#germany 2018 friday

[umseb]

sebastian vettel says HHHHHH, germany - july 20, 2018 📷 christof stache / getty

[eretzyisrael]

by Dion J. Pierre

The University of Pennsylvania’s Hillel chapter announced that it will hold a “massive” Shabbat event this Friday in response to a controversial festival taking place on campus that will feature a gamut of anti-Zionist activists who have promoted antisemitic tropes and called for violence against Israel.

“We will be inviting students from across campus — Jewish and non-Jewish alike — to join us for a night celebrating Jewish pride, unity, and togetherness,” the Ivy League school’s Hillel said in an open letter posted on social media. “Prominent politicians and Penn alumni will be coming to celebrate along with hundreds of students, to show — contrary to what antisemites like Roger Waters would have us believe — that Jewish Penn students will NEVER stop showing their pride in Israel, their Jewish identity, heritage, and beliefs.”

Waters, the former Pink Floyd frontman, is a scheduled speaker at the “Palestine Writes Literature Festival,” which the University of Pennsylvania is set to host from Friday through Sunday. In recent years, Waters has made comments about “Jewish power” and compared Israel to Nazi Germany. In May, during a concert held in Berlin, he performed in what looked like a Nazi SS officer uniform. A projection that played during the concert also compared Holocaust victim Anne Frank to Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh — who was accidentally shot and killed last year while covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank — and the show was deemed as “deeply offensive to Jewish people.”

Another speaker listed on the festival’s itinerary, Palestinian researcher Salman Abu Sitta, previously said during an interview that “Jews were hated in Europe because they played a role in the destruction of the economy in some of the countries, so they would hate them.”

Islamic University of Gaza professor Refaat Alareer — who said in 2018, “Are most Jews evil? Of course they are.” — was initially scheduled to speak. However, StopAntisemitism, a nonprofit organization that tracks antisemitic incidents and hate crimes around the world, reported last week that Alareer had been removed from the speakers’ lineup.

The festival itinerary includes a host of other speakers who have praised terrorism against Israel and spoken out against Zionism.

In response to the festival, the University of Pennsylvania’s Hillel wrote in its letter that it has three goals for Friday’s event, which is titled the “Shabbat Together Event.” They include a guarantee that Jewish students will not be forced to attend “Palestine Writes” against their will, excluding speakers “who espouse explicit anti-Jewish hate,” and the removal of Penn branding from the event as well as the issuance of statements condemning the “antisemitic backgrounds” of certain speakers.

The letter also said that the school’s Hillel — which is part of a larger Jewish campus organization for college students — is “grateful for the holy work of supporting Jewish life at the University of Pennsylvania, and knows that there is great work to continue to do together in the new year.”

According to the school’s Hillel, the group recently met with high-level university administrators to discuss “Palestine Writes,” explaining that some of the listed speakers made them feel “less safe” on campus and presenting a list of “demands, asks, and suggestions.”

UPenn Hillel’s message came as Susan Abulhawa, executive director of the “Palestine Writes” festival, publicized a letter she had written earlier this month to the university’s leadership amid backlash over the event. In her letter, Abulhawa claimed that Palestinians are indigenous to the land of Israel and have “encompassed many identities over millennia — including religious identities of Judaism, Christianity, Islam,” which critics have argued is an apparent attempt to appropriate Jewish history and identity.

Abulhawa has previously accused Israel of committing “a dozen kristallnachts [sic],” referring to the infamous pogrom carried out against Jews in Nazi Germany in November 1938. Abulhawa’s viewpoints are so controversial that a sponsor of an Australian festival she was scheduled to participate in pulled its support.

News of the “Palestine Writes” event has subjected the University of Pennsylvania, widely considered one of America’s elite institutions of higher education, to sharp criticism from the American Jewish community.

Earlier this month, US House Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) called on the school to move the event off campus, saying in a letter to its president that he is “dismayed that this is now occurring at my alma mater” and that “if the university’s goal is to promote mutual understanding and bring students together, it will fail so long as antisemites and anti-Israel advocates are given a platform to spew hate.”

Last week, Middle East experts and nonprofit leaders told The Algemeiner that the festival is an “Israel hate fest” and noted that City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center professor Marc Lamont Hill, a former associate of Louis Farrakhan who has accused Israeli police of training American officers to kill Black people, will be speaking there.

“Hill in particular is a longtime advocate of violence against Israel and staunch Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions [BDS] supporter who was fired from CNN after a 2018 speech in which he called for the destruction of the Jewish state,” said Asaf Romirowsky, executive director of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa and Scholars for Peace in the Middle East. “Once again we are seeing how propaganda is masqueraded as ‘scholarship.’ UPenn should take a very careful look at where it draws the lines between free speech and hate speech, especially from individuals who have a track record of racism and antisemitism.”

The University of Pennsylvania did not respond to The Algemeiner’s requests for comment on the “Shabbat Together” event and Abulhawa’s letter.

The school responded to the criticism last week, however, issuing a statement to The Algemeiner signed by school president M. Elizabeth Magill, provost John L. Jackson, and dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Steven J. Fluharty.

“We unequivocally — and emphatically — condemn antisemitism as antithetical to our institutional values,” the statement said. “As a university, we also fiercely support the free exchange of ideas as central to our educational mission. This includes the expression of views that are controversial and even those that are incompatible with our institutional values.”

The high-level administrators added, “This public event is not organized by the university.”

Following the statement, StopAntisemitism accused the university officials of countenancing “Jew hatred” and called their response “pathetic.”

[moistvonlipwig]

19 for the book meme!

