#singles magazine may 2019 issues

[theforbiddeneden]

Metal Hammer Magazine December 2023 Enter The World Of Sleep Token - Revista Metal Hammer Dezembro 2023 Entre no mundo do Sleep Token

"We'll never see the band at this level again" Sleep Token fan Benji Purdy

A deep, distorted voice is coming through the PA of Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre.

“Do you think they want you to cry?” it’s saying. “Do you think they like it?”

A second voice, lighter in tone but still distorted and oddly inhuman, replies.

“Not as such,” this one says.

“I think they just want to know that I am feeling something, feeling what they are feeling, perhaps.”

The audience in this ornate, 800-capacity venue stands silent, entranced by the voices. The band onstage are masked metal sensations Sleep Token, tonight playing their first headlining show in the City of Angels as part of their month-long North American Rituals tour.

The dialogue that is playing out around us is hugely significant to everyone in this sold-out crowd. It marks the first time crowned frontman Vessel – the lighter voice – has broken his silence in public. The deeper voice he’s communing with belongs to Sleep, the god-like entity at the heart of the band’s lore. As the conversation continues, you could hear a pin drop.

“Do you think that this amount of crying is healthy for you?” Sleep asks.

“I don’t know,” comes Vessel’s response. “But at least I feel something. If I don’t feel anything then why would I even do this?”

At this, the crowd lose their minds and a wave of mania ripples across the floor. That the voices are pre-recorded doesn’t matter. Nor does the fact that this isn’t, strictly, the first time it’s happened – Sleep Token have been doing throughout this tour. But modern metal’s most enigmatic band have done something they’ve never done before: they’ve cracked open the door and given us a tantalising glimpse into their inner world.

This show isn’t the biggest Sleep Token will play this year. In December, they will headline London’s Wembley Arena. But Los Angeles, together with New York, is one of the epicentres of the US music business, and the buzz that’s surrounding the anonymous band suggests that America is paying attention to them.

More than that, La La Land has always had a thing for cults, from the Manson Family to Scientology, as well as the countless smaller ‘spiritualist’ groups that operate in the city today. An anonymous, masked British band with their own mysterious, quasi-religious mythology? LA never stood a chance.

“There is a new atmosphere at these live shows, an electricity,” says Benji Purdy, an American fan who also acts as moderator on the band’s official Discord server. He first saw Sleep Token when they supported metalcore act Issues on a 2019 US tour. After witnessing their headlined show in Portland, Oregon a few days ago, he says they’re an entirely different beast this time around.

“We’ll never see this band at this level ever again,” says Benji. “They are catapulting themselves.”

2023 has been the year Sleep Token’s cult success went fully overground. On January 5, the band released Chokehold, the first single from then-upcoming third album Take Me Back To Eden. Twenty-four hours later, they chucked in another new song, The Summoning. By the time the track hit TikTok, videos of listeners reacting to the genre-defying sound were reaching users around the world, with some even hitting a million-plus views.

Their social media profile was helped by celebrity boosts from Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor, Architects singer Sam Carter and Lorna Shore’s Will Ramos. And in May, they announced that Wembley date. All 12,500 tickets sold out in just 10 minutes. Sleep Token had officially become a arena band.

Chris Lody, a Sleep Token fan based in Coventry, set up a subreddit for the band back in 2018 after discovering they won their nomination for Best New Band at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods. The same year, he saw their first headline performance at St Pancras Old Church in front of 150 people. He’s had a front row seat to their dizzying rise.

“To go from that to Wembley in December, it’s incredible,” says Chris. “Creating the subreddit was a bit opportunistic really. Nothing like it really existed and I wanted to see what other people were saying about the band.”

It took a while, but fans eventually began to head to Chris’s Reddit page to share their own interpretations of Sleep Token’s music, art and lore. After the release of Chokehold and The Summoning, the page exploded with new users.

“The volume of people posting day-to-day is massive now,” says Chris, adding that it has grown from around 6,000 users to 34,500 at the time of writing. “We’ve had to take on more moderators just to maintain a bit of order.”

Much as the fandom has expanded, so too have the opportunities afforded Sleep Token. This summer, they stepped up to festival headliner status in the UK, with appearances at Portsmouth’s Takedown in April and Manchester’s Radar in July. Radar organiser Joe James admits they lucked out with the timing of the band’s booking.

“We got them at that sweet spot that every promoter dreams of,” he tells Hammer. “We’re a festival that wants to book progressive, contemporary music. Sleep Token tick all those boxes: they’re doing something fresh and are at the top of their game at the moment.”

Headlining the first day of the festival gave the band a full “limitless” rehearsal time, which in turn resulted in a truly headline-worthy performance.

“It looked and sounded amazing,” Joe enthuses. “They are so massive now, but they don’t behave like they’re blowing up just yet. I truly think they’re the next Download headliners of the new breed.”

It’s 4pm in Los Angeles when Hammer arrives at the El Rey Theatre, and queues are already stretching around the block in both directions. Some fans have brought chairs and blankets to sit on, while others are propping themselves up against the walls of the venue, clinging to the scant shade to avoid the glare of the Californian sun.

Amy McLaurin and her friend Sarah Hibbert are standing at the venue barrier. They’re from Virginia, and arrived at the El Rey at 9am, despite having fast-track passes that guarantee them priority entry.

“I found them on TikTok,” she says of how she discovered Sleep Token, with a nervous smile that suggests she’s worried any gatekeepers will leap out and chase her away at any second.

The pair saw Sleep Token for the first time a couple of weeks earlier in Baltimore, but couldn’t risk booking flights to come more than 2,000 miles to repeat the experience. It’s doubly impressive because Baltimore was Amy’s first ever gig, full-stop.

“I’d never really found an artist I loved enough,” she says. “Right now they’re everything I want in music. I listened to rock before Sleep Token, but not much metal – I’ve actually discovered more metal through them. I also met Sarah at the Baltimore show and we both decided to fly here.”

“They make you think about things you otherwise wouldn’t want to talk or be open about,” adds Sarah. “These songs can mean something different to everyone, a universal pain we all feel but some might be less able to express that.”

Vessel famously doesn’t do interviews – the only one he has given was to Hammer in the band’s early days – but their fans have been more than happy to pick up the slack. Sleep Token’s official and unofficial social media channels are full of running narratives, memes and jokes.

It hasn’t all been deadly serious, either. In April, a fan-filmed clip of an audience member at a gig in Sydney letting loose a “sinister” fart during the quiet part of the song Atlantic went viral. Similarly, after the release of The Summoning, a section of their fanbase dubbed Sleep Token “metal’s sexiest band,” largely thanks to lyrics such as

"THEIR MUSIC TRANSCENDS THEIR PERSONALITIES" SLEEP TOKEN FAN CASSIE KNOX

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“THERE ARE SECRETS LEFT TO BE UNCOVERED”

Daniel Owen is the man behind the artwork of Sleep Token’s first two albums, 2019’s Sundowning and 2021’s This Place Will Become Your Tomb.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST COME INTO CONTACT WITH SLEEP TOKEN?

“Around early 2018. I ended up becoming one of their lead visual creatives from [that year’s single] Jaws through to This Place Will Become Your Tomb, and some initial development on Take Me Back To Eden.”

HOW MUCH OF A BRIEF WERE YOU GIVEN IN EACH CASE?

“The briefs behind each project have varied greatly in scope, but usually only restricted to a few lines – in the case of Sundowning per song - or a paragraph to explore the central idea of This Place Will Become Your Tomb. Symbolism throughout history has always been a communication method that encapsulates a sense of power and reverence; my work for the project has always aimed to champion atmosphere while masking a considerable amount of intention below the surface. “One example would be the Sundowning sigils as a whole: being informed by the passing of time and mirroring the positions of a clock face, referencing the namesake of the album. Individually, each sigil was a cipher I'd developed that represented a hidden selection of elements relating to the singles that later served as artwork – eventually all would be removed from streaming services and become an intentionally forgotten to reflect one of the central themes of Sundowning and its primary cover. A beautiful part of working with a band is that there's an unparalleled level of bravery involved with taking the kinds of creative choices that many are too hesitant to pursue.”

SLEEP TOKEN PUT HIDDEN ‘CODES’ IN THEIR SONGS AND IMAGES. ARE THERE ANY SECRETS IN YOUR ARTWORK THAT FANS STILL HAVEN’T DISCOVERED?

“There’s certainly some things I’ve left seeded within my work that’s ready to be pulled from the future if I’m called upon. There are still some secrets left to be uncovered.”

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‘Or are you really here to cut me off? Or maybe just to turn me on’ and ‘I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t think that I could be your man / Or maybe make a good girl bad,’ combined with a raunchy bass drop in the song’s second half. This sexiness is something the band have leaned into on this US tour. During The Offering, members have been seemingly kissing through the masks, reportedly prompting a suitably ecstatic reaction from the crowd each time.

There are other, more wholesome displays of fandom, from fluffy crochet plushies to homemade necklaces. A video of guitarist IV putting on a cowboy hat given to him by an audience member at a gig in Dallas has yielded close to two million views on TikTok. Back at the barrier at the El Rey stands Cassie Knox, who has come to LA from Houston, Texas. Cassie has now seen the band eight times, including at Radar in the UK.

“Sleep Token have a big thing about community,” she says matter-of-factly, when we ask whether it gets lonely following the band on tour. “I met two girls last night in San Diego, they’re here with me and we’re also going to Anaheim [the next gig on the tour].”

While every fan has a personal answer for what Sleep Token mean to them, Cassie’s response seems to be shared by many. “They taught me self-love,” she says, holding a sign stating as much.

In May, shortly before the release of Take Me Back To Eden, several select fans were invited to an exclusive listening session for the album in London. Chris Lloyd, who runs the Sleep Token subreddit, was one of them. He won’t divulge too many details of the event, but offers an anecdote that highlights the band’s dedication to keeping their enigma intact.

“We got there and there was just this stage with curtains,” he says. “They opened at the start of the album and we thought there was a Vessel mannequin just in a chair. It was really dark and there were loads of smoke, but it was really exciting. Then right at the very end of the session, the ‘mannequin’ stood up and it was actually Vessel – he’d just sat perfectly still the whole time! It was insane.”

The band show no sign of changing their minds when it comes to preserving their mystique. Hammer’s request for an interview with Vessel is, predictably, turned down. But this anonymity is something that their devotees embrace. The golden rule of Sleep Token fandom is to never, under any circumstances, divulge or speculate on the members’ real-life identities. Still, that hasn’t stopped some people trying.

“The mystery surrounding the band will always be a key element that draws people in,” says Discord mod Benji Purdy. “It’s a rabbit hole and people love diving into them. But I have found that since [2021 album] This Place Will Become Your Tomb, there has been a culture shift within the fanbase between those who want to respect the band’s wishes to stay anonymous, and those who have a general lack of respect and think the band don’t care.”

This ring of secrecy is intact today. Before the show, Hammer is sitting at a table in the taco restaurant adjacent to the El Rey. We can hear and see the security manager briefing in front of the venue.

“Tonight’s show is Sleep Token,” the security manager says, marching along his ranks like a general on the eve of battle. “Their whole deal is that they are anonymous. If anybody – anybody – tries to go where they shouldn’t, you MUST. STOP. THEM.”

In reality, transgression seems to be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. The people queuing outside the El Rey are here to Worship, after all.

“Their music transcends their personalities as individuals,” Cassie Knox tells us. “Everybody has a part in this music, and from the messages that the band have put out, it seems like that’s exactly what he [Vessel] wanted.”

By the time the doors open, the excitement is palpable. Airport-style security gates mean everyone is thoroughly searched before entry and it seems half the audience has brought along trinkets, gifts and signs in their own expression of Worship. One fan has turned up with a bouquet of roses so big it is seen engulfed her head. They all make it through security without issue.

While some fans have been dressing up in full Vessel cosplay elsewhere on the tour, there’s no such regalia tonight, although many have covered their faces with painted Sleep Token sigils. Equally, it’s striking just how youthful the crowd is as a whole.

“It’s been like this the whole tour,” reveals Matt de Burgh Daly, guitarist/keyboardsist with support A.A. Williams, as he sits down next to Hammer to grab a bite pre-show. Williams and her band previously supported Sleep Token on their 2021 UK tour, and now they’re on these US dates, suggesting they’re within the headliners’ circle of trust.

“It’s funny actually,” Matt says between taco bites. “This is actually one of the smaller shows on the tour, I think. But we’re pretty nervous.”

Oh?

“Yeah, our drummer’s broken his arm – he’s having to play Def Leppard style!”

With its art deco exterior, crystal light fixtures, chandeliers and blood red decor, the El Rey Theatre feels more like it should be hosting a seance than a metal show. It’s not your typical dive venue. But where Sleep Token aren’t your typical metal band, sonically or visually.

From Hammer’s vantage point, a dark balcony overlooking the main floor, it looks like nearly everyone is adorned in some kind of Sleep Token memorabilia, be it t-shirts, hoodies, or even smaller items like necklaces or homemade earrings. A queue stretches from the merch stand to the barrier throughout the entirety of A.A. Williams’ set and right up until Sleep Token themselves appear.

Sure enough, the headliners’ arrival elicits a frenzy of activity. An extended shriek of pure ecstasy greets the band as they march onto the stage, and it’s not long before the audience is singing along ardently, tears literally streaming from some fans’ eyes.

