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Korea Herald
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
[Kim Seong-kon] Metamorphosis: Painful but worthwhile
Children are fascinated by the metamorphosis of an ugly caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. They are also amazed by the sight of a cute baby bird hatching from an egg. Watching these marvelous processes, children dream about their own metamorphoses that could turn them into an enchanting prince- or princess-like figure someday. The transformations that take place inside a cocoon or an eggshell occur over a prolonged waiting period. When the time comes, the gorgeous butterfly or cute baby bird comes out and eventually soars into the sky. Though a newborn chick cannot fly, it still brings the utmost pleasure and awe to those who watch its birth. However, some human beings choose to stay inside their cocoon or shell for good, and thus never experience a metamorphosis in their lifetime. Some are stuck in a hard shell of self-centeredness, inflexibility and dogmatic ideology. Others feel so snug and comfortable inside their shell that they do not want to come out. Metaphorically speaking, such people are hypnotized, drugged or paralyzed in their cocoons or hard shells. They just don't realize it. In her insightful poem, 'Life in an Egg,' Poet Kim Seung-hee compares the predicament of modern man to that of eggs in the refrigerator. Inside the fridge is a nice, cool environment, just as we might feel in an air-conditioned room. But eggs in the fridge have lost all hope of hatching and bringing forth new life. So have those of us who are helplessly trapped in the cool, refrigerator-like present reality, losing our original fresh vision of metamorphosis. The poet's profound insight into and powerful criticism of contemporary society primarily centers on those who choose to live inside the hard shell of egotism and isolation, rapidly losing contact with others. For example, many Koreans live in inhumane apartment complexes resembling chicken coops, completely cut off from their neighbors. Appropriately, they say that eggs laid in a chicken coop cannot hatch. Comfortable in an air-conditioned apartment, people become self-centered and do not care about what happens outside anymore. In his short story, 'Entropy,' Thomas Pynchon reminds us that we are now living in a hothouse where we are so warm and comfortable that we do not care what happens in the street outside. For Pynchon, the hothouse could be inhumane and even deadly because it is a closed place where entropy reaches its peak. When Henry Miller, another American novelist, returned from his long exile in Europe, he made a journey across America to search for the meaning of his country. Returning from his trip of discovery, he called America "an air-conditioned nightmare" and "a cancer of sameness." One might ask, "What does he mean by a cancer of sameness? America is a country of diversity and multiplicity." However, no matter where you go in America, you encounter the same shopping malls, department stores, chain stores, supermarkets, gas stations, convenience stores and motels. This was precisely what Japanese novelist Murakami Haruki discovered after his trip to California. He wrote, "It was scary to find the same thing everywhere in America." In Antonia Susan Byatt's intriguing novel, 'Angels and Insects,' she compares the behaviors of insects to those of human beings. The author tells us that some people remain like insects for the rest of their lives, unable to break out of their cocoon, while others succeed in transforming themselves into a lovely butterfly. Metamorphosis is not an easy thing to do. Anyone who has watched the process of metamorphosis from a caterpillar to a butterfly knows how painful and difficult it is; it takes patience, endurance and perseverance. Poet Kim Seung-Hee is aware of the pain of metamorphosis. But through her poems, she urges us to keep dreaming of a successful hatching and eventual transformation. It is precisely in this sense that she presents a pearl as a metaphor for painful metamorphosis. She