#taiwan india relation

[herpsandbirds]

What are kingfishers? What category do they belong to? Are they songbirds? Waterfowl? A secret third thing? I must know!

Kingfishers:

Kingfishers are in the order Coraciiformes, along with rollers, bee eaters, todies, and motmots. They are not closely related to songbirds or waterfowl. Think of this group as its own thing.

Many of them perch, and they eat a wide variety of small animals. Even just the kingfishers, many of which live in forests, and hunt frogs and lizards and large invertebrates. The all have a similar toe arrangement, and most of them catch prey and then slam their prey against a surface to help kill it.

The closest relatives to the coraciiformes are the order Piciformes, the woodpeckers, toucans, barbets, puffbirds, jacamars, and honeyguides.

So, generally speaking when we refer to "songbirds" we are talking about the birds in the order Passeriformes (more particularly the Oscine Passerines), most of the perching birds you've ever heard of. Water fowl usually refers to mainly aquatic swimming birds, like ducks, geese, loons, grebes.

Here are some kingfisher friends for you:

Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris), family Alcedinidae, West Bengal, India

photograph by Kamal Basak

Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis), family Alcedinidae, found in much of Sub-Saharan Africa

photograph by @anthony.press

Black-capped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata), diving for fish, family Alcedinidae, Taiwan

photograph by joinus12345

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) eat a tasty fish!, family Alcedinidae, found across most of North America

photograph by Randy Wei

Blue-bellied or Javan Kingfisher (Halcyon cyanoventris), family Alcedinidae, order Coraciiformes, endemic to Bali and Java, Indoensia

photograph by Jeffry Surianto

[immunorabbit]

jordyn-mae thomas - extremely common surname in general, both given name and surname are mostly found in the US

kairi herring - japanese given name, surname also mostly found in the US. kairi is also often seen in india, estonia and many african countries

tahira rashid - both given name and surname are of arabic origin. both are pretty common but are mostly seen in countries like pakistan, bangladesh and india

freyja maria mendoza - icelandic given name, but surname is hyspanic and the middle name also suggests the same. maria is extremely common so it's hard to say, but mendoza is most often seen in mexico, venezuela and peru

nora qu - name really common in the US while qu is a common chinese surname. also seen in taiwan

morgan moretti - same as above name is really common in the US, surname also found in the US but it's of italian origin where it's also most common

mayra tikuna - given name is mostly seen in mexico, but both seem to be mostly common in brazil. surname seems to be quite rare though. might also be related to the indigenous people ticuna (also sometimes spelled tikuna) and since mayra is 2spirit i thought it was worth mentioning

joy sinclair - given name is pretty common but most common in nigeria and kenya. surname is most common in the US and jamaica

nataana nchoko - both given name and surname seem to be very rare. both are most common in kenya. interesting how the girl with the least info also has a name that's hard to find info on...

and of course.

xiomara huapaya - not as common as the others (minus nataana). surname seems to be most common in peru and costa rica, while given name is mostly seen in cuba, nicaragua, and some other central american countries

[mariacallous]

In the waters of the South China Sea, Chinese coast guard vessels have clashed with Philippine ships. In the air above the Taiwan Strait, Chinese warplanes have challenged Taiwanese jet fighters. And in the valleys of the Himalayas, Chinese troops have fought Indian soldiers.

Across several frontiers, China has been using its armed forces to dispute territory not internationally recognized as part of China but nevertheless claimed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

In August 2023, Beijing laid out its current territorial claims for the world to see. The new edition of the standard map of China includes lands that are today a part of India and Russia, along with island territories such as Taiwan and comprehensive stretches of the East and South China Seas that are also claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

China often invokes historical narratives to justify these claims. Beijing, for example, has said that the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, which it claims under the name of the Diaoyu Islands, “have been an inherent territory of China since ancient times.” Chinese officials have used the same words to back China’s right to parts of the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese government also claims that its sovereignty over the South China Sea is based on its own historic maritime maps.

However, in certain periods since ancient times China has also held sway over other states in the region—Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Vietnam. Yet Beijing is currently not laying claim to any of these.

Instead, Beijing has embraced a selective irredentism, wielding specific chapters of China’s historical record when they suit existing aims and leaving former Chinese territories be when they don’t. Over time, as Beijing’s interests and power relations have shifted, some of these claims have faded from importance, while new ones have taken their place. Yet for Taiwan, Chinese claims remain unchanged, as the fate of the island state is tied to the very legitimacy of the CCP as well as the vitality of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s political vision.

Many of the CCP’s territorial claims have roots in the 19th and 20th centuries during the late rule of the Qing Dynasty. Following diplomatic pressure and repeated military defeats, the Qing Dynasty was forced to cede territory to several Western colonial powers, as well as the Russian and Japanese empires. These concessions are part of what are known in China as the “unequal treaties,” while the 100 years in which the treaties were signed and enforced are known as the “century of humiliation.” These territorial losses eventually passed from the dynasty to the Republic of China and then, following the Chinese Civil War, to the CCP. As a result, upon the CCP’s establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the new Chinese state inherited outstanding territorial disputes with most of its neighbors.

But despite the humiliation the Qing Dynasty’s losses had caused, the CCP proved willing to compromise and reduce its territorial aims during times of high internal unrest. Following the Tibetan uprising in 1959, for instance, the CCP negotiated territorial settlements with countries bordering the Tibet region, including Myanmar, Nepal, and India. Similarly, when unrest rocked the Uyghur region in the 1960s and ‘90s, Beijing pursued territorial compromises with several bordering countries such as Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. In the aftermath of the Great Leap Forward in the early 1960s and the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, the CCP also pursued territorial settlements with Mongolia, Laos, and Vietnam in the hopes of securing China’s borders during times of domestic instability. Instead of pursuing diversionary wars, the CCP relied on diplomacy to settle border and territory disputes.

But China has changed quite a lot since then. In recent years, the CCP has avoided the inflammatory domestic political chaos of previous decades, and its once-tentative hold over border regions, such as Tibet and the Uyghur region, has been replaced by an iron grip. With this upper hand, the CCP has little incentive to pursue peaceful resolutions to remaining territorial disputes.

“China’s national power has increased significantly, reducing the benefits of compromise and enabling China to drive a much harder bargain,” said M. Taylor Fravel, a political science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In this context, the CCP has expanded its irredentist ambitions. After the discovery of potential oil reserves around the Senkaku Islands, and the United States’ return of the islands to Japan in the 1970s, Beijing drew on its historical record to lay claim to the islands, even though it had previously referred to them as part of the Japanese Ryukyu Islands. Similarly, though Beijing and Moscow settled a dispute over Heixiazi Island, located along China’s northeastern border, in 2004, the 2023 map of China depicted the entire island (ceded, along with vast Pacific territories, by the Qing Dynasty to the Russian Empire in 1860) as part of its domain, much to the ire of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Collin Koh Swee Lean, a senior fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, argues that the Chinese mapping of Heixiazi Island shows that Beijing holds on to certain core interests and simply waits for the opportune time to assert them.

“Given the current context of the war in Ukraine and Russia’s increased dependence on China, it might have appeared to Beijing that it has the chips in its pockets because, after all, Moscow needs Beijing more than the other way around,” Koh said on the German Marshall Fund’s China Global podcast.

This raises the question of whether territorial disputes that were settled during times of CCP weakness can be revisited and become subject to irredentist ambitions should power balances shift in China’s favor.

According to Steve Tsang, the director of the China Institute at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, there is currently a limit to how far the CCP will push territorial claims against Russia, since President Xi will need Russian support to sustain his grand ambitions for Chinese leadership on the global stage.

Although it would be a long shot, even Russia may not be safe from these ambitions indefinitely. Given that large swaths of Russia’s Pacific territories were part of China until 1860, “China could claim back the Russian Far East when it deems the time is right,” Tsang said. Such control would grant Beijing unrestricted access to the region’s abundance of coal, timber, tin, and gold while moving it geographically closer to its ambition of becoming an Arctic power.

While there is plenty of historical evidence pointing to former Chinese control over the southeastern portion of the Russian Far East, the historical record is less unequivocal about Chinese control over Taiwan. Anything resembling mainland Chinese control over Taiwan was not established until after 1684 by the Qing Dynasty, and even then central authority remained weak. In 1895, the Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to the Empire of Japan following the First Sino-Japanese War, and by the time Chinese authority was restored in 1945, Taiwan had undergone several decades of Japanization.

These details have not prevented the CCP from claiming that Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China since ancient times. Yet more than any other irredentist claim, Xi has made unification with Taiwan a major component of his vision to rejuvenate the Chinese nation.

Unification, however, has little to do with ancient history and more to do with the challenge that Taiwan presently poses to Xi’s aims, according to Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor who teaches about Chinese foreign policy at the National University of Singapore.

