#san marino '23

[arabela25]

Eurovision Song Contest 2023 countdown: 9 days left!

Like An Animal - Piqued Jacks, San Marino 🇸🇲

[nyehhh-hh]

MOTOGP 2023 SEASON

MISANO, 2023 - Fabio Quartararo

📸Mirco Lazzari gp

[idiotkidthatdoesthings]

Was that the end?

Yes, that's the end

Well, we survived all that, and then got that end

Al least the public was also silence

- the Dutch commentators

[brawngp2009]

Jenson Button (GBR) BAR Honda 007. Formula One World Championship, Rd4, San Marino Grand Prix, Qualifying Day, Imola, Italy, 23 April 2005. Sutton Images.

[portrait-paintings]

Penelope (Pitt), Viscountess Ligonier

Artist: Thomas Gainsborough (British, 1727-1788)

Date: 1770

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA, United States

Biography

Penelope Pitt was born on February 23, 1749, the eldest of three daughters among four children of the diplomatist and courtier George Pitt (1720-1803) of Stratfield Saye, Hampshire, and his wife Penelope (d. 1795), daughter of Sir Henry Atkins, 4th Bart., of Clapham, Surrey.

[thisismyobsessionnow]

Okay, let's go, my top 36!

Based mostly on studio versions and vibes at this point. Really it's still just my first impressions to be honest. Very much subject to change because I've not spent enough time with these songs yet but putting it out there today so I can still catch the change as we go through the last week up until the semifinals.

Switzerland - Nemo - The Code

Slovenia - Raiven - Veronica

Italy - Angelina Mango - La Noia

Croatia - Baby Lasagna - Rim Tim Tagi Dim

Poland - Luna - The Tower

Latvia - Dons - Hollow

Serbia - Teya Dora - Ramonda

Norway - Gåte - Ulveham

Lithuania - Silvester Belt - Luktelk

San Marino - Megara - 11:11

11. Czechia - Aiko - Pedestal 12. Portugal - Iolanda - Grito 13. Armenia - Ladaniva - Jako 14. The Netherlands - Joost Klein - Europapa 15. United Kingdom - Olly Alexander - Dizzy 16. Estonia - 5miinust & Puuluup - (Nendest) Narkootikumidest Ei Eea Me (Küll) Midagi 17. Ireland - Bambie Thug - Doomsday Blue 18. Spain - Nebulossa - Zorra 19. Luxembourg - Tali - Fighter 20. Moldova - Natalia Barbu - In The Middle 21. Ukraine - Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil - Teresa & Maria 22. Finland - Windows95man - No Rules! 23. Austria - Kaleen - We Will Rave 24. Belgium - Mustii - Before The Party's Over 25. Australia - Electric Fields - One Milkali (One Blood) 26. Denmark - Saba - Sand 27. Greece - Marina Satti - Zari 28. France - Slimane - Mon Amour 29. Germany - Isaak - Always On The Run 30. Sweden - Marcus & Martinus - Unforgettable 31. Iceland - Hera Björk - Scared Of Heights 32. Azerbaijan - Fahree & Ilkin Dovlatov - Özünlə apar 33. Albania - Besa - Titan 34. Georgia - Nutsa Buzaladze - Firefighter 35. Cyprus - Silia Kapsis - Liar 36. Malta - Sarah Bonnici - Loop

[alianoralacanta]

Everything You Never Needed To Know About The Two Race Engine Rule (24-10-2007)

Context: Once upon a time, a driver could use three engines in the same day and simply risk a DNQ for not meeting the 107% rule. (Damon Hill, France 1999 qualifying day. Turns out that if one wishes to set a good time, one's has to do sufficient speedy laps on the track and not on stands in the garage). Then it was decided that was too wasteful and teams were banned from swapping engines between qualifying and the race. This was followed in 2005 with a requirement to use engines for two consecutive races before replacement, unless a race was not finished. In 2008, the requirement increased to 3 consecutive races on a single engine. I received a request to provide some statistics about the two-race engine era. Nowadays, each engine must last an average of 6 races, but teams can arrange that running how they want. A driver who wanted to do the first 3 and last 3 races on the same engine, but not any of the ones in between, is nowadays permitted to do so.

Thanks to neil for coming up with the idea for this entry, and especially to concentrate on the successes. To celebrate the fact that the two-race engine rule is now consigned to history, I will be doing some analysis of how the engine rules have influenced the grid.

Three seasons of careful management, impressive calculation and inopportune explosions will be celebrated in what I think is the most fitting way possible… …a ream of annotated statistics.

Victories Against The Odds

It has been mentioned in Autosport (March 23 2006 edition) that a new engine is worth 10-15hp over a used engine. Therefore, to win with a used engine suggests that the driver didn't have everything in their favour. And we all love drivers who win against the odds, don't we?