19. 5 book recs

Memoirs of a Polar Bear by Yoko Tawada. 2016, historical fantasy. The tale of three polar bears (a grandmother, a mother, and a son) who are skilled writers and performers in Germany, the third of whom is the famous Knut of the Berlin Zoo.

How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone by Saša Stanišić. 2006, historical fiction/magical realism. A novel with autobiographical elements about a young boy whose family flees Bosnia for Germany during the Bosnian War and his attempts to make sense of it all.

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. 1959, post-apocalyptic science fiction. Centuries in the future in the aftermath of a 20th-century nuclear war that devastated the planet, an order of monks is dedicated to preserving the pre-apocalyptic scientific knowledge that has since been suppressed by the rest of society.

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. 2018, short story collection. Mostly speculative fiction & often dealing with themes of racism, capitalism, and violence. My personal favorite stories: "Zimmer Land," "Friday Black," "How to Sell a Jacket as Told by IceKing," and "Through the Flash."

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. 2012, magical realism. A cat and his human go on a journey to find the cat a new home for reasons the cat doesn't understand. Narrated by the cat.

[aijamisespava]

Last In The Grand Final

On Friday, I shared my ranking of songs that ranked dead last of all the Eurovision songs in their respective years. Today, I'm going to do the same thing with the songs that finished last in the Grand Final. So let's get to it!

Disclaimer: "Europapa" by Joost Klein will not be ranked in this list. Technically speaking, a disqualification would rank him dead last of all entries, but he did qualify for the Grand Final. So for sake of argument, I chose not to rank the song.

2024: "Ulveham" by Gåte (Norway) 2015: "Black Smoke" by Ann Sophie (Germany) 2016: "Ghost" by Jamie-Lee (Germany) 2021: "Embers" by James Newman (United Kingdom) 2019: "Bigger Than Us" by Michael Rice (United Kingdom) 2022: "Rockstars" by Malik Harris (Germany) 2018: "O jardim" by Cláudia Pasocal (Portugal) 2023: "Blood and Glitter" by Lord of the Lost (Germany) 2017: "Do It For Your Lover" by Manel Navarro (Spain)

I will say, in my opinion (humble or not) Ulveham really blew these songs out of the water. Mind you, when I watched the contest, I was not thinking of the other last place finishing songs. And now that I hurt my own feelings again, I think that should do it for now.

[lboogie1906]

Cress Williams (July 26, 1968) is an actor, known for his roles in Prison Break and Close to Home. His most recent roles include Mayor Lavon Hayes on Hart of Dixie and Black Lightning. He is known for his recurring role as Terrence “Scooter” Williams on Living Single and as Inspector Atwon Babcock on Nash Bridges.

He was born in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany, to American parents. He took courses at Fullerton College and earned a BA in theatre from UCLA.

He acted in a 1990 Fullerton College production of Othello. He acted in another production in the same year at Fullerton College called Red Noses.

He has appeared on many TV series since 1994, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Beverly Hills, 90210, NYPD Blue, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, JAG, Nash Bridges, Providence, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Veronica Mars, The West Wing, Close to Home, ER, and Grey’s Anatomy. He portrayed Talak’talan, a Jem’Hadar leader in the Star Trek series, in a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “The Jem’Hadar”. He joined the Prison Break cast by playing The Company’s assassin, Wyatt Mathewson. He appeared in the final season of Friday Night Lights as Ornette Howard. He starred in Hart of Dixie as former football star turned mayor, Lavon Hayes.

He has ventured back into adaptations of DC Comics: As main character Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning on Black Lightning (2018-21), which was integrated into Arrowverse’s prime Earth during Crisis on Infinite Earths, and as John Henry Irons in The Death of Superman and its 2019 sequel, Reign of the Supermen. After his Black Lightning series concluded, he reprised the role on The Flash at the start of its eighth season as part of its “Armageddon” event.

He married actress Simbi Khali (2000-11). The couple had two children. He married his girlfriend Kristen Torrianni (2013). They have two children together. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[tomorrowusa]

The worst geopolitical predictions for 2023 came from - (🥁 drumroll 🥁) - Putin's Russia!

Former President Dmitry Medvedev is renowned for being a drunken sot with a big mouth and empty head. When making predictions for 2023 a year ago he may have been taking vodka intravenously.

Medvedev burst on the scene for keeping the presidential seat warm at the Kremlin (2008-2012) while Putin was constitutionally forced to sit out a term. Putin has since "fixed" the Russian constitution so he can serve well into the next decade. Medvedev's qualifications for office were that he is shorter than Putin and too dull to engineer a coup.

So now that 2023 is almost over, Medvedev's predictions seem even more bizarre and hilarious than they were at the end of 2022.

Putin Ally Brutally Mocked Over Failed 2023 Predictions

Remember that in addition to being a former president and prime minister of Russia, this guy is now deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia. Now we know why his country is making such bad decisions like thinking that it can get away with invading a neighboring country.

Just to address a few of Medvedev's predictions...

The price of oil (at least the benchmark West Texas Intermediate Crude) is currently $71.33 a barrel – less than half of Medvedev's figure. In April of 2018 the price was $74.15.

France and Germany are definitely not at war.

Neither the EU nor the Euro have collapsed.

Poland and Hungary have not occupied Western Ukraine. How this is supposed to happen while Poland itself is to be partitioned (another Medvedev prediction) defies all logic.

Civil war did not break out in the US and Elon Musk is not president. Musk is a bit like Medvedev but with less vodka and more money.