Detractors may point to the prevalence of piano ballads in Sleep Token’s sound, but there’s no shortage of heft in tonight’s set. Chokehold is explosive, its pendulum riffs cutting through the air like a buzzsaw. Hypnosis has the booming, almost floating menace of a great Deftones track, fans waving their arms wildly throughout.

Even in terms of physical presence, there’s a marked difference from the band that toured in support of 2021’s This Place Will Become Your Tomb. Back then, Vessel seemed like a solid, rooted entity, his movements stiff and minimal, clinging to the mic-stand like he was tethered to it. This time out, he’s a ball of kinetic energy, bouncing, dancing and stalking his way backwards and forwards across the stage, even dropping to do push-ups during The Summoning. Bassist III and guitarist IV are similarly lively, headbanging furiously and commanding circle pits and walls of death with finger gestures and head nods.

The Take Me Back To Eden songs are especially visceral live. Vessel skitters across the stage during Vore like someone having an ancient entity, switching between howls and soulful melodies before intoning the song’s key lyric: ‘I want to give you all, but nobody else will ever go?’

For all the excitement, background chatter falls away completely when segments of conversation between Vessel and Sleep play out. The distorted voices discuss everything from the fandom to the role the masks play in their mythology.

“In order for all of this to work there has to be a certain boundary in place,” Vessel says, his unearthly, pre-recorded voice spilling from the speakers. “They need to be able to project themselves onto this, without anyone else’s identity getting in the way. In turn, I need to be able to show my true self to them in a way that does not compromise their ability to connect.”

There’s certainly no shortage of connection as fans roar along to the likes of The Summoning, The Love You Want and Alkaline, some moved to tears as the music takes on new dimensions, the closing rave-metal thrust of The Offering ending the night on an exultant and triumphant note, before Vessel clasps his hands in thanks as Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) plays incongruously over the PA.

So where next for Sleep Token? In a year where they have notched up a Top 10 album in the UK – Take Me Back To Eden peaked at No 3 – and sold out venues around the world, it’s hard to say exactly where the ceiling could be for them.

“I could easily see them playing arenas here in the States within two years,” Benji states. “The demand here is insane – as seen by the number of people who’ve lined up at every almost every show of this tour.”

For a British metal band to break into the US market is no mean feat, and the buzz and excitement Sleep Token are generating here is starting to catch up with the noise that surrounds them back home.

Equally, their pop sensibilities enable them to serve as a gateway, their success on TikTok showing they don’t just appeal within the metal sphere, but to wider audiences whom then tumble further down the metal rabbit-hole after discovering them.

Uniting newcomers and dyed-in-the-wool metalheads alike, Sleep Token are a new breed of band, transcending genre boundaries by simply refusing to stay in one, and backed up by a mystery and spectacle all their own. They are as at home supporting Slipknot and Architects as they are appearing at festivals like Reading and Leeds – testament to just how influential and breakout they’ve become.

Crazy as it may seem, 2024 will likely be an even bigger year for Sleep Token, and they’ve already booked some of the world’s most iconic venues in that period. With Wembley Arena and Alexandra Palace shows in the diary for next April, Sleep Token will be looking to cement their place at the top of the mountain. How long before the Worship of Sleep Token becomes a religion?

SLEEP TOKEN PLAY WEMBLEY ARENA ON DECEMBER 16. TAKE ME BACK TO EDEN IS OUT NOW VIA SPINEFARM

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MASKS REVEAL THE ARTIST’S VISION

Mario Garvera and Beatrice Rebondi are MysteryStar, an art studio specialising in masks, costumes and accessories. They also created the Vessel mask

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN MASK-MAKING?

“We’ve always been drawn to the dramatic and theatrical aspects of expression, along with our shared love of music. We have produced thousands of pieces together over the decades. We never make replicas of our masks; they are, and always will be, one-off characters, created especially and never to be repeated.”

HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED WITH SLEEP TOKEN?

“In early 2019 they were looking for a workable mask, as they hadn’t found anything wearable that could work onstage yet. We provided [Vessel and Sleep Token’s management] with several sketches and worked out together how to keep Vessel’s character essence and vision, while creating something that could work on a human head and be practical onstage.”

WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES?

“It took several modifications, especially around the shape of the head. We had to accommodate certain parts of Vessel was adamant were integral parts of the full-face mask for the photoshoots and a mouth - less one for tge stage perfomances. These were the first two masks that we made for Vessel.”

WHY DO YOU THINK WE FIND MASKED BANDS SO FASCINATING?

“Masks have always been important to humans since perhaps the beginnings of civilisation. Ancient tribes created masks, for recounting their history and transmitting knowledge of their young; for healings and for warding off their enemies. In addition, it could be because masks are a created expression of the artist – the one - who created it, as well as the one who wears it – and as such reveal something of the artist’s mind and their vision.”

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Transcription English Version from theforbiddeneden

[leeminkifanblr]

Lee Min-ki Filmography and other works

(reverse chronological order)

Dramas |*| Movies |*| Music |*| Magazine etc. |*| Others

2025 <Sangyoung ENT>

메리 킬즈 피플 - Mary Kills People(Korean adaptation) [Hyun-woo] ?

2024 <Sangyoung ENT>

사흘 - Three Days [Father Ban]

Sep 28~Feb 2025: Filming of Mary Kills People(Korean adaptation)

Nov 6~Dec 12: 페이스 미 - Face Me [Cha Jung-woo] Wavve/KBS2

Sep 14: Fanmeeting [Japan]

Sep 9: Tearliner(티어라이너): Beacuse Haven't Lived MV appearance [x]

May 13~Jun 18: 크래시 - Crash [Cha Yeon-ho] ENA

- Apr 24: ARENA

2023 <Sangyoung ENT>

Nov 26: Fanmeeting "Hello Again" [Tokyo, Japan]

Aug-Dec 30: Filming of Crash

Aug 12-Oct 1: 힙하게 - Behind Your Touch [Insp. Moon Jang-yeol] JTBC

- Aug 24: MMTG ep 306 [x]

- Sep: Elle Korea [x] [y] [z]

Mar 29: ARENA [x]

Mar 18-July: Filming of Look at Me

Sep 21 2022-Feb 20: Filming of Behind your Touch

2022 <Sangyoung ENT>

Nov 16: 데시벨 - Decibel [Cpt. Hwang Young-woo]

Sep 21-Feb 20 2023: Filming of Behind your Touch

Apr 9-May 29: 나의 해방일지 - My Liberation Notes [Yeom Chang-hee] JTBC

- Apr 9: Elle Korea [x] [y]

- May 20: Cosmpolitan [x] [y]

2021 <Go_od> <Sangyoung ENT>

Sep 2: NELL(넬): Beautiful Jeopardy MV appearance [x]

Jul 12-Dec 28: Filming of My Liberation Notes

- Dec 31: Workman ep. 132 [x]

Apr 20-Aug: Filming of Decibel(special appearance)

Mar 24-May 13: 오! 주인님 - Oh My Ladylord [Han Bi-soo] MBC

- Mar 9: Dazed [x] [y]

Feb 23: Marie Claire Korea [x] [y]

2020 <Go_od>

Feb 10-May 2: Filming of Three Days

2019 <Go_od>

Oct 12-Dec 1: 모두의 거짓말 - The Lies Within [Insp. Jo Tae-sik, 36] OCN

- Sep 19: Cosmopolitan [x] [y]

- Sep 24: Marie Claire Korea [x]

Feb 27: KNTV preview(Beauty Inside) [x]

Feb 3: Elle Korea [x] (Hong Kong)

2018 <Go_od>

Oct 1-Nov 20: 뷰티 인사이드 - Beauty Inside [Seo Do-jae] JTBC

Jul 5: 김비서가 왜 그럴까 - What's Wrong With Secretary Kim [Mi-so's father] tvN (flashback ep. 10)

Feb 8: 조선명탐정: 흡혈괴마의 비밀 - Detective K 3: Secret of the Living Dead [Heukdopo/Jung In-yul]

2017 <Go_od>

Oct 9-Nov 28: 이번 생은 처음이라 - Because This is My First Life [Nam Se-hee, 38] tvN

- Oct 23: Marie Claire Korea [x] [y]

Aug 7-Oct 26: Filming of Detective K 3: Secret of the Living Dead

2015 <Go_od>

Jan 28: 내 심장을 쏴라 - Shoot Me in the Heart [Seung-min, 25]

2014 <Go_od>

- Dec 30: Elle Korea [x] [y]

Aug 7: Enlisted in the army; assigned as public service worker to Yonsan-gu office, Seoul

- Aug 2: Entertainment Weekly [x]

Section TV Entertainment ep. 713, 724

Entertainment Weekly ep. 1526, 1534

Jun 14: 황제를 위하여 - For the Emperor [Lee Hwan]

- Mar 15: Marie Claire Korea [x]

Jun 13: Witch Hunt ep. 44

Jun 5: Happy Together ep. 349

Mar 16: 몬스터 - Monster [Tae-soo]

- Mar 13: Elle Korea [x]

Nylon

2013 <Go_od>

UNIONBAY

Oct 31: Han So-hyeon(한소현): Sorry MV appearance[x]

May 5-Jul 31: Filming of Monster

Section TV Entertainment ep. 667

Entertainment Weekly ep. 1468, 1486

Mar 21: 연애의 온도 - Very Ordinary Couple [Lee Dong-hee]

- Mar 14: Lee Min-ki with 3rd Coast: Those Days I Had with You [x] [inst]

- Apr 11: Lee Min-ki with 3rd Coast: Everything [x] [inst]

Feb 25: Cosmpolitan [x]

Jan 16: A Song for Island Memoir [x] [x]

Jan 11: Fanmeeting [Japan]

2012 <Go_od>

Section TV Entertainment ep. 662

Entertainment Weekly ep. 1439

Apr 9: NELL(넬): The Day Before MV appearance[x]

Jan 30-Mar 20: 닥치고 꽃미남 밴드 - Shut Up Flower Band Boy [Joo Bung-hee] tvN (cameo)

- Feb 6: SUFBB OST: Not in Love (single) cover MV [x] [y] [inst.]

UNIONBAY

The Class

~Jan 18: "Youth" Photobook

2011 <Wellmade Star M> <Go_od>

Midnight TV Entertainment ep. 338

Dec 4&6: Fanmeeting “Minki’s Forest” [Omiya&Osaka, Japan]

Dec 1: 오싹한 연애 - Spellbound [Ma Jo-goo] [x]

Nov 27: Running Man ep. 70

Oct 28: Elle [x]

Jul 20: 퀵 - Quick [Han Ki-soo]

Vogue Girl

The Class

Beatles Code ep. 49, 50

Yoon Do-hyun’s MUST ep. 4

Live Talk Show Taxi ep. 202

Jan 15: Fanmeeting [Tokyo, Japan]

2010 <Wellmade Star M>

Aug 6-Dec 20: Filming of Quick

Mar 13: Filming of Brother Young Ja-ya is cancelled due to production issues [x]

Max Beer CF [x]

2009 <Wellmade Star M>

Sep 25: Kim Jung-eun’s Chocolate ep. 72

Sep 17: “News of the Imagination”

Sep 3: Live Talk Show Taxi ep. 103

Aug 27: Live Talk Show Taxi ep. 102

Aug 10:  Lee Min-ki NO KIDDING EP [x] [y]

- Eternal Summer MV [x] [y]

- Dreaming [x]

- Joujou (Let Me See the Love) [x]

- Play My Way [x]

- Tonite, Tonite [x]

- Joujou (♥Minki Remix) [x]

Aug 6: 10억 - A Million [Park Cheol-Hee]

Aug 3: Come to Play ep.254

Jul 22: 해운대 - Tidal Wave [Choi Hyeong-Sik]

Feb 22-May 6: Filming of A Million

Feb 19: 오이시맨 - Oishii Man [Kim Hyun-suk]

- Feb 23: Oishii Man OST:

-- Frozen Mountain [x]

-- Neanderthal Man II [x]

-- Disappears Like That

-- A Match for You [x]

TBJ

2008 <MEN> <Wellmade Star M>

Dec 31: FreeTEMPO Power of Love Tour- Miller FRESH countdown 2009 [x]

Dec 24: 로맨틱 아일랜드 - Romantic Island [Lee Jung-hwan]

Dec 10: Lee Min-ki feat. Weekenders: We Can't Forget the Reason [x]

Nov 15: Performed a rendition of My Way for the Mnet KM Music Festival(MKMF) opening act [x] [y]

Nov 14: FreeTEMPO feat. Lee Min-ki: Power of Love Part 2 [x]

Nov 28: Japan Fanmeeting [Japan]

Sep 26: FreeTEMPO feat. Sheean and Lee Min-ki: Power of Love MV appearance [x]

Come to Play ep. 224

Aug 22: The One(더원): My Girl MV appearance[x]

Aug 18-Dec 17: Filming of Tidal Wave

Mar 13: 허밍 - Humming [Oh Chun-jae]

LG Telecom OZ [x] [y]

2007 <MEN>

Dec 21: Fanmeeting "Hello, Minki" [Japan]

Oct 8-Nov 27: 얼렁뚱땅 흥신소 - Evasive Inquiry Agency [Park Mu-yeol] KBS2

Aug 27: The Name&Choi Jin-yi(Rumblefish): After Break-up MV appearance [x]

