#Belarus–Poland relations

[jdunlevy]

In late 2022, a report on Belarus’s state-funded media singled out the mural in the Soly church, accusing it of “inciting national and religious hatred.” The report also claimed priests of the church “do not care about saving souls, but about returning western Belarus to Poland.”

The painting had reportedly previously been covered up by Soviet authorities, then was revealed and re-sanctified after the fall of the U.S.S.R.

[unhonestlymirror]

Seen an interesting thing:

It's not really clear what anon means by "pro-israel". "Hating on Arabs/Muslims" or "Hating on genocide of Jews"? Let me remind you,

Ukraine is historically the land where Jews could live peacefully until the notorious russian empress Catherine the Second put the Sedentary Band on Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. That meant that Jews were deported from villages to cities, the Jews had to take russian-like surnames and names in order not to be arrested or killed - and then, russia organized pogroms all over those cities, including Vilnius, Kyiv, Miensk and Odesa. Jews could not leave the Sedentary Band without being arrested and/or killed. Russia put all sorts of bans and restrictions on Jewish traders, too. As you can see, the soviet union idea has much deeper roots than it seems.

That's why, after the Sedentary Band was cancelled, a large amount of Jews fled away: some to Poland, some to America, some to russia, some to Palestine. In russia, which is originally the biggest antisemit, life sucked pretty much, enough for many already russian-speaking Jews leaving it later and once again migrating to Poland, America, Palestine, etc. So technically, russia, as the biggest sponsor of Hamas, is at fault for both murders of Jews by Islamists and Jewish "occupation" of Palestine, lol.

After soviet pogroms, Holocaust happened, which was followed by even more soviet pogroms, actively financed by russia (go read about Lithuanian Jewish actor Andrei Mironov or Ukrainian composer Isaac Iosifovich Schwartz) - and unfortunately, some Ukrainians actively participated in killing Jews. After Ukraine has gained its independence from russia in 1991, we made sure that Ukrainians will never forget the misery, grief and pain which was brought upon Jews, both by Nazi, communists and just Ukrainian antisemitic collaborants. When I was a kid, every year, we had excursions to Babyn Yar museum - the place where hundreds of hundreds of Jews, including kids and their moms, were brutally murdered.

Ukrainians are "pro-Israel" because we understand what it's like, to be genocided, to be victim-blaimed, when the whole world turns its back on you just because your enemy is richer and more popular. Ukrainians don't hate Muslims or Palestinians - Ukrainians are disgusted by mass murders and rapes Hamas brought upon the Jews and Druzes and random tourists, some Ukrainians actually were killed on October 7, too. Ukrainians know what "Never Again" means. Ukrainians hate rapists and murderers. That's why we are "pro-Israel", бо інакше це треба бути повним дебілом (although it's much more correct to say we are "pro-Jews" since most of us is totally unaware of whatever happens in Israeli government). Despite understanding the anger of those Palestinians, who have to live through war and lose their loved ones because of their idiotic Hamas, we, as a currently genocided nation, actively support the right of Israel to strike its rapist and mass murderer back. We are also thankful to Israel for seriously damaging Iran's production of "shaheds" which kill Ukrainians almost every day.

The idea itself that Ukrainians support Israel because some Israeli happen to know russian language is insane and sounds like a conspiracy theory. Those Ukrainians who believe that "evil zionists are committing genocide" are just either chronically online or those, who didn't study school history properly, or those with prorussian mentality, or ✨️businessmen✨️. Or all of these together. Which is not a lot of people, thanks God. Hope this helps.

P.S. We don't hate Muslims and Arabs. Ukraine has pretty good relations with Turkey, UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc. Many Ukrainians I know are fond of UAE in particular because people there are hardworking and like to study and apply the knowledge to make the world better.

[lagebu]

Did some research on the last names of different origins in DA:O

The human origins Cousland and Amell are both real-life last names.

According to forebears.io, the surname of Cousland is of local origin from Cousland in the parish of Cranston, Midlothian, Scottland. The records of this surname can be traced back to the 13th century.

Since Ferelden is based on Britain, using Cousland as the human noble origin’s family name seems pretty suitable.

The human mage, Amell, is a surname of Catalan origin in real life. The Amell-Hawke family’s default appearances in DA2 do looks kind of Hispanic, and they are a noble house of Kirkwall, while the Free Marches are based on Mediterranean areas, it makes sense.

As for the elves, I can’t find the Dalish origin Mahariel in real-life, and the closest thing I found is the great-great-grandson of Adam and Eve, Mahalalel, in the Hebrew Bible. According to abarim-publications.com, the name Mahalalel means “Praise of God” in Hebrew.

City elf origin Tabris make me think of the famous real-life city Tabriz, Iran.

And according to Potential Wardens Wiki, Tabris is Greek, meaning bull/ox, or Arabic, meaning revealed/arisen, or Hebrew, meaning free will/hand of God.

The search of the word Tabris itself leads me to Neon Genesis Evangelion, where Tabris is the 17th and final Angel, considered the Angel of free will. Most of EVA’s angel’s names seems to be of Hebrew lore origin, although I haven’t found the primary source of the name Tabris.

(I basically know nothing about EVA, so anyone who’s in that fandom please correct me if I made any mistake and I greatly welcome any supplemental information)

So, maybe the elves are kind of Hebrew/Jews coded in DAO? But the elf mage Surana jumps out of this rule. Surana in real-life is a caste in Rajasthan, India. It belongs to royals of Rajasthan and follower of Maa Suswani (temple at Sindhu Morkhana 50 kilometer from Bikaner). Earlier this community was known for their bravery. They are Oswal Jains followers of Jainism. (Source: forebears.io)

I basically can’t find any real-life information related to dwarf origins. Brosca is a last name with small population in Italy, while I assume Aeducan is just a made-up name following the tradition of dwarven names that are hard and make you think of stone, which can be traced back all the way to Tolkien.

