The “we” that Ah Tao is talking about are gay men on the island, like him. With the aim of understanding the life of the LGBT community in Hainan, I asked Ah Tao to be my guide. Unlike big cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, the LGBT community in the island located on the southern coast of the mainland 30 km is not really well received, has to live a closed life and hide its bias. sexual orientation towards society. Unlike in Beijing or Shanghai, the LGBT community in Hainan province still faces many prejudices and is not accepted by society. Photo: The Beijinger. Hide your identity 11 years ago, I spent 12 months learning Chinese in Hainan and interacting with the local LGBT community. From that experience, for the past 8 years, I have started researching the lives of gay, bisexual and transgender people in this low-economic and culturally low-value locality. In the past few years, the government has made a lot of efforts to promote tourism in Hainan, but there has not been the same level of investment in other coastal areas. Ah Tao led me out of the square, through an empty market, and into a dark alley. “When you go there, don’t mention homosexuality or heterosexuality,” he warned carefully. Most have to hide their identities to be able to integrate into the community and continue to lead normal lives. Photo: New York Post. I suddenly recalled in 2009, the first time my friends took me to the only gay bar in Haikou – the capital of Hainan province. It was nestled behind an abandoned hotel, hidden by another row of working hotels. Later, I found out that that is the common point of spaces for the LGBT community – discreet, out of sight. To outsiders, these areas are completely invisible, hard to find. But for people like Ah Tao, this is the only place to take off your mask and be true to yourself. “Happy or sad, I always go to these bars to relax. The LGBT community here doesn’t have that much space,” said Xiaomai, a 19-year-old gay man. However, such bars only exist in major cities on the island. In smaller towns, they can only meet and chat at teahouses, convenience stores and parks. The risk of being discovered, stigmatized, affecting honor, family and work is also greater. Therefore, Ah Tao told me not to mention a word related to “gay”. Following Ah Tao’s footsteps into a convenience store at an intersection in a dark alley, I saw three electric mahjong tables surrounded by many people, men and women of all kinds. Seeing Ah Tao, they turned to ask about love and marriage. “It looks like it, but the men sitting here are all gay,” Ah Tao whispered to me. Accordingly, because they want to participate in community activities, many gay people in Hainan accept to hide their identities and pretend to be a different person. The worry of “no wife, no children” “How do you have a wife and children that are so few these days?”, a woman playing mahjong turned to ask Ah Tao. In fact, gay men here often receive such curious questions about marriage. Family pressure, children are always present, reminding Ah Tao that he is living “no wife, no children”. Many people in the community fear that they will be forced to marry and have children according to the expectations of family and society. “I am happy to make friends, get to know many people like me. But what about the future? How should I face my family, how do I explain the fact that I am still unmarried at 20-30 years old?”, Xiaomai’s heart. Some gay people living in Hainan choose to have children through surrogacy, which helps relieve the pressure of marriage and the anxiety of loneliness in old age. Photo: The Guardian. In China, the traditional concept of family still has a profound influence in society. For men, they need to be responsible for getting married and having children at all costs. In addition, due to fear of old age without a caregiver, many gay men accept marriage. “I got married partly because of my parents, partly because I was afraid that I wouldn’t have someone to look after me in my old age,” said 24 year old Liang Zongwei, a gay man living in Haikou. Some individuals like Ah Long (36 years old), a factory owner in northeastern Hainan, choose to have children through surrogacy. However, not everyone has the financial means to do this. In big cities, social organizations are trying to change stereotypes and raise social awareness about the LGBT community. But with provinces and cities that have not yet received economic and cultural investment like Hainan, the presence of homosexuals has not been properly recognized. From the experience of making friends with Ah Tao and being exposed to LGBT culture in Hainan, I reflect more on life, wondering if having to hide my true self is really “living”.