Heroine 6

Come to Play ep. 129

Sangsang Plus ep. 151

Feb 8: 바람 피기 좋은 날 - A Good Day to Have an Affair [College Student]

Jan 22: Ya Shim Man Man ep. 196

Jan 3-Mar 15: 달자의 봄 - Dalja's Spring [Kang Tae-bong, 27] KBS2

2006 <MEN>

Sep 7: 뚝방전설 - Three Fellas/Riverbank Legends/Bar Legend [High-school Student #7] (cameo)

~Jul 16: Filming for cameo in Riverbank Legends

Jul 12: Rainbow Romance OST: Before I Become Sad [x]

May 2: I Really Really Like You OST: Like Candy 2 [x]

Apr 8-Aug 6: 진짜 진짜 좋아해 - I Really, Really Like You/Love Truly [Nam Bong-ki, 28] MBC [x]

LITMUS

Feb 5: X-men ep.97 [x]

2005 <MEN>

Pizza Etang CF [x]

Oct 29-Nov 19: 태릉선수촌 - Taereung Athletic Village [Hong Min-ki, 26] MBC [x]

Oct 24-Nov 3 2006: 레인보우 로망스 - Rainbow Romance [Lee Min-ki] MBC

LITMUS

LG Telecom Phone & Fun CF [x]

Aug 6: 계룡산 부용이 - Booyong of Mt. Kyeryong [Hyeong-su] KBS Drama City [x]

Jul 24: X-men ep.69 [x]

Jun 19: X-men ep.64 [x]

Jun 5: X-men ep.62 [x]

Jun 1: SoulStar(소울스타): Only One For Me MV appearance [x]

Feb 14-Sep 30: 굳세어라 금순아 - Be Strong, Geum-soon! [Noh Tae-wan, 26] MBC

Jan 2: 오!사라 - Oh! Sarah [Kim Dong-kang] KBS Drama City [x]

Nina(니나) Hit'm MV appearance [x]

Come to Play ep. 69

X-men ep. 35-43

2004 <MEN>

Jun 13: 우리 햄 - My Older Brother [Kang Min-ki] KBS Drama City [x]

Nizoral CF [x]

2003

SK Telecom

[blog-brett-matthew-west-gazette]

Barriers To Mass Shootings

in my latest post, I touched on America's Infatuation With Mass Shootings. In fact, that was the title of the piece. This time around, I will offer more insights on that theme.

Most of the time the FBI classifies mass killings as four or more victims not including the perpetrator of the crime. There are other variables factored into these counts as well. Among them the FBI considers mental illness, the use of an assault weapon or magazine, and whether or not the gun possessor was prohibited from possessing the weapon in the first place.

A wide variety of reasons are presented for mass killings including:

-domestic violence

-gang retaliation

-murder/suicide

-workplace violence

-school shooting

While the incidences of mass shootings continue, so do barriers to preventing them. Two of the biggest ones are:

-Congress's reinstating a ban on semi-automatic rifles remains far away

-new standards established by the United States Supreme Court for reviewing gun laws and calling into question national firearms restrictions

According to the AP/USA Today article I previously cited in my latest post, the yearly average of mass killings since statistics began being recorded in 2006 is 31.1 incidents and 162 deceased. 2019 saw 45 mass shootings, the most in one year. In 2017 there were 60 people slaughtered when a gunman opened fire on a Country music festival on the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. This remains the mass shooting with the highest number of fatalities in Modern American history.

The reality appears to be if someone is bent on committing a mass shooting they will discover a method to carry the deed's butchery out. Is it not the role of American society to place whatever obstacles and barriers they can in the path of these people to make their horrendous crimes much more difficult to fulfill?

If this be true, why, with a handful of exceptions, are there very few major policy changes on all sides of the house on the near horizon at either the state or federal level?

I'll wait for responses to this inquiry from the powers that be. But, don't hold your breath. The answers to that question may be too far off, and too slow coming, which would then propose perhaps those powers need to be replaced in order to create barriers against mass shootings?

Some states attempting to combat mass shootings are taking steps like:

-more gun control within the borders of those states

-mandated criminal background checks to purchase shotguns and rifles

-bans placed on various types of semi-automatic weapons

-background checks for the youngest purchasers of guns

-keeping guns from domestic violence offenders

-red flag laws to remove guns from people who demonstrate signals they could be violent

I do not profess to have the answers to stopping mass shootings. I will submit shouldn't the United States be much more alarmed by these shootings? Have these bouts of insanity become nothing more than another ingrained practice in America's conscious?

One opponent to more gun control stated, "in a nation of approximately 335 million people, there are just a handful of them each year that carry out mass shootings. That makes mass shootings rare."

Isn't this quoted person proclaiming they believe mass shootings are acceptable?

Shouldn't the question be isn't one person who performs a mass shooting too many?

I say something needs to be immediately accomplished to correct this issue. Personally, I am not opposed to gun ownership, and I realize there are those who will not agree with that statement. Furthermore, I do not believe guns are inherently bad, or that they kill people. Can anyone document even one instance where a gun picked itself up, aimed itself at someone, and shot them? To my wherewithal, there is not one single occasion of those events ever happening.

Simply stated, people kill people. And, that is what drastically needs to be changed.

So, what is your position on the mass shootings controversy?

[mim526]

The Devaluing

It's been a few days now and the news of official Sussex prince/princess titles has settled in.

King Charles is understood to have agreed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's children should use their royal titles before the release of Prince Harry's blistering memoir Spare. Hello! magazine claimed the discussion between the monarch and his second son about whether Archie Harrison and Lilibet Diana would use their titles of Prince and Princess was undertaken in late 2022. In January, the world learned more in-depth about the fractured relationship between the Duke, the Firm and his family as he opened up in Spare.

I've considered the longer game King Charles may be undertaking (summarized excellently in an HG Tudor podcast). I've thought alot about Sussex/BRF&Britain interaction, the Coronation, etc. People, myself included, are not blind to the tightrope the BRF walks to keep on the right side of public opinion (not racist, etc.) and not push Harry completely away or destabilize him in some way, etc.

My original reactions after mulling things over remain, and I've worked a few things out in my own mind as an outsider. If I had to pick one word/thing to describe what underlies everything about the Sussexes actions and BRF/Britain reactions, what really bothers people, I think it would be devaluation.

Devaluation = To diminish the value of. Debasing. Depreciating. Cheapening.

---> H&M Trashed BRF/Britain

FACT: There can be no doubt Harry and Meghan have devalued the BRF and monarchy. The public smearing started when they did not get the attention they wanted or felt they deserved and left the UK in 2019 and continues.

---> Charles Participates in the Devaluing by not addressing it & Giving Honor(s)

When you give honors to the progeny of individuals who smear you, your life's work, your country not once but repeatedly, you participate in their devaluing of you. This is what so upset the public about Sussex children's titles: not only have the Sussexes devalued with few and minor consequences, they've been honored for it.

They act without honor and give no honor/respect but expect honor and favour be given to them...and what the Sussexes want, the Sussexes get with a few exceptions. UK Government required 28 days notice to provide adequate security for Harry. Does anyone think he gave it when he showed up without previous press comment for this week's preliminary court hearing in lawsuit he/others filed?

---> When We Think it's Worthy of Respect, We Require It

One of the central hallmarks of King Charles III in his interactions with the people of the UK and Commonwealth is appreciation and respect for the diversity of its people. Yet by allowing his son to repeatedly demean the BRF and the UK with near impunity, he is sending a message that neither the BRF or the people in the nation for which he is head of state are worthy of respect.

---> Family or Monarchy, the Correct Response to Devaluing Is the Same

Whatever the long game, it's secondary to the primary issue. Never complain, never explain is good in most cases but where the survival of the monarchy is at stake the monarch must take action...as the leader, not a supplicant anxious not to offend. Whether the devaluing is directed toward family or monarchy: the correct response to it remains the same. You do not allow it to occur without public comment and without visible, real consequences**. Responding to every defamatory word is not necessary; most things a single public statement or visible action will suffice with the rest of the consequences occurring behind the scenes. The important thing is that for every defamation there will be a consequence, count on it.

Same for the coronation: whether it's a father wanting his son to attend or a prince at a major state event, you as monarch and father set the guidelines and they're either followed or no attendance. IT'S CALLED LEADERSHIP. You do not negotiate with individuals who do not act in good faith, whose actions demean you and who mean to destroy what you hold dear...which includes freedom of speech and a free press BTW.

"Justice must not only be seen to be done but has to be seen to be believed." ~ J. B. Morton

**Consequences are for preservation of both monarchy and son. Monarchy is jeopardized when a royal so high in line of succession devalues it unchallenged by the monarchy's head, and lack of consequences through the years for Harry is self evident now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Equally important to addressing devaluing behavior is recognizing those who appreciate and act honorably. Forget worrying about floating PR trial balloons and racism accusations...they're coming whatever you do because that's the way victim narrative wokies roll. Merit is the name of the game; just do the right thing. More expressions of pride and affirmation from a father/king for the son who chose and continues to choose duty and honor come to mind...maybe at least one for every rotten act/word from Hank & Skank (h/t Real Housewives Recaps channel on YT).

Recently two individuals who enhance, upgrade, appreciate, boost -- the exact opposite of devaluing -- were honored:

Edward and Sophie, Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (March 10, 2023)

[fuckyeahjoonmyun]

Singles Magazine May 2019 issue - Interview with Suho

We filmed all day long going around all the corners of Paris.

“Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I roamed the streets freely like this. I usually like holidays where a lot of walking is required, but it is my first time in Paris. It was nice to be able to experience the feel of Paris (from) up-close because of the shoot. The weather was nice too. I think Paris definitely is an artistic city.”

What is the thing you want to try the most while you’re in Paris?

“I went to The Louvre yesterday, which was right next to our hotel. There are a lot of art exhibitions I’ve been wanting to see so I plan to visit the museums in Paris, like Musée d’Orsay and Musée National Picasso-Paris, in my spare time. Recently, I’m hooked onto Van Gogh so I plan to visit Auvers-sur-Oise, where he stayed before he passed on. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s an area on the outskirts of Paris, and it takes an hour and a half to get there by train.”

Which of Gogh’s charms moved your heart?

“I wasn’t interested in art before, but I completely fell in love after seeing Van Gogh’s self-portrait in a museum I visited in Switzerland while I was there two years ago for a pictorial shoot. It was my first time properly seeing a painting so close that I could see the brushstrokes. There are many self-portraits that Van Gogh drew, but it was impressive that each piece expressed him differently. I was surprised each painting held so many emotions that you can guess Gogh’s psychological state even as years pass.”

What if you drew your own self-portrait, just like Gogh?

“I can’t draw well, but if I had to, I would want to draw myself in just a peaceful state.”

There are many people who recognise you even in Paris. We’re curious about how it feels living as a K-Pop start who people all around the world pay attention to.

“Sometimes I’m amazed myself. Our languages and countries are different, so how did they discover our music and become our fans? I think it’s probably because many seniors starting from DBSK and Super Junior hyungs have paved the way for K-Pop fandoms in particular to rapidly form in Europe and South America. I hope K-Pop music receives a lot more love in the future.”

It is not unimaginable for you to roam the streets freely in Seoul like you did today? How do you balance the different between EXO’s Suho and Kim Junmyeon the individual?

“There’s no difference between the two. I put in effort so that differences won’t form, and I think I’ve been able to maintain the balance because of my good friends around me. I often meet with the alumnus of K-ARTS Acting Department’s class of ‘09. I dropped out after attending for only a year, but we consistently keep in contact. Although there are friends who stopped acting halfway, most of them are still acting so we also practise acting when we meet. All of them easily treat me as Kim Junmyeon the individual. All we do when I meet my friends are watch movies, exercise, and have a light glass of wine while we talk, but I receive a lot of help from those gatherings.”

It’s been seven years since EXO debuted. You’re leading the team as one of the eldest hyungs. What thoughts come to mind when you look back on the time spent together with the members?

“I wonder if seven years have really passed. Time is really fast. Recently, all the members are busy with their own things so it’s difficult to gather together, but our hearts are always close to one another. I want to show a good image in the future too while promoting through EXO’s name for a long, long time.”

Chen’s single ‘Beautiful Goodbye’ is receiving positive reactions recently. Do you not have plans for a solo album?

“I’ve been working on songs in my spare time. It would be nice if it could happen as soon as possible, but I don’t want to rush it. I want to be a singer-songwriter who can relay my stories in my music, so I’m slowly preparing it step by step.”

You’re acting too. You’ve been constantly showing new sides through various genres like dramas, movies, and musicals. Your serious attitude towards acting that’s as good as your attitude towards music stands out.

“Acting is interesting because it’s a genre where you experience another’s life and express it. It’s fun to try be someone who’s not me. So I try to empty and hollow myself out whenever I’m acting. It’s more exciting especially for musicals because we act together with music. I haven’t done a lot of projects, but it’s thrilling to be able to directly meet the audience up-close and feel the harmony. I can also immediately feel the audience liking it on the days I’m satisfied with myself. Whether it’s music or acting, or anything else, I think you’ll receive sincere reactions when you do them sincerely.”

Is there a genre or role you want to try as an actor?

