#2020 Junior US Nationals

[figureskatingcostumes]

Isabelle Martins and Ryan Bedard's free program costumes at the 2020 US Championships (Junior) and 2019 Junior Grand Prix Lake Placid.

(Sources: Skates U.S., David W. Carmichael and gabietab)

[toasttt11]

julianna hughes

Julianna Rae Hughes

Year: Senior

Height: 5”6

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

Team: US National Team

School: University of Michigan

Olympics

Gold, 2016 Rio de Janeiro- Team

Gold, 2016 Rio de Janeiro- All Around

Gold, 2016 Rio de Janeiro- Uneven Bars

Gold, 2020 Tokyo- All Around

Gold, 2020 Tokyo- Uneven Bars

Gold, 2020 Tokyo- Floor

Gold, 2020 Tokyo- Vault

Silver, 2016 Rio de Janeiro- Vault

Silver, 2016 Rio de Janeiro- Floor

Silver, 2016 Rio de Janeiro- Balance Beam

Silver, 2020 Tokyo- Team

Silver, 2020 Tokyo- Balance Beam

World Championships

Gold, 2015 Glasgow- Team

Gold, 2015 Glasgow- Uneven Bars

Gold, 2017 Montreal- Team

Gold, 2017 Montreal- Uneven Bars

Gold, 2017 Montreal- Vault

Gold, 2017 Montreal- All Around

Gold, 2017 Montreal- Floor

Gold, 2017 Montreal- Balance Beam

Gold, 2018 Doha- Team

Gold, 2018 Doha- Uneven Bars

Gold, 2018 Doha- All Around

Gold, 2019 Stuttgart- Team

Gold, 2019 Stuttgart- Uneven Bars

Gold, 2019 Stuttgart- Team

Gold, 2019 Stuttgart- Floor

Gold, 2019 Stuttgart- All Around

Gold, 2021 Japan- Team

Gold, 2021 Japan- Uneven Bars

Gold, 2021 Japan- Team

Gold, 2021 Japan- Floor

Gold, 2021 Japan- All Around

Gold, 2021 Japan- Vault

Gold, 2022 Liverpool- Team

Gold, 2022 Liverpool- Uneven Bars

Gold, 2022 Liverpool- Team

Gold, 2022 Liverpool- Floor

Gold, 2022 Liverpool- All Around

Gold, 2022 Liverpool- Vault

Gold, 2022 Liverpool- Balance Beam

Gold, 2023 Antwerp- Team

Gold, 2023 Antwerp- Uneven Bars

Gold, 2023 Antwerp- Team

Gold, 2023 Antwerp- Floor

Gold, 2023 Antwerp- All Around

Silver, 2015 Glasgow- Floor

Silver, 2015 Glasgow- Team

Silver, 2015 Glasgow- Vault

Silver, 2015 Glasgow- Balance Beam

Silver, 2018 Doha- Vault

Silver, 2018 Doha- Floor

Silver, 2018 Doha- Balance Beam

Silver, 2019 Stuttgart- Balance Beam

Silver, 2019 Stuttgart- Vault

Gold, 2021 Japan- Balance Beam

Silver, 2023 Antwerp- Vault

Silver, 2023 Antwerp- Balance Beam

Pacific Rim Championships

Gold, 2016 Everett- Team

Gold, 2016 Everett- All Around

Gold, 2016 Everett- Uneven Bars

Silver, 2016 Everett- Floor

Silver, 2016 Everett- Vault

Silver, 2016 Everett- Balance Beam

NCAA

Senior (2023-2024)

University Of Michigan

Team Captain.

Received a 40.00 Score, the first time since 1996 and the first time for a Wolverine.

Competed in all Events.

Big Ten Individual Champion (uneven bars)

Big Ten Individual Champion (All around)

Big Ten Individual Champion (Floor)

Big Ten Individual Champion (Balance)

Big Ten Individual Champion (Vault)

Scored Eight 10 on the uneven bars in her Senior year.

Scored Five 10 on the floor in her Senior year.

Scored Two 10 on the balance beam in her Senior year.

Scored Two 10 on the Vault in her Senior year.

Junior (2022-2023)

University of Michigan

Team Captain.

Competed in all Events.

Big Ten Champions.

Big Ten Regular Season Champions.

Big Ten Individual Champion (uneven bars)

Big Ten Individual Champion (All around)

Big Ten Individual Champion (Floor)

Big Ten Individual Champion (Balance)

First Team All-Big Ten.

Academic All-Big Ten.

WCGA Academic All-America.

Scored Seven 10 on the uneven bars in her Junior year.

Scored four 10 on the floor in her Junior year.

Scored one 10 on the balance beam in her Junior year.

Scored one 10 on the Vault in her Junior year.

Sophomore (2021-2022)

University of Michigan

Competed in all Events.

Big Ten Champions.

Big Ten regular season Champions.

Big Ten Individual Champion (uneven bars)

Big Ten Individual Champion (All around)

Big Ten Individual Champion (Floor)

Academic All-Big Ten.

First Team All-Big Ten.

Scored Six 10 on the uneven bars in her Sophomore year.

Scored three 10 on the floor in her Sophomore year.

Scored one 10 on the balance beam in her sophomore year.

Freshman (2020-2021)

University of Michigan

Competed in all Events.

National Championships.

Big Ten Individual Champion (uneven bars)

Big Ten Individual Champion (All around)

Scored four 10 on the uneven bars in her freshman year.

Scored two 10 on the floor in her freshman year.

First Team All-Big Ten.

Notched a 9.925 on the beam in the leadoff spot in back-to-back meets in which the Wolverines surpassed the 198.000 mark for the first time in school history.

Personal

• Born May 14, 2001

• Daughter of Jim and Ellen.

• Has three brothers Quinn, Jack and Luke.

• Getting a degree in Sport Medicine.

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: Alex Albon

Hello, this is part of a series where I focus on one driver on the current (as of Oct 2024) grid and give an overview over their career and driving styles. I will be going in championship points order. Enjoy!

Name: Alexander Albon Ansusinha

Age: 28

Nationality: Thai-British

Years in F1: 5 (Toro Rosso Early 2019, Red Bull July 2019-2020, Williams 2022-Present)

Number: 23

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: Albon has a more smooth and gentle style compared to many F1 drivers, and is known for preferring cars with a strong front end as they allow him to make more precise movements. He is a very patient driver, and excels in tire management which allows him to use different strategies than other drivers. Albon also does well in high pressure situations, and keeps his cool where other may falter. The negative style of this driving is that he struggle in wheel-to-wheel fighting as he sometimes lacks aggression, and often is lacking in qualifying after not pushing the car hard enough.

