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heywoodsays · 1 year

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FIFA World Cup 2022: Round of 16 Predictions

It’s been a different kind of World Cup so far — and that’s an understatement. While one always expects some upsets and some thrilling finishes, we’ve had more than our fair share of surprises and drama.

Africa had its best ever group stage with 7 wins. The warm climate of Qatar may be a factor. Two African teams have advanced this year; none advanced in Russia 4 years ago. Europe is less represented in this knockout stage than it was last time around. And while South America sent five teams to the knockout stages at the 2014 tournament in Brazil, only two have survived this time.

Favorites Brazil and Argentina are through, despite losses to Cameroon and Saudi Arabia respectively. Defending champions France also have a blemish on their record, but are through nonetheless. Regular contenders such as Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and England are also through.

But stalwarts like Germany, Belgium, and Uruguay could not manage to make it out of the group stage this year. Mexico failed to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 1978. Dark horse favorites Denmark couldn’t make an impact. Instead, surprise performances by Japan, Korea, and Morocco stole the show.

It’s truly a “world” tournament:

Europe - 8

South America - 2

Africa - 2

Asia - 2

CONCACAF - 1

Oceania - 1 (though they play in the Asian confederation)

Still, based on the matchups, I suspect the quarterfinals will end up looking as they normally do. Here’s how I think things will pan out…

🇳🇱 Netherlands vs. 🇺🇸 USA

History The Dutch and Americans have met five times, but never in a competitive match. Of the five friendlies, the Dutch have won four. But the U.S. won the most recent contest 4-3 in Amsterdam in 2015.

Qatar 2022 Neither of these teams have looked great so far. Despite going undefeated in the group stage, the Dutch have underperformed. They benefited from being in the easiest group and yet struggled against Ecuador. The Americans, on the other hand, fought their way through a group that included England and two other teams comparable to them in the FIFA world rankings. And while they demonstrated grit in their must-win match against Iran, they never quite managed to show enough quality to defeat a top-flight team.

But there are rumors about the flu making its way through the Dutch team. I don’t think this will be one of the more exciting matchups, but I fancy the Oranje to come away with a narrow win. The Netherlands is undefeated in their last 18 matches, winning 13 of them. The U.S. win against Iran is their only victory in their last 6 games. This U.S. team is still young and has very little World Cup experience. Such experience counts for something in the playoff rounds.

Prediction: 🇳🇱 NED 1 🇺🇸 USA 0

🇦🇷 Argentina vs. 🇦🇺 Australia

History These teams last played each other in a friendly 15 years ago. Australia has not defeated Argentina since 1988. In 7 contests, Argentina has 5W, 1D, 1L. This will be their first World Cup Finals meeting.

Qatar 2022 Kudos to the Socceroos for impressive wins over both Tunisia and dark horse favorites Denmark! They even came out strong in their opener against France, before finally bowing to them after a 4–1 thrashing.

I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen again against Argentina. While La Albiceleste revealed weaknesses in their stunning loss to Saudi Arabia, they showed their mettle in wins against Mexico and Poland. (The loss to the Saudis is their only defeat in their last 39 contests, dating back to 2019.) This team is now starting to click again and should be in top form to ward off any challenge from the pesky Aussies.

Prediction: 🇦🇷 ARG 3 🇦🇺 AUS 0

🇫🇷 France vs. 🇵🇱 Poland

History France has the historic edge in this contest, with 8W, 5D, 3L. Their only previous World Cup meeting was a thrilling third-place playoff in 1982 from which Poland emerged victorious, 3-2. But France has been the better team since then.

Qatar 2022 France’s B-team suffered a 1-0 loss to Tunisia, but have otherwise been perhaps the best squad of the tournament so far. Their midfield has been on point, and Mbappé has been shining. There were some questions about this team, given their Round of 16 exit from the Euros, and recent losses to Denmark and Croatia. But France have come to play and appear poised to make a good run at defending their title.

It’s hard to see Robert Lewandowski’s Poland overcoming the depth and skill of this French squad. While the French have shown vulnerabilities in their defense (they have conceded in each game), their offensive prowess is simply too much for Poland. Les Bleus should walk away with this one.

Prediction: 🇫🇷 FRA 2 🇵🇱 POL 0

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England vs. 🇸🇳 Senegal

History These two nations have never met in international football. But England has an impressive record against African competition — undefeated in all 20 games they’ve played against African nations. By contrast, Senegal have a 6-5-5 record against European teams, most recently losing to the Dutch in the group stage.

Qatar 2022 The Three Lions looks difficult to beat. If Rashford, Kane, and Saya are on their game, and a spritely Foden can make an impact coming off the bench, they should be able to score a healthy amount. But their goalless draw against the USA was a sign that this team could be stifled if faced with an opponent who wants it enough.

Senegal is Africa’s highest-ranked team, but with their star striker (Sadio Mané) out for the tournament, their path forward is a little more challenging. I’m not sure the energy from their exciting win over Ecuador will be enough to overpower or withstand one of the best squads England has sent to the World Cup in years.

Prediction: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ENG 3 🇸🇳 SEN 1

🇯🇵 Japan vs. 🇭🇷 Croatia

History Japan and Croatia have squared off three times before, with each team winning once and the other match in a draw. A 1997 match in Japan saw the home side victorious, but a 1998 World Cup meeting in France went to the Europeans. Their 2006 World Cup fixture in Germany ended goalless.

Qatar 2022 The Samurai Blue have been one of the most delightful surprises of this tournament. Their stunning upsets of both Spain and Germany en route to win their challenging group places them as one of the top teams of the tournament. But can their grit and determination be enough to push them past Luka Modrić and a skilled, scrappy Croatia team that were runners-up at the last World Cup?

Get ready for this to be one of the more exciting matches of the Round of 16. Both teams play with an urgency, especially when pushed. As soon as one team takes the lead, they’ll fight to tie it up. I might not usually expect Japan to put more than one into the Croatian net, but they’ve already done that against better teams. Sadly, I think their luck will run out against the more experienced Croatians.

Prediction: 🇯🇵 JPN 1 🇭🇷 CRO 1 (wins on penalties)

🇧🇷 Brazil vs. 🇰🇷 Korea Republic

History Brazil and South Korea have squared off in seven international matches, mostly friendlies. Korea has just one triumph, a 1-0 win in 1999. When the two teams faced off just six months ago, Brazil won 5-1. Neymar netted two in that game.

Qatar 2022 Like France and Portugal, Brazil rested their star players for their final group match and paid the price. But even Brazil’s reserves should have done better. A key issue for the team has been finishing. They need Neymar’s creativity to get their strikers in the best positions. There’s no reason the likes of Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus, Vini Jr., and Raphina shouldn’t be racking up goals.

The Koreans were able to best Portugal’s B-squad to secure their place in the Round of 16, knocking out Uruguay in the process. But other than that, their play has not provided much to suggest that they can beat The Seleção. It seems near impossible to score against Brazil’s top 11. They’ve recorded clean sheets in 22 of their last 32 games. In fact, they didn’t even surrender a shot on goal for the first two group stage matches. If Neymar is healthy, I think we should be prepared to see the Samba Kings break out at last.