“There’s nothing in particular, but I want to try something that’s different from the images of the few characters I’ve played until now. Actually, instead of what roles I act, I learn a lot of things I didn’t know about the acting process itself in front of the camera, even if it’s a small role. There are good seniors around me so they tell me a lot of nice things. So it’s enjoyable and fun.”

Your stage name Suho has the meaning of ‘to protect’. What is the most precious thing in life that Suho wants to protect the most?

“Innocence, purity, dreams. All of them have something in common. I think it’s important to not change and protect the dream that I’ve been purely dreaming about since I was younger. Although it is definitely possible for dreams to change a little as we live, I think it’s most important to not lose the heart that was earnestly wishing for that dream.”

Do you have a new dream for the future?

“I want to be someone who provides a positive influence to those around me and sets an example. I think it’s a good thing to become a precedent. Even if I’m not the first, I hope to be someone who can be an example to someone as a senior, as a hyung. I want to be someone whom one can look at and say, ‘Ah, I want to be like that person,’ while making them want to dream. But I’m not at that age yet (laughs).”

Your birthday is coming. How do you plan to spend your 29th birthday?

“I was filming my drama last year. There’s a high chance that I’ll probably be working this year too (laughs). If I don’t have anything scheduled, I think I’ll probably simply have a drink with my friends at a tented street stall (pojangmacha).”

The prime of youth, the most beautiful time in life, is passing. How do you want to spend the last chapter of your 20′s, facing your 30′s now?

“I’m not the type to think too much of age, so I don’t have plans for something that I definitely must do. Age is just a number, so it’s not important. I think what’s more important is how we think and what kind of mindset we live with. I want to be someone who maintains my heart from pure times even when I become 30, 40. Instead of thinking and worrying about the days that are coming, I want to focus on now, this moment, the present.”

That’s a good thought. When you end your holiday in Paris, who would you write a letter for if you had to?

“Ah, I didn’t know you’d ask this question but I’ve really planned to write a letter for the EXO members. April 8 is EXO’s 7th debut anniversary, and I plan to buy writing paper with a drawing of the Eiffel Tower on it and write a letter since I’ll be in Paris then. It again feels new that I’m thinking of the members after coming so far. I plan to sincerely write everything I’ve wanted to say to each member. I hope they become good memories ❤”

(trans. cr: acquatastic)

[agheaven]

The American Girl Magazine Scan Project

I'm finally biting the bullet & working to scan every single American Girl Magazine issue that I currently have in my collection! I don't have every single issue, but I still have a solid chunk of the 2000s issues and that's not nothing.

I'm approaching this scanning project by scanning and cleaning in batches of months rather then by year. So instead of scanning all of my 2003 issues in one go, I'll be scanning every September/October issue I have. I plan to clean and upload all the scans in the batch before I move on to the next batch.

You can find a list of all the American Girl Magazines I have in my possession on this page.

Current Progress

Recently Purchased Issues/Provided Scans that I still need to upload:

July/August 2004 (Cleaner scans with many (but not all) missing pages restored)

March/April 2014

November/December 2014

Inserts for Jan/Feb & March/April 2015

May/June 2015

March/April 2016

May/June 2016

July/August 2016

January/February 2019

Upload Magazine scans onto the AG Magazine Side Blog

Where to find these Scans

The Internet Archive

Read the magazine in-browser!

Leave a comment!

Download JPGs or the PDF!

I would like to one day share the original files, including my original rough scans so people can make their own edits/adjustments to the original scans. However, the sheer scale of the project & the file sizes are much more data then google drive offers by default. If I'm able to find a suitable solution or workaround, I'll note it here.

American Girl Magazine Scans

JPGs of every issue I have scans of!

Tags so you can look up artists, writers, and themes across multiple issues!

Reblog and share around on Tumblr!

I set up a side blog that will be devoted entirely to sharing scans from American Girl Magazine! Think of it as a backup to the Internet Archive upload: I can't upload PDFs onto Tumblr, but I can share JPGs of the scans. I can even tag them, so people looking for a specific subject or artist can do so more easily! I only started this side blog recently, so I am still getting caught up to what I have uploaded on the Internet Archive.

Help Needed

A lot of these issues were the same ones I used in my childhood, and as a result a lot of bonus materials are missing, such as the mini mags, posters or any stickers or posters. In some extreme cases, I'm even missing the magazine cover.

I've tried to make note of the pieces I'm missing both in the file names, the file description on the archive page, and on the list of AG Magazines currently in my possession. It's highly possible I might not notice pieces are missing until I'm scanning.

If you happen to have the missing materials/pages and you are gracious enough to scan it on my behalf, I will be in your debt. The missing material will be added to the uploads, and credit will be given to you as desired. You can find details on how to submit missing scans to me through this SUBMISSION POST!

If you do not have these issues, you can also help me buy issues by donating money to my Ko-Fi.

I hope you enjoy these scans!

[tilynation]

Hailee Steinfeld

I’m on the @whatiwillsay podcast this week to discuss all things Hailee Steinfeld - link!

Her Career

True Grit - 2010. Nominated at 14 years old for Best Supporting Actress Academy Award.

2015 - appeared in Shawn Mendes’ “Stitches” (acoustic) music video. Appeared in the Bad Blood music video. “Love Myself” single released.

Pitch Perfect 2 - 2015 / Pitch Perfect 3 - 2017

The Edge of Seventeen - 2016. Golden Globe nominee for Best Actress.

2016 - hit single “Starving” released

Marvel Cinematic Universe - Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, voiced Gwen Stacey in Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.

2018 - “Colour” song and music video with MNEK, out gay British pop artist.

2019-2021 - played Emily Dickinson in “Dickinson” and was an executive producer on the show.

Hailee & Taylor

2011 - Taylor and Hailee were introduced by Emma Stone.

2012 - Hailee was backstage at the Red tour.

January 2013 - took trip together to Paris and posted about it. Several magazine articles. Taylor was in France to perform at an awards show in Cannes.

May 2013 - hung out at the Met Ball. Took Memorial Day trip together to Rhode Island and were papped.

September 2013 - papped shopping in West Hollywood. The night before, Taylor went to the Fun concert with Dianna and Sarah Hyland.

October 2013 - Taylor went to Hailee’s “Romeo + Juliet” movie premiere. Articles said Taylor was like Hailee’s big sister.

December 2013 - Hailee stayed over at Taylor’s house a few nights before Christmas. Posted some Swiftmas photos doing Christmas-y things.

January 2014 - hung out at a Golden Globes after party.

April 2014 - Glamour and Just Jared articles about Hailee and Taylor. They were papped walking around NYC going out to dinner. Hailee was 17 at the time. Taylor was 24. Hailee was on the cover of Nylon’s Young Hollywood issue. Hailee said that she and Taylor are good friends, “do everything together from baking cookies to vacationing in Rhode Island with matching outfits.”

March 2015 - iHeart Radio Awards.

May 2015 - Hailee was at Taylor’s after party for the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. One of the first Tayvin appearances.

Bad Blood Music Video - released in May 2015. Premiered at the Billboard Music Awards. Hailee and some of the squad attended. Hailee was “The Trinity” in the video.

1989 Tour - Hailee walked the stage with Taylor, Lena Dunham, Gigi, and Lily Aldridge at a July 2015 tour stop in New Jersey.

2015 VMAs - August 2015. Won a moon man for Bad Blood mv.

March 3, 2016 - Taylor posted a photo with Hailee, Selena, and Camila for Camila’s birthday.

August 2016 - Hailee interview in Billboard/Seventeen. The 1989 era squad doesn’t see each other very much. “Not as close with Taylor as people think.”

October 2016 - US magazine article about group chat with the squad. Hailee seemingly left the squad as it transitioned towards the Brit girls.

January 2021 - in a radio interview, Hailee learned that “Evermore” may be partially based on Emily Dickinson.

December 2021 - Ivy plays during the closing credits of a Dickinson episode after Emily and Sue have sex.

Public Romances

Charlie Puth - 2015 - Hailee was spotted backstage hanging out with him at the AMAs. Never officially confirmed.

Cameron Smoller - 2016/2017. Attended the Golden Globes and other events together. Posted about each other on IG. Maybe back together in 2019-2021, but probably just stayed friends. Went to a Republic Records party and a Billie Eilish concert.

Niall Horan - Dec. 2017/Dec. 2018. Friends beforehand. Attended some events together.

Possible WLW

October 4, 2015 - posted a photo of herself on stage and captioned it “G-A-Y”

June 12, 2016 - tweeted about attending LA Pride and joining the LGBTQ community at Pride. “I could have danced all night in celebration of our freedom and equality.”

Sophie Turner

2015 - release of the Barely Lethal movie they did together. Movie was filmed in 2013.

Friends from 2013 - 2016. Photographed holding hands and wearing similar-ish outfits in 2015, including at a Barely Lethal screening in LA and a fan meet and greet in London. Sat front row next to each other at a London fashion week show. 2014 - papped holding hands and getting ice cream in Malibu.

Reunited and took a photo together at Coachella in 2017. Hailee was there with Cameron and Sophie was there with Joe Jonas.

Hailee was rumored to have set Sophie and Joe up in 2016 when they first started dating. A rumor she denies, but she’ll “take credit for it” because they are cute together. (Jimmy Fallon)

Sophie and Joe announced their engagement in 2017. Married twice in 2019. As far as I can tell, Hailee did not attend either of Sophie’s weddings. Sophie is out as “falling for souls not genders” and admitted in an interview to previously dating men and women.

2019 - Hailee and Sophie danced together and hung out at the VMAs. The three also hung out at the Vanity Fair Oscar party that year.

In late 2021 on the Netflix roast of the Jonas Brothers, Sophie talked about Joe’s purity ring and described who Joe had his fingers in, “co-stars, actresses, and supermodels.” No mention of Taylor.

Hailee was voted the #1 woman on the 2022 L Chat Hot 100 poll.

[saint-miroir]

Abt 2000s 2010s shoujo mangakas..

Are they still active in Japan? Or the lack of info about their new works on mainstream intl..is them retiring?

Or those 90s 00s shoujo artist just changed artstyle?

Or maybe my info is warped bcoz there are just a handful shoujo anime now. Compares to pre2012s

Hi, thank you for your question!

I’d say it does depend on the mangaka. Wataru Yoshizumi has a series that started in 2019 and appears to be ongoing. I know that Mia Ikumi tragically passed away from a Subarachnoid hemorrhage this year, but did the artwork for the Tokyo Mew Mew Re-turn manga in 2020 not long before her passing. However, even she hadn’t put out any works for many years until then. Pink Hanamori also has an ongoing Mermaid Melody sequel in Nakayoshi, but this seems to be the most recent thing she’s done since 2008. Mihona Fujii resumed the GALS! manga in 2019 after it seemingly ended in 2002. Arina Tanemura is also still active. Nakahara An of Kirarin Revolution fame finished her latest series in 2020. Nami Akimoto released quite a few works as recently as 2021, though they seem to mostly be single-volume releases. These are just a few examples, but in my experience, some of the most prolific mangaka from around that time are still active, but they usually come out with a new series every few years and tend to maybe have one ongoing manga currently running in a magazine (Tanemura and Yoshizumi). Others may not release anything for years, but may end up releasing a reboot/revival for one of their most famous and nostalgic works (such as in the case of Ikumi and Hanamori). One manga artist that comes to mind who seems to keep releasing very consistently over the years since around the mid 2000s is Ema Toyama. Her works have seemed oddly inescapable within the past 10 or so years. I do occasionally find mangaka for some series that are outright no longer active, though I’m struggling to think of any off the top of my head at the moment.

There could be various reasons for why mangaka take long breaks in between series or just outright quit after some time. As everyone knows, being a mangaka is extremely demanding and stressful work. Miho Obana, for instance, released her last work in 2010 and has a past history of tendonitis which she has gone on hiatus for before. It’s not unusual for the work to lead to health problems due to the extremely strict deadlines and heavy amounts of stress. There could also be other personal issues in their life that need tending to.

Another thing that could be affecting your perception could also be the number of series released where you live. Arina Tanemura still seems to be popular enough in the west (or at least well known enough), but I swear a lot of the popular shoujo mangaka from the 90s and early 2000s seldom get works released here anymore (at least where I live, in the United States. I’m not sure if its different where you live). I was actually relatively surprised (but pleasantly so) to see that Marmalade boy was getting an English re-release by Seven Seas. There’s seemingly such a limited number of shoujo series that get released outside of Japan and I feel that what is readily available where we live might not accurately reflect the reality of who is and is not still active. When you haven’t seen a work released from one of your favorite mangaka from that time period in a long time, it can make you wonder what they’re currently doing, and if they’re even still making manga at all. You also make an interesting point about how there are even fewer shoujo anime adaptations than there once were, but I feel that we’re starting to see a small change in that, and I hope that it continues. I could get into another rant about why we’re seeing such a lack in shoujo adaptations today, but I’ll refrain from doing so.

I’ll admit I’m certainly no authority on the matter and I worry my answer won’t be very helpful. There are certainly people who could give a much more informed, in-depth answer, but I hope I could at least provide some insight, if any at all.

[architectuul]

Autobus Park №7: Kyiv’s Abandoned Transport Circus

Kyiv might be Europe’s single greatest city for late-twentieth century Modernist architecture. It boasts many wild, eclectic, and vividly imaginative examples of the style, built during the height of Soviet monument-mania. Though amongst its steel and concrete marvels of Soviet-era architecture, one of Kyiv’s most striking modern buildings has, in recent years, also become one of the city’s most problematic ruins. Autobus Park №7  – once the pride of the Ukrainian transport industry – exists today as a decaying morgue for almost a thousand abandoned buses.

