VICE USRSS feed for https://www.vice.com/enhttps://www.vice.com/en%3Flocale%3Den_usenMon, 18 Mar 2024 17:15:12 GMT<![CDATA[Your Guide To Nightlife In Manchester...If You're Not Into Clubbing]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/5d9emb/manchester-nightlife-guideMon, 18 Mar 2024 17:15:12 GMTManchester, it’s the red-bricked wonder of the north. An industrial city by historic trade, it’s turned into a global music hub (the birthplace of a slew of Britpop bands) and also the home of two world-renowned football clubs. But now, beyond the stage lights — and stadium lights — there’s a creative undercurrent shaking up the city, pushing social and culinary boundaries, especially after the sun sets. The city thrives at night, with some of the best underground rave spots that keep the pulse alive. But for those who aren’t fans of clubbing, there’s plenty to see, do, and drink, all without having to endure a packed dance floor. So here is our guide to the best nightlife in the city — with absolutely no club in sight.

Eddie Shepherd at The Walled Garden 
With only eight seats available, this is possibly the most sought-after reservation in the whole city. In the home of Eddie Shepherd — the chef-owner of the event — diners are invited to a sophisticated 12-course vegan and vegetarian experimental underground supper club. It’s quite the mouthful, with technical precision and fantastically beautiful plating. A past hit favorite includes dandelion petal pastels on a roasted pumpkin soup with pine needles and whipped oat cream, or soaked burning pine with halloumi, capers, a chive sauce, and rhubarb molasses.

Night & Day 
A legendary music venue smack dab in the Northern Quarter. When Night & Day opened up in 1991, this area was a little rough around the edges, but now, it’s transformed into a cool neighborhood with even cooler establishments — bars, restaurants, record shops, et al (and was even made over into New York City to serve as a backdrop to a royal TV show). Dutch founder Jan Oldenburg started by hosting small jazz shows to fulfill his music obsession, and quickly, the joint became a beloved space that saw the very early days of now-established bands. Today, it’s still considered one of the best venues for exposure for emerging bands (and doubled as a bar in a British TV drama series). Catch their sets at night, or eat wood-fired pizza and view exhibitions during the day.

The Carlton Club 
In the southwest suburb of Whalley Range lies The Carlton Club, a longtime institution that not only serves the late-night local residents, but is also a space sought out by good-times-loving folks all over the country. A former gentlemen's club, it’s now a thriving music, arts, and culture community, stuffed to the brim with pool tables, a fully decked bar, and one-off events. On any given night, it could be a cabaret club or a makeshift theater; the next, a live music venue or a drink-and-draw workshop.

Mackie Mayor 
If you’re looking for super-smash burgers and pizzas the size of your head, then Mackie Mayor is the place to be. It’s a spankingly smart food hall housed in the old Smithfield meat market (and in a beautiful historic building, too) — a must-visit food stop in between bar-hopping and Northern Quarter-exploring. We suggest grabbing craft beers from Blackjack Brewery before juicy tacos from Pico’s, steaming bowls of noodles from New Wave Ramen, and sourdough pizza from Honest Crust Pizza.

**YES
**This four-story multi-concept space has a different vibe on every floor — a destination for those who are looking for a good time and good music. During the day, visitors can grab a coffee and peruse the latest exhibition — and listen to up-and-coming bands play at night. In the summer, the rooftop is one of the coolest places to be, where groups of friends or first dates sip on strong cocktails overlooking the post-industrious skyline.

Factory International 
Possibly the biggest opening of 2023 — this mega-new arts and cultural space is a nod to Granada Studios, a television studio and events venue that’s one of Manchester’s most legendary sites. Factory International found its home in Aviva Studios, a theater and exhibition warehouse space that puts on incredible performances and events. And because it secured a license to stay open 24 hours a day (and a liquor permit to serve alcohol until 4 a.m), Aviva Studios’ many social shows and gatherings are open well into the night. We love their artist socials that bring in a truly local creative community.

Castlefield Viaduct 
Manchester’s answer to New York’s High Line. This Victorian-era steel structure has been transformed by the National Trust into a garden in the sky, with landscaped wispy ferns and pretty plants all above the city’s cobblestoned streets. It’s worth an evening wander, away from the busy bars, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be without provisions. Try KERB for its bold bottles of natural wine and the stuffed sandwiches from Fat Pat’s.

Co-op Live 
Set to shine in April 2024, Co-op Live will be one of the biggest music venue openings that Great Britain has seen in years. A landmark step forward for Manchester, the 23,500-person stadium is set to become one of the best live entertainment spaces in the world, bringing in global stars for a music-first spotlight. And there’s already an impressive star-studded line-up for the year.

EATING PIZZA AT DIECAST
DIECAST. PHOTO BY sophie green

**Diecast
**Billed as “a new creative neighborhood,” Diecast has been luring in foodies, beer lovers, and partygoers since it opened its doors last year (its highly anticipated opening celebration sold out in seconds). The cavernous industrial warehouse is split into two, with one side taken up by Leno Ex Machina (a pizzeria, bar, and party space whose name serves as an ode to the textile weaving history of Manchester) and the other, the Brooklyn Beer Hall. There’s no shortage of fun to be had, from daiquiri drinking (there’s a whopping total of 49 flavor combinations), to pizza-slinging, to evening boogieing.

Man holding drink inside Ducie Street Warehouse
Ducie Street Warehouse. PHOTO BY sophie green

Ducie Street Warehouse
Good food, good music, good times — that’s the aim at Ducie Street Warehouse, an all-day multi-conceptual building that was once the home of the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway group that flourished in the mid-19th century. During the day, spot remote workers tapping away with a matcha latte and a loaded focaccia, served by the slice. On the weekends, you’ll find big groups who are there for disco brunch or a life-drawing workshop. The space also regularly hosts indie film nights, pop-up shops, and DJ sessions.

Signage that spells out
Gay Village. PHOTO BY sophie green
Other vies of Gay Village
Gay Village. PHOTO BY sophie green

**Gay Village
**It’s a known fact that Mancunians like to party. And Gay Village — a stretch of busy bars and pubs along Canal Street — just happens to be one of the liveliest, most electrifying spots to do just that. The area is a LGBTQIA+-friendly oasis, and when Pride descends on the city every year, it’s really the only place to be.

Partisan Collective 
Over in Salford, a cool creative center of Manchester, is this queer-friendly and inclusive collective for events, talks, and gatherings. Members of the artist-led endeavor Islington Mill frequently get together for a wide range of community-backed projects that include printing workshops, DJ nights, choir sessions, and live gigs. It’s open to anyone who finds joy in working with their hands.

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5d9embKatharine SohnAndrea ChengGUIDESNightlifebarsRestaurantsMANCHESTER
<![CDATA[The DIY Utopia Hidden in the British Countryside ]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wxjaqn/rockaway-park-utopia-bristolThu, 14 Mar 2024 16:58:32 GMTOver the hills and far away, there lies a place called Rockaway Park. Here – on a stretch of land somewhere between Glastonbury, Bristol and Bath – the homes are handmade, space is abundant and art is king. “It’s like Disneyland meets Scrapheap Challenge,” a local artist called Bumblepunk tells me.

I’d heard murmurs of this place in the punk community for years, and seen intriguing photos of what looked like an all-year-round festival site. Friends and strangers have often asked me, “Have you been to Rockaway Park yet?” A modern bohemia loved by all who visit, I’m told. There are even rumours that they’ve started their own religion.

