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meazalykov · 4 months ago

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invisible string theory

lena oberdorf x uswnt!bayern!reader

part one - part two - part three

summary: you're with her now, but you've known of her for longer than that.

warnings: long chapter, suggestive content

back in the united states, you were heartbroken.

due to the contract that gotham had with lyon, there wasn’t a possibility that lyon could permanently sign you. the french club tried to sign you for another loan year with a mandatory buy option, but gotham didn’t want that.

so now you’re here, dressed in a gotham kit watching the team play the chicago red stars from the bench.

its the 70th minute and you had your arms crossed sitting on the bench. your national teammate, mallory, and your other friend midge sat beside you after coming off minutes before.

“my ankle is killing me, i might have to go to medic after this game ends.” mallory hissed as she held onto her ankle. sometime after halftime, a chicago red stars player kicked the back of mallory’s ankle on accident.

“you should, its bruised!” you say as you observe her ankle from your seat, your hands still crossed together as midge decides to hold your right arm in comfort.

midge turns her head and noticed the coach, yes the coach that's not happy with you, coming your way.

“y/n.” midge tapped your shoulder. you looked to your right to see the coach looking at you with an unreadable expression on his face.

“y/n, you should warm up, you’re going on in the 80th minute.” the coach says before going back to observe the game.

your eyebrows knitted together before you quickly took off your windbreaker jacket. being a benchwarmer the last two games since coming back from france was something you were starting to get used to until another club put in their offers.

the coach has received a bunch of hate in the media because of you. which kind of soccer coach wouldn’t start one of the best players in the world? well, a coach with an agenda– that's for sure.

being subbed into the game five minutes later, you already had the ball at your feet. as you run across the pitch and dribble pass a few chicago players, you pass up to carli lloyd.

the striker takes the shot but it deflects off of the post. luckily, the ball landed back on your blue cleat and you tapped the ball into the goal. opening up the score 1-0 for gotham before the 90th minute.

knowing your situation at gotham, you didn’t celebrate as happily as you did back when you scored at lyon. all you did was put your hands up high as your teammates gathered around to hug you.

“i’m pretty sure that this is a good moment after being back from winning the champions league in europe.” a commentator says as you go back into the starting position as an attacking midfielder.

“that’s my girl!” you heard midge yell from the benches. you look over to see her and mallory with the brightest smiles as you nod your head at them.

you loved your teammates, but you wanted to be at another club more than anything.

after the game that afternoon, your agent called you.

she said that many clubs in europe wanted to sign you– permanently.

that's all you wanted, you didn’t want to take a loan deal and attach yourself to another club just to come back here again. you wanted a new permanent home. it's 2020 and the transfer window in europe will close soon.

she said that psg was the first to put in an offer for you, but you immediately declined. somehow, you felt loyal to lyon and didn’t want to join paris.

the next clubs she mentioned were real madrid, manchester united, ajax, and aston villa. you declined on those as well, not really seeing yourself in those clubs.

even though bayern munich wasn’t the last club on the list, you were interested in that offer once your agent mentioned it.

your agent mentioned that the coach personally wanted you at the club, and the club offered a good amount of benefits.

so, after a few days of deciding, you were in germany signing a contract with the bavarian club until 2025.

over the months, you adjusted to the club perfectly. you got along with the girls, made a promise that you’ll learn to speak german, and your new best friend sydney was there to guide you.

in november 2020, you were in the starting lineup to play against wolfsburg.

this is your first time going up against the green team since you were with the french club, so you were ready to face them again.

as you were standing in the tunnel, you talked with lineth beerensteyn about what to expect. this is your first start with the club, since the coach wanted you to get familiar with the games first. this was fair and something you went through with lyon as well.

“its nice to face them again.” you respond to lineth after she asked you how you felt about wolfsburg. she smirks at you before pinching your shoulder.

“oh yeah– i forgot we have a champions league winner on our hands.” she laughed. you rolled your eyes playfully as you shook your head.

“don’t forget about the world cup.” sydney lohmann joins in. your jaw dropped as you shook your head again.

“okay let's not talk about me, lets talk about the upcoming match” you say.

“you’re right you’re right,” lineth laughs at her teasing towards you, “games against wolfsburg get pretty intense when you’re with bayern. they’re the “rivals” or whatever you want to say.” she continued.

“just make sure that you take advantage of any opportunity you see. some of the midfielders will go for your ankles so i’d watch out for that too. things can get heated” the dutch finished.

you nodded your head as you observed the wolfsburg players around the tunnel. some, like svenja and dominique, patted your back since you’re happy to see you again but in the bundesliga.

before you walked ahead to talk to sydney, you felt a hand on your left shoulder.

“so– what brings you here?” you look over your shoulder to see lena.

honestly, you forgot about her after the champions league final. you have her jersey in your apartment along with other players' jerseys you’ve traded with in the past, but things were stressful for you when you went back home.

“beating you again.” you teased. lena placed her hand over her heart before giggling,

“not that! i mean it's nice to see you in this league.” she says.

“oh danke– sorry– the adjustment here was easy thankfully.” you smile.

lena wraps her arm around your shoulder, causing you to feel warm on the inside, does she know what she is doing to you?

“that’s good– it would’ve been nice to see you in our jersey though.” lena whispers. you look over at her, your voice caught into your throat.

“um- no thanks. i would miss getting my ankles broken by you if we were on the same team.” you tease. she unwraps her arm from your body, and pats you on the shoulders with a smirk, before going back to where the wolfsburg substitutes are without saying anything else.

