#Notable Deaths in April 2022

[arimiadev]

why does aniplex want mahoyo to fail

I love visual novels. being a long time fate/stay night fan and only having heard of mahoyo from hushed whispers about its cinematography, I was super invested when it was announced to be coming to the west and I could finally play an official version of it.

however, a lot of people interested in type-moon works had never heard of mahoyo, let alone it getting an official english translation. but how? aniplex is publishing the game and they're one of the largest anime distributors in the world.

with the console release of mahoyo being almost exactly a year ago and the steam release being just 10 days away, I want to look over some of aniplex USA's bizarre and nonexistent marketing for one of my favorite visual novels.

let's clear up a few things, first.

mahoyo is the shortened form of mahoutsukai no yoru (not to be confused with mahoutsukai no yome, i.e. the ancient magus bride), which has been localized as witch on the holy night. mahoyo was a linear non-eroge visual novel released by type-moon in 2012, being one of the first scripts kinoko nasu (co-founder of type-moon) wrote back in 1996 and adapted into a VN many, many years later.

in April of 2022, a console remaster (switch, playstation 4) was announced with HD assets and voice acting, to be published by aniplex. notably, this console release would contain an english translation and was later confirmed in June to be sold in the west via online retailers. this was huge news, as this meant mahoyo would be the first type-moon visual novel (not including gameplay-oriented titles like fate/extella or fate/grand order) to be officially released in the west, as despite numerous fan translations, their more recognizable visual novels tsukihime and fate/stay night still had not received a localization.

type-moon is the developer behind mahoyo and aniplex is the publisher, meaning that type-moon made the game and aniplex is in charge of distributing (and marketing) the game worldwide.

timeline:

April 11 2022: Mahoyo rerelease announced for consoles (Switch & PlayStation 4), including English translation

July 4 2022: Aniplex confirms Mahoyo will be available to the West, localized under the name Witch on the Holy Night

October 14 2022: 2nd trailer released, more voice actor info announced

November 3 2022: physical pre-orders launched, demo version available

November 18 2022: Aniplex attends Anime NYC with Mahoyo

December 7 2022: Mahoyo released digitally on Switch / PlayStation 4 (Dec 8th in Japan, Dec 7th in America)

December 12 2022: Mahoyo reaches 110k units sold worldwide

January 27 2023: Mahoyo physicals release

July 5 2023: Mahoyo reaches 150k units sold worldwide

September 10 2023: Mahoyo announced for Steam via a now unlisted Aniplex livestream

December 13 2023: Mahoyo will be released on Steam (Dec 14th in Japan, Dec 13th in America)

some of the dates might be a little fuzzy, especially the release dates, as some sources go by japanese time and some go by american timezones, so just be aware of that.

now, let's talk a bit about mahoyo itself.

mahoyo is a masterpiece. it's a niche game not meant for everyone. its cinematography is top notch among visual novels. its writing style can be off-putting to people who want faster-paced stories. it's one of my most beloved visual novels I've ever played, and I've been in this field for almost a decade and have played well over 100 VNs.

mahoyo is a completely linear visual novel—meaning it has no choices or gameplay—that follows aoko, a high schooler mage trying to balance her perfect school president facade with her secret life as a mage, something she has to keep secret at the risk of death. this is one of the lesser known type-moon works but it's well beloved because of the care put into it.

if you've ever heard someone talk about it, it's almost impossible for them to not mention the visuals. mahoyo is one of the most visually impressive visual novels I've ever seen, with its inspired use of artwork and in-game animations. I cannot recommend this VN enough if you like modern fantasy and don't mind linear VNs.

before we dive into aniplex USA's marketing, I want to clarify a few marketing terms for people who don't market visual novels as a job. marketing is not just advertising—it's everything related to how a product communicates with potential users, including its branding, its packaging, its everything. when marketing a game, you have several different avenues: social media, press & influencers, trailers, store pages, and more.

today I want to show you how, based off what I have researched after a long, manic day, aniplex USA has failed mahoyo on all of these accounts.

so let's go back to its western release.

mahoyo has a few official english channels:

website

twitter

facebook

aniplex also has an official english twitter with almost 500k followers where they shared mahoyo very rarely—only 9 tweets about the game ever.

well, surely their other pages are more maintained right—

both accounts stopped posting July 10th/11th, with their last post being about mahoyo going on sale on consoles. let's look at their posts prior to this, though, starting with the twitter.

we can see that the twitter account was made in december of 2022. if we scroll down far enough (it's not hard, given they only have 33 tweets), we can see that their first tweet was on december 6th 2022:

let's go back to our timeline. can you tell me when mahoyo's remaster released digitally?

yes they made both of the english mahoyo social media accounts the day before the game launched

we can very easily add up the entire social media posts for the game thus far:

mahoyo english twitter - 30 tweets and 3 retweets

mahoyo english facebook - 27 posts

aniplex english twitter - 9 tweets

aniplex english facebook - 2 posts

no other english social media accounts were tied to the website, so these are the only ones I looked at. this means in total, there were only 68 social media posts for the console release of mahoyo by the publisher for english audiences.

but what about the steam release? after the game sold over 150k+ units on consoles, surely aniplex was ready to market it a bit more for pc users—

neither account has made a post about the upcoming steam release.

if we look at the twitter, they have 3 tweets since July that do talk about the upcoming steam release- however, these are retweets from the japanese mahoyo account.

we know that this twitter and this facebook account are the official social media for mahoyo as they're linked on the website, so they're definitely meant to be followed for game updates in the west. well, maybe the english aniplex twitter has posted about it—

none of the english aniplex or mahoyo accounts have made a single post about the steam release

that's right, the social media posts I counted above are the only posts for mahoyo on their english accounts, all dating back before the steam release was announced. since then, they have not made a single original post even mentioning the steam release.

meanwhile, the japanese mahoyo twitter has been hustling hard to promote the upcoming steam release—reposting trailers, character bios, and more almost every day with pretty good numbers.

in fact, the japanese mahoyo twitter did such a good job at marketing it that the aniplex USA twitter never mentioned the english mahoyo twiter, instead only @ ing the japanese one in tweets (despite the english one being linked on the website).

why they even bothered making social media accounts and then not running them despite being one of the largest anime distributors in the world I have no clue.

well, maybe they didn't need to rely on social media presence. maybe they were going for the in-person approach and marketing it at conventions.

mahoyo had basically no anime convention presence

the only reference I can find to aniplex notably promoting mahoyo at any western convention is this tweet of them at anime NYC. from someone who was at anime NYC, I've been told that they pushed the game heavily at their booth with TV screens promoting the game.

however, anime NYC is only one anime convention. you cannot hope to sell a game by just attending one anime convention. mahoyo might have had a presence at other american conventions, but I'm unable to find any images or news about this.

maybe they don't understand type-moon

aniplex is the publisher for fate/grand order, one of the most successful mobile games ever created. they're also the distributor for a majority of type-moon related anime, ranging from fate to garden of sinners to side series. aniplex's marketing team should have lots of experience with type-moon properties.

maybe it was promoted in other aniplex titles

I was also unable to find a news post in fate/grand order related to mahoyo's release, despite news posts for other type-moon series (namely fate but also things like melty blood) getting news posts in fate/grand order. I might've missed the news posts when looking back through FGO but I don't believe there was one.

maybe it sold well in other regions but not western ones

(I'm going to be referring only to the console release for these stats, keep in mind)

mahoyo released December 7th/8th 2022 with an english, japanese, simplified chinese, and traditional chinese translations. at the end of the release week, mahoyo's japanese twitter announced the game had sold 110k copies worldwide and famitsu reported that 66,344 of these units were sold in japan. this means we have around 43k units unaccounted for.

we know the game was available in english, japanese, and chinese languages but we don't know what regions. mainland china has a very large visual novel playerbase (I say this as someone who sells visual novels), which means if it were sold there then it's easy to say that a big chunk of that 43k units could be attributed to them—this also means it would be easy to believe that aniplex saw mahoyo selling worse in western countries and took this as a sign to not promote the game any more there.

but was it ever sold in mainland china? from what I could tell—no.

looking at pricing charts for the nintendo eshop and the playstation store, china is not listed on either. furthermore, searching the game's chinese title on the chinese playstation store does not bring back any results. it looks like the only predominantly chinese-speaking regions that were able to buy it are hong kong, taiwan and possibly singapore (the playstation store page for it doesn't look like it's available for purchase anymore).

so what does this tell us?

without any other numbers it's hard to tell how many of the 43k launch week sales came from english-speaking players, but even if we conservatively say that only around 20k of the 110k launch week units were from western countries, that's still almost a million in revenue (and remember, the physical limited edition of the game was available in english for $60, which is $20 more than the digital base version).

maybe the store page is so good they don't need to market it

here's a little secret: store pages matter a lot more than you'd think. there are entire job positions dedicated to tailoring store pages (like a steam game page) to make it perfect for the game's target audience. there's a science to it that includes the artwork, descriptions, tags, screenshots, and more.

let's see what aniplex did for the steam page of mahoyo.

A tale told with vivid colors and rich sound in a classic TYPE-MOON visual novel.

I don't know how to describe this short description charitably other than to say it sounds like a person who's never heard of a visual novel has been tasked with describing a visual novel.

this tells me nothing about the game other than it's a visual novel. I hope you know what type-moon is, because if you don't then you've learned nothing else from this. alright, well, let's look at the screenshots—

there's only 1.

currently as of writing this, there's 10 images uploaded as screenshots (no trailers, they keep adding and removing the trailers for some reason). 9 of these images are just the full artworks from the game while 1 is an actual screenshot.