The dollar is still in circulation. I made a number of purchases with it on Friday and will again over the weekend.

Things may not be perfect in the US but AT LEAST WE'RE NOT RUSSIA. 🇺🇸 And as long as Republicans are kept out of power, we won't become Russia.

[demifiendrsa]

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will launch for PlayStation 5 on October 20, 2023.

Latest details via PlayStation Blog

Everyone at Insomniac Games is thrilled to announce that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will launch on Friday, October 20th, 2023, only on PlayStation 5. After the amazing fan reception for Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018 and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales in 2020, the team has worked tirelessly over the past few years to make this third installment in the franchise the sequel you have been waiting for. Built from the ground up for PlayStation 5 console, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will unlock the power of the console with better visuals, faster web swinging (and web wings!), 3D Audio*, and near-instant character switching. We speak for all our collaborators and friends at PlayStation and Marvel Games, when we say that we cannot wait for you to get your hands on this incredible single-player open-world experience.

*3D Audio via built-in TV speakers or analogue/USB stereo headphones.

In Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, players will get to experience Marvel’s New York as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales. As you saw in the PlayStation Showcase last month—the main storyline of the game will have you take control of both Spider-Men at different points of the campaign. In the open world, you will be able to switch nearly instantly between them as you explore Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. Both Spider-Men have stories and missions in the world exclusive to each of them.

As you can see from our box art, Peter and Miles are both key protagonists in our story. The iconic red background returns, but darkness surrounds as fan-favorite villains like Venom, Lizard, and Kraven threaten them and Marvel’s New York. You will also notice that each character’s arm represents their new abilities: Peter with the symbiote, Miles with his evolved bioelectric Venom powers.

In addition to our launch date, we are excited to walk you through your options for experiencing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Pre-orders will open on June 16th, 2023 at all participating retailers, PlayStation Store, and PlayStation Direct. Pre-Orders will go live at 10:00 AM local time on June 16, 2023. Fans who pre-order any version of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will receive an early unlock Arachknight Suit for Peter with 3 additional color variants, an early unlock Shadow Spider Suit for Miles with 3 additional color variants, an early unlock Web Grabber gadget, and 3 skill points to get you started!

You will see the beautiful box art adorning the standard edition of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for $69.99 / £69.99/ €79.99/ ¥8,980 MSRP. But that is not all! There will be a Digital Deluxe and Collector’s Edition of the game!

The Digital Deluxe edition of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 ($79.99 / £79.99/ €89.99/ ¥9,980 MSRP) will include the game, all the pre-order incentives, as well as 10 unique suits (5 for Peter, 5 for Miles), additional Photo Mode frames and stickers, and 2 additional skill points.

Additionally, we are excited to announce that these 10 suits were designed by guest artists across comics, films, and PlayStation Studios! The featured artists are Kris Anka, Julia Blattman, Sweeney Boo, Anthony Francisco, Raf Grassetti, Jerad Maantz, Joel Mandish, Darren Quach, and Victoria Ying!

For our hardcore Spider-Man fans out there who want an incredible Spider-Man collectible alongside Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we have just the edition for you while supplies last. The Collector’s Edition ($229.99 / £219.99/ €249.99/ ¥31,790 MSRP) includes a voucher for the Digital Deluxe Edition, as well as a Steelbook® case, and an extraordinary, high-quality 19-inch statue featuring our Spider-Men battling fan-favorite Venom. Fans can order the Collector’s Edition on PlayStation Direct in those select markets (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, Spain, Portugal) starting at 10AM local time on June 16th, 2023.

For those countries that do not have PlayStation Direct, be on the lookout for more information on how you can secure a Collector’s Edition in your region.

[beardedmrbean]

A security guard spying for Russia at the British embassy in Berlin was driven by an intense hatred for his country, a court has heard.

Briton David Ballantyne Smith, 58, pleaded guilty to eight charges last year but returned to court for legal argument about his motivation.

Smith is alleged to have received money in exchange for information.

He claims he was not paid and was motivated by an employment grievance while suffering mental health issues.

Smith began working at the embassy in 2016. His behaviour changed after his wife moved back to her home country, Ukraine, in late 2018, the court heard.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said Smith went from being "keen and polite" to expressing anti-UK and anti-German views.

British embassy guard admits spying for Russia

Morgan also told the court Smith expressed views about the war in Ukraine, supported Russia and collected German uniforms from World War Two.

Smith began collecting secret information from the embassy, which he stored on a USB stick, from around 2018, the court heard.

Footage from the embassy and a draft letter to a Russian military attache, dated 14 May 2020, were found after an examination of his devices.

In the letter, he confirmed he worked at the embassy and wanted anonymity as he offered a book classified as "official sensitive".

There were also "secret" classified emails and documents, pictures of staff security passes and personal information, as well as posters and whiteboards in the embassy.

An undercover operation was prompted by a letter Smith sent in November 2020 to a member of military staff at the Russian Embassy in Berlin, which suggested ongoing contact.

During the undercover operation, Smith was offered the chance to obtain "highly sensitive information" about someone called "Dmitry". Smith was led to believe "Dmitry" was a Russian national helping the UK.

Smith was then approached by "Irina", an undercover operative who posed as an agent of the Russian intelligence service.

The extent of his activities, spanning four years, was uncovered in August 2021 following his interaction with "Irina". Some 800 euro (£700) of cash was found in his home in Potsdam, Germany.

On the day of his arrest, Smith had left work early complaining he was feeling ill and was met by German police at his home.

A request was made for his extradition to the UK in November 2021, following a probe by British counter-terrorism police. Smith arrived back to the UK in April 2022.

