#March April May June 2019 Calendar

[dragonagefanevents]

Dragon Age Fan Event Listings

The beauty of fan events is that they are run by fans.

Including you.

▸What are the types of fan events? - #education

▸Start a new event! - #how tos (coming soon)

▸Ask Box - send us advice, or ask for it!

▸Blog Tag List

Below is a list of all Dragon Age fan-run events we can find. The links should bring you to the most recent iteration of the event. Where possible, the time period the event covers is listed next to the event.

Want to get an event listed? Check out the link and submit. Look here for multi-fandom events, or more events in general.

Event Masterlist - #compendium

Bangs

25k Big Bang (July - November)

10k Big Bang (March - April)

Dragon Age Reverse Bang

Exchanges

Arlathan Exchange (April - June)

DA Polyshipping (August - November)

Handers Exchange (March - May)

Templartations Exchange (March - May)

Black Emporium Rare Pair Exchange (June - September)

Platonic Ideal Gen Fic Exchange (December - February)

Smutquisition (January - March)

Theme Weeks/Months

Krem Week 2024 (July 22 - 28)

City Elf Week (August 5 - August 11)

Zevwarden Week (2024 dates TBD)

Tranquil Week (August 25 - 31)

Sera Appreciation Week (Oct 13 - 19)

Kink Memes

Dragon Age Kink Meme (Dreamwidth) | DAO | DA2 | DAI

Zines

Dragon Age Flower Zine (Creation Period)

Wanderers Zine (Creation Period)

Dragon Age OC Zine (Mod Apps Open)

Alistair Zine (Creation Period)

Special Events

Dragon Age Drunk Writing Circle

Dragon Age Annual (2025 Production Period)

Dragon Age Create-A-Thon (Begins Sept 15 2024)

Reddit Weekly Dragon Age Writing Prompts

Unofficial Dragon Age Day (Dec 4)

Solavellan Day (April 11)

Past Events

Retired Bangs

DragonAgeBB (last: 2015; formerly on LJ and elsewhere)

Retired Exchanges

Demands of the Qun (Qunari)

A Paragon of Their Kind (DA Dwarves)

Solas Lovers

Hightown Funk (Varric/Hawke)

Retired Theme Weeks/Months

Autumn of Anders (Anders Appreciation Event)

Dalish Week

30 Days of Dorian (Dorian Appreciation Event)

Dragon Age Fan Week (2013)

Cullen Appreciation Week (2019)

Cullen Week (2021)

14 Days of DA Lovers

Fenris Appreciation Month (2017)

Rylen Appreciation Week (2018)

Sera Appreciation Week (2019)

Sub!Solas Week (2016)

Past Zines

Adoribull Fairytales

Age of Romance Zine (Incomplete)

ApprovesGreatly (Incomplete)

Andoralis Zine

Arcana: A Dragon Age Zine

Arlathvhen Zine (Incomplete)

Beyond the Veil Zine (Zine)

Bring Down the Sky Bioware Fanzine

Dragon Age 2 10th Anniversary Zine (Zine)

Dragon Age Codex Zine & Myths and Legends Zine

Fortitudo Dorian Artbook

Good for Each Other (Adoribull Zine)

In Peace, Vigilance Zine

Insufficient Skill Fanzine

Legend Mark Zine

Lotus and Root OC Zine

Love Across Thedas Zine (Zine)

Na Via Lerno Victoria (Fenris Zine)

Patron of the Arts Zine

Rebel Hearts Handers Zine (Zine)

Road to the Imperium Zine

Solasmancy Zine

Sunlight (Anders Zine)

The Coming Storm Zine (Ukrainian Zine)

The Dragon Age Zine (Russian Zine)

The Keeper's Codex Fairy Tale Zine

The Unsung Dragon Age Zine

The Zevran Zine (incomplete)

Thedosian Archives (incomplete)

to be happy (FenHawke Zine)

Wicked Eyes: A Dragon Age Finery Zine

Year of the Mabari (Incomplete)

Other Past Events

Dragon Age Calendar 2018

Dragon Age Calendar 2021

For Fans by Fans - Fan Forge

[arofili]

Tolkien Fandom Event Calendar

Recently I’ve received some asks about events/weeks in the Tolkien fandom, so I thought I’d compile a list of those that I know about. This is not exhaustive, and dates are subject to change by the organizers of these events!

Other blogs you can check out are @tolkieneventsblog and @tolkienfandomevents, though I’m not sure how active those are. The @silmarillionwritersguild Discord also has a channel dedicated to signal boosts for all sorts of Tolkien-related & general fandom happenings, which is another excellent way to keep up with fandom goings-on.

Want to run your own event? Here’s some of my tips!

If your event is not on here and you’d like it to be, let me know and I can add it :) Note: I will only add events that have announced dates!

