#locale per feste

[rocksidepub]

FESTEGGIA IL TUO COMPLEANNO/ EVENTO AL ROCK SIDE !!

Scegli tra le varie opzioni ed il nostro Menù alla carta .

️-Pranzo o cena : per chi ama la buona tavola e la comodità di trascorrere il pasto comodamente seduto questa è la scelta più giusta

️-Aperitivo : per gli amanti degli antipasti sfiziosi abbinati ai migliori Drink.

️-Dopo cena : scelta adatta a coloro che vogliono trascorrere una serata diversa,gustando cocktails e birra di qualità .

️-Festa privata : soluzione più adatta per gruppi numerosi ( max di persone da concordare ) che vogliono trascorrere il compleanno in una location dedicata esclusivamente a loro ,scegliendo una delle nostre 2 sale disponibili per l' evento,o addirittura puoi optare per l’affitto dell’intera location .

[pier-carlo-universe]

Pasticceria Voltaggio: Un'eccellenza di dolcezza ad Alessandria. Tra tradizione e innovazione, la Pasticceria Voltaggio è un'icona del gusto e della qualità dal 1909

Nel cuore di Alessandria, in via Milano 26, si trova una delle pasticcerie più amate e rinomate della città: la Pasticceria Voltaggio, un luogo dove la tradizione incontra la qualità e l’innovazione. Fondata nel lontano 1909, questa pasticceria si è affermata nel tempo come sinonimo di eccellenza artigianale, grazie ai suoi prodotti di altissima qualità, realizzati con passione e maestria. La…

[kutyozh]

not only langblr music resources

people irl often ask me where the heck i find the music i listen to, so i figured i might as well make a handy resource masterpost!

Radio Garden: Listen to radio stations all over the world. You can save your favourite stations, explore radio playlists, and search for stations in specific countries or cities. Love this one. You can download the app (android and apple) or listen via your preferred browser.

Radiooooo: Lets you choose a country, a decade, and a 'genre' (slow, fast, or weird) to listen to. You can download the app (android and apple) or listen via your preferred browser.

Charts: Charts can be tricky if you're looking for music in a specific language since there are multiple languages present in most country specific charts. It is nevertheless worth checking them out. Spotify charts or Top 40 Charts are your places to go.

Tunefind: Heard a song in a film or tv show that you enjoy but can't find it in the credits? This is the website for you! I use it when shazam fails me or when I'm at the cinema and can't use it or w/e. The songs sometimes come with a description of the corresponding scene for easy checking. Just very handy to have on hand.

Local events: Check for concerts etc. in your area. I know this is not an option for everyone for a bunch of reasons, but if it is for you, visiting local concerts can be a gold mine. I got like ten whole new songs in spanish and one in rapanui from one event I went to (it was like a culture fest with singing, dancing, and poetry). Also listening to live music just connects you differently to the art imo.

Friends & Acquaintances: Last but not least; sometimes my nosiness beats my social anxiety and I simply ask people what they like to listen to. If I'm being extra confident, I ask if they listen to music in languages other than english. Go forth and ask people about their music, go go go!!

Spotify specific recs:

Every Noise At Once: Sounds overwhelming - and tbh it can be. For this reason I personally prefer to look at 'Genres by Country', although there are many other interesting playlists to look at, such as 'We Built This City On' or 'The Sounds of Places'. You can find more if you scroll all the way to the bottom. Unfortunately, due to the layoff of the creator of this site, some features are not available anymore. This website is entirely based on Spotify.

LindsayDoesLanguages. Individual language playlists + more

Shameless self promo - my own account with individual language playlists. Also on YouTube !

700+ Languages. A playlist by Matthew Bofenkamp that contains one (1) song per language, and as it says on the tin, Matthew has so far collected songs in over 700 languages. Might be a good starting point for more music in your language of interest! Accompanying g0ogle spreadsheet with youtube links here.

One Song in Every Language. A community playlist by looky_dooky that aims to collect one song in every language. Everyone with a spotify account can contribute.

Another research tip: If you're on desktop, a good way to find language specific playlists is to go to any artist's profile and scroll down to the "Discovered on" section, then click "show all". Voilà!

(These showed up when I visited Haleluya Tekletsadik's page)

[eyrri]

my and my gf @bonegnaws spent the week illustrating and printing our first zines for a local zine fest (hers is a per-zine about werewolves!) We were not tabling, but just wanted to hand them out for free or trade and also to print just for ourselves for fun. We hope to make more zines in the future to have available on a digital storefront.

[jadeazora]

In the same vein as Pokémon GO Fest and Pokémon GO Tour, this type of new event is coming in November.

"Mighty" spawns being harder to catch, and a new type of PokeBall, Safari Balls, will be available. These "mighty" Pokemon are more likely to have high IVs, are more likely to be XL or XXL, and their Encounters will be marked "!!!" instead of CP.

Origin Forme Dialga and Origin Forme Palkia will appear in raids during this event. All Trainers will have a chance to encounter these Pokémon with their signature attacks: Roar of Time and Spacial Rend!

Ticket-holding Trainers will get to choose whether to focus on Electric- or Poison-type Pokémon and the main featured Pokemon is Toxtricity

Ticket Holder Bonuses include: an increased chance of encountering Shiny Pokémon, 2x Catch Candy, 2x Hatch Stardust, 2x Hatch XP, up to 5 Raid Passes per day by spinning Photo Discs at Gyms, 5,000 additional XP from completed raids, 3 additional Candy XL from catching Pokémon in four-star, five-star, Mega, Ultra Beast, and Primal Raids, and so much more!

