#USA Azerbaijan love

[dougielombax]

Reblogging this AGAIN!!!

Because my own country won’t do SHIT about it! Fuckers probably can’t even point out Armenia (including Artsakh) on a map.

Hence why I’m reblogging this. (I’m not American, (or Canadian) so I can’t do much beyond this regarding the links.)

Please reblog this to as many people as you can and encourage them to do likewise.

THE ARTSAKH BLOCKADE IS STILL ONGOING! IT IS DAY 44 100+ OF THE BLOCKADE.

International pressure and sanctions CAN help! Take your time to call your government or send the letter (text for all of them is already written) - a list of different action items below:

(US Citizens) Help Artsakh, Call/Write the White House now!

(US Citizens) Contact Your Legislators Now to Send Emergency Aid to Artsakh; Sanction Az//rbaijan

(US Citizens) Take action now to block US Military aid to Ba/ku

(US Citizens) Demand Administration to immediately withhold support to Az//rbaijan

(Canadians) Call/write to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly and demand stop of the military support to Az//rbaijan

[dizzyduck44]

Zak Brown said something this weekend I’ve been arguing for years. Let’s have an F1 calendar that has rotating tracks. There are those set in stone and those we go to different years. But what would that look like as a 24 race calendar?

Personally I think sone tracks that stepped up in Covid should be given the right to host occasional Grand Prix. So here’s my suggestion.

First let’s talk track that have to remain.

Australia - be it Melbourne, Sydney, Bathurst or round Ayers Rock, it’s the only one in its continent. It stays.

Silverstone, UK - home of the first Championship race, great track loved by drivers and fans, always well attended. It stays.

Suzuka, Japan - long standing history of Japan and its motor industry in F1. Same as Silverstone, great track loved by drivers and fans, always well attended. It stays.

COTA, USA - seen as the peak of the modern designed tracks, loved by drivers and fans, always well attended. Put F1 on the map in the US through hard work, for that reason it stays.

Monaco - love it, hate it, it’s a huge challenge on the drivers and historically one of the triple crown races. It stays.

Red Bull Ring, Austria - despite its remote location and weather unpredictably it is a great race track that offers interesting races. It stays.

Interlargos, Brazil - another driver and fan favourite. The passion of the fans when we know how much tickets costs compared to wages in that country. Hard to deny it should be on the calendar. It stays.

Singapore - I’m all about the F1 world championship being a challenge for drivers in all conditions. Night racing in that heat. For the challenge it offers I think it has to stay.

Monza, Italy - if we test everything over the course of the season, speed should definitely be one of them. Historic track that has started to get huge crowds again. It stays.

Baku, Azerbaijan- this race nearly always delivers. Huge technical areas alongside high speed. Becoming a popular destination race. I say keep it.

Abu Dhabi - yes the track has its haters but again it’s a day night race (different challenge) on a technical track. If you are looking for a driver that can do it all. It has to stay.

Now what’s missing

Africa - every other continent is represented already. There needs to be a race here. Moving forward this should be a space that is always available as and when they are ready. F1 and the FIA need to get behind this and help in its development.

Tracks I want to argue for

Bahrain - it has been there for F1 and is always willing to open its doors. Not always a brilliant race but for its commitment I say keep it.

Canada - again historic race of the F1 calendar. Is it the best faculties and race? No. Is it super limited for weather when it can be run? Yes. Sentimentally I want to keep it though.

Spa, Belgium - oh man. Where to start. I love this track but I don’t love its safety record. Driver favourite but attend at your own peril for fans. However on the balance of the challenge it presents (as you might of guessed this is an important criteria) I say keep it.

Budapest, Hungary - this again is a long standing race on the calendar and has given us some classics. Cheap Grand Prix options for a lot of European fans so I would say a keep.

That’s 16. So how to fill the remaining 8 races.

China and Zandvoort have both expressed their difficulties in continuing to host Grand Prix and Mexico sales will be interesting to see once Checo retires. So here’s what I would do.

Offer Zandvoort a share with a German track, alternate years. I know Nubergring has issues but the mere mention of Hockenheim has older F1 fans drooling.

South Korea want back in so offer them a share with China. In reality China went awol for 3 years and no one missed it.

Barcelona, Spain alternate with Portamio, Portugal. Portamio came through during Covid and seems to have been forgotten. Also as close to Northern Africa as we’ve been for a while.

Miami alternate with Las Vegas. Very few people feel the US needs three races and I still say it’s not sustainable. The locals of both venues may be happier for the disruption to be biannual. Honestly though, not sure anyone would mourn the loss of Miami. Ultimately this may become the remaining race alternates with Mexico.

Qatar and Jeddah need to alternate. To have 4 races practically on top of each other in the Middle East is a joke. I’ve already saved 2, these need to alternate.

A European GP in either Imola, France (if they want to join in again) or one of the other European F1 tracks listed that doesn’t host that year can bid for it.

This leaves two spaces open if a race wants to enter or as we see in Zandvoort and Austria, one driver causes a ticket boom. Or do Istanbul. Turkey and the Sakhir Circuit layout in Bahrain (come on it was a goody) want to alternate. Still leaves a space. Also gives room for races to avoid holidays and religions festivals. 26 countries in 22 races. F1 reckon they could have 28 races. Well now you have space to accommodate more than 28 tracks.

[toastedcinnamonflakes]

Books around the world

A while ago, I made a post that I want to make a list of books from every country of the earth. The qualifications are rather simple: The author needs to be from that country and the novel needs to take place in that country. The books themselves don't need to be the best from that country, just something I've read. They need to exist in a language that I can understand (which, for me, are German, English, Norwegian and Swedish).

If you have any suggestions, please send them to me 😊 So, without further ado, here is the list! (Books that I've already read are bold, books I have picked out for the country but haven't read yet are not)

Abkhazia:

Afghanistan:

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia: The Gray House, Marjam Petrosyan

Australia: Picnic at Hanging Rock, Joan Lindsay

Austria: Liebelei, Arthur Schnitzler

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Cape Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile: The House of Spirits, Isabella Allende

China: Beijng Comrades, Bei Tong

Colombia

Congo

Costa Rica

Croatia: Marble Skin, Slavenka Draculic

Cuba

Cyprus

Czech Republic: Valerie and her world of wonders, Vitêzslav Nezval

Denmark: Vintereventyr, Karen Blixen

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

East Timor

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Estonia

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Fiji

Finland

France: The End of Eddy, Eduard Louis

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Germany: Krabbat, Otfried Preußler

Ghana

Greece: Medea, Euripides (I would love to read a contemporary greek novel tbh, please recommend me one!)

Grenada

Guatemala

Guinea

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Hungary

Iceland: Moonstone - The Boy Who Never Was, Sjón

India: The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga

Indonesia

Iran: Reading Lolita in Teheran, Azar Nafisi

Iraq

Ireland: Skulduggery Pleasent, Derek Landy

Israel

Italy: Swimming to Elba, Silvia Avallone

Ivory Coast

Jamaica

Japan: Convenience Store Woman, Sayaka Murata

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kiribati

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Latvia

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mexico

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

North Macedonia

Norway: Vildskudd, Gudmund Vindland

Oman

Pakistan

Palestina

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland:

Portugal

Quatar

Romania

Russia: Demons, Fyodor Dostoevsky

Rwanda

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

Somalia

South Africa

South Korea: The Vegetarian, Han Kang

South Sudan

Spain

Sri Lanka: Die sieben Monde des Maali Almeida, Sheban Karunatilaka

Sudan

Suriname

Sweden: Herrn Arnes Penningar, Selma Lagerlöf

Switzerland: Homo Faber, Max Frisch

Syria

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Tuvalu

Uganda

United Arab Emirates

Ukraine: Kult, Ljubko Deresch

United Kingdom: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

USA: The little Friend, Donna Tartt

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Vietnam

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe

I am also including some parts of the world that are not independent countries, but that I want to have in this list:

Faroese Islands

Greenland: Blomsterdalen, Niviaq Korneliussen

Scotland: The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, James Hogg

Wales: Fire and Hemlock, Dianna Wynne Jones

[apas-95]

Please bear in mind that I'm not disagreeing with you or anything like that, in fact I appreciate your views on Russia-Ukraine and this is why I just want to ask this. So, to simplify, you believe that the conflict is of two imperial powers, NATO vs Putin's Russia. Okay. What I struggle to understand is this, and um I myself am from Kazakhstan, so I guess bear that in mind. So if Russia is seeking new colonies (Crimea as the source of oil, famously), why wouldn't they rather colonize Kazakhstan? We are richer than Ukraine, our oil reserves are greater, we can mount no defense like Ukraine and obviously would not receive any help from NATO. In fact during January events we explicitly asked them to help us, their army entered, and then left (even though many claimed they would overturn our government). Idk how much you know about our country, so you might claim that Russia already has us as their colony, but I know for a fact that the most of oil reserves belong to Italian, German and American companies. Our president (Tokayev) while might seem like Putin's puppet, even during this war has gone against Putin - remained neutral about the conflict (like Belarus we technically could help), and also accepted the greatest number of refugees from Russia who refused to join the war (in my country many have argued that he's done more than the West to truly stop the conflict with this act). There are 14 Post-Soviet Republics, if not us, why not colonize any other country except the one that gets help from the States? (Armenia famously got their help during the whole Azerbaijan invasion) Also - you might say that Ukraine bc of their crimes against Russians gave a better reason, then we, too, have anti-Russia's movements that technically could provide a reason. Again, I'm not pro-Putin, obv, and mb this isn't important in the context, mb I shouldn't include such a narrow point of view, just, if you have anything to say about that, I would love to hear it, thanks!