~

JANUARY Screw Yule My Slashy Valentine @myslashyvalentine — work time Lord of the Rings Secret Santa @lotr-sesa — reveals Thorin’s Spring Forge @thorinsspringforge — signups Second Age Week @secondageweek

FEBRUARY Hidden Paths My Slashy Valentine — reveals Thorin’s Spring Forge — claims Maedhros and Maglor Week @maedhrosmaglorweek

MARCH Back to Middle-earth Month @spring-into-arda Thorin’s Spring Forge — work time Fëanorian Week Fun with Fanon Fest Round 1 @funwithfanon

APRIL Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang @tolkienrsb — signups Silm Remix @tolkienremix — signups & assignments Thorin’s Spring Forge — reveals  Aralas Week @aralas-week Barduil Month @bi-widower-dads All of Arda is Autistic @all-of-arda-is-autistic F3: Focus on Friendship & Family, Phase I @spring-into-arda

MAY Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang — claims Silm Remix — reveals Aspec Arda Week @aspecardaweek Angbang Week @angbangweek Gondolin Week @gondolinweek F3: Focus on Friendship & Family, Phase II

JUNE Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang — work time Scribbles and Drabbles @fall-for-tolkien — signups Tolkien Ekphrasis Week @tolkienekphrasisweek F3: Focus on Friendship & Family, Phase III

JULY Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang — work time Scribbles and Drabbles — claims Tolkien Gen Week @tolkiengenweek LotR Ladies Week @lotrladiessource Tolkien Appreciation Week @tolkienweek Tolkien Latin American & Caribbean Week @tolkienlatamandcaribbeanweek

AUGUST Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang — deadlines Scribbles and Drabbles — art reveals Innumerable Stars Exchange @innumerable-stars — nominations & signups Tolkien of Colour Week @tolkienofcolourweek Silvergifting Week @silvergiftingweek Tolkien OC Week @tolkienocweek

SEPTEMBER Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang — reveals Scribbles and Drabbles — work time Innumerable Stars Exchange — signups & assignments Sindar Week @sindarweek Dor Cúarthol Week @dorcuartholweek Finwëan Ladies Week @finweanladiesweek

OCTOBER Innumerable Stars Exchange — reveals Scribbles and Drabbles — work time Half-elven Week @halfelvenweek

NOVEMBER Tolkien Secret Santa @officialtolkiensecretsanta — signups & assignments Scribbles and Drabbles — fic reveals Nolofinwean Week @nolofinweanweek

DECEMBER Tolkien Secret Santa — advent calendar & reveals My Slashy Valentine @myslashyvalentine — signups & assignments Lord of the Rings Secret Santa — claims Khazad Week @khazadweek

MONTHLY EVENTS: These events have prompts/challenges occurring every month. Teitho Contest Tolkien Short Fanworks Silmarillion Writers’ Guild @silmarillionwritersguild

(this list was last updated 5/4/23)

LEGACY EVENTS: These events used to occur, but have not happened within the last year. Arda Needs More Pride @ardaneedsmorepride (bimonthly; last run 2020) Kiliel Week @kilielweek (timing variable; last run 2021) @oneringnet monthly events (last run 2021) Atani Week @ataniweek (January; last run 2021) Legendarium Ladies April @legendariumladiesapril (April; last run 2020) Gates of Summer Exchange @gatesofsummerexchange (May-June, last run 2022) Tolkien South Asian Week, run by @arwenindomiel (June; last run 2022) Arafinwëan Week @arafinweanweek (July; last run 2019) Fëanturi Week (August; last run 2019; no official blog and the creator has deactivated) Imladrim Week @imladrimweek (November; last run 2019) Doriath Week @doriathweek (November; last run 2020) Tolkien Family Week @tolkienfamilyweek (November; last run 2021)

[callmewrinkles3]

Drabbles.

Fresh ink. - August 2018

Resignation. - April 2022

Met Gala. - May 2023

Sandwiches. - March 2019

Truth. - June 2023

Helmets. - June 2019

Godfather. - May 2023

Charlie. - December 2022

Separate. - June 2018

Phone call. - July 2023

Homemade food. - October 2022

Calendars. - August 2023

Snapshot. - February 2029

Bomb. - April 2023

Aftermath. - April 2023

Dream. - January 2018 

Sentence. - August 2023

Contract. - September 2019

Surprise. - September 2025

Burn. - August 2022

Lemon. - February 2023 

Wish. - December 2023

Disney. - August 2019

Home. - September 2021

Choices. - October 2023

Yellow. - September 2019

One day soon. - May 2018

Plans. - October 2018

Lulu. - December 2023

Netflix. - September 2018

Deal. - July 2018

Bliss. - April 2023

One more race. - July 2024

Do you really wanna know where I was April 29? - April 2021

[rnmevents]

2023 RNM Fandom Events Calendar

Happy New Year, RNM Fandom!

Despite the ending of our favorite little alien cowboy show, another year of events is upon us! And the events blog is here to keep you informed as much as possible.

Below, you’ll find an always-being-updated list of events going on in the RNM fandom throughout the year as they are announced:

RNM BIG BANG

Sign-ups Open: March 13th

Author Sign-ups Close: April 13th

RNM HATCH DAY PARTY

June 14th

RNM AFTER DARK

Dates to be announced

ALEX (MANES) GUERIN MONTHLY APPRECIATION

May

Looking for a schedule by month? Check out the Google Doc

2019 Calendar / 2020 Calendar / 2021 Calendar / 2022 Calendar

Questions? Concerns? See an event missing? Send us a message!

PAST 2023 EVENTS

ALEX (MANES) GUERIN MONTHLY APPRECIATION

February

March

April

RNM COMMENT BINGO

January 14th - February 14th

RNM MARCH FOR META

March 15th - 19th

RNM CRASHCON

March 25th - 31st

ALEX MANES WEEK

April 24th - 28th

ELIZABETH ORTECHO WEEK

May 1st - 7th

[0carkki0]

The In-game Mouvelian calendar has four seasons: the season of Zephyr (days 1-90) covering January, February, and March. The season of Phoenix (days 91-180) covers April, May, and June. The season of Scion (days 181-270) covers July, August, and September. And finally, the season of Colossus (days 271-365) covers October, November, and December. Every season has about 90 days, except Colossus which has 95 days.