Trainers who purchase a Pokémon GO Wild Area: Global ticket by October 22—and play Pokémon GO between October 15 and October 22—will receive Timed Research that awards early access to a themed avatar item, the Toxel Mask.

The global event runs Nov23 thru Nov24, 2024 from 10am to 6:15pm, local time

Toxel will be hatching from 10km Eggs during this event! Trainers may even hatch a Shiny Toxel, if they are lucky.

Link here for the article, which has the ticket link.

[castillon02]

Trust But Verify

(For the whump table prompt 'betrayed' and the word count table free space (350). Happy 007 Fest!)

"The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” M closed the book, his voice heavy with regret. 

Q clenched his glass. It was largely because of M that James Bond would never use his time again. 

“To James,” they toasted: Tanner, Nomi, Q, Moneypenny. M. 

The alcohol burned down Q’s throat.   

Shortly after 007 had left a bottle of champagne in lieu of a vehicle, 002 had been captured in a remote part of Kazakhstan. He’d had Smart Blood in his system; Q had steered backup to his location within six hours. “He’s not here,” Nomi had reported. 

“What are you talking about? Of course he’s—” 

“There’s a dialysis machine in the corner and an IV hooked up to a local.” 

Q had swallowed and stared at the resting heart rate on his screen: 58 beats per minute. A little high for Tom, he’d thought, but he’d dismissed it as related to an injury or sedative. Instead they’d suborned Q’s connection to his agent and stolen him away. 

They’d found Tom’s body two days later. 

“This is not your fault,” Mallory had told him afterward. “But I think you can see why there’s a new interest in DNA-locking your nanobots to their intended Smart Blood targets.” 

Nanobots and DNA. Q had done the research, made the connections, constructed the prototypes that Obruchev must have used as the foundations for Heracles. He’d done it despite the prickling in the back of his mind that said, eugenics, that said, how much do we trust any government to—

But he’d thought of Tom, and This is M, he won’t— 

Only now James was gone, his days not wasted but stolen.  

In the present, Mallory said, “Right, back to work,” exuding the weariness of a general.  

Had Mallory only taken advantage of Tom’s death? Or had he orchestrated it, working towards Heracles even then? 

M had lost his right to secrets. To privacy. To biosecurity. 

If necessary… Well. The UI for Heracles ought to be familiar enough.  

[yumeka-sxf]

As I mentioned in my previous merch post, I preordered a case of the Spy x Family set from the Weiss Schwarz card game! For those who don't know what Weiss Schwarz is, it's a crossover trading card game featuring a ton of different anime, manga, and other IPs. I've been playing it on and off for nearly 15 years now and was so happy when I heard that SxF was going to get a set! The SxF cards were released in Japan in July of last year, but I held out until the English version came out a few weeks ago!

Above is all the stock my friend and I split: a display of trial decks (6 total), two meister sets (which each contain a playmat, storage box, and 10 booster packs), and finally, the main part, a case of 18 boxes (16 booster packs per box, 9 cards per pack).

So if we do the math...

-16 packs x 18 boxes x 9 cards per pack = 2,252 cards

-plus an addition 20 packs / 180 cards from the two meister sets comes to a grand total of 2,432 cards! (also the 6 trial decks, 50 cards each, but they're all the same 50 cards except for some rare variants, so thankfully we didn't have to sort those too).

So yeah, it took us practically the entire day to open all the packs and sort all the cards!

The empty booster pack wrappers ended up filling the entire box that the case came in!

Below are the rarest cards we pulled (I love the chibi ones~)

The below Yor and Loid cards have the highest value out of all of them (not that I intend to sell them 😅)

I already built three decks with the cards and am in the process of testing them! (with my friends who also play) Got a deck box for each, which fit perfectly in the card box 😁

Now that I have some new Weiss Schwarz decks, I'm planning to start visiting my local game shop again for tournaments and casual play. I used to go there a lot several years back, for both Weiss Schwarz and Pokemon, but haven't been since the pandemic. I may even attend some official Bushiroad events, like Spring Fest and/or their tournament at Anime Expo.

Also, for anyone interested in Weiss Schwarz, I wrote a quick beginner guide about the game on a Google doc here - explains the basics of what the game is about (using SxF cards as examples).

[arrowofcarnations]

Fic-O-Ween 2023 Day 1: First Frost

Happy fest, y’all! Here’s some Harvard-era FinnLo pining to ring in day one. Huge thank-yous to @lumosinlove for the Sweater Weather characters and universe and to @noots-fic-fests for organizing the fest!

Title: Love at First Fright Pairing: Finn O'Hara/Logan Tremblay Rating: G

“Trick or treat!”

Finn smiled at the ghost-witch-robot trio looking up at him and dropped three handfuls of candy into the plastic pumpkin pails they held up expectantly.

“Hey, nice costumes! Happy Halloween!”

The kids barely stood still long enough to say it back before they were taking off in the opposite direction of the frat house, eager to get back to their parents and hit up more treat stops around campus before dark. It was a good day for it; classic autumn in New England, from the crispness in the air to the red, brown and yellow leaves drifting down off the trees to cover the manicured grass in a vibrant seasonal blanket. Even the deep red of Harvard’s brick buildings seemed more beautiful in October, like they were meant to exist in a state of perpetual fall.

