#national unity day 2020

[rabbitcruiser]

Tag der Deutschen Einheit

German Unity Day is celebrated on October 3 to commemorate the unification of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic into a single federal Germany on the same date in 1990. A public holiday, the day is characterized by concerts, communal meals, speeches by politicians, and fireworks.

History of National Unity Day

After WWII, Germany was divided into four military sectors, each controlled by France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was formed and, on October 7 of the same year, the German Democratic Republic (also known as the DDR — ‘Deutsche Demokratische Republik’) was formed.

The political tensions in post-war Europe did not allow much interaction between the people of the two countries. The DDR exercised strong resistance against repression of its political opponents. Thousands of people were kept under surveillance by the German police.

On September 4, 1989, a peaceful protest was carried out by the people of Leipzig against the DDR government. More such demonstrations in other DDR cities took place calling for political reforms and the opening of the borders. And on November 9 that year, the checkpoints between the two German countries were opened and people could travel freely once more. This date marked the ‘fall’ of the Berlin Wall.

Democratic elections further paved the way for the people to come together in the DDR. Finally, in August 1990, the leaders of both countries signed the Treaty of Unification, and Germany’s unification was made official on October 3, 1990.

The Berlin Wall and the Brandenburg Gate are two very important symbols of Germany’s division and the unification of Germany in 1990. Images of both of these are put on display on German Unity Day all across Germany. The day is celebrated as a three-day festival around the Brandenburg Gate and at the Reichstag around Platz der Republik.

National Unity Day timeline

May 23, 1949

Federal Republic of Germany Forms

The German sectors of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States come together to form the Federal Republic of Germany.

October 7, 1949

German Democratic Republic

The sector controlled by the Soviet Union becomes the German Democratic Republic (also known as the DDR — ‘Deutsche Demokratische Republik’).

November 9, 1989

Berlin Wall Falls

On November 4, an estimated 50,000 people gather for a mass protest in East Berlin — five days later, the Berlin Wall dividing communist East Germany from West Germany crumbles.

August 31, 1990

Unification Treaty is Signed

The Unification Treaty is signed, allowing a reunited Germany to become fully sovereign the following year.

National Unity Day FAQs

What is German Unity Day called in German?

German Unity Day is called ‘Tag der Deutschen Einheit’ (The Day of German Unity).

What does German Unity Day celebrate?

The Day of German Unity is Germany’s national holiday. It commemorates the German reunification in 1990 and is celebrated with a festival around Platz der Republik, Straße des 17.

What is closed on German Unity Day?

German Unity Day is a public holiday in Germany so post offices, banks, and many businesses are closed. Nearly all stores are closed, although a few may be open in some city areas.

How To Celebrate German Unity Day

Celebrate the local cultureCelebrate with all the locals at the Charlottenburg Palace. Experience the neighborhoods of Berlin while taking a stroll through Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, and Mitte.

Watch films and documentaries about GermanyThere are many famous documentaries about Germany and the Berlin Wall. Some of them include “Busting the Berlin Wall,” “Stasi – East Germany’s Secret Police,” “After the Wall: A World United,” “Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall,” and more.

Visit the specific city of observanceA famous feature of German Unity Day is the observance of the day in one of the 16 states’ capitals every year, which hosts the celebration.

5 Interesting Facts About The Berlin Wall

Two walls: The 27-mile barrier separating Berlin into east and west had two concrete walls that had a 160-yards-wide ‘death strip’ in-between with watchtowers, guard dogs, floodlights, machine guns, and more.

Death on the Wall: More than 100 people died while trying to cross the Berlin Wall, by gunshots, fatal accidents, or suicide.

The great escape: More than 5,000 people escaped by either going over or under the Berlin Wall.

Berlin in Vegas: A piece of the Berlin Wall is now in the bathroom of the Main Street Station Casino in Las Vegas.

In memory of Ida Siekmann: The Berlin Wall cycle route has a glass plaque honoring Ida Siekmann who was the first person to die while trying to cross the wall and flee to East Berlin.

Why German Unity Day Is Significant

It celebrates the unification of Germany: The establishment of Germany as a federal country after years of division since 1945 and the unification of East and West Germany is worth celebrating.

Fall of the Berlin Wall: It commemorates the day when the wall dividing communist East Germany and West Germany crumbled. This was just five days after almost 50,000 people gathered in a mass protest in East Berlin.

Dissolution of the German Democratic Republic: The date marks the dissolution of the German territory controlled by the Soviet Union and the day it joined the Federal Republic of Germany.

Source

[robreyart]

Overview Oil, 24 x 24 in, 2020

Happy Earth Day! The Overview Effect is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts while viewing the Earth from space.

From space, the Earth is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, hanging in the void, shielded by a paper-thin atmosphere. The conflicts that divide people seem naive and parochial. National boundaries vanish, encouraging a sense of unity with all of humanity and life on Earth. We are reminded that we are one. The need to create a cooperative planetary society with the united will to protect this planet becomes both obvious and imperative. We really are all in this together.

“When we look down at the earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile … Anybody else who’s ever gone to space says the same thing because it really is striking and it’s really sobering to see this paper-thin layer and to realize that that little paper-thin layer is all that protects every living thing on Earth from death, basically. From the harshness of space.” -Ron Garan, Astronaut

Prints (includes moon to scale): https://robrey.storenvy.com

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

November 6, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Nov 06, 2024

Yesterday, November 5, 2024, Americans reelected former president Donald Trump, a Republican, to the presidency over Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. As of Wednesday night, Trump is projected to get at least 295 electoral votes to Harris’s 226, with two Republican-leaning states still not called. The popular vote count is still underway.

Republicans also retook control of the Senate, where Democrats were defending far more seats than Republicans. Control of the House is not yet clear. 

These results were a surprise to everyone. Trump is a 78-year-old convicted felon who has been found liable for sexual assault and is currently under indictment in a number of jurisdictions. He refused to leave office peacefully when voters elected President Joe Biden in 2020, instead launching an unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop the counting of electoral votes, and said during his campaign that he would be a “dictator” on his first day in office.  

Pollsters thought the race would be very close but showed increasing momentum for Harris, and Harris’s team expressed confidence during the day. By posting on social media—with no evidence—that the voting in Pennsylvania was rigged, Trump himself suggested he expected he would lose the popular vote, at least, as he did in 2016 and 2020. 

But in 2024, it appears a majority of American voters chose to put Trump back into office. 

Harris and her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, offered a message of unity, the expansion of the economic policies that have made the U.S. economy the strongest in the world in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and the creation of an “opportunity economy” that echoed many of the policies Republicans used to embrace. Trump vowed to take revenge on his enemies and to return the country to the neoliberal policies President Joe Biden had rejected in favor of investing in the middle class.

When he took office, Biden acknowledged that democracy was in danger around the globe, as authoritarians like Russian president Vladimir Putin and China’s president Xi Jinping  maintained that democracy was obsolete and must be replaced by autocracies. Russia set out to undermine the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that enforced the rules-based international order that stood against Russian expansion. 

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who overturned democracy in his own country, explained that the historical liberal democracy of the United States weakens a nation because the equality it champions means treating immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women as equal to men, thus ending traditionally patriarchal society.

In place of democracy, Orbán champions “illiberal democracy,” or “Christian democracy.” This form of government holds nominal elections, although their outcome is preordained because the government controls all the media and has silenced opposition. Orbán’s model of minority rule promises a return to a white-dominated, religiously based society, and he has pushed his vision by eliminating the independent press, cracking down on political opposition, getting rid of the rule of law, and dominating the economy with a group of crony oligarchs. 

In order to strengthen democracy at home and abroad, Biden worked to show that it delivered for ordinary Americans. He and the Democrats passed groundbreaking legislation to invest in rebuilding roads and bridges and build new factories to usher in green energy. They defended unions and used the Federal Trade Commission to break up monopolies and return more economic power to consumers. 

Their system worked. It created record low unemployment rates, lifted wages for the bottom 80% of Americans, and built the strongest economy in the world in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, setting multiple stock market records.  But that success turned out not to be enough to protect democracy. 

In contrast, Trump promised he would return to the ideology of the era before 2021, when leaders believed in relying on markets to order the economy with the idea that wealthy individuals would invest more efficiently than if the government regulated business or skewed markets with targeted investment (in green energy, for example). Trump vowed to cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations and to make up lost revenue through tariffs, which he incorrectly insists are paid by foreign countries; tariffs are paid by U.S. consumers. 

For policies, Trump’s campaign embraced the Project 2025 agenda led by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, which has close ties to Orbán. That plan calls for getting rid of the nonpartisan civil service the U.S. has had since 1883 and for making both the Department of Justice and the military partisan instruments of a strong president, much as Orbán did in Hungary. It also calls for instituting religious rule, including an end to abortion rights, across the U.S. Part of the idea of “purifying” the country is the deportation of undocumented immigrants: Trump promised to deport 20 million people at an estimated cost of $88 billion to $315 billion a year. 

That is what voters chose.

