#United Kingdom/Rwanda Relations

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ellen Ioanes at Vox:

The UK is again preparing to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda after Parliament created a workaround to enact a policy the high court declared unlawful.

Authorities have begun detaining migrants to deport to Rwanda under the revamped plan. But the policy faces major logistical issues, humanitarian concerns, and the likelihood that a future Labour government will scrap it. Former Home Secretary Priti Patel initially proposed the controversial law in 2022 as a way to reduce irregular migration, particularly via small boats across the English Channel, which is on the rise in the UK. Her successor, Suella Braverman, also advocated for the plan until she was fired in 2023; Prime Minister Rishi Sunak then vowed to “stop the boats” and promised that the policy would become law. Sunak succeeded on the latter front. Following legal challenges that saw the UK Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights declare the proposal unlawful, a bill declaring Rwanda safe for migrants and that limits the courts’ ability to adjudicate the country’s safety was approved as law by King Charles in late April, despite heavy opposition from the House of Lords. The government published a video on May 1 showing law enforcement authorities detaining people to send to the East African country as soon as July.

The law has been resoundingly criticized by human rights advocates, immigration lawyers, and Labour politicians who say it violates international law and is, to quote shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, “an expensive gimmick.” The law is part of a broader effort by Sunak and his Conservative Party to burnish their image as their government struggles to maintain support in the lead-up to a national election. Irregular migration has increased in recent years, but it’s not the driver of the problems that the UK is facing, including ongoing cost-of-living and housing crises. However, it is among voters’ top concerns, making the extreme anti-immigration law an appealing policy for a dysfunctional party struggling to maintain power.

[...]

The UK’s Rwanda deportation policy, briefly explained

The Rwanda plan has been a policy priority for two years now, and it’s outlived two prime ministers and two home secretaries. The ostensible goal? To deter irregular migrations via the English Channel and other routes, ostensibly for the migrants’ own safety, and to disrupt human trafficking operations.

Though the government has declared Rwanda a safe country through its recent legislation, it is the threat of being sent there instead of potentially receiving asylum in the UK that is meant to deter people from entering the country. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame claimed that his country was simply trying to help out with “a very complicated problem all over the world” when Rwanda and the UK struck their initial agreement in 2022. But Rwanda will be well compensated by the British government for its purported generosity (more on that later). And critics say it also benefits Rwanda reputationally despite Kagame’s autocratic tendencies (which include threatening or jailing political rivals, repression of the media, and changing the constitution to extend his rule), not to mention the UK government’s own concerns that Rwanda is not a safe place for LGBTQ refugees.

But immigration has become a key policy pillar for the conservative government post-Brexit. Former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, along with Sunak, all touted their tough stance on immigration, hoping to appeal to socially conservative party members who see immigration as a key issue. Sunak and Truss backed the Rwanda plan, which was first proposed by controversial former Home Secretary Priti Patel. The policy was deeply controversial from the start. It applies to the roughly 52,000 asylum seekers the government deems to have entered the UK illegally after January 2022. Under international law, everyone has the right to seek asylum, and countries are obligated to protect people in their territory seeking asylum under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. The UK was one of the original signatories to that convention.

But under the new rule, regardless of whether their claims are valid, asylum seekers can now be detained, and forced to fly to Rwanda, where their asylum claims will ostensibly be processed and they will be resettled. The plan “is effectively removing the UK from the asylum convention, because it removes the right to asylum which is explicitly guaranteed,” Peter William Walsh, senior researcher at the Oxford Migration Observatory, told Vox in an interview. It also could change the UK’s legal structure: the UK has threatened to withdraw from the court’s jurisdiction should it rule against the Rwanda plan.

[...]

Costs are already adding up; though no one has been sent to Rwanda and just a handful detained, the UK has already paid Rwanda 220 million pounds (about $270 million) to create infrastructure for asylum seeker processing. That number could skyrocket to more than half a billion pounds total (about $627 million) to send just 300 people to the East African country, according to a UK government watchdog.

Because of objections from advocacy groups, the UK Supreme Court, and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), no migrant in the UK has ever been transferred to Rwanda under the plan. (One migrant has been sent to Rwanda voluntarily under a separate policy that pays eligible migrants 3,000 pounds if they volunteer to be sent to the country.) As seven people awaited deportation to Rwanda in June of 2022, the ECHR intervened and issued injunctions stopping the migrants’ removal and pausing the controversial policy. Though the UK left the European Union in 2020, it is still part of the Council of Europe, which the ECHR has jurisdiction over, making the court’s decision legally binding. And in November 2023, the UK’s highest court ruled the scheme unlawful.

Sunak, however, doubled down on the Rwanda policy, introducing emergency legislation to have Parliament declare Rwanda a safe country, as well as working on a new treaty with Rwanda to address the court’s concerns that asylum-seekers might be sent back to their home countries. That legislation, the Safety of Rwanda Act, passed Parliament in late April and unilaterally declared Rwanda to be a safe place to resettle migrants, paving the way for King Charles’s approval and the Home Office’s moves to detain some migrants who arrived by irregular routes.

The United Kingdom’s highly controversial Rwanda deportation plan proposed in a bid to curb unauthorized immigration to the nation has already ignited controversy.

The UK cannot wait for the Tories to be gone.

[worldspotlightnews]

UK Home Secretary visits Rwanda to discuss controversial deportation scheme | CNN

CNN  —  British Home Secretary Suella Braverman arrived in Rwanda on Saturday to discuss a controversial agreement which will see the UK deport asylum seekers deemed to have arrived illegally to the African nation. The scheme is mired in legal difficulties – no one has yet been deported – and Braverman’s visit has been criticized as she invited journalists from right-wing titles to accompany…

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.4

Holidays

Alice in Wonderland Day

Apocalypse Day

Army Day (Guatemala)

Baal Fire Day (Northumberland, UK)

Buffalo Bill Day

Bullion’s Day

Caribbean Community Day

Commemoration Day of the Victims of the Genocide Against the Jewish People (Latvia)

Damavand Național Day (Iran)

Day of Agwe (Haiti)

Dree Festival begins (Apatani people, India) [Ends 7.7]

F-Day (Alaska)

Fighter’s Day (Yugoslavia)

Filipino-American Friendship Day (Philippines)

Forensic Expert Day (Ukraine)

Garibaldi Day (Italy)

Helicopter Flight Anniversary Day

Hillbilly Day

Independents’ Day (UK)

International Whippet Day

Invisible Day

Jewish Genocide Memorial Day (Latvia)

Joey Chestnut Day

Jumping on the Mattress Night

King Tupou VI Day (Tonga)

Koko the Gorilla Day

Kwibohora (Liberation Day; Rwanda)

Liberation Day (Northern Mariana Islands)

Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day

National Architect Day (Venezuela)

National Karl Day

National Micah Day

National Police Day (Ukraine)

National Safe House Day

National Sophie Day

National Tom Sawyer Day

Queen Sonja Day (Norway)

Republic Day (Philippines)

704 Day

Steve Rogers Day

Stone Skipping Tournament (Mackinac Island, Michigan)

Tobacco Day (French Republic)

Tom Sawyer Fence-Painting Day (Hannibal, Missouri)

Unity Day (Zambia)

Virgin Islands Day (British Virgin Islands)

White Cloud’s Birthday and Tatanka Bison Festival (North Dakota)

World Day for Captive Dolphins

World Day of the eBook

World Sarcopenia Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Build a Pasta Sculpture Day

Caesar Salad Day

Honor American Beer & Cyder Day

Independence from Meat Day

Independent Beer Day

Jackfruit Day

National Baked Beans Day

National Barbecue Day

National Barbecued Spareribs Day

National Caesar Salad Day

National Pub Opening Day

Sidewalk Egg Frying Day

Independence & Related Days

Abkhazia (from Georgia; 1993)

Caricom Day (Barbados; 1973)

Hawaii Statehood Day (#50; 1960) [observed 3rd Friday]

Lanao del Norte (Philippines)

Lunar Independence Day (from “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress”)

North Carolina (Readmitted to the Union; 1868)

Orly (Declared; 2010) [unrecognized]

Philippines (from US; 1946)

Providence Day (Rhode Island; 1636)

United States (from UK; 1776) a.k.a. …

Barbecue Day

Boom Box Parade (Willimantic, Connecticut)

Firecracker Day

Holy Firecracker Day (in John Updike's Couples)

Independence From Meat Day

Independent Beer Day

Indivisible Day (Minnesota)

National Country Music Day

Valnor (Declared; 2006) [unrecognized]

1st Thursday in July

Kid Lit Art Postcard Day [1st Thursday]

Ommegang Pageant ends (Belgium) [1st Thursday]

Thirsty Thursday [1st Thursday]

Throwback Thursday [Every Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 4 (1st Week of July)

Freedom Week (thru 7.10)

Festivals Beginning July 4, 2024

Anime Expo (Los Angeles, California) [thru 7.7]

Anthrocon (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) [thru 7.7]

Berrien Springs Pickle Festival (Berrien Springs, Michigan)

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bucheon, South Korea) [thru 7.14]

Buxton International Festival (Buxton, United Kingdom) [thru 7.21]

Eurockéennes de Belfort (Belfort, France) [thru 7.7]

Fan Expo Denver (Denver, Colorado) [thru 7.7]

Fishin' Fiesta (Freeport, Texas) [thru 4.6]

Lexington County Peach Festival (Gilbert, South Carolina)

Main Square Festival (Arras, France) [thru 7.7]

Mountain State Art & Craft Fair (Ripley, West Virginia) [thru 7.7]

Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog-Eating Contest (Coney Island, New York)

Northern Lights Festival Boréal (Greater Sudbury, Canada) [thru 7.7]

Old Fashioned Farmer Days (Van Wert, Ohio) [thru 7.6]

Ottawa Bluesfest (Ottawa, Canada) [thru 7.14]

Portland Craft Beer Festival (Portland, Oregon) [thru 7.6]