Prediction: 🇧🇷 BRA 3 🇰🇷 KOR 0

🇲🇦 Morocco vs. 🇪🇸 Spain

History Spain and Morocco faced off in the group stages at the 2018 World Cup. That match ended in a 2-2 draw, with Spain netting an equalizer in the 90th minute. Their only two other meetings came in World Cup qualifying in 1961. Spain won both.

Qatar 2022 La Roja were the early stars of the tournament after their 7-0 thumping of Costa Rica. But a draw against a lackluster Germany and a loss to Japan have tempered expectations. Morocco, on the other hand, has been one of the most consistent teams at the tournament, even defeating the second-ranked Belgians.

But this is only Morocco’s second trip to the Round of 16, and first since 1986. This Spain team has valuable experience in high-stakes tournaments. They also have exciting young players like Gavi to bring a renewed energy as well. Looking at Spain’s pacing, control, and penchant for possession, it’s hard to see Morocco extending their brilliant run. But I wouldn’t count them out. This one could head to extra time or even penalties.

Prediction: 🇪🇸 ESP 3 🇲🇦 MAR 2

🇵🇹 Portugal vs. 🇨🇭 Switzerland

History One of two all-European battles in the Round of 16, there’s a lot of history between these two teams. The Swiss have a slight edge with 11W, 5D, 9L. The two have seen each other twice this year in the UEFA Nations League, with Portugal winning 4-0 in Lisbon and Switzerland winning 1-0 in Geneva.

Qatar 2022 Portugal joined France and Brazil as the only teams to secure their second-round berths after two games. They made several changes to their lineup against South Korea, ultimately costing them the match. But prior to that, the Portuguese looked strong — fighting off Ghana and controlling play against Uruguay.

Switzerland is much more comfortable with a slow, defensive style of play. They’re a team that ekes out 1-0 and 2-1 victories. (Their 3-2 win against Serbia was their first time scoring more than 2 goals in over a year.) But as Brazil was able to dictate the flow of their game against the Swiss, I suspect Portugal’s offense will do the same. But don’t count the Swiss out. They were still able to hold mighty Brazil to one goal, so Portugal will have their work cut out for them. I think Ronaldo and his team will prevail, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had to go through extra time or penalties to do so.

Prediction: 🇵🇹 POR 2 🇨🇭 SUI 1

No upsets?

I realize that, in each case, I’ve predicted the favored team will win. While I really do think these are the most likely outcomes given how the teams have played so far and their histories, this is the World Cup, and there’s bound to be a surprise or two (or three). If an upset is to happen, here’s who I think is most likely to do it.

Most likely upsets

USA (16) over Netherlands (8)

Japan (24) over Croatia (12)

Morocco (22) over Spain (7)

Switzerland (15) over Portugal (9)

Senegal (18) over England (6)

Poland (26) over France (4)

Korea Rep (28) over Brazil (1)

Australia (38) over Argentina (3)

#World Cup 2022 #Qatar 2022 #FIFA #Round of 16 #Netherlands vs USA #Argentina vs Australia #France vs Poland #England vs Senegal #Japan vs Croatia #Brazil vs Korea Republic #Morocco vs Spain #Portugal vs Switzerland #sports

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astrobiscuits · 5 months

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Astro obs part 9

🐌 The planets in your 12th house indicate your sleeping style:

Sun in 12th house - their sleep schedule is extremely messed up; for them, daylight hours = nighttime hours and vice versa, so they have trouble being themselves during the day; their true self comes out at night

Moon in 12th house - goes to sleep very late; full moons have a special effect on these people; their intuition is more clear at night; as kids, they probably slept a lot with their mother

Mercury in 12th house - loves texting/calling people late at night; they might journal their thoughts before sleep because they overthink a lot and it helps to clear their mind or maybe they just like to relax by reading a book at night

Venus in 12th house - cares a lot about getting their "beauty sleep"; sleeps with sleep masks on, buys expensive bed lingerie, skincare night routine might be very important; loves sleeping in general lmao

Mars in 12th house - enjoys working out before going to sleep, can go to sleep angry because they tend to get into conflict more at night than during the day

I have Uranus in 12th house and i can be both a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper, depending on where i am. For example, when i'm traveling, during the first night i wake up several times, but from the second night on i sleep like a baby lmao. Another thing would be that i can't sleep in a quiet car but i don't have any problem sleeping during a thunderstorm

🐌 Mars in fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sag) and Mars in 3rd house individuals love riding motorbikess

🐌 While Mars in 9th house peeps would probably love to go on a world tour on their motorbike. The sign ruling their 9th house represents the countries they would love to visit (i'm aware that some of these can only be visited by plane, take it with a grain of salt):

♈ in 9th house: Ireland, Poland, Japan, Zimbabwe

♉ in 9th house: Cuba, Paraguay, South Africa, East Timor

♊ in 9th house: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Montenegro

♋ in 9th house: Canada, USA, Bahamas, Argentina, Slovenia, Madagascar

♌ in 9th house: Hawaii, France, Italy, The Netherlands, India, South Korea, Peru, Bolivia

♍ in 9th house: Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Vietnam

♎ in 9th house: Belgium, Portugal, China, Equatorial Guinea, Lesotho

♏ in 9th house: Panama, Spain, Turkey, Arab countries (Saudi Arabia, UAE), Palestine, Lebanon

♐ in 9th house: Finland, Lithuania, Romania, Tanzania, Thailand

♑ in 9th house: UK, Germany, Czech Republic, Australia, Camerun

♒ in 9th house: Greece, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka

♓ in 9th house: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Mauritius, Saint Lucia

🐌 I have a feeling Pisces Suns like to spend their time in a garage lmao. Mostly because their opposing sign, Virgo, would hate to spend time in a garage due to how dirty it can get.

🐌As a 7th house Sun who's been in love for almost a year now (haha, are we surprised, ofcours not; i'm not even in a relationship with him but ugh we're so perfect for each other), i realised that Sun in 7th house people tend to behave differently with their partner when they're in a healthy relationship vs when they're in a toxic one

Sun in 7th house in:

♈ Aries in a healthy relationship: empowers their partner, knows how to balance me time vs us time in a healthy manner, encourages their partner to take safe risks

♈ Aries in an unhealthy relationship: impulsive, impatient, selfish, dismisses their partner's feelings, often controlled by rage, prone to abusing their partner

♉ Taurus in a healthy relationship: veryyy generous (their love language is gift giving), accommodating to their partner's wants and needs, cooks for their partner

♉ Taurus in an unhealthy relationship: stubborn af, hard to please, focused more on the material gain from their partner rather than the love they share

♊ Gemini in a healthy relationship: curious, always lightens the mood of their partner by cracking up tons of jokes or telling them funny stories, knows that communication is key to everything so they're not afraid to discuss serious topics, teaches their partner a lot of random stuff

♊ Gemini in an unhealthy relationship: superficial, doesn't have a problem moving on from their partner to another person in a matter of seconds, if they're still in school/college, then they prioritize studying over their partner

♋ Cancer in a healthy relationship: nurturing, knows how to balance babying their partner vs being babied by their partner, emotionally vulnerable, feels safe enough to present their partner to their family early on in the relationship

