#industrial wax trends

[aishavass]

North America followed by Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth in the industrial wax market during the forecast period...

[radykalny-feminizm]

I think women collectively pretend that various beauty treatments aren’t painful, uncomfortable and extremely time-consuming because they feel that they have to undergo them anyway. They act as though the negative effects aren't that bad and that there are effective ways to minimize it. But it's all a lie.

I used to wax the hair on my legs, and when it was growing back, the itching was so unbearable I felt like scratching my skin down to the bone. I thought I must be doing something wrong because it seemed impossible that so many women did this to themselves regularly and didn't complain.

I used to shave my bikini area, which led to painful irritation every time. Again, I thought I was doing something wrong and needed to try yet another magic solution to prevent it, which, of course, didn’t work.

Once I got lip fillers. Worst decision ever. Let me tell you, I’ve endured a lot of physical pain in my life, many injuries and procedures, and I have a fairly high pain tolerance, but NOTHING compares to the pain of getting lip fillers. During the procedure, I was literally crying from the pain and praying for it to be over. It was horrible. Again, I wondered how it was possible that so many women did this without saying anything.

Various beauty treatments took up hours of my day. It felt like an unpleasant chore I had to fulfill at the cost of my free time, rather than the wonderful “self-care” experience that many women portray it as.

Of course, everyone has a different pain tolerance, more or less sensitive skin etc. But in the end, I don’t think there was anything wrong with me. I don’t think I did anything incorrectly - I was following the instructions, I was using various tips meant to minimize pain and discomfort, but I still experienced it.

I think this pain of “taking care of ourselves” is so normalized that it’s almost taboo to talk about it. Women constantly promote all these ways to "beautify" themselves, pushing other women to participate in a way. They make it seem like it's mandatory so that they don't suffer alone. Also we’re so used to suffering and making sacrifices that we just accept it as part of our "feminine" fate. At all costs, women refuse to admit they’re willingly hurting themselves.

Because if they were to admit it, they’d have to start questioning why they’re doing it to themselves and why men aren’t expected to do the same. And most prefer not to reflect on this because the conclusions are too hard to accept.

[sports9885]

Global Paraffin Wax Market was valued at USD 5.19 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 8.16 billion by 2029, registering a CAGR of 5.80% during the forecast period of 2022-2029. In addition to the market insights such as market value, growth rate, market segments, geographical coverage, market players, and market scenario, the market report curated by the Data Bridge Market Research team also includes in-depth expert analysis, import/export analysis, pricing analysis, production consumption analysis, and climate chain scenario.

[medicaldevicesindustrynews]

The Buzz on the Wax Market: Applications and Demand

Wax, a multipurpose and time-tested material, has played an important role in many sectors and working throughout history. Presently, the wax industry continues to thrive, propelled by many applications and a rising demand for its unique features. The wax market revenue is estimated at USD 10.6 billion in 2023, and it will advance at a CAGR of 4.9% between 2024 and 2030, to reach USD 14.7…

[beetelmi]

Industrial Wax Market Forecast 2024 to 2032

Industrial wax refers to a variety of waxes such as paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, beeswax, and carnauba wax that are used in various industrial applications for their lubricating, protective, insulating, and sealing properties. These waxes are typically derived from petroleum, natural sources like plants and animals, or synthesized chemically. They are used in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, automotive, packaging, and cosmetics.

The Industrial Wax Market was valued at USD 9235.4 Million in 2022 and is expected to register CAGR of 3.9% by 2032.

As there's a shift towards sustainable and environmentally-friendly products, the demand for natural waxes like beeswax and carnauba wax is increasing. This is a key factor expected to drive global market growth during the forecast period.

Industrial Wax Market By Vendors:

Sinopec

Shell

Petrobras

ExxonMobil

Sasol

Lukoil

Numaligarh Refinery

HCI

Blayson

IGI

Industrial Wax Market By Types:

Fossil Based

Synthetic Based

Bio Based

Industrial Wax Market By Applications:

Candles

Packaging

Coatings & Polishing

Hot Melt Adhesive

Tires & Rubber

Cosmetics & Personal Care

Food

About Us:

Xcellent Insights is a market intelligence provider and consulting firm. We offer data-driven research services based on multiple analysis frameworks which helps businesses across the globe to understand current market scenario and align their strategic initiatives.

We offer syndicated research reports, customized research reports, consulting services and datasets which are mapped across multiple datapoints.

We provide research reports for all the industry sectors like Consumer Goods, Packaging, Chemicals and Materials, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Agriculture, Food and Beverages, Automobile and transportation, Electronics and Semiconductors, IT and Communication, Energy and Power, Machinery and Equipment.

Contact Us:

Name: Willie J

Phone: US: +1 4086277717

UK: +44 2086386439

Email: sales@xcellentinsights.com

[bethanythebogwitch]

All of my recent Wet Beast Wednesday posts have been about relatively small animals, so this time let's go big. This week's topic is on the sperm whale, a winner of multiple size-based records, including being the largest toothed predator and largest of the toothed whales. These absolute units are known for their famous rivalry with giant squid and their history with the whaling industry.

(image id: a mother sperm whale and her calf. They are both large, long, grey animals with squarish heads. The calf is behind the mother and about half the size. The calf also appears to have multiple remoras attached to it)

First of all, why is it called a sperm whale? When I started researching for this post, I thought it must be a quirk of translation or a word that changed meaning over time and surely couldn't be named after THAT sperm, right? Well, I'm sad to say that's not the case. It really is the cum whale. More specifically, it is named after spermaceti, a substance inside the whale's head, that was believed to be semen. Spermaceti even translates to "whale semen". Yeah I'm not happy about that either. Sperm whales are also called chacalots and nobody really knows why. There are suggestions that it comes from old French words for "big teeth" or the vulgar Latin word for a sword hilt. At least it's not sperm this time. Its scientific name is Physeter macrocephalus, which means "blowhole big head", which is also fortunately lacking in references to sperm.

