Darkness at noon

 

Credit: Luc Viatour

I wouldn´t call the recent solar eclipse a nothing-burger, but it wasn´t as dramatic as the one on August 11, 1999. 

That was apparently the most-viewed such event in human history, since it moved over large parts of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. I saw it from an undisclosed location in Central Europe (hence not from Sweden). It was quite dramatic, despite not being total at the place where I was staying. The sunlight became dimmer and weird, the temperature dropped from hot summer to almost cold in a matter of minutes, and all birds stopped singing, giving rise to an eerie silence. Then, everything went back to normal again!

Thousands of people had congregated around Lake Balaton in Hungary, a popular tourist destination, where the eclipse was total. This included large contingents of Neo-Pagans who supposedly went there to "worship the sun". Ahem, the sun is eclipsed, asshats. A lot of revellers had joined the crowds, as well. The distinction between them and the "spiritual" people wasn´t clear. (Compare Stonehenge at Midsummer.) Several TV networks transmitted live from Balaton. It did look very, very weird when all of a sudden, everything went almost pitch dark!

So what happened here in Sweden earlier this evening? First, only a few people came out to watch the eclipse in my neighborhood. Were the rest looking at it from indoors? The sunlight did change from normal to dim in a matter of seconds, but the temperature drop didn´t feel as dramatic as in Central Europe back in 1999, and some crows were still cawing! On the other hand, I didn´t see any birds actually flying around, and the local cat was sitting still in the middle of a pedestrian walk. The ending wasn´t very dramatic either, since the partial eclipse happened just before sunset. 

And for some reason, my right eye still hurts...

That was that, I suppose.

Dzungariska slavinnor

 

Okej, det här var ju nästan lite intressant. En dimension av världshistorien jag helt har missat! Var tvungen att kolla upp vad i allsin dar "dzungarer" är för något. Observera förresten att Frans II Rákóczy enligt diverse skrönor var far till den mystiske greven av Saint Germain... 

General Adam Ludvig Lewenhaupt

Central European alliance

 

Credit: christoph_moning

Is new Hungarian leader Péter Magyar stealthily trying to revive a "pro-Russian" bloc in Central Europe, or is it more like the old Polish geopolitical project known as Intermarium? 

Hmmm...

Magyar wants to put the Austro-Hungarian empire back on the map

Got it in one

 

So the new anti-Russian government of Hungary approved a trillion-euro loan to Ukraine (which is fighting a shooting war with Russia) after the Ukrainians repaired a pipeline which pumps Russian oil to Hungary? 

Is that correctly understood? Or am I missing some salient aspect of the situation?   

Det där gick snabbt

 

Péter Magyar säger att han motsätter sig ett snabbspår för EU-medlemskap för Ukraina. Ähum, vet inte den där killen vems bitch han är? 

Where should we send him next?

 

 What´s the strategy, J D?

Tisza is flooding

 

Not sure what this is. Some kind of "alternative" take on the Hungarian elections?

>>>Lots of weird takes on the Hungarian election result from both left and right here. >>>Peter Magyar is a socially conservative immigration restrictionist who wants to cut taxes and double the defence budget. He criticized Orban for admitting too many guest workers, and wants to increase Hungary's already generous pro-natal incentives. >>>On virtually every issue, his platform is well to the right of centre, by European standards. >>>His foreign policy is to end Orban's alliance with Putin, remove the Hungarian veto on EU loans to Ukraine, normalize relations with the European Union while opposing more Euro integration, and strengthen relations with Eastern Europe's anti-Russian governments, e.g. Poland. >>>His election was not a sudden shift to the left, but a rejection of Orban's corruption, the failure of his interventionist / statist economic policies, and the humiliation of his relationship with Putin.

Original xweet

Viktor Orbán: Fake and gay?

 

So Viktor Orbán was defeated by Péter Magyar and will voluntarily leave power after 16 years. Which ironically proves that Hungary is still a democracy. I mean, doesn´t Orbán control the election authority?

What usually happens in "East" Europe in situations like this is...nothing. Except that the winning democrats will soon split and start bicker with each other, while corruption and poverty increases even more than under the old regime. Unfortunately, I might add. I mean, I´m no Communist! :P

But sure, at least Hungary can now finally get rid of the Russians. Again. 

Veckans Strasser?

 

Det finns ju vissa intressanta skillnader mellan dessa båda analyser. Läs och begrunda! 

