#Mini Challenge UK

[duck7]

Croft 🇬🇧

Porsche Sprint Challenge GB 2023 ʳᵒᵘⁿᵈ ³: Callum Davis' big shunt in Race 3.

Mini Challenge Trophy 2023 ʳᵒᵘⁿᵈ ⁴: Multicar wreck in Race 2.

British F4 2023 ʳᵒᵘⁿᵈ ⁷: Airborne crash for Patrick Heuzenroeder during first lap of Race 2.

[neroushalvaus]

Drag Race USA: Congratulations for winning the challenge, you will receive 20 000 dollars and an all inclusive vacation paid by ross matthew's onlyfans

Drag Race in other countries:

[carrieway]

alone without ethan for the first time in their home n now i have to go through my second trial . reheating dinner .

[dreamofjoys]

What we can infer from this tsum tsum card

He looks like he’s burning all the tsums except for his

He’s holding his own tsum out to say that his tsum is the superior one

Look at HIS DEVILLISH SMILE HAHAHAHAA HES FUCKING PROUD THAT THERES FINALLY A TSUM TAKING AFTER HIM

He’s definitely gonna walk around the whole campus and showing everyone what his tsum can do

HE IS PROBABLY GONNA CHALLENGE HIS TSUM IN A MAGIC DUEL (uk, just to see how strong this tsum is)

i know for sure his tsum whacks ppl and summons lightning to strike ppl whenever it’s mad. In short, NRC it’s gonna be stormy the whole time (especially when they are in a bad mood), either that or you see a mini soft toy flying around the campus

Anyways I have been waiting for this card for TOO long…… HEHHEHEHEHEHEH😏😏😏😏

[7grandmel]

Rip of the week: 21/10/2024

Through the Bad Apples!!

Season 8 No Album Release Bad Apple!! (UK Version) - Touhou 4: Lotus Land Story

Ripped by Ellie53 (@ellie53real)

While the SiIvaGunner channel comes with a lot of repeating gags and bits, the ways in which they employ these can vary a fair bit. The channel's foundational meme, the ever-present funny Flintstone man Grand Dad which I wrote about on Waluigi Pinball (Beta Mix), is a simple leitmotif of just 15 notes, which makes it incredibly flexible; it can be employed as a standalone joke as practice for greenhorn rippers, or be wormed into the middle of more complex project. Memes like We Are Number One meanwhile have a very funny sound to them, yet require a lot of time and care to get to sound as good as rips like Robbie's Rotten Mine or Ska Cha Cha (Rotten Mix). And then, on the side of the spectrum completely opposite to Grand Dad, we have the jokes that feel more like a complete and total flex on the part of the ripper employing them. These "bits" are the ones that aren't necessarily reoccurring due to being funny, but rather due to being bangers with a complexity inherent to their composition, which makes any rip employing them feel like a big event. The main example would be Final Fantasy VII's One Winged Angel as featured on rips like I will Never be a Redneck, yet perhaps just as impressive are rips utilizing Dragonforce's legendary Through the Fire and Flames; rips like, indeed, Through the Bad Apples!!.

Made legendary through Guitar Hero III, Through the Fire and Flames is a song known far and wide across the internet; a piece of mainstream music that pierces through to the most shut-in of nerds due to the gaming legacy tied to it. It was the ultimate challenge for play in the ultimate Guitar Hero release, an absolutely unmissable part of pop culture of the 7th generation of gaming, and of course an absolute shredding banger in its own right. It's a natural fit for the SiIvaGunner channel, and ever since around ~Season 5 or so it's seen a pretty notable uptick in appearances - you may remember my writing of the legendary Through the F​-​F​-​Fire and the F​-​F​-​Flames, championing its ripper for his incredible ambitions and efforts made to make the rip feel as complete as it does. Its the typical fun of SiIvaGunner arrangement rips, the age-old question of how to transfer one song's intensity into the framework of a different song or video game's sound; Float Islands (Kirby 64 Arrangement), FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE, and of course medley rips like SNES Mini Circulation all show just why it's such an appealing prospect. And so, we've seen a fair few rips aiming to do just what Through the F​-​F​-​Fire and the F​-​F​-​Flames did: take the legendary song and rearrange it in the style of a different game.

