#Ireland Italy Baltics or Greece

[death-and-the-codein-scene]

Trying to book two concerts in a nearby city and a 10 day trip to wherever Europe all in the same 7 day time frame is a real buzz kill ngl

[dividedindiversity]

I have been wondering about the demographics of who is voting in these polls 👀

[maaarine]

public vote for Israel at Eurovision

who gave either 10 or 12 points to Israel?

the majority of participating countries, 21 out of 37

ie what would be called "western Europe": (west to east) from Portugal/Ireland to Austria/Czechia, and (south to north) from Italy to Germany

who gave either 7 or 8 points to Israel?

Azerbaidjan, Denmark, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Latvia

who gave either 5 or 6 points to Israel?

Estonia, Malta, Norway, Poland

who gave either 1 or 3 points to Israel?

Armenia, Lithuania, Serbia

who gave 0 point to Israel?

Croatia, Ukraine

—

it's interesting that Denmark and Norway and Iceland didn't give their 10/12 points to Israel, but Sweden did

I feel like it wouldn't have happened if Sweden hadn't been the host that had to deal with pro-Palestine protests (which may have created a pro-Israel vote from the Swedish public)

as for the other voting blocks, I'm sure that the take is that Baltic and Balkan countries are deemed more antisemitic, but it's interesting that Albania gave 10 points to Israel, while Serbia and Croatia don't fuck with Israel at all

and Ukraine, was Putin right all along, are they nazis (/s)? I'd rather believe that they don't love imperialist wars

source: eurovision.tv

[jocia92]

“The Ritual,” the upcoming exorcism horror in which Al Pacino and Dan Stevens play troubled priests, has sold out for most international territories by XYZ Films.

From director David Midell, the film was written by Midell and Enrico Natale, and produced by Andrew Stevens, Mitchell Welch and Natale. Ashley Greene and Abigail Cowen round out the cast.

XYZ, which has been quietly growing its own releasing arm on top of its sales operations, is planning a U.S. theatrical release in 2025.

Based on a true story, “The Ritual” follows two priests — one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino) — who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a difficult and dangerous series of exorcisms. The film is an authentic portrayal of Emma Schmidt, an American woman whose demonic possession culminated in harrowing exorcisms. Her case remains the most thoroughly documented exorcism in American history.

International sales include Umbrella for Australia/New Zealand, PremiereTV for Benelux, KMBO for France, Leonine for Germany/Austria/Switzerland, TFG for Greece, Plaion for Italy, NOS for Portugal, Inopia for Spain, Altitude for U.K./Ireland, Pro Rom for Eastern Europe, Volga for CIS Baltics, Falcon for Middle East, Siyah Beyaz for Turkey, IDC for Latin America, PVR for India, PT Prima for Indonesia, Antenna for Malaysia, Filmbridge for Mongolia, Pioneer for Philippines, Shaw for Singapore and JNC for South Korea and Vietnam.

[olympeline]

General:

Hetalia

Art

Comics

Cosplay

Crossovers

Games

Fanfic

Funny Comics

Funny Pics

Funny Posts

Not Hetalia

Memes

Music

Official

Posts

Translations

Untranslated

Videos

Characters:

Americas:

America

Canada

Asia:

China

Hong Kong

India

Japan

Turkey

Europe:

Austria

Belarus

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Italy

Liechtenstein

Netherlands

Poland

Portugal

Prussia

Roman Empire

Romania

Romano

Russia

Spain

Switzerland

Ukraine

British Isles:

England

Ireland

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Wales

Baltics & Scandis:

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

Iceland

Lithuania

Norway

Sweden

Oceania:

Australia

New Zealand

Pairings:

FrUK

Ameripan

Dennor

Engpan

FrUKUS

Gereng

Gerita

Lietpol

Porteng

Prucan

Pruhun

PrUK

Rusame

Ruseng

Scoteng

ScotfrUK

Spamano

SpUK

Sufin

USUK

AUs & Misc.:

2ptalia

Britannia Angel

Cardverse

Creme de la Creme

FACE family

Gakuentalia

Gangsta

Hetamyu

HetaOni

Hetavision

Inutalia

Magical Strike

Mertalia

Mochitalia

Nekotalia

Nyotalia

Omegaverse

Piratalia

Poketalia

Pottertalia

Wingtalia

Wondertalia

[celticcrossanon]

“Many European monarchs were kicked out because they didn't listen to the people.”

