#Ivana West

[bibliophilicstranger]

Watching the First Wives Club is wild when you know Stockard Channing as Abbey Bartlet and nothing else because she comes on screen in the beginning and it's like "oh, Abbey's here, I've never seen her in another thing before, this'll be fun," and then two minutes later, wham!

And then you keep watching and this disaster of a nineties movie ends with a cameo by Ivana Trump and making fun of Donald.

Truly a riotous trip.

[fyeahcindie]

I've enjoyed a couple songs from this Ivana Wong 王菀之 concert, I hope she uploads the full show! =D

The band is outstanding, and Ivana is in great form. This opening number is a jazzy rocker, kinda gives me a Shiina Ringo vibe. This was from a series of July shows at The Box, Freespace, West Kowloon 西九文化區自由空間大盒劇場

The YT clip has no info, but the musicians are listed in a post at her IG:

Drummer：1Ding Bassist：Chan Siu Kei Pianist：Daniel Chu Guitarist：Jason Kui Cellist : Anna Kwan Violist：Sun Yu Programmer：TonYnoT

Links:  Spotify,  Instagram,  YouTube,  Weibo

[suchananewsblog]

These three zodiac signs are the biggest gold diggers in astrology

We ain’t saying they are gold diggers but... I am here to re-gild the gold digger, folks. In my mind, tis better to mine/pander for gold than settle for tin. You say advantageous, I say industrious. Commonly associated with canceled Kanye’s famed ode to the opportunistic, gold digger is a derogatory term used to describe someone that enters into a relationship for the express purpose of monetary…

[batsimsposts]

Ok yall, i've seen a lot of misinformation on who was the first *insert superhero here* so here are some common superheroes who passed on their mantle and in what order each character was this hero. This post is meant to be informative.

This post has Batgirl, Robin, Flamebird, and Flash.

BATGIRL

- Bette Kane was Batgirl for seven years (1961-1967) and she was THE original batgirl. (Yup! Barbara was not the first!)

- Barbara Gordon was the most iconic Batgirl and most depictions of Batgirl in animation/live action are her. She was Batgirl from 1967-1988. (There are most recent depictions of her as batgirl but she was officially retired by DC editorial in 1988)

- Helena Bertinelli was Batgirl during the No Man's Land arc which ran through most of 1999. It happened for less than one year so if you don't want to count her that's fine. This list is more for educational purposes.

- Cassandra Cain was Batgirl right after Helena Bertinelli near the end of No Man's Land in 1999. She stopped being Batgirl in 2009 and came back in late 2010 with her new alias Black Bat.

- Stephanie Brown was Batgirl from 2009 to 2011 when DC launched the New52 timeline where she was reverted back to Spoiler.

- Tiffany Fox was Batgirl in 2014 during the league of Batgirls arc.

ROBIN

- Dick Grayson was the original Robin, his first appearance was in 1940 and his last appearance as Robin was in 1984, he was Robin for 44 years.

- Lance Bruner was Robin during a 1969 run of The Brave And The Bold. He died as Robin.

- Jason Todd his first appearance as Robin was in 1983 and he officially took over the Robin mantle in 1984. He died in 1988, being Robin for only four years.

- Carrie Kelley was Robin in 1986 during a Batman comic run. She later adopted the Catgirl mantle. (Alternate universe)

- Tim Drake became Robin after Jason died, his first appearance was in 1989. He became Red Robin in 2009 but got put back into the Robin mantle in 2019, he currently fills in as Robin when Damian is out of town.

- Stephanie Brown was Robin for three months (71 days) in 2004. She was only in a few issues and got nerfed like right after.

- Damian Wayne has been Robin since 2009, and is currently holding the Robin Mantle.

FLAMEBIRD

- Jimmy Olsen was Flamebird Pre-crisis

- Bette Kane was Flamebird post-crisis

- Ak-Var was Flamebird for a little bit

- a Kryptonian hero was also called Flamebird

- Kara Zor-El was Flamebird for a tiny bit

- Lois Lane used the Flamebird alias once

(aka Bette Kane was the one to use the Flamebird alias the most but the alias itself is such a small role that i cant even tell you dates or anything...)

THE FLASH

- Jay Garrick is the original Flash, his first appearance was in 1940. (Timelines are always messed up when referring to Flash so I'm only gonna out their first appearance.)

- Barry Allen was Flash after Jay Garrick, his first appearance was in 1956

- Wally West was originally Kid Flash, but became The Flash after some timeline shenanigans with Barry. His first appearance was in 1960

- Ivana Christina Molotova was experimented on and gained speed powers. She was Lady Flash for a while (1987) but changed her alias shortly before her death.

- John Fox is a Flash from the future (27th century) that went back in time to ask Jay Garrick for help. His appearance was in 1990

- Jesse Quick was The Flash after Wally West was integrated with the speed force. She had the powers of Liberty Belle as well as a connection to the speed force. Her first appearance was in 1992

- Bart Allen was first Impulse and then Kid Flash, he became The Flash after Wally West's disappearance. His first appearance was 1994 (as Impulse)

- Avery Ho became The Flash during DC's Rebirth era. She joined the Justice League Of China and was one of the best Flashes with Bart Allen and Wally West. Her first appearance was in 2016.

__________

This is all for now, let me know if theres a superhero alias you want me to do <3

[rojacatmisa]

Starting over In Madrid

Misa Rodriguez x Reader (Nicky/first person)

After moving to Madrid as the new Real Madrid photographer, Nicky's eyes can't look away from the pretty face of Misa Rodriguez. But how is she going to handle her growing desire for the Canarian goalkeeper when her working contract's strictly forbidding her to date players?