In large part, that is what Through the Bad Apples!! also does to great effect, imbuing the track with the distinct sound of the Touhou franchise. You can read the entries on W.E. Are Number One? and Beautiful! ~ Curveball of Sean Kingston to learn more about it, but to keep it concise it's a sound that I very much admire and enjoy despite having very little knowledge of the Touhou series as a whole. One Touhou song I'm most DEFINITELY aware of, however, is Bad Apple!! - perhaps the series' most virally spread anthem, and one that I officially fell in love with all the way back in Season 3 of SiIvaGunner through Imperial Touwer. It is, in many ways, a song just as legendary and known to the video game mainstream - if not moreso - as Through the Fire and Flames. And so, in some sense, it was only logical for Through the Bad Apples!! to instead flip things on its head.

Indeed, the rip isn't an arrangement of the Dragonforce track kept to the soundscape of Touhou 4; uniquely, it's instead the other way around, an arrangement of Bad Apple!! using the instrumental sound of Through the Fire and Flames. Upon relistening to Through the Fire and Flames a few times before writing this post, I had forgotten just how video game-y the original track actually already sounds, with a chirpy synth accentuating several key moments of the performance that just oozes 90s video games. As a result, the two tracks feel closer to one another than you'd once think; and Through the Bad Apples!! as a result manages to feel less like a straight interpretation of one into the other, and more like an even blend of the two sounds.

I'm yet to cover much of what Ellie53 has done on SiIvaGunner before this post, but she's been a constant presence on the channel since the tail end of Season 5, no doubt soon becoming aware of the rising prominence of Through the Fire and Flames rips. She's also tinkered around with Bad Apple!! in particular with Maçã Ruim!! back in Season 7; and so, I suppose it only makes sense that one would eventually put the pieces together and try their hand at mixing the two into one. Through the Bad Apples!! feels WELL worth the wait and is a shining example of Ellie53's growth as a ripper, and I'm hopeful that Through the Fire and Flames sticking around on SiIvaGunner for the foreseeable future can continue to inspire rippers just like Ellie53 to keep finding new ways to experiment with its sound.

Long live Dragonforce!

[sapphicacademic]

things to study once classes end

for those who want to keep up a habit or just enjoy learning

a new language

a style of literature less commonly studies (e.g. fantasy, science fiction - I took a sci-fi course this semester and it was so fun)

practice an instrument or learn some music theory

take some skillshare courses!

start / join a book club. this isn't really studying but imo most English courses are just really expensive book clubs

learn to read tarot / study other spirituality. I want to get better at astrology

study your local history! your library probably has a bunch of stuff on it

pick up a new hobby or craft and learn the history of it

study the plants in your local forest, aim to create a mini foraging guide

design a heavy programming project for yourself, challenge yourself to learn how to do it before the fall term starts

teach yourself some psychology! there's a LOT about it out there

do a bible study if that's something that suits you

the 1980s UK punk scene. I just took a course on this it's great

really any pop culture era

the Salem witch trials. there's a lot to learn there

if you're up to it, learn the history of some local indigenous / aboriginal groups if you happen to be on colonized land. learn what you can do as an ally (I actually have a reading list for those of you getting in to indigenous American allyship, and you can always reach out to me for a starting point)

literally take out a textbook from a library or get a used textbook off a friend and read through it, annotate it if you can, study the material. It's fun to learn without deadlines looming.

work on your handwriting

[ai-satin-chic]

I present the latest AI style challenge. This time the theme is:

"Statues & Monuments"

Giving a bit of time to create, so if you would like to participate, post your entry and tag either me, ( @ai-satin-chic ) or @dryndelicate. Challenge closes on the 29th of May at 20:00 UK time.

As a mini prize, I will attempt to animate the winning entry!

Anyone can participate, however I'm tagging in previous participants below.

@dryndelicate

@danni-gurrl

@softsmooth69

@andysfantasie

@synth-ai

@mistressmaurahypno

@hollyjumper

@gigiprinceton

@prettiesforyou

Current challenge leaderboard here.

@ai-satin-chic @synth-ai

@dryndelicate @andysfantasie

@mistressmaurahypno @hollyjumper

@danni-gurrl @softsmooth69

[heejinkwan]

FALLEN ANGEL is the second mini album by ASTELLA, a South Korean soloist. It was released on February 23, 2024 by StarShip Entertainment. The album consists of seven tracks, one including title track NOBODY KNOWS. It is available both physically and digitally.