Smith faces a maximum of 14 years in prison. He will be sentenced on Friday.

[greenbagjosh]

20 - 21 June 1998 - A weekend in Salzburg - crazy pretzels and sliding down in the Berchtesgaden underground salt mine

21 June 1998

Hi everyone

Today and tomorrow, twenty years ago, I was in Salzburg, in kangaroo-less Austria, and the Berchtesgadener Land in southeasternmost Germany.  Because I would not be paid until a week or so later, I had to spend a night in a hostel and eat cheap.  I found a good hostel just southeast of downtown Salzburg, called the Eduard Heinrich Haus.  I reserved my room by phone, on Friday on a payphone. (Payphones in 2018 are hard to find anymore)

Originally I was not supposed to go to Salzburg the weekend of the 20th/21st June, but rather on the 19th my work colleagues were supposed to go mountain climbing (actually hiking which could as well be climbing!) south of Holzkirchen. That was postponed until the 26th because of the weather forecast for the 19th – in the mountains of Bavaria, the weather can change unexpectedly, and it is hard to find shelter, so we made the safe decision to wait until the 26th.

From Munich to Salzburg, the Schönes Wochenende ticket that cost 35 DM, was valid all weekend on the slow trains.  I took the Regional Express from Munich Ostbahnhof via Rosenheim and Freilassing. The train was not air conditioned, as were many Regional Express trains at the time, so it was an annoyance to some passengers, to slide the window down when going over 50 mph, particularly between Munich Ost and Rosenheim.  I think I arrived around 10:30 AM in Salzburg Hbf.  As I noted from 7th June 1998, there was no longer any formal customs between Germany and Austria as a result of the Schengen Agreement, so the station customs at Salzburg Hbf I remembered in operation in June 1997, for 1998 it was completely unmanned.  It was still standing in December 2001/August 2002, and I think also in August 2004 when I returned for a day visit, but sometime in 2005, it was demolished to make room for more train platforms and was complete around February 2012.

I went to the ticket hall, and then bought a day pass for the Salzburg Verkehrsbetriebe for the city and also for the zones including Lamprechtshausen and also Trimmelkam, as I was curious about riding the Lokalbahn, which is now the S-1 line.  In today's money it would be EUR 13.60, now 190 Schilling if today's exchange rate of ATS 13.9 = EUR 1.00 were to be used, but it was cheaper 20 years ago.  It was a good ride up to Lamprechtshausen.  I bought myself a big bottle of Almdudler (it is herbal and tastes like fizzy iced tea) at the Billa grocery store, of which I posted a photo of it while waiting for a bus in Wildshut.  From Lamprechtshausen I took the "shuttle line" to Bürmoos in Oberösterreich.  There was not much to see or do, and I was not quite thirsty enough to drink any of the Almdudler while waiting for the train to return to Bürmoos and on to Salzburg, so somehow I walked to Wildshut.  I think I took an hour to get there.  It was sunny and I think about the 90s.  I caught the bus that went on to Oberndorf where the S-1 would take me back to Salzburg.  I was starting to get a headache so I drank some of the Almdudler but it was not much use.  I went back to Hbf to fetch my clothes bag and headed for the hostel.  I had to take trolley bus 51 and exit at Egger-Lienz-Straße and walk a half mile towards the Salzach bank more or less.  My bed in the room was ready, and I took a nap for about two hours, and listened to the former "Blue Danube Radio" station.  The station is now part of the independent channel FM4.  I remember a story about the Empress Sisi mentioned on the broadcast.

I could not stay at the hostel for so long, as I did not come to Salzburg just to sleep all day.  I had to go back to the Altstadt to see what was going on.  As the 1998 FIFA World Cup was still in group stage, there were two matches.  One was Belgium vs Mexico, and the other was Netherlands vs South Korea.  I did not have any internet at the time, even a "smart phone", so back in 1998, there would be internet set up and probably 50 people or so would wait in line, waiting 15 to 20 minutes to get a turn.  I think I waited a whole hour.  Grumpy-Old-Man would say "That's the way it was, and we *liked* it!"  Now everyone can just skip that and use their smartphone.  I thought of going up to the top of the castle but I decided it was getting too late for that.  I think I had a "Käsekreiner" and can of Stiegl beer for dinner, took a bus to the Parsch district, I guess for sentimental reasons, and when it was dark, I went back to the hostel.  Back then I did not know that the Sacher Hotel was across the Salzach from the Altstadt, until I saw an ad sometime in July 1998.  It was out of my price range at the time anyway.

Sunday morning the 21st was as sunny as Saturday.  That was the day I was going to go to the Schloß Salzburg by cable car.  I had breakfast at the hostel, washed up, checked out, then took bus 51 to Salzburg Hbf to leave my clothes bag.  I went to the castle by cable car.  At the top, there was a very good panoramic view, not just of the , but also towards Maxglan, Hallein and even a little bit of Tirol.  And also the Berchtesgadener Land which I would visit later that day.  After I took the cable car down, I walked around and found a pretzel seller.  They had so many kinds of soft pretzels that I chose three, all of them about 10 inches wide.  One with ham and cheese, one with just salt, and the other split and filled with chocolate.  I took them along and then after taking the bus to Maxglan, I ate the ham and cheese pretzel, maybe one more.  By that time I think I had seen enough of Salzburg.  I was not much of a fan of Sound of Music so I did not go on that tour.  It was time to leave Austria and then return to Germany.  