(image id: a sperm whale seen from the font and left. It is just under the surface of the water, with the tip of its snout touching the surface.)

Sperm whales are big even by whale standards, though there are still baleen whales that are bigger. In an extreme example of sexual dimporhism, males can be 30 - 50% larger and three times as heavy as females. An average adult male reaches an average of 16 meters (52 ft) and 45000 kg (100000 lbs) while females reach an average size of 11 meters (36 ft) and 15000 kg (34000 lbs). The average sizes of sperm whales has decreased since record were first kept. This is likely a result of the largest individuals being targeted heavily by whalers, resulting in only the smaller animals being able to pass on their genes. Some recent studies suggest that trend may be beginning to reverse itself now that the animals are no longer actively hunted.

(image: two sperm whales seen from above. They are at the surface of the water, with their backs avome the surface. One of them is releasing a spout of water vapor from its blowhole)

Possibly the most notable feature of a sperm whale is that giant, square head. Cetacean heads contain melons, organs filled with oily or fatty tissue that are used in echolocation. Unlike other cetaceans, the sperm whale has two such organs: the spermaceti organ and the junk, the latter of which is analogous to the melons of other whales. The spermaceti organ is a sac filled with the spermaceti, a waxy substance composed largely of wax esters. Harvesting of the spermaceti was the main reason sperm whales were hunted as it could be used for lubrication and as candles and lamp oil. Spermaceti is liquid when within the whale and solidifies at around 30 degrees C. A single whale can hold up to 1,900 liters of spermaceti. An air tube runs through the head and ends in a pair of phonic lips (the sperm whale has a single pair while all other toothed whales have two pairs). The lips produce the clicks used in echolocation and that sound travels through the spermaceti and reflects off another organ called the frontal sac, which acts as a sound mirror. Think those satellite dishes that you can whisper into and people standing way away from you can hear it. The frontal sac reflects most of the sound through the junk, which amplified it further. The sound that does not go to the junk is reflected back and forward through the spermaceti organ to create multiple clicks with each vocalization. The spermaceti organ and junk amplify the sound of the clicks to such an extent that the sperm whale is the loudest animal on earth, capable of making 230 decibel clicks. That's louder than a jet engine at takeoff. Side note, why is a jet engine the default comparison for loud things? In addition to echolocation, sperm whales also use vocalizations to communicate with each other. Types of vocalizations are learned from parents, creating multiple distinct "dialects" of sperm whale sound. The Spermaceti organ and junk are also believed to add protective padding to the head. One hypothesis says that the spermaceti is also used in buoyancy regulation. The idea is that before a dive, the whale would pump cold water through tis head, cooling and solidifying the spermaceti to reduce buoyancy. Then on the dive, body heat and heat transfer would melt the spermaceti again, increasing buoyancy for the trip back to the surface. This hypothesis is considered poor due to a lack of evidence and the fact that solidifying the spermaceti would impede echolocation right when the whale would need it the most.

(image id: a diagram showing a side cross-section of a sperm whale's head. Most of the head is taken up by the spermaceti organ (top) and junk (below). Below the junk are the upper and lower jaw bones)

Sperm whales are master divers. They hunt in the deep ocean and of all marine mammals, only the elephant seal and Cuvier's beaked whale dive deeper. Their dives can reach up to 2,250 meters (7,382 ft) deep and can stay underwater for up to 2 hours, though most dives last around 45 minutes. To accommodate for such deep dives, special adaptations are needed. Their lungs can collapse under the pressure and their ribcages will close to protect them. The lung collapse reduced excess nitrogen intake (which can lead to nitrogen narcosis) and they can slow their metabolisms to reduce oxygen usage. Their muscles contain more myoglobin (which stores oxygen) and they more red blood cells than most animals. When oxygen levels get low, they can redirect blood flow to the brain and other essential systems. Their eyes are the largest of all toothed whales and they have good vision and sensitivity to light, helping them see in the deep ocean. Their jaws are also adapted to hunt their prey. The jaw is very skinny and has teeth only on the lower mandible. The teeth grow rings like trees, allowing them to be used to age whales. The teeth do not seem to be essential for feeding as toothless whales have been found still well-fed. They are carnivores who feed primarily on squid but will also eat octopi, bony and cartilaginous fish, and salps. While sperm whales are famous for eating giant squid, most of their diet is composed of medium-sized squid weighing between 12 and 650 grams (0.026 and 1.43 lbs). We do know they eat giant and colossal squid both from finding squid beaks in the stomachs of beached specimens and from the scars left by the suckers and hooks of the squid on the whales' skin. While classic depictions of the hunts depicted a titanic struggle between two equals, with the squid eating the whales just as the whales ate the squid. Now its believed that the fights are entirely one-sided with the whales winning the vast majority of encounters. Tagging has shown that the whales swim upside-down as they hunt. They are likely looking for the silhouettes of prey against the surface or for bioluminescence. They also hunt with echolocation. While it has been suggested that their sonar clicks are powerful enough to stun prey, recent research has show this is likely not the case. Sperm whales eat about 3% of their body weight every day. Sperm whales, as well as other deep-diving predators, help circulate nutrients in the ocean. They consume nutrients in the deep ocean, then defecate in surface waters, releasing those nutrients where they can fertilize plankton. This also helps carbon sequestration as phytoplankton fertilized by the feces remove carbon from the atmosphere and carry it to the deep sea when they die. It is calculated that whaling in the Southern Ocean resulted in a release of 2 million tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere each year.