European monarchies & Principalities:

Uk 🇬🇧 Denmark 🇩🇰 Sweden 🇸🇪 Holland 🇳🇱 Spain 🇪🇸 Netherlands 🇳🇱 Belgium 🇧🇪 Monaco 🇲🇨 Lichtenstein, Luxembourg & Andorra

Not counting previously soviet states with their complex history & the Baltics.

Republics are:

Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Ireland, Finland, Greece & Poland Cyprus.

Malta was the last monarchy tp become a republic in 1974. That’s nearly 50 years ago.

Reasons for republicanism vary but most are linked to Europe after WW1, apparently.

So nothing as straightforward as not listening to the populace.

Hi Nonny,

Yes, the reasons for a country deciding to become a republic are complex and usually related to both their past history and the politics of the time. They have occurred all through history, with France I think being the oldest (1789 and afterwards). Some of the other countries were a result of WW1 and others, like Ireland, decided the time was right to win freedom from their detested rulers for various reasons (the Irish War of Independence, 1919-1921). It is a very complex subject and like you said, I don't think it can be reduced to a single cause.

[myatlantispoets]

ok so thoughts on this year's entries, in no specific order

-moldova once again showing us how it's done with folk pop

-italy coming in with a beautiful ballad IN ITALIAN (take notes everyone else)...bless. i don't even know what he's singing abt and that's okay! that's how esc works

-ukraine...the guy is cute and the message is ok but it's not giving, i'm sorry

-switzerland has a song abt not wanting to take part in wars...the joke writes itself

-the denmark guy looks like the love child of timothe chalawhatever and noah centineo. the song is boring :((

-austria...they understood the assignment. it's unhinged and nonsensical, there's no context whatsoever. same energy as the banana wolf song from norway last year

-armenia girls has such a pretty voice but the song is mid. if she'd sung it in armenian, it might've been a serve

-slovenia has rly good vibes and the music video is rly fun

-portugal KNOWS WHAT'S UP. the beat is good, we've got some latin pop vibes going, they're actually singing in portuguese (which is a rly pretty language imo)

-croatia GETS IT. idk what's going on but i'm here for the ride! also the music video is unhinged

-I LOVE THE SAXOPHONE IN MALTA'S ENTRY. the rest is sort of underwhelming tho, idk how to feel abt it

-poland....okay. are they trying to write the next summer hit

-australia darling, you're already on thin ice, and this is just. you can do better. i'm falling asleep

-everyone's talking abt serbia's entry but like. it's not clicking for me. i feel like they're trying to recreate the vibes of last year's (amazing) entry with the serbian lyrics and the cryptic message but it's not giving!! that being said, the line "i just want to sleep" is a mood and it can turn into a good meme at the very least

-czechia baby...you were so close. the chorus is a spiritual experience but the verses are clumsy and idk what to make of it. i like the message, tho, and it's def better than a lot of other entries

-i hate saying this but france is actually better than i expected. she has a good voice and the melody is kind of a vibe.

-ok spain kinda went off? it sounds so good, even tho i don't understand the lyrics, and the music video has this haunted aesthetic that i'm digging. i hope they keep the candles for the live version

-ok georgia...the chorus is great but everything else is mid

-lithuania giving us this year's depression song. that's it that's all i've got

-norway's entry actually deserves the hype. it's a vibe

-ok cyprus is kind of good, as far as esc love ballads go. he's putting his whole pussy into it

-ok albania is actually singing in albanian, love that for her! it's a very balkan song (affectionate), it kind of reminds me of like. balkan soap opera soundtracks (more specifically turkish and romanian cuz that's what i'm used to lol)

-ok belgium's entry is rly gay, is that a drag queen in the music video? bless their souls. the chorus is v upbeat, it's giving 90's music...yeah i'm down

-OMG GERMANY JDJSJHCWH. blood and glitter???? they're embracing the hardcore vibes lol. the guy's voice could cut through diamond. they get it!

-ireland i want to like you but i'm afraid the song is just.ok.

-WHERE IS BULGARIA????? NOOOOO

-ok the san marino guys are fun! i love the live guitars

-finland is so cursed yghg

-greece is ok.

-won't even bother with israel <333

-sweden, latvia, estonia and iceland being boring, nothing to see here. what's going on with the baltic and nordic countries? are u guys ok?