ASTELLA promoted the album for 4 weeks total, promoting NOBDODY KNOWS and b-side MANIAC for 2 weeks each. NOBODY KNOWS peaked at 2 on the gaon charts while MANIAC peaked at 11. although unpromoted, Kingdom Come and Lucid Dream also charted, peaking at 19 and 25 the week after the album's release. The album received global attention as well, peaking at 10 on the US Billboard 200, also charting in 20 other countries including Japan, Brazil, FinLand, Thailand, and the UK. ASTELLA won a total of 9 music show awards for this album, NOBDOY KNOWS winning 7 with MANIAC earning 3.

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ i. the tracklist !

i. ✭ .   nobody knows ( title track )

ii. ✭ . maniac

iii. ✭ . rewind

iv. ✭ . lucid dream

v. ✭ . kingdom come

vi. ✭ . automatic

vii. ✭ . thirsty

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ get your photocards here !

*ੈ♡⸝⸝ ii. the styling !

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ iii. the reception !

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ iv. the notes !

₊˚ෆ the concept of this album was basically an omen to her performance on fictitouscore, her being a fallen angel, like the title of the album says.

₊˚ෆ the album was automatically a banger, earning a 7.2 score on pitchfork, astella garnered many new fans off of the release of nobody knows itself.

₊˚ෆ a lot of stellars believe that they should’ve made kingdom come be the title track, seeing that it’s gone so viral, but others understand why nobody knows was chosen for the title track.

₊˚ෆ astella blew up on tik tok! people already saying that nobody knows is soty and that it was the best release so far!

₊˚ෆ she did many challenges with julie and hanuel of kiss of life, karina of aespa, joy of red velvet, and yeji of itzy.

₊˚ෆ she made many new friends including yeji, who she met from being friends with karina.

₊˚ෆ and all the rumors are true! the album may or may not be about yeonjun, who she has been rumored to be dating ever since 2020 west they had a minor acquaintance.

₊˚ෆ she began being close to him while being in promise, but after leaving he was one of the only people she talked to all the time, the rest being her family, the promise members, and karina.

₊˚ෆ they began officially dating in 2022 but never actually confirms it so nobody knows is like her saying it but not actually saying it.

₊˚ෆ when it peaked number two on billboard, heejin’s family called her and they celebrated with a cake, congratulating her on her success.

₊˚ෆ she literally did a live at like 1am happy, which turned into her crying because of how overwhelmed and happy she was that the song was doing well, the comments were congratulating her and telling her not to cry.

₊˚ෆ during maniac promotions, a lot of people felt like the song did not fit the album and complained that it was being promoted and not kingdom come, which was gaining more streams than maniac.

₊˚ෆ starship released two videos of the recording process of both nobody knows and maniac, which gained so much traction on twitter and tik tok with videos with over 1m+ likes and views.

₊˚ෆ even though she hadn’t planned it, heejin ended up finding out that she will be performing at coachella 2024 in california alongside other kpop artists such as lesserafim and ateez.

₊˚ෆ even though no one expected it, rewind also ended up getting popular! after many stellars posted the song in a sped up version, making people who did even stan heejin wonder what the song was, it even got non kpop fans bopping to it!

₊˚ෆ after catching onto it, heejjn ended up posting a lyric video of rewind on her channel, and after a week it charted at number 8 on top 100: south korea on apple music, youtube music charts at number 1, and gaon chart at number 5.

₊˚ෆ stellars can really say this is their favorite era of astella so far, when the music is good how can you not stan?

₊˚ෆ very much inspired by this by @dr3amluc1d

[sofasoap]

Love, do not pass me by

Pairing: Simon “Ghost ” Riley x f!Reader ( OC aka Mini MacTavish )

Summary : This story sets after " Up for a challenge". Life turns upside down for the better, and the worse, and rock bottom.

Continuation/parallel universe of @saltofmercury ’s ““The Favorite MacTavish” , where the reader/OC is Soap’s little sister. PLEASE GO READ HER STORY first to make sense of this story. Also go read her König stories too, it’s brilliant.

Warning: R18/Explicit theme (mention of sex) , swearing. Slight violence. Unplanned pregnancy.

Anything about UK/SAS/military information I had to google and make up a bit, so it isn't entirely accurate.

English isn’t my first language so expect a lot of mistakes with tenses. Not beta'ed. If you don’t like it, move on. you are responsible for your own internet consumption.

