#euro road 2023

[marcelskittels]

Christophe Laporte & Wout van Aert ‹ Men Elite Road Race › 2023 UEC Road Cycling European Championships

[a-sportygoldfish]

it's just jumbo 1-2-3😵‍💫

[magics-neptunes-things]

Dr. Bronze

Hi guys!

This is a small one with Ona and Lucy :) It comes from several request, so I hope you will like it!

Please enjoy ♥

TW : None

She’s a doctor. It’s still funny for Lucy to say that, but she likes the idea, to be honest. She’s pretty honored and this distinction made her think back about the woman she was at that time. She was so far away to imagine where she would be more than ten years later.

Not here in the English Camp, looking at Tooney and Alessia giggling about something she doesn’t want to know. But here like having be able to live so many things with football. She has won the Women’s Euro in 2022 and almost won World Cup in 2023 with England. And she won almost everything with Barcelona those last past years too.

And she can say that she never has been so happy as she is right now. And not only because of football, even if she met the woman she loves deeply thanks to football and their mutual friends.

She sighs softly when she reads one more time Ona’s last message, saying how sorry she is for not being able to come to the ceremony in Leeds University. Lucy wasn’t expecting her to be able to come to be honest, Ona is with her national team somewhere in Spain, training for the Olympics.

She would have love to see her again though. She misses her girlfriend, like crazy. They had a long discussion in Cuba about Lucy’s future and their relationship when they learn that Barça hasn’t accepted Lucy’s wishes. They knew it would be difficult to be separate again, but it was only for several months until Lucy will finish her career and come back in Barcelona to Ona.

That’s their project. Lucy joked about opening a bar, but she really thinks she would love it now. She hasn’t talk about it to Ona, scared that the younger one will make fun of her.

“Lucy, get your ass here right now or you will be late for fuck’s sake!”

Lucy groans when she hears her brother screaming in their parents’ house. It’s the day where she was supposed to received her distinction and she really needs to leave right now. But she really wanted to hear Ona’s voice before leaving and her girlfriend doesn’t seem to want to answer for now.

Lucy’s frowning when she comes down the stairs and when she goes in her brother’s car. Their parents’ left before them with Sophie, Lucy’s little sister, but the footballer can’t help and try to call Ona again.

“What the hell is she doing?” Lucy groans in a low voice.

“Maybe she’s tired of you. Maybe she realizes how easier it’s to live without you” Jorge teases her sister.

The slap he received after that echoes inside the car.

“Oy!”

“Shut up your face, will you?”

He rolls his eyes playfully, but Lucy’s reaction makes him realizes that maybe it isn’t the right place to joke. They never really talk about their respective feelings and love life to each other. But Jorge likes Ona, and he likes his sister with the Spaniard.

“Sorry if it was a bad choice for jokes” he says after a moment of silence.

Lucy groans for any answer, busy to write to Ona. She frowns again seeing that her messages are being delivered but not read.

“She’s not answering at anything” Lucy mumbles.

“I’m sur she’s fine, Luce. Maybe she has some tactical class or something?”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

She’s not scared anymore like she was last year when Ona wasn’t answering her phone quickly. It happened from time to time for Vilda being the reason of Ona’s silence. Vilda isn’t here anymore, and things got a little better since, even if it’s not the best conditions. But it’s the evening and they usually are free.

Jorge looks at his sister, briefly leaving the road with his eyes.

“You are going to be alright; you know? Ona and you.”

“How can you know?” Lucy asks after a moment of hesitation.

“I just know. That girl is really in love with you, and I can say you are too. It’s different from your other relationship, I can say it. And everyone who knows you can say it, you are like two parts of the same orange. It’s like all the things who could separate you aren’t and make you both even stronger.”

Lucy stays silence several seconds, really touched by her brother’s words. She’s sure that Ona is the love of her life, but she’s not sure that she’s Ona’s one. She will probably never be, never taking the girl for granted.

“It’s going to be so hard to be away from her” Lucy points softly.

“I never said it will be easy. But you will survive this.”

Lucy smiles for real this time. She never thought that Jorge’s words would one day make her feel better about her love life and her choices.

Ona still hasn’t answer to her when she faces the outfit she’s supposed to wear for the ceremony.

She would have love to see Ona sitting next to her mother in the crowd, but she’s not mad or even disappointed. Just a little bit sad to have a reminder of what their life will be for now. She will miss having Ona dead asleep next to her every morning when they were supposed to gets up for training. Or a koala-Ona begging her not to leave the bed.

After her speech, she got lost a little bit in her thoughts, but managed to smile at the right time and give right answers to what is addressed to her. They talk to some people around them for several times before Lucy’s father grab her arm.

“Come on, let’s go to the restaurant now” mumble Lucy’s father, probably tired of all this protocol.

Lucy smiles when Jorge snorts and follow her family, taking a look at her phone again. She got several notifications, but still nothing from Ona and she’s writing to Mariona when they pass the doors of the building.

“Hola, Doctor Bronze.”

Lucy almost misses a stair step. She knows that voice by heart and would be able to recognize it between thousands of other voices. But that voice isn’t supposed to be here, she’s supposed to be training in Spain.

But when she raises her eyes, Ona is really in front of her. With her freckles, her chocolate doe eyes and a slight cocky smile.

Lucy doesn’t speak, she breaks the distance to Ona in three great steps, before taking the youngest girl in her arms, in an embrace probably able to break her two or three ribs. But Ona doesn’t complain, in fact she puts her arms around Lucy’s shoulders and hide her face in her neck.

“You are here” Lucy whispers in Ona’s hair, making the Spaniard smiles.

“Of course I am” she whispers back.

“Don’t break your opponent’s back, Luce” Jorge shout from afar.

They both can hear Diane shoving Jorge and the others away, making the couple smile again.

“How are you here?” Lucy asks, looking at her girlfriend.

“Your parents came to take me from the airport. I explained to Tome what was happening, and she said I can come” Ona explains softly, stroking Lucy’s face with her fingers. “It’s just today and tomorrow though.”

“I take it” Lucy smiles.

And now that her family is gone, she puts her lips on Ona’s. She can feel her smile under her lips and she kind of regrets not to be alone with Ona to deepen the kiss.

“So, this is where you studied?” Ona asks, looking around.

Lucy hums, unable to stop looking at Ona. She got a tan from her training in Spain, and she definitively has more freckles. Lucy resists to the envy to kiss every single one of them, choosing to kiss her jaw instead.

“You want me to show you around?”

“Mh deepens. Will there be secret places where you took other girls to kiss?”

“No” Lucy laughs. “Come on.”

Without any hesitation, Ona takes the hand Lucy is reaching out, interlacing their fingers. Like she proposed, Lucy shows the places where she studied, even if she took a lot of classes online too, to be honest. But she likes to have her girlfriend for herself before actually going to the restaurant with her family.

They managed not to cross the path of a lot of people. They know that there is people around and probably photographers. Everyone has a smartphone to take a picture now anyway.

“Oh. There is one more place I want to show you” Lucy says while they were going back to the car. “Come.”

Ona happily follows her girlfriend, not letting her hand go a single second. Lucy turns behind an old building before stopping suddenly. Ona doesn’t really understand what happened, but soon she’s trapped between a wall and her girlfriend, who is smirking at her.