Pundits today have spent time dissecting the election results, many trying to find the one tweak that would have changed the outcome, and suggesting sweeping solutions to the Democrats’ obvious inability to attract voters. There is no doubt that a key factor in voters’ swing to Trump is that they associated the inflation of the post-pandemic months with Biden and turned the incumbents out, a phenomenon seen all over the world.

There is also no doubt that both racism and sexism played an important role in Harris’s defeat. 

But my own conclusion is that both of those things were amplified by the flood of disinformation that has plagued the U.S. for years now. Russian political theorists called the construction of a virtual political reality through modern media “political technology.” They developed several techniques in this approach to politics, but the key was creating a false narrative in order to control public debate. These techniques perverted democracy, turning it from the concept of voters choosing their leaders into the concept of voters rubber-stamping the leaders they had been manipulated into backing. 

In the U.S., pervasive right-wing media, from the Fox News Channel through right-wing podcasts and YouTube channels run by influencers, have permitted Trump and right-wing influencers to portray the booming economy as “failing” and to run away from the hugely unpopular Project 2025. They allowed MAGA Republicans to portray a dramatically falling crime rate as a crime wave and immigration as an invasion. They also shielded its audience from the many statements of Trump’s former staff that he is unfit for office, and even that his chief of staff General John Kelly considers him a fascist and noted that he admires German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

As actor Walter Masterson posted: “I tried to educate people about tariffs, I tried to explain that undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes and are the foundation of this country. I explained Project 2025, I interviewed to show that they supported it. I can not compete against the propaganda machines of Twitter, Fox News, [Joe Rogan Experience], and NY Post. These spaces will continue to create reality unless we create a more effective way of reaching people.” 

X users noted a dramatic drop in their followers today, likely as bots, no longer necessary, disengaged. 

Many voters who were using their vote to make an economic statement are likely going to be surprised to discover what they have actually voted for. In his victory speech, Trump said the American people had given him an “unprecedented and powerful mandate.” 

White nationalist Nick Fuentes posted, “Your body, my choice. Forever,” and gloated that men will now legally control women’s bodies. His post got at least 22,000 “likes.” Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson, previously funded by Russia, posted: “It is my honor to inform you that Project 2025 was real the whole time.” 

Today, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump would launch the “largest mass deportation operation” of undocumented immigrants, and the stock in private prison companies GEO Group and CoreCivic  jumped 41% and 29%, respectively. Those jumps were part of a bigger overall jump: the Dow Jones Industrial Average moved up 1,508 points in what Washington Post economic columnist Heather Long said was the largest post-election jump in more than 100 years. 

As for the lower prices Trump voters wanted, Kate Gibson of CBS today noted that on Monday, the National Retail Federation said that Trump’s proposed tariffs will cost American consumers between $46 billion and $78 billion a year as clothing, toys, furniture, appliances, and footwear all become more expensive. A $50 pair of running shoes, Gibson said, would retail for $59 to $64 under the new tariffs.

U.S. retailers are already preparing to raise prices of items from foreign suppliers, passing to consumers the cost of any future tariffs. 

Trump’s election will also mean he will no longer have to answer to the law for his federal indictments: special counsel Jack Smith is winding them down ahead of Trump’s inauguration. So he will not be tried for retaining classified documents or attempting to overthrow the U.S. government when he lost in 2020. 

This evening, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán posted on social media that he had just spoken with Trump, and said: “We have big plans for the future!” 

This afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at her alma mater, Howard University, to concede the election to Trump. 

She thanked her supporters, her family, the Bidens, the Walz family, and her campaign staff and volunteers. She reiterated that she believes Americans have far more in common than separating us.

In what appeared to be a message to Trump, she noted: “A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle as much as any other distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it. At the same time in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. 

“My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuels this campaign, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people, a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.”

Harris urged people “to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.” She told those feeling as if the world is dark indeed these days, to “fill the sky with the light of a billion brilliant stars, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service,” and to let “that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks, toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.” 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[anghraine]

Perhaps the most purely surreal aspect of the election, btw, is that it actually went pretty great in my state (Washington). I don't even mean standard West Coast results. Washington is sapphire this year.

Harris/Walz are running about 20 points ahead of Trump statewide—currently, they're further ahead here than in Oregon or California. They're winning in Whitman County in eastern Washington and came within a few of points of winning Spokane County. Clark County, which is adjacent to the border with Oregon and contains the Portland suburb of Vancouver WA, can be a lot "swingier" than Multnomah County just to the south (which contains Portland) and a ballot box was literally blown up there to screw with the election results. Clark County worked to get new ballots to everyone affected and Harris is not only clearly winning in Clark, but further ahead than Biden in 2020—leading Trump by nearly 10 points iirc.

One of the few politicians I truly like, my beloved governor Jay Inslee, is stepping down, and had endorsed his Democratic AG, Bob Ferguson. Ferguson is easily winning the state, though not leading as much as Harris is, which is a kind of nice change from so many Democrats (including pretty mediocre ones) doing better than her, even though I've liked Ferguson as AG.

I will say that Ferguson was running against what goes for a good Republican candidate these days—a "moderate" with ties to King County (Seattle) who was not the first choice of the vile Washington GOP, but beat out some far-right assholes in the Republican primaries. For part of the campaign, it seemed like Reichert (the Republican candidate) might be "normal" enough and local enough to conceivably eke out a win, but in the event, Ferguson is ahead by double digits.

Our Democratic senator easily held her seat and also ran ahead of Ferguson in counties like Whitman.

Inslee's acknowledgment of Trump's win includes zero congratulations or unity blather, but instead remarks that Washington State sued the first Trump administration 97 times and won 95 of those cases while he was still president, and we will do it again if we have to (these suits were of course driven by AG Ferguson, now our governor-elect).

For the first time in generations, Washington Democrats actually won every statewide elected office—there are nine of them and the margins of the victories vary a lot, but the GOP failed to win even one, and the state government remains a Democratic trifecta as well.

There were four deceptively-worded, Republican-funded, corporate bullshit initiatives on the state ballot this year. Three are already dead in the water. As Governor Inslee put it, "Washingtonians sent an unequivocal message that they want action on pollution and climate change. Washingtonians also made clear they want to preserve the equity of our tax system with the capital gains tax on the super wealthy. When they or a loved one need long-term care, they want the WA Cares Act to be there for them." Yup!

Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez (a current Democrat in the House) is still leading in the Trumpy WA-3 district, which redistricting only made redder than it was before (when her victory was considered one of the biggest House upsets of the year). She's about three points ahead still.

This may sound like bragging about my state and isn't really meant that way. It feels like existing in a weird capsule because we're still very much in the USA and affected by national politics and we have our own right-wing assholes, of course, but so much about the country we live in is decided thousands of miles away from here, in large part by people who don't seem to share even the most basic sense of reality with most people here. It is a very strange experience to feel so estranged from what's happening in so much of the country.

[misscalming]

I’m super into film history and was curious the sort of films/scenes the French Revolution has inspired. Here’s some of the most unhinged………

Carry on don’t lose your head (1967) -During the French Revolution English nobles, Sir Rodney and Lord Darcy aid French aristocracy against Robespierre. Disguised as “Black Fingernail” , Sir Rodney battles Camembert (ooh nice cheese that) and Bidet (HA!) , French secret police leaders

Marat/Sade (1967) -In an insane asylum, Marquis de Sade directs Jean-Paul Marat’s last days through a theatre play. The actors are the patients. (Sade was a real person who wrote about BDSM a lot there’s more than one movie about him 😭)

Mr Peabody and Sherman (2014) - self explanatory-

Castlevania: Nocturne (2023-) - During the French Revolution, vampire hunter prodigy Richter Belmont fights to uphold his family’s legacy and prevent the rise of a ruthless, power hungry vampire

Every Scarlet Pimpernel film - Britt’s with a saviour complex what’s new

The multiple Adam and Eve see the future movies

La Révolution (2020) - In a reimagined history of the French Revolution, the guillotine’s future inventor uncovers a disease that drives the aristocracy to murder commoners (this actually seems to be a well liked series surprisingly)

Danton (1983) - had to add this movie, dick riding Danton this much is wild.

Reign of Terror (1949) - Robespierre, a powerful figure in the French Revolution, is desperately looking for his black book, a death list of those marked for the guillotine ( Death Note French Revolution AU ig)

Assassins Creed: Unity (2014) - Paris, 1789. You play as Arno Victor-Dorian, an assassin during the French Revolution. As the nation tears itself apart. Arno will expose the true powers behind the revolution

Start the revolution without me (1970) - Two mismatched sets of identical twins, one aristocrat, one peasant, mistakenly exchange identities on the eve of the French Revolution

A tale of two cities (multiple movies inspired by the Charles Dickens book) - Alcoholic lawyer, Sydney Carlton travels to Paris during the reign of terror to rescues French aristocrat, Charles Darnay, husband of the woman he loves (imagine being that down bad)

Danton (1931) - (what do ppl see in him that I don’t-) At the height of the French Revolution, the fanatic Robespierre brings the popular but more moderate leader, Danton , to trial and demands his execution (me when I lie)

The King without a crown (1937) - Explored the possibility that Louis XVII, son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, escaped death during the French Revolution and was raised by *native Americans* (historical rpf has never been worse!)