 “masterlist” for more stories to this Mini MacTavish expanded verse.

After three hours of train ride from London to Credenhill usually easy ride for you during normal time, but with your physical condition and mental state, it seems like forever and you are ready to collapse. You know you have you push on. You were desperate to get in touch with the boys. With Simon.

Walking slowly towards the SAS headquarter, you were greeted by the two soldiers manning the gate.

Fishing out your I.D and presenting it to the guards and announcing your name, one of the guard look at you with wide eye, "OH! you are Sergeant Johnny MacTavish's sister? Mini? the one nearly outdrank L.T Simon Riley?"

" Oh gosh.. is this what my reputation is like in SAS... "

The Guard chuckled, " It's not necessary bad, you are actually a legend amongst the soldiers for making L.T losing his composure. Anyway, what can we do for you?"

"I tried to contact Captain Price's team for last few months,I know they are off on a mission and had to go dark for a while,but I have really urgent business I need to talk to them."

" You are in luck. the team actually just got back from South America early this morning." Passing you a visitor's ID for you to display around your chest, he waved you through the gate, " Come on through, I will take you to the meeting room."

Following the guard to a private waiting room, he indicate you to sit down on the couch, " I will go grab the boys for you. Wouldn't be too long." Giving you a salute, he left the room.

You sigh in relief, but at same time anxiety is starting to hit, you don't know how well Simon is going to receive the news you are about to break to him. You tried every avenue to contact the boys the last few months, coming up to the barrack was the last resort, and now you just have to face the music...

"MINI! What are you doing here??The guard said you had urgent news to bring to us, did something happen to Ma and Pa?" Soap slam the door open with extreme worry on his face, but once he had a good look at you, his eyes was wide with disbelief.

OH SHIT.

You totally didn't expect Johnny to come through, wait, what do you expect? You told the guard you were Johnny's sister and you were desperate to talk to the boys, of course they are going to assume something happened to your family and you have to see your brother. How stupid can you be? no wonder Johnny nag you about how you act before you think.

"Johnny... I'll explain to you later.. just let me talk to Simon first.."

" FUCK I KNEW IT'S HIM.... I FUCKEN KNEW" He quickly turned and storm out of the room and down the corridor, marching towards Price's office where everyone is meeting for mission debrief. " I am gonna fucken KILL HIM, I SWEAR!"

"Johnny WAIT!" you waddle after him as fast as you could in your state, but you just couldn't catch up. You saw him going around the corner and storm in a room, and next thing you hear was him yelling , follow by a loud bam.

Simon, Gaz, Price and few of other team members were sitting around quietly talking amongst themselves, when Soap flung the door open, march straight up to Ghost and threw him against the wall.

"Easy Soap! What the hell you doing? Where is Mini?" Gaz and Price rush towards Soap trying to pull him back from punching Ghost.

" I TOLD YOU NOT TO FUCK AROUND WITH MY SISTER, AND WHAT DID YOU DO? YOU FUCKER WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SAY??!!"

Ghost deflect Soap's punch with ease, looking at him with total confusing, not understanding what is going on,

"JOHN CAMPBELL MACTAVISH, let, him, GO. I don't need you to go around all braveheart like you are about to defend my honour. It's not his fault." You growled at your brother, everyone's eye all landed on you as you finally caught up.

Ghost look at you, and down at your belly. a very pregnant belly. Time just stopped.

You walked into the room, closing the door, Gaz hurryingly pulled a chair and make you sit down as you were trying to catch your breath. Burying your face in your hand for few second, you look up at Price with pleading eye, " Everyone out, including you Soap." as Ghost push himself off the wall Price stopped him and shovel him back towards you "You two need to talk."

Now just two of you in the room. You can still vaguely hear Soap yelling and Price's low voice telling him to calm down.

" I am sorry to sprung this upon you Simon.. I.. I tried to contact you guys few months ago earlier on the mission.. but ... I had no choice but to come here, I am due soon and I want to let you know..." You look up at him, into his eyes, trying to gauge his reaction.

All you see is a very cold, emotionless brown eye staring at you, through his ghost mask.

"And?"

You shuddered.

"I .. I thought you want to know, you have the right to know.. I am not asking much..."

" I don't care. Do whatever you want."