“Now, I have a place here where I kissed a girl on this campus.”

The rest of the night went well. They finally went to the restaurant where Lucy’s family was waiting for them and had a wonderful time. The food was delicious and even if they were with the others Bronze, Lucy never let Ona’s hand go. She played with her fingers during all the time they were sitting. Ona always got along pretty great with the others Bronze, much to her relief. Lucy didn’t have the least concern about it.

Then they finally went to the hotel where Ona took a room, happy to finally be alone. They couldn’t keep their hands away from each other as soon as Ona closes the door behind them.

After several hours and a long shower taking together, they are in bed, facing each other. Their legs are interlinked, and Lucy is stroking Ona’s hip while looking at her.

“I love you so much” Lucy says softly. “I can explain how happy I am to have you here.”

“I love you too. And my girlfriend is a Doctor, I couldn’t miss that, right? Doctor Bronze” Ona teases.

“Why is it so hot when you say it?”

Ona laughs this time and Lucy can only smiles, loving to hear that sound. Ona rolls on her back to stretch, but it’s not Lucy’s taste to see her walk away from her, even if it’s only a few centimeters. She passes her arms around Ona’s body to drag her against her.

“What if I sequester you and I take you to a secret place known only to me?”

“Would you stay with me?”

“Of course”

Ona smiles hearing Lucy’s evidence in her tone.

“Then it wouldn’t be a kidnapping, because I’d be entirely consenting.”

Lucy hums, passing one leg on both of Ona and hide her face in Ona’s neck. She misses her smell too. Lucy’s breath makes the younger shiver, but Ona doesn’t move, only playing with Lucy’s hair.

“What are you thinking about?” Ona asks, realizing that Lucy’s eyes are wide open.

“Barcelona” Lucy mumbles. “The places I love, the places we went together and the one I want to go the next time I’m back.”

“What’s your favorite place?” Ona asks curiously.

“Our home.”

It’s sappy, but Ona loves it. She passes her arms around Lucy to feel her better against her.

“You know how we talk about me coming back to Barcelona at the end of my career?” Lucy asks.

“Yeah?”

Ona’s voice is as calm as possible, but she can’t help but be scared that Lucy already change her mind. England is where she grew up, where her family is. It would be almost normal to want to come back here. Just like she herself wanted to go back to Barcelona.

“We never really talked about what I would do at this time.”

“What would you like to do?”

Ona watch as Lucy rolls on her stomach, so almost completely lying on Ona. But the English Woman just wants to be able to see Ona’s face.

“I know it was just a joke with Mapi in the beginning, but I think I would love to have my own bar. Just somewhere where people can come to drink something and watch sport on TV.”

Lucy is looking at Ona with a lot of attention, almost waiting for the Spaniard to laugh at her face. But Ona never does it, instead she looks thoughtfully at her girlfriend.

“If that’s what makes you happy Luce, just do it” Ona smiles softly.

“You make me happy.”

Ona rolls her eyes with a smile but happily let Lucy kiss her lovingly. The Spaniard missed her girlfriend as much as Lucy missed her. It wasn’t easy for her to let Lucy go in London, but her girlfriend’s happiness is what she cherishes the most.

“But during Barca Femeni’s and Spain women’s games, I’ll have to close the place to come watch you play” Lucy adds soon after.

“Will you wear my jersey?” Ona ask with a smile.

“Mh… Maybe”

“Hot” smirks Ona.

Lucy laughs softly, letting her finger run on Ona’s face. She seems to have more in mind, but Ona knows better than push her to know what’s going on in her mind. Just when she turns her face to kiss Lucy’s wrist, the latter talk again.

“Maybe our children will wear it too?”

“What, a Spanish jersey or a Batlle one?” Ona smirks.

They talked already about having children together, but not really about what team they could play. if they want to play, of course. Lucy is surprised by Ona question, she never thought about it to be honest. But if they stick to their plans, they will be living in Barcelona, so it will be logical for them to play for Spain.

“We will let them chose” Lucy answers wisely.

“Sure, Dr. Bronze” Ona chuckles.

[artemispt]

sorry this may seem really silly but im a fairly new fan and was just wondering who roberto merhi is. i understand he is also a driver but how did he meet carlos / why are they so close? have they always been friends? why is roberto everywhere with carlos? i know they are both spanish drivers but are they childhood friends or is roberto part of carlos’ training group ? sorry so many questions !

Hi! I'm finally answering your ask, sorry for the delay 🙈, Roberto is slightly older than Carlos (he was born in 1991 and Carlos in 1994) and they're from different cities (Roberto is from Valencia and Carlos from Madrid), so I don't think they're childhood friends (or like @lariaz said, if they're childhood friends, they probably hadn't much contact), but I could be wrong. I compared their Wikipedia pages and it seems that the first time they raced together was in 2011 in Formula 3 Euro Series (3 races, it appears 😅):

(the first screenshot is from Roberto's Wikipedia and the second one is from Carlos') According to this tweet, Carlos starting appearing in Roberto's IG in 2013. In 2014, they competed against each other in Formula Renault 3.5. Carlos won the championship and Roberto finished 3rd. Carlos' documentary "Road to 55" is about this championship. (Pierre Gasly also raced with them and finished 2nd. I didn't have a clue 🤯)

In 2015, they started in F1, Carlos in Toro Rosso and Roberto in Marussia.

Roberto left F1, because of money, I think, and started racing in other series. Since then, according to @carlosplaining (btw, she probably knows a lot more about their friendship. @forza-carlos-sempre also knows a lot), started to training with Carlos. He sometimes also comes to F1 races to support Carlos. Some interviews where Roberto talks about Carlos:

Ok, to sum up, don't know exactly when their friendship started, but they are very good friends 😊 Roberto is always supporting Carlos and it's so heartwarming to see. In the tweet I mentioned before you can see how much he's present in Carlos' life. Hope I somehow asked your questions 🙏 If anyone wants to add some info, or correct something I said, please be free!

Thanks @5ainz @lariaz @forza-carlos-sempre @carlosplaining for the help ❤️

[emmmma-0315]

It is 2023, and WHY are competitive sports still over-utilizing youngsters? Spain has already qualified for the Euros and de la Fuente still chose to start Gavi, despite him having played back-to-back 90mins games for Barcelona and Spain.

Now Gavi has torn his ACL accompanied with meniscus damage. This isn't a one time injury, and it will resurface as muscle strains, knee instability, and osteoarthritis throughout his life. As a competitive athlete, the rest of his career is affected.

This isn't a one time occurrence either. We have seen this trend enough times - Bojan, Marco Reus, Ansu Fati, and Pedri to just name a few. Coaches STILL refuse to acknowledge the unhealthy overuse of young athletes.

This makes me so angry because the supposedly experienced experts are throwing the words "passion" and "age" around as if they are adequate excuses to take advantage of those eager and willing to prove their worth.

The same phenomenon is seen in the equestrian world. Young horses - practically babies - are being raced, spun around barrels, and pushed to jump high fences before their body even finished maturing.

He is 19, and he was 3.

Take accountability and STOP this nonsense!!!

