#Scania County

[rabbitcruiser]

Forest (No. 177)

Ronneby, Sweden (six pics)

Trelleborg, Sweden (four pics)

[mothmiso]

Kristianstad 2024 (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) by Ulf Roos

Via Flickr:

(1) Kajor / Jackdaws. Fredagspromenad genom Tivoliparken. / Friday walk through the Tivoli park. (2) Svart stockros / Black hollyhock. (3) Mozartros / Mozart rose. (6) Koltrast / Blackbird.     

[wonder-worker]

"[Blanche of Namur] would seem to mark a turning point [in Scandinavian queenship]. The institution of the morning-gift had until then functioned as a personal insurance for the queen. It now became much more; to some degree it became an active share in the powers and prerogatives of the Crown: it became separate property, separately administered by the queen.

— Steinar Imsen, "Late Medieval Scandinavian Queenship," Queens and Queenship in Medieval Europe : Proceedings of a Conference Held At King's College London, April 1995

Originally Blanche was enfeoffed with the castle of Tønsberghus, the town of Tønsberg and the districts belonging to the jurisdiction of Tønsberghus, i.e. Vestfold and Skiensysla at the western side of Oslofjord. In Sweden she was enfeoffed with the bailiwick of Lödöse and the castle of Linholm at Hisingen, near the mouth of the border-river Götaelv. In 1353 her Norwegian fiefs and benefices were exchanged from the western part of Oslofjord to the eastern, i.e. she surrendered the castle of Tønsberghus to her husband acquiring instead the very important border-castle of Båhus, including the jurisdiction of the town Marstrand and the counties of Båhus len (Elvesysla, Ranrike, Vetteherred) and Borgarsysla, in other words the region between Oslo and present day Gothenburg. It is possible that she also acquired the Swedish territories of Dalsland and Värmland on this occasion, and which she certainly possessed in 1358.

From now on Blanche in fact was ruler of a Norwegian-Swedish domain - we could call it a 'queendom' of her own. In addition to this her husband had granted her in 1341 an annual rent of 2 marks of gold, and in 1346 he added an annual sum from the royal revenues of the Scania fair At the very latest Blanche took charge of her 'queendom' from 1353. As we see, the queen's morning-gifts changed radically from being a life insurance to becoming a political guarantee for the royal house, a sort of dynastic demesne under queenly rule, so to say. [...] She also took over the administration of the castle and bailiwick of Tønsberghus on behalf of her husband. In fact Blanche and Magnus controlled all Eastern Norway south of Oslo, including the adjacent Swedish regions."

[decorworks]

A Charming Swedish Farmhouse in the Southern Sweden Countryside

I try to show a variation of properties from Scandinavia, so you get a true representation of the region. And today, I was keen to share a traditional 'skånegård'. The farms are found in the southern Swedish county of Scania, where I live and are instantly recognised by their quadrangle shape. While there are some exceptions (like beautiful Kullaberg), Scania is incredibly flat and its fertile lands are ideal for farming. But flat land also means there is nothing to prevent the wind from whistling across the fields - and while a light breeze on a summer's day might feel welcomed, bone chillingly cold wind in winter is not. A central courtyard, which is protected on all sides is therefore a perfect solution! While in the olden days many of the wings were used as barns - these days, some owners have chosen to convert them to extra dwellings - even with completely standalone facilities so each family has a private living space. I captured a beautiful one for my book Relaxed Rustic (previously named Modern Pastoral) and today I stumbled across this one in Ystad. I can tell by the clean surfaces of the interior. that it's been pared-back to sell, but you can still get an ideal of the simple country style. Would you like to take a peek?

Oh, how I'd love to have a property like this to make my own and fill with treasures, how about you? I've never lived in the countryside so I'm not sure if I'd like to live so remote. But it doesn't stop me dreaming.If you're quick, you can see more pictures of this property here - you'll see that the other wings consist of a dwelling with a completely different style as well as a workshop. Some I've seen also have a party barn!Would you like to see a couple of other Skånegårds today? Here are some beautiful ones: Right, I think that's it for the week! We have suddenly got a new wave of great weather here in Malmö, and my Mother, sister and nieces are over from London so we're looking forward to making the most of the sunshine. Can't wait! I hope you have a great couple of days lined up too?Thank you so much for stopping by this little corner of the web, see you Monday! Photography courtesy of Bjurfors with thanks. Read the full article