Autobus Park №7 today. | Photo © Darmon Richter

The design challenge of the Autobus Park №7 was to create an efficient depot capable of housing and maintaining a fleet of some 500 buses, in an urban environment where building space was limited. Had the building been constructed like a warehouse, or a factory, using a square plan and a regular pillar-based solution for supporting the roof, it was estimated that the total size of the building would have needed to be at least 4,000 square metres. However, an ingenious solution was proposed instead.

Under construction (1972), promotional photographs (1970s) and technical sketches (1979). | Photo via Khabarovsk Polytechnic Institute.

The chief engineers on the project, V. A. Kozlov and S. I. Smorgon, were responsible for the idea of using a cable-suspended roof. They took their inspiration from circus buildings – the cylindrical concrete-and-steel constructions which were by this time a ubiquitous feature in cities throughout the Soviet Union. By designing the building on a circular plan, and suspending concrete roof panels on cables strung between a central support pillar and the outer walls, it was found that both space and construction costs could be significantly reduced. Moreover, this design, with its organic, circular shape, lent itself more to what was then considered a modern and humanistic work environment for employees – while its form, reminiscent of circuses and Palaces of Culture, presented the bus depot not as a bland, functional box, but rather a community venue.

Kyiv’s Autobus Park №7 during its heyday with the tall building on the left accommodating administrative offices and staff canteens. | Photo via Exutopia

Left: Workers outside Kyiv Autobus Park №7 in 1977;  right: A new fleet of buses ready for service, 1975. | Photo via Exutopia

Kozlov and Smorgon built a 1:10 scale model to test their idea. The central support pillar would be 18 metres high, a tower of reinforced concrete with a diameter of 8 metres, consisting of 0.3-metre thick concrete walls around an inner support of solid steel with a cross-section of 0.32 x 0.22 metres. Attached to the top of this pillar, were 84 radial cables – steel ropes with a diameter of 65 millimetres. Each of these cables was able to support a weight of up to 350 tons, and the roof would be constructed on top of them: a suspended tent dome, created from concrete plates, and with a total diameter of 160 metres.

On its completion in 1973, the building was considered an engineering marvel – its hanging roof was one of the largest ever constructed, and this system of support reduced the building’s necessary size from 40,000 square metres (the estimate for a pillar-supported roof) to a footprint of just 23,000 square metres. 

Details of the relief on the front of building showing staff, passengers, vehicles, and the logos of various automotive brands. | Photo © Darmon Richter

As much as possible, the design aimed to take advantage of natural light. The concrete plates of the roof were fitted with portholes, most of which were concentrated close around the main support tower. In the outer wall, upright glass cylinders were installed between concrete panels, serving as sturdy support pillars that both insulated the building against the cold outside, and allowed refracted light to shine into the wings of the building. This solution proved particularly robust, and most of these glass pillars have survived intact since the early 1970s until this day. Between them, these design choices resulted in an interior space and working area that enjoyed bright sunlight during the day, thus minimising the additional cost of electrical lighting.

Attached to the 18m central support pillar, a metal staircase leads up to an observation platform. | Photo © Darmon Richter

Once operational, Autobus Park №7 was the largest vehicle depot in the Soviet Union – and it was rumoured, potentially the largest anywhere in the world. It served as more than just a garage, though. It was the base of operations for the entire fleet of buses serving the capital, including city buses, intercity buses, and also those working international routes, to Germany, Poland, Belarus and Russia. The building was fully air-conditioned, it featured a four-gate vehicle wash, and a mechanised repair bay fitted with conveyor belt systems. The building had a staff of 1,500 workers, and featured workers’ canteens, as well as a computing centre too – where teams calculated staff salaries and work shifts, as well as designing and optimising bus routes.

Sadly, the glory days of Autobus Park №7 would be short-lived. Following the break-up of the Soviet Union, many of the fleet’s international routes were discontinued. Services were gradually reduced through the 1990s, into the 2000s, while meanwhile, the building was increasingly used to store wrecked vehicles awaiting repair or decommissioning. The reduction of domestic bus routes in 2005 was a further blow, and eventually, in 2015, the autopark closed its doors for good – the building slipping into disrepair, as the once-proud circus was steadily transformed into a scrapyard.

Since it was officially closed in 2015, almost 1,000 buses have been stored inside the abandoned building. | Photo © Darmon Richter

Today, Autobus Park №7 in Kyiv seems to be locked in a downward spiral of decay. The building itself is nothing short of an engineering marvel, an extraordinary work of architecture that supporters have suggested could be adapted now into a museum, or even a film studio. In April 2018 a petition was registered on the website of Kyiv City Council, calling for the building’s preservation – but it only received 321 votes, a long way short of its target of 10,000 signatures. Even had it been successful though, good intentions don’t count for much without action and intent on the part of Kyiv City Council; where currently, any talks of potential preservation are being blocked at a bureaucratic level.

For 25 years the building has been owned by the company Kyivpastrans (‘Kyiv Passenger Transportation), whose deputy general director, Sergey Litvinov, has said that Autobus Park №7 poses an imminent risk of collapse, and, given the cost and scale of such a project, would be almost impossible to save. Meanwhile, other former transport depots around the city have already been bulldozed to make room for new residential blocks and shopping centres. Many property developers would jump at the chance of getting their hands on this 23,000-square metre plot – and from the perspective of the current owners, it is probably a more attractive financial proposition. The building is neither listed nor protected, so were it empty, there would be nothing to stop the owners from knocking it down overnight.

This rooftop capsule offered a panoramic view of the 180-metre diameter suspended roof of Autobus Park №7. | Photo © Darmon Richter

However, for the time being all parties are locked into a kind of stalemate over the building’s contents. The estimated 903 rusting vehicles stored inside (including LAZ, Volvo, Ikarus, and various other brands of urban and long-distance buses) pose a major administrative problem. These buses cannot easily be removed, or scrapped, as technically they are yet to be decommissioned from service. A new regulation that was introduced into Ukrainian law in 2013 complicated the bureaucratic procedure and created a backlog; so that all of the vehicles inside Autobus Park №7 today are – officially, on paper – still in service and awaiting audit. As such they cannot legally be taken apart for scrap, and right now, there’s nowhere else to store them in the city but here.

The vehicles have still not been officially decommissioned under Ukrainian law – which means they cannot be scrapped until the necessary paperwork is processed. | Photo © Darmon Richter

So for now, it’s a waiting game. If Kyivpastrans and Kyiv City Council are able to solve the bureaucratic headache of their vehicle decommissioning procedure, remove the abandoned buses, and then find the will, not to mention the funding, to undertake the colossal project of preserving Autobus Park №7 (while turning down more lucrative offers from property developers in the process), then perhaps the building might yet be saved. But in the meanwhile, the circus roof is sagging, and young trees are already sprouting from cracks in the concrete.

It may just be that this building, an engineering marvel of the Soviet period, having failed to find its place in a post-Soviet world, is doomed to go the same way as the regime that built it.

--

by Darmon Richter 

[adapted with permission from an article at Ex Utopia]

Sources: Smena Magazine (1974) Issue No.19 Khabarovsk Polytechnic Institute (1979) Reinforced Concrete Space Structures (lecture notes, p.24-26), M. P. Danilovsky Hmarochos (2018) Why are Storage Facilities for Faulty Kyivpastrans Buses Being Set Up in Kyiv? Kiev Vlast (2019) Kyiv City Council Decided to Solve the Riddle of Bus Depot №7

[deepwolfprince]

This Causes Induced Fission of 235U (2)

Simply check out our successful interracial dating blog and have a look at our take on current trends and affairs. However, Swift hasn't confirmed that the songs are about her current partner. Swift also revealed that he cowrote two of her "Folklore" songs and three "Evermore" tracks. נערות ליווי בתל אביב Fans have continuously picked up on small details that Swift included in her work that have potentially alluded to her boyfriend. And, per People magazine, Cabello and her boyfriend of more than a year broke up just a few days later. In the trailer for Mendes' Netflix documentary "In Wonder," the singer says "everything" is about Cabello. Mendes went on the podcast "Smallzy's Celebrity Small Talk" at the beginning of October and shared that he spent three months quarantining with Cabello and her family in Miami. They created the song somewhat spontaneously after they encountered each other again backstage during Taylor Swift's 1989 tour - Mendes was the opening act and Cabello was a special guest. On July 4, 2019, Mendes and Cabello were spotted holding hands in West Hollywood, per ET Canada.

Reports the two had broken up circulated over the summer, but Mendes and Cabello put them to rest in a few recent interviews detailing what they've been doing amid the coronavirus pandemic. Mendes told the publication. “Liking someone depends very much on that in-person ‘clicking,’ which is extremely hard to predict ahead of time,” she told me. On Twitter, Grande told a fan that Gomez doesn't have a favorite song on the album. The singer skipped the 2019 Grammys, despite receiving a nomination for best pop vocal album for her album "Reputation," to attend a BAFTA after-party with Alwyn. Speculations arose that the number stood for 1991, which is the year Alwyn was born. Webmath is a storage-help web resume that starts coaches to specific math questions and organizations, as shown by a woman, at any particular moment I am very likely about the upcoming year. The final questions should easily transition you out of the date while subtly implying that you’d be down to meet up again.

While there were plenty of crushes, my feelings were rarely (if ever) reciprocated. Lili did give a hint that white the costume won't involve any special effects, there may be a wig, meaning blonde-haired Betty is probably off the table. Whether it is you're looking for singles based on religion or age or appearance, you name it, and we can give it to you. With a commitment to connecting singles worldwide, we bring Latin America to you. As the leading Hispanic dating site, we successfully bring together singles from around the world. We are committed to helping you find the perfect match, no matter where in the world they may be. But just like most issues in the world of relationships, when it comes to clearing the air around the dreaded dating meaning, communication is almost always guaranteed to help any confusion. Other sites on our list - like PositiveSingles and Meet Positives - also offer resources, but their offerings are not as robust. Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez are officially a married couple. From the time that the couple met, fans have speculated that the "Boy Erased" actor has served as a muse for Swift's work.

January 2021: The couple split after almost a year together. Nearly a year after their single came out, the two were still shutting down reports that they were dating. Swift's 2019 song "Cruel Summer" hinted that the singer had feelings for Alwyn the summer before they started dating, when she was still seeing Hiddleston. A fan website released a video revealing that Alwyn was at the concert as well, although it remains unclear if the pair interacted inside the closed-door event. We have looked into all the ways we can enrich the user experience of our website for many years now, and we believe it is time to create a breakthrough interracial dating app that will accompany our website as best as possible! He says data from the website suggests that as men get older, the age gap they might countenance beneath them widens. It's not his problem if the originally published age is incorrect. What are the most important factors of a good app to meet cougars online? Now, we are proud to introduce the Interracial Dating smartphone application as well! And now, more than ever, people are becoming more connected with technology as a means of forming and establishing relationships.

[nightswithkookmin]

So every member has been posting on weverse or Twitter lately, they've been coming on vlive. But Jk has done none of this. Do you see his social media absence as a silent rebellion against BH for them trying to hide Jikook or do you think he's probably just staying away for like mental health reasons or something.

Run that by me one more time???

Are you asking for my opinion on why JK might be absent from social media or are you asking me to choose between those two opinions as explanation as to why Jungkook might be absent from social media???

Is it for his mental health or relationship??? Lol. You are juxtaposing two extremely opposite theories so one sounds more appealing and plausible to highlight the other as outlandish and ridiculous. But that's a fallacy ma'am. Nice try though.

Also, the part about BigHit hiding Jikook...

I object. You is leading the witness sir/ma'am.

It's a little bit silly and presumptuous to assume whenever a member is absent from social media that the only possible reason I could possibly think of is that they are rebelling against their company.

Sometimes it's just a case of volition and personal interests. Sometimes you just don't wanna be social on social media. Sometimes you have work, family, chores, practice. Sometimes you've outgrown the space or lost track of why you wanted to be apart of an online community in the first place. Sometimes it's the toxicity and wanting to take a break from it for your mental health. Literally a plethora of reasons all of which could be valid depending on the context.

I try to give my theories context by sharing as much of my thought process as possible. It's asinine to strip those contexts away and present me with a skinned theory devoid of context.

About his mental health-

Let's try it this way...

Your first Ask: is there ever a moment I wonder if Jikook are just platonic brothers or something along those lines.

Yes. When they are not together romantically. I look at them and go huh... that's a very platonic hug, or interaction. I still uWu over their interactions though.

Cute. Next.

Is he rebelling against BigHit....

Why would he?? What's the context?

Do you think BigHit is making changes JK and the others might not be happy with in the company? Do you think the company or the members are interfering in his self autonomy and determination within the group or suppressing him in anyway in regards to what he says, what he does or who he does it with?

If so then him rebelling in that way would make sense to me because he wouldn't be the first idol to have used that tactic. A lot of idols do these and worse to assert themselves against their company.

If there's no such underling subtext then him rebelling makes no fucking sense to me.

Is he staying away for his mental health

Again, do you think he's been exposed to severe amounts of toxicity and hate online beyond what all the members experience on a daily such that he would need a break from the internet to rejuvenate like we saw around 2019? If so then taking a break for his mental health would make a lot of sense too.