Therefore, in order to control plastic waste, Ho Chi Minh City has launched a plan to strengthen the management, reuse, recycling, treatment and reduction of plastic waste in HCMC. Prioritize recycling of plastic waste One of the solutions to reduce plastic waste is to organize the classification, collection, reuse, recycling and treatment of plastic waste. Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City will promote the classification of domestic solid waste at source in accordance with the direction and direction of the City People’s Committee. It also encourages the separation of waste at source for plastic waste separately from other types of waste. Thereby, helping to make reuse and recycling activities more profitable and economic. HCMC will promote the separation of domestic solid waste at source. Photo: CN In addition, Ho Chi Minh City encourages the classification of plastic waste mixed in domestic solid waste at transfer stations, or domestic solid waste treatment plants and prioritizes transferring plastic waste to recycling units. use, recycle function. In case plastic waste is no longer able to be reused or recycled, other appropriate and effective treatment solutions should be implemented. Ho Chi Minh City will also organize the implementation of technical solutions or movements and campaigns to collect solid waste, plastic waste in public places, vacant land, rivers, canals, canals… in the area. . In addition, mechanisms and policies will be developed to encourage, give incentives and support to organizations and individuals that collect, reuse and recycle plastic waste and for production facilities. recycled, environmentally friendly products to replace difficult-to-biodegrade plastic packaging and disposable plastic products, etc. Minimize the use of non-biodegradable packaging The habit of using single-use plastic and nylon bags may bring convenience to people, but it is a big polluter for the environment. Therefore, one of the plans of Ho Chi Minh City is to minimize and proceed to not use non-biodegradable plastic packaging, single-use plastic products in all daily activities of administrative agencies. the state, non-business units, unions, schools, medical facilities, people… in the city. In addition, the city will review and assess the current status of plastic waste generated in the area, thereby proposing appropriate and effective solutions in managing and minimizing plastic waste in the area. The city will also continue to mobilize and urge the system of supermarkets, trade centers, convenience stores, people’s markets … in the area to strive to fulfill the targets set by the city. Specifically, the system of supermarkets, commercial centers, markets, convenience stores, bookstores, etc. have forms of encouraging consumers to bring bags when shopping, limiting or not giving free plastic bags. for consumers. Towards charging for bags and packaging of goods for consumers who need to use them when they do not bring bags when shopping… Convenience stores, food stores… have a discount policy, accumulate points for customers who bring products to store, store goods, food, drinks… Strengthening handling of the act of dumping plastic waste in public places Ho Chi Minh City will inspect and handle violations of environmental hygiene, indiscriminately disposing of waste and plastic waste in public places in the area according to regulations. At the same time, inspect and handle violations of environmental protection lease, value-added tax, corporate income tax… in the activities of importing, manufacturing, distributing, and trading in packaging. non-biodegradable plastic and disposable plastic products, recycled products, environmentally friendly and activities to reuse and recycle plastic waste in the city.

The opening hours of the shop can be at five o’clock in the morning or sometimes earlier. At five o’clock in the morning, Uncle Ba called to buy a pack of cigarettes. There are times when Mr. Bay comes over to buy tea bags and comes back to drink in the morning. Sometimes the night has completely sunk, the surrounding landscape has been quiet, the aunt of the two houses also often calls the door, buys a few packets of noodles, she complains that she has nothing to eat in the afternoon, so she “feels sorry”. My mother’s “notebook” is very thick. It was a student notebook, my mother used it to record who still owes some money from the shop. Every family in my neighborhood works in the fields, and it takes more than three months to harvest rice when there is a shortage of rice, fish sauce, monosodium glutamate, and sugar, so they have to “buy on credit” and wait until the rice season. Perhaps my mother’s way of doing business is very special, so when she has money or is short of money, everyone visits her shop. If you sell mango, add more mango, if you sell eggplant, add some onions, when you buy garlic, my mother will add chili. And yet, when anyone goes to buy things, carrying a child, when leaving, mom often carries a candy or a cake. The kids in my neighborhood love hanging out in front of my mom’s grocery store. When they were tired, my mother would scoop them up for a refreshing cup of iced tea. They like to enjoy a glass of shaved ice made by my mother. Because if you have money, you can pay it immediately, if you don’t have money, ask for another meal. Supermarkets are now full of big markets, but the whole neighborhood never forgets to support my mother’s grocery store. Because of the kilograms of “gratitude” rice when there was a shortage of rice, I sold it to the season. Or the meager tamarind to cook sour soup, my mother said, just a little bit, don’t take money. Or how can they forget that my mother’s love has taken all the money from the sale and lent it to Aunt Tu to take him to the hospital for an acute appendectomy… No matter how life develops, the village friendship is always cultivated as a beautiful cultural feature of the river delta of my hometown. People can’t live forever with nostalgia, but good memories can’t be forgotten. My four brothers and sisters have grown up with their mother’s hands, from the income of a small roadside shop. Miss my mom’s grocery store!