Throngs of local kids—and some of their parents—were all decked out in their Halloween best, while Finn and the rest of the OKN guys wore school-branded clothes while taking turns manning the candy-laden folding table outside the house between classes. (Finn wasn’t sure any of them owned a costume they could wear outside in broad daylight.) 

He laughed as Percy walked over, refill bag in hand, wearing the exact same gray sweatshirt with a crimson HARVARD across the chest as he was, the same black joggers—almost the same sneakers. “Fashion.”

Percy grinned back at him. “You know it, baby.” He turned the bag upside down, dumping the candy into any bowls that weren’t full and spilling some across the table as he went.

“Yo, you’re getting jolly ranchers all over the ground.”

“You’re a fuckin’ jolly rancher.”

“You’re a fuckin’ kit-kat.”

“You’re a—”

“Shut up, there’s kids,” Will warned, then passed some treats to a tiny ballerina with a kind smile and a compliment for her costume.

“Oh shit, my bad,” Percy said, and Finn snorted as Will cuffed him on the side of the head.

Finn unwrapped a watermelon jolly rancher and popped it into his mouth as he watched students and families pass by. Percy nudged him with an elbow, getting his attention. “Where’s Tremz? Thought you were surgically fused at this point.”

“Fu—” he cut off as Will leveled the captain stare at him. “Heck off. He’s in his medieval history class, he’ll be back soon.”

“Speak of the French-Canadian devil,” Percy shouted as Logan walked up the path to the house, backpack on his shoulders and snapback on his head—backwards, per usual. He looked good in the crimson Harvard Hockey hoodie he was wearing; Finn’s eyes caught the fraying at the cuffs and his stomach swooped as he realized it was his, that Logan must’ve swiped it this morning before heading out. 

“Bonjour,” Logan said, oblivious to the state of Finn’s internal organs.

“Bone-joor,” Percy replied before Finn could say it. “Very French of you. And shorts in October. Very Canadian of you.”

“We haven’t even had first frost yet.” Logan looked from Percy to Finn. “How much candy did you let him eat?”

“Too much,” Will answered for him. “Don’t you have class next, Marshy?”

After a complicated handshake with Finn that neared 15 seconds long, Percy grabbed his bag and took off at a slow jog. Finn wasn’t happy that he left, exactly, but he was happy that Logan walked around the table to take his spot right beside him.

“How’s that black plague treatin’ ya?” he asked as Logan slid his backpack off and under the table.

Logan’s eyes crinkled as he laughed. “Better than it’s treating medieval Europeans. But the reading is a little…”

He looked away—embarrassed, maybe, or frustrated. Finn knew he hated that English still tripped him up sometimes, though the amount he’d improved in just a few semesters was damn impressive. Finn kicked his shin lightly. “I got you. Would’ve flunked out last spring if it weren’t for you, so. Bring on the plagues.”

Logan kicked him back and sent him a grateful smile. And just because he couldn’t help it, Finn plucked at the sleeve of his hoodie. “Nice sweatshirt.”

“You left it on my chair,” Logan said, but Finn saw a little bit of color in his cheeks that he was pretty sure the afternoon chill didn’t put there.

It was a shoddy excuse, but so was Finn teasing him about it being “a little tight in the shoulders, Tremz, you gym beast” just so he could put a hand on one of those broad shoulders and squeeze. Logan was warm and so solid even through the layers; his hand lingered just a second too long before he let it fall away.

The next half hour passed quickly as trick-or-treaters came and went. The sun had just started to sink lower in the sky when a girl who couldn’t have been older than five or six walked up to the table, her guardian hanging back a ways. She had a hockey jersey on and was carrying her helmet, probably tired of wearing it around. 

She was closing in on Logan, who’d ended up on the opposite end of the long folding table as Finn at some point, when the big animatronic ghoul in front of the porch lurched and let out its tinny scream. The girl jumped, looking terrified, and tears filled her wide brown eyes.

“Oh,” Finn heard Logan say softly; his brow was knitted with concern as he walked quickly out from behind the table and crouched down in front of her. “I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you.”

The girl didn’t say anything, just turned to look at her adult and then back at Logan. It seemed like she was trying not to run away.

Logan nodded at her jersey. “You play hockey?”

She nodded.

“Me too. All these guys are on my team. What’s your favorite position to play?”

That drew her out of her shell. “Goalie,” she said with a quiet confidence as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“I see. You know what I know about goalies?” The girl shook her head, but clearly looked interested at whatever Logan was about to say. He leaned in like he was telling a secret, then said, “They’re the bravest ones. Also the craziest.”

Finn’s chest warmed at the way she laughed, at how Logan had gotten her from near-tears to happy and chatting in no time at all. He never got to see Logan with little kids; all their siblings were older. It was nice. It was sweet. It was doing things to Finn’s heart that he’d rather not think about.

In the end, the little girl—Harper, she told Logan as he filled her candy pail until it was overflowing, then filled her helmet, too—skipped away in a great mood. Logan was still smiling a little after they’d gone as Finn walked over to him.

“She was cute.”

Logan nodded. “Ouais.”

“You, too.” It was out of his mouth before he could shove it back in. Logan raised an eyebrow at him. “You were cute with her,” he explained—not that that really made it better.

But Logan looked pleased that he’d said so, even as he shrugged. “It’s not hard when they’re adorable. She said she’s a goalie.”

“Oh, so the skeleton thing should’ve been afraid of her.”

Logan laughed. “That’s kind of what I told her.”