Quebec City Summer Festival (Quebec City, Canada) [thru 7.14]

Red, White, and Blueberries BBQ Bash (Lahaska, Pennsylvania) [thru 7.7]

Rock Werchter (Werchter, Belgium) [thru 7.7]

Sand Mountain Potato Festival (Henegar, Alabama)

Shoals Catfish Festival (Shoals, Indiana) [thru 7.7]

Tech Open Air (Berlin, Germany) [thru 7.7]

Tremolo (Tolyatti, Russia) [thru 7.7]

Waterfront Blues Festival (Portland, Oregon) [thru 7.7]

Feast Days

Admiral Abigail Breeze (Muppetism)

Andrew of Crete (Christian; Saint)

Bertha of Artois (Christian; Saint)

Bolcan (Christian; Saint)

Build a Pasta Subculture Day (Pastafarian)

Build a Scarecrow Day (Pastafarian)

Carolus-Duran (Artology)

Catherine Jarrige (Christian; Blessed)

Day of Pax (Ancient Roman)

Elizabeth Montgomery Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Elizabeth of Aragon (or of Portugal; Christian; Saint)

Feast of Translation (Ordination of St. Martin; Christian)

Finbar (Christian; Saint)

Flavian (Christian; Saint)

Jumping on the Mattress Night (Shamanism)

Mescalero Apache Gahan Ceremonial (Spirit of the Mountain; Everyday Wicca)

Nathaniel Hawthorne (Writerism)

Nellie Mae Rowe (Artology)

Odo of Canterbury (Christian; Saint)

Old Midsummer’s Eve (England)

Peter the Hermit (Positivist; Saint)

Pier Giorgio Frassati (Christian; Blessed)

Procopius, Abbot of Prague (Christian; Confessor)

Rube Goldberg (Artology)

Sam Eagle (Muppetism)

Sisoes (a.k.a. Sisoy), Anchoret in Egypt (Christian; Saint)

Solstitium IV (Pagan)

Sun Dance (Paying homage to the god who dwells within the fire of the sun; Ute Indian Tribe; Utah)

Tomaž Šalamun (Writerism)

Ulrich of Augsburg (Christian; Confessor)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [38 of 71]

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

About Last Night (Film; 1986)

Alice in Wonderland (Novel; 1862)

America (My Country, ’Tis of Thee), by Lowell Mason and Samuel Francis Smith (Song; 1831 or 32)

American Top 40, by Casey Kasem (Radio Show; 1970)

Bats in the Belfry (MGM Cartoon; 1942)

Bedtime Bedlam (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1955)

Big Trouble in Little China (Film; 1986)

Cats & Dogs (Film; 2001)

Die Hard 2 (Film; 1990)

Doomsday for the Deceiver, by Flotsam and Jetsam (Album; 1986)

Droopy Leprechaun (MGM Cartoon; 1958)

Farnham's Freehold, by Robert A. Heinlein (Novel; 1964)

Fernwood 2 Night (TV Series; 1977)

Foo Fighters, by the Foo Fighters (Album; 1995)

Gonzo (Film; 2008)

The Great Mouse Detective (Animated Disney Film; 1986)

The Green Berets (Film; 1968)

Greenfields, by The Brothers Four (Song; 1959)

The Great Escape (Film; 1963)

Hail to the Chief, performed by the U.S. Marine Band (Song; 1828)

Jungle Jumble (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1932)

Kylie, by Kylie Minogue (Album; 1988)

Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman (Poem; 1855)

Mamma Mia! (Film; 2008)

Mexicali Shmoes (WB LT Cartoon; 1959)

Once Upon a Time in the West (Film; 1969)

Poor Little Butterfly (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1938)

The Schooner the Better (Phantasies Cartoon; 1946)

Summer in the City, by The Lovin’ Spoonful (Song; 1966)

Tess of the d'Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy (Novel; 1891)

Tony Orlando & Dawn (TV Series; 1974)

U.S. Declaration of Independence ratified (Political Document; 1776)

Walk This Way by Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith (Song; 1986)

Washington Monument (Cornerstone Laid; 1848)

The Werewolf of Paris, by Guy Endore (Novel; 1933)

Today’s Name Days

Berta, Elisabeth, Ulrich (Austria)

Berta, Elizabeta, Elza, Laura (Croatia)

Prokop (Czech Republic)

Ulricus (Denmark)

Virgo, Virmo, Virvo (Estonia)

Ulla, Ulpu (Finland)

Florent (France)

Berta, Else, Elisabeth, Ulrich (Germany)

Loukia (Greece)

Ulrik (Hungary)

Antonino, Cristina, Elisabetta (Italy)

Sandis, Uldis, Ulriks (Latvia)

Gedgailė, Malvina, Skalvis, Teodoras (Lithuania)

Ulla, Ulrik (Norway)

Ageusz, Alfred, Aurelian, Elżbieta, Innocenta, Innocenty, Józef, Julian, Malwin, Malwina, Odo, Teodor, Wielisław (Poland)

Andrei (România)

Prokop (Slovakia)

Berta, Isabel (Spain)

Ulla, Ulrika (Sweden)

Bohdanna (Ukraine)

America, Calvert, Calverta, Calvin, Calvina, Kalvin (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 186 of 2024; 180 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 27 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 26 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Geng-Wu), Day 29 (ji-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 28 Sivan 5784

Islamic: 27 Dhu al-Hijjah 1445

J Cal: 6 Red; Sixday [6 of 30]

Julian: 21 June 2024

Moon: 2%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 17 Charlemagne (7th Month) [Peter the Hermit]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 15 of 94)

Week: 1st Week of July

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 14 of 31)

[sa7abnews]

Here’s who the EU is really afraid of (and it’s not Trump or Musk)

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/16/heres-who-the-eu-is-really-afraid-of-and-its-not-trump-or-musk/

Here’s who the EU is really afraid of (and it’s not Trump or Musk)

The biggest risk that Brussels faces after the pair’s fireside chat is that Europeans might start learning some inconvenient truths from each other

When X owner Elon Musk announced a digital fireside chat on the app with former US president and current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, at least one EU official promptly went ballistic.  EU Internal Markets Commissioner Thierry Breton reacted to the online promotion of the exclusive event with a threat – the kind of thing that goes over far better on an official company letterhead (the European Commission’s in this case) than, say, in a whispery, untraceable phone call.  “I am writing to you in the context of recent events in the United Kingdom and in relation to the planned broadcast on your platform X of a live conversation between a US presidential candidate and yourself, which will also be accessible to users in the EU,” Breton wrote to Musk. He warned the billionaire about ongoing compliance investigations and insisted on the need to mitigate “amplification of harmful content” which “if unaddressed might… generate detrimental effects on civic discourse and public security.” Ah, yes. Because anything that goes against the official EU establishment narrative and agenda is generally considered to be a threat to public order. The plebs might actually discover some inconvenient realities that better explain why daily life in Europe has become more challenging than that of our gatekeeping overlords. Worse, they may decide to do something about it, which presents an even greater inconvenience to the ruling establishment in that they may actually have to rework some of their policies to the detriment of some opaque special interests.

Read more

Trump’s ‘interview of the century’ with Elon Musk: As it happened

How fitting that Breton evoked the recent unrest in the UK, which wasn’t caused by an actual migrant but nonetheless sparked public outcry over migration and asylum issues – something that’s so “fake” that the British government itself has tried to hide the extent of the problem by stocking migrants on an offshore barge and proposing to send them to Rwanda. Breton also CC’d X CEO Linda Yaccarino on his letter in the same way that a principal chewing out an unruly student in writing would also copy the kid’s mom so she could give him a good spanking at home. But Breton found out that getting mom onboard is hard to do when the “kid” in this case supports the whole household. “This is an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the US,” replied Yaccarino. “It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions.” Usually, when the EU is accused of foreign interference, it’s because it’s riding shotgun with Uncle Sam, who wasn’t around for backup this time when Musk himself fired back with a meme from the movie, Tropic Thunder – a still image of actor Tom Cruise in his role as a talent agent, captioned with the line, “Take a big step back and literally, f**k your own face!” Chief editor of France Inter’s digital operations, Stephane Jourdain, cited European Commission sources who told him that Musk’s reply would be added to their files against X. Aye, aye, commissars! Oh, but wait. It appears that Breton got out ahead of the EU clownmobile and is now about to get a deep back massage from the jalopy’s tire tracks. The European Commission “denied Breton had approval from its President Ursula von der Leyen to send the letter,” reported the Financial Times. Breton now knows exactly how every EU citizen feels when unelected “Queen Ursula” makes the same kind of top-down decisions for all Europeans as that which the unelected Breton just tried to unilaterally impose on Musk.  All this drama for what, exactly? The fact that Trump might say something that doesn’t jibe with the EU’s propaganda, which apparently is so tenuous and fragile that it needs to be preemptively protected from any potential future challenges, however rational or nutty?