It is not difficult to find bananas in Japan as they are sold in any supermarket or convenience store. Photo: ABC. However, bananas are still a rare fruit in the land of the rising sun, because 99.98% of bananas in this country are imported. Only 0.02% of the bananas on the market are grown locally. Photo: Japan Times. It is quite surprising that these few bananas come from Hokkaido – the coldest area in Japan even though bananas are a tropical fruit. Photo: Soranews24. The type of banana grown in Hokkaido is called 946 and the price is not cheap. Photo: Soranews24 The price of a 946 banana is 1,080 Yen, equivalent to 230,000 VND, 20 times the price of an imported banana in Japanese grocery stores. Photo: Soranews24 Even a box of three bananas is more expensive than buying three individual fruits because there is also the cost of packaging as a gift. Photo: Soranews24 Accordingly, a box is 4,860 Yen (about more than one million dong). The price surprised many people. Photo: Soranews24 Japan’s 946 bananas are quite large in size, equivalent in length but “fatter” than bananas imported from other countries. Photo: Soranews24 Like most fruits in Japan, banana 946 is grown with a clean process, without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. They have a sweet but not overpowering taste, with just the right amount of moisture and scent. Photo: Soranews24 In particular, banana peels are thinner than regular bananas and are described as “thin enough to be eaten”. Even 946 banana peels can be sautéed like the traditional Japanese vegetable kinpira gobo. Photo: Soranews24 Video: 9x boy is passionate about growing clean bananas Source: VTV24

