#bologna security

[jypsyvloggin]

150-Foot Lebanon Bologna Sandwich Breaks Records

On July 25, 2023, the Lebanon Area Fair in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, hosted the creation of the longest Lebanon bologna sandwich ever made. The sandwich was 150 feet long and was made with 600 slices of provolone cheese and 1,200 slices of Seltzer’s Lebanon bologna. It was cut into 900 individual sandwiches, and each foot-long “bite” was sponsored at $100 per foot. The money raised from the…

[sunshineandlyrics]

Art in Motion

(You can see how big Louis smiles just from the side of his face 🥰)

[sheikahwarriork]

I know Black Parade is iconic but my heart belongs to the half speed chorus of Helena

And also the midsection of MakeDamnSure but that’s not MCR lol

ohh since i first listened to MCR my heart is unable to choose between three cheers and the black parade 😔 but yeah helena..... i still remember the GOOSE BUMPS when i finally got to see them live back in 2022... okay now i want to listen to three cheers again eheh :3

i dont know about "makedamnsure", i'm gonna check it uwu

also. cameron. did u. did u see the last mcr post. their fucking cryptic shit. DOES THAT MEAN A NEW ALBUM IS COMING?? CAN I HOPE? CAN I LET MY HEART HAVE HOPE?? CAMERON SAVE ME-

[olderthannetfic]

I know you love scivener, but do you know anything about ellipsus? It's meant to be an aternative to google docs for collaborative writing.

I heard about them when they dropped nanowrimo as a sponsor over their inclusion of AI bullshit, which seemed promising. And digging around on their homepage I saw mentions of beta reading and ao3, and apparently they're trying to promote themselves on Tumblr now.

So it really sounds like we're the target audience, which could be great, but I don't know enough to be able to tell if there's an obvious catch somewhere?

--

This is the first I've heard of them. A quick scroll through their website seems promising.

As usual, the basic questions are:

How much does this product cost to develop?

Do they have a business plan that makes sense with that cost?

This kind of software can, theoretically, be made by a few friends dicking around, not a huge programmer team all of whom have it as their primary job, so it isn't the pile of massive red flags that all attempts at social media are.

From the site:

"Today we are a small, close-knit team of seven, located across the post-capitalist landscapes of Berlin, Bologna, Buenos Aires, and Szczecin. (So much for our alliteration-based hiring strategy.) True to our mission, we're a progressive, remote-friendly company that prioritizes creativity, community, and creative exchange."

Jobs are listed as: Co-founder and CEO, Co-founder and community, Product and marketing, Design, and Engineering x3.

That seems like a reasonable breakdown and a size of team that could possibly be paid for with some non-insane business model.

The types of red flags we're looking for are

"We want to be the next instagram!"

Many idea people with nebulous skills, few programmers

Thinking you can run tumblr with three programmers

Thinking you can pay for 100 programmers with a cheapass subscription model

Programmers are random, cheap contract workers the founders don't know

Venture capital from sources that will want a big payout rather than support from people who share the goals/values of the team

Extremely overcrowded field with tons of products that do exactly this already

Unclear nature of product or a product that doesn't seem to actually have a market

etc.

What they say about money is in the FAQ:

Will Ellipsus have a paid plan? In order to grow the team and fund ongoing feature development, we will need to charge for a version of Ellipsus at some point. A paid version would be targeting users with specific needs related to advanced security, data syncing, and collaboration. But there will always be a free version of Ellipsus, and we want to be as generous as possible in what's included on that free plan (e.g., unlimited docs and drafts, for starters). It takes time to build a great freemium experience (not to mention a premium product people will happily pay for), which is why we won't roll that out in 2024. While the features that will be included in our paid plan aren't final-final, we can share that everything in the product today will be included in our free plan.

This sounds reasonable. It just remains to be seen whether they keep at it or go belly up (taking your data with them). I guess you'd have to know more about the specific people building this to decide whether they'll be reliable.

The biggest potential issues I see are it being difficult to get people to ditch google docs despite its issues, this taking off big time and the owners deciding to sell it for $$$$$$ to someone who will then ruin it, or the team just not being competent.

But since I don't know any of them, I have no idea how good they are at business.

[art-damaged]

Ai Weiwei "Porcelain Cube" / Serial vandal

In September 2024, this 2009 sculpture was destroyed while on view at the Palazzo Fava in Bologna, Italy.

Reports say a male visitor stepped onto the plinth that held the work and pushed it forward, shattering the porcelain limbs. He then lifted up a portion of the broken porcelain over his head before smashing it to the ground.

