#grp lining works

[alharthfiber]

Fiberglass GRP linings are reinforced plastic glass fibres produced by saturating glass fibre mat in unsaturated polyester resin. GRP linings are applied to protect different types of surfaces like steel,wood, concrete fiberglass etc. Apart from the above mentioned benefits GRP lining acts as a strong protective layer for the surface you want to protect. Fiberglass GRP lining creates a smooth homogenous layer that acts as a strong protective layer on the surface.

[mystical-phantom]

[darkeagleruins]

The RNC just sued Fulton County Elections Director Nadine Williams for refusing to hire Republican poll workers for the 2024 election.

So far, she has only hired 15 Republicans out of 804 total election workers

Specifically, Williams only hired 9 out of 45 qualified Republicans to work during early voting. And only hired 6 out of 62 Republicans to work on Election Day. "However, rather than issue an appointment, Defendant Williams [Election Department Superintendent] has put these qualified poll workers "on reserve." Defendant Williams has ostensibly placed the RNC, GRP and Fulton GOP's list of qualified workers at the back of the line for Election Day work."

The RNC wants the court to issue a Writ of Mandamus compelling Williams to appoint all the qualified Republicans or provide a real reason for not hiring them.

SPOILER: The real reason is that they want to cheat in Fulton County and don't want any Republicans witnessing it. I suspect the few Republicans that have been hired will be assigned to pointless tasks where they can't witness anything incriminating.

The election is four weeks away. The courts need to step in immediately.

[chevelleneech]

Since you're kinda aware of a little more idols than me you must have seen a lot of skinship and things related to "Shipping and fanservice" in k-pop groups so what makes jikook different from others? You like Felix-bangchan too right? Do they have a similar kinda bond (not dynamics but u know if they are attached to each other off cam as well, their emotional bond etc) as jikook? Are they like clingy? I think just as "Skinship" wise BTS ships in general are nowhere like other ships from other groups, i don't know many names from k-pop but random videos from idols used to come on my insta and ppl do much more skinship than what BTS do. I remember the chaneol (or smtg like) or baekyun one of them from exo used to bite his members' ass as fun lol. I have seen some old group boys be wilding on stage, then there's this tvxn or something old grp from SM which had one of the biggest ships they also used to do a lot of skinship. So skinship wise ig BTS's ships are pretty low, idk how these groups' personal rs used to be or is. So if you know other ships from k-pop would you mind telling what's different in jikook?

I probably don’t know as many idols and group dynamics as it seems, I just tend to to talk a lot when people cross my timelines or I venture into different groups to give their music a chance. Nothing ever really sticks though.

I am a big fan of Stray Kids, however, and do think Chan and Felix have, above all else, acknowledged feelings. I don’t know if I truly think they’re a couple, because their dynamic actually isn’t all that similar to Jimin and Jungkook’s. I think in the past I’ve tried to find similarities or at least spoke on some, but for the most part, explaining them to someone who isn’t aware of their bond, it’s not as similar.

In my opinion, Chan was pretty transparent for quite a while that Felix meant a lot to him. He used to do these livestreams called Channie’s Room, where every week (or whenever he was free) he’d spend about an hour talking to fans and playing music. He did it for maybe three years or something if I can recall, and would also talk about his mental health and all sorts of things. It was shut down a year, as far as I know, because he said something JYPE wasn’t happy with.

Point is, Chan used to get online and discuss a lot of things, and at least a handful of times those things consisted of him gushing about Felix. He spoke about viewing him as a soulmate, saying he was his “other me”, tripping over his tongue to say how beautiful he thought Felix’s freckles were, and blushing as he said he’d use a pickup line on him. On top of those things, they’ve both done interviews where they spoke on how much they value their bond, being they’re both from Australia and sort of found a home away from home in each other, and at one point they said they’d like to live together and so on.

The reason their relationship is difficult for me to make a decision on, in terms of where I think they currently stand with one another, is because they’re also pretty private. They used to hug and touch more back in their earlier years, but that shifted before I became a fan of theirs so I don’t have too much of an opinion on what happened in real time. I will say though, that Chan will initiate skinship with Felix more than I’ve seen Felix do with Chan, and I’ve seen Chan seemingly much more wanting of Felix’s attention. However, in saying that, Felix not being big on publicly reciprocating skinship with Chan really only works as “proof” it’s all for show, if we are to ignore how whenever either of them breakdown on stage full of emotion, they seek each other out and/or talk about how much of a rock the other is to them.

So I do think they are really close off stage and behind the camera. A lot of their behind footage tends to have them tucked off in the corner or about to touch but it’s cut out. As well, the members said a little while back that they share a different together than either of them do with the rest of the group. So yeah, my current stance is Chan and Felix have probably discussed having feelings for each other. I think it’d be hard not to, when again, Chan will wax poetic about Felix any chance he gets. He’s even seemingly been teased about their dynamic by his sister, on live.

That said, I do also think it’s possible their dynamic could be result of Chan being the leader of their group, as well as being three years older than Felix. Coupled with how Chan used to view himself and his worth, there’s a handful of reasons why I think their dynamic swings so vastly between “Yeah, they’re in love and love being together.” and “Chan’s in love for sure, but that’s all there is.”

In comparison to Jimin and Jungkook, you’re right in saying BTS doesn’t do skinship the way I’ve seen other groups do it. In their earlier years, but even SKZ are extremely more tactile. Woosan from ATEEZ as well. Another pairing that could be considered real, but I don’t know enough about them. I do think their friendship is very real and very solid from what I’ve seen, and I wouldn’t be shocked if they ever revealed they had something going on, but that’s because they kiss and seemingly get easily jealous, but that’s as far as my opinion goes. I don’t watch their group content to know if that’s a group thing.

But to get back to Jikook, I think what makes them different is how domestic they seem. Chan and Felix don’t give off domestic partners to me, because again, they keep a lot of their dynamic off stage and off camera to themselves. They don’t seem estranged on stage and clearly get along, but a lot of their moments feel very heavy. As if Felix is hyper aware of Chan whenever he touches him, and Chan is almost embarrassed to be caught wanting the type of affection he seeks from Felix. (Just my opinion, I’m not saying that’s exactly what it is.)

Jimin and Jungkook don’t have that kind of vibe on camera. Sometimes they can seem irritated, but overall they’ve always come across as wanting to be near and open to being touched by each other. Their beginning is also a bit different from Chanlix. Neither of them are responsible for the group itself, and although Jimin is older, he and JK were both minors when they met, whereas Chan was 20 and Felix 17. So just on a foundational level, the two friendships started in different places.

Now, if Chan and Felix choose to film an AYS type series once the other members start to enlist, I would be interested in seeing how things play out. Because again, I do think they are very close and what they feel for each other has been discussed. I can’t imagine Chan has told the whole world about Felix’s beauty and him being his soulmate, yet never mentioned it to Felix.

Which is another different between them and Jikook. Jimin and Jungkook talk all the time about how much their admire one another and are proud of each other, but I don’t think they’ve ever sat on camera and inadvertently told fans about how down bad they are for the other. AYS is probably the most confirming of sorts that we’ve gotten, of them saying they’re essentially the same person, aka soulmates. I do also think though, JM and JK show their affection more than talk about it. They seem to have a tendency to travel to show their care: GCFT, Jimin flying to SK for Jungkook’s birthday, and now AYS. Which could be because they come from a different era of Kpop than SKZ, and thus grew up a little differently, idk.

This is getting long as well, but I also wanted to mention on more pairing in SKZ you didn’t. Jisung and Minho. They aren’t as confusing as Chanlix, nor as under the radar (sort of) and Jikook, and I find it so fascinating that more people don’t view them as an undeniable couple. I know lots of people think it’s crazy to assume more than one couple could exist in the same group, but I don’t know why. Kpop groups tend to be large, and I find it harder to believe only one or two members are queer.

Point is, Jisung and Minho (Minsung, if you want to look them up) seem like the most lived-in, comfortable couple I’ve seen in this industry. Which, my view is limited, but still. They refer to each other as husbands/boyfriends/wives, the other members of the group acknowledge they’re a package deal, and they stick up under each other like white on rice. Both on stage and camera and off. They go on dates, they flirt, they’re sentimental. Just all sorts of things, but I don’t recall them having crazy skinship. They do it, as do pretty much all SKZ, but theirs is never over the top, imo. For instance, Changbin loves talking about how thirsty he is for Hyunjin, and asks him out (or at least used to, I haven’t watched their content in a while), but I don’t think there’s anything actually going on between them.

