#100 Things To Do In Belgium

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

The Cranberries - Zombie 1994

"Zombie" is a protest song by Irish alternative rockband the Cranberries. It was written by the lead singer, Dolores O'Riordan, about the young victims of a bombing in Warrington, England, during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The song was released on 19 September 1994 as the lead single from the Cranberries' second studio album, No Need to Argue. While the record label feared releasing a too controversial and politically charged song as a single, "Zombie" reached number 1 on the charts of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and Iceland, and spent nine consecutive weeks at number 1 on the French SNEP Top 100. It reached number 2 on the Ö3 Austria Top 40, where it stayed for eight weeks. The song did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart as it wasn't released as a single there, but it reached number 1 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. Listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J voted it number 1 on the 1994 Triple J Hottest 100 chart, and it won the Best Song Award at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards.

The Troubles were a conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to 1998. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), an Irish republican paramilitary organisation, waged an armed campaign to end British rule in Northern Ireland and unite the region with the Republic of Ireland. Republican and Unionist paramilitaries killed more than 3,500 people, many from thousands of bomb attacks. One of the bombings happened on 30 March 1993, as two IRA improvised explosive devices hidden in litter bins were detonated in a shopping street in Warrington, England. Two people; Johnathan Ball, aged 3, and Tim Parry, aged 12, were killed in the attack. 56 people were injured. Ball died at the scene of the bombing as a result of his shrapnel-inflicted injuries, and five days later, Parry lost his life in a hospital as a result of head injuries. O'Riordan decided to write a song that reflected upon the event and the children's deaths after visiting the town: "We were on a tour bus and I was near the location where it happened, so it really struck me hard – I remember being devastated about the innocent children being pulled into that kind of thing. So I suppose that's why I was saying, 'It's not me' – that even though I'm Irish it wasn't me, I didn't do it. Because being Irish, it was quite hard, especially in the UK when there was so much tension." The song was re-popularised in 2023 after it was played after Ireland games at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. It was picked up by fans of the Irish team, with videos of fans singing the song in chorus accumulating hundreds of thousands of views on social media. This offended other Irishmen, who identified it as an "anti-IRA" anthem, and said that that the lyrics failed to consider their experience during the Troubles.

The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, was filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the heart of the Troubles with real footage, and in Dublin. To record video footage of murals, children and British Army soldiers on patrol, he had a false pretext, with a cover story about making a documentary about the peace-keeping efforts in Ireland. Bayer stated that a shot in the video where an SA80 rifle is pointed directly at the camera is a suspicious British soldier asking him to leave, and that the IRA were keeping a close look at the shoot, given "the British Army come in with fake film crews, getting people on camera.” While "Zombie" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe and was A-listed on Germany's VIVA, the music video was banned by the BBC because of its "violent images", and by the RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster. Instead, both the BBC and the RTÉ opted to broadcast an edited version focusing on footage of the band in a live performance, a version that the Cranberries essentially disowned. Despite their efforts to maintain the original video "out of view from the public", some of the initial footage prevailed, with scenes of children holding guns. In March 2003, on the eve of the outbreak of the Iraq War, the British Government and the Independent Television Commission issued a statement saying ITC's Programme Code would temporarily remove from broadcast songs and music videos featuring "sensitive material", including "Zombie". Numerous media groups complied with the decision to avoid "offending public feeling", along with MTV Europe. Since it violated the ITC guidelines, "Zombie" was placed on a blacklist of songs, targeting its official music video. The censorship was lifted once the war had ended. In April 2020, it became the first song by an Irish group to surpass one billion views on Youtube.

"Zombie" received a total of 91% yes votes!

[milaisreading]

Hetalia AU

Yn: I really need a boyfriend-

Belgium: Fucking finally!! I have so many options ready for you!!

Yn: You do?

Belgium, who shows a pic of England: He is a real gentleman, and I heard he is rich

Yn: Well, I have money too...

Belgium:... Nevermind! France is very romantic and knows how to cook.

Yn: True... But, I don't know.

Belgium, showing a picture of Germany: No worries! The next one is Germany! He is very stable and responsible

Yn: Hmm...

Belgium, growing nervous as she shows a pic of Italy: H-he is very cute and sensitive.

Yn: Miss Hungary said he is gay for Germany...

Belgium: I seriously need you to stop hanging out with her... Moving on! Japan here can be very shy, but he is very honest and kind. Plus, he can give you a lot of cute things!

Yn: Oh! Yeah, he does have a lot of anime related things...

Belgium: Mhm! Also, China is a good option. He likes cooking and would treat you like a princess.

Yn: His cooking is nice...

Belgium: America can be quite immature at times, but his heart is in the right spot. And finally, Russia! He is a great protector, don't you think?

Yn: Now, I don't know anymore...

Belgium:...

Yn, sees another picture from the files: Who is that?

Belgium: That's Switzerland. But he doesn't want you. I don't know if he wants anyone-

Yn: Wait! Why doesn't he want me! Let me see his picture!

Belgium: Who cares, you have all these other options. Also, he is 5'7!

Yn: I don't care! I want him ♡_♡

Belgium:...

Belgium: Well, you will be 100% safe with him...

[the-vast-corner-of-the-galaxy]

BOLIVIA'S EMERGENCY SITUATION

Hi guys, I don't usually post stuff like this, but this is an actual emergency, and I need your help. As a Bolivian, I am morally obligated to share about this:

The rainforests in Bolivia are being consumed by violent wildfires that have been caused by human activity and drought. These wildfires have been happening for the past 4 years, but this year, they got to its highest peak.

More than 4 MILLION hectares of untouched rainforest have been consumed by the wildfires these past few weeks in the eastern region of Bolivia, which is more extensive that Belgium and Switzerland to put it on a scale. These devastating wildfires have burned MILLIONS of trees and plants, killed thousands of species of animals, and left people and animals alike without homes. Whole ecosystems have been completely consumed by the fires, which have (and will have) devastating environmental consequences.