-and last but not least...romania. idk what we did here. the song is a bop and i can tell that the guy is trying his best but the coreography feels like a rip off of last year's entry. he can never have what wrs did, tho. wrs actually served cunt and objectified himself, as well as the dancers! this guy just stands there while the girls are carrying the show. maybe next year we can get our shit together :(((

[fortressofserenity]

Stranger in Moscow

There are two people on 444ProphecyNews with the same prophecy where not only will Russia occupy America, but also where Americans are required to learn Russian. Whether if they like it or not, English will no longer be a major lingua franca in the west. While it's possible English will remain a lingua franca in Africa, the same can't be said of the west where much of it will be taken over by Russia than Russian would be its lingua franca instead.

The other person even said that Russia will do anything and everything to lure Americans out of the United States to work on their land instead, mind you Celestial has a series of prophecies involving Americans being sent to work elsewhere against their own volition. They'll be divided according to gender and age, so on and so forth, with American women becoming sex slaves to their Russian captors even. Whatever happens, America will be subjugated to its enemies.

America will be so humiliated by them that it becomes a sitting duck for its rivals, including one that was its major Cold War rival Russia. Celestial even said that Americans will be sent to work in the fields and stuff in Russia and the rest of the former Soviet Union, mostly as a comeuppance for what they did to Africans centuries before. God will have a way of settling a score with America, albeit in a way that would be really shocking.

White Americans will actually be enslaved by Russians and Chinese alike. They'll be taken based on the traits they have, like blond or red hair and blue eyes. They'll be made to do a lot of manual labour, assuming if people are too suspicious to even rely on robot labour. They'll be made to do a lot of hard labour, menial labour and so and so that Americans will be the world's slaves. Servants, factory workers and the like, you name it, that's what they'll be.

Russia will be so empowered that it'll even easily take over many of America's former allies in the west, including Britain, Canada and Ireland as to form an Anglophone Bloc analogous to the Baltic Bloc of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. I could even imagine there might also be an Atlantic Bloc composed of Britain, Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal or a Mediterranean Bloc composed of Italy, Greece, Slovenia, France, Spain and Portugal.

Some of it is speculative but it's highly feasible that at least there will be a few more new blocs formed within the renewed Soviet Union (or at least one resembling it), one for Anglophone countries and another for those in the Mediterranean. I guess there might be the emergence of more sub-regions in the renewed Soviet Union based on language (Canada, Britain, Ireland), geography and the like. But America will end up as a proper extension of Russia, a little Russia if you will.

Celestial even said that America will become a Russian colony, one directly ruled by Russia itself. How horrifying for a nation that was rivals with Russia during the latter half of the 20th century only to become a mere extension of it once subjugated. I don't think America will remain the same as it was before, but most horrifying it might even disappear altogether. Maybe not immediately, but enough that God is fed up with this nation once and for all.

[englishchinesetranslations]

New Champions League format

UEFA Champions League- 8 regional champions

UEFA Europa League- 8 regional runners-up & 8 UEL Qualifying Round 4 winners

UEFA Conference League- 8 regional bronze medalists & 8 UEL Qualifying Round 4 losers

UEFA Intertoto Cup- 16 UEL Qualifying Round 3 losers & 8 regional losing semi-finalists

UEFA Trophy League- 32 clubs who lost in UEL Qualifying Rounds 2 & 16 clubs who finished 3rd in their regional cup group stage

Only League champions and domestic cup winners can compete in European competitions. All competitions will feature play-off rounds, followed by quarter-finals, semi-final and a final. All rounds will be played home-and-away except for the UEFA sanctioned finals, which will be single leg matches at neutral venues.

All regional cups will feature a preliminary play-off Round, a group stage (where 8 clubs in 2 groups of 4 teams will compete for a place in the regional finals), a bronze medal play-off and the final.

IBI (Irish-British-Icelandic) Cup 🇬🇧- England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿, Northern Ireland ✋️, Rep of Ireland 🇮🇪 & Iceland 🇮🇸 (14 teams inc 2 League Cup winners from ENG & SCO)

Franco-Nordic Cup- France 🇫🇷, Luxembourg 🇱🇺, Faroe Islands 🇫🇴, Denmark 🇩🇰, Sweden 🇸🇪, Norway 🇳🇴 & Finland 🇫🇮 (14 teams)

Portugal Cup- Portugal 🇵🇹, Kosovo 🇽🇰, Albania 🇦🇱, Romania 🇷🇴, Austria 🇦🇹 & Gibraltar 🇬🇮 (12 teams)

Spanish Cup- Spain 🇪🇸, Andorra 🇦🇩, Georgia 🇬🇪, Malta 🇲🇹, Croatia 🇭🇷, Israel 🇮🇱 & Belarus 🇧🇾 (14 teams)