But for someone who keeps reiterating how important connecting with his fans is to him, you gotta wonder how he strikes a balance between his mental health needs, his emotional needs and his professional deeds.

This is the last he was seen on Weverse.

Relatively recent I'd say. So when you say he's absent from social media which timeframes do you mean? They were all pretty much off the grid until recent times post PTD not just him. Are they all dealing with mental health issues or are they all rebelling against their company or something?

You have all these tiktok trends and memes he's been referring to here and there and incorporating into their freestyle dance- seems to me he's active online alright. Just not in the way we are used to them being 'active' online. He is fulfilling that need to connect with his fans just not in a way you'd expect. I can say same for Jimin.

Just gonna have to observe things for a while to form a definitive opinion. If you know what I mean.

BigHit hiding Jikook

Sigh. Sounds like shade when you put it like that honestly and so I didn't want to touch it but also I don't think anyone in Bangtan has had an out in the open romantic relationship with anyone yet💀

Show me RMs partner or Suga's girlfriend.

BTS are hiding their relationships gay or straight. If you can see it from that angle then I think the idea of Jikook hiding their relationship or Bighit aiding them or asking them to privatize their relationship isn't so outlandish and ridiculous like you make it seem. BTS are allowed to date, they are just not allowed to make those relationships public💀

If Jikook were heterosexuals and in different bands I think a lot of people would have entertained the thought. Hell people are convinced they are each dating female idols and keeping it a secret. People are convinced JK is dating Mijoo and keeping that a secret but him dating a boy in the same band and keeping it a secret is kapushkalava😌

Theories of RM married and raising a kid abounds in this fandom and people entertain the idea. However, because Jikook are in the same band and play out certain interactions in front of the cameras the thought that they may be hiding sounds funny in y'alls ears? Jokers💀

Most idols hide their relationships and are required by their companies to keep that out of the public eye. Jikook are idols ergo they are required to hide and are hiding their relationships be it with themselves or with others.

And yes BigHit does aid them in doing so when they issue statements about that "this relationship rumor is false" or when the members evade questions about their relationships in a way to insinuate they are single and not in relationships.

How Jikook feel about being required by the company to keep their relationships to themselves or their peers taking it upon themselves to enforce those company policies of private relationships is up for debate and speculation.

BTS wrote a whole ass song dissing the company and calling them out for having a no dating policy yet expecting them to write love songs and yet somehow we think it's ridiculous that Jikook who are part of BTS would rebel against their company from time to time over certain mandates? Lmho.

Edit:

This ask was sent in a few days before JK's recent VLive. I started answering it and let it go to draft because I felt it was pointless to answer it. Especially since a lot of my thoughts on this were regurgitative, abstract, and based on my own subjective opinion and assumptions about the boys. I feel I keep repeating myself and repeating the same things I've been saying over and over with these kinds of shady trolling asks. Sigh.

However, due to recent events that gives more credit to my thoughts and feelings on the matter, I'll attempt to answer it again.

In JK's VLive he said he noticed it's been a while he interacted with Fans which is why he jumped on the Live to see Army- if we take his word for it and at face value then he said nothing about his mental health ergo it can't be because of that😌

Tae equally said in his VLive he noticed the others coming on VLive and so he thought he would come too.

Now, don't you think they wouldn't have come so spontaneously if they were dealing with mental health issues or trying to take care of their mental health???

There was a time Tae was constantly online interacting with Fans and I think I was one of the few people out here who speculated he was lonely and wasn't dating anyone at the time- which he confirmed in Soop by the way when he told JK he being online constantly was because he was lonely.

Do you think he staying off Social media in recent times is because of his mental or that he doesn't feel as lonely anymore??

I stay off line sometimes for my mental health, sometimes too it's because I feel there are people and things in my life I've neglected and need to spend time with and pay equal attention to them.

Sometimes it's because there's death in the family or studies, or work or a film I need to catch up on...

As to the relationship between campanies and artists- in case you can't pick up on the subtle cues some of the members leave- Suga captures it so well in his Weverse magazine interview.

We made you, as long as you follow our instructions you will be good. Idols are expected to be subservient and sycophantic. As Suga points out it's a thing in the industry and it's destroying the industry.

As to whether or not you think BTS are fully and totally exempt from this harsh reality because BigHit is different is up to you frankly. As to whether or not you think this type of attitude from companies can create friction and tensions between them and the bands is equally up to you.

As to whether you think certain members in BTS are more obsequious than others, more rebellious than others is equally up to you.

In what ways they rebel is up to you too.

That's part A.

Part B. Lol

I answered the first part of this Ask based on the assumption you were being shady. But just in case you were not then here is an alternative response.

Like I said, JK is not the only member who's been absent from SNS in recent times. They all were at one point.

It's interesting how they will promise to come on Vlive whenever they have some to sell us and only recently started showing up on Vlive consistently when Permission to Dance received such mixed reactions from the audience.

It seems their disconnect from their fanbase and its subsequent consequences is becoming much more apparent to them...

For Jungkook, I think the members discussed his rebellious phase at the beginning of the year when they talked about him not posting for the members's birthday, how they expect his post for Hobi to be a start of something new and Jimin even said he was gonna cut his head off if he didn't post for his birthday- I don't think in all the times he didn't post for the members it's because he was grappling with mental health issues. It's just a post. It doesn't take more than a minute to wish your bandmate a happy birthday on their birthdays.

Especially not when he was posting relatively regularly on SNS but would go radio silent on their birthdays... Forget mental health that's antisocial and we saw how the members felt about that from the VLive.

Also, I think it would be insensitive for the members to expect Jungkook to post on their birthdays or for Jimin to hold him to such high expectations when they know very well that he deals with mental health problems or was dealing with mental health issues in those periods he didn't post for them- whoever says Jungkook didn't post for the members because he was dealing with mental health issues is a fraud. Yea I said it. If I ever spewed that nonsense out here then I'm a fraud too chilee💀

His other forms of silent rebelliousness has been in passive aggressive backhanded remarks aimed at the company and at times certain members. In my opinion of course. He won't do what he won't do and if he has to do it he will do it huffing and puffing and later chat shit about it during pillow talks at night with his boyfriend.

So I don't know what it is he might zeffbe rebelling against now. Like I said, being asked to tone down does not mean he can't Jikook. They are Jikooking. It's just on the low low.

And when you say he is reacting to BigHit hiding Jikook, you have to take into account if Jungkook himself wants to keep things hidden and private. Why would he rebel against something if it's what he wants too?? Know what I mean?

This is why I was talking about context. Jungkook of 2018 and 2019 is not the same Jungkook now. He's pretty much the same person, has the same values but he is learning and growing and that is equally important in the way he sees the world around him.

For instance, he wasn't one to think much about the future when he made certain choices and this is something I've talked about a lot in my blogs. Carpedium, make hay while the sun shines etc used to be his values but now he places a lot of emphasis on thinking about the future, being considerate and about how his actions could impact his future.

Those two mindsets produce totally different actions. One is likely to do very childish things, one is not. One is likely to be reckless, not very ambitious, and less serious, while one is likely to be thoughtful, calculative, intentional and less impulsive. He talks a lot about growing up fast but now it seems to me he's catching up with the times.

This is not to say he is a different person but more so he is becoming. He is learning and unlearning. He is not there yet but he is getting there.

If he wants to sit with Jimin, Vlive with Jimin, post on his birthday and not the others, if he wants to stand in a line up next to him but he can't then definitely he's gonna react strongly to that. But as it stands he is not doing any of that in my opinion- not that I'm aware of. Dude is living his best life out here.

I think I've said this, he is happy with where they are at now. If he is not we will know. That's when they ghetto jumps out of him. Don't know if I'm making sense chilee. Lol.

On the part of the company, I can only speculate to the effect that they are looking for various means to optimize and leverage the bands high demand. That they are trying to monetize their platforms and so restricting access to the boys is part of their mid pandemic marketing strategy- something I have been saying from day dot since the pandemic hit.

Like Suga says, monetization is a huge problem in Kpop and the Pandemic has only exacerbated it.

Showing up on Vlive gives us free access to the boys. As often as we would like to see them through that medium it doesn't pay their bills- doesn't pay much especially if they earn money in Won or whatever currency Naver uses.

YouTube is great. However it comes with restrictions and challenges especially with censorship- videos can be demonetized easily and willy nilly, You have to comply with Coppa and YT guidelines. There's CPM- whixh I don't know if it's high for BTS...

Then there's that whole breaching into Korea/China market agenda going on with them etc

Bighit is a business. BTS is not a nonprofit organization. I think the members can understand that much should the company explain to them why they all- not just Jikook- need to limit access to them.

Bighit made them and holds a contract over their heads. There's a certain amount of control they have over them yet a certain level of autonomy they reserve within such a transaction or business relationship.

Take Tae's appearance in Peakboy's MV for example. It's indication BTS does have a ree will to embark on such out of company adventures. There's Hwarang and features and all these side hustles they do...

Yet in the same breath they were at one point prohibited from taking photos with fans on the streets and stuff like that- I guess I should say allegedly.

If they want to VLive they will- as to whether or not they can VLive outside schedule is another thing all together.

As spontaneous as their VLives can be, a lot of them are scheduled too. So it's interesting how they all went MIA for a noticeable minute without the company officially scheduling these 'compulsory' Fan interactions via Vlive or even YT.

Let's not pretend they don't post sometimes on behalf of certain members. Let's not pretend that that doesn't happen💀

Jungkook showed up on YT grumpy and passive aggressive talking about that he didn't know he was supposed to do a VLive, he wasn't prepared, his hair was messy, he didn't know how to operate things- sigh.

Then he nagged us to death about the arts and crafts thingy... but in his recent live he said singing is all he can do so he sang and thrust his hips away- we can't be mad at that.

So if your question is whether I think there's something up with BTS and how they are interacting with fans or not interacting with fans my answer is yes. I mean that much is obvious...

Money is the root of all evil blink blink. Lol.

Do I think there's something up with Jikook and BigHit my answer is yes still- my theory?? Well I'm still observing things and hoarding information. Can't put out half baked theories you know?

I'm a professional ship delulu theorist and I take my delusions seriously😐

I can say this though, I think BigHit has a lot to lose now that they are a publicly traded company. They have investors and stockholders they hold themselves accountable to- how the fear of a scandal or the stigma of a queer relationship plays into all that is yet to be seen.

They are trying to mitigate that risk through strategic marketing and business models- separating BigHit under Hybe is one, their partnership with Dispatch has always been one. There's just so much they are doing we don't know and can only assume or infer.

If their recent interviews and line of questioning has taught me anything, it's that they are all well aware of our theories on BTS and speculations on their sexuality and if Taemin's manager can ask him or was asked if he was dating Kai to his face then others can equally speculate, wonder and ask BigHit directly if Jikook being the sticky ones in the group are dating fueled by all the fandom theories out there.

Rumour says Jikook is gay and are dating eachother. How Bighit feels about this, how BTS feel about it, how Jikook feel about it open for discussion.

There are those who just want to nip all such rumours in the bud and those who want to lean into it and and profit off of it because negative attention is still attention.

Which brings me to your question about Jikook, because I see you sent that Ask in twice, they sure as hell are goofy and dorky. Jungkook admitted that much in his interview.

They are the ones to troll the lives out of us and feed into our delusions of them. It's why most people dismiss them as messing with fans and playful and fanservicey.

So I find it interesting that the members calling them a couple because of their outfits isn't being taken as goofy, dorky, fanservicey but as a reason to further invalidate their relationship.

If you can't take whatever Jikook says and does seriously then you certainly can't take whatever anyone says and does concerning them seriously either.

I will answer the rest of it under the Ask you sent in. This post is getting longer already.

I hope this helps.

GOLDY

[accio-victuuri]

2019 BJYX Timeline : Golden Hour Part I

You make me think of empty spaces begging to be filled. Of spacious streets, waiting be marred by tire tracks. The void ——The endless wait for something to happen.

Hello. We are now into 2019. This part is definitely more mellow than what happens in the second half of the timeline. Hence, finishing it faster than I thought I would. _へ__(‾◡◝ )>

JANUARY 2019

01012019 : Web is welcomed to Yamaha Team as a Racer. 

Web’s Post :  happy New Year to all! !! !! !! !! The racing career has begun! !! !! !!  Please call me driver Wang Yibo! !! !! !! ～～～～～

Yamaha Team’s Post:  Welcome @ UNIQ- 王一博 Formally join the 万里 达 Yamaha team Super Words Become a MLT YAMAHA contract driver, start his career, in the future Wang Yi Bo Super words will drive Yamaha YZF-R3 cars, representing the team for the 2019 season. Come on! TRACER-85!

01082019 : GG for Grazia 

01022019: Web CF making

01082020 : Lin Hai (composer of Wuji) posted on Weibo a picture of peppa pig dolls version of LWJ and WWX saying -  Xian Xian Pig and Ji Ji Pig caught the cold one after the other because they were surreptitiously kissing. CPN is that fans of Web noticed he was sick early in January and on his weibo post below, GG admitted to having the flu as well. 

01052019: On set of Gank Your Heart

01142019: Web CF with Skittles

01132019 : GG posts first selfie of the year ; He explains that he has a flu.