The following wins were achieved with a used engine:

2005

Fernando Alonso, Renault, Malaysia 2005 (the first time used engines appeared in a Grand Prix weekend was also the first time they won!) Fernando Alonso, Renault, San Marino 2005 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, Monaco 2005 Fernando Alonso, Renault, France 2005 Fernando Alonso, Renault, Germany 2005 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, Turkey 2005 (the start of a three-race chain) Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren, Italy 2005 (the first time both drivers in the same team win at least one race with used engines - and consecutive ones to boot!) Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, Belgium 2005 (this chain of three events, ending with this race, is the first time used engines win more than one race consecutively) Fernando Alonso, Renault, Brazil 2005

2005 used engine win total - 9 2005 new engine win total - 10

2006

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, Europe 2006 Fernando Alonso, Renault, Spain 2006 Fernando Alonso, Renault, Britain 2006 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, USA 2006 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, Germany 2006 Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Turkey 2006 (first race to be won by someone with a used engine in two consecutive years) Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, Italy 2006 Fernando Alonso, Renault, Japan 2006 Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Brazil 2006

2006 used engine win total - 9 2006 new engine win total - 9

2007

Fernando Alonso, McLaren, Malaysia 2007 (first driver to have won the same event with used engines twice) Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Spain 2007 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Canada 2007 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, France 2007 Fernando Alonso, McLaren, Germany 2007 (second driver to have won the same event with used engines twice) Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Hungary 2007 Fernando Alonso, McLaren, Belgium 2007 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, Japan 2007

2007 used engine win total - 8 2007 new engine win total - 9

Grand total Used engines 25 v 29 New engines

Masters of Used Engines - Drivers

Fernando Alonso (11) Kimi Raikkonen (5) Felipe Massa (4) Michael Schumacher (3) Juan Pablo Montoya (1) Lewis Hamilton (1)

Fernando clearly takes the crown of Master of Used Engines. Admittedly, being in a championship-challenging car for three years in a row does help a little. That said, he is Master or Joint Master of Used Engines in each individual year as well (he shares with Michael Schumacher in 2006, and is the outright winner in both 2005 and 2007). This is quite a statement of skill.

Kimi Raikkonen would probably have done better had his engine been reasonably reliable in 2005 or 2006. Or indeed if he'd ever been on the top step of the podium in 2006. However, he plainly does not require a fresh engine to demonstrate his talent.

Felipe Massa is consistent, having two used-engine victories in both 2006 and 2007 (being in a non-victorious Sauber didn't help his 2005 rating much). Don't be surprised if he shows well in 2008's three-race engine environment.

Juan Pablo Montoya and Lewis Hamilton, in a sense, represent past and future. Juan Pablo used to be an exciting F1 driver. He's still exciting, but he's doing NASCAR now, where they don't mess about with multi-race engines as far as I'm aware. Since he's also refused to return to F1, don't expect him to add to this tally in any series.

If Lewis Hamilton doesn't add any used engine victories in the three-race engine era, then I'm an apple tree. The main reason why he's only had one win in this era is because he didn't compete in 2005 or 2006.

Two drivers have won a race with a new engine in this era without winning one with a used engine: Giancarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button. Jenson is not in the used engine winner list largely because his engine blew in free practise on the Saturday of Hungary 2006. Had it held on, he would a) have had an easier time of winning that race and b) be on the list.

Masters of Used Engines - Teams

Renault (8) McLaren (7) Ferrari (7)

The Masters of Used Engines team award has been hotly contested between three great teams - so hotly that no other team has a single used-engine victory to its credit.

Renault's position in the list is particularly remarkable, since only one driver contributed every single used-engine win to its effort. McLaren and Ferrari required three drivers to achieve their results.

All three of these teams won in two out of the three years the rule was in place.

Poles for Used Engines

Wins with an engine that is minus 10-15bhp are challenging, but what about carving perfect laps with imperfect engines? Surely that's got to be pretty tough.

2005

Fernando Alonso, Renault, Malaysia 2005 (again, first pole at first attempt for used engines) Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, San Marino 2005 (first time a pole-sitting used-engine user didn't win the race pole was obtained in - that comes later for Kimi) Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, Monaco 2005 (start of a three-race chain) Nick Heidfeld, Williams, Europe 2005 (first time a used engine is taken to pole by a driver who doesn't win a race with a used engine during the two-engined era) Jarno Trulli, Toyota, Canada 2005 (this three-race chain, ending this race, is the first time a used engine is on pole on consecutive occasions) Fernando Alonso, Renault, France 2005 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, Turkey 2005 Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren, Belgium 2005

2005 used engine poles: 8 2005 new engine poles: 11

2006

Fernando Alonso, Renault, Monaco 2006 (first race where pole was obtained by someone with a used engine in two consecutive years) Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, USA 2006 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, Germany 2006 Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Turkey 2006 Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Brazil 2006

2006 used engine poles: 5 2006 new engine poles: 13

2007

Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Malaysia 2007 Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Spain 2007 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Canada 2007 Felipe Massa, Ferrari, France 2007 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, Germany 2007 (first driver to take pole with a used engine at the same race twice) Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Turkey 2007 (second driver to take pole with a used engine at the same race twice) Fernando Alonso, McLaren, Belgium 2007 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, China 2007

2007 used engine poles: 8 2007 new engine poles: 9

Grand total Used engines 21 v 33 new engines

Clearly new engines are a more significant factor in qualifying than in the race. This was especially the case in 2006, where developments were being completed quickly in anticipation of the 2007 engine homologation rules. Notice that in 2007, new and used engines are more evenly matched in qualifying.

Kings of Used Engine Speed - Drivers

Felipe Massa (6) Kimi Raikonnen (5) Fernando Alonso (4) Lewis Hamilton (2) Nick Heidfeld (1) Jarno Trulli (1) Juan Pablo Montoya (1) Michael Schumacher (1)

There is a lot more competition for this contest than the Master of Used Engines award. The winner of the award is Felipe Massa. He appears to be an expert at teasing speed out of a used engine when qualifying comes around. He was better at it than Michael Schumacher in 2006, and he has held his own in 2007. Very impressive, especially in this era when the pole-sitter often goes on to win.