♋ Cancer in a unhealthy relationship: if they don't trust their partner, they tend to become emotionally closed off to hide their deep sadness; defensive, but if their partner attackes them, then they'll hide, worries excessively, avoids presenting their partner to their family

♌ Leo in a healthy relationship: treats their partner like the king/queen they are, keeps their ego in check so it doesn't interfere with the relationship, if they've got artistic talents (music, acting, art etc.), they'll show their love for their partner by performing in front of them

♌ Leo in an unhealthy relationship: egocentric, shows off their partner/relationship too much out of pride, often feels entitled in the relationship and wants to be put on a pedestal by their partner

♍ Virgo in a healthy relationship: selfless to a healthy degree, remembers every lil detail from every casual conversations with their partner just to please them, remembers every important date and plans ahead for it, takes care of their partner when they're sick

♍ Virgo in a unhealthy relationship: critical, overfixates on past hurts and mistakes that their partner made in the relationship (often times their partner doesn't even remember those things because they're usually not that serious), loves their pets more than their partner

♎ Libra in a healthy relationship: romantic, charismatic, truly values their partner and the relationship with them, acts fair in the relationship, teaches their partner lovingly about the importance of honesty, truth and a healthy give and take dynamic in a relationship

♎ Libra in an unhealthy relationship: doesn't prioritize the relationship; instead, they flirt with others despite being in a relationship, emotionally detached, cold and calculated in their current relationship

♏ Scorpio in a healthy relationship: loyal, loves their partner deeply and intensely, but without suffocating them, keeps their partner's secrets like they're a locked safe box with no public access

♏ Scorpio in an unhealthy relationship: obsessive, manipulative, seeks to dominate their partner, displays stalkish behaviour in the relationship, liar

♐ Sagittarius in a healthy relationship: exposes their partner to various cultures, belief systems and philosophies to expand their mind and form their own opinion on certain topics, loves freely but is still able to maintain a long-term relationship, improves their partner's mood, usually brings an element of surprise and excitement to the relationship

♐ Sagittarius in an unhealthy relationship: travels in order to avoid dealing with their partner, parties a bit too much, doesn't take the relationship seriously

♑ Capricorn in a healthy relationship: loves their partner in a mature, serious and secure manner, doesn't shy away from improving their partner's social status and/or career if they can, discusses plans for the future (getting married, having kids, adopting pets, buying a house) with their partner early on in the relationship, they make time for their partner, despite the fact that they're busy most of the time

♑ Capricorn in an unhealthy relationship: displays no emotions or physical affection in the relationship, has a hard time communicating their thoughts with their partner, settles in a relationship for the wrong reasons (money/kids/safety/"i'm getting old and i need to have my life established"), prioritizes work/career over their partner

♒ Aquarius in a healthy relationship: flexible, makes their partner's dreams and aspirations come true (whether they're related to the relationship or not), has got a very open-minded attitude towards their partner's opinions, lifestyle and identity, takes the time to become friends firsts with their future partner because they value a relationship built on solid foundation (often times their partner is also their best friend), knows how to balance couple time vs time with friends

♒ Aquarius in an unhealthy relationship: displays wishy-washy behaviour, emotionally detached, prioritizes their friends over their partner, seeks online validation from strangers and acquaintances to fulfill their needs

♓ Pisces in a healthy relationship: sensitive to their partner's emotions, knows how to balance wearing their heart on their sleeve vs hiding their emotions in unfavourable circumstances, always honest with their partner

♓ Pisces in an unhealthy relationship: prone to drown their relationship problems and sorrows in alcohol, drugs and meds for mental health issues, runs away from problems instead of dealing with them with their partner, displays dishonesty to a fault, prone to self-sabotage

#astro #astro community #astro placements #astrology #astro observations #astro posts #astro notes #astro blog #astroblr #astrology notes #astrology observations #natal chart #sun in 7th house #sun in 12th #12th house #mars in 3rd house #mars in 9th house

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best-habsburg-monarch · 4 months

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Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, etc. reigned 1740-1780

This Maria reformed the empire

From anon: - chucked into ruling at age 23. while pregnant - no prep!!!! Prussia invades Silesia!!! Ministers fucking around for their own provincial interests instead of for the Whole !!!!! and she has to somehow cope with all of this .... - ALL WHILE being pregnant with Joseph (II) and we know that guy was just as ornery in utero as he was irl - she's everything! He (Francis) is just ....Ken. - YAS QUEEN rediversify that gene pool - originally reluctant to participate in the 1st partition of poland (who wants galicia let's be real)

Maria Leopoldina, Empress of Brazil, reigned from 1822-1826

This Maria made Brazil independent

#best habsburg bracket #house of habsburg #clash of the marias

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iwaoiness · 5 months

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Sweet silence

Oikawa Tooru (actually, Iwaizumi Tooru for the past eight years) likes to share the silence with Hajime, never feeling the awkward need to bring up a topic of conversation with him to fill the void.

Sometimes, those silences are accompanied by the sizzle of vegetables in the pan and the tap tap of the knife against the chopping board when Iwa-chan cooks and Oikawa helps.

Sometimes, by the soft murmur of the water from the sprinkler as Oikawa waters the dozens of plants in his garden and the purring of Tina-chan, his spoiled siamese cat, from Iwaizumi's stomach where she likes to lie when he is reclining in the bamboo garden chair.

Sometimes, by Iwaizumi's typing on the keys of his laptop, planning warm-up sessions for his players while Oikawa is beside him totally engrossed in the new issue of the Shonen Jump.

Sometimes, by the soft music playing through the small speaker while Iwaizumi deep cleans the kitchen and Oikawa is in charge of the bathroom.

Sometimes, by the thump of the volleyball against their forearms as they simply throwing passes to each other in the garden.

Sometimes, by Oikawa's humming, nestled between Iwaizumi's legs in the bathtub, melting against Iwaizumi's broad chest as he slowly slides his fingertips down his arms and leaves a trail of soft kisses down the length of his neck.

And sometimes it is like now, when the silence is accompanied by the whisper of the TV playing Brazil vs Poland in the VNL quarter-finals while Oikawa is stretched out on the chaise longue, with Hajime lying on his back next to him, his head on Tooru's lap.

Is the second set, the score stands at 18-22 with Brazil in the lead. Tooru wears a nearly proud smile when cameras capture Hinata's flawless reception, but it quickly transforms into a grimace as Ushijima appears overcoming a triple block with overwhelming force. Despite their good relationship (well, cordial relationship), Tooru still grumbles a bit, as he's the first to retire, and the stubborn Ushijima, at his forty-three years old too, shows no sign of retiring.

However, his discomfort is short-lived when he feels a gentle movement in his lap and immediately looks down; his lips curving into a tender smile when sees Hajime's face deep in slumber, his head now slightly cocked to one side.

He arrived just over an hour ago from the five-day training camp with his sub-19 boys, hugged Tooru for fifteen minutes straight, showered his face with kisses, delighted in his laughter and his Hajime, it tickles!, showered and then collapsed on the sofa, using his husband's firm legs as a pillow. It took him barely five minutes to fall completely asleep.