“y/n.. how do you know lena?” sydney walks up to you with her eyebrows knitted together. she looked curious, smiling, as you crossed your arms together.

“we met during some adidas event at the world cup. well- i met giulia actually but lena just happened to be there and-”

“and you guys are dating? why didn’t you tell-”

“woah syd slow down! we aren’t dating?” you cut her off.

sydney smirks at you before laughing, realizing what the conversation turned into.

“i’m sorry. you guys looked very flirty and familiar with each other.” sydney said as she rested her arm on your shoulder. you shrugged the other shoulder.

“I mean the last time I talked to her was at the champions league final last season. she's cute but i don’t know if she even sees me that way?” you whisper in sydneys ear.

you’re comfortable talking about this with sydney. she’s become your best friend since arriving in germany, but it feels like you’ve known her for longer than that.

“the way that she looked at you, i would say she does.” sydney comments.

you were going to question that but everyone started to lineup in the tunnel to head out. so, all you could do is wonder with your thoughts as you walked out to start the game.

a year later, you were waiting at the airport in wolfsburg after a last minute decision.

after that game in november 2020, lena and you started following each other on instagram. the both of you got each other's phone numbers and have been in touch everyday since.

due to not being on the same club team, or national team, you didn’t see lena much– if not at all.

randomly, as you were in your kitchen hours before– lena texted you.

obi

we should go to this new restaurant that opened up downtown wolfsburg

y/n

how? i’m in munich..

obi

check your email.

when you checked your email, you saw that she sent you a confirmation and a plane ticket for wolfsburg. you jaw dropped in the middle of your kitchen as you were finishing making a few pastries for the bayern girls.

y/n

did you really buy me a plane ticket to see you?

y/n

you’re insane

y/n

the flight is in three hours? you’re eager

y/n

where am i supposed to stay at?

obi

yes i did

obi

just for you

obi

you can stay with me. i have a spare room

you stood outside of the wolfsburg airport with a carry on bag waiting for lena’s car. luckily, there is no training or games scheduled since its thanksgiving break– so you had a day or two to spend with lena.

after talking for a year, you guys weren't official. its clear that you are in the “talking stage” with the wolfsburg midfielder, but you hoped that she will be your girlfriend soon– even with the distance.

as you looked down at your phone, watching a tiktok video that popped up on your fyp, you heard a loud car beep their horn.

ignoring that your heart nearly jumped out of your chest in fear, you looked up to see lena getting out of the drivers side of her car.

“obi!” you say as you grab your carry on bag. the german smiles brightly as she held her arms out for you.

when you hugged her taller body, the nerves in your stomach eased away. the warmth of her body and her coconut scent seemed to give you peace in those short seconds.

“hi liebe! how was your flight?” she whispered in your ear, not breaking the hug just yet.

her proximity to your ear made you feel something that you’ve never felt before. something you couldn’t say out loud.

“my flight was smooth, i had a row to myself.” you smile as you looked at lena’s blushed face.

you weren’t surprised about the small amount of people on the flight, it was an 6pm flight and plane rides from munich to wolfsburg weren’t long at all.

“that’s perfect. here, give me that.” lena held her hands out.

you were confused before you noticed that she was pointing at your bag. you gave her your carry on, which she gently put in the trunk of her car as you got into the passenger seat.

when you guys arrived to her apartment, you were quick to pull your adidas slides off and sit on her couch. lena smiled, happy that you made yourself comfortable in her space.

“it’s late, so i’m not sure if you want to do much.” lena says.

pulling your phone out of your pocket, seeing that it just hit 21:00, you agree.

“we could watch a movie.” you suggested.

“we can, but can it not be those horror movies you love seeing?” lena asked.

as much as you guys had in common, movies weren’t one of them.

lena loved disney animated movies and comedies, you loved horror films along with star wars.

“you know what we should watch!? we should watch the phantom menace! it's not horror!” you smirked.

lena rolled her eyes playfully, remembering a phone conversation you guys had in the past.

“I remember when you said that you wanted me to get you started on the star wars trilogies. it's a win-win for the both of us,” you stood up from the couch and held lena’s hands with your own. the close proximity made lena’s face turn a shade of pink.

“i get to watch star wars, and you get to watch a disney movie– since star wars is owned by disney.” you came closer, just inches from her nose hitting yours.

she's taller than you, so she looked down at you slightly with a questioning look.

“sure.” she says, distracted.

your boldness seemed to go away the same second that you stopped talking. your breathing slowed as you realized what you’ve done.

lena’s eyes looked down to your lips as you did the same with her.

the both of you are alone in her apartment, you realize that no-one would be there to distract you if she kisses you.

you didn’t mind.

the german moves her arms around your lower waist as you lean in to kiss her. as you made contact with her lips, your hands moved to the back of her neck.

the kissing got heated quickly. lena was clearly the dominant one in the situation as she lifted you up and your legs were around her waist, walking you to her bedroom.

and you know how things went afterwards!

before you left to go back to munich two days later, lena asked you to be her girlfriend.

you said yes, happy but sad to leave her so soon.

after another few months, it's july 2022.

unfortunately for you, you were out on a three month injury. your hamstring teared while you were on international break with the uswnt– so you were free to return to germany.

however, you didn’t go to germany. you wanted to support lena and the rest of your bayern girls at the euros in england.

you’ve seen the prep that your girlfriend lena has put into this competition. due to the distance, you don’t see her everyday– but you guys have perfected the routine of seeing each other when off-days align.

on the sidelines of the final with germany against england, you wore the green germany kit with some levi 90s jeans. of course, the kit had lena’s last name on the back.

some people might be offended that you, an american player of their national team, is wearing another countries kit– but you know the majority wouldn’t care, and neither did you.

lena deserved to be here at this moment you thought. there was no way that you weren’t going to support her beside her family,

“so, how long are you supposed to be off the pitch?” you looked over to see lena’s father speak to you, his german accent stronger than lena’s. the first half of the final ended and it's nil-nil and it could be anyone’s game.

you wore a black brace around your leg where the injury occurred, so you figured that he was talking about that.