In many supermarkets, convenience stores, wholesale and retail markets, pork, beef and chicken of all kinds are defrosted for retail, in which, there are products that are discolored and metamorphosed right on the counters and stalls. See defrosted meat as cool, fresh meat In previous years, imported frozen meat was often preferred by collective kitchens (schools, factories, restaurants) because the price is much cheaper than fresh meat (hot meat) in the country and the price advantage when buying the whole box (per barrel) cartons are usually from 18-25kg). But now, imported meat is defrosted and retailed by stall owners in markets, shops and supermarkets. Bach Hoa Xanh convenience store on Vo Thanh Trang street, Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City sells a lot of lean pork chips, pork ribs, and imported beef thighs. All meats here have been defrosted, chopped, and sold as cool or fresh meats. According to some customers, they buy this type of product because it is cheap and easy to process. Some customers don’t even know it’s defrosted meat. “All meat imported here is frozen meat that has been defrosted and has the same quality as chilled meats,” the store employee said. Many types of defrosted meat sold on the side of the wholesale market for agricultural products and food in Hoc Mon began to change color, but consumers still flocked to buy it due to the low price. At the Tops Market supermarket on Au Co Street, Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City, the amount of beef imported from the US and Australia is quite large, overwhelming domestic beef. Meat is divided into many types such as ribs, pork belly, shoulder loin, corn, neck core meat, lean thigh, lean shoulder, flower corn… All are cut into all sizes (1-2cm thick slices, thin slices, slices). square, wrap enoki mushrooms…) and then put in a plastic tray with a weight of 300-400g, which is very suitable for the retail needs of most customers. It is not easy to recognize that this is defrosted meat because the small stamps on the surface of the tray only show the words “American beef shoulder”, “Australian beef shoulder”… With thick cuts of meat, still fine. Ice crystals between the fibers are easier to see, but with thin slices, the ice crystals disappear, they look like cool meat. Meanwhile, at the counter, there is no information that this is defrosted meat. Some meats have a promotional label, which has a three-day shelf life. According to staff, this supermarket often has promotions and discounts directly on products; all promotional meat is fresh meat, not old meat like in other supermarkets (?). At Big C supermarket on Truong Chinh Street, Tan Phu District, in addition to imported beef and pork, there are also whole chickens, garlic thighs, and imported chicken thighs. All kinds of pork and beef are also chopped, blistered, and sold in the freezer. Particularly, the types of chicken are defrosted and sold as fresh chicken in the country. At this area, there is a sign warning consumers: “Product has been defrosted, please do not re-freeze”. At Lotte Mart supermarket, imported beef has been sliced, packed, and defrosted, but the packaging says “fresh beef”. Not selling all, re-freezing again If supermarkets and shops bring thawed meat to sell as cool meat, in markets, thawed meat is sold as fresh meat. Even at the end of the day, if not sold out, the stall owner will re-freeze the meat to sell the next day. At a beef stall in Ba Hoa market, Tan Binh district, at 6am, all beef tendons in the tray were still a bit cold, some pieces of meat were still mixed with ice crystals. According to our observations, during the lunch break, this unsold meat continued to be re-frozen and then displayed on a tray for further sale at 15:00. “In the morning, this beef tendon costs 150,000 VND / kg, but in the afternoon, the price is about 120,000-130,000 VND / kg. Meat that is not sold out must be re-frozen for preservation. It’s the same everywhere, not just here,” said the stall owner. In markets, it is not difficult to recognize frozen beef and buffalo meat that is thawed and sold as fresh meat. Imported goods are mainly packed in boxes according to categories such as thigh, loin, and neck meat, while most stalls also sell these types. These defrosted meats often darken very quickly when sold at room temperature, especially on hot days. Previously, the Veterinary Department of Ho Chi Minh City had exposed cases of defrosting meat and then dipping it into fresh beef blood to deceive consumers. Route 4 on the side of Hoc Mon wholesale market for agricultural products and food is the gathering place for dozens of frozen pork trucks. This is also a place to sell defrosted and re-frozen pork on a fairly large scale. Here, there are more than a dozen stainless steel tables set up next to refrigerated trucks for small traders to display meat for sale. Meat is exposed, uncovered, under the table only temporarily lined with cardboard or plastic bags. Meat juice from the table dripped to the ground, pooled in puddles, and smelled foul. These “stalls” sell all kinds of pork such as tenderloin, cutlet, young ribs, bacon, lean shoulder, thigh, ham, hoof, and offal. Because everything is frozen, when it’s on the table, it’s a bit cold. The prices of these meats are half as cheap as hot meat in the wholesale market of agricultural products and food in Hoc Mon: pork leg and pork belly at 55,000 VND/kg; Young ribs, pork heart cost 65,000 VND/kg. According to our observations, most customers come here to buy wholesale, at least 5kg or more, in and out continuously. Vendors also use their bare hands to pick up meat for customers, with only a few wearing gloves. A seller here said that the customers who come to buy are mainly people from restaurants and collective kitchens, they take a lot of money due to the cheap price, but the delicious meat is not inferior to fresh meat because it is preserved by refrigerated trucks. specialized. However, it was only around 7am, the sun was still not shining, the meat in some stalls had stopped freezing, started to turn a little pale, not pink, and lost its elasticity when pressed. This amount of meat is put in plastic bags by the owners of the stalls and brought to the refrigerated truck to be re-frozen, wait a few hours or the next day for sale. This happens from early morning to late evening. According to regulations, to sell frozen meat, small traders in the wholesale market of agricultural products and food in Hoc Mon must register; If you do not register, you will be severely fined. Meanwhile, the “field stalls” on the side of this market sell defrosted meat without knowing if it has an expiration date or is marinated with any preservatives. (According to Women in HCMC)

