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catch-me-hello · 5 months ago

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No Mercy, Episode 1: Americans could not handle this.

Today, we begin our deep dive into K-pop band assembly shows. We are starting with No Mercy, which ran from December 2014 to February 2015 and brought us Monsta X, one of my favorite groups. The first episode is called “The Cruel Debut War Gets Started.” And right off the bat, after seeing just the first episode, I realized I needed an attitude adjustment when it comes to these shows.

I thought calling No Mercy a survival reality show was a bit overdramatic before I actually started watching it. I was seeing the concept through American eyes. While losing an American survival reality show can mean death in the wilderness, I now know that losing No Mercy means death of your dreams and your pride, not to mention the realization that you have sacrificed years of your life being a trainee in the K-pop system, only to be eliminated.

Honestly, if I had exceptional musical talent and was given the choice of competing on either Korea’s No Mercy or America’s Alone, I’d take my chances in the wilderness of Northern Mongolia for the American show. Being crushed by falling boulders is preferable to having my soul crushed and then being shown the door. Losing the American show means you only die once.

Yes, it is that serious.

Just to provide some context, K-pop idols spend years as trainees, hoping for a chance to debut. They train from morning until late at night, taking lessons in dancing, singing, rapping, and acting, as well as interviewing, songwriting, production, and other practical skills. They can spend up to ten years of their lives as trainees, getting very few days off and working themselves to exhaustion. In the end, only a very small percentage of them will debut. And even if they do debut, there’s no guarantee that they will catch fire with the public and become famous and successful.

Landing a spot on a Korean survival reality show is the chance of a lifetime for these trainees. On No Mercy, there are only twelve spots. Which is why the rankings are so important. Making it on the show is just the first step. If you get ranked last on the very first episode, it’s considered a failure, even though you don’t get cut in the first rankings. Never mind the fact that it’s an incredible accomplishment to get on the show in the first place. The trainees don’t see that. All that matters is the debut.

If you rank dead last, even if you don’t get cut from the show right then, it means that there are eleven people between you and the debut, and only the top few will get chosen. In other words, you may as well be back in the dorms, still anonymous, getting ready for another 14-hour day of gruelingly relentless dance practice.

No Mercy only ran for one season, and I already know who the winners are. That does not spoil the show for me in the least. Just from the first episode, I’m seeing the band members in a whole different light, and I’m also learning way more about the K-pop machine and how cruel it can be to someone with a dream.

Take Shownu, for example. He’s currently the leader of Monsta X, so I know he’ll make it, but this first episode shows me what he’s been through just to compete on this show. The show focuses mostly on him for right now, and we open with the initial rankings. We only see a few seconds of their initial performances in a small room in front of the judges, and right away, Shownu gets the top spot.

If this were an American show, two things would happen here.

We wouldn’t be told the top spot first. They would start with the last spot and build up to the top two spots, with the remaining two trainees clutching each other and freaking out. In fact, naming the number one spot right away seems anticlimactic. But there’s a reason the first spot gets named first, and it’s spelled out in Shownu’s reaction. He is somber. He quietly and calmly walks over to the judges’ table to accept his first-place badge and bows to them. The reason for this reaction is Difference Number Two:

Getting ranked first isn’t just an honor for Shownu. It’s a weight on his shoulders. Out of all the trainees, he now has to spend the rest of the competition trying to prove that he’s worthy of that number one spot. He also has eleven other trainees now gunning for him. The man does not crack a smile once, not even the moment when the judges say his name. For us, the suspense isn’t finding out who got the first slot. It’s finding out the order of the other trainees, whose rankings now indicate how badly each one wants to trip Shownu on the stairs.

Knowing how this is all going to play out, I’m surprised to see how low some of the eventual winners rank in this first round. While Jooheon and Wonho rank #2 and #4, respectively, Kihyun, Hyungwon, and Minhyuk come in at #8, #9, and #10. Kihyun’s relatively low ranking really surprises me, because he is now known for having one of the most amazing singing voices in the industry. We don’t get to see him or the other singers audition for these rankings, so the competition must have been insane.

The trainees then split up to work with different industry experts, who are helping each one prepare a three-minute performance for the next round of rankings. Emotionally, the process is run like a military boot camp. From here on out, the trainees are referred to by their numbers, not their names. The trainee named Yoosu, who is ranked last, is called “Number Twelve” during this process, a constant reminder of his failure. It’s not much better for Shownu to be referred to by “Number One,” considering it’s a constant reminder to watch his back. They may as well call him “Target.”

The experts working with them can be worse than Simon Cowell with severe hemorrhoids. Here is a partial transcript of one expert’s rap lesson with four of the trainees:

Expert: I have to call you by your numbers. #7: Here, too? Expert: Yes, at all times. #2: So I’m Number Two, and not Jooheon? Expert: Yes, you’re Trainee Number Two. #5: I’m 5-Yoonho. (laughs) Expert: (stone faced) I want to call you Number Twelve. You have to do better from now on.

#7: I tried to think of it as Lucky Seven. Expert: Don’t give me that. You’re number twelve in rapping.

This is not friendly banter. The expert looks like a fed-up high school teacher who just caught four students cooking meth in the chem lab. If any of the contestants on The Voice or American Idol faced this expert, they would sue the network.

All four trainees now take turns rapping for the expert, and despite the show’s title, putting Jooheon last is an act of mercy. None of the other trainees should have to follow his performance. If Kihyun is known for his singing voice, Jooheon is arguably the best rapper in K-pop. His lyrics in the Monsta X song “Gambler” and the cocky way he delivers them is one of my favorite musical moments, period. (“ME? I’m a handsome sum of moNEY, I got a vesper marTINI...”)

So I am excited to see young trainee Jooheon perform, and he does not disappoint. At least for the few seconds we get to see. The expert cuts him off after just a few lines and begrudgingly says, “Okay, that wasn’t too bad,” and even though that is this expert’s verbal equivalent of giving Jooheon a Billboard Music Award, I still want to smack him upside the head with his own clipboard. YOU do not tell Jooheon when to stop rapping. HE decides when he’s done.