History:

Albon was born into a racing family, with both his father and uncle being competitive racers. He was given his first kart when he was 7 years old and competed for the first time in 2005 at the age of 8, competing locally and winning his local Hoddesdon Championship. He would prove to be a naturally talented racer during his karting career, and have one of the most title winning stints in karting out of the current F1 drivers.

(Albon with other future F1 drivers, Lance Stroll, Nyck de Vries, and George Russell, during their karting days)

In 2006 Albon started racing in the cadet class, finishing 1st at the Kartmasters British Grand Prix. He also participated in the Super 1 National Honda Cadet Championship finishing 1st in 2006 and 2nd in 2007. In 2008 he moved up to the KF3 class where he stayed until 2010. During this time Albon won the Kartmasters British Grand Prix, Formula Kart Stars Championship, KF Winter Series, Super 1 National KF3 Championship, CIK-FIA World Cup, and CIK-FIA European Championship. In 2011 Albon graduated to KF1 placing 2nd in the WSK Euro Series and 2nd at the CIK-FIA World Championship.

(Albon holding one of his karting title trophies next to future teammate Max Verstappen)

He graduated to car racing in 2012, joining the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup Series, but unfortunately would have a very poor year, finishing in 38th place. His season was slightly better the next year, and he was able to achieve 22 points. His 2013 season was his best year in that series, as be finished 3rd in the championship. During his time in this series he also formed a relationship with the Red Bull Junior Team, joining in 2012 however that relationship would soon end.

(Albon during Formula Renault days)

in 2015 he switched to Euro F3 and finished 3rd overall, getting 3 wins in the process. His 2016 year in GP3 would be his best year yet, finishing 2nd after a tight battle with his teammate Charles Leclerc. 2017 was Albon's first foray into F2, and was a middling year for the driver. While he achieved multiple high points finishes, and two podiums, he also had some poor finishes and his season was interrupted by broken collar bone. He finished the F2 season at 10th in the championship.

(Albon on GP3 podium, with Charles Leclerc)

His second season in F2 was a lot more positive. He had joined a new team, and seemed to suit their car a lot better. This was the year he achieved his first F2 wins, winning in Silverstone, Sochi, and the Hungaroring. Unfortunately he has a series of retirements due to mechanical failure, which would drop him down to 3rd in the championship, behind George Russell and Lando Norris. His performance that year garnered attention from an F1 team, and while Albon had signed with a team in Formula E to race in the 2018-19, he broke contract and instead signed with F1's Toro Ross for the 2019 season, reigniting the Red Bull relationship.

(Albon on F2 podium in Sochi)

When Albon joined Toro Rosso he became the first Thai driver since the 1950s to compete in F1. His first year with Toro Rosso would be extremely positive, and although he did not achieve a lot of points, he pushed the car to its limits and was able to reach a 6th place race finish. It was his solid performance in the first half of the year that made Red Bull decide to remove Pierre Gasly from their seat half way through the season, and replace him with Albon.

(Albon in his Toro Rosso)

The second half of his rookie season was spent in a top 3 car, a big move for any rookie. He would have a positive rest of the season, scoring high points finishes regularly and achieving his career highest 4th place. He finished 8th in the championship, and while he was out scored by his teammate Max Verstappen, it was not by an aggressive margin. This is especially impressive when you consider that he was with a midfield team for the first half of the year.

2020 was a bad year for Albon. While he had a few high points finishes, and achieved his first podium at the Tuscan GP, he also often found himself scoring outside of the points. Multiple crashes dropped him to the back of the grid, and scrutiny from the press only seemed to make the driver perform even poorer. While he finished 7th in the championship, this was outweighed by his teammate getting 2nd. A lot of his struggles were attributed to the car being developed around Verstappen, who has a very unique driving style Albon said is "eye-wateringly sharp". After this season he was demoted to a test and reserve driver for 2021, and also worked as a coach for AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda.

(Albon after his first F1 podium)

Late 2021 it was announced that Albon had signed a contract with Williams for the 2022 season. This would mean the end to the official relationship between Red Bull and Albon, who had worked with them since 2012. However, Red Bull principal Christian Horner did say that their casual relationship was still intact and there was the possibility for a Red Bull return in the future.

His 2022 season with Williams was very bad, mostly because the team did not have the car to compete. He partnered his old F2 teammate Nicholas Latifi and out paced him for most of the season. His highest finished that year was 9th, and he scored 4 out of Williams 8 that year. He finished the year 19th in the standing, only ahead of Latifi. 2023 was a slightly more positive year, and he was partnered by Logan Sargent. He would finish at his highest with Williams that year, with a 6th place position. He once again out paced his teammate, and ended 13th in the championships, helping Williams achieve 6th in the constructers.

(Albon in his 2022 Williams)

In 2024 he continued with Williams, and it was later announced he had signed a multi-year deal. This year so far has been another not so great one for Albon, again mostly due to the poor quality of the Williams car. The biggest change for Albon came when his teammate Sargent was replaced by F2 driver Franco Colapinto halfway through the season. On a more positive note, since Williams has put more upgrades on the car it seems to have more pace, possibly meaning Albon will score higher level points in the future.

Major Races:

2019 German GP - Still with Toro Rosso, this was the race that solidified him move to Red Bull, as he pulled an underperforming car up to a 6th place finish. This drive showed his ability to pull the best out of the car.

2019 Brazilain GP - Albon's first chance at a podium with Red Bull, an unfortunate incident with Lewis Hamilton denied him 3rd place. However, for a majority of the race he was performing extremely well and he most definitely would have achieved it if not for the crash. Contact with Hamilton would become a running theme for Albon during this year.

2020 Tuscan GP - Albon's first podium, the race showed his resilience and strength under pressure. This was a long awaited result, and a key moment in his career.

2022 Belgian GP - After a year out of F1, Albon came back and delivered a standout performance with Williams. He had a fantastically defensive drive, and showed his steady approach to racing, grabbing a much needed point for his team

2023 Canadian GP- His best result since returning to F1, Albon was able to pull an underperforming car up to a 7th place finish. His tire management skills allowed him to hold off much faster cars behind him, turning what could have been a difficult race into extremely positive results.

Alright, that is it for Albon! Next up is Pierre Gasly

Cheers,

-B

[bvdomination]

Im also a new fan and would like to know more about Bella’s partner before Dima who she won the 2020 nationals with?! I had no idea. They didn’t seem to have had a falling out or anything, what happened there? I think his name is Adam.

Also do you know the circumstances with Vanyas last partner of 8 years? If he hadn’t left Russia would they still be dancing I wonder.

Prior to Dima, she partnered with Adam Bouaziz - A Brit. These 2 participated in the 19/20 season and placed 13th in the US Junior Nationals. I believe Adam went back to the UK. It was a crazy time with COVID and this made their long distance partnership untenable.