“oh, i won’t be playing until the start of next season. so a couple of months– i have a grade 2 tear in my hamstring.” you respond, smiling as lena’s father nodded his head in understanding.

“you’ll be back out there soon!” lena’s mother spoke with encouragement. you smiled, happy that your girlfriend had sweet parents that treat you as if you were their own.

after talking to her family for longer, the start of the second half comes along. you’re anxious as both teams are keeping possession with the ball.

watching other teams in person is making you miss being out on the pitch playing.

all thoughts aside, your jaw drops as you watch ella toone from england put the ball in at the 62nd minute.

lena got a yellow card moments before for a tackle on your friend, georgia, who is coming to bayern soon. so, lena was already in a disappointed mood before this moment.

as the substitutes for germany and england were starting to come on, you started to feel anxious. you hated this feeling for teams that aren’t your own, but this happens everytime you invest a couple of hours into watching others– especially your girlfriend who you want to see with the euro trophy.

when lina magul scored the equalizer for germany, you put your hands up and clapped as you witnessed the german girls huddle around in a big group hug.

“come on obi!” you whisper to yourself, hoping that this was a fairytale where lena would score the winner for her country.

unfortunately for you, germany’s team, and the fans– chloe kelly taps the ball into the net in the 110th minute– giving england the lead in extra time.

deep down, you knew that was it. you looked ahead at lena with sadness in your eyes. however, you wanted to keep hope.

after the game, seeing lena accept the young player award with tears in her eyes broke your heart. this is something that you’ve never gone through before from the outside, since usually you are the player that needs the comfort of a non-player after a loss.

after thirty minutes of the award process– with the hard watch of england lifting the trophy you wanted lena to lift– lena pushed herself to walk towards her family and you.

at first, you thought she was going to go to her parents for a hug. you stepped back as you made sure that her parents were slightly in front of you.

lena, with dried tears on her face, looked at you and held her hands out. being at the front row before the field, you accepted her embrace– holding her with as much as possible.

she picks you up and pulls you over the barcade, making sure that your leg would be okay, so you’re standing on the pitch now.

“i know you might not want to hear this right now– but you did amazing throughout the tournament. i am so proud of you.” you whisper into her ear.

her strong arms squeeze your waist, a silent thank you that you’ll take it as. she holds you for another minute, knowing that what she needs is your love and reassurance.

as you lift her head up from your shoulder to look at you, she frowns as she closes her eyes. another tear flows down her cheeks but you’re quick to wipe it away–

“hey! don’t beat yourself up. you were the best player of the tournament, and i’m not just saying that because i’m your girlfriend.” you reassure.

you know what lena is thinking– what did i do wrong? was there anything else i could’ve done? did the yellow card send the team into failure? those thoughts were not unfamiliar to you when you lost games, but you’ve never played in a euros final.

“danke.” she smiles slightly.

part three here

#lena oberdorf #woso community #woso fanfics #woso x reader #woso imagine #woso soccer #gerwnt #dfb frauen

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dailyanarchistposts · 21 days ago

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Anarchist utopias are alive and well, not only in Chiapas or Rojava but also in the heart of capitalist Europe. In Germany, police repression and gentrification have dealt a decisive blow to traditional anarchist strongholds like Berlin, with numerous free spaces closed down since the pandemic started.

But a new form of protest is blossoming. Eco-anarchists are building momentum all over Germany. The black and green flag is stronger than ever and enjoys surprisingly widespread sympathy among the public.

The Dannenröder Forest, nicknamed “Danni,” fifty miles from Frankfurt, is suffering. A highway is being built, cutting through the forest like an open wound. It is a battlefield, a witness to environmental destruction and to resistance. Hundreds of activists occupied the route of the planned A49 highway from October 2019 to December 2020.

They were inspired by protests in the Hambacher Forst, known as “Hambi,” Germany’s most mediatized land occupation with a clear and organic growth from one protest to the other. Out of protesters’ imagination sprang a hundred tree houses, numerous massive wooden tripods and a dense constellation of zip lines, creating a unique ecosystem of resistance.

Organized in neighborhoods, life there was utopic. All decisions were made in a decentralized, unanimous manner, leaving space for activists to live without constraints or hierarchies. Anarcho-feminist, antiracist, and anti-capitalist slogans celebrating life in the forest echoed around the campfires.

But repression was on the way. Last December, nearly 3,000 police with water cannons, led by special commandos, invaded the forest. After destroying all barricades and tree houses, they cleared the way for the deforestation.

Cutting through the dense forest, the future road is heavily protected by barbed wire and massive police patrols. Yet the eco-anarchist resistance has not demobilized. Hundreds of activists reunited in April 2021 for a climate camp to reinvent the protest. They now legally occupy village structures and intend to build a resilient movement based on decentralized direct action.

Forest occupations (Waldbesetzungen) have seven lives. Somehow, being expelled by the police strengthens them. Activists disperse around the country, share their experiences and know-how and create new areas of protest.

An organic network of resistance is being woven across Germany, and sometimes the threads of individual action intersect and create nodes. Climate camps are exactly that—nodes that connect all the struggles.