Read more

‘Stupid’ Biden threats caused Ukraine conflict – Trump

It turns out that the EU didn’t have much to worry about. Trump doesn’t seem to have a clue about what’s actually going on here. “They take great advantage of the United States in trade,” Trump said of Europe, which was goaded by the Biden administration into foregoing its trade relationship with Russia, whose cheap energy allowed it to compete with the US on the global playing field. It now has a greater dependence on pricier American liquified natural gas. And the trade deficit that the US has with the EU is largely the result of all the protectionist tariffs that it slaps on its other competitors, like China – an idea that Trump has long supported himself – leaving the US with fewer suppliers, like the EU. The US is doing a far better job of screwing itself than anyone else could. “Why is the United States paying disproportionately more to defend Europe than Europe? That doesn’t make sense,” Trump said to Musk. “That’s unfair, and that is an appropriate thing to address.” Except that the US cash “for Ukraine” is mostly just being dumped into the US military industrial complex, which is actually a great deal for Washington cronies. And when the US demands that Europe spends more on weapons for itself, guess who the big winner is? “In the 2019-2023 period, 55% of imports to Europe were from the US, up from 35% in the 2014-2018 period,” French state media outlet, France 24, said of EU weapons. As if the EU is going to clarify any of those Trump statements. If Brussels had to be honest, it’d be like, “Well, actually, Trump was spreading fake news when he said that we’re not paying enough for Ukraine. Our own arms industries are also starting to cash in on the charade now, too.” The EU also probably won’t want to admit that it has become more dependent on the US for everything – including trade – despite the whole idea of breaking up with Russia having been in the interests of avoiding getting too committed to any one partner. Yet here’s Trump sounding like he has no clue why Brussels has become such a stage-five clinger that it needs the US to buy more of its stuff.  The more Trump blabs, the more the average European citizen can assess for themselves how much his reality jibes with theirs. And the more daylight that exists between them, the less influence Trump will have on them. Which is why it could actually serve the EU’s own agenda to let him talk as much as possible.  The downside, of course, is that open debate on anything EU-related evoked by Trump – even cluelessly – risks sparking an online public dissection of EU actions that would bleed into the more conventional media. And the danger there is that there is a high probability of EU politicians being outed as inept jokers.

[brookston]

Holidays 7.5

Holidays

Arbor Day (New Zealand)

Bank Indonesia Day (Indonesia)

Bikini Day

Black Day (Pakistan)

Bloody Thursday Commemoration Day (International Longshore and Warehouse Union)

Dolly the Sheep Day

Emancipation Day (NYC)

Fiesta do Tapuleiros begins (Portugal)

Fishermen’s Day (Marshall Islands)

Foreign Slovaks Day (Slovakia; Slovakian Communities)

Graffiti Day

Heroes’ Day (Zambia)

International Read Naked Day

Judicial Employees Day (Turkmenistan)

Mechanical Pencil Day

National Guitar Pick Day

National Hawaii Day

National Ian Day

National Injury Prevention Day (Canada)

National Sylvia Day

National Wear A Thong Day

National Workaholics Day

NHS Day (UK)

Peace Day (Rwanda)

Pet Remembrance Day (UK)

Red Currant Day (French Republic)

Rehydration Day

Salvation Army Foundation Day

Secret Service Day

705 Day (Jonas Brothers)

Social Care & Frontline Workers’ Day (UK)

Thong Day

Tynwald Day (Isle of Man) [If 5th a Weekend, Celebrated on Monday]

Urumqi Massacre Anniversary Day (China)

Virgin Islands Day (British Virgin Islands)

Work Without Your Hands Day (SpongeBob)

World Badminton Day

World Bikini Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Graham Cracker Day

National Apple Turnover Day

National Hungover Day

Spam Day

Independence & Related Days

Aeland (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Algeria (from France, 1962)

Cape Verde (from Portugal, 1975)

Caudonia (Declared; 2019) [unrecognized]

Constitution Day (Armenia)

Reylan Imperial Triumvirate (Declared; 2005) [unrecognized]

Turdas (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Venezuela (from Spain, 1811)

1st Friday in July

Alice Springs Show Day [1st Friday]

Comic Sans Day [1st Friday]

Drive Your Corvette to Work Day [Friday closest to 6.30]

Flashback Friday [Every Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

International Beer Sommelier Day [1st Friday]

Ra o te Ui Ariki (Cook Islands) [1st Friday]

Ways With Words Festival of Words and Ideas begins (UK) [1st Friday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 5 (1st Week of July)

Roswell UFO Days (thru 7.7) [1st Friday]

Festivals Beginning July 5, 2024

Baltic Jazz Festival (Dalsbruk, Finland) [thru 7.7]

Calgary Stampede (Calgary, Canada) [thru 7.14]

Chicago Craft Beer Festival (Chicago, Illinois) [thru 7.7]

Contemporary American Theater Festival (Shepherdstown, West Virginia) [thru 7.28]

Copenhagen Jazz Festival (Copenhagen, Denmark) [thru 7.14]

EUROFANZ (Brno, Czech Republic) [thru 7.6]

Finncon (Jyväskylä, Finland) [thru 7.7]

Halal Ribfest (Dearborn Heights, Michigan) [thru 7.7]

London Film & Comic Con (London, United Kingdom.) [thru 7.7]

Love Supreme Jazz Festival (Glynde, United Kingdom) [thru 7.7]

Mariposa Folk Festival (Orillia, Canada) [thru 7.7]

Montreal Comiccon (Montreal, Canada) [thru 7.7]

Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (Neuchâtel, Switzerland) [thru 7.13]

Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery (Oxford, United Kingdom) [thru 7.7]

Rapa das Bestas of Sabucedo (Spanish village of Sabucedo) [thru 7.7]

Roswell UFO Festival (Roswell, New Mexico) [thru 7.7]

Ruisrock (Turku, Finland) [thru 7.7]

Savonlinna Opera Festival (Savonlinna, Finland) [thru 8.4]

626 Night Market (Arcadia, California) [thru 7.7 & 7.12-14]

Feast Days

Amitabha Buddha Day

André Lhote (Artology)

Anthony Maria Zaccaria, priest (Christian; Saint) [d. 1539]

Aphelion Day (Pagan)

Athanasius the Athonite (Christian; Saint)

Bill Watterson (Artology)

Catherine of Regensburg (Christian; Virgin Martyr)

Cyril and Methodius (Christian; Saint) [public holiday in Czech Republic, Slovakia]

Dabucuri umari (Initiation Rites of the Young Men; to Jurupari, South American Guarani/Tupi God)

Day of the Three Fewnesses That Are Better Than Plenty (A Fewness of Fine Words, A Fewness of Cows in Pasture, a Fewness of Friends Around Good Ale; Celtic Book of Days)

Edana (a.k.a. Edaene; Christian; Saint)

Feast of Anubis (Ancient Egypt)

Feast of the Milky Way (Chih Nu; China)

Fernando de Szyszlo (Artology)

Festival of Cargo Cults

Giuseppe Caselli (Artology)

Grace and Probus (Christian; Saint)

Impersonate An Orc Day (Pastafarian)

Initiation into Magick Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Jean Cocteau (Artology)

Jiří Reynek (Artology)

John Schoenherr (Artology)

Ken Akamatsu (Artology)

Louis-Léopold Boilly (Artology)

Modwena (Christian; Saint)

Nicomedes (Christian; Martyr)

Pavel Chistyakov (Artology)

Peter of Luxembourg (Christian; Saint)

Poplifugia (Day of the People's Flight; Ancient Rome)

Sebastian Barry (Writerism)

SHOUTING DAY (Pastafarian)

Suger (Positivist; Saint)

Tanabata (Star Festival; Japan)

Taxi Driver McGillicuddy (Muppetism)

Wendell (Christian; Confessor)

X Day (Church of the SubGenius; Traditional)

Zamling Chisang (Universal Prayer Day; Tibet)

Zoe of Rome (Roman Catholic Church)

Solar Calendar Holidays

Aphelion (Apsis) [Earth farthest point from the Sun]

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [21 of 32]

Premieres

The Alley Cat (MGM Cartoon; 1941)

Art as Experience, by John Dewey (Art Book; 1934)

BBC News (UK TV Series;1954)

Cracked Quack (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Cracked Rear View, by Hootie & the Blowfish (Album; 1994)

Debut, by Björk (Album; 1993)

The Emerald Forest (Film; 1985)

Gloria, by Them with Van Morrison (Song; 1964)

Hit the Road Jack, by Ray Charles (Song; 1961)

Hot Lead and Cold Feet (Film; 1978)

Hot Rod Huckster (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1954)

I’m Free, by The Who (Song; 1969)

Institutionalized, by Suicidal Tendencies (Song; 1983)

It’s the Same Old Song, by The Four Tops (Song; 1965)

The Jazz Fool (Ub Iwerks Cartoon; 1929)

L’Amour the Merrier (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1957)

Maybellene, by Chuck Berry copyrighted (Song; 1955)

Pesky Pelican (Chilly Willy Cartoon; 1963)

The Principia (Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica; Book; 1687)

Red Sonja (Film; 1985)

Seinfeld (TV Series; 1989)

Slacker (Film; 1991)

Them There Eyes, recorded by Billie Holiday (Song; 1939)

Threads (Social Media App; 2023)

The Way, Way Back (Film; 2013)

Weekend at Bernie’s (Film; 1989)

The Worst Witch, by Jill Murphy (Children’s Book; 1974)

You’re No Good, recorded by Linda Ronstadt (Song; 1974)

Today’s Name Days

Albrecht, Antonius, Letizia (Austria)

Antun, Ćiril, Marta, Metod, Zakarija (Croatia)

Cyril, Metodej (Czech Republic)

Anshelmus (Denmark)

Kaja, Kajar (Estonia)

Untamo, Unto (Finland)

Antoine, Antoine-Marie (France)

Albrecht, Kira, Letiza (Germany)

Lampados (Greece)

Emese, Sarolta (Hungary)

Antonio, Filomena, Maria (Italy)

Andzs, Aristids, Edis, Edīte, Edna, Esmeraldas (Latvia)

Butginas, Filomena, Karolina, Mantmilė (Lithuania)

Mina, Mirjam (Norway)

Antoni, Bartłomiej, Filomena, Jakub, Karolina, Michał, Przybywoj, Szarlota, Wilhelm (Poland)

Atanasie (România)

Cyril, Metod (Slovakia)

Antonio, Cirila, Filomena (Spain)

Laila, Melker, Ritva (Sweden)

Agnes, Methodius (Ukraine)

Grace, Gracie, Graciela, Shannon, Sharon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 187 of 2024; 179 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 27 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 27 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Geng-Wu), Day 30 (Geng-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 29 Sivan 5784

Islamic: 28 Dhu al-Hijjah 1445

J Cal: 7 Red; Sevenday [7 of 30]

Julian: 22 June 2024

Moon: 0%: New Moon

Positivist: 18 Charlemagne (7th Month) [Suger]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 16 of 94)