However, when I searched the default given name of the female dwarf noble (because she’s my canon warden!), Sereda, I found out that it and its variations are quite popular surnames in Slavic countries including Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Poland, etc.

Sereda means 'Wednesday' or 'middle' in the Ukrainian language, which is an interesting coincidence (I don’t think it’s deliberate since the male default name Duran is just a classic Tolkien-style dwarf name), since the dwarf noble origin is indeed the middle child.

[mapsontheweb]

Alcolhol-related causes of death in regions of Russia, Belarus, Lithuania and Poland

[aphicelend]

APH x EVILLIOUS

So- I was thinking on a Hetalia AU of Evillious Chronicles (Vocaloid Saga) so, here are some characters >I think< they could fit well. Have to say this is my own interpretation ! I love this saga. I’m not an expert, nor heard the new songs bc idk what the fuck is doing mothy with the saga now. Note: Not all characters would fit their "canon" relationships on this AU, I choose the characters of by their personality thinking on the original character. Also Nyos and their counterparts could be not related nor be the same character of course. 

It’s important to say that the story has a lot of body swaps, reincarnations, so, some characters will not act as they should, some are just “vessels”

Theres some empty roles, i’m starving on female characters, HIMARUYAAA

So, here we go.

Second Period

Levia // Nyo! Poland Behemo// Poland Seth Twiright // Prussia Gumilia Matsumoto//  Nyo! Iceland Michael(a) Arklow// Finland

Lich// Norway Eater// Denmark

Original Sin Story

Levia // Nyo! Poland Behemo// Poland Seth Twiright // Prussia Maria Moonlit //  Ancient Greece Eve Zvezda // Hungary Adam Moonlit // Austria Meta Salmhofer // Nyo! Denmark? Hansel // Ladonia Gretel// Kugelmugel Irina Clockworker // Belarus Elluka Chirclatia // Ukraine Pale / Kiril // Russia Milky Eights// Nyo! America Ly Li//  Vietnam Elluka Clockworker // Ukraine's body (soul of Nyo! Poland and Poland)

Irina Clockworker(ReBirth) // Neko! Belarus

note: Elluka Clockworker is a new character, not the original Elluka, she is Levia/Behemo Vessel. So now, Ukraine’s conscience is just Nyo!Poland and Poland.

Other note: Later, Prussia used Grim the End as a vessel for his soul, becoming himself the wrath demon, later Austria would join into the vessel before going to Marlon Spoon, weird huh

⚔ Venomania | Lust Arc

(Sinner) | Sateriasis/Cherubim// France Gumina Glassred// Nyo! England Mikulia Greeonio// Nyo! Greece Lukana Octo// Taiwan Maylis Beelzenia// Nyo! Romano Mikulia Calgaround//  "Nyo! Greece"

Karchess Crim// Sweden Yufina Marlon// Nyo! Norway

I.R// Random girl (vessel) controlled by Neko!Belarus

>Here Ukraine (Elluka) swaps body with Taiwan 

🍷 Conchita | Gluttony Arc

(Sinner) Banica Conchita// Nyo! Spain Arte(Gretel)// Kugelmugel Pollo(Hansel)// Ladonia Carlos// Romano Platonic// "Seychelles" AB/CIR// random guy controlled by Neko! Belarus

i decided to keep Ladonia and Kugel as Arte and Pollo

🕷 Lucifenia | Pride Arc

holy fuck theres a lot of characters help (Sinner) Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche// Nyo! France Allen Avadonia// Canada (Parenthesis: Ney was supposed to be Kugel, I changed due to Prim Marlon intervention so new character for the Gretel on this Arc) Kyle Marlon// England Ney Phutapie/Marlon (Gretel)// Nyo! Hong Kong Michaela Arklow// Nyo! Finland Clarith// Nyo! Sweden Prim Marlon// ?? Arth Lucifen// ?? Knights Templar?...idk Anne S.// ??? Leonhart Avadonia// Rome Germaine Avadonia// Nyo! Italy Elluka// "Taiwan" Miriam// Nyo! China

Keel Freezis// Australia Yukina Freezis// Wy Mikina Freezis// Nyo! New Zeland

Abyss I.R// random old woman controlled by Neko! Belarus

💤 Elphegort | Sloth Arc

(Sinner) Margarita Felix// “Nyo! Russia”* Kaspar Blankenheim// Netherlands

Note: Due to Clockworkers Doll mechanics, this Nyo! Russia is the Doll (Hungary) possessing herself and pretending to be Nyo! Russia.

