oh! I have to tell you guys a great story one of my professors told me. So he has a friend who is involved in these Shakespeare outreach programs where they try to bring Shakespeare and live theatre to poor and underprivileged groups and teach them about English literature and performing arts and such. On one of their tours they stopped at a young offenders institute for women and they put on a performance of Romeo and Juliet for a group of 16-17 year old girls. It was all going really well and the girls were enjoying and laughing through the first half – because really, the first half is pretty much a comedy – but as the play went on, things started to get quiet. Real quiet. Then it got up to the suicide scene and mutterings broke out and all the girls were nudging each other and looking distressed, and as this teacher observed them, he realised – they didn’t know how the play ended. These girls had never been exposed to the story of Romeo and Juliet before, something which he thought was impossible given how ubiquitous it is in our culture. I mean, the prologue even gives the ending away, but of course it doesn’t specify exactly how the whole “take their life” thing goes down, so these poor girls had no idea what to expect and were sitting there clinging to hope that Romeo would maybe sit down for a damn minute instead of murdering Paris and chugging poison – but BAM he died and they all cried out – and then Juliet WOKE UP and they SCREAMED and by the end of the play they were so upset that a brawl nearly broke out, and that’s the story of how Shakespeare nearly started a riot at a juvenile detention centre
Apparently something similar happened during a production of Much Ado at Rikers Island because a bunch of inmates wanted to beat the shit out of Claudio, which is more than fair tbh
honestly Shakespeare would be so pleased to know his plays were nearly starting brawls centuries into the future
Beating the shit out of Claudio is definitely a fair and reasonable response, honestly.
Everyone agrees! Your intestines squirming around like eels in your belly is horrifying!
IM SORRY THEY FUCKING WHAT NOW?
The racks even have hooks to keep them from squirming right off and onto the floor apparently. They desperately want to escape our bodies
Intestines are muscles, and function involuntarily. If your muscles did not squirm around, then they wouldn’t be able to move food through them, thus you wouldn’t gain any nutrients from anything you eat, and the food would spoil and make you sick. I agree the squirmy wormies are a bit unsettling, but hey it’s actually really good for you! Your intestines work so hard for it! Please give them a little love.
Hello! My name is Claude and I am a Texas cosplayer who also workers as a hotel housekeeper.
I haven’t been working in housekeeping for very long but I’ve seen the impact of all sorts of guest and I have to say that Anime/Comic Con attendees are honestly some of the messiest guests and it puts a lot of strain on the housekeeping staff.
Did you know we are warned in advance about you guys? I even have horror stories about con guest. This job is very physically demanding and we’re under a lot of pressure to meet our room cleaning times. Below are some tips about being a more helpful and respectful guest. These are only a suggestion. Not rules. Courtesy is a choice.
1.) Before leaving don’t make the bed. We understand you mean well, but all sheets need to be washed and therefore the beds stripped. The best way to leave the bed? Place all the sheets on top of the bed and remove the pillowcases from the pillows. You can leave them bunched up, that’s fine.
2.) Place all your trash into trash bags, tie it up, and leave the trash next to the door before leaving.That way we can just toss it in the trash cart and move on. Leave anything that we can vacuum. You can also leave the dirty towels next to the door before leaving.
3.) Please check all the drawers, cabinets, and closets to make sure you have all your things. Anything found will be placed into lost and found for 90 days. If you’ve left something, just call the hotel and tell them what you’ve lost and in what room.
4.) If you place a DND sign on your door we CANNOT ENTER at all. We mark it down and move on. If you later remove it and decide that you want service call the front desk and let them know because housekeeping usually end up leaving anywhere from 3pm-5pm.
5.) When housekeeping refreshes your room we make the bed, refill amenities, place fresh towels, take out trash, and do a quick wipedown. Don’t want your bed made? Need extra amenities? Need extra trash bags? Etc? Let us know! We leave notepads and pens in every room and you can write down any instructions for us. Ex: “No need to make the bed, just fresh towels and extra shampoos please.” “Extra trash bags and bath towels please, no more shampoos please.”
6.) Housekeeping cannot make the beds when you have personal belongings on the bed. Simple things like clothes and towels we move while making the bed then put back but anything else we DO NOT TOUCH. Laptops, jewels, suitcases, etc. Please keep this in mind if you want your bed made.
7.) Please do not leave your hair curlers and straighteners plugged in the bathroom. Guest always leave them connected usually next to the sink with water all over and it’s a safety hazard. Housekeeping will usually unplug them but I, personally, fear that maybe one day we won’t reach the room in time.
8.) If a hotel is Pet friendly, you still have to let the hotel know that you are bringing a furry friend along. We need to know what rooms need the pet treatment. What if the next guest is allergic and we weren’t notified about the previous guest?
9.) Try and bring some supplies to clean up after your pet. We’ve had guest allow their pets to pee and poop on the carpets and it not only affects the housekeeping staff but maintenance staff as well.
10.) Most hotels are non-smoking and we ask that you please respect that. We are trained to find out if a guest has been smoking and when we catch it, you get a $250 charge. Don’t risk it!! There are smoking areas that you can ask about.
11.) Have left over alcohol that you can’t take with you when you leave? You don’t have to throw it away. It’s very common for guest to leave them as a tip for housekeeping staff.
