#Hasn't changed much in 116 years

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2024: #06 & #05

06. SWEDEN Loreen - "Tattoo" 1st place

Decade Ranking: 19/116 [above Halo, below Adrenalina]

Alright, fine, we've arrived at Loreen. There are plenty of conflicting emotions swirling around in my head, but overall, yeah, you know how I feel about her. It hasn't changed. She's very good, but I'm not obsessed with her. This is where those entries rank.

Let's tackle the elephant in the room: Tattoo is a good song and a boring, uninspiring winner. The two aren't mutually exclusive. Loreen's victory was determined the second she won Melfest, by default. It was unsatisfactory for two reasons:

(1) The moment Loreen was picked the casuals that remembered "Euphoria" immediately started praising her while ignoring everyone else, and this of course snowballed into the biggest jury coronation since Salvador. Lol that the same casuals that were obsessed with Tattoo preshow became upset when she beat Käärijä. What else did you think was going to happen? it was YOU who kept touting her as the best without giving as much as dismissive look at her competition, of course the Eye of Sauron was fixated on her and no one else.

(2) Käärijä. For better or for worse, this year will be remembered as the year Cha Cha Cha was robbed by the juries for the sake of Sweden. Käärijä was not without his own set of problems which directly led to his demise (which we'll tackle when we get to him because this post is about Loreen), but he WAS the year and it was his loss specifically that left a bad aftertaste in many mouths. It's always better when the underdog beats the overdog, and not the other way around.

Once the dust settled, everyone pledged fealty to the crazyparty Fin while "Tattoo" was quickly replaced as the basic gay anthem by "Padam Padam".

However, neither of those things are particularly Loreen's fault?

What I can ascertain is that Tattoo is not Euphoria, obviously. A lot of the love for Tattoo was spillover Euphoria nostalgia. That's fine, but I meant their thematic differences went understated - Euphoria was an ode to the eternity of love, while Tattoo specifically is about the love fracturing apart and Loreen's inabilty to move on - in other words "Euphoria" was a victory, while "Tattoo" always felt like more of a defeat. It's a subtle difference, but one that should always lead to Euphoria being ranked AHEAD of Tattoo, jesus christ ESC250 voters.

However, this is still Loreen, and a lesser Loreen is still lowkey epic. Eventhough "Tattoo" is probably the least good Loreen song, (technically because it's a Cazzi Opeia song with a Loreen sound - "You're stuck on me like a tatoo-oo-oo that is a Cazzi hook if ever there was), it is still a good song. Loreen proved although she's now at an age where her memory is starting to fail her, forgetting essentials such as clipping her fingernails and paying her taxes, she still has the attitude and flat stomach of a cougar ready to pounce. All credits for Tattoo's successes belong to her, SJB and no one else.

And, not unimportantly in a audio-visual medium such as Eurovision, Tattoo also looked really good on the stage. It had A Vision, which is what every winner needs nowadays. Again, the staging is great but also... not that grat lol - it's not the best staging ever. It's not better than Euphoria's or even Vesna's that we'll talk about later. Nevertheless, the song was beautifully framed under the confined space of that impromptu photocopier and Loreen's choreography. The staging was dynamic, artistic and gave the impression real stakes were involved. It Understood The Assignment. It made the song *pop*.

I specifically really LOVE the wide shot during the bridge that really anchors the devastation and desolation she sings about.

It's one of those money shots linger in your mind after the song has ended.

So overall, yeah, Loreen is not my winner or even a top fiver for me, but oh well, whatever? She was a dull winner compared to Käärijä but not an undeserving one. She's still a solid eight-and-a-half out of ten. She alone provided the triple threat of Good composition, Stunning Act and Killer Execution, so ofc juries flocked to her if they're instructed to assess the overal package. If you still think they robbed Käärijä (they did not.) remember that Loreen was solidly second in nearly every televote behind him. If he were destined to always lose Eurovision 2023 like I now believe he was, it's definitely only Loreen who should have taken the W here.

-------------------------------

05. AUSTRALIA Voyager - "Promise" 9th place

Decade Ranking: 17/116 [Above Adrenalina, below Manizha]

Sometimes the reason is "I like music." Many were surprised Voyager came top 10, but not I. To repeat a common question one final time:

HAVE YOU HEARD THE SONG?!?

