#National Lager Day

[subby-sab]

Today is 10th of December.

Today is Human Rights Day, International Animal Rights Day, Nobel Prize Day, National Lager Day.

[doctorfriend79]

🍺 Happy National Lager Day! 🍺

[floridaboiler]

[brewscoop]

Oh, hoppy day! Get ready for National Beer Day on April 7 with amazing deals from your favorite restaurants and bars. Whether you're into lagers, stouts, or IPAs, these promotions will have you cheering. Discover the best beer deals and exclusive offers in our latest article. Cheers to great beer and even better savings!

[p0orbaby]

Blurb - Leah/reader either watching a football or rugby game with her family but you’re Scottish so Leah keeps winding you up. Then Scotland win & reader has the last laugh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

ngl this was quite painful for me to write as i am, in fact, not scottish… but here we are

-

The living room smells like beer, crisps, and something your mum burned in the kitchen that she swears is still edible. Leah’s sitting on the sofa, surrounded by your family, smug as anything in an oversized England rugby shirt. You’re in your Scotland top, arms crossed, already regretting inviting her to this.

“Bit optimistic, isn’t it?” she says, nodding at your jersey.

“It’s called patriotism,” you reply, grabbing a handful of crisps.

“It’s called wishful thinking,” she counters, her grin widening as your brother laughs a little too loudly from his armchair. Traitor.

The match kicks off, and Leah is immediately insufferable. She’s shouting advice at the England players like they can hear her, arms flailing dramatically every time someone misses a tackle.

“Textbook,” she says smugly after England score the first try, reclining back like she’s the one who orchestrated it.

“Lucky,” you mutter, refusing to meet her eyes.

“Not luck, babe,” she says, leaning in close enough that you can smell her shampoo. “Skill”

Your mum, ever the diplomat, asks Leah if she wants another drink. You silently beg her not to, but it’s no use. Leah’s now fuelled by lager and her own self-satisfaction.

When Scotland finally score a try, you leap off the sofa, fists in the air.

Leah doesn’t even flinch. “Oh, calm down. One try doesn’t make a match.”

“It’s one more than you expected,” you fire back, flopping onto the sofa with an unnecessary amount of bounce just to jostle her.

The game gets tense—fumbles, penalties, a couple of dodgy referee decisions that your dad won’t stop ranting about. Leah’s still giving you grief, muttering under her breath every time England get possession.

“You’re awfully quiet,” she says at one point, smirking.

“Just waiting for the right moment,” you reply, not looking away from the screen.

And then it happens. Scotland break through the England defence with a clean, beautiful run. It’s poetry in motion, a sight to behold. Your brother yells. Your dad claps so hard you think he might dislocate something.

You? You turn to Leah, grinning like a maniac. “What was that about wishful thinking?”

She doesn’t answer, staring at the screen in disbelief as the Scots pile on top of each other in celebration.

“Oh, what’s wrong, babe?” you say, your voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Not as confident now, are we?”

She scowls but doesn’t rise to the bait, which only makes your victory sweeter.

When the final whistle blows, signalling Scotland’s win, you’re on your feet again, yelling like you’ve personally won the Six Nations. Leah stays seated, arms crossed, sulking in a way that’s almost cute.

“Good game,” your dad says, clapping her on the shoulder as he heads to the kitchen. “Better luck next time”

Leah shoots you a look as if to say traitor, but you just grin.

“Cheer up,” you say, plopping down beside her and throwing an arm around her shoulders. “There’s always next year”

“Don’t,” she warns, but there’s no real venom in it.

You kiss her cheek, the tiniest bit smug. “Love you”

“Mm-hmm,” she mutters, stealing the remote and putting on Match of the Day.

It’s not a total loss for her—she did manage to polish off most of the crisps—but you savour every second of her pout. Victory tastes better when it’s Scotland’s.

[autumnleaffay]

The Jäger Battalion

The journey from Helsinki to Königsberg had been long.

Finland has joined several other young and determined Finns from Liisankatu 17 in Helsinki, over to Turku, the boats to Sweden, down to Kalmar and finally the last boat to the Prussian capital of Königsberg. Where he was brought to the Lockstedter Lager.

He remembers sneaking past Sweden in Stockholm, after they nearly ran into each other.

But Sweden was not allowed to know of this. Nighter was Russia, Estonia or anyone for that matter.

The only other Nation that knew of his travel was the one, who will take over his training the next years. The war forged iron eagle of Europe. The one who has started on a storm through central Europe. The one who united the German lands into the Kaiserreich Germany.

Finland has hoped to be personally trained by Prussia, but hasn't seen the nation ever since coming.

For a year now the Lockstedter Lager has hosted him and the other Finnish soldiers.

The first 3 months, Finland hasn't gotten any special treatment for being a fellow nation. He got thrown into the same base training as all the other Finns. Which meant no actual military training but scout training, Pfadfinder, as the Germans called it.

But one day, thier scouts trainer went to Berlin, leaving the Finns hidden as scouts behind. An idea sparked within him and his citizens. They gathered military uniforms and sneaked over to the prussians and thier military drills.

Finally after month of being hidden, the Kaiser finally gave his blessings for the Finnish battalion!

They formed into the Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion.

Finland was proud of his people. Now more than 1000 young men, from all courses of live have joined the movement. He could hear Finnish and Swedish being spoken around thier barracks. The lake used as a leisure time for cold dips, a reminder of home.

After all, Finland was the land of the thousand lakes.