I boarded, I think 1:30 PM, the train at Salzburg Hbf, for Berchtesgaden via Freilassing.  It arrived in Berchtesgaden, the end of the line, at 3 PM.  I thought of going to Kehlsteinhaus / Eagles Nest (would do that on 19th July 1998), but I settled on the Salzbergwerke, the salt mine.  It is basically a 10 minute train ride inside the mountain, a walk through the tunnels, sliding down and also a boat ride through the salt pool.  Everyone is required to wear a rented salt mine overall (somewhere I have a selfie!) and stay with the guide at all times.  In comparison to the upper 80s temperatures, the inside of the mountain was about the low 50s.  It is constant year round, as I would find out later, namely in February 2012 when I visited another salt mine in Bad Dürrnberg near Hallein.  Coming out of the salt mine was not so fun, after it being so cool inside.  Oh no it's so hot!  The walk back to the rail station was not pleasant but I had a surprise going back to Munich.  The train that arrived in Berchtesgaden as an Intercity train, was returning to Munich as a Regional Express, it was air conditioned and my Schönes Wochenend Ticket was also valid at no extra charge. What was the catch?  It had to make its scheduled stops.  But I did not mind.

I think I arrived at München Hbf about 8:30 or 9 PM, went to work the next day.  The weather forecast for Friday 26 June would be mostly sunny, for my colleagues, excellent weather for mountain climbing.  I will tell about that sometime next week, what that all entailed.  No one got hurt (badly), everyone survived.  And I even had a chance to see a pre-production BMW Z3-based E36 series coupe - probably the coolest car I saw all that year.  

Well, have a nice rest of the week, everyone.  There were no "foreign" journeys - in relation to Germany - expected until Friday 10th July 1998.

[umseb]

sebastian vettel arrives to the track on practice day, germany - july 20, 2018 📷 dpa picture alliance / alamy

[brookston]

Holidays 4.3

Holidays

American Circus Day

American Creed Day

Armenian Appreciation Day

Corrupt Society Day

Day of the Bride (Argentina)

Don't Go To Work Unless It's Fun Day

A Drop of Water is a Grain of Gold

Fan Dance Day

Find A Rainbow Day

Good Deeds Day

Independent Artist Day

International Day Against Victim Blaming

Jane Goodall Day (Los Angeles)

Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus; Japan)

Love A Muslim Day (UK)

National Chalk Day

National Film Score Day

National Grey Day

National Inspiring Joy Day

National Library Week begins

National Pac-Man Day

National Shoot Your Shot Day

Overcome a Handicap Day

Paraprofessional Appreciation Day

Peace Day (Angola)

Pony Express Day

Second Republic Day (Guinea)

TV Guide Day

Tweed Day

Weed Out Hate: Sow the Seeds of Greatness Day

World Aquatic Animal Day

World Cloud Security Day

World Party Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day

Fish Fingers and Custard Day

National Chocolate Mousse Day

1st Monday in April

National Bake Week begins [1st Monday]

National Fun Day [1st Monday]

Public Library Day [Monday of Library Week]

School Librarian Day [Monday of Library Week]

Sweet Potato Day [1st Monday]

Tater Day (Kentucky) [1st Monday]

Independence Days

Declaration of the Second Republic (Guinea)

Malinovia (Declared 2018) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Agape, Chionia, and Irene (Christian; Martyrs)

Aristæus (Positivist; Saint)

Burgundofara (Christian; Saint)

Captain Cabbage (Muppetism)

Day of Sheela-Na-Gig (Pagan)

Doris Day (Pastafarian)

Feast of Pak Tai (Macau) [3rd Day of 3rd Lunar Month]

Goof Friday (Church of the SubGenius)

Holy Monday [6 Days before Easter]

Luigi Scrosoppi (Christian; Saint)

Nicetias (Christian; Saint)

Plato (Christian; Saint)

Proserpina’s Rise from the Underworld Day (Ancient Greece)

Richard of Chichester (Christian; Saint)

Seize a Sausage Day (Pastafarian)

Ulpin of Tyre (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sizdar-Bedah (Unlucky to stay indoors; Iran)

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

Premieres

Adventureland (Film; 2009)

Beethoven (Film; 1992)

The Druid of Shannara, by Terry Brooks (Novel; 1991)

Fast & Furious (Film; 2009) [F&F #4]

Furious 7 (Film; 2015) [F&F #7]

It Happened at the World’s Fair (Film; 1963)

It’s Now or Never, recorded by Elvis Presley (Song; 1960)

The Long, Hot Summer (Film; 1958)

Louisiana Hayride (Radio Music Series; 1948)

Mercury Rising (Film; 1998)

My Hero Academia (Anime TV Series; 2016)

The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregor (Novel; 2008)

Piano Concerto in A Minor, by Edvard Grieg (Concerto; 1869)

Planet of the Apes (Film; 1968)

Planning for Good Eating (Disney Cartoon; 1946)

Rock-A-Doodle (Animated Film; 1992)

Rumple of the Bailey (UK TV Series; 1978)

The Sea-Wolf (Novel; 1904)

2001: A Space Odyssey (Film; 1968)

Today’s Name Days

Richard, Sixtus (Austria)

Radojko, Ratko, Rikard, Siksto (Croatia)

Richard (Czech Republic)

Nicæas (Denmark)

Uko, Uku (Estonia)

Sampo, Veeti (Finland)

Richard (France)

Irene, Lisa, Richard (Germany)

Illyria’s (Greece)

Buda, Richárd (Hungary)

Riccardo, Sisto (Italy)

Daira, Dairis, Ferdinands (Latvia)