“The CCP pursues a Chinese nationalism that emphasizes unity and homogeneity centered around the CCP leadership while they also often claim that their single-party rule is acceptable to Chinese people,” Chong said.

In contrast, Taiwan holds free elections in which multiple political parties compete for the favor of a people that have increasingly developed an identity distinct from mainland China.

“The Taiwanese experience is a clear affront to the CCP narrative,” Chong said.

Control over Taiwan is also attractive to Beijing because it is key to unlocking the Chinese leadership’s broader ambition of maritime hegemony in waters where almost half of the world’s container fleet passed through in 2022.

As with the case of Taiwan, the CCP’s historical arguments regarding its claims on island groups and islets in the East and South China Seas are likewise much weaker than many of its land-based claims.

Instead, Chinese territorial intransigence in the maritime arena is more about a strategic shift in the value of the seas around China, Fravel said.

Today, it has been estimated that more than 21 percent of global trade passes through the South China Sea. And beneath these waters are not only subsea cables that carry sensitive internet data but also vast estimated reserves of oil and natural gas.

Although it may say otherwise, Beijing’s unwillingness to let up on its tenuous territorial maritime claims suggests that China is pursuing long-held ambitions and global aspirations rather than attempting to reverse past losses. So long as the CCP wields its historical record selectively and changeably to serve its aims—and is willing to back its claims up with military action—China’s neighbors will remain at risk.

[simply-ivanka]

Trump Was Good for America’s Alliances

He pushed NATO to spend more on defense, expanded the Quad and facilitated the Abraham Accords.

By Alexander B. Gray Wall Street Journal April 3, 2024

Foreign-policy experts are predictably fretting over Donald Trump’s re-election campaign. They fear that the former president threatens the alliances and partnerships that have sustained global peace since 1945. Should Mr. Trump return to the White House, the thinking goes, he will be unconstrained by the guardrails that prevented him from torpedoing America’s alliances in his first term and will permanently damage both U.S. security and the international order.

This narrative concedes a point that undermines its premise: The U.S. alliance system didn’t crumble during Mr. Trump’s first term. On the contrary, the Trump administration strengthened relations with partners in the Indo-Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe and the Mideast. Anyone who believes that Mr. Trump was once bound by conventional wisdom but won’t be again—and will wreak havoc on the global order he ostensibly detests—hasn’t been paying attention.

To understand Mr. Trump’s record, recall what he inherited. The Obama administration’s disastrous “red line” in Syria, its ill-conceived Iranian nuclear deal, its failure to deter or respond adequately to Russia’s 2014 aggression against Ukraine, its toleration of Chinese malign activity in the South and East China seas, and its promise of a “new model of great-power relations” with Beijing had brought U.S. relations with allies and partners like Japan, Taiwan, Israel, the Gulf Arab states and much of Eastern Europe to a historic low point. Much of Mr. Trump’s tenure was spent not simply repairing those relationships but expanding them in innovative ways.

Mr. Trump appalled many foreign-policy veterans, who thought his rhetoric threatened the world order. In one sense, that fear was absurd: Nearly every American administration has publicly scolded North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries for shirking their defense-spending commitments. Mr. Trump did likewise—and, perhaps unlike his predecessors, was seen as willing to take decisive action to secure change. Through public and private cajoling—also known as diplomacy—he secured a commitment from NATO members to beef up their contributions. From 2017 through 2021, nearly every signatory raised defense spending, contributing substantially to the alliance’s ability to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

These efforts resulted in a significant redistribution of U.S. forces from legacy bases in Germany to facilities in Poland and the Baltic states, where they are far better positioned to deter Moscow. Along with NATO allies, Mr. Trump provided long-sought Javelin antitank missiles to Ukraine, imposed sanctions against malign Russian actors, and worked with partners to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would have increased European allies’ energy dependence on Russia. These weren’t the acts of a retrograde isolationist; they were the work of a pragmatist seeking novel solutions to 21st-century challenges.

The administration’s goal of strengthening America’s standing in the world bore fruit, including the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab states, a significant upgrade to the Quad alliance among the U.S., India, Australia and Japan, stronger diplomatic relations with Taiwan thanks to unprecedented cabinet-level visits and record arms sales, and an unexpected deal between Serbia and Kosovo.

At each step, Mr. Trump asked his staff to think of creative ways to resolve issues that had bedeviled their predecessors for decades. Doing the same things over and over and expecting different results rightly struck the president as insane.

After three years of press adulation over America’s supposed return to the world stage under President Biden, one might ask: What have Americans and the world gotten from a supposedly more alliance-friendly U.S. president? So far, a catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the failure of American deterrence in Ukraine, an Iranian nuclear breakout inching ever closer, and an accelerating Chinese threat toward Taiwan. Allies in the Mideast, Eastern Europe, and Asia have begun to chart their own course in the face of an uncertain U.S. trumpet.

The global foreign-policy elite is sowing needless fear around the world by willfully misrepresenting Mr. Trump’s first term and scare-mongering about a second. Should Mr. Trump return to the White House, there will doubtless be sighs of relief among officials in friendly capitals who remember his time in office. It isn’t difficult to understand why: Mr. Trump’s language may make diplomats uncomfortable, but his actions strike fear among those who matter most to American security: our adversaries.

Mr. Gray is a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council. He served as chief of staff of the White House National Security Council, 2019-21.

[outsidereveries]

The questions regarding smngg are

They had a global audition in many countries even in southeast asian countries this year They even had a live audition of girls from India so do you think they will add any girls from this audition in their girl group or any indian girl as kpop entertainment are welcoming indians too.

When they will debut

No of members

Concept and nationality too also rumors are this time its going to be south east asian group

Their impact on 5th gen

Will they be big as blackpink

Level of success

thank you for the.. repeating asks.

About rough energy (general reading), SMNGG as a collective group are all over the place. I believe there was change in the lineup in the recent weeks, possibly because of them being different tham the rest. They could've broke a rule as SME trainee. Nothing else. I could see a few girls close with each other, bu the way but nothing much.

About whether they'll debut in the 4th quarter of this year, yeah, I can see it, but there will be delays for their debut preparations in a way or another. I can see SMNGG debuting in December this year if they solve everything as soon as possible. There could be a scandal in the company that will be revealed publicly. If related to the girls, it can be similar situation to Karina's before aespa debuted (not saying it will be bullying 100%).

As amount of members, I see 8. They were going to be 9 if that girl wasn't kicked out. The original plan was 5-member girl group but they scrapped it out.

I do see their concept being versatile rather than having specific vibe. Maybe like Red Velvet's (oh, their impact!) but they haven't decided it very specific what and how exactly it should be.

Girl #1: The most hardworking out of all of them. The most talented but the most introverted too. She might be an it-girl of her generation, or has the potential to be very impactful. Basically, her personality is very relateable and loved. Possibly Na Haeun. As positions, I don't feel any. Maybe a bunch of them at once (Like Vocalist, Dancer, FOTG..). Might be interested in songwriting/producing songs in the future.

Girl #2: Being a trainee from quite some time. Also very hardworking and plans quite a lot. Might receive the leader position.. so possibly she's the oldest girl. I don't feel other positions. If that's Helen, then she can receive also a dancer position.

Girl #3: Very intiutive and optimistic person. She learns dances and everything else slower. If the other idols are way greater dancers, then she might receive criticism from k-netizens bc of it. Don't feel specific positions yet.

Girl #4: Might be foreigner. She feels determinated to debut, but also feels this isn't worth it to some extent. Very emotional too. Might receive vocal position (Lead?). I don't feel she's from India but she might be from an island - Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan or Malaysia. Definitely Asian.

Girl #5: Although as hardworker as the first girl, she doubts her own abilities and talents. Might have issues with her confindence, her mental health, these things. This doesn't make her less talented but she's not on her best time when I asked. Therefore, I don't feel any certain positions.

Girl #6: Might receive dancer position. Very hardworking, also very realistic mindset (with optimistic tendencies). She tries to be a good.. rapper? but doesn't feel this is her thing. SME seems to have in mind for her to be "dancer, (something else)" as positions. She tries with rapping but doesn't work as of now.

Girl #7: Might be the second most popular member in the future. Extremely emotional, very talkative, very creative too. She gives me Ningning vibes, I won't lie (because of her Libra stellium). Main vocalist, I feel so.

Girl #8: Overthinker for sure, might be very critic to herself. She is also working very hard, might come from a wealthy family. She's not rigged for sure, she might be the 2nd all-rounder of the group. I don't feel specific positions yet.

So far I sense 1 (certain?) foreigner.. and the rest of them Koreans. The 2nd girl might've lived in foreign lands, maybe Australia if that's Helen.