The first of them began in Augsburg, a conservative Bavarian city. Dozens of climate activists from the Fridays for Future (FFF) group decided that weekly demonstrations were not enough. Last summer, they occupied the city’s central square. They built a wooden utopia in the middle of the shopping district, an eco-anarchist equivalent to Occupy Wall Street.

Like in Danni, they live without authority, cook with dumpstered food and are supported by a network of caring inhabitants. From FFF to eco-anarchy, they were radicalized by the tales of activists traveling from the Danni and Hambi. They, in turn, fostered eco-anarchist resistance in southern Germany.

The intentional family of Waldbesetzungen and climate camps is steadily growing. Central squares are being occupied in six other German cities, as are a dozen forests and meadows.

The Altdorfer Waldbesetzung, called Alti, is the newest. Since January 2021, the woods, close to the tourist city of Ravensburg, echo with the sound of hammers, music, and campfire tales. Protesting the expansion of mining gravel destined for export to Austria, ten to thirty activists live together, building dozens of tree houses in various neighborhoods, following the model of the other forest occupations.

The young anarchist utopia is strongly supported by the local inhabitants, who cook two meals a day for the activists, donate construction material, and flock to visit the occupation on weekends. Since deforestation season starts in October, the Alti has some more months to prepare for the pending police assault. In the meantime, banner actions, demonstrations and pranks against conservative politicians are carried out daily.

The eco-anarchist utopia is alive and well. It is growing steadily as an alternative to the Green Party, which is becoming Germany’s new mainstream, and may even lead the government after the next election.

Feminist, antiracist and anti-capitalist struggles are coming together in the woods, because all forms of oppression are interlinked. Black is the new green.

In times of greenwashing, green capitalism, and eco-fascism, the eco-anarchist Waldbesetzungen and climate camps offer a combative and beautiful spark of hope.

Philippe Pernot is a German-based photojournalist whose work focuses on anarchy, ecological resistance, and the interconnectedness between feminist, anti-capitalist and anti-racist struggles. After studying in France, he worked in Lebanon for one year, reporting about the Palestinian situation and those abandoned by the Lebanese state.

He co-published a report on a LNG-pipeline project in Quebec and a zine about a mall being built in his native village in southern France.

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gogogogolev · 2 months ago

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Stephen has been assigned to 2024 Challenger Series Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany taking place September 19-21, 2024. Stephen has previously competed at this rink at Bavarian Open in 2017 as a novice skater and 2020 as a junior skater, winning gold each time. Nebelhorn Trophy is the longest running event that is part of the Challenger Series - this is the 56th edition.

This event looks to be a kind of skate off to start the season (though Roman has already competed once) and Skate Canada sends a good team there usually. There is a team event component to the competition with the Fritz Geiger Memorial Trophy being awarded to the country with the highest point total. There is also a gala held on the last day. Stephen seems to enjoy being in Germany so it will hopefully be a good event for him.

Links ISU web page Announcement ISU results page Website Livestream

Good luck Stephen!

#stephen gogolev #2024 Nebelhorn Trophy #2024 2025 season #information

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denissvasiljevs1999 · 2 months ago

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deniss has always placed first when he was in oberstdorf, hasn't he? bavarian open in junior years, nebelhorn 2020, bavarian open 2024 — all gold, right? or am i missing something??

Yes, at least in seniors and juniors. I'm not sure if he ever competed there as a novice.

2024 Bavarian Open senior champion

2020 Nebelhorn Trophy champion

2014 Bavarian Open junior champion

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sunskate · 7 months ago

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youtube

omg little baby stars - the natural projection - such performers, his carriage, her exuberance and dance ability - she was only 13 here, about to turn 14. he was 17. the next season, they won Canadian Jr Nationals, ages 15/18:

youtube

B&B were 2nd, Hannah & Ye were still representing Quebec back then

youtube

Emmy & Aissa's Cabaret RD that season- they went to the Bavarian Open to prepare for 2020 Junior Worlds which was held just a week before lockdowns. they were 9th. after that was covid, and we didn't see them for over a year - they skated at Next Gen camp in July 2021 and announced the end of their partnership about a week later 😢

#Youtube

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newstfionline · 1 year ago

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Sunday, September 17, 2023

13,000 workers go on strike at major US auto makers (AP) About 13,000 auto workers have walked off the job at three targeted factories after their union leaders couldn’t reach a deal with Detroit’s automakers. The United Auto Workers union is seeking big raises and better benefits from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. They want to get back concessions that the workers made years ago, when the companies were in financial trouble. A small percentage of the union’s 146,000 members walked off the job at a GM assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri; a Ford factory in Wayne, Michigan, near Detroit; and a Stellantis Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio. Both sides began exchanging wage and benefit proposals last week. Though some incremental progress appears to have been made, it was not enough to avoid walkouts. The strike could cause significant disruptions to auto production in the United States.

Muslim Students’ Robes Are Latest Fault Line for French Identity (NYT) The mass French return to work, known as the “rentrée,” is often marked by renewed social conflict. This year has been no exception as the summer lull has given way to yet another battle over a recurrent national obsession: How Muslim women should dress. Late last month, with France still in vacation mode, Gabriel Attal, 34, the newly appointed education minister and a favorite of President Emmanuel Macron, declared that “the abaya can no longer be worn in schools.” His abrupt order, which applies to public middle and high schools, banished the loosefitting full-length robe worn by some Muslim students and ignited another storm over French identity. The government believes the role of education is to dissolve ethnic or religious identity in a shared commitment to the rights and responsibilities of French citizenship and so, as Mr. Attal put it, “you should not be able to distinguish or identify the students’ religion by looking at them.” Since then, organizations representing the country’s large Muslim minority of about five million people have protested; some girls have taken to wearing kimonos or other long garments to school to illustrate their view that the ban is arbitrary; and a fierce debate has erupted over whether Mr. Attal’s August surprise, just before students went back to their classrooms, was a vote-seeking provocation or a necessary defense of the secularism that is France’s ideological foundation. Where some see laïcité as the core of a supposedly colorblind nation of equal opportunity, others see a form of hypocrisy that masks how far from unprejudiced France has become.