Vanya's previous partner, Ekaterina Andreeva, is still skating for Belarus with Dmitry Blinov. Both Bella and Vanya follow her on IG, there's no love lost there. Will they still be skating together? Possibly, who knows. This is Ice Dance - partnerships and breakups are aplenty 😉

There's a lot more lore to where this came from - (x)

[mariacallous]

The FBI, working closely with an international team including the Czech and Baltic intelligence services, has helped link a series of international cyberattacks to a shadowy unit associated with the Russian secret service, the GRU.

According to a joint cybersecurity advisory report issued on Friday, the cyberattacks were undertaken by a group tied to Unit 29155 of the GRU.

Previously, the same unit has been blamed for an explosion at an ammunition site in 2014 in Vrbětice, deep in the Czech Republic’s southeast, as well as “attempted coups, sabotage and influence operations, and assassination attempts throughout Europe.”

However, in 2020, Unit 29155 expanded its portfolio “to include offensive cyber operations.”

Among other objectives, this offshoot group was used to collect information for espionage, cause reputational harm by stealing and leaking sensitive information, and destroying data.

“Unit 29155 cyber actors [are assessed] to be junior active-duty GRU officers under the direction of experienced Unit 29155 leadership,” said the report.

“These individuals appear to be gaining cyber experience and enhancing their technical skills through conducting cyber operations and intrusions,” it continued. Additionally, the report assessed that non-GRU officers had also been recruited, including known cybercriminals.

The unit is believed to be responsible for unleashing WhisperGate, a multi-stage wiper that has been deployed against the Ukrainian government, non-profit and tech organizations since January 2022. In addition to launching WhisperGate against Ukraine, the group has also targeted NATO states as well as countries in Latin America and Central Asia with its activity, including website defacements, infrastructure scanning, data exfiltration, and data leak operations. “Since early 2022, the primary focus of the cyber actors appears to be targeting and disrupting efforts to provide aid to Ukraine,” the report revealed. Furthermore, over 14,000 cases of domain scanning had also been recorded, with these impacting 26 NATO members and several other EU nations. “Whether through offensive operations or scanning activity, Unit 29155 cyber actors are known to target critical infrastructure and key resource sectors, including government services, financial services, transportation systems, energy, and healthcare sectors of NATO members, the EU, Central American, and Asian countries,” said the report. Led by the FBI, the investigative operation also involved teams from Britain, Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, and the Czech Republic. Together, their joint findings have enabled the Cybersecurity Advisory to develop tactics, techniques, and procedures to thwart further actions by Unit 29155.

[mekanikaltrifle]

In (the World of) Darkness

(Inspired by @cruddyart’s character lineup)

I’ll post some summaries here for you all, just so we’re up to date on everyone (and as a handy quick reference guide if you are ever unsure who these bastards are :D)

(edited to add some links to songs for the little guys. Most have a ‘theme’ and a ‘current vibe’ for where they’re feeling in their relative narrative spot. Most are not super cheerful!)

Top Row (2021 characters):

- Domino Giovanni (formerly Dom Winters), 10th Gen. clan Giovanni neonate. Independent/Clan aligned. Sired in 2006 at age 26. (Game: Alien Hunger/Harbour of Resentment 2006-2009, currently active).

American (origin: Denver, Colorado)

Personal Theme/ current vibe

Result/victim of strange Kindred scientific experiment into curing vampirism, the results of which were lost. Betrayed by their teammates, nearly decapitated before they were enlisted into the Family and Clan Giovanni. Budding necromancer, former Counter-Strike champion.

- Andrew Serafim, 13th Gen. clan Toreador antitribu fledgling. Sabbat aligned. Sired in 2020 at age 27. (Game: Cauldron Crusade/Atlanta Chronicle, 2020), currently active

English (origin: South London)

Personal theme/ current vibe

Part of the winning team in a Sabbat Bat Race, hours after Embrace. Has a ghoul in his long time friend Madelaine Webb. Immensely athletic and dexterous, previously a national-level aesthetic gymnast in life. Insanely tall.

- Glass Man, 13th Gen. clan Nosferatu neonate. Camarilla aligned. Sired in 2003 sometime in his mid-late 20s. (Game: Boston Nosferatu Chronicle, 2007, currently inactive)

American (origin: Syracuse, New York)

Personal theme

Has access to out-of-clan Fortitude, is a trainee assassin and poisoner. Previously was a junior doctor in life. Enthusiastic free-runner, covers his whole body at all times.

Bottom Row (2022 characters):

- Ms Lina Meijer, 10th Gen. clan Malkavian fledgling. Anarch aligned. Sired in 2012 at age 30. (Game: Den Haag Chronicle, 2012, currently active)

Dutch (origin: somewhere in South Holland, the Netherlands)

Personal theme/ current vibe

Embraced in a mass-Embrace of three, became embroiled in a bloody civil war in Den Haag and Rotterdam. Currently hiding out in Malaga in Spain, hoping things will quiet down. Very able combatant. Has a firearm illegally.

- Dr Dani Reyes, 12th Gen. Tremere fledgling. Independent aligned. Sired in 2020 at age 32. (Game: Atlanta Chronicle Part 2/ A.Rubra, 2020, currently active)

Mexican (origin: Guadalajara, Jalisco)

Personal theme/ current vibe

Was originally a ghoul, and then Embraced in a violent manner by Silas via their domitor Atlas. Known to have committed diablerie in the interest of saving an ally’s life and destroying a genocidal maniac. Honestly just wants a nap.

- Mai Le Pham, mortal. Aware of the supernatural, first encounter in 1997. Aged 30. (Game: Cognitohazard, 1997, currently active)

American (origin: somewhere in the desert, South California)

Personal theme/ current vibe

Investigated eerie happenings in her apartment block with a couple others, only to find the place full of Slashers. Befriended a Deviant by virtue of being unfazed by/oblivious to their odd vibes. Was shot in the abdomen, and healed using demonic blood, and then made a sacrifice of her own blood to the ‘angel Gabriel’ to get free of a strange alter-dimension. Currently on a road trip to Phoenix.

[toscanoirriverente]

Hannah Barnes’s book about the rise and calamitous fall of the Gender Identity Development Service for children (Gids), a nationally commissioned unit at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in north London, is the result of intensive work, carried out across several years. A journalist at the BBC’s Newsnight, Barnes has based her account on more than 100 hours of interviews with Gids’ clinicians, former patients, and other experts, many of whom are quoted by name. It comes with 59 pages of notes, plentiful well-scrutinised statistics, and it is scrupulous and fair-minded. Several of her interviewees say they are happy either with the treatment they received at Gids, or with its practices – and she, in turn, is content to let them speak.