Anyway, yeah. All these pairings have different dynamics, which I think is normal. They grew up in different times, under different companies, and with different families. Jimin and Jungkook seem real to me, because of how important their proximity to each other is. They seem to be aware of the fact that they don’t like being separated, and made moves to fix the things that kept them apart last year, and are now serving in the military side by side. Is that undeniable proof of romance? No, but it shows an importance in their bond that I think is now clear they don’t have with the other members.

Chan and Felix having feelings for each other seems possible to me, because Chan has never not dished on how in love with Felix he is. It would be flat out homophobic imo, to take him saying such beautiful things, and claim he meant them all platonically, when if he’s said them about a woman, people would assume he was shooting his shot or was 100% in love with her. And from Felix’s side, I think he holds his cards closer to chest, but has spoken on how much Chan means to him. So at the very least, I think their feelings are mutual.

And Jisung and Minho seem real to me, because they’ve basically said it, lol. I don’t watch their stuff too often either, but there’s only so many times I can take two people being domestic and cute, and pretty much saying, “My husband…” as a joke. It’s been years, they’re still attached at the hip, and they don’t seem to care.

Could all three be fan service? Yes, but I genuinely don’t think they are. They may not be romantically involved, but I do think all three have some level of real to them.

[stormblessed95]

https://www.tumblr.com/stormblessed95/733070094082736128/the-thing-about-yoonmin-that-fascinates-me-is-how?source=share

umm does anon live in some alternative universe of army fandom where people are calling Yoonmin fanservice? Cause from my 4 yrs of experience what i know is tkkrs occupies around 80% of army fandom and #THEY love to call jkk fanservice and since they want jm to stay away from jk they ship him with yg like not even jkk posts get's so much like from armys the way yoonmin get's. There's decided ships for this fandom since beginning and that's taekook, yoonmin and namjin. These are the most popular ships in the fandom so idk where that fanservice came from.

the thing that irks me about yg is how easily he can praise jk and Th who are also maknaes but it takes special efforts for him to praise him. When someone tries to praise jm here comes my man yg saying "yeah but jungkook does it better", "yes but jm can you stop doing that", "yes but why did you have a guitar when you don't know how to play" , "yes but why were you getting emotional that wasn't the time" there's always a but when it comes to praising jm but see how effortlessly he does it for jk and TH. The whole tom and jerry dynamics being him constantly saying something to jm idk how that's fascinating to y'all.

I remember how armys were dragging that one grp which i think was seventeen or something else i don't remember but yeah they were saying that the members needs to have some sense cause they were teasing one member over his weight but yg saying "i don't why you were shirtless when you're body wasn't even that great" like yes king show us how tom and jerry works. It actually gave me a small heartattack when in today's suchwita yg said something one good line about jm. Anyways jm loves him so i have no right to feel bad or anything on his behalf.

Anon didn't say anyone was calling yoonmin (or any one else) fanservice, so 1. Calm down over THAT part. 2. There have also been jkkrs and vminners and sope (hopeminers? Lol) since 2013 as well, so relax there too. Not that it's a competition?? Because that's weird...

And 3, and most importantly.... the thing that irks me about you is that you are speaking in fact about yoongi not complimenting jimin ever, when Yoongi praises Jimin just as much as he teases him. And for all the bickering and teasing Yoongi gives Jimin, Jimin gives it right back JUST AS MUCH. SO GOD DAMM, chill out and look at the whole picture there. Like my god, the man can barely breathe without praising Jimin in some way... Jesus.

A whole Compilation for you...

Always encouraging him and believing in him

Just spoiling him

1. Question: what is Jimin to you?

Yoongi: person I want to take care of

2. Question: to yoongi, jimin is __?

Yoongi: important person

Just loving on him all the time

The other boys always making Jimin be the one to ask Yoongi for things because he always gives Jimin what he wants

The man just cannot help himself, here is a whole thread to look through!

"It actually gave me a small heartattack today when Yoongi said one good line about jimin"

Is doing nothing but exposing yourself as ignorant. Because like cmon have you watched ANY content? Not just yoonmin bickering compilations?? Lol Jimin didn't talk about how much Yoongi gives him love, support and encouragement ever since their trainee days until now for you to act like he doesn't do anything but dote on the man. The bickering is something they both ENJOY and doesn't upset them. Jimin doesn't need your protection. He especially doesn't need it from YOONGI of all people.

"Anyways jimin loves him so I have no right to feel bad or anything on his behalf"

They say after writing an entire essay doing exactly that... better luck next time I guess?

Do yall forget that yoongi is my man? My bias? Everything to me? That trashing him in my inbox is NEVER going to get your a sympathetic ear? Lol especially when you are just laughable wrong??

[solarwynd]

I think new jeans also had many fans from other hybe grps, armys being one of them. That could affect a little bit. Then as y'all are saying the playlisting. Main thing is the song ain't it. It's not as good as their other songs.

It's funny how their fans wanted them to leave hybe and now are asking for help from the same to give them playlisting and all. Which is in a way a reasonable request but then they act like they're the only victims when someone like jm who's been with them for a decade has gone through the same. The members apart from jk also hadn't got what they got for their other songs.

Their fans want them to leave hybe but where are they going to get all the money that mhj got from hybe cause of bangpd? If they separate from hybe will they get this big budget?

Yea that’s probably more a long the lines of what could’ve happened. There was a shit ton of army tokkis in the beginning. Apart from them genuinely liking the girls armys have just had a history of lending a hand to these newer hybe groups. But armys hate those girls now.

And How Sweet wasn’t anything special like I said. Bubblegum was a better song. Tokkis really have developed such a superiority complex despite how unstable njws’ support is. That would be something that would worry me as a fan. Like yes they had the benefit of having GP and a lot of casuals but that’s bound to wane after a while and after almost 2 years, they still don’t really have a sizable stable stan base. And the stans they do have aren’t putting in the kind of works armys have for BTS in the past. That’s what happens when you get too used to the label aid. Those girls are heavily dependent on a lot of factors and with the position they’re in right now, they need that kind of assurance behind them.

[yawnzbf]

LISTED HERE ARE ALL THE UP TO DATE LINKS TO MY WORKS !

🫧- SMAU 💌- WRITTEN

⚝ TOMORROW X TOGETHER ↴

↯ YEONJUN

💌 PRINCE?

Commoner yn helps his prince to hide from guards in the process something blossoms in between

💌 NEVER MINE TO BEGIN WITH

yn loves yeonjun who is unable to reciprocate yn's love, because yeonjun is still in love with his past lover who now, lives among the stars

🫧 LITTLE MORE

yn boasting their relationship with yj on twt, their frnd grp getting pissed off on the tl (time line)

💌 WHAT CAN A BARTENDER DO?

Drunk Choi Yeonjun finds himself attracted to a specific bartender, what happens when they give in though?

↯ SOOBIN

💌 VOICEMAIL

wherein you send a voicemail to soobin saying you miss his stupid face and something more along the lines

💌 REVERIE?

College students soobin and yn move into an apartment together who are unaware of each other's existence

↯ BEOMGYU

💌 LOVE?

An artist who used to paint his muse, answers the questions of a curious journalist

🫧 LIFE SUPPORT

Synopsis- yn sends daily messages to this unknown, inactive number cause of habit, one day all their messages get seen. Even yn is bewildered at what happens next

💌 ARE YOU TWO A COUPLE?

wherein yn and beomgyu when on a walk are interviewed by a nyc couples page,

💌 HATE YOU

beomgyu witnesses and angry confession, it's up to him what happens next

↯ TAEHYUN

🫧 DRAW THE CURTAINS

Taehyun's dad who adores yn, invites him to come to a Paris trip along with the kang's. Assuming he was joking, yn goes along with it ultimately making himself a part of their family trip.

But what taehyun's parents don't know is that yn and taehyun broke up long ago.

Now, in order to not sully the mood, they both agree to fake date until the end of their trip. But what happens next?

↯ HUENING KAI

Work in progress...