[my-travel-videos]

Walk in HELSINGBORG, Sweden 🇸🇪 – 4K 60fps (UHD) Helsingborg tourist information: https://visithelsingborg.com Helsingborg is a city in Scania County, Sweden. Helsingborg sits … — Source: Link to… #Travel

[kardanadamyoutube]

American Truck Simulator - Viewpoints - Butler County Border - 4K

@KardanAdam4   YouTUBE Please Visit and Subscribe Thanks

#EuroTruckSimulator2 #ETS2 #ETS2Jp #volvo #scania #renault #man #iveco #criminal #criminalcase #pacificbay #grimsborough #mysterious #conspiracy #savetheworld #candy #candycrush #candycrushsoda #candycrushjelly #nature #animal #slitherio #serseri #dayislither #rosa #SerseriDenmarkLOVE #blossom #saga #kardan #adam #kardanadam #youtube #shorts #Serseri - #Slitherio #shortsfeed #blossom #BusWorld #CruisingTheBalkans #shortsvideo #shortvideo #shorts #short #shortsyoutube #shortsviral

[rvexillology]

Flag map of European subdivisions - Day 27: Moldova

from /r/vexillology Top comment: After a long and well-used break, I'm finally back! I plan to do new maps every day. I am making a flag map of European subdivisions. Every day, I will add a new country. Today's country is Moldova (including Transnistria). It was a nightmare to make. **Please avoid debating the status of disputed areas.** FAQ: **Which tools do you use?** The background map is here: https://mapchart.net/europe-detailed.html. I did some minor changes to the boundaries (removed or added) with Paint and Photopea. I use https://photopea.com to add the flags to the map. Currently, most flags are from Wikipedia. I might need to use this page for some countries: https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/x-sub.html It appears that many of you are interested in how I make this map. I might make a tutorial video at some point. **How will you make X country?** You will see... :-) However, I'm happy to see advice on more "irregular" areas. **Wow, X country is really dense, good luck...** I might simplify the borders if it works better. I cannot go as small as I want, as I'm limited by the resolution of the background map. Please do not have too high expectations about places with lots of subdivisions. I will simplify them, don't get disappointed. **Why did you use the old French regions/Norwegian counties?** Contrary to the modern ones, they (most of them) have proper flags. Also, they technically still exist as NUTS regions. **Why didn't you use provinces for Belgium?** I use the highest-level subdivision for each country that still has flags. This means provinces for the Netherlands and regions for Belgium. Also, as far as my research went, Belgian regions are much more important than provinces. **Why is Russia incomplete?** For Russia, I'm doing a federal district each day. All of Russia would be too much for a single day. **Why did you use the unofficial flag for Scania?** Based on my poll about French regions, you seem to prefer unofficial, but popular flags over official, but barely used flags. I stuck to your wish for Sweden as well. **Why did you fill up the IJsselmeer?** It was already filled on the original map from MapChart. **Why are the Swiss flags incorrect?** They are correct - for some cantons, the CoA and the flag have different orientations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_and_arms_of_cantons_of_Switzerland **Why did you use the four countries of the UK instead of the counties?** Not all counties have flags. (See [this flag map](https://images.app.goo.gl/v8dRL2bU2QCWRz9AA).) I tried an alternative solution, but the backlash made me reconsider my opinion.

[architectnews]

Sigurd Lewerentz Exhibition: Arkdes Stockholm

Sigurd Lewerentz Exhibition ArkDes Stockholm, Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design, Building Center

Sigurd Lewerentz: Architect Of Death And Life – Arkdes

3 Nov 2020

Sweden’s Most Revered Architect Subject Of Major Exhibition Opening in Stockholm In April 2021

Location: ArkDes Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design, Stockholm, Sweden

• Designed By Caruso St John

• Accompanying Monograph Published Spring 2021

Sigurd Lewerentz: Architect Of Death And Life

3 November 2020 – Sweden’s most revered architect Sigurd Lewerentz, regarded as a giant of 20th century architecture, is the subject of a major exhibition, Sigurd Lewerentz: Architect of Death and Life designed by Caruso St John, opening at ArkDes, Sweden’s national centre for architecture and design in Stockholm, in April 2021.

This will be a significant moment of assessment, the first major monograph exhibition of the work of Lewerentz since the 1980s coinciding with the publication of the first comprehensive biography.