Rest easy, Wild On Ice. And many of those who lost their lives in competitive sports🕊️

Quick recovery, Gavi❤️‍🩹 The rehabilitation road ahead will be difficult and painful, but you've got this.

[maaarine]

How The Netherlands Built a Biking Utopia (Michael Thomas, Distilled, March 09 2023)

"According to one estimate, 60% of all Dutch transportation infrastructure was destroyed during World War II.

Roads, bridges, and tunnels were all bombed during the invasion. Some cities, like Rotterdam, were completely flattened.

All of this destruction forced The Netherlands to rebuild their country almost entirely from scratch.

With this blank canvas, the Netherlands didn’t immediately set out to build a biking utopia.

In fact, the opposite happened. Like many countries around the world, the post-war era was a golden age for the personal automobile. (…)

In 1971, 500 children were killed by cars.

One of those children was Simone Langenhoff, a 6 year old girl who was struck and killed by a car on her way to school.

In response to the tragedy, her father, a journalist, wrote a front page article with the provocative title “Stop de Kindermord” or “Stop Murdering the Children.”

The article inspired protests and eventually an entire movement. The next year, something else important happened.

In 1972, the Dutch government released a report showing that it would cost billions to continue building roads and highways.

Nearly every politician at the time agreed that this kind of spending just wasn’t feasible. They all agreed that the country needed to look at alternatives to cars.

If that wasn’t enough, another year later, gas prices skyrocketed due to the first oil crisis.

Suddenly the price of oil went up by 300%. In a nationally televised speech, the prime minister urged people to use less energy and change their lifestyles.

He also announced a series of car-free Sundays which gave people a glimpse of cities would look like with less cars.

As a journalist for The Guardian put it: “People were suddenly reminded of what life was like before the hegemony of the car.”

In the 1980s a few Dutch cities began to experiment with new ways to get people out of cars and onto bikes again.

For example The Hague and Tilberg built a few bike lanes and painted them bright red.

But biking rates didn’t go up after they built these bikes lanes. (…)

In other words, if you want people to bike you can’t just make it pleasant to bike. You have to make it a pain to drive.

Over the last 20 years, Dutch cities like Amsterdam and The Hague have done just that.

One way they’ve discouraged car use is by making parking expensive.

“In the city centre, you pay seven euros per hour [to park],” de Lange said. “If it's expensive, people will think about going by car twice.”

But policies like this don’t just discourage people from driving. They also provide income for the government.

And most Dutch cities use that income to fund bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

In addition to making parking expensive, Dutch cities also use a city planning strategy called “traffic calming” to slow down cars.

The basic idea of this is to make roads more narrow, reduce speed limits, add bumps, and make it difficult to drive fast.

This makes driving less desirable. But it also makes it safer for pedestrians and cyclists. The result is less driving and more biking and walking.

Many cities have also begun converting roads into car-free zones. As the name implies, these are areas of the city where cars can’t travel with the exception of delivery trucks and emergency vehicles.

All of these changes have had an incredible impact on The Netherlands.

In the 1970s about 500 children were dying from car fatalities per year. Four decades later in 2010, 14 children died, a decrease of about 97%.

Compared to the United States, the Netherlands has 3 times less car fatalities per capita. If the US could replicate this, we’d save 20,000 lives per year.

All of this biking is also improving people’s health. Everywhere in Europe, obesity rates are growing with one exception: The Netherlands.

As Melissa and Chris Bruntlett point out in their book, Curbing Traffic: “Similar bicycling rates in the United States would save a staggering 125,000 lives each year.”

These policies have also cut the Netherlands carbon emissions. In the United States the average person emits about 5.4 tons of CO2 per year from driving.

Dutch people, on the other, drive much less and as a result their cars emit 3 times less CO2 per capita."

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Tim Campbell

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

February 29, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAR 1, 2024

Today’s story is that in the negotiations to fund the government and pass the national supplemental security bill, MAGA Republicans appear to be losing ground. Biden appears to be trying to weaken them further by making it clear it is Republicans, not Democrats, who are preventing new, strict border security legislation.

The first of two continuing resolutions to fund the government for fiscal year 2024 will expire tomorrow. Fiscal year 2024 began on October 1, 2023, and Congress agreed to a topline budget, but it has been unable to fund the necessary appropriations because MAGA Republicans have insisted on having their extreme demands met in those measures. In this struggle, former president Trump has urged his loyalists not to give way, telling them in September 2023: “UNLESS YOU GET EVERYTHING, SHUT IT DOWN!” 

But a poll from last September showed that 75% of Americans oppose using brinksmanship over a government shutdown to bargain for partisan gain. 

After kicking the can down the road by passing three previous continuing resolutions, House Republicans a week ago expected a shutdown. But today they backed off. The House passed a short-term continuing resolution that pushes back the dates on which the two continuing resolutions expire, from March 1 and March 8 to March 8 and March 22. The vote was 320 to 99 in the House, with 113 Republicans joining 207 Democrats to pass the measure. Ninety-seven Republicans opposed the bill, as did two Democrats who were protesting the lack of aid to Ukraine. 

Tonight, the Senate approved the continuing resolution by a vote of 77 to 13. President Joe Biden is expected to sign it tomorrow. “What we have done today has overcome the opposition of the MAGA hard right and gives us a formula for completing the appropriations process in a way that does not shut the government down and capitulate to extremists,” Senate majority leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) said.

Trump opposes helping Ukraine in its fight to resist Russia’s invasion, and under his orders, MAGA Republicans have also stalled the national security supplemental bill, which contains Ukrainian aid, as well as aid to Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and humanitarian aid to Gaza. The measure passed the Senate on February 13 by a strong bipartisan vote of 70 to 29, and is expected to pass the House if Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) takes it up, but so far, he has refused.

Today, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) told reporters that “several” House Republicans are willing to sign a discharge petition to force Speaker Johnson to bring a national security supplemental measure to the floor for a vote. A simple majority can force a vote on a bill through a discharge petition, but such a measure is rare because it undermines the House speaker. With Johnson refusing to take up the Senate measure, Fitzpatrick and his colleague Representative Jared Golden (D-ME) have prepared their own pared-down aid measure. Fitzpatrick told CNN’s Jake Tapper Tuesday that “[w]e are trying to add an additional pressure point on something that has to happen.” 

Speakers from the parliaments of 23 nations wrote to Johnson yesterday and urged him to take up the Senate measure, saying that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has “challenged the entire democratic world, jeopardizing the security in the whole European and Euro-Atlantic area,” and that “the world is rapidly moving towards the destruction of the sustainable world order.”  

On Tuesday, Johnson met with President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate majority leader Schumer, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to discuss the importance of funding the government and passing the national security supplemental bill. There, he was the odd man out as the other five pressed upon him how crucial funding for Ukraine is for U.S. national security.

Yesterday, Johnson told Fox News Channel personality Sean Hannity that the leaders told him he was “on an island by myself, and it was me versus everyone else in the room.” He went on: “What the liberal media doesn’t understand, Sean, is that if you’re here in Washington and you’re described as a leader that’s on an island by themselves, it probably means you’re standing with the American people.” 

But an AP-NORC poll released today shows that it is not Johnson but the others at that meeting who are standing with the American people: 74% of Americans, including 62% of Republicans, support U.S. aid to Ukraine’s military. 