I really hate this, as you're not actually shown what the game looks like unless you look at the very last screenshot. this will absolutely lead to some people not understanding what they're getting into. what's worse is that some of these CGs are spoilers, especially one in particular featuring my wife touko.

why are we spoiling people instead of showing them screenshots? why not show people what mahoyo actually looks like??

there's also absolutely no use of the announcements section on steam. each game on steam can post announcements related to the game, including upcoming releases, new updates, and more. it's customary to post a steam announcement when a game has a release date announcement. mahoyo's steam page has none.

well they probably released the trailers in english for hype

I wish I had that much hope.

on mahoyo's english website, all of the videos listed are from the official type-moon youtube, which is their japanese channel. type-moon went through the effort to translate these videos. aniplex didn't upload these to their own youtube, where they already upload everything related to the fateverse and nasuverse.

searching up witch on the holy night brings up no results for the trailer—aniplex never uploaded the trailer to their channel.

maybe they got influencers to play it

according to steamdb, the max amount of viewers mahoyo streams have had on twitch was 71 viewers.

furthermore, if we check twitch and look for vods attached to mahoyo, we only find 4 videos total, all of which were posted in the past week. it looks like they didn't even reach out to streamers to play the console release, much less pay them.

over on the press side, it does look like they reached out to at least a few reviewers. for example, on the review by noisy pixel, they clarify that a review copy was provided by the publisher for review purposes. we can add that to the bare minimum of marketing—reaching out to press.

however, they did get for some other influencers to share the game! ...twitter game sale influencers, that is.

there's actually a lot more of these types of tweets for mahoyo than I was expecting when I searched it on twitter. as a friend pointed out, just because it says "#ad" doesn't necessarily mean these were paid for by aniplex—a lot of these links look to be referrals, which means they're getting a cut of any purchases.

let's recap

mahoyo released over 110k copies in the launch week for it's worldwide console release despite very, very limited marketing efforts from its publisher aniplex. now that the game has proven it can sell very well despite being a lesser known linear visual novel, aniplex has done no marketing for the steam release- no tweets, no influencer outreach, no localization of trailers, no announcements via steam, nothing.

so why?

why does aniplex want mahoyo to fail?

even after all of this, I still do not know why. to me, it's clear that the marketing team at aniplex were (most likely) given no budget for this game and just couldn't do anything with it, deciding to spend what little money they had on press outreach and an anime NYC booth.

but why? why didn't aniplex give them a budget, even a small one? why was their budget so tiny they couldn't even afford to tweet? to RT more posts from the japanese twitter? to share the already translated trailers to their own accounts?

I've heard a few excuses like "type-moon hates western fans and probably caused it" but this doesn't make any sense either. why would you authorize a translation of your game and allow your publisher to sell the game overseas but specifically make them not market the game (and what publisher would agree to that)? I've even heard excuses like "they just forgot it was coming out", to which I ask "how does an entire marketing team (a company the size of aniplex absolutely has a team(s) for marketing and not a singular person) forget a release for a game that's already sold over 150k copies?". the only excuse I've seen that I somewhat buy is that they did not have much faith in the game and relied almost entirely on fans doing word of mouth marketing for the game.

I don't think we'll ever get an answer. while I do believe the marketing team at aniplex was most likely given no budget for mahoyo, it still begs the question of why. why did someone at aniplex not want to give mahoyo a marketing budget? why are the japanese accounts for mahoyo and type-moon the only ones doing the marketing?

I hope the information I've provided here is accurate—if it's not, I'll try to update with corrections. I don't want this piece to cast hate towards the staff at aniplex or anyone involved with this projects, I'm just trying to assemble the pieces on what feels like a game being left to word of mouth. I've tried to include as many links to my sources as I could so you could come to your own judgements about what has happened regarding mahoyo's worldwide release.

mahoyo is a visual novel that's dear to me and will absolutely sell well on steam—with an estimated 50-80k wishlists, it's going to have a solid launch despite the zero marketing for its steam release. if you love other type-moon works or want to see an absolutely visually stunning visual novel, please check it out.

— arimia

[moongirlwidow]

File: Volkov, Anetka Vespera —> Notable Events

Aliases: Winter Widow

Status: Classified

File Last updated: July 6, 2023 AD

Status: Student

Age: 15

Class: 16ABX

Total Missions: 681

Missions completed: 671

Missions successful: 670

Mission failures: 1

Kill count: ~10k

The First Winter Soldier Incident

Date of occurrence: April 6, 2012

Age: 6 years

Summary: the Winter Soldier was brought to the academy for a pruning of classes and training session. After watching the elder classes fight and largely fail against the Soldat, Volkov faked unconsciousness. The objective of her class was to survive, however she laid limp for an hour before performing takedown 6AN19Y, a skill she had not been taught not previously seen. She proceeded to render the Soldat unconscious, the only Widow under the age of 11 to do so

Aftermath: following this, in consideration with Volkov’s other skills, statistics and mannerisms, she was selected to train as the replacement for the Iron Maiden, Melina Vostokov, alongside A. Dreykov, Taskmaster

Melbourne Playground 618

Date of occurrence: July 16, 2010

Age: 4 years

Summary: flammable gas canisters were placed in the playground at [redacted](Melbourne, Australia) by Volkov, Galkin and Zubov, lit with a dropped cigarette

Casualties: 29

Targets killed: 6/6

Myers Mountain Poisioning

Date of occurrence: October 16-31, 2022

Age: 13

Summary: Volkov infiltrated the Myers-Henderson Charity Gala in Salt Lake City Utah, seduced Messers. George Cawford and Issac Wells into her suite where she followed orders to lead them on in belief of a possible three-way encounter. She then put a heavy poison on her neck and lips which when oral contact is made knocks the victim unconscious, with the safety precaution of a powder which could be applied via [redacted]

Casualties: 2

Targets killed: 2/2

Retrieval of Archival Soviet Files from [redacted] Castle, Scotland

Date of occurence: August 12, 2022

Age: 15

Summary: Volkov alongside Taskmaster attended a fantasy-theme event in Scotland, using this as a cover to retrieve various Soviet files and archival items. Volkov created a contact with Nina Brown to gain na alibi for being out late, once again showing her skill in seducing women of a lesbian persuasion

Casualties: 0

Items Retrieved: 45/44

Graduation Test

Date of occurrence: July 28, 2023

Age: 15

Summary: following suit with N. Romanova, Volkov’s test included the retiring of her class. She was left blindfolded in a room with four of her peers, all of whom were shot at point-blank range, one shot to the heart and one to the throat. She then found herself in a laboratory chamber, and after moving through light gunfire she mixed chemicals to create toxic fumes, claiming the single gas mask for herself and climbing her to aid in avoiding the chemical.

The final room contained Katarina Yubkin and Olga Oborin, second and third ranked in the group. She eliminated Oborin without issue. Yubkin gave a fight, showing weakness as she begged for mercy before her death. Volkov then checked all bodies to confirm deaths and emerged for her assessment.

Score: 112/100

Time: 7 minutes, 26.751 seconds (record, beats Natalia Romanova)

Casualties: 28

[copperbadge]

Notable Births Of 2022

Every year around this time the newspapers run those “notable deaths” features, where they memorialize famous or infamous people who died in the past year, which is...appropriate to the season but also deeply morbid. 

I would like to suggest we have a Notable Births feature instead, where we discuss all the people who will be famous decades from now who were born in 2022. Not real people, obviously, but like.

On March 3rd this year the first gay president of West America, Annalise Jorgensen, was born! 

Also born this year, DieXel -- the composer of the smash it AI Baby, which launched the Electropopstep movement -- on September 29th. 

Inventor of the Warm Drive (like the warp drive only more comfortable) Aidan Dietrich was born on July 9th. 

The man who would eventually bring down the entire Coca Cola empire, Barry Smith, born Robert Smith on December 29th (hasn’t even happened yet!) 

Founder of social media platform Dorp, Julia Nygard, and destroyer of social media platform Dorp, Ron Mellis, weirdly were BOTH born on April 22nd this year. 

And of course NeeNar, first alien to openly land on Earth, was born outside the galaxy but traditionally celebrates his birthday as August 10, 2022, because 81022 is a lucky number in his culture. (10822 is a highly unlucky number which is why he landed in America instead of Europe.)  

[sapphyreopal5]

I do notice Danneel wearing a lot of black clothes a lot. I always get a very depressed dark evil vibe from Danneel wearing this colour. My opinion is to tell Danneel is a witch and doing dark magic. By the way, I got a feeling Danneel told her brother to go to Rome to keep his eyes on Jensen. And we all know we are talking about why the reason. (Wow, Danneel is a control freak and she won't let Jensen. Dear god, I hope Jensen will break free soon).

Hope you noticed Jensen wearing white theme clothes on his outfits this weekend for JIB con. I'm happy to see Jensen wearing brighter clothes to tell by his vibe is full of positivity and love. I hope not to see Jensen start to change into the man used to be before meets Danneel.

Hello Anon, thank you for the ask. So I see you asked this around the JIB con time and apologize because I thought I did respond and apparently have not. So, to establish this pattern, I am attaching clips and photos to point out the types of clothes both have been wearing not just around JIB but in some appearances outside of JIB as well. From my understanding, sometimes Daniela who is one of the managers hosting the JIB cons will "gift" clothes to Jared and Jensen to wear while at the cons. I don't think it was necessarily the case with the last JIB this year but I did notice he wore a lot more white.