Lewerentz, who was born in Bjärtrå in northern Sweden in 1885 and died in Lund 1975, is an enigmatic figure in the modern history of architecture. He rarely spoke publicly or published, but his influence is acknowledged by a generation of the world’s leading architects.

Colin St. John Wilson, paraphrasing E.M. Forster’s impression of the Greek poet Constantine Cavafy, said it was “as if he stood at a slight angle to the world.”

In the words of Adam Caruso, designer of the exhibition: “Lewerentz’s late projects represent an unprecedented integration of making and thought. Like Matisse, who advised young painters to cut off their tongues and communicate with brush, paint and canvas, Lewerentz was famously laconic. He did not teach and few of his own project descriptions survive. He built.”

The exhibition and the book are the result of four years of research. The majority of the objects in the exhibition are drawn from ArkDes’ own formidable collection, which will be shown alongside hitherto unknown or never previously exhibited objects that have been discovered in travels by the research team across the country.

The exhibition will cover the full range of Lewerentz’s works. Among these are three iconic projects: The Woodland Cemetery in south Stockholm, designed with Gunnar Asplund (1935-40), where many notable Swedish writers, musicians and actors are buried, including Greta Garbo, and his two late masterpieces, St Mark’s Church, in Bjorkhagen, dedicated in 1960; and St Peter’s Church, in Klippan, a town 60 kilometres north of Malmo, completed in 1966.The show will include a range of drawings of these famous buildings but also objects that show how Lewerentz’s collaborations with artists and theologians made buildings that were deeply literate and inventive about Lutheran traditions.

The exhibition will feature a newly commissioned work by the American artist Amie Siegel in the space called Boxen. Known for her layered, meticulously constructed works that trace and perform the undercurrents of systems of value, design and cultural ownership, Siegel works variously with film, video, photography, performance, sound and installation.

ArkDes will produce a landmark new book in connection with the exhibition, which will be the first ever published with full access to Lewerentz’s archive. Designed by award-winning graphic designer Malmsten Hellberg, it will contain 700 pages of drawings, photographs and models, plus excerpts from Lewerentz’s personal archive and library.

In August 2021, a Lewerentz Festival will be arranged in collaboration with partners throughout Sweden, to pay tribute to one of architectural history’s most revered, and most mythologised architects.

Kieran Long, Director of ArkDes and curator of the exhibition, said: “There is no Swedish architect with more influence on contemporary architecture today, or with more passionate advocates across the globe, than Sigurd Lewerentz. Devotees travel from everywhere in the world to see his buildings. There are very few architects in history with Lewerentz’s ability to make buildings that truly ask the biggest questions about what it means to be a modern person. His work powerfully evokes our deepest and most archaic cultural memories. But he was also fascinated by cosmetic and fleeting pleasures: Shopping, dancing, drinking and having dinner. The life of the city fascinated him and his work made a stage for our playful selves as well as our spiritual ones.”

Background

Sigurd Lewerentz Sigurd Lewerentz was born at Sandö in the parish of Bjärtrå in Västernorrland County, Sweden. He was the son of Gustaf Adolf Lewerentz and Hedvig Mathilda Holmgren. He initially trained as a mechanical engineer at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg (1905–8). Later he took up an architectural apprenticeship in Germany.

He first opened his own architectural office in Stockholm in 1911 and became associated with the architect Gunnar Asplund (1885–1940). Together they made a winning entry for the Stockholm South (Woodland) Cemetery (Skogskyrkogården) competition of 1914–15. This project was implemented initially by both architects, however, the latter stages were done by Asplund alone. He and Asplund were appointed as the main architects for the Stockholm International Exhibition (1930) but afterwards Lewerentz became disillusioned, Lewerentz turned away from architecture for many years, and from 1940 he ran a factory producing windows and other architectural fittings of his own design.

Sigurd Lewerentz, together with his colleagues Erik Lallerstedt and David Helldén, created between 1933 and 1944 what is regarded of one of the masterpieces of functionalist architecture, Malmö Opera and Music Theatre (Malmö Opera och Musikteater). The foyer is considered of particular beauty, with its open surfaces and beautiful marble staircases and it is adorned with a number of works of art by artists such as Carl Milles and Isaac Grünewald.