Kimi Raikkonen's moments of brilliance are more spread out, but you can count on there being at least one in each season. Unfortunately, the poles rarely led to victories (his used-engine victories tended to be born in the adversity of second-row starts - or worse).

Fernando Alonso is a much better racer than he is a qualifier. That said, he won the world championship in 2006 without getting one pole with a used engine, so maybe there's a lesson in that for his rivals…

Lewis Hamilton is, in theory, a better qualifier than racer on used engines. That said, with such a small sample it's difficult to tell.

Michael Schumacher seemed to need a new engine in order to get pole. That didn't stop him from being at the sharp end of the grid a lot of the time, though.

Nick Heidfeld and Jarno Trulli never won a race in the two-engine era despite both getting poles with used engines - surely indicating that both qualify better than they race. While this probably isn't news to Trulli observers, those who observe Heidfeld tend not to mention this when writing about him.

Juan Pablo Montoya's single pole with a used engine is probably because he got most of his poles before the rule was introduced. Qualifying used to be a speciality of his.

Kings of Used Engine Speed - Teams

Ferrari (10) McLaren (7) Renault (3) Williams (1) Toyota (1)

The titans in the 2007 championship fight are the ones that are at the head of this list. That said, the clear Masters of Used Engine Speed are Ferrari, largely because Felipe Massa has driven so many pole laps for them. It's almost as if he needs a used engine before he fully lets himself go. That said, Kimi Raikkonen has also found the Ferrari environment conducive to his natural abilities. Even Michael managed to get pole with a used engine once…

McLaren despite having had four drivers help them get their total, are definitely behind Ferrari. This is largely because none of their drivers got consistent poles in the first place (they kept getting let down by their machinery, then polemeisters Massa and Raikkonen got together at the red team).

Renault can credit their entire presence on this list to Fernando Alonso. Williams and Toyota likewise only had one driver contribute to their totals.

The "It'll Be All Right On The Night" Award for Reliability - Engine Suppliers

BMW (1.67/car/year, 5 total) <1 in Williams; 3 + 1 in BMW Sauber> Renault (1.75/car/year, 7 total) <2 + 2 + 2 in Renault; 1 in Red Bull> Ferrari (3.43/car/year, 24 total) <4 + 8 + 1 in Ferrari; 3 in Sauber; 3 in Red Bull; 0 in Toro Rosso; 5 in Spyker> Toyota (3.5/car/year, 21 total) <1 + 8 + 0 in Toyota; 5 + 3 in Jordan/Midland/Spyker; 4 in Williams> Mercedes (3.67/car/year, 11 total) <8 + 2 + 1 in McLaren> Cosworth (3.75/car/year, 15 total) <1 in Red Bull; 2 + 4 in Minardi/Toro Rosso; 8 in Williams> Honda (4,25/car/year, 21 total) <5 + 8 + 3 in BAR/Honda; 2 + 3 in Super Aguri>

The BMW engines are most likely to be "all right on the night", with Renault closely following. This is a significant factor into both team's successes during the two-engine era - BMW's improvement was helped because it could chase up pesky gearboxes and speed instead of engines. Renault's tendency to stay in one piece helped Fernando Alonso's championship campaigns considerably. Renault is statistically the best engine on offer to customers - lucky Red Bull for having that supply!

There is a large gap to the next engine supplier, then you reach Ferrari. In its own cars the engines have worked quite unreliably until the homologation rules kicked in. That said, three of the eight failures in the works team happened to Felipe Massa during the Malaysian GP weekend, which reduced the pain somewhat. For that matter, apart from Spyker, all its customers got more reliable units than the works team. Maybe the customer engines were slower, but at least the teams could depend on Ferrari to clear out some of the bugs that appear to be inherent in Ferrari engine design.

Toyota is slightly worse than Ferrari, much of which can be attributed to an atrocious run of unreliability in 2006. In general, the customer units do not appear to have had many of the reliability flaws removed - not a good sign, since this means progress is relatively slow.

For all Mercedes developed a lousy reputation for reliability, this would appear to only be justified for 2005. However, eight failures in a year when no other works team had half that many said a lot. Since then, it is clear that lots of effort has been made to send out working units to the drivers, which has been particularly helpful in 2007.

Cosworth was the customer of last resort, which may go some way towards explaining its poor record. Integration into teams was not very high, simply because teams expected to be using another engine as soon as possible and therefore didn't work so well with the engine supplier. Though it is true that lack of money didn't help.

Honda should be embarrassed. Clearly it can send a reasonably reliable unit to customers (as Super Aguri can happily testify), so why can't it send something functional to its own works drivers? No wonder Button and Barrichello look like pulling their hair out at times…

The "It'll Be All Right On The Night" Award for Reliability - Teams

Red Bull (5) Super Aguri (5, across two seasons only) Renault (6) Minardi/Toro Rosso (6) (BMW) Sauber (7) Toyota (9) McLaren (11) Williams (13) Jordan/Midland/Spyker (13) Ferrari (13) BAR/Honda (16)

For the most part, customer teams had more reliable engines than their works providers. The exceptions are Williams and Spyker, who have chopped and changed a lot. Integration, or lack of same, explains their woes quite eloquently.