A message reached the Finnish battalion and Finland at the end of April 1916. Prussia himself will come to oversee thier progress.

Finland knew this was his chance, his chance to gain more training. To really learn from another nation!

May 1st, 1916, the high general Prussia, or Oberbefehlsgeneral Preußen as he was called in German, entered the grounds of the Lockstedter Lager.

The 27th Jäger Battalion proudly stands still in the military salute.

Finland sneaked a look at Prussia. His white hair stood out, just as his red eyes... wait, was that a scar?

Just in that moment, Prussia stepped out of his sight.

He had hoped that after the assembly, he'd get called to Prussia, but that didn't happen. He was ordered into the presentation drills with the rest of the battalion.

One drill after another was performed. Finland got dragged into the rush of the moment, forgetting that Prussia was right there. He and his men only had one goal, fight Russia, gain independence. And this was their chance of proving their fighting spirit.

When running from one successfully finished drill to the other one, he saw Prussia.

The nation had stepped down from his horse and started to inspect the troops closely.

Finlands steps became slower, his view zeroing in on the other one.

This stance screamed authority, the uniform perfectly crisp, not a hair out of order and a scar running across his face. The affected eye has turned a milky colour.

Still that presence....

"Are we getting tired?"

The comments came suddenly, pulling Finland out of his trance.

"N-No, Sir!"

Prussia's face did not change as he raised his eyebrow and questioned further:

"Then why are we slowing down?!"

Finland was unsure what to say. He knew just the right word, but there was no translation. He didn't know a translation into Swedish, Russian, English, or German that would fit the word.

"You have Sisu, Sir." He answered.

Prussia seems to lose his face: "Did you just call me a Sisi?!"

"No, no! Not Sisi! SISU!"

Prussia's face became stern. "Didn't we say that you Finns were supposed to speak German?! And what the heck is a Sisu?"

Finland braced himself. This was his moment to get recognition!

He moved into a military salute, looking Prussia directly into the eye.

"I am Finland, the personification of my people. Rather, they speak Finnish, Swedish, or German! We don't want to speak Russian, I don't want to be Russia's territory anymore. I am Suomi! And Sisu is a word in my language. It's untranslatable and means things like perseverance, strength of will, determination, and the will to fight."

Prussia was taken a back. Thus little nation had more backbone than many other big and established countries.

He would even say the he's impressed....