Crowds descend on Munich for the official start of Oktoberfest (AP) The beer is flowing and millions of people are descending on the Bavarian capital to celebrate the official opening of Oktoberfest. Revelers decked out in traditional lederhosen and dirndl dresses trooped to Munich’s festival grounds Saturday morning, filling the dozens of traditional tents in anticipation of getting their first 1-liter (2-pint) mug of beer. The Oktoberfest has typically drawn about 6 million visitors every year. The event was skipped in 2020 and 2021 as authorities grappled with COVID-19, but returned in 2022.

If 3.3 Million Ukrainian Refugees Never Come Home? The Economics Of Post-War Life Choices (Ukrainska Pravda) Approximately 6.7 million Ukrainians have left their country since the Russian invasion. The longer the war lasts, the more these refugees will consolidate their new lives in their host countries, resulting in a heavy population drain for Ukraine. Earlier this month, the Kyiv-based Center for Economic Strategy (CES) presented a study on the attitudes of Ukrainian refugees that shows a large number of them will likely not return to their homeland even after the end of the war. According to their calculations, Ukraine may lose 3.3 million citizens. There is also a strong likelihood that a large number of men currently fighting in the war will move abroad in order to reunite with their families that have settled there. Even in peacetime, counting Ukrainians is not an easy task. A full-fledged census was conducted in the country only once: in 2001. It concluded that Ukraine had a population of 48.5 million.

Erdogan says Turkey may part ways with the EU (AP) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey may part ways with the European Union, implying that the country is thinking about ending its bid to join the 27-nation bloc. “The EU is making efforts to sever ties with Turkey,” he told reporters before departing for the 78th U.N. General Assembly in New York. “We will evaluate the situation, and if needed we will part ways with the EU.” He was responding to a question about a recent report adopted by the European Parliament, which stated “the accession process cannot resume under the current circumstances, and calls on EU to explore ‘a parallel and realistic framework’ for EU-Türkiye relations.”

China Is Investigating Its Defense Minister, U.S. Officials Say (NYT) China’s defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu, has been placed under investigation, according to two U.S. officials, fueling speculation about further upheaval in the military after the abrupt removal of two top commanders in charge of the country’s nuclear force. General Li has not been seen in public in more than two weeks. He had been expected to take part in a meeting last week in Vietnam, but there was no word of his attendance. The investigation points to questions about the Communist Party’s leader Xi Jinping’s confidence in his own military, a pillar of his ambitions abroad and dominance at home. Just six weeks ago, Mr. Xi replaced the two most senior commanders of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, which oversees China’s nuclear missiles. The abrupt dismissals suggested that Mr. Xi was seeking to reassert his control over the military and purge perceived corruption, disloyalty and dysfunction from its ranks, analysts have said. Mr. Xi still appears politically unassailable, with the Communist Party leadership, military top brass and security services packed with his loyalists. Even so, the sudden downfall of such high-ranking officials has exposed the pitfalls in a system so dominated by a single leader and has raised questions about Mr. Xi’s judgment because the officials under scrutiny been promoted by him.

History Turns Upside Down in a War Where the Koreas Are Suppliers (NYT) Washington and Moscow flooded the Korean Peninsula with arms and aid as they fueled the war between South and North seven decades ago. Now, in a fateful moment of history turning back on itself, Russia and the United States are reaching out to those same allies to supply badly needed munitions as the powers face each other down again, this time on the other side of the globe, in Ukraine. “In the post-Cold War era, South and North Korea have been virtually the only countries that have remained on a constant war footing, with large artillery and other weapons stockpiles ready to use,” said Yang Uk, a military expert at the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. “The fact that South and North Korea remain stuck in a Cold War armed confrontation explains why Washington and Moscow come to them seeking weapons.” Artillery ammunition has been in particular demand as both sides in the Ukraine conflict tear through their stores faster than production can catch up. South Korean and American officials have been tight-lipped about how many shells South Korea has provided to the United States. But recent news reports indicated that South Korea has sold or lent at least hundreds of thousands of artillery shells to the U.S. military. Moscow has repeatedly warned Seoul against supplying weapons to Ukraine. But South Korea has been pressed by the United States, its most important ally, to help the war effort.

A year after Mahsa Amini’s death: Repression and defiance in Iran (Washington Post) A year ago, the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police sparked a popular uprising, led by women and young people, that rattled the pillars of the Islamic Republic: clerical rule, gender segregation and the security state. In the end, the leaderless movement, clustered in pockets across the country, was no match for the keepers of Iran’s authoritarian system. Its clerical leaders are still standing, having brutally crushed the demonstrations. More recently, they have strengthened the kind of strict social controls that gave rise to the protest movement. The last year allowed the world to glimpse the seething anger just below the surface of a repressive society, and to document government abuses. But it also highlighted the resilience of the regime. But Tehran has not emerged from the uprising unscathed, according to analysts, human rights advocates and ordinary Iranians—many of whom say they are just waiting for the next spark.