(image id: a pod of sperm whaled beginning their descent into the deep sea. There are 8 individuals, three of which remain parallel to the surface of the water. The rest and aimed downward)

Like other cetaceans, sperm whales are social animals. Females and juveniles live in groups called pods while adult males live outside the pods either alone or in small groups of other bachelors. Sperm whales who live together do so in groups called social units that are often, but not always, the same as their pod. Leaving and joining social groups is rare, leaving their membership very stable. When socializing, sperm whales use unique patterns of clicks called codas. It was formerly thought that codas were used as names, not it is now known that whales will use multiple codas. They also spend time nuzzling each other. They are also believed to use group hunting tactics to herd prey. The only predator of adult sperm whales is the orca, and they prefer to target calves or weaker adults. Orca pods will attack sperm whale pods to try to isolate a vulnerable member. Pod members will protect these vulnerable members by circling them, usually facing tail-out. The tails are capable of delivering powerful blows that could kill an attacking orca. This formation is called a marguerite formation. Lone males may come to the defense of a nearby pod under attack. On some occasions, sperm whales will swim alongside other cetations and there is a recorded instance of a pod adopting a bottlenose dolphin with a spinal deformity for unknown reasons. Sperm whales sleep together, suspended vertically just under the surface. While most cetaceans only sleep half of their brain at a time, it is possible that sperm whales can sleep their entire brain at once.

(image id: a pod of sperm whales sleeping. There are six positioned vertically in the water, with their head facing up. A seventh members remains horizontal and appears to be awake)

An individual whale can live for up to 70 years. Females reach sexual maturity at age 9 and bear a single calf at a time. The calf will nurse for an average of 19 - 42 months, but sometimes significantly longer. Sperm whale milk is extremely fatty, consisting of 36% fat (compare to 6% fat in cow milk) and has a texture like cream cheese. This high fat content helps the juvenile develop its blubber and its thickness keeps it from dissolving the the water. While giving birth, a mother will be protected by other members of her pod. After birth, other pod members sometimes jostle and bite the newborn. Most females give birth every 4 to 20 years and these rates were higher during the peak of whaling years. Females seems to become infertile in their 40s. Older, post-fertile females will lead the pods and provide assistance to younger mothers. Males provide no parental care. A male will mate with multiple females and they do fight each other for dominance and access to mates, but do not form harems. Fights seem to involve ramming each other and biting.

(image id: a sperm whale calf nursing. The mother is positioned vertically and her front half extends beyond the picture's frame. The calf is suckling at her side near the ventral surface. A cloud of white milk is around its mouth)

Like other whales, sperm whales were highly affected by whaling. While the spermaceti was the main target of whalers, they were also hunted for their blubber, teeth, and ambergris. Ambergris is a substance that forms in the intestines in response to irritants. The sperm whale can't digest the squid beaks and while it can vomit out a lot of them, some pass into the intestines. To prevent the sharp beaks form damaging the intestines (which can reach 300 meters/948 ft long and are the longest of any animal), the bile duct secretes the ambergris to surround the beak and ease its passage. It can be considered analogous to an oyster forming a pearl around a grain of sand. Ambergris is a think, waxy substance known for its extremely pungent, fecal smell. It was famously used as a fixative in perfume recipes and was therefore incredibly valuable. Now that whaling is much rarer, most ambergris is found when it floats to shore and perfume companies have switched over to artificial fixatives. The teeth were used for their ivory and were often carved into ornamental pieces called scrimshaw. Sperm whales were notable for their ability to fight back against the whalers, often by ramming the boats. At least a few whaling ships were sunken by their would-be targets. Famously the sinking of the whaling ship Essex inspired the writing of the novel Moby Dick. Large whales, including sperm whales, were nearly driven to extinction by whaling. The International Whaling Commission gave the species legal protection in 1985, though Japan still hunts them and has caught an reported 51 individuals since 2000.The peak of sperm whaling happened in the 1960s, causing the population to drop dangerously low. Since then, the population has been recovering and is currently estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Sperm whales have recovered from whaling better than many other species and are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. Threats include illegal whaling, global climate change, and noise from ships that appears to increase beaching numbers.

(image id: a chunk of ambergris. It is an irregular object with multiple lumps. It is a pale orange color. Part of a squid beak is visible at the side, appearing as a smooth surface with a dark orange color)

jizz whale

[omegaremix]

Rioux, 1999.

Post-Brentwood was a turning point in my life. The minute I heard Sick Of It All played at Drew’s (♀) graduation party was the very minute my music tastes would change forever. As an Eighties’ kid, I grew up on Duran Duran, Run DMC, Alisha, Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam, Poison, and other chart-toppers. Anything could be ‘pop’ if it becomes popular enough. That’s how it got its name. Pop set me up to be diverse person I am now with stations like New York City’s Z100 where there’s a new market trend manufactured and released every five years to be fed on by the majority.

“Maladjusted” blasted through her backyard boombox for all of fifty of her closest friends and classmates to hear; the same friends and classmates who laughed at me or ignored me for being a poser. They weren’t laughing or shit-talking behind my back now that they saw me at Drew’s get-together. “How did he get in?” they wondered. That didn’t matter. They didn’t say shit to me. I never saw most of them again after that, nor did I keep tabs, either. I asked Drew who they were and she told me. Boy, did it go down angry and aggressive. I didn’t hear anything like it. So I went to the South Shore Mall’s record store and copped Scratched The Surface on cassette to quickly become my go-to record during senior-year summer. That was my introduction to hardcore and the start of something more personal and relatable than what I listened to before.

Shortly thereafter, Wipeout XL came out for Playstation and my trajectory in taste had changed for a second time. It was one of the first games released that had a major soundtrack thanks to disc capacity. A line-up of Underworld, Fluke, Photek, Future Sound Of London, The Prodigy, and Chemical Brothers gave me a three-month head start before - you guessed it - pop and alternative rock stations jumped on that wagon as the next great profit maker. Even stations changed their formats for a night or two to keep up with the hottest trend of the year, such as when Atari Teenage Riot slipped through the airwaves and literally changed my attitude of music. Another hand would be dealt, and one which was the most fascinating: industrial. Mortal Kombat motion picture soundtracks were the gateway to it after establishing Nine Inch Nails, Filter, and Ministry as my Big Three. I snatched up on three Meat Beat Manifesto tapes, four Skinny Puppy discs, The Wax Trax box set and label mail order, and some Cleopatra label compilations. (Yeah, I know. No need to tell me.) It all goes to show how a lot can happen in one year before heading to community college.