[nationsoftheworldtournament]

Nations Of The World Retro: 1914

Round One Matches

1. Colombia vs British Honduras

2. Nicaragua vs South Orkney Islands

3. Amoy vs Togoland

4. Italian Somaliland vs Luxembourg

5. Chongqing vs French Indochina

6. Emirate of Afghanistan vs Persia

7. Uruguay vs South Shetland Islands

8. Khiva vs Union Islands

9. Federated Malay Islands vs Réunion

10. Bahama Islands vs New Zealand

11. Ottoman Empire vs Spain

12. Suzhou vs Monaco

13. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland vs Straits Settlements

14. Kingdom of Italy vs French Madagascar

15. Portuguese East Africa vs Panama Canal Territory

16. Saint Barthélemy vs Netherlands

17. Guernsey vs Alaska

18. Bechuanaland vs Barbados

19. Ethiopia vs Curaçao and Dependencies

20. Midway Atoll vs Brunei

21. Saint Martin vs German East Africa

22. Amoy vs Sverdrup Islands

23. Sulu vs Northern Rhodesia

24. Serbia vs Panama

25. German Kiautschou vs Norway

26. British Guiana vs Sikkim

27. Falkland Islands vs Argentina

28. Ha'il vs Mexico

29. French Guiana vs British East Africa

30. Switzerland vs Seychelles

31. Italian Tripolitania vs Quita Sueño Bank

32. Italian Cyrenaica vs American Samoa

33. North Borneo vs Portuguese Guinea

34. Portuguese India vs British Jamaica

35. Portuguese Sao Tomé and Principe vs Kwantung

36. Jiujiang vs Zanzibar

37. Karafuto vs Costa Rica

38. France vs Hawaii

39. Jarvis Island vs British Winward Islands

40. Terengganu vs Surinam

41. British Trinidad and Tobago vs Belgium

42. Newfoundland vs Ubangi-Shari

43. Palmyra Atoll vs Romania

44. Fernando Poo vs Portuguese Macau

45. Sierra Leone vs Wallis and Futuna

46. British Mauritius vs French Tunisia

47. India vs Spanish Sahara

48. Tristan da Cunha vs Navassa Island

49. Siam vs Tientsin

50. Guadaloupe vs Bulgaria 51. Wake Island vs Maldive Islands

52. Johor vs Isla de la Pasión

53. Sarawak vs French Morocco

54. Norfolk Island vs Hankou

55. Swan Islands vs German Empire

56. Johnston Atoll vs Saint Pierre and Miquelon

57. Egypt vs Baker Island

58. Trucial States vs Paraguay

59. Hangzhou vs Isle of Man

60. Victoria Land vs Emirate of Nejd and Hasa

61. French Oceania vs French India

62. Territory of New Guinea vs Mbundaland 63. Spanish North Africa vs Nigeria

64. Uganda vs Phillipine Islands

65. Basutoland vs Tibet

66. Elobey, Annobón, and Corsico vs Nepal

67. San Marino vs Andorra

68. Kongo vs Howland Island

69. Canada vs Muscat and Oman

70. Martinique vs Rhodesia

71. Bolivia vs Russian Empire

72. Ascension Island vs Dutch East Indies

73. China vs Fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá

74. Graham Land vs Serranilla Bank

75. French Equatorial Guinea vs Liechtenstein 76. Portuguese West Africa vs Australia

77. Kingdom of Montenegro vs Weihai

78. Honduras vs Papua

79. Perlis vs Haiti

80. Bhutan vs Iceland

81. Middlebrook Island vs Greenland

82. Guam vs Setul Mambang Segara

83. Denmark vs Bahrain

84. Serrana Bank vs Gold Coast

85. Italian Eritrea vs Taiwan

86. French West Africa vs British Hong Kong 87. Gibraltar vs French Algeria

88. United States vs Bermuda

89. Puerto Rico vs Finland

90. Kamerun vs Kelantan

91. Anglo-Egyptian Sudan vs French Somaliland

92. Shanghai vs Suez Canal Zone

93. Shasi vs Sultanate of Aussa

94. Bouvet Island vs Empire of Japan

95. Portuguese Cape Verde vs Zhenjiang

96. Spanish Morocco vs Kingman Reef

97. Venezuela vs Principality of Albania

98. Aden vs Portugal

99. Darfur vs German Samoa

100. Belgian Congo vs Malta

101. Heard Island and McDonald Islands vs Ecuador

102. Swaziland vs Kuwait

103. Bukhara vs Gambia

104. Cuba vs Corn Islands

105. British Somaliland vs German South-West Africa

106. Kedah vs Portuguese Timor

107. Liberia vs New Caledonia

108. Danish West Indies vs Peru

109. Northern Nigeria vs Saint Helena

110. South Africa vs Bajo Nuevo Bank

111. British Leeward Islands vs Roncador Bank 112. Sweden vs British Western Pacific Territories

113. Kingdom of Greece vs Mongolia

114. Brazil vs Chile

115. Austria-Hungary vs British Hong Kong

116. Uryankhay vs Rio Muni vs British Cyprus

[aijamisespava]

THE EUROVISION 2024 RANKING!

The time has finally come for me to rank the Eurovision songs we have this year. But before I do, I do want to make a couple of points because there are, I feel, a couple important comments that need to be made.

For one, you'll notice that I ranked only 35 countries while the list has 37 songs. There are 2 countries that should not be competing this year, and I decided not to include them in my ranking or any other posts I make here on Aijamisespava, especially as a heavily opinion-based platform. Second, this was a REALLY hard year to rank. So if you see a song ranked super low, it's not that I hate it (I don't really hate any of these songs), it's just I liked some more than others. And finally, I won't be providing explanations for my rankings quite yet. I have a fun 2023 vs. 2024 post for next week planned where I will explain things.

Ready? Set? Here are the first Aijamisespava Eurovision Rankings!