Personal Story: August 28th, 2012. - 241st day of the year, 24th of Scion 1325 in the game (Mouvelian) calendar. (Vividatt 19 years old. Taimi 12)

Season 1: The Lost Shores: November 15th, 2012. - 320th day of the year, 50th of Colossus 1325. (Vivs 19. Taimi 12)

Flame and Frost: January 28th, 2013. - 28th day of the year, 28th of Zephyr 1326. (Vivs 20. Taimi 12.)

The Secret of Shouthsun: May 14th, 2013. - 134th day of the year, 44th of Phoenix 1326. (Vivs 20. Taimi 12/13)

Last Stand at Southsun: May 28th, 2013. - 148th day of the year, 58th of Phoenix 1326. (Vivs 20. Taimi 12/13)

Sky Pirates of Tyria: June 25th, 2013. - 176th day of the year, 86th of Phoenix 1326. (Vivs 20. Taimi 13)

Cutthroat Politics: July 23rd, 2013. - 204th of the year, 24th of Scion 1326. (Vivs 20. Taimi 13)

Clockwork Chaos: August 20th, 2013. - 232nd of the year, 52nd of Scion 1326. (Vivs 20. Taimi 13)

Twilight Assault: October 1st, 2013. - 274th of the year, 4th of Colossus 1326. (Vivs 20. Taimi 13)

Tower of Nightmares: October 29th, 2013. - 302nd of the year, 32nd of Colossus 1326. (Vivs 20. Taimi 13)

The Nightmares Within: November 12th, 2013. - 316th of the year, 46th of Colossus 1326. (Vivs 20. Taimi 13)

The Origins of Madness: January 21st, 2014. - 21st of the year, 21st of Zephyr 1327. (Vivs 21. Taimi 13)

The Edge of the Mists: February 4th, 2014. - 35th of the year, 35th of Zephyr 1327. (Vivs 21. Taimi 13)

Escape from Lion's Arch: February 18th, 2014. - 49th of the year, 49th of Zephyr 1327. (Vivs 21. Taimi 13)

Battle for Lion's Arch: March 4th, 2014. - 63rd of the year, 63rd of Zephyr 1327. (Vivs 21. Taimi 13)

Season 2: Gates of Maguuma: July 1st, 2014. - 182nd of the year, 2nd of Scion 1327. (VIvs 21. Taimi 13/14)

Entanglement: July 15th, 2014. - 196th of the year, 16th of Scion 1327. (Vivs 21. Taimi 13/14)

The Drago's Reach Part 1: July 29th, 2014. - 210th day of the year, 30th of Scion. (Vivs 21. Taimi 13/14)

The Draon's Reach Part 2: August 12th, 2014. - 224th day of the year, 44th day of the Scion. (I guess you get the point...) (Vivs 21. Taimi 14)

Echoes of the Past: November 4th, 2014. (Vivs 21. Taimi 14)

Tangled Paths: November 18th, 2014. (Vivs 21. Taimi 14)

Seeds of Truth: December 2nd, 2014. (Vivs 21. Taimi 14)

Point of No Return: January 13th, 2015. 1328. (Vivs 21. Taimi 14)

Heart of Thorns: October 23rd, 2015. (Vivs 22. Taimi 15)

Season 3: Out of the Shadows: July 26th, 2016. 1329. (Vivs 23. Taimi 15/16)

Rising Flames: September 20th, 2016. (Vivs 23. Taimi 16)

A Crack in the Eyes Ice: November 21st, 2016. (Vivs 23. Taimi 16)

The Head of the Snake: February 8th, 2017. 1330. (Vivs 24. Taimi 16)

Flashpoint: May 2nd, 2017. (Vivs 24. Taimi 16/17)

One Path Ends: July 25th, 2017. (Vivs 24. Taimi 16/17)

Path of Fire: September 22nd, 2017. (Vivs 24. Taimi 17)

Season 4: Daybreak: November 28th, 2017. (Vivs 24. Taimi 17)

A Bug in the System: March 6th, 2018. 1331. (Vivs 25. Taimi 17)

Long Live the Lich: June 26th, 2018. (Vivs 25. Taimi 17/18)

A Star to Guide Us: September 18th, 2018. (Vivs 25. Taimi 18)

All or Nothing: January 8th, 2019. 1332. (Vivs 25. Taimi 18)

War Eternal: May 14th, 2019. (Vivs 26. Taimi 18/19)

Icebrood Saga: Prologue: Bound by Blood: September 17th, 2019. (Vivs 26. Taimi 19)

Whisper in the Dark: November 19th, 2019. (Vivs 26. Taimi 19)

Shadow in the Ice: January 28th, 2020. 1333. (Vivs 27. Taimi 19)

Visions of the Past: Steel and Fire: March 17th, 2020. (Vivs 27. Timi 19)

No Quarter: May 26th, 2020. (Vivs 27. Taimi 19/20)

Jormag Rising: July 28th, 2020. (Vivs 27. Taimi 19/20)

Champions: Chapter 1: Truce: November 17th, 2020. (Vivs 27. Taimi 20)

Chapter 2: Power: January 19th, 2021. 1334. (Vivs 27. Taimi 20)

Chapter 3: Balance: March 9th, 2021. (Vivs 28. Taimi 20)

Chapter 4: Judgement: April 27th, 2021. (Vivs 28. Taimi 20)

End of Dragons: February 28th, 2022. 1335. (Vivs 29. Taimi 21)

Now February 1st, 2023. 1336. (Vivs 30. Taimi 22)

Have you decided on a birthday for your character? Vividatt's birthday is the 20th of the season Zephyr. He met Taimi the day after his birthday. He fought Ryland with Kas and Braham in Icebrood Saga Episode Champions: Power: Jormag's World, where the Owl's spirit sacrificed herself for the others, and this happened the day before his birthday. He was about to be 28.