He was awarded the Prince Eugen Medal for architecture in 1950. In the last decade of his life he designed two churches, St. Mark’s at Björkhagen in Stockholm (1956) and St. Peter’s at Klippan in Scania (1963–66), that revived his career in architecture.

He continued to work at competition proposals and furniture designs until shortly before his death in Lund, Sweden during 1975.

ArkDes ArkDes, located on the island of Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm, is Sweden’s national centre for architecture and design. It is a museum, a study centre and an arena for debate and discussion about the future of architecture, design and citizenship. It is housed in a beautiful building by Rafael Moneo and more recently ArkDes´ new studio gallery, called Boxen, designed by Dehlin Brattgård Architects.

Kieran Long, Director ArkDes: photo courtesy ArkDes Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design

Kieran Long Kieran Long, the British curator, critic and broadcaster, was appointed Director of ArkDes in April 2017. He was the architecture critic of the London Evening Standard between 2014 and 2014. He subsequently established the department of design, architecture and digital at the V&A in London in 2013/14, of which he was Keeper between 2014 and 2017. His television work includes presenting “Restoration Home’ and ‘The House that £100k Built’ for the BBC.

Sigurd Lewerentz Architects

Previously on e-architect:

11 Jan 2019

ArkDes Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design

photo courtesy of ArkDes ArkDes Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design Stockholm

Address: Exercisplan 4, 111 49 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: +46 8 520 235 00

Architecture in Sweden

Swedish Architecture Designs – chronological list

Stockholm Architecture News

Stockholm Architecture Tours

Swedish Architecture – Selection

Strängnäs Cathedral Building Renewal, Strängnäs, just west of Stockholm, Sweden Design: AART Architects image courtesy of architects Strängnäs Cathedral Building

Restaurant Tak, Södermalmsallén Architects: Wingårdhs image courtesy of architects Restaurant Tak Stockholm

Geysir Tower, Kista image from architects Geysir Tower Building in Kista

Karolinska Institute Research Center

Novum BioCity Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm

Swedish Architect Offices

Comments / photos for the Sigurd Lewerentz Exhibition at ArkDes Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design page welcome

The post Sigurd Lewerentz Exhibition: Arkdes Stockholm appeared first on e-architect.

[alphaternal]

  ARIZONA, POST-INCIDENT. 

Following the 2015 incident that resulted in several casualties and an onslaught of lawsuit settlements, Jurassic World filed bankruptcy. Abandoned the island and its megafauna altogether. InGen scrambled to dispel rumors and downplay the harrowing events which took place in Isla Nublar, proclaiming it was an isolated incident.

In 2017, Owen settles permanently into the state of Arizona, on family property. He lives near Tonto National Forest, and regularly volunteers for the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, aiding and rehabilitating Mexican Gray Wolves and other endangered wildlife. He primarily lives in his customized airstream, and is in the process of building a cabin on a hilltop overlooking the nearby lake.  

Owen’s cabin homestead is built near a lake located near the vast animal sanctuary; specifically, a little over an acre of property in the distant outskirts of Payson, a town in northern Gila County with approximately 15,465 residents. Tonto National Forest’s encompassing area has the Mazatzal Mountains, often capped with snow in the winter, which can be seen from his homestead.

Owen designed a scale model before he began purchasing materials and building the cabin; the cabin itself has a front yard patio, a backyard patio, an attic bedroom, a master bedroom, a kitchen-dining room, an adjacent living room, a fireplace, an office room, and a concrete basement approximately six feet underground, wherein a solar-generated heat distribution system is worked into the framework. A large homemade solar heat storage and 560 gallon drain-back solar tank will provide domestic water heating, combined with a heat-only condensing boiler. Solar panel roofs were added for long-term cost efficiency. Owen acts as his own contractor, outsourcing certain tasks he could not do himself or alone  (and assisting them, so that he could learn)  to experienced engineers from Sun Valley Solar Solutions, a solar company in Phoenix, such as the overall design for the heat distribution system, and the supplies for the solar roof panels. Owen installed the boiler and all the related plumbing and controls himself. The cabin in itself will be incredibly environmentally conscious.

The airstream parked on Owen’s homestead in Arizona is a customized and remodeled 1984 Airstream 310 series motorhome. It runs on a 80% biodiesel (EN 14214) configuration of a 16-liter, 580 hp (433 kW) V8 engine, developed by Scania. With hybrid solar power capabilities and a ventilation system limiting volatile organic compound content. 