↯ OT5 / SEPARATE LINES

🫧 DOORDASHIANS

Synopsis- texts between your dashers and you

[andibenet]

So, Holbein has 24 new granulating watercolors. Currently, they're only available in Japan (North American release late summer/early fall).

I was initially really excited to play with these. I use Holbein's pre-existing colors and really appreciate the vibrancy of their watercolors. (They're also much more affordable if you import rather than by from a US-based distributor.)

These are all vegan-friendly based pigments and with 24 colors, I was hoping this could be a good starter set to recommend for people who like the granulating look. Holbein prides itself on how finely ground it's pigments are, so you can get very even, flat washes easily. These present something quite different, with 20/24 including new pigments to their line.

It's got a nice range of colors with a saturated blood/wine red being the biggest exception. I think the only one I could say I hate is the sakura/cherry blossom; it looks like Pepto Bismal with a chalky texture (probably from the Chinese/Titanium white pigment).

Excluding the pastel set, Holbein's existing sets all include ivory black—derived from bone char and the lone animal-based color in Holbein's entire watercolor set. This one, is entirely vegan.

I'm still in the playing stage, but I'm kinda disappointed. They're all convenience colors (having 2 or more pigments), and, unfortunately, easily turn into muddy colors when mixing. They all have some degree of staining, so if you do a lot of lifting work, this could be difficult.

It feels like these colors are intended for painting quicker, rather than building up colors. As previously mentioned, four of the colors can be made with Holbein's existing colors. Manually mixing made much more interesting colors (while having added control over were pigments can seperate).

Useful Links

🎨 Pigment Information 🎨

  ❥ 🇯🇵 Holbein’s Granulating Colors: https://holbein-shop.com/?mode=grp&gid=2973105  ❥ Holbein’s Watercolors: https://holbeinartistmaterials.com/watercolors/ ❥ Dr. Oto Kano’s Holbein Database [archive]: https://web.archive.org/web/20240318041505/https://otokano.com/colors-by-brand/holbein/ and YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@otokano ❥ Kimberly Crick’s Pigment Database: https://www.kimcrick.com/pages/pigment-database-swatch-card-color-charts-for-watercolor-paint-ink-gouache-acrylic and Rubber Stamp (https://www.kimcrick.com/collections/rubber-stamps/products/swatch-card-rubber-stamp-for-watercolor-ink-acrylic-markers-for-universal-art-medium-color-chart-organization-select-mounting-option) ❥ Art is Creation Color of Art Pigment Database: https://www.artiscreation.com/Color_index_names.html

📦 Importing 📦

  ❥ 🇯🇵 Sekaido Online Shop (https://webshop.sekaido.co.jp/)       ❥ 🇯🇵 Holbein Granulating Watercolors: https://webshop.sekaido.co.jp/product/A009183   ❥ Buyee: https://buyee.jp/?lang=en 

[causesciencethatswhy]

i get what you said about jungkook's writing credits but the people who feel disappointed their feelings re valid cause they stanned a group which was small and probably the punching bag of Kpopies so the armys who have been protecting them since years has always taken pride in BTS always having their own credits in the songs. Doens't matter of it's one member or 2-3 cause they used to tell a story about them together and was also written by the people who felt those emotions. Those were grp songs and now they are solos so ppl expect the same from solos too.

Ngl jungkook has done everything that armys used to drag other grps for. The heavy push was not even recieved by BTS ever but since scooter is involved jk got that so why armys used to drag jeremy and bp?? Isn't that hypocritical?

The name of the album is "Golden" the word has been used to describe him for years, the meaning of this album name is "Golden moments of jungkook's life" so if it's his golden moments why's he not there? I expect him to be involved in atleast his title track but alas...

BTS boys lived together so they went through things together so 2-3 members writing and producing and others singing is still different than ed Sheeran who idk if ever met BTS is gonna write about jk's golden moments like does he know about jk the way members do?

I wouldn't mind 90% of the album being creditless but it's literally 100% creditless. wouldn't have mind if it didn't said"golden moments of jungkook's life"..i don't blame jk tho maybe it's the artist block he's going through but it's the comapny and their decision of this 2025 reunion which might have made him feel pressured to release something. He's young and thriving there was no need for him to go early than the age other members went...

Look I'm not saying you can’t have hoped to see more self produced/composed music from him, I say that in the post itself, but it's the way people are completely dismissing his artistry within his music because he doesn't have credits in the album.

Yes there is an immense pride to take in the fact that so much of bangtans work was written and produced by rapline, but jimin literally admitted in the suchitwa how much the vocal line depended on the rapline for lyrics and how he could understand how draining that was for them. I personally don't care for the fanwar bs with blinks and what drags shooters have used against them. The heavy push that jungkook has gotten is actually exactly what bangtan got during dynamite and butter and I don't see anything wrong with it. It aligns with the career trajectory jungkook wants to take and the music he's singing allows for that to happen.

I know that a lot of this comes from people comparing his promo to what other members recieved and all I'm going to say is that I trust the members judgements/involvement in what type of promos they wanted for their albums but each solo stan is dead set in taking away their autonomy from this process.

Which actually encapsulates my argument against "jungkook has no involvement in his album because he's not gotten writing/producing credits". It's an extremely narrow perspective to look at music/album as a whole. Promotions+ actually conveying the emotions of the lyrics+ understanding the rhythm of the music he's performing to perform his choreography+styling and so much more, all would require his direct involvement. To take away any sense of his involvement because we've made writing/prod credits as the end all be all of a performers artistry is quiet dismissive. A lot of big name artists would then be disqualified from this true artistry discussion if we were to go by that rule. (This is not even considering that golden is not even out yet and we have like zero idea on how deeply jungkook involved himself behind the concepts and performances, but knowing how busy he's been and his personality we can surely expect a lot)

Bangtan have self produced and written huge amounts of their music and it was never for the sake of earning some authenticity badge, it's because that's the music they wanted to produce, especially for rapline who started out their careers in music as primarily writers/composers because of the nature of rap music and culture. Vocal line on the other hand have always been responsible for carrying out the emotions and passions that rap line wanted to convey and are integral to the emotional core of what makes bts music so unique.

Jungkook has been talking about his album all the way back since 2018, and it's obvious that being the perfectionist he is, he isn't ready to release music he doesn't feel 100 percent confident about . If singing songs produced/written by other people who he's able to synergise with is what feels right to him, then I don't see why he shouldn't go ahead with it. I don't see how that in any way reduces his own artistry within the music. The way jimin and rapline have talked about self production ,it's obvious how much emotional labour these albums require of them and as proud as I am for each member whose showcased so many raw and vulnerable sides to fans, I also don't think each owe us this vulnerability as a rule to prove their grit as artists.

Look I'm not saying you can’t hope for him to start writing/producing more of his music in the future. I hope for it as well. Still with you is very very close to my heart. But the way people are talking about how they think jungkook is essentially selling out, and his pop music endeavors are all empty and soulless compared to the rest of the members is what gets under my nerves.

I don't feel too comfortable in commenting on whether or not he's been burnt out or there were some other issue for him not pursuing writing/producing at the moment but from everything he's talked about it seems he wants to focus on his expanding his vocal and performance genres which wouldn’t be as easy to do, if he were the one writing it without ever having dabbled/experienced them before.

As for MS, anon please get out of solo stans circles, bangtan made a collective decision and their solo careers are not limited to just before 2025 either. Jungkook has been very vocal about his plans pre and post enlistment, and I take his words as is. The group is and always will be a priority for them and I can assure you the bangtan that'll come back in chapter 3 is also not going to function exactly like they did in chapter 1, there will be plenty more opportunities for all of them in the future and trust army's will be there for all of it.

[snooyaki]

— RULES ୨୧.ᐟ

hello ! im nari !

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[alharthfiber]

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[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

GUEST POST BY RICK WILSON

TCINLA

DEC 29, 2023

I have to admit, eight years ago, if you had told me I would consider Rick Wilson a fellow troop in the trenches, I would have replied you were delusional. Which shows how much any of us had a clue about what was going to happen - to us, and to the country.

Since I am going to do some analysis of what we have to look forward to in 2024 this weekend for you (I know - bummer! Can’t I just pop the cork on a bottle of TJ’s Reserve Brut? Sorry, no.) I will start with Rick’s analysis of What Is To Be Done, because as far as I am concerned, he Nails It.