Blackadder (1787) - Blackadder seeks to prove he’s just as capable of rescuing people from France as the Scarlet Pimpernel (this series is so fucking funny)

All the Doctor Who episodes that relate to the French Revolution!

An episode of the Friday the 13th series that has a painting act as a portal back to the “time of Marquis de Sade” (I needa research this man he’s mentioned more than Robespierre)

[mariacallous]

Georgia is at a turning point. Demonstrations have spread across the country in response to the ruling Georgian Dream’s shocking decision to suspend Georgia’s European Union membership process, started in 2022, after the opposition accused it of rigging a victory in the October parliamentary elections. The events bring to mind the 2014 Maidan Revolution, when Ukrainians protested then-President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to pull Ukraine away from the EU and closer to Russia.

Georgian authorities have responded to protesters with heavy-handed tactics. They have used water cannons, tear gas, and anti-riot forces, targeting journalists and arresting activists in an effort to weaken the protests and deter further dissent. These tactics, reminiscent of those used by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, indicate a dangerous shift toward authoritarianism.

It is unclear why Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced Georgia’s withdrawal from the EU accession process until 2028 now, but he wouldn’t have done so without the direction of Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s richest man and founder of Georgian Dream. While Kobakhidze accused the EU of blackmailing Georgia in his Nov. 28 statement announcing the move, his party had just campaigned for reelection promising to support EU membership. Perhaps the move was intended to preempt the expected suspension of the accession process by the EU in December; the European Parliament last week described the voting process in the October elections as “neither free nor fair” and adopted a resolution declaring the results invalid. Or perhaps it was intended to provoke protests, thus giving the government an opportunity to crush all dissent, just as Lukashenko did in Belarus in 2020.

If the latter is true, though, that strategy appears to be failing. The scale and scope of ongoing protests are unprecedented in Georgia. They are self-organized, with no single political leader or organization driving them, and are occurring in Tbilisi, the capital, but also in other large cities and even some villages. This grassroots mobilization highlights the Georgian people’s determination to keep their country on a European path.

Georgia’s institutions are showing signs of cracks. Civil servants from the ministries of defense, foreign affairs, education, and justice and other agencies have issued joint statements to distance themselves from the prime minister’s announcement. Several diplomats, including Georgia’s ambassador to the United States, have resigned.

The outcome of this standoff may hinge on the actions of security forces, law enforcement, and the military. If there are more high-ranking resignations, especially from the security services, Georgian Dream’s grip could slip. Another tipping point could be if police disobey orders to use lethal force against protesters. Already, the silence of Georgia’s military may indicate its preference to side with the country’s commander in chief, President Salome Zourabichvili.

For her part, Zourabichvili has refused to recognize the seating of Parliament, which four parties backing a pro-European charter have boycotted. Her refusal renders the current actions of the Georgian Dream-only Parliament unconstitutional. Zourabichvili has stood with protesters in the streets and has created a national unity council, designed to prepare the way for new elections.

Her efforts have borne fruit, with opposition parties showing unusual cohesion. But the president’s ability to drive change will remain limited without strong, immediate support from Brussels and Washington, even as the latter is distracted with its own presidential transition.

The days ahead will be critical. Georgia’s future remains deeply uncertain, and the stakes for the country’s democracy, let alone its European aspirations, could not be higher. Over the weekend, the United States suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia, but U.S. and European leaders can and should do more—and fast.

To this end, Georgia’s Western allies should declare that the October elections were fraudulent and thus the seating of the new Parliament and reestablishment of a Georgian Dream government—without the required approval of the Georgian president—are illegitimate and unconstitutional; there will be no recognition of Georgia’s government until new, free and fair elections are held.

They should also impose immediate and public sanctions on Ivanishvili and his associated business interests as a direct consequence for his role in undermining democratic processes, as well as provide strong political and diplomatic backing for Zourabichvili in her efforts to bring about new, free and fair elections, thus creating a path for democratic renewal. Lastly, they should call on the Georgian military and security services to uphold the country’s constitution, even if this means refusing to obey orders from the illegitimate government.

Russia is determined to flip governments in its near neighborhood, whether through presidential elections in Romania, general elections in Bulgaria, gas price pressure in Moldova, or fraudulent elections in Georgia. The West needs its own strategy to prevent Russia from succeeding. Georgia is now ground zero. The decisions made in the coming days will determine whether the country reinforces its democracy and moves closer to Europe or slides further into authoritarianism and Moscow’s orbit. And this, in turn, will inform Russia’s policies in the wider region.

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 21 February 1965, el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, better known as Malcolm X, instrumental speaker and activist of the US civil rights and Black power movements, was assassinated while preparing to address a crowd of supporters in New York. Formerly a member of the Nation of Islam (NoI), Malcolm X publicly split with the organisation due to issues such as NoI leader Elijah Mohammed failing to approve action to respond to police attacks on Black Muslims in Los Angeles. Instead he founded his own mosque, as well as the secular Organization of Afro-American Unity. Already a target of both the police and FBI, NoI activist Louis Farrakhan also declared Malcolm to be "worthy of death". On February 21, Malcolm stepped up to speak at the Audubon ballroom when he was shot. Mujahid Abdul Halim, a NoI member from New Jersey was apprehended fleeing the scene with a clip from one of the murder weapons, and admitted his participation in the killing. However, two other Black Muslims from the Harlem mosque were subsequently arrested and convicted of the crime: Khalil Islam and Muhamad Abdul Abdul Aziz. This was despite a lack of evidence and the fact that they, and Halim, protested their innocence. In an effort to win the freedom for Islam and Aziz, Halim even filed affidavits naming his four co-conspirators – all from the New Jersey mosque. But prosecutors repeatedly refused to reopen the case. After the case gained new attention following the 2020 release of a Netflix documentary series on the murder, Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr agreed to review the case. The review revealed that evidence suggesting Islam and Aziz were innocent had been withheld from the defence, in part following pressure from FBI director J Edgar Hoover. Their convictions were eventually overturned in November 2021. More info, sources and map on our Stories web app: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9371/assassination-of-malcolm-x https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.1819457841572691/2215199071998564/?type=3

[solarbird]

What they’re burying with the push to remove Biden

I wrote this yesterday, before they pushed Biden out. All this is still true.

Here’s what the major/legacy press are burying with wall-to-wall coverage of the massive billionaire-fuelled push to remove Biden:

The sheer, raw, overt racism and white supremacy of the Republican base. Not just mass booing a non-white speaker at the convention, but condemning their own VP nominee for not having a White wife. They’ll shut up about the latter, but we really, really shouldn’t.

That this includes outright calls to remove 15 to 20 million people in an ethnic purge. That’s not implied; that’s pre-printed official signs at the convention.

It will require a mass militarisation; Trump has been readying his supporters for horrific images for the last few months at his rallies. Popehat discusses the inevitable result: “We’re going to be an occupied nation. Detention of citizens and lawful residents is inevitable and in fact clearly intended. Large-scale violence against immigrants, suspected immigrants, and bystanders is inevitable and clearly intended.“

Citizenship won’t protect you; they intend to strip citizenship from naturalised citizens, too. They already had a task for on how to do it, back in 2018; this time, they will implement, and the Republican Supreme Court will let them.

Christian Nationalist Speaker of the House Mike Johnson backs this ethnic purge, by the way. When people say it’s “just Trump being Trump” point them at all this reality.

White nationalist speakers at the convention? Check! Core MAGAts calling Vice-President Harris a “coloured” “DEI hire”? Check!

The near-unity of his campaign with Project 2025, and all it entails – including not just his announced plans to bring its contributors to his next administration but six members of his previous cabinet, and his own chosen VP, JD Vance.

Medium has a whole page up on how to track Project 2025 contributors and involvement in the previous and a possible future Trump administration.

Did I mention that JD Vance supports Russia in its imperial invasion of Ukraine? Russian domestic propagandaists are downright giddy with his nomination.

And that he considers rape an “inconvenience” and that victims should be forced to carry and deliver their rapists’ babies?

And that police should be able to monitor medical records to search for possible abortions?

And that he praised Alex Jones and InfoWars as a “truth teller” – the same Alex Jones who directed hate and violence against parents of slaughtered children for years, until finally brought down in court?

The complete and open embrace of violence by him and his base – going back to 2016. The insurrection of 2020 was only a midpoint, not a culmination. From the national to the political to the personal, the GOP is a party of violence. So much so, that even a lot of old-line Republicans are talking about it openly.

Too bad that doesn’t include the legacy press. Too bad that doesn’t include the New York Times, or the Washington Post, or CNN, or so many others.

But it can include you.

That’s what’s needed right now. You, doing the job of that press, making sure everybody knows the real stakes of what’s going on.