Their popularity in the 5th generation won't be that great, they might be overshadowed by other groups. So far I feel ther relevance will be similar to Red Velvet (just enough). Might be more popular outside of Korea.

Their success will be "just enough". The half of the girls will be more relevant than the rest. I don't feel anything prominent.

[stargazer4501]

Infection AU: Familial/Marital Relationships

Here is another update/info dump for this AU.

Like most AUs there are some changes regarding the characters. In this case the relationships between everyone, both Familial and Romantic.

I’m also going to be changing the names of the characters to match this (Mainly surnames, but a few might have different names altogether).

I would like feedback on this so I can make the appropriate changes before they are released as a final draft.

Now let’s start with the Familial Relationships, quick explanation first:

When I say that they are blood related, I mean that they share both parents.

When I say half related, I mean that they share 1 parent.

When I say that they are step related, I mean that they share neither parent.

Familial Relationships

1. England, Scotland, & Wales are blood related siblings, while Ireland & Northern Ireland are half related siblings (They share the same mother), Oldest to Youngest: Scotland, England, Ireland & Northern Ireland, Wales).

2. Sealand is the youngest brother of England, but was given up for adoption when he was an infant.

3. France & Monaco are blood related siblings (France is older).

4. America & Canada are blood related twins (Canada is older). They are the sons of France & an unnamed woman. France & the woman got divorced, with France taking Canada & the woman taking America. Afterwards, the woman got remarried to England who then adopted America after the woman passed from a terminal illness.

5. Molossia is the son of America & another unnamed woman.

6. Seychelles was adopted by France after the divorce (Seychelles is younger than America & Canada).

7. Australia & New Zealand are blood related siblings (Australia is older). They are the sons of England & another unnamed woman who then disappeared (Australia is a bit younger than America & Canada, while New Zealand is younger than all 3, but is older than Seychelles).

8. Hutt River & Wy are the children of Australia & another unnamed woman (Hutt River is older).

9. Ukraine & Russia are blood related siblings, while Belarus is a half related sibling (they share the same mother), (Oldest to Youngest: Ukraine, Russia, Belarus).

10. Czechia & Slovakia are step related twins, (Czechia is older).

11. Germany & Prussia are blooded related, while Worzsovia is a half related sibling (they share the same father), & Austria is adopted (Oldest to Youngest: Worzsovia, Prussia, Austria, Germany).

12. Mednigrad & Neu Fritz are half related siblings (they share the same father). Mednigrad is the son of Worzsovia & Belarus.

13. Austria & Hungary are married & Kugelmugel is their son.

14. Romania, & Moldova are blood related siblings, while Hungary is a half related sibling (They share the same father), (Oldest to Youngest: Hungary, Romania, Moldova).

15. Switzerland & Liechtenstein are half related siblings (they share the same father), (Switzerland is older).

16. Netherlands, Belgium, & Luxembourg are blood related siblings (Oldest to Youngest: Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg).

17. Italy, Romano & Seborga are blood related siblings (Oldest to Youngest: Romano, Italy, Seborga).

18. Spain & Portugal are blood related twins (Portugal is older).

19. Sweden, Denmark, & Herkalden are blood related siblings (Oldest to Youngest: Denmark, Sweden, Herkalden).

20. Norway & Iceland are half related siblings (they share the same mother), (Norway is older).

21. Ladonia is the son of Sweden & another unnamed woman. After they have broken up, Sweden started dating Finland & adopted Sealand (Ladonia is older than Sealand).

22. Finland & Estonia are half related siblings (Estonia is older), (they share the same mother).

23. Macao, Taiwan & Hong Kong are the children of China & another unnamed woman, while South Korea is a half related sibling to the 3 (they share the same father), (Oldest to Youngest: Macau, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong).

24. China, India, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia & Singapore are half related siblings (they share the same father), (Oldest to Youngest: China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam).

25. Greece & Cyprus are half related siblings (they share the same mother), (Greece is older).

26. TRNC is the son of Cyprus & another unnamed woman. After she died from childbirth, Cyprus began dating Turkey who then adopted TRNC.

Romantic/Marital Relationships

1. France & England are in a co-parenting relationship, but are considering to date.

2. Germany & Italy are fiancés.

3. Prussia & Romano are testing the waters.

4. Worzsovia & Belarus are in a co-parenting relationship.

5. Austria & Hungary are married.

6. Bulgaria & Romania are dating.

7. Sweden & Finland are married.

8. Denmark & Norway are “complicated”.

9. Herkalden & Canada are testing the waters.

10. Turkey & Cyprus are dating with marriage in mind.

11. Poland & Lithuania have feelings for each other, but neither has confessed.

Please give me feedback on these ideas so that I can make corrections if needed. Thank You!

[msclaritea]

BREAKING: TWO “Female Boxers” Set To Compete At Paris 2024 Were Previously Disqualified From Women’s World Championship For Having “XY Chromosomes”

By

Anna Slatz

July 27, 2024

Two athletes competing at the Paris Olympics as “women” were previously disqualified from a women’s world championship for having “XY chromosomes.” Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan are scheduled to compete in Olympic women’s boxing next week despite past questions surrounding their biological sex.

The Women’s World Boxing Championships took place in March of 2023 and was hosted in New Delhi, India. A total of 324 boxers from 64 nations competed during the 10-day trial, marking the largest participation in any iteration of the championship ever recorded.

However, the grand event was marred by controversy after Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), announced the disqualification of multiple boxers from the championship.

Kremlev said that IBA executives had met towards the championship’s grand finale to discuss “fairness among athletes and professionalism,” after concerns were raised about the biological sex of some participants. He added that after “a series of DNA-tests,” the IBA “uncovered athletes who were trying to fool their colleagues and pretend to be women.”

Speaking to TASS News, Kremlev claimed that the tests had proven the athletes in question “had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded from the sports events.”

Among the disqualified was Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer who had been set to challenge Yang Liu of China in the welterweight final. Khelif was removed from the gold medal fight, and Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng, who had lost to Khelif in the semi-finals, was allowed to proceed to fight Yang instead.

In a public statement, the IBA wrote that “a boxer from Algeria, Imane Khelif, was excluded from the IBA World Boxing Championships due to the failure to meet the IBA eligibility criteria.” But the Algerian Olympic Committee denied the IBA’s claims, attributing Khelif’s disqualification to a “conspiracy” to prevent Algeria from having a gold medal in boxing.

While they vaguely alluded to Khelif being struck for “medical reasons” surrounding high testosterone levels, they added that they would be supporting Khelif’s journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics regardless.

But following the controversial disqualification, a female boxer came forward to discuss her experience fighting Khelif in the ring at the championship.

“When I fought with her I felt very out of my depth,” Mexican boxer Brianda Tamara wrote on X. “Her blows hurt me a lot, I don’t think I had ever felt like that in my 13 years as a boxer, nor in my sparring with men. Thank God that day I got out of the ring safely, and it’s good that they finally realized,” Tamara said.

A second boxer was similarly disqualified by the IBA at the event, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting, who was also stripped of a bronze medal.

Lin had previously won 5 gold medals in women’s boxing tournaments.

Lin Yu-Ting winning gold and a $100,000 prize at a 2022 women’s boxing championship.

Despite having faced the disqualification just last year, both boxers will be competing in Paris as female boxers.

Khelif is scheduled to fight Italy’s Angela Carini on August 1, while Lin Yu-Ting is set to be matched the next day.

While neither have stated they identify as transgender, it is suspected that both are impacted by a Difference of Sexual Development (DSD), a category of medical conditions encompassing any problem noted at birth where the genitalia are atypical in relation to the chromosomes or gonads.

DSDs in elite sports first came to public attention during the meteoric rise of South African runner Caster Semenya. Semenya’s rapid improvements in performance beginning in 2009 initially triggered suspicions of drug use, and World Athletics (then called the IAAF) was internationally denounced for requesting Semenya take a test to ascertain his biological sex.

Most women, including elite female athletes, have natural testosterone levels of 0.12 to 1.79 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L), but Semenya has XY chromosomes and male gonads producing a normal level of testosterone for a male. In 2011, Semenya was measured as having 15.6 and 29.3 nmol/L. Years later, a decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport revealed that Semenya has a DSD where the normal male sexual development fails in utero, resulting in external genitals that appear to be a vagina at birth, but was in fact an underdeveloped penis.

Speaking to Reduxx, a representative with the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) condemned the confusion that had emerged surrounding the sex of competitors due to the International Olympic Committee’s 2000 decision to end sex-verification screening.

“The IOC’s decision to end sex-verification screening in 2000 has caused distrust and confusion in women’s sports ever since,” ICONS co-founder Marshi Smith said. “Its 2021 decision to offload the responsibility for international eligibility criteria to individual sporting bodies has resulted in varied standards and widespread chaos among athletes, coaches, officials, and the public.”