Danneel in a video I saw today actually she's wearing black and a cross. I'm not sure what look she's aiming for with that look but to me that would indicate some "appearance" of either trying to redeem herself, getting more spiritually intuned or just trying to look like this is the case and is in fact the opposite. Interestingly so in years past, Danneel has also worn some strange and colorful outfits so who knows, maybe she is trying to be more conservative and attention grabbing these days.

Some people choose to wear more black due to minimizing things like decision fatigue, minimalism which is common in places like Japan, or to deter attention (Danneel has notably been posting far less selfies and such in the last few years), and because it can be worn anywhere and everywhere. It can also indicate power, danger, aggression, or even depression according to this article. I'm also sharing a video of an Indian mystic named Sadhguru speaking of why we should think twice before dressing in black. He speaks of how we should honor the dead yes but we should also remain separate from the dead. He implied that wearing more black means being closer to death in a way and says anything you don't want to absorb you wear white. It is true that black absorbs more heat and white reflects or bounces it off more, so why not bounce off other energies while you're at it?

Black is often associated with death and often worn in places like the USA; I was told by an Indian coworker it is actually white that people wear in India to funerals when she asked me why women wear white dresses to weddings (red is apparently often worn by Indian brides a lot).

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Thoughts

My take on the wearing more black on Danneel's part? It's possible it's her being more into black magic, trying to at times deter less attention to herself, and also possibly because she's feeling more "down". I think in the past she may have worn it more due to power and aggression but given how more conservative her attire choices are these days, I believe there's a different feel to it. As for Jensen, I noticed he's a bit allover the place at times. Yes he wore a lot more white at the JIB in April but he also wore white at Darklight and then also black. Personally, I think both of them ought to start wearing lighter colors to bounce off more energies, particularly with how their CT house is said to be haunted.

With regards to Gino going to Rome in April, I don't believe it has anything to do with Danneel at all. I speculated in private to some people via PMs that I believe Jensen had an unpleasant conversation with Gino with regards to FBBC. Curiously, FBBC closed its only taproom BEFORE securing another location last month which was 4 days after the annual party and only a few weeks after they were in Rome together. Tax writeoffs for "business dinners" and "travel expenses" are a thing that wealthy people do a lot. I have the utmost confidence that this is why Gino was in Rome coincidentally the same weekend Jensen was there for JIB (simple vacation for him and his wife my ass, this trip was at least in part paid for by his rich brother in law!). Nothing to do with watching Jensen because otherwise, why isn't he going with him to other cons?

As of June 10, the taproom location (and the house on that lot included) was listed on a commercial real estate website Loopnet for sale; before some moron comes along and says "IT'S NOT LISTED ON ZILLOW!", that is because Zillow is primarily for RESIDENTIAL properties not COMMERCIAL like the brewery taproom.

Take from this what you will but I am personally starting to think Danneel's black magic and such is actually showing some signs of fading.

[theanticool]

After Day of reckoning a lot of people have been downing Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. A lot of it was just people poking fun at them but I saw this one post from a boxing site that felt deeper and resonated with sentiments I've had about those two. It goes as follows.

"The truth is that as both of their defining fights came against each other (barring Fury/Klitschko), their reputations are inextricably linked and dependent on one another. After Wilder was so thoroughly dominated by Parker, and Fury struggled badly (and arguably lost) to Ngannou, the thinness of their resumes casts a shadow over their legacies.

All of a sudden, Fury being dropped by Cunningham starts to look bad again. Fury's life and death struggle with Wallin starts to look bad (after Joshua thrashed him) . His choice of Schwarz and an unknown Wallin post-Wilder 1 looks like a lack of confidence. His arrogance of choosing Whyte and an ancient Chisora for fights NOBODY wanted post Wilder 3 looks like what it was - greed. And the Ngannou option too - going for high reward/low risk. It's not a good look. I thought Fury was a nailed on ATG, and his bravery for facing Wilder when he did and doing what he did was the stuff of legends. But again, that is the only redeeming factor in his post-Klitschko resume - and now that looks...severely diminished.

Likewise Wilder. His WBC reign was absurdly stage-managed by the WBC and PBC. And Fury was a cherry pick gone wrong. Clever management, but after his thrashing by Parker it starts to really look like smoke and mirrors. And again, I loved Wilder as a fighter. I wanted to see him face the best and genuinely thought he would find a way to win despite his limitations. But we NEVER got those fights. And so now we start to wonder why...and it does seem like he was manufactured. Had he fought Ruiz and beaten him, had he fought and beat Whyte even, or Joyce - or even Martin we wouldn't be saying this as we would have a much better yardstick of his true level. But he managed to be a champ and not fight these fights."

what do you think about this post and what do you think about how these past few months have affected the way people see Wilder and Tyson?

The post is right mostly, though I think it undersells Parker a tad. though I disagree that a win over Charles Martin would have been some huge deterrent for criticism considering Wilder KOed the guy (Helenius) who KOed the guy (Kownacki) who beat Martin.

I think people attributed a lot to Wilder that just was not shown in the ring. For as bad as the Parker fight was for him, it was not a split from the norm. When he has fought skilled heavyweights in the past, he has been down or even on the cards late (See the Ortiz fights). I think the wars with Fury might have blinded people from the fact his resume is really light because that used to be a really common critique up til he fought Fury.

I think Fury has fucked his legacy up more. Almost losing to a guy in his first ever boxing match as the lineal heavyweight champion is bad. Like really bad. Especially when he was openly ducking the unification fight everyone wants to see.

But also, the fact of the matter is heavyweight is bad. Yeah, we could and should have got AJ vs Tyson Fury/Deontay Wilder at some point in the last like 6-7 years, but otherwise it's not like there was much out there. Like Whyte is not a deeply skilled or interesting fighter (and we'd all have preferred for the Usyk fight), but he was honestly the most "interesting" fight available for Fury in 2022. Usyk and AJ were tied up with one another (+ Usyk was serving in the war). Parker had semi-recently lost to Whyte. Hrgovic had yet to beat Zhang, Zhang had yet to beat Joyce, and Joyce's most notable win was either Daniel Dubois or Carlos Takam. The third Chisora fight was blatant cherry-picking, but honestly Whyte was the best available heavyweight come April 2022. The only other one I can think of that "could" have got the fight was Andy Ruiz but people were still laughing at him for coming into the rematch with AJ overweight and underprepared. And when he did pop up, he barely edged out a 43+ year old Luis Ortiz despite knocking him down like 3x. The division is just bad.

[thoughtportal]

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Once You See the Truth About Cars, You Can’t Unsee It https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/15/opinion/car-ownership-inequality.html

By Andrew Ross and Julie Livingston

Mr. Ross and Ms. Livingston are professors at New York University, members of its Prison Education Program Research Lab and authors of the book “Cars and Jails: Freedom Dreams, Debt, and Carcerality.”

In American consumer lore, the automobile has always been a “freedom machine” and liberty lies on the open road. “Americans are a race of independent people” whose “ancestors came to this country for the sake of freedom and adventure,” the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce’s soon-to-be-president, Roy Chapin, declared in 1924. “The automobile satisfies these instincts.” During the Cold War, vehicles with baroque tail fins and oodles of surplus chrome rolled off the assembly line, with Native American names like Pontiac, Apache, Dakota, Cherokee, Thunderbird and Winnebago — the ultimate expressions of capitalist triumph and Manifest Destiny.

But for many low-income and minority Americans, automobiles have been turbo-boosted engines of inequality, immobilizing their owners with debt, increasing their exposure to hostile law enforcement, and in general accelerating the forces that drive apart haves and have-nots.

Though progressive in intent, the Biden administration’s signature legislative achievements on infrastructure and climate change will further entrench the nation’s staunch commitment to car production, ownership and use. The recent Inflation Reduction Act offers subsidies for many kinds of vehicles using alternative fuel, and should result in real reductions in emissions, but it includes essentially no direct incentives for public transit — by far the most effective means of decarbonizing transport. And without comprehensive policy efforts to eliminate discriminatory policing and predatory lending, merely shifting to electric from combustion will do nothing to reduce car owners’ ever-growing risk of falling into legal and financial jeopardy, especially those who are poor or Black.

By the 1940s, African American car owners had more reason than anyone to see their vehicles as freedom machines, as a means to escape, however temporarily, redlined urban ghettos in the North or segregated towns in the South. But their progress on roads outside of the metro core was regularly obstructed by the police, threatened by vigilante assaults, and stymied by owners of whites-only restaurants, lodgings and gas stations. Courts granted the police vast discretionary authority to stop and search for any one of hundreds of code violations — powers that they did not apply evenly. Today, officers make more than 50,000 traffic stops a day. Driving while Black has become a major route to incarceration — or much worse. When Daunte Wright was killed by a police officer in April 2021, he had been pulled over for an expired registration tag on his car’s license plate. He joined the long list of Black drivers whose violent and premature deaths at the hands of police were set in motion by a minor traffic infraction — Sandra Bland (failure to use a turn signal), Maurice Gordon (alleged speeding), Samuel DuBose (missing front license plate) and Philando Castile and Walter Scott (broken taillights) among them. Despite widespread criticism of the flimsy pretexts used to justify traffic stops, and the increasing availability of cellphone or police body cam videos, the most recent data shows that the number of deaths from police-driver interactions is almost as high as it has been over the past five years.