There’s a glimmer of hope on Yemen’s war front. Yet children are still dying of hunger (NPR) Malia Qassim Mahmoud found herself at Al-Thawra hospital in Taiz, seeking help for the third time for the acute malnutrition affecting her family. Two years ago, her older son was severely malnourished. He recovered but his growth has been stunted; she says the 6-year-old is much smaller than other kids his age. A year later, she herself had to be hospitalized for malnutrition. Then it was her 1-year-old baby, lying limp in her arms, his skin a sickly yellow color, unable to even open his mouth as his mother tried to feed him protein paste. “Most days we can only get water and flour and I make a doughy paste and that’s what we eat,” Mahmoud said. “We can’t afford more, and we haven’t received any aid through the war.” This family is among at least 20 million people in Yemen who need food assistance in the midst of what the United Nations calls one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. In 2014 Houthi rebels overthrew the Saudi-backed government. They took control of parts of Yemen, sparking a civil war. The U.N. estimates that the conflict in Yemen has caused over 377,000 deaths, most of which were due to hunger and lack of health care. A slowdown in fighting has raised hopes that the war could end, but the number of people needing medical attention or hospitalization due to malnutrition has not decreased.

In the midst of Morocco earthquake chaos, surprising heroes: Donkeys (NPR) When the villagers of Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains were stricken by a powerful earthquake on Friday, they found themselves facing a situation they had never known before. They dug desperately in the rubble to rescue loved ones or find their bodies so they could bury them, rescue crews having been held up by mountain roads choked with rocks that fell in the magnitude 6.8 quake. Heavy machinery was dispatched to clear the roads, and rescue teams worked to open access points to the mountain. But it took time—time the villagers did not have. The villagers, used to the mountainous terrain, found a foolproof method to move themselves and materials around: their donkeys. Photos have emerged of villagers using donkeys to move rubble out of the way, to get relief supplies to more difficult-to-reach spots, and to move people to where they need to go. The nimble-footed creatures have been able to pick their way along tracks that are barely visible, loaded with bulging saddlebags and sometimes hauling a person on their backs to boot.

Amazing science: The Ig Nobels (AP) Counting nose hairs in cadavers, repurposing dead spiders and explaining why scientists lick rocks are among the winning achievements in this year's Ig Nobels, the prize for humorous scientific feats, organizers announced Thursday. Jan Zalasiewicz of Poland earned the chemistry and geology prize for explaining why many scientists like to lick rocks. “Wetting the surface allows fossil and mineral textures to stand out sharply, rather than being lost in the blur of intersecting micro-reflections and micro-refractions that come out of a dry surface.” Other winning teams were lauded for studying the impact of teacher boredom on student boredom; the affect of anchovies' sexual activity on ocean water mixing; and how electrified chopsticks and drinking straws can change how food tastes.

#headlines #news

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ivankahasbeentreatedsounfairly · 2 months ago

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An eccentric German princess who evolved from a 1980s punk style icon to a conservative Catholic known for hobnobbing with far-right figures said on Monday that she hosted Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and his wife at her castle during a July 2023 music festival.

Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis also told The New York Times that she viewed the justice as “a hero.”

“He is pro-life in a time where the majority follows the culture of death,” she wrote in a text exchange with The Times. She then typed a skull emoji, adding, “Christians believe in life. The Zeitgeist is nihilistic and believes in destruction.”

The 64-year-old princess said that Justice Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann, are her “friends” and that after her castle festivities, the three attended the opening of the Bayreuth Festival, the world’s premier venue for the performance of Wagner’s operas.

The details of the princess’s gift and the justice’s travels emerged after Justice Alito listed a $900 gift of concert tickets on his annual financial disclosure form, which was released late last week. The disclosure has prompted a new round of scrutiny of the justices, who have been in the spotlight after a series of revelations that some of them — most notably Justice Clarence Thomas — failed to report lavish gifts and travel from wealthy benefactors.

Justice Alito was the focus of a ProPublica report for failing to disclose a private jet flight paid for by a conservative billionaire who later had cases before the court. The jet trip was part of a luxury salmon-fishing vacation. Justice Alito, in an opinion columnin The Wall Street Journal before the article was published, maintained that he did not have a conflict in accepting the “hospitality” and that he was not obligated to disclose the trip.

Justice Alito has also been the focus of attention in recent months after The Times revealed that provocative flags flew outside the Alitos’ properties. Those included an upside-down American flagthat Trump loyalists had adopted to challenge President Biden’s 2020 electoral win flying outside the justice’s residence in the weeks after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Last summer, an “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which had been carried by Jan. 6 rioters and is now a symbol for a more Christian-minded government, was on display at the justice’s beach house.

Princess Gloria, who was once nicknamed “Princess TNT” for her explosive personality, has in recent years courted controversy in both the United States and Europe as a central figure among traditionalist Roman Catholics opposed to Pope Francis. Her 500-room Bavarian castle in Regensburg, St. Emmeram Palace, home to an annual music festival, has also been floated by the longtime Trump ally Stephen K. Bannon as a potential “Gladiator School” for the theological and media training of traditionalist conservative Catholics hostile to Francis.

Princess Gloria did not respond to other questions posed to her, including how long she has known the justice and his wife, whether she paid for other parts of the Alitos’ travel, including transportation, and whether she has given the justice other gifts in the past.

Justice Alito did not respond to requests for comment.

More details have emerged about the justice’s trip to the princess’s castle, including an interview with him by Christian Eckl, the editor in chief of a newspaper in Regensburg, who recognized the justice from reporting in The Times about the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. (Justice Alito wrote the majority opinion in the case.)

