elisi's humble abode

Everything has got to end some time, otherwise nothing would ever get started.

2022-03-12T22:32:19Z

I've been doing a lot of housekeeping...

First of all, for those who want to keep their LJ, gillo recommended this, and it works very nicely:

https://blogbooker.com/

It's like the LJ book of old and will download your LJ (or LJs). So I have got elisi, and also 147days (where I posted my two NC-17 fics) and when_i_write (where I posted the George the stories, back when they were fic and before I began turning them into a novel). I have not imported them, not sure if anyone would really care...?

What I HAVE imported is lateseasonlove - I had basically forgotten that I used to run a comm, but thanks to the magic of imports it now exists on DW: https://lateseasonlove.dreamwidth.org/

:)

If Russia turns out the lights, I wish LJ so long and thanks for all the fish. <>< <>< <>< I'm on Dreamwidth if you want me, everything mirrored:

https://elisi.dreamwidth.org/

I don't know if I will keep cross-posting (or even be able to), so here is a lovely thing to end on:

A Mile with May: Backyard adventuring with my daughter

War but no Peace

2022-03-11T19:50:49Z

Two years ago today...

Dimash: War and Peace (with English subtitles), Arnau concert, performed in Kyiv 11.03.2020. Dimash composed the melody as part of his Master's degree and collaborated with the Chinese poet Yao Qian to create the lyrics, to make sure they conveyed what he wanted to say.

(Whole concert here.)

And it just absolutely breaks my heart. Where is that audience now? Are they still alive, have they fled, have they stayed to fight?

~~

From Upday:
Russian expat who burned her passport says Putin is brainwashing people

From The Mirror (I know, sorry. But it's a good article):
Russian state TV broadcasts stinging attack on Vladimir Putin's Ukraine invasion
Guests on a Russian state TV show presented by Vladimir Soloviyev were critical of the invasion with one pundit comparing it to the humiliation the country suffered in Afghanistan

(Also in The Independent.)

~~

Three Zelensky profiles (with thanks to my flist, I can't remember where I came across them all)

GQ: The Improbable Rise and Endless Heroism of Volodymir Zelensky
How the comedian turned Ukrainian president gained control of something no army can wrest away: the narrative.

The Atlantic: How Zelensky Gave the World a Jewish Hero
As the Ukrainian president captivates the world with his bravery, he offers a reminder of the inroads Eastern and Central European Jews have made in overcoming their status as perpetual outsiders.

The New Yorker: Volodymyr Zelensky Leads the Defense of Ukraine with His Voice
At the most consequential hour in Europe since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a comedian has assumed the role of Winston Churchill.

~~

And finally some humour. The whole thread is gold:

After 12 days of stealing Putin's tanks, Ukrainian farmers are now unofficially the fifth-largest military in Europe pic.twitter.com/ImLfDYrcjU
— Business Ukraine mag (@Biz_Ukraine_Mag) March 8, 2022

ETA: If you want my icon, please help yourself! I wanted a flag, but with... more. A sunflower field seemed the perfect answer. :)

International Women's Day

2022-03-08T21:42:20Z

This #InternationalWomensDay is all about the @PayGapApp bot and all the tweets it’s causing companies to delete once they get called out 🔥 pic.twitter.com/taiPu78BeA
— Dr Kirstie Wright (@rocksandwiggles) March 8, 2022

Evacuation at the railway station in Kharkiv.

Photo: Elena Fateeva pic.twitter.com/Aq5bBVKv76
— The New Voice of Ukraine (@NewVoiceUkraine) March 7, 2022

~

This is a very scattered post. Have a beautiful song:

THE SINGER 2017 Sandy Lam 《My Dearest》Ep.4 (Sandy Lam was the winner of the Singer competition the year Dimash was a contestant. She is incredibly famous in China, and it's easy to see why.)

I have no words...

2022-02-27T21:26:28Z

cant help but feel like the world as we know it has irreparably been changed. and here we were thinking the pandemic had changed us irreparably. i wistfully remember the good old days of just pandemic.
— Hend Amry (@LibyaLiberty) February 25, 2022

Read the whole thread.

Yesterday’s post was very focussed. This is going to be a ton of different things, so I’m putting it all under a cut. Just a sort of rambling snapshot of this moment in time… I have tried to do subheadings, mostly for my own sake.