Anger arises, trying to hold back tears and not letting the hormone get the best of you, " Simon Riley, you are the FATHER of the babies, I am doing my duty to inform you, giving you a chance to opt in to be around our children, you don't need to be such an ass about it! I know it was my fault, I told you I was on the pill and you could just.. just.... " Your face burns thinking back to that night....

"Where... Where do you want me to..."

" Inside Simon.. I am on the pill.. I want you to fill me...Please.."

What you totally forgot was you were on antibiotics for infection which you had from a cut you got from work. So much for being a health professional... You mentally slap yourself thinking back.

Ghost remain silent. Body rigid. Fist clenched.

You don't know what else to say to him anymore, letting out a sob, you quickly walked out of the office, away from him.

"Mini, talk to me, did he hurt you.. " Soap wrap his arm around you and pulling you into embrace.

" No.. yes.. no... " You feel him turning and ready to walk back into the office, you pulled him back. "Johnny... Just.. just take me home."

"... Does Ma and Pa know about this."

" I haven't been home for quite a while.. the only person knew about this is Emma and I have informed work as well." Emma, your flatmate and work colleague working at same hospital as you in London had been supportive and wonderful, she's been helping you with looking for new flat with more room for you two to move in, to get ready for the birth of the babies.

"Please Johnny, I will tell Ma and Pa soon. Just let me sort this out myself. "

He open his mouth wanting to say more. You shook your head to shush him. Turning around to face Price and Gaz, " I am so sorry to make such a scene... Just don't blame Simon for this."

Both men nodding their head, gave you a quick hug and let you and Johnny on the way.

After collecting few stuff from his room from the dorm, he lead you to his jeep and drive you both back to London mostly in silence.

Emma was on the couch when both of you arrived at your London flat late at night. Emma raised her eyebrow as she saw Soap walking in.

"Oh, Hi Johnny."

Johnny gave her a half smile, and turning to you " Hey. I hope you don't mind me hogging the shower for a bit."

You wave at him to tell him to go ahead, he walked towards your room to put his bag down.

" Did you tell Simon." She ask as she lead you to sit down on the couch with glass of water.

" I did... and... I don't know, what was I expecting? Him to jump up and down with joy with the news? Oh Gawd, I feel so stupid.. "

Pulling you in for a hug, Emma chided ' Oh stop it, you are not stupid. You did what you can. Forget the asshole, we will be here to help you. Now, what is your brother doing here?"

" He said he's gonna stay with me for few days and make sure I am alright.. with drama aside, I think he is secretly excited to be an uncle." Soap's eyes lit up when you grabbed his hand to feel the baby kicking while driving. You are sure he is going to be a great uncle that will spoil the kids rotten.

" I am sure he is." Emma smiled.

" You don't mind if he stays on the couch for few days right?"

" Oh NONONO, Not at all, not a bother at all. " Is that a blush on Emma's face you just saw?

Two of you chatted for a little bit more before Johnny emerges from the shower and you three said your goodnight after setting him up on the sofa couch in the living room.

Taking a quick shower , winding down in bed, you were half hoping you get a text from Simon. Nothing. Gaz texted through though just to quickly check on how you are going. You replied with a smile emoji and threw your phone on charge.

Reality is starting to set in. You are going to have to raise the children without their father. Their emotionless, asshole father.

To who you fell in love. Very much.

And now he broke your heart.

A/N : Ghost is just being a emotionless asshole here. This poor boy got issue. he doesn't think he deserves happiness, so he pushes everything away. including Mini. hurting her immensely in the process.

BTW, I saw this brilliant imagine art by ShkretArt on what they think Simon looks like under the mask... that is my Simon face for my fic now ( Sorry Samuel Roukin lol ) Go check it out here:

"Simon/Ghost" - Credit to : @shkretart

[duck7]

Mini Challenge UK (JWC) 2023 Donington Park 🇬🇧

Sam Smith and Dan Zelos big crash in Race 3.

[expatesque]

How are you doing in general??? Excited for the trip?? What’s first on your itinerary to see (Florence right?).

(I just got back from my brothers wedding and am shattered but high on the love. Also a little heartbroken because there was a “this could have been something” with a man there. But alas. We move. Plus I just ate some chocolate cake)

Florence first for a week! Then back to the UK for 10 days and then Korea for two weeks!

I'm like... very ????? Like mostly I'm good, I'm surprised how good I am but sometimes I worry that I'm only okay because I'm distracting myself. So I'm genuinely trying to take it very chill in Florence and see if I'm actually okay.