The perpetrator, who was quickly detained by museum security before being taken into police custody, was later identified as 57-year-old Czech citizen Vaclav Pisvejc, who was charged with “destruction, dispersion, deterioration, defacement, soiling and illicit use of cultural or landscape assets."

Interestingly, this wasn't Pisvejc's first act of art-related vandalism: In 2018, he attacked the artist Marina Abramović by smashing a painting over her head in Florence, and in 2023, he climbed naked (with the word “Censored” painted on his body) onto the famed statue of Hercules and Cacus in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria during an award ceremony. It remains unclear, however, how Pisvejc managed to enter the gallery in the first place, as the incident occurred during an invite-only viewing ahead of the exhibition's public opening.

The work itself, destroyed beyond repair, was soon covered and removed; a photograph of the piece in its original state will soon be placed on view where the work once stood.

[blueiscoool]

Man Smashes Ai Weiwei Sculpture at Italy Art Show Opening

A man shattered a sculpture by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei on Friday during the opening of his exhibition at Palazzo Fava in the Italian city of Bologna, a spokesperson for the show said.

Footage from CCTV cameras — posted on Ai Weiwei’s Instagram account — showed a man vigorously pushing the sculpture over, breaking it and then holding a piece of it over his head.

The sculpture targeted was the artist’s large blue and white “Porcelain Cube,” the spokesperson said.

The exhibit’s curator, Arturo Galansino, said the perpetrator was well-known in the art world.

“Unfortunately, I know the author of this inconsiderate gesture from a series of disturbing and damaging episodes over the years involving various exhibitions and institutions in Florence,” said Galansino.

The police in Bologna told local media a 57-year old Czech man had been arrested after being stopped by the museum’s security. The police could not immediately be reached for comment.

The spokesperson said the art show, entitled “Who am I?” had opened on Saturday as normal and that the oeuvre will be replaced by a life-size print of the cube. The exhibition is due to run until May 4.

“Ai Weiwei worried that no one was hurt and then asked that the remains of the work be covered and taken away,” he said.

It was not clear how the man had entered the building during the invite-only event on Friday.

[badsciencejokes]

Copyright Strike on Instagram

I was unaware Instagram doesn't really vet their copyright reports...

So, I received a copyright strike on something that I didn't believe had any issues, but Instagram said the information of who to contact and to do so saying they owned a clip of video I had posted.

I sent them an email wanting to quickly resolve the matter. They requested a large payout. The price was a bit much I thought but hey, I'm under the assumption this clip I had used was under the ownership of some large company. I request to pay via a secure way and they insisted on a bank transfer. That's immediately when I knew something was up. Stupidly, I did pay the fee as I wanted the copyright strike gone from my account (you can lose your account for those!). I sent a screenshot of the pending payment and within an hour I had more reports to my content. Multiple. All of them, I was sure, were not owned by these people.

I ended up doing some major research on this 'company'. Found lots of evidence that they are not who they say they are. I let Instagram know about this. It took a little while but they reversed the copyright strike and brought my videos back. ....I am out that initial bank transfer, understandably.

But here's the thing.

They didn't vet this company at all.

This company said a bunch of bologna and Instagram immediately sided with them.

I have looked online and have not seen reports of this sort of scam happening. I want to let people know but also not because... well, obviously.

On the bright side, I was finally able to verify the @bad_science_jokes Instagram page.

Be on the lookout for scammers. Instagram isn't doing us any favors! I have checked a previous report I received a long time ago and it, too, was a scammer. Be very mindful!

[tenaflyviper]

You know, "My bologna has a first name" sounds kind of ominous, when you think about it.

All of the Sawyer family's bologna once had first names. And social security numbers.

[chastainromanova]

PROMPTS FROM BURN NOTICE

*from season 4 of the usa show. adjust as necessary

I mean, bottom line, you might not like it, but we're on the same side.

I'm glad you changed your hiring policies but flattery's not gonna make me work for you.

Fine. I love spending 10 hours in the cargo bay.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened.

My point is: calling the cops was a lot more effective than your genius idea.

I know you feel this is on your shoulders, it's not your job to solve everything.

Well I guess a little Sunday break-in never hurt anyone.

That tap on their phone line is our only lead on their location. Let the static soothe you.

So when we find them we're supposed to do what? Share them?

If you can't make an escape in this, then you deserve to get caught.

What kind of sissy wouldn't sleep with a gun under his pillow anyway?

Did you get a name or a face?

You are never packing the cooler again. Spray cheese and bologna?

Give most counter-intel agents a run for their money.

Don't count on the receptionist offering you coffee while you wait.