Yes, there is some real support from Democrats for removing Biden. It wouldn’t be getting anywhere without the major donor and press frenzy, but some of it’s real. And I absolutely will back whoever comes out of this nonsense, as must we all.

No matter how mad we may and may not be about it. Am I clear on that? No matter how mad.

Because this Republican nightmare is what the press aren’t covering -it’s not even all of it, just some important highlights – all while instead going wall-to-wall 24-by-seven on this nomination fiasco.

Keep plugging away, team. It’s up to us to make up that gap.

And always remember – we win this, if we do the work. We win this, if we fight.

106 days remain.

[flagwars]

r/Vexillology Contest Flag Wars: Round 1

This tournament will focus on the winners of the flag contests held by the r/vexillology subreddit between 2020 and 2024! As the subreddit holds one tournament each month, all with unique themes, there will be 60 total flags in this tournament.

See the full brackets below:

Round 1:

1. Soviet Pyramiden by /u/n_Tic (Oct 2022 - Ghost Towns) vs. Lotus Tranquillitatis by /u/AlexanderRoger (May 2020 - Lunar Regions) vs. Golden Ribbon by /u/persew (Feb 2021 - Study of Flags) vs. Alaskan Forget-Me-Nots by /u/gmalatete (Jun 2020 - Floral Emblems)

2. New Magnolia by /u/uptownxthot (Jul 2020 - Mississippi Redesign) vs. Inuit People - Ancestral Colors Flag by /u/No-Fox-4156 (Dec 2022 - Arctic Indigenous People) vs. Blossom of the Caribbean by /u/n_Tic (Apr 2023 - Alternative History Latin America and Caribbean) vs. Arctic Indigenous People's Flag by /u/Imperito (Dec 2021 - Arctic)

3. UKI - London - The Greater & City Capital Standard by /u/VertigoOne (Oct 2020 - English Regions) vs. Magnesium - Burning Bright by /u/Smiix (Feb 2023 - Elements: Round Two) vs. The Star of Oron by /u/GomiTheGOAT (Aug 2021 - Disputed Territories) vs. The Punic Republic (Carthage) by /u/Imperito (Apr 2021 - Alternative African Nations)

4. Death Valley National Park by /u/bmoxey (Jan 2021 - National Parks) vs. Fukushima - The Island of Fortune by /u/Emi6219 (Dec 2023 - Japanese Prefectures) vs. The Tyrian State by /u/TorteApp (Sep 2023 - United Mediterranean Sea) vs. Novel November Winners' Standard by /u/ZombieJockeyGames (Nov 2024 - Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month))

5. Cape Town Accords on Military Assistance between Brunei Darussalam and South Africa by /u/Emi6219 (Jan 2023 - Unlikely Bilateral Military Alliance) vs. A flag for Berkelium by /u/Greyspeir (Sep 2020 - Elements) vs. Power by the People by /u/heshammourad (Sep 2022 - Pro-Democracy Protest Flag) vs. Resurgent Empire by /u/bmoxey (Aug 2020 - TV Tropes Nations)

6. ‎علمح ﴿علم اللغه المصريه الحديثه﴾ /alam al-lughah al-masriyah al-hadithah by /u/imagiflaggi (Jul 2023 - Languages) vs. Chihuahua - The Jewel of Oasisamerica by /u/Emi6219 (Mar 2021 - 13 Worst Flags Redesign) vs. Flag of Kazakhstan by /u/FXBR (Sep 2021 - National Recolor) vs. Crescent and Kanaga by /u/dksetiavan (Nov 2023 - Redesign National Tricolor Using Two Colors)

7. East African Federation by /u/RGBvex (Feb 2020 - East African Federation) vs. The City of Rings - Ba-Sing-Se (Avatar: The Last Airbender) by /u/Torchonium (Jun 2022 - Fictional Cities) vs. Sun of Dazhbog (slavic pagan movement) by /u/poland_embassy (Oct 2024 - Modern Pagan Movements) vs. Japanese Community in Mexico City - Harmony and Friendship by /u/Emi6219 (Jan 2022 - International Immigrant Community)

8. Enumclaw Emblem by /u/gmalatete (Nov 2021 - Chino Hills/Enumclaw/Menifee) vs. Steppe Eagle by /u/Azquirrel (Aug 2023 - Romania and Chad) vs. Light of Chagos by /u/KUPPERCUP (Dec 2024 - Flag for the Chagos Islands) vs. A Flag for Monks by /u/saladinmander (Mar 2023 - Dungeons and Dragons Character Classes)

9. Flag of Columba by /u/FXBR (Mar 2020 - Constellations) vs. Guatemala - Forest of Quetzal by /u/bmoxey (Nov 2020 - Blue and White Switch) vs. Sovereign Yidindji Government - The Voice of the Elders by /u/Emi6219 (Nov 2022 - Micronations) vs. Lake Titicaca - Virachocha's bolt | by /u/Imperito (May 2021 - International Lakes)

10. The Chumash Sun and Hollywood Stars by /u/SeeZwee (Feb 2024 - Six Californias) vs. Acknowledgement & Unity Flag by /u/Paper_and_Pixels (Jul 2021 - USA Redesign) vs. Forked Path Flying - Gardner, KS by /u/VertigoOne (May 2023 - 25 Worst New City Flags in the US) vs. Central Asian Tricolor by /u/no_apologies (Jul 2024 - Stanistan/United Central Asia)

11. Always Rising by /u/no_apologies (Jun 2023 - Progress Pride Flag Using Four Colors) vs. Margarita Island - The Pearl of Venezuela by /u/Emi6219 (Aug 2022 - Non-Sovereign Islands) vs. D-Day - Neptune's Five Beaches by /u/Emi6219 (Jun 2024 - D-Day Mission Flag) vs. United Nations - The Roots of Peace by /u/Emi6219 (Mar 2022 - UN Redesign without a Map or Circles)

12. The Flag of Woven Fates by /u/SeeZwee (Sep 2024 - Protest Flags for Democracy) vs. Muscogee Fields of Sunshine - Tallahassee, FL by /u/VertigoOne (May 2024 - US State Capital Redesign) vs. Piping Shrike Wing for South Australia by /u/flagsdotwin (Oct 2023 - Australian States & Territories)

13. Phoenix State's Tohono Sun by /u/alasdairgunn (Dec 2020 - Equal Area US/EU) vs. Flag for the Pyrenees Mountains by /u/VertigoOne (Jul 2022 - Mountain Ranges) vs. The Kōtuku Flag by /u/ZombieJockeyGames (Aug 2024 - Regions of New Zealand)

14. Qeqertalik - The Whale and Walrus by /u/hilfigeritout (Jun 2021 - Greenlandic Municipalities) vs. The Five Krais of Sibir by /u/FXBR (Apr 2022 - Alternative Asian Nations) vs. Flag of Maryland by /u/gmalatete (Jan 2020 - Art Deco)

15. Latvian Flag by /u/akh (Apr 2020 - Red and White Redesigns) vs. Nahuan languages - Pānquetzaliztli (The Rising of Flags) by /u/Emi6219 (May 2022 - Language Families) vs. Naqaỹa by /u/arapaap-namnama (Feb 2022 - Latin American Exoworld)

16. Flag of Mictlān - The Land of the Dead by /u/Emi6219 (Oct 2021 - Mythical Places) vs. The June Solstice by /u/MichaelGreshko (Jan 2024 - Calendar Months) vs. السيوف والمها (Swords and oryx) by /u/dksetiavan (Mar 2024 - Two Color National Flags Redesign) vs. Kitaukoku's Desert Rose by /u/Brasitino_do_Sul (Apr 2024 - Alternative Oceania)

[probablyasocialecologist]

An August 2012 report by the United Nations Country Team predicted that by 2020, due to the severity of the Israeli blockade and rapidly deteriorating access to basic human needs, Gaza would be unlivable. In other words, Gazans are currently enduring worse conditions than the worst-case scenario. The available extent of food supplies is measured in a mere handful of days. The total destruction of the north, and, at the time of writing, the beginning of the attack on Rafah, will impose “unlivable” conditions on generations of people, just as with the dispossessions of the past. In a chillingly prescient essay titled “Israel Will Invade Gaza Again… The Only Question is How Soon,” collected in Gaza in Context: War and Settler Colonialism (2016), Noura Erakat reminds us that “Israel’s policies toward Gaza are an extension of its ambitions to remove and replace Palestinians living on their historic lands.”

[...]

Palestinian life is simply discounted as part of the larger settler-colonial project, which operates according to what is ultimately a genocidal intent: to claim the land and remove its inhabitants. It is the same unsubtle and vulgar logic behind the Nakba of 1948, and behind generations of oppression, dispensing with human life as if it were waste.

[rabbitcruiser]

Tag der Deutschen Einheit

German Unity Day is celebrated on October 3 to commemorate the unification of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic into a single federal Germany on the same date in 1990. A public holiday, the day is characterized by concerts, communal meals, speeches by politicians, and fireworks.

