#figured hungary n maybe slovakia would

[zvaigzdelasas]

On Tuesday, Poland summoned Ukraine's ambassador over comments made by President Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN.

He said some nations had feigned solidarity with Ukraine, which Warsaw denounced as "unjustified concerning Poland, which has supported Ukraine since the first days of the war". Poland's prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, announced the decision to no longer supply Ukraine with weapons in a televised address on Wednesday after a day of rapidly escalating tensions between the two countries over grain imports. "We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons," Mr Morawiecki said. The grain dispute began after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine all but closed the main Black Sea shipping lanes and forced Ukraine to find alternative overland routes. That in turn led to large quantities of grain ending up in central Europe. Consequently, the European Union temporarily banned imports of grain into five countries; Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to protect local farmers, who feared Ukrainian grain was driving down the prices locally. The ban ended on 15 September and the EU chose not to renew it, but Hungary, Slovakia and Poland decided to keep on implementing it.[...]

Earlier this week, Ukraine filed lawsuits to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against those countries over the bans, which it said were a violation of international obligations. Ukraine's Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that "it is crucially important for us to prove that individual member states cannot ban imports of Ukrainian goods". But Poland said they would keep the ban in place, and a "complaint before the WTO doesn't impress us". Mr Morawiecki said they would increase the number of banned products from Kyiv if Ukraine escalates the grain dispute. Poland's foreign ministry added that "putting pressure on Poland in multilateral forums or sending complaints to international courts are not appropriate methods to resolve differences between our countries".

Poland's the last of the 3 disputing Ukrainian grain that I would have expected to take it to this level [21 Sep 23]

[ask-the-yugoslavbunch]

OC Tag

Tagged by @quiescentwriting ! Like a while back ahahaha

I’ll be talking about all my oc’s here in general when I can, but focusing on Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia.

1) What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.?)

Appearance aha I’m a visual person, so first thing I do when creating a character is draw them out and create everything else from that.

Or, well, their country actually??? But appearance was first thing down.

2) Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?

Well, they are fandom oc’s so yes aha More specifically, I wanted Slovenia to have a connection to Austria to symbolize that long rule (Slo’s purple eyes) and his hair curl mimic’s Slovakia’s, Bos has a skin tone more similar to Turkey for that connection, Cro’s eyes are golden brown and green for his connection to N Italy and Hungary, and within my oc’s Serbia and Voj have always had the same shade of green eyes.

3) How did you choose their name?

Don’t even get me started on how long it took to settle on Serbia’s human name.

First it was Vuk because I liked the sound of it and felt wolf as a name meaning fit real well, but after a bit I was like “hmmm, why does an aph Serbia named Vuk sound familiar’ and remembered Yugotalia. So I changed Vuk even though it was my top choice because I didn’t want people coming in my inbox like ‘WHY U STEALING FROM TIX.’ Sooo, I changed it to something else and used one of the many Vuk-related last names instead. Picked a new name (which I don't remember anymore) but then googled it with his last name and like.....an article in Serbian about a grave robber came up so I changed that name.... Went through two more names I didn’t like before settling on Novak.

Also I 100% did not choose it because of the tennis player. I actually originally actively ignored it and went with Vuk because choosing a name of a celebrity is eh, but I was so fed up trying to find a name that I forgot about him and went with Novak (which sounded good to my ears) and like......2 months later the Olympics happened and I was looking up tennis scores and saw Djokovic’s name and just went ‘GODAMNIT’ But didn’t change it again ahaha

For Bosnia, I didn’t actually want to go with Lejla because I don’t really like choosing the most common names, but Lejla/Layla in all spellings has been one of my fav names since forever so Lejla it is.

Slovenia was a good boy, it didn’t take me too long to settle on Primož.

Cro was almost as bad as Serbia in finding a name. Nothing sounded right to me? And Sounding Right is a big part in choosing names for me so he went nameless quite a while. Eventually settled on Krešimir because it sounded the least bad.....I love it now though, he’s forever Krešo in my head.

4) In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

Well. I mean the being countries bit? I’m not totally sure how to answer this.

5) Is there any significance behind their hair colour?

They all have brown hair because that’s the most common color in their countries.

Fun fact for Slo: he originally had a darker hair color, but then I realized that uh.....it was a reallyyyyy similar shade of brown I used for Slovakia and like I’m not that mean, so I lightened his hair.

6) Is there any significance behind their eye colour?

None for Bos, besides it being the most common color. I’m also pretty sure I picked green for Serbia because I wanted him to stand out among the other oc’s as I don't think any other male Serbia has green eyes.

Slo, as mentioned above, has purple eyes to connect him to Austria to signify the loooong time Slovenia was under Austrian rule.

And, again, mentioned above for Cro it’s a connection to both N Italy and Hungary.

7) Is there any significance behind their height?

They’re all really, really tall because this area has some of the tallest people in the world! Slovenia is the shortest of the men because they have the shortest height, but he’s still closer to 6 foot than he isn’t.

8) What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

Not gonna lie, hope I don’t relate much to them because yikes, they are not human beings and have done Some Things. But uuuuh, Serb and Cro’s confidence, Slo’s love of literature, Bos’s fashion sense.