So far, the air quality for over 4 regions is over 100 AQI, which is extremely contaminated air and is already damaging for people. Obviously, the areas that are closer to the wildfires have AQIs over 200, which is even more damaging for the environment.

Due to the fact that the Bolivian government and local authorities FAILED to do anything about wildfire control (they went as far as to pass laws that authorized industries and others to burn whatever the hell they wanted for agriculture in the 2010s), the citizens and private companies are the only ones taking an initiative to stop this devastating situation. Hundreds of volunteers are spread across the regions of Beni, Pando, Santa Cruz, and part of La Paz to stop the wildfires and rescue animals, and many campaigns have been started to donate money, medical supplies, food, water, tools, and other things to the volunteers and for the intensive care of animals.

That is why, I need your help so you can donate money if you are abroad. We need all the help we can get to save our rainforests and our ecosystems, because the consequences these disasters could have in the future are critical. Below this, I've linked some Go Fund Mes and QRs so you can donate if you are living outside of Bolivia.

If you cannot donate, at least be kind enough to share this post and/or the links to the donations.

Please help us save our country.

DONATE NOW

GO FUND ME FOR "STANDING RIVERS" IN USD

GO FUND ME FOR "STANDING RIVERS IN EUROS

QR from @ imagine_bo on Instagram

I will post more links and information about our current situation.

Please help us

-Lux <3

[thegeekcloud]

Boycott Eurovision: Yes or No?

There has been a lot of talk on boycotting Eurovision this year because of the Israeli participation and their qualification to the final. Behind everything of course is the subject of money.

MoroccanOil or however it's spelled is one of the biggest sponsors of the Eurovision Song Contest, not just this year but every year. And guess what country this company is from? You got it. It is therefore logical for audiences to boycott Eurovision by refusing to fund the competition in any way. That includes:

Streaming the competition

Buying merchandise

Attending

Voting

If the EBU is not funded then the profitability of having MoroccanOil as a sponsor (and Israel attending) will drop dramatically.

However.

One must keep in mind a few things:

"The big Five are the biggest sponsors which is why they are automatically qualified to the final". They literally keep 5 countries in the final to entice them to keep paying. IN fairness, this is not as much as you might think but still a substantial amount.

They already banned Russia - a country with an incredibly large amount of people (and therefore potential viewers)

The sponsored money has already been given. This is the money that mostly funds the contest.

The participating countries themselves pay a fee. A fee so big a LOT of Balkan countries can't afford!

Most of the money is used for the incredible staging and other events of the competition.

Boycotting Eurovision now in terms of keeping money away from the EBU doesn't really do much in truth. Go for it if you like. It doesn't hurt. But, watching the contest right now is not really gonna change much. A lot of people are already attending (tickets are like 1000 euro apparently btw).

It doesn't hurt, though it doesn't make much difference either to be completely honest with you. My advice is follow the instructions of your favourite artist. After all, this contest is not just about Israel but about them as well. They've all worked so hard and they've been asked to remove all political messages from their performances which is basically a violation of freedom of speech.

Protesting always helps though it is very hard to do IN the arena.

Voting would help if we were all to vote for one person. We all saw last year how Loreen took the crown from Kaarija even though he had like 1.5 times more public votes. And now, Joost is about to be disqualified (cause apparently he punched an Israeli representative who mocked Joost's dead father???). Not voting would basically mean Israel would win. Why?

Italy is not really a political ally of Israel (an example for that would be apology votes from Germany) yet they gave them 40% in the semi finals vote. 40%!?!?. Israel was not even that high on the trends yet they got 40%. But, at the same time, I do not know many people who watch the semi-finals so those who did are either die hard fans or, if those were protesting, people who explicitly watched for Israel.

The jury will 100% give a lot of votes to Israel. I don't like to say it but their song is EXACTLY the type of song they vote for. Another example might be Greece (they are trying something different from a musical point of view) or France (let's face it that man is an angel). I want to say Switzerland but I would also have said Belgium and look where we are. They SHOULD like Switzerland too. In any case the jury can do SERIOUS DAMAGE (again, why Sweeden won even if tHeY'rE nOt SoRrY tHeY wOn)

Governments can push the jury towards a specific result. We probably know where Belgium's 12 is not gonna go (they cut the broadcast) but this is for example a minister in greece:

IF the competition ends up going to Israel THEN the real boycott will matter cause it can start earlier. Prevention of countries participating for example. People not attending at all.

But the best result would be to prevent that all together. It doesn't help that Joost (Netherlands) did not perform today at the Jury show but his recording was shown.

That's all.

My advice is don't watch or don't watch israel to send a message but vote for either Greece, Italy, Croatia or Switzerland or all of the above. The Netherlands too if they participate cause even though I don't want the contest to go once again there Joost has fucking earned it.

Edit: the goal was for israel not to participate at all (and honestly Azerbaijan shouldn't either) but they did, they are, we're here now so...unless the artists themselves step down....

[aphimagining]

Could i get friendship headcanons for if your friends with belgium, spain, and romano? 🍅 trio

Belgium/Emma

Absolute 100% quality friend. She will answer your call at 2 am and will not hesitate to come running either.

Overall very sweet, and goes out of her way to make everyone feel important and special.

She's definitely a little bit of the "mom" friend. Yes she has pain meds in her purse, yes she DD's, and yes she checks to make sure you made it home safe.

Emma can be a little bossy, but it's definitely well meaning.

Spain/Antonio Fernandez Carriedo

The fun friend.

You wanna get wasted and dance on tables at the bar? Toni's down with that.

Toni is definitely the friend that can cheer anyone up. He's got a smile for everyone, and he's very good at pulling people out of a slump.

Can be a little protective. When he cares, he cares. Mess with his friends and there's going to be a problem.

Always good for a vent session. He can be a little chatty, but is equally good at listening.

South Italy/Lovino Vargas

Kind of standoffish at first.

He's not going to come to you, you're going to have to make nice with him.