The motorhome is 31-feet long, and is specifically built to accommodate a family. Multi-purpose back room area, where space easily converts into an office or bedroom, with panoramic views from the wraparound rear windows. Originally, a king-sized bed accommodates three people, which can be converted into two separate beds. Owen had converted the area into an office, with a retractable bed. 

The kitchen’s dining table seats six people; beside it, a jackknife tri-fold sofa. Kitchen galley accouterments start with a large double stainless steel sink with commercial sprayer, an oversized refrigerator/freezer operating from three sources: 110v, 12v, or propane. A four-burner stove completes the kitchen amenities. There’s even a pull out pantry and built-in bamboo cutting board and draw bins for storing culinary tools. Its bathroom has a separate sink and toilet room, and a shower with full wrap around glass mosaic tile, and a tankless water heater which provides endless hot water. Its solar-hybrid generator has four solar panels with integrated solar converter, battery maintainer, and power reserve. The mobile home is equipped with ZipDee patio/window curbside awnings in traditional navy blue fabric. It is a vintage airstream that underwent extensive restoration. 

[rabbitcruiser]

The Baltic Exhibition in Malmö opened on May 15, 1914.  

[mothmiso]

Linnérundan Kristianstad 2024 (2) (3) by Ulf Roos

Via Flickr:

(1) The remain of Lillö Castle. (2) Crowerence……. (Conferense 🌞) on the path. (3) Koreansk blomsterkornell?? / Korean flower dogwood??     

[antonio-m]

Oscar Matthiesen, Officers of the Scania County Dragoon Regiment in Ystad Ride into the Sea to Bathe on a Sunday in June, 1906, Ystads Militärhistoriska Museum, (detail).

[twofacedbelief]

Exuse me if it comes of as intrusive but are you swedish? I read something about Sweden in your tags and got curious

I am! To be precise, I live in the southernmost county - Scania/Skåne.

[singing-show-alums]

Singing Shows and Eurovision: Sweden 🇸🇪 (Part Three: How’d They Both Manage to Finish 14th?)

We’ve finally reached our third and final part of this in-depth look at Idol Sweden’s success at what is undoubtedly Sweden’s biggest cultural institution, Melodifestivalen. Just to remind you, Melodifestivalen is the process that Sweden uses to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest each year. The only Eurovision national final with a bigger cultural impact is Italy’s Sanremo Music Festival (which actually inspired the creation of Eurovision), which itself has a rich recent history with X Factor Italy (and is worthy of its own separate series).

In this post, we meet our final two Idol alums who later went on to win Melodifestivalen and thus represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest: Robin Stjernberg and Tusse Chiza.

Robin Stjernberg

Robin James Olof Stjernberg was born on 22 February 1991 in Hässleholm, Sweden. Hässleholm is located in Skåne County (also called “Scania” in English) in southern Sweden. (Skåne County is also home to one of Sweden’s largest cities, Malmö, which was the host city for the Eurovision that Robin would represent his home country in. More on that shortly.) Although he is better known for his run on Idol, his music career actually started a few years earlier when he was a teenager. After winning a local singing contest in Malmö when he was 15, the following year he took part in an event in Stockholm (at the city’s Globe Arena) which resulted in him being selected as part of a four-member boy band called What’s Up!, which also included future Melfest winner Eric Saade as one of its original members. The band released four singles in its three or so years of existence, with the two charting singles both reaching the Top 20 in Sweden, although their debut single, “Go Girl!”, was the most successful, peaking at #5. The same year that original What’s Up! member Eric Saade won Melodifestivalen and represented Sweden at Eurovision in Düsseldorf would be the year that Robin decided to try and launch his own solo career on Idol.

Robin, aged 20 at this point, ended up auditioning for Idol 2011, performing “Who You Are” by Jessie J for the judges. He ended up getting through to the next round and made it all the way to the voting rounds. He was one of just five male contestants to make it into the Final 12 that season. Over the course of the Finals, Robin never landed in the Bottom 2, and ended up making it to the Finale (in fact, he was the only one of the Final 2 to avoid the Bottom 2 the entire season). In the Finale, he would end up losing to 16-year-old Amanda Fondell by just a 4% margin. It would not be the the last time that Stjernberg and Fondell would meet in competition.