Well-executed ProgMetal, at Eurovision! By a charismatic lead! Of course it was going to get a good chunk of jury votes from a group of people that know more music beyond what gets radio airplay. As Danny sings, if you haven't done anything like this before, you haven't been alive, sillies!

Going into the contest though, I wasn't fully sure Australia would grab the top 10 I envisioned for them. Like sure, I saw the vision. But my predictions come from Antwerp, not Delphi and the visions I see don't always come to pass. Voyager were hit the hardest by the fandom's latent misandry for daring to be men (+ Simone). Then again, if the fandom got their way, "Padam Padam" would win every year (lol can you imagine what a nightmare that meta would be? especially because "Padam Padam" isn't even that good to begin with) and not songs that are effectively Synthwave with Metal instrumentation. This is a combo that leads to immersive moodpieces, and not the high energy spikes you might expect from metal.

But what this blog if not for its appreciation for moodpieces and what was "Promise" if not A Mood immortalized by Voyager into An Experience. Danny playing the keytar on the bonnet of his delorean, or nearly choking on a chicken sandwich while getting 12 Portuguese points, THOSE are MY little joys in life.

Everything on stage suits a wholesome song about ~promising your loved ones you're in this life's adventure together, ride or die~, which as a message hits home even harder since Danny's cancer diagonosis (not like this affected their placement here - Australia were coming 5th on this ranking since the beginning).

And let's be honest, "Promise" is a just really good song that doesn't need frills or embellishments, but it got those anyway with everyone's fun adlibs.

It's like S10 or MARO, not the flashiest entry nor the most iconic staging, but never the less, the personality came through well enough to merit revisitations when I have a craving for it. Besides, we need a diverse array of genres at Eurovision, to ensure the bar remains high and we don't get a year full of Liars and Firefighters. "Promise" defo fit that bill well. It was good to have A Real Song into the mix, and one that was very deservedly was rewarded with a top ten placement.

If you think that a bad result, then that's fine. I agree with you, but mostly because I think Australia should have come top five and were robbed by the televote. 🙂

THE RANKING

[midnightactual]

Yoruichi Wasn't A Cat For A Century

To build on that prior post to actually say something useful from a meta perspective, people love to use this panel from chapter 116 to suggest Yoruichi has been a cat for an extended period of time, possibly since TBTP, meaning for 100 years:

Let's look at it in Japanese:

She specifically says:

いゃ すまん すまん 服なぞ久しく 着ておらんかつた ものじゃから ついの

Which is something like, "iya, suman, suman. fuku nazo hisashiku kite o ran katsuta monojakara tsui no," or, "Ah, sorry, sorry. I haven't worn clothes in a long time." So Viz's translation is pretty accurate. The main operator is:

Here's the thing: what does "for a long time" mean here? And we're not talking about it in general, like it having been a long time since she's seen Kūkaku. We're talking about a long time to not be wearing clothes, and as such in the context of overtly teasing Ichigo. (Also remember: not everything Yoruichi says is verbatim fact, nor is she always 100% reliable, same as every other character.)

How long would you consider to be a long time for you to not wear clothes? Probably just a few days! But maybe a few weeks?

Now here's the actual difference between chapter 116 (more of her breasts and belly are also revealed) that I mentioned in the linked post:

I'm sure everyone knows pubic hair grows in all kinds of patterns; some people have quite a lot, some have very little. Yoruichi generally seems to have exceptionally little body hair, so her having a rather small patch makes sense. However, what doesn't make sense is the length. Pubic hair tends to top out at about 2–3" in length before falling out if untrimmed. This is clearly not that long, meaning she trims it. Meaning she hasn't been a cat for all that long.

Thinking about it more logically, if Yoruichi spent a century as a cat, there would be no reason for her to periodically transform into a human just to trim her pubic hair and do whatever else. She would just stay as a cat the whole time. So that's right out.

Now, the other thing is that hair tends to grow at a rate of about 6" a year, or 1/2" per month. Yoruichi's pubic hair looks to be about that long at most, if not shorter.

It's the kind of hair growth you might see in a few weeks.

And what do we get in chapter 132?

