#Allure September 2020

[yourdailymag]

Seulgi (Red Velvet) in Converse for Allure September 2020

[rabbitcruiser]

National Women's Health and Fitness Day 

National Women's Health and Fitness Day focuses on the importance of regular physical activity and health awareness for women, and is the largest annual event of its kind in the country—with 500 local groups and 50,000 to 75,000 women participating each year. Events are held "at senior centers, hospitals, health clubs, park and recreation districts, local health and service organizations, schools, retirement communities, houses of worship, and other community locations." Activities such as walking events, health screenings and workshops, and exercise demonstrations take place. It is a "sister" event to National Senior Health and Fitness Day, which takes place each May, and it takes place during National Women's Health and Fitness Week.

How to Observe

Celebrate the day by searching for an event happening in your area and participating in it. If you would like to host an event, you can register here. If there are no events in your area, you can focus on things dealing with health and fitness on your own, or with friends. Here are a few ideas:

try a sport you haven't played before

workout with a friend

walk or ride your bike somewhere instead of using a vehicle

try out a healthy food you've never eaten, or a new healthy recipe

schedule a checkup with your doctor

set health and fitness goals for yourself

make sure you have been drinking enough fluids

get a massage

take a nap

Source

[randomfoggytiger]

CHRIS CARTER'S MISCOMMUNICATION: "Platonic", "Cerebral and Sexy", and the Romantic Dynamic of The X-Files

(Credit to: Melissa Walker)

**Disclaimer**: This writeup won't focus on character flaws, only on delving a little bit deeper to understand a perspective.

In this post, I explore Chris Carter's "cerebral" use of the word "platonic", and parcel out his MSR opinions during the first six seasons of The X-Files.

PART I: WILL-THEY-WON'T-THEY OR PLATONIC?

In August 1993, Chris Carter conducted his first promotional interview of The X-Files. Amongst other inspirations for the show, he drew namely from The Avengers's John Steed and Emma Peel as the cornerstones of the "Fox and Dana" partnership. “David and Gillian are very bright,” Carter said. “They truly are the characters. Their relationship is cerebral and subtly sexy. Fox and Dana remind me of John Steed and Emma Peel in ‘The Avengers.’”

To a generation who grew up watching one of the (then) most widely known will-they-won't-they in television, that comparison signaled allure, attraction, and simmering sexual tension. As @observeroftheuniverse's post here highlights, The Avengers often blatantly played with the romantic pull between Mr. Steed and Mrs. Peel. This article particularly articulates how freely the writers and actors discussed the indisputable fact of "something" going on between them: Peel’s verbal interactions with Steed range from witty banter to thinly disguised innuendo. Regarding the constant question of whether they had a sexual relationship at any time, Patrick Macnee [Steed's actor] thought the characters went to bed on a very regular basis (just not in view of the camera). However, Rigg [Peel's actress] thought they were most likely engaging in an enjoyable extended flirtation that ultimately went nowhere. Writer/producer Brian Clemens said he wrote them with the idea that they had an affair before Emma’s first appearance in the series,[6] and they certainly appear to already know each other very well when Emma is first introduced. And my own post here draws descriptions and quotes straight from each characters' Wikipedia page (and notes the similarities between Scully and Peel.)

However, after years of mixed responses, one clever reporter was able to get a clearer answer out of Carter in 1997:

RS: I’ve always wondered if you watched a show called “The Avengers.”

CC: Sure. Loved it. Mulder and Scully come from those characters, Emma Peel and what’s-his-name — Patrick MacNee. He was older than she was, so it was a sort of May-September, whatever you call it, relationship. It lacked sexual tension because of that quality. But I loved that sort of platonic thing.

And now you must be wondering: how? How did he not notice Steed and Peel's dynamic while remaining a big fan of the show, especially when he described their dynamic as "cerebral and sexy"?

Chris Carter, I posit, uses "platonic" when he means to say "sexual tension without decisive follow-through."

A bold claim. I'll prove it, too.

PART II: PLATONIC DOESN'T MEAN WHAT WE THINK IT MEANS

For the longest time, I assumed this double speak of Carter's was a form of outright lying. Don't get me wrong, he has and will lie when ego becomes involved, or when he wants to bait the "mystery" longer but can't think up a cleverer sleight of hand in the moment. But the truth, from the 1990s to the 2020s, is much simpler: he is telling the truth when he refers to Mulder and Scully as platonic.

Because "platonic", to Chris Carter, means "intellectually driven, sexually interested, non-sexually equal" all rolled into one. And, since he can't find a word that means "sexual without involving sex", he settles for one that strays from making a definitive either way.

In his interviews from 1993 to 1997 (which I explore in Part IV, see below~), he insisted that Mulder and Scully were friends, yet also stipulated they wouldn't end up together "on-screen"; and when comparing them to other sexually-charged partnerships, he repeatedly underscored his preferences for relationships that weren't "overtly sexual."

The nail in the coffin was a 1995 interview for Season 3--

AD: When you first explained Scully and Mulder to FOX, was it a point of sale that this was going to be purely working relationship, no love interest.

CC: I wanted it to be that way from the get-go, although I did want there to be sort of an underlying tension between the two of them because my feeling is when you put two smart people, a man and a woman, in a room, I don’t care whether or not they’re passionate about their life and their work, you’re going to get sexual tension out of that naturally.

AD: Yeah, the sort of Harry-met-Sally-with-brains-scenario.

--and its follow-up in January 1996--

Interviewer: How important is the sexual tension between the characters?

CC: I never wanted them to jump in the sack together because it was uninteresting to me. To me, the most sexual relationships are often the ones that are never realized, consummated or even spoken about. So I wanted this to be two smart people who work together, who happen to get along very well. Through their shared passion in their work, there is a natural chemical sexual tension that comes out of that, that doesn’t ever have to be spoken about, but it works.

Well then, why the double-speak and general lack of clarity?

Chris Carter often claimed he quite literally trusted no one, a self-protective measure that sprung from two alcoholic parents. One was sometimes-abusive, the other "ditzy" and detrimentally loose-lipped; and together, they always held rank, never backing down or apologizing for their wrongs. Humor and obfuscation, then, became his primary tool-- one minute he'd proclaim, “We can’t prove that it [abductions or paranormal activity] happened, but we can’t prove it didn’t”, and the next he'd seriously aver, "I’m a natural skeptic...."

The key to the truth lies in the repeatability of his claims: his oft-voiced skepticism in the paranormal far outweighed his infrequent, one-off jokes.

PART III: WHAT CC MEANS WHEN HE SAYS "PLATONIC"

The most telling piece of information-- the dirt on top of the coffin, if you will-- was a surprisingly open interview promoting Millennium.

Chris Carter's sincerest answer to the question of the "platonic" dichotomy was also his most vulnerable; and, upon realizing this blunder, he swiftly abandoned reflection and escaped through the realms of exaggeration-- a sign that his clarity was mixed with a little too much vulnerability.

February 20, 1997:

Interviewer: In both shows, I noticed, the male-female relationship is central and idealized. In “The X-Files,” it’s platonic. In “Millennium,” there’s a sort of idealized marriage between Frank Black and his wife.

CC: My feeling is that the most powerful relationships you have in life are … not sexual. You haven’t seen Lance Henriksen and Megan Gallagher in a sexual situation on Millennium. Between them, love is understood. Love is gesture and feeling and trust, and all those things, and it’s not necessarily a physical thing.

Interviewer: And the relationship between Scully and Mulder?

CC: It’s also like my kind of idealized romantic relationship. It’s two smart people in a room, arguing something when each one has a valid point of view. It’s like good dinner-party conversation. It’s what makes me feel alive — and good about myself. And I think there’s too little of it in most of our lives and particularly in romantic situations.