Finn wanted to say so much. You’re cute all the time. You should only wear my hoodies. You’ll make a great dad someday. I want to share that someday with you.

Instead, he took Logan’s hat off and ruffled his hair. “Dinner?” he asked. “Burgers? Hog’s Head?”

Logan took his hat back and put it back on, but he wasn’t even pretending to be annoyed. “Ouais, let’s go now before they make us clean up.”

As they snuck off behind the house toward the pub, Finn took a handful of cherry jolly ranchers out of his pocket and put them in Logan’s. Logan laughed, then did the same for Finn with the watermelon ones. 

“Happy Halloween, Tremz.”

“Happy Halloween, Harzy.”

[vecchiorovere]

Mitici anni '70/ '80. Chi li ha vissuti, sa di cosa parlo: le favolose feste private. Una radio, due musicassette e tanta voglia di vivere. Poi, i lenti. Noi maschi non vedevamo l'ora che arrivasse questo momento. Nell'attesa, mentre si ballava musica disco, si cercava di individuare la "preda", la ragazza più carina da invitare al momento fatidico. Però, c'erano delle difficoltà oggettive. La prima, anticipare la concorrenza e fiondarsi sulla tipa prima degli altri. La seconda, la possibilità di ricevere un "no" all'invito di ballare il lento. Sia nel primo che nel secondo caso, l'insuccesso faceva automaticamente partire qualche maledizione mentre si cercava disperatamente di individuare la "preda" di ripiego. A volte andava male anche al terzo, quarto tentativo per cui ci si ritrovava buttati su una sedia o divano, oppure si andava fuori dal locale (casa) a cercare di far passare la grossa delusione (tale era) pensando di rifarsi alla successiva festa privata. E se invece andava bene? Beh, questo non è facile da spiegare. Emozioni d'altri tempi...

-Web

[sandrockianblues]

spare Pen HCs, for when he's dating the builder? bonus points if the builder is a little feral.

Prime Himbo Pen?😍

🏅Pen🏅hcs

For all his bravado and arrogance, he’s actually a bit surprised the builder chose him of all people.

Not that he’d admit that tho

He lowkey loves flaunting the fact that he’s taken and unavailable after the builder gets with him

Like even if a tourist comes up to ask for directions-

“Halt there, stranger. Per the rules of the sanctity of my relationship with our local builder; I shan’t engage in conversation with those who gaze upon my gains in wonderment and awe.”

They’ll spend the next few hours looking for the store they need

Logan and Owen are really his biggest competition and he treats them as so if his builder is close with one of them

He’s kind of a crybaby if the builder tugs on his heart strings enough

Full on crying and blaming the sand, saying it got in his eyes

He melts and shuts down for praise and genuine compliments. Can’t compute and gets slightly flustered

But he CAN flirt like it’s nobody’s business. He gives as good as he gets and more.

If the builder is a bit rambunctious, aggressive, defensive, impulsive, etc…

It somehow chills him out? Like he’s got to be the sane one between the two of them

Literally holding them under their arms and away from their target

Gives a half-assed apology because like, he still stands by the whole “I’m sorry you felt that way.”

The builder has to lead the way with initiating affection for most of the beginning of their relationship, sorry. He’s not used to it

Deadass fears breaking or crushing them (man has Lenny vibes from Of Mice & Men)

Brush his hair please. He somehow breaks and ruins brushes doing it himself because his constant jumping and running around leaves it knotted up

But if the builder has more patience and a gentle hand, Pen will come to them to help him out with his hair

One of the few times they’ll get a somewhat quiet Pen

He’ll groan continuously and in content as they work the knots out carefully

Also Pablo will thank them.

Playing with his hair afterward or just threading their fingers through his thick locks is a major bonus he loves

Believe it or not, while Pen tans nicely (don’t doubt that he’ll tan nude on top of the church out of view to get a full on even color) only the bridge of his nose will burn!

So when he’s with the builder, if they ignore his dismal to their concern and saying the burn will eventually fade into a tan-

And the start a daily routine of applying a little bit of sunscreen to that bit of skin

He’ll fall in love all over again

Them offering to help with his workouts makes him laugh

Until they start flirting with him and he realizes oh…

Oh, that works.

Cue Pen working hard to earn kisses in each rep or count

Cue Pen wanting more praises

Despite his constant flaunting and offers to feel up his muscles, it comes as a shock to him when they actually do

Know how he’ll stand for hours, maybe even days on end, in front of a mirror?

Yeah. If the builder stares at him, Pen will feel compelled to keep quiet and stay still no matter how long they take.

It’s something about the way their eyes look at him with admiration, adoration and love that fills him with a wholeness he’s been missing

Like those countless hours he’s spent working hard have finally amounted to something and he no longer needs to try finding his answer in his own reflection

Gets genuinely excited like a great big puppy when the builder offers to spar with him

Pen DOES learn to control his strength and capabilities eventually, so then it becomes a bickering fest if he’s holding back on them to those that are a bit prideful

Touched when the builder washes his cape for him because he will literally never remember to

Call him “my hero” and he might just die on the spot

Also, convince this man he is not indestructible or immortal please.

He’ll literally yeet himself off any tall surface or structure to surprise the builder

He almost broke a few bones at different times

Love lovES LOVES when the builder is standing on a higher surface than him. Platform, steps, ladder, stairs, etc

Makes the man swoon so fast when they have the (literal) higher ground for some reason

There’s something about being able to hug his builder with his cheek against where their heart lays that completes him

Also his favorite sleeping position once he is promised that he’s not crushing them if he lays on top

Refuses to let the builder carry anything heavy if he’s around

He likes feeling useful

It’s not lending a hand to the church or the Civil Corps that fulfills him

It’s being with his builder.