Chapter 1 ➺  A harder job than I thought

1K words

Hey, I'm going for it ! This is the start of my Misa fic. I planned it to be quite long in several short chapters. Also, I'm not personally feeling the Y/N + you kind of writing, so I've written the story at the first personne and chosen a nickname that you can pretend to be yours if you like. No warning at the moment, but there'll be sex in the further episodes. I'll put the warning when needed. Sorry again for any grammar and voc mistakes, english is not my mother tongue.

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I was never really interested in football before getting employed at Real Madrid. Of course, I used to watch a few games on TV during the main championships. But I have never intended to work for a football club, least of all, in Spain. But here I was, late twenty, speaking a few words of Spanish, entering the Cuidad Real Madrid for day one of my new job as the new official photographer.

Introductions went well. Staff was nice. Work seemed interesting, with quite a lot to do on the creative side. I felt great. My office was located on the second floor on the west side of the building, a bit appart from the training grounds. I took time to settle a few minutes in my chair, gazed through the window at the Alfredo di Stephano stadium and saw the tiny silhouettes of the footballers training. My manager, Ana, came back to have me introduced to the girls. I quickly grabbed my camera and followed her to the pitch. 

The sun blinded me as I came out. My eyes took a moment to ajuste. Shouts of trainers and players echoed all around. They were many. Ana spoke with some guys and training slowly stopped. The Real Madrid players came toward us and gathered, some of them still panting. Ana spoke again. 

"Hello everyone, let me introduce you our new photographer Y/N. But you can call her Nicky as she likes it better." 

"Hi, I never liked my name" I said nervously. 

The girls stared at me, smiling. I couldn’t help to notice their muscular arms and thighs. Strength oozed from their bodies. There were pretty faces too. Ana spoked the name of each players. One very tanned girl was looking away, looking slightly bored. 

"And finally, this is Misa" She said pointing at her. Misa looked at me, her eyes rested on my face just a moment while quickly waving her hand in a welcoming gesture and then looked away again. I felt my face grew hot. I was a professional photographer. It was explicitly written in my employment contract that dating the team members was prohibited. I shook of my inappropriate feelings as the introducing part ended. 

A few days passed as I settled in my new life. I had found in a tiny appartement in Lavapies. Got everything I needed. I was rather happy to start over. I had quitted my toxic ex girlfriend a few months ago and my very boring previous job. Each day, I went to the pitch to film the team arriving and to take pictures of the footballers training in order to post on the social networks. They all seemed nice, thought some of them looked bothered to be photographed all the time. Linda, Naomi, Sofie and Hayley clearly enjoyed being in front of the camera while Ivana, Olga and Misa tried to avoid it most of the time. We had chatted very little, everyone focused on their respective work. 

***

Then, arrived the day of the brand new kits big photoshoot. It was a very busy day. Adidas had designed a specific set with a moss background and real plants around. It was a bit to much for my tastes but I didn’t had my word to say as the campagne was managed by the brand. I was assisting the Adidas photographer by giving pose instructions to the girls. I took some shoots too. We were shooting for nearly five hours when came Misa’s turn. I couldn’t say I didn’t noticed how pretty she was in her new pale purple kit. Her tan skin contrasted frankly with the fabric. She had a piercing on her left nostril I’d never seen before. Her long hair was taken down, falling on her broad shoulders. She took her place, clearly used to being a model.

"Misa, face the camera" I said. Her dark eyes crossed mine before she looked straight at the camera and composed a smile. I could tell she was feeling confident, but I wasn’t sure she really was enjoying it. "Switch to profile, please". "Strike a pose". "Now put your gloves on". Misa obediently took all the poses shots after shots. 

"Are we done ?" She asked, looking at me patiently. 

"I think we are thank you. Thanks god you’re the last one !"

"I find it long already, so I can’t imagine how it must be for you." She said, her brows frowning. She walked aside from the set. I started to put away the equipment next to her. "It’s okay, I like my job. Today is just a bit repetitive"

"Are we cool models ?" I looked up at her. Her face was relaxing since the photoshoot ended. A shy smile appeared on her lips as she suddenly seemed to think her question was embarrassing. "In fact yes, indeed. Like, as a photographer, they’re is everything to ajuste. When you’re training, you’re moving fast so I have to increase shutter speed. When you’re posing like today, shutter can be slower but you have to have good exposure…" My voice trailed off as I took a glimpse of her perplex expression. "Sorry I have never known how to talk about my job. You see, technic plays a huge part in photography." 

"Don’t worry, I haven’t a clue of what you are taking about but it actually got me interested." She was smiling frankly now and that made her ever more beautiful. I tried to focus one folding the spotlights back in there bags. "Those lights make you very warm and sweaty" she said. "I’m sorry I’ll go and change. See you Nicky." 

"Bye Misa."

I was feeling both disappointed by her departure and relieved to be able to finish tidying thinks up more serenely when I heard Misa’s embarrassed voice rise from the backroom. "Hum… please can someone help me?"

I dropped the camera I was packing and went there thinking that fucking day would never end. I suppressed a laugh when I saw Misa struggling with her jersey up her head. The collar was picked up somewhere around her nose. I forced myself to look away from her well shaped abs and the low-cut of her sports bra.

"Misa, I’m there, what’s happening ?" 

"the jersey… in my nosering. I can’t take it off !"

"hold still, I’do it."

I slowly came close to Misa and delicately hold the jersey’s collar while looking for where her piercing had gotten stuck. A fabric fiber had indeed been taken inside the small golden ring. I tried hard to concentrate. Her mouth was twitching nervously. I was so close to her face I could feel her breath. She pursed her luscious lips as I finally removed the string, let out a sight and took off the jersey. Her eyes met mine again while I took a step back. "Thanks, I thought I’d lose my nose on this one…" 

"You did well to ask for help, you could have hurt yourself." 