Once you become friends with Lovi, he's a surprisingly sensitive guy. You cancelled plans? He's immediately thinking maybe you don't like him anymore. Definitely needs reassurance.

While he can be a little bit of a high maintenance friend, I do think that he's worth the work. He's super loyal and will always have your back.

I can see him being an amazing gift giver as well. He's a little more observant than people give him credit for, and he uses that to do subtle things to make his friends happy.

-Admin K.

[monzamash]

yeah, like i don't think lando is out here being an actual trump supporter or anything. and he's definitely not the socialist king i'd want him to be either lmao

and i mean, i doubt his answer would've been different if it'd been rishi sunak, the king of belgium or... joe biden. it's standard PR talk, but it's the fact that it's about someone as disgusting as trump that makes it so jarring and sickening to hear

"he's definitely not the socialist king i'd want him to be either" might be the best sentence i have ever been sent i love you haha

i think we do hold people to a high standard when it comes to social issues and politics (i know i do) which i think is a good thing but sometimes we have to step back and realise that not everyones on our level, some people have no interest in knowing whats going on in the world or their world view is super small. i think about my professional footballer friend who would 100% say the same thing as lando - he has no fkn idea about anything remotely political and that's his choice to be ignorant.

it is really jarring when you hear those kinds of comments about that demon and i'm fully with you on that, actually makes me skin crawl but it all boils down to intention and i know that my friend and lando aren't being malicious when they say it (imo) so thats how i sort of move through the world without losing my mind lol ✨

[feybeasts]

What was the most common issued firearm after WWII?

Depends on who was backing you. By sheer numbers, the AK-pattern, specifically the AKM and Chinese Type 56 rifles take the cake-

a hundred and fifty million AKs of all stripes have been produced the world over, it's a common enough rifle type to be on some flags. However- you asked issued, not "handed out like candy", so a close competitor would be the good ol' AR-pattern rifle-

Despite what pop culture likes to regurgitate, an "AR-style rifle" isn't just any assault rifle, but derivatives of the Armalite AR-15, like the M16A1 above. Once teething issues were sorted out (which the AK had plenty of too- believe me, if I was dispelling the myths of the AK versus M16, I'd be here all week,) it was handed out pretty much to every US ally that asked.

Of course, it's easy to think these two types were it, but we tend to miss the elephant in the room when talking about commonly-issued infantry rifles in the cold war-

The FN FAL. Produced originally in Belgium and then licensed to just about every European power, it was produced in the Commonwealth as the L1, Canada as the C1, the Stg. 58 in Switzerland, and dozens of others all over the world. Its moniker, the "Right Arm of the Free World," is dubious- to say the least, but it most certainly was THE rifle of western and many unaligned powers throughout the cold war.

As an aside for sheer numbers- do you know what the most produced firearm of all time is after every AK pattern? And in many ways it is MORE produced than the AK, if we ignore things like the AK-74 or derivatives, which were themselves more radical departures than any variant of this rifle?

The Mauser G 98- later KAR 98. High estimates place it somewhere in the 100 million produced range since 1898, and it's still the pattern from which most bolt-action rifles today are derived. Though not a product of the Cold War itself, it holds a special distinction as a rifle that still saw service throughout, and it was often these rifles that the more modern offerings were replacing.

[tetsunabouquet]

House Of Anubis: How the OG Dutch/Belgium show was butchered in its adaptation by Nickelodeon Part 1: Mick & Fabian

Given ATLA and Percy Jackson have gotten butchered again, I have decided to finally open my mouth about my favorite children's tv show: Het Huis Anubis. I am making this in several parts, because god this show was done dirty by Nickelodeon- especially the English adaptation. Today, we will go over exhibit A, Mick and Fabian and how they as individuals were butchered and their bromance was scrapped - all due to Nickelodeon's homophobia because OG Fabian's actor, Lucien van Geffen, came out as a gay man after the show ended. 1. Let's start with the most obvious thing: the boys appearance. Fabian is way cuter and way less nerdy looking in the English adaptation. The dude became Prom King for crying out loud. In the OG, whilst Fabian was cute, he was so in an overtly nerdy way and the idea of him becoming Prom King at all would have been an obvious prank. Mick was the dumb jock, the pretty boy of the cast who got played by a model. As a bisexual, this was the show that would get me bi-panicking because of Mick and Nienke (Nina in the English adaptation). 2. The aforementioned stereotyping was actually part of what made the bromance work. Because stereotypes are easier to understand for younger children and their contrasting stereotypes were written in such a beautiful way as they saw each other's value. Because in the OG, Mick has a lot of things going for him and he has a heart of gold but he has a dream he cannot accomplish being the dumb pretty boy he is but Fabian can. Because in the OG, Mick has a blind younger sister that he would like to cure more then anything but knows he's too dumb for medicine school unlike Fabian. He also knows Fabian is more courageous then he is and sees him as someone with lots of valuable traits whereas Fabian values Mick's loyalty and good, friendly nature as one of the show's primary himbo's. Their stereotypes allowed kids to understand each stereotype came with valuable traits. It's okay if you're a nerd or a jock. 3. MICK NEVER LEFT. Mick always remained the ignorant himbo walking around the house as his friends were busy dealing with cults. He was the breath of fresh air that brought normalcy throughout the show with his romance drama. Though he was ignorant of what they were doing, it's not like Mick was 100% oblivious throughout the entire show. For crying out loud Fabian had to fake his death at one point, with no one knowing he was still alive. Who was the one Fabian went to so he could say he was still alive? Mick. Really, a secret handshake is in no way on the same level as only telling your best friend you are still alive. 4. Which brings me to another character that never left: Nienke! Unlike her English counterpart Nina, Nienke remained as the leader of the Sibuna gang throughout the show with Fabian being the healthy kind of boyfriend who never felt like he had to take leadership away from her or anything. I swear in regards to Fabian in the English adaptation, they tried to hard to make a more alpha male version of Fabian. He's hotter, he gets more girls, he gets to be the leader and more. There is literal evidence they had toxic masculinity in mind: its Fabian falling to the sin of Pride in the show. Whilst the English adaptation was only faithful to the first season, the 7 deadly sins do show up in the first Anubis movie where Nienke is kidnapped by the antagonist. OG Fabian is literally the first person to win from all 7 deadly sins with the sin he ALMOST succumbs to being wrath as his friends and Nienke were about to die. Fabian was the virtuous knight in that movie and they actively made him more prideful in the English adaptation. Why would they change his relationship with Nienke and things like this, if it wasn't to make Fabian seem more masculine and whatnot because Lucien being gay emasculates Fabian in the eyes of Nickelodeon. For fuck's sake, Lucien was literally chosing to stay in the closet during the show because the ship was HUGE. He didn't wanted to break all of the little children's hearts by saying he was gay. Lucien was gracious 100%!