12.) Yes! You can tip housekeeping! It’s not required. But we constantly get tips and little notes to thank us for our work and we deeply appriciate it. (I actually have all my thank you notes!) How much you tip is up to you. Ive gotten anywhere from change to 25$.
13.) If you’re sick (like influenza, strep throat, cold, etc.) let the hotel staff know. That way we can notify the housekeepers to take extra precautions. (mask, gloves, etc) and provide a deeper clean. (I actually got Influenza B and ended up in the hospital from this one!)
14.) You don’t have to leave your room if housekeeping comes by to refresh it. You can stay and tell us how to make your stay more comfortable. Plus, we appreciate the conversation.
15.) Please notify ANY of the hotel staff when you encounter a problem. (bedbugs, clogged toilet, broken lamps, etc) We are committed to make your stay as perfect as possible and can be reached at anytime for help.
16.) If you throw up or bleed (excessively) in the room please notify us as soon as possible and we can have maintenance come clean up. Please do not leave it for us to clean until after your stay. It causes stains that won’t come out and a deeply embedded smell in the room.
17.) Things you can ask for that guest don’t usually know about (can vary by hotel. Some hotels require purchase.): cribs, extra blankets, shower caps, slippers, toothpaste, toothbrush, tampons, pads, razors.
That’s about all I can think of so far. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about how to be a more courteous guest or anything about hotel service. I’ll be happy to help to the best of my ability. I cant wait to see you all at San Japan! 🙂
We like to be as nice as possible to our hardest workers. But a lot of the time, we don’t know how, this is a wonderful way we tend to communicate on just what things help and what don’t help, because sometimes it’s counter intuitive to those of us who haven’t worked in those positions! (For example, not to make the bed!)
This is just one of the many jobs that have a helpful check list in how to be the best customer for them, others include waiters/waitresses, librarians, and others. Keep an eye out if you’re interested!
And as the original poster said; courtesy is optional, not mandatory. But I’d like to encourage it if you do remember! And don’t feel bad if you don’t remember, or don’t feel like it. Memory is never perfect and you can’t be faulted for how you feel; you’re doing great either way just for being interested and trying to understand.
If you love Scottish fold cats, I’m going to tell you something you don’t want to hear. Please, please read on anyway. If you are considering adopting a Scottish fold, PLEASE continue reading. This information needs to be more widely known.
In 2008, the Journal of Small Animal practice released a short report on disorders associated with breeds of cats. In this report, the authors mentioned the Scottish fold:
People who own them may be “charmed” by their round faces and open expression (and they may not realise that the reason the cats do not move around too much is because they are variably crippled with arthritis).1
The gene that causes the cute fold in the Scottish fold’s ear also leads to the development of a degenerative disorder called osteochondrodysplasia. ALL Scottish folds have this disorder, whether they show symptoms or not- the fold in their ears is caused by a cartilage deformity that also affects their joints.
Osteochondrodysplasia leads to crippling osteoarthritis, which affects Scottish folds at much younger ages than other breeds of cats. In cats heterozygous for the gene, the disease’s progression can be seen in cats as young as six months. In homozygous cats, it can be seen as early as seven weeks old.
Affected cats may be grossly deformed, with short wide limbs and a short, inflexible tail. They show lameness, swollen wrist (carpal) and ankle (tarsal) joints, have an abnormal gait, and are reluctant to move and jump. Severely affected individuals become crippled and unable to walk.
…Many affected cats are euthanased earlier in life due to the profound effects of this disease.2
The breed is often described as “placid” and “calm.” This is due to the fact that they are constantly in pain due to this disorder. Even in mild, ‘asymptomatic’ cases which can occur in heterozygous cats, they may still be experiencing pain due to cats’ tendency to hide their suffering.
Many breeders of Scottish folds claim that not all heterozygous cats have the disorder, because the studies that examined the cats (which were all, heterozygous or not, shown to have it) had small sample sizes.
In 2003, Lorraine Shelton, a specialist in genetic diseases, offered to pay for 300 x-rays of healthy adult Scottish folds to prove that the disorder was not present in some heterozygous cats.
…She has asked a list of 300 Scottish Fold breeders from around the world to go to their vet to get X-rays done. She had offered to pay for these X-rays but not a single breeder had taken up that offer. You could not know whether this problem existed unless an X-ray was taken. If somebody would send her an X-ray of a healthy hind leg of a folded eared cat, she would be grateful as she wanted to see the very first one.3
To date, no one has taken her up on the offer. The breeders’ unwillingness to have their cats examined speaks volumes. The authors of all studies on these cats agree: it ethically wrong to continue breeding these cats.
It disturbs me that any breeder would knowingly continue to create animals that will be in pain throughout their lives. As a cat lover myself, I am begging you, please do not buy Scottish folds. Do not support these unethical breeding practices, or the concept that it is acceptable to intentionally breed unhealthy animals for the sake of how they look.
Before you buy ANY animal, please do your research. If a breed suffers from high incidences of genetic disorders, don’t use your money to support the creation of more animal suffering.
Well, not entirely. Birds aren’t the closest living relatives of dinosaurs. Birds ARE dinosaurs, and saying they’re the closest living relatives of dinosaurs is a bit like saying dogs are the closest living relatives of mammals.
Crocodiles are, in fact the closest living relatives to dinosaurs; however, the saltwater croc is not closer than any other crocodilian.
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