German-Baltic Cup- Germany 🇩🇪, Estonia 🇪🇪, Lithuania 🇱🇹, Latvia 🇱🇻, Belgium 🇧🇪, Slovakia 🇸🇰 & Czech 🇨🇿 (14 teams)

Italo-Balkan Cup- Italy 🇮🇹, San Marino 🇸🇲, Cyprus 🇨🇾, Armenia 🇦🇲, Bosnia 🇧🇦, Ukraine 🇺🇦 & Macedonia 🇲🇰 (14 teams)

Dutch-European Cup- Netherlands 🇳🇱, Liechtenstein 🇱🇮, Slovenia 🇸🇮, Poland 🇵🇱, Greece 🇬🇷, Montenegro 🇲🇪 & Switzerland 🇨🇭 (13 teams. Liechtenstein do not have an official league)

UEFA Shield Cup 🛡- Turkey 🇹🇷, Kazakhstan 🇰🇿, Azerbaijan 🇦🇿, Moldova 🇲🇩, Hungary 🇭🇺, Serbia 🇷🇸 & Bulgaria 🇧🇬 (14 teams)

UEFA Europa League Qualifying rounds

Non-champion route- 53 highest ranked teams (Preliminary Round with 10 lowest ranked clubs, Round 1 with 32 lowest ranked clubs, Round 2 with 16 Round 1 winners against 16 highest ranked clubs) from every nation who didn't win their league nor domestic cups

Regional cup play-off losers route- 46 teams (Round 1 with 28 lowest ranked clubs, Round 2 with 14 Round 1 winners against 18 highest ranked clubs)

Round 3 will see 16 non-champion Round 2 winners compete against 16 Regional cup play-off losers Round 2 winners for a place in Round 4.

Rounds 4 will see 16 winners from Round 3 compete: 8 Round 4 winners qualify for UEFA Europa League Last 16; 8 Round 4 losers qualify for UEFA Conference League Last 16.

16 losers from Round 3 qualify for UEFA Intertoto Cup play-off round. 8 play-off Round winners will compete against 8 losing regional semi-finalists who lost their bronze medal matches in the Last 16.

UEFA Trophy League Qualifying Rounds

Round 3 will pit 32 UEL Q R2 losers together.

Round 4 (Last 32) will see 16 UTL Q R3 winners against 16 clubs who finished 3rd in their regional group stages.

109 regional cup teams (+53 Europa League non-champion Qualifying Round clubs)

[biblenewsprophecy]

Lost Tribes and Prophecies

Free online book: Lost Tribes and Prophecies

Author: Dr. Bob Thiel. Narrator: James Martenet.

What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands?

Introduction

Chapter 1: Tribes and Controversies

Tribes of Israel – Protestant Controversies – Racist Accusations – Jewish Admissions – Roman Catholic Migration Issues – DNA – Word of God Foundation

Chapter 2: Promises and Identities

Genesis 49 – 1st Century Reports – Scythians – European Israelites

Chapter 3: Prophecies for 11 Tribes

Reuben and France – Simeon – Levi – Judah and Israel – Black Israelites? – Dan and Ireland – 144,000 – Naphtali: Sweden – Gad: Switzerland – Asher: Belgium and Luxembourg – Issachar: Western Finland – Zebulun: Netherlands – Benjamin: Norway and Iceland

Chapter 4: Joseph’s Descendants

Isaac’s Sons – Name of Israel – British: Covenant People – Not a Salvation Issue – Nation and Multitude of Nations – Throne of David – Stone of Destiny – Jeremiah and Tea Tephi – The Red Hand – Stone of Destiny – British Royal Family – List of Monarchs – Samaria – 9/11 – Immorality – Weather Prophecies – Debt Disaster

Chapter 5: Gentile Europeans

List of Progenitors in Genesis – Unity? – Relations with the U.S.A. – Donald Trump – GPS and Galileo – Germanic Peoples – Slavic Peoples – Russia and the Medes – Baltics – Italy, Macedonia, and Greece – Spain and Portugal – Albania and Kosovo

Chapter 6: Asia, Africa, South America and the Islands

Middle East and North Africa – Iran and Syria – Mahdi: King of the South – Jesus and the Koran – Peace Deal of Daniel 9 – Central and East Asia – Indians and Black Africans – Chinese Characters – Far East – Islands – South America

Chapter 7: When Will the End of this Age Come?