[mapsontheweb]

Map of European Road Curve Chevron Signs

by u/isaacSW

Not sure if something like this has been done before but I’ve put together a map showing the colour schemes used on the chevron signs used on road curves throughout Europe (this is the sort of thing I’m talking about). I think it could be quite powerful in some areas, like the Balkans and central Europe, where they are quite common and the colours vary a lot from country to country.

This won’t be 100% accurate, and I’m sure you will be able to find counterexamples, but I have checked multiple signs in each country and it appears to be a fairly reliable clue. If you do find anything I’ve missed, let me know and I will update the map and post the link below. Here is a list of observations I’ve made while making this map, with example locations.

Notes:

The white colour is often substituted for luminous green/yellow in high altitude/latitude areas (example). Austria and Montenegro have their yellow variants shown on the map as they appear to greatly outnumber the corresponding white variants. The yellow colour on south-facing signs will often fade to near-white.

Some countries will add a luminous yellow outline to the signs rather than replacing the white (generally in high altitude/latitude areas). Some countries that do this are: Italy, Romania, Hungary, Russia, the UK, Belgium and Turkey.

Most countries will also have a long variant of the curve chevron sign (example). This should be the same colour scheme as the single-chevron signs, however it may be less obvious which is the ‘background’ and which is the ‘chevron’ colour.

Notable Countries:

Spain uses both the white-on-blue and white-on-black interchangeably. It is always the long variant (as far as I can tell), and the colour distribution does not seem to vary by geographic location. (blue example, black example)

Montenegro uses the red-on-yellow (example) and black-on-white (example) signs in roughly equal amounts (no real correlation with geography), with some lower areas near the coast using the red-on-white variant (example), however this is much less common than the red-on-yellow.

Slovenia uses mainly the black-on-white variant (example), however areas around Ljubljana and Koper (and maybe other areas) use the red-on-white variant (example).

Austria uses the red-on-yellow and white-on-red frequently in the upland areas. They are also often found with a pattern of a few reds then a yellow (example), which appears to be unique to the country. The lowland areas may also use the red-on-white variant.

The Netherlands often uses a miniature variant (example)

Russia and Ukraine use the long variant quite frequently, which also sometimes appears in the Baltics (possibly other ex-soviet regions too). The single variant also has more background colour visible compared to other countries (example). It also often has a white outline.

North Macedonia has red-on-white and black-on-white variants, though the black ones appear to be less common.

Frequency:

Countries that use a lot of roadside bollards tend to use fewer curve chevron signs.

Rare in Andorra, Finland and Denmark.

Fairly uncommon in: Baltics, Sweden, Iceland, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg.

Fairly common in: Norway, UK/Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, and flatter areas of the Balkans.

Very common in: the Austrian Alps, mountainous areas of the Balkans, and Turkey.

[no-passaran]

As environmental, social and humanitarian crises escalate, the world can no longer afford two things: first, the costs of economic inequality; and second, the rich. Between 2020 and 2022, the world’s most affluent 1% of people captured nearly twice as much of the new global wealth created as did the other 99% of individuals put together, and in 2019 they emitted as much carbon dioxide as the poorest two-thirds of humanity. In the decade to 2022, the world’s billionaires more than doubled their wealth, to almost US$12 trillion. The evidence gathered by social epidemiologists, including us, shows that large differences in income are a powerful social stressor that is increasingly rendering societies dysfunctional. For example, bigger gaps between rich and poor are accompanied by higher rates of homicide and imprisonment. They also correspond to more infant mortality, obesity, drug abuse and COVID-19 deaths, as well as higher rates of teenage pregnancy and lower levels of child well-being, social mobility and public trust. Bullying among schoolchildren is around six times as common in more-unequal countries. The homicide rate in the United States — the most unequal Western democracy — is more than 11 times that in Norway. Imprisonment rates are ten times as high, and infant mortality and obesity rates twice as high. These problems don’t just hit the poorest individuals, although the poorest are most badly affected. Even affluent people would enjoy a better quality of life if they lived in a country with a more equal distribution of wealth, similar to a Scandinavian nation. They might see improvements in their mental health and have a reduced chance of becoming victims of violence; their children might do better at school and be less likely to take dangerous drugs. The costs of inequality are also excruciatingly high for governments. For example, the Equality Trust, a charity based in London, estimated that the United Kingdom alone could save more than £100 billion ($126 billion) per year if it reduced its inequalities to the average of those in the five countries in the OECD that have the smallest income differentials — Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands. And that is considering just four areas: greater number of years lived in full health, better mental health, reduced homicide rates and lower imprisonment rates. Many commentators have drawn attention to the environmental need to limit economic growth and instead prioritize sustainability and well-being. Here we argue that tackling inequality is the foremost task of that transformation. Greater equality will reduce unhealthy and excess consumption, and will increase the solidarity and cohesion that are needed to make societies more adaptable in the face of climate and other emergencies. (...)