9) Are they based off of you, in some way?

I mean, what oc isn’t really? These guys aren’t based on me much though. At most, I’m super feminine and like super feminine characters being unashamedly feminine and created Bosnia with that in mind when I revamped her as a girl.

10) Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation?

Yes/No. I have complicated headcanon’s about the nature of nation’s gender and sexuality in the hetalia verse, so I already knew those, but sexualities in like human au’s is always fluid and changing for these guys. Or in the case of Slo, just straight up doesn’t exist.

11) What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: Writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?

Nothing really? Writing maybe, if I had to pick.

12) How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?

Well. I can’t see the future so not very P:

13) If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

Serb: He’s incredibly complicated. Fun, extroverted guy is a cover for all sorts of much deeper inner thoughts.

Cro: He has a quick temper that can get bad, but is usually pretty jovial and joking. He’s more brawn than brains, but is still pretty intuitive.

Slo: He wants what other people have so always acts “proper.” He’s also a bit more mentally young than you would expect.

Bos: She is the gentlest, friendliest person you’ll ever meet. She’s also a simmering ball of anger and resentment deep inside.

14) What is something about your OC that can make you laugh?

They are all dorks so, so much sdhfjksd

Bos totally never had a crush on Turkey nope. Serbia’s secret love of Turkish soap operas. Kid!Croatia being down to fight anything. Turning Slo into a meme every few months on this blog.

15) What is something about your OC can make you cry?

Uuuuuh, all of their histories? And having to figure out how to incorporate that into a single person who faced all that trauma? Not a happy little corner here...

16) Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

Nnnnnnno. Most of the stuff I would regret, I never officially added to their stories and kept it in my head.

17) What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

Oh gosh. Slovenia, I’ve decided, keeps bees. That’s the only one I can think of at the moment ;;

18) What is your favourite fact about your OC?

Croatia spent a few years as a kid as a pirate.

Slovenia writes poetry but is embarrassed to admit he does.

Bosnia was an absolute little shit as a kid.

Serbia absolutely loves soap opera’s and chick flicks and the like and will do anything to keep that a secret.

[mattyunijourneybrief7]

The First Week

We have begun the year with a fascinating session to say the least. We were given the brief, and I was a little excited and proud at the prospect of delivering a service that is related to climate change.

As this is a group project, we got into groups of 5. I was grouped with Olivia, Sami, Will and Jacob. To ensure we communicated effectively across the presentation, we created a group chat.

First of all, we began by brainstorming. We included 3 words that we felt were more representative of climate change. Our group went for:

- Sustainability

- Contribute

- Crisis

As you can see, my note-taking is a little overboard at times; I do usually like to note take on my MacBook, however I found myself with a pen and paper in this session. 

Linking the three words together, we jotted down our initial ideas for the brief:

Our three main ideas were:

- Plant a tree to visualise the planet and sustainability

- Have a loyalty card, maybe as an app to utilise the digital world

- Personal takeaway cups and boxes

- Have a reward system to give incentives to customers to be sustainable, as well as generating more business for HOME with increased interactivity with different services due to the rewards

- Encouraging cycling for users with a bike shed

We were introduced many artists and influencers in design in this session. I have chosen three examples from the options we were shown that I feel will be especially useful to our group after brainstorming our initial ideas:

Joseph Beuys - Everybody’s an Artist

Joseph Beuys is very powerful and tells a brilliant massage in the work he does, that ‘everybody is an artist’.

He mentions in the video that Everybody is an artist, not only painters, sculptors, musicians. Everybody has an ability to think, to feel, to suffer, as well as having a will inside of them to protest, which Joseph sees as qualities of being an artist. 

It is magnificent to watch, as it gives you the confidence (even if you had some in the first place), which helps people express themselves creatively. Ultimately, as creatives, there will always be criticism. It doesn't mean that the creator of the piece isn’t an artist though.

In one of his most famous actions he covered his face in gold and honey, and explained his art to a dead hare. People could see him from outside, but couldn’t hear what he was saying. He was showing that he can explain the art whilst ultimately not explaining anything at all, as he was speaking to a dead hare; his viewers didn’t hear a thing.

He also locked himself in a room alone with a wild coyote with only a felt blanket for consecutive days. He demonstrated that although the coyote was seen as an aggressive animal by many, he saw the animals as America’s spirit animal.

Bill Gates - The Quest for Sustainability

The world is going to consume twice as much energy in 30 years than it does today, so action from humans is needed now.

In the video below, Bill mentions that Charles Parsons took us from the steam engine to the steam turbine, which was an unbelievable advancement in human technology.

Rudolf Diesel invented the Diesel engine, which was also revolutionary.

Bill mentions that there are so many solutions to climate change (for example we can use wind to power electricity or sunlight to create oil), and funding should go towards these options.

He also mentions that he has spoke to governments and investors all over the world and mentions how they need to be realistic about they are going to get to the 2050 target of an 80% reduction of emissions.