We then switch over to the vocalists in their session, and this expert is a bit more encouraging. Again, we only get snippets of each performance, but we do get to hear Kihyun. His singing takes my breath away. I don’t see how he’s ranked at Number Eight, unless he really bombed in the first round. I’d love to see him do a rock opera.

Now we get to a segment on Shownu alone, and this is the part that really made me see him and what he’s been through. We learn that he used to be a trainee in a different entertainment company called JYP Entertainment. (No Mercy is run by Starship Entertainment and features their own trainees.) During his two-year stint at JYP, he trained with a group called GOT7. Instead of debuting with the group, Shownu was cut. He was twenty years old at the time. GOT7 went on to become very famous, touring several times and winning many worldwide music awards.

He's still friends with GOT7. No Mercy cuts away to follow him as he waits for them outside a venue. After their performance, they come out and embrace their old friend. They go to dinner, and right away, even though we feel their chemistry as friends, Shownu is still a million miles apart from them.

GOT7 talk about how surprised and upset they were when Shownu left JYP. Shownu looks sad. He says he’s used to seeing everyone around him go on to debut. The emotional gut punch actually brings tears to my eyes. In a confessional clip, Shownu says that the pressure got to him at JYP, and he couldn’t take it anymore. Later on, he says that every time he sees his GOT7 friends, he feels pathetic.

The show’s title isn’t just about what the trainees go through. This program shows no mercy for the viewers’ emotions. This is heartbreaking.

GOT7 and Shownu leave the restaurant, and as they walk down the street, fans gather to take pictures. Shownu steps back a bit so he doesn’t get in the way of the cameras. In the confessional cutaways, he’s pragmatic about it, but he’s clearly uncomfortable in the actual situation.

As they part ways, he hugs his friends goodbye, and the fans temporarily stop taking pictures, waiting for the unknown guy to get out of the way. He stands alone in the street and watches them walk away, trailed by their adoring fans.

I hate this show for doing this to me. If I were still drinking, I’d be typing this from inside a bottle of Barcardi right now. My only consolation is knowing Shownu is going to make it. Most trainees don’t get a debut or any kind of happy ending. Shownu is going to be one of the lucky ones.

Back to the competition. I never thought I’d be so happy to see the grumpy experts from hell again. We have arrived at D-Day 1. Our trainees will perform on a concert stage for the original judges and some new ones who are actual K-pop idols. Jooheon is excited. He wants Shownu’s spot.

The trainees are driven to the venue. They are all nervous, except for Jooheon. He is confident. He is ready. I love him so much. Sorry. That was unprofessional. Where was I? Right. D-Day 1.

The trainees line up on the huge stage. Only the stage is lit up. The seats are shrouded in darkness. As the trainees stand there, trying to control the jitters, a spotlight suddenly beams onto the judges’ table. They have been sitting there in darkness, waiting to ambush these poor trainees like angry parents waiting for a teen who is way past his curfew.

But that’s not enough. Large cubes suddenly light up in front of the stage, showing the numbers one through twelve. The trainees have to go stand behind their numbers. I actually wrote “psychological warfare” in my notes. This show isn’t just trying to rattle these trainees. They want the weakest ones to just collapse and be dragged offstage to save the judges having to vote them off.

Honestly, they should just give each trainee a cyanide pill and a shot of tequila. Then they could at least go out with some dignity.

Except for Jooheon. He’s got his game face on. He looks ready to take a bite out of the stage and spit out the splinters.

Shownu is up first, and I can’t believe we’re only 26 minutes into this show. I have already been through the emotional wringer and taken six pages of notes. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

Shownu takes the stage while the other trainees wait backstage, and right off the goddamn bat, one of the judges says, “When I first met you, I didn’t think you were Number One material, but look at you now.” He is not giving a compliment. His tone of voice implies that Shownu got away with something. And Shownu, to his enormous credit, simply says, “I must have gotten lucky at the first evaluation.” If that had been an American contestant, there would have been hands thrown.

The judges also bring up that Shownu was cut from JYP after two years, and I wrote in my notes, “WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS??!!”

But our guy pulls himself together and sings a lovely rendition of John Legend’s “All of Me.” Then he shows off his skills in a dance routine that foreshadows the incredible precision moves we’ll be seeing in a couple of years.

The judges clap. Their attitude is reserved, but they liked the performance. One of the judges who knew him when he was at JYP says she didn’t know he could sing so well.

Shownu bows in gratitude. I stress-eat an entire box of Belvita biscuits.

Next up: Jooheon. We get a confessional clip in which he says he wants to become such a good rapper, he will drive people crazy. Again, I think of his performance in “Gambler” and get chills.

He begins, and the lighting crew does not let him down.

The song is mysterious, chilling, aggressive. Jooheon moves like the song has possessed him. The judges are mesmerized. The other trainees backstage are mesmerized. I’m mesmerized.

After the performance, the judges tell him that his performance is already at a professional level. All I can think is, wait until you see him in a couple of years.

Backstage, Shownu says Jooheon did well, and we can see he’s concerned. All the trainees are concerned. They can hear the judges showering praise on Jooheon. Considering that a few of these judges have a default setting of “you suck,” they have every reason to be worried.

After Jooheon leaves the stage, the female judge, who I think is a K-pop Idol herself, says, “He scares me when he raps. He’s scary. The way he looks at me.” Again, check him out when Monsta X is on tour. He can be dangerous.

We’re getting close to the end of the episode, and No Mercy knows how to end on a cliffhanger, although this is an even more effective one for viewers like me who already know the outcome. Our next trainee is Hyungwon, another eventual winner.

As a fan of the group that’s being formed, I’ve always found Hyungwon to be an enigma. He’s stunningly handsome and has a cool, quiet vibe about him, yet the fans also love him for his clumsy, adorkable personality and how he’s often the butt of the jokes in the band. For now, the handsome and cool vibe is on full display, and it’s having an obvious effect on the female judge.