Such a book cannot easily be dismissed. To do so, a person would not only have to be wilfully ignorant, they would also – to use the popular language of the day – need to be appallingly unkind. This is the story of the hurt caused to potentially hundreds of children since 2011, and perhaps before that. To shrug in the face of that story – to refuse to listen to the young transgender people whose treatment caused, among other things, severe depression, sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis and stunted growth, and whose many other problems were simply ignored – requires a callousness that would be far beyond my imagination were it not for the fact that, thanks to social media, I already know such stony-heartedness to be out there.

Gids, which opened in 1989, was established to provide talking therapies to young people who were questioning their gender identity (the Tavistock, under the aegis of which it operated from 1994, is a mental health trust). But the trigger for Barnes’s interest in the unit has its beginnings in 2005, when concerns were first raised by staff over the growing number of patient referrals to endocrinologists who would prescribe hormone blockers designed to delay puberty. Such medication was recommended only in the case of children aged 16 or over. By 2011, however, Barnes contends, it appeared to be the clinic’s raison d’etre. In that year, a child of 12 was on blockers. By 2016, a 10-year-old was taking them.

Clinicians at Gids insisted the effects of these drugs were reversible; that taking them would reduce the distress experienced by gender dysphoric children; and that there was no causality between starting hormone blockers and going on to take cross-sex hormones (the latter are taken by adults who want fully to transition). Unfortunately, none of these things were true. Such drugs do have severe side effects, and while the causality between blockers and cross-sex hormones cannot be proven – all the studies into them have been designed without a control group – 98% of children who take the first go on to take the latter. Most seriously of all, as Gids’ own research suggested, they do not appear to lead to any improvement in children’s psychological wellbeing.

So why did they continue to be prescribed? As referrals to Gids grew rapidly – in 2009, it had 97; by 2020, this figure was 2,500 – so did pressure on the service. Barnes found that the clinic – which employed an unusually high number of junior staff, to whom it offered no real training – no longer had much time for the psychological work (the talking therapies) of old. But something else was happening, too. Trans charities such as Mermaids were closely – too closely – involved with Gids. Such organisations vociferously encouraged the swift prescription of drugs. This now began to happen, on occasion, after only two consultations. Once a child was on blockers, they were rarely offered follow-up appointments. Gids did not keep in touch with its patients in the long term, or keep reliable data on outcomes.

A lot of this is already known, thanks largely to a number of whistleblowers. Last February, the paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass, commissioned by the NHS, issued a highly critical interim report into the service; in July, it was announced that Gids would close in 2023. But a lot of what Barnes tells us in Time to Think is far more disturbing than anything I’ve read before. Again and again, we watch as a child’s background, however disordered, and her mental health, however fragile, are ignored by teams now interested only in gender.

The statistics are horrifying. Less than 2% of children in the UK have an autism spectrum disorder; at Gids, more than a third of referrals presented with autistic traits. Clinicians also saw high numbers of children who had been sexually abused. But for the reader, it is the stories that Barnes recounts of individuals that speak loudest. The mother of one boy whose OCD was so severe he would leave his bedroom only to shower (he did this five times a day) suspected that his notions about gender had little to do with his distress. However, from the moment he was referred to the Tavistock, he was treated as if he were female and promised an endocrinology appointment. Her son, having finally rejected the treatment he was offered by Gids, now lives as a gay man.

As Barnes makes perfectly clear, this isn’t a culture war story. This is a medical scandal, the full consequences of which may only be understood in many years’ time. Among her interviewees is Dr Paul Moran, a consultant psychiatrist who now works in Ireland. A long career in gender medicine has taught Moran that, for some adults, transition can be a “fantastic thing”. Yet in 2019, he called for Gids’ assessments of Irish children (the country does not have its own clinic for young people) to be immediately terminated, so convinced was he that its processes were ��unsafe”. The be-kind brigade might also like to consider the role money played in the rise of Gids. By 2020-21, the clinic accounted for a quarter of the trust’s income.

But this isn’t to say that ideology wasn’t also in the air. Another of Barnes’s interviewees is Dr Kirsty Entwistle, an experienced clinical psychologist. When she got a job at Gids’ Leeds outpost, she told her new colleagues she didn’t have a gender identity. “I’m just female,” she said. This, she was informed, was transphobic. Barnes is rightly reluctant to ascribe the Gids culture primarily to ideology, but nevertheless, many of the clinicians she interviewed used the same word to describe it: mad.

And who can blame them? After more than 370 pages, I began to feel half mad myself. At times, the world Barnes describes, with its genitalia fashioned from colons and its fierce culture of omertà, feels like some dystopian novel. But it isn’t, of course. It really happened, and she has worked bravely and unstintingly to expose it. This is what journalism is for.

[emailsfromanactor]

About the Authors of Emails from an Actor

From Letters from an Actor:

William Redfield made his first appearance on the stage in 1936 at the age of nine and has been acting ever since. He has appeared in a wide variety of roles in productions from Our Town to Out of This World, from Junior Miss to A Man for All Seasons. He has also been in a number of motion pictures, the latest of which is Fantastic Voyage. He is a charter member of The Actors Studio. Mr. Redfield is married and has two children. He lives in New York City.

We'll get to know Redfield very well through his writing, and he was well-known enough that he has a Wikipedia page as well as IMDB and IBDB pages with long lists of credits. That Our Town mentioned was the original 1938 production, in which he played Si Crowell. He also did a lot of radio work, including 80 episodes of CBS Radio Mystery Theater, many of which can be heard here and here. And here are some film clips:

Redfield died in 1976 at the age of 49.

From John Gielgud Directs Richard Burton in Hamlet:

Richard L. Sterne is an actor by profession, and his credits as a young actor are indeed impressive. A graduate of Northwestern Uni­versity, Mr. Sterne appeared on Broadway in John Gielgud’s produc­tion of Hamlet starring Richard Burton, obtaining first-hand the material for this book. He toured with the National Repertory Thea­tre under the directorship of Eva LeGallienne, appearing in Liliom and She Stoops to Conquer. Mr. Sterne also appeared with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where he played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, as well as other roles in Love’s Labours Lost and Henry the Fifth. He was narrator of the film Good Night, Socrates, which won first prize in the Venice Film Festival in 1963. Acting, however, is only one of Richard Sterne’s talents. A musician-composer, he was musical director for the Champlain Shakespeare Festival in Vermont in 1965, and composed some of the music used in Gielgud’s production of Hamlet. Mr. Sterne is now living in New York City with his wife, actress Joann Rose, and was recently in Euripides’ The Bacchants at Lin­coln Center.

We'll barely get to know Sterne through his book at all, which is a shame. He seems like an interesting person - I mean, he hid under a platform for six hours to secretly record two of the biggest stars in the world! Ah well. It's also hard to find information about his post-book life. He's on IMDB and IBDB, but apparently he hasn't done much screen or Broadway work. I did find a page for him on Backstage, with a recent headshot and Off-Broadway and regional credits. Looks like he was acting as recently as February 2020, alternating in the non-singing role of the Coroner in Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera. In 1982-83 he worked with Eva LeGallienne again in her Broadway revival of Alice in Wonderland, starring Kate Burton - Richard Burton's daughter - as Alice. Here's a photo from that!