Immediately following his Idol run, Stjernberg released his own version of the show’s winner’s single (or what fans like to call a “coronation song”), “All This Way”, but it did not chart. (Fondell’s version went all the way to #1 in Sweden.) He also released an album in January 2012 containing studio versions of the songs he’d performed on Idol 2011 called My Versions. The album debuted and peaked at #2.

Robin’s real break would come the following year, and a lot of eyes were on Sweden because in 2012 (the previous year) Loreen had brought Eurovision back to Sweden on the heels of her win in the 2012 Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan 🇦🇿. So, whoever won Melodifestivalen 2013 was going to be performing at Eurovision on home soil. (And, as it turns out, home soil for Robin would be pretty close to home, as the Contest would be hosted in Malmö, not far from his birth city of Hässleholm.) He would be competing with the song “You”. As it turned out, the girl he lost to on Idol, Amanda Fondell, would also be competing at Melodifestivalen as well, with the song “Dumb”. Unlike on Idol, though, they did not end up competing face-to-face, as Amanda was eliminated from the competition in her semifinal. While Robin did not qualify directly to the Final in his semifinal appearance, he did end up in the Andra Chansen, or “Second Chance” round. (Interestingly, Loulou Lamotte’s first appearance at Melodifestivalen ended with her elimination from the Andra Chansen round at this same edition.) After the two rounds of voting, “You” was one of two songs that survived the Andra Chansen round and advanced to the Final. In the Final, he ended up winning the International Jury Vote and came second in the Public Vote. What ended up deciding the Final in his favor that the song that ultimately finished in second, “Heartbreak Hotel” by Yohio, had won the Public Vote points by 28 points but had placed a dismal ninth in the Jury Vote (30 points to Robin’s 91). Thus, “You” became the first ever Andra Chansen song to go on to win Melodifestivalen.

Two months later would come Robin’s time to sing for Sweden on home soil, and as the host country’s entry Robin did not have to sing in a semifinal. So his one shot came in the Final, which had 26 countries taking part. At this time, points were awarded by a 50/50 combined system determined by average ranking amongst juries and televote. While Sweden finished 3rd in the jury rankings (getting an average ranking of 8.05), it finished a disappointing 18th in the televoting rankings (getting an average ranking there of 16.19), which sealed Sweden’s fate, finishing 14th overall with just 62 total points. The title ended up going to fellow Nordic country Denmark 🇩🇰, who got its third Eurovision win with “Only Teardrops” by Emmelie de Forest. (Although strangely enough, Emmelie has a connection to Sweden herself, as her father was Swedish.)

After Eurovision, Robin continued on with his solo career as a performer as well as becoming a successful songwriter, and managed to have another song of his compete on the Eurovision stage when Robin Bengtsson (who we met in Part Two), singing “I Can’t Go On” (co-written by Stjernberg) would bring Sweden a fifth place finish in 2017, its fourth straight top 5 finish (a streak that began in 2014, the year following Stjernberg’s participation). It was also part of a streak of 6 Top 10 finishes for Sweden, one that ended in 2021 (with our final Idol alum in this series). He also co-wrote “In the Middle”, which was The Mamas’ entry for Melodifestivalen 2021 (which ultimately did not result in a third Melfest win for the group). Stjernberg continues to write and record music and has also become a record producer for artists both in and outside of Sweden.

Tusse (Tousin Chiza)

In order to understand Tusse’s story, we first have to understand the history of the country where he was born. This is by no means a complete history, but I want to summarize it as thoroughly as I can. If you’d like to learn more about the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I suggest you read Congo: The Epic History of a People by David van Reybrouck. Van Reybrouck himself is Belgian, but he made many trips to Congo-Kinshasa (to differentiate it from the Republic of the Congo, whose capital is Brazzaville and is sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville) and interviewed many Congolese people to learn about their history from their own perspective. It’s very long but quite comprehensive.

