Umineko Episode 3: Banquet of the Golden Witch

May. 23rd, 2026 09:47 pm
alias_sqbr: Torchwood spoilers for various episode numbers: Jack dies (torchwood spoilers)
[personal profile] alias_sqbr
Masterlist.

Ha, I have now started Episode 6 and once again all my theories are in disarray. Episode 5 was amazing though, a really clever deconstruction of the existing structure and the very concept of a murder mystery.

CW: Suicide. Domestic violence, kinda?

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French pair held until trial after boys abandoned by road in Portugal

May. 23rd, 2026 12:39 pm
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Race for French presidency sees ex-PM Philippe as early favourite to beat populists

May. 22nd, 2026 11:07 pm
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Wrote a Thing

May. 23rd, 2026 02:26 pm
bunn: (9lurchersleaping)
[personal profile] bunn
Xanadu a story about Finrod Felagund and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Two enchanters meet on a hillside in Somerset. 5,791 words, gen.

I read most of Coleridge's collected letters for this and learned quite a lot about him, and the late 18th century, which is not a period I previously knew much about at all. It was interesting to connect up a bunch of things like the French Revolution and the American War of Independence and the British Empire and the slave trade, with the writing of a poem that do I know well (Kubla Khan).
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little libraries

May. 23rd, 2026 09:00 am
asakiyume: (Em reading)
[personal profile] asakiyume
I came across this great story elsewhere on the interwebs, an 89-year-old guy in Puchong (near Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia, who's set up reading stations in a public park. He also has helped libraries in Thailand and China. (Article here.)

There's also a short video linked in the article, which is great, because you can hear Mr Lee in his own words:

"I think Malaysia should follow China, where every village has one library. That's good."**



I was thinking of Little Free Libraries in this country. I think they're a great idea in places where there's foot traffic, where many different people might stop by and look over the books. I sometimes see them, though, in places where I wonder what traffic they'll get. On winding country roads with rather large houses situated far back from the roads on ample, gracious properties. And at the roadside, a little free library. But who's going to be walking by? I guess maybe the neighbors? But there's just not the same thickness of people.

Also, this guy thinks of himself as lending the books, not giving them away. He doesn't mind if you keep the book a month, six months, a year, and in fact he probably isn't going to be upset if a book doesn't come back, but the *idea* is that it will come back--and that means that the borrower has more connection with the site, and there's a sense of mutual responsibility. Plus the story says that people like to come and chat with him.

There can be more than one pattern! Little Free Libraries have a kind of spy-drop-box vibe. Ships passing in the night, taking books, maybe leaving books. That can be fun too. But I like the actual social interaction involved in what Mr Lee is doing.

Do any of you oversee a Little Free Library or frequent one (or more than one)? What's your experience been?


**Not exactly his words, which are Malaysian-English word order and has some special words I didn't catch, but that's how they're glossed and mainly what he said.
  • Current Music: Totó la Momposina: Dueña de los jardines
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The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

18 May. 23rd, 2026 04:14 pm
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Ranked: The World’s Most & Least Free Countries

May. 23rd, 2026 11:54 am
[syndicated profile] visualcapitalist_rss_feed

Posted by Gabriel Cohen

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-freest-countries-in-the-world/

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?p=199559

Ranked: The World’s Most & Least Free Countries

See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

  • Finland ranked as the world’s freest country in 2025 with a perfect score of 100.
  • The U.S. fell to its lowest freedom score on record after one of its sharpest annual declines.
  • Europe dominates the top rankings, while the world’s least free countries are concentrated in Africa and Asia.

Global freedom declined for the 20th consecutive year in 2025, according to Freedom House. More than 50 countries saw political rights and civil liberties deteriorate, including the United States.

This graphic ranks the world’s most and least free countries using Freedom House’s 2026 Freedom in the World report, which evaluates political rights and civil liberties across 195 countries and territories.

Finland topped the rankings with a perfect score of 100, followed by New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden at 99. Meanwhile, South Sudan scored 0, the lowest possible rating, highlighting the widening divide between the world’s strongest democracies and most repressive regimes.