I would say that there are a few main points that should be got across.

First: taking it as given that the Russian Federation is an imperialist country, in the Marxist sense of the term, we would have to conclude that it's a much weaker imperialist country than the USA.

From the start of the Russian Federation, it was a very impoverished country, one that survived mainly by selling off its natural resources and cannibalising the industrial base it took from the USSR. However, imperialism relies more on the wealth of the capitalist class than the country as a whole, and there was a lot of Soviet wealth and expertise to cannibalise. In Marxist terms, the key feature of imperialism is the export of capital, rather than resources or commodities, becoming the key part of the economy. The bourgeoisie of the Russian Federation has been able to build up enough capital to begin making this possible.

As it stands now, in the cases of CSTO countries, while the RF is often not even the largest investor, it is still a substantial investor, when looking at Foreign Direct Investment figures. Kazakhstan specifically has far more European investment (in part because of its resources compared to other countries), but it's undeniable that the RF is an influence - that we could describe the CSTO as, broadly, the RF's sphere of influence. While the US's sphere of influence is basically the entire world; and the EU's sphere of influence is all of Europe, most of Eurasia, and most of Africa; the Russian Federation would have a comparatively much smaller sphere of influence with a lot of overlap.

The second thing is: the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine is not, principally, an attempt at simple economic expansion, but motivated primarily by competition with the US imperialist bloc.

You are right - if the RF was looking to just invade and directly take control of whatever country it wished, it wouldn't choose Ukraine, it would choose somewhere closer to home. However, direct colonisation isn't how modern imperialism operates. Financial control with the threat of military action is far easier to maintain, once you've built up the capital. Being an imperialist country is exactly what makes 'primitive accumulation' through seizing territory no longer necessary. The reason the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine in 2022, and began military action against the country in 2014, is specifically because the prior neutral government was overthrown in a US-backed coup which installed a right-wing, nationalist government, which was explicitly hostile to Russia.

This isn't fueled by a simple, moral justification of 'well they hate Russians, so we should invade them' - it's a political move based on the fact that this new government was explicitly allied with the USA. From the USA's side, it was a move specifically to split the EU and RF blocs. The EU was becoming less interested in the alliance with the USA, and more interested with closer ties with the Russian Federation - the USA provoking a war both weakens the RF, as well as demonstrates its military dominance to the EU. Had the Kazakh government instead called for NATO to assist it, the Russian response may have been different. Imperialism is fine with nominal independence - it wants influence, not direct control - but when that influence is threatened, when a country takes a hard, military stance against it, then it acts violently.

So, again, I'd say the character of this conflict is inter-imperialist competition, instigated mainly by the US imperialist bloc, in order to weaken ties between the RF and EU imperialist blocs. The war is fought between the capitalists of each nation over which group of them gets market access to which territories, and the working people gain nothing either way. The workers, once united under a socialist state, now kill each other, so that the oligarchs that keep them poor can get richer. Neither side of this conflict fights for the workers.

Hope this helps explain my position! Also, for what it's worth, I lived in Kazakhstan for a time as a child, in Almaty.

[nientedal]

Also, vacation time. The European Union requires all its member countries to grant their employees a minimum of 20 days paid vacation. In the USA, 10 days of paid vacation plus holidays (we have only 8) is considered good, and usually, those days INCLUDE our sick days. Out for a week with the flu or COVID in February? Congrats, you now have 5 days of vacation remaining for the rest of the year. Use them wisely-- or save them and take no vacation, because who knows if you'll get sick again and need them? Or if your child will need you at home for a day? Unpaid leave is something most of us simply cannot afford, and our government does not guarantee us ANY paid leave. None. Zero.

(Here's a chart that really pisses me off. Minimum annual leave by country. Do me a favor and scroll through until you find the United States, then ask yourself again why we "don't" travel.)

Speaking of what we can't afford, travel is expensive. We have no passenger rail to speak of, plane tickets to overseas (most places are functionally overseas from here, not all but most) cost an arm and a leg, and most people here are already struggling with the rising cost of living. Those of us who can travel, generally do travel, but we do not have any such thing as a weekend jaunt to Italy or a week at a cabin in Germany or whatever the fuck it is Europeans do for fun. International travel requires a plane ticket and half a day's travel or several days driving unless you're lucky enough to live by the border. If I want to go to Quebec, it's like $200 for a plane ticket and 13 hours for the cheapest flight because of layovers (wtf). Going to Copenhagen would cost around $450 and take only slightly less time than Quebec. Going to London would be about $700 with a deal through Icelandair, but if I wanna fly nonstop, that literally doubles the cost to more than $1,400. Either way, I'm in the air between 8 and 10 hours.

By comparison, a plane from Berlin to Rome would be about $200 and 4 hours. By train (assuming eurail.com is not lying to me), it would would take 19 hours and only cost around $51.

So, yeah, to anyone like the person in the notes going "Mmm, no, I think it's more that Americans just don't care :/ I've been to the US even though it was far :/ you could try harder if you actually cared :/" We aren't disinterested in what's happening with y'all. Travel is prohibitively expensive. Also, our international news reporting is as much of a joke as our rail infrastructure, and yeah A LOT of shit is extremely USA-centric and it's an enormous fucking problem, like, children in other countries thinking you call 911 in an emergency because that's what's on all the shows? Yikes! Very big yikes! But sneering at individual USAmericans for "not taking an interest" when the systems around us are structured in ways that artifically keep our attention and yours on the USA is, frankly, stupid. We're not disinterested, we're under-informed, exhausted, strapped for cash, and so focused on surviving that many of us don't have enough mental energy to spend on our neighbors the next town over. Many employers here straight up do not offer paid time off at all because-- again-- they aren't required to do so. Not most, but many. NO paid vacation days. NO paid holidays. NO paid sick days. NONE. (For my fellow USAmericans, I highly recommend clicking through to that chart I linked earlier. You have no idea how unusual that is, or how few 8 paid holidays is, in comparison to almost everywhere else.)

Again, those of us who can travel, generally do travel. It is not that we don't care or don't want to. The USAmericans who don't travel, don't travel BECAUSE THEY LITERALLY CANNOT, and that is a systemic issue, not an individual one. Our government has a specific financial interest in preventing us from learning how good other places have it, they do not care if we live or die, we're drowning in bills with no safety nets to catch us, and we have functionally NO PAID LEAVE, so I don't want to fucking hear it.

europeans will really look americans dead in the eye and say they’re so uncultured because they never leave the us

[lilfishiefigureskates]

NHK Trophy Review

Men:

Yuma Kagiyama (Japan) Total Score 300.09 - 1st in the short, 1st in the free. Super solid performance, but that's what we've come to expect from Yuma at this point. Not vibing too much with his programs but I think I do like the short better than the free. We'll see him next week at Finlandia, and the competition will be super stacked! Also, he and Shoma held hands during the team medal ceremony and I cried.

Daniel Grassl (Italy) Total Score 264.85 - 5th in the short, 2nd in the free. I am not super happy to see him back tbh. He's made some very questionable decisions in the past and he doesn't seem to be sorry or to have learned from his actions based off of his recent social media post. Had a a random fall in the short lol, and I just think his jumps are very ugly in general. I did not like the Billy Elliot program and several of his opening jumps looked UR to me but IDK cause I'm not a judge. Also, why did his coach look like that???

Tatsuya Tsuboi (Japan) Total Score 251.52 - 3rd in the short, 3rd in the free. This was a very welcome surprise for me. Great performer and excellent costumes as well. Had excellent flow throughout his programs, and the jumps were woven into his choreography beautifully. Shame he doesn't have a second assignment, but I'm looking forward to seeing him at JNats.

Andrew Torgashev (USA) Total Score 256.58 - 4th in the short, 5th in the free. Who is this man and what has he done with the pizza king! I was super nervous for Andrew since he had the last-minute back-to-back assignment but he stayed consistent and even improved his score from France! If he keeps this up at US nationals we'll probably see him at Worlds!