Tousin Michael Chiza (better known by his nickname Tusse) was born on New Year’s Day 2002 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 🇨🇩, a country in Central Africa that during the European colonial period was first a personal property of Leopold II, King of the Belgians, called (somewhat ironically) the Congo Free State. After numerous atrocities against the Congolese people under his watch came to light, Leopold II ceded control of the colony to the Belgian government, who ran it as the Belgian Congo until it gained independence in the early 1960s. After Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was deposed and executed, Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (later known as Mobutu Sese Seko) took control of the country, eventually declaring himself President for Life and renaming it Zaire in the early 1970s. He ran it as a dictatorship until 1997. Mobutu’s government had already begun weakening in the early 1990s (in addition to the dictatorship, the country also had internal regional conflicts and economic decline), but the Rwandan Genocide two years earlier caused much political instability in the eastern part of Zaire (where the Genocide had spilled over into), which resulted in Rwanda invading in 1996. This was the opening salvo in what became known as the First Congo War, which lasted around 6 months from October 1996 to May 1997. The war resulted in Mobutu’s overthrow (although by this point Mobutu was terminally ill and he would die in exile in Morocco in September 1997). Laurent-Désiré Kabila took over as President and the name was changed back to its original name at independence, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Laurent-Désiré Kabila himself would be assassinated in 2001, and his son Joseph took over as President, which he remained until 2019. The country’s current President is Félix Tshisekedi.)

While the end of the First Congo War came quickly, it did not resolve the tensions that led to it, and only a year after the First Congo War ended, the Second Congo War began. It was during this war that Tusse was born. And although that war ended when he was about a year and a half old, violence continued (and actually still does continue) in parts of the country, and Tusse was not spared from it. When he was five years old, Tusse and his aunt fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo for Uganda and lived in a refugee camp there for three years. In 2010, at just 8 years old, Tusse and his aunt were finally able to leave war-torn Central Africa for the much more peaceful Sweden. At thirteen, he moved in with a family in the Swedish village of Kullsbjörken, located in central Sweden near cities like Falun and Borlänge. Three years later, in 2018, he auditioned for the Swedish talent show Talang 2018 (the Swedish version of Got Talent) under his full name, Tousin Chiza. Although he was eliminated from that competition in the semifinals, it did not kill his dreams of becoming a singer.

The following year, he decided to make another go at a singing competition, this time auditioning for Idol 2019 at the age of 17. He auditioned with “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars. He easily advanced from his semifinal and got into the Final 12. Over the course of the competition, he ended up in the bottom 2 just once (at the final 5), and on 6 December 2019 he was declared the winner over Freddie Liljegren. Immediately following the competition, he released his debut single “Rain”, which only managed to peak at #63 on the Swedish singles chart, but he’d left an impression on the producers of Melodifestivalen, and they offered him an invitation to participate whenever he felt ready. He didn’t take part in the 2020 edition, but when 2021 came around, he was ready.

It was announced he’d be performing “Voices”. Tusse’s first performance at Melodifestivalen was in the competition’s third semifinal round of four, which he ended up winning by about 650,000 votes (semifinal rounds are conducted solely by public voting) over past Eurovision winner Charlotte Perelli (who won in 1999 singing “Take Me to Your Heaven” under her maiden name Charlotte Nilsson), and both of them advanced directly to the Final. At the Melodifestivalen 2021 Final a few weeks later, he ended up winning both the Jury and Televote, the latter of which he won decisively by about 1.4 million votes over The Mamas (who had finished second in the Televote and third overall; Eric Saade was the runner-up in the combined total points), and Tusse garnered nearly 3 million votes alone.

Unlike Robin Stjernberg, Tusse and “Voices” were going to have to qualify from a semifinal if Sweden wanted to make the Grand Final at Eurovision 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱. His turn came in the First Semifinal. After all the votes were counted and verified, he’d scored well enough to get Sweden into the Grand Final. (After the Contest, it was revealed Sweden had finished 7th in that Semifinal with 142 points, a little over half of semifinal winner Malta’s 🇲🇹 total.) In the Final, Tusse performed second-to-last, but the prime performance spot was not enough to get Sweden to the Top 10, and in fact the country scored fewer points in the Final, 109, than it did in the semifinal. Under the current split voting system in place (two sets of points awarded, highest combined total wins), Sweden finished 11th in the Televote and 17th in the Jury vote. Sweden placed 14th overall and it marked the first time since Robin Stjernberg’s appearance 8 years (and 7 Contests…remember, there was no 2020 Contest) that Sweden finished outside the Top 10.

On the positive side, Tusse did manage to score his first number one single on the Swedish singles chart with “Voices”, and managed to chart in a few other countries after the Contest as well. It’s been less than a year since his Eurovision moment, but Tusse continues to perform and has also become well known in Sweden and the Eurofandom at large for his unique and eclectic fashion sense. Hopefully the future ahead of him is bright and full of great success!