He's on the left under that big mask. So here's a photo where you can actually see his face, from a 1982 production of Henry IV, Part 1:

Sterne was interviewed for an article about The Motive and the Cue in April 2023, and as far as I know, he's still alive.

And about the editor, who is not an actor but will always be a theatre kid at heart: Hi, I'm @bewareofitalics, I've decided I'm okay with being perceived! When I'm not sending emails from 1964, I do things like write fanfic, document the Twelfth Night productions I've seen live, make deliberately terrible fandom valentines (I have Emails-relevant plans for this year :D), and recommend (or not) random obscure musicals. As far as I know, I am also still alive.

[thanktrusova]

american media: its effects on the teenage prodigy

For those who don't know, one of my favorite skaters is Alysa Liu.

Alysa is a 2x US national champion, junior and senior world bronze medalist, and 2022 Olympian.

But, one thing about her is when you look her up, one of the subheadings on her wikipedia is "2021–22 season: International senior debut, Beijing Olympics, World Championships, and retirement".

What happened to her? What was so troubling about the 2021/22 season that caused this all to happen at once, and at the age of 16?

From my limited research but somewhat extensive knowledge, the one thing I can connect this early retirement to is the American media.

Before I start, I just want to preface that I am very glad they retired on their own terms, and not due to injury or something worse. Though I do miss them.

-

Alysa was 13 when she won her first senior national title in January 2019, the youngest female to win US nationals as of today. She defended her title the next year, winning back-to-back nationals at only 14 years old.

Also in the 2019/2020 season, they had their international junior debut. During this, they became the first woman to complete a triple axel and quadruple jump in competition, as well as achieving the status of the first non-Russian girl to win a Grand Prix event for around 20 competitions. They went on to win bronze at the World Junior Championships in March 2020.

This bout of success caused eyes of every American media outlet to be focused on young Alysa. They started deeming her as an American prodigy, the only hope to have an Olympic medal in Ladies' Single Skating at Beijing 2022. This was still two years away from the Winter Olympics, and she was only 14.

The next year, 2021, Alysa underwent a growth spurt, which, obviously, is normal for a 15 year old girl. Because of this, she lost her triple axel and quadruple lutz jumps, causing American media to forget her, or worse, doubt and even berate her. If she can't beat the Russians at the next Olympics, who can? The media gave up hope on her and did not care about the effects of doing so.

Cut to the 2021/2022 season, Alysa's international senior debut. She officially secured the third spot for US ladies at the Olympics, and performed average at her Grand Prix assignments, placing fourth at both. She had to withdraw from US Nationals due to COVID, but still managed to petition for a spot on the 2022 Olympic team thanks to her performance history. Once again, she was America's "only hope" for a spot on that podium.

Overall, she placed 7th, the highest out of the three American female skaters. She claimed she was pleased with her performances, and that she was just happy to be in Beijing. A little over a month later, she won bronze at the 2022 World Championships, being the first American woman to medal since 2016.

Months later, they announced their retirement, and have not (publicly) skated competitively or professionally since.

They also archived all social media.

While other reasons can be argued for this happening, the main one is the pressure put on Alysa at such a young age to be the saving grace of American figure skating.

I know you're wondering, has the media learned and changed?

And as an answer, I will point you in the direction of 18 year old Ilia Malinin, who media has dubbed "heaven-sent for US figure skating", or even tell you to keep an eye on 15 year old Isabeau Levito, "America's new hope".

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

The group of 8 Youth Emirates Team New Zealand hopefuls undertook a busy four day schedule embarking on a steep learning curve encompassing the technical systems and software required to sail the AC40 as well as race training and simulation on the Emirates Team New Zealand simulator.

The 8 trialling sailors at the base are an impressive line-up of world and national champions across a number of different classes.

Annabelle Rennie-Younger        Current 470 & ILCA 6 National Champion

Serena Woodall                        RNZYZ Match race youth program / 2023 69F campaign

Jacob Pye                                 2023 Moth National Champion              

Joshua Armit                             Gold medal at the 2018 Youth Worlds in Laser class

Leo Takahashi                           49er Olympics 2020 Tokyo Olympics- 11th

Oscar Gunn                               2022 49er National Champion 

Sam Robert Thomas Street        2022 International WASZP Games Champion

Seb Menzies                             420 World Champion / 2022 Moth National Champion

Leading the trials and selection process is  Emirates Team New Zealand’s Josh Junior now in his 3rd America’s Cup campaign, having joined in 2016 as a young Olympic class sailor.

“I was lucky enough to join the team as a young sailor, similar to these guys, so I know what an amazing opportunity it is for these guys and girls, but also how daunting it can be. So we are throwing them in the deep end a bit, but that is all part of the challenge.” Said Junior.

Elise Beavis, also helping with the selection process explains what the week has been about.

“We've got our group of shortlisted sailors and they're running through a whole lot of different activities, such as sailing on the game, learning to use some of our in-house tools and their progression through the week has been incredible.”

The week wasn’t just about the individual, but assessing personalities and how they work collectively and the vitally important team environment

“They’ve got to be in sync with each other. They need to communicate well, I think those are big areas where they’re learning heaps.” said Elise Beavis.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Rachel Cooke

Published: Feb 19. 2023

Hannah Barnes’s book about the rise and calamitous fall of the Gender Identity Development Service for children (Gids), a nationally commissioned unit at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in north London, is the result of intensive work, carried out across several years. A journalist at the BBC’s Newsnight, Barnes has based her account on more than 100 hours of interviews with Gids’ clinicians, former patients, and other experts, many of whom are quoted by name. It comes with 59 pages of notes, plentiful well-scrutinised statistics, and it is scrupulous and fair-minded. Several of her interviewees say they are happy either with the treatment they received at Gids, or with its practices – and she, in turn, is content to let them speak.

Such a book cannot easily be dismissed. To do so, a person would not only have to be wilfully ignorant, they would also – to use the popular language of the day – need to be appallingly unkind. This is the story of the hurt caused to potentially hundreds of children since 2011, and perhaps before that. To shrug in the face of that story – to refuse to listen to the young transgender people whose treatment caused, among other things, severe depression, sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis and stunted growth, and whose many other problems were simply ignored – requires a callousness that would be far beyond my imagination were it not for the fact that, thanks to social media, I already know such stony-heartedness to be out there.