"Well then! Let's see what you have in store for me, Suomi."

~~~~~~~

Inspired by @nordickies picture of Prussia training a Jäger Finland!

I hope I did you justice and managed to get the meaning of sisu right.

Historical background as always!

The Finnish Jäger Movement. Basically, about 200 Finnish students went to Germany, Prussia, to be exact, to train for their independence movement. The Germans wanted to hide the Finns at first, hence why they were not trained as soldiers but as Pathfinders/Scouts first. They were also ask to not speak Finnish or Swedish.

Bc at the beginning of WW1, Russia was not involved in a war with Germany... yet. That changes later on, and more Finns got actively recruited. Kaiser Wilhelm also then officially recognised the Finnish battalion and made them the 27th Jäger Battalion.

Links:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%A4ger_Movement

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/27th_J%C3%A4ger_Battalion_(Finland)

https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockstedter_Lager

Sisu. That is a Finnish only word. The rough translation is strength of will, determination, or a straight mind in a fight and perseverance.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisu

[gwendolynlerman]

Deutschribing Germany

Cuisine

Meal times

The German proverb Iss dein Frühstück wie ein Kaiser, Mittagessen wie ein König und Abendessen wie ein Bettler (Eat your breakfast like an emperor, lunch like a king, and dine like a pauper) sums up the German outlook toward meals.

A typical day begins with Frühstück (breakfast), when people drink coffee, tea, or hot cocoa and eat muesli with yogurt or milk or bread with butter, jam, honey, chocolate and hazelnut spread, sausage, or cheese. Some people also drink juice and eat a boiled egg. This usually takes place between 6 and 8 a.m. Children usually eat a mid-morning snack at school called Pausenbrot (recess sandwich) that consists of a sandwich, a piece of fruit, or a muesli bar. The adult version is called Zwischenmahlzeit (in-between meal).

Mittagessen (lunch) takes place between 12 and 2 p.m. A typical lunch dish includes potato salad with sausage or meatballs and meat with potatoes or vegetables. It is common for family members and friends to gather between 3 and 5 p.m. for Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake).

Abendessen (dinner) is eaten between 6 and 7 p.m. Sometimes it is a light cold meal with bread and cold cuts, in which case it is called Abendbrot (evening bread). Dinner normally consists of a salad or soup, bread, cheese, meat or sausages, mustard, and pickles.

Dishes

German cuisine varies from region to region, and what is considered typically German is actually typical in the south, mainly Bavaria, where cuisine is similar to that in Austria. There are also international varieties such as doner kebab, pizza, sushi, Chinese food, Greek food, Indian food, and Vietnamese food.

Bread and sausage are staples of the German diet. There are about 600 types of bread and almost 1,500 sausage varieties, including Bratwurst (made of ground pork, beef, or veal and spices) and Weißwurst (white sausage eaten with sweet mustard, a pretzel, and beer).

The national alcoholic drink is beer, of which there are many varieties, including Helles (a pale lager beer produced in southern Germany), Radler (a beer mixed with lemonade), and Weizenbier (a top-fermented beer brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley).

Berliner/Krapfen/Pfannkuchen

These sweet dough dumplings, filled with jam and glazed with powdered sugar, are known as Berliner in northern and western Germany, Pfannkuchen in eastern Germany, and Krapfen in southern Germany.

Birnen, Bohnen und Speck

Birnen, Bohnen und Speck (pears, beans, and bacon) is a dish made with pears, green beans, and bacon, accompanied by potatoes. It is eaten in Bremen and Lower Saxony.

Bratkartoffeln

Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes) are fried potato slices with diced bacon and/or onions.

Brezel

Brezeln (pretzels) are baked pastries made from dough and shaped into a symmetrical knot. They are typically seasoned with salt, but can also have toppings such as cheese or seeds.

Brot

Brot (bread) comes in many different types, from white wheat bread (Weißbrot) to gray (Graubrot) to black (Schwarzbrot), which is actually dark brown rye bread. Some breads contain both wheat and rye flour and are called Mischbrot. Others have seeds such as linseed and sunflower seeds and are wholegrain (Vollkornbrot). Bread can also be made from spelt (Dinkelbrot), rye (Roggenbrot), or a mix of these with wheat.

Brötchen (bread rolls) are also very common and can be made from the same cereals and seeds as normal bread.

Currywurst

Currywurst is Berlin's most famous dish and consists of a pork sausage with ketchup and curry powder.

Eierschecke

Eierschecke, whose name is derived from a tripartite piece of clothing, consists of three layers: the bottom one is either a yeast dough or made with baking soda, the middle layer is a cream made of quark, vanilla, butter, egg, sugar, and milk, and the top one is made from eggs, butter, sugar, and vanilla pudding powder. It is a specialty from Saxony and Thuringia.

Fischbrötchen

A Fischbrötchen (fish bread roll) is a sandwich made with various fish, either pickled or fried, and onions, common in northern Germany.

Flammkuchen

Flammkuchen means "pie baked in the flames" and originates from Baden in Baden-Württemberg and the Palatinate in Rhineland-Palatinate. It is similar to a pizza with thin crust covered with crème fraîche, onions, and lardons.

Frikadellen

Frikadellen are flat-bottomed, pan-fried meatballs of minced meat. They are commonly eaten with pasta salad or potatoes, or in a bread roll with mustard.

Himmel und Erde

Himmel und Erde (heaven and earth) is a dish with mashed potatoes, stewed apples and fried blood pudding. Potatoes are also called Erdäpfel (ground apples), so it is a meal made with apples that grow above and under the earth. It is popular in the Rhineland in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, Westphalia in North Rhine-Westphalia, and Lower Saxony.

Kirschenmichel

Kirschenmichel is a kind of bread pudding made with cherries and served hot with vanilla sauce. It is typically eaten in Franconia in Bavaria and Thuringia, the Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, and Hesse.

Klöße/Knödel

These dumplings are known as Klöße in northern, central, and western Germany and Knödel in southern Germany. They are usually made from flour, bread, or potatoes. There are different varieties, including dumplings made of ground liver or breadcrumbs.