The scientific evidence is stark that reducing inequality is a fundamental precondition for addressing the environmental, health and social crises the world is facing. It’s essential that policymakers act quickly to reverse decades of rising inequality and curb the highest incomes. First, governments should choose progressive forms of taxation, which shift economic burdens from people with low incomes to those with high earnings, to reduce inequality and to pay for the infrastructure that the world needs to transition to carbon neutrality and sustainability. (...) International agreements to close tax havens and loopholes must be made. Corporate tax avoidance is estimated to cost poor countries $100 billion per year — enough to educate an extra 124 million children and prevent perhaps 8 million maternal and infant deaths annually. (...) Bans on advertising tobacco, alcohol, gambling and prescription drugs are common internationally, but taxes to restrict advertising more generally would help to reduce consumption. Energy costs might also be made progressive by charging more per unit at higher levels of consumption. Legislation and incentives will also be needed to ensure that large companies — which dominate the global economy — are run more fairly. For example, business practices such as employee ownership, representation on company boards and share ownership, as well as mutuals and cooperatives, tend to reduce the scale of income and wealth inequality. (...)

More in-depth explanation for the reasons behind the fragment I've included in this post can be found in the article linked above, as well as the sources for all the claims.

[kleefkruid]

So, as I am making a print (stickers, maybe cards and other little prints) every month of this year anyway, I could start a patreon now?

It would be about 5 euro(dollar?) a month and you'd get a snail mail letter for it, postage included, with a sticker and maybe something else hand made.

I could add some general perks like digital content, like an illustration you can go print yourself or icons etc, repeatable flash tattoo sheets, a list of all materials and brands I use, previews, requests...

and as always with a patreon it can grow with the amount of users where if I hit a certain number of subscribers I could afford multiple prints or more fancy materials... but even at this level you're already saving money as opposed to just straight buying a sticker bc I am giving you a discount on shipping (unless you live in Belgium where the shipping is cheaper than international, I'd make sure Belgians get something extra to get the same value out of it)

I do feel a bit anxious about starting up the whole thing bc having a patreon with like 3 subscribers feels a bit silly but it's not like I'll ever be able to instantly start with a 100 people that's just how it goes right

Anyways if you're interested let me know but also if you're subscribed/were subscribed to a simillar patreon concept I'd really appreciate some tips about what perks drew you in to subscribe so I can emulate it. :)

[darkmessiah2000]

My OC Backstory Part 3:

(I switched back and forth calling Naomi Jordan later on but just remember their the same person)

Jordan would travel this strange new world with this Monk, learning things about humans, both good and bad, learning the different faiths practiced by those who live in The Holy Land, The Monk of always been opened minded and engaged with people of other faiths, (Hebrews and Muslims alike) during his pilgrimage he took time to teach Jordan of his faith (Catholicism) which she took an interest of learning more along with the other faiths, after his Pilgrimage it was time for him to head home to his hermitage in Belgium, not far from Westmalle Abbey, Jordan began to love the old monk like a father, and the Monk saw Jordan as they daughter he never had, they lived happily together in that little hermitage, The Monk taught her and welcomed her into the Catholic faith (going so far as to baptize her) despite all this happiness, a dark feeling was lurking in Jordan’s heart, a feeling of vengeance against the monsters who took her mothers away from her, she made a vow to herself that one day she would return to Hell and train herself to face Adam & Satan once for all, of course she would tell these feelings to the monk who of course didn’t 100% agree with, as Vengeance belonged to the Lord, but he asked if she would be doing this for what was done to her, or to keep these monsters from destroying any more lives, Jordan had no answer to this. For the next 9 years they lived in peace, Jordan kept learning more about this World, and would love to explore it more, but one day The Monk got real sick, both he and Jordan knew that his time in this world would not be much longer, on his death bed, he told Jordan how he had lost his daughter and wife when he was young, and he had become a Monk, he had a gift for Jordan’s 18th birthday, a black cross necklace which she accepted with tears, he told her that he loved her and then he passed, now alone once again, Jordan and the other monks of Westmalle Abby gave him a proper burial, saying goodbye to her father figure, there was only one she could do now, return to Hell and began training, using her Asmodeus Crystal she opened a portal and returned for the first time in 9 years. When Naomi was young, her mothers had a very close friend (she didn’t realize it when she was young but more like very close friends with benefits) The Countess Alexandria Valentine, she was also a very powerful/beautful alchemist who Asmodeus had put in charge of creating Asmodeus Crystals (as well as regulating & licensing them) she and hundreds of other women were trained as warriors by Kali herself, known as the Vishakanya of Kali, if there was anyone could train her it was her.

(While the Lust Ring’s weather is usually dark and raining, Alexandria’s castle was located in the only part of the Lust Ring where the sun only shined, it still rained constantly but was a sun-shower type weather, also considered the most beautiful part of the Lust Ring)

When she arrived, Naomi was captured and brought before the Countess who wanted to know who this beautiful stranger was, Naomi told her she was the daughter of Kali & Brianna which Alexandria thought was lie, Naomi did manage convince Valentine of her linage much to the shock of the later, but while Alexandria was willing to train Naomi in the way of her mother, she felt that she would need to a different form of training, so she gave Naomi a task travel the human world and learn their ways of fighting, after all Kali spent thousands of years amongst them fighting, if there is anyone who she could truly learn the art of war from it’s humanity.

[sapphyreopal5]

Sapphyreopal5 Index 5

This Index page is dedicated to my anti Gen and anti Jarevieve posts. I'm anti Genevieve for multiple reasons, which has nothing to do with jealousy or some other silly emotional reason like this.

She is extremely inconsistent in what she stands for. Are you an environmentally friendly homestead mom, wife and actress (definitely is one but not as much on TV anymore), or are you an influencer who encourages people to buy "environmentally friendly" brands to line your pocket?

I am 100% certain she's into witchcraft and has conjured for Jared and to have his children from the beginning, please see the posts I've linked to of mine below explaining why this is. I don't think witchcraft is evil so to speak but if you ask me, when you start conjuring to gain a specific person as your spouse, that's black magic territory.