Here, the interviewer turned his questions from philosophy to possibility, leading Carter to quickly disengage and strike up hyperbole:

Interviewer: You were talking a second ago about gesture, and how Gallagher and Henriksen don’t really hug and kiss. What would happen if Scully and Mulder were to hug and kiss?

CC: They have hugged. They’ve never kissed. They could kiss if it was the right time for it. They could never give big French kisses. People say, “Will Mulder and Scully ever go to bed?” And I say, “You really don’t want them to.” Because the minute they do, then, basically, when they’re in that motel on their assignment, you know, investigating the appearance of extraterrestrial life somewhere, and they decide they’re finally going to get it on, they’re going to lie there sort of googly eyed in the morning, and those aliens are just going to be running amok. They will become more interested in themselves than in the things that they need to be doing.

He wasn't entirely wrong, either: their partnership and relationship would require-- in 1997, at least-- a lot of communication to get anywhere close to romantically stable. Fight the Future's "But you saved me" hadn't been uttered canonically; and neither character had the downtime of Season 6 yet to sort through and shift their priorities. As easy as it would be to slough off his exaggeration as another example of how little he understood the characters, Chris Carter's statement-- in truth-- pointed to how well he knew their dynamic.

Still, there remained a grain of truth to Chris's drama. He viewed (views) Mulder and Scully as two characters whose sexual attraction served to aid their quest, not detract from it; and feared that anything overtly sexual or "changed" between them would inevitably distract them from saving the world.

A challenging dynamic to understand until I realized it was one he shared it with his wife, Dori.

February 13, 1996:

But the demands of his work wear on his private life. “This is the first time Chris has seen me vertical in a few weeks,” said his wife, Dori, an elegant former screenwriter who flew up from Los Angeles to squeeze in a little private time with her husband.

August 2, 1998:

I work until at least 9.30 and I always work weekends. My wife’s staying in Santa Barbara is nothing to do with any kind of marital break-up. We’ve been together 16 years. It’s more that she’d rather be there and not see me than here and not see me. We speak all the time and its actually very romantic: I’d suggest it to anybody as a way of creating connection and desire.

She would like it if I were home more often, but she knows that I tend to feel a little obsessive and understands that I would probably be miserable if I had to live my life any differently right now. I’m not a workaholic, but when something hits and it’s good, you have to obey its demands.

For Chris Carter, obsessive focus-- as confirmed and reiterated by everyone in his life during The X-Files's run-- was lived without distraction.

During another 1997 interview, he doubled down (humorously, then solemnly) on the pathos of Mulder and Scully's situation.

1997:

Question from Dublin, OH (Sunil Karve): Hi Chris. On that terrible day when the series comes to an end, are you planning on having Mulder and Scully finally get to the “truth” (and more importantly, be able to prove it?)

Carter: They’ll be too busy jumping each others’ bones.

Question from Los Angeles, CA (meredith): Recently you likened M & S’s relationship to the one in the movie “Remains of the Day”. For those of us who didn’t see that movie, what did you mean? Thanks.

Carter: I just meant, I thought it was more powerful that those two characters didn’t get together....

Question from North Syracuse, NY (Ellis): Will a romantic relationship develop between Mulder and Scully?

Carter: No romance.

PEOPLE: Ah the QUESTION…Why not?

Carter: More alien stuff is coming soon.

And yet, he took care to hint (blatantly at times) that Mulder and Scully would end up together after the nebulous, victorious conclusion. Not only as a possibility-- an inevitability.

PART IV: DESCRIBING MSR THROUGH CARTER'S EYES

Carter's descriptions of Mulder and Scully's partnership through the years didn't change... in substance, at least. His answers shifted depending on his devilish mood; but the underpinnings remained the same, all pointing to a similar, looming conclusion.

To illustrate this point, I've included as many statements as possible, barring repetition, dating from 1993 to 1997.

WRITING AND CASTING THE PILOT

"The Truth About Season One", post The Truth:

"It was very easy to cut Ethan out because he just slowed down the scenes where you would see Mulder and Scully together, which is where all the heat really was."

September 23, 1994:

I loved both David and Gillian from the start. And, yes, I chose them from hundreds of other actors who auditioned. The chemistry between them is just pure luck.

February 20, 1997:

[On casting Gillian Anderson] "You knew the chemistry was there with Dave and Gillian. That’s something you pray for, because you can’t manufacture it."

June 14, 1998:

“At the original auditions, I saw dozens of people but the moment David and Gillian walked in the room, I knew I’d found my Mulder and Scully. It was as if the skins I’d created fit these two people like gloves.”

SEASON 1

August 18, 1993:

“David and Gillian are very bright,” Carter said. “They truly are the characters. Their relationship is cerebral and subtly sexy. Fox and Dana remind me of John Steed and Emma Peel in ‘The Avengers.’”

November 30, 1993:

The relationship between Mulder and Scully is particularly promising. So far, it’s a low-voltage attraction. If it gets stronger, it won’t be because that’s the standard TV formula.

“It’s a relationship I’m not seeing on television,” says Carter. “It’s based on mutual respect, not something overtly sexual.”

SEASON 2

September 23, 1994:

LANGER: Chris, You brought back Tooms. Are there any plans to bring back the Eves or that guy who starts fires?

CARTER: Again, anything can happen. Except that Mulder and Scully sex scene.

MOONFERRET: Chris, We all know that the Mulder / Scully thing isn’t going to happen. I’m curious though– why exactly are you so opposed to this? You and the rest of the crew are great storytellers- I’m sure you could pull it off exceptionally. Why so opposed? (Do you get the feeling I’m one of the few that would love for it to happen? Call me vicarious…)

CARTER: Oh, Moonferret. If I could only make your dreams come true.

October 28, 1994:

“I had decided sometime after learning that she was pregnant (last winter) to shoot around Gillian’s pregnancy,” Carter said....

Carter considered making Scully a single mother, but he resisted domesticating the show. “I have chosen not to make the show about the characters’ lives,” he said. “The show works best as two FBI agents investigating paranormal or unexplained phenomena, and that’s what drives the show. If the stories don’t drive the show, then we’re working backward.”

December 1994:

Another source of praise for the show has been the unique relationship shared by the two main characters. Though there is chemistry between Anderson and Duchovny, the writers and actors take pains to maintain a tender but nonsexual relationship.

...As far as the sexual tension between the two goes, everyone involved in the series seems to agree that a full-blown romance is out of the question.

December 1994:

How close will Scully and Mulder get to the final truth in the current season of X-Files? Carter’s answer is as nebulous as any of last season’s answers. ‘I don’t think there is a final truth,” he says with a laugh. “There are problem final truths. We’ll just keep pushing."

SEASON 3

1995:

AD: When you first explained Scully and Mulder to FOX, was it a point of sale that this was going to be purely working relationship, no love interest.

CC: I wanted it to be that way from the get-go, although I did want there to be sort of an underlying tension between the two of them because my feeling is when you put two smart people, a man and a woman, in a room, I don’t care whether or not they’re passionate about their life and their work, you’re going to get sexual tension out of that naturally.

AD: Yeah, the sort of Harry-met-Sally-with-brains-scenario.

1995:

Q. Did you always have in mind a two-person cast, male and female?

A. The Mulder-Scully idea was there from the start. And I wanted to flip the gender types, so that Mulder, the male, would be the believer, the intuitive one, and Scully the skeptic, which is the more traditional male role. It was also important that Scully be Mulder’s equal in rank, intelligence, and ability–because in real life the FBI is a boy’s club–and I didn’t want her to take a back seat.