Whether or not I had employment, I still managed to purchase tons of music. It became a beast I constantly had to feed. I had record store visits, radio, magazines, and now the internet (‘world wide web’ they once called it) to keep me updated. Every week I found something new to check out. Oh, look. Alec Empire is on the cover of another magazine! The December 1997 issue of Wire, #166. Have to buy it as his stock was riding high with (once again) Atari Teenage Riot and his DHR label. On the way to Empire’s glow-up were two other artists I came across in their pages: Autechre (who they proclaimed as noise gods) and Merzbow.

When you keep hearing the same names over and over, eventually they’ll get you to check them out. That’s what happened with those two and with expectations - what you shouldn’t have when diving into an artist or album. Autechre’s Tri Repetae++ caught me off guard. They said it was an electronic record and I foolishly thought it was techno instead. I hear the album opener “Dael” expecting a build-up leading to an explosion of sound. Wrong. The minimal structure and complex melodic rhythms of a cold, mechanical, emotionless being started as-is and moved its way to the end. This wasn’t anything to a traditional dance record I was accustomed to. No. These were experiments that Sean Booth and Rob Brown created which were so innovative that they’ve gotten endless praise for them since. A few listens later and I had Tri Repetae++ on constant repeat.

Merzbow? That’s another story. Like Tri Repetae++, I bought Pulse Demon at the Port Jefferson Music Den, once a bastion of everything obscure which hasn’t existed in 20 years. That was my introduction to noise. Fucking Lady Godiva riding on a Sybian did I not know what was in store for me that day. It was the shiniest and sharpest-sounding thing I now had in my collection. I load the disc in, pressed play and - what?! It was one giant maelstrom of harsh white noise, produced and output louder than usual, complete with Bridget Riley-esque op-art and its silvery prismatic sheen. Pulse Demon was devoid of any rhythm, melody, beats, measurements, sound structure, tonality, vocals, or even a sense of time whatsoever. It was a giant endurance test that felt like there was no end in sight. Again, expectations are a foolish thing to ask for.

I didn’t know what to think. I immediately dismissed it and never played it again. I couldn’t say I was actively disappointed or put-off but rather dissuaded. It was nothing what I experienced. Back then, I was a feature writer for the student paperduring my disastrous time at community college’s middle campus. The campus majority consisted mostly of shallow club-goers and superficial people who stood in their safe comfort zone of basic dance music, fashion, and friends who judged and dismissed anyone who were weird or different from them. I always went against the grain and reached for something different and challenging; things that loudmouth belligerent chauvinist Opie & Anthony fans were too stupid to learn from. I had no other albums to review on the backburner, so Pulse Demon was it for the following issue. I was honest about my take on it: it was an unlistenable mess of a joke. I handed in my 1,000 words to our features editor, a long-haired burnout held over from the hippie generation, and it finally saw print in one of our Spring issues.

The day after my review came out, I was called in to the office by my editor-in-chief Phil. Somehow we got word from a professor who read my article and took issue with it. “Really?” I said. But it didn’t stop there. Phil also told me that Professor Rioux wanted me to visit his office to discuss the article with him.

I failed an article for a professor I didn’t even know I had?

Phil had him for English. But not to fear. The overall consensus was that he was friendly, calm, and reasonable with his students. And here was an odd moment he shared with me: Pfr. Rioux played some of his favorite weird music during an end-of-the-semester holiday party for his students to hear. Seriously, not to fear. He sounded like someone I would connect with. Phil assured me that all would be fine and ended up arranging a time and day to meet up with him. That would be next week Wednesday after the publisher’s meeting.

I arrive at Prf. Rioux’ office where he welcomed me in and introduced himself, dressed up in the usual teacher’s attire of blazer and dress pants. So far, so good. I sat down in his office and looked around to notice two rows of tapes sitting on a desk next to his bookshelf. There was a Temple Ov Psychick Youth cross hung up on the wall and also noticed the black shirt he was hearing under his blazer which featured Aube’s Quadrotation on it.

We sat down for a good 45 minutes discussing my article. Not once was Prf. Rioux mean, belittling, or off-handed - unlike others who called themselves ‘professors’. Rather, he gave me constructive criticism. Judging by my article, he told me that I missed the mark on Merzbow and didn’t come into the album open-minded. Clearly I didn’t understand noise music enough for me to write what I did and there was way more to it than I thought. The most important takeaway was that I shouldn’t have compared noise to anything else in a traditional sense. Sure, it was an entirely different animal that can still have value, substance, a structure, a methodology, and a meaning to it all like everything else.

So he kindly offered to make me three cassettes of whatever rang familiar and whom I was curious about to widen my horizons and get a better understanding. All early industrial and / or noise. Wonderful. I obliged. One week later, I returned to his office where he had them all ready for me. I thanked him for the tapes and said goodbye to him.

What was on those tapes? First, Merzbow. Not surprisingly. Three unknown tracks from the Lord of Harsh Noise. On the other side was Masonna, another Japanese noise artist whose Inner Mind Mystique finished up tape #1. Tape #2 was more varied. I heard very little of Coil other than “The Snow” off the Wax Trax compilation. Right after that was Jim G. Thirwell / Foetus whom followed up with three tracks. (Coincidentally, both aforementioned artists remixed Nine Inch Nails). Rioux threw on three tracks from Einsturzende Neubauten’s Kollaps with a small sampling of Clock DVA tracks from Black Souls In White Suits. Our final tape had a good ten tracks of Death In June whom I never heard of, and several versions of Throbbing Gristle’s “Discipline” rounded out all that Prf. Rioux gave me. Never had I received anything like it from any professor.