There's no way I can take her seriously as a so called influencer. She tries to make herself out to be quite relatable as a busy mom... but in multiple ads and posts you can see a nanny showing up. Don't sit there and tell me Gen does all that laundry herself or cleans that giant house herself, because I can guarantee you she barely lifts a finger to keep that house clean.

I also can't take her seriously as an influencer because she has no sense of brand loyalty. She makes her ads making you all believe she actually uses these products on the regular. All you gotta do is go look on her Instagram and go look at her Wellness and Beauty Instastories she archived on her page. You will see the lack of brand loyalty she has. Sorry honey, you can't convince me you use any of those products on the regular. You rotate what ones you do and don't use on the regular. Show me some brand loyalty and prove you look great without filters, then I'll be more convinced the products you use actually work.

I think she overshares things with her kids. I don't care about an occasional school first day picture or whatever. I do care when kids get involved/exploited for any influencer's ads or shares photos/videos when they are at a low moment or feeling vulnerable. I have a lot less respect for most of these mommy blogger types who have nothing else to talk about (and spend most of their day on social media). Don't make being a mom your entire personality for God's sake, have other interests besides your children!

She comes across as fake nice to me. I don't believe she cares for Jared at all based on analyzing body language between them in panels, interviews, etc. (especially clear on her part). Listen, I wish I could believe they're happy. I wish I could believe everyone was happily married, I REALLY DO! But, I don't for good reasons.

I will say this. If you don't like my stuff or even me, that's totally cool! We can't all like each other or even agree with each other. I do ask if you are going to debate my stuff, stick to the point. No need to be an asshole and turn mean about it. I've been blocked by some people for calling them out and I'm fine with this. I don't really attack people, I attack their arguments. Have fun reading!

Anti Jarevieve

She likes to be married for the perks, that's it guys!

And it's for their status

Warning Gen & Jared Tarot Reading

Jared Gen Questions (Warning Tarot Reading Pt 2)

Apple Podcast Bathroom Chronicles- Thoughts

No longer soulmates

I've Never Said This Before Tommy DiDario Podcast Episode 48

Jared thinks he doesn't deserve real love?

Is it parenting great though?

Wolves, 3, 4, 11, Walker and The Prophecy

2024 Belgium Trip and Witchcraft: 2015 History Repeating Itself?

Did Gen possibly tell the press over 9 years ago Jared went to the clinic?

Body Language Guys

Pulling away kisses/misses

Who gives the donkeys all this extra attention?

"In this moment, my daughter, Jared's girlfriend, is hugging his wife", Arlo the therapy dog steps in as Jared is clearly uncomfortable after overbearing, creepy mom's comment

What do we have here???

Sandy and Gen My Ride or Die: Copycat?

Nanny speaks out

* fake or "fake" because you don't like it?

Italy 2024 "Family Fun Vacation"- Stuck or What?

Jared in Geneva while Gen in Venice

Met up a day earlier than I expected

Hooters 2021 LOL

Anti Genevieve

Atlanta Comic Con Panel Reading Answer Criticism

Dave Hollis Episode 119 Podcast

Gen profits off of Jared's face (but we already knew that!)

Gen "wants to represent the family well" but "we take on different kids on different schedules"

Just can't with the crunchy mommy blogs exploiting their children

Gen oversharing Shep and Jared moment

was Shep upset here?

Can't handle sister's crisis, so makes pregnancy status her crisis

Does Gen read the blogs (including mine, oh my!)?

Sure seems like she's reading them

Liar Liar, Pants on Fire (Inconsistencies!)

July photoshoot at the ranch ('cause your hair ain't long anymore sweetie)

TOWWN post 9/14/2024 "Don't Buy Shit You Don't Need" No. 4 (Skincare haul, 'cause Gen likes to have a 7 step skincare routine)

But are you actually grain free?

Cancelled Dragon Con 2024

Is she sick?

Working out hard less than a week after announced being sick

No clue how to resolve allergy face my ass! Zyrtec allergy ad from 2018

Mono vs Flu

Gen into witchcraft?

Astrology Chart Partial Analysis (Black Magic)

Nice try, this No Nom ad was shot weeks ago 'cause your hair was just done sweetheart, remember?

Sexual libido supplement showing up yet again (want me to redo your astrology chart Gen?)

Black Magic Confirmed

Seems time is coming up

Fowl Play?

Please do a video on her and Dee doing black magic?

Apophis Asteroid: 4/13/2029 Payment Due Date for Black Magic?

Liar, liar, pants on fire

Why I don't like HER doing witchcraft

[randomvarious]

Technotronic - "Pump Up the Jam" 1989 House / Hip-House / Eurodance / New Beat / Eurohouse

Here we go, folks; it's the big one. Belgian dance project Technotronic's legendary debut single, 1989's "Pump Up the Jam," is, whether you like it or not, one of the most important songs in the history of music. And that's because it was the *very first* house track to ever *massively* cross over onto the American pop charts, managing to peak at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, while also dominating many other charts across the globe as well. And in retrospect, as far as the music itself went, it wasn't really anything all that new; but for people who were completely unaware of the underground house tracks that had been pumping out of Chicago since the mid-80s, this song sounded like it could have been shot out of a cannon from Neptune, before incidentally puncturing our very own troposphere. Like, do you know what the #1 song in all of America was when this thing hit its eventual peak in January of 1990? Michael Bolton's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You." So, imagine getting bludgeoned by that literal one-two punch on your contemporary hit radio station in the dead of winter thirty-three years ago. Nothing like that had *ever* happened before.

Now, yesterday I got into Technotronic's biggest ever controversy, which was that the lycra-clad girl in the iconically curious and candy-colored music video, who was the same person that appeared exclusively in the group's album art, and who also even went on TV multiple times to perform the group's lone hit herself, was actually a lip-syncing model named Felly who didn't even speak any English. But I'm not going to be relitigating much of that in this post today.