I am on the edge of my seat for this. If you’ll remember, Hyungwon is currently one of the lowest ranked members, at Number 9. The reason for his low ranking is because the judges only remembered how handsome he is, but nothing about his singing or dancing stood out to them.

We the viewers didn’t get to see any part of his performance during the initial rankings. But fans like me know what Hyungwon is capable of. His solo stages during Monsta X concerts are some of my favorite moments of the shows, especially when he performed “Wildfire” on the band’s No Limit Tour in 2022.

“Wildfire” has always been a fan favorite from this tour, and it’s not just because of Hyungwon’s good looks. He could be wearing a paper bag over his head, and his dancing, combined with the set design, still would still have the audience enthralled. (His singing would be a bit muffled.) While I do understand the judges getting distracted by how handsome he is, I want them to see more.

The judges settle in. Hyungwon lifts his microphone. And then, No Mercy kicks us in the metaphorical balls by ending the episode.

Audiences at the time this show was being aired would have to wait another week. Because No Mercy is cruel. No Mercy is a bully. No Mercy is the Korean equivalent of Eric Carmen giving us amazing songs that lift our spirits while simultaneously calling us libtards on Twitter.

And I will be watching and recapping every single episode.

Stay tuned.

#monsta x #no mercy #kpop #recaps #shownu #jooheon #wonho #kihyun #hyungwon #minhyuk #survival reality shows

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jartita-me-teneis · 2 months ago

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Volodímir Zelensky Un actor de comedia que se hizo un lugar en la Historia del Mundo. ¿Quién era antes de ser presidente? ¿Cómo llegó a Presidente y por qué se le considera un auténtico líder, se coincida o no con él?

Volodímir Zelensky del este de Ucrania, cuando el país aún era parte de la URSS. Hijo de un profesor universitario de cibernética y una ingeniera, creció en el seno de una familia judía de clase media, rodeado de libros, pero también del clima opresivo de la burocracia soviética. Durante su niñez vivió unos años en Mongolia, donde su padre trabajó como consultor técnico. Volvió a Ucrania para completar la secundaria y luego se recibió de abogado en la Universidad Económica Nacional de Kiev. Pero nunca ejerció: lo suyo era el escenario. En la universidad fundó Kvartal 95, un grupo de comedia que terminó convirtiéndose en un imperio del entretenimiento en Ucrania y en otras exrepúblicas soviéticas. Su humor político, punzante pero accesible, lo convirtió en una figura popular. Casado con Olena Zelenska desde 2003 —guionista y compañera de vida desde los días universitarios—, tienen dos hijos. Ella ha sido una figura clave, tanto en campaña como durante la actual guerra, manteniéndose cerca pero firme en su rol de apoyo institucional y emocional. En 2015 protagonizó la serie Servant of the People, interpretando a un profesor honesto que accidentalmente llega a la presidencia. Esa serie, más que una ficción, fue una profecía. Zelensky fundó un partido con el mismo nombre de la serie y en 2019, con una campaña más basada en redes sociales y carisma que en estructura partidaria, arrasó en las urnas con el 73% de los votos. Muchos lo votaron no por sus propuestas, sino por lo que representaba: un rechazo contundente a la política tradicional. Los ucranianos esraban hartos de la corrupción, la vieja política y los escándalos. Él representaba lo nuevo, lo fresco, alguien "de afuera" que prometía barrer con la podredumbre del sistema. Pero la vida no le dio tregua. Poco después de asumir, llegó lo siempre temido pero casi imposible: Rusia invadió Ucrania. Muchos pensaron que huiría. No lo hizo. Se quedó. Rechazó la evacuación ofrecida por Estados Unidos y se convirtió en el rostro de la resistencia ucraniana. Con su ropa verde oliva, mensajes diarios desde el frente y visitas a las zonas más castigadas, construyó una narrativa de liderazgo valiente, bajó al subsuelo con su pueblo y dijo: "Necesito municiones, no un aventón". Hoy, Zelensky es símbolo y presidente al mismo tiempo. Su figura genera admiración en muchos rincones del mundo, pero también ha sido criticado por concentrar poder, prohibir partidos opositores y restringir medios. La guerra no ha terminado y su gobierno tampoco. Ucrania resiste, pero al costo de miles de vidas y una economía devastada. Zelensky es un actor que dejó el libreto y se lanzó al papel más difícil: liderar un país en guerra.

¿Es un héroe, un producto mediático o ambas cosas?

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xtruss · 2 years ago

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A Male Saiga Antelope in Russia's Black Land National Park. These highly social antelope live in herds. Photograph By Valeriy Malee/Nature Picture Library

This Floppy-Nosed Antelope Was Nearly Gone. 20 Years Later, It’s Thriving.

Less than a decade ago, more than half of the world’s saiga antelope were lost to a mysterious disease. Its comeback is a rare and phenomenal conservation success.

— By Jason Bittel | December 14, 2023

Just two decades ago, it seemed as if we might need to write a eulogy for the saiga antelope.

Cut down by widespread poaching and waves of disease, by 2003, just 6 percent of the floppy-nosed ungulates remained in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, and Uzbekistan.

But today, scientists are rejoicing at the saiga’s unlikely rebound.

There are now 1.9 million saiga antelope across Eurasia, according to the most recent estimates released this week. So many saiga, in fact, that the International Union for Conservation of Nature is upgrading the Red List status for the species from critically endangered to near threatened.

“There's a lot of conservation doom and gloom, and there isn't very much attention paid to conservation successes,” says E.J. Milner-Gulland, a conservation scientist at the University of Oxford and co-founder of the U.K-based Saiga Conservation Alliance. “It’s quite a vindication of 20 years of hard work by lots of people.”

To get a sense of just how far this species has come, in 2015, more than half of the worldwide population of saiga antelope were lost to a mysterious blood disease.

“This is phenomenal news,” says Joel Berger, an ecologist at Colorado State University and a senior scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, in an email.

“At a time when so many species and populations are in deep swan dives, to witness the recovery of saiga—a species deserving of more recognition in its own right—is something we all need to celebrate,” he says.