Taimi is said to have been born in late spring or early summer. I just wish they'd give them actual birthdays.

[auxiliarydetective]

Evie's OC Birthday Calendar

Have you ever wondered when my OCs' birthdays are? No? Well, you're getting a birthday calendar anyways. Under the cut, you'll find calendar pages, the template for which was made by this lovely person - for free! Thank you so much ^^

If, for some reason, you can't read what's written on the images, either because they won't load or because you can't read my sorry attempt at writing in cursive for the first time since fifth grade, don't worry – I've put a list of all the birthdays underneath the images for you!

List, in case the images don't load:

Also bonus reasons for the birthdays if there are any :)

January:

05. - Philomel (rough estimate of what "just after The Beginning" means) 10. - Kan-chan (goroawase for ma-ma-i-do: 0-0-1-10) 21. - Bára (Squirrel Appreciation Day, assigned by Larry Daley) 29. - Diana ("The Raven" is published on January 29th 1845)

February:

02. - Dotty (I honestly can't remember) 08. - Jelena (Release date of the Musik des Teufels audio drama) 15. - Honey (National Gumdrop Day + I needed a February birthday) 26. - Denri (Wii VC release of LOZ: OOT in the US)

March:

09. - Sonoko (goroawase for san-o-ko: 3-0-9) 10. - Lindewen (goroawase for surin-da: 3-10) 26. - K'Rala (Live Long and Prosper Day) 29. - Helena (Mermaid Day) 30. - Lily (World Bipolar Day)

April:

06. - Holly (goroawase for ho-ri: 4-6) 10. - Jamie (I honestly can't remember. But the Titanic sets sail April 10th!) 26. - Anita (World Burlesque Day)

May:

02. - Penny | Agent 0 (goroawase, probably, but I can't remember for what) 04. - Lani (Star Wars Day, May the Fourth be with you) 31. - Claire (Pretty sure it's a reference to Sappho but I don't remember how)

June:

01. - Vicky (Marilyn Monroe's birthday) 05. - Cora (National Tailors Day) 08. - Reina (Name Your Poison Day) 25. - Inari (Pudding's birthday - they're twins, so...)

July:

01. - Lux (07/01; Amber Lead Syndrome is introduced in ep. 701 of the anime) 09. - Eva (Argentina Independence Day) 16. - Varsha (World Snake Day; assigned by Tom Sawyer)

August:

01. - Kit (movie & 80s version) (Spider-Man Day) 08. - Fernip (I can't remember) 15. - Noura (Flooding/Fidelity of The Nile) 30. - Raevyn (picked it in 2019; wanted her to be a summer girl and a virgo)

September:

02. - Circe (goroawase for kyu-ki-tsu-ki = vampire: 9-2) 04. - Kaede (goroawase for mu-sa-sa-bi: 6-3-3-1; 6+3, 3+1 -> 9-4) 12. - Sonata (Hans Zimmer's birthday) 14. - Chalice (release of the animated Disney's Alice in Wonderland in the US) 25. - Aurelia (Maybe I wanted her to be a libra? Maybe it's a festival of Hera?)

October:

01. - Kassandra ("On the twelfth hour of the first day of October 1989...") 13. - Evelynn (picked it in 2020, yes it's a reference to Friday 13th) 25. - Byeong-ho (Nevada Day; because of his gambling addiction) 31. Charlie (Halloween for demon boi; read the fic for the canonical reason 🙃 )

November:

04. - Soles (Colombian All Saints' Day) 17. - Sherry (first release day of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga) 22. - Eve (release date of her first appearance in the series if she were canon)

December:

05. - Celine (probably Who Killed Markiplier-related) 11. - Luna (I picked it about eight years ago as a reference to Zoro's birthday) 21. - Iris (World Poetry Day but make it sagittarius)

[ailtrahq]

The bears are gaining strength for both crypto and stock markets, as the major US indexes now confirming downtrends. Furthermore, October is usually a red month for markets, so there may be more pains before gains.  US stock markets have been in decline for the past two months, and the move is likely to continue into October.  Will Crypto Markets Follow? The Nasdaq has fallen below its previous low in August, forming a new lower low this week. The downtrend, which has been confirmed according to crypto analyst “Cold Blooded Shiller,” began in mid-July.  Since then, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index has dropped 9% to 13,063, where it settled at the close of trading on September 26.  Nasdaq 2023 performance. Source: X/@ColdBloodShill Additionally, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen by 5.6% since the beginning of August.  Furthermore, the broader S&P 500 Index has mirrored the moves. It has fallen almost 7% since the downtrend began at the beginning of July to 4,273 after the bell on Tuesday. Moreover, the S&P 500 is now down 340 points since the Fed removed “recession” from their forecast, according to the Kobeissi Letter. It added that the Fed marked the exact high in the S&P 500, which just hit its lowest level since June: “Since then, rate cut expectations were pushed out by a year and corporate bankruptcies hit their highest levels since the pandemic.” S&P 500 3 months. Source: X/@KobeissiLetter  A number of high-profile banks aped the Fed in dropping their recession predictions, yet the markets appear to be defiant.  Crypto markets have been slightly correlated with tech stocks this year but have remained in consolidation for most of it.  Following an initial spurt of growth in the first quarter, crypto markets have been flat since mid-March. Moreover, they have dropped 19% since their 2023 high in mid-April, also exhibiting a downtrend. A Red October?  October is historically the most volatile month of the year for US and global markets. With a downtrend already confirmed, things will likely slide deeper into the red next month, including crypto.  October’s record of market crashes makes it the most feared month on the financial calendar. The Bank Panic of 1907, the Stock Market Crash of 1929, and Black Monday 1987 all happened during the month of October. In the 2022 bear market, crypto markets were flat for most of October, gaining marginally towards the end of the month. The bull market of 2021 saw large gains for crypto in October, but 2020 was similar to 2022.  2019 saw a brief pump at the end of October, but all gains were lost the following month. The bear market of 2018 was another flat October.  If history rhymes, crypto markets will remain flat next month, but be aware that November is usually much more volatile for this asset class.  Source