I make contact with the park’s chief, Mark Wilson, who invites me to visit the community and see what it’s all about. I get in a taxi from Bristol, driving down A roads, B roads and eventually narrow country roads, flanked by green that winds into the wilderness.

I see a hand painted signpost that reads “Rockaway” and stop the car to get out. A dirt track leads me past battered cars and towering trees. “Welcome Home” is spray-painted on the shell of an old black cab. I pass strange sculptures made of scrap metal and tires – imagine Mad Max on mushrooms – and I hear hip-hop booming from a sound system.

Eventually, I emerge into a huge courtyard abuzz with people, and walled by cabins, shanties and a ramshackle café. Friends stand chatting, kids ride around on bikes and visitors take photos in awe.

A middle-aged man wearing a woolly jumper, drainpipe jeans and muddy boots walks towards me with a big grin and an outstretched hand – it’s Wilson. He immediately shows me the park’s masterpiece-in-progress, a large structure he calls “The Chapel of Unrest”. It’s a half cocoon of corrugated steel with huge windows making up the front wall. Inside, a monolithic “A” for “anarchy” stands 15ft high with a peace symbol hanging in it. A ‘Ceasefire Now’ placard leans against it, with Palestine flags laid out neatly in shrine-like reverence. Crushed beer cans decorate the half-built back wall, oddly beautiful as they glisten in the sunlight.

A man sits in infront of a range of eccentric objects and a caravan.
Mark Wilson. Photo: Aiyush Pachnanda

I get closer and see that the “A” is engraved with a quote from anarchist hero and Spanish revolutionary Buenaventura Durruti: “We are going to inherit the earth,” it reads. “There is not the slightest doubt about that. The bourgeoisie may blast and burn its own world before it finally leaves the stage of history. We are not afraid of ruins. We who ploughed the prairies and built the cities can build again, only better next time. We carry a new world, here in our hearts. That world is growing this minute.”

As we wander around the site, Wilson is stopped every few minutes by visitors for a chat. We dive into a converted school bus with “PEACE” emblazoned across its windscreen. “I left art school to join a punk band [The Mob]. I always knew I was a creative individual who likes making stuff,” he tells me. “I had the idea that this could be a beautiful, creative space. It’s got this unnatural beauty because it used to be a quarry, and then it was a scrapyard.”

Originally from Yeovil, Somerset, Wilson bought this place as a scrapyard back in 2001 to fix up tour vans for bands and drivers he knew. But his scrapyard business went bankrupt in 2011. On the brink of losing the yard, he borrowed money from a mate and managed to keep the land, before deciding to turn it into something more ambitious, with activism, art and community as the driving force.

A kid rides a toy vehicle through the yard of a DIY community.
Photo: Aiyush Pachnanda

Today, Rockaway Park is a sprawling, five-acre community and art space with 30 residents and thousands of visitors every year. It boasts a music venue, an anarchist library, a drop-in mental health clinic, film screenings, a forest school for children, screen printing sessions and weekly yoga classes. On top of that, there are 30 artist workshop spaces inhabited by welders, graffiti artists, glassblowers, sculptors and carpenters.

All the major building decisions at Rockaway come from – or have to go through – Wilson, and he makes money for the upkeep from rent donations, sales from the café and bar, and from events and workshops. He also gets revenue from allowing the space to be used to build and store art sculptures that go on to appear at Glastonbury, Shambala and other festivals. Around the park, mechanical beasts – made by Glasto favourite Joe Rush and his eccentric performance art troupe the Mutoid Waste Company – loom like gargoyles.

A photo of the DIY community Rockaway Park at night, surrounded by trees.
Photo: Aiyush Pachnanda

The first artist to rent a studio space here was Bristol street artist Rowdy, back in 2015. “It's really important to have accessible space,” he says. “Here, we’ve got a 24/7 gallery and studio space, and we don’t have to go through any institutions.”

A rickety spiral staircase leads to his studio, which sits above a dusty car garage overlooking the tin rooftops of the park. Rowdy, who lives as well as works at Rockaway Park, is known for his 50ft long caricature crocodiles that can be seen on buildings across Somerset, Bristol and beyond.

Up another staircase on a wooden deck, I find a room overlooking the site where Sarah Lewis runs a mental health drop-in centre once a month for children and young people up to the age of 19. Lewis left the NHS two years ago to “challenge the system” and set up a service called Normal Magic.

“It’s free, anonymous and off-grid, which is really important,” she tells me. “We've been in GP surgeries for over a year now in West Devon. We offer a no threshold, no referral, no open or closed service for those surgeries. If you ring up your doctor because you've hurt your foot, there's no other information that's normally needed; we’re trying to do that for people who might have a mental health problem, or are worried about something.”

She adds: “We trust you to know what you need.”

A woman stands in a DIY work space surrounded by chairs.
Sarah Lewis. Photo: Aiyush Pachnanda

Lewis believes that what she’s doing at Rockaway Park, and with Normal Magic, is part of a growing movement across the country. “We left the NHS because it's too big a machine and is too stuck in its way of working to influence change. I think services and groups with similar agendas to ours are growing outside of the bigger system now because the bigger system won’t move as quickly as we can as individuals and as communities.”

The ethos and feel of Rockaway Park echoes the new age traveller sites you might have found in rural England in the 1980s. In fact, many of the residents here spent their formative years as part of the traveller and free festival movements, famous for their convoys and communes.

Joe, who chose not to give his surname for privacy reasons, is a musician in a hardcore punk band called Disciple BC, and has lived this way for decades, raising his kids on the road throughout the 80s and 90s. He now lives at Rockaway Park, residing in a reworked bus.

A couple sit in their caravan with their dog, surrounded by red decor.
Georgia and Joe. Photo: Aiyush Pachnanda

“I grew up in Jersey. I ran away from there when I was 18, otherwise I was going to get sent back to a young offenders’ place,” he tells me. “I ended up meeting a load of travellers just by total chance. They basically looked after me. I was just sniffing glue and being really crazy and sort of self-destructive. These hippie types got me listening to Hawkwind and smoking a bit of pot, and they told me, ‘You need to calm down, otherwise you're going to fucking die.’”

His small home is filled with records, CDs, cassettes and instruments – by The The, Dawn Ray’d, Tragedy and Kate Bush, to name a handful – and there’s a Hawkwind poster on the wall. “There’s a freedom here,” he says. “You’re around likeminded people, and it’s a caring community, really. People look out for each other.”

As for the religion supposedly taking root here, Wilson laughs it off. They were originally building the chapel for events, but the authorities found out and tried to hit them with business rates. Remembering that they’d recently hosted a wedding ceremony there, Wilson thought on his feet and declared that the building was indeed a church and that Rockaway Park had its own religion, therefore exempting them from needing to pay business tax.

A photo of a DIY chapel lit by purple lighting and with a gigantic A at the altar.
The Chapel of Unrest. Photo: Aiyush Pachnanda

It spawned a campaign to get 60,000 people to join The Chapel of Unrest (AKA The Congregation of Agitation) religion. Wilson says he was told by someone that this amount of followers would classify it as a nationally recognised religion, but VICE haven’t been able to verify that claim. Either way, he’s asked for a £10 donation from each new member, which will be used to complete the chapel.

The building will be an homage to protest and a hub for organising. In his words: “[It will be] a monument, a movement… that stands for the disenfranchised, the visionaries, the dreamers and misfits.” Currently at 1,800 members, its devotees include Henry Rollins from Black Flag, Penny Rimbaud from Crass and comedian Nish Kumar.