Male Saiga Antelope Battle in Black Lands National Park. Males and their horns are a specific target of poachers. Photograph By Valeriy Malee/Nature Picture Library

The Saiga’s Downward Spiral

Those who have been paying attention to the saiga’s saga know that it’s been a wild ride.

“Twenty years ago, it had the fastest increase in threat status of any mammal,” says Milner-Gulland. “The population had plummeted by more than 90 percent over a really short time of a few years, so it went straight in at critically endangered.”

As for what happened, Milner-Gulland explains that the saiga’s downfall can be attributed to several factors. For starters, saiga horn has great value in China, Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia as a component in traditional medicine. And this demand, coupled with the breakup of the Soviet Union, led to a dramatic rise in hunting.

It’s a Symbol of the Wild Steppe, of Independence and Freedom.

— E.J. Milner-Gulland, Conservation Scientist at the University of Oxford

“The economies of these countries basically collapsed,” she says. “And they were living in very harsh conditions on the steppe. So they turned to poaching.”

Fencing along the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan also put a barrier in the middle of the saiga’s migratory route, while infrastructure development cut into saiga habitat. Finally, an unknown trigger turned a naturally occurring microbe in the saiga’s characteristic nose into a virulent pathogen, leading to the mass die-offs.

It’s for all these reasons that the IUCN has chosen not to de-list the saiga completely.

“The near threatened category is right for the saiga, because we know that at any time, we could just get large numbers of them dropping dead again,” says Milner-Gulland. “They are very vulnerable.”

A Path to Recovery

Just as the threats to the saiga were multi-faceted, so too have been the efforts to protect the species, which are important seed dispersers and grazers that contribute to plant biodiversity.

For instance, an international collaboration between countries where saigas roam, countries that traditionally consume saiga products, and other stakeholder nations, including the United States, led to a memorandum of understanding in 2006 to conserve the species, restore its habitat, and restrict harvest to a sustainable level.

For its part, Kazakhstan’s government focused on stronger anti-poaching measures, including law enforcement to prevent saiga hunting. The Saiga Conservation Alliance supplied financing for gasoline, uniforms, motorbikes, and shelters for those rangers, who live in the harsh, windswept grasslands. Customs agents also improved detection of saiga products leaving the country as part of the illicit wildlife trade. Lastly, the country designated multiple protected areas totaling more than 12 million acres of saiga antelope habitat.

Now that economic conditions have leveled out and local people don’t have to choose between their own survival and saving saiga, there has also been a dramatic shift in support for the species.

“The thing about saiga is the local people really love it,” says Milner-Gulland. “It’s a symbol of the wild steppe, of independence and freedom.”

Saiga (Drinking on Southern Russia's Astrakhan Steppe) can migrate up to 600 miles over summer and winter. Photograph By Valeriy Malee/Nature Picture Library

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jesse-eisenberg-interview · 1 year ago

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A list of Jesse Eisenberg's writing

I made a list of Jesse Eisenberg's writing.

2009

NOV 30 Manageable Tongue Twisters.

2010

FEB 24 Marxist-Socialists Jokes

2011

JUL 21 A Post Gender Normative Man Tries to Pick Up a Woman at a Bar

DEC 07 ACTOR & PLAYWRIGHT JESSE EISENBERG ON THE THRILL OF THE STAGE

2012

JAN 25 Courage Is Just an Act

FEB 15 Jeremy Lin Has Helped Me Through Some Pretty Tough Times

MAR 12 Jesse Eisenberg on His Lifelong Aversion to Youth Culture

MAY 24 Sushi Nozawa

JUN 06 Masgouf

JUL 09 The Whiskey Blue Bar at the W Hotel

AUG 01 TCBY

AUG 20 Robert Frost Elementary School Cafeteria

OCT 02 Organix vs. the San Gennaro Street Festival

NOV 21 Thanksgiving With Vegans

DEC 11 Body Rituals Among the Lauxesortem

2013

FEB 22 Matthew’s House

MAR 17 Marv Albert Is My Therapist

APR 15 The League, Passed Down

APR 17 I Didn’t Win Any Pulitzer Prizes This Year

APR 25 A Marriage Counselor Tries to Heckle at a Knicks Game

JUN 03 Fuddruckers and an Unreliable New Friend

JUN 24 Separation-Anxiety Sleepaway Camp

AUG 06 A Crawfish Boil and Dad’s New Family

SEP 09 A Bully Does His Research

OCT 02 A Post Gender Normative Woman Tries to Pick Up a Man at a Bar

OCT 07 Final Conversations at Pompeii

NOV 01 The Museum of Natural History and Making Compromises

NOV 12 Alexander Graham Bell’s First Five Phone Calls

DEC 12 The Ashram and Mom

2014

JAN 20 If I Was Fluent in . . .

JUN 10 Carmelo Anthony and I Debrief Our Friends After a Pickup Game at the Y.M.C.A.

2015

MAY 25 Men and Dancing

SEP 01 My Nephew Has Some Questions

SEP 09 My Spam Plays Hard to Get

NOV 22 THE GUY WHO HATED NOW YOU SEE ME, A SHORT STORY

NOV 23 An Honest Film Review

2016

JAN 27 What Do You Do When Your Mother Won’t Shut Up at The Ballet?

FEB 04 Act Like You Know

FEB 12 Why I Broke Up with the Little Mermaid

MAY 19 My Cousin Recently Became A Realtor

NOV 04 SELF-DEPRECATING HEROES

DEC 11 LOW TALK IN HIGH PLACES

2017

JAN 23 YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW

JAN 25 My Very Good Friend

FEB 01 发现肉——致中国读者

MAR 04 HAVE YOU DINED WITH US BEFORE?