Julia Abelard// “Nyo!Italy” (possesed by Neko! Belarus) Mayrana Blossom// Nyo! Romano Lemy Abelard// Sealand Rin// --

Elluka// Taiwan Gumilia/ Eight Snipper// Nyo Iceland

DUEL OF MERRIGOD PLATEAU On this part between Sloth and Envy arc where the characters have a conflict and a New Entity is created through the combination of conscience of these characters. This new conscience is named as "Elluka Ma Clockworker" or just "Ma" Elluka(Levia/Behemo)// Nyo! Poland and Poland Gumilia/ Eight// Nyo! Iceland Irina Clockworker (Julia Abelard)// Belarus Levia// Nyo! Poland Behemo// Poland Lemy// Sealand (Here, Lemy dies, and Behemo abandons Elluka's body and goes to Heavenly Yard) Then the souls merge. Elluka “Ma” Clockworker -> “Taiwan” (Belarus, Nyo!Poland and Hungary souls merged into one)

👹Jakoku | Envy Arc

(Sinner) Kayo Sudou// Nyo!Japan Gakusha// China Ma// “Taiwan”

HERE -> “Taiwan” swaps body with Nyo! Japan 

-Enbizaka events begin- Miroku Family Kai// Hong Kong Mei// Nyo! Macau Miku// – Rin// – idk about these roles, bc they get killed anyways–

Kokutan-douji// Canada 

🥄Marlon | Greed Arc

(Sinner) Gallerian Marlon// Switzerland Michelle Marlon// Liechtenstein Ma// “Nyo! Japan” Bruno// Germany

->Liechtenstein dies drowned, Nyo!Japan gives Swiss the doll containing “Liechstenstein souls” (it wasn’t her, it was Belarus soul)

Clockworkers Doll - Appearance: Liechtenstein \\ Mind: Belarus

Marlon’s Spoon// Austria

EVILS THEATER A small teather located in Millenium Tree Forest, built by Gallerian and Ma, here is the location of some of the Vessels of Sin. Vessels of sin -Venom Sword -Glass of Conchita -Four Mirrors of Lucifenia -Clockworker's Doll -Twin Blades of Levianta -Marlon Spoon -Grim the End In the theater the Vessels gain conscience and a body (some) Clockworker's Doll / "Liechtenstein" (true self: Belarus) Cursed Gardener// Bulgaria Waiter// Monaco Sorceress of Time// Nyo! Japan Gear// Austria Master of Graveyard// Nyo! Spain Arte// Kugelmugel Pollo// Ladonia Eater// Denmark Lich// Norway

💣END OF THE WORLD | Wrath Arc The Greed and Wrath arcs are related

(Sinner) Nemesis Sudou// Czech (soul of: Nyo! Poland) Seth Twiright/Ziz-san/Grim the End/Mask // Prussia Nyoze Octo// Slovakia Gammon Octo// Bulgaria

[retrowaving1]

Kodeń

Today the people of Poland celebrate Palm Sunday, which means the anticipation for the Easter is growing stronger within Poles, me included. I'm not religious, but being raised in Catholic tradition, I truly enjoy some of its elements, such as feasting on the traditional dishes with your family (and, of course, the preparation of those dishes beforehand^^), but also the historical sights related to Roman-Catholic Christianity.

It has always amazed me how diverse and rich is Polish architecture, especially the castles and churches built in the past. Yesterday, my loved one, knowing so well how much I would enjoy it, took me on a spontaneous trip to one of those places which's historical landmarks manage to combine both<3

Using both the opportunity and my pre-Easter spring mood I shall share some photos of the beautiful Kodeń village with you.

Kodeń [ˈkɔdɛɲ] is a village in eastern Poland on the Bug River, which forms the border between Poland and Belarus. Administratively, it belongs to Biała Podlaska County in Lublin Voivodeship. 

[ the description taken from the Wikipedia ]

Kalwaria Kodeńska | The Kodeń Calvary

Kościół Świętego Ducha | Church of the Holy Ghost

The Gothic castle church, currently a Roman Catholic filial church of St. Anna's parish in Kodeń. The temple, along with the ruins of the Sapieha castle, the former armory, and the stations of the Via Dolorosa processional route, compose the area of the Kodeń Calvary. The church was founded at the same time as the Kodeń castle by the Voivode of Nowogródek, Paweł Sapieha, around 1540. It served as the Sapieha family court chapel until the 19th century.

Bazylika św. Anny w Kodniu | St-Anne's Basilica

The church of the Roman Catholic parish of St. Anna in Kodeń. The church was built between 1629 and 1635 in the late Renaissance style on the site of an earlier wooden church from 1599. The construction was led by the Lublin mason J. Cangerle. In 1657, the church was plundered by the Swedes who removed the lead roof and stole the bells. In 1680, fire destroyed the church and the town, but by 1686, after the completion of its reconstruction and alteration (western tower), the church was consecrated again. The Baroque façade dates back to 1709.

The altar of the Basilica - Matka Boża Kodeńska | Mother of God of Kodeń [ the descriptions of the churches were taken from the Polish Wikipedia and were translated into English by me ]

[mariacallous]

With the health of democracy on the minds of U.S. voters, Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said his country will cooperate with whichever candidate wins the presidential election.

“We want to have the best possible relations with whoever is in charge,” he told NPR’s Steve Inskeep.

The political debates leading up to this year’s U.S. presidential election echo those had in Poland last year. Sikorski said abortion rights, immigration and political corruption were factors for voters when they pushed out the right-wing Law and Justice party last year, ending its near decade-long rule.

Sikorski blames the Law and Justice party for eroding much of the country’s democratic institutions such as the judiciary and local media.

“There was a systematic attempt to capture the state. Public media, Poland's equivalent of NPR, was subjected to strict party controlled, became very biased,” Sikorski said. “They were trying to take over private media as well, milking state companies, subjugating the prosecution service to strict political party control.”

Immigration is also shaping Polish politics, especially by way of Poland’s neighbor Belarus. According to the AP, illegal border crossing increased over the summer from a handful a day to almost 400. Some of Poland’s border guards have also described some violent encounters with migrants, including one guard who was stabbed.

“Russia invites migrants from Africa and Asia, giving them Russian visas, and then moves them to Belarus.” Sikorski said. “Belarussian border guards push them across the border.”