6000 Year Plan – Last Days – Hindu Writings – Sequence of End Time Events

Chapter 8: Nostradamus and Native American Prophecies

Nostradamus Centuries – Native American/ Hopi Prophecies

Chapter 9: The King of the North, and the End of the United States and its British Allies

Great Monarch – European King of the North – Roman Empires – Daniel 11 – Ships from the West – Nuclear Destruction – U.S.A. Gone – English Destroyed – Lands Divided – Will Any Survive? – Chinese Prophecy, Australia, and New Zealand – A Cross? Beast Worshiped – World Economic Forum – King of the South Eliminated – Gold and the End of the U.S. Dollar

Chapter 10: The End of the European Beast and Opposition

Russia – Three Woes – Medes – 200,000,000 Man Army – End of Babylon – Armageddon – Plagues – The Fullness of the Gentiles

Chapter 11: Concluding Comments

Concluding thoughts and citations.

Ending

For those who want more information.

LATEST AUDIO BOOKS

[catelyn-the-gayass-cat]

the more I look at this the more questions I get

why did you name it like that

where did africa go

why is there more indonesia suddenly where did you get that

wait wtf is going on with ireland and the uk

why is the baltic sea gone

or the black & caspian sea

wtf happened to italy

where are greece and turkey

cyprus and malta are also gone

why is the persian gulf gone

like I get that 1. is the original joke but wtf is going on with the rest

please rate my world peace proposal

[hyperkineticconduct]

European Country Logic Puzzle

Best Eurovision countries: Ireland, Sweden, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, UK

Island nations = UK, Ireland, Iceland, Malta, Cyprus

4 letter capitals = Italy (Rome), Norway (Oslo), Ukraine (Kyiv/Kiev), Latvia (Riga), Switzerland (Bern) (also Austria's capital Vienna is called Wien in German)

Nordic countries = Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland

Baltic States = Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia

Iberian countries = Spain, Portugal, Andorra

Latin-based (aka Romance) national languages = French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Romansh

Francophone countries in Europe = France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg

Communist bloc countries in Europe = USSR (now Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova) Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Bulgaria, Albania

Eurozone = Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (also Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, Vatican City)

[brookston]

Holidays 12.26

Holidays

Alexandria Day

Awful Tie Day

Boxing Day [26th unless Sunday, then 27th, but generally ignored] (a.k.a. ... 

Boxing Day (UK, Commonwealth) 

Day of Goodwill (South Africa, Namibia)

Family Day (Namibia, Vanuatu)

J’Ouvert (Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Le Lendemain de Noël (Quebec, Canada)

Thanksgiving (Solomon Islands)

Father’s Day (Bulgaria)

Holiday Magic Days begin (Mystic Seaport, Connecticut) [thru 1.1]

Junkanoo (Bahamas)

Lunes Siguiente a Navidad (Spain)

Mauro Hamza Day (Houston, Texas)

Mummer's Day (Cornwall, UK)

National Homeowners Day

National Thank You Note Day

National Whiner's Day

Proclamation Day (South Australia)

Recyclable Packaging Day

Second Day of Christmas (Baltic states, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden)

Shenandoah National Park Day

Sports Day (Falkland Islands)

Stairway to Heaven Day

Wren Day (a.k.a. Day of the Wren; Ireland, Isle of Man, Wales)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Blessing of the Wine (Luxembourg)

Candy Cane Day

Coffee Percolator Day

Irish Pub Day

Unbottling Day

Independence Days

Independence and Unity Day (Slovenia)

Feast Days

Abadiu of Antinoe (Coptic Church)

Appreciate Boxes Day (a.k.a. Cardboard Box Appreciation Day; Pastafarian)

Day of Theotokos (Byzantium)

Dionysius, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Fools, Day 1 (St. Stephen's Day)

Hanukkah Day #8

Iarlath (Christian; Saint)

James the Just (Eastern Orthodox Church)

John Calvin Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Kwanzaa, Day 1: Umoja (Unity)

Linnæus (Positivist; Saint)

Scudge (Muppetism)

2nd Day of Noodlemas (Pastafarian)

Stephen (Western Church)

Synaxis of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Twelve Holy Days #1 (Aries, the head; Esoteric Christianity)

Twelvetide, Day #2; St. Stephens Day (a.k.a. the Twelve Days of Christmas or Christmastide) [until 1.5]

Zartosht No-Diso (Zoroastrianism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

The Exorcist (Film; 1973)

The Glass Menagerie (Play; 1944)

I Want To Hold Your Hand, by The Beatles (US Song; 1963)

King Lear, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1606)

Magical Mystery Tour (BBC TV Special; 1967)

Measure for Measure, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1604)

Monterey Pop (Music Documentary; 1968)