Herewith…

End-of-the-year list articles are, to my chagrin, a constant drumbeat in our culture, and I refuse to do one just for my contrarian nature. Instead, I want to offer a few guidelines for 2024, given the seriousness of the stakes.

Always Attack. I know it’s exhausting. It’s disheartening. It’s work. The autocratic movement in this country never rests. It never sleeps. It’s watch-and-watch 24/7, always-on in its absolute intentionality and determination. You must attack it without a break. Clausewitz called the attack the “…weaker form with the positive purpose,” and he was right. It’s more challenging and more costly to attack than to defend, but the attack is where victory is found. You’ll notice I said “always attack,” not “always communicate,” or “always respond,” or “always wait for the bad guys to bash your skull in with a tire iron before issuing a vaguely condemnatory press release” in the title of this section. Trump has an organic ability to be a media and political singularity, and history shows that only constant, frontal assaults on his ego, his manifold mental pathologies, and his raging insecurities break the pattern of his media dominance. Last week, we released a silly, fun, frankly juvenile ad about Trump’s robust odor. We didn’t do it just to make poop jokes; we did it because we know that when Trump is angry, distracted, and focused on himself, he makes it impossible for his campaign to do what a professional campaign should be doing. It makes his attack against Biden seem even more wildly unhinged and manic. We did the same thing a few weeks before during Trump’s embrace of Hitlerian language and messaging. It’s not Resistance Porn to attack Trump constantly; it’s a proven, demonstrated, and successful campaign strategy. (I’m sorry that the “Why ain’t y’all running 3000 GRPs of broadcast TV?” crowd is too stuck in the dim and distant campaign past to understand this one.)

Save the Family Squabbles For Later From young Democrats to Muslims to progressives, many of you sure seem to hate Joe Biden. You’re enjoying a stompy-foot tantrum and threatening to stay home instead of pulling on the big boy pants and getting in the fight to save democracy from Donald Freaking Trump. We know the long catalog of your complaints. He’s not progressive enough on every little thing. He didn’t cancel your student loans, legalize weed, or pass a subsidy for Instagram influencers. (I made up the last one, but I bet I could get it trending on TikTok.) He backed Israel over the Hamas terror state. You didn’t get every single line item in every legislative fantasy on climate or guns or whatever rings your ideological bell.

That’s the message America is getting, the media is amplifying, and the Trump campaign is obscenely enjoying. Now it’s time for some very tough love: wake the hell up. You’re willing to throw a political tantrum and stay home or vote for RFK Jr. or Jill Stein (I-Moscow), or Cornell West (I-The Matrix) because you’ve made a fantasy world the enemy of the reality of a binary contest. Political power doesn’t flow from your intra-party complaints. It flows from a massive victory in 2024. And if you don’t grow up, suit up, and back Joe Biden with the passion of a millions suns,, it’s not that you won’t be welcomed back to the Democratic Party.

It’s that there won’t be a Democratic Party.

Sell Morning In America Behold the power of assertion and repetition. Stop letting the Fox nattering take you off-message. The economy is rocking along, and it’s good news. Keep making the sale all the way until election day. My colleague Joe Trippi’s formulation that the economic good news takes 3-7 months to lodge in the consciousness of voters is on point. By Spring and Summer, the absurd “We’re in an economic hellscape where the living envy the dead” will begin to make the Fox agitprop look vaguely absurd, and so it’s incumbent to hammer this message until voters get sick of it. Six months before Reagan’s famous Morning In America spot defined the 1984 election, inflation and unemployment were roaring problems. You know how that movie ended for Walter Mondale. Trump’s most powerful asset in 2016 beyond his celebrity was the idea that he was a potent dealmaker, a business leader, and a great executive who could make money. All of it was — and is — an illusion, but that illusion is ripe for correction and shattering. Tell the counter narrative as well; Trump blew it on the economy. Spending was rampant. He suckered middle-class voters to pay for a tax cut for hedge fund executives. Trump talked about energy security, and Biden delivered it. Trump bragged about the stock market, but Biden’s is helping families save and retire with a market that makes Trump’s look sad. Trump’s economy? Weak. Biden’s? Strong. Assert and repeat. Brag about how well Americans are doing. Smile. Take credit. Do a victory roll.

Fight MAGA From The Edges In. Nothing makes normie Republicans more likely to break away from the madness of King Trump than categorizing them as Trump Republicans. The vestigial remains of the old GOP — those Bannon Line Voters the Lincoln Project targets and persuades — really, really, really aren’t comfortable being lumped in with Trump’s cruelty, criminality, absurdity, vulgarity, and the rest of the catalog of his sins. It is why they cringe at the video of January 6th and would sooner die than attend a Trump rally. When these voters, operatives, activists, and writers see the Red-hatted and unkempt mob at the average Trump rally, their cultural reaction is more important than the political reaction. They were accustomed to leading the cattle, not being trampled by it. This is what I like to call “The National Review Problem” for Republicans. The smart ones know just how vile and destructive Trump is for America, the pre-Trump limited-government Constitutionalist conservative movement, and for the Republican Party. They were desperate to boost Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley over Trump for the last few years, but it’s all been for nothing. Their natural instinct is to compromise for the third straight election, and pick the autocratic madman over the center-left Democrats, and they will contort themselves wildly to get there. They will devote millions of words to arguments that Trump may be a dangerous psychopathic autocrat with a dictator fetish, but that Joe Biden is somehow simultaneously a drooling codger and a devious Lenist mastermind. This doesn’t mean they like it. Or like Trump’s base. Associating them with the loons, the conspirators, insurrectionists, the racists, the criminals, cosplayers, incels, madmen, the make-me-a-sandwich phony masculinity bros, and the rest of the MAGA flotsam. The tone isn’t “Aren’t you ashamed of these people?!?” No, the tone and message is calm, steady, declarative; “This is you.”

Corrupt The Fox Narrative Machine There was a moment where a few people thought that post-Tucker, post-Dominion lawsuit Fox News enterprise may have Learned Their Lesson and would approach news coverage in the 2024 election cycle with a more sober and serious mindset. Some thought Lachlan Murdoch would be more normal than Rupert. Bless their hearts. For the 2024 election, Fox is going to be more insane, conspiratorial, lurid, and omnipresent than it’s been at any point in recent memory. Fox is the single most powerful normative force in the MAGA and Republican world. Fox will flood the proverbial zone with a Chicxulub-scale tidal wave of rageporn tuned to stimulate even the calcified amygdalae of MAGA viewers; the old favorites are back; crime, immigrant caravans, trans people, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and on and on. They will be elevated and exaggerated beyond human understanding. For decades now, Democrats have struggled to break the code on Fox’s hold on its viewers. It’s seemingly impossible, but like most monocultures, the Fox News monoculture is strong, but brittle. This is still a narrow sliver of a strategy, but the few Democrats who appear on Fox with a countervailing message often do more damage to the otherwise hermetic Fox bubble than an ocean of fact-checking press releases. 

Because Fox is not a news network, but rather a scripted and glossy nationalist Kabuki dance, every time a Democrat slips in even a little dissonance into the Fox ecosystem, it ramifies and grows. Do more.

It’s The Fascism. In early 2022, Reed Galen and I were on a Zoom call with a group of powerful Democratic donors and activists, all of whom were convinced that the 2022 election would be won or lost on prescription drug costs and gas prices. It was absurd. It was idiotic. It was perfectly representative of the Washington Democratic consultant culture of focus-grouped vanilla pudding; inoffensive, meaningless, and imminently forgettable. We both burst out, “No, it’s not! It’s about democracy!” I was so shocked I believe I may have added the word “fucking” in there somewhere. The U.S. Capitol had been attacked just a year before. Trump’s movement wasn’t gone; it had metastasized into an alternate culture determined to overthrow the government one way or the other, a determined and corrosive. This time, it’s about fascism. Donald Trump makes this argument for the Biden campaign and the pro-democracy forces in this country every day. Republican governors and state legislatures are doing the same thing at scale. Mike Johnson and his twisted form of social extremism (it’s not social conservatism by a long shot) are background music for the era of Unlimited Government Conservatism. It’s a picture of a dark, violent future of a powerful government turned against the American people. It’s a story with Trump as its Fuhrer and the architects of a future where the Republic and democracy are inconvenient obstacles to their vision of a grand autocratic future This campaign will not be about policy. All campaigns have an undercurrent of the past vs the future. This one is about a Trumpian future that looks like the past: 1936-1945, to be specific.