Matteo Rizzo (Italy) Total Score 246.56 - 7th in the short, 4th in the free. So happy to see him back! Had trouble with the 4Lo in both the short and the free, so hopefully it'll work out better for him at the Cup of China. I know people are tired of Fix You but I really liked the second half of the program, especially the stsq into the final spins.

Kao Miura (Japan) Total Score 240.38 - 2nd in the short, 11th in the free. This was absolutely heartbreaking. His short program was excellent. He finally broke 100 and he was happy and I was happy but then disaster struck in the free. IDK if it was due to the injury but either way I'm glad that he'll be able to rest because we have a little over a month before JNats and he must do well there if he's gonna make the world team, and the competition between the Japanese men is insane. He did Beauty and the Beast at the gala and I cried.

Jason Brown (USA) Total Score 229.09 - 10th in the short, 6th in the free. Someone took sunshine and transformed it into a human and now we have Jason Brown. I'm trying not to panic because we usually don't see him this early in the season but now it's time for him to focus on US nationals. I like the Tarzan program and the free is way too one note. #Hedoesn'tneedtheaxlestheyneedhim.

Tomoki Hiwatashi (USA) Total Score 226.38 - 11th in the short, 7th in the free. I really liked his short! He performed really well during the beginning and end of the program, but he was concentrating hard during all the jumps. Loved the splits at the end. I thought his free was just a smidge boring and once again there was not a hint of emotion to be found until he finished the jumps. But he went clean and he was happy and I was happy.

Vladimir Litvintsev (Azerbaijan) Total Score 225.67 - 6th in the short, 8th in the free. I like the Game of Thrones program, but I do not like the free at all, and that's what he struggled with this week. Went down on the 4S and turned out on the 4T. The program is very boring because there is no choreography between the jumps.

Gabriele Frangipani (Italy) Total Score 223.82 - 8th in the short, 9th in the free. I like him so I'm sad that he's been struggling a bit this season. And now that we have both Matteo and Daniel back it's not looking great for him. Was struggling on the spins tho, and both of the programs are kinda meh to me.

Mark Gorodnitsky (Israel) Total Score 215.76 - 9th in the short, 10th in the free. I don't think I've ever seen him display a single emotion while skating. He does not get a lot of elevation on his jumps. Very boring, very meh.

Juheon Lim (South Korea) Total Score 196.05 - 12th in the short, 12th in the free. So much improvement since Lombardia Trophy especially in the short! He is one of the many doing an Interstellar program but I really liked his costume. Had a bit of a disaster skate in the free unfortunately.

Women:

Kaori Sakamoto (Japan) Total Score 231.88 - 1st in the short, 1st in the free. THE QUEEN! SO much improvement from Skate Canada!!! So much speed and so much power. The Chicago program worked a lot better here, and I think people are starting to get behind it. She almost fell over on the ending pose, but she is so cute and I love her so much.

Mone Chiba (Japan) Total Score 212.54 - 2nd in the short, 2nd in the free. Love both of the programs, especially the short! Jumps are great, spins are excellent, and she's a great performer. Not much more you could ask of her. Can't wait to see her at the Cup of China.

Yuna Aoki (Japan) Total Score 195.07 - 3rd in the short, 5th in the free. Her short program brought me to tears and her free program is in my top 3 favorite programs of the season. Ran out of steam a bit in the second half of the free, so just needs to work on her endurance a smidge. I've been hearing that she was going to retire after last season so I'm so happy that she is still competing!

Alysa Liu (USA) Total Score 190.75 - 4th in the short, 4th in the free. I am in love with her short program, but the free is starting to grow on me. Just needs a bit more speed and energy, but I'm glad that she improved her standings a bit from Skate Canada.

Bradie Tennell (USA) Total Score 190.25 - 5th in the short, 3rd in the free. I'm still not vibing with the short, and I'm once again going to say that she needs more speed and energy. Such a shame that she went down on the 2A in the free. I am OBSESSED with the second half of her free. It was gorgeous and I was crying.

Lara Naki Gutmann (Italy) Total Score 180.28 - 6th in the short, 6th in the free. She is my creepy/weird queen. In love with the Squid Game program, I think it suits her so well. She wasn't emoting/performing as well in the free and I don't love the cartwheel.

Seoyeong Wi (South Korea) Total Score 173.77 - 7th in the short, 9th in the free. SOOO much better than Skate Canada!! Does not show a single emotion during her programs. She was a bit slow, especially on the spins. She also held her ending pose for literally .2 seconds after the free, which is a pet peeve of mine. HOLD it for just a smidge longer pls :)

Olga Mikutina (Austria) Total Score 169.93 8th in the short, 10th in the free. I liked her short, the Latin suits her very well. I don't have a lot of notes for her free, and I don't really remember it, so sorry Olga, that's all I got.

Lindsay Thorngren (USA) Total Score 169.03 - 10th in the short, 7th in the free. There was something on the ice that totally messed with her and caused her to go down on her 3F which is sad. Free was okay, but there's def room for improvement. We'll see her next week at Finlandia!

Niina Petrokina (Estonia) Total Score 165.85 - 11th in the short, 8th in the free. I'm pretty sure she did two combos in the short, so I'm not quite sure what happened there. We've got another Dune program because she's doing it for her free. She fell during the stsq which was rough. She had good speed and spins tho.

Ekaterina Kurakova (Poland) Total Score 157.14 - 9th in the short, 12th in the free. I don't really vibe with either one of her programs, but she is a great performer. I don't like that she's wearing cat ears, it just screams junior to me but she is 22 years old lol. Also besides the cat ears, her costume doesn't really scream cats to me.

Yelim Kim (South Korea) 152.84 - 12th in the short, 11th in the free. She did better than she did at Skate Canada so I'll take it. Even though she is having trouble with her technical elements she is still a beautiful skater to watch.

Pairs:

Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava (Georgia) Total Score 213.05 - 2nd in the short, 1st in the free. Them winning was definitely not on my bingo card. Unfortunately, I missed their short program because I was peeing, but the free was okay. I was not really vibing with them tbh. I did really like their gala performance tho.

Riku Miura / Ryuichi Kihara (Japan) Total Score 209.45 - 1st in the short, 2nd in the free. I am obsessed with them. They are everything to me. Big sad on the pair spin, but they are so fast and so entertaining to watch.

Ellie Kam / Danny O’Shea (USA) Total Score 197.44 - 3rd in the short, 3rd in the free. IDK, they look off when I'm looking at them but they do perform well together. She went down on both of the throw jumps, but I'm glad that they were able to make it on the podium!

Ice Dance:

Madison Chock / Evan Bates (USA) Total Score 215.95 - 1st in the short, 1st in the free. I think they took some music cuts out of the short which is good because there were wayyyyy too many music cuts. They have so much chemistry and excellent charisma. Also, I'm obsessed with her dress for the free.

Christina Carreira / Anthony Ponomarenko (USA) Total Score 198.97 - 2nd in the short, 2nd in the free. Great acting, especially from her. I really liked their lift in the short. I liked their Carmen free and there was a KISS!

Allison Reed / Saulius Ambrulevicuius (Lithuania) Total Score 195.52 - 3rd in the short, 3rd in the free. Their short definitely grew on me since France, but they were so fast and had so much energy. Their free is very interesting and I like the puppet/puppet master theme that they have going on. Great acting from both of them, especially in the second half.

[sunskate]

Denis Ten Memorial Challenge 2024, Oct 4-5 Almaty, Kazakhstan

i loved watching this event - so many excellent young teams on the rise - the top 10 here are on average 20.4/ 22.9 yrs old (top 10 teams at 2024 Worlds: 28.6/30.4 yrs old, with Marjo and Anthony the babies at age 23)

Dupayage/Nabais: ohh they were disappointed by their scores in both- he even got up and left the kiss and cry on camera after the FD. placing #2 at Masters over D/LeM maybe gave them different expectations. they had twizzle trouble in the RD and STILL had the Azerbaijani judge putting them 2nd! (France had them 4th) while Armenia and USA had them 11th - there shouldn't be a 14 pt spread between judges looking at the same program 😬 i still find they skate far apart and not enough in hold in the RD, and can look choppy with something unextended about their movement. i'm not sure what the shenanigans in the judging is about

only 5 of 16 teams got level 4 for both in twizzles in the RD

Bekker/Hernandez: their programs are both strong this season - the themes aren't groundbreaking, but they’re thoughtfully made and great vehicles for them. they’re full of charm in the RD, which helps you overlook a little how their knees aren’t as soft or how movements don’t have quite the finish just yet. their relative inexperience is showing in the timing issues they're having - their flip before the ChRS in the RD didn't happen, and they again missed their CPom spin position in the FD - no fall this time, but maybe that position is harder than its ubiquity would say. the Bond program is really musical - that straight line lift is striking and perfectly in character. and the lyrical section is effective and well performed