Purple Haze, lyrics written by Jimi Hendrix (Song; 1966)

The Ritz (Film; 1976)

Tequila, by The Champs (Song; 1957)

We Bought a Zoo (Film; 2011)

Today’s Name Days

Stephan, Stephanie (Austria)

Iosif, Yosif (Bulgaria)

Kruno, Krunoslav, Stjepan (Croatia)

Štěpán (Czech Republic)

Stefan (Denmark)

Sten, Taban, Tahvo, Teho, Tehvan, Tehvo (Estonia)

Tahvo, Tapani, Teppo (Finland)

Étienne (France)

Stephan, Stephanie (Germany)

Constantios, Emmanouela, Emmanouil, Emmanuel, Manolis, Panagiotis (Greece)

István (Hungary)

Santo (Italy)

Dainuvite, Gija, Saulvedis (Latvia)

Gaudilas, Gindvilė, Steponas (Lithuania)

Stefan, Steffen (Norway)

Dionizy, Szczepan, Wróciwoj (Poland)

Štefan (Slovakia)

Esteban (Spain)

Staffan, Stefan (Sweden)

Joseph, Josephine (Ukraine)

Esteban, Estefania, Estefany, Estevan, Stefan, Stefanie, Stephan, Stephanie, Stephany, Stephen, Steve, Steven, Stevie (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 360 of 2022; 5 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of week 52 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 2 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Dōngyuè), Day 4 (Gui-Chou)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 2 Teveth 5783

Islamic: 2 Jumada II 1444

J Cal: 1 Fest; Oneday [1 of 5]

Julian: 13 December 2022

Moon: 16%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 24 Bichat (12th Month) [Linnæus]

Runic Half Month: Eihwaz (Yew) [Day 2 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 6 of 90)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 5 of 30)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 12.26

Holidays

Alexandria Day

Awful Tie Day

Boxing Day [26th unless Sunday, then 27th, but generally ignored] (a.k.a. ... 

Boxing Day (UK, Commonwealth) 

Day of Goodwill (South Africa, Namibia)

Family Day (Namibia, Vanuatu)

J’Ouvert (Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Le Lendemain de Noël (Quebec, Canada)

Thanksgiving (Solomon Islands)

Father’s Day (Bulgaria)

Holiday Magic Days begin (Mystic Seaport, Connecticut) [thru 1.1]

Junkanoo (Bahamas)

Lunes Siguiente a Navidad (Spain)

Mauro Hamza Day (Houston, Texas)

Mummer's Day (Cornwall, UK)

National Homeowners Day

National Thank You Note Day

National Whiner's Day

Proclamation Day (South Australia)

Recyclable Packaging Day

Second Day of Christmas (Baltic states, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden)

Shenandoah National Park Day

Sports Day (Falkland Islands)

Stairway to Heaven Day

Wren Day (a.k.a. Day of the Wren; Ireland, Isle of Man, Wales)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Blessing of the Wine (Luxembourg)

Candy Cane Day

Coffee Percolator Day

Irish Pub Day

Unbottling Day

Independence Days

Independence and Unity Day (Slovenia)

Feast Days

Abadiu of Antinoe (Coptic Church)

Appreciate Boxes Day (a.k.a. Cardboard Box Appreciation Day; Pastafarian)

Day of Theotokos (Byzantium)

Dionysius, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Fools, Day 1 (St. Stephen's Day)

Hanukkah Day #8

Iarlath (Christian; Saint)

James the Just (Eastern Orthodox Church)

John Calvin Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Kwanzaa, Day 1: Umoja (Unity)

Linnæus (Positivist; Saint)

Scudge (Muppetism)

2nd Day of Noodlemas (Pastafarian)

Stephen (Western Church)

Synaxis of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Twelve Holy Days #1 (Aries, the head; Esoteric Christianity)

Twelvetide, Day #2; St. Stephens Day (a.k.a. the Twelve Days of Christmas or Christmastide) [until 1.5]

Zartosht No-Diso (Zoroastrianism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

The Exorcist (Film; 1973)

The Glass Menagerie (Play; 1944)

I Want To Hold Your Hand, by The Beatles (US Song; 1963)

King Lear, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1606)

Magical Mystery Tour (BBC TV Special; 1967)

Measure for Measure, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1604)

Monterey Pop (Music Documentary; 1968)

Purple Haze, lyrics written by Jimi Hendrix (Song; 1966)

The Ritz (Film; 1976)

Tequila, by The Champs (Song; 1957)

We Bought a Zoo (Film; 2011)

Today’s Name Days

Stephan, Stephanie (Austria)