[chez-mimich]

SUL CONCETTO DI EGEMONIA CULTURALE

Nel vasto e variegato panorama della Destra italiana che ormai governa il paese (ma anche regioni, provincie, comuni), dirige televisioni, spopola sui social, indice feste di partito ecc. da qualche tempo ha preso piede il dibattito sulla cosiddetta “egemonia culturale”, espressione di derivazione gramsciana che definiva in realtà una idealità operativa, una “conditio sine qua non” che potesse consentire ad un “blocco storico” di governare la nazione (Gramsci usava spesso il termine “nazione”). Cos’era un “blocco storico”? Secondo quanto elaborato nei “Quaderni” il blocco storico era l’unione del proletariato del Nord con la classe contadina del Sud, sotto la guida degli intellettuali. Certo, anche le terminologie erano di altri tempi (e infatti erano altri tempi), così come lo erano le idee. Ma almeno erano idee. Oggi una Destra con un ampio consenso elettorale, ma con un evidente complesso inferiorità culturale, sembra tutta impegnata a colmare questo “gap”. Lo si vede a livello locale, lo si vede a livello nazionale. E, non per caso, si ritorna a parlare di “egemonia culturale”. Ma mentre la Destra storica, pensando non solo ai soliti Papini e Prezzolini, ma anche a quella destra che costituì la matrice ideologico-artistica dell’eversione fascista, come fu quella di Filippo Tommaso Marinetti e dei futuristi, produceva cultura, la cultura che, ideologicamente opposta, produceva la Sinistra, mentre la Destra di oggi produce poltrone, non nel senso che si sono dati all’industria manufatturiera dell’arredamento, ma nel senso simbolico del termine. Loro pensano che l’egemonia culturale non si costruisca nei teatri con le idee, ma con il figlio del Presidente del Senato infilato nel CDA del Piccolo Teatro di Milano, pensano che non si costruisca con programmi televisivi di grande rilevanza culturale, ma creando le condizioni perché Corrado Augias lasci la Rai. Loro pensano che basti nominare loro simpatizzanti a dirigere musei, biblioteche, assessorati alla cultura, per far sì che questa “egemonia culturale” si compia. Purtroppo per loro e per fortuna per noi, non è così. Gramsci non elaborò questo concetto da una poltrona di un ministero o nel salotto di Bruno Vespa e nemmeno sulle pagine di un social, Gramsci lo elaborò dal carcere, dove era stato rinchiuso dai fascisti, tanto per chiamarli col loro nome. Ed è questo che fa la differenza, perché la “santa guerra dei pezzenti” non la si può condurre dopo una prestigiosa nomina, e nemmeno dalla direzione di un partito che si riunisce in una SPA di lusso. “La rivoluzione” è il lavoro della talpa e per fortuna la talpa continua a scavare nei libri, nei teatri, nella musica, nell’arte, nel cinema e nella coscienza di tutti noi…

[colonna-durruti]

CHI È VERAMENTE FLAVIO BRIATORE?

L’Espresso se lo chiese in questo articolo del 2010 a firma Mauro Munafò. Briatore ha sempre negato tale ricostruzione, mentre gli autori del libro “Il signor Billionaire" hanno sempre confermato. Ognuno legga bene l’articolo, non poco inquietante, e faccia (civilmente) le sue valutazioni.

“Le vittorie in Formula 1, il matrimonio con la Gregoraci e i flirt con le top model, lo yatch da sogno e il Billionaire, la discoteca dei ricchi in Sardegna. Quando si parla di Flavio Briatore, sono queste le parole d'ordine della cronaca nazionale, gossippara e non. Eppure nel passato del manager di Cuneo ci sono zone d'ombra che stonano con la vita super-pubblica che conduce adesso.

Sono gli anni '70 e '80, passati tra Cuneo e Milano, in cui un giovane assicuratore inizia a costruire quello che poi sarà Mr Billionaire. E nella sua cerchia non mancano i personaggi discutibili, il gioco d'azzardo, le truffe, la latitanza all'estero e le morti sospette. Una scalata al successo partita dal basso e dalla provincia che non si legge però nella biografia ufficiale di Briatore, che a quegli anni dedica qualche riga generica e poco convincente.

A scavare nella vita del manager ci hanno pensato Andrea Sceresini, Maria Elena Scandaliato e Nicola Palma, tre giovani giornalisti autori di "Il signor Billionaire; ascesa, segreti, misteri e coincidenze", appena pubblicato da Aliberti Editore. I tre sono partiti da una serie di articoli di Gianni Barbacetto del '99 per approfondire i misteri del passato di Briatore. Un lavoro fatto alla vecchia maniera, cercando tutti i vecchi soci, i vecchi amici, le fidanzate e i conoscenti del rampante Flavio. E trovandosi spesso davanti un muro di omertà e di consigli a lasciar perdere questa storia, di non chiedere oltre perché ci sono verità "che fanno morti e feriti".