But it's been a lot of change in the space of a year and genuinely the biggest thing I feel is humbled - like I really thought I had it together! And to be perfectly honest, I felt a little superior to people that didn't. Wow did the universe know how to throw that back in my face - single, nearly 30, only had one serious relationship, unemployed! Truly take down of the century for me.

But I'm trying to remember that instead of living the life I thought I would have, I'm living this one. Where I'm a person trying to figure it out just like most people are. And that no one goes through life without real challenges - and if they do, how much did they really live, you know?

Anyway! I am jealous of your cake, I love that you're high on love even despite the mini-heartbreak (isn't it odd how often they go together?), and I know that what will come along for you will be better than what you missed 💕

+ Friday Thursday sleepover (asks here or ask me anything)

[far-side-skies]

Storm Hawks Bird OC Challenge - November 2023

Remember remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder treason and plot

Hello Storm Hawks fandom! Spook month might be over but here in the UK we celebrate attempted regicide with fireworks. Hopefully this bird's colours are inspiring to y'all. This month we're looking at the wire-tailed manakin (Pipra filicauda)!

This bird is most commonly found in the Amazon basin and prefers habitats of subtropical or tropical swamps. It's part of a superspecies alongside two other Manakin species; the band-tailed and the crimson-hooded manakin. There's not much more information available, but the colours are a nice contrast to October's, so I hope y'all have fun with it!

The deadline this month is Wednesday the 29th of November, I look forward to seeing all the characters this month. Rules are under the cut.

Minimum requirements for drawn entries to be put in the winner’s vote are a name, occupation, the character’s home/birth Terra and at least one paragraph (or about 100 words) of written backstory.

Minimum requirements for written (i.e. written dossiers without art, or mini-fics for the character) are 500 words including backstory and appearance. Feel free to make a mini-fic out of this challenge, I’ll make sure to link it with the final collage as well.

You’re not expected to create a character from scratch for this challenge. If you’ve got an older character concept that’s been collecting dust or that you’d like to take the opportunity to revamp, feel free! The goal of this challenge is to inspire people.

Collaborations are allowed! Same rules apply, the only addition is that you and your partner(s) just need to make note of who was responsible for what part of the character.

Make sure to tag me in your entries and also DM me with a link to your entry. Tumblr is not always reliable about notifications for this sort of thing, and I don’t want to risk missing anyone’s entries, so better safe than sorry.

The group collage of entries, and the (possible) winner’s vote are opt-in. Participation of those parts of this challenge are not mandatory.

[warningsine]

Democracies are no better than other forms of government at avoiding catastrophic mistakes. But they are much more effective at rectifying them. While the 2024 British general election might have seemed a long time coming, as the country meandered from one failure to the next, the utter scale of defeat for the Conservatives is testament to the ability of a democratic system to reject, reverse and renew.

It also places a singular challenge on the desk of the new prime minister, Keir Starmer. He will be judged by his ability to restore probity to government and address the damage suffered by the country.

It is easy to see this election in the tradition of other big defeats like 1997 or 1979 or 1964. A powerful theme of “time for a change” was at play and the governing party seemed to have run out of steam. It can even be interpreted as sending a powerful message to Rishi Sunak’s Conservative party that voters wanted to inflict punishment for incompetence, economic mismanagement and sleaze.

But this one is more than that.

The now former governing party, returned with a majority of 80 in 2019, has been beaten to within an inch of its life. A generation of politicians long criticised for treating public life with contempt, have been ejected from office and parliament.

Step back, and this election can be seen as democracy rectifying the catalogue of its own glaring mistakes. Since the calamitous Brexit referendum eight years ago, Britain has suffered economic decay and a cost of living crisis (briefly exacerbated by Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous so-called “mini-budget”).

It has endured a government with a lengthy record of rule breaking reflected in the UK falling to its lowest ever ranking in the Global Corruption Index. It has seen dodgy pandemic procurement contracts handed out, party donors appointed to the House of Lords and a sustained attack on its constitution, institutions, and rule of law. Tiresome culture war crusades have divided communities and polluted public life.

Denigration of public services from education to the NHS to the armed forces, crises in housing, the climate and inequality have been left unchallenged. Damage has been done to the country’s international reputation and relations strained with the UK’s closest allies in Europe.

What these errors have in common is that each one sits firmly at the door of 10 Downing Street and its four most recent inhabitants. This election emphatically draws a line under them.