So…with that, we have met all seven Idol Sweden alums to have gone on to win Melodifestivalen and perform for Sweden on the Eurovision stage!

What’s Next?

As of early February, several people connected to Idol Sweden are taking part in Melodifestivalen 2022. Anna Bergendahl and Robin Bengtsson are both making returns hoping for another Melfest win. Former Idol winners Lisa Ajax (who won season 10 in 2014) and Liamoo (who won season 12 in 2016) are both making returns looking for their first Melfest win. John Lundvik (who Loulou Lamotte and The Mamas sang backup for in 2019) is back, this time without The Mamas and performing in Swedish. And even Idol judge Anders Bagge is joining in on the Melfest fun. (Fun fact: Bagge co-wrote Azerbaijan’s 🇦🇿 2012 entry, its title defense, “When the Music Dies” by Sabina Babayeva. It managed to give the host nation a 4th place finish.)

Could any one of them end up winning Melodifestivalen? We’ll find out on 12 March.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this series of posts! This took me several months to draft and finish. I had initially planned to run these last summer, but life happened and they fell by the wayside. I then decided to try and get these ready in time to post for Melodifestivalen and post them on the Saturdays during which the competition was running.

[kardanadamyoutube]

American Truck Simulator - Seyir Noktaları - Butler County Sınırı - 4K

@KardanAdam4   YouTUBE Please Visit and Subscribe Thanks

#EuroTruckSimulator2 #ETS2 #ETS2Jp #volvo #scania #renault #man #iveco #criminal #criminalcase #pacificbay #grimsborough #mysterious #conspiracy #savetheworld #candy #candycrush #candycrushsoda #candycrushjelly #nature #animal #slitherio #serseri #dayislither #rosa #SerseriDenmarkLOVE #blossom #saga #kardan #adam #kardanadam #youtube #shorts #Serseri - #Slitherio #shortsfeed #blossom #BusWorld #CruisingTheBalkans #shortsvideo #shortvideo #shorts #short #shortsyoutube #shortsviral

[rvexillology]

Flag map of European subdivisions - Day 25: Russia/Central

from /r/vexillology Top comment: I am making a flag map of European subdivisions. Every day, I will add a new country. Today's country is Russia. Russia is so large, that I will have to do federal districts instead of the whole of Russia at the same time. **Please avoid debating the status of disputed areas.** FAQ: **Which tools do you use?** The background map is here: https://mapchart.net/europe-detailed.html. I did some minor changes to the boundaries (removed or added) with Paint and Photopea. I use https://photopea.com to add the flags to the map. Currently, most flags are from Wikipedia. I might need to use this page for some countries: https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/x-sub.html It appears that many of you are interested in how I make this map. I might make a tutorial video at some point. **How will you make X country?** You will see... :-) However, I'm happy to see advice on more "irregular" areas. **Wow, X country is really dense, good luck...** I might simplify the borders if it works better. I cannot go as small as I want, as I'm limited by the resolution of the background map. Please do not have too high expectations about places with lots of subdivisions. I will simplify them, don't get disappointed. **Why did you use the old French regions/Norwegian counties?** Contrary to the modern ones, they (most of them) have proper flags. Also, they technically still exist as NUTS regions. **Why didn't you use provinces for Belgium?** I use the highest-level subdivision for each country that still has flags. This means provinces for the Netherlands and regions for Belgium. Also, as far as my research went, Belgian regions are much more important than provinces. **Why is only Kaliningrad included from Russia?** I wanted to avoid having gaps. When I will come to Russia, I will do a federal district each day. All of Russia would be too much for a single day. **Why did you use the unofficial flag for Scania?** Based on my poll about French regions, you seem to prefer unofficial, but popular flags over official, but barely used flags. I stuck to your wish for Sweden as well. **Why did you fill up the IJsselmeer?** It was already filled on the original map from MapChart. **Why are the Swiss flags incorrect?** They are correct - for some cantons, the CoA and the flag have different orientations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_and_arms_of_cantons_of_Switzerland **Why did you use the four countries of the UK instead of the counties?** Not all counties have flags. (See [this flag map](https://images.app.goo.gl/v8dRL2bU2QCWRz9AA).) I tried an alternative solution, but the backlash made me reconsider my opinion.