Before anything else, a timely reminder:

There are few things to me that demonstrate more the need to give people the space to study military history than listening to people who think a few Twitter threads or podcasts give them a full picture of the utter horror that is war.
— John Bull (@garius) February 26, 2022

And history is forever repeating itself. :(

The image on the cover is, of course, from the Bayeux Tapestry. It shows a woman and a child, fleeing a house as it's burned by Norman soldiers - the innocent victims of a war they didn't start. pic.twitter.com/kvzO1MM7Dz
— Eleanor Parker (@ClerkofOxford) February 24, 2022

Our Lady of Kyiv - arguably the greatest icon painting in existence - was commissioned from an unknown Byzantine artist around 1132 by Prince Mstislav of Kyiv. Mstislav was the son of King Volodymyr Monomakh of Kyiv Rus. pic.twitter.com/iPFXwpMTZn
— Incunabula (@incunabula) February 24, 2022

(You can read more here.)

A collection of snapshots from Ukraine:

I don’t know if this particular video is what it says it is, but I’m pretty sure the rest is all verified, more or less. Treat with caution (I say, as I post a million tweets...)

A young boy plays the piano in a Kharkiv hotel lobby as unconfirmed reports come in that Russians troops are advancing on the city. pic.twitter.com/bWFvgM1N7X
— Whitney Leaming (@wleaming) February 24, 2022

This evening, Ukraine will open a hotline for mothers, fathers, wives of the Russian occupiers who came to Ukraine with weapons but were captured or killed. The line will be called "Come back alive from Ukraine!" - Adviser to Internal Ministry reported (https://t.co/Bc9J31nMlf).
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) February 26, 2022

Young Russian soldier cries as the local residents of Sumy tell him that he is not welcome in their country.

🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/rIwHqtlzRB
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) February 26, 2022

Women making firebombs to defend their city

Civilians walk back Russian tank

Main Ukrainian TV channel: Take off the street signs around Kyiv if you can. Russian occupants are disoriented and don’t know their way around Kyiv, they’re driving around in circles 😉
— Валерія Voshchevska 🇺🇦 (@Val_Voshchevska) February 26, 2022

Audio from Snake Island, Black Sea:

Russians: This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you’ll be bombed.

Ukrainians: Russian warship, go fuck yourself.

They were all killed https://t.co/uNqh5b9L8C
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) February 24, 2022

(They might not be dead??)

Ways to help:

Unicef Ukraine Appeal

If you want to support Ukraine, consider donating to:https://t.co/RKCwdm7RsR - a charity providing psychological support to children with war traumahttps://t.co/wVM7v5P9ki - a suicide prevention line for veteranshttps://t.co/5CTxuk1WVr - a charity providing assistance to IDPs
— Olga Tokariuk (@olgatokariuk) February 23, 2022

Please let me know others & I will add them.

The world is very very strange.

If both the Pope and Afghanistan's Taliban govt support Ukraine, then there's definitely something wrong with Russia.
— English Lugansk (@loogunda) February 25, 2022

It's a weird world where the verified account of the Associated Press is shamed into deleting their refugee NFT by Jorts the cat.
— Laura Shortridge-Scott 💙 (@DiscordianKitty) February 26, 2022

I'm not sure most American voters realize the heroic Ukrainian president everyone is praising is the exact same guy Donald Trump was impeached for trying to extort.
— Max Berger 🇺🇦 (@maxberger) February 26, 2022

This is an encouraging thread:

After one of my @CNN appearances, one of the anchors asked me off-air why I had confidence in Ukraine's army to push back agains the illegal Russian military onslaught.

I used a bit of "battlefield math" to explain my rationale. 1/16
— Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) February 25, 2022

Ukrainians mocked that Russian tanks were weak and tattered inside. pic.twitter.com/vQJU1gUmJW
— Serikzhan Bilash (@SerikzhanBilash) February 26, 2022

This is not encouraging. :(

Can we please take a drop of the outrage we feel at Putin colonising the Ukrainian people and apply it to the fact that British weapons are being used to blow up hospitals & school children in Yemen?