October 1995:

**Note**: Carter teases a lot during this interview, but his last answer is serious enough.

Melissa: The chemistry between Mulder and Scully is great. Will their relationship ever develop into more than just being partners and friends?

Chris Carter: They’ll find out they’re actually third cousins, four times removed.

Naber: With Mulder getting a girl [a topical Season 3 rumor], will we be seeing Scully having more of a personal life or a date?

Chris Carter: Scully will join a nunnery when she learns that Mulder has strayed.

Mary Paster: Rumors about a girlfriend for Agent Mulder have a lot of fans worried that this will ruin the “sexual tension” between him and Agent Scully — can you tell us anything about it to calm our fears?

Chris Carter: ...About Mulder’s girlfriend… don’t worry, I won’t let anything “ruin” Mulder and Scully.

December 24, 1995:

Q: As you know, there has been a lot of speculation that Scully is Samantha. [Agent Mulder’s sister, Samantha, was abducted by aliens when she was a child and never seen again, causing Mulder to become obsessed with UFO’s. If she were alive, she would be the same age as his partner, Dana Scully.]

A: [Chuckles] People with too much time on their hands.

Q: Can you tell fans that is definitely not the case?

A: That is not the case.

Q: There’s also speculation that Scully is a lesbian and that’s why there have been only fleeting mentions of past romance for her. Is Scully gay?

A: That is not the case either. I hate to answer anything definitely. But Scully is heterosexual.

January 1996:

Interviewer: How close to your original vision is what we get?

CC: I have to say that it’s extremely close to what I imagined. Of course, when I was sitting and writing the pilot, I never imagined episode 73, which is where we’ll be this year. Anyone who creates a show, I don’t think, can look that far down the road. But I did, indeed, have an idea about how the Mulder and Scully relationship would progress. 

Interviewer: How important is the sexual tension between the characters?

CC: I never wanted them to jump in the sack together because it was uninteresting to me. To me, the most sexual relationships are often the ones that are never realized, consummated or even spoken about. So I wanted this to be two smart people who work together, who happen to get along very well. Through their shared passion in their work, there is a natural chemical sexual tension that comes out of that, that doesn’t ever have to be spoken about, but it works.

May 13, 1996:

Since the very first episode, the slow-burn chemistry between Mulder and Scully has had fans in a delicious torment, debating the pros and cons of a romantic/sexual relationship, analyzing the details of each gesture, each word spoken by the characters.

On this subject Chris Carter is adamant. In numerous interviews, he has stated that there will be a relationship between the two main characters “when hell freezes over,” as he recently said in USA Today.

May 16, 1996:

Interviewer: Do chat types want romance between Mulder and Scully?

CC: They do and they don’t. They want elements of it without them jumping into the sack. There are these “relationshippers” who kind of dominate the online chats. I’m a little dismayed because I don’t want to do a show about fuzzy warm Mulder and Scully. Never.

SEASON 4 - SEASON 5

1997:

Question from Dublin, OH (Sunil Karve): Hi Chris. On that terrible day when the series comes to an end, are you planning on having Mulder and Scully finally get to the “truth” (and more importantly, be able to prove it?)

Carter: They’ll be too busy jumping each others’ bones.

Question from North Syracuse, NY (Ellis): Will a romantic relationship develop between Mulder and Scully?

Carter: No romance.

PEOPLE: Ah the QUESTION…Why not?

Carter: More alien stuff is coming soon.

February 20, 1997:

Interviewer: If the show is ever in trouble, don’t you think Fox would push you to have a romance?

CC: Oh, sure.

Interviewer: And how strong do you think you’ll be when that call comes?

CC: As I say, I may not be here by then, so I don’t know. But I would resist it, as I think the characters would. Or the actors that play them. That’s what The X-Files movies are going to be for.

FIGHT THE FUTURE

March 14, 1998:

[John Shiban] "Chris Carter has said that Mulder and Scully, in a way, are having a romance. Even though it’s not a sexual romance, this is a relationship and it is complicated. And sometimes they are at odds, sometimes they don’t agree, sometimes they are concerned for each other, they are worried that one is going to endanger themselves, etc. Sometimes those things aren’t resolved and we like to leave it lie(?) because it makes them more real to us and more interesting people if they have that kind of long-term up and down that you go through in a relationship like this."

May 1998:

TVG: There has also been a lot of buzz in the press about a scene in which Mulder and Scully kiss. You’ve often said you wouldn’t play that card, that they will never really take their professional relationship to an intimate, romantic level.

CC: Nor should they. I’m not saying it would never happen, but I think the characters, if they’re being true to themselves, would be careful about finding themselves in that entanglement.

June 1998:

Y’know, like do Mulder and Scully kiss?

“I think it would ruin the show,” Carter says, then adds, “I think it would wreck the X-Files if they had a relationship.”

Anderson chuckles: “What? Before we spot an alien, what are we going to do? Smooch?”

Reports Duchovny: “There is way too much history to be developed for them to have a carnal meeting.”

Besides, says Duchovny, smirking, “America wouldn’t stand for it.”

SEASON 6

October 1998:

[Talking about FTF's almost-kiss]:

“I think it’s a natural expression of the love these two people obviously have for one another. And that was an expression of that love, it’s not necessarily a perfectly…” Carter drifts off for a moment, stumbling for the right words to describe his thoughts on the matter. “It’s not a sexual expression. That they almost kiss isn’t stepping over a line that I think that neither of them are quite prepared to step over. But it’s a quite believable one,” Carter insists. “That it doesn’t happen, that’s part of the fun.”

Although Carter says Mulder and Scully’s relationship will be dealt with in Season Six, he does stick firm to one of his former proclamations: “I don’t see Mulder and Scully getting in the sack.”

December 1998:

“They are VERY complex characters. We played with Mulder and Scully’s belief systems in the fifth season. They’re both unmarried. They’ve both lost parents, and they’ve both lost them in a tragic way. Mulder and Scully have a lot to learn about life, I think, and they’re things that people have to learn as they move through their 30s and on into their 40s,” CC observes. “So, I really do think we’ve got a lot more to learn about our characters and about the conspiracy. I don’t think we’ll run out of ideas anytime soon.”

CONCLUSION

I started this exercise as a way to understand Chris Carter's thinking. Seeing the early days of his vision-- poking around in the limitations of his verbiage, finding that a deeper relationship was always in the cards (even if kept back from the table)-- was informative and intriguing.

(What really interested me-- which I couldn't include here-- was the revelation that Gillian Anderson was of the same mind concerning Mulder and Scully's partnership. It was actually David Duchovny who later became curious to explore a more personal relationship between the two. Which explains The Unnatural, I'd bet.)

And that's where we leave off on this platonic miscommunication.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[sweetvpr]

SWEETVIPER is a seven-member South Korean girl group formed through the survival show SEARCHING FOR SWEETVIPER by WICKEDWAVE MEDIA. The group consists of seven members: KYLIE , SANGHEE, YUEQING, CHAEWON, ZOEY, DOHEE, and YUAE. They officially made their debuted on MAY 12, 2023 with their debut self titled album "SWEETVIPER" with the lead single “NOTHING BUT ICONS.” which showcases the group’s fierce determination and unique voice in the music industry.