Week: 1st Week of July

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 15 of 31)

[swldx]

BBC 0534 11 Feb 2024

6195Khz 0459 11 FEB 2024 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from SANTA MARIA DI GALERIA. SINPO = 45333. English, ID@0459z pips and Newsroom preview. @0501z World News anchored by David Harper. Donald Trump says he would "encourage" Russia to attack any Nato member that fails to pay its bills as part of the Western military alliance. He said he had once told a Nato leader he would not protect a nation behind on its payments if it came under Russian attack, and would urge the aggressors to "do whatever they hell they want". Members of Nato commit to defend any nation in the bloc that gets attacked. The White House called the comments "appalling and unhinged". Finns will elect a new president on Sunday in the first national election since the country joined NATO, choosing a leader who will be critical to shaping the country’s role in the alliance at a time of increasingly fraught relations with Russia. Trinidad and Tobago is considering declaring a national emergency over a huge oil spill from a ship that ran aground and overturned this week. At least 15km (nine miles) of Tobago's south-western coast have been affected, including some of the Caribbean island's pristine beaches. Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is under attack by M23 rebels. Congo asks for international pressure on Rwanda to stop backing the well equipped rebels. The president of Hungary has resigned live on television over a decision to pardon a man convicted of covering up a child sexual abuse case. It was revealed last week President Novak had given clemency to a man jailed for forcing children to retract sexual abuse claims against a director of a state-run children's home. Protests calling for her to step down had been growing in Hungary. She is a key ally of Hungarian Mr Orban and previously worked as his family minister. Taiwan spots a record 8 balloons from mainland China ahead of Lunar New Year. It is the highest daily number detected since Taipei’s defence ministry started releasing data, with two flying directly over the island. The latest sightings come about a month after William Lai of the independence-leaning DPP wins the Taiwanese presidential election. Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday night across Israel, calling for a deal to free Israelis held hostage by Hamas in Gaza and for early elections. Relatives of hostages held in Gaza, as well as activists calling for their immediate release, blocked the main highway in Tel Aviv and started a fire, urging the government to reach a deal with Hamas. Police arrested four protesters. The CEO of one of Nigeria's largest banks was killed on Friday when a helicopter he was riding in crashed in the Mojave Desert in Southern California. An aspiring congressional candidate for Mexico's ruling Morena party was assassinated on Saturday in the central Mexican state of Morelos, the president of Ecatepec municipality said on social media, months before Mexico's general elections. @0506z "The Newsroom" begins. MLA 30 amplified loop (powered w/8 AA rechargeable batteries ~10.8vdc), Etón e1XM. 250kW, beamAz 185°, bearing 49°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 7877KM from transmitter at Santa Maria di Galeria. Local time: 2259.

[elfdafrique]

HISTORY OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE

French is a Romance language descended from Latin which developed as a result of Celtic and Frankish influences in GAUL (now France).

Being a Romance language, it is closely related to Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Romanian, as well as many other languages. There are over 87 million native French speakers and an additional 68 million non-native speakers in the world.

During the Roman occupation of Gaul, the Latin language was imposed on the natives. This Latin language eventually developed into what is known as Vulgar Latin, which was still very similar to Latin. Over the centuries, due to Celtic and Germanic influences (particularly the Franks), LA LANGUE D'OÏL was developed.

A dialect of la langue d'oïl known as LE FRANCIEN was the language of the court, and thus became the official language of what was to become the Kingdom of France, and later the Nation-State of France.

From medieval times until the 19th century, French was the dominant language of diplomacy, culture,

administration, trade and royal courts across Europe. Due to these factors, French was the lingua franca of

this time period.

French has influenced many languages world wide, including English. It is through French (or more precisely Norman, a dialect of la langue d'oïl) that English gets about one third of its vocabulary.

EXTENT OF THE LANGUAGE

In recent times, French is still a significant diplomatic language: it is

an official language of the United Nations, the Olympic Games, and

the European Union. It is also the official language of 29 countries and is spoken in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Tunisia,

Morocco, Senegal, Haiti, the Ivory Coast, Madagascar, the Congo,

Algeria, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Gabon, the Seychelles, Burundi, Chad, Rwanda, Djibouti, Cameroon, Mauritius, and Canada (mostly in the province of Québec, where it is the primary language, but it is also used in other parts of the country. All consumer product packages in Canada are required by law to have both English and French labels).

Allons-y!

#Source: Main article: w:La Francophonie

#PhotoCredit: The France Eiffel Tower, Paris.

PS: admission is progressively open for our various online French courses.

[rivaltimes]

Home Secretary Says She "Dreams" Of Planes Deporting Asylum Seekers To Rwanda

Home Secretary Says She “Dreams” Of Planes Deporting Asylum Seekers To Rwanda

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman. -Jacob King/PA Wire/dpa The British Minister of the Interior, Suella Braverman, has assured that her “dream”, her “obsession”, is to see how a plane deports those seeking asylum in the United Kingdom to Rwanda, in relation to the controversial immigration measure with which London intends to send to the African country those who arrive irregularly in the…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Luke Hallam at The UnPopulist:

For the past seven days, the U.K. has witnessed its worst riots in over a decade. What started off last week as a wave of protests over the horrific murder of three young girls, fueled by false claims about the identity of the attacker on social media, has metastasized into something far more profound: a deep fracturing of relations between communities that threatens to do lasting damage to Britain’s social fabric.

Origin of a Race Riot

Last Monday, a knife-wielding teenager entered through an open fire door at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the seaside town of Southport and killed three participants, all girls under the age of 10. He also injured eight more young children and two adults. It was an evil crime, the horror made all the more acute by the youth of the victims and by the fact that someone would target for such an atrocity, of all things, a joyful summer dance party. What came next should be considered a textbook example of how harmful lies can spread on social media. There are generally good reasons to be wary of finger-pointing when it comes to “fake news” and social media’s role in spreading it. But in this instance, it’s hard to overstate the extent of the hysteria that was unleashed. Mere hours after the attack, the killer was seemingly identified as Ali al-Shakati, a Muslim asylum seeker who had arrived in the United Kingdom by boat, and was known to the British security services as a potential threat. Within minutes of the first social media post identifying al-Shakati, the story was picked up by a dubious news organization calling itself “Channel 3 Now.” The al-Shakati story was then parroted by Russia Today, and began appearing in a raft of viral posts on social media, including X, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Right-wing influencers with huge followings, like Andrew Tate, amplified the story, and various posts amassed thousands, often millions, of impressions.

Unrest broke out initially in Southport, Hartlepool, and London. Rioters released smoke flares and set fire to a riot van; they threw trash cans and bottles at police officers. As the unrest spread, it was the far right—an ad hoc coalition of former members of the English Defense League, supporters of notorious far-right agitator Tommy Robinson, and ordinary people swept along on social media—fueling the violence. It was common to see English flags and chants of “English till I die.” Mosques and Islamic centers were targeted in a horrific wave of xenophobic thuggery. It was, in large part, a genuine race riot—not a phrase to use lightly. In the first three days, it was well known that the suspect was only 17 years old, which means that by law they couldn’t be identified in the media. Still, in an attempt to head off the violence, the police released some limited information confirming that the alleged perpetrator of the atrocity was in fact born in the U.K. Nigel Farage, the leader of the populist-right Reform UK party and a newly-minted member of parliament, echoed a widespread fear that the establishment was conspiring with the police forces to protect an illegal migrant for fear of fueling an anti-immigrant narrative, irresponsibly declaring: “I just wonder whether the truth is being withheld from us.”

Finally, on Thursday afternoon, a judge took the unusual step of allowing the media to release the full identity of the alleged perpetrator despite his being a minor, noting that the suspect was only a few days away from turning 18. It turns out that Ali al-Shakati doesn’t exist. The real suspect, Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old born in Wales to Rwandan parents, was not a refugee. We don’t know that he’s not Muslim, nor that his motives were unrelated to some sort of Islamist ideology—though, given that only 2% of Rwanda’s population is Muslim, it seems unlikely. Of course, it hardly matters. There’s no earthly justification for violently attacking mosques, harassing the public, and setting fire to police vans.

[...]

Far-Right Xenophobia Capitalizes On Britain’s Integration Issues

There are two things to say in response to all of this: two things that may at first glance appear to be mutually exclusive, but are nevertheless both true. The first is that the right-wing polemicists have long been packaging these problems together into one overarching, catastrophist narrative of British decline. The problem is, there is no evidence that the knife crime wave has been directly fueled by asylum seekers. As bad as knife crime and other problems may be, it is also simply incorrect to assert that the country has in recent years become, in the words of one representative commentator, “a lawless country where there is no justice at all.” What’s more, right-wing catastrophism is hypocritical insofar as it has often been fueled by the very same politicians who were in government until last month, and spectacularly failed to tackle most of these problems. Indeed, it was the Conservative government that slashed the number of police officers and presided over the arrival of a record number of refugees, while failing to find a humane, durable solution for processing them. (In addition, it’s notable that even as one part of the country, Scotland, managed to successfully bring its knife crime problem under control by adopting a community-led agenda, Conservative politicians in Westminster made vacuous pronouncements about law and order that amounted to nothing for most of the country.)

The second thing to say is that there are real problems with Britain’s model of dealing with ethnic and religious diversity. Whenever there is social unrest or communal strife in France, for example, Brits and Americans like to put the blame squarely on the French model of laïcité—an imperfect approach to the separation of church and state that is often caricatured as consisting in naked animus against religious minorities. But Britain’s own highly communitarian approach—which often gives a free pass to the most radical elements within a religious community—does not seem to be faring much better, with the result that elements within some immigrant communities in Britain’s major cities have failed to properly integrate, and, as the present riots show, longstanding resentments have been left to fester.

Over the past week in the United Kingdom, far-right race riots over the UK’s immigration policies and the Southport stabbing have sprung up all over the Home Nations, especially in England.

These riots are fueled by paranoid Islamophobia, anti-immigrant xenophobia, and fake news.