What I am going to be doing, however, is digging into how this track itself came to be made, because there really is quite a long and interesting backstory to it, and it doesn't even begin with anyone who was actually in Technotronic.

See, the tale of how "Pump Up the Jam" first came to fruition actually starts in Chicago in 1988, with this house track here by the legendary Farley "Jackmaster" Funk called "The Acid Life." Trip on this tune and you'll immediately hear where Technotronic derived one of the most recognizable intros in the history of contemporary music from:

The rippling rhythm of the acid bass pulsations? And the idea to set them between incessantly rattling, pressure-cooked hi-hats too? All of this was actually Farley's invention. Crazy, right?

Now, as far as I can tell, Farley was never officially credited on any of Technotronic's own records as a songwriter for "Pump Up the Jam," but according to a very informative Google-Translated Belgian article I was able to find, he still did end up receiving gains from it 🤘.

But this was really just a starting point for the song. After its first few bars, producer Jo Bogaert would end up taking his tune in a very different direction from that of Farley's. And the first sign was the little taste of string synth that he gave that would later go on to define a piece of Technotronic's own sound.

Now, Jo Bogaert had already become something of a successful musician in Belgium before he'd ever even met the other members of Technotronic. He was a pioneer of this genre that was pretty much only popular in Belgium called new beat, with a trio of hits between '87 and '88 that were released under the moniker of Nux Nemo: "Hiroshima," "Chinatown," and "Asian Fair."

But at a certain point, his productions would end up seeing diminishing returns from the record-buying public, and, as a result, his own label, Clip Records, had found itself struggling too. Bogaert had another idea though, and it was fueled by Farley "Jackmaster" Funk's "Acid Life." He, like so many other European musicians, had a dream of actually breaking big in America. And he would end up using part of an American record to actually do it.

So, with his near-reproduction of the open from "The Acid Life" to kick off his own tune, he ended up cobbling together a similar pair of raw, absolute stompers and pressing them to a 12-inch. Both tracks sampled some dialogue from Eddie Murphy's Delirious set, and under the alias of Pro 24's, Bogaert would title this record...wait for it... "Technotronic."

And these two tunes would end up serving as the blueprint for what would later become "Pump Up the Jam."

Now, "Technotronic" didn't do too badly in Belgium, but the CEO at one of the country's biggest labels, ARS Records, thought that it could maybe become a much bigger hit if Bogaert had agreed to make some changes to it. There was a fusion genre that set party rap lyrics to house beats that was gaining popularity in other countries called hip-house, and he thought Bogaert's song could be retooled into a smash if he followed that formula.

But creating a hip-house record would require the talents of a rapper, and Bogaert didn't seem to personally know any. However, he had heard from someone about this sixteen year-old biracial girl originally from Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) named Ya Kid K, who was in a crew called Fresh Beat Productions, and who also had her heart set on recording an album. And as Ya Kid K likes to half-jokingly put it herself, she also happened to be the *only* female black MC in all of Belgium at that time too 😅.

So Bogaert sent out demos to some Belgian rappers and, fortunately, Ya Kid K ended up answering his call. She would take about fifteen minutes to write some inanely hooky lines over his track and then it would take another twenty minutes to record the whole thing itself. The first words out of her mouth ended up being "pump up the jam," so that's what they decided to call their song. They could've called it something like "Make My Day" instead, given how many times that that line was repeated, but M/A/R/R/S had a pretty big hit in "Pump Up the Volume" a couple years prior too, so Bogaert and Ya Kid K were probably trying to chase some of that tune's glory as well.

Bogaert would then release the record on his own Clip label under the name of Technotronik and take it to ARS. And upon hearing it, they were very impressed, but they also said that if they were to pick up the record, the vocalist would also have to be the star, and Ya Kid K didn't want to be in a music video or on an album cover. So, without her knowledge, they went and enlisted Felly to fill those roles instead.

ARS then released the record, and a bunch of labels in other countries picked it up too, and then, miraculously, this song was everywhere. Finally, there was this throbbingly weird and super catchy house tune with a very boisterous vocal that was awkwardly commanding us all to have a good time on the dancefloor; and it came equipped with rap lyrics that you could easily anthemically chant and a beat that you could seriously dance your ass off to as well, as Felly and some other kid would put on display for us in the music video themselves. Clearly, ARS was onto something with their vision for this earworm.

Now, were there better produced house tracks out there than this one in 1989 and 1990? Unquestionably. But because it happened to be unleashed upon a public that was largely unaware of house music altogether, this is the one that just so happened to really break down the barrier that was continually keeping house separate from pop.

And not long after "Pump Up the Jam" conquered, Madonna would drop "Vogue," a song that really managed to successfully mesh pop with house, and even featured a spoken-word rap on it too. It's not to say that Madonna was directly influenced by "Pump Up the Jam" to cut her own house track, but the extremely wide acceptance of Technotronic's debut single over the prior handful of months appeared to lay the groundwork for "Vogue" to then subsequently reign as the undisputed song of the summer for 1990. The door for dance music to finally make its return to the American mainstream for the first time since disco had died had finally been opened, and this unexpected triumph from Belgium seems to be the one that really kickstarted the whole trend. Jo Bogaert's dream of making a big American hit had come true, and Madonna, who loved working out to "Pump Up the Jam" herself, would take his group on her Blonde Ambition world tour as the opening act, with Ya Kid K as Technotronic's rightful frontwoman.

More fun videos here.