GROUP NAME MEANING

Their name reflects their versatile concept, merging a gentle and alluring image (“Sweet”) with a strong and impactful presence (“Viper”)

GROUP INFORMATION

GROUP NAME – SWEETVIPER | 스윗바이퍼

MEMBERS – KYLIE, SANGHEE, YUEQING, CHAEWON, ZOEY, DOHEE, YUAE

SUBUNIT(S) – SWEETVIPER ZINGZANG | 스윗바이퍼 징짱

LABEL – WICKEDWAVE MEDIA

COLORS – #980001 (Pantone 207 C), #D0006F (Pantone 226 C), #8FE2B0 (Pantone 7456 C)

FANDOM — VIPERLINGS (바이퍼링스)

GREETING — “Sweet and fierce, we are SWEETVIPER!”

DEBUT DATE – MAY 12, 2017

DEBUT SONG — NOTHING BUT ICONS

DEBUT ALBUM — SWEETVIPER

MEMBERS

MOON 'KYLIE' SEOYOUNG (98) - LEADER, MAIN RAPPER, LEAD DANCER, VOCALIST

JEONG SANGHEE (98) - MAIN VOCALIST, LEAD RAPPER, VISUAL

FAN YUEQING (99) - MAIN VOCALIST, FACE OF THE GROUP

MIN CHAEWON (99) - MAIN DANCER, LEAD RAPPER, VOCALIST

KWAK 'ZOEY' JIWOO (00) - MAIN DANCER, LEAD RAPPER, VOCALIST

HAN DOHEE (00) - LEAD DANCER, LEAD RAPPER, VOCALIST, VISUAL

YU 'YUAE' SINAE (00) - LEAD DANCER, LEAD VOCALIST, RAPPER, FACE OF THE GROUP, MAKNAE

DISCOGRAPHY

SWEETVIPER (2023)

VENOMOUS (2024)

[prettyfuul]

Hunter Schafer wearing Iris Van Herpen 'Syntopia' headpiece from fall 2018 shot by Daniella Midenge for Allure september 2020

[lboogie1906]

Halima Aden (September 19, 1997) is a fashion model. She is noted for being the first woman to wear a hijab in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant, where she was a semi-finalist. She received national attention and was signed to IMG Models. She was the first model to wear a hijab and burkini in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

She signed a three-year contract with renewal with IMG Models. She made her debut at the New York Fashion Week for Yeezy Season 5. She served as a preliminary and telecast judge of the Miss USA 2017 pageant.

She has since walked for numerous designers. She has participated in the 2016 Milan Fashion Week and London Modest Fashion Week. She posed for American Eagle and British Glamour and has a CR Fashion Book cover.

She was the first hijab-wearing model to walk international runways and to be signed to a major agency. She became the first hijab-wearing model on the cover of Vogue Arabia, Allure, and British Vogue. She became a UNICEF ambassador. Her work is focused on children’s rights.

She stated that her appearance in Sports Illustrated sends a message to both her community and the world that “women of all different backgrounds, looks, upbringings...can stand together and be celebrated.” She became the first African Woman woman with hijab to be featured on the cover of Essence magazine, in 2020’s January/ February issue.

She collaborated with the modest clothing brand Modanisa to design her own turban and shawl collection called Halima x Modanisa.In an interview with Teen Vogue, she stated that her collection is for everyone, whether they wear the hijab or not. She released the collection at the Istanbul Modest Fashion Week on April 20, 2019.

She announced she had quit runway modeling as it compromised her religious beliefs, though since then she has indicated that she would do modeling work as long as she could set the conditions. She announced that she had planned to become the first Somali woman to compete at Miss Universe. She was named as one of the BBC’s 100 Women. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[reve-dream]

Books actor Hong Kyug has read

1. 村上春樹 「職業としての小説家」/Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami (2015)

[Nylon Korea March 2018 | Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

2. Livro do Desassossego/The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa (1982)

[2018.10.12 bluecages instagram post | 2021.10.26 naver fancafe post | Dazed Korea January 2022 | Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

3. Wenn die Haut zu dünn ist: Hochsensibilität – vom Manko zum Plus by Rolf Sellin (2011)

[2018.10.12 bluecages instagram post]

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

[2018.10.12 bluecages instagram post]

5. Henry V by William Shakespeare

[2018.10.12 bluecages instagram post]

6. 제11회 젊은작가상 수상작품집 : 강화길 <음복> "The 11th Young Writer Award Collection: Eumbok (Partaking of Sacrificial Food and Drink)" by Kang Hwa-gil (2020)

[매경Economy interview ② 2020 | Cine21 June 2020 1259th edition]

7. Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas (2018)

[Cine21 June 2020 1259th edition | bluecages Q&A instagram story | Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

8. Bieguni/Flights by Olga Tokarczuk (2007)

[매경Economy 2020 interview ②]

9. 村上春樹 「色彩を持たない多崎つくると、彼の巡礼の年」/Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami (2013)

[bluecages Q&A instagram story | Minumsa naver blog/Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람 | Dazed Korea January 2022]

10. The Shallows by Nicholas G. Carr (2010)

[bluecages Q&A instagram story]

11. 강화길, 서이제, 임솔아 <소설 보다 : 여름 2020> "See the Novel: Summer 2020" by Kang Hwa-gil, Seo I-je, Im Sol-ah

[bluecages Q&A instagram story | 2020.07.14 bluecages instagram post]

12. Agnès Varda: Interviews, Ed. T. Jefferson Kline (2014)

[bluecages Q&A instagram story]

13. 박은지 <여름 상설 공연>/"Summer Permanent Performance" by Park Eun-ji (2021)

[2021.11.03 bluecages instagram story]

14. 전하영, 김멜라, 김혜진, 박서련, 서이제, 한정현, 김지연 <2021 제12회 젊은작가상 수상작품집> "The 12th Young Writer Award Collection" by Jun Ha-young, Kim Mel-la, Kim Hye-jin, Park Seo-ryun, Seo I-je, Han Jung-hyun, Kim Ji-yeon (2021)

[bluecages instagram story]

15. 村上春樹 「女のいない男たち」/Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami (2014)

[2022.02.08, 2022.02.14 bluecages instagram story | Allure Korea March 2022 | Marie Claire Korea June 2022 | Minumsa naver blog/Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

16. 한강 <작별하지 않는다>/I Do Not Bid Farewell by Han Kang (2021)

[Marie Claire Korea June 2022 | 2022.09.19, 2022.10.01, 2022.10.03 bluecages instagram story, GQ Korea February 2024]

17. 김진영 <아침의 피아노> "The Morning Piano" by Kim Jin-young (2018)

[2022.05.30 bluecages instagram story | Marie Claire Korea June 2022]

18. 정보라 <저주토끼>/Cursed Bunny by Chung Bo-ra (2017)

[Marie Claire Korea June 2022 | Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

19. 최은영 <애쓰지 않아도> "Don’t Push Yourself" by Choi Eun-young (2022)

[bluecages instagram story]

20. 太宰治 「人間失格」/No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai (1948)

[Minumsa naver blog/Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

21. 장강명 <한국이 싫어서> "Because I Don't Like Korea" by Chang Kang-myoung (2015)

[Minumsa naver blog/Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

22. 松家仁之 「火山のふもとで」 "At the Foot of a Volcano" by Masashi Matsuie (2012)

[Minumsa naver blog/Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

23. 박준 <운다고 달라지는 일은 아무것도 없겠지만>/"Although Crying Would Not Change Anything" by Park Joon (2017)

[Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

24. 한강 <소년이 온다>/Human Acts by Han Kang (2014)

[Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

25. 한강 <채식주의자>/The Vegetarian by Han Kang (2007)

[Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

26. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)

[Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

27. 松家仁之 「光の犬」 "Dog of Light" by Masashi Matsuie (2017)

[Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

28. 유현준 <공간이 만든 공간> "Space Created Space" by Yoo Hyun-joon (2020)

[Littor 36th edition/읽는 사람]