Flores/Desyatov: this FD is so good, and though i don't get the mix of songs in the RD, there's a lot of detail and a physical freedom to the danciness, especially hers. that sense of being in the moment she has and the physical daring they convey makes them compelling. if they can keep that as they get more refined - this looks more flowing than it did at Lake Placid - it's going to be exciting to watch them grow

omg, Lim/Quan: i like both programs a lot - if or when they become as good at a blade level as their stellar performance ability, world domination lol i have this apprehension that IAM are putting them on a C/B, F/G track with crowd pleasing programs with great tricks (Madi Chock called them tricks yesterday, i was kinda surprised) and not working on their fundamental skating skills enough? L/Q are very good musically, and they have the ability to convey and sustain emotion in a way that sets them apart (and gives them something that CB and FG don't have performance-wise i think). they're doing well regardless. but improving the skating would make them the whole package. it's the skating skills that have them behind the sibling teams, i think. but the level of finish and togetherness in their performing especially for October is something special

Milla Ruud Reitan/ Nikolaj Majorov from Sweden - just amazing for their 2nd season together and 2nd season as dancers, period. they had a ! for their ChRS in the RD but did themselves so proud especially in their Umbrellas FD. they had little hiccups in their timing, and they don't have the finish and unison of the more experienced teams, but they did so well. it was the judging that was 👀👀 RD judging was pretty consistent for them. but FD 😬 oof - Azerbaijan had them 6th above Lim/Quan. higher Presentation PCS than Hannah Lim! Canada gave them 109🫥 - they and Armenia put them 6th above Flores/Desyatov. someone pls explain this judging

more later

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.22

Holidays

Ask An Archeologist Day

Attorney Day (Indonesia)

Beta Blucan Day

Blackfoot Daisy Day

Childbirth Education Awareness Day

Climate Emergency Day

Division 722 Day

Dornach Commemoration Day (Switzerland)

Family Tree Day

Festival of Boredom and Reveries

Fragile X Awareness Day

George Crum Day

Guelaguetza (Primer Lunes; Mexico)

Hammock Day

Health, Happiness with Hypnosis Day

IMF Day

International Childbirth Education Awareness Day

International Love & Gratitude Day

King Father’s Birthday (Eswatini, f.k.a. Swaziland)

Lendemain de l'Aïd el-Kebir (Mauritania)

Liberation Day (Guam)

Lion's Share Day

Majdanek Liberation Day

National Be A Good Teammate Day (UK)

National Flag Adoption Day (India)

National Intern Day

National Liberation Day (Poland)

National Pajama Day

National Press Day (Azerbaijan)

National Sing from the Book of Mormon Day

National Sophia Day

National Squirt A Pigeon Day

National Thomas Day

National Water Coaster Day

One Piece Day (Japan)

Pi Approximation Day (a.k.a. Casual Pi Day; 22/7)

Preparedness Day

Qurbon Hayit Holiday (Uzbekistan)

Ranggeln (Germany)

Ratcatcher's Day (a.k.a. Pied Piper Day; UK)

Remington 722 Day

Ryegrass Day (French Republic)

Spooner's Day (a.k.a. Spoonerism Day)

Stilt Dance Day (Spain)

SNN 722 Day

Summer Leisure Day

Thulsa Doom Appreciation Day

Trae Day (Houston, Texas)

Urania Asteroid Day

World Brain Day

World Day Against Open Pit Mining

World Fragile X Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Froot Loops Day

National BLT Sandwich Day

National Mango Day

Penuche Fudge Day

Independence & Related Days

Bohol Day (Philippines)

Claveria Day (Philippines)

Organic Act Day (Virgin Islands)

Revolution Day (July 22nd Anniversary; The Gambia)

Sarawak Self-Government Day (Malaysia)

Slovenian People’s Uprising Day (Yugoslavia)

4th Monday in July

Hurricane Supplication Day (Virgin Islands) [4th Monday]

Festivals Beginning July 22, 2024

The Borderland (Alversjö, Denmark) [thru 7.28]

Corn Capital Days (Olivia, Minnesota) [thru 7.28]

Farnborough International Airshow (Farnborough, United Kingdom) [thru 7.26]

Supertoon International Animation Festival (Šibenik, Croatia) [thru 7.26]

USA Beer & Wine Ratings (San Francisco, California)

Feast Days

Abd-al-Masih (Christian; Saint)

Alexander Calder (Artology)

Aphrodisia (Ancient Greek bathing festival of Aphrodite & Peitho)

Aristo (Positivist; Saint)

Beginning of Leo (Astrology; Pagan)

Contemplate the Cosmos Day (Pastafarian)

Dabius (a.k.a. Davies) of Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Edward Hopper (Artology)

James Whale Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Joseph of Tiberias (or of Palestine; a.k.a. Count Joseph; Christian; Saint)

Karl Marx Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Leo zodiac sign begins

Loch Ness Monster 1st Sighting (Everyday Wicca)

Markella of Chios (Christian; Saint)

Mary Magdalene (Christian; Saint)

Meneve, Abbot of Menat (Christian; Saint)

Neil Welliver (Artology)

Nohra (Maronite Church)

Pete Dexter (Writerism)

Ruthie Tompson (Artology)

S.E. Hinton (Writerism)

Tom Robbins (Writerism)

Vandrille (a.k.a. Wandregisilus; Christian; Saint)

Vaughn Bodē (Artology)

The Venusian (Muppetism)

Wandregislus (a.k.a. Wandrille; Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 14 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [14 of 24]

Premieres

At Your Service (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1935)

Back to the Shack, by Weezer (Song; 2014)

A Balmy Swami (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1949)

Bikini Beach (Film; 1964)

The Bodyguard (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1944)

Captain America: The First Avenger (Film; 2011)

Crazy Drivers (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1955)

The Daily Show (Late Night TV Talk Show; 1996)

Friends with Benefits (Film; 2011)

Gallipoli, by Alan Moorehead (History Book; 1956)

Green Lantern: Beware My Power (WB Animated Film; 2022)

Ice Age: Collision Course (Animated Film; 2016)

The Inverted World, by Christopher Priest (Novel; 1974)

The Island (Film; 2005)

Hollywood Sweepstakes (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1939)

It’s Hummer Time (WB LT Cartoon 1950)

Jaws 3-D (Film; 1983)

Join Together, by The Who (Song; 1972)

Jungle Jingles (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1929)

Lolita (Film; 1998)

Marnie (Film; 1964)

Midnight Run (Film; 1988)

Mr. Mom (Film; 1983)

Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1938)

My Aim Is True, by Elvis Costello (Album; 1977)

Nope (Film; 2022)

North (Film; 1994)

Plan 9 From Outer Space (Film; 1959)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Film; 1954)

Star Trek Beyond (Film; 2016)

The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman (Novel; 1997) [His Dark Materials #2]

Weary Willies (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1929)

Today’s Name Days

Magdalena, Maria (Austria)

Lena, Magda, Magdalena, Miglena (Bulgaria)

Lenka, Magdalena, Manda, Marija (Croatia)

Magdaléna (Czech Republic)

Magdalene, Maria (Denmark)

Leen, Leena, Leeni, Made, Madli, Magda, Magdaleena, Mall, Malle (Estonia)

Leena, Leeni, Lenita, Matleena (Finland)

Madeleine, Wandrille (France)

Magdalena, Marlene, Verena (Germany)

Magdalena, Magdalene, Magdalini, Markella (Greece)

Magdolna (Hungary)

Lena, Lorenzo, Maddalena, Maria, Marylena, Menelaos (Italy)

Margita, Marija, Marika, Marina, Marisandra (Latvia)

Dalius, Magdalena, Mantilė, Marija (Lithuania)

Malene, Mali, Malin (Norway)

Albin, Bolesława, Bolisława, Laurencjusz, Maria Magdalena, Milenia, Pankracy, Wawrzyniec, Więcemiła (Poland)

Magdaléna (Slovakia)

Magdalena, María (Spain)

Madeleine, Magdalena (Sweden)

Mada, Madalina, Madalyn, Maddi, Maddie, Maddy, Madel, Madelaine, Madelein, Madeleine, Madelene, Madelina, Madeline, Madie, Madelyn, Mady (Universal)

Amaya, Magda, Magdalen, Magdalena, Magdalene (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 204 of 2024; 162 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of Week 30 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 16 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 17 (Ding-Hai)

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

Hebrew: 16 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 15 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 24 Red; Threesday [24 of 30]

Julian: 9 July 2024

Moon: 98%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 7 Dante (8th Month) [Aristo]

Runic Half Month: Ur (Primal Strength) [Day 14 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 33 of 94)

Week: 4th Week of July

Zodiac: Leo (Day 1 of 31)

Calendar Changes

  Leo (The Lion) begins [Zodiac Sign 5; thru 8.21]

[terranautica]

welcome!

this blog loves planet earth and the people in it.

some notes:

I generally try to identify places + groups

I try to make conscious decisions about tags that respect cultural identities, consider historical context and reject imperialism. I realize this is impossible and messy and doomed to be inconsistent. choices I've made include one Korea, one Ireland, and multiple tags for separatist states, i.e. Scotland, Catalan Countries.