35. Finland: "No Rules!" by Windows95Man 34. Latvia: "Hollow" by Dons 33. Albania: "Titan" by Besa 32. Cyprus: "Liar" by Silia Kapsis 31. Ireland: "Doomsday Blue" by Bambie Thug 30. Luxembourg: "Fighter" by Tali 29. Sweden: "Unforgettable" by Marcus & Martinus 28. Netherlands: "Europapa" by Joost Klein 27. Austria: "We Will Rave" by Kaleen 26. Australia: "One Milkali (One Blood)" by Electric Fields 25. Iceland: "Scared Of Heights" by Hera Björk 24. Germany: "Always On The Run" by Isaak 23. Malta: "Loop" by Sarah Bonnici 22. Czechia: "Pedestal" by Aiko 21. Moldova: "In The Middle" by Natalia Barbu 20. United Kingdom: "Dizzy" by Olly Alexander 19. Spain: "Zorra" by Nebulossa 18. Greece: "Zari" by Marina Satti 17. Portugal: "Grito" by Iolanda 16. Armenia: "Jako" by Ladaniva 15. Estonia: "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" by 5MIINUST & PUULUUP 14. Italy: "La Noia" by Angelina Mango 13. Ukraine: "Teresa & Maria" by alyona alyona/Jerry Heil 12. Denmark: "Sand" by Saba 11. Switzerland: "The Code" by Nemo 10. France: "Mon Amour" by Slimane 9. Poland: "The Tower" by Luna 8. Lithuania: "Luktelk" by Silvester Belt 7. Georgia: "Firefighter" by Nusta 6. Slovenia: "Veronika" by Raiven 5. San Marino: "11:11" by Megara 4. Norway: "Ulveham" by Gåte 3. Croatia: "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" by Baby Lasagna 2. Serbia: "Ramonda" by Teya Dora 1. Belgium: "Before The Party's Over" by Mustii

Final Verdict: This year started off a tad underwhelming. Maybe this was my saltiness at my national final winners not winning. However, as I listened to some songs more and more, I started really liking a lot of the entries. And then the internally selected songs came out and I was utterly blown away by some of the songs we got. Was this a good year? Absolutely. I can't wait to see all these songs fight it all out in May! *oh yeah, may I note that my opinions may change? My winner has been flip flopping between Serbia and Belgium for a while and may continue to do so until the end of time*

Congrats to Belgium for winning my personal Eurovision so far, and scoring their 2nd victory in my rankings (having been my winner for 2015).

Okay, I'm gonna go now, bye!

[nyehhh-hh]

MOTOGP 2023 SEASON

MISANO, 2023 - Fabio Quartararo

📸Mirco Lazzari gp

[totallyseiso]

The non-binding UNGA resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza passed with 153 in favour, 10 against, and 23 abstentions.

In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Republic of Moldova, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, East Timor, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Against: Austria, Czechia, Guatemala, Israel, Liberia, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, United States

Abstain: Argentina, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Netherlands, Palau, Panama, Romania, Slovakia, South Sudan, Togo, Tonga, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay

[brawngp2009]

Jenson Button (GBR) BAR talks with engineers. Formula One World Championship, Rd4, San Marino Grand Prix, Practice Day, Imola, Italy, 23 April 2004. Sutton Images.

[residentraccoon]

Oh no Top 30 moment 😳

1. Norway - this will be my 1st the whole season ❤

2. Estonia

3. Slovenia

4. San Marino

5. Denmark

6. Lithuania

7. Belgium

8. Latvia

9. Switzerland

10. Czechia - just now I realised that it's literally in my top 10 and it's so underrated I actually really like Czechia you guys are just mean

11. Croatia

12. France

13. Spain - grower of the season for me

14. Netherlands - europapa lives rent free in my head at this point it's actually insane and idk what to do

15. Italy

16. Ukraine

17. Ireland

18. Poland

19. Finland

20. Malta

21. Austria

22. Moldova

23. Australia - I loved the language inclusion and the slightly 2015ish sound it's very nostalgic to me for some reason, but I think I need a few more listens tbh

24. Serbia - okay please do not @ me but it kinda underwhelms me a lil...but who knows it might grow !!

25. Cyprus

26. Luxembourg

27. United Kingdom - mmm I have no strong feelings to this tbh...solid entry though

28. Iceland

29. Albania

30. Germany

[lint-beetle4]

Copy-and-Pasted from my Google Doc, here's San Marino

Pretty big wall of text below: tldr; small country with enough big dick energy to avoid the Italian Unification and taxes

Nation name: 

The Most Serene Republic of San Marino

Human name: 

Aurelio Marinus Vargas

Physical age: 

23 years

Actual age: 

~1,700 years

Background: 

San Marino is a country that dates back to 301 A.D. Its founder, Saint Marinus built the country on Monte Titano after repairing damage done by pirates. Thus, San Marino was created, later to be separated from Rome. He is the oldest out of the Italy Brothers.

The small country never resorted to violent means. Using trade or kindness, he gained a small amount of land, and a growth spurt. Often threatened by bigger countries in the past, San Marino’s diplomatic and unwavering nature allowed them to stay away from conflicts that rained throughout Europe. This would also lead to San Marino surviving the Italian Unification as well as San Marino becoming a safe haven for refugees during times of conflict due to the neutrality of the nation.

During the world wars, San Marino would remain neutral until waging war on Germany after a particularly bad bombing from a paranoid Britain and America, but he still did nothing aside from sending 14 medics. Despite this, both allies and axis would temporarily stay at his house during different parts of the war, to his dismay.