Iosif, Yosif (Bulgaria)

Kruno, Krunoslav, Stjepan (Croatia)

Štěpán (Czech Republic)

Stefan (Denmark)

Sten, Taban, Tahvo, Teho, Tehvan, Tehvo (Estonia)

Tahvo, Tapani, Teppo (Finland)

Étienne (France)

Stephan, Stephanie (Germany)

Constantios, Emmanouela, Emmanouil, Emmanuel, Manolis, Panagiotis (Greece)

István (Hungary)

Santo (Italy)

Dainuvite, Gija, Saulvedis (Latvia)

Gaudilas, Gindvilė, Steponas (Lithuania)

Stefan, Steffen (Norway)

Dionizy, Szczepan, Wróciwoj (Poland)

Štefan (Slovakia)

Esteban (Spain)

Staffan, Stefan (Sweden)

Joseph, Josephine (Ukraine)

Esteban, Estefania, Estefany, Estevan, Stefan, Stefanie, Stephan, Stephanie, Stephany, Stephen, Steve, Steven, Stevie (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 360 of 2022; 5 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of week 52 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 2 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Dōngyuè), Day 4 (Gui-Chou)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 2 Teveth 5783

Islamic: 2 Jumada II 1444

J Cal: 1 Fest; Oneday [1 of 5]

Julian: 13 December 2022

Moon: 16%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 24 Bichat (12th Month) [Linnæus]

Runic Half Month: Eihwaz (Yew) [Day 2 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 6 of 90)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 5 of 30)

[dividedindiversity]

Submissions for the first round:

For Czechia:

Pasážová Revolta/Nasze Pokolenie (Passage Revolt/ Our Generation)- Karel Kryl

Der Schimmel (The gray horse) - Karel Kryl

Těšínská / Cieszynska - Jarek Nohavica

For France:

Seven Sins - Ren (The submitter convincingly argued that since the singer is Welsh, as is the first verse, and Welsh is related to Breton, which is spoken in France, it should be included)

For Germany:

Winds of change - The Scorpions

Ein bisschen Frieden (A little peace) - Nicole

Freedom is a verb - Daniel Kahn and the Painted Bird (Kahn might be an American- but operates out of Berlin!)

For Greece:

Θούριος (Thourios - battle hymn) - Rigas Feraios

Το Γελαστό Παιδί (To Yelasto Pedi - The Smiling Child) - Mikis Theodorakis

For Italy:

Bella Ciao - Traditional

For Ireland:

Nina cried power - Hozier

For the Netherlands

De Bom (The bomb) - Doe Maar

For Serbia:

Buđav lebac (moldy bread) - S.A.R.S

For Slovakia:

Spomienky na budúcnosť (Memories of the future) - Iné Kafe

Doba je zlá (Times are bad) - Živé kvety

For Slovenia:

Ti, ki izzivaš (You who challenge) - Laibach

Zbudi me za 1. maj (Wake me up for the 1st of May) - Mi2

Samo ljubezen (Just love) - Sestre

Multiple countries or EU as a whole:

Welcome to the European Union - David Rovics

Atmostas Baltija/ Bunda Jau Baltija/ Ärgake Baltimaad (The Baltics are waking up) - Žilvinas Bubelis (Lithuanian), Viktors Zemgals (Latvian), Tarmo Pihlap (Estonian).

I do want to start the bracket tomorrow- but I'm extending the submission deadline until midnight CET today.

Best EU songs call for submissions!

How do y'all feel about having a big EU song bracket in May? Maybe with a 'freedom/liberation/antifascist' theme?

I'd say anyone can submit anything. If it isn't obviously EU, you'd have to come up with some connection (Like, 'Winds of Change' may be in English, but the Scorpions are a German band, that's easy. Challenge yourself, tell me why 'Love me I'm a liberal' by Phil Ochs should be accepted, be creative!)

When we start, we'll do one bracket, then, because polls tend to attract more attention than calls for submissions, we'll do another bracket with the songs that come in from people who saw the bracket going around. The winners from both brackets will meet in the final.

Submissions for this first round will be open until April 30th.

Please submit songs by asks.

And don't forget:

BOYCOT EUROVISION 2024

[xtruss]

2022’s Unlikely Economic Winners! Which Countries Performed Best and Worst This Year?

— December 18th, 2022 | IBIZA | Finance & Economics | Top of the Charts | The Economist

In financial terms the past year has been bad for almost everyone. Inflation of 10% year-on-year across the rich world has slashed household incomes. Investors have lost out as global stockmarkets have plunged by 20%. Yet this poor aggregate performance hides wide differences: some countries have done pretty well.