Amazon introduces automatic payment technology into large-scale supermarkets Features of Amazon’s automatic checkout technology, called “Just Walk Out”, appear in the planning document for a store under construction in a suburban mall in Brookfield, Connecticut. This technology allows customers to bypass checkout items by tracking any items they pick up and bill when they leave. Shoppers simply swipe their smartphone at the store entrance, where shoppers will likely scan apps or credit cards when they arrive. Inside, cargo is monitored by cameras, software algorithms and shelf sensors. Ceiling-mounted cameras are capable of tracking items that buyers pick up in the store. Amazon seems to have tackled a significant technical challenge, creating a take-and-go system that can handle shoppers’ scores at the same time and cover major supermarkets without too much cost to construction and operation. This breakthrough will push Amazon ahead of competitors, which are experimenting with similar camera-based technology developed by various startups. The executives of these companies have admitted that they may not be able to install cashier systems in large supermarkets in a year or two. The widespread adoption of automatic payments is likely to lead to criticism from labor unions that accuse Amazon of seeking to eliminate cashiers. Because this is one of the most popular jobs in America. The goal of the Just Walk Out program, the company says, is convenience for shoppers, not cutting labor or costs. Amazon has created thousands of grocery jobs since the launch of its first Fresh store last year. Planning brochure for a shop under construction in Brookfield, Connecticut. Photo: Brookfield Public Records. Industry’s miracle? Since the launch of the Fresh chain in southern California, Amazon has opened 12 stores, with 37 more under development across the US. But beyond testing at a Fresh suburban Chicago store, the new chain doesn’t feature Go-style automated payments, surprising industry followers with a less traditional approach. Instead, Amazon developed the Dash smart cart, which has sensors and cameras that help replenish purchases as shoppers move through the aisles. The shopping cart stops in a seamless shopping experience. They only hold a few bags of food and shoppers are unable to take them out, forcing them to move the bags into a low-tech trolley or transport their food to the parking lot. Keeping track of dozens of people in a large store is a technical challenge. Along with that, cost also slows down the adoption of non-cashier technology. Equipping a camera for a 2,000 square meter convenience store can be done with several dozen devices. However, the coverage of a full-service supermarket is much bigger. With the trend of large area supermarkets in the US, the requirement for more cameras and servers has to be exponentially larger for video processing and storage. That could quickly erase the benefits of hiring fewer cashiers or attracting more people into the store with the promise of seamless payments. Amazon has worked for years to streamline its Just Walk Out system, making it more cost-effective for its own stores and attracting other companies that might license the technology. this. Even as Amazon exclusively opened small convenience stores, the company’s engineers were asked to build a version of the technology that would be available in stores larger than 2787 square meters or more. Smart Shopping Cart Dash. Photo: Amazon. If Amazon completes rolling out the cashier-free payments technology in its Fresh stores, it represents an industry feat. Startups like Standard Cognition, AiFi, and Grabango have all developed autonomous systems for retailers, but widespread adoption of the technology is still costly and challenging to implement in large store format.

Amazon will soon introduce the cashier-free payment technology at its grocery chain Fresh Features of technology automatic payment Amazon’s, called “Just Walk Out”, appears in the planning document for a store under construction in a suburban mall in Brookfield, Connecticut. This technology allows customers to bypass checkout items by tracking any items they pick up and bill when they leave. Shoppers simply swipe their smartphone at the store entrance, where shoppers are likely to scan application or credit card when they arrive. Inside, cargo is monitored by cameras, software algorithms and shelf sensors. Ceiling-mounted cameras are capable of tracking items that buyers pick up in the store. Amazon seems to have tackled a significant technical challenge, creating a take-and-go system that can handle shoppers’ scores at the same time and cover large supermarkets without spending too much to build. build and operate. However, the application is widespread automatic payment feature Amazon faces charges of trying to eliminate cashiers, one of the most popular jobs in the United States. Amazon says its goal is to facilitate shoppers, not cut labor costs. Amazon says it has created thousands of groceries jobs since it opened its first fresh food store last year. Supermarket Under construction in Connecticut covers approximately 3,000 square meters, including warehouse, office space and a temporary storage area for online ordering. The shopping mall should be covered with cameras that are about 2,000 square meters in size. This space is 3 times bigger than supermarkets using Just Walk Out technology today, so automatic payment solution can solve Amazon’s human resource problem. Since the launch of the Fresh chain in southern California, Amazon has opened 12 stores, with 37 more under development across the US. But beyond testing at a Fresh suburban Chicago store, the new chain doesn’t feature Go-style automated payments, surprising industry followers with a less traditional approach. Instead, Amazon developed the Dash smart cart, which has sensors and cameras that help replenish purchases as shoppers move through the aisles. The shopping cart stops in a seamless shopping experience. They only hold a few bags of food and shoppers are unable to take them out, forcing them to move the bags into a low-tech trolley or transport their food to the parking lot. Last year, Amazon launched an identity system that allows shoppers to “wave” to pay. The system is called Amazon One and is deployed in convenience stores, bookstores … in the Seattle area and is planning to continue to expand elsewhere.