In the 32-second video, Justice Alito, with a beard and wearing a dark pinstriped blazer, spoke to an off-camera interviewer. The justice said the castle, seen in the background, was “amazing” and that he was looking forward to going to the Bayreuth Festival to see Wagner’s operas.

“I will enjoy it,” Justice Alito said. “A friend of mine has waited his whole life to get tickets to go, and so it’s quite a privilege to be able to go.”

Justice Alito did not say in the video which friend he was referring to, and he did not disclose any additional names on his annual financial form.

Mr. Eckl, who also spoke with the princess about her gift to the justice, described the festival as a mixture of classical music, jazz and rock. He said Elton John had performed there in a previous year.

A schedule for the July 2023 festival in Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site built during the Roman Empire, featured an eclectic lineup, including a performance of Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute,” a children’s musical about “Germany’s most famous and cheeky little witch,” a Michael Jackson tribute show and an act called the “Earth, Wind & Fire Experience.”

Mr. Eckl also described controversies around the festival because the princess had invited “many right-wing guests.”

The New York Times

By Abbie VanSickle and Philip Kaleta

Reporting from Washington

Sept. 9, 2024

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/us/politics/german-princess-alito-castle-visit.html

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melbmemories · 10 months ago

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1958 Cuckoo restaurant opens

The Cuckoo restaurant opened in 1958 in Olinda, a hamlet in the Dandenong Ranges outside Melbourne. It was run by Willi and Karin Koeppen and was Australia’s first all-you-can-eat smorgasbord restaurant. The entertainment involved lots of lederhosen, bum and thigh slapping, accordion playing and yodelling, and was good for group occasions like birthdays, as its fixed price made it easy to split the bill. The restaurant now seats more than 400 and welcomes coach tours, where Chinese people visiting Australia eat a Swedish-style meal in a Bavarian-style restaurant.

It seems Karen heard the sound of a cuckoo shortly after they moved into their new premises and decided that would be the name of the restaurant. “We called our restaurant ‘The Cuckoo’ because I woke up one morning, shortly after we’d moved in, and heard a cuckoo. Back then, I had no idea that Australians use the term ‘cuckoo’ to describe someone who is crazy, in the same way we Germans say: Jemand hat einen Vogel (someone has a bird)!” she said.

Smorgasbord-style restaurants were very popular in Germany in the 1950s, so the couple decided to create one in Australia. Melbournians embraced the concept, driving up the winding mountain roads to get there. There were soon imitators, but few stayed the course. The Cuckoo continued to operate for 63 years with waitpersons in dirndls and lederhosen and the same Bavarian-style floorshow. Willi, however, disappeared mysteriously in 1976. It’s suspected that he was murdered by a well-known underworld figure to whom he owed money.

The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 proved to be the Cuckoo’s undoing. Not only did it make the smorgasbord a health hazard to be avoided at all costs, but it also put a halt to overseas tourism. Although still having some support from locals, the restaurant was heavily reliant on busloads of tourists. In March 2021 Willi and Karin’s children, Daniella and Andrei Koeppen, announced they were closing for good.

#restaurant #1950s #dandenongs #cuckoo

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worldfootballrumours · 2 years ago

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#World Football Rumours

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sywtwfs · 5 years ago

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2020 Four Continents Championships, Bavarian Open & Russian Junior Nationals: Info & Streaming

The Four Continents Championships takes place in South Korea this week, while Russia selects its Junior World team at the Junior National Championships. Bavarian Open, a B competition in Germany, also features several top skaters among its entries. This post will be updated as more info appears.

Live results | Entries | Detailed schedule | Website | ISU

SCHEDULE

Korean Standard Time (UTC+9). Subscribe to our Google Calendar to get all competition times in your own time zone!

Feb. 6: Rhythm Dance 11:00; Pairs’ SP 14:15; Ladies’ SP 18:40 Feb. 7: Free Dance 13:30; Men’s SP 18:05 Feb. 8: Ladies’ FS 13:00; Pairs’ FS 18:15 Feb. 9: Men’s FS 11:30; Gala 17:30

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Be careful of popups and ads on free streaming sites. We are not responsible for the quality of the streams; we only provide the links. Many streams for major figure skating events have geographic restrictions. In order to unblock streams, consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Free VPN services are available, but the safer/more reliable ones require a fee.

HOW TO WATCH

Fan streams: These fan-run streams may livestream part or all of the event: Stream 1. Check the streams when the events are on. The streams are available worldwide.

ISU: The ISU will livestream the entire competition and gala on the Skating ISU Youtube channel in countries that do not have broadcasting rights for the event. See here for a list of broadcasters and geo-restriction info.

NBC Gold: Subscribers in the USA can watch the competition (excluding the gala) live on NBC Gold. NBC Gold is only available in the USA.