In the consumer arena, cars have become tightly sprung debt traps. The average monthly auto loan payment crossed $700 for the first time this year, which does not include insurance or maintenance costs. Subprime lending and longer loan terms of up to 84 months have resulted in a doubling of auto loan debt over the last decade and a notable surge in the number of drivers who are “upside down”— owing more money than their cars are worth. But, again, the pain is not evenly distributed. Auto financing companies often charge nonwhite consumers higher interest rates than white consumers, as do insurers.

Formerly incarcerated buyers whose credit scores are depressed from inactivity are especially red meat to dealers and predatory lenders. In our research, we spoke to many such buyers who found it easier, upon release from prison, to acquire expensive cars than to secure an affordable apartment. Some, like LeMarcus, a Black Brooklynite (whose name has been changed to protect his privacy under ethical research guidelines), discovered that loans were readily available for a luxury vehicle but not for the more practical car he wanted. Even with friends and family willing to help him with a down payment, after he spent roughly five years in prison, his credit score made it impossible to get a Honda or “a regular car.” Instead, relying on a friend to co-sign a loan, he was offered a high-interest loan on a pre-owned Mercedes E350. LeMarcus knew it was a bad deal, but the dealer told him the bank that would have financed a Honda “wanted a more solid foundation, good credit, income was showing more,” but that to finance the Mercedes, it “was actually willing to work with the people with lower credit and lower down payments.” We interviewed many other formerly incarcerated people who followed a similar path, only to see their cars repossessed.

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LeMarcus was “car rich, cash poor,” a common and precarious condition that can have serious legal consequences for low-income drivers, as can something as simple as a speeding ticket. A $200 ticket is a meaningless deterrent to a hedge fund manager from Greenwich, Conn., who is pulled over on the way to the golf club, but it could be a devastating blow to those who mow the fairways at the same club. If they cannot pay promptly, they will face cascading penalties. If they cannot take a day off work to appear in court, they risk a bench warrant or loss of their license for debt delinquency. Judges in local courts routinely skirt the law of the land (in Supreme Court decisions like Bearden v. Georgia and Timbs v. Indiana) by disregarding the offender’s ability to pay traffic debt. At the request of collection agencies, they also issue arrest or contempt warrants for failure to appear in court on unpaid auto loan debts. With few other options to travel to work, millions of Americans make the choice to continue driving even without a license, which means their next traffic stop may land them in jail.

The pathway that leads from a simple traffic fine to financial insolvency or detention is increasingly crowded because of the spread of revenue policing intended to generate income from traffic tickets, court fees and asset forfeiture. Fiscally squeezed by austerity policies, officials extract the funds from those least able to pay. This is not only an awful way to fund governments; it is also a form of backdoor, regressive taxation that circumvents voters’ input.

Deadly traffic stops, racially biased predatory lending and revenue policing have all come under public scrutiny of late, but typically they are viewed as distinct realms of injustice, rather than as the interlocking systems that they are. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it: A traffic stop can result in fines or arrest; time behind bars can result in repossession or a low credit score; a low score results in more debt and less ability to pay fines, fees and surcharges. Championed as a kind of liberation, car ownership — all but mandatory in most parts of the country — has for many become a vehicle of capture and control.

Industry boosters promise us that technological advances like on-demand transport, self-driving electric vehicles and artificial intelligence-powered traffic cameras will smooth out the human errors that lead to discrimination, and that car-sharing will reduce the runaway costs of ownership. But no combination of apps and cloud-based solutions can ensure that the dealerships, local municipalities, courts and prison industries will be willing to give up the steady income they derive from shaking down motorists.

Aside from the profound need for accessible public transportation, what could help? Withdraw armed police officers from traffic duties, just as they have been from parking and tollbooth enforcement in many jurisdictions. Introduce income-graduated traffic fines. Regulate auto lending with strict interest caps and steep penalties for concealing fees and add-ons and for other well-known dealership scams. Crack down hard on the widespread use of revenue policing. And close the back door to debtors’ prisons by ending the use of arrest warrants in debt collection cases. Without determined public action along these lines, technological advances often end up reproducing deeply rooted prejudices. As Malcolm X wisely said, “Racism is like a Cadillac; they bring out a new model every year.”

Andrew Ross and Julie Livingston are professors at New York University, members of its Prison Education Program Research Lab and authors of the book “Cars and Jails: Freedom Dreams, Debt, and Carcerality.”

[brokehorrorfan]

Broke Horror Fan presents Living with Chucky on limited edition, fully functional VHS! Our latest tape goes on sale on Tuesday, April 18, at 12pm EST/9am PST via Witter Entertainment.

The 2022 Child’s Play franchise documentary arrives on VHS with two variants: a standard slipcase and a flip-open slipcase with a yellow VHS (limited to 100).

It is officially licensed from Cinedigm and Screambox. Special features include an exclusive introduction by director Kyra Elise Gardner plus Candid Conversations, Strange Families, and Favorite Death Scenes featurettes.

After growing up within the Child’s Play series, director Kyra Elise Gardner (daughter of special effects artist Tony Gardner) offers a unique perspective on Chucky’s lasting impact.

Chucky creator Don Mancini and franchise alumni Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Fiona Dourif, Alex Vincent, Christine Elise, Billy Boyd, John Waters, Tony Gardner, David Kirschner, and more spill their guts along with such notable fans as Marlon Wayans, Abigail Breslin, Lin Shaye, and Dan Povenmire, among others.

[frnwhcom]

The Life and Times of Queen Elizabeth II: An Era of Transition and the Future of the British Monarchy

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch in history, ascended to the throne on February 6, 1952, and her reign lasted until her death on September 8, 2022. Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor on April 21, 1926, her life and reign encapsulated a period of extraordinary change both within the United Kingdom and across the globe. Her tenure saw the transformation of the British Empire into the Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War, the dawn of the digital age, and significant shifts in social norms and values. As the figurehead of the UK and 15 other Commonwealth realms, her consistent presence provided a sense of continuity amidst these vast changes. Early Life and Ascension Elizabeth was not born as the direct heir apparent to the throne; her destiny changed with the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII, in 1936, which made her father the king and her the next in line. Educated privately at home and serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II, Elizabeth's early life was a blend of royal duty and service to her country. Her marriage to Philip Mountbatten in 1947 was a union that lasted 73 years, until his death in 2021, and played a central role in her life and reign. Together, they had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward, whose lives and activities have also been closely followed by the public. Reign and Legacy Throughout her reign, Queen Elizabeth II navigated the monarchy through times of both turbulence and triumph. She worked with 15 UK Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss, and met with numerous world leaders, influencing diplomatic relations through her engagements. Her reign was marked by a dedication to public service, with countless engagements, state visits, and ceremonial duties performed with unwavering commitment. Elizabeth's ability to adapt the monarchy to the times without sacrificing its traditions was among her most notable achievements. She embraced television and the internet to connect with the public, including the annual Christmas broadcast, which became a significant aspect of her communication with the Commonwealth and the world. Death and Transition The death of Queen Elizabeth II marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter for the British monarchy. Her son, Charles, succeeded her as King Charles III, bringing to the throne a different perspective shaped by years of advocacy on environmental, social, and architectural issues. The Future Monarchy King Charles III faces the challenge of leading a monarchy in a modern, more questioning world. With debates surrounding the monarchy's funding, its role in society, and the relevance of the Commonwealth in the 21st century, his reign is poised to be one of adaptation and potential transformation. Charles has indicated a desire to streamline the monarchy and focus on sustainability and social issues, which could redefine the royal family's role in British society and beyond. The transition also raises questions about the monarchy's place in the UK and its relevance to younger generations. While the monarchy has historically enjoyed strong support, changing demographics and societal values suggest that its future role may need to evolve. The life and times of Queen Elizabeth II represented a bridge between centuries, embodying tradition while facing forward. As the British monarchy enters a new era under King Charles III, it stands at a crossroads between its historical legacy and the demands of a changing world. How this institution adapts will likely define its relevance and survival in the years to come, continuing a story that has fascinated and engaged people around the globe for more than a millennium. Read the full article

[jet-bradley]

masterpost of tron playlists i've made

..... sigh..

my music taste has changed a lot since i got into TRON. im going to present these completely factually and just describe the genres/vibes under the assumption that just because i personally dont like a playlist much anymore, doesn't mean you guys won't!

the categories here are going to be really funny though.

playlists specifically about jet bradley

integration: i dont know what the vibe of this one was supposed to be. maybe songs i think he'd like? well, it's missing pink triangle by weezer, maybe i'll add it. some lyrics seem to describe him but a lot don't! notable artists: filter, battle tapes, failure.

.pl: this one is specifically Ghost in the Machine themed. oscillates between playful and offputting. webcore with some childlike vibes. notable artists: kikuo, graham kartna, candy claws, porter robinson, oliver buckland.

disc trick: this counts because im pretty sure when i made it it was supposed to be "songs i'd show jet to ruin his music taste" but it's really a ten hour hyperpop/breakcore/???????????? energetic electronic music playlist. if you ever need to drive the 10 from LA to Phoenix or the other way around this will keep you awake.

structural defragmentation theory: your guess is as good as mine where i was going with this beyond "help none of my jet playlists have enough metal in them." references ghost in the machine, if the title didn't make it obvious enough. basically all cyberpunk metal or similar (except i added control by halsey to be funny, i guess).

jet playlist 1: why did i ever bother with darksynth man. however this playlist gets a pass for having the death stranding ost on it for some fucking reason. another playlist with lots of battle tapes, this one also has a lot of aviators on it.

everything else

music to orange bitches to: collab with @system-operator. songs that have reprogramming/reprogrammed vibes. notable artists: 3teeth, daft punk, rabbit junk, deadmau5, maretu.

partition failure: playlist i wrote as part of the nanowrimo project i did in april 2022 of the same name. PF was a splatoon crossover so this has a lot of those vibes too. genres: EDM, cyberpunk metal, industrial.

infiltrator: older mercury playlist i did. combination of electro swing and atmospheric cyberpunk VGM. dont know why i associated that with her but it's kind of a vibe.

songs for rinzler to show his therapist: i've added a lot of rinzler-ish songs to this over the years. it's... eclectic. some vocaloid, cyberpunk metal, EDM... and the doctor who OST?

songs from my top 100 that make me look like a tron kinnie: ... dont comment on it please.

voices of the grid: vocaloid songs i thought programs would like.