Smith notes that a new boxing qualification system was implemented for the 2024 Olympics in which an ad-hoc unit was created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board to organize the boxing competitions for Paris 2024.

This new unit was set up after the International Boxing Association (IBA), which had previously disqualified Khelif and Lin from women’s championships, was suspended by the IOC due to concerns it was receiving funding from Russia.

In the FAQ for the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit, no gender eligibility guidelines are specified, something Smith suggests likely indicates that individual nations were given a tremendous amount of power to deem their own athletes eligible.

“In boxing, the recent contentious split between the IBA and the IOC has now placed Olympic eligibility power into the hands of national boxing federations, allowing countries like Algeria and Taiwan to set their own standards and continue placing male boxers in the ring with female athletes in combat for women’s Olympic medals,” Smith explains.

“The physical abuse of women on an Olympic stage eliminates the integrity of all Olympic events and risks lifelong injury or even death for female athletes. This deceit cannot be allowed to continue.”

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 9.21

Holidays

Arbor Day (Brazil)

Battle of Kulikovo Day (Russia)

Biosphere Day

Bleeding Hearts Club Day

Celebration of Honors (French Republic)

Celu Press Freedom Day (Philippines)

Commemoration of th Declaration of Martial Law (Philippines)

Customs Service Day (Poland)

Daily Newspaper Day

Day of Inventors and Innovators Day (Ukraine)

Devil’s Nutting Day (UK)

Do You Remember Day (the 21st night of September; Earth, Wind & Fire)

Earth, Wind & Fire Day

Eleven Days of Global Unity, Day 11: Peace

Emoticon Day

Escapology Day

Farm Safety Day for Kids

Feast of the Ingathering (UK)

Founder's Day (Ghana)

George Harrison Day (Illinois)

Get Out Of Town Day

International ‘Ask a Satanist’ Day

International Biodiversity Day

International Day of Peace (UN)

International Day of Progressive Rock

International Day of Struggle Against Monoculture Tree Plantations

Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day (Ghana)

Long Count Day

Medusa Asteroid Day

Miniature Golf Day

Myositis Awareness Day

National Brittany Day

National Cat & Dog Gut Health Awareness Day

National Day of Civic Hacking

National Day of the Radio Broadcasting Worker (China)

National Deaf Dogs Rock Day

National Disaster Prevention Day (Taiwan)

National Farm Safety Day for Kids

National Fisheries Day (Thailand)

National Garage Condo Day

National Gymnastics Day

National Hannah Day

National Imperfection Day

National Kristina Day

National Myositis Awareness Day

National New York Day

National Opioid Awareness Day

National Radio Day (Chile)

National Singles Day

National Surgical Technologists Day

National Volunteer Day (Ghana)

Observe the Speed Limit Day

Pause the World Day

Peace One Day

Pharmaceutical Worker’s Day (Ukraine)

Secret Note Day

Spring Day (a.k.a. Student’s Day; Argentina)

Sree Narayana Guru Samadhi Day (Kerala, India)

Student’s Day (Argentina; Bolivia)

Telegraph Pole Appreciation Day

Throw Something Away Day

Victory Over the Golden Horde in the Battle of Kulikovo (Russia)

Volunteer Day (Ghana)

Watticism Day

World Alzheimer's Day

World Day of Pagan Pride

World Day of the Plastic Artist

World Gratitude Day

World Minigolf Day

World Myositis Day

Zero Emissions Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Cask Ale Week begins (UK; through 10.1)

International Banana Festival

Juice Day (Russia)

National Chai Day

National Pecan Cookie Day

National Sponge Candy Day

Oktoberfest begins (Munich, Germany; until 10.6)

St. Matthew's Beer Festival Day (patron saint of publicans)

Independence & Related Days

Armenia (from USSR, 1991)

Belize (from UK, 1981)

Malta (from UK, 1964)

3rd Saturday in September

Abergavenny Food Festival (Wales) [3rd Saturday]

America’s Day For Kids [3rd Saturday]

Batman Day [3rd Saturday]

Big Whopper Liar Day [3rd Saturday]

Boys’ and Girls’ Club Day for Kids [3rd Saturday]

Curiosity Day [3rd Saturday]

Day of Love & Friendship (Colombia) [3rd Saturday]

Ember Day (Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches) [Saturday after 9.14]

German-American Steuben Parade [3rd Saturday]

Idaho Spud Day [3rd Saturday]

International Coastal Cleanup Day [3rd Saturday]

International Eat An Apple Day [3rd Saturday]

International Red Panda Day [3rd Saturday]

International Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Day [3rd Saturday]

Locate An Old Friend Day [3rd Saturday]

National Cartonnage Day [3rd Saturday]

National Clean Up Day [3rd Saturday]

National Dance Day [3rd Saturday]

National Gymnastics Day [3rd Saturday]

National Hunting, Trapping & Fishing Heritage Day (Canada) [3rd Saturday]

National Lacrosse Day (UK) [3rd Saturday]

National Multivitamin Day [3rd Saturday]

National Neighborhood Day [3rd Saturday]

National Pool Closing Day [3rd Saturday]

National Seat Check Saturday [3rd Saturday]

National Sew a Jelly Roll Day [3rd Saturday]

National Singles’ Day [3rd Saturday]

National Tell a Police Officer ‘Thank You’ Day [3rd Saturday]

National Women’s Friendship Day [3rd Saturday]

Puppy Mill Awareness Day [3rd Saturday]

Qaumee Dhuvas (National Day; Maldives) [1st of Rabi I]

Quarter Tense (Ireland) [Saturday after 9.14]

Responsible Dog Owners Day (AKC) [3rd Saturday]

Sandwich Saturday [Every Saturday]

Sentimental Saturday [3rd Saturday of Each Month]

Six For Saturday [Every Saturday]

Software Freedom Day [3rd Saturday]

Spaghetti Saturday [Every Saturday]

Steak Saturday [3rd Saturday of Each Month]

Surgeon Day (Russia, Ukraine) [3rd Saturday]

Thank a Police Officer Day [3rd Saturday]

Usher Syndrome Awareness Day [3rd Saturday]

Von Steuben Day (New York, New York) [3rd Saturday]

World Clean Up Day [3rd Saturday]

World Marrow Donor Day [3rd Saturday]

World Pathfinder Day [3rd Saturday]

Weekly Holidays beginning September 21 (3rd Full Week of September)

National Farm Animals Awareness Week (thru 9.27) [3rd Week]

Oktoberfest (Munich, Germany) [thru 10.6]

Festivals Beginning September 21, 2024

Augusta Harvest Festival (Augusta, Missouri)

Bines and Brews Beer Fest (Monument, California)

Black Walnut Festival (Bethania, North Carolina)

Brew at the Bridge (Oswego, Illinois)

Brookston Apple Popcorn Day (Brookston, Indiana)

Cane Hill Harvest Festival (Cane Hill, Arkansas)

Cape Cod Brew Fest (Cape Cod Fairgrounds, Massachusetts)

Cider Days (Springfield, Missouri) [thru 9.22]

Colorado Mountain Winefest (Palisade, Colorado)

Crystal Lake Home Show (Crystal Lake, Illinois) [thru 9.22]

Cuba Garlic Festival (Cuba, New York) [thru 9.22]

Dublin Peanut Festival (Dublin, North Carolina)

Fair Oaks Chicken Festival (Fair Oaks, California)

Fall Family Festival (Kansas City, Missouri)

Fall Festival & 19th Smokin' Hot BBQ Challenge (Nisswa, Minnesota)

Festival of Grapes and Hops (Petersburg, Virginia)

Festival of the Sea (Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey)

Garlic Festival (Mystic, Connecticut) [thru 9.22]

Glassboro Craft Beer Festival (Glassboro, New Jersey)

Haralson Country 8th Annual Fried Pie Festival (Buchanan, Georgia)

Harvest Food & Wine Festival (Stonington, Connecticut) [thru 9.22]

The Hermitage Food Truck Festival (Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey)

Homemade Pie Baking Contest (Augusta, Missouri)

Idaho Spud Day (Shelley, Idaho)

Johnny Appleseed Festival (Fort Wayne, Indiana) [thru 9.22]

Johnny Appleseed Festival (Lisbon, Ohio) [thru 9.22]

Killington Brewfest (Killington, Vermont)

Lafayette Art & Wine Festival (Lafayette, California) [thru 9.22]

Lake City Uncorked Wine & Music Festival (Lake City, Colorado)

Lowville Cream Cheese Festival (Lowville, New York)

Manaki Brothers International Cinematographers’ Film Festival (Bitola, North Macedonia) [thru 9.27]

Montana Brewers Fall Rendezvous (Missoula, Montana)

NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days (Ostrava, Czech Republic) [thru 9.22]