[f1]

F1 returning to China in 2024 as part of major schedule change

Shanghai in China last hosted a Formula 1 race during the 2019 season China is set to return to the Formula 1 calendar for the first time since the pandemic in a major revision of the schedule for 2024. The season starts with races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to be held on Saturdays, because of the impact of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. In the quest for greater sustainability, the Japanese race moves to 7 April from its usual autumn date. And Azerbaijan will be twinned with Singapore in September. The calendar features what would be a record 24 races - exactly the same number as were due to be held this year before the cancellation of the Chinese and Emilia-Romagna Grands Prix. Earlier this year, Australian Grand Prix organisers announced that Saudi Arabia would hold the opening race of the 2024 season. But F1 has found a way to fit both Bahrain and Jeddah in before Melbourne by making the Middle Eastern events Saturday night races. Ramadan starts on the evening of 10 March, the day after the Saudi event. China was due to return this year but had to be cancelled because of the uncertainty over the Covid situation in the country at the start of the year, when there were riots as a result of continued social restrictions. These have now been lifted. The move towards greater regionalisation - which is an attempt to reduce carbon emissions from flights as F1 strives to become net-zero carbon by 2030 - has been partly stymied by Canadian organisers resisting F1's attempts to twin the Montreal race with Miami in May. Instead, the Canadian Grand Prix retains its traditional June date, forcing teams to fly across the Atlantic twice in just over a month. F1 chairman Stefano Domenicali said: "Our journey to a more sustainable calendar will continue in the coming years as we further streamline operations as part of our Net Zero 2030 commitment." FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem added: "We want to make the global spectacle of Formula 1 more efficient in terms of environmental sustainability and more manageable for the travelling staff who dedicate so much of their time to our sport." Pre-season testing is due to be held in Bahrain on 21-23 February but those dates are still subject to approval from the FIA world motorsport council. Full 2024 F1 calendar 29 February - 2 March - Bahrain 7-9 March - Saudi Arabia 22-24 March - Australia 5-7 April - Japan 19-21 April - China 3-5 May - Miami 17-19 May - Emilia-Romagna 24-26 May - Monaco 7-9 June - Canada 21-23 June - Spain 28-30 June - Austria 5-7 July - United Kingdom 19-21 July - Hungary 26-28 July - Belgium 23-25 August - Netherlands 30 August - 1 September - Italy 13-15 September - Azerbaijan 20-22 September - Singapore 18-20 October - USA (Austin) 25-27 October - Mexico City 1-3 November - Brazil 21-23 November - Las Vegas 29 November - 1 December - Qatar 6-8 December - Abu Dhabi via BBC Sport - Formula 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/

[shumailach-blog]

Australian Visitor Visa Wait Times Have Blown Out With Some Nationalities in Limbo for Months

Tourists have been waiting three times longer to get their visas approved for travel to Australia this year compared to pre-COVID-19 times, with a new report showing specific impacts on visitors from one country.

Visa processing times for tourists and business travellers blew out this year. Source: SBS News

Travellers eager to visit Australia this year waited months to get their visas approved, with most Chinese citizens left in limbo for four months, a new report shows.The Department of Home Affairs' report on visitor visas paints a stark picture of the delays in the system after Australia's international borders were re-opened on 1 November 2021. It also shows significant changes in the numbers of tourists and business visitors applying to come to Australia - and where they are coming from - compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest report details processing times between 1 April and 30 June 2022 and has only recently been released. It shows that 75 per cent of requests for tourist visas (subclass 600 and 676) were processed within 59 calendar days, 269 per cent longer than the 16 calendar days it took in 2019.

The processing of business visas (short stay, subclass 456) and (business visitor, subclass 600) also grew to 15 days, compared to a processing time of seven days before the emergence of COVID-19 and the shutdown of Australia's international borders on 20 March 2020.

The blowout in processing times has happened despite the number of visa applications being much lower.

Around 75 per cent of tourist visas were processed in 59 calendar days. Source: SBS News

In 2019, around 1.3 million visitor visa applications (including both tourist and business visas) were lodged between April-June, compared to just 695,343 in the same period this year.

Why Have the Wait Times Increased?

The report reveals data from April-June, mostly covering the period prior to the Albanese Government winning the federal election on 21 May.

A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson told SBS News in a statement that "processing times will take some time to improve as we work through older applications in the backlog".

The spokesperson said the department was implementing policy changes to allow more streamlined processing of visas.

"The department is managing risks carefully, targeting applicants who warrant it, while efficiently deciding applications for everyone else."

They said almost 2.8 million temporary and migration visas had been processed since 1 June, including more than 1.5 million visitor, 199,000 student and 43,000 temporary skilled applications.

The Albanese Government has announced it would provide an 

extra $36.1 million to hire up to 500 people for nine months to help address wait times. About 20 per cent of those positions had been filled by the end of September.

The department also recruited an additional 260 staff into roles supporting temporary and migration visa processing from the start of May, and officers previously focused on travel exemptions have been redirected to visa processing. But it's unclear whether staffing levels have returned to pre-COVID levels.