 San Marino is most known for his tourism and his population in cars being greater than people. He is a stable and surprisingly rich country. He also doesn't impose heavy taxes which makes his country a tax haven.

Personality: 

San Marino is a well spoken nation that speaks with passion and a slight drawl. Being talented with tourism and a good record of diplomacy, he knows how to sway, entertain and not piss anyone off. 

He is very prideful of his maintaining peace and outspoken on topics regarding history. He is polite of others and refrains from causing violence or a disturbance no matter what. He may seem like a doormat due to this, but he can be very defensive about certain topics. Being a very committed democratic nation, he holds a vote for nearly everything, even if it's to choose whether he should be socialist–yes, he did actually do that; yes, he was temporarily socialist (technically, Socialist-Communist as the parties had unified).

San Marino is very defensive when it comes to his nationality; The Sammarinese will never identify as Italian.

 He often comments on how much society has changed, quite like an old man. Often, he appears disengaged and absent-minded, making him appear more isolated than he actually is at first.

Relations:

Germany: Slightly bitter, but he holds a lot of respect for the German. During WW2, Germany protected the country to retain its neutrality which led to its eventual attack. After this, San Marino and Germany’s relation was rather tense until after the war where they steadied a bit.

Veneziano: These two share a close bond. Veneziano is often eager to trade and supply his older brother. San Marino can be seen with Veneziano often. Both share a strong brotherly bond and keep in touch often.

Romano: Not as close as he is with Veneziano, but Romano is protective of his older brother. While Veneziano gives San Marino supplies, Romano checks the exports and imports for any dangers. Both share a bond of mutual brotherhood and slight dislike to a certain potato man. 

Sweden: Legend has it that these two engaged in a long war that would end in a standstill after nearly 350 years of hostility. No one can fully tell about what happened during that time, but some say that the standstill was called due to both running out soldiers while others claimed that they hadn't signed an official peace treaty yet. Both nations deny this and are very confused about its origins. They are on good terms though and wish to get along better in the future.

France: They were close during the Neopleonic era; however, they’ve grown apart slightly. They’re still in touch.

England: A slightly bitter (Read: passive-aggressive) attitude is carried with these two. England was the one who was convinced the smaller country had declared war on him, so San Marino sued the crap out of him after the Allies had attacked the country. They don't talk much, but conversations can be a little tense since England still hadn’t paid the full amount San Marino wanted for reparations.

China: These two get along surprisingly well. They are good business partners and friends. San Marino looks forward to working more with China. Once in a while, both are seen being the old men that they really are.

America: These two are very good friends. Having supported the newer country, San Marino made Abraham Lincoln an honorary citizen while America faced the Civil war. The bond never left, and they still talk happily.

Russia: Until recently, San Marino had not participated in the EU Sanctions Against Russia which sparked a welcoming friendship. However, San Marino had been put on Russia’s list of People Who Could Do Better after San Marino entered the EU Sanctions Against Russia as a response to the invasion of Ukraine. San Marino doesn't care, and finds it hilarious.

Misc.:

He has a scar on his neck and shoulder from the Bombing of San Marino,

The wrapping on his neck is a cockade that Saint Marinus gifted to San Marino,

He is fairly good at baking and finance,

The weapon on his belt is a 9mm Glock 17 pistol,

He only uses rubber bullets and is proud to say he hasn’t fired a shot in 10 years,

He knows how to shoot a crossbow. He's actually talented at it,

His aim is scary accurate; considered one of the best shooters in Europe,

He sucks at soccer so much that it's a main point on why he isn't Italian, yet his speed is on par with his siblings,

San Marino is 168 cm (~5'6), the shortest out of his siblings

His hosting style is making the guest feel like they are at home and ensuring they feel safe during their trip to his country,

San Marino is a frequent visitor of America, and they often bake together,

He is very passionate about history and peace-keeping.

[thisismyobsessionnow]

Pre-semi top 36!

Last update to my top before we get to see the first performances in semi 1! A couple of songs really grew on me from getting some more time and the first visuals in the rehearsal clips (Read: Yes, Bambie got to me like they got to everyone else).

Switzerland - Nemo - The Code (-)

Croatia - Baby Lasagna - Rim Tim Tagi Dim (+2)

Italy - Angelina Mango - La Noia (+1)

Slovenia - Raiven - Veronica (-2)

Serbia - Teya Dora - Ramonda (+2)

San Marino - Megara - 11:11 (+4)

Ireland - Bambie Thug - Doomsday Blue (+10)

Norway - Gåte - Ulveham (-)

Latvia - Dons - Hollow (-3)

Lithuania - Silvester Belt - Luktelk (-1)

11. Portugal - Iolanda - Grito (+1) 12. United Kingdom - Olly Alexander - Dizzy (+3) 13. Poland - Luna - The Tower (-8) 14. Armenia - Ladaniva - Jako (-1) 15. Austria - Kaleen - We Will Rave (+9) 16. Czechia - Aiko - Pedestal (-5) 17. The Netherlands - Joost Klein - Europapa (-3) 18. Ukraine - Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil - Teresa & Maria (+3) 19. Estonia - 5miinust & Puuluup - (Nendest) Narkootikumidest Ei Eea Me (Küll) Midagi (-3) 20. Luxembourg - Tali - Fighter (-1) 21. Spain - Nebulossa - Zorra (-3) 22. Moldova - Natalia Barbu - In The Middle (-2) 23. Denmark - Saba - Sand (+3) 24. Germany - Isaak - Always On The Run (+5) 25. Belgium - Mustii - Before The Party’s Over (-1) 26. Finland - Windows95man - No Rules! (-4) 27. Australia - Electric Fields - One Milkali (One Blood) (-2) 28. Iceland - Hera Björk - Scared Of Heights (+3) 29. Azerbaijan - Fahree & Ilkin Dovlatov - Özünlə apar (+3) 30. France - Slimane - Mon Amour (+2) 31. Sweden - Marcus & Martinus - Unforgettable (-1) 32. Albania - Besa - Titan (+1) 33. Greece - Marina Satti - Zari (-6) 34. Georgia - Nutsa Buzaladze - Firefighter (-) 35. Cyprus - Silia Kapsis - Liar (-) 36. Malta - Sarah Bonnici - Loop (-)