NOV 14 Mongolia

2018

JAN 15 Sad Stuff on the Street

MAR 20 Thanks, Giving

MAY 14 My N.B.A. Knowledge Comes In Handy

MAY 18 One Small Blow Against Encroaching Totalitarianism: The Natural Order of the World Depends On It

MAY 31 Jesse Eisenberg on the Relentless Work Ethic of Philip Roth

DEC 05 The Cast Members and Their Crew

2019

JAN 03 MY SISTER PUSHES THE LOBSTER

NOV 21 My Two-Year-Old Requests Just One More Song Before Bed

NOV 23 Jesse Eisenberg: Recommends four contemporary plays

2021

MAR 02 Writer Courtney Zoffness and Jesse Eisenberg on the Radical Compassion of Art

2022

NOV 07 Content Warning

2023

FEB 20 A G.P.S. Route for My Anxiety

#jesse eisenberg #writing

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douglaswelch · 2 months ago

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Artist Creates Fantastical Woodcuts and Engraved Paintings Suited for Fairy Tales [Interview] [Shared]

When Matt Roussel traveled to Mongolia in 2015, something critical dawned upon him: he didn’t want to work as a 3D illustrator anymore. This decision ultimately propelled him toward the multimedia practice for which he’s known today, revolving around everything from woodcuts and prints to ceramics and painted, engraved wood.

During this transition, Roussel first gravitated toward woodcutting, developing a style replete with unusual creatures, playful compositions, and defined, illustrative lines. Soon after, he complemented his prints with expressive, imaginative sculptures, inspired by Japan’s tradition of raku ceramics. It was only later that he combined woodcutting with his urge to paint, resulting in deliciously textured surfaces whose every crevice is streaked with translucent colors.

https://welchwrite.com/blog/2025/04/23/artist-creates-fantastical-woodcuts-and-engraved-paintings-suited-for-fairy-tales-interview-shared/

#woodcut #art #artist #interview #shared

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mr-danger-to-my-sanity · 1 year ago

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Legend of Da Yu'er / Legend of Xiao Zhuang (2015)

In my desire to watch everything Liu Xueyi has been in that I can find, and mixed with a dash of "I watched this so you don't have to", I'd like to introduce you to Ezhe, the biggest asshole on the Mongolian plains. When looking for more pics from this show I came across a weibo post where someone said "all the worst things a man can do in a drama was given to him", and they're not wrong. This is him.

The basic premise of the show is the life of Da Yu'er, the most beautiful woman in all of Mongolia who lives an unfortunate parallel to Helen of Troy in that she is desired by men who go to war over who should have her. Ezhe is one of them.

(Trigger warning for abuse & sexual assault)

We first meet him at the marriage tournament of our female lead, princess Da Yu'er of the Khorchin tribe. Ezhe is the prince of the Chahar tribe who is confident he will win the horse racing and archery contest, but doesn't hesitate to threaten his fellow competitors for good measure. And for most of the tournament he is winning! Until the Jin Emperor Huangtaiji who has been a spectator thus far, decides to throw his hat into the ring and beats him in the last race, claiming Da Yu'er as his concubine. Ezhe claims that this was all set up ahead of time and is an insult to his tribe to be played like that, setting himself up as an antagonist for both the Khorchin tribe and the Jin Emperor.

(Dont let the wispy lock of hair fool you, things are about to get BAD)

The Khorchin leader offers Ezhe a marriage with Da Yu'er's cousin which is accepted by his father, but Ezhe is HORRIBLE to his new wife for the sole crime of not being Da Yu'er. He strangles her, threatens to torture her for his own amusement and kills her blind mother by pushing her headfirst into a wall. Eventually she has to pretend to be crazy just to get him to leave her alone.

But a truce marriage isn't enough for Ezhe or his father, both of whom think their tribe should be at the top, so they lay siege to Khorchin, only to eventually retreat when the Emperor sends reinforcements.

He disappears for a few episodes only to come back and attack Khorchin again, this time taking their leader (Da Yu'er's grandfather) hostage, and will only exchange him for Da Yu'er, regardless of the fact that she is now the Emperor's favourite concubine. He settles for initially exchanging her grandfather for the male lead Prince Dorgon (the Emperor's brother and the man that Da Yu'er actually loves) to be his hostage instead, threatening to kill Dorgon if Da Yu'er isn't handed over in 3 days.

Ezhe also knows about the weird love triange between the Emperor/Da Yu'er/Dorgon and taunts Dorgon about it at every opportunity. When the deadline is up for the exchange/execution, Da Yu'er shows up at the last second and agrees to his demands only to trick him and run off with Dorgon, leaving Ezhe with a knife to the hand and an even bigger rage boner.

Several episodes later it is now 6 years since Ezhe lost the marriage tournament (and we know this because he keeps harping on about it). Da Yu'er is travelling through the region to escort a new bride back to the palace when their carriage is ambushed and they are kidnapped by Ezhe. Even Ezhe's father thinks this is a dick move but can't convince Ezhe to release them.

(Dad saying what everyone else is thinking)

Ezhe threatens to kill the extraneous woman plus Da Yu'er's cousin who had tried to help them flee, forcing Da Yu'er into tearfully agreeing to marry him. They have a quick wedding offscreen before he drags her to the marriage bed, but he is thwarted by too many layers of clothing which allows enough time for Dorgon, Da Yu'er's brother and some guards to rescue her, and Ezhe is forced to retreat again.

(Have some insufferable smirks for getting this far)

After the death of his father, Ezhe becomes the leader of the scattered Chahar tribe at the same time the Jin Empire is in the process of fighting back the Ming Empire. To save having to fight wars on two fronts, the Jin Emperor sends Dorgon to make a truce with Chahar, inviting them to surrender and assimilate into the Jin Empire. Ezhe naturally refuses and battles with them instead, even poisoning the lake to weaken the Jin army, but in the end is still outnumbered. Ezhe agrees to meet Dorgon to surrender but uses the meeting as a last ditch attempt to kill him, but is captured and his mother surrenders on behalf of the Chahar.

The Jin Empire is successfully rebranded as the Qing Empire, and as the leader of the Chahar, Ezhe is given a title and a ministerial position. He can now mock Dorgon with impunity and waltz around the palace and follow Da Yu'er to his smirking little heart's content. He doesn't even care that his first wife has become the Emperor's newest concubine, or that the Emperor had betrothed him to another princess for the sake of unity, he only cares about Da Yu'er. He looks for every opportunity he can to point out that she is technically his wife since they had a wedding and invites her to run away with him. When that doesn't work he sneaks into Da Yu'er's palace and tries forcing himself onto her, chased off by her maid smacking him over the head with a paperweight.