Kristijonas, Ričardas, Rimtautė, Vytenis (Lithuania)

Gunnvald, Gunvor (Norway)

Antoni, Cieszygor, Jakub, Pankracy, Ryszard (Poland)

Nichita (Romania)

Richard (Slovakia)

Ricardo (Spain)

Ferdinand, Nanna (Sweden)

Dick, Dickson, Dix, Dixie, Dixon, Doris, Ricarda, Ricardo, Rich, Richard, Richelle, Richman, Rick, Rickey, Ricky, Rosamond, Rosamund, Ryan (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 93 of 2024; 272 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of week 14 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Fearn (Alder) [Day 16 of 28]

Chinese: Second Month 2 (Gui-Mao), Day 13 (Xin-Mao)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 12 Nisan 5783

Islamic: 12 Ramadan 1444

J Cal: 2 Aqua; Twosday [2 of 30]

Julian: 21 March 2023

Moon: 93%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 9 Archimedes (4th Month) [Aristæus]

Runic Half Month: Ehwaz (Horse) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 15 of 90)

Zodiac: Aries (Day 14 of 30)

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day.

Pumbaa was the first ever character to fart in a Disney movie.

The heaviest human ever recorded weighed 1400 pounds (100 stone).

Thomas Hargrove, a homicide archivist, estimates that there are over 2000 serial killers at large right now.

The average human attention span has almost halved since 2000 decreasing from 20 seconds to 12 in 2018.

Sir Isaac Newton was just 22 when he discovered the universal law of gravity. He also died a virgin.

Scientists discovered traces of cannabis on the pipes found in William Shakespeare's garden.

Bill Gates changed his school's program codes so he was placed in class with mostly female students.

The day after Thanksgiving is generally the busiest day of the year for American plumbers. It's called ‘Brown Friday’.

Adidas will cancel any sponsorship deal that they have with a player if it turns out they have anything to do with Scientology.

Pleonasm is the term for a redundant expression, like ‘ATM machine’, ‘hot water heater’, ‘free gift’ or ‘lying politician’.

Experiments show that male rhesus macaque monkeys will ‘pay’ to look at pictures of female rhesus macaques' bottoms.

The deadliest female serial killer in US history, Clementine Barnabet, had murdered 35 people with an axe by the time she was 18 years old.

In the Tasmanian Devil mating season, the male has to beat the female into submission if he wants to mate. If the male is too weak, the female proceeds to beat up the male.

In 2016, a 70-year-old man robbed a Kansas City bank and then sat down in the lobby, saying he'd rather live in jail than with his wife. He was sentenced to six months of house arrest.

In the 1980s, Nintendo employed ‘game counsellors’. If you were stuck in a game, you could call them, and they would coach you through it.

Thomas Wadhouse was an English circus performer who lived in the 18th century. He is most famously known for having the world's longest nose, which measured 7.5 inches (19 cm) long.

Orgasms were thought to treat 'hysteria’ in women during the 19th century, but doctors were tired of fatiguing their hands, so the modern-day vibrator was created.

In 1939, the New York Times predicted that the television would fail because the average American family wouldn't have enough time to sit around watching it.

Having bridesmaids in a wedding wasn't originally for moral support. They were actually intended to confuse evil spirits or those who wished harm on the bride.

A man named László Polgár developed a method to raise child prodigies. He wrote a book on it, married a language teacher, and they raised the world's best and second-best chess players.

During the Iranian embassy siege in London, back in 1980, when given the choice of who from the group of hostages would be released, they chose Ali Guil Ghanzafar, whose loud snoring was keeping them awake.

When trains were introduced in the U.S, many people believed that women's bodies were not designed to go at 50 miles an hour, and that their uteruses would “fly out” of [their] bodies if they were accelerated to that speed.

In 1978, Richard Branson wanted to impress his girlfriend by pretending to buy a private island. The island was listed for $6 million and he offered $100k as a joke. The owner settled for $180k, and Branson bought Necker Island.

A writer by the name of Lisa Holst created an article in 1993 stating that “around 8 spiders crawl into your mouth every year whilst you sleep”, but the whole thing was made up to prove that the internet was gullible and doesn’t fact check its sources. It's actually more like 20.

In 1140, when King Conrad III of Germany captured a castle, the women of the castle were granted free departure and allowed to take what they could carry on their backs. Thinking quickly, some women carried a man on their backs. The king kept his word and let the men go.

A woman who developed a strange addiction to eating mattresses vowed to stop after she wound up eating not only her own bed but also her mother's. This story comes from the TLC series ‘My Strange Addiction’ and focuses on a woman named Jennifer who was 26 at the time she was featured on the show in 2013. According to the documentary Jennifer used to eat .09 square metres of a mattress a day and had consumed 8 mattresses within 20 years. She admits that she began eating her mother's mattress after she finished eating her own and usually gets the urge around 2 o'clock in the afternoon or after sex.

Okay, that’s enough information for one day. Have a tremendous and tumultuous Tuesday! I love you all.

[uniquejellyfishqueen]

I'm now unsure who we should be thinking of when we hear Tim McGraw...

10/8/2004 Tim McGraw played the role of a father on the film adaptation of Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G Bissinger (the closest date possible to find is 1990). The story follows the 1988 Permian HS Panthers football team as they took their chance at a run for the state championship. The movie has a run time of 118 minutes, and the 118 show in Germany on 7/18/24 (based on the piano songs from this day is 10/9 suspicious.? And today 10/7 someone posted about a new mural in Germany. It was very "like a rainbow with all the colors."