History of National Unity Day

After WWII, Germany was divided into four military sectors, each controlled by France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was formed and, on October 7 of the same year, the German Democratic Republic (also known as the DDR — ‘Deutsche Demokratische Republik’) was formed.

The political tensions in post-war Europe did not allow much interaction between the people of the two countries. The DDR exercised strong resistance against repression of its political opponents. Thousands of people were kept under surveillance by the German police.

On September 4, 1989, a peaceful protest was carried out by the people of Leipzig against the DDR government. More such demonstrations in other DDR cities took place calling for political reforms and the opening of the borders. And on November 9 that year, the checkpoints between the two German countries were opened and people could travel freely once more. This date marked the ‘fall’ of the Berlin Wall.

Democratic elections further paved the way for the people to come together in the DDR. Finally, in August 1990, the leaders of both countries signed the Treaty of Unification, and Germany’s unification was made official on October 3, 1990.

The Berlin Wall and the Brandenburg Gate are two very important symbols of Germany’s division and the unification of Germany in 1990. Images of both of these are put on display on German Unity Day all across Germany. The day is celebrated as a three-day festival around the Brandenburg Gate and at the Reichstag around Platz der Republik.

National Unity Day timeline

May 23, 1949

Federal Republic of Germany Forms

The German sectors of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States come together to form the Federal Republic of Germany.

October 7, 1949

German Democratic Republic

The sector controlled by the Soviet Union becomes the German Democratic Republic (also known as the DDR — ‘Deutsche Demokratische Republik’).

November 9, 1989

Berlin Wall Falls

On November 4, an estimated 50,000 people gather for a mass protest in East Berlin — five days later, the Berlin Wall dividing communist East Germany from West Germany crumbles.

August 31, 1990

Unification Treaty is Signed

The Unification Treaty is signed, allowing a reunited Germany to become fully sovereign the following year.

National Unity Day FAQs

What is German Unity Day called in German?

German Unity Day is called ‘Tag der Deutschen Einheit’ (The Day of German Unity).

What does German Unity Day celebrate?

The Day of German Unity is Germany’s national holiday. It commemorates the German reunification in 1990 and is celebrated with a festival around Platz der Republik, Straße des 17.

What is closed on German Unity Day?

German Unity Day is a public holiday in Germany so post offices, banks, and many businesses are closed. Nearly all stores are closed, although a few may be open in some city areas.

How To Celebrate German Unity Day

Celebrate the local culture: Celebrate with all the locals at the Charlottenburg Palace. Experience the neighborhoods of Berlin while taking a stroll through Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, and Mitte.

Watch films and documentaries about Germany: There are many famous documentaries about Germany and the Berlin Wall. Some of them include “Busting the Berlin Wall,” “Stasi – East Germany’s Secret Police,” “After the Wall: A World United,” “Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall,” and more.

Visit the specific city of observance: A famous feature of German Unity Day is the observance of the day in one of the 16 states’ capitals every year, which hosts the celebration.

5 Interesting Facts About The Berlin Wall

Two walls: The 27-mile barrier separating Berlin into east and west had two concrete walls that had a 160-yards-wide ‘death strip’ in-between with watchtowers, guard dogs, floodlights, machine guns, and more.

Death on the Wall: More than 100 people died while trying to cross the Berlin Wall, by gunshots, fatal accidents, or suicide.

The great escape: More than 5,000 people escaped by either going over or under the Berlin Wall.

Berlin in Vegas: A piece of the Berlin Wall is now in the bathroom of the Main Street Station Casino in Las Vegas.

In memory of Ida Siekmann: The Berlin Wall cycle route has a glass plaque honoring Ida Siekmann who was the first person to die while trying to cross the wall and flee to East Berlin.

Why German Unity Day Is Significant

It celebrates the unification of Germany: The establishment of Germany as a federal country after years of division since 1945 and the unification of East and West Germany is worth celebrating.

Fall of the Berlin Wall: It commemorates the day when the wall dividing communist East Germany and West Germany crumbled. This was just five days after almost 50,000 people gathered in a mass protest in East Berlin.

Dissolution of the German Democratic Republic: The date marks the dissolution of the German territory controlled by the Soviet Union and the day it joined the Federal Republic of Germany.

Source

[simply-ivanka]

Why the Left Is Throwing Biden a Lifeline

AOC and Bernie Sanders are betting the President will reward their loyalty in a second term.

Wall Street Journal Editorial July 11, 2024

President Biden is phoning friends across his party to rally support, so pay close attention to who is answering the call. His staunchest defenders are on the left, while moderates in swing districts are asking the President to withdraw from the race. There’s more than 2024 electoral calculation behind this highly revealing political turn.

No one outside the Biden family has been more fiercely pro-Biden since the President’s debate flop than Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The Queens firebrand promised reporters that Mr. Biden won’t leave the race and pledged to campaign for him through Election Day. This show of faith came after she said she “spoke with the President extensively” over the weekend. A Commander in Chief pleading for support from an often critical House backbencher is something to behold.

Another stalwart for the President is Sen. Bernie Sanders, who says he believes Mr. Biden can still win—if he campaigns on the Bernie agenda. Even Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has been denouncing Mr. Biden’s Israel policy for months, is now in the Save Biden camp. This week she said “he’s been the best president of my lifetime, and we have his back.”

There’s an ideological method to this loyalty. Ms. Omar has a point about Mr. Biden’s first term. While the President campaigned as a moderate uniter, in office he has tried to be the second coming of FDR.

Despite losing the 2020 primary to Mr. Biden, Sen. Sanders gave his endorsement in return for Mr. Biden signing up to the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force. The agenda included drug price controls, an expanded child tax credit, massive green energy commitments, and Build Back Better entitlement expansions. Only Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema stopped him from delivering on more or less the entire Bernie Sanders policy wish list.

If progressives save Mr. Biden now and he goes on to win re-election, the left will be well positioned to cash in again. Mr. Sanders is clear about what he expects in return for sticking with Mr. Biden. In his statement defending the President, he urged Mr. Biden to support a national “living wage,” a payroll tax hike, medical debt cancellation and much more. “Biden and Democrats can win this election if they address the needs of the working class,” he said.

The desperate President is turning to the left because he knows these Democrats don’t face electoral challenges. Progressives are running in safe seats or in Democratic states where Donald Trump has no chance to win. But in his desperation, Mr. Biden is also making a possible second term even more hostage to the left. Bernie and AOC have plenty of unfinished policy business they hope to get done if Democrats control the White House and Congress.

Things will work out for progressives even if Mr. Biden wins but doesn’t make it through the entire four years. Their dream scenario would be for President Biden to win, then retire and pass the Oval Office on to Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran as a whole-hearted progressive in the primaries in 2020.

Mr. Biden’s political vulnerability, and his turn to progressives for a lifeline, raises the policy stakes even higher for the November election. Bernie Sanders may believe social spending is free, but his political fee is steep.

[michiruze]

Lkyt. - Thoughts

In times of despair, we seek light. But when the light exposes the rotten core of destiny, where does your heart go?

After a year of "I bought the game, and left it there", I finally gave the much-anticipated Lkyt. (2020) a go. I went into this game knowing nearly nothing except the fact that I shouldn't expect another No, Thank You!!! (2013)

And it worked. This game is nothing like I've expected, and I was left with the feeling of both fullness and emptiness. The kind of feelings that comes from witnessing a profound piece of fiction that tells so much.

And so much it tells. Lkyt. (2020) ended up piercing my heart, going straight to the jugular and consumes it.

This is not a story of heroic warriors. This is a story of betrayal by nature.

What happens when you are born in a rotten world, destined to be hollowed out?

(Music to listen to while reading)

The concept of a story that focuses on letting the audience experience what living in a war-torn reality feels like isn't new. In a sense, there's nothing new about Lkyt. (2020). What this game brings to the table, however, is the characters, and how the setting interacts with the horrors plaguing it.

The first thing you see in the game is that it's set in a fictional medieval Japanese setting with a twist --- there's a cosmic horror thing as their common (and only) enemy. And this thing unites the people, mobilizing themselves to face it, with willingness to die for the safety of others. You are seeing the story of unity against a force of death. 'Till death do they part.

This gives the game an opportunity to explore the values of 'heroism' and 'warriors' without overstuffing it with real-world signifiers, and without the risk of turning into a soapbox for the game's writer(s) to be 'right' about their opinions on serious topics. Not only there are cosmic horrors inbound, there's a lot of political intrigue in the story that is guaranteed to keep the audience glued and frustrated over how relevant all of it is.

The setting also allows the game to explore certain topics such as grief, nihilism, loyalty through the eyes of war-torn people.

It certainly reminds me of 28 Days Later (2002) and Annihilation (2018) where the science fiction setting allows the movie to explore themes of familial bond, survival, love, and the dark side of militarism through the eyes of survivors of dark times.

The gist of this is that the setting allows the themes to emerge by itself and let the readers draw their conclusions.

And it's certainly stuffed with interesting topics to think about. Betrayed by history, belief, and destiny. Betrayed by the nation.