’49er Festival, Chili Cook-Off! (Groveland, California)

NYC Hot Sauce Expo (Brooklyn, New York) [thru 9.22]

Oktoberfest (Munich, Germany) [thru 10.6]

Oregon Grape Stomp Championships & Harvest Celebration (Turner, Oregon) [thru 9.22]

Pacific Islander Festival (San Diego, California) [thru 9.22]

Pacific Wine & Food Classic (Newport Beach, California)

Paxton Swine 'n Dine (Paxton, Illinois)

Persimmon Festival (Mitchell, Indiana) [thru 9.28]

Preble County Pork Festival (Eaton, Ohio) [thru 9.22]

Pumpkin Fest (Caseville, Michigan)

Putnam County Wine & Food Fest (Cold Spring, New York)

Salem Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival (Salem, Massachusetts) [thru 9.22]

Sample the Sierra: South Lake Tahoe Farm-to-Fork Festival (South Lake Tahoe, California)

Seafood Throwdown Competition (Boston, Massachusetts)

Sugar Beet Days (Sterling, Colorado) [thru 9.22]

Taste of the Seaport (New York, New York)

Thresheree & Harvest Festival (Richfield, Wisconsin) [thru 9.22]

Tiel Fruit Parade (Fruitcorso Tiel) [Tiel, Netherlands]

VegTO Fest (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)

Vintage Illinois (Utica, Illinois (thru 9.22]

Whiskey Wine & Fire (Cary, North Carolina)

Wild Rice Festival (Roseville, Minnesota)

Wine & Harvest Festival (Cedarburg, Wisconsin) [thru 9.22]

Feast Days

Adopt a New Phobia Day (Pastafarian)

Alban Elfred (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Athena Festival (Everyday Wicca)

Barbara Longhi (Artology)

Birthday off Athena (Greek Goddess of Wisdom)

Breakfast, Dinner, and Supper Day (Goblins; Shamanism)

The Bun-Bun Brothers (Muppetism)

Cigoli (Artology)

Edgar Valter (Artology)

Ephigenia of Ethiopia (Christian; Saint)

Fannie Flagg (Writerism)

Feast of Kuodor-gup (God of Riches; Siberia)

Feast of Nyamuzinda (God of Famine & Epidemics; Zaire)

Feast of the Divine Life (Filianism)

Feast of the Divine Light (Ancient Egypt)

Hans Hartung (Artology)

H.G. Wells (Writerism)

Jerry Garcia Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Julio González (Artology)

Kharisteria (Feast of Aremis Agrotera; Ancient Greece)

Laurent-Joseph-Marius Imbert (Christian; One of the Korean Martyrs)

Leonard Cohen (Writerism)

Light of the Water (Celtic Book of Days)

Lo (a.k.a. Laudus), Bishop of Coutances (Christian; Saint)

Lodovico Cigoli (Artology)

Matthew the Evangelist (Christian; Saint; Matthew’s Beer Festival Day) [publicans] *

Maura of Troyes (Christian; Saint)

Meán Fómhair (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Mielikki’s Day (Pagan)

Metastasio (Positivist; Saint)

Michael of Chernigov and Theodore (Christian; Martyrs)

Nativity of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Church, Julian calendar)

Pavel Tchelitchew (Artology)

Sarcasm Day (Pastafarian)

Stephen King (Writerism)

World Peace Day (Baha’is)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 18 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [18 of 24]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [52 of 71]

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

Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [44 of 60]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 44 of 60)

Premieres

All Along the Watchtower, by Jimi Hendrix (Song; 1968)

All Apologies, by Nirvana (Song; 1993)

All of Me (Film; 1984)

Amadeus (Film; 1984)

American Idiot, by Green Day (Album; 2004)

Andor (TV Series; 2022)

As You Like It (Film; 2007)

Bat Out of Hell, by Meatloaf (Album; 1977)

Blindspot (TV Series; 2015)

Caroline in the City (TV Series; 1995)

Cold Turkey (Disney Cartoon; 1945)

Colonel Bleep (Animated TV Series; 1957)

Creep, by Radiohead (Song; 1992)

The Delivery Man, by Elvis Costello (Album; 2004)

Dog Day Afternoon (Film; 1975)

The Fire-Eaters or Hot Lips (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 304; 1964)

Fishbone, by Fishbone (EP: 1985)

The Fragile, by Nine Inch Nails (Album; 1999)

From a View to a Kill (a.k.a. James Bond and the Murder Before Breakfast), by Ian Fleming (James Bond Short Story; 1959)

Ghost World (Film; 2001)

Gold, by ABBA (Greatest Hits Album; 1992)

Herzog, by Saul Bellow (Novel; 1963)

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkein (Novel; 1937)

Hockey Homicide (Disney Cartoon; 1945)

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (Animated Film; 2018)

Il Sogno, by Elvis Costello (Album; 2004)

Into the Wild (Film; 2007)

In Utero, by Nirvana (Album; 1993)

Kiddie Revue (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1936)

The King of Queens (TV Series; 1998)

Madam Secretary (TV Series; 2014)

The Medium is the Massage, by Marshall McLuhan (Manifesto; 1967)

Message in a Bottle, by the Police (Song; 1979)

Miller’s Crossing (Film; 1990)

Millionaire Droopy (Droopy MGM Cartoon; 1956)

The Old Plantation (Happy Harmonies MGM Cartoon; 1935)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Film; 2012)

Places in the Heart (Film; 1984)

Presto, by Rush (Album; 1989)

Push and Shove, by No Doubt (Album; 2012)

Raising Hope (TV Series; 2010)

A Red Letter Day or Drop Us a Lion (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 303; 1964)

Road to Ruin, by the Ramones (Album; 1978)

Rushes, by The Fireman (Album; 1998)

SCTV (CBC TV Series; 1976)

Sidewalk Blues, records by Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers (Song; 1926)

Small Change, by Tom Waits (Album; 1976)

Spooks (Ub Iwerks Flip the Frog MGM Cartoon; 1931)

Rabbit (WB Cartoon; 2015)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson (Novel; 1962)

Will & Grace (TV Series; 1998)

Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 2006) [Discworld #35]

Yankee Doodle Swing Shift (Swing Symphony Cartoon; 1942)

Today’s Name Days

Deborah, Jonas, Matthäus (Austria)

Jona, Matej, Matiša, Matko, Maura (Croatia)

Matouš (Czech Republic)

Matthæus (Denmark)

Lembit, Lembitu, Lembo, Lemmert, Lemmik, Lemmo (Estonia)

Mervi (Finland)

Déborah, Jonas, Matthieu, Mélissa (France)

Deborah, Jonas, Matthäus (Germany)

Jonas (Greece)

Máté, Mirella (Hungary)

Matteo (Italy)

Matīss, Modris, Nara (Latvia)

Mantvilas, Matas, Viskintė (Lithuania)

Trine, Trond (Norway)

Bożeciech, Bożydar, Hipolit, Hipolita, Ifigenia, Jonasz, Laurenty, Mateusz, Mira (Poland)

Matúš (Slovakia)

Jonás, Mateo (Spain)

Matteus (Sweden)

Maira, Maura, Maureen, Mayra, Mira, Moira, Moreen, Morena, Myra, Norna (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 265 of 2024; 101 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of Week 38 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 21 of 28]

Chinese: Month 8 (Guy-You), Day 19 (Wu-Zi)

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

Hebrew: 18 Elul 5784

Islamic: 17 Rabi I 1446

J Cal: 25 Gold; Foursday [25 of 30]

Julian: 8 September 2024

Moon: 82%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 13 Shakespeare (10th Month) [Schiller]

Runic Half Month: Ken (Illumination) [Day 15 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 94 of 94)

Week: 4th Full Week of September

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 31 of 32)

[peonycats]

russia x india, thaiviet, japan x taiwan

rusind: given what my indian friends tell me, indians seem to have a very positive perception of russia! I think it makes a lot of sense, but i must confess... I don't really have an interest in shipping russia with other characters, dare i say it I'm an asexual russia truther

taipan: From what I know about the relations between the two, I do think it makes sense for taiwan to have a very close attachment to japan, with the large role japan played in the formation of the Taiwanese identity. But I think it's definitely something stronger felt on taiwan's side than it is on japan's, and I do feel like the way it's portrayed in the fandom is a little too..... "everygirl romance webcomic protagonist x brooding male lead with flaws but a secret heart of gold " for me 😂

thaiviet: my favorite hetero pairing, sunshine boy x stoic girl but like make them both problematic🥺🥺🥺They were former rivals and enemies, saw the arrival of Europeans in Southeast Asia, took different sides on the cold war, and nowadays spend most of their time in a weird post empire semi retirement where they mostly chill out but fight like dogs and cats when soccer season comes to town ⚽🥅

[brookston]