“Why stop at 60,000? We’re going for 600,000!” says Wilson. “The way I see it, we’re building a huge network of people who give a shit. We all have different skills. Instead of us all working alone, in our own disciplines, thinking we can’t do anything, we can come together and share our skills.”

His eyes light up as he talks, and he gets more animated by the second. “There could be this massive, broad range of skills and a network that could counteract the status quo, you know?” says Wilson, who even became a member of the local parish council recently. “I’ve always been attracted the politics of punk,” he explains. “Changing the world and making a difference. That’s what I’m trying to do with this place.”

Two people sit outside a shed surrounded by objects and a sign that says
Photo: Aiyush Pachnanda

Despite being situated just three miles from the home of the region’s MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Wilson says they’ve never got planning permission for anything they’ve built. “We just get on with it – I’d rather ask for forgiveness later, than permission before,” he says.

This devil-may-care approach just adds to his magnetic charisma, and makes him hard to dislike. In the afternoon he takes me to his self-built house for a cup of tea. It has homemade wooden doors carved with care and a tropical conservatory full of towering cacti and massive aloe vera plants. The huge kitchen doubles up as a counterculture museum of ephemera and artworks made by everyone from Banksy to Vivienne Westwood. A wall of windows overlooks a verdant valley below. It’s more like something you’d see on Grand Designs than at a protest camp.

His youngest daughter, Rosie-Lee Wilson, lives next door in a bespoke bungalow with her partner Penny, who works as a postal worker in a nearby village. She’s an artist and graphic designer who moved back here two years ago after almost a decade in London. Carhartt and Champion are among her clients, but she came here to reconnect with the community roots around which she was raised.

“[Rockaway Park] is a third space. It's a space that you can be in without spending any money. It's a space where you won't be judged,” she says. “You can rock up here any time. We have a loneliness epidemic right now because we have a chronic lack of spaces.”

A young woman stands outside her self-built home at dusk, glass doors behind her.
Rosie-Lee Wilson. Photo: Aiyush Pachnanda

Her living room is warm, wooden and homely, with a whippet sleeping on the couch. I ask how her artistic life has changed since living here. “Just having the space and money to be able to make work is the big thing, isn't it? Because when you're in London, it's pretty hard.”

In a secular society, Rosie tells me, places like Rockaway Park are important to provide what religious communities do elsewhere. “Why do we love festivals so much? Because we actually just like being in communion. We like singing together. We like going on pilgrimages to these places. That's how I see this place.”

Joe echoes her thoughts: “It’s that thing of having a community and having people around you who you can talk to and they'll help you out. I think I'd be pretty fucked if I lived in town, to be honest. I wouldn’t last very long!”

This place doesn’t just attract anarcho-punks and eccentrics. Among the visitors I see today, there are local families, conservative neighbours and young professionals in Patagonia jackets and New Balance trainers. “If we're going to change the world, we need everybody working on it,” says Wilson. “You need the support of your grandma and your grandchildren, you know?”

There’s an 11-year-old, he tells me, who regularly comes to sit in the anarchist library to do her homework as her parents catch up with friends onsite. “I’m impressed by how radical normal people are these days. It’s not just the people with spikey hair and leather jackets!” He goes on to say that their main demographic of followers online is women between the ages of 35 and 65.

Part of Rockaway Park’s magic is its geography. The subcultural spirit of nearby Bristol and Bath coalesce here with the Isle of Avalon and the mythos of Glastonbury. It feels intimately remote – upon visiting, you simultaneously want to tell everyone you know about it, while somehow keeping it a secret. It’s a community enriched by visitors, not diluted; made to be shared, exhibited, enjoyed and learned from, in the hope that ideas here are taken back into the everyday lives of the visitors, like pollen on a fleece jacket.

Two men stand at a stall selling zines, behind them is a large sign satirising petrol stations.
Bumblepunk (left) and Mark from Myth & Lore zine (right). Photo: Aiyush Pachnanda

“Back [in the 80s and 90s] you’d find somewhere to stay and you'd basically try and hide,” Joe remembers. “Here, we’re hiding in plain sight. We had fucking Bath and North Somerset Council come down. They just think it’s a cool arty space!” Rowdy echoes these thoughts, “I think maybe society has grown to realise that we’ve got a terrible housing situation, so we have to have some alternatives. And if we're building them ourselves and we're not relying on the taxpayer or the local council for anything, then we're not really harming or hurting anyone.”

Before I leave, I stop by the community’s Sunday market to speak to some of the vendors. Two years ago, Mark and his wife Ellie – who have chosen to only use their first names for privacy reasons – came here to sell their zines and, after a few visits, the opportunity arose for them to take over running the markets. “We fell in love with the place,” Mark tells me at his stall. “At the time I was dealing with a big mental health break. I wasn't going out, I wasn’t really talking to people. This became very important to me. I found a group of people that just took me for who I was. From there, we’ve become more and more involved.”

The zine that Mark and Ellie run is called Myth & Lore and is dedicated to, you guessed it, mythology and folklore. I wonder if there is something almost folkloric about Rockaway Park. A story that will be passed on over time: the tale of a strange and charismatic man who started a religion for a laugh and built an artist community in a junkyard.

The sun begins to set and I say my goodbyes and walk back down the dirt track. Before I leave, I check in with Wilson. “People always say to me that they wouldn’t get away with what we do here in Brighton, or London, Manchester, or up north… Well, you wouldn’t get away with it here unless we just fucking did it! What’s the worst that could happen? You go to jail, read a few books… then come back out and start again.”

@Jak_TH

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wxjaqnJak HutchcraftJoe ZadehAiyush PachnandautopiacommunityGlastonburyoff-gridFestivalrockaway!
<![CDATA[Epicly Later'd Is Back on VICE, Baby]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jg59eb/epicly-laterd-new-series-2024Thu, 07 Mar 2024 11:42:42 GMTTwenty years ago, Patrick O’Dell started a blog called Epicly Later’d, documenting Downtown New York, the skaters he hung out with, and whatever else he felt like pointing his camera at.

That blog turned into a documentary series on our old video website, VBS.tv, then on our YouTube channel, and over the last two decades has become objectively the best and most in-depth video document of modern skateboarding. That may sound biased, and that’s because it is. But I’m afraid it’s also absolutely true.

In excellent news, Epicly Later’d is back with a brand new series. The first two episodes are out – and, conveniently, you can watch them by literally scrolling one tiny bit further down this page.

Don 'Nuge' Nguyen , the Skate Legend Who Escaped Death and Saved 'Thrasher'

How Stefan Janoski Became the World's Most Successful Skater

Keep an eye on the VICE YouTube channel for the next few episodes.

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jg59ebVICE StaffJamie CliftonSkateboardingEPICLY LATERDepicly later'd vicepatrick odell
<![CDATA[Weekly Horoscope: February 26 - March 3]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7emad/weekly-horoscope-february-26-march-3Sun, 25 Feb 2024 21:00:00 GMTRisks are taken with confidence as action planet Mars clashes with Jupiter on Tuesday, February 27, at 3:29 AM. Be cautious of biting off more than you can chew.

Messenger Mercury meets with the sun on Wednesday, February 28, at 3:42 AM, revealing information. News is shared! Topics are serious as Mercury meets Saturn at 10:07 AM. Then the sun meets Saturn at 4:25 PM, revealing responsibilities and showing us the smoothest way to accomplish tasks.

Messenger Mercury connects with Jupiter on February 29 at 4:53 AM, encouraging positive thinking.