To assess these differences, The Economist has compiled data on five economic and financial indicators—gdp, inflation, inflation breadth, stockmarket performance and government debt—for 34 mostly rich countries. We have ranked each economy according to how well it has done on these measures, and created an overall score. The table at the end of this article shows the rankings. It includes some unexpected results.

For the first time in a while, the economic party is happening in the Mediterranean. Top of our list is Greece. Other countries that plumbed the economic depths in the early 2010s, including Portugal and Spain, also score highly. They are not the only pleasant surprises. Despite political chaos, Israel did well. Meanwhile, despite political stability, Germany is an underperformer. Two Baltic countries, Estonia and Latvia, which won plaudits in the 2010s for speedy reforms, come bottom.

gdp, usually the best measure of economic health, is our first indicator. Norway (helped by high oil prices) and Turkey (by a boom in sanctions-busting trade with Russia) have done better than most. The fallout from covid-19 also looms large. Thanks to strict lockdowns and a collapse in tourism, a year ago much of southern Europe was in dire straits, so the region was due a decent year. Visits to the Balearics recently rebounded beyond their pre-pandemic level. As your correspondent discovered on a recent trip to Ibiza, the island is so busy it is difficult to book a taxi or find a spot at a half-decent restaurant.

Ireland probably had a strong year, though one not nearly as strong as gdp numbers suggest. The activities of big multinational companies, many registered there for tax purposes, have for years distorted the figures. By contrast, America’s gdp numbers are misleadingly weak: in recent quarters official statisticians have struggled to account for the impact of enormous stimulus packages.

More granular data fill in the picture. Our second measure is the change in the price level since the end of 2021. Away from the world’s attention, some countries have seen low inflation. In Switzerland consumer prices have risen by just 3%. The country’s central bank, helped along by a strong currency, responded rapidly to the rise in prices earlier this year. Countries which have non-Russian energy sources—such as Spain, which gets much of its gas from Algeria—have also done better than average. Those reliant on Vladimir Putin for fuel have truly suffered. In Latvia average consumer prices have risen by a fifth.

Our third measure also relates to inflation. It calculates the share of items in each country’s inflation basket where prices have risen by more than 2% in the past year. This provides an indication of how entrenched inflation is—and therefore hints at how quickly inflation will fall over the coming year. Some countries that suffer from high headline inflation have nonetheless been able to limit its breadth. In Italy, for instance, average consumer prices have risen by 11% this year, yet “only” two-thirds of its inflation basket has above-target inflation. Japanese inflation also looks like it may fade away. Britain is in more trouble. The price of every category in its basket is rising fast.

People’s sense of economic well-being does not just come from prices in the shops. They also look at the value of their pension pots and stock portfolios. In some countries it has been a terrible year for these sorts of investments. Share prices in both Germany and South Korea are down by nearly a fifth in 2022, double America’s decline. Swedish stocks have done even worse. Yet there are a few spots of strength. Norway’s stockmarket is up on the year. So is Britain’s, which is populated by the sort of dull, plodding companies that tend to be rewarded when economic times are tough. A fall in the value of the pound has also increased the value of foreign sales.

Our final measure concerns the change in net government debt as a share of gdp. In the short run ministers are able to paper over economic cracks by increasing spending or cutting taxes. However this can create more debt and thus the need to turn the fiscal screws in the future. Some governments have spent extravagantly to cope with the cost-of-living squeeze. Germany has allocated funds worth about 7% of gdp to help with sky-high energy costs, meaning its debt-to-gdp ratio has risen. Other countries have pulled back from the splurge, helping to right the fiscal ship. Assisted by high inflation, public debt in southern European countries seems to be on the way down.

Will the gap between 2022’s winners and losers persist in 2023? Before long southern Europe’s economic growth, weighed down by rapidly ageing populations and high debts, will surely fall back to the region’s usual less-than-stellar levels. And there are hopeful signs that in countries such as America and Britain high inflation may finally be easing, which would help them up the rankings.

Along other dimensions, differences are likely to persist, not least when it comes to those countries reliant on Mr Putin for their energy supplies. Against the odds, many managed to replenish their stores of natural gas before winter set in—but only by paying outrageous prices. With supplies now largely cut off, the coming year will be a lot more difficult. That will be a big concern in the Baltics, but less so on the other side of Europe. It is hard to worry about gas supplies while eating a giant plate of squid on an Ibicencan beach. ■