29. 한강 <여수의 사랑>/Yeosu by Han Kang (1995)

[Cine21 LIST 2022/GQ Korea February 2024]

30. Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski (2020)

[2023.01.17 bluecages instagram post]

31. 읽는 사람-허윤선 인터뷰집/Reader: Interview Collection by Heo Yoon-sun (2023)

[2023.04.15 bluecages instagram story]

32. 한강 <내 여자의 열매>/Fruits of My Woman by Han Kang (2000)

[Elle Korea September 2023]

33. 한강 <검은 사슴>/Black Deer (1998)

[GQ Korea February 2024]

34. 한강 <흰>/ The White Book (2016)

[GQ Korea February 2024]

35. Haruki Murakami 「一人称単数」 / First Person Singular (2020)

[bluecages instastory]

36. Yoshifumi Nakamura 「住宅巡禮」 "Housing Tour"

[bluecages instastory]

Goodreads Listopia:

[eddydreaming]

Best Kdrama 2023

Hey there! It's that time of the year again when we have to choose our favorite things such as songs, moments... and kdramas. For me, there was one kdrama that stood out the most. I decided to watch it this month based on my friends' recommendations. I would have never watched it if they hadn't suggested it to me earlier.

That kdrama is Twinkling Watermelon. It was released on the 25th of September and finished airing on the 14th of November. It has 16 episodes and the topics are romance, youth, drama and fantasy.

“When your life can twinkle again on its own, I hope it twinkles as radiantly as possible.” – Ha Eun Gyeol

This is mydramalist's synopsis for it:

In 2023, Eun Gyeol is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) high-school student with hearing-impaired parents, but he has a passion for music. During the day, he is a studious model pupil… but at night, he rocks out as a guitarist in a band. But when he stumbles across a strange yet alluring music store, he goes hurtling back in time to 1995.

Here, he comes face to face with his father, Ha Yi Chan – as a high schooler! Yi Chan takes Eun Gyeol for a lunatic when the latter calls him “dad”. Worse still, it looks like Yi Chan has a crush on an icy cellist named Se Kyeong – not his future mother, Cheong Ah!

In a bid to put things “right,” Eun Gyeol joins a band fronted by his future father. But will this be enough to help Eun Gyeol bring his future parents together… and will he ever get back to the 2020s?

Before watching it

It's so funny when you don't want to watch something because you don't feel it's gonna be that good and then end up watching it to realize that is more than good: it was awesome.

That's what happened to me this time.

I read the synopsis of the kdrama, but it didn't catch my attention. Therefore, I decided to start watching another show instead. However, I recently joined a Discord server where the majority of members were raving about this drama called Twinkling Watermelon. This piqued my interest and I decided to give it a try. I am grateful to the members for introducing me to this amazing show.

“If it is a new heart that you need, I will give you mine. If you need new eyes, I will give you both of my eyes.” – Ms. Go

No spoiler review

After a couple of episodes into the kdrama I knew this was gonna be a big thing for me. The first two episodes are a little bit introductory in my opinion, but they're completely necessary to understand our ML, Ha Eun Gyeol.

After watching the fourth episode, I couldn't help but continue until I finished the entire series.

The story is about how deaf people are usually discriminated against because of their condition, and also the disdain towards sign language, when it actually is like any other language.

Moreover, we have a beautiful friend group, and I love it when we have that because they make me so happy and it's so wonderful to see.

The drama conveys the importance of having loved ones by your side and the inspiring ability of one character to move forward even in the worst situations. This message really resonated with me.

Finally, the relationships between the characters, both romantic and platonic, are beautifully portrayed. My favorite relationship was between the father and son.

"If you put a coda at the end of a musical phrase, it means getting ready to wrap up the song with a beautiful end."

Music

The music plays a crucial role in this drama, and it's what makes it stand out. When you listen to a song and it transports you to the scenes or the characters of that drama, it's an amazing feeling. My favorite song from the show is definitely "Shining," and I strongly advise you to avoid listening to it until you watch the show. Otherwise, you won't feel the same way about it.

“Music isn’t something you listen to just by ear. Music is something you can feel with your eyes, mind, and heart.” – Ha Yi Chan

This is my opinion, which may differ from yours, but that's what makes it fun!

I want to know what your favorite kdrama from 2023 was if you don't mind sharing. Maybe I haven't watched it yet!

[hardmoney123go]

Exploring Boston, Massachusetts Real Estate: A Strategic Investment Landscape with Hard Money Loans

Introduction

Boston’s Proximity and Climate

Proximity to Nearby Cities: Boston’s strategic location offers easy access to neighboring thriving New England cities such as Cambridge, Somerville, and Quincy. This geographical advantage expands the scope of investment opportunities for discerning investors.

Climate Diversity: Boston experiences a diverse range of seasons. From warm and humid summers to snowy and picturesque winters, the city’s climate caters to a variety of lifestyles, adding to its overall allure.

Major Employers in Boston

Boston’s economic landscape is characterized by a diverse array of major employers across various sectors:

Harvard University: As one of the world’s most esteemed educational institutions, Harvard University significantly contributes to the local education sector by employing a diverse range of faculty and staff.

Massachusetts General Hospital: This prominent healthcare institution plays a pivotal role in the healthcare sector, offering an extensive array of medical services.

State Street Corporation: A leading financial institution, State Street Corporation, provides numerous employment opportunities within the financial services sector.

Biogen: Headquartered in nearby Cambridge, Biogen, a renowned biotechnology company, has a significant presence in the Boston area, contributing significantly to the biotech and life sciences industry.

Technology and Innovation Hub: Boston’s innovation ecosystem fosters the growth of numerous tech companies, startups, and research institutions, creating a thriving technology sector with ample employment prospects.

Why Invest in Boston Real Estate?

As of the last update in September 2023, several compelling factors rendered Boston’s real estate market particularly attractive to investors:

Strong Demand: Boston’s historical charm, world-renowned educational institutions, and abundant job opportunities generated robust demand for housing. This heightened competition among buyers.

Escalating Home Prices: Like many urban centers, Boston experienced a surge in home prices. A combination of high demand and limited housing inventory transformed it into a seller’s market, at times leading to competitive bidding.

New Construction Boom: The city witnessed sustained growth in new residential developments, especially in urban neighborhoods. This expansion addressed the demand for modern housing and diversified options for buyers.

Cultural and Economic Allure: Boston’s status as a cultural and economic hub attracted a steady influx of residents, contributing to population growth. Its rich historical tapestry and thriving job market further enhanced its appeal.

Low Mortgage Rates: Historically low mortgage interest rates in 2020 and 2021 stimulated home buying, making homeownership more attainable for Boston residents and investors alike.

COVID-19 Influence: The pandemic underscored the importance of home office spaces and outdoor amenities. Buyers and renters sought properties that could adapt to evolving lifestyle needs driven by remote work.

Inventory Challenges: A limited housing inventory posed challenges for buyers, sometimes resulting in bidding wars and driving up home prices in specific neighborhoods.

These factors collectively painted a compelling picture of Boston as an investment hotspot with potential returns for discerning investors.

The Synergy of Hard Money Loans and Boston Real Estate

Speed and Accessibility: The Boston real estate market operates at a brisk pace, with opportunities arising and vanishing swiftly. Hard money loans come into play due to their reputation for rapid approvals and swift funding, enabling investors to seize properties promptly.

Flexibility Rules: Unlike traditional lenders, hard money lenders are more accommodating when it comes to financing unconventional projects. They prioritize the property itself as collateral, widening the financing options even for investors with diverse backgrounds.