I was forever grateful. I played those tapes to good use, enough to go back into my usual grind of music and artist reviews with a better understanding and reasoning. I didn’t review any of the artists after that Merzbow debacle, but my stance of him changed for the better and went back to Pulse Demon several more times. I happened to purchase several more of his albums where I could, dove back into Inner Mind Mystique and picked up on Nic Endo’s White Heat when that was released. I pushed more heavily into Einsturzende Neubauten’s chaotic phase, Clock DVA’s experimental era, and the world of Throbbing Gristle. I would be only toes deep with the other artists; checking in from time to time.

What were the chances that anyone (who appreciated the genesis of industrial and a knowledgeable noise fan) would notice a specific artist printed in a campus newspaper no less? It was bad enough that I dealt with one disappointment after another interacting with people and trying to find my place on campus; which I eventually did with neutral results. Where reaching out to people with similar tastes in music were few and far between (only one or two people on campus wore Dead Voices On Air, Ant-Zen, and Ras DVA shirts), someone reached out to me instead. Of all the professors I ever had, no one and I mean no one had that kind of knowledge that Prf. Rioux did, with mixtapes to boot, too.

As his tapes played in my Walkman while trekking around campus, everything else around me was happening as usual. Cover bands and boring flavorless local bar acts peppered the Long Island music scene. WBLI continued to pump out more puerile paint-by-number club mixes as usual with Fatboy Slim and Robbie Williams up next. Ska fans hopped out of the woodwork to defend their precious circus music and became overnight know-it-all elitists ready to play the scene-politics card. And free pink PVC cowboy hats came included with Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Spice Girls, and Limp Bizkit worship. Forget it. The late Nineties was clearly a bad era in music and pop culture - and it still had time to get even worse. The only places of solace I had were the few record stores I frequented. Commack’s Cheapo’s, West Babylon’s Looney Tunes, Central Islip’s Mother’s Music, Port Jefferson’s Music Den, and Centereach’s None Of The Above. At least they catered everything to my choosing.

But I never forgot where I came from or lost track of where I headed. By the time I attended Stony Brook, I fell victim to the Mothers Of Noise ‘scandal’ and discovered Prurient from it. I’d be one of the few on campus familiar with Whitehouse, Boyd Rice / NON, and even Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music on top of everything else.Each and every one of these artists were mentioned in my new wave of reviews and I even featured on my radio show. I also never forgot those tapes. I still have them, and they became one of the few shining reminders of an era that was mostly ill to me.

Cassette #1, side A:

Merzbow: “???”, “???”, “???”

Cassette #1, side B:

Masonna: Inner Mind Mystique

Cassette #2, side A:

Coil: ”Panic”, “Tenderness Of Wolves”, “Clay”, The Anal Staircase”

Foetus: “What Have You Been Doing?”, “Today I Started Slogging Again”, “Gums Bleed”

Cassette #2, side B:

Einsturzende Neubauten: “Tanz Debil”, “Steh Auf Berlin”, “Kollaps”

Clock DVA: “Consent”, “Anti-Chance”, “Uncertain”

Cassette #3, side A:

Death In June: “Hello Angel”, “Heaven Street”, “She Said Destroy”, “Fall Apart”, “Leper Lord”, “C’est Un Reve”, “Touch Defiles”, “The Torture Garden”, “Come Before Christ…”

Cassette #3, side B:

Throbbing Gristle: three live “Discipline” performances.

[rei-ismyname]

Dueling, class, and state violence through the centuries - an amateur perspective.

I wonder when the ancient and idiotic practice of the formalised duel will return to popularity. Most human practices operate in cycles, so it seems inevitable to me. I also wonder what updates/changes might be made due to technology and societal factors.

I find it really funny how much effort the Church put into trying to ban it during the middle ages, and even more so because Dueling was mostly the domain of the chivalric classes. Knights in particular (as they do) interpretated dueling as 'challenge/goad passersby into a fight and beat the shit out of them/rob them.' It seems dueling became even more of a privilege in the High Middle Ages as it was restricted to nobility in the HRE.

From 1580 to 1620 it's estimated that 10,000 French noblemen died in duels (seriously nobility and royalty are so good at dying - they're like inbred lemmings), and the practice remained popular throughout the century - despite Louis XIII outright banning it and Louis XVI trying even harder - though it sadly became less fatal with 10,000 duels resulting in only 400 deaths between 1685 and 1716. Predictably, the class aspect of it tied the practice to vendettas and local wars, as disputes could be de-escalated by judicial duel with mixed results depending on how important and selfish the duelists/slain were - with family continuing the beef if satisfaction or honour wasn't restored. On many occasions, an argument or rivalry between rich dickheads led to gauntlets being thrown. Sometimes the duel settled it. I'd say the worst outcomes were when neither party was satisfied and the landlord parasites would call upon the peasant classes to die in their stead. Basically oligarchs smashing action figures together until they were made to stop, except the action figures were poor people.

I'm not very knowledgeable about American dueling practices, though I know it was especially popular in the South as a 'gentleman's pursuit.' LMK if you do know anything about it or have any stories. I've seen that one Simpsons episode and read one very broad paper.

We've seen organised street fighting wax and wane, and I definitely recall videos of it on early YouTube with folks like Kimbo Slice. As best I can tell there was a lot of exploitation involved. I'm assuming the demographics of participant and viewer both moved to UFC - non-state violence being commodified by capitalists makes a lot of sense.

I was more an urban kid though I occasionally brushed up against suburban kids socially - close enough to observe a trend post Fight Club's release where white boys who didn't get the movie would start a titular club. I kinda wish I'd attended at least one for anthropological reasons, but (anecdotally) there was a class divide. The only kids/teens I knew doing it came from wealth, and not to be cliche but me and the other poors had more than enough violence in our lives to seek more out.