We start putting holes in people, it's going to get ugly.

Don't make me regret my decision.

By the time he sees you, he's going to be halfway to prison.

I'm the only best friend he has right now!

Hey, can we take your car? Mine's running on E.

The guy is on the verge of losing his life's work here.

Window's closing super spy, let's go.

It's a dead end if she kills us.

Everybody's favorite murderer makes a special appearance.

You know, if I'm going to spend the afternoon playing bait, I think you should buy me the nicest thing I see.

I wish our phone conversations were as flirty.

There's ice tea in the fridge!

I didn't strap you to that chair so we can talk about me, okay?

Keep the car running, we might have to leave in a hurry.

Not bad considering the guy clearly doesn't skimp on security.

I don't think they're here for the banquet, food and seminars.

This was my idea. I should have gotten to hit him!

This is not a-- I live here.

After a while you just start collecting ghosts.

I think that's still considered a bank robbery.

You should see the other guy.

Ya know, I thought the weird feeling in the air was just the calm before the storm.

No. It’s a disturbance in the force.

You sure we’re safe riding out the storm here?

And before you say “no”, you need to remember that I'm pretty dangerous, too.

Knowing when to walk away is harder than you think.

[kwisatzworld]

Vale's First Year in 250cc - 1998

Japanese GP, Suzuka “Maybe the perfect thing about 250 is I can get out of bed later! I used to get up around 7am every day for 125 practice, and that’s too early, a big problem for me. Now life is very much better because 250 practice later so I can stay in bed until 9am. I keep strange hours – at home I never go to bed before one or two in the morning, and I never get up before 11am if I can help it.” “I like Suzuka very much because it’s fun and Japan is a paradise for me because I love computer games. The track is great and I love all the shops and amusement arcades in the circuit complex – it’s like a big amusement park. Suzuka has to be the most expensive GP for me! This year I spent so much money on new games for my PlayStation and on souvenir F1 models of Hakkinen and Senna. I also bought a very trick radio-controlled Tamiya Subaru, with all the special parts that are impossible to buy in Italy.” “I think I will ask Beggio - he’s the Aprilia boss - to fix it for me to meet the Spice Girls. They are now promoting Aprilia scooters, and I’m a big fan. It would be fantastic to meet Scary Spice. Maybe I should join the band – I’d be Fast Spice!” “It’s good to be racing again after such a long winter and so much testing. I only had one real holiday – I went snowboarding for the first time. I crashed so many times. Now I’m a racer I’m more careful on skis than when I was a boy, but not too careful!”

Malaysian GP, Johor “Johor was another expensive grand prix for me – very expensive! On Sunday I lost the prize money for first place and earlier in the week I lost one million lira in a bet with Loris Capirossi. We stayed at the same hotel and I bet him that he couldn’t jump off a first-floor hotel walkway into the swimming pool. It was a pretty risky jump because he had to jump away from the walkway and there was a four metres drop to the pool, and no room for a run up! He nearly chickened out, but I’ll never pay him. Well, I’ll see if he forgets first.”

Spanish GP, Jerez “I didn’t miss the discos either, because I had a lot of late nights in clubs before I went to Malaysia. Maybe you know, but there’s a big fight in Italy at the moment to make clubs shut earlier. They close at 4am on Saturday night, but some people want them to close at two, because a lot of the kids have accidents when they drive home. But it’s crazy, if they shut the clubs at two, for sure there’s no way I’ll go home. I’ll go to another bar or to a party with my friends. I always stay up until six or seven on Sunday morning! Okay, maybe some of the kids drink too much or take drugs, but you don’t only get drink and drugs in clubs.” “It’s great to be back in Europe after the first two races. I have my camper which makes life very comfortable, the camper only holds two people, but that’s okay. I don’t like my dad to sleep with me, because when it gets to ten o’clock he starts saying: ‘Vale, Vale, go to bed!’, but I can’t go to sleep before one or two. We did share a motorhome in ‘96 and it made life very, very difficult for me. Dad didn’t make it to Japan or Malaysia and it’s good to have him around again. He knows what it’s like to be a GP rider, so he keeps in the background, maybe watches a bit out on the track, and lets me get on with it.” “Next race of course is Mugello, which is fantastic – lots of Italian fans. But I hope it doesn’t get too crazy for me in the paddock. Someone told me I should hire some security gorillas to look after me, but the organisers of the Milan motorcycle show did that for me, and they pushed the fans around. I didn’t like that, so maybe I’ll do what I did at the Bologna motorcycle show last autumn – dress up with dark shades, a wig like Ruud Gullit [the Dutch football star] and a baseball cap. I looked just like a fan and didn’t get hassled once all day. Or maybe I will dress up as a Spice Girl!”