Why Europe Dominates the Freedom Rankings

Europe accounts for most of the world’s highest-scoring countries, led by the Nordics and Western Europe. Strong electoral systems, independent courts, press freedom, and protections for civil liberties helped countries like Finland, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands rank near the top globally.

There are two European outliers with low scores out of 100: Belarus (7) and Russia (12). Both are run by repressive autocratic regimes that have been in power for over two decades. The two Eastern European countries feature neither press independence nor free and fair elections, and rank among the least free countries worldwide.

The below data table shows the countries with the highest freedom scores in 2025:

Country / TerritoryFreedom Score (0-100)Status
🇫🇮 Finland100Free
🇳🇿 New Zealand99Free
🇳🇴 Norway99Free
🇸🇪 Sweden99Free
🇮🇪 Ireland98Free
🇨🇦 Canada97Free
🇩🇰 Denmark97Free
🇱🇺 Luxembourg97Free
🇳🇱 Netherlands97Free
🇸🇲 San Marino97Free
🇸🇮 Slovenia97Free
🇺🇾 Uruguay97Free
🇪🇪 Estonia96Free
🇯🇵 Japan96Free
🇵🇹 Portugal96Free
🇨🇭 Switzerland96Free
🇧🇪 Belgium95Free
🇨🇱 Chile95Free
🇨🇿 Czechia95Free
🇩🇪 Germany95Free
🇮🇸 Iceland95Free
🇦🇺 Australia94Free
🇦🇹 Austria94Free
🇧🇧 Barbados94Free
🇦🇩 Andorra93Free
🇲🇭 Marshall Islands93Free
🇹🇼 Taiwan93Free
🇹🇻 Tuvalu93Free
🇨🇻 Cape Verde92Free
🇩🇲 Dominica92Free
🇫🇲 Micronesia92Free
🇵🇼 Palau92Free
🇬🇧 United Kingdom92Free
🇨🇷 Costa Rica91Free
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia91Free
🇪🇸 Spain91Free
🇺🇸 U.S.81Free

Outside of Europe, the world’s freest countries include New Zealand (99), Canada and Uruguay (97), and Japan (96).

Within each of these countries, robust civil society and independent journalism help keep elected officials accountable, while political transitions are handled without fear of violence.

The Decline of the U.S.

Alongside Bulgaria and Italy, the United States had one of the steepest declines in its score in 2025 among countries classified as Free. The world’s leading superpower fell to a score of 81, its lowest on record, tying South Africa and falling behind Panama (82).

Over the past two decades, the U.S. score has slipped by 12 points, driven by rising polarization and political violence. The 2025 decline was caused in part by government efforts to crack down on nonviolent expression by citizens and noncitizens alike.

The weakening of anticorruption safeguards and enforcement practices by the new U.S. presidential administration was also cited as contributing to the lower score compared to previous years.

The World’s Least Free Countries

While the U.S. remains firmly classified as “Free,” the gap between democratic and authoritarian countries remains stark. The lowest-ranked countries were concentrated across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, where elections are restricted, opposition movements are suppressed, and civil liberties remain severely limited.

Country / TerritoryFreedom Score (0-100)Status
🇸🇸 South Sudan0Not Free
🇸🇩 Sudan1Not Free
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan1Not Free
🇪🇷 Eritrea3Not Free
🇰🇵 North Korea3Not Free
🇲🇲 Myanmar4Not Free
🇨🇫 Central African Republic5Not Free
🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea5Not Free
🇹🇯 Tajikistan5Not Free
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan6Not Free
🇧🇾 Belarus7Not Free
🇦🇫 Afghanistan8Not Free
🇸🇴 Somalia8Not Free
🇨🇳 China9Not Free
🇨🇺 Cuba9Not Free
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia9Not Free
🇮🇷 Iran10Not Free
🇱🇾 Libya10Not Free
🇸🇾 Syria10Not Free
🇾🇪 Yemen10Not Free
🇧🇭 Bahrain12Not Free
🇷🇺 Russia12Not Free
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan12Not Free
🇧🇮 Burundi13Not Free
🇱🇦 Laos13Not Free
🇻🇪 Venezuela13Not Free
🇳🇮 Nicaragua14Not Free
🇨🇲 Cameroon15Not Free
🇹🇩 Chad15Not Free
🇨🇬 Congo (Brazzaville)17Not Free
🇸🇿 Eswatini17Not Free
🇨🇩 Congo (Kinshasa)18Not Free
🇪🇬 Egypt18Not Free
🇪🇹 Ethiopia18Not Free
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates18Not Free
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso20Not Free
🇻🇳 Vietnam20Not Free
🇲🇱 Mali21Not Free
🇷🇼 Rwanda21Not Free