Kohlroulade

A Kohlroulade (cabbage roll) consists of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a meat filling seasoned with garlic, onion, and spices. Rinderrouladen are similar but consist of bacon and onions wrapped in beef.

Labskaus

Labskaus is a dish made from corned beef, herring, mashed potatoes, and beetroot, served with a fried egg and a pickled cucumber. It is typically eaten in northern Germany.

Leberkäse

Leberkäse ("liver-cheese") is eaten in Franconia, Saarland, and Swabia in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It consists of beef, pork, and bacon that are finely ground and then baked as a loaf in a bread pan. It is served with an egg and mashed potatoes.

Leipziger Allerlei

Leipziger Allerlei was invented in Leipzig and consists of a mixture of peas, carrots, green beans, asparagus, morels, and celery. It may also contain broccoli, cauliflower, or corn. It is served with potatoes and a sauce made from crayfish butter, crayfish tails, and semolina dumplings.

Marmorkuchen

Marmorkuchen (marble cake) has a streaked appearance, achieved by lightly blending light and dark batter. It can be a mixture of vanilla and chocolate.

Maultaschen

Maultaschen ("mouth bags") are large meat-filled dumplings typical of Swabian cuisine. They can also be filled with spinach, onions, and spices and can be either served with broth or cut into slices and fried with eggs.

Pfefferpotthast

Pfefferpotthast (boiled meat pepper pot) is a traditional Westphalian stew made with beef, lard, onions, and spices. It is served with boiled potatoes and salad in the summer and pickled cucumbers and beetroot in the winter.

Pinkel mit Grünkohl

It is a dish made from slowly cooked kale served with Pinkel, a salty sausage eaten mainly in Bremen and Lower Saxony.

Quarkkäulchen

A Quarkkäulchen ("little quark ball") is a Saxon dish made from quark, mashed boiled potatoes, flour, an egg, and lemon peel. The dough is then baked in the form of a pancake and eaten hot with sugar and cinnamon or with fruit, whipped cream, and vanilla ice cream.

Reibekuchen

These potato pancakes are served with black bread, sugar beet syrup, or stewed apples. They are common in many areas of the country, but the name is characteristic to the Rhineland.

Rollmops

Rollmops ("rolled pug/fat young boy") are pickled herring fillets, rolled around a savory filling, usually consisting of onion and a pickle. It is a specialty from Berlin.

Sauerbraten

Sauerbraten is regarded as the national dish of Germany. It originally comes from the Rhineland and consists of large pieces of beef or horse meat, marinated in a spicy water-vinegar mixture before baking and served with Klöße.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is finely cut raw cabbage fermented by lactic acid bacteria.

Saumagen

Saumagen ("sow's stomach") is popular in the Palatinate and consists of a pork's stomach filled with pork, sausage meat, and potatoes. It is usually served with mashed potatoes or Bratkartoffeln and Sauerkraut.

Schnitzel

A Schnitzel is a fried, breaded thin piece of meat, typically pork or beef. Although the most famous one is Wiener Schnitzel (Viennese style), there are other kinds, including Jägerschnitzel, with mushroom sauce; Rahmschnitzel, with cream sauce, and Zigeunerschnitzel, with a sauce made with tomato, bell peppers, and onion.

Schupfnudel

Schupfnudel are thick noodles typical of southern Germany. They are usually made from flour or potatoes and eggs and served with Sauerkraut.

Schwarzsauer

Schwarzsauer ("black sour") is a North German blood soup with spices cooked in vinegar.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

Black forest cake is a chocolate and whipped cream cake with a cherry filling and cherries on top.

Schweinshaxe

Schweinshaxe is a typical Bavarian dish of roasted ham hock served with Sauerkraut. A variation of this dish is known elsewhere as Eisbein ("ice leg"), in which the ham hock is pickled and slightly boiled.

Schwenkbraten

Schwenkbraten is a pork neck steak marinated in spices and onions. It is originally from the Saarland and grilled on a Schwenker, a grill that hangs on a chain over a wood fire.

Spaghettieis

Spaghettieis (spaghetti ice cream) is an ice cream dish made to resemble spaghetti. Vanilla ice cream is extruded through a modified Spätzle press to give it the appearance of spaghetti. It is placed over whipped cream and topped with strawberry sauce to simulate tomato sauce and either coconut flakes, grated almonds, or white chocolate shavings to represent Parmesan cheese.

Spätzle

Spätzle (little sparrow) are hand-made egg noodles, originally from Swabia. They are the main ingredient of several dishes, such as Käsespätzle (Spätzle with cheese) and Linsen mit Spätzle (lentils with Spätzle).

Streuselkuchen

Streuselkuchen ("crumb cake") is made of yeast dough covered with a sweet crumb topping (Streusel). The recipe originated in German Silesia.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Sabotage in the Lagers

To begin, some acts of sabotage were targeted directly at the modes of production within the Nazi war economy: steel plates used for constructing tanks were “mysteriously” buried under rubble, key materials were “misplaced,” tools and bricks were “accidentally” damaged, and perfectly good airplane motors were deemed damaged and sent to the junk yard.[81] Entire stockpiles of ammunition were dumped into lakes, shipments of fuel were poured out onto the ground, and salt was added to gunpowder by the women of Ravensbrück, rendering it useless.[82] In Flöha, French engineers constructed excessively-heavy airplane wings that would pass inspection but certainly cause problems in the air.[83] In Auschwitz, women sabotaged the production of plant-based rubber by simply burning half of the harvested seeds.[84] Ships coming out of the Jastram engine factory were improperly welded, grenades coming out of a factory near Auschwitz failed to explode, and machine guns produced by inmates of Mauthausen were completely dysfunctional.[85] Rockets produced in Dora had inexplicable quantities of urine in the electronic components, courtesy of the Russian inmates.[86] In 1943, a Polish inmate named Jan Szot was able to sabotage large quantities of anti-aircraft missiles by shifting the precise alignment of the detonators ever so slightly, resulting in two month’s worth of faulty weapons.[87]

