics. Indeed, if it didn’t have these traits, I’d argue that it wouldn’t have survived for the almost 60 years that it has. When you think about it, it’s almost incredible that, despite how radically concepts of masculinity have changed over the years, Habit Rouge has still been a regular seller for Guerlain, with devotees now spanning across 5 generations.
Created to be the younger brother to the company’s 1925 release, Shalimar it, like its sibling, contains a citrus top note, which descends into a floral heart, before culminating in a vanillic leather and amber base. Habit Rouge is not simply a three card trick, however, and its complete run of notes can be summarised as follows (as per Basenotes):
Top Notes: bergamot, lemon, rosewood, basil, pimento
Heart Notes: sandalwood, carnation, patchouli, cedar, rose, cinnamon
Base Notes: vanilla, amber, moss, leather, benzoin, labdanum, olibanum
When it comes to the head of the perfume, the real star of the show is the bergamot, which radiates wonderfully off the skin when first sprayed. Whilst it is effervescent, though, it is also a powdery affair. In fact, it can most accurately be described as being akin to orange sherbet - fizzing whilst maintaining a chalkiness. It is warm and reassuring as opposed to enthusiastic. It also maintains a cologne like structure, however, by incorporating herbal and spicy notes through the use of basil and rosewood.
This accord is then joined to a rose and carnation-dominant middle phase, through which the powdered facets of the fragrance continue to run, and through which the fragrance begins to show its romantic side.
Finally, the dry down of the fragrance provides a semi-sweet backdrop with the vanilla taking the edge away from the traditionally masculine moss and leather accords and combining with the rest of the ingredients to produce a soft, light amber.
It is not hard to see, in this context, why Habit Rouge has continued to be successful over the years - it, essentially, captures hearts and minds because it resonates with the personality of its wearer in a way that other traditional masculine fragrances can sometimes struggle to do (as they were often, like their owners of the period, more buttoned up).
Habit Rouge - Rouge Prive (2023)
That doesn’t mean that the EdT of Habit Rouge smells like it was composed yesterday, however. It just means that it has aged like a fine wine as opposed to being the perfume equivalent of a kipper tie. In fact, if it were any item of clothing, I’d compare it to a 1960s slim lapelled suit - of its time, but still stylish today.
Still, as the years have gone by, the term ‘legibility’ has become more and more important in the perfume industry, and there now seems to be a distinct trend towards the creation of perfumes whose formulas are more streamlined than Habit Rouge. Or to put it another way, perfumers are being encouraged to reduce the number of notes in a perfume’s composition, with the aim of producing a more direct product. For lovers of vintage fragrances, legibility can be an anathema but, personally, I have no issue with the principle behind the concept. Nor it appears, does Delphine Jelk. Enter Habit Rouge Rouge Prive.
Top Notes:Bergamot, Ginger
Middle Notes: Orange Blossom, Iris
Base Notes: Leather, Patchouli, Vanilla
As can be seen from the notes list, Rouge Prive maintains the structure of Habit Rouge (bergamot, floral, vanillic leather), but switches out or culls a number of the traditional accords that were contained within the original. Gone are the cologne-esque elements. Gone too are the powdery rose and carnation. The leather, meanwhile, has been amped up and modernised - more akin to Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather than Knize 10. Whisper it quietly, but it also seems that Jelk has snuck an oud accord in to the base too.
Given the number of changes, you could be forgiven for thinking that Rouge Prive would end up smelling completely different to the EdT, but fans of the OG need not worry - this is still unmistakably Habit Rouge. To paraphrase Persolaise (my favourite reviewer of perfumes), it’s like the whole perfume has simply been redrawn with clean bold lines. The bergamot continues to shimmer and, in spite of the florals being listed as Orange Blossom and Iris, the ultimate accord generated is still interpreted by my nose as being a rose. It is very much a rouge perfume as opposed to an orange or purple one (which is, incidentally, roughly what you get if you combine an iris hue and orange on a colour wheel…).
Where Rouge Prive differs to the EdT is in its brute strength. The leather note really does have a serious kick to it and, given that, the perfume is pulled from the bottom up, as opposed to the top diffusing off the skin to reveal the heart.
Whilst I’ve always found the EdT to perform quite well, the longevity of the Prive is genuinely outstanding, again due to the material in the base. Pleasingly though, the dry down still does maintain the powdered amber facets contained within the original. It’s a superb flanker that updates Habit Rouge without necessarily ripping up the original composition.
Habit Rouge Parfum (2024)
Not to rest on their laurels, Guerlain have now revisited Habit Rouge again in 2024, introducing a parfum version to go alongside new stablemates Vetiver Parfum and L’Homme Ideal Parfum.
I’ll say in advance that I’m a little sceptical of the allure of parfums myself, as I often find that the actual performance difference between fragrance concentrations can be completely counter-intuitive (I have EdTs that vastly out-perform EDPs and Parfums, both in terms of silage and longevity). In addition, given that Rouge Prive was already quite beastly, the necessity for a parfum to be made only a year later seems curious to me.
Parking those views for the moment though, the theme across these three new releases appears to be alcohol. In the case of Habit Rouge, the drink of choice is listed as rum, although there seems to be confusion in that regard, with Jelk being quoted in the marketing as saying:
For Habit Rouge Le Parfum, I Created a leathery vanilla liqueur with plenty of bold bourbon-inspired intensity
Perhaps Guerlain are suggesting that the perfume has been matured in bourbon casks? Hmm. In any event, the notes list for this one is as follows:
Bergamot, Vanilla, Rum, Patchouli
Well, I did say perfumers were streamlining their notes list, didn’t I!
What’s most striking to me about the Parfum is, firstly, how base heavy it is (we’re talking sub-woofer level) but, secondly, how patchouli dominant it is - there’s a definite chocolate element in that respect, but my nose also detects something slightly medicinal, smoked, and perhaps even burnt (think coffee beans). When combined with the vanilla, the result is a perfume that very much lies within the domain of the gourmand.
This is somewhat a blessing and a curse - if you’re not a particular fan of the EdT or Prive’s floral elements, you’re likely to get along a lot better with the Parfum. At the same time though, I’d argue that the floral heart of Habit Rouge is, to a large extent, key to its DNA, and vastly reducing the components that make this element ‘sing’ lead to a very different fragrance profile.
My second critique is that the perfume, generally, feels less balanced than Rouge Prive. I have no issue with the concept of a Habit Rouge that focuses on patchouli - readers of my previous pieces will know that I’m a huge fan of the note - I just wished that, on a technical level, the Parfum still maintained a decent top end. As it is, the whole thing sits very deep against the skin, with any radiance from the bergamot being buried by the heavier materials. This ultimately leads to a fragrance that, rather than being a sparkling rouge, comes across as a heavy-set chocolate and beige. Because of that, I can’t decide whether or not I’ve truly fallen for the Parfum.
That being said, you honestly couldn’t go wrong with any one of these three and I’ve no doubt they’ll appeal to different elements of the fragrance market. I look forward to Jelk’s next flanker in 2025, even if these variations are becoming a little bit akin to Marge Simpson’s Chanel jacket…!