[pony-central]

TV Tropes That Apply to PonyCentral (updated list)

Prone to Tears - She's mostly in control of her emotions, but can sometimes let them out whenever something bad has happened. Most notably in the comic 'Drugsy Wugsy", where DrugFriend's carelessness ends up trashing Boyfriend's house

Colour Coded for Your Convenience - she's mostly purple, with blue eyes and a green cutie mark

Closer to Earth - She's mostly reserved to her hometown of Parodies Town

Adorkable - She's a talking pony. What's not to love?

Berserk Button - Natt and people who talk crap about her

Badass Adorable - PonyCentral may look all cute. But getting on her nerves and annoying her with inane requests will make her block you

Author Avatar - she's the original PonyCentral.

Adaptational Fangirl - she became obsessed with Sick Boyfriend after he made his debut in April of 2022

The Stoic - she's mostly this, being able to comfort her friends and not show any negative emotions to her closest friends

Characterization Moves On - while previously attempting to revoke the situation of herself previously, she's become slightly more sociable, while her creator is still a slight introvert

Death Glare - she gave this to Sick Boyfriend after he yelled at his mother in "Family Sick Values"

Red Oni, Blue Oni - The Red Oni to Sick Boyfriend's Blue Oni. While he's more calm at times, PonyCentral is slightly more of the powerful one

Her Boyfriend's Jacket - in a recent comic, PonyCentral wore Sick Boyfriend's shirt after noticing it on the mini closet next to the bed

Just Friends - She loves Sick Boyfriend, but he just wants them to be friends, completely oblivious to her feelings towards him

Does Not Like Spam - PonyCentral HATES vegetables (because most of them have a bland taste), and black pudding (because it has a gross texture). She's also not a fan of cheese, dark chocolate, sour sweets, and any kind of berry

Everything's Better with Rainbows - by the end of the first LAFB comic series, she throws up a rainbow after eating donuts

Unable to Die - being a unicorn, she's unable to get killed by anything

Depending on the Writer - She will either be very happy with the world, or get emotional at the blink of an eye

Cuddle Bug - she's a good hugger

Earthy Barefoot Character - she chooses to not wear clothes because she's a unicorn

Friend to Bugs - she loves insects, but she's not very fond of wasps, due to one stinging her when she was a child

Barbie Doll Anatomy - Given that she's a cartoon horse, she has no visible downstairs parts

Gasshole - Based around her personality, she's a rare tooter, only passing gas in private and not in public places, unless it's outside

Embarrassing Nickname - Kayles is a nickname her aunt granted her before her death

Once Done, Never Forgotten - A tonne of people will never forget what happened in the past. But the past is in the past

Gosh Darn It to Heck - She never swears in conversation, only using alternates. "Crap" is a given, but does it really count as a swear?

Hidden Depths - Most people know that she's a good artist, but she's also a good singer. Well, in her school plays anyway

Nature Adores a Virgin - She has never had intimacy with anyone yet, as she's still waiting for the perfect man

[black-arcana]

CRISTINA SCABBIA Says Next LACUNA COIL Album Won't Arrive Before 2024

During an appearance on the latest episode of Knotfest's "She's With The Band", the show hosted by Tori Kravitz and Alicia Atout aiming to amplify the voices of women on stage, backstage and in the business, LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2019's "Black Anima" album. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We are already writing music. But I think it's going to be 2024 [before the new album is released].

"The problem is not really the music that we write. But now, in order to deliver a record, it takes a lot more time," she explained. "The pandemic delayed everything. And metal music is maybe the only genre in which the physical support [is] still very important. Because there are a lot of collectors, a lot of fans [who] really want to keep the copy of the record in their hand. And it takes time to print vinyls, to print CDs. You need sometimes one year in between the delivering of the master and the release of the record, because you have to set up a lot of things. That's why I'm talking about 2024. Maybe we will record an album in 2023, but it probably will be delivered in 2024. But we are definitely writing new music."

Earlier this month, LACUNA COIL released a new single, "Never Dawn". For the track, LACUNA COIL partnered with CMON, the renowned board game publisher behind the popular game "Zombicide". "Never Dawn" is a notable addition to CMON's latest Kickstarter project, "Zombicide: White Death", and was initially used as an instrumental version in a campaign trailer. The game introduces new characters, mechanics, and challenges for players to overcome, and the upcoming "White Death" version features five LACUNA COIL limited-edition survivor tokens.

Designed by Nicolas Raoult, one of the designers of the original "Zombicide", along with Jean-Baptiste Lullien and Raphaël Guiton, "Zombicide: White Death" is a sequel to the fantasy spinoff version of "Zombicide" with a new wintery theme. The third installment in this series, it follows "Zombicide: Black Plague", which introduced the concept in 2016, and "Zombicide Green Horde", which came out in 2018.

LACUNA COIL has spent the last few months promoting "Comalies XX", the recently released "deconstructed" and "transported" version of the band's third album, "Comalies".

"Comalies XX" was made available on October 14, 2022 via Century Media Records.

LACUNA COIL celebrated the 20th anniversary of "Comalies", by performing it in its entirety at a one-night-only concert on October 15, 2022 at Fabrique in Milano.

"Comalies" was originally released on October 29, 2002 through Century Media Records. The LP, which featured the band's breakthrough single "Heaven's A Lie", has reportedly gone on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States alone.

LACUNA COIL played its first show in front of an audience in more than two years on April 7, 2022 as the support act for APOCALYPTICA at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia.

Prior to the Atlanta concert, the last time LACUNA COIL played together was at the group's special September 2020 livestream event where the bandmembers performed "Black Anima" in its entirety with no audience in attendance at the Alcatraz Club in Milan, Italy. That show was released as a live album, "Live From The Apocalypse", via Century Media.

[singular-yike]

Any thoughts on melon-chama? (What the hell is that nickname my brain just vomited Tenkai's not even young)

Ahh, Tenkai, known by many titles: The "Melon of Terror", the "Terrifying Flying Death Melon", the "Flying Melon of Terror"... "Melon-chama", apparently (It's fine Tenkai can get a little baby talk, as a treat for babysitting Sukune and Sese)

I'll admit I tend to overlook Tenkai themself as a character, treating them more as a lore expositor, but that's absolutely not all they are. Let's dig into One of the Old Dictators—Tenkai Zuifeng

Behind the Melon

Tenkai (天堺 heaven border) is based on the 14th-century Japanese Buddhist monk "Tenkai" (天海 same pronunciation, different kanji).

Tenkai's (the monk) first Buddhist name was actually Zuifuu (随風), which is again similar in pronunciation to Tenkai's surname, Zuifeng (瑞風 lit. fresh, vibrant wind, taken to mean "auspicious wind"). Although Zuifeng takes a Chinese pronunciation of 風 rather than a Japanese one, a reference to the association between the concept of barriers (結界) and the Chinese philosophy of the Five Phases (五行 wǔxíng).

In addition to being a high-ranking Buddhist priest, Tenkai also served as the advisor to the shogun at the time, the great unifier of Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu (on whom Tsurubami is themself based). This is the basis upon which Tsurubami's relationship with Tenkai comes from.

While the monk's later life is well documented, his early life actually remains an overall mystery. Perhaps similar to how Tenkai's own backstory is unclear, other than that they're related to a famous barrier builder and came from the outside world.

Tenkai's Designs

I'm not usually all that good at talking about the visual side of things, but Tenkai does have some unique points that I'd like to touch on

Tenkai's outfits are often compared to melons, specifically the Yubari King melon, which is hilariously enough Tenkai's favorite food. They are the only character so far to have actually received three distinct designs, aside from Sese Kitsugai:

There's their work outfit, which they wore in RMI and as a boss in BPoHC (the latter, funnily enough, has the words yuubari (夕張) on a sleeve)

Their casual outfit, which they wore as a playable in BPoHC

Their melon outfit, which they showed up in as Tenki [Melon] in BotC

In addition, Tenkai's headband is a part of a running gag from JynX, where they insist that they do not remember what they based it on. (Even though I myself confirmed with them what it was once lol)

Pixiv FANBOX 29 April 2022 — Donors-Only Article "By the way, I still haven't recalled what that stick on Tenkai's head was supposed to be. I'm sure it was based on something related to their character basis, but what was it...? Eh, let's just say that it's a melon's vines, alright?" — JynX

It is, in fact, based on nokimarugawara (軒丸瓦), a style of roof tiling in Japanese architecture. (As a bit of a side note, Len'en seems to view barrier building as they do any other type of normal building, making Tenkai somewhat of an architect themself)

Spell Cards

And we come to my absolute FAVOUITE part about analyzing Tenkai: their spell cards. There's honestly something to say about every single one of them, but here I'll focus on a particular set with a common theme: The Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shrine.