Holidays 10.21

Holidays

Abby Cadabby Day

American Frog Day

Antillean Day (Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius)

Armed Forces Day (Honduras)

Babbling Day

Back to the Future Day

Barrel Day (French Republic)

Boiler Switch On Awareness Day (UK)

Can-Can Day

Celebration of the Mind Day

Check Your Meds Day

Count Your Buttons Day

Egyptian Naval Day (Egypt)

Everyone Writes Day (UK)

Funafuti (Tuvalu)

Global Clinical Engineering Day

Global Encryption Day

Global Iodine Deficiency Day

GTA Day

Heroes and Foreparents Day (British Virgin Islands)

Humble Yourself By Having Your Picture Made Wearing A Bicycle Helmet Day

International Day of Action on Big Biomass

Jailhouse Rock Day

Light Bulb Day

Loud Shirt Day

Mashujaa Day (Kenya)

National Alexander Day

National Annual Tree Loving Day (Thailand)

National Archives Day (Philippines)s

National Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day

National Check Your Meds Day

National Check Your Transmission Day

National Dental Hygiene Day (Thailand)

National Heroes’ Day (Jamaica)

National Jameson Day

National Nurses’ Day (Thailand)

National Pets for Veterans Day

National Raymond Day

National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

National Shut-In Day

National Social Welfare Day (Thailand)

National Throw Short People Day

National Witch Hazel Day

Ndadaye Day (Burundi)

Overseas Chinese Day (Taiwan)

Police Commemoration Day (India)

President Ndadaye Melchior (Burundi)

Reptile Awareness Day

Take Time and Watch the Sunset Day

Trafalgar Day (UK)

USS Constitution Day

Uzbek Language Day

Wonder Woman Day

World Earthworm Day

World Energy Saving Day

World Esports Day

World Feminist Radio Day

World Gaming Day

World Iodine Deficiency Day

World War II Victims Remembrance Day (Serbia)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Apple Day (UK)

Caramel Apple Day

Garbanzo Bean Day

Great British Cheese Day

International Day of the Nacho (Mexico, US)

National Honey Day (UK)

National Mezcal Day

National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

Pop Rocks Day

World Apple Day

Independence & Related Days

Narsiryn (Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

3rd Monday in October

Boss's Day [10.16 or nearest work day]

Circular Economy Monday (Canada) [3rd Monday]

Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day [3rd Monday]

Day of Races (Colombia) [3rd Monday]

Hurricane Thanksgiving Day (Virgin Islands) [3rd Monday]

International Adjust Your Chair Day [3rd Monday]

Manic Monday [3rd Monday of Each Month]

Meatball Monday [3rd Monday of Each Month]

Meditation Monday [Every Monday]

Monday Musings [Every Monday]

Motivation Monday [Every Monday]

Multicultural Diversity Day [3rd Monday]

National Heroes Day (Jamaica) [3rd Monday]

Weekly Holidays beginning October 21 (3rd Full Week of October)

Bone and Joint Health Action Week (thru 10.27) [3rd Week]

Disarmament Week [Week of 10.24]

Fairfield Restaurant Week (Fairfield, Connecticut) [thru 11.3]

Hepatitis Awareness Week (thru 10.27) [3rd Week]

International Infection Prevention Week (thru 10.27) [3rd Week]

National Baking Week (thru 10.27) [3rd Week]

National Culinary Week (thru 10.27) [3rd Week]

National Food Bank Week (thru 10.27) [3rd Week]

National Health Education Week (thru 10.25) [3rd Mon-Fri]

National Kraut Sandwich Week (thru 10.27) [3rd Week]

National Nuclear Science Week (thru 10.25) [3rd Mon-Fri]

YMCA Week without Violence Week (thru 10.25) [3rd Week]

Festivals Beginning October 21, 2024

CHC GALA (New York, New York)

NC Yam Festival (Tabor City, North Carolina) [thru 10.26]

Ohio Bar Owners Bar Expo (Columbus, Ohio)

Philly Music Fest (Ardmore, Pennsylvania) [thru 10.27]

Feast Days

Abby Cadabby (Muppetism)

Asterius of Ostia (Christian; Saint)

Berthold of Parma (Christian; Saint)

The Birdman (Muppetism)

Bruno Hauptmann Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Charles of Austria, Blessed (Roman Catholic Church)

Domenichino (Artology)

Festival of Parlor Shamanism

Fintán of Taghmon (Christian; Saint)

Great Horn Fair (Pagan)

Hilarion (Christian; Saint)

John of Bridlington (Christian; Saint)

Katsushika Hokusai (Artology)

Laura of Saint Catherine of Siena (Christian; Saint)

Leticia (Christian; Saint)

Lord Bacon (Positivist; Saint)

Maha Saptama Great Ceremony; Hinduism) [7th Day of 9th Moon]

Malchus of Syria (Christian; Saint)

Mary Blair (Artology)

Nikos Engonopoulos (Artology)

Patrick Kavanagh (Writerism)

Peter Yu Tae-chol (Christian; Saint)

Phulpati [7th Day of Dashain]

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Writerism)

Seek the King Week (Shamanism)

Severinus of Bordeaux (Christian; Saint)

Try Thinking Day (Pastafarian)

Tuda of Lindisfarne (Christian; Saint)

Ursula (Christian; Saint)

Ursula K. Le Guin (Writerism)

Viator of Lyons (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [43 of 53]

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 49 of 60)

Premieres

All the Right Stuff (Film; 1983)

The Awful Truth (Film; 1937)

Bad as Me, by Tom Waits (Album; 2011)

The Banshees of Inisherin (Film; 2022)

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (WB Animated Film; 2003)

Bat Out of Hell, by Meatloaf (Album; 1977)

Big Heel-Watha, a.k.a. Buck of the Month (Tex Avery Screwy Squirrel MGM Cartoon; 1944)

Black Adam (Film; 2022)

The Boys from Brazil, by Ira Levin (Novel; 1976)

Bullets Over Broadway (Film; 1994)

Chase Me (WB Cartoon; 2003)

Comes a Time, by Neil Young (Album; 1978)

The Dead Zone (Film; 1983)

Doctor Pink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1978)

Dopey Dick the Pink Whale (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1957)

Down Beat Bear (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1956)

Dune Messiah, by Frank Herbert (Novel; 1969) [Dune #2]

Everything to Everyone, by Barenaked Ladies (Album; 2003)

Footlight Parade (Film; 1933)

For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway (Novel; 1940)

The Framed Cat (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1950)

The Geezer (Super Chicken Cartoon; 1967) [#7]

The Good Egg (WB MM Cartoon; 1939)

Goonland (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1938)

It Can't Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis (Novel; 1935)

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (Film; 2016)

The Mandarins, by Simone de Beauvoir (Novel; 1954)

Moonlight (Film; 2015)

My Fair Lady (Film; 1964)

Mystic Pizza (Film; 1988)

The Newcomer (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1938)

Next Time, Take the Train (George of the Jungle Cartoon; 1967) [#7]

Oliver and the Artful Dodger (Hanna-Barbera Animated TV Movie; 1972)

One Horse Town (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1968)

Orpheus in the Underworld, by Jacques Offenbach (Operetta; 1858)

The Peripheral (TV Series; 2022)

Pink Pictures (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1978)

Plague Dogs (Animated Film; 1982)

Polka Party, by Weird Al Yankovic (Album; 1986)

Romantic Melodies (Betty Boop Cartoon; 1932)

Rumble Fish (Film; 1983)

The Sheik (Silent Film; 1921)

Sex, by Madonna and photographer Steven Meisel (Book; 1992)

Speed Racer (Film; 2008)

Stooge for a Mouse (WB MM Cartoon; 1950)

Tapeheads (Film; 1988)

What’s My Lion (WB LT Cartoon; 1961)

You Don’t Know What You’re Doin’ (WB MM Cartoon; 1931)

You Want It Darker, by Leonard Cohen (Album; 2016)

Today’s Name Days

Karl, Ulla, Ursula (Austria)

Hilarion, Kajo, Uršula, Zvjezdan (Croatia)

Brigita (Czech Republic)

Ursula (Denmark)

Ulla, Ulrika, Ursula (Estonia)

Ursula (Finland)

Céline, Ursule (France)

Celina, Holger, Ulla, Ursula (Germany)

Christodoulos, Efkratis, Orsalia, Socrates, Sokrates, Sokratis, Ursula (Greece)

Orsolya (Hungary)

Orsola (Italy)

Garlibs, Ginta, Gints, Severins, Urzula (Latvia)

Hiliaras, Raitvilas, Uršulė (Lithuania)

Bergljot, Birger (Norway)

Bernard, Celina, Dobromił, Elżbieta, Hilary, Klemencja, Pelagia, Pelagiusz, Urszula, Wszebora (Poland)

Taisia (Russia)

Uršuľa (Slovakia)

Úrsula (Spain)

Ursula, Yrsa (Sweden)

Ada, Ilarion, Larry (Ukraine)

Celina, Celine, Nobel, Selena, Selina, Ursula, Wanda, Wendall, Wendell, Wendy (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 295 of 2024; 71 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 8 of Week 43 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Gort (Ivy) [Day 23 of 28]

Chinese: Month 9 (Jia-Xu), Day 19 (Wu-Wu)

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

Hebrew: 19 Tishri 5785

Islamic: 17 Rabi II 1446

J Cal: 25 Orange; Foursday [25 of 30]

Julian: 8 October 2024

Moon: 76%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 15 Descartes (11th Month) [Cujas / Grotius]

Runic Half Month: Gyfu (Gift) [Day 15 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 30 of 90)

Week: 3rd Full Week of October

Zodiac: Libra (Day 29 of 30)

[daisiesonafield-blog]

Hi! do you know if pride flags are still banned at Singapore shows? I was told Harry brought his own flag the last time he performed there?