And Hajime is fucking cute even when he sleeps. His slightly damp, dishevelled hair falling over his completely smooth forehead (though he retains the shadows of faint wrinkles), his thick eyebrows relaxed, his still eyelids with the marks of age at the corners, his thick lips slightly open. It's so peaceful, so calm, so affable.

Tooru's hand gently caresses one of his cheeks, feeling it warm against his fingers, and his smile sweetens more. Forty-three years with their lives intertwined in a bulletproof friendship, twenty-two years of a courtship that spanned oceans and continents, eight years in a marriage where their love is still solid, rooted deep in their souls to stay forever.

On the television, the commentators chatter again in the prelude to the third set as the players return to the playing area. Tooru, however, does not look up, now fiddling with Hajime's hair.

Tooru likes to share the silence with Iwa-chan because with him the silences are nice, they are comfortable, they are quiet.

They are all he needs.

#iwaoi #oikawa tooru #iwaizumi hajime #haikyuu!!#oikawa x iwaizumi #haikyuu #hajime iwaizumi #hq fluff #oikawa fluff #hq drabble #iwaoi drabble #haikyuu drabble #theyre so in love #age up #post timeskip #iwaoi timeskip #cuddling & snuggling #soft and fluffy

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transparentgentlemenmarker · 2 years

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One of Pablo Escobar’s Smuggling Planes in Salt Water After 35 Years

The Royal Crescent was constructed in 1774 Bath, England 1829 vs 2020

Entrance to the City of York, England 1865 vs. 2015 we live in a very different world today than what existed 200 years ago. So many things about the ways in which we live our lives are very different

Baker St, The World’s Oldest Underground Train Station 1863

Court of the Lions, Granada, Spain 1840 vs. 2021

An Abandoned Restaurant, Petropolis, Brazil 1960s vs. 2013

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland 1847 vs. 2021

Manhattan Bridge 1908 vs. 2021

Buenos Aires, Argentina 1925 vs. 2021

Krakow, Poland 1939 vs. 2010s

#world #hier aujourd'hui

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magicfeatherspecialist · 1 year

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Fuck it! All the world cup groups, ranked by Entertainment provided

group E: 1000/10. Japan classifying first, serving cunt. Germany out. Costa Rica bringing havoc and also delivering the most beautiful few minutes of the competition so far. Euros flopping. keeping us on our toes the entire time. Incredible.

Group C: 10/10 Saudi Arabia saying 'I may leave but I'm fucking these Latinos up first'. Argentina flopping right away and then jumping back up like the bastard it is. Mexico giving the fight. Poland somehow slipping through to 8ths while we weren't looking. Solid fun.

Group H: 8/10 Korea's back hurts from carrying this entire group's entertainment on it's back. being the funny bitch of the batch and scoring a win against CR7. Uruguay out.

Group F: 7.5/10 Overall ok but Morocco winning and whatever the fuck was going on with Belgium's nt was hilarious. Also Canada being happy to be here, getting a goal in the first minute and then being slaughtered on that second match was truly something.

Groups G & D: 7/10 grouped together for similar vibes. Overall felt very standard except for Tunisia and Cameroon deciding to go out in glory beating France and Brasil. Iconic for them. Special mention to G for having Brazil in it. No group with Brazilians in it can flop it's science.

Group A: 6/10 Ecuador my beloved I'm so sorry. Qatar being first host team to be eliminated on groups. Senegal making it to 8ths.

Group B: 0/10 you would think the lineup for this one would have brought some entertainment but nope. Still mad about how disappointing USA vs ENG was. Sorry Iran.

#world cup #these are my personal opinions but you know im Right #long post

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amy-bonsai · 6 months

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Osu World Cup Bracket

This is just for me to keep track. Below each read more is the matches that have been played + the next few if I want to keep track of the schedule.

Final score is in brackets before the countries. The country on the left is higher seeded (number in parenthesis after country is seed # [what the country is expected to place, essentially]).

Matches are in the order they were played. If two or more matches were played at once, the one that was on the main stream is first, the one on the alt 2nd, and if there are any others they go last.

Weekend 1

Round of 32

[5-3] Chile (10) vs. Sweden (23)

[5-0] USA (3) vs. Thailand (30)

[5-0] Poland (2) vs. Argentina (31)

[2-5] France (15) vs. Brazil (18)

[5-3] Great Britiain (8) vs. Turkey (25)

[5-1] Philippines (5) vs. Mexico (28)

[5-4] Italy (14) vs. New Zealand (19)

[5-0] Australia (7) vs. Taiwan (26)

[0-5] Indonesia (9) vs. Ukraine (24)

[5-0] South Korea (1) vs. Kazakhstan (32)

[5-3] Hong Kong (13) vs. Finland (20)

[5-1] Russia (4) vs. Netherlands (29)

[5-4] Romania (12) vs. Singapore (21)

[5-4] China (16) vs. Japan (17)

[5-0] Germany (6) vs. Spain (27)

[5-1] Canada (11) vs. Norway (22)

#osu.lb #lb #personal

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pajorko · 11 months

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Too early to ask about wc?

Who u think will win? Who u want to win?

Also i hope to see Poland in euros 25 😉

Nah, let's go!

Who do I think will win: I think that it could be USA again. I believe that they've got much needed experience in winning the WC, they have an easier path to the finals than other teams that I consider main contenders for the title (I mean, if England and Germany win their groups they will play each other in the qf...) and they're also a very good team. So yeah, if I had to guess now, I'd say US and whoever wins England vs. Germany quarter are the favorites.

Who I want to win: Netherlands or Germany! Also Aussies would be very cool. Or if Brazil with Marta in the team could somehow pull it off... how amazing would that be?

Thanks! I hope so too!

And what are your predictions for the World Cup? Who would you like to win?

#askjorko

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pinutbutterjelly · 2 years

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3:1 we did it 🥳🥳🥳

#poland vs brazil #brazil vs poland #volleyball #vnl 2022 #polish nt #HECK YES BABES 🥰🥰

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blankdblank · 1 year

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Sneak peek - who are you rooting for?

Round 1

Group 1

Argentina 2 Mendoza Corks vs Burkina Faso Dori Runespoor

Japan 2 Nara Kappa vs Haiti Carice Loogaroo

United States 1 Columbus Swamp Monsters vs United States 2 Point Pleasant Harpers