The shrine is a marvel of Japanese shrine and temple architecture, and is where Tokugawa Ieyasu was buried and enshrined, who, if you'd recall, is who Tsurubami themself is based on.

Here I'll go over a few notable locations and features of the Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shrine, and point out how they influenced Tenkai's spell cards:

The Shrine's Main Gate — Youmeimon Gate (陽明門)

It's directly named in the spell Youmei "Higurashi-no-mon", where Higurashi-no-mon (日暮ノ門 gate of the sunset) is another name for the gate, as it is so beautiful that one could spend the whole day staring at it.

The spells Inverted Pillar "Guri Carving" and "Reversed Second Pillar Among the Twelve" also reference the gate, "guri carving" refers to the swirling pattern on the white pillars that support the gate. (One may note that this pattern is also what Tenkai's shot options are like!)

While the "inverted/reversed pillar" refers to a particular pillar that's erected inversely to all the other ones, which can be distinguished by the very guri pattern on them. (Leftmost in the first image) This was done to counteract a superstition at the time that since completed buildings will one day break down, an imperfection should be left to leave it "incomplete".

The spell "Dragon Head Tiles" likely references the dragon head carvings on the gate as well.

The corridors on the two sides of the gate feature extensive and ornate carvings of birds and flowers, referenced in the spell Calm "Sparrow in the East-West Corridor".

Shrine Carvings — Nemuri-neko, Three Monkeys, and More

The card Closed Eyes "Nemuri-Neko" references the carving of the same name, which simply means "sleeping cat". Said to represent the peace that Tokugawa's reign brought to Japan.

Behind Nemuri-neko is a carving of several sparrows, to remind us that even in times of peace, we mustn't lose vigilance. This was referenced again in Calm "Sparrow in the East-West Corridor", the hard/unreal version of Closed Eyes "Nemuri-Neko".

Three Monkeys "The World is Impure; Shut Everything Out" references this carving of the three wise monkeys.

It always seemed, at least to me, that by basing so many spells on the shrine, that Tenkai is simultaneously paying homage to other architects of the past and thematically mourning the (seemingly permanent) departure of Tsurubami. A most beautiful collection of references.

And I think, that makes for a fairly nice stopping point this time, I know I haven't gone much into the in-universe side of Tenkai this time, but maybe that can be the topic of yet another deep dive :)

[yesimadeanewaccountforthis]

Hello everyone!!!

Wow… it’s been a hot minute since I made a post.Today I just wanted to talk about a new movie that I saw on Netflix the other day. The Life and Death of Marsha P Johnson.  I thought it was great and wanted to share it with more people. 

If you don’t know who she is then let me give you some backstory, Marsha P Johnson. According to the article “Remembering Marsha P. Johnson” by The Peak, a student newspaper for the Simon Fraser University, she was a gay and trans rights activist, most notably remembered for her involvement in the Stonewall riots of 1969. She along with another trans woman Sylvia Rivera headed trans rights activism despite their many struggles. Together they created the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) to help homeless trans youth. Though it is important to remember, Marsha was a Black trans woman and that put a major target on her back. The article On Marsha P. Johnson’s Birthday, Remembering her True Legacy highlights her black identity and how even today it is Black trans youth that face more violence than any other trans youth. 

But Marsha should not be remembered for her struggles, her work is amazing! Most articles and news sources, except the transphobic and homophobic ones, remember her as an icon. In fact, the article by The Peak even highlights the time she and Rivera marched in front of the 1973 pride parade after being banned from marching in it. THAT is icon behavior. 

The main focus of this documentary was not Johnson’s work, it was her death. In 1992 she was found dead in the Hudson River and police ruled in a suicide without any further investigation. This is in spite of the fact that many of her friends thought it was foul play and reported seeing an injury on the back of her head. The documentary follows Victoria Cruz as she tries to uncover the real reason behind her friend Marsha’s death. 

Though very little is discovered, this film is bringing up old conversations. The article Stonewall uprising: 50 years later—Emerging challenges for LGBTQ communities around the world brings up how trans identities are not researched as well as other queer identities. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera started the conversation and it is up to us to continue it. One point the paper brings up is “In contrast, a more strongly developed gender identity was related to greater gender identity discrimination and less inclusion in the community.” (Arcidiacono and Carbone 641). This just further emphasizes how trans identities are excluded. Though, Johnson’s and Rivera’s STAR house is a testament of how community is the most integral part of living your true self. This is something highlighted in The Afterward: Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson in the Medieval Imaginary by Joy Ellison and Nicholas Hoffman who wrote about the accomplishments of the two women. 

Overall, the movie provides a good entry point to learning about the life of Marsha P. Johnson. While it does focus on the investigation of her death, there are flashbacks to her work and involvement in activism. It is a reminder that even though her life was cut short, she helped millions of people around 

References

Arcidiacono, & Carbone, A. (2021). Stonewall uprising: 50 years later—Emerging challenges for LGBTQ communities around the world. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 31(6), 639–643. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2584

Baska, M., & Fink, L. (2022, August 24). On Marsha P Johnson's birthday, remember her true legacy of Black trans joy in resistance. PinkNews. Retrieved April 22, 2023, from https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/08/24/marsha-p-johnson-activism-birthday-institute/

Ellison, & Hoffman, N. (2019). The Afterward: Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson in the Medieval Imaginary. Medieval Feminist Forum, 55(1), 267–294. https://doi.org/10.17077/1536-8742.2140

Icart, C., & Young, W. (2022, November 15). Remembering Marsha P. Johnson. The Peak. Retrieved April 22, 2023, from https://the-peak.ca/2022/11/remembering-marsha-p-johnson/

[ruthannabelleckl]

Is social media useful in spreading information on Covid-19 in Malaysia?

Covid-19 is claimed to have originated in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019 and ultimately expanded to 200 nations globally (Salman, 2021). Social media, with over billion users, is vital for Malaysia’s government to spread Covid-19 awareness timely and educate the public on precautionary conduct. Social media enables people to generate and share information while socializing, enabling the flow of opinions, notions, and insights in online communities (Hussin et al., 2021). Governmental initiatives to enhance public health via social media have sprouted in the last several years (Dawi et al., 2021).

Navigating the Pandemic Wave: How Social Media Amplified COVID-19 Response in Malaysia

Malaysian citizens have access to Covid-19 updates through social media, including the official Facebook page, YouTube channel, and Twitter account of the Ministry of Health Malaysia, known as “Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM)”. Besides, the Director-General of Health live-streams Covid-19 information on Facebook (Hussin et al., 2021). Notably, the Malaysian Ministry of Health and National Security Council reported Covid-19 cases on Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Twitter when Covid-19 initially affected Malaysia. This move was made because social media can approach individuals quickly with crucial information and updates.

Twitter represents one of the social media channels that the Malaysian government has selected in providing updates on the Covid-19 situation to alert people about maintaining good hygiene practices to prevent the spread of the virus and to share dos and don'ts during the outbreak (Hussin et al., 2021). It was overwhelming when users gave input, participated in online conversations, commented on status or live video broadcasting, tweeted the news, and shared within communities. Public questions, complaints, and misunderstandings can be published on government official pages for speedy replies. Social media content can change people's behavior and reduce the efficacy of government remedies. The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) tweeted Covid-19 information, covering daily cases, deaths, new patients, discharges, hospitalization, and verified cases to caution the citizens (Hussin et al., 2021). Roughly 20 posts on SOP reminded Twitter users of SOPs such as business operations, purchasing processes, or social events daily. Additionally, MOH published 164 Covid-19 instructions and precautions. For instance, postings mentioned the red zone, where numerous cases were found, and special precautions. Notably, hashtags are frequently included to prioritize Covid-19 information from reliable organizations to make it easy for individuals for browsing later.  

Empowering Malaysia’s COVID-19 Response: MySejahtera

In April 2020, the government launched the MySejahtera mobile application to assist individuals in tracking their health status and registering their locations, allowing authorities to collect timely information in fighting Covid-19 which had a positive impact on people's inclination to be involved in protective behaviours (Dawi et al., 2021). Public health guidelines were more probable to be followed when citizens realized the scenario and government response. The COVID-19 epidemic is updated daily by MySejahtera. For instance, this includes the cumulative confirmed cases and the daily new cases.

Dangers of Social Media Reliance during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dissemination of False Information

Social media during the Covid-19 epidemic has enabled a rapid dissemination of unverified content, potentially deceiving and perplexing a considerable segment of the public. This encompasses misinformation about drinking warm salts or lemon water and taking hydroxychloroquine for curation (Balakrishnan, 2022). In Malaysia, a notable occurrence was the rise in the dissemination of false information pertaining to the lockdown measures and Covid-19-related information. This surge prompted Malaysian government to establish the Rapid Response Troop as a means to combat the proliferation of fake news, namely sebanarnya.my. Several instances of false information being spread in the country can be observed, such as the circulation of a compilation of locations within the Klang Valley that purportedly have a significant concentration of Covid-19 cases (Balakrishnan, 2022). Relying extensively on social media might increase dread, dissatisfaction, anxiety, and paranoia. Disinformation was spread in Malaysia by locals using fake or anonymous accounts (Salman, 2021). Many people detect deceptive information poorly, particularly on social media. Following the MCO's adoption, people panic-purchase and buy vast amounts of items and non-essentials at supermarkets (Ngadiron et al., 2021).

Disseminating false information is akin to spreading the Covid-19 virus. The battle against fake information persists, and the community requires daily education via diverse platforms. Social media platforms have a significant impact on fostering societal awareness and enhancing interpersonal connections within Malaysian communities.  However, individuals should be cautious, as the proliferation of fabricated information on these platforms is intended to captivate netizens and generate sensationalized or trending discussions.