Peaceful relationships and friendships flow as the sun connects with optimistic Jupiter at 7:14 AM on Friday, March 1. There's a vision for peace, but insecurity and instability still shake the table as Venus clashes with Uranus, the planet of surprises, on Sunday, March 3, at 8:17 PM.

For more insights into the current astrology, check out your horoscope for February!

All times ET.

Stay in the cosmic loop with the VICE horoscopes newsletter. Get horoscopes straight to your inbox when you sign up here!

Aries glyph

Aries: March 19, 2024 - April 19, 2024

Your drive and focus are ignited as your planetary ruler, Mars, clashes with Jupiter. You could be called to action if you’re connected to what you believe. When you’re fighting for a cause, you’re able to work toward your goals in a way that goes beyond the material world. The reward is greater than paying your bills. You’re taking yourself seriously as Mercury, the sun, and Saturn all align, bringing emotional breakthroughs and insights into your psychological world as secrets are revealed and shared. Avoid punishing yourself. You’re able to figure out financial matters as Mercury, the planet of trade, connects with lucky Jupiter. There are safety nets and ways to keep yourself protected.

Taurus glyphs

Taurus: April 19, 2024 - May 20, 2024

Have faith in yourself and your future as the sun connects with Jupiter, giving you confidence in your ability to connect with your friends and community. This is a good omen for your social life. Making new friends or connecting to the people in your network goes super well under this aspect. This can also represent a moment of realizing your own success. You’re willing to take a risk as your planetary ruler, Venus, clashes with Uranus. You may be willing to make yourself stand out, and unafraid to make a fool of yourself in the name of being yourself. This could ruffle feathers, but to the right people, your behavior is endearing.

Gemini glyph

Gemini: May 20, 2024 - June 20, 2024

Important information about your career and responsibilities is revealed as Mercury meets with the sun and Saturn. While you might feel melancholic, you’re able to be more realistic than perfectionistic. The sun and Saturn together show you how to get organized and clearheaded about what is necessary, and what is not. There is a sense that things are going right for you when the sun connects with Jupiter. This brings optimism and faith in the unknown. You might have an ability to see positive potential that other people can’t. You have a magical air as Mercury connects with Jupiter. Tap into your X factor, and give the crowd what they want.

Cancer glyph

Cancer: June 20, 2024 - July 22, 2024

You’re sharing news far and wide as Mercury meets with the sun and Saturn, revealing some pretty serious information. Details about secrets or things that normally don’t get discussed are coming to light. Hopeful discussions about the future are easy to tap into as Mercury connects with Jupiter. A positive mindset and outlook is accessible and friendly conversations are explored. You can believe in your future and your alliances. Friendships and social connections are going smoothly, and sharing your ideas with your community serves you well. You’re sharing your knowledge with the world! Relationships can feel a little shaky as love planet Venus clashes with Uranus; a change can be made in order to feel more certain and secure, on both ends of a relationship.

Leo glyph

Leo: July 22, 2024 - August 22, 2024

Deep conversations unfold as Mercury meets with the sun and Saturn, revealing private information. Look out for dirty money or other people’s dirty laundry that you’re somehow getting pulled into. This can represent ironing out your tax documents or trying to make the most out of your financial situation. You’re figuring out where you fit into the equation as your planetary ruler, the sun, meets with Saturn, showing you how to deal with this issue responsibly, with compassion for yourself and others. You’re being extra resourceful. Positive financial and professional conversations are underway as Mercury and the sun connect with Jupiter. You’ll be amazed by what you can get when you simply ask for what you want.

Virgo glyph

Virgo: August 22, 2024 - September 22, 2024

News is shared as Mercury meets with the sun, revealing information about your work or health. Reports are presented, data is organized, and now you have to figure out what to do with it! Your discernment skills are pragmatic, but a lot weighs on the other person in this situation. It will take time—and you can see just how much—with Mercury and the sun both on Saturn, the planet of time! You can tap into a positive mental attitude as Mercury connects with optimistic Jupiter, a good aspect for friendship and sharing a message of peace. You can also have a better time with relationships and feeling understood by people on this day.

Libra glyph

Libra: September 22, 2024 - October 22, 2024

News about your work and health arrives as Mercury meets with the sun, revealing information about your daily habits. You have to discuss your own limitations, fears, and responsibilities as Mercury meets with serious Saturn, also on this day. You’re making sacrifices for others, but that’s a source of your own power and authority as the sun meets with Saturn, showing you exactly how you’re dedicating your time and labor. Once all of the hard stuff is discussed, there’s a lot of hope for the work that you’re doing and the support that you provide for others. You’re feeling compelled to break out of what’s expected of you or to rebel against social norms as your planetary ruler, Venus, clashes with Uranus.

Scorpio glyph

Scorpio: October 22, 2024 - November 21, 2024

You’re taking a big step forward as your planetary ruler Mars clashes with Jupiter. Your relationships, especially those that are romantic or intimate, call you to make a change—this is a turning point in your life’s direction. Mercury and the sun connect with Jupiter, providing a sense of relief and joy. This is a positive aspect for connecting with people, making peace, and enjoying your friendships. You may be willing to talk about things that are weighing on you when Mercury meets serious Saturn. You’re eager to break out of your typical patterns in relationships, and reacting to any peer pressure as love planet Venus clashes with Uranus, encouraging rebellion and experimentation in your interpersonal life.

Sagittarius glyph

Sagittarius: November 21, 2024 - December 21, 2024

You’re getting gassed up as Mars clashes with your planetary ruler, Jupiter: You have extra motivation, confidence, and determination to make your work happen! Pace and hydrate yourself—while the energy is high, you might end up overextending yourself or overstretching. News about your home and family arrives when Mercury meets with the sun, revealing information. You might feel like holding your cards close to your chest on this day since Mercury also mingles with serious Saturn, signifying secrets, disclosures, and private details. Although there are taboos being discussed at home, you’re approaching them with honesty, integrity, and respect as the sun meets with Saturn. You’re tapping into your silly side as Mercury and the sun connect with Jupiter, bringing friendship and comedic relief.

Capricorn glyph

Capricorn: December 21, 2023 - January 20, 2024

You’re willing to invest in something that you can believe in as Mars clashes with Jupiter. You’re sharing your thoughts with clarity as Mercury meets the sun, revealing information. Conversations are becoming more defined. Look out for ultimatums as Mercury meets serious Saturn that same day. You might be sharing your boundaries or illuminating your own personal wisdom and experience. The sun also meets Saturn on that day, which brings a moment of pure honesty—you might be feeling vulnerable and having a real discussion at this time. You’re optimistic about the conversation that’s unfolding, and there’s levity and humor despite any sobering moments as Mercury and the sun connect with hopeful Jupiter.

Aquarius glyphs

Aquarius: January 20, 2024 - February 18, 2024

Ambitions are high as action planet Mars clashes with optimistic Jupiter. You’re making moves that represent your truth. You’re willing to make changes if that means you’ll have more freedom and space for yourself. You have news to share as messenger Mercury meets with the sun, revealing information. An important conversation unfolds, one that defines your financial situation. You’re tapping into a sense of prudence, not making any fast or grandiose financial moves as Mercury meets serious Saturn, signifying restraint and patience. You’re redefining yourself as the sun meets your planetary ruler, Saturn, marking a new cycle in your finances or a big self-esteem boost! You’re seeking to fix instabilities and uncertainties in your relationships and finances as Venus clashes with Uranus.