We failed to stop Russia's war crimes, but we're SUPPORTING Saudi Arabia's.
— Femi (@Femi_Sorry) February 25, 2022

It's unbelievable how accurate this old map is. pic.twitter.com/TxEBeR7yIq
— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 27, 2022

And a thread of reporters saying the quiet part out loud (not that it isn't understandable, but):

I'm going to start a thread of these incidents of insidious racism in the media coverage of the Ukrainian crisis, because I've just been seeing so damn many. https://t.co/xKMo2d568s
— S. (@saratu) February 26, 2022

Our government being true to form (why is the future so depressing?):

A Home Office Minister telling Ukrainians fleeing war to apply for seasonal visas designed for fruit-pickers.

A shameful moral vacuum at the heart of government.

Ukrainians need and deserve a simple sanctuary route to the UK. pic.twitter.com/7lXE9LhGlW
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) February 26, 2022

A 69-year-old widow has been denied a visa to join her daughter, who has indefinite leave to remain, in the UK. The Home Office suggested she apply for a visitor visa or remain in France, where she doesn't speak the language and has no relatives.https://t.co/XrqICvjb4Z
— Nicola Kelly (@NicolaKelly) February 27, 2022

Russians are not happy…

Not the people on the street:

Russians join Ukrainians in Trafalgar Square to condemn invasion

Anti-war solo pickets like this are popping up in cities across Russia. It’s not much but they’re arrested almost immediately, often upon leaving their homes when the cops know to expect them. Here’s Sofya Rusova, co-chair of Russia’s Trade Union of Journalists. pic.twitter.com/5NVqdGyhFy
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) February 24, 2022

We do want peace (((((( nobody asked us about this war(((
We don't want war

All the people i know were shocked. Nobody knew anything.
People didn't know how to function today
— kafkamono (@kafkamono) February 24, 2022

And neither are the celebrities happy (posting black squares is the symbol they are using).

It’s too early to say what the Russian people make of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but he’s already lost a few celebrities. Most of these guys rely heavily on the state for their living.

A short thread.
— max seddon (@maxseddon) February 24, 2022

Going to pull out this one from the thread. Alla Pugacheva is like… the Russian Pavarotti. You don’t GET bigger than her. :O

Maxim Galkin, singer and husband of Alla Pugacheva, Russia’s biggest celebrity:

“I’ve been talking to friends and relatives from Ukraine since early morning! I can’t find the words to say what I feel! How can this be possible! There can be no justification for war! No to war!” pic.twitter.com/Qk7qUcNR9i
— max seddon (@maxseddon) February 24, 2022

Wrt Dimash, then he is in Russia at the moment (and yes, posted a black square, which is not surprising, he is very anti-war), but what remains to be seen is what happens next. He has been recording a new song with Igor Krutoy (indeed, Krutoy’s last instagram post was a little video from a recording session), due to premiere on the 5th or 6th of March (I forget). However, Krutoy is Russian-Ukrainian, and I can’t imagine how he is feeling at the moment. As far as I'm aware he has not yet made any statement (I’m sure the Dears would know), but he might just be concentrating on keeping his family safe…

A year ago I had not heard of any of these people, I dearly wish my main interest was still merely hearing a new song, not worrying about a war.

Elsewhere

Just because all the news is full of Ukraine doesn’t mean that there aren’t other battles going on…

Thousands are fleeing again in northern #Myanmar this week as military air strikes hit villages there. Several dead and wounded. A reminder also that Myanmar’s military is backed, and armed, by Russia. Photos by @FreeBurmaRangrs. https://t.co/AcmMClXHS0 pic.twitter.com/HUM1ckst4p
— Poppy McPherson (@poppymcp) February 25, 2022

Greg Abbot has officially directed Family and Protective Services to begin investigating all trans children in Texas and prosecuting their parents as child abusers.

He has also instructed all teachers, doctors, and caregivers to begin reporting any trans students they see. pic.twitter.com/AO4FdYNuym
— Erin, Trail Mom (@ErinInTheMorn) February 23, 2022

Are you paralyzed about what to do RIGHT NOW to support trans kids in Texas??

LIVE THREAD OF WHERE TO DONATE THAT AREN'T MAINSTREAM ORGS THAT ARE GONNA GET HUGE DONATION BUMPS RIGHT NOW.