Belarus’ Foreign Ministry shared the following statement from Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov in response to NPR’s request for comment:

“The topic of migration became increasingly politicized. Instead of solving the problems of irregular migration, political games are being played – who will earn how much money for it. We are convinced that all issues must and can be resolved through dialogue.”

Sikorski sat down with Morning Edition to reflect on the state of democracy in Poland, his country’s support for Ukraine, the Polish public’s concerns about immigration and abortion rights.

[quotesfrommyreading]

The East is also where the Nazis had most vigorously pursued the Holocaust, where they set up the vast majority of ghettoes, concentration camps, and killing fields. Snyder notes that Jews accounted for less than 1 percent of the German population when Hitler came to power in 1933, and many of those managed to flee. Hitler's vision of a “Jew-free” Europe could only be realized when the Wehrmacht invaded Poland, Czechoslovakia, Belarus, Ukraine, and the Baltic States, and eventually Hungary and the Balkans which is where most of the Jews of Europe actually lived. Of the 5.4 million Jews who died in the Holocaust, the vast majority were from Eastern Europe. Most of the rest were taken to the region to be murdered. The scorn the Nazis held for all Eastern Europeans was closely related to their decision to take the Jews from all over Europe to the East for execution. There, in a land of subhumans, it was possible to do inhuman things.

  —  Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956 (Anne Applebaum)

[artist-kili]

I am a bit of a fan of Jekyll and Hyde (musicals, original book, the concept anything in relation really) (I am not a diehard fan. I find it neat. That describes it best).

I developed an Alternative Universe with placing Hetalia Characters in roles from a musical variation (The one with Anthony Warlow as Jekyll/Hyde) including some additional roles and it goes following:

Romania as Jekyll/Hyde. Late 19th century, is a chemist and licensed doctor, charming man and wants knowledged. The idea of an evil and good soul and what causes someone to descend into insanity aren't cause by personal events, rather he just has a specific interest in these things, so much so he hardly can find passion for other topics. He is very neurodivergent-coded (Intense special interest, irritation over misunderstandings, awkward socially, dislikes change, finding himself to be overwhelmed by sensorially challenging situations)

Ukraine as Lisa Carew, Jekylls fiancé (I love RomUkr). She loves his passion over his research but often has to pull him out of it. She aids him with social events and reassures him.

England as Mr. Stride. I totally antagonized England for this. I want him to be jealous asf of Romania because he wanted to marry Ukraine. He also thinks of Ro as eccentric and dangerous and occasionally more or less purposefully sets him off, never managing to trigger a meltdown. He is in an arranged marriage to China (additional thing I did. i liked the Idea of it).

China is basically just there. I need some fun story for them. (Afab China in this case. Probably non binary but it wont quite show).

Bulgaria starring as Mr. Utterson I believe was his name. Mr Lawyer and friend of Jekyll. He kinda watches the story unfold and finds out the truth at the end (not sure which ending to use.)

Russia and Belarus exist as well as Romanias siblings in law but dont have a big roll.

I don't think the victims will be other Hetalia characters. This all is more or less a human AU.

Perhaps I include a Lucy in the form of Nyo Prussia or Nyo Poland but I dont really see a point for a Lucy. Perhaps a different function.

Also this is where my idea stems from that Romania actually was a chemist/scientist in like the 1800s/1900s. I like it. Also that he would teach Germany science stuff since Prussia likes his personality (minus that weird omnious feeling)

[mhgrf]

Our country's regional visa-free policy for foreigners mainly includes:

Hong Kong and Macao foreign tour groups to enter Guangdong 144-hour visa-free policy. Citizens of countries with diplomatic ties with China holding ordinary passports may visit the nine cities in the Greater Bay area and the Shantou Bay Area without the need for a visa after entering the region through a group of Hong Kong and macao-registered travel agents, activities will be held in the cities of Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Shantou, group in and out, stay less than 144 hours.

Visa-free entry policy for tour groups from ASEAN countries to Guilin, Guangxi. Group tours (2 or more) from ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia) , with an ordinary passport, you can enter or leave the country visa-free through the Guilin Airport and travel agencies in Guilin, stay no longer than 144 hours.

Visa-free entry policy for foreign tour groups by cruise. Foreign tour groups (2 or more persons) on cruises and received by travel agencies in China, visa-free group visits are available from 13 cruise ports in Tianjin, Dalian, Shanghai, Lianyungang, Wenzhou and Zhoushan, Xiamen, Qingdao, Beihai, Haikou and Sanya, the tour group shall travel with the same cruise to the next port until the departure of this cruise, activities for Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and other 11 coastal provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government) and Beijing, stay no longer than 15 days.

4th, 59 countries personnel entry Hainan 30 days visa-free policy. Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, Ukraine, Italy, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Monaco, Belarus and 59 other countries hold ordinary passports, for short-term reasons such as tourism, business, visit, family visit, medical treatment, convention and exhibition, sports competition, etc. (except for work and study reasons) , visa-free entry to Hainan may be granted, the scope of activities shall be within the administrative area of Hainan province, and the entry and exit ports shall be all open ports of Hainan province, and the stay time shall not exceed 30 days.

Visa-free 144-hour entry policy for foreign tour groups from Hong Kong and Macao. Citizens of countries with diplomatic relations with China who hold ordinary passports and visit Hong Kong and Macao may visit Hainan visa-free if they are in a group of two or more members of a travel agency legally registered in Hong Kong and Macao, activities for the administrative area of Hainan province, the entry and exit ports for all open ports in Hainan province, the use of group entry and exit mode, stay less than 144 hours.