The website degob.org documents testimonials from Hungarians who survived the Nazi holocaust, and includes the otherwise-unpublished stories of at least a dozen survivors who engaged in sabotage while in the camps. Mária Jakobovics recalls her crew’s habitual sabotage of the production of oil-bombs: “We sabotaged whenever we could by simply not inserting the fuses into the bombs. When they realized it we of course got twenty five blows with a club, but we would still do it nonetheless.”[88] One woman who was put to work in Auschwitz fixing the piles of clothes taken from incoming Jews reports: “We sabotaged work in a way that we made clothes unusable on purpose.”[89] A woman at Bolzenburg who was put to work in an airplane factory reports: “We sabotaged work in whatever ways we could. We broke the drills, presses, and everything that could appear to have happened by accident.”[90]

Because some inmates were put to work as bureaucrats, a great deal of sabotage could be accomplished from behind a desk with nothing more than the stroke of a pen. With this method unskilled workers were deemed experts and sent to do important work on the factory line, while those with valuable skills were sent to dig trenches.[91] On the other hand, skilled workers who could be trusted to do sabotage work were handpicked for specific jobs in which they could cause maximum damage.[92] A third tactic involved fudging roll-call numbers such that some inmates were simply overlooked by the SS and spared from work for days at a time.[93] In at least one situation, a doctor falsely diagnosed an entire work crew with typhus in order to have them all put on quarantine and delay the delivery of an urgent order of weapons.[94]

Organized sabotage efforts often united people of different nationalities and political ideologies towards a common goal. In one case, two dozen inmates who established a Polish-Russian-German sabotage group at a mine in Jaszowice, “tore the conveyor belts, hid the tips of mining drills, and, instead of coal, loaded stones.”[95] In another case, four hundred Russian and German political prisoners working at the Heinkel-Werke aircraft plant conspired to use magnetized wires to disorient plane navigation systems. The workers were able to sabotage an entire fleet of aircraft without the inspectors finding any faults: “out of a total of one hundred twenty aircraft assembled, not a single one was fit for use.[96] In some cases, organized sabotage efforts were successful in creating larger-scale disruptions by undermining entire infrastructure projects. In the spring of 1942, when the crematorium at Dachau was deemed unfit, the camp management ordered a larger one to be built complete with its own ovens and gas chamber. The German Capo in charge of the project was a communist, and intent on hindering the construction effort. His instruction to the workers was to the tune of: “Comrades, the gas chamber through which all of us may be intended to march must never be finished! Work slowly? No, sabotage whatever you can!”[97] Though they did complete the crematorium, the “cement did not bond properly, the foundation turned out to be too weak, and the mortar in the brickwork crumbled so that the whole unit had to be torn down and put up again.”[98] The second construction was rushed, and the SS were forced to abandon the extra gas chamber.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 12.10

Holidays

Bob Dylan Day (Minnesota)

Chief Red Cloud Day

Dewey Decimal System Day

Flag Day (Guinea)

Flipadelphia (from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”)

Grub-Hoe Day (French Republic)

Human Rights Day (UN)

International Animal Rights Day

International Human Rights Day (Namibia)

Jane Addams Day

Mari Alphabet Day

Merlinpeen (Festival of Mouth Pleasure from Secret Santa; Verdkianism; on “30 Rock”)

Namibian Women’s Day (Namibia)

National Cancel Caillou Day

National Corey Day

National Day of the Clown

National Derek Day

Nobeldagen (a.k.a. Alfred Nobel Day; Sweden)

Nobel Prize Day

Sister-Friend Day

Victory Day (Iraq)

Whirling Dervishes Festival begins [thru 17th]

Women’s Day (Namibia)

Women’s Rights Day (Wyoming)

World Digital Detox Day

World Football Day

World Human Rights Day (UN)

World TRAP Awareness Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Do Something Wild and Crazy with Velveeta Day

International Tokaji Aszú Day

National Lager Day

National Pancetta Day

Suspended Coffee Day

Terra Madre Day (Slow Food)

Independence & Related Days

Constitution Day (Thailand)

Mississippi Statehood Day (#20; 1817)

Tortuga (Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

2nd Tuesday in December

National Belgian Waffles Day (Belgium) [2nd Tuesday]

Table Tennis Tuesday [2nd Tuesday of Each Month]

Taco Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Target Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Tater Tot Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Tomato Tuesday [2nd Tuesday of Each Month]

Trivia Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Two For Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Weekly Holidays beginning December 10 (2nd Full Week of December)

Human Rights Week (thru 12.17)

National Groundwater Awareness Week (thru 12.12)

Festivals Beginning December 10, 2024

The Bracebridge Dinner (Yosemite National Park, California) [thru 12.23]

Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market Expo (Grand Rapids, Michigan) [thru 12.12]

Michigan Greenhouse Growers Expo (Grand Rapids, Michigan) [thru 12.12]

Nebraska AG Expo (Lincoln, Nebraska) [thru 12.12]

Nobel Prize Award Ceremony (Stockholm, Sweden & Norway (the Nobel Peace Prize))

Stalker International Human Rights Film Festival (Moscow, Russia) [thru 12.15]

Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium (Sparks, Nevada) [thru 12.12]

Feast Days

Adriaen van Ostade (Artology)

Behnam, Sarah, and the Forty Martyrs (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Cornelia Funke (Writerism)

Emily Dickinson (Writerism)

Eulalia of Mérida (Christian; Saint)

Festival for the Souls of Dead Whales (Inuit)

Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole (Artology)

Greta Kempton (Artology)

Hanukkah Day #3 (Judaism) [thru Dec. 15th]

International Human Rights Day (Pastafarian)

Karl Barth (Episcopal Church USA)

Llys Don (Celtic Book of Days)

Lux Mundi (Light of the World; Roman Goddess of Liberty)

Melchiades, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Miltiades (Christian; Saint)

Purification Rites begin (Ancient Inuit; Everyday Wicca)

Rumer Godden (Writerism)

Sedna’s Day (Pagan)

Thomas Merton (Episcopal Church USA)