Italian GP, Mugello “The noise at Mugello is mad – the fans on the hills rev up engines all day and all night. Some people bring big, old car motors in the back of vans, with big, open megaphone exhausts. They just rev them on the rev- limiter until the engines blow: pa-pa-pa-pa-pa... boom! It’s very funny! It’s fun to go up on the hill on Saturday evening. Two years ago I wasn’t so well known and I went up there and blew up someone’s CBR engine. Ooops! Last year was very dangerous for me – everyone shouting ‘Rossi! Rossi!’ and jumping on me. There was this big wall of people and only one way out – through the showerblock, so I rode my scooter through the showerblock. If I hadn’t, I’d probably still be up there.” “Mugello is always a lot of pressure for me, but maybe this year isn’t so bad as last year when I was on top of the points in 125s, so I had to win. This time as usual I spent so much time signing autographs, taking photographs with fans and talking to journalists and TV people. It’s okay, but it’s a little problem, because I need so much time to set up the 250. It’s not easy like the 125. You must think a lot and speak to your technicians all the time about your engine, your gearbox, your suspension, your chassis. Busy! Busy!” “The other thing that takes a lot of time is the girls! There are always a lot of girls at every Grand Prix, but a lot of really young girl fans come to see me in Italy, 12 and 13-year-olds. I prefer older girls who are real fans of me as a racer – not teeny-boppers.” “I wasn’t so confident before Mugello because while I was at home I played football and lost, I played tennis and lost, I rode motocross and lost. The only thing I won was minicars – I am the champion! We got beaten in a five-a-side soccer match, six-one, then a friend beat me at tennis, six-one, then Marco [Melandri] beat me at motocross. I’m always fighting with Marco on motocross but he’s faster than me. I’m getting better though – at the start of the year he’d beat me by five or six seconds, now it’s only one or two. I have much fear when I ride motocross because I’m not good at flying. We don’t go crazy; it would be stupid to get hurt doing that. Motocross is great for my muscle power though. I don’t go the gym much in the summer because I want to be outside, so motocross is perfect.”

French GP, Circuit Paul Ricard “Of course I’m looking forward to the World Cup. I love football and you get a great atmosphere for the World Cup. For sure I will see all of Italy’s matches on TV with my friends. I may also go to Paris for one of our matches to work with Italian TV. I hope it’s the final! But I think it will be difficult for Italy. For me, Brazil are the favourites, maybe also France; they have some good players.”

Madrid GP, Jarama “The Saturday before Jarama I went to a crazy disco in Riccione – a lot of people were out of their minds, really high! It’s incredible what the young do for enjoyment! I nearly got into a fight in the club too. This guy came up to me and asked for a cigarette. I told him I don’t smoke. So he asked me again, and I said I don’t smoke. He said ‘You don’t want to give me a cigarette because you’re Valentino Rossi’ and he wanted to fight me! Luckily a friend of mine – a big friend – arrived just in time. That’s another reason why I must get bigger muscles!”

Dutch TT, Assen “I love Assen – it’s a fun track – so it was great to win my first 250 GP there, especially after I won there on the 125 last year. The only thing I hate about Assen is the weather, but it didn’t rain until the 500 went out. God must like 250 racing!” “Maybe my new hair style gave me good luck. I dyed it orange before I left home for Holland, but only when I got to Assen did I realise that orange is the country’s national colour. So far I’ve been blue, blonde and orange, which leaves so many more colours to choose from. I think silver will be next.” “The weekend before Assen I went to the Misano World Superbike round. The track is only 10km from where I live, so I rode there on a scooter with some friends. It was like being a kid again! We watched from the side of the track, not from the paddock. We just laid down in the grass, sunbathed and cheered like crazy when Aaron Slight won both races. I’m a big Slight fan, so it was another perfect day. Aaron’s a really nice guy, but I’m also a big fan of Haga. He didn’t have such a great day – he crashed in both races – but that didn’t stop him having a big party on Sunday night. I went out to dinner with him and the Yamaha team that evening. I had already met him at the Suzuka GP and although he doesn’t speak Italian or English we had a very good Japanese/Italian interpreter. He’s incredible – he drank so much beer! He’s a good guy and very funny.” “The Superbike paddock is great, very different from GPs. Everyone is so serious in GPs – they have to be because the racing is so competitive. In Superbike it’s not like that, the whole Yamaha team was drinking on Sunday night: chief mechanics, mechanics, riders and even the number one guys of Yamaha Japan and Yamaha Italy. I think it’s better like that, but the scene in GPs is too intense for that kind of thing.” “A few days before Misano I went to Paris to be a studio guest on Rae TV for the Italy v Cameroon game. Three-nil! It was fun, but I didn’t get to talk much and I never met the Italian team, because I was in Paris and they were playing in Montpelier!”