Louis Vuitton bags: Although the beauty has many bags, this compact handbag is still the choice she likes the most because although it is “small but has a martial”, it can hold “the whole world” of Lam Vy Da. Phone: Whenever she is away from home, she will often call her husband and children to ask questions, so the phone is an indispensable item in a beauty’s bag. Lam Vy Da always chooses for herself the most convenient things, so she combines a case that can hold all kinds of credit cards, convenient for all activities in life. Wired headphones: The beauty said, she used to buy many expensive wireless headphones, but she is an forgetful person, so she often loses it. Therefore, the actress came up with an effective countermeasure, which is to use wired headphones, while saving and not dropping. Medicine: Lam Vy Da confided a few years ago while filming a sitcom she was stunned and nearly fainted. After being admitted to the hospital, the doctor’s words shocked her: if you delay a little, the chance of Lin Vy Da having a stroke is very high. Since then, she has been paying more attention to her health, with a plethora of medicines and supplementary products in her bag always in her bag to ensure her health is always in the safe circle. Eyelid stickers and stickers: The secret to Lam Vy Da transforming from one eyelid to 2 glittery eyelids is to use eyelid stickers. The beauty said no to beauty editing because she felt satisfied with herself, and a part of Lam Vy Da’s husband loved her wife’s natural beauty. Lip mask: During filming, the actress needs to make up and apply lipstick a lot, so her lips are prone to dryness and peeling. Lam Vy Da often has a habit of peeling her lips, causing her lips to bleed, so she always has to keep this savior ready to keep her lips soft. Perfume for hair: Must always change the shape to suit many different roles, hair needs to use heat regularly to style, so it is easy to pick up odors. Adding perfume to her hair is the secret to her confidence in any situation. Posts: Bao Tran

Indianapolis Star Daily quoted a police source announced at 23:30 on April 15 (US time), or around noon April 16 (in Vietnam time), saying many victims were discovered. FedEx international carrier office at 8951 Mirabel Rd, Indianapolis City, Indiana, USA.

Where the shooting took place

Indianapolis Police Department spokesman Genae Cook said police were at the scene at 23:00 on April 15 (local time) after receiving reports of many gunshots. They described it as a shooting and “had many victims with bullet-like injuries”.

Currently, this country’s security forces have surrounded and sealed off this entire area.

The scene outside the office of international shipping company FedEx in Indianapolis, after the incident. Photo: Indystar

According to the latest information from the police, the number of victims injured in the shooting is unknown, but many people have been taken to hospitals in the area; and the suspect who committed the incident committed suicide. The engine of the shootings is still unknown.

A Fedex spokesperson also confirmed that the company was at the scene of the attack, and pledged to coordinate to assist in the investigation with authorities.

A woman asked law enforcement at the scene to find a loved one inside the FedEx office. Photo: Indystar

Family and friends of the victim wait for news after the shooting. Photo: Indystar

This is the latest shooting to take place in America. At the end of March 2021, a shooting in an office building in Southern California claimed the lives of four people, including a child. On March 22, 10 people were killed in the shooting at a vegetable shop in the city of Boulder, Colorado.

Each year, the US records nearly 40,000 people killed in gun-related cases, and more than half of them are suicidal.