The struggle between Biden and Trump for control over U.S. politics played out starkly today as both were in Texas to talk about immigration. Both say the influx of migrants at the southern border of the United States needs to be better managed. But Trump blames Biden for what he compares to a war in which an “invasion” of criminal “fighting-age men” are pouring over the border. (NBC News noted that “there is no evidence of a migrant-driven crime wave in the United States” and that, in fact, their review of crime data ”shows overall crime levels dropping in those cities that have received the most migrants.”)

Trump promises he would solve immigration issues instantly with executive orders, although his orders during his term faced legal challenges.  

In contrast to Trump’s promise to dictate a solution, Biden emphasized that the government should work for the people. In Texas, he noted that the federal government has rushed emergency personnel and funds to the state to combat the deadly wildfires there that have burned more than a million acres, and he urged Congress to pass a law to address border issues, as he has asked it to since he took office. 

Such a measure is popular, and earlier this month, Trump undermined a bill that was tilted so far to the right that it drew the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Wall Street Journal editorial board, and the U.S. Border Patrol union. Senators from both parties had spent four months hammering the bill out at the insistence of House Republicans, who then killed it when Trump, apparently hoping to keep the issue open for his campaign, told them to. 

Today, Biden urged Congress to pass the $20.2 billion bipartisan border bill that would, he said, give border patrol officers the resources they need: 1,500 more border agents, 100 cutting-edge machines to detect and stop illegal fentanyl, 100 additional immigration judges to deal with the backlog of cases, 4,300 more asylum officers, more immigrant visas, and emergency authority for the president to shut the border when it becomes overwhelmed. 

Biden spoke directly to Trump: “Instead of playing politics with the issue, instead of telling members of Congress to block this legislation, join me, or I'll join you, in telling the Congress to pass this bipartisan border security bill. We can do it together…. Instead of playing politics with the issue, why don't we just get together and get it done. Let’s remember who the heck we work for. We work for the American people, not the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. We work for the American people.”

Trump may not share that perspective. Last night, Maggie Haberman and Andrew Higgins of the New York Times reported that Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who has undermined democracy in Hungary, will visit Trump at Mar-a-Lago next week as Trump scrambles to find the more than half a billion dollars he needs to pay the fines and penalties courts have ordered. “We cannot interfere in other countries’ elections,” Orbán said last week, “but we would very much like to see President Donald Trump return to the White House.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[black-arcana]

BUTCHER BABIES Announce September/October 2024 U.S. Tour

BUTCHER BABIES will embark on a U.S. headlining tour in September. Support on the "Good Lord! The Butcher's Ded!" trek will come from DED, DROPOUT KINGS and FOX LAKE.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 9.

Tour dates:

Sep. 18 - Palmdale, CA - Transplants Brewing Company Sep. 19 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720 Sep. 20 - Bakersfield, CA - Temblor Brewing Company Sep. 21 - Reno, NV - Cypress Reno Sep. 23 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon Sep. 24 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom Sep. 26 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall Sep. 27 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep Sep. 29 - Denver, CO - HQ Oct. 01 - Tulsa, OK - The Shrine Oct. 02 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th St Oct. 04 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live Oct. 05 - Dallas, TX - RBC Oct. 06 - San Antonio, TX - The Rock Box Oct. 07 - El Paso, TX - RockHouse Bar & Grill Oct. 08 - Roswell, NM - The Liberty Oct. 10 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock Oct. 11 - Phoenix, AZ - Pub Rock

BUTCHER BABIES played their first concert since the official departure of co-founding co-vocalist Carla Harvey on July 27 at the Stonehenge festival in Steenwijk, The Netherlands.

The band announced Harvey's exit in a social media post on July 20. BUTCHER BABIES wrote: "As you may have already guessed, it is confirmed that Carla Harvey and BUTCHER BABIES have officially parted ways.

"Carla has been an integral part of our journey, bringing her unique talent, passion, and energy to the band. We are grateful for the incredible memories we've made together and the impact she has had on our music and our fans. We will miss her greatly and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

"We deeply appreciate your support over the past 15 years," BUTCHER BABIES added. "We feel incredibly fortunate to keep making and playing music as our career, and we are excited for this new era of BUTCHER BABIES!

"See you on the road."

Carla added in a separate post: "Over the last 6 months You may have noticed my absence from BUTCHER BABIES posts. After 15 years of dedication, I wanted to let you know that I will not be rejoining the band for any future endeavors.

"I am super proud of my work with BUTCHER BABIES…2 EPS, 5 Full lengths albums and countless tours with our metal heroes! To all of our incredible BUTCHER BABIES friends and fans…you have provided me with some of the greatest experiences of my life! I have loved every second of writing and performing all over the world for you! I have loved meeting you. WOW. I still can't believe this kid from Detroit got so lucky.

"I am not done making music and performing. I WILL see you soon".

Last fall, BUTCHER BABIES completed a European tour without Carla, who sat out the trek in order to undergo emergency surgery on her left eye.

Harvey shared the news of her absence from the tour on October 26, 2023 in a social media post. The 47-year-old singer, who co-founded BUTCHER BABIES in 2010 with fellow vocalist Heidi Shepherd, posted a photo of her performing with her bandmates, and she included the following message: "Here's a picture of a girl in her happy place; unfortunately i won't be in that happy place on the upcoming @butcherbabies Euro run. Love you all but i have to sit this one out!

"I have a history of problematic vision and I had to have a major surgery about 10 years ago in my right eye for a retinal detachment. On our summer tour the telltale symptoms repeated themselves in my left eye. I've been hoping to avoid major surgery but it is clear that it must be done. My emergency surgery will include a healing process of laying face down for a number of days with a gas bubble in my eye."

Carla added: "This is the first time in fifteen years i won't be able to join my friends on stage but right now my health and sight take precedence for me. While I am gutted that I cannot make the tour the risk of me waiting till after a tour to do such a surgery is too great and includes permanent vision loss. The beauty of having two vocalists is that Heidi can cover for me until i'm better!

"Hoping to make it out for part of this euro run...go to the shows, have a blast and support my bandmates for me! I'll see you soon!"

In the comments section, Shepherd voiced her support for her then-bandmate, writing: "Sending all the love and healing. We'll hold down the fort while you heal. We need those beautiful eyes to work!!! Love you!"

BUTCHER BABIES' three-week European tour is scheduled to conclude on August 17 at the Czech Republic's Rock Of Sadská festival.

This past January, Harvey and ANTHRAX and PANTERA drummer Charlie Benante announced that they were officially engaged.

BUTCHER BABIES released a double album "Eye For An Eye..." and "…'Til The World's Blind", in July 2023. The double album celebrates the tenth anniversary of BUTCHER BABIES' critically acclaimed debut, "Goliath", released on July 9, 2013 via Century Media Records.

BUTCHER BABIES' previous album, 2017's "Lilith" was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, SUICIDE SILENCE) and marked the band's recording debut with drummer Chase Brickenden, who replaced Chris Warner in 2016.

In July 2019, longtime BUTCHER BABIES bassist Jason Klein announced his departure from the band. He has since been replaced by Ricky Bonazza.