"I’m glad it was you and not some random Adidas guy, all my friends are gone by now." 

"anytime !" I shrugged, feeling hot again. She gathered her clothes and started taking off her shorts. Footballers really weren’t modest. I turned around, ready to leave. I felt I was unable to take anymore glances at Misa’s body parts. "Bye then" I said softy.

"Bye, and Nicky, you definitely have to teach me some photo stuff ! I’m serious." I slowly turned back to her. She had already put her trousers and T shirt on. "Yes, sure… after tomorrow’s training if you’d like." 

"Yeah, count on me". She gathered her stuff, gestured goodbye and left.

My job was turning out to be harder than I expected.

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That's it for chapter 1, hope you enjoyed it. Drop a like if you're hyped !

Chapter 2 ➺ Clearly on a bad slope

[female-buckets]

When Dorka went to the Lynx, they had no problem with her visa stuff.

Croatia's government is way more aligned with the west than Hungary's government. How is Seattle having a difficult time with Croatian paperwork when Minnesota had no problems with Hungarian paperwork?

And isn't Ivana Dojkic Croatian!? Didn't she play for Seattle last year!? How is this a problem now!?

[powderblueblood]

Hiya hiya!! I am a massive fucking fan of your writing it is so stimulating for my little distracted brain. On the topic of hai I would LOVE to know more about Lacy's part-time gig at The Bookstore!!!! How often does she work there? Does Lacy get to set up displays and recommend books? Do Eddie or Ronnie ever hang out with Lacy there? (And subsequently does Ivana threaten to perma-ban them from The Bookstore for being so goddamn loud and distracting her best employee???) I am so fucking curious and would love to see it explored a little more 🧡

LEE!!!! thank you so much for your kind kind words and THANK YOU for giving me an excuse to touch upon one of my favorite little elements of the hellfire & ice universe-- THEE BOOKSTORE

i'll be the first to admit that i don't know a goddamn thing about the TARDIS but what i do know is that it's bigger on the inside. same logic applies to the bookstore. place is an intricate network of atriums and ventricles separated by bookcases that are so overstuffed, they seem like they're going to keel over like dominoes any second. it smells like warm and dust and it's always semi-dark in there, with lamps seemingly having sprung from the ground in the most strategic of places. wall sconces sprout from the woodwork, supported by dodgy, illegal wiring. you take your life in your hands any time you walk in there, essentially. but you'd never know it! because it's serene and it's peaceful until--

lacy starts working there. and for some reason, it seems that lacy, eddie, ronnie and chaos are a package deal. eddie and ronnie use the darkened corners of the bookstore to the full extent of their danger, playing endless games of 'who can scare lacy by hiding in the world history section' which has earned more than one heavy biography of ferdinand magellan being aimed at eddie munson's head.

one even made contact, and eddie insisted that lacy stand there holding an ice cream sandwich to his 'poor brutalized' head because he 'couldn't move his arms' due to the 'concussion'.

ivana, the owner, our beloved ivana, hates these kids. even if eddie is convinced that she's trying to take him as her next controversially young husband-- her fifth. ivana hates them, but never actually follows through on her threatened lifetime bans because ivana also occasionally drinks at the hideout.

a moment for ivana: ivana is so, so fucking cool. ivana used to sell fetish mags in brown paper bags back in the 50s. ivana once lived in new york, and according to legend, threw an olive at norman mailer (eddie: "who?" lacy: "don't worry about it") and it bounced off his head and into andy warhol's drink. ivana is approximately four hundred years old with a platinum blonde beehive, a list of lovers longer than mae west's, a voice like a cement truck and she will never die.

lacy wants to be exactly like her when she grows up-- only, not living in indiana, of course.

ivana has lacy on weekends and some evenings; basically, if her spidey sense tingles and she figures that girl could use something to do. lacy, inflicted with the pathological need to be the best at fucking everything, is a good worker and the best kind of salesperson a place like that could have.

which is to say that she's kind of snooty and derisive of people's pedestrian tastes. it oscillates from customers storming out to customers buying whatever she tells them to, in some misguided attempt to impress her.

precocious and pretentious eighteen year olds have this effect on people. many such cases.

one person it does not have any effect on is eddie munson.

he watches lacy put like, painstaking effort into her staff pick of the week! (she always fights for three) or her display of russian literature ranked by themes of romanticism v nihilism! (the brothers karamazov sits on the top of the display like an angel on a christmas tree)... and then he fucks with it. swaps out a room of one's own with are you there god? it's me, margaret, even if that does prompt lacy giving eddie a keynote speech on the importance of judy blume's forever.

"... and yeah, it's about as thrilling as a slice of wonderbread, but that book is probably why i'm on the pill."

this seems to give eddie pause. "... you're on the pill?"

"what's that look?"

"no, uh-- no, just. good. decision. smart, responsible decision-making. good to... know."