The next time he attempts to forcibly consummate his dubious marriage, Ezhe drugs Da Yu'er and manages to get shirtless before the Emperor and all of his guards descend on the bedroom and finally drag him off to prison. Even in prison Ezhe is defiant and mocks the Emperor to his face for wanting to only exile him and not kill him, declaring that he is happy to die for love. But he doesn't go without a fight, breaking free from his restraints and fighting the Emperor's bodyguard before turning his blade on himself to insist on Da Yu'er's innocence.

(Totally understand the desire to chain him up and strangle him.)

Ezhe: "It is distinguished and admirable to die for love. I will be elegant and unconventional if I die this way."

~~~

(It was here where I stopped watching because I thought he was dead and then wrote the following:)

Can I make any case for positives? He genuinely mourns the death of his aunt and his father. He obeys his mother when she surrenders, and appears to treat his sister well when they're in the palace. And despite never caring what Da Yu'er wants, when the Emperor catches them together and sets to punish her for adultery, Ezhe takes full responsibility and pleads to the Emperor not to punish her.

So... he's a romantic, if in a very twisted way? Oh good gods this probably the way people romanticize real life serial killers. At least Ezhe is a *fictional* asshole.

~~~

But this behind the scenes picture of Liu Xueyi in a costume I hadn't yet seen prompted me to watch further and lo and behold, the Emperor called for the imperial physician to save Ezhe's life, and he was in a coma and being cared for by Dorgon (of all people). When he wakes it is 9 months later (to coincide with the birth of Da Yu'er's son and the rumours of his parentage). Ezhe is weakened so much that he has lost his martial abilities and the Emperor chooses not to punish him any further in order to keep the peace. Ezhe relays his gratitude to Dorgon for his caregiving and his apologies to Da Yu'er for hurting her. He even tries to turn away his fiancee, calling himself a "wicked sinner" but she sticks by him and he begins to reform his ways.

For the next 14 episodes he disappears off the screen until it's 6 years later and the Emperor is dead. Dorgon (now the Regent for Da Yu'er's Emperor son) comes to visit Ezhe, who has been living a quiet life outside the palace with his wife and son, spending his time reading holy books. Dorgon invites Ezhe to join him in battle against the last of Ming army to which he readily agrees.

Under Dorgon's command, Ezhe leads an elite team of soldiers to pretend to be allies and mislead the enemy, helping the Qing army close in the ranks around them. Side by side with Dorgon he fights the last Ming General into retreating into the woods. Ezhe protects Dorgon by diving in front of the general's guandao/polearm, spitting up blood but not conceding. The enemy general slices off Ezhe's right arm at the shoulder, but Ezhe grabs the polearm with his left hand and proceeds to beat the general back with a series of mighty kicks until Dorgon captures him once and for all. The adrenaline of the fight gone, Ezhe hits the ground like a fallen tree, and Dorgon cradles him in his dying moments. Ezhe has finally paid back Dorgon for saving his life and is happy to die a dignified death on the battlefield after being weak for so many years, with one final request.

With his last breath, does he ask for Dorgon to say goodbye to his wife for him? To look after his son? To bury him next to his father in the Chahar plains? No, Ezhe's last dying words, true to form, are "Take good care of Da Yu'er for me."

(Thats the end, congrats, have some battle scowls.)

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

Notes on his reform: Ezhe does end his arc in a lot better form than he began, but it was still very self centered. When he woke from his coma, his gratitude and respect was for Dorgon to whom he apologised for the hurt he'd caused. It was only after Dorgon pointed out that he'd hurt Da Yu'er the most that Ezhe asked Dorgon to pass on his apology to Da Yu'er too. No mention at all of the torment he put his first wife through, or how he endangered his own people on many occasions for his own desires. He throws the fish back into the pond when fishing because the fish "is a living thing", but is still wishing he had the strength to fight back when the Emperor's son insults his pride. Although his wife and son appear to have a happy life when we briefly see them, Ezhe refers to his domestic life as his time "being weak" and eagerly riding off into battle. And his dying words? Take care of Da Yu'er "for me." She's the bloody Empress Dowager at this point, but he's still thinking of her through the lens of his association with her.

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

Would I recommend watching?

For the story? It's a palace drama with a very soap opera vibe, which got a little much for me so I only skimmed through it to keep up just enough with the plot. I liked the main characters but was not as invested in them to keep watching after Ezhe died, but it certainly wasn't boring at any point.

For Liu Xueyi? If you've read this far then you're at least aware of the godawful shit Ezhe does and if you want to see him glare and smirk and fight his way through the show with a curly wig and some big jewellery then go for it. He's a great antagonist and his fight scenes are really quite good. (And if you only want to watch the episodes he's in, I can give you a list).

This was a surprisingly bigger role than I expected it to be for his second drama, and could very well be his OG Asshole character (I haven't found his first drama yet so can't attest to his character in that) so if you've ever wondered why he gets cast as assholes as often as anything else then this might just be the reason why.

This show is listed on MyDramaList as The Legend of Xiaozhaung, but I found it with English subtitles on YouTube as The Legend of Da Yu'er.

Costume Gallery:

#liu xueyi #the legend of da yu'er #the legend of xiaozhuang #ezhe

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hadleysmis · 3 months ago

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Report for this blog

Added content:

Korean original ballet (2023)

Easy-to-understand 100 seconds summary video (2024)

Yang Kui (1906-1985)

Dramatic retelling of Les Misérables (2023)

Les Misérables (1992)

Turkish Les Misérables: 'Story of the miserable' (1862)

Budnaseeb (1927)

Mizraab (2015)

Reblogs:

Kundan (1955)

Shoujo Cosette (2007)

Korean Youth Magazine (1910)

Detailed:

Korean Original Musical (2015)

Peking Opera Les Misérables (2006)

Manga Fairy Tales of the World (1976)

Kyojinndenn (1938)

Extra:

Polls

My Japanese Empire AU talk

마법천자문??