[claritypoolservice]

Time to Build Your Swimming Pool!

New Post has been published on https://lasvegascustomswimmingpooldesigncontractor.com/time-to-build-your-pool

Time to Build Your Swimming Pool!

The Heat of the Summer is Approaching – Time to Call Clarity Pool Service and Build Your Dream Swimming Pool

Okay, if you’re feeling the warmth of the sun all ready, you are a valid Las Vegas resident. Anyone who’s been here more than a couple of Summers will tell you it comes on quickly. Summer that is! It’s like one day you’re enjoying the cool Winter feeling air, and then all of a sudden, we’re dropped back into the heat of Summer. A time of the year that will have you sweating in areas of your body you didn’t even realize you could sweat in. If you can relate to that statement, it sounds like you are more than likely a veteran of Las Vegas. In other words, it gets hot here in our desert. Right about when you start wishing you lived in Colorado, your brain starts coming up with alternatives that don’t include you selling your home and lugging your family over to a new state to set up shop. The next thought is a custom swimming pool.

At Clarity Pool Service of Las Vegas, Nevada, we specialize in building traditional and custom swimming pools. There’s nothing we love more than designing and building beautiful pools and outdoor living environments that our clients enjoy every summer. It’s almost mandatory to have a pool here in our city. If you’re new to this fantastic town, then you’ll probably smile at that comment. But I’ wasn’t joking, sadly. At Clarity Pool Service, we strive to become the cure for the typical Las Vegas, Summer. From the preliminary on-site design consultation to the finished pool and outdoor living environment, we want to exceed your expectations where it concerns your plans to transform your dirt backyard into a desert oasis. Give Clarity a call today to speak with one of our pool design professionals. You can reach our office at (702) 839-9265, or you can visit our “New Pool Construction” page to learn more about how Clarity Pool Service would build your pool project. You can learn more and visit our past project photo gallery below.

Schedule a Swimming Pool Service Consultation with Clarity!

Whether you're exploring the idea of building a custom swimming pool, or you would like us to maintain your existing one. Clarity Pool Services has you covered! We specialize in custom pool design & construction as well as every maintenance service in between, and after pool construction. We're avid supporters of being water smart here in the Las Vegas, Valley, offering "no-drain" eco-friendly water treatments that restore the quality of your swimming pool water without having to drain, refill, and re-introduce traditional pool treatment chemicals. We have a better solution known as the PuriPool Water Treatment Process. We also offer pool restoration and our bead blasting service that will eliminate unsightly calcium scale and other hard water remnants. Schedule a consultation today with Clarity Pool Service of Las Vegas, Nevada!

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HFS Financial – Get Funding For Your Residential Swimming Pool Project

Do you need financing for your custom pool project? No problem, we’ve partnered with HFS Financial to help you receive the funding you need to build your dream pool and outdoor living project. Visit HFS now to start your application.

New Pool Construction

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[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.5

Holidays

Arbor Day (New Zealand)

Bank Indonesia Day (Indonesia)

Bikini Day

Black Day (Pakistan)

Bloody Thursday Commemoration Day (International Longshore and Warehouse Union)

Dolly the Sheep Day

Emancipation Day (NYC)

Fiesta do Tapuleiros begins (Portugal)

Fishermen’s Day (Marshall Islands)

Foreign Slovaks Day (Slovakia; Slovakian Communities)

Graffiti Day

Heroes’ Day (Zambia)

International Read Naked Day

Judicial Employees Day (Turkmenistan)

Mechanical Pencil Day

National Guitar Pick Day

National Hawaii Day

National Ian Day

National Injury Prevention Day (Canada)

National Sylvia Day

National Wear A Thong Day

National Workaholics Day

NHS Day (UK)

Peace Day (Rwanda)

Pet Remembrance Day (UK)

Red Currant Day (French Republic)

Rehydration Day

Salvation Army Foundation Day

Secret Service Day

705 Day (Jonas Brothers)

Social Care & Frontline Workers’ Day (UK)

Thong Day

Tynwald Day (Isle of Man) [If 5th a Weekend, Celebrated on Monday]

Urumqi Massacre Anniversary Day (China)

Virgin Islands Day (British Virgin Islands)

Work Without Your Hands Day (SpongeBob)

World Badminton Day

World Bikini Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Graham Cracker Day

National Apple Turnover Day

National Hungover Day

Spam Day

Independence & Related Days

Aeland (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Algeria (from France, 1962)

Cape Verde (from Portugal, 1975)

Caudonia (Declared; 2019) [unrecognized]

Constitution Day (Armenia)

Reylan Imperial Triumvirate (Declared; 2005) [unrecognized]

Turdas (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Venezuela (from Spain, 1811)

1st Friday in July

Alice Springs Show Day [1st Friday]

Comic Sans Day [1st Friday]

Drive Your Corvette to Work Day [Friday closest to 6.30]

Flashback Friday [Every Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

International Beer Sommelier Day [1st Friday]

Ra o te Ui Ariki (Cook Islands) [1st Friday]

Ways With Words Festival of Words and Ideas begins (UK) [1st Friday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 5 (1st Week of July)

Roswell UFO Days (thru 7.7) [1st Friday]

Festivals Beginning July 5, 2024

Baltic Jazz Festival (Dalsbruk, Finland) [thru 7.7]

Calgary Stampede (Calgary, Canada) [thru 7.14]

Chicago Craft Beer Festival (Chicago, Illinois) [thru 7.7]

Contemporary American Theater Festival (Shepherdstown, West Virginia) [thru 7.28]

Copenhagen Jazz Festival (Copenhagen, Denmark) [thru 7.14]

EUROFANZ (Brno, Czech Republic) [thru 7.6]

Finncon (Jyväskylä, Finland) [thru 7.7]

Halal Ribfest (Dearborn Heights, Michigan) [thru 7.7]

London Film & Comic Con (London, United Kingdom.) [thru 7.7]

Love Supreme Jazz Festival (Glynde, United Kingdom) [thru 7.7]

Mariposa Folk Festival (Orillia, Canada) [thru 7.7]

Montreal Comiccon (Montreal, Canada) [thru 7.7]

Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (Neuchâtel, Switzerland) [thru 7.13]

Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery (Oxford, United Kingdom) [thru 7.7]

Rapa das Bestas of Sabucedo (Spanish village of Sabucedo) [thru 7.7]

Roswell UFO Festival (Roswell, New Mexico) [thru 7.7]

Ruisrock (Turku, Finland) [thru 7.7]

Savonlinna Opera Festival (Savonlinna, Finland) [thru 8.4]

626 Night Market (Arcadia, California) [thru 7.7 & 7.12-14]

Feast Days

Amitabha Buddha Day

André Lhote (Artology)

Anthony Maria Zaccaria, priest (Christian; Saint) [d. 1539]

Aphelion Day (Pagan)

Athanasius the Athonite (Christian; Saint)

Bill Watterson (Artology)

Catherine of Regensburg (Christian; Virgin Martyr)

Cyril and Methodius (Christian; Saint) [public holiday in Czech Republic, Slovakia]

Dabucuri umari (Initiation Rites of the Young Men; to Jurupari, South American Guarani/Tupi God)

Day of the Three Fewnesses That Are Better Than Plenty (A Fewness of Fine Words, A Fewness of Cows in Pasture, a Fewness of Friends Around Good Ale; Celtic Book of Days)

Edana (a.k.a. Edaene; Christian; Saint)

Feast of Anubis (Ancient Egypt)

Feast of the Milky Way (Chih Nu; China)

Fernando de Szyszlo (Artology)

Festival of Cargo Cults

Giuseppe Caselli (Artology)

Grace and Probus (Christian; Saint)

Impersonate An Orc Day (Pastafarian)

Initiation into Magick Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Jean Cocteau (Artology)

Jiří Reynek (Artology)

John Schoenherr (Artology)

Ken Akamatsu (Artology)

Louis-Léopold Boilly (Artology)

Modwena (Christian; Saint)

Nicomedes (Christian; Martyr)

Pavel Chistyakov (Artology)

Peter of Luxembourg (Christian; Saint)

Poplifugia (Day of the People's Flight; Ancient Rome)

Sebastian Barry (Writerism)

SHOUTING DAY (Pastafarian)

Suger (Positivist; Saint)

Tanabata (Star Festival; Japan)

Taxi Driver McGillicuddy (Muppetism)

Wendell (Christian; Confessor)

X Day (Church of the SubGenius; Traditional)

Zamling Chisang (Universal Prayer Day; Tibet)

Zoe of Rome (Roman Catholic Church)

Solar Calendar Holidays

Aphelion (Apsis) [Earth farthest point from the Sun]

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [21 of 32]

Premieres

The Alley Cat (MGM Cartoon; 1941)

Art as Experience, by John Dewey (Art Book; 1934)

BBC News (UK TV Series;1954)

Cracked Quack (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Cracked Rear View, by Hootie & the Blowfish (Album; 1994)

Debut, by Björk (Album; 1993)

The Emerald Forest (Film; 1985)

Gloria, by Them with Van Morrison (Song; 1964)

Hit the Road Jack, by Ray Charles (Song; 1961)

Hot Lead and Cold Feet (Film; 1978)

Hot Rod Huckster (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1954)

I’m Free, by The Who (Song; 1969)

Institutionalized, by Suicidal Tendencies (Song; 1983)

It’s the Same Old Song, by The Four Tops (Song; 1965)

The Jazz Fool (Ub Iwerks Cartoon; 1929)

L’Amour the Merrier (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1957)

Maybellene, by Chuck Berry copyrighted (Song; 1955)

Pesky Pelican (Chilly Willy Cartoon; 1963)

The Principia (Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica; Book; 1687)

Red Sonja (Film; 1985)

Seinfeld (TV Series; 1989)

Slacker (Film; 1991)

Them There Eyes, recorded by Billie Holiday (Song; 1939)

Threads (Social Media App; 2023)

