Haircuts - How much $$ and how often?

[bali]

I'm sure there are plenty of men that will over-pay for a haircut at a salon just to talk
to the pretty hair dresser that gives them a bad haircut.
I actually know a guy who married a hair dresser, but I'm not sure where they first met.
But it would have been funny if he asked her out after she cut his hair.
He is a rich lawyer, so maybe she agreed to go out with him because she was a single mom of two kids, but she is pretty from the photos I've seen.

 

[MovingForward2050]

Nice, I want to visit the Phillipines. Do you know if there are any recommended Christian missionary programs in the Phillipines?
[/QUOTE]

I assume you are an Evangelical Christian. If so, I would think there would be many good programs for you to consider, that could easily be found online. Or you could simply consult with a local pastor. I am a Mormon, and of course we have many young men and women, as well as retired couples, sharing our message here.

I have an old friend who went on an Evangelical missionary trip to South America, when he was in his late teens. He intends to eventually write a book about it, because his experiences were that crazy and hilarious. Though his group was sincere and meant well, there were huge cultural gaps with the locals, that made connecting hard. And he and his fellow missionaries were repeatedly robbed and scammed! Things really went bad, when their small plane crashed, but surely due to divine intervention, no one was seriously hurt. They then had to hike many many miles to find civilization! When he finally returned home, a few weeks later, his pastor asked him, in front of the congregation, what was the most amazing thing about the trip. My buddy replied, "well, I'm not dead!"

I have been attending Catholic Mass for a long time now, to show unity with my Filipina lady. I actually enjoy it for the beauty of the cathedral, the message about serving God, and the rituals. And it is always a packed house! What I have noticed as I look at their many community boards, is that to my surprise, they have an extremely strong missionary/evangelizing program, both in the Philippines and abroad. The Jesuit shock troops are on the move!

They spent years and years building a gigantic statue of Christ, atop a church building, close to where I live. It has finally been finished! What's so funny is that they have a gift shop with it's image and name emblazoned on t-shirts, mugs, clocks, fridge magnets, water jugs, you name it! Oh, and you can even buy holy water by the liter. I suppose in case you are battling a horde of vampires! Lol

The Catholic Church here, though still at I think around 85% of the population, is losing membership fast. The many child molestation cases, misspent monies, and effective missionary programs from Evangelicals, Mormons, Muslims and Jehovah Witnesses, are eating away at their dominance. And I just don't have that warm sense of family/community at a Catholic ceremony, like I do with Mormons or Evangelicals. You are in and out without fanfare, to make way for the next Mass. There are few priests now, and they seem overwhelmed by their tasks. The laity has taken on many things once formerly only done by priests.

But what the Catholic leadership has done, to enrage their Philippines membership, is to outlaw divorce, but allow annulments which take forever to get. The problem is that an annulment often takes *10-12 years* to actually be granted! This could be tolerated, if this was applied fairly to everyone, but if you make a "love donation" of around one-hundred thousand dollars, the Catholic Church will put your request into their priority speed lane, and you will be granted an annulment within only thirty days! Ugh.... And so only the rich can take advantage of it...

 

[La Águila Negra]

@MovingForward2050

Whats your opinion on Iglesia ni Christo?

 

[MovingForward2050]

I had never heard of them, but this is not good... They have only recently had some very vicious and murderous power struggles in their leadership... The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation did a controversial story about them, which they stood by.

From Wikipedia...