[upismediacenter]

OPINION: STOP THE E-JEEP! #NoToJeepneyPhaseout

Commuter or not, every Filipino is familiar with jeepneys. Once dubbed “King of the Roads”, jeepneys are a symbol of Philippine culture and resourcefulness, as they were made from converted jeeps left by American troops after World War II. As the most popular public transport vehicle in our country for decades, these jeepneys are now at risk of disappearing, causing public uproar.

The controversy surrounding the phasing out of jeepneys first sparked in 2017 when the government launched the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP). The program’s goal is to replace the old model jeepneys with modern electronic jeepneys (e-jeeps) that are claimed to guarantee cleaner emissions and improved safety. This has been met with several worries that could adversely affect the Filipino populace.

Public unrest over the jeepney phaseout has been going on for years. The consolidation deadline for Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) which included jeepneys, UV Expresses, and Filcab units was extended three times. The first was due to the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple protests from transport groups, which affected the government’s original plan to consolidate PUVs in March 2020. As a result, it was rescheduled at the end of last year, December 31, 2023. The second extension was on January 31, 2024, to allow unconsolidated PUVs to ply their routes with the stipulation of being barred from joining cooperatives and corporations. The third and “final” deadline was on April 30, 2024—three months after the last deadline—to allow driver-operators one last time to consolidate, or else they would not be allowed to ply their routes. Amid these several deadlines, protests and strikes are unwavering as dissents push for the PUVMP to be suspended, arguing that imposing deadline extensions does not address the structural problems of the modernization program.

One day before the “final” deadline, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) declared that unconsolidated jeepneys have a 15-day leeway to continue their usual routes before they are impounded. Again, this is another smokescreen from the systemic issues brought by the modernization program. The PUVMP must be suspended, as it ostensibly presents more problems than solutions. If the PUVMP truly is for the people, why is there a persistent and contentious pushback by the public?

Enforcing deadlines and giving grace periods for jeepney drivers only delays—the government must suspend the PUVMP and reevaluate its effectiveness. Displacing and disenfranchising jeepney drivers from their livelihoods defeats the purpose of an inclusive and sustainable program as the PUVMP endorses itself to be.

Who are those affected?

Jeepney drivers are most affected by the modernization program. If they choose not to consolidate with cooperatives and corporations or cannot afford an e-jeep alone, their vehicles will be impounded, taking away their only source of income. Additionally, commuters, UP Diliman constituents, and other sectors also have to bear the cost of the PUVMP due to the policies and funds allocated to this program.

The transport group for jeepney drivers, Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide, more commonly known as PISTON, is the leading opposition group against the PUVMP. First established in 1981, PISTON serves as an organization that aims to promote the welfare and democratic rights of jeepney drivers. In 2013, they launched a campaign against the oil price hike, directed at the country’s main petroleum companies, namely Petron, Shell, and Chevron. Since the government has revealed plans to phase out jeepneys over 15 years old, they have been organizing protests against the PUVMP, criticizing its anti-poor policies and prioritizing for-profit corporate consolidation.

The PUVMP pressures jeepney drivers to switch to e-jeeps or new combustion engine vehicles that meet Euro IV emission standards which only permit carbon monoxide (CO) emissions of 1.0g/km for gasoline and 0.5g/km for diesel vehicles. Units and parts that make up the e-jeep are imported from other countries, which is why they are priced as high as PHP 3 million. While the modernization program offers subsidies of PHP 160 thousand through loan programs by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to help offset the costs, this amount is only 5.7% of the total cost of a modern jeepney. Jeepney drivers state that they will need to make around PHP 3.5 thousand each day to pay off the debt from switching to an e-jeep, but at the moment, they only make around PHP 2 thousand a day.

The large amount of money that needs to be spent transitioning to modern e-jeeps is the main concern of dissent to this program. Replacing a huge fleet of jeepneys requires massive resources, taking away from vital sectors such as education and healthcare. Additionally, the PUVMP disproportionately affects low-income citizens—specifically, jeepney drivers who mostly come from low-income families and struggle to meet the high e-jeep cost. The debt burden forces them to work longer hours just to break even, negatively impacting their livelihood. Jeepney drivers worry that the transition to e-jeeps or new combustion engine vehicles will exacerbate their financial burdens and force them to work longer hours just to break even.

Furthermore, units from local manufacturing companies such as eFrancisco Motor Corporation and Sarao Jeepneys are still priced at around PHP 2.5 million, further putting jeepney drivers at odds with the financial burden of the PUVMP. With large corporations dominating the market and the PUVMP’s policy to consolidate driver-operators to cooperative-led fleets, this raises concerns of corporate takeover and the economic marginalization of jeepney drivers. Since large companies are the ones who have the capacity to fully adhere to the program, jeepney drivers are left disenfranchised because of their financial disadvantage.

Commuters are also affected heavily by this program. Modern jeeps usually charge higher fares because, aside from the initial cost of modernization, their maintenance and repair costs are higher than the traditional jeepneys’. This adds more financial problems to Filipinos already facing higher living expenses as a result of inflation rates. Moreover, unfamiliar technology could present a significant challenge for traditional drivers transitioning to modern jeepneys, leading to potential operational difficulties and increased maintenance expenses.

Constituents of UP Diliman (UPD) share similar concerns. The UP Transport Group (UPTG), which consists of jeepney drivers from all routes around the campus such as Ikot, Toki, UP-Pantranco, UP-Philcoa, and UP-Katipunan, organized a silent strike on December 13, 2023, in protest of the earlier December 31 deadline. Based on interviews with the UPD Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Roehl Jamon, UP jeepney drivers may have to comply with the modernization. According to Jamon, the only two options they have are for the university to pay for the units themselves, which cost about PHP 1.4 to 3 million each, or for the university to partner with transport cooperatives that already own modernized units and invite them to service the campus, which is the less expensive option between the two. Although the latter is cheaper, this still gives way for corporations to take advantage of the modernization program.

Jeepneys are extensively used by UP college students and students of UP Integrated School (UPIS) for commuting to and from the university campus because they charge less than other PUVs. However, these fares could be completely changed by the PUVMP’s effect on jeepney availability and rates, possibly altering their daily commutes by making them spend more on transport alternatives or by forcing them to look for different routes. This might put additional financial burden as well as longer hours of travel in their everyday life, affecting not only their academic performance but also their general welfare.

Moreover, the PUVMP is taking attention and funding from other sectors that have more pressing needs. In particular, the Department of Education (DepEd) is significantly impacted by lack of funding. Classroom and teacher shortages have been notable areas of concern with an estimated 165,444 classrooms and nearly 90,000 teachers needed. According to DepEd, PHP 105 billion would be needed each year up until 2030 to address the classroom shortage, while PHP 5.6 billion would be needed to hire 20,000 teachers in the upcoming school year, as discussed in the Senate plenary deliberations on the proposed 2024 national budget. Aside from the education sector, the Department of Health (DOH) has been grappling with vaccine shortages, namely pertussis, which has led to 54 infant deaths since the beginning of the year. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in 2022, the Philippines was among the top 5 contributors to the 18 million zero-dose children in the world. Despite this and multiple warnings from health authorities, the Philippines still hasn’t fully addressed this vaccine gap, leaving one million unvaccinated Filipino children vulnerable and susceptible to life-threatening diseases such as polio, measles, and tuberculosis. In light of these issues, resources should be prioritized in these matters instead of the PUVMP. Action must be taken immediately to address these pressing concerns and ensure the well-being of the Filipino people.