The Way, Way Back (Film; 2013)

Weekend at Bernie’s (Film; 1989)

The Worst Witch, by Jill Murphy (Children’s Book; 1974)

You’re No Good, recorded by Linda Ronstadt (Song; 1974)

Today’s Name Days

Albrecht, Antonius, Letizia (Austria)

Antun, Ćiril, Marta, Metod, Zakarija (Croatia)

Cyril, Metodej (Czech Republic)

Anshelmus (Denmark)

Kaja, Kajar (Estonia)

Untamo, Unto (Finland)

Antoine, Antoine-Marie (France)

Albrecht, Kira, Letiza (Germany)

Lampados (Greece)

Emese, Sarolta (Hungary)

Antonio, Filomena, Maria (Italy)

Andzs, Aristids, Edis, Edīte, Edna, Esmeraldas (Latvia)

Butginas, Filomena, Karolina, Mantmilė (Lithuania)

Mina, Mirjam (Norway)

Antoni, Bartłomiej, Filomena, Jakub, Karolina, Michał, Przybywoj, Szarlota, Wilhelm (Poland)

Atanasie (România)

Cyril, Metod (Slovakia)

Antonio, Cirila, Filomena (Spain)

Laila, Melker, Ritva (Sweden)

Agnes, Methodius (Ukraine)

Grace, Gracie, Graciela, Shannon, Sharon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 187 of 2024; 179 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 27 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 27 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Geng-Wu), Day 30 (Geng-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 29 Sivan 5784

Islamic: 28 Dhu al-Hijjah 1445

J Cal: 7 Red; Sevenday [7 of 30]

Julian: 22 June 2024

Moon: 0%: New Moon

Positivist: 18 Charlemagne (7th Month) [Suger]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 16 of 94)

Week: 1st Week of July

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 15 of 31)

[brookston]

Holidays 7.4

Holidays

Alice in Wonderland Day

Apocalypse Day

Army Day (Guatemala)

Baal Fire Day (Northumberland, UK)

Buffalo Bill Day

Bullion’s Day

Caribbean Community Day

Commemoration Day of the Victims of the Genocide Against the Jewish People (Latvia)

Damavand Național Day (Iran)

Day of Agwe (Haiti)

Dree Festival begins (Apatani people, India) [Ends 7.7]

F-Day (Alaska)

Fighter’s Day (Yugoslavia)

Filipino-American Friendship Day (Philippines)

Forensic Expert Day (Ukraine)

Garibaldi Day (Italy)

Helicopter Flight Anniversary Day

Hillbilly Day

Independents’ Day (UK)

International Whippet Day

Invisible Day

Jewish Genocide Memorial Day (Latvia)

Joey Chestnut Day

Jumping on the Mattress Night

King Tupou VI Day (Tonga)

Koko the Gorilla Day

Kwibohora (Liberation Day; Rwanda)

Liberation Day (Northern Mariana Islands)

Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day

National Architect Day (Venezuela)

National Karl Day

National Micah Day

National Police Day (Ukraine)

National Safe House Day

National Sophie Day

National Tom Sawyer Day

Queen Sonja Day (Norway)

Republic Day (Philippines)

704 Day

Steve Rogers Day

Stone Skipping Tournament (Mackinac Island, Michigan)

Tobacco Day (French Republic)

Tom Sawyer Fence-Painting Day (Hannibal, Missouri)

Unity Day (Zambia)

Virgin Islands Day (British Virgin Islands)

White Cloud’s Birthday and Tatanka Bison Festival (North Dakota)

World Day for Captive Dolphins

World Day of the eBook

World Sarcopenia Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Build a Pasta Sculpture Day

Caesar Salad Day

Honor American Beer & Cyder Day

Independence from Meat Day

Independent Beer Day

Jackfruit Day

National Baked Beans Day

National Barbecue Day

National Barbecued Spareribs Day

National Caesar Salad Day

National Pub Opening Day

Sidewalk Egg Frying Day

Independence & Related Days

Abkhazia (from Georgia; 1993)

Caricom Day (Barbados; 1973)

Hawaii Statehood Day (#50; 1960) [observed 3rd Friday]

Lanao del Norte (Philippines)

Lunar Independence Day (from “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress”)

North Carolina (Readmitted to the Union; 1868)

Orly (Declared; 2010) [unrecognized]

Philippines (from US; 1946)

Providence Day (Rhode Island; 1636)

United States (from UK; 1776) a.k.a. …

Barbecue Day

Boom Box Parade (Willimantic, Connecticut)

Firecracker Day

Holy Firecracker Day (in John Updike's Couples)

Independence From Meat Day

Independent Beer Day

Indivisible Day (Minnesota)

National Country Music Day

Valnor (Declared; 2006) [unrecognized]

1st Thursday in July

Kid Lit Art Postcard Day [1st Thursday]

Ommegang Pageant ends (Belgium) [1st Thursday]

Thirsty Thursday [1st Thursday]

Throwback Thursday [Every Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 4 (1st Week of July)

Freedom Week (thru 7.10)

Festivals Beginning July 4, 2024

Anime Expo (Los Angeles, California) [thru 7.7]

Anthrocon (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) [thru 7.7]

Berrien Springs Pickle Festival (Berrien Springs, Michigan)

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bucheon, South Korea) [thru 7.14]

Buxton International Festival (Buxton, United Kingdom) [thru 7.21]

Eurockéennes de Belfort (Belfort, France) [thru 7.7]

Fan Expo Denver (Denver, Colorado) [thru 7.7]

Fishin' Fiesta (Freeport, Texas) [thru 4.6]

Lexington County Peach Festival (Gilbert, South Carolina)

Main Square Festival (Arras, France) [thru 7.7]

Mountain State Art & Craft Fair (Ripley, West Virginia) [thru 7.7]

Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog-Eating Contest (Coney Island, New York)

Northern Lights Festival Boréal (Greater Sudbury, Canada) [thru 7.7]

Old Fashioned Farmer Days (Van Wert, Ohio) [thru 7.6]

Ottawa Bluesfest (Ottawa, Canada) [thru 7.14]

Portland Craft Beer Festival (Portland, Oregon) [thru 7.6]

Quebec City Summer Festival (Quebec City, Canada) [thru 7.14]

Red, White, and Blueberries BBQ Bash (Lahaska, Pennsylvania) [thru 7.7]

Rock Werchter (Werchter, Belgium) [thru 7.7]

Sand Mountain Potato Festival (Henegar, Alabama)

Shoals Catfish Festival (Shoals, Indiana) [thru 7.7]

Tech Open Air (Berlin, Germany) [thru 7.7]

Tremolo (Tolyatti, Russia) [thru 7.7]

Waterfront Blues Festival (Portland, Oregon) [thru 7.7]

Feast Days

Admiral Abigail Breeze (Muppetism)

Andrew of Crete (Christian; Saint)

Bertha of Artois (Christian; Saint)

Bolcan (Christian; Saint)

Build a Pasta Subculture Day (Pastafarian)

Build a Scarecrow Day (Pastafarian)

Carolus-Duran (Artology)

Catherine Jarrige (Christian; Blessed)

Day of Pax (Ancient Roman)

Elizabeth Montgomery Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Elizabeth of Aragon (or of Portugal; Christian; Saint)

Feast of Translation (Ordination of St. Martin; Christian)

Finbar (Christian; Saint)

Flavian (Christian; Saint)

Jumping on the Mattress Night (Shamanism)

Mescalero Apache Gahan Ceremonial (Spirit of the Mountain; Everyday Wicca)

Nathaniel Hawthorne (Writerism)

Nellie Mae Rowe (Artology)

Odo of Canterbury (Christian; Saint)

Old Midsummer’s Eve (England)

Peter the Hermit (Positivist; Saint)

Pier Giorgio Frassati (Christian; Blessed)

Procopius, Abbot of Prague (Christian; Confessor)

Rube Goldberg (Artology)

Sam Eagle (Muppetism)

Sisoes (a.k.a. Sisoy), Anchoret in Egypt (Christian; Saint)

Solstitium IV (Pagan)

Sun Dance (Paying homage to the god who dwells within the fire of the sun; Ute Indian Tribe; Utah)

Tomaž Šalamun (Writerism)

Ulrich of Augsburg (Christian; Confessor)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [38 of 71]

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

About Last Night (Film; 1986)

Alice in Wonderland (Novel; 1862)

America (My Country, ’Tis of Thee), by Lowell Mason and Samuel Francis Smith (Song; 1831 or 32)

American Top 40, by Casey Kasem (Radio Show; 1970)

Bats in the Belfry (MGM Cartoon; 1942)

Bedtime Bedlam (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1955)

Big Trouble in Little China (Film; 1986)

Cats & Dogs (Film; 2001)

Die Hard 2 (Film; 1990)

Doomsday for the Deceiver, by Flotsam and Jetsam (Album; 1986)

Droopy Leprechaun (MGM Cartoon; 1958)

Farnham's Freehold, by Robert A. Heinlein (Novel; 1964)

Fernwood 2 Night (TV Series; 1977)

Foo Fighters, by the Foo Fighters (Album; 1995)

Gonzo (Film; 2008)

The Great Mouse Detective (Animated Disney Film; 1986)

The Green Berets (Film; 1968)

Greenfields, by The Brothers Four (Song; 1959)

The Great Escape (Film; 1963)

Hail to the Chief, performed by the U.S. Marine Band (Song; 1828)

Jungle Jumble (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1932)

Kylie, by Kylie Minogue (Album; 1988)

Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman (Poem; 1855)

Mamma Mia! (Film; 2008)

Mexicali Shmoes (WB LT Cartoon; 1959)

Once Upon a Time in the West (Film; 1969)

Poor Little Butterfly (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1938)

The Schooner the Better (Phantasies Cartoon; 1946)

Summer in the City, by The Lovin’ Spoonful (Song; 1966)

Tess of the d'Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy (Novel; 1891)

Tony Orlando & Dawn (TV Series; 1974)