[alldancersaretalented]

YAGP Hope Award/(Youth) Grand Prix Winners 2023/24

Hope Award

Los Angeles: Spencer Collins, Age 10 (Westside School of Ballet, CA)

Austin: Yihan Jiang, Age 10 (Movements In Time, TX)

Chicago: Evelyn Allen, Age 11 (Elite Classical Coaching, TX)

Philadelphia: Amelia Sias, Age 11 (Pennsylvania Ballet Conservatory, PA)

Salt Lake City: Ellary Day Szyndlar, Age 11 (Master Ballet, AZ)

Boston-Worcester: Juliana Kuang, Age 11 (N&D Ballet, MA)

Atlanta: Elynn Nie, Age 11 (MorningStar Dance Academy, GA)

Dallas: Lydia Bachman, Age 11 (Independent, TX)

Phoenix: Victoria Carrillo, Age 11 (Master Ballet, AZ)

Kansas City: Calla Massey, Age 9 (Independent, KY)

San Francisco: Athena Hu, Age 11 (Ju Lu Performing Arts, CA)

Denver: Reagan Neuhoff, Age 11 (Dallas Conservatory, TX)

Toronto: Owen Simmons, Age 11 (School of Cadence Ballet, ON)

Indianapolis: Eva Julia Sutanto, Age 11 (Academy of Russian Ballet, VA)

Youth Grand Prix

Chicago: Ekaterina Pichkova, Age 13 (Osipova Ballet Academy, CA)

Austin: Melissa Plishchadina, Age 14 (Pavlova Professional Coaching, TX)

Chicago: Chloe Helimets, Age 13 (Bayer Ballet, CA)

Salt Lake City: Annie Webb, Age 13 (Moga Conservatory of Dance, UT)

Winston-Salem: Eric Poor, Age 14 (Cary Ballet Conservatory, NC)

Pittsburgh: Ela Sevillia, Age 14 (Ellison Ballet, NY)

Kansas City: Quinlin Maconachy, Age 12 (Dallas Conservatory, TX)

San Francisco: Fiona Wu, Age 13 (Yoko's Dance, CA)

Denver: Keenan Mentzos, Age 14 (Ballet Bloch Canada, BC)

Los Angeles: Kiera Sun, Age 13 (DKCBA, CA)

New York: Lisa Kamiya, Age 14 (Ellison Ballet, NY)

Nashville: Angelina Tan, Age 14 (Elite Classical Coaching, TX)

San Diego: Leon Yusei Sai, Age 12 (Southland Ballet Academy, CA)

Grand Prix

Los Angeles: Izzy Howard, Age 16 (DKCBA, CA)

Austin: Isabella Keesee, Age 15 (Elite Classical Coaching, TX)

Tampa: Crystal Huang, Age 15 (Bayer Ballet/The Rock Center, CA)

Philadelphia: Carson Willey, 17 (The Rock School for Dance, PA)

Atlanta: Miharu Kikuchi, Age 16 (International City School of Ballet, GA)

Pittsburgh: Kaitlin Natili, Age 15 (West Point Ballet)

Phoenix: Parker Rozzano-Keefe, Age 18 (Master Ballet, AZ)

Houston: Sophia Jones, Age 17 (Feijoo Ballet School, TX)

Los Angeles: Maddux Ellison, Age 15 (DKCBA, CA)

New York: Ivana Radan, Age 15 (Ellison Ballet, NY)

Toronto: Madison Bevilacqua, Age 16 (Timothy Draper Center, NY)

Indianapolis: Everly Nedza, Age 16 (School of Cadence Ballet, ON)

[astarab1aze]

Nations & Their Cities (3)

Manj Figi - west of askarra, south of myrrdin, east of nuradan, north of the tenibressa

Capital: Sunja

Cities: Apenina, Triste, Neppali, Verona, Venita, Levin, Epaulette, Deville, Orlea, Élisabette, Empuso, Merveilleux, L'hsare

Sights: Villa Pterydon (folk hero's historic home), Pommelette (tavern), Garden of Eyes, Terrasse du Destin (terraces around Sunja), Chateau Cielle (quarters for royal guests), the Summer Palace (twin to Miraglas' Winter Palace), the Aurélie (bordel), Nuit Sacrée (Sanguinarian church), the Novella (library & publishing house), Emírí Sal Dans (dance theater), Kay Lou (packhouse), Oseyan Pointe (lighthouse), Bête Silva (beast's forest), Rovinare Fosse (where they threw plague-ridden bodies), Mandira Mangeur (face-eater temple)

Kavasta - directly north of myrrdin, chimeria to the east, strigane southwest, viostra northwest, with miraglas to the north)

Capital: Kavastok

Cities: Nishka, Sacha, Vigga, Bushka, Karstag, Savarog, Tosk, Novgorod, Derben, Norlisk, Ivana, Penstka, Sever, Kisarov, Korda

Sights: Dragon's Spine Mountains (runs the length of Kavasta), Hinge of the Dragon's Maw (part of the dragon's spine cutting through Viostra into Miraglas), Daggerwoods (pine forest), Tsatsi Pass (a series of narrow mountain passages), Bushki's Grave (folk hero's tomb ( and his lixni)), Fishmonger's Port (big big fishing town attached to Kavastok), Hargraven's Hunt (sanctified hunting grounds in Nishka Valley), Drakgora Highway (connects Kavastok with Nishka), Drakgoran Aqueducts (cut through the mountains near Kavastok), Tsaristasia (tomb for all their royalty), Zelen Dom (healing house), Dolina Palace (royal palace hidden in the mountains near Kavastok)

Kírât - hidden oasis in the dustveil, north of the diremark, northeast of vago & chimeria, south of the dife frèt

Districts: Vapari (mercantile), Kisana (field & farm), Basahi (royal), Sarya (tavern & inn), Yodai (guard/soldier), Nirmani (industry), Kali (arts & theater), Lapriya (arbory & temple)

Walls: Oasi Gate (outermost wall, around Kisana), Ganizon Gate (second & third walls between Yodai & Kisana, garrison), The Funnelweb (spiraling half-walls between Nirmani & Vapari), Lespri Gate (sixth wall & seventh walls, between Sarya & Kali), Dènye (eigth & ninth final walls sequestering & cutting between Basahi & Lapriya) 