South Sudan, one of the world’s youngest countries, obtained the worst possible score of 0, followed by a tie between Sudan and Turkmenistan (both 1). In each of these countries, minority rights are under assault and political freedoms are nonexistent.

Larger countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East also rank poorly. Vietnam scored 20, while Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates tied at 18.

Three regimes in the Americas also appear within this bottom tier of Not Free countries: Cuba (9), Nicaragua (14), and Venezuela (13).

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Curious to see how other countries have changed their fortunes since last year? Check out The State of Freedom Around the World on Voronoi.Use This Visualization

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-freest-countries-in-the-world/

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/?p=199559

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Actualia

May. 23rd, 2026 03:41 pm
xaxam: (Default)
[personal profile] xaxam
ИИллюстрация к батальному полотну.

CHef16B.md.png

Сучьи потроха силиканы все как сговорились, мол, хозяева запретили им художества. А промпт-то был, можно сказать, эрмитажного уровня:

❝Нарисуй мне картинку. Древнееврейский воин (с бородой, пейсами), стоя на колеснице, потрясает газетой NY Times в одной руке и бильярдным кием в другой. А колесница запряжена двумя вакханками, одна из которых напоминает лицом https://web.archive.org/web/20240120055352im_/https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/geish_a/1413332/439025/439025_600.jpg , а другая — Джулию Ламберт в исполнении Вии Артмане, https://irecommend.ru/sites/default/files/imagecache/copyright1/user-images/1725956/gKwtfpwKXqvLXZrx4RltQ.jpg ❞
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Radio Rolanni Off-Line for Scheduled Maintenance

May. 23rd, 2026 08:35 am
rolanni: (Default)
[personal profile] rolanni

Saturday -- sunny and cool.

I have finally found the Sekrit to making an enjoyable (as opposed to merely an OK) cup of Harney's Chocolate Chai Supreme, which is! (1) Realize that there is more than one cup, but less than two cups of leaves left, and just brew it all, leaving the cup 1/3(ish) empty. (2) After tea is brewed, fill the rest of the cup with milk, and dump in the last spoonful of Ghirardelli's Cocoa Powder. The result is something like spicy hot chocolate, and really quite tasty. That said, I will not be re-upping my supply of chocolate chai.

Today, as previously reported, I'll be finishing my packing, making sure the laptop is functional, and flipping a coin to see if I'll be taking one of my crazy keyboards. Speaking of over-packing. I'm really bad on a flat keyboard anymore, but! I don't intend this to be a Writing Retreat. On the Gripping Hand, if I'm suddenly Struck by Inspiration (which is almost guaranteed to happen exactly when one is intending Not To Write), I want to be able to type, not flail. I think I have Steve's Special Flipping Coin around here somewhere...

Also today, I need to swap out the cat fountains (not the cat boxes; I did that earlier in the week), and decide how to adjust station air for the cats. It's going to be in the mid-50s a couple days, but what worries me more is the warmer days in the middle of the week. I believe I'll be setting station air at 72 COOL, which should keep things comfortable for them. They really don't get the Go Downstairs strategy when the upper house gets too warm, and they have plenty of blankets, not to mention each other, to snuggle with if it's cool.