I am currently unsure when or if it makes sense to tag the "bigger" nation in a post about an autonomous region, ex. China and Tibet, Faroe Islands and Denmark. I want to respect widespread independence movements, but also not become bloated with regional tags. Tibet deserves to be free of China but I have to laugh at modern Texas separatism.

Israel does not get a tag. Jewish diaspora, Free Palestine, genocide, USA, or anti imperialism are used.

I am not always sure when to use the indigenous peoples tag. if I am unsure I will probably leave it out.

except the history and prehistory tag, I currently am not tagging things that no longer exist, ex. Soviet Union, Roman Empire. I may instead tag with related tags, ex. Russia, Greece

Tags like EU, UK, Africa, Asia, Latin American, Polynesian, etc. are used in posts that refer to many places/groups collectively ex. Lunar New Year in Asia

I try to tag the country/group that an artist/writer/creator belongs to, ex. a post featuring Baldwin tagged with USA, literature, black diaspora

tags are ever-evolving!

country/place tags:

Africa, Albania, Angolia, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Catalan Countries, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Emirates, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Haiti, Hawai'i, Hungary, Iberia, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, free Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, free Tibet, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Wales, West Papau, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

diaspora + ethnic group + cultural group tags:

Ainu, Apache, Bahá'í, Basque, Black diaspora, Chechen, Choctaw, Chulym, Dakota, Dharumbal, Dolgan, Galician, Gavião, Guarani-Kaiowá, Hui, Igbo, immigrants, Ingorot, Inuit, Ixil, Jewish diaspora, Karakalpak, Kashmir, Kazakh, Ket, Khakas, Lakota, Latin American, Lezgin, Mah Meri, Maka, Makonda, Mari, Mohegan, Ojibwe, Pataxo, Polynesian, Pueblo peoples, Purepecha, Q'eqchi', Rapa Nui, Rohingya, Romani, Rukai, Ryukyuan, Sakapultek, Samburu, Sámi, Selkup, Sioux, Tamil, Tatar, Tigray, Tlingit, Tokalau, Uyghur, Yazidi

culture + other tags:

agriculture, airports, animals and wildlife, architecture, art, children, clothing and textiles, dance, ecology and environmentalism, festivals and holidays, film and tv, food, geopolitics, history, infrastructure, language, literature, maps, music, myth and legend, my posts, nature, prehistory, postcards and stamps, public transportation, religions and belief systems, solidarity, sports and games, traditions and customs, true spirit of the blog, urban landscape, water and boats, women

ugly tags:

acab, anti capitalism, anti imperialism, anti misogyny, anti xenophobia, genocide

[officermaddie23]

who do you think is the USA’s best friends in Europe, Asia, and North America?

For North America I would say Mexico and Canada

Asia I would say Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Turkey, South Korea, India, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Thailand, Etc (listing all these countries would take all day

Europe I would say Germany, France, UK, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, etc (a lot of countries in Europe mostly the west love the USA)

And as a bonus I think the oceanic countries of Australia, New Zealand, Papua-Neuguinea and others are the USA’s best friends

Also shout out to our allies in South America Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Panama, Chili, ETC

And of course the countries in Africa who are our allies South Africa, Morocco, Egypt (a country I wish to visit someday to see the pyramids and learn more about ancient Egypt)

And as an American citizen I of course send love to all the countries in the world

[brookston]

Holidays 7.22

Holidays

Ask An Archeologist Day

Attorney Day (Indonesia)

Beta Blucan Day

Blackfoot Daisy Day

Childbirth Education Awareness Day

Climate Emergency Day

Division 722 Day

Dornach Commemoration Day (Switzerland)

Family Tree Day

Festival of Boredom and Reveries

Fragile X Awareness Day

George Crum Day

Guelaguetza (Primer Lunes; Mexico)

Hammock Day

Health, Happiness with Hypnosis Day

IMF Day

International Childbirth Education Awareness Day

International Love & Gratitude Day

King Father’s Birthday (Eswatini, f.k.a. Swaziland)

Lendemain de l'Aïd el-Kebir (Mauritania)

Liberation Day (Guam)

Lion's Share Day

Majdanek Liberation Day

National Be A Good Teammate Day (UK)

National Flag Adoption Day (India)

National Intern Day

National Liberation Day (Poland)

National Pajama Day

National Press Day (Azerbaijan)

National Sing from the Book of Mormon Day

National Sophia Day

National Squirt A Pigeon Day

National Thomas Day

National Water Coaster Day

One Piece Day (Japan)

Pi Approximation Day (a.k.a. Casual Pi Day; 22/7)

Preparedness Day

Qurbon Hayit Holiday (Uzbekistan)

Ranggeln (Germany)

Ratcatcher's Day (a.k.a. Pied Piper Day; UK)

Remington 722 Day

Ryegrass Day (French Republic)

Spooner's Day (a.k.a. Spoonerism Day)

Stilt Dance Day (Spain)

SNN 722 Day

Summer Leisure Day

Thulsa Doom Appreciation Day

Trae Day (Houston, Texas)

Urania Asteroid Day

World Brain Day

World Day Against Open Pit Mining

World Fragile X Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Froot Loops Day

National BLT Sandwich Day

National Mango Day

Penuche Fudge Day

Independence & Related Days

Bohol Day (Philippines)

Claveria Day (Philippines)

Organic Act Day (Virgin Islands)

Revolution Day (July 22nd Anniversary; The Gambia)

Sarawak Self-Government Day (Malaysia)

Slovenian People’s Uprising Day (Yugoslavia)

4th Monday in July

Hurricane Supplication Day (Virgin Islands) [4th Monday]

Festivals Beginning July 22, 2024

The Borderland (Alversjö, Denmark) [thru 7.28]

Corn Capital Days (Olivia, Minnesota) [thru 7.28]

Farnborough International Airshow (Farnborough, United Kingdom) [thru 7.26]

Supertoon International Animation Festival (Šibenik, Croatia) [thru 7.26]

USA Beer & Wine Ratings (San Francisco, California)

Feast Days

Abd-al-Masih (Christian; Saint)

Alexander Calder (Artology)

Aphrodisia (Ancient Greek bathing festival of Aphrodite & Peitho)

Aristo (Positivist; Saint)

Beginning of Leo (Astrology; Pagan)

Contemplate the Cosmos Day (Pastafarian)

Dabius (a.k.a. Davies) of Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Edward Hopper (Artology)

James Whale Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Joseph of Tiberias (or of Palestine; a.k.a. Count Joseph; Christian; Saint)

Karl Marx Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Leo zodiac sign begins

Loch Ness Monster 1st Sighting (Everyday Wicca)

Markella of Chios (Christian; Saint)

Mary Magdalene (Christian; Saint)

Meneve, Abbot of Menat (Christian; Saint)

Neil Welliver (Artology)

Nohra (Maronite Church)

Pete Dexter (Writerism)

Ruthie Tompson (Artology)

S.E. Hinton (Writerism)

Tom Robbins (Writerism)

Vandrille (a.k.a. Wandregisilus; Christian; Saint)

Vaughn Bodē (Artology)

The Venusian (Muppetism)

Wandregislus (a.k.a. Wandrille; Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 14 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [14 of 24]

Premieres

At Your Service (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1935)

Back to the Shack, by Weezer (Song; 2014)

A Balmy Swami (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1949)

Bikini Beach (Film; 1964)

The Bodyguard (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1944)

Captain America: The First Avenger (Film; 2011)

Crazy Drivers (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1955)

The Daily Show (Late Night TV Talk Show; 1996)

Friends with Benefits (Film; 2011)

Gallipoli, by Alan Moorehead (History Book; 1956)

Green Lantern: Beware My Power (WB Animated Film; 2022)

Ice Age: Collision Course (Animated Film; 2016)

The Inverted World, by Christopher Priest (Novel; 1974)

The Island (Film; 2005)

Hollywood Sweepstakes (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1939)

It’s Hummer Time (WB LT Cartoon 1950)

Jaws 3-D (Film; 1983)

Join Together, by The Who (Song; 1972)

Jungle Jingles (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1929)

Lolita (Film; 1998)

Marnie (Film; 1964)

Midnight Run (Film; 1988)

Mr. Mom (Film; 1983)

Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1938)

My Aim Is True, by Elvis Costello (Album; 1977)

Nope (Film; 2022)

North (Film; 1994)

Plan 9 From Outer Space (Film; 1959)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Film; 1954)

Star Trek Beyond (Film; 2016)

The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman (Novel; 1997) [His Dark Materials #2]

Weary Willies (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1929)

Today’s Name Days

Magdalena, Maria (Austria)

Lena, Magda, Magdalena, Miglena (Bulgaria)

Lenka, Magdalena, Manda, Marija (Croatia)

Magdaléna (Czech Republic)

Magdalene, Maria (Denmark)

Leen, Leena, Leeni, Made, Madli, Magda, Magdaleena, Mall, Malle (Estonia)

Leena, Leeni, Lenita, Matleena (Finland)

Madeleine, Wandrille (France)

Magdalena, Marlene, Verena (Germany)

Magdalena, Magdalene, Magdalini, Markella (Greece)

Magdolna (Hungary)

Lena, Lorenzo, Maddalena, Maria, Marylena, Menelaos (Italy)

Margita, Marija, Marika, Marina, Marisandra (Latvia)

Dalius, Magdalena, Mantilė, Marija (Lithuania)

Malene, Mali, Malin (Norway)

Albin, Bolesława, Bolisława, Laurencjusz, Maria Magdalena, Milenia, Pankracy, Wawrzyniec, Więcemiła (Poland)

Magdaléna (Slovakia)

Magdalena, María (Spain)

Madeleine, Magdalena (Sweden)

Mada, Madalina, Madalyn, Maddi, Maddie, Maddy, Madel, Madelaine, Madelein, Madeleine, Madelene, Madelina, Madeline, Madie, Madelyn, Mady (Universal)

Amaya, Magda, Magdalen, Magdalena, Magdalene (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 204 of 2024; 162 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of Week 30 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 16 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 17 (Ding-Hai)

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

Hebrew: 16 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 15 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 24 Red; Threesday [24 of 30]

Julian: 9 July 2024

Moon: 98%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 7 Dante (8th Month) [Aristo]

Runic Half Month: Ur (Primal Strength) [Day 14 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 33 of 94)

Week: 4th Week of July

Zodiac: Leo (Day 1 of 31)

Calendar Changes

  Leo (The Lion) begins [Zodiac Sign 5; thru 8.21]

[nityarawal]

10/8/2023

Morning Songs

"Ye-MMY-Na" HeartBeat 

Rawal

Is LA War

Backwards

War La

Uh-oh

Huntley 

Is 

"Ye"

Ltnuh 

Like NGA

Anjali

My Daughter's Jyotish Sound

Almost 13

What Happened

Kimmy

Didn't The 3rd Fetus

Get The Memo

What Happened

Didn't Twins Get The

"YE" - "MMY" Heartbeats 

What Happened

Surrogate Moms 

Fancy Ideas

Psalm

Like Sushi Abroad

What Happened

Surrogate Attys

Slaves

Why Performing

War On Bribes

What Are The Numbers

What Is The Data

AI Is Faster

Than Silencing

Soldiers

What Are The Numbers

Casualties

We Ask

Whispering

Like Our Smartphones

About Gaza

Has Anyone Noticed

Your Cellular Is Quieter

Big Brothers

Ruse

Make You Lean In

Tmobile

Turn It Up

Like Meryl Streep

In Devil Wears 

Prada

Verizon

"Silence

Is Violence"

Some Say

Sacred

Leaning In

To Technology

Leaning In

To War

Leaning Into

Weaponizing The

Sacred

Breeders

Please Don't

Do Physics

101

Triangulation 

My Love

Lean Into The Boys Club

There's A Brother

Hood

Then There's A Neo

Nazi

'W' Word

We Avoid

There's A Brotherhood

That Don't Want

5 Million Boys

Transed

At American

Borders

For Vampires

Porn

In Government 

Soldiers

Moms Don't Want To Sell

Our Eggs

Abroad

Not Here

No Invitro

We're Sorry For All

Disgrace

From America's 

Soldiers

Officers

Whitewashed Motherhood

Domestic Terrorism 

Since 1979

On Iranians

Leave Them Alone

It's Their Money

A Drop in Bucket

Repayment

For 50 Years Dis- Harmony

Needs To Escalate

Monthly

Sanctions

Israel

Palestine

Afghanistan

Pakistan

Azerbaijan 

All You Farsi Sisters

Azizis

Please

All Of you

Italy Scotland 

Vikings

USA

UK

Please

Sisters Gather

Round Your Candles

Pray

Not One Mother

Deserves

Such Disgrace

Pray

We Had Our Asses

Handed To US

Now We Deserve

Assets

7 Years Straight

Some 15

Like #FreeBritney

But Still We Pray

Stop The Disgrace

Bring Light

Back Off

Peace Please 

Truce

Monarchs

Release

Our Ladies

Children Please

Democracy

Hasn't Been Spoken

Before

Truly

Monarchs

Stop Your Presidents

Puppet War

Puppetry

Chess

For Infertile

Gay Attorneys

Causing Allergies

Germ Weaponry

Back Off

Brave Mammas Spoke

Iranians For

Israel

Won't Let You

Triangulate

Us

No No No 

Peace,

Nitya Nella Davigo Azam Moezzi Huntley 

[weddingrings40]

Best Quality Diamonds Direct | USA & Worldwide

Boasting an inventory of thousands of diamond jewelry for sale, it’s hard not to find what you want from Best Quality Diamonds Direct. Best jewelry store for diamond rings, engagement rings, wedding rings, diamond tennis chains, diamond tennis bracelets, diamond earrings, gold jewelry, and moissanite. Diamonds Direct Near Me.

Where to Buy Diamond Engagement Ring

Getting married? The engagement ring and wedding rings you select for you and your fiancée will be symbols of your love and commitment for the rest of your life.

Although quality engagement rings and wedding bands (like all fine jewelry) come at a cost, there is no reason you should pay what the mainstream jewelry industry asks you to pay for these rings. It is very possible to save money on engagement rings — in fact, you may be able to save up to 50% off the typical retail price of a diamond engagement ring, without compromising on the stones or setting you want. Here’s where to look. Find best carat diamond rings.

Buy Diamonds

Nationwide USA Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming | Washington DC (District of Columbia) Worldwide (International)  Afghanistan, Aland Islands, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo, The Democratic Republic of The Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote D'ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Heard Island and Mcdonald Islands, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, State of Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin (French Part), Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Maarten (Dutch Part), Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Province of China, Tajikistan, Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States Minor Outlying Islands, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Vietnam, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S., Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Where to Buy Gold Jewelry

1) A brief history of Gold.

a. Gold jewelry has been valued by humans since before ancient Egypt rose to greatness. Since gold appears in nature in its native state at a high level of purity, early humans would find gold nuggets in streams or in other deposits. Gold flakes have been found inside caves where prehistoric drawings adorn the walls suggesting that early humans discovered gold and valued it for its aesthetic qualities. Gold is a very noble metal. This means that gold can easily be formed by striking it into shapes or plates which then can be carved or turned into coins. Alexander the Great is said to have funded his campaigns using gold that his troops mined along the way in his travels. Ancient Egyptians covered sarcophagus and other items with gold to praise their gods and pharaohs. Fast forward to modern times and we are using gold not only for jewelry and coins, but for electronics, surgical implants, and other uses which exploit gold’s heat and electrical conductivity.

2) Gold Sources, Purity and Measurement.

a. Gold can be found in almost every country throughout the world. Gold is either found in alluvial deposits which are caused by rivers exposing gold deposits or in mining operations where large quantities of earth are moved and processed to extract gold. Gold naturally occurs in purities of 85% or higher. Gold is heavier than other minerals found around it and therefore it is easy to separate using water sluices. Once gold is separated from the minerals which surround it, it is refined using either a chemical method in which gold is dissolved in a solution called aqua regia, which is a strong acid solution, or it is melted along with mercury which causes impurities to concentrate in a layer of the melted gold which is called slag. Once the slag is removed, gold has been refined to 100% pure.

b. Gold is a very easy metal to alloy. This means it can be combined with other metals to achieve production goals which would make a harder metal or a metal of a different color. For example gold is alloyed with copper to make rose gold and with tin and silver to make white gold. Aside from this gold is also dissolved in solutions to create electroplating applications. These applications allow gold to be plated onto wire and for other industrial purposes.

c. In jewelry gold purity is defined by Karat. 24 karat gold is defined as gold which has 24 out of 24 parts made of pure gold. Pure gold is very soft and seldom used for jewelry as it is easy to bend and wears and scratches way too quickly. 18 karat gold, or gold which has 18 parts pure gold and 6 parts of something else, is commonly used to make high end jewelry. 14 karat gold or gold that is 14 parts pure gold and 10 parts something else, is also used to make jewelry as it is harder and more durable than 18 karat gold. Gold is measured in Troy Ounces. The old question what weighs more an ounce of gold or an ounce of feathers is actually a trick question. Gold is measured in Troy Ounces and feathers in Avoirdupois Ounces. There are 31.1 grams in a Troy Ounce and 28.35 grams in an avoirdupois ounce. Therefore the Troy ounce, the ounce of gold, is heavier than the avoirdupois ounce. Conversely, the troy pound is lighter than the avoirdupois pound. Thus making the pound of feathers heavier than the pound of gold.