There's been a number of celebrity feuds that looked to become duels (like Zuckerberg and that other guy - when is that happening?) but they seem to be mostly fluff. In a time where state violence is industrial and monopolised perhaps it's unsurprising that the humble duel is still in the hands of the ruling class. I guess the question is 'would we even want it?' This started as me pondering the history of dueling from an admittedly Eurocentric perspective, but it doesn't surprise me to finish it by concluding that the only violence I'm looking to reclaim from the state and the rich is that which is used against them. No war but class war. In premodern times the proles weren't trained in violence so we'd be easier to oppress and less likely to kill our landlord. I think the least we can do is not use it on each other. Maybe that energy could be used building guillotines for Elon.

[aishavass]

North America followed by Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth in the industrial wax market during the forecast period...

[frankendykes-monster]

This week marks the 20th anniversary of Marcus Nispel’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a remake of Tobe Hooper’s iconic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Nispel’s gory and grungy slasher is hardly a great piece of cinema, but it is a surprisingly important one. Texas Chainsaw Massacre altered the course of mainstream populist horror cinema, at least for a couple of years, by ushering in an era of horror remakes. Pop culture is inevitably guided by larger trends. This is particularly true of horror cinema, where the tendency to make movies cheaply and quickly allows studios to chase popular fads. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre arrived at the end of one such fad. The renaissance in teen slasher movies sparked by the release of Scream in December 1996 was already dying down, giving way to diminishing returns like Scream 3 and Urban Legend: Final Cut along with spoofs like Scary Movie.

That late ’90s slasher fad was self-evidently nostalgic. In Scream, film nerd Randy (Jamie Kennedy) pauses a pivotal scene from John Carpenter’s Halloween to explain the rules of the slasher movie. Scream writer Kevin Williamson would go on to work on the slasher sequel Halloween H20, which would include a sequence of its characters watching Scream 2. However, there was a layer of irony and self-awareness to this nostalgia. These movies referenced classics, but stood apart from them. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre removes that layer of self-reflexive irony. It doesn’t just pay homage to one of the classics of American horror, it straight up remakes it. It reboots the franchise and starts over, as if offering a young moviegoing audience a chance to witness their version of the beloved horror movie. The gambit worked. The movie grossed $29.1 million in its opening weekend. “To say that it exceeded [our] expectations is an understatement,” conceded David Tuckerman of New Line Cinema.

Nispel’s remake had a profound impact on both the franchise and the larger industry. While many other major classic horror franchises, like Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th, tended to slow down as they entered the new millennium, Texas Chainsaw Massacre roared to life. The franchise has released more entries in the past twenty years than it did in the previous thirty, including the reboot, a prequel to the reboot, two sequels to the original, and a separate prequel to the original. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre made an even bigger impression on the horror genre as a whole. For the next seven years or so, theaters were flooded with remakes of 1970s and 1980s horror classics: Dawn of the Dead, The Amityville Horror, House of Wax, The Fog, Assault on Precinct 13, Black Christmas, The Hills Have Eyes, The Omen, When a Stranger Calls, The Wicker Man, The Hitcher, Prom Night, Friday the 13th, Sorority Row, The Stepfather, My Bloody Valentine, and many more.

Of course, trends do not exist in isolation. These remakes overlapped with a similar push to adapt Japanese horrors like Ring and The Grudge for American audiences. More interestingly, they seemed to unfold in parallel with the “torture porn” fad, which really kicked into gear with the release of Saw in October 2004 and Hostel in January 2006. Both trends seemed to be displaced by the embrace of “found footage,” and many of these remakes were notably gorier than the originals. It’s worth revisiting this trend in general and Nispel’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre in particular. There is a tendency to overlook the horror genre in discussions of popular cinema. This is most obvious when it comes to awards recognition, but also applies to general discussions of the artform. There’s also an understandable impulse to dismiss these sorts of remakes as inherently unworthy of discussion or scrutiny. Five years ago, Keith Phipps noted that these remakes were largely forgotten.

One of the more interesting – and frustrating – aspects of Nispel’s remake is the fact that it is a horror movie that exists in the context of decades of slasher movies. Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre may not have been the first slasher movie, but it was released before Halloween codified the conventions of the genre. Even watched today, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a delightfully and unsettlingly odd experience. It can seem uncanny to a viewer versed in the films that followed. Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre begins with a sense of a world that is unraveling, reflecting the chaos of the early 1970s. It begins with a news broadcast about the handing down of an indictment, an invocation of Watergate. Sally (Marilyn Burns) and Franklin Hardesty (Paul A. Partain) are traveling with their friends to visit their grandfather’s grave, following a series of desecrations in the region. There’s an apocalyptic vibe to all this, recalling George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.

In contrast, Nispel’s remake is much more conventional in its framing. It is set in 1973, but there is no real sense that the larger world is collapsing. None of that apocalyptic dread hangs in the air. These teenage leads are not investigating a case of potential grave robbery. Instead, they are driving to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert after purchasing drugs in Mexico. This is a standard start to a slasher like this. The teenagers transgressed, so will be punished. They broke the rules, so must die. In contrast to the irony that defined the meta-slashers of the previous few years, this is all played remarkably straight. The movie’s final girl, Erin (Jessica Biel), is entirely innocent. She is shocked to discover that her friends used the trip to Mexico as an excuse to buy marijuana. Her friend Kemper (Eric Balfour) jokes that she didn’t even drink the tequila down there. As such, Erin’s survival feels like it plays the socially conservative tropes of the slasher movie remarkably straight.

To give the movie some credit, it is at least somewhat equal opportunity in terms of the violence it inflicts on its teenage victims. In Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the male characters tended to die quickly while the female characters suffered longer. Nispel’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre reverses that dynamic somewhat. Pepper (Erica Leerhsen) dies abruptly in the distance, while Andy (Mike Vogel) hangs from a meat hook in place of Pam (Teri McMinn) in the original. That said, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is hardly a reconstructed slasher movie. Nispel’s camera lingers on Jessica Biel, particularly her exposed midriff. It seems to luxuriate in shots of her running and panting. It’s an approach that feels very similar to how Michael Bay’s camera would treat Megan Fox during the Transformers films a few years later. Biel may not be hanging on a hook, but there are certainly times when Texas Chainsaw Massacre treats the actor as a piece of meat.