When all you know is "war" and "the enemy" and nothing else....what happens when both are gone, and defeated? Do we stay in unity?

When the values of the world you live in was built by darkness, what happens when light shines through it?

Lkyt. (2020) in a sense, is about the fragility of our reality. Through the horrifying reality that the characters live in, it exposes fragilities that we face in real life.

Having the game written around this dark fantasy setting also gives the game the chance to actually provoke powerful messages of hope as well. Darkness can be overcome, it's how we decide to shine the light that matters.

Lkyt. (2020) tells said tragedy in heartbreaking ways. It is not an exaggeration that this is one of the heaviest BL games to ever come out.

But this being an utsuge obviously means that it's not all rainbows and sunshine. What happens when you decide to shine a light in a world overrun by darkness to the core? Lkyt. (2020) also tells the tragedy of what happens when innate darkness resists light. In this case, the determination to end suffering, in a world where the concept of 'light' seemingly does not exist. What if the darkness has penetrated the world so deeply that an attempt to end suffering is seen as a disgrace to the existing values and beliefs built by fear, violence, and hatred against darkness? What if light suddenly penetrates darkness? What if people who had never seen what 'hope' is, suddenly sees it?

All that this world knows is violence, fear, and darkness. And light becomes a force of threat as a result.

Make no mistake, it's not only heartbreaking, but also depressing and disturbing. This game is written by Tatsuya Kurashiki, who wrote chunks of NTY!!!.....but before he wrote Lkyt. (2020), he also wrote the infamously gory and extremely disturbing Maggot Baits (2015). In fact, this game shared the same writing team as the latter.

You can tell that there are remnants of Maggot Baits (2015) left in his writing for Lkyt. (2020), and several parts (especially the goriest parts of the game) seems to be a callback to his time writing it. (You can turn off gory CGs but NOT gory texts)

However, the hopelessness and darkness is not without reason, nor it's done as shock value. They have a concrete reason to be written that way, and it's ultimately not for nothing. The game's title (it's an acronym for an English sentence!) even supports this.

It's not all darkness, though. Of course, there are obligatory comedic elements you'd find in parade titles, as well as horny jokes and light-hearted lines referring to having gay relationships for diplomatic reasons. That alone makes me want to recommend this game to everyone. That said, let's talk about the characters.

Tasuku is markedly different from previous parade protagonists. For a horny top, he is a purely selfless human being with devotion to his belief to protect the powerless. The game obviously puts him into situations where his views gets challenged and rejected, and part of the 'fun' of Lkyt. (2020) comes from how Tasuku overcomes it. By the third part of the story you really want him to prevail, survive, and win.

Tasuku's selflessness gets complemented real well with the assortment of love interests who has their own beliefs and are challenged by Tasuku's selflessness. Takeru's unconditional loyalty, Yael's numbing nihilism, Ango's despair, and Towa's extreme responsibilities in shouldering pain....all of them complements their bond with Tasuku, where their bond becomes the beacon of light.

One thing to know about their bonds is that it is not 'romantic' in a traditional sense. Their bonds, while sexual and leads to loving bonds, are more of 'necessary bonds in order to survive the apocalypse'. The kind of bonds you form to accept the apocalypse.

There's a persistent feeling of "the end is near and all I want to experience intimacy before we all die" in each route, with these bonds forming a resistance against darkness.

That's all I can say about the game's substance. On the 'style' front, Lkyt. (2020) is absolutely made with love, even when you can spot signs of small budget (reminding everybody that parade is CLOCKUP --- not known for big budget story games!)

The art by CLOCKUP's Norizane is the biggest winner of the game. She draws characters in a way that lets their features shine and be different. Her character designs are very memorable and you can tell that she's giving something for everyone from how each love interest's bodies are drawn (skinny bishies, burly men, hot priest). I hope she continues to make art for parade's games.

The game's color palette, whilst limited to greys, reds, and browns to give it a barren, desolate feel, does not feel 'bland' at all through the integration of the memorable character designs to the background details, like a movie with a cinematography that elevates the 'bland' setting. At times it feels reminiscent of director Alex Garland's work, especially Annihilation (2018).

One thing I have to praise this game for is the option to turn off gore. It's very helpful even though there are only 4 gory CGs (but BY GOD they're GORY as fuck!). The completion status feature also rules, as does the game listing all scenes and completion indicators, allowing readers to find out parts they have not read yet!

While the music feels pretty okay (especially if you've played parade's other games --- even moreso if you played CLOCKUP games too) since the budget probably only allows few songs, the opening theme is absolutely amazing, sets the tone properly for the game and is appropriately emotional.

However, the small budget attributed to this game makes it that there's simply not enough CGs for the story (possibly due to Norizane's commitments to couple of CLOCKUP titles at the same time of Lkyt's development). Some parts of the game feels that it needed CGs to explain things, and for readers who finds overly descriptive texts confusing, it could make them feel lost.

Seeing the liner notes reveals that the game could've benefitted from having a longer development time for story and character writing and I agree. Some parts of the routes felt repetitive and the decision to cram the love interests' backstories near the end feels like a rushed attempt to wrap up stuff.

So, how's this game, overall? For people expecting another No, Thank You!!! (2013), this game isn't it. It's a completely different experience, a story-heavy experience much closer to Nitro+Chiral than anything else, that can be attributed to the fact that it's written by Tatsuya Kurashiki, a writer cut from the same mold as Takashi Masada, whose CV consists of mostly long, story-heavy chuuni games

Lkyt. (2020) is great, but in the end, it's an acquired taste thing. It's certainly not for everyone. It's heavy, touching, disturbing, and depressing. You really need to be in the right mood to engage.

Though, Lkyt. (2020) is a very profound experience full of meaning and journeys through the darkness to find light. If you go the might....please do experience it!

As a small P.S, describing Lkyt. (2020) as "Sekiro if it was made by Alex Garland" means that I had to watch Civil War (2024) right as I had finished the game to write my thoughts clearer and.....Lkyt. (2020) is what this film tried to be, so there's that.

Lkyt. (2020) certainly is the movie that Alex Garland desperately tried to make. The "story where it's about how war feels like" thing that he wanted to make.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Noah Berlatsky at Public Notice:

Just three days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, Harris has already secured enough delegates to be the presumptive Democratic nominee. The speed with which the party came together around her is inspiring. Harris has been endorsed by almost everyone who matters in Democratic politics — senators, governors, key organizations, unions. She’s also raised some $100 million and counting from more than 880,000 small donors, more than 60 percent of whom hadn’t contributed before this cycle. If anyone was on the fence about whether Biden stepping aside was the right move, they probably aren’t now.

The past three days have been a remarkable display of Democratic consensus and unity after a bitter intra-party argument over whether Biden should be the nominee. The rush to support Harris also indicates that the party believes she can beat the Republican candidate — giant orange fascist blight Donald Trump. New Harris-Trump polling started trickling out yesterday, and it contained good news for Democrats. A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken entirely after Biden announced his decision to step aside showed Harris up two points nationally (and up four points when RFK Jr. is included). Another poll showed Harris and Trump tied. Given that Harris just had her first rally as the presumptive candidate yesterday, we’ll need more time to figure out exactly how the race has changed. But there are already a number of reasons to be hopeful about her prospects of winning this November.

Unifying looked easy. It’s not.

The first indication of Harris’s strength is … well, pretty much everything that’s happened since Sunday. Harris has been pilloried over the last four years as a middling politician, largely on the grounds that she suspended her 2020 presidential campaign before Iowa. The reliably confused Pamela Paul at the New York Times, for example, argued this week that “Harris is a fundamentally weak candidate” who “fizzled out” in the presidential race. As political scientist Jonathan Bernstein points out, though, Harris’s candidacy didn’t fizzle out. She had solid endorsements and decent polling — but she figured out that Biden was too far ahead to beat in a very crowded field and dropped out early. That allowed her to stay on good terms with party actors and put her in a position to get the vice presidency. That’s not losing. It’s winning.

[...]

Harris and abortion rights

Harris is also well positioned to run on some of the central issues of the election. In particular, she’s a good voice for the party on abortion, which has been an especially energizing issue since the Supreme Court gutted abortion rights in its Dobbs decision in 2022. The Dobbs decision was hugely unpopular and remains so, even in Republican strongholds — anti-abortion measures in deep red states like Ohio and Kentucky have gone down to defeat. Democratic strength in the 2022 and 2023 off-year elections have been attributed by most analysts to the electorate’s support for abortion rights. Democrats are fighting to get abortion referendums on the ballot in November in states like including Arizona, Nebraska, and Florida. Despite Democratic successes under his watch, Biden has always been an imperfect messenger on abortion rights. A devout Catholic, he started his career by arguing that the Roe decision protecting abortion rights “went too far.”