Some travellers wanting to visit Australia have waited months to get their visas approved.

Former Department of Immigration secretary Abul Rizvi said he didn't think there would be a recovery in processing times until the next report covering July-September, at the earliest.

"They should be being processed faster now, but I suspect the improvement will be gradual, it won't be sudden," he said.

Information on the Home Affairs website, which was last updated in August, advises travellers that processing of the tourist subclass 600 visa is taking around 63 days for 75 per cent of applicants - even longer than the average wait times seen earlier this year.

Certain countries experiencing longer delays

Processing times have been even longer for citizens of certain countries, with around 75 per cent of tourist visas from China taking 120 days to finalise in April-June this year. During the same period in 2019 most were processed in nine days.

The department did not address questions about why these visas were taking so much longer to get through the system.

Mr Rizvi said China's strict COVID-19 restrictions, including widespread lockdowns, could be making the processing of visas more difficult. Officials could also be taking a more cautious attitude towards processing visas from China, he said, pointing to a recent Nine investigation that exposed alleged visa rorting linked to criminal syndicates.

Mr Rizvi said it was likely the Australian government was aware of scams operating out of China, as well as other countries, and was scrutinising visitor visas more carefully.

The Australian Government may be scrutinising Chinese travellers more carefully. Source: AAP

When it comes to business visas, about 75 per cent of US citizens have been waiting 52 days for them to be processed, much longer than the average of 15 days.

But processing times have improved compared to April-June last year when most tourism visas took 160 days to process, and business visas were taking 342 days.

Arrivals Are Still a Long Way From Pre-pandemic Levels

The number of visitors arriving in Australia, including both tourists and business travellers, are still well down on pre-COVID-19 levels. Around 699,725 people visited Australia in 2021/22, more than nine times lower than the 6.5 million people in 2018/19.

Around 17 per cent of those travellers were from India, 15 per cent from the UK and 12 per cent from Singapore.

Back in 2018/19, 17 per cent were from China, 11 per cent from the US and 10 per cent from the UK. China now only makes up 2.3 per cent of arrivals in Australia, with just 15,855 travelling to the country in 2021/22 compared to one million travellers three years ago.

The number of visitors to Australia has dropped dramatically. Source: SBS News

However, more recent numbers show tourism could be starting to improve. In June this year, there were 219,607 visitor visa holders in Australia, only around 100,000 less than the 316,469 travellers in the country on the same date in 2019.

The number of visitor holders in Australia has increased by 396 per cent in the period from 17 December 2021, the week the borders opened to some fully vaccinated travellers, until 14 October this year.

Change in the Origin of Tourists

When it comes to visa approvals for tourists, there has also been a significant change in the source countries.

In 2018/19, before the emergence of COVID-19, the top source country was China, with 856,110 tourist visa applications granted, making up 17 per cent of the 5.2 million approvals. It was followed by the US, UK, Japan and Malaysia. India came in sixth with 250,874 visas approved.

China's numbers have since seen a dramatic drop of 95 per cent, to just 36,150 visas granted in 2021/22. India's numbers have remained fairly steady on 190,605 visas, making it the top country of origin. It made up 19 per cent of the one million tourist visas granted, followed by the UK, Singapore, US, Malaysia and China.

China was once the top country for the lodgement of visitor visas to Australia, but demand has dropped dramatically from tourists and business travellers. Source: SBS News

Singapore has risen from eighth position to third, despite approved visas dropping by 59 per cent, from 208,480 in 2018/19, to 84,792 in 2021/22.

Mr Rivzi said Australia may have remained a popular destination for Singaporeans compared to China, Hong Kong and Japan due to their strict COVID-19 restrictions.

"Singaporeans have got to spend their money holidaying somewhere and I think we're benefiting because we're seen as a relatively safe destination from a COVID perspective," he said.

The number of subclass 600 tourist visa applications granted under the Approved Destination Status from China also dropped to zero in 2020/21 and 2021/22, after being at 200,038 in 2018/19. Mr Rivzi said those visas were generally used by trusted tour groups and so may have been impacted by the lack of travel from China during the pandemic.

Business Visa Approvals Drop By 320 per Cent

The report also shows a significant shift in approvals for business visas. Back in 2018/19, around 504,782 business visas were granted. The top country was China, which had 82,026 visas approved (making up 16 per cent of the total) followed by US, UK, Japan and India.

Three years later, China has dropped to sixth on the list, with just 8,198 business visas granted. Overall 120,103 visas were approved in 2021/22.

The top country is now the US, making up 11 per cent of business visas approved in 2021/22, despite the number being four times lower than in 2018/19. The number of visas granted to the US dropped from 65,325 in 2018/19, to 13,444. The US is followed by Singapore, UK, India and South Korea.

Countries Finding It Harder to Get Visas Approved

Between April-June this year, Australia approved 91.9 per cent of visitor visa applications (including tourism and business visas) compared to 94.6 per cent during the same period in 2019.

It's understood the finalisation of visa applications lodged before or during the pandemic may have impacted the grant rate, as some applicants may have experienced a change in circumstances, and may no longer have wanted to travel to Australia.

COVID-19-related travel restrictions have also continued to impact the ability of Chinese nationals to travel internationally for tourism purposes.

Approval rates can vary widely between countries. Just 66 per cent of tourist visa 600 and 676 applications from Thailand were approved in April-June, compared to 95 per cent of those from the US.

Back in 2019, Thailand's grant rate for tourist visas was 82 per cent in the same period. Fiji had the lowest approval rate of 76 per cent while the highest rate was for Chile at 96 per cent.