(Please please reply or dm me with additions and recommendations)
— Heron Greenesmith, Esq. (@herong) February 23, 2022

That said, it’s not like there isn’t a common enemy:

No, the war in Ukraine wasn’t because of pronouns
Punditry’s most embarrassing obsession comes to war time and it’s just as dumb as you’d expect it to be

Money quote:

‘The actual war in Ukraine now exposes the pettiness and fecklessness of the west’s culture warriors. In the face of actual bombs thrown by actual fascists, the fact that the New York Times has three writers devoted to cancel culture and zero devoted to the global rise of fascism pulls back the curtain on the ridiculous decision-making of American media makers.’

Finally, to end on something beautiful and Ukrainian, here is Dimash singing ‘Marigolds’ (Чорнобривці - Chornobryvtsi) at his Kyiv concert, almost exactly 2 years ago (11 March 2020). It’s a Ukrainian folksong and he literally learned it the night before. (The beautiful woman that the camera keeps cutting to is his mother.)

It’s so beautiful and it makes me so sad. Where are all the people now, who were sitting in that concert hall? (A Chinese Dear posted the song with her own message of love and support for Ukrainian Dears.)

Cometh the hour, cometh the man

2022-02-26T19:10:39Z

This will end up in the history books, and rightly so. Truly incredible speech.

(with thanks to Owls)

And:

Here’s a great lesson in leadership! pic.twitter.com/WYeigeNikj
— Tim Aynes (@timaynes) February 26, 2022

ETA: Prominent Russians join protests against Ukraine war amid 1,800 arrests

~~

Ukrainian woman confronts Russian soldiers in Henychesk, Kherson region. Asks them why they came to our land and urges to put sunflower seeds in their pockets [so that flowers would grow when they die on the Ukrainian land] pic.twitter.com/ztTx2qK7kB
— UkraineWorld (@ukraine_world) February 24, 2022

Full transcript: https://twitter.com/FutureBoy/status/1496999905839050757

Why sunflowers: https://twitter.com/otdderamin/status/1497137066810871810

~~

Really good thread:

Watching Putin's attack on Ukraine play out, I am struck by the thought that Putin learned the lesson from the wrong Afghanistan war. And he has also vastly misunderstood post-Zelenskiy Ukraine. 1/?
— Zoya Sheftalovich (@zoyashef) February 26, 2022

Direct link: https://twitter.com/zoyashef/status/1497378894529589250

(Unsure if I will keep cross-posting, if not then this will make a good final post...)

24.02.2022

2022-02-24T22:17:09Z

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 22nd of February

2022-02-22T21:56:47Z

Not much of an update, but I saw this and it seemed apt...

(Not that I agree with lifting all the restrictions!)

~

And I've been meaning to share this anyway, but it's also seems a good day to remember that Russia is so much more than [the other] You-Know-Who. I give you:

Diana Ankudinova: Can’t Help Falling in Love

She is only 18, but her VOICE. *hands*

She is a dramatic contralto (the deepest, darkest, and most powerful contralto voice). You can read more on wikipedia, but in short her mother physically abused her when she was young, before leaving her at a bus stop age 3. She was sent to an orphanage, and then adopted. ♥ Since she had a stutter, she was given signing lessons to help improve her general speech and vocal skills, and she quickly discovered that she loved singing. The rest is history...

The song is only 3 minutes long, but the video carries on and has all the comments by the 'judges' for the performance (they're fellow singers, it's not a talent show, but a competition between professionals).

And here is a reaction by a professional opera singer (bass).

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 18th of February

2022-02-18T22:17:14Z

I'm fine, life is just whooshing past. And at the moment, so's the weather:

Storm Eunice: Three people killed as strong winds sweep across UK

Photos here, mostly from the coast: Storm Eunice reaches the UK. Some are just extraordinary.

My internal measuring stick for storms is 'Jólaódnin 88' (The Christmas Storm '88) in the Faroes. I found an article here - it's in Faroese, but if you scroll down you there is a video of the aftermath in a village, with almost every house being damaged in one way or another (mostly roofs blowing off). I remember it well, I did not get much sleep. Although at least our roof stayed put, one of my friends got dragged out of bed in the middle of the night so she could help her brother and her dad hold the roof down. (Note: Houses in the Faroes are built to withstand a good deal...)