[vague-humanoid]

Border Repression + Resisting Growing Nationalism in Poland

This week, we’re featuring two conversations relating to the so-called Green Border in Podlaskie region of eastern Poland, on the Belarus border concerning topics of migration, repression, militarization, nationalism and solidarity among residents and people on the move into Fortress Europe.

Transcripts and zines are currently available at https://tfsr.wtf/zines/#September2024

First up, you’ll hear Alex, a member of the feminist anti-repression group, Szpila Collective, about the #H5Poland case of 5 activists facing charges for aiding people in need in what could be a landmark case in Poland and Europe. More at Szpila.BlackBlogs.Org or on Mastodon: @Szpila@kolektiva.social [ 00:01:34 - 00:15:08]

Then, you’ll find a chat with an anarchist who grew up in this border region and returned in adulthood and whose affinity group does solidarity with people on the move through the Białowieża forest. [00:19:58 - 01:32:18]

To hear past interviews about this border, check out our chat with two folks from Grupa Granica, or other chats where we've covered / carried chat about the border at Calais, the Mediterranean, the Balkan Route, Australia or the US / Mexico border in our borders playlist.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 1.26

Holidays

Aemilia Asteroid Day

Auschwitz Liberation Day (Netherlands)

Australia Day

Belarusian Science Day (Belarus)

Bessie Coleman Day

Day of Islam (Poland)

Dental Drill Appreciation Day

Duarte Day (Dominican Republic)

Dungeons & Dragons Day

Eddie Van Halen Day

Engineer’s and Architect’s Day (Panama)

General Douglas MacArthur Day (Arkansas)

Hydroplane Day

International Customs Day

International Day of Clean Energy

International Environmental Education Day

International Kawasaki Disease Awareness Day

Liberation Day (a.k.a. NRM Liberation Day; Uganda)

Lotus 1-2-3 Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Napoleon Abueva Day (Philippines)

National Ellen Degeneres Day

National Heroes Day (Cayman Islands)

National Ranboo Day

National #24 Day

Renewable Energy Day (Indiana)

Rocky Mountain National Park Day

Rum Rebellion Day (Australia)

Sexual Relations Day

Spouse’s Day

State Audit Service Day (Ukraine)

Television Day

Tinder Polypore Day (French Republic)

Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement

World Day for the Abolition of Meat

World Day of the Fisherman

World Environmental Education Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

International Sous Vide Day

National Green Juice Day

National Irish Soda Bread Day

National Peanut Brittle Day

National Pistachio Day

Spike the Punch Day

Stingray IPA Day

Nature Celebrations

Bald Eagle Appreciation Day

Mimosa Day (Sensitive Heart; Korean Birth Flowers)

Independence, Flag & Related Days

Discovery Day (Brazil; 1500)

Foundation Day (Australia; 1788)

Hong Kong (Proclaimed British Sovereign Territory; 1841)

Louisiana (Seceded from the U.S.; 1861)

Michigan Statehood Day (#26; 1837)

NRM Liberation Day (Uganda)

Recognition of the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republikas Atzīšana; Latvia)

Republic Day (Declared; India; 1950)

Suttornland (Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

Virginia (Readmitted to the Union; 1870)

New Year’s Days

Chinese New Year Holiday, Day 2 (Taiwan)

4th & Last Sunday in January

Child Labor Day [4th Sunday]

Clean Out Your Email Inbox Week begins [Sunday of Last Full Week]

Dinagyang (Philippines) [4th Sunday]

Homeless Sunday (UK) [4th Sunday]

International Internet-Free Day [Last Sunday]

National Bible Sunday (Philippines) [Last Sunday]

National Holocaust Memorial Day (Ireland) [Sunday closest to 27th]

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday [Sunday closest to 22nd]

Septuagesina Sunday [4th Sunday]

Seven For Sunday [Every Sunday]

Soothing Sunday [4th Sunday of Each Month]

Spud Sunday [4th Sunday of Each Month]

Souper Sunday [Last Sunday of Each Month]

Sultry Sunday [Last Sunday of Each Month]

Sundae Sunday [Every Sunday]

Sunday Funday [Every Sunday]

World Leprosy Day [Sunday Nearest 1.30]

Weekly Holidays beginning January 26 (4th Week of January)

Catholic Schools Week (thru 2.2) [From Last Sunday]

Cheeseburger Week in Pasadena (Pasadena, California) [thru 2.1]

Global Crayola Creativity Week [Last Full Week]

International Hot Air Balloon Week (thru 2.1) [4th Full Week]

Kiss a Shark Week (thru 2.1) [4th Full Week]

National CRNA Week [Last Full Week]

National Meat Week (thru 2.2) [8 Days from 4th Sunday]

National School Choice Week [Last Full Week]

San Diego Restaurant Week (San Diego, California) [thru 2.2]

Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week [4th Full Week]

Festivals Beginning January 26, 2025

BRAFA Art Fair (Brussels, Belgium) [thru 2.2]

Critic’s Choice Awards (Santa Monica, California)

Dairy Forum (San Antonio, Texas) [thru 1.29]

Delhi Republic Day Parade (New Delhi, India)

Satellite Awards (Los Angeles, California)

WASGA Winter Seed Conference (Phoenix, Arizona) [thru 1.28]

Feast Days

Alberic (Christian; Saint)

Beat the January Blues Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Cernunnos’ Day (Celtic God of the Wild; Master of the Animals; Celtic Book of Days)

Conon (a.k.a. Conan of Man; Christian; Saint)