Brazil 1 Faz do Iguacu Charybdis vs Portugal 1 Lisbon Talons

France 4 Strasbourg Lou Carcolh vs Japan 1 Kanazawa Tanuki

Bulgaria 6 Nessebar Veela vs Japan 3 Osaka Kitsuni

Fiji 1 Lautoka Fire Crab vs Italy 4 Lucca Bombasin

India 1 Amritsar Rattlers vs Peru 1 Ica Tunche

Group 2

Germany 5 Ulm Nachtkrapp vs Poland 5 Zakopane Hatters

Morocco 1 Chefchaoven Mules vs The Nordic Team(Scandanavia) 1 Gothenburg Huldra

Germany 1 Heidelberg Hampsters vs Poland 2 Malbork Storks

Ireland 2 Ballycastle Bats vs Argentina 1 Rosario Boulders

Madagascar 2 Mahajanga Mangoes vs Uganda Jinja River Riders

France 5 Nice Tarasque vs Bulgaria 1 Plovdiv Looms

Romania 1 Oradea Pricolici vs Australia 3 Townsville Shrieking Terrors

Italy 2 Matera Bulls vs Scotland 1 Montrose Magpies

Group 3

United States 3 Orem Dunes vs India 4 New Delhi Goats

Senegal 2 Touba Ores vs The Nordic Team(Scandanavia) 6 Aarhus Fossegrimmen

Germany 3 Bonn Ox vs Poland 3 Opole Yeti

Ireland 1 Kenmare Kestrals vs Fiji 2 Suva Horned Octopi

Ivory Coast Korhogo Zankallala vs Morocco 2 Essaovira Boukhencha

France 3 Gordes Jack 'o' Lanterns vs Bulgaria 2 Gabrovo Elm

Australia 2 Wagga Wagga Wombats vs England 4 Chudley Cannons

Wales 2 Holyhead Harpies vs Greece 3 Thessaloniki Cerberus

Group 4

England 2 Tutshill Tornados vs England 3 Wimbourne Wasps

Syria 1 Palmyra Sandworms vs Flanders 2 Vilvoorde Kludde

Luxembourg Rinschleiden Melusina vs Poland 1 Raciborz Razorbacks

Poland 4 Olsztyn Doormice vs Jamaica 2 Annotto Bay Pufferfish

Wales 1 Caerphilly Catapults vs Egypt 1 Alexandria Oracles

The Nordic Team(Scandanavia) 4 Esbjerg Nisser vs Bulgaria 3 Lovech Thunder

Canada 1 Victoria Beavers vs Poland 6 Wroclaw Strzyga

Scotland 4 Banchory Bangers vs England 6 Flamouth Falcons

Group 5

Nigeria Enugu Troll Herders vs Flanders 1 Turnhout Acorns

France 2 Bordeaux Lutin vs Scotland 2 Pride of Portree

Romania 6 Deva Mushrooms vs Germany 6 Stuttgart Alps

Mexico (New Spain) 1 Aguascalientes Torches vs Jamaica 1 Orcabessa Sea Mahrny

Norway Bergen Bears vs The Nordic Team(Scandanavia) 3 Uppsala Gnomes

Australia 1 Busselton Boggarts vs India 2 Bhubaneswar Bangles

New Zealand 3 Tauranga Ponies vs Portugal 3 Porto El Coco

Scotland 3 Wigtown Wanderers vs Mexico (New Spain) 2 Xalapa Alpacas

Group 6

Senegal 1 Thies Yumboes vs Bulgaria 4 Vidin Samodivas

Romania 2 Cluj-Napoca Crones vs England 1 Puddlemore United

India 3 Udaipur Whips vs Canada 2 Edmonton Elk

England 5 Appleby Arrows vs New Zealand 1 Dunedin Ducks

Germany 2 Regensberg Knights vs Germany 4 Bremen Crows

China 2 Hegang Crystals vs China 3 Turpan Penghou

Romania 5 Sinaia Strigoi vs Bulgaria 5 Kardzali Ripples

Portugal 2 Fátima Bruxa vs Greece 2 Argos Siren

Group 7

Liechtenstein Vaduz Steeples vs Egypt 2 Faiyum Scarabs

The Nordic Team(Scandanavia) 5 Odense Voyagers vs France 1 Carcassonne Gargoyles

Romania 3 Succava Giant Wolves vs Transylvania Sighișoara Iele

New Zealand 2 Wellington Sparks vs Spain 2 Bilbao Limón

The Nordic Team(Scandanavia) 2 Visby Avalanche vs Madagascar 1 Anatananarivo Skrewts

France 6 Annency Chevalmallet vs Syria 2 Idlib Balloons

Chad Oum Hadjer Dittany vs Morocco 3 Asilah Jinn

Romania 4 Baia Mare Foam Flowers vs Italy 1 Catatania Sardines

Group 8

Brazil 2 Teresina Phantoms vs Greece 1 Naf Plion Pegasus

United States 6 Germantown Marbles vs Peru 2 Cusco Chullachaqui

Spain 1 Valencia Hollow Vipers vs Italy 3 Ravenna Mommotti

China 1 Xi'An Eel vs Italy 5 Perugia Gulls

Unable to play - Injured

United States 4 Valley City Buzzards

United States 5 Hope Village Thunderbirds

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zot3-flopped · 2 years

Note

Slow Hands worldwide certifications up to date:

Australia 6x Platinum: 420,000

Belgium Gold: 15,000

Brazil Platinum: 40,000

Canada 5x Platinum: 400,000

Denmark Platinum: 90,000

Ireland 3x Platinum: 45,000

Italy Gold: 25,000

Mexico Platinum: 60,000

Netherlands Platinum: 40,000 *

New Zealand Platinum: 30,000

Norway Gold: 30,000

Portugal Gold: 5,000

Sweden Gold: 20,000

United Kingdom 2x Platinum: 1,200,000

United States 3x Platinum: 3,000,000

TOTAL CERTIFIED: 5,420,000

Sign of the Times worldwide certifications up to date:

Australia 4x Platinum: 280,000

Austria Platinum: 30,000 *

Belgium Platinum: 40,000

Brazil Diamond: 160,000

Canada 4x Platinum: 320,000

Denmark Platinum: 90,000

France Platinum: 200,000 *

Germany Platinum: 90,000 *

Ireland Platinum: 15,000

Italy 2x Platinum: 100,000

Mexico Diamond: 300,000

New Zealand Gold: 15,000

Norway Platinum: 60,000

Poland Platinum: 20,000 *

Portugal Gold: 5,000

Spain Gold: 20,000 *

Sweden Gold: 20,000

United Kingdom 2x Platinum: 1,200,000

United States 4x Platinum: 4,000,000

Total certified: 7,315,000

Spotify streams until 05/06/22:

Slow Hands: 754,686,704

Sign of the Times: 1,023,867,612

YouTube views until 05/08/22:

Slow Hands 219,771,487 (lyric)

Slow Hands 34,453,860 (audio)

Sign of the Times 971,224,782 (video)

Sign of the Times 138,529,912 (audio)

Sign of the Times 69,906,125 (live)

Weekly chart peaks:

LATIN AMERICA

Argentina:

SOTT #11 *

Slow Hands N/A

Brazil:

SOTT #4 *

Slow Hands N/A

Colombia:

SOTT #83 *

Slow Hands N/A

Mexico:

SOTT #3

Slow Hands: #41

Paraguay:

SOTT #11 *

Slow Hands N/A

Uruguay:

SOTT #9 *

Slow Hands N/A

EUROPE

Austria:

SOTT #2

Slow Hands #26

Belgium:

SOTT #4

Slow Hands #29

Croatia:

SOTT #1 *

Slow Hands N/A

Czech Republic:

SOTT #5

Slow Hands #25

Denmark:

SOTT #20

Slow Hands #36

Finland:

SOTT #1

Slow Hands #5

France:

SOTT #48

Slow Hands #66

Germany:

SOTT #20

Slow Hands #72

Hungary:

SOTT #5

Slow Hands #26

Ireland:

SOTT #6

Slow Hands #3

Italy:

SOTT #9

Slow Hands #81

Netherlands:

SOTT #16

Slow Hands #13

Norway:

SOTT #20 *

Slow Hands N/A

Poland:

SOTT #1 *

Slow Hands N/A

Portugal:

SOTT #6

Slow Hands #51

Scotland:

SOTT #1

Slow Hands #3

Slovakia:

SOTT #2

Slow Hands #28

Slovenia:

SOTT #15 *

Slow Hands N/A

Spain:

SOTT #4 *

Slow Hands N/A

Sweden:

SOTT #15

Slow Hands #40

Switzerland:

SOTT #4

Slow Hands #47

UK:

SOTT #1

Slow Hands #7

ASIA, OCEANIA, & NORTH AMERICA

Australia:

SOTT #1

Slow Hands #2

Canada:

SOTT #6

Slow Hands #8

Japan:

SOTT #72

Slow Hands #80

Lebanon:

SOTT #8 *

Slow Hands N/A

Malaysia:

SOTT #14

Slow Hands #19

New Zealand:

SOTT #6

Slow Hands #8

Philippines:

SOTT #52

Slow Hands #32

United States:

SOTT #4

Slow Hands #11

Comparison:

Red / yellow / green = less / equal / more

* = country where one song is certified/charted and the other one isn’t

Sign of the Times was certified in 5 countries Slow Hands wasn’t, in contrast, Slow Hands was only certified in 1 country SOTT wasn’t

Sign of the Times “beats” Slow Hands’ certifications in 11 countries. They “tie” in 4. Slow Hands “beats” SOTT in 4

Sign of the Times has almost 2 million more certified units than Slow Hands

Sign of the Times has 269 MILLION streams more than Slow Hands on Spotify

Sign of the Times has 717 MILLION more views in its music video than Slow Hands with all video versions COMBINED

Combining all versions for both, Sign of the Times has 925 MILLION more views than Slow Hands

Sign of the Times charted higher than Slow Hands in 33/36 charts worldwide. Slow Hands only prevails in 3/36

Sign of the Times charted in 11 countries Slow Hands never charted in. Slow Hands did not chart in any countries my SOTT didn’t chart in

Exactly HOW was Slow Hands bigger than SOTT? By what metric???

This Town was marginally bigger than Sweet Creature (Niall’s lead single vs Harry’s promo single 🤪 since Harry didn’t even have two pre album singles). But collectively, HS1, even excluding SOTT, wipes the floor with Flicker.

HS1 streams (w/o SOTT): 2,000,335,759

Flicker (w/o Slow Hands): 1,586,558,931

HS1 US certifications (w/o SOTT):

2x Platinum (Sweet Creature + Kiwi)

7x Gold (ESNY, MMITH, Woman, 2G, FTDT, Carolina, Only Angel)

Total: 5,500,000

Flicker US certifications (w/o Slow Hands):

2x Platinum (This Town)

1x Gold (Too Much To Ask)

Total: 2,500,000

Flicker Metacritic: 64

HS1 Metacritic: 68

Harry also has bigger single certifications in the UK, more total units sold for the album in both countries (plus in plenty other countries), a better chart run with HS1 still charting to this day in both US and UK as well as several other territories, bigger chart peaks for the album, a bigger tour for their debut albums, better tour reviews…

Btw, this is Harry’s “flop” era vs Niall’s peak era. For the love of god stop competing where you don’t compare, Horandogs….

Sign of the Times is about to surpass even Pillowtalk in total units sold worldwide. Slow Hands is the second smallest debut song by a 1D alum, only bigger than Just Hold On. Even the embarrassing Strip That Down is bigger than Slow Hands.

Wow, amazing research! Well done. Love this. 💥💥💥💥

#harry styles #niall horan #slow hands #sign of the times #harry styles achievements #thank you

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hphatecraft · 3 months

Text

WW3 should be everyone vs. India/Brazil/Poland

0 notes

nationsoftheworldtournament · 3 months

Text

Round Three Matches

Round Three Matches 1. Peru vs Liberia 2. Montenegro vs Croatia 3. Gabon vs Mauritania 4. Cote D'Ivoire vs Bangladesh 5. Norway vs Netherlands 6. Uruguay vs South Korea 7. Mozambique vs Mexico 8. Azerbaijan vs Tuvalu 9. Coral Sea Islands vs Canada 10. Finland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina 11. Scotland vs Greece 12. Mali vs Guadeloupe 13. Svalbard vs Madagascar 14. Dominican Republic vs Argentina 15. Christmas Island vs Lebanon 16. Kosovo vs Latvia 17. Moldova vs Seychelles 18. Laos vs Romania 19. Barbados vs Cyprus 20. Georgia vs Italy 21. Dominica vs Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 22. Venezuela vs Ukraine 23. Luxembourg vs Colombia 24. El Salvador vs Åland Islands 25. Vietnam vs Brazil 26. Democratic Republic of the Congo vs Chile 27. Guatemala vs Japan 28. Micronesia vs Germany 29. Faroe Islands vs Jamaica 30. Ireland vs Egypt 31. Puerto Rico vs Estonia 32. Slovakia vs Morocco vs New Zealand 33. Sri Lanka vs Djibouti 34. Poland vs Indonesia 35. Ethiopia vs Central African Republic 36. Fiji vs Czech Republic 37. Ecuador vs Bulgaria 38. Palestine vs Sint Maarten 39. Australia vs Spain 40. Liechtenstein vs Wales 41. Panama vs The Bahamas 42. Nepal vs Portugal

#nations of the world tournament #Not a poll #But please feel free to share propaganda supporting your choice

0 notes

laresearchette · 5 months

Text

Friday, November 17, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS (Apple TV+) PLEASE DON'T DESTROY: THE TREASURE OF FOGGY MOUNTAIN (Amazon Prime Canada) THE SECRET LIFE OF DANCING DOGS (Disney + Star) SHOHEI OHTANI: BEYOND THE DREAM (Disney + Star) THE HOLIDAY SHIFT (The Roku Channel) NAVIGATING CHRISTMAS (W Network) 9:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT? FILTHIEST FLIPS (TBD - HGTV Canada)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA CELEBRITY HUNTED: CHASSE À L’HOMME (Season 3) EXMAS LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND MAXINE’S BABY: THE TYLER PERRY STORY PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING PLEASE DON’T DESTROY: THE TREASURE OF FOGGY MOUNTAIN TWIN LOVE

CBC GEM PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES (starts today, goes until November 26th) SIX WOMEN SORT OF (Season 3) SOUTERRAIN (Underground)

CRAVE TV AWAY FROM HER BROOKLYN HOOK THE HONEYMOON THE KING’S DAUGHTER JESUS REVOLUTION MEDITATION PARK MOMMY SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN

DISNEY + STAR DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW THE SECRET LIFE OF DANCING DOGS (Season 1) SHOHEI OHTANI: BEYOND THE DREAM