Biden is now solidly pro-choice, and his administration has of course defended abortion rights, most recently winning a Supreme Court case defending abortion pills. But his ambivalence lingers. Even in 2023, after Dobbs, Biden was careful to note his own personal discomfort with abortion procedures, stating in one speech, “I happen to be a practicing Catholic. I’m not big on abortion.” Immediately following the Dobbs ruling, Biden’s administration struggled to come up with a strong rhetorical or policy response. He’s also been weirdly reluctant to even say the word “abortion” in speeches. Harris has no such reticence. She visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in March; she’s believed to be the first president or vice president to ever visit a clinic providing abortion services.

[...]

Harris the prosecutor

On Monday, in her first big speech after Biden’s endorsement, Harris emphasized her experience as a prosecutor and said it put her in a strong position to make the case against Trump. “I was a courtroom prosecutor,” she said. “In those roles I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump's type.” She hit the same theme yesterday during her first campaign rally as the presumptive Democratic nominee. It was so well received by her audience in suburban Milwaukee that the crowd broke out in “KA-MA-LA! KA-MA-LA!” chants.

The contrast here is glaring. A jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting writer and journalist E. Jean Carroll; he’s been accused of sexual assault and harassment by numerous other women. He was convicted of fraud for misvaluing assets in New York. A jury convicted him of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments before the 2016 election. He also faces charges involving mishandling of classified documents and illegally attempting to overturn the 2020 election.

Harris got her start in politics, as she says, as a prosecutor. As San Francisco’s DA and California’s AG, she went after fraudsters engaged in Trump-like scams. She obtained a $1.1 billion judgment against for-profit Corinthian College for fraud (Trump, for his part, agreed to a $25 million settlement after his so-called Trump University was sued for deceptive practices). She also won an $18 billion settlement against large banks for foreclosure misconduct. (Trump is promising massive deregulation of Wall Street.) Parts of Harris’s record in California are controversial with progressives. She threatened to prosecute parents of chronically absent children. No one was actually sent to jail, but as a policy, using prisons to threaten struggling parents is not a great precedent. Her record has also been criticized by sex workers and by drug law reformers (she prosecuted 1,900 people for marijuana violations). But Harris’s background as a prosecutor isn’t as much of a problem for her today as it was when she was running for president in 2019 — before covid, the George Floyd murder, and the ensuing spike in crime across the country. She’s also no longer running against Democrats — she’s running against Trump, whose criminal justice policies are nightmarish.

Project 2025, the Heritage Project blueprint for a Trump second term, is rabidly anti-sex worker; it proposes criminalizing porn as a step towards criminalizing trans and LGBT people (whose very existence the right considers pornographic). And Trump wants to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, a massive undertaking that evokes histories of police states and concentration camps.

Noah Berlatsky wrote in Public Notice about how Kamala Harris has united Democrats in her short time as the presumptive nominee.

Harris’s robust defense of abortion rights and her prosecutor record are her biggest assets this election.

[yourreddancer]

Heather Cox Richardson 11.6.24

Heather Cox Richardson 11.6.24

Yesterday, November 5, 2024, Americans reelected former president Donald Trump, a Republican, to the presidency over Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. As of Wednesday night, Trump is projected to get at least 295 electoral votes to Harris’s 226, with two Republican-leaning states still not called. The popular vote count is still underway.

Republicans also retook control of the Senate, where Democrats were defending far more seats than Republicans. Control of the House is not yet clear. 

These results were a surprise to everyone. Trump is a 78-year-old convicted felon who has been found liable for sexual assault and is currently under indictment in a number of jurisdictions. He refused to leave office peacefully when voters elected President Joe Biden in 2020, instead launching an unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop the counting of electoral votes, and said during his campaign that he would be a “dictator” on his first day in office.  

Pollsters thought the race would be very close but showed increasing momentum for Harris, and Harris’s team expressed confidence during the day. By posting on social media—with no evidence—that the voting in Pennsylvania was rigged, Trump himself suggested he expected he would lose the popular vote, at least, as he did in 2016 and 2020. 

But in 2024, it appears a majority of American voters chose to put Trump back into office. 

Harris and her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, offered a message of unity, the expansion of the economic policies that have made the U.S. economy the strongest in the world in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and the creation of an “opportunity economy” that echoed many of the policies Republicans used to embrace. Trump vowed to take revenge on his enemies and to return the country to the neoliberal policies President Joe Biden had rejected in favor of investing in the middle class.

When he took office, Biden acknowledged that democracy was in danger around the globe, as authoritarians like Russian president Vladimir Putin and China’s president Xi Jinping  maintained that democracy was obsolete and must be replaced by autocracies. Russia set out to undermine the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that enforced the rules-based international order that stood against Russian expansion. 

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who overturned democracy in his own country, explained that the historical liberal democracy of the United States weakens a nation because the equality it champions means treating immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women as equal to men, thus ending traditionally patriarchal society.

In place of democracy, Orbán champions “illiberal democracy,” or “Christian democracy.” This form of government holds nominal elections, although their outcome is preordained because the government controls all the media and has silenced opposition. Orbán’s model of minority rule promises a return to a white-dominated, religiously based society, and he has pushed his vision by eliminating the independent press, cracking down on political opposition, getting rid of the rule of law, and dominating the economy with a group of crony oligarchs. 

In order to strengthen democracy at home and abroad, Biden worked to show that it delivered for ordinary Americans. He and the Democrats passed groundbreaking legislation to invest in rebuilding roads and bridges and build new factories to usher in green energy. They defended unions and used the Federal Trade Commission to break up monopolies and return more economic power to consumers. 

Their system worked. It created record low unemployment rates, lifted wages for the bottom 80% of Americans, and built the strongest economy in the world in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, setting multiple stock market records.  But that success turned out not to be enough to protect democracy. 

In contrast, Trump promised he would return to the ideology of the era before 2021, when leaders believed in relying on markets to order the economy with the idea that wealthy individuals would invest more efficiently than if the government regulated business or skewed markets with targeted investment (in green energy, for example). Trump vowed to cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations and to make up lost revenue through tariffs, which he incorrectly insists are paid by foreign countries; tariffs are paid by U.S. consumers. 

For policies, Trump’s campaign embraced the Project 2025 agenda led by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, which has close ties to Orbán. That plan calls for getting rid of the nonpartisan civil service the U.S. has had since 1883 and for making both the Department of Justice and the military partisan instruments of a strong president, much as Orbán did in Hungary. It also calls for instituting religious rule, including an end to abortion rights, across the U.S. Part of the idea of “purifying” the country is the deportation of undocumented immigrants: Trump promised to deport 20 million people at an estimated cost of $88 billion to $315 billion a year. 

That is what voters chose.

Pundits today have spent time dissecting the election results, many trying to find the one tweak that would have changed the outcome, and suggesting sweeping solutions to the Democrats’ obvious inability to attract voters. There is no doubt that a key factor in voters’ swing to Trump is that they associated the inflation of the post-pandemic months with Biden and turned the incumbents out, a phenomenon seen all over the world.

There is also no doubt that both racism and sexism played an important role in Harris’s defeat. 

But my own conclusion is that both of those things were amplified by the flood of disinformation that has plagued the U.S. for years now. Russian political theorists called the construction of a virtual political reality through modern media “political technology.” They developed several techniques in this approach to politics, but the key was creating a false narrative in order to control public debate. These techniques perverted democracy, turning it from the concept of voters choosing their leaders into the concept of voters rubber-stamping the leaders they had been manipulated into backing. 

In the U.S., pervasive right-wing media, from the Fox News Channel through right-wing podcasts and YouTube channels run by influencers, have permitted Trump and right-wing influencers to portray the booming economy as “failing” and to run away from the hugely unpopular Project 2025. They allowed MAGA Republicans to portray a dramatically falling crime rate as a crime wave and immigration as an invasion. They also shielded its audience from the many statements of Trump’s former staff that he is unfit for office, and even that his chief of staff General John Kelly considers him a fascist and noted that he admires German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

As actor Walter Masterson posted: “I tried to educate people about tariffs, I tried to explain that undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes and are the foundation of this country. I explained Project 2025, I interviewed to show that they supported it. I can not compete against the propaganda machines of Twitter, Fox News, [Joe Rogan Experience], and NY Post. These spaces will continue to create reality unless we create a more effective way of reaching people.” 

X users noted a dramatic drop in their followers today, likely as bots, no longer necessary, disengaged. 

Many voters who were using their vote to make an economic statement are likely going to be surprised to discover what they have actually voted for. In his victory speech, Trump said the American people had given him an “unprecedented and powerful mandate.” 

White nationalist Nick Fuentes posted, “Your body, my choice. Forever,” and gloated that men will now legally control women’s bodies. His post got at least 22,000 “likes.” Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson, previously funded by Russia, posted: “It is my honor to inform you that Project 2025 was real the whole time.” 

Today, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump would launch the “largest mass deportation operation” of undocumented immigrants, and the stock in private prison companies GEO Group and CoreCivic  jumped 41% and 29%, respectively. Those jumps were part of a bigger overall jump: the Dow Jones Industrial Average moved up 1,508 points in what Washington Post economic columnist Heather Long said was the largest post-election jump in more than 100 years. 