Dévote's Day (Monaco; Saint)

End of the Fifth Quarter of the Ninth Dozen of the Thirteenth Set (Shamanism)

Enki’s Day (Pagan)

Eystein (Christian; Saint)

Founders of Cîteaux (Alberic of Cîteaux, Robert of Molesme, Stephen Harding)

Gabriele Allegra (Christian; Blessed)

John the Baptist (Positivist; Saint)

Margaret of Hungary (Christian; Virgin)

Paula (Christian; Saint)

Pilar (Muppetism)

Polycarp (Christian; Martyr)

Powamu begins (a.k.a. Bean Dance Ceremony; Hopi) [8 Days; thru 2.3]

Rum Rebellion Day (Pastafarian)

Sailing of Anubis (Ancient Egypt)

Steve Jackson Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

St. John the Baptist (Positivist; Saint)

String Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Thordith of Barking (a.k.a. Theorigitha; Christian; Saint)

Timothy and Titus (Christian; Saints)

Titus (Christian; Saint)

Secular Saints Days

Louis Anquetin (Art)

Sal Buscema (Art)

François Coppée (Literature)

Angela Davis (Politics, Philosophy)

Philip José Farmer (Literature)

Jules Feiffer (Art)

Rupprecht Geiger (Art)

Scott Glenn (Entertainment)

Wayne Gretzky (Sports)

Susan Griffin (Literature)

Polycarp Kusch (Science)

Giovanni Lanfranco (Art)

Douglas MacArthur (Military)

Paul Newman (Entertainment)

Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (Art)

Paula Rego (Art)

Günther Reindorff (Art)

Huey ‘Piano’ Smith (Music)

David Strathaim (Entertainment)

Samuel C.C. Ting (Science)

Bob Uecker (Sports)

Roger Vadim (Entertainment)

Kees van Dongen (Art)

Eddie Van Halen (Music)

Lunar Calendar Holidays

Chinese: Month 12 (Ding-Chou), Day 26 (Yi-Wei)

Day Pillar: Wood Sheep

12-Day Officers/12 Gods: Destruction Day (破 Po) [Inauspicious]

Holidays: Special Working Day (China) / Chinese New Year Holiday, Day 2 (Taiwan)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [4 of 53]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Tycho Brahe Lucky Day (Scandinavia) [1 of 4]

Premieres

The Bear and the Bees (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Bowling (Atari 2600 Video Game; 1979)

Bridge Over Troubled Waters, by Simon & Garfunkel (Album; 1970)

The Cat and the Swordfish (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Catch and Release (Film; 2017)

The Clock Watcher (Donald Duck Disney Cartoon; 1945)

College (Osewald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1931)

Così Fan Tutte, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Opera; 1790)

The Debut of Thomas Katt (Goldwyn-Bray Pictograph Cartoon; 1920)

Der Rosenkavalier, by Richard Staruss (Comic Opera; 1911)

The Dog and the Thief (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Dog-Gone Tough Luck (Mutt and Jeff Cartoon; 1919)

Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano Player (Album; 1973)

Don’t Stop Me Now, by Queen (Song; 1979)

Eddie the Eagle (Film; 2016)

Edgar Runs Again (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1940)

The Dukes of Hazzard (TV Series; 1979)

The Farmer and the Ostrich (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

The Fox and the Grapes (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Gormenghast, by Mervyn Peake (Novel; 1950) [Gormenghast #2]

The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank, by Erma Bombeck (Novel; 1976)

Hello, I’m Johnny Cash, by Johnny Cash (Album; 1970)

How I Became Krazy (Goldwyn-Bray Pictograph Cartoon; 1921)

Instant Karma, recorded by John Lennon (Song; 1970)

Jimmy Kimmel Live! (TV Talk Show; 2003)

Masters of the Air (TV Mini-Series; 2024)

Maze Runner: The Death Cure (Film; 2018)

Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer (TV Series; 1984)

The Miller and His Donkey (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

The Mouse Exterminator (Phantasies Cartoon; 1940)

Need You Now, by Lady Antebellum (Album; 2010)

Notes on a Scandal (Film; 2007)

Pastoral Symphony, a.k.a. Symphony No. 3, by Ralph Vaughan Williams (Symphony; 1922)

Peaceful Neighbors (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1939)

The Phantom of the Opera (Broadway Musical; 1988)

Philip José Farmer (Writerism)

Poker Face (TV Series; 2023)

Pop-Pie a la Mode (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1945)

Riverdale (TV Series; 2017)

Scrambled Aches (WB LT Cartoon; 1957)

Seal on the Loose (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1970)

Shōgun, by James Clavell (Novel; 1975)

Sinister Stuff (Aesop’s Sound Fable Cartoon; 1934)

The Spendthrift (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Sugar & Spice (Film; 2001)

The Three Bears (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1934)

The Tiger and the Donkey (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Twelve O’Clock High (Film; 1950)

Vacation with Play (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1951)

Volver (Film; 2007)

Walk Like a Man, by The Four Seasons (Song; 1963)

Way Back When a Triangle Had Its Points (Fleischer Stone Age Cartoon; 1940)

Today’s Name Days

Paula, Timotheus, Titus (Austria)

Bogoljub, Paula, Timotej, Tit, Tonka (Croatia)

Zora (Czech Republic)

Polycarpus (Denmark)

Ulve, Ulvi (Estonia)

Joonatan (Finland)

Paule, Pauline, Timothé (France)

Paula, Timotheus, Titus (Germany)

Xenofon (Greece)

Paula, Vanda (Hungary)

Paola, Timoteo, Tito (Italy)