NETFLIX CANADA ALL-TIME HIGH (FR) BELIEVER 2 (KR) COCOMELON LANE THE DADS THE QUEENSTOWN KINGS (ZA) RUSTIN SAGRADA FAMILIA (SEASON 2) (ES) SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING

2023 FIFA MEN'S U17 WORLD CUP (TSN5) 3:48am: Poland vs. Argentina (TSN5) 6:48am: England vs. Brazil

NHL HOCKEY (TSN4) 2:00pm: Leafs vs. Red Wings (TSN3) 8:00pm: Sabres vs. Jets

NCAA HOCKEY (TSN5) 7:00pm: Maine vs. Boston University

NBA BASKETBALL (SN) 7:30pm: 76ers vs. Hawks (SN Now) 7:30pm: Kings vs. Spurs (TSN/TSN4) 7:30pm: Celtics vs. Raptors (SN1) 8:00pm: Nuggets vs. Pelicans (SN) 10:00pm: Lakers vs. Trail Blazers (TSN/TSN5) 10:00pm: Suns vs. Jazz (SN1) 10:30pm: Rockets vs. Clippers

AMPLIFY (APTN) 7:30pm: Haida and Cree singer Kristi Lane Sinclair shares her emotional journey of returning to Haida Gwaii to find love and forgiveness. In this episode dedicated to Kristi's late mother, Kristi connects with close friend and fellow creator Sara Roque.

7TH GEN (APTN) 8:00pm: Makaela Blake is a young Inuit-Punjabi woman originally from Gander, N.L. Witness how she is sparking big change and challenging institutional systems with her advocacy work, all while sharing her culture.

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF JERSEY (Slice) 8:00pm (SEASON 2 PREMIERE): New Friends and New Foes

PLANET WONDER (CBC) 8:30pm: How the changing jet stream is making weather more extreme; Johanna Wagstaffe gets brain freeze.

CHRISTMAS KEEPSAKE (CTV Life) 8:00pm: Following their move to a new city, a father bonds with his daughter and stumbles upon an unexpected romance while tracking down the original owner of a Christmas time capsule.

FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER (APTN) 8:30pm: Aaron Turkey's entire night is wild, starting with a heat race win, a top gun award and failed brakes as he narrowly misses people while speeding through the tech barn. It all ends in heartache when he makes one small error during the feature race.

THE FIFTH ESTATE (CBC) 9:00pm: A man convicted for his role in the 1975 coup and murder of the first family in Bangladesh lives in Canada; in an interview with Mark Kelley, prime minister Sheikh Wazed says she wants him brought to justice.

TRANSPLANT (CTV) 9:00pm: The York Memorial team deals with the life changing-surgery of one of their own.

BATMAN: THE DOOM THAT CAME TO GOTHAM (Cartoon Network Canada) 9:00pm: Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City and learns of a sinister doomsday cult planning its destruction. Bruce must don the mantle of Batman to fight against ancient magic foes and fiery demons while guarding his sanity against the Old Gods' corruption.

JESUS REVOLUTION (Crave) 9:00pm: A charismatic street preacher and a pastor open the doors to a church to a stream of wandering youth, sparking a counterculture movement that becomes the greatest spiritual awakening in American history.

STAND UP & SHOUT: SONGS FROM A PHILLY HIGH SCHOOL (HBO Canada) 9:00pm: Students at Philadelphia's Hill-Freedman World Academy work with local musicians to create an album of powerful, original songs that captures both the challenging times they're living in and the joy that music brings.

W5 (CTV) 10:00pm: A couple buys a historic house at auction and renovates it, but the local government says they don't own it.

CRIME BEAT (Global) 10:00pm: Nothing is What it Seems: Part 2

PEOPLE MAGAZINE PRESENTS: CRIMES OF THE 2000S (Discovery Canada) 10:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): When an exotic animal keeper vanishes on her way to work at San Diego's Wild Animal Park in the fall of 2000, investigators unearth several suspects, but only one who had ample opportunity to go in for the kill.

#cdntv #cancon #canadian tv #canadian tv listings #amplify #7th gen #the real housewives of jersey #planet wonder #friday night thunder #the fifth estate #transplant #W5 #crime beat #fifa men's world cup #nhl hockey #ncaa hockey #nba basketball

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greenbagjosh · 8 months

Text

Friday 10 July 1998 - ICE monoblock once again, after the Eschede disaster - ruins of the GDR in Potsdamer Platz - new cities on the world clock in Alexanderplatz - early evening in Frankfurt an der Oder and Slubice, Poland

Friday 10 July 1998

Hi everyone, Grüß Gott, Guten Tag and dzien dobry

Today twenty years ago, I went on a three day weekend to Berlin, Frankfurt an der Oder, Slubice in Poland and back via Leipzig and Nürnberg Hbf. This would be my second visit to Berlin overall, as my previous visit was in January 1997, not exactly the best time to visit. This time I planned to see more than I did then. Before you read any further, I plan to break the journey into three parts, Friday the 10th, Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th. Berlin is a big city, with so much history in the last 60 years at least, and proper time spent to enjoy it is necessary.

I was able to take a day off work, as I had accumulated more than seven hours of overtime. I was not paid overtime but was allowed compensation days if certain conditions were met. I had to validate my Eurail Pass and use one day for the 10th going over to Berlin, and I paid 89 D-Mark for the return trip for Sunday the 12th (1998 FIFA World Cup Final, Brazil vs France). Already in May 1998 I had booked two nights at the Berlin youth hostel located near Wannsee in the former "American Sector". I took the early ICE high speed train called the "Justus Freiherr von Liebig" (1803 - 1873, bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justus_von_Liebig), the replacement for the "Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen", damaged about 11:10 AM on 3rd June 1998 in Eschede. Because the von Liebig train did not go to Berlin, but rather to Hamburg, I had to make a transfer at Fulda, to connect to the train for Berlin Zoologischer Garten, which in 1998 was the main terminus for eastbound trains as the current Hauptbahnhof was not yet built. The train left Munich about 5:35 AM. In 1998 the section between Munich, Augsburg and Nuremberg, were not high speed, neither was the existing section between Munich, Ingolstadt and Nuremberg, so it would not arrive in Nuremberg until about 6:55 AM. The morning was generally cloudy. I had my trusty "coffee bottle" with freshly brewed coffee in my backpack and about eight cans of soda at 330 mL each. The train stopped at Würzburg at 8:15 AM (Würzburg is the birthplace of Dallas Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki). It went not west to Aschaffenburg or Frankfurt, but rather north to Fulda, Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe and Göttingen before going further north to Hannover and Hamburg. The train arrived at Fulda about 9:10 AM. I listened to the Hessischer Rundfunk top of the hour news and heard All Saints' cover version of Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the bridge" after that. At Fulda I alighted and had to wait for the Intercity train to Berlin. I would have been able to continue with an ICE train but due to the disaster at Eschede, lines operated with the ICE-1 series had many taken out of service. So I made do with the IC, and it arrived on time at 9:12 AM. The train went through Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, Göttingen, Braunschweig, Wolfsburg, Potsdam and Berlin-Wannsee station. The train arrived about 12:28 PM at Berlin Zoologischer Garten. Before exploring Berlin, there was some business to take care of at the station.