Investment Versatility: Many Boston investors turn to hard money loans to acquire properties that don’t align with conventional financing criteria. These loans facilitate the purchase of fixer-uppers, distressed properties, or those requiring significant renovation — a prevalent strategy in this historically-rich city.

Short-Term Strategic Advantage: The transient nature of hard money loans seamlessly aligns with Boston’s real estate dynamics. Investors can swiftly acquire, renovate, and sell for profit or opt to refinance with a traditional mortgage once improvements are made.

Customized Solutions: Hard money lenders often work closely with investors to craft tailored loan structures. This collaborative approach can yield unique financing solutions that are often elusive through traditional lending channels.

Diverse Hard Money Loan Types for Boston Investors

In Boston, diverse types of hard money loans cater to a wide spectrum of investor needs:

Fix-and-Flip Loans: Ideal for investors looking to purchase properties, renovate them, and quickly sell for a profit. The short-term nature of these loans aligns seamlessly with this strategy.

Bridge Loans: Investors seeking fast financing to bridge the gap between acquiring a new property and selling an existing one find bridge loans invaluable, especially in this competitive market.

Construction Loans: Tailored for those interested in constructing new properties or undertaking extensive renovations, construction hard money loans offer funding for the project’s entire duration.

Buy-and-Hold Loans: Investors planning to acquire rental properties and hold them over an extended period often opt for buy-and-hold hard money loans, which offer longer terms.

Commercial Hard Money Loans: Given Boston’s thriving commercial real estate market, investors seeking to acquire or develop commercial properties have enticing opportunities. There are many hard money lender massachusetts are available to discuss your real estate project.

Trending Real Estate Investment Opportunities

As of my last update, several real estate investment opportunities were trending in Boston:

Residential Properties: Boston’s historical charm and cultural richness create opportunities for residential real estate investments, including condos, townhouses, and historic homes.

New Construction: Given the demand for modern housing, investing in new residential developments, especially those emphasizing sustainability and energy efficiency, can be a strategic choice.

Rental Properties: Boston’s high student population and abundant job opportunities make rental properties, including apartments and multifamily units, attractive investment options.

Commercial Real Estate: Boston’s status as an economic hub provides opportunities for commercial real estate investments, including office spaces and retail properties.

Life Sciences Real Estate: Boston’s thriving biotech and life sciences industry make life sciences real estate investments, such as lab spaces and research facilities, an emerging trend.

Historic Property Preservation: Boston’s rich history encourages historic property renovations and preservation, catering to those interested in heritage real estate.

Conclusion

The Boston real estate market remains in a state of constant evolution, offering diverse investment opportunities for those willing to explore its dynamic landscape. To make well-informed investment decisions, it is essential to consult with local experts, stay updated on market trends, and conduct thorough due diligence. Additionally, consider how changes in major employers and economic developments may impact Boston’s local real estate market, ensuring your investments align with the city’s ever-changing demands and opportunities.

Article Source- https://www.hardmoney123.com/navigating-boston-massachusetts-real-estate-market-with-real-estate-investors

[redbangle]

The Next-Gen Runway: Fashion's Digital Evolution

Launched in 2020, DressX was created with an ambitious vision: to craft “digital fashion” for the virtual world. This revolutionary concept sparked the birth of the world’s first “meta-fashion” company, establishing a major presence in Meta’s avatar-fashion marketplace alongside heritage brands like Prada and Balenciaga. But unlike traditional fashion brands, DressX isn’t here to replace physical wardrobes; instead, it’s transforming fashion for a digital audience. Particularly, influencers and YouTubers who require frequent style changes can now turn to virtual garments to keep their looks fresh without the environmental footprint or financial strain of real-world outfits.

In September 2023, DressX pushed the boundaries of digital fashion even further through a collaboration with Italian fashion brand Diesel, bringing the iconic Diesel jeans into the metaverse. Digital replicas of Diesel’s denim jackets, jeans, and sneakers were crafted, allowing fans to outfit their avatars in virtual Diesel gear across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and Quest VR. This fusion of fashion and futurism demonstrates how digital fashion is revolutionizing the industry and paving the way for a new era in which personal style knows no physical bounds.

Virtual Influencers: The New Face of Marketing

Virtual influencers are fictional, computer-generated personas used primarily for social media marketing. Unlike traditional influencers, these digital characters never age, rest, or take a day off, making them invaluable assets for brands. Popularized by virtual personalities like Lil Miquela, who boasts millions of followers, these avatars embody unique brand identities, often appealing to tech-savvy, younger audiences. Notably, supermodel Bella Hadid collaborated with AI influencer Miquela in a Calvin Klein campaign, underlining the mainstream appeal of digital personalities.

For brands, virtual influencers represent a cost-effective and highly customizable marketing strategy. Because these characters can be tailored to reflect a brand's values and aesthetics, they resonate deeply with audiences and achieve high levels of digital engagement. This shift suggests a future in which digital personas become as influential as real-life celebrities.

Blurring Reality with the Virtual World

The integration of virtual and physical realms is further evident in collaborations between luxury brands and virtual platforms. Gucci’s foray into Roblox with Gucci Town exemplifies this trend. Gucci Town allows users to outfit their avatars in exclusive virtual Gucci items, merging the allure of high fashion with the playful, imaginative environment of a virtual world. This isn't simply a marketing gimmick; it’s a strategic move that leverages digital spaces to expand Gucci’s brand presence and connect with the younger generation increasingly immersed in online environments.

These virtual experiences are blurring the lines between the real and digital worlds, redefining our perception of value and exclusivity. Virtual fashion items are no longer confined to digital storefronts but are gradually being integrated into daily lives through gaming platforms, social media, and even workplace environments.

Virtual Try-Ons: Revolutionizing Online Shopping

Another groundbreaking development in digital fashion is the rise of virtual try-on technology, transforming how people shop online. Google’s Virtual Try-On feature uses generative AI to showcase how clothing might look on individuals with different skin tones, body shapes, and sizes. This powerful technology allows users to preview how clothing items drape, fold, and fit, creating a more informed shopping experience that resembles in-person shopping.

Similarly, Amazon Fashion’s Virtual Try-On for Shoes offers a 360-degree view, helping customers make more confident purchases and reduce the likelihood of returns. As virtual try-ons become increasingly sophisticated, they address a key limitation of online shopping by giving consumers a more tangible sense of how an item would look in real life.

NFTs and the Rise of Digital Collectibles

The rise of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) has introduced the concept of digital ownership, and brands are quickly capitalizing on this new trend. Nike, for example, launched its platform .SWOOSH, a community-driven space where digital sneaker drops are unveiled. In May 2023, Nike introduced its first digital collection, Our Force 1 (OF1), a tribute to 50 years of Air Force Ones. Each digital sneaker is essentially an NFT, meaning the owner possesses a unique, virtual Nike collectible.

These digital sneakers aren’t merely pixels; they come with 3D files that can be utilized across platforms, including games. For sneakerheads and collectors, this concept of digital exclusivity is a novel experience that fuses fandom with the potential of reselling or showcasing rare digital items, blurring the lines between virtual fashion and real-world collectibles.

AI-Powered Shopping Tools: A Smarter Way to Shop

AI-powered virtual styling tools are revolutionizing how consumers shop for clothes by providing personalized recommendations. For instance, the Styleriser tool allows users to upload a picture of themselves to receive AI-driven style suggestions tailored to their unique features. According to CEO Mark Hunsmann, Styleriser boosts purchasing confidence by as much as 80%, as consumers feel more assured about their choices before making a purchase. The tool also promotes sustainability by reducing the number of returns, thus benefiting both businesses and the environment.