Agnis, Ansis (Latvia)

Daugis, Eigilė, Justas, Rimantas (Lithuania)

Esten, Øystein (Norway)

Paula, Paulina, Polikarp, Skarbimir, Wanda (Poland)

Arcadie, Ioan, Iosif, Maria, Xenofont (Romania)

Tamara (Slovakia)

Paula, Timoteo, Tito (Spain)

Bodil, Boel (Sweden)

Arkad, Arkadiy, May, Maya (Ukraine)

Aubrey, Conan, Coner, Conner, Connor, Conor, Gonzalo, Paola, Paula, Paulette, Paulina, Pauline (USA)

Today’s National Name Days

National Diane Day

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 26 of 2025; 339 days remaining in the year

ISO Week: Day 7 of Week 4 of 2025

Celtic Tree Calendar: Luis (Rowan) [Day 6 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Ding-Chou), Day 27 (Yi-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Jia-Wu]

Coptic: 18 Tubah 1741

Druid Tree Calendar: Cypress (Jan 25-Feb 3) [Day 2 of 15]

Hebrew: 26 Teveth 5785

Islamic: 26 Rajab 1446

J Cal: 26 White; Fryday [26 of 30]

Julian: 13 January 2025

Moon: 9%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 26 Moses (1st Month) [St. John the Baptist]

Runic Half Month: Elhaz (Elk) [Day 5 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 37 of 90)

Week: 4th & Last Week of January

Zodiac:

Tropical (Typical) Zodiac: Aquarius (Day 7 of 30)

Sidereal Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 12 of 29)

Schmidt Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 1 of 27)

IAU Boundaries (Current) Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 7 of 28)

IAU Boundaries (1977) Zodiac: Capricornus (Day 8 of 28)

[unhonestlymirror]

I have almost no pretensies (if Mr. Trump loves russia, it's his own problem) (well, America's problem for the next 5 years, too, I guess) (gosh, I almost feel pity for people who disgrace themselves like that) except for the fact the current president of America seems to have no knowledge about Molotov-Ribbetrop pact and the close economic&military relations between the communists and the Nazis that preceded it.

That's not a common thing to be aware of but russia did not waste 60 million lives in WW2. Russia has always greatly understated the human losses of Eastern European countries but greatly inflated it's own losses instead: in Ukraine alone, 10 millions were killed; in Belarus, from 10 to 15 millions (that's why they're ready to do anything to avoid the next war), in Lithuania, approximately 3 millions, same in Latvia, maybe a little less in Estonia. I'm not sure if the current russian statistics includes the losses of Poles... but they probably do because technically Poland was occupied by soviet union, too. In conclusion, Russia has wasted much less lives as any other country occupied by soviets. Which is logical, if you think about it.

[sataniccapitalist]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/poland-must-prepare-army-full-scale-conflict-army-chief-says-2024-07-10/

Poland must prepare army for full-scale conflict, army chief says

“Poland’s relations with Russia and its ally Belarus have deteriorated sharply since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into neighbouring Ukraine.”

[evilelitest2]

What is Ukraine Anyways?

Ok so lets start, what is Ukraine?  Ukraine is a nation in Eastern Europe, just south of Belarus, just East of Poland, just north of Romania and Moldova, and just West of Russia.  I know what you're thinking “Belarus, what's that '' so ok, maybe US geography could use a bit of work.  Before the war Ukraine had a population of 44 million people, and was either the largest or second largest nation in Europe depending on how you count Russia.  And I think that is worth focusing on. Ukraine is massive, about the size of Texas, and yet it's forgotten because it's next to Russia, the largest nation in the world. 

Ukraine is sometimes called “The Ukraine '' but that's controversial for reasons we will talk about later. So there are three main things that you need to know about Ukrainian history

First, Ukraine is famous for its fertile soil, the “Black Earth”, and is one of the major agricultural powers in the world, certainly it is the supreme agricultural powerhouse of Eastern Europe.  This also makes it extremely valuable to other nations who might want to colonize it.

Second, Ukraine doesn’t have much in the way of Natural Borders.  A Natural Border is a landscape feature which provides a convenient barrier between nations. A mountain range, a river, an ocean, or a desert are all good natural borders because it means that anybody who wants to invade you needs to really commit.  While part of Ukraine is on the Black Sea and you have the Carpathian mountains in the west, the rest of it is…really not, it's mostly a mix of farmland and steppe. 

Thirdly, this combination of fertile land and lack of natural defenses means that Ukraine has a long history of being invaded from almost every side, and one of the tricky legacies of this is figuring out where Ukraine stops and another country begins because The Commonwealth, Prussia, the Golden Hoard, Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottomans, and most infamously Russia have all had their shot at seizing Ukrainian territory. This is made worse because Ukraine is sort of in the middle of a bunch of other states, it connects between a bunch of territory.  This is actually where the term “Ukraine” comes from, it means “borderland” 

 As a result of said fertility and constant invasion, Ukraine is an extremely ethnically diverse region, both in terms of Religion and Ethnicity.  You have Ukranians, Russians, Tatars, Bulgarians, Jews, Hungarians, Romani and Pols living within the borders, with a lot of mixing between these groups.  