[papillon82fluttersby]

Eurovision 2023 - My ranking

Phew, I had to rush to whip up this ranking before @docholligay ’s two-day event. (Starting tomorrow! Don’t miss it!!)

I based my ranking on the stage performances when available, as I think they are closer to the final products. Let's do this!

37. Denmark - Reiley - Breaking My Heart

Are 12-year-olds allowed in the adults’ competition now? Baby-faced cutie pie got his heart broken by his meanie girlfriend. Never mind the kid’s heart, the excessive use of autotune and choppy chorus is breaking my brain 😖. Last place due to sheer auditory discomfort.

36. Ireland - Wild Youth - We Are One

We’re all different but we all live together and ain’t that beautiful blah blah blah. So trite. A snoozefest. (But we're wearing masks! Isn't that cool? No. Not nearly as cool as last year's space wolves.)

35. Romania - Theodor Andrei - D.G.T. (Off and On)

Skin on stage. I think if you feel the need to put largely-naked dancers on stage as ‘entertainment’ for the audience, it doesn’t speak well of the quality of your song.

34. San Marino - Piqued Jacks - Like an Animal

Menagerie on the dancefloor, or man woos his ladylove with such enticing lyrics as “I can smell you like an animal” – classy. C’mon, baby, let’s romp in the zoo. 🐍🦋🐒🐘🐫🦌🐙🦤

33. Poland - Blanka - Solo

High school girl clique strives to imitate trendy American pop idols – and fails spectacularly due to lack of vocal or dancing talent (the national final performance is particularly painful to watch and listen to).

32. Georgia - Iru - Echo

I have two working theories here: either the song actually means something in Georgian and they used a machine translator that turned it into nonsensical English; or they picked random words in a dictionary and vaguely connected them in a semblance of sentences.

31. Serbia - Luke Black - Samo mi se spava

A tormented lock-in gamer’s anguish about the scary world outside. The staging is just as jumbled and jarring as the electro sounds.

30. Israel - Noa Kirel - Unicorn

This song is about harnessing the power of a unicorn, which apparently entails heavy use of autotune, acrobatic dance moves, and transformation into a centaur (the music video producers really need to shape up on their mythical creatures).

29. Lithuania - Monika Linkyté - Stay

This song about overcoming difficulties doesn’t have much for itself. The mantra repeated during the chorus gets quickly annoying. The lady singer looks very sweet and earnest, though.

28. Switzerland - Remo Forrer - Watergun

Young man has a grand realization and acknowledges that real war is nothing like playing pretend as a kid. Well duh.

27. Cyprus - Andrew Lambrou - Break a Broken Heart

Poor guy got dumped by mean girlfriend and is sad 😢. But worry not, he will overcome this hardship because “you can’t break a broken heart.” That’s about as deep as the lyrics go.

26. Greece - Victor Vernicos - What They Say

Self-pitying guy hates everything and himself. Don’t listen to this one if you’re already feeling low. There’s a real tonal shift between the downright depressing lyrics and the rather upbeat tempo. Also, throughout the music video, my main thought is that I want to give the guy an umbrella and a plumber’s contact details to save his flooded sitting room. ☔

25. Latvia - Sudden Lights - Aija

Indie rock band aims to soothe his weary listeners’ hearts who ache from being confronted to the big bad world out there. (And apparently, based on the music video, the main singer gets drowned by his followers for his efforts.) Sleep-inducing, which, admittedly, is the whole point of the song.

24. Slovenia - Joker Out - Carpe Diem

Group of young people dances all night long to forget about their everyday’s boring routine. The song does a good job translating daytime dreariness into music, but the chorus is too one-tone to convey night-time exuberance. Generally boring.

23. Netherlands - Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper - Burning Daylight

Existential angst about screwing up and rising again. Since this is a male and female duo, I think they could have done something much more interesting with both of their voices by giving them different melodic lines that would complement each other instead of having them sing either individually or in unison. A missed opportunity.

22. Iceland - Diljà - Power

If ESC 2022 was the year of heartbreak, 2023 is the year of toxic relationships – this is the third song on this theme (after Denmark and Cyprus, and we can also add the UK). This one is kind of underwhelming at first, but does pick up power over time. Singer is cute as a button and has a nice energy on stage.

21. Armenia - Brunette - Future Lover

Sweet little girl makes a wishlist about what she’d like in a future boyfriend. The song starts off sweet and cute, then picks up pace in the middle, but the chorus is incredibly repetitive.

20. Azerbaijan - TuralTuranX - Tell Me More

A song about the importance of communication in a relationship. Evidently a worthy aim. For which we needed to resurrect the Beatles, interspersed with rap segments. The trouble is that the resurrected Beatle keeps asking his BF to share his feelings while saying nothing about his own, and though his rapper boyfriend does express himself, I fail to understand what his actual feelings are. Not so great communication after all.