Tidy Up Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

The Toves (Muppetism)

Translation of the Holy House of Loreto (Christian)

Vieta (Positivist; Saint)

Zinaida Serebriakova (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fatal Day (Pagan) [24 of 24]

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

Premieres

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (Novel; 1884)

Bedazzled (Film; 1967)

Bedknob and Broomstick, by Mary Norton (Novel; 1943)

Being the Ricardos (Film; 2021)

Big Fish (Film; 2003)

The Billy Goat’s Whiskers, featuring Farmer Al Alfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1937)

Boris Bashes a Box or The Flat Chest (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 237; 1963)

The Cider House Rules (Film; 1999)

Counterpart (TV Series; 2017)

A Day at the Races, by Queen (Album; 1976)

Dexter’s Laboratory: Ego Trip (Hanna-Barbera Animated TV Film; 1999)

Donald’s Ostrich (Disney Cartoon; 1937)

The Ethics of Ambiguity, by Simone de Beauvoir (Philosophy Book; 1947)

The Fellowship of the Ring (Film; 2001) [Lord of the Rings #1]

Fernando, by ABBA (Song; 1975)

The Fighter (Film; 2010)

48 Hrs. (Film; 1982)

Gandhi (Film; 1982)

The Glenn Miller Story (Film; 1953)

Gopher Spinach (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1954)

The Green Mile (Film; 1999)

Guided Muscle (WB LT Cartoon; 1955)

Guys and Dolls, by Damon Runyon (Short Stories; 1932)

A Horse Tale (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1928)

The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector (Novel; 1977)

Islands in the Stream, by Ernest Hemingway (Novel; 1970)

The Last Detail (Film; 1973)

Lawrence of Arabia (Film; 1962)

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Film; 2004)

Mood Indigo, recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra (Song; 1930)

A New Villain, Parts 1 & 2 (Underdog Cartoon, S3, Eps. 25 & 26; 1967)

Ocean’s Twelve (Film; 2004)

One, Two, Three, Gone! Or I’ve Got Plenty of Nothing (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 238; 1963)

Santa’s Workshop (Silly Symphony Disney Cartoon; 1932)

Shoah (Documentary Film; 2010)

The Silver Sword, by Ian Serraillier (Novel; 1956)

Sleuth (Film; 1972)

Sophie’s Choice (Film; 1982)

Swiss Family Robinson (Film; 1960)

The Tempest (Film; 2010)

Tennis Chumps (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1949)

Three’s a Crowd (WB MM Cartoon; 1932)

The Tourist (Film; 2010)

Toyland Premiere (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1934)

Wayne’s World 2 (Film; 1993)

West Side Story (Film; 2021)

Wings Over America (Live Album; 1976)

The Year Without a Santa Claus (Animated TV Special; 1974)

Today’s Name Days

Angelina, Bruno, Emma, Herbert (Austria)

Edmund, Gregor, Mauro (Croatia)

Julie (Czech Republic)

Judith (Denmark)

Juta, Juudit (Estonia)

Jutta (Finland)

Eulaire, Romaric (France)

Emma, Imma, Loretta (Germany)

Judit (Hungary)

Loreto (Italy)

Cera, Guna, Judīte, Sniedze (Latvia)

Eidimtas, Eularija, Ilma, Loreta (Lithuania)

Judit, Jytte (Norway)

Andrzej, Daniel, Judyta, Julia, Maria, Radzisława (Poland)

Ermoghen, Eugraf, Mina (Romania)

Radúz (Slovakia)

Eulalia, Loreto (Spain)

Malena, Malin (Sweden)

Angeline, Marian (Ukraine)

Emely, Emilee, Emilia, Emilie, Emily, Eula, Eulalia, Ula (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 345 of 2024; 21 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of Week 50 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ngetal (Reed) [Day 17 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Bing-Zi), Day 10 (Wu-Shen)

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

Hebrew: 9 Kislev 5785

Islamic: 8 Jumada II 1446

J Cal: 15 Black; Oneday [15 of 30]

Julian: 27 November 2024

Moon: 72%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 9 Bichat (13th Month) [Fermat / Wallis]

Runic Half Month: Jara (Year) [Day 4 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 79 of 90)

Week: 2nd Full Week of December

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 19 of 30)

[jwg320ps]

Happy National Lager Day!

https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-lager-day-december-10

National Lager Day is on December 10.

[derridoid]

Hetalia Food/Drink Headcanons: Main Ensemble Edition

We all know North Italy has a love for pasta. One might imagine that he has a love for the "fancier" or more "complex" pasta dishes his home has to offer - and he does! - his absolute favorite dish is cacio e pepe. It reminds him of what Grandpa Rome would make for him when he was younger and needed a pick-me-up. Nobody makes it as good as Grandpa Rome, of course.

Germany has been coming around to IPA's over the last few centuries. If a world meeting is held at America's house, and if he and some of the other nations will go out for drinks afterward, he'll order one. He'd rather have a lager any day, but given that he's not a huge fan of America's take on lagers, he'll take the lesser of two evils. You might even get him to admit he kinda-sorta-almost likes them if he's tipsy enough - yes, even the hipster-y ones.

Japan has gone to every Ramen Jiro in Japan dozens of times over. He'd consider himself a Jirorian, doing his best to blend in with the students and salarymen who frequent the shops, and he likes to invite Greece and Prussia to accompany him on his trips to the "sacred" shop in Mita. (ie, the original Ramen Jiro) His go-to is the tonkatsu.

(more under the cut)

While America is and always be a fan of a good all-beef patty, he's become a fan of the "impossible," plant-based meats that are growing in popularity. He says eating plant-based burgers and hot dogs make him feel like he's living in a sci-fi movie - "in the future, people will GROW their meat!" - and appreciates the fact that most plant-based meat companies' environmental footprints are much smaller.

England is, of course, something of a tea aficionado, at least in the Western world. His "usual" is a nice Earl Grey, usually the Twinings brand - a fan since the beginning! - but he's been known to drink green or oolong, with China giving him suggestions on which blends he'd like best. Canada has been trying to get him to come around to the London fog variant of Earl Grey, but England is staunchly against trying it.

It actually took France a few decades to get his recipe for macarons right - they're finnicky little pastries! - but now that he's got it down, he loves making them. Watching him make these confections is like watching an artist at the easel or the marble block. In the last century or so, he's also gotten really creative with the flavors he uses for each batch, both successfully and unsuccessfully. He's gotten into the practice of making a batch of two dozen with unique flavors for each nation on their "birthday" - his favorite to date are the cherry blossom ones he made for Japan some time ago.