Are E-jeeps really the “better option”?

According to a study by the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), jeepneys only make up about 2% of the total registered vehicles in the nation and PUVs only contribute about 15% of the total particulate matter emissions in Metro Manila. If the PUVMP aims to transform our public transportation into becoming more sustainable and environmentally friendly, this number does not justify the relentless pressure on jeepney drivers to consolidate. The PUVMP will only contribute 2% to the country’s vehicles that cause pollution. This raises the question of the significance of its impact on saving the environment and reducing emissions in the long run. Additionally, modern jeepneys still run on fossil fuels, such as petroleum oil, defeating the purpose of the program’s goal of creating a more environmentally friendly public transport system. In the same study by CEED, it was argued that solely focusing modernization efforts on jeepneys to reduce air pollution would be negligible. Taking this into account, the government should instead consider upgrading traditional jeepneys to meet the proposed emission standards which would be cheaper for the program.

Furthermore, as said in a paper by the UP Center for Integrative and Developmental Studies, drawing from the current rate of assembly of modern jeepneys, it will take an estimated 270 years before all traditional jeepneys in the country are replaced. This begs the question of why the government keeps enforcing deadlines when it will take almost three centuries before all jeepneys are replaced with e-jeeps.

The PUVMP, while well-intentioned, presents a flawed solution. The environmental costs being too high, the unjust burden on the poor, and the uncertain consequences of such a drastic transition are strong arguments for reconsideration. The government should consider other options like rehabilitating existing jeepneys and using cleaner-burning fuels. One example that can be improved with the government’s help is the rehabilitated jeepney proposed by the Libmanan Transport Service Cooperative (LIBTRASCO). This model includes all government-specified features of the modernized jeepney—such as a side door, a higher ceiling, bigger windows, and even stabilizers to account for the increased height. Compared to e-jeeps, these rehabilitated models only cost around PHP 400 thousand to PHP 500 thousand, making them more affordable for jeepney drivers. Though the rehabilitated jeepney still uses the jeepney’s diesel engine, it can still be adapted to use a Euro 4 engine and even include air conditioning. If the government chooses to work with LIBTRASCO and retrofit the rehabilitated jeepney as an alternative, the Philippines can then improve its transport system while keeping its traditional jeepneys and people’s livelihoods by prioritizing affordability, inclusiveness, and a sustainable future.

Modernization shouldn’t be at the expense of the workers. The primary reason why many are aggressively opposing the program is that the welfare of jeepney drivers was not carefully considered when they should be the center of the solution. For the past years that the modernization program has been implemented, instead of listening to the pleas and concerns of jeepney drivers, commuters, and other constituents, the government has kept imposing the jeepney consolidation and resisting any demands by the public.

Taking all of this into account, we must request the government to prioritize policies that consider the money and power of all citizens, especially those from poor backgrounds. This includes subsidizing the move towards modern vehicles or examining other options that do not oppress marginalized communities. Instead of pushing jeepney drivers to consolidate and buy e-jeeps, the government should consider exploring and supporting initiatives that use cleaner-burning fuels and retrofitting existing jeepneys to meet emission standards to help maintain the environment in its sustainable state without overhauling the iconic jeepney fleet.

Above all else, this transition must be led by the workers—jeepney drivers whom the public has relied on for decades. Development must be made with the public in mind, not without.

// by Kela Alcantara & Xia Mentes

References:

Abarca, C. (2024, March 21). Calabarzon, Metro Manila top classroom shortage list – DepEd. INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1921036/fwd-on-public-classroom-shortage#:~:text=The%20estimated%20total%20number%20of,country’s%20classroom%20shortage%20by%202030

Ansis, JC (December 14, 2015). "Piston: Continuing to fight for the transport sector". CNN Philippines. https://web.archive.org/web/20190131083905/http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2015/12/14/piston-protests-continuing-to-fight-for-transport-sector.html

Bautista, P., Moya, R. (2023, September 3). Jeepney modernization program: Drivers have a steep price to pay. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/09/03/2293549/jeepney-modernization-program-drivers-have-steep-price-pay

CEED Office. (2018, November). Just Transition in the Philippines. CEED. https://ceedphilippines.com/just-transition-in-the-philippines/

Conde, M. (2019, November 16). Transport coop makes pitch for ‘affordable, safe’ rehabilitated jeepney. RAPPLER. https://www.rappler.com/nation/244909-camarines-sur-transport-cooperative-rehabilitated-jeepney/

Dimalanta, R. Atienza, J. Samonte E. (2023). Putting Transport Workers and Commuters First: The Route to Just Transition in Public Transport Modernization. UP CIDS Policy Brief. ISSN 2619-7286.

Gatarin, G. (2024), Modernising the ‘king of the road’: Pathways for just transitions for the Filipino jeepney. Urban Governance. 4(1). 37-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ugj.2023.11.002

Golez, P. (2024, January 24). Marcos extends jeepney consolidation deadline til April 30. POLITIKO. https://politiko.com.ph/2024/01/24/marcos-extends-jeepney-consolidation-deadline-til-april-30/daily-feed/

Latoza, G. (2023, December 15). What are UP’s plans for commuters amid PUVMP? Tinig ng Plaridel. https://www.tinigngplaridel.net/up-transport-puvmp/

Magramo, K. (2024, January 16). Philippines jeepneys: Will the loud, colorful vehicles soon disappear from the roads?. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/16/asia/philippines-jeepney-phase-out-strikes-intl-hnk/index.html

Mendoza, T. C. (2021, February). Addressing the “blind side” of the government’s jeepney “modernization” program. University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Developmental Studies. 1-69. ISSN 2619-7456.

Mondoñedo-Ynot, L. (2024, April 10). April 30 is final deadline for Puv Consolidation. SunStar Publishing Inc. https://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/april-30-is-final-deadline-for-puv-consolidation

Ombay, G. (2023, November 9). DepEd lacks nearly 90,000 teachers - Pia Cayetano. GMA News Online. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/887851/deped-lacks-nearly-90-000-teachers-pia-cayetano/story/

Pabustan, D. (2017, September 21). Euro 4, what does it mean and why do we need it?. AutoDeal.https://www.autodeal.com.ph/articles/car-features/euro-4-what-does-it-mean-and-why-do-we-need-it

Philippine Daily Inquirer. (2024, April 14). DOH’s Lack of Vaccine Urgency. INQUIRER.net. https://opinion.inquirer.net/172935/dohs-lack-of-vaccine-urgency

Presidential Communications Office. (2024, January 24). PBBM approves three-month extension of PUV Consolidation. https://pco.gov.ph/news_releases/pbbm-approves-three-month-extension-of-puv-consolidation/

RAC. (n.d.). Euro 1 to Euro 6 guide – find out your vehicle’s emissions standard. https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/euro-emissions-standards/

Relativo, J. (2023, December 28). Unconsolidated jeepneys, UV Express “allowed to operate” until Jan. 31, 2024. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/12/28/2321963/unconsolidated-jeepneys-uv-express-allowed-operate-until-jan-31-2024