Summary

Added content (in chronological order to the list above):

S. Korea (1), Japan (2), Taiwan (1), N. Korea (1)

Türkiye (1)

Pakistan (2)

East Asia -> +5

West Asia -> +1

South Asia -> +2

Detailed:

S. Korea (1), China (1), Japan (2)

East Asia -> +3

Overall

East Asia -> 7 (41)

South Asia -> 3 (6)

South East Asia -> 5 (8)

West Asia -> 3 (5)

China (5)

Hong Kong (3)

India (3)

Indonesia (1)

Iran (1)

Japan (20)

Korea, North (1)

Korea, South (10)

Lebanon (2)

Mongolia (1)

Pakistan (2)

Philippines (1)

Singapore (1)

Sri Lanka (1)

Taiwan (1)

Thailand (1)

Türkiye (2)

Vietnam (4)

Overall total:

18 (60)

#stat #just a tag #03/04/25

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sonicsean89 · 7 months ago

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So today I found out that in 2015 Nicolas Cage returned a dinosaur skull to Mongolia because it was illegally exported and Mongolia considers their dinosaur skeletons "culturally significant". Nick Cage had stolen a national treasure

#nicolas cage #national treasure

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mmryooze · 9 months ago

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"Inner Mongolia - Tagetes harvest", 2015. by Rita Willaert.

#web finds #photography #mongolia

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mezzopieno-news · 1 year ago

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6 STATI AFRICANI TRA I PRIMI 10 AL MONDO PER CRESCITA

Secondo le ultime prospettive semestrali del Fondo Monetario Internazionale, l’economia globale dovrebbe crescere del 3,2% nel 2024. Diversi Paesi in via di sviluppo hanno prospettive di crescita notevolmente migliori della media mondiale, guidando un riscatto per numerose aree del mondo finora più in difficoltà.

Sebbene il dato della crescita del Prodotto Interno Lordo sia un’indicazione parziale della condizione di una nazione, i Paesi con forti prospettive di crescita tendono anche ad avere un progressivo miglioramento delle condizioni di vita dei propri abitanti e incremento delle condizioni sociali. Il paese con la previsione più elevata di crescita del PIL nel 2024 è la Guyana. Il FMI prevede che l’economia del Paese sudamericano si espanderà del 33,9% quest’anno. Questo boom economico è dovuto principalmente alla scoperta di un enorme giacimento di petrolio nel 2015. Nel continente africano il Niger registra il tasso di crescita più alto, pari al 10,4%. La crescita è guidata delle esportazioni di petrolio attraverso un nuovo oleodotto dopo il graduale ritorno alla normalità e la revoca delle sanzioni imposte al Niger dopo un colpo di stato militare nel luglio 2023 da parte della Comunità economica degli Stati dell’Africa occidentale. Il FMI indica inoltre un forte potenziale di crescita quest’anno per diverse nazioni africane tra cui Senegal (8,3%), Libia (7,8%) e Ruanda (6,9%). Altri paesi asiatici con forti prospettive di crescita nel 2024 includono la Mongolia (6,5%), il Tagikistan (6,5%) e le Filippine (6,2%).

___________________

Fonte: Ufficio studi Mezzopieno – Guarda altri grafici

Fondo Monetario Internazionale

VERIFICATO ALLA FONTE | Guarda il protocollo di Fact checking delle notizie di Mezzopieno

BUONE NOTIZIE CAMBIANO IL MONDO | Firma la petizione per avere più informazione positiva in giornali e telegiornali

Se trovi utile il nostro lavoro e credi nel principio del giornalismo costruttivo non-profit | sostieni Mezzopieno

#mezzopieno #tgbuonenotizie #buonenotizie #buonenotiziedalmondo

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digitalmore · 20 days ago

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#IFTTT #Digital More

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blatantescapism · 1 year ago

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@cryptotheism ^ early 1900s, so 700 years too late, but it is in fact the official marching yurt / ger of a Mongolian emperor

Compare to the Ottoman tents of the 1700s:

I remember reading a description of Ghengis Khan's yurt as "palatial" and that stuck with me. I've never even seen a normal yurt. My mind cannot even imagine a palatial yurt. I bet it fucked hard.

#yurt #tent #ottoman empire #mongolian #mongol empire #textile art #moveable city #war tent #nomad #nomadic #nomadic culture #nomadic art

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cristoreysol · 2 months ago

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Todo esto es AGRIDULCE como la salsa CHINA que me encanta y creo que os vais a dar cuenta que ESPAÑA (encrucijada de civilizaciones y continentes) es el PAIS de los MON_GOLES [o de SUBNORMALES del PUTO FUTBOL, de la PUTA IGLESIA y de la PUTA MUSICA)..por cierto..El centro comercial más grande de MADRID se llama XANADU (= capital de verano del Imperio mongol de Kublai Kan, imperio que ocupaba gran parte de Asia. Hallazgos arqueológicos concluyen que la ciudad estaba situada en la actual provincia de Mongolia Interior, en China. La ciudad tenía tres partes: la «ciudad exterior», la «ciudad interior» y el palacio, donde Kublai Kan permanecía en verano. Se cree que el palacio de Xanadú era la mitad de grande que la Ciudad Prohibida, en Pekín.)..muy cerca del restaurante LA FUENCISLA que bien conoce IKER CASILLAS y su ex_mujer Sara CARBONERO ya que incluso le regalo a su dueño o heredero..Oscar de las HERAS LICERAS la camiseta con la que ganó el MUNDIAL ( y BESO a SARA delante de todo el mundo así como junto a FELIPE Y LETIZIA)..tal como publico el diario AS con titular TIERRA SANTA (=grupo del cd APOCALIPSIS cuyo cantante ANGEL SAN JUAN me dio su púa aunque era de ADRIAN de KOAKZION=COACCION..en sala MON el día que estrene mi cazadora TRUE RELIGION que me llegó JUSTO A TIEMPO de NIAGARA o donde pase en su CASINO junto al HARD ROCK CAFE la PUTA NOCHEBUENA o NAVIDAD 2009)..restaurant donde celebramos su despedida de SOLTERO antes de ir a PUTI_CLUB "FLOWERS" y donde celebraron la LIGA 06/07 algunos jugadores del REAL MADRID como CASILLAS y los SEVILLANOS RAMOS (=nacido en CAMAS) o malogrado REYES (nacido en UTRERA de donde es el grupo LOS MUERTOS DE CRISTO y que fue artífice del TRIUNFO de esa LIGA 06/07 con sus 2 goles para remontar en la ultima jornada el gol del MALLORCA de sevillano VARELA nacido en DOS HERMANAS=fabrica de VAGINAS DE PLASTICO con MOLDE de PORNO_STAR con lo que se hace millonario un matrimonio de TEXAS )