La storia di Briatore sembra il sogno americano, coniugato però alla realtà italiana. Figlio di maestri elementari, si diploma geometra, fa l'assicuratore e apre un ristorante (il Tribula) che chiuderà dopo poco per debiti. Ma la svolta arriva nei primi anni '70, quando lavora con Attilio Dutto, un costruttore locale che rileva la Paramatti Vernici. Nel frattempo Briatore si occupa per alcuni casinò (gestiti dalla malavita) di portare clienti ai tavoli, intascandosi una parte delle loro perdite. Al giro lo introduce Ilario Legnaro che con il boss catanese Gaetano Corallo (vicino al clan Santapaola) si occupa proprio di questo. Tra i clienti portati ai casinò da Briatore c'è proprio Dutto che perderà parecchie decine di milioni nelle sale di Nizza e della Costa Azzurra.

Nel 1979 Attilio Dutto salta in aria con la sua auto: un delitto che non ha mai trovato un responsabile. Dalle testimonianze raccolte nel libro si configura però la mano della mafia. Pare inoltre che lo stesso Dutto volesse "rovinare" Briatore per le truffe che gli aveva giocato. Di sicuro con Dutto scompare anche un capitale stimato in almeno 30 miliardi di lire, che non si sa dove vanno a finire.

Con la fine degli anni '70 e la morte di Dutto, Briatore si trasferisce nella nascente 'Milano da bere', dove conosce la sua prima moglie (fino a oggi tenuta quasi nascosta) e frequenta la gente che conta del capoluogo meneghino, non ultimo Bettino Craxi. Organizza feste e si mette in affari con il conte Achille Caproni, della cui moglie è nel frattempo amante. Con l'amico Emilio Fede, secondo gli autori del libro, organizzerebbe truffe ai tavoli verdi, finché la polizia non lo scopre e lui deve fuggire a St.Thomas, nelle isole Vergini, con moglie al seguito.

Latitante e costretto a rimanere fuori dall'Italia fino all'amnistia del 1990, Briatore si consola nella sua vita da sogno alle isole Vergini e apre e gestisce una rete di negozi per Benetton, un locale notturno e una gelateria. Da lì ci saranno la Formula 1, i mondiali con Schumacher e...mister Billionaire. Il "self made man" di Verzuolo in provincia di Cuneo ormai ce l'ha fatta: è diventato qualcuno, è famoso nel mondo, ricco e invidiato.

"E' il personaggio simbolo di un'intera classe dirigente", spiega Andrea Sceresini, uno degli autori. "La sua immagine pubblica non risente affatto del suo passato. Molte di queste storie sono state scritte anche dai giornali negli anni '70 e '80 e basta una ricerca in archivio per tirarle fuori. I media però si limitano a riportare quello che dice lui e la sua versione della storia".

Una versione che da copione prevede poche righe di biografia ufficiale e qualche risposta evasiva a chi gli chiede conto del passato. Una storia tutta italiana”.

(da "L'Espresso" dell''8 novembre 2010: https://bit.ly/2EE1y0t)

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

Weekly Fashion Challenge - Week 17

Splatfest Sneak Peek has begun, and for this week's challenge, we have a theme appropriate for a cryptid-themed 'fest. What is the theme, you ask? Well, it's...

"Mysterious."

That's right, the theme this time is not a specific gear piece or an in-game locale, it is a single word, and it is up to you how to interpret that word. Are you mysterious yourself? Or are you maybe a solver of mysteries? The answers are as many as there are cephalopods in Splatsville, so go ahead and show me the enigmatic workings of your mind!

Rules:

Put together an outfit of any kind that you feel matches this week's theme

Send it to me via ask or submission, please don’t add it to a reblog, that makes it very easy to miss! Also, please make it clear that it is a submission for the challenge and not just a regular submission.

Only one outfit per person! You can submit multiple photos of that single outfit, though.

Please include the gear you picked in the submission. It makes my life just a touch easier!  

The outfit should be submitted before Monday morning, as I will pick my favourite submissions to feature on Monday evening

[diceriadelluntore]