Gids, which opened in 1989, was established to provide talking therapies to young people who were questioning their gender identity (the Tavistock, under the aegis of which it operated from 1994, is a mental health trust). But the trigger for Barnes’s interest in the unit has its beginnings in 2005, when concerns were first raised by staff over the growing number of patient referrals to endocrinologists who would prescribe hormone blockers designed to delay puberty. Such medication was recommended only in the case of children aged 16 or over. By 2011, however, Barnes contends, it appeared to be the clinic’s raison d’etre. In that year, a child of 12 was on blockers. By 2016, a 10-year-old was taking them.

Clinicians at Gids insisted the effects of these drugs were reversible; that taking them would reduce the distress experienced by gender dysphoric children; and that there was no causality between starting hormone blockers and going on to take cross-sex hormones (the latter are taken by adults who want fully to transition). Unfortunately, none of these things were true. Such drugs do have severe side effects, and while the causality between blockers and cross-sex hormones cannot be proven – all the studies into them have been designed without a control group – 98% of children who take the first go on to take the latter. Most seriously of all, as Gids’ own research suggested, they do not appear to lead to any improvement in children’s psychological wellbeing.

So why did they continue to be prescribed? As referrals to Gids grew rapidly – in 2009, it had 97; by 2020, this figure was 2,500 – so did pressure on the service. Barnes found that the clinic – which employed an unusually high number of junior staff, to whom it offered no real training – no longer had much time for the psychological work (the talking therapies) of old. But something else was happening, too. Trans charities such as Mermaids were closely – too closely – involved with Gids. Such organisations vociferously encouraged the swift prescription of drugs. This now began to happen, on occasion, after only two consultations. Once a child was on blockers, they were rarely offered follow-up appointments. Gids did not keep in touch with its patients in the long term, or keep reliable data on outcomes.

A lot of this is already known, thanks largely to a number of whistleblowers. Last February, the paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass, commissioned by the NHS, issued a highly critical interim report into the service; in July, it was announced that Gids would close in 2023. But a lot of what Barnes tells us in Time to Think is far more disturbing than anything I’ve read before. Again and again, we watch as a child’s background, however disordered, and her mental health, however fragile, are ignored by teams now interested only in gender.

The statistics are horrifying. Less than 2% of children in the UK have an autism spectrum disorder; at Gids, more than a third of referrals presented with autistic traits. Clinicians also saw high numbers of children who had been sexually abused. But for the reader, it is the stories that Barnes recounts of individuals that speak loudest. The mother of one boy whose OCD was so severe he would leave his bedroom only to shower (he did this five times a day) suspected that his notions about gender had little to do with his distress. However, from the moment he was referred to the Tavistock, he was treated as if he were female and promised an endocrinology appointment. Her son, having finally rejected the treatment he was offered by Gids, now lives as a gay man.

As Barnes makes perfectly clear, this isn’t a culture war story. This is a medical scandal, the full consequences of which may only be understood in many years’ time. Among her interviewees is Dr Paul Moran, a consultant psychiatrist who now works in Ireland. A long career in gender medicine has taught Moran that, for some adults, transition can be a “fantastic thing”. Yet in 2019, he called for Gids’ assessments of Irish children (the country does not have its own clinic for young people) to be immediately terminated, so convinced was he that its processes were “unsafe”. The be-kind brigade might also like to consider the role money played in the rise of Gids. By 2020-21, the clinic accounted for a quarter of the trust’s income.

But this isn’t to say that ideology wasn’t also in the air. Another of Barnes’s interviewees is Dr Kirsty Entwistle, an experienced clinical psychologist. When she got a job at Gids’ Leeds outpost, she told her new colleagues she didn’t have a gender identity. “I’m just female,” she said. This, she was informed, was transphobic. Barnes is rightly reluctant to ascribe the Gids culture primarily to ideology, but nevertheless, many of the clinicians she interviewed used the same word to describe it: mad.

And who can blame them? After more than 370 pages, I began to feel half mad myself. At times, the world Barnes describes, with its genitalia fashioned from colons and its fierce culture of omertà, feels like some dystopian novel. But it isn’t, of course. It really happened, and she has worked bravely and unstintingly to expose it. This is what journalism is for.

==

When even the Guardian stops pretending it isn't real.

[figureskatingcostumes]

Kate Finster and Balazs Nagy's free program costumes at the 2020 US Championships (Junior) and 2019 Junior Grand Prix Lake Placid. They skated to To Build A Home by The Cinematic Orchestra and Rain, In Your Black Eyes by Ezio Bosso.

(Sources: Skates U.S. and David W. Carmichael)

[aus-wnt]

https://www.codesports.com.au/football/matildas/matildas-star-caitlin-foord-and-newcastle-knights-recruit-jackson-hastings-share-enduring-bond-after-brady-bunch-meeting/news-story/154e1fc632552b2289813e227db527fc

Could you please send this

Matildas star Caitlin Foord and Newcastle Knights recruit Jackson Hastings share enduring bond after “Brady Bunch” meeting

Jackson Hastings isn’t afraid to admit it. Caitlin Foord, a central member of the Matildas’ golden generation, is not to be messed with.

“We used to always go play beach footy one-on-one and Caitlin was always faster than me,” Hastings recalls. “More talented, too. She was as tough as anything.”

Foord and Hastings grew up together in Warilla, a working class beachside hamlet 90 minutes south of Sydney. Both showed immense talent early: Foord with a football, Hastings with a footy. Occasionally, the two would cross over.

“When we used to play footy together I used to beat him pretty easily,” Foord says. “I remind him of that pretty frequently. You can follow that up with him but he’s lying if he says otherwise.” No arguments from Hastings.

“She used to make me cry a few times,” he responds. “I’m surprised she didn’t chuck that in there!”

Hastings and Foord have been friends for over 20 years thanks to a short-term Brady Bunch situation.

Jackson’s dad Kevin dated Caitlin’s mum Simone for a while. While Kevin and Simone ultimately went their separate ways, Jackson and Caitlin, plus Foord’s older sister Jamie, stayed close, hanging out at school and in their spare time together.

“Jamie and Caitlin were like the two older sisters I never had,” Hastings says. “The friendship is a lot deeper than going to school together, which I’m really grateful for.

“If [Caitlin] wanted to play rugby league and didn’t go down the path of playing football, and NRLW had come around sooner, no doubt in my mind she would have brained it. She’s tough, fast, skilful, athletic and mentally strong, too.”

Those traits have not been wasted. Foord has blazed a path from Warilla to Wembley.

When Foord was eight, longtime junior coach Mick Southwell invited the youngster along to a training program with other talented girls.

“Everything I’d heard about her, playing against boys, running rings around them, very athletic and mobile, was there,” Southwell recalls.

“And when she got out there with us, she just wanted to learn. That’s what stood out. Light on her feet, prepared to try things and run at players. Knock the ball past them and run.

“Rugby League would have helped develop that.” Football benefited.

A mere eight years after Southwell first saw her, Foord, just 16, skipped school for a month to play in the 2011 World Cup. She was named the best young player at the tournament.