This does not include figures for the 651 eVisitor visa, an electronic visa that only certain countries including the UK and other European countries, can apply for.

Australia approved around 83 per cent of tourist visas between April-June this year but grant rates for Thailand were much lower, at just 66 per cent. Source: SBS News

Meanwhile, approval rates for business visa 600 also dropped. Previously, most countries had high approval rates (of more than 90 per cent) for these visas in April-June 2019, and there was an overall approval rate of 94 per cent. This has now dropped to 91 per cent. In particular, China's approval rate for business visas dropped from 93 per cent in April-June 2019, to only 83 per cent this year.

By contrast, approval rates for sponsored tourist visa 600 improved from 81 per cent in April-June 2019, to 88 per cent this year. Indonesia boasted the highest grant rate of 94 per cent, a vast improvement from its 2019 approval rate of just 78 per cent.

Lebanon had the lowest approval rate of 71 per cent, although this was an improvement on its 2019 number of 55 per cent. Previously, the highest grant rate in 2019 was for Bangladesh citizens on 92 per cent.

Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australian-visitor-visa-wait-times-have-blown-out/g1m5rode7

[lockscreenhis]

Calendar, 2019

like or reblog if u save it

" @poeticamenteflor "

[f1]

Three key stand outs from the 2024 F1 calendar

The 2024 Formula 1 World Championship calendar has broken cover, with a run of 24 races that begins in Bahrain and finishes in Abu Dhabi. So what are the main differences for this upcoming campaign? The season begins with two Saturday races For the first time since 1985, a full World Championship Grand Prix will take place on a day other than Sunday this year when the lights go out for the much-anticipated inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix at 10pm local time on Saturday 18 November 2023. READ MORE: Formula 1 announces calendar for 2024 In 2024, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will join Las Vegas in making it three Saturday races on the calendar, the former two accommodating Ramadan, a period of fasting, prayer and reflection observed by Muslims around the world, which begins on Sunday March 10 – one day after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It means everything will shift forward a day for the opening two events, with the media day taking place on Wednesday, the opening two free practice sessions on Thursday, FP3 and qualifying on Friday and the main event – the Grand Prix – on Saturday. The Bahrain Grand Prix season opener will take place on a Saturday Races move position to support regionalisation Formula 1 calendars are complicated things, with some races needing to be at certain times of year otherwise it’ll be too hot or too cold to go racing. It makes slotting each race into the calendar an interesting challenge. In the pursuit of a more regionalised calendar, which in turn will make the sport more sustainable, three races have moved position for 2024. The Japanese Grand Prix is the biggest mover, switching from a September date to April – in the heart of the country’s beautiful cherry blossom season. READ MORE: How logistics experts DHL are helping Formula 1 hit their Net Zero by 2030 target The Japanese Grand Prix will take place in April 2024 Freight can now move from Australia to Japan and then onto China to improve the efficiencies of travelling. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix moves from an April slot to September and is the first of a back-to-back with Singapore. And finally, Qatar shifts from October to the first weekend of December as a stop-off from Las Vegas on the way to Abu Dhabi. READ MORE: 'It's the next revolution' – Tech chief Pat Symonds explains why Formula 1 is leading the push for sustainable fuels Formula 1 set for bumper 24-race calendar China is set to make its first appearance on the F1 calendar since 2019 – its absence down to the ongoing difficulties presented by Covid-19. That means F1 will have a bumper 24 races – with the traditional three-week summer break remaining in August, plus an additional three-week pause between Singapore and Austin and a two-week breather between Brazil and Las Vegas. Check out the full calendar below… 2024 F1 calendar Date Grand Prix Venue February 29 – March 2 Bahrain Sakhir March 7-9 Saudi Arabia Jeddah March 22-24 Australia Melbourne April 5-7 Japan Suzuka April 19-21 China Shanghai May 3-5 Miami Miami May 17-19 Emilia Romagna Imola May 24-26 Monaco Monaco June 7-9 Canada Montreal June 21-23 Spain Barcelona June 28-30 Austria Spielberg July 5-7 United Kingdom Silverstone July 19-21 Hungary Budapest July 26-28 Belgium Spa August 23-25 Netherlands Zandvoort August 30 – September 1 Italy Monza September 13-15 Azerbaijan Baku September 20-22 Singapore Singapore October 18-20 USA Austin October 25-27 Mexico Mexico City November 1-3 Brazil Sao Paulo November 21-23 Las Vegas Las Vegas November 29 – December 1 Qatar Lusail December 6-8 Abu Dhabi Yas Marina via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[sillyjellieart]

2019 Calendar project.

Available on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/661242688/calendar-2019?ref=shop_home_feat_1

[rainbowsky]

BXG Calendar

There are a lot of dates that are significant to BXG, either for CPN reasons, because of their significance for GG and DD, or because of the GG and DD content we can expect to see at those times. There are also some Chinese festivals BXG might be interested in knowing about. I'll keep this updated as a handy reference.

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

BXG Calendar

January

Weibo Night - An annual awards show that generally takes place in early January, but COVID has interfered with that lately. This is one of the few events we can expect both GG and DD to attend.

Chūnjié (pronounced tchwun-jaih) - Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) - First day of the Lunisolar Calendar (usually sometime between Jan 20 and Feb 20). Often there is a gala or event where GG and/or DD perform. There will also usually be posts from them, photos etc. GG and DD likely get to spend time together and with family, eating a lot of good food.