19. Austria - Teya & Salena - Who the Hell is Edgar?

Satiric critique of the music industry. The chaotic energy is strong in this one. Fun, though.

18. Albania - Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje

Distraught daughter laments the loss of family time caused by the vagaries of modern life. Said daughter’s family perform as backup singers on stage. Heavens, Albina is SO dramatic, she would rip her heart out on stage and offer it to us still pulsing and bleeding if she could. Meanwhile, some of the accompanying family members look vaguely uncomfortable, like they’re wondering what they’re doing there. Rather hilarious on the whole.

17. Croatia - Let 3 - Mama ŠČ!

PUTIN EAT MY A** TRAAAKKKTOOORRRRR. Charlie Chaplin’s The Dictator meets the Village People. It’s a whole thing.

16. Czechia - Vesna - My Sister’s Crown

Woman empowerment anthem. I’m really curious what the staging will be like for this one.

15. Belgium - Gustaph - Because of You

LGBTQ+ inspirational anthem put to 1990s retro sounds.

14. Malta - The Busker - Dance (Our Own Party)

Kid who’s uncomfortable with noise and crowds leaves large venue to continue the party with a select few friends in a more comfortable setting (honestly, that’s me). Sax-heavy jazzy/funky tunes. They’re doing some interesting stuff with the staging, using props a little bit like a theatre play.

13. Moldova - Pasha Parfeny - Soarele și luna

Local shaman is planning his wedding to his destined bride, blessed by the sun and moon – all very mystical. Between the chanting women and the ethnic flute, it’s difficult not to see this as a mix of France’s and Ukraine’s entries from last year, although this is hardly the only number inspired by folklore over the years.

12. United Kingdom - Mae Muller - I Wrote a Song

Young woman who was wronged by a dirty cheater redirects her energy towards a creative outlet instead of giving in to her negative and destructive feelings. Fun and peppy britpop.

11. Finland - Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha

Crazy person on a boxing ring invites you to a night of boozing and getting smashed. Did I mention the crazy? This song is a terrible influence: the more I listen to it, THE MORE IT GROWS ON ME, SEND HELP!

10. Germany - Lord of the Lost - Blood & Glitter

Glam metal rock band sings about the multifaceted nature of humankind. Or something. This is absolutely not the kind of music that appeals to me, and yet I can recognise that the song has its merits – it’s not all one-tone loudness, and the singer has a nice voice when he deigns to sing rather than screech.

9. Ukraine - Tvorchi - Heart of Steel

Unsurprisingly, Ukraine sings about resisting in the face of adversity. Honestly I would have been happier with Ukraine winning last year with this song instead of Stefania. The Ukrainian lyrics look like they’ve been thrown in like an afterthought though. The staging uses some interesting visuals, although the crossed-out nuclear symbols are very much on the nose; I’m sure there would be a way to convey the same idea more elegantly.

8. Australia - Voyager - Promise

Australia invites you to go out and explore the world. They’re not trying to out-eurovision everyone else with grandiose performances this year and it’s working out for them.

7. Estonia - Alika - Bridges

The lady can sing. Self-reflexion is good for the soul, says the lady. The song starts soft and ends up strong, with some changes in pacing in-between. I like the melodic line, particularly in the lower registers, as well as the “round and round” effect of the chorus, like a carousel.

6. Sweden - Loreen - Tattoo

This is SO formatted for Eurovision. It’s not like it’s a bad song but I feel like I’m being spoonfed pre-packed expected winner material. Also, the melody of the opening lines reminds me very much of ABBA’s The Winner Takes It All. Coincidence? Homage? Poaching?

5. France - La Zarra - Evidemment

La grande glam queen. I’m still bitter that she was just nominated by the French Eurovision organisation, robbing us of an evening’s fun and the opportunity to vote. O the irony of going to Canada to pick an artist who claims to sing, quote, “la Grande France” (as if that is even a thing). But, okay, I’ll admit that she has a great voice. And the song is a good mix of oldie tunes and modern sounds.

4. Spain - Blanca Paloma - Eaea

Poetry on stage. Haunting in the best possible way. And they're doing interesting stuff with the staging. Love it.

3. Portugal - Mimicat - Ai coração

Woman falls into madness waiting for her lover. The successively increasing and lowering pace gives a lot of dynamic to this number that looks like it could belong to a musical. The staging and dancing is laid out like clockwork. Very engaging and entertaining. (How did this rank so high? I liked the song okay when I first listened to it, but to make it to the top three…)

2. Norway - Alessandra - Queen of Kings

A banger. I dare you to listen to this song and not be ready to run to battle with a cutlass between your teeth. A rousing anthem that takes its roots in sea shanties and female empowerment. For some reason, the music video took inspiration from the flurry of dystopian YA books and movies from a few years ago. Go figure.

1. Italy - Marco Mengoni - Due vite

When I started listening to the songs to do this ranking, I fully expected that the struggle for top place would be a battle of queens between Norway, Spain, France and Estonia (Portugal sneaked up on me). And yet here comes Italy. Damn it, Mengoni could sing whatever he likes with this dulcet voice full of emotion and this luscious language – I would follow. The Pied Piper of San Remo! One remark though: the video from the national performance is 4 minutes long whereas the Eurovision piece will have to be cut down to 3 minutes – what will that do the flow of the song? We'll have to wait and see.

So there you go, that’s my ranking! Happy Eurovision season, everyone!