Russia has a tendency to over-season his food. If he's following a recipe with specific measurements provided - half a teaspoon of celery seed, a teaspoon of tarragon - it's not a problem. However, if he's going off of sight and feel alone, he puts in way too much, because "it never looks like there's enough!" By the time he gets around to tasting the food to check the seasoning, it's often too late. The worst offender is usually pepper, but most people are too intimidated? nice to complain.

There's a long-standing agreement that the nation whose house a World Meeting is held at is the nation who decides where everyone goes out for dinner - if the meeting is hosted in New York, America usually takes the nations to a steakhouse; if the meeting is hosted in Rome, North and South usually take people to a local pizza place; so on and so forth. When meetings are hosted at China's house, he, almost without fail, takes everyone out for hot pot. Everybody loves it, and they look forward to when meetings are hosted in Beijing. China is personally is a huge fan of the mutton, and has been for centuries.

South Italy makes the most unbelievable pizza ever known to man or nation. His favorite is the Pizza Margherita, which he perfected with Rafaele Esposito (the father of modern pizza) and has been eating since it first dropped at the Risorgimento in the 1860s, thank you very much. In fact, he used to work at Esposito's tavern Pizzeria di Pietro e basta così when he wasn't engaged with nation-y activities. In recent history, he grows his own San Marzano tomatoes and basil for the Margherita pizzas he makes, and he still uses the original dough recipe he picked up from Esposito. He could share it with you, but he'd have to kill you.

Prussia has swapped recipes with Poland for like, the past few hundred years, and much of the food he ate was influenced by Poland and, to some extent, Russia. His favorite thing to make, even after all these years, is Königsberger Klopse. He does tend to go a little heavy on the capers. Unrelated - one time, he accidentally ate some of Gilbird's gourmet seed blend, thinking it was snack seed mix, and didn't notice until about three handfuls in that it was not human/nation-grade product. Germany was there to see it, and is the only person that knows. He's been sworn to secrecy on the matter under the threat of blackmail.

Canada, as we know, is a fiend for ice cream, and he'll eat just about any brand of it that you offer to him. His favorite for "binging" is Chapman's, mostly because it comes in a cardboard box that can be deconstructed and laid out near-flat - no spoonfuls lost in the corners! He's also a fan of some of his brother's brands of ice cream, particularly Ben & Jerry's. He's been known to make the near 5-hour trek from his place to the factory in Waterbury, Vermont for a tour and free samples...multiple times a year, even...don't tell America this, or he'll get teased.

[subby-sab]

Today is 10th of December.

Today is Nobel Prize Day, Human Rights Day, National Lager Day.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SEOUL, South Korea — In fried-chicken-obsessed South Korea, restaurants serving the nation's favourite fast-food dish dot every street corner.

But Kang Ji-young's establishment brings something a little different to the table: a robot is cooking the chicken.

Eaten at everything from tiny family gatherings to a 10-million-viewer live-streamed "mukbang" -- eating broadcast -- by K-pop star Jungkook of BTS fame, fried chicken is deeply embedded in South Korean culture.

Paired with cold lager and known as "chimaek" -- a portmanteau of the Korean words for chicken and beer -- it is a staple of Seoul's famed baseball-watching experience.

The domestic market -- the world's third largest, after the United States and China -- is worth about seven trillion won ($5.3 billion).

However, labour shortages are starting to bite as South Korea faces a looming demographic disaster due to having the world's lowest birth rate.

Around 54 percent of business owners in the food service sector report problems finding employees, a government survey last year found, with long hours and stressful conditions the likely culprit, according to industry research.

Korean fried chicken is brined and double-fried, which gives it its signature crispy exterior, but the process -- more elaborate than what is typically used by US fast food chains -- creates additional labour and requires extended worker proximity to hot oil.

Enter Kang, a 38-year-old entrepreneur who saw an opportunity to improve the South Korean fried chicken business model and the dish itself.

"The market is huge," Kang told AFP at her Robert Chicken franchise.

Chicken and pork cutlets are the most popular delivery orders in South Korea, and the industry could clearly benefit from more automation "to effectively address labour costs and workforce shortages," she said.

Kang's robot, composed of a simple, flexible mechanical arm, is capable of frying 100 chickens in two hours -- a task that would require around five people and several deep fryers.

But not only does the robot make chicken more efficiently -- it makes it more delicious, says Kang.

"We can now say with confidence that our robot fries better than human beings do," she said.

Investing in 'foodtech'

Already a global cultural powerhouse and major semiconductor exporter, South Korea last year announced plans to plough millions of dollars into a "foodtech" fund to help startups working on high-tech food industry solutions.

Seoul says such innovations could become a "new growth engine," arguing there is huge potential if the country's prowess in advanced robotics and AI technology could be combined with the competitiveness of Korean food classics like kimchi.

South Korea's existing foodtech industry -- including everything from next-day grocery delivery app Market Kurly to AI smart kitchens to a "vegan egg" startup -- is already worth millions, said food science professor Lee Ki-won at Seoul National University.

Even South Korea's Samsung Electronics -- one of the world's biggest tech companies -- is trying to get in on the action, recently launching Samsung Food, an AI-personalised recipe and meal-planning platform, available in eight languages.