Anyway, re. Storm Eunice at one point a record gust of 122mph was measured on the Isle of Wight. During the Christmas Storm it measured winds up to 138mph, and then the measuring tool* broke.

I hope everyone is safe and no more trees fall on people.

*There is probably a word, but I am too tired to think of it

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 10th of February

2022-02-10T18:14:00Z

Presented without comment:

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 9th of February

2022-02-09T18:55:53Z

I do my best to read my flist and keep meaning to comment because you all write interesting things that I want to talk about, so I have a ton of tabs open... Whether I ever managed to actually get to them is another story. But my intentions are good. ;)

~

Covid: Self-isolation law could be scrapped in England this month

Today's numbers:

People tested positive - 68,214

Deaths - 276

*hands*

I think our Prime Minister is aiming for his own 'Do What You Feel Like' festival...

ETA: COVID-19: Removing self-isolation in February 'goes against fundamental principles of public health', scientists warn

And it's not that I want to live in, say, China - I'm quite happy with Free Speech* and all the rest - but it'd be nice to feel like those in charge weren't actively trying to kill people. :(

*Speaking of free speech, I don't really want to wade into the whole Jimmy Carr nightmare. I will merely link to two things. Here is Stewart Lee talking about political correctness, the gist being that if your joke comes across as if you agree with the bigots you might want to rethink what you say/how you say it:

And then this, which is utterly harrowing:

Instead of watching that #JimmyCarr video, read our colleague Szymon's interview with his grandmother Sabina, a #Roma survivor of the #Holocaust

We stand with #Roma #Sinti & #Traveller communities against this forgotten and ongoing discrimination▶️https://t.co/FnEVGLTY36 pic.twitter.com/JGb2AEYtTK
— Protection Approaches (@IBVprev) February 4, 2022

~

Finally, another new singer - well, new to me. He is Chinese and his name is Hua Chenyu and every song is a new surprise and delight. He is impossible to pin down genre or style wise, but this seemed the perfect song for this post.

So today I will point you towards this song, which unfortunately I couldn't find on youtube (well, not live/good quality), so instead I shall link to facebook:

《You Have to Believe This Is Not the Last Day》

The performance is from the Singer competition (2020). He created this song to encourage people in Wuhan to fight against covid-19 and sang it on February 21, 2020.

Wuhan is his hometown. ♥

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 6th of February

2022-02-06T21:39:42Z

Accurate:

February is the worst month of the year and this man is wonderful pic.twitter.com/vV73ZF2Qn4
— Alexis Benveniste (@apbenven) February 4, 2022

~

In UK politics news, Jonathan Pie is back! :D

“Seriously I can just come out and say it? Call him a liar?” asks @JonathanPieNews, a fictional broadcast reporter created and performed by comedian Tom Walker, in a satirical video about Britain’s Prime Minister.
“God bless America.” https://t.co/Hu6Q6q8TBp pic.twitter.com/ojr8Pb1d0S
— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) February 4, 2022

~

I keep meaning to post and then... not. So have some petitions:

Save my foster son Samet - he is family!

World Leaders: End Plastic Pollution

Everyone Should Have a Safe Place to Call Home. Agree? Add Your Name to Say There Should Be a Home for All of Us in the UK – No Exceptions

~

And the Olympics are here (again). There is always this difficult contrast between what the Olympics stand for - striving for the best, harmony between countries, incredible feats - and the reality underpinning the whole thing... not just China's genocide of the Uyghurs, but how the whole history is pretty terrible. (Twitter thread here.)

And yet we watched the Opening Ceremony and enjoyed it... And I love figure skating!

I guess it's a bit like trying to separate a 'problematic' creator and their work. I still love Buffy, even if Joss turned out to be a terrible person.

Speaking of China, then this is a very interesting article:

The misunderstood—and misrepresented—Zero COVID policy in China
This analysis of China’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been submitted as a contribution to the WSWS Global Workers’ Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic.

~

Daily Dimash: Swan Goose

Let's end with something beautiful. Dimash Kudaibergen & Tengri performing 'Swan Goose' at the Spring Festival Gala 2019. (Or: Kazakhstan + Mongolia + China in musical format.)

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 2nd of February

2022-02-02T21:28:23Z

A little politics:

Our politicians keep being an international embarrassment...

But kids are great:

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 30th of January

2022-01-30T21:56:09Z

Some nice things.