U.S. Declaration of Independence ratified (Political Document; 1776)

Walk This Way by Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith (Song; 1986)

Washington Monument (Cornerstone Laid; 1848)

The Werewolf of Paris, by Guy Endore (Novel; 1933)

Today’s Name Days

Berta, Elisabeth, Ulrich (Austria)

Berta, Elizabeta, Elza, Laura (Croatia)

Prokop (Czech Republic)

Ulricus (Denmark)

Virgo, Virmo, Virvo (Estonia)

Ulla, Ulpu (Finland)

Florent (France)

Berta, Else, Elisabeth, Ulrich (Germany)

Loukia (Greece)

Ulrik (Hungary)

Antonino, Cristina, Elisabetta (Italy)

Sandis, Uldis, Ulriks (Latvia)

Gedgailė, Malvina, Skalvis, Teodoras (Lithuania)

Ulla, Ulrik (Norway)

Ageusz, Alfred, Aurelian, Elżbieta, Innocenta, Innocenty, Józef, Julian, Malwin, Malwina, Odo, Teodor, Wielisław (Poland)

Andrei (România)

Prokop (Slovakia)

Berta, Isabel (Spain)

Ulla, Ulrika (Sweden)

Bohdanna (Ukraine)

America, Calvert, Calverta, Calvin, Calvina, Kalvin (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 186 of 2024; 180 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 27 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 26 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Geng-Wu), Day 29 (ji-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 28 Sivan 5784

Islamic: 27 Dhu al-Hijjah 1445

J Cal: 6 Red; Sixday [6 of 30]

Julian: 21 June 2024

Moon: 2%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 17 Charlemagne (7th Month) [Peter the Hermit]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 15 of 94)

Week: 1st Week of July

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 14 of 31)

[swldx]

12095Khz 0359 18 JAN 2024 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM)  in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 55434. English, ID@0359z pips and Newsroom preview. @0401z World News anchored by Roisin Hastie. The US has carried out a fourth round of strikes on Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, Pentagon officials confirmed on Wednesday night. The strikes come as the US designated the Houthis as "global terrorists". Wednesday's strikes on Houthi targets followed further attacks on commercial shipping. Hours earlier, the group struck a US owned and operated vessel for the second time this week. The rebels used a one-way drone to target the M/V Genco Picardy in the Gulf of Aden, Centcom said. The ship suffered some damage, but no crew members were injured in the attack. Singapore's transport minister S Iswaran has resigned after he was formally informed of charges, including that of corruption, by the country's anti-graft agency after months of investigations. On Thursday, Iswaran appeared in court and was handed 27 charges. There were 24 charges of obtaining gratification as a public servant, two charges of corruption and one charge of obstructing the course of justice. He pleaded not guilty. China and the Philippines agreed to improve maritime communication and to properly manage conflicts and differences through friendly talks in regards to issues around the South China Sea, their foreign ministries said in a statement. The public prosecutor who was leading the investigation into the on-air assault on an Ecuadorian television station has been shot and killed in a brazen daylight attack in the crime-ridden city of Guayaquil. Ecuador has been shaken by a dramatic surge in violence, including the dramatic attack on the studio of TC Television in Guayaquil, the hostage-taking of more than 200 prison staff, explosions in several cities and the kidnapping of police officers. Colombian police say they have arrested a Venezuelan suspected of involvement in the alleged attempted assassination in Madrid last year of a co-founder of Spain’s far-right Vox party. Greg Oliver Higuera Marcano was wanted in connection with last year’s shooting of Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former leader of Spain’s main rightwing political party in Catalonia who went on to co-found Vox, and is a former vice-president of the European parliament. A Salvadoran woman has been freed from prison more than seven years after she was convicted for having an abortion. The 28-year-old, identified only as Lilian, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2015. She gave birth to a girl in a public hospital in 2015, but the baby suffered health complications and died there three days later. There is a total ban on abortion in El Salvador, which has one of the world's strictest anti-abortion laws. Prosecutors had accused Lilian of not taking care of the foetus during her pregnancy, and she was charged with negligence and aggravated murder. Lilian, who has a 10-year-old daughter, has always maintained her innocence, and said she never intended to terminate her pregnancy. Rishi Sunak has succeeded in getting his key Rwanda bill through the House of Commons after a Tory rebellion failed to materialise. The bill, which aims to stop legal challenges against ministers' plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, was approved by 320 votes to 276 votes. The bill now goes to the House of Lords where it will face stiff opposition. On Wednesday, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick tabled an amendment which would permit the UK government to ignore parts of human rights law in relation to sending people to Rwanda. The Princess of Wales is to stay in hospital for up to two weeks after undergoing abdominal surgery. The palace did not disclose further details about her condition but said it is not cancer-related. @0406z "The Newsroom" begins. Backyard gutter antenna, Etón e1XM. 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2159.

[anuworlduniverse-blog]

Peer-graded Assignment:Getting Your Research Project Started

Course Data Set Selected : Gapminder.csv

Research Question : Impact of  unemployment on suicide rate

Hypothesis : Unemployment is strongly related to suicide, but the relationship                            is more enduring and stronger among women

Second Topic : Assessing why female employ rate is less compared to male                                  employ rate

Details of Variables : Impact of Employ rate and Female Employ rate on                                                Suicide rate

Data set under consideration for my problem : 

1.  World wide Suicide rate 

2.  Employ rate

3.  Female Employ rate

References : 

1.  Augustine J. Kposowa ,  Psychological Medicine , Volume 31, Issue 1, January 2001 , pp. 127-138,   DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291799002925

Required Data set / CODE BOOK:

Country

Suicide rate

Employ rate

Female employ rate

Afghanistan

6.6843853

55.70000076

25.60000038

Albania

7.699329853

51.40000153

42.09999847

Algeria

4.848769665

50.5

31.70000076

Andorra

5.362178802

Angola

14.55467701

75.69999695

69.40000153

Antigua and Barbuda

2.1618433

Argentina

7.765584

58.40000153

45.90000153

Armenia

3.741587877

40.09999847

34.20000076

Australia

8.470030125

61.5

54.59999847

Austria

13.09437

57.09999847

49.70000076

Azerbaijan

1.380964637

60.90000153

56.20000076

Bahamas

3.374415874

66.59999847

60.70000076

Bahrain

4.414990425

60.40000153

30.20000076

Bangladesh

14.53835678

68.09999847

53.59999847

Barbados

3.108602524

66.90000153

60.29999924

Belarus

26.8746903

53.40000153

48.59999847

Belgium

15.95385

48.59999847

41.70000076

Belize

9.388795853

56.79999924

38.79999924

Benin

6.057739735

71.59999847

58.20000076

Bhutan

15.54260254

58.40000153

39.90000153

Bolivia

2.034178495

70.40000153

61.59999847

Bosnia and Herzegovina

11.8367157

41.20000076

34.90000153

Botswana

11.21397018

46

38.70000076

Brazil

4.777007

64.5

53.29999924

Brunei

1.370001554

63.79999924

55.5

Bulgaria

9.216544

47.29999924

42.09999847

Burkina Faso

8.204221725

81.30000305

75.80000305

Burundi

14.68093586

83.19999695 

 83.30000305

  Cambodia

4.961071491

78.90000153 

  73.40000153

Cameroon

7.214220524

59.09999847 

 49

Canada

10.10099

63.5 

58.90000153  

Cape Verde

5.633333683

55.90000153 

43.59999847  Central African Rep.

13.54841995

71.30000305 

62.90000153

Chad

8.283070564

68.90000153 

66.30000305 

Chile

10.17187

51 

35.5

  China

16.91324806

72.80000305

68.90000153 

  Colombia

4.907702

63.20000076

54.90000153 Comoros

4.751083851

68 

59.29999924 

Congo, Dem. Rep.

14.71302032

66.19999695 

50.40000153

  Congo, Rep.

9.873761177

64.19999695

52.29999924

  Cook Islands

4.373364925

  Costa Rica

6.597168

58.59999847

40.09999847

Cote d'Ivoire

20.31793022

59.90000153

38.09999847 Croatia

14.77625

47.09999847 

39.40000153

  Cuba

10.57191

56 

43.70000076

  Cyprus

2.206169

59.09999847 

51.29999924

  Czech Rep.

12.36798

56 

47.59999847

  Denmark

8.973104

63.09999847 

58.09999847 

Djibouti

4.993475914

  Dominica

5.835250854

  Dominican Rep.

6.519536972

52.70000076

40.5

  Ecuador

8.504684448

59.70000076

45.5

  Egypt

1.799903631

42.40000153

18.20000076 El Salvador

7.304886

58.20000076

 44.79999924

  Equatorial Guinea

10.12934971

61.70000076 

 39.59999847

  Eritrea

8.913362503

64.90000153 

51.70000076

  Estonia

16.95924

56.5 

52.09999847

  Ethiopia

10.07194233

80.69999695

 73

  Fiji

3.94025898

56.40000153 

 36.79999924

  Finland

16.23437

57.20000076 

53.40000153

  France

14.09153

51.20000076 

45.59999847

  Gabon

7.745064735

59

52.59999847

Gambia

6.449156761

71.69999695 

65.69999695

  Georgia

1.574350119

55.59999847 

48.5

Germany

9.211085

53.5 

46.79999924

  Ghana

6.288554668

65.09999847 64.09999847

Greece

2.816705

49.59999847 

37.79999924

Grenada

3.576478243

  Guadeloupe

43.09999847 

38.29999924

Guatemala

2.234896

62.70000076 

 44

  Guinea

7.443826199

81.5 

77.59999847

  Guinea-Bissau

7.563692093

65.90000153 

49.90000153

  Guyana

35.75287247

58.90000153 

41.79999924

  Haiti

1.519248009

55.90000153 

35.40000153

  Honduras

7.060184479

56.29999924 

34.20000076

  Hong Kong, China

59 

51.59999847

  Hungary

20.16201

47.29999924 

40.29999924

  Iceland

11.42618084

73.59999847 

69.59999847

  India

18.58382607

55.40000153

 32.29999924

  Indonesia

11.39611149

61.5 44.09999847

Iran

6.021882057

47.79999924 

26.89999962 

Iraq

17.03264618

37.40000153

12.39999962 

  Ireland

10.36507

59.90000153 

51

  Israel

5.931845

51.29999924

46.40000153

Italy

4.930044509

46.40000153 

35.79999924

  Jamaica

4.417507172

58.20000076 

47.5

  Japan

18.94693

57.29999924 

46.20000076

  Jordan

0.2014487237

38.90000153 

13

  Kazakhstan

25.4046

63.70000076 

58.20000076

  Kenya

10.93771839

73.19999695 

66.59999847

Korea, Dem. Rep.