Foord remains the only Australian player, male or female, to win a major award at a FIFA World Cup.

Hastings still marvels at Foord’s commitment to her craft in her formative years: a two-hour drive up the highway to Sydney every afternoon for elite training, followed by a drive home late at night. Bus to school. Repeat.

Foord credits the influence of Hastings, then a rising star in the rugby league ranks, for helping to hone her steely resolve.

“I think being able to work towards the same goals made us super focused,” Foord says. “And wanting to succeed meant we were determined in the same way.”

Hastings is like a proud little brother.

“I’ve seen her play for Warilla, Shellharbour, local teams,” Hastings says.

“Now she’s a superstar. “It’s incredible to see how far she’s gone in the sport.”

Foord has further to go. She has returned to Australia for this week’s Cup of Nations games against Czech Republic, Spain and Jamaica in dynamic form. A much-needed break last June has done wonders after an 18 month period which left Foord, and a number of other first-choice Matildas, on the verge of burning out.

Covid-19 wiped away most fixtures in 2020 but, after international football resumed in April the following year, the Matildas played 22 games, including the Olympics and Asian Cup.

In addition to increasing club commitments, like Foord has at Arsenal, the top players were fried and were granted leave for games last June against Spain and Portugal.

In the short-term, the move backfired. The Matildas were battered 7-1 by Spain and manager Tony Gustavsson’s future was once again called into question.

The decision, though, could prove to be a long-term masterstroke. Foord, in particular, has hit peak form for Arsenal and scored five goals in three games for the Matildas late last year.

“I think my goal scoring is a confidence thing,” Foord says. “I’m a confidence player. When I feel good, that reflects well on the field.” More importantly, the fearless and free version of Foord, first noticed as an eight-year-old in Wollongong, is back, terrorising defenders with her customary direct running.

Foord started this season outside Arsenal’s first XI, but forced her way in. And with key injuries to Gunners stars Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, she has stepped up with seven goals, plus involvement in countless others, in all competitions.

“I’ve always wanted to carry over to the national team what I can do at club,” Foord says. “That’s been my focus, when I come in, to be able to bring the same standard and level to each game and it will be the same this year as well.“

Hastings, now with the Newcastle Knights, will get to witness this first hand next week when the Matildas play Jamaica at his home-ground, McDonald Jones Stadium.

It will provide further confirmation of what he knew 20 years ago. “It’s awesome to see what she’s done for the women’s game,” Hastings says, before adding something more valuable about their relationship. “And she knows if I ever needed anything, I’d be there. And I know that would be vice versa.”

[i-hoon]

I love sunghoon sm

Stage Name: Sunghoon (성훈)

Birth Name: Park Sung-hoon (박성훈)

Position: Vocalist*, Dancer*, Visual*

Birthday: December 8, 2002

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Chinese Zodiac Sign: Horse

Height: 181 cm (5’11”)

Weight: N/A

Blood Type: O

MBTI Type: ISTJ

Nationality: Korean

Solo Fandom Name: Penguins

Sunghoon Facts:

— He was born in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea.

— He also lived in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do; in Eunpyeong district of Seoul; in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do; and in Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do.

— He has a younger sister, Park Yeji (5 years younger).

— He has a dog named Gaeul (Autumn in English) and was born on July 8th, 2017.

— Education: Pangok High School

— Nicknames: Ice Prince (chosen by himself), Figure Skate Prince, ENHYPEN’s Handsome Member

— He, Heeseung, Jay and Jungwon were trainees under Big Hit Entertainment.

— He trained for two years and one month before taking part in I-LAND.

— He ranked in sixth place in the final of I-LAND (1,088,413 votes).

— He and Jay performed together NCT U‘s The 7th Sense in the first episode of I-LAND.

— Jungwon thought he’s someone who doesn’t smile when they first met.

— He was chosen as the top visual and the first participant someone would introduce to their younger sister.

— He used to be a competitive ice skater.

– Sunghoon started figure skating at 9 and was a figure skater for 10 years.

— He won two silver medals in national ice skating competitions and represented South Korea in several international competitions.

— He also won the 2015 Asian Open Trophy and Lombardia Trophy as a novice skater.

— He debuted as a junior skater in the 2016-17 season. That time, he won a silver medal in the Men’s Junior Division at the 2016 Asian Open Trophy.

— His most notable charming point is his dimple.

— Other charming points of his are his face, his eye smile and his nose.

— He’s good at contemporary dance.

— Apart from skating, he has great facial expression skills.

— His favorite color is white.

— His favorite season is autumn.

— His favorite ice-cream flavor is coffee.

— He usually listens to hip hop when he’s in a good mood.

— He loves figure skating and clothes the most, but also likes shoes, coffee and the other members.

— He doesn’t like mint chocolate, hats, ghosts and bugs.

— He thinks he’s the most handsome member.

– He said he looks like a rabbit and has a similar character to a penguin.

— He’d like to perform in a concert after his debut.

— He hopes he’ll be able to have a successful debut and win a prize by the end of 2020.

— If he had to eat only one thing for the rest of his life, he’d pick samgyeopsal.

— If he had to choose three words to describe himself, he’d pick “The Little Prince”, “ice” and “luxury”.

— He suffered from a severe form of amblyopia (lazy eye) when he was young.

– He was an MC on Music Bank alongside IVE‘s Wonyoung, and had his last broadcast on September 2, 2022.

— His motto: “Just do it.”

— His ideal type: Red Velvet‘s Irene

— He shares a birthday with Gray, TOO‘s Chan, Ladies’ Code‘s Zuny and Eyedi among others.

[gogogogolev]

Men’s FS results and Stephen’s protocol from 2023 World Team Trophy. He finished in 11th place with a score of 125.17, picking up 2 points for Team Canada who finished 6th overall with a total of 68 points. They pick up prize money totalling $130000 (with a cut taken by the federation).

Stephen’s total score, if that were a thing for this event, would have him under 200 points, a total of 174.95. He has only been under 200 internationally twice before (2018 JPG Canada and 2020 Junior Worlds where he broke his boot). There were his lowest scores of the season, his lowest since he left novice. These were some unbelievably low scores.

Something is seriously going wrong and Stephen needs to resolve this slump he’s in. I want him to take an analytical approach if that helps him deal with things better. Break the situation down into parts and see what is not working, how it can be resolved, the timeline of resolution, and checks to see if goals are being met. He needs to give himself some time to troubleshoot as well. This season’s approach of just doing the same thing over and over and hoping something changes for the better is obviously not working. I.e. It was disappointing to see him going back to a two quad short program layout when he knows he is not hitting those quads. He needs to be honest with himself so he can have reasonable skates.