6/19/2006 TS releases the song Tim McGraw.

10/3/2007 FNL the TV show premiered withe the heartwarming story of the rookie QB getting his shot and the hardass coach that continued to believe in him.

6/16/2009 TM music video

12/6/2011 Ours music video premieres. The male main character is the QB from FNL who is also in love with Coach Taylor's daughter.

*this is silly because now in 2024 TS is dating the TE from Kansas City 1/30/24 he said in an interview that "he knew her before from Philadelphia. Her dad played at Delaware and was a big football fan and had met them there."

*FNL it equals 13

There is also an article from 7/6/2018 titled Kansas City Chiefs as FNL characters. Andy Reid was matched with Eric Taylor and Travis was matched to Tim Riggins. (No offense, trav is too happy to play Tim...)

If you only knew how many other strings this piece of the web was weaving, I'd call this a record year.

Update, yes 10/9 has some things of note:

Happy Birthday John Lennon

And Jack Daniel's is resting in peace I presume.

Elvis and Priscilla divorced after 6 years of marriage (there is a tombstone with for a Priscilla in my childhood backyard)

The U.S. Naval Institute was established

1919 the Cincinnati Reds won the world series

In 1943 Bob Hoernschemeyer (dude I'm so sorry that was the second word you had to learn to spell...rough!) Threw six TD passes in a game

1989 Art Shell was the first African American man to coach an NFL game *inducted to the Pro Football HOF in 1989..

10/9 is also nation pro-life cupcake day

**upon further review and probably a million lyrics later I realized who I wont think of when I hear Tim McGraw.

When you are so blinded to what true love and partnership is you obviously incorporate traits and behaviors that you grew up with for a type of love language. So when you continue to get more and more of the same that becomes your normal, which makes you start to feel a little crazy why would you question something that has always been this way? Because thats when you know it’s not as it seems, it never has been. It could feel like waking up one random Tuesday and running late for work only to smack yourself right between the eyes and literally knock yourself out in the driveway, as you’re crying in pain your partner didn’t even know as they just sat inside the house. Maybe it took you literally knocking yourself to wake up, or maybe it’s looking your daughter in the eyes and hoping to the goddess above that she never knows what it is like to settle. I was blinded by pretty things, when in all reality I thought I really liked those pretty things but I don’t. I lied to myself, I lost myself in this life. In this lie. Now that I know myself again, I see that a best friend wouldn’t let you suffer this way and more importantly a best friend knows when you can’t take it anymore. Therefore in this story all he is, is a supporting character of baby daddy.

[ummick]

Mick Schumacher Confirmed At Haas F1 Team

December 1, 2020

Formula 2 Championship Leader to Graduate to Formula 1 in 2021.

Haas F1 Team has signed Germany's Mick Schumacher as part of its all-new driver lineup for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship and beyond in a multi-year agreement. Schumacher gets an early start on his preparations as a full-time Formula 1 driver – driving the team's VF-20 in FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Friday 11 December, before participating in the end of season young driver test at Yas Marina Circuit, Tuesday 15 December. Schumacher (21), a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and the son of seven-time FIA Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher, leads the Formula 2 title race heading into the final round of the season at Bahrain International Circuit (R12 4-6 December). Schumacher holds a fourteen point advantage at the top of the points table – his sophomore season with Prema Racing netting ten podium finishes to-date, including a pair of stand-out feature race victories at Monza and Sochi. "I'm very pleased that we're able to confirm Mick Schumacher in our driver lineup for next season and I look forward to welcoming him into the team," stated Guenther Steiner, Team Principal of Haas F1 Team. "The Formula 2 Championship has long served as a proving ground for talent to showcase their credentials and this year's field has undoubtedly been one of the most competitive in recent seasons. Mick has won races, collected podiums and excelled against some pretty exceptional talent in 2020. I firmly believe he's earned the opportunity to graduate into Formula 1 based on his performances. We have an opportunity ahead of us, as a team, to evaluate and nurture a new driver, given our familiarity with our race package heading into 2021. We are putting in place our building blocks for the continued long-term growth of the team and I look forward to Mick's contributions both on and off the track in that process." Schumacher joins Haas F1 Team with six seasons of open-wheel racing under his belt. Starting his journey in the 2015 ADAC F4 Germany series, he progressed to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, winning the title in 2018 courtesy of eight victories. He was appointed to the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2019 as he made his Formula 2 debut. Schumacher had his first taste of contemporary Formula 1 cars in April of that season, participating at the in-season test in Bahrain, testing with both Scuderia Ferrari and Alfa Romeo Racing across the two days. "The prospect of being on the Formula 1 grid next year makes me incredibly happy and I'm simply speechless," stated Schumacher upon his confirmation. "I would like to thank Haas F1 Team, Scuderia Ferrari, and the Ferrari Driver Academy for placing their trust in me. I also want to acknowledge and extend my love to my parents. I know that I owe them everything. I have always believed that I would realize my dream of Formula 1. A huge thank you must also go to all the great motorsport fans out there who have supported me throughout my career. I will give it my all, as I always do, and I look forward to going on this journey together with Haas F1 and them."

[worldcupgamblefest]

We’re back. And this time, we’re better than ever.

Which won’t be difficult given we’re generally bad at this.

Yes, your three favourite gambling fools are back and determined once again to hoist a single penny in the air.

Once again, Tom, Alex and Neil will bet £1 on every single match at a major international tournament and will attempt to recoup as much cash as possible. Any profit - from a penny to a pound or even beyond - counts as a win.