I think it fair to say that from this point on, Radio Rolanni in all of its iterations will be transmitting intermittently, and possibly not at all. The conference areas will be open, and the kitchens stocked with snacks. Feel free to meet and talk among yourselves, or bring games and crafts.  We'll be back on the air next weekend.

I append a picture of The Long Back Yard, with lilacs and those low-growing purple weeds that the bees like so much. I'm pleased to see such a lush patch of those.


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Более 50 лет продавали автоТазы🤦‍♂️

May. 23rd, 2026 02:17 pm
suhajh: (pic#15921362)
[personal profile] suhajh
Компания Lada Deutschland GmbH, более 50 лет продававшая автомобили Lada сдохла❗ . Вот откуда говно тянется🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️... там как раз в 70-е хүйло уҗе трудилось🤬
https://www.dw.com/ru/lada-deutschland-obankrotilas-posle-50-let-raboty-v-germanii/a-77271888
... в 2019 г из-за экологических требований Евросоюза прекратил официальный экспорт автоТазы в Европу. Но немецкий импортер продолжил завозить Niva по схеме серого импорта 🤬 Эти авто были очень низкого качества, зато дешевками...

Помню где то в 2010г сосед Коля купил какую то ляду, и стал хвастать мне , шо это экспортный вариант, суперъ пуперъ... Я спросил= а шо в рашке как и в ссср штоли? Он даҗе не призадумался, а просто "а че такова то", для него это нормально(ну своим говно, а на экспорт стараются).
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Rubio meets Modi during India visit with energy high on agenda

May. 23rd, 2026 11:55 am
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Ebola risk raised to 'very high' in DR Congo

May. 22nd, 2026 04:23 pm
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Костянтин Машовець · Огляд 2026-05-23

May. 23rd, 2026 02:56 pm
don_katalan: (Default)
[personal profile] don_katalan
З огляду на актуальність питання, сьогодні ми розпочинаємо цикл із трьох оглядів Збройних сил Республіки Білорусь (ЗС РБ). Формат буде знайомим — склад сил і засобів, поточна ситуація та подальші перспективи.
Частина перша (довідкова, або увідна) – структура та склад Збройних сил Республіки Білорусь, низка кількісних і якісних показників, що характеризують їхній нинішній стан.
1. Наразі Збройні сили Республіки Білорусь складаються з двох видів військ — Сухопутних військ (СВ), ВПС та Військ протиповітряної оборони (ВПС і ППО), а також кількох окремих родів військ — Сили спеціальних операцій (ССО), Транспортні війська, війська безпілотних авіаційних систем, територіальні війська (ТрВ). Крім того, структура Збройних сил Республіки Білорусь включає органи управління (штаби) різних рівнів, військові навчальні заклади, спеціальні служби та логістику (тил). Загальний військовий бюджет Республіки Білорусь станом на 2025 рік становив приблизно 1,1–1,2 мільярда доларів США.
Організаційно Збройні сили Республіки Білорусь складаються з двох ВЖЕ розгорнутих оперативних командувань — «Северо-Западного» (СЗОК), «Западного» (ЗОК) та ще одного «Южного» (ЮОК), яке перебуває у процесі формування та розгортання.( Read more... )
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RIP Michael Keating

May. 23rd, 2026 12:28 pm
dickinsons: (avon vila)
[personal profile] dickinsons

As some of you probably know by now, we heard about Michael Keating's passing a couple of days ago, although his agent confirmed he had passed away in late April. I've been upset about it as I'm sure the entire fandom is. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but everyone who did only has good things to say about him, from what I can see. Every time I introduce someone to Blake's 7, Vila is the first character they love, and it was the same for me. MK's performance made the character memorable and loved by the audience, which remains true for new fans to this day and will continue to be so in the future, I'm sure. Rest in peace.
 