Pisces glyph

Pisces: February 18, 2024 - March 19, 2024

Something that’s weighing on you compels you to act in a way that claims your freedom as Mars clashes with Jupiter. This can represent a moment of getting fired up about what you think is righteous. Secrets and personal news are revealed when Mercury meets with the sun in your sign! You’re able to share what’s on your mind in an open way. You’re able to discuss your challenges, fears, and personal limitations as Mercury meets Saturn. A new cycle in how you rule over yourself begins as the sun meets Saturn, redefining your sense of authority and paternal instinct. You don’t lose sight of the bigger picture or your sense of happiness as Mercury and the sun connect with hopeful Jupiter.

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n7emadRandon RosenbohmSara DavidAstro GuidehoroscopesWeekly Horoscopesastrology
<![CDATA[How it Feels to Be a Queer Palestinian in Exile]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/5d94ex/queer-palestinian-in-exile-how-it-feelsFri, 23 Feb 2024 08:45:00 GMTThis article originally appeared on VICE Belgium.

It’s been over four months since Israel declared war against Hamas in Gaza. For Palestinians living abroad, watching the whole world talk about what’s happening to your people without being able to contribute in any way is incredibly challenging. Reduced to a sad statistic and too rarely invited to speak, Palestinians often struggle to reconcile mainstream representations of their lives with their own, multifaceted identities.

That’s been the experience of queer multidisciplinary artist and architect Hamza Abuhamdia. Born in 1988 in Amman, Jordan, to Palestinians in exile, Abuhamdia has been living in Paris since 2016. His father, Maysara Abuhamdia, a famous Palestinian resistance fighter, was imprisoned twice by the Israeli army before being banished to Jordan. Locked up for a third time in 2002, he died behind bars eleven years later from untreated cancer.

From a young age, Abuhamdia stood out from his brothers for his creative temperament and expressive queerness. As an adult, Abuhamdia never really understood how to introduce himself to others: The son of a Palestinian freedom fighter, or the upper-middle-class queer Arab frequenting queer-friendly bars in downtown Amman? Or maybe the artist in exile, fetishised by a Parisian scene that still struggles to deconstruct its white saviour complex? “Today, I feel the need to remind people that I am Palestinian, I am queer, and I exist,” he says.

Faced with Israel’s pinkwashing of its military campaign – think the Israeli soldier waving a rainbow flag on the ruins of Gaza – the Palestinian queer community has become more vocal in affirming its resistance. “We refuse colonial and imperialist tactics that seek to alienate us from our society, and alienate our society from us, on the basis of our queerness,” stated the Queers in Palestine collective in November 2023.

I sat down with Abuhamdia to discuss how he came to understand his queer and Palestinian identity in a world that keeps trying to define it for him.

VICE: Hi Hamza. Where do your parents come from? Hamza Abuhamdia: From Al Khalil, or Hebron, in the West Bank. My father has been involved in Palestinian resistance since the 60s. He was banished from all Palestinian territories, so he settled in Amman, where I was born and raised. Growing up, I knew very little of his political struggles – he wanted to protect us from all that. I was raised in a bubble.

My mother comes from a relatively well-off background. Her family owned a hammam, and her father had two wives and 17 children. It was really chaotic, but my oldest aunt was one of the first women from Al Khalil to go to university. My mother grew up in these contradictions, between bourgeoisie and tradition.

What do you remember about your childhood? 
My father raised us with science and culture: We watched nature documentaries, Looney Tunes, and Tom & Jerry. He made jokes and did impressions. Well, when he was around, which wasn't often.

I was my mother's little darling. She was a very social, cultured woman, and our relationship was almost like a mother and daughter – it contradicted traditional gender norms. We had our own thing, our inside jokes that no one else understood. Everyone called me little Zaïra because I was her spitting image.

**Have you always felt “different”?
**That’s all I’ve ever known. My parents didn't treat me the same as my other brothers – sometimes they were harshly scolded, whereas I rarely was. When people asked my mother why she treated me like that, she would answer: "It's Hamza, that's it!" I was her accomplice, her friend, her confidante, her soulmate, almost.

**And how was it with your father?
**I think he was a bit scared of me. I was “team women” and made fun of toxic macho culture. It was my mother and me against the boys, always.

As a teen, I started wanting to fit in with boys but I was so far off. I’d spent all my life following the girls everywhere. It took me years before I could build healthy relationships with cis guys. Today, it's the opposite: I often joke that I can't get laid because I always hang out with cis-het guys.

**What's your relationship with your parents like today?
**Well, nonexistent. My father passed away ten years ago. My mother still lives in Amman but we’ve been low-contact since I came out. I’ve tried to talk to her but she always brings up hell or death – she's very conservative. What she has trouble accepting, really, is that people might know.

**What happened to your father?
**He died in an Israeli prison of a cancer they didn't bother to treat. I don't have all the pieces of the story. I did some research, but I'm trying to move on. I'm proud of my father – he was a good person and his story inspires me.

**Do you consider yourself a refugee?
**That's not quite the right word. Legally, I was born Jordanian, but when I was four or five-years-old, I remember realising I was Palestinian who’d come over from a country under military occupation. People will hate me for saying this, but it was an unpleasant moment. I didn’t feel like identifying with this reality I didn't choose. After all, we’re human beings – as a child, all I wanted was to eat sweets and wear nice clothes.

**How was your relationship with your family growing up?
**Not great. I found them “uncool” and conservative. I didn’t consider them on my level because they didn't speak English, for example. The truth is, I tried to lead my life in a way that nothing could bring me down.

I wanted to be smarter. Most of the movies, books, and music I immersed myself in were Western. I didn’t consume a lot of Arabic culture, even while living in Amman.

Once, when I was little, I remember I wanted to watch Lizzie McGuire, but my grandmother was against it. Sure, it's a series for stuck-up evangelical teens, but it doesn’t show anything “bad”. She took the remote and put on an Egyptian movie instead, which told the story of a charming saleswoman in the 50s who gets with a rich guy and becomes his mistress. It was a shady soap opera, but for this 80-year-old Muslim woman, that was OK, while Lizzie was haram [forbidden]. I still struggle to understand why to this day.

**What role did religion play in your upbringing?
**My parents were religious but politically secular. They didn't drink alcohol but my mother didn't wear a hijab, and gender-mixing was the norm.

**Do you consider yourself a believer?
**No. I look at religion from a sociological and anthropological perspective: How humans have shaped themselves and tried to fill the void?

**Do you feel resentment towards your family after coming out?
**Honestly, I find it hard to be angry because I believe they didn't have the space or mental health tools to understand it all. I’m lucky not to have grown up in handcuffs, and I'm grateful for that.

How did you feel when you saw Israeli soldiers waving the rainbow flag in Gaza? Horrible, obviously. But I wasn't surprised at all – the history of this flag remains Western, white, and capitalist.

**Do you know many other LGBTQ+ Palestinians?
**Not many, but some. I don’t think it’s easy to be queer in Palestine given the context and religion, but in all honesty, I've never lived in Palestine. This is just my perception as someone in exile, and I could be wrong. Truthfully, I don’t have any concrete information.

**Some say you shouldn't support the Palestinian struggle if you’re queer. Have you found your place as an activist?
**Of course, but it's by embracing who I am that I was able to do so. I had to acknowledge my privilege, my suffering, my resources, my mental health – then I could find my place.

I have to say, I’ve often felt most accepted by women who wear a hijab. Similarly, I've met many cis-het men who treated me with more respect than gay guys.

**What was their problem?
**I think there are many traumatised people in the LGBTQ+ community who reject people as a reflex, as if they have to project the hatred they experienced onto their peers. There's also a lot of racism in parts of the rich, white, gay community.