Pressure the GOP At Home, Not DC If the worst happens, the firewall against a second Trump term runs through the House and Senate. You won’t win the House or hold the Senate (particularly in this cycle) without weakening the GOP at home. The fight isn’t in DC; it’s in the suburbs in the swing states. It’s in the local media. It’s in preventing the GOP House and Senate members from going home and saying, “I’m here for you” when their behavior in Washington is to tell Trump, “I’m here for you.” The MAGA caucus — and that’s all but a handful of Senators, now — is from top to bottom corrupt and corrupted. They will terrorize America for the coming year with shutdowns, phony impeachments, and mendacious investigations. They will work to provide Put their majority in peril. Force them into splitting from Trump, defending his most indefensible statements and actions, and owning his worst aspects. They lose when they embrace him and lose when they don’t. Trump’s hypersensitivity to any disloyalty, divergence, or even disagreement will do most of the work for us, but the fight is in the states, not D.C.

Don’t Underestimate The New Trump Team. They are much, much better than the 2020 and 2016 interations. They are serious, capable people running a professional and funded campaign operation. The fact that they work for a gibbering lunatic is a detriment, but they’re worlds more professional and competent than before. They’re working very, very hard to discipline him and channel his outbursts into the Truth Social ghetto. They’re building a real voter turnout operation in swing states. I beg you not to underestimate Chris LaCivita and Suzy Wiles. They’re orders of magnitude better at this than Bannon, Kellyanne, and Brad Parscale. The Biden campaign keeps talking about a Spring start. Dear God, go now. Start making the Trump world spend money now.

Miracles Are For Suckers. Hope Is Not A Strategy. If I could weigh one magic wand and accomplish one simple change in the minds of anti-Trump voters, Republican or Democrat. It would be this: stop believing in miracles. Miracles are in short supply when Donald Trump has the luck of the devil. It’s taken me a while to overcome the hope that something Trump And the arc of his fortunes. But nothing does. He is a protean force in American culture now, seemingly beyond all sanction. He is not going to jail. He is not going to be disqualified from the ballot in 50 states. He won’t be disqualified from the ballot in any states when the Supreme Court is done. Trump is going to be the nominee, he is going to lure the media into his narrative frame once again. Unless we fight every single day against it, he’ll succeed. The miracles in politics are the ones we make. They come from work planning, preparation, organization, and focus. Nothing will set the Democratic Party back further and faster than the fantasy that somehow the law or fate will take Trump out of their way. This one will take a lot of work at every return, and there are no shortcuts.

Third Party Candidates = Trump I imagine by now you’re heartily sick of me reminding you that No Labels, RFK Jr, Cornell West, Jill Stein, and the rest of the third-party aspirants are enablers of a second Trump term. This will be a close-run election in every sense. We cannot afford to lose even a few percent in a single swing state. It’s a natural psychological trait to look at two contentious options in our politics and seek an alternative. It’s also a trap; we simply don’t live in a world where a third-party candidate can do anything but spoil this election in Trump’s favor. (Small caveat on RFK, Jr., who may be closer to splitting the R-D divide, but given the Electoral College maps, it’s still not a good bet.)

[sswpae]

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What is Fiberglass Sculpture

As a blogger with a keen interest in the world of collectible figures and sculptures, I’ve come across various materials that bring these creations to life. One material that stands out for its strength, versatility, and aesthetic appeal is fiberglass. In this article, we’ll delve into the fascinating world of fiberglass sculpture, exploring its unique characteristics, creation process, and why it’s favored by many artists and collectors.

Fiberglass, also known as glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), is a composite material made of fine glass fibers embedded in a resin matrix. This combination results in a material that is lightweight yet incredibly strong, making it ideal for a wide range of applications, including sculpture.

One of the primary reasons artists choose fiberglass is its remarkable durability. Fiberglass sculptures can withstand various environmental conditions, making them suitable for both indoor and outdoor displays. This strength ensures that the sculptures remain intact and maintain their beauty over time.

Despite its strength, fiberglass is relatively lightweight compared to other materials like stone or metal. This makes it easier to transport, install, and handle, especially for large-scale sculptures.

Fiberglass can be molded into virtually any shape or form, allowing artists to create intricate and detailed designs. Its versatility extends to finishes as well; fiberglass sculptures can be painted, polished, or coated to achieve different textures and visual effects.

Fiberglass is generally more cost-effective than traditional materials like bronze or marble. This affordability enables artists to produce larger or more complex works without compromising on quality.

Creating a fiberglass sculpture involves several meticulous steps, each contributing to the final masterpiece:

The process begins with designing the sculpture, often using clay or digital modeling techniques. This initial model serves as the blueprint for the fiberglass sculpture.

Once the design is finalized, a mold is created. This mold can be made from various materials, including silicone or plaster, and must capture every detail of the original model.

The mold is prepared, and layers of fiberglass mat or cloth are laid into it. These layers are then saturated with resin, ensuring the fibers are thoroughly impregnated. This step is repeated until the desired thickness and strength are achieved.

For collectors, fiberglass sculptures offer a unique blend of durability and artistic expression. Here are some tips for those interested in adding fiberglass pieces to their collection:

Understanding the background and style of the artist can provide valuable context and enhance your appreciation of the sculpture.

Ensure that the sculpture is displayed in a manner that highlights its features. Consider factors like lighting and placement to enhance its visual impact.

Fiberglass sculptures are relatively low maintenance, but they do require some care. Regular dusting and occasional cleaning with a mild soap solution can help preserve their appearance. For outdoor sculptures, periodic checks for damage and applying protective coatings can extend their lifespan.

Fiberglass sculptures represent a perfect marriage of strength, versatility, and aesthetic appeal. Their ability to withstand the elements while offering a canvas for intricate and expressive designs makes them a favorite among artists and collectors alike. Whether you’re drawn to the modern, sleek lines or the detailed, lifelike representations, fiberglass sculptures offer a unique and rewarding addition to any collection. As you continue to explore this fascinating medium, you’ll discover that each fiberglass sculpture is not just a piece of art but a testament to the innovative spirit of contemporary sculptors.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

Hybe has always been greedy, they know how to do that emotional manipulation. it's evident on how they have always been dependent on armys to do most of the work for BTS's songs than them putting efforts as a label. the boring merch with big price and all. they know at the end it's going to get sold out. The jin live was supposed to be free he himself said he'd do one live direct from hybe after getting discharged without going home and yet now even that is for membership. they know at the end fans would pay to see him live. it's really not fair for others who can't afford cause idt even jin would agree with this shit but alas.

idk why it takes so much time for armys(In general) to understand many things when there's many ppl out there saying these same things for yrs But they called them BTS antis and now are themselves crying over price and are understanding the emotional manipulation. and yet every single time all those things gets sold out lol.

About jk's new song and nj, lsf songs...then jk's song is a fan song other grp's songs are their albums or digital singles. if you compare jk's fan song with jm's fan song CTT then again jk's had more things than jm's. the playlisting, preorder links, multiple tweets for multiple music apps, 3 days official streaming parties etc etc. so if you compare a solo fan song to another solo fan song then jk's still is treated better. CTT hardly had anything of that, total 3 tweets, no presave and pre-order links. idr the exact reach of playlisting bt NLG has more than CTT. take two also had presave and preorders tho.

The thing that was shocking for me was that NGL did not debuted on US Spotify. even CTT debuted despite it being released in Christmas week. after CTT no BTS song has been able to debut on US Spotify. LC is still on US Spotify tho infact it's actually doing way better than it's first second week of release. it's shocking because i was so sure that even if no other member was able to debut jk would do plus this was released as a festa song. maybe we'll get it for next release.

Fans have been complaining about Hybe for a long time, but shit still gets sold out. There are a lot of Army with money, and even more willing to spend money they don't have, but the thing is that Army would never do anything to hurt BTS. They send trucks to Hybe or whatever, but they're never going to boycott Hybe because that means hurting BTS's bottom line. Hybe knows this. Even complaining can be considered bad press for BTS, so they're very cautious. They complain to Hybe to protect BTS, but boycotting merch, not streaming, and taking real action would "hurt" BTS - they won't do it.