There is a sense that the remake is revisiting the original through the lens of the decades of slasher movies that followed, smoothing down the rougher edges of the original film to make it more easily fit within an established template. This is true of most of the uninspired remakes that followed, which would take messy and clumsy original films that were figuring out what these horror movies looked like in real time, and apply a “one-size-fits-all” structure to them. These movies could be grungy and grimy. They could feature graphic gore. However, these remakes also tended to be products of a more ruthlessly efficient studio system than the films that inspired them. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre sets early scenes to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama, a song that the original could never have afforded to include. Biel and Balfour may not have been movie stars, but they are more established than any actors in the original. There is a polish to these remakes that exists at odds with the power of the original.

Notably, there is no sense of mystery or ambiguity to Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski) in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film offers the iconic horror villain a backstory involving horrific skin disease and even a name: Thomas Hewitt. Hooper’s original film was so scary because it suggested that this violence couldn’t be explained or rationalized. It had the logic of a nightmare. It’s very hard to replicate that sense of existential dread when so much of the appeal of a remake is the familiarity. Then again, perhaps this makes a certain amount of sense in context. As with the “torture porn” trend, these horror remakes were largely a product of the Bush era. They existed in the context of the War on Terror. This may explain why they were so much more graphic than the original, and why they tended to fixate upon torture and brutality. The War on Terror was defined by a desire to understand the horrors lurking out in the darkness, to understand, “Why do they hate us?”

Released a little more than two years after 9/11, Nispel’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre is rooted in that moment. The biggest alteration to the original narrative is the introduction of R. Lee Ermey as Sheriff Hoyt, a sadistic local law enforcement official who feels more at home in Deliverance rather than The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Hoyt is a product of the Bush era. A former governor of Texas, Bush was likened to a western sheriff when he boasted about posting “Wanted” signs in the wake of the attacks. Hoyt physically and psychologically brutalizes these teenagers. He forces Morgan (Jonathan Tucker) to reenact a suicide that the characters witnessed, pushing Morgan to place what he believes to be a loaded gun in his mouth. When Morgan resists, Hoyt handcuffs him and loads him into the back of his police car. He takes Morgan away, but not to experience due process. On the drive, he smashes a nearly empty bottle of liquor in Morgan’s face. It seems likely that Morgan is just going to disappear.

This is perhaps the most unsettling sequence in the film. It resonates with contemporary anxieties over the “enhanced interrogations” and “extraordinary renditions” that defined the War on Terror. Of course, Hoyt doesn’t have any authority to do what he is doing. In perhaps the film’s sharpest jab at the Bush administration, it is eventually revealed that Hoyt isn’t even really the local sheriff. None of this is as overt as the cultural context of Hooper’s original, but these are films of their moment. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is ultimately an underwhelming, generic, and gory imitation of a much richer film. It takes one of the most transgressive horror films of its era, and reduces it down to a standard slasher template. In doing so, it provided a sustainable model for mainstream horror over the next few years, an assembly line that could reliably churn out low-budget and low-effort films to solid box office returns.

In its own weird and grotesque way, Nispel’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre turned mainstream horror into a charnel house. It pushed away from the knowing detachment of the self-aware slashers, and embraced a more direct mode of recycling. It carved up the corpses of classic horror movies to be repackaged as subprime cuts.

[amityalvarez]

Design and Discover Unique Candle

In today's bustling world, creating a sanctuary of peace and comfort in our living spaces has never been more important. Candles, with their gentle glow and soothing scents, play a pivotal role in this quest for tranquillity and ambience. The market is flooded with countless candle brands, each promising a unique sensory experience.

But for those seeking a more personal touch, the emerging trend of designing candles online offers an enticing avenue to creativity. This article embarks on a journey through the enchanting world of top candle brands and the innovative realm of custom candle design online.

The Enchanting World of Candle Brands

The Rise of Artisanal Candles

The allure of artisanal candles lies in their uniqueness and commitment to quality. Unlike mass-produced counterparts, these candles often use natural waxes, such as soy or beeswax, and are infused with complex, pure essential oil blends. Artisanal candle brands prioritize sustainability, from eco-friendly wax to recyclable packaging, making them a favourite among environmentally conscious consumers.

Benefits of Quality Candles

Investing in high-quality candles means enjoying longer burn times, a cleaner burn with fewer soot emissions, and the absence of toxic byproducts. Moreover, quality candles often feature more nuanced, layered scents that are designed to unfold slowly, enveloping your space in a fragrance that enhances your mood or complements the occasion.

Spotlight on Popular Candle Brands

Brands like Diptyque, Jo Malone, Yankee Candle and Innerfyre Co have set the benchmark in the candle industry. Diptyque is celebrated for its luxurious fragrances and chic Parisian heritage, Jo Malone for its elegant, customizable scent combinations, Yankee Candle for its vast range of scents and accessibility and Innerfyre Co is well known for its eco-conscious candle brands.

Each brand offers something unique, from the depth of their fragrances to the beauty of their presentation.

Unleash Your Creativity by Designing Candles Online

The Appeal of Custom Candles

The trend towards customizing personal items has reached the candle market, allowing individuals to express their creativity and create products that perfectly suit their preferences. Whether it's for personal use, a thoughtful gift, or event favours, designing candles online adds a personal touch that mass-produced items cannot match.

How to Design Candles Online

Designing your candle is a simple yet rewarding process. You can grab your own candle-making kits online or at the nearest available store.

Start by choosing your base wax—soy wax is popular for its clean burn and environmental friendliness.

Next, select your scent; essential oils can add a therapeutic dimension to your candle, whether you're seeking relaxation, an energy boost, or a memory trigger.