So one final thing I want to talk about is Slavs, because I am going to be using that term a lot and it is good for non-Europeans to know what that means.  Slavs is an ethnic/linguistic group that combines a wide variety of different ethnic groups, mostly linked through linguistic origin.  A lot of ethno-nationalists will claim that there is some sort of magical bond all Slavs have towards each other by blood, but it’s mostly language connections, like how French and Italian are different languages but are clearly related.  Slavic people’s include Czechs, Slavokians, Pols, Belarusians, Bulgarians, “Yugoslavians' ' (I am not going to get into the ethnic politics of the Balkans here, dear god no), Ukranians and ethnic Russians.   Many slavic languages (but not all) use the Cyrillic script, which comes from the Byzantine Empire (We will come back to them later don’t worry), including both Ukrainian and Russian.  What matters for us is that the Ukrainian and Russian languages are very closely related and are somewhat understandable to each other, there is even a dialect, Surzhyk, which mixes the two even further.  A good comparison is like Spanish vs. Portuguese, different languages but very close.  Why this matters is that many Russian nationalists claim that Ukranian isn’t actually a language, it's just a dialect of Russian.  I’m not a linguist, but everything I’ve read indicates it is its own language, it has a few unique letters and UKraine has this weird case with words going on.  The biggest evidence towards me though are Rusisans friends of mine who have told me that when they visit Ukraine they often have a very hard time understanding what is going on.  Also worth noting, most Ukranians speak Russian, about a third of them speak Russian as their first language, mostly in the east.  We will get on that later

FInally, let's take a moment to talk about religion.  Most Russians and Ukrainian are Orthodox Christians, aka “The Christianity people in the West forgets exists”.   Short version is that before the Catholic Protestant Split in the 16th century, the previous sexy christian Split was in the 11th century between the Orthodox East and the Catholic West.  Unlike the Reformation, this was less a doctrinal dispute and more of an organizational one, the Orthodox reject the Pope’s authority for the Byzantine Emperor, Catholics use latin as the liturgical language while the Orthodox used Greek, the Orthodox is a far more decentralized faith, they each have opposite signs of the cross, little things ike that.  There have been…a lot of wars between these two groups and a lot of bad blood left over from said wars, such as the Fourth Crusade which sacked Constantinople or the Teutonic Knights (we will get to them more later. 

Important for future events is the fate of the Byzantine Empire.  Basically, when the Western Roman Empire Fell, the Eastern Empire continued on going until 1453, when it was finally destroyed by the Ottoman Empire.  The Emperor was the head of the Orthodox church, so when the Empire fell, so too did the unity of the Orthodox church.  Imagine if the Pope was killed, Rome was destroyed and no new pope was declared.  So there isn’t one Orthodox CHurch, its several different Orthodox churches for each region.  

[coralcatsea]

How would you end XXX/Would you change the ending of XXX?

I feel Hetalia needs some kind of really nice, wholesome ending with the nations all doing something fun and silly with each other. They have many differences, but they can relate to and understand each other in ways no human can, which allows them to come together and feel a sense of belonging. They can't fix the world; it'll never be perfect, but there is hope for the future.

They could play games, sing songs, and reminisce on some Hetalia scenes from the past, like:

America: Remember when we sat around a campfire on that island? England kept chanting like he was trying to summon the devil!

England: That reminds me of when you prank called me and pretended to BE the devil!

Belarus: Sometimes I like to prank call Poland and just breathe into the phone.

Poland: That was you?!

China: On the topic of pranks, how about that crazy April Fools' Day where we all got blackmailed?

France: Hey, remember when I tried to trick you by pretending a marriage registration form was a calendar?

England: I don't know how you ever thought I would believe that!

Spain: Oh, when I tried proposing to Romano he gave me all these conditions!

Romano: There weren't that many!

England: Oh, I recall when America got upset because I didn't give him chocolates for Valentine's Day.

Italy: Haha! You proposed to him? Germany gave me a ring once on Valentine's Day! It turned out to be this whole big misunderstanding!

America: You're always giving me ice cream and chocolate bars and things! I just figured you would give me some then, too!

England: Well, I brought them later and you tried to play it off like it never happened!

America: Haha, did I do that?

Prussia: Oh, speaking of England giving out food, remember when I posted on my blog about how he made me food and everyone thought I died?? Not cool, guys! As if I would be defeated by that!

Germany: We were just concerned.

Prussia: Some of you got REALLY concerned! That was interesting!

Austria: Well, there's no need to be foolish!

Hungary: Yes, you may be a handful, but you have your good points! For one, there was that time you gave me a piece of fabric from your clothes to help me cover up...

Italy: He helped clean my house!

Romano: That idiot cheered me up once when I couldn't get a role in a movie.

America: I like to make movies! You can get a role in mine if you want! Maybe we can make it about...the Pictonian invasion!!

Prussia: Oh! What about a movie inspired by that fantasy game we all played together?

Estonia: Maybe it could be based on this dream I had where you all became women! It was really weird!

Japan: What–?

Russia: I think it would be nice to make a movie about some of the pleasant memories we've been discussing.

Spain: We should include the time I had turtles crawling all over the place!

Canada: Sometimes Cuba and I have ice cream together. That's a nice memory.

Japan: Learning English with England-san and German with Prussia-san.

England: There was that one time Germany and I stopped fighting on Christmas to play football...

Japan: Rooming with America.

Lithuania: Oh, yes, I liked staying with him, too.

Romano: I guess it was all right.

Belarus: ...I didn't like it much. But some parts were okay.

Russia: Don't worry, we can definitely skip all that!

America: How about that time Russia sent cardboard cutouts to everyone? That was hilarious!

Japan: Hmm...when we learned about America's Furbies?

Italy: When I wrote a song for Germany! That's a good memory!

Germany: ...When I first found you hiding in that tomato box.

It ends with them singing a new song, and then finally, Marukaite Chikyuu. Italy then says, "The series may be over, but history never ends!"