01172019: FIRE audio single released

Now you're mine, you and I, We should be heading away See the fire in my eyes The feels making me crazed And girl you got me so deep Let's write a story You should get to know me

01182019 :Web posts as selfie 

Selfie for you

01182019: GG posts a selfie too 

 01242019: Web x Shu Uemura CF

01262019 : Web x Home Facial Pro CF

01292019: Web interview with Hunan TV Spring Festival

This is where he said he really cannot say if he is in a relationship to the media. Oh the savagery! 

FEBRUARY 2019

022019: GG shooting Olay short AD  - Two sides of GG! 

02032019: Web preparing for Chinese New Year

02032019 :  GG posts a selfie and picture with jiangou

02052019: GG posts a message to his fans “Everything in 2018 felt like a dream to me, in the dream I gave it everything I had! There were a lot of new faces, exciting things and constant obstacles that I crossed in the dream! And you guys who are right next to me!” 

02082019: Wang Yibo x Elle

02112019: Web x Shu Uemura CF

02122019 : GG selfie!

02132019: Web x Elle and Chanel coco crush rings

02142018: How to make a Pineapple boat

02142019: Web weibo post on valentines day, showing off his moto. 

Forcibly spend Valentine's Day with me love beans! ❤️ you have a happy holiday Oh ~ ~ ~

02172019: GG selfie! 

02212019: Web x new one studio

02242019: Web x Home Facial Pro

MARCH 2019

03012019: Web - How to ride a motorcycle

03052019 : GG selfie with the love of his life = junkfood.

03092019: GG pouty selfie again

03112019: Web - How I prepare for a game

03112019 - GG X BElla E-magazine 

03122019 : GG X Fashionable Photoshoot 

03132019: Web releases a new single - LUCKY

If you're lucky We can lay up in the bed If you're lucky We can just go ditch the rest If you're lucky I can take you down If you're lucky you can wear the crown If you're lucky We can lay up in the bed

03152019: GG message to fans “I’m so fortunate to be an actor, I can have different experiences in my limited lifespan, each eliciting emotions of joy, anger, sadness, and happiness within me at all times.” 

03222019: Web x VogueMe

03222019 : Web posts on Weibo as he visits Rome 

03282019: They recorded Wuji together. 13!!! 

There is a whole CPN story with this recording. Aside from the fact that they look so happy recording it and the forever-question of “did they hold hands?” ; there is still more. Web was coming from Rome and rumor is he had to cancel and re schedule work to be with GG physically in the recording. Also, GG was photographed in the airport before this and fans were saying he looked really good. 

03292019: Web x YOUNGCHIC photoshoot in Tokyo

03302019 : Web message to Olay

03312019: Web x Olay CF

032019: GG posted this art, for his fans as his activities keep on getting cancelled.

APRIL 2019

042019: GG shoot for Cosmo 

04052019: Web x Bape and Formula 1

04052019: Web x FHM

04152019: Web x Shu Uemura

04152019 : GG selfie

04192019: Web attends VogueMe cool people event

04222019: Web x bazaar men

04252019: Web x Shu Uemura CF

04262019 : Web attends 10th China directors guild awards

MAY 2019

05012019: GG posts a message to fans “Don’t ruin your present, over a past filled with regret, and a future with only uncertainty! Please live in each present day, brightly! You deserve to live like this!” 

05052019: Web interview in Chanel exhibition

05022019 : Web posted himself racing / practice 

Today ’s results are quite happy ~ The photos are fine! (Xiang Xianghui will take photos from the curve!)

05032019 : Web participates in the GPGP race but was unable to do the final race due to  technical issues with his motorcycle. He had to push his moto to the end and very heartbreaking. 

Web posted on Weibo : Translation here

05052019 : Web posts on Weibo 

See you at the next stop! 🔥🔥🔥 @ Wan里达雅马哈team

05062019: Web x Chanel CF

05072019: Web celebrity reading

05072019: Web x Shu Uemura event

05082019: Web x Wei Quan Yogurt

05092019: Web x Ellemen fresh

05092019: GG selfie

05202019: Chinese valentines Day GG post where his fingers form 5/2/0. His top is similar to one Web owns. 

05212019: GG X tencent VIP commercial 

05222019: GG instagram post

“Don’t look back. Forever! ”

05242019: Web x Ok interview

05252019: Web x Shu Uemura x Maison Kitsune CF

05292019: Web x Size magazine

05252019: Web x Laneige CF

05262019 : Release of that TTXS episode where Web was in a blind date but he is just too savage. After drinking and talking a little, he says “Can I go now?” 

 05312019: Release of single for drama Gank Your Heart

052019 : At this time , GG was already taking some legal actions against Wajijiwa. There is a more comprehensive explanation of this drama here. 

JUNE 2019

Important BJYX events in this month was already discussed here.

06012019 : GG posts for Children’s day 

06012019 - GG X Olay 

*** Note 01: I hope I can keep up with this momentum. I am trying to include stuff that are more important to the CPN side of things. But I’m DOING MY BEST (ง •̀_•́)ง  to add everything I could. Everything, meaning their weibo posts /selfies / some quirky things that happened. These two boys are very lovely so I really want to highlight them individually too.

*** Note 02 : The second half of this timeline is very intimidating to even begin but there are a lot of resources-- so hopefully, Part 2 will be out sooner than later.  ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

[markivanmendoza]

PROJECT #1 - SOCIETAL PROBLEMS SCRAPBOOK

Development Communication

BAC-32

SOCIETAL PROBLEMS

Flaws in a society's structure cause societal problems, and they reflect and reinforce inequities based on social class, race, gender, and other factors. Successful social problem solving necessitates a significant shift in society's structure. Here are the top societal issues that exist in the world:

1. POVERTY - There is rarely a single source of poverty. A combination of issues, such as increased living costs, poor salary, a lack of work, and insufficient social security benefits, has resulted in some people being unable to meet their basic needs.

2. UNEMPLOYMENT - When workers who wish to work cannot find labor, economic production suffers. Low unemployment rates may indicate an overheated economy, and extremely high unemployment rates may demonstrate financial hardship. When the COVID-19 pandemic first broke out, many people lost jobs due to the outbreak.

3. HIGH POPULATION GROWTH - Because of birth rate, death rate, fertility rate, and net migration, population growth rates in different countries vary. Poverty, violence, fanaticism, and ecological degradation are more likely as the world's population grows.

4. INEQUALITY - Wealth inequality, treatment and responsibility disparity, political inequality, life inequality, and membership inequality are the five systems or sorts of social inequality. 

5. ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION & THE LOSS OF ARABLE LAND - Environmental degradation is a process in which the natural environment is affected somehow, decreasing biological variety and overall environmental health. This process can be completely natural, or it might be expedited or triggered by human actions.

6. MALNUTRITION -  Malnutrition occurs when the body lacks the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients required to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. Malnutrition affects persons who are either underfed or overfed.

8. ETHNIC CONFLICT - A dispute between two or more ethnic groups is known as an ethnic conflict. While the basis of the battle may be political, social, economic, or religious, those involved must expressly fight for their ethnic group's place in society.

Photo edited and compiled by: Mendoza, Mark Ivan

PHOTO REFERENCES: 

Poverty

https://slideplayer.com/slide/6397091/-right

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/35184440808985971/

http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19680517,00.html

https://borgenproject.org/poverty-affects-different-age-groups/

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/covid-19-pandemic-pushes-millions-philippines-poverty-2386296

Unemployment

https://iranpress.com/content/21606/world-newspapers-unemployment-hits-record-147-april

https://www.rappler.com/business/unemployment-rate-philippines-december-2021/

https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/economic-data/worlds-unemployment-ratescom

http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20110117,00.html

https://www.iloilotoday.com/sss-unemployment-benefits/

High Population Growth

https://www.chemainusvalleycourier.ca/opinion/earths-carrying-capacity-exceeded-long-ago/

https://ecavo.com/overpopulation-causes-effects-solutions/

https://www.worldvision.ca/stories/why-do-the-poor-have-large-families

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/564427765773426316/

https://roymondous.wordpress.com/2014/08/22/the-credible-hulk-episode-2-overpopulation-doesnt-exist/

Inequality

https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/5b988d0421ea6a14bc9b0014

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/6/17/covid-19-social-inequality.html

https://www.article19.org/resources/tackling-gender-inequality-through-access-to-information/

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/08/racial-equality-skin-tone-bias-colourism/

https://www.gfmag.com/magazine/january-2019/inequality

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-real-cost-of-lgbt-discrimination/

Environmental Degradation and the Loss of Arable Land

http://hpenvis.nic.in/ViewGeneralLatestNews.aspx?Id=5364

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/review-2021-biggest-environment-stories-philippines/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/29/air-pollution-worlds-children-breathing-toxic-air-who-study-finds

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Anthropocene-Syndrome-a-complex-of-environmental-degradation-biological-annihilation-in_fig1_319133253

https://www.3blmedia.com/news/infographics-current-environmental-and-social-issues-show-trends-and-possible-futures

Malnutrition

http://khushi-creatinghappiness.blogspot.com/2013/05/vedanta-khushi-child-malnutrition-in.html

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2018-11-28/un-children-and-adults-still-battle-malnutrition

https://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2013/10/02/Research-to-prove-that-more-food-is-not-the-solution-to-malnutrition

https://www.unicef.org/philippines/press-releases/unicef-many-children-and-adolescents-philippines-are-not-growing-healthily

https://www.istockphoto.com/search/2/image?mediatype=illustration&phrase=malnutrition

Ethnic Conflict

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-modern-african-studies/article/abs/ethnicity-and-ethnic-conflict/B79708A3C1BB4E14F627FB26FD3E91AD

https://sites.google.com/site/ethnicconflictphilippines/

https://www.ucanews.com/news/philippine-law-fuels-conflict/74677

https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Ethnic+Conflict%3A+Causes%2C+Consequences%2C+and+Responses-p-9780745639307

https://thediplomat.com/2021/04/thousands-of-families-are-being-displaced-by-violent-clashes-in-mindanao/

Some background photos not cited are from Canva Photos via Elements.

Mendoza, Mark Ivan - navi 🦋

BAC-32

Development Communication, 2022

[insomniziam]

Analysis of the PR Relationship between Liam and Maya

Okay, Liam and Maya made their relationship official in September 2019 through Liam’s Instagram post:

(notice how there are only two points of contact on his behalf, the two fingers on her waist and their foreheads. Doesn’t come off very relationship-y to me. I can’t say for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this were photo shopped) 

Conveniently, this news came to light a few days after the release of his new single at the time, Stack it Up (shocker, I know). And what did we get? The same thing that happened with Zigi:

Bringing attention to Liam’s new single and of course, the new up and coming model (sound familiar to you at all?)

Maya Henry

But who is Maya Henry? The first real news we ever get about her is due to her father spending a whopping 6 million dollars on her fifteenth birthday party back in 2016 (more on that later). But what does this prove? That her father is incredibly rich, and has no issues spending millions of dollars on a single night if it means getting his name in the papers. He hasn’t just done this with Maya, he spent another 4 million on his son’s 18th and another 4.5 million on his own 56th birthday, and both somehow made headlines (paid promo maybe?)

That’s not even the best part... They tried to do their own Kardashian style reality TV show but it flopped massively. 

(Literally the only place I could find it anywhere was dailymotion...)

They have a Facebook page, but most of the videos have been set to private on YouTube so you can’t watch pretty much anything on the page anyway. There’s probably on average 50 interactions per post (and that’s me being generous).

Maya started her own YouTube channel early 2018, but that didn’t gain any traction either (it’s currently sitting at 16K) and there are no videos on the page at all (I’m pretty sure she’s deleted them off, although I can’t find copies of them any where, probably because no one actually cared to download them).

I will admit, she was doing pretty decently before she was connected to Liam, had even done a few international covers for magazines like Elle Romania and Vogue Ukraine.

But Gigi had walked the New York Fashion runway at the age of 18, a feat Maya herself didn’t seem to be nearing. However, Gigi also has a lot of connections that no doubt helped her gain a following (her “friendship” with the Jenners, as well as her connections with Swift and her mean girl posse). 

(If ya’ll don’t see how this was a publicity stunt, I don’t know what to tell you)

But how does an increase of following help you career wise, isn’t about talent? You may ask, and I would have a hard time not chuckling at the question, because talent has nothing to do with it (Miss Gigi “I’m still learning how to cat walk” Hadid is a testament to that).

As for the answer, an increase in following leads to an increase of fans, which leads to an increased likelihood of more people buying the shit her name is attached to - makeup, accessories, clothing lines ect. - and increased viewership that have her (and her ‘best friends’) starring in. *cough* Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show *cough*. 

But one thing in particular that really stood out, was Gigi’s ‘relationship’ with one Zayn Malik... you see where this is going?

Why Liam?

Now, unlike Zayn, Liam didn’t really have any bad press he needed to distract the general public from. However, he pretty much only had three different talking points in interviews; ‘his son’, Cheryl and One Direction. Those three subjects no one really cared to listen to anymore, because it was the same bullshit over and over again. Enter new (but also extremely old) topic: a new girlfriend!

It gave the papers something new to talk about (although funnily enough, they would always end the article talking about Cheryl and her kid), someone Liam could use to promote himself a little more. So although the benefits were heavily leaning to her side, there still was something in it for Liam, and she had already been linked to him in the past, an easy set up.