About jk's new song and nj, lsf songs...then jk's song is a fan song other grp's songs are their albums or digital singles. if you compare jk's fan song with jm's fan song CTT then again jk's had more things than jm's. the playlisting, preorder links, multiple tweets for multiple music apps, 3 days official streaming parties etc etc. so if you compare a solo fan song to another solo fan song then jk's still is treated better. CTT hardly had anything of that, total 3 tweets, no presave and pre-order links. idr the exact reach of playlisting bt NLG has more than CTT. take two also had presave and preorders tho.

It's not just a fan song though, it's a fan song from the second biggest name Hybe has, after BTS themselves. And it's one, if not the only song JK will release this year. I'm a Jungkook stan (and OT7 of course), and you're a Jimin stan, so I always make everything about JK and you make everything about Jimin. I get it, but Jungkook's releases being better promoted than Jimin, doesn't negate the fact that Hybe shouldn't have done a better job with Jungkook. Obviously, they should've done better with Jimin too - it's not the mistreatment Olympics.

As for the tweets from music apps, the media, radio, etc. I don't know how much of that was Hybe and how much was just interest in JK's career now that he's making/has made a name for himself solo. He's simply popular, and his fans engage the media and make his name and songs trend, so, of course, the media notices and engages back.

It's true that CTT had very little of anything, but NLG was a Festa song, so it does make sense that it at least had a bit more going for it. There are also inside politics we don't know about.... I don't know. Fan songs typically aren't promoted. Maybe Hybe realized this was all they had, so they tried a bit harder for Jungkook. But it's not just JK. My mom heard Come Back to Me on the Portuguese radio the other day, which is truly crazy because even Jungkook doesn't play on the radio without a Western name attached to it (they never played the original SNTY, only the Usher remix), and CBTM isn't even pop...

The thing that was shocking for me was that NGL did not debuted on US Spotify. even CTT debuted despite it being released in Christmas week. after CTT no BTS song has been able to debut on US Spotify. LC is still on US Spotify tho infact it's actually doing way better than it's first second week of release. it's shocking because i was so sure that even if no other member was able to debut jk would do plus this was released as a festa song. maybe we'll get it for next release.

US Spotify is very weird. I keep seeing how well LC is doing there comparatively to other BTS songs, but I just saw an account post that JK had way more peak monthly listeners and streams on US Spotify than Jimin, and also charts in more cities... Jungkook is also more known to the GP there. Does Jimin just have a very powerful fanbase in the US? Does his fanbase make this a priority? I spend too much time on Army twitter these days, so I feel like I'm susceptible to misinformation, but isn't the fact that LC is doing better now than in the second week of release weird?? Jungkook stans called it Spotify farms, but solo stans are very biased and prone to exaggeration, manipulation and lying so I don't know. But it doesn't add up? I don't want to sound like a solo, so is there a non-solo with an explanation?

I know JK is considerably more popular in Asia than in the US, but... what is your point? That Jimin is more popular than Jungkook in the US? Why mention LC and CTT? You think NLG is doing poorly? It seems to be doing better than I expected imo. And maybe it didn't debut in the US because there was bigger competition this time? It's not like the song is a promoted single.

[bu1410]

Good afternoon TUMBLR - April 9th - 2024

''Mr. Plant has owed me a shoe since July 5, 1971."

Aksai, Kazakhstan - July 2000 - December 2001.

Part 4.

WATER TANK As part of the socially useful aid that AGIP used to undertake in the Aksai region, there was the installation of a large water tank at about 45 meters high. The aim was to solve once for all the problem of the lack of water of Aksai's citizens. We were tasked to execute the works and therefore the ''climbing formworks'' arrived from Italy for the construction of the tower where the tank would rest. The sheet metal already cut to size to assemble the tank, with a capacity of 4,500 cubic meters, also came from Italy. The tank was welded in our construction workshop, then an exceptional transport was organized to take them to the location chosen by the Municipal Administration. Once the foundations had been laid, the tank was placed on top and, having assembled the climbing formwork, it began its ascent. At the rate of one pour every two days for 2.5 meters of height, in about 20 days the tank was up there, 45 meters from the ground. Subsequently, the pipes were installed to connect the existing water network to the tank, in order to put it into operation. It was summer, and the lack of water was particularly felt, so the Municipality was pushing to ensure that enough water finally reached citizens' homes. The inauguration day came, it was a bright Sunday morning: everything was organized and in the presence of the Akim (Mayor), the General Director of AGIP Works, the KNB Top Officials and a large part of the citizens, the band played the anthem of Kazakhstan and Italy – the flags were raised, the (rhetorical) speeches were made, then the ribbon was cut jointly by the Akim and the AGIP Director. Immediately after the water began to flow from the tank pipes towards the city's utilities!! A great day for Aksai, for AGIP and for the Italian community that had made this long awaited project possible. The next day, in the afternoon, the first problems. Municipal technicians were forced to close the outlet valves from the tank. From the streets, from the buildings of the various Microrayon the water literally ''sprayed everywhere''. The pipes of the existing network were too old and bad condition, therefore didn't resisted the high water pressure. Leaks were reported practically everywhere in the city. The citizens went back around with the usual buckets and plastic containers to stock up on water. It took the whole summer and a considerable effort on everyone's part to dig and change the old iron pipes with ones in reinforced PVC and GRP. At the first cold temperatures of October, almost the entire city could finally take a shower in the evening, wash their dirty clothes, and above all that acrid and stale smell of clothes and coats that had troubled us so much the previous winter eventually disappeared.

AGIP CANTEEN It was summer, and in the evening we used to have dinner at SODEXO canteen. But the premises needed a refresh, so we were told that for a few days we would have dinner at canteen reserved for AGIP employees. So it was, and with great surprise we saw how racist an AGIP employee (Italian like us) can be and more over do nothing to hide it. At the entrance to the canteen the ''AGIP's employees'' arrived in groups of 5 or 6 and regularly overtook us in the queue. Not to mention the almost disgusted looks that accompanied phrases like ''but who are these… do you know them''? followed by expressions of surprise directed at each other. In line with the tray to collect the food, we were overtaken without hesitation by those fu****rs. In short, a real discrimination, based on who knows what type of ''superiority complex''. We joyfully welcomed the news that the work in our canteen was finished, and we could therefore go back to having dinner in a convivial manner (among other things, served at the table by very kind waitresses, not like those idiots at AGIP with tray in hand).

FLIGHT TO ITALY VIA OREMBURG - MOSCOW

For the series ''let's try to find a convenient route for return trips'', for some time the Company had opted the Orenburg – Moscow – Milan flight. Forst of all, it was necessary to cross the Kazakh-Russia border, in order to reach Orenburg, a journey of about 180 km along the state road towards the North-East. The flight to Moscow lasted 2 hours, with the old Tupolevs belonging to one of those private airlines born after the dissolution of the Soviet Union (Safety = 0.00%). Once at Moscow Domododievo airport early in the morning, we used to be picked up by a taxi driver (always the same guy) paid by the Company, who used to remain at our disposal all day. The flight to Milan – from Sheremetievo airport – used to take off late afternoon. Therefore we had most of the day available to wander around Moscow. We usually had lunch in one of those restaurant of Stari Arbat (old Arbat) neighborhood. At the airport, as I was warned by colleagues who had the same experience before, I didn't pay attention to the old trick of the roll of dollars dropped ''accidentally'' by a passer-by, while I was waiting for the taxi driver to arrive with the car. The trick was to walk past the possible victim (necessarily a foreigner) and pretend to lose a roll of dollars. The accomplices, sitting not far away, used to run over by saying:

''Hey!! You saw it ?? Come on, let's collect the money and go back into the alley and share the money!!! '' The very same thing had happened to five colleagues of mine, before me - only the first one agreed to go into the alley. As soon as they were there, those criminals jumped on him and tried to steal his briefcase, wallet, watch, mobile phone, etc. - he promptly reacted, starting to scream for help, and using the briefcase as a club, giving blows left and right. This had disoriented the thugs, who had given up and left, hurling the worst invectives at him in Russian. The taxi driver - in my opinion in cahoots with the criminals - arrived and after loading the luggage into the car we left for the city centre, about 45 km away. It was a beautiful sunny day, the heavy traffic on the ring road slowed down our journey, the outskirts of Moscow were made up of the usual dormitory buildings, only here they were twice as tall as in other Russian or Kazakh cities. All this suggested modest way of life, but at least more comfortable than in the Soviet era. After an hour and a half of travel, the driver dropped me off in the Stari Arbat area. An historic area closed to traffic, with numbers of shops and restaurants - the large international chains had already taken possession of the best buildings, and I noticed that the prices of Western goods were much higher than in Europe. Stari Arbat is essentially a pedestrian street about a kilometer long in the historic center of Moscow. The Arbat has existed since at least the 15th century and forms the heart of the central district of the Russian city. Originally the street was part of an important trade route and was populated by a large number of artisans. In the 18th century, the Arbat was considered by Russian nobles to be the most prestigious residential area of Moscow. The buildings along street were almost completely destroyed by the fire in 1812 during the Napoleonic occupation and had to be rebuilt. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it became known as the place where gentry, artists and academics lived, while in the Soviet period it was inhabited by many government officials. After wandering around for a while, I spotted a restaurant with an outdoor wooden terrace, crowded with customers - to tell the truth, there was another one right next to it, but strangely no one was sitting at its tables - and I, as by conditioned reflex, I sat down at one of the few remaining free tables in the crowded restaurant. When the waitress arrived I understood the reason for so much crowding: the owner of the restaurant - with a clever commercial-psychological move - had imposed on the waitresses a traditional costume uniform, with adeep cleavage like those seen at the Oktober fest in Munich. Anyway, I ate grilled meat and kartoshka (baked potatoes) and drank some excellent Baltica beer. I enjoyed the warm sun of the Moscow afternoon and then I was reached by the taxi driver's call: he was waiting for me a few hundred meters away. We headed to Sheremetyevo - A.S. airport. Pushkin international airport – 30 km north of Moscow. At the airport entrance the usual ''court of miracles'' of illegal taxi drivers, thugs and drug addicts who, the driver told me, before the fall of the Soviet regime, would have been swept away by the police in a blink of an eye. But now they were there, annoying all the passengers, trying to deceive the most naive ones, and trying to steal whatever possible. After the usual delays in customs and immigration, I finally reached the uncomfortable departure gate for Milan. Just one note on the flight: looking at the ground that we would have covered in less than 3 hours, I was reminded of how many useless kilometers of forced marches the armies of Napoleon, Hitler - and unfortunately also the Italians - made to try to reach Moscow. To then fall victim to the Russian's best ally: ''The General Winter''.

RETURN FLIGHT Via Moscow – Oremburg After the canonical 15 days of vacation, I returned to Kazakhstan via Moscow again. In the skies of Poland and Belarus, looking down at the infinite plain, I had the same thoughts as on the outward flight: Invading Russia meant losing the war, and in fact that's what happened. At Domododievo airport I boarded on the old Tupolev wondering: ''Will this be my last flight''? Instead the flight was uneventful, we landed in Orenburg on time, and when I finally I enter the arrival lounge the trusty Talgat was waiting for me. I hug the big Kazakh guy, and then we got off on the highway to Aksai. A few kilometers from the airport, Talgat asked me what I had brought from Italy: lightning struck me!! I forgot the three bottles of whiskey and brandy on the plane!!

Talgat we have to go back to the airport! Right away!!

But Talgat smiled bitterly: ''Some of the plane cleaning staff are already celebrating at this moment!'' The weather was getting bad, and when we reached the border with Kazakhstan the sky was pouring water and lightning like a real hurricane. We stopped in front of the Russian border police barrack, Talgat honked the Toyota Land Cruiser's horn several times: it seemed everyone had left. At a certain point, while the storm did not cease, an arm wrapped in a uniform came out from the container's office door, wawing signals that meant only one thing: GO…GO…. Idti! (Come on…come on…go!) Talgat didn't have to be told twice, and we crossed the border without anyone placing exit/entry stamps.

On the Kazakh side the offices were even barred!

Later I asked Talgat:

I don't have exit stamps from Russia and entry into Kazakhstan: what will I do next time I leave the country?

Talgat: Don't worry, just put a $100 bill in your passport, and you'll see that no one will ''notice'' that you don't have any stamps!

END OF WELDING CELEBRATION PARTY We had finished welding the 14 Km of 20'' pipe for the aqueduct between Unit 3 and Unit 1 so the Client organized a party to celebrate the event at the RENCO hotel. The entire top management of AGIP, the highest local authorities, and the head of the KNB (ex KGB) were invited to the party. I arrived at the restaurant a little late and unfortunately the guests were already all seated in the large restaurant room. I say unfortunately because that time I was the victim of the old Russian-Kazakh tradition of the ''round glass full of vodka''. The glass has no bottom, so it is not possible to place it on the table, and it's to be hol all the time, till vodka is fully drunk. You can therefore understand how badly that dinner started: swallowing a glass of vodka on an empty stomach is not a good start at all! It was for this reason - perhaps - that when my turn came to pronounce the ''toast'' (speech for the toast - we had already made about ten and we had not yet started eating…) mine was the most applauded! Many of those present stopped by my table to congratulate me, and pats on the back and kisses & hugs!! Till today I can't recall what I said, but judging from attendance reaction it must have been good! The dinner went on regularly, with periodic toasts to this and that (like a wedding dinner in Italy). The guests began to disperse into small groups, some playing billiards, some lying on the comfortable sofas to watch TV. The KNB Head– a gentleman already in his 60s – was sleeping sprawled across the bar counter, and his henchman tried in vain to wake him up by saying---

''Anatoliy……. Anatoliy……let's go home…it's late now……''

At a certain point the Chief nodded and said: Late? And how late?

It's past midnight Anatoly…….

Midnight? ONLY? Come on, bring vodka ……- Anatoly replied, and went back to sleep. They carried him out in their arms and loaded him onto the black minibus that was waiting for him. Only then I understood why Anatoly always moved around accompanied by four muscular assistants: as big as he was it would have been impossible for a couple of people to carry him.

THAW

Between the end of March and the early days of April, the thaw occurs in the North-West of Kazakhstan. It is the period in which the days slowly get longer, during the day a pale sun warms the snow on the roofs of the VACTA buildings and forms large and heavy stalactites - sometimes up to 2 meters long - which hang dangerously from the gutters. Very suggestive in photographs against the sun at sunset, but equally dangerous when suddenly they break away and fall to the ground. After a serious accident in which an Englishman was seriously injured in the shoulder by a falling ice stalactite, signs were put up warning people not to walk near buildings – and to be careful when entering or exiting buildings. Red and white tapes were also placed to prevent people from walking close to the walls.

UNIT 3 REFINERY

As already mentioned, Unit 3 was built by the Czechoslovaks in 1956 - at the time the Chechs were considered the most advanced among the Soviet bloc countries in terms of technology. Nonetheless, the plant had serious shortcomings and critical issues, and for this reason it was decided to adapt it to international standards, especially regarding safety. The internal roads of the plant were at a lower level than the areas of the plant itself. This caused enormous inconvenience at the time of the thaw, when the roads became real water channels. It was therefore necessary to dig drainage channels between the plant areas and the roads themselves, to allow the meltwater to flow out.

METHANOL TANK Methanol is a highly flammable liquid. One day some of our workers were pouring a concrete floor and laying curbs around the methanol tanks, with the aim of creating a containment area in case of a product spill. Unfortunately, given the lack of sensitivity to workplace safety, the refinery operators were filling the tank, while the workers were working on the floor underneath. The control of the level reached by the liquid in the tank was entrusted to an operator who stood at the top of a metal ladder and looked inside the enormous container. From time to time he signaled to his colleague, who was operating the filling pump about 200 meters away. It was cold, and also based on the correct but in some cases absurd procedures that regulated work outside in winter (every few minutes at a certain temperature and wind speed corresponded to as many minutes that the operator had to spend outside or inside a container in the heat) the operator who checked the filling went into a small house to smoke and drink tea. In the meantime, the tank had filled up, and methanol began to leak from the open manhole, flooding the area where the workers were working. Luckily someone noticed what was going on, and ran to warn the pump operator, who was also distracted at the time. The area was promptly evacuated, because the danger of fire and then explosion of the tank was very high, given the high volatility of methanol. The firefighters then intervened, flooding the area with foam to prevent the methanol from spreading into the air. Another narrow escape, but there was a risk of a serious accident, and only by chance there were no victims.