4.735673428

64.59999847 

56 

  Korea, Rep.

22.40456

58.90000153 

48

  Kuwait

1.498057424

65.69999695 

 42 

  Kyrgyzstan

9.875281

58.90000153 48.79999924

Laos

26.21919823

78.19999695 

78.09999847

  Latvia

20.36959

56.79999924 

50.70000076

  Lebanon

5.83831501

46 

22.29999924 

Lesotho

7.858619213

56.29999924 

49.79999924

  Liberia

7.1848526

66 

53.20000076

  Libya

4.667024612

48.59999847 

23.20000076

Lithuania

33.34186

53.09999847 

48.79999924

  Luxembourg

12.40591812

53.5 

45.90000153

  Macao, China

63.59999847 

57.5

  Macedonia, FYR

7.876878262

34.90000153 

26.79999924

  Madagascar

5.767406464

83 

79.19999695

  Malawi

10.17173481

71.80000305 

69

  Malaysia

8.2110672

60.5 

43.09999847

  Maldives

22.35347939

56.90000153

42.09999847

Mali

8.262892723

45.70000076 

34.40000153

  Malta

4.551121235

46.79999924 

30.10000038

  Marshall Islands

7.202383518

  Martinique

42.5

38.20000076

Mauritania

6.882952213

46.90000153 

45.29999924

  Mauritius

8.08154

54.5 

36.29999924

  Mexico

4.288574

57.90000153 

39.59999847

  Micronesia, Fed. Sts.

4.762269974 

  Moldova

15.53849

44.29999924 

43.59999847

  Monaco

11.1510725

  Mongolia

13.08961582

52.09999847

50.90000153

  Morocco

2.109413624

46.20000076 

22.20000076

  Mozambique

10.55037498

77 

82.19999695

  Myanmar

10.11499691

74.69999695 

66.5

  Namibia

8.021969795

42 

37.29999924

  Nauru

4.079525471 

  Nepal

11.65520954

61.79999924 

54.59999847

  Netherlands

8.164005

61.29999924 

54.29999924

  Netherlands Antilles

53.5 

47.09999847

  New Zealand

12.17976

65 

58.29999924

  Nicaragua

12.12226868

58.79999924 

36

  Niger

9.257975578

60.40000153

38 Nigeria

7.631049633

50.90000153

36.5

  Niue

4.217076302

  Norway

10.823

65 

60.90000153

  Oman

3.716739416

50.70000076 

22.60000038

  Pakistan

12.86981487

51

19

  Palau

5.554276466

  Panama

6.1052819

59.79999924

43.40000153

  Papua New Guinea

11.95694065

70.40000153

68.90000153

  Paraguay

4.409532

73.09999847

65.30000305

  Peru

1.658907771

68.30000305

59.79999924

  Philippines

1.922485113

61

46.79999924

  Poland

13.63706

48.70000076 

42.09999847

  Portugal

8.188375473

57.59999847

50.59999847

  Puerto Rico

42.40000153

34.59999847

  Qatar

2.515720844

76

39.59999847

  Reunion

44.20000076

37.90000153

  Romania

10.05932

49.5

43.79999924

Russia

27.87416

58.79999924

53.79999924

  Rwanda

13.11794853

79.8000030

80.5

Saint Lucia

8.21094799

  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

9.593027115

  Samoa

5.542323589

  San Marino

6.087670803

  Sao Tome and Principe

10.49314976

  Saudi Arabia

6.401537895

51.20000076 

17.70000076

  Senegal

6.81143856

65.59999847 

56.90000153

  Serbia

13.71634

  Serbia and Montenegro

14.46964836

48.70000076 

41.09999847

  Seychelles

9.507927895

  Sierra Leone

11.98049736

63.79999924 

63.40000153

  Singapore

9.127511

62.40000153 

51.29999924

  Slovak Republic

10.64574

53.40000153 

45.29999924

  Slovenia

19.42261

55.90000153 

49.40000153

  Solomon Islands

4.484752655

65 

51.29999924

  Somalia

29.86416435

66 

50.70000076

  South Africa

15.714571

41.09999847

34.29999924

Spain

5.888479

52.5 

41.70000076

  Sri Lanka

28.10404587

55.09999847

39.20000076

Sudan

9.709555626

47.29999924 

27.89999962

  Suriname

20.7474308

44.70000076 

30.39999962

  Swaziland

12.87222195

50.90000153

47.09999847

  Sweden

11.11583

60.70000076 

56.70000076

  Switzerland

13.23981

64.30000305 

57

  Syria

0.5235275626

44.79999924

16.70000076

Taiwan

54.5

47.09999847

  Tajikistan

2.648980856

54.59999847

50.09999847

  Tanzania

12.41118145

78.19999695

76.09999847 

   Thailand

9.847459793

72 

65 

  Timor-Leste

9.633114815

67.30000305 

54.70000076

  Togo

6.369887829

63.90000153 

48.40000153

  Tonga

4.527851582 

  Trinidad and Tobago

14.54716682

61.5 

50.5

  Tunisia

3.146814108

41.59999847 

21.39999962

  Turkey

3.56332469

42.79999924 

21.89999962

  Turkmenistan

12.21676922

58.5 

53.90000153

  Tuvalu

7.934811592

  Uganda

12.28912163

83.19999695 80

Ukraine

18.95457

54.40000153 

49.40000153

  United Arab Emirates

1.392950654

75.19999695

 37.29999924

  United Kingdom

6.014659

59.29999924

53.09999847

  United States

9.927033

62.29999924

56

Uruguay

14.53727

57.5

46

Uzbekistan

5.21372

57.5

52.59999847

Vanuatu

4.983421803

  Venezuela

4.11962

59.90000153 

45.79999924

  Vietnam

11.65332222

71 

67.59999847

  West Bank and Gaza

32 

11.30000019

  Yemen, Rep.

6.265789032

39

20.29999924

Zambia

12.01903629

61 

53.5

  Zimbabwe

13.90526676

66.80000305

58.09999847

[englishclass4]

MICROPLASTICS

Everywhere the people have to get conciend of the presence of microplastics in our daily life. A microplastic is very small pieces of plastic material that pollute the environment, because they do not decompose and they are very pollutant to our bodies.

First of all, this small plastics pollute the ocean. In a passive form, what I want to say is, that that plastics pollute the oceans in a form that we cannot watch, that affect the life of the wildlife of the oceans, because a lot of animals eat a lot of plastics unwittingly and that makes them to break their digestive systems.

Secondly, the effects on human health are still unknown, but they often contain additives and other chemicals, possibly toxic, that can be harmful to animals and humans. Plastic can also release harmful chemicals into the soil such as phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) when it decomposes, which can then leak into the surrounding groundwater or other water sources, and thus into ecosystems. This can cause a range of potentially harmful effects on water-drinking species. In 2016, EFSA, the European Food Safety Agency, put the spotlight on micro- and nano-plastics by considering them a potential emerging risk. But the assessment, as food technology expert Beatriz Robles explains, ran into several problems: She that apart from the fact that there is no standard definition of microplastics, most of the available data relate to exposure from fishery products and from foods such as honey, salt or beer, although there may be others. In addition, there is little data on their possible toxicity, intestinal absorption, effects on microbiota, etc.

Also, microplastics are manufactured directly from that size. They are imperceptible microspheres that are in the most unsuspected products of daily use: cosmetics, toothpaste, detergents. Since they are such small pieces of plastic, the purifiers are not able to catch them and many end up in the sea. The interactions that occur between marine debris and the marine environment are diverse and complex. On the one hand, the larger ones, in addition to producing aesthetic interferences, can cause economic and social damage from interactions with fisheries, gear and other marine activities. Likewise, the impacts on marine biota are increasingly numerous, as we will see later on.On the other hand, with the incessant rate of production of single-use plastics with such a short half-life, micro-plastics are, today, one of the most widespread and chronic factors of marine pollution. Their presence in the diversity of oceanic habitats, and aquatic habitats in general, only increases the number of ecosystems and organisms vulnerable to their exposure.

Some solutions we have found to solve the problem are: Reducing the production of plastic. banning the use of plastic bags, limiting the production of packaging made of this material, or proposing its replacement by biodegradable materials. Promoting recycling and reuse. Plastic recycling and reuse are part of the urgent measures to be taken to limit the amount of plastic consumed. Packaging can be reused, lids can be reused, bags can be reused, and what cannot be reused can be recycled in other ways. Prohibition of single-use plastics. Things such as packaging, bags, beads, cutlery, cups, sherbets, cotton swabs, etc. should be replaced with materials that are less environmentally friendly. Countries such as Costa Rica, Kenya, Rwanda, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and the USA are already hardening their positions on the import and manufacture of these types of products.

In conclusion In conclusion, micro plastics are a very serious problem for the environment and for all living beings, in our opinion people should be aware that in the future micro plastics can be a very serious problem and can affect our way of life and could damage our ecosystem in a very remarkable way

Joanhell Angulo, 2018, Biology at the University of Cansas

David Martinez, 2019, Chemical Engineer of ETSII-UMP

David Manrique, Eneko Jauregui, Asier Fernández, Oxel Maravalhas, Imanol Gimenez