Relativo, J. (2024, April 30). Unconsolidated jeepneys given “15-day leeway” after consolidation deadline. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/04/30/2351543/unconsolidated-jeepneys-given-15-day-leeway-after-consolidation-deadline

Reyes, R. O. (2024, January 29). Jeepney drivers rejoice “partial victory” for phaseout extension. SunStar Publishing Inc. https://www.sunstar.com.ph/tacloban/jeepney-drivers-rejoice-partial-victory-for-phaseout-extension#:~:text=approved%20the%20extension%20for%20franchise

Rivas, R. (2023, March 7). In numbers: Why jeepney phaseout is anti-poor, will do little for environment. RAPPLER. https://www.rappler.com/business/numbers-why-government-phaseout-jeepneys-anti-poor-do-little-environment/

Santos, J. (2024, February 7). Consolidation extension is not what the protest demands. Philippine Collegian.https://phkule.org/article/1106/consolidation-extension-is-not-what-the-protest-demands

[mariacallous]

Farmers in Greece and Romania are protesting, joining a wave of unrest in the farming community that has affected several countries in Europe.

In Karditsa, Evros, Patras, Peloponnese, and in Serres, northern Greece, farmers took to the streets on Wednesday with tractors. They have also threatened to close highways, media reported.

A bigger demonstration is planned for Friday in Thessaloniki on the occasion of the 30th Agrotica, the largest exhibition of the agro-economic sector in the country. Farmers warn that if the government does nothing by next Monday, roads will be closed.

Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said things should not go to such extremes. “No matter how serious the demands of a professional group are, they must not lead to the punishment of all citizens and violate the rights of society. This government has proven that it is trying, without leading to extreme tension, to solve problems,” Marinakis told the public broadcaster ERT.

Farmers, among others, demand compensation for those who haven’t received it for the damage caused by Storm Daniel, which destroyed houses, businesses, animal and plant production and roads in Thessaly region in September.

They want the construction of infrastructure projects to protect against weather phenomena, reductions in production costs and a change in the Agricultural Insurance Organisation’s regulation so that the production and capital are compensated 100 per cent for all such risks.

The Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection has already granted 33.9 million euros to 16,400 agricultural holdings and livestock units that applied for “first aid,” with payments to be completed in the next period. PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis said there will be a second cycle of aid worth 5,000 to 10,000 euros for farmers affected by the extreme flooding of September 2023 in Thessaly and other areas.

Farmers in Romania meanwhile continue to protest and demand relief from high fuel and insurance prices and better selling prices for their products. The government has devised some solutions to the demands, but many are unconvinced and continue to protest.

Large-scale protests took place on Tuesday in Brasov and Sibiu, central Romania, whwre farmers took 50 agricultural machines to the streets and staged a march. An authorized protest was also organised by farmers from Sibiu, who started in a column with tractors, trucks and cars across the municipality.

Such protests are taking place in all major cities in Romania, including on the ring road of Bucharest, where farmers have been protesting for weeks and hindering traffic. They were not allowed to enter Bucharest to protest in front of the government building to avoid disrupting the already heavy traffic in the capital.

Farmers in France, Belgium and Germany have been holding demonstrations blocking highways, with Reuters reporting that Spanish and Italian farmers will now join the movement.

They are complaining about EU measures to create “solidarity corridors” in order to provide Ukraine with income from agricultural exports, especially wheat. These products have flooded neighbouring countries and caused local production prices to fall.

The protesters also demand the cancellation of measures to limit agricultural production due to its carbon footprint and affect on climate change. They want the restoration of fuel tax exemptions. Far-right parties in Germany and in France have expressed vocal support for farmers’ demands.

[usafphantom2]

IMAGES: Norwegian F-35 fighters land in Sweden for the first time

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 10/16/2023 - 08:48am Military

On October 11, for the first time, a Norwegian F-35A Lightning II fighter landed in Sweden.

The aircraft landed at the Vidsel base in Norrbotten, as part of the cross-border training agreement between the Nordic countries.

The Swedish Air Force has long experience in the concept of an air base using temporary airfields, something in which the air forces of many other nations are very interested. Norway is now developing an air base concept to be able to use air bases in other locations, when necessary in a crisis situation.

“Today's exercise shows that there is good cooperation between the Swedish and Norwegian air forces. To increase its capacity, we, as a partner country, are pleased to share with our friends our long experience in using other air bases and road bases in our Swedish concept," says the deputy head of the Air Force, Tommy Petersson.

The landing at the Vidsel base took place without problems, despite the challenging weather conditions. They managed to land, prepare the aircraft and then take off and continue the exercise.

“In this way, the air operational effect is increased and our Nordic cooperation is even deeper,” says Tommy Petersson.

Tags: Military AviationF-35 Lightning IIFlygvapnet - Swedish Air ForceRNAF - Royal Norwegian Air Force / Royal Norwegian Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[marcelskittels]

‹ Women Elite Road Race › 2023 UEC Road Cycling European Championships

[awesome-casuallyfamouscollector]

It’s not just in Europe where the Sandero is performing well as global sales for the budget supermini have reached 164,780 - an increase of 18.5 per cent over the same period in 2023. 

The Sandero has been Europe’s best-selling car in terms of retail sales since 2017, but a growth in popularity within the fleet sector has helped it take the outright lead so far in 2024. In Dacia’s most successful country for sales, France, the Sandero is priced from 11,990 euros (roughly £10,084). Here in the UK the Sandero starts at £13,795 and remains among the very cheapest cars on sale(..)

P.S. In Latvia, it has a price tag starting from 13 890 €...! Dacia's success in the European car market clearly shows that people like affordable, no-thrill, no-nonsense cars that simply do their job effectively at a reasonable price...getting people from point A to point B!

People are tired of badly overpriced "premium", "special edition" or "luxury" vehicles, which break down even more often than outdated Russian "Lada" models from the 1980s.

Also, with all the speed limits in Europe, outside of German autobahns, most modern premium cars are a completely pointless purchase....! You just don't have roads where you can fully legally use the power of a "premium" car...! Question: So, why buy a hugely overpriced "premium" car, the potential of which you can't legally use at all??? Besides, "premium" vehicle resale value drops like a stone...

[sparkles-oflight]

Just so y'all know how one of Lisbon's train station was yesterday... (There were more people downstairs literally sleeping on the floor because of this event - youth world journeys or whatever the name is English)

I think it was a total of 1.5M pilgrims. That's more than Lisbon's population in a good day.

Then the roads were blocked for cars.

There was a girl who fainted next to where I was due to dehydration and the police was next to her and she was still waiting for an ambulance when I departured because the ambulancea couldn't even get through.

All because of religion (an event I was very against, not because it's religious, but because we live in a secular government (?) - basically, religion and the government are two different things - and the government invested in this event).

I'm a Cristian myself and I found this to be pure bullshit (I'm not even talking about all the controversies going on in the Portuguese catholic church right now). If religion and politics are two different things, it should stay that way.