3) Gold Stamps and Identification.

a. The Federal Trade Commission regulates the trade of precious metals and directs manufacturers on how to stamp and identify gold. In the United States an item must be 10 Karat Gold or higher karat to be called gold. Also, gold that is plated must be plated with 10 karat gold or better to be called gold plated. Gold jewelry fineness is identified by a stamp which tell you how pure the gold used in the piece is. 417 or 41.7 percent gold is 10 karat gold. 585 or 58.5 percent gold is 14 karat gold. 750 or 75 percent gold is 18 karat gold. Normally a piece is either stamped with a three digit number or the actual karat content, such as 14K. Jewelry which is gold plated or gold filled is stamped with a GP or GF after the karat of the gold. For example 18 KGF, denoting that this piece of jewelry was manufactured using 18 Karat Gold Filled. Gold filled jewelry is jewelry manufactured using a solid layer of gold which has been mechanically bonded to a base material such as silver or a base metal like pewter. Gold plated (GP) is when an electroplating method is used to deposit a very thin layer of gold onto silver or a base metal.

Where to Buy Moissanite

If you are not yet familiar with Moissanite, it is a gem-quality silicon carbide that is frequently mistaken for a diamond due to its similar appearance. However, it is important to note that Moissanite is not a diamond simulant, but rather a superior alternative that boasts exceptional fire and brilliance. Its exceptional hardness also makes it an excellent choice for creating heirloom-quality jewelry, as it is highly resistant to scratches, chips, and breakage. Furthermore, our Moissanites are expertly cut and polished to a higher standard than the majority of diamonds commonly found in engagement rings.

What if a gemstone existed that surpassed the luster, brilliance, and fire of a diamond? Moissanite is just that gemstone. Originally discovered in a meteorite, Moissanite exhibits the same captivating beauty that is so highly prized in diamonds, but it outshines them with even greater sparkle. Moissanite rings not only rivals diamonds in terms of their aesthetic appeal and durability, it surpasses them. The mesmerizing beauty, exceptional durability, and affordability of Moissanite make it an ideal stone for any occasion. Find moissanite engagement rings today.

[changeyoulifenow]

LOST MARRIAGE LOVE SPELL PSYCHIC TODAY BRING BACK YOUR EX LOVER IN USA AUSTRALIA UK

LONG DISTANCE LOST LOVE BLACK MAGIC SPELL CASTER ON SPOT BRING BACK EX-LOVER, MIND CONTROL, MARRIAGE PROPOSAL, DIVORCE, MOTHER IN LAW, LOTTO PLAY POWERBALLS, BUSINESS, PROTECTION LGBT IN UK AUSTRALIA, USA, SOUTH AFRICA, IRELAND, SINGAPORE, NEWZEALAND, SCOTLAND, CANADA, DENMARK, INDONESIA, SAUDI ARABIA, AZERBAIJAN, SWITZERLAND, GERMANY, NETHERLANDS, FRANCE, JAPAN, TAIWAN, TAIPEI, EUROPE AFRICA +258-850318206

WELCOME +258-850318206 AFRICA’S LONGEST SERVING DYNASTY” SPIRITUAL ALTER MOUNTAINS, ORDAINED, ANCESTRAL SPIRITUAL MASTER/ELDER i can feel your heart pressing through pain its time to change you life from surviving to living life of you dream, Its never late too to make work it from survival to living now in safe hands. Is it urgent? here I am, Don’t even waste time. Choose change to end chaos in your life, family, friends Business, Projects, travel mention it. You want to experience total life change satisfaction? Get connected to receive spiritual talent, gifts, Career, Protection inside/out special healing, fire, Readings, Pendants, Beads, Bones.. rituals name. PERSONAL MAGICAL EXPERIENCE: You must 18+ email: powerfullspellscaster@gmail.com.

SHRINE OPEN HRS

24 DAY/NIGHT

YOUR BABA/FATHER GONYA

MOUNTAINS WhatsApp/ Call no. +258-850318206.

+258-850318206 Long time legitimate lost love on-live spell caster authentic black magic intimate love spells, marriage, Same gender, LGBT reconcile , bring back ex-lost lover, marriage, enjoy lotto jackpot, betting, powerballs, divorce, mother in law solution in United States, United Arab Emirates, Canada, United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Belgium, New Zealand, republic of Ireland, Indonesia, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Australia, Kuwait, Azerbaijan, Trinidad and Tobago now! Enjoy dark magic, voodoo, white, hoodoo, secret stick rituals, doll’s, witchcraft, black magic, spiritual magic root oil, defeat negative energies, evil eye haunt, bungles, magic mirror, spiritual protection, revenge, reverse curse, recover lost, bracelets–) “I’m 6months pregnant soul mate dumped me for my best friend but i still love him? and want him back for myself for life?–) Abusive partner sexual, Same Gender violence, drugs, fights Alcohol, partying, cheating I need help–) Divorce or end Court  Summons) Your love, family, friendships fall apart?–) You want to reverse curse?-)Your partner no longer interested intimacy? –) Find out/banish partner cheating?–) Root Weight loss, Beauty, Attraction root oils–) Your church congregation to expand?–) Be in control and loved alone–) Bind us together everlasting love family/ friends–) Ex-partner Divorce settlement–) Unconditional love in marriage–) Find/meet soulmate–) REUNITE FAMILY–)You are you A herbalist, traditional healer, Bishop, Politician, Athletic, Business person list endless in desperate need to get more power?–) accomplish our dream–) Bring unfinished jobs by other doctors–) Your burren and but want a baby of your blood? -)Win tenders in Business, Loan/ Projects/ Cars,  Houses-) Need to recover lost property?–) Promotion at work-)  Get salary doubled–) You need rivals protection, evil eyes-)  Bad energy spirits-) Need financial breakthrough?. Got no luck Job, Money, love –)  Pass exams simply, job interview-) Cleanse black spots, End stretch marks, Falling hair, Memory recovery-) End nights evil spirits attacks-) Be famous in you do-) solve childless solution-)  You break/Break them up-) Reconcile bind back together ex wife/Husband–) Fiancé-) boyfriend-) girlfriend no fighting-) Turning back age rituals-) Unconditional Commitment-) mother in law solution-) Narcissism behaviour’s-)  enjoy gambling-) Lotto+ powerballs-) jackpot-) slots-) Superbowl-)  LGBT same-gender-) Gay-lesbians magical love spell obsession rituals-) long distance relationships-) love-) marriage-) family-) Attract customers make more money than them-) Get back together ex wife/husband without fights girlfriend/boyfriend-) Wicca love rituals-) Make them cry/plead for your forgiveness-) Obsession-) Crazy in love-) Witchcraft protection-) You feel life is out of your control? All weight on your shoulders-( Heartbroken-) Disappointed-) Anxious-) left apart and alone with no hope? You have tried several different doctors/healers name them without personal progress, some have given you imperfect results or no results or solution at all? Feel free your in safe and perfect hands to find secret answers to all the sufferings. NOTE: No human blood sacrifices or side effects or backfire. Shrine open day/night - feel free to contact me email: powerfullspellscaster@gmail.com WhatsApp /call mountains no. +258-850318206

[lilfishiefigureskates]

Skate Canada Review

Men:

Ilia Malinin (USA) Total Score 301.82 - Congrats to Ilia for qualifying for the Grand Prix Final! Despite the challenge of going to back to back competitions Ilia had no problem with securing his second gold medal of the Grand Prix series. Technically he preformed better than he did at Skate America, but I think he was definitely feeling a bit tired, and I think he was struggling especially in the middle section of his free program. His short program has grown on me a lot even tho it’s literally the ugliest costume I’ve ever seen. Also, I’ve been hearing that this was the last time he will be competing in his current free skate costume which is a tragedy, because it’s the best costume he’s had and really don’t see him getting a better one. I think his PCS score was too high.