[xanderisrotting]

Behind The Label: Cage Free Eggs

Welcome back to the 2nd issue of my series 'Behind The Label", where I debunk common labels that brands use to seem more eco-friendly and mislead the consumer. On this issue, we will discuss "cage-free" eggs, along with other labels like "free range". Before we get into the labels, let's set down some basics about the egg industry. I won't get too into the egg industry life cycle (I might make a different post), so I'll sum it up quickly. Male chicks are murdered, and females are sent to lay eggs for the rest of their lives, a life that is cut short after around 2 years when their egg-laying slows down. During their life, they're kept in battery cages with only around a sheet of paper of space for themself. This is where these labels come in to save the day. They're advertising less cruelty for these hens, but of course, this isn't the case. The term "Cage-free" simply means that the chicken is not confined to a battery cage, but that's it. Just because the hen is not confined doesn't mean her treatment is at all ethical. The space each cage-free hen has is between 1-1.25 square feet of floor space, which is barely bigger than the hen herself! So although they aren't caged, they're still crammed together indoors all day in an overcrowded and stressful environment. Now what about free range? Like cage-free eggs, this also doesn't mean anything. With no legal qualifications to carry the label, the manufacturer is not obligated to fair treatment. There are, however, animal welfare organizations that can grant these labels that can grant some clarity on the conditions. Certified Human sets the minimum amount of outside space per hen as 2 square feet. Now, these do not mitigate the other horrors of the egg industry. Cage-free and Free-range hens are still separated from their mothers before birth, their brothers are still murdered as a byproduct, and they are still murdered after 2 years. On a good note, many US states and even some countries in the UK, along with Western and Eastern Europe are working to ban battery cages. In Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Utah, caged eggs are banned, including imports. Finland, Sweden, and Norway are 100% cage-free, and the UK, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland are more than 80% cage-free as of 2023 (Courtesy of EggTrack 2023 Report) Of course, Cage-free is not cruelty-free, but it is a step in the right direction. No one deserves to live as a product, and by being an informed consumer who isn't tricked by unregulated labels, you can help these innocent lives.

Of course, the most ethical thing will be either not buying eggs, or buying from local farms. Hens lie eggs regardless of human interference, it's their menstrual cycle.

[lpvncnt]

* ◟ : 〔 TAMINO , CIS-MALE + HE / HIM 〕 PHILIP GOFFIN-VINCENT , some say you’re a TWENTY-SEVEN YEAR OLD lost soul among the neon lights. known for being both DOGGED and DEPRAVED, one can’t help but think of STRUGGLIN' by TRICKY, MARTINA TOPLEY-BIRD when you walk by. are you still a CLEANER, ACTIVE ASSASSIN at THE BORDERLINE HOTEL, RED EYE even with your reputation as THE GARGOYLE? i think we’ll be seeing more of you and STUPID SHOW-PONY HIGH ROLLER, PATIENT LIKE THE HYENA WAITS, GET IN YOUR CAR AND RUN ME OVER INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR OTHERS TO DO IT FOR YOU, YOU LAZY FOOL, although we can’t help but think of JONATHAN CRANE (DC COMICS) + ERIC DRAVEN (THE CROW) + JASON DEAN (HEATHERS) + ANTON CHIGURH (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) whenever we see you down these rainy streets.

FILE: LIP VINCENT

STATUS: ACTIVE. HEIGHT: 6'2". SEXUALITY: PANSEXUAL, AROMANTIC. DATE OF BIRTH: 12/25/1995 HOMETOWN: MALMEDY, BELGIUM. RESIDING: BROOKLYN, NY. ROOMMATE WITH [TBD WANTED CONNECTION].

Instead of the usual biography, I felt like the following poem captured the energy of the past a bit better than I could ever express:

INSOMNIAC

THE night is only a sort of carbon paper,

Blueblack, with the much-poked periods of stars

Letting in the light, peephole after peephole --

A bonewhite light, like death, behind all things.

Under the eyes of the stars and the moon's rictus

He suffers his desert pillow, sleeplessness

Stretching its fine, irritating sand in all directions.

Over and over the old, granular movie

Exposes embarrassments--the mizzling days

Of childhood and adolescence, sticky with dreams,

Parental faces on tall stalks, alternately stern and tearful,

A garden of buggy rose that made him cry.

His forehead is bumpy as a sack of rocks.

Memories jostle each other for face-room like obsolete film stars.

He is immune to pills: red, purple, blue --

How they lit the tedium of the protracted evening!

Those sugary planets whose influence won for him

A life baptized in no-life for a while,

And the sweet, drugged waking of a forgetful baby.

Now the pills are worn-out and silly, like classical gods.

Their poppy-sleepy colors do him no good.

His head is a little interior of grey mirrors.

Each gesture flees immediately down an alley

Of diminishing perspectives, and its significance

Drains like water out the hole at the far end.

He lives without privacy in a lidless room,

The bald slots of his eyes stiffened wide-open

On the incessant heat-lightning flicker of situations.

Nightlong, in the granite yard, invisible cats

Have been howling like women, or damaged instruments.

Already he can feel daylight, his white disease,

Creeping up with her hatful of trivial repetitions.

The city is a map of cheerful twitters now,

And everywhere people, eyes mica-silver and blank,

Are riding to work in rows, as if recently brainwashed.

— Sylvia Plath

AESTHETICS

Repugnant amount of weed smoke filling a suspension-lacking 1966 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, that only a 100% masochist would drive in New York. You were not born to cry. Leopard print BB belts stacked on the waist. A soul, emptied. No pride, no pleasure, no desire. Life is just like a Wong Kar-Wai movie. You've got two fists comically full of metal, the weight shifts you off your feet when that punch is thrown, your poorly welded home-made 'rings' -- made from a chunk of all the old silver jewelry you've collected from the bodies over time, all these precious keepsakes melted onto a fork -- made to hurt -- should be illegal. Lots of little projects like that scatter what you call 'home'. An angel dies every time a shitty fuckboy like you flashes his mid-section in local Bodega for no reason. Recently adopted a Belgian Malinois, Osiris, who is still in training and needs a muzzle (an excuse for enabling bad behavior, could be symbolic). Egregiously loud mumble-rap. When stressed, likes watching ballroom dancing while chainsmoking cigarettes.

Hi, I'm Samuel, 24, PDT, a sweet little Californian baby boy who will do tricks for treats, gee whiz am I glad to be here. All of this is a bit vague but will be fleshed out with time -- if you've got any questions on specifics I'd be super happy to clarify. Huzzah !