British GP, Donington Park “It was a bad end to a bad week for me. We watched the Italy v France World Cup game on Friday night in the Aprilia hospitality unit – there were a lot of Italians and a lot of French making a lot of noise, so it was very funny. Of course I was sad to see Italy get beaten, especially on penalties. For sure if they’d won the cup there would have been a really huge party all over Italy. I was looking forward to that. Now I want Brazil to win. I was glad to see Germany go out on Saturday because I didn’t want them to win. Sorry, Germany!” “The guy who really impressed me during the World Cup was Michael Owen, the English striker, he’s only 18 or something and he scored an amazing goal against Argentina. Maybe he’s the Valentino Rossi of football!” “We had our own paddock World Cup at Donington on Thursday, which was really shit, because we played three games and lost three games. I played in the Italian team with Melandri, Boscoscuro, Scalvini, Locatelli, Borsoi and Carpani. First we played the Suzuki 500 team and lost, then we played Team Rainey and lost, and finally we played Dorna, and lost. Dorna were all Spanish and very good. But the games weren’t so much fun because the pitch was tiny and really bumpy. Last year we had the paddock World Cup at Imola on a full-size pitch, and I scored twice. Nice!” “I have to say I don’t like leaving home to go racing at this time of year - there are too many beautiful girls around where I live, and they don’t wear so many clothes during the summer. Before I left home for Donington we played this really fun game of football in Riccione, on a soft rubber pitch, covered with soap and water, so you slide all over the place! It’s very difficult even to touch the ball, and you spend most of the time crashing into each other. We were laughing so much we were crying.” “I’ve got a new PlayStation car racing game at home: Grand Turismo. It’s fantastic and I’ve been spending a lot of time playing it. You start off with a not-so-good car, and then win prize money to get trick tuning gear for the engine and chassis. Now I have a Subaru with 350bhp. It’s so fast! I’ve heard there are also some good bike racing games coming out soon – a World Superbike game from Virgin, and the Aoki brothers are working on a GP racing game with Namco. Maybe if they’re really good, I’ll just give up racing and stay home with my PlayStation. It doesn’t hurt so much when you crash.”

German GP, Sachsenring “Now we have a four-week holiday before Brno, but I’m going to spend most of my time on the beach near my home – it’s sunny and the girls are nice, that’s all I need! But I am going away for one week – a racers’ holiday with Loris Reggiani, Roberto Locatelli and Melandri. We’re going to Tunisia to mess about with jet skis and fast boats. Should be a lot of fun!” “People ask me why I don’t have a really flash car, but I like the Impreza. And anyway I live in a town with small streets – not so great with a supercar. Maybe next year I will buy a Porsche S4. At the moment I think I am maybe too young for a Porsche. I guess I can afford one but I don’t want to have everything I want too soon. I’m still young and have plenty of time ahead of me for doing things.” “Perugini has a Ferrari, but I think a Porsche has more class. Capirossi has a Lamborghini Diablo with 500bhp, like an F1 car. They’re great cars but they’re like a Fiat 128 inside! Also you can lend your Porsche to your mother so she can go and do the shopping. Try doing that with a Lamborghini – Iimpossible! For me, Porsche is number one, for sure.”

Imola GP, Imola “It’s nice to win again – especiallly at home. Maybe my Italian hairdo worked, which makes me think, because I won in Holland, when I had my hair orange, which is their national colour. So maybe I’ll dye my hair like the Catalan flag for Barcelona – red and yellow. Only problem – I’ll look like an oil flag!” “I could hardly move for girls outside my pit at Imola. Too many girls. Also some very nice girls, but I don’t have time! Maybe they like my new hairstyle. Imola was a tough race for me. Not because of the girls, but because it’s a very technical track with many slow chicanes, so we had trouble finding the right settings for my Aprilia.” “I’ve decided I prefer 125 riders to 250 riders – they’re much more fun and much more honest. It’s better. If you do something bad on the track, the other 125 riders come and tell you to your face. If you do something bad in 250, they just smile and say hello, and then say bad things about you behind your back.” “A lot of the 250 riders aren’t as friendly or as well behaved as 125 riders. 125 racing is like a family – everyone is friends, it’s not like that in 250, and I guess it’s probably the same in 500.” “Back at the start of the season, Ukawa got in my way on purpose when I was on a fast qualifying lap, to try and slow me down. He said he didn’t see me, but for sure he did see me. The same has happened other times. No one ever got in my way on purpose when I was racing 125 GPs in ‘96 and ‘97. In 250, the other riders seem to get angry if you’re fast, they like you more if you’re slow.” “Everyone knows that 125 battles are often very close and very crazy, but we still manage to stay friends. I don’t like the way some 250 riders behave. Before I came into 250 a lot of the riders were my heroes, but not any more. I hope I don’t become like one of them – if I do, I hope you will tell me.”