Of course, that seems unlikely. Tom and Neil began this venture at the 2014 World Cup, before adding Euros to the mix in 2016 along with Alex. This is their sixth consecutive tournament and there has only been one win - Neil’s 63p profit at the 2018 World Cup.

The two previous European Championships have been a disaster. On only one attempt out of six has someone even managed to be better off than £10 down.

However, they’re not going to let something like football knowledge and common sense stop them. Not these boys.

Their combined losses from 14 individual attempts at five tournaments stands at £188.77. Worth pointing out that Alex is responsible for 40% of that loss at £76.67 - and he missed an entire tournament.

But this time will be different. This time will be sensible and calculated and Tom will attempt to learn his lesson on betting on corners maybe.

A recap of the important rules. Bets must be placed prior to kick off. Other players can make a ruling in case of a missed bet - previous instances have seen punishments ranging from automatic losses, to a mandatory long shot in play bet. There can be no advantage to betting late. Cash outs are permitted but only in circumstances deemed broadly acceptable - if you need a 50p return in the final, you can’t cash out immediately once the game gets underway like a scab. Free bets can be used - for the purposes of the game, we treat those as if they were placed with real money.

There are 51 games in total and it all kicks off on Friday 14 June with hosts Germany taking on Scotland in Munich.

Can they do it? We’ve teased this being the last Gamblefest but it definitely will be in the current form - the 2026 World Cup has 104 matches and that frightens us.

[whatsonmedia]

Top 10 Weekly Gigs Around The World: An Array of Genres

June is heating up, and not just with the weather! The gigs scene around the world is sizzling with amazing acts across every genre. Whether you're a pop devotee, a rock and roll rebel, or crave something completely different, there's a live show waiting to blow you away this month. Get ready to crank up the volume and discover the Top 10 Gigs around the world This June! P!NK Pink is a singer, songwriter, and actor from the United States. She is well-known for her strong voice and pop tunes with a rock touch. - When: Saturday, 15 June 2024 - Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK - Time: 16:30 - Ticket: £249 Liam Gallagher The lead vocalist of the rock group Oasis from 1991 until 2009, William John Paul Gallagher, is an English singer and songwriter. Later, from 2009 to 2014, he led the rock group Beady Eye before beginning a lucrative solo career in 2017. - When: Tuesday, 11 June 2024 - Where: The O2 Arena, London - Time: 18:30 - Ticket: £46.00 – £96.00 Doja Cat and Hemlocke Springs Rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, better known by her stage name Doja Cat, is from the United States. She started creating music as a youngster and posting it to SoundCloud. She is based in Los Angeles, California. On the other hand, The American singer, songwriter, and record producer Hemlocke Springs is actually Isimeme "Naomi" Udu. When her song "Girlfriend" went viral on TikTok in 2022, she first came to notable prominence. Going...Going...Gone!, her debut extended play, was released on September 29, 2023. - When: Friday, 14 June 2024 - Where: The O2 Arena, London - Time: 19:00 - Ticket: £70.00 – £125.00 Sabrina Carpenter "Can't Blame a Girl for Trying" was Carpenter's debut single when she signed with Hollywood Records in 2014. She also released an EP with the same name. She continued, releasing the studio albums Singular: Act I (2018), Singular: Act II (2019), Evolution (2016), and Eyes Wide Open (2015) during the 2010s. - When: Sunday, 16 June 2024 - Where: Wembley Stadium, London, UK - Time: 13:00 - Ticket: £135 Sheppard Sheppard is a trio of Australian indie pop artists that was founded in 2009. The Australian Recording Industry Association certified their debut studio album, Bombs Away, gold. It was released on July 11, 2014, and peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart. - When: Monday 10 June 2024 - Where: 217 East Houston Street10002New York (NYC), NY, US - Time: 18:00 - Ticket: $21.25 Keb' Mo' American blues artist Kevin Roosevelt Moore is better known by his stage name Keb' Mo'. He is a Nashville, Tennessee-based singer-songwriter as well as guitarist. He is regarded as "a living link to the seminal Delta blues that travelled up the Mississippi River and across the expanse of America." - When: Monday 10 June 2024 - Where: 99 Monmouth St.07701Red Bank, NJ, US - Time: 19:30 - Ticket: $25.00 – US $69.00 Ruby Waters Singer-songwriter Ruby Waters hails from Canada. Raised in Shelburne, Ontario, Waters is of Métis and Slovak descent. She was exposed to music at a young age by her parents, who played in a country band together. At about thirteen, she started doing street performances and busking. - When: Saturday 15 June 2024 - Where: Revaler Strasse 9910245Berlin, Germany - Time: 19:00 Gabry ponte Italian musician, DJ, and producer Gabriele "Gabry" Ponte is best known for being a member of the dance band Eiffel 65. - When: Saturday 15 June 2024 - Where: Via Appia Nuova, 124500178Rome, Italy - Time: 21:45 - Ticket: €51.75 – €208.25 David Morales Record producer and disc jockey David Morales is from the United States. Morales is a producer and DJ in addition to being a remixer. - When: Saturday 15 June 2024 - Where: Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 3808003Barcelona, Spain - Time: 23:00 - Ticket: €15.00 The Killers American rock group The Killers was founded in 2001 by Dave Keuning and Brandon Flowers in Las Vegas. Following several stints as drummers and bassists in their early years, Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. both joined the group in 2002. - When: Saturday 15 June 2024 - Where: East Link Bridge, North Wall QuayDublin 1Dublin, Ireland - Time: €80.25 – €90.25 - Ticket: €15.00 Read the full article