Parties can fall

For so long in opposition and even during this campaign, Starmer’s party has danced to the populist tune of the government and its media cheerleaders. The challenge for his new administration as it takes power is to recognise that this election is a watershed, a rejection of this catalogue of mistakes, and an expectation of political renewal.

The more existential question is whether this election is also a watershed moment that will permanently change the shape of British politics. Could we be witnessing the demise of the Conservative party and the end of its hegemonic position at the centre of public life?

It happened to the previously dominant Liberal party a century ago when it split down the middle and was replaced by a new emerging Labour party. Such a shift is rare, of course, and requires some sort of major disruption.

In the years following the fist world war, Labour’s rise was fuelled by an extension in the franchise so significant that it makes the proposed votes for today’s 1.5 million 16 and 17-year-olds appear trifling. Indeed the Representation of the People acts more than doubled the electorate by giving the vote to women and the 40% of (working-class) men who were also previously disenfranchised.

There is nothing quite so seismic heading Westminster’s way today (though plans for automatic registration could add millions of voters). But the potential for comparison should not be dismissed.

Post-Brexit realignment, realigned

Party identification in the electorate, which has been in decline since the 1960s was turned on its head in 2019 when Boris Johnson’s Tories won a swathe of red wall seats in the Midlands and the north of England. For the first time, Labour voters were wealthier than Conservative. Labour, of course, went down to its worst defeat since 1935. There was talk of a new political cleavage, where class divisions had been replaced by leavers and remainers.

That this has all been reversed in the space of one parliament demonstrates the incredible fluidity in the electorate today. The more than 70 seats that have gone to the Liberal Democrats show the determination of the electorate to vote tactically to remove Conservatives in spite of an electoral system that has historically kept them in office.

And then there is Reform. Nigel Farage’s rag bag of a party has proved to be the ultimate protest vote for disenchanted Tory voters, attracted to the open acknowledgement that few if any seats could be won but the higher the vote, the harder the beating for the Conservatives.

As it happens, millions more voted Reform than was reflected in their seat share. While there are some leading Tories who would still welcome him into the fold, Farage perhaps overplayed his hand during the campaign making the Conservatives defensive of a rival, hell bent on their destruction. Time will tell if the Conservatives can resist the onslaught but for now the psychodrama of the right will be a political sideshow to the main event: an innocent new government and a refreshed parliament.

Britain’s parliamentary democracy facilitated this catalogue of mistakes which have proved so damaging to the country over recent years. But in this election it has also proved highly effective at beginning the work to rectification. If Starmer gets a moment to catch his breath, he might reflect upon this as the key reason he has been handed such a decisive majority.

[niiikkii]

Adapting to Changing Travel Trends: Maximizing Travel Experience

In recent years, there have been significant shifts in the travel trends. The once exclusive practice of tourism has evolved into a popular entertainment and tourism trend with affordable travel and a rich cultural heritage. The travel business has seen a significant transformation because to new technologies like digital platforms, which give visitors access to advice and recommendations from other travelers as well as locals.

For the past 5 years, here are some of the biggest travel trends in 2019 including the Regenerative Travel which are the challenges of sustainable tourism have drawn attention, which focuses on striking a balance between financial advantages and environmental and societal benefits. Secondly, the B-Leisure Trips which means leisure and business blends together became increasingly popular. While business travelers saw the in-flight experience as a means of leisure and time off, they also often viewed the airport as a nice place to work.

Micro-vacations, sometimes referred to as mini-vacations, have grown in popularity since 2019. These quick getaways provide travelers with instant happiness and relaxation, enabling them to make wonderful memories and depart with favorable impressions. The next one is the Insta-Holidays, travel planning in 2019 was greatly helped by Instagram, particularly for Gen Z travelers. Last but not the least travel trend for the past 5 years is the Wellness Travel, which describes travel experiences that seek to enhance and maintain health in a range of areas of human being, such as the physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.

For the next and possible travel trends that we expected, the first one is the Home Swapping, is a more cost-effective option to booking expensive hotels or Airbnbs when travel expenses keep rising. The second one is the Eco Diving, the Reef-World Foundation, a UK marine ecology nonprofit, discovered in 2022 that 95% of divers desired to make reservations with sustainable operators but found it difficult to do so.