In Berlin, you can buy a single day pass at a reasonable price. I am not sure what it was in 1998 but in 1997 it was 10 D-Mark. For a three-day pass, namely a 72 hour pass, you can also get discounts on tours and various products. The cost was 29 D-Mark. There was a ticket in the booklet that BVG sold, and it had to be stamped before use. Stamped only once, otherwise it would be considered invalid by the ticket inspectors and I would have been subject to a fine of 80 D-Mark. I stamped the pass, and then headed on the S-7 to Nikolassee via Westkreuz. The trains were of the BR-481 series, and stations announced by the voice of Ingo Ruff, as I remembered from January 1997. My hostel was, despite being located near Wannsee, was actually closer to the Nikolassee station. And about a half mile walk from Nikolassee. I checked in and left my luggage on the free bunk bed in the room. As it was the Love Parade weekend, the hostel would be very full. I rested for a few minutes, and before I left, I took my Eurail Pass with me and my remaining cans of soda in case I were to get thirsty on the way. The coffee bottle was empty.

After a short rest, I left the hostel about 2 PM, with only my small bag with sodas, my Eurail pass, and passport. It was time to explore Berlin. I walked back to Nikolassee to take the S-Bahn to Potsdamer Platz. I wanted to not take the S-7 but the S-1, which was possible. The difference is going through Anhalter Bahnhof, Potsdamer Platz and Friedrichstraße underground, where S-7 is either elevated or at-grade only. At Yorckstraße I was listening on my radio to RTL 105.6 FM. Then when the train went underground for Anhalter Bahnhof and I lost the signal. Oh well.

During the Cold War, Anhalter Bahnhof was the last station in the West Berlin S-Bahn, before approaching the Berlin Wall, as the next station would be Potsdamer Platz which was closed then. Both stations in 1998 looked like they were nicely refurbished after Reunification. I exited Potsdamer Platz to have a look around to see how much of the wall I could still see. Most of it had been torn down, and in 1998 there was only the empty space remaining. If you were to look at an aerial photo of it today, you would not be able to really tell that there was once a wall. The area has long since been built up. I did find a wall to take a selfie from, and I managed to find a wooden wall. If I could not find a cement wall, I thought, well, the wooden one will do, it is close to the original site anyway. So, there you have it, the story of the selfie of me trying to climb a wall.

Between Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate, there was a small memorial to the victims of the Third Reich. Honestly I do not know if that was erected either during the Cold War or after Reunification. I have only a few photos of that.

Because the Brandenburger Gate was not too far, I decided to walk on over. Brandenburger Tor was probably the most famous landmark of Berlin, that showed the division of West and East Berlin. On the west side there was the wall blocking access to it. It was accessible during the Cold War only from the East, namely, USSR controlled, side. Even when the Soviet troops had withdrawn, many former Soviets, in 1998, Russian citizens, remained behind and sold USSR memorabilia, such as military caps, belt buckles, insignias of the USSR, Matryushka nesting dolls. On Saturday the 11th July 1998, Brandenburger Tor would be quite busy and so would Unter den Linden up to Alexanderplatz. For that reason, Potsdamer Platz and Unter den Linden stations would be shut for the day. More about that tomorrow.

I wanted to see the Reichtstag building. It would be a short walk to Scheidemannstraße to see the Reichstag. The rebuilding of the Reichstag into the new Bundestag, would not be complete for several years. On the front it had "Dem Deutschen Volke" (to the German People). During the Cold War, the Reichstag building was located in the West. The government in 1998 was still in Bonn but would transfer to Berlin during the Gerhard Schröder (SPD, 1998 - 2005) government.

After that I thought it appropriate to explore into the former East Berlin, where there were no significant attractions. I took the bus to Französische Straße, the U-6 to Oranienburger Tor, then a tram to Brunnenstraße/Invalidenstraße. Note, on the U-6 from Stadtmitte to Reinickendorfer Straße, were "ghost stations" that the U-8 went through but did not stop. The tram went through an interesting part of the former East Berlin, looked like what I had seen in high school German class. The stop "Monbijouplatz" did not exist in 1998 so after Oranienburger Straße, was Hackescher Markt. For some strange reason or whatever, I got the idea to take the train further east to Frankfurt an der Oder and cross into Poland, before it got too dark. So I did that, taking the U-8 from Rosa Luxemburg Platz to Alexanderplatz, taking the S-Bahn to Ostbahnhof, and taking the Berlin-Warszawa-Express to Frankfurt an der Oder. I had my Eurail Pass and unless I was going further to Warsaw Centralna, I did not need any reservation. The PKP train was as nice as the Intercity train. The train passed by Ernkner which is the farthest east on the Berlin S-Bahn system.

I think I arrived at Frankfurt an der Oder about 6:30 PM. The train station looked like time stood still from the Cold War. Station signs looked similar to the ones I saw in Prague. The trams ran from the station to Magistrale, where the car and footbridge was located to cross the Oder into Slubice, Poland. Back then all Frankfurt an der Oder trams were from the Tatra factory in the Czech Republic as a legacy of the Cold War. There was a McDonalds at the intersection of Karl Marx Straße and Rosa Luxemburg Straße, for some reason it had a more profound effect on me that I would have preferred. At the time McDonalds was featuring Greek-style hamburgers with feta cheese, called "McKronos". I could not resist, so I had a simple McKronos burger and small drink. After eating and going to the bathroom, I made my way across the "Most Graniczny". At the time I did not know the Polish phrases "nie mówie po Polsku" (I do not speak Polish) or "nierozumiem" (I do not understand). After passing the German customs booth, I had my passport stamped on the Polish side. The first thing I saw was Rondo Solidarnosci (solidarity roundabout) and I walked along to the DK 31 road, otherwise known as aleja Mlodziezy Polskiej.

I withdrew some Polish Zloty at an ATM since the D-Mark was not accepted. Just enough to get by in town. The only thing I bought was a Döner Kebap and some soft drink. Most of the rest of the time I wandered around for half an hour. Some things I noted, were a Zywiec beer sign at what is today's King Nazar Kebap, the post office sign "POCZTA", a cigarette shop, a movie poster for "Seven Years in Tibet" with the title in Polish, a few FSO Polonez sedans and Fiat 126p, the Polish version of the Fiat 500 or Yugo. There were some kids playing soccer and one had a big net over him and I did not know enough Polish to ask why. If you see the photo and ask me why that boy has a net on him, I don't think I can explain the circumstance even twenty years on. I had the radio with me, and I recorded some Polish broadcast, including the song "Siedze i mysle" by Beata Kozidrak off the airwaves. I do not know the radio station anymore. I walked back over the Most Graniczny to Germany, had my passport stamped both by Poland for exiting, and Germany for entering. Then I took the tram back to the rail station, and took a RegionalExpress back to Berlin Ostbahnhof. I heard "Music was my first love" by John Miles, prior to accidentally changing the station to one that was playing "Achy breaky heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus. From there I took the S-7 back to Nikolassee, and made it back to the hostel before 11 PM.

I felt I accomplished much on Friday 10 July 1998, but for Berlin there was still more to see. There is still Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th. And the final games of that year's FIFA World Cup to be played.

Until next time.

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