tells us that only a wounded shellfish can produce an astonishingly pretty pearl. Breaking the shell of our ego can be painful, but that is the only way to transform ourselves into a butterfly or a bird soaring towards a bright future. In the author's preface to her collection of poems, 'Life in an Egg,' Kim writes the following. It sounds like a poem itself: 'Situated between these two horizons, / what have I waited for, for such a long time? / Crouching inside an egg, / what kind of dream have I dreamed? / Neighbors, you and I may be the eggs / trapped inside the refrigerator, / still dreaming of hatching out, / still dreaming of love. / Are we, then, not the nameless heroes / in a melancholic epic?' Metamorphosis is a painful process, during which one can easily be hurt or wounded. And yet, we need to transform ourselves into a winged Pegasus soaring into the sky, transcending the gravity of the hideous Chimera-like reality. Kim Seong-kon


Vogue Singapore
10-07-2025
- General
- Vogue Singapore
Peel-off is the best nail polish option for Muslims
Most people know that Muslims can't wear nail polish. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll learn the main reason nail polish is considered impermissible: it blocks water from reaching the nails, which invalidates wudhu (ablution). About a decade ago, breathable and water-permeable nail polishes entered the chat. They were made specifically for Muslims. Now, everyone is putting them to the test—using napkins and effervescent tablets to detect water permeability—finding that they only let a miniscule amount of water through. Unfortunately, this isn't enough to ensure water truly reaches the nails during wudhu. That's why the best option is nail polish that can be applied and removed quickly, with minimal resistance. @shetalkscars Halal GEL nail polish test: is this halal nail polish wudhu/ablution friendly? This is the L'atelier Green gel polish. I decided to run the tests to see for myself… 👩🔬 P.S…Which polish should I try next? 👇 #halal #nailpolish #muslimwoman #muslimah #halalnailpolish #Ramadan #eid #halalnails #muslimtiktok ♬ original sound – Abigayle Unless you're using weak glue tabs, press-on nails aren't exactly easy to remove. Yes, it's possible to rip them off without using proper remover or soaking methods, but your nails will break and peel. Adding insult to damaged nails , acetone-based removers can be harsh. Constant application and removal of regular polish isn't practical for those praying five times a day. Peel-off polish offers a fuss-free solution. Like any regular polish, it's painted on and left to dry. But instead of using solvents or removers to take it off, all you have to do is peel gently. It's quick, non-damaging, and perfect for those who need to remove their polish more often than most. Below, Vogue Singapore's curated selection of peel-off nail polish products suitable for Muslims. Nodspark x Nail Deck Peel-off Gel Nail Polish Gel shine without the fuss. This peel-off polish applies like a dream, cures under a UV LED lamp and removes effortlessly—no base coat, no acetone, no stress. Just lift from the edge and peel to remove. Gorgeous nails, minus the damage. Oh! Hello Bae Peelable Nail Polish This odourless, peelable polish skips the LED lamp and harsh removers. Designed for easy everyday wear, it dries naturally and lifts off in one gentle motion—perfect for quick colour without the commitment. BUY NOW Entropy Peel Off Nail With a jelly texture, Entropy's peel-off polish brings colour payoff and gel-like finish without compromise. The water-based formula peels away easily and comes in 16 tonal shades—ideal for mixing, matching, and starting fresh whenever you need to. Holo Taco Peely Base Your options might seem limited, as peel-off nail polishes aren't always easy to find. But with a peel-off base coat, you can turn almost any regular polish into one that lifts off cleanly. Just apply a thin layer under your manicure, let it dry, and peel when you're ready. For best results, keep it off your skin and cuticles, and stop just short of the nail edges to help the polish stay put.