Finally, choose your colour and container, keeping in mind the decor of the space where the candle will be used.

Tips for Designing Your Candle

When creating your candle, consider the mood you want to evoke. For relaxation, lavender or chamomile scents are perfect; for a refreshing atmosphere, citrus or mint may be ideal. Think about the colour psychology—soft blues and greens for calm, vibrant reds and oranges for energy. And remember, the container is part of the experience; select one that complements your space and can be repurposed later.

The Added Value of Essential Oils in Candles

Synergy Between Candles and Essential Oils

Candles infused with essential oils do more than just smell good; they offer therapeutic benefits that can enhance your wellbeing. The right blend can aid in stress relief, improve sleep quality, and even boost your mood. This synergy between the visual and olfactory senses can transform any room into a haven of peace or a vibrant space of energy and creativity.

Best Essential Oils for Candles

For those seeking relaxation, lavender and chamomile are unmatched. Peppermint and eucalyptus can clear your mind and invigorate your senses. For a cosy, comforting atmosphere, vanilla and cinnamon are perfect. Incorporating these oils into your custom-designed candles ensures a product that's not only beautiful to look at but also beneficial to your well-being.

The world of candles offers an endless spectrum of possibilities, from exploring the exquisite offerings of top candle brands to diving into the creative process of designing your candles online.

Whether you're drawn to the artisanal charm of established brands or the personalized touch of a custom-made candle, there's a perfect candle out there for every space, mood, and occasion.

[nkatr84]

The Muppets:Mayhem Review

Spoiler warning!!!

Still here? Okay here we go!

I’m going to say what a lot of people are saying. Because it’s true. This is one of the best things Disney has done with the Muppets in years. I think Disney has been struggling to figure out what magic Jim Henson had to make the Muppets more than puppets. Specifically how to make them work as an ensemble where everyone gets a chance to shine. This show is a step in the right direction. A big freaking step.

The show is really about Nora, a young aspiring record executive who doesn’t have her life figured out yet. Since she had to raise her baby sister after her Dad died, her life got put on the back burner so she got a late start. And the only job she can find is at the defunct record label Wax Records.

Her boss Penny (a new Muppet that winds up being pretty funny) says she’s going to shut down the company and has Nora start shredding old paperwork. Only Nora discovers that Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem have a contract there to produce an album. Which they’ve never done despite 50 years of touring! (Have they really never produced an album? Did Jim actually never think of that? Eh I’ve ordered my copy of the vinyl already)

So Nora convinces the band to produce an album (or pay back the advance which Zoot misplaced) and the show becomes a journey of Nora helping the band make music history.

One of the best things about the show is it adds lore to the Electric Mayhem that actually humanizes them. Like we find out Dr.Teeth has a disapproving family that want him to take over the family dental practice (he’s an actual Doctor?!) Janice has a long lost twin sister, Animal identifies with Nora since he was abandoned as a baby! Zoot takes pictures all the time to help him remember things (eventually…and his full name is Zootowski!?) Lips apparently knows everyone in the music industry (and has the answer for world peace) Floyd is a perfectionist who got kicked out of West Point…it’s just all so good!

Another good thing is they introduce this character named JJ and you think he’s going to be the standard Muppet villain trying to sabotage the band so he can buy the record company. But the twist is…he’s not. He has opinions about the band being outdated, but he genuinely tries to help Nora succeed. And they also subvert the trope of the antagonist fighting over the female lead with the real romantic interest who is Moog, talented music producer and Mayhem super fan. Simply by Nora and JJ deciding to be friends and Moog and Nora don’t get together at the end. That’s very refreshing. Now if this show gets a second season they better not make their whole relationship a will they or won’t they thing.

Speaking of, we need a second season! There’s a lot they haven’t dealt with like Janice’s sister or where Animal came from and they definitely leave it open ended so that we can get more rock! More roll! More Mayhem!

Most of all it’s just a show full of heart that will just make you smile. It’s so wholesome! It’s not a laugh out loud comedy but the Muppets never were. There are celebrity cameos and tons of creativity and lots of great music. Both covers of classic songs and new music too!

So watch it now on Disney +! Get it trending so they can see we want more! Can you picture that!

[marblery]

Exploring the Range of Services Offered by Beauty Salons

Beauty salons today are more versatile than ever, offering a wide range of services that cater to various beauty and wellness needs. From traditional treatments to innovative new offerings, the modern salon's service menu reflects a dedication to enhancing client beauty, health, and self-confidence.

Hair care services remain the cornerstone of many beauty salons. These services range from standard haircuts and styling to coloring, highlights, and specialized treatments like keratin conditioning and scalp care. The rise of balayage and ombre techniques highlights the industry's focus on contemporary trends and personalized beauty, allowing clients to express individuality through tailored hair solutions.

Skin care is another pivotal area, with treatments aimed at improving the skin's health and appearance. Facials, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and the increasingly popular microneedling are among the numerous options available to address different skin concerns. These treatments are often accompanied by expert skincare advice, helping clients maintain their results long after they leave the salon.

Nail services continue to thrive, with manicures and pedicures evolving to include detailed nail art, shellac, and gel applications, as well as restorative treatments for nail health. Salons create unique, theme-based nail art designs that allow clients to showcase their personal style.

Additionally, beauty salons may offer body treatments and waxing services 国立市 エステ. Massage therapy, body scrubs, and wraps provide relaxation and rejuvenation, catering to the growing demand for holistic wellness experiences. Waxing, threading, and eyebrow grooming are common offerings that complement larger beauty regimens.

The integration of wellness services like massages, aromatherapy, and even yoga classes reflects a shift towards comprehensive beauty care. By offering a holistic approach, salons cater to a broader spectrum of client needs, emphasizing the correlation between beauty, health, and overall well-being.

In summary, today's beauty salons provide a diverse array of services designed to enhance beauty and improve self-care, reflecting an industry that is as dynamic as it is essential.