Channel One Russia: Russia’s Channel One will stream the entire competition and gala live. Schedule in Moscow Time:

2/6: Rhythm Dance 04:55; Pairs’ SP 08:10; Ladies’ SP 12:00

2/7: Free Dance 07:25; Men’s SP 11:35

2/8: Ladies’ FS 06:50; Pairs’ FS 11:55

2/9: Men’s FS 05:25; Gala 11:25

Official stream (geoblocked)

Fuji TV: Japan’s Fuji TV will air parts of the competition on TV. Viewers with Fuji On Demand can watch the entire competition live online (available in Japan only). Broadcast schedule in JST:

2/6: Ladies’ SP 20:00 (live? 1 hr 20 min in)

2/7: Men’s SP 20:00 (live? 2 hrs in)

2/8: Ladies’ FS 19:00 (taped)

2/9: Men’s FS 20:00 (taped)

Unblocked Fuji TV stream

SBS Sports: South Korea’s SBS Sports will air parts of the competition live. Schedule in KST:

2/6: Ladies’ SP 21:00 (live 2 hrs 20 min in)

2/7: Men’s SP 17:55 (live)

2/8: Ladies’ FS 20:00 (taped)

2/9: Men’s FS 20:00 (taped)

Official stream (geoblocked)

CCTV5: China’s CCTV5 & CCTV5+ will air parts of the competition live. Schedule in China Standard Time:

2/6: Rhythm Dance 14:00 (CCTV5, taped); Pairs’ SP 17:00 (CCTV5, taped)

2/7: Ladies’ SP 15:30 (CCTV5, taped); Free Dance 16:30 (CCTV5, taped); Men’s SP 22:45 (CCTV5, taped)

2/8: Ladies’ FS 14:05 (CCTV5, live 2 hrs 5 min in); Pairs’ FS 17:00 (CCTV5, live)

2/9: Men’s FS 12:30 (CCTV5, live 2 hrs in); Gala 16:30 (CCTV5+, live)

Official streams: CCTV5, CCTV5+ (geoblocked)

Instructions for creating an account on feiliuzhibo (free unblocked streaming)

Tencent: China’s Tencent will livestream parts of the competition. These streams may or may not be geoblocked; check when the events are on. Schedule and links in China Standard Time:

2/6: Pairs’ SP 14:00 (live 45 min in)

2/7: Men’s SP 19:00 (live 2 hrs in)

2/8: Ladies’ FS 14:00 (live 2 hrs in); Pair’s FS 18:00 (live 45 min in)

2/9: Men’s FS 12:30 (live 2 hrs in); Gala 17:00 (live 30 min in)

ELTA: Taiwan’s ELTA Sports 3 will air the entire competition and gala live. Schedule in China Standard Time:

2/6: Rhythm Dance 10:00 (live); Pairs’ SP 13:15 (live); Ladies’ SP 17:30 (live)

2/7: Free Dance 12:30 (live); Men’s SP 17:00 (live)

2/8: Ladies’ FS 12:00 (live); Pairs’ FS 17:15 (live)

2/9: Men’s FS 10:30 (live); Gala 16:30 (live)

Official stream (geoblocked)

TAP: TAP W will air the entire competition and gala live in the Philippines. Official stream; click on TAP W (geoblocked)

Other TV channels: Other TV channels may also air the competition. See here for a list of broadcasters with ISU broadcasting rights. Check your local TV channels for other skating broadcasts.

On demand: The ISU Youtube channel archives their livestreams. The videos are available in countries that do not have broadcasting rights. Videos will also be uploaded online by fans. Search skaters' names on Youtube and filter by upload date for the latest videos.

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BAVARIAN OPEN

Bavarian Open is a B competition. Events will be held at novice, junior, and senior levels.

Results & entries | Schedule | Website | ISU

Designation: B competition When: Feb. 3-9 Where: Oberstdorf, Germany Level & disciplines: novice/junior/senior men, ladies, ice dance, pairs How to watch: Free live stream

Notable entries: Senior - Shun Sato, Yuto Kishina, Marin Honda, Satoko Miyahara, Mishina/Galliamov, Sales/Wamsteeker, Lauriault/Le Gac. Junior - Stephen Gogolev, Joseph Phan, Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda, Eric Sjoberg, Madeline Schizas, D’Alessandro/Waddell, Yoshida/Nishiyama, Brown/Brown, Nguyen/Kolesnik

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RUSSIAN JUNIOR NATIONALS

Russian Junior Nationals will decide Russia’s Junior World team.

Results | Entries (English) | Schedule | Website

When: Feb. 4-8 Where: Saransk, Russia Level & disciplines: junior men, ladies, ice dance, pairs

Schedule (UTC+3)

2/6: Men’s SP 14:00; Ladies’ SP 17:30; Rhythm Dance 20:15 2/7: Men’s FS 14:00; Pairs’ SP 17:00; Ladies’ FS 19:00 2/8: Free Dance 12:00; Pairs’ FS 15:15

How to watch: Channel 1 Russian livestream (geoblocked to Russia). International livestream will be provided on the Channel 1 Youtube. Videos will also be archived on the Channel 1 Youtube.

#figure skating #4CC #4CC 2020 #isu championships #bavarian open #bavarian open 2020 #b comps #russian jr nationals #russian jr nationals 2020 #national comps #1920 nationals #events #season: 2019 2020 #how to watch

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yuzuru-s · 5 years ago

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GUYS, so I managed to meet Shun Sato after his Short Program at the Bavarian Open today, and he was so so sweet. Look at his signature, the little skating shoes!! 🤧🥺🥺 He did so well, he's currently in first place and I wished him all the best for the Free tomorrow!~

#bavarian open 2020 #shun sato #personal #ahhhhh pls protect he's so cute 🥺❤️#im gonna be so excited watching his FS tomorrow

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dailyanarchistposts · 17 days ago

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The intentional family of Waldbesetzungen and climate camps is steadily growing. Central squares are being occupied in six other German cities, as are a dozen forests and meadows.

Feminist, antiracist and anti-capitalist struggles are coming together in the woods, because all forms of oppression are interlinked. Black is the new green.

In times of greenwashing, green capitalism, and eco-fascism, the eco-anarchist Waldbesetzungen and climate camps offer a combative and beautiful spark of hope.

He co-published a report on a LNG-pipeline project in Quebec and a zine about a mall being built in his native village in southern France.

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