He feels that all the discussions have been about the interim 2030 goal of a 30% reduction in emissions. He implies that if there in order to work towards the 2050 goal, we have to get started now.

He says that ultimately, the rich parts of the world such as the USA, Europe and China need to solve the climate problem. And when they do, hopefully they can make it cheap enough for the rest of the world.

Being in our priveleged positions of living in countries that have thriving economies brings an element of responsibility to the rest of the planet; we have the power to change, and just like Joseph Beuys said, everybody is an artist. It is up to us to save the planet, and we have the tools to do so.

Copenhagen - Carbon Neutral Capital

Manmade greenhouse gas emissions are warming our planet faster now than in any other time in human history.

Since 2015, more than 120 countries have signed the Paris agreement, which aims to limit the global rise in temperature and reduce co2 reductions, and investment in renewable energy.

The nations of Scandanavia have long been leaders in renewable energy, and Copenhagen (the capital of Denmark) plan to create the world’s first carbon neutral capital by 2025.

According to the United Nations, more than 50% of the world’s population live in cities. They are responsible in 3/4 of CO2 emissions. Copenhagen has reduced its CO2 output by 40% since 2005, mostly due to a switch from coal to wind power. 

It has targeted 4 areas in its mission to become the first carbon neutral city:

- Lower energy consumption

- Mobility

- Energy Production

- Leading by Example

With more than 375km of cycling lanes in the city, and the majority of the population owning a bicycle, it is unique in the fact that it is an easy option for commuters for example. 

I would personally love to use a bike to travel to and from Manchester, however in my personal opinion I feel that the journey isn’t suited for cyclists; I feel that in England especially that cycling isn’t taken seriously as a travel option. It is easier and more acceptable to drive a car or get public transport (which is better than driving a car and does help), but these options still contribute to pollution.

Here are the figures from 2018 that show a proportion of road traffic miles by vehicle type in Great Britain. Cycles made up 1%, and the visual pie chart that we can see visualises how a cyclist must feel on the roads in Britain today.

The levels of cycling in the UK don’t compare well to those in other European Countries either. According to data collected by the European Cyclists’ Federation, the UK is near the bottom of the list of the European countries:

The Netherlands 27.0% Hungary 22.0% Sweden 16.5% Denmark 16.0% Finland 13.4% Germany 11.8% Belgium 9.5% Slovakia 8.0% Austria 7.0% Ireland 7.0% Lithuania 7.0% Czech Republic 6.3% Slovenia 6.3% Romania 6.2% Italy 5.0% Poland 5.0% Estonia 4.5% France 4.0% Luxembourg 4.0% Bulgaria 3.4% Latvia 2.0% UK 2.0% Spain 1.3% Greece 1.1% Republic of Cyprus 1.0% Malta 0.8% Portugal 0.5% Croatia n/a

If the UK as a whole pushed different modes of transport that help the environment (as Denmark are doing with Copenhagen), I would certainly be using them. I myself travel by walking and catching the train, so I suppose I’m not doing a disservice. 

The reason I don’t cycle is I do not feel safe or welcome enough on the roads to do so, which is a real shame. I don’t feel like a lot of the UK public are on the same page in terms of climate change as a whole, which is why we see clashes with groups such as Extinction Rebellion, as it has had to go to the extreme for people to take notice; there is no middle ground.

Anyway, to tie the three examples together that I have chose to analyse from the session today: Joseph Beuys mentioned that everybody is an artist, Bill Gates mentioned that we as rich countries have the power to help with the threat of climate change, and Copenhagen is realising that potential and is striving to become the world’s first carbon neutral capital.

Reading Materials

‘According to Beuys, the transformation of the world is in the hands of artists, and everyone could become an artist and change the world. Thus, art is a powerful political tool, and education toward art expression is a political project [21].’

‘For all Beuys's often wilfully obscure statements and actions, his art, in this instance, communicated its message loudly and clearly, and with a life-changing force. For many of us, though, it remains mysterious, and not always, one suspects, for the reasons that Beuys wanted it to be. That, however, may be the whole point of Joseph Beuys. 'The thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions, as attempts to find out something,'

These two passages of text from a Guardian article ‘A Mystery Man’ and ‘Joseph Beuys’ Rediscovery of Man–Nature Relationship: A Pioneering Experience of Open Social Innovation’ stood out to me and it made me feel personally quite powerful. He is right in the sense that art is a powerful political tool. Climate change has to be the biggest problem facing human beings today, and change has to come primarily from government level, as they govern the country. 

However, as Joseph Beuys suggests, art can change behaviours and artists are everywhere. Creating a piece of art doesn’t require permission from anyone, it can be done anywhere at any time, within reason obviously. We all have the tools such as MacBook Pros and software such as Adobe Illustrator to create a message that is so powerful it changes people. This is very motivating to think that I have the power to do just that, and it is what I will do my absolute best to do for HOME.

References

https://www.cyclinguk.org/statistics

https://blackboard.salford.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-3909258-dt-content-rid-14403983_1/courses/VA-W200-20319-50067-20/A%20man%20of%20mystery%20_%20Art%20and%20design%20_%20The%20Guardian.pdf