This handy dandy chart of most of how long it's been since she appeared. They spent 4 days in Soul Society, 7 days waiting for Kisuke to prep the Senkaimon*, and 10 days in training. We also know that Ichigo went to school the day prior while healing up, and that Yoruichi arrived earlier in the day on the day before that.

* We can prove "Time in Senkaimon" is a bad translation from chapter 69 as Kisuke told Ichigo to wait 7 days:

Add all that up. 4 + 7 + 10 + 1 + 1. You get 23 days. Maybe 24 since it seems Bankai training is the same day as chapter 116.

Three weeks and some change. Which is just about exactly the amount of pubic hair Yoruichi's showing off.

QED: Yoruichi turned into a cat in order to infiltrate Karakura in chapter 51 undetected, not only initially evading detection by Kisuke and Tessai, but also by Byakuya and Renji. She had been in human form prior to that, and had shaved in advance since she didn't know the next time she'd be transforming back. She was not a cat for the whole century. She may have been a cat now and then, but there is no reason to believe she was a cat the whole while. She only hasn't worn clothes for just over three weeks, which is a long time to not wear clothes if you wear them daily as pretty much everyone does.

[thesheel]

Donald J. Trump was perhaps the most contentious president in modern American history. His tenure further divided an already polarized nation by policy measures on national issues, like green energy, fracking, coal, and tax cuts for wealthy people. To date, he holds the key to modify election results in the US, as the consequential voters can change their votes on his one statement. As he remains the kingmaker in driving the election away from most of the Republican candidates, his ability to mobilize voters, specifically evangelicals, puts him in the driving seat. The trend and data suggest that Trump's endorsements are more important today than ever for Republicans, who cannot afford to go against the Republican's boss or they would face the consequences. Despite losing the presidential election to President Joe Biden, many analysts believe he is still pivotal and Republican Party's make-or-break figure. If he decides not to run again for the presidency in 2024, any Republican in his place would still need his endorsement to stand a chance in the next elections. He is relying on his popularity among Republican voters to maintain his position as a powerful figure at the GOP's core to impact the Republican primary. Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist endorsed by Trump for Ohio's 15th District, won the primary for the November 2022 election, signifying the importance of Trump's endorsement for any political candidate. When the issue of Trump making a new party was in the limelight, the chances of Republicans' destruction were severe. Now, when he has started giving political endorsements to the candidates, those having the inability to get his endorsement are worried about their political careers. After winning Ohio, Trump can once again claim that his support is a determining factor in Republican primaries.  What is the importance of Trump's support for Republicans? An opinion poll indicates that Carey's popularity jumped from 20% to 52% after Trump's endorsement. Trump's Endorsement of Republicans is the Single Biggest Factor for a Republican Win According to Bellatopia, only 2 of the 120 candidates supported by Trump lost in the congressional primaries in 2020. However, the midterm elections in 2018 show a completely different picture. Ten of nineteen candidates endorsed by Trump won their elections for governor. The same year, 29 candidates out of 49 were elected to the US House of Representatives. Among the twenty Senate candidates Trump endorsed, ten won their races. But those were the old times. Back then, the Trump endorsement did not carry much weight. However, until the end of his presidency, he cemented his place as a voice of the Republicans, which is shown by the 2020 results. In 2020, out of 149 candidates, 116 of Trump's endorsed candidates were elected to the US House of Representatives, while 18 of the 23 Trump-endorsed candidates were elected to the US Senate.   Trump: A Big Man in Manipulating GOP Politics The general perception is that there is no parallel to Trump in the GOP party leaders at the moment, and no potential candidate wants to be in Trump's bad books. For that reason, he continues to meddle with the GOP's electoral plan.  Trump has endorsed a slew of House and Senate candidates for next year's key midterm elections. Since departing from the White House, many of them are conspiracy theorists and even political outsiders, forcing them to walk Trump's path. In Georgia, he is endorsing Herschel Walker, a former NFL player for the Senate race, but Walker hasn't lived in Georgia in decades and has no political experience. For Alabama, Trump has endorsed Mo Brooks, a conspiracy theorist who has claimed that COVID masks might cause cancer and is a staunch supporter of election fraud. Senator Richerd C. Shelby, who will be retiring from the Alabama Senate seat, has endorsed Katie Britt, his former chief of staff. In response, Donald Trump-br