**In Europe, people think of the Middle East as very homophobic. Having lived in both regions, what do you think?
**I can only speak from my experience: In Jordan, homosexuality is not legally penalised, but socially, it's different. I was relatively accepted by my family. It comes back to this notion of privilege, since my uncles, aunts, cousins have travelled around the world and read a lot of books.

European homophobia and Arab homophobia are just different, but neither is worse than the other in my opinion.

**Do you still have hope for Palestine?
**Yes. I feel like the world is becoming more aware, but maybe I'm in my bubble. All I’m trying to do is understand what makes me happy, like an animal trying to avoid suffering. But first, you have to ask yourself, ‘What will make me feel worse: talking about Palestine, human rights, feminism, or bottling up all my feelings?’ I don't want to follow those who’ve chosen the second solution. Their way of life, their health, their relationships with money, themselves and others, depresses me.

**What’s the key to happiness in your opinion?
**Living as authentically as possible.

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5d94exThémis BelkhadraGen UedaBecky BurgumThémis BelkhadrapalestinegazaqueerLGBTQPalestinianactivismarabVICE InternationalVICE BelgiumPinkwashingcoming outHomophobia
<![CDATA[The Best Bedside Lamps (for Better Sleep, Sex, and Ambiance)]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/m7gdyy/best-bedside-lampsThu, 22 Feb 2024 21:26:00 GMTIf you’re reading this, you’re a hot person—no doubt about it. What’s not to love about the Carhartt beanie crowning your dome, or the the copy of The Will to Change under your armpit? Two Roman emperor thumbs way up, king. But there is one area in which you need some guidance, and it’s crucial in helping you read better, sleep better, and bone better in the new year. You need a swole new bedside lamp, and you need it STAT. 

The best bedside lamps should bring warmth and relaxation to your daily bedchamber endeavors, from reading to romping to winding down for that REM cycle ride. (Overhead lights = reserved for hospitals and Target.) You deserve to live in a cozy Vermeer painting, or feel like a titmouse in its toasty woodland hovel, sipping an oat milk latte beside the glow of a Murano glass-inspired mushroom lamp while it rains outside. 

Whether you want a touch lamp, a Noguchi-esque lamp, or this saucy 80s Pierrot pondering his orb (!!), we’ve whittled down the best bedside lamps for every pleasure and price range. 

The best mushroom lamps 

The people have spoken, and declared that mushroom decor will continue to spore its swag all over 2024 design aesthetics. One of the most effortless and chic ways to incorporate a shroom’s curvaceous, organic silhouette into your home is with a 1970s Murano glass-inspired mushroom lamp; the glass gives off a gauzy, amber glow that’s perfect for reading and making out. 

Riffing on the OG Murano mushroom lamp design, West Elm’s ribbed glass table lamp is a unique take on the classic, and a consistent bestseller from the site; it comes in four different colorways, including three warmer shades and a calming, robin’s egg blue. 

This shroom lamp is a breeze. The cordless, a three-level touch lamp is a more contemporary-Japandi take on the OG mushroom lamp, and it’s so lightweight that one Amazon reviewer writes that it’s portable. “We took it outdoors a few times for dinner.” 

Like earth tones? You’ll love this lamp

This dusty rose shroom lamp has a little more height, which can be helpful if you want more direct/targeted light when your reading. It’s also the perfect shade of baked-under-the-Taos-sun pink for brightening up your home this winter, as well as black and white colorways if those are more of your vibe.

The best Noguchi-inspired bedside lamps 

Isamu Noguchi’s iconic Akari paper lamps are having a design renaissance, because 1) they go with nearly EVERY kind of decor, whether you’re an MCM minimalist or a 70s maximalist, and 2) the rice paper shade gives off a uniquely ambient glow. We’ve whittled down our favorite Japanese rice paper and Noguchi-inspired lamps—or “light sculptures,” as Noguchi called them—in the VICE guide to Noguch’ lamps, but these two delicate nightstand blobs from Amazon deserve a dedicated  shoutout; they’re dead ringers for a piece by the late artist, and cost far less than this $2,500 archive Akari on 1stDibs.    

Urban Outfitters is also home to some excellent Noguchi-inspired options, including these squiggly and zig-zag bedside lamps from the brand Wooj Design. They’re reminiscent of the OG rice paper lamp’s abstract designs, but bring their own delightfully weird silhouettes to the table.

Cop an archive IKEA nightstand lamp 

If it’s divine design inspiration you seek, look no further than archive IKEA catalogs and Instagram accounts that pay homage to the GOAT of affordable Nordic decor. No shade to present-day IKEA, but the Swedish behemoth absolutely decimated the competition with minimalist designs that still managed to feel whimsical, such as these vintage donut and Fillsta lamps. 

Pleats and squiggles (for more serotonin)

The culture has been edging Frasurbane decor ever since Y2K aesthetics came back in vogue, and 90s squiggle lamps are one of its best ambassadors. Many of the curvaceous lamps have pleated shades that we’re actually excited about (most lampshades = snooze city), and the Italian brand Oscar Piccolo even makes a stunning squiggly floor lamp. If you’re buying on a budget, peep sites such as Etsy and HAY for aesthetic options.

You’re a Brutalist bro

Maybe you dream about converting an old penny factory into a ceramics studio, or perhaps you’ve taken up weaving to make yourself a new, monochromatic capsule wardrobe. If so, congrats: you’re probably a Brotalist, and your patron saint, Ricardo Bofill, would likely approve of this stately marble bedside lamp from AllModern.

Warm things up with rattan

Here’s what you do: Put a Brutalist lamp in one color so people know you’re a creative and a tough guy, and a wood or rattan lamp in another corner so they know you want forehead kisses. Article is the mid-century modern-inspired brand behind one of the internet’s favorite leather sofas, and it also makes a Googie-legged rattan lamp that deserves a place in Don Draper’s office. If your monthly rattan lamp budget is under $50, however (understandable) this woven bamboo lamp from Amazon looks like it costs thrice as much as its price tag, and will pair perfectly with just about anything.

You own an Italian red sauce joint

We know, we know. TikTok won’t stop talking about the mob wife aesthetic, but that’s because it slaps. What’s not to love about animal print coats, French tip manicures, and a bedside lamp that looks like it was stolen from Bamonte’s? The years will comes and go, but this fringed number will hold its own.

Stay cozy, kings. 


The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.

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m7gdyyMary Frances "Francky" KnappGregory BabcockHP shopping-homeLampbedsidenoguchiEvergreen
<![CDATA[The Best Deals This Week, From Samsonite Luggage to Ooni Pizza Ovens]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xgwpe3/best-deals-this-week-feb-22-2024Thu, 22 Feb 2024 21:22:30 GMTWoke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? We have the perfect serotonin boost for you—massive deals from cult-fave brands and our favorite purveyors of fancy bedding, sick sneakers, and luxury candles. Presidents’ Day may be over, but the fire deals are here to stay. This week, Samsonite is making travel easy with a sale on high-quality luggage that’s built to last, Kiehl’s is helping us alleviate our dry skin with flash deals on its best-selling skincare, and Ooni is prepping us for upcoming patio parties with a god-tier portable pizza oven. Who needs candles when your abode can smell like a Margherita pie 24/7? Well, we also wouldn’t mind a Diptyque set. Let’s dive in.