Sports Tourism, the Olympic and Paralympic Games serve as the main event of the 2024 sporting calendar. The fourth is the Coolcationing that the year 2023 is declared the hottest on record. Family vacations are especially well-suited to cooler weather.  The last possible travel trend for the next 5 years is the Gig-Tripping that for many years, the main attractions at retreats were athletes and wellness experts. Taylor Swift is the main reason for the more than 50% increase in destination concert business, according to Janel Carnero, travel advisor at Embark Beyond.

As a tourist in tourism industry, we should expect that we can have more technological and advanced travel trends that a tourist can surely enjoy now and in the future.

[servants-hall]

All Creatures Great and Small star Nicholas Ralph: 'James and Helen are broody'

By Caren Clark

All Creatures Great and Small — Nicholas Ralph reveals all about the changes ahead in the fourth season of vet drama All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small season 4 features new challenges and big decisions for the Yorkshire vets.

The latest season of the period drama, which airs on Channel 5 in the UK in October and on PBS Masterpiece in January, is set in Spring 1940 as World War Two continues.

Caring James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph), spirited wife Helen (Rachel Shenton), grouchy head vet Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) and trusty housekeeper Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) are trying to keep things running smoothly at the Skeldale House practice in the absence of Siegfried’s brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse), who is serving with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. But they all face dilemmas about the future.

We caught up with Nicholas Ralph to discover what lies ahead in All Creatures Great and Small season four…

All Creatures Great and Small is back! What impact is the war having?

Nicholas Ralph: “We kick off during the Phoney War [before hostilities became more intense] and it’s the All Creatures that we know and love, so it’s very much focused on the community. But signing up was something James wanted to do and Tristan has now gone off to war, so James still feels that pang of guilt.” 

How are James and Helen finding married life as we hear babies could be on the cards?

Nicholas Ralph: “Yes, they are broody. Helen’s more open about it and James is more guarded, although he wants to be a dad as well. It's a complex situation. But in the opening episode, he becomes a bit of a father figure to a young boy who is a toerag but has an unwell dog and James takes him under his wing, it’s charming.”  

Troubled Wesley Binks (Billy Hickey) and his dog Duke need help from James (Nicholas Ralph) in All Creatures Great and Small. (Image credit: Channel 5)

What is it like at Skeldale without Tristan?

Nicholas Ralph: “Siegfried is feeling the loss of Tris and not dealing with it well. But the bond between Siegfried and James also becomes tighter, which is nice to play. And the whole family unit blossoms more as well with us and Mrs Hall and then Richard Carmody [a student vet played by rising star James Anthony-Rose, who joins later in the series].”

Student vet Richard Carmody (James Anthony-Rose) received a baptism of fire when he joins the team is All Creatures Great and Small. (Image credit: Channel 5)

Tell us about Carmody and the other new faces this time…

Nicholas Ralph: “It’s James' idea to get Carmody in because, with the loss of Tristan, they’re struggling. He thinks it will be brilliant and Carmody will be a mini-James, but he turns out to be more like Siegfried, so it blows up in James’ face! James, who plays Carmody, is a joy to work with. We also have James Bolam [the New Tricks star guests as a farmer]. I didn’t get to work with him, but Sam said it was an absolute pleasure.” 

And what animals will we see?

Nicholas Ralph: “We have goats who were brilliant! The animal wranglers trained the goats with food and a buzzer, so when they came in, they did this elaborate route around Skeldale. We also have horses, and cows having calves. And we have a flatulent boxer dog that Mrs Pumphrey [the wealthy local played by Patricia Hodge] takes on. It’s the sweetest dog but it’s supposed to be boisterous so it kept jumping up and hitting me in a painful place!” 

And is Mrs Pumphrey’s pampered Pekingese Tricki Woo, played by Derek, back too?!

Nicholas Ralph: “Yes, and you can do whatever you need with him, he’s like putty! He always gives you something back in a scene too, he's better than some of the actors! We also have Erin, who plays Dash [Skeldale’s springer spaniel], and she’s the cutest dog ever, although you can't do a scene with her, because as soon as you look at her, she comes over. But you can't not look at her, because she's got these massive doe eyes and she just stares at you intently!”

All Creatures Great and Small season four begins on Thursday October 5 on Channel 5 at 9pm

[hasbr0mniverse]

The Transformers Gallery - Mini World UK Robo Machine Featuring Challenge Of The GoBots Champions Of Lixil 1985