There were good things about this free skate as well. He managed to land each of a 4T, 4S, and a beautiful 3A. His levelled elements were all level 3 and up. He made a gutsy move to attempt a sequence off of the 3F. I cannot recall seeing that kind of a sequence from him previously. He also tacked on the 2T to the 3Lo, but he was still short a combo. His PCS were in the gutter. :/

Thanks to the Canadian team for their support. They were all so kind to him. Someone even patted his shoulder after the FS. He was able to smile in spite of his performances thanks to them.

What’s next?

-GP assignments: supposed to be in late June but will potentially be delayed by the possible return of banned athletes -A summer event: Stephen needs to do a full event in the summer. Ideally he would come to Canada early and skate here as Kaetlyn Osmond or Keegan would do, but he favours Glacier Falls Summer Classic which is July 27-30. -A Challenger Series event - ACI, Nebelhorn Trophy, Nepela Memorial, and Finlandia are events before the GP where Canadian skaters get assigned. He should really be doing two since he is clearly in need of mileage but he has to start with one. ACI is likely to be yet another skate off. -Canada is hosting Worlds next season, and we have two spots for men. If he can get it together maybe he can claim a spot.

I want Stephen to know that while his fans are clamouring for a coaching change we still very much believe in him. If we didn’t we wouldn’t care how well or poorly he does. I will choose to remember him as I last saw him - brilliantly skating his FS in Oshawa at Nationals. That is the real Stephen Gogolev, and the one I hope to see again next season and for many years afterwards. I believe he can overcome whatever it is that is holding him back and he will reemerge as a top skater once more. So don’t give up. Show us the fight you’ve got.

Thank you for hanging in there this season Stephen. I wish you the best for the off season.

[whalien52hzero]

BASICS

FULL NAME: NIRAN SRISUWAN [ นิรันดร์  ศรีสุวรรณ ]

» MEANING: Niran [ นิรันดร์ (Thai)  Means "forever, eternal." ]; Srisuwan [ศรี (sĕe) meaning “glory, majesty, splendour” combined with สุวรรณ (sù-wan) meaning “gold, golden.”]

OTHER NAME(S):  The Inuits called him ‘Kitsanik’, it means ‘sadness’ in their language. He was also sometimes called ‘Aput’ because of his brighter color than other Baleen whales they’ve observed. 

VERSE: The Meaning of Forever; Serendipity.

NICKNAME(S): Zero.

AGE: 203 years old before reincarnation; human form is 26-years old.

DATE OF BIRTH: 8th November 1997, Saturday, early morning.

PLACE OF RE-BIRTH: Bangkok, Thailand.

OCCUPATION: Works part-time at a 7/11 at night for fun; employed at Amarin Media Group as part of the Production Department.

RELIGION: Buddhist.

ORIENTATION: Bisexual, Biromantic.

GENDER: Cisgender male.

STRENGTHS: Extra-ordinary ability in the water.

WEAKNESSES: He has human’s weaknesses; he can get sick and injured. 

PERSONALITY

STRENGTHS: Resourceful, Powerful, Brave, Passionate, Loyal.

WEAKNESSES: Obsessive, Jealous, Violent, Manipulative, Distrusting.

APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Net Siraphop Manithikhun.

HEIGHT: 5'10 ft. [179 cm.]

WEIGHT: 154 lbs. [79 kg.]

BUILD: Lean, muscular.

GAIT: TBA.

HAIR COLOR: Black.

EYE COLOR: Brown.

BIRTHMARK: TBA.

OVERVIEW:

» SCARS: Small scars from minor accidents when he’s growing up. 

» TATTOOS: Yes. Tribal tattoos on his arms of a whale.

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Bangkok, Thailand.

RESIDENCE: Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Thailand.

NATIONALITY: Thai.

ETHNICITY: Asian.

FINANCIAL STATUS: Upper-class.

EDUCATION LEVEL: Zero graduated from the Department of Motion Pictures and Still Photography under the Faculty of Communication Arts in Chulalongkorn University.

DEGREES: He graduated in 2020. 

HOBBIES: Traveling, watching movies, taking pictures, aquariums, swimming. 

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: Zero is mute but he learned to speak through therapy when he was little. His first language is Thai. He knows English since he was little because of his parents who are educators and professionals who practice and use the language. Zero picked some Mandarin, Filipino, Korean, and Japanese while attending Chulalongkorn University. 

RELATIONSHIPS

PARENTS: Nisa [mother]; Pongsakorn [father]

SIBLINGS: Natthawut, Napha, older brothers, 29 and 26 years old. 

CHILDREN: He has no children.

PETS: A male calico cat named Goblin. 

SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS: » TBA.

FAMILY HISTORY: Zero is the youngest of three children. He was born in a supportive family and each member is talented in their own way. Zero had a happy childhood for the most part; being the youngest he was protected and spoiled but also taught to be compassionate and humble but sometimes, he does get a bit stubborn. Zero has two older brothers, Saam [three in Thai] and Sky [nickname is literal translation of the name] and they got along growing up. They were very popular in high school and also in their university. Everyone in Zero’s father’s family side went to the same high school and university and had always held a place and popularity in these establishments. Zero, along with cousins, were one of the youngest in their family that attended the uni and reaped the benefits of carrying their last name. Zero exceled academically and also in sports. Many of his juniors looked up to him and although he realized that it was an honor to be in such position as he did, he felt that the attention and popularity was also due to his inability to speak. Did they pity him? He had many friends but often time, he preferred being along and spent his weekends doing his own thing instead of hanging out like other people his age. Zero had been gripped by a deep loneliness that he believed is beyond the many concerns that he currently possess... Since he graduated, Zero has been working at Amarin Media Group in the company's production department, working on ads/commercials for big brands in Thailand and other neighboring countries. Despite not being able to speak, Zero is a good communicator and was able to prove that he can handl whatever job was given to him. He worked his way up as one of the youngest directors/producers in their department. Although many employees in the company, most of them jealous of what Zero was able to accomplished at a very young age, would say that he got the position and popularity because of his name.

BEFORE HIS REBIRTH: Zero was also known as Kitsanik and sometimes Aput by the Inuits who observed him as he roamed the ocean searching for potential friends and partner. But his inability to communicate with other whales of his kind prevented him to create his own pack, causing him to live alone own his own as no whale ever heard his call out to them. 

ROMANTIC HISTORY: Zero had been linked to various people but he never had a serious relationship. He felt many people who wanted to date him only liked him because of his popularity or they show interest in him because they pity him.

PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS: Zero became good friends with the company's founders. 

THOUGHTS ON LOVE: "There’s someone out there for me.”

HEALTH

PHOBIA(S): Being alone and yet, he also prefers being alone.

HANDICAP(S): None.

MENTAL DISEASE(S): Depression.

PHYSICAL DISEASE(S): None.

PREDISPOSITION(S): Alcoholism.