PTSD: Ex-soldier builds castle as mental health rehab space - BBC News

David Tennant and Michael Sheen being adorable friends for 7 mins

Drone footage follows 10,000 ducks “cleaning” rice paddies in Thailand

If Bible characters had iPhones w/ John Crist

benedict cumberbatch having a crush on his wife for 3:44 minutes

~~

Daily Dimash: Dears

This is not a song - 'Dears' are what Dimash calls his fans, and today is the 5th anniversary of that naming. There is an article on Dimash News, and Dimash posted a video on youtube to thank his Dears and wish them happy anniversary. (Translation here, although I'm sure subtitles will be added.)

Although I have been in many show fandoms, until now have not been following an singer to this extent, so have nothing really to compare it to, but I can confidently say that the Dears are some of the nicest, most dedicated and welcoming fans I have ever come across. They take their cues from their idol and do their best to always be polite and honourable, and have created the most positive and supportive fandom. <3

(I might add to this at some point, just to collect stuff in one place - because there are ton of fun videos out there - but it's late and I'm tired.)

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 27th of January

2022-01-27T22:11:19Z

Today is #HolocaustMemorialDay.

In this clip from 1965, Richard Dimbleby returned to the site of the Belsen concentration camp where he had reported from shortly after its liberation in 1945. He recounted the horrific scenes he witnessed that day.pic.twitter.com/bC8Q1xzj2L
— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) January 27, 2022

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 25th of January

2022-01-25T22:06:22Z

The news is just somewhere through the looking glass at this point. Never mind Russia gearing up for WW3, this is what's happening in jolly old Blighty:

Birthday celebration for PM sparks new party row

I have gathered a selection of commentary from Twitter, because that is what Twitter is for. And at this point the whole thing is just a farce. :)

My son couldn't have a primary school leaving party with his bubble of classmates, Nadine, and he's literally a child. He was bummed out, but stoic because he saw it as for the greater good. Literally a child.
— Gee Aitch Cee (@Scriblit) January 24, 2022

KGB OFFICER: Our new plan is to send Mr Johnson a cake
PUTIN: A poisoned cake?
KO: No, a birthday cake
PUTIN: A poisoned birthday cake?
KO: No, just a regular birthday cake. Maybe with frosting.
PUTIN: Poisoned frosting?
KO: No, really just a regular cake.
PUTIN: I don’t get it.
— Alex Chan (@alexwlchan) January 25, 2022

pic.twitter.com/d8fGi01l1k
— Chris McLean (@chrismc_pc) January 24, 2022

Tories:
“It was on his birthday, there was birthday cake, snacks, people sang ‘happy birthday’ but let’s wait until Sue Gray’s report to find out if it was a birthday party”
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) January 24, 2022

Boris Johnson’s aide, Rafe Hubris BA (oxon), phoning the Prime Minister RE: His birthday party in lockdown. pic.twitter.com/xerC3nWxj0
— Josh ‘On Tour Link in Bio’ Berry (@JoshBerryComedy) January 24, 2022

“When I saw the Colin the Caterpillar cake held by my wife and our interior designer I believed implicitly that this was a work event.” https://t.co/mIrlNqv7Gm
— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) January 24, 2022

Downing Street Cluedo.

Anyone else have Carrie in the Cabinet Room with the birthday cake?
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) January 24, 2022

Led by Donkeys have a whole sketch, it's rather neatly edited!

“Those were meetings of people at work…”

“Mother of God, you must think we were born yesterday fella.”

pic.twitter.com/AOl2D4f0Bc
— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) January 24, 2022

ETA:

If Rishi's meteoric rise gets done in because he had a slice of Colin the Caterpillar I will laugh my arse off.
— John Bull (@garius) January 25, 2022

(there's a whole thread, pop along to Twitter to see it.)

Anyway, was also reminded of this gem:

Although in this case it's more 'Cake AND death'. Hm. *tilts head*

(For whatever reason this post won't crosspost, so here goes the manual version.)

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 23rd of January

2022-01-23T21:33:15Z

Two things.

Post has been cloned from dreamwidth.