23 January - Lan Wangji's birthday.

February

14 February - Valentine's Day - Chinese people seem to love Valentine's Day, and they celebrate a few different ones throughout the year. The Western Valentine's Day is one of them. We will see some Valentine's themed ads from GG and DD around this time.

Spring Festival (see January for more info).

Yuanxiaojie (pronounced yuwen-shao-jiah) - Lantern Festival - On the first full moon after the new year, two weeks after Chinese New Year (usually in Feb). Lantern Festival marks the end of Spring Festival. GG and DD will sometimes post greetings or other content on this day.

March

14 March - 3/14 - The anniversary of the XNINE DDU episode where we first saw GG and DD together. A very special day for BXG, many of whom believe it's the day GG and DD first met.

28 March - Anniversary of Wuji Recording - Wuji was recorded on this date in 2019, and is special to BXG in part because GG and DD were able to record together. Fans celebrate this day by sharing videos and fan art, and Lin Hai (the composer) will post something commemorating the date.

April

4-6 April - Qingming (pronounced tching-mieng) - Chinese holiday where family tombs/graves are swept and fresh offerings laid out, paper money burned and firecrackers set off to scare away evil spirits. This festival marks beginning of spring and is associated with kite flying.

28 April - Anniversary of the BJYX supertopic, which opened on 28 April 2018.

May

17th May - International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia - celebrating and advocating for queer rights worldwide.

20 May - 520 - One of the many Chinese Valentine's Days. Based on the kadian 520 for wo ai ni or, 'I love you'. We will usually see a lot of Valentine's themed ads from GGDD, they may even drop candies, and we get a lot of CPN from BXG.

June

Pride Month

1 June - Children's Day - A government holiday that celebrates children. GG and DD always post for Children's Day, and we get to see cute pictures of them as children and sometimes hear cute stories about them as children.

Duanwujie (pronounced twan-woo-jiah) - Dragon Boat Festival - 5th day of the 5th Lunisolar month (otherwise known as Double 5th), which happens right around Summer Solstice (Solstice falls around 20-22 June). Zongzi are eaten, and GG and DD almost always post something around this time.

22 June - 622 - Widely believed to be GGDD's anniversary, or a date of similar special significance to them. There's always a lot of CPN, art and other content shared by BXG around this time.

27 June - 627 - CQL Anniversary - We see a lot of art and posts from BXG and sometimes posts from cast/crew at this time.

July

Yuehua Family Concert - Yuehua is DD's management company. They hold an annual concert featuring stars signed to the company, usually in July. Unfortunately in 2022 COVID interfered with those plans.

August

5 August - DD's Birthday - An incredibly special day. We'll usually get a lot of new content featuring DD, brands will post messages of celebration, BXG and other fans will go all out with posts and art, and often there will be candy dropped.

Qixi Festival (pronounced tchee-shee) - Chinese Valentine's Day - Another Valentine's day, taking place on the 7th day of 7th month of the Lunisolar calendar (usually sometime in August). GG and DD will usually be featured in a lot of Valentine's Day themed advertising around this time, and BXG post a lot of CPN, art and photos in celebration of the day.

September

5 September - BXG Day - DD's birthday falls on the 5th of August, GG's on the 5th of October, so BXG day is in between on this date. 9/5 is also special to BXG because GG and DD are believed to be 95% compatible. Turtles will celebrate and GG and DD will often drop candies.

Zhongqiujie (pronounced jhong-choe-jiah) - Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Festival, Mooncake Festival - Annual harvest festival similar to Western thanksgiving, celebrated on the full moon. People get together with family to eat and celebrate, and mooncakes are traditionally eaten. A gala event is aired on TV featuring performances and variety show elements. DD performed for the gala in 2022. Brands release a lot of interesting ads during this time of year. GG and DD post greetings as well.

15 September - DD's Debut Anniversary - DD debuted 15 September, 2014. Always a fun day. Yibo Official will post something honoring DD's years as a star, and fans and brands will post in celebration of the day.

28 September - GG's Debut Anniversary - GG debuted 28 September, 2016. GG's studio will post something in honor of GG's years as a star, and fans and brands will post celebrating the day.

29 September - Xiao Zhan Studio Anniversary - Xiao Zhan Studio was launched on 29 September 2019. GG's studio usually releases a video showing all the progress made in the previous years.

October

5 October - GG's Birthday - An incredibly special day. We get a lot of new content from GG, usually multiple photo shoots with gorgeous photos and new looks, videos, art and other great content from him and from fans and brands. We'll usually get some good candy too.

31 October - Wei Wuxian's birthday.

November

11 November - Singles Day aka Double 11 - The 11th day of the 11th month. A day for single people to treat themselves to gifts, and for people to get together or get engaged. This is a big shopping day in China (actually one of the biggest shopping days in the world). There is usually a gala or event where DD and/or GG may perform. We get a lot of new brand content from them as there is always a lot of advertising leading up to this date.

December

Tencent Starlight Awards - Usually held sometime in late December, but COVID has interfered with that lately. One of the few events we can generally expect both GG and DD to attend.

25 December - Christmas - They'll be involved in a lot of advertising around Christmastime so they'll usually be pretty active and we get a lot of new brand content from them.

30 December - DD's Latest Song Release - DD releases a new song every year on 30 December and usually performs it on New Year's Eve. Promotional materials usually start appearing around Christmas.

31 December - New Year's Eve - GG and DD usually have NYE performances, so we'll get to see them sing, dance, etc. and they'll post a lot of photos of their outfits and New Year's wishes for their fans. They will do their customary chong ya pose as well.

I'm sure I've probably forgotten something, so if you think of anything that you believe should be on this list (or if you find an error), please let me know! 😊