Leadership controversy

"Main article: 2015 Iglesia ni Cristo leadership controversy
During mid 2015, internal conflicts challenged the century-old church. Felix Nathaniel "Angel" Manalo, the brother of current executive minister, Eduardo V. Manalo, and their mother, Cristina "Tenny" Manalo, the widow of former executive minister Eraño G. Manalo, uploaded a video to YouTube alleging that the INC administration had threatened their lives and that there has been a mass kidnapping of ministers. The Iglesia ni Cristo, however, denied the claims of kidnapping. In July 23, 2015, Eduardo expelled his two brothers, one of three sisters, and mother, for allegedly trying to create a schism in the church and take over the church's leadership.[98]

Former INC ministerial worker Lowell Menorca II stated his life and that of his family were threatened by the INC administration, which led the Canadian government to grant him asylum, stating "When the panel considers the links between the INC and the law enforcement authorities in the Philippines... [t]he panel is satisfied Menorca would be unable to avail himself of state protection, from the risks that he fears in that country."[99] The Immigration and Refugee Board has found the Philippines-based church "is motivated by a vendetta" and has "both the means and the motivation to seriously harm or kill" him, should he return to the Philippines. [100]

In response to these issues, the Church Administration launched the program “Tunay Na Defenders Of The Faith” (The True Defenders Of The Faith) on March 31, 2018, on YouTube and Facebook, dismissing allegations made by the expelled."

Suppression of critics

"An expelled member Rovic Gloria Canono was arrested on November 2015 over a case filed by his wife, allegedly under the direction of the INC. Canono was allegedly behind the critical Facebook page "Sher Lock” and blog "Silent No More" which accuses corruption within the church's ranks.[101] Canono fled the Philippines after being charged with various cases by church members, including a libel case by the church’s top leader Eduardo V. Manalo.[102] Canono arrived and applied for asylum in Canada in December 2016.[103] In a hearing on February 2017, his claim was accepted by the Immigration and Refugee Board on the basis of religious persecution as mandated by the United Nations Convention on Refugees of 1951. Like Menorca, Canono is now a resident of Canada.[104]"

Death of Lito Fruto

"Another figure in the 2015 church crisis was a US citizen living in the Philippines. American Lito Fruto was expelled from the INC in the early part of 2015 because of his critical statements against the church leadership, which had been rocked by corruption scandals and allegations of abductions supposedly perpetrated by top INC officials.[105] He was initially under the witness protection program by the Philippine government in April 2015, as he claimed to have received threats due to his allegations against the INC leadership.[106] In November 2015, he filed a complaint against members of the INC's top administrative body, the Sanggunian, accusing them of coercion, harassment, threats, and arbitrary detention. [107] Fruto said that he had been forcibly taken at gunpoint from his Caloocan residence based on a complaint of alleged rape against him, which he said was fabricated by INC.[105] Fruto believed that they were held by the INC against their will because of their supposed exposes against the church.[108] He also said the judge in the rape case, who also issued Fruto a hold departure order, was a member of the INC.[109]

Fruto was shot several times by an unidentified gunman as he was driving along Cavitex Exit in Barangay Marulas, Kawit, Cavite, around 1:30 am on May 24, 2017. Several excommunicated INC members allege that the killing may have been perpetrated by church officials, whom Fruto has publicly spoken out against.[105]"

Abductions and murders

"A few weeks prior to the assassination of church critic Lito Fruto, two more sympathizers of the family members of the late INC Executive Minister Erano G. Manalo have gone missing. On April 11, 2017, Danilo Patungan was abducted while on his way to work as a security guard in a condominium building in Bonifacio Global City. He served as security personnel to Nathaniel ‘Angel’ Manalo for 16 years. He remains missing to this day. A few days after Patungan was abducted, Felix Villocino disappeared too. Villocino has long been delivering food supplies to the Manalo residence in Tandang Sora, Quezon City. Several former members of the church believed that these disappearances were a repeat of the abductions committed by the church against its own ministers in 2015 when the feud between the current INC leader Eduardo V. Manalo and his siblings Angel V. Manalo and Lottie Manalo-Hemedez became public knowledge. [110] Villocino was expelled after he openly supported Angel Manalo by delivering food supplies for the besieged Manalo siblings. [111] Villocino's bullet-riddled body was found the following day in a grassy portion of Barangay Malamig, Bustos, Bulacan.[112]"