Hi dear,

I'm not 100% sure how this venue will be, but Singapore is very restrictive of the LGBTQ+ community. I looked through their website and flags and signs are allowed. However, they also have other policies that give them the right to confiscate anything or kick you out of the venue:

KASM reserves the right at all times to refuse entry to or remove any person from the Venue. This includes, but is not limited to the following circumstances:

•person is deemed to be disorderly and/or intoxicated; •persons wearing or displaying commercial, political or other offensive signage or logos, except for official merchandise or other Event related clothing worn in good faith

•person who throws any projectile/item prohibited under clause 3.1.15 within the Venue

•Flags, placards with offensive slogans or advertisement are not permitted.

•Fan boards sized bigger than 42cm x 29.7cm (A3) are not permitted.

Link to more info. And here

Does anyone from Singapore know more information about this venue and if Pride flags are allowed and safe to bring?

They have very recently (Nov 2022) decriminalized gay sex:

Singapore’s parliament on Tuesday decriminalized sex between men, but, in a blow to the LGBT community, also amended the constitution to prevent court challenges that in other countries have led to the legalization of same-sex marriage.

The moves come as other parts of Asia, including Taiwan, Thailand and India, are recognizing more rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Activists cheered the repeal but said the amendment to the constitution is disappointing because it means citizens will not be able to mount legal challenges to issues like the definition of marriage, family, and related policies, since these will only be decided by the executive and legislature.

The government has defended amending the constitution, saying decisions on such issues should not be led by the courts. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his successor have ruled out any changes to the current legal definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman.

“We will try and maintain a balance…to uphold a stable society with traditional, heterosexual family values, but with space for homosexuals to live their lives and contribute to society,” Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said in parliament this week.

Partial article. Nov 29 2022. Link CNN

Here you can see him wave the Pride flag during Kiwi at 49:39 in 2017:

And here at 50:34:

And here:

And again in 2018 he waved his flag, even tho he was told he couldn't:

At 3:32:

[uglyparkbench]

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[qnewsau]

Thailand MPs fly pride flag after passing same-sex marriage

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/thailand-mps-fly-pride-flag-after-passing-same-sex-marriage/

Thailand MPs fly pride flag after passing same-sex marriage

Thailand MPs have waved a big rainbow flag in parliament after they overwhelmingly voted to pass a same-sex marriage bill.

Four hundred of 415 politicians voted for the landmark bill in the country’s lower house this week. The bill must now be approved by the senate and endorsed by the Thai king.

It means Thailand is set to become the first Southeast Asian nation to legalise marriages between two people regardless of gender, per the bill.

After it passed, politicians cheered and a group of them waved a large rainbow flag. Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is a big supporter of the reform.

Thai MP Danuphorn Punnakanta, who led a committee working on the draft bill, said its passage “elevates the status of Thailand in the eyes of the world”.

“The right to equality in Thailand has begun today,” he said.

“It is the beginning, and there will be further legislation relating to people’s rights and freedom as a result.”

Thailand will join Taiwan and Nepal as the only countries in Asia to legalise same-sex marriages.

Taiwan was the first in Asia to allow same-sex marriages in 2019.

Last year, Nepal recognised same-sex marriages under an interim order from the country’s Supreme Court.

Marriage equality around the world:

Aussie couple wants one of Greece’s first gay weddings

Couples celebrate in Estonia as same-sex marriage now legal

Couples in Nepal celebrate ruling allowing same-sex marriage

India’s top court refuses to legalise same-sex marriage

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[mariacallous]

Across the globe, a diverse group of nations that view world politics differently from the United States are rising and flexing their diplomatic muscle in ways that are complicating American statecraft. From Africa to Latin America, to the Middle East and Asia, these emerging powers refuse to fit into traditional U.S. thinking about the world order. The successful pursuit of American interests in the mid-21st century calls for a strategy that attracts them toward the United States and its ideals but without expecting them to line up in lockstep with Washington.

“We refuse to be a pawn in a new cold war,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, said in November 2022. His views are shared in some form or another by leaders of Argentina, Brazil, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey. All 10 of these nations are either in the G-20 or have economies large enough to warrant membership. A majority of them have populations larger than Germany’s. Collectively, they make up around a third of the world’s population and a fifth of its economic production, while also constituting a major share of the so-called global south’s population and economic production.

In the next two decades, emerging powers like these will climb the ranks of the world’s largest economies and populations, reshaping the structure of world politics in the process. Their diplomacy is increasingly ambitious. And they are taking positions that run counter to those of the United States with growing boldness. Washington and its allies should accept not only that these powers are emerging, but also that as they grow stronger, they will not align with Washington’s preferences on many international issues, especially when it comes to Russia and China.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, most of these powers declined to join the U.S.-led coalition to support Ukraine, refusing to take concrete action with sanctions on Russia or weapons for Kyiv. Some emerging powers, such as India and Turkey, even expanded economic ties with Russia.

Meanwhile, several of them pursued active diplomacy to end the war, challenging the U.S. policy of supporting Ukraine “as long as it takes.” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, for example, pitched a plan to assemble a peace club to end the war and urged Washington to “stop encouraging war and start talking about peace.” Separately, Jokowi visited Kyiv and then Moscow, urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to start a dialogue. South Africa led a delegation of African leaders to end the war, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has maintained a working relationship with Putin and sought to keep diplomatic channels open.

Most of these emerging powers also have warm ties with Beijing. They are reluctant to do anything that would endanger their economic relations with China. On a visit to Beijing in 2023, for example, Lula pledged to work with China to “balance world geopolitics”—a phrase that implied upending American global primacy. Even India, which sees China as an adversary and has grown much closer to the United States in recent years, is very unlikely to back the United States militarily in the event of a war over Taiwan.

Washington thus needs to avoid the urge to frame this world historical moment as a neo-Cold War ideological struggle. When the United States appeals to the emerging powers to sacrifice their interests for the liberal world order, they suspect that it is simply trying to woo them for its hard-power struggles with Russia and China. Their officials are quick to cite the 2003 Iraq War as evidence that Washington is not so committed as it claims to the liberal international order. They point to the many cases where the United States has compromised on its high principles and backed autocrats. President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza has only given them another reason to doubt the veracity of American claims to exceptional moral authority.

Most of these emerging powers have limited political headroom anyway for ideological struggles of the kind that so often animate U.S. foreign policy. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar drove this point home when he pointed out that Europe’s ability to wean itself from Russian energy was a luxury that India did not have. “I have a population at $2,000 [per capita annual income],” he said. “I also need energy, and I am not in a position to pay high prices for oil.”

Given frictions between Washington and so many emerging powers of late, it can be tempting to disregard them and focus solely on countering Beijing and Moscow. But this would be a mistake. The emerging powers don’t pose a threat of the kind that U.S. adversaries can, but they also can’t just be ignored. China and Russia are certainly not going to ignore them—in fact, they are actively courting their leaders for political ties and market access with the hope of building a network of political and economic partners to obviate the need for ties to the West.

The emerging powers are also very open to China’s backing for alternative international institutions, such as the BRICS New Development Bank, that offer the prospect of infusions of capital without the bothersome conditions that accompany Western loans. They are critical of many aspects of the U.S.-led international order, which they see as dominated by former colonial powers and unfairly structured to serve the interests of the world’s wealthiest nations.

The good news for Washington is that the emerging powers don’t want to be vassals of China any more than they want to be vassals of America. They are not swing states ready to pick sides in a neo-Cold War. In fact, they actively seek a more fluid and multipolar world, one in which they believe they will have more leverage and freedom of maneuver. Many, moreover, maintain closer economic ties with the United States than China, especially when it comes to investment and defense cooperation.