Sights: Dragon's Breath Fields, Reformation of Goldleaf & Petta (temple to ancient Sunjatti lovers, followers of the Sightless Eye), Khuthd's Rest (tavern named for the dragon, run by Fuad), Dynna's Bakery, Dhulo Parda Kavo (catacombs beneath the citadel), Pujari Roz (temple gardens), Samjvadi Ductway (aqueducts through every district that once extended beyond Oasi Wall), Undercity Gaol, Aha Kusah (sewers & plumbing throughout the city), Farfade Arenyen (elven inn), Widowspun Center (street market in Vapari), Utsava Square, Cara Devata (temple of the four (shifter) gods), Mhavvair Asshara (temple to the elfhen father god), Nyikaam Arena, Shukaar Vole (bordel), Dasan Monument (statue dedicated to slaves of the 2nd era)

[tomorrowusa]

Part of a Trump fundraising message poorly disguised as a love letter to Melania. I'm sure most wives get Valentine's Day cards from husbands who use their middle initials when signing the greeting. ✍🏼🤭

Trump Campaign Roasted For Fundraising Off Unhinged Valentine's Day 'Love Letter' To Melania

The Donald is going to need to do a lot of fundraising thanks to spiraling legal judgements against him.

The Donald Trump Fire Sale Starts Now

Donald Trump’s companies have filed for bankruptcies six times, but now he may actually be about to go broke. On Friday, a New York judge penalized the former president $355 million after finding him liable for lying about his wealth and the value of his properties in New York — and that’s before pre-judgment interest charges, which according to the New York Attorney General’s office, adds another $100 million or so. Then there’s the $4 million owed by Eric Trump and Don Jr. each — which, come on, whose money is that really? The giant liabilities are due in part to Trump and his organization’s “complete lack of remorse,” Justice Arthur Engoron ruled, as well as for its deterrent effect: Trump and the Trump Organization’s officers were “likely to continue their fraudulent ways unless the Court grants significant injunctive relief.” Add this to the $88 million he owes writer E. Jean Carroll for defaming her, twice, and Trump owes roughly $540 million. That would wipe out almost his entire estimated cash pile and vaporize about a sixth of his total net worth. Trump can afford this, but he is probably going to have to sell something big. His net worth, according to both Forbes and Bloomberg, is between $2.6 and $3.1 billion, but most of that is tied up in his buildings and other properties. His cash pile is about $600 million, Bloomberg estimates, and he cannot use campaign or political-action-committee money to pay these fines. Some of his attorneys’ fees can be paid for with money that he’s raised from donors, but it’s not clear what money is paying for which lawyers between the four criminal cases he’s fighting off.

Here are some ways Trump could raise money to keep from going bankrupt for a seventh time.

Since his ex-wife Ivana is already buried there, he could turn Trump National Golf Club at Bedminster into a MAGA cemetery. Heirs of people who die from listening to Trump's quack COVID-19 advice will want their loved ones interred under the BEST sand traps.

Mar-a-Lago could be leased for the filming of the next season of Naked and Afraid. Unclothed contestants would have to survive hazards such as Dinesh D'Souza film festivals, Rudy Giuliani's alcoholic rants, and Nick Fuentes/Kanye West Groyper dinner parties.

Trump could franchise his own national chain of spray-on tanning salons which would leave customers looking as orange as him from head to toe.

Only Fans. Tens of millions of MAGA followers may be willing to pay to see "Toad" for themselves.

[balapann-blog]

Day 9 - 14 September - Belgrade

We got up and went to the train station to book our sleeper train to Montenegro on Sunday night, however lots of the streets were closed by the police and there were armoured vehicles and police dogs around which was slightly intimidating. We did manage to get to the station and then book the train, (we initially thought we had got a private cabin but the lady had booked us on the Saturday train and there were only couchettes for Sunday, however this will hopefully be better than the night bus or sleeping on across 3 seats like our last night train).

We then went and spent the most opulent £16.90 I’ve ever spent at breakfast at this bib gourmand restaurant. It was a modern take on Balkan food and I had this polenta portage with blue cheese and mushrooms and Nin had cold oatmeal with every nice fruit under the sun on it. Considering we had that and 4 coffees, I couldn’t believe the price!

The breakfast was quite heavy so we went home to chill for a bit and then went on another excellent free walking tour. The guide was a very dry woman (i think called Ivana) who spoke through lots of different things, such as the three main architectural styles of Belgrade; Habsburg (very much friends of the blog at this point), brutalist, modern (she really did not like the modern stuff). We walked down the street our apartment is on, and then into the more hipster part of town that during the time when organised crime most ran the country in the early 00s was called silicone valley because of the breast implants of the mob wives who went to the clubs there. This is also where the oldest families in Belgrade live in, as there are very few people whose families have lived continuously in Belgrade for generations (apparently the city empties on orthodox holidays as everyone goes back to their village or town).

Although Belgrade was very Ottoman for hundreds of years, almost nothing of this architecture remains bar a couple of houses. She spoke through the Serbo/Croat language and the fact that it has two scripts (Cyrillic and Latin) because when Serbia and the rest of Yugoslavia merged Serbia used Cyrillic and Slovenia/Croatia used Latin and since the languages are the same, both scripts are usable.

We went to Belgrade castle which is absolutely massive and has an amazing view down onto the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. The tour finished in the orthodox cathedral where there was a wedding on. Serbian weddings seem to be soundtracked by gypsy brass bands who seranade the bride as she enters the church. It was fun and very over the top.