The Fifth Estate coverage

"On November 11, 2018, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's The Fifth Estate hosted by Bob McKeown featured INC on their episode "The Church of Secrets" that followed the story of a widow of a murder victim allegedly killed by INC members after a series of verbal altercations, and the story of excommunicated ministerial worker Lowell Menorca II, who seeks refugee status in Canada. The news crew also attempted to land an interview with Eduardo V. Manalo after an event in Sacramento but were denied. During their attempt to land the interview, their vehicle's tires were slashed, which McKeown suspected was an act of intimidation by INC. An INC member denied the allegation.[113][114] In February 2019, the CBC and The Fifth Estate were sued by INC for defamation, with officials calling the show "slanderous" and "without evidence". CBC News responded by stating they stand behind the story.[115]"

 

[La Águila Negra]

@MovingForward2050

You have never heart of them? Where in the Philippines are you if I may ask? Their churches are everywhere. Their members are easily recognisable too by their t-shirts, stickers, flags etc..

Their churches look like this:



Their flag:


At first I had a lot of respect for them, solely for their strict way or practicing Christianity. Practice as you preach. A harsh stance on LGBT, separation of men/women in church, modesty in dress, members pay the tith

But then I realised that they are cult-like, authoritarian and almost repressive in their ways. Members have to hand in tax forms and pay slips. Members that leave the church will be socially ostracised. Members have to attend church twice a week if not there will be penalties, they have to follow voting recommendations in elections etc.

And lately as I started noticing that all their symbolism matches the masonic symbolism

Their logo:



Anyway you seemed knowledgeable on the religious landscape here so I thought you could share some insights

 

[MovingForward2050]

I was not really aware of them. I suppose I thought their distinctive buildings belonged to yet another Protestant denomination, with some Filipino flavoring. I live about a one hour drive from Manilla, in a fairly rural area. From what I learned googling, and from your own insights, I would say that they are ultimately a negative influence to their members and the community. The Mormon Church can be controlling, but nowhere to their degree.

I get the feeling the founder may have read about the history of Mormonism, and then decided to be a Filipino version of Joseph Smith. I am going to ask my lady's family what they think of the group. That should prove interesting... I have a local friend who is a devout Evangelical, who is too polite to say anything overly negative about the Mormon Church, because of it's good reputation here for helping people. But I have a feeling he would not be so nice with Iglesia Ni Cristo. But then the apparent longstanding feud they have with the local Catholic Church, is what I find fascinating. I came across a Catholic website, which really hammered them.

From what I learned via Wikipedia, it looks like they like to control/dominate people, in ways reminiscent of Scientology. But in their case, even murder is seen as an option.

 

[Aizen]

Thought this thread was about hair?

Where can one get a haircut in a locked down city? Say NYC

 

[Hindu Man]

Thought this thread was about hair?

Where can one get a haircut in a locked down city? Say NYC

Just give yourself a haircut or ask a friend/family member. Buzz cut will last a few months.

I'm not going to haircut place for the rest of 2020. Not taking a risk.

 

[Sherman]

My last haircut, last week, was in Mexico for $4. One thing nice about Mexico is they trim the back of your neck and sideburns with a straight edge razor, and also trim your eyebrows. This is standard without asking.

 

[bali]

Thought this thread was about hair?

Where can one get a haircut in a locked down city? Say NYC

There's a street in Chinatown that has about 20 barbershops and every store is a hair salon. Some of the basement level barbers offer haircuts for $5 but I never tried them. Its near to the oldest dim sum place in chinatown. Not sure if they are open now but maybe you can call them and they can sneak you in.

 

[Byzantaur]

I let my hair grow long, so haven't had to in the three years I've been at uni, might need to cut it soon depending on career path

 

[EndlessGravity]

Usually around $55 including beard. Took me years to find someone who would always remember how I liked it, kept notes, and got it right every time. Hope they never find out I'd pay $100 every month for it.

With lockdown, I've been fading my own, however. Looks fine but not regal.

I need regal.