Washington can make progress with these powers if it puts aside grand ideological framings about the liberal world order and focuses on developing a positive value proposition that offers meaningful benefit to their economic and political development, sovereignty, and aspirations for an enhanced voice in international affairs.

Although trade agreements have become politically unpopular for Republicans and Democrats alike, market access remains a powerful tool the United States has to this end. Other mutually beneficial economic arrangements are imaginable, focused on specific sectors and packages. So is cooperation on infrastructure investments, technology manufacturing, energy transition initiatives, deforestation, public health, and other areas.

Even when making progress on common interests, the emerging powers will also maintain substantial relationships with U.S. adversaries. Washington should not fall into the trap of judging the quality of its relations with the emerging powers by the strength of their ties to China or Russia.

Ultimately, the best way to engage with these nations is to help them strengthen their sovereignty so that they can resist the influence of U.S. adversaries and gain a real stake in sustaining a peaceful world order. This will take time and a change of approach but is likely to pay long-term benefits to America’s prosperity and continued global leadership.

[taiwanexpoindia]

Taiwan Expo India 2024: Premier Innovation Showcase at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

The Taiwan Expo India 2024 is set to be a landmark event, marking its return to New Delhi with a grand showcase of technological advancements and cultural richness from Taiwan. Scheduled from July 8 to July 10, 2024, at the iconic Pragati Maidan, this expo aims to foster stronger economic ties and collaboration between Taiwan and India. Organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), along with the International Trade Administration (TITA) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), the expo promises to be a dynamic platform for innovation, trade, and cultural exchange.

Dates: July 8-10, 2024 Location: Pragati Maidan,Hall no 2(Entry Gate 4), New Delhi

Key Themes and Pavilions

The Taiwan Expo 2024 will feature five central themes, each highlighting Taiwan’s expertise and innovative spirit across various sectors:

Smart Manufacturing: This pavilion will showcase Taiwan’s advanced manufacturing technologies, which are integral to industries worldwide. Expect to see demonstrations of automation, robotics, and cutting-edge machinery designed to enhance efficiency and productivity in manufacturing processes.

Smart City: As cities around the world evolve into smarter, more connected ecosystems, Taiwan is at the forefront with its smart city solutions. The Smart City pavilion will present technologies that contribute to sustainable urban development, including smart transportation systems, energy management, and IoT (Internet of Things) applications.

Smart Lifestyle: Taiwan’s innovations extend into everyday life, improving how we live and interact with technology. The Smart Lifestyle pavilion will feature products that enhance quality of life, from smart home devices to consumer electronics and health and wellness innovations.

Wellness Fiesta: Health and wellness are critical components of a balanced lifestyle. This theme will focus on Taiwan's contributions to medical devices, personal care, and health-related technologies, highlighting products that promote well-being and healthy living.

Green Innovations: Reflecting Taiwan’s commitment to environmental sustainability, the Green Innovations pavilion will display eco-friendly technologies and solutions aimed at reducing carbon footprints and fostering a greener planet. This includes renewable energy technologies, green materials, and sustainable practices.

Explore Taiwan's cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions at the Taiwan Expo India 2024. This event will feature over 110 exhibitors across 160 booths, showcasing advancements in smart manufacturing, green innovations, and more. Join us at Pragati Maidan for a unique opportunity to discover Taiwan's contributions to modern technology and culture. Don’t miss out on engaging with top industry leaders and experiencing Taiwan’s rich cultural heritage!

[theculturedmarxist]

The principal news items on Russian state television this evening were the reception Vladimir Putin was given by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing and the succession of meetings that he had with other heads of state who are participating in the 10th anniversary celebrations of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

You won’t find a word about the Russian President’s visit to Beijing in this evening’s online New York Times, but the paper’s editorial board is slow to post news about Putin, probably waiting for the State Department to suggest the proper ‘spin.’ However, The Financial Times online gives Putin ‘front page’ coverage in two articles: one is an overview of his scheduled meetings and the other focuses on his talks with one leader in particular, prime minister Viktor Orban of Hungary.

Let us stop for a moment to consider what the FT wants us to know about Putin in Beijing.  And after that we can come back to the Russian coverage, which not only casts a different light on what you read in FT but provides a good deal more factual information to take in.

                                                                 *****

In keeping with its regular propagandistic journalism, the FT cannot print an article about Putin without reminding its readers what a pariah he is, a man pursued by international courts, a man who is isolated and weak. The title itself already sets the tone: “Vladimir Putin visits Beijing for first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

Yes, they concede in the first paragraph that he arrived in China “for a high-level meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping,” but then take the air out of that by saying it was the Kremlin which described Putin as the ‘main guest’ at the event, not their own reporter on the ground in Beijing.

Two lines down we read: “The Russian leader cut back his foreign travel after the war in Ukraine began and until last week had not left the country since a war crimes indictment from the International Criminal Court in March.”  We are reminded that Putin skipped the G20 meetings in Indonesia and in India in September.

Thus, almost half the article is spent telling us about where Putin has not traveled to and nothing about this visit to Beijing.

Moving on, the authors speak about how “Russia had become increasingly dependent on China as an economic lifeline” ever since the launch of its Special Military Operation and imposition of sanctions by the West. This is a quote from a former political adviser at the European parliament who is now with a university in Taiwan. The same expert completes the downgrading of Russia by explaining that it is the ‘junior partner’ in the relationship with China.

After kicking the tires of the Belt and Road Initiative in general for having to renegotiate or write off $79 billion in bad loans, the authors give us four lines at the end that actually contain some news, of which I quote two below:

“Putin met Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban and Vietnamese president Vo Van Thuong on Tuesday, ahead of further meetings with Thai, Mongolian and Laotian leaders.”

The space allotted to the close-up photo of Putin and Xi smiling complacently to one another at the head of the article is six times bigger than the actual news in the text of the article.

The separate article “Orban meets Putin in bid to ‘save everything possible’ in bilateral relations” might be said to be marginally better journalism though the same Max Seddon in Riga is a co-author of both. The editors have done their best to spoil everything by giving it the subtitle “European head is first western leader to meet Russian president since issue of war crimes warrant for his arrest.” Once again the big photo of Orban and Putin, clasping hands at their meeting, tells more than the text.

There are some of the same general reminders here of Putin’s alleged isolation and pariah status, but they are given more force by a quotation from the U.S. ambassador to Hungary condemning the meeting: “…Orban chooses to stand with a man whose forces are responsible for crimes against humanity in Ukraine…” 

The only neutral remarks in the article catalog the common business interests of Russia and Hungary, including natural gas supply and a nuclear power plant under construction by Rosatom.

                                                                 *****

Russian television news support the view that Putin is the main guest at the BRI gathering in Beijing by videos showing the entry of the participants to the state banquet this evening:  the procession is led by Putin and Xi side by side. Just behind them is Xi’s wife and Kazakhstan president Tokaev. The several dozen others follow behind.  Similarly in the video of all the leaders lined up for their group photo, Putin and Xi are together in the very center chatting to one another.  Questions anyone about who is who, and what is what?

Perhaps the Russians go overboard in stressing the great demand of other participants for one-on-one time with Putin at the large residence which the Chinese made available for holding these tête-à-têtes in discrete luxury. Pavel Zarubin, the host of the Sunday evening program Moskva, Kremlin, Putin is a master at showing off details like the line of limousines of leaders waiting outside for their time in the sun with Putin.

Aside from footage from the meeting with Orban, Russian television presented to viewers the public part of Putin’s meeting with the president of Laos, who opened the conversation speaking passable if heavily accented Russian. As we learned, he was studying at Leningrad University during the same years as Putin, though in a different department.  The Vietnamese president also made reference to studies in the Soviet Union in their opening remarks for the cameras.  His talks with Putin were likely about energy first of all since Gazprom is fairly active in the country. Gazprom chairman Alexei Miller is in the Russian delegation.  As for the meeting that Putin had with the interim president of Pakistan, who is an English speaker, we know that they discussed energy projects and deliveries of more than a million tons of Russian grain to Pakistan, presumably paid for in yuan. With the Mongolian president, Vesti tells us they discussed a new gas pipeline which apparently is intended to supply Mongolia itself and not only serve as a transit route to China.

However, from the Russian perspective these side meetings with other BRI Forum participants are small beer. What they are awaiting with great anticipation is the several hours tomorrow that Putin and Xi will spend one-on-one and then are joined by their respective delegations. We know that the situation in the Middle East is at the top of their agenda, with a secondary focus on the Ukraine war and remaining time devoted to further development of economic ties.

The one tantalizing tidbit that Russian news (Sixty Minutes) threw out to viewers is that whereas Putin returns to Moscow tomorrow evening, Foreign Minister Lavrov flies to North Korea for a meeting with Kim.

©Gilbert Doctorow, 2023