anded Shelby a RINO (Republican in name only) and an associate of "Old Crow Mitch McConnell" in a statement. But all of this interfering poses a risk for Republicans, as his endorsements are frequently based on a candidate's devotion to him rather than their electoral viability. In Alaska, Trump is endorsing Kelly Tshibaka over incumbent GOP senator Lisa Murkowski, who has served three terms.  He singles out Murkowski because she has challenged Trump multiple times.  Trump is endorsing Ted Budd for state senator in North Carolina solely because he is a staunch supporter of the former president. Seeing Trump's endorsement, we can find a pattern. Anyone backing his old-fashioned election fraud claims and his conspiracies about different fields wins his endorsement. Being a Republican is now a matter of endorsing Trump's behavior if only to win his endorsement back to reach the office.   Final Thoughts A Trump endorsement is not only a matter of winning elections. As political donations are the crucial element of any election campaign, Trump-backed Republicans are seen to collect more money for their campaign. A study showed that Trump's endorsement help candidates win more donations compared to the non-endorsed candidates. Now, when Republicans move towards the next elections, more Republicans bandwagoning him is a dangerous precedent that can encourage potential lawmakers to go bonkers just to win Trump's endorsements.

[saqrqa3d]

You didn't fail!

You worked hard at your job, treated people in a good manner, and advised those around you using the words of Allah and His messenger ﷺ; yet nothing seems to have changed!

Your colleagues, students, customers, neighbors…

The one remiss in his prayers still skips prayers, your immodestly-dressed friend still hasn't worn the hijab, and those preoccupied with music and tv shows are still oblivious about the state of the Ummah.

Don't grieve, you haven’t failed!

As long as you did all that with Ikhlas (sincerity) and the intention of pleasing Allah Almighty, and in accordance with the sunnah of the beloved Muhammed ﷺ in da'wah, you haven’t failed!

You’ve succeeded greatly in areas that you may not be aware of such as purifying the hearts of those around you from the devastating “actions of the heart” (inward sins); which are much more grievous than outward sins.

For example, your friend, under the influence of the media and her family used to hate women who wear hijab. What's even worse is that she started to hate the hijab itself as a symbol of Islam, and even when she read the Quran once a year during Ramadan, she would ‘dislike' the verses about the hijab, believing them to be outdated or expired.

Then she got to know you and she saw in you an example of something completely different from her preconceived notions. She liked you and her stereotypical convictions began to shake. She became comfortable with the idea of the hijab and convinced that it was the right thing to do.

Now, whenever she reads the verses about hijab, she feels ashamed in front of her Lord, and says to herself: "I'm sinning [by not wearing the hijab]. I'm weak, O' Allah, forgive me, O' Allah, give me the strength to wear it. "

It’s true that she hasn't worn the hijab yet, but do you realize what a profound shift you have caused in her heart?

When she used to hate a symbol of Islam, there was the grave risk that she would be included among those who:

{…disliked what Allah revealed, so He rendered worthless their deeds.} (Qur'an translated meaning 47:9)

Hating what Allah has revealed is an action of the heart which removes one from the fold of Islam - we seek refuge in Allah from that.

But now, with her change of heart, she is included among: {And there are others who admitted their sins, they have done some good deeds and some bad ones. It is right to hope that Allah will turn to them in mercy. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} (Qur'an translated meaning 9:102)

Previously, she had, in her heart, something that nullified her Iman (faith), and today, after accepting the Wisdom in the Command of her Lord -even though she is still committing a sin-, she is included in: {but He forgives what is less than that[associating partners with Him] for whom He wills.} (Qur'an translated meaning 4:116)

So, after this, how could you possibly think that you failed?!

The same thing for you, my brother, who, by the favor of Allah, changed some people’s hearts. They moved from ridiculing the practicing Muslims and the symbols of Islam (which is more dangerous) to honoring their religion, loving it, and acknowledging their shortcomings in not following its rulings.

Their change might not be outwardly apparent, but the profound shift in their hearts might be the line that moves them from an eternity in the hellfire to an eternity in paradise.

So after all this, how could you possibly believe that you failed?

On the contrary, this is the essence of great success!

____

#islam #muslim #muslimah #Dawah