Catanlan GP, Catalunya “I don’t think the GP bosses liked my friend the chicken at Catalunya. The rules say you’re not allowed to give people pillion rides, but the rules don’t say anything about chickens. Maybe I’ll get into trouble, maybe they’ll put me in jail, but I won the race, so I don’t care. As long they let me out in time for Australia. Why a chicken? Simple, a friend of mine runs a chicken farm, and he’s one of my sponsors.” “We had a big party after I won at Imola – a lot of people, but I didn’t have a hangover the next morning, because I don’t drink alcohol. Maybe the occasional beer, for fun. But I’m only 19, plenty of time for drinking later!”

Australian GP, Phillip Island “I got to Australia on Wednesday and left on Sunday night after the race, so I had no time to see anything, apart from some koalas, kangaroos and possums at a nature reserve on the island. I spent some time in Sydney in ‘96 and I think Australia is my favourite country, outside Italy. I love the people and they’re very passionate about bike racing. They were all behind Mick [Doohan] over the weekend and I saw there were some shops at the track selling black flags with a number six on them. Very funny! [The flags were taking the mickey out of number six 500 rider Max Biaggi who had been black-flagged at the Catalan GP.]” “Since they cancelled Rio I lost all chance of winning the world title. But I’m happy we’re not going there because the track is shit. So the last race is Argentina. I’ve never been there before, so I’m looking forward to it, especially since some people tell me the girls there are the most beautiful in the world.”

Argentine GP, Buenos Aires “It's great to win again - my fifth win of the year - hooray! But I lost the championship by just three points, so, shit!” “It's been a long season, but I could still do another few races no problem. Which we' 11 have to do next year because we have 16 or 17 grands prix in 1999. In fact I' m still not finished - I have a rally at the end of November and next season I' m doing a big event at Misano, racing against lot of other bike racers, doing motocross, karting, rally cars and Formula Renault. It should be a lot of fun - I think I' Il be racing with [Kevin] Schwantz, Reggiani, Mamola, Harada, Melandri, Haru and Nobu Aoki, [Luca] Cadalora, [Roberto] Locatelli and Criville. I' not too worried about winning, I just want to have a laugh.” “On Saturday he took a short cut. round the back of the circuit, and was going through this corner at about 20kph when I arrived on a very fast lap. It was really frightening, so I paid him back by kicking him as we returned to the pits. That was my first trip to Argentina, but Buenos Aires is good: nice place, nice girls!”

[sunshineandlyrics]

First time I've seen someone at the ready with a cigarette right after Louis comes offstage.

FITFWT Bologna, 9 October 2023

[litcest]

The House of Borgia: The Rise and Fall of a Duke of Romagna (Part 3)

| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 | References |

Cesare spent most of 1501 conquering territories throughout Romagna, leading a formidable army. It is important to note that when Rodrigo legalised these claims, he declared that Cesare had conquered and united those lands under the name of Borgia, not in the name of the Papal States and made Cesare into the Duke of Romagna. This established a hereditary dukedom for the Borgias, which could be passed down to the next generation.

Cesare's dukedom was in a precarious position and Rodrigo knew that. The best way to secure the Borgia control over Romagna was by getting Lucrezia a new husband, one that controlled lands near theirs. That potential husband was Alfonso d'Este, son and heir to the Duke of Ferrara. The primary obstacle was Ercole I d'Este, Alfonso's father, who opposed the marriage due to Lucrezia's controversial reputation. With the intervention of Louis XII, Ercole reluctantly agreed to the match. Yet, shortly after the engagement was announced, another scandal would circulate in the gossiping circles of Rome, proving that d'Este had been right in his worries. This scandal was the infamous Banquet of Chestnuts, held on 31 October 1501, and detailed in the journal of Johann Burchard, the Pope's Master of Ceremonies: 

"Don Cesare Borgia gave a supper in his apartment in the apostolic palace, with fifty decent prostitutes or courtesans in attendance, who after the meal danced with the servants and others, fully dressed and then naked [...]. Chestnuts were strewn about, which the prostitutes, naked and on their hands and knees, had to pick up [...]. The Pope, Don Cesare and Donna Lucrezia were all present to watch. Finally prizes were offered to those men who fucked these prostitutes the greatest number of times."