Storia Di Musica #286 - Guns N' Roses, Appetite For Destruction, 1987

Anticipo che, siccome la ricerca di album con le copertine censurate è stata davvero divertente, tra poco ci sarà una sorta di appendice fotografica con piccole storie, alcune davvero incredibili, su copertine che definire controverse a volte è davvero poco. Per finire questa mini carrellata oggi sono andato nella Los Angeles di metà anni ’80, dove un gruppo che segnerà un’epoca musicale muove i primi passi. Nascono infatti dalle fusioni di musicisti degli L.A. Guns e degli Hollywood Roses. Dagli Hollywood Rose provenivano Axl Rose (Voce) ed Izzy Stradlin (Chitarra ritmica), mentre dagli L.A. Guns provenivano Tracii Guns (Chitarra solista), Ole Beich (Basso) e Rob Gardner (Batteria). Il gruppo esordì ufficialmente il 26 marzo 1985. Ole Beich dopo pochi concerti capisce che non è cosa e lasciò il gruppo, venne sostituito da Duff McKagan, che esordì insieme agli altri membri della band l'11 aprile 1985, al locale Radio City ad Anaheim. Poco dopo anche il chitarrista Tracii Guns abbandonò il gruppo, a causa di divergenze con Axl Rose, e riformò gli L.A. Guns. Al suo posto entrò Saul Hudson, in arte Slash, che aveva avuto precedenti esperienze in alcune band tra cui i London e Black Sheep, oltre ad aver già suonato negli stessi Hollywood Rose. Rimane solo da trovare un batterista dopo che anche Gardner se ne va: si associa al gruppo Steven Adler, che aveva in precedenza suonato qualche volta con McKagan e Slash. Inizia così la storia di un gruppo che si muove sullo sfondo di una Los Angeles sognata fatta di feste (e fatta in molti altri sensi), cinema, eccessi. All’inizio, i concerti avvengono nei weekend, perché durante la settimana tutti fanno qualche lavoretto. Ma sin da subito esprimono una potenza ed un’energia incredibili. Tanto che Tom Zutaut della Geffen Records, stupito da un'esibizione del gruppo, diffuse in giro la falsa notizia che "facessero schifo" per avere più tempo e mezzi per scritturarli. Avuto un anticipo su contratto all’epoca faraonico, firmano con la Geffen che crea, fittiziamente, una nuova etichetta, la Uzi Suicide, per dare al loro primo EP un’aura di autoproduzione. Tra l’altro, l’Ep è un finto live registrato in studio dal titolo Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide: tra i quattro brani, una cover azzeccatissima di Mama Kin degli Aerosmith e una musica che spira fiamme dalle corde della chitarra di Slash e dalla voce di Axl Rose. Ci vuole infatti solo qualche mese per l’attesissimo debutto del 1987: fu contattato persino Paul Stanley dei Kiss per la produzione, ma alla sua richiesta di poter modificare i brani fu subito cacciato. Le redini della potenza sonora furono date ad un giovane Mike Clink, che con il successo di Appetite For Destruction diventerà un nome importante dell’heavy metal moderno. Partiamo subito dal casus belli della copertina: la prima idea di Axl Rose fu quella di usare la celeberrima e drammatica foto dello scoppio dello Space Shuttle Challenger che nel Giugno del 1986 scoppiò dopo pochi secondi dal lancio, uccidendo i 7 elementi dell’equipaggio, idea subito accantonata perché ritenuta offensiva. La seconda scelta, usata provocatoriamente alla fine come copertina, era questa:

un disegno di Robert Williams, da cui la band prese il titolo Appetite For Destruction, in cui un robot che si sta vestendo dopo aver abusato sessualmente di una donna, che è a seno nudo sul marciapiede, è fermato da uno spaventoso robot guardiano. Allegoria dell’intrusione violenta e scellerata sul mondo e sull’ambiente (almeno secondo la band in numerose interviste successive) fu rifiutata da diverse catene di vendita. La Geffen decise quindi di ritirare le prime tirature (che adesso valgono centinaia di euro) e di sostituire l’originale con una copertina più convenzionale, che è quella di apertura al post, dove il disegno di un tatuaggio a croce celtica contiene agli estremi e al centro dei teschi disegnati a rappresentanza dei singoli componenti: secondo Billy White Jr., il disegnatore, i nastri che fanno da sfondo alla croce sono un omaggio ai mitici Thin Lizzy, band preferita sia dal disegnatore sia da Axl Rose. Per quanto riguarda la musica, siamo di fronte ad uno dei dischi di debutto più portentosi di sempre, con canzoni diventate miti: dalla potenza selvaggia di Welcome To the Jungle, per mesi rifiutata dalle radio, scritta da Rose mentre si trovava a Seattle con un amico. I due incontrarono un barbone che, nel tentativo di spaventarli, gridò loro: «You know where you are? You're in the jungle, baby! You gonna die!», a Anything Goes, conturbante, da Nightrain, omaggio all’economico vino californiano, molto alcolico, di cui erano “ghiotti” i nostri, a Mr. Brownstone, stravolto e travolgente inno alla droga (problema che diventerà una pensante dipendenza per il gruppo, tanto da essere in seguito provocatoriamente descritto come Lines n’Noses), dal punk rock di Paradise City a It's So Easy, che leggenda vuole fu scritta dopo che Slash vide un incidente a New York, e andando vicino all’uomo rimasto in auto questi gli abbia detto “Non ti preoccupare, da queste parti cose del genere capitano sempre. Le auto si scontrano tutte le notti.”, tanto che nel secondo verso il testo dice: Cars are crashing every night\I drink and drive\everything's in sight\I make the fire\But I miss the fire fight\I hit the bullseye every night. Rimangono ancora due brani: il primo, Rocket Queen si ricorda perché ad un certo punto ci sono, nel bridge finale, i rumori di un rapporto sessuale, che leggenda vuole fosse una registrazione, non si sa quanto voluta, tra Axl Rose e tale Adriana Smith, che si dice fosse una ex di Adler. Ma la canzone più famosa è Sweet Child O’ Mine: scritta per la sua allora fidanzata, Erin Everly, divenne una hit mondiale anche per via del video musicale, che mostra i componenti della band suonare la canzone in un deposito. Un disco che mostra senza nessun pudore ambiguità e sessismo, tanto che si da subito la band sembrava fatta apposta per suscitare polemiche, aumentate anche da sibilline interviste e apparizioni in TV. Verranno accusati di tutto, la più grave delle accuse sulla loro presunta xenofobia (scatenata da One In A Million, canzone contenuta nel loro successivo G’N’R Live del 1988), ma nel mondo del rock pesante si imporranno la voce, lo stile strabordante di Axl Rose e soprattutto la chitarra di Slash, che diventerà iconica. Rimangono uno degli ultimi esempi di leggenda di rock della strada, ma sin da subito inizieranno faide interne, problemi di droga e altro che segneranno tutto il futuro cammino musicale, segnato da megalomania, canzoni mito (una su tutte, November Rain, ma anche Ain't It Fun) e una sorta di predisposizione al litigio, tanto che è impossibile capire quante volte la band si sia sciolta e ricomposta. Tra l'altro, tra tutti Slash è quello che avrà discreto successo anche da solo o come ospite sessionista, suonando in centinaia di dischi. Una band selvaggia, furiosa e imperfetta, in pieno stile rock.