P.D. no se porque OSCAR DE LAS HERAS le Tweeteo un escueto MEMENTO a DANI MARTIN del CANTO DEL LOCO o a su primo EL PEScAO david otero " ESTE ES EL AMIGO DE PUCHINI (NESSUM DORMA..NADIE DUERME PORQUE AL ALBA VENCERE]..y le conozco incluso antes que el 11_$ o el CORONA_POLLAS

Como también hace un RT del TORERO Miguel ABELLAN con cuya furgoneta me fotografie en SEVILLA durante la FERIA DE ABRIL..tras un TORO PARTIRLE LA BOCA y reaparecer en MURO (MALLORCA)..que se ANDEN CON MUCHO OJO LOS PUTOS TOREROS..SALVAJES QUE SOIS UNOS PUTOS SALVAJES..por lo que recuerdo que IVAN FANDIÑO SE ESTRELLO MORTALMENTE CONTRA SU DESTINO (aunque no cuando se encerró el DOMINGO DE RAMOS de 2015 con 6 toros en MADRID y FRACASO ..sino en FRANCIA)tras encontrarme en la FERIA DE ABRIL de 2014 también su furgoneta en SEVILLA y un pañuelo con su nombre con el que pose en un reloj_termomentro junto al restaurant MEXICANO "AMANECER" o en la calle ASUNCION.

Creo que va haber Algunas "HERMOSAS DESPEDIDAS" único cd y póstumo de la hija del TORERO CURRO ROMERO (nacido en CAMAS) y Conchita Márquez PIQUER con su grupo AVENIDA PASION pues se mató con 18 años yendo a la SUMERGIDA NEW ORLEANS tras firmar en NY un contrato para cantar en INGLES...a la BESTIA DE LA PUTA ESPAÑA ..ME LA TOREO YO CON MIS SANTOS COJONES jaja

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lakan-olivares · 3 months ago

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Summer Capital church selfie

Enjoying the cool mountain air as I trudge up the stairways of Our Lady of the Atonement Cathedral, off Upper Session Road of Baguio City.

The Our Lady of the Atonement Church’s history starts with the arrival of the Belgian Catholic CICM (Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae) Missionaries in Baguio in 1907; Rev. Fr. Oktaaf Vandewalle (1879-1968), Fr. Serafin Devesse (1883-1945), and Fr. Henri Verbeeck (1879-1938). Fr. Serafin was appointed the first director of the Baguio Mission, and he remodeled their mission home into a chapel and a convent by the next year, which he dedicated the church to the Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop of Ireland, Saint Patrick. Fr. Serafin also establishes Saint Louis School (now the Saint Louis University) in 1911, beside the Saint Patrick Church. The school was dedicated to the King of France, Saint Louis IX (1214-1270) patron saint of parenthood and parents of large families, which may have appealed to the large clans of the native Ibaloi people.

The City of Baguio was founded in 1900 and incorporated as a city in 1909, with the first Catholic missionaries were the CICM priests. However, I assume that the choice of Saint Patrick as the first patron saint of Baguio was due to a significant number of Catholic Irish-American soldiers who were working to build the city.

When Fr. Florimund Carlu (1875-1950) was appointed the next mission rector in 1913, he expanded the church. And in 1920 Fr. Florimund proposes to construct a larger church at the present site. Fr. Florimund employs the services of the CICM architect and engineer Rev. Fr. Leo Vendelmans (1882-1964), who was aides by Fr. Adolph Cansse (died 1952). The church was completed in 1924 without the two belfries.

To complete the church, Fr. Florimund asked Rev. Fr. Josef de Samber to look for more sponsors. They approached American Fr. Paul T. Wattson (1863-1940) of the Graymoor Monks / Franciscan Friars of Atonement. Fr. Wattson began the patronage of Our Lady of the Atonement (Domina Nostra Adunationis) in 1899, with Sister Lurana Mary Francis White (1870-1935). Hence with the significant donations of the Society of the Atonement, the new church was dedicated to the American incarnation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Through the support of the Franciscan Friars of Atonement, the two belfries were completed in 1936 with the materials and money for the bells donated by the Dutchman Jan Hendrik Marsman (1892-1956) and his Scottish wife Mary Blythe Petersen Marsman (1888-1963) of the Benguet Mining Corporation. Before the completion of the belfries, the Apostolic Prefect of Mountain Province was established making the Our Lady of the Atonement Church as the new seat of the new 'pre-diocesan' boundary with its own bishop.

During the Second World War, the cathedral served as an evacuation center during the carpet-bombing of the city by American forces in 1945. Being one of the only building surviving almost unscathed after the war, led to the belief of the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This picture was taken circa 2015, during my regular explorations to document local historical landmarks around the Philippines.

Postscript:

Other churches designed by Rev. Fr. Leo Vendelmans (1882-1964) are:

1922-1924 Sacred Heart Cathedral of Hohhot, in Mongolia

1930-1946 Xiwanzi (崇禮) Cathedral in Chónglǐ (崇礼区), China

1931-1960 Sint-Stefaan in Negenmanneke, Belgium

#travel #history #churchhistory #filipinotraveler #philippines #baguiocity #ourladyofatonementcathedral #baguiocathedral

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