Åkesson står till höger om Orbán och Meloni

"Den klassbaserade höger-vänster-skalan går i graven för gott"

Sheridan on Epstein

 

For the record only. Thomas Sheridan´s comments on the Epstein files and Epstein Island. Or some of them...

"Be Seing You": In the Spinal Fluid and Wheatgrass Juice Bar

Of Kings and Cannibals: Aristocratic Human Flesh Consumption

Kompromat

 

Well, at least he wasn´t in the Epstein Files. Sure, that´s a *very* low bar, but there you go. A propos the recent turbulence surrounding some soon-to-be leaked sex video featuring opposition leader Peter Magyar in Hungary. I mean, at least we can now be *sure* that Magyar is the anti-Russian candidate, right?  

Condominium

 

 - So what zone of Gaza do you want, Ramzan?

This is getting more and more ridiculous. Russia has reportedly been invited to join Trump´s Gaza committee. Hungary has already signed up. Apparently, Albania have been invited, too. Yes, Albania! There´s a catch, though. Any nation that wants a seat has to pay 1 billion dollars. Not sure where the money goes. Trump himself? Something tells me it won´t be the UN bureaucracy!

So if Albania wants to become a target for future Hamas terrorist attacks, they just fork over a billion bucks and get a little pire in the Gaza strip? Or something?  

Putin invited to join Trump´s Gaza committee

Ögonstenar

 

Det ligger säkert en del i detta, men det finns trots allt en viktig skillnad mellan Kina och EU. Nämligen att Kina har Folkets Befrielsearmé. Vad har EU? Öppna gränser? Grön energi? Könsbytarlagar? EU kan inte ens fatta beslut utan att fjäska för en viss Viktor Orbán...

I slutändan kommer det att sluta med krig. Macron var på rätt spår redan förra året då han erbjöd sig att utsträcka det franska kärnvapenparaplyet till hela Europa. Inklusive Tyskland. Och Danmark? Då vore det verkligen slutfjäskat.  

Slutfjäskat: Så kan Europa slå tillbaka mot Trump

No retro

 

This seems to be some kind of AI-generated music. At the very least, the generic and almost meaningless lyrics must be AI-generated. It´s supposed to be some kind of 80´s retro, but naaah, the sound feels very flat compared to real 80´s sound. Maybe this could be seen as a kind of pseudo-retro muzak? That term is a keeper, fam! 

Con lang

 

A genuine language nerd discusses the three most insane proposals for new language families. At least in his estimation! Number three on the list is a proposed "Sardo-Babylonian" family, claiming that Sardinian (a Romance language) is related to Babylonian and Sumerian. Number two claims that Basque and Hittite are related, while number one claims that the Minoan language of ancient Crete (which isn´t even deciphered yet) must have a relation to Hungarian?!

Unsurprisingly, the Sardinian proposal was made by a Sardinian, and the Hungarian one by a Hungarian. Strangely enough, the authors of the second proposal (linking Basque with Hittite) are neither Basque nor Hittite (I think), but I suppose you can´t get everything in an imperfect world.

I suppose these national romantic drafts can at least win the Nobel literature prize, LOL.

 

The man who would be king

 

Hah hah, as a small kid, my grandfather actually told me about this "national hero". He was king of Madagascar! Allegedly.

Maurice Benyovszky

Fjolliga gripar

 

Viktor Orban anklagar Sverige och svenskarna för att vara riktiga fjollor. Är detta samma Sverige som Ungern köpt hyper-moderna stridsflygplan ifrån?

Eller? 

Enhet eller döden

 

Jag är ärligt talat "neutral" i första världskriget, men som ett slags protest mot den (påstådda) vurmen för Österrike-Ungern i vissa kretsar, så publicerar jag härmed ovanstående lilla bild. Den som har öron att höra med, den höre!  

Storks take orders from the state

 

Do pro-natalist policies actually work? I haven´t "vetted" this material, so good luck with it, guys! 

Storks take order from the state

Pro-natal policies work, but they come with a hefty price tag

Mongolian birth rates (from X)

Multipolärt inbördeskrig

 

Multipolär världsordning. Allegori. 

Tobias Hübinette försöker hålla redan på turbulensen inom euro-hård-högern. Observera att han fortfarande kallar slovakiska Smer för högerparti, när det egentligen är ett vänsterpopulistiskt dito. Dock intressant i övrigt!

Förvirring och inbördeskrig inom den europeiska radikalhögern