There is much discussion regarding the historicity of the event, but regardless of how it may have occurred, it certainly wasn't like how it was portrayed in the episode 4 of season 3 of The Borgias, as Guilia Fernase, who is the organiser of the banquet in the episode was no longer involved with the Pope by 1501.

Despite the swirling rumours and scandals, Lucrezia's marriage to Alfonso d'Este moved forward. The wedding took place by proxy on 30 December 1501, with Alfonso's brother acting as his representative during the ceremony. This means that although Lucrezia was legally married to Alfonso, she still had never met him. Only a month later, on 30 January 1502, days before Lucretia's arrival in Ferrara, was that she finally met the man she was married to.

Cesare and Rodrigo continued their conquest, ignoring Louis XII's request that the family avoid Florence, which was under the French King's protection. When Louis learned of Cesare's plans, he sent troops to help protect the city from the Borgia's army. Fearing a confrontation with Louis XII and a potential betrayal by his own commanders, Borgia fled from his camp in disguise and journeyed towards Milan, where Louis had temporarily established his court.

Before he got to Milan, however, he took a little detour to visit Lucrezia, who was pregnant and gravely ill in Ferrara. The siblings talked in a Valentian dialect, in such a way that no observer could quite figure out what was being said. After spending the night with Lucrezia, Cesare continued on his way to Milan, where he met Louis and the two talked and came to an agreement: Cesare could take Bologna if he stopped disturbing Florence; not only that, but Louis also would arrange for Cesare's daughter, Louise, to marry the son (and heir) to Marquis of Mantua, who so happened to be the son of Lucrezia's sister-in-law (Lucrezia was married to Alfonso, whose sister Isabelle was married to the Marquis).

Lucrezia, meanwhile, was still ill and had given birth to a stillborn child. Cesare visited her again after he left Louis' court, while Lucrezia still laid on her bed and everyone was unsure if she would survive. This visit marked the last time they saw each other, though not due to the death of either Lucrezia or Cesare.

After leaving Lucrezia, Cesare returned to his campaign, where growing dissatisfaction among his generals led to treacherous plots. Despite that, Cesare outmanoeuvred his enemies and managed to maintain control of the Romagna region. Towards the end of 1502 and beginning of 1503, Cesare's war tactics became erratic and he stopped following his father's wishes. Many political machinations were also happening around this time, with Rodrigo trying to deceive the French, the Spanish and the Venetians.

As such, during the summer months of 1503, when Rodrigo and Cesare went to a party and, afterwards, both fell ill, rumours of poisoning quickly spread like wildfire. More scandalously, it was being said that they had been poisoned while trying to poison the other Cardinals. Nowadays, it's widely assumed that he died of malaria, which Cesare had likely also contracted.

Whatever might have been the cause of the illness, on 18 August, Rodrigo died while, Cesare himself struggled to survive. In the many plans that the Borgias had elaborated on how to remain in control after Rodrigo's death, never had it occurred to them that Cesare might be unavailable to go ahead with the plans. Had Cesare been healthy, he could have influenced the election of the next pope, maintained his position in the Papal Army, or even attempted to take the papacy for himself. Ultimately, the Borgia family's ambition to establish a hereditary papacy and create a united Italy had fallen apart.

What Cesare did manage to do was reach the Papal treasury before anyone else and took as much money as he could carry. Meanwhile, Rome was on the brink of chaos due to rival factions vying for power and external threats from both the French and Spanish armies. Additionally, Cesare's authority in the Romagna was being challenged by various leaders, with many nobles seizing the opportunity to reclaim their occupied territories. 

In the middle of this political chaos, the College of Cardinals needed to elect a new Pope. The first step was to remove Cesare Borgia from his Vatican apartment, which he refused to vacate unless the next pope retained him as Captain of the Papal Forces. The College agreed to the terms and so Cesare left Rome, being carried in a litter by his servants. Once he had left, the conclave convened and elected Pope Pius III.

[beardedmrbean]

ROME (AP) — A man smashed a sculpture by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei during the private opening of his exhibition in the northern Italian city of Bologna, in an act of vandalism that the show's curator described Tuesday as a “reckless and senseless act.”