"Ah, but the government invested in concerts like Coldplay, Taylor Swift etc" that's culture, and they didn't spent 40 MILLION EUROS ON A STAGE! Also, we should invest more in culture. I think it has been 11 years since last time we were the European capital of culture (Guimarães 2012, my beloved city), now we have Évora 2023 (which doesn't make a lot of sense, but whatever)

"What about euro 2004? You didn't complain back then" I was not even one year old lol. I still believe events like this need to be held in economically stable countries. I was also against the Olympics in Rio because you can clearly see how most arenas were abandoned after the games and the Olympic village is basically useless. Well, at least with the euro stadiums, we still use them, which is not half bad. But we could have had used the money to invest in other sports (but that's asking for too much in Portugal)

"But you were also against the Qatar world cup and they are stable", Ofc I was. 1. Qatar doesn't even have any "football history" (there's a reason why they were immediately eliminated), holding it there didn't even made any sense. 2. Because of the first part, they had to invest millions in stadiums which could have been used in a better way (idk, promotion of human rights, but that's asking for too much) 3. HUMAN RIGHTS (omg, shocker)

I have very strong opinions regarding big events - I think that's obvious by this post.

If I missed something, make sure to tell me.

EDIT: IT'S YOUTH WORLD DAY. I just found out

[charlesandmartine]

Saturday 16th September 2023

The Boeing 737 touched down to a balmy evening in Kos leaving a rainy Bristol far behind. The disgorged passengers spilled into the arrivals hall and quickly swamped all four lanes leading to the border force passport stations, regardless of designation for EU or non-EU entrants. The young, bored and ambivalent policeman, desperately avoiding any eye contact or participation in conversation thumbed the offered document and duly stamped it with a loud clatter onto an appropriate page and tossed it back without a glance or a welcome to Greece, enjoy your stay!

Kos airport would never be described as a metropolis and it is a surprise that any self respecting airline might attempt to land a plane of any size on a runway as short as theirs. However, TUI did manage it as did a Ryan Air plane before ours. To forward our journey to our hotel, a term used loosely, we had no alternative but to hail a taxi from the airport terminal forecourt which in itself more closely resembled a provincial bus station. 26 Euros he said. Fine, and in we hopped. Our driver, no doubt Spiros, was holding a conversation on his mobile phone for the entire 18 minute journey, holding the instrument as you would a ryvita biscuit about to be consumed, whilst multitasking the driving experience. Well we arrived safely and entered the world of Shirley Valentine in our little, very out of the way, hotel by the sea in Marmari, Kos.

The hotel staff kindly pointed to a taverna next door to us; the only other light shining in an otherwise dark street apart from a little supermarket across the road. But what an oasis! Mythos beer on tap filled a void created by a long day of travelling. If Tom Conti had morphed out of the back office and promised to make a dream come true by moving our table to the water's edge, we would not have been surprised. We undoubtedly shall spend a lot of time and Euros in this place.

Much to explore in daylight.

ps. With great delight we welcome the new arrival to the family Hattie Quinn Tucker, born to Clare and Matt.

[beardedmrbean]

Helsingin Sanomat is among the papers reporting that the Finnish branch of Extinction Rebellion (known in Finnish as Elokapina) has announced that it will be holding a week of protests in Helsinki and Tampere starting Monday, 9 October.

According to the groups, the marches will disrupt traffic in both cities.

"The purpose of the slow-moving processions is to slow traffic to a near standstill. With these slow marches, demonstrators are demanding that the use of forests in Finland be restored to a sustainable level," Elokapina stated in a press release quoted by the paper.

The marches are part of an autumn campaign by Elokapina pushing for the prioritization of the natural environment and diversity, and the ending of state subsidies that are destructive to the environment.

Finnair suspends flights to Israel

Finland's national airline Finnair has cancelled its regularly scheduled flights between Helsinki and Tel Aviv for the period of 9-14 October, due to the conflict in the region, reports Ilta-Sanomat.

According to the paper, for the time being Finnair will not use Israeli airspace for any of its flights. The company added that it is closely monitoring the situation and following instructions from authorities.

Finnair also announced that passengers with reservations on this route between 15 and 31 October 2023 can make changes to their bookings, if they so wish, or cancel and request a refund.

Tackling street gangs

The Joensuu-based daily Karjalainen presented its readers on Monday morning with a review of some media comments by national officials on measures they suggest to deal with criminal activities by street gangs.

The paper notes that among the suggestions, Justice Minister Leena Meri (Finns) wants to use to address the problem is extending criminal liability to 14-year-olds.

In an interview with Iltalehti, Meri pointed out however that this change is not a part of the current government's programme, which means that moving forward would would require wider political support.

The change has come up for discussion as street gangs are known to try to recruit young people under the age of 15 to commit crimes because they cannot be prosecuted.

"Currently, arrest, imprisonment or travel bans cannot be imposed on anyone under the age of 15. The possibility of using coercive measures should be expanded," Meri told Iltalehti.

Karjalainen notes that the government is preparing several changes in legislation aimed at combating street gang crime. One change will bring stiffer sentences for crimes committed as a gang member. In addition, sentences for aggravated assault and carrying an illegal weapon are to be increased.

The paper also notes that Maria Ohisalo (Green), a former Minister of the Interior, told Helsingin Sanomat that the police did not tell decision-makers about their concerns related to street gangs until the middle of the government term in 2021.

Ohisalo said that she is ready to support many of the measures being pushed by the current government, such as tougher punishments, and that she believes they will easily be backed by a large majority in parliament.

Cabling the countryside

According to Maaseudun Tulevaisuus, there are still an estimated 1.4 million households in Finland without access to high-speed fibre optic cable services.

At the turn of last year, less than 60 percent of properties had fixed broadband access in South Savo, South Karelia, Kymenlaakso, North Karelia, Central Finland, South Ostrobothnia and Lapland.

An estimated one third of a 32 million euro grant from the EU to develop these services has still not been spent. The government target is to ensure a one-gigabit internet connection for all citizens in 2030.

The government has stipulated the level of the contributions that local authorities have to make to building broadband networks in areas where they are not commercially viable. Municipalities are divided into three groups, whose shares are either 8, 22 or 33 percent of the costs.

According to Elina Ussa, CEO of the IT sector interest group FiCom, this development now depends on municipal decision-makers and whether or not the required permits will finally be available from a "one-stop shop" as promised by the Orpo government.

"Permit processes now take too long. The country's 309 municipalities have very different practices, and the network is often built in the area of several municipalities. The various requirements for permits are a challenge, and shallow cable installation, for example, may be restricted in residential areas," Ussa pointed out.

Ussa also noted that choice is another issue slowing coverage.

"Broadband subsidies - which only apply to the fixed network - have made fibre connections available to a total of 130,000 households, but only a third have subscribed. You have to pay for the connection, even if the network was built and brought to the property for free. Not everyone wants to pay more if online services work in other ways," she told MT.

Slippery morning roads

Iltalehti writes that roads may be "deceptively slippery" after nighttime sleet in some places.

Sleet and slush has made driving potential hazardous in an area stretching along the northwestern coast.

Monday is starting out cloudy in most parts of the country, but will become sunnier during the day. The most persistent cloud cover is expected in Kainuu, North Karelia, and eastern Lapland.

There may be rain showers on the west coast, and some sleet in Ostrobothnia.