RUSSIANS Kazakhstan's independence was declared on December 16th 1991 and approved subsequently to the constitutional law, making it the last of the former Soviet states to declare its sovereignty. The Russians, who had managed the exploitation of the Karachaganak oil field since the start of the installations, abandoned Aksai and the area upon Kazakhstan's declaration of independence for fear of retaliation from the Kazakhs. We had the opportunity to visit some old wells and noticed that in the barracks where the operators lived there the situation was looking like the Russians had just fled. Tables with dishes, forks and knives, glasses, bottles of beers half empty etc..... At that time there was a lot of confusion, many of the news were false, artfully circulated by the KGB to keep the population under control. In any case, when the news that President Nazarbayev's (unilateral) declaration of Independence spread, the Russians literally fled towards the border which was a few kilometers away, and crossed the Ural River on foot, because it was frozen at the time.

Ural River.

EXPORT PIPELINE

Among the additional works that AGIP assigned to us, there was a pipeline for the export of processed crude oil, which from the refinery reached the Ural river, the border with Russia. After crossing the river (which we accomplished in the middle of winter) the Russians would continue the pipeline until the connection with the Orenburg node.

The pipeline was 20 inches dia and 22 km long. All in all not a difficult job, if not for the terrible conditions of the Kazakh winter. The people employed in the work were - logically- more inside the buses than on the ground working.

The excavation of the trench necessary to lay the pipe - more than 2.20 meters deep, the minimum limit for the product not to freeze - was extremely difficult. The frozen ground - which in summer would have allowed digging up to 1,000 - 1,200 linear meters per day - in winter conditions did not allow digging more than 200-250 linear meters per day. In the evening, colleagues returned to the office shocked by the cold, which we remember preserves fish, meat and other products, but is very harmful to human beings. It generally changes the face countour to the point that it is difficult to recognize oneself when looking in the mirror.

We finished the project with the first signs of the thaw, which hindered the work of crossing the Ural River.

ALMATY OCTOBER 6th - 2001.

I was sent on a mission to Almaty, to meet with government officials. The Tupolev's flight proceeded regularly - and when I say ''regularly'' it means accompanied by an absurd noise, sitting on benches with folding backrests. At about an hour after take-off, the Captain's voice croaked on the loudspeaker: the passengers next to us suddenly seemed alarmed, they spoke loudly and no matter how hard we two tried - me and my colleague were the only foreigners on board - we couldn't understand the reason for so much agitation. In the meantime, the plane had begun a sort of nosedive: bags, packages and all sorts of material stored above fell from the hand luggage compartments - they were not closed one, but like those on our trains and coaches. Finally the stewardess came by and informed us that the plane was going to make an emergency landing at Aktobinsk airport, but we shouldn't be worry………                                           Once landed, we were evacuated by the slides prepared by the ground staff, and two buses took all theplane's passengers to the terminal. Gathered in a small waiting room, a high-ranking military official spoke. We didn't understand anything of what he was saying, but we managed to catch the word ''bomb''. Someone called National airline office and declared that a bomb had been planted on the plane!! This was the reason for the emergency landing. A ground stewardess arrived, and in her approximate English she told us that we would be transported to a nearby hotel, while the anti-terrorism section was inspecting the aircraft. So it was, and myself and my colleague found ourselves in a hotel room, just a couple of kilometers from the airport. The hospitality was poor: a cup of tea and a couple of dry biscuits and than after an hour two KNB (formerly KGB) agents arrived to question us in Russian or Kazakh. It was not easy to convince them that we spoke neither one nor the other language, so they brought in a ''pirivochka'' (interpreter). We had to undergo the usual boring interrogation made up of questions repeated ad nauseam:

What's your name? Where do you come from? Why were you on the plane? Where are you going? And then: what did you say your name was? Where did you say you were from? The reason you were on the plane? Where are you planning to go?

It was like this for about an hour, then they left. After another couple of hours someone knocked the room door and let us know that we'll go back to the airport. The bomb threat was false, and no device had been found. Let's hope so - I said to my colleague while, after having recognized our luggage which in the meantime had been unloaded under the plane, we prepared to board again.

We eventually arrived in Almaty, and it was already night.

RETURN FROM ALMATY On October 6th, at 10.30 am we were sitting on the usual Tupolev which, according to the Captain's intentions, was to take off shortly thereafter. The snow was falling thick and sideways due to the strong wind, and incessantly covered the plane's wings despite the efforts of two teams of shovelers, one for each wing. Looking at it like this, it seemed that the snowfall was increasing in intensity by the minute. After an unequal struggle lasting more than 40 minutes, the Captain's voice crackled on the loudspeaker inside the plane and immediately the local passengers jumped up, taking their things from the nets (as already mentioned the closed overhead bins they didn't exist on the old Tupolevs). I was passed over by numerous passengers before I managed to unfasten my seat belt and get up from that sort of bench with a movable backrest that replaced the seats. We all went back inside the old terminal, where the smell of tea and vodka, mixed with that of ''schiaschlik'', was floating in the air. I asked the ground hostess for information, who, in her drawling English, told me that there was no question of taking off today - the airport had been literally submerged in snow. I managed to call our office in Aksai, and informed that we were going back to the hotel, waiting for airline further communucations. Evetually, we then fly the next day - during the night snowploughs had cleared the track: the sun was shining over the ancient capital Almaty, and the high mountains behind the city were white and shiny.

FINAL JOURNEY FROM KAZAHSTAN - XMAS 2001 - At the end of 2001, my assignement to kazakhstan ended. The plant was under Commissioning, while and we had also closed the so called ''Punch List''. I was told that I would return to Italy via Almaty, in order to meet the Italian Ambassador.

'We have booked the flight for you to Istanbul-Milan two days later, so in Almaty you can bring a present to the Italian Ambassador with our regards'' - General Director told me. I then flew to Almaty, and the next day I went to the Italian Embassy to meet His Excellency the Ambassador. He was a ''Big Man'', I would say close to sixty, jovial and friendly,and I finally got rid of the heavy Parma ham and the half wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano, which represented the ''Company's present'' for the Ambassador. Who, while his eyes were shining, thanked him exaggeratedly. This was followed by a short conversation about what our Company was doing in Aksai, and about the prospects for new projects in Kazakhstan. Than suddenly the Ambassador became sad: -Maybe it's the last time we'll see each other here – he said with a hint of melancholy in his eyes

Why, is it perhaps you're going to an another location? – I asked.

No… the Kazakh President has given the ultimatum to all the diplomatic offices in Almaty - within 60 days we will all move to the new capital, Astana.

Oh really.....I said …waiting for the rest….

No…there is nothing good in this – continued the Ambassador – Astana is one of the coldest places in Kazakhstan, lost in the steppe – Almaty – which in Kazakh means ''the place of apples'' has a much better climate, beautiful mountains behind it, and above all a very lively multi-ethnic and cultural environment, given that since the times of the Soviet Union it has been the place where intellectuals and dissidents were sent into exile. Now all this will disappear, only due to the decision of Nazarbayev, who had Astana built from scratch.

Well… I'm sorry Sir - but in any case, it will take some time, and then I'm sure that you will be able to rebuild your environment and connections even down there in the steppe.

Thank you – replied the Ambassador – but believe me, it wasn't necessary…. Thus the Ambassador left me, and shaking my hand he hoped that we would see each other again in the new headquarters of the Italian Embassy in Astana. I left the next day for a stop over in Istanbul and it was early in the morning. I sat in an airport coffee shop and had breakfast while waiting for the flight to Milan. Cappuccino, brioche and a glass of orange juice. When I asked for the bill I was shocked: 7,425,000 Turkish Lira!!! I called the waiter and asked for explanations:

Effendi 7,425,000 Turkish Lira in your currency is exactly 12 euros, thank you.

Ahh…well…ok…. The flight to Milan left regularly at 10.30 am and I arrived at Malpensa just after midday.