elisi's humble abode

Not much of an update, but I saw this and it seemed apt...



(Not that I agree with lifting all the restrictions!)

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And I've been meaning to share this anyway, but it's also seems a good day to remember that Russia is so much more than [the other] You-Know-Who. I give you:

Diana Ankudinova: Can’t Help Falling in Love

She is only 18, but her VOICE. *hands*

She is a dramatic contralto (the deepest, darkest, and most powerful contralto voice). You can read more on wikipedia, but in short her mother physically abused her when she was young, before leaving her at a bus stop age 3. She was sent to an orphanage, and then adopted. ♥ Since she had a stutter, she was given signing lessons to help improve her general speech and vocal skills, and she quickly discovered that she loved singing. The rest is history...



The song is only 3 minutes long, but the video carries on and has all the comments by the 'judges' for the performance (they're fellow singers, it's not a talent show, but a competition between professionals).

And here is a reaction by a professional opera singer (bass).

I'm fine, life is just whooshing past. And at the moment, so's the weather:

Storm Eunice: Three people killed as strong winds sweep across UK

Photos here, mostly from the coast: Storm Eunice reaches the UK. Some are just extraordinary.

My internal measuring stick for storms is 'Jólaódnin 88' (The Christmas Storm '88) in the Faroes. I found an article here - it's in Faroese, but if you scroll down you there is a video of the aftermath in a village, with almost every house being damaged in one way or another (mostly roofs blowing off). I remember it well, I did not get much sleep. Although at least our roof stayed put, one of my friends got dragged out of bed in the middle of the night so she could help her brother and her dad hold the roof down. (Note: Houses in the Faroes are built to withstand a good deal...)

Anyway, re. Storm Eunice at one point a record gust of 122mph was measured on the Isle of Wight. During the Christmas Storm it measured winds up to 138mph, and then the measuring tool* broke.

I hope everyone is safe and no more trees fall on people.

*There is probably a word, but I am too tired to think of it

Presented without comment:

I do my best to read my flist and keep meaning to comment because you all write interesting things that I want to talk about, so I have a ton of tabs open... Whether I ever managed to actually get to them is another story. But my intentions are good. ;)

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Covid: Self-isolation law could be scrapped in England this month

Today's numbers:

People tested positive - 68,214

Deaths - 276

*hands*

I think our Prime Minister is aiming for his own 'Do What You Feel Like' festival...



ETA: COVID-19: Removing self-isolation in February 'goes against fundamental principles of public health', scientists warn

And it's not that I want to live in, say, China - I'm quite happy with Free Speech* and all the rest - but it'd be nice to feel like those in charge weren't actively trying to kill people. :(

*Speaking of free speech, I don't really want to wade into the whole Jimmy Carr nightmare. I will merely link to two things. Here is Stewart Lee talking about political correctness, the gist being that if your joke comes across as if you agree with the bigots you might want to rethink what you say/how you say it:



And then this, which is utterly harrowing:

Instead of watching that #JimmyCarr video, read our colleague Szymon's interview with his grandmother Sabina, a #Roma survivor of the #Holocaust

We stand with #Roma #Sinti & #Traveller communities against this forgotten and ongoing discrimination▶️https://t.co/FnEVGLTY36 pic.twitter.com/JGb2AEYtTK

— Protection Approaches (@IBVprev) February 4, 2022

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Finally, another new singer - well, new to me. He is Chinese and his name is Hua Chenyu and every song is a new surprise and delight. He is impossible to pin down genre or style wise, but this seemed the perfect song for this post.

So today I will point you towards this song, which unfortunately I couldn't find on youtube (well, not live/good quality), so instead I shall link to facebook:

《You Have to Believe This Is Not the Last Day》

The performance is from the Singer competition (2020). He created this song to encourage people in Wuhan to fight against covid-19 and sang it on February 21, 2020.

Wuhan is his hometown. ♥

Accurate:

February is the worst month of the year and this man is wonderful pic.twitter.com/vV73ZF2Qn4

— Alexis Benveniste (@apbenven) February 4, 2022

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In UK politics news, Jonathan Pie is back! :D

“Seriously I can just come out and say it? Call him a liar?” asks @JonathanPieNews, a fictional broadcast reporter created and performed by comedian Tom Walker, in a satirical video about Britain’s Prime Minister.
“God bless America.” https://t.co/Hu6Q6q8TBp pic.twitter.com/ojr8Pb1d0S

— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) February 4, 2022

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I keep meaning to post and then... not. So have some petitions:

Save my foster son Samet - he is family!

World Leaders: End Plastic Pollution

Everyone Should Have a Safe Place to Call Home. Agree? Add Your Name to Say There Should Be a Home for All of Us in the UK – No Exceptions

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And the Olympics are here (again). There is always this difficult contrast between what the Olympics stand for - striving for the best, harmony between countries, incredible feats - and the reality underpinning the whole thing... not just China's genocide of the Uyghurs, but how the whole history is pretty terrible. (Twitter thread here.)

And yet we watched the Opening Ceremony and enjoyed it... And I love figure skating!

I guess it's a bit like trying to separate a 'problematic' creator and their work. I still love Buffy, even if Joss turned out to be a terrible person.

Speaking of China, then this is a very interesting article:

The misunderstood—and misrepresented—Zero COVID policy in China
This analysis of China’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been submitted as a contribution to the WSWS Global Workers’ Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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Daily Dimash: Swan Goose

Let's end with something beautiful. Dimash Kudaibergen & Tengri performing 'Swan Goose' at the Spring Festival Gala 2019. (Or: Kazakhstan + Mongolia + China in musical format.)



Dimash Masterpost

A little politics:

Our politicians keep being an international embarrassment...

But kids are great:

Some nice things.

PTSD: Ex-soldier builds castle as mental health rehab space - BBC News

David Tennant and Michael Sheen being adorable friends for 7 mins

Drone footage follows 10,000 ducks “cleaning” rice paddies in Thailand

If Bible characters had iPhones w/ John Crist

benedict cumberbatch having a crush on his wife for 3:44 minutes

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Daily Dimash: Dears

This is not a song - 'Dears' are what Dimash calls his fans, and today is the 5th anniversary of that naming. There is an article on Dimash News, and Dimash posted a video on youtube to thank his Dears and wish them happy anniversary. (Translation here, although I'm sure subtitles will be added.)

Although I have been in many show fandoms, until now have not been following an singer to this extent, so have nothing really to compare it to, but I can confidently say that the Dears are some of the nicest, most dedicated and welcoming fans I have ever come across. They take their cues from their idol and do their best to always be polite and honourable, and have created the most positive and supportive fandom. <3

(I might add to this at some point, just to collect stuff in one place - because there are ton of fun videos out there - but it's late and I'm tired.)

Today is #HolocaustMemorialDay.

In this clip from 1965, Richard Dimbleby returned to the site of the Belsen concentration camp where he had reported from shortly after its liberation in 1945. He recounted the horrific scenes he witnessed that day.pic.twitter.com/bC8Q1xzj2L

— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) January 27, 2022

The news is just somewhere through the looking glass at this point. Never mind Russia gearing up for WW3, this is what's happening in jolly old Blighty:

Birthday celebration for PM sparks new party row

I have gathered a selection of commentary from Twitter, because that is what Twitter is for. And at this point the whole thing is just a farce. :)

( Read more... )

Anyway, was also reminded of this gem:



Although in this case it's more 'Cake AND death'. Hm. *tilts head*

(For whatever reason this post won't crosspost, so here goes the manual version.)

Two things.