With AI-driven tools becoming more widespread, consumers now have access to highly personalized shopping experiences. These advancements represent an evolution in digital retail, moving towards a future in which artificial intelligence serves as a personal stylist for each individual.

AI Celebrities and Marketing Campaigns

AI isn’t only revolutionizing how we shop but also how brands market their products. Lenskart, a popular eyewear retailer, launched a campaign inspired by K-pop in 2023 featuring Astro IRIS, a virtual K-pop band created entirely through AI. Astro IRIS’s digital members—Jiang, Dawn, Valentine, and Lyla—sport Lenskart’s new collection, appealing to global fans of South Korean pop culture. This strategy allows Lenskart to tap into the massive fan base of K-pop without the logistical and financial limitations of a traditional celebrity endorsement.

The Ethical Implications of Virtual Beauty Standards

As virtual influencers gain popularity, a new ethical question arises: How are these digital avatars impacting real-world beauty standards? Avatars like Lil Miquela, with seemingly flawless features, are reshaping societal expectations of beauty, often setting unrealistic standards. Critics argue that digital personas may contribute to self-esteem issues and unrealistic self-image expectations.

Yet, the allure of these virtual characters is undeniable. As they become increasingly embedded in popular culture, society faces the challenge of balancing the benefits of digital innovation with the need for healthy, realistic portrayals of beauty.

Conclusion: A Digital Runway for the Future

Digital fashion is redefining the fashion landscape, from virtual try-ons to AI-powered styling and NFT collectibles. As brands like DressX, Gucci, and Nike innovate in the digital space, they are not only expanding their markets but also transforming how we think about fashion, ownership, and personal identity. In this new era, the distinction between physical and virtual becomes blurred, enabling an unprecedented level of personalization and engagement. The digital runway is open, and it promises a future where fashion is as limitless as our imaginations.

For more details, visit: https://www.redbangle.com

[yourdailymag]

Seulgi (Red Velvet) for Allure September 2020

[sparklingsjewel]

The One with all the Wedding Rings

This is the primary in a chain of blogs in your over the 12 days of Christmas, which we're dubbing the ’12 Episodes of Christmas’. For folks that are fans of the TV collection Friends…you’ll be acquainted with the way we've named every blog! Enjoy! Adorn yourself with the captivating allure of an emerald band ring, a perfect harmony of elegance and nature’s finest green hues.

We are kicking off with one if the key items in any wedding celebrations, this being the marriage earrings! From classic undeniable wedding ceremony bands to vibrantly colored valuable stones, the wedding earrings are something private to each and every couple.

Over the many years of working in the wedding ceremony enterprise I’ve seen a few quite beautiful jewelry, and of path one in all the biggest variations to be seen with wedding jewelry, engagement earrings specifically, is the coloured stones. From vibrant emerald veggies, to deep blue sapphires, each have their own individual and splendor.

Georgina and James who married at Thicket Priory simply over a year ago, est. Twenty first December, 2019, has a number of the most luxurious jewelry I’ve visible, more so Georgina, than James. Emerald green featured in each of our Bride’s engagement ring and wedding ceremony band; combing this with the stunning shiny red bouquet and your get the most exquisite pop of color for your wedding ceremony photographs. Let the enchanting green of a wedding rings with emeralds symbolize your timeless elegance and connection to nature's beauty.

The stone which means for emeralds dates lower back to historic instances of kings and queens with noble characteristics or love, splendor and fidelity. I also love that emeralds are stated to carry an abundance of high quality power!

There is a profound history in the back of the importance of the Groom’s wedding ceremony band, from the image of affection, dedication and additionally the settlement between the 2 families who are becoming a member of collectively.

The Egyptians and many other historic cultures see the circle as the image of eternity and not using a beginning or quit. 

From precious stones to metal picks for our simple wedding ceremony bands, there are a variety of choices and often the nice manner to pick out is connected with they may be the life-style of the wearer.

With picks between silver, gold, platinum, palladium, tungsten and titanium, each of these metals have their very own strengths and weaknesses which may be matched for your character!

Exploring the properties of simply the sort of we’ll speak about Tungsten, which I’ll be honest is a learning possibility for me having by no means heard of this metal. Tungsten is a extremely good preference for guys who work with their palms. This steel in no way tarnishes, is notably proof against scratches, that's why it's miles a favorite for the low preservation proprietor among you!

From the conventional simple wedding ceremony band to some thing a touch greater colorful, I definitely cannot leave out out the cultural way of life of Mehndi, that's beautiful capture when taking images of the Bride’s wedding ceremony earrings in the course of an Indian wedding. Irram was the third Bride to take her vows at Thicket Priory returned in September, 2019 and I nevertheless cannot get over simply how outstanding the element is in those photos!

I individually love whilst we see a lovely wedding ceremony ring observed by way of superbly painted nails; this is definitely something our Bride Kim back on seventh March, 2020 performed with a bold burgundy! I’m certain Ruby will love portray her nails while she receives a bit older, but she accomplished being beautiful simply through being there!

Just to complete off an academic examine I’m going to throw in something a bit distinctive which is the best accompaniment on your wedding ceremony. In a global wherein Celebrants are being increasingly more famous there are various alternatives in the course of your ceremony to make it a touch unique to your guests, Eve, The Yorkshire Celebrant explains greater in her weblog function, read more HERE.

One of our favourites is the symbolic lifestyle of ‘Handfasting’ that's what the adorable Mr & Mrs Hall worried in their wedding on the 14th March, 2020. (Yes, they're our luckiest couple! They married at Thicket Priory simply before things while a touch ‘off the rails!’)

There are some of different methods to assist your ceremony stand out but this does have a exceptional experience of theatre and lifestyle of ‘Tying the Knot’, which we simply love!

Also Read : Dare To Dream With Diamond Evil Eye Jewelry

The Ultimate Guide To Emerald Engagement Rings

[topcitiescanada]

TOP 10 PLACES TO VISIT IN VICTORIA

Victoria is a beautiful city with beautiful places to visit in Victoria, this place is located in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is situated on the southern end of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. It is a wonderful & very alluring city with many famous tourist places which makes Victoria a very famous tourist destination in Canada.

The population of Victoria according to the data collected from the September 2020 Census shows an increased population of 66,00,000 approx.

read more... https://topcitiescanada.com/top-10-places-to-visit-in-victoria/

[systemtek]

British LAPSUS$ teen members sentenced for cyber attacks

Two adolescents hailing from the United Kingdom, integral members of the cybercrime and extortion syndicate known as LAPSUS$, have received sentencing for orchestrating a series of high-profile attacks against numerous companies. In the case of 18-year-old Arion Kurtaj from Oxford, he has been handed an indefinite hospital order due to his explicit intent to swiftly return to cybercriminal activities, as reported by the BBC. Despite being diagnosed with autism, Kurtaj was deemed unfit to stand trial. Another member of LAPSUS$, an unnamed 17-year-old minor, was sentenced to an 18-month-long Youth Rehabilitation Order, which includes a three-month intensive supervision and surveillance component. His conviction included charges of fraud, Computer Misuse Act offenses, and blackmail, totaling two counts of each. The legal proceedings against both defendants began with their initial arrests in January 2022, followed by release under investigation. Subsequent re-arrests occurred in March 2022. While Kurtaj was granted bail initially, he persisted in attacking various companies until his re-apprehension in September. The spree of attacks unfolded between August 2020 and September 2022, targeting prominent entities such as BT, EE, Globant, LG, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Okta, Revolut, Rockstar Games, Samsung, Ubisoft, Uber, and Vodafone. LAPSUS$ is reportedly composed of members from the United Kingdom and Brazil. A third member, also suspected to be a teenager, was apprehended in Brazil in October 2022. A report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) disclosed the threat actor's utilization of SIM-swapping attacks to commandeer victim accounts and infiltrate target networks. The group employed a Telegram channel to publicize its operations and extort its victims. The notoriety gained by LAPSUS$ over the past year has spawned the emergence of another group called Scattered Spider. Both entities are affiliated with a larger collective known as the Comm. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Comm is comprised of a "geographically diverse group of individuals, organized in various subgroups, all of whom coordinate through online communication applications such as Discord and Telegram." Their activities encompass corporate intrusions, SIM swapping, crypto theft, real-life violence, and swatting. Detective Chief Superintendent Amanda Horsburgh from the City of London Police emphasized, "This case serves as an example of the dangers that young people can be drawn towards while online and the serious consequences it can have for someone's broader future." She acknowledged that while many young individuals are inclined to explore technology for educational purposes, the allure of the digital realm can sometimes lead them astray. Read the full article