Our tour guide was interesting, on one hand, she was very liberal in her views and spoke a lot about government corruption and hoping all the things from the Yugoslav wars were behind the region. On the other hand she was very clearly Serbian in of her outlook, she crossed herself going into the cathedral, she preferred the Cyrillic script to the Latin, and was very proud of her Serbianness (if thats a word). Her explanation of the place of rakija in Serb culture was really interesting and heartfelt. I think that sometimes there is an assumption people in the east of Europe want to be like people in the west of Europe, but that that view I think is lazy and quite condescending (even if we can all stray into it) and that there are loads of ways to be a good person and be a good society. And nice liberal people from metropole cities in Western Europe don’t have a monopoly on a good life and we have lots of faults and blind spots that we don’t often interrogate.

After the tour we went to a grill called GrillRepublik which had 4.9 stars on google (‘unheard of’ Nina Jones) they were playing the Liverpool game which was nice I hadn’t watched any football since the season started. The food was so good we both had burgers with kajmak on it which is a Balkan cream thing that is half way between butter and clotted cream. It was delicious but I think dangerous to have on meat like that. My burger came with cabbage and I got a shopska salad, Nin had onions and a slightly different salad. The bread we had was also very fresh and airy. This was supposed to be a little snack so we got the small burger, but it was so big we could just about finish it!

After food, we went home and chilled out for a bit and then went to this fun bar for a couple of drinks (it was Saturday night after all), however we were both quite tired and so we left and went for a little walk and then went back to our apartment, I published my blog from Sarajevo and we did some planning and got a relatively early night.

What we ate - Iva New Balkan Cuisine, GrillRepublik

What we liked - My polenta thing got quite heavy after a while so i think the grill was the best thing of the day.

Day 10 - 15 September - Belgrade > Bar

We were planning to go for a run before we checked out but it was absolutely lashing when we work up so we just had a coffee in the flat and packed. When we left we went to do laundry in a laundrette, which was needed as we hadn’t done any washing since Zagreb! There were lots of tourists there trying to wash (or dry) their stuff. Walking there had been a bit of a mission and I am very thankful for the waterproof cover for my bag!

We then went and stored our stuff in a luggage storage and looked for place for lunch, we found this very classic boogie coffee shop/brunch place. I had this french omelette with mushrooms which was amazing, I think I said it was one of the best omelettes id ever had, not sure if that was hyperbole or not but it was good! It was probably one of the most expensive meals we had had since Slovenia (about £33) but the space was very nice and the food was good!

After that we failed at getting a bus to the Museum of Yugoslavia, so in the end got a taxi. It is quite a random museum, and mainly houses The Big Man’s (Tito’s) mausoleum and then a museum bit that seems only there to house the presents that he got from other world leaders, among some other things about the formation of Yugoslavia. The most numerous thing in the museum was relay batons from Youth Day celebrations over the years, my main thought was that I just want someone to love me like Tito loves relay batons.

After the museum, we walked to St. Sava’s temple which is the second biggest Orthodox Church in the world. It was pretty amazing and I think had been restored quite recently and was latterly shining gold. The pictures I took do not do it justice. They were also piping in some sick plainchant music which added to the atmosphere.

We then walked back into town (the other two places had been a bit out of town) via a Boots/Superdrug type shop, which in the rain and after being in lots of cites that id never been to before felt strangely comforting (something about the lighting and familiarity), even though we didn’t get anything. We went to the National Museum of Serbia, which is mainly an art gallery with some early artefacts on the second floor. The art was pretty good, would have liked a bit more socialist realism, but there was some great stuff there (it was free and in the main square too!)

We then went to a Vietnamese (Asian fusion really) that was in the bib gourmand but was really just fine, I think in London we are spoiled it’s Pho Mile. We then got our bags and got a taxi to the station. The driver said he hoped Putin sent nuclear bombs on the UK as he showed us a building that had been destroyed in nato bombing (good thing I said we were Irish).

I enjoyed Belgrade much more than I expected to, particularly after being in Sarajevo and Republika Srpska, and reading and hearing about how the Serb Government is acting and its close relationship to Russia. I guess it is true that most people are generally friendly and welcoming and that politics generally sits above individual interactions with people. It also feels like Belgrade is pretty liberal (particularly the places we went), and I doubt the rest of the country is quite like that. Our taxi driver slightly shattered that assumption, but looking at his age, he could well have been in the Yugoslav army at the time of the wars, and what would an experience like that do to someone. It takes lots of courage and self reflection to go against the view of an institution you are part of, particularly if you hear of atrocities committed by the other side (real or not), and NATO are bombing your country. The graffiti below is from the main square in Belgrade, written in English with stencils of Radovan Karadžić beside it, even with all the perceived liberalism in Belgrade, this politics is impossible to ignore.

We were very early for our train and when it came we were both top bunks in a couchette. We have definitely got our night travel better and a night train is definitely preferable to night bus. The guy in the bunk below me snored quite a lot and my noise cancelling headphones ran out of battery at about 1am! I think I slept a bit and am definitely not as tired as after the bus. At about 8am I woke up and went to look out the window, the train we were on is famously very beautiful and it was a very nice view to wake up to, first the mountains then Skroder lake! We are now in a coffee shop in Bar waiting for our check in at 2 to our hotel down the coast. The weather is much nicer here so let’s hope it stays that way!

What we ate - June cafe, Istok

What we liked - June was nice, Istok i would say is overrated but wasn’t bad.