[blowflyfag]

ECW Magazine: February 2000

ECW in styles 

By Joey Styles

ECW ACHIEVES PERFECTION - FOR NOW 

On Sunday, Sept. 19, 1999, Extreme Championship Wrestling presented what was, in my opinion, the most successful show - pay-per-view or otherwise - in the company’s history, Anarchy Rulz. In this issue of ECW Magazine, Dave Scherer of ECWwrestling.com and Iwreestling.com describes what happened in the ring at this historic event. These occurrences were some of the most exciting I have had the pleasure of calling.

However, as a member of ECW’s behind-the-scenes team, or the imaginary “office” that my broadcast colleague, Cyrus, loves to refer to, I must analyze ECW as a marketer as much as I do as a performer. Keeping that in mind, I loved Anarchy Rulz. One month before the event, Chicago area fans gobbled up 5,000 tickets and Team ECW (which includes you fans) had its first advance sellout. Answering the demands of our fans, we changed the layout of The Odeum in suburban Villa Park, Ill., to accommodate another 1,000 seats, and they sold out as well. More than 6,000 fans paid a total of more than $200,000 to see Anarchy Rulz live. It was the largest live crowd in ECW’s history. 

Furthermore, the day before the event, more than 2,000 enthusiastic fans stormed The Odeum for a Fan Fest. I had a great time signing autographs, taking photos and shaking hands with some of the most fun, respectful and knowledgeable fans I had ever met. Three hours blew by like three minutes, and none of us left until all of the fans in attendance had every autograph they wanted signed, every photo they wanted snapped and every hand they wanted shook. The fans really had fun, and so did i.

I realize that 6,000 fans and $200,000 hardly compares to the numbers that World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation produce. I want ECW to draw a 3.0 rating on TNNN and draw 20,000 fans to an event, and I want it now. However, I can remember when the ECW revolution began six years ago and we were doing television tapings for one local station in front of 200 people who paid nothing to see the event. As a performer, marketer, and person in general, I am admittedly an impatient perfectionist. This makes me a real pain in the ass to work with (just ask Paul E. and clear your schedule for at least two hours to listen to him).

Thankfully, keeping things in perspective by looking to ECW’s past and the numerous times our future looked bleak has taught me patience and made me appreciate and marvel at how far we have come. Six years from now, I expect to be writing a column about the humble days of 1999, when ECW drew only 6,000 fans and $200,000 at the first Anarchy Rulz.

[rsbigbang]

hello <3

I have never joined a fest before and I'm a bit nervous about having to adhere to a deadline. I write fic and although I only have one posted so far, I am working on three WIPs at the same time that I will post to ao3 when finished (publishing chaptered fics when the fic isn't finished yet stresses me out) but I have a very very busy life and I'm not sure I can make it work, but I really want to participate.

I know this isn't really a question per se but I was hoping maybe you had some advice about working to deadline when it comes to fic?

hi hi friend!! it is so totally fair to be nervous about this, however I cannot stress enough that the consequences for not making the deadline are, uh, VERY FEW.

Listen. We will try our darndest to wrangle and cheerlead people to the finish line, because we really want everyone who signs up to feel like they've completed their goal to the best of their ability!! we are here in the discord to offer advice on how to carve out writing time, how to write outlines, how to overcome writers block, etc etc! we WAnT everyone who signs up to finish their fic and feel proud of it! that's what makes the Big Bang so exciting!

But real life comes first, every time. (don't come at me for "real life", I know this is also real life, you know what I mean.) if you are busy offline, please please prioritize that! If you feel stressed out because you don't think you can make the deadline AND be happy with the fic..... DON'T. As soon as this is not fun, it is not the right fest. And if you don't make the writing deadline.... nothing will happen. We are not here to punish you!! you will probably still have most of a fic written!! you can still publish it on your own when it's done, or save it for the Big Bang 2024!! (which is def happening btw, we have plans)

Also, if it helps, the first fests I did were lower pressure and lower word-count (and more forgiving on timelines) than the Big Bang. That could be an easier way to write for your first fest if you're still nervous!

okay all that being said, advice on writing to a deadline below the cut

Outlining. An outline serves multiple purposes: it puts your thoughts in order, helps with structure and pacing right off the bat, AND can mean that if you're stuck on one part you can always jump ahead a few scenes and start somewhere else fresh before coming back to where you got stuck. It can also sorrrrrt of work as a schedule: "I want THIS part done by this time," etc.

Sprints. I find sprints super helpful — they are a way to get writing without the pressure of every sentence being perfect, plus they structure your time in a way that, yes, is totally artificial and unenforced, but FEELS real. They are the best way to conquer the blank page imo. Doing them with friends is extra helpful as a way to keep yourself accountable.

Carve out writing time. Literally put it into your calendar and make it an appointment. (Sounds simple but hey, we all have jobs & friends & other hobbies, I get it.) Personally I write every weekend morning at a local coffee shop, unless I'm out of town or an event is unmissable. That's pretty much all the time I can carve out reliably, but it works, and it's started to feel sacred.

Call a friend. Tell a friend (or your beta) what you want to have done by what time. Sometimes knowing that you'll have to confess to them that you haven't done it is what pushes a few more paragraphs out.

Any more advice?? Feel free to send it to our inbox!

xx molly