Cision Canada
23-06-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Entropy Enters Definitive Agreement to Purchase Strategic Carbon Storage Assets
CALGARY, AB, June 23, 2025 /CNW/ - Entropy Inc. ("Entropy"), a subsidiary of Advantage Energy Ltd. ("Advantage"), has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase an interest in three carbon hubs from a Canadian oil and natural gas producer for $20 million and contingent payments of approximately $15 million (subject to adjustment) based on commercial milestones achieved by various projects (the "Acquisition"). The all-cash transaction encompasses a portfolio of strategic subsurface assets, along with associated commercial contracts, licenses, and other intellectual property. The acquired assets are the Belle Plaine carbon hub and the North Battleford carbon hub, located in Saskatchewan, as well as a 50% interest in the Rolling Hills carbon hub located in southern Alberta. The Acquisition is expected to close in July 2025, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions precedent. TD Securities Inc. acted as the exclusive Financial Advisor to the Vendor. Funds for the Acquisition will be provided through the issuance of convertible debentures by Entropy under its aggregate $500 million strategic investment agreements with Brookfield Asset Management and the Canada Growth Fund, with no capital to be contributed by Advantage. All debentures issued to finance the Acquisition will be obligations of Entropy Inc. and are non-recourse to Advantage. "We are excited to expand Entropy's footprint into Saskatchewan and strengthen our commitment to the carbon capture and sequestration business in Alberta," said Entropy CEO Sanjay Bishnoi. "This acquisition marks a significant step in our commercial growth. We are also excited to build relationships with new customers and advance existing infrastructure projects that will enable CO₂ to reach these newly acquired storage hubs." Entropy Operational Update Entropy continues its successful operations and scale-up of carbon capture and sequestration operations at the Glacier gas plant. With Phase 1a preparing to be incorporated into Phase 2 operations, Entropy continues to see consistent, strong carbon capture at Phase 1b (>90% capture and >98% run time) with heat of regeneration in the range of 2.5-2.9 GJ/Tonne CO 2 captured. Progress on the previously announced Glacier Phase 2 continues on time and, despite tariffs and inflation, within 10% of the budget set at the Final Investment Decision on July 9, 2024. Fabrication is underway on all long lead items, including the Solar T130 gas-fired turbine, with construction set to begin this summer. Entropy anticipates Glacier Phase 2 will reach commercial operations by Q2 2026. About Entropy Inc. Entropy is a privately-owned company applying sophisticated science and engineering to develop commercial CCS projects. Entropy entered a strategic $300 million investment agreement with Brookfield Asset Management in 2022. In 2023, Entropy entered a strategic investment with the Canada Growth Fund which includes a $200 million strategic investment and a Carbon Credit Offtake agreement for up to one million tpa of carbon credits for 15 years. These transactions have been undertaken to scale up the deployment of Entropy's CCS technology globally. Entropy's technology is expected to deliver commercial profitability with an industry-leading cost structure using proprietary modular carbon capture and storage technology. Entropy intends to deploy this technology in the global effort to reduce and eventually eliminate carbon emissions. Further information is available at All references in this press release are to Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated. The information in this press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or our future intentions or performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "continue", "demonstrate", "expect", "may", "call for", "can", "will", "believe", "would" and similar expressions and include statements relating to, among other things: the anticipated timing of completing the Acquisition; the anticipated method of funding the transaction; the anticipated benefits of the Acquisition; Entropy's ability to incorporate Glacier Phase 1a operations into Glacier Phase 2 and the anticipated benefits therefrom; the anticipated timing of construction and commercial operations of Glacier Phase 2; the benefits of the deployment of Entropy's technology, and other such similar statements. Entropy's actual decisions, activities, results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements and accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur or, if any of them do, what benefits that Entropy will derive from them. With respect to forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Entropy has made assumptions regarding, but not limited to: that Entropy will be able to satisfy the conditions precedent to complete the Acquisition, as expected; that the government will provide additional clarity on the federal investment tax credit and carbon price certainty; conditions in general economic and financial markets; effects of regulation by governmental agencies; current and future commodity prices and royalty regimes; future exchange rates; future royalty rates; future operating costs; availability of skilled labor; the impact of increasing competition; the anticipated amount of CO 2 captured, stored and offset; that Entropy will have sufficient financial resources required to fund their capital and operating expenditures and requirements as needed; that Entropy will have the ability to develop its technology in the manner currently contemplated; current or, where applicable, proposed assumed industry conditions, laws and regulations will continue in effect or as anticipated; and the anticipated benefits and results from Entropy's technology are accurate in all material respects. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing lists of factors are not exhaustive. These statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Entropy's control, including, but not limited to: changes in general economic, market and business conditions; industry conditions; changes in tax laws and incentive programs; competition; the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management; intellectual property and patent risks; credit risk; changes in laws and regulations including the adoption of new environmental laws and regulations and changes in how they are interpreted and enforced; ability to comply with current and future environmental or other laws; failure to achieve the anticipated benefits and results of Entropy's technology; failure to achieve the anticipated benefits of Entropy's relationships with third parties; and the ability to obtain required approvals of regulatory authorities. Entropy's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that Entropy will derive therefrom. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing lists of factors are not exhaustive. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and Entropy disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. T he following abbreviations and terms used in this press release have the meanings set forth below:


Associated Press
19-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
New Fiber Broadband Association Report: AI's Future Hinges on Fiber Broadband
The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today released a groundbreaking report, Accelerating AI with Fiber: Systems and Strategies, highlighting fiber broadband as the foundation for AI-driven innovations across data centers, networks, and smart home applications. To create the report, FBA engaged with advisory firm Entropy, Inc., to study the impact of AI and fiber. The research simply reveals that AI needs data, data needs data centers, and data centers need fiber connectivity. As AI reshapes industries and drives skyrocketing data demands, the report underscores fiber broadband's critical role in delivering the ultra-fast speeds, low latency, and high-capacity infrastructure necessary to sustain AI's exponential growth. Without fiber, AI-powered advancements ranging from real-time cloud computing to autonomous systems will be limited by network constraints. The report highlights fiber's critical role across three key areas of AI-drive innovation: AI Data Centers: AI applications and deep learning models require vast amounts of data processing which fiber makes possible by ensuring seamless, high-speed connectivity between processors, GPUs, and cloud storage. AI's reliance on real-time, high-performance computing makes fiber indispensable to the modern data center. AI Fiber Networks: As AI advances, networks are evolving with AI-powered automation to manage bandwidth, enhance efficiency, and ensure low-latency performance. Fiber networks are being architected to support AI-ready infrastructures, accelerating edge computing, cloud connectivity, and real-time decision-making. AI Fiber Homes: AI-powered homes are emerging, where fiber connectivity enables Persistent Contextual Hyper Personalization (PCHP)- an AI-driven experience that adapts and learns from user behavior. This unlocks seamless telehealth, immersive gaming, and AI-led education, ensuring users receive hyper-personalized, real-time digital experiences. 'AI is only as powerful as the network that supports it,' said Gary Bolton, President, and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. 'Fiber is the only broadband technology capable of delivering the speed, scalability, and reliability AI requires- from hyperscale data centers to smart homes. This report demonstrates why fiber is the backbone of the AI revolution.' Fiber broadband is more than just an enabler of AI- it is the infrastructure that will determine AI's success. The report emphasizes that today's networks cannot fully support the massive growth in AI applications, which require increased fiber density, expanded middle-mile infrastructure, and next generation fiber networks. AI's future depends on a fiber-powered ecosystem capable of supporting trillions of transactions, cloud-based learning models, and the integration of AI across industries including healthcare, logistics, retail, and IoT. The report also highlights real-world examples of AI and fiber convergence, including Lumen's Private Connectivity Fabric, Adtran's middle-mile optimization, and Calix's AI-driven operations cloud. Access the full report, Accelerating AI with Fiber: Systems and Strategies, here and stay updated by subscribing to the Fiber Broadband Association's weekly newsletter here. About the Fiber Broadband Association The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists dedicated to the advancement of fiber broadband deployment and the pursuit of a world where communications are limitless, advancing quality of life and digital equity anywhere and everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers, communities, and policy makers make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations, and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build the critical infrastructure that provides the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in North America, LATAM, Europe, MEA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at SOURCE: Fiber Broadband Association Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 03/19/2025 09:00 AM/DISC: 03/19/2025 09:02 AM