Colin Baker posted this on Bluesky, which I'd like to share as well since I'm sure not everyone is on the platform:

So sorry to learn that we have lost Michael Keating. A lovely man and effortlessly real actor. I think even Bayban the Butcher would mourn his passing As do I

— Colin Baker (@oldsixie.bsky.social) 21 de mayo de 2026 a las 22:21
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Senegal's president sacks PM and former ally after months-long feud

May. 23rd, 2026 11:36 am
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(no subject)

May. 23rd, 2026 12:19 pm
oursin: Brush the Wandering Hedgehog by the fire (Default)
[personal profile] oursin
Happy birthday, [personal profile] szandara!
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Just One Thing (23 May 2026)

May. 23rd, 2026 12:16 pm
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[personal profile] nanila posting in [community profile] awesomeers
It's challenge time!

Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.

Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!

Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.

Go!
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Прогулки вдоль Салара, часть I. Откуда всё это вытекает и как наесться вишней забесплатно

May. 23rd, 2026 03:41 pm
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[personal profile] pilottttt

Вообще прогулки вдоль ташкентских каналов – это вполне себе тема для экскурсии (если хотите такую получить – обращайтесь к замечательному экскурсоводу Рустаму Хусанову). Но те экскурсии в основном касаются крупных и наиболее знаменитых каналов – таких, как Анхор, Буджар и т.д., снабжённых по берегам прогулочными зонами либо в принципе доступных к прогулкам. Мы же будем гулять вдоль Салара – канала более древнего, но менее полноводного, вдоль которого не то, что нет прогулочных зон (ну кроме пары мест в центре города), да и вообще местами нет проходов. Словом, мы, как всегда, не ищем лёгких путей.

Ну и – да, давненько мы не выкатывали из гаража наш пешкодраллер.

Суммарная длина Салара составляет 60 километров, но мы не ставим целью пройти его весь. Нас интересует его северо-восточная половина – та, что протекает по территории Ташкента. Ну и заодно – исток.

В поисках истока мы отправились в северо-восточный пригород Ташкента, который – уже даже не Ташкент, а посёлок ТашГРЭС Кибрайского района. Здесь находится Саларская ГЭС, которая стоит… Нет, не на Саларе, а на Бозсу – большом и полноводном канале, который когда-то в стародавние времена являлся рукавом Чирчика, а позже стал источником воды для всей той сети каналов и арыков, что снабжают водой Ташкент и его окрестности. Итак, вон она, Саларская ГЭС – настолько близко, насколько нам удалось к ней подобраться, при этом не потеряв её из виду.

( Гулять дальше )

На этом месте мы, пожалуй, прервёмся. В следующем посте мы продолжим свой путь с этого же места, пройдём вдоль канала до Южного вокзала, ну и заодно выясним, каким образом он связан со столицей Шаша.

  • Current Location: Ташкент, Узбекистан
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Petrichor

May. 23rd, 2026 11:41 am
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[personal profile] poliphilo
 Bank Holiday weekend, temperature in the mid 20s, the faint sounds of jollity that rise and swell on the breeze will be coming from the funfair in Princes Park. Later in the day there'll be a Carnival Procession along the front. It crossed my mind that the Quakers should be taking part, but I dismissed it; Quakers and Carnival are not an obvious mix- though we've said we'll participate in the Pride March later in the year.

I bought a hat at the Tip Shop to wear at Pride. I think it may have started out on the head of a Morris dancer.

IMG_0436.jpeg

Damian is up on his roof with his two two stepsons replacing and repairing tiles. I just cut the grass. Since Wendy took over the bottom half of the lawn for a vegetable patch there's a good deal less of it to deal with.  Ailz says the scent of new mown grass is in fact the grass sending out a warning to other grass in the vicinity, though how grass is supposed to defend itself I really don't know. Ailz says the name for that scent is petrichor.....
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Project Hail Mary

May. 23rd, 2026 01:09 pm
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[personal profile] profi


В русском прокате: Проект «Конец света»

Хороший фильм. Красивый, добрый и даже неглупый. Достойное продолжение (не в буквальном смысле!) любимых многими "Интерстеллара" и "Пассажиров".

Рекомендую. Семейный просмотр приветствуется. Enjoy!
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