[novumtimes]

Fresh fruits and veggies can be expensive. How a pop-up market aims to fix that Montreal

With fresh fruits and vegetables often beyond the reach of many low-income households, a pop-up market in Montreal’s West Island is trying to fill the gap. Corbeille de Pain offers a mobile stand that sells grocery items at reduced and affordable rates in three neighbourhoods to help shoppers struggling with food insecurity. “This one mom with her son who came by and she told me this story about how she hadn’t ate in two days,” Ivana Riveros Orteaga, an employee with the non-profit organization, said in a recent interview. “And so these are ridiculous stories for me. Like, that should not happen — especially in Montreal where we have the resources.” Corbeille de Pain holds what is calls “solidarity markets” each week during the summer season to offer both fresh produce and prepared meals. Co-ordinator Jorge Flores said the sticker prices are “better than the supermarket.” Story continues below advertisement The total bill depends on what people can afford to pay. There are three options: the advertised price, the pay-what-you-can price and the pay-it-forward price. The last option gives consumers a chance to donate more money to help fund the initiative and keep costs low for their fellow citizens. The latest health and medical news emailed to you every Sunday. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News’ Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. “There is a lot of people that have low incomes in the household so the idea is to help that with the market,” Flores said. Corbeille de Pain’s solidarity market in Pointe-Claire, Que., in August 2024. Tim Sargeant/Global News Robin Hill, a West Island resident, regularly shops at the solidarity markets. She uses a specialized debit card subsidized by the government and charities to help buy the necessities. Not only does the pop-up stand give Hill affordable groceries to take home, but she also gets to enjoy shopping. Trending Now Plant-based milk recall: 3rd person dies as Listeriosis cases rise to 20 Pilot steals helicopter, crashes into hotel after attending party in Australia “Vegetables are so expensive in the first place, you kind of need that discount or else it’s impossible to buy it like that,” Hill said. Story continues below advertisement Food insecurity is a growing problem in West Island communities, but it is also one that affects millions of Canadians. Statistics Canada reported in April that approximately 8.7 million people — or 22.9 per cent of the population — reported some form of food insecurity in 2022, an increase of 1.8 million in a year. Corbeille de Pain says the West Island may seem wealthy, but there are thousands of low-income residents and food deserts, which is a lack of access to healthy food options, across the area. June Blackburn of Kingston, Ont., was among shoppers at the Pointe-Claire stand. She was happy to give more than the advertised price because the initiative is “really needed.” “A program like this is really, really important to keep people healthy and get your vitamins and things like that,” Blackburn said. Bill Humes also frequents the solidarity markets to get fresh food and opts for the pay-it-forward option, saying he thinks it’s a “fabulous” idea. “I’m aware of how fortunate I am, so I just try to help out,” Humes said. Corbeille de Pain’s solidarity markets are held weekly in the West Island until mid-October. They operate in three neighbourhoods: Pointe-Claire, Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Pierrefonds. &copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link via The Novum Times

[morebedsidebooks]

Women in Translation Month 10-year Anniversary

August 2024 marks 10 years of Women in Translation Month celebrating the work of women writing in languages other than English. So here is my selection of 10 fiction titles looking back over the last decade of works by women in translation.

Last Night in Nuuk by Niviaq Korneliussen (2014) tr. by Anna Halager from Grove Atlantic (2019)

A cast of queer twenty-somethings each give their own turn at narrating overlapping events in Greenland’s capital city.

Amora: Stories by Natalia Borges Polesso (2015) tr. by Julia Sanches from Amazon Crossing (2020)

An award-winning collection of many vignettes around wlw by a lauded Brazilian writer.  

Pina by Titaua Peu (2016) tr. by Jeffrey Zuckerman from Restless Books (2022)

A saga told round several members in a large highly dysfunctional family, descendants of Mā’ohi warriors, reckoning with generational trauma.

To the Warm Horizon by Choi Jin-Young (2017) tr. by Soje from Honford Star (2021)

Imagining the aftermath of an immensely deadly pandemic throwing the world into chaos and yet something like love that humans can still hold onto.

So Distant from My Life by Monique Ilboudo (2018) tr. by Yarri Kamara from Tilted Axis Press (2022)

From the first Burkinabé woman novelist, a West African man struggles over his identity and obsession with emigrating.

Feral by Gabrielle Filteau-Chiba (2019) tr. by David Homel from Mountain Leopard Press (2024)

This ecological, feminist, love story between women takes from the author’s own experiences in the Kamouraska region of Quebec.

Sons, Daughters by Ivana Bodrožić (2020) tr. by Ellen Elias-Bursać from Seven Stories Press (2024)

From Croatia, a trenchant novel of life on the margins.

We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets (2021) tr. by Emma Rault from Harper (2022)

From the Netherlands, a book for the online age showcasing the unreliable narration of a lesbian former content moderator.

Blue Hunger by Viola Di Grado (2022) tr. by Jamie Richards from Bloomsbury Publishing (2023)

From a much talked about Italian queer author, a feverish and visceral meditation on what can consume us.

Bad Habit by Alana S. Portero (2023) tr. by Mara Faye Lethem from Harper (2024)

A trans woman casts her mind back to coming-of-age in working-class Madrid in this homage to sisterhood.

[regioonlineofficial]