Our editors’ picks for the best sales this week

  • Cozy Earth is having an extended Presidents’ Day sale with up to 25% off its ultra-soft (and Oprah-approved) bedding, towels, and pajamas. Make sure to use our exclusive discount code (it’s VICE), and you’ll save a whopping 35%.
  • Diptyque is giving away an exclusive fragrance and shower gel—the Do Son Trio—with the code DOSONTRIO when you spend $175 on its site.
  • Interior Define is offering up to 25% off when you spend $3,000 or more, or 20% off when you spend under $3,000, on any of its gorgeous sectional sofas.
  • Kiehl’s is having a 30% off flash sale on best-sellers including the Ultra Facial Cream and Cannabis Sativa Seed Face Oil.
  • On Running has a large catalog of last-season styles for up to 40% off, including the editor-fave Cloudstratus
  • Purple is offering up to $800 off mattresses and base sets, along with 20% off pillows and bedding for an epic snooze.
  • Samsonite is already holding a winter sale, but you can take an additional 15% off with the code EXTRA15.

More great sales this week

The best deals on Amazon this week

Dyson’s Outsize Cordless Vacuum is now 22% off to combat every hard-to-reach dust bunny.

The only dehydration we condone is this Elite Gourmet Food Dehydrator for 16% off to make a finger-licking batch of teriyaki beef jerky.

These TAGRY Bluetooth Earbuds could pass as AirPods’ (affordable) cousin—and they’re 41% off.

Catch ya next week.


The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.

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xgwpe3Nicolette AccardiHP shopping-dealshomeTechstyleDEALER DEALS
<![CDATA[I Tried Wahl’s New High Visibility Beard Trimmer (and Now I’m Finally Hot)]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/g5ynz3/wahl-pro-series-high-visibility-trimmer-reviewThu, 22 Feb 2024 21:20:41 GMTMost fashion waves come and go. When I was young, extremely baggy jeans (JNCOs, in case you’re under 30) were super fashionable, but went out of style shortly before skinny jeans blew up; now, baggy clothes are beloved yet again. Platinum-dyed hair and bowling-style shirts—aka shirts Tony Soprano would wear—seem to be back as well. On the other hand, as far as I can tell, man buns are fairly out of style now (or should be, at least), and so are fedoras, which [cranks chaotic John Coltrane track to max volume] is probably good. Mustaches have waned in terms of being a signifier of the “hipster”; they have reclaimed their status of yore as simply a normal facial hair style for regular guys to have (which is great, IMO).

As a longtime bearded man, I’ve paid some attention to how society and culture have regarded facial hair throughout the years, and as far as I can tell, beard culture seems to only have gotten more powerful over the past few decades. Many guys (not me) still have, for better or worse, this notion that beards signify toughness, and that the more your beard is part of your personality, the more of a Real Guy you are. This has led to a massive uptick in beard care products like beard oils and creams, as well as an onslaught of trimmers made specifically for beards, like The Beard Club’s PT45, which I just refer to as James Harden’s beard trimmer (since he supposedly uses it). I reviewed that very excellent bad boy here

Still, it doesn’t really feel like most beard trimmers have fully caught up to the hype, at least not for me. Having tried many different trimmers over the past couple decades, I never found one that seemed perfect for my particular beard. For me, that means a trimmer that’s super precise, easy to control, and, most importantly, allows me to really see what I am doing. Recently, however, that changed. 

Are you about to tell me that there’s a new beard trimmer worth knowing about?

Yep. I’ve always been a big fan of Wahl—I used its ultra-affordable Color Pro for maaaany years when I was younger—and was intrigued when I heard about its new offering, the Pro Series High Visibility Trimmer (known henceforth as the HVT). When I got a press box from Wahl that had a massive picture of a beard on front with text that said, “The face of men’s grooming is about to change forever,” I could imagine all the obsessive beardies out there losing their dang minds, doing backflips and chugging bourbon (or whatever these guys do when they’re excited). I thought, OK, I’ll see what this is about

The ideal here is simple: the HVT has blades that extend out from the rechargeable base, letting you effectively see “through” the trimmer (hence the “high visibility” part). As a result, Wahl claims that this lets you groom in “high definition,” and that the HVT has significantly superior precision and visibility than other razors. For all my boys who’ve stopped to question their lives while trying to maneuver a clunky razor with your off-hand, praying you give yourself an even trim before you rush off to meet your Tinder date, this one’s for you. 

IMG_0113.jpg
Photo by the author

Here’s what actually makes the Pro Series High Visibility Trimmer different

The HVT definitely comes hard with the features. First, Wahl—perhaps a bit pretentiously, though honestly I’m not mad when a brand goes this H.A.M.—calls its trimmer blade the “Forever Blade” (which I was sad to learn wasn’t the title of an upcoming Wesley Snipes film). Instead, the “Forever Blade” supposedly “lasts a lifetime” and cuts up to four times closer than its competitors. If you don’t intend to go forever, there are two other blades available: a regular foil shaver and a detailer; and there are also eight different comb lengths, in case you’re David Letterman (or just want to use it on your head). There’s also an ear and nose trimmer, because this MF thing just flat-out hates bad-lookin’ hair. It’s got the other qualities you’d expect in 2024, as well: It’s cordless, rechargeable, waterproof, and comes with a pretty nice storage case.

As far as looks go, the HVT actually has a very awesome design, IMO. In a hygiene-tech moment in which most new products look like they were birthed in an Apple store, Wahl’s HVT smartly embraces its thesis—that it’s not meant to be seen—and takes a super cool industrial-minimalist chic feel that reeeeally works for me. It somehow feels like if Austrian architect Otto Wagner had designed products for Interstellar. Additionally, the rubber grip covers about 60% of the body and gives it a classic, old-school men’s bathroom product vibe, making it look like it’s from 1982 but also 2040. Overall, this is one of the most attractive men’s hygiene products I’ve ever seen.

Sure, it looks cool, but how does it work?

I’m pretty skeptical of any product that leans this hard into its claim of being game-changing or even, frankly, having new ideas at this point, but Wahl’s HVT truly walks it like it talks it. I have a pretty unruly, wiry, curly beard, which can make it difficult to wrangle. Beard and hair trimmers I’ve tried in the past, while functional, always tend to feel unsuited for my particular face. This is because 1) they’re often pretty clunky and don’t let me see all of my wild hairs, and 2) the blades tend to be somewhat recessed, making it really hard to judge how close of a trim I’m actually getting. Surprisingly, the Wahl HVT does truly give you a clear view of your beard while trimming. 

The HVT’s thin body and excellent grip makes it pretty easy to control, especially in your non-dominant hand. Wahl goes hard in claiming that its 360-degree “extreme visibility” offers five times the visibility of other brands and that its “Forever Blade” lasts, uh, forever, giving four times closer a cut than earlier Wahl models. I have yet to live forever (though I plan to), but as far as the visibility part goes, I have to say that the HVT is actually pretty incredible. It gave my ornery beard as clean a trim as it’s ever gotten, allowing me to control my angles and closeness incredibly well.  In short, switching to this bad boy is like suddenly seeing your favorite movie—which you’ve only watched via compressed streaming—on 70-millimeter film. This thing is insanely easy to use and gave me one of the best beard trims I’ve had in years. 

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Photo by the author

TL;DR: The Pro Series High Visibility Trimmer is is a great example of how design can really take a product to the next level—the HVT’s thin, industrial look does allow you to effectively see “through” it when trimming, making it a fairly boss upgrade for any dude looking for a tighter trim. 

Buy the Wahl Pro Series High Visibility Trimmer on Amazon.


The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.