Maya’s Age (this is where you’ll either feel really grossed out or extremely pissed, fair warning)

Now this is where shit gets hella shady. According to articles, Maya has been 19 since last year: 

Using the fact that Maya’s 15th birthday was in 2016 as according to this Daily Mail article detailing all the expenses and a little bit of quick math, it’s easy to see that she only turned 19 in February of this year.

Now, your eyebrows might be furrowed right now, and you may be asking why does her age matter?She’s still a legally consenting adult. However according to articles, Liam and Maya had actually met back in 2015 at a One Direction Meet and Greet:

Sound familiar at all?:

This shit has me feeling sick to my stomach (I did give you a fair warning) because this is the second time Liam has been linked in some way to what some could argue somewhat child grooming behaviour. Because not only did he meet her back in 2015, when she was actually 14 despite what the papers are trying to tell you she was 15, he apparently started dating her back in 2018, when she was 17 years old:

Realising their mistake, my guess is that Liam’s team tried their best to have her birthday changed a year earlier, so as to make people think they started dating when she was 18, to make their relationship more acceptable. But the damage had already been done, and when someone made a thread on their twitter pointing out this fact, some absolute idiot decided to use Liam’s twitter to try and discredit them:

Despite the fact that neither Liam or Maya were tagged in the thread, meaning that whoever was behind the keyboard would have had to go searching for it, especially since the thread probably only had a few hundred interactions before, they drew eyes to it. (The tinhat in me wants to believe that this was actually a smart move made by Liam to show people just how shady their relationship is, but I highly doubt that fact considering how creepy it makes him look 😒)

And, because people were smart enough to actually read through the thread, they weren’t buying what whoever was running the account at the time was selling:

It’s not a good look, but I guess any press is good press according to Liam’s team.

Conclusion

Maya and her family are crazy thirsty for attention. They tried to acquire that attention through spending millions of dollars on birthdays parties to gain headlines. Obviously not enough for them, they tried out their own reality TV show which somehow made it to season two before scrapping the whole thing entirely due to low ratings. Maya started a YouTube channel, it didn’t go as well as she hoped and then focused on Modelling full time. However she wasn’t climbing anywhere near as much as she would like, and since her father had no issues paying for celebrities in the past, probably had no issues with paying Liam’s team for him to play boyfriend, and try to recreate a Zigi situation.

Liam’s team saw this as an opportunity for a new subject to be brought up in interviews and headlines and decided to go for it. They fucked up with the age, tried to fix it and just made the situation worse, and hoped eventually everyone would just forget about it.

At least, that’s my best guess

[fatehbaz]

Sources for thousands of Detroit residents without water access for years; Detroit lead poisoning; history of how Nestle conquered Michigan water; and how Flint residents pay the state more in utility fees in a single month for water access in a single household than Nestle pays the state in an entire year to extract 130 million gallons of water.

A response to this:

I hope these sources might help.

Just for geographic context:

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Nestle, which earns over $7 billion in annual bottled water sales, pays a once-a-year $200 administrative fee to extract over 130 million gallons of water from Evart, while people are poisoned and die in nearby Flint, where a single months’ water utility bill is over $200.

[Source: Jessica Glenza. “Nestle pays $200 a year to bottle water near Flint -- where water is undrinkable.” The Guardian. 29 September 2017.]

Flint became synonymous with lead-poisoned water after government officials, looking to save money, switched the city’s water supply from Detroit city water to water from the corrosive Flint river. Once the city had switched, the number of children with elevated lead exposure doubled; residents reported unexplained rashes and losing hair. An unpublished study recently found fetal deaths in Flint increased by 58% during the crisis. [...] Despite having endured lead-laden tap water for years, Flint pays some of the highest water rates in the US. Several residents cited bills upwards of $200 per month for tap water they refuse to touch. But just two hours away, in the tiny town of Evart, creeks lined by wildflowers run with clear water. The town is so small, the fairground, McDonald’s, high school and church are all within a block. But in a town of only 1,503 people, there are a dozen wells pumping water from the underground aquifer. This is where the beverage giant Nestle pumps almost 100,000 times what an average Michigan resident uses into plastic bottles that are sold all over the Midwest for around $1. To use this natural resource, Nestle pays $200 per year. Now, Nestle wants more Michigan water. In a recent permit application, the company asked to pump 210 million gallons per year from Evart, a 60% increase, and for no more than it pays today. [...] In a state where officials denied Flint’s water was poisoned with lead; where Detroit residents choose between heat and water; where the water-borne, pneumonia-like legionnaire’s disease killed a dozen; and where gastrointestinal bugs spread among residents who lacked (or didn’t trust) water, Nestle’s request seemed like salt on a wound.

-------------------------

While thousands in Detroit have no water access, even people with water access have high rates of lead poisoning; in one Detroit zip code in 2017, 22% of tested children exhibited lead poisoning.

[Source: Karen Bouffard and Christine MacDonal. “Detroit kids’ lead poisoning rates higher than Flint.” The Detroit News. 14 November 2017.]

Detroit had Michigan’s highest proportion of children test positive for lead poisoning in 2016 — 8.8 percent of kids tested — including one ZIP code where 22 percent were found to have lead poisoning. Data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services show children are being sickened by lead in counties from Manistee to Hillsdale and St. Clair, though the rates of lead poisoning in Flint continue to improve.

---------------------------

In 2020,  Michigan institutions and judges continue to allow Nestle to pay minor administrative fee of $200 per each water extraction facility, as Nestle extracts over half a million gallons every single day from single individual wells (ie: just one annual fee of $200 for the Evart well).

[Source: Garret Ellison. “Nestle wins legal challenge to Michigan groundwater extraction.” MLive. 28 April 2020.]

A state administrative judge has upheld a permit that allows global food and beverage giant Nestle to boost the amount of Michigan groundwater it extracts for sale under the Ice Mountain bottled water brand. In a decision dated April 24 [2020], Judge Dan Pulter ruled that Nestle’s plans to withdrawal 576,000 gallons of groundwater per day from the headwaters of two cold water trout streams in Osceola County will not negatively impact the surrounding natural resources. Concerns were raised about potential impacts to Muskegon River watershed and the tiny $200 annual paperwork fee Nestle pays per facility to extract millions of gallons of Michigan groundwater to sell for profit. [...] Much of the broader opposition was from those upset that Nestle could source groundwater at essentially no cost while people in Flint were drinking water contaminated by bacteria and lead, and low-income residents of Detroit were having their taps shut off for non-payment.

--------------------------

Nestle pumped over 2.5 billion gallons from a Mescota County well; Nestle has now pumped over 1 billion gallons from the Evart wells; the Osceola well now supplies millions of gallons a year.

[Source: Garret Ellison. “Nestle in Michigan: Unpacking the water battle backstory.” MLive. 26 December 2016. Updated 20 May 2019.]

Nestle made a deal [...] to drill four high-capacity wells at their 600-acre private hunting preserve in Morton Township [...]. The water is pumped 12 miles west to Stanwood. [...] The Sanctuary wells pumped more than 2.5 billion gallons between 2005 and 2015. [...] Nestle pumped at 400 gallons-per-minute until Mecosta County Judge Lawrence Root ordered it stopped in 2003 [...]. When Judge Root ordered the pumping stopped, Nestle looked north for another supply. The company found a willing partner in the city of Evart, which has sold Nestle more than 905 million gallons of Twin Creek spring water [...]. Evart wells have accounted for roughly a quarter of Nestle's total Michigan supply since 2005, but in 2014 Nestle discovered traces of perchlorate in its water. The toxic chemical, which is linked to thyroid problems in women and children, came from the Evart well field, which became contaminated with decades of Fourth of July fireworks ash. [...] When Nestle shut down one of its Evart wells because of the pollution, it looked to offset the capacity loss by increasing the pumping rate of an older well it owns in Osceola Township, [...] Nestle did not really use it much until 2011. Since then, the well has supplied more than 45 million gallons. Almost 70 percent of that total volume was pumped in 2015 alone.

-----------------------------------

To gain uninhibited access to water extraction sites, Nestle merges with local government institutions and deliberately targets rural, isolated, or “economically-depressed” communities.

[Source: Franklin Frederick. “Nestle: Multinationals as the New Colonial Powers. A tale of Many Cities.” Defend Democracy Press. 22 December 2019.]

In 2002 Nestle hired John Hedley, an ex-MI6 agent – British military   intelligence – as Head of Security. Among other things, Hedley was   responsible for organizing an operation to spy on civil society groups critical to Nestle in Switzerland, mainly the ATTAC group. When this operation was unveiled by a Swiss investigative journalist that denounced it in the Swiss TV, Nestle had to face a court case and was condemned by the Swiss justice for it. In Wellington County, Nestle Waters Canada has permission to extract 4.7 million litres of water a day in wells at Hillsburgh and Aberfoyle and according to Mike Balkwill from Wellington Water Watchers, “the company has applied to renew those permits, while it extracts water without the consent of Six Nations, on whose territory it operates, and despite public opposition from several indigenous organizations.” [...] The situation is the same in Florida where although the local water authority considers that the water system is in recovery from over-exploitation, Nestle still wants to pump water from Ginnie Springs. The common pattern emerging from these and other cases – in the State of Michigan or in the small city of Sao Lourenco in Brazil – also shows that [...] in many places Nestle “merges” with the local authorities, as in Maine where a Nestle manager was on the State’s environmental protection agency board [...]. Recently, the ex-Nestle’s Head of Public Affairs, Christian Frutiger, was appointed Vice-Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation – SDC, the Swiss Government Agency responsible for Development Aid programmes – where he will be responsible for SDC’s  Global WATER program! [...]

--------------------------------------

The source of America’s corporate water crisis can be traced back to 1976 when Perrier, now owned by Nestle, opened an office in New York. By 2016, bottled water sales had surpassed soda as the largest US beverage category [...]. Nestle Waters’ 2018 worldwide sales exceeded $7.8 billion. [...] Ultimately, the debate’s particulars lead back to a question at the heart of the issues: should water be commodified and sold by private industry, or is it a basic human right? Former Nestle chief executive and chariman Peter Brabeck labeled the latter viewpoint “extreme” and  called water a “grocery product” that should “have market value.” He later amended that, arguing 25 liters of water daily is a “human right,” but water used [for purposes other than drinking, bathing, etc.] shouldn’t be free. [Source: Tom Perkins. “The fight to stop Nestle from taking America’s water to sell in plastic bottles.” The Guardian. 29 October 2019.]

--------------------------------

Tens of thousands of Detroit residents have been without water access since 2014; Detroit water contaminated with giardia, shigellosis, lead; Detroit administrators refused until the pandemic to even declare the water shutoffs a “public health issue,” and Michigan officials blame poor people for spending money on “luxury cell phones” instead of their water utility bills.

[Source: Nina Misuraca Ignaczak. “Detroit Water Shutoffs and a Crisis of Public Health.” Belt Magazine. 9 March 2020.]

The water crisis in Detroit began in earnest in 2014, during the city’s bankruptcy proceedings, when the DWSD abruptly shut off water service to tens of thousands of Detroit residents for nonpayment. [...] But activists have been fighting for years to get the city to recognize water shutoffs as a matter of public health. [...] Since the start, Bouier and other water activists have been fighting a narrative that assigns blame primarily to those impacted by the shutoffs. Early on, officials perpetuated the idea that residents were simply lazy and irresponsible. One official suggested that Detroiters should go down to the Detroit River with a bucket to fetch water. Then-emergency manager Kevyn Orr suggested that customers would rather pay for “luxuries” like cell phones than water. [...] As of early March [2020], activists had renewed their calls to the governor to enact a moratorium [on water utility shutoffs in Detroit], linking poor sanitation to an increased risk of Coronavirus. “Michigan residents have particular reason to fear the  spread of coronavirus because the ongoing deprivation of tens of thousands of people from basic access to water and sanitation […]” the group’s statement reads. “Residents deprived of water in their homes have been sharing or borrowing water at an alarming  rate – 80% in one study – creating a transmission path for coronavirus, as  well as hepatitis A, shigellosis, campylobacter, and giardia, all of which have been plausibly linked to the shutoffs by health officials.”

[theuntitledmagazine]

Tessa Violet @tessaviolet featured in the INNOVATE Issue ✨⁠🧡⁠ "One thing I have clarity about is a desire to continue growing and evolving, and what I'm willing to give up is time, energy, and being "comfortable." Growth is uncomfortable. It may be uncomfortable but not more so than being stagnant."⁠ ⁠ ⁠ When pop artist Tessa Violet was unable to tour her 2019 album #BadIdeas, she instead supported her work in more creative ways, releasing a string of revamped fan-favorite singles with her favorite artists like @MisterWives and @ChloeMoriondo. One to break the mold, Violet was not content with a standard virtual concert tour, instead innovating her livestreams to make shows more interactive. 🎶⁠ ⁠ Check out the full interview in The Untitled Magazine INNOVATE Collector's Print Issue out now ✨⁠ https://untitled-magazine.shop⁠ ⁠ Photography by Sarah Pardini @sarahpardini ⁠ ⁠ #TessaViolet #BadIdeas #MisterWives #ChloeMoriondo #theINNOVATEissue #theuntitledmagazine #theuntitledmag #exclusive #interview #editorial #printmagazine https://www.instagram.com/p/CUxneXBr2Jo/?utm_medium=tumblr