In my opinion, social media is useful in spreading essential COVID-19 information in Malaysia. It enables the government to swiftly provide updates, guidance, and safeguards to Malaysians. The MySejahtera mobile app, Facebook, and Twitter have allowed direct interaction with individuals, encouraging safety and behavioural alterations. Nevertheless, fighting disinformation is vital. Overall, social media is useful, but it demands careful scrutiny to guarantee information authentication.

List of References

Balakrishnan, V. (2022). COVID-19 and fake news dissemination among Malaysians – motives and its sociodemographic correlates. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 73, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.102900

Dawi, N. M., Namazi, H., Hwang, H. J., Ismail, S., Maresova, P., & Krejcar, O. (2021). Attitude toward protective behavior engagement during COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia: The role of e-government and social media. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.609716

Hussin, R., Rahman, S. H. A., & Azudin, N. (2021). Social media approach to crisis communication during COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis from Malaysian perspective. Ulum Islamiyyah, 33(S5), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.33102/uij.vol33nos5.404

Ngadiron, S., Aziz, A. A., & Mohamed, S. S. (2021). The spread of COVID-19 fake news on social media and its impact among Malaysians. International Journal of Law, Government and Communication, 6(22), 253–260. https://doi.org/10.35631/ijlgc.6220024

Salman, A. (2021). Knowledge, curiosity, communication channels and panic during COVID-19 movement control order. International Journal of Media and Communication Research (IJMCR), 2(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.25299/ijmcr.v2i1.6205

Statista. (2022). Distribution of main news sources during MCO COVID-19 Malaysia 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1118979/malaysia-main-news-sources-during-covid-19/

[skopostheorie]

I dont even know what asterix (sp?) is but since you seem cool I stay followed ♡

(confess something you've thought about me on anon!)

Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix (French: Astérix or Astérix le Gaulois [asteʁiks lə ɡolwa], "Asterix the Gaul") is a bande dessinée comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, with the aid of a magic potion, during the era of Julius Caesar, in an ahistorical telling of the time after the Gallic Wars. The series first appeared in the Franco-Belgian comic magazine Pilote on 29 October 1959. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo until Goscinny's death in 1977. Uderzo then took over the writing until 2009, when he sold the rights to publishing company Hachette; he died in 2020. In 2013, a new team consisting of Jean-Yves Ferri (script) and Didier Conrad (artwork) took over. As of 2021, 39 volumes have been released, with the most recent released in October 2021.

Description[edit]

Some of the many characters in Asterix. In the front row are the regular characters, with Asterix himself in the centre.

Asterix comics usually start with the following introduction:

The year is 50 BC. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely... One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders. And life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps of Totorum, Aquarium, Laudanum and Compendium...[1][2]

The series follows the adventures of a village of Gauls as they resist Roman occupation in 50 BC. They do so using a magic potion, brewed by their druid Getafix (Panoramix in the French version), which temporarily gives the recipient superhuman strength. The protagonists, the title character Asterix and his friend Obelix, have various adventures. The "-ix" ending of both names (as well as all the other pseudo-Gaulish "-ix" names in the series) alludes to the "-rix" suffix (meaning "king", like "-rex" in Latin) present in the names of many real Gaulish chieftains such as Vercingetorix, Orgetorix, and Dumnorix.

In some of the stories, they travel to foreign countries, while other tales are set in and around their village. For much of the history of the series (volumes 4 through 29), settings in Gaul and abroad alternated, with even-numbered volumes set abroad and odd-numbered volumes set in Gaul, mostly in the village.

The Asterix series is one of the most popular Franco-Belgian comics in the world, with the series being translated into 111 languages and dialects as of 2009.[3]

The success of the series has led to the adaptation of its books into 15 films: ten animated, and five live action (two of which, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra and Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar, were major box office successes in France). There have also been a number of games based on the characters, and a theme park near Paris, Parc Astérix. The very first French satellite, Astérix, launched in 1965, was named after the character, whose name is close to Greek ἀστήρ and Latin astrum, meaning a "star". As of 20 April 2022, 385 million copies of Asterix books had been sold worldwide and translated in 111 languages making it the world's most widely translated comic book series,[4] with co-creators René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo being France's best-selling authors abroad.[5][6]

In April 2022, Albert and René’s general director Céleste Surugue hosted a 45-minute talk titled "The Next Incarnation of a Heritage Franchise: Asterix" and spoke about the success of the Asterix franchise of which he noted "The idea was to find a subject with a strong connection with French culture and while looking at the country's history, they ended up choosing its first defeat, namely the Gaul's Roman colonisation". He also went on to say how since 1989, Parc Asterix attracts an average of 2.3 million visitors per year. Other notable mentions were how the franchise includes 10 animated movies, which recorded over 53 million viewers worldwide. The inception of Studios Idefix in 1974 and the opening of Studio 58 in 2016 were among the necessary steps to make Asterix a "100% Gaulish production," considered the best solution to keep the creative process under control from start to finish and to employ French manpower. He also noted how a new album is now published every two years, with print figures of 5 million and an estimate readership of 20 million.[7]

History[edit]

Évariste Vital Luminais' (1821–1896) paintings of Goths had been rather popular in France and are a possible model for the Asterix series.[8]

Prior to creating the Asterix series, Goscinny and Uderzo had had success with their series Oumpah-pah, which was published in Tintin magazine.[9] Astérix was originally serialised in Pilote magazine, debuting in the first issue on 29 October 1959.[10] In 1961 the first book was put together, titled Asterix the Gaul. From then on, books were released generally on a yearly basis. Their success was exponential; the first book sold 6,000 copies in its year of publication; a year later, the second sold 20,000. In 1963, the third sold 40,000; the fourth, released in 1964, sold 150,000. A year later, the fifth sold 300,000; 1966's Asterix and the Big Fight sold 400,000 upon initial publication. The ninth Asterix volume, when first released in 1967, sold 1.2 million copies in two days.

Uderzo's first preliminary sketches portrayed Asterix as a huge and strong traditional Gaulish warrior. But Goscinny had a different picture in his mind, visualizing Asterix as a shrewd, compact warrior who would possess intelligence and wit more than raw strength. However, Uderzo felt that the downsized hero needed a strong but dim companion, to which Goscinny agreed. Hence, Obelix was born.[11] Despite the growing popularity of Asterix with the readers, the financial backing for the publication Pilote ceased. Pilote was taken over by Georges Dargaud.[11]

When Goscinny died in 1977, Uderzo continued the series by popular demand of the readers, who implored him to continue. He continued to issue new volumes of the series, but on a less frequent basis. Many critics and fans of the series prefer the earlier collaborations with Goscinny.[12] Uderzo created his own publishing company, Éditions Albert René, which published every album drawn and written by Uderzo alone since then.[11] However, Dargaud, the initial publisher of the series, kept the publishing rights on the 24 first albums made by both Uderzo and Goscinny. In 1990, the Uderzo and Goscinny families decided to sue Dargaud to take over the rights. In 1998, after a long trial, Dargaud lost the rights to publish and sell the albums. Uderzo decided to sell these rights to Hachette instead of Albert-René, but the publishing rights on new albums were still owned by Albert Uderzo (40%), Sylvie Uderzo (20%) and Anne Goscinny (40%).[citation needed]

In December 2008, Uderzo sold his stake to Hachette, which took over the company.[13] In a letter published in the French newspaper Le Monde in 2009, Uderzo's daughter, Sylvie, attacked her father's decision to sell the family publishing firm and the rights to produce new Astérix adventures after his death. She said:

However, René Goscinny's daughter, Anne, also gave her agreement to the continuation of the series and sold her rights at the same time. She is reported to have said that "Asterix has already had two lives: one during my father's lifetime and one after it. Why not a third?".[16] A few months later, Uderzo appointed three illustrators, who had been his assistants for many years, to continue the series.[12] In 2011, Uderzo announced that a new Asterix album was due out in 2013, with Jean-Yves Ferri writing the story and Frédéric Mébarki drawing it.[17] A year later, in 2012, the publisher Albert-René announced that Frédéric Mébarki had withdrawn from drawing the new album, due to the pressure he felt in following in the steps of Uderzo. Comic artist Didier Conrad was officially announced to take over drawing duties from Mébarki, with the due date of the new album in 2013 unchanged.[18][19]

In January 2015, after the murders of seven cartoonists at the satirical Paris weekly Charlie Hebdo, Astérix creator Albert Uderzo came out of retirement to draw two Astérix pictures honouring the memories of the victims.[20]

[mariacallous]

Another mysterious death among Russian top executives last week drew further attention to the ever-increasing number of suspicious demises among the oligarchs and critics of President Vladimir Putin, raising questions on whether they have become all too common to be completely coincidental.

Ivan Pechorin, a top manager at the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, was found dead in Vladivostok after allegedly falling off his luxury yacht and drowning near Cape Ignatyev in the Sea of Japan two days before, according to the local administration.

"On September 12, 2022, it became known about the tragic death of our colleague, Ivan Pechorin, Managing Director for the Aviation Industry of the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic," a statement from the company said.

Pechorin is said to have been tasked with modernising Russia's aviation industry and worked directly under Putin.

Earlier this year, the company’s 43-year-old general director Igor Nosov also died from a reported stroke after taking over the reins in May 2021.