[backpackingrealness]

Dusting the blog off

10 years ago, something-realness seemed fresh. Probably not to the queers who had been using for years before the explosion of RuPaul’s Drag Race, but one of the delights of culture is the false sense of hope that you were the first to discover the hot new turn of phrase – and the humbling moment of realising nothing is new, and everything has been done before.

This blog has gathered Internet dust for nearly a decade, and I’m choosing to blow some of that off entirely for my own gratification. I last wrote a misty-eyed travel diary when I was 24, and I just turned 33. That’s not to say I haven’t holidayed in the meantime, but I certainly hadn’t been back to the heady smells, sights, and sounds of South East Asia.

There’s also something deeply satisfying to someone who has lived over half their existence online to find that I can access an account untouched for 10 years, and pick it up where I left it. Where did those years go? On Tumblr, nothing has changed. Well some things have changed.

On my original big backpacking moment, the story I tell myself now is that there was a choice between 3 weeks in Vietnam, or a week in Japan. We simply did not have the money to do both, and no regrets, for Japan revealed itself to be my favourite country in the world to visit to this very day, and indeed I shall return in the not-too-distant future for more sushi trains, whiskey highballs, and Tokyo DisneySea.

That decision created a mysterious and magical ‘the one that got away’ allure to Vietnam. Living in Australia for the decade since, I am blessed to be exposed to top-shelf, five-star Vietnamese cuisine and coffee whenever I so desire, but how would a bowl of steaming phở taste in the country it hailed whence from, on a rainy Hanoi morning, ideally on the street (but under shelter)?

I first booked a holiday to Vietnam in December 2019, for the following April 2020. I had found some reasonable flights with Cathay Pacific, and my boyfriend’s family were in the middle of three enormous bushfire fronts blazing through the Snowy Mountains. I had a feeling that the coming months would be quite challenging, and a holiday in April would be well-timed. I think I was also eager to plan an escape route.

That trip didn’t go ahead for reasons clear to anyone with a sense of consciousness, and the following years passed.

Cheap flights presented themselves in June 2023. There was some debate on whether we could afford to go after a fabulous summer in the UK, but in the spirit of ‘life is for living’, flights were purchased. The spreadsheet from 2019 was (also) dusted off, and it was a delight to find that a few extra cities could be squeezed in with the extra time we had.

In September, Tom had a stroke. Standing over his bedside next to his sister in the days following, I hissed at his sister how I had been thwarted yet again. Dark humour to hold back the sobbing, but there also truth in jest! In an absolutely thrilling turn of events, and partially due to his youth, Tom’s recovery was lightspeed. Within two weeks, we were home recuperating, with the advice from doctors ringing in our ears – within three months of the accident, the chances of being able to travel overseas would be very positive.

Honestly, say less!

Fast forward to late November, and an apprehensive but giddy self and stroke-victim-spouse are in an Uber to Sydney Airport, with a driver asking if we are heading to Vietnam for all the beautiful ladies.

Next up, Ho Chi Minh City.

[urbtnews]

A Cult and a Religion: How to Tell the Difference

A Cult and a Religion: How to Tell the Difference. In a world where individuals seek belonging, purpose, and answers, the allure of charismatic leaders and tight-knit communities can be enticing. But hidden beneath the veneer of shared beliefs and camaraderie lies a sinister reality: the dangers of cults. From psychological manipulation to tragic outcomes, this article delves into the shadow of cults, shedding light on the genuine perils that unsuspecting individuals can face. Before we dive into the downside of religious freedom, let’s take a look at the upside of religious freedom. - Individual Autonomy- Religious freedom allows individuals to choose and practice their faith or belief system according to their conscience. It respects their autonomy and personal convictions. -  Peace and Conflict Resolution- Promoting religious freedom can contribute to peace and conflict resolution by reducing communal tensions and conflicts. -  Protection of Minorities- It helps protect minorities from discrimination and persecution, ensuring their safety and rights. -  Human Connection- Religious freedom also increases the chances of human connection and interactions. It also gives one a sense of belonging. A cult is a group of unorthodox beliefs or practices deviating from mainstream or traditional religions. Cults all begin as a religious organization, but not all religious organizations are cults. Cults are initially led by a charismatic and authoritarian leader who employs manipulative and coercive tactics to control its members. These toxic charismatic leaders’ innuendos are to exploit, isolate, and psychologically manipulate their members for the benefit of the leader or group, sometimes leading to harm or abuse.      DOWNLOAD THE URBT NEWS APP Healthy vs. Unhealthy Religious Leaders Healthy Religious Leaders PICTURE: Panagía Paraportianí Church, Greece. PHOTO: COURTESY OF: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 (Dated September 23, 2020) A healthy religious leader respects their followers’ individual beliefs and autonomy, encouraging personal spiritual growth. They display humility and do not seek excessive personal glorification or power. Healthy leaders are open to questions and discussions, fostering an environment where members can ask for clarification or express doubts. They also have ethical convictions in respecting their followers’ boundaries and privacy. They are careful not to engage in invasive or controlling behavior. Their goal is to consistently implement unity without risking harm to their members or the integrity of their faith and personal convictions. They seek to promote harmony and peace, easy conflict resolution, accountability, and encouragement of free will in matters of faith. Unhealthy Religious Leaders PICTURE: A section of a memorial located at the Mount Carmel Center site listing the Branch Davidians killed in the Waco massacre. Across the top, Adventist leaders from Ellen G. White to Vernon Howell (David Koresh) are identified as "The Seven Shepherds of the Advent Movements". The Mount Carmel Center was a large group of buildings used by the Branch Davidian religious group located near Axtell, Texas, 20 miles north-east of Waco. PHOTO: COURTESY OF: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 (Dated May 31, 2022) Unhealthy leaders, or for lack of a better word, cultish leaders rely on their charisma to lure unsuspecting people into their web. The leader’s agenda is to seek and exploit, seek to control by using manipulative techniques to isolate members and implement members to obey orders without question, hesitation, or delay. The purpose of isolation is to manage and maintain other members within the group. It is part of a leader's agenda, and it dehumanizes those outside the group. Cult leaders and their enablers freely use fear and guilt at their leisure to maintain control over their followers. Power and control are the cycle and goals of cult leaders. When cult leaders can't maintain control over their followers, the consequences can be as drastic as death. Cult leaders such as Charles Manson, David Koresh, Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite, and Peter Mosley are examples of unquestioning loyalty that caused harm and death. We all desire to belong to something much bigger than ourselves. A Faithful Reminder It is wise to remember that we are all here to serve one another in love and that anything outside of that as motivation could potentially put others in harm’s way. DOWNLOAD THE URBT NEWS APP A Cult and a Religion: How to Tell the Difference Read the full article