Shun Sato (Japan) Total Score 261.12 - I think it’s such a slay to skate to Ladies in Lavender when you’re not a lady. He absolutely slayed his short program, but he needs to get his step sequence up from a level 2, because that’s bogging his score down a bit. He struggled a bit in the free program, so I am looking forward to seeing it once he gets it clean. I really liked both of his costumes and I like the new hair color. #FurecocoTrioForever

Junhwan Cha (South Korea) Total Score 260.31 - I am so happy that Jun made it onto the podium!!!! However, I’m going to be honest when I say I’m not really vibing with his programs this season. The Imagine Dragons short program makes no sense to me, and I don’t really like the Latina lady screaming at me in his free program, but his blouse is beautiful, so I will say that I like his free better than his short. There’s lots of room to grow in his free program, and he only had 2 combos, so we def need to change that. His Ina Bauer was great, but he finished a little late on the music. IDK why the judges didn’t give the PCS skills he deserved. He was robbed.

Sota Yamamoto (Japan) Total Score 257 - I love Sota so much and I wish there was four spots on the podium cause I wanted him to be on the podium so badly!!! I love the purple shirt in the short program, and overall the short was very solid. I also really liked his free program. At first I thought it was gonna be a bit boring but the music did a great job at building through the program. I’m absolutely gutted that he fell on his 4T. He also needs to work on not telegraphing his jumps as much.

Vladimir Litvintsev (Azerbaijan) Total Score 222.9 - I had no idea who he was but then I realized that he was the fool who skated to the Lion King while wearing a tiger print t-shirt lol. The Game of Thrones short program was pretty solid. Didn’t love the Nutcracker EPIC version tho, especially the singing at the end. Keep it all Xmas music or don’t use Xmas music. I think he ran out of steam a bit in the second half of his program, and he needs more choreography cause right now he just has a lot of crossovers.

Gabriele Frangipani (Italy) Total Score 222.57 - Who needs Daniel Grassl when we got this guy! He was giving me Adam Driver vibes, and I think it’s cause they have similar noses. Tbh I don’t really remember much from his programs, and they just felt a bit meh to me, but on his defense I was half asleep during his free program. Hopefully he’ll be less meh at the NHK trophy.

Aleksa Rakic (Canada) Total Score 222.49 - Having this guy as the highest scoring Canadian was not on my bingo card. He seems to struggle a bit on his 3A and overall i thought his jump technique was kinda ugly. Overall he had pretty consistently low GOEs on his jumping elements and he didn’t perform well. Lots of room to grow at least.

Jason Brown (USA) Total Score 218. 75 - My beloved. On the technical level, he did not have the best skates, but his overall skating skills remain unmatched. Jason usually isn’t competing this early in the season, so hopefully he just needs more time to get into the groove. I am not really vibing with free music. It was very one note and a little boring ngl. I did like the cartwheel tho.

Stephen Gogolev (Canada) Total Score 216. 84 - Had a pretty good short program but fell apart during the free. Needed more speed and energy, and he needed to EMOTE! He kinda just looked tired

Mark Gordonitsky (Israel) Total Score 213.31 - Meh.

Luc Econmides (France) Total Score 211.88 - IDk why but I always forget what he looks like and then I get surprised when I see him and he looks like he does. Interstellar program was interesting with the head twitching at the beginning and the fake writing at the end but my man was ACTING so I will take it. Had a super scary axis on his 3A in the short and on the 3Lz in the free.

Roman Sadovsky (Canada) WD - I guess he tweaked his back before the event started which is why he wasn’t doing any jumps during practice. But luckily, the injury should have no long lasting impact. I feel so bad for this guy, I feel like he always has the worst luck.

Women:

Kaori Sakamoto (Japan) Total Score 201.21 - I love Kaori so much. She is definitely pushing herself with both of her programs this season, and I just don’t think she feels comfortable yet in either of them. The short was solid, but she did have some unexpected trouble in the free. She looked a little tired, but that’s okay cause we are early in the season, so there’s still time to build up stamina. The blonde hair is starting to grow on me and I love both of the costumes.

Rino Matsuike (Japan) Total Score 192.16 - Talk about the COMEBACK QUEEN. I love the Moulin Rogue program so it better be clean at Finlandia. Her free program was honestly the highlight of the weekend. She had a GORGEOUS spiral and overall excellent skating skills and quality of movement. She slayed.

Hana Yoshida (Japan) Total Score 191.37 - I really liked her short program. She just had a little boo boo with the step out on the combo, and I think she could use more speed during her stsq. I really liked her dress for the free program, but I did not like the mesh gloves. It’s a shame she went down on the 3Lz.

Kimmy Repond (Switzerland) Total Score 191.07 - IDK why but I did not expect her to do as well as she did. Idk how tall she is, but she looks super tall, and her long limbs just looked a bit awkward. I’m pretty sure she ended a smidge behind her music in both the short and the free. I thought she had really nice spins tho.

Madeline Schizas (Canada) Total Score 190.04 - Dear Maddie, there is only one Lion King program and it belong to Wakaba. I did like the Danse Macabre free tho. I’m glad she went with red for the costume instead of black. She was one of my highlights of the weekend, cause I was just so happy that she skated two clean programs in front of her home crowd!!!This was probably the best I’ve seen her perform.

Alysa Liu (USA) Total Score 187.69 - Miss girl kinda got hit hard with the URs, but she still had a great return to the Grand Prix! I really liked both of her programs, especially the free. I think she needs to build up her stamina a smidge, but I’m just so happy to she her back it makes by heart flutter.

Elyce Lin-Gracey (USA) Total Score 182.37 - I wanted her to do good so badly. She almost got the same exact scores that she got at Skate America, so at least she is consistent. But she is just a lil’ cutie and she just needs time to develop and grow! Props to her for competing back to back.

Kaiya Ruiter (Canada) Total Score 162.32 - I liked the short program, but I didn’t realize the free was a Wonder Woman program until we got to the end of the program and the electric guitars were doing the Wonder Woman thing. Had a couple of URs and a two footed landing. But she was very cute, and very engaging.

Ekaterina Kurakove (Poland) Total Score 162.07 - ‘Twas a rough short program. Stepped out on the lutz and it was under-rotated and she didn’t get her combo. She was also pretty slow on the spins. However, she kept on emoting throughout the whole performance. I’m not vibing with the Cats program. Her first mistake was picking the movie version. Her second mistake was wearing the cat ears. Just felt very juniorish to me. I also think there were too many music cuts.

Sara-Maude Dupuis (Canada) Total Score 160.46 - Couldn’t get her combo in the short. Had a crazy axis on the 3Lz in the free and was just getting a lot of URs in general. Overall her jumps were just looking a bit scary. She wore a green dress tho and I thought she slayed

Seoyeong Wi (South Korea) Total Score 140.85 - Got hit hard with the URs. I really liked both of her programs and I thought her costumes were gorgeous, but she just didn’t perform well to them. She really ran out of gas at the end of the free program.

Yelim Kim - (South Korea) Total Score 136.14 - This honestly made me so sad. She is such a beautiful skater but the jumps are just not there. I guess she is recovering from back surgery?!?!?!? Idk, I just really don’t want to watch her perform another disaster program.

Pairs:

Deanna Stellato-Dudek / Maxime Deschamps (Canada) Total Score 197.33 - They’re obviously not in top shape yet, but like I’ve been saying, we’re still early in the season so no need to freak out. Did not really vibe with the short program. The heavy breathing really turned me off, and I’ve learned that this cover was used for 50 Shades of Grey, which turned me off even more. I do like the free a lot better, but IDK what the theme is, or what it’s about. They have a shared dog and it’s super cute.

Ekaterina Geynish / Dmitrii Chigirev (Uzbekistan) Total Score 189.65 - I did not like the weird opening movements in the short. A little trouble with the throw jumps but pretty good overall synchro.

Anastasia Golubeva / Hektor Giotopoulos Moore (Australia) Total Score 186.14 - I hated the music change in the short. And they copied Kao’s free program for their free program lol.

Dance:

Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier (Canada) Total Score 214.84 - The costumes in the rhythm slayed, but his backless suit in the free traumatized me. I get the what they were going for but I don’t think it was executed well. They are so fast, and they are both excellent performers

Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha (Canada) Total Score 199.9 - I liked the in synch lip syncing, but I did not like it when they FELL! They are so fast on the twizzles and they serve so much face. I’ve heard people don’t like the Sound of Silence free, but I was vibing with it.

Evgeniia Lopareva / Geoffrey Brissaud (France) Total Score 194.25 - Look they were great, but I just don’t vibe with them and IDK why. Rasputin rhythm dance was insane but in a good way. Maybe they’ll grow on me.

[squarefootshow]

carchelan iulia (@iuliacarchelan_art) says, “I’m a watercolor painter based in Chisinau, Moldova. I have participated in many group exhibitions in Romania, France, China, Moldova and personal shows in USA, Georgia, Azerbaijan. I love to create special atmosphere in my paintings and hope that viewers will desire to be part of it.” https://instagr.am/p/CrTKNrtsTRT/