Meanwhile, another aviation expert died under strange circumstances: the former head of the Moscow Aviation Institute Anatoly Gerashchenko was pronounced dead after falling down "several sets of stairs" on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the institute.

Geraschenko led the institute -- which closely collaborates with the Russian Ministry of Defence and has aided the development of the likes of MiG fighter jets -- until 2015, but it is believed to have remained in an advisory role since.

The Russian aviation industry has long been suspected of having direct ties with espionage.

In 2018, former deputy director of the Russian national air carrier Aeroflot Nikolai Glushkov -- who famously claimed that about one-fourth of the company's employees were officers of one of the branches of the country's intelligence -- was found hanged in his home in New Malden, London.

Glushkov was a notable Kremlin critic and a close friend of the late oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who was also found dead with a ligature around his neck in 2013. 

Glushkov's death also occurred right after the novichok poisoning of former GRU spy and double agent Alexei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, prompting the investigators to label it as suspicious.

The results of an inquest finalised in April 2021 showed that Glushkov was unlawfully killed, with his death made to look like a suicide by hanging.

'Tripped and fell while smoking'

The news of Pechorin's death came less than two weeks after the chairman of the board of Russia's largest private oil company, Ravil Maganov, died in what Russian news agencies cited as an accidental fall from a hospital window. 

Initially, a statement by his company Lukoil said Maganov “passed away after a severe illness” on 1 September but did not give further details.

Russian news reports later stated his body was found on the grounds of Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, where Russia's political and business elite are often treated. 

Maganov appeared to have fallen from a sixth-story window, the reports said. Some sources claimed he tripped and fell while smoking, stating a pack of cigarettes was found by the window. The news site RBK also said police were investigating the possibility of suicide.

Lukoil was one of a few Russian companies to publicly call for an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling in March for the “immediate cessation of the armed conflict”.

Incidentally, Maganov was not the first Lukoil official to die under suspicious circumstances since Kremlin's full-scale aggression against its western neighbour began in late February.

A former top manager Aleksandr Subbotin was found dead in the basement of a residence in a Moscow suburb in May. 

Russian news reports said the house belonged to a self-styled healer, Shaman Magua, who practised purification rites. 

Magua testified that Subbotin came to his house under the influence of alcohol and drugs and demanded that the healer, whose real name is Aleksei Pindurin, performs a healing ritual for hangover symptoms.

Investigators said the preliminary cause of Subbotin's death was determined to be heart failure.

Yet, it is Ravil Maganov's demise that caught the attention of the press, having been the most well-publicised in a string of accidental self-defenestrations and other suspicious deaths of those who either profited from good relations with Putin or were a thorn in his side -- or both.

Anti-war oligarchs die under strange circumstances

At least another eight Russian oligarchs have died in strange circumstances almost since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. All had in common close links to the Kremlin, immense wealth, a connection to Russian gas and an anti-war stance on Ukraine.

This has raised the suspicions of international investigators, who are beginning to believe that these deaths may, in fact, have been staged suicides or assassinations due to their stance on the Kremlin's aggression against Ukraine or their links to corruption in the Russian gas company Gazprom.

It all started in St Petersburg in the run-up to the war. 

Only a month before the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, a top executive of the gas company Gazprom was found dead in his cottage near St Petersburg. 

Leonid Shulman, 60, was found in the bathroom of the house with slashed wrists, local news reported, citing a source.

According to the police authorities, a suicide note was allegedly found next to his body, in which he recounted his suffering after a leg injury -- which Gazprom claimed caused him to take a leave of absence. 

The version has been questioned after the Warsaw Institue think tank stated that Shulman, who was the head of the transport service at Gazprom Invest, was involved in a possible corruption case at the Russian gas giant.

The morning after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, Alexander Tyulyakov, 65, a senior executive of Gazproms's Corporate Security, died at his home in the same village as Shulman. According to the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, his body was found hanged in the garage.

The same newspaper quoted an unnamed law enforcement source as saying that Gazprom's own security unit arrived at the scene of the suicide at the same time as the police and was also investigating the death.

One of two deaths that have taken place abroad is that of Mikhail Watford, who lived with his family in the UK. On 28 February, the Ukrainian-born 66-year-old oil and gas magnate, who also built a property empire in London, was found dead at his home in Surrey.

Watford's cause of death was determined as death by hanging, but his wife and children, who were at home at the time, were unharmed. UK authorities were treating Watford's death as unexplained but not suspicious. 

It later emerged that Watford, commonly referred to as Misha, had changed his surname from Tolstosheya after moving to the UK in early 2000. 

Murder-suicides escalate suddenly among Putin-friendly oligarchs?

In March, the bodies of Russian billionaire Vasily Melnikov and his family were found in his luxury flat in Nizhny Novgorod, a city in western Russia. 

Melnikov had made his fortune working for one of the medical companies affected by Western sanctions.

According to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Melnikov, along with his 41-year-old wife and two young children, aged 10 and 4 respectively, died of stab wounds. The murder weapon was allegedly found at the scene of the crime.

The newspaper reported that the oligarch had killed his family before committing suicide, although neighbours and other relatives disagreed with the official version.

Other media have claimed that Melnikov's company, which imports medical equipment to Russia, was on the verge of bankruptcy due to Western sanctions imposed in retaliation for the war in Ukraine.

The latest case has taken place in Spain, more specifically in Lloret de Mar, where Russian oligarch Sergei Protosenya, 55, was found dead along with two other family members on 19 April.

The former head of the gas giant Novatek, with a personal worth of €400 million, was found hanged, along with those of his wife and daughter, who were stabbed to death in the family villa.

What was initially classified by the police as a double homicide followed by Protosenya's suicide was later categorically denied by his son.

Several family friends have also come out in public to state that Protosenya is, in fact, the third victim of a "staged suicide" and that the oligarch would have been incapable of murdering his family.

The Catalan police are still actively investigating the case.

Just a day before the death of Protosenya and his family, the body of Russian oligarch Vladislav Avayev was found in his Moscow flat, along with the bodies of his wife and 13-year-old daughter. His daughter Anastasia, 26, was the one who discovered the crime scene.

Russian state-owned news agency TASS quoted a source close to law enforcement as saying that preliminary evidence pointed to Avayev -- former advisor to Putin and former vice-president of Gazprombank -- killing his wife and daughter and then committing suicide.

A pistol was found in the oligarch's hand, and the flat was locked from the inside.

Gazprombank is Russia's third-largest bank and is associated with Gazprom, the world's largest publicly traded natural gas company. 

Avayev was not the last Gazprom top-level manager to die under strange circumstances, however. 

On 2 May, Andrei Krukovsky, the 37-year-old director of a Sochi ski resort owned by the gas giant, died after allegedly falling off a cliff while hiking near the Achipse fortress, the scenic area's landmark monument.

“The general manager of the Krasnaya Polyana resort, Andrei Alekseevich Krukovsky, tragically passed away. He loved the mountains and found peace there,” TASS news agency reported.

The Krasnaya Polyana is one of the most popular ski venues in Russia and was a part of the Olympic complex during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

And on 4 July, multi-millionaire businessman Yuri Voronov was found in the swimming pool at his home in the affluent Vyborgsky neighbourhood of St Petersburg with a gunshot wound to his head.

The police retrieved a handgun at the scene, while bullet casings were found at the bottom of the pool, local media reported.

The 61-year-old Voronov, whose death was deemed to have been a suicide, was the CEO of Astra-Shipping transport and logistics company, a subcontractor to Gazprom with lucrative contracts tied to its operations in the Arctic.

Self-defenestrations the most suspicious

Maganov's death on Thursday also follows the pattern of prominent Russians falling out of windows to their deaths.

In October 2021, a Russian diplomat was found dead after he fell from a window of the Russian embassy in Berlin, Der Spiegel reported.

The unidentified man was a second secretary at the embassy, but German intelligence sources told the newspaper they suspected he was an undercover officer with Russia's FSB.

Investigative outlet Bellingcat said it used open-source data to identify the man as Kirill Zhalo, the son of General Alexey Zhalo, deputy director of the FSB's Second Service, responsible for dealing with internal political threats for the Kremlin.

In December of the same year, the founder of nationalist blog Sputnik and Pogrom Yegor Prosvirnin died after falling out of a window of a Moscow apartment building. 

Prosvirnin's naked body was found next to a knife and a gas canister after shouts and yelling were heard from his apartment, local media reported. 

Prosvirnin, a right-wing activist, originally supported Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 but later became a vocal critic of Putin, predicting a civil war in Russia and the collapse of the Russian Federation.

And on 14 August, Dan Rapoport, Latvian-American investment banker and outspoken Putin critic who had just left Ukraine after the Russian invasion, was found dead in front of a luxury apartment building in Washington DC.

Police say they were not treating Rapoport's death as suspicious, the Washington-based Politico reported, but the case remains under investigation.

Rapoport became rich while in Moscow before falling out of favour with the Kremlin, mostly due to his support for the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, according to reports.

In 2017, Rapoport's then-business partner, Sergei Tkachenko, also fell to his death from his Moscow apartment's window.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, at least four health care workers have fallen out of windows in Russia, with only one surviving despite grave injuries.

At least three incidents of doctors self-defenestrating from hospital windows took place over a two-week period between April and May 2020, with media reports claiming they had protested working conditions during the worst wave of infections in the country prior to the incidents.

In December 2020, a top Russian scientist developing a novel COVID-19 vaccine, Alexander Kagansky, was found dead after falling from his high-rise apartment in St Petersburg.

According to Russian outlets, police claimed Kagansky stabbed himself and then jumped to his death.