Vlaardingen - Mooier groen, nog meer speelplezier, nog meer mogelijkheden om elkaar te ontmoeten en met elkaar te sporten.. Er zijn volop ideeën om het Marnixplantsoen te ontwikkelen tot een plek voor jong en oud. In de zomerweken krijgen bewoners alvast een voorproefje met een pop-up fitnesspark. “Sportieve bezoekers kunnen zich alvast tien weken in het zweet sporten met deze tijdelijke fitnesstoestellen in het Marnixplantsoen,” vertelt wethouder Ivana Somers-Gardenier. “ViB, Minters en Sportschool West willen hier bovendien diverse trainingsactiviteiten organiseren voor wie liever onder begeleiding sport.”   Voor iedereen Op het tijdelijke fitnesspark staat een toestel dat ook geschikt is voor sporters in een rolstoel. Wethouder Somers-Gardenier: “Bij speeltuinen letten we er al langer op dat alle kinderen zoveel mogelijk mee moeten kunnen spelen. Maar ook bij sporttoestellen willen we het iedereen mogelijk maken om in beweging te komen.” Daarnaast zijn de toestellen geschikt voor sporters van heel verschillende niveaus: “We hebben er op gelet dat de toestellen zowel te gebruiken is voor wie verder wil werken aan zijn topconditie als voor minder ervaren of minder sterke sporters.”  Trainingen tellen De sporttoestellen hebben een ingebouwde teller waarmee bijgehouden wordt hoeveel erop getraind wordt. Zo weet de gemeente na die 10 weken of er veel gebruik van gemaakt is en welke toestellen het meest gebruikt worden. Wethouder Somers-Gardenier: “Dat kan dan weer handige informatie zijn voor als er in de toekomst vaste toestellen geplaatst kunnen worden.” Feestelijke opening in Marnixplantsoen Het pop-up fitnesspark in het Marnixplantsoen wordt vrijdag 21 juni geopend met een feestelijke outdoor fitness clinic van 15.30 uur tot 17.00 uur. Iedereen is welkom. De komende weken wordt met regelmaat een activiteit georganiseerd op het pop-up fitnesspark. Op www.vlaardingen.nl/fitnesspark staat een overzicht met de geplande activiteiten.

[dear-indies]

Hi, Cat. I hope you're having a good day. I was hoping you could please recommend some suggestions for a half sister for Rose Williams? Around the same age. There's no preferences for looks or anything like that. Thanks so much and have a great pride month!

Aiysha Hart (1990) Saudi Arabian / White - has spoken up for Palestine!

Patti Harrison (1990) Vietnamese / White - is trans.

Seychelle Gabriel (1991) French, Mexican / Italian, including Sicilian - has spoken up for Sudan and Palestine!

Poppy Drayton (1991)

Rose Matafeo (1992) Samoan / White - has spoken up for Palestine!

Joana Ribeiro (1992) - has spoken up for Palestine!

Jesse James Keitel (1993) - is trans.

Maia Mitchell (1993) - has spoken up for Palestine!

Lydia West (1993) Afro Montserratian / White.

Luciane Buchanan (1993) Tongan and White.

Jasmin Savoy Brown (1994) African-American / White - is queer - has spoken up for Palestine!

Simona Tabasco (1994)

Ivana Baquero (1994)

Jessie Mei Li (1995) Hongkonger / English - is a gender non-conforming woman who uses she/they - has spoken up for Palestine!

Rachel Sennott (1995)

Adeline Rudolph (1995) Korean / White.

Hannah Dodd (1995) - has spoken up for Palestine!

Myha'la (1996) Afro Jamaican / White - is queer - has spoken up for Palestine!

Emma Pasarow (1996)

Iman Meskini (1997) Tunisian / White - has spoken up for Palestine!

Alisha Boe (1997) Somali / White - has spoken up for Palestine!

Hope these help you out, anon!

[natasa-pantovic]

Conscious Parenting is AoL Mindfulness Training Book 5, a mindful living course designed for parents. This 12 modules personal development course is designed for parents. Using self-development techniques to support “positive parenting”, the ultimate goal is the physical, mental and emotional health of the whole family. Within parenting, the goal is to promote: an unobstructed learning from nature and freedom in the learning environment. Conscious living, through adopting a sustainable life-style, empowers eco-living, art, music, social bonding, the mind training with practices of mindfulness for kids and parents, developing emotional intelligence, creative thinking, and offering alternatives for modern technology. “Knowing that every woman and man is a star is one thing, walking the path while giving the individuals empowerment to act, within this matrix of choices, is something totally different. If we are not ready for the Cosmos manifesting in all its forms within our little ones, including rebellion, we will subdue his or her life-force.” Inspired by Waldorf educational model, and Finland educational system, with personal-development tools to look into parenting goals, dreams and priorities. In 2018 the book was voted as one of 5 of the best Personal Development Courses for kids and parents and had been on a number of Goodreads users’ lists for the Best Books for Parents. The book excerpts were published in the Sunday Times of Malta as Alternative Education Articles, and the Wikihow views hit the 900,000 views. As a Conscious Parent we acknowledge that "every child is an individual with a different growth rate and a potential that is varied and vast. Respecting the needs of these beautiful souls, listening to their unique voices, hearing their wants will assure them that no matter how tiny they are somebody will kneel down to Listen. Respecting the potential that is hidden within each child, we respect their potential to become Kings of their Trade, or Saviours of the World to come." Nataša Pantović, Conscious Parenting Course Ivana Milosavljevic, Mgr. Education Special Needs Message from Ivana the Conscious Parenting Consultant involved in the building of creativity and mindfulness exercises. 'Dear Parents, this book works with some essential parenting questions:

Is there such a thing as an ideal parent and an ideal growing environment

What is it that our little ones need to grow into happy, independent and fulfilled human beings

How to understand the needs of these gentle and pure souls

The Conscious Parenting Course was born out of these Magic Questions answering the secrets of how to travel within this most difficult journey. 'It is possible to get it RIGHT if we stick to the very basic principle of Self-Development and Spiritual Growth: encouraging within our children a strong capacity for feeling, rich soul experiences, with a capacity for strong mental growth and a potential for strong willpower.' But we can not do it alone. I keep saying to my kids: Please help me become a better and more loving parent! The course utilizes a variety of tools: mindfulness exercises, personality questionnaires, setting true personal goals, inner exploration through writing and drawing, creativity exercises, etc. With applied psychology exercises from both East and West philosophical schools, the course explores exercises to improve behavior patterns, understand the dynamics of subconscious mind and conscious thoughts, explores emotions, training mind powers through mindfulness and the willpower exercises, looking into goals, dreams, and building the personal development plans.