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 21st of January

2022-01-21T18:33:59Z

First a deligthful thread sent my way by Kerk:

Thinking about biological collections lately I'm reminded of the time that somehow at age 4, I got a personal tour of the @UCBerkeley entomology collection (Essig?) from a kind scientist (anybody know who?!). Asked my parents how on earth THAT happened, and it turns out...🤯
— Rebecca Varney (@RebeccaMVarney) January 17, 2022

And here are DT and MS behind the scenes of GO2, being adorable:

Video of David Tennant and @michaelsheen behind the scenes of Good Omens 2. Don’t we just love them? ♥️#GoodOmens #GoodOmens2 #DavidTennant pic.twitter.com/XAicp3hZpJ
— Good Omens News (@GoodOmensNews_) January 20, 2022

(Ignoring the news from Ukraine/Russia.)

~

Daily Dimash: 5 year anniversary

Today is five years since Dimash first broke though globally, on the 'Singer' programme in China with 'S.O.S' (post here). He's posted on instagram to commemorate the occasion. Below I have added the new version from his digital concert in 2021, which is one of my favourites. <3

Post has been cloned from dreamwidth.

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 19th of January

2022-01-19T20:27:36Z

So many things, but this might be the funniest:

Brilliant from Stephen Flynn - the little wave at the end was the icing on the cake even Boris Johnson found it funny.#PMQs @StephenFlynnSNP pic.twitter.com/4aRctdkz1J
— Mike H (@mikoh123) January 19, 2022

Post has been cloned from dreamwidth.

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 18th of January

2022-01-18T20:48:03Z

Some good news.

Crime bill: Lords defeats for government's protest clamp-down plans

And I am linking to the comments for this article... They're rather enjoyable!

Nobody warned me drinks event was against rules - Boris Johnson

ETA:

:D :D :D

~

Today we went to see [the new] West Side Story, which was very good. (Sorry, no deep thoughts.) Post has been cloned from dreamwidth. Comments welcome everywhere.

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 16th of January

2022-01-16T20:28:38Z

I have previously pondered the lack of cultural impact of the Spanish Flu (not sure that's the best phrasing, but I'm tired), although it makes sense considering WW1 and everything else. However, having just re-read Dorothy Sayer's 'Whose Body' (the first Peter Wimsey novel) I wonder if it's just not having been tuned into looking for it? 'Whose Body' was first published in 1923, and this bit made me sit up and take notice:

The Coroner, a medical man of precise habits and unimaginative aspect, arrived punctually, and looking peevishly round at the crowded assembly, directed all the windows to be opened, thus letting in a stream of drizzling fog upon the heads of the unfortunates on that side of the room. This caused a commotion and some expressions of disapproval, checked sternly by the Coroner, who said that with the influenza about again an unventilated room was a death-trap; that anybody who chose to object to open windows had the obvious remedy of leaving the court, and further, that if any disturbance was made he would clear the court.

~

From that, onto the ridiculous:

And here is John Bishop being a legend:

John Bishop tearing Boris a new one 😂😂pic.twitter.com/ZJUjYJofmd
— Politics For Oll-y (@OllyVanGaal) January 15, 2022

Mind you, just because the Tories are a joke doesn't mean they can't keep wreaking havoc. Looks like they'll pull the plug on the BBC one way or another like they have wanted forever.

~

And from our sad politics, to something much more tragic.

BBC (video): Kazakhstan: Who sparked deadly violence?

Since it's exactly a year since Dimash held his online concert, I thought I would choose one of the songs from that performance today - a song which probably reflects his emotions after all the recent violence. His instagram has been suspended, but there is still a post up on his facebook page where he, very diplomatically, voices his support for the protesters. Before it all turned deadly and they silenced the whole country. :(

Daily Dimash: Qairan Elim | 2021 ('My long-suffering land')

Full playlist of the concert here, and there is an instagram post with the original programme. Post has been cloned from dreamwidth. Comments welcome everywhere.

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 14th of January

2022-01-14T19:54:56Z

RUSSELL!!!

From RTD's instagram.

Context for those not familiar with Doctor Who:

DOCTOR: I could bring down your Government with a single word.
PM: You're the most remarkable man I've ever met, but I don't think you're quite capable of that.
DOCTOR: No, you're right. Not a single word, just six.
PM: I don't think so.
DOCTOR: Six words.
PM: Stop it!
DOCTOR: Six.
(The Doctor goes over to the aide and whispers in his ear.) Post has been cloned from dreamwidth. Comments welcome everywhere.