Lee predicted South Korea's other major conglomerates are likely to follow Samsung into foodtech.

"Delivering food using electric vehicles or having robots directly provide deliveries within apartment complexes, known as 'metamobility,' could become a part of our daily lives," he said.

"I am confident that within the next 10 years, the food tech industry will transform into the leading sector in South Korea."

'Initially struggled'

Entrepreneur Kang now has 15 robot-made chicken restaurants in South Korea and one branch in Singapore.

During AFP's visit to a Seoul branch, a robot meticulously handled the frying process -- from immersing chicken in oil, flipping it for even cooking, to retrieving it at the perfect level of crispiness, as the irresistible scent of crunchy chicken wafted through the shop.

Many customers remained oblivious to the hard-working robotic cook behind their meal.

Kim Moon-jung, a 54-year-old insurance worker, said she was not sure how a robot would make the chicken differently from a human "but one thing is certain -- it tastes delicious."

The robot can monitor oil temperature and oxidation levels in real time while it fries chicken, ensuring consistent taste and superior hygiene.

When Kang first started her business, she "initially struggled" to see why anyone would use robots rather than human chefs.

"But after developing these technologies, I've come to realise that from a customer's perspective, they're able to enjoy food that is not only cleaner but also tastier," she told AFP.

Her next venture is a tip-free bar in Koreatown in New York City, where the cocktails will feature Korea's soju rice wine and will be made by robots.

Entrepreneur aims to improve South Korea's dish using robot

11 September 2023

[therearelightningonthetatra]

The Kingdom of Prussia is a German survivor nation located in northern Germany along the coast of the Baltic Sea.

Doomsday and World War III Due to its unique circumstances being split between Allied and Soviet forces, Berlin managed to survive better than most major cities. During World War III, both the Soviet and Allied leadership believed the city could be captured, and with significant resources invested by both sides, it was not struck by nukes.

-100kt strikes- •Altenburg •Chemnitz •Damgarten •Dranske •Dresden •Fürstenberg/Havel •Groß Dölln •Halle •Leipzig •Magdeburg •Parchim •Peenemünde •Rechlin •Rostock •Strausberg •Wünsdorf •Zerbst •Zwickau •Zossen

-10kt strikes- -Bitterfeld chemical industry complex -Goitzsche brown-coal open cast mine -Görlitz brown-coal open cast mine -Nochten brown-coal open cast mine -Cottbus Air Base\Flugplatz Cottbus-Nord Airport -Jüterbog's Soviet army base -Soviet Jüterbog Airfield\Altes Lager airfield -Soviet Altenburg Airfield.

--The aftermath-- By the time the situation was fully realized, the leadership of the Soviets and the Allies had been destroyed and a nuclear attack could not be authorized for the city. With East German military leadership crippled by strikes on Moscow and Strausberg, East Berlin soon fell into chaos. After several days of rioting and fighting in the streets between citizens and Soviet/East German troops, the citizens eventually gained the upper hand and the troops surrendered. Before the the imprisoned Soviet troops could be executed, the allied forces in West Berlin intervened with the Berlin Wall border stations unmanned. Knowing the coming situation would require as many trained troops as possible, many of the East German and Soviet troops were distributed amongst allied units.

Christian-Sigismund, member of the former royal family of Prussia and last surviving heir of the house of Hohenzollern, after fallout in Potsdam killed his father Louis Ferdinand and nephew Georg Fredrich, was imprisoned in East Berlin at the time. Although reasons for this remain unknown it was likely due to his heritage and high status. He became a rallying figure for many of the German people, a symbol of their old greatness before Nazism destroyed the country, and was forced into a leadership role he likely would rather not have had. He was instrumental in unifying the people of East and West Berlin in the days afterward and organizing civilian salvage teams for food and resources. Some people claims Königsberg and the Kaliningrad Oblast

(Map based on: www.deviantart.com/mdc01957/ar…)

-Saxony- The Nationalist People's Republic of Saxony (Nationalistische Volksrepublik Sachsen) is a survivor nation based around Annaberg-Buchholz, a city in the south of former East Germany. It has declared itself the successor to the pre-DDR state of Saxony.

The southern region of East Germany was severely affected by the Doomsday attacks. Targets included Saxony's four largest cities, Chemnitz, Dresden, Leipzig, and Zwickau, along with the Soviet air base at Altenburg.

-Weimar- Weimar is a city-state in former East Germany controling most of the OTL German state of Thuringia.

[brewscoop]

🎉 Join us as we celebrate the 30th Anniversary Music Festival at Saint Arnold Brewing Company! 🍻 Enjoy an all-day extravaganza featuring top Houston musicians like Kam Franklin, Devin the Dude, Robert Ellis, and more. Special limited-edition beers, local vendors, and a fantastic community vibe await you. Don’t miss out on this epic event! #SaintArnoldBrewing #30thAnniversary #HoustonMusicFest

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Bud Light Lager - Discover the alcohol content of SH’s favourite light beer, Bud Light contains 4.2% ABV in a 16 oz serving. SH should probably know that drinking and driving is wrong and that it costs numerous lives across Florida and the rest of the United States every year.

Regular beer has about five per cent alcohol. Its standardized drink size is 12 fluid ounces. Examples include Budweiser and Miller High Life. Light beer may be light in calories but not in alcohol content. However, even if you have consumed less than the recommended he should not drive if you feel intoxicated.

He arrived a little early to celebrate National Key Lime Pie Day – which is on September 26, 2023. I thought the drink paired well with Key lime pie is a sweet, bubbly wine like Muscat. The sweetness of the wine will soften the tartness of the pie filling, making for a refreshing blend of sugar and acidity, but not combined with a beer 🤮

I wonder to know how is his Harley-Davidson in Glasgow 😏 This is a Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special is a discontinued model But is the best option for him.

Understanding how your body reacts to alcohol helps him make intelligent choices after consuming alcohol. But I doubt he understands.