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g5ynz3Adam RothbarthHP shopping-stylemenbeardtrimmerrazor
<![CDATA[Daily Horoscope: February 23, 2024]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bvjaqv/daily-horoscope-february-23-2024Thu, 22 Feb 2024 21:00:00 GMTThings feel more open to interpretation as Mercury enters Pisces at 2:29 AM. We’re especially interested in philosophical and spiritually-oriented conversations during this time. We might be having more discussions about what is and isn’t real when it comes to technology and its influence on the ways we communicate. There’s bound to be lots of distractions under this transit, too!

We want more details, scoping things out through a magnifying glass, as the moon enters Virgo and opposes Mercury at 8:38 PM and 11:52 PM, respectively. We might need to do more research or consider things from various angles before feeling comfortable enough to believe what we see or hear.

All times ET.

Read your monthly horoscope for February!

Stay in the cosmic loop with the VICE horoscopes newsletter. Get horoscopes straight to your inbox when you sign up here!

Aries glyph

Aries: March 19, 2024 - April 19, 2024

A desire for more solitude could arise as Mercury enters Pisces, inviting you to prioritize a daily meditation practice or let your mind and senses rest from outside stimulation. You might try reducing distractions and focusing on work and self-care as the moon enters Virgo and opposes Mercury. You may also feel called to start saving money for a rainy day.

Taurus glyphs

Taurus: April 19, 2024 - May 20, 2024

You could be finding more opportunities to socialize and pursue your aspirations as Mercury enters Pisces. Invitations to network or join a different social circle may arise, and you might entertain yourself with ideas about a passion you want to follow as the moon enters Virgo and opposes Mercury. Your friends might be asking you to come along for some type of journey, too.

Gemini glyph

Gemini: May 20, 2024 - June 20, 2024

Announcements or news about your career and life’s direction might be shared as your planetary ruler, Mercury, enters Pisces today. You could reveal something you’ve been working on behind the scenes or bring conversations you’ve been contemplating to the public. Discussions about your private and family life may also arise in a more public way, or you might be contending with some pivotal role changes in your life that are becoming more visible to the rest of the world as the moon in Virgo faces off with Mercury. 

Cancer glyph

Cancer: June 20, 2024 - July 22, 2024

A dream vacation or a hope for the future is coming into sharper focus as Mercury enters Pisces today. Time spent with a spiritual community can reshape your perspectives in the coming weeks, or perhaps you’re joining a social group that supports your growth in an academic or political way.

Leo glyph

Leo: July 22, 2024 - August 22, 2024

Discussions about finances and shared resources are coming into focus over the next few weeks as Mercury enters Pisces. It might be time to renegotiate some contracts and you’ll be more focused on getting taxes sorted during this time.

Virgo glyph

Virgo: August 22, 2024 - September 22, 2024

Opportunities to connect with new faces (and places) could arise over the next few weeks as your planetary ruler, Mercury, enters Pisces. Philosophical conversations could come up in your relationships or you might discuss trying something different with partners. You can learn something insightful about the way you communicate with those closest to you as the moon in your sign, Virgo, also opposes Mercury today.

Libra glyph

Libra: September 22, 2024 - October 22, 2024

You may be reorganizing your day-to-day routines, focusing more on your health and the habits that need to be changed or reinforced as Mercury enters Pisces. The perspective that health is a worthwhile responsibility could be on your mind. You might be paying more attention to your sleep hygiene and sense of spiritual wellbeing as the moon in Virgo also opposes Mercury today. What can you do to unburden your mind and let yourself get some proper shuteye?

Scorpio glyph

Scorpio: October 22, 2024 - November 21, 2024

You could find yourself making more space and time for the things that bring you joy, with the people you love, as Mercury enters Pisces today. You might enjoy entertainment that lights up your sense of romance or you may express what your partners mean to you in a very big way over the coming weeks. Social ties with people who share your interests can also come into focus as the moon in Virgo opposes Mercury.

Sagittarius glyph

Sagittarius: November 21, 2024 - December 21, 2024

You can feel inspired to reorganize your home and your life, from the inside-out, as Mercury enters Pisces. It might need to get a bit messy before things can make sense though! This is an opportune time to interview your family for details on your inherited health constitution and unfinished business passed down by your ancestors.

Capricorn glyph

Capricorn: December 21, 2023 - January 20, 2024

Mercury enters Pisces, inviting you to find your voice and express yourself in big and embodied ways! You might be thinking more about the impact your mode of communication has on children and youth during the next few weeks or you may feel called to heal your inner child through writing, art, and other forms of joy. Plans for travel or educational pursuits could also arise as the moon in Virgo opposes Mercury today.

Aquarius glyphs

Aquarius: January 20, 2024 - February 18, 2024

Budgeting and financial organization comes up for discussion as Mercury enters Pisces. The dreams you have for your home and family are inspiring you to project, and make better sense of, the numbers coming in and out of your bank account over the next several months. Taxes might be top of mind as the moon in Virgo also opposes Mercury today.

Pisces glyph

Pisces:  February 18, 2024 - March 19, 2024

You’re more open to expressing yourself and sharing what’s on your mind as Mercury enters your sign, Pisces. You can help people make sense of information that might otherwise feel too broad, abstract, or foreign to understand. Perhaps you’ll find yourself traveling more in the coming weeks, too. Partners can help expand on your ideas or share something touching as the moon in Virgo also opposes Mercury today.

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bvjaqvAshley OteroSara DavidAstro GuidehoroscopesDaily Horoscopesastrology
<![CDATA[Ferragamo's New Collection Is Ready for Your 'White Lotus' Vacation]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/7kxj5d/ferragamo-ss24-menswearThu, 22 Feb 2024 20:51:26 GMTAperol spritz season is on its way, and with it, our plans to post up at a bougie beachside hotel bar with our Nintendo Switch and sip something fruity by the piano in our linen pants and Italian loafers. Whether or not we can pay for any of this is irrelevant; the important thing is that we have found the perfect designer collection to transport us to our The White Lotus fantasy this spring and summer, courtesy of Ferragamo’s SS24 menswear drop.

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Photo: Ferragamo

This writer has been a Ferragamo stan ever since she saved up her allowance to buy a pair of the brand’s strappy sandals at Marshall Field's (pour one out) in downtown Chicago in 2008. Even then, the Italian fashion house embodied a sense of effortless, quiet luxury—there were no big, gaudy labels on leather Ferragamo wares—and the kind of old money swag that my rich friends’ hot older sisters would go for when they had lunches at the Biltmore, or packed their bags for spring break in Cabo at a luxury villa.

Ferragamo’s Spring-Summer 2024 collection is yet another testament to its unwavering, nearly 100-year-old identity as a go-to brand for rich people (who love leather) with good taste. For the womenswear collection, creative director Maximilliam Davis wanted to use “humble linens and cotton with rigorous finesse, bonded onto satins for capes or treated to appear as leather; sculptural wooden accessories.” The result is a collection that feels unbuttoned, yet sculptural. Just peep this fitted emerald green blazer and strappy sandal combo, and tell me that it doesn’t make you want to poison your billionaire husband abscond on a yacht with your lover…

Then there’s the menswear drop, which feels like the ultimate Italian-summer-circa-1978 capsule wardrobe with a contemporary twist. We’re given charcoal-colored, silk and mohair button-downs (the perfect interseasonal button-down) and emerald green linen cargo pants, while round-toe leather mules and calfskin hobo bags serve as a reminder of just good Ferragamo is at creating leather goods that look like Zaha Hadid buildings.

Now we just need a sugar daddy to foot the bill.

The Ferragamo SS24 Collection is available here.


The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.

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7kxj5dMary Frances "Francky" KnappHP shopping-styleferragamoWhite LotusMenswearss24Fashion