The large blue and white “Porcelain Cube” was part of the exhibition “Who am I?” inaugurated at Bologna’s Palazzo Fava on Saturday.

Italian media reported that local police arrested a 57-year-old Czech man, who said he was an artist. He was known for targeting important works of art in the past.

It is still unclear how the man gained access to Friday’s invitation-only event, but the museum confirmed that the exhibition opened to the public as planned on Saturday.

According to the artist’s wishes, the work’s fragments were covered with a cloth and removed. They will be replaced by a life-sized print and a label explaining what happened.

Ai shared CCTV footage of the attack on his Instagram account, which showed the man hanging around the work before moving suddenly behind it and pushing it so that it smashed on the gallery floor.

The man then held a broken fragment in a gesture of triumph before the museum’s security blocked him, pulling him onto the floor.

Ai himself is known around the globe for making creative statements destroying artwork. One of Ai’s most famous pieces, “Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, (1995)” captures the artist as he drops a 2,000-year-old ceremonial urn, allowing it to smash to the floor at his feet.

“The act of vandalism against Ai Weiwei’s work ‘Porcelain Cube’ is even more shocking when we consider that several of the works on display explore the theme of destruction itself,” said the exhibition’s curator Arturo Galansino.

“The destruction that Ai Weiwei depicts in his works is a warning against the violence and injustice perpetrated by those in power, and has nothing to do with this violent, potentially dangerous, reckless and senseless act,” he added.

Galansino described the attacker as “an habitual troublemaker seeking attention by damaging artists, works, monuments and institutions.”

[jcc1015]

A story about my locked up life…..

I don’t work so during the day I am woke up out of bed by my wife. She has me do my bathroom stuff and shower if I want one. I am handed clean underwear and socks, T shirt and overalls and a pair of rubber flip flops and told to get dressed. After dressing, I am allowed a small cup of cereal, a piece of toast and some water. I am allowed to brush my teeth and pick out a book or magazine. She will make me a bologna sandwich and pack it into a small lunch bag with a small amount of potato chips and piece of fruit. when it is time for her to leave for work, she straps the restraint belt around my waist. As I dutifully stand there, she pulls the belt snug around my waist and buckles it from behind. The feeling is of this is a stark reminder she is restricting my freedom. She has me turn and face her with my hands raised as she puts the handcuffs through the D ring on the belt. She will then clamp the cuffs around my wrist one at a time and double lock the cuffs. By then, I am very erect. She will tell me she does this because she loves me. She also says she is afraid I will get into trouble when she is not with me and I am free. After I am all secured in my cuffs, she takes me and my lunch to the detached garage for confinement. She has placed a cot with a pillow and blanket for me. Sometimes sleeping helps pass the time. She has a lawn chair if I would like to sit. I have a plastic bucket if I have to pee. My wife has removed, put out of reach, or locked up anything in locked cabinets that could aid in my escape. The garage also has a barred window for me to get some daylight. The garage looks like a small jail. She will give me a kiss and tell me to enjoy my alone time. She then leaves shutting and padlocking the door. My confinement time is usually 9 to 12 hours a day. I will often times masturbate the best I can with my hands restricted like this to pass time. Sometimes I masturbate 4 to 7 times during my lock up time. I’m usually wet and sticky with all my cum. As I sit there, I can hear daily life of freedom around me. I can hear my neighbors coming and going, people talking as they are passing by, kids playing close by. Sometimes the sound makes me long to be able to be free. ⛓️🔒🔑❤️

[nancyfmccarthy]

Turin

We are heading back to Rome after three days in Turin, or Torino in Italian. The weather was gray and rainy, but the city still looked beautiful. It is a city of broad boulevards, huge piazzas and palaces, with the Alps as a backdrop. It is pleasantly quiet compared to the roar of Rome. There are hiking trails reachable from the city. Skiing is 90 minutes away by train and Milan is 60 minutes away.

We found a school that looks great for next winter and secured what looks like a nice apartment. Our plans for 2025 are locked.

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There are a few galleria in imitation of Milan.

There are porticoes reminiscent of Bologna.

The Mole is the city landmark.

The River Po has lovely parks along both banks.

On the left was our view from a height we climbed above the city. On the right is a photo of what the view would have been on a clear day!

We did get a glimpse of the Alps on our first day, before the clouds moved in.

[halfturn]

anyone who has ever spent more than 2 minutes with me knows how much i admire thiago motta and he's done a brilliant job getting bologna to secure CL football for the first time in 60 years but it makes me sad that the most important players of that side are going to be poached by bigger clubs and motta himself is going to leave to manage juventus ijbol they're going to end up like this season's napoli