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 12th of January

2022-01-12T17:58:29Z

My news notifications today have been quite something...

Britons share photos of what they were doing on day of alleged No 10 party

Prince Andrew to face civil sex case trial after judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit

The case against Novak Djokovic is getting stronger

PM admits he attended drinks party during first Covid lockdown

Scottish Tory leader calls for PM's resignation, says position 'no longer tenable'

~~

And from yesterday:

MP breaks down in tears while questioning minister over No 10 drinks party

A timeline of rule-breaking parties allegedly held in Downing Street Post has been cloned from dreamwidth.

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 8th of January

2022-01-08T22:35:48Z

Covid: UK records more than 150,000 deaths

~

Not sure who created this, but it's fabulous:

This is the best thing you’ll see on the Internet before 2021 ends. pic.twitter.com/n6WUj8JHt5
— Bhavik Lathia (@bhaviklathia) December 28, 2021

Post has been cloned from dreamwidth.

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 7th of January

2022-01-07T19:38:14Z

BBC: Census 1921 - 100-year-old secrets revealed
(Fascinating, and includes Dorothy Sayers!)

The Guardian: Russell T Davies: ‘I genuinely thought – who wants to watch a show about Aids?’
It’s a Sin has been voted the Guardian’s best TV show of the year. Russell T Davies reveals why it took him 30 years to write, who the real Colin is – and why he just can’t keep away from Doctor Who
(I watched ep 1, not sure I can cope with more.)

The Tip-Off From a Nazi That Saved My Grandparents
It has often been described as a “miracle” that most of Denmark’s Jews escaped the Holocaust. Now it seems that the country’s Nazi rulers deliberately sabotaged their own operation.

~

ETA: Things are going swell here!

England is ‘global outlier’ on Covid and Boris Johnson is ‘politically paralysed’ says Drakeford

Covid-19: Military steps in to support NHS as staff absences jump 59% in a week

In related news, got my booster today and now my arm is in agony. Still, better than covid!!

~

ETA: Sidney Poitier: Hollywood trailblazer dies aged 94

Rest in peace, Mr Poitier.

Also, you should all watch 'Lilies of the Field'.

~

Daily Dimash: Shine!Super Brothers: Suzhou River

This was from Ep 6. The group decided to perform an anti-war song, from a movie called 'The Eight Hundred':

Behind the scenes video here. Not included - Dimash pulling an all-nighter to come up with a new arrangement for the song when it wasn't working. (Further background: He has a degree in Contemporary Music, a Master's in Composition and is currently doing a PhD... He's more than a pretty face and a lot of octaves! *g*.) Unfortunately he left the programme after this episode due to health reasons, he'd been suffering from rhinitis throughout, poor guy.) Post has been cloned from dreamwidth. Comments welcome everywhere.

Update from the house of Plague (Day Fnarg Year 3) 6th of January

2022-01-06T19:21:04Z

It somehow seem longer than a year since the Insurrection...

In honour of the day, some scary articles:

Vox: How does this end?
Where the crisis in American democracy might be headed.

The Atlantic: Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun
January 6 was practice. Donald Trump’s GOP is much better positioned to subvert the next election

Via my flist (kass?? I can't remember, sorry)
The Globe and Mail: The American polity is cracked, and might collapse. Canada must prepare
The U.S. is becoming increasingly ungovernable, and some experts believe it could descend into civil war. What should Canada do then?

Also, BBC video Capitol riot anniversary: What QAnon followers believe now

~

I less Now Panic And Freak Out mode, more The Continuing Saga of a Crumbling Empire, a few articles about the UK:

The Atlantic: How Britain Falls Apart
A road trip through the ancient past and shaky future of the (dis)United Kingdom

Prospect Magazine: The England delusion
Regularly falling to foreign takeovers and perennially divided, England is a nation that never was. No wonder we’re fracturing.

And a video, in case it's all rather confusing. *g* The Difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England Explained.

As someone on Twitter said - all I want is to live in Precedented Times, please.

~

BUT. Here is some lovely Good Omens News:

Neil Gaiman: Letting the cat out of the bag

And Doctor Who is doing well. Post has been cloned from dreamwidth. Comments welcome everywhere.