As for the lower prices Trump voters wanted, Kate Gibson of CBS today noted that on Monday, the National Retail Federation said that Trump’s proposed tariffs will cost American consumers between $46 billion and $78 billion a year as clothing, toys, furniture, appliances, and footwear all become more expensive. A $50 pair of running shoes, Gibson said, would retail for $59 to $64 under the new tariffs.

U.S. retailers are already preparing to raise prices of items from foreign suppliers, passing to consumers the cost of any future tariffs. 

Trump’s election will also mean he will no longer have to answer to the law for his federal indictments: special counsel Jack Smith is winding them down ahead of Trump’s inauguration. So he will not be tried for retaining classified documents or attempting to overthrow the U.S. government when he lost in 2020. 

This evening, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán posted on social media that he had just spoken with Trump, and said: “We have big plans for the future!” 

This afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at her alma mater, Howard University, to concede the election to Trump. 

She thanked her supporters, her family, the Bidens, the Walz family, and her campaign staff and volunteers. She reiterated that she believes Americans have far more in common than separating us.

In what appeared to be a message to Trump, she noted: “A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle as much as any other distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it. At the same time in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. 

“My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuels this campaign, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people, a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.”

Harris urged people “to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.” She told those feeling as if the world is dark indeed these days, to “fill the sky with the light of a billion brilliant stars, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service,” and to let “that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks, toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.” 

—

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 12.18

Holidays

Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf Day

Arabic Language Day (UN)

Australian Christmas (Team Fortress)

Baranth Do (Elder Scrolls)

Day with the Wallet Holder (Mexico)

Earl ‘DMX’ Simmons Day (New York)

Final Fantasy Anniversary Day

Flake Appreciation Day

Founder’s Day (Qatar)

Hug a Soccer Player Day

Incwala Day (Eswatini, f.k.a. Swaziland)

Insurance Employee Day (Kyrgyzstan)

International Migrants Day (UN)

Kissan Day (Pakistan)

López Jaena Day (Iloilo, Philippines)

Military Counterintelligence Day (Ukraine)

Minifig Day

National Crime Junkie Day

National Deborah Day

National HODL Day (Bitcoin)

National Jeremy Day

National Scrooge Week begins (according to Mr. Ed)

National Twin Day

Nutcracker Day

Nyempa Guzom (Sikkim, India)

Pink Panther Day

Play Bingo Day

Police Day (Moldova)

Republic Day (Niger)

Sunday Newspaper Day

Truffle Day (French Republic)

Tulya’s E’en (Beginning of Yule Season; Orkney Island)

University Unity Day (Iran)

Voice From Space Day

Wear a Plunger On Your Head Day

World Minorities Rights Day (India)

Yuletide Lad #7 arrives (Hurdaskellir or Door-Slammer; Iceland)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bake Cookies Day

Let's See What We Find in the Fridge Day

National Ham Salad Day

National “I Love Honey” Day

National Muffin Day (Brazil)

National Roast Suckling Pig Day

National Stilton Day (UK)

Independence & Related Days

Egypt (Declared British Protectorate; 1914)

New Jersey Statehood Day (#3; 1787)

Qatar (1878)

3rd Wednesday in December

Hump Day [Every Wednesday]

National Early Signing Day (NCAA Football) [3rd Wednesday]

Wacky Wednesday [Every Wednesday]

Wandering Wednesday [3rd Wednesday of Each Month]

Website Wednesday [Every Wednesday]

Wiener Wednesday [3rd Wednesday of Each Month]

Weekly Holidays beginning December 18 (3rd Full Week of December)

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Week (thru 1.1.2025)

Winter Festival (Birth of the God Diev & Rebirth of the Sun; Latvia) [thru 12.20]

Festivals Beginning December 18, 2024

London International Horse Show (London, United Kingdom) [thru 12.22]

Night of the Proms (Erfurt, Germany)

Winter Festival (Birth of the God Diev & Rebirth of the Sun; Latvia) [thru 12.20]

Feast Days

Alfred Bester (Writerism)

Edward Willis Redfield (Artology)

Epona (Celtic Book of Days)

Eponalia (Feast of Epona; Roman goddess of fertility)

Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Christian)

Fantastic Finkleman (Muppetism)

Feast of Our Lady of Expectation

Feast of Our Lady of Solitude (Mexico)

Flannán (Christian; Saint)

Gatianus (a.k.a. Gatian) of Tours (Christian; Saint)

Jonathan Yeo (Artology)

Michael Moorcock (Writerism)

Mimmo Paladino (Artology)

O Adonai (2nd O Antiphon or Great Advent Antiphon; Christian) [2 of 7]

Paul Klee (Artology)

Priestley (Positivist; Saint)

Rufus and Zozimus (Christian; Martyrs)

Running of the Roboderos (Church of the SubGenius)

Saki (Writerism)

Saturnalia Day 2: Saturn’s Release (Pagan)

Sebastian (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Unusual Music Instruments Day (Pastafarian)

Urdhyauli Parwa (Festival of the Animals; Nepal)

Willem van de Velde II (Artology)

Winibald (a.k.a. Winebald; Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [37 of 37]

Premieres

Anchorrman 2: The Legend Continues (Film; 2013)

Another Round (Film; 2020)

Avatar (Film; 2009)

Baby Buggy Bunny (WB MM Cartoon; 1954)

The Ballad of the Green Berets, recorded by Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler (Song; 1965)

*batteries not included (Film; 1987)

Bellboy Donald (Disney Cartoon; 1942)

The Big Blast or A Many Splintered Thing (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 81; 1960)

Boris Lends a Hand or Count Your Fingers (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 188; 1962)

Boris on a Broomstick or The Flying Sorceror (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 187; 1962)

Born to Boogie (Music Documentary Film; 1972)

Brazil (Film; 1985)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (Film; 1957)

Broadcast News (Film; 1987)

Caspar’s First Christmas (Hanna-Barbera Animated TV Special; 1979)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Film; 1968)

Cholly Polly (Phantasies Cartoon; 1942)

Cinderella Liberty (Film; 1973)

The Color Purple (Film; 1985)

Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe (Play; 1592)

Dragons of Ashida (Animated TV Show; Jonny Quest #14; 1964)

A Flintstone Family Christmas (Hanna-Barbera Animated TV Special; 1993)

Her (Film; 2013)

Isle of Caprice (Ant and the Aardvark Cartoon; 1969)

The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun (Film; 2015)

Last Train to Christmas (UK Film; 2021)

The Lion Sleeps Tonight, by The Tokens (Song; 1961)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (TV Series; 2020)

McCartney III, by Paul McCartney (Album; 2020)

Moonstruck (Film; 1987)

Mother Goose in Swingtime (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1939)

The Nutcracker, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Ballet; 1892)

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (US Film; 1969) [James Bond #6]

Out of Africa (Film; 1985)

Overboard (Film; 1987)

The Painter and The Pointer (Andy Panda Cartoon; 1944)

Parking Space (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1933)

The Pink Phink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1964)

The Prince of Egypt (Animated Film; 1998)

Riff Raffville, Parts 1 & 2 (Underdog Cartoon, S2, Eps. 45 & 46; 1965)

Twistin’ the Night Away, by Sam Cooke (Song; 1961)

The Two Towers (Film; 2002) [The Lord of the Rings #2]

September in the Rain (WB MM Cartoon; 1937)

Sisters (Film; 2015)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Film; 2015) [Star Wars #7]

The Steal Hour or A Snitch in Time (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 82; 1960)

Touché, Pussy Cat! (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1954)

The Yearling (Film; 1946)

You’ve Got Mail (Film; 1998)

Today’s Name Days

Philipp, Wunibald (Austria)

Bosiljko, Dražen, Gracijan, Malahija (Croatia)

Miloslav (Czech Republic)

Lovise (Denmark)

Neeme, Neemo (Estonia)

Aapo, Aappo, Rami (Finland)

Briac, Gatien (France)

Esperanza, Gratian, Luise (Germany)

Floros, Sebastianos (Greece)

Auguszta (Hungary)

Graziano (Italy)

Jordisa, Klinta, Kristaps, Sarmis (Latvia)

Eivilė, Girdvilas, Gracijus (Lithuania)

Kate, Kristoffer (Norway)

Bogusław, Gracjan, Gracjana, Laurencja, Wilibald, Wszemir (Poland)

Daniil (Romania)

Sláva (Slovakia)

Esperanza (Spain)

Abraham (Sweden)

Griffin, Griffith, Ruff, Rufina, Rufus, Russ, Russell, Rusti, Rusty, Ty, Tyrus (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 353 of 2024; 13 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of Week 51 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ngetal (Reed) [Day 25 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Bing-Zi), Day 18 (Bing-Chen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 17 Kislev 5785

Islamic: 16 Jumada II 1446

J Cal: 23 Black; Twosday [23 of 30]

Julian: 5 December 2024

Moon: 86%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 17 Bichat (13th Month) [Cavendish]

Runic Half Month: Jara (Year) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 87 of 90)

Week: 3rd Full Week of December

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 27 of 30)